Advanced Conducting Project

Arabesque by Samuel R. Hazo The Black Horse Troop by John Philip Sousa A Festival Prelude by Alfred Reed Hebrides Suite by Clare Grundman Mambo (from West Side Story ) by Leonard Bernstein; arranged by Michael Sweeney On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss by Philip Bliss; arranged by David Holsinger Towards A New Horizon by Steven Reineke

Rapid assembly of polycyclic structures via sigmatropic rearrangement of s-propargyl xanthates

International audienceUpon heating in chlorobenzene, propargyl xanthates yield the corresponding 4,5-bis(alkylidene)-1,3-dithiolan-2-ones which are trapped by unactivated olefins in an intramolecular Diels-Alder cycloaddition yielding interesting polycyclic structures

Steroid-Responsive Encephalopathy Associated with Autoimmune Thyroiditis Presenting as Confusion, Dysphasia, and Myoclonus

Steroid response encephalopathy associated with autoimmune thyroiditis (SREAT), or Hashimoto's encephalopathy, is a rare disorder believed to be immune-mediated. It is most often characterized by a subacute onset of confusion with altered level of consciousness, seizures, and myoclonus. We describe the case of a 48-year-old gentleman who presented with confusion and dysphasia. Specific clinical features and laboratory results led to a diagnosis of Hashimoto's encephalopathy. This case highlights the core features of this condition and the potential for complete response to steroid therapy

A Spitzer Five-Band Analysis of the Jupiter-Sized Planet TrES-1

With an equilibrium temperature of 1200 K, TrES-1 is one of the coolest hot Jupiters observed by {\Spitzer}. It was also the first planet discovered by any transit survey and one of the first exoplanets from which thermal emission was directly observed. We analyzed all {\Spitzer} eclipse and transit data for TrES-1 and obtained its eclipse depths and brightness temperatures in the 3.6 {\micron} (0.083 % {\pm} 0.024 %, 1270 {\pm} 110 K), 4.5 {\micron} (0.094 % {\pm} 0.024 %, 1126 {\pm} 90 K), 5.8 {\micron} (0.162 % {\pm} 0.042 %, 1205 {\pm} 130 K), 8.0 {\micron} (0.213 % {\pm} 0.042 %, 1190 {\pm} 130 K), and 16 {\micron} (0.33 % {\pm} 0.12 %, 1270 {\pm} 310 K) bands. The eclipse depths can be explained, within 1$\sigma$ errors, by a standard atmospheric model with solar abundance composition in chemical equilibrium, with or without a thermal inversion. The combined analysis of the transit, eclipse, and radial-velocity ephemerides gives an eccentricity $e = 0.033^{+0.015}_{-0.031}$, consistent with a circular orbit. Since TrES-1's eclipses have low signal-to-noise ratios, we implemented optimal photometry and differential-evolution Markov-chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms in our Photometry for Orbits, Eclipses, and Transits (POET) pipeline. Benefits include higher photometric precision and \sim10 times faster MCMC convergence, with better exploration of the phase space and no manual parameter tuning.Comment: 17 pages, Accepted for publication in Ap

Worlds Unto Themselves: Tightness-Looseness and Social Class

Past research has convincingly demonstrated that social classes are culturally distinct entities with their own identities, values, beliefs, and customs. In short, they are “worlds unto themselves.” In this dissertation, I argue that social class cultural differences—particularly between the middle class and the working class—are also expressed in terms of tightness-looseness, or the degree to which a cultural entity has strong norms and low tolerance for norm deviance (tight) or weak norms and high tolerance for norm deviance (loose). Specifically, it is predicted that the working class is comparatively tighter relative to the middle class. In a series of six studies using survey, archival, and behavioral methods, this prediction found support. The working class had tighter perceptions of general life and specific domains (e.g., the workplace), endorsed tighter values, perceived rules more positively, were higher in traits like need for structure, conscientiousness, and conventionalism, perceived moral “transgressions” to be less justifiable, exhibited lower creativity, and were exposed to higher ecological threat. Working class adults were also found to exhibit higher explicit bias toward socially “deviant” individuals and greater xenophobia, and working class children were quicker and more likely to protest normatively incorrect actions made by a peer. Finally, it was found that working class students exhibited poorer outcomes in their first year of college due to a greater preference for simplicity—a psychological trait related to working class tightness. Overall, this research suggests that tightness-looseness is an important cultural difference between social class groups

Tightness-Looseness in the United States: Ecological Predictors and State Level Outcomes

This research demonstrates wide variation in tightness-looseness (strength of punishment and degree of permissiveness) at the state level in the United States, and its association with various ecological and historical factors, psychological characteristics, and state-level outcomes. Consistent with theory and past research, ecological and man-made threats--more natural disasters, greater disease prevalence, fewer natural resources, and greater external threat--predict increased tightness at the state level. Tightness is also associated with higher trait conscientiousness and lower trait openness. Compared with loose states, tight states have more social stability, indicated by lowered drug and alcohol use, lower rates of homelessness, and lower social disorganization. However, tight states also have relatively higher incarceration rates, greater discrimination and inequality, lower creativity, and lower happiness. In all, tightness-looseness provides a parsimonious explanation of the wide variation seen across the 50 states of the United States of America