We deal with a perturbation of a hyperbolic integrable Hamiltonian system with n degrees of freedom The integrable system is assumed to have n dimensional hyperbolic invariant tori with coincident whiskers separatrices Following Eliasson we use a geometric approach closely related to the Lagrangian properties of the whiskers to show that the splitting distance between the perturbed stable and u...

Using their large mystacial vibrissas, rats perform a variety of tasks, including localization and identification of objects. We report on the discriminatory thresholds and behavior of rats trained in a horizontal object localization task. Using an adaptive training procedure, rats learned to discriminate offsets in horizontal (anteroposterior) location with all, one row, or one arc of whiskers...

This study used extracellular unit recordings in behaving animals to evaluate thalamocortical response transformations in the rat whisker-barrel system. Based on previous acute studies using controlled whisker stimulation, we hypothesized that in a cortical barrel adjacent (non-principal) whiskers exert a net inhibitory effect. In contrast, in thalamic barreloid neurons, the effects of neighbor...

Whisker evoked fast oscillations (FOs; >200 Hz) within the rodent posteromedial barrel subfield are thought to reflect very rapid integration of multiwhisker stimuli, yet the pathways mediating FO interactions remain unclear and may involve interactions within thalamus and/or cortex. In the present study using anesthetized rats, a cortical incision was made between sites representing the stimul...

A universally applicable method for promoting the fast formation and growth of high-density Sn whiskers on solders was developed by fabricating Mg/Sn-based solder/Mg joints using ultrasonic-assisted soldering at 250 °C for 6 s and then subjected to thermal aging at 25 °C for 7 d. The results showed that the use of the ultrasonic-assisted soldering could produce the supersaturated dissolution of...

Understanding how whisker-based tactile information is represented in the nervous system requires quantification of sensory input and observation of neural activity during whisking and whisker touch. Chronic electrophysiological methods have long been available to study neural responses in awake and behaving animals; however, methods to quantify the sensory input on whiskers have not yet been d...

Clearance of Inhaled Potassium Octatitanate Whisker from Rat Lungs: Hiroshi YAMATO, et al. Department of Environmental Health Engineering, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan—The clearance rate of inhaled man-made fibers (MMFs) is one of the important factors for predicting health hazards in human. Potassium octatitanate whisker is a newly developed MMF in Japan with stro...

Voigts J, Sakmann B, Celikel T. Unsupervised whisker tracking in unrestrained behaving animals. J Neurophysiol 100: 504–515, 2008. First published May 7, 2008; doi:10.1152/jn.00012.2008. Understanding how whisker-based tactile information is represented in the nervous system requires quantification of sensory input and observation of neural activity during whisking and whisker touch. Chronic el...

The movement to eliminate lead (Pb), especially active in Japan and the European Union, has resulted in an increasing use of pure tin (Sn) coatings on leads and other external and internal surfaces of capacitors, resistors, and other passive components. This paper discusses the issues of tin whisker growth with respect to passive components. It also presents both a critical analysis of existing...