Adhesive strength of bioactive oxide layers fabricated on TNTZ alloy by three different alkali-solution treatments

Bioactive oxide layers were fabricated on Ti-29Nb-13Ta-4.6Zr alloy (TNTZ) by three different alkali solution treatments: hydrothermal (H), electrochemical (E), and hydrothermal-electrochemical (HE). The adhesive strength of the oxide layer to the TNTZ substrate was measured to determine whether this process achieves sufficient adhesive strength for implant materials. Samples subjected to the HE process, in which a current of 15mA/cm(2) was applied at 90°C for 1h (HE90-1h), exhibited a comparatively higher adhesive strength of approximately 18MPa while still maintaining a sufficiently high bioactivity. Based on these results, an oxide layer fabricated on TNTZ by HE90-1h is considered appropriate for practical biomaterial application, though thicker oxide layers with many cracks can lead to a reduced adhesive strength.

Response measurement of single-crystal chemical vapor deposition diamond radiation detector for intense X-rays aiming at neutron bang-time and neutron burn-history measurement on an inertial confinement fusion with fast ignition

A neutron bang time and burn history monitor in inertial confinement fusion with fast ignition are necessary for plasma diagnostics. In the FIREX project, however, no detector attained those capabilities because high-intensity X-rays accompanied fast electrons used for plasma heating. To solve this problem, single-crystal CVD diamond was grown and fabricated into a radiation detector. The detector, which had excellent charge transportation property, was tested to obtain a response function for intense X-rays. The applicability for neutron bang time and burn history monitor was verified experimentally. Charge collection efficiency of 99.5% ± 0.8% and 97.1% ± 1.4% for holes and electrons were obtained using 5.486 MeV alpha particles. The drift velocity at electric field which saturates charge collection efficiency was 1.1 ± 0.4 × 10(7) cm/s and 1.0 ± 0.3 × 10(7) cm/s for holes and electrons. Fast response of several ns pulse width for intense X-ray was obtained at the GEKKO XII experiment, which is sufficiently fast for ToF measurements to obtain a neutron signal separately from X-rays. Based on these results, we confirmed that the single-crystal CVD diamond detector obtained neutron signal with good S/N under ion temperature 0.5-1 keV and neutron yield of more than 10(9) neutrons/shot.

296 IMPACT OF CO-CULTURING CUMULUS-ENCLOSED PORCINE OOCYTES WITH DENUDED OOCYTES DURING IN VITRO MATURATION IN A DEFINED MEDIUM ON CUMULUS EXPANSION AND OOCYTE MATURATION

Recent research has revealed that oocyte-secreted factors (OSF) affect cumulus expansion and play important roles during maturation and embryo development of mammalian oocytes. The use of denuded oocytes (DO) as supplements during in vitro maturation (IVM) in a nondefined medium improved developmental competence of cumulus-enclosed porcine oocytes (COC; Gomez et al. 2012 Zygote 20, 135–145). We investigated the effect of DO on cumulus expansion and nuclear maturation of COC in pigs during IVM using a defined medium. If the DO exert a positive influence on IVM, the defined medium can then be analysed for the presence of OSF. Immature COC were collected in the slaughterhouse from prepubertal gilts. To obtain DO, some COC were completely denuded by pipetting through a narrow-bore glass pipette. The COC used as a source for DO fulfilled the same morphological criteria as the COC used for IVM. The IVM medium was porcine oocyte medium (POM; Yoshioka et al. 2008 J. Reprod. Dev. 54, 208–213) with hormone supplementations applied only during the first 20 h of the IVM period. The COC were fixed to the bottom of 35-mm plastic Petri dishes in 3 × 3 grids by Cell-Tak (BD Bioscience, Bedford, MA, USA) in 100-µL droplets POM covered by paraffin oil. Culture droplets (each including 1 COC grid) were supplemented with (DO+ group, n = 179) or without 16 DO (DO– group, n = 143). After 20 h of IVM, the medium was replaced with a preincubated hormone-free POM and oocytes were cultured for an additional 28 h. At 0, 20, and 48 h of IVM, images of each grid were taken at the same magnification. The size of each COC was measured as a 2-dimensional area in pixels by analysing images with ImageJ software. Relative cumulus expansion was calculated at 20 and 48 h of IVM on the basis of the initial COC size at 0 h, which was assigned as 1. At 48 h of IVM, the COC were denuded and examined for oocyte maturation by orcein staining. The experiment was replicated 5 times. Cumulus expansion ratios at 20 and 48 h of IVM were compared between the DO+ and DO– groups by ANOVA. Maturation rates were compared between the DO+ and DO– groups by binary logistic regression. No difference in cumulus expansion between DO– and DO+ could be observed at 20 h (1.83 ± 0.04 and 1.75 ± 0.03, respectively) and 48 h (1.41 ± 0.03 and 1.47 ± 0.02, respectively) of IVM. Nuclear maturation rates of COC in DO– and DO+ groups did not differ significantly (39.0 ± 5.4 and 32.9 ± 8.8%, respectively). In conclusion, addition of DO to the defined IVM medium did not affect the cumulus expansion and oocyte maturation of follicular porcine COC. Further research is needed to assess the effects of DO during IVM on subsequent fertilization. If DO prove to be beneficial for fertilization, the nature of the OSF will be investigated.This study was supported by FCWO of UGent and by FWO-Flanders (grant number FWO11/ASP/276).

