Aspects of song interaction between the closely related bush cricket genera Platycleis and Metrioptera

This study Is concerned with the behavioural and ecological aspects of the acoustic interaction that occurs when two bush cricket species, Platycleis albopunctata and Metrioptera roeselii. sing together. The effects of the interaction are predominantly one-way and result in inhibition of singing activity by albopunctata, or a change in its song pattern. 'Ibis behaviour was initially described by Broughton in I965 who also described song changes in other species resulting from interactions with singing allospecifics. The present study continues this research into song modification in insects. The extent of natural variation is examined in detail in the song of albopunctata. The acoustic behaviour of this species when singing with conspecifics is also examined in detail. The songs and singing behaviour of some other bush cricket species are analysed and tested for susceptibility to modification. These latter studies, though less detailed than the study on the albopunctata/roeselii interaction, have contributed to the formation of hypotheses as to the causation of song modification. The results indicate that insects with songs of similar frequency content are liable to interact acoustically. Species which show slight readjustments in song output when singing with conspecifics are also liable to song modification especially when the song of the influencing Insect is more continuous in nature than the song of the Influenced insect. The results of the detailed analysis of the albopunctata/roeselii interaction reveal a complex interplay between endogenous rhythms of motivation displayed in the singing activity of albopunctata, and parallel inhibitory and excitatory factors from the song of the roeselii. Much of the fieldwork has been undertaken in France v/here, in many localities, albopunctata and roeselii are sympatric. Song modification in the wild is usually prevented by a negative phonotactic response by albopunctata to the song of roeselii» This response may be derived from preexisting behavioural patterns that result in 'territorial' spacing between males in grassland populations. In habitats where populations overlap, interspecific spacing develops with the onset of singing activity by the adults. In this way albopunctata is excluded from certain localities by high-density roeselii populations due to the acoustic competition between these two species

Neighborhood Factors that Contribute to Alcohol Use and Loneliness in HIV Positive Patients

Background: Neighborhood factors contribute to substance abuse and increased health risk behavior. Alcohol use has adverse consequences as it may interfere with antiretroviral medication adherence. In addition, studies have shown that those who are HIV positive have decreased social network size, limited social support, and social isolation as well as decreased treatment adherence. It is hypothesized that participants with high neighborhood density of alcohol outlets combined with increased feelings of loneliness will be more likely to drink. Methods: Participants included 85 patients from an HIV treatment clinic in Jacksonville. Interviewer-administered measures included the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and UCLA Loneliness Scale. Geographical Information Systems was used to map participant residential area and surrounding neighborhood factors. This study collected cross-sectional, retrospective data. Multi-linear regression using UCLA scores and geographic alcohol outlets availability were used as predictors of drinking behavior. Results: UCLA scores (β = 0.088, p = .012) and number of alcohol outlets (β = 0.040, p = .028) were significant predictors of AUDIT scores. UCLA scores and number of alcohol outlets accounted for 10.4% (R2 = .104) of variance of AUDIT scores. Conclusion: There was co-occurrence of alcohol use and self-reported loneliness among patients currently in treatment for HIV. There also appears to be a relationship with neighborhood factors, alcohol use, and loneliness but further research is needed

Statistical approaches for unraveling the neural code in the visual system

textHere we consider the neural coding problem at two levels of the macaque visual system.First, we analyze single neurons recorded in the lateral intraparietal (LIP) cortex while a monkey performed a perceptual decision-making task. We relate the single-trial responses in LIP to stochastic decision-making processes with latent dynamical models. We compare models with latent spike rates governed by either continuous diffusion-to-bound dynamics or discrete ``stepping'' dynamics. In contrast to previous findings, roughly three-quarters of the choice-selective neurons we recorded are better described by the stepping model. Second, we introduce a biophysically inspired point process model that explicitly incorporates stimulus-induced changes in synaptic conductance in a dynamical model of neuronal membrane potential. We show that our model provides a tractable model of spike responses in macaque parasol retinal ganglion cells that is both more accurate and more interpretable than the popular generalized linear model. Most importantly, we show that we can accurately infer intracellular synaptic conductances from extracellularly recorded spike trains.Neuroscienc

Bostonia. Volume 15

Founded in 1900, Bostonia magazine is Boston University's main alumni publication, which covers alumni and student life, as well as university activities, events, and programs

The Design of Hydro-Electric Power Station and Distribution System

The marked movement of utilizing Oregon's water power in the service of generating electric current, has been promoted by the economics in transmission of electricity to distances both great and small; by the harnessing of industrial implements to electric power; and by the advancement and extension of interurban railways. It is evident to persons, familiar with the subject of hydro-electric development that its field covers a vast amount of research work, including economics, hydraulics, and the design and testing of machines. And we as students of one of Oregon's foremost institutions, have choosen this subject for our thesis because it appeals to us as the most interesting and profitable line of work to follow after graduation

Samuel Lowry Latimer, Jr. Papers - Accession 530

The personal papers of Samuel Lowry Latimer, Jr. (1891-1975) include insurance, financial and tax records, various state-related pamphlets, photographs (mainly from The State newspaper) and postcards, and galley proofs of Three Scores and Ten, a history of The State written by Mr. Latimer (published in 1970 under the title The Story of The State and the Gonzales Brothers, see appendix #2). Also included are items of personal and business correspondence of Mr. Latimer and Major McDavid Horton (1884-1941) (editor of The State from 1938 to 1941), various personal items and memorabilia from Mr. Latimer’s two trips abroad, newspaper clippings and articles relating to or published in The State, critiques of The Story of The State and the Gonzales Brothers done by Mrs. Albert D. (May) Oliphant, and several miscellaneous newspaper articles. One of the major subjects of the collection is founding of The State newspapers and the Gonzales Brothers. The Gonzales brothers are Narciso Gener Gonzales (1858-1903), Ambrose Elliott Gonzales (1857-1926), and William Gonzales (1866-1937) and the former two founded The State newspaper in Columbia, SC in 1891. Narciso would later be gunned down on January 15, 1903 (he died four days later) by James H. Tillman. James Tillman was Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina (and nephew of SC Senator Benjamin Tillman) and was a frequent target of criticism by the paper. Tillman would be acquitted by a jury despite many witnesses and received no punishment.https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/manuscriptcollection_findingaids/1623/thumbnail.jp

Universal H1N1 influenza vaccine development

Immune responses to cross-conserved T cell epitopes in novel H1N1 influenza may explain reports of diminished influenza-like illnesses and confirmed infection among older adults, in the absence of cross-reactive humoral immunity, during the 2009 pandemic. These cross-conserved epitopes may prove useful for the development of a universal H1N1 influenza vaccine, therefore, we set out to identify and characterize cross-conserved H1N1 T cell epitopes. An immunoinformatic analysis was conducted using all available pandemic and pre-pandemic HA-H1 and NA-N1 sequences dating back to 1980. Using an approach that balances potential for immunogenicity with conservation, we derived 13 HA and four NA immunogenic consensus sequences (ICS) from a comprehensive analysis of 5 738 HA-H1 and 5 396 NA-N1 sequences. These epitopes were selected because their combined epitope content is representative of greater than 84% of pre-pandemic and pandemic H1N1 influenza strains, their predicted immunogenicity (EpiMatrix) scores were greater than or equal to the 95th percentile of all comparable epitopes, and they were also predicted to be presented by more than four HLA class II archetypal alleles. We confirmed the ability of these peptides to bind in HLA binding assays and to stimulate interferon-γ production in human peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures. These studies support the selection of the ICS as components of potential group-common H1N1 vaccine candidates and the application of this universal influenza vaccine development approach to other influenza subtypes