Synconset Waves and Chains: Spiking Onsets in Synchronous Populations Predict and Are Predicted by Network Structure

Synfire waves are propagating spike packets in synfire chains, which are feedforward chains embedded in random networks. Although synfire waves have proved to be effective quantification for network activity with clear relations to network structure, their utilities are largely limited to feedforward networks with low background activity. To overcome these shortcomings, we describe a novel generalisation of synfire waves, and define `synconset wave' as a cascade of first spikes within a synchronisation event. Synconset waves would occur in `synconset chains', which are feedforward chains embedded in possibly heavily recurrent networks with heavy background activity. We probed the utility of synconset waves using simulation of single compartment neuron network models with biophysically realistic conductances, and demonstrated that the spread of synconset waves directly follows from the network connectivity matrix and is modulated by top-down inputs and the resultant oscillations. Such synconset profiles lend intuitive insights into network organisation in terms of connection probabilities between various network regions rather than an adjacency matrix. To test this intuition, we develop a Bayesian likelihood function that quantifies the probability that an observed synfire wave was caused by a given network. Further, we demonstrate it's utility in the inverse problem of identifying the network that caused a given synfire wave. This method was effective even in highly subsampled networks where only a small subset of neurons were accessible, thus showing it's utility in experimental estimation of connectomes in real neuronal-networks. Together, we propose synconset chains/waves as an effective framework for understanding the impact of network structure on function, and as a step towards developing physiology-driven network identification methods. Finally, as synconset chains extend the utilities of synfire chains to arbitrary networks, we suggest utilities of our framework to several aspects of network physiology including cell assemblies, population codes, and oscillatory synchrony.

The knight of sugar industry: T. S. Venkatraman (1884-1963)

Tiruvadi Sambasiva Venkatraman (TSV) was a plant breeder. In response to a call from Pundit Madan Mohan Malaviya, he made it his mission to develop high-yielding varieties of sugarcane for manufacturing sugar and making it available as a sweetening agent and an energy source for the malnourished children of India. Using Saccharum officinarum, then under cultivation in India, as the female parent, he artificially fertilized it with pollen from S. barberi, which grew wild in Coimbatore. After 4-5 recurrent backcrossings of S. officinarum Chi wild Sorghum spontaneum with S. officinarum as the female parent, TSV selected the `rare' interspecies hybrid cane varieties that resembled sugarcane and had approximately 2.5 cm thick juicy stems containing 16-18% sucrose - nearly 35 times more than what occurred in parent stocks. The hybrid canes matured quickly, were resistant to waterlogging, drought, and to the red-rot disease caused by Glomerella tucumanensis (Sordariomycetes: Glomerellaceae), and to the sereh-virus disease. Most importantly, they were amenable for propagation using stem cuttings. In recognition of the development of high-yielding sugarcane varieties, TSV was conferred the titles Rao Bahadur, Rao Sahib, and Sir by the British Government, and Padma Bhushan by the Republic of India. In the next few decades, consequent to TSV's work, India turned into the second largest sugar producer in the world, after Brazil. The hybrid sugarcane varieties developed are the foundational stocks for new sugarcane x bamboo hybrids, and for possible resistance to Puccinia megalocephala (Pucciniomycetes: Pucciniaceae) and Ustilago scitaminea (Ustilaginomycetes: Ustilaginaceae) using molecular techniques.

Time-Domain Approach to Estimate Series Capacitance of an Isolated Phase Winding of a Transformer

Information available in frequency response data is equivalently available in the time domain as a response due to an impulse excitation. The idea to pursue this equivalence to estimate series capacitance is linked to the well-known fact that under impulse excitation, the line/neutral current in a transformer has three distinct components, of which, the initial capacitive component is the first to manifest, followed by the oscillatory and inductive components. Of these, the capacitive component is temporally well separated from the rest-a crucial feature permitting its direct access and analysis. Further, the winding initially behaves as a pure capacitive network, so the initial component must obviously originate from only the (series and shunt) capacitances. With this logic, it should therefore be possible to estimate series capacitance, just by measuring the initial capacitive component of line current and the total shunt capacitance. The principle of the method and details of its implementation on two actual isolated transformerwindings (uniformly wound) are presented. For implementation, a low-voltage recurrent surge generator, a current probe, and a digital oscilloscope are all that is needed. The method is simple and requires no programming and needs least user intervention, thus paving the way for its widespread use.

Alcance y límites de la potencia humana

Resumen: La visión sobre el modo de ser del hombre condiciona, de un modo u otro, su actuar en el mundo. En general, es éste un punto de partida compartido por las distintas corrientes filosóficas al momento de dar respuesta al ejercicio del potencial humano, si bien pueden distanciarse drásticamente al sustentar el pasaje ser-obrar. En este sentido, entre las formas más alejadas entre sí cabe reparar, por una parte, en una concepción que recurre a la justificación de una metafísica realista que reconoce la dialéctica de la participación y, por otra, en una concepción que se declara anti-metafísica al disolver el ser en su negación, en la nada, para exaltar la voluntad de poder del hombre. Si bien este trabajo se desarrollará en el marco de la primera concepción, desde el estudio de la causación del acto de ser en Tomás de Aquino, habré de recurrir a la segunda concepción, en particular al nihilismo nietzscheano, solamente como planteo del estado de la cuestión, buscando remover críticamente una objeción recurrente en la historia del pensamiento sobre el alcance y límites de la operación humana.

