Rachmaninov regarded Nikolai Medtner as the greatest composer he had ever known, yet Medtner's music is often neglected in the standard repertoire. Lack of public awareness, as well as the technical and musical difficulties in these works, both contribute to their inaccessibility. Unlike Rachmaninov's music, Medtner's music possesses none of the romance and sentimentality, thus lacking in immediate appeal. However, with repeated listening, it gradually reveals its beauty and brilliance. This document examines Medtner's Acht Stimmungsbilder, Op. 1, from a pedagogical viewpoint. Chapter One provides a short biographical background. Chapter Two discusses Medtner's musical style and his publication, The Muse and the Fashion. Chapter Three is devoted to a pedagogical analysis of the work. The last chapter concludes the paper with a suggested order of study. This set of work is technically challenging and is selected with the advanced-level or college student in mind. These students would have had experience performing 19th Century works and is looking to expand their repertoire. This pedagogical guide is written for the reference of the teacher, however, the student may find this useful to them as well.

abstract: Although many studies have looked into the relationship between depression and eating behaviors, most have not looked into the interaction between depressive mood, weight status, and eating behaviors; specifically the consumption of added sugars. This longitudinal study examined the relationship between depressive mood and added sugar consumption among college freshmen, and how weight status play a role in this relationship. A web-based survey assessing depressive mood score and added-sugar foods consumption, and height and weight measurements were obtained. A total of 511 participants (aged 18.5±0.4 years; 70.5% females) were recruited at Arizona State University from August 2015 through January 2016. The main outcomes measured were the relationship between depressive mood score and added sugar consumption (tsp/d) within each participants and between mean weight status groups (underweight & “healthy” weight, overweight, and obese). In the study, the mean added sugar consumption was 19.1±11.87 tsp/d. There were no significant association between depressive mood and added sugar consumption within or between freshman students over time. But overall, there was a slightly positive relationship between depressive mood and added sugar consumption across four time points. No significant interaction was found between BMI, depressive mood, and added sugar consumption within each student, but significant differences in the relationship of depressive mood and added sugar between mean weight status groups (p=0.025). Each individual’s BMI in the previous time points was significantly negatively associated with added sugar consumption in the current time points (beta = -0.70; p=0.010). The results from this study indicates that depressive mood may not affect added sugar intake in this sample. BMI did not have an impact on the relationship within each student, but have an impact between mean weight status groups, so further studies are needed to continue look at how BMI influences the relationship between depressive mood and added sugar consumption. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Nutrition 2017

abstract: This paper is an exploration of the potential benefits of an all-women’s chant group. A mixed-methods study using a Community Music Therapy approach informed by Feminist Music Therapy Theory sheds light on the questions: How are individuals’ resilience affected by participation in a multi-session Women’s Chant Group? How does participation in a single-session Women’s Chant Group affect an individual’s mood? Which elements of a Women’s Chant Group are perceived to be the most important to the participants? No statistical significance was found in participants’ resiliency from the beginning to end of the study, although a higher sample size may yield more promising results. The Women’s Chant Group sessions demonstrated a considerable positive impact on the mood of the participants, specifically in reducing feelings of anxiety and increasing feelings of relaxation. Participants found the experience of creating aesthetic, complex, high-quality vocal music to be the most important element of the Women’s Chant Group. Recommendations are made for future research into the area of Women’s Chant Groups. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Music Therapy 2017

