The dynamics of salivary function was studied on 80 laboratory rats. It was found that construction of a graph showing the dynamics of stimulated salivation in small laboratory animals could be successfully used in various studies.

Signals recorded from neurons with extracellular planar sensors have a wide range of waveforms and amplitudes. This variety is a result of different physical conditions affecting the ion currents through a cellular membrane. The transmembrane currents are often considered by macroscopic membrane models as essentially a homogeneous process. However, this assumption is doubtful, since ions move through ion channels, which are scattered within the membrane. Accounting for this fact, the present work proposes a theoretical model of heterogeneous membrane conductivity. The model is based on the hypothesis that both potential and charge are distributed homogeneously on the membrane surface, concentrated near channel pores, as the direct consequence of the inhomogeneous transmembrane current. A system of continuity equations having non-stationary and quasi-stationary forms expresses this fact mathematically. The present work performs mathematical analysis of the proposed equations, following by the synthesis of the equivalent electric element of a heterogeneous membrane current. This element is further used to construct a model of the cell-surface electric junction in a form of the equivalent electrical circuit. After that a study of how the heterogeneous membrane conductivity affects parameters of the extracellular electrical signal is performed. As the result it was found that variation of the passive characteristics of the cell-surface junction like conductivity of the cleft and the cleft height could lead to different shapes of the extracellular signals.

Flow coefficients v_{n} for n=2, 3, 4, characterizing the anisotropic collective flow in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV, are measured relative to event planes Ψ_{n}, determined at large rapidity. We report v_{n} as a function of transverse momentum and collision centrality, and study the correlations among the event planes of different order n. The v_{n} are well described by hydrodynamic models which employ a Glauber Monte Carlo initial state geometry with fluctuations, providing additional constraining power on the interplay between initial conditions and the effects of viscosity as the system evolves. This new constraint can serve to improve the precision of the extracted shear viscosity to entropy density ratio η/s.

Back-to-back hadron pair yields in d+Au and p+p collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV were measured with the PHENIX detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Rapidity separated hadron pairs were detected with the trigger hadron at pseudorapidity |η|<0.35 and the associated hadron at forward rapidity (deuteron direction, 3.0<η<3.8). Pairs were also detected with both hadrons measured at forward rapidity; in this case, the yield of back-to-back hadron pairs in d+Au collisions with small impact parameters is observed to be suppressed by a factor of 10 relative to p+p collisions. The kinematics of these pairs is expected to probe partons in the Au nucleus with a low fraction x of the nucleon momenta, where the gluon densities rise sharply. The observed suppression as a function of nuclear thickness, p_{T}, and η points to cold nuclear matter effects arising at high parton densities.

We present measurements of J/ψ yields in d+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV recorded by the PHENIX experiment and compare them with yields in p+p collisions at the same energy per nucleon-nucleon collision. The measurements cover a large kinematic range in J/ψ rapidity (-2.2<y<2.4) with high statistical precision and are compared with two theoretical models: one with nuclear shadowing combined with final state breakup and one with coherent gluon saturation effects. In order to remove model dependent systematic uncertainties we also compare the data to a simple geometric model. The forward rapidity data are inconsistent with nuclear modifications that are linear or exponential in the density weighted longitudinal thickness, such as those from the final state breakup of the bound state.

A design of a polarizing all-glass Bragg fiber with a microstructure core has been proposed for the first time. This design provides suppression of high-order modes and of one of the polarization states of the fundamental mode. The polarizing fiber was fabricated by a new, simple method based on a combination of the modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) process and the rod-in-tube technique. The mode field area has been found to be about 870 μm² near λ=1064 nm. The polarization extinction ratio better than 13 dB has been observed over a 33% wavelength range (from 1 to 1.4 μm) after propagation in a 1.7 m fiber piece bent to a radius of 70 cm.

A bismuth-doped-pure-silica holey fiber is fabricated using a fiber preform made by the furnace chemical vapor deposition method. The spectroscopic properties of the fiber are studied, and laser action at λ=1450 nm with an efficiency of 12% is demonstrated.

Large parity-violating longitudinal single-spin asymmetries A(L)(e+)=-0.86(-0.14)(+0.30) and A(L)(e-)= 0.88(-0.71)(+0.12) are observed for inclusive high transverse momentum electrons and positrons in polarized p+p collisions at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]= 500 GeV with the PHENIX detector at RHIC. These e± come mainly from the decay of W± and Z0 bosons, and their asymmetries directly demonstrate parity violation in the couplings of the W± to the light quarks. The observed electron and positron yields were used to estimate W± boson production cross sections for the e± channels of σ(pp → W+ X) × BR(W+ → e+ ν(e))= 144.1 ± 21.2(stat)(-10.3)(+3.4)(syst) ± 21.6(norm)  pb, and σ(pp → W- X) × BR(W- → e- ν[over ¯](e))= 31.7 ± 12.1(stat)(-8.2)(+10.1)(syst) ± 4.8(norm)  pb.

The production of e;{+}e;{-} pairs for m_{e;{+}e;{-}}<0.3 GeV/c;{2} and 1<p_{T}<5 GeV/c is measured in p+p and Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV. An enhanced yield above hadronic sources is observed. Treating the excess as photon internal conversions, the invariant yield of direct photons is deduced. In central Au+Au collisions, the excess of the direct photon yield over p+p is exponential in transverse momentum, with an inverse slope T=221+/-19;{stat}+/-19;{syst} MeV. Hydrodynamical models with initial temperatures ranging from T_{init} approximately 300-600 MeV at times of approximately 0.6-0.15 fm/c after the collision are in qualitative agreement with the data. Lattice QCD predicts a phase transition to quark gluon plasma at approximately 170 MeV.

In this study a modified Komarov's bullet was developed to remotely deliver live brucellosis vaccines (Brucella abortus 82 and Brucella abortus 19). After modification, the bullet payload could carry the desired dose (10(11)CFU) of vaccine. As the bullet components were toxic to the live bacteria, a special protective coating was developed for the bullet inner surface that maintained vaccine viability. Vaccine viability was not influenced by ballistic delivery and the characteristics of the modified bullet allowed accurate delivery at distances of 100m. Intramuscular ballistic delivery of the modified Komarov's bullet into live cattle and bison was not associated with detrimental clinical effects. The modified bullet penetrated approximately 3-5.5cm into muscular tissue. At necropsy after 63 days, recovered bullets were deformed or broken into multiple pieces but were not associated with adverse lesions. Ballistically delivered vaccines of both strains induced high immunological responses in cattle and bison confirmed by serological, immunological tests, PCR and pathomorphological examination of internal organs. Therefore, the clinical and ballistic characteristics of the modified Komarov's bullet, in addition to its ability to be delivered at distances of 100m, demonstrate its usefulness for use in remotely delivering brucellosis vaccines to free-ranging animals. A high immune response induced by ballistically delivered Brucella abortus 82 vaccine proves that this vaccine strain can be used for vaccination of free-ranging animals.