"Thought-Tormented Music": Joyce and the Music of the Irish Revival

"In this special issue's opening essay, Martin Dowling devotes almost half of "'Thought-Tormented Music': Joyce and the Music of the Irish Revival" to what he calls "the situation of music in the Irish literary revival." He focuses chiefly on 1904, which was both an intensely productive period for the revival movement and a year chock-full of crucial events and decisions for Joyce. Drawing on the works of Pierre Bourdieu and Jaques Lacan, Dowling explores the revivalists' efforts to "de-anglicize" Irish music, to remove foreign influences that distorted the "pure tradition of Irish song," and to achieve an improbable harmony between the music favoured by the disappearing Anglo-Irish aristocracy and the Irish-speaking peasantry. Inevitably, disputes occurred over what constituted "authentic" Irish music. Factions quarrelled over whether pristine Irish music existed in the Atlantic seaboard or more inland; whether "authentic" songs were sung with or without instrumental accompaniment; and whether the piano, rather than the traditional harp, was a legitimate instrument of accompaniment. Having delineated the historical and theoretical context, Dowling offers a richly detailed analysis of Joyce's story "A Mother." He reveals how almost every element in the story--from the Eire Abu Society to the Antient Concert Rooms, from the conflict between Mrs. Kearney and Hoppy Holohan to the plight of Kathleen Kearney--is charged with meaning by the subtextual conflicts of the revivalists' agenda. Dowling explains also the "authenticity" in Joyce's depiction of vocal performances of "The Lass of Aughrim" in "The Dead" and "The Croppy Boy" in "Sirens," which he calls two "true gems" of authentic Irish music." --Introduction by Charles Rossman and Alan W. Friedman, Guest Editors, pp. 409-410

Interaction of water, hydrogen and their mixtures with SnO2 based materials: the role of surface hydroxyl groups in detection mechanisms

DRIFTS, TGA and resistance measurements have been used to study the mechanism of water and hydrogen interaction accompanied by a resistance change (sensor signal) of blank and Pd doped SnO2. It was found that a highly hydroxylated surface of blank SnO2 reacts with gases through bridging hydroxyl groups, whereas the Pd doped materials interact with hydrogen and water through bridging oxygen. In the case of blank SnO2 the sensor signal maximum towards H-2 in dry air (R-0/R-g) is observed at similar to 345 degrees C, and towards water, at similar to 180 degrees C, which results in high selectivity to hydrogen in the presence of water vapors (minor humidity effect). In contrast, on doping with Pd the response to hydrogen in dry air and to water occurred in the same temperature region (ca. 140 degrees C) leading to low selectivity with a high effect of humidity. An increase in water concentration in the gas phase changes the hydrogen interaction mechanism of Pd doped materials, while that of blank SnO2 is unchanged. The interaction of hydrogen with the catalyst doped SnO2 occurs predominantly through hydroxyl groups when the volumetric concentration of water in the gas phase is higher than that of H-2 by a factor of 1000.

The electrical characterization and response to hydrogen of Schottky diodes with a resistive metal electrode—rectifying an oversight in Schottky diode investigation

Schottky-barrier structures with a resistive metal electrode are examined using the 4-point probe method where the probes are connected to the metal electrode only. The observation of a significant decrease in resistance with increasing temperature (over a range of similar to 100 K) in the diode resistance-temperature (R(D)-T) characteristic is considered due to charge carrier confinement to the metal electrode at low temperature (high resistance), with the semiconductor progressively opening up as a parallel current carrying channel (low resistance) with increasing temperature due to increasing thermionic emission across the barrier. A simple model is constructed, based on thermionic emission at quasi-zero bias, that generates good fits to the experimental data. The negative differential resistance (NDR) region in the R(D)-T characteristic is a general effect and is demonstrated across a broad temperature range for a variety of Schottky structures grown on Si-, GaAs- and InP-substrates. In addition the NDR effect is harnessed in micro-scaled Pd/n-InP devices for the detection of low levels of hydrogen in an ambient atmosphere of nitrogen.

Lung Microbiota and Bacterial Abundance in Patients with Bronchiectasis when Clinically Stable and during Exacerbation

RATIONALE: Characterization of bacterial populations in infectious respiratory diseases will provide improved understanding of the relationship between the lung microbiota, disease pathogenesis and treatment outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: To comprehensively define lung microbiota composition during stable disease and exacerbation in bronchiectasis patients.

