The evaluation of singing voice accuracy: A comparison between subjective and objective methods

in Journal of Voice (2013), 27(2), 2591-5

Objective: Vocal accuracy of a sung performance can be evaluated by two methods: acoustic analyses and subjective judgements. Acoustic analyses have been presented as a more reliable solution but both ... [more ▼]

Objective: Vocal accuracy of a sung performance can be evaluated by two methods: acoustic analyses and subjective judgements. Acoustic analyses have been presented as a more reliable solution but both methods are still used for the evaluation of singing voice accuracy. This paper presents a first time direct comparison of these methods. Methods: 166 untrained singers were asked to sing the popular song « Happy Birthday ». These recordings constituted the database analyzed. Acoustic analyses were performed to quantify the pitch interval deviation, the number of contour errors and the number of tonality modulations for each recording. Additionally, eighteen experts in singing voice or music rated the global pitch accuracy of these performances. Results: A high correlation occurred between acoustic measurements and subjective rating. The total model of acoustic analyses explained 81% of the variance of the judges’ scores. Their rating was influenced by both tonality modulation and interval deviation. Conclusions: This study highlights the congruence between objective and subjective measurements of vocal accuracy within this first time comparison. Our results confirm the relevance of the pitch interval deviation criterion in vocal accuracy assessment. Furthermore, the number of tonality modulations is also a salient criterion in perceptive rating and should be taken into account in studies using acoustic analyses. [less ▲]

The first Upper Paleolithic human remains from Belgium: Aurignacian, Gravettian and Magdalenian fossils at the “troisième caverne” of Goyet

Poster (2013)

L’appropriation discursive et pratique du concept de développement durable par des GACEURS et des bénévoles/travailleurs du commerce équitable, vers un imaginaire critique partagé ?

E-print/Working paper (2013)

Ce Working Paper interroge l’existence d’un référentiel critique et argumentatif commun à des initiatives d’Economie Sociale du secteur alimentaire. En utilisant l’appareillage théorique de la « ... [more ▼]

Ce Working Paper interroge l’existence d’un référentiel critique et argumentatif commun à des initiatives d’Economie Sociale du secteur alimentaire. En utilisant l’appareillage théorique de la « sociologie des épreuves », les propos de GACEURS et de bénévoles/salariés du commerce équitable sont analysés afin de voir si le concept de Développement Durable porte en lui un projet sociétal, un référentiel fédérateur, apte à mobiliser des consom’acteurs autour de revendications partagées. L’analyse met en évidence un corpus critique commun articulé autour de quatre axes, dont trois relèvent bien du développement durable, mais nuance ses conclusions au vu de la faiblesse de la grammaire argumentative construite, et des contradictions qui la parcourent. [less ▲]

Electrochemical and PM-IRRAS characterization of cholera toxin binding at a model biological membrane.

in Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids (2013), 29(3), 965-76

A mixed phospholipid-cholestrol bilayer, with cholera toxin B (CTB) units attached to the monosialotetrahexosylganglioside (GM1) binding sites in the distal leaflet, was deposited on a Au(111) electrode ... [more ▼]

A mixed phospholipid-cholestrol bilayer, with cholera toxin B (CTB) units attached to the monosialotetrahexosylganglioside (GM1) binding sites in the distal leaflet, was deposited on a Au(111) electrode surface. Polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS) measurements were used to characterize structural and orientational changes in this model biological membrane upon binding CTB and the application of the electrode potential. The data presented in this article show that binding cholera toxin to the membrane leads to an overall increase in the tilt angle of the fatty acid chains; however, the conformation of the bilayer remains relatively constant as indicated by the small decrease in the total number of gauche conformers of acyl tails. In addition, the bound toxin caused a significant decrease in the hydration of the ester group contained within the lipid bilayer. Furthermore, changes in the applied potential had a minimal effect on the overall structure of the membrane. In contrast, our results showed significant voltage-dependent changes in the average orientation of the protein alpha-helices that may correspond to the voltage-gated opening and closing of the central pore that resides within the B subunit of cholera toxin. [less ▲]

Influence of processing parameters on physicochemical properties of low-trans and trans-free puff pastry margarines

in LWT - Food Science and Technology (2013), 51(1), 225-232

Parathormone and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase for the follow-up of bone turnover in hemodialysis patients : Is it so simple?

