Connections of the Mesencephalic Locomotor Region (MLR) in the Cat

The cat entopeduncular nucleus (EN), which is the main output of the basal ganglia, is known to project to the mesencephalic tegmentum. We have been able to elicit antidromic responses in single EN neurons from the region of the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR), then transect (precollicular-postmamillary) the brainstem and elicit rhythmic movements of the limbs by stimulation of the same site in the same animal. Injections of the fluorescent dye 2,4 diamidino phenylindole 2 HCL (DAPI) into this area induces retrograde labeling of cell bodies in EN and motor cortex. Injections of a tritiated amino acid (leucine) into the motor cortex induce terminal labeling in the area of the MLR. These studies describe convergent projections from EN and motor cortex to the MLR. These connections may be involved in the sequencing and ordering of voluntary movements in which locomotion is necessary

Derivation of Source-Free Maxwell and Gravitational Radiation Equations by Group Theoretical Methods

We derive source-free Maxwell-like equations in flat spacetime for any helicity "j" by comparing the transformation properties of the 2(2j+1) states that carry the manifestly covariant representations of the inhomogeneous Lorentz group with the transformation properties of the two helicity "j" states that carry the irreducible representations of this group. The set of constraints so derived involves a pair of curl equations and a pair of divergence equations. These reduce to the free-field Maxwell equations for j=1 and the analogous equations coupling the gravito-electric and the gravito-magnetic fields for j=2.Comment: 15 pages, no figures, to appear in Int. J. Mod. Phys.

The Commercial Application of Missile/Space Technology, Parts 1 and 2

This report is concerned with the transfer of technology from missile and space programs to non-missile/space applications in the United States. It presents the findings of a University of Denver Research Institute study sponsored by a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) grant awarded in November 1961. Initial stimulation for the unsolicited proposal leading to this study came from a 1960 Brookings Institution report to NASA, Proposed Studies on the Implications of Peaceful Space Activities for Human Affairs

Spatial distribution of land type in regression models of pollutant loading

This paper proposes a method to improve landscape-pollution interaction regression models through the inclusion of a variable that describes the spatial distribution of a land type with respect to the pattern of runoff within a drainage catchment. The proposed index is used as an independent variable to enhance the strength, as quantified by R² values, of regression relationships between empirical observations of in-stream pollutant concentrations and land type by considering the spatial distribution of key land-type categories within the sample point’s drainage area. We present an index that adds a new dimension of explanatory power when used in conjunction with a variable describing the proportion of the land type. We demonstrate the usefulness of this index by exploring the relationship between nitrate ( - 3 NO ) and land type within 40 drainage sub-catchments in the Ipswich River watershed, Massachusetts. Nutrient loads associated with non-point source pollution paths are related to land type within the up-stream drainage catchments of sample sites. Past studies have focused on the quantity of particular land type within a sample point’s drainage catchment. Quantifying the spatial distribution of key land-type categories in terms of location on a runoff surface can improve our understanding of the relationship between sampled - 3 NO concentrations and land type. Regressions that employ the proportion of residential and agricultural land type within catchments provide a fair fit (R² = 0.67). However, we find that a regression adding a variable that indicates the spatial distribution of residential land improves the overall relationship between instream - 3 NO measurements and associated land types (R² = 0.712). We test the sensitivity of the results with respect to variations in the surface definition in order to determine the conditions under which the spatial index variable is useful

Ultrasonic Synthetic-Aperture Holographic Imaging†

Ultrasonic reflection imaging has become an important tool in NDE [1,2,3]. The lateral resolution of such images is limited by the aperture size of the transducer, while the depth resolution is limited by the pulse length. In addition, for a given aperture diameter, the lateral resolution degrades with depth as given by the Rayleigh criterion. In this paper we discuss a method to increase the effective aperture through aperture synthesis. Waveform data, collected from a scanned transducer focused near the surface of the sample, is coherently processed to yield a synthesized aperture which can be focused to any depth with constant resolution. The synthetic aperture method allows efficient volume inspection by trading off scan time with processing time, the latter of which is constantly decreasing with increasing computing power

