On Composers and Computers

Author(s):  
Gerhard Nierhaus

The chapter describes the manifold interactions between composers and computers in the creative process. Over time, this dialogue dating back to the 1950s has transcended the paradigm of the traditional compositional process and lead to a number of interesting implications and side effects in the context of current trends in algorithmic composition, generative music, and computational creativity. It is not just the computer but also the choice of software and a specific view on the musical material that are the decisive factors in generative and analytical approaches (which are often interlinked), where strategies of musical representation and the choice of a particular mapping are of crucial importance. Finally, the chapter examines how creativity can be defined and located in this interaction between human and machine.

Author(s):  
Arto Penttinen ◽  
Dimitra Mylona

The section below contains reports on bioarchaeological remains recovered in the excavations in Areas D and C in the Sanctuary of Poseidon at Kalaureia, Poros, between 2003 and 2005. The excavations were directed by the late Berit Wells within a research project named Physical Environment and Daily Life in the Sanctuary of Poseidon at Kalaureia (Poros). The main objective of the project was to study what changed and what remained constant over time in the everyday life and in both the built and physical environment in an important sanctuary of the ancient Greeks. The bioarchaeological remains, of a crucial importance for this type of study, were collected both by means of traditional archaeological excavation and by processing extensively collected soil samples. This text aims to providing the theoretical and archaeological background for the analyses that follow.


1990 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
LuAnn Bean ◽  
Deborah W. Thomas

Determining what should be considered a material item has been a problem for both the accounting profession and the courts. By reviewing the court cases involving the issue of materiality, the authors have determined where differences in the materiality standard as applied by the courts exist. The judicial definition of materiality has developed over time, and current trends with important variations are observed. Based upon the authors' analysis, the following judicial definition of materiality, with its possible variations, is suggested: Would the reasonable (or speculative) investor (or layman) consider important (or be influenced by) this information in determining his course of action?


2019 ◽  
Vol 85 ◽  
pp. 07020
Author(s):  
Codrina Maria Ilie ◽  
Radu Constantin Gogu

The purpose of this paper is to present the state-of-art of groundwater geospatial information management, highlighting the relevant data model characteristics and technical implementation of the European Directive 2007/2/EC, also known as the INSPIRE Directive. The maturity of the groundwater geodata management systems is of crucial importance for any kind of activity, be it a research project or an operational service of monitoring, protection or exploitation activities. An ineffective and inadequate geodata management system can significantly increase costs or even overthrow the entire activity ([1-3]). Furthermore, following the technological advancement and the extended scientific and operational interdisciplinary connectivity at national and international scale, the interoperability characteristics are becoming increasingly important in the development of groundwater geospatial information management. From paper recordings to digital spreadsheets, from relational database to standardized data models, the manner in which the groundwater data was gathered, stored, processed and visualized has changed significantly over time. Aside from the clear technical progress, the design that captures the natural connections and dependencies between each groundwater feature and phenomena have also evolved. The second part of our paper address the variations that occurred when outlining the different groundwater geospatial information management models, differences that depict the complexity of hydrogeological data.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 2035
Author(s):  
Mindaugas Kvietkauskas ◽  
Viktorija Zitkute ◽  
Bettina Leber ◽  
Kestutis Strupas ◽  
Philipp Stiegler ◽  
...  