METHODS: Sputum was collected from patients when clinically stable and before and after completion of antibiotic treatment of exacerbations. Bacterial abundance and community composition were analyzed using anaerobic culture and 16S rDNA pyrosequencing.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: In clinically stable patients, aerobic and anaerobic bacteria were detected in 40/40 (100%) and 33/40 (83%) sputum samples, respectively. The dominant organisms cultured were P. aeruginosa (n=10 patients), H. influenzae (n=12), Prevotella (n=18) and Veillonella (n=13). Pyrosequencing generated over 150,000 sequences, representing 113 distinct microbial taxa; the majority of observed community richness resulted from taxa present in low abundance with similar patterns of phyla distribution in clinically stable patients and patients at the onset of exacerbation. Following treatment of exacerbation, there was no change in total (p=0.925), aerobic (p=0.917) or anaerobic (p=0.683) load and only a limited shift in community composition. Agreement for detection of bacteria by culture and pyrosequencing was good for aerobic bacteria such as P. aeruginosa (kappa=0.84) but poorer for other genera including anaerobes. Lack of agreement was largely due to bacteria been detected by pyrosequencing but not by culture.

CONCLUSIONS: A complex microbiota is present in the lungs of bronchiectasis patients which remains stable through treatment of exacerbations suggesting that changes in microbiota composition do not account for exacerbations.

Ascorbic acid in nasal and tracheobronchial airway lining fluids

Ascorbic acid (AA) is thought to be an important antioxidant in the respiratory tract, whose regulation is yet to be fully characterized. We investigated whether AA in respiratory tract lining fluids (RTLFs) can be augmented by oral supplementation with AA. Plasma, nasal lavage fluids (NLFs), induced sputum (IS), and saliva were analyzed for AA immediately before and 2 h after ingestion of 2 g of AA in 13 healthy subjects. Concentrations of AA (median and range) were 52.5 (16.0-88.5), 2.4 (0.18-4.66), 2.4 (0.18-6.00), and 0.55 (0.18-18.90) micromol/l, respectively. Two hours after ingestion of AA, plasma AA increased 2-fold (p = .004), NLF AA increased 3-fold (p = .039), but IS and saliva AA did not increase. As AA concentrations in saliva and tracheobronchial secretions were low compared with other common extracellular components (such as urate), we evaluated the fate of AA in these fluids. Addition of AA to freshly obtained saliva or IS resulted in rapid depletion, which could be largely prevented or reversed by sodium azide or dithiothreitol. These findings suggest that oxidant-producing systems in saliva and airway secretions, such as heme peroxidases and other oxidizing substances, rapidly consume AA. Whereas oral supplementation resulted in detectable increases of AA in NLFs, its levels in tracheobronchial lining fluid, as measured by IS, were unaffected and remained relatively low, suggesting that AA may play a less significant antioxidant role in this compartment as compared with most other extracellular compartments.

Equilibrium structure of erbium-oxygen complexes in crystalline silicon

The equilibrium structure of ErOn (nless than or equal to6) complexes in crystalline silicon has been investigated by density-functional computations. Two different geometries have been considered, corresponding to the substitutional and tetrahedral interstitial site for erbium. All atomic coordinates have been optimized by Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics. The resulting structures have low symmetry, with E-O distances of similar to2.35 Angstrom. The substitutional site is the most stable one for nless than or equal to2, while the tetrahedral interstitial is favored for n>2.

Mole-rats from higher altitudes have greater thermoregulatory capabilities

Subterranean mammals (those that live and forage underground) inhabit a challenging microenvironment, with high levels of carbon dioxide and low levels of oxygen. Consequently, they have evolved specialised morphological and physiological adaptations. For small mammals that inhabit high altitudes, the effects of cold are compounded by low oxygen partial pressures. Hence, subterranean mammals living at high altitudes are faced with a uniquely demanding physiological environment, which presumably necessitates additional physiological adjustments. We examined the thermoregulatory capabilities of two populations of Lesotho mole-rat Cryptomys hottentotus mahali that inhabit a 'low' (1600 in) and a 'high' (3200 m) altitude. Mole-rats from the high altitude had a lower temperature of the lower critical point, a broader thermoneutral zone, a lower thermal conductance and greater regulatory non-shivering thermogenesis than animals from the lower altitude. However, minimum resting metabolic rate values were not significantly different between the populations and were low compared with allometric predictions. We suggest that thermoregulatory costs may in part be met by animals maintaining a low resting metabolic rate. High-altitude animals may adjust to their cooler, more oxygen-deficient environment by having an increased non-shivering thermogenesis whilst maintaining low thermal conductance. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How fragmented was the British Holocene wildwood? Perspectives on the “Vera” grazing debate from the fossil beetle record

