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Abstract: The present study presents heritabilities for several maternal behavioural traits of sows recorded under field conditions (by the farmer) in Norwegian (N) and Finnish (SF) nucleus herds. Based on questionnaires to the farmers, maternal behaviour was scored on a scale from 1 to 7 for 11 traits in the Norwegian study and 5 of the same traits in the Finnish study. Based on the full relationship matrixes, significant heritabilities were found for the same traits in the two countries'' breeding herds. The highest heritabilities were found for the sow''s reaction to piglet screaming when handled (h 2=0.16 (N), h 2=0.12 (SF)), how often the sow showed fear during routine management (h 2=0.14 (N), h 2=0.17 (SF)), aggression towards humans (h 2=0.11 (N)) and protests by the sow when moved to the farrowing pen (h 2=0.00 (N) but h 2=0.22(SF)). Except for the last trait, the results were very consistent across countries. The study shows that field recording of maternal behaviour with questionnaires is one way of detecting genetic variation between sows and seems to work in a large scale, under field conditions. Some of the estimated heritabilities were higher than corresponding heritabilities based on behavioural tests presented in previous studies. Sows'' reaction to piglets screaming when handled, sows'' fear of humans and sows'' aggressive behaviour towards humans are possible candidate traits for selection. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A new actuator structure applicable for the near field recording (NFR) system is studied. In the structure, the optical flying head (OFH) is coupled to a conventional four-wire type actuator generally found in CD and DVD. The major purposes of the design of the actuator structure are the application of active focusing, the elimination of ramp-load mechanism and the tracking performance enhancement in the NFR system. The OFH with a magneto-optical (MO) coil to provide the necessary magnetic field for MO recording, an air bearing slider having a transparent optical section to provide optical path through the slider, and a solid immersion lens (SIL) for the use of near field is integrated with the bobbin and the voice coil assembly of the four-wire type voice coil motor (VCM) actuator through suspension. With a view to the realization of the suggested actuator, the flying characteristics of the designed OFH are evaluated by computer simulation. In addition, the flying stability of the OFH during the focusing and tracking motion of the actuator is experimentally evaluated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We studied the response of males to the singing of nearby male conspecifics in two species of the orthopteran genus, Cyphoderris, primitive relatives of crickets and katydids in Alberta. Lone male Cyphoderris buckelli stridulating in a large cage made a phonotactic approach to a nearby speaker broadcasting conspecific calling song. But in field experiments no phonotaxis to song broadcasts occurred. Calling male Cyphoderris monstrosa were exposed in the field to playback of a synthetic calling song at a typical conspecific pulse rate, relayed broadcast of their own call, and low-frequency audio noise. We tested whether a C. buckelli field singer would alter his calling song in response to the singing of a nearby male conspecific. The pulse rate of C. monstrosa varies linearly with temperature. There was no significant change in duty cycle for males exposed to synthetic song or to rebroadcast of their own song, whereas males reduced their acoustic output in the presence of noise. Male C. monstrosa responded to the song of a conspecific male broadcast nearby with only a non-significant increase in chirp duty cycle. The marking and recapture studies of C. buckelli reveal an almost complete absence of site fidelity in this species. Most males move to different singing locations on successive nights in a fashion consistent with choosing random bearings and traveling random distances

A voice accumulator is a portable device for long-term measurements of voice use in natural conditions. A contact microphone attached to the front part of the neck registers vocal fold vibrations. The purposes of the present study were: 1) to evaluate the voice accumulator's two measuring programs optimized for registration of fundamental frequency (F0) and phonation time, respectively; and 2) to test the voice accumulator for field recordings. Four healthy subjects were recorded in a sound-proof booth simultaneously with one contact microphone into a voice accumulator and one contact microphone into a computer. In terms of F0 and phonation time, the results showed that correlations between the voice accumulator's two measuring programs and a signal-processing program were high (r ≥0.85) for all subjects but one. The inter-subject variability was large. A prerequisite for reliable vocal fold vibration detection by the voice accumulator was a careful placement and a firm attachment of the contact microphone on the neck. Four subjects were recorded with the voice accumulator during a working day. It was concluded that the voice accumulator is an overall good instrument for measurements of F0 and phonation time, and thus is useful for both clinical work and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) and ecto-5'-nucleotidase (NT5E, CD73) produce extracellular adenosine from the nucleotide AMP in spinal nociceptive (pain-sensing) circuits; however, it is currently unknown if these are the main ectonucleotidases that generate adenosine or how rapidly they generate adenosine. Results We found that AMP hydrolysis, when measured histochemically, was nearly abolished in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons and lamina II of spinal cord from Pap/Nt5e double knockout (dKO) mice. Likewise, the antinociceptive effects of AMP, when combined with nucleoside transport inhibitors (dipyridamole or 5-iodotubericidin), were reduced by 80-100% in dKO mice. In addition, we used fast scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) to measure adenosine production at subsecond resolution within lamina II. Adenosine was maximally produced within seconds from AMP in wild-type (WT) mice but production was reduced >50% in dKO mice, indicating PAP and NT5E rapidly generate adenosine in lamina II. Unexpectedly, we also detected spontaneous low frequency adenosine transients in lamina II with FSCV. Adenosine transients were of short duration (60%) in frequency in Pap-/-, Nt5e-/- and dKO mice, suggesting these ectonucleotidases rapidly hydrolyze endogenously released nucleotides to adenosine. Field potential recordings in lamina II and behavioral studies indicate that adenosine made by these enzymes acts through the adenosine A1 receptor to inhibit excitatory neurotransmission and nociception. Conclusions Collectively, our experiments indicate that PAP and NT5E are the main ectonucleotidases that generate adenosine in nociceptive circuits and indicate these enzymes transform pulsatile or sustained nucleotide release into an inhibitory adenosinergic signal.

