bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modality and Negation in SIMT Use of Modality and Negation in Semantically-Informed Syntactic MT
Authors: Baker Kathryn , Bloodgood Michael , Dorr Bonnie J. , Callison-Burch Chris , Filardo Nathaniel W. , Piatko Christine , Levin Lori , Miller Scott
Published: February 2012

This article describes the resource- and system-building efforts of an 8-week Johns Hopkins University Human Language Technology Center of Excellence Summer Camp for Applied Language Exploration (SCALE-2009) on Semantically Informed Machine Translation (SIMT). We describe a new modality/negation (MN) annotation scheme, the creation of a (publicly available) MN lexicon, and two automated MN taggers that we built using the annotation scheme and lexicon. Our annotation scheme isolates three components of modality and negation: a trigger (a word that conveys modality or negation), a target (an action associated with modality or negation), and a holder (an experiencer of modality). We describe how our MN lexicon was semi-automatically produced and we demonstrate that a structure-based MN tagger results in precision around 86% (depending on genre) for tagging of a standard LDC data set.

We apply our MN annotation scheme to statistical machine translation using a syntactic framework that supports the inclusion of semantic annotations. Syntactic tags enriched with semantic annotations are assigned to parse trees in the target-language training texts through a process of tree grafting. Although the focus of our work is modality and negation, the tree grafting procedure is general and supports other types of semantic information. We exploit this capability by including named entities, produced by a pre-existing tagger, in addition to the MN elements produced by the taggers described here. The resulting system significantly outperformed a linguistically naive baseline model (Hiero), and reached the highest scores yet reported on the NIST 2009 Urdu–English test set. This finding supports the hypothesis that both syntactic and semantic information can improve translation quality.
Speculation and Negation: Rules, Rankers, and the Role of Syntax
Authors: Velldal Erik , Øvrelid Lilja , Read Jonathon , Oepen Stephan
Published: February 2012

This article explores a combination of deep and shallow approaches to the problem of resolving the scope of speculation and negation within a sentence, specifically in the domain of biomedical research literature. The first part of the article focuses on speculation. After first showing how speculation cues can be accurately identified using a very simple classifier informed only by local lexical context, we go on to explore two different syntactic approaches to resolving the in-sentence scopes of these cues. Whereas one uses manually crafted rules operating over dependency structures, the other automatically learns a discriminative ranking function over nodes in constituent trees. We provide an in-depth error analysis and discussion of various linguistic properties characterizing the problem, and show that although both approaches perform well in isolation, even better results can be obtained by combining them, yielding the best published results to date on the CoNLL-2010 Shared Task data. The last part of the article describes how our speculation system is ported to also resolve the scope of negation. With only modest modifications to the initial design, the system obtains state-of-the-art results on this task also.
The Principle of Hope
Authors: Chambers-Letson Joshua Takano
Published: February 2012

A philosophical reflection on Signature Theater Company's 2010 New York revival of Tony Kushner's Angels in America considers the nature of hope in Kushner's play along side the political valences animated by this force in Signature's production.
Trisha Brown's Water Motor
Authors: Rosenberg Susan
Published: February 2012

Trisha Brown's signature solo Water Motor (1978) was the first of her choreographies to make the physical intelligence and virtuosity of Brown's unique dancing body the basis for movement and choreography. Preserved in Babette Mangolte's 1978 film, Water Motor returned to the stage in 2011 in its first performance by a dancer other than Brown—an occasion for reexamining the dance's pivotal role in Brown's career.
The meanings of autonomy
Authors: Klooger Jeff
Published: February 2012

The concept of autonomy as presented in the works of Cornelius Castoriadis offers the possibility of expressing the core aims of a radical politics in a manner divorced from a discredited Marxist or communist past. The concept occasions ongoing debate about its true meaning as well as its implications and consequences. Some people question the value and viability of autonomy as a political aim. This article attempts to elucidate and defend what I see as the central meanings and implications of the concept of autonomy, particularly in its political dimension. The concept of autonomy is considered in its relationship to the ideas of project, self-limitation, and democracy, and the socialist tradition.
Civilization and the poetics of slavery
Authors: Shilliam Robbie
Published: February 2012

Civilizational analysis is increasingly being used to capture the plurality of routes to and through the modern world order. However, the concept of civilization betrays a colonial legacy, namely, a denial that colonized peoples possessed the creative ability to cultivate their own subjecthoods. This denial was especially acute when it came to enslaved Africans in the New World whose bodies were imagined to be deracinated and deculturated. This article proposes that civilizational analysis has yet to fully address this legacy and, to clarify the stakes at play, compares and contrasts the historical sociology of CLR James with the mytho-poetics of Derek Walcott. Both authors, in different ways, have attempted to endow that quintessentially un-civilizable body – the New World slave – with subjecthood. From this discussion, the article makes the case for developing a ‘poetics of slavery’ that could help to address the colonial strictures still residual in the concept of civilization.
ICU 2020
Authors: Bauman Kristy A. , Hyzy Robert C.
Published: February 2012

