bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Patterns procedural learning for pitch matching in adult musicians and non-musicians
Authors: Barnett Megan M. , Weaver Aurora J. , Cannon Anne Rankin
Published: November 2017

This study evaluated the role of active musical training on procedural learning during a pitch perception, memory, and matching task. Twenty-one adults with hearing within normal limits were split into music subgroups (musician and non-musicians) based on active participation in musical training. Ninety pitch-matching trials were completed using a paradigm adapted from Ross, Olsen, and Gore (2003) which assesses pitch-matching precision without requiring knowledge of musical nomenclature. Three blocks of 30 pitch-match trials were collected to evaluate the learning effect on each music subgroup. The semitone half step (HS) distance between the target pitch and the comparison pitch match was calculated for each trial. Constant error (CE) and standard deviation (SD) were used to quantify performance across blocks. Overall, significant reduction of pitch match SD was found for both music subgroups across blocks. Musicians demonstrated more precise pitch matches (smaller SD) and demonstrated no significant changes in pitch matching CE across blocks, whereas non-musicians CE was reduced across blocks. The pattern of results indicates learning effects, which we attribute to procedural memory for both groups, based on task parameters, while the music group’s performance across blocks may reflect enhanced selective attention and pitch perception.
Investigation of variance response in energy finite element analysis
Authors: Wu Kuangcheng , Vlahopoulos Nickolas
Published: November 2017

Noise and vibration control are important design features in various industries. Energy Finite Element Analysis (EFEA) and Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) have been widely used in analyzing realistic structural and acoustic system for mid-to-high frequency regime. The EFEA is derived from the wave equation and uses energy density as its primary variable in its governing equation which is numerically solved in finite element approach. Generally, the EFEA calculates the mean values of given vibro-acoustic systems. This research introduces variance bounds into the EFEA analysis. Specifically, the variance originated from input power and joint matrix is incorporated to the EFEA. The formulation for calculation of the variance in the EFEA will be discussed and followed by several benchmark examples.
The effect of inertial distribution on dispersive modes in pentamode metamaterials for use in acoustic cloaking
Authors: Kelly Alex , Shakalis Andrew , Salari Reza , Robeck Corbin , Reed Heather , Cipolla Jeffrey
Published: November 2017

Transformation acoustics uses invertible maps to transform a cloaked region to a region with a smaller scatterer. The “elastic” or Norris class of acoustic cloaking theory is inherently broadband, in that it does not rely on the presence of resonant effects. To achieve the properties required by the transformation theory, we utilize pentamode materials, which admit the use of finite mass but require anisotropic stiffness throughout the material. These types of materials do not exist naturally and must be fabricated through the use of metamaterials. One of the challenges associated with metamaterials for use in dynamic applications is the distribution of mass in a unit cell and its consequences for frequency-dependent behavior in the metamaterial. Various homogenization techniques for recovering wave speed properties of the metamaterial unit cells may predict contradictory wave speed values for pentamodal structures. These disagreements can be explained through the distribution of inertia in the material and the resulting proliferation of dispersive modes present in the Bloch-Floquet diagrams. This effect will be described within the context of static homogenization, Bloch-Floquet theory, and numerical experiments effected through finite element software PZFlex. An approach for optimization of these metamaterials with respect to the dispersive modes will be discussed.
Microstructure-in-the-loop optimization of acoustic metamaterial structures
Authors: Salari Reza , Robeck Corbin , Kelly Alex , Reed Heather , Shakalis Andrew , Cipolla Jeffrey
Published: November 2017

The field of acoustic metamaterial research has been driven, first, by transformation acoustics cloaking theory. This and other theoretical approaches optimize an acoustic effect through definition of artificial material properties which at present are only achievable using metamaterial technology. Metamaterials, however, present separate challenges in optimization for any desired acoustic effect: in particular, their dynamic behavior depends on parameters unrelated to acoustics, and exhibits wave propagation behavior more complex than elastic or acoustic continua. Homogenization methods which assume Cartesian symmetry are a staple in metamaterial design, but these only approximate a feasible optimal design. Moreover, total reliance on homogenized continuum models provides no information about the actual microstructure performance, and presents problems in functionally graded applications. To overcome this, we augment our Cartesian homogenization processes with high-resolution finite element models to optimize the design. Comparatively computationally expensive implicit FEM is avoided; specifically tailored time-domain wave propagation codes make the analyses feasible. Examples of the process, combining Cartesian homogenization estimates with high-resolution microstructural wave propagation solutions, will be shown.
Teaching an online phonetics course: One approach
Authors: Fox Robert A.
Published: November 2017

