Versatile Violin: An Exploration of Violin Repertoire from the Baroque Era to Present Day

Three violin recitals were given in lieu of a written dissertation. The selections in these recitals explore the violin’s versatility. The first recital Wonder Women: Works by Female Composers was comprised of works by Louise Farrenc, Lili Boulanger, Augusta Read Thomas, Chihchun Chi-sun Lee, and Ruth Crawford Seeger. Farrenc and Boulanger exemplified the most traditional treatment of the violin, Seeger pushed the technical limits of the violin with her quartet, Augusta Read Thomas used the violin as a mouthpiece for Incantation, and Chihchun Chi-sun Lee used the violin to emulate a Chinese erhu. The Italian Baroque: Music from Virtuosi was performed on period instruments (baroque violin), with additional performers playing baroque cello and harpsichord. This recital highlighted the technical advances made by virtuoso violinists in eighteenth century Italy and explored the differences between modern and historic performance practice. This program also included Sonata no. 1 op. 1 for Violin and Basso continuo by underrepresented composer Domenico Ferrari, a popular performer and composer during his lifetime and a student of Giuseppe Tartini. The final recital, Folk Revival: Compositions Inspired by American and Irish Traditional Music, contains pieces inspired by fiddle and jazz traditions. The traditional music is present in varying degrees in each of these pieces—Rebecca Clarke simply arranges Irish folk songs for voice and violin; Evan Chambers writes a modern take on an Irish reel; Kenji Bunch writes new melodic material inspired by different American music traditions, and Maurice Ravel uses American jazz as the basis for the “Blues” movement of his sonata (while keeping the remaining two movements in his typical idiom). Tuesday, November 13, 7:30 pm., Stamps Auditorium, The University of Michigan. Naki Kripfgans, piano. Chihchun Chi-sun Lee Provintia “Sunset of Chihkan Tower”; Lili Boulanger Two Pieces for Violin and Piano, I. Nocturne, II. Cortège; Augusta Read Thomas Incantation; Ruth Crawford Seeger String Quartet, I. Rubato assai, II. Leggiero: tempo giusto, III. Andante, IV. Allegro possibile (Rita Wang, violin; Joachim Angster, viola; Richard Narroway, cello); Deuxieme Sonate pour Piano et Violon, I. Allegro grazioso, II. Scherzo. Allegro, III. Adagio, IV. Finale. Allegro. Sunday, February 11, 7:00 pm., Britton Recital Hall, The University of Michigan. David Belkovski, harpsichord. Arcangelo Corelli Violin Sonata in D Minor “La Folia” (Leo Singer, cello); Pietro Locatelli Caprice no. 1 from L’arte del Violino; Domenico Ferrari Sonata no. 1 for Violin and Basso continuo, I. Allegro, II. Largo, III. Allegro; Pietro Nardini Duet no. 2 in E-flat Major, I. Andante, II. Allegro (Rita Wang, violin); Giuseppe Tartini Sonata in G Minor “Devil’s Trill”; I. Andante, II. Allegro, III. Andante-Allegro. Sunday, April 15, 5:00 pm., Stamps Auditorium, The University of Michigan. Kayoko Miyazawa, piano. Rebecca Clarke Three Irish Country Songs, I. I know my love, II. I know where I’m goin’, III. As I was goin’ to Ballynure (Emily Cotten, soprano); Maurice Ravel Sonata no. 2 for Violin and Piano “Blues”, I. Allegretto, II. Blues- Moderato, III. Perpetuum Mobile- Allegro; Evan Chambers The Fire Hose Reel; Kenji Bunch String Circle, I. Lowdown, II. Shuffle Step, III. Ballad, IV. Porch Picking, V. Overdrive (Chihiro Kakishima, violin; Veronika Vassileva, viola; Zola Hightower, viola; Kelsee Vandervall, cello).AMUMusic: PerformanceUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145871/1/adamscm_1.pd

Virtual Education in Kansas: 1998-2014

K-12 virtual education is a growing trend in American education. Virtual education is defined as K-12 online learning experiences led by district-affiliated teachers as part of a structured public school learning program that occur across a distance between the teacher and student in either synchronous or asynchronous modes. Since the first virtual program began in Kansas in 1998, program offerings have spread at a swift rate and now eighty-five districts, approximately thirty percent of all Kansas districts, currently operate virtual programs. As districts in Kansas continue to adopt or consider adopting virtual education as an alternative or supplement to traditional instruction, there is a need to understand the influencing factors surrounding adoption of this educational innovation as well as the pros and cons of this model. This case study exploration of virtual education in Kansas collected data from four sources. First, demographic data for districts utilizing virtual education were compiled from National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and Kansas Department of Education (KSDE) to examine district-level characteristics, such as urbanicity, socioeconomic status, and region in the state. Second, Kansas superintendents were surveyed to explore their perceptions about the educational quality of virtual education and the adoption or non-adoption in their districts. Third, virtual education program directors across the state were also surveyed to examine their perceptions of this model, and fourth, six follow-up interviews were carried out with program directors to understand their beliefs about the strengths and weaknesses of K-12 virtual education in Kansas. This study found that perceptions about the quality and merit of virtual education vary drastically by superintendents across the state of Kansas. Districts chose to adopt virtual education to access the perceived benefits of the model and other districts refrain from adopting virtual education in order to avoid the noted limitations of this model. Isomorphic mimicry is an underlying motivating factor influencing some districts to adopt virtual education in order to be like other districts and join the proverbial bandwagon of this growing trend. The major finding of this study is that virtual education is not a one-size-fits-all educational alternative for the majority of students; program directors clearly articulated that this is not the way in which most students will be successful. Thus, this study contributes to the overall understanding of K-12 virtual education nationwide and specifically articulates, through the voices of district leaders and program directors, the perceived challenges, limitations, and benefits of this model for students and districts in Kansas

