Coproduction: Towards a Typology of Collaborative Practice in Music Production

This chapter sets out a framework for the study of collaborative practices in music production by identifying a series of types of practice that occur from the operations of a few individuals working closely together, to the contribution of the whole world to the entirety of produced music. It begins by discussing the dominance of the singular producer in the literature and iconography of recorded music and progresses to suggest four overarching types of collaborative practices (types of coproduction) that break with this ideology of the singular producer and demonstrates the various ways in which joint authorship operates. The theoretical frameworks encompass collaborative typologies developed by Vygotskyan theorist Vera John-Steiner and the postmodern milieu of Deleuzian rhizomatics. In this way the chapter aims to move between a grounded and pragmatic approach to the observation of collaborative practices in recorded music and a philosophical reframing of the ground itself, where the territory is in a state of destabilizing and restabilizing up to a hypothetical point where production itself must cease

Lung volume reduction for emphysema using one-way endobronchial valves: An Australian cohort

Emphysema can be associated with gas trapping and hyperinflation, which negatively impacts on quality of life, life expectancy, and functional capacity. Lung volume reduction (LVR) surgery can reduce gas trapping and improve mortality in select patients but carries a high risk of major complications. Bronchoscopic techniques for LVR using one-way endobronchial valves (EBV) have become an established efficacious alternative to surgery. A bi-center retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients with severe emphysema who underwent endoscopic lung volume reduction (ELVR) using Pulmonx Zephyr EBVs. Symptomatic patients with gas-trapping and hyperinflation on lung function testing were selected. Target-lobe selection was based on quantitative imaging analysis and ventilation-perfusion scintigraphy. Successful procedures were determined from clinical review, imaging and follow-up testing. Thirty-nine patients underwent ELVR. Mean pre-procedure forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) was 0.75 L, residual volume (RV) was 225% predicted and total lung capacity was 129% predicted. Most common treated-lobe was left upper lobe. Post-procedure pneumothorax occurred in 36.5% of patients with 73% requiring intercostal catheter insertion for drainage. Mean FEV1improvement was +140 mL and 57% of patients achieved minimal clinical important difference FEV1increase of ≥ 12%. Maximal mean RV change was-1010 mL with 69% of patients achieving minimal clinical important difference RV decrease of ≥ 350 mL. Clinician-determined success of ELVR was 78%. Procedure-related mortality was absent. LVR using EBVs is safe and can lead to significant improvements in lung function, particularly reduction of gas trapping and hyperinflation. Occurrence of pneumothorax post-procedure is a complication that must be monitored for and managed appropriately

Report to UNHCR Chad on proposals for livestock and animal owners in Eastern Chad.

Estimates of current livestock numbers owned by refugees in the 12 UNCHR camps in eastern Chad vary widely between 173,000 and 427,000 head, using data gathered by camp authorities. Finding adequate food for these animals is becoming an increasing challenge for their owners and is leading to increased tension between refugees and the host communities as they compete for already limited resources. The confinement of livestock within a relatively short distance from the camps is resulting in long-term environmental degradation resulting from over-exploitation of natural resources. Livestock mortality is very high due to high disease incidence exacerbated by poor nutrition. The application of traditional pastoralist management systems to an intensified livestock population is increasing the attrition of livestock, accelerating environmental degradation, increasing the risk of inter-ethnic conflict and, consequentially, failing to ensure that the most benefits possible in terms of added-value are being derived from the available livestock. Solutions to the problem of feeding the livestock belonging to refugees are made complex by the lack of incentive to invest in a region where camp dwellers have no land tenure rights and a strong desire to return home as soon as possible. In order to reduce conflict between refugees and the host community, solutions need to benefit both sectors.Due to the size of a camp and the concentration of dwellings in a small area, comparisons can be made with livestock keeping in a peri-urban environment. The over-grazing by the large numbers of livestock around the camps will result in degradation of the local environment and ultimately livestock may only be able to be kept by following a programme by refugee livestock owners of cutting and carrying available forage back to the immediate vicinity of the camps. An alternative, is that (as we shall later propose) fodder and crop residues are bought and brought in from outside the camp. However far more benefit would certainly derive from a planned programme of growing forage crops, either by the refugees, or endemic villagers who could then sell them to the refugees and gain a valuable additional income. However a balance has to be struck between what is currently an unsustainable situation, characterised by a excessive livestock population carrying out possibly long-term environmental degradation, versus support for an artificial system of livestock management, which will entail interventionary support and management, the planned and budgeted provision of supplementary feed and the perpetuation of a system which disconnects the refugees from their animal ownership and management traditions and knowledge. A series of recommendations will be made that are designed to reduce the overwhelming demand for forage in the short and medium term. If implemented, they should result in smaller, fitter herds of livestock that in the long term can be both more readily repatriated and readapted to the more favourable grazing conditions found in Western Sudan

