Baltering: Music for the contemporary ballet class

Title from PDF of title page, viewed May 13, 2024Thesis advisor: Yotam HaberVitaIncludes bibliographical references (page 60)Thesis (M.M.)--UMKC Conservatory. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2024The ballet pianist often serves as the main source of “Classical” or art music to the modern ballet dancer, and their choice of repertoire— along with the technical exercises that the dancers are given— naturally reflect the vocabulary and aesthetics of repertory ballets that dance companies perform. With the rise of contemporary ballet pieces, there is a growing need for contemporary music in the ballet technique class to acquaint the dancer with this repertoire. Baltering is a set of pieces for solo piano, composed for use in the ballet technique class that introduce the musical languages/methods of contemporary compositions, (neo-classicism, neo-romanticism, post-tonality, modernism, minimalism, etc.), while conforming to the appropriate structure and form for ballet exercises. Similarly, these pieces incorporate metric dissonances and unequal phrase structure that break the typical “squareness” of music traditionally used in ballet class. There is a varying degree in which these methods are applied and how far they deviate from the canonical structures for Classical and Romantic music. This set of piano pieces follows the typical publication style where the pieces for each exercise loosely follow the structure and order of the traditional ballet class. While there have been several publications of new music for the ballet class, many of them mainly rely on adding elements of commercial and film music, often following Classical and Romantic idioms already present in existing music for ballet class. Baltering fills a gap in the musical repertoire that serves the technical needs of the dancers and dance instructors.Foreword -- Performance notes -- Exercise analysi

Approaching the adiabatic timescale with machine-learning

The control and manipulation of quantum systems without excitation is challenging, due to the complexities in fully modeling such systems accurately and the difficulties in controlling these inherently fragile systems experimentally. For example, while protocols to decompress Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) faster than the adiabatic timescale (without excitation or loss) have been well developed theoretically, experimental implementations of these protocols have yet to reach speeds faster than the adiabatic timescale. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate an alternative approach based on a machine learning algorithm which makes progress towards this goal. The algorithm is given control of the coupled decompression and transport of a metastable helium condensate, with its performance determined after each experimental iteration by measuring the excitations of the resultant BEC. After each iteration the algorithm adjusts its internal model of the system to create an improved control output for the next iteration. Given sufficient control over the decompression, the algorithm converges to a novel solution that sets the current speed record in relation to the adiabatic timescale, beating out other experimental realizations based on theoretical approaches. This method presents a feasible approach for implementing fast state preparations or transformations in other quantum systems, without requiring a solution to a theoretical model of the system. Implications for fundamental physics and cooling are discussed.Comment: 7 pages main text, 2 pages supporting informatio

Emergency Medicine in the Time of COVID

The novelty and uncertainty associated with COVID-19 has created challenges for politicians, citizens, and healthcare providers, leaving no one unaffected. As members of the front line of defense, providers in Emergency Departments (EDs) face the momentous challenge of effectively identifying and treating patients with COVID-19, working with experts in Infectious Disease, Internal Medicine, Critical Care, Public Health, and others. We must coordinate these efforts while also protecting staff, implementing strategies to reduce transmission, and managing ED patients with conditions unrelated to COVID-19. Striving to maintain a grasp of the rapidly accumulating publications in medical journals and the media, we provide this brief article as a pragmatic summary of the challenges facing the ED

CK1δ modulates the transcriptional activity of ERα via AIB1 in an estrogen-dependent manner and regulates ERα–AIB1 interactions

Oncogenesis in breast cancer often requires the overexpression of the nuclear receptor coactivator AIB1/SRC-3 acting in conjunction with estrogen receptor-α (ERα). Phosphorylation of both ERα and AIB1 has been shown to have profound effects on their functions. In addition, proteasome-mediated degradation plays a major role by regulating their stability and activity. CK1δ, a member of the ubiquitous casein kinase-1 family, is implicated in the progression of breast cancer. In this study, we show that both ERα and AIB1 are substrates for CK1δ in vitro, and identify a novel AIB1 phosphorylation site (S601) targeted by CK1δ, significant for the co-activator function of AIB1. CK1δ is able to interact with ERα and AIB1 in vivo, while overexpression of CK1δ in breast cancer cells results in an increased association of ERα with AIB1 as confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation assays from cell lysates. Using an siRNA-based approach, luciferase reporter assays and qRT-PCR, we observe that silencing of CK1δ leads to reduced ERα transcriptional activity, despite increased ERα levels, similarly to proteasome inhibition. We provide evidence that AIB1 protein levels are reduced by CK1δ silencing, in an estradiol-dependent manner; such destabilization can be inhibited by pre-treatment with the proteasome inhibitor MG132. We propose that differing activities adopted by ERα and AIB1 as a consequence of their interactions with and phosphorylation by CK1δ, particularly AIB1 stabilization, influence the transcriptional activity of ERα, and therefore have a role in breast cancer development

