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Ruth Taylor Recital Hall Acoustic Improvements
Get PDFDr. Joseph Kneer of the Trinity University Symphony Orchestra seeks to improve the acoustics of the Ruth Taylor Recital Hall on campus. The current dilemma can best be summarized as the louder “hot” zones in the percussion sections drown out the much quieter “dead” zones in the woodwind section. The Sound Dynamics Team was tasked with designing, building and testing a system that improves the acoustic balance of the stage that is visually appealing, easily stored and within budget. The following report covers the features of our complete design and the two subsystems that can be utilized by Dr. Kneer with a large degree of freedom. The initial purpose of each component was to take advantage of the different type of sound treatments available, such as amplification, dampening, and diffusing. This multivariate problem let to many challenges which eventually resulted in a change of focus in the design requirements, and how success was defined. Following the design overview is an evaluation of the final design through the scope of the project requirements and constraints, as well as the associated tests used in assessing the overall system’s performance.
The project design was constrained by Dr. Kneer and the Engineering Department at Trinity. The design could not make any permanent changes to the physical structure of Ruth Taylor Recital Hall, could not be visually disruptive from the audience and needed to comply with all OSHA guidelines relevant to the designs chosen, all while staying within budget. The first constraint was achieved by ensuring each component was not only mobile, but also storable in the designated area backstage. The aesthetics of the hall were maintained by having the designs either minimally visible, as is the case of the acoustic mats, or painted a color pre-approved by Dr. Kneer, in the case of the acoustic walls. All OSHA guidelines were met through careful consideration in the design and fabrication phases of the project. The mats were made to be thick, dense and gripped on the bottom to allow for stability, durability and to eliminate risk of slippage. The acoustic walls were deemed in compliance with OSHA standards following the slipping and tipping tests administered. The budget was maintained through strategic planning, leaving the team almost $500 under budget.
While initially designed to maximize the effects of the intended sound treatment, complexity of the acoustic space and an inability to test with a full orchestra due to the coronavirus pandemic led the group to change its focus to instead provide Dr. Kneer with a system of tools to be used largely at his discretion. The testing for each component was still performed and documented in order to provide a general user’s guide that informs the reader of the real-world effects of the components already built. The criterion for a successful positioning is if there is a change in 3 decibels from the baseline in the appropriate direction. That would mean a –3 dB change for the absorptive mats and a +3 dB change for the acoustic walls. The user guide satisfies the project requirements by mapping out the effects of positioning and angling of the walls with different instruments, noting which combinations led to a successful outcome in the user guide following this report.
Overall, the Sound Dynamics Team created successful prototype to treat the sound imbalances in Ruth Taylor Recital Hall. While the original project requirements had to be adjusted given the sheer complexity of the room acoustics and important COVID regulations, a foundational understanding of how the components interact with the space will allow Dr. Kneer to maximize the effectiveness of the components in a way that works best for his art and his students
Chatbot Sophia: A New Perspective on Providing User Control in Recommendation Systems for E-Commerce
No full textNowadays, the visible success of online platforms certainly put a spotlight on the importance of recommendation systems (RS) in multiple domains. Typically, the use of RS has been proved to lead to considerable improvements for e-commerce business by bringing in various types of positive effects. However, recommendation systems are also known to be controversial because of the concerns they introduce: lack of transparency, reduction of diversity, little to no user control, etc. On the other hand, with the significant progress in Natural Language Processing and gradual acceptance of Artificial Intelligence by end-users, one cannot ignore the fact that conversational systems, especially, virtual personal assistants, are drawing more attention in many industries.
