A Time-Course Analysis of Behavioral Plasticity and Differential Gene Expression Patterns in Response to Density in Schistocerca americana (Orthoptera: Acrididae)

Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of the genotype to express alternative phenotypes in response to different environmental conditions and this is considered to be an adaptation in which a species can survive and persist in a rapidly changing environment. Some grasshoppers and locusts are capable of expressing an extreme form of density-dependent phenotypic plasticity, known as locust phase polyphenism. At low population density, the individuals typically have a cryptic coloration as nymphs, are less active, and only seek out conspecifics for reproductive purposes. At high density, however, they develop a drastically different phenotype in which they have a conspicuous coloration, are much more active, and tend to stay together in large groups. The American Birdwing grasshopper, Schistocerca americana, is a non-swarming species related to the desert locust, S. gregaria, which shows density-dependent phenotypic plasticity in behavior, color, and morphology. In this thesis, I have identified the duration of crowding necessary for a 6th instar S. americana reared in the isolated condition to express the typical crowded behavior. The behavior changed after just one hour of crowding and the effect of crowding diminished after 48 hours to near-complete isolated behavior. In reverse, the crowded condition was isolated, but behavior did not significantly change over time. Gene expression of the following three genes suspected of having a role in behavior change were investigated based on studies of S. gregaria: protein kinase A (PKA), L-Tryptophan-5-monooxygenase (T-5), and Aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (Decarb). T-5 was up-regulated in the long-term isolated condition compared to the long-term crowded condition. T-5 and Decarb were up-regulated in isolated individuals that were crowded for 10 hours compared to the long-term isolated condition. This study represents a novel contribution in the study of phenotypic plasticity as it establishes the time course of behavioral and molecular plasticity in a non-swarming grasshopper for the first time

Chromatic Chords in Theory and Practice

"Chromatic harmony" is seen as a fundamental part of (extended) tonal music in the Western classical tradition (c.1700–1900). It routinely features in core curricula. Yet even in this globalised and data-driven age, 1) there are significant gaps between how different national "schools" identify important chords and progressions, label them, and shape the corresponding curricula; 2) even many common terms lack robust definition; and 3) empirical evidence rarely features, even in in discussions about "typical", "representative" practice. This paper addresses those three considerations by: 1) comparing English- and German-speaking traditions as an example of this divergence; 2) proposing a framework for defining common terms where that is lacking; and 3) surveying the actual usage of these chromatic chord categories using a computational corpus study of human harmonic analyses

Form and freedom: the marriage of musical systems and intuition

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This thesis includes an Introduction, which explains some of the ideas and procedures involved in a series of compositions I produced during the period from October, 2008 through November, 2011, a discussion of the works themselves individually and in roughly the same chronological order in which they were composed, and a summary of Conclusions which may be drawn. Included as an Appendix are texts for reference while listening to the vocal works. Complete scores of the works with representative recordings make up the main body of the thesis, except in the case of the solo piano suite Equilibria, where the score is included but the work remained unrecorded at the time of submission. Ideas discussed include some which unite or distinguish the processes of musical improvisation with/from more methodical modes of composition. Also the theme of musical collaboration is considered in contrast to the notion of the composer who works – or appears to work – in isolation. Research into traditions of music is regarded as important to compositional practice overall. Among the Conclusions is that my own orientation to these ideas places me in the category of post-minimalist composers. Throughout this discussion I have involved commentary from other relevant and important thinkers, critics and composers

A Study in American Agitation: J. Edgar Hoover's Symbolic Construction of the Communist Menace

This study is a content analysis of J. Edgar Hoover's Masters of Deceit, a major non-fiction bestseller published in 1958. By using the theoretical insights of the Frankfurt School, Hoover's anti-communist treatise can be thematically analyzedas a specific type of propaganda dissemination: agitation. This study will isolate and explain five agiuuional themes employed to symbolically construct the Communist Menace: 1. The False Religion; 2. The Apocalyptic End; 3. The Dupes; 4. The Communist Conspiracy; and 5. Trust the FBI. By probing beneath the manifest content of Master;) an effort is made to decipher the latent content and discover the implicit mechanisms used to influence public thought

Determining the Impact of Wind on System Costs via the Temporal Patterns of Load and Wind Generation

Wind Energy, System Costs, Alternative Energy, Electricity Generation, Environmental Economics and Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Q4, Q42, Q54,

Easy money in FTR auctions

Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Risk and Uncertainty,

Musical Micro-Timing for Live Coding

Micro-timing is an essential part of human music-making, yet it is absent from most computer music systems. Partly to address this gap, we present a novel system for generating music with style-specific micro-timing within the Sonic Pi live coding language. We use a probabilistic approach to control the exact timing according to patterns discovered in new analyses of existing micro-timing data (jembe drumming and Viennese waltz). This implementation also required the introduction of musical metre into Sonic Pi. The new metre and micro-timing systems are inherently flexible, and thus open to a wide range of creative possibilities including (but not limited to): creating new micro-timing profiles for additional styles; expanded definitions of metre; and the free mixing of one micro-timing style with the musical content of another. The code is freely available as a Sonic Pi plug-in and released open source at https://github.com/MaxTheComputerer/sonicpi-metre

You Promised You Wouldn\u27t Tell: Modifying Arbitration Confidentiality Agreements to Allow Third-Party Access to Prior Arbitration Documents

To facilitate the speed, cost-effectiveness, and casual atmosphere of arbitration, it has long been thought that parties must trade in the usual features of the courts, such as precedent, appellate review, and certain evidentiary rules. With the increasing use of arbitration, many parties have begun to demand that some of the comforts that have long accompanied litigation be merged with the benefits of arbitration. Courts have, for the most part, denied such demands. Nevertheless, the Seventh Circuit in Gotham Holdings allowed such a demand by ruling that third parties must have the opportunity to obtain prior arbitration awards and use them as evidence of precedent in a subsequent arbitral or judicial proceeding. Any concern that arbitration will lose its appeal, as such a procedure will drive up the cost for arbitration and bring arbitration closer to being like litigation, is misguided. Providing information about prior arbitral awards and related documents offers precedential value and will only lead to a faster and more cost-effective process. Similarly, giving parties the opportunity to offer evidence and testimony other than their own voice will allow them to provide better support for their claims and permit arbitration to become even more of a necessary legal remedy