Binding by Asynchrony: The Neuronal Phase Code

Neurons display continuous subthreshold oscillations and discrete action potentials (APs). When APs are phase-locked to the subthreshold oscillation, we hypothesize they represent two types of information: the presence/absence of a sensory feature and the phase of subthreshold oscillation. If subthreshold oscillation phases are neuron-specific, then the sources of APs can be recovered based on the AP times. If the spatial information about the stimulus is converted to AP phases, then APs from multiple neurons can be combined into a single axon and the spatial configuration reconstructed elsewhere. For the reconstruction to be successful, we introduce two assumptions: that a subthreshold oscillation field has a constant phase gradient and that coincidences between APs and intracellular subthreshold oscillations are neuron-specific as defined by the “interference principle.” Under these assumptions, a phase-coding model enables information transfer between structures and reproduces experimental phenomenons such as phase precession, grid cell architecture, and phase modulation of cortical spikes. This article reviews a recently proposed neuronal algorithm for information encoding and decoding from the phase of APs (Nadasdy, 2009). The focus is given to the principles common across different systems instead of emphasizing system specific differences

Killing Two Birds with One Stone: How an Incidental Take Permit Program under the MBTA Can Help Companies and Migratory Birds

Under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), it is unlawful to kill a migratory bird “by any means, or in any manner” without a permit. The United States has interpreted the language “by any means, or in any manner” to include the incidental killing of birds. In conflict with this interpretation, however, is the fact that permits for the incidental killing of migratory birds are not issued under the MBTA. This current system hurts both migratory birds and the entities whose commercial activities might result in migratory bird deaths. Birds continue to die in large numbers while entities cannot acquire permits to assure compliance with the MBTA. This Note explores the current state of the law regarding the incidental killing of migratory birds and concludes that a meaningful incidental take permit program would reduce migratory bird deaths and provide commercial entities with a means to assure their compliance with the MBTA

North Dakota: Flipping the Bird at the Migratory Bird Treaty Act Since 2012

Under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) it is a federal misdemeanor to kill a migratory bird “by any means, or in any manner.” In 2012, three oil and gas companies operating in the Bakken region of North Dakota were charged with violations of the MBTA after dead and oiled birds were found in and around their oil reserve pits. In United States v. Brigham Oil & Gas, L.P., the companies challenged the violations by claiming that the MBTA applied only to conduct directed at birds, and not to lawful commercial activities that might result in the incidental death of birds. The District Court for the District of North Dakota agreed and dismissed the charges. This Comment argues that the motion to dismiss should not have been granted because the court’s interpretation of the MBTA’s scope is too narrow and runs counter to binding and persuasive precedent acknowledging that incidental killing is within the scope of the MBTA

Information Encoding and Reconstruction from the Phase of Action Potentials

Fundamental questions in neural coding are how neurons encode, transfer, and reconstruct information from the pattern of action potentials (APs) exchanged between different brain structures. We propose a general model of neural coding where neurons encode information by the phase of their APs relative to their subthreshold membrane oscillations. We demonstrate by means of simulations that AP phase retains the spatial and temporal content of the input under the assumption that the membrane potential oscillations are coherent across neurons and between structures and have a constant spatial phase gradient. The model explains many unresolved physiological observations and makes a number of concrete, testable predictions about the relationship between APs, local field potentials, and subthreshold membrane oscillations, and provides an estimate of the spatio-temporal precision of neuronal information processing

Unsupervised spike detection and sorting with wavelets and superparamagnetic clustering

This study introduces a new method for detecting and sorting spikes from multiunit recordings. The method combines the wavelet transform, which localizes distinctive spike features, with superparamagnetic clustering, which allows automatic classification of the data without assumptions such as low variance or gaussian distributions. Moreover, an improved method for setting amplitude thresholds for spike detection is proposed. We describe several criteria for implementation that render the algorithm unsupervised and fast. The algorithm is compared to other conventional methods using several simulated data sets whose characteristics closely resemble those of in vivo recordings. For these data sets, we found that the proposed algorithm outperformed conventional methods

