A Critical Interpretive Synthesis of Research Linking Hip Hop and Wellbeing in Schools

Hip Hop is recognized as an agent for youth development in both educational and well-being spaces, yet literature exploring the intersection of the two areas is comparatively underdeveloped. This article presents a critical interpretive synthesis of twenty-two articles investigating school-based well-being interventions which used Hip Hop. The critical stance taken aimed to identify or expose assumptions underpinning this area of scholarship and practice. Our analysis suggested several assumptions operate in this space, including the idea rap represents a default for Hip Hop culture, and the default beneficiaries of Hip Hop-informed interventions are students of color living in underprivileged, inner-city US neighborhoods. Further, while cultural relevance is a key justification for Hip Hop interventions, few researchers engage critically with the concept in relation to students, practitioners, or themselves. We also identified distinctions between interventions that add Hip Hop, and those that center the culture. Subsequent recommendations are offered to inform future research

Enabling Tailored Music Programs in Elementary Schools: An Australian Exemplar

Participation in meaningful school music programs is the right of all children. Although music education is widely supported by policy, significant gaps exist in practice in most developed Western countries.  These gaps mean the extrinsic and intrinsic benefits associated with participation in tailored programs are not equally available to all learners. School leaders have a critical role to play in determining the degree to which appropriate music programs are resourced in their schools and serve as both gate-keepers and enablers of these opportunities. The exemplary case study reported in this article describes a unique program that makes an interesting and complete contribution to knowledge. A string ensemble program in a socio-economically disadvantaged school provided “great opportunities to study music” that were “fun” and “calming” because of the “encouraging” approach adopted by teachers, except in relation to performances, which were “nerve-wracking”. Learners, parents, teachers and leadership were all “proud” of the achievements of these young people, who often struggled in other academic areas and had escaped considerable trauma in their home countries. The results suggest that relevant music programs are not necessarily tied to a particular genre of music, but rather to the ways in which leaders and facilitators identify whether extrinsic or intrinsic benefits should be targeted and then tailor program designs to meet those needs

Exploring the potential for music therapy to support 21st Century education goals: interviews with six Norwegian teachers

School engagement is a global crisis predicted to intensify in the context of COVID-19. As a consequence, education agendas have increasingly adopted whole-child and inclusive approaches, leading to new mandates and curriculums designed to curb the associated individual and social outcomes of school dropout. Yet, teachers are often left to implement these initiatives with little to no support, and within the context of competing neoliberal aims. The subsequent pressure on teachers undermines whole-child and inclusive approaches, and has led to calls for increased teacher support. This includes support in novel teaching and learning approaches which meet the needs of a greater range of students. To investigate the potential role that music can play in this space, the present paper explores the experiences and attitudes of six Norwegian educators who attended two university-accredited continuing education courses on the use of music therapy with adolescents. Interviews sought to explore whether teachers gained new insights into the use of music in the contemporary Norwegian school context. Results showed that teachers did grow their understanding of how music can be used in schools, with a focus on the ability to use music to teach the new Norwegian curriculum. Findings also revealed the challenges faced by teachers wanting to use music in this way. Overall, results suggest music does offer great potential in contemporary school contexts, particularly when its implementation is informed by music therapy theory. Findings have implications for schools, educators, and policymakers.acceptedVersionpublishedVersio

Music, social cohesion, and intercultural understanding: A conceptual framework for intercultural music engagement

Regional conflict, growing technological developments, and climate change have seen high migration rates, which are likely to rise. Discrimination and violence at the hands of host societies continue to threaten the well-being of immigrant communities, as well as wider social cohesion in migration destinations. The urgency of the situation has been highlighted in several international policy documents released since 2020 by the United Nations (UN) and related agencies. In response, we have seen a global movement of intercultural music ensembles intended to break down cultural barriers and explore sites of cultural intersection, yet the real-world benefits of such initiatives remain unclear. There is a need to further explore and understand how and when music can be used as an instrument or site for fostering inclusion, understanding, and cohesion between migrants and their host communities. On appraising the evidence, we propose a conceptual framework for explaining how different cultures can interact with each other through musical participation.</p

