The MUSOS (MUsic SOftware System) Toolkit: A computer-based, open source application for testing memory for melodies.

Despite numerous innovative studies, rates of replication in the field of music psychology are extremely low (Frieler et al., 2013). Two key methodological challenges affecting researchers wishing to administer and reproduce studies in music cognition are the difficulty of measuring musical responses, particularly when conducting free-recall studies, and access to a reliable set of novel stimuli unrestricted by copyright or licensing issues. In this article, we propose a solution for these challenges in computer-based administration. We present a computer-based application for testing memory for melodies. Created using the software Max/MSP (Cycling '74, 2014a), the MUSOS (Music Software System) Toolkit uses a simple modular framework configurable for testing common paradigms such as recall, old-new recognition, and stem completion. The program is accompanied by a stimulus set of 156 novel, copyright-free melodies, in audio and Max/MSP file formats. Two pilot tests were conducted to establish the properties of the accompanying stimulus set that are relevant to music cognition and general memory research. By using this software, a researcher without specialist musical training may administer and accurately measure responses from common paradigms used in the study of memory for music.

Species and cultural conservation in New Zealand: maori traditional ecological knowledge of tuatara.

Traditional ecological knowledge can be highly informative and integrated with complementary scientific knowledge to improve species management. This is especially true for abundant species with which indigenous peoples have frequent interactions (e.g., through harvest), but has been studied less frequently in isolated or declining species. We examined Maori traditional ecological knowledge of tuatara (Sphenodon spp., reptiles that resemble lizards but are the last living representatives of the order Sphenodontia) through semidirected interviews of elders of Te Atiawa, Ngati Koata, and Ngati Wai Iwi (similar to tribes), the guardians of several islands currently inhabited by tuatara. Maori are indigenous to New Zealand, having settled 800 to 1000 years ago. Tuatara are endemic to New Zealand, have declined in numbers since human settlement, and are now restricted to 37 offshore islands. The detail and volume of tuatara traditional ecological knowledge were less than that recorded in studies of more abundant or accessible species. In addition, traditional knowledge of the cultural significance of tuatara was more common and detailed among the elders than traditional knowledge of tuatara biology or ecology. The traditional knowledge collected, however, provided the first evidence of seven former sites of tuatara occupation, suggested five additional sites tuatara may currently occupy, contained novel hypotheses for scientific testing, and described tuatara cultural roles that have not been reported previously. We conclude that, in at least some cases, traditional ecological knowledge may persist as species decline and may serve as a valuable source of ecological information for conservation.

Effects of amifostine and paclitaxel on growth of human ovarian carcinoma xenografts in the severe combined immune-deficient mouse: preliminary results.

The effects of amifostine on paclitaxel-induced tumor growth delay using in vivo human ovarian cancer models were evaluated. In some mouse strains amifostine causes hypothermia and/or vasodilation, leading to increased spleen weight and ascites that can result in experimental artifacts. We found, however, that amifostine alone at 100 or 200 mg/kg intraperitoneally did not substantially alter body weight, spleen weight, or body temperature in severe combined immune-deficient (scid) mice bearing human 2780 ovarian cancer cells. In a model of minimal tumor burden (tumor cells injected subcutaneously day 0, drug treatment started day 1) scid mice receiving paclitaxel (27 mg/kg intraperitoneally) with or without amifostine had increased survival at day 76 (83% to 100%) compared with mice that did not receive paclitaxel (17% to 33%). For a model of advanced ovarian cancer, mice received tumor cell injections on day 0 and did not begin drug treatment until tumors were palpable (0.2 x 0.2 cm). Paclitaxel given for five repetitive doses significantly decreased tumor growth (P = .0001) in the advanced ovarian cancer model, and these results were the same whether or not mice received amifostine prior to each paclitaxel dose. We conclude that the scid mouse is a good model for evaluating amifostine in vivo, and that there was no evidence of amifostine-induced tumor protection in these scid mouse human ovarian cancer models. In future studies we will evaluate whether the cytoprotective effects of amifostine will allow dose escalation of paclitaxel and result in enhanced antitumor effects.

Ticks (Acari:Ixodidae) of the Blue and White Nile ecosystems in the Sudan with particular reference to the Rhipicephalus sanguineus group.

Twenty-four adult ixodid tick species, infesting livestock and some wildlife hosts along the Blue and White Nile in the Sudan, were identified. Three species, Boophilus geigyi, Rhipicephalus camicasi and R. bergeoni, were recorded for the first time from the Sudan. Tick numbers on indigenous breeds of cattle (Bos indicus) were relatively low, ranging between 17.1 and 40.5 per animal. Young cattle grazing with the herd carried significantly fewer ticks than older animals. With the exception of B. annulatus and R. simus, which have extended their distribution further north into Blue Nile, Gezira and Khartoum Provinces, the distribution patterns of the most important cattle ticks have been relatively unchanged over the past 30 years. The Rhicicephalus sanguineus group was represented by six species. R. camicasi was the only species present on cattle, sheep and goats in the north in Kassala and Khartoum Provinces, whereas this species occurred sympatrically with R. guilhoni and R. turanicus further south in Gezira and Blue Nile Provinces. In the Southern Region of the Sudan only R. turanicus and R. guilhoni were present, the latter being by far the predominant species, with peak activity towards the end of the rains in the Jonglei Canal Area. R. bergeoni was collected once, from cattle near the Ethiopian border in Blue Nile Province, whereas R. sanguineus sensu stricto was collected throughout the study area, from domestic dogs only. Finally, R. sulcatus was found once on a hare. The distributions of the common tick species are correlated with the occurrence of tick-borne diseases of domestic animals and recommendations for the control of tick-borne diseases and their vectors in the Sudan are given.

Conformational energy calculations on polypeptides and proteins: use of a statistical mechanical procedure for evaluating structure and properties.

We are using a variety of theoretical and computational techniques to study protein structure, protein folding, and higher-order structures. Our earlier work involved treatments of liquid water and aqueous solutions of nonpolar and polar solutes, computations of the stabilities of the fundamental structures of proteins and their packing arrangements, conformations of small cyclic and open-chain peptides, structures of fibrous proteins (collagen), structures of homologous globular proteins, introduction of special procedures as constraints during energy minimization of globular proteins, and structures of enzyme-substrate complexes. Recently, we presented a new methodology for predicting polypeptide structure (described here); the method is based on the calculation of the probable and average conformation of a polypeptide chain by the application of equilibrium statistical mechanics in conjunction with an adaptive, importance sampling Monte Carlo algorithm. As a test, it was applied to Met-enkephalin.

Demodicosis in African Buffalo (Syncerus caffer caffer) in Botswana.

Demodex cafferi causes a nodular skin disease in African buffalo (Syncerus caffer caffer) resulting in eczematous lesions in severely affected animals. Average prevalence in 193 animals was 28%, infection rates being highest in animals 1 to 3 years old and equal in both sexes. A granulomatous reaction occurred in the lumina of infected hair follicles with numerous mites developing in the follicles and associated sebaceous glands. The Demodex in buffalo probably is not transmitted to cattle.