Abstract: Transfer sheets on which an image quite closely resembling an external appearance of a bait fish is color printed on the surface of a hologram sheet are adhered to back sides of bilaterally symmetrical body-half segments made of a flexible transparent thermoplastic resin in a state that the image can be viewed perspectively from the surface side. Only front head sides which occupy at least half in both the body-half segments are adhered and remaining rear end sides are kept open, by which a line equipped with a hook is guided out and wired to the front from the rear end sides via an interior hollow of a lure body.

Abstract: A squid-shaped soft lure simulating color tone, shimmer and movement of a live squid is formed as a squid-shaped lure main body made of a transparent or translucent thermoplastic elastomer with rubber-like elasticity into which shimmering substances are incorporated. The lure has a hollow interior to receive along its length a line which is to be equipped with a hook. A plurality of colored rings, each of which is a segment of a transparent or translucent soft synthetic resin hose having an outer circumferential face covered by a hologram sheet adhered thereto and one eyeball retaining ring which is a segment of the same or a like hose and onto a surface of which a pair of symmetrical eyeball sheets are adhered are integrally press-fitted into respectively the trunk part of the lure main body and the head part thereof in such a manner that the rings are communicatively connected in a concentric fashion and serially arranged as a whole.

Abstract: A transparent lure includes a bait fish-shaped hollow lure body molded from a transparent thermoplastic elastomer having rubber-like elasticity into a configuration substantially similar to a bait fish. A fish-shaped mouth part of the lure body is formed as a line insertion hole communicating with a mouth part of a bait fish. A posterior half segment of the lure body is cut out, by which the bait fish which has been inserted into the hollow lure body from the cut-out rear end side and the lure body which encloses the bait fish in an anterior half segment are assembled by allowing a line to pass through a mouth part of the bait fish and a line insertion hole of the lure body.

Abstract: Transfer sheets on which an image quite closely resembling an external appearance of a bait fish is color printed on the surface of a hologram sheet are adhered to back sides of bilaterally symmetrical body-half segments made of a flexible transparent thermoplastic resin in a state that the image can be viewed perspectively from the surface side. Only front head sides which occupy at least half in both the body-half segments are adhered and remaining rear end sides are kept open, by which a line equipped with a hook is guided out and wired to the front from the rear end sides via an interior hollow of a lure body.

Abstract: A method for classifying and counting nucleated bone marrow cells comprises the steps of: (1) mixing a sample of bone marrow fluid with an erythrocyte lysing agent to lyse erythrocytes in the sample and render leukocytic cells and erythroid cells in the sample suitable for staining, and staining the sample with a fluorescent dye for producing a difference in intensity of fluorescence between the leukocytic cells and the erythroid cells; (2) introducing the resulting sample to a flow cytometer to detect at least one kind of scattered light and at least one kind of fluorescence; (3) classifying and counting nucleated bone marrow cells, the leukocytic cells and the erythroid cells with use of a difference in the intensity of the fluorescence and the scattered light; (4) calculating the ratio of the nucleated bone marrow cells to the erythroid cells or leukocytic cells from the obtained erythroid cell count or leukocytic cell count and the obtained nucleated bone marrow cell count; and (5) calculating the ratio o

Abstract: A method for discriminating and counting erythroblasts comprises the steps of: (i) staining leukocytes in a hematologic sample by adding a fluorescent labeled antibody capable of binding specifically with leukocytes to the hematologic sample; (ii) raising the permeability only of cell membranes of erythroblasts in the hematologic sample to a nucleotide fluorescent dye which does not permeate a cell membrane usually, the nucleotide fluorescent dye having a fluorescent spectrum capable of being distinguished from that of a fluorescent labeling compound of the fluorescent labeled antibody in step (i); (iii) staining nuclei of the erythroblasts in the hematologic sample with the nucleotide fluorescent dye; (iv) subjecting the hematologic sample to flowcytometry to detect at least two fluorescent signals from each cell; and (v) discriminating and counting the erythroblasts from difference in intensity between the at least two fluorescent signals.

