Harvesting is a human-imposed selective pressure. Harvest-induced mortality is not random and mostly targets heritable traits. Human harvest may impose an artificial selection pressure on life history traits, often opposite to natural selection. Therefore in harvested populations life history strategies will evolve under natural and human imposed selective pressures, favoring individuals with the highest fitness. In ungulate populations hunting is the most common cause of adult mortality. By increasing adult mortality, hunting may have both ecological and evolutionary consequences affecting phenotypic traits and life history strategies. Typically, in sexually dimorphic species large horn and weapon size is the major determinant of success in male-male competition. Large males gain high dominance rank and enjoy high reproductive success. By removing males with large horn and body size, hunters may favor small individuals, opposite to sexual selection. In long lived mammals longevity is the main determinant in female reproductive success. Typically females reproduce once a year, therefore in the energy allocation trade-off they invest more in body maintenance and survival rather than reproduction to increase lifetime reproductive success. By increasing adult female mortality hunting may reduce age and size at maturation, selecting for a strategy of early maturation and great current maternal investment. In this thesis I studied chamois ecology and evolution by comparing hunted and unhunted populations. I tested for possible differences in life history traits and examined the ecological and evolutionary consequence of hunting. In the chamois populations under study phenotypic traits and reproductive strategies were not strongly affected by hunting. There was no evidence of a strong evolutionary effect of sport hunting on horn length or body mass of adult males or yearlings. Although hunters seek long horned males, hunter selectivity is unlikely to lead to an artificial selective pressure on horn size. I found few differences in body and horn size between hunted and protected populations, suggesting the absence of strong effects of hunting on male phenotype. Although yearling body mass declined over time in both hunted populations, environmental factors explained much of the trends. The combination of low variability in adult horn length, weak correlation between horn length and body mass for adult males and strong compensatory horn growth apparently reduced the potential for hunters to selectively remove young adult males with vigorous growth. Although early development in body and horn growth affected reproductive potential in young and senescent females chamois, I found no evidence that female early development affected hunter selectivity. Sport harvest did not appear to have strong impacts on the evolution of phenotypic traits and reproductive strategies of female chamois, likely because of a low harvest rate and weak selection for long-horned females as hunters appeared more concerned with avoiding lactating females. The biology of chamois seems to prevent impact of selective hunting, at least in the case of weak hunting pressure.

The English horn has persevered as a popular solo instrument by the many composers who have written for it since its inception as a member of the oboe family at the Court of Louis XIV in the seventeenth century. While modern English horn popularity and performance practice continues to flourish through new literature, master classes, and recordings, a review of the existing literature reveals that there is a need for an informative guide for advanced, college-level oboists who wish to begin doubling on the English horn. The present study is intended to serve as a comprehensive resource for the novice English hornist who seeks pedagogical advice on the development of specialized performance techniques, along with a discussion on the significant differences between the oboe and English horn, specialized English horn reed makingtools and supplies, and procedures for making and finishing long-scrape English horn reeds. Additionally, this study includes a brief history of the English horn and a discography of selected English horn recordings. Finally, a discussion of selected etudes from A.M.R. Barret's Forty Progressive Melodies and W. Ferling's 48 Famous Studies and correlating symphonic English horn excerpts concludes the study.

Horn players can improve their abilities to play artistically in a lyrical legato style, with a light mechanism, and employ a beautiful sound throughout the range of the horn through the study of bel canto vocal technique. No better singing model exists for horn players than that of the great bel canto singers of the early nineteenth century who were known for their refined technique, perfect legato, even tone, sparkling agility, and beautiful musical expression. Mastery of the expressive bel canto melodic style is a means for horn players to achieve artistry in performance. Pedagogical principles of nineteenth- and twentieth-century bel canto teachers, vocal exercises related to development of bel canto technique, and recorded performances of singers who have specialized in bel canto repertoire are examined. This study culminates in performer's guides to repertoire chosen from the few existing early nineteenth-century solo horn with piano pieces (by Balfe, Mercadante, and Rossini), with bel canto-informed horn technique explained.

