VV: Exploring Self-Love through a Second- Generation Lens

This Culminating Experience Project is a creative project consisting of a visual EP, titled ‘VV’. The purpose of creating this EP derives from the lack of South Asian representation in Western media, and the desire to utilize South Indian Classical music, more specifically Carnatic music, with popular music such as the RnB and Electronic genres. Utilizing information from cross-cultural studies, the EP thematically focuses on second-generation (the children of immigrants) identity and self-love. This project was multifaceted in nature and challenging as it required the author to engage in the following with limited prior experience: producing, songwriting, experimentation with hybrid recording techniques, electronic production, mixing, video production and editing and collaborating with others. The main body of work is a five-track EP, and features self-produced, self-written music that explores themes such as identity, heritage, mental health, and love in the context of navigating through two cultures as a second-generation British Asian immigrant. The music falls into the genre of Alternative RnB and Electronic music, but also feature elements of South Indian Classical music. To accompany the music, there are two music videos that illustrate the themes further. ‘VV’ requires further development, but nonetheless fills an evident gap within contemporary music.https://remix.berklee.edu/graduate-studies-production-technology/1138/thumbnail.jp

Service quality and perceived customer satisfaction of national savings bank in war affected area with special reference to Jaffna district

The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction in an extreme environment. Correlation and Regression analysis were used to assess data collected from 117 National Savings Bank customers in Jaffna district. Data for the study were gathered by employing well designed questionnaire addressing the SERVQUAL measurement instrument with an overall response rate of 97.5 %. Findings of the study indicated that service quality and customer satisfaction variables are positively correlated significantly, i.e. service quality- customer care, service quality -customer value increases customer satisfaction also increases. Further, the findings of this study revealed that service quality has a greater impact on customer satisfaction; that is service quality -customer value has greater impact on customer satisfaction than service quality- customer care. Analysis of the demographics variables revealed that gender; significantly contributed variations in the level of customer satisfaction. Research implication of this study is that the sample used in this study is specific in nature, it constituted of National savings bank. Thus, the results should be interpreted accordingly. On the basis of these findings, implication of the study was highlighte

Quantifying mass transport processes in environmental systems using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Understanding the transport behaviour of pollutants is key to enhance remediation strategies and to inform predictive models of pollutant behaviour in environmental and engineered systems. This work investigates magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a methodology for imaging heavy metal, molecular and nanoparticle transport in two different saturated porous systems: biofilms and saturated porous geologic media (gravel). While most renowned for its use in medicine, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is enabling us to image the transport of heavy metals, macro-molecules and nanoparticles inside biofilms and porous columns in real time. This is achieved using either ions which are paramagnetic (e.g. Cu2+) or molecules labelled with paramagnetic ions (e.g. Gd3+) or superparamagnetic (e.g. nanomagnetite) nanoparticles. Presence of these tracers causes a concentration dependent shortening of relaxation times (T1 or T2) of the surrounding 1H nuclei and thus creates noticeable changes in the MRI signal. Critically, this enables the transport of (super)paramagnetic ions, molecules or nanoparticles through the biofilm or porous geological media to be imaged. Moreover, the actual concentrations of molecules can be quantified, as changes in relaxation rates have a linear relationship with the concentration of the tracer molecules. Hence, MRI can be used not only to track but also to quantify the transport of (super)paramagnetic molecules inside biofilms and saturated porous columns. The key advantages of MRI over other techniques are its ability to image inside systems opaque to other methods and its ability to collect data non-invasively, hence the system is unperturbed by the analysis. In this study, the transport of Gd-DTPA, a commonly used MRI contrast agent, was successfully imaged through phototrophic biofilms of 10 and 2.5 mm thicknesses. To improve spatial resolution, for the 2.5 mm thickness biofilm, a bespoke 5 mm diameter RF coil was constructed. The comparison of spatially distributed, time-varying concentrations of Gd-DTPA inside the biofilms with diffusion models illustrated that transport was via both diffusion and advection. This work illustrated the potential of using paramagnetically labelled molecules to quantify molecular pollutant transport and fate in biofilms. MRI was also used to image heavy metal trasport in artificial biofilms (composed of agar and bacteria) to test the suitability of an existing adsorption-diffusion model to represent heavy metal transport and fate in biofilms. While the diffusion coefficients and adsorption constants estimated were appropriate, discrepancies between the model and the data illustrates models may need to be developed further to incorporate factors such as concentration dependant diffusion or cell lysis. Finally, the ability to image inside opaque systems was further exploited to image nanoparticle transport inside a coarse-grained packed column. This was undertaken to illustrate the potential for MRI to image nanoparticle pollutant transport in systems relevant to river beds and sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS). MRI was successfully used to image the nanoparticle transport, with significant transport inhibition was observed in positively charged nanoparticles compared to negatively charged nanoparticles due to permanent attachment

