Fauna

Stapleton’s self designed instrument, the BoSS (Bonsai Sound Sculpture, 2010) combines with Rose’s circular breathed baritone, multi-phonic and harmonic textures, to explore other sound worlds through real time interaction/composition. The method of exploration commits to a free improvisation aesthetic whereby the music is created at the point of performance. Encountering one another’s music while performing at the ‘Call them Improvisers’ performance at SARC, an ensemble directed by Evan Parker (November 2010) an affinity to the possibilities of one another’s particular approach became immediately apparent. This strongly identified connection led them to further explore the musical possibilities within the parameters created by the duo setting. Duo activities include concerts at Ausland (Berlin), SARC (Belfast), Sowieso (Berlin), Wendel (Berlin), and a recording with Elmar Susse in Hoffnungskirche, Pankow released by the California-based pfMENTUM record label in 2013.

This output is published in the form of an audio CD on the pfMENTUM record label.

A single microphone capillary-based system for measuring the complex input impedance of musical wind instruments

Capillary-based systems for measuring the input impedance of musical wind instruments were first developed in the mid-20th century and remain in widespread use today. In this paper, the basic principles and assumptions underpinning the design of such systems are examined. Inexpensive modifications to a capillary-based impedance measurement set-up made possible due to advances in computing and data acquisition technology are discussed. The modified set-up is able to measure both impedance magnitude and impedance phase even though it only contains one microphone. In addition, a method of calibration is described that results in a significant improvement in accuracy when measuring high impedance objects on the modified capillary-based system. The method involves carrying out calibration measurements on two different objects whose impedances are well-known theoretically. The benefits of performing two calibration measurements (as opposed to the one calibration measurement that has been traditionally used) are demonstrated experimentally through input impedance measurements on two test objects and a Boosey and Hawkes oboe. © S. Hirzel Verlag · EAA.

Investigation of swelling and network parameters of poly(ethylene glycol)-crosslinked poly(methyl vinyl ether-co-maleic acid) hydrogels

The influence of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) plasticiser content and molecular weight on the physicochemical properties of films cast from aqueous blends of poly(methyl vinyl ether-co-maleic acid) was investigated using thermal analysis, swelling studies, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and attenuated total reflectance (ATR)-Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. FTIR spectroscopy revealed a shift of the C{double bond, long}O peak from 1708 to 1731 cm, indicating that an esterification reaction had occurred upon heating, thus producing crosslinked films. Higher molecular weight PEGs (10,000 and 1000 Da, respectively), having greater chain length, producing hydrogel networks with lower crosslink densities and higher average molecular weight between two consecutive crosslinks. Accordingly, such materials exhibited higher swelling rates. Hydrogels crosslinked with a low molecular weight PEG (PEG 200) showed rigid networks with high crosslink densities and, therefore, lower swelling rates. Polymer:plasticizer ratio alteration did not yield any discernable patterns, regardless of the method of analysis. The polymer-water interaction parameter (?) increased with increases in the crosslink density. SEM studies showed that porosity of the crosslinked films increased with increasing PEG MW, confirming what had been observed with swelling studies and thermal analysis, that the crosslink density must be decreased as the M of the crosslinker is increased. Hydrogels containing PMVE/MA/PEG 10,000 could be used for rapid delivery of drug, due to their low crosslink density. Moderately crosslinked PMVE/MA/PEG 1000 hydrogels or highly crosslinked PMVE/MA/PEG 200 systems could then be used in controlling the drug delivery rates. We are currently evaluating these systems, both alone and in combination, for use in sustained release drug delivery devices. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of a pore-forming agent on swelling, network parameters, and permeability of poly(ethylene glycol)-crosslinked poly(methyl vinyl ether-co-maleic acid) hydrogels:Application in transdermal delivery systems

We characterized hydrogels, prepared from aqueous blends of poly(methyl vinyl ether-co-maleic acid) (PMVE/MA) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG 10,000 Daltons) containing a pore-forming agent (sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO ). Increase in NaHCO content increased the equilibrium water content (EWC) and average molecular weight between crosslinks (M ) of hydrogels. For example, the %EWC was 731, 860, 1109, and 7536% and the M was 8.26, 31.64, 30.04, and 3010.00 × 10 g/mol for hydrogels prepared from aqueous blends containing 0, 1, 2, and 5% w/w of NaHCO , respectively. Increase in NaHCO content also resulted in increased permeation of insulin. After 24 h, percentage permeation was 0.94, 3.68, and 25.71% across hydrogel membranes prepared from aqueous blends containing 0, 2, and 5% w/w of NaHCO , respectively. Hydrogels containing the pore-forming agent were fabricated into microneedles (MNs) for transdermal drug delivery applications by integrating the MNs with insulin-loaded patches. It was observed that the mean amount of insulin permeating across neonatal porcine skin in vitro was 20.62% and 52.48% from hydrogel MNs prepared from aqueous blends containing 0 and 5% w/w of NaHCO . We believe that these pore-forming hydrogels are likely to prove extremely useful for applications in transdermal drug delivery of biomolecules. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Limitations of Global Kinetic Parameters for Automotive Application

With emission legislation becoming ever more stringent, automotive companies are forced to invest heavily into solutions to meet the targets set. To date the most effective way of treating emissions is through the use of catalytic converters. Current testing methods of catalytic converters whether being tested on a vehicle or in a lab reactor can be expensive and offer little information about what is occurring within the catalyst. It is for this reason and the increased price of precious metal that kinetic modelling has become a popular alternative to experimental testing.

