Multicultural Music Education: Second-Grade Students\u27 Responses to Unfamiliar Musics

The purpose of this study is to investigate students\u27 grouping and responses to unfamiliar non-Western musics. Eighty-five second-grade student participants from nine intact classrooms in an elementary school in rural Ohio received four consecutive 35-minute lessons over a two-week period on Japanese Gagaku ensemble. The four lessons included guided listening, performing kakko drum patterns, moving appropriately to music, and participating in discussions about Japanese culture. Following four lessons on Japanese Gagaku ensemble, students spent two weeks (four lessons) developing singing and rhythm skills in western music. After the four western music lessons were completed, the students listened to a recording of Ghanaian Adowe drumming. Students were asked to write a response: Describe this music in the best way you can. The majority of students refrained from labeling the music as coming from a specific culture. Students who did label the music as belonging to a particular culture, named cultures to which they had recent exposure. The results of this study suggest that second-graders apply knowledge of a familiar culture to a music culture that is unfamiliar. Music educators can use this information to promote student understanding of and differentiation between musics of Western and non-Western culture

Multicultural Music Education: Second-Grade Students\u27 Responses to Unfamiliar Musics

The purpose of this study is to investigate students\u27 grouping and responses to unfamiliar non-Western musics. Eighty-five second-grade student participants from nine intact classrooms in an elementary school in rural Ohio received four consecutive 35-minute lessons over a two-week period on Japanese Gagaku ensemble. The four lessons included guided listening, performing kakko drum patterns, moving appropriately to music, and participating in discussions about Japanese culture. Following four lessons on Japanese Gagaku ensemble, students spent two weeks (four lessons) developing singing and rhythm skills in western music. After the four western music lessons were completed, the students listened to a recording of Ghanaian Adowe drumming. Students were asked to write a response: Describe this music in the best way you can. The majority of students refrained from labeling the music as coming from a specific culture. Students who did label the music as belonging to a particular culture, named cultures to which they had recent exposure. The results of this study suggest that second-graders apply knowledge of a familiar culture to a music culture that is unfamiliar. Music educators can use this information to promote student understanding of and differentiation between musics of Western and non-Western culture

Relatedness facilitates cooperation in the subsocial spider, Stegodyphus tentoriicola

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cooperative hunting and foraging in spiders is rare and prone to cheating such that the actions of selfish individuals negatively affect the whole group. The resulting social dilemma may be mitigated by kin selection since related individuals lose indirect fitness benefits by acting selfishly. Indeed, cooperation with genetic kin reduces the disadvantages of within-group competition in the subsocial spider <it>Stegodyphus lineatus</it>, supporting the hypothesis that high relatedness is an important pre-adaptation in the transition to sociality in spiders. In this study we examined the consequences of group size and relatedness on cooperative feeding in the subsocial spider <it>S. tentoriicola</it>, a species suggested to be at the transition to permanent sociality.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We formed groups of 3 and 6 spiders that were either siblings or non-siblings. We found that increasing group size negatively affected feeding efficiency but that these negative effects were reduced in sib-groups. Sib groups were more likely to feed cooperatively and all group members grew more homogenously than groups of unrelated spiders. The measured differences did not translate into differential growth or mortality during the experimental period of 8 weeks.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The combination of our results with those from previous studies indicates that the conflict between individual interests and group interests may be reduced by nepotism and that the latter promote the maintenance of the social community.</p

Randomized multicenter study on the plaque removal efficacy of 2 interdental brushes around the base of orthodontic brackets.

