The molecules involved in determining meiotic competence were determined in porcine oocytes isolated from preantral and antral follicles of different sizes. Oocytes isolated from preantral follicles had a mean diameter of 78 μm, contained diffuse filamentous chromatin in the germinal vesicle and were incapable of progressing from the G2 to the M phase of the cycle even after 72 h in culture. Oocytes from early antral follicles had a mean diameter of 105 μm, showed a filamentous chromatin configuration and about half resumed meiosis but arrested at metaphase I (MI) when cultured. Oocytes from mid-antral (3–4 mm) and large antral follicles (5–6 mm) had mean oocyte diameters of 115 and 119 μm respectively, contained condensed chromatin around the nucleolus and progressed to metaphase II (MII) in 48% and 93% of instances respectively. Analysis of p34cdc2, the catalytic subunit of maturation promoting factor (MPF), by immunoblotting indicates that the inability of small (78 μm) oocytes to resume meiosis is due, at least in part, to inadequate levels of the catalytic subunit of MPF. On the other hand, the inability of intermediate-sized (105 μm) oocytes from antral follicles to complete the first meiotic division by progressing beyond MI appears not to be limited by levels of p34cdc2, which are maximal by this stage. We postulate that an inadequacy of molecules other than p34cdc2 limits progression of MI to MII; the acquisition of these molecules during the final stages of growth may be correlated with the formation of the perinucleolar chromatin rim in the germinal vesicle.

Mechanical properties and fracture characteristics of Zr-based bulk metallic glass (BMG) composites containing carbon nanotube (CNT) addition were investigated in detail. The interfacial reaction between the added CNTs and the glass matrix causes the formation of some V-shape nicks on the residual CNTs. These nicks have significant effect on the mechanical properties and fracture modes of the BMG composites. The compressive fracture strength increases with increasing the volume fraction of CNT addition at first, and starts to decrease gradually when the volume fraction of CNT addition is more than 5.0%. The fracture modes of the BMG composites also change from typical shear flow deformation behavior to completely embrittling fracture gradually. The V-shape nicks originating from the interfacial reaction are responsible for the decrease of fracture strength and the variation of fracture modes.

We have measured excess carrier lifetimes in GaN with various doping concentrations and surface conditions by the microwave photoconductivity decay method. GaN samples were grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) without intentional doping and with Si doping or Mg doping on a-face sapphire substrates. By using the microwave photoconductivity decay method, we obtained 1/e excess carrier lifetimes of larger than 50 μs for the Si doped and undoped GaN and of less than 10 μs for the Mg doped GaN. We changed surface conditions for the samples by the inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching and investigated effects of surface conditions on the carrier recombination behavior. The ICP etching has negligible effects on carrier lifetime in the Si doped GaN. On the other hand, in the undoped GaN, the ICP etching lengthened the carrier lifetime compared with the as-grown sample. On the contrary, the ICP etching shortened the carrier lifetime in the Mg doped GaN. The ICP etching seems to form hole traps and recombination centers at GaN surfaces and thus the carrier lifetime became longer in the undoped GaN and shorter in the Mg doped GaN.

Boar spermatozoa were prepared for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) by two different treatments to facilitate sperm chromatin decondensation and improve fertilisation rates after ICSI in pigs: spermatozoa were either frozen and thawed without cryoprotectants, or treated with progesterone. Morphological changes of the sperm heads after the treatments were examined and then the activation of oocytes and the transformation of the sperm nucleus following ICSI were assessed. After freezing and thawing, the plasma membrane and acrosomal contents over the apical region of sperm head were lost in all the spermatozoa. Following treatment with 1 mg/ml progesterone, the acrosome reaction was induced in 61% of spermatozoa. After injection of three types of spermatozoa, non-treated spermatozoa and progesterone-treated (i.e. acrosome-reacted) spermatozoa induced oocyte activation, but frozen-thawed spermatozoa induced oocyte activation at a significantly lower rate. Sixty-two per cent of sperm heads remained orcein-negative for 6 h, however, resulting in delayed sperm chromatin decondensation and low male pronuclear formation in the oocytes injected with a non-treated spermatazoon. Since the treatments of freezing and thawing and progesterone for spermatozoa accelerated the initial change in sperm chromatin and the latter treatment induced oocyte activation earlier, it is considered that the delay in oocyte activation and decondensation of sperm chromatin after injection of non-treated spermatozoa is caused by the existence of the sperm plasma membrane. These results show that progesterone treatment efficiently induces the acrosome reaction in boar spermatozoa without destroying their potency for oocyte activation, and the induction of the acrosome reaction results in the promotion of male pronuclear formation after ICSI.

We deposited MgF2 thin films using the ion-plating method that features RF and DC biasing to the substrate holder. We investigated the effects of RF powers, substrate temperatures (Ts) and DC bias voltages on optical absorption and abrasion resistance of the films. The optical absorption deteriorated by increasing RF power and Ts. In particular, the deterioration was quite serious when the Ts were above 423 K. The abrasion resistance increased by increasing the Ts. We found that the abrasion resistance could be improved also by increasing a DC bias voltage. The same abrasion resistance as the film deposited by a conventional heat resistance deposition at 573 K was obtained by applying the DC bias voltage of -500 V and the Ts of 300 K.

Epitaxial layers of 4H-SiC are grown on (0001) substrates inclined toward <1120> and <1100> directions. Defects in these films are characterized by deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) in order to clarify the dependence of concentrations and activation energies on substrate inclination. DLTS results show no such dependence on substrate inclination but show thickness dependence of the concentration.

Impurity effects were investigated in (Ba,Sr)TiO3 (BST) systems in order to suppress leakage currents under relatively low oxygen pressure conditions by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD). We tried to dope transition metals, such as Mo, Mn, Cr, W and Fe into the BST target and used the targets to fabricate the films. By measuring electrical properties, we found Fe-doping had a significant effect on suppressing leakage current. Subsequently, we changed the amount of Fe doping from 0.1mol% to 6%. As a result, with post annealing, the sample with Fe:4% showed the lowest leakage current among those analyzed. Even without post annealing, the sample with Fe:6% showed the lowest leakage current. As for the dielectric constants, they decreased as the doping increased. At most, a 30% reduction was observed, compared with non-doped BST. XANES (X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structures) results indicated that the valency of the Fe ion was 3+ and located at the B-site of BST.