Carl Maria von Weber¡X composer and pianist, wrote quite a few chamber music during his life time. However, he only composed one trio for flute, cello and piano. Such combination of chamber music is quite rare in Romantic Era, yet this piece¡XTrio in G Minor, Op. 63 is Weber¡¦s most satisfactory one. The purpose of this research is to study Weber¡¦s Trio in G Minor, Op. 63. First, Weber¡¦s musical learning process will be discussed. Then the sonata form of Weber, the role of the three different instruments of piano trio, and the background of this piece will also be investigated. Later, according to the discussion above, an analysis of this Trio in three directions-- the form, the relation of the three instruments, and the dramatic intenseness will also be discussed. The last part concludes the research of this thesis. Due to the poor musical learning process at childhood, the construction of Weber¡¦s sonata form is not traditional classical motivic development, so the structure of the sonata form of Weber is quite different from the sonatas of Beethoven. By analyzing the form of the four piano sonatas of Weber will help the understanding of the structure of the Trio. Not like the classical piano trio, the three instruments¡¦ relationship of this Trio is rather balance. Moreover, Weber¡¦s talent of creating dramatic atmosphere is quite obvious in this piece. Hopefully, because of this research, the performers should have more information about interpretation on such combination of chamber music in order to perfect their performance.

In the vast output of Dmitri Dmitryevich Shostakovich, the chamber music hold a special place. These compositions, which the composer regarded them as ¡¥personal diary¡¦ himself, reflected both aspects of the social situation and the words forbidden by the power. With the ¡¥Piano Trio No.1 in C Minor, op. 8¡¦, we could trace back the traditions descended to Shostakovich during his early years. After stepping into his mature period, the interrelationship between structure perfection and motive development marked the ¡¥Piano Trio No.2 in E Minor, op. 67¡¦ a unique masterpiece. This article had taken research into both works, with discussion of two recordings by the composer and variable score editions. Hope this would make the performer grasp a full conception of these works and transmit the acurate spirit while performing.

published_or_final_version / Music / Master / Master of Philosophy

Data gathered by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., contractor for the Department of Education were used to analyze successful project level characteristics of the Upward Bound program. Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. provided two data files for this study: a student data file and a grantees data file. The first data file includes information from a nationally representative sample of students who applied to the Upward Bound program between 1992 and 1994 and were assigned to either the Upward Bound group or a control group. The second data file included information from a random sample of Upward Bound project grantees. Both the student and grantees data files were used to create a design to determine Upward Bound project level characteristics that highly correlated to student success. The project level characteristics that were examined included project setting (location, size and host institution), academic characteristics (student-staff ratio, course offerings during the summer and academic year, and the number of years a project has been in operation) and student characteristics (gender, race/ethnicity and employment). The student success measures used in this study included grade point average, total high school credits earned, Advanced Placement credits earned, high school dropout status and graduation status. Findings from this study suggest that Upward Bound projects with lower student to staff ratios and fewer academic year course offerings have students earning more high school credits and more student graduating from high school. In addition to academic characteristics, ethnicity seem to be related to the success of projects. When compared across project settings, projects from two-year rural colleges and four-year public suburban colleges have the most successful students. / Ph. D.

This diploma work aims to map to some depth the history of piano trio, to introduce the reader to individual pieces for this arrangement, to present the origins and fortunes of the leading Czech and international ensembles, and to compare their way of interpretation. In the first part of this document we will take a look at the absolute beginnings of chamber music and later development of this musical segment. We will concentrate on the history of the trio, developed from trio sonata that become the principal chamber type during baroque. At the turn of 18th and 19th century we can see its present form. It became one of the most popular musical forms, taking an important place in the work of all four "Viennese classics". We can find some occasional piano trios from Haydn and Mozart, composed primarily for the purpose of private conduction of music. Piano trios of L. v. Beethoven and F. Schubert however present a decisive step in the direction of artistic originality. Mature work of these authors represents zenith of the genre, successfully maintained later on by Schumann, Brahms, Dvořák, Smetana and other romantic representatives, who were using the form as ideal means to convey the most internal of their feelings. Meeting of three completely different instruments allows the composers to merge...