Ohio State offers an on-line graduate-level phonetics course for a three-year on-line MA program in speech-language pathology. It is taught using a combination of available power-point presentations (with embedded lectures), high-quality sound files (for transcription exercises), and weekly video chats (using carmenconnect). The course syllabus is an on-line syllabus (in.html format) created using Adobe Dreamweaver. There are links in the syllabus to all readings and links to useful educational sites for description of speech anatomy and physiology, vocal cord physiology (and dynamics of voicing), x-ray cinematography, and acoustic analysis of speech production. In terms of phonetic transcription, students move from relatively easy consonant and vowel transcription (using recorded nonsense words) through narrow transcription using a series of graded downloadable transcription exercises. Students download free phonetic fonts from the internet (and they can use on-line browser-based programs like ipa.typeit). The final two-three weeks of the course involves spectrographic analysis (using programs that are free online including PRAAT, Speech Analyzer 3.1, and Wasp). One of the more challenging issues is to determine programs that will work on both Windows and/or Apple computers) and the first week is dedicated to addressing technology issues. Examples of all materials will be presented.
Phonetics online. How far is self-study possible?
Authors: Ashby Patricia
Published: November 2017

Using the Certificate examination of the International Phonetic Association as a benchmark, this talk explores the viability of computer-assisted self-study in phonetics. Historically, phonetics and technology have always gone hand in hand. From the 18th century, invention and application of specialist instruments has expanded our knowledge of speech production and perception. Pedagogically, however, until quite recently, this technology was not routinely employed as a learning-aid. Over the first half of the twentieth century, undergraduate phonetics courses delivered through lectures and (costly) face-to-face small group teaching began to be established. Gradually, too, hardware entered the learning environment—phonographs and tape-recorders provided sound recordings, kymographs, oscilloscopes, and spectrographs provided images of waveforms, formants and pitch contours, transforming teaching and learning of both theory and practical skills. Then, computers and the internet revolutionized education, including phonetics education. Audio materials were supplemented and enhanced with visuals and by the 21st century, interactive computer-assisted learning was well established. Today, technology can sometimes even replace the teacher completely. So now, in response to increasing numbers of financially driven course closures: can technology breathe new life into the subject of phonetics?
Teaching phonetics in an active-learning classroom: The role of teaching assistants
Authors: Bent Tessa
Published: November 2017

Active-learning classrooms (ALCs) facilitate innovative learner-centered pedagogical approaches. However, ensuring that all students receive appropriate support during learning activities can be challenging. Incorporating teaching assistants (TAs) is one avenue for increasing assistance available to students. Yet, investigations of the interactions among TAs and students in ALCs are lacking. To address this gap, a phonetics course with three TAs was studied. Three class sessions were video taped and students were given surveys to assess their perception of the learning activities and interactions with the TAs. Across sessions, 93% of students reported that their interactions with the TAs allowed them to move forward with the task. Similarly, 89% of students indicated that the TAs were able to guide them to the answer without giving them the answer. The video data suggest that the teaching assistants’ interactions during small group activities differ from the instructors’. During the small group activities, the instructor spent 62% of the time in direct consultation with groups while the TAs only spent 30%. Additional analyses of the video and survey data will inform best practices for incorporating TAs into ALCs. [Work supported by a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grant from Indiana University.]
Flipping the phonetics classroom
Authors: Rogers Catherine L.
Published: November 2017

The 21st century has seen a continued expansion of bandwidth, processor speed, and availability of multimedia recording tools for the average PC. Consequently, the flipped classroom model has gained popularity, in both K-12 and higher-level education. In a flipped classroom, the instructor typically records short lectures, to be viewed online by the students prior to class. Classroom time is then devoted to activities that might normally be assigned as homework, such as problem solving, examination of case studies, discussion or other interactive exercises. Advantages of the pre-recorded lecture include the opportunity for students to replay the lectures and the availability of captioning, while disadvantages of this format may include a lack of spontaneity or ability to stop and ask a question. The drawbacks may, however, be compensated for by the increased feedback opportunities for students, allowing teachers more opportunities to gauge gaps in student knowledge. The phonetics classroom seems particularly well suited for the increased opportunity for in-class exercises and feedback offered by the flipped classroom approach. This presentation will describe the author’s implementation of the flipped classroom model in an undergraduate phonetics classroom, including a discussion of students’ attitudes, technical issues, and other challenges.
Disambiguation of sonar target signatures using graph-based signal processing
Authors: Sen Gupta Ananya , Kirsteins Ivars P.
Published: November 2017

Disambiguation and extraction of sonar target features in high-clutter and low signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) environments have been well-known to be a daunting task. In particular, the elastic wave features evolve with time, aspect angle, sediment type, proud/buried status, among other factors. Furthermore, irregular geometry of buried and partially buried targets renders it challenging to separate target features unique to the target material against multiple reflections due to irregular target geometry, sediment effects, and other physical phenomena. This work attempts to apply the emerging field of graph-based signal processing to study associations between sonar target features unique to target material and target geometry. We will present our graph-based studies of acoustic color features over a complex field, i.e., magnitude and phase, with the objective of disentangling target features against interference introduced by the environment using association graph techniques. The talk will focus on features localized using both geometric and wavelet techniques, and present results on case studies across a variety of sediment types, aspect angles and proud and partially buried targets of different materials.
Chester McKinney, champion in acoustics
Authors: Blackstock David T.
Published: November 2017

