Memes as Means: Using Popular Culture to Enhance the Study of Literature

Artistic response is the process by which readers create concrete representations of their transactions with a text through artistic means, including visual arts (e.g. drawing, sculpture, and painting), drama, and music. Research has shown that artistic response helps students form meaningful relationships with texts, as it is a tool that encourages students to enter, explore, make connections, and enjoy stories and characters. In this article we describe an artistic response strategy that we developed and implemented. Recognizing that today’s students often know and interact with the world through social media and memes, we draw on this cultural tool to leverage the power of this platform and its familiarity and appeal to our student

Concert recording 2017-12-01

[Tracks 1-15]. 15 etudes op. 76(a) / David Popper -- [Track 16]. Suite no. 1, BWV 1007. Prelude [Track 17]. Sarabande [Track 18]. Minuet. / Johann Sebastian Bach -- [Track 19]. Suite no. 2, BWV 1008. Prelude [Track 20]. Gigue [Track 21]. Allemande [Track 22]. Courante [Track 23]. Sarabande [Track 24]. Minuet. / Johann Sebastian Bach -- [Track 25]. Suite no. 3, BWV 1009. Prelude [Track 26]. Allemande [Track 27]. Courante [Track 28]. Bourreé [Track 29]. Sarabande [Track 30]. Gigue / Johann Sebastian Bach -- [Track 31]. Suite no. 1, BWV 1007.Prelude [Track 32]. Courante [Track 33]. Sarabande / Johann Sebastian Bach -- [Track 34] Suite No. 4, BWV 1010. Prelude [Track 35]. Sarabande / Johann Sebastian Bach -- [Track 36]. Sicilienne / Maria Theresia von Paradis arranged by Dominic K Na -- [Track 37]. Ständchen / Franz Schubert arranged by Dominic K Na -- [Track 38]. The ragtime dance / Scott Joplin arranged by Dominic K Na

Concert recording 2018-03-28

[Track 1]. From Jewish life, no. 2. Supplication / Ernest Bloch -- [Track 2]. Cello suite no. 1 in G major, BWV 1007. Prelude / J.S. Bach -- [Track 3]. Sonata for cello and piano in G major. I. Allegro non troppo / Giovanni Battista Sammartini -- [Track 4]. Concerto in D major. I. Poco largo - Allegro moderato / Giuseppe Tartini -- [Track 5]. Cello suite no. 4 in E-flat major, BWV 1010. Prelude [Track 6]. Sarabande [Track 7]. Gigue / Bach -- [Track 8]. Hungarian rhapsody, op. 68 / David Popper -- [Track 9]. Nocturne in E-flat, op. 9, no. 2 for cello and piano / Frédéric Chopin arranged by David Popper -- [Track 10]. Concerto no. 1 in A minor, op. 33. I. Allegro non troppo / Camille Saint-Saëns -- [Track 11]. Appalachia waltz for solo cello / Mark O\u27Connor -- [Track 12]. Sinfonia from Messiah, HWV 56. Grave - Allegro moderato / George Frederic Handel arranged by Dominic K. Na -- [Track 13]. Ständchen, D 889 / Franz Schubert arranged by Dominic K. Na -- [Track 14]. The ragtime dance / Scott Joplin arranged by Dominic K. Na

Concert recording 2019-04-01

[Track 1]. Glory to God -- [Track 2]. Morning tide -- [Track 3]. Name -- [Track 4]. Light from below -- [Track 5]. Demented dances. I. Erratic polka II. Waltz in limbo III. Grandiose gigue

Concert recording 2017-04-25

[Track 1] Silent woods for cello and piano op.68/5 from the Bohemian forest / Antonín Dvořák -- [Track 2] Concerto for cello and piano in E minor, op. 85. II. Lento - allegro molto / E[Track 1]. Silent woods for cello and piano op.68/5 from the Bohemian forest / Antonín Dvořák -- [Track 2]. Concerto for cello and piano in E minor, op. 85. II. Lento - allegro molto / Edward Elgar -- [Track 3]. Concerto for cello and piano in B minor, op. 104. II. Adagio ma non troppo / Dvořák -- [Track 4]. Suite for cello and piano, op. 16. II. Sérénade (andantino) ; [Track 5]. III. Gavotte (allegro non troppo) / Camille Saint-Saëns -- [Track 6]. Polonaise de concert for cello and piano, op. 14 / David Popper -- [Track 7]. Suite for three cellos. I. Allegro ; [Track 8]. IV. Lento / Fernand de La Tombelle -- [Track 9]. Sonata for cello and piano, op. 43/2 in C major. I. Allegro / Bernhard Romberg ; arranged by F. Gustav Jansen -- [Track 10]. Impromptu no. 3 in G major, D. 899 / Franz Schubert -- [Track 11]. Sonata 3 for cello and piano in A major, op. 69. I. Allegro ma non tanto / L.V. Beethoven -- [Track 12]. Two pieces from The blizzard. I. Romance ; [Track 13]. II. Waltz / Georgy Sviridov ; story by Alexander Pushkin

