4,672 research outputs found
Rethinking live electronic music: a DJ perspective
No full textThe author critiques the conventional understanding of live electronic music through empirical research on his own DJ practice and investigates others working in the field. In reviewing the opinions of theorists and practitioners in both the live electronic music genre and DJ-ing he argues against the body/machine dialectic that has determined much of the thinking in the former. The author forms a notion of the DJ as a real-time composer working beyond traditional binary distinctions who brings the human body and machine into a mutual relationship. Through practice-led research he charts an investigation beginning in physical human gesture and culminating in digital machine repetition. He concludes that mechanical and digital repetition do not obscure human agency in the production of live works and that this concern is imaginary
DIY DJ
No full textBackground Historically, DJ performance involved collecting and sequencing commercial records made by music producers; the practice of DJ performance was separate to that of music production (Butler 2006). While the utilisation of Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) and digital DJ technologies since 2001 has catalysed an amalgamation of these pursuits for some DJs (Callander 2022), others remain committed to analogue formats and playback devices (record and turntables), meaning that DJ performance relies not only on music production, but also the mastering and manufacture of records. For practitioners wanting to retain the feel and sound of performing with records, how can these distinct practices be drawn closer together, and how can traditional techniques for handling analogue audio be preserved in the digital age? Contribution “DIY DJ” is a fifteen-minute DJ performance work comprised of nine lathe-cut records made by the DJ exclusively for the performance. The audio was produced, arranged, and mastered using the DAW Ableton Live, then etched into 12-inch discs made from PETG (a recyclable plastic) using a Swedish-made record cutting lathe—there are only two of these lathes in Australia—and then performed using a three-turntable DJ configuration. This “farm to table” approach to production, programming, and performance by the same practitioner rejects the assertion that amalgamating production and performance practices can happen only in the digital domain. Further to this, it functions as proof of concept for a new multi-disciplinary approach to the realisation of analogue DJ performance. Significance “DIY DJ” was commissioned for Sono Tactile, a concert also featuring Dr Anthony Lyons, Dr Sophie Rose, Dr Monica Lim, and Dr Cayn Borthwick. Sono Tactile was presented on July 29, 2025, as part of the New Music Concert Series at Hanson Dyer Hall, Ian Potter Southbank Centre, and funded by the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Fine Arts and Music.</p
The property and formation mechanism of unsaturated polyester-layered silicate nanocomposite depending on the fabrication methods
No full textThe properties of unsaturated polyester (UP)/montmorillonite (MMT) nanocomposite greatly depend on the preparation procedure because of the chemical reactions and physical interactions involved. To investigate the properties and formation mechanism of UP/MMT nanocomposite, samples were prepared by two different mixing methods. The first method, simultaneous mixing, is similar to the method used for preparing the conventional unsaturated polyester and filler composite. The second method is the sequential mixing, a new approach for preparing unsaturated polyester-layered silicate nanocomposite. In the first step, pre-intercalates of the unsaturated polyester and MMT nanocomposites were prepared. In other words, mixture of the UP and organophillic-treated MMT are prepared in the first step; a styrene monomer was then added to the pre-intercalates of UP/MMT with varying mixing time. The structures of UP/MMT nanocomposite were investigated by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. To investigate the formation mechanism of UP/MMT nanocomposite, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, solution-rheometry and melt-rheometry were performed. The properties and formation processes depending on two methods are compared. These tests enable us to understand the mechanism of UP-silicate nanocomposite formation. Based on this mechanism, we have been able to increase the crosslinking density and the degree of dispersion in UP/MMT nanocomposite. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd
Performance analysis of serial production lines with quality inspection machines
No full textIn this paper, a model of a highly reliable serial production line is introduced and analysed. The high production rate of machines in isolation and quality inspection machines are the basis of highly reliable production lines. Using Taylor series expansion,,ve decompose highly reliable serial production lines into two machines and one buffer line and then utilizing the decomposed lines, approximate the average steady state production rate in a closed form. Finally, we validate the results by simulations
Gymnastics psychology
No full textHeinen T, Vinken PM, Velentzas K. Gymnastics psychology. In: Caine DJ, Russel K, Lim L, eds. Gymnastics. Handbook of Sports Medicine and Science. Chichester [u.a.]: Wiley Blackwell; 2013: 98-107
hpDJ: An automated DJ with floorshow feedback
No full textMany radio stations and nightclubs employ Disk-Jockeys (DJs) to provide a continuous uninterrupted stream or “mix” of dance music, built from a sequence of individual song-tracks. In the last decade, commercial pre-recorded compilation CDs of DJ mixes have become a growth market. DJs exercise skill in deciding an appropriate sequence of tracks and in mixing 'seamlessly' from one track to the next. Online access to large-scale archives of digitized music via automated music information retrieval systems offers users the possibility of discovering many songs they like, but the majority of consumers are unlikely to want to learn the DJ skills of sequencing and mixing. This paper describes hpDJ, an automatic method by which compilations of dance-music can be sequenced and seamlessly mixed by computer, with minimal user involvement. The user may specify a selection of tracks, and may give a qualitative indication of the type of mix required. The resultant mix can be presented as a continuous single digital audio file, whether for burning to CD, or for play-out from a personal playback device such as an iPod, or for play-out to rooms full of dancers in a nightclub. Results from an early version of this system have been tested on an audience of patrons in a London nightclub, with very favourable results. Subsequent to that experiment, we designed technologies which allow the hpDJ system to monitor the responses of crowds of dancers/listeners, so that hpDJ can dynamically react to those responses from the crowd. The initial intention was that hpDJ would monitor the crowd’s reaction to the song-track currently being played, and use that response to guide its selection of subsequent song-tracks tracks in the mix. In that version, it’s assumed that all the song-tracks existed in some archive or library of pre-recorded files. However, once reliable crowd-monitoring technology is available, it becomes possible to use the crowd-response data to dynamically “remix” existing song-tracks (i.e, alter the track in some way, tailoring it to the response of the crowd) and even to dynamically “compose” new song-tracks suited to that crowd. Thus, the music played by hpDJ to any particular crowd of listeners on any particular night becomes a direct function of that particular crowd’s particular responses on that particular night. On a different night, the same crowd of people might react in a different way, leading hpDJ to create different music. Thus, the music composed and played by hpDJ could be viewed as an “emergent” property of the dynamic interaction between the computer system and the crowd, and the crowd could then be viewed as having collectively collaborated on composing the music that was played on that night. This en masse collective composition raises some interesting legal issues regarding the ownership of the composition (i.e.: who, exactly, is the author of the work?), but revenue-generating businesses can nevertheless plausibly be built from such technologies
Characterisation of DJ1 (PARK7) in human brain: possible involvement in idiopathic Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders
No full textMutations in the DJ‐1 gene can induce the development of early‐onset Parkinson's disease
(PD) through a loss of protein function. Currently any possible role for DJ‐1 in sporadic PD
remains undetermined. To address this, we have studied the characteristics and activities of
DJ‐1 in post‐mortem human brain tissue in order to gain insights into its contribution to the
development of PD and other neurodegenerative disorders.