Chester M. McKinney (1920–2017) was born and grew up in Cooper, Texas. Having built radios as a boy, he majored in physics at East Texas State Teachers College, taught high school science back in Cooper, and joined the U.S. Army immediately after Pearl Harbor. As a radar officer in the Army Air Corps, he did course work at Harvard and MIT in radar and electronics, and flew many missions in B-29s over China, India, and the Pacific. After the war he earned M.S. (1947) and Ph.D. (1950) degrees in physics at University of Texas, working primarily in electromagnetics at the University’s Defense Research Laboratory (DRL, later renamed Applied Research Laboratories, ARL). In 1948 he married Linda Hooten. After a short stint at Texas Tech University, he returned to DRL in 1953 and switched from electromagnetics to acoustics, primarily underwater sound, which became his life’s work. After 15 years as ARL Director, Chester retired in 1980. Having joined the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) in 1953, he chaired the Austin Meeting in 1975. He and Linda were fixtures at ASA Meetings. He became Vice President in 1984–1985 and President in 1987–1988. ASA awarded Chester its Gold Medal in 2005.
Case study: Open plan “closed” offices or closed plan “open” offices
Authors: Good Kenneth W.
Published: November 2017

In today’s built environment designers likes to blur the lines between categories and closed and open offices are no exception. Spaces are being built with high walls and doors but no ceilings. The occupants often call these “private” offices but how “private” are they? Are they open spaces or closed spaces, what are the expectations and how should we handle these spaces? Past experiences in these hybrid spaces have led me to question our measurement techniques. This case study will explore back to back measurements using the closed office method of ASTM E 336 vs the open plan method of ASTM E 1130 each calculated for Privacy Index (PI) in the same space and conditions.
Quasi-static acoustic tweezing for low-volume blood coagulation analysis
Authors: Luo Daishen , Holt Ray , Khismatullin Damir
Published: November 2017

Available contact assays for blood plasma and whole blood coagulation have low predictive power in patients with coagulopathy or take a significant amount of time and blood volume to obtain diagnostic data. We have developed an innovative low-volume non-contact technology for real-time assessment of blood coagulation, referred to as “Quasi-static Acoustic Tweezing Thromboelastometry”(QATT). In our method, human blood drops with volume less than 5 microliter (~100 times smaller than the volume required by current coagulation technologies) are levitated in air by acoustic radiation forces. The sample drop location and deformation are induced by a quasi-static change in the acoustic pressure. By extracting a linear regime slope, the samples exhibit a unique elasticity profile over time (tweezograph) less than 20 minutes, characterized by clot initiation time (CIT), time to firm clot formation (TFCF), and maximum clot strength (MCS). The exposure of blood samples to pro- or anti-thrombotic agents (Fibrinogen and GPRP, respectively) led to significant changes in tweezographs within 10 minutes, thus allowing detection of hyper- or hypo-coagulable states. The advantages of small sample size, non-contact and rapid measurement make this technique desirable for real-time monitoring of blood coagulation in neonatal and pediatric patients with coagulation abnormalities.
Mechanism of echogenicity of echogenic liposomes
Authors: Kumar Krishna N. , Mallik Sanku , Sarkar Kausik
Published: November 2017

Liposomes prepared by a freeze-drying technique in the presence of mannitol have proved to be echogenic. However, the mechanism of echogenicity is not well understood. Here, we attempt to explain it. It was observed that only freeze-dried mannitol (without lipids) generates a strong scattered response because it generates bubble upon dissolution in water. The bubble generation was confirmed optically under an optical microscope. During the dissolution of the crystalline mannitol, the concentration of mannitol becomes locally very high. As the solute (mannitol) concentration increases, the saturated dissolved gas concentration decreases. Therefore, the dissolved gas in the solution near the dissolving crystal is in a supersaturated state. Upon sufficient supersaturation, bubble nucleation takes place. We found that freeze-dried crystalline excipients such as mannitol facilitate bubble nucleation compared to freeze-dried glassy excipient such as trehalose because of differences in surface morphology.
F.V. Hunt and my travels with fricative consonants
Authors: Shadle Christine H.
Published: November 2017

