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Parents and guardians inherently become involved in diverse aspects of the music learning process and retain the potential to foster a musical home environment, influencing the musical growth, attitude, and level of participation of their children. Research suggests a relationship between parental support and successful development of music skills in school-aged students (Creech & Hallam, 2009, 2011). As such, String Project programs in university settings may benefit from knowledge that could promote or enhance positive, reciprocal relationships among students, parents, and teachers. We designed a survey to assess String Project parents' perceptions of commitment, musical growth, and emerging trends in student musical identity. This survey was administered during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which all participants received virtual music instruction. Parents were asked to describe their child's level of enthusiasm for music study, developing practice habits, evolving self-identity, and appreciation of music. Additionally, parents were surveyed regarding their own musical backgrounds and the role of music in their family's life. A majority of parents reported 2-3 hours of practice per week and interest in continued music study through high school and beyond for their children.

There is a lack of standardized measurement tools globally to assess knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of expecting women toward prenatal screening. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify reasons women pursue or decline prenatal screening and compare the strengths and limitations of available measurement tools used to assess pregnant women's perceptions, knowledge, and attitudes toward prenatal screening. This review followed the five-step York methodology by Arksey and O'Malley and incorporated recommendations from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis checklist for the extraction, analysis, and presentation of results. The five steps consisted of: (1) identification of the research questions; (2) searching for relevant studies; (3) selection of studies relevant to the research questions; (4) data charting; and (5) collation, summarization, and reporting of results. Four online databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library) were selected after the librarian's development of a detailed search strategy. The Rayyan platform was used between June 2023 and August 2023 to epitomize the articles produced from our search. A total of 68 eligible studies were included in the analysis. The top five major reasons for declining prenatal screening uptake included (1) being unsure of the risk of prenatal screening and harm to the baby or miscarriage (n = 15), (2) not considering action such as termination of pregnancy for prenatal screening to be considered as necessary (n = 14), (3) high cost (n = 12), (4) lack of knowledge about testing procedures and being anxious about the test (n = 10), and (5) being worried about probability of false negative or false positive results (n = 6). Only 32 studies utilized scientifically validated instruments. Difficulties in capturing representative, adequately sized samples inclusive of diverse ethnicities and demographics were pervasive. Findings highlight the need for rigorous validation of research measurement methodologies to ensure the accuracy and applicability of resulting data regarding the assessment of prenatal screening perceptions, knowledge, and attitudes across diverse female populations. Registration: N/A. Plain Language Summary: Measurement tools used to assess knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of pregnant women toward prenatal screening The following systematic review provides a comprehensive summary and quality evaluation of measurement tools used globally to assess the role of knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of pregnant women in seeking prenatal tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate listener discrimination of orchestral performances and to ascertain focus of listener attention to technical and expressive music elements of those performances. High School (n = 84) and University (n = 84) music students listened to four orchestral excerpts: two slow/soft excerpts and two fast/loud excerpts. Recordings representing three levels of performance were presented: high school, university and professional. Listeners rated excerpts on accuracy and musicality, and identified the most noticeable element of each performance. Results indicated that listeners discriminated between performance levels. In the slow excerpts, university students noticed intonation and tone most frequently, while high school students noticed dynamics and tone. For the fast examples, university students noted dynamics, accuracy and articulation. High school students noticed dynamics overwhelmingly. Listeners noticed a wide variety of elements for the slow examples, whereas responses were more similar for the fast excerpts. (Contains 4 tables and 2 figures.)

Performance assessment is an integral part of young musicians' development. Students enrolled in music programs frequently participate in adjudication festivals and many audition for select ensembles. Outcomes of such events are deemed consequential among all concerned: students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Furthermore, the number of all-state applicants for some individual instruments in many states exceeds 100 and in some states approaches or exceeds 200. This is an inordinate number of recordings or live auditions for individuals or judging panels to evaluate. It seems paramount to utilize an efficient yet fair and accurate audition process to assess large numbers of performances in a short period of time. To explore ways of addressing this issue, the authors designed a prescreening rubric with the goal of reducing the number of full-length recordings heard by judges to a more manageable number. The authors then compared ratings of listeners who used the rubric and heard only the etude portion of the audition to scores of trained and experienced judges who heard the entire audition. (Contains 1 table.)