Intensive care units (ICUs) are an essential and unique component of modern medicine. The number of critically ill individuals, complexity of illness, and cost of care continue to increase with time. In order to meet future demands, maintain quality, and minimize medical errors, intensivists will need to look beyond traditional medical practice, seeking lessons on quality assurance from industry and aviation. Intensivists will be challenged to keep pace with rapidly advancing information technology and its diverse roles in ICU care delivery. Modern ICU quality improvement initiatives include ensuring evidence-based best practice, participation in multicenter ICU collaborations, employing state-of-the-art information technology, providing point-of-care diagnostic testing, and efficient organization of ICU care delivery. This article demonstrates that each of these initiatives has the potential to revolutionize the quality of future ICU care in the United States.
Sharing the Challenge
Authors: Raju G. Prageetha , Adlakha Khyati
Published: February 2012

The case deals with the decision of having two CEOs instead of one at Wipro Technologies, an Indian company with a global presence. This decision was taken by Azim Premji in 2008, and almost immediately, Suresh Vaswani and Girish Paranjape were chosen as the two CEOs to head the company. This set-up created new organization structures, new work design (in some cases) and also, new work responsibilities. The case takes the reader through the initiation, implementation and follow-up of a joint CEO structure at Wipro and the decision to revert back to a single CEO structure in 2011.
Relationships among Race, Education, Criminal Thinking, and Recidivism
Authors: Walters Glenn D.
Published: February 2012

Moderator and mediator relationships linking variables from three different theoretical traditions—race (subcultural theory), education (life-course theory), and criminal thinking (social learning theory)—and recidivism were examined in 1,101 released male federal prison inmates. Preliminary regression analyses indicated that racial status (White, Black, Hispanic) moderated the relationship between criminal thinking, as measured by the General Criminal Thinking (GCT) score of the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles (PICTS), and recidivism. Further analysis, however, revealed that it was not racial status, per se, that moderated the relationship between the PICTS and recidivism, but educational attainment. Whereas the PICTS was largely effective in predicting recidivism in inmates with 12 or more years of education, it was largely ineffective in predicting recidivism in inmates with fewer than 12 years of education. When education and the GCT score were compared as possible mediators of the race–recidivism relationship only the GCT successfully mediated this relationship. Sensitivity testing showed that the GCT mediating effect was moderately robust to violations of the sequential ignorability assumption on which causal mediation analysis rests. Moderator and mediator analyses are potentially important avenues through which theoretical constructs can be integrated and assessment strategies devised.
Conducting Cognitive Interviews in Cross-National Settings
Authors: Lee Jihyun
Published: February 2012

This article reviews cognitive interviewing (CI) as a survey pretesting method in cross-national settings. Particularly, semi-structured cognitive interviewing (SSCI) using direct probing is advocated when CI involves multiple countries/languages. Four major groups of fundamental issues are discussed: conceptual, measurement, procedural, and practical. The conceptual issues relate to the nature of interview data, potential sources of problems, and sample size. Next, it is shown how the SSCI method can be used to informally evaluate validity, reliability, and cross-cultural equivalence. This is followed by the procedural steps and the practical issues in implementing cross-national SSCI studies. Some methodological and practical limitations are also noted. The article concludes by highlighting the implications of using the cross-national CI method in a single-country context with multiple immigrant/cultural/language groups or in monocultural settings.
Skin Bleeding Time for the Evaluation of Uremic Platelet Dysfunction and Effect of Dialysis
Authors: Soyoral Yasemin Usul , Demir Cengiz , Begenik Huseyin , Esen Ramazan , Kucukoglu Mehmet Emin , Aldemir Mehmet Naci , Demirkiran Davut , Erkoc Reha
Published: February 2012

Introduction: In patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) predisposition to bleeding is frequently seen due to disturbances in platelet adhesion and aggregation. Various tests have been utilized to evaluate the disturbance of hemostasis in end-stage renal disease patients. In this trial; we evaluated skin bleeding time in patients admitted to our hospital with uremic symptoms and having hemodialysis (HD) for the first time. We also examined the effects of HD and uremia on this test and investigated its effectiveness in predicting the hemorrhagic complications before implementation of invasive procedures in uremic patients. Material-Method: Twenty nine patients (13 men,16 women; mean age 59.7±18.1) with CKD who presented with symptoms of uremia and treated with HD for the first time were enrolled in this trial. The skin bleeding time were measured before initiation of first hemodialysis and after the second hemodialysis session. Results: The skin bleeding time after the second dialysis was significantly shorter when compared to pre-dialysis values (p < 0.05). Correlation analysis between the skin bleeding time and urea, creatinine, hemoglobin, platelet, and bicarbonate showed no correlation. Conclusions: Skin bleeding time could reveal the uremic platelet dysfunction and beneficial effect of dialysis in the patients who presented with uremic symptoms and treated with HD for the first time. We suggest that skin bleeding time may be an appropriate test for the evaluation of hemostasis disturbance in uremic patients and prediction of the bleeding risk before invasive procedures.
Usefulness of Thrombophilia Testing in Venous Thromboembolic Disease
Authors: Gabriel Francisco , Portolés O. , Labiós M. , Rodríguez C. , Cisneros E. , Vela J. , Nuñez M. ,   and the RIETE Investigators
Published: February 2012

