Refining a Phase Vocoder for Vocal Modulation

Vocal harmonies are a highly sought-after effect in the music industry, as they allow singers to portray more emotion and meaning through their voices. The chords one hears when listening to nearly any modern song are constructed through common ratios of frequencies (e.g., the recipe for a major triad is 4:5:6). Currently, vocal melodies are only readily obtainable through a few methods, including backup singers, looper-effects systems, and post-process overdubbing. The issue with these is that there is currently no publicly-available code that allows solo-artists to modulate input audio to whatever chord structure is desired while maintaining the same duration and timbre in the successive layers. This thesis plans to address this issue using the phase vocoder method. If this modulation technique is successful, this could revolutionize the way vocalists perform. The introduction of real-time self harmonization would allow artists to have access to emphasized lyrical phrases and vocals without needing to hire and train backup vocalists. This phase vocoder would also allow for more vocal improvisation, as the individual would only need to know how to harmonize with themselves and would thus not be relying on interpreting how backup vocalists plan on moving the melody when creating more spontaneously

Thermal Inactivation of Bacillus anthracis Spores Using Rapid Resistive Heating

Bacillus anthracis (B.a.) is the causative agent of anthrax. B.a. spores pose a threat because have been used as a bioweapon throughout history and can survive harsh conditions for prolonged periods of time. Rapid resistive heating was used for the thermal inactivation of spores in order to determine B.a. spore viability, to include partial and complete thermal inactivation. This microbiological study sought to obtain a correlation between exposure time, temperature, and spore viability. This information is invaluable when modeling employment effects for agent defeat weapons to destroy B.a. stockpiles through thermal inactivation. Partial and complete thermal inactivation of the spores were found using rapid resistive heating at short duration exposure times from 0.258 to 7 seconds and temperatures ranging from 73.5 to 888C. Power supply pulses were created by applying varying voltages ranging from 9 to 200 Volts for 12 separate power supply input times ranging from 0.1 to 10 seconds. Higher temperatures were needed to thermally inactivate the B.a. spores as exposure times decreased

Congressional Authorization and Oversight of International Fishery Agreements under the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976

This note will examine three aspects of governing international fishery agreements as they reflect on the nature of those powers: (1) congressional power to authorize the agreements, (2) the delegation of legislative authority, and (3) congressional oversight of the GIFA\u27s by use of the legislative veto

Precision Assessment of the HPLC Phytoplankton Pigment Dataset Analyzed by NASA to Quantify Global Variability in Support of Ocean Color Remote Sensing

The ability to generate chlorophyll a (Chl a) assessments from ocean color orbital sensors, such as VIIRS and MODIS, that satisfy the requirements to be climate-quality data record (CDR) quality is contingent in part on the quality of the in situ ground or sea truth observations that serve as datasets for vicarious calibration and algorithm validation activities. NASA has a mandate to collect, analyze, and distribute in situ data of the highest possible quality with documented uncertainties and in keeping with established performance metrics. Using a dataset of over 18,000 HPLC phytoplankton pigment samples representing water collected in all major ocean basins analyzed a central laboratory (Field Support Group (FSG) of the Ocean Ecology Laboratory (OEL) at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)), we performed an assessment of the global precision among sample replicates of Chl a as well as major accessory pigments. We investigated the impacts of filtration volume, water basin, collection technique, pigment concentration, and different filtration volumes for replicate filters on replicate filter precision, as well as investigating any pigment-specific differences. Our results quantify sample variability with the goal of understanding any systemic biases or biogeographic influences

Exploring Behavior and Social Relationships of a Captive Group of Chimpanzees \u3cem\u3e(Pan troglodytes)\u3c/em\u3e

