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Dramatic Genres, Musical Genres: Thematic Uses of Music in Shakespearean Drama
No full textThis doctoral dissertation project explores possible correlations between sounds and music with particular dramatic genres in a selection of Shakespeare’s plays. A central goal of this study is to demonstrate that the sounds, noises, and music used in the three dramatic genres surveyed (comedy, tragedy, and romance) create a characteristic soundscape in each play, and further to explore the extent to which the various soundscapes exhibit correlations between music and musical genres, and drama and dramatic genres. Because the gradual unfolding of events in each play is achieved partly by means of its given soundscape, generic unfolding is something that music participates in, making it not only an aesthetic category but also an integral part of the plays’ dramatic genres
The Rocky Horror Show: Back to the Retrofuture
No full textThe cult classic The Rocky Horror Show, after fifty years in existence, has gained in exposure to the point that it has become mainstream. The societal boundaries the play once pushed have expanded beyond its then-daring scope, and its familiarity cancels out the subversion from which it was born.That familiarity is removed via the design mechanism of Retrofuturism, a process of envisioning a future world from the vantage point of the past. Specifically, the style is Raygun Gothic, a term encompassing various space-age, aerodynamic styles seen in the 1930s-60s. It is frequently seen in illustrations of the Golden Age science fiction that in part informed the show's creation. Collage as an artistic medium provides a visual dissonance that disrupts the viewer's complacency.The sleek shapes of the scenic design are set against each other with a variety of textures and media imagery. Costume design reflects a character hierarchy associated with different times in the Raygun Gothic era, creating a temporal collage. Lighting in primary shades, mostly pink and blue, recalls the color-mixing systems of that time, and looks clean on the set amidst the more complex physical elements.To displace Rocky from its typical setting is drastic, but necessary. The show's purpose came as much from its outcast audience as from its own script. To preserve that meaning, to reclaim Rocky for the counter-culture, we must take everything else apart
Feature-rich multiplex lexical networks reveal mental strategies of early language learning
Get PDFKnowledge in the human mind exhibits a dualistic vector/network nature. Modelling words as vectors is key to natural language processing, whereas networks of word associations can map the nature of semantic memory. We reconcile these paradigms—fragmented across linguistics, psychology and computer science—by introducing FEature-Rich MUltiplex LEXical (FERMULEX) networks. This novel framework merges structural similarities in networks and vector features of words, which can be combined or explored independently. Similarities model heterogenous word associations across semantic/syntactic/phonological aspects of knowledge. Words are enriched with multi-dimensional feature embeddings including frequency, age of acquisition, length and polysemy. These aspects enable unprecedented explorations of cognitive knowledge. Through CHILDES data, we use FERMULEX networks to model normative language acquisition by 1000 toddlers between 18 and 30 months. Similarities and embeddings capture word homophily via conformity, which measures assortative mixing via distance and features. Conformity unearths a language kernel of frequent/polysemous/short nouns and verbs key for basic sentence production, supporting recent evidence of children’s syntactic constructs emerging at 30 months. This kernel is invisible to network core-detection and feature-only clustering: It emerges from the dual vector/network nature of words. Our quantitative analysis reveals two key strategies in early word learning. Modelling word acquisition as random walks on FERMULEX topology, we highlight non-uniform filling of communicative developmental inventories (CDIs). Biased random walkers lead to accurate (75%), precise (55%) and partially well-recalled (34%) predictions of early word learning in CDIs, providing quantitative support to previous empirical findings and developmental theories
Betrachtungen zur Entwicklung des festen Betonungssystems in slawischen Sprachen -- ein Erklärungsversuch
No full textThe paper provides a brief overview of existing research on continuous accent systems and highlights past findings. Building on these insights the author makes suggestions for further consideration as well as proposes some new solutions. The discussion includes typological comparisons and an overview of possible phonetic mechanisms as factors that have pushed the Slavic accent system from the inherited Proto-Slavic to the various fixed-accent systems. In the proposed solutions, the starting point is the systemic changes of inherent properties in the Slavic prosodic system at the word level, without initially seeking external causes in language contact. However, this does not exclude the possibility that language contact played a role, but according to the principles of the comparative method, the possibilities of internal explanation are to be exhausted before resorting to external causes.
The following points recapitulate the proposals in this paper:
1. As a general observation, Proto-Slavic was a true pitch-accent system akin to modern Japanese, i.e., it contained word forms that are to be analyzed as accentless. As Slavic dialects moved from the pitch-accent type to stress-accent, the stage was set for fixed-stress systems to develop, which is a not uncommon outcome in languages of the world.
2. Two general trends have “loaded the dice” in favor of fixed-stress systems in Slavic: (a) the possibility of generalizing the default initial stress (“unaccented” forms) in Proto Slavic, and (b) the tendency to remove/retract final stress.
