Complex Rhythms Research Articles

Implication of heart rhythm complexity in predicting long-term outcomes in pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a serious disease, however simple tools to predict outcomes are lacking. In our previous investigation, we found that heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rhythm complexity (HRC) were associated with the detection and severity of PH, however their association with PH mortality remains unclear.The aim of this study was to investigate these metrics as a tool for determining long-term outcomes in PH patients. We enrolled 74 Asian PH patients with WHO PH group 1 or 4 at a single hospital in Taiwan between March 2012 and June 2018. After a median follow-up duration of 58 months (to January 2023), 22 patients had died. The patients who died had a significantly lower lean body mass index (BMI), impaired renal function, higher N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level, lower very low-frequency (VLF), lower short-term detrended fluctuation analysis α1 (DFAα1), and lower multiscale entropy scale 5 value. In multivariable analysis, BMI, VLF and multiscale entropy scale 5 were significantly associated with survival. The best cut-off VLF and scale 5 values were 115.13 and 0.738, respectively. We then categorized the study population into three groups: both elevated VLF/scale 5 (group 1), either depressed VLF or depressed scale 5 (group 2), and both depressed VLF/scale 5 (group 3). The results showed that group 1 had the best outcomes, whereas group 3 had the worst survival (P < 0.001).Combining HRV and HRC metrics appears to be a good non-invasive tool to predict the long-term outcomes of patients with PH.

Electrographic flow mapping of atrial fibrillation.

A low ceiling of efficacy exists for the treatment of persistent atrial fibrillation via pulmonary vein isolation without adjunctive ablations, which is likely because they do not target an individual patient's specific underlying disease mechanisms. Electrographic flow (EGF) mapping is the first system that reliably displays wavefront propagation through the atria. It is a promising tool for localizing sources of atrial fibrillation, guiding targeted ablation, and visualizing conduction through the atrial substrate. We describe EGF mapping with emphasis on contemporary studies examining map reproducibility and use cases in the preclinical and clinical environment. Animal experiments demonstrated that maps were interpretable across increasingly complex rhythms with pacing during spontaneously persistent atrial fibrillation reliably simulating EGF sources. The FLOW-AF randomized controlled trial showed that source ablation improved outcomes and that EGF map properties may be used to phenotype patients based on their atrial fibrillation mechanisms and recurrence likelihoods. Targeted ablation strategies balance the risks of insufficiently ablating atrial fibrillation triggers with exacerbating disease through additional scar formation. EGF mapping leverages spatiotemporal relationships in voltage to localize sources and quantify substrate health. Further research is needed to optimize phenotyping and treatment efforts.

Infant attention to rhythmic audiovisual synchrony is modulated by stimulus properties.

Musical interactions are a common and multimodal part of an infant's daily experiences. Infants hear their parents sing while watching their lips move and see their older siblings dance along to music playing over the radio. Here, we explore whether 8- to 12-month-old infants associate musical rhythms they hear with synchronous visual displays by tracking their dynamic visual attention to matched and mismatched displays. Visual attention was measured using eye-tracking while they attended to a screen displaying two videos of a finger tapping at different speeds. These videos were presented side by side while infants listened to an auditory rhythm (high or low pitch) synchronized with one of the two videos. Infants attended more to the low-pitch trials than to the high-pitch trials but did not display a preference for attending to the synchronous hand over the asynchronous hand within trials. Exploratory evidence, however, suggests that tempo, pitch, and rhythmic complexity interactively engage infants' visual attention to a tapping hand, especially when that hand is aligned with the auditory stimulus. For example, when the rhythm was complex and the auditory stimulus was low in pitch, infants attended to the fast hand more when it aligned with the auditory stream than to misaligned trials. These results suggest that the audiovisual integration in rhythmic non-speech contexts is influenced by stimulus properties.

Wide QRS Complex Rhythm in an Unresponsive Community-Based Patient.

Wide QRS Complex Rhythm in an Unresponsive Community-Based Patient.