OBJECTIVE: Accurate and timely diagnosis of rupture of membranes (ROM) is imperative to allow for gestational age-specific interventions. This study compared the diagnostic performance characteristics between two methods used for the detection of ROM as measured in the same patient. METHODS: Vaginal secretions were evaluated using the conventional fern test as well as a point-of-care monoclonal/polyclonal immunoassay test (ROM Plus®) in 75 pregnant patients who presented to labor and delivery with complaints of leaking amniotic fluid. Both tests were compared to analytical confirmation of ROM using three external laboratory tests. Diagnostic performance characteristics were calculated including sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy. RESULTS: Diagnostic performance characteristics uniformly favored ROM detection using the immunoassay test compared to the fern test: sensitivity (100% vs. 77.8%), specificity (94.8% vs. 79.3%), PPV (75% vs. 36.8%), NPV (100% vs. 95.8%), and accuracy (95.5% vs. 79.1%). CONCLUSIONS: The point-of-care immunoassay test provides improved diagnostic accuracy for the detection of ROM compared to fern testing. It has the potential of improving patient management decisions, thereby minimizing serious complications and perinatal morbidity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The notion that dreaming might alter the strength of associative links in memory was first proposed almost 200 years ago. But no strong evidence of such altered associative links has been obtained. Semantic priming can be used to quantify the strength of associative links between pairs of words; it is thought to measure the automatic spread of activation from a 'node' representing one word to nodes representing semantically related words. Semantic priming could thus be used to test for global alterations in the strengths of associative links across the wake-sleep cycle. Awakenings from REM and nonREM (NREM) sleep produce a period of state carry-over during which performance is altered as a result of the brain's slow transition to full wakefulness, and cognitive testing in this period can provide information about the functioning of the brain during the prior sleep period. when subjects were tested across the night - before and after a night's sleep as well as immediately following forced awakenings from REM and NREM sleep - weak priming (e.g., thief-wrong) was found to be state dependent (p = 0.016), whereas strong priming (e.g., hot-cold) was not (p = 0.89). Weak primes were most effective in the prosleep and REM sleep conditions and least effective in NREM and postsleep conditions. Most striking are analyses comparing weak and strong priming within each wake-sleep state. Contrary to the normal pattern of priming, subjects awakened from REM sleep showed greater priming by weak primes than by strong primes (p = 0.01). This result was seen in each of three protocols. In contrast, strong priming exceeded weak priming in NREM sleep. The shift in weak priming seen after REM sleep awakenings suggests that cognition during REM sleep is qualitatively different from that of waking and NREM sleep and may reflect a shift in associative memory systems, a shift that we hypothesize underlies the bizarre and hyperassociative character of REM-sleep dreaming. Known changes in brainstem activity that control the transition into and maintenance of REM sleep provide a possible explanation of this shift., INTRODUCTION Sleep, especially REM sleep, provides an exceptional opportunity to study the brain basis of cognitive processes. As one proceeds from waking into nonREM (NREM) and then REM sleep, a [...]

Many past examinations of memory changes in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have focused on changes in memory for trauma. However, it is unclear if these mnemonic differences extend beyond the memory of the trauma to memory for other positive and negative information and if they are specific to individuals with PTSD or extend to other individuals who have experienced trauma. The present study examined the influences of trauma exposure and PTSD on an effect that may parallel tunnel memory in PTSD: the emotion-induced memory trade-off, whereby emotional aspects of an experience are remembered at the expense of the nonemotional context. Three groups of participants (25 with current PTSD, 27 who had experienced trauma but did not have current PTSD, and 25 controls who had neither experienced significant trauma nor met criteria for current PTSD) were shown complex visual scenes that included an item (positive, negative, or neutral) placed on a neutral background. Forty-five minutes later, participants underwent a recognition memory test for the items and backgrounds separately. An emotion-induced memory trade-off was said to occur when there was a significant difference in item and background memory for emotional scenes, but not for neutral scenes. Results indicated that people with PTSD, like the other groups, were more likely to remember positive and negative items than neutral items. Moreover, people with PTSD exhibited a memory trade-off comparable in magnitude to that exhibited by the non-trauma control group. In contrast, trauma-exposed people without a current diagnosis of PTSD did not show a trade-off, because they remembered items within scenes better than their accompanying contexts not only for emotional but also for neutral scenes. These results suggest that (1) the effect of emotion on memory for visual scenes is similar in people with PTSD and control participants, and (2) people who have experienced trauma, but do not have PTSD, may have a different way of attending to and remembering visual scenes, exhibiting less of a memory trade-off than either control participants or people with PTSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many past examinations of memory changes in individuals with PTSD have focused on changes in memory for trauma. However, it is unclear if these mnemonic differences extend beyond the memory of the trauma to memory for other positive and negative information and if they are specific to individuals with PTSD or extend to other individuals who have experienced trauma. The present study examined the influences of trauma exposure and PTSD on an effect that may parallel tunnel memory in PTSD: the emotion-induced memory trade-off, whereby emotional aspects of an experience are remembered at the expense of the nonemotional context. Three groups of participants (25 with current PTSD, 27 who had experienced trauma but did not have current PTSD, and 25 controls who had neither experienced significant trauma nor met criteria for current PTSD) were shown complex visual scenes that included an item (positive, negative, or neutral) placed on a neutral background. 45 minutes later, participants underwent a recognition memory test for the items and backgrounds separately. An emotion-induced memory trade-off was said to occur when there was a significant difference in item and background memory for emotional scenes, but not for neutral scenes. Results indicated that people with PTSD, like the other groups, were more likely to remember positive and negative items than neutral items. Moreover, people with PTSD exhibited a memory trade-off comparable in magnitude to that exhibited by the non-trauma control group. In contrast, trauma-exposed people without a current diagnosis of PTSD did not show a trade-off, because they remembered items within scenes better than their accompanying contexts not only for emotional but also for neutral scenes. These results suggest that i) the effect of emotion on memory for visual scenes is similar in people with PTSD and control participants, and ii) people who have experienced trauma, but do not have PTSD, may have a different way of attending to and remembering visual scenes, exhibiting less of a memory trade-off than either control participants or people with PTSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examines the reflection of preservice music teachers on their first experiences in elementary classrooms at the University of Texas in Austin. Junior- and senior-level preservice music teachers were enrolled in a teaching practicum class and were instructed to write two reflection paragraphs to examine changes in perceptions during their first experiences in performing and teaching elementary students. Findings show that the use of strategies by preservice music teachers were more positive in their second experience as well as their perceptions of students performances and social behaviors from Experience I to Experience II. Moreover, increased level of confidence students contributed to positive changes that occurred from Experience I to Experience II.