In order to alleviate the issues introduced by RS in return for a better user-friendly experience, many researchers are seeking to combine recommendation systems with conversational systems through different means. Aiming towards that same goal, we designed and implemented a simple chatbot, Sophia, for demonstrating the potential of chatbots in improving the user experience for e-commerce platforms in terms of user control. In particular, this work, serving as the groundwork for a series of the proposed research, will focus on the design, current progress, and future plan of both the chatbot and an associated e-commerce website. These two components, along with a simple product recommendation system, were built and integrated altogether into one project: E-Commerce with Sophia (EWS). Aside from achieving user control for e-commerce’s RS via a creative conversation-based approach, unexpectedly, we discovered that EWS might have the prospect of becoming a general solution to implementing, presenting, and comparing different user control approaches in RS for e-commerce
Partisan Competition and the Decline in Legislative Capacity among Congressional Offices
No full textSince the 1990s, members of the US House have shifted resources away from legislative functions to representational activities. We reveal this decline using an original dataset constructed from 236,000 quarterly payroll disbursements by 1,090 member offices for 120,000 unique staff between the 103rd and 113th Congresses, as well as interviews with former members and staff in Congress. These data allow us to test two plausible alternative explanations, one rooted in the centralization of legislative power over time and the other in conservatives’ desires to contract government power. We show that the decline in legislative capacity is symmetrical between and consistent within both parties, contrary to expectations rooted in asymmetrical, ideological sabotage. Additionally, this divestment occurs within incumbent member offices over time, accelerates when new members replace incumbents, and persists when majority control changes. We conclude that competition over institutional control and centralization of legislative functions motivates declining legislative capacity among individual members
An Integrative Analysis Uncovers a New, Pseudo-Cryptic Species of Amazonian Marmoset (Primates: Callitrichidae: \u3cem\u3eMico\u3c/em\u3e) from the Arc of Deforestation
Get PDFAmazonia has the richest primate fauna in the world. Nonetheless, the diversity and distribution of Amazonian primates remain little known and the scarcity of baseline data challenges their conservation. These challenges are especially acute in the Amazonian arc of deforestation, the 2500 km long southern edge of the Amazonian biome that is rapidly being deforested and converted to agricultural and pastoral landscapes. Amazonian marmosets of the genus Mico are little known endemics of this region and therefore a priority for research and conservation efforts. However, even nascent conservation efforts are hampered by taxonomic uncertainties in this group, such as the existence of a potentially new species from the Juruena–Teles Pires interfluve hidden within the M. emiliae epithet. Here we test if these marmosets belong to a distinct species using new morphological, phylogenomic, and geographic distribution data analysed within an integrative taxonomic framework. We discovered a new, pseudo-cryptic Mico species hidden within the epithet M. emiliae, here described and named after Horacio Schneider, the pioneer of molecular phylogenetics of Neotropical primates. We also clarify the distribution, evolutionary and morphological relationships of four other Mico species, bridging Linnean, Wallacean, and Darwinian shortfalls in the conservation of primates in the Amazonian arc of deforestation
The Effect of Body Region on Hair Cortisol Concentration in Common Marmosets (\u3cem\u3eCallithrix jacchus\u3c/em\u3e)
Get PDFCommon marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) are a valuable research model for the study of neuroscience and the biologic impact of aging due to their adaptivity, physiologic characteristics, and ease of handling for experimental manipulations. Quantification of cortisol in hair provides a noninvasive, retrospective biomarker of hypothalamics-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity and information on animal wellbeing, including responses to environmental and social stimuli. To obtain valid and reliable measurements of long-term HPA activity, we investigated the variability of cortisol concentration in the hair depending on the body region of marmosets. Hair was collected from the back and tail of 9 adult common marmosets during annual health screenings (male n = 3; female n = 6) and these samples were analyzed for cortisol via methanol extraction and enzyme immunoassay. We found that hair cortisol concentration differed between the tail and back regions, with the tail samples having a significantly higher cortisol concentration. These results indicate intraindividual and interindividual comparisons of hair cortisol concentration should use hair obtained from the same body region in marmosets
Oxytocin and Addiction: Potential Glutamatergic Mechanisms
