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El sonido del exotismo: Retratos de España en Carmen
No full textEste artículo examinará la “orientalización” de la identidad nacional de España, que resulta de la creación de estereotipos tanto creados en el extranjero como apropiados por la misma España durante el siglo XIX. Específicamente, voy a examinar la influencia de la ópera francesa Carmen de Georges Bizet (1875) en la creación de la imagen nacional española actual en la “Canción del torero” de dicha la producción de Ana Zamora para el Teatro de la Zarzuela de la zarzuela por el mismo nombre (1887) en 2014. Como obra plenamente romántica, hace hincapié en las características de ese movimiento cultura; por ejemplo, algunos de los elementos históricos y culturales más usados parar formar la imagen nacional—esencialista—española son el pasado árabe de la región, la tauromaquia y el flamenco. La reelaboración de estos elementos decimonónicos insiste en la perpetuación de una identidad nacional tradicional y homogénea, que contrasta con la pluralidad real que promueve la Marca España. Aun actualmente, la zarzuela Carmen sigue educando a españoles y extranjeros sobre qué es la Marca España. De esta manera, España aprovecha estos estereotipos románticos, que representan más a la realidad de Andalucía más que a toda la Península, presentes en la obra original extranjera para re-mercantilizar la visión extranjera y romántica de España y fomentarla en la cultura popular (haciéndola, así apetecible al extranjero)
Interprofessional Education in Action: Piloting an Online Interprofessional Learning Event for Counseling and Occupational Therapy Students
No full textInterprofessional education (IPE) is a training modality that aims to help two or more disciplines learn about, from, and with each other, that enhances outcomes for clients (WHO, 2010). Two faculty members, one from counseling and one from occupational therapy, collaborated to design and implement a virtual pilot IPE event focused on enhancing student role delineation in interdisciplinary treatment teams, communication, and professional behaviors. Using guided questions provided prior to the event, students shared information about their disciplines, roles in client treatment teams, professional responsibilities, and potential collaboration opportunities between occupational therapists and counselors. This manuscript provides an overview of developing and facilitating a virtual IPE event in counseling and implications for implementing IPE in counselor education curricula
Artificial intelligence as a catalyst for systemic sport ecology
No full textArtificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping both sport management and environmental science, yet these developments have largely evolved in parallel. AI can serve not merely as a technical tool but also as a catalyst for systemic sport ecology, a field that integrates sport, digital innovation and environmental sustainability. Advances in discriminative, generative and agentic AI enable the synthesis of complex ecological and sport-related data, improving monitoring, forecasting, resource efficiency, policy design, and decision-making across scales. In doing so, AI offers a pathway beyond fragmented sustainability interventions and can support holistic approaches to the interconnected crises of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. However, the catalytic potential of AI depends on responsible implementation, equitable access to data, and attention to environmental costs. In short, AI can drive systemic transformations by enhancing the collection and integration of social-ecological data, fostering governance innovation and operational sustainability within the sport sector
Exploring University Campus Community’s Perceptions and Barriers toward Biking
No full textBicycling constitutes an integral component of sustainable non-motorized means of travel. Despite the immense benefits of bicycling, the modal share of bicycling is quite low, specifically among young and low-income commuters, e.g., college and university students. This study explores the perceptions of and barriers to bicycling of the campus community at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with the aim of identifying the factors that could enhance bike use among students at the university campus as well as highlighting the barriers that keep the young population away from biking. An online survey about bike use at the university campus was administered, and responses to the survey were recorded. On the methodological front, a binary logit model was estimated with students’ willingness to use bikes on campus as the dependent variable. The survey results revealed that about 47% of the students considered vehicular traffic as the reason for feeling unsafe while biking and emphasized having separate bike routes. Most of the respondents highlighted the need to change clothes after biking in summer or carry things as the reason for not selecting bikes as a mode of transport on the campus, whereas inadequate bike lanes, paths, or trails, insufficient lighting along bike routes, and the lack of adequate bicycle parking were highlighted as the major barriers deterring bike use within the campus. The study suggests the development of a campus bike network with proper bike lanes, bike runnels, installation of safety cameras, and better lighting at the campus, and bike-supporting infrastructure such as communal showers to be provided in campus buildings to encourage bike use among university students. The study findings can assist campus transportation planners in devising a sustainable campus transportation plan incorporating the influencing factors and deterrents of bike use in a university campus setting
Knowledge and Awareness of, and Receptivity to Community Doula Services among African American Mothers and Birthing People in Tennessee.
