BaNa: a noise resilient fundamental frequency detection algorithm for speech and music

Fundamental frequency (F0) is one of the essential features in many acoustic related applications. Although numerous F0 detection algorithms have been developed, the detection accuracy in noisy environments still needs improvement. We present a hybrid noise resilient F0 detection algorithm named BaNa that combines the approaches of harmonic ratios and Cepstrum analysis. A Viterbi algorithm with a cost function is used to identify the F0 value among several F0 candidates. Speech and music databases with eight different types of additive noise are used to evaluate the performance of the BaNa algorithm and several classic and state-of-the-art F0 detection algorithms. Results show that for almost all types of noise and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) values investigated, BaNa achieves the lowest Gross Pitch Error (GPE) rate among all the algorithms. Moreover, for the 0 dB SNR scenarios, the BaNa algorithm is shown to achieve 20% to 35% GPE rate for speech and 12% to 39% GPE rate for music. We also describe implementation issues that must be addressed to run the BaNa algorithm as a real-time application on a smartphone platform.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

# Activism: Feminist Activism in a Digital World

Feminist campaigns such as #MeToo, #BeenRapedNeverReported, and #YesAllWomen represent only a fraction of the numerous digital campaigns that feminists have created to challenge rape culture and to call out other forms of oppression, provide public and easily accessible spaces that can contribute to learning about, challenging, and dismantling misogyny and rape culture. Digital technologies and social media platforms have had a significant influence on feminists’ ability to organize and advocate across various platforms while simultaneously reaching a large audience to fight against misogyny, patriarchy, and sexism. However, there are significant gaps in this research such as the challenges that correspond to digital feminist activism and digital archiving, a major reason being its modernity. Our team examined past and present digital campaigns that allowed us to analyze trends of digital campaigns as well as the gaps in the history of digital feminist activism and archiving, and allowed us to contribute to fill these gaps

Characterization of the surface roughness of sand particles using an advanced fractal approach

The surface roughness of soil grains affects the mechanical behaviour of soils, but the characterization of real soil grain roughness is still limited in both quantity and quality. A new method is proposed, which applies the power spectral density (PSD), typically used in tribology, to optical interferometry measurements of soil grain surfaces. The method was adapted to characterize the roughness of soil grains separately from their shape, allowing the scale of the roughness to be determined in the form of a wavevector range. The surface roughness can be characterized by a roughness value and a fractal dimension, determined based on the stochastic formation process of the surface. When combined with other parameters, the fractal dimension provides additional information about the surface structure and roughness to the value of roughness alone. Three grain sizes of a quarzitic sand were tested. The parameters determined from the PSD analysis were input directly into a Weierstrass–Mandelbrot function to reconstruct successfully a fractal surface

Whole-Cell Scale Dynamic Organization of Lysosomes Revealed by Spatial Statistical Analysis

In eukaryotic cells, lysosomes are distributed in the cytoplasm as individual membrane-bound compartments to degrade macromolecules and to control cellular metabolism. A fundamental yet unanswered question is whether and, if so, how individual lysosomes are organized spatially to coordinate and integrate their functions. To address this question, we analyzed their collective behavior in cultured cells using spatial statistical techniques. We found that in single cells, lysosomes maintain non-random, stable, yet distinct spatial distributions mediated by the cytoskeleton, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and lysosomal biogenesis. Throughout the intracellular space, lysosomes form dynamic clusters that significantly increase their interactions with endosomes. Cluster formation is associated with local increases in ER spatial density but does not depend on fusion with endosomes or spatial exclusion by mitochondria. Taken together, our findings reveal whole-cell scale spatial organization of lysosomes and provide insights into how organelle interactions are mediated and regulated across the entire intracellular space

A hybrid lattice Boltzmann and finite difference method for two-phase flows with soluble surfactants

A hybrid method is developed to simulate two-phase flows with soluble surfactants. In this method, the interface and bulk surfactant concentration equations of diffuse-interface form, which include source terms to consider surfactant adsorption and desorption dynamics, are solved in the entire fluid domain by the finite difference method, while two-phase flows are solved by a lattice Boltzmann color-gradient model, which can accurately simulate binary fluids with unequal densities. The flow and interface surfactant concentration fields are coupled by a modified Langmuir equation of state, which allows for surfactant concentration beyond critical micelle concentration. The capability and accuracy of the hybrid method are first validated by simulating three numerical examples, including the adsorption of bulk surfactants onto the interface of a stationary droplet, the droplet migration in a constant surfactant gradient, and the deformation of a surfactant-laden droplet in a simple shear flow, in which the numerical results are compared with theoretical solutions and available literature data. Then, the hybrid method is applied to simulate the buoyancy-driven bubble rise in a surfactant solution, in which the influence of surfactants is identified for varying wall confinement, Eotvos number and Biot number. It is found that surfactants exhibit a retardation effect on the bubble rise due to the Marangoni stress that resists interface motion, and the retardation effect weakens as the Eotvos or Biot number increases. We further show that the weakened retardation effect at higher Biot numbers is attributed to a decreased non-uniform effect of surfactants at the interface