Sleep quality is an aspect of sleep on which there is currently a lack of research and, in particular, there is little published data related to the quality of sleep obtained by athletes. Sleep quality is difficult to define because it includes quantitative aspects of sleep such as sleep duration, sleep latency and number of arousals as well as the subjective aspects such as ‘depth’ and ‘restfulness’ of sleep. Athletes require more sleep than the non-athlete population in order to recover from their exertions and, although evidence suggests that athletes are concerned about the impact that inadequate sleep has upon performance, there is a paucity of literature examining how poor sleep patterns affect the athletes’ psychological states during training and competition. Due to the scarcity of literature examining how the quality of sleep affects the psychological states of athletes, very little research has focused on athletes’ sleep and mood within the South African (SA) context. A quantitative research method with a combination of an exploratory and descriptive approach was employed. The sample of this study comprised of 87 athletes. The researcher made use of a purposive, non-randomized sampling technique. A self-report biographical questionnaire, the Profile of Mood States 2 – Adults (POMS 2), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Adults (STAI-A) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was administered once a week on the same day for the duration of 4 weeks. Descriptive and inferential statistics, Pearson R correlation and One-sample t-test were used to analyse the data. The researcher obtained the necessary authorisation to conduct the study and followed the ethical rules of conduct. Results indicated that there were certain relationships between the quality of sleep and mood states among athletes such as fatigue-inertia, anxiety (state and trait), depression-dejection, anger-hostility, vigour-activity and confusion-bewilderment. There was sufficient evidence to conclude that there was a significant between-week (week 1 and 2, 2 and 3, 3 and 4) difference in fatigue-inertia and sleep quality. Apart from differences in fatigue-inertia and sleep quality scores over the four weeks, all other results indicate a constant outcome over the four weeks for mood states and sleep quality. The results also indicated sufficient evidence to conclude that although there was evidence of a relationship between quality of sleep and mood states, it was not possible to make a definitive conclusion regarding whether sleep quality, anxiety, and depression were bi-directionally related. Despite some of the limitations to the study, the findings were thought to contribute in a valuable way to furthering knowledge regarding the quality of sleep and mood states among athletes. The current data suggest that monitoring athletes’ sleep and mood states may be a determining factor for satisfactory performance; therefore, the reasons for poor sleep quality should be identified in order to implement any coping strategies needed.

O objetivo desta pesquisa é analisar as marcas linguísticas que compõem as relações de sentido no que diz respeito ao humor da crônica de Aldir Blanc. A partir da percepção da estrutura da Língua Portuguesa, verificar quais as ações na produção textual da crônica sejam estas morfológicas, gramaticais, lexicais, sintáticas, fonéticas, estilísticas ou semânticas que, ao aliar-se à práxis cotidiana (contexto) oferecida pelos jornais, propiciam o discurso humorístico do autor. Os pressupostos teóricos que corroboram as respectivas demarcações linguísticas terão ênfase no tocante aos aspectos semânticos, com Stephen Ullman, Pierre Guiraud e Edward Lopes. Os traços característicos da crônica, o humor e a ironia como recursos discursivos, a seleção lexical, as inferências, o jogo lúdico da grafia das palavras, as formas textuais serão inferidos dialogicamente em grande parte pelos estudos estilísticos de Marcel Cressot, Pierre Guiraud, Mattoso Câmara, Nilce SantAnna Martins e José Lemos Monteiro. Desse modo, apontamos para um estudo da língua sob uma ótica semântico-discursiva, levando em conta sua expressividade estilística. Dessa forma, à valorização do manuseamento linguístico, quer pela escritura, quer pela leitura, acrescenta-se o dado crítico da língua através do discurso presente no humor, tendo em vista o gênero textual que é a crônica e sua grande penetração social pelos jornais de grande circulação / The objective of this research is to analyze the linguistic marks that comprise the relationship of meaning with regards to the mood of Aldir Blancs chronicles. From the perception of the structure of the Portuguese language, check what actions in the textual production of the chronicle - be them morphological, grammatical, lexical, syntactic, phonetic, stylistic or semantic - that, by allying with the daily practice (the context) provided by newspapers, provide the author's humorous speech. The theoretical assumptions that support the linguistic demarcations will emphasize the semantic aspects with Stephen Ullman, Pierre Guiraud and Edward Lopes. The characteristics of the chronicle, humor and irony as discursive resources, the lexical selection, the inferences, the playful game of spelling, the textual forms will dialogically be inferred in large part by studies of style by Cressot Marcel, Pierre Guiraud, Mattoso Câmara Nilce Sant'Anna Martins and José Lemos Monteiro. Thus, we point to a study of language in a semantic-discursive perspective, taking into account its expressive style. Therefore, the enrichment of language handling, either by writing or reading, is added to the critical form of language through the speech present in his humor, given the textual genre that is the chronicle and its deep social penetration by newspapers of wide circulation

This study is an investigation into the psychosocial themes present in the DSM-IV diagnosis of adolescents diagnosed with a comorbid Disruptive Behavior and Mood Disorder. These themes are viewed from a psychosocial theoretical perspective. The study focuses on answering four questions. Firstly, what are the psychosocial themes present in the diagnosis of adolescents diagnosed with a comorbid Disruptive Behavior and Mood Disorder? Secondly, how does these themes impact the adolescents psychosocial development? · Thirdly, what role does these themes play as causative factors of Disruptive Behavior and Mood Disorder symptoms in adolescence? · and lastly does these themes represent interactional processes reinforcing a reciprocal pattern of behavior and mood disorder symptoms? These questions are all viewed taking the psychosocial development of the adolescent into account. / Dissertation (MA (Clinical Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Psychology / unrestricted