Algunas consideraciones en torno a la frontera, la tregua y libre determinación en la frontera castellano-granadina : s. XIII-XV

Resumen: El presente trabajo se refiere a algunos aspectos en relación a las características de la frontera castellano-granadina durante los siglos XIII al XV, profundizando en aquellos aspectos referidos a la coexistencia en ese espacio, especialmente, en lo que se refiere a la libre determinación religiosa. Luego de definir algunos aspectos en relación al valor de las treguas, ingresamos en la descripción de las características que comporta la libre determinación y como se manifiesta su dinámica a partir de su integración en los distintos tratados de treguas, verificando cuáles son los momentos en que éstas se hacen más evidentes e indagando en los posibles motivos de esta situación.

La compañía de los sofistas : Maquiavelo, objetor de Althusser

Resumen: El estudio de Maquiavelo fue recurrente en Louis Althusser. Maquiavelo le permitía repensar la acción política, sin que eso supusiera la existencia a priori de un sujeto a quién la teoría le reconociera axiomáticamente la capacidad de llevar a cabo esa acción. Este artículo ofrece un análisis de la conferencia dictada por Althusser en el Instituto de Ciencias Políticas de París, en 1977, en la que no sólo propone esta lectura del florentino, sino una concepción no acumulativa de historia, que posibilita una apropiación diferenciada de la antigüedad.

A lenta evolução da gestão de obras públicas no Brasil

O artigo aborda a problemática da gestão de obras públicas no Brasil, alvo de recorrentes irregularidades apontadas pelos órgãos de controle e pela imprensa nacional. A pesquisa parte do diagnóstico constante do Relatório "O Retrato do Desperdício no Brasil", apresentado em novembro de 1995 pela Comissão Temporária do Senado Federal destinada a inventariar as obras inacabadas custeadas com recursos federais, e busca cotejar os problemas apontados naquele Relatório com as medidas adotadas pelo Governo Federal e pelo Congresso Nacional para aperfeiçoar a gestão de obras públicas. O autor argumenta que as medidas adotadas, conquanto corretas, receberam prioridade, intensidade e abrangência incompatíveis com a magnitude do problema.

Ascensão do judiciário e tensão institucional : judicialização, ativismo e reação do poder legislativo (PEC 33/2011)

Analisa questões sobre a judicialização dos conflitos e o ativismo judicial, bem como aspectos referentes à Proposta de Emenda Constitucional (PEC 33/2011) que visa alterar dispositivos do texto magno a fim de aumentar ou criar o controle do Legislativo sobre algumas das decisões do Supremo Tribunal Federal.

La Planificación Estratégica como instrumento de gestión pública en el gobierno local: Análisis de caso

[ES] Los responsables políticos y los gestores de los gobiernos locales de las ciudades se enfrentan con un problema recurrente: cómo atender, con recursos cada vez más escasos, las demandas de sus ciudadanos y a los actores con interés en su territorio, en términos tanto de eficacia en la prestación de servicios como de profundización democrática. Utilizando una metodología cualitativa, el objetivo de este trabajo es identificar hasta que punto un proceso de planificación estratégica pública sirve para compatibilizar las demandas de democracia y eficacia en el gobierno y administración pública local, involucrando a los ciudadanos y a los actores económicos privados. Este estudio de caso demuestra esa posibilidad aunque se hacen necesarias investigaciones comparativas adicionales.

Seasonal cycles of phytoplankton in relation to the hydrography of Monterey Bay

Annual cycles of relative abundance are described for phytoplankton species collected from Monterey Bay, California, from July 1974 to June 1976, and the population dynamics related to the annual hydrographic cycle. Neritic diatom species dominated the population during the Upwelling and Oceanic periods, with dinoflagellate species becoming numerically more important during the Davidson period. Recurrent species groups identified using Fager's regroup analysis revealed the presence of a large neritic group of overwhelming numerical importance. This group is composed of indigenous species and is present in the bay during most of the year. Conspicuous changes in the phytoplankton population occurred predominantly among species within this group. During the Davidson period, the advection of southern waters into the bay may temporarily displace the endemic species with dinoflagellates becoming numerically more important. A red tide bloom of Gonyaulax polyedra occurred during this period in 1974, which dominated the phytoplankton population for a period of six weeks. The population dynamics of two hydrographically different stations were compared. A station located over the deep waters of the submarine canyon exhibited much lower phytoplankton standing stocks than a station located over the shelf area in the south of the bay, but seasonal changes in relative abundance and species composition were similar. Physical and chemical differences observed between the two stations appear to be the result of the presence of more recently upwelled water in the canyon area, and higher biological utilization in the south of the bay. A close correlation of species diversity with the depth of the mixed layer was observed, with diversity rising with the shoaling of the thermocline. It is suggested that this may reflect the introduction of new species from below the thermocline into the mixed layer as a result of upwelling activity. It is also suggested that this may be an artifact due to sampling problems associated with internal waves. (Document contains 100 pages.)

