LFO – A Graph-based Modular Approach to the Processing of Data Streams

This paper introduces lfo — for Low Frequency Operators — a graph-based Javascript (ES2015) API for online and online processing (i.e. analysis and transformation) of data streams such as audio and motion sensor data. The library is open-source and entirely based on web standards. The project aims at creating an ecosystem consisting of platform-independent stream operator modules such as filters and extractors as well as platform-specific source and sink modules such as audio i/o, motion sensor inputs, and file access. The modular approach of the API allows for using the library in virtually any Javascript environment. A first set of operators as well as basic source and sink modules for web browsers and Node.js are included in the distribu- tion of the library. The paper introduces the underlying concepts, describes the implementation of the API, and reports on benchmarks of a set of operators. It concludes with the presentation of a set of example applications

88 Fingers

88 Fingers is a performance in which up to 88 players in the audience perform on an automatized piano (i.e. a YAMAHA Disklavier) via their mobile devices. The piano is presented in the performance space as if it would be the instrument of a solo performer (e.g. on stage or in the center of the space). Apart from the web-based system that allows the participants to select a single key of the piano and to play it during the concert, the concept of the performance does not impose any further constraints. The performance is structured into two parts of 10 minutes separated by a discussion among the members of the audience of approximately 10 minutes. The experience establishes a metaphor of a free and responsible society

Playing (with) Mobile Devices and Web Standards ... Together

In this talk, we present an overview of the experiences we conducted with developers, artists, pedagogues, and many different audiences over the past three years in the framework of the CoSiMa research project. The hypothesis of our research was that people would more or less spontaneously take their mobile device out of their pocket to join others around them in making music together. Our methodology basically consisted in trying everything we could and taking on any collaboration that fitted this hypothesis while carefully observing various design aspects. We have focussed in this work on the exploration of affordances of mobile devices and web standards which we consider to be strong ecological factors in the development of communication, entertain- ment, and poetry. The talk includes a panorama of the applications and scenarios (i.e. participative concerts, installations, and workshops) we have developed over the past three years as well as an overview of the most important findings we have been able to formulate so far. The presentation concludes with a collective improvisation in which we invite the audience to participate

Eine einfache Methode zur Bioindikation der Umweltbelastung in einer Großstadt mit epiphytischen Flechten

Die Häufigkeit der beiden gegenüber Verkehrsimmissionen und städtischer Überwärmung toleranten Blattflechten Phaeophyscia nigricans und P. orbicularis bezogen auf die Deckung aller anderen epiphytischen Flechten wird als einfaches Instrument zur Bestimmung der Umweltbelastung einer Großstadt (Düsseldorf) überprüft.The frequency of transport immission and urban heat island formation tolerant, foliose lichens Phaeophyscia nigricans and P. orbicularis in proportion to the cover of all other epiphytic lichens is tested as a simple means for the estimation of environmental pollution within a big city

WavesJS Tutorial

Presented at the 2nd Web Audio Conference (WAC), April 4-6, 2016, Atlanta, Georgia.This tutorial session will present WavesJS, a client-side low-level library dedicated to the audiovisual rendering of recorded audio signals and related data in the browser. The library has been designed with a strong focus on flexibility and modularity, and offers a set of extensible building blocks supporting a large range of applications. Along with the submitted paper, the workshop will present the general structure and architecture of the library (particularly the ui and audio components). A more in depth approach of the low level features will be achieved through the implementation of a simple application. WavesJS on GitHub: https://github.com/wavesj

Nü Soundworks: Using spectators smartphones as a distributed network of speakers and sensors during live performances

This paper presents the Nu ̈ framework. The objective of the framework is to provide composers with a tool to con- trol web-based audio processes on spectators smartphones during live performances. Connecting their devices to a web- page broadcasted by the performer’s laptop, spectators become part of the composition: from simple sound sources to active musicians. From a Max based interface, the performer can then control the behaviours of conceptual units, referred to as Nu ̈ modules, designed for live composition (distributed room reverb, granular synthesis, etc.). Each module is composed of a pair of JavaScript classes – one for the client, another for the server – relying on the Web Audio API for audio processing, and OSC messages for parameters control. Nu ̈ is an open source project based on the Soundworks framework

