Sneak peek: Dance audience relationships during open rehearsals

Over the past decade there has been a surge of interest in behind-the-scenes events from mainstream dance companies and audiences alike. Online videos, open classes, open rehearsals, and backstage tours all provide insights for audiences about daily life in a dance company and how dance work is made. This article focuses on the use of open rehearsals in studio sites and investigates audience experience and relationship with dancers during these events. Applying Clare Dyson’s (2010) scales of audience engagement, I analyse two open rehearsal models that I observed as an audience participant in 2013: Friends Open Days with English National Ballet (London), and Inner Workings with Chunky Move (Melbourne). Through this analysis, open rehearsals emerge as an experience with elements reminiscent of both the traditional presentation paradigm and non-traditional presentation models. Elements such as close audience-dancer proximity, authenticity, and experiences in liminal sites, such as staircases and green rooms, present the possibility of new audience-dancer relationship within the mainstream dance company context.

Influence of habitual physical activity on gastric emptying in healthy males and relationships with body composition and energy expenditure

Although a number of studies have examined the role of gastric emptying (GE) in obesity, the influences of habitual physical activity level, body composition and energy expenditure (EE) on GE have received very little consideration. In this study, we have compared GE in active and inactive males, and we have characterised relationships with body composition (fat and fat free mass) and EE. Forty-four males (Active: n=22, Inactive: n=22; range BMI 21-36kg/m2; range percent fat mass 9-42%) were studied, with GE of a standardised (1676 kJ) pancake meal being assessed by 13C-octanoic acid breath test, body composition by air displacement plethysmography, resting metabolic rate (RMR) by indirect calorimetry and activity EE (AEE) by accelerometry. Results showed that GE was faster in active compared to inactive males (mean ±SD half time (t1/2): Active: 157±18 and Inactive: 179±21 min, p<0.001). When data from both groups were pooled, GE t1/2 was associated with percent fat mass (r=0.39, p<0.01) and AEE (r =-0.46, p<0.01). After controlling for habitual physical activity status, the association between AEE and GE remained, but not that for percent fat mass and GE. BMI and RMR were not associated with GE. In summary, faster GE is considered to be a marker of a habitually active lifestyle in males, and is associated with a higher AEE and lower percent fat mass. The possibility that GE contributes to a gross physiological regulation (or dysregulation) of food intake with physical activity level deserves further investigation.

The modified card sorting test: Test-retest stability and relationships with demographic variables in a healthy older adult sample

Objectives. To investigate the test-retest stability of a standardized version of Nelson's (1976) Modified Card Sorting Test (MCST) and its relationships with demographic variables in a sample of healthy older adults. Design. A standard card order and administration were devised for the MCST and administered to participants at an initial assessment, and again at a second session conducted a minimum of six months later in order to examine its test-retest stability. Participants were also administered the WAIS-R at initial assessment in order to provide a measure of psychometric intelligence. Methods. Thirty-six (24 female, 12 male) healthy older adults aged 52 to 77 years with mean education 12.42 years (SD = 3.53) completed the MCST on two occasions approximately 7.5 months (SD = 1.61) apart. Stability coefficients and test-retest differences were calculated for the range of scores. The effect of gender on MCST performance was examined. Correlations between MCST scores and age, education and WAIS-R IQs were also determined. Results. Stability coefficients ranged from .26 for the percent perseverative errors measure to .49 for the failure to maintain set measure. Several measures were significantly correlated with age, education and WAIS-R IQs, although no effect of gender on MCST performance was found. Conclusions. None of the stability coefficients reached the level required for clinical decision making. The results indicate that participants' age, education, and intelligence need to be considered when interpreting MCST performance. Normative studies of MCST performance as well as further studies with patients with executive dysfunction are needed.

Studying relationships in project management through social network analysis

Successful project management depends upon forming and maintaining relationships between and among project team members and stakeholder groups. The nature of these relationships and the patterns that they form affect communication, collaboration and resource flows. Networks affect us directly, and we use them to influence people and processes. Social Network Analysis (SNA) can be an extremely valuable research tool to better understand how critical social networks develop and influence work processes, particularly as projects become larger and more complex. This chapter introduces foundational network concepts, helps you determine if SNA could help you answer your research questions, and explains how to design and implement a social network study. At the end of this chapter, the reader can: understand foundational concepts about social networks; decide if SNA is an appropriate research methodology to address particular questions or problems; design and implement a basic social network study.

