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An Industrious Little Devil - Tolkien’s Development of the Elvish Languages at Leeds
Get PDFConference paper given at Medieval Conferences in Leeds and Kalamazoo which explore Tolkien’s development of the Elvish languages at Leeds (1920-1925)
Gifted Amateurs and Other Essays on Tolkien, the Inklings, and Fantasy Literature (2023), by David Bratman
Get PDFBook review, by Douglas C. Kane, of Gifted Amateurs and Other Essays on Tolkien, the Inklings, and Fantasy Literature (2023), by David Bratma
Healthier Together: A Holistic Office Protocol Addressing the Chronic Nature of Children and Adolescents with ADHD
Get PDFAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a highly prevalent, chronic condition with symptoms that include inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. ADHD affects six million children in the United States (Tran et al., 2021). The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to implement a holistic office protocol that addressed the chronicity and future health outcomes of children and adolescents, ages 2-17 years with ADHD through stimulant or non-stimulant medication prescriptions, behavioral therapy referrals, and education surrounding diet, and exercise. A comprehensive, systematic literature search yielded 16 articles to determine best practice when treating children and adolescents with ADHD in primary or pediatric care settings. The gold standard treatment included medication and behavioral therapy and additional recommendations included treating the whole person through diet and exercise to combat symptom management and future negative-health outcomes. Initial Vanderbilt and body mass index (BMI) scores were recorded at the time of intervention, followed by 12 weeks of an office protocol that included stimulant or non-stimulant medication prescription, behavioral therapy referrals and education on diet and exercise. Patients and caregivers tracked progress to increase awareness and create conversations at weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12. Post-intervention Vanderbilt and BMI scores compared to pre-intervention scores. The Vanderbilt Symptoms and Performance scales and BMI were scored and assessed for normality (Shapiro & Wilk, 1965). The Symptoms scale was judged to be normally distributed; the Performance scale was judged to not be distributed normally, and BMI was judged to be normally distributed. There was no statistical evidence of a decrease in symptoms as measured by the Vanderbilt Symptoms scale. There was statistical evidence of a decrease in performance as operationalized by the Vanderbilt Performance scale. There was no statistical evidence of a decrease in BMI. McNemar’s test revealed no difference between obesity in the pre-intervention and the post-intervention. Further research is needed to address the positive benefits of an office protocol that addresses the chronic nature of ADHD
Tomorrow\u27s Odyssey: Love, Scars, and Change
Get PDFGabrielle Zevin says her novel Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, published in 2022, is about art, love, video games and time. The games that the main characters Sam and Sadie create reflect outstanding artistry, but they also capture their loving relationship, as it evolves, changes, bruises, and at times, scars. In spite of the challenges in their relationship, intertextual literary motifs and imagery from the epic novel The Odyssey and the Blaschka glass models housed in The Harvard Museum of Natural History in Cambridge, Massachusetts, illuminate their love. The Blaschka exhibit is also the gateway to Sam and Sadie’s journey as game designers, whose artful creations epitomize their evolving love; the artistry of the glass models and their uncanny resemblance to real flowers and fruit, however, are also a tribute to the art and beauty of imperfection. Scars become a symbol of identity for Odysseus at the end of The Odyssey, since they persist despite the bruising from his lived experiences and like these scars, Sam and Sadie’s artful games also persist as reflections of their evolving relationship. In spite of the novel’s immediate success and literary richness, its recent publication date means that there is little published scholarship on Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. My essay Tomorrow’s Odyssey: Love, Scars, and Change published on the multimodal interface Scalar, contributes to this scholarship and will also serve as the basis for this presentation
Antimicrobial Activities of Several Argemone mexicana-Inspired Phytocompounds
Get PDFThe creation of novel antimicrobial agents is currently at the forefront of modern healthcare due to a stark decrease in antimicrobial drug development in recent years and due to the increasing rise of “superbugs” that are resistant to more than one type of antimicrobial treatment, which are predicted by 2050 to cause 10 million deaths/year. Our research is focused on testing bacterial and fungal pathogens against methanolic and hexane extracts of various medicinal plants, such as Argemone mexicana. From previous work by our group, several antimicrobial compounds were isolated from the roots and leaves of A. mexicana, including berberine, chelerythrine and sanguinarine (work published in PLOS ONE in 2021). Since then, we have synthesized multiple rationally-designed variants of these original phytocompounds (fourteen berberine and four chelerythrine variants) and have tested these A. mexicana-inspired phytocompounds for altered antimicrobial activities. Interestingly, several of these variant compounds show increased antibacterial effects against gram-positive bacteria, yet reduced toxicity against the eukaryotic fungal cell lines tested. Moreover, based on an alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assay, it appears that the altered antimicrobial actions of some of these unique variants may be due changes in the permeability of the cell envelope, resulting in the leakage of intracellular proteins. This work was published in Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry in 2023. In the time since, we have tested A. mexicana extracts and several variants in a microgravity environment using a clinostat. We have also synthesized eight more berberine variants and tested them against various pathogens. Some of these new variants show even greater antimicrobial activity than the previous variants
Guitar Soundboard Research Project