EHR Visual Overlay Promises to Improve Hypertension Guideline Implementation

Background: Primary care management of essential hypertension (HTN) has become increasingly challenging since recently published guidelines integrate atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk stratification into decision making. Our objective was to measure whether overlay of visualdecision support (VDS) with standard electronic health record (EHR) platform improves guideline-based treatment, and reduces time burden associated with EHR use, in management of essential HTN. Methods: This was a quality improvement project. We interviewed primary care physicians and tasked each with two simulated patient encounters for HTN: (1) using standard EHR to guide treatment, and (2) using VDS to guide treatment. The VDS included graphical blood pressure (BP) trends, target BP with recommended interventions, ASCVD risk score, and information on the patient’s social determinants of health. We assessed whether treatment selection was congruent with guidelines and tracked time physicians consulted the EHR. Results: We evaluated 70 case simulations in total. Use of VDS compared to usual EHR was associated with: higher proportion of correct guideline prescribing (94% vs. 60%, p\u3c0.01), more ASCVD risk determination (100% vs. 23, p\u3c0.01), and more correct BP target identification (97% vs. 60%, p\u3c0.01). Time clinicians spent consulting the EHR fell an average of 121 seconds with use of VDS (p\u3c0.01). On a 10-point scale, clinicians rated the VDS 9.2 vs. 5.9 (p\u3c0.01) for ease of gathering necessary information to treat HTN. Conclusions: The integration video decision support tools to standard EHR can reduce physician time spent per patient encounter, while increasing adherence to guidelines and improving patient outcomes. Further testing in clinical practice is indicated.https://scholarlycommons.henryford.com/merf2019qi/1009/thumbnail.jp

Direct Measurement of the Forbidden 23S1 → 33S1 Atomic Transition in Helium

We present the detection of the highly forbidden 2 3S1→ 3 3S1 atomic transition in helium, the weakest transition observed in any neutral atom. Our measurements of the transition frequency, upper state lifetime, and transition strength agree well with published theoretical values and can lead to tests of both QED contributions and different QED frameworks. To measure such a weak transition, we develop two methods using ultracold metastable (2 3S1) helium atoms: low background direct detection of excited then decayed atoms for sensitive measurement of the transition frequency and lifetime, and a pulsed atom laser heating measurement for determining the transition strength. These methods could possibly be applied to other atoms, providing new tools in the search for ultraweak transitions and precision metrology.This work was supported through Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project Grants No. DP160102337 and DP180101093, as well as Linkage Project No. LE180100142. K. F. T. and D. K. S. are supported by Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) scholarships. S. S. H. is supported by ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award No. DE150100315

Frequency measurements of transitions from the 2 P2 3 state to the 5 D2 1, 5 S1 3, and 5 D 3 states in ultracold helium

We perform laser absorption spectroscopy with ultracold 4 He atoms to measure the energy intervals between the 2 3 P2 level and five levels in the n = 5 manifold. The laser light perturbs the cold atomic cloud during the production of Bose-Einstein condensates and decreases the phase space density, causing a measurable decrease in the number of atoms in the final condensate. We improve on the precision of previous measurements by at least an order of magnitude, and report an observation of the spin-forbidden 2 3 P2 -5 1 D2 transition in helium. Theoretical transition energies agree with the observed values within our experimental uncertainty.The project was supported by Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project Grants No. DP160102337 and No. DP180101093, and Linkage Project No. LE180100142. J.A.R. and K.F.T. were supported by the Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) and Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarships, respectively