Role of Zinc (Zn) in Human Reproduction: A Journey from Initial Spermatogenesis to Childbirth

Zinc (Zn), the second-most necessary trace element, is abundant in the human body. The human body lacks the capacity to store Zn; hence, the dietary intake of Zn is essential for various functions and metabolism. The uptake of Zn during its transport through the body is important for proper development of the three major accessory sex glands: the testis, epididymis, and prostate. It plays key roles in the initial stages of germ cell development and spermatogenesis, sperm cell development and maturation, ejaculation, liquefaction, the binding of spermatozoa and prostasomes, capacitation, and fertilization. The prostate releases more Zn into the seminal plasma during ejaculation, and it plays a significant role in sperm release and motility. During the maternal, labor, perinatal, and neonatal periods, the part of Zn is vital. The average dietary intake of Zn is in the range of 8–12 mg/day in developing countries during the maternal period. Globally, the dietary intake of Zn varies for pregnant and lactating mothers, but the average Zn intake is in the range of 9.6–11.2 mg/day. The absence of Zn and the consequences of this have been discussed using critical evidence. The events and functions of Zn related to successful fertilization have been summarized in detail. Briefly, our current review emphasizes the role of Zn at each stage of human reproduction, from the spermatogenesis process to childbirth. The role of Zn and its supplementation in in vitro fertilization (IVF) opens opportunities for future studies on reproductive biology.     

Simultaneous accommodation of Dy3+ at the lattice site of β-Ca3(PO4)2 and t-ZrO2 mixtures: Structural stability,mechanical, optical,and magnetic features

Structurally stable β-Ca₃(PO₄)₂/t-ZrO₂ composite mixtures with the aid of Dy³⁺ stabilizer were accomplished at 1500°C. The precursors comprising Ca²⁺, P⁵⁺, Zr⁴⁺, and Dy³⁺ have been varied to obtain five different combinations. The results revealed the fact that complete phase transformation of calcium-deficient apatite to β-Ca₃(PO₄)₂ occurred only at 1300°C, whereas the evidence of t-ZrO₂ crystallization is obvious at 900°C. The dual occupancy of Dy³⁺ at β-Ca₃(PO₄)₂ and t-ZrO₂ structures was evident; however, Dy³⁺ initially prefers to occupy β-Ca₃(PO₄)₂ lattice until its saturation limit and thereafter accommodates at the lattice site of ZrO₂. The typical absorption and emission behavior of Dy³⁺ were noticed in all the systems and, moreover, the surrounding symmetry of Dy³⁺ domains has been determined from the luminescence study. All the systems ensured paramagnetic response that is generally contributed by the presence of Dy³⁺. A gradual increment in the phase content of t-ZrO₂ in the composite mixtures ensured a significant improvement in the hardness and Young's modulus of the investigated compositions.     

网络通信与便携式应用驱动SRAM技术发展

数据通信和便携式系统成为当今SRAM的重要应用领域.某些SRAM由于能够提供实现较高带宽所需的性能(比如在网络系统中)或维持较长电池使用寿命所需的低功耗(比如在便携式设备中)而在许多应用中起着主导作用.     

Maximum likelihood estimation of constellation vectors for blindseparation of co-channel BPSK signals and its performance analysis

In this paper, we present a method for blind separation of co-channel BPSK signals arriving at an antenna array. This method consists of two parts: the maximum likelihood constellation estimation and assignment. We show that at high SNR, the maximum likelihood constellation estimation is well approximated by the smallest distance clustering algorithm, which we proposed earlier on heuristic grounds. We observe that both these methods for estimating the constellation vectors perform very well at high SNR and nearly attain Cramer-Rao bounds. Using this fact and noting that the assignment algorithm causes negligible error at high SNR, we derive upper bounds on the probability of bit error for the above method at high SNR. These upper bounds fall very rapidly with increasing SNR, showing that our constellation estimation-assignment approach is very efficient. Simulation results are given to demonstrate the usefulness of the bounds     

D.c. conduction studies on thermally evaporated neodymium oxide thin films

Aluminium-neodymium oxide-aluminium thin film capacitors have been prepared by thermal evaporation and the d.c. conduction properties of these films have been studied. The thicknesses of the films have been determined by a multiple beam interferometer. The current-voltage power-law dependence showed that the conduction in these films is space-charge limited. The linear dependence of the current density on the square root of the applied field confirmed the exponential trap distribution. The trap density has been found to be of the order of 10²⁶ m^–3. It has also been observed that the Schottky type of conduction is predominant in the high-field region and the height of the Schottky barrier has been determined. It is seen that the conduction mechanism is an activated process with the activation energy decreasing with increasing field.     

On-line emission and economic load dispatch using adaptive Hopfield neural network

This paper presents an adaptive Hopfield neural network (AHNN) based methodology, where the slope of the activation function is adjusted, for finding approximate Pareto solutions for the multi-objective optimization problem of emission and economic load dispatch (EELD). We have placed emphasis on finding solutions quickly, rather than the global Pareto solutions, so that our algorithm can be employed in large on-line power systems where variations in load are quite frequent. To enable faster convergence, adaptive learning rates have been developed by using energy function and applied to the slope adjustment method. The proposed algorithm has been tested on selected IEEE bus benchmark systems. The convergence of AHNN is found to be nearly 50% faster than the non-adaptive version.     

The MITRE E3 family of models structure and results

A family of energy/economic/environmental (E³) models is presented as a mechanism for analysing national policy issues. The family consists of discrete models which are designed to be run in an integrated manner. The outputs of certain models provide the inputs to the next. This structure allows the analyst to readily incorporate an understanding of regional factors such as local energy prices, concerns over air quality, water availability, or attitudes towards construction of new energy facilities, into national assessments of energy policies. This paper reviews the analytic framework within which energy policy issues are currently addressed. The initial family of E³ models is described with the emphasis on the data linkages and feedback which are provided when these models are run sequentially. The ongoing MITRE research programme with the E³ family of models is presented and plans and opportunities for future work are outlined.     

Finite element crack growth algorithm for dynamic fracture

A new finite element crack growth algorithm has been developed to simulate dynamic fracture. In this algorithm, pseudo elements with very high initial density are placed below the crack plane and the density is reduced to zero in a gradual manner as the crack passes the element. A number of linear elastic and elasto-viscoplastic problems have been carried out to test the new algorithm. The results are compared with some of the existing crack growth models.     

Thermal shock and thermal fatigue study of ceramic materials on a newly developed ascending thermal shock test equipment

A test equipment was designed to study thermal shock and thermal fatigue of ceramic materials subjected to fast heating (ascending). The equipment was designed to generate thermal stress in a test specimen by heating one surface of it by an oxy-hydrogen flame while cooling the opposite surface. The sample cracked when thermal stress exceeded its mechanical strength. The in situ crack formation was detected by an acoustic emission system coupled to the set up. The hot zone temperature was measured by an infra red pyrometer. The equipment was also designed to run thermal fatigue test cycles in automatic mode between two selected temperatures. The temperature and thermal stress distribution in the test specimen were modelled using finite element software. The effect of temperature distribution of the top and bottom surfaces on thermal stresses was studied. It was observed that the thermal stress is very sensitive to the temperature distribution on the top surface and maximum near the periphery of the top surface. This was in agreement with the experimental results in which the cracks were originated from the periphery of top surface. It was also observed that the failure temperature was higher for thicker samples.