FULFILLMENT

The story of a woman writer\u27s struggle to create a delusional, lovelorn character while maintaining her own sanity

Trahisons liquides : la composition d’un opéra dans le contexte des productions multimédias actuelles

Mon projet de doctorat est en deux volets – recherche et création – et s’appuie sur l'interdépendance de ces deux aspects, car il s’agit d’un seul parcours séparé en deux parties ayant un objectif partagé : il vise à observer et analyser l’intégration des arts médiatiques dans l’opéra contemporain et à en étudier l’incidence sur ma propre démarche de compositrice à l’intérieur de la création d’un nouvel opéra. Cette thèse comprend un travail écrit et une composition originale de 90 minutes (partition et enregistrements). Le premier chapitre du travail écrit traite du contexte dans lequel mon projet de création s’est élaboré et la façon dont ma réflexion initiale m’a conduite vers une recherche plus approfondie sur les moyens multimédias employés dans plusieurs opéras depuis les dernières décennies du vingtième siècle jusqu’à aujourd’hui. J’expose la situation actuelle touchant l’étude de ce domaine, en particulier les obstacles terminologiques, et je présente des perspectives de recherche rendues possibles par les informations recueillies. C’est dans le sillage de cette réflexion que je définis mon approche de l’emploi du multimédia à l’opéra. Les deuxième et troisième chapitres concernent le travail préparatoire qui a fait partie intégrante de la composition de l’opéra Trahisons liquides. J’expose d’abord mon approche du livret : les questions de narrativité, de langue et de prosodie, les approches variées de la relation texte-musique, la collaboration avec le librettiste et l’évolution du drame. J’explique également l’élaboration des ambiances musicales de l’opéra et la gestion de l’élan sonore, puis j’établis certains points de repère motiviques pour les analyses présentées dans le chapitre final. Le quatrième chapitre est ainsi consacré aux analyses détaillées d’une sélection de huit scènes de l’opéra Trahisons liquides, choisies afin de mettre en relief divers aspects de ma démarche de composition et de mon langage musical.My doctoral project is in two parts – research and creation – and relies on the interdependence of these two elements, for it is, in fact, one process whose two aspects share a common objective: observing and analysing the integration of media arts to contemporary opera and studying their influence on my own creative process for the composition of a new opera. This dissertation includes a written document and an original 90-minute composition (score and recordings). The first chapter of the written document examines the context in which my creative project was elaborated and the way that my initial reflections lead me to conduct more in-depth research into the multimedia means used in many operas from the last decades of the 20th century to today. I outline the current situation affecting study in this field, particularly the terminological obstacles, and I present some of the research prospects opened up by the information gathered. It is in light of this reflection that I define my approach to the use of multimedia in opera. The second and third chapters pertain to the preparatory work that was an integral part of the composition of the opera Trahisons liquides. I begin by detailing my approach to the libretto: questions of narrativity, language and prosody, varied approaches to the text-music relationship, my collaboration with the librettist and the evolution of the drama. I also explain elaborating the musical atmospheres and controlling the musical momentum of the opera, and then I establish certain motivic points of reference for the analyses presented in the final chapter. The fourth chapter is thus devoted to the detailed analyses of a selection of eight scenes from the opera Trahisons liquides, chosen to highlight various aspects of my compositional process and my musical language

Are Oklahoma City residents OK? A socio-spatial analysis of physicians and supermarkets via accessibility and affordability

Scope and Method of Study: The scope of the study examined how the built environment could contribute to individual health by analyzing neighborhoods in the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Due to poor health statistics throughout the state of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City, accessibility to physicians and supermarkets were analyzed as possible mechanisms contributing to poor health in the MSA. Price of healthy food could also be a factor that causes residents to eat cheaper, unhealthy food. Accessibility indices, market basket prices, and bivariate spatial autocorrelation techniques were used to evaluate the built environment's influence on health.Findings and Conclusions: The findings of the study found that the majority of the MSA had relatively good access to both physicians and supermarkets. Also, prices for the basket of goods were similar across the MSA. The rural areas had the worst access to physicians as well as Native Americans. For supermarket accessibility, rural areas again had poorer access and African-Americans had the worst access. However, in terms of pricing, African-Americans paid the least for this basket of goods and the residents without a vehicle paid the highest. The major conclusion is that physicians and supermarkets are not contributing heavily to the poor health statistics that are found in the Oklahoma City MSA

