Scanning tunnelling microscopy has been used to study the effect of ion bombardment at different angles of incidence on a graphite surface. The 246 MeV energy of Kr+ ions was selected in the medium energy range, where the electronic and nuclear stopping is nearly balanced. The low dose (1 x 10(12)/cm2) of ions allows the characterization of single features caused by bombardment in perpendicular...

The monoclonal antibody Lan3-15 identifies a novel protein, Hillarin, that is localized to the axon hillock of leech neurons. Using this antibody we have identified a full length cDNA coding for leech Hillarin and determined its sequence. The gene encodes a 1274 residue protein with a predicted molecular mass of 144 013 Da. Data base searches revealed that leech Hillarin has potential orthologu...

A method to create an array of sub-5 nm nanogaps with self-aligned holes in a protective polymer overlayer is presented. The parallel formation of the nanogaps, intended for electrical sensing of biomolecules in an aqueous environment, is achieved by electromigration using a simple voltage ramp across parallel-connected electrode patterns with individual constrictions. It was observed that the ...

We describe a computer-based image acquisition and analysis system designed for the quantitation of airway submucosal gland fluid flux by the hillocks technique. This technique is based on the detection of the increase in surface area of hillocks formed above gland duct openings by secretions captured under a thin layer of tantalum powder. The advantages of the system are: (a) ability to detect...

In the cat cerebellar cortex, as in most higher vertebrates, the descending branches of the basket cell axon envelop the Purkinje cell body in the region of its axon hillock in a basket-like arborization (Rambn y Cajal, 1909) . This report further characterizes the basket formations of the cat and describes septate junctions between the descending branches of the basket cell axons and between s...

The initiation site in neurons is where the excitatory and inhibitory inputs sum to generate action potentials. It is generally considered to be at a fixed location, typically at the axon hillock or initial segment, although action potentials, or impulses, could in theory arise at a site that shifts dynamically. The data reported here show that the initiation site can shift in a graded manner, ...

We investigated the morphological and electrophysiological properties of the Mauthner (M-) cell and its networks in the adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) in comparison with those in the goldfish (Carassius auratus). The zebrafish M-cell has an axon cap, a high resistivity structure which surrounds the initial segment of the M-axon, and accounts for an unusual amplification of the fields generated w...

The F-wave is a result of the backfire of α-motoneurons following an antidromic inva‐ sion of propagated impulses across the axon hillock (Kimura, 1974). Its occurrence reflects excitability changes in the spinal motor neurons, as reported in patients with spasticity (Odusote & Eisen, 1979) and in healthy subjects with isometric contraction (Suzuki, Fujiwara & Takeda, 1993). In our previous stu...