Music Information Retrieval in Live Coding: A Theoretical Framework

The work presented in this article has been partly conducted while the first author was at Georgia Tech from 2015–2017 with the support of the School of Music, the Center for Music Technology and Women in Music Tech at Georgia Tech. Another part of this research has been conducted while the first author was at Queen Mary University of London from 2017–2019 with the support of the AudioCommons project, funded by the European Commission through the Horizon 2020 programme, research and innovation grant 688382. The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Music information retrieval (MIR) has a great potential in musical live coding because it can help the musician–programmer to make musical decisions based on audio content analysis and explore new sonorities by means of MIR techniques. The use of real-time MIR techniques can be computationally demanding and thus they have been rarely used in live coding; when they have been used, it has been with a focus on low-level feature extraction. This article surveys and discusses the potential of MIR applied to live coding at a higher musical level. We propose a conceptual framework of three categories: (1) audio repurposing, (2) audio rewiring, and (3) audio remixing. We explored the three categories in live performance through an application programming interface library written in SuperCollider, MIRLC. We found that it is still a technical challenge to use high-level features in real time, yet using rhythmic and tonal properties (midlevel features) in combination with text-based information (e.g., tags) helps to achieve a closer perceptual level centered on pitch and rhythm when using MIR in live coding. We discuss challenges and future directions of utilizing MIR approaches in the computer music field

Optimisation of a high-efficiency solar-driven organic rankine cycle for applications in the built environment

Energy security, pollution and sustainability are major challenges presently facing the international community, in response to which increasing quantities of renewable energy are to be generated in the urban environment. Consequently, recent years have seen a strong increase in the uptake of solar technologies in the building sector. In this work, the potential of a solar combined heat and power (CHP) system based on an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) engine is investigated in a domestic setting. Unlike previous studies that focus on the optimisation of the ORC subsystem, this study performs a complete system optimisation considering both the design parameters of the solar collector array and the ORC engine simultaneously. Firstly, we present thermodynamic models of different collectors, including flat-plate and evacuated-tube designs, coupled to a non-recuperative sub-critical ORC architecture that delivers power and hot water by using thermal energy rejected from the engine. Optimisation of the complete system is first conducted, aimed at identifying operating conditions for which the power output is maximised. Then, hourly dynamic simulations of the optimised system configurations are performed to complete the system sizing. Results are presented of: (i) dynamic 3-D simulations of the solar collectors together with a thermal energy storage tank, and (ii) of an optimisation analysis to identify the most suitable working fluids for the ORC engine, in which the configuration and operational constraints of the collector array are considered. The best performing working fluids (R245fa and R1233zd) are then chosen for a whole-system annual simulation in a southern European climate. The system configuration combining an evacuated-tube collector array and an ORC engine is found to be best-suited for electricity prioritisation, delivering an electrical output of 3,605¿kWh/year from a 60¿m2 collector array. In addition, the system supplies 13,175¿kWh/year in the form of domestic hot water, which is equivalent to more than 6 times the average annual household demand. A brief cost analysis and comparison with photovoltaic (PV) systems is also performed, where despite the lower PV investment cost per kWel, the levelised energy costs of the different systems are found to be similar if the economic value of the thermal output is taken into account. Finally, a discussion of the modelled solar-CHP systems results shows how these could be used for real applications and extended to other locationsPeer ReviewedPostprint (updated version

