Ornamentation in Marin Marais' Pieces de Viole

Ornamentation In Marin Marais’ Pièces de Viole This thesis sets out to uncover the ornamentation practices of French violist-composer Marin Marais (1656–1728). Marais wrote almost nothing about the execution of his ornaments in his music; in the avertissement of his first book of viol pieces, Pièces à une et à deux violes (Paris, 1686), he listed all the ornaments and their corresponding symbols, but provided no realisations and little explanation of how they are to be performed. While a historical violist could simply visit the master to learn how to properly perform his ornaments, the modern performer has little choice but to consult other historical musical works and treatises to gain a better understanding of the subject. In this thesis, I argue that the ornamentation practices in Marais’ music have largely been misunderstood because these historical works have not been properly examined. This study begins with a brief historical background of Marais, underpinning his significance as a major composer of the French Baroque era, thus showing that his style of ornamentation can be regarded as one of the prevailing methods of the day. The study then focuses on the modern writings that deal with issues that are relevant to Marais’ music, demonstrating how modern writers have sometimes overlooked historical sources, and how this results in their misunderstanding of Marais’ ornamentation practices. Lastly, the practices of historical violists and writers are analysed. The findings of this study offer a range of interpretive possibilities for Marais’ ornaments such as the tremblement, batement, port de voix, coulé de doigt and pincé or flatement. This information provides a basis on which modern performers will be able to apply appropriate historical ornamentation in performing the music of Marais and his contemporaries today. Keywords: France, French, Baroque, viol, viola da gamba, ornamentation, Marin Marais

Infidelity in a Fast Paced Society

Abstract There are many possible factors that cause individuals to commit infidelity in modern society. Since the studies that have measured the significance of the factors causing the act of infidelity are scarce, our study aims to investigate the potential causes of infidelity and measure the significance of the causes. Through our research, we have identified that COVID-19, social networking platforms, social status and income level, access to pornography, ethnicity, marital status, and sexual orientation are possible factors of infidelity acts. We have created an anonymous survey to investigate the causes, which will be measured by regression analysis. We plan to distribute the survey worldwide via a link and marriage counseling services. Our sample size will be 0.01% of the country’s population and participation will be made voluntary. The results of the analysis will show which factors are likely to cause infidelity. As infidelity carries undesirable consequences, this proposal aims to spread awareness on infidelity and assist people struggling with the issue

Does the use of prediction equations to correct self-reported height and weight improve obesity prevalence estimates? A pooled cross-sectional analysis of Health Survey for England data.

OBJECTIVE: Adults typically overestimate height and underestimate weight compared with directly measured values, and such misreporting varies by sociodemographic and health-related factors. Using self-reported and interviewer-measured height and weight, collected from the same participants, we aimed to develop a set of prediction equations to correct bias in self-reported height and weight and assess whether this adjustment improved the accuracy of obesity prevalence estimates relative to those based only on self-report. DESIGN: Population-based cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: 38 940 participants aged 16+ (Health Survey for England 2011-2016) with non-missing self-reported and interviewer-measured height and weight. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Comparisons between self-reported, interviewer-measured (gold standard) and corrected (based on prediction equations) body mass index (BMI: kg/m2) including (1) difference between means and obesity prevalence and (2) measures of agreement for BMI classification. RESULTS: On average, men overestimated height more than women (1.6 cm and 1.0 cm, respectively; p<0.001), while women underestimated weight more than men (2.1 kg and 1.5 kg, respectively; p<0.001). Underestimation of BMI was slightly larger for women than for men (1.1 kg/m2 and 1.0 kg/m2, respectively; p<0.001). Obesity prevalence based on BMI from self-report was 6.8 and 6.0 percentage points (pp) lower than that estimated using measured BMI for men and women, respectively. Corrected BMI (based on models containing all significant predictors of misreporting of height and weight) lowered underestimation of obesity to 0.8pp in both sexes and improved the sensitivity of obesity over self-reported BMI by 15.0pp for men and 12.2pp for women. Results based on simpler models using age alone as a predictor of misreporting were similar. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with self-reported data, applying prediction equations improved the accuracy of obesity prevalence estimates and increased sensitivity of being classified as obese. Including additional sociodemographic variables did not improve obesity classification enough to justify the added complexity of including them in prediction equations

Ethnic differences in multimorbidity after accounting for social-economic factors, findings from The Health Survey for England