Background: Information on thrombophilia risk factors for patients with upper extremity deep vein thrombosis (UEDVT) is limited. The genetic, acquired, and coagulation risk factors of an acute episode of lower EDVT (LEDVT) or UEDVT, either isolated or associated with pulmonary embolism (PE), were studied. Materials and Methods: A total of 4503 patients participated in a thrombophilia study. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Results: Mean age of the participants was 55 ± 19 years. The risk of LEDVT or UEDVT, isolated or associated with PE, was calculated according to thrombophilia factors. We found association between LEDVT and factor V Leiden ([FVL]; OR: 1.8; 95% CI 1.4-2.4) and resistance to activated protein C ([APC-R]; OR: 1.6; 95% CI 1.1-2.4). The LEDVT + PE presented an association with PTG20210A (OR: 1.5; 95% CI 1.1-2.1). No association was found between the thrombophilic defects studied and UEDVT or UEDVT + PE. Conclusions: Both FVL and APC-R carriers had the risk of developing LEDVT. The PTG20210A carriers had the risk of developing LEDVT + PE. No thrombophilic defects studied presented risk factors for UEDVT or UEDVT + PE.
Congenital FVII Deficiency and Pulmonary Embolism
Authors: Girolami A. , de Marinis G. Berti , Vettore S. , Girolami B.
Published: February 2012

Fourteen patients with congenital factor VII (FVII) deficiency were reported to have had pulmonary embolism. All patients were type 2 defects with variably low activity but normal or near-normal antigen. Concomitant deep vein thrombosis was present in 7 instances. The majority of patients had no or only a mild bleeding tendency. Associated prothrombotic risk factors were present in 11 patients (old age, surgery, substitution therapy with prothrombin complex, plasma-derived or activated FVII concentrates). Pulmonary embolism was usually moderate or severe. In 2 cases, it was fatal. Only 4 patients were studied by means of molecular biology techniques. The Arg304Gln mutation was found in 5 of the 8 alleles. Heparin and Coumadin together with adequate substitution therapy were carried out in 5 patients with satisfactory results. The FVII deficiency does not grant a sure protection from venous thromboembolism.
A Novel Polymorphism of the CYP4A11 Gene is Associated With Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Fu Zhenyan , Ma Yitong , Xie Xiang , Huang Ding , Yang Hong , Nakayama Tomohiro , Sato Naoyuki
Published: February 2012

Background:

CYP4A11 (cytochrome P450, family 4, subfamily A, polypeptide 11) converts arachidonic acid to 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE), which plays a crucial role in the modulation of cardiovascular homeostasis. The aim of the present study was to assess the association between the human CYP4A11 gene and coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods:

A total of 361 patients with CAD and 315 controls were genotyped for 4 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the human CYP4A11 gene (rs9332978, rs4660980, rs3890011, and rs1126742). The data were assessed for 3 groups: total participants, men, and women via case–control studies.

Results:

For total participants and men, the distribution of SNP3 (rs3890011) genotypes showed a significant difference between CAD and control participants ( P = .030 and P = .013, respectively), the distribution of the recessive model of SNP3 (GG vs CC + GC) was significantly higher in CAD patients than in control participants ( P = .011 and P = .014, respectively), the significant difference was retained after adjustment for covariates (for total participants, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.137-2.423, P = .009; and for males, 95% CI: 1.173-3.013, P = .009).

Conclusions:

rs3890011 maybe a novel polymorphism of the CYP4A11 gene associated with CAD in a Han Chinese population.
Effect of Smoking Cessation on Mean Platelet Volume
Authors: Varol Ercan , Icli Atilla , Kocyigit Sule , Erdogan Dogan , Ozaydin Mehmet , Dogan Abdullah
Published: February 2012

The aim of this study was to assess the values of mean platelet volume (MPV) in regular smokers and the effect of smoking cessation on MPV. The study group consisted of 116 regular smokers (57 females and 59 males; mean age 46.3 ± 12.7 years) and the control group was composed of 90 healthy volunteers (49 females and 41 males; mean age 47.7 ± 8.3 years). Platelet indices were assessed in regular smokers and control participants. Platelet indices were measured at 3 months after smoking cessation in these 101 participants. The MPV values were significantly higher in smokers than those of controls (8.8 ± 0.9 vs 8.0±0.8 fL, respectively; P < .001). The MPV values decreased significantly at 3 months when compared with the baseline values (8.9 ± 1.0 vs 7.9 ± 0.7 fL, respectively; P < .001). We have found that serum MPV values were significantly higher in regular smokers than in controls. Serum MPV values decreased significantly at 3 months after smoking cessation.
Meaningful musical performance: A bodily experience
Authors: Davidson Jane W. , Salgado Correia Jorge
Published: February 2012

