Motion analysis of athletes often provides important information to improve training strategy meetings. Visual player-tracking techniques are being developed that do not need devices. In this paper, we focus on racket sports, since they suffer from technical issues for visual tracking such as small observation size (low resolution) large variation of player appearances. Moreover, racket sports video is usually captured by a monocular camera at a set position so that each player is observed at a top a bottom region of the video across a net on the court. As a result, tracking accuracy is damaged by the net that often occludes players on the far side. As a solution, this paper proposes a method to improve the player-tracking accuracy in badminton video by applying an image pixel compensation technique, such as Image Inpainting. We confirm the effectiveness of our method using videos of badminton games.

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Eubacterium exiguumは, ヒト口腔病変から頻繁に検出される糖非分解性偏性嫌気性グラム陽性桿菌 (AAGPR) の一種である。菌種とAAGPR菌種との遺伝学的関連性を明確にするために, われわれは本菌種のtype strainおよび, 臨床分離3株の16S rDNA sequenceを解析し, DNA-DNA hybridization analysisにおいて著しく低い相同性を示すAAGPR各菌種 (Cryptobacterium curtum, E. brachy, E. minutum, E. nodatum, E. saphenum, Mogibacterium timidum (旧E. timidum)) と比較検討した。E. exiguumの16S rDNA sequenceは, 同種間では99%以上の高い類似性を示したが, 他のAAGPR菌種を含む代表的な口腔由来グラム陽性桿菌とは, 明らかに遺伝学的差異が認められた。16S rDNA sequenceのなかのいくつかの領域でE. exiguum 4種間で共通であるが他の細菌種とは配列が異なる部位が認められ, これらの領域は菌種特異的領域と考えられた。実際, この特異的な塩基配列をもとに作製した13のプライマーのうち5つが, E. exiguumの16S rDNAのPCR増幅のプライマーとして有効に作用した。そのうちの1ペア (exg 557F+exg 1263R) は, その他の菌種由来のDNAとの非特異的な反応がみられず, 菌種特異的なプライマーとして作用しており, PCR増幅法を用いたさまざまな臨床材料からの検出が可能であることが示唆された。

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An apparatus to measure fiber-fineness by horizontal air-flow has been devised. Several specimens were measured with this apparatus, the results have been compared with theory.
The comparison has shown that:
(1) The apparatus can measure the weight-fineness of each single fiber, irrespective of the fiber-length or the kind of raw cotton used.
(2) Using the correction coefficient inherent in the apparatus brings an experimental value into good agreement with theory.
(3) The experimental error is about ±0.1 on micronaire reading for fineness below 4. For fineness above 4, the error is slightly larger.

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歯周疾患患者の歯周ポケットに生息する細菌に対するメトロニダゾール (MN) の殺菌効果を, 厳密な嫌気性菌取扱技術を応用して調べた。BHI-血液寒天培地上に生育した, 歯周ポケットから採取した試料中の細菌数は, 22例のいずれの場合も, 105を越えていたが, 10μg/mlの濃度でMNを含む血液寒天上では, 大幅に減少し, 99%以上の細菌が生育できなくなった。この事実は, 歯周ポケット内の細菌の大多数がMNによって殺菌される可能性を示している。また, 歯周ポケット内の優勢菌が, 偏性嫌気性菌 (73%) と通性嫌気性菌 (27%) で構成されていたことから, 嫌気条件下でのMNの殺菌効果は, 単に偏性嫌気性菌に対してだけではなく, 通性嫌気性菌に対しても効果的に作用していたことを示していた。

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歯のう蝕象牙質から圧倒的多数を占める菌として分離された偏性嫌気性菌221株のうち, 乳酸を主たる最終産物とするグラム陽性桿菌としてLactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Actinomycesと同定された58株について, 詳しい性状を調べ, その菌種を同定した。そのうち26株は, Lactobacillusで, それぞれ, L. minutus (6株), L. plantarum (8株), L. crispatus (3株), L. catenaforme (3株, 類似菌1株を含む), L. cellobiosus (類似菌1株), L. brevis (類似菌1株) および同定不能のもの (1株) であった。19株は, Bifidobacteriumで, それぞれB. bifidum (8株, 類似菌3株を含む), B. breve (類似菌11株) であった。13株は, Actinomycesで, A. israelii (7株), A. naeslandii (5株), A. odontolyticus (1株) と同定された。今回の実験に適用した嫌気箱を含む嫌気性菌取技い技術により, 偏性嫌気性のつよいLactobacillusの菌種 (species) が分離同定された。また, 同じspeciesでも偏性嫌気性から通性嫌気性のものまで幅広く含むActinomycesでは, 偏性嫌気性の株 (strain) が分離同定され, これらの偏性嫌気性の菌がう蝕象牙質中に多いことが示された。