Classical swine fever virus: the past, present and future

Classical swine fever (CSF) is among the most relevant viral epizootic diseases of swine. Due to its severe economic impact, CSF is notifiable to the world organisation for animal health. Strict control policies, including systematic stamping out of infected herds with and without vaccination, have permitted regional virus eradication. Nevertheless, CSF virus (CSFV) persists in certain areas of the world and has re-emerged regularly. This review summarizes the basic established knowledge in the field and provides a comprehensive and updated overview of the recent advances in fundamental CSFV research, diagnostics and vaccine development. It covers the latest discoveries on the genetic diversity of pestiviruses, with implications for taxonomy, the progress in understanding disease pathogenesis, immunity against acute and persistent infections, and the recent findings in virus-host interactions and virulence determinants. We also review the progress and pitfalls in the improvement of diagnostic tools and the challenges in the development of modern and efficacious marker vaccines compatible with serological tests for disease surveillance. Finally, we highlight the gaps that require research efforts in the future.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Complexation of DNA with Cationic Surfactant

Transfection of an anionic polynucleotide through a negatively charged membrane is an important problem in genetic engineering. The direct association of cationic surfactant to DNA decreases the effective negative charge of the nucleic acid, allowing the DNA-surfactant complex to approach a negatively charged membrane. The paper develops a theory for solutions composed of polyelectrolyte, salt, and ionic surfactant. The theoretical predictions are compared with the experimental measurements.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure

Ecological implications of pedogenesis and geochemistry of ultramafic soils in Kinabalu Park (Malaysia)

In Sabah, Malaysia, ultramafic rock outcrops are widespread (totalling 3500 km2, one of the main outcrops in the tropical zone), and predominantly of the peridotite type. However, strongly serpentinised peridotite is also locally common, particularly along fault lines in the Mt. Kinabalu area. This study aimed to determine the extent of chemical variation in ultramafic soils in relation to the degree of serpentinisation and the weathering intensity, and consequent potential ecological implications linked to resulting soil chemical fertility. It was hypothesized that young soils and soils derived from bedrock with a significant degree of serpentinisation strongly differ from typical Geric Ferralsols and result in soil chemistries with more adverse properties to plant life (e.g. low availability of the essential nutrients N, P, K and Ca and high concentrations of potentially phytotoxic Mg and Ni). Ultramafic soil diversity linked to the age of the soil or the degree of serpentinisation would thus be a main factor of plant diversity and distribution. The diverse topography of Kinabalu Park (ultramafic soils present between 400 and 2950 m asl) has given rise to high pedodiversity with the broad overall ultramafic soil types being: (i) deep laterite soils (Geric Ferralsols); (ii) moderately deep montane soils (Dystric Cambisols) with mor humus; (iii) shallow skeletal soils at high altitude (Eutric Cambisols Hypermagnesic); and (iv) bare serpentinite soils (Hypereutric Leptosols Hypermagnesic) at low altitude (200–700 m asl). Leptosols on serpentinite and Eutric Cambisols have the most extreme chemical properties in the whole Kinabalu Park area both with very high Mg:Ca molar quotients, with either high available Ni (Cambisols) or high pH (Leptosols). These soils host specific and adapted vegetation (high level of endemism) that tolerates geochemical peculiarities, including Ni hyperaccumulators. Geric Ferralsols present far less chemical constraints than Hypermagnesian Cambisols soils to the vegetation and host a tall and very diverse rainforest, not so different than that on non-ultramafic soils. It therefore appears that altitude, soil age and degree of bedrock serpentinisation are the main determining factors of soil properties: the qualifier “ultramafic” alone is not sufficient to define soil geochemical and ecological conditions in the Kinabalu Park area, probably more than in any other ultramafic region in the world

Hairpin ribozyme-antisense RNA constructs can act as molecular lassos

We have developed a novel class of antisense agents, RNA Lassos, which are capable of binding to and circularizing around complementary target RNAs. The RNA Lasso consists of a fixed sequence derived from the hairpin ribozyme and an antisense segment whose size and sequence can be varied to base pair with accessible sites in the target RNA. The ribozyme catalyzes self-processing of the 5′- and 3′-ends of a transcribed Lasso precursor and ligates the processed ends to produce a circular RNA. The circular and linear forms of the self-processed Lasso coexist in an equilibrium that is dependent on both the Lasso sequence and the solution conditions. Lassos form strong, noncovalent complexes with linear target RNAs and form true topological linkages with circular targets. Lasso complexes with linear RNA targets were detected by denaturing gel electrophoresis and were found to be more stable than ordinary RNA duplexes. We show that expression of a fusion mRNA consisting of a sequence from the murine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) gene linked to luciferase reporter can be specifically and efficiently blocked by an anti-TNF Lasso. We also show in cell culture experiments that Lassos directed against Fas pre-mRNA were able to induce a change in alternative splicing patterns