Trennung und Schätzung der Anzahl von Audiosignalquellen mit Zeit- und Frequenzüberlappung

Everyday audio recordings involve mixture signals: music contains a mixture of instruments; in a meeting or conference, there is a mixture of human voices. For these mixtures, automatically separating or estimating the number of sources is a challenging task. A common assumption when processing mixtures in the time-frequency domain is that sources are not fully overlapped. However, in this work we consider some cases where the overlap is severe — for instance, when instruments play the same note (unison) or when many people speak concurrently ("cocktail party") — highlighting the need for new representations and more powerful models. To address the problems of source separation and count estimation, we use conventional signal processing techniques as well as deep neural networks (DNN). We first address the source separation problem for unison instrument mixtures, studying the distinct spectro-temporal modulations caused by vibrato. To exploit these modulations, we developed a method based on time warping, informed by an estimate of the fundamental frequency. For cases where such estimates are not available, we present an unsupervised model, inspired by the way humans group time-varying sources (common fate). This contribution comes with a novel representation that improves separation for overlapped and modulated sources on unison mixtures but also improves vocal and accompaniment separation when used as an input for a DNN model. Then, we focus on estimating the number of sources in a mixture, which is important for real-world scenarios. Our work on count estimation was motivated by a study on how humans can address this task, which lead us to conduct listening experiments, confirming that humans are only able to estimate the number of up to four sources correctly. To answer the question of whether machines can perform similarly, we present a DNN architecture, trained to estimate the number of concurrent speakers. Our results show improvements compared to other methods, and the model even outperformed humans on the same task. In both the source separation and source count estimation tasks, the key contribution of this thesis is the concept of “modulation”, which is important to computationally mimic human performance. Our proposed Common Fate Transform is an adequate representation to disentangle overlapping signals for separation, and an inspection of our DNN count estimation model revealed that it proceeds to find modulation-like intermediate features.Im Alltag sind wir von gemischten Signalen umgeben: Musik besteht aus einer Mischung von Instrumenten; in einem Meeting oder auf einer Konferenz sind wir einer Mischung menschlicher Stimmen ausgesetzt. Für diese Mischungen ist die automatische Quellentrennung oder die Bestimmung der Anzahl an Quellen eine anspruchsvolle Aufgabe. Eine häufige Annahme bei der Verarbeitung von gemischten Signalen im Zeit-Frequenzbereich ist, dass die Quellen sich nicht vollständig überlappen. In dieser Arbeit betrachten wir jedoch einige Fälle, in denen die Überlappung immens ist zum Beispiel, wenn Instrumente den gleichen Ton spielen (unisono) oder wenn viele Menschen gleichzeitig sprechen (Cocktailparty) —, so dass neue Signal-Repräsentationen und leistungsfähigere Modelle notwendig sind. Um die zwei genannten Probleme zu bewältigen, verwenden wir sowohl konventionelle Signalverbeitungsmethoden als auch tiefgehende neuronale Netze (DNN). Wir gehen zunächst auf das Problem der Quellentrennung für Unisono-Instrumentenmischungen ein und untersuchen die speziellen, durch Vibrato ausgelösten, zeitlich-spektralen Modulationen. Um diese Modulationen auszunutzen entwickelten wir eine Methode, die auf Zeitverzerrung basiert und eine Schätzung der Grundfrequenz als zusätzliche Information nutzt. Für Fälle, in denen diese Schätzungen nicht verfügbar sind, stellen wir ein unüberwachtes Modell vor, das inspiriert ist von der Art und Weise, wie Menschen zeitveränderliche Quellen gruppieren (Common Fate). Dieser Beitrag enthält eine neuartige Repräsentation, die die Separierbarkeit für überlappte und modulierte Quellen in Unisono-Mischungen erhöht, aber auch die Trennung in Gesang und Begleitung verbessert, wenn sie in einem DNN-Modell verwendet wird. Im Weiteren beschäftigen wir uns mit der Schätzung der Anzahl von Quellen in einer Mischung, was für reale Szenarien wichtig ist. Unsere Arbeit an der Schätzung der Anzahl war motiviert durch eine Studie, die zeigt, wie wir Menschen diese Aufgabe angehen. Dies hat uns dazu veranlasst, eigene Hörexperimente durchzuführen, die bestätigten, dass Menschen nur in der Lage sind, die Anzahl von bis zu vier Quellen korrekt abzuschätzen. Um nun die Frage zu beantworten, ob Maschinen dies ähnlich gut können, stellen wir eine DNN-Architektur vor, die erlernt hat, die Anzahl der gleichzeitig sprechenden Sprecher zu ermitteln. Die Ergebnisse zeigen Verbesserungen im Vergleich zu anderen Methoden, aber vor allem auch im Vergleich zu menschlichen Hörern. Sowohl bei der Quellentrennung als auch bei der Schätzung der Anzahl an Quellen ist ein Kernbeitrag dieser Arbeit das Konzept der “Modulation”, welches wichtig ist, um die Strategien von Menschen mittels Computern nachzuahmen. Unsere vorgeschlagene Common Fate Transformation ist eine adäquate Darstellung, um die Überlappung von Signalen für die Trennung zugänglich zu machen und eine Inspektion unseres DNN-Zählmodells ergab schließlich, dass sich auch hier modulationsähnliche Merkmale finden lassen

