All Together Now: Collaboration and Innovation for Youth Engagement

Each new generation must become active, informed, responsible, and effective citizens. As a teacher we surveyed for this report said, civic education "is essential if we are to continue as a free democratic society. Not to educate the next generation will ensure the destruction of our American way of life as we know it."Data show that many young Americans are reasonably well informed and active. For instance, 45% of citizens between the ages of 18 and 29 voted in the 2012 election. In a national survey conducted for this Commission, 76% of people under the age of 25 who voted could correctly answer at least one (out of two) factual questions about where the presidential candidates stood on a campaign issue and state their own opinion on that issue.On the other hand, more than half of young people did not vote. And on some topics, most young people were misinformed. A majority (51.2%) of under 25-year olds believed that the federal government spends more on foreign aid than on Social Security, when in fact Social Security costs about 20 times more. (Older adults have also been found to be misinformed on similar topics.) Our research, like many other studies, finds that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are far less likely to be informed and to vote.These shortcomings cannot be attributed to the schools alone, since families, friends, political campaigns, election officials, the mass media, social media, and community-based organizations are among the other important influences on young people. In fact, our research shows that while schools matter, civic education must be a shared responsibility.The outcomes are acceptable only when all the relevant institutions invite, support, and educate young people to engage in politics and civic life. Improving the quality and quantity of youth participation will require new collaborations; for example, state election officials and schools should work together to make voting procedures understandable and to educate students about voting rules

Combating Trafficking in Persons: A directory of organisations

This document is part of a digital collection provided by the Martin P. Catherwood Library, ILR School, Cornell University, pertaining to the effects of globalization on the workplace worldwide. Special emphasis is placed on labor rights, working conditions, labor market changes, and union organizing.ASI_2003_HT_UK_Combating_Trafficking.pdf: 445 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

Real-time sound synthesis on a multi-processor platform

Real-time sound synthesis means that the calculation and output of each sound sample for a channel of audio information must be completed within a sample period. At a broadcasting standard, a sampling rate of 32,000 Hz, the maximum period available is 31.25 μsec. Such requirements demand a large amount of data processing power. An effective solution for this problem is a multi-processor platform; a parallel and distributed processing system. The suitability of the MIDI [Music Instrument Digital Interface] standard, published in 1983, as a controller for real-time applications is examined. Many musicians have expressed doubts on the decade old standard's ability for real-time performance. These have been investigated by measuring timing in various musical gestures, and by comparing these with the subjective characteristics of human perception. An implementation and its optimisation of real-time additive synthesis programs on a multi-transputer network are described. A prototype 81-polyphonic-note- organ configuration was implemented. By devising and deploying monitoring processes, the network's performance was measured and enhanced, leading to an efficient usage; the 88-note configuration. Since 88 simultaneous notes are rarely necessary in most performances, a scheduling program for dynamic note allocation was then introduced to achieve further efficiency gains. Considering calculation redundancies still further, a multi-sampling rate approach was applied as a further step to achieve an optimal performance. The theories underlining sound granulation, as a means of constructing complex sounds from grains, and the real-time implementation of this technique are outlined. The idea of sound granulation is quite similar to the quantum-wave theory, "acoustic quanta". Despite the conceptual simplicity, the signal processing requirements set tough demands, providing a challenge for this audio synthesis engine. Three issues arising from the results of the implementations above are discussed; the efficiency of the applications implemented, provisions for new processors and an optimal network architecture for sound synthesis

Analysis and resynthesis of polyphonic music

This thesis examines applications of Digital Signal Processing to the analysis, transformation, and resynthesis of musical audio. First I give an overview of the human perception of music. I then examine in detail the requirements for a system that can analyse, transcribe, process, and resynthesise monaural polyphonic music. I then describe and compare the possible hardware and software platforms. After this I describe a prototype hybrid system that attempts to carry out these tasks using a method based on additive synthesis. Next I present results from its application to a variety of musical examples, and critically assess its performance and limitations. I then address these issues in the design of a second system based on Gabor wavelets. I conclude by summarising the research and outlining suggestions for future developments

Enmeshed 3

Enmeshed 3, for cello and live electronics, is the third in a series of works in which a solo instrument becomes ‘enmeshed’ in multiple layers of transformations derived from the live performance. The works are shaped and structured in terms of the varying relationships between these layers and the ‘distances’ between the original acoustic performance and the various transformations, in terms of pitch, time delay, timbre, texture and space. At certain points in the work these almost converge whilst at other times large distances open up, with the different layers in a wild counterpoint. All the sounds in the work derive from live transformation of the soloist's performance. The composer’s own granular synthesis algorithms play a significant role in these transformations. Multichannel spatialisation also plays an important part in terms of spatial positioning and movement, the creation of different virtual spatial environments and in the definition of different layers. It can be performed variously with between 8 and 24 channels. Enmeshed 3 is in five contrasting but inter-related sections centering around a long slow meditative central passage. It was written for Madeleine Shapiro who premiered it at the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival in April 2013

Red Note New Music Festival Program, 2011

The RED NOTE New Music Festival at Illinois State University is a week-long event which features outstanding performances of contemporary concert music.https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/rnf/1006/thumbnail.jp