Performing composition : developing a computer assisted composition system through live coding performance

This thesis maps the author's journey from a music composition practice to a composition and performance practice. The work involves the development of a software library for the purpose of encapsulating compositional ideas in software, and realising these ideas in performance through a live coding computer music practice. The thesis examines what artistic practice emerges through live coding and software development, and does this permit a blurring between the activities of music composition and performance. The role that software design plays in affecting musical outcomes is considered to gain an insight into how software development contributes to artistic development. The relationship between music composition and performance is also examined to identify the means by which engaging in live coding and software development can bring these activities together. The thesis, situated within the discourse of practice led research, documents a journey which uses the experience of software development and performance as a means to guide the direction of the research. The journey serves as an experiment for the author in engaging an hitherto unfamiliar musical practice, and as a roadmap for others seeking to modify or broaden their artistic practice

Are young sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax L. (Teleostei : Pisces) adapted to mussel cultures?

In Mont Saint-Michel Bay, one of the most abundant food items in young sea bass diets was Mytilus edulis. This invertebrate is an abundant cultured bivalve in many coastal systems and it is known to be in direct trophic competition with the natural food items of sea bass. This study shows that mussel culture can play the role of a nursery area, providing food for young opportunistic fish. Quantification of these interactions appears to be of a major importance in order to enable sustainable management of coastal areas

The Feminist Spring? : A Narrative Analysis of the Media Discourse of the Swedish party Feminist Initiative

This thesis investigates the media discourse of the Swedish party Feminist Initiative in conjunction with the election to the European Parliament, and the general national election, in May and September 2014. Through the methods of narrative analysis and critical discourse analysis, it identifies the dominating media approaches and attitudes towards the party, and analyses what norms and structures generates these approaches. Through a theoretical orientation of gender studies, populism as political style and the notion of power, it maps the narratives and discusses the construction of the narratives. Furthermore, it compares the media approaches to the different elections and investigates possible reasons for variations in the narratives. Finally this thesis investigates the practical outcome of the discourse, whether the media discourse on Feminist Initiative influenced the general political landscape in Sweden and if so, how? The result of the analyzes gave three narratives in conjunction with the election to the European Parliament, and two narratives of the national general election. The narratives were characterized by simplifications and exaggerations and followed a populist discourse and responded to a patriarchal structure. Furthermore, the analyzes of the narratives showed that media tends to follow already existing narratives rather than adjusting the news coverage to the object it aims to portray. Through a contextualization of the narratives, I conclude that the media discourse on Feminist Initiative did create a political environment more supportive of feminism. That the feminist agenda became more prioritized through the popularization but simultaneously entered the Swedish political landscape in terms of action

Visual rhetoric and usability in user documentation

While debates continue in regards to the importance of usability in user documentation, many of those arguments have been focused on the importance of the type of language used--many pushing (rightly so) for a plainer, less technical style. However, while it is certainly important to focus on the words being used, it is equally, if not more, important to pay attention to the way those words are presented. Designing user documentation with a strong sense of visual rhetoric (specifically in terms of color and typography), the technical communicator is able to take control of how their work affects the user both intellectually and emotionally. I argue that by ignoring the visual element of their documentation, and as a result privileging the text, the designer does both the user, and the product, a terrible disservice

Modelling the dynamics of the piano action: is apparent success real?

International audienceThe kinematics and the dynamics of the piano action mechanism have been much studied in the last 50 years and fairly sophisticated models have been proposed in the last decade. Surprisingly, simple as well as sophisticated models seem to yield very valuable simulations when compared to measurements. We propose here a very simple model, with only 1-degree of freedom, and compare its outcome with force and motion measurements obtained by playing a real piano mechanism. The model, purposely chosen as obviously too simple to be predictive of the dynamics of the grand piano action, appears either as very good or as very bad, depending on which physical quantities are used as the input and output. We discuss the sensitivity of the simulation results to the initial conditions and to noise and the sensitivity of the experimental/simulation comparisons to the chosen dynamical model. It is shown that force-driven simulations with position comparisons, as they are proposed in the literature, do not validate the dynamical models of the piano action. It is suggested that these models be validated with position-driven simulations and force comparisons

The Changing Nature of Collection Management in Research Libraries

The contemporary history of collection management in North American research libraries began midcentury. Since then, several issues have influenced the evolution of collection management with new forces emerging in the 1980s. In this article, we point to the challenges librarians face in managing the transition into a new and uncharted environment, including differing needs and scholarly communication patterns. We anticipate digital information will bring fundamental changes to scholarly communication and thus to collection management and point to a shift from a decentralized system of duplicate print collections to one of fewer central repositories. We believe print collections are not likely to disappear but the importance of secure storage for digital materials cannot be overemphasized. In the digital age, the "library model" for funding and sharing information will be scrutinized for its applicability in a world of access. Collection management librarians must take the lead in wedding print collection management to new storage and electronic access and delivery options to maintain and preserve the record of knowledge

A non-smooth simulation of the dynamics of the grand piano action

International audienceTwo models of the grand piano key mechanism are presented: a single-degree-of-freedom model and a model based on 6 rotating bodies, 13 contact zones with nonlinear springs, 3 of them (hammer-jack, jack-escapement button, hammer-check) being also subject to Coulomb friction. The latter model introduces discontinuities on the velocities. The problems raised by the usual regular-dynamics formulation are discussed and a non-smooth dynamics approach is proposed. Based on the comparison between experimental and simulation results, it is discussed whether the simulation should be driven by the force exerted by the pianist or by the displacement of the key

Shape and surface variations of syphon openings during complete tidal cycles in Mya arenaria in the intertidal zone

Since the degree of syphonal opening can be an index of the pumping activity, the shape and the surface of syphon openings in Mya arenaria were filmed with an underwater camera at two stations in the middle of the intertidal zone. The individuals were perpendicularly oriented to the main current direction or parallel with the inhalant syphon upstream during flood tide, causing refiltration risks during ebb tide. The surface of the inhalant opening (SI) was strongly reduced with increasing current speeds. Its shape (XI) varied with the individual's orientation and had a tendency to become more circular with time. The surface of the exhalant opening (SE) decreased and its shape (XE) flattened with increasing current velocity and with time. However, variations of XI and XE were weak. Current direction had no significant effect on SI, SE, and XE, but did cause a strong decrease of the SE/SI ratio during ebb in individuals exposed to important refiltration risks during ebb tide. Significant negative correlations between stomach content in phaeopigments and SI and SE suggest that a syphonal constriction could contribute to more efficient feeding. For parallel oriented individuals, the decreases of SE, SE/SI, and XE during ebb can then be interpreted as an attempt to deviate or increase the excurrent velocity relative to the incurrent so as to limit refiltration. We suggest that decreases in opening surface and shape may serve, above all, to increase syphon current jet velocity in syphonate bivalves

Non-smooth simulation of a 6-DOF dynamical model of the grand piano action

International audienceTwo models of the grand piano key mechanism are presented: single-degree-of-freedom and 6 rigid rotating bodies coupled by 13 contact zones with nonlinear springs. Coulomb friction is considered in pivots and at several contact zones, introducing discontinuities in the velocities. Therefore, some problems are raised by the usual regular-dynamics formulation. The results given by the single-degree-of-freedom show that these problems must be addressed. A non-smooth dynamics approach is proposed using the XDE (eXtended Dynamic Engine) software developed at CEA LIST. Simulation results are compared to experiments for several playing nuances. Sensitivity analysis and model simplification will be discussed