3. Some tendencies that were generalized in the emergence of fixed-stress systems can be detected in the connections between West and South Slavic dialects, including the evidence from erstwhile Pannonian Slavic. These include traces of intonational patterns and quantity relations that connect Proto-Czecho-Slovak with Proto-Western South Slavic, such as differential reflexes of the “old acute” stress (a result, in our view, of a glottal feature) as well as the possibility of an initial glottal stop as a relic of the prosodic shape of the “unaccented” Proto-Slavic word forms. This feature is seen in the Czech initial glottal stop (Cz. ráz), the české zpívání found in SW Bohemian dialects and which is akin to both penultimate fixed stress in Polish and Slovak (where it is in free variation with initial fixed stress), as well as rising-pitch patterns in Slovene.
4. Although in Western South Slavic (Slovene, BCMS) there is a trend towards innovative systems with distinctive pitch, which, together with quantity contrasts can increase the functional load of suprasegmental features, there is also a countervailing trend towards reduction of functional load by the elimination of quantity contrasts outside of stress (Slovene, Kajkavian, and peripheral dialects of Štokavian) and retraction of stress leftward.
5. The interaction of general Western South Slavic phonological trends mentioned in (4) with the morphological restructuring of morphology characteristic of Balkan Slavic has weighted the outcome in favor of patterns of generalized fixed stress, exemplified by Macedonian, which has systems of fixed penultimate and antepenultimate stress. In neighboring Serbian (Torlak) dialects the as yet incomplete trend towards fixed stress, i.e., a narrowing window of stress placement, can already be detected
The Hillsdale Effect: South Dakota’s Troubling New Social Studies Standards
Get PDFSouth Dakota’s teachers will face difficult challenges of implementation, pedagogy, and content when their state’s new, politically influenced, social studies standards go into effect in 2024
Creatine as a Therapeutic Target in Alzheimer's Disease
No full textAlzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease, affecting approximately 6.5 million older adults in the United States. Development of AD treatment has primarily centered on developing pharmaceuticals that target amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques in the brain, a hallmark pathological biomarker that precedes symptomatic AD. Though recent clinical trials of novel drugs that target Aβ have demonstrated promising preliminary data, these pharmaceuticals have a poor history of developing into AD treatments, leading to hypotheses that other therapeutic targets may be more suitable for AD prevention and treatment. Impaired brain energy metabolism is another pathological hallmark that precedes the onset of AD that may provide a target for intervention. The brain creatine (Cr) system plays a crucial role in maintaining bioenergetic flux and is disrupted in AD. Recent studies using AD mouse models have shown that supplementing with Cr improves brain bioenergetics, as well as AD biomarkers and cognition. Despite these promising findings, no human trials have investigated the potential benefits of Cr supplementation in AD. This narrative review discusses the link between Cr and AD and the potential for Cr supplementation as a treatment for AD
Author Correction: A ferritin-based COVID-19 nanoparticle vaccine that elicits robust, durable, broad-spectrum neutralizing antisera in non-human primates
No full textWhile the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines has been a scientific triumph, the need remains for a globally available vaccine that provides longer-lasting immunity against present and future SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs). Here, we describe DCFHP, a ferritin-based, protein-nanoparticle vaccine candidate that, when formulated with aluminum hydroxide as the sole adjuvant (DCFHP-alum), elicits potent and durable neutralizing antisera in non-human primates against known VOCs, including Omicron BQ.1, as well as against SARS-CoV-1. Following a booster ~one year after the initial immunization, DCFHP-alum elicits a robust anamnestic response. To enable global accessibility, we generated a cell line that can enable production of thousands of vaccine doses per liter of cell culture and show that DCFHP-alum maintains potency for at least 14 days at temperatures exceeding standard room temperature. DCFHP-alum has potential as a once-yearly (or less frequent) booster vaccine, and as a primary vaccine for pediatric use including in infants
Controlled-Release Hydrogel Microspheres to Deliver Multipotent Stem Cells for Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis
No full textOsteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of joint disease affecting articular cartilage and peri-articular tissues. Traditional treatments are insufficient, as they are aimed at mitigating symptoms. Multipotent Stromal Cell (MSC) therapy has been proposed as a treatment capable of both preventing cartilage destruction and treating symptoms. While many studies have investigated MSCs for treating OA, therapeutic success is often inconsistent due to low MSC viability and retention in the joint. To address this, biomaterial-assisted delivery is of interest, particularly hydrogel microspheres, which can be easily injected into the joint. Microspheres composed of hyaluronic acid (HA) were created as MSC delivery vehicles. Microrheology measurements indicated that the microspheres had structural integrity alongside sufficient permeability. Additionally, encapsulated MSC viability was found to be above 70% over one week in culture. Gene expression analysis of MSC-identifying markers showed no change in CD29 levels, increased expression of CD44, and decreased expression of CD90 after one week of encapsulation. Analysis of chondrogenic markers showed increased expressions of aggrecan (ACAN) and SRY-box transcription factor 9 (SOX9), and decreased expression of osteogenic markers, runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), and alkaline phosphatase (ALPL). In vivo analysis revealed that HA microspheres remained in the joint for up to 6 weeks. Rats that had undergone destabilization of the medial meniscus and had overt OA were treated with empty HA microspheres, MSC-laden microspheres, MSCs alone, or a control vehicle. Pain measurements taken before and after the treatment illustrated temporarily decreased pain in groups treated with encapsulated cells. Finally, the histopathological scoring of each group illustrated significantly less OA damage in those treated with encapsulated cells compared to controls. Overall, these studies demonstrate the potential of using HA-based hydrogel microspheres to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of MSCs in treating OA
Attitudes and Experiences of Clinicians After Mandated Implementation of Open Notes by the 21st Century Cures Act: Survey Study
No full textA grant from the One-University Open Access Fund at the University of Kansas was used to defray the author's publication fees in this Open Access journal. The Open Access Fund, administered by librarians from the KU, KU Law, and KUMC libraries, is made possible by contributions from the offices of KU Provost, KU Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Studies, and KUMC Vice Chancellor for Research. For more information about the Open Access Fund, please see http://library.kumc.edu/authors-fund.xml.Background:
On December 13, 2016, the US Congress enacted the 21st Century Cures Act (hereafter the Cures Act), which contained the Final Rule mandate that took effect on April 5, 2021. Since then, health systems have been required to provide patients digital access to their eHealth information “without delay” and without charge.