Sustainability of Open Access Services - Phases 1 & 2

Although some services that support Open Access have developed a sustainable business model, many started as projects and continue to run on recurrent project funding or goodwill. If these are critical components of the evolving scholarly communication system the foundation of Open Access is vulnerable. Knowledge Exchange has commissioned this study as part of a larger programme of work to look at the issue of sustaining key services into the long term. This report focuses on phases one and two of the programme. Phase one was a scoping exercise, carried out mainly through a literature review and an extensive stakeholder interview exercise, to describe the services that are currently available or would be valuable in the future. It also investigated what roles stakeholders could play in this future scenario. Phase two was a stakeholder consultation and engagement exercise. The aim was to engage stakeholders with the work programme so that they could contribute their views, get involved with the work and have a voice in the thinking about future scenarios. The key services are presented for three future scenarios: ‘Gold’ Open Access, fully ‘Green’ Open Access and Green’ Open Access supplementing subscription access as ‘Gold’ OA grows. Three strategic areas are identified as having particular potential for future work. These are embedding business development expertise into service development; consideration of how to move money around the system to enable Open Access to be achieved optimally; and governance and coordination of the infrastructural foundation of Open Access. The report concludes with seven recommendations, both high-level and practical, for further work around these strategic areas.

Legal Status of Research Data in the four partner countries

This report compares the legal status of research data in the four KE partner countries. The report also addresses where European copyright and database law poses flaws and obstacles to the access to research data and singles out pre-conditions for openly available data. Background of the study Intellectual property right regulations regarding primary research data are a recurrent topic in the discussion on the improvement of access to research data. In fact in the final report of the High Level Expert Group on Scientific Data ‘Riding the Wave’ creating clarity on this was considered very important in improving awareness for all parties involved. According to the recommendations of the report legal issues should be “worked out so that they encourage, and not impede, global data sharing” http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ict/e-infrastructure/docs/hlg-sdi-report.pdf. While open access to research data is a widely recognised goal, achieving it remains a challenge. As European national laws still diverge and sometimes remain unclear it can be difficult for interested parties to fully comprehend in which ways open access to research data can be legally obtained. Based on these discussions the Knowledge Exchange working group on primary research data has commissioned a comparative report on the legal status of research data in the four KE partner countries. The study has been conducted by the Centre for Intellectual Property Law (CIER) at Utrecht University. The report aims at informing Knowledge Exchange and associated stakeholders on the state of the law concerning access to research data in the KE partner countries (Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom) and to give an insight in how these laws work in practice. This is explained in several characteristic situations pertaining to open access to research data. The purpose of the report is to identify flaws and obstacles to the access to research data and to single out pre-conditions for openly available data. This is in view of the current discussions concerning open access to research data, especially those originating from publicly funded research. The report intends to be both a description of the status quo of the legislation and a practical instrument to prepare further activities in raising awareness on the potential benefit of improved access to research data, and developing means to support the improved access for research purposes

Distribution and relative abundance of pelagic nonsalmonid nekton Off Oregon and Washington, 1979-84

Fifteen fine-mesh (32-mm mesh) pelagic purse seine surveys were conducted between 1979 and 1984 off the Oregon and Washington coasts. Environmental conditions varied greatly among the years sampled, and even within years, due to variability in upwelling conditions and productivity and the effects of a strong El Nino from late 1982 to the middle of 1984. In the 843 sets made, a total of 115,891 specimens from 69 taxa was collected. Most individuals collected belonged to nine dominant taxa. Seasonal and interannual variations in the abundance and distribution patterns of these dominant taxa are presented in detail. A recurrent group analysis delineated four major groupings of nekton. (PDF file contains 91 pages.)

Role of G protein coupled inwardly rectifier K+ channels (GIRK) on the neurobiology depression

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Gizarte-elkarrekintza ingurunearen irakatsi eta ikasi prozesuan Lehen Hezkuntzan

Lan honetan, elkarrekintzaren bidez irakasle batek ikasleengan ezagutzak eraikitzeko zer mekanismoren bidez lortzen duen aztertu da, laguntzak nola egokitzen dituen eta laguntzeari nola uzten dion ikertuz. Helburua, elkarrekintzan eragina daukaten mekanismoak identifikatzea, deskribatzea eta ulertzea izan da. Horretarako, ikasleen iniziatiba bultzatzen duen giroan oinarritutako behaketa parte-hartzailea erabili da, errealitatea sistematikoki behatu eta eman diren gertaerak jaso, deskribatu, aztertu eta interpretatu direlarik. Behin transkribatutako saioak aztertuta, elkarrekintza segmentuak atera dira, horietan gehien errepikatzen diren jokabide-patroiak jasoz. Laguntzak egokitzean zein laguntzeari uztean, irakaslea ikasleen iniziatibetatik abiatzen dela ondorioztatu da.