Supplemental Material: Rifting of the Indian passive continental margin: Insights from the Langjiexue basalts in the central Tethyan Himalaya, southern Tibet

Text S1: Analytical methods. Figure S1: Zr versus selected element variation diagrams to highlight the effects of alteration and metamorphism for the basalts from Langjiexue area. Figure S2: (A) Ti/Y vs. TiO2, and (B) Ti/Y vs. MgO diagrams for the basalt samples from the Langjiexue in Tethyan Himalaya. Table S1: Representative Permian-Triassic magmatic events along the Tethyan Himalaya. Table S2: Zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb in-situ analyzing results for zircons from the Langjiexue basalts. Table S3: Whole-rock major, trace element and Sr-Nd isotope data of Langjiexue basalts.

Supplemental Material: Rifting of the Indian passive continental margin: Insights from the Langjiexue basalts in the central Tethyan Himalaya, southern Tibet

Text S1: Analytical methods. Figure S1: Zr versus selected element variation diagrams to highlight the effects of alteration and metamorphism for the basalts from Langjiexue area. Figure S2: (A) Ti/Y vs. TiO2, and (B) Ti/Y vs. MgO diagrams for the basalt samples from the Langjiexue in Tethyan Himalaya. Table S1: Representative Permian-Triassic magmatic events along the Tethyan Himalaya. Table S2: Zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb in-situ analyzing results for zircons from the Langjiexue basalts. Table S3: Whole-rock major, trace element and Sr-Nd isotope data of Langjiexue basalts.

Pronounced Trace Element Variation in Follicular Fluids of Subfertile Women Undergoing Assisted Reproduction

Female subfertility is a growing concern, especially in view of an increasing prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) offer a perspective for pregnancy, but the outcome rate is still suboptimal. The trace elements (TE), copper (Cu), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn) are essential for fertility and development. We hypothesized that TE concentrations are related to oocyte quality and growth and affect pregnancy outcomes in women undergoing ART. Concentrations of TE were measured by total reflection X-ray fluorescence. Extracellular glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPX3) and selenoprotein P (SELENOP) were determined as additional Se biomarkers. Corresponding serum and follicular fluid (FF) samples were available from women with (n = 20) and without (n = 20) PCOS diagnosis undergoing hormone treatment within the ART procedure, respectively, and FF samples were classified into five groups based on morphological assessment. Serum showed higher TE concentrations than FF, and TE levels correlated positively between both matrices. Individual FF from the same women showed surprisingly high variability in TE concentration, and follicles without oocytes displayed the lowest TE concentrations. Both Se biomarkers GPX3 and SELENOP were present in FF and correlated positively to Se concentrations. Some notable relationships were observed between morphokinetic parameters, TE concentrations, and GPX3 activity. A slightly depressed serum Zn concentration was observed in PCOS. Our results indicate a direct relationship between TE in serum and FF, positive correlations between the three Se biomarkers in FF, and high variability between the FF from the same woman with the lowest TE concentrations in the follicles with the poorest quality. The differences observed in relation to PCOS diagnoses appear relatively minor. Collectively, the data support the notion that TE assessment of follicles may contribute to optimal oocyte selection and subsequently influence ART success.

Simplified Approach to Detect Satellite Maneuvers Using TLE Data and Simplified Perturbation Model Utilizing Orbital Element Variation

In this study, an algorithm to identify the maneuvers of a satellite is developed by comparing the Keplerian elements acquired from the two-line elements (TLEs) and Keplerian elements propagated from simplified perturbation models. TLEs contain a specific set of orbital elements, whereas the simplified perturbation models are used to propagate the state vectors at a given time. By comparing the corresponding Keplerian elements derived from both methods, a satellite’s maneuver is identified. This article provides an outline of the working methodology and efficacy of the method. The function of this approach is evaluated in two case studies, i.e., TOPEX/Poseidon and Envisat, whose maneuver histories are available. The same method is implemented to identify the station-keeping maneuvers for TDRS-3, whose maneuver history is not available. Results derived from the analysis indicate that maneuvers with a magnitude of even as low as cm/s are detected when the detection parameters are calibrated properly.