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We address the problem of mining musical specifications from a training set of songs and using these specifications in a machine improvisation system capable of generating improvisations imitating a given style of music. Our inspiration comes from control improvisation, which combines learning and synthesis from formal specifications. We mine specifications from symbolic musical data with musical and general usage patterns. We use the mined specifications to ensure that an improvised musical sequence satisfies desirable properties given a harmonic context and phrase structure. We present a specification mining strategy based on pattern graphs and apply it to the problem of supervising the improvisation of blues songs. We present an analysis of the mined specifications and compare the results of improvisations generated with and without specifications.

We formalize and analyze a new automata-theoretic problem termed control improvisation. Given an automaton, the problem is to produce an improviser, a probabilistic algorithm that randomly generates words in its language, subject to two additional constraints: the satisfaction of an admissibility predicate, and the exhibition of a specified amount of randomness. Control improvisation has multiple applications, including, for example, generating musical improvisations that satisfy rhythmic and melodic constraints, where admissibility is determined by some bounded divergence from a reference melody. We analyze the complexity of the control improvisation problem, giving cases where it is efficiently solvable and cases where it is #P-hard or undecidable. We also show how symbolic techniques based on Boolean satisfiability (SAT) solvers can be used to approximately solve some of the intractable cases.

We define the problem of machine improvisation of music with formal specifications. In this problem, one seeks to create a random improvisation of a given reference melody that however satisfies a "specification" encoding constraints that the generated melody must satisfy. We consider the scenario of generating a monophonic Jazz melody (solo) on a given song harmonization. The music is encoded symbolically, with the improviser generating a sequence of note symbols comprising pairs of pitches (frequencies) and discrete durations. Our approach can be decomposed roughly into two phases: a generalization phase, that learns from a training sequence (e.g., obtained from a human) an automaton generating similar sequences, and a supervision phase that enforces a specification on the generated sequence, imposing constraints on the music in both the pitch and rhythmic domains. The supervision uses a measure adapted from Normalized Compression Distances (NCD) to estimate the divergence between generated melodies and the training melody and employs strategies to bound this divergence. An empirical evaluation is presented on a sample set of Jazz music. Copyright:

TerraSwarm applications, or swarmlets, are characterized by their ability to dynamically recruit resources such as sensors, communication networks, computation, and information from the cloud; to aggregate and use that information to make or aid decisions; and then to dynamically recruit actuation resources. The TerraSwarm vision cannot be achieved by a single vendor providing the components as an integrated system. What is needed instead is the swarm equivalent of the common, general framework that has recently enabled smartphones and similar devices to rapidly deploy and serve a vast range of often unanticipated applications by recruiting resources and composing services. The SwarmOS must support continual reconfiguration of applications and of its own service definitions without ever having the luxury of a clean restart. It must also support richly heterogeneous computing. TerraSwarm protocols will need to detect compromises, distinguish trusted from untrusted data and resources, and be robust to the presence of a certain number of malicious nodes.

