The Rabbath Method: Philosophy and Technique in Current Double Bass Pedagogy

This study traced the lineage from François Rabbath through his first-generation apprentices to determine how the philosophies and techniques of the Rabbath Method are interpreted and applied by current double bass performers and pedagogues. Participants were identified for the study from a list of all current (N=46) diploma holders of the L’Institute International de Contrabasse François Rabbath (the Institute) made available to the researcher by the President of the Institute, François Rabbath. An e-mail request for study participation was sent to thirty-six performer/pedagogues trained by Rabbath and certified to teach and/or perform from the Method (Rabbathians), yielding twenty-four-responses. Quantitative data garnered from the researcher-designed Rabbath Method Practitioner Survey (RMPS) revealed a majority of Rabbathians display a diverse practice of music performance and pedagogy. A second collection of questions, the Rabbath Method Practitioner Questionnaire (RMPQ), designed to obtain qualitative data reflecting ways the philosophies and techniques contained in the Method are being disseminated and applied through the performance and pedagogy of current Rabbathians, was included. Data suggest that while most Rabbathians apply philosophies, techniques, and pedagogy from the Method, pedagogic terminology is not always used similarly. Responses to open-ended questions revealed how François Rabbath and current Rabbathians view assimilation of the Method into the public-school setting, and the role of improvisation in pedagogic and performance practice, an integral facet of the Method. Data from this study reflect some congruence in philosophy and application of the Method among first-generation Rabbathians

R. Scott Frey was Doing Critical Environmental Justice Long Before Anyone Else

The term critical environmental justice (EJ) studies was perhaps first used in the early 2000s and has been become more mainstream in the last two years. R. Scott Frey’s research on the transnational trade in hazardous substances reveals that he was producing critical EJ studies scholarship well before that. Frey’s body of work has advanced the fields of world-systems theory and environmental sociology because it skillfully explores the violence of militarism and the brutality of capitalism and economic globalization, while also making clear that positive and transformative social change is possible when independent, grassroots movements mobilize within and across international borders. Frey’s research provide us with an impressive set of analytical tools for imagining and bringing into existence another world that would be more socially just and environmentally sustainable

Environmental justice: human health and environmental inequalities

Annual Review of Public Health, 27: pp. 103-124.In this review, we provide an introduction to the topics of environmental justice and environmental inequality. We provide an overview of the dimensions of unequal exposures to environmental pollution (environmental inequality), followed by a discussion of the theoretical literature that seeks to explain the origins of this phenomenon. We also consider the impact of the environmental justice movement in the United States and the role that federal and state governments have developed to address environmental inequalities. We conclude that more research is needed that links environmental inequalities with public health outcomes

Accelerating the timeline for climate action in California

The climate emergency increasingly threatens our communities, ecosystems, food production, health, and economy. It disproportionately impacts lower income communities, communities of color, and the elderly. Assessments since the 2018 IPCC 1.5 Celsius report show that current national and sub-national commitments and actions are insufficient. Fortunately, a suite of solutions exists now to mitigate the climate crisis if we initiate and sustain actions today. California, which has a strong set of current targets in place and is home to clean energy and high technology innovation, has fallen behind in its climate ambition compared to a number of major governments. California, a catalyst for climate action globally, can and should ramp up its leadership by aligning its climate goals with the most recent science, coordinating actions to make 2030 a point of significant accomplishment. This entails dramatically accelerating its carbon neutrality and net-negative emissions goal from 2045 to 2030, including advancing clean energy and clean transportation standards, and accelerating nature-based solutions on natural and working lands. It also means changing its current greenhouse gas reduction goals both in the percentage and the timing: cutting emissions by 80 percent (instead of 40 percent) below 1990 levels much closer to 2030 than 2050. These actions will enable California to save lives, benefit underserved and frontline communities, and save trillions of dollars. This rededication takes heed of the latest science, accelerating equitable, job-creating climate policies. While there are significant challenges to achieving these goals, California can establish policy now that will unleash innovation and channel market forces, as has happened with solar, and catalyze positive upward-scaling tipping points for accelerated global climate action.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figure

