Songbirds learn a correspondence between vocal-motor output and auditory feedback during development. For neurons in a motor cortex analog of adult zebra finches, we show that the timing and structure of activity elicited by the playback of song during sleep matches activity during daytime singing. The motor activity leads syllables, and the matching sensory response depends on a sequence of typically up to three of the preceding syllables. Thus, sensorimotor correspondence is reflected in temporally precise activity patterns of single neurons that use long sensory memories to predict syllable sequences. Additionally, "spontaneous" activity of these neurons during sleep matches their sensorimotor activity, a form of song "replay." These data suggest a model whereby sensorimotor correspondences are stored during singing but do not modify behavior, and off-line comparison (e.g., during sleep) of rehearsed motor output and predicted sensory feedback is used to adaptively shape motor output.

IMPORTANCE Catheter ablation of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) has limited success. Procedural strategies beyond pulmonary vein isolation have failed to consistently improve results. The vein of Marshall contains innervation and AF triggers that can be ablated by retrograde ethanol infusion. OBJECTIVE To determine whether vein of Marshall ethanol infusion could improve ablation results in persistent AF when added to catheter ablation. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS The Vein of Marshall Ethanol for Untreated Persistent AF (VENUS) trial was an investigator-initiated, National Institutes of Health-funded, randomized, single-blinded trial conducted in 12 centers in the United States. Patients (N = 350) with persistent AF referred for first ablation were enrolled from October 2013 through June 2018. Follow-up concluded in June 2019. INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomly assigned to catheter ablation alone (n = 158) or catheter ablation combined with vein of Marshall ethanol infusion (n = 185) in a 1:1.15 ratio to accommodate for 15% technical vein of Marshall ethanol infusion failures. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESThe primary outcome was freedom from AF or atrial tachycardia for longer than 30 seconds after a single procedure, without antiarrhythmic drugs, at both 6 and 12 months. Outcome assessment was blinded to randomization treatment. There were 12 secondary outcomes, including AF burden, freedom from AF after multiple procedures, perimitral block, and others. RESULTSOf the 343 randomized patients (mean [SD] age, 66.5 [9.7] years; 261 men), 316 (92.1%) completed the trial. Vein of Marshall ethanol was successfully delivered in 155 of 185 patients. At 6 and 12 months, the proportion of patients with freedom from AF/atrial tachycardia after a single procedure was 49.2% (91/185) in the catheter ablation combined with vein of Marshall ethanol infusion group compared with 38% (60/158) in the catheter ablation alone group (difference, 11.2% [95% CI, 0.8%-21.7%]; P = .04). Of the 12 secondary outcomes, 9 were not significantly different, but AF burden (zero burden in 78.3% vs 67.9%; difference, 10.4% [95% CI, 2.9%-17.9%]; P = .01), freedom from AF after multiple procedures (65.2% vs 53.8%; difference, 11.4% [95% CI, 0.6%-22.2%]; P = .04), and success achieving perimitral block (80.6% vs 51.3%; difference, 29.3% [95% CI, 19.3%-39.3%]; P < .001) were significantly improved in vein of Marshall-treated patients. Adverse events were similar between groups.CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Among patients with persistent AF, addition of vein of Marshall ethanol infusion to catheter ablation, compared with catheter ablation alone, increased the likelihood of remaining free of AF or atrial tachycardia at 6 and 12 months. Further research is needed to assess longer-term efficacy.

). As in assigning atomic charges, there is some ambiguity in defining atomic contributions to GЈ. Here, we divide off-diagonal terms equally between participant atoms. 29. M. J. Firsch et al., Gaussian 94, rev. C.2 (1995), and the basis sets used in the Gaussian program library. 30. The computed specific rotation angle for (R)-2-methyloxirane with the CADPAC program is 24 compared with an experimental value of 14.0, and the computed specific rotation angle for trans-(2R,3R)-dimethyloxirane is 45 compared with an experimental value of 58.8. The computed molar rotation angle for (S)-fluorooxirane is -36.

Background Treatment of perimitral flutter (PMF) requires bidirectional mitral isthmus (MI) block, which can be difficult with radiofrequency ablation (RFA). The vein of Marshall (VOM) is located within the MI. Objective To test whether VOM ethanol infusion could help achieve MI block. Methods Perimitral conduction was studied in patients undergoing ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF). Group 1 included 50 patients with a previous AF ablation undergoing repeat ablation, 30 of which had had MI ablation. Spontaneous (8/50) or inducible PMF (21/50) was confirmed by activation mapping. Group 2 included 21 patients undergoing de novo VOM ethanol infusion. The VOM was cannulated with a quadripolar catheter for pacing and with an angioplasty balloon to deliver up to four 1mL infusions of 98% ethanol. Voltage maps were created before and after VOM ethanol. Bidirectional MI block was verified by differential pacing. RFA times required to achieve it were assessed. Results In Group 1, VOM ethanol infusion acutely terminated PMF in 5/29 patients. RFA needed to achieve bidirectional MI block was 2.2±1.6 min. Presence of PMF or previous MI ablation did not affect RFA times. In Group 2, RFA needed to achieve bidirectional MI block was 2.0±1.6 min (p=NS). Five patients had bidirectional MI block achieved solely by VOM ethanol without RFA. In both groups, ablation after VOM ethanol was required in the annular aspect of the MI. There were no acute complications. Conclusion VOM ethanol infusion is useful in the treatment of PMF and assists in reliably achieving bidirectional MI block.

The application of dynamic time warping (DTW) to the automated analysis of continuous recordings of animal vocalizations is evaluated. The DTW algorithm compares an input signal with a set of predefined templates representative of categories chosen by the investigator. It directly compares signal spectrograms, and identifies constituents and constituent boundaries, thus permitting the identification of a broad range of signals and signal components. When applied to vocalizations of an indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea) and a zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) collected from a low-clutter, low-noise environment, the recognizer identifies syllables in stereotyped songs and calls with greater than 97% accuracy. Syllables of the more variable and lower amplitude indigo bunting plastic song are identified with approximately 84% accuracy. Under restricted recordings conditions, this technique apparently has general applicability to analysis of a variety of animal vocalizations and can dramatically decrease the amount of time spent on manual identification of vocalizations.