Experimental Investigation of the Contribution of Resonant Frequency to Trumpeter’s Performance

Proceedings of the 23rd International Congress on Sound and Vibration. From Ancient to Modern Acoustics, 10-14 July 2016

Acoustic heritage and audio creativity: the creative application of sound in the representation, understanding and experience of past environments

Acoustic Heritage is one aspect of archaeoacoustics, and refers more specifically to the quantifiable acoustic properties of buildings, sites and landscapes from our architectural and archaeological past, forming an important aspect of our intangible cultural heritage. Auralisation, the audio equivalent of 3D visualization, enables these acoustic properties, captured via the process of measurement and survey, or computer based modelling, to form the basis of an audio reconstruction and presentation of the studied space. This paper examines the application of auralisation and audio creativity as a means to explore our acoustic heritage, thereby diversifying and enhancing the toolset available to the digital heritage or humanities researcher. The Open Acoustic Impulse Response (OpenAIR) library is an online repository for acoustic impulse response and auralisation data, with a significant part having been gathered from a broad range of heritage sites. The methodology used to gather this acoustic data is discussed, together with the processes used in generating and calibrating a comparable computer model, and how the data generated might be analysed and presented. The creative use of this acoustic data is also considered, in the context of music production, mixed media artwork and audio for gaming. More specifically to digital heritage is how these data can be used to create new experiences of past environments, as information, interpretation, guide or artwork and ultimately help to articulate new research questions and explorations of our acoustic heritage

Παθολογική χρήση του διαδικτύου και Πρώιμα Δυσλειτουργικά Σχήματα σε φοιτητικό πληθυσμό

Η παθολογική χρήση του διαδικτύου αποτελεί μια ερευνητική θεματική, η οποία τα τελευταία χρόνια προσελκύει όλο και περισσότερο το ερευνητικό ενδιαφέρον, καθώς λόγω της ευρείας χρήσης του διαδικτύου στην καθημερινότητα πολλών ανθρώπων, κρίνεται απαραίτητη η σε βάθος προσέγγιση του φαινομένου και η αξιοποίηση των γνώσεων που προκύπτουν στο επίπεδο της κλινικής πρακτικής. Ωστόσο, η έρευνα στο συγκεκριμένο πεδίο δεν έχει καταλήξει ακόμα σε σαφή αποτελέσματα ως προς μια πιο συγκεκριμένη και όσον το δυνατόν πληρέστερη κατανόηση της πολυπλοκότητας του φαινομένου. Στόχος της παρούσας έρευνας ήταν η διερεύνηση της παθολογικής χρήσης του διαδικτύου σε σχέση με τα Πρώιμα Δυσλειτουργικά Σχήματα (ΠΔΣ) σε φοιτητικό πληθυσμό. Συγκεκριμένα, η διερεύνηση των συσχετίσεων μεταξύ των ανωτέρω μεταβλητών, των πιθανών διαφορών ανάλογα με το φύλο και τον χρόνο ενασχόλησης με το διαδίκτυο ημερησίως και τέλος η πιθανή δυνατότητα πρόβλεψης της παθολογικής χρήσης του διαδικτύου από τα ΠΔΣ και τη μεταβλητή του χρόνου. Το δείγμα της έρευνας αποτελούνταν από 199 φοιτητές, εκ των οποίων οι 49 ήταν άντρες και οι 154 ήταν γυναίκες. Τα εργαλεία που χρησιμοποιήθηκαν ήταν : α) Αυτοσχέδιο ερωτηματολόγιο δημογραφικών στοιχείων, β) GPIUS (Greek Problematic Internet Use Scale) - Ελληνική Κλίμακα Προβληματικής Χρήσης του Διαδικτύου, γ) YSQ – S3 (Young Schema Questionnaire, short version, 3rd edition) – Ερωτηματολόγιο Πρώιμων Δυσλειτουργικών Σχημάτων του Young. Σύμφωνα με τα αποτελέσματα, παρατηρήθηκαν στατιστικά σημαντικές συσχετίσεις μεταξύ της παθολογικής χρήσης του διαδικτύου και των ΠΔΣ, ενώ το φύλο και ο χρόνος ενασχόλησης δεν δύνανται να δράσουν διαφοροποιητικά ως προς την χρήση του διαδικτύου. Από την πολλαπλή ανάλυση παλινδρόμησης προέκυψε ότι τα ΠΔΣ σε συνδυασμό με τον χρόνο ενασχόλησης μπορούν να προβλέψουν την παθολογική χρήση του διαδικτύου.In recent years, the pathological use of the internet has become a field of its own that attracts the interest of researchers due to its widespread use and the number of individuals who go online every day. This situation has called for an in-depth approach of the phenomenon along with the trust worthiness of the results that are based up on the clinical practice. Regardless, the research up on the field has not reached yet at results clear enough to provide a broader and deeper understanding of the phenomenon's complexity. The goal of the present research, consisted of university students, focused on the pathological use of the internet in relation to the Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMS). In particular, the research aimed at: the investigation of the correlations between the afforementioned variables, the possible gender differences and the time spent online daily, and finally the possibility of predicting the pathological use of the internet by the EMS and the time variable. The sample of this survey included 199 university students, 49 of which were men and 154 were women. The tools used were: a) Self-made demographic questionnaire, b) GPIUS (Greek Problematic Internet Use Scale), and c) YSQ – S3 (Young Schema Questionnaire, short version, 3rd edition). The results revealed a statistically significant correlation between the pathological use of the internet and the EMS, while gender and engagement time didn't seem to significantly differentiate the use of the internet. The multiple regression analysis, eventually, revealed that the EMS in combination with the time engaged online can predict the pathological use of the internet

