Since the development of interactive music software in the 1980s, a new genre of works for clarinet and computer has emerged. The rapid proliferation of interactive music resulted in a great deal of experimentation, creating a lack of standardization in both the composition and performance of this repertoire. In addition, many performers are reluctant to approach these works due to unfamiliarity with the genre and its technical and musical considerations. Performance practice commonly refers to interpretation of a written score, but the technology involved in interactive music requires a broader definition of performance practice; one that also addresses computer software, coordination between the performer and computer system, and technology such as microphones and pedals. The problems and potential solutions of interactive music performance practice are explored in this paper through review of the relevant published literature, interviews with experts in the field, and examination of musical examples from works for clarinet and computer by Lippe, May, Pinkston, Rowe, and Welch. Performance practice considerations of interactive music fall into the categories of notation, technology, collaboration, interpretation, and rehearsal. From the interviews and the literature, it is clear that the performance of interactive music requires specific knowledge and skills that performers may not encounter in other genres of contemporary music, including microphone technique, spatialization, sound processing, and improvisation. Performance practice issues are often mediated by close collaboration between performers and composers, but they can inhibit the accessibility of these works to new performers, and may be detrimental to the long-term viability of interactive music. Recommendations for resolving these issues are directed at both composers and performers of interactive music. A listing of over one hundred interactive works for clarinet and computer is also included.

The task of this diploma thesis is to design and test the optimal procedures for taking photos to build a 3D model of a civic building using the programme PHOTOMODELER. Then to determine the specific dimensions of the civic building and compare them with the dimensions received with the help of the basic method of measurement in common building practice, i.e. the method of cross directions (using a tape or a telescopic measuring rod) and the geodetic method of measurement. After that to evaluate these measurements and make the conclusion concerning the accuracy or inaccuracy of measurements received with the help of the 3D model of the compiled programme PHOTOMODELER.

Knowledge of the course of the pudendal nerve (PN) is important when performing perineal surgery. Distances between landmarks were measured after PN dissections in 71 cadavers and after perineal procedures on 30 cadavers. Separate inferior rectal nerve (IRN) entry and medial position of the PN/IRN with shortened sacrospinous ligaments were often seen in black individuals. A PN block should therefore be placed more proximally and medially. The Richter’s stitch should be placed further from the ischial spine. During ischioanal procedures the IRN is at risk in white females, as it was more superficial. The dorsal nerve of the clitoris/penis (DNC/DNP) is in danger during the outside-in procedures in white or obese individuals, as it was closer to the inferior pubic ramus. The dorsal penile nerve block should be administered deeper in white and obese individuals, as the DNP was deeper. The above-mentioned findings should be verified in a clinical setting. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Anatomy / Unrestricted

El presente trabajo de investigación trata de identificar y analizar la influencia y la aplicación del audio analógico en la producción musical contemporánea, abarcando diversos criterios: sonoro/técnico, de ejecución, social, de preservación o archivo, entre otros. A pesar de que el audio digital, y el uso derivado de las herramientas de edición y mezcla, se consideran el estándar en la industria musical actual, se conoce que un número importante de productores, ingenieros y artistas siguen empleando hoy en día las técnicas de grabación y mezcla analógica desarrolladas décadas atrás. Por ello, el audio analógico surge como una alternativa a los procesos de creación y producción musical modernos, tanto a nivel sonoro como de ejecución. Este trabajo parte del desarrollo técnico y estético en la grabación analógica, realizando comparaciones con su contraparte digital. Para ello, se toman en cuenta las opiniones y los procesos de producción de productores musicales y profesionales a cargo de las producciones discográficas más relevantes en los últimos años en el circuito norteamericano. Es en estas producciones donde se evidencia el uso creativo del audio analógico, así como su adaptación al entorno digital. Finalmente, se tiene en cuenta al productor independiente como principal beneficiario de esta publicación, quien conoce directa o indirectamente los beneficios del audio analógico, pero no necesariamente cuenta con los recursos para integrarlo a su estación de trabajo. Por ello, se busca brindar herramientas y soluciones para poder emplear e integrar las principales funciones del formato analógico y digital en una producción moderna. / The hereby thesis attempts to identify and analyze the influence and application of analog audio in contemporary music production by covering diverse criteria: sonic/technical, performative, social, of preservation or archive, among others. Although digital audio, and its derived use of editing and mixing tools, are currently considered standard in the music industry, it is also known that a significant number of producers, engineers and artists still employ analog recording and mixing techniques developed decades ago. Hence, analog audio presents itself as an alternative to the modern creative and production processes, at both sonic and performance levels. This work begins with the technical and aesthetical development within an analog recording, comparing it afterwards with its digital counterpart. To serve this purpose, the opinion and detailed production processes of renowned American producers and professionals, responsible for the most acclaimed records in the last ten years, are taken into consideration. Those records evidence the creative use of analog audio, as well as its adaptation to a digital setup. Finally, independent producers could benefit the most from the information and arguments in this paper, because they directly or indirectly know the benefits of working analog, even when they often lack the resources to acquire these tools. Therefore, the author attempts to bring tools and solutions for the application of analog and digital audio in a single modern production. / Tesis

