BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE An inability or decreased ability of spermatozoa to bind to the zona pellucida (ZP), an extracellular glycoproteinaceous matrix surrounding egg, is one of the plausible causes of idiopathic infertility. It will be clinically useful to distinguish this condition from other causes of infertility. An assay system, investigating binding of human sperm with ZP glycoprotein may...

The biggest challenges faced in big cities are greenhouse gas emission and growing energy needs. Efficient utilization of existing infrastructures has a prominent role in response to the challenges. Energy hub approach embraces performance of different energy networks. Energy hub is defined as a super node in electrical system receiving distinctive energy carriers such as gas and electricity in...

El isabeth A n d r e , Wol fgang F ink le r , W i n f r i e d Graf , K a r i n Harbusch, Jochen He insohn, Anne K i lge r , Bernhard Nebe l , Hans-J i i rgen P ro f i t l i ch , Thomas R is t , Wol fgang Wahls ter (Au tho rs o f the W I P System) , Andreas B u t z (V ideo Producer ) , An thony Jameson (Speaker) German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) Stuhlsatzenhausweg 3, D-66...

The hub location problem is important in the selection of technological networks, such as computer, cellular, or wireless sensor networks. These modern communication networks must be dynamically set as triggered by changes in external conditions; the nodes deplete their batteries and go out of service. For this reason, it is necessary to update the available data in order to determine which nod...

The present study introduced a novel hierarchical hub set covering problem with capacity constraints. This study showed the significance of fixed charge costs for locating facilities, assigning hub links and designing a productivity network. The proposed model employs mixed integer programming to locate facilities and establish links between nodes according to the travel time between an origin-...

P E Baker, Prof: C Mitchell and Dr B Woodman October 2010 T H E U K E N E R G Y R E S E A R C H C E N T R E The UK Energy Research Centre carries out world-class research into sustainable future energy systems. It is the hub of UK energy research and the gateway between the UK and the international energy research communities. Our interdisciplinary, whole systems research informs UK policy deve...

BACKGROUND Earlier studies demonstrated that macrophages phagocytize spermatozoa in the female genital tract of mammals. In spite of this phagocytosis, fecundity is not affected, raising questions of how the resulting decrease in the number of spermatozoa does not reduce the fertilization rate and of the role of this phagocytosis. We hypothesized that its role is to rid the female genital tract...

recognized as the realistic value and hub center of learning, libraries since their primitive stage of establishment have been imparting services in teaching, learning and research. induction of ict in library precipitated to a change in knowledge acquisition, organization, dissemination, representation and preservation. further, the espousal of technology precipitated many new form of learning...

The recent evolution of computers and mathematical programming techniques has provide the development of a new class of algorithms called matheuristics. Associated with an improvement of MIP solvers, many of these methods have been successful applied to solve combinatorial problems. This work presents an approach that hybridizes metaheuristics based on local search and exact algorithms to solve...