No full textBackground: Receiving community doula care during the perinatal period may have significant benefits such as higher incidence of spontaneous vaginal delivery, shorter labor, improved knowledge of childbirth and postpartum care, improved breastfeeding outcomes and overall positive birthing experiences. This may be particularly crucial for Black or African American (AA) mothers and birthing people, as they experience adverse pregnancy-related outcomes disproportionately in the United States. These disparities are prevalent in Tennessee where use of doula services is limited, and maternal mortality is also high. Objectives: The objectives of this exploratory research were to describe the lived practice experience of AA doulas practicing in Tennessee and to develop a survey instrument for assessing the birthing experiences and perceptions of community doulas among AA mothers and birthing people in Tennessee.
Methods: These objectives were achieved through a two-part protocol. In-depth interviews were conducted with AA doulas (part 1) and a survey development process began (part 2).
Results: Results of thematic analysis of 12 audio-recorded interviews suggest that critical benefits of doula care included providing education, advocacy, and the centering of mothers’ and birthing people’s voices. Cost of doula services emerged as a major barrier to doula use. Unpleasant experiences reported were inadequacy of patient approval or violation of consent during birthing procedures and discourtesy and derogatory behavior from providers to mothers and birthing people. The survey instrument was developed under seven phases, culminating in an initial survey testing phase with AA mothers and birthing people (n=20). Phase 7 survey results indicated that 80% (n=16) of the sample had heard of the word ‘doula’, reflecting findings of previous nationally representative surveys.
Conclusion: AA doulas serving AA mothers and birthing people in Tennessee are aware of the benefits they offer their clients, especially education and advocacy. They are proponents of informed consent during birthing procedures. The final four phases in the survey development- cognitive interviews, online survey data for factor analysis, factor analysis and concurrent criterion were discussed and proposed as next steps in the creation of this validated doula survey tool. Future research should continue to build the literature base in this area
ASSESSING THE RELIABILITY OF ENVIRONMENTAL DNA AND RNA FOR FRESHWATER BIODIVERSITY MONITORING: A DAM STUDY
No full textFreshwater biodiversity has been declining at an alarming rate, largely due to anthropogenic impacts such as impoundment caused by dams. Rigorous monitoring systems are needed for timely mitigation, yet conventional survey methods rely on capturing individuals and identifying them morphologically, which can introduce several limitations and biases. Environmental DNA (eDNA) and environmental RNA (eRNA) offer promising, non-invasive tools for studying aquatic biodiversity; however, further research is still needed to develop and standardize these methods before fully integrating them into biomonitoring programs.
This study tested eDNA and eRNA metabarcoding for detecting fish and mussel communities in the Apalachia Cutoff Reach (ACR) of the Hiwassee River, Tennessee, a 14.4-river-mile bypassed section between the Apalachia Dam and its powerhouse that is historically known to harbor endemic taxa. Water samples were collected from 19 mainstem sites and three tributaries in 2023, and molecular detections were compared to concurrent morphological surveys and historical records (1992–2016). Fish communities were analyzed using mitochondrial 12S rRNA markers from eDNA and eRNA, while mussels were assessed using cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) and 16S rRNA markers using eDNA. We also quantified the presence of the endangered eastern hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis) using qPCR on the Cytochrome b (Cytb) gene.
Despite several technical and practical challenges, both eDNA and eRNA produced consistent and ecologically meaningful results. Moreover, eDNA detected 28 fish species, eRNA detected 21, and morphological surveys recorded 16, with seven unique eDNA detections plus full overlap with eRNA. For mussels, 16S detected nine, COI detected eight species, and morphological surveys documented seven. Notably, eDNA has outperformed morphological methods in many aspects, such as detecting Venustaconcha trabalis (Endangered). Hellbenders were also detected at multiple sites consistent with historical observations, confirming the persistence of local populations.