Developing a design methodology for the construction of hypertext and hypermedia, with particular reference to hypertext electronic prospectuses

Use and development of hypertext-based documents is becoming more widespread in both industry and die academic world. This has obvious implications for the design of hypertext documents. The hypertext designer has been relatively ignored until recently, with attention largely focused on the quality of the hypertext rather than support for the designer. Recent hypertext design methodologies, such as that described by Isakowitz et al. (1995) have made a useful contribution, but are oriented towards designers with a background in computing science and related professions. This research addresses this problem by the development of a design methodology which is intended to be accessible to the general author. The design methodology was based on three sources of data: a taxonomy of existing design guidance, including a range of principles and guidelines and previous design methodologies for hypertext; hypertext versions of a higher education college prospectus, and a case study of a CD-ROM higher education prospectus. This material was assembled and synthesised to produce a provisional design methodology that is positioned between existing design methodologies such as Relationship Management Methodology (Isakowitz et al 1995) and Object-Oriented Hypermedia Design Method (Schwabe et al 1995), which are influenced by software engineering and database design concepts, and other less formal descriptions of the hypertext design process. The design methodology supports and encourages iterative methods of working, and includes supporting documentation and pro formas designed to encourage a thorough approach to hypertext design

The Whitworthian 2005-2006

The Whitworthian student newspaper, September 2005-May 2006.https://digitalcommons.whitworth.edu/whitworthian/1090/thumbnail.jp

Beasts of the Modern Imagination

Originally published in 1985. Beasts of the Modern Imagination explores a specific tradition in modern thought and art: the critique of anthropocentrism at the hands of "beasts"—writers whose works constitute animal gestures or acts of fatality. It is not a study of animal imagery, although the works that Margot Norris explores present us with apes, horses, bulls, and mice who appear in the foreground of fiction, not as the tropes of allegory or fable, but as narrators and protagonists appropriating their animality amid an anthropocentric universe. These beasts are finally the masks of the human animals who create them, and the textual strategies that bring them into being constitute another version of their struggle. The focus of this study is a small group of thinkers, writers, and artists who create as the animal—not like the animal, in imitation of the animal—but with their animality speaking. The author treats Charles Darwin as the founder of this tradition, as the naturalist whose shattering conclusions inevitably turned back on him and subordinated him, the rational man, to the very Nature he studied. Friedrich Nietzsche heeded the advice implicit in his criticism of David Strauss and used Darwinian ideas as critical tools to interrogate the status of man as a natural being. He also responded to the implications of his own animality for his writing by transforming his work into bestial acts and gestures. The third, and last, generation of these creative animals includes Franz Kafka, the Surrealist artist Max Ernst, and D. H. Lawrence. In exploring these modern philosophers of the animal and its instinctual life, the author inevitably rebiologizes them even against efforts to debiologize thinkers whose works can be studied profitably for their models of signification

