Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries in an 80 year old woman

Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (CCTGA) is a rare form of congenital heart disease characterised by atrioventricular as well as ventriculoarterial discordance. It is usually associated with a variety of severe intracardiac defects. Few patients with this abnormality survive past 50 years. An 80 year old woman was admitted to the hospital because of mild congestive heart failure. Cardiac examination revealed a 4/6 holosystolic and a 2/6 decrescendo diastolic murmur at the left sternal border. Radiography, echocardiography, and computed tomography confirmed newly diagnosed CCTGA without associated intracardiac defects.

Podcasting and the use of portable music/video players at the School of Nursing

Introduction As students become more connected with the internet and other current technologies, the school of nursing has continued to investigate more innovative, meaningful, and effective uses of technology. One particular technology whose use has increased is the portable music/video player. Like the cell phone, mp3 players and iPods have become a standard accessory for students. To capitalize on this popular technology the School has started several pilot projects involving podcasting under graduate and graduate nursing classes and has also been involved in one research project using video iPods. [See PDF for complete abstract]

The effectiveness of Alexander Technique on music performance and musicians’ health and well-being – a systematic review

Introduction Musicians often suffer injuries related to their music playing. Therefore, some use Alexander Technique (AT), a mental-physical method that facilitates to release unnecessary muscle tension and to re-educate non-beneficial movement patterns through enhanced kinaesthetic awareness. According to a recent review AT may be effective for chronic back pain [1]. This review aimed to evaluate the evidence for the effectiveness of AT lessons on music performance and musicians’ health and well-being. Methods The following electronic databases were searched up to July 2012 for relevant literature: PUBMED, Google Scholar, CINAHL and EMBASE. The search criteria were "Alexander technique" AND "music*" [all fields]. References were searched, and experts and societies of AT or musicians' medicine contacted for further publications. Results 100 studies were identified. 24 studies were included for further analysis, 5 of which were randomised controlled trials (RCTs), 5 controlled but not randomised (CTs), 5 without control group, 2 mixed methods (RCT and case studies), and 7 surveys. 13 to 72 musicians participated per RCT. In 5 RCTs AT groups received between 12 and 20 one-to-one lessons. In 4 RCTs control groups received no interventions. Primary outcomes were performance anxiety, music performance, "use" as well as respiratory function and pain. Performance anxiety decreased by AT in 3 of 4 RCTs and in 3 of 3 CTs. Music performance was improved by AT in 1 RCT, yet in 2 RCTs comparing neurofeedback (NF) to AT, only NF showed improvements. Discussion and Conclusion To investigate the effectiveness of AT in musicians a variety of study designs and outcome measures have been used. Evidence from RCTs suggests that AT may improve performance anxiety in musicians. Effects on music performance, body use and respiratory function yet remain inconsistent. Future trials with scientifically sound study designs are warranted to further and more reliably explore the potential of AT as a relatively low cost and low risk method in the interest of musicians. References [1] Woodman JP, Moore NR. Evidence for the effectiveness of Alexander Technique lessons in medical and health-related conditions: a systematic review. Int J Clin Pract 2012;66(1):98-112.

The Effectiveness of Alexander Technique on Music Performance and Musicians' Health and Well-being – a Systematic Review

Purpose Musicians often suffer injuries related to their music playing. Therefore, some use the Alexander Technique (AT), a psycho-physical method that helps to release unnecessary muscle tension and re-educates non-beneficial movement patterns through enhanced kinaesthetic awareness. According to a recent review AT may be effective for chronic back pain. This review aimed to evaluate the evidence for the effectiveness of AT lessons on music performance and musicians’ health and well-being. Methods The following electronic databases were searched up to July 2012 for relevant literature: PUBMED, Google Scholar, CINAHL and EMBASE. The search criteria were "Alexander technique" AND "music*" [all fields]. References were searched, and experts and societies of AT or musicians' medicine contacted for further publications. Results 100 studies were identified. 35 studies were included for further analysis, 5 of which were randomised controlled trials (RCTs), 5 controlled but not randomised, 5 not controlled, 5 qualitative case studies, 2 mixed-models (RCT and case studies), 7 surveys, 4 qualitative case reports and 2 unpublished pilot studies. 13 to 72 musicians participated per RCT. In 5 RCTs AT groups received between 12 and 20 one-to-one lessons. In 4 RCTs control groups received no interventions. Primary outcomes were performance anxiety, performance, "use" as well as respiratory function and pain. Performance anxiety decreased by AT in 3 of 4 RCTs. Music performance was improved by AT in 1 RCT, yet in 2 RCTs comparing neurofeedback (NF) to AT, only NF showed improvements. Conclusions To investigate the effectiveness of AT in musicians a variety of study designs and outcome measures have been used. Evidence from RCTs suggests that AT may improve performance anxiety in musicians. Effects on music performance, body use and respiratory function yet remain inconsistent. Future trials with well-established study designs are warranted to further and more reliably explore the potential of AT as a relatively low cost and low risk method in the interest of musicians.

Softening the Lower Crust: Modes of Syn-Transport Transposition Around and Adjacent to a Deep Crustal Granulite Nappe, Parry Sound Domain, Grenville Province, Ontario, Canada

The Parry Sound domain is a granulite nappe-stack transported cratonward during reactivation of the ductile lower and middle crust in the late convergence of the Mesoproterozoic Grenville orogeny. Field observations suggest the following with respect to the ductile sheath: (1) Formation of a carapace of transposed amphibolite facies gneiss derived from and enveloping the western extremity of the Parry Sound domain and separating it from high-strain gneiss of adjacent allochthons. This ductile sheath formed dynamically around the moving granulite nappe through the development of systems of progressively linked shear zones. (2) Transposition initiated by hydration (amphibolization) of granulite facies gneiss by introduction of fluid along cracks accompanying pegmatite emplacement. Shear zones nucleated along pegmatite margins and subsequently linked and rotated. The source of the pegmatites was most likely subjacent migmatitic and pegmatite-rich units or units over which Parry Sound domain was transported. Comparison of gneisses of the ductile sheath with high-strain layered gneiss of adjacent allochthons show the mode of transposition of penetratively layered gneiss depended on whether or not the gneiss protoliths were amphibolite or granulite facies tectonites before initiation of transposition, resulting in, e.g., folding before shearing, no folding before shearing, respectively. Meter-scale truncation along high-strain gradients at the margins of both types of transposition-related shear zones observed within and marginal to Parry Sound domain mimic features at kilometer scales, implying that apparent truncation by transposition originating in a manner similar to the ductile sheath may be a common feature of deep crustal ductile reworking. Citation: Culshaw, N., C. Gerbi, and J. Marsh (2010), Softening the lower crust: Modes of syn-transport transposition around and adjacent to a deep crustal granulite nappe, Parry Sound domain, Grenville Province, Ontario, Canada, Tectonics, 29, TC5013, doi:10.1029/2009TC002537.

Stable two-element control of dTph1 transposition in mutator strains of Petunia by an inactive ACT1 introgression from a wild species

The high copy dTph1 transposon system of Petunia (Solanaceae) is one of the most powerful insertion mutagens in plants, but its activity cannot be controlled in the commonly used mutator strains. We analysed the regulation of dTph1 activity by QTL analysis in recombinant inbred lines of the mutator strain W138 and a wild species (P. integrifolia spp. inflata). Two genetic factors were identified that control dTph1 transposition. One corresponded to the ACT1 locus on chromosome I. A second, previously undescribed locus ACT2 mapped on chromosome V. As a 6-cM introgression in W138, the P. i. inflata act1(S6) allele behaved as a single recessive locus that fully eliminated transposition of all dTph1 elements in all stages of plant development and in a heritable fashion. Weak dTph1 activity was restored in act1(S6)/ACT2(S6) double introgression lines, indicating that the P. i. inflata allele at ACT2 conferred a low level of transposition. Thus, the act1(S6) allele is useful for simple and predictable control of transposition of the entire dTph1 family when introgressed into an ultra-high copy W138 mutator strain. We demonstrate the use of the ACT1(W138)/act1(S6) allele pair in a two-element dTph1 transposition system by producing 10 000 unique and fixed dTph1 insertions in a population of 1250 co-isogenic lines. This Petunia system produces the highest per plant insertion number of any known two-element system, providing a powerful and logistically simple tool for transposon mutagenesis of qualitative as well as quantitative traits.

Professional musicians listen differently to music

INTRODUCTION: Experience-based adaptation of emotional responses is an important faculty for cognitive and emotional functioning. Professional musicians represent an ideal model in which to elicit experience-driven changes in the emotional processing domain. The changes of the central representation of emotional arousal due to musical expertise are still largely unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate the electroencephalogram (EEG) correlates of experience-driven changes in the domain of emotional arousal. Therefore, the differences in perceived (subjective arousal via ratings) and physiologically measured (EEG) arousal between amateur and professional musicians were examined. PROCEDURE: A total of 15 professional and 19 amateur musicians listened to the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's 5th symphony (duration=∼7.4min), during which a continuous 76-channel EEG was recorded. In a second session, the participants evaluated their emotional arousal during listening. In a tonic analysis, we examined the average EEG data over the time course of the music piece. For a phasic analysis, a fast Fourier transform was performed and covariance maps of spectral power were computed in association with the subjective arousal ratings. RESULTS: The subjective arousal ratings of the professional musicians were more consistent than those of the amateur musicians. In the tonic EEG analysis, a mid-frontal theta activity was observed in the professionals. In the phasic EEG, the professionals exhibited an increase of posterior alpha, central delta, and beta rhythm during high arousal. DISCUSSION: Professionals exhibited different and/or more intense patterns of emotional activation when they listened to the music. The results of the present study underscore the impact of music experience on emotional reactions.

Towards an Application of Globalization Paradigms to Modern Folk Music Revivals

This chapter maps out central globalizing perspectives that have influenced discourses on revival and related transformational processes of traditional forms of musical expression. Focusing on the Latvian groups Skandinieki and Iļģi and on electric folk in England, the chapter analyzes the extent to which meta-perspectives can help elucidate the impact of global flows on music revivals. As Held et al.’s 2003 globalization study indicates, revival situations can be interpreted from different meta-perspectives. Equating globalization with homogenization, a sceptic perspective perceives revival as an important means of preservation. A hyperglobal approach regards globalization not as a threat, but as a possible access to Western market structures. A transformationalist perspective perceives increasingly dense global networks as the basis for developing new structures, approached from an open perspective. Although supporting a transformationalist perspective, this chapter argues that an adequate modern approach toward revival requires the combination of all three perspectives.

Germanic Mythology in Music: Cultural Memory and Conflict within the Framework of Modern Globalization

The multi-layered enactment of a national past in music has been strongly intertwined with the usage of mythological elements. Having often been compiled as a coherent narrative during the emergence of the European nation-states (like the Finnish Kalevala), the mythological material has often been perceived as a form of historical truth and national justification. This focal role is also apparent in various music genres ranging from folk revival to metal in post-1989 Europe. Within the globalized context, however, local-national interpretations can collide with earlier nationalist appropriations. This complex and sometimes politically conflicting situation becomes particularly evident with groups falling back on symbols and narrations that had previously been employed by Nazi-Germany. While Nazi-Germany had, among others, tried replace the Christmas tradition with elements and songs from Germanic (and other) mythological sources, modern Neo-Nazi music groups often employ central mythological names (like Odin or Tyr) and iconic elements (like Vikings and warriors) in song lyrics and CD cover designs. However, while many covers and lyrics are legally forbidden in Germany, Scandinavian and Baltic groups (like the Faroese Viking metal group Tyr and the Latvian pagan metal band Skyforger) employ similar elements of Norse mythology, which are often combined with traditional material. Discussing selected case studies, this paper highlights central discursive points of colliding historical-national associations and individual interpretations of the mythological elements in musical contexts. How far can the material be disassociated from the earlier historical political usage and instrumentalization? Is this necessary ? And how can the specific global-local conflict points be approached by a theoretical framework ?

Folk Music in the Baltics at the Age of Digital Globalization

Shaped by factors like global outreach and immediacy, particularly the internet represents the multi-layered nature of contemporary globalization (cf Held et al. 2002). How have digital newspapers, social media and other internet platforms altered the situation of smaller music microcultues, especially in regions that have been on the fringes of global networks? This paper analyses the situation of the Latvian postfolklore band Ilgi between 2001 and 2008. Focusing on the group’s label UPE, the paper highlights how the internet became a significant means of existence during this specific period. Having established a local niche with a sound studio and CD shops, UPE combined this physical basis with outreach strategies, such as marketing and direct internet sales, which guaranteed the survival of the independent label. This strategy was also taken up by the band itself who started to develop a strong presence on social media like MySpace. At the same time, Ilgi has been using the internet as a central means of communicating with diasporic communities in the U.S. and Canada – hereby creating structures that were described as « intercultures » by Slobin (1993). This indicates that the local-global dichotomy can no longer be sufficiently addressed by a horizontal or vertical two-dimensional perception. Falling also back on the fieldwork experiences gained in Latvia, the paper finally addresses the question of how internet representation relates to the actual local situation – and how this has been altering the fieldwork perception. With regard to this situation – how useful are the approaches that have been developed within the context of « Media Anthropology » that investigates mass media items as multi-layered, densified symbolic objects?