Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Florida, 1983. / Description based on print version record. Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-135).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering, 2000. / "Funding was provided by grants from WHOI's Rinehart Coastal Research Center and Ocean Ventures Fund, a National Science Foundation graduate fellowship, grant CC-S-611002-001-C from the Office of Naval Research, and broad financial support from WHOI's Education Department. Includes bibliographical references.

abstract: Research in fulfillment of the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in performance has included CD recording projects, commissions of new pieces, as well as papers on existing pieces that push the performer beyond traditional playing by incorporating extended techniques, multimedia, technology, or movement. This study attempts to synthesize these ideas by commissioning a new work for clarinet and electronics that can be performed alone, combined with movement, or with an interactive video accompaniment. Primary work for this project has been the audio recording, music video, and live dance performance of the new work, entitled Agents of Espionage, which can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAZ20kCb0Qg or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94- C7wWTeKs&context;=C4063fdcADvjVQa1PpcFPv1fBtuWcqgV638q_BRacH7 XWR-xy1B7A=. The entirety of the project, including creating the music, video, audio recordings, and dance was completed on a limited budget of under $500USD, using all student performers and creators. The accompanying written document outlines the various steps for completing each portion of the project, interviews with the artists involved, including Zachary Bramble, composer; Jason Mills, videographer; and Jacquelyn Achord, choreographer; and an analysis of the music from the performer's perspective. This paper should convey ideas about how future undertakings of this sort are possible. This work has been greatly inspired by Martin Fröst and his collaboration with Fredrik Hogberg on the piece The Invisible Duet. / Dissertation/Thesis / D.M.A. Music 2012

Cetaceans are aquatic mammals that rely primarily on sound for most daily tasks. A compendium of sounds is emitted for orientation, prey detection, and predator avoidance, and to communicate. Communicative sounds are among the most studied Cetacean signals, particularly those referred to as tonal sounds. Because tonal sounds have been studied especially well in social dolphins, it has been assumed these sounds evolved as a social adaptation. However, whistles have been reported in ‘solitary’ species and have been secondarily lost three times in social lineages. Clearly, therefore, it is necessary to examine closely the association, if any, between whistles and sociality instead of merely assuming it. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the evolutionary history of Cetacean tonal sounds. The main goal of this dissertation is to cast light on the evolutionary history of tonal sounds by testing these hypotheses by combining comparative phylogenetic and field methods. This dissertation provides the first species-level phylogeny of Cetacea and phylogenetic tests of evolutionary hypotheses of cetacean communicative signals. Tonal sounds evolution is complex in that has likely been shaped by a combination of factors that may influence different aspects of their acoustical structure. At the inter-specific level, these results suggest that only tonal sound minimum frequency is constrained by body size. Group size also influences tonal sound minimum frequency. Species that live in large groups tend to produce higher frequency tonal sounds. The evolutionary history of tonal sounds and sociality may be intertwined, but in a complex manner rejecting simplistic views such as the hypothesis that tonal sounds evolved ‘for’ social communication in dolphins. Levels of social and tonal sound complexity nevertheless correlate indicating the importance of tonal sounds in social communication. At the intraspecific level, tonal sound variation in frequency and temporal parameters may be product of genetic isolation and local levels of underwater noise. This dissertation provides one of the first insights into the evolution of Cetacean tonal sounds in a phylogenetic context, and points out key species where future studies would be valuable to enrich our understanding of other factors also playing a role in tonal sound evolution.