Bullying victimization is a common experience for many students (Hoover, Oliver, & Hazler, 1992; Lund & Ross, 2017; Modecki, Minchin, Harbaugh, Guerra, & Runions, 2014). The vast majority of studies on the subject have focused on children and adolescents, but research shows that bullying victimization may continue into adulthood for some (Chapell, Casey, & De la Cruz, 2004; Finn, 2004). This suggests that certain students are at risk throughout their lifetime likely due to stable or innate risk factors. Researchers have proposed that personality traits, specifically neuroticism, and emotion regulation deficits are risk factors for bullying victimization (Hemphill, Tollit, Kotevski, & Heerde, 2015; Mynard & Joseph, 1997; Nielsen & Knardahl, 2014). The current study assessed bullying victimization for students attending a public Midwestern university. The rates for college students, influence of prior bullying victimization, and common associated difficulties were assessed. In addition, the current study measured difficulties in emotion regulation and changes in affect in response to bullying victimization vignettes. The results from the current study indicated that bullying continues into college for some students and is best predicted by bullying victimization in primary and secondary school. Results from this study supported the use of a vignette as a mood induction procedure for both victimized and non-victimized students. When taken together, these findings have implications for future research and intervention efforts, which are discussed.

abstract: Oral contraceptives are one of the most frequently used forms of birth control among young women. However, research has shown that this type of medication can contribute to negative changes in mood and diminished vitamin status. In particular, women taking oral contraceptives are at an increased risk of vitamin B6 deficiency due to changes in enzyme activity with estrogen intake. Depressed mood is one of the known symptoms of vitamin B6 deficiency as this vitamin acts as an essential cofactor in converting tryptophan to the neurotransmitter, serotonin. Lack of adequate levels of vitamin B6 therefore contribute to decreased production of serotonin and subsequent changes in mood, including symptoms of depression. With vitamin B6 being the most common nutrient deficiency, and the ever increasing prevalence of depression in the United States, especially among young adults, it is crucial that researchers investigate ways to mitigate both of these undesirable side effects. Current research on the topic fails to directly connect supplementation of vitamin B6 to positive changes in mood in oral contraceptive users. This 12-week long double-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover trial examined the effects of daily supplementation of vitamin B6 as 100 mg of pyridoxine hydrochloride, on mood states in 8 healthy college women (18-25 y) that use combined oral contraceptives. Vitamin status was assessed via plasma pyridoxal 5’-phosphate (PLP). Plasma PLP levels significantly increased by >193% (p=0.003) with daily supplementation of 100 mg B6 over a four week period. Mood changes with supplementation were assessed using the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Although a small improvement in the POMS depression sub score was observed after 4 weeks of vitamin B6 supplementation (14.7%), the changes were insignificant (p>0.05). Furthermore, total mood disturbance scores did not significantly change with either the placebo or supplement periods. While mood states were not improved, a significant decrease in the presence of depressive symptoms as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory was observed after vitamin B6 supplementation, compared to placebo (p=0.047). The results of this study necessitate further investigation into the use of B6 supplementation as a means of reducing negative mood changes in oral contraceptive users. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Nutrition 2020

