Predictability and hierarchy in Drosophila behavior

Even the simplest of animals exhibit behavioral sequences with complex temporal dynamics. Prominent amongst the proposed organizing principles for these dynamics has been the idea of a hierarchy, wherein the movements an animal makes can be understood as a set of nested sub-clusters. Although this type of organization holds potential advantages in terms of motion control and neural circuitry, measurements demonstrating this for an animal's entire behavioral repertoire have been limited in scope and temporal complexity. Here, we use a recently developed unsupervised technique to discover and track the occurrence of all stereotyped behaviors performed by fruit flies moving in a shallow arena. Calculating the optimally predictive representation of the fly's future behaviors, we show that fly behavior exhibits multiple time scales and is organized into a hierarchical structure that is indicative of its underlying behavioral programs and its changing internal states

Observations on the blood pressure of the golden hamster (mesocricetus auratus).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston UniversityThe hamster, because of its unique cheek pouch permitting direct microscopic observation of the circulation, is peculiarly suited for the study of peripheral vascular changes in normal and abnormal conditions. The initial problem in hypertensive work on the hamster was to find and then develop an indirect and noninjurious method of determining the blood pressure. Five indirect methods of measuring the blood pressure of the hamster were considered and the method of applying a cuff across the proximal portion of the cheek pouch was selected for development. [TRUNCATED] It was concluded that the blood pressure of the hamster is significantly elevated by encapsulation of the kidney with latex or silk. The elevation of blood pressure brought about by collodion encapsulation was not considered significant. The elevation of blood pressure in apparently healthy hamsters with encapsulated kidneys was not accompanied by increased susceptibility to vascular fragility as determined by positive and negative pressure tests, nor were indications of concomitant pathological changes in the blood vessel walls, such as arteriolitis or aneurysms, observed. The administration of an egg-yolk diet, of DOCA alone, or of a combination of DOCA and sodium chloride did not result in an elevation of blood pressure in the hamster. DOCA and sodium chloride administered together proved lethal

Mandating the Supersize Option: The Legality of Government Intervention in the Fast Food Industry to Address Insufficient Wages and Close the Public Assistance Gap

Several prominent studies have recently highlighted how the federal government tacitly subsidizes insufficient wages paid in certain industries–notably, major corporations within the fastfood sector. Historically, the government addressed insufficient wages by implementing a minimum standard-of-living wage. Since the New Deal inception of this remedy, the Judiciary has regularly upheld the minimum wage in the face of challenges to its constitutionality. Given the recent passage of a substantial increase in the minimum wage and the toxic political cloud hovering over the United States Congress, President Obama likely will have a difficult time in passing another increase, as he has promised since his first campaign. Even if passed, the constitutionality of such a hike will likely face a more rigorous test by a conservative Supreme Court that features five Justices appointed by Republican Presidents. This Comment seeks to understand the kind of test that the Court might use, and to analyze the constitutionality of a wage increase through the lens of potential tests

Drone-based delivery of clinical specimens in a rural enviroment : a feasibility study

A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering by Research in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment School of Electrical and Information Engineering , Private Bag 3, 2050, Johannesburg, South AfricaA framework is developed for the implementation of an autonomous drone-based delivery system. The concept stems from the need for more efficient methods of clinical transport in underdeveloped regions. A case study of a region in Mpumalanga investigates the requirements of the delivery system and scale of the intended solution. The travelling salesman problem (TSP) is used to determine that a region with 19 request points can be serviced by a single drone with a 30 minute flight range and 2 - 4 kg payload capacity. A notional region containing 20 clinics and one laboratory is used to simulate scenarios with dynamic request points using a reward-based inspection algorithm. Delivery routes are optimised based on global conditions. An evaluation of the inspection algorithm resulted in the drones averaging 103.53 km in 139.21 minutes. A framework is thus developed which allows for a theoretical scenario analysis for future implementations. The specimen turnaround time from clinic to laboratory is assessed using 120 scenarios of varying wind speed and request generation rates. In wind conditions similar to that observed in Mpumalanga (5 - 25 km/h), the drone averaged 93.94 minutes per request. At a request rate of two requests per hour the drone delivered an average of 180 samples generated in the first nine hours of simulation. At a request rate of one request every 6 hours the drone averaged 29 samples. Future work could include an in depth study of seasonal request rates and weather pattern data in order to influence the path of the drone for a further optimised approach as well as the development of more advanced optimisation algorithms.GR201

Mandating the Supersize Option: The Legality of Government Intervention in the Fast Food Industry to Address Insufficient Wages and Close the Public Assistance Gap

Several prominent studies have recently highlighted how the federal government tacitly subsidizes insufficient wages paid in certain industries–notably, major corporations within the fastfood sector. Historically, the government addressed insufficient wages by implementing a minimum standard-of-living wage. Since the New Deal inception of this remedy, the Judiciary has regularly upheld the minimum wage in the face of challenges to its constitutionality. Given the recent passage of a substantial increase in the minimum wage and the toxic political cloud hovering over the United States Congress, President Obama likely will have a difficult time in passing another increase, as he has promised since his first campaign. Even if passed, the constitutionality of such a hike will likely face a more rigorous test by a conservative Supreme Court that features five Justices appointed by Republican Presidents. This Comment seeks to understand the kind of test that the Court might use, and to analyze the constitutionality of a wage increase through the lens of potential tests

Striving for Best Practices in Peer Tutoring

Vanier Academic Voices, Vol.1, Issue 1, January 201

CanSat Competition: Contributing to the Development of NASA's Vision for Robotic Space Exploration

CanSat is an international student design-build-launch competition organized by the American Astronautical Society (AAS) and American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). The competition is also sponsored by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The CanSat competition is designed for college, university and high school students wanting to participate in an applicable space-related competition. The objective of the CanSat competition is to complete space exploration missions by designing a specific system for a small sounding rocket payload which will follow and perform to a specific set of rules and guidelines for each year's competition. The competition encompasses a complete life-cycle of one year which includes all phases of design, integration, testing, judging and competition. The mission guidelines are based from space exploration missions and include bonus requirement options which teams may choose to participate in. The fundamental goal of the competition is to educate future engineers and scientists. This is accomplished by students applying systems engineering practices to a development project that incorporates an end-to-end life cycle, from requirements analysis, through preliminary design, integration and testing, an actual flight of the CanSat, and concluding with a post-mission debrief. This is done specifically with space related missions to bring a unique aspect of engineering and design to the competition. The competition has been progressing since its creation in 2005. The competition was originally meant to purely convey the engineering and design process to its participants, but through many experiences the competition has also undergone a learning experience with respect to systems engineering process and design. Accordin