TUTTI! - Music Composition as Dialogue

As an engineer, when I could not comprehend a physical phenomenon, I turned to mathematics. As a mathematician, when I could not link sciences to humanity, I turned to music. As a music composer, I no longer see things, I see others. The novel method of music composition presented herein is a first comprehensive framework, system and architectonic template relying on the ideologies of Mikhail Bakhtin's dialogism as well as on research in auditory perception and cognition to create music dialogue as a means of including and engaging participants in musical communication. Beyond immediate artistic intent, I strive to compose music that fosters inclusiveness and collaboration as a relational social gesture in hope that it might incite people and society to embrace their differences and collaborate with the 'others' around them. After probing aesthetics, communication studies and sociology, I argue that dialogism reveals itself well-suited to the aims of the current research. With dialogism as a guiding philosophy, the chapters then look at the relationship between music and language, perception as authorship, intertextuality, the interplay of imagination and understanding, means of arousal in music, mimesis, motion in music and rhythmic entrainment. Employing findings from Gestalt psychology, psychoacoustics, auditory scene analysis, cognition and psychology of expectation, the remaining chapters propose a cognitively informed polyphonic music composition method capable of reproducing the different constituents of dialogic communication by creating and organizing melodic, harmonic, rhythmic and structural elements. Music theory and principles of orchestration then move to music composition as examples demonstrate how dialogue scored between voice-parts provides opportunities for performers to interact with each other and, consequently, engage listeners experiencing the collaboration. As dialogue can be identified in various works, I postulate that the presented Dialogical Music Composition Method can also serve as a method of music analysis. This personal method of composition also supplies tools that other musicians can opt to employ when endeavouring to build balanced dialogue in music. If visibility is key to identity, then composing music that potentially enters into dialogue which each and every voice promotes 'humanity' through inclusivity, yielding a united Tutti

Testing the Efficacy and Potential Consequences of Fencing As A Wildlife Management Tool

This dissertation examines how various anthropogenic barriers affect wildlife movement, and in particular, how fencing affects movement and behavior of both migratory prey and predators in semi-porous environments. I chose to examine this subject as our planets last remaining ecosystems are threatened by human encroachment due to population pressure, agriculture, and a myriad of other ecological stressors. In order to mitigate the encroachment, conservation fencing is rapidly becoming the norm even though constraining wildlife movement is fraught with ecological issues. My interest in conservation fencing was to examine the potentially hidden or understudied consequences of its usage. The introduction discusses human-wildlife conflicts and the role of fences. Chapters 1 and 2 review the literature concerning animal movement and landscape ecology and set the general framework from which follows the series of specific studies in Chapters 3-6. Chapter 3 compares basic monitoring methods that lie at the core of the studies that follow. In this chapter, a comparison of traditional track monitoring to modern camera trapping methods demonstrated the power of mechanical vigilance but also the importance of timely monitoring for managerial decisions. Chapter 4 examines the effectiveness of fence-gaps, a wildlife management tool designed to compromise between complete isolation by fencing and an open landscape. The results of this study showed that most of the species in situ have indeed discovered these fence-gaps. Chapter 5 explores the potentially unintended consequences of the creation of fence-gaps as these structures funnel migration movement and thus could act as prey-traps. Using a spatial analysis of carcass locations, the results of this study demonstrated that predation locations did not cluster near the fence-gaps. Chapter 6 examines predation near the perimeter fencing and within fenced areas designed to exclude elephant. Results showed that lion predation was not over-represented near the perimeter fences and that exclosures provided good hunting grounds for lion but these exclosures did not create prey-traps. The dissertation concludes that fencing is a useful conservation tool that requires reliable monitoring to understand how wildlife functions with fencing, and to permit managers to react to issues through an adaptive management framework

Usage of Specialized Fence-Gaps in a Black Rhinoceros Conservancy in Kenya

Fencing is increasingly used in wildlife conservation. Keeping wildlife segregated from local communities, while permitting wildlife access to the greater landscape matrix is a complex task. We investigated the effectiveness of specially designed fence-gaps on animal movement at a Kenyan rhinoceros conservancy, using camera-traps over a four-year period. The fence-gap design restricted the movement of black (Diceris bicornis) and white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum simum) but permitted the movement of other species. We documented over 6000 crossing events of over 50 000 individuals which used the fence-gaps to enter or leave the conservancy. We recorded 37 mammal species and two species of bird using the fence-gaps. We conclude that this fence-gap design is effective at restricting rhinoceros movement and at permitting other wildlife movement into and out of the conservancy. We recommend that fenced-in rhinoceros conservancies that desire enhanced connectivity consider this fence-gap design to help re-connect their reserves to the outside landscape matrix while continuing to provide enhanced protection for their rhinoceroses

