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THIS STUDY PRESENTS AND TESTS a theory of tonal tension (Lerdahl, 2001). The model has four components: prolongational structure, a pitch-space model, a surfacetension model, and an attraction model. These components combine to predict the rise and fall in tension in the course of listening to a tonal passage or piece. We first apply the theory to predict tension patterns in Classical diatonic music and then extend the theory to chromatic tonal music. In the experimental tasks, listeners record their experience of tension for the excerpts. Comparisons between predictions and data point to alternative analyses within the constraints of the theory. We conclude with a discussion of the underlying perceptual and cognitive principles engaged by the theory's components.

This paper suggests new strategies for introducing students to robotics technologies and concepts, and argues for the importance of providing multiple entry points into robotics. In particular, the paper describes four strategies that have been successful in engaging a broad range of learners: (1) focusing on themes, not just challenges; (2) combining art and engineering; (3) encouraging storytelling; (4) organizing exhibitions, rather than competitions. The paper describes a new technology, called the PicoCricket, that supports these strategies by enabling young people to design and program artistic creations that integrate light, sound, music, and motion. The paper concludes with an analysis of robotics activities in three educational environments, examining how these new strategies and technologies can engage young people with diverse interests and learning styles.

This article examines different concepts and models of musical meter in light of a case that illustrates some of the challenges of developing a general theory. More precisely, in the musical example analyzed—a Swedish Polska tune—there seemingly are no isochronous metric levels (measure, beat, subdivision). Given this observation, the aim is to consider the explanatory potential of different models of metrical coherence as well as to suggest some new avenues of enquiry. The article concludes by offering an alternative framework for understanding how temporal relationships can be controlled and form coherent patterns despite vast irregularities.

The current pilot study tested the effectiveness of an e-learning environment built to enable students to compose music collaboratively. The participants interacted online by using synchronous and asynchronous resources to develop a project in which they composed a new music piece in collaboration. After the learning sessions, individual semi-structured interviews with the participants were conducted to analyze the participants' perspectives regarding the e-learning environment's functionality, the resources of the e-learning platform, and their overall experience with the e-learning process. Qualitative analyses of forum discussions with respect to metacognitive dimensions, and semi-structured interview transcriptions were performed. The findings showed that the participants successfully completed the composition task in the virtual environment, and that they demonstrated the use of metacognitive processes. Moreover, four themes were apparent in the semi-structured interview transcriptions: Teamwork, the platform, face-to-face/online differences, and strengths/weaknesses. Overall, the participants exhibited an awareness of the potential of the online tools, and the task performed. The results are discussed in consideration of metacognitive processes, and the following aspects that rendered virtual activity effective for learning: The learning environment, the platform, the technological resources, the level of challenge, and the nature of the activity. The possible implications of the findings for research on online collaborative composition are also considered.

BackgroundThe internet is an ideal forum for tobacco marketing, as it is largely unregulated and there is no global governing body for controlling content. Nevertheless, tobacco companies deny advertising on the internet.ObjectiveTo assess the extent and nature of English language videos available on the Web 2.0 domain ‘YouTube’ that contain tobacco brand images or words.MethodsThe authors conducted a YouTube search using five leading non-Chinese cigarette brands worldwide. The themes and content of up to 40 of the most viewed videos returned for each search were analysed: a total of 163 videos.ResultsA majority of the 163 tobacco brand-related videos analysed (71.2%, 95% CI 63.9 to 77.7) had pro-tobacco content, versus a small minority (3.7%) having anti-tobacco content (95% CI 1.4 to 7.8). Most of these videos contained tobacco brand content (70.6%), the brand name in the title (71.2%) or smoking imagery content (50.9%). One pro-smoking music video had been viewed over 2 million times. The four most prominent themes of the videos were celebrity/movies, sports, music and ‘archive’, the first three of which represent themes of interest to a youth audience.ConclusionsPro-tobacco videos have a significant presence on YouTube, consistent with indirect marketing activity by tobacco companies or their proxies. Since content may be removed from YouTube if it is found to breach copyright or if it contains offensive material, there is scope for the public and health organisations to request the removal of pro-tobacco content containing copyright or offensive material. Governments should also consider implementing Framework Convention on Tobacco Control requirements on the internet, to further reduce such pro-tobacco content.

This study investigated whether short-term protein supplement to the seed-only diet during adulthood would impact the production and song features in male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). In singly housed adult male zebra finches provided daily with seeds as food without or with 1 g of egg white protein supplement (equivalent to ~0.11 g egg proteins) under 12 h light : 12 h dark condition for 8 weeks, we recorded singing pattern at the beginning and end over 2 days when a female conspecific shared his cage. We found no effect of the egg protein supplement on daily song production, song bout duration and motifs per bout as well as the spectral features of the song, viz. motif duration, amplitude, pitch, goodness, mean frequency, frequency modulation, amplitude modulation or entropy. Perhaps, as sexually selected trait, song quality is not directly related to body metabolism. It is likely that seeds provided met energy requirement for vocalization (song production), and so additional egg white protein supplement did not affect the singing behaviour in adult zebra finches.

Spiritual needs often emerge in the context of receiving health or behavioral health services. Yet, despite the prevalence and salience of spiritual needs in service provision, clients often report their spiritual needs are inadequately addressed. In light of research suggesting that most social workers have received minimal training in identifying spiritual needs, this study uses a qualitative meta-synthesis (N = 11 studies) to identify and describe clients' perceptions of their spiritual needs in health care settings. The results revealed six interrelated themes: (1) meaning, purpose, and hope; (2) relationship with God; (3) spiritual practices; (4) religious obligations; (5) interpersonal connection; and (6) professional staff interactions. The implications of the findings are discussed as they intersect social work practice and education.

Historical trends in the rhythm of Western European instrumental classical music between ∼1650 and 1950 have recently been studied using the nPVI equation. This equation measures the average degree of durational contrast between adjacent events in a sequence (such as notes in a musical theme). These historical studies (e.g., Daniele & Patel, 2013, Hansen et al., in press) have relied on assigning each composer’s music a mean nPVI value in order to search for broad historical trends across composers. Here we address how mean nPVI might vary across different compositional periods within a composer’s lifetime, focusing on four famous composers whose lives have been demarcated into different epochs by historical musicologists, and who were part of Daniele and Patel’s original study: J. S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms. For these composers, we find that the mean nPVI does not vary dramatically across compositional periods. Nevertheless, there are interesting trends within the lifetime of each composer which reflect the larger ‘rising nPVI’ trend seen across all Austro-German composers studied by Daniele and Patel (2013). These findings demonstrate the utility of studying historical patterns in musical rhythm at two distinct timescales: within the lifetimes of individual composers, and across composers from divergent musical eras.