Im Rahmen des Exzellenzclusters MERGE an der TU Chemnitz erfolgt die Entwicklung eines kontinuierlichen großserientauglichen Verfahrens zur Herstellung komplexer geschlossener Strukturbauteile. Hierbei werden vorimprägnierte faserverstärkte thermoplastische Halbzeuge (thermoplastische Tapes) in einem Kombinationsverfahren aus thermoplastischen Tapelegen und Tapewickeln verarbeitet. Für dieses kontinuierliche Orbitalwickelverfahren wurde ein spezieller Technologiedemonstrator entwickelt mit dessen Hilfe Machbarkeitsstudien zur Erbringung des Funktionsnachweises durchgeführt werden. Die oben genannte Versuchsanlage ermöglicht die Erzeugung rotationssymmetrischer Profile, die zudem einen inkonstanten Querschnitt aufweisen können. Für die Anlagenkonzeptionierung wurde ein Beispielprofil eines Strukturbauteils ausgewählt und die Anlagendimensionierung durchgeführt. Basierend auf dem Entwurf werden zur Anlagendimensionierung die Parameter der Einzelantriebe mit Hilfe inverser Kinematik simulativ und analytisch abgeleitet und durch anschließende Simulation in CreoElements/Pro® vervollständigt. Die konstruktive Realisierung erfolgte mittels Solid Works. Die abschließende simulative Validierung wurde wiederum mittels CreoElements/Pro® durchgeführt. Diese Arbeiten entstanden im Rahmen des Bundesexzellenzclusters EXC 1075 "Technologiefusion für multifunktionale Leichtbaustrukturen" und wurde von der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft gefördert. Die Autoren danken für die finanzielle Unterstützung.

This paper presents an innovative, eco-friendly and sustainable tape manufacturing technology that transforms waste carbon and polyamide fibers into a new class of fibrous structure with unidirectional fiber orientation, termed “unidirectional tapes structure” for the fabrication of high performance composites. This novel technology imparts homogeneity, uniformity, orientation and thermal stability in unidirectional tapes structure that resemble conventional prepreg material. Unidirectional configuration of the tapes structure brings a revolution towards development of cost efficient carbon fiber composites for load bearing structural applications. This paper introduces the concept of tape manufacturing technology and highlights the modifications, optimization, and technological developments carried out to develop unidirectional tapes. The structural parameters that play a significant role in the properties of the high performance composite, such as fiber length, fiber orientation, fiber damage, and uniformity, were assessed during tape manufacturing. The results reveal composites fabricated from unidirectional tape structures with optimum parameters deliver tensile strength and modulus of 1370 ± 22 MPa and 85 ± 4 GPa, respectively.

No description available.

My Eyes Due See is a multidimensional examination of the “black experience” in America. The installation is composed of a single-channel video, a music composition that utilizes music samples and live instrumentation, and sculptures made up of car parts and broomsedge grass. Each of these elements arranged in space share a nuanced and complicated view of blackness through the lens of a black man decoding personal history and American history simultaneously. Autonomy is the overarching theme throughout the work as it pertains to race, identity, urban and rural environments, and the relationship between generational trauma and nostalgia.