Abstract: A method for classifying and counting leukocytes comprises the steps of: (1) adding to a hematological sample the following fluorescence-labeled antibodies labeled with fluorescent dyes which emit fluorescences distinguishable from each other; (a) a first fluorescence-labeled antibody (1st antibody) which bonds specifically to leukocytes, (b) a second fluorescence-labeled antibody (2nd antibody) which bonds to at least one kind of neutrophilic cells, and (c) a third fluorescence-labeled antibody (3rd antibody) which bonds to at least one kind of immature granulocytic cells, in order to stain leukocytic cells in the sample, and removing erythrocytes from the sample; (2) analyzing the resulting sample using a flow cytometer to measure at least one scattered light signal and three separate fluorescence signals; (3) defining a group of granulocytic cells on the basis of intensity of the scattered light and intensity of fluorescence from the 1st antibody; (4) defining neutrophilic cells in the defined group of gra

Abstract: Methods of detecting megakaryocytes are described that include (a) providing a sample that contains a cell; (b) detecting a plurality of morphological information from the cell; (c) generating a scattergram from the plurality of morphological information; and (d) determining whether a population exists in a megakaryocyte region of the scattergram.

Abstract: A method for discriminating and counting erythroblasts comprises the steps of: (i) staining leukocytes in a hematologic sample by adding a fluorescent labeled antibody capable of binding specifically with leukocytes to the hematologic sample; (ii) raising the permeability only of cell membranes of erythroblasts in the hematologic sample to a nucleotide fluorescent dye which does not permeate a cell membrane usually, the nucleotide fluorescent dye having a fluorescent spectrum capable of being distinguished from that of a fluorescent labeling compound of the fluorescent labeled antibody in step (i); (iii) staining nuclei of the erythroblasts in the hematologic sample with the nucleotide fluorescent dye; (iv) subjecting the hematologic sample to flowcytometry to detect at least two fluorescent signals from each cell; and (v) discriminating and counting the erythroblasts from difference in intensity between the at least two fluorescent signals.

Abstract: Methods of detecting CD34 negative hematopoietic stem cells in a blood sample are described that include (a) removing CD34 positive cells from the blood sample thereby producing a modified blood sample; (b) extracting CD133 positive cells from the modified blood sample thereby producing a fraction comprising CD34 negative hematopoietic stem cells; and (c) analyzing the fraction with an automated hematology analyzer, thereby detecting the CD34 negative hematopoietic stem cells.

Abstract: A process for counting sperms (sperm cells) comprises the steps of: (1) mixing a specimen containing sperms with an aqueous solution containing a cationic surfactant in an amount effective in removing contaminants contained in the specimen to give a surfactant-treated specimen, (2) staining the sperms contained in the surfactant-treated specimen with a staining liquid containing a dye for staining nucleic acid to give a measuring specimen, (3) introducing the measuring specimen into a flow cell in a flow cytometer and irradiating the stained sperms in the measuring specimen with excitation light, (4) detecting a scattered light signal and a fluorescent light signal emitted from the sperms irradiated with the excitation light, (5) preparing a two-dimensional distribution involving two axes of a scattered light intensity and a fluorescent light intensity based on the scattered light signal and the fluorescent light signal, and (6) specifying a region of a sperm mass on the two-dimensional distribution and count

Abstract: A method for classifying and counting nucleated bone marrow cells comprises the steps of: (1) mixing a sample of bone marrow fluid with an erythrocyte lysing agent to lyse erythrocytes in the sample and render leukocytic cells and erythroid cells in the sample suitable for staining, and staining the sample with a fluorescent dye for producing a difference in intensity of fluorescence between the leukocytic cells and the erythroid cells; (2) introducing the resulting sample to a flow cytometer to detect at least one kind of scattered light and at least one kind of fluorescence; (3) classifying and counting nucleated bone marrow cells, the leukocytic cells and the erythroid cells with use of a difference in the intensity of the fluorescence and the scattered light; (4) calculating the ratio of the nucleated bone marrow cells to the erythroid cells or leukocytic cells from the obtained erythroid cell count or leukocytic cell count and the obtained nucleated bone marrow cell count; and (5) calculating the ratio o

Abstract: A method for discriminating and counting erythroblasts comprises the steps of: (i) staining leukocytes in a hematologic sample by adding a fluorescent labeled antibody capable of binding specifically with leukocytes to the hematologic sample; (ii) raising the permeability only of cell membranes of erythroblasts in the hematologic sample to a nucleotide fluorescent dye which does not permeate a cell membrane usually, the nucleotide fluorescent dye having a fluorescent spectrum capable of being distinguished from that of a fluorescent labeling compound of the fluorescent labeled antibody in step (i); (iii) staining nuclei of the erythroblasts in the hematologic sample with the nucleotide fluorescent dye; (iv) subjecting the hematologic sample to flowcytometry to detect at least two fluorescent signals from each cell; and (v) discriminating and counting the erythroblasts from difference in intensity between the at least two fluorescent signals.