River phytoplankton biological controls on a microscopic level

This thesis examines biological controls on phytoplankton in temperate lowland rivers on microscopic scale using the River Thames, a major UK river, as an example. The central part of the study explores river zooplankton-phytoplankton interactions in relation to physical environment, water chemistry and spatial patterns in the catchment. The zooplankton were surveyed weekly from 12 sites within the catchment (the Thames, its tributaries and Farmoor Reservoir) during spring-summer months in 2015, a year representative of the long-term seasonal low flow conditions. Six microcosm experiments were conducted to assess zooplankton grazing effect on phytoplankton diversity and abundance. They were supplemented with six laboratory experiments where the zooplankton were adjusted to replicate pre-bloom termination communities. The final part of the study looks at the relationships of phytoplankton, bacteria and chytrids* through experimental work involving incubation in thermal and low nutrients stress. Evidence was found that apart from water temperature, river flow and travel distance, zooplankton in the Thames are regulated by phytoplankton. In particular the presence of centric diatoms. It was also proposed that plankton may originate in certain tributaries of the Thames, especially those connected to canals, therefore the mixing of waters from these tributaries may be the key control on phytoplankton and consequently on zooplankton, rather than site-specific flow or water quality conditions. Microcosm experiments showed that zooplankton exert seasonal, site specific grazing effect on phytoplankton composition and abundance. Laboratory experiments reinforced the microcosms findings that physical environment is a stronger regulator of phytoplankton dynamics than zooplankton. Phytoplankton-bacteria-chytrids experiments revealed that both diatom metabolism and presence of attaching bacteria play an important role in diatom bloom termination and recycling. These results indicate a complex interplay between physical and biological environments in terms of nutrient availability and bacteria-diatom interactions. Further investigation is needed to unpick these complex relationships

Religion and health : the application of a cognitive-behavioural framework

The empirical examination of the relationship between religion and health has often lacked theoretical direction. The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between dimensions of religiosity and health within the context of James and Wells’ cognitive-behavioural framework of religion. A community sample of 177 UK adults completed measures of religious orientation, religious coping, and prayer activity alongside the SF-36 Health Survey. Consistent with the cognitive-behavioural framework of religion, intrinsic religiosity and meditative prayer scores accounted for unique variance in both physical and mental health scores over a number of religious measures. These findings suggest the potential usefulness and importance of a cognitive-behavioural framework to understand the relationship between religion (as measured by meditative prayer and intrinsic religiosity) and health

Loop-aware Audio Recording for the Web

Music loops are audio recordings used as basic building blocks in many types of music. The use of pre-recorded loops facilitates engagement into music creation to users regardless of their background in music theory. Using online loop databases also affords simple collaboration and exchange. Hence, music loops are particularly attractive for web audio applications. However, traditional musical audio recording typically relies on complex DAW software. Recording loops usually requires consideration of musical meter and tempo, and withstanding metronome sounds. In this paper, we propose loop-aware audio recording as a use case for web audio technologies. Our approach supports hands-free, low-stress recording of music loops in web- enabled devices. The system is able to detect repetitions in an incoming audio stream. Based on this information, it segments and ranks the repeated fragments, presenting the list to the user. We provide an example implementation, and evaluate the use of the different MIR libraries available in the web audio platform for the proposed task

Screening and Prevention of Tuberculosis in HIV-Infected Patients: Utilizing Nurses in Sub-Saharan Africa

The concurrent HIV and Tuberculosis (TB) epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa are burdening already weak health systems. One proposed solution for this problem is task-shifting, or shifting the responsibility of HIV care and treatment from physicians to mid-level healthcare workers, such as nurses. Task-shifting has already been shown to be effective in nurse-driven HIV clinics in many African settings, and these programs should be scaled-up in order to serve more patients. To address the concurrent TB epidemic, these nurse-driven clinics should also incorporate the World Health Organization's "Guidelines for Intensified Tuberculosis Case-Finding and Isoniazid Preventive Therapy for People Living with HIV in Resource-Constrained Settings" into their practice. By utilizing protocols, diagnostic algorithms, and other clinical tools, nurse-driven HIV programs can successfully screen and prevent TB among adult and pediatric patients.Master of Public Healt

