Efficient abstractions for visualization and interaction

Abstractions, such as functions and methods, are an essential tool for any programmer. Abstractions encapsulate the details of a computation: the programmer only needs to know what the abstraction achieves, not how it achieves it. However, using abstractions can come at a cost: the resulting program may be inefficient. This can lead to programmers not using some abstractions, instead writing the entire functionality from the ground up. In this thesis, we present several results that make this situation less likely when programming interactive visualizations. We present results that make abstractions more efficient in the areas of graphics, layout and events

Pluggable AOP: Designing Aspect Mechanisms for Third-party Composition

Studies of Aspect-Oriented Programming (AOP) usually focus on a language in which a specific aspect extension is integrated with a base language. Languages specified in this manner have a fixed, non-extensible AOP functionality. In this paper we consider the more general case of integrating a base language with a set of domain specific third-party aspect extensions for that language. We present a general mixin-based method for implementing aspect extensions in such a way that multiple, independently developed, dynamic aspect extensions can be subject to third-party composition and work collaboratively

An application of distributional semantics for the analysis of the Holy Quran

In this contribution we illustrate the methodology and the results of an experiment we conducted by applying Distributional Semantics Models to the analysis of the Holy Quran. Our aim was to gather information on the potential differences in meanings that the same words might take on when used in Modern Standard Arabic w.r.t. their usage in the Quran. To do so we used the Penn Arabic Treebank as a contrastive corpu

Debussy's string quartet in the Brussels salon of "La Libre Esthetique"

The second performance of Debussy's String Quartet, given by the Ysaye Quartet on an all-Debussy program during the 1894 salon of "La Libre Esthétique" in Brussels, offers an ideal context for a critical reexamination of his musical and aesthetic affinities at this pivotal moment. In the first place, a view to the salon's other three concerts, which honored Beethoven alongside recent works by Societe Nationale composers, encourages reconsideration of Debussy's own response to the "great tradition" in the work he ironically designated "Opus 10." But at the same time, due regard to his other contemporaneous compositional obsessions, as exemplified in the works programmed alongside the Quartet, raises the question as to how such self-conscious dialogue with Classical models related to more pressing, post-Wagnerian musical negotiations. Pursuit of this question through analysis of the first movement's reconfigured sonata form ultimately suggests ways to distinguish, from amid the myriad post-Impressionist artists on view in the "Free Aesthetic" salon itself, those painters whose visual explorations most tellingly paralleled Debussy's own "games" with musical syntax and expression in the early 1890s

From Events to Reactions: A Progress Report

Syndicate is a new coordinated, concurrent programming language. It occupies a novel point on the spectrum between the shared-everything paradigm of threads and the shared-nothing approach of actors. Syndicate actors exchange messages and share common knowledge via a carefully controlled database that clearly scopes conversations. This approach clearly simplifies coordination of concurrent activities. Experience in programming with Syndicate, however, suggests a need to raise the level of linguistic abstraction. In addition to writing event handlers and managing event subscriptions directly, the language will have to support a reactive style of programming. This paper presents event-oriented Syndicate programming and then describes a preliminary design for augmenting it with new reactive programming constructs.Comment: In Proceedings PLACES 2016, arXiv:1606.0540

Typeful Normalization by Evaluation

We present the first typeful implementation of Normalization by Evaluation for the simply typed lambda-calculus with sums and control operators: we guarantee type preservation and eta-long (modulo commuting conversions), beta-normal forms using only Generalized Algebraic Data Types in a general-purpose programming language, here OCaml; and we account for sums and control operators with Continuation-Passing Style. First, we implement the standard NbE algorithm for the implicational fragment in a typeful way that is correct by construction. We then derive its call-by-value continuation-passing counterpart, that maps a lambda-term with sums and call/cc into a CPS term in normal form, which we express in a typed dedicated syntax. Beyond showcasing the expressive power of GADTs, we emphasize that type inference gives a smooth way to re-derive the encodings of the syntax and typing of normal forms in Continuation-Passing Style

Film Music as Polyphony: Explorations of meaning-making in film music through artistic research

This thesis seeks to describe and reflect on music composition to an experimental and non-narrative film directed by Lasse Årikstad. It presents diverse approaches to establish a dialogue between image and sound, drawing inspiration from the use of industrial avant-garde music in the movie Eraserhead by David Lynch to invoke a mood or atmosphere. The film score serves as a starting point for an extensive examination of electroacoustic music and sound within the context of an original film production. The research design employed in this thesis; artistic research, involved using art practice to discover various ways in which this design facilitated the exploration of music production for an experimental and non-narrative film. Furthermore, the method used provided insight into the multifaceted role(s) of music in film. Through experience, the thesis illustrated some tacit or embodied knowledge, through its direct, hands-on presentation of film music composition. It presented a variety and multitude of film music functions, spanning from sensuous to intellectual, neurological to philosophical. Additionally, it put forth a case on the ethical and aesthetic considerations of using indigenous music in film. Denne masteroppgaven tar sikte på å beskrive og reflektere over musikkomposisjon til en eksperimentell og ikke-narrativ film regissert av Lasse Årikstad. Oppgaven presenterer ulike tilnærminger for å skape en dialog mellom bilde og lyd, og henter inspirasjon fra bruken av industriell avantgardemusikk i filmen Eraserhead av David Lynch for å fremkalle en stemning eller atmosfære. Musikken fungerer som et utgangspunkt for en omfattende utforskning av elektroakustisk musikk og lyd i forhold til en original filmproduksjon. Forskningsmetoden benyttet i denne oppgaven; kunstnerisk utviklingsarbeid, innebar bruk av kunstpraksis for å oppdage forskjellige måter denne metoden tilrettelegger for utforskning av musikkproduksjon til en eksperimentell og ikke-narrativ film. Videre ga metoden innsikt i de(n) mangesidige rollen(e) musikken har innen film. Gjennom erfaring illustrerte oppgaven noe taus eller integrert kunnskap gjennom sin direkte, «hands-on» presentasjon av musikkomposisjon til film. Den presenterte flere mangfoldige funksjoner i filmmusikken, som spenner fra det sanselige til det intellektuelle, fra det nevrologiske til det filosofiske. I tillegg la den frem et case om de etiske og estetiske vurderingene ved bruk av urfolksmusikk i film