3,637 research outputs found
THOSE BORING, ARCANE PART-WRITING EXERCISES
Music theory students and teachers alike have long complained about the sterile part-writing exercises that are a staple of music theory classes. With glee people love to point out how works from the repertoire frequently feature elements that are forbidden in exercises, thereby seeming to prove the ineptitude of the arcane rules forced upon generations of students. Considering the glaring divide between compositional practice and the guidelines for these exercises, are there truly any benefits for continuing to teach in this old-fashioned manner? If their purpose is to mimic a specific artistic style, such as witnessed in the chorales of J. S. Bach, then the utility of part-writing exercises would indeed be extremely questionable. But if their goals are more properly understood as a means of enhancing sensitivity to certain basic procedures of tonal music, then part-writing exercises could rightly be valued as important pedagogical tools for developing vital skills that in turn can inform the performance, hearing, analysis, and composition of tonal music
The mid-UV population of the nucleus and the bulk of the post-merger NGC 3610
The very center of NGC~3610, a clearly disturbed giant elliptical generally
assumed to be a post-merger remnant, appears dominated in the mid-UV (2500-3200
A spectral region) by a stellar population markedly different from that
dominating the bulk of its stellar body. I want here to make use of the mid-UV
spectra of NGC~3610 as seen through tiny (1") and large (10"20")
apertures as a diagnostic population tool. I compare archive IUE/LWP large
aperture and HST/FOS UV data of NGC 3610. The strength of mid-UV triplet
(dominated by the turnoff population) shows a remarkable drop when switching
from the galaxy central arcsec (FOS aperture) to an aperture size comparable to
0.5 r (IUE). The sub-arsec (mid)-UV properties of this galaxy
involved in a past merger reveal a central metal enrichment which left intact
the bulk of its pre-existing population.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in astronomy and
Astrophysic
Temperature sensitivity of the pyloric neuromuscular system and its modulation by dopamine
We report here the effects of temperature on the p1 neuromuscular system of the stomatogastric system of the lobster (Panulirus interruptus). Muscle force generation, in response to both the spontaneously rhythmic in vitro pyloric network neural activity and direct, controlled motor nerve stimulation, dramatically decreased as temperature increased, sufficiently that stomach movements would very unlikely be maintained at warm temperatures. However, animals fed in warm tanks showed statistically identical food digestion to those in cold tanks. Applying dopamine, a circulating hormone in crustacea, increased muscle force production at all temperatures and abolished neuromuscular system temperature dependence. Modulation may thus exist not only to increase the diversity of produced behaviors, but also to maintain individual behaviors when environmental conditions (such as temperature) vary
A Statistical Treatment of the Gamma-Ray Burst "No Host Galaxy" Problem: II. Energies of Standard Candle Bursts
With the discovery that the afterglows after some bursts are coincident with
faint galaxies, the search for host galaxies is no longer a test of whether
bursts are cosmological, but rather a test of particular cosmological models.
The methodology we developed to investigate the original "no host galaxy"
problem is equally valid for testing different cosmological models, and is
applicable to the galaxies coincident with optical transients. We apply this
methodology to a family of models where we vary the total energy of standard
candle bursts. We find that total isotropic energies of E<2e52~erg are ruled
out while log(E)~53 erg is favored.Comment: To appear in Ap.J., 514, 15 pages + 7 figures, AASTeX 4.0. Revisions
are: additional author, updated data, and minor textual change
The Multiphase Intracluster Medium in Galaxy Groups Probed by the Lyman Alpha Forest
The case is made that the intracluster medium (ICM) in spiral-rich galaxy
groups today probably has undergone much slower evolution than that in
elliptical-rich groups and clusters. The environments of proto-clusters and
proto-groups at z > 2 are likely similar to spiral-rich group environments at
lower redshift. Therefore, like the ICM in spiral-rich groups today, the ICM in
proto-groups and proto-clusters at z > 2 is predicted to be significantly
multiphased. The QSO Lyman alpha forest in the vicinity of galaxies is an
effective probe of the ICM at a wide range of redshift. Two recent observations
of Lyman alpha absorption around galaxies by Adelberger et al. and by
Pascarelle et al are reconciled, and it is shown that observations support the
multiphase ICM scenario. Galaxy redshifts must be very accurate for such
studies to succeed. This scenario can also explain the lower metallicity and
lower hot gas fraction in groups.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, replaced with the version after proo
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Communication interventions to promote the public's awareness of antibiotics: a systematic review.