The COMBS survey I : Chemical Origins of Metal-Poor Stars in the Galactic Bulge

19 pages, 5 tables, accepted to MNRASChemistry and kinematic studies can determine the origins of stellar population across the Milky Way. The metallicity distribution function of the bulge indicates that it comprises multiple populations, the more metal-poor end of which is particularly poorly understood. It is currently unknown if metal-poor bulge stars ([Fe/H] <−1 dex) are part of the stellar halo in the inner most region, or a distinct bulge population or a combination of these. Cosmological simulations also indicate that the metal-poor bulge stars may be the oldest stars in the Galaxy. In this study, we successfully target metal-poor bulge stars selected using SkyMapper photometry. We determine the stellar parameters of 26 stars and their elemental abundances for 22 elements using R∼ 47 000 VLT/UVES spectra and contrast their elemental properties with that of other Galactic stellar populations. We find that the elemental abundances we derive for our metal-poor bulge stars have lower overall scatter than typically found in the halo. This indicates that these stars may be a distinct population confined to the bulge. If these stars are, alternatively, part of the innermost distribution of the halo, this indicates that the halo is more chemically homogeneous at small Galactic radii than at large radii. We also find two stars whose chemistry is consistent with second-generation globular cluster stars. This paper is the first part of the Chemical Origins of Metal-poor Bulge Stars (COMBS) survey that will chemodynamically characterize the metal-poor bulge population.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Hand in Motion Reveals Mind in Motion

Recently, researchers have measured hand movements en route to choices on a screen to understand the dynamics of a broad range of psychological processes. We review this growing body of research and explain how manual action exposes the real-time unfolding of underlying cognitive processing. We describe how simple hand motions may be used to continuously index participants’ tentative commitments to different choice alternatives during the evolution of a behavioral response. As such, hand-tracking can provide unusually high-fidelity, real-time motor traces of the mind. These motor traces cast novel theoretical and empirical light onto a wide range of phenomena and serve as a potential bridge between far-reaching areas of psychological science – from language, to high-level cognition and learning, to social cognitive processes

Search-and-replace editing for personal photo collections

We propose a new system for editing personal photo collections, inspired by search-and-replace editing for text. In our system, local edits specified by the user in a single photo (e.g., using the “clone brush” tool) can be propagated automatically to other photos in the same collection, by matching the edited region across photos. To achieve this, we build on tools from computer vision for image matching. Our experimental results on real photo collections demonstrate the feasibility and potential benefits of our approach.Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Postdoctoral FellowshipMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Undergraduate Research Opportunities ProgramNational Science Foundation (U.S.) (CAREER award 0447561)T-Party ProjectUnited States. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA NEGI-1582- 04-0004)United States. Office of Naval Research. Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (Grant N00014-06-1-0734)Microsoft ResearchAlfred P. Sloan Foundatio

The role of African dust in the formation of Quaternary soils on Mallorca, Spain and implications for the genesis of Red Mediterranean soils

African dust additions explain the origin of terra rossa soils that are common on the carbonate-platform island of Mallorca, Spain. Mineralogical and geochemical analyses indicate that Quaternary carbonate eolianites on Mallorca have a very high purity, usually composed of more than 90% carbonate minerals (calcite, dolomite, and aragonite). In contrast, terra rossa soils developed on these eolianites have lower carbonate contents and contain higher concentrations of quartz and other silicates. Analyses of immobile trace elements indicate that the non-carbonate fractions of the eolianites have distinctive Zr/Hf, La/Yb, Cr/Sc and Th/Ta values that differ from the superjacent terra rossa soils. These observations indicate that even if suf!cient dissolution of the eolianite had taken place to create the soils by residual accumulation, immobile element ratios in the soils require an external source. However, Zr/Hf, La/Yb, Cr/Sc and Th/Ta values in the soils fall within the range of values for these element ratios in African dust collected on Barbados and mainland Spain. We conclude that the silicate fractions of terra rossa soils on Mallorca are derived mainly, though not wholly, from far-traveled African dust, and this process may explain the origin of other terra rossa soils found in southern Europe