Decoding auditory attention to instruments in polyphonic music using single-trial EEG classification

Objective. Polyphonic music (music consisting of several instruments playing in parallel) is an intuitive way of embedding multiple information streams. The different instruments in a musical piece form concurrent information streams that seamlessly integrate into a coherent and hedonistically appealing entity. Here, we explore polyphonic music as a novel stimulation approach for use in a brain–computer interface. Approach. In a multi-streamed oddball experiment, we had participants shift selective attention to one out of three different instruments in music audio clips. Each instrument formed an oddball stream with its own specific standard stimuli (a repetitive musical pattern) and oddballs (deviating musical pattern). Main results. Contrasting attended versus unattended instruments, ERP analysis shows subject- and instrument-specific responses including P300 and early auditory components. The attended instrument can be classified offline with a mean accuracy of 91% across 11 participants. Significance. This is a proof of concept that attention paid to a particular instrument in polyphonic music can be inferred from ongoing EEG, a finding that is potentially relevant for both brain–computer interface and music research

Self-organization patterns in electroluminescence of bistable ZnS:Mn thin-film structures

An overview of recent original results concerning self-organized pattern formation in the emission of bistable alternating current ZnS:Mn thin - film electroluminescent structures (TFELS) as a dissipative system is given. The influence of technological factors, affecting the properties TFELS, and driving conditions on both the patterns and the hysteresis of the charge- voltage dependence that is responsible for bistability of the TFELS are considered. The correlation between patterns and the shape of the hysteresis is analyzed. The physical processes with positive and negative feedback, which serve, respectively, as activator and inhibitor in the given dissipative system, are discussed

Active Learning for Auditory Hierarchy

Much audio content today is rendered as a static stereo mix: fundamentally a fixed single entity. Object-based audio envisages the delivery of sound content using a collection of individual sound ‘objects’ controlled by accompanying metadata. This offers potential for audio to be delivered in a dynamic manner providing enhanced audio for consumers. One example of such treatment is the concept of applying varying levels of data compression to sound objects thereby reducing the volume of data to be transmitted in limited bandwidth situations. This application motivates the ability to accurately classify objects in terms of their ‘hierarchy’. That is, whether or not an object is a foreground sound, which should be reproduced at full quality if possible, or a background sound, which can be heavily compressed without causing a deterioration in the listening experience. Lack of suitably labelled data is an acknowledged problem in the domain. Active Learning is a method that can greatly reduce the manual effort required to label a large corpus by identifying the most effective instances to train a model to high accuracy levels. This paper compares a number of Active Learning methods to investigate which is most effective in the context of a hierarchical labelling task on an audio dataset. Results show that the number of manual labels required can be reduced to 1.7% of the total dataset while still retaining high prediction accuracy

Using a modified Delphi methodology to gain consensus on the use of dressings in chronic wounds management

Objective: Managing chronic wounds is associated with a burden to patients, caregivers, health services and society and there is a lack of clarity regarding the role of dressings in improving outcomes. This study aimed to provide understanding on a range of topics, including: the definition of chronicity in wounds, the burden of illness, clinical outcomes of reducing healing time and the impact of early interventions on clinical and economic outcomes and the role of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in wound healing. Method: A systematic review of the literature was carried out on the role of dressings in diabetic foot ulcer (DFU), and venous leg ulcer (VLU) management strategies, their effectiveness, associated resource use/cost, and quality of life (QoL) impact on patients. From this evidence-base statements were written regarding chronicity in wounds, burden of illness, healing time, and the role of MMPs, early interventions and dressings. A modified Delphi methodology involving two iterations of email questionnaires followed by a face-to-face meeting was used to validate the statements, in order to arrive at a consensus for each. Clinical experts were selected, representing nurses, surgeons, podiatrists, academics, and policy experts. Results: In the first round, 38/47 statements reached or exceeded the consensus threshold of 80% and none were rejected. According to the protocol, any statement not confirmed or rejected had to be modified using the comments from participants and resubmitted. In the second round, 5/9 remaining statements were confirmed and none rejected, leaving 4 to discuss at the meeting. All final statements were confirmed with at least 80% consensus. Conclusion: This modified Delphi panel sought to gain clarity from clinical experts surrounding the use of dressings in the management of chronic wounds. A full consensus statement was developed to help clinicians and policy makers improve the management of patients with these conditions