Preparation and biological evaluation of hydroxyapatite-coated nickel-free high-nitrogen stainless steel

Calcium phosphate was formed on nickel-free high-nitrogen stainless steel (HNS) by chemical solution deposition. The calcium phosphate deposition was enhanced by glutamic acid covalently immobilized on the surface of HNS with trisuccinimidyl citrate as a linker. X-ray diffraction patterns and Fourier transform infrared spectra showed that the material deposited on glutamic acid-immobilized HNS within 24 h was low-crystallinity calcium-deficient carbonate-containing hydroxyapatite (HAp). The biological activity of the resulting HAp-coated HNS was investigated by using a human osteoblast-like MG-63 cell culture. The HAp-coated HNS stimulated the alkaline-phosphate activity of the MG-63 culture after 7 days. Therefore, HAp-coated HNS is suitable for orthopedic devices and soft tissue adhesion materials.     

V–I characteristics of solid polymer electrolytic (SPE) dehumidifier

Measurements of the V–I characteristics of a solid polymer electrolytic (SPE) dehumidifier were done using a modified SPE dehumidifier with four electrodes which included two electrodes to carry the main current and the other two electrodes to measure the voltages applied to the electrical double layer, which are the boundary voltages between the electrodes and the SPE membrane. The measured results were analyzed using the Butler-Volmer equation to examine the validity of the measurements. The current flowing in the dehumidifier is produced by the decomposition of water near the anode. Therefore, under a steady-state condition, the current should be proportional to the supply rate of water to the anode. On the other hand, a two-layer model for the SPE dehumidifier presented in our previous article showed that the current flowing in the dehumidifier was roughly proportional to the water content in the vicinity of the anode. These results were introduced for interpretation of the V–I measurements of the SPE dehumidifier. It was concluded that the dehumidifier current was expressed in the form of a Butler-Volmer equation as a function of the electrode boundary voltages which were the voltages across the boundary between the electrodes and the SPE membrane. An experimental formula for the current under a steady-state condition was developed as a function of the water content near the anode and the boundary voltages.     

Low-temperature thermionic emission from nitrogen-doped nanocrystalline diamond films on n-type Si grown by MPCVD

Temperature-dependent emission current–voltage measurements were carried out for nitrogen (N)-doped nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films grown on n-type Si substrates by microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition (MP-CVD). Low threshold temperature (~ 260 °C) and low threshold electric field (~ 5 × 10^− 5 V/µm) were observed. Both the temperature dependence and the electric field dependence have shown that the obtained emission current was based on electron thermionic emission from N-doped NCD films. We have also studied the relation between nitrogen concentration and the saturation emission current. The saturation current obtained was as high as 1.4 mA at 5.6 × 10^− 3 V/µm at 670 °C when the nitrogen concentration was 2.4 × 10²⁰ cm^− 3. Low value of effective work function (1.99 eV) and relatively high value of Richardson constant (~ 70) were estimated by well fitting to Richardson–Dushman equation. The results of smaller φ and larger A′ suggest that N-doped NCD has great possibility of being a highly efficient thermionic emitter material.     

Use of cysteine to remove mercury from shark muscle

The efficiency of cysteine to remove mercury from sliced and minced shark was evaluated. Treatment with 0.5% cysteine at pH 2.0–2.5 and subsequent washing with sodium chloride (5%) failed to remove the mercury from the sliced shark. The efficiency of 0.5% cysteine at pH 7.0 in removing mercury from minced shark was 40–45% (dry material), obtained by two of the three methods studied. This removal rate was considered relatively low for it failed to attend to the practical proposal of decontaminating species of fish highly contaminated by mercury. The need for fuller understanding of the mechanisms involved in the removal of mercury by cysteine was also considered.     

