Figurenotes and children with autism : using reflective practice in a music intervention

Figurenotes is a simplified visual music notation system developed in Finland in the mid-1990s for people challenged by the abstract nature of conventional music notation. The system facilitates music reading and instrument playing, thus allowing active participation in music-making. The use of Figurenotes in both educational and therapeutic settings is now spreading to other countries. This thesis examines specifically the effectiveness and applicability of Figurenotes as a tool to facilitate music-making by children with autism in Australia, through the lens of a journey in reflective practice by the researcher-practitioner. The study involved three phases: in the first phase, eight individual children aged 6 to 13 years with autism participated in eight weekly sessions; in the second phase, two school groups of children with autism participated in an eight-week phase, and finally the families of the initial eight individuals participated in an additional phase of four weekly sessions each. Sessions involved the use of Figurenotes in rhythmic and creative activities, participating in ensembles, and developing playing technique using digital keyboards and tuned percussion instruments. The action research methodological approach allowed flexibility in study design, incorporating cycles of reflecting, planning, acting, and observing within the three phases of the study. Data were obtained through video observation, interviews, and researcher notes on participants’ development. Case studies of selected participants were compared with outcomes for the cohort as a whole. Thematic analysis combined with observer ratings to enable the investigation of four key focus areas: music-making skills, social interaction, self-concept, and reflective practice. Figurenotes was found to be an effective tool that allows children with autism to engage successfully in music-making independently, with peers, and with family members. The action research approach allowed novel interventions using Figurenotes which facilitated the development of participants' music-making skills and also their creativity. Participation in musical interactions was found to be associated with improved social interactions with peers and family members. Development of music-making skills was also associated with improvements in participants' self-concept through positive changes in participants' self-perception of their competence. Additionally, action research was found in this study to be an effective methodology in facilitating reflective practice when working with children with autism. The multiple beneficial outcomes demonstrated in this research warrant the further use and development of Figurenotes, and point to the value of further research in the development of music-making skills and creativity in children with autism

Analyzing directionality of influence among ensemble musicians using Granger Causality

In small musical groups, performers can seem to coordinate their movements almost effortlessly in remarkable exhibits of joint action and entrainment. To achieve a common musical goal, co-performers interact and communicate using non-verbal means such as upper-body movements, and particularly head motion. Studying these phenomena in naturalistic contexts can be challenging since most techniques make use of motion capture technologies that can be intrusive and costly. To investigate an alternative method, we analyze video recordings of a professional instrumental ensemble by extracting trajectory information using pose estimation algorithms. We examine Kansei perspectives such as the analysis of non-verbal expression conveyed by bodily movements and gestures, and test for causal relationships and directed influence between performers using the Granger Causality method. We compute weighted probabilities representing the likelihood that each performer Granger Causes co-performers’ movements. Effects of different aspects of musical textures were examined and results indicated stronger directionality for homophonic textures (clear melodic leader) than polyphonic (ambiguous leadership)

huSync : a model and system for the measure of synchronization in small groups : a case study on musical joint action

Human communication entails subtle non-verbal modes of expression, which can be analyzed quantitatively using computational approaches and thus support human sciences. In this paper we present huSync, a computational framework and system that utilizes trajectory information extracted using pose estimation algorithms from video sequences to quantify synchronization between individuals in small groups. The system is exploited to study interpersonal coordination in musical ensembles. Musicians communicate with each other through sounds and gestures, providing nonverbal cues that regulate interpersonal coordination. huSync was applied to recordings of concert performances by a professional instrumental ensemble playing two musical pieces. We examined effects of different aspects of musical structure (texture and phrase position) on interpersonal synchronization, which was quantified by computing phase locking values of head motion for all possible within-group pairs. Results indicate that interpersonal coupling was stronger for polyphonic textures (ambiguous leadership) than homophonic textures (clear melodic leader), and this difference was greater in early portions of phrases than endings (where coordination demands are highest). Results were cross-validated against an analysis of audio features, showing links between phase locking values and event density. This research produced a system, huSync, that can quantify synchronization in small groups and is sensitive to dynamic modulations of interpersonal coupling related to ambiguity in leadership and coordination demands, in standard video recordings of naturalistic human group interaction. huSync enabled a better understanding of the relationship between interpersonal coupling and musical structure, thus enhancing collaborations between human and computer scientists

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

Combinations of single-top-quark production cross-section measurements and vertical bar f(LV)V(tb)vertical bar determinations at root s=7 and 8 TeV with the ATLAS and CMS experiments

This paper presents the combinations of single-top-quark production cross-section measurements by the ATLAS and CMS Collaborations, using data from LHC proton-proton collisions at = 7 and 8 TeV corresponding to integrated luminosities of 1.17 to 5.1 fb(-1) at = 7 TeV and 12.2 to 20.3 fb(-1) at = 8 TeV. These combinations are performed per centre-of-mass energy and for each production mode: t-channel, tW, and s-channel. The combined t-channel cross-sections are 67.5 +/- 5.7 pb and 87.7 +/- 5.8 pb at = 7 and 8 TeV respectively. The combined tW cross-sections are 16.3 +/- 4.1 pb and 23.1 +/- 3.6 pb at = 7 and 8 TeV respectively. For the s-channel cross-section, the combination yields 4.9 +/- 1.4 pb at = 8 TeV. The square of the magnitude of the CKM matrix element V-tb multiplied by a form factor f(LV) is determined for each production mode and centre-of-mass energy, using the ratio of the measured cross-section to its theoretical prediction. It is assumed that the top-quark-related CKM matrix elements obey the relation |V-td|, |V-ts| << |V-tb|. All the |f(LV)V(tb)|(2) determinations, extracted from individual ratios at = 7 and 8 TeV, are combined, resulting in |f(LV)V(tb)| = 1.02 +/- 0.04 (meas.) +/- 0.02 (theo.). All combined measurements are consistent with their corresponding Standard Model predictions.Peer reviewe