Pop vs rock: A comparison study of managing sessions in the recording studio and the influences of genre

This study examined the recording session management approaches of two music producers, Phil Harding and Greg Haver, to ascertain if and how their different approaches impact the outcomes of music production projects. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with each producer to gain insight into their approaches generally, and also, as a point of comparison, their work on the educational Gus Dudgeon Foundation/Joint Audio Media Education Support (GDF/JAMES) summer recording sessions specifically. Thematic analyses of the interviews revealed that the producers’ respective approaches are influenced by the genres in which each predominantly works. Harding, a pop producer, is very systematic. Haver, who is better known for his work in rock, uses an organic approach. Consequently, there were some clear differences in their decision making and organizational strategies at the GDF/JAMES sessions. The producers used different criteria to choose a project/artist. Each used distinctive approaches in pre-production (i.e. work on song arrangements and other technical musical decisions), production (recording) and mixing. Still, both produced pop recordings that largely conform to pop norms. Both recordings have similar pop arrangements and meet commercial standards. Findings provide new understanding of session management techniques that can benefit both music production education and practitioners.

O-BN06 A Proposed Difficulty Grading System for Laparoscopic Bile Duct Exploration. Benefits to Practice and Research

Background A gap remains between the mounting evidence for single session management of bile duct stones and the obstacles to wider adoption of this approach. The practice of laparoscopic bile duct exploration (LCBDE) is limited not only by the availability of training opportunities and adequate equipment but also by the perception that the technique is difficult and requires a high skill-set. The aim of this analysis is to compare the preoperative and operative characteristics and the postoperative outcomes in easy vs. difficult LCBDE in a large consecutive series, according to a proposed 5 grade classification. Methods 1326 LCBDEs were graded according to the location, number and size of ductal stones, retrieval techniques used, utilisation of choledochoscopy and specific biliary pathologies encountered. The cohort was divided into two groups: easy (Grades I A&B, and Grade II A&B, requiring transcystic or transductal exploration for up to 15 stones the largest being 15mm) and difficult (Grades III A&B, for over 15 stones or intrahepatic stones of any size needing transcystic choledochoscopy, IV and V with Mirizzi Syndrome, impacted stones, and ducts needing stenting, conversion or bilioenteric anastomosis). Various outcome parameters were compared. Results Age, sex, obesity and previous biliary admissions had no effect on operative difficulty. Emergency admission, obstructive jaundice, previous ERCP and dilated CBD were predictive of difficult explorations. 78.3% of patients with acute cholecystitis or pancreatitis, 37 % of jaundice and 46% of cholangitis had easy explorations. Transcystic stone retrieval was possible in 77.7% of easy explorations and choledochotomy required in 62.3% of difficult explorations (vs. 33.6% in the whole series). Choledochoscopy was utilised in 23.4% of Grades I&II vs. 98% in difficult explorations. As expected more biliary drains, stenting, bilio-enteric anastomosis, conversions, operative time, biliary-related complications, hospital stay, readmissions and retained stones increased with difficulty. Grades I&II patients had 2 or more hospital episodes in 26.5% vs. 41.2% for grades III to V, the median presentation to resolution interval increasing from 1 to 3 weeks. There were 2 deaths in difficulty Grade V and one in Grade IIB. Conclusions Difficulty grading of LCBDE is a useful tool of predicting outcomes. It facilitates comparison between studies and fair assessment of training. LCBDEs are easy in 72% and of these 77% can be completed transcystically. It is hoped this will encourage more units to adopt single session management of bile duct stones through establishing referral protocols, developing and refining the skills through training and acquiring the necessary equipment.

Framework of IoT Services over Unidirectional Visible Lights Communication Networks

Visible Light Communication (VLC) has been noted as an emerging technology for communications in wireless local area networks. VLC provides some distinctive features over the conventional wireless access technologies, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or ZigBee. The most prominent feature of VLC is that it can provide more exact location information, since it is based on a particular light. In addition, VLC can reduce the frequency interferences from numerous wireless channels, since it uses a completely different radio frequency channel from the conventional wireless access technologies. Thus, VLC can be used for Internet-of-Things (IoT) services. Nevertheless, up to now, not enough studies on how to provide IoT services over VLC networks have been conducted. In this paper, we propose a framework to provide IoT services in VLC networks. In particular, we will consider the unidirectional VLC network, in which the downlink channel from the VLC transmitter to the VLC receiver is given by using VLC communication, whereas the uplink channel from the VLC receiver to the VLC transmitter is implemented by using another wireless access technology, such as Wi-Fi. This is because most of the VLC receivers, such as mobile phones, cannot support the uplink VLC communication. Based on the framework of IoT services over unidirectional VLC, in this paper, we also propose the VLC–IoT protocol (VIP) which is an application layer protocol for data transport with the session management functionality that can be used to effectively provide IoT services among IoT servers, VLC transmitters and VLC receivers in the networks. The proposed VIP protocol is implemented by using the Cooja simulator. For performance analysis, the proposed scheme is compared with the existing CoAP-based scheme that does not provide the session management. From a variety of simulation experiments, we see that the proposed scheme can provide lower data transmission and handover delays, compared to the existing scheme.

A Review on Identity and Access Management Server (KeyCloak)

KeyCloak is an open source identity and access management arrangement focused on present day applications and administrations. It makes it simple to protect applications and administrations with next to zero code. The identity and access management server component provides centralized user management, authentication, and single sign-on identity brokering user federation, social login, client adapters, an admin console, and an account management console for the applications. With KeyCloak, the user management and authentication functions may be integrated with an externally managed system, such as LDAP or active directory. KeyCloak provides single sign-on infrastructure for authentication and session management. In this paper, the authors present an overview of KeyCloak that gives the objectives and features of KeyCloak and comparisons between the servers. They also present protocols of KeyCloak. Finally, benefits of KeyCloak are defined.

Exploring Revisions in Academic Text: Closing the Gap Between Process and Product Approaches in Digital Writing

To date, research into dynamic descriptions of text has focused mainly on the spoken mode; and while writing process research has examined language structures, it has largely ignored the functionality (meaning) inherent in them. Therefore, drawing on systemic functional linguistics (SFL) and keystroke logging software, this article takes a further step toward an interdisciplinary dialogue by outlining a new schematic for coding and analyzing revisions. More specifically, we show how revision activity can be tracked within functional components, across functional components, and across clauses in terms of forward and backward movements. By exploring three digitally constructed texts, which were produced and observed unobtrusively in a natural setting, we have attempted to illustrate how one writer’s revising process can be operationalized in terms of (a) chronological movement (sequence) and (b) spatial movement (location). Findings showed how activity was relatively consistent across datasets with regard to session management, revision frequency, and distribution of revision types. Moreover, results also showed how most revision activity occurred at, or ahead of, the point of inscription, particularly with regard to revising the end of clauses. However, findings also indicated that revising the start of clauses was equally important when considering the size of functional components.