Support for Learning Synthesiser Programming

When learning an instrument, students often like to emulate the sound and style of their favourite performers. The learning process takes many years of study and practice. In the case of synthesisers the vast parameter space involved can be daunting and unintuitive to the novice making it hard to define their desired sound and difficult to understand how it was achieved. Previous research has produced methods for automatically determining an appropriate parameter set to produce a desired sound but this can still require many parameters and does not explain or demonstrate the effect of particular parameters on the resulting sound. As a first step to solving this problem, this paper presents a new approach to searching the synthesiser parameter space to find a sound, reformulating it as a multi-objective optimisation problem (MOOP) where two competing objectives (closeness of perceived sonic match and number of parameters) are considered. As a proof-of-concept a pareto-optimal search algorithm (NSGA-II) is applied to CSound patches of varying complexity to generate a pareto-front of non-dominating (i.e. ”equally good”) solutions. The results offer insight into the extent to which the size and nature of parameter sets can be reduced whilst still retaining an acceptable degree of perceived sonic match between target and candidate sound

Age Differences in Intra-Individual Variability in Simple and Choice Reaction Time: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Intra-individual variability in reaction time (RT IIV) is considered to be an index of central nervous system functioning. Such variability is elevated in neurodegenerative diseases or following traumatic brain injury. It has also been suggested to increase with age in healthy ageing.To investigate and quantify age differences in RT IIV in healthy ageing; to examine the effect of different tasks and procedures; to compare raw and mean-adjusted measures of RT IIV.Four electronic databases: PsycINFO, Medline, Web of Science and EMBASE, and hand searching of reference lists of relevant studies.English language journal articles, books or book chapters, containing quantitative empirical data on simple and/or choice RT IIV. Samples had to include younger (under 60 years) and older (60 years and above) human adults.Studies were evaluated in terms of sample representativeness and data treatment. Relevant data were extracted, using a specially-designed form, from the published report or obtained directly from the study authors. Age-group differences in raw and RT-mean-adjusted measures of simple and choice RT IIV were quantified using random effects meta-analyses.Older adults (60+ years) had greater RT IIV than younger (20-39) and middle-aged (40-59) adults. Age effects were larger in choice RT tasks than in simple RT tasks. For all measures of RT IIV, effect sizes were larger for the comparisons between older and younger adults than between older and middle-aged adults, indicating that the age-related increases in RT IIV are not limited to old age. Effect sizes were also larger for raw than for RT-mean-adjusted RT IIV measures.RT IIV is greater among older adults. Some (but not all) of the age-related increases in RT IIV are accounted for by the increased RT means

How do therapists assess suitability? A qualitative study exploring therapists' judgements of treatment suitability for depressed adolescents

BACKGROUND: Despite the need for a better understanding of treatment suitability, how it is determined by therapists in real-life practice is still unknown. The study aimed to explore how therapists working with depressed teenagers make judgements about treatment suitability across three treatment modalities: (a) Short-term Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, (b) Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, and (c) Brief Psychosocial Intervention. METHODS: The study used a qualitative analysis within a randomised controlled trial. Therapists' judgements of treatment suitability were studied via an exploratory content analysis. This trial is registered with current controlled trials, number ISRCTN83033550. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: A wide range of factors were considered in therapists' judgements of suitability, with significant variation in themes across treatment modalities. Although a much higher number of therapists judged the allocated treatment modality to be suitable to the client than not, many also indicated ambivalence and uncertainty towards their decision-making. This demonstrates a possibility that treatment suitability may be more accurately assessed as a continuum over multiple time points throughout treatment

Evaluation of common tests for fracture characterisation of advanced high-strength sheet steels with the help of the FEA

The paper presents results of evaluation of common tests for fracture characterization of advanced high-strength sheet steels with the help of the FEA. The tests include three in-plane shear tests, two uniaxial tension tests, two plane strain tension tests and two equibiaxial tension tests. Three high-strength steels with different yield loci, strain hardening rates and strengths in three different thicknesses each were used. The evaluation was performed based on the spatial distribution of the equivalent plastic strain and damage variable in the specimen at the moment of crack initiation as well as on the time variation of the stress state at the crack initiation location. For in-plane shear, uniaxial tension and plane strain tension, no test can be unconditionally recommended as disadvantages of all studied tests in these groups cannot be neglected. However, in each of these groups, a test can be chosen, which represents an acceptable compromise between its advantages and disadvantages: the shear test on an IFUM butterfly specimen for in-plane shear, the tensile test on a holed specimen for uniaxial tension and the tensile test on a waisted specimen for plane strain tension. On the contrary, the bulge test on a circular specimen with a punch of Ø 100 mm can be unconditionally recommended for equibiaxial tension. In the future, optimisation of the studied tests for in-plane shear, uniaxial tension and plane strain tension appears to be necessary.FOST

Experimental Characterization and Material Modelling of an AZ31 Magnesium Sheet Alloy at Elevated Temperatures under Consideration of the Tension-Compression Asymmetry

Magnesium sheet alloys have a great potential as a construction material in the aerospace and automotive industry. However, the current state of research regarding temperature dependent material parameters for the description of the plastic behaviour of magnesium sheet alloys is scarce in literature and accurate statements concerning yield criteria and appropriate characterization tests to describe the plastic behaviour of a magnesium sheet alloy at elevated temperatures in deep drawing processes are to define. Hence, in this paper the plastic behaviour of the well-established magnesium sheet alloy AZ31 has been characterized by means of convenient mechanical tests (e. g. tension, compression and biaxial tests) at temperatures between 180 and 230 °C. In this manner, anisotropic and hardening behaviour as well as differences between the tension-compression asymmetry of the yield locus have been estimated. Furthermore, using the evaluated data from the above mentioned tests, two different yield criteria have been parametrized; the commonly used Hill'48 and an orthotropic yield criterion, CPB2006, which was developed especially for materials with hexagonal close packed lattice structure and is able to describe an asymmetrical yielding behaviour regarding tensile and compressive stress states. Numerical simulations have been finally carried out with both yield functions in order to assess the accuracy of the material models