Photonuclear reaction based high-energy x-ray spectrometer to cover from 2 MeV to 20 MeV

A photonuclear-reaction-based hard x-ray spectrometer is developed to measure the number and energy spectrum of fast electrons generated by interactions between plasma and intense laser light. In this spectrometer, x-rays are converted to neutrons through photonuclear reactions, and the neutrons are counted with a bubble detector that is insensitive to x-rays. The spectrometer consists of a bundle of hard x-ray detectors that respond to different photon-energy ranges. Proof-of-principle experiment was performed on a linear accelerator facility. A quasi-monoenergetic electron bunch (Ne = 1.0 × 10(-6) C, Ee = 16 ± 0.32 MeV) was injected into a 5-mm-thick lead plate. Bremsstrahlung x-rays, which emanate from the lead plate, were measured with the spectrometer. The measured spectral shape and intensity agree fairly well with those computed with a Monte Carlo simulation code. The result shows that high-energy x-rays can be measured absolutely with a photon-counting accuracy of 50%-70% in the energy range from 2 MeV to 20 MeV with a spectral resolution (Δhν/hν) of about 15%. Quantum efficiency of this spectrometer was designed to be 10(-7), 10(-4), 10(-5), respectively, for 2-10, 11-15, and 15-25 MeV of photon energy ranges.

Development of multichannel low-energy neutron spectrometer

A multichannel low-energy neutron spectrometer for down-scattered neutron (DSN) measurements in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments has been developed. Our compact-size 256-channel lithium-glass-scintillator-based spectrometer has been implemented and tested in ICF experiments with the GEKKO XII laser. We have performed time calibration of the 256-channel analog-to-digital convertor system used for DSN measurements via X-ray pulse signals. We have clearly observed the DD-primary fusion neutron signal and have successfully studied the detector's impulse response. Our detector is soon to be implemented in future ICF experiments.

Characterizing a fast-response, low-afterglow liquid scintillator for neutron time-of-flight diagnostics in fast ignition experiments

The characteristics of oxygen-enriched liquid scintillators with very low afterglow are investigated and optimized for application to a single-hit neutron spectrometer for fast ignition experiments. It is found that 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene has better characteristics as a liquid scintillator solvent than the conventional solvent, p-xylene. In addition, a benzophenon-doped BBQ liquid scintillator is shown to demonstrate very rapid time response, and therefore has potential for further use in neutron diagnostics with fast time resolution.

[Investigation into drinking problem of patients who visited a general hospital in central and northern Okinawa]

In Japan, many problems related to alcohol are pointed out from before. We believe that there is a unique drinking culture in Okinawa, such as a large amount of alcohol. Therefore, we estimate many people in Okinawa have a drinking problem. We conducted a survey of patients who visited general hospital (medical or surgical or orthopedic) in 2007. The purpose of this study is to collect basic data for introducing alcoholics to specialized treatment as early as possible, detecting the person who drink large amounts of alcohol, performing early intervention for people who drink large amount of alcohol, and advancing cooperation with specialized medical agencies of alcohol. As a result, Among the patients who visited general hospital in Okinawa, many problem drinkers are concentrated in the young age. and they have strong fears of health. The possibility of early intervention with intervention techniques, such as brief intervention, has been suggested.

