BACKGROUND Density gradient is the preferred technique for sperm processing for ART. However, no study has examined sperm quality using different processing media simultaneously and under identical conditions. Therefore, we evaluated semen quality following sperm preparation by three commonly used commercially available density gradient media in a well-designed controlled trial. METHODS We ob...

In this study, we consider the propagation of the Love-type wave in piezoelectric gradient covering layer on an elastic half-space having an imperfect interface between them. Dispersion relation has been obtained in the form of determinant for both electrically open and short cases. The effects of different material gradient coefficients of functionally graded piezoelectric material (FGPM) and ...

The surface currents on a two-wire transmission line induced by incident field excitations are investigated using the spectral concept. A simple solution is obtained for plane wave excitation. A solution for voltage source excitation, in which the induced current may be given, at least approximately, by means of the so-called leaky-wave concept, is considered. The influence of the electrical di...

Climate warming is predicted to alter species interactions, which could potentially lead to extinction events. However, there is an ongoing debate whether the effects of warming on biodiversity may be moderated by biodiversity itself. We tested warming effects on soil nematodes, one of the most diverse and abundant metazoans in terrestrial ecosystems, along a gradient of environmental complexit...

This paper contains a strain gradient theory to capture size effects in rotating nanodisks of variable thickness under thermal and mechanical loading. Material properties of nanodisks have been taken homogeneous material. The strain gradient theory and the Hamilton’s principle are employed to derive the governing equations. Due to complexity of the governing differential equation and boundary c...

The main effects which limit accelerating gradient in CLIC (Compact Linear Collider) main linac accelerating structures are RF breakdown and pulsed surface heating. Recent highlights of the structure development program are presented, including demonstration of higher accelerating gradients using tungsten and a complete redesign of the CLIC main linac accelerating structure, based on reduced su...

Several in vitro studies have shown the presence of an affinity gradient in nuclear pore complex proteins for the import receptor Importinβ, at least partially contributing to nucleocytoplasmic transport, while others have historically argued against the presence of such a gradient. Nonetheless, the existence of an affinity gradient has remained an uncharacterized contributing factor. To shed l...