Developing a Framework for Qualitative Evaluation of Urban Interventions in Iranian Historical Cores

Iranian historic city cores are important parts of modern cities because of their valuable monuments and morphology but are also significant because of their population density, location and the major governmental functions they house. Since 1920, modernisation policies and urban development trends in Iran have justified spatial transformation and redevelopment and the demolition and destruction of traditional urban fabrics as a way to provide contemporary requirements and hygiene improvements for the residents. As the UNESCO recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape argues, historic urban cores can only sustain their role in the daily life of the city by getting prepared for and participating in this transformation process. Disagreement over the value of historic urban cores on the one hand and inevitable modification of urban areas in a developing country like Iran on the other, creates a problematic condition for the preservation of the historic environment. The Valletta Principles for the Safeguarding and Management of Historic Cities, Towns and Urban Areas states that historic towns and urban areas require an integrated approach including their “protection, conservation, enhancement and management as well as their coherent development and their harmonious adaptation to contemporary lifeâ€. In order to support the process of reaching a balance between these spatial targets in Iran, this research discusses the relation between urban transformation projects and their heritage context. In doing so it connects international literature on urban quality and traditional Iranian urban forms to contemporary Iranian urban design practice. To achieve this integration between urban heritage and spatial development, a framework of quality attributes has been developed to evaluate urban interventions in a heritage context. The three main pillars of this framework have been extracted from and inspired by international literature and guidelines. Place-making theories have proved to be especially helpful. An analysis of traditional urban forms in Iran and their main characteristics - especially for the urban type of the bazaar – has provided a list of specific and relevant parameters. The framework has been tested by evaluating two case studies in Shiraz that illustrate two different approaches to heritage intervention on an urban level. The outcome has led to modification of the framework and new research questions

A History of the Welsh English Dialect in Fiction

The systematic study of language varieties in fictional texts have primarily focused upon written material. Recently, linguists have also added audio-visual genres to the analytic framework of literary dialect studies. Studies have traditionally examined writers’ lexical, phonological, and grammatical output; contemporarily, research has begun examining metalinguistic commentaries and linguistic indexing of character stereotypes to this repertoire (Hodson, 2014).Except for minor analysis of early texts (German, 2009), there has been no large-scale investigation of any Welsh English dialect in fiction. This thesis addresses this gap, asking the fundamental question: throughout history, how has Welsh English been represented in fiction? The thesis surveys a large chronological scope covering material from the 12th century until the present day across four narrative-genres: early writings and theatrical writing, novels, films, and, new to literary dialect studies, videogames. In doing so, a historical discussion forms that covers Welsh English’s fictolinguistic output, cross-referencing its linguistic forms with recorded data, identifying forms hitherto unknown to dialectological surveys, and addressing metalinguistic and attitudinal stereotypes in fiction.Key findings include that phonology was an early representational linguistic domain in the literary dialect, whilst lexical and grammatical domains became common from 19th century literature onwards. The commonest phonological and lexical features were glottal fricative drops and tapped /r/; and the endearment terms ‘bach/fach’ and ‘mam’ respectively. Grammatically, ‘Focus Fronting’ and ‘Demonstrative There’ regularly occurred. Regarding linguistic evidence, several authors and filmmakers were prolific lay surveyors of the variety, adding to the historical dialectological record. Concerning dialectal attitudes, Elizabethan playwrights used linguistic stereotyping to create character stereotypes of Welsh people as ‘comical’. By the 19th century, fictive Welsh English representation was the dominion of native-users in literature, film, and videogames; however today, the Comic stereotype, and an emerging stereotype of Welsh English users being Fantastical, appears embedded within the dialect’s representation

The role of gratitude in enhancing leadership : exploring the relationship between teachers and head of departments

