Molecular characterization and validation of commercially available methods for haptoglobin measurement in bottlenose dolphin

AbstractHaptoglobin (Hp) is a positive acute-phase protein and a valuable marker of inflammation in both human and veterinary medicine. The aim of this study was to validate the molecular characterization of Hp in dolphins and to validate commercially available Hp measurement methods such as Hp-ELISA (originally designed for pigs) and Hp–hemoglobin (Hb) binding assay. The dolphin Hp (dHp) amino acid sequence appeared most similar to pig Hp by sequence homology and phylogenetic clustering. Amino acid sequence analysis revealed that dHp comprises the Hp1 form of α1 and β chains. The anti-pig Hp antibody cross-reacted with both recombinant dHp, expressed by Escherichia coli, and dHp from serum. The intra- and inter-assay levels of imprecision of pig Hp-ELISA and the Hp–Hb binding assay were found to be tolerable for the determination of Hp in dolphin, and there was no significant discrepancy between the two determination methods. The ability of the assay to differentiate between healthy and inflammation groups was investigated, and a significant increase in Hp concentration was detected in inflammatory conditions. Thus, Hp is a useful inflammation marker for dolphin, and the Hp concentration in dolphin serum samples can be reliably measured using commercially available pig Hp-ELISA and Hp–Hb binding assay

BGDL-II: a GPS data logger for birds

We have developed a new GPS data logger consisting of a receiver, timer, memory, and battery. It is principally designed for long period tracking of migratory birds. It can fix 600 positions with one small lithium battery. We can set an arbitrary measuring schedule prior to each experiment. We can, for example, track a bird over six months, fixing positions three times a day. The whole unit weighs 67 g including battery and casing. The casing is pressure-resistant up to 3 bars. The main advantages compared to tracking methods based on the ARGOS system are: 1) several times cheaper equipment, 2) no charge for the use of satellite links, 3) the errors in the position data obtained are more than 10 times smaller, 4) the schedule setting has greater flexibility, and 5) the fixing has a lesser failure rate. However these advantages are realized at the cost of real time delivery of position data as users must re-capture the birds to obtain the stored data. In this paper, we explain the configuration of equipment, principles of operation, and the performance. We also discuss some results of albatross tracking. In the experiment the failure rate in the fixing of the albatross positions averaged 20%

船舶搭載高分解能FTS による海洋上温室効果ガスカラム平均濃度の観測

http://www.godac.jamstec.go.jp/darwin/cruise/mirai/mr11-03/