Deep neural networks with voice entry estimation heuristics for voice separation in symbolic music representations

In this study we explore the use of deep feedforward neural networks for voice separation in symbolic music representations. We experiment with different network architectures, varying the number and size of the hidden layers, and with dropout. We integrate two voice entry estimation heuristics that estimate the entry points of the individual voices in the polyphonic fabric into the models. These heuristics serve to reduce error propagation at the beginning of a piece, which, as we have shown in previous work, can seriously hamper model performance. The models are evaluated on the 48 fugues from Johann Sebastian Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier and his 30 inventions—a dataset that we curated and make publicly available. We find that a model with two hidden layers yields the best results. Using more layers does not lead to a significant performance improvement. Furthermore, we find that our voice entry estimation heuristics are highly effective in the reduction of error propagation, improving performance significantly. Our best-performing model outperforms our previous models, where the difference is significant, and, depending on the evaluation metric, performs close to or better than the reported state of the art

A machine learning approach to voice separation in lute tablature

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Wat is genoeg volgens Hans Jonas?

De auteur hoopt binnenkort te promoveren aan de Vrije Universiteit op een proefschrift over Hans Jonas. Het paper is niet alleen bedoeld om licht te werpen op bepaalde dilemma’s van de technologische samenleving, maar tevens om de actualiteit van het denken van de conservatieve ethicus Hans Jonas te laten zien en zijn werk opnieuw ter discussie te stellen.We kunnen vragen: “Wanneer is Schiphol groot genoeg geworden?” We kunnen ook vragen: “Wanneer hebben we genoeg rekening gehouden met het over geluidshinder klagende individu?” Het centrale morele dilemma van de technologische samenleving kan begrepen worden als een conflict tussen duurzaamheid en rechtvaardigheid. Aan de ene kant staat het vage, algemene belang van de samenleving bij stabiliteit en continuïteit, aan de andere kant de uiterst concrete, persoonlijke vraag van het individu naar gelijke kansen en rechtszekerheid. Kenmerkend voor de technologische samenleving is dat er geen natuurlijke omstandigheden meer zijn die het individu tot bescheidenheid manen. Daarom doet zich op de terreinen van gezondheid, veiligheid en sociale zekerheid een voortdurend conflict voor rond de vraag: “Wat is genoeg?” Met Hans Jonas wil ik betogen dat een liberale ethiek geen antwoord in huis heeft op deze vraag. Een liberale ethiek kan slechts grenzen stellen aan individuele belangen en de daaruit voortvloeiende technology push door haar beslissing te verdedigen als een keuze voor het minste van twee kwaden. Zij is niet in staat om het individu te verzoenen met het algemene belang van duurzaamheid, wat tot uitdrukking komt in een permanente onvrede onder de bevolking. Juist om de conservatieve vraag naar duurzaamheid weg te halen uit de exclusiviteit van de milieuethiek, bespreek ik de casus: “Wanneer heeft de politie genoeg moeite gedaan om een kindermoordenaar achter tralies te krijgen?

Symplectic integration of space debris motion considering several Earth's shadowing models

In this work, we present a symplectic integration scheme to numerically compute space debris motion. Such an integrator is particularly suitable to obtain reliable trajectories of objects lying on high orbits, especially geostationary ones. Indeed, it has already been demonstrated that such objects could stay there for hundreds of years. Our model takes into account the Earth's gravitational potential, luni-solar and planetary gravitational perturbations and direct solar radiation pressure. Based on the analysis of the energy conservation and on a comparison with a high order non-symplectic integrator, we show that our algorithm allows us to use large time steps and keep accurate results. We also propose an innovative method to model Earth's shadow crossings by means of a smooth shadow function. In the particular framework of symplectic integration, such a function needs to be included analytically in the equations of motion in order to prevent numerical drifts of the energy. For the sake of completeness, both cylindrical shadows and penumbra transitions models are considered. We show that both models are not equivalent and that big discrepancies actually appear between associated orbits, especially for high area-to-mass ratios

Bringing 'Musicque into the tableture': machine-learning models for polyphonic transcription of 16th-century lute tablature

A large corpus of music written in lute tablature, spanning some three-and-a-half centuries, has survived. This music has so far escaped systematic musicological research because of its notational format. Being a practical instruction for the player, tablature reveals very little of the polyphonic structure of the music it encodes—and is therefore relatively inaccessible to non-specialists. Automatic polyphonic transcription into modern music notation can help unlock the corpus to a larger audience, and thus facilitate musicological research. In this study we present four variants of a machine-learning model for voice separation and duration reconstruction in 16th-century lute tablature. These models are intended to form the heart of an interactive system for automatic polyphonic transcription that can assist users in making editions tailored to their own preferences. Additionally, such models can provide new methods for analysing different aspects of polyphonic structure. We have experimented with modelling only voice and modelling voice and duration simultaneously, applying each in a forward- and in a backward-processing approach. The models are evaluated on a dataset containing 15 three- and four-voice intabulations. Each processing approach has its advantages, and the results vary between the models. With accuracy rates between approximately 80 and 90 per cent, both for voice prediction and for duration prediction, the best models’ performance is promising. Even in this early stage of the research, such models yield a useful initial transcription system