Durant la division cellulaire, la cellule subit des changements importants dans sa forme et son adhésion qui dépendent de l'efficacité du remodelage du cytosquelette d'actine. Ce processus est localement et temporellement régulé pour assurer le bon déroulement de la cytokinèse, l'étape finale de la division cellulaire. Il est contrôlé par les GTPases de la famille Rho via le remodelage du cytosquelette d'actine. Les Rho-GTPases fonctionnent comme des interrupteurs moléculaires, passant d'une forme au repos (liée au GDP) à une forme active (liée au GTP). La forme au repos interagit avec des facteurs d'échange, les GEFs (Guanine nucleotide Exchange Factors) qui déplacent le GDP et permet la fixation du GTP. Le retour à la forme inactive se fait par hydrolyse du GTP en GDP, stimulée par les protéines GAPs (GTPase Activating Proteins). RhoA est un régulateur positif de la cytokinèse, activée spécifiquement à l'équateur de la cellule, et qui promeut l'assemblage et la constriction de l'anneau d'actomyosine. En contraste, Rac1 a été proposée pour réguler négativement ce processus et doit être inactivée spécifiquement à l'équateur de la cellule pour le bon déroulement de la cytokinèse. Ainsi, une GAP de Rac1, MgcRacGAP, qui est localisé sur le fuseau central de microtubules, inactive Rac1 à l'équateur de la cellule. La déplétion de MgcRacGAP induit des défauts de cytokinèse qui peuvent être sauvés en co-déplétant Rac1. Cependant, le Rho-GEF activant Rac1 durant la division cellulaire n'a pas encore été identifié. Pour identifier un GEF régulant l'activité de Rac1 dans les cellules en division, nous avons réalisé une approche de « screening » par siRNA dans les cellules HeLa. Les Rac-GEFs sont déplétés par siRNA seul ou en combinaison avec un siRNA ciblant MgcRacGAP, dans le but d'identifier lesquels sont capables de sauver le nombre de cellules multinuclées induit par la déplétion de MgcRacGAP. De façon intéressante, la co-déplétion de MgcRacGAP et du Rho-GEF Trio, un GEF caractérisé principalement pour son rôle dans la croissance et le guidage axonal, entraîne une forte diminution du nombre de cellules multinuclées. Par la suite, nous démontrons que ce sauvetage du phénotype passe par la voie Trio-Rac1 en utilisant des mutants GEFs inactifs de Trio et un inhibiteur spécifique de l'activation de Rac1 par Trio. Ces résultats et le rôle de MgcRacGAP dans l'inactivation de Rac1 en cytokinèse, suggèrent que la déplétion de Trio pourrait sauver les défauts de cytokinèse induits par la déplétion de MgcRacGAP en diminuant l'activité de Rac1. Cela suggère aussi que Trio pourrait être un GEF de Rac1 dans les cellules en division. Pour directement tester si Trio pouvait fonctionner comme un GEF de Rac1 dans les cellules en division, la quantité de Rac1 a été mesurée par « pull-down assay » dans des cellules synchronisées en mitose. Comparé aux cellules traitées avec un siRNA contrôle, la déplétion de Trio réduit de moitié la quantité de Rac1 activée dans les cellules en mitose, démontrant que Trio active Rac1 en mitose. De plus, la déplétion de Trio induit des défauts de remodelage du cytosquelette d'actine dans les cellules en anaphase. De façon intéressante, la déplétion de Trio phénocopie la déplétion de Rac1 et de son effecteur Arp2/3, en accord avec un rôle de la voie Trio-Rac1 dans le contrôle du remodelage du cytosquelette d'actine dans les cellules en division. L'ensemble de ce travail a permis d'identifier pour la première fois un GEF contrôlant l'activité de Rac1 dans les cellules en division dont l'activité s'oppose à la fonction de MgcRacGAP en cytokinèse. Nous proposons ainsi un modèle dans lequel Trio contrôle l'activation de Rac1 et le remodelage du cytosquelette d'actine au cortex cellulaire dans les cellules en division. Dans notre modèle, MgcRacGAP s'oppose à l'action de Trio en inhibant localement et temporellement l'activation de Rac1 au plan de division, assurant ainsi le bon déroulement de la cytokinèse. / During cell division, cells undergo dramatic changes in shape and adhesion that depend on efficient actin cytoskeleton remodeling. This process has to be locally and temporally regulated to accurately ensure cytokinesis, the final stage of cell division. The small GTPases Rac1 and RhoA play an essential role in this process by controlling F-actin cytoskeleton remodeling. GTPases oscillate between an inactive, GDP-bound state and an active, GTP-bound state. They are activated by Guanine-nucleotide Exchange Factors (GEFs), which stimulate the GDP-to-GTP exchange, while they are turned off by GTPase-Activating Proteins (GAPs) which catalyse the hydrolysis of GTP. RhoA is a positive regulator of cytokinesis specifically activated at the division plane, which promotes the assembly and constriction of the actomyosin network. In contrast, Rac1 has been proposed to negatively regulate this process and has to be inactivated at the division plane for cytokinesis to occur properly. A central spindle localized GAP, MgcRacGAP, component of the centralspindlin complex, controls Rac1 inactivation at the cleavage plane. Depletion of Rac1 can suppress the cytokinesis failure induced by MgcRacGAP depletion. However, the Rho-GEF that activates Rac1 during cell division has not been identified yet. To identify a GEF regulating Rac1 activity in dividing cells, we performed a siRNA screening approach in HeLa cells. Rac-GEFs were depleted by siRNA alone or in combination with MgcRacGAP siRNAs, in order to identify the ones able to rescue the multinucleated cells induced by MgcRacGAP depletion. Importantly, co-depletion of MgcRacGAP and Rho-GEF Trio, a GEF characterized primarily for its role in axon outgrowth and guidance resulted in a strong decrease in the number of multinucleated cells. Then, we demonstrate that this rescue is mediated by the Trio-Rac1 pathway, using GEF dead mutants of Trio and a specific inhibitor of Rac1 activation by Trio. These data and the fact that MgcRacGAP was recently described to be essential for Rac1 inactivation in cytokinesis, suggest that Trio depletion could rescue the cytokinesis failure induced by MgcRacGAP depletion by decreasing Rac1 activity. It therefore suggests that Trio could be a GEF of Rac1 in dividing cells. To directly test if Trio could function as a GEF of Rac1 in dividing cells, the amount of activated Rac1 was monitored by pull down assay in synchronized mitotic cells. Compared to control siRNA-treated cells, Trio depletion reduced by half the amount of activated Rac1 in mitotic cells, showing that Trio activates Rac1 in mitosis. Strikingly, Trio depletion led to defects in F-actin cytoskeleton remodeling in anaphase cells. Indeed, the F-actin staining at the cortex was significantly reduced in Trio-depleted cells compared to control cells. Interestingly, Trio depletion phenocopied the depletion of Rac1, consistent with a role for the Trio-Rac1 pathway in controlling F-actin remodeling in dividing cells.Overall, this work identifies for the first time a GEF controlling Rac1 activation in dividing cells that counteracts MgcRacGAP function in cytokinesis. Based on these observations, we propose a model in which Trio functions as a GEF of Rac1 during cell division. Trio, which is expressed throughout the cell cycle, activates Rac1 to control F-actin cytoskeleton remodeling at the cell cortex of dividing cells. MgcRacGAP therefore counteracts the action of Trio by locally and temporally inhibiting Rac1 activation at the division plane, subsequently ensuring accurate cytokinesis.

