30,107 research outputs found
Complete solo piano works of Zhou Long
No full textAccess to thesis restricted until 07/2023.Zhou Long is a contemporary composer of Chinese American descent, who
belongs to a generation of Chinese composers that began introducing traditional
Chinese music to western audiences. He gained international recognition after
receiving the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for his opera, Madame White Snake (2011). Very
few performances, recordings, and publications currently exist on Zhou’s piano
music, and this doctoral lecture recital is the first time an artist has performed the
complete collection of Zhou’s solo piano pieces. The pieces include: Mongolian Folk-
Tune Variations, Wu Kui, Pianogongs, and Pianobells. In his piano music, Zhou
makes use of unconventional extended piano techniques, imitates and evokes Chinese
traditional instruments, and likes to make connections with other art genres. Also, the
prominence of percussive elements in Zhou’s music is of a great importance. In this
lecture recital, the author has mainly focused on 1) the background information of
Zhou Long and his solo piano works; 2) the influence of Chinese traditional
instruments, ancient literatures and aesthetic concepts, in addition to folk elements on
his piano music; 3) how the composer combined those elements with western music
and compositional skills; and 4) the exploration of the percussive usage of the piano
along with various sound effect. Much of the discussion were from the author’s own
observations; it also include insights from an interview the author conducted with the
composer. Through the combined presentation of the lecture and performance of Zhou
Long’s four piano pieces, the author intended to help bring exposure to his piano
works, and to serve as a guide for piano students and teachers interested in exploring
Zhou’s piano music.Thesis (D.A.
[Letter from Alex Bradford to Lieutenant and Mrs. Ray Starner - November 4, 1940]
No full textLetter from Alex Bradford to Lieutenant and Mrs. Ray Starner describing the the current state of affairs that the author was experiencing, including: the London blitz, the moral of the troops on the ground, and the collective company of men opposing the Nazi regime
The student's guide to completing an author study
No full textThe 'Student's guide to completing an author study' emerged during the early development of the school library resource center program at Glen Stewart Elementary School in Stratford Canada on Prince Edward Island. This research process centered on an author study, with direct teaching and clear assignment. The resulting model has been adapted to various grade levels and subject areas in different schools.Source type: Electronic(1)http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=49237063&Fmt=7&clientId=65345&RQT=309&VName=PQ
Active X-ray optics for the next generation of X-ray space telescopes
No full textDescribed within is the design, manufacture, metrology and X-ray testing of an active X-ray
prototype intended for the next generation of X-ray telescopes. One of the challenges faced by
the X-ray telescope community is how to combine high resolution and high sensitivity into one
system, as weight limitations place constraints on the optics that can be launched. Therefore the
mandate of the active X-ray prototype is to provide high sensitivity through the ability of the optics
to be nested and to deliver high angular resolution through the active control of the optic’s form.
Piezoelectric unimorph actuators provide the active component: it is intended that they will correct
for figure errors within the optic and therefore increase the angular resolution capability.
The prototype’s design is based upon an ellipsoidal segment which provides point-to-point
focussing of an X-ray source. The prototype itself is composed of an electroformed nickel optic
where the non-reflective surface is populated with 30 piezoelectric actuators and it is the production
of the prototype that is the core of the presented research. Metrology of the actuators’ influence
functions is presented and highlight the prototype’s ability to deform its optic surface by microns.
In addition, the measured influence functions are compared against finite element models and a
distinct similarity between the functions is observed.