The goal of this dissertation is to formulate a novel characterization of subjunctive complements in Spanish, based on semantico-pragmatic and syntactic evidence. The analysis is informed by, and has consequences for, theories that the pragmatic and semantic components of the grammar interface with the syntax. Thus, the proposal carries implications for the interpretive components of the grammar at the C-I interface. I argue that the indicative mood, in Romance, corresponds to propositions which carry assertive force. Data from Greek and Bulgarian provide evidence for a syntactic representation of this feature. I provide evidence for a novel tripartite classification of subjunctive clauses: (i) those that are lexically-selected by volitional verbs and carry strongly intensional semantics, (ii) those licensed by a non-veridical operator (i.e. negation) and carry anti-veridical semantics and (iii) those which lack illocutionary force, with the subjunctive mood surfacing as the default (uninformative) mood in complements to emotives and negated epistemics. Complements to emotive and negated epistemic predicates are the only subjunctive complements which may be extensionally anchored (to the real world), yet are incompatible with ‘point of view’ phenomena, which is unexpected in extensional contexts. The data indicate that the subjunctive surfaces in uninformative contexts, in the absence of (intensional or assertive) illocutionary force. The observations lead to a novel syntactic analysis, relying on Speas and Tenny’s (2003) representation of pragmatic arguments, which captures the fact that subjunctive clauses are anchored to a particular individual (either the matrix subject or the speaker). I propose that subject obviation occurs only in deontic and causative contexts, a novel hypothesis supported by data which illustrate that the addition of an evaluative component (an epistemic ordering source) renders subject obviation violable. I argue that a feature-checking relationship between the subordinate Seat of Knowledge position and matrix deontic or causative v anchors the complement proposition to the matrix subject’s model of evaluation. Co-reference is then banned due to a semantico-pragmatic parameter setting in Romance which disallows a de se (self-ascribing) reading in finite contexts, which facilitates the processing of pronominal reference. I argue that the semantico-pragmatic status of subjunctive complements to negated epistemic predicates overlaps with those to both emotives, which are evaluative, and those to other negated predicates (i.e. perception verbs, verbs of reported speech), which are evidential. Their dual status accounts for the (previously unobserved) overlapping syntactic and semantic properties exhibited in their subjunctive complements. Partee’s (1991, 1995) proposal for a tripartite structure of negation elegantly captures the interpretive facts. Subjunctive complements to negated evidential predicates are interpreted in the scope of negation, while those to evaluative (emotive) predicates are interpreted in the restrictor, with those to negated epistemics allowing both options. Two different types of negation are identified, following Horn’s (1989) analysis. The pragmatic classification of the predicate as either evidential or evaluative determines the type of negation with which it may surface. Metalinguistic negation surfaces with evaluative predicates, and does not scope into the complement clause. True negation-triggered subjunctive (i.e. evidential contexts) results from the scope of descriptive negation into the complement clause, which carries a negative clause-type feature. I show that negation-triggered subjunctive clauses constitute unbounded events, which is attributed to their anti-veridical status. In conclusion, the analysis characterizes subjunctive clauses in Spanish, and carries implications for cross-linguistic analysis. More research is needed to verify the claims cross-linguistically, and the analysis lacks a precise characterization of indicative complement clauses which, like subjunctive clauses, require a more fine-grained characterization.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of participation in music therapy support groups (MTSG) on physical, psychological, and social functioning of cancer patients and caregivers. Participants were 24 cancer patients and 17 caregivers randomly assigned to experimental (n=21) or wait-list control (n=20) groups. The primary dependent variables were mood, coping, social support, and quality of life as measured by the Profile of Mood States (POMS), State Trait Anxiety Inventory-State (STAI-S) and Trait (STAI-T) scales, Personal Resource Questionnaire 85-Part 2 (PRQ85-Part 2), and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General Form (FACT-G). These measures, completed by all participants at baseline, midpoint, and end of three weeks, assessed the long-term effect (three weeks) of MTSG participation. The Music Therapy Support Group Numerical Rating Scales (MTSG-NRS) evaluated the short-term effect of each 60-minute music therapy session on mood, pain, stress, anxiety, and quality of life. All participants also completed the Music Therapy Support Group Assessment Form (MTSG-AF) beforehand to provide demographic information and music preferences, and the Music Therapy Support Group Evaluation Questionnaire (MTSG-EQ) after participation in music therapy sessions. Experimental participants completed six MTSG sessions over a three-week period; interventions included singing, songwriting, playing instruments, movement with music, creative arts with music, and music-assisted relaxation. The data from the POMS, STAI-S, STAI-T, PRQ85-Part 2, and FACT-G questionnaires were analyzed using five individual repeated measures ANOVA. The MTSG experimental group showed a significant improvement in mood and a significant decrease in anxiety as a result of participation in the music therapy support groups; the control group showed no significant change over time. The MTSG also showed improvement, though non-significant, on social support and quality of life; the control group remained stable on these measures over time. Data from the MTSG-NRS were analyzed using a Wilcoxon Rank Sum test. Analyses revealed that the MTSG achieved significant improvement in mood and significant decrease in stress and anxiety throughout each 60-minute MTSG session. Participation also significantly decreased the perception of pain and significantly improved quality of life in four of six sessions.