The story of Oh: the aesthetics and rhetoric of a common vowel sound

Studies in Musical Theatre is the only peer-reviewed journal dedicated to musical theatre. It was launched in 2007 and is now in its seventh volume. It has an extensive international readership and is edited by Dominic Symonds and George Burrows. This article investigates the use of the ‘word’ ‘Oh’ in a variety of different performance idioms. Despite its lack of ‘meaning’, the sound is used in both conversation and poetic discourse, and I discuss how it operates communicatively and expressively through contextual resonances, aesthetic manipulation and rhetorical signification. The article first considers the aesthetically modernist work of Cathy Berberian in Bussotti’s La Passion Selon Sade; then it considers the rhetorically inflected use of ‘Oh’ to construct social resonance in popular song;finally, it discusses two important uses of the sound ‘Oh’ which bookend the Broadway musical Oklahoma!, serving to consolidate the allegorical and musico-dramatic narrative of the show

Methods and tools supporting urban resilience planning: experiences from Cork, Ireland

To prevent flood disasters, policymakers call for resilient cities which are better able to cope with flood hazards. However, actual adoption of resilience measures in urban planning is still limited, partly because it is not sufficiently clear how and to what extent resilience should and can be enhanced. To develop resilience strategies, information on the current resilience and on the effects of measures should be available. Since cities are complex systems, an assessment of resilience requires the input of different actors. To obtain and combine this input, a comprehensive approach which brings together many actors is required. Furthermore, resilience must be integrated in planning frameworks in order to enhance adoption by city policy makers. Tools which support and structure the contribution of different disciplines and actors will help to obtain information on the current resilience and to develop a shared vision on measures to enhance urban resilience. We illustrate our view with an example on Cork, Ireland

Performance of Purple rice cultivar under different hill density

Purple rice has become a fascinating source of nutritional value among healthy cereal grains. A field experiment was conducted at Bangladesh Agricultural University during the Rabi season (February to May) of 2021 to evaluate the effect of number of seedlings/hill on growth, yield attributes and yield of Purple rice. Three seedling densities, viz. 1, 2 and 3 seedlings/hill, and three rice cultivars, viz. Purple rice, Pahari rice and a check BRRI dhan67 were experimental treatments and the experiment was laid out in a split-plot design with three replications. Results revealed that seedling number/hill had significant effects on the growth, yield and yield attributes of rice cultivars. The tallest plant (136.31 cm) was observed from the transplanting of 1 seedling/hill followed by 2 seedlings/hill (133.35 cm) in Pahari rice. The maximum values of the number of effective tillers (13.47; Purple rice), flag leaf length and width (41.36 and 1.24 cm; Pahari rice) were recorded from the treatment 2 seedlings/hill. The longest panicle (26.58 cm; Pahari rice) was observed in 1 seedling/hill, statistically, a similar value was found with 2 seedlings/hill (24.44 cm). Among rice cultivars, BRRI dhan67 produced the heaviest grains (1000-seed weight 23.96 g) with 2 seedlings/hill and maximum grain yield (6.35 t/ha) with 1 seedling/hill. Single seedling/hill was found to be the best management practice to get a higher yield per unit area for Purple rice and other rice cultivars also

Methods and tools supporting urban resilience planning: experiences from Cork, Ireland

To prevent flood disasters, policymakers call for resilient cities which are better able to cope with flood hazards. However, actual adoption of resilience measures in urban planning is still limited, partly because it is not sufficiently clear how and to what extent resilience should and can be enhanced. To develop resilience strategies, information on the current resilience and on the effects of measures should be available. Since cities are complex systems, an assessment of resilience requires the input of different actors. To obtain and combine this input, a comprehensive approach which brings together many actors is required. Furthermore, resilience must be integrated in planning frameworks in order to enhance adoption by city policy makers. Tools which support and structure the contribution of different disciplines and actors will help to obtain information on the current resilience and to develop a shared vision on measures to enhance urban resilience. We illustrate our view with an example on Cork, Ireland

Ethnobotanical study of the family Marantaceae R. Br in Bangladesh Agricultural University Botanical Garden

The Marantaceae family is a diverse group of plants that has drawn the interest of scientists and researchers worldwide due to their distinctive morphological characteristics, ecological and economic relevance. The Bangladesh Agricultural University Botanical Garden is home to an abundance of Marantaceae species, making it a useful resource for examining the diversity and significance of this plant family. This present study was designed to survey and document the family Marantaceae with an overview of the family emphasizing its morphological, economic, and ethnobotanical relevance based on a literature review. During the study, we found 25 species (two of which have two varieties each) belonging to 8 genera of which Goeppertia contributed the most species, with 16, followed by Maranta with 4 (including varieties) and Thalia with 2; the remaining 5 genera each contributed one species. Our findings reveal the remarkable diversity and significance of Marantaceae plants in this region, highlighting the necessity for their conservation and protection

Molecular Syringe for Cargo Photorelease: Red‐Light‐Triggered Supramolecular Hydrogel

Photochromic supramolecular hydrogels are versatile materials that show macroscopic effects upon irradiation, like liquefaction or shape changes. Here, we demonstrate a simple photochromic cyclic dipeptide (2,5-diketopiperazine-based) supergelator, composed of (S)-lysine and an azobenzene analogue of phenylalanine, that forms supramolecular hydrogels even at 0.1 wt% loading. The gels can physically encapsulate cargo molecules and release them to the environment in a controllable manner upon irradiation with red light, thus working as a “molecular syringe”. As the material is biocompatible and operational in the “therapeutic window” of light (>650 nm) that deeply penetrates soft human tissues, it is applicable to smart drug-delivery systems

Exploring Stakeholder Priorities for Recent MLIS Graduates and Early Career Librarians

A multi-phase research project was conducted to understand the future skills and competencies expected of new MLIS-degreed librarians. Phase one found the two largest categories of challenges include understanding the mission of the library and funding issues, with other categories including staff skills, hiring and retaining staff, technology, operations and policies, and outreach. Phase two explored stakeholder priorities for competences expected of new MLIS graduates and librarians finishing their first five years of employment. The highest priorities for new MLIS graduates are related to skills and basic knowledge, while areas such as management and leadership, lifelong learning, and information resources were highly prioritized for early career librarians