This study was conducted to explore the significance of gratitude in enabling HODs to enhance their leadership role and to develop and support teachers by improving relationships at selected schools in Gauteng. Gratitude entails leadership showing appreciation for and acknowledging teachers’ performance to improve relationships and their enhance participation. The study found that practising gratitude enabled HODs to enhance their leadership role and support teachers as well as to improve relationships at selected schools in Gauteng. The results show that gratitude is perceived by both HODs and teachers to include kindness, appreciation, acknowledgement, contentment, consideration and authenticity. Furthermore, as role models, if HODs display gratitude it encourages and motivates both teachers and learners. The values that underpin leaders through the practice of gratitude were analysed through the teachings of ubuntu, communication, cooperation, compassion, trust and respect. Accordingly, communication, fairness, caring, mutual respect, empathy and appreciation can help improve relationships between HODs and teachers. In addition, gratitude was discussed in line with the social cognitive theory, which argues that a show of gratitude a show of gratitude when interacting with others can make others more grateful, thereby increasing its positive effect (Froh, Bono, Fan, Emmons, Henderson, Harris et al. 2014:132). This study applied a qualitative approach to explore the perceptions of HODs and teachers on the role of gratitude in leadership. A number of objectives were identified: to find out the different ways that HODs can use to practise gratitude; to uncover the sorts of challenges faced by the HODs and leaders in practising gratitude and how it affects educator achievement; and to establish the extent to which HODs’ and teachers’ relationships can be improved through the practice of gratitude. A single case study conducted in a selected Gauteng school was used to gain an in-depth understanding of the use or lack thereof of gratitude by HODs. Convenience sampling was used to identify participants who included leaders (Principal, Deputy and 3 HODs), who were interviewed individually, and nine teachers. Data were collected by holding interactive individual interviews with leaders, a focus group discussion with the nine teachers, as well as document analysis, meetings minutes, school newsletters, journal entries and observations. A workshop was conducted for the leadership of the school to share the significance of acknowledging teachers’ efforts with the aim of maintaining good relations by employing the agreed values in the school. Accordingly, it was found that HODs should devise their own strategies for displaying gratitude that incorporate values that motivate and encourage teachers in accordance with ubuntu, communication, cooperation, compassion, trust and respect to build fruitful relationships between HODs and teachers. This clearly shows that school values and constitutional values work hand in hand to ensure that the manner in which leaders’ communicate with teachers incorporate fairness, which brings about mutual respect, empathy and appreciation towards teachers. The study also identified possible negative effects of gratitude, including lack of professionalism, increased conflict. The effects of a lack of gratitude include decreased educator achievement as a result of negativity, dissatisfaction and low self-esteem, resulting in a lack of commitment and teachers leaving the profession, ultimately affecting learners’ performance. In conclusion, if gratitude is shown constitutional values will be institutionalised.Hierdie studie is uitgevoer om die belangrikheid van dankbaarheid te ondersoek om die Departementshoofde in staat te stel