No full textAcoustic guitars are constructed using distinctive bracings, the purpose of which is to preserve the structural integrity of the guitar, as well as enhance the quality of the sound. This project investigates the effect of guitar bracings on sound quality and its characteristics. The present study experimentally investigated the oscillations of guitar soundboards and its effect on human perception of sound quality. An impact hammer was used on the bridge of the guitar to produce the oscillations, and the data were collected using a capacitive probe to measure the displacement of the soundboard. Three guitars were used in this study- two of which being the same model with an X bracing pattern and the other a different model with a fan bracing pattern. By comparing the frequencies at which these guitars oscillate, we were able to gain an understanding of how the structure of the soundboard, including its interior bracings, affects the sound and its quality. To analyze the effect of the sound on human perception, a pilot test was performed, during which subjects were asked to describe the sound they were hearing using a questionnaire. Performing a pilot test gives more information on how sound varies for guitars with different bracings
Resonance of Response: Mahler’s Journey with his First Symphony in the Face of Criticism
No full textGustav Mahler\u27s Symphony No. 1 in D Major Titan initially faced criticism from both critics and the composer himself. The work premiered in Budapest in 1889, when Mahler was filling in for the ill music director of the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra. Taking into consideration the audience’s reaction and his own experiences, Mahler revised the symphony, reflecting a combination of external criticism and internal artistic conflict. This research paper examines the context of the symphony\u27s composition, analyzing reviews by esteemed critics such as Eduard Hanslick, and statements from Mahler, Alma Mahler, and their contemporaries. Through this analysis, recurring themes in the critiques and insights into Mahler\u27s personal life shed light on the origination of Symphony No. 1 and Mahler\u27s compositional process. Scholars such as Jens Malte Fischer and Thomas Peattie have contributed to the knowledge of Gustav Mahler’s First Symphony from both the theoretical and biographical standpoint. While there has been extensive research around the background of “Titan” and its impact on music history, there is currently a void this paper intends to fill in the area that directly relates Mahler’s revisions to the work to its reception. The revisions made to Titan exemplify Mahler\u27s responsiveness to feedback and his ongoing battle for progress in music history. By examining his mixture of artistic vision, audience reaction, and personal background, this paper brings out the complexities of Mahler\u27s creative process and his impact on the symphonic tradition
The exploration of gender references in children\u27s books
No full textBooks are a key aspect of children’s world. The American Academy of Pediatrics (2021) recommends that children should be read to every day beginning at birth. While books are important, we know fairly little about the content of books, especially the language presented in them. We know that books are one area where children are exposed to different concepts and ideas and they transfer the information they learn from books into real-world contexts (Strouse et al., 2018). In many languages, like English, there is often the male as-norm perspective where many generic forms of words are masculine in nature. Due to this, there is an increase in gender stereotypes, inequalities, and misattributions (Vainapel et al., 2015). Therefore we predict that males will be represented more in the language of the books than females.
The top 100 picture books from two Indiana counties (N=200), based on circulation data from the county libraries, will be assessed. We have already received the data on the top children’s books from both counties and have been transcribing the books. We will use the program LIWC to analyze the transcripts for male and female references. LIWC is a widely used text analysis tool.
We hypothesize there will be significantly more male references compared to female references in children’s picture books. We will use paired samples t-tests to see if this hypothesis is supported. Frequency and descriptive statistics will be used to understand the amount of male and female references in the picture books
LyricSync
No full textIn collaboration with a local church, this project hopes to streamline the process of presenting lyrics during church services by developing an automated system that synchronizes with Renewed Vision’s Propresenter live production software suite. Traditional methods of advancing lyric slides often rely on manual cues or predetermined timing, resulting in occasional delays or mismatches with live performances and a dedicated operator. To address this challenge, our system takes microphone input from singers, employing a speech-to-text program to accurately interpret vocal cues. This feature is particularly crucial as the song order may be changed during the service, preventing smooth loading and necessitating a system that can adapt dynamically. Through real-time processing, the system automatically advances lyric slides on Propresenter, ensuring seamless synchronization with the musicians. Our system hosts the lyric slides and the script to allow ease of the synchronization and full control of what is being displayed. By leveraging technology to streamline this aspect of church services, our project contributes to the modernization and efficiency of worship practices, ultimately fostering a more engaging and harmonious worship experience for both online and in-person congregants
Expression to Experimentation: The Effect of Emotional Theories on the Transition from Romantic to Modernist Music
No full textDuring the shift from Romanticism to Modernism, scientific theories of emotion became more prevalent and widespread. Emerging theories based on understanding emotional responses and human behavior, such as the James-Lange theory, Freudian theory, and behaviorist theory led to changing cultural attitudes toward the nature of emotion and expression. This paper describes how the principal emotional theories of the late 19th and early 20th century affected European composers’ compositional techniques during the Modernist era compared to the earlier Romantic era. Through correlational study and a comparative analysis of Frederic Chopin’s Nocturne in C-sharp minor and Arnold Schoenberg’s Suite for piano, Op. 25, this paper describes and contrasts the varied characteristics of emotional expression, including of harmony, rhythmic variation, tempo, dynamic contrast, and form in each piece. In addition, this paper briefly introduces the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff, a composer who changed his compositional techniques during his career as new emotion theories were discovered and cultural attitudes toward emotional expression shifted. While several scholars have described emotional expression in different periods of music history (Taylor, 2009; Dahlhaus, 1980) and others have explained the emergence of emotion theories during the 20th century (Reisenzein, 2020; Dixon, 2003), few have explained that these theories contributed to this shift in musical styles in the 20th century. The introduction of new emotion theories and the change in cultural attitudes toward emotion during the late 19th century led to a shift from the emotionally driven romantic music of the 19th century to more experimental modernist music