Characteristics of self-reported favorite musical experiences

Research supports the folk wisdom that individual preferences are tied to our experiences: we like what we know and as a result, we know what we like. Yet our understanding of the elements contained in lived examples of musical experiences that facilitate enjoyment and investment in music is little described. The current study recruited Australian residents (N = 135) to complete an online survey, which asked them to describe their favorite musical experience with regard to its context and impact. The majority of favorite musical experiences involved listening to live music and performing. The descriptions provided indicated that these experiences resulted in layered emotional experiences, much more subtle than folk psychology would suggest. Further, thematic analysis results revealed that Gabrielsson’s Strong Experiences with Music Descriptive System adequately categorizes the elements of people’s favored experiences, with particular reference to general characteristics, bodily reactions, perceptual phenomena, cognitive aspects, emotional aspects, existential and transcendental aspects, and personal and social aspects. A wide variety of musical genres were involved, though pop, classical, rock, and hip-hop music featured predominately. By detailing key components which lead to favored musical experiences, the findings have implications regarding how musical engagement opportunities can be better designed to support continued musical investment, which has particular relevance for educational and community uses of music for fostering positive individual and community benefits

Prospecção antifúngica de óleos essenciais de plantas medicinais frente a isolados clínicos de Candida spp. diagnosticados em pacientes do Hospital de Odontologia da UFRGS