Solute segregation at grain boundaries in superplastic SiO2-doped TZP

Grain boundary structure, chemical composition, and bonding state in superplastic SiO₂-doped TZP and undoped TZP were investigated by high resolution electron microscopy (HREM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) using a field emission type transmission electron microscope (FE-TEM). No amorphous phase was observed at any grain boundaries in either SiO₂-doped TZP or undoped TZP. Yttrium ions segregated over a width of 4–6 nm at grain boundaries in both materials, and silicon ions segregated over a width of 5–8 nm at grain boundaries in SiO₂-doped TZP. The average dihedral angle between grain boundaries in SiO₂-doped TZP was as high as 80°, which agreed well with the fact that no grain boundary had glass phase. The strain energy is accumulated by the dissolution of silicon ions into the tetragonal zirconia lattice. However, the grain boundary energy of SiO₂-doped TZP is likely to be low enough to compensate the increase of strain energy near grain boundaries. OK-edge EELS spectra taken from grain boundaries in SiO₂-doped TZP were shifted 3–4 eV to the higher energy side in comparison with those from the grain interior. This may suggest that the chemical bonding is strengthened at grain boundaries by the presence of solute silicon. The strengthening may be responsible for the enhanced superplasticity in SiO₂-doped TZP.     

Phenotypic changes in lipopolysaccharide-treated cloned cells derived from transplantable rat malignant fibrous histiocytoma

To investigate a possible phenotypic modulation, MT-8L and MT-9L cells were induced by in vitro culture of undifferentiated MT-8 and fibrohistiocytic MT-9 cells, which had been established from a rat malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH), in the medium containing 10 micrograms lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/ml. MT-8L and MT-9L gave greater positive reactions for histiocytic lysosomal markers and showed ultrastructures of histiocytic natures. In MT-8L, alpha-smooth muscle actin-positive myofibroblastic cells also significantly increased in number. MT-8L expressed both histiocytic and myofibroblastic phenotypes. MT-8L-induced tumors consisted mainly of storiform type MFH, differing from undifferentiated sarcoma type induced by MT-8. MT-9L and MT-9 tumors showed a storiform pattern. A phenotypic modulation of MFH cells was easily induced by LPS treatment.     

Efficient complementary DNA directed expression of human fetal liver cytochrome P450 (CYP3A7) in insect cells using baculovirus

CYP3A7 is a form of cytochrome P450, which is expressed specifically in human fetal livers. NPVHF1, a recombinant baculovirus containing the entire coding region of CYP3A7, was constructed and infected to Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells. Upon infection with NPVHF1, the Sf9 cells expressed the CYP3A7 to the maximum content of 0.2 nmol per mg of whole cell lysates 72 hours after infection. A 5.5-fold expression level (1.1 nmol per mg of whole cell lysates) was attainable when cultured in the presence of externally added hemin. A catalytic activity of the CYP3A7 expressed in the Sf9 cells was confirmed by the umu gene expression mutation assay, in which aflatoxin B1 was activated to a mutagen by the expressed CYP3A7 in the presence of NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase and cytochrome b5. From these results, it is concluded that the baculovirus expression system enables the high-level expression of CYP3A7 and will be a very useful tool for the characterization of CYP3A7.     

A 20-ps Si bipolar IC using advanced super self-aligned processtechnology with collector ion implantation

A super self-aligned process technology, SST-1B, which is an advanced version of the previously proposed SST-1A in high-speed Si bipolar LSIs is discussed. A selectively ion-implanted collector (SIC) process and bird's-beak-free isolation process are utilized. The SIC process is designed to improve shallow base-collector profiles in the intrinsic region. It reduces base width and intrinsic base resistance, and suppresses the base push-out effect (Kirk's effect) in high-current operations. The SIC profile is easily controlled by 150-200 keV phosphorous ion implantation at the base-collector junction. Using these processes, SST-1B has achieved a high cutoff frequency of 21.1 to 25.7 GHz and a fast switching delay of 20.5 ps/G for nonthreshold logic and 34.1 ps/G for emitter-coupled logic. SST-1B has potential applications to 50-ps/G logic LSIs and 10-GHz SSIs. Device simulation indicates that it is possible to achieve a cutoff frequency of 40-50 GHz in a future scaled-down Si bipolar transistor with a 40-nm base and graded collector