The reconstruction and structure of the European Holocene “wildwood” has been the focus of considerable academic debate. The ability of palaeoecological data and particularly pollen analysis to accurately reflect the density of wildwood canopy has also been widely discussed. Fossil insects, as a proxy for vegetation and landscape structure, provide a potential approach to address this argument. Here, we present a review and re-analysis of 36 early and mid-Holocene (9500-2000 cal BC) sub-fossil beetle assemblages from Britain, examining percentage values of tree, open ground and dung beetles as well as tree host data to gain an insight into vegetation structure, the role of grazing animals in driving such structure and establish independently the importance of different types of trees and associated shading in the early Holocene “wildwood”. Open indicator beetle species are persistently present over the entire review period, although they fluctuate in importance. During the early Holocene (9500-6000 cal BC), these indicators are initially high, at levels which are not dissimilar to modern data from pasture woodland. However, during the latter stages of this and the next period, 6000-4000 cal BC, open ground and pasture indicators decline and are generally low compared with previously. Alongside this pattern, we see woodland indicators generally increase in importance, although there are significant local fluctuations. Levels of dung beetles are mostly low over these periods, with some exceptions to this pattern, especially towards the end of the Mesolithic and in floodplain areas. Host data associated with the fossil beetles indicate that trees associated with lighter canopy conditions such as oak, pine, hazel and birch are indeed important components of the tree canopy during the earlier Holocene (c. 9500-6000 cal BC), in accordance with much of the current pollen literature. Beetles associated with more shade-tolerant trees (such as lime and elm) become more frequent in the middle Holocene (6000-4000 cal BC) suggesting that at this stage the woodland canopy was less open than previously, although open ground and pasture areas appear to have persisted in some locations. The onset of agriculture (4000-2000 cal BC) coincides with significant fluctuations in woodland composition and taxa. This is presumably as a result of human impact, although here there are significant regional variations. There are also increases in the amounts of open ground represented and especially in the levels of dung beetles present in faunas, suggesting there is a direct relationship between the activities of grazing animals and the development of more open areas. One of the most striking aspects of this review is the variable nature of the landscape suggested by the palaeoecological data, particularly but not exclusively with the onset of agriculture: some earlier sites indicate high variability between levels of tree-associated species on the one hand and the open ground beetle fauna on the other, indicating that in some locations, open areas were of local significance and can be regarded as important features of the Holocene landscape. The role of grazing animals in creating these areas of openness was apparently minimal until the onset of the Neolithic.

Photocatalytic oxidation of soot by P25TiO(2) films

The photomineralisation of soot by P25 titania films is studied using FT-IR and the process shown to involve the oxidation of carbon to CO2 exclusively. The efficiency of this process is low, however, with a formal quantum efficiency of 1.1 X 10(-4) molecules of carbon oxidized per incident photon of UVA light. The cause of this low efficiency is attributed largely to the less than intimate contact between the fibrous soot layer and the surface of the photocatalyst. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spatial Heterogeneity and Kinetic Regulation of Arsenic Dynamics in Mangrove Sediments: The Sundarbans, Bangladesh

The biogeochemistry of arsenic (As) in sediments is regulated by multiple factors such as particle size, dissolved organic matter (DOM), iron mobilization, and sediment binding characteristics, among others. Understanding the heterogeneity of factors affecting As deposition and the kinetics of mobilization, both horizontally and vertically, across sediment depositional environments was investigated in Sundarban mangrove ecosystems, Bengal Delta, Bangladesh. Sediment cores were collected from 3 different Sundarbans locations and As concentration down the profiles were found to be more associated with elevated Fe and Mn than with organic matter (OM). At one site chosen for field monitoring, sediment cores, pore and surface water, and in situ diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) measurements (which were used to model As sediment pore-water concentrations and resupply from the solid phase) were sampled from four different subhabitats. Coarse-textured riverbank sediment porewaters were high in As, but with a limited resupply of As from the solid phase compared to fine-textured and high organic matter content forest floor sediments, where porewater As was low, but with much higher As resupply. Depositional environment (overbank verses forest floor) and biological activity (input of OM from forest biomass) considerably affected As dynamics over very short spatial distances in the mosaic of microhabitats that constitute a mangrove ecosystem.