A candidíase é uma micose oportunista ocasionada por leveduras do gênero Candida, a qual faz parte da microbiota do corpo humano, colonizando pele, cavidade oral e mucosas do trato genital, gastrointestinal e urinário. A epidemiologia da candidíase depende da predisposição do hospedeiro, carga parasitária e virulência fúngica. Vários fatores podem predispor ao desenvolvimento da candidíase oral, tais como, imunossupressão, xerostomia e uso de próteses dentárias. De uma forma geral, o tratamento da candidíase oral utiliza nistatina tópica como primeira escolha. Quando o tratamento tópico não for suficiente, fluconazol e itraconazol podem ser empregados, e em casos de candidíase invasiva, voriconazol, anfotericina B, micafungina e caspofugina são considerados tratamento de escolha. Entretanto, nas últimas décadas tem se observado um grande aumento da resistência aos antifúngicos disponíveis no mercado para a prática terapêutica em isolados clínicos. Justifica-se assim, a necessidade de prospecção de novos antifúngicos e nesse sentido, as plantas medicinais representam uma importante fonte renovável para a busca de outros agentes terapêuticos com potencial frente a cepas resistentes. Face ao exposto, este trabalho visa avaliar o perfil de suscetibilidade, capacidade de adesão e formação de biofilme das espécies do gênero Candida obtidas de isolados da cavidade oral em usuários de prótese dentária, bem como verificar a atividade antifúngica e antibiofilme dos óleos essenciais (OEs) de Pelargonium graveolens L'Her (gerânio; Geranaceae), Cinnamomum cassia L. (canela; Lauraceae), Syzygium aromaticum L. Merr. & L.M. Perry (cravo; Myrtaceae) e Myristica fragrans Houtt (nozmoscada; Myristicaceae) frente a estes isolados. Para tanto foi realizado o perfil de suscetibilidade destes isolados frente aos antifúngicos convencionais fluconazol, cetoconazol, itraconazol, nistatina e aos óleos essenciais de Pelargonium graveolens L'Her, Cinnamomum cassia L., Syzygium aromaticum L. Merr. & L.M. Perry e Myristica fragrans Houtt empregando o método de microdiluição em caldo segundo documento M27 A3/ M60 da CLSI. Também foi verificado a capacidade de aderência em célula epitelial oral, a capacidade de formação de biofilme pelo método do cristal violeta e a determinação da atividade antibiofilme dos óleos essenciais de Pelargonium graveolens L'Her, Cinnamomum cassia L., Syzygium aromaticum L. Merr. & L.M. Perry e Myristica fragrans Houtt pelos mesmos isolados. A identificação destes isolados foi realizada através MALDI-TOF MS Biotyper Bruker. Participaram deste estudo, 120 pacientes com e sem próteses dentárias removíveis. Obteve-se uma prevalência de 58,33% de Candida spp. nos usuários de prótese dentária e 33,33% no grupo controle (x2 de 7,55, gl 1, p 0,006) pelo teste do qui-quadrado. No grupo de usuários de prótese dentária C. albicans foi a espécie mais prevalente (47,36%) seguida de C. tropicalis, C. lusitaniae, C. glabrata. No grupo controle C. albicans (55,00%) seguida de C. lusitaniae e C. glabrata. Não foi verificado diferença estatística quanto a suscetibilidade dos isolados nos dois grupos frente aos antifúngicos azólicos, observando-se apenas um menor número de isolados resistentes no grupo controle frente a nistatina (x2 4,298, gl1, p 0,03). Para a capacidade de formação de biofilme, os melhores resultados obtidos foram nos isolados provenientes do grupo usuários de prótese dentária e em Candida não-albicans, p <0,05. Os quatro óleos essenciais avaliados neste estudo apresentaram atividade antifúngica e antibiofilme frente aos isolados clínicos de Candida spp. Os óleos de canela e cravo apresentaram os melhores resultados para ambos os testes. Os resultados de prevalência de Candida spp. em usuários de prótese dentária removível e sua suscetibilidade frente aos antifúngicos podem auxiliar na escolha de abordagens terapêuticas para candidíase nestes pacientes. Os OEs apresentaram efeitos positivos frente a inibição do crescimento das espécies de Candida spp. e na diminuição da formação de biofilme constituindo uma alternativa para o desenvolvimento de novos agentes antifúngicos no tratamento da candidíase. Os resultados obtidos poderão ser extrapolados para estudos futuros com outros microrganismos ou outros óleos, uma vez que microrganismos de origem oral podem ser responsáveis por infecções sistêmicas. Aprovação da pesquisa no Comitê de Ética e Pesquisa da UFRGS, sob o número 2.236.863.Candidiasis is an opportunistic mycosis caused by yeasts of the genus Candida, which is part of the microbiota of the human body, colonizing skin, oral cavity and mucous membranes of the genital, gastrointestinal and urinary tract. The epidemiology of candidiasis depends on host predisposition, parasitic charge and fungal virulence. Several factors may predispose the development of oral candidiasis, such as immunosuppression, xerostomia and use of dental prostheses. Treatment of oral candidiasis uses topical nystatin. When treatment is not sufficient, fluconazole and itraconazole can be used, and in cases of invasive candidiasis, voriconazole, amphotericin B, micafungin and caspofugina are considered in the in therapy. However, in recent decades there has been an increase in resistance to antifungals available for therapeutic practice in clinical isolates. This justifies the need to prospect for new antifungals. In this sense, vegetable drugs represent an important renewable source for the search for other therapeutic agents with potential in the face of resistant strains. In view of the report, this study aims to evaluate the susceptibility profile, adhesion capacity and biofilm formation of species of the genus Candida obtained from isolates of the oral cavity in users of dental prosthesis, as well as to verify the antifungal and antibiofilm activity of essential oils (EOs) of Pelargonium graveolens L'Her (geranium; Geranaceae), Cinnamomum cassia L. (cinnamon; Lauraceae), Syzygium aromaticum L. Merr. & L.M. Perry (clove; Myrtaceae) and Myristica fragrans Houtt (nutmeg; Myristicaceae) against these isolates. For this purpose, the susceptibility profile of these isolates was compared to conventional antifungals fluconazole, ketoconazole, itraconazole, nystatin and essential oils of Pelargonium graveolens L'Her, Cinnamomum cassia L. Syzygium aromaticum L. Merr. & L.M. Perry and Myristica fragrans Houtt using the broth microdilution method according to CLSI document M27 A3 / M60. The ability to adhere to an oral epithelial cell, the ability to biofilm by the violet crystal method and the determination of the antibiofilm activity of the essential oils of Pelargonium graveolens L'Her, Cinnamomum cassia L. Syzygium aromaticum L. Merr. & L.M. Perry and Myristica fragrans Houtt by the same isolates. The identification of these isolates was carried out using MALDI-TOF MS Biotyper Bruker. 120 patients participated in this study with and without removable dental prostheses. A prevalence of Candida spp. was 58.33% in dental users and 33.33% in the control group (x2 of 7.55, gl 1, p 0.006) in the chi-square test. In the group of dental prosthesis users C. albicans was the most prevalent species (47.36%) followed by C. tropicalis, C. lusitaniae, C. glabrata. In the control group C. albicans (55.00%) followed by C. lusitaniae and C. glabrata. No difference was found regarding the susceptibility of samples obtained from removable dental users and the control group against azole antifungals. There was only a smaller number of resistant isolates in the control group against nystatin (x2 4.298, gl1, p 0.03). For the biofilm formation capacity, the best results were obtained by isolates from users of dental prosthesis and Candida nonalbicans, p <0.05. The four essential oils evaluated in this study showed antifungal and antibiofilm activity against the clinical isolates of Candida spp. Cinnamon and clove oils showed the best results for both tests. The results of the prevalence of Candida spp. in users of removable dental prosthesis and their susceptibility to antifungal agents can help in the choice of therapeutic approaches for candidiasis in these patients. The OEs showed positive effects against the growth inhibition of Candida spp. and in the reduction of biofilm formation constituting an alternative for the development of new antifungal agents in the treatment of candidiasis. The results obtained can be extrapolated for future studies with other microorganisms or other oils, since microorganisms of oral origin may be responsible for systemic infections. Ethical approval by the Ethics and Research Committee of UFRGS, number 2,236,863

