Test of hypotheses for Mixed Model Analysis of Variance, impact of developmental competence, patient variability and experience (i.e. qPCR series) on the level of gene expression.

yijkn gene expression level in nth cumulus cells for a gene according to the ith phenotype from jth patient after kth qPCR series; μ gene expression level mean; Pi fixed effect of ith phenotype (i = CCB+ cumulus cells from mature oocyte yielding a blastocyst at day 5/6 of in vitro culture once fertilised and i = CCB- cumulus cells from mature oocyte which stopped developing at the embryo stage at day 5/6 of in vitro culture once fertilised); Aj random effect of the jth patient (j = 1 to 29); Qk random effect of kth qPCR series (k = 1 to 7); (PA)ij first-order interaction between variables phenotype and patient;*Statistical significance of model factors for the levels of expression of the four genes (p