Geometric pitch structure and form in Deserts by Edgard Varese.

Edgard Varese began composing Deserts in 1949 and completed it late in 1954. Scored for fifteen instruments, five percussionists and two tapes of organized sounds, Deserts comprises acoustic instrumental music and sections of electronically-organized sounds on magnetic tape meant to be inserted at three specific locations within the piece. The alternating sections create a continuous, seven-part form. For a piece of music that is viewed by many as one of Varese\u27s greatest works, scholarly writing On Deserts has been sparse compared to studies of works by other prominent composers of the same time. Since Varese\u27s death in 1961 there have been only a handful of detailed analyses published. Previous analysts like Andrew Blyth and Malcolm MacDonald have referred to the instrumental portion of this work as a four-part structure, which is delineated formally by the insertion points Varese selected for the interpolations of taped sounds. This analysis will concentrate on the geometric constructs at work in Deserts. Initially, an analysis of the pitch structure will reveal distinct planes of sound comprised of adjacent pitches. A consideration of these geometric planes based on trichords identified early in the work provide insight into Varese\u27s concept Of music as spatial--as bodies of intelligent sounds moving freely in space, since the elements of tension and release manifest themselves in figures as they collide (tension) and are repelled (release). Consequently, the collision and repulsion of pitch-planes together with the changing of the shapes (construction of new pitch planes) provide clear formal indicators in the instrumental portion of the work and reveal the acoustic portions of the work as a two-part structure

The Effects of Diethylstilbestrol Administration during Late Pregnancy on Anxiety- and Depressive-related Behaviors in C57Bl/6 Mice

Exposure to the potent synthetic estrogenic compound diethylstilbestrol (DES) during early development has been found to elicit numerous detrimental effects. Prescribed to millions of pregnant women from the 1930s to the 1970s, it has been shown that exposure to DES caused significant reproductive organ abnormalities and dysfunction in both men and women (DES sons and daughters, respectively) who were exposed in utero. A high incidence of psychiatric disorders has also been reported, primarily in adult DES daughters. Because of estrogen\u27s well-known influence on emotion, it has been suggested that exposure to this estrogenic compound may be able to disturb the normal regulation of behaviors modulated by estrogen and estrogen receptors (i.e., emotion-related behaviors). The current study investigated the effects of gestational DES exposure on anxiety- and depressive-related behaviors during adulthood in female mice. Pregnant C57Bl/6 mice were exposed to either vehicle or one of three doses of DES (.1, 1.0, or 10.0µg/kg/day) from gestational day 11 to 17 via oral gavage. Because there have been no published reports examining the possible effects of DES exposure during pregnancy on the enhancement of postpartum depression and anxiety, associated behaviors in the dams were also assessed. Following parturition, all dams were ovariectomized. Three female offspring were retained from each litter at weaning. When the offspring reached adulthood, one female was ovariectomized, one had a sham surgery, and one served as the intact control. Two weeks after surgery (or at a similar age in the intact mice), anxiety- and depression-like behaviors were assessed using the Elevated Zero Maze, Open Field, Tail Suspension, and Forced Swim Tests. Overall, the results for this study revealed that exposure to DES during late pregnancy did not provoke a significant influence over anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors in dams or female offspring

A Place-based Learning Community: Klamath Connection at Humboldt State University

A place-based learning community called Klamath Connection was designed to improve the academic performance of freshman in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) majors at Humboldt State University, a midsize public institution in a location geographically and culturally unfamiliar to the majority of its students. The program interweaves four high impact practices demonstrated to improve the success of students in STEM: a summer immersion, freshman year seminar, modified gateway courses, and peer mentoring. Each component is linked by an interdisciplinary theme unique to our geographic location and central to the communities that live within it, the Klamath River basin. This manuscript describes the local background and needs assessment that initiated the program, explains our hypothesized model that a place-based learning community can foster the sense of belonging, skills, and habits that favor academic success, and reviews the design and implementation of our pilot program that launched in 2015 for 63 first time students entering HSU. We conclude by describing lessons learned from informal and formal assessments of participating faculty, staff, and administrative personnel that have prompted modifications to the model, which is currently being expanded to serve all entering STEM majors by 2020. Analyses describing the effects of the program on student attitudes, academic performance, and retention in the university will be reviewed in a subsequent manuscript

A pilot family-operated fish cage project in Lake Kyoga

The culture of fish in cage and pen is a comparatively new project in Uganda although it has been successfully practiced commercially in the Philippines in the raising of Tilapia and carps. As a technology transfer scheme the project is being proposed as an alternative employment both for fishermen and farmers in the rural and fishing communities around the Lake Kyoga Complex. The project can be operated as family enterprise, by cooperatives or by fishery corporations, as possible income-producing business ventures

Place Based Learning Community Planning Guide

The introduction of Place Based Learning Communities (PBLCs) at HSU in 2015 has become an increasingly discussed topic throughout the university. We use the term “Learning Community” in its strictest sense - a curricular approach to education that intentionally links a cluster of courses around an interdisciplinary theme and enrolls a common cohort of students. The production of higher GPAs and retention and significant achievement gap closure among the HSU PBLC cohorts is undeniable. All components are comprehensive in the fact that they build a sense of community, belonging, and accountability within the students which serve as factors for higher retention and academic success. Each class, event, study session, field trip, and staff and faculty member are all parts of what make PBLC such a success. There are many components that need to be established and collaborations that need to be formed in order to make student achievement possible. In this manual, you will read what these components and collaborations look like and upon conclusion you will understand what goes into creating a successful Place Based Learning Community

Place-Based Learning Communities on a Rural Campus: Turning Challenges into Assets

At Humboldt State University (HSU), location is everything. Students are as drawn to our spectacular natural setting as they are to the unique majors in the natural resource sciences that the university has to offer. However, the isolation that nurtures the pristine natural beauty of the area presents a difficult reality for students who are accustomed to more densely populated environments. With the large majority of our incoming students coming from distant cities, we set out to cultivate a “home away from home” by connecting first-year students majoring in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to the communities and local environment of Humboldt County. To achieve this, we designed first-year place-based learning communities (PBLCs) that integrate unique aspects and interdisciplinary themes of our location throughout multiple high impact practices, including a summer experience, blocked-enrolled courses, and a first-year experience course entitled Science 100: Becoming a STEM Professional in the 21st Century. Native American culture, traditional ways of knowing, and contemporary issues faced by tribal communities are central features of our place-based curriculum because HSU is located on the ancestral land of the Wiyot people and the university services nine federally recognized American Indian tribes. Our intention is that by providing a cross-cultural, validating environment, students will: feel and be better supported in their academic pursuits; cultivate values of personal, professional and social responsibility; and increase the likelihood that they will complete their HSU degree. As we complete the fourth year of implementation, we aim to harness our experience and reflection to improve our programming and enable promising early results to be sustained