My training as an electrical engineer aligned well with the way acoustics of speech was modeled, as I learned when working at Bell Laboratories and then in Ken Stevens’ lab at MIT. However, fricative consonants require turbulence noise for their production; studying them for my Ph.D. led me toward aeroacoustics and testing whether circuit models really were adequate for modeling fricatives. The 1984–1985 Hunt and the NATO 1985–1986 postdoctoral fellowships gave me two years in which to learn more. I studied flow measurement methods at MIT’s Mechanical Engineering Department (supervised by Prof. Richard Lyon), then used them in experiments on mechanical models of fricatives and of vocal folds at the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR) at the University of Southampton, UK (supervised by Dr. Stephen Elliott and Dr. Phil Nelson). At the Department of Speech Communication and Music Acoustics at KTH, Stockholm, Sweden, supervised by Prof. Gunnar Fant, I analyzed human speech and experimented with vocal tract imaging. As academic staff at the University of Southampton I collaborated with ISVR and KTH colleagues and others on the aeroacoustic aspects of speech, vocal tract imaging and speech analysis methods; since 2004 I have continued this research at Haskins Laboratories.
A career in acoustics nucleated by the 8th Hunt Fellowship (1985–1986)
Authors: Atchley Anthony A.
Published: November 2017

The 8th Hunt Fellowship enabled the author to work with Professor Robert Apfel and his inspirational research group at Yale University. The proposed research was to use superheated droplets to detect cavitation generated by short pules of megahertz-frequency ultrasound. At the time, it was thought that such cavitation would not produce large enough acoustic signals to be detected directly. Instead, if cavitation occurred on or near superheated droplets, they might erupt and emit a detectable signature. However, as happens in research, this idea was eclipsed by the discovery of a simpler approach. Working closely with Leon Frizzell, on sabbatical leave from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Christy Holland, Sameer Madanshetty, and Ron Roy, we noticed that cavitation could be detected passively and used the method to investigate the dependence of cavitation thresholds on various pulse parameters. Also while supported by the Fellowship, the author was introduced to thermoacoustics which consumed the next phase of his career. This interest in high amplitude sound evolved over time into studies of the nonlinear propagation of noise from sub- and supersonic aircraft. [The author gratefully acknowledges support from the Office of Naval Research for much of the research discussed in this poster.]
From Berlin to Atlanta, with a sojurn in Oz
Authors: Cunefare Kenneth
Published: November 2017

Having been lured away from Exxon to pursue a Ph.D. by Gary Koopmann, I had no idea during a 1989 visit to the TU in Berlin, with the Berlin Wall still a looming presence, that he was laying the ground work with Herr Dr. Prof. Manfred Heckl of the Institute of Technical Acoustics to host me should I receive the Hunt. When I arrived in July 1990, the wall had fallen, and great changes were underway. The year passed all too quickly, with Pink Floyd at “The Wall,” technical visits to Dresden, Gottingen, and ISVR, and more. The work I did in that year remains some of my highest cited work. Having already accepted a faculty position at Georgia Tech made the year much less stressful. The connections and colleagues I made at the TU remained throughout my career. At GT I explored a number of areas triggered by my Hunt year, including structural acoustic optimization, acoustic mode representation for exterior fields, and active structural acoustic control which led to a sabbatical year, with results akin to my Hunt year, at the University of Adelaide in Australia. I am also a founding member of a successful acoustic consultancy (Arpeggio).
An indispensable detour: From a Hunt Postdoctoral Research Fellowship to microelectronics packaging
Authors: Qi Quan
Published: November 2017

After receiving my Ph.D. degree in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, I faced a choice of taking an industrial job offer or pursuing research in nonlinear acoustics as the 1992-93 Hunt Postdoctoral Research Fellow. My argument at the time was rather simple: I can always choose to go back to industry at any time but there will not be another “shot” to be a Hunt Fellow! Having studied fluid mechanics, it was a natural extension to leverage that background to focus on nonlinear acoustics for the Hunt Fellowship, specifically to investigate feasibility of using high-frequency acoustical streaming to replace the cavitation based mechanism to clean micron-sized particle from the surface of silicon wafers. During the Hunt Fellowship, I became interested in electronics packaging: wafer cleaning led to silicon chips, which in turn led to microchip packaging. I have worked in this particular area, starting at Hewlett-Packard, with other companies and now with Apple. Occasionally, I wonder: what if I had taken that industry job instead of the Hunt Fellowship? I am thankful, though, for what I have and very grateful for the Hunt Fellowship opportunity that led to gratifying professional career in microelectronics packaging.
An appreciation of the benefits of a Hunt Fellowship
Authors: Lacefield James C.
Published: November 2017

I was awarded the Hunt Fellowship in 2000-01 as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Rochester working under the supervision of Robert Waag. My research during the Fellowship experimentally analyzed methods of compensating for focus aberration in medical ultrasound imaging using multirow and matrix transducer arrays. I was subsequently recruited to a faculty position at Western University in London, Ontario, at the time Western established its Biomedical Engineering program, which I currently direct while continuing to conduct research in biomedical ultrasound. One of the enduring benefits I acquired during my Fellowship was to develop my skill at and appreciation of precise scientific communication, which are characteristics Professor Waag instilled in all of his trainees. Another valuable benefit the Fellowship granted me was an opportunity to begin forming my own scientific network through the ASA and other organizations. Holding the Hunt Fellowship provided me both encouragement and financial resources to become more active in the biomedical ultrasonics research community, which was a key step toward launching my academic career.
Expect the unexpected: A path enlightened by the Hunt Fellowship
Authors: Lee Chao-Yang
Published: November 2017