[Survey of physicians and alcohol-dependent patients in regard to the goals of treatment of alcohol dependence]

We conducted a survey of alcohol-dependent patients at the time of their first visit and physicians in regard to the goals of treatment of alcohol dependence. There were 99 replies from patients, and replies from physicians related to 64 of the patients' replies were also received, and in 25.0% of them it was judged possible to make reducing the amount of alcohol consumed a temporary or final goal. Having a mild drinking problem, the absence of a personality disorder or mental retardation, the presence of a strong motivation in regard to treatment, etc., were cited as reasons for the physicians' judgments. In addition, the number of diagnostic criteria of the ICD-10 for dependence syndrome that applied was shown to be significantly related to the judgments regarding treatment goals. However, as for Alcohol Dependence Scale (ADS), there was no significant relationship with the treatment goal.

[Reduction in alcohol consumption as a treatment goal of alcohol dependence: actual conditions in Okinawa]

In Japan, abstinence has traditionally been considered the sole method of treatment for alcohol dependence. In recent years there have also been reports that a small percentage of alcoholics are able to regain control of their drinking, but thus far there have been few reports in Japan on reducing the amount of alcohol consumed in alcohol dependence. In the present study we therefore conducted a survey of outpatients who were examined on a certain day at 4 general hospitals in Okinawa Prefecture. Of the 421 examinees, 5% of the males and 4% of the females had a score of 20 or more on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and were suspected of alcohol dependence. When those suspected of alcohol dependence were asked if they wanted to decrease their level of alcohol consumption, 90% of the males and 78% of the females replied that they wanted to reduce it. We also conducted a survey of the post-discharge outcome of alcohol-dependent inpatients at the National Hospital Organization Ryukyu Hospital. The Hospital is a psychiatric hospital that has a specialized unit for alcohol dependence, and treatment based on cognitive behavioral therapy is conducted there. The results for the outcome 1 year after their discharge from the Hospital of the 116 patients admitted for the treatment of alcohol dependence showed that 31% were able to remain abstinent, 61% were unable to remain abstinent, and 8% had died. The alcohol-related problems of some of those who were unable to remain abstinent had become mild, i.e., they had been able to return to work, their violent behavior while inebriated had improved, etc. Many alcoholics want to reduce the amount of alcohol they consume as a goal of treatment, and some of them actually are able to reduce their alcohol consumption. The details will be left to future research, but it may be possible for a reduction in alcohol consumption to be the goal of treatment for a certain type of alcoholics.

299 A FEATURE OF SELF-RENEWAL PORCINE EMBRYONIC STEM CELL-LIKE CELL LINES ESTABLISHED BY INHIBITORS

Despite meticulous attempts for more than two decades, establishment of authentic porcine embryonic stem cell (ESC) from pig has never been successful. Although putative porcine ESC-like cells have been reported, such cell lines easily lose the ability of self-renewal, becoming extinct or differentiating after only a limited number of passages in culture. Porcine ESC-like cells exhibiting the property of self-renewal rather than pluripotency are considered a valuable resource in applications such as drug screening and toxicology testing in humans and livestock, and in veterinary medicine. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) inhibitor CHIR99021 and Erk signalling inhibitor PD184352 for use in establishing ESC-like cell lines derived from the inner cell mass (ICM) of porcine blastocysts produced in vitro. These ICM-derived cell lines were initially cultured and passaged in conventional human ES medium. They displayed so-called ESC-like morphology; for example, the isolated colonies began to grow as a monolayer with coarse cell–cell boundaries, in which the cells exhibited polygonal boundaries, high nuclear/cytoplasmic ratios, abundant lipid-like inclusions, alkaline phosphatase activity, and expression of markers of undifferentiated cells such as OCT4 and NANOG. After transfer to culture in ES medium containing the inhibitors, the morphology of the colony was dramatically changed, displaying a closely packed and smooth-edged colony with tight cell–cell boundaries. Remarkably, growth of the established cell lines is leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF)-dependent. The inclusion of inhibitors supports self-renewal, thus enabling continuous culture for over 100 passages while maintaining an undifferentiated state. High-passage-number cells continued to express undifferentiated marker genes and showed alkaline phosphatase activity and telomerase activity with an X chromosome status of XaXi. We further investigated the potential for differentiation of the established cell lines. The cells could easily form embryoid body-like spheres in suspension culture. When either the spheres or ESC-like cells were inoculated under the kidney or testis capsules of nude mice, classical teratoma formation was not observed after 2 to 3 months. However, histological analyses revealed apparent invasive proliferation derived from porcine cells. Although further analyses are required to characterise the property of the porcine ESC-like cells, we have recently succeeded in establishment of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing stable cells lines, which will be useful for further investigation.