INTRODUCTION The objective of this multicenter study was to analyze the efficacy of cleaning 2 interdental brushes (IDBs) around brackets in patients with fixed orthodontic appliances. METHODS The study design was a multicenter, randomized, examiner-blinded crossover study with 3 interventions, the first of which was a baseline intervention. This study included 20 patients (12 females, 8 males) aged 12-18 years with fixed orthodontic devices examined at the Department of Orthodontics, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, and the Children's Dental Clinic St. Gallen. The outcome was a conventional, cylindrically shaped IDB (IDBG-S [IB]; Top Caredent GmbH, Schönau, Germany) was examined in comparison with an innovative waist-shaped IDB (Circum, CDB-8 [CB]; Top Caredent GmbH). The participants did not use the IDB themselves. The brushing procedure was performed professionally by 1 operator (C.E.). Each buccal tooth surface with a bracket was split into 8 areas, the main areas being 1 and 8. These main areas, which were difficult for toothbrushes to reach, were mesial (area 1) and distal (area 8) of the bracket edges in the gingival direction. Plaque index (PI) scores were assessed at 2 examinations before and after the cleaning procedure on 8 tooth surfaces in the area with orthodontic brackets. A computer-generated program randomly allocated the IDB sequence to the participants. Examiners (L.Z.-G. and Y.W.) assessing the outcomes were blinded to the intervention and the randomized allocation of participants to the different IDBs. RESULTS Both IDBs showed a plaque removal effect (CB, 0.68 [interquartile range, 0.63-0.77]; IB, 0.43 [interquartile range, 0.33-0.55]). The difference between the 2 IDB was statistically significant (P = 0.002). In particular, the CB yielded a higher plaque removal efficacy (CB effect, 0.68; IB effect, 0.21) at the main areas 1 and 8, which were difficult to reach. Ten participants were randomized to each sequence, and all 20 completed the study. No side effects or adverse events were reported or observed. CONCLUSION The waist-shaped brush head of the CB significantly enhanced plaque reduction in total and particularly in problem areas. REGISTRATION This trial was registered at the German Clinical Trials Registry (no. DRKS00014088; https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.xxdo?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00014088) PROTOCOL: The protocol was not published before trial commencement. FUNDING This study was supported by the manufacturer Top Caredent GmbH, Schönau, Germany, which provided all interdental brushes used in this study

Metal composition of ambient PM2.5 influences severity of allergic airways disease in mice.

Children living in Hettstedt in eastern Germany have been reported to have a higher prevalence of sensitization to common aeroallergens than another cohort living in the neighboring city of Zerbst; these differences correlated with the presence of industrial air pollution. Samples of fine particulate matter (< 2.5 micro m aerodynamic diameter; PM(2.5)) collected in Hettstedt in 1999 had several-fold higher levels of zinc, magnesium, lead, copper, and cadmium than samples from Zerbst. To determine if the results from epidemiologic studies could be repeated in an animal model, we administered PM(2.5) from Hettstedt and Zerbst to ovalbumin-allergic mice. In Balb/c mice, PM(2.5) from Hettstedt, but not PM(2.5) from Zerbst or control filter extract, caused a significant increase in immediate responses to ovalbumin challenge when aspirated 2 hr before challenge, but not when aspirated immediately before sensitization 2 weeks earlier. Antigen-specific IgE was increased by Hettstedt PM(2.5) whether administered before sensitization or challenge. Airway responsiveness to methacholine aerosol and lung inflammatory cell numbers were significantly increased only in allergic mice exposed to Hettstedt PM(2.5) before challenge. Both Hettstedt and Zerbst PM(2.5) significantly increased lung injury parameters and proinflammatory cytokines. These results are consistent with epidemiologic findings and show that metal composition of ambient PM(2.5) influences the severity of allergic respiratory disease

Pan-Proteomic Analysis and Elucidation of Protein Abundance among the Closely Related Brucella Species, Brucella abortus and Brucella melitensis

Brucellosis is a zoonotic infection caused by bacteria of the genus Brucella. The species, B. abortus and B. melitensis, major causative agents of human brucellosis, share remarkably similar genomes, but they differ in their natural hosts, phenotype, antigenic, immunogenic, proteomic and metabolomic properties. In the present study, label-free quantitative proteomic analysis was applied to investigate protein expression level differences. Type strains and field strains were each cultured six times, cells were harvested at a midlogarithmic growth phase and proteins were extracted. Following trypsin digestion, the peptides were desalted, separated by reverse-phase nanoLC, ionized using electrospray ionization and transferred into an linear trap quadrapole (LTQ) Orbitrap Velos mass spectrometer to record full scan MS spectra (m/z 300–1700) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) spectra of the 20 most intense ions. Database matching with the reference proteomes resulted in the identification of 826 proteins. The Cluster of Gene Ontologies of the identified proteins revealed differences in bimolecular transport and protein synthesis mechanisms between these two strains. Among several other proteins, antifreeze proteins, Omp10, superoxide dismutase and 30S ribosomal protein S14 were predicted as potential virulence factors among the proteins differentially expressed. All mass spectrometry data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD006348

C/EBPβ-1 promotes transformation and chemoresistance in Ewing sarcoma cells.

