The valveless horn and its use in chamber music, 1700-1865

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston UniversityIt has been the intention of the author to discuss in some detail the history and development of the French Hor n and its use in Chamber Music, up to the time when its position as an orchestral and chamber instrument was usurped by the valved horn. This covers a period of its use as an art instrument from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. These are of course the outward limits of the instrument's employment. [TRUNCATED

Information Literacy Assessment for Instruction and Improvement and Demonstration of Library Value: Comparing Locally-Grown and Commercially Created Tests

This paper describes two types of fixed-choice information literacy tests, one locally created and one nationally developed. The Madison Research Essentials Skills Test (MREST) is part of a tutorial-test model for first-year library instruction at James Madison University. Students must pass the test before they can move to sophomore status. This testing process relies on a collaborative model between JMU Libraries, the General Education program, and the Center for Assessment Research Studies (CARS). On the national level, the recently-created Threshold Achievement Test for Information Literacy (TATIL) is based on the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy and in four test modules measures both information literacy knowledge and dispositions. TATIL was created by librarians and other educators and can be used to guide instructional program changes, for external and internal reporting, and to give students recommendations for improving their information literacy. The decision to use a test and to choose which approach to take can be informed by comparing the benefits and limitations of these testing options

The iconisation of yeast spreads—love them or hate them

The production of beer yields a number of by-product streams, with spent brewers’ yeast being the second most abundant in volume. The high nutritional value of spent yeast has seen a large proportion of spent brewers’ yeast being used for both food and feed purposes. One of the uses of spent brewers’ yeast for human consumption has been the production of yeast spreads, which came onto the market in the early 20th century, first in the United Kingdom and shortly thereafter in the commonwealth dominions, especially Australia and New Zealand. In this research we investigated the national status of yeast spreads in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. We show that a brewery by-product such as spent brewers’ yeast is more than a mere novel utilisation of a waste stream but have become inherently associated with national identities of these countries to such an extent that some brands have become iconicised. Furthermore, some yeast spread brands have become a symbol of (inter)national polarisation, purely based on its initial sensorial characterisation

In vivo MRI Characterization of Progressive Cardiac Dysfunction in the mdx Mouse Model of Muscular Dystrophy

Aims The mdx mouse has proven to be useful in understanding the cardiomyopathy that frequently occurs in muscular dystrophy patients. Here we employed a comprehensive array of clinically relevant in vivo MRI techniques to identify early markers of cardiac dysfunction and follow disease progression in the hearts of mdx mice. Methods and Results Serial measurements of cardiac morphology and function were made in the same group of mdx mice and controls (housed in a non-SPF facility) using MRI at 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after birth. Left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) systolic and diastolic function, response to dobutamine stress and myocardial fibrosis were assessed. RV dysfunction preceded LV dysfunction, with RV end systolic volumes increased and RV ejection fractions reduced at 3 months of age. LV ejection fractions were reduced at 12 months, compared with controls. An abnormal response to dobutamine stress was identified in the RV of mdx mice as early as 1 month. Late-gadolinium-enhanced MRI identified increased levels of myocardial fibrosis in 6, 9 and 12-month-old mdx mice, the extent of fibrosis correlating with the degree of cardiac remodeling and hypertrophy. Conclusions MRI could identify cardiac abnormalities in the RV of mdx mice as young as 1 month, and detected myocardial fibrosis at 6 months. We believe these to be the earliest MRI measurements of cardiac function reported for any mice, and the first use of late-gadolinium-enhancement in a mouse model of congenital cardiomyopathy. These techniques offer a sensitive and clinically relevant in vivo method for assessment of cardiomyopathy caused by muscular dystrophy and other diseases

Strengthening curricular relationships between libraries and communication centers: A case study at James Madison University

