The novel cuticular collagen Ovcol-1 of Onchocerca volvulus is preferentially recognized by immunoglobulin G3 from putatively immune individuals

The concentration and affinity to concanavalin A (ConA) of plasma alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) and AGP levels in extracts of liver tissues were investigated in specific-pathogen-free chickens infected with the highly virulent HPS-2 strain or virulent reference GBF-1 strain of infectious bursal disease virus. The plasma AGP value in uninfected control 3- to 7-wk-old chickens was 161.8 +/- 25.8 micrograms/ml (mean +/- SD), and ConA-unreactive and ConA-reactive AGP comprised 47% and 63% of total AGP. Increases in AGP levels in plasma and liver extracts were observed in both the HPS-2 and the GBF-1 groups, although albumin levels decreased. The plasma AGP values were higher in the HPS-2 group than in the GBF-1 group through the experimental period. In the HPS-2 group, ConA-reactive AGP reached levels 6.8-fold greater than control values and comprised 80% of total AGP at 4 days post-inoculation. In the lipopolysaccharide group, a great increase in ConA-reactive AGP was observed.     

Assessment of atrial septal defect morphology by transthoracic three dimensional echocardiography using standard grey scale and Doppler myocardial imaging techniques: comparison with magnetic resonance imaging and intraoperative findings

The properties of chemically cured and light-cured composite resins were recorded at baseline and at intervals over seven years, while the materials were exposed to controlled storage conditions as well as to various conditions typical of clinical situations. For chemically cured resins in clinical conditions, mechanical properties decreased, and working and setting times increased over four years; if refrigerated (controlled), properties remained constant past seven years. For light-cured resins, test results were constant over the entire seven-year test period regardless of storage conditions. An accelerated aging protocol was developed to allow for the evaluation of the relative storage stability of new and similar materials.     

Effects of piracetam on the performance of rats in a delayed match-to-position task

The growing use of antibody-based separation methods has paralleled the expansion of immunochemical detection methods in moving beyond the clinical diagnostic field to applications in environmental monitoring. In recent years high-performance immunoaffinity chromatography, which began as a separation technique in biochemical and clinical research, has been adapted for separating and quantifying environmental pollutants. Bioaffinity offers a selective biological basis for separation that can be incorporated into a modular analytical process for more efficient environmental analysis. The use of immunoaffinity chromatography for separation complements the use of immunoassay for detection. A widely used immunochemical detection method for environmental analyses is enzyme immunoassay. The objective of this paper is to review the status of bioaffinity-based analytical procedures for environmental applications and human exposure assessment studies. Environmental methods based on bioaffinity range from mature immunoassays to emerging techniques such as immunosensors and immunoaffinity chromatography procedures for small molecules.     

State of stress in the deformation zone during rolling of high-strength plate steel

A new mathematical model is developed for the state of stress in the deformation zone for plate rolling, including rolling under controlled conditions at a low temperature in the last passes. The stick zone during plate rolling is shown to account for 88–99% of the deformation zone, and the fraction of elastic regions in the deformation zone in the last passes at low temperatures can reach 12%. When the stick zone and elastic regions of the deformation zone are taken into account, the roll-force calculation error is less than 5–6.5%. The model developed can be used to optimize plate-rolling conditions, including the conditions of integrated deformation-thermal production.     

Simulation of contact stresses and forces during hot rolling of thin wide strips with allowance for a stick zone and elastic regions in the deformation zone

A new procedure for the calculation of contact stresses and hot-rolling forces for wide strips 0.8–1.5 mm thick has been developed and tested. This procedure takes into account the presence of a stick zone in the deformation zone and stress distributions in both elastic and plastic regions in the deformation zone. The average error in the force calculation according to the new procedure is 5%, which is more than two times smaller than the calculation error of well-known force calculation procedures. The developed procedure is used to simulate the contact stresses in the deformation zones of working stands in a six-stand 1700 mill during rolling of strips thinner than 1.0 mm. A number of new relations for the state of stress in a strip have been revealed upon simulation. Some of these relations are as follows: in the last stands, the length of elastic regions accounts for 10–17% of the total deformation-zone length; the maximum normal contact stresses are 1300–1400 MPa, which corresponds to the stresses in the deformation zones of cold-rolling mills; the stick-zone length accounts for 85–99% of the deformation-zone length; and the contact stresses in the stick zone are virtually independent of the friction coefficient. The developed calculation procedure can be used to optimize the technological regimes of wide-strip mills.