Nonlinear Systems Identification Using Additive Dynamic Neural Networks--Two On Line Approaches.

This paper proposes a class of additive dynamic connectionist (ADC) models for identification of unknown dynamic systems. These models work in continuous time and are linear in their parameters. Also, for this kind of model two on-line learning or parameter adaptation algorithms are developed: one based on gradient techniques and sensitivity analysis of the model output trajectories versus the model parameters and the other based on variational calculus, that lead to an off-line solution and an invariant imbedding technique that converts the off-line solution to an on-line one. These learning methods are developed using matrix calculus techniques in order to implement them in an automatic manner with the help of a symbolic manipulation package. The good behavior of the class of identification models and the two learning methods is tested on two simulated plants and a data set from a real plant and compared, in this case, with a feedforward static (FFS) identifier.Peer Reviewe

Un système interactif d'aide à la construction d'applications de traitement d'images

Dans le cadre de la mise au point d'applications de traitement d'images, nous proposons un système d'aide fondé sur la modélisation et l'explicitation de la démarche du traiteur d'images. Les traitements à effectuer y sont représentés sous une forme compréhensible et modifiable par l'utilisateur (enchaînements d'opérateurs sous forme de plans), dans un souci de réutilisation de parties entières de traitement. L'organisation de ce système repose sur une modélisation naturelle des connaissances sous forme de Tâches, Méthodes et Outils. La construction et l'exécution des plans de traitement d'images s'effectuent via une interface graphique qui facilite l'expérimentation de diverses techniques sur une image

Identity of new media spaces

This paper has the goal to analyze influence that new media and technologies have made on the identity and quality of architectural space. In the present Information Age, digital technologies have crucially influenced and changed our reality, the way we behave, connect or communicate. Being part of the overall reality, architectural space is not an isolated category. It has also received and adopted the influence of new media and technologies. The way people communicate with space, due to new technologies, is now different. In some cases space is becoming an interface, a navigational environment waiting for the user to explore it. This paper analyzes the emerging new categories of space - new media spaces, qualities that such spaces possess and the identity they have developed

Towards Phytoplankton Parasite Detection Using Autoencoders

Phytoplankton parasites are largely understudied microbial components with a potentially significant ecological impact on phytoplankton bloom dynamics. To better understand their impact, we need improved detection methods to integrate phytoplankton parasite interactions in monitoring aquatic ecosystems. Automated imaging devices usually produce high amount of phytoplankton image data, while the occurrence of anomalous phytoplankton data is rare. Thus, we propose an unsupervised anomaly detection system based on the similarity of the original and autoencoder-reconstructed samples. With this approach, we were able to reach an overall F1 score of 0.75 in nine phytoplankton species, which could be further improved by species-specific fine-tuning. The proposed unsupervised approach was further compared with the supervised Faster R-CNN based object detector. With this supervised approach and the model trained on plankton species and anomalies, we were able to reach the highest F1 score of 0.86. However, the unsupervised approach is expected to be more universal as it can detect also unknown anomalies and it does not require any annotated anomalous data that may not be always available in sufficient quantities. Although other studies have dealt with plankton anomaly detection in terms of non-plankton particles, or air bubble detection, our paper is according to our best knowledge the first one which focuses on automated anomaly detection considering putative phytoplankton parasites or infections

Singing in Action : An inquiry into the creative working processes and practices of classical and contemporary vocal improvisation

This dissertation explores performative perspectives on classical and contemporary vocal improvisation (CCVI) as a critical, creative tool for development of and research in vocal performance. It consists of one introductory part and five articles, with additional documentation on a homepage. The artistic projects have been performed in close collaboration with fellow classically trained singers and musicians. The practice of CCVI is contextualised in relation to vocal history, opera, improvisation practice(s) and research in vocal performance. The artistic methods of opera improvisation, lyrical improvisation and CCVI without words are described in text and video. The studies performed also investigate how theoretical concepts such as performativity, action and interperformativity can be used for articulating aspects of communication, creativity and knowledge in CCVI. Central to the thesis is a suggested model for analysing performativity in three dimensions: the structural, the symbolic and the individual. Performative aspects of the singer’s subject positions as a vocal and instrumental persona in a classical vocal concert approach and an opera performance approach are articulated and problematised in the artistic practice. New artistic performance concepts and projects are presented. CCVI is used as a creative artistic tool for singers in critical dialogue with classical vocal performance tradition: deconstructing methods of portraying gender and power in operatic performance; opera improvisation with symphonic orchestra; composed and improvised opera with choirs; abstract improvisation in dialogue with visual art; improvisation with poetry and electronics and deconstructing Lied performance in dialogue with light design. An interview study focusing on the experiences and perspectives of the improvisers indicate that presence, relations to one another in the ensemble, relations to the emerging material, and the creation of common agreements and structures are central in CCVI. Three analytical models focusing on interaction in CCVI are presented: action analysis in improvisation, the Interplay Analysis Model and the use of the concept musico-performative tropes. It is suggested that improvisers in CCVI create music, text and dramatic content as vocal and musical actions by the intuitive use of musical and performative tropes in an interperformative play with the performance context as well as the classical singing tradition