Numerical solutions to linear transfer problems of polarized radiation III. Parallel preconditioned Krylov solver tailored for modeling PRD effects

Context. The polarization signals produced by the scattering of anistropic radiation in strong resonance lines encode important information about the elusive magnetic fields in the outer layers of the solar atmosphere. An accurate modeling of these signals is a very challenging problem from the computational point of view, in particular when partial frequency redistribution (PRD) effects in scattering processes are accounted for with a general angle-dependent treatment. Aims. We aim at solving the radiative transfer problem for polarized radiation in nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium conditions, taking angle-dependent PRD effects into account. The problem is formulated for a two-level atomic model in the presence of arbitrary magnetic and bulk velocity fields. The polarization produced by scattering processes and the Zeeman effect is considered. Methods. The proposed solution strategy is based on an algebraic formulation of the problem and relies on a convenient physical assumption, which allows its linearization. We applied a nested matrix-free GMRES iterative method. Effective preconditioning is obtained in a multifidelity framework by considering the light-weight description of scattering processes in the limit of complete frequency redistribution (CRD). Results. Numerical experiments for a one-dimensional (1D) atmospheric model show near optimal strong and weak scaling of the proposed CRD-preconditioned GMRES method, which converges in few iterations, independently of the discretization parameters. A suitable parallelization strategy and high-performance computing tools lead to competitive run times, providing accurate solutions in a few minutes. Conclusions. The proposed solution strategy allows the fast systematic modeling of the scattering polarization signals of strong resonance lines, taking angle-dependent PRD effects into account together with the impact of arbitrary magnetic and bulk velocity fields. Almost optimal strong and weak scaling results suggest that this strategy is applicable to realistic 3D models. Moreover, the proposed strategy is general, and applications to more complex atomic models are possible

Technikfiktionen und Technikdiskurse : Ringvorlesung des Instituts für Literaturwissenschaft im Sommersemester 2009

Die Beiträge der KIT-Ringvorlesung Technikfiktionen &#8211; Technikdiskurse aus dem Jahr 2009 reflektieren das gleichermaßen komplexe, komplizierte wie doch auch fruchtbare Verhältnis von Literatur, Kultur und Technik vornehmlich aus der Position und Perspektive der Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften (bzw. Kulturwissenschaften). Sie behandeln aus literatur-, kultur- und medienwissenschaftlicher sowie technikhistorischer Perspektive Themen aus einem Zeitraum von gut achthundert Jahren