My interest in language led to an interdisciplinary and international journey through psychology (B.S., National Chengchi University, Taiwan), linguistics (A.M., Brown), cognitive science (Ph.D., Brown), and speech communication (postdoc, MIT) before joining the faculty of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Ohio University. Being awarded the Fellowship in 2001 was a pleasant surprise. The generous support of the Fellowship allowed me to witness how great scientists think, act, and educate. Studying with Professor Ken Stevens and members of the MIT Speech Group further prepared me for research on crosslinguistic aspects of speech communication. The experience also inspired me to mentor my students as I was mentored: with respect and genuine interest. As Professor Hunt envisioned, this Fellowship allowed me to play a small but meaningful part in furthering the science of, and education in acoustics. I am deeply grateful to Professors Sheila Blumstein (Brown), Phil Lieberman (Brown), and Ken Stevens (MIT) for making the journey possible and for believing in me.
The Hunt Postdoctoral Fellowship: Opening doors to interdisciplinary research
Authors: Ryherd Erica E.
Published: November 2017

I was honored to receive the 2006–2007 F.V. Hunt Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct research at the Sahlgrenska Academy of Medicine at Gothenburg University in Sweden. I worked under the supervision of Dr. Kerstin Persson Waye, studying the impact of noise in hospitals on staff and patients. My background and training leading up to my postdoc was in engineering with a specialty in architectural acoustics and noise control. Through the Hunt Fellowship, I was able to deepen my skillset by pursuing interdisciplinary research in occupational and environmental health. I will never forget the excitement of working in an entirely different environment and learning how to navigate both medical terminology and another language simultaneously. The adaptability I gained by facing those challenges served me well on my path to tenure. One of the most fruitful parts of my postdoc from a research standpoint was identifying the many areas of hospital acoustics that needed more work. To this day, I continue to collaborate with students and colleagues in engineering, medicine, and other diverse disciplines to improve healthcare built environments. Ten years later, I can truly say that the F.V. Hunt Fellowship had a profound impact on my life and career path.
Impact of the F. V. Hunt postdoctoral fellowship on a trainee’s research and career advancement
Authors: Shekhar Himanshu , Holland Christy K.
Published: November 2017

The F. V. Hunt Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Acoustics gave Dr. Himanshu Shekhar an opportunity to pursue a new research direction in therapeutic ultrasound at University of Cincinnati with Prof. Christy Holland as a mentor. This research was performed at the Image-Guided Ultrasound Therapeutics Laboratories, which is composed of trainees, principal investigators, physician-scientists, and clinical collaborators. During his tenure as a Hunt fellow (June 2015–May 2016), Dr. Shekhar developed cavitation-mediated lytic and bioactive gas delivery to treat ischemic stroke. He also contributed to ongoing research on microfluidic manufacture of thrombolytic-loaded echogenic liposomes, thrombolysis using histotripsy, and comparative lytic activity of a lytic in human and porcine clots. His work led to two first author peer-reviewed manuscripts, three coauthored manuscripts, and two presentations at the meetings of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA). This fellowship also enabled Dr. Shekhar to enhance his engagement with the ASA as a full member of ASA, serving on the biomedical acoustics technical committee, and on subcommittees of the live-streaming initiative and the Hunt recognition campaign. The training, mentorship, and the exposure received during the Hunt Fellowship tenure has prepared Dr. Shekhar, who plans to pursue an academic research career in biomedical acoustics.
Electric vehicles and environmental noise: Assessing the noise impact of an electric fleet through strategic noise mapping
Authors: King Eoin A.
Published: November 2017

Electric vehicles are fast becoming a reality and are being heralded as a real alternative to the highly polluting internal combustion engine fleet. Often electric vehicles are reported as being silent vehicles and may significantly reduce a population’s exposure to environmental noise. This paper investigates what effect the widespread adoption of an electric fleet would have in a midsize city in the United States. The source level of an electric fleet is estimated by a combination of previous pass-by measurements, published data, and calculation. These estimations are used to develop a noise map of the city assuming an electric fleet. Results are then compared to noise levels assuming the current fleet. Results show that while an electric fleet will improve environmental noise levels within a city, the overall benefit is limited when expressed using a traditional strategic noise map, primarily due to the use of a time averaged Leq indicator. In light of this, alternative metrics to better account for the changing acoustic characteristics of electric vehicles are discussed.
Introducing C/S: A companion nonlinearity indicator to the Morfey-Howell Q/S
Authors: Ohm Won-Suk , Park Taeyoung , Gee Kent L. , Reichman Brent O.
Published: November 2017