Report to UNHCR Chad on proposals for livestock and animal owners in Eastern Chad.

Estimates of current livestock numbers owned by refugees in the 12 UNCHR camps in eastern Chad vary widely between 173,000 and 427,000 head, using data gathered by camp authorities. Finding adequate food for these animals is becoming an increasing challenge for their owners and is leading to increased tension between refugees and the host communities as they compete for already limited resources. The confinement of livestock within a relatively short distance from the camps is resulting in long-term environmental degradation resulting from over-exploitation of natural resources. Livestock mortality is very high due to high disease incidence exacerbated by poor nutrition. The application of traditional pastoralist management systems to an intensified livestock population is increasing the attrition of livestock, accelerating environmental degradation, increasing the risk of inter-ethnic conflict and, consequentially, failing to ensure that the most benefits possible in terms of added-value are being derived from the available livestock. Solutions to the problem of feeding the livestock belonging to refugees are made complex by the lack of incentive to invest in a region where camp dwellers have no land tenure rights and a strong desire to return home as soon as possible. In order to reduce conflict between refugees and the host community, solutions need to benefit both sectors.Due to the size of a camp and the concentration of dwellings in a small area, comparisons can be made with livestock keeping in a peri-urban environment. The over-grazing by the large numbers of livestock around the camps will result in degradation of the local environment and ultimately livestock may only be able to be kept by following a programme by refugee livestock owners of cutting and carrying available forage back to the immediate vicinity of the camps. An alternative, is that (as we shall later propose) fodder and crop residues are bought and brought in from outside the camp. However far more benefit would certainly derive from a planned programme of growing forage crops, either by the refugees, or endemic villagers who could then sell them to the refugees and gain a valuable additional income. However a balance has to be struck between what is currently an unsustainable situation, characterised by a excessive livestock population carrying out possibly long-term environmental degradation, versus support for an artificial system of livestock management, which will entail interventionary support and management, the planned and budgeted provision of supplementary feed and the perpetuation of a system which disconnects the refugees from their animal ownership and management traditions and knowledge. A series of recommendations will be made that are designed to reduce the overwhelming demand for forage in the short and medium term. If implemented, they should result in smaller, fitter herds of livestock that in the long term can be both more readily repatriated and readapted to the more favourable grazing conditions found in Western Sudan

Foam Rolling as a Recovery Tool Following Eccentric Exercise: Potential Mechanisms Underpinning Changes in Jump Performance

Purpose Recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) is paramount in sports performance. Foam rolling (FR) has been suggested to improve acute performance, however, the ability to facilitate recovery from eccentric (ECC) exercise remains unclear. Methods Eleven males undertook 6×25 ECC knee extensions to induce muscular damage. Immediately, 24, 48 and 72 h post-training countermovement jump (CMJ), maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC), pressure-pain threshold (PPT), knee flexion range of motion (ROM) and mid-thigh circumference (MTC) were assessed. Neurophysiological measures included voluntary activation (VA), peak twitch torque (PTT), time to peak twitch (PTTtime) and rate of twitch torque development (RTD). Participants then spent 15 min FR prior to each time point, or control (CON). Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and standardised effect sizes (Hedges’ g) ± 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were used to compare FR and CON. Results CMJ was greater for FR compared to CON (P=0.030) at 72 h (8.6%, P=0.004) with moderate effects observed at 48 and 72 h (g=0.54-0.66). PPT was greater with FR (P=0.018) at 48 h only (23.7%, p=0.013), with moderate to large effects noted at all-time points (g=0.55-0.98). No significant differences were reported for MVIC (P=0.777, -5.1 to 4.2%), ROM (P=0.432, 1.6% to 3.5%), VA (P=0.050, 3.6 to 26.2%), PTT (P=0.302, -3.9 to 9.9%), PTTtime (P=0.702, -24.4 to 23.5%), RTD (P=0.864, -16.0 to -1.0%) or MTC (P=0.409, -0.5 to -0.1%) between conditions. Conclusions FR appears to improve jump performance in the later stages of recovery following ECC exercise. This may be in part due to improved pain tolerance, however, mechanical and neurophysiological are not modulated with FR