An Acoustic Reconstruction of the House of Commons, c. 1820-34

This paper presents an acoustic reconstruction of the UK House of Commons between c. 1820-34. Focusing on a historically important site where political decisions were debated over the centuries, we aim to simulate and present the intangible principles of the acoustic properties and sounds heard within the space. The acoustic model was created based on available historical evidence with the aid of commercial acoustic simulation software. We discuss the decisions made for this reconstruction, based on further experimentation with the acoustic characteristics of the constituent materials, and settings of the available software. An additional comparison of the achieved acoustic results with spaces of similar historical importance and layout is presented, as a calibration of the model with in situ measurements was not possible in this case study. The values of T30, EDT, C50 and Ts are presented, while auralization examples are also available for a subjective evaluation of the results

Agent-Based Modeling of Endotoxin-Induced Acute Inflammatory Response in Human Blood Leukocytes

Inflammation is a highly complex biological response evoked by many stimuli. A persistent challenge in modeling this dynamic process has been the (nonlinear) nature of the response that precludes the single-variable assumption. Systems-based approaches offer a promising possibility for understanding inflammation in its homeostatic context. In order to study the underlying complexity of the acute inflammatory response, an agent-based framework is developed that models the emerging host response as the outcome of orchestrated interactions associated with intricate signaling cascades and intercellular immune system interactions.An agent-based modeling (ABM) framework is proposed to study the nonlinear dynamics of acute human inflammation. The model is implemented using NetLogo software. Interacting agents involve either inflammation-specific molecules or cells essential for the propagation of the inflammatory reaction across the system. Spatial orientation of molecule interactions involved in signaling cascades coupled with the cellular heterogeneity are further taken into account. The proposed in silico model is evaluated through its ability to successfully reproduce a self-limited inflammatory response as well as a series of scenarios indicative of the nonlinear dynamics of the response. Such scenarios involve either a persistent (non)infectious response or innate immune tolerance and potentiation effects followed by perturbations in intracellular signaling molecules and cascades.The ABM framework developed in this study provides insight on the stochastic interactions of the mediators involved in the propagation of endotoxin signaling at the cellular response level. The simulation results are in accordance with our prior research effort associated with the development of deterministic human inflammation models that include transcriptional dynamics, signaling, and physiological components. The hypothetical scenarios explored in this study would potentially improve our understanding of how manipulating the behavior of the molecular species could manifest into emergent behavior of the overall system