The Morfey-Howell Q/S is a frequency-domain, single-point nonlinearity indicator, initially proposed for propagation of intense broadband noise [AIAA J. 19, 986–992 (1981)]. It represents the extra change in level of a frequency component due to the nonlinearly generated absorption [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 139, 2505–2513 (2016)]. At the center of the definition of Q/S is the quadspectrum, which is the imaginary part of the cross-spectrum between the pressure and squared-pressure waveforms. The real part of the cross-spectrum (known as the cospectrum), however, has received little attention until recently Ohm et al. showed that its normalized version, hereby dubbed C/S, reflects the extra change in phase angle of the frequency component due to the nonlinearly generated dispersion [Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 29, 045003 (2016)]. In other words, Q/S and C/S signify two sides of the same coin in a nonlinear wave process under an arbitrary absorption/dispersion law: C/S is to dispersion as Q/S is to absorption. In this talk, we demonstrate the use of C/S in comparison with Q/S for the case of finite-amplitude waves in a thermoviscous fluid with multiple relaxation mechanisms.
Dynamics of quasi-empty rupture in the layer of cavitating liquid under SW-loading
Authors: Kedrinskiy Valeriy , Bolshakova Ekaterina
Published: November 2017

The problem of formation and collapse of a quasi-empty rupture in the layer of a cavitating liquid under shock wave (SW) loading is considered. The SW-pulse is generated in the layer by electro-magnetic hydrodynamic shock tube in a result of high-voltage discharge of capacitor bank on a flat helical coil. The latter is located right up to the bottom (conducting membrane) of container with the layer of two-phase distilled liquid. The analysis of the experimental data shows that the rupture is shaped as a spherical segment, which retains its topology during the entire process of its evolution and collapse. It was shown that potential energy of maximum volume of rupture at its collapse is practically transformed in acoustical losses (SW-radiation) and rupture disappears. Dynamics of main parameters and an existence time of rupture were determined. The analysis of cavitating nuclei state in the form of thin layer on an entire interface of rupture shows that in the field of rupture collapse the thin cavitating layer is transformed to a cavitating cluster. The latter takes the form of a ring-shaped bubbly vortex floating upward to the free surface of the liquid layer. A р-к two-phase mathematical model was formulated, and calculations were performed to investigate the collapse of a quasi-empty spherical cavity (rupture model) in the unbounded cavitating liquid, generation of ultra-short shock wave and to discover the dynamic growth of micro-bubbles in a cluster by five orders of magnitude. [Work supported by RFBR Grant 15-05-03336.]
Articulatory compensation strategies employed by an aglossic speaker
Authors: Toutios Asterios , Byrd Dani , Goldstein Louis , Narayanan Shrikanth S.
Published: November 2017

We are employing real-time MRI to probe the speech production patterns of a speaker with congenital aglossia, a rare syndrome in which an individual is born without a tongue. The speaker being studied has only a small stump-like tongue rudiment in the region of the tongue root and a hypertrophied floor of the mouth (mylohyoid) and base of the tongue. Nevertheless, the speaker has acquired the ability to produce highly intelligible speech. One initial finding is that the speaker, in the absence of a tongue tip, produces plosive consonants that are perceptually similar to /t/ and /d/ by using a bilabial constriction with a significantly increased anteroposterior extent (relative to her /p/ or /b/ productions). Our aim is to provide an articulatory-acoustic account of this compensatory strategy via detailed analysis of her production strategies as evidenced in the real-time MRI data and via simulations using an articulatory synthesizer. We examine whether the increased anteroposterior extent of the bilabial constriction can by itself fully explain its coronal-like percept, or whether other factors contribute, such as the overall shaping of the back cavity or the dynamics of the “laminal” bilabial (pseudo-coronal) constriction formation and release. [Work supported by NIH.]
Articulatory kinematics of bilateral stops in speakers with Parkinson’s disease: Preliminary data
Authors: Worrell Sarah E. , Kim Yunjung
Published: November 2017

The current study presents data on articulatory kinematics of bilateral stop production in speakers with Parkinson’s disease (PD) for the long term purpose of developing a segment-specific articulatory profile of people with PD. As an initial step, we examined bilateral stops because of their relatively high frequency of occurrence and involvement of articulatory motions associated with surrounding vowels (Kim, Berry, and Kuo, 2017; Mines, Hanson, and Shoup, 1978). A total of 10 speakers (5 speakers with PD and 5 speakers without PD) were asked to read The Caterpillar passage in a conversational voice. An electromagnetic articulatography system (Wave, NDI) was used to track the motion of the tongue (tongue front and back) and lip (upper lip and lower lip) during bilabial stop productions (from the onset of stop closure interval to the onset of the following vocalic nuclei). The results will be presented regarding the (1) range (e.g., 2D distance) and (2) timing (e.g., the timing of minimum lip aperture) of articulatory movements focusing on group comparisons between the two speaker groups, people with and without PD.
Acoustic properties of vowel production in Mandarin-speaking patients with post-stroke spastic dysarthria
Authors: Mou Zhiwei , Yang Jing , Chen Zhuoming , Wang Hong , Jiang Yinhui , Li Jiamin , Deng Wen , Xu Li
Published: November 2017