BACKGROUND: Social-economic factors and health behaviours may be driving variation in ethnic health inequalities in multimorbidity including among distinct ethnic groups. METHODS: Using the cross-sectional nationally representative Health Surveys for England 2011-18 (N = 54 438, aged 16+), we performed multivariable logistic regression on the odds of having general multimorbidity (≥2 longstanding conditions) by ethnicity [British White (reference group), White Irish, Other White, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese, African, Caribbean, White mixed, Other Mixed], adjusting for age, sex, education, area deprivation, obesity, smoking status and survey year. This was repeated for cardiovascular multimorbidity (N = 37 148, aged 40+: having ≥2 of the following: self-reported diabetes, hypertension, heart attack or stroke) and multiple cardiometabolic risk biomarkers (HbA1c ≥6.5%, raised blood pressure, total cholesterol ≥5mmol/L). RESULTS: Twenty percent of adults had general multimorbidity. In fully adjusted models, compared with the White British majority, Other White [odds ratio (OR) = 0.63; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.53-0.74], Chinese (OR = 0.58, 95% CI 0.36-0.93) and African adults (OR = 0.54, 95% CI 0.42-0.69), had lower odds of general multimorbidity. Among adults aged 40+, Pakistani (OR = 1.27, 95% CI 0.97-1.66; P = 0.080) and Bangladeshi (OR = 1.75, 95% CI 1.16-2.65) had increased odds, and African adults had decreased odds (OR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.47-0.83) of general multimorbidity. Risk of cardiovascular multimorbidity was higher among Indian (OR = 3.31, 95% CI 2.56-4.28), Pakistani (OR = 3.48, 95% CI 2.52-4.80), Bangladeshi (OR = 3.67, 95% CI 1.98-6.78), African (OR = 1.61, 95% CI 1.05-2.47), Caribbean (OR = 2.18, 95% CI 1.59-2.99) and White mixed (OR = 1.98, 95% CI 1.14-3.44) adults. Indian adults were also at risk of having multiple cardiometabolic risk biomarkers. CONCLUSION: Ethnic inequalities in multimorbidity are independent of social-economic factors. Ethnic minority groups are particularly at risk of cardiovascular multimorbidity, which may be exacerbated by poorer management of cardiometabolic risk requiring further investigation

An experienced physiotherapist prescribing and administering corticosteroid and local anaesthetic injections to the shoulder in an Australian orthopaedic service, a non-inferiority randomised controlled trial and economic analysis: study protocol for a ra

Background: The early management of orthopaedic outpatients by physiotherapists may be useful in reducing public hospital waiting lists. Physiotherapists in Australia are prevented by legislation and funding models from investigating, prescribing, injecting and referring autonomously. This gap in service is particularly noticeable in the management of shoulder pain in early-access physiotherapy services, as patients needing corticosteroid injection face delays or transfer to other services for this procedure. This trial will investigate the clinical (decision making and outcomes) and economic feasibility of a physiotherapist prescribing and delivering corticosteroid and local anaesthetic injections for shoulder pain in an Australian public hospital setting. Methods/Design: A double-blinded (patient and assessor) non-inferiority randomised controlled trial will compare an orthopaedic surgeon and a physiotherapist prescribing and delivering corticosteroid injections to the shoulder. Agreement in decision making between the two clinicians will be investigated, and economic information will be obtained for estimating disease burden and an economic evaluation. The surgeon and the physiotherapist will independently assess patients, and 64 eligible participants will be randomised to receive subacromial injection of corticosteroid and local anaesthetic from either the surgeon or the physiotherapist. Post-injection, all participants will receive physiotherapy. The primary outcome measure will be the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index measured at baseline, and at 6 and 12 weeks post-injection. Analysis will be conducted on an intention-to-treat basis and compared to a per-protocol analysis. A cost-utility analysis will be undertaken from the perspective of the health funder. Discussion: Findings will assist policy makers and services in improving access for orthopaedic patients

Missed tuberous sclerosis complex with multi-system complications in a single patient

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by widespread clinical manifestations. Early diagnosis is usually possible when typical TSC related skin lesions and neurologic presentations are detected in young patients. Undiagnosed TSC patients are at increased risk of morbidity and mortality as disease progression will inevitably lead to complications. While case reports of single complications in pediatric patients have been documented, to the best of our knowledge, multi-system complications of TSC in adults have yet to be reported in the literature. We present a case of tuberous sclerosis diagnosed in adulthood with complications involving the central nervous, renal and respiratory systems. This case highlights the need for a multidisciplinary approach in the management of TSC as well as the role of imaging in both diagnosis and intervention

Development of LRFD Recommendations of Driven Piles On Intermediate Geomaterials

This study aims to improve the efficiency of driven piles in intermediate geomaterials (IGMs) to increase the reliability of pile foundations for bridge structures. Test pile data collected from the seven state DOTs and total 223 pile load test data are evaluated to provide recommendations for driven piles in IGMs. A classification method to differentiate fine-grained soil from fine-grained IGMs (FG-IGMs) is established. Shales are classified depending on their weathering conditions, mechanical properties, and measured pile resistances. Newly static analysis (SA) methods for predicting unit shaft resistance (qs) and unit end bearing (qb) are proposed and validated for both FG-IGMs and shales. The statistical assessment concludes that the proposed SA methods provide more accurate predictions of qs and qb and yield higher LRFD resistance factors than those of the existing SA methods. A back-calculation procedure is adopted to yield recommended dynamic parameters for shale, which are incorporated into a proposed Wave Equation Analysis Program (WEAP) method. An economic study reveals that the proposed WEAP method yields the least excess steel weight, on average, during construction, which will alleviate construction challenges encountered in the current practice, such as higher construction cost and longer construction duration