Drawing on an interview in which a self-report of a rehearsal and a performance is given, the current paper explores the elements that constitute a performance and assesses what makes it meaningful to the performer and the audience. Both psychological and philosophical approaches are taken so that concepts are examined as fully as possible. It is argued that the performer does not simply construct an interpretation from a formal musical knowledge base and the refinement of motor skills. Rather, the rehearsal period is shaped out of expressive intentions that emerge primarily from metaphorical projections linking physical experience and meaning production. Thus, a rational and fundamental connection is made so that abstract musical material is given a grounded meaning based in bodily experience. The importance of the body in the construction of mental states is explored, highlighting the interface between mind and body as it reflects and creates simultaneously who we are moment by moment. After the rehearsal process, the performance situation is explored. Here, it is noted that whilst there is a high degree of automaticity in the mechanical production of the music, in the interaction with the audience, the performer can achieve a state of unselfconsciousness and be at the peak of her/his abilities: a genuine form of spontaneous creativity. Here, again, it is the stock of human traits and experiences grounded in corporeality that are named as the source of creativity. For the audience, it is explained that they draw on metaphorical transference so that the music they experience is apprehended and related to movement and experiences in the body. Thus, it is argued that the musical meaning generated by both performer and audience is highly individualised, and so multiple. Finally, the concept of an authentic performance is explored, and it is concluded that historical and social factors which interplay in the meaning production process should be regarded as means to stimulate imagination, and so creativity. The implications for music education are obvious: we need to aim for a bodily-based theory and practice to develop fully the potential of our students.
Discrimination of Rhythmic Displacement by High School, Undergraduate and Graduate Music Students
Authors: Orman Evelyn K.
Published: February 2012

The purpose of this study was to investigate music students' ability to discriminate the rhythmic deviation of the last tone in a series of six tones that were otherwise equal in duration and occurred at regular intervals. Graduate ( n = 76) and undergraduate ( n = 76) music majors and high school music students ( n = 76) listened to 18 sets of six tones and decided whether the final tone was on time, early or late. Whenever the last tone was identified as occurring early or late, subjects were asked to indicate exactly how early or late. Results indicated that subjects correctly discriminated among on time, early and late presentations 71.4% of the time and were able to discriminate among the discreet rhythmic designations (p = .001). Subjects correctly identified the duration of the discrepancy for only 50% of the items for which the direction of deviation was correctly identified. Overall, musical training did not appear to influence results.
Levels of significance attributed to musical and non-musical factors of individual difference by classroom music teachers
Authors: Hewitt Allan
Published: February 2012

This study explores the relative significance attached to musical and non-musical factors of individual difference when rated by a group of secondary school music teachers in the contexts of teaching approaches and attainment outcomes. Participants completed two Q-sorts in which 20 statements reflecting both high and low characteristics on ten factors of individual difference were rated according to perceived significance. Results suggest that music teachers may believe non-musical factors to be of greater significance, both in terms of influencing their teaching approaches and in determining the outcomes of teaching, than musical factors.
Music in Thursday Island Schools: Processes of Reciprocal Exchange
Authors: Wemyss Kathryn L.
Published: February 2012

This paper explores music teaching and learning as evidenced at Thursday Island State School and Thursday Island State High School. Based on a series of observations and interviews conducted with relevant school staff during 2002, it examines a number of significant issues: the multifaceted nature of the music programs offered; the potential for music to be an effective contributor to other learnings, such as literacy; the importance of community consultation and adherence to Torres Strait Island protocols in delivering music programs; and the development of culturally responsive pedagogies to facilitate learning. Each of these issues highlights the necessity of reciprocal exchange between the cultures of Island community and Western schooling structures in order for effective music teaching and learning to take place.
Music Psychology and Music Education: What's the connection?
Authors: Hodges Donald A.
Published: February 2012

Music psychology is a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary study of the phenomenon of music. The multidisciplinary nature of the field is found in explorations of the anthropology of music, the sociology of music, the biology of music, the physics of music, the philosophy of music, and the psychology of music. Interdisciplinary aspects are found in such combinatorial studies as psychoacoustics (e.g., music perception), psychobiology (e.g., the effects of music on the immune system), or social psychology (e.g., the role of music in social relationships). The purpose of this article is to explore connections between music psychology and music education.
Dealing with diversity: The inclusion of students with disabilities in music
Authors: Darrow Alice-Ann
Published: February 2012