Reproduction and representation of musical rhythms of increasing complexity: insights from children's home settings

ABSTRACT The aim of the study encompasses three primary objectives: (1) To examine the capability of children of varying ages to reproduce increasingly complex rhythms through hand-clapping and drumming; (2) To explore the ability of children of different ages to notate increasingly complex rhythms; and (3) To investigate the impact of age on children's invented rhythmic notations and their artistic ability to draw a person using the Draw-A-Person (DAP) Test. The participants comprised 42 children aged between 2.6 and 11.6 years old. Individual one-hour sessions were conducted in participants’ homes. Each session was divided into three parts: playing three rhythms of increasing complexity and length, inventing notations to represent each rhythm, and completing the DAP test. The study found age effects on all measures tested: rhythm reproduction competency, rhythm notations, and person depiction. The novelty of this study lies in its unique research in-situ setting and the administration of both graphic and audio-graphic tasks. The findings have implications for rhythm education, music literacy, and in-situ research in music education. They underscore the significance of adopting a multi-modal approach in music education to enhance music skills and foster artistic expression in children.

Inspiring Repertoire for Enrichment

One of the enduring challenges for piano teachers is selecting appropriate repertoire to enrich a student’s piano education, which has foundations in leveled books. A response to the challenge is to select a collection from a composer’s works to immerse the student in the style and technical demands of that specific composer. In this study, Edvard Grieg’s Lyric Pieces Opus 12 were investigated for their effectiveness as pedagogical tools for intermediate piano students. The analysis included: (1) contextualizing the collectionhistorically through related literature; (2) identifying primary technical elements to determine an effective pedagogical approach for introducing the specific elements to students; and (3) identifying stylistic features and Norwegian cultural connections to provide meaningful insights for students’ interpretation of the pieces and lead to a set of guiding questions to pose to students. Historically, Grieg’s Lyric Pieces capture the Norwegian spirit by incorporating folkloric elements into classical compositions, and his intention in the compositions was to supply his music school with short, digestible instructional material. The Lyric Pieces are accessible piano pieces that allow students to discover complex technical elements such as melodic nature, varied approaches to the keys (touch), complex rhythms, and ornamentation. They also provide opportunities for students to grow their understanding of stylistic features through the titles and descriptive phrases, as well as connections to Norwegian culture, which allow them to develop their interpretation of the pieces. This study contributes to the professional learning of studio piano teachers and the application of Grieg’s Lyric Pieces in teaching intermediate students.

Trends of modern Ukrainian jazz music in Germany in the XXI century (on the example of Tamara Lukasheva’s creativity)

Statement of the problem. European jazz art of the 21st century continues to develop the trends that were formed in world jazz in the last third of the 20th century. Among them is the interaction with musical ideas of folklore of various peoples of the world, as well as rock music. As a result of this process, such phenomena as ethno-jazz, fusion, and funk and there experimental types were formed, which is found a wide distribution in the territory of Ukraine and provided many opportunities for the disclosure and popularization of the national musical culture. Scientific interest is seen in the study of trends in its development not only within the country, but also abroad, in particular in Germany, where Ukrainian jazz musicians come to. In modern jazzology, the topic of the Jazz and Ukrainian folklore interaction has been studied to some extent, as well as the theme of interaction between jazz and academic music. Some features of the activities of Ukrainian jazzmen in Ukraine and abroad, including T. Lukasheva, are revealed in interviews with musicians, popular science articles, as well as reviews of albums or concerts. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. The purpose of the article is to reveal the genre-stylistic specificity of T. Lukasheva’s work in the context of Ukrainian jazz music making in Germany in the 21st century. A set of scientific methods, such as historical-genetic, comparative, interpretive and analytical, contributed to the disclosing the theme of the article. The novelty of the research topic is connected with almost complete lack of its researching in the national jazz studies. Research results and conclusion. T. Lukasheva’s work is in line with the trends that emerged in Ukrainian jazz at the turn of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries: ethno-jazz, funk, fusion in there experimental forms. The individualization of her author’s style took place in Germany, where she revealed herself not only as a virtuoso vocalist and pianist, but also as a talented composer and arranger. This was manifested in the compositions that were performed in the concerts at the Stadtgarten and were considered in the study. They confirm the opinion that the artist masterfully owns her voice, demonstrates a variety of vocal techniques, embodies a wide variety of artistic images. The musician has a wide vocal range of three octaves, non-standard harmonic thinking and a sense of musical time, which allows her to freely feel herself in improvisational solos and in other sections of the form where complex meter and rhythm meet. It is indisputable that one of the leading driving forces in jazz is a creative personality, who must have leadership qualities, bright charisma, musical intelligence, and attract like-minded musicians. All these qualities are fully characteristic of Tamara Lukasheva.

