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The method of analysis of three dimenional sound field coupled between inner and outer space separated at an enclosure is developed by using the three demensional Boundary Element Method (BEM) for the object evaluating the method of reducing the sound noise generated by machines. Though the analysis of two dimensional sound field of it had already been developed and the features had been shown by authers the actual sound field is not two dimensional but three dimensional and the obtained results by two dimensional analysis is only available to estimate the feature of actual sound field qualitatively. Then, the three dimensional analysis is developed to estimate the feature of actual sound field quantitatively and the differences of results of analysis between two dimensional and three dimensional analysis are discussed.

A reversed passive latex agglutination test (RPLA) using anti-canine haemoglobin (Hb) antibody was developed for detecting bleeding in the lower digestive organs in dogs, and its applicability as a simple test for faecal occult blood was assessed. In Ouchterlony's gel immunodiffusion test, the anti-canine Hb antibody used to sensitize the latex reacted with canine Hb but not with Hbs, plasmas or meat extracts from pigs, goats, sheep, cattle, horses or chickens, or with fish extracts. Using latex sensitized with 50 micrograms/mg of anti-canine Hb IgG antibody, the lowest limit of detection for canine Hb was 21 micrograms/ml, and the latex reacted negatively with all test specimens other than canine Hb. In an in vitro experiment with a mixture of canine faeces and erythrocytes, the antigenicity of the Hb was found to undergo only very slight changes even when the specimens were allowed to stand for 12 h at room temperature. Hb could not be detected by RPLA in any of four successive faecal samples from three experimental dogs after infusion of autologous blood (5, 3 or 1 ml) into the stomach. In 3 other experimental dogs given an infusion of autologous blood (5, 3 or 1 ml) into the ascending colon, the presence of Hb was confirmed by RPLA in all four successive faecal samples obtained from those which received 5 or 3 ml of blood and in all except that obtained following the first defecation from the animal which had received 1 ml of blood.

Yamada, M., Horiuchi, T., Oribe, T., Yamamoto, S., Sugie, I. and Gentry, P.A., 1997. Bovine erythrocyte haemolysates enhance plasminogen activation by tissue-type plasminogen activator. Veterinary Research Communications, 21 (2), 75-84

A method for indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) assay for soluble antigen has been developed using latex particles (latex) as a carrier for soluble antigen. Two types of latex having grain sizes of 1.0 and 6.0 μm were used for IFA assay and were evaluated in this study. Bovine IgG and rabbit anti-bovine IgG antibody were used as soluble antigen and as primary antibody, respectively. Bovine IgG-sensitized latex on slide glass was not washed off after immersion for 45 min. IFA using latex appears to have high specificity, as no reactions between fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated antibody and protein-sensitized latex were observed, and the latex did not show auto-fluorescence or non-specific reactions. Latex with a grain size of 6.0 μm was appropriate as a carrier of soluble antigen, as the amount of soluble antigen necessary for sensitization was approximately one-eighth that necessary for the small-diameter latex (1.0 μm), and large-diameter latex is easier to distinguish under the fluorescence microscope. IFA assay using soluble antigen-sensitized latex is suitable for more widespread use in the future.

A capillary reversed passive latex agglutination test (capillary RPLA) was developed which allows quantification of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) within approximately 15 min. The logarithmic regression line (calibration curve) obtained after measuring each CRP concentration three times in twofold dilutions of a standard canine serum containing 222 micrograms/ml of CRP was y = 6.394 + 0.030x (r = 0.995). Capillary RPLA permitted quantification of CRP in the range 6.9-222 micrograms/ml. The coefficients of variation ranged from 10.28% to 12.40%. The recovery rates (percentage recovery) of CRP by capillary RPLA were within the range 87% to 106%. On measuring the CRP concentrations in sera from 78 dogs by capillary RPLA, single radial immunodiffusion (SRID) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), close correlations were demonstrated between SRID and capillary RPLA (y = 7.250 + 1.109x, r = 0.978), between SRID and ELISA (y = 3.042 + 1.059x, r = 0.967), and between capillary RPLA and ELISA (y = 1.778 + 0.929x, r = 0.962). Capillary RPLA may be considered useful as a routine biochemical technique for measurement of serum CRP concentration in the dog.

