Dynamical Interactions with Electronic Instruments

This paper examines electronic instruments that incorporate dynamical systems, where the behaviour of the instrument depends not only upon the immediate input to the instrument, but also on the past input. Five instruments are presented as case studies: Michel Waisvisz’ Crackle-box, Dylan Menzies’ Spiro, no-input mixing desk, the author’s Feedback Joypad, and microphone-loudspeaker feedback. Links are suggested between the sonic affordances of each instrument and the dynamical mechanisms embedded in them. These affordances are contrasted with those of non-dynamical instruments such as the Theremin and sample-based instruments. This is discussed in the context of contemporary, material-oriented approaches to composition and particularly to free improvisation where elements such as unpredictability and instability are often of interest, and the process of exploration and discovery is an important part of the practice

Nonlinear Dynamical Processes in Musical Interactions: investigating the role of nonlinear dynamics in supporting surprise and exploration in interactions with digital musical instruments

Nonlinear dynamical processes play a central role in many acoustic instruments, yet they rarely feature in digital instruments, and are little understood from an interaction design perspective. Such processes exhibit behaviours that are complex, time-dependent, and chaotic, yet in the context of acoustic instruments can facilitate interactions that are explorable, learnable and repeatable. This suggests that these processes merit deeper investigation for digital music interaction design. Two studies are presented which investigate user interaction with nonlinear dynamical musical tools. A lab-based study used four purpose-built digital musical instruments to test interaction designs featuring nonlinear dynamical processes. Evaluations with 28 musicians demonstrated the potential for these processes to provoke creative surprises, and support exploration without a corresponding loss of control. A subsequent ethnographically-informed study with 24 musicians linked these findings to a mode of engagement which we term ‘edge-like interaction’. Edge-like interactions draw on the complex, unpredictable behaviours found in nonlinear dynamical processes close to critical thresholds, facilitating creative exploration. The two complementary studies provide evidence both for the existing importance of nonlinear dynamical processes in musical interactions with acoustic interactions, and their potential for deployment in the development of new creative digital technologies, musical or otherwise

The Role of Nonlinear Dynamics in Musicians' Interactions with Digital and Acoustic Musical Instruments

Nonlinear dynamical processes are fundamental to the behaviour of acoustic musical instruments, as is well explored in the case of sound production. However, such processes may have profound and under-explored implications for how musicians interact with instruments. While nonlinear dynamical processes are ubiquitous in acoustic instruments, they are present in digital musical tools only if explicitly implemented. Thus, an important resource with potentially major effects on how musicians interact with acoustic instruments is typically absent in the way musicians interact with digital instruments. 24 interviews with free improvising musicians were conducted to explore the role that nonlinear dynamics play in the participants’ musical practices, and to understand how such processes can afford distinctive methods of creative exploration. Thematic analysis of the interview data is used to demonstrate the potential for nonlinear dynamical processes to provide repeatable, learnable, controllable and explorable interactions, and to establish a vocabulary for exploring nonlinear dynamical interactions. Two related approaches to engaging with nonlinear dynamical behaviours are elaborated: edge-like interaction which involves the creative use of critical thresholds; and deep exploration which involves exploring the virtually unlimited subtleties of a very small control region. The elaboration of these approaches provides an important bridge that connects the concrete descriptions of interaction in musical practices on the one hand, to the more abstract mathematical formulation of nonlinear dynamical systems on the other

Nonlinear Dynamical Systems as Enablers of Exploratory Engagement with Musical Instruments

This paper presents a small scale study that examined links between the inclusion of nonlinear dynamical processes in musical tools and particular kinds of engagement. Communication-oriented attitudes to engagement that view the tool as a medium for transmission of ideas are contrasted with material-oriented attitudes that focus on the specific sonic properties and behaviours of a given tool, and the latter are linked to the inclusion of nonlinear dynamical elements. Methodological issues are raised and discussed, particularly with regard to the holistic nature of musical instruments, the difficulties of independently testing isolated design elements, and potential methods for addressing these difficulties

