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Italian opera after Puccini. The case of Giorgio Federico Ghedini
Get PDFPuccini’s death in 1924 symbolically sealed an irreversible crisis for Italian opera and Italy at large. Woven into this crisis of opera are a series of complex historical narratives: the advent of mass society, the emergence of new media, and the ascent of totalitarianism and its demise in World War II. Spanning the second third of the twentieth century, the operas of the Italian composer Giorgio Federico Ghedini (1892-1965) offer a unique vantage point to trace what happened to opera and its discourses across these years. His works provide a compelling perspective on the fate of Italian opera amidst the intersections of tradition and innovation, nationalism and internationalism, politics and culture, fascism and antifascism, entertainment and art, elitism and popular appeal. Furthermore, they shed light on the relatively unexplored continuities—musical, political, cultural and economic—that span this turbulent period. This thesis examines both a composer and a pivotal era in opera history—from the interwar period through to the immediate aftermath of the Second World War—which have often been overlooked in academic studies. It investigates whether and how the genre of opera survived amidst economic crises and calls of its declining popularity. Through an in-depth analysis of Ghedini’s operas, this study reveals that opera did not wane after Puccini, but rather continued to serve as a cornerstone of Italian cultural identity and as a platform for engaging with the highest stakes of the era. Ongoing state backing and ongoing debates about the genre’s crisis underscore its persistent significance in Italy. The thesis employs musical analysis, critical reception studies, comparative methods and interdisciplinary approaches to explore the connections between Ghedini’s eclectic output and the broader historical and cultural context in which his works were premiered. In bridging the gap between the first generation of modernist Italian musicians and the postwar avant-garde, Ghedini’s case study illuminates continuities and controversies across pivotal moments in Italian history that are often studied in isolation. Through a reassessment of Ghedini’s musical and historical significance, this study contributes significantly to our still fragmented understanding of Italian opera during the mid-twentieth century, demonstrating how the genre navigated a perceived obsolescence couched in the terms of its utmost relevance
Measurement properties of the measure of cervical joint position error in people with and without chronic neck pain
Get PDFNeck pain is a common musculoskeletal condition that affects people’s quality of life, physical level, emotional well-being, and daily functioning. It is ranked as the fourth cause of disability worldwide. People with chronic neck pain (CNP) often show proprioceptive deficits, which is commonly quantified by assessing cervical joint position error (JPE). Measurement properties encompass the qualities or attributes inherent in a measurement instrument or tool that dictate its capacity to gauge the intended construct or concept precisely and consistently. These properties play a vital role in guaranteeing that the measurement tool/measure yield results that are both valid and significant. The aim of this thesis was to assess the measurement properties of the measure of JPE in people with and without CNP.
In this thesis, one systematic review and two empirical studies have been carried out. The first study summarised and appraised the literature of the measurement properties of the measure of JPE in people with and without neck pain. Both absolute error (AE) and constant error (CE) were considered. The systematic review revealed that the reliability and validity of the measure of JPE showed sufficient results, but the levels of evidence were low/very low due to extreme risk of bias, imprecision, and inconsistency in the results. The results of this systematic review highlighted gaps in testing the reliability and validity of JPE using a laser pointer after returning from neck flexion, extension, right and left rotation. Moreover, the review revealed that the responsiveness of this measure has not been investigated. The second study in this thesis investigated the reliability, measurement error, and validity of JPE when assessed in sitting and standing in people with and without CNP. Tests of relocation accuracy to a neutral head position (NHP) and target head position (THP) tasks were tested. This study revealed that the JPE is a reliable and valid measure but not for all neck movements. In this study, differences in repositioning errors in people with and without CNP were also evaluated; people with CNP showed significantly greater JPE than the asymptomatic participants, but mainly when the absolute JPE was assessed. Differences in JPE between testing positions (sitting versus standing) in both groups (asymptomatic and CNP) were also tested. There were no significant differences between testing positions, apart from the constant JPE in people with CNP after returning from left rotation. In the third study, the responsiveness of the measure of JPE was investigated. JPE was assessed before and after four weeks of home-based proprioception training. Proprioception training comprised of repositioning errors tasks (NHP, THP) as well as movement sense tasks which included tracing a double ZZ bands and different circular shapes and arrows. The study showed that the measure of JPE was able to detect a change (internal responsiveness) after 4-weeks of home-based proprioception training intervention, but this was mainly so for the measure of absolute JPE. The correlation of change of scores (external responsiveness) obtained from the laser pointer and inertial measurement units (IMUs) was weak. Findings of this thesis indicates that the JPE test, using a laser pointer, is a reliable, valid measure. It also showed that the measure of JPE is responsive, however, further research, addressing the limitations identified in Chapter 4, is required. Overall, the findings of this thesis support the use of JPE, in assessing proprioception in research and clinical settings
A phenomenological exploration of experiences with short-acting psychedelics for low mood and depression
Get PDFThis document contains two chapters that constitute the doctoral thesis for the degree of Clinical Psychology Doctorate (ClinPsyD).
