A Study of Music: Music Psychology, Music Therapy, and Worship Music

There are three specific fields related to music: the psychology of Music and how it affects human brain and functions, the methodology of Music Therapy and how it affects individuals undergoing treatment, and the psychological effects of Worship Music and how it can be used in music therapy. Music therapy is a growing field in which the therapeutic outcomes greatly benefit the patients. The overall purpose is to create a greater understanding of music and music therapy in order to a provide a system for introducing group worship services into music therapy to ultimately bring spiritual healing to individuals

Community Forestry and REDD+ in Nepal

Reducing the rate and extent of tropical forest loss is a critical component of climate change mitigation efforts. A global agreement to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) seeks to transfer funds from developed countries to developing countries such as Nepal in exchange for verifiable emissions reductions. Consequently, Nepal is currently engaged in the challenging task of designing and implementing REDD+ strategies that are effective, efficient, and equitable. Nepal has a historic and successful Community Forestry management system in place that may contribute to potential REDD+ architectures. This study uses a literature review and interviews with twenty stakeholders involved in REDD+ planning and research in Nepal to assess how REDD+ can be implemented through Community Forestry and to identify any gaps that need to be addressed before implementation. We interviewed individuals in government and civil society in order to identify knowledge and perceptions regarding these issues, and whether that knowledge would support, expand on, or conflict with available literature. This approach allowed us to analyze a spectrum of perspectives among respondents involved in developing REDD+ architectures, and the mechanisms needed to effectively, efficiently, and equitably implement REDD+. We show that congruity existed among the answers provided by respondents but that problems regarding undecided REDD+ policies and stakeholder engagement remain. Issues that remain unresolved include a lack of institutional capacity for monitoring forests and for distributing payments at all governance levels; insufficient stakeholder engagement in REDD+ planning; the exclusion of non-Community Forest forestry regimes through REDD+ piloting; and land tenure conflicts that will require extensive further research and multi-stakeholder problem-solving before REDD+ moves forward in Nepal. Should these issues be addressed, we conclude that REDD+ could use existing Community Forestry institutions to bring equitable co-benefits and increased carbon storage to Nepal.Master of ScienceNatural Resources and EnvironmentUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/97438/1/CF_REDD_Nepal_Final.pd

p53 and ovarian carcinoma survival: an Ovarian Tumor Tissue Analysis consortium study

Our objective was to test whether p53 expression status is associated with survival for women diagnosed with the most common ovarian carcinoma histotypes (high-grade serous carcinoma [HGSC], endometrioid carcinoma [EC], and clear cell carcinoma [CCC]) using a large multi-institutional cohort from the Ovarian Tumor Tissue Analysis (OTTA) consortium. p53 expression was assessed on 6,678 cases represented on tissue microarrays from 25 participating OTTA study sites using a previously validated immunohistochemical (IHC) assay as a surrogate for the presence and functional effect of TP53 mutations. Three abnormal expression patterns (overexpression, complete absence, and cytoplasmic) and the normal (wild type) pattern were recorded. Survival analyses were performed by histotype. The frequency of abnormal p53 expression was 93.4% (4,630/4,957) in HGSC compared to 11.9% (116/973) in EC and 11.5% (86/748) in CCC. In HGSC, there were no differences in overall survival across the abnormal p53 expression patterns. However, in EC and CCC, abnormal p53 expression was associated with an increased risk of death for women diagnosed with EC in multivariate analysis compared to normal p53 as the reference (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.36-3.47, p = 0.0011) and with CCC (HR = 1.57, 95% CI 1.11-2.22, p = 0.012). Abnormal p53 was also associated with shorter overall survival in The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage I/II EC and CCC. Our study provides further evidence that functional groups of TP53 mutations assessed by abnormal surrogate p53 IHC patterns are not associated with survival in HGSC. In contrast, we validate that abnormal p53 IHC is a strong independent prognostic marker for EC and demonstrate for the first time an independent prognostic association of abnormal p53 IHC with overall survival in patients with CCC

Identification of 12 new susceptibility loci for different histotypes of epithelial ovarian cancer.

To identify common alleles associated with different histotypes of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), we pooled data from multiple genome-wide genotyping projects totaling 25,509 EOC cases and 40,941 controls. We identified nine new susceptibility loci for different EOC histotypes: six for serous EOC histotypes (3q28, 4q32.3, 8q21.11, 10q24.33, 18q11.2 and 22q12.1), two for mucinous EOC (3q22.3 and 9q31.1) and one for endometrioid EOC (5q12.3). We then performed meta-analysis on the results for high-grade serous ovarian cancer with the results from analysis of 31,448 BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers, including 3,887 mutation carriers with EOC. This identified three additional susceptibility loci at 2q13, 8q24.1 and 12q24.31. Integrated analyses of genes and regulatory biofeatures at each locus predicted candidate susceptibility genes, including OBFC1, a new candidate susceptibility gene for low-grade and borderline serous EOC

Teacher Appraisal in London Schools: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

The overarching aim of our study was to develop a portrait of educator perceptions of the appraisal processes in London schools. We collected survey and interview data from educators in four disparate London schools. Data across schools represented a generally positive view of the appraisal processes, yet educators advocated for improvements, including more frequent classroom observations, immediate feedback, the establishment of an ongoing, reflective document and individualized targets for professional growth. The new SEED model of evaluation for teachers in Connecticut closely resembles the 2012 English teacher appraisal policies. We propose that the aforementioned improvements would also positively influence the effectiveness of the SEED procedures and may help prevent Connecticut teachers from experiencing many of the same frustrations as London teachers. If implemented strategically and with a focus on growth and development, the SEED model offers significant potential for the development of a strong and effective Connecticut teaching force

Rights of Pachamama: The emergence of an earth jurisprudence in the Americas

Earth jurisprudence represents an alternative approach to the law based on the belief that nature has rights. In this view, a river has the right to flow, species have the right to continue to exist in the wild, and ecosystems have the right to adapt and evolve over time. Proponents of Earth jurisprudence argue that, by treating nature as exploitable resources, contemporary legal systems actively promote environmental harms. Recognising rights of nature, they argue, will transform core values and inspire social changes that promote economic development which respects nature’s limits. Since 2006, rights of nature have been recognised by some sub-federal public bodies in the United States and by the governments of Ecuador and Bolivia. This paper sets out to answer two questions. First, what explains the legal recognition of rights of nature in Ecuador and Bolivia? Second, what factors impede a wider adoption and implementation of Earth jurisprudence? Amongst the constraints, it will be argued, is that Ecuador and Bolivia continue to pursue an extractivist economic development model, with assertions of national sovereignty over natural resources tending to prevail over Earth jurisprudence and environmental conservation