Mechanical properties of the mammalian vas deferens. II. In the active state.

The mechanical response of the vas induced by field stimulation is described in this paper. The experiments were performed, in vitro, on vasa from Sprague-Dawley albino rats. In the maintained ac tetanic stimulation, the active force achieves the peak magnitude in about 1 to 1.

Mechanical properties of the mammalian vas deferens. I. In the passive state.

Knowledge of the mechanical properties of the vas deferens is important in order to understand the mechanical interaction between an intravasal device (IVD) and the vas deferens--a necessary step for successful long-term implantation. It is equally important in order to understand the mechanism of sperm transport through the vas, with or without an IVD implant, by means of quantitative mechanical models. Experiments were performed, in vitro, on vas deferens from rat, bull, and rabbit, to determine its mechanical properties in the passive state.

Applicability of hydrodynamic analyses of spermatozoan motion.

This paper investigates the applicability of a simple hydrodynamics theory due to Gray & Hancock (1955), and extended by Brokaw (1970), to the analysis of the motions of sea urchin, rabbit, and bull spermatozoa. Experimental procedures for filming and analysing the swimming motions are presented. A detailed discussion of the agreement between the experimental and theoretical results is given, and the limitations of the theory in analysing the motion of mammalian spermatozoa are discussed.