Chapter 1 is a systematic literature review in the form of a meta-analysis of all clinical trials that have been conducted to date investigating the efficacy of classic psychedelic drugs in psychedelic assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of depression or anxiety symptoms in individuals with mental health diagnoses. Findings suggested positive outcomes for psychedelics in these clinical trials with moderate to large effect sizes. However, the studies to-date have been small, and with variable methodological quality and sources of bias, therefore larger and more robust trials would be needed for more certain results.
Chapter 2 is an empirical research paper exploring participant’s experiences of using short-acting psychedelics, such as dimethyltryptamine, in an attempt to help with their low mood or depression. This study was conducted by interviewing nine participants and analysing the interviews using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to generate themes. Four primary themes were generated: 1) Journey to Using DMT for Mental Health, 2) Psychological and Spiritual Insights, 3) Emotional Healing Through DMT, and 4) Personal Growth Following DMT
Group Social And Emotional Learning Interventions For Young People With Neurodevelopmental Conditions: A Scoping Review Of The Quantitative And Qualitative Evidence and How Mental Health And Resilience Sessions Support Transition From Primary To Secondary School: Exploring Young People’s Experiences’ To Inform Further Development And Research
Get PDFThis thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Birmingham. Containing four chapters, the first presents a scoping review exploring, mapping and summarising social and emotional learning programmes and the current evidence of their usefulness for young people with a neurodevelopmental condition. The second chapter presents an empirical qualitative study, exploring young peoples’ experiences of taking part in mental health and resilience sessions and how these may support their transition to secondary school, alongside informing a further, more rigorous study of the sessions. Finally, the third and fourth chapters each provide a ‘press release’: one relating to the scoping review and one the empirical research, outlining the main findings of each paper in a manner that is suitable for public dissemination
Dynamics of gut bacteriophages in critically ill patients
Get PDFPhages are vital members of the gut microbiome and play a significant role in shaping their bacterial host community via predation, lysogeny, and transduction. While previous studies have identified that certain alterations in gut phage composition are associated with several diverse health conditions, the specific dynamics governing phage-host interactions remain largely unknown. Metagenomics and viromics have allowed for the direct identification and analysis of gut phages, regardless of their host’s cultivability. However, this process remains complex with significant challenges the scientific community has yet to definitively overcome.
In this study, we benchmarked ten commonly used metagenomic viral identification tools, and provided valuable metrics and insights for other researchers to use and build on. By using a mixture of artificial datasets and mock communities we were able to estimate the recall, precision, and biases of these tools. Overall, we concluded that Kraken2 should be considered when researchers are trying to identify previously characterised phages. When novel phage detection is required we suggest that Kraken2 is used in combination with machine learning based tools such as VirSorter2 and DeepVirFinder.
Subsequently, we identified viral operational taxonomic units (vOTUs) from a metagenomic sequencing set obtained by a previous study that investigated the gut microbiome of critically ill patients. We were able to define a straightforward yet robust criteria for microbial domination in the gut microbiota and use this to identify the dominant microbe in each patient, including one that had been discovered since the publication of the original study. The relative abundance of dominant microbes and vOTUs predicted to infect them had a near-perfect correlation. This correlation was not affected by the introduction of a time lag, leading us to hypothesise that the majority of our vOTUs originated from integrated prophages. We were also able to detect VFs and ARGs encoded by our vOTUs, although we were unable to determine whether these vOTUs were actively replicating or dormant.
We then built on this by experimentally removing bacterial hosts from stool samples collected from critically ill patients from Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. in order to long-read sequence the free viral fraction alone. In contrast with the metagenomic analyses, the dominating microbial taxa did not overlap with the most abundant hosts we predicted for our vOTUs, This observation lends support to the "piggyback-the-winner" model of gut phage dynamics. We identified two vOTUs that encoded beta-lactamases, including one that contained an ancestral form of the Tn transposon, while the second vOTU likely stemmed from a misassembly.