Connection between the Accretion Disk and Jet in the Radio Galaxy 3C 111

We present the results of extensive multi-frequency monitoring of the radio galaxy 3C 111 between 2004 and 2010 at X-ray (2.4--10 keV), optical (R band), and radio (14.5, 37, and 230 GHz) wave bands, as well as multi-epoch imaging with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 43 GHz. Over the six years of observation, significant dips in the X-ray light curve are followed by ejections of bright superluminal knots in the VLBA images. This shows a clear connection between the radiative state near the black hole, where the X-rays are produced, and events in the jet. The X-ray continuum flux and Fe line intensity are strongly correlated, with a time lag shorter than 90 days and consistent with zero. This implies that the Fe line is generated within 90 light-days of the source of the X-ray continuum. The power spectral density function of X-ray variations contains a break, with steeper slope at shorter timescales. The break timescale of 13 (+12,-6) days is commensurate with scaling according to the mass of the central black hole based on observations of Seyfert galaxies and black hole X-ray binaries (BHXRBs). The data are consistent with the standard paradigm, in which the X-rays are predominantly produced by inverse Compton scattering of thermal optical/UV seed photons from the accretion disk by a distribution of hot electrons --- the corona --- situated near the disk. Most of the optical emission is generated in the accretion disk due to reprocessing of the X-ray emission. The relationships that we have uncovered between the accretion disk and the jet in 3C 111, as well as in the FR I radio galaxy 3C 120 in a previous paper, support the paradigm that active galactic nuclei and Galactic BHXRBs are fundamentally similar, with characteristic time and size scales proportional to the mass of the central black holeComment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 18 pages, 17 figures, 11 tables (full machine readable data-tables online in ApJ website

Critical Analytic Thinking Skills: Do They Predict Job-Related Task Performance Above and Beyond General Intelligence?

Employers and government leaders have called attention to the need for critical thinking skills in the workforce, while business trends toward evidence-based decision making also highlight the increasing importance of the critical thinking skill set. Although studies have examined the relationship of critical thinking to behaviors or job performance, many have missed a key component: incremental predictive validity of critical thinking beyond cognitive ability. The current study defines critical thinking, presents results from a test development effort in which the conceptual definition was operationalized as a measure of critical analytical thinking skills for government analysts, and presents results of a criterion validity study examining whether critical thinking skills predict technical performance generally and incrementally, beyond cognitive ability and other characteristics

The Lupus Transit Survey For Hot Jupiters: Results and Lessons

We present the results of a deep, wide-field transit survey targeting Hot Jupiter planets in the Lupus region of the Galactic plane conducted over 53 nights concentrated in two epochs separated by a year. Using the Australian National University 40-inch telescope at Siding Spring Observatory (SSO), the survey covered a 0.66 sq. deg. region close to the Galactic Plane (b=11 deg.) and monitored a total of 110,372 stars (15.0<V<22.0). Using difference imaging photometry, 16,134 light curves with a photometric precision of sigma<0.025 mag were obtained. These light curves were searched for transits, and four candidates were detected that displayed low-amplitude variability consistent with a transiting giant planet. Further investigations, including spectral typing and radial velocity measurements for some candidates, revealed that of the four, one is a true planetary companion (Lupus-TR-3), two are blended systems (Lupus-TR-1 and 4), and one is a binary (Lupus-TR-2). The results of this successful survey are instructive for optimizing the observational strategy and follow-up procedure for deep searches for transiting planets, including an upcoming survey using the SkyMapper telescope at SSO.Comment: 27 pages, 9 figures, 4 tables. Accepted for publication in A

Concert recording 2017-04-23b

[Track 1]. Slowing down. I. Rotations in an emergency [Track 2]. II. Under the city [Track 3]. III. Forfeit [Track 4]. IV. Something comfortable to fall into / Jeremiah Flannery

The genetic interplay between body mass index, breast size and breast cancer risk: a Mendelian randomization analysis.

BACKGROUND: Evidence linking breast size to breast cancer risk has been inconsistent, and its interpretation is often hampered by confounding factors such as body mass index (BMI). Here, we used linkage disequilibrium score regression and two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) to examine the genetic associations between BMI, breast size and breast cancer risk. METHODS: Summary-level genotype data from 23andMe, Inc (breast size, n = 33 790), the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (breast cancer risk, n = 228 951) and the Genetic Investigation of ANthropometric Traits (BMI, n = 183 507) were used for our analyses. In assessing causal relationships, four complementary MR techniques [inverse variance weighted (IVW), weighted median, weighted mode and MR-Egger regression] were used to test the robustness of the results. RESULTS: The genetic correlation (rg) estimated between BMI and breast size was high (rg = 0.50, P = 3.89x10-43). All MR methods provided consistent evidence that higher genetically predicted BMI was associated with larger breast size [odds ratio (ORIVW): 2.06 (1.80-2.35), P = 1.38x10-26] and lower overall breast cancer risk [ORIVW: 0.81 (0.74-0.89), P = 9.44x10-6]. No evidence of a relationship between genetically predicted breast size and breast cancer risk was found except when using the weighted median and weighted mode methods, and only with oestrogen receptor (ER)-negative risk. There was no evidence of reverse causality in any of the analyses conducted (P > 0.050). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate a potential positive causal association between BMI and breast size and a potential negative causal association between BMI and breast cancer risk. We found no clear evidence for a direct relationship between breast size and breast cancer risk