One of the most common complaints made by teachers of many inclusive classrooms is the wide range of abilities among their students. A significant factor leading to classroom heterogeneity is the diversity and severity of disabilities represented in the classroom. As a result of varied abilities in the classroom, teachers face two important challenges. The first challenge is providing instruction that is sufficiently broad enough to address the needs of all students. Teachers not prepared to meet this challenge, wittingly or unwittingly, often exclude some students from instruction. The excluded students are frequently those who do not learn vicariously, and consequently, are dependent upon direct instruction. The second challenge teachers face in the inclusive classroom is the task of evaluating students of varying abilities fairly. Music educators, like all educators, must be prepared to use alternate grading methods in order to evaluate students with disabilities in the most appropriate manner possible. The purpose of this paper then is to examine the literature related to curricular and evaluation accommodations for students with disabilities. There are few studies or articles in the music education literature on these two specific topics; therefore, many of the citations are from the special education literature with implications made for music education. Future and current researchers are encouraged to carry out research in this important and fertile area.
Instruction and supervision of graduate students in Music Education
Authors: Madsen Clifford K.
Published: February 2012

This article covers curricular issues and also the supervision of graduate students in music education. Procedures for selecting and nurturing graduate students are presented covering entrance, curricular requirements, and differentiations for various levels of masters' students including teacher certification. It addresses curricular issues as well as the supervision of graduate students in music education. A plan is proposed that offers a somewhat novel approach for guiding advanced doctoral students through experiential work that culminates in being both qualified and eager to be life-long musicians, scholars, and researchers. All procedures and suggestions for improvement are nested in observations by the author covering over four decades of working with both students and faculty in higher education. These observations and suggestions include revising entrance qualifications, academic hazing, degree designations, assistantship responsibilities, power issues relating to required courses and examination procedures, political issues unique to doctoral programs, selecting a major professor and doctoral committee, qualifications of the graduate faculty, numbers of graduate students necessary for a viable program, substitutions for traditional examinations, and a specific proposal designed to increase transfer of learning.
Developing A Framework For The Assessment Of Musical Learning: Resolving The Dilemma Of The “Parts” And The “Whole”
Authors: Cantwell Robert H. , Jeanneret Neryl
Published: February 2012

Recent debate within the domain of music education has focussed on issues of discriminating between higher and lower quality learning outcomes. Much of this debate has centred on the language of music education, particularly in giving both substantive and psychometric meaning to terms as diverse as `the craft of music', `musical skills', `originality', `musically convincing', and `convincing development of ideas'. Moreover, in the search for standardisation in music assessment, much of what is conventionally described in assessment criteria reduces musical assessment to quantifiable competencies often not indicative of the higher-order musical thinking underlying the production of these competencies. That is, assessment often fails to resolve the dilemma of the `parts' and the `whole'. In this paper we propose an assessment framework based upon a synthesis of current text processing theory with Biggs and Collis' (1982) SOLO Taxonomy. We propose that musical assessment should primarily be sensitive to the quality and structure of music thinking. We argue that musical learning, like other domains of learning, can be analysed for evidence of structural quality and coherence, and that such evaluations may provide viable diagnostic as well as summative information about musical outcomes.
Students' Attributions Of Sources Of Influence On Self-Perception In Solo Performance In Music
Authors: Hewitt Allan
Published: February 2012

The purpose of this study was to explore university students' attributions of sources of influence on their Perceived Control beliefs in relation to solo performance in music. Drawing on data collected in semi-structured interviews, the paper outlines three principal sources of influence; assessment, previous performance experiences, and significant others (most particularly the peer group and the solo performance tutor). Students described a variety of ways in which these sources of influence were believed to shape and inform how they view themselves in terms of ability, confidence and work-rate, and the paper explores the significance of these attributions for those involved in the delivery and management of music programmes in the higher education sector. Attention is drawn in particular to the contrasting experiences of musicians from varying traditions and genres of music, and to the highly significant influence of the peer group upon self-perception as a performer.
The First Tonic Sol-fa Missionary: Reverend Robert Toy In Madagascar
Authors: Southcott Jane
Published: February 2012

It is important that we, as a profession, are conversant with our pedagogical history. Too often we reinvent and reassess that which has been established past practices. As Fonder suggests, “knowledge of past successes and failures can clarify decisions for future policy — and possibly spark innovative new ideas and strategies”.1 It is hoped that music educators today will find in this exploration a consideration of the use of music as a part of an evangelical and imperial drive. Music is still used in this way — to evoke ideas of religion and patriotism in children. In mid-nineteenth century England, John Curwen (1816-1880) developed the Tonic Sol-fa method. This pedagogy was, from the outset, intended as both a systematic method of class instruction in music and an aid to worship. Sarah Glover (1786-1867), the originator of the system Curwen modified, began her educational experiments in music to improve the singing of psalms (or psalmody). The Tonic Sol-fa system was taken up by various missionary societies, the first being the London Missionary Society (LMS). In 1862 this society sent the Reverend Robert Toy to meet Curwen to learn the method of teaching singing. Toy then travelled to Madagascar where the method became part of the evangelising, worship and teaching undertaken by the missionaries. The nineteenth century history of Madagascar is outlined to contextualise the discussion of the use of the Tonic Sol-fa method and Christian hymns in Malagasy society.
Understanding Music Aptitude: Teachers' Interpretations
Authors: Reynolds Alison M. , Hyun Kyungsil
Published: February 2012