This thesis presents methods for the wafer-level integration of shape memory alloy (SMA) and electrostatic actuators to functionalize MEMS devices. The integration methods are based on heterogeneous integration, which is the integration of different materials and technologies. Background information about the actuators and the integration method is provided. SMA microactuators offer the highest work density of all MEMS actuators, however, they are not yet a standard MEMS material, partially due to the lack of proper wafer-level integration methods. This thesis presents methods for the wafer-level heterogeneous integration of bulk SMA sheets and wires with silicon microstructures. First concepts and experiments are presented for integrating SMA actuators with knife gate microvalves, which are introduced in this thesis. These microvalves feature a gate moving out-of-plane to regulate a gas flow and first measurements indicate outstanding pneumatic performance in relation to the consumed silicon footprint area. This part of the work also includes a novel technique for the footprint and thickness independent selective release of Au-Si eutectically bonded microstructures based on localized electrochemical etching. Electrostatic actuators are presented to functionalize MEMS crossbar switches, which are intended for the automated reconfiguration of copper-wire telecommunication networks and must allow to interconnect a number of input lines to a number of output lines in any combination desired. Following the concepts of heterogeneous integration, the device is divided into two parts which are fabricated separately and then assembled. One part contains an array of double-pole single-throw S-shaped actuator MEMS switches. The other part contains a signal line routing network which is interconnected by the switches after assembly of the two parts. The assembly is based on patterned adhesive wafer bonding and results in wafer-level encapsulation of the switch array. During operation, the switches in these arrays must be individually addressable. Instead of controlling each element with individual control lines, this thesis investigates a row/column addressing scheme to individually pull in or pull out single electrostatic actuators in the array with maximum operational reliability, determined by the statistical parameters of the pull-in and pull-out characteristics of the actuators. / QC20100729

Inspired by Gould, who claimed life would be arriving at a different outcome each time it were allowed to run from the same beginning, I have attempted to determine the repeatability of the adaptive course of one Pseudomonas fluorescens lineage. In addition, my study aimed to establish whether the likelihood of parallel evolution of the two synonymous single-nucleotide substitutions was contingent upon a prior motility-impairing deletion or a prior increase in fitness. Further, the study was designed to provide empirical data addressing the long-standing question of the effect of starting fitness on the ensuing rate of adaptation. Although no exact replay of the initial evolutionary trajectory was observed, I have demonstrated that gtsB, but not gtsC gene, is likely to be a mutational hotspot under the low glucose with a recovery of two undescribed mutations in gtsB. My data are consistent with a notion that substitutions in gtsB may be contingent upon Δ35kB(fliJ-PFLU4466) motility-impairing deletion, but not the fitness increase associated with it. Finally, the features of the adaptive landscape of P. fluorescens in the minimal glucose provide languid support for Fisher’s hypothesis of a decrease in adaptation rate with the rise in the starting fitness. Taken together, these original results reinforce the non-negligible role of history in shaping the outcomes of biological evolution and call for caution in attempting a formulation of rigid predictive models of evolutionary change. Inspiré par les travaux de Stephen J. Gould qui affirmait que la vie sur terre arriverait à une forme différente si elle repartait à zéro, je présente ici mes travaux où je teste la reproductibilité du cours adaptatif d’une lignée expérimentale de Pseudomonas fluorescens. L’objectif de cette étude était de déterminer si la probabilité que deux mutations synonymes évoluent en parallèle est affectée par la présence d’une délétion affectant la motilité de la bactérie ou de l’augmentation de la valeur sélective de celle-ci. De plus, le design expérimental de cette étude permet de tester si la valeur sélective initiale d’une population affecte le taux d’adaptation de cette même population. Bien d’une reproductibilité exacte du cours adaptatif initial ne fut pas observée, je démontre que le gène gtsB est probablement un « hotspot »mutationnel permettant l’adaptation à de bas niveau de glucose, ayant trouvé deux mutations dans ce site; alors que le gène gtsC ne l’est pas. Mes données sont également conséquentes avec le fait que les mutation dans le gène gtsB dépendent de l’effet de la délétion Δ35kB(fliJ-PFLU4466) affectant la motilité de la bactérie, mais non de l’augmentation de la valeur sélective qui y est associée. Finalement, la forme du plateau adaptative associé à de bas niveaux de glucose chez P. fluorescens supporte l’hypothèse émise par Fisher qui stipule que le taux d’adaptation d’un organisme diminue avec la valeur sélective initiale qui y est associée. L’ensemble de ces résultats supporte le rôle non-négligeable de l’histoire de vie d’une population en ce qui attrait à l’évolution future de cette même population. Aussi, ces résultats appelle à la prudence quand vient le temps de formuler des modèles prédictifs des changements évolutifs d’une population.