Variation of Area-to-Mass-Ratio of HAMR Space Debris Objects

An unexpected space debris population has been detected in 2004 Schildknecht et al. (2003, 2004) with the unique properties of a very high area-to-mass ratio (HAMR) Schildknecht et al. (2005a). Ever since it has been tried to investigate the dynamical properties of those objects further. The orbits of those objects are heavily perturbed by the effect of direct radiation pressure. Unknown attitude motion complicates orbit prediction. The area-to-mass ratio of the objects seems to be not stable over time. Only sparse optical data is available for those objects in drift orbits. The current work uses optical observations of five HAMR objects, observed over several years and investigates the variation of their area-to-mass ratio and orbital parameters. A normalized orbit determination setup has been established and validated with two low and two of the high ratio objects, to ensure, that comparable orbits over longer time spans are determined even with sparse optical data.Comment: 10 pages, accepted Monthly Notices of Royal Astronomical Society, MN-11-1785-MJ.R1, The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.co

Naar de Hof van Delfland

De commissie heeft, in overleg met de bestuurlijke trekkers en Riek Bakker, de vrijheid genomen om het werkgebied ruimer op te vatten dan de gebiedsafbakening van de opdrachtgever. Het advies heeft betrekking op het cultuurlandschap en het groen in het gebied tussen de glastuinbouw van het Westland, en de aaneengesloten stedelijke bebouwing van Den Haag, Rotterdam en Zoetermeer. Daaronder wordt dus uitdrukkelijk begrepen de Groenzone Berkel-Pijnacker. De commissie stelt zich op het standpunt dat de cultuurhistorische en ecologische waarden van het kerngebied in stand moeten worden gehouden en versterkt. Versterking kan gebeuren door het beter zichtbaar en beleefbaar maken van de aanwezige waarden voor bezoekers uit de omliggende steden. De commissie brengt dus een territoriale driedeling aan in haar werkgebied. - Het kerngebied. Dit is het gebied onder de werking van de aflopende Reconstructiewet Midden-Delfland, aangevuld met Oude Leede en Ackerdijkse Plassen. - De stadsranden. Hier is ruimte voor passende ontwikkelingen zoals recreatievoorzieningen, passende sociale functies, groen wonen, ecologische en cultuurhistorische verbindingszones, en andere infrastructuur. - De uitlopers. Hier moeten mogelijkheden worden gezocht voor ontwikkelingen die de kwaliteit van het metropolitane landschap als geheel versterke

Orbit determination of space objects based on sparse optical data

While building up a catalog of Earth orbiting objects, if the available optical observations are sparse, not deliberate follow ups of specific objects, no orbit determination is possible without previous correlation of observations obtained at different times. This correlation step is the most computationally intensive, and becomes more and more difficult as the number of objects to be discovered increases. In this paper we tested two different algorithms (and the related prototype software) recently developed to solve the correlation problem for objects in geostationary orbit (GEO), including the accurate orbit determination by full least squares solutions with all six orbital elements. Because of the presence in the GEO region of a significant subpopulation of high area to mass objects, strongly affected by non-gravitational perturbations, it was actually necessary to solve also for dynamical parameters describing these effects, that is to fit between 6 and 8 free parameters for each orbit. The validation was based upon a set of real data, acquired from the ESA Space Debris Telescope (ESASDT) at the Teide observatory (Canary Islands). We proved that it is possible to assemble a set of sparse observations into a set of objects with orbits, starting from a sparse time distribution of observations, which would be compatible with a survey capable of covering the region of interest in the sky just once per night. This could result in a significant reduction of the requirements for a future telescope network, with respect to what would have been required with the previously known algorithm for correlation and orbit determination.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figure

Heritability and cross-species comparisons of human cortical functional organization asymmetry

The human cerebral cortex is symmetrically organized along large-scale axes but also presents inter-hemispheric differences in structure and function. The quantified contralateral homologous difference, that is asymmetry, is a key feature of the human brain left-right axis supporting functional processes, such as language. Here, we assessed whether the asymmetry of cortical functional organization is heritable and phylogenetically conserved between humans and macaques. Our findings indicate asymmetric organization along an axis describing a functional trajectory from perceptual/action to abstract cognition. Whereas language network showed leftward asymmetric organization, frontoparietal network showed rightward asymmetric organization in humans. These asymmetries were heritable in humans and showed a similar spatial distribution with macaques, in the case of intra-hemispheric asymmetry of functional hierarchy. This suggests (phylo)genetic conservation. However, both language and frontoparietal networks showed a qualitatively larger asymmetry in humans relative to macaques. Overall, our findings suggest a genetic basis for asymmetry in intrinsic functional organization, linked to higher order cognitive functions uniquely developed in humans