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This article discusses the importance of implementing emergency vitrification protocols in IVF laboratories to manage crises and ensure the safety of patients and reproductive material. The article highlights the vulnerability of medical-assisted reproduction due to its dependence on technology, transportation, and a substantial workforce. It also presents a case study from a laboratory in China that successfully implemented emergency vitrification during a flood. The article emphasizes the need for comprehensive emergency disaster management plans, adequate resources, and the skills and adaptability of embryologists in navigating emergencies. It also raises ethical considerations and the importance of proactive planning and collaboration to mitigate risks and uphold the highest standards of care in reproductive medicine. [Extracted from the article]

A study published in Human Reproduction explores the role of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in ovarian aging and its impact on female fertility. The study found evidence of oxidative damage in oocytes of advanced maternal age, suggesting that oxidative stress may play an early role in the decline of oocyte quality and fertility. The authors also examined cellular and molecular pathways affected by oxidative stress and aging, as well as potential therapeutic strategies to mitigate mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in oocytes of advanced maternal age. However, further research is needed to develop effective treatments for mitochondrial dysfunctions and infertility related to oxidative stress in oocytes. [Extracted from the article]

This document highlights the challenges of diagnosing and treating unexplained infertility in heterosexual couples, emphasizing the need for advancements in diagnostic tests and individualized decision-making. The document also mentions a study that found intrauterine insemination with ovarian stimulation (IUI-OS) to be more effective in achieving live births compared to expectant management. It emphasizes the importance of accurately assessing coital frequency and timing, considering lifestyle factors, and developing better diagnostic tools. Further research is needed to improve treatment options and prognostic models for unexplained infertility. [Extracted from the article]

This article explores the use of machine learning (ML) models in predicting the ploidy status of embryos in in vitro fertilization (IVF). The study compares different ML models using morphokinetic and clinical data to predict the ploidy status of blastocysts. The authors find that a traditional logistic regression model performs better than more complex ML algorithms when predicting aneuploidy, but its performance decreases when predicting euploidy. The article also discusses the impact of dataset characteristics, the relevance of clinical variables, potential bias in ML models based on oocyte age, and the influence of outcome imbalance on model predictions. The authors caution that ML models should be used cautiously and in conjunction with other clinical factors, and emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and ethical considerations in their use. [Extracted from the article]

Since the 1990s, corporate governance in India has gained significant attention from practitioners, academicians, and policymakers due to various economic reforms, specifically liberalization. However, the field is heterogeneous and fragmented. Therefore, the study intends to review the literature on corporate governance in India comprehensively through a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis. A systematic literature review helps to broaden and improve the rigor of reviewing the literature. Simultaneously, the bibliometric analysis aims to study and analyze divergent views and examine the growth trajectory and productivity of the field. This study will provide an integrated and comprehensive picture of corporate governance practices in the Indian context. The study lists the most significant keywords, prominent authors, evolution, and citations of the articles. Further, it analyzes the literature with reference to theory, context, characteristics, and methodology. The study also lists future research directions in the area of Indian corporate governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Area-selective atomic layer deposition (ALD) of dielectrics on chemically similar growth and nongrowth surfaces is very challenging. In this study, we use aminosilane inhibitors to achieve selective blocking of ALD of Al2O3 on plasma-deposited SiO2 versus plasma-deposited SiNx. The SiO2 and SiNx surfaces were exposed to bis(dimethylamino)dimethylsilane followed by (N,N-dimethylamino)trimethylsilane through the vapor phase at 150 °C. At the same substrate temperature, Al2O3 films were grown by ALD using dimethylaluminum isoproxide and H2O. In situ surface infrared spectroscopy shows that aminosilane inhibitors react with almost all the surface −SiOH groups on SiO2, but reaction with surface −NHx groups on the SiNx surface is incomplete, thereby leaving potential growth sites for ALD of Al2O3. In situ ellipsometry results shows that a ∼2.7 nm Al2O3 film can be selectively deposited on SiNx versus SiO2. Upon exposure of the plasma-deposited SiNx to the atmosphere, a higher attachment of aminosilanes and longer nucleation delay during the ALD of Al2O3 were observed, indicating the need to remove the native surface oxynitride prior to functionalization. This study shows that while fully passivating the nongrowth surface is necessary for achieving growth inhibition, ALD can initiate on a partially passivated growth surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During area-selective atomic layer deposition (ALD) based on growth inhibitors, nucleation eventually occurs as the metal precursor reacts with the surface through secondary pathways. We show that ALD of Al2O3 on functionalized SiO2 can be significantly delayed by using a lower reactivity, heteroleptic precursor at well below the saturation dose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors have investigated the surface reaction mechanisms during the atomic layer deposition (ALD) of ZrO2 from tetrakis(ethylmethylamino)zirconium (TEMAZ) with H2O, C2H5OH, and H2O-C2H5OH mixture as the oxygen sources. The ligand-exchange reactions were characterized using in situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and the film growth was recorded using in situ four-wavelength ellipsometry. In the H2O-based ALD process, as expected, surface –OH groups were the reactive sites for TEMAZ, and a growth per cycle (GPC) of ∼1.1 Å was obtained at 200 °C. Contrary to previous reports, no film growth was observed for the C2H5OH-based ALD process. During the TEMAZ half-cycle, the –OC2H5-terminated surface obtained after the C2H5OH half-cycle simply underwent ligand exchange without any addition of Zr to the surface, most likely forming Zr[N(CH3)(C2H5)]4 – x[OC2H5]x (1 ≤ x ≤ 3) as the byproduct. Film growth was observed during the ALD of ZrO2 using an H2O-C2H5OH mixture as the oxygen source. The addition of C2H5OH reduced the surface hydroxyl coverage by forming surface ethoxide sites, which did not contribute to film growth. This in turn led to a lower GPC, ∼0.6 Å, compared to the TEMAZ/H2O ALD process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyamide thin films were rapidly grown using spatial molecular layer deposition (MLD) in a rotating cylinder reactor. The polyamide MLD films were coated on flexible metalized polyethylene terephthalate substrates using sequential exposures of trimesoyl chloride (TMC) and m-phenylenediamine (mPD). The rotating cylinder reactor was housed in a custom oven enclosure that maintained a constant temperature of 115 °C. One MLD cycle (TMC/mPD) was performed per rotation of the cylinder. Polyamide growth rates of 4.5 Å /cycle or 90 Å /min were observed at a slow rotation speed of 20 revolutions per minute (RPM) at a substrate speed of 0.33 m/s. Growth rates of 2.27 Å /cycle or 477 Å /min were measured at higher rotation speeds of 210 RPM at substrate speeds of 3.5 m/s. The polyamide film thicknesses were uniform over the substrate widths as large as ~16.5 cm. The polyamide MLD surface chemistry was also self-limiting. Constant polyamide growth rate per cycle was measured at larger TMC and mPD exposures. In addition, infrared analysis and thermal annealing studies confirmed the chemical identity of the polyamide films. With four MLD cycles per rotation of the rotating cylinder, spatial MLD should be able to obtain polymer growth rates of >1900 Å /min at a rotation speed of 210 RPM. These rapid growth rates are much higher than the growth rates that can be obtained in temporal MLD reactors. The spatial MLD of polyamide films has many possible applications including the deposition of ultrathin reverse osmosis membranes for water desalination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]