The insights gleaned from this work provide a framework for evaluating the performance of viral identification tools, as well as the advantages and limitations of utilising metagenomic versus viromic sequencing to explore the dynamics of the gut phageome
A novel case for theism, unifying the best of ontological and cosmological reasoning
No full textAmong the most influential arguments for the existence of God, cosmological and ontological arguments have a special standing. This thesis aims to bridge the gap between these arguments, and combine their strengths, so as to establish the existence of God, understood as a significantly powerful and knowledgeable being that is the ultimate cause of everything other than itself. After highlighting several challenges that face arguments grounded in Perfect Being Theology (PBT), I propose the concept of a ‘sovereign being’, namely a self-subsistent being that has significant control over the happenings of the world, as a promising alternative foundation for theistic argumentation. The thesis consists of six self-contained papers defending various aspects of the proposed case for theism. This includes a novel First Cause argument and two arguments for the existence of a unique sovereign being. I supplement my deductive reasoning with an inductive argument to further support my overall conclusion. The papers are intended to uncover hitherto unnoticed connections between some general metaphysical theses and the debate about the existence of God. They should appeal to a broad audience of metaphysicians who may or may not have an interest in the philosophy of religion
The role of high frequency oscillations in memory and motor performance
Get PDFWhile high frequency (in the gamma range) rhythmic sensory stimulation (RSS) mainly involves inhibitory interneurons responses, low frequency RSS drives pyramidal neurons (Cardin et al., 2009). Using high and very low frequency RSS, the current thesis explored the role of high-frequency oscillations in human episodic memory and sensorimotor synchronization (SMS). High frequency RSS was delivered by short movies. Although existing evidence suggesting the recruitment of inhibitory interneurons by high frequency RSS, our findings revealed nuanced modulations in both SSVEPs and memory performance. In contrast, low frequency appears to play a crucial role in facilitating long-distance communications and plasticity. Supporting this idea, using low frequency auditory RSS, the final study revealed a connection between the phase locking of beta bursts to slow rhythms and movement performance. Collectively, despite the distinct mechanism underlying high and low frequency RSS, this thesis sheds light on the potential of RSS in regulating brain activity. Future investigations that integrate techniques such as optogenetics, neuroimaging, and computational modelling could provide a multidimensional perspective and valuable insights into the application of RSS in both research and clinical fields
Self-adaptive parameter control mechanisms in evolutionary computation
Get PDFEvolutionary algorithms (EAs) are effective solvers for a variety of discrete black-box optimisation problems. However, their performance heavily relies on the proper selection of algorithmic parameters, such as mutation rate, crossover rate, and selection pressure, which are often problem- and instance-specific. One promising approach is self-adaptive parameter control mechanisms, where the parameters are encoded in the individuals and evolved along with their solutions through variation operators. Although there have been some theoretical studies demonstrating the efficiency of self-adaptive EAs on certain functions with unknown structure, the potential benefits of this approach in other scenarios remain unknown. Moreover, there is a great opportunity for creativity in designing elegant self-adaptive EAs.
In this thesis, we first examine the benefits of self-adaptation in noisy optimisation, where the presence of noise can significantly affect the algorithm performance. We provide a mathematical analysis of the runtime of 2-tournament EAs with self-adapting mutation rates and two other parameter strategies on a theoretical benchmark optimisation problem with and without symmetric noise. Our results demonstrate that self-adaptation consistently achieves the lowest runtime compared to using fixed mutation rates. This is confirmed regardless of the presence of noise, through additional experiments with other noise types and self-adaptation mechanisms. Next, we investigate the performance of self-adaptive EAs on a natural tracking dynamic optima problem, known as the Dynamic Substring Matching (DSM) problem. This problem requires the algorithm to track a sequence of structure-changing optima, and our analysis reveals that mutation-based EAs with a fixed mutation rate have small chance of succeeding, while self-adaptive EAs can track the dynamic optima with high probability. Finally, we propose a novel self-adaptive EA for single-objective optimisation, which incorporates multi-objective optimisation principles to jointly optimise the fitness and mutation rates. We call this algorithm multi-objective self-adaptive EA (MOSA- EA). Our runtime analysis shows that the MOSA-EA can efficiently escape the local optima with unknown sparsity, where fixed mutation rate EAs may become trapped. In an empirical study on complex combinatorial problems, the MOSA-EA outperforms twelve other algorithms on NK-Landscape and Max-k-Sat problem instances. Overall, this thesis suggests that the self-adaptation has great potential for controlling parameters in EAs, especially in challenging optimisation scenarios, such as uncertain optimisation
The Development of Optical Biosensors for the detection of proteins in solution
Get PDFBiosensors for use in point of care (POC) settings are highly sought after; yet, fabrication is often difficult due to costly materials. Hydrogels can be prepared using cheap and commercially available materials. Leaky waveguide (LW) biosensors have been developed previously using hydrogels, leading to the formation of label-free, real-time optical biosensors from readily available materials. If the instrumentation required for these devices was smaller and more user friendly, then LWs would be ideal for POC diagnostics.