No description available.

The need for a valve mechanism of some type was first felt by French horn players, and after the horn's valve system had somewhat proved itself to composers as well as instrumentalists, it was adapted for the other brass instruments.

This piece was started during the spring semester of 2005. The original conception was to write something that was both emotionally and mentally moving. The tempo is very slow, 54 beats per minute. The underlying theme is the harmonic movement of an E minor triad (E G B) moving to a F major 7th chord (F A C E). This chord is often approached using deceiving the listener with a do – re – ma – do melody in E minor, but when the final E is heard, it has become the 7th degree of the cadence chord, F major 7th. This theme is carried through several colors. The first time it is heard is in the strings. Then, primarily stated in the middle register, we hear it in a wind trio consisting of clarinet, bassoon and horn. The next section is a low rumbling effect where the low strings and bass clarinet make the statement. Lastly, before a quasi-development section, the statement is heard in highest register with the flute, oboe, clarinet, and violins. This last statement peaks and the piece begins to slightly accelerate and make use of eighth notes in a polyphonic exploration in E minor. After this is established the tonality becomes blurred and cadences are delayed. The first violin and flute seem to be behind a couple measures even though they are considered of the fastest instruments in the orchestra. Eventually the orchestra collides and unites again to build strength, but it is of no use because they seem to have hard trouble finding the original tonality. When they final reach the E minor tonality again, they are exhausted and gradually fade away to the final cadence where we hear the two thematic chords simultaneously: strings – E minor, high winds – F major.

Faculty of Humanities School of Social Sciences 0413346n Wanguimaina@hotmail.com / This research report is a study of US foreign policy towards Kenya. The context of the study is informed by the role that the US played in Kenya’s democratisation process in the post-Cold War era, the 1998 US embassy attacks in Kenya, and US policy following the events of 11 September 2001. The study sets out to examine how these events subsequently affected the domestic policies of Kenya. It identifies the continuities and new avenues of the bilateral relations between Kenya and the US. Democracy, terrorism and US foreign policy are the underlying factors of the study.

A measurement of the primordial B-mode polarisation of the Cosmic Microwave Background would provide direct evidence of inflation in the early universe. The extremely weak nature of the B-mode signal necessitates an instrument with a high sensitivity and precise control over systematic effects. Multi-mode antenna feed horns offer higher sensitivity than their single-mode counterparts, however their behaviour is much more complex. The Short Wavelength Instrument for the Polarisation Explorer (SWIPE) onboard the Large Scale Polarisation Explorer (LSPE) is one instrument planning to implement multi-mode feed horns. SWIPE will attempt to detect the primordial B-mode at large angular scales, measuring the sky in three bands at 140, 220 and 240 GHz. A single on-axis High-Density PolyEthylene (HDPE) lens and polarisation-splitting wire grid combine to focus the radiation from the sky onto two focal planes of multi-mode horns feeding bolometric detectors. A large diameter rotating metal-mesh half-wave plate allows both polarisations to be measured by the same pixel, therefore bypassing many detector systematics. Simulations are performed to predict the sky beam for two key pixels: closest to and furthest from the centre of the focal plane. For the 140 GHz channel the cross-polarisation is predicted, and the optimum location at which to place the telescope’s focus behind the horn aperture to maximise gain and optimise beam shape is investigated. A measurement of the multi-mode horn is performed using a room-temperature bolometer. An investigation is also conducted to assess to what extent the same measurements can be performed using a coherent measurement system such as a vector network analyser. A working coherent measurement technique is devised, however it is limited to horns carrying only the first 3 modes.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in printed format.

A number of factors contribute to the enigmatic nature of terrorism. As popular perceptions of the act and of the actor evolve, there is a corresponding desire to change the definition. The act itself has stayed largely the same; however, developments in politics and culture have changed our perceptions of terrorism and subsequently our usage of the term. As such, it has been imprecisely applied to a diverse and perpetually changing set of actors, institutions, and actions.