Sound source localization depends on the auditory system to identify, recognize, and segregate elements of salient sources over distracting noise. My research investigates sensory mechanisms involved in these auditory processing tasks of an insect hearing specialist, to isolate individual sound sources of interest over noise. I first developed quantitative methods to determine signal features that the acoustic parasitoid fly Ormia ochracea (Diptera: Tachinidae) evaluate for host cricket song recognition. With flies subjected to a no-choice paradigm and forced to track a switch in the broadcast location of test songs, I describe several response features (distance, steering velocity, and angular orientation) that vary with song pulse rate preferences. I incorporate these response measures in a phonotaxis performance index that is sensitive to capturing response variation that may underlie song recognition. I demonstrate that Floridian O. ochracea exhibit phonotaxis to a combination of pulse durations and interpulse intervals that combine to a range of accepted pulse periods. Under complex acoustic conditions of multiple coherent cricket songs that overlap in time and space, O. ochracea may experience a phantom source illusion and localize a direction between actual source locations. By varying the temporal overlap between competing sources, I demonstrate that O. ochracea are able to resolve this illusion via the precedence effect: exploitation of small time differences between competing sources to selectively localize the leading over lagging sources. An increase in spatial separation between cricket song and masking noise does not reduce song detection thresholds nor improve song localization accuracy. Instead, walking responses are diverted away from both song and noise. My findings support the idea that the ears of O. ochracea function as bilateral symmetry detectors to balance sound intensity, sound arrive time differences, and temporal pattern input to both sides of the auditory system. Asymmetric acoustic input result in corrective turning behaviour to re-establish balance for successful source localization.

'Trad.' is a collection of short stories and a critical essay that explores a number of issues involved in the adaptation of stories from one popular medium to another. Some problems of adaptation involve questions of the integrity or authenticity of both the original and adapted works. These problems are often made more difficult when the adaptation is made across different media forms. This thesis explores the transformation from popular song to short story in a popular mode in two ways. The first way is based on the recognition of the problems of determining authenticity when the processes of transmission are subject to such great variety as in popular song. The second way is to explore the question of the available popular forms of narrative for the adapted product. In each case, this thesis attempts its investigation in a practical mode through the variety of stories and the way in which they utilise contemporary narrative strategies.

The function of multiple display signals in golden whistlers (Pachycephala pectoralis) was investigated over three field seasons (2001/02 – 2003/04) at Toolangi State Forest (Victoria, Australia). Male golden whistlers are highly ornamented and possess several elaborate plumage displays, including a yellow breast and a conspicuous white throat patch. In addition, they are highly vociferous and possess large song repertoires. (For complete abstract open document)

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of Maryland, College Park, 2006. / The 1st and 12th works, operas; the remainder, songs for mezzo-soprano and piano, including one song cycle. Compact discs. Includes bibliographical references and discography in accompanying material.

Zugl.: Duisburg, Essen, Univ., Diss., 2006

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1997. / Poems by May Sarton. Typescript. Performance notes: p. ii. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record.

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Discography: leaf 129. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-128). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (doctoral)--University of Hong Kong, 1997.

Cette thèse de doctorat vise à comprendre quel peut être l’apport du chant dans la construction sociale et identitaire d’un ensemble fermé en dégageant les différentes fonctions de ce répertoire. Elle a également pour objectif d’analyser la mesure dans laquelle il intervient dans l’intégration des personnels ainsi que l’impact qu’il peut avoir sur la cohésion des groupes. En ce sens, une place importante a été donnée à l’analyse des aspects contextuels et humains du chant, tels que le rapport au corps dans les pratiques rituelles.Souhaitant aborder les différents enjeux du chant au sein de l’institution, le corpus sur lequel s’appuie cette recherche est assez large et regroupe aussi bien des pièces officielles qu’intimistes. Pour avoir une vision précise du répertoire militaire et interroger sa fonctionnalité, une enquête de terrain a été menée principalement au RICM implanté à Poitiers et au 6e BIMa basé à Libreville. Le choix d’une limitation aux Troupes de Marine est motivé par la spécificité de cette arme, l’une des plus présentes sur les théâtres d’opérations. Ainsi, l’étude des activités rituelles et musicales de la population militaire en situation conflictuelle et post-conflictuelle était possible, en plus d’aborder la place des pratiques chantées dans le quotidien de la vie de garnison. L’étude laisse notamment apparaître que le besoin d’une importante cohésion du groupe est l’une des principales motivations de l’interprétation des chants pendant et en dehors du service. Elle montre également que cette pratique vocale fait partie intégrante de la culture militaire et qu’elle permet la revendication d’une identité collective. / This Ph. D. thesis aims at understanding what can be the contribution of song in the social and identity building up of an introverted group by clearing the various functions of this repertoire. It also purposes the objective of analysing the measure in which it intervenes in people integration as well as the impact it can have on groups’ cohesion. Thus, an important place has been given to the analysis of contextual and human singing aspects, such as the relation to the body in ritual practices.Wishing to approach the various stakes of singings in the institution, the corpus on which this research is leaning on is quite wide and gathers official songs as well as intimist ones. To get an accurate vision of the military repertoire and question its feature, a survey has mainly been carried out within the RICM located in Poitiers and within the 6th BIMa based in Libreville. The choice of a restriction to the Troupes de Marine is justified by the specificity of this arm, one of the most present on the theatre of operations. So, the study of ritual and musical activities of the military population in conflicting and post-conflicting situation was possible, besides approaching the place of sung practices in the daily garnison life. The study particularly permits to enhance that the need of an important cohesion of the group is one of the main reasons of songs within ans apart from the duty. It also shows that this vocal practice is an integral part of the military culture and that it allows the claiming of a collective identity.

Drosophila courtship song has been studied for over 60 years and remains an area of active research today. Several studies have investigated the physiological mechanisms for fly song production, but no unifying account exists. We review fly song production and integrate published data to a mathematical model of courtship song production. We hypothesize that muscle dynamics underlie fluctuations in the amplitude of courtship song. Our model suggests that these fluctuations can be measured and we introduce the term 'song amplitude structure' (SAS) for those measurements. We predict that SAS signals muscle power and we validate our prediction in muscle mutants of the Drosophila myosin light chain (Dmlc2) gene. We then investigate whether SAS is a communication signal in Drosophila. We show that the two species D. melanogaster and D. simulans differ in their SAS and that both females and males behaviourally discriminate their species SAS from other SAS. This suggests that SAS is a communication signal in Drosophila. Perception of SAS may be affected by noise and we therefore examine the effect of noise on responses to SAS. We find that female auditory responses are not impaired by noise in SAS, however male auditory responses are impaired by noise in SAS. This suggests that males and females may be processing noise in SAS differently. Future work should investigate whether sexually dimorphic auditory neurons respond differently to noise in SAS. We hope that our work will be helpful for investigating fluctuations in amplitude of fly song. We also wish that researchers can use our work for studying the mechanisms underlying both the production of SAS and the perception of SAS.