Cardiac Dynamics in Auditory-Motor Synchronization: Roles of Short-Term Training and Rhythm Complexity

ABSTRACT Previous findings suggest that long-term musical training and rhythm complexity may affect performers’ auditory-motor synchrony and their cardiac rhythms. We investigated the effects of short-term training and rhythm complexity on auditory-motor synchronization and cardiac activity as individuals synchronized with auditory rhythms. Forty-two adult participants synchronized their taps with sounded rhythms to form a 2:3 duration ratio (stimulus duration:tap duration) or a 3:2 duration ratio (tap rate held constant across rhythms). Participants received short training with one rhythm and received longer training with the other rhythm. Then, participants completed five experimental trials in which they synchronized their sounded taps with the stimulus rhythm. Cardiac activity was recorded during synchronization. Tapping synchronization was less accurate and more variable for the 3:2 rhythm than the 2:3 rhythm. Linear measures of cardiac activity showed less high-frequency variability during the 3:2 rhythm than the 2:3 rhythm. Behavioral-cardiac correspondences emerged with training: Poorer synchronization was associated with more variable cardiac activity after long training, but not after short training. Finally, there were consistent individual differences in cardiac recurrence and predictability across training conditions. These findings demonstrate both short-term learning effects and rhythm complexity effects on cardiac dynamics during auditory-motor synchronization.

The Crisis of the Present Moment and the Crisis of Contemporary Theory

Instead of crisis as a punctual event the contemporary experience is one of overlapping forms and modes of crisis resulting in a complex rhythm. While attempting to respond to this situation contemporary theory has often struggled to focus on the present moment of crisis. Instead, it has turned to a fundamental rift in the past or to the need to invent a utopian future as ways of escaping the present crisis. This is due to the influence of Heidegger and, especially, Nietzsche. The result is a tendency to abandon the present as destitute and to treat the current situation as an epochal crisis of civilization, which can only be resolved through subjective will. In contrast, the work of Mario Tronti is used to grasp the rhythm of crisis as one of scattered struggles that disperse knowledge and understanding. The result is a crisis in understanding, particularly a crisis of historical sense and the capacity to grasp a temporality that connects past, present, and future. While contemporary theory risks mythic or even imaginary solutions to the rhythm of crisis, instead we must pursue the critical potentials of the present grasped as connected to the past and future.

Towards a new formalist approach to short fiction: Janice Galloway’s Jellyfish as a case study

This article investigates the usefulness of new formalist terminology for the study of integrated short fiction volumes. It adopts a case-study design: I take Janice Galloway’s short story composite Jellyfish ([2015] 2019) as an example because the author experiments with new ways of writing, arranging and presenting short fiction in this volume. I explore how Caroline Levine’s broad understanding of two forms (networks and rhythms) and their affordances can be brought together with different positions in short story criticism. Particular consideration shall be given to Rolf Lundén’s conceptualization of the characteristic tension between the short story composite as a whole and its component parts. In short, the article analyses the complex networks and rhythms which give structure to Jellyfish.

Transnational Temporalities: Capitalism, Crisis, Social Movements

The article reconsiders contemporary internationalist experiences in relation to the multiple temporalities that characterized key cycles of struggles in the 2010s. Although these cycles are heterogeneous in social and political composition, they have resulted in significant synchronizations. The article's specificity lies in linking a reinterpretation of internationalism to an examination of the role that multitemporalities play both in longue durée capital development and in the various phases that characterized the post-2008 world. The series of crises that have marked the past decade have in fact led to contradictory outcomes, on the one hand opening the door to the rise of post-fascist forces, while on the other hand triggering unusual and powerful struggles. These outcomes have contradictory political orientations but are united by the fact they all have temporalities that are discordant with those initially imposed by capitalist processes. With regard to social movements, the article shows how the diversity of the geographies, practices, and claims animating them can be understood as unfolding “within and against” the post-2008 global scenario. It illustrates how contemporary social movements exhibit complex and contradictory rhythms and temporalities, arguing that the tuning between these multitemporalities is vital for rethinking the renewal of internationalism today.