Despite multimodal treatment strategies, clinical outcomes of advanced stage colorectal cancer (CRC) patients remain poor. Neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy efficacy is limited due to chemoresistance, toxicity, and negative side effects. Since both melatonin and glycine have anti-cancer activities without relevant side effects, this study was designed to investigate their combined effects in experimental CRC liver metastases. CRC metastasis with CC531 cells were induced in male Wistar rats. Melatonin and glycine alone or their combination were supplemented for 14 days (n = 100). Blood parameters, a micro-computed tomography scan (tumor volume over time), and immunohistochemistry for Ki67 and CD31 expression in tumor tissue were compared between groups. Melatonin and glycine alone significantly reduced the tumor volume by 63.2% (p = 0.002) and 43% (p = 0.044) over time, respectively, while tumor volume increased by 8.7% in the controls. Moreover, treatment with melatonin and glycine alone reduced the tumor proliferation index. Most interestingly, the combination therapy did not have any influence on the above-mentioned tumor parameters. The leukocyte count was significantly increased with melatonin at the end of the experiment (p = 0.012) which was due to a high lymphocytes count. Tumor microvascular density was significantly reduced in all treatment groups. The results of this study suggest an inhibitory function for melatonin and glycine alone in the case of CRC liver metastasis growth by acting as natural antiangiogenic molecules, followed by angiogenesis-dependent cancer proliferation and immunomodulation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 843-847 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Cantrell ◽  
Jidong Huang ◽  
Marisa Greenberg ◽  
Jeffrey Willett ◽  
Elizabeth Hair ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction The US market for electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) has grown rapidly in the last decade. There is limited published evidence examining changes in the ENDS marketplace prior to the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) deeming rule in 2016. This study describes US ENDS retail market trends from 2010 to 2016. Methods National data were obtained from Nielsen retail scanners for five product types: (1) disposables, (2) rechargeables, (3) cartridge replacements, (4) e-liquid bottle refills, and (5) specialty vapor products. We examined dollar sales, volume, price, brand, and flavor. Results Adjusted national sales increased from $11.6 million in 2010 to $751.2 million in 2016. The annual rate of sales growth rapidly increased before slowing through 2015. The rate of growth spiked in 2016. Market share for menthol products and other assorted flavors increased from 20% in 2010 to 52.1% by 2016. NJOY’s early market dominance shifted as tobacco industry brands entered the market and eventually captured 87.8% of share by 2016. Rechargeables and accompanying products comprised an increased proportion of total volume sold over time while disposable volume declined. Specialty vapor products appeared at retail in 2015. Conclusions Findings show strong early growth in the ENDS retail market followed by considerable slowing over time, despite a slight uptick in 2016. Trends reflect shifts to flavored products, newer generation “open-system” devices, lower prices, and tobacco industry brands. This study provides a baseline against which to compare the impact of FDA’s 2016 deeming rule and future actions on the ENDS marketplace. Implications This study uses market scanner data from US retail outlets to describe trends in the ENDS retail market from 2010 to 2016, providing a baseline against which to compare the impact of FDA’s 2016 deeming rule and future actions on the ENDS marketplace. Understanding historical market trends is valuable in assessing how future regulatory efforts and advances in ENDS technology may impact industry response and consumer uptake and use.


Author(s):  
Dmytro Malyi

Background, objectives and methodology of the research. The social and cultural paradigm of the 20th century has given rise to a type of composing thinking that did not exist before – a scientific one. Thus, the evolution of the composer’s writing can be defined as a path from thinking by perfect consonance, emancipated dissonance to thinking by deterministic sound and its parameters (height, duration, dynamics, timbre, and articulation). The term of the «composer’s writing technique» means a set of techniques and methods of working with the musical material as a result of the activity of thinking/awareness. Therefore, the aim of this article is an attempt to explore the relationship between the compositional process and writing techniques of the 20th – 21st centuries (pointillism, aleatorysonorous, algorithmic composition), as well as the specifics of polyphonic, homophonic writing in a new context. The methodology of the study includes references to the scientific works by P. Boulez (1971), K. Stockhausen (1963), V. Medushevsky (1984), M. Bonfeld (2006), I. Beckman (2010), I. Kuznetsov (2011), K. Maidenberg-Todorova (2013), M. Vysotska and G. Grigoryeva (2014). Presentation of research results. The phenomenon of writing techniques is very important in the study of the specifics of the compositional process, as it is the technique, for the most part, becomes the goal of creation for many composers of the 20th century. In addition to new techniques, polyphonic and homophonic writing have undergone some changes. The polyphonic one has specific features that are manifested in linearity, part-writing, etc. Examples can be found in the works by D. Ligeti (micro-polyphony), R. Shchedrin, V. Bibik, V. Ptushkin, V. Sylvestrov, and O. Shchetynsky. Regarding the homophonic writing, we shall note that, first of all, it is an indicator of style and conceptual thinking of a composer (works by A. Pyart, J. Tavener, and L. Sumera). In pointillism, the sound is thought of as a deterministic, isolated structure, which is expressed by its various parameters. Here are the examples from the creative work by A. Webern («The Variations for the Piano»; «The Variations for the Orchestra»), by E. Denysov «DSCH». The aleatory-sonorous technique is associated with the operation of timbre sonorities, according to their specific patterns, and developed in the 50–60s of the 20th century in the works by I. Xenakis, V. Lyutoslavsky, Ksh. Penderetsky, and D. Ligeti. The algorithmic composition is an indicator of scientific and mathematical thinking, and is divided into: fractal, stochastic, spectral, concrete and electroacoustic music. The first was formed within the framework of the works by C. Dodge, G. li Nelson, D. Ligeti, and others (I. Beckman, 2010). Stochastic music is associated with the name of I. Xenakis, and the ancestors of the spectral school are the French composers G. Grisey and T. Murray. Conclusions. The article considers the writing techniques of the 20th–21st centuries as components of the compositional process. It can be concluded that the studied techniques are fundamentally interconnected, revealing the nature of the composer’s thinking/consciousness from different positions. The presented techniques are: the objectification of sound forms, the method of creation; the fact of the composer’s consciousness; the consequence of the historical and cultural evolution of the musical language and communication.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (73) (1) ◽  
pp. 226-233
Author(s):  
Simona Trifu ◽  
Elena Mănicu ◽  
Milu Petruţ ◽  
Adrian Nicu Lupu