This study investigated the acoustic features of vowel production in Mandarin-speaking patients with post-stroke spastic dysarthria. The subjects included 31 native Mandarin-speaking patients with post-stroke spastic dysarthria (age: 33–73 years old) and 40 normal adults in a similar age range (age: 22–68 years old). Each subject were recorded producing a list of 28 Mandarin monosyllables that composed of six monophthong vowels (i.e., /a, o, ɣ, i, u, y/) embedded in the /CV/ context. The patients’ speech samples were evaluated by two native Mandarin speakers. The evaluation scores were then used to classify each patient into one of the two categories: mild or moderate-to-severe severity. Midpoint F1 and F2 of each vowel token were extracted and normalized. Results showed no significant differences between the patients and normal speakers on vowel duration. However, the vowel categories in the patients were more scattered and greatly overlapped than in the normal speakers. The magnitude of the vowel dispersion and overlap increased as a function of the severity of the disorder. The deviations of the vowel acoustic features in the patients from the normal speakers may provide guidance for clinical rehabilitation to improve the speech intelligibility of this type of patients.
Articulatory kinematics during stop closure in speakers with Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Thompson Austin R. , Kuylen Amanda , Kim Yunjung
Published: November 2017

Numerous studies have identified the perceptual characteristics of speakers with Parkinson’s disease (PD), imprecise consonants (e.g., Darley, Aronson, and Brown, 1969). Acoustic studies have supported these findings with the observations such as spirantization, or the incomplete closure and fricative-like production of aperiodic noise during the closuresilent interval of stop consonants (Weismer, Yunusova, and Bunton, 2012). The current presentation explores the articulatory kinematics in speakers with PD during the closure interval duration of stop consonants with respect to distance, displacement, and timing of inter-articulators motion. In addition, the changes in articulatory movements during this brief time interval are examined as the speakers voluntarily vary the degree of speech intelligibility. Participants with PD and neurologically healthy controls were asked to read sentences containing stop consonants (e.g.,“Buy Bobby a puppy”). Movement data were collected using the WAVE (NDI, Canada). The results from the five articulatory measurement points (tongue front, tongue back, upper lip, lower lip, and jaw) will be presented with emphasis on segment-specific movement characteristics of individuals with Parkinson’s disease, PD.
The influence of vocal disorder on the perception of charisma in political speech
Authors: Signorello Rosario , Demolin Didier
Published: November 2017

Voice conveys leaders’ charisma traits and triggers emotional states in listeners. A speaker with disordered voice quality is often perceived as a different individual in terms of intrinsic (personality traits and emotional states) and extrinsic characteristics (age, sex, and ethnicity) (Kreiman et Sidtis, 2011). In case of significant alteration, voice can convey significantly different charisma traits and trigger emotional states in listeners that diverge from the leaders’ goals. Voice disorder can thus affect effective persuasion in the communication process. The present study reports investigations on the influence of vocal disorder on the perception of charisma traits and emotional triggering in political speech. Audio stimuli from non-disordered and disordered voice conditions of two politicians (Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, former president of Brazil and Umberto Bossi, former leader of the Italian Lega Nord party) were collected. First, voice profiles reporting specific acoustic patterns during the two conditions were created. Secondly, cross-cultural perceptual tests of both conditions were conducted with French listeners to determine if the disordered voice condition (a) still conveys charisma and leadership traits, (b) what type of emotional states it triggers in listeners, and (c) how it influences listeners’ voting behavior. [Work supported by grant DS0707-2015 ArtSpeech.]
Developing a remotely deliverable digit triplet in noise test for detecting high frequency hearing loss
Authors: Motlagh Zadeh Lina , Silbert Noah H. , Sternasty Katherine , Moore David R.
Published: November 2017

The prevalence of late-diagnosed or often unrecognized hearing loss (HL) is higher in developing countries due to the lack of access to hearing health care services. Due to the importance of hearing screening tests in early diagnosis of HL, development of remotely deliverable screening tests that can detect HL reliably, quickly, and easily provides significant benefits, specifically for underserved population. The purpose of this research is to refine the established English digit triplet test (DTT) to improve detection of high-frequency HL. The sensitivity and specificity of the DTT for detecting high frequency HL will be analyzed for low-pass filtered speech-shaped noise with three different cut-off frequencies (2 kHz, 4 kHz, and 8 kHz). The current study will also replicate previous work showing that speech reception thresholds estimated from the DTT correlate highly with listeners’ pure tone average audiometry. This research should improve the accuracy of convenient, efficient tools for diagnosing HL for millions of people who have limited access to hearing health care.
Dysprosodie in preschool children with autism spectrum disorders
Authors: Hartzheim Daphne , Kim Yunjung , Johnson Ariel
Published: November 2017

