402 research outputs found
The evolution of the jazz vocal song: what comes after the Great American Song Book?
No full textThis MA research project was originally motivated by the desire to explain the powerful dominance of standard songs from the Great American Songbook in the repertoire of jazz singers. This term refers to a large body of songs written in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, by Cole Porter, Gershwin, Rogers and Hammerstein, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin and others, often as part of musicals, which have become the standard repertoire for singers in the jazz idiom. After all, many of these songs were written over 70 years ago and both audiences and singers seem happy with that fact. However, given the advance of instrumental jazz into new vehicles, it seems sensible to analyse and explain this domination of the singer’s repertoire, whilst at the same time, come up with some pointers to the future.
Initial findings suggest the following general conclusions. The Great American Songbook is still dominant in the jazz vocal repertoire, but there are a number of trends to show that some singers are keen to develop new ideas. The research has
found that there is a richness and variety in the contemporary jazz vocal. Whilst the domination of the Great American Songbook remains strong, there has been a major trend towards using popular songs from the 1960s to the present day, plus a body of original new songs, and lyrics being written for existing jazz tunes. Rock, folk and hip hop elements are present and a move away from a swing emphasis towards a more groove-based approach has been seen. However, in addition to new material, what has been noticed is an innovative approach to the actual performance of the song.
While some very competent exponents of the standard jazz song are filling halls and selling CDs, the flame of innovation is also thriving, in keeping with the great ability of jazz to absorb influences and reinvent itself. The portfolio of songs, submitted as part of the project, reflects this writer’s creative and musical take on the research and attempts to show the direction in which the jazz vocal song may be moving. The CD essentially contains rough demos of songs composed by the writer. They can be seen as frameworks for others to develop and interpret further
Tissue engineering of a tracheal substitute
No full textLectin histochemistry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to assess the growth and characterise the differentiation of human respiratory epithelial cells (REC) cultured on two biomaterial scaffolds. The first scaffold, based on a hyaluronic acid derivative, was observed to be non-adhesive for REC. This lack of adhesion was found to be unrelated to the presence of the hyaluronic acid binding domain on the surface of isolated REC. The other scaffold, consisting of equine collagen, was observed to encourage REC spreading and adhesion. Positive Ulex Europaeus agglutinin (UEA) lectin staining of this preparation indicated the presence of ciliated REC on the scaffold surface. However, the marked decrease in peanut agglutinin (PNA) positive staining, relative to that of control cultures and native tissue, indicates a dedifferentiation of the secretory cells in monolayer. SEM analysis of REC cultured on the collagen scaffold confirmed the presence of ciliated cells thereby validating the UEA positive staining. The presence of both established and developing cilia was also verified. This indicates that collagen biomaterials are appropriate for the tissue engineering of REC. Furthermore, that UEA and PNA staining is a useful tool in the characterisation of cells cultured on biomaterials, therefore helpful in identifying biomaterials that are suitable for specific tissue engineering purposes.
The culture of REC at an air liquid interface (ALI) was investigated. Both conventional ALI inserts and the Biofleece scaffold were used. The cells grown the on conventional inserts became multilayered and showed some degree of ciliation after the period of ten days. The cells grown on the Biofleece scaffold became necrotic and died due to nutrient deprivation. The use of ALI culture techniques on scaffold materials needs to be adjusted to allow for sufficient nutrient supply to the cells.