The aim of this study was to investigate the synthesis of α(2)-macroglobulin (α2M) in hepatopathic rats injected with turpentine oil to induce acute inflammation. Hepatopathy was induced by oral administration of acetaminophen at a dose of 1 g/kg daily for 2 weeks or a 25% solution of carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) at 2 ml/kg body weight three times per week for 7 weeks. Acute inflammation was induced by intramuscular injection of turpentine oil at a dose of 1.0 ml/kg body weight. Serum concentrations of α2M were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and total protein differed significantly between acetaminophen or CCl(4)-induced hepatopathic rats and acetaminophen control (AA-control) or CCl(4) control (CC-control) rats. Furthermore, pathological examination confirmed hepatopathy in rat livers. Peak serum concentrations and area under the time-concentration curve for α2M showed significant differences between hepatopathic rats and AA-control or CC-control rats. Thus, serum concentrations of α2M did not increase when compared with nontreated rats.

The concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) in serum from dogs diagnosed as normal by clinical, haematological, and biochemical examination were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and slide reversed passive latex agglutination (RPLA), using IgG antibody isolated from rabbit anti-canine CRP serum. The mean value of CRP in 66 normal dogs kept in private households was 8.4 +/- 4.9 micrograms/ml by ELISA and 8.5 +/- 6.3 micrograms/ml by RPLA. Thus, no significant difference was demonstrated between the values obtained by ELISA and RPLA. No significant age and sex-related differences were found in the CRP values. The mean concentration of CRP in 84 6-month-old Beagle dogs kept in kennels by breeders was 6.2 +/- 3.9 micrograms/ml by ELISA and 8.0 +/- 4.0 micrograms/ml by RPLA. Again no significant difference was found. The CRP values determined by ELISA and RPLA were closely correlated (r = 0.913). The serum and plasma concentrations of CRP measured by RPLA were also closely correlated (r = 0.994). This indicates that plasma can be used as well as serum to determine CRP concentrations by RPLA.

Antiserum to canine serum amyloid A (SAA) was prepared in rabbits by immunization with crude SAA which was prepared from high-density lipoprotein 3 (HDL3) obtained from canine acute-phase serum. The antiserum was absorbed for contaminating antibodies by affinity chromatography using Sepharose 4B coupled with normal canine serum proteins. The rabbit anti-canine SAA serum reacted with a protein and formed a single precipitin line at the position of the alpha 1-region of the immunoelectrophoresis of canine acute-phase serum but did not react with the normal canine serum on immunoelectrophoresis. The antibody to canine SAA was also confirmed by Western blotting analysis. Canine SAA was purified as a low molecular weight protein component from crude SAA by preparative sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) after gel filtration chromatography. Purified canine SAA had a molecular weight of 15,000 as estimated by SDS-PAGE. This SAA level was found by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to increase 1 day after inoculation with Bordetella bronchiseptica to 9.0-20.1 times the preinoculation value.

This study deals with a nonstationary analysis of energy absorption capacity for various types of response control systems for structures such as building subjected to the earthquake ground motion. In this study, a passive tuned mass damper(TMD), an active mass damper(AMD), an active tuned mass damper(ATMD) and an active tuned mass damper with lever and Pendulum mechanism(APLD) are considered. This analytical study is based on expanding the Kanai-Tajimi earthquake model to include the nonstationary nature of the amplitude of earthquake ground motion. The mean cumulative absorbed energy, mean cumulative input energy and mean cumulative control energy, for four types of response control systems are calculated by solving the moment equations, and the calculated results are compared.

