Composition has been conceptualized as a method for communicating a way of thinking (i.e., cognition) from composers to performers and audience members. Music notation, or how music is represented in a visual format, becomes the vehicle through which such cognition is communicated. In the past, research on notation has been approached either categorically or as a taxonomy, where it is placed into separate categories based primarily on visual elements, including its symbols, conventions, and practices. The modern application of notation in Western classical music repertoire, however, has shown that the boundaries between these systems are not always clear and sometimes blend together. Viewing music notation from a spectrum-based approach instead provides a better understanding of notation through its cognitive effects. These spectra can then be viewed through multiple dimensions, all addressing different aspects. The first dimension consists of the historical systems of notation, ranging from standard music notation (SMN) to music graphics. Additional kinds of notation, such as proportional, pictorial, and aleatoric, work as the mediary levels between these two. The second dimension focuses on whether notation is processed intuitively, based on either cultural priming or general cognitive principles, or through conscious interpretation. The last dimension views notation as either …

The present study sought to determine some morphological and physiological critical windows during very early development in zebrafish exposed to crude oil. I hypothesized that exposed zebrafish would present a decrease in survival rate and body mass, and an increase in routine oxygen consumption (ṀO2), and critical oxygen tension (PCrit). To test these hypotheses, zebrafish were acutely exposed (24 h) during different days of development (1 to 6 days post-fertilization, dpf) to different concentrations of high-energy water-accommodated fractions (HEWAFs). The endpoints of survival, body mass, routine oxygen consumption, and critical oxygen partial pressure were measured at 7 dpf. Survival rate decreased based on the exposure concentration but not as a function of the day of crude oil exposure. No significant effects were found in PCrit. Body mass was reduced by the different concentrations of HEWAF, with the size of the effect varying with exposure day, with the effect strongest on when exposure occurred at 2 and 3 dpf. Oxygen consumption (ṀO2) differed significantly depending upon the day of exposure in fish exposed to crude oil. Specifically, HEWAF exposure significantly increased ṀO2 in larvae exposed at 3 dpf (9.081 µmol O2/g/h, ±0.559) versus 2 dpf (6.068 µmol O2/g/h, ±0.652) and 6 …

The transgender community in India, commonly known as hijras, consists of people who were born as males but address themselves as females. They have been considered as the third gender in India for millennia and have had specific religious and sociocultural values and roles, but are forced to live in shadows in this day and age. Isolation of this community is also reflected in the way transgender characters are represented in Indian entertainment media. The study analyses two transgender themed films semiotically and the audience reception of those representations by 20 members of the transgender community. Semiotics is a helpful tool to understand the ways signs communicate ideas to viewers. This study applies syntagmatic and paradigmatic analyses to understand how images are used to represent and relay information to the audience. Reception theory along with double colonization has been incorporated in this study to analyse the ways in which the transgender community interprets the representations in entertainment media.

The exponential growth of the human population has contributed to the overuse and degradation of common pool resources. Using science as a tool for informed policy-making can improve the management of our common pool resources. Understanding the conditions that influence groups of individuals to make ethical self-controlled choices may help solve problems related to the overuse and degradation of common pool resources. Ethical self-control involves the conflict of choice between one that will benefit the individual versus one that will benefit the group. The cumulative effect of many individuals behaving in an ethically self-controlled manner with common resource use may offset some of the harm posed by overuse of common pool resources. Metacontingency arrangements involving ethical self-control may provide some insight as to if and how groups may cooperate to manage a common pool resource. This manuscript proposes an experimental preparation and methodology to evaluate the effects of competing magnitudes of cultural consequences on culturants and their cumulative effect on common pool resources; and provides an analysis and discussion of five trends that might result from such a line of research.

This research comprised a secondary study using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health restricted data set to examine the buffering effects of religiosity on adolescent alcohol coping following victimization within the context of Agnew's general stain theory. Its purpose was to determine if religiosity buffered the effects of alcohol abuse coping following victimization for native-born and foreign-born non-Hispanic adolescents, and was designed as a follow-up research study to similarly replicate a prior study limited to native-born and foreign-born Hispanic adolescents. This study's findings were consistent with prior research that higher religiosity was generally predictive of lower levels of alcohol abuse. However, in the presence of violent victimization, religiosity did not buffer later increased alcohol abuse coping for non-Hispanic adolescents. Native-born religiously oriented adolescents were as likely to abuse alcohol following violent victimization as their native-born non-religious peers. Foreign-born religiously oriented versus non-religiously-oriented adolescents did not have statistically significant different outcomes on later alcohol abuse following victimization. Foreign-born non-Hispanic adolescents as a group appeared generally insensitive to victimization strain as measured by alcohol abuse coping. An important outcome of this study was the collateral finding that being Catholic substantially increased the likelihood of later alcohol abuse for both native-born and …

Members of Greek Life organizations consume more alcohol and participate in risky drinking behaviors at higher rate than their non-Greek counterparts due to deep rooted social norms within this population. Undergraduate sorority women at college and universities are often overlooked in research regarding trends in alcohol use in Greek Life organizations. However, women between the ages of 18 and 24 are more vulnerable to the consequences of heavy alcohol use compared to men, including liver disease, sexual assault, poor academic outcomes and post-collegiate alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Although higher education institutions are tasked with educating their students about safe alcohol use and protecting students from harm, these interventions are often inadequate in decreasing alcohol related consequences. Among students, sorority women consistently consume higher amounts of alcohol and exhibit higher rates of risky drinking behavior. This thesis aims to examine the unique alcohol-related consequences and risk factors sorority women face. Implications are discussed to guide college administrators, counselors and other supports that are likely to encounter issues associated with alcohol use within this population.