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.     

Failure mode transition and energy dissipation in naturally occurring composites

The microstructural aspects of compressive inelastic deformation in balsa wood are investigated with emphasis on the failure mode transition and its effects on energy dissipation characteristics. The architectural features as well as the composite character of cell wall ultrastructure are discussed in a framework to understand the complex interrelationship between microstructure and macroscopic behavior in this extremely lightweight cellular biocomposite. Based on this discussion and experimental results, it is concluded that the biomimetic approach may prove to be a viable strategy in designing composite structures with high specific energy absorption capacity.     

A finite elastostatic analysis of bimaterial interface cracks

A numerical method is developed to study the bimaterial interface problem in Neo-Hookean materials under plane stress conditions. Comparison is made with the analytical predictions for the asymptotic field of the problem. The range of dominance of the asymptotic solution at different load levels is established and the amplitudes of the crack-tip asymptotic field are related to the far field loading. The numerical model is extended to analyze the experiments conducted on specimens with an edge crack at the interface between two dissimilar Solithane plates that are characterized by Mooney-Rivlin material behavior.

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Résumé On met au point une méthode numérique pour l'étude d'un problème d'interfaces entre deux matériaux néo-Hookiens sollicités en état plan de tension. On compare les résultats avec les prédictions analytiques étabiies pour un champ asymptotique. On établit la gamme dans laquelle la solution asymptotique est dominante, à différents niveaux de charge, et on met en relation l'ampleur du champ asymptotique à l'extrémité de la fissure avec celle du champ de contraintes à une certaine distance. Le modèle numérique est étendu à l'analyse d'essais sur éprouvettes comportant une fissure de bord à l'interface de deux tôles de Solithane caractérisée par un comportement de matériau de Mooney-Rivlin.

     

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia presenting as massive adrenal incidentalomas in the sixth decade of life: report of two patients with 21-hydroxylase deficiency

Divergent recommendations exist regarding the evaluation of adrenal incidentalomas. Recent data have indicated a prevalence of adrenal tumors of 71% in nonclassical congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and unmasked heterozygotes. These data expand the differential diagnosis of such incidental tumors and substantially modify the approach to their evaluation. We present two patients, female pseudohermaphrodites with the simple virilizing form of CAH and 21-hydroxylase deficiency, who functioned successfully as married phenotypic males. Both came to medical attention in the sixth decade by virtue of massive adrenal incidentalomas encountered in the evaluation of recurrent urinary tract infections. Each had a 46, XX karyotype, no palpable testes, and markedly elevated baseline levels of 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OH Prog) of 6086 ng/dL and 6750 ng/dL. Both responded appropriately to dexamethasone suppression with reduction of 17-OH Prog, androgens and, in the second patient, ACTH to normal or near normal levels. Histologic and autopsy examination of the first patient's tumor and computed tomographic characteristics of the second revealed a benign adenoma and myelolipoma respectively. We extend and confirm previous recommendations that CAH be included in the differential diagnosis of adrenal incidentaloma and that baseline 17-OH Prog. levels be obtained, with ACTH stimulation if necessary, to diagnose the presence of nonclassical CAH.     

Corrosion resistance of phosphate coatings obtained by cathodic electrochemical treatment: Role of anode–graphite versus steel

The formation of phosphate coatings by cathodic electrochemical treatment using graphite and steel anodes and evaluation of their corrosion resistance is addressed in this paper. The type of anode used, graphite/steel, has an obvious influence on the composition of the coating, resulting in zinc–zinc phosphate composite coating with graphite anode and zinc–iron alloy–zinc phosphate–zinc–iron phosphate composite coating with steel anode. The corrosion resistance of the coating is found to be a function of the composition of the coating. The deposition of zinc/zinc–iron alloy along with the zinc phosphate/zinc and zinc–iron phosphate using graphite/steel anodes has caused a cathodic shift in the E_corr compared to uncoated mild steel substrates. The i_corr values of these coatings is very high. EIS studies reveal that zinc/zinc–iron alloy dissolution is the predominant reaction during the initial stages of immersion. Subsequently, the formation of zinc and iron corrosion products imparts resistance to the charge transfer process and increases the corrosion resistance with increase in immersion time. The corrosion products formed might consist of oxides and hydroxychlorides of zinc and iron. The study suggests that cathodic electrochemical treatment could be effectively utilized to impart the desirable characteristics of the coating by choosing appropriate anode materials, bath composition and operating conditions.     

