The Music of Laurence Crane and a Post-Experimental Performance Practice

Laurence Crane’s music is often described as experimental or considered as a continuation of the English experimental tradition. In this first extended examination of Crane’s music it is proposed that, instead of relying upon associations and aesthetic alignments,the music might be considered as experimental through a particularly experimental approach to performance. After a brief overview of Crane’s output his position as a composer is considered within the context of the experimental music tradition. This tradition is then considered in relation to performance practice, both historical and contemporary. A selection of Crane’s music is examined in the light of that practice, whilst aspects of the composer’s approaches to tonality, instrumentation, form and notation are also highlighted

Student Perceptions of Services for Veterans and Military Personnel

Many Veterans are returning from the War on Terror and making their way to universities. Due to the many aspects of war and military life many maybe, or are experiencing some level of mental health issue/s. As more Veterans make this transition, resources may not be available for them to be successful in the classroom (Whitley, Tschudi, & Gieber, 2013). After reviewing the literature, a suitable instrument to measure these variables was not available. The researcher developed a survey and sampled students of one Midwestern public university. The variables included basic demographic questions and perceptions of Veterans and the services on campus and in the community. These were rated on a Likert scale with a range of 1-5. They indicated a moderate awareness of veteran issues (M = 3.17, SD = 1.0) and a belief that services on campus were not adequate to meet their needs (M = 2.72, SD = .92). The results indicate that Veterans do not have sufficient resources on campus to meet their needs and that students do not understand all the issues that Veterans are facing

An investigation into the association between qualitatively different perceptions of the learning context and students' approaches to studying

Includes bibliography.A number of distinct paradigms exist in the field of research into student learning in higher education. It is inevitable that new research initiatives will adopt one of these paradigms as the primary focus of the investigation. However, the relationship that exists between paradigms is not one of mutual exclusivity; rather it is synergetic in nature with developments in one informing advances in another. The perspective adopted in this thesis research is grounded in the naturalistic investigations into student learning in higher education undertaken by Noel Entwistle and his fellow researchers. When reference is made to this distinctive paradigm it is not to suggest that other researchers, adopting fundamentally different paradigms, have not informed the development of the concepts and ideas that are distinctive to this perspective. Indeed, parallel work undertaken by John Biggs into student motivation and its relation to approaches to studying made a significant contribution to the development of specific aspects of the paradigm, a contribution which may not be explicitly clear to readers unfamiliar with the early development of the Approaches to Studying Inventory. Similarly, the pioneering work on the intellectual development of students in higher education undertaken by William Perry provided an important basis for the refinement of concepts within the paradigm that this thesis research has adopted. Because the work of these researchers is implicitly acknowledged, it is important to stress that their role was at least as important as the role of those whose contributions are more explicitly evident, and who subsequently took their ideas and developed them further within the specific paradigm

Land Grant Application- Parsons, Philip (Granville)

Land grant application submitted to the Maine Land Office for Philip Parsons for service in the Revolutionary War.https://digitalmaine.com/revolutionary_war_mass/1260/thumbnail.jp

Combatting wound biofilm and recalcitrance with a novel anti-biofilm Hydrofiber® wound dressing

AbstractBackgroundBiofilm is an impediment to wound healing as a consequence of its proven ability to impair epithelialization, granulation tissue formation and normal inflammatory processes, as well as protecting wound pathogens from antibiotics and antiseptics. With this in mind, a project was initiated to develop a combined anti-biofilm/antimicrobial technology that could be incorporated into a wound dressing to maximize effectiveness against wound pathogens existing in their predominant biofilm form.MethodsInitially, a wide range of anti-biofilm agents in combination with ionic silver were screened in a rapid throughput in vitro biofilm model. Selected agents were incorporated into a new wound dressing format and subsequently tested in vitro against antibiotic-resistant pathogens in their most tolerant biofilm form.ResultsThe combination of ionic silver with a metal chelating agent and a surfactant was shown to produce a synergistic effect (referred to as Ag+ Technology) that substantially improved the antimicrobial efficacy of ionic silver against biofilm pathogens in a simulated wound biofilm model.ConclusionBy combining anti-biofilm and antimicrobial components that work in synergy to disrupt biofilm and expose associated wound pathogens to the antimicrobial action of ionic silver, it is anticipated that this new technology incorporated into an advanced Hydrofiber® wound dressing will contribute significantly to managing biofilm infections and encouraging healing in patients debilitated by recalcitrant wounds

