Multimodal signals: enhancement and constraint of song motor patterns by visual display

Many birds perform visual signals during their learned songs, but little is known about the interrelationship between visual and vocal displays. We show here that male brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) synchronize the most elaborate wing movements of their display with atypically long silent periods in their song, potentially avoiding adverse biomechanical effects on sound production. Furthermore, expiratory effort for song is significantly reduced when cowbirds perform their wing display. These results show a close integration between vocal and visual displays and suggest that constraints and synergistic interactions between the motor patterns of multimodal signals influence the evolution of birdsong.     

Resonant optical antennas

We have fabricated nanometer-scale gold dipole antennas designed to be resonant at optical frequencies. On resonance, strong field enhancement in the antenna feed gap leads to white-light supercontinuum generation. The antenna length at resonance is considerably shorter than one-half the wavelength of the incident light. This is in contradiction to classical antenna theory but in qualitative accordance with computer simulations that take into account the finite metallic conductivity at optical frequencies. Because optical antennas link propagating radiation and confined/enhanced optical fields, they should find applications in optical characterization, manipulation of nanostructures, and optical information processing.     

Agronomical and physiological aspects of ammonium and nitrate nutrition of plants

Field studies comparing yield responses of crops treated with different nitrogen fertilizer types have led to very contradictory results. This can be explained by the fact that the application of different forms of nitrogen may affect plant growth via numerous processes in the soil and within the plant. In this review the significance of these processes for nutrient availability in soil are briefly outlined. Then, data from literature and own results are used to show that an enhanced ammonium supply may promote certain yield components such as the number of ears per plant in wheat or the number of kernels per plant in maize whereas other yield components such as the number of grains per ear in cereals or the number of tillers in linseed may be adversely affected by ammonium supply. These different effects of ammonium and nitrate supply on yield structure of plants are related to physiological changes in the plant using a model.     

Plasminogen activator activity in secretions from clinically normal, mastitic, lactating and dried-off udders of dairy cows

Using the composite fibrin plates method, plasminogen activator (PA) activity was found in secretions from clinically normal, mastitic, lactating and dried-off udders of dairy cows. The possible involvement of the fibrinolytic system in the physiology and pathology of the bovine mammary gland is discussed.