Abstract
We found the self-similar solitary solutions of a recently proposed model for the propagation of pulses in gas-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fibers that includes a plasma induced nonlinearity. As anticipated for a simpler model and using a perturbation analysis, there are indeed stationary solitary waves that accelerate and self-shift to higher frequencies. However, if the plasma nonlinearity strength is large or the pulse amplitudes are small, the solutions have distinguished long tails and decay as they propagate.

Abstract
With the objective to study the variation of optical properties of rat muscle during optical clearing, we have performed a set of optical measurements from that kind of tissue. The measurements performed were total transmittance, collimated transmittance, specular reflectance and total reflectance. This set of measurements is sufficient to determine diffuse reflectance and absorbance of the sample, also necessary to estimate the optical properties. All the performed measurements and calculated quantities will be used later in inverse Monte Carlo (IMC) simulations to determine the evolution of the optical properties of muscle during treatments with ethylene glycol and glucose. The results obtained with the measurements already provide some information about the optical clearing treatments applied to the muscle and translate the mechanisms of turning the tissue more transparent and sequence of regimes of optical clearing.

Abstract
The goal of the present study is mapping the nature of possible contributions of participatory online platforms in citizen actions that may contribute in the fight against cancer and its associated consequences. The research is based on the analysis of online solidarity networks, namely the ones residing on Facebook and the blogosphere, that citizens have been gradually resorting to. The research is also based on the development of newer and more efficient solutions that provide the individual (directly or indirectly affected by issues of oncology) with the means to overcome feelings of impotence and fatality. In this chapter, the authors summarize the processes of usage of these decentralized, freer participatory platforms by citizens and institutions, while attempting to unravel existing hype and stigma; the authors also provide a first survey of the importance and the role of institutions in this kind of endeavor; lastly, they present a prototype, developed in the context of the present study that is specifically dedicated to addressing oncology through social media. © 2013, IGI Global.

Abstract
This paper presents a drum transcription algorithm adjusted to the constraints of real-time audio. We introduce an instance filtering (IF) method using sub-band onset detection, which improves the performance of a system having at its core a feature-based K-nearest neighbor classifier (KNN). The architecture proposed allows for adapting different parts of the algorithm for either bass drum, snare drum or hi-hat cymbals. The open-source system is implemented in the graphic programming languages Pure Data (PD) and Max MSP, and aims to work with a large variety of drum sets. We evaluated its performance on a database of audio samples generated from a well known collection of midi drum loops randomly matched with a diverse collection of drum sets. Both of the evaluation stages, testing and validation, show an improvement in the performance when using the instance filtering algorithm.

Abstract

Abstract
GROOVE IS A SENSATION OF MOVEMENT OR WANTing to move when we listen to certain types of music; it is central to the appreciation of many styles such as Jazz, Funk, Latin, and many more. To better understand the mechanisms that lead to the sensation of groove, we explore the relationship between groove and systematic microtiming deviations. Manifested as small, intentional deviations in timing, systematic microtiming is widely considered within the music community to be a critical component of music performances that groove. To investigate the effect of microtiming on the perception of groove we synthesized typical rhythm patterns for Jazz, Funk, and Samba with idiomatic microtiming deviation patterns for each style. The magnitude of the deviations was parametrically varied from nil to about double the natural level. In two experiments, untrained listeners and experts listened to all combinations of same and different music and microtiming style and magnitude combinations, and rated liking, groove, naturalness, and speed. Contrary to a common and frequently expressed belief in the literature, systematic microtiming led to decreased groove ratings, as well as liking and naturalness, with the exception of the simple short-long shuffle Jazz pattern. A comparison of the ratings between the two listener groups revealed this effect to be stronger for the expert listener group than for the untrained listeners, suggesting that musical expertise plays an important role in the perception and appreciation of micro timing in rhythmic patterns.