Most information concerning teachers' attitudes regarding inclusion is dated. The present study used the interview methodology to examine issues prevalent in previous studies (e.g., support services) and issues not yet studied (e.g., parent contact, effects on teachers). Research questions focused on (a) information, support, resources, and placements; (b) parent contact and involvement; (c) outcomes on students with disabilities, typical students, and teachers; and (d) teachers' advice. Individual interviews were conducted with 43 teachers (16 elementary, 15 orchestra, & 12 band). Perceived emotional content for teachers' responses was also assessed. Results show that teachers have generally positive attitudes concerning inclusion and their access to support. Attitudes were also positive regarding outcomes for both students with and without disabilities. Several differences and consistencies among the groups lead to questions that merit the study of possible relationships among variables (parent contact, type of support, teacher attitudes). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wide variation in glucocorticoid (Gc) sensitivity exists between individuals which may influence susceptibility to, and treatment response of, inflammatory diseases. To determine a genetic fingerprint of Gc sensitivity 100 healthy human volunteers were polarized into the 10% most Gc-sensitive and 10% most Gc-resistant following a low dose dexamethasone (0.25mg) suppression test. Gene expression profiling of primary lymphocytes identified the 98 most significantly Gc regulated genes. These genes were used to build a subnetwork of Gc signaling, with 54 genes mapping as nodes, and 6 non-Gc regulated genes inferred as signaling nodes. Twenty four of the 98 genes showed a difference in Gc response in vitro dependent on the Gc sensitivity of their donor individuals in vivo. A predictive model was built using both partial least squares discriminate analysis and support vector machines that predicted donor glucocorticoid sensitivity with 87% accuracy. Discriminating genes included bone morphogenetic protein receptor, type II (BMPRII). Transfection studies showed that BMPRII modulated Gc action. These studies reveal a broad base of gene expression that predicts Gc sensitivity and determine a Gc signaling network in human primary T lymphocytes. Furthermore, this combined gene profiling, and functional analysis approach has identified BMPRII as a modulator of Gc signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the use of vaccines for controlling the spread and limiting herpes simplex virus (HSV) disease. Pathogenesis and immunobiology of mucocutaneous HSV infections; Spectrum of diseases caused by HSV; Efficacy of HSV vaccines for the full spectrum of HSV disease.

