The Audio Degradation Toolbox and its Application to Robustness Evaluation

We introduce the Audio Degradation Toolbox (ADT) for the controlled degradation of audio signals, and propose its usage as a means of evaluating and comparing the robustness of audio processing algorithms. Music recordings encountered in practical applications are subject to varied, sometimes unpredictable degradation. For example, audio is degraded by low-quality microphones, noisy recording environments, MP3 compression, dynamic compression in broadcasting or vinyl decay. In spite of this, no standard software for the degradation of audio exists, and music processing methods are usually evaluated against clean data. The ADT fills this gap by providing Matlab scripts that emulate a wide range of degradation types. We describe 14 degradation units, and how they can be chained to create more complex, `real-world' degradations. The ADT also provides functionality to adjust existing ground-truth, correcting for temporal distortions introduced by degradation. Using four different music informatics tasks, we show that performance strongly depends on the combination of method and degradation applied. We demonstrate that specific degradations can reduce or even reverse the performance difference between two competing methods. ADT source code, sounds, impulse responses and definitions are freely available for download

Drum Transcription via Classification of Bar-level Rhythmic Patterns

acceptedMatthias Mauch is supported by a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowshi

Exploring the singing style in five lyrical first movements from Beethoven’s piano sonatas

Although Beethoven’s so-called “heroic” style dominates perceptions about the composer, he also composed a number of pieces that have a less heroic, more intimate or “lyrical” style. Up to now, the most extended discussion of this lyrical strain has been written by Carl Dahlhaus (1980), who, however, treats the topic primarily from the perspective of thematic unification. Drawing on the discussion of the singing style in recent writings on topic theory, particularly on the semiotic approach of Sarah Day- O’Connell (2014), the present paper explores multiple musical and semiotic parameters of the singing style in the first movements of five of Beethoven’s piano sonatas: Opp. 14/2, 28, 78, 101, and 110. As shown in my analysis, these five movements not only exhibit surface musical elements that signify of the singing style--conjunct melody with narrow range and long note values, continuous and flowing contours, less impetuous rhythms, soft dynamics, simple harmony, and homophonic (melody-and-accompaniment or chorale/hymn) textures--but also reveal how Beethoven solves the structural and formal problems by mitigating contrasts between principal and subsidiary themes and lessening goal-directed processes in the development. In addition, the exploration of the signifieds of the singing style--nature, beauty, simplicity; the amateur and the feminine; and private domains as well as sociability--helps us understand how Beethoven’s singing-style sonata-form first movements function in their socio-cultural and historical contexts, while also revealing a significant humanist value—loving communication and brotherhood—that is worthy of further research. The investigation of the singing style in Beethoven’s music contributes to a better understanding of Beethoven as an artist, especially as a countermeasure to the dominance of the heroic in Beethoven reception.Musi

First Aspect of Conventional Power System Assessment for High Wind Power Plants Penetration

Most power systems in underdeveloped and developing countries are based on conventional power plants, mainly "slow-response" thermal power plants and a certain number of hydro power plants; characterized by inflexible generating portfolios and traditionally designed to meet own electricity needs. Taking into account operational capabilities of conventional power systems, their development planning will face problems with integration of notable amounts of installed capacities in wind power plants (WPP). This is what highlights the purpose of this work and in that sense, here, possible variations of simulated output power from WPP in the 10 minute and hourly time interval, which need to be balanced, are investigated, presented and discussed. Comparative calculations for the amount of installed power in WPP that can be integrated into a certain power system, according to available secondary balancing power amounts, in case of concentrated and dispersed future WPP are given. The stated has been done using a part of the power system of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the considered example, by planned geographically distributed WPP construction, even up to cca. 74% more in installed power of WPP can be integrated into the power system than in case of geographically concentrated WPP construction, for the same available amount of (secondary) balancing power. These calculations have shown a significant benefit of planned, geographically distributed WPP construction, as an important recommendation for the development planning of conventional power systems, with limited balancing options

Features relaxation grain and defect structure of nanostructured alloy V-Cr-ZrO2 alloy

The study of parameters of the defect structure near the recrystallization temperature of the dispersion-strengthened alloy V-Cr-ZrO2 after deformation by torsion under pressure is presented

Araracuara, un nuevo género de Rhamnaceae de la Amazonía colombiana

Se describe e ilustra Araracuara Fern. Alonso, un nuevo género de la familia Rhamnaceae conocido tan sólo de las mesetas de arenisca de la Amazonía colombiana. Se discuten sus posibles afinidades en la familia y se sugiere que estaríamos ante un género relíctico, relacionado con el pantropical Colubrina y en menor medida con el amazónico Ampelozizyphus. Se incluye una clave para los géneros de Rhamnaceae de Colombia y un apéndice con una muestra representativa de especies de los géneros estudiados, algunos de ellos pobremente documentados de territorio colombiano.Peer reviewe

Chicken Reel / music by M. Daly; words by Jos Mittenthal

Cover: drawing of African Americans, dressed in finery, dancing in a hall, while a trio of piano, violin, and cello provides the music; Publisher: Daly Music Publisher (Boston)https://egrove.olemiss.edu/sharris_c/1017/thumbnail.jp

Information Subsystem of Shadow Economy Deactivation

The article presents information subsystem of shadow economy deactivation aimed at minimizing negative effects caused by its reproduction. In Russia, as well as in other countries, efficient implementation of the suggested system of shadow economy deactivation can be ensured by the developed information subsystem