Western blotting revealed DJ‐1 protein expression to be reduced in several brain regions
associated with PD pathology including nigra, striatum and frontal cortex. Similarly levels of
DJ‐1 mRNA were also shown to also be lower in PD striatum and frontal cortex suggesting a
transcriptional regulation of protein expression in human brain. Further analysis of DJ‐1
gene expression showed PD related changes to be variable throughout the brain, with
regions like the amygdala and entorhinal cortex displaying an up‐regulation. DJ‐1 protein
was also shown to undergo increased oxidation in PD cases, highlighting the elevated
oxidative stress conditions in PD. By using immunoprecipitation to investigate a possible role for DJ‐1 as an in vivo regulator
of translation, we found DJ‐1 protein associates with RNA transcripts for selenoproteins,
PTEN/Akt pathway components and mitochondrial subunits of complex 1. Protein levels for
a number of these transcripts were altered in PD tissue without any parallel change in
mRNA levels. DJ‐1 is reportedly involved in a diverse range of cellular activities and its
proclivity to associate with multiple RNA species provides a simple biochemical mechanism
for this. Moreover it demonstrates that under conditions of elevated oxidative stress, DJ‐1
can instigate a rapid and compartmentalised up‐regulation of pro‐survival proteins in a
transcriptionally independent manner.
Analysis of DJ‐1 in tauopathies showed co‐localisation with 3R and 4R tau, implicating a
possible chaperone function for DJ‐1. Unlike in PD, no altered expression of DJ‐1 mRNA and
protein was observed
Angiogenic and Immunomodulatory effects of embryonic stem cell derived mesenchymal stem cells in a murine model of ischemic hindlimb
No full textIn critical limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI), failed revascularization and pharmacotherapy substantially increase amputation and mortality risks. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a promising therapeutic option for CLTI. This study evaluated the therapeutic effects of embryonic stem cell-derived MSCs (E-MSCs) on inflammation and angiogenesis under ischemic conditions across different E-MSC doses. Hindlimb ischemia was induced in 85 BALB/c nude mice by cauterizing the femoral and branched arteries. The mice were divided into five groups: non-ischemia (G1); saline-treated ischemia (G2); and ischemia treated with E-MSCs at low, medium, and high doses (G3-G5). Therapeutic effects were assessed using the rotarod test, blood perfusion ratio, and histological and cytokine analyses. G1 exhibited normal blood perfusion and motor function, whereas E-MSC-treated groups (G3-G5) demonstrated improved perfusion compared to G2. Although the medium-dose group (G4) showed numerically greater recovery, differences between G3, G4, and G5 were not statistically significant, suggesting no dose-response. All E-MSC-treated groups exhibited reduced inflammation and increases in motor function and angiogenic factors. Histological analysis revealed enhanced myofiber regeneration, reduced inflammatory infiltration, and diminished collagen deposition in the ischemic muscle of G3-G5. These changes were observed across all dose groups without significant dose-dependent differences. These results suggest E-MSCs enhance blood perfusion and modulate inflammation and angiogenesis in ischemic limbs, regardless of dose. These findings support the therapeutic potential of E-MSCs in CLTI, although further investigation is needed to optimize dosing and elucidate the mechanisms involved
Mechanical and chemical texturing of the glass surface for polycrystalline silicon thin film solar cells
No full textInterview of author Phenderson Dj\ue8l\ued Clark at the Zora Neale Hurston Festival in Eatonville, Florida
No full textAward winning author and founding member of FIYAH Literary Magazine, Phenderson Dj\ue8l\ued Clark, is interviewed by Grace Chun, project coordinator at University of Florida Samuel Proctor Oral History Program, as part of the 2020 Zora Neale Hurston Festival in Eatonville, Florida. Mr. Clark shares how his time in Trinidad, his exposure to afro-creole folktales, Hindu stories, Muslim festivals as well as his exposure to Twilight Zone and old horror movies from his parents nurtured a deep interest in the fantastic. Mr. Clark defines afrofuturism as something to do with the future, whether it is how Black people will exist in the future or futuristic ideas. He describes how his writing fits more with retro-afrofuturism, where you imbue the past with future elements and explore a past that never was. Mr. Clark says that afrofuturism offers a way to resist the kind of future in a world like now and how to form a resistance against it; it empowers people to imagine a different future, a possibility of a different future. He also talks about how afrofuturism extends beyond literary work into music and other creative forms
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