Relationships between major ions in coal seam gas groundwaters: Examples from the Surat and Clarence-Moreton basins

Using a combination of multivariate statistical techniques and the graphical assessment of major ion ratios, the influences on hydrochemical variability of coal seam gas (or coal bed methane) groundwaters from several sites in the Surat and Clarence-Moreton basins in Queensland, Australia, were investigated. Several characteristic relationships between major ions were observed: 1) strong positive linear correlation between the Na/Cl and alkalinity/Cl ratios; 2) an exponentially decaying trend between the Na/Cl and Na/alkalinity ratios; 3) inverse linear relationships between increasing chloride concentrations and decreasing pH for high salinity groundwaters, and; 4) high residual alkalinity for lower salinity waters, and an inverse relationship between decreasing residual alkalinity and increasing chloride concentrations for more saline waters. The interpretation of the hydrochemical data provides invaluable insights into the hydrochemical evolution of coal seam gas (CSG) groundwaters that considers both the source of major ions in coals and the influence of microbial activity. Elevated chloride and sodium concentrations in more saline groundwaters appear to be influenced by organic-bound chlorine held in the coal matrix; a sodium and chloride ion source that has largely been neglected in previous CSG groundwater studies. However, contrastingly high concentrations of bicarbonate in low salinity waters could not be explained, and are possibly associated with a number of different factors such as coal degradation, methanogenic processes, the evolution of high-bicarbonate NaHCO3 water types earlier on in the evolutionary pathway, and variability in gas reservoir characteristics. Using recently published data for CSG groundwaters in different basins, the characteristic major ion relationships identified for new data presented in this study were also observed in other CSG groundwaters from Australia, as well as for those in the Illinois Basin in the USA. This observation suggests that where coal maceral content and the dominant methanogenic pathway are similar, and where organic-bound chlorine is relatively abundant, distinct hydrochemical responses may be observed. Comparisons with published data of other NaHCO3 water types in non-CSG environments suggest that these characteristic major ion relationships described here can: i) serve as an indicator of potential CSG groundwaters in certain coal-bearing aquifers that contain methane; and ii) help in the development of strategic sampling programmes for CSG exploration and to monitor potential impacts of CSG activities on groundwater resources.

Major project managers’ internal and external stakeholder relationships: The development and validation of measurement scales

In this paper, we detail the development of two stakeholder relationships scales. The scales measure major project managers' perceived competence in developing (establishing and maintaining) high quality, effective relationships with stakeholders who are internal and external to their organization. Our sample consists of 373 major project managers from a sub-set of the Australian defense industry. Both the internal stakeholder relationships scale and the external stakeholder relationships scale demonstrated validity and reliability. This research has implications for the interpersonal work relationships literature and the stakeholder management literature. We recommend that researchers test these scales with multiple samples, across different project types and project industries in the future. The stakeholder relationship scales should be versatile enough to be applied to project management generally but are perhaps best suited to major project environments.

Mothers' perception of the quality of childhood sibling relationships affected by disability

The quality of the sibling relationship has an important role in the development of psychosocial skills throughout childhood. While the literature suggests that the significance of sibling relationships is heightened when one sibling has a disability, empirical findings about the quality of these relationships are few and inconsistent. The present study aimed to address this gap, by investigating mothers’ perspectives about the impact of disability on the quality of the childhood sibling relationship. Forty-one mothers with a child with disability, and 48 with no children with disability completed an online questionnaire that assessed the amount of perceived warmth/closeness and conflict in their children’s sibling relationship. It was found that while there were no differences in reported conflict between the two groups, mothers with a child with disability reported significantly lower warmth/closeness in their children’s sibling relationship than mothers without a child with disability. Demographic variables such as number of children, gender grouping, target gender, target age and age order did not moderate this result. Mothers overall reported significantly more warmth/closeness for younger rather than older children, and more conflict when the sibling was younger than the target child as opposed to older than them. Clinical implications for intervention are discussed.

