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John Coltrane's relevant biographical events are discussed along with a fractal analysis examining the sequential structure of pitches in his saxophone solos. Eighteen solos were examined, two songs on two different album releases for each year from 1959–1967. Saxophone solos were transcribed from sheet music into a format that represents an absolute pitch numerically. The pitch sequences were examined using power spectral analysis. Results indicate that all 18 Coltrane saxophone solos display sequences of successive pitches that are consistent with anti-persistent fractional Brownian motion having 1/fαpower spectra with scaling exponent α between 1.6 and 1.8. Brownian motion is a type of statistical pattern that is symptomatic of self-similar or fractal patterning across time. In addition, average mutual information analyses revealed various dominant regular rhythmic patterns in several of the pieces. Eighth-note patterns were dominant in Coltrane's earlier work while greater irregularity was present in rhythmic patterns of his later work. Thus, Coltrane's improvised solos, including his later avant-garde compositions, are comprised of Brownian fractal patterns, which others using different pitch encoding techniques have previously identified in performances of both classical and jazz music. These fractal patterns quantify the concepts of order and complexity addressed in the Theory of Aesthetic Value. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

BACKGROUND In engineering, creativity is vital for innovation. The revised Creative Engineering Design Assessment (CEDA) also assesses Usefulness, unlike existing tools. PURPOSE (HYPOTHESIS) The primary purpose was to test for convergent validity of the CEDA with other engineering creativity and engineering specific measures. The CEDA was administered with the Purdue Creativity Test (PCT), the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test-Rotations (PSVT-R), and a Systems Test that assessed rollercoaster design functionality. We hypothesized that the CEDA would be moderately related to the PCT and anticipated a slight relationship with the PSVT-R and Systems Test. We also investigated gender differences to follow up on previous research. DESIGN/METHOD Participants were 259 engineering students (221 males and 38 females) in an introductory engineering design two-course sequence who completed the CEDA and PCT (in a cross-sectional design). We analyzed PVST-R scores for Fundamentals of Engineering I and Systems Test scores for Fundamentals of Engineering II. RESULTS The CEDA showed high inter-rater reliability. The CEDA and the PCT were significantly related to each other and the CEDA was modestly related to the PSVT-R, both demonstrating convergent validity. Male and female engineering students did not significantly differ on the CEDA, PCT, PSVT-R or Systems Test. CONCLUSIONS The CEDA has convergent validity with the PCT, which was normed on engineers in industry (12 years average experience), and with the PVST-R, measuring spatial skills. Findings and previous research suggest that the CEDA is domain specific to engineering. Future CEDA research is needed involving engineers in industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To compare the prevalence of self-reported serious psychological distress using the Kessler 6 (K6) in persons with a history of epilepsy (PWE) to those without epilepsy from a population-based survey. Data were analyzed from adults aged ≥18 years (n = 43,020) who participated in the 2005 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). California adults with a history of epilepsy, after controlling for demographics and comorbidities, reported higher rates of feeling nervous [odds ratio (OR) 2.22], feeling hopeless (OR 1.35), feeling restless (OR 2.07), feeling depressed (OR 3.14), and feeling worthless (OR 2.57), and reported that everything has been an effort (OR 2.28) in the last 30 days. The K6 score showed that serious psychological distress is more common in PWE (OR 2.24). After adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, and serious psychological distress, PWE are more likely to report having 14 or more physical, mental, and general unhealthy days in the last 30 days. PWE have significantly higher rates of serious psychological distress and poor health-related quality of life after controlling for demographics, comorbidities. These comorbid conditions need to be factored into any comprehensive treatment strategy for managing PWE to achieve optimum quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creativity is a vital tool for innovation in engineering. Psychology and engineering faculty developed the Creative Engineering Design Assessment (CEDA) because existing tools are limited. This measure was administered with general creativity measures in 63 engineering (57 males, six females) and 21 non-engineering (six males, 15 females) students in five week intervals. Inter-rater reliability showed high consistency overall and between the test and retest administrations. Only engineering males and females significantly differed on the retest. Engineering students with low, medium, and high creative engineering design did not statistically differ in their general creativity, not domain specific to engineering; however, only high scorers were significantly higher on the retest from the other groups. Future research is needed with larger samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive psychology explores how optimism can lead to health, happiness, and creativity. However, questions remain as to how affective states influence creativity. Data on creative personality, optimism, pessimism, positive and negative affect, and current and usual happiness ratings were collected on 161 college students enrolled in an introductory psychology class. Results indicated that both positive and negative affect, usual self-reported happiness ratings, and pessimism contributed to a creative personality in college students. Demographic characteristics such as gender, age, and class level were also factors. Males, younger students, and higher academic level college students displayed more creative personality characteristics. Findings suggest that both positive and negative attributes influence creativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research was to investigate similarities and differences in general, artistic, and scientific creativity between engineering versus music students, as 2 groups respectively representing scientific and artistic domains. One hundred music and 105 engineering students from a large, Northeastern university completed measures of general creativity, music creativity, engineering creativity, and a demographic questionnaire. Results indicated that musicians scored higher in general and artistic creativity, with no significant differences in scientific creativity. Participants had higher levels of creativity, compared with normative data from previous studies. Gender, age, and specialization within major yielded no significant differences. Implications for creativity measures are discussed, including cognitive risk tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to examine historical, empirical, and present literature on the relationship between sexual orientation, bisexuality, and creativity. Few empirical studies have been implemented since the removal of homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Stereotypes and popular beliefs still exist in society and literature without empirical evidence, indicating that gay men are more creative. Yet, the only empirical evidence, both historical and recent, indicates the opposite. More research is needed to explore creativity in sexual orientation minorities. In particular, it appears that there may be a higher empirical relationship between bisexuality and creativity, yet few studies have been implemented. Furthermore, there is a vital need to include gender and the study of women in relation to creativity and sexual orientation research. Creativity research has only begun to explore the dynamics of gender and culture. The next step is to include the dynamics of sexual orientation to creativity research. The author conducted a literature review and proposes potential research questions for further exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Better methods are needed for mapping agricultural drainage pipe systems. Prior research on small test plots indicates that ground penetrating radar (GPR) is oftentimes capable of detecting buried drainage pipes; however, the feasibility of employing this geophysical technique in larger field areas has not been adequately evaluated. Ground penetrating radar integrated with a Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) may be an effective and efficient means of mapping drain lines within agricultural fields. Therefore, GPR-RTK/GNSS was tested in three agricultural settings; with Site 1 and Site 2 located in Beltsville, MD, USA and Site 3 near Columbus, OH, USA. Soils at the three sites ranged from silty clay loam to loamy sand. A GPR unit with 250 MHz antennas was used to detect drainage pipes, and at Sites 1 and 2, a physical GNSS base station was utilized, while a virtual base station was employed at Site 3. The GPR-RTK/GNSS configurations used in this study delineated a complex rectangular drainage pipe system at Site 1, with one set of drainage pipes oriented southwest-northeast and a second oriented southeast-northwest. At Site 2, a herringbone drain line pattern was outlined, and at Site 3, random drain lines were found. When integrated with RTK/GNSS, spiral or serpentine GPR transects (or spiral/serpentine segments of a GPR transects) were utilized to provide insight on drain line directional trends. Consequently, given suitable field conditions, GPR integrated with RTK/GNSS can be a valuable tool for farmers and drainage contractors needing to map subsurface drainage systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]