Hydroxyl radical concentrations measured in ambient air

Diurnal variations in the hydroxyl radical concentration of ambient air were measured for the first time by the technique of laser-induced fluorescence.     

Operant conditioning of single-unit response patterns in visual cortex

Unit responses to photic stimuli were studied in cat visual cortex. After the baseline response pattern of a cell was determined, conditioning trials were given during which reinforcement was contingent upon increased firing during a selected segment of the poststimulus interval. Density of reinforcement increased substantially in about half the cells studied; significant increases in firing occurred within, but not outside, the criterion segment.     

Motor pattern production in reciprocally inhibitory neurons exhibiting postinhibitory rebound

Pairs of neurons which inhibit each other can produce regular alternating bursts of impulses if they also exhibit postinhibitory rebound (PIR). Computer studies show that stable patterns occur spontaneously in systems of pacemaker neurons with PIR, and can be triggered in systems of nonpacemakers without requiring tonic excitation. The repetition rates of these patterns are determined largely by the PIR parameters. The patterns resist perturbation by phasic synaptic inputs, but can be modulated or turned off by tonic inputs. One pair of PIR neurons can be entrained by another pair with a different repetition rate to produce more complex firing patterns.     

Quantitative autoradiography of [3H]muscimol binding in rat brain

A simple quantitative autoradiographic technique for the study of neurotransmitter receptors that includes the use of a tritium-sensitive film permits saturation, kinetic, and competition studies of brain samples as small as 0.01 cubic millimeter. This technique was used to study [3H]muscimol binding in rat brain. Unilateral gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor supersensitivity was observed in the substantia nigra pars reticulata after production of localized lesions of the ipsilateral corpus striatum.     

Opioid inhibition of dopamine release from nervous tissue of Mytilus edulis and Octopus bimaculatus

Morphine and D-Ala2-Met-enkephalin as well as other opioids suppress potassium-stimulated release of 3H-labeled dopamine from neurons tissue of two marine invertebrates, Mytilus edulis and Octopus bimaculatus. Naloxone reverses the inhibitory effects in both species. Potassium-stimulated release of 3H-labeled serotonin is not altered by opioids. It is postulated that opiate receptors and their endogenous effectors play a prominent role in regulation of transmitter release in invertebrates.     

Oxygen-18 enrichment of planktonic foraminifera due to gametogenic calcification below the euphotic zone

Empty shells of spinose planktonic foraminifera on the seabed are significantly enriched in oxygen-18 as compared with the shells of their living counterparts in surface waters. This enrichment is due to gametogenic calcification, which extracts calcium carbonate from deeper and colder waters as the shell sinks below the euphotic zone. JEAN-CLAUDE DUPLESSY.