Fokker-Planck equation approach to optical bistability in the bad-cavity limit

In the general framework of the system size expansion of Van Kampen and Kubo, we consider the Fokker-Planck equation for a model of absorptive bistability in the bad-cavity limit. The physical system is described by the reduced atomic density operators after adiabatic elimination of the cavity field variables. Mapping of the master equation into c-number form according to the normal-ordering mapping scheme yields known results for the atomic fluctuations and correlation functions; however, it also leads to a Fokker-Planck equation with a non-positive-definite diffusion matrix. The symmetrical-order-mapping scheme eliminates this difficulty. The leading contribution to the system size expansion yields a Fokker-Planck equation for the symmetrical-ordered density function having a positive-definite diffusion matrix. The atomic expectation values and fluctuations previously derived from the quantum Langevin equations emerge naturally from this Fokker-Planck equation

93-GT-300 CALIBRATING ULTRASONIC IMAGES FOR THE NDE OF STRUCTURAL MATERIALS

ABSTRACT Ultrasonic imaging is taking a larger and larger role in the NDE of turbine engine materials and in support of fracture mechanics calculations. It is also playing an increasing role in quality and process control

pncA and bptA Are Not Sufficient To Complement Ixodes scapularis Colonization and Persistence by Borrelia burgdorferi in a Linear Plasmid lp25-Deficient Background

The complex segmented genome of Borrelia burgdorferi is comprised of a linear chromosome along with numerous linear and circular plasmids essential for tick and/or mammalian infectivity. The pathogenic necessity for specific borrelial plasmids has been identified; most notably, infections of the tick vector and mammalian host both require linear plasmid 25 (lp25). Genes carried on lp25, specifically bptA and pncA, are postulated to play a role for B. burgdorferi to infect and persist in Ixodes ticks. In this study, we complemented an lp25-deficient borrelial strain with pncA alone or pncA accompanied by bptA to evaluate the ability of the complemented strains to restore larval colonization and persistence through transstadial transmission relative to that of wild-type B. burgdorferi. The acquisition of the complemented strains by tick larvae from infected mice and/or the survival of these strains was significantly decreased when assayed by cultivation and quantitative PCR (qPCR). Only 10% of the pncA-complemented strain organisms were found by culture to survive 17 days following larval feeding, while 45% of the pncA- and bptA-complemented strain organisms survived, with similar results by PCR. However, neither of the complemented B. burgdorferi strains was capable of persisting through the molt to the nymphal stage as analyzed by culture. qPCR analyses of unfed nymphs detected B. burgdorferi genomes in several nymphs at low copy numbers, likely indicating the presence of DNA from dead or dying cells. Overall, the data indicate that pncA and bptA cannot independently support infection, suggesting that lp25 carries additional gene(s) or regulatory elements critical for B. burgdorferi survival and pathogenesis in the Ixodes vector

Comparative proteomics of adult Paragonimus kellicotti excretion/secretion products released in vitro or present in the lung cyst nodule

Paragonimus kellicotti is a zoonotic lung fluke infection, the agent of North American paragonimiasis, and an excellent model for other Paragonimus infections. The excretory/secretory proteins (ESP) released by parasites and presented at the parasite-host interface are frequently proposed to be useful targets for drugs and/or vaccines In vitro culture conditions may alter ESP compared to those produced in vivo. In order to investigate ESPs produced in vivo we took advantage of the fact that adult P. kellicotti reproduce in the lungs of experimentally infected gerbils in tissue cysts. We performed a mass-spectrometric analysis of adult P. kellicotti soluble somatic protein (SSPs) extracts, excreted/secreted proteins (ESPs) produced by adult worms during in vitro culture, and lung cyst fluid proteins (CFPs) from experimentally infected gerbils. We identified 2,137 P. kellicotti proteins that were present in at least two of three biological replicates and supported by at least two peptides. Among those were 1,914 proteins found in SSP, 947 in ESP and 37 in CFP. In silico analysis predicted that only 141 of the total 2,137 proteins were secreted via classical or non-classical pathways. The most abundant functional categories in SSP were storage and oxidative metabolism. The most abundant categories in ESP were proteins related to metabolism and signal transduction. The 37 parasite-related proteins in CFP belonged to 11 functional categories. The largest groups were proteins with unknown function, cytoskeletal proteins and proteasome machinery. 29 of these 37 proteins were shared among all three sample types. To our knowledge, this is the first study that compares in vitro and in vivo ESP for any Paragonimus species. This study has provided new insights into ESPs of food-borne trematodes that are produced and released in vivo. Proteins released at the host-parasite interface may help the parasite evade host immunity and may represent new targets for novel treatments or diagnostic tests for paragonimiasis