Abstract Purpose Interventions are essential for the management of built heritage because they extend the lifespan of buildings and enable them to be enjoyed by multiple generations. International organisations and institutions, such as UNESCO and ICOMOS, have adopted doctrinal documents over time, stimulating best practices in built heritage management worldwide. Although these documents are often referenced in academic work, they are seldom systematically researched. Which interventions are referenced or omitted? Are they defined? What trends are noted in the understanding of best practices as interventions? Design/methodology/approach This research consists of a systematic content analysis of nine international doctrinal documents, which were selected from nearly seventy international doctrinal documents—mainly adopted by UNESCO and ICOMOS. The main aim is to reveal and compare the concepts used for reference interventions and further use the definitions to reveal and discuss the relationships between them. The trends of these interventions being used were determined based on the frequency of mentions per intervention term in the selected documents. Findings Regarding the definition of the intervention concepts, there are three main findings. First, instead of being treated as a single concept, ‘conservation’ has been presented as an umbrella concept for other interventions and thus has been the most popular concept since the first version (1992) of the New Zealand Charter was implemented. In contrast, ‘preservation’ remains a single concept, among the highest scales, to maintain the integrity of built heritage, including use. Second, ‘repair’ was found to play a paradoxical role between ‘restoration’ and ‘reconstruction’, which created divergent opinions in the documents. Third, since the notions of ‘use’ have expanded from the functions of monuments (International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites: The Venice Charter, 1964) to the ‘associations of places’ (The Burra Charter: The Australia ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance, with associated Guidelines and Code on the Ethics of Co-existence, 1999; The Burra Charter: The Australia ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance, 2013), which include activities, traditional habits, accessibility, etc., the complexity of mentioning different forms of ‘use’ has led to some (re)interventions, such as ‘adaptation’, ‘adaptive reuse’, and ‘rehabilitation’, being put into grey areas and used interchangeably. Originality This research advances the current understanding of intervention concepts and their relationships, as well as differences and similarities in definitions.

Marking the anniversary of the redevelopment of the Van Nelle Factory in Rotterdam, the related project archive was formally transferred to the Rotterdam City Archive in order to enable proper archival conservation and public accessibility of this essential documentation. This article sheds light on the documentation and redevelopment process of a modern World Heritage (WH) site and on the role of archives as an example for other protected heritage projects or sites.

Astringency is not considered one of the modern gustatory tastes. The understanding of astringency perception has evolved considerably over the past eighty years, but the exact mechanism is still undefined. This review aims to identify the current theory of astringency perception in the context of red wine. While astringency perception is a complicated mechanism that is not yet well understood, much research has focused on it. The studies discussed up to now have been done using red wine or wine-derived polyphenols. In a red wine context, astringency is driven by polyphenol concentration, galloylation and degree of polymerisation. Compounds that do not bind protein but are still strong astringent agonists are present in red wine. Among them, the role of polysaccharides and oligosaccharides is not clear, as these compounds are difficult to purify in quantities large enough for use in sensory studies. The literature strongly points to astringency being a compound perception. There is a stage of early protein binding, possibly as a “neutralising” effect for small amounts of dietary tannins with little actual perception, building into a more pronounced effect as tannin concentrations increase. A loss of lubrication in the oral cavity might announce the overpowering salivary protein capacity resulting from tannin concentrations, with direct detection of some astringent compounds once protein in the salivary fluid and the salivary pellicle are depleted.

Much of the building stock subjected to the upcoming European Renovation Wave is neither listed as heritage nor considered valuable architecture. This also applies to Dutch housing built between 1965 and 1985, more than 30% of the Dutch housing stock, for which there is no consensus on their cultural significance. Their successful renovation process requires broad support. What attributes do citizens consider significant in their neighbourhood? How do we include a multitude of stakeholders? And can digital methods help collect and process responses? This article reveals significant attributes of residential neighbourhoods from 1965 to 1985, assessed by various stakeholders with a digital tool based on case studies in Amsterdam and Almere. A mobile application allowed individuals to identify significant attributes at various scales while visiting the neighbourhood. By qualitative data analysis of survey and interview results, groups of tangible and intangible attributes were deduced. Results show that identifying attributes by current stakeholders broadens existing expert-led assessments on 1965–1985 neighbourhoods by including, for example, generic attributes not originally intended by the designers. Asking open-ended questions is considered essential to identify undiscovered attributes by alternative stakeholders, although dealing with large numbers of responses is recognised as a challenge to cluster and classify. Lastly, the mobile application appears to be a useful digital tool, but integrating scientific consistency and usability is recommended for further development. Engaging multiple stakeholders with such mobile applications allows for collecting opinions, anticipating conflicts, or shared interests between stakeholders and integration into renovation designs. It can empower citizens to preserve the neighbourhood attributes that are most significant to them.