Multiscale modelling methods in biomechanics

More and more frequently, computational biomechanics deals with problems where the portion of physical reality to be modelled spans over such a large range of spatial and temporal dimensions, that it is impossible to represent it as a single space-time continuum. We are forced to consider multiple space-time continua, each representing the phenomenon of interest at a characteristic space-time scale. Multiscale models describe a complex process across multiple scales, and account for how quantities transform as we move from one scale to another. This review offers a set of definitions for this emerging field, and provides a brief summary of the most recent developments on multiscale modelling in biomechanics. Of all possible perspectives, we chose that of the modelling intent, which vastly affect the nature and the structure of each research activity. To the purpose we organised all papers reviewed in three categories: さcausal confirmationざ, where multiscale models are used as materialisations of the causation theories; さpredictive accuracyざ, where multiscale modelling is aimed to improve the predictive accuracy; and さdetermination of effectざ, where multiscale modelling is used to model how a change at one scale manifest in an effect at another, radically different space-time scale. Consistently with the how the volume of computational biomechanics research is distributed across application targets, we extensively reviewed papers targeting the musculoskeletal and the cardiovascular system, and covered only a few exemplary papers targeting other organ systems. The review shows a research sub-domain still in its infancy, where causal confirmation papers remain the most common

In Silico Simulation of Corticosteroids Effect on an NFkB- Dependent Physicochemical Model of Systemic Inflammation

During the onset of an inflammatory response signaling pathways are activated for "translating" extracellular signals into intracellular responses converging to the activation of nuclear factor (NF)-kB, a central transcription factor in driving the inflammatory response. An inadequate control of its transcriptional activity is associated with the culmination of a hyper-inflammatory response making it a desired therapeutic target. Predicated upon the nature of the response, a systems level analysis might provide rational leads for the development of strategies that promote the resolution of the response.A physicochemical host response model is proposed to integrate biological information in the form of kinetic rules and signaling cascades with pharmacokinetic models of drug action for the modulation of the response. The unifying hypothesis is that the response is triggered by the activation of the NFkB signaling module and corticosteroids serve as a template for assessing anti-inflammatory strategies. The proposed in silico model is evaluated through its ability to predict and modulate uncontrolled responses. The pre-exposure of the system to hypercortisolemia, i.e. 6 hr before or simultaneously with the infectious challenge "reprograms" the dynamics of the host towards a balanced inflammatory response. However, if such an intervention occurs long before the inflammatory insult a symptomatic effect is observed instead of a protective relief while a steroid infusion after inducing inflammation requires much higher drug doses.We propose a reversed engineered inflammation model that seeks to describe how the system responds to a multitude of external signals. Timing of intervention and dosage regimes appears to be key determinants for the protective or symptomatic effect of exogenous corticosteroids. Such results lie in qualitative agreement with in vivo human studies exposed both to LPS and corticosteroids under various time intervals thus improving our understanding of how interacting modules generate a behavior

New Instruments for Nuclear Astrophysics

A major task in experimental nuclear astrophysics is the measurement of cross sections of capture reactions. In the last years, the astrophysics group of NCSR "Demokritos" developed and used a method for conducting this kind of research using a 4π NaI γ-detector. Of great importance in this method is the determination of the efficiency of the detector, which depends on the average multiplicity of the γ-cascade de-exciting the entry state of the produced nucleus. Two new experimental setups have been studied and are in course of installation at the Tandem Laboratory of the Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics of NCSR "Demokritos", that will provide the possibility for conducting this kind of experiments inhouse. The first one is a new 14x14 inches NaI detector and the second is the BGO Ball of the GASP setup. These detector setups as well as their potential experimental use will be described in detail