Dynamical Systems in Interaction Design for Improvisation

This paper proposes the use of, and investigation of the value of, nonlinear dynamical elements in mappings between human input and system output in interactive systems. Motivation for this, and a case study, are drawn from the practices of free, aural improvisers in digital and acoustic music. Nonlinear dynamical systems in existing sound creation mechanisms help create the rich affordances of many acoustic instruments, notably reed instruments. Dynamical systems also play a key role in electronic instruments, with many performers placing the exploration of feedback processes at the centre of their practice. We propose that the use of nonlinear dynamical elements can be usefully moved up from output mechanisms and incorporated explicitly at a higher level in the mappings between human input and system output in digital music systems. However, digital music is not the only area of human activity where divergent, open-ended, exploratory thinking is valued. We thus propose the incorporation of, and investigation of the value of, nonlinear dynamical elements in mappings between input and output in interactive systems more generally, in particular when designing for domains where divergent problem solving and problem seeking play an important role

Investigating the effects of introducing nonlinear dynamical processes into digital musical interfaces

This paper presents the results of a study that explores the effects of including nonlinear dynamical processes in the design of digital musical interfaces. Participants of varying musical backgrounds engaged with a range of representative systems, and their behaviours, responses and attitudes were recorded and analysed. The study suggests links between the inclusion of such processes and the affordance of exploration and serendipitous discovery. Relationships between musical instruments and nonlinear dynamics are discussed more broadly, in the context of both acoustic and electronic musical tools. Links between the properties of nonlinear dynamical systems and the priorities of experimental musicians are highlighted and related to the findings of the study

Efficacy and Safety of Once-Daily Vibegron for Treatment of Overactive Bladder in Patients Aged ≥65 and ≥75 Years: Subpopulation Analysis from the EMPOWUR Randomized, International, Phase III Study

Background Overactive bladder (OAB) is common among older adults. The efficacy and safety of vibegron for the treatment of OAB were demonstrated in the international, phase III EMPOWUR trial. This subpopulation analysis from EMPOWUR assessed the efficacy and safety of vibegron in patients aged ≥ 65 and ≥ 75 years. Methods In EMPOWUR, patients with OAB were randomly assigned 5:5:4 to receive once-daily vibegron 75 mg, placebo, or tolterodine 4 mg extended release, respectively, once daily for 12 weeks. Coprimary efficacy endpoints were change from baseline at week 12 in average daily number of micturitions and urge urinary incontinence (UUI) episodes; a key secondary efficacy endpoint was change from baseline at week 12 in average daily number of urgency episodes. Safety was assessed through adverse events (AEs). Efficacy analyses compared vibegron with placebo; no efficacy comparisons were made between vibegron and tolterodine. Results Of the 1463 patients with evaluable efficacy data, 628 patients were aged ≥ 65 years, and 179 were aged ≥ 75 years. After 12 weeks, patients treated with once-daily vibegron 75 mg in both age subgroups showed significant improvements from baseline versus placebo in all three symptoms of OAB: daily micturitions (≥ 65 years, P \u3c 0.0001; ≥75 years, P \u3c 0.05), UUI episodes (≥ 65 years, P \u3c 0.001; ≥ 75 years, P \u3c 0.0001), and urgency episodes (≥ 65 years, P \u3c 0.01; ≥ 75 years, P \u3c 0.01). Significant reductions from baseline versus placebo in daily micturitions, UUI episodes, and urgency episodes were observed beginning at week 2 for patients aged ≥ 65 years treated with vibegron. In patients aged ≥ 65 years, 50.0% of those receiving vibegron versus 29.8% receiving placebo experienced a ≥ 75% reduction in UUI episodes at week 12 (P\u3c 0.0001). Rates of cardiovascular-associated AEs were low for patients receiving vibegron ( Conclusions In this subpopulation analysis of patients with OAB aged ≥ 65 and ≥ 75 years from the EMPOWUR study, once-daily vibegron 75 mg showed rapid onset and robust efficacy versus placebo and was generally safe and well tolerated, consistent with results from the overall population

Establishment of novel neuroendocrine carcinoma patient-derived xenograft models for receptor peptide-targeted therapy

Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (GEP NENs) are rare cancers consisting of neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs) and neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), which have been increasing in incidence in recent years. Few cell lines and pre-clinical models exist for studying GEP NECs and NETs, limiting the ability to discover novel imaging and treatment modalities. To address this gap, we isolated tumor cells from cryopreserved patient GEP NECs and NETs and injected them into the flanks of immunocompromised mice to establish patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. Two of six mice developed tumors (NEC913 and NEC1452). Over 80% of NEC913 and NEC1452 tumor cells stained positive for Ki67. NEC913 PDX tumors expressed neuroendocrine markers such as chromogranin A (CgA), synaptophysin (SYP), and somatostatin receptor-2 (SSTR2), whereas NEC1452 PDX tumors did not express SSTR2. Exome sequencing revealed loss o