The levels of varietal thiols and the role these compounds play in Colombard wine have not been investigated in detail. This study assessed the levels of the varietal thiols 4-methyl-4-sulfanylpentan-2-one (4MSP), 3-sulfanylhexyl acetate (3SHA) and 3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol (3SH) and their sensory effects in 24 young South African Colombard wines. Levels of 3SHA and 3SH were, in general, in line with those previously reported in South African Chenin blanc and Sauvignon blanc wines. Levels of 4MSP were, in general, found at a narrower range than those reported for Sauvignon blanc wines. Twelve of these wines were also sensorially analysed by a panel of wine industry experts. Aroma descriptors, such as guava, passion fruit, sweat and tomato leaf, which have previously been linked to 3SH and 3SHA, were also found, especially in the wines containing higher levels of these two compounds. Good correlations between 3SHA and sweat and guava were found. This study contributes to the knowledge of varietal thiol levels and their role played in 24 Colombard white wines. It could also lead to wine producers adapting their winemaking g practices to increase levels of varietal thiols if the aroma characteristics linked to these compounds are sought after in this single cultivar wine.

The effect of wine age on tannin chemistry and tannin activity values was investigated in red wine extracts according to a chemosensory approach. Sixteen Pinotage red wines of multiple vintages (2003-2018) were each isolated into four distinct polymeric fractions (F1-F4) on Sephadex LH-20 by flash-column chromatography. Tannin activity increased with molecular weight, where F1 was associated with positive values, reported for the first time, suggesting a different interaction mechanism than the usual exothermic value obtained in more polymerised samples such as F2 and F3. Weakly positive correlations were observed between tannin activity and tannin concentration by RPLC. Moderately positive correlations were obtained between either tannin estimation techniques, yet this was highly dependent on wine age and molecular size. Overall, tannin activity decreased across all vintages as a function of wine age, indicative of age-related reactions such as tannin oxidation, cleavage and precipitation. Chemosensory studies showed that while activity values across all fractions explained little variation, lowly positive correlations existed between larger polymeric fractions (F3 and F4) and mouthfeel attributes, namely astringency and bitterness, suggesting that highly polymerised tannins with higher activity values play a significant role in mouthfeel modification. More research is required to understand the actual sensory perception of proanthocyanidin size in red wine proanthocyanidin extracts and tannin-derived pigments (as opposed to wine) and to what extent it is influenced by parameters such as tannin activity across long-term ageing.

Although attention for citizen involvement in urban development and heritage management processes is growing, both in practice and in research, the specifics of stakeholders’ interests have been less researched. This paper reveals and discusses the assessment by individuals and groups, to differentiate stakeholders, based on the heritage significance they convey on neighbourhood attributes. Fifty-nine interviews on a Dutch neighbourhood in Amsterdam Zuidoost were analysed integrating quantitative and qualitative methods. Results confirm important differences between and within stakeholder groups regarding their interest in particular attribute categories and scales, indicating the need to further specify stakeholders beyond the commonly used ‘community’ and ‘experts’. The identification of stakeholder interests is important to involve relevant groups in the identification and designation of significant attributes, buildings, and areas and to anticipate potential conflicts or shared interests in neighbourhood renovation processes.

The School building “The Ship” in Amsterdam, rehabilitated by Wessel de Jonge - Architecten BNA BV, won the annual Brink- greve Award for the best adaptive re-use & restoration project in Amsterdam of 2013.

The degradation of plastic building components — and claddings in particular — is an increasing challenge in heritage buildings. Research and the development of appropriate strategies for the architectural conservation, restoration and replacement of synthetic building components is still in its infancy. This was reason enough to stage a one-day international seminar, Plastics in Modern Movement Buildings. Conservation and (Re-)design of Synthetic Building Components focusing on the exterior applications in the building envelope and as prefabricated elements. The seminar took place on October 23rd, 2017, at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment at TU Delft, the Netherlands.