Phylogeographical relationships of Sicilian brown trout and the effects of genetic introgression on morphospace occupation

Genetic introgression of aquaculture stocks in local forms is well documented in many fish species but their evolutionary consequences for the local populations have not been thoroughly explored. Due to its wide geographical range, the existence of many locally adapted forms and the frequent occurrence of introgression of aquaculture stocks in local forms, brown trout represents the ideal system to study the effects of such introgressions. Here, we focus on a group of rivers and streams in Sicily (Italy), and, by using molecular tools, we show that autochthonous populations are probably derived from the Southern Atlantic clade, which is present in the Iberian peninsula and North Africa. Three out of the four studied rivers reveal signs of genetic introgression of domestic stocks. Finally, by using advanced geometric morphometric analyses, we show that genetic introgression produces a higher degree of morphological variability relative to that observed in non-introgressed populations.

Parenting and the behavior problems of young children with an intellectual disability: Concurrent and longitudinal relationships in a population-based study

We examined parenting behaviors, and their association with concurrent and later child behavior problems. Children with an intellectual disability (ID) were identified from a UK birth cohort (N  =  516 at age 5). Compared to parents of children without an ID, parents of children with an ID used discipline less frequently, but reported a more negative relationship with their child. Among children with an ID, discipline, and home atmosphere had no long-term association with behavior problems, whereas relationship quality did: closer relationships were associated with fewer concurrent and later child behavior problems. Increased parent-child conflict was associated with greater concurrent and later behavior problems. Parenting programs in ID could target parent-child relationship quality as a potential mediator of behavioral improvements in children.

Underlying scaling relationships between solar activity and geomagnetic activity revealed by multifractal analyses

his paper identifies some scaling relationships between solar activity and geomagnetic activity. We examine the scaling properties of hourly data for two geomagnetic indices (ap and AE), two solar indices (solar X-rays Xl and solar flux F10.7), and two inner heliospheric indices (ion density Ni and flow speed Vs) over the period 1995–2001 by the universal multifractal approach and the traditional multifractal analysis. We found that the universal multifractal model (UMM) provides a good fit to the empirical K(q) and τ(q) curves of these time series. The estimated values of the Lévy index α in the UMM indicate that multifractality exists in the time series for ap, AE, Xl, and Ni, while those for F10.7 and Vs are monofractal. The estimated values of the nonconservation parameter H of this model confirm that these time series are conservative which indicate that the mean value of the process is constant for varying resolution. Additionally, the multifractal K(q) and τ(q) curves, and the estimated values of the sparseness parameter C1 of the UMM indicate that there are three pairs of indices displaying similar scaling properties, namely ap and Xl, AE and Ni, and F10.7 and Vs. The similarity in the scaling properties of pairs (ap,Xl) and (AE,Ni) suggests that ap and Xl, AE and Ni are better correlated—in terms of scaling—than previous thought, respectively. But our results still cannot be used to advance forecasting of ap and AE by Xl and Ni, respectively, due to some reasons

Genetic insights into common pathways and complex relationships among iImmune-mediated diseases

Shared aetiopathogenic factors among immune-mediated diseases have long been suggested by their co-familiality and co-occurrence, and molecular support has been provided by analysis of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotypes and genome-wide association studies. The interrelationships can now be better appreciated following the genotyping of large immune disease sample sets on a shared SNP array: the 'Immunochip'. Here, we systematically analyse loci shared among major immune-mediated diseases. This reveals that several diseases share multiple susceptibility loci, but there are many nuances. The most associated variant at a given locus frequently differs and, even when shared, the same allele often has opposite associations. Interestingly, risk alleles conferring the largest effect sizes are usually disease-specific. These factors help to explain why early evidence of extensive 'sharing' is not always reflected in epidemiological overlap. © 2013 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

Relationships between user experience and intuitiveness of visual and physical interactions

This paper investigates the effects of experience on the intuitiveness of physical and visual interactions performed by airport security screeners. Using portable eye tracking glasses, 40 security screeners were observed in the field as they performed search, examination and interface interactions during airport security x-ray screening. Data from semi structured interviews was used to further explore the nature of visual and physical interactions. Results show there are positive relationships between experience and the intuitiveness of visual and physical interactions performed by security screeners. As experience is gained, security screeners are found to perform search, examination and interface interactions more intuitively. In addition to experience, results suggest that intuitiveness is affected by the nature and modality of activities performed. This inference was made based on the dominant processing styles associated with search and examination activities. The paper concludes by discussing the implications that this research has for the design of visual and physical interfaces. We recommend designing interfaces that build on users’ already established intuitive processes, and that reduce the cognitive load incurred during transitions between visual and physical interactions.