In order to improve the portability of LWs for POC testing, the useability of a three dimensional (3D) printed instrument for the testing of hydrogel-based LW devices was studied. This included comparing the refractive index sensitivity (RIS) and porosity of LWs tested on a traditional benchtop laboratory-based instrument to those tested using a 3D printed instrument. The 3D printed instrument was also then tested for the ability to detect biologically relevant analytes, in the form of immunoglobulin G (IgG).
The structure of the 3D printed instrument eliminated the ability to use a two-channel flow cell to incorporate an internal reference, which is a requirement for the user-friendly data analysis. The internal reference allows for the subtraction of signals caused by nonspecific binding from the detection signal, giving an accurate representation of binding due to the desired immobilisation strategy. In order to address this, LWs comprised of photocaged hydrogels were investigated. Following this, photolabile protecting groups (PPGs) were designed and used to photocage monomers.
LWs were then created using these photocaged monomers, prior to selective photodeprotection of the PPGs to release protein reactive functional groups. This incorporated a reference internally within the LW device through the production of protein reactive and protein inert regions. These internally referenced LW biosensors were then tested for their ability to act as biosensors
Exploring the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on thalamo-cortical connectivity; implications for therapeutic interventions on prolonged disorders of consciousness
Get PDFProlonged disorders of consciousness (PDOC) are a medical condition characterised by heterogeneous brain atrophies. PDOC are clinically defined by an impairment of consciousness in one or more of its two components (i.e., awareness and wakefulness). Options for the rehabilitation of such disorders are limited, and restricted to disability management rather than treatment. Different neuroimaging studies revealed a subgroup of PDOC patients characterised by a lack of wakefulness and a partially (or fully) preserved awareness (i.e., Cognitive Motor Dissociation, CMD). Interestingly, the lack of behavioural responsiveness present in patients with CMD has been linked to a partial reduction of coupling in two key areas of the motor network, namely the thalamus and the primary motor cortex (M1). Recent evidence shows that Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) - a non-invasive brain stimulation technique - might have a potential therapeutic effect. This notwithstanding, the literature is highly inconsistent, and the neural basis of such putative therapeutic effects is still unknown.
This thesis proposes a new therapeutic direction that directly targets the mechanisms underlying the lack of responsiveness in PDOC. Using Dynamic Causal Modelling (DCM), I explored the effects of tDCS on motor-network dynamics during command-following in three functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) experiments conducted on healthy individuals. In Chapter 4, I administered a single session of M1-tDCS (Experiment 1) and of cerebellar-tDCS (Experiment 2). In Chapter 5, I investigated the effects of five M1-tDCS sessions paired with passive mobilisation (Experiment 3). Additionally, in Chapter 6, I utilised magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) structural scans from the above experiments to model tDCS-induced electric fields and investigated the relationship between current density and connectivity changes following stimulation. Overall, I demonstrated that cathodal cerebellar- tDCS can selectively modulate thalamo-cortical connectivity during command-following in a polarity-specific manner (Experiment 2), while M1-tDCS reduced self-inhibition in the thalamus and M1 (Experiment 1 and 3, respectively). Therefore, I propose that the tDCS protocols used in this thesis could help sustain PDOC rehabilitation either by directly modulating thalamo-cortical connectivity or by reducing thalamic and M1 self-inhibition. Moreover, the relationship between current density metrics and effective connectivity following tDCS suggests that considering stimulation parameters based on subjects' electric field models might help mitigate inter-individual differences in tDCS effectiveness. Lastly, I tested the methods employed throughout the thesis on a PDOC patient in a multi-session multi- modal tDCS study. It is noteworthy that the data collection was restricted to one patient due to the impact of COVID-19
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