Trombone Obbligati of Johann Ernst Eberlin: Historical Contexts, Analyses, and Performance Editions for Inclusion to the Trombonist Lexicon

Johann Ernst Eberlin (1702-1762) regularly composed for the alto trombone as an obbligato instrument in his oratorios and schuldramen. His works are an important predecessor of concerted music for trombone in the Classical era, though trombonists rarely perform his arias in the present day. This resource provides an analysis of three arias composed by Eberlin that contain trombone obbligato. Although the arias “Was hat mein Aug erblickt!” from Die Blutschwitzende Jesus, “Fließ o heißer Tränenbach!” from Der Veruteilte Jesus, and “Menschen sagt, was ist das Leben?” from Der verlorene Sohn have survived in editions by Robert Haas, found in volume 55 of Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Österreich, little help with respect to performance practice is to be found here. This study, then, offers a detailed approach to performance practice and suggested ornamentations for the trombonist are provided for each aria. Appendices include the original trombone part overlaid with suggested ornamentations added and a new edition of the score with the previously missing figured bass restored

Book Reviews

Reviews of the following books: Maine Becomes A State: The Movement to Separate Maine from Massachusetts, 1785-1820 by Ronald F. Banks; The Eastern Frontier: The Settlement of Northern New England, 1620-1763 by Charles E. Clark; Enduring Friendships edited by Al Robert

Indium-tin oxide thin films by metal-organic decomposition

In2O3-SnO2 films were produced by thermal decomposition of a deposit which was dip coated on borosilicate glass substrates from an acetylacetone solution of indium and tin acetoacetonate. Thermal analysis showed complete pyrolysis of the organics by 400 °C. The thermal decomposition reaction generated acetylacetone gas and was found to be first order with an activation energy of 13.6 Kcal/mole. Differences in thermal decomposition between the film and bulk materials were noted. As measured by differential scanning calorimetry using a 40 °C/min temperature ramp, the glass transition temperature of the deposited oxide film was found to be ∼462 °C, and the film crystallization temperature was found to be ∼518 °C. For film fabrication, thermal decomposition of the films was performed at 500 °C in air for 1 h followed by reduction for various times at 500 °C in a reducing atmosphere. Crystalline films resulted for these conditions. A resistivity of ∼1.01 × 10−3 Ω · cm, at 8 wt. % tin oxide with a transparency of ∼95% at 400 nm, has been achieved for a 273 nm thick fil

Synthesis of mono and multidomain YIG particles by chemical coprecipitation or ceramic procedure

4 páginas, 3 figuras.Yttrium iron garnet powders have been synthesized by chemical coprecipitation using two different precursors, nitrates and chlorides, and by an oxides mixture route. It is shown that depending on the precursors and synthesis conditions used pure yttrium iron garnet powders can be obtained with a mono or multidomain magnetic behaviour. The yttrium iron garnet crystalline structure, as studied by Raman spectroscopy, was already formed after calcination at temperatures as low as 800 °C when the nitrate precursors were used. However, calcination temperatures of up to 1100 °C were required to obtain yttrium iron garnet powders when the precursors were chlorides or when the oxides mixture route was chosen. The saturation magnetization of the powders correlates well with the structural characterization: when nitrate precursors were used, the saturation magnetization was already close to the bulk value, 26.8 emu/cm3, after calcination at 800 °C. However, the saturation magnetization of the powders obtained by the chlorides and oxides mixture routes was close to zero up to calcination temperatures of 1100 °C. Finally, both the chlorides and the oxides mixture routes yield multidomain micron sized yttrium iron garnet powders, whereas the nitrates route led to monodomain submicron sized powders.The authors want to acknowledge the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science and UE for funding through project MAT2009-14534-C03-03. One of us, L. Fernandez-Garcia, wants to acknowledge JAE program for PhD grant.Peer reviewe

Disordered eating behaviour is associated with blunted cortisol and cardiovascular reactions to acute psychological stress

Research suggests a potential dysregulation of the stress response in individuals with bulimia nervosa. This study measured both cardiovascular and cortisol reactions to a standardised laboratory stress task in individuals identified as showing disordered eating behaviour to determine whether dysregulation of the stress response is characteristic of the two branches of the stress response system. Female students (N = 455) were screened using two validated eating disorder questionnaires. Twelve women with disordered eating, including self-induced vomiting, and 12 healthy controls were selected for laboratory stress testing. Salivary cortisol and cardiovascular activity, via Doppler imaging and semi-automatic blood pressure monitoring, were measured at resting baseline and during and after exposure to a 10-min mental arithmetic stress task. Compared to controls the disordered eating group showed blunted cortisol, cardiac output, heart rate, and stroke volume reactions to the acute stress, as well as an attenuated vasodilatory reaction. These effects could not be accounted for in terms of group differences in stress task performance, subjective task impact/engagement, age, BMI, neuroticism, cardiorespiratory fitness, or co-morbid exercise dependence. Our findings suggest that disordered eating is characterised by a dysregulation of the autonomic stress-response system. As such, they add further weight to the general contention that blunted stress reactivity is characteristic of a number of maladaptive behaviours and states