The purpose of this research was to examine teachers' understandings of music aptitude. The problem was to examine how teachers select, check, suspend, regroup, and transform their understanding when they estimate the music aptitude of their students and then obtain standardized music aptitude test scores from their students. Ten classroom teachers from South Korea and the United States wrote about their experiences throughout the study and, at the end, participated in an individual interview. Categories emerging from the symbolic interactionist approach to the data included: estimation criteria, reactions of surprise when teachers informally compared their estimates to students' test scores, recognition of subjective aspects when estimating, the need to pay attention to individuals during music instruction, and requests to learn more about music aptitude. Teachers transformed their understandings of music aptitude while interacting with their students. We recommend similar experiences for teachers who seek to further understand music aptitude.
Opening The Doors To Creativity: A Pre-Service Teacher Experiment
Authors: Kennedy Mary A.
Published: February 2012

The purpose of the study was to document the compositional processes of pre-service teachers enrolled in a course entitled Creativity in the Music Classroom in an effort to contribute to the growing body of knowledge in this area as well as to encourage other tertiary-level teachers to introduce similar courses into the pre-service music teacher curriculum. The study charted the progress of nine students as they completed three individual composition tasks, one of which involved acoustic instruments and two of which were completed in the music computer lab. Data collection techniques consisted of observations, informal conversations with students and document analysis. Analysis consisted of studying the material culture and field notes, making marginal notes, sorting and coding. Student compositional processes were found to parallel those of participants in earlier research in that exploration, incubation/inspiration and revision were employed in varying degrees throughout. Prior music training, skills and knowledge were found to be both enabling and constraining influences whereas the open and trusting classroom atmosphere was noted by students as nurturing. Evidence of student compositional progress was demonstrated by increasing fluency of each successive student product.
Reconceptualising Preservice Teacher Education Courses for Music Teachers: The Importance of Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Skills and Professional Knowledge and Skills
Authors: Ballantyne Julie
Published: February 2012

This paper explores the perceptions of early-career music teachers regarding the effectiveness of their preservice preparation. Findings suggest that early-career music teachers' perceptions of effective preparation contrast with their experiences in preservice education, and that their perceptions of a practical course are not reflected in the design of courses in Queensland. Whilst early-career teachers recommend a course that focuses on pedagogical content knowledge and skills and professional knowledge and skills, many courses focus predominantly on general education knowledge and skills and music knowledge and skills. Analysis of interviews suggests that a course that integrates these traditionally separate areas of preservice education, as well as contextualising learning in terms of the realistic roles of music teachers, may prepare preservice teachers more effectively for their future roles.
An Investigation of Strategies Developed by Music Learners in a Cross-Cultural Setting
Authors: Dunbar-Hall Peter
Published: February 2012

Through discussion of the strategies invented and used by learners in a cross-cultural music context, this article investigates the proposition that learners respond to culturally influenced pedagogic settings in proactive and individual ways. Listening, cognitive approaches to music and learning, and invented notations are analysed as three ways that non-Balinese members of a Balinese gamelan address the acquisition of musical skills and the memorisation of a complex repertoire that is foreign to them as both musical object and cultural artefact. Through these three strategic areas, this article suggests that in current, globalised music education, where cultural disjuncture between learners and musical styles is increasingly common, music learners learn by adapting strategies from their previous music backgrounds and integrating these with newly constructed strategies that respond to specific learning hurdles. Culture as a vector of music learning is considered.
Mind Styles™ and Paradiddles — Beyond the Bell-Curve: Towards an Understanding of Learning Preferences, and Implications for Instrumental Teachers
Authors: Smith Gareth Dylan , Durrant Colin
Published: February 2012

This qualitative case study was undertaken in order to explore learning styles in the context of instrumental drum tuition. The study considers two young drummers, taught by one of the authors prior to and during the study. Extensive observations were made; both drummers and their mother were interviewed; the boys' lessons were recorded and notes taken from these recordings. The study concludes that students exhibit different learning preferences, and that learning to play the drums, for example, is affected by numerous interconnected factors. The study draws implications for teachers to be sensitive to students' individual learning preferences if they are to enable them to learn effectively.
The Policy Context of Music in English Primary Schools: How Politics Didn't Help Music
Authors: Stunell Gillian
Published: February 2012

This article discusses the influence of political discourse on the context of English primary school teachers in relation to National Curriculum music. A teacher's classroom context is defined by the layered policies of school and Local Education Authority, which are in turn derived from national government policy. The 1988 Education Reform Act and its attendant monitoring systems clearly link teachers in their classrooms to the imperatives of national policies, which have their source in contemporary social discourse. The paper describes the genesis, birth and early years of National Curriculum music in primary schools (English Key Stages 1 and 2). It suggests that the ascendancy of the political discourse of accountability and an economically-justified standards agenda have not helped the cause of classroom curricular music.
Why Narrative? Why Now?
Authors: Bowman Wayne D.
Published: February 2012