The relationship between intensity of inflammatory stimulation and production of α2-macroglobulin ( α2M) and α1-acid glycoprotein (AAG) in rats was investigated. Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with turpentine oil at doses of 0.05, 0.2 or 0.4 mL/rat. Serum levels of α2M, interleukin (IL)-6 and cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant-1 (CINC-1) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and AAG was measured by single radial immunodiffusion. Peak serum levels of α2M and AAG in rats injected at 0.05 mL/rat were significantly lower than those at 0.2 or 0.4 mL/rat. However, no significant differences were observed for peak serum levels of these acute-phase proteins between 0.2 and 0.4 mL/rat. Furthermore, peak serum levels of IL-6 and CINC-1 in rats injected at 0.05 mL/rat were significantly lower than those at 0.2 or 0.4 mL/rat. Thus, the production of these acute-phase proteins has upper limits, even under increased strength of inflammatory stimulation in rats injected with turpentine oil.

Differences in antigenicity between human and canine C-reactive proteins were investigated by Western blotting analysis. It was confirmed that several commercial anti-human CRP sera reacted with canine CRP. However, 34 anti-canine CRP sera prepared by immunization of rabbits and goats with canine CRP all reacted with canine CRP but not with human CRP in either immunoelectrophoresis or Western blotting. Immunization with human CRP produced a cross-reacting antibody that reacted with canine CRP. Conversely, immunization with canine CRP did not produce a cross-reacting antibody that reacted with human CRP. These findings may be interpreted as showing that, while canine and human CRPs do not share common antigenicity, they do contain structurally similar antigenic determinants.

This paper describes the avidity of IgG antibody used for preparation of latex sensitized with IgG antibody (IgG-sensitized latex) and the agglutinability of IgG-sensitized latex in slide reversed passive latex agglutination (RPLA). Using immunodiffusion techniques, it was found that anti-canine C-reactive protein (CRP) sera from four rabbits immunized with canine CRP had the same antibody titers. However, the antibodies had different levels of avidity. When lattices were sensitized under the same condition with the IgG antibodies of different avidity levels separated from the above-mentioned antisera using Protein A and canine CRP-Sepharose 4B immunosorbent, these demonstrated different patterns of agglutinability in slide RPLA. The latex sensitized with IgG antibody of higher avidity demonstrated a stronger agglutinability.

The canine C-reactive protein (CRP) fraction isolated from canine acute-phase serum on a phosphorylcholine-Sepharose 4B column was further subjected to Sephacryl S-300 gel filtration. A canine CRP fraction not containing IgM was then obtained. The antisera, obtained after several immunizations with this canine CRP fraction, contained nonspecific antibodies that reacted with albumin, transferrin and IgG in addition to CRP. This antiserum could be easily changed to monospecific canine CRP serum, when it was subjected to absorption for only 15 min using glutaraldehyde-insolubilized normal canine serum protein containing 3.5 micrograms ml-1 of CRP. Pure canine CRP was isolated with a recovery rate of 95% from canine acute-phase serum by affinity chromatography using specific anti-canine CRP antibody.

In this paper, the optimum design of the seismic base-isolated table with a rotational inertia mass (R.I.M.) is executed from the point of view of minimizing the rotational moment caused by restoring forces applied to the table and of linearizing the restoring force of nonliear hardening-type which causes the keen spikes in acceleration response of the table. For the first time, a planar optimum arrangement of pulleys is obtained under the above condition. Although this planar optimum arrangement of pulleys succeeds in making the rotational moment of the table zero and linearizes the nonlinear restoring force as well as possible, the weak nonlinear hardening-type characteristics of the restoring force still remain. Then, the optimization of inertia moment of the R.I.M. exists and can be obtained, because the R.I.M. rotates according to the movement of the rope installed between pulleys and produces the spikes in acceleration if too large an inertia moment is selected. Finally, the table with this optimum arrangement of pulleys and inertia moment of the R.I.M. is confirmed to give the desirable response through simulation and experiment.

