This bachelor thesis deals with the development of molecular selection markers for the detection of fertility restorers for CMS Shaan 2A in rape by molecular techniques. The thesis describes molecular techniques such as DNA isolation techniques, polymerase chain reaction and primer design techniques for the detection of fertility restorers. Specific PCR primers for the Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) superfamily protein gene and the Tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) -like superfamily protein gene sequence amplification have been designed and aplicons have been sequenced. On the basis of the sequence differences between plants with fertility restorer fenotype and CMS fenotype the technique for fertility restorer detection was designed.

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The thesis is focused on a family behavior in the Czech lands during past six decades. A reader learns the meaning and function of the family. Further attention is paid to fertility behavior with the emphasis on marital and extramarital fertility. This task answers the question whether the Czech society still respects classic family behavior, first wedding and after that a baby, using the theoretical background and data from the Czech Statistical Office. Supported by the data analysis we can recognize that the conservative behavior subsides. Influence of women income respectively the highest reached educational level has not been demonstrated.

<div>Reproductive efficiency in sows and boars affects the profitability of swine production systems. However, breeding stock selection is primarily based on progeny performance traits such as feed efficiency, growth rate, carcass characteristics, physical appearance, and structure, especially for terminal sire lines, with less emphasis on reproduction. While maternal sire lines are co-selected for reproductive traits including birth litter size, number weaned, weaning weight, and wean to estrus interval, currently, there is no single test predictive of fertility, and thus subfertile males and sub-fertile or even infertile females enter the swine breeding herds (Oh et al., 2006b; Safranski, 2008). Thus, to maximize economic returns and swine production efficiency there is a need for a biomarker to identify boars and gilts with the greatest reproductive potential before admittance into the breeding herd. The overall aim of the described studies was to determine if biomarkers of fertility of boars and gilts could be identified in biological samples taken prior to or just after animals entering the breeding herds using high throughput omic screening tools resulting from recent advancements in mass spectrometry.</div><div>Current semen evaluation techniques only identify boars with fertility issues associated with sperm motility, morphology, and concentration. We know that seminal plasma proteins are essential for proper sperm function and play an important role in fertilization. Therefore, we hypothesized that fertility differences could be reflected in the seminal plasma proteome profiles. A fertility index was created from 110 boars with data on total born and farrowing rate following 50 single-sired matings. Thirty-two of the 110 boars were identified as having extreme phenotypes for total born and farrowing rate and were categorized into one of the following: high farrowing rate and high total born (HFHB; n=9), high farrowing rate with low total born (HFLB; n=10), low farrowing rate and low total born (LFLB; n=9), and low farrowing rate with high total born (LFHB; n=4). The seminal plasma proteins were isolated and measured using label-free liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). There were 436 proteins measured in at least one sample across all animals, with 245 proteins considered for analysis (detected in samples of at least n=3 animals/phenotype). Of the 245 proteins, 56 were differentially abundant (P < 0.05) between the high fertility phenotype (HFHB) and at least one of the three subfertile groups. Proteins previously associated with fertility such as Porcine seminal protein I (PSP-I) and epididymis-specific alpha-mannosidase (MAN2B2) and free radical detoxification such as superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), peroxiredoxin 4 (PRDX4), and glutathione peroxidase 6 (GPX6) were more abundant in HFHB. Subfertile phenotypes had a greater abundance of blood microparticle proteins, biomarkers of inflammation, and lower inositol-1-monophosphatase (IMPA1), which regulates inositol production. Findings supported that seminal plasma protein profiles were distinct between boars with different fertility phenotypes and have the potential to predict boar reproductive performance.</div><div>The selection of replacement females for the sow herd is one of the most important facets in sow system management. However, selection of gilts for sow herd replacements is primarily based on how the animal appears such as feet and leg confirmation, the gilt’s underline, and parent past performance. This practice resulted in a high degree of variation in sow reproductive performance traits such as pigs per sow per year (PSY) and increased culling rates due to reproductive failure. In female swine, perinatal nutritional environment has been associated with their long-term fertility. The vaginal lipidome of 2 day and 14 day old gilts was found reflective of nutrition source, which suggests that perinatal nutrition affects the composition of reproductive tissues. Thus, it was hypothesized that the vaginal lipidome profiles of gilts at weaning would be reflective of fertility later in life. The first study aimed to find potential on-farm biomarkers that technicians could use to make selection decisions. Variables chosen as potential biomarkers have potential to influence or predict long-term fertility. Data were prospectively collected from 2146 gilts born on a commercial sow production facility and included birth and weaning weights, vulva length and width at 21 d postnatal (PN), birth and nursing litter size, days nursed, average daily gain from birth to weaning, and age at first estrus. Of the initial animals, 400 (17%) were selected for the sow herd, 353 remained after removing animals culled for non-reproductive reasons. Animals were assigned to 1 of 5 reproductive performance categories based on observation of estrus or pigs per sow per year (PSY) across two farrowings: High Fertility (HF; 23%; n=82; ≥26 PSY), Middle Fertility (MF2; 12%; n=43; 20-25 PSY), Low Fertility (MF3; 15%; n=54; <20 PSY), Infertile-Estrus (IFe; 10%; n= 36; estrus, no pregnancy), and Infertile-No Estrus (IFno; 39%; n=138; no estrus, no pregnancy). Generalized linear model analysis indicated vulva width (P=0.03) was related to PSY, however, it only explained 1.5% of the total variation in PSY. To determine if preweaning variables were predictive of gilt fertility outcome, animals were grouped as those that became pregnant (n=179) or not (n=174). Vulva width tended to be greater in fertile animals versus infertile (P=0.07). Binomial regression analysis revealed a positive relationship between vulva width and gilt fertility; however, this relationship is not strong enough to make sow herd selection decisions.</div><div>Because gilts are so phenotypically similar at weaning, we hypothesized that the biomarker predictive of fertility at this stage of selection might need a more sensitive means of detection. Therefore, we evaluated the vaginal lipid profiles from a subset of animals enrolled in the previous study that were the extremes of fertility phenotype: High Fertility (HF; n=28; ≥26 PSY) and Infertile (IF; n=34; no estrus, no pregnancy). Vaginal swabs of the anterior vagina were taken at 21 ± 4 d PN. Lipids were extracted from cellular material collected with swabs and analyzed using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) profiling for lipidome analysis. Relative abundance of arachidonic acid (ARA, C20:4) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6) were lower (P<0.05) in IF gilts than HF gilts, whereas abundance of the free fatty acids cerotic (C26:0), ximenic (C26:1), and nonadecanoic (C19:0) acids were greater (P<0.05) in IF gilts. Additionally, eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5), a precursor of prostaglandins, was also higher (P<0.05) in IF gilts.</div><div> Previous studies support that higher levels of arachidonic acid in vaginal lipidomes maybe a biomarker of colostrum intake, and thus provides further evidence for a relationship between fertility and the perinatal nutritional environment. The perspective of having a panel of lipids captured with vaginal swabs at weaning that can predict the reproductive efficiency of gilts shows promise and warrants future research in this area. Taken together, the experiments described above demonstrate that detection of infertile and subfertile animals before entering the breeding herd is possible and warrants further development and validation of diagnostic panels capable of doing so. </div><div><br></div>

