Acoustic conditions in orchestra pits: are metadiffusers a potential solution?

Rising concerns about public health and safety have progressively induced a change in control of noise regulations, specifically on those applicable to the work environment. These directives have been developed to protect employees from harmful side effects of their working conditions, firstly targeting high noise levels generated by heavy machinery in industry. Nowadays, noise control regulations are widely effective and applicable to nearly all working environments, including institutions dedicated to the arts, such as opera houses. To the latter, directives on noise control are of major concern as opera performances tend to generate very high sound levels, especially in the area of the orchestra pit – the sunken space between stage and audience. In such context, management faces a difficult task conforming to noise regulations as they must balance the sometimes competing demands to (i) dutifully protect their employees – musicians and others – from any harmful ‘sounds’ or ‘noise’ that might be generated, and (ii) deliver world-class operatic art for the public, where noise regulations might compromise the culture of the art form. ‘Sound’ and ‘noise’ are two terms of intense interest when dealing with control of noise regulations in the entertainment sector. Indeed, noise is generally described as ‘unwanted’ sound, judged as unpleasant, whereas music is considered most of the time as a ‘desirable’ and pleasant sound; leading to a debate on the pertinence of noise regulations within the musical arts. Such debate has recently been discussed in the High Court in London, where the court favoured an orchestral viola player who claimed to have suffered noise induced hearing loss during a rehearsal of Wagner's Valkyrie1; the major argument being that the opera house exceeded industry-wide standards on noise control, viz. daily LAE > 85 dBA. Such a case has no precedent in UK history, raising concerns for other opera houses and music spaces on how to enforce noise regulations without affecting the performances’ nature. This leads to the question of whether noise control regulations should apply to all industries, regardless of the type of sound they generate

Evaluation of Cage Designs and Feeding Regimes for Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Laboratory Experiments

The aim of this study was to improve cage systems for maintaining adult honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) workers under in vitro laboratory conditions. To achieve this goal, we experimentally evaluated the impact of different cages, developed by scientists of the international research network COLOSS (Prevention of honey bee COlony LOSSes), on the physiology and survival of honey bees. We identified three cages that promoted good survival of honey bees. The bees from cages that exhibited greater survival had relatively lower titers of deformed wing virus, suggesting that deformed wing virus is a significant marker reflecting stress level and health status of the host. We also determined that a leak- and drip-proof feeder was an integral part of a cage system and a feeder modified from a 20-ml plastic syringe displayed the best result in providing steady food supply to bees. Finally, we also demonstrated that the addition of protein to the bees' diet could significantly increase the level of vitellogenin gene expression and improve bees' survival. This international collaborative study represents a critical step toward improvement of cage designs and feeding regimes for honey bee laboratory experiment

Genetic Variants For Head Size Share Genes and Pathways With Cancer

The size of the human head is highly heritable, but genetic drivers of its variation within the general population remain unmapped. We perform a genome-wide association study on head size (N = 80,890) and identify 67 genetic loci, of which 50 are novel. Neuroimaging studies show that 17 variants affect specific brain areas, but most have widespread effects. Gene set enrichment is observed for various cancers and the p53, Wnt, and ErbB signaling pathways. Genes harboring lead variants are enriched for macrocephaly syndrome genes (37-fold) and high-fidelity cancer genes (9-fold), which is not seen for human height variants. Head size variants are also near genes preferentially expressed in intermediate progenitor cells, neural cells linked to evolutionary brain expansion. Our results indicate that genes regulating early brain and cranial growth incline to neoplasia later in life, irrespective of height. This warrants investigation of clinical implications of the link between head size and cancer

Synthesis, X-ray structural and thermal analysis of a novel copper compound containing dissymmetric independent 5- And 6-coordinate CuL(H<inf>2</inf>O)<inf>n</inf> (n = 2, 3) units and hydrogen bond bridges

PubMed ID: 25830964The synthesis, thermogravimetric and X-ray structure analysis of a highly unusual copper compound prepared from a chiral tridentate Schiff base ligand is reported. The title compound [CuL(H2O)2] • [CuL(H2O)3] • H2O crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system in space group P212121 with Z = 4. The two independent CuL(H2O)n complexes are present in the same unit cell, along with an uncoordinated water molecule. The five-coordinated copper(II) centre occupies a distorted square-pyramidal geometry whereas the six-coordinated copper(II) centre has a distorted octahedral geometry. The independent copper complexes and the uncoordinated water molecule are joined together with intermolecular hydrogen bonds in a two-dimensional supramolecular network which lies parallel to the ab plane

Effects of calcineurin inhibitors, cyclosporine A and tacrolimus (FK506), on the activity of antifungal drugs against Candida spp.

Introduction. The simultaneous use of antifungals with immunosuppressive agents has become a necessity for patients taking immunosuppressive therapy. However, antifungal drugs are problematic because of their limited target. Hypothesis. Scientists have been searching for new antifungals and some compounds with at least additive effects on antifungals. Calcineurin inhibitors used as immunosuppressive agents also attract attention due to their antifungal property. Aim. To evaluate the activity of two calcineurin inhibitors alone and in combination with amphotericin B (AMB), caspofungin (CAS), itraconazole (ITR), voriconazole (VOR) and fluconazole (FLU). Methodology. MICs of AMB, CAS, ITR, VOR, FLU and cyclosporine A (CsA) and tacrolimus (TAC) as calcineurin inhibitors were evaluated by the broth microdilution method against Candida albicans (n=13), C. krusei (n=7) and C. glabrata (n=10). Checkerboard and time-kill methods were performed to investigate the activity of combining calcineurin inhibitors with antifungal drugs. Results. The lowest MIC values were detected with VOR for all Candida isolates tested. Although we did not detect any inhibition for CsA or TAC alone at concentrations tested in this study, the combinations of CAS with CsA showed the highest synergistic activity (36.7%) by the checkerboard method, and CAS with CsA and ITR with TAC combinations exhibited apparent synergistic interaction by the time-kill method. However, the combinations of both CsA and TAC with AMB resulted in antagonistic interactions, especially against C. krusei isolate in time-kill testing. Conclusion. Synergistic interactions in the combinations of TAC or CsA with antifungal drugs, except for AMB, in many concentrations was found to be promising in terms of the treatment of patients with fungal infections. © 2021 Microbiology Society. All rights reserved.112S503; Istanbul Üniversitesi: 23844; Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştirma Kurumu, TÜBITAKThe present work was supported by the Research Fund of Istanbul University (Project No. 23844), and Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) (Project No.112S503)