Spatial and subjective points-of-audition in binaural recordings

Binaural microphones worn in the ears of the recordist and plugged into a portable recording device are a discrete and portable way to capture audio recordings. The binaural audio, when heard over headphones, ideally presents an externalised and immersive recreation of sounds as heard by the recordist. Amongst the potential uses for this recording and playback method is the vivid presentation of a subjective point-of-audition meaning the listener hears events from the perspective of an active participant in the soundscape. In recordings of music this means that the listener can hear the performance ‘through the ears’ of a performer. Editing can be used to move between the points-of-audition of different performers or to incorporate recordings from spatial points-of-audition (where the listener perceives the soundscape from the perspective of a non-presence as in most audio recordings). As with Michel Chion’s explanations of spatial and subjective points-of-audition in film sound in his 1994 book Audio-Vision, the presentation will clarify these terms using comparable examples of camera shots. The creative use of subjective and spatial points-of-audition will then be illustrated using audio examples of free improvisation, found sound composition and soundscape composition and their use in other areas of mainstream and non-mainstream music will be discussed

Alien

An acousmatic composition presented as part of Circuit Bridges at the MC Gallery New York September 201

Developing annotated bibliographies : a tool for education, collaboration and research development

The purpose of this paper is to present the process of developing an annotated bibliography as a tool for education and research. The authors of the paper will describe the process and demonstrate the findings from two recently completed bibliographies around pain in the older adult and pain in the terminal stages of palliative care. The benefits of this type of project will be discussed. Both bibliographies have been developed by a team of researchers within the University of Sheffield and are available for students to access as an educational tool. From the work collated within the bibliographies, the research team have been able to identify develop two research proposals that have been submitted for funding.University of Sheffiel

“We couldn’t do a Prague”: British government responses to loyalist strikes in Northern Ireland 1974-77

In May 1974 the Ulster Workers' Council (U.W.C.), comprising loyalist trade unionists, paramilitaries and politicians, mounted a general strike backed by widespread intimidation. Their target was the Sunningdale Agreement, which produced a power-sharing executive for Northern Ireland and proposed a crossborder institution with the Republic of Ireland. After a fortnight the U.W.C. successfully brought Northern Ireland to a halt and the Executive collapsed, leading to the restoration of direct rule from Westminster. Three years later the United Unionist Action Council (U.U.A.C.) adopted the same strategy, demanding a return to devolution with majority rule and the repression of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (P.I.R.A.). This second strike was defeated. Many contemporary politicians were critical of the Labour government's failure to put down the U.W.C. strike. William Whitelaw, formerly secretary of state for Northern Ireland in Edward Heath's Conservative administration and the minister responsible for the bulk of the negotiations prior to Sunningdale, believed that the prime minister, Harold Wilson, and the new secretary of state for Northern Ireland, Merlyn Rees, did not have the same attachment to the political settlement and were less willing to support the Northern Ireland Executive in its hour of need. Paddy Devlin of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (S.D.L.P.) argued that the unwillingness to arrest those involved, ‘more than any other single action by the authorities ... caused thousands of law-abiding people who had earlier given support to the executive to switch loyalties’.</jats:p

'Alien'

We met them in a sheltered place, these visitors from far away. They were unsure what to do with our outstretched arms and had no replies to our greetings. Wordlessly, they unravelled from their packs tools of wood and metal, musical instruments as it turned out, and began to assemble them - tiny tubes with switches, a disc with a circular brush, a sea shell with a row of mouthpieces, and a patchwork quilt of shakers, I believe. Once fully rigged, the contraptions were hoisted onto their shoulders and they began to play. As they made their sounds, they rocked back and forth and their eyes begged us for appreciation. At the time, we took this gentle cacophony to be their music though later deduced that it was the gift of a parody of our own. Yet how insensitive to pitch they surely are for these simple melodies to seem like ours? Why cloud the texture with such relentless rattling? And what a confusing current must their experience of time be to replace the God-given steadiness of breath and pulse with mere ebb and flow, as if rhythm were for sounding longing rather than the swing of a limb

Emaciated mannequins: a study of mannequin body size in high street fashion stores.