We investigated the effects of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant-1 (CINC-1) on α(2)-macroglobulin (α2M) production in rats. IL-6-rich and CINC-1-rich fractions were separated from serum obtained from rats 12 h after injection with turpentine oil using gel-chromatography. Sexual dimorphism was observed in the peak levels of α2M after injection of IL-6-, CINC-1-, or a mixture of IL-6-and-CINC-1-rich fractions. No significant differences in α2M levels were observed in males after injection with IL-6- or CINC-1-rich fractions and those injected with normal serum obtained from healthy rats (control). In contrast, serum levels of α2M, 6 to 120 h after injection of a mixture of IL-6- and CINC-1-rich fractions were significantly higher than in control rats. These results suggest that IL-6 and CINC-1 contribute to α2M production in rats only when IL-6 and CINC-1 act synergistically.

In this paper, a seismic base-isolated table with a rotational inertia mass and nonlinear restoring force is proposed. The table is supported by ball bearings and produces restoring force by means of a rope and pulleys. The nonlinear dynamic characteristics of this table are investigated analytically and experimentally. The results obtained here are summarized as follows. ( 1 )The developed analytical model of this table has been examined and proved to be valid through comparison between the simulations and experiments. ( 2 )It has been proved that the input seismic acceleration from ground motion to the table was lost due to the effect of the installed rotational inertia mass. ( 3 ) The waveform of acceleration obtained from the dynamic experiment showed keen spikes due to the effect of the nonlinear characteristics of this table, and this phenomenon has been clearly, analyzed by the method of harmonic balance.

A bovine colostral antibody against verotoxin (VT) 2 of Escherichia coli O157:H7 was administered orally to beagle dogs. The antibody remained in the dogs’ small intestine for at least 2 h, whereas little serum antibody remained 1.5 h after administration. Furthermore, the antibody activity of secretory IgA did not change until 2 h after administration; however, the activity of IgG and IgM antibodies decreased by approximately 60% and 40% at 2 h after administration, respectively. Seven beagle dogs inoculated with Escherichia coli O157:H7 producing VT2 were administered bovine colostral antibody or bovine colostral whey without antibody. With administration of bovine colostral whey without antibody, the amount of VT2 in feces decreased gradually after administration and increased again at 5 d after inoculation, whereas bovine colostral antibody significantly reduced the amount of VT2 in feces on the day after administration. In addition, 9 beagle dogs were given bovine colostral antibody, bovine plasma antibody, or saline. The amount of VT2 in feces again decreased significantly more rapidly after administration of bovine colostral antibody than after administration of bovine plasma antibody or saline.

A new dynamic absorber system using lever and pendulum mechanisms was proposed for controlling the displacement of high-rise structures, and its optimum tuning condition was determined by the uncoupled frequency ratio of mass of the system to main mass and critical damping ratio. However, the decided frequency and damping ratio are a function of four parameters, such as three mass ratios and a lever ratio. In this report, the determination of these parameters is treated as a nonlinear minimization problem having constrained and is solved by using the SUMT method. Finally, the optimum combination of the parameters in this system is obtained, and the characteristics of this system are discussed in physical meaning.

Accordind to the resonance phenomena with ground motion having a long period component, the displacement responses of base-isolated structures are expected to become quite large. Therefore, the base-isolated systems install Various types of devices to dissipate vibration energy. In this paper, to suppress such large displacement responses of the base-isolated structures, the characteristics of several types of nonlinear dampers to operate weakly in the range of small displacement and strongly against large dispacement are studied. In particular, the convenient equations for calculating the maximum responses are proposed by expanding the function consisting of the fundamental and third components into the Fourier series for the damping forces. Furthermore, the amount of the spike of acceleration is analyzed.

A new dynamic absorber system using the lever and pendulum mechanism is proposed for controlling the displacement of high-rise structures due to wind or earthquakes. Due to the effect of the lever and pendulum mechanism, the displacement of the dynamic absorber can be several times less than that of an ordinary dynamic absorber, and the spring can be designed easily from the point of view of its strength. Also, due to the effect of the virtual mass by this mechanism, the natural period of this system can be lengthened without using a soft spring, and the damping can be made several times higher than that of an ordinary dynamic absorber.

