Three Poems

Poetry by Angela Waldi

Synthesis of quinoline bases of possible antimalarial activity: synthesis of derivatives of 8-methylquinoline and 8-aminocarbostyril

Various attempts to synthesise derivatives of 6- and.8- methylquinoline are described. The synthesis is of di-[quinolyl-8-methyl-]-1,4-piperazine, di-[quinolyl-8-methyll-]-amin.oethyldiethylamine, di-[quinoly-8- methyl-]aminoethylpiperidine, 8-[ß-diethylaminoethylaminomethyl-]-quinoline and 8-[ß-piperidino-ethylmethylaminomethyl-]-quinoline, 5-bromo-6-methoxy-8-methylquinoline, 3-bromo-6-nitro-8-methylquinoline and the syntheses of a number of related compounds are described. The synthesis of a number of carhostyri derivatives of which 8-amino-3,4,6-trimethylcarbostyril is the most important, is described. The synthesis of 5-bromo-6-methoxy-8-methyl-quinoline from m-cresol, in addition to the bromination of m-cresol, the methylation, reduction and ultimate orientation of the two isomers formed, is described

Cytokinin Targets Auxin Transport to Promote Shoot Branching.

Cytokinin promotes shoot branching by activating axillary buds, but its mechanism of action in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) in this process is unclear. We have shown previously that a hextuple mutant lacking a clade of type-A Arabidopsis Response Regulators (ARRs) known to act in cytokinin signaling has reduced shoot branching compared with the wild type. Since these proteins typically act as negative regulators of cytokinin signaling, this is an unexpected result. To explore this paradox more deeply, we characterized the effects of loss of function of the type-B ARR, ARR1, which positively regulates cytokinin-induced gene expression. The arr1 mutant has increased branching, consistent with a role antagonistic to the type-A ARRs but in apparent conflict with the known positive role for cytokinin in bud activation. We show that the arr branching phenotypes correlate with increases in stem auxin transport and steady-state levels of the auxin export proteins PIN3 and PIN7 on the plasma membrane of xylem-associated cells in the main stem. Cytokinin treatment results in an increased accumulation of PIN3, PIN7, and the closely related PIN4 within several hours, and loss of PIN3, PIN4, and PIN7 can partially rescue the arr1 branching phenotype. This suggests that there are multiple signaling pathways for cytokinin in bud outgrowth; one of these pathways regulates PIN proteins in shoots, independently of the canonical signaling function of the ARR genes tested here. A hypothesis consistent with the arr shoot phenotypes is that feedback control of biosynthesis leads to altered cytokinin accumulation, driving cytokinin signaling via this pathway.European Research Council Gatsby Charitable Foundatio

“It was just a prank, Han!”: Wendibros, Girlfriend Woes, and Gender Politics in Until Dawn

Horror video games utilize conventional stereotypes to replicate the hegemonic power structures of the cultures from which they are produced. Using the 2015 award-winning horror video game Until Dawn as a case study, the author unpacks the construction of hegemonic masculinity and interrogates the impact of traditionally marginalized traits such as race and mental illness against the idealized role of the white, male saviour stereotype using an intersectional content analysis. The thesis begins with an exploration of the game studies literature around gender and marginalization before transitioning into a consideration of hegemony in horror media, including video games. From there, the author contextualizes R. W. Connell’s conceptualization of hegemonic masculinity and combines it with Kimberlé Crenshaw’s intersectional lens. The literature is encapsulated in a summarization of Until Dawn’s characterization of masculinity, as determined by the theoretical framework provided, as a white (male) saviour archetype. The author dedicates the three subsequent chapters to analyzing, via content analysis, the game’s key forms of marginalization: gender, race, and mental illness In each chapter, the content of Until Dawn is dissected to determine to what degree each marginalized attribute impacts a character’s ability to meet the game’s metric for hegemonic masculinity. The game content considered includes visuals, dialogue, object access and usability, combat scenarios, and storyline. Hegemonic masculinity, mental illness, and the appropriation of Indigenous culture must be critically analyzed; this research adds a necessary consideration of several problematic and harmful representations that are often overlooked in current game studies literature