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Summary: Asthma is an allergic disease characterized by chronic airway inflammation, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), reversibility

remodeling. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are effective in many patients with asthma. However, ICS are a controlling, but not but curative treatment, there are still many patients with refractory difficult-to-treat asthma. The evaluation of airway inflammation by induced sputum, non-specific AHR by methacholine, asthmatic reactions by specific allergen challenge techniques are useful not only to investigate the pathogenesis of asthma but also to help develop new drugs for asthma management. Interactions between inflammation regulation, such as between regulatory T cells (Tregs), AHR were investigated using these techniques. The phenotypes are Tregs characterized by expression of the forkhead P3 (Foxp3) cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA4), which are potent mediators of dominant self-tolerance. Foxp3 CTLA4 interact with each other. In patients with mild asthma, airway Tregs were decreased airway eosinophilic inflammation was activated with accelerated AHR. Human asthmatic attack models by allergen challenge demonstrated that airway Tregs were decreased from the baseline with late asthmatic response (LAR) in patients with dual-responder asthma, there was a significant correlation between change in airway Tregs LAR. Airway Tregs were increased with escalation of interleukin-10 by ICS. The investigation of Tregs may lead to new strategies for management of asthma other allergic diseases.

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Dynamic decision making is an important area in the modern business world. This study provides a theoretical framework for the cognitive process of dynamic decision making. The framework consists of two problem spaces cognitive operators in the spaces. Two experiments of computer simulated management games were conducted to evaluate group problem solving as a method to increase performance in dynamic decision making. The results indicate that group problem solving is effective when the task is simple, but does not increase performance when the problem is relatively more complex. However, there is a positive correlation between the diversity of inferences the high performance in dynamic decision making regardless of grouping. This paper concludes with candidate explanations about the interaction between problem complexity divergent inference.

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We previously isolated 40 predominant strains of bacteria, the characteristics of which resembled Wolinella (presently Campylobacter), among 422 isolates from seven human periodontal pockets; however, at that time, exact identification was not possible by conventional microbiological biochemical tests because the criteria were ambiguous. Therefore, in the present study we aimed to clarify the classifications of the 17 representative strains by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a species-specific primer, 16S rDNA sequence similarity, sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), Western immunoblotting. We also aimed to describe each strain’s biochemical characteristics in detail. All of the 17 isolates studied were asaccharolytic, positive in nitrate reduction arylsulfatase activity, negative in catalase urease, produced succinate as an end product of formate fumarate for growth. Of the 17, 13 strains were identified as C. rectus, 4 were oxidase negative strains (C. gracilis). Three of the C. gracilis strains were cocobacilli, which were morphologically different from the previously established strains. Evidence suggests that Campylobacter isolates from periodontal pockets in our previous work may be primarily C. rectus secondarily C. gracilis.

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Microbes Environments volume 19, No. 1 (March 2004), p. 13, "Yuko Takada-" should read "Yuko Takada ".
（誤）Yuko Takada-
（正）Yuko Takada

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The β-lactamase gene (mbla) of the psychrophilic marine bacterium Moritella marina strain MP-1 was identified in a previously isolated genomic DNA fragment it was expressed in Escherichia coli cells. The mbla gene encoded a protein consisting of 287 amino acid residues. Its predicted amino acid sequence showed approximately 50% identity with that of a number of class A β-lactamases, especially with that of CARB/PSE type of β-lactamases (carbenicillinases). E. coli transformed with the plasmid containing mbla grew on an amplicillin-containing plate at 37°C but not at 42°C, suggesting that the β-lactamase of this bacterium is heat-labile.

