Knowledge and Power in Indonesian Traditional Music: A Genealogical Approach on the Transformation of the Meaning of Karawitan

The term Karawitan is generally known to mean gamelan music, more specifically Javanese, Balinese, and Sundanese gamelan music tuned to slendro and pelog scales. However, the term is discursive and has meaning in wider contexts as well. The term karawitan first appeared during the colonial period in royal courts on Java to indicate Javanese gamelan music. However, through its nation-wide university karawitan programs, the Indonesian government and art academics use the term to refer to all Indonesian traditional music practices (Musik Nusantara).Thisarticle gives a postcolonial account of the discourse surrounding the term karawitan to trace the transformation of its meaning. It employs Michel Foucault's theory of discourse and genealogical research methods to explore colonial-era and post-colonial literature using the term karawitan. By reviewing various discourses about karawitan, authors provide a more nuanced understanding about how power operates in the context of traditional music in Indonesia. We illustrate how the meaning of “karawitan” has been re-defined and contested through discursive practices. In general, these transformations demonstrate a shift from colonial power to national powe

Light propagation in conjugated polymer nanowires decoupled from a substrate

Light-emitting conjugated polymer nanowires are vertically grown and remotely manipulated into a freestanding straight or curved structure in three-dimension. This approach enabled us to eliminate substrate coupling, a critical issue in nanowire photonics in the past decade. We for the first time accomplished characterization of propagation and bending losses of nanowires completely decoupled from a substrate

Electromagnetic fields in a 3D cavity and in a waveguide with oscillating walls

We consider classical and quantum electromagnetic fields in a three-dimensional (3D) cavity and in a waveguide with oscillating boundaries of the frequency $\Omega$. The photons created by the parametric resonance are distributed in the wave number space around $\Omega/2$ along the axis of the oscillation. When classical waves propagate along the waveguide in the one direction, we observe the amplification of the original waves and another wave generation in the opposite direction by the oscillation of side walls. This can be understood as the classical counterpart of the photon production. In the case of two opposite walls oscillating with the same frequency but with a phase difference, the interferences are shown to occur due to the phase difference in the photon numbers and in the intensity of the generated waves.Comment: 8 pages revTeX including 1 eps fi

Production of Transgenic Cloned Miniature Pigs with Membrane-bound Human Fas Ligand (FasL) by Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer

Cell-mediated xenograft rejection, including NK cells and CD8+ CTL, is a major obstacle in successful pig-to-human xenotransplantation. Human CD8+ CTL and NK cells display high cytotoxicity for pig cells, mediated at least in part by the Fas/FasL pathway. To prevent cell-mediated xenocytotoxicity, a membrane-bound form of human FasL (mFasL) was generated as an inhibitor for CTL and NK cell cytotoxicity that could not be cleaved by metalloproteinase to produce putative soluble FasL. We produced two healthy transgenic pigs harboring the mFasL gene via somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). In a cytotoxicity assay using transgenic clonal cell lines and transgenic pig ear cells, the rate of CD8+ CTL-mediated cytotoxicity was significantly reduced in transgenic pig's ear cells compared with that in normal minipig fetal fibroblasts. Our data indicate that grafts of transgenic pigs expressing membrane-bound human FasL control the cellular immune response to xenografts, creating a window of opportunity to facilitate xenograft survival

Approximation of most penetrating particle size for fibrous filters considering Cunningham slip correction factor

In the estimation of the aerosol single fiber efficiency using fibrous filters, there is a size range, where the particles penetrate most effectively through the fibrous collectors, and corresponding minimum single fiber efficiency. For small particles in which the diffusion mechanism is dominant, the Cunningham slip correction factor (Cc) affects the single fiber efficiency and the most penetrating particle size (MPPS). Therefore, for accurate estimation, Cc is essential to be considered. However, many previous studies have neglected this factor because of its complexity and the associated difficulty in deriving the appropriate parameterization particularly for the MPPS. In this study, the expression for the MPPS, and the corresponding expression for the minimum single fiber efficiency are analytically derived, and the effects of Cc are determined. In order to accommodate the slip factor for all particle-size ranges, Cc is simplified and modified. Overall, the obtained analytical expression for the MPPS is in a good agreement with the exact solution