The Biofleece scaffold was found to be suitable for the tissue engineering of cartilage in vitro. Constructs with a cartilage-like morphology were generated with the scaffold after two weeks in culture. The tissue-engineered cartilage was found to contain a higher number of cells and less extracellular matrix (ECM) than the native tissue controls. Suction seeding techniques were used to improve the distribution of cells within the scaffold and thereby increase the overall efficiency of cartilage tissue engineering within the scaffold. Alcian blue (AB) and Papanicolau (PN) stains of the tissue engineered cartilage described two distinct regions within the constructs, namely the developed cartilage-like region and the developing region. The latter is thought to be areas in which the cartilage cells are yet to fully remodel the scaffold material and deposit their own “native” ECM. However, the Biofleece scaffold material was observed to loose 40-50% of its initial volume during the tissue engineering process over a period of two weeks. Thus the degradation of the Biofleece scaffold exceeds the rate of maturation of the cartilage tissue within the scaffold. This rapid biodegradation is most likely a result of matrixmetalloproteinase (MMP), in particular collagenase, production by the maturing chondrocytes. This reduction in size means that the Biofleece scaffold is not an appropriate material for the tissue engineering of a trachea. The optimal biomaterial for the tissue engineering of a trachea would degrade at a rate equal too, or slower than, the time taken for the cells within the scaffold to mature into functional tissue.
The co-culture of REC and chondrocytes was achieved through the use of matrigel as a basement membrane replacement (note that direct growth of REC on cartilage tissue has been observed to be difficult). The co-cultured constructs were not stable because the Biofleece scaffold degrades at a high rate in the presence of both cell types. The constructs were observed to shrink to approximately 35-30% of the original dimensions in a period of 3-7 days. The reason for this accelerated degradation is not known but is most likely the result of severe MMP production by the two cell types when in combination.
It was concluded that the characterisation procedures used in this study (histochemical staining, fluorescent staining and scanning electron microscopy) for both REC and chondrocyte tissue engineered constructs are appropriate for this and further studies. The chondrocyte seeding methodologies in particular are a useful tool for tissue engineering. This study succeeds in many ways to investigate the tissue engineering of a tracheal substitute by detailing how REC and chondrocytes can be cultured on biomaterials and assessed for tissue development. However, the study does not deliver such a viable substitute as an end product. The primary reason for this outcome is the rapid degradation of the Biofleece scaffold materialLectin Histochemie und Elektronenmikroskopie wurden benutzt, um das Wachstum von humanen respiratorischen Epithelzellen (RECs), welche auf zwei Biomaterialien kultiviert wurden, festzusetzen und ihren Differenzierungsgrad zu bestimmen. Das erste Trägermaterial, welches auf einem Hyaluronsäurederivat basiert, ließ keine Anheftung der RECs zu. Diese fehlende Anheftung ließ sich jedoch nicht zurückführen auf das Vorhandensein der Hyaluronsäure bindenden Domaine auf der Oberfläche isolierter RECs. Das andere Trägermaterial, aus Pferdekollagen hergestellt, zeigte dagegen eine verstärkte Teilungsaktivität und Anheftung der REC. Die positive Ulex Europaeus Agglutinin (UEA) Lectin Färbung dieser Proben ließ die Anwesenheit von mit Zilien versehenen RECs auf der Trägerstoffoberfläche vermuten. Darüber hinaus weist das im Vergleich zu Kontrollkulturen und nativem Gewebe deutliche Nachlassen der positiven Peanut Agglutinin–Färbereaktion auf eine Dedifferenzierung der sekretorischen Zellen in der Monolayer-Kultur hin. Die rasterelektronenmikroskopische Untersuchung der auf dem Kollagenbiomaterial kultivierten RECs bestätigte das Auftreten von Zellen mit Zilien und damit auch die Aussagekräftigkeit der positiven UEA–Färbung. Dies zeigt somit, dass Biomaterialien aus Kollagen für das Tissue Engineering von RECs geeignet sind und dass sowohl die UEA–als auch die PNA–Färbung geeignete Methoden zur Charakterisierung von Zellen darstellen, die auf Biomaterialien kultiviert wurden. Somit helfen sie bei der Identifizierung von Biomaterialien für bestimmte Einsatzgebiete im Tissue Engineering.