DEVELOPMENT OF A NEXT-GENERATION ANTIMICROBIAL WOUND DRESSING

Odgođeno cijeljenje rana zbog infekcije je teret zdravstvenim sustavima, a jednako tako i pacijentu i onome koji skrbi za njega. Bitan čimbenik u nastajanju infekcije i odgođenog cijeljenja je razvoj i prisutnost biofi lma u ranama. Biofi lm je zajednica mikroorganizama, zaštićena izvanstaničnim sluzavim matriksom u rani, koji može tolerirati obranu domaćina i primijenjena antimikrobna sredstva, kao što su antibiotici ili antimikrobne obloge. Rastući broj znanstvenih dokaza upućuje da biofilm već egzistira u većini kroničnih rana, a može biti i prethodnik infekciji dok istodobno uzrokuje odgođeno cijeljenje. In vivo modeli pokazali su da su upala, granulacija i epitelizacija, te procesi normalnog cijeljenja rane narušeni prisustvom biofilma. Izazov u razvoju nove antimikrobne obloge za ranu bio je da standardna antimikrobna sredstva učinimo učinkovitija protiv biofilma, a rješenje je uslijedilo nakon opsežnih istraživanja i ispitivanja biofi lma. Kombinacija metalnog kelatora, površinski aktivne tvari i kontrole pH faktora pokazala je snažnu sinergističku anti-biofi lm akciju u oblozi od karboksimetilceluloze sa 1,2 % ionskog srebra. Ta je učinkovitost testirana i dokazana u kompleksnim in vitro i in vivo modelima rana s biofilmom, a zatim i u klinički kontroliranim studijama, i to u studiji na 42-pacijenta i 113 kliničkih evaluacija. Naknadno ispitivanje nastavljeno je nakon dostupnosti obloge u evaluaciji na 112 slučaja, gdje je obloga pokazala učinkovito kontroliranje eksudata i suspektnog biofi lma na ranama koje teško cijele i pri tome poticanje procesa cijeljenja rana i to nakon prosječno 4 tjedna primjene nove obloge u inače standardnom protokolu njege. To je bilo popraćeno niskim brojem nuspojava. U drugoj procjeni bili su evaluirani i klinički znakovi infekcije i podatci o veličini rane, prije i nakon procjene. Nakon prosječno 5,4 tjedana uporabe obloge, svi su klinički znakovi infekcije bili reducirani, s prosječnom učestalošću od 36 % do 21 %. U prosjeku u 62 % rana postignuta je redukcija veličine, uz smanjenje veličine do 90 % i 10 potpuno zacijeljenih rana. Najnoviji kliničkih dokazi za novu generaciju antimikrobne obloge za ranu potvrđuju njenu sigurnost i učinkovitost u kontroli eksudata, infekcije i biofi lma, a osim toga potvrđuju i zacijeljivanje rana koje dugo i teško ili uopće ne cijele. Znanstvenu potporu za najnoviju tehnologiju i generaciju antimikrobne obloge potvrđuju in vitro i in vivo dokazi, tako da su buduća komparativna i randomizirana klinička ispitivanja neophodna za potpuno razumijevanje kliničke i ekonomske učinkovitosti koju može donijeti ova najnovija tehnologija.Delayed wound healing due to infection is a burden on healthcare systems, and the patient and caregiver alike. An emerging factor in infection and delayed healing is the presence development of biofilm in wounds. Biofilm is communities of microorganisms, protected by an extracellular matrix of slime in the wound, which can tolerate host defences and applied antimicrobials such as antibiotics or antimicrobial dressings. A growing evidence base exists suggesting that biofi lm exists in a majority of chronic wounds, and can be a precursor to infection while causing delayed healing itself. In vivo models have demonstrated that the inflammatory, granulation and epithelialization processes of normal wound healing are impaired by biofi lm presence. The challenge in the development of a new antimicrobial wound dressing was to make standard antimicrobial agents more effective against biofilm, and this was answered following extensive biofilm research and testing. A combination of metal chelator, surfactant and pH control displayed highly synergistic anti-biofi lm action with 1.2% ionic silver in a carboxymethylcellulose dressing. Its effectiveness was challenged and proven in complex in vitro and in vivo wound biofi lm models, followed by clinical safety and performance demonstrations in a 42-patient study and 113 clinical evaluations. Post-market surveillance was conducted on the commercially available dressing, and in a 112-case evaluation, the dressing was shown to effectively manage exudate and suspected biofi lm while shifting diffi cultto-heal wounds onto healing trajectories, after an average of 4 weeks of new dressing use in otherwise standard wound care protocols. This was accompanied by a low frequency of dressing related adverse events. In a second evaluation, clinical signs of infection and wound dimension data, before and after the evaluations, were also available. Following an average of 5.4 weeks of dressing use, all signs of clinical infection were reduced, from an average frequency of 36% to 21%. An average of 62% wound size reduction was achieved, with 90% of wounds reducing in size and 10 wounds healing completely. The new clinical evidence for this next-generation antimicrobial wound dressing suggests it is safe and effective at managing exudate, infection and biofilm, while it can shift established, stubborn wounds onto healing trajectories. The scientific rationale for this new dressing technology is supported by in vitro and in vivo evidence, so now further comparative, randomized and outcome-based clinical studies are required to fully understand the clinical and economic benefits this new dressing technology can bring

Wound Biofilm and Therapeutic Strategies

Since the turn of the millennium, an evolving body of scientific and clinical evidence indicates that biofilm is implicitly linked to delayed wound healing and infection. Currently, wound anti-biofilm strategies rely on non-specific wound bed preparation techniques involving physical debridement and cleansing, and innovative technologies designed to specifically manage biofilm have only just begun to emerge. The first output of anti-biofilm research and product development in wound care show great promise for patients, clinicians and healthcare institutions. The aim of this chapter is to address the current clinical biofilm problem, describe existing and emerging strategies to combat wound biofilm and review the available evidence