An observational study was conducted on a captive group of chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes to determine the overall behavior patterns, social organization, grooming relationships, and enclosure usage. Adolescence is a very dynamic time for young males and new group dynamics were expected to occur. The aim of the study was to investigate any shifting of social bonds among the group members and changes in the ranks of the two adolescent males. The two adolescent males (Lu and Mugsy) should have been demonstrating dominance behaviors towards the females, towards each other, and exhibiting sexual behaviors. Due to the unique group composition and the handrearing/ peer-rearing background ofthe males, this study also attempted to assess ifthe males of the group expressed species and sex-specific behaviors characteristic of healthy, socially capable male chimpanzees. A variety of behaviors were examined to determine interindividual relationships and to predict which male will be the next alpha individual; however, due to the low frequency of occurrence of dominance and submissive behaviors, proximity and grooming data were the primary behavioral measures. The data revealed that the males did not exhibit behaviors characteristic of their age and sex. The group remained in a stable state throughout the observation period with no observable status striving behaviors. Overall activity levels were low, with each group member having been stationary for 50%-68% of the observable time. The males did not exhibit sexual behaviors or interest in grooming the females while they were in swell. The group distributed nearly equal amounts of grooming to each male and both males spent nearly equal amounts of time in proximity to other members of the group. Mugsy, however, groomed others significantly more than Lu. Based on previous research, those that groom others more tend to be subordinate. The grooming data analyses determined the group\u27s hierarchical structure to be Debbie \u3c Kerry \u3c Julie \u3c Lu \u3c Mugsy. The data also indicated that Lu is likely to be the next alpha individual when Debbie\u27s status declines as she continues to age. Enclosure usage varied for the males and the females of the group. The patterns of enclosure usage replicated the natural fission-fusion social structure found in wild chimpanzees. The females were found to distribute the majority of their time near the waterfall/second viewing area and the males distributed their time near the first and second viewing area. Although the males and females were most often in separate groups, occasionally they were observed in one group moving through the enclosure or foraging and feeding together. Overall, this captive group of chimpanzees did not demonstrate behavior characteristic oftheir sex and age. A variety of factors may have contributed to the observed behavior patterns, such as the lack of mixed-ages for each sex, lack of adult male role models, hand/peer-rearing of the adolescent males, and the presence of a strong female coalition; however, this study could not distinguish among these factors

The Experiences of School Counselors with Court Involvement Related to Child Custody

Professional school counselors are often confronted with a myriad of legal and ethical challenges when working with students and their families. While school counselors are discouraged from becoming involved in child custody matters, many are unable to avoid the process for a variety of reasons. This qualitative phenomenological research inquiry explored professional school counselors\u27 experiences with court involvement in child custody matters and sought to understand how such experiences may have affected how they perceive their role in assisting children and families who are undergoing divorce, separation, or child custody disputes. A series of semi-structured interview questions and a written reflection were utilized with a random purposeful, convenience, and snowball sample of nine professional school counselors from a school division in Virginia. Findings suggest that experiencing court involvement for child custody matters presents various concerns for school counselors including uncomfortable feelings and interactions, personal and professional inconveniences, unpreparedness, and ethical dilemmas. These concerns subsequently impact the work of school counselors with children and families. Implications for school counselors, parents and guardians, legal personnel, counselor educators, supervisors, and professional associations are discussed

Latinx College Student Sense of Belonging: The Role of Campus Subcultures

This qualitative, multiple case study incorporated elements of a grounded theory approach to explore the role of involvement in a particular university subculture, Latinx Greek letter organizations, in how Latinx college students develop and make meaning of their sense of belonging within predominantly White institutions. The study was guided by the following questions: (1) How do Latinx college students involved in LGLOs at PWIs experience and develop a sense of belonging? (2) What role (if any) does involvement in Latinx fraternities and sororities play in how Latinx college students experience and develop a sense of belonging at PWIs? Participants included 14 Latinx college students involved in Latinx Greek letter organizations at two large, public universities in the Midwest. Data collection involved individual level and institutional level data. Individual level data were the primarily data source and included a demographic survey in addition to a set of three individual interviews using photo elicitation with each of the 14 participants. Institutional level data included institutional documents and statements as well as interviews with Greek Life staff members at participating institutions. An exploration of participants’ sense of belonging in microsystems, “the immediate, face-to-face setting in which the person exists” (Bronfenbrenner, 1997, p. 302), pointed to five primary characteristics of places of belonging: where I have a role or responsibility, where people look like me, where I am valued and cared for, where my racial identity and culture is recognized and valued, and where I share interests or values with others. These characteristics shaped the extent to which participants felt a sense of belonging within a given setting, which had a ripple effect on individuals’ sense of belonging in other contexts. The findings of this study underscored the significance of the role of belonging in campus subcultures for Latinx college students regardless of whether individuals also felt a sense of belonging within the university as a whole, thus highlighting the significance of micro- and macro- levels of belonging in the experiences of Latinx college students. This study offers implications for research and practice based on these findings