Revisiting the hypothesis of sex-biased turtle road mortality

Road mortality poses a major threat to turtle populations. Several studies have suggested that the terrestrial movements associated with nesting increase this risk for females. The Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre (OTCC) is home to the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre, which admits 900 or more turtles a year, with road injuries the primary cause of admission. We tested the hypothesis that road mortality in turtles is female-biased using data from injured Midland Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta marginata), Snapping Turtles (Chelydra serpentina), Blanding’s Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii), and Northern Map Turtles (Graptemys geographica) collected over about 126 000 km2 and admitted to OTCC’s hospital from January 2013 to October 2017. There was no difference in the number of male and female admissions of Midland Painted, Blanding’s, or Snapping Turtles (P > 0.05); however, more female Northern Map Turtles than males were admitted (P < 0.001). Admission of female turtles peaked in June during the nesting season, but male admissions were more evenly distributed throughout the season. Our admissions data provide a temporally unbiased and geographically broad snapshot of turtle–vehicle interactions that can directly inform conservation and management policies. Although our data are not equivalent to mortality rates, these results demonstrate that vehicle strikes can have a substantial impact on both female and male turtles

The Turtle Head Immobilization System (THIS): A Tool for Faster and Safer Handling and Processing of Aggressive Turtle Species

The turtle head immobilization tool (THIS) is an efficient and cost effective tool to aid in the processing of large, aggressive turtles such as the Eastern Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina). THIS aids in the reduction of aggressive behaviors by calming the animal during processing and minimizing injuries to the turtle and handlers. This simple tool also streamlines the processing itself, by allowing researchers to focus on measurements and markings, instead of having to maintain the constant vigilance often needed to work safely around these animals

The Turtle Head Immobilization System (THIS): A Tool for Faster and Safer Handling and Processing of Aggressive Turtle Species

The turtle head immobilization tool (THIS) is an efficient and cost effective tool to aid in the processing of large, aggressive turtles such as the Eastern Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina). THIS aids in the reduction of aggressive behaviors by calming the animal during processing and minimizing injuries to the turtle and handlers. This simple tool also streamlines the processing itself, by allowing researchers to focus on measurements and markings, instead of having to maintain the constant vigilance often needed to work safely around these animals

A Turtle Population Study in an Isolated Urban Wetland Complex in Ontario Reveals a Few Surprises

We report on the results of the first mark–recapture survey of freshwater turtles in an isolated urban wetland complex in one of Canada’s fastest growing municipalities. Although we found turtles in every surveyed wetland, the density and assemblage of turtles in smaller wetlands were significantly different than in larger wetland bodies. We also documented two species of turtles that were thought to be absent from this wetland complex, the Northern Map turtle and Eastern Musk turtle. We noted that a wetland that was bisected by a high-traffic road showed a male-skewed sex ratio in the population of Midland Painted turtles but not in the population of Eastern Snapping turtles. As a whole, the sex ratios inside the wetland complex were not skewed. These results reinforce the conclusions of a previous study of a single wetland within this same complex that had found a correlation between road mortality and a male-skewed sex ratio in Midland painted turtles. We discuss population sources and sinks within the complex and the importance of protecting the overland corridors that support the safe turtle movements within this provincially significant wetland complex.York University Librarie

Remarkable Male Bias in a Population of Midland Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta marginata) in Ontario, Canada

We report on male sex bias in a population of Midland Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta marginata) at a wetland near Brampton, Ontario, Canada. The wetland is bisected by a major arterial road and characterized by high traffic volume and substantial wildlife-vehicle collisions. Road mortality surveys conducted in 2011, 2013, and 2015 documented 217 dead turtles, of which 118 could positively be identified as Midland Painted Turtle. From 2014–2015, we conducted a mark-recapture survey and captured 34 individual Midland Painted Turtles. The male:female sex ratio of 21:4 is one of the most skewed sex ratios for this species on record. We attribute this skew to sex-specific road mortality amongst other possible factors such as predation and nesting conditions. This study adds to the general body of work that has found a male sex ratio bias in areas of high road mortality

Проектирование и разработка сайта кафедры (на примере сайта кафедры технологий программирования)

Проектирование и разработка сайта кафедры (на примере сайта кафедры технологий программирования): аннотация к дипломной работе / Глеб Владимирович Бондарчук; БГУ, Факультет прикладной математики и информатики, Кафедра технологий программирования; науч. рук. Войтешенко И. С