Des weiteren wurde die Kultivierung von RECs auf einem Air liquid interface (ALI) untersucht, wobei sowohl der konventionelle ALI–Einsatz als auch das Biovliesmaterial zum Einsatz kamen. Dabei wuchsen die Zellen auf dem konventionellen Einsatz in Multilayern und zeigten nach einem Zeitraum von 10 Tagen einen bestimmten Anteil an Ziliierung. Die Zellen auf dem Biovlies dagegen wurden nekrotisch und gingen schließlich an Nahrungsmangel ein. Deshalb muss der Einsatz von ALI–Kulturtechniken bei Trägermaterialien dementsprechend modifiziert werden, dass eine ausreichende Versorgung der Zellen mit Nährstoffen gewährleistet ist.
Für das in vitro–Tissue Engineering von Knorpel erwies sich das Biovlies jedoch als geeignet. Mit ihm konnten nach zwei Wochen Kulturzeit Konstrukte mit einer knorpelähnlichen Morphologie erzeugt werden. Dabei zeigte sich, dass der Tissue Engineering–Knorpel eine höhere Zellzahl bei reduzierter extrazellulärer Matrix (ECM) aufwies als vergleichbares natives Kontrollgewebe. Dabei wurden Saugtechniken benutzt, um die Verteilung der Zellen im Trägerstoff zu verbessern. Die Alzian – Blau – Färbung (AB) und Papanicolau – Färbung (PN) zeigten bei dem Tissue Engineering–Knorpel zwei unterschiedliche Regionen innerhalb des Konstrukts, nämlich eine knorpelähnliche bereits entwickelte Region und eine sich entwickelnde Region. Bei letzterer dürfte es sich wohl um Gebiete handeln, in denen Zellen noch im Begriff sind, den Trägerstoff vollends umzubauen und ihre eigene „native“ ECM abzulagern. Nichtsdestoweniger büßte das Biovlies während des Tissue Engineering Prozesses über einen Zeitraum von zwei Wochen annähernd 40-50 % seines anfänglichen Volumens ein. Somit übersteigt das Ausmaß der Degradation des Biovlieses das des Heranreifens von Knorpelgewebe in dem Trägermaterial. Diese schnelle Biodegradation ist am ehesten das Ergebnis der Aktivität von Matrixmetalloproteinasen (MMP), insbesondere der Kollagenase, welche von reifenden Chondrozyten produziert wird. Diese Schrumpfung bedeutet also, dass das Biovlies kein geeignetes Material für das Tissue Engineering der Trachea darstellt. Denn ein optimales Biomaterial für das Tissue Engineering der Trachea sollte sich innerhalb derselben Zeit bzw. über einen längeren Zeitraum hinweg abbauen, als innerhalb desjenigen, den die sich in dem Trägermaterial befindlichen Zellen benötigen, um zu funktionalem Gewebe heranzureifen.
Durch den Einsatz von Matrigel als Ersatz für die Basalmembran konnte eine Kokultur aus RECs und Chondrozyten etabliert werden (wobei anzumerken ist, dass sich direktes Wachstum von RECs auf Knorpelgewebe als problematisch erweist). Die Konstrukte aus Kokulturen waren nicht stabil, da das Biovlies in Anwesenheit beider Zelltypen hochgradig abgebaut wird. Innerhalb von 3–7 Tagen schrumpften die Konstrukte auf ca. 35–50 % ihrer Ausgangsgröße zusammen. Der Grund für diesen beschleunigten Abbau ist unbekannt, jedoch ist am ehesten eine ausgeprägte Produktion von MMP durch die beiden Zellarten anzunehmen, sobald diese in Kombination vorliegen.
