Community Partner Perspectives of Community-University Partnerships that Support Service Learning

Community partner voices are important to understand because they provide the contexts in which occupational therapy students meet course objectives by applying clinical reasoning theory and developing clinical reasoning skills in a natural context (Witchger-Hansen et al., 2007; Provident, et al., 2011). To sustain these community-university partnerships, faculty must understand how community partners are experiencing these partnerships. This understanding provides the faculty with insight on how to adjust, revise or enhance the partnership process that supports the service-learning pedagogy to sustain this community work of meeting community-identified needs while providing students with an opportunity to apply theory and develop clinical reasoning and professional development skills. The purpose of this three year study was to listen to the voices of community partners who participated in community-university partnerships that support service-learning for occupational therapy students enrolled in a two semester course on clinical reasoning. Specifically, the objectives of this study were to a) understand how community partners experienced community-university partnerships that support service-learning within the department of occupational therapy, and b) understand how community partners\u27 experiences changed over time. Results of the study revealed that community partners experienced the partnership itself through the faculty and the outcomes of the partnership, the service-learning project, through the occupational therapy students. Key findings included issues of effective communication and time when experiencing the partnership itself through the faculty member. When experiencing the service learning projects, community partners discussed developing meaningful relationships, spending time, and communicating effectively. Community partners were satisfied with the partnerships when the service learning projects met client or staff needs. Community partners were disappointed with the partnership when the service learning projects did not meet client or staff needs

Novice Collaboration in Solo and Accompaniment Improvisation

(Abstract to follow

Two Shared Rapid Turn Taking Sound Interfaces for Novices

This paper presents the results of user interaction with two explorative music environments (sound system A and B) that were inspired from the Banda Linda music tradition in two different ways. The sound systems adapted to how a team of two players improvised and made a melody together in an interleaved fashion: Systems A and B used a fuzzy logic algorithm and pattern recognition to respond with modifications of a background rhythms. In an experiment with a pen tablet interface as the music instrument, users aged 10-13 were to tap tones and continue each other's melody. The sound systems rewarded users sonically, if they managed to add tones to their mutual melody in a rapid turn taking manner with rhythmical patterns. Videos of experiment sessions show that user teams contributed to a melody in ways that resemble conversation. Interaction data show that each sound system made player teams play in different ways, but players in general had a hard time adjusting to a non-Western music tradition. The paper concludes with a comparison and evaluation of the two sound systems. Finally it proposes a new approach to the design of collaborative and shared music environments that is based on ''listening applications''

Innervation is higher above Bone Remodeling Surfaces and in Cortical Pores in Human Bone:Lessons from patients with primary hyperparathyroidism

Abstract Mounting evidence from animal studies suggests a role of the nervous system in bone physiology. However, little is known about the nerve fiber localization to human bone compartments and bone surface events. This study reveals the density and distribution of nerves in human bone and the association of nerve profiles to bone remodeling events and vascular structures in iliac crest biopsies isolated from patients diagnosed with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). Bone sections were sequentially double-immunostained for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), a marker for sympathetic nerves, followed by protein gene product 9.5 (PGP9.5), a pan-neuronal marker, or double-immunostained for either PGP9.5 or TH in combination with CD34, an endothelial marker. In the bone marrow, the nerve profile density was significantly higher above remodeling surfaces as compared to quiescent bone surfaces. Ninety-five percentages of all nerve profiles were associated with vascular structures with the highest association to capillaries and arterioles. Moreover, vasculature with innervation was denser above bone remodeling surfaces. Finally, the nerve profiles density was 5-fold higher in the intracortical pores compared to bone marrow and periosteum. In conclusion, the study shows an anatomical link between innervation and bone remodeling in human bone