Positive leadership:Relationships with employee inclusion, discrimination, and well‐being

The diverse nature of 21st‐century organizations has compelled leaders to minimize discrimination and bring about inclusion amongst their employees. One of the ways this can be achieved is through authentic, respectful, and inclusive leadership. The aim of the present paper was to (1) explore whether the three leadership styles can promote inclusion and curtail discrimination in the South African context and (2) ascertain whether this relationship has any bearing on well‐being across Dutch, German, Icelandic, Indonesian, and South African contexts. To reach these aims, two cross‐sectional studies have been conducted. In Study 1, 569 employees were surveyed, and results indicated that all three leadership styles loaded on a common latent factor (positive leadership) that was positively associated with both inclusion and discrimination. In Study 2, 1,926 employees were surveyed across the five countries. Results indicated that once again, the latent, positive leadership factor was positively associated with both inclusion and discrimination. Furthermore, inclusion, when compared to discrimination seemed to be a stronger mediator in the relationship between positive leadership and well‐being. We propose leadership development that will cultivate positive leadership behaviors for the benefit of employee well‐being and collaboration in increasingly diverse teams

Transcriptional control of subtype switching ensures adaptation and growth of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a heterogeneous disease comprised of a basal-like subtype with mesenchymal gene signatures, undifferentiated histopathology and worse prognosis compared to the classical subtype. Despite their prognostic and therapeutic value, the key drivers that establish and control subtype identity remain unknown. Here we demonstrate that PDA subtypes are not permanently encoded and identify the GLI2 transcription factor as a master regulator of subtype inter- conversion. GLI2 is elevated in basal-like PDA lines and patient specimens and forced GLI2 activation is sufficient to convert classical PDA cells to basal-like. Mechanistically, GLI2 upregulates expression of the pro-tumorigenic secreted protein, Osteopontin (OPN), which is especially critical for metastatic growth in vivo and adaptation to oncogenic KRAS ablation. Accordingly, elevated GLI2 and OPN levels predict shortened overall survival of PDA patients. Thus, the GLI2-OPN circuit is a driver of PDA cell plasticity that establishes and maintains an aggressive variant of this disease

Versatile Violin : An Exploration of Violin Repertoire from the Baroque Era to Present Day / by Christina M. Adams

Tesis de University of Michigan.Three violin recitals were given in lieu of a written dissertation. The selections in these recitals explore the violin’s versatility. The first recital Wonder Women: Works by Female Composers was comprised of works by Louise Farrenc, Lili Boulanger, Augusta Read Thomas, Chihchun Chi-sun Lee, and Ruth Crawford Seeger. Farrenc and Boulanger exemplified the most traditional treatment of the violin, Seeger pushed the technical limits of the violin with her quartet, Augusta Read Thomas used the violin as a mouthpiece for Incantation, and Chihchun Chi-sun Lee used the violin to emulate a Chinese erhu. The Italian Baroque: Music from Virtuosi was performed on period instruments (baroque violin), with additional performers playing baroque cello and harpsichord. This recital highlighted the technical advances made by virtuoso violinists in eighteenth century Italy and explored the differences between modern and historic performance practice. This program also included Sonata no. 1 op. 1 for Violin and Basso continuo by underrepresented composer Domenico Ferrari, a popular performer and composer during his lifetime and a student of Giuseppe Tartini. The final recital, Folk Revival: Compositions Inspired by American and Irish Traditional Music, contains pieces inspired by fiddle and jazz traditions. The traditional music is present in varying degrees in each of these pieces—Rebecca Clarke simply arranges Irish folk songs for voice and violin; Evan Chambers writes a modern take on an Irish reel; Kenji Bunch writes new melodic material inspired by different American music traditions, and Maurice Ravel uses American jazz as the basis for the “Blues” movement of his sonata (while keeping the remaining two movements in his typical idiom). Tuesday, November 13, 7:30 pm., Stamps Auditorium, The University of Michigan. Naki Kripfgans, piano. Chihchun Chi-sun Lee Provintia “Sunset of Chihkan Tower”; Lili Boulanger Two Pieces for Violin and Piano, I. Nocturne, II. Cortège; Augusta Read Thomas Incantation; Ruth Crawford Seeger String Quartet, I. Rubato assai, II. Leggiero: tempo giusto, III. Andante, IV. Allegro possibile (Rita Wang, violin; Joachim Angster, viola; Richard Narroway, cello); Deuxieme Sonate pour Piano et Violon, I. Allegro grazioso, II. Scherzo. Allegro, III. Adagio, IV. Finale. Allegro. Sunday, February 11, 7:00 pm., Britton Recital Hall, The University of Michigan. David Belkovski, harpsichord. Arcangelo Corelli Violin Sonata in D Minor “La Folia” (Leo Singer, cello); Pietro Locatelli Caprice no. 1 from L’arte del Violino; Domenico Ferrari Sonata no. 1 for Violin and Basso continuo, I. Allegro, II. Largo, III. Allegro; Pietro Nardini Duet no. 2 in E-flat Major, I. Andante, II. Allegro (Rita Wang, violin); Giuseppe Tartini Sonata in G Minor “Devil’s Trill”; I. Andante, II. Allegro, III. Andante-Allegro. Sunday, April 15, 5:00 pm., Stamps Auditorium, The University of Michigan. Kayoko Miyazawa, piano. Rebecca Clarke Three Irish Country Songs, I. I know my love, II. I know where I’m goin’, III. As I was goin’ to Ballynure (Emily Cotten, soprano); Maurice Ravel Sonata no. 2 for Violin and Piano “Blues”, I. Allegretto, II. Blues- Moderato, III. Perpetuum Mobile- Allegro; Evan Chambers The Fire Hose Reel; Kenji Bunch String Circle, I. Lowdown, II. Shuffle Step, III. Ballad, IV. Porch Picking, V. Overdrive (Chihiro Kakishima, violin; Veronika Vassileva, viola; Zola Hightower, viola; Kelsee Vandervall, cello)