Insgesamt lässt sich sagen, dass die Methoden zur Zell- und Gewebecharakterisierung, welche in dieser Studie benutzt wurden (histochemische Färbungen, Fluoreszenzfärbung und Elektronenmikroskopie) sowohl für mit RECs als auch mit Chondrozyten hergestellte Konstrukte für die vorliegende Arbeit als auch zukünftige Studien als geeignet anzusehen sind. Diese Studie hat in vielerlei Hinsicht erfolgreich das Tissue Engineering einer Luftröhre untersuchen können, indem sie im Detail aufzeigt, wie RECs und Chondrozyten auf Biomaterialien kultiviert und für das Tissue Engineering eingesetzt werden können. Trotzdem kann diese Arbeit kein einsetzbares Ersatzmaterial als Endprodukt liefern. Der Hauptgrund für dieses Ergebnis ist in erster Linie in dem schnellen Abbau des Biovlieses als Trägermaterial zu sehen
Awareness and use of assistive technology among older adults with vision impairments in the Midwestern United States
No full textPlan BOlder adults with vision impairments make up more than 18% of the population of the United States (Boswell, 2000; Braille Institute, 2000). If these trends continue an estimated 13 million older adults are likely to be affected by a visual impairment or blindness in the next 20 to 30 years. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2002) and the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics (2000), there are significantly higher proportions of older adults in certain states around the country. States with the highest numbers of older adults who experience a visual impairment are centered within the Midwestern region of the United States (National Eye Institute, 2002). Older adults who are visually impaired find it increasingly difficult to perform daily living activities and remaining independent. The use of assistive technology may play a significant role in the lives of older adults who are visually impaired or blind. Current research however, indicates that most older adults with disabilities, including those with vision loss are unaware of the availability of devices to improve their independent functioning (Russell, 1997; Campell, 1999; Gitlin, 2002). At the same time, studies suggest that maintaining independence is one of greatest concerns among older adults (Mack, 1997). Additionally, research has shown that older adults with vision impairments have a 15% higher probability of being admitted to a nursing home than other older adults (Moore, 1994). There is a need to examine the level of awareness and use of adaptive devices among older adults who are visually impaired or blind, and of the possible effects assistive technology may have on their quality of life. The current study examined the level of awareness and frequency of use of assistive technology devices among older persons with visual impairments in the Midwestern United States. Awareness and use of assistive technology was measured among 113 adults more than 55 years of age who were identified as experiencing a visual impairment, and who resided in the three states of Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Information was gathered through the use of a survey designed by the primary researcher for this study. Additional areas of information gathered by the researcher included demographic information, medical and health issues, safety, timeliness of services, and available funding sources. Results suggest that older adults with visual impairments were not aware of assistive technology that is available to enhance general activities of daily living. Magnifiers and Close Circuit Televisions (CCTV) were the most commonly used forms of assistive technology among participants in the survey, which corresponds to the reported limitations of reading and writing. While no statistically significant findings were found, there were some important trends to consider. Overall, participants in the study were not concerned with safety or general medical and health needs. At the same time, a large number of survey respondents indicated that they had at least one disabling condition in addition to their visual loss. Many had two or more additional disabling conditions. Deafness and cardiovascular disease were found to be the top two secondary health conditions. Perhaps the most distressing results related to the lack of available funding to support assistive technology purchases. The vast majority (87.6%) of respondents choose “self-pay” as their primary funding source for assistive technology. Results suggest the need for increased education about available technology to enhance daily living skills as well as identification of funding sources to support technology for older adults with visual impairments
Interventions That Promote Self-Determination for Students With or At-Risk For Emotional and Behavioral Disorders in School Settings: A Quality Review and Meta-Analysis of the Single Case Literature
No full textSelf-Determination has been proven to increase positive outcomes for students with disabilities. Students with and at-risk for emotional behavioral disorders (EBD) have the poorest outcomes among all students with disabilities. Previous literature has identified 12 elements, which can be implemented as interventions to promote self-determination. This meta-analysis explores interventions that promote self-determination for students with and at-risk for EBD through the following research questions: (a) What are the characteristics of SCR studies, published through March 2019, that promote self-determination for students with or at-risk of EBD in a school setting?, (b) How do the identified SCR studies describe the participants, settings, measures, research designs, and primary interventions?, (c) What self-determination elements (Wehmeyer, 1997) are incorporated within the interventions?, (d) What is the quality of the identified SCR studies according to the What Works Clearinghouse Design Standards?, (e) What is the overall effect of interventions that promote self-determination for students with or at-risk of EBD in a school setting?, and (f) What are the effects of potential moderating variables among interventions that promote self-determination for students with or at-risk of EBD in a school setting?
