The afferent and efferent projections of a vocal control nucleus, the oval nucleus of the hyperstriatum ventrale (HVo), were mapped out in a parrot, the budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) to determine the relationships of this nucleus to the auditory system. In budgerigars, HVo is connected to both the anterior forebrain pathway as well as to nuclei forming the descending projection system to the brainstem (Durand et al. [1997] J. Comp. Neurol. 377:179-206). Previous studies (Brauth et al. [1997] Proc. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 807:368-385; Durand and Brauth [1998] Neurosci Abstr 24:78.9) indicate that HVo lesions disrupt vocal performance and that HVo neurons show long latency electrophysiologic auditory responses. HVo has also been shown to receive input from neurons in the immediately adjacent HV (Durand et al. [1997] J. Comp. Neurol. 377:179-206). Thus, the focus of the present study was to elucidate relationships between HVo, its immediately adjacent surround and telencephalic auditory nuclei. The results show that, although the lateral and medial portions of HVo are interconnected with one another, inputs to these areas and their surrounds are distinctively different. The most substantial auditory system inputs are derived from the frontal lateral neostriatum (NFl) and supracentral nucleus of the lateral neostriatum (NLs); these project primarily to the lateral HVo and lateral HVo surround. The medial HVo and surround receive only sparse or modest input from auditory nuclei, including the caudomedial neostriatum (NCM), neostriatum intermedium pars lateralis (NIL), Fields L1 and L3, and the neostriatum intermedium pars ventrolateralis (NIVL). Other sources of input to the HVo surround include the hyperstriatum accessorium (HA), the supralaminar area of the frontal neostriatum (NAs), the ventral anterior archistriatum (AAv), the medial archistriatum (Am) and the medial HV. Neurons in the HV immediately medial to HVo project to a shell region around the entire nucleus. Both the ventral paleostriatum (VP) and ventral part of the central nucleus of the lateral neostriatum (NLc) project to HVo but not to the surround. Previously described projections (Durand et al., 1997) from HVo to the NAom, NLc, and the magnicellular nucleus of the lobus parolfactorius (LPOm) were confirmed.

SynopsisThe kinetics of bulk styrene polymerization catalyzed by symmetrical bifunctional initiators [2,5-dimethyl-2,5-bis(benzoyl peroxy) hexane] is studied. Being characterized by the presence of two peroxide groups of equal thermal stabilities, this bifunctional initiator system shows complex initiation, propagation, and termination reaction pathways. The kinetic model for bulk styrene polymerization with the bifunctional initiator is presented and compared with experimental data. The experimental data indicate that the model is quite satisfactory in describing the polymerization rate and polymer molecular weights for bulk styrene polymerization catalyzed by the symmetrical bifunctional initiator.

Expression of the immediate early gene protein Zenk (zif 268, egr-1, NGF1A, Krox24) was induced in forebrain auditory nuclei in a vocal learning parrot species, the budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus), when the subjects either listened to playbacks of an unfamiliar contact call or to a contact call with which they had been familiarized previously. Auditory nuclei included the Field L complex (L1, L2a, and L3), the neostriatum intermedium pars ventrolateralis (NIVL), the neostriatum adjacent to caudal nucleus basalis (peri-basalis or pBas), an area in the frontal lateral neostriatum (NFl), the supracentral nucleus of the lateral neostriatum (NLs), and the ventromedial hyperstriatum ventrale (HVvm). The latter three nuclei are main sources of auditory input to the vocal system. Two patterns of nuclear staining were induced by contact call stimulation-staining throughout cell nuclei, which was exhibited by at least some neurons in all areas examined except L2a and perinucleolar staining, which was the only kind of staining exhibited in field L2a. The different patterns of Zenk staining indicate that auditory stimulation may regulate the Zenk-dependent transcription of different subsets of genes in different auditory nuclei. The numbers of neurons expressing Zenk staining increased from seven-to 43-fold over control levels when the birds listened to a repeating unfamiliar call. Familiarization of the subjects with the call stimulus, through repeated playbacks, greatly reduced the induction of Zenk expression to the call when it was presented again after an intervening 24-h interval. To determine if neurons exhibiting contact call-driven Zenk expression project to the vocal control system, call stimulation was coupled with dextran amines pathway tracing. The results indicated that tracer injections in the vocal nucleus HVo (oval nucleus of the hyperstriatum ventrale), in fields lateral to HVo and in NLs labeled many Zenk-positive neurons in HVvm, NFl, and NLs. These results support the idea that, in these neurons, egr-1 couples auditory stimulation to the synthesis of proteins involved in either the storing of new perceptual engrams for vocal learning or the processing of novel and/or meaningful acoustic stimuli related to vocal learning or the context in which it occurs.It is generally believed that the long-term changes in synaptic strength necessary for the maintenance of memories require protein synthesis controlled by the expression of immediate early genes