Reevaluating the Co-management Success Story

The integration of science and traditional knowledge (TEK), a cornerstone of contemporary cooperative management, entails translating First Nation people's life experiences into forms compatible with state wildlife management (e.g., numbers and lines on maps), with all the risks of distortion inherent in any translation process. Even after such a translation, however, knowledge-integration remains fraught with difficulties, many of which seem on the surface to be technical or methodological. Surprisingly, despite these difficulties, the literature is full of accounts of successful co-management. I call for a more critical and nuanced analysis of co-management, one that takes different perspectives into account and calls into question what we mean by "success" in the first place. To this end, I examine the case of the Ruby Range Sheep Steering Committee (RRSSC), a co-management body in the southwest Yukon that some have held up as a model of success. Over the course of three years, RRSSC members gathered information about Dall sheep (Ovis dalli dalli) from many sources and managed to express it all in forms compatible with scientific wildlife management. Yet, even then - with a single exception - RRSSC members failed to integrate their knowledge about sheep. Although there were numerous technical and methodological obstacles to knowledge-integration, the underlying reasons for this failure were ultimately political. Thus, a focus on the political dimensions of knowledge-integration is essential to an understanding and assessment of co-management.L'intégration de la science et du savoir écologique traditionnel (SET), une pierre angulaire de la cogestion pratiquée de nos jours, nécessite que soit traduit le vécu des gens des Premières nations sous des formes compatibles avec la gestion gouvernementale de la faune (p. ex., chiffres et lignes sur les cartes), avec les risques de distorsion inhérents à toute opération traduisante. Mais même après une telle traduction, l'intégration du savoir reste truffée de difficultés, dont un grand nombre semble être de prime abord d'ordre technique ou méthodologique. Curieusement, malgré ces difficultés, la documentation regorge de témoignages de cogestion réussie. Je réclame une analyse plus critique et plus nuancée de la cogestion, une analyse qui tienne compte de différents points de vue et remette en question ce que l'on entend tout d'abord par «réussite». À cette fin, j'examine le cas du Comité directeur du mouflon de Ruby Range (RRSSC), organisme de cogestion situé dans le sud-ouest du Yukon et qui est cité par certains comme un modèle de réussite. Au cours d'une durée de trois ans, les membres du RRSSC ont collecté de l'information sur le mouflon de Dall (Ovis dalli dalli) auprès de sources multiples et ils sont parvenus à l'exprimer entièrement sous des formes compatibles avec la gestion scientifique de la faune. Pourtant, même là - à une exception près -, les membres du RRSSC ne sont pas arrivés à intégrer leur savoir sur le mouflon. Bien qu'il y ait eu de nombreux obstacles techniques et méthodologiques à l'intégration du savoir, les raisons sous-jacentes à cet échec étaient en fin de compte politiques. Pour comprendre et évaluer la cogestion, il est donc essentiel de se concentrer sur les dimensions politiques de l'intégration du savoir

A classroom based research project incorporating english for special purposes (esp) methodology preparong japanese students for homestay in Australia

English for Special Purposes (ESP) lesson materials were created for Japanese high school students going on homestay to Cairns, Australia. The lessons were designed specifically for situations that the students would encounter with their homestay families and at the school they would attend regularly during their stay. After teaching the lessons, and after the subsequent homestay, students were interviewed and asked about the effectiveness of the materials. Most said that they and enjoyed the way the materials had been taught and had found them useful while they had been abroad. There was an increase in motivation and a general improvement in the attitude towards English study after the project was complete

The UN local communities and Indigenous peoples' platform: A traditional ecological knowledge-based evaluation

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2019 The Authors. WIREs Climate Change published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.This review evaluates the potential of the proposed local communities and Indigenous peoples’ platform to effectively engage traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) for climate policy. Specifically, we assess the platform's potential to enable greater representation and participation of Indigenous peoples (IPs) within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). An analytical framework based on the extensive TEK and environmental management literature is developed, with a set of criteria identified against which to evaluate the platform. We find that although the process of designing the platform appears to be inclusive of Indigenous views, the structure itself does not recognize the roles that unequal power relations and colonialism play in marginalizing IPs. Limited attention is paid to the institutional barriers within the UNFCCC and the drawbacks of pursuing knowledge “integration” as an end in itself. Based on this, recommendations for improving the platform structure are put forward including using a rights based framing, giving greater decision-making power to IPs, and developing mechanisms to ensure the holistic integrity of TEK and build the overall resilience of climate mitigation and adaptation systems.Ye

Elisabeth. Königstochter

Roman über Elisabeth von Ungarn und Thüringen Im Jahre 1211 kam Elisabeth, die Tochter des ungarischen Königs Andreas und seiner Frau Gertrud, nach Eisenach auf die Wartburg, um dort mit dem Sohn des Landgrafen verheiratet zu werden. So wurde aus der Elisabeth von Ungarn die Landgräfin Elisabeth von Thüringen, die aufgrund ihres wundertätigen, leider sehr kurzen Lebens bald nach ihrem Tod (1231) heilig gesprochen wurde. Dieser Roman ist Band 09 der 'Kleinen Werkeausgabe' von Alexander Fuchs.:Kapitel: Die Brüder Ritter zwischen Kreuz und Krone Gleichnisse und Rätsel Ein Sängerkrieg Im Land der Magyaren Frauenzimmer Auf dem Weg zum Glück (mit Hindernissen

Warfarin-related nephropathy occurs in patients with and without chronic kidney disease and is associated with an increased mortality rate

An acute increase in the international normalized ratio (INR; a comparison of prothrombin time to monitor the effects of warfarin) over 3 in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is often associated with an unexplained acute increase in serum creatinine (SC) and an accelerated progression of CKD. Kidney biopsy in a subset of these patients showed obstruction of the renal tubule by red blood cell casts, and this appears to be the dominant mechanism of the acute kidney injury. We termed this warfarin-related nephropathy (WRN), and previously reported cases of WRN only in patients with CKD. We now assess whether this occurs in patients without CKD, its risk factors, and consequences. In 15,258 patients who initiated warfarin therapy during a 5-year period, 4006 had an INR over 3 and SC measured at the same time; however, the large data set precluded individual patient clinical assessment. A presumptive diagnosis of WRN was made if the SC increased by over 0.3mg/dl within 1 week after the INR exceeded 3 with no record of hemorrhage. WRN occurred in 20.5% of the entire cohort, 33.0% of the CKD cohort, and 16.5% of the no-CKD cohort. Other risk factors included age, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. The 1-year mortality was 31.1% with compared with 18.9% without WRN, an increased risk of 65%. Thus, WRN may be a common complication of warfarin therapy in high-risk patients and CKD doubles this risk. The mechanisms of these risks are unclear