Role of service dogs for two children with autism spectrum disorder

This qualitative study investigated the role of service dogs for two children with autism spectrum disorder. The participants in this study were eight adults who all had direct and continuing interaction with a service dog team. Six themes emerged following an analysis of the qualitative data: (a) safety - the service dogs helped the children avoid dangerous situations; (b) anxiety - the service dogs were seen as a calming influence; (c) normalizing effects - the service dogs assisted in allowing families to engage in activities outside the home; (d) communication — the service dogs helped to encourage the children to speak and interact with others; (e) friendship - the service dogs provided a constant source of friendship for the children; and (f) educating the school community - service dogs for autism are still a relatively rare phenomenon, and as such it is important that parents, students and teaching staff are all given the necessary information so that implementation and transitions run smoothly. Although service dogs are not a cure for autism, all of the participants in this study strongly believed that the service dog was a beneficial and useful tool for children with autism spectrum disorder

A Comparison of Music Characteristics of Funeral Music from Croatia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom

Music forms an integral and essential part of funeral rituals worldwide, but has to date received little systematic research attention. Recent investigations into funeral music used in the Netherlands showed that it is lower in tempo and valence, less energetic, and more acoustic than popular music. Funeral music is also often in a major mode. The present study sought to replicate these findings for a Dutch (NL) funeral music sample and to expand upon previous knowledge by investigating the audio features provided by Spotify, namely: valence, energy, tempo, acousticness, instrumentalness, mode, and danceability for funeral music samples from Croatia (HR) and the United Kingdom (UK). First, values of music characteristics for funeral music used in HR, N = 388 pieces, NL, N = 500 pieces, and UK, N = 439 pieces, were compared to values of popular control music from each country separately. Previous findings were replicated: for HR, NL, and UK, funeral music displayed a similar pattern as described above. Second, the values of Spotify audio features for funeral music were compared between countries. Analyses revealed significant differences between NL/UK and HR, namely lower valence and energy and higher acousticness (only HR-UK) and instrumentalness for NL/UK compared to HR. Effect sizes were, however, small and are likely due to differences in music selections. These results suggest that, even though there is much diversity in music pieces and songs, funeral music within and across these European countries is more alike than different in terms of its audio characteristics

Music and lyric characteristics of popular Dutch funeral songs

This study compared the characteristics of 150 songs (Dutch lyrics, N = 47, English lyrics, N = 103), popular at Dutch funerals, to an equal number of non-funeral songs. The variables explored included those linked with the music (valence, energy, danceability, acousticness, key, and tempo); and lyrics, namely: linguistics-related (first-person singular/plural, second-person pronouns; past, present, future tense; expressed emotion (positive, negative words, and the discrete emotional categories anger, anxiety, sadness); and category words (those relating to family, friends, death, religion). Funeral music was lower in valence, energy, and danceability and higher in acousticness than non-funeral music. Furthermore, English funeral music lyrics contained more second-person pronouns and were more future-focused than comparison songs. Funeral lyrics were not particularly negative, but English texts contained more words relating to sadness. In conclusion, funeral music differs in severable notable respects from general popular songs that may reflect the special purpose of this music

Loss of buoyancy control in the copepod Calanus finmarchicus

A mechanism is demonstrated that could explain large-scale aggregations of lipid-rich copepods in the surface waters of marine environments. Laboratory experiments establish that changes in salinity and temperature induce lipid-mediated buoyancy instability that entrains copepods in surface waters. Reduced hydrostatic pressure associated with forced ascent of copepods at fjordic sills, shelf breaks and seamounts would also reduce the density of the lipid reserves, forcing copepods and particularly those in diapause to the surface. We propose that salinity, temperature and hydrodynamics of the physical environment, in conjunction with the biophysical properties of lipids, explain periodic high abundances of lipid-rich copepods in surface waters