An experimental study of the bulk free radical polymerization of styrene catalyzed by thermally unsymmetrical bifunctional initiator 4-((tert-butylperoxy)carbonyl)-3-hexyl-6-[7-((tert-butylperoxy)carbonyl)heptyl] cyclohexene is reported. The cyclic peroxyester group and the primary peroxyester group in the bifunctional initiator molecule have significantly different thermal stabilities. When this unsymmetrical bifunctional initiator is used for styrene polymerization a t high temperatures, it is possible to produce polymers of high molecular weight a t high reaction rate. It is observed that the bifunctional initiator has relatively lower initiating efficiency than conventional monofunctional initiators. The initiator efficiency also tends to decrease with an increase in its concentration. The experimental polymerization data are also compared with the kinetic model simulations, and very good agreement has been obtained.Bulk or low solvent free radical polymerization of styrene at high temperature is of significant industrial importance. With rapidly growing demands for the polymers of precisely controlled properties and the polymers of varying grades, the need for a more efficient polymerization process is becoming more acute than ever. The polymerization process innovations can be achieved by the use of more efficient initiators, novel reactor systems, and improved polymerization techniques. During the past decades, numerous papers have been published on the kinetics of styrene polymerization, reactor modeling, and optimal control of batch and continuous polymerization processes. Many of the works reported in the literature on styrene polymerization dealt with relatively low-temperature reactions and/or single monofunctional initiators such as benzoyl peroxide (BPO) and azobis(isobutyronitri1e) (AIBN). In practice, more complex initiator systems such as mixed initiators and bifunctional initiators or multifunctional initiators are widely used in the polymer industry in order to enhance the monomer conversion and to improve polymer properties or to reduce the batch time. This paper is concerned with the kinetics of styrene polymerization catalyzed by unsymmetrical bifunctional initiators.The multifunctional initiators are defined as free radical generating initiators containing more than one labile group (e.g., peroxy or azo) having distinctly different thermal decomposition characteristics. Unlike conventional monofunctional initiators, functional groups in the multifunctional initiators can be decomposed in a controlled manner by varying the polymerization conditions. Therefore, the multifunctional initiators offer an added degree of freedom to polymer reactor engineers in optimizing the polymerization processes more effectively by taking advantage of some unique characteristics of the initiators. For example, it has been illustrated by some workers that the multifunctional initiators can produce

The distributions of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) immunoreactive neurons and fibers were mapped within forebrain vocal control and auditory nuclei of a vocal learning psittacine species, the budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus). Immunoreactivity was exhibited by telencephalic nuclei previously associated with vocal control pathways on the basis of both tract tracing studies and gene mapping: the central nucleus of the anterior archistriatum (AAc), central nucleus of the lateral neostriatum (NLc), magnocellular nucleus the lobus parolfactorius (LPOm), the oval nucleus of the ventral hyperstiratum (HVo) and the medial division of the oval nucleus of the anterior neostriatum (NAom). The main body of NAo also contained an exceptionally high density of immunoreactive fibers. In contrast to the condition in oscine songbirds, CGRP-positive neuronal somata were not present in any telencephalic vocal control nucleus. CGRP-positive somata were present, however, in diencephalic cell groups that included the shell region of the nucleus ovoidalis (Ov), the nucleus dorsolateralis posterior (DLP) and a region of the ventral thalamus that was retrogradely labeled by tracer deposits into HVo and AAc. CGRP immunoreactive fibers were observed within auditory areas of the telencephalon including Field L and the neostriatum intermedium pars dorsolateralis. The likely sources of these fibers are CGRP-positive neurons within the Ov shell and DLP.