Overall, this study shows that eDNA and eRNA metabarcoding can yield reliable results. Moreover, eDNA reflected broader species presence, while eRNA indicated more recent biological activity, offering complementary perspectives on biodiversity. These findings highlight both the promise and the challenges of molecular monitoring and provide practical insight into how eDNA and eRNA can support freshwater conservation and environmental assessmen
Comparative Analyses of Metabolic Gene Expression in Emaciated and Moderately Conditioned Horses: Insights from RNA-Seq and RT-qPCR
No full textStarvation in horses poses critical challenges for welfare, management, and rehabilitation, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms that drive adaptation and recovery are not fully understood. Caloric deprivation forces systemic shifts in energy balance, with transitions from carbohydrate to lipid utilization, suppression of anabolic pathways, and activation of catabolic processes. These metabolic changes are reflected in tissue-specific gene expression patterns, making transcriptomic analysis a valuable tool for understanding equine responses to emaciation and subsequent refeeding. This work combines review and experimental approaches to investigate how metabolic gene expression differs between emaciated and moderately conditioned horses. Horses were evaluated using body condition scores and tissues were collected post-mortem from multiple systems, including muscle, adipose, gastrointestinal tract, and vital organs. Gene expression was first assessed using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) to examine key genes involved in glucose transport, fatty acid oxidation, and protein synthesis. While no significant differences were detected between body condition groups, tissue-specific variation highlighted the importance of organ- and system-level contributions to metabolism. To extend beyond targeted gene analysis, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was employed to provide a broader view of transcriptional activity. This revealed distinct molecular profiles between E and M horses, identifying hundreds of differentially expressed genes associated with mitochondrial function, oxidative phosphorylation, and glucose metabolism. These findings suggest that metabolic adaptation in emaciated horses is more complex than single-gene assays can capture, emphasizing the value of high-throughput approaches. Together, these results underscore that starvation and recovery in horses involve coordinated, tissue-specific transcriptional responses that are best understood through combined molecular methods. The work highlights both the challenges of interpreting post-mortem data and the opportunities for RNA-seq to uncover biologically meaningful pathways. A more comprehensive understanding of these molecular mechanisms will guide the development of evidence-based rehabilitation strategies, reduce the risk of refeeding syndrome, and improve long-term survival and welfare outcomes for affected horses
Conservation at the Trailing Edge: Hybridization, Population Genomics, and Environmental Change in Quercus bicolor
No full textSwamp white oak (Quercus bicolor Willd.) is a long-lived deciduous tree species found in eastern North America. Integrating geospatial and genomic analyses, this work presents a comprehensive study on the conservation and population genomics of this ecologically important species, with special attention to trailing-edge populations occurring in Tennessee (USA). Chapter 1 employs species distribution modeling to analyze the impacts of climate and land use change throughout the range of Q. bicolor. Projections indicate northward range shifts and significant losses of southern populations under future climate scenarios, while emphasizing the critical threats posed by existing and ongoing agricultural and urban development. Chapter 2 evaluates the central-marginal hypothesis (CMH), using RADseq genomic data to assess levels of population structure, genetic diversity, and introgression in range core populations of swamp white oak compared to trailing-edge populations. Widespread introgression across the southern range edge was uncovered, particularly from Q. lyrata, yet no introgression was detected in the range core. While the CMH’s prediction of reduced genetic diversity at range edges was not supported, increased population differentiation was observed. This study suggests that introgression may buffer range-edge populations against genetic erosion by introducing novel, adaptive alleles. Genomic cline and environmental association analyses further support adaptive introgression, identifying differentially introgressed and climate-associated genes linked to stress response. Hindcast and forecast ecological niche models suggest that a historically expansive hybrid zone could enlarge again with projected warming climates. Chapter 3 outlines the planning and implementation of genomically informed ex situ conservation for Tennessee\u27s imperiled Q. bicolor populations. Geospatial and genomic data are leveraged to locate populations, assess introgression levels, and select genotypes that maximize genetic diversity while minimizing inbreeding for seed orchard development. Selected genotypes are cloned through whip-and-tongue grafting and will be planted into two duplicate swamp white oak seed orchards and one hybrid seed orchard to facilitate research, seed production, and the long-term preservation of these genotypes. The establishment of duplicated conservation seed orchards is a vital step for producing provenanced seed for climate-smart conservation and reforestation efforts, as well as maintaining a stable genetic repository of southern genotypes for perpetuity
Crafting Sonic Worlds: Developing a Comprehensive Curriculum for Sound Design
No full textIn this paper presentation we will explore effective pedagogical strategies for engaging college students in the field of sound design. The presentation will outline a comprehensive curriculum that balances theoretical knowledge with hands-on experience, emphasizing the importance of creativity and collaboration