Impact of maternal obesity on placental transcriptome and morphology associated with fetal growth restriction in mice

Abstract: Background: In utero exposure to obesity is consistently associated with increased risk of metabolic disease, obesity and cardiovascular dysfunction in later life despite the divergence of birth weight outcomes. The placenta plays a critical role in offspring development and long-term health, as it mediates the crosstalk between the maternal and fetal environments. However, its phenotypic and molecular modifications in the context of maternal obesity associated with fetal growth restriction (FGR) remain poorly understood. Methods: Using a mouse model of maternal diet-induced obesity, we investigated changes in the placental transcriptome through RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) at embryonic day (E) 19. The most differentially expressed genes (FDR < 0.05) were validated by Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) in male and female placentae at E19. The expression of these targets and related genes was also determined by qPCR at E13 to examine whether the observed alterations had an earlier onset at mid-gestation. Structural analyses were performed using immunofluorescent staining against Ki67 and CD31 to investigate phenotypic outcomes at both timepoints. Results: RNA-seq and IPA analyses revealed differential expression of transcripts and pathway interactions related to placental vascular development and tissue morphology in obese placentae at term, including downregulation of Muc15, Cnn1, and Acta2. Pdgfb, which is implicated in labyrinthine layer development, was downregulated in obese placentae at E13. This was consistent with the morphological evidence of reduced labyrinth zone (LZ) size, as well as lower fetal weight at both timepoints irrespective of offspring sex. Conclusions: Maternal obesity results in abnormal placental LZ development and impaired vascularization, which may mediate the observed FGR through reduced transfer of nutrients across the placenta

Impact of maternal obesity on placental transcriptome and morphology associated with fetal growth restriction in mice

Abstract: Background: In utero exposure to obesity is consistently associated with increased risk of metabolic disease, obesity and cardiovascular dysfunction in later life despite the divergence of birth weight outcomes. The placenta plays a critical role in offspring development and long-term health, as it mediates the crosstalk between the maternal and fetal environments. However, its phenotypic and molecular modifications in the context of maternal obesity associated with fetal growth restriction (FGR) remain poorly understood. Methods: Using a mouse model of maternal diet-induced obesity, we investigated changes in the placental transcriptome through RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) at embryonic day (E) 19. The most differentially expressed genes (FDR < 0.05) were validated by Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) in male and female placentae at E19. The expression of these targets and related genes was also determined by qPCR at E13 to examine whether the observed alterations had an earlier onset at mid-gestation. Structural analyses were performed using immunofluorescent staining against Ki67 and CD31 to investigate phenotypic outcomes at both timepoints. Results: RNA-seq and IPA analyses revealed differential expression of transcripts and pathway interactions related to placental vascular development and tissue morphology in obese placentae at term, including downregulation of Muc15, Cnn1, and Acta2. Pdgfb, which is implicated in labyrinthine layer development, was downregulated in obese placentae at E13. This was consistent with the morphological evidence of reduced labyrinth zone (LZ) size, as well as lower fetal weight at both timepoints irrespective of offspring sex. Conclusions: Maternal obesity results in abnormal placental LZ development and impaired vascularization, which may mediate the observed FGR through reduced transfer of nutrients across the placenta

Correspondence: routine early angioplasty after fibrinolysis

To the Editor: Cantor et al. (June 25 issue)1 conclude that among high-risk patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction who receive fibrinolysis, prompt interhospital transfer for early percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) after fibrinolysis is associated with significantly fewer ischemic complications than is standard treatment. Fundamental to this study’s findings are the criteria for identifying the high-risk patients who are likely to benefit from routine early angioplasty after fibrinolysis. ..................................................