The role of formal structure in liking for popular music

The effect of restructuring the form of three unfamiliar pop/rock songs was investigated in two experiments. In the first experiment, listeners' judgements of the likely location of sections of novel popular songs were explored by requiring participants to place the eight sections (Intro - Verse 1 - Chorus 1 - Verse 2 - Chorus 2 - Bridge (solo) - Chorus 3 - Extro) of the songs into the locations they thought them most likely to occur within the song. Results revealed that participants were able to place the sections in approximately the right location with some accuracy, though they were unable to differentiate between choruses. In Experiment 2, three versions of each of the songs were presented in three different structures: intact (original form), medium restructured (the sections in a moderately changed order), and highly restructured (more severe restructuring). The results show that listeners' judgments of predictability and liking were largely uninfluenced by the restructuring of the songs, in line with findings for classical music. Moment-by-moment liking judgements of the songs demonstrated a change in liking judgements with repeated exposure, though the trend was downwards with repeated exposure rather than upwards. Detailed analysis of moment-by-moment judgements at the ends and beginnings of sections showed that listeners were able to respond quickly to intact songs, but not to restructured songs. The results suggest that concatenism prevails in listening to popular song at the expense of paying attention to larger structural features. © 2012 by the regents of the university of california all rights reserved.

Magnetic properties of TlCu2-xFexSe2 crystals

The magnetic properties of two compositions of random solutions in the TlCu2-xFexSe2 system with x = 0.2 and 0.45 have been investigated by superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry. The crystal structure is of a layer type and ordering due to the iron atoms occurs at low temperatures, with T-c = 85 K for x = 0.2 and T-c = 130 K for x = 0.45. The samples were highly textured crystals and the magnetic moments of both compositions were found to align along the c axis of the structure. The saturation moments were found to be 1.5 mu(B)/Fe x = 0.2 and 0.66 mu(B)/Fe for x = 0.45. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics.

A cross-national cross-sectional survey of the attitudes and perceived competence of final-year medicine, nursing and pharmacy students in relation to end-of-life care in dementia

Background:Little is known about the attitudes of healthcare professional students' perceived competence and confidence in treating those with dementia who are at the end of life.Aim:To explore the attitudes of final year medical, nursing and pharmacy students towards people with dementia and to evaluate their perceived competence and confidence dealing with biomedical and psychosocial issues within the context of palliative care provision to patients with dementia.Design:Cross-sectional survey using a questionnaire.Setting/participants:Final-year students in each profession from Queen's University Belfast (Northern Ireland) and the University of Iowa (USA) were recruited.Method:Three versions of an online questionnaire (containing the Attitudes to Dementia Questionnaire and a series of questions on end-of-life care in dementia) were distributed.Results:A total of 368 responses were received (response rate 42.3%). All respondents reported positive attitudes towards people with dementia. US nursing students reported significantly more positive attitudes than the medical students of United States and Northern Ireland. Medical students were more likely to report low confidence in discussing non-medical aspects of dying, whereas nursing students were most likely to feel prepared and confident to do this. Medical and nursing students reported low confidence with aspects of medication-related care; however, data from the pharmacy samples of Northern Ireland and United States suggested that these students felt confident in advising other healthcare professionals on medication-related issues.Conclusions:While healthcare students hold positive attitudes towards people with dementia, some clinical tasks remain challenging and further basic training may be of benefit.

Quantification of interpoint topographic correlations of threshold values in glaucomatous visual fields

Purpose: The authors sought to quantify neighboring and distant interpoint correlations of threshold values within the visual field in patients with glaucoma. Methods: Visual fields of patients with confirmed or suspected glaucoma were analyzed (n = 255). One eye per patient was included. Patients were examined using the 32 program of the Octopus 1-2-3. Linear regression analysis among each of the locations and the rest of the points of the visual field was performed, and the correlation coefficient was calculated. The degree of correlation was categorized as high (r > 0.66), moderate (0.66 = r > 0.33), or low (r = 0.33). The standard error of threshold estimation was calculated. Results: Most locations of the visual field had high and moderate correlations with neighboring points and with distant locations corresponding to the same nerve fiber bundle. Locations of the visual field had low correlations with those of the opposite hemifield, with the exception of locations temporal to the blind spot. The standard error of threshold estimation increased from 0.6 to 0.9 dB with an r reduction of 0.1. Conclusion: Locations of the visual field have highest interpoint correlation with neighboring points and with distant points in areas corresponding to the distribution of the retinal nerve fiber layer. The quantification of interpoint correlations may be useful in the design and interpretation of visual field tests in patients with glaucoma.