Objective:
This study aimed to assess clinicians’ initial experiences with, and attitudes toward, sharing visit notes with patients after being mandated to do so by the Cures Act and to determine clinician preferences regarding instant record release.
Methods:
This cross-sectional survey study was conducted between June 10, 2021, and August 15, 2021, at the University of Kansas Health System, a large academic medical center in Kansas City, Kansas, United States. Participants included clinicians currently employed by the health system, including resident and attending physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and critical care and emergency medicine registered nurses.
Results:
A total of 1574 attending physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners, as well as 506 critical care and emergency medicine nurses, were sent invitations; 538 (34.18%) and 72 (14.2%), respectively, responded. Of 609 resident physicians, 4 (response rate not applicable because it was unknown how many residents viewed the website while the link was available) responded. The majority of respondents were attending physicians (402/614, 65.5%) and within the department of internal medicine (160/614, 26.1%). Most agreed that sharing visit notes was a good idea (355/613, 57.9%) and that it is important to speak with the patients before they accessed their records (431/613, 70.3%). Those who agreed that sharing visit notes is a good idea tended to view the practice as a useful tool for engaging patients (“Agree”: 139/355, 39.2%; “Somewhat agree”: 161/355, 45.4%; P<.001) and experience no change in the clinical value of their notes for other clinicians (326/355, 91.8%; P<.001). Those who disagreed (or were neutral) tended not to encourage patients to read their notes (235/258, 91.1%; P<.001) and were more likely to experience a change in their charting practice (168/257, 65.4%; P<.001) and increased time charting (99/258, 38.4%; P<.001).
Conclusions:
The findings of this study may be generalizable to institutions similar to the University of Kansas Health System, and the clinician testimonies gathered in this study may provide valuable insight into the initial opinions and experiences of clinicians at these institutions. In addition, these clinician experiences collected early in the transition period may be used to guide future health policy implementation and to understand how best to prepare clinicians for these changes in practice.
J Med Internet Res 2023;25:e42021
doi:10.2196/4202
Sexual Signals Persist over Deep Time: Ancient Co-option of Bioluminescence for Courtship Displays in Cypridinid Ostracods
No full textAlthough the diversity, beauty, and intricacy of sexually selected courtship displays command the attention of evolutionists, the longevity of these traits in deep time is poorly understood. Population-based theory suggests sexual selection could either lower or raise extinction risk, resulting in high or low persistence of lineages with sexually selected traits. Furthermore, empirical studies that directly estimate the longevity of sexually selected traits are uncommon. Sexually selected signals—including bioluminescent courtship—originated multiple times during evolution, allowing the empirical study of their longevity after careful phylogenetic and divergence time analyses. Here, we estimate the first transcriptome-based molecular phylogeny and divergence times of Cypridinidae. We report extreme longevity of bioluminescent courtship, a trait important in mate choice and probably under sexual selection. Our relaxed-clock estimates of divergence times coupled with stochastic character mapping show luminous courtship evolved only once in Cypridinidae—in a Sub-Tribe, we name Luxorina—at least 151 millions of years ago from cypridinid ancestors that used bioluminescence only in antipredator displays, defining a Tribe we name Luminini. This time-calibrated molecular phylogeny of cypridinids will serve as a foundation for integrative and comparative studies on the biochemistry, molecular evolution, courtship, diversification, and ecology of cypridinid bioluminescence. The persistence of luminous courtship for hundreds of millions of years suggests that sexual selection did not cause a rapid loss of associated traits, and that rates of speciation within the group exceeded extinction risk, which may contribute to the persistence of a diverse clade of signaling species. [Ancestral state reconstruction; Biodiversity; co-option; divergence time estimates; macroevolution; Ostracoda; phylogenomics; sexual selection.