Cu(In,Ga)Se2 based ultrathin solar cells: the pathway from lab rigid to large scale flexible technology

For the first time, the incorporation of interface passivation structures in ultrathin Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) based solar cells is shown in a flexible lightweight stainless-steel substrate. The fabrication was based on an industry scalable lithography technique - nanoimprint lithography (NIL) - for a 15x15 cm2 dielectric layer patterning, needed to reduce optoelectronic losses at the rear interface. The nanopatterning schemes are usually developed by lithographic techniques or by processes with limited scalability and reproducibility (nanoparticle lift-off, spin-coating, etc). However, in this work the dielectric layer is patterned using NIL, a low cost, large area, high resolution, and high throughput technique. To assess the NIL performance, devices with a NIL nanopatterned dielectric layer are benchmarked against electron-beam lithography (EBL) patterning, using rigid substrates. Up to now, EBL is considered the most reliable technique for patterning laboratory samples. The device patterned by NIL shows similar light to power conversion efficiency average values compared to the EBL patterned device - 12.6 % vs 12.3 %, respectively - highlighting the NIL potential for application in the solar cell sector. Moreover, the impact of the lithographic processes, such as different etch by-products, in the rigid solar cells’ figures of merit were evaluated from an elemental point of view via X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and electrically through a Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator (SCAPS) fitting procedure. After an optimised NIL process, the device on stainless-steel achieved an average power conversion efficiency value of 11.7 % - a slightly lower value than the one obtained for the rigid approach, due to additional challenges raised by processing and handling steel substrates, even though scanning transmission electron microscopy did not show any clear evidence of impurity diffusion towards the absorber. Notwithstanding, time-resolved photoluminescence results strongly suggested the presence of additional non-radiative recombination mechanisms in the stainless-steel absorber, which were not detected in the rigid solar cells, and are compatible with elemental diffusion from the substrate. Nevertheless, bending tests on the stainless-steel device demonstrated the mechanical stability of the CIGS-based device up to 500 bending cycles.This work was funded in part by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) under Grants 2020.04564.BD, IF/00133/2015, PD/BD/142780/2018, SFRH/BD/146776/2019, UIDB/04564/2020 and UIDP/04564/2020, 2020.07073.BD, as well as through the projects NovaCell (PTDC/CTMCTM/28075/2017), CASOLEM (028917) “Correlated Analysis of Inorganic Solar Cells in and outside an Electron Microscope”, and InovSolarCells (PTDC/FISMAC/29696/2017) co-funded by FCT and the ERDF through COMPETE2020. And by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation 15 programme under the grants agreements N°. 720887 (ARCIGS-M project) and grand agreement N°.715027 (Uniting PV). The Special Research Fund (BOF) of Hasselt University is also acknowledged. P. Salomé and P. A. Fernandes would like to acknowledge FCT for the support of the project FCT UIDB/04730/2020. This work was developed within the scope of the project i3N, UIDB/50025/2020 & UIDP/50025/2020, financed by national funds through the FCT/MEC. The authors also acknowledge the support of Carlos Calaza in the fabrication for the 200 mm Si point contact stamp.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Application of infrared thermography in computer aided diagnosis

The invention of thermography, in the 1950s, posed a formidable problem to the research community: What is the relationship between disease and heat radiation captured with Infrared (IR) cameras? The research community responded with a continuous effort to find this crucial relationship. This effort was aided by advances in processing techniques, improved sensitivity and spatial resolution of thermal sensors. However, despite this progress fundamental issues with this imaging modality still remain. The main problem is that the link between disease and heat radiation is complex and in many cases even non-linear. Furthermore, the change in heat radiation as well as the change in radiation pattern, which indicate disease, is minute. On a technical level, this poses high requirements on image capturing and processing. On a more abstract level, these problems lead to inter-observer variability and on an even more abstract level they lead to a lack of trust in this imaging modality. In this review, we adopt the position that these problems can only be solved through a strict application of scientific principles and objective performance assessment. Computing machinery is inherently objective; this helps us to apply scientific principles in a transparent way and to assess the performance results. As a consequence, we aim to promote thermography based Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) systems. Another benefit of CAD systems comes from the fact that the diagnostic accuracy is linked to the capability of the computing machinery and, in general, computers become ever more potent. We predict that a pervasive application of computers and networking technology in medicine will help us to overcome the shortcomings of any single imaging modality and this will pave the way for integrated health care systems which maximize the quality of patient care

Asthma education for school staff.