CEBPB copy number gain in Ewing sarcoma was previously shown to be associated with worse clinical outcome compared to tumors with normal CEBPB copy number, although the mechanism was not characterized. We employed gene knockdown and rescue assays to explore the consequences of altered CEBPB gene expression in Ewing sarcoma cell lines. Knockdown of EWS-FLI1 expression led to a decrease in expression of all three C/EBPβ isoforms while re-expression of EWS-FLI1 rescued C/EBPβ expression. Overexpression of C/EBPβ-1, the largest of the three C/EBPβ isoforms, led to a significant increase in colony formation when cells were grown in soft agar compared to empty vector transduced cells. In addition, depletion of C/EBPβ decreased colony formation, and re-expression of either C/EBPβ-1 or C/EBPβ-2 rescued the phenotype. We identified the cancer stem cell marker ALDH1A1 as a target of C/EBPβ in Ewing sarcoma. Furthermore, increased expression of C/EBPβ led to resistance to chemotherapeutic agents. In summary, we have identified CEBPB as an oncogene in Ewing sarcoma. Overexpression of C/EBPβ-1 increases transformation, upregulates expression of the cancer stem cell marker ALDH1A1, and leads to chemoresistance

Comprehensive Identification of Immunodominant Proteins of Brucella abortus and Brucella melitensis Using Antibodies in the Sera from Naturally Infected Hosts

Brucellosis is a debilitating zoonotic disease that affects humans and animals. The diagnosis of brucellosis is challenging, as accurate species level identification is not possible with any of the currently available serology-based diagnostic methods. The present study aimed at identifying Brucella (B.) species-specific proteins from the closely related species B. abortus and B. melitensis using sera collected from naturally infected host species. Unlike earlier reported investigations with either laboratory-grown species or vaccine strains, in the present study, field strains were utilized for analysis. The label-free quantitative proteomic analysis of the naturally isolated strains of these two closely related species revealed 402 differentially expressed proteins, among which 63 and 103 proteins were found exclusively in the whole cell extracts of B. abortus and B. melitensis field strains, respectively. The sera from four different naturally infected host species, i.e., cattle, buffalo, sheep, and goat were applied to identify the immune-binding protein spots present in the whole protein extracts from the isolated B. abortus and B. melitensis field strains and resolved on two- dimensional gel electrophoresis. Comprehensive analysis revealed that 25 proteins of B. abortus and 20 proteins of B. melitensis were distinctly immunoreactive. Dihydrodipicolinate synthase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and lactate/malate dehydrogenase from B. abortus, amino acid ABC transporter substrate-binding protein from B. melitensis and fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase from both species were reactive with the sera of all the tested naturally infected host species. The identified proteins could be used for the design of serological assays capable of detecting pan- Brucella, B. abortus- and B. melitensis-specific antibodies

Cleavage of organosolv lignin to phenols using nitrogen monoxide and hydrazine

Funding: The authors are grateful to the support by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU).From the variety of methods known for the depolymerization of organosolv lignin, a broad range of diversely substituted aromatic compounds are available today. In the present work, a novel two-step reaction sequence is reported, which is focused on the formation of phenols. While the first step of the depolymerization strategy comprises the 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ)-catalyzed oxidation of organosolv lignin with nitrogen monoxide so that two waste materials are combined, cleavage to the phenolic target compounds is achieved in the second step employing hydrazine and potassium hydroxide under Wolff–Kishner-type conditions. Besides the fact that the novel strategy proceeds via an untypical form of oxidized organosolv lignin, the two-step sequence is further able to provide phenols as cleavage products, which bear no substituent at the 4-position.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe