Technical note: a pressure-sensitive sensor for measuring the characteristics of standing mounts of cattle.

A pressure-sensitive sensor that reacts to pressure by changing its electrical resistance was used to measure the characteristics of standing mounts of estrous cattle. While an estrous heifer fitted with a sensor on the rump was standing when mounted by a bull (i.e., during a standing mount), the sensor reacted to the addition and removal of pressure against it by the bull. The times of electric contact signals produced by these pressure changes were recorded to pinpoint the time of the mounted response and the duration of the mount. To detect the characteristics of standing mounts accurately, three types of sensors with different sensitivities and various positions on the rump of heifers were examined. When 13.5-cm sensors that operated with a pressure of 1,000 g/cm2 were fitted on the line combining the highest points of the left and right hip bones toward the tail, or 6.5 cm behind this position, on the rump of heifers (200 to 225 kg), mounts by vasectomized bulls (278 to 556 kg) were accurately recorded with the sensors more than 85% of the time. However, the correlation between the observed and automatically recorded lengths of mounting varied with combinations of the mounted and mounting animals or with locations of the sensor (r = .19 to .86). The pressure-sensitive sensor proved to be a promising device for continuously measuring the characteristics of standing mounts, especially the exact time at which a mount occurs.

Purification of DNA ligase II from calf thymus and preparation of rabbit antibody against calf thymus DNA ligase II.

DNA ligase II has been purified about 4,000-fold to apparent homogeneity from a calf thymus extract. The ligase consists of a single polypeptide with a molecular weight of 68,000 as estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. On fluorography after electrophoresis, a DNA ligase-[3H]AMP complex gave a single band corresponding to a molecular weight of 68,000. The Km values of the ligase for ATP and nicked DNA (5'-phosphoryl ends) were obtained to be 40 and 0.04 microM, respectively. Antibody against calf thymus DNA ligase II was prepared by injecting the purified enzyme into a rabbit. The antibody cross-reacted with DNA ligase II but not with calf thymus DNA ligase I. DNA ligase II was not affected by antibody against calf thymus DNA ligase I with a molecular weight of 130,000 (Teraoka, H. and Tsukada, K. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 4758-4763). These results indicate that DNA ligase II (Mr = 68,000) is immunologically distinct from DNA ligase I (Mr = 130,000).

Primary signet-ring cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder. Report of two cases with histochemical studies.

Two cases of primary signet-ring cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder are presented with histochemical studies. The signet-ring cell carcinoma of the bladder is a rare variant of mucus-producing vesical adenocarcinoma: sixteen cases have been reported in the Occidental and two other cases in Japanese literature. Most of the cases were discovered in the advanced stage and the prognosis was poor: necessity of early detection by cytological examination and treatment with surgery is stressed. The histochemical evidence for the similarity of the neoplasm to colonic epithelium in mucus production is illustrated and the grade of malignancy is discussed from the view of mucus production by the neoplasms.