BackgroundInappropriate antibiotic use is implicated in antibiotic resistance and resultant morbidity and mortality. Overuse is particularly prevalent for outpatient respiratory infections, and perceived patient expectations likely contribute. Thus, various educational programs have been implemented to educate the public.MethodsWe systematically identified public-directed interventions to promote antibiotic awareness in the United States. PubMed, Google Scholar, Embase, CINAHL, and Scopus were queried for articles published from January 1996 through January 2016. Two investigators independently assessed titles and abstracts of retrieved articles for subsequent full-text review. References of selected articles and three review articles were likewise screened for inclusion. Identified educational interventions were coded for target audience, content, distribution site, communication method, and major outcomes.ResultsOur search yielded 1,106 articles; 34 met inclusion criteria. Due to overlap in interventions studied, 29 distinct educational interventions were identified. Messages were primarily delivered in outpatient clinics (Nâ=â24, 83%) and community sites (Nâ=â12, 41%). The majority included clinician education. Antibiotic prescription rates were assessed for 22 interventions (76%). Patient knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs (KAB) were assessed for 10 interventions (34%). Similar rates of success between antibiotic prescription rates and patient KAB were reported (73 and 70%, respectively). Patient interventions that did not include clinician education were successful to increase KAB but were not shown to decrease antibiotic prescribing. Three interventions targeted reductions in Streptococcus pneumoniae resistance; none were successful.ConclusionsMessaging programs varied in their designs, and many were multifaceted in their approach. These interventions can change patient perspectives regarding antibiotic use, though it is unclear if clinician education is also necessary to reduce antibiotic prescribing. Further investigations are needed to determine the relative influence of interventions focusing on patients and physicians and to determine whether these changes can influence rates of antibiotic resistance long-term
Cooperation, Proximity, and Social Innovation: Three Ingredients for Industrial Medium-Sized Townsâ Renewal?
Over several decades, medium-sized industrial towns have suffered from a combination of economic and political processes: Deindustrialization, metropolization, and withdrawal of public services. After two decades in which they have been somewhat neglected (in favor of metropolises), there have recently been State and European public policies aimed at them. Medium-sized cities are not homogeneous and present several trajectories. Based on quantitative approach in France, we highlight the very diverse socio-economic dynamics of French medium-sized industrial towns. Thus, far from widespread decline or shrinking dynamics, some of these cities are experiencing an economic rebound. This is the case of Romans-sur-IsĂšre, a medium-sized town located in the south-east of France. Focusing our qualitative analyze on this city, we try to understand this type of process. In this medium-sized town, former capital of the shoe industry, local stakeholders, private, and public try to support a productive renewal. The results of our case study highlight the role that cooperation, spatial and organizational proximity, and social innovation could play in the renewal of productive economy in medium-sized industrial towns. Even if the economic situation remains difficult for many medium-sized cities in France as in Europe, we argue that they could have a productive future making and ultimately take advantages of their âmedium-sizedâ attributes.
Over several decades, medium-sized industrial towns have suffered from a combination of economic and political processes: Deindustrialization, metropolization, and withdrawal of public services. After two decades in which they have been somewhat neglected (in favor of metropolises), there have recently been State and European public policies aimed at them. Medium-sized cities are not homogeneous and present several trajectories. Based on quantitative approach in France, we highlight the very diverse socio-economic dynamics of French medium-sized industrial towns. Thus, far from widespread decline or shrinking dynamics, some of these cities are experiencing an economic rebound. This is the case of Romans-sur-IsĂšre, a medium-sized town located in the south-east of France. Focusing our qualitative analyze on this city, we try to understand this type of process. In this medium-sized town, former capital of the shoe industry, local stakeholders, private, and public try to support a productive renewal. The results of our case study highlight the role that cooperation, spatial and organizational proximity, and social innovation could play in the renewal of productive economy in medium-sized industrial towns. Even if the economic situation remains difficult for many medium-sized cities in France as in Europe, we argue that they could have a productive future making and ultimately take advantages of their âmedium-sizedâ attributes.
 
Clinical trial update: implications and management of residual disease after neoadjuvant therapy for breast cancer
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer has a well-established role in the management of patients with locally advanced or early stage disease. Multiple trials have demonstrated superior survival outcomes in individuals achieving a pathologic complete response at the time of definitive surgery, and sophisticated genetic methods may predict which patients will be in this category. Those with less than a pathologic complete response remain at significant risk of recurrent disease, and currently no further standard therapy exists. Ongoing studies of novel agents may lead to improved therapeutic outcomes for this high-risk population
Dynamics of Bulk vs. Nanoscale WS_2: Local Strain and Charging Effects
We measured the infrared vibrational properties of bulk and nanoparticle
WS in order to investigate the structure-property relations in these novel
materials. In addition to the symmetry-breaking effects of local strain,
nanoparticle curvature modifies the local charging environment of the bulk
material. Performing a charge analysis on the \emph{xy}-polarized E
vibrational mode, we find an approximate 1.5:1 intralayer charge difference
between the layered 2H material and inorganic fullerene-like (IF)
nanoparticles. This effective charge difference may impact the solid-state
lubrication properties of nanoscale metal dichalcogenides.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
Thirty Years On: Reflections on Haydnâs âFarewellâ Symphony by James Webster
It has been just over thirty years since James Webster published his influential monograph Haydnâs âFarewellâ Symphony and the Idea of Classical Style: Through-Composition and Cyclic Integration in His Instrumental Music (Cambridge University Press, 1991). To honor the anniversary of Websterâs groundbreaking book, the Encounters with Eighteenth-Century Music: A Virtual Forum steering committee asked L. Poundie Burstein, Elaine Sisman, and W. Dean Sutcliffe to offer perspectives on the book, and James Webster to respond to their perspectives. The interesting online session occurred on Tuesday, October 18, 2022, and included a lively open discussion following the presentations and Websterâs response. The three presenters and Webster graciously consented to publish their perspectives and response in this article to inaugurate the 2023 âFarewellâ volume of HAYDN: Online Journal of the Haydn Society of North America
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