How or whether we make good on the promise of narrative inquiry depends upon what we understand that promise to be. This essay raises many vexing questions about the nature of narrative inquiry and its significance for music education. Distinctions between narrative and story are advanced. The distinctions between meta-narrative and small or local narrative are explored. Narrative's potential complicity in both legitimation and emancipation are probed. Doubts are expressed about the compatibility between music education's methodological obsessions and an undertaking as open-ended as narrative inquiry. The essay concludes that narrative inquiry's contributions to professional knowledge in music education must not just be asserted, but demonstrated, and that the questions posed in this essay's title should be addressed explicitly by each narrative inquirer.
Narrative Inquiry: A Methodology for Studying Lived Experience
Authors: Clandinin D. Jean
Published: February 2012

The paper briefly outlines the history and development of the methodology of narrative inquiry. It draws attention to the need for careful delineation of terms and assumptions. A Deweyan view of experience is central to narrative inquiry methodology and is used to frame a metaphorical three-dimensional narrative inquiry space. An illustration from a recent narrative inquiry into curriculum making is used to show what narrative inquirers do. Issues of social significance, purpose and ethics are also outlined.
Money isn’t everything: The cultural life of coins in the medieval burgh of Perth, Scotland
Authors: Hall Mark A.
Published: February 2012

Drawing on a summary catalogue of all the excavated coin finds and hoards from medieval Perth, the article explores the range of non-monetary, primarily amuletic, uses for coins, in a European context. This is not to question the monetary purpose of coins but to demonstrate their wider social functions, arising out of their malleable use as material culture by people. Coins then have a cultural or material biography.
White light brightness–luminance relationship
Authors: Vidovszky-Németh A , Schanda J
Published: February 2012

Brightness perception of near-white surfaces is influenced by the spectral power distribution (SPD) of the illuminant; at the same time, this has an effect on task performance, either directly or via influencing the mood of the worker. With the introduction of modern solid-state lighting sources, the SPD of the illuminant can be varied almost at will. Investigations were conducted to test the SPD-dependence of the brightness perception of equal luminance and correlated colour temperature white lights, to find out whether receptors other than cones, such as rods and intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells, have an influence on brightness. Observers could be clustered into groups for finding brightness equal to, or different from, luminance, depending on the SPD of the illuminant.
Influence of Tumor Necrosis Factor α, Parathyroid Hormone, and Vitamin D3 on Modulation of the RANKL2 Isoform
Authors: Tat Steeve Kwan , Pelletier Jean-Pierre , Ruiz-Velasco Carmen , Padrines Marc , Fortun Yannick , Mineau François , Martel-Pelletier Johanne
Published: February 2012

RANKL exists as three isoforms: RANKL1, 2, and 3. RANKL1 and 3 were reported to be differently expressed upon treatment with some osteotropic factors, but RANKL2 expression could not be reliably determined. Here, we investigated through a mechanistic model, human 293 cells stably transfected with the RANKL2cDNA, the production and modulation of RANKL2 protein stability upon treatment with TNF-α, vitamin D3, and PTH. Data showed that TNF-a significantly increased (p<0.03) RANKL2 production and its half-life/stability (p<0.005). Vitamin D3 and PTH had no effect. This information will help to better define and differentiate the pathological mechanisms operating during osteolytic diseases.
Therapeutic Effects of Intra-Articular Ultrapurified Low Endotoxin Alginate Administration on Experimental Osteoarthritis in Rabbits
Authors: Igarashi Tatsuya , Iwasaki Norimasa , Kawamura Daisuke , Tsukuda Yukinori , Kasahara Yasuhiko , Todoh Masahiro , Tadano Shigeru , Minami Akio
Published: February 2012

Objective:

We have developed an ultrapurified low endotoxin alginate (UPLE alginate), which can drastically reduce endotoxin levels. Our purposes were to examine the effects of UPLE alginate administration on osteoarthritis (OA) progression and to determine the adequate molecular weight of the UPLE alginate for therapeutic effects.

Design:

To induce knee OA, 35 Japanese White rabbits underwent anterior cruciate ligament transection. Intra-articular injections of 0.3 mL solution of each material were started at 4 weeks postoperatively for a total of 5 weekly injections. Seventy knees were divided into the following groups: AL430 (430 kDa molecular weight UPLE alginate), AL1000 (1,000 kDa), AL1700 (1,700 kDa), HA (hyaluronan), and NS (normal saline). At 9 weeks postoperatively, all knees were assessed macroscopically, histologically, and mechanically.

Results:

Macroscopically, the UPLE alginate groups exhibited milder cartilage degradation compared to that of the NS and HA groups. Histological findings of the UPLE alginate groups showed an obvious reduction in the severity of OA. The histological scores of Kikuchi et al. were superior in the alginate treatment groups compared to the NS group. The friction coefficient of the AL1000 group was significantly lower than that of the NS and HA groups.