79 A COMBINATION OF ETHYLENE GLYCOL AND PROPYLENE GLYCOL IS SUPERIOR TO INDIVIDUAL CRYOPROTECTANTS FOR THE VITRIFICATION OF IMMATURE PORCINE OOCYTES

We compared the feasibility of ethylene glycol (EG) and propylene glycol (PG) for the vitrification of immature porcine cumulus–oocyte complexes (COC). Porcine COC collected from 3- to 6-mm follicles of slaughterhouse-derived ovaries were subjected to solid-surface vitrification (Somfai et al. 2010 Theriogenology 73, 147–156) either in 35% (v/v) EG or 35% (v/v) PG or in the mixture of 17.5% (v/v) EG and 17.5% (v/v) PG. After warming, the COC were subjected to in vitro maturation, IVF, and embryo culture according to Kikuchi et al. (2002 Biol. Reprod. 66, 1033–1041). Oocyte survival and maturation rates were assessed after in vitro maturation by evaluating membrane integrity and the extrusion of the first polar body. All live oocytes were subjected to IVF and in vitro culture. Cleavage and blastocyst rates were calculated from the total number of oocytes subjected to IVF on Day 2 (Day 0 = IVF) and Day 7, respectively. Total-cell (blastomeres) numbers in blastocysts were recorded on Day 7 after staining with Hoechst 33342. In Experiment 1, competence parameters of oocytes vitrified either in EG-based (EG group; n = 310) or a PG-based (PG group; n = 265) vitrification media were compared with those in the nonvitrified control (n = 160). The experiment was replicated 4 times. In Experiment 2, the competence parameters of oocytes vitrified with the combination of 17.5% EG and 17.5% PG (EG+PG group; n = 397) were compared with those in nonvitrified control (n = 245) and toxicity control (TC, exposed to cryoprotectants without cooling; n = 245) groups. Five replications were performed. Results were analyzed by ANOVA. Differences with P < 0.05 were considered significant. In Experiment 1, the mean survival rate of vitrified oocytes was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in 35% PG compared with that in 35% EG (73.3 and 25.9%, respectively). Maturation rates of surviving oocytes did not differ among vitrified (PG and EG) and nonvitrified control groups (71.1, 62.4, and 64.0%, respectively). After IVF of surviving oocytes, blastocyst formation rate in the group vitrified in EG was higher (P < 0.05) compared with that vitrified in PG but was lower (P < 0.05) compared with control (10.8, 2.0, and 25.0%, respectively). Mean cell numbers in blastocysts did not differ among EG, PG, and control groups (50.5, 47.7, and 48.7, respectively). In Experiment 2, survival of immature oocytes in the EG+PG group was 42.6%. After IVF, 10.7% of oocytes developed to the blastocyst stage in the EG+PG group, which was lower (P < 0.05) than those of the control (18.1%) and TC (23.3%) groups. Blastocyst rates in the control and TC groups were not statistically different. Mean cell numbers in blastocysts did not differ significantly among the EG+PG, control, and TC groups (61.6, 59.3, and 53.3, respectively). In conclusion, 35% PG provided a higher oocyte survival rate after vitrification compared with 35% EG. However, presumably due to toxic effects, 35% PG greatly reduced the development competence of oocytes. The combination of 17.5% EG and 17.5% PG yielded higher survival rates than did 35% EG, without any toxic effect on oocytes.

The photonuclear neutron and gamma-ray backgrounds in the fast ignition experiment

In the fast-ignition scheme, very hard x-rays (hereinafter referred to as γ-rays) are generated by Bremsstrahlung radiation from fast electrons. Significant backgrounds were observed around the deuterium-deuterium fusion neutron signals in the experiment in 2010. In this paper the backgrounds were studied in detail, based on Monte Carlo simulations, and they were confirmed to be γ-rays from the target, scattered γ-rays from the experimental bay walls (γ'-rays), and neutrons generated by (γ, n) reactions in either the target vacuum chamber or the diagnostic instruments (γ-n neutrons).

Down-scattered neutron imaging detector for areal density measurement of inertial confinement fusion

A custom developed (6)Li glass scintillator (APLF80+3Pr) for down-scattered neutron diagnostics in inertial confinement fusion experiments is presented. (6)Li provides an enhanced sensitivity for down-scattered neutrons in DD fusion and its experimentally observed 5-6 ns response time fulfills the requirement for down-scattered neutron detectors. A time-of-flight detector operating in the current mode using the APLF80+3Pr was designed and its feasibility observing down-scattered neutrons was demonstrated. Furthermore, a prototype design for a down-scattered neutron imaging detector was also demonstrated. This material promises viability as a future down-scattered neutron detector for the National Ignition Facility.