The James Madison University (JMU) Communication Center has a strong collaborative relationship with JMU’s campus libraries and librarians. With our submission, we discuss the existing curricular collaborations and potential for expanding collaborations within and beyond curricular interventions. First, we analyze the collaboration on supporting information literacy curriculum into the general education program. Second, we discuss curricular support partnerships in upper division courses through debate across the curriculum, research posters, and conference presentation support. Finally, we reflect on these curricular-based collaborations and suggest other possible productive relationships between a communication center and library. First, information literacy is embedded into the General Education curriculum as learning outcomes. Students in our core program are required to demonstrate information literacy competencies prior to the end of their first academic year. Students watch a set of video tutorials, complete practice exercises assigned within the required Human Communication course and pass an information literacy test. The libraries develop both the Toolkit and the Test and partner with faculty for integrating content into general education. While most students complete the tutorials and pass the test, some struggle. In order to get these students the help they need, the libraries partnered with the Communication Center to teach peer tutors to be a first line of defense for students who need additional assistance, extending the availability of support. Most students who receive peer instruction from the Communication Center pass the test on the next subsequent attempt and those who do not can be referred for more formal interventions.  This shared commitment to first-year information literacy skills continues to help our students make connections between resource material and effective speeches, presentations, and papers. Second, the libraries and Communication Center have also worked together on curricular support for upper-level courses with assignment redesign and developing presentational products . For example, Communication Center faculty and librarians have partnered on efforts to work with our center to offer workshops to help faculty include a debate of some type into a course. We are able to review how faculty moved forward with the course redesign based on the workshop activities, Center consultations, and embedded tutor fellows. Other curricular partnerships with subject-expert librarians and the Communication Center included supporting the development of scholarly products, like research posters and conference presentations. We collaborated by coordinating library and Communication Center instruction in a course, as well as providing professional development to Communication Center peer tutors.Finally, our experiences collaborating on curricular support across campus has opened pathways for future partnerships as well. Using our experiences over the last four years, data collected for assessment and scholarship, and institutional changes across the university, we conclude with recommendations on paths forward for our own campus and others wishing to develop or expand their own collaborative relationships between Libraries and Communication Centers.

The Conversation of Critical Practice: Pre-service Teachers As Educators for Social Justice

In this paper we examine aspects of the construction of authentic membership, competence, and sense of shared purpose within a professional community of educators accomplished by a class of pre-service teachers during a spontaneous electronic conversation. Implications for teacher education are considered

Laying the Foundation for Policy: Measuring Local Prevalence for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Claims have been made that families with children living with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have been migrating to Alberta because of higher funding available for ASD supports compared to other provinces. The legitimacy of these claims, along with many others about the adequacy or inadequacy of funding for supporting persons living with ASD, has not been evaluated because we simply don’t know how many people in Alberta are living with ASD. Typically in Canada, ASD prevalence is reported in national figures, based on international estimates. Canadian prevalence estimates for ASD are needed. With no national surveillance system in place, national estimates are difficult to determine. In addition, such broad measurements are problematic as they may not adequately inform the service delivery needs for specific jurisdictions. A new study shows that 1,711, or 1 in 94, school age children in the Calgary region have an ASD diagnosis. As this number matches what is often reported for the national prevalence of ASD, it suggests that Alberta’s relatively higher ASD funding is not inducing in-migration of families seeking better support. The data also show that the prevalence is higher in elementary-grade children, with a diagnosis in one of every 86 children. In the senior grades, there are significantly fewer students with ASD diagnoses, specifically within the Calgary Board of Education. There is no evident reason for diagnoses to seemingly dematerialize in the older grades. These students could be dropping out or choosing home-schooling in greater numbers. Possibly there has been an increase in prevalence. These prevalence estimates help to inform the demand for special-needs services within the local school system. In addition, there is growing concern that upon graduation there is a “support cliff” resulting from a less systematized, less generous support system available for adults with neurodevelopmental disability. Families that need support for ASD face enough challenges; it is critical for policy-makers to be aware of the extent of the situation in their own jurisdiction so as to develop the right kinds of supports for these families

Can Human Assistance Improve a Computational Poet?

Abstract Good computational poetry requires sufficiently interesting poetic phrases to be generated or chosen. Different metrics for determining what makes a sufficiently interesting phrase have rarely been directly compared. We directly compare of a number of metrics-topicality, sentiment, and concrete imagery-by collecting human judgments on each metric for the same data set of human-generated phrases, then having humans judge computationally generated poems chosen to include high-scoring phrases against each other. We find through a quantitative analysis that the output of at least some of these metrics is perceived as better than output using none of these metrics

Aquilegia, Vol. 22 No. 1-2, January-April 1998: Newsletter of the Colorado Native Plant Society

https://epublications.regis.edu/aquilegia/1084/thumbnail.jp

Retargeting FX binding-ablated HAdV-5 to vascular cells by inclusion of the RGD-4C peptide in hexon hypervariable region 7 and the HI loop

Recent studies have generated interest in the function of human adenovirus serotype 5 (HAdV-5) hexon:  factor X (FX) binding and subsequent hepatocyte transduction and interaction with the immune system. Here, we retargeted adenovirus serotype 5 vectors, ablated for FX interaction, by replacing amino acids in hexon HVR7 with RGD-4C or inserting the peptide into the fibre HI loop. These genetic modifications in the capsid were compatible with virus assembly, and could efficiently retarget transduction of the vector via the αvβ3/5 integrin-mediated pathway, but did not alter immune recognition by pre-existing human neutralizing anti-HAdV-5 antibodies or by natural antibodies in mouse serum. Thus, FX-binding-ablated HAdV-5 can be retargeted but remain sensitive to immune-mediated attack. These findings further refine HAdV-5-based vectors for human gene therapy and inform future vector development