Artificial music generation is a rapidly developing field focused on the complex task of creating neural networks that can produce realistic-sounding music. Generating music is very difficult; components like long and short term structure present time complexity, which can be difficult for neural networks to capture. Additionally, the acoustics of musical features like harmonies and chords, as well as timbre and instrumentation require complex representations for a network to accurately generate them. Various techniques for both music representation and network architecture have been used in the past decade to address these challenges in music generation. The focus of this thesis extends beyond generating music to the challenge of controlling and/or conditioning that generation. Conditional generation involves an additional piece or pieces of information which are input to the generator and constrain aspects of the results. Conditioning can be used to specify a tempo for the generated song, increase the density of notes, or even change the genre. Latent walking is one of the most popular techniques in conditional image generation, but its effectiveness on music-domain generation is largely unexplored. This paper focuses on latent walking techniques for conditioning the music generation network MuseGAN and examines the impact of this conditioning on the generated music. / Master of Science / Artificial music generation is a rapidly developing field focused on the complex task of creating neural networks that can produce realistic-sounding music. Beyond simply generating music lies the challenge of controlling or conditioning that generation. Conditional generation can be used to specify a tempo for the generated song, increase the density of notes, or even change the genre. Latent walking is one of the most popular techniques in conditional image generation, but its effectiveness on music-domain generation is largely unexplored, especially for generative adversarial networks (GANs). This paper focuses on latent walking techniques for conditioning the music generation network MuseGAN and examines the impact and effectiveness of this conditioning on the generated music.

This project examines narratives of transplanted identity-building and memory in European languages by second-generation non-European writers who choose to write their stories in European languages. The dissertation focuses on three books: La colline aux oliviers by Mehdi Lallaoui, a “Beur” (French Algerian) writer, White Teeth by British Caribbean Zadie Smith and Lipstick Jihad by Do-rageh/Iranian American Azadeh Moaveni. I argue that these three narratives use the language and memory sites of the host countries. They claim these as their own in order to recuperate events removed from historical memory by the violence of colonialism and the disruptive tide of exile and immigration. Because these children of immigrants are born and raised in the host country, they occupy a privileged position of being in-between that enables them to undertake reconciliatory mediation and assert the relevance of the colonized and imperialized experience for all its inheritors, both former colonizers and former colonized. Multiple choices eclipse the sense of dead end and rejection that characterizes literature of exile and colonization. To discuss these choices, I use Edward W. Said's concepts of filiation and affiliation. Filiation implicates the culture inherited from the parents of second-generation characters whereas affiliation points to the place of birth and upbringing. Filiation and affiliation can be seen as contradictory and antagonistic, however I choose to use these terms as complementary and reconciliatory. If previous scholars consider second-generation immigrant narratives to reproduce the sense of displacement and bitterness experienced by their parents, I propose to examine how concepts such as Maurice Halbwachs'collective memory nevertheless occupy a positive strength in the second-generation immigrant narratives where memory and reconciliation are reclaimed. / text

This thesis describes a motion planning method that is designed to guide an autonomous quadrotor. The proposed method is based on a novel lossless convexication, which was first introduced in (12), that allows convex representations of many non-convex control constraints, such as that of the quadrotors. The second contribution of this thesis is to include two separate methods to generate path constraints that capture non-convex position constraints. Using the convexied optimal trajectory generation problem with physical and path constraints, an algorithm is developed that generates fuel optimal trajectories given the initial state and desired final state. As a proof of concept, a quadrotor testbed is developed that utilize a state-of-the-art motion tracking system. The quadrotor is commanded via a ground station where the convexified optimal trajectory generation algorithm is successfully implemented together with a trajectory tracking feedback controller. / text

