Identification of cholesta-7,24-dien-3β-ol and desmosterol in hamster cauda epididymal spermatozoa

The sterol composition of hamster cauda epididymal spermatozoa was remarkably different from that of several other mammalian spermatozoa. Desmosterol and cholesta-7,24-dien-3β-ol account for as much as 90% of the total sterols. Cholesterol and desmosterol are the major components of mouse cauda epididymal spermatozoa, and rabbit, boar and bull ejaculated spermatozoa. Cholesta-7,24-dien-3β-ol was not detected. Furthermore, cholesterol was the main sterol in hamster caput epididymal spermatozoa, while only a trace amount of desmosterol was detected and cholesta-7,24-dien-3β-ol was hardly detected at all. The sterol content of cauda and caput epididymal spermatozoa was 0.17±0.05 μmol/10⁸ spermatozoa. During maturation, the desmosterol and cholesta-7,24-dien-3β-ol levels increase and the cholesterol level decreases. Cholesta-7,24-dien-3β-ol appears as a sterol in mature spermatozoa and seems to be a characteristic sterol of hamster cauda epididymal spermatozoa.     

PWM Inverter Using High-Gain Pulse-Triggered Power Transistors and a New PWM Control Method

Rugged PWM transistor inverters are expected to be put into practical use for providing high reliability under adverse operating conditions. The bipolar power transistors are more common compared with MOSFET's power transistors in balance between power-handling capability and switching speed. High over current capability, low switching loss, high-speed switching, and high-current gain are requisite functions in the PWM inverter employing bipolar power transistors. These functions are of great concern in the power electronics field. A new PWM transistor inverter which can meet these requirements is presented in this paper. For this purpose, a concept of high-gain pulse-triggered power transistor (PTPT) with amorphous saturable current transformer (CT) is introduced.     

Computer simulation of local lattice distortion in Cu-Au solid solution

The local lattice-distortion effects in Cu-25 at Pct Au solid solution were investigated using a computer simulation in which the nearest-neighbor Lennard-Jones interactions with thermal vibration effects were assumed. The investigation revealed that the average displacements of Cu-Cu and Au-Au pairs in the nearest neighbor were negative and positive directions, respectively, with respect to the rigid lattice before the relaxation, and that the diffuse scattering intensity due to local lattice distortion and local atomic configuration can be calculated by taking the short-range configuration up to the 12th nearest-neighbor pairs into account. The results reproduced the overall tendency of the experimental observations. Formerly Graduate Student, Department of Metallurgical Engineering, Hokkaido University.     

Possibility of alpha-tricalcium phosphate (alpha-TCP) particles as a drug carrier for treatment of abdominal carcinomatosis

It is reported that cancer foci are unevenly distributed in abdominal carcinomatosis after intraperitoneal inoculation of cancer cells in rats. The organs may be briefly classified into two groups in terms of the deposit of cancer cells: one that shows an affinity to the cells includes the greater omentum, mesenterium, and gonadal fat and etc., and the other having lesser affinity the stomach, intestine, and spleen and etc. Such uneven distributions are likely to occur in clinical cases of abdominal carcinomatosis resulting from progressive digestive cancers. We have explored the possibility of alpha-Tricalcium Phosphate (alpha-TCP) particles as a drug carrier in which carboplatin (CBDCA) was incorporated. alpha-TCP, which has chemically similar properties to hydroxyapatite, is known to have an excellent biocompatibility with human tissues and is biodegradable. The present study focused on the localization and the forms of alpha-TCP particles, and the morphological changes of the surrounding tissues after intraperitoneal administration using normal and cancer-bearing rats. The following results were obtained: (1) alpha-TCP particles were taken up to a large extent in the "milky spot" of the greater omentum, followed by the "stomata" of the mesenterium, gonadal fat, diaphragm, peritoneum, and liver in normal rats. No alpha-TCP particles were caught up in the tissues of the stomach, small intestine, colon, and spleen. The margination and emigration of lymphocytes were slightly observed around those organs. (2) alpha-TCP particles were predominantly detected on the cancer mass of the greater omentum in abdominal carcinomatosis-bearing rats. It should be noted that the particles collected in the same place where cancer cells were caught, suggesting that the localization of the drug-containing particles result in higher drug concentrations in the cells possibly for extended times. The alpha-TCP particles system is expected to be a good candidate for targeting chemotherapy and specially for abdominal carcinomatosis.     

Hot Isostatic Processing of Shocked Si3N4 Powder

To enhance the sinter ability of Si₃N₄, powders mixed with 0, 2, and 5 wt% Y₂O₃ were explosively shock-treated. Compacts of these powders were encapsulated in 96% silica glass containers and isostatically hot-pressed. The shocked Si₃N₄ with 5 wt% Y₂O₃ was pressed to a density of 3.09 g/cm³ (95.4% of theoretical) at 1400°C under 430 MPa for 3 h, whereas the unshocked material attained only 82.4% of theoretical density under the same hot isostatic pressing conditions.     

Influences of repetition rate of laser pulses on growth of crystalline AlN films on sapphire(0001) substrates by pulsed laser deposition

We investigated influences of a repetition frequency of laser pulses on growth of AlN crystalline films by pulsed laser deposition. The structural and morphological properties of the films were studied by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Employment of high frequency laser pulses not only enhanced the growth of AlN crystallites, but also afforded the crystal growth at higher nitrogen pressures. Growth of α-AlN was dramatically enhanced with an increase in the laser pulse frequency, while β-AlN was grown at the high frequency of laser pulses and high nitrogen pressures.     

Microstructural evolution and superplasticity of rolled Mg-9Al-1Zn

Microstructural evolution and superplasticity of a Mg-9Al-1Zn alloy rolled at 673 K were investigated at 573 K and 1.5×10⁻³ s⁻¹. The grain size of the as-rolled Mg alloy was 39.5 μm. However, the grain size of the specimen deformed to a true strain of 0.6 was 9.1 μm. The grain refinement was attributed to dynamically continuous recrystallization during an initial stage of tensile test. Stabilization of subgrain boundaries by fine particles and stimulation of continuous recrystallization by prior warm-deformation were not needed to attain dynamically continuous recrystallization in the Mg alloy. As a result of the grain refinement, the rolled Mg alloy exhibited superplastic behavior.