Reactive oxygen species and male reproductive hormones

Reports of the increasing incidence of male infertility paired with decreasing semen quality have triggered studies on the effects of lifestyle and environmental factors on the male reproductive potential. There are numerous exogenous and endogenous factors that are able to induce excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) beyond that of cellular antioxidant capacity, thus causing oxidative stress. In turn, oxidative stress negatively affects male reproductive functions and may induce infertility either directly or indirectly by affecting the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and/or disrupting its crosstalk with other hormonal axes. This review discusses the important exogenous and endogenous factors leading to the generation of ROS in different parts of the male reproductive tract. It also highlights the negative impact of oxidative stress on the regulation and cross-talk between the reproductive hormones. It further describes the mechanism of ROS-induced derangement of male reproductive hormonal profiles that could ultimately lead to male infertility. An understanding of the disruptive effects of ROS on male reproductive hormones would encourage further investigations directed towards the prevention of ROS-mediated hormonal imbalances, which in turn could help in the management of male infertility

Hany F. Abdalla Determination of Shakedown Limit Load for a 90-Degree Pipe Bend Using a Simplified Technique

In this paper a simplified problem. The Bree cylinder is subjected to constant internal pressure and cyclic high heat fluxes across its wall. The results of the simplified technique showed very good correlation with the analytically determined Bree diagram of the cylinder

Shakedown limit load determination for a kinematically hardening 90 deg pipe bend subjected to steady internal pressures and cyclic bending moments

A simplified technique for determining the lower bound shakedown limit load of a structure, employing an elastic–perfectly plastic (EPP) material model, was previously developed and successfully applied to a long radius 90 deg pipe bend (Abdalla et al., 2006, “Determination of Shakedown Limit Load for a 90 Degree Pipe Bend Using a Simplified Technique,” ASME J. Pressure Vessel Technol., 128, pp. 618–624). The pipe bend is subjected to steady internal pressure magnitudes and cyclic bending moments. The cyclic bending includes three different loading patterns, namely, in-plane closing, in-plane opening, and out-of-plane bending moment loadings. The simplified technique utilizes the finite element (FE) method and employs a small displacement formulation to determine the shakedown limit load without performing lengthy time consuming full elastic-plastic (ELPL) cyclic loading FE simulations or conventional iterative elastic techniques. In the present research, the simplified technique is further modified to handle structures employing an elastic-linear strain hardening material model following Ziegler’s linear kinematic hardening (KH) rule. The shakedown limit load is determined through the calculation of residual stresses developed within the pipe bend structure accounting for the back stresses, determined from the KH shift tensor, responsible for the rigid translation of the yield surface. The outcomes of the simplified technique showed an excellent correlation with the results of full ELPL cyclic loading FE simulations. The shakedown limit moments output by the simplified technique are utilized to generate shakedown diagrams (Bree diagrams) of the pipe bend for a spectrum of steady internal pressure magnitudes. The generated Bree diagrams are compared with the ones previously generated employing the EPP material model. These indicated relatively conservative shakedown limit moments compared with the ones employing the KH rule.</jats:p

Shakedown limit loads for 90 degree scheduled pipe bends subjected to steady internal pressure and cyclic bending moments

A simplified technique for determining the shakedown limit load for a long radius 90 deg pipe bend was previously developed (Abdalla, H. F., et al., 2006, “Determination of Shakedown Limit Load for a 90 Degree Pipe Bend Using a Simplified Technique,” ASME J. Pressure Vessel Technol., 128, pp. 618–624; Abdalla, H. F., et al., 2007, “Shakedown Limits of a 90-Degree Pipe Bend Using Small and Large Displacement Formulations,” ASME J. Pressure Vessel Technol., 129, pp. 287–295). The simplified technique utilizes the finite element (FE) method and employs the small displacement formulation to determine the shakedown limit load (moment) without performing lengthy time consuming full cyclic loading finite element simulations or utilizing conventional iterative elastic techniques. The shakedown limit load is determined through the calculation of residual stresses developed within the pipe bend structure. In the current paper, a parametric study is conducted through applying the simplified technique on three scheduled pipe bends, namely, nominal pipe size (NPS) 10 in. Sch. 20, NPS 10 in. Sch. 40 STD, and NPS 10 in. Sch. 80. Two material models are assigned, namely, an elastic perfectly plastic (EPP) material and an idealized elastic-linear strain hardening material obeying Ziegler’s linear kinematic hardening (KH) rule. This type of material model is termed in the current study as the KH-material. The pipe bends are subjected to a spectrum of steady internal pressure magnitudes and cyclic bending moments. The cyclic bending includes three different loading patterns, namely, in-plane closing, in-plane opening, and out-of-plane bending moment loadings of the pipe bends. The shakedown limit moments outputted by the simplified technique are used to generate shakedown diagrams of the scheduled pipe bends for the spectrum of steady internal pressure magnitudes. A comparison between the generated shakedown diagrams for the pipe bends employing the EPP- and the KH-materials is presented. Relatively higher shakedown limit moments were recorded for the pipe bends employing the KH-material at the medium to high internal pressure magnitudes.</jats:p

Shakedown analysis of a cylindrical vessel-nozzle intersection subjected to steady internal pressures and cyclic out-of-plane bending moments

In the current research, the shakedown limit loads of a cylindrical vessel–nozzle intersection are determined via a simplified technique. The cylindrical vessel–nozzle intersection is subjected to a spectrum of steady internal pressure magnitudes and cyclic out–of–plane bending moments on the nozzle. The determined shakedown limit loads, forming the shakedown boundary, are utilized to generate the Bree diagram of the cylindrical vessel–nozzle intersection. In addition to the determined shakedown boundary, the Bree diagram includes the maximum moment carrying capacity (limit moments) and the elastic limit loads. The currently generated Bree diagram is compared with previously generated Bree diagram of the same structure, but subjected to in–plane bending. Noticeable differences regarding the magnitudes of the generated shakedown boundaries are observed. Moreover, only failure due to reversed plasticity response occurs upon exceeding the generated shakedown boundary unlike cyclic in–plane bending where the structure experienced both reversed plasticity and ratchetting failure responses. The simplified technique outcomes showed excellent correlation with the results of full elastic–plastic cyclic loading finite element simulations.</jats:p

Prediction of ratchet boundary for 90-degree smooth and mitred pipe bends

The present paper attempts to predict ratchet boundary for 90-degree mitred and smooth pipe bends subjected to sustained pressure and cyclic in-plane bending. The methodology utilizes a recently published technique known as the “Uniform Modified Yielding” (UMY) technique, which relies on generation of a virtual structure with inhomogeneous reduced yield strength, whose magnitude and distribution depend on the elastic stress field due to the cyclic load. The collapse load of this virtual structure determines the threshold steady load necessary for commencement of “incremental collapse”. The technique is applied first to predict ratchet boundaries for two benchmark problems possessing analytical descriptions of ratchet boundary and uni-axial states of stress; the two-bar structure problem and the Bree cylinder. Predicted ratchet boundaries exactly coincided with the corresponding published analytical descriptions, and reasons for this correlation were discussed in this paper. The technique was then applied to three 90-degree pipe bends with similar geometries as follows: smooth pipe bend (SPB), single mitred pipe bend (SMPB), and three weld mitred pipe bend (3WMPB). Certain assumptions are adopted to enable treatment of the problem as a quasi-uniaxial one. Conservative estimates are obtained for ratchet boundaries in pipe bends that correlates well with elastic shakedown/ratchet boundary of the same problems as predicted by a recently developed non-cyclic direct technique.</jats:p