om hul leierskapsrolle te bevorder en onderwysers te ondersteun en om verhoudings by geselekteerde skole in Gauteng te verbeter. Dankbaarheid behels die waardering en erkenning van die prestasie van onderwysers deur die leierskap in die verbetering van verhoudings en die bevordering van deelname deur onderwysers. Bevindinge wys die belangrikheid daarvan om dankbaarheid te beoefen om HODs in staat te stel om hul leiersrol te bevorder en om onderwysers te ontwikkel en te ondersteun om verhoudings by geselekteerde skole in Gauteng te verbeter. Resultate toon dat persepsies van HODs en onderwysers vriendelikheid, waardering, erkenning, tevredenheid, oorweging en egtheid insluit. Verder bring die mate waartoe HODs dankbaarheid aanmoedig, aanmoediging en motivering deur as rolmodelle vir beide onderwysers en leerders op te tree. Die waardes wat leiers ondersteun deur die beoefening van dankbaarheid is geanaliseer deur die leringe van Ubuntu, kommunikasie, samewerking, deernis, vertroue en respek. Hierdie bogenoemde waardes kan help om die verhoudings tussen HODs en onderwysers te verbeter in kommunikasie, regverdigheid, versorging, wedersydse respek, empatie en waardering. Die rol van dankbaarheid is getoon in ooreenstemming met die sosiaal-kognitiewe teorie, wat argumenteer dat dankbare denke wanneer u met ander omgaan en ander dankbaar kan maak en sodoende die positiewe effek daarvan verhoog (Froh, Bono, Fan, Emtnons, Henderson, Harris, Leggio, Wood, 2014: 132). Hierdie studie maak gebruik van die kwalitatiewe benadering om die persepsies van HODs en onderwysers rakende die rol van dankbaarheid in leierskap deur die volgende subdoelstellings te ondersoek; die verskillende maniere uit te vind wat HODs kan gebruik om dankbaarheid te beoefen; ontbloot die soort uitdagings wat die Departementshoofde ondervind met die beoefening van dankbaarheid in die leierskap en hoe dit opvoedersprestasie beïnvloed en laastens vasstel in watter mate HODs en onderwysers se verhoudings deur die praktyk van dankbaarheid verbeter kan word ‘N Enkele gevallestudie in 'n geselekteerde Gautengse skool is gebruik om 'n diepgaande begrip te kry van die indiensneming of die gebrek daaraan aan dankbaarheid deur HODs. Gemaksteekproefneming is gebruik om deelnemers te identifiseer wat die leiers (skoolhoof, adjunk- en 3 departementshoofde) insluit wat individueel ondervra is en onderwysers (9 onderwysers) wat aan 'n fokusgroeponderhoud deelgeneem het. Die gegewens is versamel deur middel van interaktiewe individuele onderhoude, fokusgroepbesprekings, dokumentanalise, notules van vergaderings, nuusbriewe op skool, joernaalinskrywings en waarnemings. 'N Werkswinkel is afgesluit vir die leierskap van die skool om die belangrikheid van erkenning van die pogings van onderwysers te deel met die doel om goeie verhoudings te handhaaf deur die ooreengekome waardes in die skool te gebruik. Die bevindinge van die studie dui aan dat HODs hul eie strategieë moet vind om dankbaarheid te betoon deur waardes in te sluit wat onderwysers motiveer en aanmoedig in ooreenstemming met Ubuntu, kommunikasie, samewerking, deernis, vertroue en respek om vrugbare verhoudings tussen HODs en onderwysers te bou. Dit het duidelik getoon dat die skool en die grondwetlike waardes om te verseker dat die wyse van kommunikasie regverdigheid insluit wat wedersydse respek, empatie en waardering teenoor onderwysers bewerkstellig. Hierdie studie het die moontlike negatiewe gevolge van dankbaarheid ontbloot, wat die gebrek aan professionaliteit en konflik insluit, en hoe die gebrek aan dankbaarheid uiteindelik die prestasie van opvoeders beïnvloed deur negatiwiteit, ontevredenheid, lae selfbeeld, wat daartoe lei dat onderwysers die beroep verlaat en 'n gebrek aan toewyding wat 'n invloed het op leerder se prestasie. Ten