An Army of One... With Dependents: A History of the Army Family

Family members have accompanied the army for the entire 227-year history of the organization. This thesis outlines the formation of the army family and its continuation through times of peace and war. It establishes the army family as a community based on the existence of three elements: geographic location, social interaction, and common ties. The results of the research for this paper establish a common experience among the members of the army family that exists throughout history and is a vital part of the success and continuation of the community

Lifting the Voices of High-Achieving, Middle-Class, African American Students

The state of African American education is complex. Beginning in the 17th century, African Americans fought for an education that allowed them to read and write. During the 21st century, African Americans value on education extends beyond only reading and writing to using these skills and other skills to maintain strong academic and leadership backgrounds for a higher education. The purpose of this study was to understand the college preparation process of high-achieving, middle-class, African American students at a large research institution in the mid-Atlantic United States. This study was important because despite high-achieving, middle-class, African American students' success, there still exists an achievement gap between African American students and their White and Asian peers. Three theoretical frameworks and models were used as a guide for this study, critical race theory (Delgado & Stefancic, 2001), Perna and Titus' (2005) integrated conceptual model on college enrollment, and the predisposition stage of the college choice research (Hossler & Gallagher, 1987; Hossler, Braxton, & Coppersmith, 1989). Utilizing a constructivist case study methodology, data was collected using personal interviews, a focus group, and personal documents (college admissions statement and/or resumes). Through a within-case and cross-case analysis, school, family, and community contexts that influence the college preparation process were explored

Triple Threat Gateway? Respiratory Health, Demographics and Land Use in Metro East St. Louis, Missouri-Illinois, USA

This paper examines a triple threat for residents of two counties in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Previous environmental justice research has focused on demographics and toxic facilities. This research builds upon those assessments by incorporating hospital discharge data and demographics as well as three different types of pollution sources. Air pollution monitors were unavailable to use during the time period of 2009-2011, therefore proxy measures of pollution in the form of major roadways, industrial land use parcels, and toxic facility information from the EPA Toxic Release Inventory are utilized. This study integrates both spatial coincidence and proximity analysis methods and geostatistical techniques to account for spatial autocorrelation present in the data. Findings indicate that there is not a triple threat occurring, but rather a double burden with residents in poverty having higher risk for respiratory hospitalizations

Pay for performance: Australian landscape, international efforts, and impact on practice

Fee-for-service (FFS) funding continues to dominate primary health care in Australia despite calls for reform. FFS, where providers bill for each service they provide, rewards increased activity. This may lead to over-servicing, increased costs (with no controls on prices charged), and negative impacts on quality of care. In contrast, pay-for-performance (P4P) approaches refer to payments to general practitioners (GPs) or practices, according to the number of times a certain standard of performance is met, and have been shown to improve quality.1; 2 Blended funding models have been trialled in Australia, with the 2011-14 Diabetes Care Project (DCP) incorporating P4P and flexible funding, while retaining FFS components. This RESEARCH ROUNDup will examine P4P in the Australian primary health care context and provide lessons from both systematic reviews and international experiences of P4P in primary health care

Transitions from hospital to primary care

For older Australians, transitions from hospital to primary care (i.e. general practice, community and/or aged care) are frequently accompanied by discontinuities in medication management, delays in follow‐up care, duplication of tests, adverse events and readmissions to hospital. This RESEARCH ROUNDup describes factors affecting smooth transitions and provides examples of best practice