Glück - Zufall - Vorsehung : Vortragsreihe der Abteilung Mediävistik des Instituts für Literaturwissenschaft im Sommersemester 2008

Die Aufsätze befassen sich mit Vorstellungen von Glück, Zufall, Vorsehung primär an Beispielen primär der mittelalterlichen und neuzeitlichen Literatur, aber auch philosophischer, ethnologischer, kulturgeschichtlicher Quellen. Die grundlegende Frage, an denen sie sich orientieren, ist die nach den Wirkungen einer \u27Macht\u27 bzw. Instanzen, die - abseits identifizierbarer kausaler Kräfte - in persönliche, ebenso historisch-politische Prozesse einwirken oder das Handeln literarischer Figuren lenken

Network-based computational techniques to determine the risk drivers of bank failures during a systemic banking crisis

This paper employs a computational model of solvency and liquidity contagion assessing the vulnerability of banks to systemic risk. We find that the main risk drivers relate to the financial connections a bank has and the market concentration, apart from the size of the bank triggering the contagion, while balance sheets play only a minor role. We also find that market concentration might facilitate banks to withstand liquidity shocks better while exposing them to larger solvency chocks. Our results are validated through an out-of-sample forecasting that shows that both type I and type II prediction errors are reduced if we include network characteristics in our prediction model

Availability of floral resources in yellow passion fruit cultivars

The reproductive strategies and resources available in the flower are characteristics that stimulate research studies on the genetic improvement and fruit yield of commercial cultivars. In this sense, this study aimed to study the floral biology aspects of passion fruit cultivars in Tangará da Serra region, Mato Grosso State, Brazil at different evaluation times. The experiment was carried out with eight cultivars of yellow passion fruit from an ex situ germplasm bank of the State University of Mato Grosso. The floral resources (pollen and nectar) were evaluated in a completely randomized, factorial arrangement (8 cultivars x 5 evaluation times), with five replications. Throughout anthesis, the pollen viability, stigma receptivity, and sugar volume and concentration in the nectar were evaluated. The evaluations were carried out in 1-h intervals, between 1:30 and 5:30 p.m. The highest nectar volume production was at 2:30 p.m., decreasing gradually thereafter at the later evaluation times, for all cultivars. Pollen viability increased from the first to the second evaluation time and then decreased gradually until the last evaluation. Stigma receptivity was higher than 90% in all cultivars, at all evaluation times. BRS Rubi do Cerrado and FB 200 were the most promising cultivars for nectar volume and concentration, pollen viability, and stigma receptivity characteristics.The reproductive strategies and resources available in the flower are characteristics that stimulate research studies on the genetic improvement and fruit yield of commercial cultivars. In this sense, this study aimed to study the floral biology aspects of passion fruit cultivars in Tangará da Serra region, Mato Grosso State, Brazil at different evaluation times. The experiment was carried out with eight cultivars of yellow passion fruit from an ex situ germplasm bank of the State University of Mato Grosso. The floral resources (pollen and nectar) were evaluated in a completely randomized, factorial arrangement (8 cultivars x 5 evaluation times), with five replications. Throughout anthesis, the pollen viability, stigma receptivity, and sugar volume and concentration in the nectar were evaluated. The evaluations were carried out in 1-h intervals, between 1:30 and 5:30 p.m. The highest nectar volume production was at 2:30 p.m., decreasing gradually thereafter at the later evaluation times, for all cultivars. Pollen viability increased from the first to the second evaluation time and then decreased gradually until the last evaluation. Stigma receptivity was higher than 90% in all cultivars, at all evaluation times. BRS Rubi do Cerrado and FB 200 were the most promising cultivars for nectar volume and concentration, pollen viability, and stigma receptivity characteristics