BACKGROUND: Teachers and school staff should be competent in managing asthma in schools. Demonstrated low levels of asthma knowledge mean that staff may not know how best to protect a child with asthma in their care, or may fail to take appropriate action in the event of a serious attack. Education about asthma could help to improve this knowledge and lead to better asthma outcomes for children. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness and safety of asthma education programmes for school staff, and to identify content and attributes underpinning them. SEARCH METHODS: We conducted the most recent searches on 29 November 2016. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials comparing an intervention to educate school staff about asthma versus a control group. We included studies reported as full text, those published as abstract only and unpublished data. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: At least two review authors screened the searches, extracted outcome data and intervention characteristics from included studies and assessed risk of bias. Primary outcomes for the quantitative synthesis were emergency department (ED) or hospital visits, mortality and asthma control; we graded the main results and presented evidence in a 'Summary of findings' table. We planned a qualitative synthesis of intervention characteristics, but study authors were unable to provide the necessary information.We analysed dichotomous data as odds ratios, and continuous data as mean differences or standardised mean differences, all with a random-effects model. We assessed clinical, methodological and statistical heterogeneity when performing meta-analyses, and we narratively described skewed data. MAIN RESULTS: Five cluster-RCTs of 111 schools met the review eligibility criteria. Investigators measured outcomes in participating staff and often in children or parents, most often at between 1 and 12 months.All interventions were educational programmes but duration, content and delivery varied; some involved elements of training for pupils or primary care providers. We noted risk of selection, performance, detection and attrition biases, although to a differing extent across studies and outcomes.Quanitative and qualitative analyses were limited. Only one study reported visits to the ED or hospital and provided data that were too skewed for analysis. No studies reported any deaths or adverse events. Studies did not report asthma control consistently, but results showed no difference between groups on the paediatric asthma quality of life questionnaire (mean difference (MD) 0.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.03 to 0.31; 1005 participants; we downgraded the quality of evidence to low for risk of bias and indirectness). Data for symptom days, night-time awakenings, restricted activities of daily living and school absences were skewed or could not be analysed; some mean scores were better in the trained group, but most differences between groups were small and did not persist to 24 months.Schools that received asthma education were more adherent to asthma policies, and staff were better prepared; more schools that had received staff asthma training had written asthma policies compared with control schools, more intervention schools showed improvement in measures taken to prevent or manage exercise-induced asthma attacks and more staff at intervention schools reported that they felt able to administer salbutamol via a spacer. However, the quality of the evidence was low; results show imbalances at baseline, and confidence in the evidence was limited by risk of bias and imprecision. Staff knowledge was higher in groups that had received asthma education, although results were inconsistent and difficult to interpret owing to differences between scales (low quality).Available information about the interventions was insufficient for review authors to conduct a meaningful qualitative synthesis of the content that led to a successful intervention, or of the resources required to replicate results accurately. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Asthma education for school staff increases asthma knowledge and preparedness, but studies vary and all available evidence is of low quality. Studies have not yet captured whether this improvement in knowledge has led to appreciable benefits over the short term or the longer term for the safety and health of children with asthma in school. Randomised evidence does not contribute to our knowledge of content or attributes of interventions that lead to the best outcomes, or of resources required for successful implementation.Complete reporting of the content and resources of educational interventions is essential for assessment of their effectiveness and feasibility for implementation. This applies to both randomised and non-randomised studies, although the latter may be better placed to observe important clinical outcomes such as exacerbations and mortality in the longer term

Nonapeptide influences on social behaviour: effects of vasotocin and isotocin on shoaling and interaction in zebrafish

Nonapeptides are important regulators of social behaviour across vertebrate taxa. While their role in simple grouping behaviour has been explored in estrildid finches, other taxa are understudied, prompting us to investigate nonapeptide influences on shoaling behaviour in zebrafish. Subjects received injections of isotocin, an isotocin antagonist, vasotocin, a vasotocin antagonist, or saline, followed by a test of grouping behaviour. Vasotocin decreased social interaction with the shoal. Unexpectedly, the vasotocin antagonist also reduced social interaction with the shoal, as well as general shoaling behaviour. Isotocin and its antagonist had minimal effects on grouping behaviours. These results suggest social interaction and shoaling are discrete aspects of sociality differentially influenced by vasotocin, although we cannot discount possible anxiogenic effects of vasotocin. Contrasting these results with studies in other systems demonstrates that each nonapeptide’s role in social behaviour varies across taxa, and cautions against a simplistic characterisation of nonapeptides as prosocial regulators of behaviour