Conclusion:

This study indicates that our UPLE alginates, especially AL1000, have promising potential as an effective agent in preventing OA progression.
Examining Role Change in Primary Care Practice
Authors: Isaacson Nicole , Holtrop Jodi Summers , Cohen Deborah , Ferrer Robert L. , McKee M.Diane
Published: February 2012

Purpose: While experts suggest that primary care needs far-reaching transformation that includes adding or reconfiguring roles to improve patient care, little is known about how role change occurs in practice settings. Methods This was a cross-case comparative analysis of 3 projects designed to improve health behavior counseling in primary care practices by adding to or changing clinical support staff roles. Qualitative data (site visits notes, grantee reports, interviews with grantees, and online diary entries) were analyzed to examine instances of role change in depth, using role change theory as an organizing framework. Results Practice team members had greater success taking on new roles when patients valued the services provided. Often, it was easier to a hire a new person into a new role rather than have an existing practice member shift responsibilities. This was because new personnel had the structural autonomy, credibility, and organizational support needed to develop new responsibilities and routines. Conclusion: As primary care delivery systems are redesigned in ways that rely on new roles to deliver care, understanding how to effectively add or change staff roles is essential and requires attention to patients’, practice members’, and institutions’ support for new roles.
A Single A1C ≥ 6.5% Accurately Identifies Type 2 Diabetes/Impaired Glucose Tolerance in African Americans
Authors: Homko Carol J. , Zamora Linda C. , Kerper Margaret M. , Mozzoli Maria , Kresge Karen , Boden Guenther
Published: February 2012

Objective: In 2010, the American Diabetes Association revised its criteria for the diagnosis of diabetes to include A1C ≥ 6.5%; however, this has remained controversial, particularly for African Americans. The objective of this pilot study was to examine the usefulness of a single A1C determination in comparison with a same day 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test to diagnose type 2 diabetes in African Americans. Methods: In sum, 195 oral glucose tolerance tests and A1Cs were obtained on the same day from 77 overweight and obese African American women and 6 men over a period of 15 months. Results: A1C ≥ 6.5% was present in 31 of 195 patients, with 15 of these having type 2 diabetes by oral glucose tolerance test, another 12 having impaired glucose tolerance, and 4 having normal glucose tolerance. This gives a sensitivity of 50% and a specificity of 90%, with a positive predictive value of 48% and a negative predictive value of 91%. A1C ≤ 5.6%, proposed by the American Diabetes Association to indicate normal glucose tolerance, was present in only 28 patients, 10 (35.7%) of whom had normal glucose tolerance, whereas 18 (64.3%) had either impaired glucose tolerance (15 patients) or type 2 diabetes (3 patients). Fasting plasma glucose ≥ 126 mg/dL was present in 5 of 29 patients with type 2 diabetes (sensitivity, 17.2%; specificity, 100%). Conclusions: First, A1C ≥ 6.5% was a good “rule in” value to identify impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes (ie, patients at high risk for micro- and macrovascular complications). Second, A1C ≤ 5.6% did not rule out impaired glucose tolerance or type 2 diabetes. Last, fasting plasma glucose ≥ 126 mg/dL detected less than 1 in 5 cases with type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes Implementation of a Self-management Program in Resource Poor and Rural Community Clinics
Authors: Davis Terry C. , Seligman Hilary K. , DeWalt Darren A. , Platt Daci J. , Reynolds Cristalyn , Timm Donna F , Arnold Connie L.
Published: February 2012

Purpose: To evaluate the implementation of a brief diabetes self-management support intervention designed for resource-poor community clinics. Methods: The authors conducted a pilot study among patients with type 2 diabetes in 3 community clinics. The intervention consisted of research assistants introducing and reviewing a diabetes self-management guide, helping patients set an achievable behavioral action plan, and following up with 2 telephone sessions. The primary outcome was patients’ success setting and achieving behavioral goals. Results: All participants set an action plan (N = 247); most focused on physical activity or diet (97%). The initial session took an average of 15 minutes. At 2 to 4 weeks, 200 participants were contacted; 68% recalled their action plan; and 84% of these achieved it. At 6 to 9 weeks, approximately half of those who completed the first call were reached for the second call. Of those who remained in the intervention, 79% recalled their action plan, and 80% of these achieved it. At the end of the study, 62% of those initially enrolled reported behavior change. Most participants who did not complete the intervention could not be reached for telephone follow-up. Conclusions: Although only about a third of patients remained engaged through the 2 follow-up calls, most of those who did reported they had achieved their action plan. This pilot study provides insight into initiating brief diabetes self-management strategies in resource-poor community clinics. Although telephone follow-up was challenging, using the self-management guide and action plan framework, particularly during the initial clinic visit, helped focus patients on behavior change.