Studies that promote self-determination for students with and at-risk for emotional behavioral disorder (EBD) were identified using a comprehensive search of the literature. A coding system was developed and used to identify study characteristics. The quality of each included study was determined using the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Design Standards. Data were extracted from the single case research design graphs within each study and then analyzed using the effect size estimate Baseline Corrected Tau. Variables were identified to moderate the effectiveness of the interventions.
Twenty-nine studies met WWC Design Standards Without Reservations or WWC Design Standards With Reservations, and were included in this meta-analysis. Overall effect size estimates reveal a score of 0.59 (confidence intervals at 95% = 0.55, 0.63; p < 0.001). Based on the findings of this meta-analysis, interventions that promote self-determination for students with or at-risk for EBD is most effective (has larger effect sizes) when: (a) the participant is females, (b) the dependent variable measures academic skills, (c) intervention is implemented within a general education setting, (d) the instructional format of the intervention is one-on-on instruction, (e) the teacher implements the intervention, and (f) goal setting and attainment is incorporated into the primary intervention. Implications for practice, limitations to the study, and recommendations for future research are presented.
Overall, this study demonstrates that promoting self-determination improves educational and academic outcomes for students with and at-risk of EBD in kindergarten through high school settings. Furthermore, interventions that promote self-determination build readiness skills for postsecondary employment, training, and education, that could lead to more positive postsecondary opportunities for students with and at-risk for EBD
Histochemical studies of mucopolysaccharides in the notochord and notochordal sheath of amphibian larvae, 1969
No full textHistochemical preparations were made of sections of the tail region of Rana catesbeiana larvae in order to determine the relative content of mucopolysaccharides within the notochord and notochordal sheath. The notochordal sheath of larval amphibians is found immediately adjacent to the peripheral notochordal cells and consists of two components: an inner fibrous lamella and an outer elastic lamella. The toluidine blue, Alcian blue and Schmorl's thionine staining methods were used. Animals used in the investigation were from 6-12 cm in length, measured from the snout to the tip of the tail. Without anaesthetiza-tion, the tails were amputated immediately below the body cavity and fixed in Bouin's fluid. Following fixation, the tissue sections were embedded in paraffin in the usual manner and stained. The results of this investigation showed that mucopolysaccharides were present in significant amounts in the inner fibrous lamella, the vacuolated and peripheral notochordal cells, the adjacent peri-elastic layer and fibers of the reticulum. In no cases were these substances found in the outer elastic lamella
Institutional Racism and the Dynamics of Privilege in Public Health
No full textInstitutional racism, a pattern of differential access to material resources and power determined by race, advantages one sector of the population while disadvantaging another. Such racism is not only about conspicuous acts of violence but can be carried in the hold of mono-cultural perspectives. Overt state violation of principles contributes to the backdrop against which much less overt yet insidious violations occur. New Zealand health policy is one such mono-cultural domain. It is dominated by western bio-medical discourses that preclude and under-value Māori, the indigenous peoples of this land, in the conceptualisation, structure, content, and processes of health policies, despite Te Tiriti o Waitangi guarantees to protect Māori interests.
Since the 1980s, the Department of Health has committed to honouring the Treaty of Waitangi as the founding document of Māori-settler relationships and governance arrangements. Subsequent Waitangi Tribunal reports, produced by an independent Commission of Inquiry have documented the often-illegal actions of successive governments advancing the interests of Pākehā at the expense of Māori. Institutional controls have not prevented inequities between Māori and non-Māori across a plethora of social and economic indicators.