The prototype was tested at an X-ray beamline facility in November 2008 and the results
showed the prototype’s ability to correct the optic to achieve an improved angular resolution: from
0.786 arc-minutes to 0.686 arc-minutes in terms of full width half maximum. Finally, difficulties
in the manufacture of the prototype and X-ray testing shall be presented alongside future work in
conclusion to this thesis
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Enhanced colour encoding of materials discrimination information for multiple view dual-energy x-ray imaging
No full textThis thesis reports an investigation into dual-energy X-ray discrimination techniques. These techniques are designed to provide colour-coded materials discrimination information in a sequence of perspective images exhibiting sequential parallax. The methods developed are combined with a novel 3D imaging technique employing depth from motion or kinetic depth effect (KDE). This technique when applied to X-ray images is termed KDEX imaging and was developed previously by the university team for luggage screening applications at security checkpoints. A primary motivation for this research is that the dual-energy X-ray techniques, which are routinely incorporated into ‘standard’ 2D luggage scanners, provide relatively crude materials discrimination information. In this work it was critical that robust materials discrimination and colour encoding process was implemented as the sequential parallax exhibited by the KDEX imagery may introduce colour changes, due to the different X-ray beam paths associated with each perspective image. Any introduction of ‘colour noise’ into the resultant image sequences could affect the perception of depth and hinder the ongoing assessment of the potential utility of the dual-energy KDEX technique. Two dual-energy discrimination methods have been developed, termed K-II and W-E respectively. Employing the total amount of attenuation measured at each energy level and the weight fraction of layered structures, a combination of the K-II and the W-E techniques enables the computation and extraction of a target objects’ effective atomic number (Zeff) and its surface density (ρS) in the presence of masking layers
Author, Geraldine Brooks at the National Library of Australia for the 2009 Ray Mathew Lecture, Canberra, 23 October 2009 [picture] /
No full textTitle from acquisitions documentation.; Part of the collection: Portraits of author, Geraldine Brooks during her visit to the National Library of Australia for the 2009 Ray Mathew Lecture, Canberra, 23 October 2009.; Acquired in digital format; access copy available online.; Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.; Photographed by a staff member of the National Library of Australia
A 2 h periodic variation in the low-mass X-ray binary Ser X-1
No full textSpectroscopy of the low-mass X-ray binary Ser X-1 using the Gran Telescopio Canarias have revealed a ?2 h periodic variability that is present in the three strongest emission lines. We tentatively interpret this variability as due to orbital motion, making it the first indication of the orbital period of Ser X-1. Together with the fact that the emission lines are remarkably narrow, but still resolved, we show that a main-sequence K dwarf together with a canonical 1.4 M? neutron star gives a good description of the system. In this scenario, the most likely place for the emission lines to arise is the accretion disc, instead of a localized region in the binary (such as the irradiated surface or the stream-impact point), and their narrowness is due instead to the low inclination (?10°) of Ser X-1
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View synthesis for depth from motion 3D x-ray imaging.
No full textThe depth from motion or kinetic depth X-ray imaging (KDEX) technique is designed to enhance the luggage screening at airport checkpoints. The technique requires multiple views of the luggage to be obtained from an arrangement of linear X-ray detector arrays. This research investigated a solution to the unique problems defined when considering the possibility of replacing some of the X-ray sensor views with synthetic images. If sufficiently high quality synthetic images can be generated then intermediary X-ray sensors can be removed to minimise the hardware requirements and improve the commercial viability of the KDEX technique. Existing image synthesis algorithms are developed for visible light images. Due to fundamental differences between visible light and X-ray images, those algorithms are not directly applicable to the X-ray scenario. The conditions imposed by the X-ray images have instigated the original research and novel algorithm development and experimentation that form the body of this work. A voting based dual criteria multiple X-ray images synthesis algorithm (V-DMX) is proposed to exploit the potential of two matching criteria and information contained in a sequence of images. The V-DMX algorithm is divided into four stages
X-ray polarization in relativistic jets
No full textWe investigate the polarization properties of Comptonized X-rays from relativistic jets in active galactic nuclei (AGN) using Monte Carlo simulations. We consider three scenarios commonly proposed for the observed X-ray emission in AGN: Compton scattering of blackbody photons emitted from an accretion disc; scattering of cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons and self-Comptonization of intrinsically polarized synchrotron photons emitted by jet electrons. Our simulations show that for Comptonization of disc and CMB photons, the degree of polarization of the scattered photons increases with the viewing inclination angle with respect to the jet axis. In both cases, the maximum linear polarization is ≈20 per cent. In the case of synchrotron self-Comptonization (SSC), we find that the resulting X-ray polarization depends strongly on the seed synchrotron photon injection site, with typical fractional polarizations P≈ 10–20 per cent when synchrotron emission is localized near the jet base, while P≈ 20–70 per cent for the case of uniform emission throughout the jet. These results indicate that X-ray polarimetry may be capable of providing unique clues to identify the location of particle acceleration sites in relativistic jets. In particular, if synchrotron photons are emitted quasi-uniformly throughout a jet, then the observed degree of X-ray polarization may be sufficiently different for each of the competing X-ray emission mechanisms (synchrotron, SSC or external Comptonization) to determine which is the dominant process. However, X-ray polarimetry alone is unlikely to be able to distinguish between disc and CMB Comptonization
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Observations of the 57Fe+23 hyperfine transition in clusters of galaxies
No full textWe present a search for the hyperfine transition of the 57Fe+23 ion at 3.071 mm in clusters of galaxies with the ATNF Mopra telescope. The results are compared with a realistic estimate of the peak brightness temperature of the line in a cooling flow cluster A85, using the available X-ray data
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