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The number of electric vehicles on the road is increasing rapidly every year. Due to the decreased sound produced by these vehicles at low speeds, there is significant concern that pedestrians and bicyclists will be at increased risk of vehicle collisions. This is particularly true for those with vision impairment who cannot rely on visual cues to alert them of an approaching vehicle. This thesis explores pedestrian aural detectability of six electric vehicle additive sounds produced by two additive sound systems: a modified version of the factory equipped system and a prototype exciter transducer-based system. All additive sounds and systems were first evaluated for regulatory compliance at stationary, 10 km/h, and 20 km/h conditions and then pedestrian detectability was assessed using 16 blind folded participants and on-road drive by tests. Participant drive by tests were then replicated using 3D sound field recordings played in a high-fidelity immersive reality lab. Results were used to verify the accuracy of lab environment and its potential applicability to future testing. The exciter transducer acoustic warning system was found to created more uniform sound levels on the passenger and drivers' sides of the vehicle than the factory system but produced lower sound levels on the front side of the vehicle. Additive sound modulation rate was not determined to be a key differentiator in pedestrian detectability and low frequency emphasis sounds were found to have the highest level of pedestrian detectability. As expected, vehicle speed played a critical role in participant detection with the 20 km/h speed condition producing higher average detection distances. The immersive reality lab was found to not replicate on-road environment however a perceived linear offset was observed between the two environments. / Master of Science / The number of electric vehicles on the road increases every year due to growing consumer demand for clean and sustainable transportation. Due to the decreased sound produced by these vehicles at low speeds there is significant concern that pedestrians and bicyclists will be at increased risk of vehicle collisions. This is particularly true for those with vision impairment who cannot rely on visual cues to alert them of an approaching vehicle. This thesis explores pedestrians' ability to detect six electric vehicle additive sounds produced by two sound systems: a modified version of the factory equipped system and a prototype system designed to produce uniform sound around the vehicle. All sounds and systems were evaluated see if they met current regulations at stationary, 10 km/h, and 20 km/h conditions. Pedestrians' ability to detect the vehicle was assessed using 16 blind folded participants and on-road tests where participants were asked to press a button when they heard an approaching vehicle. Participant drive by tests were then replicated using recordings taken on the same section of road and played in a lab environment. Results were used to see if the lab environment matched the results seen on the road. The prototype system created more uniform sound levels on the passenger and drivers' sides of the vehicle than the factory system but consistently produced lower sound levels on the front side of the vehicle. Sound modulation rate was not determined to be a key differentiator in pedestrian detectability and low frequency emphasis sounds were found to be the most easily detected by pedestrians. As expected, vehicle speed played a critical role in participant detection with the 20 km/h speed condition producing higher detection distances. The lab environment was found to not replicate on-road environment however similar offsets and sound ordering was observed between the two environments. Further work will be needed assess and correct this disagreement.

Vocalizations of the domestic chicken were recorded and analyzed by quantitative and qualitative methods in two experiments. In Experiment 1, recordings were made from males and females from two lines of White Leghorn chickens housed in individual battery cages. Five call types: crow, disturbance call, baaks, fear-squawks, and moans were distinguished. No significant differences were found between lines for any of the parameters measured. Crows consisted of four parts, with the combination of the durations of the various segments suggesting that they contribute to recognition among individuals. Both sexes emitted disturbance calls, baaks, fear-squawks, and moans. When comparisons were made between sexes for number of disturbance notes per second and length of fear-squawks no significant differences were found. Signal grading was shown by increased rates of disturbance notes and the addition of baaks as an individual became more upset. Three groups of eight-week old White Leghorn chickens subjected to different handling regimes emitted different vocalizations when held in the hand of the observer. Birds habituated to the handler gave mainly contentment calls while the other groups emitted peeps (distress calls), fear trills or alarm notes. A previously unreported melodic flock call was heard from White Rock chickens that were moved to a new pen at eight weeks of age. Experiment 2 consisted of comparisons between two commercial egg-laying stocks maintained under high-intensity battery cage housing. Data obtained at approximately 35 weeks of age from both stocks in the same house showed low frequencies of pecks and threats. Pullets from stock B had significantly more pushes and steps than those from stock A. The vocalizations emitted by stock B exhibited an increased range of frequencies in comparison to those by stock A. This difference was attributed to an increased number of disturbance calls and baaks and suggests that vocal behavior may be a means of assessing the social environment of chickens maintained in battery cages. / M.S.

Drumming behavior is described for the first time in 33 North American Plecoptera species, and signals of an additional five species, Pteronarcys pictetii, Acroneuria abnormis, Paragnetina media, Clioperla clio and Isogenoides zionensis, are further detailed. An out-group comparison of behavioral characters in all 104 world species whose drumming is known showed that the behavior is more advanced in the Arctoperlaria Group Systellognatha than in the Group Euholognatha. In general, tapping, monophasy, touching, sequenced exchange and less than 50 taps/answer are ancestral states, and rubbing, grouping, phasing, tremulation, interspersed exchange and equal or more than 50 taps/answer are derived states. There has been some co-evolution between abdominal structure and drumming behavior. Scanning Electron Micrographs of 30 species showed that the primitive state of tapping is ascociated with three classes of abdominal structure: (1) absence of derived structures, (2) lobes or vesicles, and (3) hammers. The derived behavior of rubbing, however, occurs only in species with derived structures, and is predominant in species having vesicles and hammers. Drumming can be used as a line of evidence to aid in defining genera and species, since the behavior has a variable degree of specificity or exclusiveness in all species, particularly in groups of species I have studied in the genera Isoperla, Pteronarcys and Taeniopteryx. Typical and variant computer-synthesized male calls of three stonefly species were tested with live females. They responded at high levels in such a way that the important informational content conveyed was identified as: (1) a minimal threshold of beat numbers, and (2) a discriminant window of beat intervals. Rub frequency and bibeat calling were critical informational parameters in two species.