Automatic Recording Device Research Articles

Simple and Inexpensive Electronic Device for Automatic Recording and Analysis of Insect Acoustical Activity

An apparatus has been developed for monitoring the timing and duration of cricket calling song, using a simple electronic device coupled to an Apple II microcomputer. The calling activity of up to three insects can automatically be recorded and stored to magnetic disc. An analysis program determines the percent of time spent calling for each half-hour block of a 24-hour recording period. A graphical representation of the temporal pattern of calling is also an available option. Other microcomputers can be used with minor modification of the connections, and the ancillary electronics required for this purpose are inexpensive and readily constructed.

Learned immobility explains the behavior of rats in the forced swimming test

The rat forced-swimming test (FST) is widely used for screening substances with a potential antidepressant effect. The rat immobility shown in the FST has been interpreted as “behavioral despair” and has been suggested as an animal model of human depression. In the following series of experiments it is shown that measuring rat mobility by an automatic recording device is more accurate than measuring immobility time by direct observation (Experiment 1 and 5). The automatic recording procedure was tested with imipramine and mianserin showing similar results to those reported in the literature using a direct observation procedure by the researcher (Experiment 2). In Experiment 3 it was demonstrated that: (a) rat mobility decreased with experience, (b) switching water depth on Day 2 of the test increased mobility and (c) anisomycin acts as a false positive. In Experiment 4 the possible state dependent effect of imipramine in the FST was studied. The effect of imipramine on rat behavior in the FST is not state dependent. The imipramine-saline group shows greater mobility than the saline-saline group and does not differentiate from the imipramine-imipramine group. Thus, it was suggested that imipramine could interfere with the acquisition and/or consolidation processes. In Experiment 5, it is shown that a single dose of 25 mg/kg of imipramine, administered before or immediately after training on Day 1, increases rat's mobility on Day 2, thus suggesting that imipramine alters the consolidation process. From these results it is suggested that the behavioral process involved in the FST is “learning to be immobile” instead of “behavioral despair” as previously suggested in the literature.

Researching the Plant-Animal Interface: The investigation of Ingestive Behavior in Grazing Animals

Profitable livestock production from forages largely depends on efficiency of converting forages into products. Efficient grazing management systems require an understanding of the roles of system components. However, experimentation should be conducted with regard to the system as a whole rather than on the systems components in isolation. This may necessitate development of computer models. The short-term intake of forage by grazing animals is controlled both by the structure of the forage and by effects of the ingested forage on gut fill as moderated by the hunger-satiety complex. Intake can be defined as the product of bite size, rate of biting and grazing time. Measurement of these variables is facilitated by the use of esophageally fistulated animals and automatic recording devices. Bite size has the greatest influence on intake, with rate of biting and grazing time being compensatory variables. Sward structure influences bite size to varying degrees. In temperate grass swards, leaf surface height appears to be the dominant influence on bite size. But in tropical grass swards, leaf density and leaf:stem ratio have a greater influence on bite size than does leaf surface height. Alternative techniques to conventional grazing trials are described. Diversity of environments and forages in the U.S. requires further research into the development of grazing systems. In the future, small-scale trials and computer simulation techniques likely will be used to a greater extent.

Explosive source location by relative arrival times of atmospherically and seismically propagating disturbances

Detonation of explosives during rock excavation in surface mining produces both atmospherically and seismically propagating disturbances. By manipulating the difference in arrival times of the air blast and ground motion, shot-to-recorder distance can be determined with only one recording station. This shot-to-recorder distance is needed for automatic development of ground motion attenuation curves with automatic recording devices and is generally helpful in mine activity detection. With two recording stations, the location of the blast may be determined even if the stations are not time synchronized. Data from production blasting at a coal mine were evaluated to verify the method proposed herein. The blast location as determined by the difference in arrival times of the atmospherically and seismically propagating disturbances showed excellent agreement with the location of blasts as provided by field personnel. The method may be employed to detect any explosive activity that produces both types of disturbances.

Lack of Effect of Intravenous Lidocaine on Hemodynamic Responses to Rapid Sequence Induction of General Anesthesia

A double-blind, randomized trial was conducted in 16 women aged 20-48 yr, to assess the effect of intravenous lidocaine on the circulatory responses to rapid sequence induction of general anesthesia. None of the patients suffered from heart or lung diseases, all were scheduled for hysterectomy, and all were premedicated with 0.3 mg/kg diazepam orally 2 hr beforehand. Induction, preceded by preoxygenation, included simultaneous injection of thiopental and succinylcholine, without starting manual ventilation until the airway was secured with the endotracheal tube. Two minutes before laryngoscopy and intubation half of the patients received lidocaine, 1.5 mg/kg, intravenously (IV). The other half received an equal volume of saline. Cuff blood pressure was measured repeatedly by an automatic recording device, and heart rate and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were monitored by a portable nonimaging nuclear probe. After laryngoscopy and intubation, mean blood pressure increased 46%, heart rate 57%, and the rate pressure product (RPP) 84% from control values in patients given lidocaine, compared to 45, 66, and 113%, respectively, in the saline group (P greater than 0.05). Pronounced, but similar decreases in LVEF were observed in the two groups, to 0.40 from 0.65 in the lidocaine group and to 0.41 from 0.65 in the saline group. In all patients, RPP reached a level considered potentially dangerous to patients with ischemic heart disease. We conclude that lidocaine, 1.5 mg/kg IV, 2 min prior to laryngoscopy and intubation does not prevent hemodynamic reactions evoked by rapid sequence induction.

