The Sampling of Bodily Sound in Contemporary Composition: towards an embodied analysis

Full version unavailable due to 3rd party copyright restrictions.The listener’s experience as an embodied subject is at the centre of this work. Embodied experience forms the basis for analyses of three contemporary compositions that sample bodily sound, in order to question how such works represent and mediate the body. The possible applications of this embodied methodology are illustrated through three case studies: Crackers by Christof Migone (2001), A Chance to Cut is a Chance to Cure by Matmos (2001) and Ground Techniques (2009) by Neil Luck. The findings of each analysis are placed within discussion of critical and theoretical concerns related to the (re)presentation, mediation and manipulation of the body both as materiality and as social construct, using, in particular, work by Hansen (2004) and Wegenstein (2006). The sampling practices of these works lead to the fragmentation of the represented bodies, in which margins between bodily interiors and exteriors are frequently crossed, bringing about a reconfiguration of the musical subject. Furthermore, the celebration of the bodily origins of these works complicates notions of recorded sound as disembodied. The analytical methodology developed in this thesis derives from a consideration of approaches in a number of fields: feminist musicology, music psychology, embodied cognition, phenomenology, music and gesture and new media theory. The sensations and affective responses of the listening body are discussed alongside an examination of how listening is shaped by processes of technological mediation. This thesis attends to both the body that is listening and the body that is listened to. I argue that it is not adequate to understand the works studied as merely representing the body, but suggest it would be more appropriate to understand the relationship between work and body as multi-faceted, conceptualising the body and recorded sound as mutually framing. This uncovers not only technology as mediation, but also the body as mediation. Finally, the case studies are used to reflect upon the limits of the embodied analysis methodology and its potential for wider application.This study was part-financed with the aid of a studentship from University College Falmouth and a grant from The Sir Richard Stapley Educational Trust

Developmental pathways to autism: a review of prospective studies of infants at risk

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication, and the presence of restrictive and repetitive behaviors. Symptoms of ASD likely emerge from a complex interaction between pre-existing neurodevelopmental vulnerabilities and the child's environment, modified by compensatory skills and protective factors. Prospective studies of infants at high familial risk for ASD (who have an older sibling with a diagnosis) are beginning to characterize these developmental pathways to the emergence of clinical symptoms. Here, we review the range of behavioral and neurocognitive markers for later ASD that have been identified in high-risk infants in the first years of life. We discuss theoretical implications of emerging patterns, and identify key directions for future work, including potential resolutions to several methodological challenges for the field. Mapping how ASD unfolds from birth is critical to our understanding of the developmental mechanisms underlying this disorder. A more nuanced understanding of developmental pathways to ASD will help us not only to identify children who need early intervention, but also to improve the range of interventions available to them

Exploração de radar para reconhecimento de gestos

Communication disorders have a notable negative impact on people’s lives, leading to isolation, depression and loss of independence. Over the years, many different approaches to attenuate these problems were proposed, although most come with noticeable drawbacks. Lack of versatility, intrusive solutions or the need to carry a device around are some of the problems that these solutions encounter. Radars have seen an increase in use over the past few years and even spreading to different areas such as the automotive and health sectors. This technology is non-intrusive, not sensitive to changes in environmental conditions such as lighting, and does not intrude on the user’s privacy unlike cameras. In this dissertation and in the scope of the APH-ALARM project, the author tests the radar in a gesture recognition context to support communication in the bedroom scenario. In this scenario, the user is someone with communication problems, lying in their bed trying to communicate with a family member inside or outside the house. The use of gestures allows the user to have assistance communicating and helps express their wants or needs. To recognize the gestures executed by the user, it is necessary to capture the movement. To demonstrate the capabilities of the technology, a proof of concept system was implemented, which captures the data, filters and transforms it into images used as input for a gesture classification model. To evaluate the solution, we recorded ten repetitions of five arm gestures executed by four people. A subject independent solution proved to be more challenging when compared to a subject dependent solution, where all datasets but one achieved a median accuracy above 70% with most going over 90%.Os problemas de comunicação têm um efeito nocivo nas vidas das pessoas como isolamento, depressão e perda de independência. Ao longo dos anos, várias abordagens para atenuar estes problemas foram propostas, sendo que a maioria tem desvantagens. Falta de versatilidade, soluções intrusivas ou a necessidade de andar com um dispositivo são alguns dos problemas destas soluções. O uso de radares tem visto um aumento nos últimos anos, chegando até áreas variadas como o setor de saúde ou automóvel. Este tipo de solução é não intrusiva, não é sensível a mudanças das condições ambientais como luz e não invade a privacidade do utilizador como o uso de câmaras. Nesta dissertação e no âmbito do projeto APH-ALARM, testou-se um radar no contexto do reconhecimento de gestos para apoio à comunicação no cenário do quarto. Neste cenário, o utilizador é alguém com problemas de comunicação, que se encontra deitado na sua cama e precisa de comunicar com um familiar dentro ou fora de casa. O uso de gestos permite ao utilizador ter algum apoio durante a comunicação e ajuda o mesmo a expressar as suas necessidades. Para reconhecer os gestos feitos pelo utilizador, é necessário capturar o movimento humano. Para demonstrar as capacidades da tecnologia para este contexto, foi implementada uma prova de conceito de um sistema que captura os dados do radar e de seguida os filtra, converte-os em imagens e usa as mesmas como entrada de um modelo para classificação de gestos. Para avaliar a solução proposta, foram recolhidos dados de quatro pessoas enquanto realizavam dez repetições de cinco gestos diferentes com um dos braços. Uma solução independente do utilizador mostrou ser um caso mais desafiante quando comparada com uma solução dependente do utilizador, em que todos os datasets excepto um tem um acerto médio superior a 70% em que a maioria deles supera os 90%.Mestrado em Engenharia de Computadores e Telemátic