Premarital fertility, that is, childbearing before first marriage, is an important yet under researched demographic topic in sub-Saharan Africa. In Zimbabwe, the distinction by marital status in fertility research is hardly drawn. Hence, a gap exists in the knowledge of premarital fertility levels. This research aims to investigate levels of, and factors associated with, premarital fertility since the onset of Zimbabwe's fertility transition in the mid-1980s. The research employed direct fertility estimation techniques to effectively compare premarital, marital, and overall fertility trends between 1988 and 2015. Cox proportional-hazards regression and forest plot analyses were then used to explain changes in factors associated with the timing of premarital first births over the same period. Data quality assessments were carried out using the method of cohortperiod fertility rates to provide explanations for any erratic results. The results showed that premarital fertility was constant and moderate, with an average of 0.7 children per woman, between 1988 and 2015. While most premarital first births consistently occurred to younger women, from 2005 onwards, they increased among women aged above 24 years and decreased among adolescents. An increase in age, commencing sexual activity after adolescence, and improved socio-economic status including level of education decreased the relative risk of having a premarital first birth. However, delaying marriage past young womanhood, history of contraceptive use, Ndebele ethnicity, and residence in regions other than Manicaland and Masvingo, especially Ndebele dominated regions, increased the same risk by 465.0%, 45.5%, 136.0% and up to 135.0% respectively. The stagnation of premarital fertility between 1988 and 2015 while both marital and overall fertility first declined and then stalled indicates that there is insufficient evidence to suggest that premarital fertility had contributed to the stall of fertility decline in Zimbabwe from the mid-1990s. The timing of premarital first births since the start of the fertility transition in the 1980s has had a strong ethnic and cultural bias. Due to evidence of the effect of migrancy and tourism on premarital fertility in border and tourism towns, an extension into the theory of migrant premarital sexual behaviour to detail the risk of premarital fertility among border town residents who interact with but are neither migrants nor tourists is recommended.