Myelination in the auditory brainstem

The evolution of myelin was a major key event in vertebrates which aimed to enhance conduction velocity of electrical impulses in axons. Distinct myelination patterns along axons can shape the speed and timing of action potentials. Exact arrival time of inputs at target neurons are crucial for proper neural circuit function. Two key determinants for tuning conduction velocity of myelinated axons are the length of individual myelin sheaths together with the axon diameter. However, it remains unanswered who determines specific myelination patterns along axons – the oligodendrocyte or the axon? And further, when and how do structural parameters of myelinated axons develop in neural circuits in general, in terms of their functionally relevant myelination patterns, axonal morphology and nodes of Ranvier? A system with highest temporal demands is the mammalian sound localization system. Globular bushy cell (GBC) axons involved in circuits processing sound location information are some of the fastest and most precise conducting axons in the mammalian central nervous system. In the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) GBCs that are tuned to low sound frequencies transmit sound signals to the binaural comparator neurons in the medial superior olive (MSO) where the arrival time of sound at the two ears (interaural time differences; ITDs) is computed. These differences can be as low as only a few microseconds and thus, computation of ITDs relies on explicitly fast and highly precise axons. To cope with the need for exact input timing, low-frequency GBC axons exhibit specific structural adaptations to adjust conduction velocity. Their exceptional thick axons combined with comparably short internodes result in unusual low ratios of internode length to axon diameter (L/d ratios) which in turn increase the conduction velocity along their axons. To gain insight into when and how the specific myelin sheath lengths, axon diameter and thus L/d ratios are established, we characterized the developmental time course of these structural parameters at timepoints before and after the onset of hearing. Our findings show the internode length is set prior to a significant axon diameter increase. While the internode length is established already two days before hearing onset, which is at P12, the axon diameter only increases five days after hearing onset, and thereby decreasing its L/d ratio. This strongly suggests that, at least in GBCs, the axon itself is the key determinant in ensuring that the required conduction velocity is met by adjusting its diameter retrospectively. Together with the length of myelin sheaths and the axon diameter, nodes of Ranvier are critical determinants of action potential speed and timing of and therefore the development of all these structures must be tightly regulated. By assessing the development of nodes of Ranvier we found that axon and node morphology by and large mature synchronously. Early nodal clusters appear already when myelination of GBC axons is initiated at P6/P7 and these premature clusters subsequently progress until reaching maturity during the 4th postnatal week. Interestingly, we were able to show that node maturation depends on the location along the axon with nodes closer to the cell body develop earlier compared to nodes close to the synaptic terminal

ICS Materials. Towards a re-Interpretation of material qualities through interactive, connected, and smart materials.

The domain of materials for design is changing under the influence of an increased technological advancement, miniaturization and democratization. Materials are becoming connected, augmented, computational, interactive, active, responsive, and dynamic. These are ICS Materials, an acronym that stands for Interactive, Connected and Smart. While labs around the world are experimenting with these new materials, there is the need to reflect on their potentials and impact on design. This paper is a first step in this direction: to interpret and describe the qualities of ICS materials, considering their experiential pattern, their expressive sensorial dimension, and their aesthetic of interaction. Through case studies, we analyse and classify these emerging ICS Materials and identified common characteristics, and challenges, e.g. the ability to change over time or their programmability by the designers and users. On that basis, we argue there is the need to reframe and redesign existing models to describe ICS materials, making their qualities emerge