Embodied energy is the energy consumed in all activities necessary to support a process in its entire lifecycle. For power generation systems, this includes the energy cost of raw material extraction and transportation, plant construction, energy generation and the recycling and disposal stages following actual use. Embodied energy analysis is a crude method of estimating the environmental impacts and depletion of natural resources consequent to a certain process. In effect, the higher the embodied energy of a process, the greater the green house gas emissions and the depletion of the natural resources. This thesis presents the embodied energy analysis carried out on some New Zealand power plants belonging to various methods of generation, namely, natural gas combined cycle (NGCC), natural gas open cycle (NGOC), wind, reservoir hydro and run of river hydro power plants. The analysis was carried out using a combination of process chain analysis and input output analysis, which are the two fundamental methodologies for embodied energy analysis. It follows the standards set out by the International Organisation for Standardisation 14040 series, and uses some guidelines given in the International Federation of Institutes for Advanced Study workshop on energy analysis methodology and conventions. From the analysis, it was found that for renewable generation power plants, the exploration and plant construction phase of the lifecycle contributes the largest amount of embodied energy, while for the non renewable power plants, the largest amount of embodied energy is contributed by the plant operation and maintenance phase of the lifecycle. The lifecycle energy payback ratio, which corresponds to the ratio of electrical energy output over the total lifecycle energy input, of the power plants are 96.9, 62.8, 7.96, 0.487 and 0.354 for run of river hydro, reservoir hydro, wind, NGCC and NGOC, respectively. Therefore, the lifecycle performance of renewable electricity generation is superior to non renewable electricity generation. Hence, the environmental impacts and depletion of natural resources from non renewable electricity generation is higher than renewable electricity generation. From the generation methodologies, hydro power plants have exceptional performance characteristics.

No description available.

No description available.

In the 1870s a debate over the spontaneous generation of microorganisms took place in Britain. Much opposition to the doctrine of spontaneous generation came from the Victorian scientific naturalists, especially John Tyndall, Professor of Natural Philosophy at the Royal Institution, London. This thesis provides an understanding of and explanations for the beliefs surrounding the spontaneous generation debate, particularly with regard to Victorian scientific naturalism and its relationship to medicine. Spontaneous generation threatened some of the fundamental tenets of naturalism. Furthermore, Tyndall clearly related his opposition to spontaneous generation to his support for the germ theory which he used as a vehicle for advocating a scientific approach to medicine. The thesis concludes that Tyndall's campaign for scientific medicine was part of the scientific naturalists' campaign to spread the naturalistic world-view and to gain cultural leadership. The spontaneous generation debate is examined in detail. The shift in experimental paradigm away from physical conditions towards a bacteriological approach is described. Chapter 5 examines the threats an acceptance of spontaneous generation posed to naturalism in terms of evolution, protoplasm and naturalistic explanations of disease. The effects of Tyndall's campaign for the germ theory on the medical profession are described. In order to understand how scientific knowledge was introduced into medicine, Chapter 6 examines the work of key medical scientists in the field of pathology with reference to their involvement in the spontaneous generation debate and in particular the reasons for their acceptance or rejection of the germ theory. Chapter 7 shows how the spontaneous generation debate impacted the domain of public health from the 1870s-1890s by means of a detailed examination of handbooks of sanitation and hygiene. The gradual introduction of results from the spontaneous generation debate into these works demonstrates the importance of the spontaneous generation debate in forming a bridge from the medical knowledge of the 1860s to the new bacteriology of the 1880s.

At starting, electrical motors require large power and current. This may not be a problem in a large electrical system but it may be very severe for a limited power source like a solar array. If a direct approach is taken the array rating must be 5-6 times the motor rating in order to start the motor and its high inertia high friction load. Batteries have been used to store energy and supply that energy for starting. Batteries need maintenance and their low efficiency is a problem too. In this study a new type of controller has been suggested and developed for the use with D.C. motors. Computer simulation showed promising results. The controller uses the array power, which is equal to the rated power of the motor, for starting and for running condition. Experimental results showed that the theoretical results are applicable.

No description available.

No description available.