Activist scholars work to expose and transform perceived inequities. My research interest lies in how Crown Ministers and officials within the public health sector practice institutional racism and privilege and how it can be transformed. Through dialogue with Māori working within the health sector, fuelled by critical analysis and strategic advice from a research whānau (family) of Māori health leaders and a Pākehā Tiriti worker, and embracing the traditions of feminist and critical race theory I provide evidence of racism that can invoke strong emotional reactions. More disturbing is its normalisation to nigh imperceptibility within ones personal and professional life. The exposure of racism as a socially created phenomenon is a strength of the research presented here.
My action orientation is my ethical response. Honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi is a pathway to transforming racism. Such change is likely to be resisted by the Pākehā majority. This anticipated resistance is not a credible reason to weaken responsibility for such necessary change. Transforming institutional racism needs to be driven by senior managers, professional bodies, unions, and by communities. Policies, practices and leadership that enable institutional racism need to be systematically eliminated from the health sector. Crown officials must be supported to strengthen their professional accountabilities and to embrace ethical bicultural practice. Greater transparency could enable more effective monitoring of Crown behaviour and support transformed practice
2006 Author Recognition Bibliography
No full texthttps://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/authorrecognition/1008/thumbnail.jp
Genetic risk and a primary role for cell-mediated immune mechanisms in multiple sclerosis
No full textMultiple sclerosis is a common disease of the central nervous system in which the interplay between inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes typically results in intermittent neurological disturbance followed by progressive accumulation of disability. Epidemiological studies have shown that genetic factors are primarily responsible for the substantially increased frequency of the disease seen in the relatives of affected individuals, and systematic attempts to identify linkage in multiplex families have confirmed that variation within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) exerts the greatest individual effect on risk. Modestly powered genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have enabled more than 20 additional risk loci to be identified and have shown that multiple variants exerting modest individual effects have a key role in disease susceptibility. Most of the genetic architecture underlying susceptibility to the disease remains to be defined and is anticipated to require the analysis of sample sizes that are beyond the numbers currently available to individual research groups. In a collaborative GWAS involving 9,772 cases of European descent collected by 23 research groups working in 15 different countries, we have replicated almost all of the previously suggested associations and identified at least a further 29 novel susceptibility loci. Within the MHC we have refined the identity of the HLA-DRB1 risk alleles and confirmed that variation in the HLA-A gene underlies the independent protective effect attributable to the class I region. Immunologically relevant genes are significantly overrepresented among those mapping close to the identified loci and particularly implicate T-helper-cell differentiation in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis
Increased Carotid Thickness in Subjects with Recently-Diagnosed Diabetes from Rural Cameroon
No full textPMCID: PMC3423396This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Transportation and Infrastructure, Retail Clustering, and Local Public Finance: Evidence from Wal-Mart's Expansion
No full textThe author examines the role highway infrastructure and local property tax rate variability play in retail agglomeration in Indiana from 1988 through 2003. To account for data errors and the potential endogeneity of taxes and infrastructure on retail agglomeration, he introduces a unique identification strategy that exploits the entrance timing and location of Wal-Mart stores in Indiana. Using a time-series cross-sectional model of Indiana’s 92 counties from 1988 through 2003, he estimates the impact highway infrastructure, property taxes, and big-box competition have in creating regional agglomerations. Among two separate specifications and a full and rural-only set of the data, the author finds considerable agreement in the results. In the full sample, he finds no relationship between property tax rates or highway infrastructure and retail agglomeration. Within the non-metropolitan statistical area (MSA) counties, this relationship is very modest, though it possesses considerable statistical certainty. Highway impacts within the non-MSA counties are significant and positively related to retail agglomeration, with the presence of highways explaining about 10 percent of total agglomeration variability. (JEL R11, R53)Infrastructure; endogeneity; taxation; Wal-Mart
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