Since 1968, the federally funded TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) program has assisted students who are either low income, first-generation, or have disabilities with services designed to improve the success of these participants in college. To achieve this goal, the services offered, such as the tutoring services at a participating 2-year college in the southeastern United States, must be effective. Guided by Tinto’s theory of academic integration, the purpose of this retrospective prediction study was to ascertain whether the amount of documented time receiving tutorial services, college placement test scores, race/ethnicity, gender, and age were predictive of student success as measured by grades in 2 levels of remedial math courses and 1 remedial English course. Nonprobability sampling of remedial course tutoring recipients produced samples for Level 1 math n = 43, Level 2 math n = 49, and English n = 25. Ordinal logistic regression analyses indicated that time spent in SSS tutoring during the first 5 weeks of a semester positively predicted grades for all 3 remedial courses. In addition, female gender was negatively correlated with grades for the Level 1 remedial math course, and college placement scores were predictive of success for both remedial math courses. Age and race/ethnicity were not significant predictors of student success for any of the courses. Based on these findings, a recommendation to implement a remedial summer bridge program was developed for the local college to provide recent high school graduates with the opportunity to get a head start on their remedial education and aid them with their transition into higher education. The summer bridge program will influence positive social change by strengthening the services of TRIO SSS at the local college, thus positively affecting the education and lives of students who take part in these services.

This thesis presents a comparison of the ideas of two philosopher-psychologists, James and Bergson, and studies the theory and techniques in the three works of fiction that comprise "The Aviary Trio."

Though delicating himself to piano solo music writings, Frederic Chopin did compose the piano trio op.8 around 1828-29. According to the literature discussion, Chopin visit Austria few times and gain quite a few new ideas and experiences in music during 1820¡¦s. This brought him boundless inspiration and excitement on music creating. Because of these influences, he attempted to compose some chamber music and piano concertos. At the same time, Chopin followed his professor Joseph Elsner to study 18th century theory. The piano trio op.8 was created under this situation. Many scholars¡¦ point out Chopin¡¦s compositions of this time was overtaken by whatever he was taught. Though piano trio op.8, Chopin shows a great deal of Romantic spirit and personal idea in this music. This paper includes five parts. First, the development of piano trio before 1830¡¦s is explored. The second part focuses on chamber works of Chopin. The third part includes the early musical style of Chopin and the historical background of the piano trio op.8. The fourth part epitomizes the functions of theme and motive in piano trio op.8. The fifth part includes the interaction among three instruments and the tempo rubato for practical performances. Finally, a conclusion will be made.

This thesis presents a recording of seven jazz compositions as performed in the author’s Master’s Recital on March 24, 2012. One of the compositions is my own, and four others are my own arrangements. The present paper includes scores of the original compositions and arrangements as well as program notes that offer historical background, summaries of the form, and observations on performance practice for each selection. I have sought to explore systematically explore the multiple roles of the double bass as a functional, supportive, and melodic instrument in a jazz piano trio. The seven compositions present the full range of challenges the double bassist must face in a small group setting. I explore different approaches and musical concepts that enable a high level of improvised music performance, without disregarding its ties to tradition.