bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Molecular ecology of microbiomes in the wild: Common pitfalls, methodological advances and future directions
Authors: Fountain‐Jones Nicholas M. , Giraud Tatiana , Zinger Lucie , Bik Holly , Creer Simon , Videvall Elin
Published: November 2023

The study of microbiomes across organisms and environments has become a prominent focus in molecular ecology. This perspective article explores common challenges, methodological advancements, and future directions in the field. Key research areas include understanding the drivers of microbiome community assembly, linking microbiome composition to host genetics, exploring microbial functions, transience and spatial partitioning, and disentangling non‐bacterial components of the microbiome. Methodological advancements, such as quantifying absolute abundances, sequencing complete genomes, and utilizing novel statistical approaches, are also useful tools for understanding complex microbial diversity patterns. Our aims are to encourage robust practices in microbiome studies and inspire researchers to explore the next frontier of this rapidly changing field.
Nationalism and the energy transition: The case of the SNP
Authors: Tutt Owen , Heubaum Harald
Published: November 2023

While fossil fuels are a well‐researched element of nationalist discourse, the relationship between nationalism and renewable energy has not yet been adequately explored. We address this gap by investigating the impact of the energy transition on the Scottish National Party's (SNP) discourse between 1983 and 2021. Through an analysis of SNP manifestos and speeches, we discursively trace the evolution of three pertinent amalgams of nationalism—green nationalism, resource nationalism and techno‐nationalism—revealing renewable energy to have been co‐opted and deployed in all three. Rather than the energy transition intuitively resulting in the decline of fossil fuel‐based nationalisms in favour of those rooted in an emergent renewable energy paradigm, we find that adaptations in the SNP's discursive strategies allowed the former to co‐exist with the latter, enhancing complementarity and mitigating goal conflicts.
Inappropriate shock incidence in patients with subcutaneous implantable cardioverter‐defibrillators with concomitant cardiac implantable electronic devices: A single‐center cohort study
Authors: Okazaki Makiko , Sahashi Yuki , Nagase Takahiko , Inoue Kanki , Sekiguchi Yukio , Nitta Junichi , Shinoda Satoru , Shimizu Sayuri , Kuroki Makoto , Isobe Mitsuaki , Mihara Takahiro
Published: November 2023

Background

Subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillators (S‐ICDs) are occasionally used in combination with other cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). However, whether the incidence of inappropriate shock increases in patients with S‐ICDs and concomitant CIEDs remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association between the concomitant use of CIEDs and the incidence of inappropriate shock in patients with current‐generation S‐ICDs.

Methods

A total of 127 consecutive patients received an S‐ICD. Patients were assigned to two groups depending on concomitant use of CIEDs at the time of S‐ICD implantation: patients without other CIEDs (non‐combined group, 106 patients) and patients with other CIEDs (combined group, 21 patients). CIEDs included pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, cardiac resynchronization therapy pacemakers, and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators. The primary outcome was inappropriate shock, defined as a shock other than ventricular arrhythmia. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using a time‐varying Cox proportional hazards model which was adjusted for age because age differed between the groups and could be a confounder.

Results

During a median follow‐up period of 2.2 years (interquartile range, 1.0–3.4 years), inappropriate shock events occurred in 17 (16%) and five (19%) patients of the non‐combined and combined groups, respectively. While the age‐adjusted hazard ratio for inappropriate shock was 24% higher in the combined than in the non‐combined group (hazard ratio = 1.24, 95% confidence interval, 0.39–3.97), this difference was insignificant (p = .71).

Conclusion

The incidence of inappropriate shock did not differ between patients with and without concomitant use of CIEDs, suggesting that S‐ICDs could potentially be combined with other CIEDs without increasing the number of inappropriate shocks. Further studies are warranted to confirm the safety and feasibility of concomitant use of S‐ICDs and CIEDs.
Pleomorphic dermal sarcoma presenting in a child with Li‐Fraumeni syndrome: A case report and review of the literature
Authors: Kim Heeyeon , Noh Hyungrye , Shim Joonho , Oh Se Jin , Lee Jong Hee , Lee Dong‐Youn , Park Ji Hye
Published: November 2023

Pleomorphic dermal sarcoma (PDS) is an uncommon malignant soft‐tissue tumor that occurs mostly in elderly patients, with only 5% of cases occurring in children. However, pediatric patients with Li‐Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) can develop several types of cancer, particularly sarcomas. Here, we describe a young LFS patient who presented with early‐onset PDS and review the literature.
The good and the powers
Authors: Paolini Paoletti Michele
Published: November 2023