Get PDFRecently, oxytocin (OXT) has been investigated for its potential therapeutic role in addiction. OXT has been found to diminish various drug-seeking and drug-induced behaviors. Although its behavioral effects are well-established, there is not much consensus on how this neuropeptide exerts its effects. Previous research has given thought to how dopamine (DA) may be involved in oxytocinergic mechanisms, but there has not been as strong of a focus on the role that glutamate (Glu) has. The glutamatergic system is critical for the processing of rewards and the disruption of glutamatergic projections produces the behaviors seen in drug addicts. We introduce the idea that OXT has direct effects on Glu transmission within the reward processing pathway. Thus, OXT may reduce addictive behaviors by restoring abnormal drug-induced changes in the glutamatergic system and in its interactions with other neurotransmitters. This review offers insight into the mechanisms through which a potentially viable therapeutic target, OXT, could be used to reduce addic-tion-related behaviors
An Exploratory Examination of Internalized Weight Stigma in a Sample Living with Food Insecurity
Get PDFInternalized weight stigma (IWS) is associated with various health concerns, regardless of body size. One weakness of existing IWS research is that it largely lacks diverse study populations. One recent exception, however, found increasing IWS was associated with higher levels of food insecurity (FI) in a low-income, majority Latinx sample. Using the same sample (N = 530), the present study further explored levels of IWS as compared to documented (mostly White/European) samples; we also investigated IWS in relation to three dichotomous eating disorder (ED) outcomes (e.g., any/no vomiting). Finally, based on previous qualitative findings regarding dietary restraint in the most severe level of FI, we explored the independent contribution of dietary restraint and IWS to cross-sectional risk of ED pathology. Results indicated that individuals living with FI experience IWS at concerning levels. Additionally, IWS played a small yet significant role in cross-sectional risk for ED pathology regardless of FI severity, while dietary restraint contributed to independent risk only in those with the most severe FI. Findings suggest that IWS is prevalent in this marginalized population, associated with ED pathology, and that the effect of dietary restraint on risk for ED pathology appears to uniquely impact those living with severe FI
Adapting the Body Project to a Non-Western Culture: A Dissonance-Based Eating Disorders Prevention Program for Saudi Women
No full textPurpose
The main aim of this study was to test the feasibility of an adapted version of the Body Project for young Saudi women as their eating and body issues are comparable to western culture and linked to internalization of westernization. The study also aims to assess predictors of attrition and preliminary effectiveness. Method
The intervention was adapted to local culture in collaboration with a co-director of the Body Project Collaborative. 48 Saudi undergraduate females were recruited, mean age was 19.16 years (SD = 1.23), baseline BMI was (M = 24.42, SD = 5.46). Eating pathology, body image, and comorbidities were assessed pre and post the intervention with adapted self-report measures. Results
The Body Project is feasible for young Saudi women. Participants were willing to enroll, they found the intervention useful, understandable, and enjoyable. There was no difference between completers and non-completers. The preliminary effect sizes are similar or higher than other effectiveness trials in other cultures. Conclusion
A cognitive dissonance-based eating disorders prevention can be applicable across cultures where westernization is an influence. The effectiveness is yet to be affirmed. Future research is needed to investigate effectiveness in further robust studies and a bigger sample. Evidence-based medicine
Level IV (evidence obtained from multiple time series with or without the intervention, such as case studies. Dramatic results in uncontrolled trials might also be regarded as this type of evidence
The Pointe of the Pen: Nineteenth-Century Poetry and the Balletic Imagination
No full textOriginally a courtly art, ballet experienced dramatic evolution (but never, significantly, the prospect of extinction) as attitudes toward courtliness itself shifted in the aftermath of the French Revolution. As a result, it afforded a valuable model to poets who, like Wordsworth and his successors, aspired to make the traditionally codified, formal, and, to some degree, aristocratic art of poetry compatible with the very language of men and, therefore, relevant to a new class of readers. Moreover, as a model, ballet was visible as well as valuable. Dance historians recount the extraordinary popularity of ballet and its practitioners in the nineteenth century, and The Pointe of the Pen challenges literary historians\u27 assertions - sometimes implicit, sometimes explicit - that writers were immune to the balletomania that shaped both Romantic and Victorian England, as well as Europe more broadly. The book draws on both primary documents (such as dance treatises and performance reviews) and scholarly histories of dance to describe the ways in which ballet\u27s unique culture and aesthetic manifest in the forms, images, and ideologies of significant poems by Wordsworth, Byron, Shelley, and Barrett Browning.https://digitalcommons.trinity.edu/mono/1167/thumbnail.jp