After a series of major failures of launch vehicle and spacecraft missions, JAXA has been enhancing the concept of systems engineering as a core part of improving its technological bases and development process for about two years. Though these activities are still ongoing, we have already obtained some positive outcomes. This paper summarizes the enhancement activities of systems engineering and other improvement actions for coping with past failure experiences, then suggests the future integrated framework for technology processes.

This study was undertaken to investigate whether the concentration of carbonic anhydorase isoenzyme I (CA-I) in canine feces and urine is useful as a temporary marker of occult blood. Concentrations of CA-I were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Fecal CA-I concentrations in 113 healthy beagle dogs (50 male and 63 female) of various ages ranged from 4.3 to 16.7 ng/g feces (mean; 7.0 +/- 2.9 ng/g feces). One milliliter of blood from 3 healthy beagle dogs was found to contain 1,047, 1,062 and 1,150 microg CA-I. The fecal CA-I concentrations of dogs receiving intragastric infusions of autologous blood (10 ml) were very low. However, the fecal CA-I concentrations of dogs receiving infusion of autologous blood (5 ml) into the ascending colon were very high. Detection of fecal CA-I would be useful for identifying dogs with hemorrhaging of the large intestine. Of 55 urinary samples collected from healthy beagle dogs by catheter, chemical tests for occult blood were negative in 44, but CA-I concentrations ranged from 1.8 to 12.6 ng/ml (mean; 6.9 +/- 5.4 ng/ml) by ELISA. The CA-I concentrations of the other 11 samples, which tested positive for occult blood on chemical testing, ranged from 41.2 to 525.0 ng/ml by ELISA. Although CA-I is not a specific marker of erythrocytes, CA-I may be used to detect occult blood in canine feces and urine until a specific immunological test kit using antibody for Hb is developed.

Serological tests were performed to investigate extent of tick-borne diseases in dogs infested with Rhipicephalus sanguineus at a kennel in Okayama Prefecture. Three of 22 dogs (13.6%) were positive for Ehrlichia canis. Two of 19 dogs (10.5%) were positive for Rickettsia japonica. Three of 22 dogs (13.6%) were positive for Babesia gibsoni. None of these animals were positive for Coxiella burnetii or Hepatozoon canis. A microfilaria was detected in a drop smear of hemolymph from an engorged female tick, however, species was not determined. It is possible that these ticks can transmit pathogens to domestic dogs which are rare in Japan.

We investigated primitively the molecular basis of the neural spread of a feline calcivirus isolate (FCV-S) from the spinal cord of a cat that died after manifesting excitation. Experimental infections of cats with three clones from parent virus isolate FCV-S, isolated based on plaque size, were performed, and virus recovery from the spinal cord and the nucleotide and predicted amino acid sequences of the viral capsid protein region (ORF2) were compared. In the experimental infection with the one-time cloned virus (C1L1) isolated from a large plaque, the C1L1 was recovered from the spinal cord. In contrast, seven-times cloned C6L7 (from large plaque) and five-times cloned C5S2 (isolated from small plaque) were not recovered from the spinal cord. Genetic analysis of the capsid protein gene of the three viral clones revealed that four bases were different and two amino acids were different at positions 34 (Val in C6L7 and Ala in C1L1 and C5S2) and 46 (Leu in C6L7 and Pro in C1L1 and C5S2) between C6L7 (with large plaque) and C5S2 (with small plaque). The amino acid at position 434 of C1L1 was different from those of C6L7 and C5S2 (Gly in C1L1, D (Asp) in C6L7 and C5S2). From these results, the plaque size seemed not to be related to the spread of virus to the spinal cord. Clone C1L1, which spread to the spinal cord, had a difference of one amino acid from the other two clones, which may be related to the ability to spread to the spinal cord.

Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations in healthy beagle dogs of various ages and in pregnant beagles were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Serum CRP concentrations were 1.5-16.0 microg/ml (mean 7.9 +/- 3.4 microg/ml) in male, and 1.8-18.9 microg/ml (mean 8.3 +/- 4.0 microg/ml) in female dogs. No significant sex-related differences were observed in the values. Further, there were no significant age-related differences either. Serum CRP concentrations increased during pregnancy. The concentration of serum CRP in pregnant dogs peaked at 70.2-90.4 microg/ml (mean 77.5 +/- 7.1 microg/ml) 30 or 45 days after ovulation, demonstrating two characteristic features of CRP concentration change in pregnant dogs.

In this paper, a non-destructive damage evaluation procedure is presented, which aims at detecting early or fatal cracks in existing piles after severe earthquakes. The bending motion of a target pile excited by an impulsive load, which is induced by hammering at the ground surface nearly, is measured at the top to obtain the dynamic compliance of the pile in one direction. Numerical simulations and experiments show that evaluating the dynamic compliance in every direction can suggest the severity of the cracks as well as their location and orientation.Copyright © 2003 by ASME

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for rat alpha2-macroglobulin (alpha2M) using a monoclonal antibody was developed, and used to measure alpha2M in sera from rats injected intramuscularly with turpentine oil as an inflammatory agent. The mean concentration of alpha2M gradually increased and peaked 2 days after the turpentine oil injection. The peak alpha2M concentration ranged from 2362-8472 microg/ml (mean 4531 microg/ml), which was 50-290 times higher than the pre-dosing levels of 23-61 microg/ml. In addition, interleukins (IL)-1, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and interferon (IFN)-gamma were measured using commercial ELISA reagent kits. IL-6 and IL-8 increased and peaked 12 h after turpentine oil injection, the levels being 5-51 times and 2-38 times the pre-dosing ones, respectively. The concentrations of IL-1, IL-2, IL-4, IL-10 and IFN-gamma in rats injected with turpentine oil did not change.

The method to identify structural parameters of multi-degree of freedom structures by the wavelet transform of displacement response is previously proposed However, the vibration of structure is measured by the accelerometers. Therefore, if it is possible to identify structural parameters by the wavelet transform of only acceleration responses, it is very useful. In this paper, the method to identify structural parameters such as stiffness and damping by wavelet transform of acceleration responses is presented. To verify the applicability of the proposed method, numerical simulations using the single degree of freedom structure and the four-degree-of-freedom structure and the experiments using simple structural model are conducted. From both results, it has been clear that the proposed method can give the good estimation for the structural parameters.

It is very important to estimate the residual life of structures by analysing a strong response quantitatively, because it is necessary to judge whether they can be used or not in the future, after they are damaged by earthquakes. During a strong earthquake, the jerk response of a structure with bilinear restoring force has discontinuity, just when the restoring force changes rapidly from the elastic region to the plastic region. Authors have tried to detect the discontinuity in the jerk by using wavelet analysis and reported a successful paper (Sone, et al., 1994). The final goal of study is to estimate the low cycle fatigue of structure by analysing the observed records in a structure. For this object, the relationship between ductility factor; that is the ratio of peak relative displacement and yield relative displacement, and the number of discontinuity detection is needed. In this paper, the method is proposed to estimate the ductility factor of structure by the wavelet analysis of absolute acceleration response. Wavelet has the ability to detect discontinuity in acceleration response record; furthermore, it is found in this study that the wavelet coefficient is proportional to the velocity at the yield point. Besides, the ductility factor is estimated from the velocity at yield point by using the energy balance between kinetic energy at the yield point and strain energy from the yield point to the maximum relative displacement. Thus, using these relationships, the ductility factor is estimated from wavelet coefficient obtained by wavelet analysis of acceleration response. The applicability of this method is verified through some simulations.