Direct behavior observation, i.e., without first creating a video recording, is a challenging, one-shot task. The behavior has to be coded accurately during the situation itself. Mobile devices can assist direct observation, and there already are applications available for these purposes. However, the mobile revolution has led to new developments in devices, infrastructure, and market penetration that have opened up new, yet untapped, possibilities. In this article, expanded activity theory is used to highlight the unused potential of computer assisted direct observation (CADO) apps. If this potential is realized, it can provide observation with the same advantages online questionnaires and sites like Mechanical Turk have provided for surveys and Internet experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrared spectroscopy provides an efficient, robust, and multivariate means to measure phenolic levels during red-wine fermentations. However, its use is currently limited to off-line sampling. In this study, partial least squares (PLS) regression was used to investigate the possibility of using spectral data from minimally pre-treated or untreated samples for the optimisation of prediction calibrations towards an in-line monitoring set-up. The evaluation of the model performance was conducted using a variety of metrics. Limits of detection and quantification of the PLS calibrations were used to assess the ability of the models to predict lower levels of phenolics from the start of fermentation. The calibrations were shown to be useful for the quantification of phenolic compounds and phenolic parameters with minimal or no sample pre-treatment during red-wine fermentation. Upon evaluation of performance, the calibrations built for attenuated-transmission Fourier-transform mid-infrared (ATR-FT-MIR) and diffuse-reflectance Fourier-transform near-infrared (DR-FT-NIR) were shown to be the most suitable spectroscopy techniques for eventual application in an automated and in-line system with values for limits of detection and quantification being suitable for the entire duration of fermentation.

Microorganisms perform countless tasks on Earth and they are expected to be essential for human space exploration. Despite the interest in the responses of bacteria to space conditions, the findings on the effects of microgravity have been contradictory, while the effects of Martian gravity are nearly unknown. We performed the ESA BioRock experiment on the International Space Station to study microbe-mineral interactions in microgravity, simulated Mars gravity and simulated Earth gravity, as well as in ground gravity controls, with three bacterial species: Sphingomonas desiccabilis, Bacillus subtilis, and Cupriavidus metallidurans. To our knowledge, this was the first experiment to study simulated Martian gravity on bacteria using a space platform. Here, we tested the hypothesis that different gravity regimens can influence the final cell concentrations achieved after a multi-week period in space. Despite the different sedimentation rates predicted, we found no significant differences in final cell counts and optical densities between the three gravity regimens on the ISS. This suggests that possible gravity-related effects on bacterial growth were overcome by the end of the experiment. The results indicate that microbial-supported bioproduction and life support systems can be effectively performed in space (e.g., Mars), as on Earth.

In this article we discuss potential scenarios of use for mobile media in museums and the challenges they pose. We examine how the characteristics of mobile technology suit the specific characteristics of a museum setting. Based on these considerations different ways to support visitors with mobile devices are put forward: attentional focus and guidance; satisfaction of situational interest; information adaptation to a specific visitor and to a specific location; information elaboration through facilitation of knowledge exchange and externalized memory support, as well as assistance in exhibition evaluation. Implications for the development of mobile applications in museums are derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sensorial evaluation of Chenin blanc wine produced with different types of oak wood treatments over time has not been investigated before. The main aim of this study was to assess the sensory profile, using a trained panel, of a South African Chenin blanc wine fermented and matured in old barrels, three types of new oak barrels, two types of oak staves as well as a stainless steel tank over time, which has not been done before. Results indicate mainly separation between the stainless-steel tank/old barrel treatments from the stave and new barrel treatments, with separation between the latter two treatments also being found. More fruity descriptors were used in the stainless-steel tank and old barrel treatments, with oak-related descriptors being used in the stave and new barrel treatments. Separation between among the new barrel and stave treatments were also noted, which was still reflected during bottle maturation. These results indicate that winemakers need to take cognizance of the sensorial differences induced by barrel and stave maturation in white wines and how these evolve over time.