One of the core language characteristics of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have been described as monotone speech (i.e., reduced range of pitch and loudness). In this study, we investigated acoustic properties of primary prosodic cues, loudness, pitch, and speech rate. For this purpose, we analyzed speech samples from children ages 8-15 years with and without ASD while they were answering questions about social scenes. The child was asked to describe what he or she was supposed to do in a certain situation while provided a visual stimulus. The responses were video and audio recorded for later analysis. All children with ASD had verbal skills (i.e., ability to answer questions with sufficient length for acoustic analysis), even if receptive and expressive language skills was decreased for some children according to the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-5 (CELF-5). Each child with ASD was paired with two children that were typically developing to account for natural variability in development. At the conclusion of data collection, the audio recording was analyzed for f0 variation, intensity variation, and the number of syllables produces per second using a computer software, PRAAT.
Measuring the source waveform of esophageal speakers using a two-port transfer matrix method
Authors: Beckert Otto Andressa , da Silva Andrey R. , Ghirardi Ana C.
Published: November 2017

The glottal waveform is an important parameter from which relevant information related to the phonation process can be extracted. A few non-invasive techniques are available on the literature in order to obtain the glottal waveform from the external measurements of a subject's voice. These techniques normally obtain the source waveform by inverse filtering the influence of the subject’s vocal tract and the mouth radiation impedance based on linear prediction algorithms. Nevertheless, such techniques are not entirely adequate for subjects with esophageal and tracheoesophageal phonation, mainly due to the aperiodic behavior of these types of waves. The present work proposes a new technique, in which the transfer matrix of a subject's vocal tract is obtained by the layer-peeling algorithm. Thereafter, the source waveform is obtained by resolving a two-port transfer matrix equation, where the source waveform and the measured voice are the input and output ports, respectively. Preliminary results using the new technique are compared with those obtained by the traditional methods involving inverse filtering and the Sondhi tube.
Phoneme production by Hispanic hearing-impaired children
Authors: Flores Tanya
Published: November 2017

This study examines the speech productions of Hispanic deaf and hearing impaired (DHI) children from 3 to 7 years of age who have had delayed medical intervention. The data presented here is from the initial data collection session and will focus on the segmental phonemic productions of the target group as compared to the productions of the control groups (Hispanic peers with normal hearing and non-Hispanic DHI peers) from the same local community. The goal of the study is to create a speech corpus of Hispanic DHI children that will be used to study various aspects of their language development. Findings will contribute to the currently limited acoustic research on minority DHI children whose home language differs from their specialized language program (in this case, English Listening and Spoken Language Program).
Multitouch ultrasonic touchscreen
Authors: Firouzi Kamyar , Khuri-Yakub Butrus T.
Published: November 2017

Touchscreen sensors are widely used in many devices such as smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc. We present the design, analysis, and implementation of an ultrasonic touchscreen system that utilizes interaction of transient Lamb waves with objects in contact with the screen. The governing principle revolves around the propagation and reverberation of guided elastic waves in a bounded space, in which the localization of touch points can be challenging. Reverberant fields in enclosures can potentially carry useful information, however, in an incoherent way. Incoherency comes from consecutive reflections of the wave energy several times in the domain, ultimately leading to mixing of the wave energy in a seemingly random way. However, spreading of the wave energy can lead to multiple interrogations of each point in the enclosure. Hence, temporal information buries information about substructural changes making it feasible to conduct only a few spatial measurements. We present a learning localization algorithm capable of localizing multiple simultaneous touch points (up to 12 touches on a tablet) and with a very limited number of measurements (one or two). This in turn can significantly reduce the manufacturing cost. We also present an algorithm to improve on robustness to environmental and thermal noise.
Damage localization based on the reconstructed Green’s function from a diffuse noise field on a thin rectangular aluminum plate
Authors: Jung Sun Ah , Lee Keunhwa , Seong Woojae
Published: November 2017

The extracted Green’s function from ambient noise cross-correlation is applied to localize a damage on an aluminum plate using a passive sensor array. Damage was investigated by drilling holes at various locations with different sizes. The localization process uses a subtracted Green’s function of an undamaged plate from that of a damaged plate, which can reveal the scattered wave from the damage boundary. Localization algorithms used in active structural health monitoring, including the time of arrival, the time difference of arrival, the energy arrival and the Rayleigh maximum likelihood estimation [Flynn et al., Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A. Math. Phys. Sci. (2011)] methods are applied to the subtracted signal according to the number of sensors and that of noise sources. The subtracted signals are band pass filtered with various center frequency resulting in multiple images which are used in image fusion to increase the accuracy of localization [Michaels et al., Wave motion. (2007)]. The performance of the algorithms demonstrates the efficacy of the passive sensing-based localization method even when using small number of sensors and sources.