Stress-state permeability relationships for clays with coarse fraction

In standard laboratory consolidation tests, only the fraction of soil passing through a particular size of the sieve, called the matrix material, is used. This size is usually restricted to 1/10 of the height of the consolidation ring. Particles larger than this size that are removed before the test may consist of gravel, fragments of rock, or other coarse materials. Hence, it is not possible to estimate the compressibility and permeability of the total material based on the compressibility and permeability behavior obtained from laboratory consolidation tests on the matrix material. In the present investigation an attempt has been made to estimate the compressibility and permeability behavior of the total material based on the compressibility and permeability behavior of the matrix material. The results indicate that the presence of coarse particles will reduce the compressibility of the soil in proportion to the coarse fraction present in the whole soil and will not affect the permeability of the soil for the range investigated. If the coarse fraction exceeds the Limiting percentage, the void ratio-vertical effective stress path will also start to deviate from the predicted path. An expression has been developed to estimate approximately the deviating pressure, and it is found to depend on the soil type as well as the percent clay fraction.

Species-area and species-individual relationships for tropical trees: A comparison of three 50-ha plots

1 Species-accumulation curves for woody plants were calculated in three tropical forests, based on fully mapped 50-ha plots in wet, old-growth forest in Peninsular Malaysia, in moist, old-growth forest in central Panama, and in dry, previously logged forest in southern India. A total of 610 000 stems were identified to species and mapped to < Im accuracy. Mean species number and stem number were calculated in quadrats as small as 5 m x 5 m to as large as 1000 m x 500 m, for a variety of stem sizes above 10 mm in diameter. Species-area curves were generated by plotting species number as a function of quadrat size; species-individual curves were generated from the same data, but using stem number as the independent variable rather than area. 2 Species-area curves had different forms for stems of different diameters, but species-individual curves were nearly independent of diameter class. With < 10(4) stems, species-individual curves were concave downward on log-log plots, with curves from different forests diverging, but beyond about 104 stems, the log-log curves became nearly linear, with all three sites having a similar slope. This indicates an asymptotic difference in richness between forests: the Malaysian site had 2.7 times as many species as Panama, which in turn was 3.3 times as rich as India. 3 Other details of the species-accumulation relationship were remarkably similar between the three sites. Rectangular quadrats had 5-27% more species than square quadrats of the same area, with longer and narrower quadrats increasingly diverse. Random samples of stems drawn from the entire 50 ha had 10-30% more species than square quadrats with the same number of stems. At both Pasoh and BCI, but not Mudumalai. species richness was slightly higher among intermediate-sized stems (50-100mm in diameter) than in either smaller or larger sizes, These patterns reflect aggregated distributions of individual species, plus weak density-dependent forces that tend to smooth the species abundance distribution and 'loosen' aggregations as stems grow. 4 The results provide support for the view that within each tree community, many species have their abundance and distribution guided more by random drift than deterministic interactions. The drift model predicts that the species-accumulation curve will have a declining slope on a log-log plot, reaching a slope of O.1 in about 50 ha. No other model of community structure can make such a precise prediction. 5 The results demonstrate that diversity studies based on different stem diameters can be compared by sampling identical numbers of stems. Moreover, they indicate that stem counts < 1000 in tropical forests will underestimate the percentage difference in species richness between two diverse sites. Fortunately, standard diversity indices (Fisher's sc, Shannon-Wiener) captured diversity differences in small stem samples more effectively than raw species richness, but both were sample size dependent. Two nonparametric richness estimators (Chao. jackknife) performed poorly, greatly underestimating true species richness.