Oscillatory attention in groove

Attention is not constant but rather fluctuates over time and these attentional fluctuations may prioritize the processing of certain events over others. In music listening, the pleasurable urge to move to music (termed ‘groove’ by music psychologists) offers a particularly convenient case study of oscillatory attention because it engenders synchronous and oscillatory movements which also vary predictably with stimulus complexity. In this study, we simultaneously recorded pupillometry and scalp electroencephalography (EEG) from participants while they listened to drumbeats of varying complexity that they rated in terms of groove afterwards. Using the intertrial phase coherence of the beat frequency, we found that while subjects were listening, their pupil activity became entrained to the beat of the drumbeats and this entrained attention persisted in the EEG even as subjects imagined the drumbeats continuing through subsequent silent periods. This entrainment in both the pupillometry and EEG worsened with increasing rhythmic complexity, indicating poorer sensory precision as the beat became more obscured. Additionally, sustained pupil dilations revealed the expected, inverted U-shaped relationship between rhythmic complexity and groove ratings. Taken together, this work bridges oscillatory attention to rhythmic complexity in relation to musical groove.

Inner sense of rhythm: percussionist brain activity during rhythmic encoding and synchronization.

The main objective of this research is to explore the core cognitive mechanisms utilized by exceptionally skilled percussionists as they navigate complex rhythms. Our specific focus is on understanding the dynamic interactions among brain regions, respectively, related to externally directed cognition (EDC), internally directed cognition (IDC), and rhythm processing, defined as the neural correlates of rhythm processing (NCRP). The research involved 26 participants each in the percussionist group (PG) and control group (CG), who underwent task-functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) sessions focusing on rhythm encoding and synchronization. Comparative analyses were performed between the two groups under each of these conditions. Rhythmic encoding showed decreased activity in EDC areas, specifically in the right calcarine cortex, left middle occipital gyrus, right fusiform gyrus, and left inferior parietal lobule, along with reduced NCRP activity in the left dorsal premotor, right sensorimotor cortex, and left superior parietal lobule. During rhythmic synchronization, there was increased activity in IDC areas, particularly in the default mode network, and in NCRP areas including the left inferior frontal gyrus and bilateral putamen. Conversely, EDC areas like the right dorsolateral prefrontal gyrus, right superior temporal gyrus, right middle occipital gyrus, and bilateral inferior parietal lobule showed decreased activity, as did NCRP areas including the bilateral dorsal premotor cortex, bilateral ventral insula, bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, and left superior parietal lobule. PG's rhythm encoding is characterized by reduced cognitive effort compared to CG, as evidenced by decreased activity in brain regions associated with EDC and the NCRP. Rhythmic synchronization reveals up-regulated IDC, down-regulated EDC involvement, and dynamic interplay among regions with the NCRP, suggesting that PG engages in both automatic and spontaneous processing simultaneously. These findings provide valuable insights into expert performance and present opportunities for improving music education.

Complexity of STG signals and linguistic rhythm: a methodological study for EEG data.

The superior temporal and the Heschl's gyri of the human brain play a fundamental role in speech processing. Neurons synchronize their activity to the amplitude envelope of the speech signal to extract acoustic and linguistic features, a process known as neural tracking/entrainment. Electroencephalography has been extensively used in language-related research due to its high temporal resolution and reduced cost, but it does not allow for a precise source localization. Motivated by the lack of a unified methodology for the interpretation of source reconstructed signals, we propose a method based on modularity and signal complexity. The procedure was tested on data from an experiment in which we investigated the impact of native language on tracking to linguistic rhythms in two groups: English natives and Spanish natives. In the experiment, we found no effect of native language but an effect of language rhythm. Here, we compare source projected signals in the auditory areas of both hemispheres for the different conditions using nonparametric permutation tests, modularity, and a dynamical complexity measure. We found increasing values of complexity for decreased regularity in the stimuli, giving us the possibility to conclude that languages with less complex rhythms are easier to track by the auditory cortex.