Entanglement Spectrum, Critical Exponents and Order Parameters in Quantum Spin Chains

We investigate the entanglement spectrum near criticality in finite quantum spin chains. Using finite size scaling we show that when approaching a quantum phase transition, the Schmidt gap, i.e., the difference between the two largest eigenvalues of the reduced density matrix ?1, ?2, signals the critical point and scales with universal critical exponents related to the relevant operators of the corresponding perturbed conformal field theory describing the critical point. Such scaling behavior allows us to identify explicitly the Schmidt gap as a local order parameter.

The Musical Body: Devising a choreo-musical interpretation for the work Tierkreis (1974-75) by Karlheinz Stockhausen

In this chapter the authors explore a practice-led approach to understanding the role of the body in music performance.

Many writers have discussed the body in music performance, in improvised music, as well as in electronic music. In this chapter the authors offer new modalities of reflection on the musical body in the interpretation of existing contemporary repertoire. Specifically, the authors discuss a re-interpretation of German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen's musical work 'Tierkreis'. Through the development of a specifically physical approach to the performance, the authors investigate the intrinsic relationship between the body and the music and point to an under-explored modality, which is not a musical choreography, but a choreography that is shaped through the musical body itself. It is a modality in which music itself propels forward choreographic ideas, the body becoming the driving force behind musical interpretation. The authors' thinking is influenced by Susan Kozel’s understanding of performance as an ecosystem (Kozel 2007) and framed within a subjective account of musical embodiment.

By merging theory with praxis the authors offer a deeper understanding of the role of the body in music performance and consider how such contributions might lead to new and exciting interpretive frameworks for existing musical repertoires.

Effects of process parameters upon the shape memory and pseudo-elastic behaviors of laser-welded NiTi thin foil

This article discusses the effects of laser welding parameters such as power, welding speed, and focus position on the weld bead profile, microstructure, pseudo-elasticity (PE), and shape memory effect (SME) of NiTi foil with thickness of 250 um using 100W CW fiber laser. The parameter settings to produce the NiTi welds for analysis in this article were chosen from a fractional factorial design to ensure the welds produced were free of any apparent defect. The welds obtained were mainly of cellular dendrites with grain sizes ranging from 2.5 to 4.8 um at the weld centerline. A small amount of Ni3Ti was found in the welds. The onset of transformation temperatures (As and Ms) of the NiTi welds shifted to the negative side as compared to the as-received NiTi alloy. Ultimate tensile stress of the NiTi welds was comparable to the as received NiTi alloy, but a little reduction in the pseudo-elastic property was noted. Full penetration welds with desirable weld bead profiles and mechanical properties were successfully obtained in this study.

Glycosylation of low density lipoprotein in patients with type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes:correlations with other parameters of glycaemic control

Glycosylation of low density lipoproteins obtained from 16 patients with Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes and from 16 age-, sex-, and race-matched controls, was determined. The diabetic patients were normolipaemic and were in good or fair glycaemic control. Eleven patients performed home blood glucose monitoring. Glycosylation of low density lipoproteins in the diabetic patients was significantly higher (p less than 0.001) than in the control subjects, and was significantly correlated with haemoglobin A1c, (p less than 0.01), glycosylation of plasma proteins, (p less than 0.001), and mean home blood glucose, (p less than 0.01). This study confirms that, in diabetic patients, increased glycosylation of low density lipoprotein occurs to an extent which correlates closely with other commonly used indices of glycaemic control.

An Energy Conserving Finite Difference Scheme for Simulation of Collisions

Nonlinear phenomena play an essential role in the sound production process of many musical instruments. A common source of these effects is object collision, the numerical simulation of which is known to give rise to stability
issues. This paper presents a method to construct numerical schemes that conserve the total energy in simulations of one-mass systems involving collisions, with no conditions imposed on any of the physical or numerical parameters.
This facilitates the adaptation of numerical models to experimental data, and allows a more free parameter adjustment in sound synthesis explorations. The energy preservedness of the proposed method is tested and demonstrated though several examples, including a bouncing ball and a non-linear oscillator, and implications regarding the wider applicability are discussed.

Fast recognition of musical sounds based on timbre

Human listeners seem to have an impressive ability to recognize a wide variety of natural sounds. However, there is surprisingly little quantitative evidence to characterize this fundamental ability. Here the speed and accuracy of musical-sound recognition were measured psychophysically with a rich but acoustically balanced stimulus set. The set comprised recordings of notes from musical instruments and sung vowels. In a first experiment, reaction times were collected for three target categories: voice, percussion, and strings. In a go/no-go task, listeners reacted as quickly as possible to members of a target category while withholding responses to distractors (a diverse set of musical instruments). Results showed near-perfect accuracy and fast reaction times, particularly for voices. In a second experiment, voices were recognized among strings and vice-versa. Again, reaction times to voices were faster. In a third experiment, auditory chimeras were created to retain only spectral or temporal features of the voice. Chimeras were recognized accurately, but not as quickly as natural voices. Altogether, the data suggest rapid and accurate neural mechanisms for musical-sound recognition based on selectivity to complex spectro-temporal signatures of sound sources.