slotte sal konstitusionele waardes geïnstitusionaliseer word as dankbaarheid getoon word.Lolu cwaningo lwenzelwe ukubheka ukubaluleka kokubonga ekunikeni amandla ama-HOD ukuthuthukisa iqhaza lawo lobuholi futhi athuthukise futhi asekele othisha ukuthuthukisa ubudlelwano ezikoleni ezikhethiwe eGauteng. Ukubonga kufaka ukwazisa nokwazisa ukusebenza kothisha ngobuholi ekwenzeni ngcono ubudlelwano nokwandisa ukubamba iqhaza kothisha. Ukutholwa kukhombisa ukubaluleka kokwenza ukubonga ekunikeni amandla ama-HODs ukuthuthukisa iqhaza lawo lobuholi nasekuthuthukiseni nasekusekeleni othisha ukwenza ngcono ubudlelwano ezikoleni ezikhethiwe eGauteng. Imiphumela ikhombisa ukuthi imibono ye-HODs nothisha ifaka umusa, ukwazisa, ukuvuma, ukwaneliseka, ukucatshangelwa nobuqiniso. Ngaphezu kwalokho, izinga lapho ama-HOD ekhombisa ukubonga kuletha isikhuthazo kanye nenkuthazo ngokusebenza njengezibonelo kubo bothisha nakubafundi. Amagugu asekela abaholi ngomkhuba wokubonga ahlaziywa ngezifundiso zika Ubuntu, ukuxhumana, ukubambisana, ububele, ukwethembana nokuhlonipha. Lamagugu ashiwo ngenhla angasiza ekuthuthukiseni ubudlelwano phakathi kwe-HODs nothisha ekuxhumaneni, ukulingana, ukukhombisa ukunakekela, ukuhloniphana, ukuzwela nokwazisa. Indima yokubonga yakhonjiswa ngokuhambisana nomqondo wokucabanga komphakathi, othi leyo ndlela yokucabanga yokubonga lapho uxhumana nabanye futhi ingenza abanye babonge ngokwengeziwe futhi ngaleyo ndlela ikhulisa umphumela wayo omuhle (Froh, Bono, Fan, Emtnons, Henderson, Harris, Leggio, Wood, 2014: 132). Lolu cwaningo lusebenzisa indlela efanelekile yokuhlola imibono ye-HOD kanye nothisha mayelana neqhaza lokubonga ebuholini ngalezi zinhloso ezingezansi ezilandelayo; thola izindlela ezahlukahlukene amaHOD angazisebenzisa ukwenza ukubonga; kwembula uhlobo lwezinselelo ezibhekene namaHOD ekusebenziseni ukubonga ebuholini nokuthi ikuthinta kanjani ukufeza kwabafundisi futhi ekugcineni kutholakale ukuthi ubudlelwano beHODs nothisha bungathuthukiswa kanjani ngokubonga. Isifundo esisodwa ecaleni lesikole esikhethiwe saseGauteng sisetshenziselwe ukuthola ukuqonda okujulile ngokuqashwa noma ukuntuleka kwawo okubonga ngamaHOD. Isampula yokulungiselela isetshenziselwa ukukhomba ababambe iqhaza ababefaka abaholi (Othishanhloko, Amaphini kanye nama-HOD ama-3) abaxoxwa mathupha ngothisha (othisha abangu-9) ababambe iqhaza kwinhlolokhono yeqembu eligxile. Imininingwane iqoqwe ngokuxoxisana nomuntu ngamunye, ukuxoxisana ngeqembu okugxilwe kulo, ukuhlaziywa kwamadokhumenti, amaminithi emihlangano, izincwadi zezindaba zesikole, okubhalwe kumaphephabhuku kanye nokubonwayo. Kwaphethwa umhlangano wokusebenzela ubuholi besikole ukuze babelane ngokubaluleka kokuvuma imizamo yothisha ngenhloso yokugcina ubudlelwano obuhle ngokusebenzisa amanani avumelanayo esikoleni. Okutholakele kulolu cwaningo kukhombisa ukuthi amaHOD kufanele athole amasu awo okubonisa ukubonga ngokufaka amagugu agqugquzela futhi akhuthaze othisha ngokuhambisana nobuntu, ukuxhumana, ukubambisana, ububele, ukwethembana nokuhlonipha ukwakha ubudlelwano obunezithelo phakathi kwe-HODs nothisha. Lokhu kukhombise ngokusobala ukuthi amagugu esikole kanye nawomthethosisekelo wokuqinisekisa ukuthi indlela yezokuxhumana ifaka ukulunga okuletha inhlonipho yokubonisana, uzwela nokwazisa othisha. Lolu cwaningo luthole imiphumela emibi yokubonga efaka ukuntuleka kobungcweti kanye nokungqubuzana nokuthi ukuntula ukubonga kugcina kuthinta kanjani impumelelo yabafundisi ngokusebenzisa budedengu, ukungagculiseki, ukuzithemba okuphansi okuholele ekutheni othisha bashiye lo msebenzi kanye nokuntuleka kokuzibophezela okuthinta ukusebenza komfundi. Sengiphetha, uma ukubonga kukhonjiswa amanani womthethosisekelo azofakwa esikhungweni.Educational Leadership and ManagementM. Ed. (Education Management