Abstract: A process for counting sperms comprises the steps of: (1) mixing a specimen containing sperms with an aqueous solution containing a cationic surfactant in an amount effective in removing contaminants contained in the specimen to give a surfactant-treated specimen, (2) staining the sperms contained in the surfactant-treated specimen with a staining liquid containing a dye for staining nucleic acid to give a measuring specimen, (3) introducing the measuring specimen into a flow cell in a flow cytometer and irradiating the stained sperms in the measuring specimen with excitation light, (4) detecting a scattered light signal and a fluorescent light signal emitted from the sperms irradiated with the excitation light, (5) preparing a two-dimensional distribution involving two axes of a scattered light intensity and a fluorescent light intensity based on the scattered light signal and the fluorescent light signal, and (6) specifying a region of a sperm mass on the two-dimensional distribution and counting the number

Abstract: Aqueous blood-sample diluting reagent and method of its use for compelling a morphological change in a blood sample to yield an MCV value assayed at elapsed time after the sample is drawn to be consistent within a diagnostically acceptable range with the original, immediate post-drawing MCV value. Selection of a small amount of a predetermined surfactant added within a limited range of concentration, and of a salt for adjusting osmotic pressure of the sample is thereby determined. The blood sample is treated with an anti-coagulant agent immediately post-drawing, and for assay in a particle analyzer at post-drawing elapsed time is diluted with the reagent solution. The reagent has an osmotic pressure (&pgr;) of approximately 150-400 mOsm/kg and a pH of 6.0-8.5. The surfactant is present in a 0.0005% to 0.5% concentration and has a hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB) of 10-20.

Abstract: A reagent for measurement of leukocytes and hemoglobin concentration in the blood includes a cationic surfactant in an amount sufficient to lyse erythrocytes and denature hemoglobin, at least one of the following hemoglobin stabilizers:(a) sulfosalicylic acid, or its salt, in an amount effective for promoting the conversion of hemoglobin into methemoglobin,(b) 0.2 to 10.0 g/L of a water-soluble chelating agent having a nitrogen atom and a carboxyl group, and(c) piperazine, or its salt, in an amount effective for promoting the conversion of hemoglobin into methemoglobin, anda buffer for maintaining pH at 4 to 6.

Abstract: Improved method for detecting and/or counting the appearance of hematopoietic progenitor cells which comprises the steps of mixing a blood sample with a reagent capable of detecting immature cells without employing any immunological techniques, obtaining cell information about the thus treated sample using a particle analyzer and constructing a cell distribution profile, delineating a portion of the profile as a zone in which at least one subclass of hematopoietic progenitor cells appear, and counting the cells within the zone. The method is capable of detecting the appearance of hematopoietic progenitor cells in a simple and positive manner.

Abstract: A system for making an optimum plan for a given problem at high speed. The system sets a planning problem, etc., prepares an objective function and finalizes a plan for minimizing or maximizing the objective function value, and then stores necessary variables. The system prepares as many parent plans of a first generation as a given number (population), calculates objective function values, sorts plans in descending or ascending order of the objective function values of the plans, when selection numbers are assigned to plans in order of a ratio of the objective function value of each plan to the total of the objective function values of the plans, selects parent plans by using numbers indicated by as many constants as the population determined for each generation as the selection numbers, and replaces two elements, arranged at order positions specified by random numbers, with each other for each of the selected parent plans, to prepare child plans.

Abstract: Improved method for detecting and/or counting the appearance of hematopoietic progenitor cells which comprises the steps of mixing a blood sample with a reagent capable of detecting immature cells without employing any immunological techniques, obtaining cell information about the thus treated sample using a particle analyzer and constructing a cell distribution profile, delineating a portion of the profile as a zone in which at least one subclass of hematopoietic progenitor cells appear, and counting the cells within the zone. The method is capable of detecting the appearance of hematopoietic progenitor cells in a simple and positive manner.

Abstract: A reagent for measurement of leukocytes and hemoglobin concentration in the blood includes a cationic surfactant in an amount sufficient to lyse erythrocytes and denature hemoglobin, at least one of the following hemoglobin stabilizers: (a) sulfosalicylic acid, or its salt, in an amount effective for promoting the conversion of hemoglobin into methemoglobin, (b) 0.2 to 10.0 g/L of a water-soluble chelating agent having a nitrogen atom and a carboxyl group, and (c) piperazine, or its salt, in an amount effective for promoting the conversion of hemoglobin into methemoglobin, and a buffer for maintaining pH at 4 to 6.