Pregnancy outcomes and influencing factors of fresh embryo transfer cycle for primary and secondary infertility

Objective To analyze the pregnancy outcomes and influencing factors of fresh embryo transfer cycle in patients with primary and secondary infertility. Methods Clinical data of infertility patients who underwent fresh embryo transfer cycle were collected. All patients were divided into the primary and secondary infertility groups according to the type of infertility. Clinical data，infertility factors and pregnancy outcomes were statistically compared between two groups. The influencing factors of different pregnancy outcomes were identified by logistic regression analysis. Results The clinical pregnancy and live birth rates in the primary infertility group were higher than those in the secondary infertility group （both P < 0.05）. There was no statistical difference in the incidence of spontaneous abortion. Maternal age，duration of infertility，number of oocytes retrieved，number of high-quality embryos and endometrial thickness were correlated with clinical pregnancy （all P < 0.05）. For clinical pregnancy outcomes，without adjusting for any clinical characteristics，the odds ratio （OR） for clinical pregnancy between primary and secondary infertility was 1.34 （1.14-1.59， P < 0.001）. After adjusting for male and female factors as well as embryo factors，the OR for clinical pregnancy between primary and secondary infertility was 1.25 （1.02-1.53， P = 0.032）. For live birth outcomes，without adjusting for any factors，the OR for live birth between primary and secondary infertility was 1.48 （1.08-2.13， P = 0.014）. After adjusting for male and female factors as well as embryo factors，the OR for live birth between primary and secondary infertility was 1.27 （0.86-1.88， P = 0.237）. Conclusion In the fresh embryo transfer cycle，higher clinical pregnancy and live birth rates can be obtained in primary infertility patients compared with their counterparts with secondary infertility

Purification and characterization of three laccase isozymes from the white rot fungus Trametes sp. HS-03

Three laccase isozymes (LacI, LacII and LacIII) were isolated from the culture supernatant solution of Trametes sp. HS-03. Diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-sepharose fast flow anion exchange chromatography and Sephadex G-100 size-exclusion chromatography was performed to achieve electrophoretic homogeneity. The molecular masses (64.2, 60.7 and 38.9 kDa), isoelectric points [pIs (7.3, 4.7 and 3.5), and N-terminal amino acid sequences (G-I-G-P-V, A-I-G-P-T and S-I-G-P-V) were found to be different for the three laccase isozymes. LacI and II have similar thermostability, while LacIII showed better thermostability. LacIII also showed optimal activity at 80°C, with a half-life of 125 min at 70°C. The pI-value of LacI and the molecular mass of LacIII differ significantly from previously described fungal laccases.Keywords: Trametes sp. HS-03, laccase isozymes, purification, characterizatio

Sustainable and scalable in-situ synthesis of hydrochar-wrapped Ti3AlC2-derived nanofibers as adsorbents to remove heavy metals

To ensure a sustainable future, it is imperative to efficiently utilize abundant biomass to produce such as platform chemicals, transport fuels, and other raw materials; hydrochar is one of the promising candidates derived by hydrothermal carbonization of biomass in pressurized hot water. The synthesis of “hydrochar-wrapped Ti3AlC2-derived nanofibers” was successfully achieved by a facile one-pot hydrothermal reaction using glucose as the hydrochar precursor. Meanwhile, cellulose and pinewood sawdust as raw materials were also investigated. Products were characterized by XRD, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, SEM, TEM and FT-IR to investigate their crystal structures, textural properties, morphologies, and surface species. In the adsorption test to remove Cd(II) and Cu(II) in aqueous solution, hydrochar-wrapped nanofibers outperformed pure nanofibers derived from Ti3AlC2, hydrothermal carbon derived from glucose and commercial activated carbon. Finally, the regeneration, sorption kinetics, and possible adsorption mechanism were also explored

Pressure Fluctuation Characteristics of High-Pressure Common Rail Fuel Injection System

In high-pressure common rail fuel injection system, fuel pressure wave propagates back and forth in the system during fuel injection, and the cycle fuel injection volume is affected by the fluctuation of fuel injection pressure. Therefore, to reduce the influence of pressure fluctuation on the cycle fuel injection volume fluctuation, it is of great theoretical significance to analyze the mechanism of pressure fluctuation and its influence law. In this chapter, the dynamic pressure fluctuation characteristics of the high-pressure common rail fuel injection system are analyzed based on the injector inlet pressure, and experimental research and theoretical analysis are carried out for the time domain and frequency domain characteristics of injector inlet pressure fluctuation, aiming at revealing the pressure fluctuation mechanism and its influence law, and providing theoretical support for improving the control accuracy of multiple injection cycle fuel injection volume

4.5 years multi-wavelength observations of Mrk 421 during the ARGO-YBJ and Fermi common operation time

We report on the extensive multi-wavelength observations of the blazar Markarian 421 (Mrk 421) covering radio to gamma-rays, during the 4.5 year period of ARGO-YBJ and Fermi common operation time, from August 2008 to February 2013. In particular, thanks to the ARGO-YBJ and Fermi data, the whole energy range from 100 MeV to 10 TeV is covered without any gap. In the observation period, Mrk 421 showed both low and high activity states at all wavebands. The correlations among flux variations in different wavebands were analyzed. Seven large flares, including five X-ray flares and two GeV gamma-ray flares with variable durations (3-58 days), and one X-ray outburst phase were identified and used to investigate the variation of the spectral energy distribution with respect to a relative quiescent phase. During the outburst phase and the seven flaring episodes, the peak energy in X-rays is observed to increase from sub-keV to few keV. The TeV gamma-ray flux increases up to 0.9-7.2 times the flux of the Crab Nebula. The behavior of GeV gamma-rays is found to vary depending on the flare, a feature that leads us to classify flares into three groups according to the GeV flux variation. Finally, the one-zone synchrotron self-Compton model was adopted to describe the emission spectra. Two out of three groups can be satisfactorily described using injected electrons with a power-law spectral index around 2.2, as expected from relativistic diffuse shock acceleration, whereas the remaining group requires a harder injected spectrum. The underlying physical mechanisms responsible for different groups may be related to the acceleration process or to the environment properties.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, 5 tables, Accepted for publication in ApJ