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Twelve unfaunated male calves aged 5-8 months were inoculated with monogeneric protozoa (Epidinium ecaudatum, Eudiplodinium maggii or Entodinium. spp.) or mixed protozoa population. Thus, five groups of rumen protozoa population were established; Unf (unfaunated, protozoa- free), Epi (Epidinium ecaudatum mono-faunated), Eud (Eudiplodinium maggii mono-faunated), Ent (Entodinium spp. mono-faunated), Mix (mixed Ophryoscolecids protozoa faunated). The number of total viable bacteria in the rumen was significantly lower in the Epi, Eud Mix groups than the Unf group. The population of amylolytic bacteria was significantly lower in the Epi group than the Unf group. That of pectinolytic bacteria was higher in the Ent group than the other faunated groups. The number of methanogenic bacteria was significantly higher in the Ent, Eud Mix groups than Unf, however the Epi group had a lower value than the other faunated groups. The concentration of rumen ammonia-N peaked at 1h after feeding was significantly higher in the Mix group than in the other groups, was the lowest in the Unf group. The concentration of rumen volatile fatty acids (VFAs) increased until 2h after feeding. The values of the Unf group were lower than the other groups, but the differences were not significant. The molar proportion of acetate was lowest in the Mix group, highest in the Unf group the other groups had values intermediate between these two groups. The proportion of butyrate propionate was lowest in the Unf group.

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Here, we report that a single-cell microwell array based on photocrosslinked hydrogel can be used to screen cells exhibiting a defective regulatory volume decrease (RVD) in high-throughput. The RVD is a regulatory function of cells that maintains cell volume homeostasis in a hypotonic medium. Single Madin–Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells grown in the microwells were loaded with a volume-sensitive fluorescence dye. Changes in the volume of discrete single cells were traced for 20 min in a hypotonic solution using a wide-field fluorescence microscopy. The volume changes of more than 100 single cells were analyzed simultaneously using time-lapse fluorescence micrographs. Cells showing erratic RVD could be easily screened from the image analysis. Nearly 40% of the MDCK single cells exhibited weak, or no, RVD. Since other previously reported methods could not detect as many changes in the volume of discrete cells as the method used in this report, we anticipate that our reported method will provide an efficient way of elucidating the RVD mechanisms of cells that have not yet been completely understood.

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Eighteen cyclic Shiba goats were used in this study. Estrus was synchronized with a single injection of 125 μg of a synthetic analogue of prostaglandin F₂α (PGF₂α) after detection of at least one corpus luteum by B-mode ultrasonography. Blood samples were collected from each animal on days 0, 7 21 post-mating for progesterone assay. Animals in estrus were either allowed to be mated by fertile bucks twice during estrus (group I; n=12) or not at all (group II; n=6). Ultrasonographic examinations were performed transrectally or transabdominally using a real-time B-mode scanner equipped with a 7.5 or 5 MHz transducer. All animals exhibited estrus 56.0 ± 2.7 h after injection of PGF2α. The results show that the accuracy of the progesterone assay in diagnosing pregnancy on day 21 after mating was 80% for pregnancy 100% for non-pregnancy, retrospectively. Ultrasonographic examinations showed that gestational sac embryos heartbeats were detected on days 20.2 ± 0.6 24.3 ± 0.7 of gestation, respectively. Placentomes were detected on day 35.4 ± 1.0 of gestation as small nodules (0.7 ± 0.2 cm in size). At two months pregnancy, skeletal structures like skull, thorax long bones were clear. Biparietal diameter of the skull length of long bones could be used as an estimate of gestational age. The accuracy of detection of fetal number using real-time B-mode ultrasonography was 91.7% on day 60 of gestation. In conclusion, progesterone assay at day 21 post-mating (cut-off value, 1 ng/ml) can be used for pregnancy diagnosis in goats. However, B-mode transrectal ultrasonography was more efficient due to detection of embryo confirmation of its viability by heartbeats. In addition, fetal number gestational age could be determined only by ultrasonography.

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Streptomyces albulus IFO 14147 produces ε-poly-L-lysine, which exhibits antimicrobial activity. It is necessary for its molecular breeding to develop host-vector systems. We recently found a novel cryptic plasmid, pNO 33, in this strain. As part of a search for a selectable marker gene for pNO 33, we report here the isolation analysis of the β-lactamase gene of this strain, which can grow on ampicillin-containing plates. It was shown that the β-lactamase production in S. albulus was induced by ampicillin. By introducing a genomic library of S. albulus into Escherichia coli, a 3.6-kbp fragment was identified as the region involved in ampicillin resistance. It contained three open reading frames, all of which are highly homologous to the β-lactamase (the blaL product) its regulatory proteins (the blaA blaB products) of S. cacaoi. The growth phenotypes enzyme assaying of E. coli S. lividans showed that the blaL homologue (blaSa) encodes a β-lactamase required for ampicillin resistance. The β-lactamse gene can be utilized as a selectable marker in a cloning vector of S. albulus. However, the β-lactamase activity was decreased in E. coli repressed in S. lividans by the blaA blaB homologues (blaASa blaBSa). It appears as if the blaASa product is a repressor of blaSa instead of an activator as in S. cacaoi.

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