Biodegradation kinetics of acenphtylene, flourene and phenantrene : a comparative study

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) are environmental contaminants produced in many human activities and presents toxic and carcinogenic characteristics. Their low solubility in water leads to slow biodegradation rates and consequently environmental persistence. The present work intends to determine the degradation rates of three aqueous phase PAH’s (acenphtylene, flourene and phenantrene) by a mixed culture of microorganisms. The three PAH were dissolved in water at a concentration approximately of 1 mg Lˉ¹. A mixed culture taken from contaminated site was used to inoculate the samples. Batch experiments were performed at room temperature (∼20°C) and PAH consume was measured during the experiment time. PAH samples were extracted and concentrated by solid phase micro extraction (SPME) and measured by GC-FID. Biomass was measured as volatile suspended solids at the beginning and at the end of experiment to ensure that no significant biomass was grown. The culture was able to degrade acenphtylene, flourene and phenantrene. The biokinetics parameters (k and Ks) were determined using a saturation type kinetics biodegradation model and the results were very similar for the three PAH’s. The main microorganisms identified (by API 20NE test) in the culture were Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Alcagenes faecalis and Xanthomonas maltophilia

Why is mini-mental state examination performance correlated with estimated premorbid cognitive ability?

Background: Tests requiring the pronunciation of irregular words are used to estimate premorbid cognitive ability in patients with clinical diagnoses, and prior cognitive ability in normal ageing. However, scores on these word-reading tests correlate with scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), a widely-used screening test for possible cognitive pathology. The present study aimed to test whether the word-reading tests’ correlations with MMSE scores in healthy older people are explained by childhood IQ or education. Methods: Wechsler Test of Adult Reading (WTAR), National Adult Reading Test (NART), MMSE scores and information about education were obtained from 1024 70-year-olds, for whom childhood intelligence test scores were available. Results: WTAR and NART were positively correlated with the MMSE (r ≈ .40, p<.001). The shared variance of WTAR and NART with MMSE was significantly attenuated by about 70% after controlling for childhood intelligence test scores. Education explained little additional variance in the association between the reading tests and the MMSE. Conclusions: MMSE, which is often used to index cognitive impairment, is associated with prior cognitive ability. MMSE score is related to scores on WTAR and NART largely due to their shared association with prior ability. Obtained MMSE scores should be interpreted in the context of prior ability (or WTAR/NART score as its proxy)

Assessing the genetic overlap between BMI and cognitive function

Obesity and low cognitive function are associated with multiple adverse health outcomes across the life course. They have a small phenotypic correlation (r=-0.11; high body mass index (BMI)-low cognitive function), but whether they have a shared genetic aetiology is unknown. We investigated the phenotypic and genetic correlations between the traits using data from 6815 unrelated, genotyped members of Generation Scotland, an ethnically homogeneous cohort from five sites across Scotland. Genetic correlations were estimated using the following: same-sample bivariate genome-wide complex trait analysis (GCTA)-GREML; independent samples bivariate GCTA-GREML using Generation Scotland for cognitive data and four other samples (n=20 806) for BMI; and bivariate LDSC analysis using the largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary data on cognitive function (n=48 462) and BMI (n=339 224) to date. The GWAS summary data were also used to create polygenic scores for the two traits, with within- and cross-trait prediction taking place in the independent Generation Scotland cohort. A large genetic correlation of -0.51 (s.e. 0.15) was observed using the same-sample GCTA-GREML approach compared with -0.10 (s.e. 0.08) from the independent-samples GCTA-GREML approach and -0.22 (s.e. 0.03) from the bivariate LDSC analysis. A genetic profile score using cognition-specific genetic variants accounts for 0.08% (P=0.020) of the variance in BMI and a genetic profile score using BMI-specific variants accounts for 0.42% (P=1.9 × 10 -7) of the variance in cognitive function. Seven common genetic variants are significantly associated with both traits at

Predicting change in quality of life from age 79 to 90 in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921

Purpose: Quality of life (QoL) decreases in very old age, and is strongly related to health outcomes and mortality. Understanding the predictors of QoL and change in QoL amongst the oldest old may suggest potential targets for intervention. This study investigated change in QoL from age 79 to 90 years in a group of older adults in Scotland, and identified potential predictors of that change. Method: Participants were members of the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921 who attended clinic visits at age 79 (n = 554) and 90 (n = 129). Measures at both time points included QoL (WHOQOL-BREF: four domains and two single items), anxiety and depression, objective health, functional ability, self-rated health, loneliness, and personality. Results: Mean QoL declined from age 79 to 90. Participants returning at 90 had scored significantly higher at 79 on most QoL measures, and exhibited better objective health and functional ability, and lower anxiety and depression than non-returners. Hierarchical multiple regression models accounted for 20.3–56.3% of the variance in QoL at age 90. Baseline QoL was the strongest predictor of domain scores (20.3–35.6% variance explained), suggesting that individual differences in QoL judgements remain largely stable. Additional predictors varied by the QoL domain and included self-rated health, loneliness, and functional and mood decline between age 79 and 90 years. Conclusions: This study has identified potential targets for interventions to improve QoL in the oldest old. Further research should address causal pathways between QoL and functional and mood decline, perceived health and loneliness