Challenges in cross-cultural/multilingual music information seeking

Understanding and meeting the needs of a broad range of music users across different cultures and languages are central in designing a global music digital library. This exploratory study examines cross-cultural/multilingual music information seeking behaviors and reveals some important characteristics of these behaviors by analyzing 107 authentic music information queries from a Korean knowledge search portal Naver (knowledge) iN and 150 queries from Google Answers website. We conclude that new sets of access points must be developed to accommodate music queries that cross cultural or language boundaries

How to plan a successful TEDx conference at West Virginia University

This research paper and the coinciding booklet offer pertinent information to help one plan and organize a successful TEDx conference at West Virginia University. It describes all of the details and explains factors that are unique to this specific event. The information contained in these documents was gathered from planning the first ever TEDxWVU event, which took place on Friday, March 2, 2018 at the Media Innovation Center on the fourth floor of the Evansdale Crossing building. This first event was scheduled to be an all-day event with nine speakers

A Lipid Binding Structure and Functional Analysis of Human ARV1

Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is a combination of risk factors that can over time increase the probability of developing diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Acyl-coenzyme-A: cholesterol O-acyl transferase related enzyme required for viability-1, abbreviated as Arv1, is an evolutionarily conserved putative lipid binding protein. Several studies have implicated hArv1 as a critical regulator of lipid transport and trafficking. Recent work using an Arv1 knock out (KO) mouse model have established a clear link between Arv1 function and the progression of MetS and NAFLD/NASH [unpublished data] [1]. Overall, studies show that KO animals exhibit a reduction in body weight, have less blood circulating cholesterol, are more glucose tolerant and insulin sensitive, and show severely reduced signs of NASH. Little is known about whether Arv1 binds lipids directly and if it is involved in their transport in any way. Here, we explored whether Arv1 could bind lipid, and if so what was its lipid specificity for binding. Moreover, we undertook a structure/function approach to define the critical residues within the hArv1 homology domain (AHD) required for function. Homogeneous time resolved fluorescence (HTRF) assays were used to assess the interactions between Arv1 and specific phospholipids. We found that hArv1 directly binds to phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidic acid (PA), cardiolipin (CL) and hosphatidylserine (PS) with decreasing affinity. Using site directed mutagenesis, we identified specific residues that are required for AHD lipid binding. Overall, we have verified that the AHD of Arv1 does have lipid binding activity. Moreover, we have defined critical residues within the AHD that are required for this binding. Understanding the molecular basis for Arv1 lipid binding will further our understanding of how hArv1 may be contributing to the initiation and/or progression of MetS related diseases

Automatic design of concrete structures using a strut & tie approach

The major part of the work presented in this thesis is an investigation of the strut and tie method for designing 2-D in-plane, reinforced concrete structures. Two important issues relating to this method are addressed. Firstly, the issue of visualising an appropriate strut and tie model is dealt with. In many situations it may be difficult to visualise an appropriate model for a given structural system. Here, a convenient method of visualising strut and tie models is presented. Using elastic finite element analysis, low stressed parts of a structure are removed in a step by step process until the main stress paths, which represent the ties and struts, are defined. The second important issue to be addressed is that of serviceability of the designed structure because the strut and tie model naturally represents a great departure from the elastic stress distribution. Since the strut-tie model is used to design for the ultimate load situation, it is necessary to assess the suitability of the same model in relation to serviceability characteristics of the resulting design. It is important that ductility of the structure should be maintained at ultimate loads while avoiding excessive deflections and cracking at service loads. A wide variety of structures were designed, and to assess the performance of each design, non-linear finite element analysis was used. Verification of some of the numerical results was carried out through physical testing in the laboratory which also allowed the serviceability behaviour of the structures to be assessed. The test program comprised of three corbel joints and two frame corner joints. It was concluded that design from the strut and tie method can produce adequate performance both at service and ultimate loads. In terms of ultimate load prediction, the strut-tie method can produce results of comparable accuracy to non-linear finite element analysis

“WE SANG ALLELUIA, PRAISE THE LORD!”: AFRICAN-AMERICAN IDENTITY AND THE USE AND RECEPTION OF MUSIC WITHIN A SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH IN NEW YORK CITY, 1970 – 2010

The Ephesus Seventh-day Church, one of the first Black SDA churches that were formed in the New York City area during the late 1920s and early 1930s, is one church that has been faced with the challenge of maintaining traditional repertoire and musical practices, while including more popular genres and styles that lay outside the SDA guidelines. Located in Central Harlem, Ephesus is surrounded by the cultural and historical influences within the Harlem community. The Ephesus Church, based on extant hymnals and the recollections of church members, continued in the Euro-centric musical traditions of early SDA churches until the 1960s, when it began to explore African-inspired musical practices. Around 1970, close in time to the SDA 1972 Music Guidelines were instituted, a struggle between Euro-centric versus Afro-centric musical cultures became apparent. Following introductory chapters on the history of African-American membership in the SDA Church from the 19th century to the early 20th century and early musical leaders of Ephesus Church, the musical practices of Ephesus from 1970 to 2010 serves as the focus of this study