A Rare Case of Bilateral Optic Neuritis and Guillain-Barré Syndrome Post Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infection

Neurological complications are the most commonly encountered extra-pulmonary manifestation of infection with Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae). Here the authors report the case of a 39-year-old woman who was admitted with acute-onset bilateral visual loss coinciding with ascending numbness. Clinical examination, neurological imaging, and nerve conduction studies revealed a syndrome of bilateral optic neuritis and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Serological testing confirmed recent exposure to M. pneumoniae. The patient did not experience any clinical benefit with pulsed intravenous methylprednisolone but demonstrated marked clinical and radiological improvement following 5 days of plasma exchange. This report will explore the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to patients with neuro-ophthalmological and neurological complications of M. pneumoniae infection in addition to discussing previously encountered cases

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder related tonic spasms responsive to lacosamide

Paroxysmal tonic spasms [PTS] are common in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD).1 2 In patients with demyelinating disease, PTS can significantly reduce the quality of life, limit activities of daily living and the rehabilitative process following an acute relapse 3. As in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), paroxysmal tonic spasms in NMOSD usually respond well to treatment with carbamazepine.2 However, the optimal treatment in patients where carbamazepine is contraindicated or poorly tolerated is unclear. We describe a patient with NMOSD with severe paroxysmal tonic spasms who did not tolerate carbamazepine but was successfully treated with lacosamide (Vimpat)

Concurrent sodium channelopathies and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis supports shared pathogenesis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an invariably fatal adult-onset neurodegenerative disorder; approximately 10% of ALS is monogenic but all ALS exhibits significant heritability. The skeletal muscle sodium channelopathies are a group of inherited, non-dystrophic ion channel disorders caused by heterozygous point mutations in the SCN4A gene, leading to clinical manifestations of congenital myotonia, paramyotonia, and periodic paralysis syndromes. We provide clinical and genetic evidence of concurrence of these two rare disorders which implies a possible shared underlying pathophysiology in two patients. We then identify an enrichment of ALS-associated mutations in another sodium channel, SCN7A, from whole genome sequencing data of 4495 ALS patients and 1925 controls passing multiple testing correction (67 variants, p = 0.0002, Firth logistic regression). These findings suggest dysfunctional sodium channels may play a role upstream in the pathogenesis of ALS in a subset of patients, potentially opening the door to novel personalized medicine approaches

Antecedent anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis in two patients with multiple sclerosis

Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis is an autoimmune disorder characterised by psychiatric symptoms, movement disorder and seizures often evolving into a severe encephalopathy. An overlap has recently been recognised between anti-NMDAR encephalitis and inflammatory demyelinating disorders, particularly neuromyelitis optical spectrum disorder (NMOSD). In this case report, we describe two patients with an initial presentation consistent with anti-NMDAR encephalitis who have subsequently developed relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) and discuss the literature pertaining to potential overlap between NMDAR encephalitis and inflammatory demyelinating disorders

Do Investors Care About the Credibility of Green Commitments? A study of stock market reactions to corporate green bond announcements and the credibility of firms’ commitment

We study stock market reactions to firms’ announcements of first-time green bond issuances in two major markets, the US and Japan. Specifically, we attempt to answer two research questions: 1) whether green bond announcements provide stock-price relevant information and 2) whether stock price reactions are associated with the credibility of firms’ commitment to green investments. Our data set consists of 36 announcements from US firms and 31 announcements from Japanese firms from January 2013 to September 2021. We apply event study methodology and find evidence of green bond announcements providing stock-price relevant information in the US. Specifically, we find evidence of negative stock market reactions. By dividing the bonds into subgroups based on the credibility of issuing firms’ commitments to green investments, we find that the negative reaction is driven by groups of bonds with relatively low credibility. For Japan, we find no such evidence. We also apply OLS regression analysis with assumed measures of credibility as regressors. For the US market, we find a positive correlation between firms’ environmental performance and stock price reaction following announcement. For the Japanese market, we find no correlation between measures of credibility and stock price reaction