6,956 research outputs found
Generative sound art as poeitic poetry for an information society
This paper considers computer music in relation to broader society and asks what algorithmic composition can learn from the metaphysical shift which is happening in the so-called information societies. This is explored by taking the mapping problem inherent in the use of extra- musical models in generative composition and presenting a simple generative schema which prioritises sound, ex- ploiting the generative potential of digital audio. It is sug- gested that the exploration of such models has more than aesthetic relevance and that the interdisciplinary nature of digital sound art represents a microcosm of an emerging reality, thereby constituting a poietic playground for com- ing to terms with the implications and challenges of the information age
The SOS Platform: Designing, Tuning and Statistically Benchmarking Optimisation Algorithms
open access articleWe present Stochastic Optimisation Software (SOS), a Java platform facilitating the algorithmic design process and the evaluation of metaheuristic optimisation algorithms. SOS reduces the burden of coding miscellaneous methods for dealing with several bothersome and time-demanding tasks such as parameter tuning, implementation of comparison algorithms and testbed problems, collecting and processing data to display results, measuring algorithmic overhead, etc. SOS provides numerous off-the-shelf methods including: (1) customised implementations of statistical tests, such as the Wilcoxon rank-sum test and the Holm–Bonferroni procedure, for comparing the performances of optimisation algorithms and automatically generating result tables in PDF and formats; (2) the implementation of an original advanced statistical routine for accurately comparing couples of stochastic optimisation algorithms; (3) the implementation of a novel testbed suite for continuous optimisation, derived from the IEEE CEC 2014 benchmark, allowing for controlled activation of the rotation on each testbed function. Moreover, we briefly comment on the current state of the literature in stochastic optimisation and highlight similarities shared by modern metaheuristics inspired by nature. We argue that the vast majority of these algorithms are simply a reformulation of the same methods and that metaheuristics for optimisation should be simply treated as stochastic processes with less emphasis on the inspiring metaphor behind them
Swarm-Based Spatial Sorting
Purpose: To present an algorithm for spatially sorting objects into an
annular structure. Design/Methodology/Approach: A swarm-based model that
requires only stochastic agent behaviour coupled with a pheromone-inspired
"attraction-repulsion" mechanism. Findings: The algorithm consistently
generates high-quality annular structures, and is particularly powerful in
situations where the initial configuration of objects is similar to those
observed in nature. Research limitations/implications: Experimental evidence
supports previous theoretical arguments about the nature and mechanism of
spatial sorting by insects. Practical implications: The algorithm may find
applications in distributed robotics. Originality/value: The model offers a
powerful minimal algorithmic framework, and also sheds further light on the
nature of attraction-repulsion algorithms and underlying natural processes.Comment: Accepted by the Int. J. Intelligent Computing and Cybernetic
Numerical evidence for relevance of disorder in a Poland-Scheraga DNA denaturation model with self-avoidance: Scaling behavior of average quantities
We study numerically the effect of sequence heterogeneity on the
thermodynamic properties of a Poland-Scheraga model for DNA denaturation taking
into account self-avoidance, i.e. with exponent c_p=2.15 for the loop length
probability distribution. In complement to previous on-lattice Monte Carlo like
studies, we consider here off-lattice numerical calculations for large sequence
lengths, relying on efficient algorithmic methods. We investigate finite size
effects with the definition of an appropriate intrinsic length scale x,
depending on the parameters of the model. Based on the occurrence of large
enough rare regions, for a given sequence length N, this study provides a
qualitative picture for the finite size behavior, suggesting that the effect of
disorder could be sensed only with sequence lengths diverging exponentially
with x. We further look in detail at average quantities for the particular case
x=1.3, ensuring through this parameter choice the correspondence between the
off-lattice and the on-lattice studies. Taken together, the various results can
be cast in a coherent picture with a crossover between a nearly pure system
like behavior for small sizes N < 1000, as observed in the on-lattice
simulations, and the apparent asymptotic behavior indicative of disorder
relevance, with an (average) correlation length exponent \nu_r >= 2/d (=2).Comment: Latex, 33 pages with 15 postscript figure
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