Effects of different levels of dietarytrans-octadecenoate on steroid metabolism in rats

Rats were fed semipurified diets containing olive oil or partially hydrogenated corn oil at the 5 or 20% level for ca. 30 days. These fat diets contained the same amount of octadecenoate but differed in the geometry with respect to each fat level. Contents oft-18∶1 were 26% and 41% of total fatty acids, respectively. The linoleic acid content was also made equivalent (3.8 energy %). After feeding on cholesterol-free diets, rats ontrans fat, compared to those oncis fat, showed: (a) no changes in serum cholesterol and apolipoprotein levels, (b) no effects on the bile flow and concentrations of biliary cholesterol or bile acids, (c) a trend toward increased fecal excretion of neutral and acidic steroids, (d) a lesser extent of transformation of cholesterol to coprostanol in the gut, and (e) no changes in the composition of biliary and fecal bile acids. Observations (c) and (d) were more marked with a hightrans fat regimen. These observations, except for serum apolipoproteins and fecal steroid excretion, were practically reproducible even when rats were fed cholesterol-enriched diets. A preliminary part of this study was presented at the 74th annual AOCS meeting, Chicago, 1983.     

Conditions for the generation of nano-sized Au agglomerates in Si

The conditions for the generation of nano-sized Au agglomerates in Si, which were recently discovered by the author, have been investigated. The agglomerates can be generated under very limited conditions. The agglomerates are generated with a continuous annealing method but are not generated with a typical ordinary annealing method. They are generated at an annealing temperature of 900 °C but not at 930 °C. Agglomerates are not generated in regions less than 6 μm from the surface. They are generated in a sample that is initially supersaturated with Au atoms at 7.5 × 10¹⁶ cm^?3 but are only generated at the boundary of the out-diffusion in a sample that initially contains Au atoms at 2.5 × 10¹⁶ cm^?3. Generation of the agglomerates becomes difficult as the time to cool to the annealing temperature increases in the continuous annealing process. The generated agglomerates dissolve and disappear as the surrounding Au concentration decreases to the thermal equilibrium value, that is, as the sample recovers from the supersaturation of the surrounding Au.     

Evaluation of ion conductivity of ZrO2 thin films prepared by reactive sputtering in O2, H2O, and H2O + H2O2 mixed gas

Hydrated ZrO₂ thin films were prepared by reactive sputtering in O₂, H₂O, and H₂O + H₂O₂ mixed gas, and the effect of the sputtering atmosphere on ion conductivity of the films was investigated. The results showed that the films deposited in O₂ gas exhibited poor ion conductivity; however, the ion conductivities of the films deposited in the other two kinds of atmosphere were similar and 300-500 times higher than that of the films deposited in O₂ gas. It was indicated that the higher ion conductivity of the films was caused by lower film density and higher water content.     

Influence of interface layers on Ag thin film growth

We prepared Ag thin films on SiO2/Si substrates, with and without a subnanometer-thick organic interface layer of 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS). The surface morphology and electrical resistivity of these films were investigated and compared. Ag films grown with an MPTMS layer were relatively flat, resulting in a smaller critical thickness. This was probably because migration of Ag atoms on the substrate was suppressed by interactions between the Ag atoms and the thiol moiety. The deposition rate and terminating group of the organic interface layer also influenced the Ag film growth.     

Extractive components of boiled–dried scallop adductor muscle and effect on the taste of soup after mixing with chicken leg meat

The extractive components of raw and boiled–dried scallop adductor muscle were examined. On a dry weight basis the levels of total free amino acids, total adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and related compounds, and betaines in the boiled–dried sample were lower than those in the raw muscle, which may have been due to the outflow of these compounds during boiling. Soup prepared from the boiled–dried scallop and chicken leg meat was assessed by sensory evaluation. This soup cooked with the scallop and chicken was stronger in sweetness, umami and body and rated higher in overall preference than the soup containing these ingredients after cooking separately. The inosine monophosphate (IMP) level in the former soup was 4.4 times higher than that in the latter. The adenosine monophosphate (AMP) deaminase (EC 3.5.4.6) activity in the crude extract from the chicken meat was 9.16 units l^?1, whereas no activity could be detected in the crude extract from the boiled–dried scallop. It is concluded that AMP, which was mainly derived from the boiled–dried scallop, was converted to IMP by AMP deaminase from the chicken meat during the preparation of the soup, resulting in an improvement in the taste. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Additional effect of Ag and 211 phase on thermal expansion of REBaCuO bulk superconductor (RE=Sm, Y)

The anisotropic thermal expansion ΔL/L was examined for melt-processed REBaCuO(Ag) bulk composites (RE=Sm, Y) as functions of not only the contents of the RE₂BaCuO₅ second phase but also Ag metal added to the highly oriented REBa₂Cu₃O₇ matrix. The ΔL/L|_c values in the c-direction of REBaCuO(Ag) bulks are about 1.5-1.8 times as large as the ΔL/L|_ab values in the ab-plane. ΔL/L increases with increasing Ag content in both directions but ΔL/L|_c is by far more sensitive to the Ag content. The resultant compressive strain due to Ag particles in the c-direction through the melt-processing was estimated and its possible contribution for the improvement of the superconducting characteristics of the matrix was discussed.     

Primary adenocarcinoma in the urethrorectal fistula

This paper delineates in short the way in which epidemiology and obstetrics and gynaecology could profit from each other's expertise and why. Epidemiology addresses the rates of occurrence in illnesses and their outcomes in relation to potential determinants of these in any realm of medicine. Obstetrics and gynaecology concern themselves with the female reproductive system, notably. Epidemiologic methods are essential to valid research, and obstetrics and gynaecology are essential to valid inference of epidemiologic research.     

Advances in Nano-Structured Electrochemical Reactors for NOx Treatment in the Presence of Oxygen

Dramatic improvements in the selective separation and purification of NO_x in exhaust gases by an electrochemical reactor have been achieved. The novel electrochemical cells for NO_x decomposition were developed by nano-scale control of penetrating pores from the catalytic electrode surface to the bottom of the catalytic electrode layer, and by distribution at the interfaces of ionic and electronically conducting grains through the electro-catalytic electrode of the cells. Dramatic improvement in the current efficiency and suppression of the working voltage of the cells enabled their application as a novel reactor for NO_x decomposition of gases from gasoline- and diesel-engine vehicles, gas engines, and other industrial equipment with the advantage of less energy consumption in comparison to "the fuel penalty" for presently used catalytic systems. The cells are able to work as a deNO_x reactor even under excess oxygen contents up to 10% because of the selective separation to NO_x molecules by the nano-space reaction. For the first time such nano-reaction has been shown to realize sufficiently applicable yielding rates. Enlarged cells revealed high performance similar to the small experimental cells.     

Energy gap symmetry and thermal conductivity of YBa2Cu3O7

The characteristic enhancement in the heat conduction below T_c is analyzed on sintered YBa₂Cu₃O₇ from viewpoints of both d-wave and s-wave coupling. Assuming the existence of a large energy gap Δ₀(≥1.5Δ _BCS ), only d-wave coupling is consistent with experimental observation. It is found that the most reasonable explanation for the enhancement is provided by the weak-coupling phonon conduction model under d-wave energy gap.