Classification of Classical Indian Music Tabla Taals using Deep Learning

In the research that we are bringing to light, we profoundly explore the categorization of Classical Indian Music Tabla Taals. This emphasizes widely recognized taals such as Addhatrital, Ektal, Rupak, Dadra, Deepchandi, Jhaptal, Trital, and Bhajani. To push the boundaries of our understanding, we implement a mixed-methods approach tethering both Feedforward Neural Networks (FNN) and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN). These state-of-the-art technologies enable us to dissect and categorize tabla taals efficiently. In essence, the hallmark of Classical Indian music is its complex and multifaceted rhythms brought to life by the primal percussive instrument - the tabla. The conception and reproduction of these nuanced taals require technical finesse. Thus, accompanying the digital revolution and the eclectic musical preferences, it becomes essential for advanced methodologies to pinpoint and classify tabla taals. The hardcover of our research opens up to the magnificent crafting of an unmatched model employing both FNN and CNN. This blend enables us to recognize diverse features unique to tabla taals like Addhatrital, Ektal, Rupak, Dadra, Deepchandi, Jhaptal, Trital, and Bhajani. The model obtained its bosom knowledge during training from an assortment of Classical Indian music recordings showcasing these invigorating taals. This fosters a broader understanding regarding the array of minute differences brimming within each rhythmic inheritance. To bring user interaction to life, we have embedded a Graphical User Interface (GUI). This empowers users to introduce an audio file filled with table music from the taals listed and receive on-the-spot recognition. refining their connection and knowledge of the taal in question. Our research findings procure paramount importance in the scape of music analysis, especially framed within the heart of Classical Indian Music. We propose a system that would serve as a tool for amateur table players to learn the skill well and master their art. Instructors could also utilize it for training purposes. It opens a new window of possibilities providing an advanced model for intuitive, swift, and accurate automated identification of tabla taals.

Accessory respiratory muscles performance among people with spinal cord injury while singing songs with different musical parameters.

People with spinal cord injury (SCI) experience respiratory dysfunctions which include hypersecretions, bronchospasm, and respiratory muscles weakness. Singing therapy has been implemented as part of respiratory muscle training (RMT) to improve their muscle strength. Singing different types and genres of songs may elicit specific recruitment of respiratory muscles, attributed to the variation of the songs' characteristics including tempo, pitch, and rhythmic complexity. This study aims to determine the effect of singing songs with different characteristics on the accessory respiratory muscle performance among people with SCI. Thirteen male SCI participants of ASIA A and B (C4 -T11) were recruited. Respiratory muscle signals were retrieved by placing two mechanomyography (MMG) sensors on the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) and rectus abdominis (RA) muscles. Eight music experts categorized several songs into four categories based on their pitch, tempo, and rhythmic complexity. Each participant sang one song from each category. Findings showed statistically significant difference in RA and SCM responses among all categories (P < 0.01). The SCM muscle is most active while singing high pitch songs. While the RA is most active during slow tempo and easy rhythmic complexity. This shows that different accessory respiratory muscle is activated by people with SCI while singing songs with different characteristics. Clinicians could benefit from this knowledge while prescribing singing therapy or exercise among people with SCI in the future.