A data-based method for bivariate outlier detection: application to automatic blood pressure recording devices.

ABSTRACTThe rapidly increasing use of automatic devices for the measurement of blood pressure has made it increasingly important to identify artifactual readings. This paper describes an objective technique for isolating a small but adjustable percentage of the readings that are likely artifacts. The validity of these readings requires the subjective judgment of the clinician. The proposed methodology substantially reduces the number of readings to be manually examined by not only taking into account the level of systolic and diastolic blood pressure per se, but also the relationship between the two and how they vary according to differential covariate information. The method can be applied to homogeneous populations, or as illustrated in this paper, to heterogeneous populations after adjustment for known or suspected sources of variability. Thus the technique is applicable to protocols which examine blood pressure, or for that matter any two (or more) related variables, during a variety of experimental procedures including psychophysiological reactivity tasks.

A device for automatic recording of the proportional-strain limit

A device for automatic recording of the proportional-strain limit

Hypertension associated with hyperparathyroidism is not responsive to angiotensin blockade.

Patients with primary hyperparathyroidism are frequently hypertensive. Studies were performed to determine whether the hypertension in this disorder could be corrected by saralasin infusion. Five patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and one patient with secondary hyperparathyroidism were salt depleted before saralasin testing by the administration of 1 mg/kg furosemide at 1700 h on the evening before testing. Blood pressure was measured every 2 min by an automatic recording device. Saralasin was given as a continuous iv infusion of 1, 3, 6, and 10 micrograms/kg . min for 30 min. Blood for measurement of PRA was drawn 4 min before, immediately before, and 4, 8, 12, 16, 22, 30, 60, and 90 min after the infusion was begun. Saralasin did not reduce blood pressure in these patients. The mean postsaralasin blood pressure (12--20 min after the start of the infusion) was 155/102 mm Hg compared to the control blood pressure of 156/101 mm Hg (blood pressure at -4 and 0 min). The inability of saralasin to effect a vasodepressor response was unexpected, since the mean PRA before saralasin infusion was elevated at 1895 ng/dl . 3 h (normal range, 409--818 ng/dl . 3 hr; 95% confidence limits). These studies suggest that the hypertension associated with hyperparathyroidism is not renin dependent.

Automatic measurement of soil-water pressure using a capacitance manometer

A new, cheap and reliable pressure transducer has been developed. It is based on the use of a mercury manometer with the outer face of the glass tubing covered with a transparent metallic oxide. This acts as the fixed outer electrode of a capacitor, of which the capacitance linearly changes with the position of the mercury in the tube. This pressure transducer can be linked with an automatic recording device. Examples are given of the field use of a series of these transducers in which they are coupled to tensiometers in a natural water-balance study.

The Diagnostic and Therapeutic Uses of Saralasin in Renal Transplant Hypertension

Saralasin was used as a functional test of the renin-angiotensin axis in 4 renal transplant patients with hypertension. Blood pressure was recorded by an automatic recording device and plasma renin activity was measured by radioimmunoassay of angiotensin I. A positive saralasin test suggested renin-mediated hypertension despite normal peripheral renin levels in a 40-year-old man whose original kidney disease was nephrosclerosis. Since the blood pressure was refractory to intravenous sodium nitroprusside saralasin was used for 14 hours to control blood pressure before and after arteriography in the patient. Removal of the native kidneys markedly ameliorated the hypertension. A 35-year-old woman with transplant hypertension was responsive to angiotensin blockade only during a period of abrupt worsening of blood pressure associated with an acute rejection episode. Finally, 2 patients with advanced chronic rejection responded to saralasin administration. These studies confirm that 1) angiotensin blockade is a useful tool in the diagnosis of renin-dependent hypertension even when plasma renin levels are not elevated, 2) saralasin can be used to control renin-dependent forms of hypertension that are refractory to intravenous sodium nitroprusside therapy and 3) transplant hypertension associated with acute and chronic rejection appears to be renin-dependent.