Focuses on the use of mechanical aids for making specimen records of behavior. Components of the equipment system; Utilization of field recording system in determining verbal behavior of a child; Reactions of children to the system of recording field.

The author reflects on his technique of transcribing historic music recordings. He notes the significant revolution of the dissemination of historic field recordings due to the availability of contemporary commercial audio technology and online resources. The author also shares his technique of transcribing songs and how he compare them with the encodings previously-published by several individuals such as Helen Creighton, Kenneth Peacock, and Doreen Senior.

The article discusses various reports published within the issue including the westernization of the gamelan elements in the music of Lou Harrison by Henry Spiller, an article by Samson Young on the mishandling of field recordings that served as the basis for "The Map," and the misrepresentation of Chinese contemporary music in Lang Lang's "Dragon Song."

Ischemia, a severe metabolic stress, increases adenosine levels and causes the suppression of synaptic transmission through adenosine A 1 receptors. Although temperature also regulates extracellular adenosine levels, the effect of temperature on ischemia-induced activation of adenosine receptors is not yet fully understood. Here we examined the role of adenosine A 1 receptors in mild hypothermia-mediated neuroprotection during the acute phase of ischemia. Severe ischemia-induced neurosynaptic impairment was reproduced by oxygen-glucose deprivation at normothermia (36 °C) and assessed with extracellular recordings or whole-cell patch clamp recordings in acute hippocampal slices in mice. Mild hypothermia (32 °C) induced the protection of synaptic transmission by activating adenosine A 1 receptors. Stricter hypothermia (28 °C) caused additional neuroprotective effects by extending the onset time to anoxic depolarization; however, this effect was not associated with adenosine A 1 receptors. The response of exogenous adenosine-induced inhibition of hippocampal synaptic transmission was increased by lowering the temperature to 32 °C or 28 °C. Hypothermia also reduced the function of dipryidamole-sensitive nucleoside transporters. These findings suggest that an increased response of adenosine A 1 receptors, caused by a reduction in the function of nucleoside transporters, is one mechanism by which therapeutic hypothermia (usually used within the mild range) mediates neurosynaptic protection in the acute phase of stroke. • Mild hypothermia (32 °C) causes neurosynaptic protection during ischemia. • Hypothermia-mediated neurosynaptic protection is caused by activation of A 1 R. • Stricter hypothermia (28 °C) offers additional protection in an A 1 R-independent manner. • Activation of A 1 R by exogenous adenosine is increased during hypothermia. • Lowering the temperature reduces the function of nucleoside transporter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific progress in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of aging in the brain is essential for the identification of novel targets for the treatment and prevention of age-associated cognitive disorders. Electrophysiological analysis of synaptic plasticity using extracellular field recordings in rodent hippocampal slices is a well-established method for investigating molecular mechanisms of learning and memory. These methods can be applied to the study of aging in the brain by utilizing hippocampal slices from aged animals. However, this application can be challenging as it is difficult to ensure and maintain the health of slices originating from aged animals. The technique described in this chapter outlines the procedure for measuring metabotropic glutamate receptor-mediated long-term depression in hippocampal slices using extracellular field recordings and includes specific details for the application of this technique in the study of neuronal aging.

The author explores capturing and hearing music within a broader sound environment and the cultural and contextual information that this method can convey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]