Complex rhythm and synchronization of half-center oscillators under electromagnetic induction

&lt;p&gt;Half-center oscillators are typical small circuits that are crucial for understanding CPG. The complex rhythms of CPG are closely related to certain diseases, such as epilepsy. This paper considered the influence of electromagnetic induction on the discharge mode of the half-center oscillators. First, we analyzed the response of individual firing neuron rhythms to electromagnetic induction when the slow-variable parameters vary. We also discussed the changes in the dynamic bifurcation structure when the intensity of electromagnetic induction varies. Furthermore, we determined the effects of mutually inhibitory and self-inhibitory synaptic parameters on the firing rhythm of the half-center oscillators. The different responses induced by electromagnetic induction interventions, showed that mutually inhibitory synapses modulate the firing rhythm weakly and self-inhibition synapses have a significant impact on firing rhythm. Finally, with the change of synaptic parameter values, the combined effects of autapse and mutually inhibitory synapses on the discharge rhythm of half-center oscillators were analyzed in symmetric and asymmetric autapse modes. It was found that the synchronous state of the half-center oscillators had a more robust electromagnetic induction response than the asynchronous state.&lt;/p&gt;

Null effect of perceived drum pattern complexity on the experience of groove.

There is a broad consensus in groove research that the experience of groove, understood as a pleasurable urge to move in response to music, is to some extent related to the complexity of the rhythm. Specifically, music with medium rhythmic complexity has been found to motivate greater urge to move compared to low or high complexity music (inverted-U hypothesis). Studies that confirmed the inverted-U hypothesis usually based their measure of complexity on the rhythmic phenomenon of syncopation, where rhythms with more and/or stronger syncopation are considered to be more complex than less syncopated rhythms. However, syncopation is not the same as complexity and represents only one rhythmic device that makes music complex. This study attempts the verification of the inverted-U hypothesis independently from syncopation. It uses a new stimulus set of forty idiomatic popular music drum patterns whose perceptual complexity was measured experimentally in a previous study. The current study reports the results of a listening experiment with n = 179 participants, in which the inverted-U hypothesis was not confirmed. Complexity did not have any significant effect on listeners' urge to move (p = 834). Results are discussed in the context of the psychological model of musical groove, which offers a nuance to this null result: simple drum patterns motivate listeners to dance because they convey metric clarity; complex patterns invite dancing because they are interesting. Yet, overall, the urge to move does not seem to depend on complexity, at least in the case of idiomatic drum patterns that are typically encountered in the Western popular music repertoire.

What could the Railway teach us about Progress?

Propelled by steel, charcoal and steam the railway once carried the story of progress and the rise of the developed modern society. While the orient express nurtured a vivid, mythical aura during more than a hundred years, it seems like future stories about the railway mainly gravitate around hyperloops and increased speed. How come the narratives around railways have become so futile? How come imaginaries about progress have got stuck? With the help of critical imagination and the method of design fiction, this article will set out on an imaginary journey to re-storying the future railway and discuss how this could help us rethink progress. Alternative paths will be explored that allow room for stories depicting train rides in slower paces and complex rhythms and materials, a rich melting pot for diverse and vivid sub-cultures, bottom up grassroot services, experimental sharing cultures, touring theater companies, maker movements, and new citizen-driven cooperatives.

THE ASSOCIATION OF A NOVEL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY METRIC WITH COGNITION AND RISK OF DEMENTIA

Abstract Physical activity (PA) is associated with cognitive function and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). Although associations between continuously measured PA and ADRD have been assessed, multiscale entropy (MSE), which quantifies dynamics of physiological systems over multiple time scales, has not been used to quantify daily activity rhythms in older adults by cognitive status. We examined the association of this novel metric of PA complexity with cognitive function, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia in participants of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. A total of 615 older adults (mean age=73.9±11.3 years, 54.5% women) completed a 7-day wrist-worn accelerometer assessment between 2015-2019. Global cognitive function was measured using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia was diagnosed based on Petersen criteria and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, respectively. Unadjusted logistic regression models showed that participants in the lowest tertile of complexity had 2.31 times the odds of low MMSE score (≤26) compared to those in the highest tertile (odds ratio [OR]=2.31, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.09-4.89). This association lost significance after adjusting for age, sex, race, and education years. The lowest tertile of complexity was also associated with 2.58 times the odds of MCI/dementia diagnosis, adjusting for demographics (OR=2.58, 95% CI=1.06-6.31). These results suggest that lower complexity of accelerometry-detected movement is associated with poorer cognitive function and greater risk of MCI/dementia. Future longitudinal studies are warranted to examine whether altered complexity of daily activity rhythms may act as a preclinical indicator of ADRD.