What is claimed is:
1. An isolated and purified Ehrlichia chaffeensis P28 surface protein encoded by a DNA selected from the group consisting of:
(a) isolated DNA which encodes said P28 proteins;
(b) isolated DNA which hybridizes to isolated DNA of (a) above under high stringency conditions consisting of hybridization at 42 C. in the presence of about 50% formamide, a first wash at 65 C. with 2SSC containing 1% SDS and a second wash at 65 C. with 0.1SSC, and which encodes said P28 proteins; and
(c) isolated DNA differing from the isolated DNAs of (a) and (b) above in codon sequence due to the degeneracy of the genetic code, and which encodes said P28 proteins.
2. The isolated and purified P28 protein of claim 1, wherein said DNA is selected from the group consisting of GenBank accession number AF230642 and GenBank accession number AF230643.
3. The isolated and purified P28 protein of claim 1, wherein said DNA consists of a single locus of Ehrlichia chaffeensis encoding said P28 proteins.
4. The isolated and purified P28 protein of claim 3, wherein said locus is a multigene locus of 23 kb length.
5. An isolated and purified P28 protein having an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID No. 1, SEQ ID No.2, SEQ ID No. 3, SEQ ID No. 4, SEQ ID No. 5, SEQ ID No. 6, SEQ ID No. 7, SEQ ID No. 8, SEQ ID No. 9, SEQ ID No. 10, SEQ ID No 11, SEQ ID No. 12, SEQ ID No. 13, SEQ ID No. 20 and SEQ ID No. 21.
6. A vaccine against Ehrlichia chaffeensis comprising one or more of the proteins of claim 5.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An applicator machine for heating and coating a section of pipeline, the applicator machine comprising:
a frame configured to rotate about a section of pipeline to be heated and coated;
rotating means operable to rotate the frame;
a coating material applicator mounted on the frame and rotatable therewith, and
an induction coil mounted on the frame and rotatable therewith,
wherein the induction coil is configured to heat a section of pipeline adjacent to the induction coil to a coating material application temperature and wherein the coating material applicator is arranged to spray coating material through an aperture through the induction coil.
2. The applicator machine of claim 1, wherein the coating applicator is arranged to spray a strip of coating material.
3. The applicator machine of claim 2, wherein the coating material applicator comprises a plurality of spray nozzles arranged in an elongate row.
4. The applicator machine of claim 3, wherein the nozzles are directed substantially orthogonal to the axis of rotation of the frame.
5. The applicator machine of claim 3, wherein each nozzle comprises a flat slit arranged to spray coating material in a spray plane fanning out from the flat slit.
6. The applicator machine of claim 5, wherein the flat slit of each nozzle is rotatable.
7. The applicator machine of claim 2, wherein the aperture through the induction coil is elongate in the direction of the strip of coating material.
8. The applicator machine of claim 2, wherein the induction coil is elongate with respect to the axis of rotation of the frame.
9. The applicator machine of claim 1, wherein the induction coil has a partially cylindrical underside substantially coaxial with the axis of rotation of the frame.
10. The applicator machine of claim 1, wherein the coating material applicator and the induction heater form a heating and coating arrangement and wherein the applicator machine comprises two heating and coating arrangements each being mounted on substantially diametrically opposite sides of the axis of rotation of the frame.
11. The applicator machine of claim 1, wherein the machine comprises at least one radiant heater arrangement disposed to heat factory-applied coatings.
12. The applicator machine of claim 11, wherein the or each radiant heater arrangement is circumferentially displaced about the axis of rotation of the frame from the or each coating material applicator and the or each induction heater.
13. The applicator machine of claim 1, wherein the machine comprises:
an enclosure configured to surround a section of pipeline; and
means for evacuating and collecting waste coating material.
14. The applicator machine of claim 1, wherein the coating material applicator is configured to spray powder coating material, optionally fusion bonded epoxy powder material andor chemically modified polypropylene powder material.
15. A process for heating and coating a section of a pipeline, the process comprising:
disposing a frame configured to rotate about a section of pipeline to be heated and coated;
disposing an induction coil adjacent to the section of pipeline;
directing a coating material applicator to spray coating material to the section of pipeline;
rotating the frame, the induction coil and the coating material applicator as a unit around the section of pipeline while simultaneously supplying alternating electrical power to the induction coil to heat the section of pipeline; and
spraying coating material through an aperture through the induction coil to the section of pipeline.
16. The process of claim 15, wherein the process comprises directing the coating material applicator to spray a strip of coating material through an elongate aperture through the induction coil to the section of pipeline.
17. The process of claim 16, wherein the coating material applicator sprays coating material with a plurality of spray nozzles arranged in an elongate row.
18. The process of claim 17, wherein the nozzles spray coating material in a substantially radial direction with respect to the section of pipeline.
19. The process of claim 15, wherein the induction coil heats a partially cylindrical section of pipeline elongate with respect to a longitudinal axis of the pipeline.
20. The process of claim 15, wherein the process comprises heating factory-applied coating of the section of pipeline with a radiant heater arrangement disposed upon the frame.
21. The process of claim 15, wherein the process comprises evacuating and collecting waste coating material from an enclosure surrounding the section of pipeline.
22. The process of claim 15, wherein the process comprises spraying powder coating material, optionally fusion bonded epoxy powder material andor chemically modified polypropylene powder material.