To clarify the source of infection and route of transmission of Verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) in humans, we collected fresh feces from healthy dairy cattle reared in Hokkaido, Fukushima, Kanagawa and Okinawa prefectures between June 1996 and March 1997, and attempted to isolate VTEC. The results are described below. 1) VTEC was isolated from 68 (27.1%) of 251 fecal samples tested. VTEC was isolated from 14 (28.0%) of 50 in Hokkaido, 13 (26.0%) of 50 in Fukushima, 20 (39.2%) of 51 in Kanagawa and 21 (21.0%) of 100 in Okinawa. There were no difference in the prevalence among the prefectures. 2) Toxin type and serotype of 85 isolates were determined. Thirty-three isolaties (38.8%) were classified into VT1 toxin and VT2 toxin, respectively, and 19 isolates (22.4%) were classified as the strain that produces both VT1 and VT2 toxins. The toxin types of these isolates were divided by serotypes. The VT1-producing isolates were the most frequent among O111:H-. The VT2-producing isolates included O2:H12, O2:H29, O2:H-, O82:H8, O82:HUT, O153:H19, O153:H42 and O153:H-. Among the isolates producing both VT1 and VT2 toxins, O153:H19 was relatively frequent. Based on findings that many bacterial strains coinciding with toxin types and serotypes of human-derived VTEC isolated from dairy cattle, it was suggested that dairy cattle are closely related to VTEC infection in human as a source of infection.

In this study fibrinolytic assay systems were used to assess the plasminogen activator (PA) potential and plasmin generating ability of oocyte-cumulus complexes isolated from preovulatory bovine follicles (2-8 mm diameter) and of fertilized oocytes from the day of fertilization up to, and including, the hatched blastocyst stage (day 12). During embryo development, the culture medium was changed every 24 hr and samples examined for PA activity. Irrespective of the stage of maturity, no plasminogen or PA could be detected in unfertilized oocytes from which the cumulus layer had been removed. Both plasminogen and PA were found in the cumulus layer indicating that this, rather than the oocyte, was the source of these proteins in the oocyte-cumulus complex. Following oocyte fertilization, no PA activity was detected in either the developing embryo or in the culture medium before day 7. When the embryos had developed to the expanded blastocyst stage, days 7-8, PA production began with activity being detected in both the embryos and their culture medium. Between days 8 and 12, when embryos had reached the hatched blastocyst stage, the PA activity had increased significantly (p

Plesiomonas shigelloides was first detected in 1947 by Ferguson and Henderson2 and was then named as Paracolon C 27. In 1962, it was classified by Habs and Schubert3 and given the name of shigelloides.

The health monitoring system by using wavelet transform has been proposed for detecting the signal generated by the development of fatigue of machines and structures under the noisy condition[1]. There, the orthonormal wavelets by Daubechies[2] were used for analyzing wavelets and it has been clear that the orthonormal wavelets with larger values than the certain amount of value of N, which relates to the regularities of wavelets and to their vanishing moments, can give the good estimation for the occurrence time of fatigue signal under the noisy condition. The output signals obtained from physical system are the signals that the input signals having the singularities of fatigue signals are travelling through the physical system and are usually integrated two times on their way because the most simple physical system are expressed as the second order differential equations. The more complicated systems can be considered as the series-connection of the simple model of the second order differential equations and, consequently the output signals are for input signals to be integrated 2xn times, where n is the number of series-connection of the simple system. Then, it will be naturally supposed that the wavelets for the wavelet transform to be used to detect the fatigue signals in input signals must be 2xn times differentiable, because the wavelets arc able to travel the system inversely to the input signal and catch the fatigue signals contained in it. In this paper, it is tried to prove that this hypothesis is true by numerical analysis and to give the some idea to determine the required regularity of wavelets.