Neo‐Aristotelian views of goodness hold that the goodness of something is strictly connected with its goal(s). In this article, I shall present a power‐based, Neo‐Aristotelian view of goodness. I shall claim that there are certain powers (i.e., Goodness‐Conferring Powers, or GC‐powers in short) that confer goodness upon their bearers and upon the resulting actions. And I shall suggest that GC‐powers are strongly teleological tendencies. In Section 1, I shall present the kernel of Neo‐Aristotelian conceptions of goodness. In Section 2, I shall introduce strongly teleological powers and tendencies. In Section 3, GC‐powers will be characterized. I shall also examine a number of options with regard to their number and features and how to single out their goodness value. In Section 4, I shall focus on good agents and on three distinct ways in which they may be good: tendential goodness, actual goodness, and purely actual goodness. Relatedly, among the actions connected with a certain GC‐power, I shall also distinguish between primary and secondary actions and between pure and impure actions. In Section 5, good actions will be examined. Actions may be good in three distinct ways. Indeed, actions may be endowed with primary goodness, secondary goodness and preventative goodness. In Section 6, I shall face the remaining problems.
Collagen study advances for photoaging skin
Authors: Liu Helei , Dong Junjuan , Du Rina , Gao Yaoxing , Zhao Pengwei
Published: November 2023

Background

Collagen dominates the skin's extracellular matrix (ECM). Type I collagen comprises 80%–90% of the skin's collagen, followed by type III (8%–12%) and type V (5%). Reactive oxygen species, matrix metalloproteinases, and collagen degradation all increase during photoaging, which disrupts the ECM's dynamic balance and lowers the amount of total collagen in the body. In recent years, domestic and foreign researchers have conducted multidimensional and multifaceted studies on collagen and skin photoaging. Collagen and the peptides that are derivates of it are currently being used more and more in biomedicine and medical esthetics.

Objective

Offering new suggestions for both the avoidance and remedy of photoaging.

Methods

This article reviews collagen and its potential connection to skin photoaging, illustrates the effects of collagen and peptide supplementation derivatives on photoaged skin, and briefly describes other compounds that can also be used to fight photoaging by increasing collagen synthesis in the skin.

Result

Both internal and external aging are inevitable, and as the main component of extracellular matrix, collagen plays a variety of functions in maintaining skin structure and fighting skin aging, and its role in photoaging is undeniable. Ultraviolet radiation can induce increased fragmentation and degradation of cutaneous collagen, while conversely, supplementation with collagen can effectively counteract photodamage‐induced skin impairment.

Conclusion

Collagen and its derived peptides are indispensable in photoaging skin, holding promising prospects for applications in skin aging.
Involvement of GA3‐oxidase in inhibitory effect of nitric oxide on primary root growth in Arabidopsis
Authors: Ren H. , Wang Z. , Shang X. , Zhang X. , Ma L. , Bian Y. , Wang D. , Liu W.
Published: November 2023

Both NO and GAs are essential for regulating various physiological processes and stress responses in plants. However, the interaction between these two molecules remains unclear.

We investigated the distinct response patterns of Arabidopsis thaliana Col‐0 and GA synthesis functional deficiency mutants to NO by measuring root length. To investigate underlying mechanisms, we detected bioactive GA content using UHPLC–ESI‐MS/MS, assessed the accumulation of ROS by chemical staining Arabidopsis roots. We also conducted RNA‐seq analysis and compared results between Col‐0 and ga3ox1, with and without SNP (as NO donor) treatment.

Phenotypic results revealed that the inhibitory effect of NO on primary roots of Arabidopsis was primarily mediated by GA3‐oxidase, rather than GA20‐oxidase or GA2‐oxidase. The content of GA3 decreased in Col‐0 treated with SNP, whereas this decrease was not observed in ga3ox1. The deficiency of GA3‐oxidase alleviated the buildup of H2O2 in roots when treated with SNP. We identified 222 DEGs. GO annotation of these DEGs revealed that all top 20 GO terms were related to stress responses. Moreover, three DEGs were annotated to GA‐related processes (DDF1, DDF2, EXPA1), and seven DEGs were associated with root development (RAV1, RGF2, ERF71, ZAT6, MYB77, XT1, and DTX50).

In summary, NO inhibits primary root growth partially by repressing GA3‐oxidase catalysed GA3 synthesis in Arabidopsis. ROS, Ca2+, DDF1, DDF2, EXPA1 and seven root development‐related genes may be involved in crosstalk between NO and GAs.
Influence of disabilities on state‐level disparity in dental care utilization and tooth loss: Findings from the 2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
Authors: Binmogren Reem , Alshathri Aljohara , Alhamdan Habah , Alnuwaiser Rand , Aldosari Muath
Published: November 2023

Introduction

The aim of this study is to describe the prevalence of disparity in access to dental care and tooth loss between US adults with and without disabilities at the state level.

Methods

This secondary analysis included data from the 2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a cross‐sectional state‐run annual telephone survey of noninstitutionalized US adults aged 18 years or older. The primary predictor, having any disability, was defined as reported difficulty in hearing, vision, cognition, mobility, self‐care, or independent living. The two dental outcomes used were reported time since last dental visit and missing teeth status. We conducted descriptive analysis and multinomial regression models on weighted data to report the prevalence and state‐level disparity in dental outcomes between individuals with and without disability.