Automatic measurement of the oxygen affinity of Cancer magister hemocyanin

1. 1. The P 50 of Cancer magister hemocyanin in hemolymph was 40.0 mm at 25°C, n max = 3.9; at 14°C, 15.0 mm and 3.4; and at 10°C. 10.2 mm and 3.3. 2. 2. In the absence of Ca 2+ and Mg 2+, the P 50 at 25°C was in the range of 150 to 250 mm, depending upon pH. 3. 3. Our results show that temperature variation and pH variation may be important factors in the physiological regulation of oxygen delivery in this species. 4. 4. The automatic recording device of Imai et al. (1970) previously used for the study of hemoglobins, was found to be eminently suitable for the study of O 2 affinities of hemocyanins.

New device for automatic recording and processing AV transmission intervals of the heart.

The principle and construction of a device made for the purpose of displaying the interrelationship between two sets of cardiac intervals is described. Electrical signals derived from the atrium and ventricle of the experimental animal are fed to the input of the device where a special switch and an integrated circuit logic gate select the two sets of cardiac intervals to be measured, e.g., AA and VV or AA and AV intervals. These intervals are converted into electrical square pulses having voltages proportional to the respective intervals. Besides simply comparing the two cardiac intervals by recording them simultaneously against time, the interrelationship of the two is displayed in an X-Y configuration on-line on a cathode-ray oscilloscope. This latter method, if used only for the occasionally induced premature excitations with varied coupling time, facilitates the measurement of the functional refractory periods for atrioventricular conduction. The mode of operation of the device is presented with examples of experiments.

The etho-piano, a new AID in ethological studies

In applied farm animal ethology large amounts of data are collected and fed into computers. Sometimes a whole experiment can be equipped with automatic recording devices. Other situations however require interpretation by observers before being recorded. In 24-h observations of the latter kind, the processing of data can be considerably delayed because of lack of time. The “etho-piano” was designed to collect data on magnetic tape in a cassette recorder. The machine runs noiselessly. The observer pushes buttons for every animal and for every type of behaviour. At the most, 100 behavioural patterns of ten different animals can be recorded, or—if necessary—ten patterns of behaviour from up to 100 animals. The interval for observations is set by a special key. The end of an interval is indicated. The time from a built-in digital clock is put onto the tape. Without further interference the computer prints out mean values and other results. Thus, one can very quickly answer the question whether it is worth carrying on with the observations to obtain statistical significance, or if no results of that kind can be expected. This prevents expensive and time-consuming observations from being continued longer than necessary. A ventilator creates a pressure, which is above atmospheric, in the casing of the etho-piano and prevents the entrance of dust. After the initial problems were solved our recording set worked quite well for 2 years in several environments, and saved us a lot of needless work.

Automatic recording device for metrological balances

Automatic recording device for metrological balances

Simple device for precise automatic recording of electrocapillary curves.

Simple device for precise automatic recording of electrocapillary curves.

An automatic recording system of the positional behavior of mice for experimental analysis

A device for automatic recording of a mouse positional behavior within a circular corridor-like cage is described. The animal’s position is successfully monitored by capacitor detection and its time spent at each position measured; the results are punched on the paper tape as binary coded numbers, and the data are processed off-line by a general-purpose computer.

A variable automatic recording device for measuring phytochrome with the perkin-elmer spectrophotometer model 356

Phytochrome, a very important pigment in plants, is usually measured spectrophotometrically after alternating irradiations with saturating red and far red light. An electronically controlled automatic recording device was designed for measuring the phytochrome content ( ΔΔA) 1 1 Phytochrome is usually measured with a dual wavelength spectrophotometer by monitoring the optical density at 730 nm ( A 1 730) against a reference wavelength of 800 nm, where phytochrome does not absorb [ A 800,(A 1 730 − A 800) ≑ ΔA 1 ]. After irradiation with red or far red light respectively the optical density at 730 nm is changed due to the phytochrome-phototransformation [ A 2 730,(A 2 730 − A 2 800) ≑ ΔA 2 ]. The phytochrome content is then defined: ΔΔA ≑ |ΔA 1 − ΔA 2| . in vivo and in vitro. The measuring and irradiation times are individually variable from 2 sec to 3 min and can be set to an optimum value prior to starting a series of experiments. This results in better standardization and is less time consuming than the mechanical device designed by Marmé (1969) for the dual wavelength spectrophotometer “ratiospect.”

Optical detection of thermal transitions in high polymers

AbstractThis report describes a series of recent experiments in which various thermal transitions including stress relaxations and glass transitions in high polymers were characterized by observing birefringence changes during heating and cooling. An automatic recording device employing a hot stage, polarizing microscope, photocell, and chart recorder was employed in these investigations. A general discussion of the utility and advantages of the technique of thermo‐optical analysis (TOA) as well as its deficiencies is presented. Characteristic birefringence–temperature profiles of a number of amorphous and semicrystalline polymers are included.

Supplement to Application and Evaluation of Automatic Fault Recording Devices

Supplement to Application and Evaluation of Automatic Fault Recording Devices

Device for automatic recording of photometry data

Device for automatic recording of photometry data