Regulation of proteins mediating neurodegeneration in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is characterized by inflammatory demyelination and axonal loss as pathophysiological correlates of relapsing activity and progressive development of clinical disability. The molecular processes involved in this pathogenesis are still unclear as they are quite complex and heterogeneous. In this article we present protein expression analysis of brain and spinal cord tissues from different models of murine experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the most commonly used animal model for multiple sclerosis. We observed a number of EAE-specific protein expression and PTM differences. Proteome analysis was extended to multiple sclerosis specimens in order to validate the EAE findings. Our findings suggest the regulation of a number of proteins that shed light on the molecular mechanisms of the disease processes taking place in EAE and multiple sclerosis. We found consistent modulation of proteins including serum amyloid P component, sirtuin 2, dihydropyrimidinase-related protein family proteins, stathmin 1, creatine kinase B and chloride intracellular channel protein 1. Functional classification of the proteins by database and the literature mining reveals their association with neuronal development and myelinogenesis, suggesting possible disease processes that mediate neurodegeneration.     

A new method using feature extraction for identifying paddy rice species for quality seed selection

The purpose of this work was to explore a new feature extraction method for classifying paddy seeds using a feature extraction algorithm to achieve the area ratio, horizontal–slant and front–rear angles and find whether the proposed features have high discriminating power. Another objective was to find the smallest feature set that can ensure highly accurate recognition of seeds. A total of a 100 image features were extracted, and features having significant discriminating power were identified based on the analysis of variance (ANOVA). From the 100 features, 14 features were found to have high discriminating power and from these features, six were selected as the proposed features. Experimental results show that the proposed features and removal of redundant features enhanced the discriminating power of the feature set, and that the proposed features have an excellent discriminating property for seeds. The presented features resulted in the highest classification accuracy (98.8%) when compared to other methods.     

The pH-dependence of thermally-coated Ti/TiO2 electrodes in the absence and presence of nitrobenzene

Cyclic voltammetric measurements on thermally coated Ti/TiO₂ electrodes in 0.05–3.0 m H₂SO₄, Na₂SO₄ and NaOH media were carried out to evaluate the cause of pH sensitivity of these electrodes. The electrode activity decreased in the order H₂SO₄ > NaOH > Na₂SO₄. Ionic strength had a significant influence on the electrode activity. In the redox catalysis of nitrobenzene reduction the pH dependence increased significantly. The electrode activity again decreased in the same order. In acid media the TiO₂ surface is protonated. In alkaline media OH- ions are specifically adsorbed on the TiO₂ surface. The concentration of these charged species, as well as the ease of counter ion transport through the charged layers during surface redox reactions in the oxide layer, is identified as the cause of the pH sensitivity of the electrodes. In acid media proton transport in the film occurs through a surface Grothus-like mechanism. In alkaline medium proton abstraction by OH^– ions from the trapped H₂O molecules may facilitate proton transport.     

A comprehensive investigation on the relationship between information technology investments and firm diversification

This paper empirically investigates the role played by information technology in diversified firms by building a demand function for IT investments. First by reviewing the management literature, we briefly examine different types of diversification, including related diversification, unrelated diversification, and geographic diversification. After carefully developing the theoretical arguments we empirically test the relationship between IT investments and different types of diversification. We find that in general diversified firms demand more investments in information technology, but the positive relationship may also depend on the extent to which firms diversify. Our findings show that firms with diversified structures that increase the complexities of coordination and control, e.g. unrelated diversification or extensive geographic diversification, would face a lesser demand for IT investments because of the increased use of financial controls instead of strategic controls by these firms. Overall, we find that information technology can serve as an effective coordination and control mechanism for moderate levels of diversification whereas non-IT mechanisms for coordination and control becomes more suitable in a context of higher levels of diversification. The implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed.