Kaukainen rakkaus : Saavuttamattomuuden semantiikka Kaija Saariahon oopperassa

L Amour de loin: The semantics of the unattainable in Kaija Saariaho s opera Kaija Saariaho (born 1952) is one of the most internationally successful Finnish composers there has ever been. Her first opera L Amour de loin (Love from afar, 1999-2000) has been staged all over the world and has won a number of important prizes. The libretto written for L Amour de loin by Amin Malouf (born 1949) sets the work firmly in the culture of courtly love and the troubadours, which flourished in Occitania in the South of France during the Middle Ages. The male lead in the opera is the troubadour Jaufré Rudel, who lived in the twelfth century and is known to have taken part in the Second Crusade in 1147-1148. This doctoral thesis L Amour de loin: The semantics of the unattainable in Kaija Saariaho s opera, which comes within the field of musicology and opera research, examines the dimensions of meaning contained in Kaija Saariaho s opera L Amour de loin. This hermeneutic-semiotic study is the first doctoral thesis dealing with Saariaho to be completed at the University of Helsinki. It is also the first thesis-level study of Saariaho s opera to be completed anywhere in the world. The study focuses on the libretto and music of the opera, that is to say the dramatic text (L Amour de loin 1980), and examines on the one hand the dimensions of meaning produced by the dramatic text and on the other, the way in which they fix the dramatic text in a historical and cultural context. Thus the study helps to answer questions about the dimensions of meaning contained in the dramatic text of the opera and how they can be interpreted. The most important procedural viewpoint is Lawrence Kramer s hermeneutic window (1990), supplemented by Raymond Monelle s semiotic theory of musical topics (2000, 2006) and the philosophical concept of Emmanuel Levinas (1996, 2002) in which the latter acts as an instrument for semantic interpretation to build up an analysis. The analytical section of the study is built around the three characters in the opera, Jaufré Rudel, Clémence the Countess of Tripoli, and the Pilgrim. The study shows that the music of Saariaho, who belongs to the third generation of Finnish modernists, has become distanced from the post-serial aesthetic towards a more diatonic form of expression. There is diatonicity, for instance, in the sonorous individuality of the male lead, which is based on the actual melodies of the historical Jaufré Rudel. The use of outside material in this context is exceptional in the work of Saariaho. At the same time, Saariaho s opera contains a wealth of expressive devices she has used in her earlier work. It became apparent during the study that, as a piece of music, L Amour de loin is a many layered and multi-dimensional work that does not unambiguously represent any single stylistic trend or aesthetic. Despite the composer s post-serial background and its abrasive relationship with opera, L Amour de loin is firmly attached to the tradition of western opera. The analysis based on the theory of musical topics that was carried out in the study, shows that topics referring to death and resurrection, used in opera since the seventeenth century, appear in L Amour de loin. The troubadour topic, mainly identified with the harp, also emerges in the work. The study also shows that the work is firmly attached to the tradition of western opera in other aspects, too, such as the travesti or trouser role played by the Pilgrim, and the idea of deus ex machina derived from Ancient Greek theatre. The study shows that the concept of love based on the medieval practices of courtly love, and the associated longing for another defined by almost 1,000 years of western culture, are both manifested in the semantics of Kaija Saariaho s opera which takes its place in the contemporary music genre.

Rickets in extremely low birthweight infants

The effects of increasing the concentration of supplemental vitamin D was studied in two groups of ELBW infants (babies with a birth weight less than 1000 g) during the periods of July 1977 to December 1979 and throughout 1980. There were 21 ELBW infants in the first study period, with 7 infants developing active or stage III rickets. A prospective study of ELBW infants during 1980 revealed 3 infants out of the 12 studied developing active or Stage III rickets. A new radiological classification for rickets of prematurity, Stage I to IV, is presented. Serial serum alkaline phosphatase levels were then compared with these radiological stages and a serial ALP of 5001U/l was found to be statistically significant in the biochemical diagnosis of rickets. As a result of our findings, we suggest that all ELBW would be supplemented with at least 800 IU of vitamin D daily.

New initiators for the ring-opening thermal polymerization of hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene: synthesis of linear poly(dichlorophosphazene) in high yields

Ring-opening thermal polymerization of hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene (N3P3C&h)a s been investigated at 250 "C and at 1.333-Pa pressure using chlorocyclotriphosphazenes N3P3C15(N=PPh3) and N3P3Cl,.,(NMe2), (n = 2-4), salt hydrates, triphenylphosphine, and benzoic acid as initiators. The linear poly (dich1orophosphazene) products are phenoxylated, and the phenoxy polymers are characterized by gel permeation chromatography and dilute solution viscometry. Among the various initiators investigated, CaS04.2H20b rings about a high conversion (>60%) of N3P3C&to the linear [NPC12], polymer which possesses a high molecular weight (>5 X lo6). The rationale for the choice of the initiators and possible mechanism(s) of polymerization is discussed. Several mixed substituent polymers, [NP(OPh),(OC6H4Me-p)2,1, and [NP(OPh),(OCHzCF3)2,]nh, ave been prepared and their thermal properties evaluated.

4-[2-(1-Acetyl-2-oxopropylidene)-hydrazino]-N-(pyrimidin-2-yl)benzenesulfonamide

In the title compound, C15H15N5O4S, the dihedral angle between the pyrimidine and benzene rings is 84.56 (2)degrees. Intramolecular hydrazine-carbonyl N-H center dot center dot center dot O and intermolecular sulfonamide-pyridimine N-H center dot center dot center dot N hydrogen bonds stabilize the molecular and crystal structures, respectively.

Case study of a microcomputer-minicomputer link

A microcomputer-minicomputer link, useful in the implementation of network configurations involving microcomputers and minicomputers, is described. The link, between a PDP-11 minicomputer and an 8080 microcomputer is over a serial line between the DZ11 module of the minicomputer and the UART interface of the microcomputer. The details of the essential hardware and software aspects of the link are presented.

Propagation of Wollemi pine from tip cuttings and lower segment cuttings does not require rooting hormones

Domestication of the recently discovered and highly endangered Wollemi pine has relied almost entirely upon serial propagation of cuttings from a very small conservation collection. This study assessed the requirement for applied auxin to induce rooting in tip cuttings and lower segment cuttings of Wollemi pine. Both types of cuttings proved easy-to-root, with mean rooting of 71% for tip cuttings and 82% for lower segments. Auxin application (at 1.5, 3.0 or 8.0 g indole-3-butyric acid/L) did not accelerate root protrusion from propagation tubes or affect final rooting percentages.

5,7-Dimethoxy-2-phenyl-4H-chromen-4-one

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C17H14O4, contains two independent molecules which differ in the relative orientations of the phenyl rings with repect to the essentially planar [maximum deviations of 0.029 (2) and 0.050 (2) angstrom in the two molecules] chromene fused-ring system, forming dihedral angles of 10.3 (5) and 30.86 (5)degrees in the two molecules. The crystal structure is stabilized by weak C-H center dot center dot center dot O and C-H center dot center dot center dot pi interactions, and pi-pi stacking interactions.

A high-density consensus map of barley linking DArT markers to SSR, RFLP and STS loci and agricultural traits

Background: Molecular marker technologies are undergoing a transition from largely serial assays measuring DNA fragment sizes to hybridization-based technologies with high multiplexing levels. Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT) is a hybridization-based technology that is increasingly being adopted by barley researchers. There is a need to integrate the information generated by DArT with previous data produced with gel-based marker technologies. The goal of this study was to build a high-density consensus linkage map from the combined datasets of ten populations, most of which were simultaneously typed with DArT and Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR), Restriction Enzyme Fragment Polymorphism (RFLP) and/or Sequence Tagged Site (STS) markers. Results: The consensus map, built using a combination of JoinMap 3.0 software and several purpose-built perl scripts, comprised 2,935 loci (2,085 DArT, 850 other loci) and spanned 1,161 cM. It contained a total of 1,629 'bins' (unique loci), with an average inter-bin distance of 0.7 ± 1.0 cM (median = 0.3 cM). More than 98% of the map could be covered with a single DArT assay. The arrangement of loci was very similar to, and almost as optimal as, the arrangement of loci in component maps built for individual populations. The locus order of a synthetic map derived from merging the component maps without considering the segregation data was only slightly inferior. The distribution of loci along chromosomes indicated centromeric suppression of recombination in all chromosomes except 5H. DArT markers appeared to have a moderate tendency toward hypomethylated, gene-rich regions in distal chromosome areas. On the average, 14 ± 9 DArT loci were identified within 5 cM on either side of SSR, RFLP or STS loci previously identified as linked to agricultural traits. Conclusion: Our barley consensus map provides a framework for transferring genetic information between different marker systems and for deploying DArT markers in molecular breeding schemes. The study also highlights the need for improved software for building consensus maps from high-density segregation data of multiple populations.

Visual search and eye movements: Studies of perceptual span

In visual search one tries to find the currently relevant item among other, irrelevant items. In the present study, visual search performance for complex objects (characters, faces, computer icons and words) was investigated, and the contribution of different stimulus properties, such as luminance contrast between characters and background, set size, stimulus size, colour contrast, spatial frequency, and stimulus layout were investigated. Subjects were required to search for a target object among distracter objects in two-dimensional stimulus arrays. The outcome measure was threshold search time, that is, the presentation duration of the stimulus array required by the subject to find the target with a certain probability. It reflects the time used for visual processing separated from the time used for decision making and manual reactions. The duration of stimulus presentation was controlled by an adaptive staircase method. The number and duration of eye fixations, saccade amplitude, and perceptual span, i.e., the number of items that can be processed during a single fixation, were measured. It was found that search performance was correlated with the number of fixations needed to find the target. Search time and the number of fixations increased with increasing stimulus set size. On the other hand, several complex objects could be processed during a single fixation, i.e., within the perceptual span. Search time and the number of fixations depended on object type as well as luminance contrast. The size of the perceptual span was smaller for more complex objects, and decreased with decreasing luminance contrast within object type, especially for very low contrasts. In addition, the size and shape of perceptual span explained the changes in search performance for different stimulus layouts in word search. Perceptual span was scale invariant for a 16-fold range of stimulus sizes, i.e., the number of items processed during a single fixation was independent of retinal stimulus size or viewing distance. It is suggested that saccadic visual search consists of both serial (eye movements) and parallel (processing within perceptual span) components, and that the size of the perceptual span may explain the effectiveness of saccadic search in different stimulus conditions. Further, low-level visual factors, such as the anatomical structure of the retina, peripheral stimulus visibility and resolution requirements for the identification of different object types are proposed to constrain the size of the perceptual span, and thus, limit visual search performance. Similar methods were used in a clinical study to characterise the visual search performance and eye movements of neurological patients with chronic solvent-induced encephalopathy (CSE). In addition, the data about the effects of different stimulus properties on visual search in normal subjects were presented as simple practical guidelines, so that the limits of human visual perception could be taken into account in the design of user interfaces.

Tree-ring based hydroclimate reconstruction over northern Vietnam from Fokienia hodginsii: eighteenth century mega-drought and tropical Pacific influence

We present here the first statistically calibrated and verified tree-ring reconstruction of climate from continental Southeast Asia.The reconstructed variable is March-May (MAM) Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) based on ring widths from 22 trees (42 radial cores) of rare and long-lived conifer, Fokienia hodginsii (Po Mu as locally called) from northern Vietnam. This is the first published tree ring chronology from Vietnam as well as the first for this species. Spanning 535 years, this is the longest cross-dated tree-ring series yet produced from continental Southeast Asia. Response analysis revealed that the annual growth of Fokienia at this site was mostly governed by soil moisture in the pre-monsoon season. The reconstruction passed the calibration-verification tests commonly used in dendroclimatology, and revealed two prominent periods of drought in the mid-eighteenth and late-nineteenth enturies. The former lasted nearly 30 years and was concurrent with a similar drought over northwestern Thailand inferred from teak rings, suggesting a ``mega-drought'' extending across Indochina in the eighteenth century. Both of our reconstructed droughts are consistent with the periods of warm sea surface temperature (SST)anomalies in the tropical Pacific. Spatial correlation analyses with global SST indicated that ENSO-like anomalies might play a role in modulating droughts over the region, with El Nio (warm) phases resulting in reduced rainfall. However, significant correlation was also seen with SST over the Indian Ocean and the north Pacific,suggesting that ENSO is not the only factor affecting the climate of the area. Spectral analyses revealed significant peaks in the range of 53.9-78.8 years as well as in the ENSO-variability range of 2.0 to 3.2 years.

Structure and Conformation of an Antidepressant Drug, Nitroxazepine Hydrochloride Monohydrate

CIsH20N3Oa+.C1-.H2 O, M r = 395, orthorhombic, Pn21a, a = 7.710 (4), b = 11.455 (3), c -- 21.199 (3)/k, Z = 4, V = 1872.4/k 3, D m = 1.38, D C = 1.403 g cm -3, F(000) = 832, g(Cu Kct) = 20.94 cm -l. Intensities for 1641 reflections were measured on a Nonius CAD-4 diffractometer; of these, 1470 were significant. The structure was solved by direct methods and refined to an R index of 0.045 using a blockdiagonal least-squares procedure. The angle between the least-squares planes through the benzene rings is 125.0 (5) ° and the side chain is folded similarly to one of the independent molecules of imipramine hydrochloride.

Tarinakontekstin vaikutus sanojen muistamiseen kompleksisessa työmuistitehtävässä

Objectives. The sentence span task is a complex working memory span task used for estimating total working memory capacity for both processing (sentence comprehension) and storage (remembering a set of words). Several traditional models of working memory suggest that performance on these tasks relies on phonological short-term storage. However, long-term memory effects as well as the effects of expertise and strategies have challenged this view. This study uses a working memory task that aids the creation of retrieval structures in the form of stories, which have been shown to form integrated structures in longterm memory. The research question is whether sentence and story contexts boost memory performance in a complex working memory task. The hypothesis is that storage of the words in the task takes place in long-term memory. Evidence of this would be better recall for words as parts of sentences than for separate words, and, particularly, a beneficial effect for words as part of an organized story. Methods. Twenty stories consisting of five sentences each were constructed, and the stimuli in all experimental conditions were based on these sentences and sentence-final words, reordered and recombined for the other conditions. Participants read aloud sets of five sentences that either formed a story or not. In one condition they had to report all the last words at the end of the set, in another, they memorised an additional separate word with each sentence. The sentences were presented on the screen one word at a time (500 ms). After the presentation of each sentence, the participant verified a statement about the sentence. After five sentences, the participant repeated back the words in correct positions. Experiment 1 (n=16) used immediate recall, experiment 2 (n=21) both immediate recall and recall after a distraction interval (the operation span task). In experiment 2 a distracting mental arithmetic task was presented instead of recall in half of the trials, and an individual word was added before each sentence in the two experimental conditions when the participants were to memorize the sentence final words. Subjects also performed a listening span task (in exp.1) or an operation span task (exp.2) to allow comparison of the estimated span and performance in the story task. Results were analysed using correlations, repeated measures ANOVA and a chi-square goodness of fit test on the distribution of errors. Results and discussion. Both the relatedness of the sentences (the story condition) and the inclusion of the words into sentences helped memory. An interaction showed that the story condition had a greater effect on last words than separate words. The beneficial effect of the story was shown in all serial positions. The effects remained in delayed recall. When the sentences formed stories, performance in verification of the statements about sentence context was better. This, as well as the differing distributions of errors in different experimental conditions, suggest different levels of representation are in use in the different conditions. In the story condition, the nature of these representations could be in the form of an organized memory structure, a situation model. The other working memory tasks had only few week correlations to the story task. This could indicate that different processes are in use in the tasks. The results do not support short-term phonological storage, but instead are compatible with the words being encoded to LTM during the task.

Implementation of parallel tridiagonal solvers for a heterogeneous computing environment

Tridiagonal diagonally dominant linear systems arise in many scientific and engineering applications. The standard Thomas algorithm for solving such systems is inherently serial forming a bottleneck in computation. Algorithms such as cyclic reduction and SPIKE reduce a single large tridiagonal system into multiple small independent systems which can be solved in parallel. We have developed portable cyclic reduction and SPIKE algorithm OpenCL implementations with the intent to target a range of co-processors in a heterogeneous computing environment including Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and other multi-core processors. In this paper, we evaluate these designs in the context of solver performance, resource efficiency and numerical accuracy.

Structure of 4-Hydroxymonophenylbutazone

4-Butyl-4-hydroxy-l-phenyl-3,5-pyrazolidinedione, ClaH16N20 a, Mr=248.3, monoclinic, P21/n, a = 22.357 (5), b = 5.014 (2), c = 11.350 (4)/~,, //=91.88(3) °, V=1272(1)A 3, Z=4, D,,=1.296(3), D x = 1.297 Mg m -3, 2(Cu Ka) = 1.5418/~, a = 0.777 mm -~, F(000) = 528, T= 293 K. Final R - 0.059 for 1668 observed reflections. The hetero nitrogen which carries the six-membered ring is planar in the structure while the other unsubstituted one is pyramidal. The five- and six-membered rings are almost coplanar. The crystal is made up of infinite columns of hydrogen-bonded molecules.

Production of bacteriocins by Streptococcus bovis strains from Australian ruminants.

Aims: To examine the prevalence of bacteriocin production in Streptococcus bovis isolates from Australian ruminants and the feasibility of industrial production of bacteriocin. Methods and Results: Streptococcus bovis strains were tested for production of bacteriocin-like inhibitory substances (BLIS) by antagonism assay against Lactococcus lactis. BLIS production was associated with source animal location (i.e. proximity of other bacteriocin-positive source animals) rather than ruminant species/breed or diet. One bacteriocin showing strong inhibitory activity (Sb15) was isolated and examined. Protein sequence, stability and activity spectrum of this bovicin were very similar to bovicin HC5. Production could be increased through serial culturing, and increased productivity could be partially maintained during cold storage of cultures. Conclusions: BLIS production is geographically widely distributed in Eastern Australia, and it appears that the bacteriocin+ trait is maintained in animals at the same location. The HC5-like bacteriocin, originally identified in North America, is also found in Australia. Production of bacteriocin can be increased through serial culturing. Significance and Impact of the Study: The HC5-like bacteriocins appear to have a broad global distribution. Serial culturing may provide a route towards commercial manufacturing for use in industrial applications, and purified bacteriocin from S. bovis Sb15 could potentially be used to prevent food spoilage or as a feed additive to promote growth in ruminant species.