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) generated many controversies over time. The clinical literature establishing the efficacy of ECT is among the most solid for any medical treatment, and has been extensively reviewed; however, both practitioners and patients seem to be still reluctant on this issue. In the following review we are aiming at raising the level of awareness among the interested parties regarding ECT. Epidemiological evidence shows that there are a growing number of cases in which ECT has a great benefit, among the most notable being pharmacological resistant depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, catatonia and others. Current guidelines seem to be overly-prudent regarding ECT indications, in spite of a growing body of research attesting to its importance. Side effects of ECT range from somatic to cognitive and, with a careful prior examination, most are acute and can be managed in a few minutes. An exception to this is the cognitive impairment, which can last from a few hours to a few weeks and presents a reason to reconsider ECT in elderly patients with an important preexisting cognitive impairment.


Author(s):  
Nadira Ali

The implementation of Web 2.0 technologies in organizations ushers in a new era of collaboration and communication for enterprises. Enterprise 2.0 is the term that has emerged to describe the organization’s embrace of Web 2.0 technologies. This chapter examines the current trends and impact of Web 2.0 on organizations, managers, the workforce, and information exchange within and across companies. This phenomenon is expected to bring another wave of change to organizations that some believe could be on the magnitude of that experienced during the Internet revolution. These technological advancements do not come without challenges. Security, privacy, ethics, and legal considerations all play a major role in how these technologies develop over time. The time has come, however, for companies to begin to determine strategies for utilizing these technologies in order to remain competitive in the global business arena.


Artful Noise ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 97-106
Author(s):  
Thomas Siwe

The incorporation of degrees of chance in the creation and realization of music captured the imagination of composers in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Led by the American iconoclast John Cage—the most prominent champion of chance and indeterminacy—composers began to include chance operations in the creative process. In so doing, they relied upon the performer to understand each work’s compositional style and to respond to and interpret the notation used, often graphic in form. This chapter examines the percussion works of John Cage, Morton Feldman, Roman Haubenstock-Ramati, and Herbert Brün. Cage’s transition from his use of the square root formula to his relinquishing control over every aspect of the compositional process is explored through his works 27’ 10.554” and Child of Tree. Feldman’s use of “time boxes” in the percussion solo The King of Denmark and his desire to remove both pulse and attack from his music is illustrated. Brün’s early use of a computer to create music brings the chapter to a close.


2019 ◽  
pp. 159-176
Author(s):  
Celia Casey

This chapter investigates aspects of the creative process behind Reich’s “docu-music” work, WTC 9/11 (2010), which constitutes the composer’s response to the terrorist attacks in the United States of America, specifically those in New York City, on September 11, 2001. Sketch materials, including recorded interviews, computer files, and handwritten sketches, belonging to the Steve Reich Collection at the Paul Sacher Stiftung in Basel, Switzerland, reveal how both documentary content and musical design have informed the work. Based on an analysis of these materials, three aspects relating to the creative process of WTC 9/11 are examined: the treatment of speech recordings; the direction of interviews; and structural and referential elements of the work. This chapter not only reveals insights into Reich’s compositional process and techniques but also uncovers other significant factors in the composer’s docu-music approach, such as how autobiographical elements inform his work.


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