Oakleaf: an S locus-linked mutation of Primula vulgaris that affects leaf and flower development

•In Primula vulgaris outcrossing is promoted through reciprocal herkogamy with insect-mediated cross-pollination between pin and thrum form flowers. Development of heteromorphic flowers is coordinated by genes at the S locus. To underpin construction of a genetic map facilitating isolation of these S locus genes, we have characterised Oakleaf, a novel S locus-linked mutant phenotype. •We combine phenotypic observation of flower and leaf development, with classical genetic analysis and next-generation sequencing to address the molecular basis of Oakleaf. •Oakleaf is a dominant mutation that affects both leaf and flower development; plants produce distinctive lobed leaves, with occasional ectopic meristems on the veins. This phenotype is reminiscent of overexpression of Class I KNOX-homeodomain transcription factors. We describe the structure and expression of all eight P. vulgaris PvKNOX genes in both wild-type and Oakleaf plants, and present comparative transcriptome analysis of leaves and flowers from Oakleaf and wild-type plants. •Oakleaf provides a new phenotypic marker for genetic analysis of the Primula S locus. We show that none of the Class I PvKNOX genes are strongly upregulated in Oakleaf leaves and flowers, and identify cohorts of 507 upregulated and 314 downregulated genes in the Oakleaf mutant

Learning Companion to Bending the Curve: Climate Change Solutions

The Learning Companion to Bending the Curve: Climate Change Solutions can help all readers gain the most from this book. This resource includes questions for review and discussion which help connect ideas, understand key concepts, and to increase the ability of readers at all levels to effectively discuss and explain climate change solutions.The Learning Companion provides review questions that can be used to assess familiarity with key concepts, ensuring all readers are ready to apply what they’ve learned. These questions can also help instructors identify areas of learning that may require additional explanation. The Learning Companion also provides questions for discussion which can help facilitate both classroom and public discourse, and expanding each reader’s learning about climate change solutionsWe recognize the importance of public communication and education to help promote a broad culture of climate action. Using the questions in the Learning Companion can help you take action, and to collaborate with others as a learning community, focused on climate change solutions

Why equity is fundamental in climate change policy research

The editorial article rebuts the common assertions that equity is irrelevant in a post Paris climate research and argue that analyses of equity and justice are essential for our ability to understand climate politics and contribute to concrete efforts to achieve adequate, fair and enduring climate action for present and future generations

Quantitative analysis of powder mixtures by raman spectrometry : the influence of particle size and its correction

Particle size distribution and compactness have significant confounding effects on Raman signals of powder mixtures, which cannot be effectively modeled or corrected by traditional multivariate linear calibration methods such as partial least-squares (PLS), and therefore greatly deteriorate the predictive abilities of Raman calibration models for powder mixtures. The ability to obtain directly quantitative information from Raman signals of powder mixtures with varying particle size distribution and compactness is, therefore, of considerable interest In this study, an advanced quantitative Raman calibration model was developed to explicitly account for the confounding effects of particle size distribution and compactness on Raman signals of powder mixtures. Under the theoretical guidance of the proposed Raman calibration model, an advanced dual calibration strategy was adopted to separate the Raman contributions caused by the changes in mass fractions of the constituents in powder mixtures from those induced by the variations in the physical properties of samples, and hence achieve accurate quantitative determination for powder mixture samples. The proposed Raman calibration model was applied to the quantitative analysis of backscatter Raman measurements of a proof-of-concept model system of powder mixtures consisting of barium nitrate and potassium chromate. The average relative prediction error of prediction obtained by the proposed Raman calibration model was less than one-third of the corresponding value of the best performing PLS model for mass fractions of barium nitrate in powder mixtures with variations in particle size distribution, as well as compactness