Analysis of peptide production by Lactobacillus species and evaluation of their antihypertensive and immunomodulatory activities

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among Canadian adults. Research has demonstrated an inverse relationship between the consumption of fermented dairy products and a decreased risk of CVD due to lactic acid bacteria used in the fermentation process which liberate small bioactive peptides from larger milk proteins (eg. casein). We observed that supplementation with 0.1% casein significantly increased the growth rate of L. helveticus R0389 and L. rhamnosus R0011 and increased the ACE-inhibitory activity of their secreted peptide fractions. Peptide-containing supernatants of L. rhamnosus R0011 show comparable ACE inhibition to known antihypertensive peptides, VPP and IPP. Supernatants of milk ferments induced the production of the regulatory cytokine, IL-10, by THP-1 monocytes. Novel antihypertensive and immunomodulatory activities of individually synthesized peptides were also reported. By investigating the relationship between these bioactive properties, we can improve upon the use of probiotic organisms to confer maximal health benefits to Canadians

Motivation, Fortitude and Success: The Impact of Academic Efficacy and Academic Commitment on Academic Performance among Minority High School Students

The importance of understanding the elements of success in the education of minority high school students is immense. Recognizing the causes of academic success for these students allows educators to employ better educational and motivational strategies. It has been shown that academic efficacy and academic commitment have a positive impact on academic performance. However, the interaction and relationship between these two variables in having a positive effect on education outcomes among minority high school students is not clear. This paper looks at the relationship between academic efficacy and academic commitment on academic performance among minority high school students. The findings reveal that academic commitment is positively associated with academic performance. However, while academic efficacy has a positive impact on academic commitment the results show that academic efficacy has no direct impact on academic performance among the respondents

Estimation of Laceration Length by Emergency Department Personnel

Introduction Documentation and billing for laceration repair involves a description of wound length. We designed this study to test the hypothesis that emergency department (ED) personnel can accurately estimate wound lengths without the aid of a measuring device. Methods This was a single-center prospective observational study performed in an academic ED. Seven wounds of varying lengths were simulated by creating lacerations on purchased pigs’ ears and feet. We asked healthcare providers, defined as nurses and physicians working in the ED, to estimate the length of each wound by visual inspection. Length estimates were given in centimeters (cm) and inches. Estimated lengths were considered correct if the estimate was within 0.5 cm or 0.2 inches of the actual length. We calculated the differences between estimated and actual laceration lengths for each laceration and compared the accuracy of physicians to nurses using an unpaired t-test. Results Thirty-two physicians (nine faculty and 23 residents) and 16 nurses participated. All subjects tended to overestimate in cm and inches. Physicians were able to estimate laceration length within 0.5 cm 36% of the time and within 0.2 inches 29% of the time. Physicians were more accurate at estimating wound lengths than nurses in both cm and inches. Both physicians and nurses were more accurate at estimating shorter lengths (5.0 cm). Conclusion ED personnel are often unable to accurately estimate wound length in either cm or inches and tend to overestimate laceration lengths when based solely on visual inspection

High throughput sequencing in acute lymphoblastic leukemia reveals clonal architecture of central nervous system and bone marrow compartments

No abstract available