Attenuation of Cisplatin Nephrotoxicity by Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes. SCOTT, L. A., MADAN, E., AND VALENTOVIC, M. A. (1989). 12, 530–539. The thera peutic use of cisplatin is associated with acute renal failure. The purpose of this study was to determine (a) if streptozotocin (STZ) was toxic to renal proximal tubules and (b) the nephrotox icity of cisplatin in STZ-diabetic rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with STZ (55 mg/kg, ip) to induce a diabetic state. BUN and renal cortical slice uptake of -aminohippurate (PAN) and tetraethylammonium (TEA) were not altered, relative to normoglycemic rats, 3, 16, and 28 days following STZ treatment. These results indicate that STZ is not toxic to renal proximal tubules. Cisplatin nephrotoxicity studies were then conducted in STZ-diabetic and normo glycemic rats. Cisplatin nephrotoxicity was also evaluated in diabetic rats pretreated for 8 days with insulin. Diabetic and normoglycemic rats were administered 5 mg/kg cisplatin or water (ip). Increased kidney weight, BUN levels, glucosuna, and proteinuria were measured in normoglycemic rats 4 days after cisplatin administration. Renal cortical TEA and lactate-stimulated PAH uptake (<0.05) were diminished in the normoglycemic rats 4 days after cisplatin injection. No change in kidney weight, BUN levels, or renal cortical slice accumulation of PAH and TEA was observed in diabetic rats treated with cisplatin. However, cisplatin administration to diabetic rats pretreated with insulin resulted in increased mortality, proteinurla, glucosuna and elevated kidney weight. These results indicate that the diabetic state attenuates cisplatin nephro toxicity. Additionally, these results indicate that diabetes attenuation ofcisplatin nephrotoxicity is dependent on the severity of the diabetic state. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents a study which investigated the changes in the transcriptome and glycome of endothelial cells that may contribute to the apoptotic process. Statistical analysis of gene array; Sulfation of heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans; Conclusions.

The article discusses ways on how to become an effective leader. It identifies the difference between leadership and management, and examines whether leadership skills are born or made. It explores various ways for librarians how to enhance their leadership skills through institutes, programs and courses. It mentions the Northern Exposure to Leadership Institute (NELI) and the Library Leaders Institute in Canada for librarians who are in leadership positions.

The article focuses on the relationship of leadership and emotional intelligence (EI). It notes that the concept of EI became popular after the publication of best selling 1996 book by Daniel Goleman, where EI is established in the literature of business, human resources and education. Accordingly, writers caution the confusion of EI with having good social skills. However, Author Adele Lynn points that EI is mainly focused with person's internal world while social skills is related to external relations. The results on the research made by Professor Peter Hernon with colleague Nancy Rossiter on the relationship of EI to library leadership using the five qualities of EI's mixed model including self awareness, motivation and empathy, is presented.

The article discusses the similarities and differences in leadership and management skills. According to the article, it is possible to become a competent manager without strong leadership abilities, however, there are people who have both abilities and administrative skills who can work with different types of personalities. In addition, the author notes that leadership of individuals does not necessarily comes from the ranks of authority, but their leadership inspires people as well as provides positive impact on the achievement of innovative ideas. A list on the contrasting qualities and functions of leaders and managers is presented which includes work perspective, challenges, and characteristics.

The article discusses the importance of leadership in the Canadian Health Libraries Association (CHLA). It cites David S. Mach' definition of a leader, anyone regardless of position or power whose moral bearings, relational skills, breadth of awareness, and decision-making practices influence and inspire others. The characteristics attached to librarian leadership include vision, passion, integrity, honesty, curiosity, decisiveness, daring, generosity, and flexibility. Leaders are described as brave enough to surround themselves with people of equal or greater ability.

The article focuses on the accomplishment of the Canadian Health Libraries Association / Association des bibliothéques de la santé du Canada (CHLA/ ABSC) Board over the past few years and acknowledges the people who work so hard on behalf of the Association. Still in its infancy, the new Journal of the Canadian Health Libraries Association / Journal de l'Association des bibliothéques de la santé du Canada is emblematic of the direction in which they are taking their association. It's modern, dynamic, and professional. It's been just over a year since CHLA / ABSC contracted with an association management firm, Associations First, to handle such things as the membership database and renewals processing. The visual identity of CHLA / ABSC has taken a huge leap forward in recent years, thanks to the creativity, vision, and great contacts of public relations director Tim Tripp. Front and centre in this new identity is their logo, unveiled a year ago in Edmonton, Atlanta. Tripp does double duty as Webmaster and has developed the Web site beautifully.

Background: High family levels of expressed emotion reliably predict relapse in patients with schizophrenia and mood disorders; however, the neural mechanisms linking expressed emotion and relapse are unexplored. Dysfunctional activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of depression. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to assess focal activation changes in DLPFC in response to a novel psychosocial challenge stimulus developed from the expressed emotion construct. Methods: Healthy control subjects and fully remitted unipolar depressed participants completed blood oxygen level–dependent fMRI while they heard their own mothers making critical and praising comments about them. Results: Relative to control subjects, participants with a history of depression failed to activate DLPFC when they heard critical remarks. There were no differences between the two groups in their DLPFC responses to maternal praise. Conclusions: Even if fully well at the time of testing, participants with a known vulnerability to depression respond differently to the psychosocial challenge of being criticized. These findings might have implications for our understanding of vulnerability to depression and to depressive relapse. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]