Efficacy of a long-pulsed 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser in acute scar redness

Background The initial redness of the scar on a postoperative suture site is a natural phenomenon that fades over time. However, with a long period of redness, patients complain about cosmetic discomfort, and the possibility of pigmentation changes is induced. We investigated the use of a long-pulsed 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser as a noninvasive treatment for improving the redness of these scars. Methods A retrospective chart review was conducted on 36 patients who underwent excision of a nevus on the face. Fourteen patients received laser treatment and another 22 patients used only scar management ointment. Patients were followed up 1 week after the sutures were removed. The photographic images taken at the time of suture removal and 2 months later were reviewed. The evaluation was performed on a 7-point scale by adding the Japan Scar Workshop (JSW) scar scale’s redness and erythema scores. Results The average initial JSW scar scale score of the treatment group was 4.6, and that of the nontreatment group was 4.2. When the re-evaluation was performed 2 months later, the score of the treatment group decreased to 2.2 and that of the nontreatment group decreased to 3.1. The difference in the JSW scar scale between the treatment group and the nontreatment group according to laser performance was statistically significant (P=0.03). Conclusions The treatment method with a long-pulsed 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser that is less invasive and has a quick effect can be a good alternative for improving this initial scar redness

Dense Iron Ejecta and Core-collapse Supernova Explosion in the Young Supernova Remnant G11.2-0.3

We present the results of near-infrared spectroscopic observations of dense (\simgt 10$^3$ cm$^{-3}$) iron ejecta in the young core-collapse supernova remnant G11.2-0.3. Five ejecta knots projected to be close to its center show a large dispersion in their Doppler shifts: two knots in the east are blueshifted by more than 1,000 \kms, while three western knots have relatively small blueshifts of 20-60 \kms. This velocity discrepancy may indicate that the western knots have been significantly decelerated or that there exists a systematic velocity difference among the knots. One ejecta filament in the northwestern boundary, on the other hand, is redshifted by \simgt 200 \kms, while opposite filament in the southeastern boundary shows a negligible radial motion. Some of the knots and filaments have secondary velocity components, and one knot shows a bow shock-like feature in the velocity structure. The iron ejecta appear to be devoid of strong emission from other heavy elements, such as S, which may attest to the alpha-rich freezeout process in the explosive nucleosynthesis of the core-collapse supernova explosion close to its center. The prominent bipolar distribution of the Fe ejecta in the northwestern and southeastern direction, along with the elongation of the central pulsar wind nebula in the perpendicular direction, is consistent with the interpretation that the supernova exploded primarily along the northwestern and southeastern direction.Comment: To appear in ApJ Letter

Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Extracellular Vesicle Therapy for Stroke: Scalable Production and Imaging Biomarker Studies

A major clinical hurdle to translate MSC-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) is the lack of a method to scale-up the production of EVs with customized therapeutic properties. In this study, we tested whether EV production by a scalable 3D-bioprocessing method is feasible and improves neuroplasticity in animal models of stroke using MRI study. MSCs were cultured in a 3D-spheroid using a micro-patterned well. The EVs were isolated with filter and tangential flow filtration and characterized using electron microscopy, nanoparticle tracking analysis, and small RNA sequencing. Compared to conventional 2D culture, the production-reproduction of EVs (the number/size of particles and EV purity) obtained from 3D platform were more consistent among different lots from the same donor and among different donors. Several microRNAs with molecular functions associated with neurogenesis were upregulated in EVs obtained from 3D platform. EVs induced both neurogenesis and neuritogenesis via microRNAs (especially, miR-27a-3p and miR-132-3p)-mediated actions. EV therapy improved functional recovery on behavioral tests and reduced infarct volume on MRI in stroke models. The dose of MSC-EVs of 1/30 cell dose had similar therapeutic effects. In addition, the EV group had better anatomical and functional connectivity on diffusion tensor imaging and resting-state functional MRI in a mouse stroke model. This study shows that clinical-scale MSC-EV therapeutics are feasible, cost-effective, and improve functional recovery following experimental stroke, with a likely contribution from enhanced neurogenesis and neuroplasticity