BackgroundThere is concern that the body size of fashion store mannequins are too thin and promote unrealistic body ideals. To date there has been no systematic examination of the size of high street fashion store mannequins.MethodsWe surveyed national fashion retailers located on the high street of two English cities. The body size of 'male' and 'female' mannequins was assessed by two blinded research assistants using visual rating scales.ResultsThe average female mannequin body size was representative of a very underweight woman and 100% of female mannequins represented an underweight body size. The average male mannequin body size was significantly larger than the average female mannequin body size. Only 8% of male mannequins represented an underweight body size.ConclusionsThe body size of mannequins used to advertise female fashion is unrealistic and would be considered medically unhealthy in humans

Is Perceived Control a Critical Factor in Understanding the Negative Relationship Between Cognitive Test Anxiety and Examination Performance?

A well established finding is that the cognitive component of test anxiety (worry) is negatively related to examination performance. The present study examined how 3 self-beliefs (academic buoyancy, perceived control, and test competence) moderated the strength of the relationship between worry and examination performance in a sample of 270 final year secondary school students. Participants completed self-reports of academic buoyancy, perceived control, test competence, and cognitive test anxiety, that were matched with examination grades in English, science, and mathematics. Results showed an interaction between worry and perceived control. Students with higher perceived control performed better at low levels of worry. As worry increased, the differential advantage offered by higher perceived control diminished. At high levels of worry control made little difference to examination performance. Interventions designed to reduce worry may not necessarily improve examination performance unless they also target improved control

Living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A review of qualitative research studies

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd Background: Inflammatory Bowel Disease is a chronic, untreatable condition represented by two illnesses, Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis. Despite high incidence in well-developed industrialised countries, and the significant impact of symptoms on patient's quality of life, little is known about living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Aim: To explore the patients’ experiences of living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Design: A qualitative systematic review. Data sources: CINAHL, Medline, British Nursing Index and PsycINFO were searched using the following keywords: Inflammatory Bowel Disease AND experiences. We have limited the search to studies published in English from 2000 to 2017. Review method: Thematic synthesis. Results: Data from 23 studies, identified that fatigue, incontinence and uncertainty about future, body image, and lack of information from healthcare professionals dominated the experiences of those living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Also, patients living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease were reluctant to disclose their illness due to lack of public awareness and stigma surrounding symptoms. From these, an overarching theme has been identified: Living in isolation and exclusion. Conclusion: Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease face a variety of problems, often their priorities and those of healthcare professionals differ greatly. Healthcare professionals have little evidence needed to provide adequate, holistic care to this group. With a rise in the Inflammatory Bowel Disease population in newly industrialised countries it is estimated that the condition is turning into a global disease, potentially making long term care unsustainable. More evidence is needed to understand the concerns of this group

Exploratory Analyses of the Popularity and Efficacy of Four Behavioral Methods of Gradual Smoking Cessation

Introduction: Around half of smokers attempt to stop by cutting-down first. Evidence suggests that this results in similar quit rates to abrupt quitting. Evidence for the effectiveness and popularity of different gradual cessation methods is sparse. / Methods: Secondary, exploratory, analyses of a randomized trial of gradual versus abrupt smoking cessation. Gradual participants (N = 342) chose between four methods of cutting-down over 2 weeks: cutting-out the easiest cigarettes first (HR-E); cutting-out the most difficult cigarettes first (HR-D); smoking on an increasing time schedule (SR); and not smoking during particular periods (SFP). Nicotine replacement therapy and behavioral support were provided before and after quit day. We used logistic and linear regression modeling to test whether the method chosen was associated with smoking reduction, quit attempts, and abstinence, while adjusting for potential confounders. / Results: Participants were on average 49 years old, smoked 20 cigarettes per day, and had a Fagerstrom Test for Cigarette Dependence score of 6. 14.9% (51/342) chose HR-E, 2.1% (7/342) HR-D, 46.2% (158/342) SFP, and 36.8% (126/342) SR. We found no evidence of adjusted or unadjusted associations between method and successful 75% reduction in cigarette consumption, reduction in percentage cigarettes per day or exhaled carbon monoxide, quit attempts, or abstinence at 4-week or 6-month follow-up. / Conclusions: Future research and practice could focus more heavily on the SR and SFP methods as these appeared notably more popular than HR. There was substantial imprecision in the efficacy data, which should be treated with caution; however, none of the gradual cessation methods showed clear evidence of being more efficacious than others. Implications: There is evidence that people who would like to quit smoking gradually should be supported to do so. However, as this is relatively new thinking and there is large potential for variation in methods, guidance on the best way to offer support is sparse. This article is an exploratory analysis of the popularity and efficacy of various methods in an attempt to move the topic forward and inform the implementation of gradual smoking cessation methods in practice. The identified popularity of some methods over others signposts directions for future research