Eight Beagle dogs were inoculated intrabronchially with 5 x 10(9) live, avirulent cells of Bordetella bronchiseptica L-414 strain (phase I cells) (B. bronchiseptica) to investigate the serum levels of their C-reactive protein, the white blood cell counts, the antibody responses to B. bronchiseptica in the sera and tracheal secretions, and the effects of prednisolone given to four of the dogs on C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cells (WBC) and immune responses. In two Beagle dogs inoculated intrabronchially with sterile physiological saline, the concentrations of CRP and the WBC counts did not increase. CRP was markedly increased one day after inoculation in the dogs inoculated with B. bronchiseptica to 385.0-720.0 micrograms/ml (mean 498 +/- 132 micrograms/ml) in the group given the B. bronchiseptica inoculation only, and to 372.0-649.0 micrograms/ml (mean 551 +/- 106 micrograms/ml) in the group treated with prednisolone following inoculation of B. bronchiseptica, as determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The CRP levels were 23-95 times the pre-inoculation values, which indicated that prednisolone had no effect on the production of CRP. In the prednisolone-treated group, the WBC count increased and stayed at an increased level for approximately 12 days. An indirect fluorescent antibody test led to the detection of anti-B. bronchiseptica IgM and IgG antibodies in the sera from 5 days after B. bronchiseptica inoculation and S-IgA and IgG anti-B. bronchiseptica antibodies in the tracheal secretions on the day after the challenge exposure to B. bronchiseptica. The increase in CRP after challenge exposure to B. bronchiseptica was significantly (p0.05) smaller than that found after the first inoculation of B. bronchiseptica.

The role of the humoral immune response in ehrlichial infection is unknown. Development of neutralizing antibodies during a course of Ehrlichia risticii infection in a pony was examined in vitro by determining the inhibition of E. risticii infection of P388D1 cells in the presence of the sera. The pony experimentally infected with E. risticii developed significant neutralizing activity in the sera by 15 days postinfection when parasitemia started to decline. Neutralizing activity continued to rise after recovery from the disease up to 34 days postinfection at which time the experiment was terminated. In vitro neutralizing activities in the sera from 3 additional ponies infected with E. risticii were lower at 2 weeks than at 4 weeks postinfection. The sera from vaccinated/challenged ponies had comparable neutralizing activity to those of the recovered ponies at approximately 3 to 4 weeks postchallenge. Equine sera from infected or vaccinated/challenged ponies were also effective in protecting mice from E. risticii infection. These studies demonstrated the significant development of neutralizing activity in the sera of recovered or vaccinated/challenged ponies.

Using purified bovine haptoglobin (Hp) and specific antisera, a single radial immunodiffusion (SRID) assay method has been developed to measure the serum Hp level in cattle. Bovine Hp is a highly polymerized protein showing heterogeneous molecular forms in serum. After treatment with cysteine or glutathione, Hp was partially reduced to a homogeneous form, suitable for SRID assay. This method gives values comparable to those obtained by hemoglobin-binding capacity assay, and has the advantage of being simple and convenient. Although serum Hp was not detectable in healthy cattle, it was found more than 50-fold after invasive surgery, indicating that Hp is a characteristic acute-phase protein in cattle.

C-reactive protein (CRP) was isolated from the acute phase serum of dogs subjected to surgical stimulation. Its properties were characterized. Canine CRP was isolated by ion-exchange chromatography using DEAE-Sephacel and DEAE-Sephadex A-50 and affinity chromatography using protein A-Sepharose CL 4B in combination with agar-block electrophoresis. In immunoelectrophoresis, canine CRP had the same gamma-mobility as human gamma-type CRP. The molecular weight of purifined canine CRP was estimated by gel filtration and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to be approximately 157,000 and 155,000 respectively. This CRP was a thermolabile protein which completely lost its antigenicity by heating at 70 degrees C for 15 min. The serum concentration of CRP in normal beagle dogs ranged from 0.198 to 0.826 micrograms ml-1 (0.486 +/- 0.170 micrograms ml-1). The concentration was acutely increased by surgery as it was in man and was rapidly decreased with convalescence. Dogs can be a useful animal model for investigation of the mechanism of CRP production and the function of CRP.