MIDI-VAE: Modeling Dynamics and Instrumentation of Music with Applications to Style Transfer

We introduce MIDI-VAE, a neural network model based on Variational Autoencoders that is capable of handling polyphonic music with multiple instrument tracks, as well as modeling the dynamics of music by incorporating note durations and velocities. We show that MIDI-VAE can perform style transfer on symbolic music by automatically changing pitches, dynamics and instruments of a music piece from, e.g., a Classical to a Jazz style. We evaluate the efficacy of the style transfer by training separate style validation classifiers. Our model can also interpolate between short pieces of music, produce medleys and create mixtures of entire songs. The interpolations smoothly change pitches, dynamics and instrumentation to create a harmonic bridge between two music pieces. To the best of our knowledge, this work represents the first successful attempt at applying neural style transfer to complete musical compositions.Comment: Paper accepted at the 19th International Society for Music Information Retrieval Conference, ISMIR 2018, Paris, Franc

Vocal Diversity and Taxonomy of Nomascus in Cambodia

It is usually thought that Nomascus gabriellae is the only Nomascus sp. in Cambodia. We studied vocal diversity among different wild populations of Nomascus in Cambodia to assess their taxonomic relationships and to examine whether their vocal patterns correspond to forms previously described for Nomascus leucogenys siki and Nomascus gabriellae. We tape-recorded crested gibbon songs in southern Mondulkiri Province, in central Rattanakiri Province, and in 2 different districts of the Virachey National Park in northern Rattanakiri. We also tape-recorded typical songs of Nomascus leucogenys siki near the type locality of the taxon in the Bach Ma National Park in central Vietnam. We analyzed 40 song bouts from different gibbon groups, including 151 phrases of 33 females and 235 phrases of 39 males. Discriminant analyses revealed marked separation of the most southern songs (Mondulkiri) from those of all other localities. Vocal differences among the 3 gibbon populations in northeast Cambodia (Rattanakiri) are less pronounced; they do not differ more among each other than each of them differs from the northernmost sample from Bach Ma (Vietnam). Vocal characteristics of the study populations revealed no cline, and populations do not differ significantly in vocal variability. We conclude that Cambodian crested gibbons represent 2 distinct taxa: Those from southern Mondulkiri are Nomascus gabriellae, those from northeast Cambodia (Rattanakiri) closely correspond to the sample from Bach Ma (Vietnam) and, together with the latter, represent a different taxon. We provisionally assign them to Nomascus leucogenys siki because of the close geographic distance between Bach Ma and the type locality of the taxon. We postulate that a taxonal boundary exists between southern Mondulkiri and central Rattanakiri and discuss the possible factors that may have acted as distribution barrier

Simultaneous entanglement swapping of multiple orbital angular momentum states of light

Entanglement swapping generates remote quantum correlations between particles that have not interacted and is the cornerstone of long-distance quantum communication, quantum networks, and fundamental tests of quantum science. In the context of spatial modes of light, high-dimensional entanglement provides an avenue to increase the bandwidth of quantum communications and provides more stringent limits for tests of quantum foundations. Here we simultaneously swap the entanglement of multiple orbital angular momentum states of light. The system is based on a degenerate filter that cannot distinguish between different anti-symmetric states, and thus entanglement swapping occurs for several thousand pairs of spatial light modes simultaneously

Oxidation of polycrystalline Ni studied by spectromicroscopy: Phase separation in the early stages of crystallite growth

Low-energy and photoemission electron microscopy enables the determination of facet planes of polycrystalline surfaces and the study of their chemical composition at the sub-m scale. Using these techniques the early oxidation stages of nickel were studied. After exposing the surface to 20 L of oxygen at 373 K a uniform layer of chemisorbed oxygen was found on all facets. After oxygen exposure at 473–673 K, small NiO crystallites are formed on all facets but not in the vicinity of all grain boundaries. The crystallites are separated by areas of bare Ni without significant oxygen coverage

The genome sequence of the silver-studded blue, Plebejus argus (Linnaeus, 1758)

We present a genome assembly from an individual male Plebejus argus (silver-studded blue; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Lycaenidae). The genome sequence is 382 megabases in span. The entire assembly (100%) is scaffolded into 23 chromosomal pseudomolecules with the Z sex chromosome assembled. The complete mitochondrial genome was also assembled and is 27.4 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 12,693 protein coding genes.This work was supported by Wellcome through core funding to the Wellcome Sanger Institute (206194, https://doi.org/10.35802/206194) and the Darwin Tree of Life Discretionary Award (218328, https://doi.org/10.35802/218328). AH is supported by a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) David Phillips Fellowship (BB/N020146/1). KL and DL are supported by an ERC grant (ModelGenomLand 757648) which also supported the fieldwork. KL was also supported by a NERC fellowship (NE/L011522/1). RV is supported by Grant PID2019-107078GB-I00 funded by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación and Agencia Estatal de Investigación (MCIN/AEI/10.13039/ 501100011033).Peer reviewe

Are Hylobates lar Extirpated from China?

The Nangunhe Nature Reserve in Southwest Yunnan (PRC) has long been presumed to be the last stronghold of lar (or white-handed) gibbons (Hylobates lar) in China and the likely last place of occurrence of Hylobates lar yunnanensis. We conducted a comprehensive survey to assess the status of lar gibbons at Nangunhe. We found no visual or auditory evidence of them still residing at the reserve and therefore tentatively conclude that lar gibbons have become extinct in China. It appears that large-scale destruction of primary forests in the 1960s and 1970s brought about an initial decline in their numbers, and subsequent uncontrolled hunting has resulted in their extirpation. The situation for the six Chinese ape taxa is nothing less than disastrous, with 1 taxon assumed to have become extinct during the last few years, 1 taxon not having been confirmed since the 1980s, and 2 species at the very brink of extinction with only tens of individuals remaining in Chin