Influence of footprint size and geolocation error on the precision of forest biomass estimates from space-borne waveform LiDAR

Space-borne LiDAR systems can potentially assist large-area assessments of forest resources, in particular when a subset of the acquired LiDAR footprints is combined with field surveys of forest stand characteristics at footprint location. When combined, space-borne LiDAR geolocation error and the footprint size may however have considerable effects on the estimation accuracy of forest stand variables, such as aboveground biomass (AGB). The aim of this study was to draw recommendations for future space-borne LiDAR systems, which should deliver data for unbiased AGB assessments. The recommendations were drawn from AGB estimations based on space borne LiDAR waveforms simulated over a 1300 ha large study site in southern Sweden. Large-footprint, nadir looking satellite waveforms were simulated by stacking individual small-footprint, airborne LiDAR waveforms observed near a predefined sampling pattern. The stacked waveforms, represented by their metrics, were used as input for a two-phase systematic sampling in combination with model-assisted estimation or hybrid inference for estimating AGB and its variance. The second-phase sample included 264 inventory plots, whereas the first-phase sample included 1010 sample locations, where satellite waveforms were simulated. After simulating satellite waveforms with different footprint sizes and analyzing the AGB variance, the recommendation is to have a footprint size that is similar to the size of the field plots used for collecting reference data, i.e. 20 m diameter in our case. For the optimal footprint size, AGB was estimated with a precision of 2.9 Mg per hectare (2.9% of the average). The results also showed that variance estimates increased constantly with increasing geolocation error. For a geolocation error of 14 m, variance estimates increased by 17%, which justifies investing additional efforts in minimizing it

The Role of Sound Source Perception in Gestural Sound Description

We investigated gesture description of sound stimuli performed during a listening task. Our hypothesis is that the strategies in gestural responses depend on the level of identification of the sound source, and specifically on the identification of the action causing the sound. To validate our hypothesis, we conducted two experiments. In the first experiment, we built two corpora of sounds. The first corpus contains sounds with identifiable causal actions. The second contains sounds where no causal actions could be identified. These corpora properties were validated through a listening test. In the second experiment, participants performed arm and hand gestures synchronously while listening to sounds taken from these corpora. Afterwards, we conducted interviews asking participants to verbalize their experience, watching their own video recordings. They were questioned on their perception of the listened sounds and on their gestural strategies. We showed that for the sounds where causal action can be identified, participants mainly mimic the action that has produced the sound. In the other case, when no action can be associated to the sound, participants trace contours related to sound acoustic features. We also found that the inter-participants gesture variability is higher for causal sounds compared to non-causal sounds. Variability demonstrates that in the first case, participants have several ways of producing the same action whereas in the second case, the sound features tend to make the gesture responses consistent

<i>Mycoplasma pneumoniae</i> IgG positivity is associated with tic severity in chronic tic disorders

Infectious pathogens may represent an environmental risk factor for chronic tic disorders (CTD). This cross-sectional study aimed to determine whether Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) IgG positivity is associated with the presence or severity of tics. We compared M. pneumoniae IgG positivity across three groups: children and adolescents (3-16 years) with CTD (CTD group; n=302); siblings (3-10 years) of people with CTD who developed tics within a seven-year follow-up period (tic onset group; n=51); siblings (4-10 years) who did not develop tics within the study period and were ≥ 10-years-old at their last assessment (unaffected group; n=88). The relationship between M. pneumoniae IgG positivity and the presence and severity of tics was analysed using multilevel models controlling for site, family relatedness, sex, age, presence of comorbid obsessive-compulsive and/or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and use of psychotropic medication. M. pneumoniae IgG positivity was not associated with the presence of CTD, or the first onset of tics as compared to siblings who remained unaffected. M. pneumoniae IgG positivity was associated with a higher tic severity score within the CTD group (β=2.64, s.e.=1.15, p=0.02). It is possible that M. pneumoniae infection influences tic severity in CTD or, that having more severe tics, increases the risk of infection. However, it is more likely that the association observed in this study reflects a propensity toward enhanced immune responses in people with CTD and that, rather than a causal relationship, infection and greater tic severity are indirectly linked via shared underlying immune mechanisms