in Clinica Chimica Acta (2013), 417

Background: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is associated with mineral and bone disorders (MBD). International guidelines suggest that levels of serum parathormone (PTH) or bone-specific alkaline phosphatase ... [more ▼]

Background: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is associated with mineral and bone disorders (MBD). International guidelines suggest that levels of serum parathormone (PTH) or bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (b-ALP) can be used to evaluate MBD in dialysis patients. The evidence remains moderate and based on transversal studies. <br />Methods: We retrospectively investigated the variations of PTH (ΔPTH) and b-ALP (Δb-ALP) serum concentrations over a short (6-weeks) and a long (one-year) period in a monocentric hemodialysis population. The proportion of patients reaching the critical difference (CD) (50% for PTH and 25% for b-ALP) was calculated. <br />Results: Seventy-seven patientswere included. A significant correlation between PTHand b-ALP levelswas found at baseline (r=0.51). By contrast, no correlation was observed between ΔPTH and Δb-ALP over a 6-week interval (r=0.07). The CD for PTH and b-ALP was reached by 19 and 11 patients, respectively, with 2 patients showing consistent variations of both biomarkers. One year later, measurements were repeated in 48 survivors. <br />No correlation was found between ΔPTH and Δb-ALP (r=0.27). The CD for PTH or b-ALP was reached by 24 patients and 28 patients, respectively, with 6 patients (12.5%) showing opposite results for both biomarkers. <br />Conclusion: This study shows the lack of correlation between ΔPTH and Δb-ALP over time in patients under chronic hemodialysis. [less ▲]

Erscheinungsformen rheinischer Alltagssprache. Untersuchungen zu Variation und Kookkurrenzregularitäten im "mittleren Bereich" zwischen Dialekt und Standardsprache

Book published by Steiner (2013)

METHis VI. Images fixes / Images en mouvement

Book published by Presses Universitaires de Liège (2013)

Parameterization of the proline analogue Aze (azetidine-2-carboxylic acid) for molecular dynamics simulations and evaluation of its effect on homo-pentapeptide conformations.

in Journal of Molecular Graphics and Modelling (2013), 39

We have parameterized and evaluated the proline homologue Aze (azetidine-2-carboxylic acid) for the gromos56a3 force-field for use in molecular dynamics simulations using GROMACS. Using bi-phasic ... [more ▼]

We have parameterized and evaluated the proline homologue Aze (azetidine-2-carboxylic acid) for the gromos56a3 force-field for use in molecular dynamics simulations using GROMACS. Using bi-phasic cyclohexane/water simulation systems and homo-pentapeptides, we measured the Aze solute interaction potential energies, ability to hydrogen bond with water, and overall compaction, for comparison to Pro, Gly, and Lys. Compared to Pro, Aze has a slightly higher H-bonding potential, and stronger electrostatic but weaker non-electrostatic interactions with water. The 20-ns simulations revealed the preferential positioning of Aze and Pro at the interface of the water and cyclohexane layers, with Aze spending more time in the aqueous layer. We also demonstrated through simulations of the homo-pentapeptides that Aze has a greater propensity than Pro to undergo trans-->cis peptide bond isomerization, which results in a severe 180 degrees bend in the polypeptide chain. The results provide evidence for the hypothesis that the misincorporation of Aze within proline-rich regions of proteins could disrupt the formation of poly-proline type II structures and compromise events such as recognition and binding by SH3-domains. [less ▲]

Frequency-domain subspace identification of nonlinear mechanical systems - Application to a solar array structure

in Proceedings of the International Modal Analysis Conference (IMAC) XXXI (2013)

The present paper addresses the experimental identification of a simplified realisation of a solar array structure in folded configuration. To this end, a nonlinear subspace identification technique ... [more ▼]

The present paper addresses the experimental identification of a simplified realisation of a solar array structure in folded configuration. To this end, a nonlinear subspace identification technique formulated in the frequency domain, referred to as the FNSI method, is exploited. The frequency response functions of the underlying linear structure and the nonlinear coefficients are estimated by this approach. Nonlinearity is caused by impacts between adjacent panels and friction and gaps appearing in their clamping interfaces. This application is challenging for several reasons, which include high modal density and the complicated nature of the involved nonlinear mechanisms. [less ▲]