Artificial insemination (AI) using cryopreserved sperm has an important positive impact on cattle production. Fertility is the most critical trait controlling livestock production; however, molecular, cellular, and physiological determinants of bull fertility and sperm freezability are not well understood. Better understanding of molecular, cellular, and physiological underpinnings of bull fertility may increase the success rate of AI. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that expression dynamics of sperm nuclear proteins, post-translational modifications (PTM) of sperm Histone 4 (H4), and seminal plasma metabolome are associated with bull fertility and sperm freezability (P = 0.043). Flow cytometry experiments were conducted to quantify H4 and acetylated histone 4 (H4ac) in sperm from high and low fertility Holstein bulls. The analysis of flow cytometry experiments clarified that retained levels of H4ac in bull sperm are associated with bull fertility. In addition, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was applied to ascertain the amino acid concentration of seminal plasma from bull semen with various freezability. A total of 21 amino acids and isomers were identified, and phenylalanine was positively associated with sperm post-thaw viability (r = 0.57, P-value = 0.043). Lastly, a quantitative western blotting experiment was utilized to ascertain relative quantification of sperm nuclear proteins including protamine 1 (PRM1), protamine 2 (PRM2), Histone 3 (H3), and H4. Also, sperm functional parameters including acrosome reaction, DNA fragmentation index, PAWP expression were analyzed using flow cytometry. In addition, immunocytochemistry experiments were applied to analyze sperm chromatin decondensation ability. The analyses of western blotting experiments revealed that the relative abundance of PRM2 in poor freezability sperm (PF) was greater than those in good freezability sperm (GF) (P = 0.0259). The relative abundance of retained H3 was greater in PF bulls than in GF bulls (1.02 ± 0.005 and 0.969 ± 0.021, respectively; P = 0.0272). There was a positive correlation between the abundance of retained H4 and sperm decondensation state (r = 0.71, P = 0.05). These results are important because they can help advance fundamental andrology and the assisted reproductive technologies both for cattle and other mammals, including humans and endangered species.

Although the survival rate of childhood cancer is high, nearly two thirds of these survivors experience negative long-term secondary side effects from cancer treatments. Infertility is one such side effect that can have a prominent impact on quality of life as the patient ages. It is important for nurses working with pediatric oncology patients to provide the patient and family with education about risk for infertility and fertility preservation (FP) in order to allow families to make decisions about FP before cancer treatment starts. However, pediatric oncology nurses report being uneducated about FP guidelines and are hesitant to broach this subject with families. The purpose of this HIM thesis is to review nurse perceived barriers related to educating patients and their families about the risk for infertility following cancer treatments and FP and to make recommendations for improving communication between nurses and families about FP. A search was performed using CINAHL, PreCINAHL, PsychINFO, PsychARTICLES, and Medline databases and examined peer-reviewed quantitative and qualitative research studies. Key terms used in the database searches were ped' OR child', onco' OR cancer', fert', and nurs'. Findings indicated that there were many barriers for pediatric oncology nurses, which inhibited the discussion of FP with patients and families such as lack of knowledge and resources, provider attitudes toward FP, and patient factors. Based on the findings, the researcher identified several interventions to aid pediatric oncology nurses in overcoming these barriers to FP discussion.

Thesis advisor: Corrine Y. Jurgens / Background: Infertility is a source of significant distress to women, their partners, and their families. If women are unable to identify the time in their cycle when conception is most likely (the fertile window) then they may be referred to fertility services unnecessarily, which incur costly, invasive, and risky interventions. Little is known about women’s experiences trying to conceive using fertility-awareness based methods. Objective: The purpose of this dissertation research is to examine fertility-awareness based method (FABMs) use among women seeking pregnancy, specifically as it relates to fertility knowledge, method frequency, predictors of use, and duration of pregnancy attempt. Methods: This manuscript-style dissertation will utilize multiple data sources and methods to address four major goals. First, an integrative review of peer-reviewed publications will synthesize the literature regarding fertility knowledge and fertility- awareness practices (Aim 1). Second, a secondary analysis of data from the CDC’s National Survey of Family Growth (2015-2017) will be used to identify factors that influence women’s decision to use FABMs (Aim 2). Third, an analysis of data from the Nurses’ Health Study 3 will be used to evaluate whether duration of current pregnancy attempt is associated with FABM(s) use (Aim 3). Lastly, a case study will be presented using the qualitative methodology of narrative interview to describe women’s experiences using FABMs to achieve pregnancy (Aim 4). Conclusions: Collectively, this work advances the science by providing researchers and clinicians with the knowledge to support women in their journey to natural, spontaneous conception. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2021. / Submitted to: Boston College. Connell School of Nursing. / Discipline: Nursing.

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