Results

Nationally, one in four adults reported a disability, with a disproportionately higher prevalence among females, Native Americans and lower education and income groups. The highest utilization of dental services within a year among individuals with disabilities was found in the Northwestern and Midwestern states. Western states had the highest proportion of individuals with disability to have had a recent dental visit and a complete dentition, while the Southern states had the lowest proportions. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, 59.1% of individuals with disabilities had dental visits within a year, which is 8.0% points less than those without disabilities. Similarly, only 50.8% of individuals with a disability had complete tooth retention, which is 10.1% points less than individuals without disability. Regardless of the type of disability, adults with a disability were less likely to have visited the dentist in the past year or to have retained all of their teeth. Those with self‐care disabilities had the lowest rates of both.

Conclusion

There were clear disparities in the utilization of dental care and dentate status among adults with disabilities at the state level. The findings from this study highlighted the necessity of finding local solutions to address the gap in dental care utilization and tooth loss between those with and without disability among the US population.
Characterization of the novel, HLA‐DRB1*07:147Q, identified by next‐generation sequencing in a kidney donor
Authors: Nørgaard Maja , Drechsler Louise Ørnskov , Koefoed‐Nielsen Pernille
Published: November 2023

HLA‐DRB1*07:147Q differs from HLA‐DRB1*07:01:01:01 by one nucleotide substitution leading to a premature stop codon in exon 4.
Leaf growth – complex regulation of a seemingly simple process
Authors: Schneider Michele , Van Bel Michiel , Inzé Dirk , Baekelandt Alexandra
Published: November 2023

Understanding the underlying mechanisms of plant development is crucial to successfully steer or manipulate plant growth in a targeted manner. Leaves, the primary sites of photosynthesis, are vital organs for many plant species, and leaf growth is controlled by a tight temporal and spatial regulatory network. In this review, we focus on the genetic networks governing leaf cell proliferation, one major contributor to final leaf size. First, we provide an overview of six regulator families of leaf growth in Arabidopsis: DA1, PEAPODs, KLU, GRFs, the SWI/SNF complexes, and DELLAs, together with their surrounding genetic networks. Next, we discuss their evolutionary conservation to highlight similarities and differences among species, because knowledge transfer between species remains a big challenge. Finally, we focus on the increase in knowledge of the interconnectedness between these genetic pathways, the function of the cell cycle machinery as their central convergence point, and other internal and environmental cues.
Ultrasonic hearing abilities of the domestic cat assessed with auditory brainstem responses
Authors: Kruger M Charlotte , Lomber Stephen G.
Published: November 2023

Domestic cats (Felis catus) have sharp sensory abilities which they use in various circumstances. For example, they have acute hearing for detecting and localizing relevant auditory information, such as the presence of potential threats or prey items. However, there are notable discrepancies in the literature regarding the full extent of the cat’s hearing abilities. Here, we hypothesize that domestic cats can hear ultrasonic frequencies above 60kHz, since they might utilize their hearing abilities to detect the ultrasonic vocalizations emitted by rodent prey. We used auditory brainstem responses (ABRs), a more time efficient method compared to behavioral psychoacoustic techniques, to evaluate the sensitivity of the cat’s auditory system to ultrasonic frequencies. We presented artificial and behaviorally relevant stimuli containing ultrasonic frequencies to each cat (n = 6). We then recorded the resulting ABRs, measured the wave amplitudes and latencies, and determined the ABR thresholds to these stimuli. The ABR data presented here will be useful in conjunction with psychoacoustic experiments to provide insight into the neural mechanisms that might be involved when cats perceive high frequency signals. This work will ultimately contribute to a better understanding of the cat’s hearing abilities. [Work supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.]
Sub-unit classification of Pacific and Atlantic humpback high-complexity song units—Sub-unit diversity drives unit diversity
Authors: Pines Howard S.
Published: November 2023

Humpback whale communication studies have primarily focused on holistic unit classification methods to identify thematic patterns of song structure. These various whole-unit, spectral-feature-extraction and classification procedures have resulted in low information entropy estimates of songs, akin to bird song. A recent study of high complexity, frequency-modulated song units shows that unit diversity and information entropy of humpback vocalizations is much higher and variable across regions of the Pacific and the Atlantic. Sub-unit-level feature-extraction and classification of these high-complexity units indicates that humpbacks have precision control of the generation of target frequencies, a characteristic of human vowel production. The number of distinct sub-units varies by geographic region and is comparable to English and Asian language phoneme sets.
Investigation of spatio-temporal inertial cavitation activity for optimization of needle-free ultrasound-enhanced vaccine delivery
Authors: Dunn-Lawless Darcy , Balkaran Joel , Lyons Brian , Carlisle Robert , Coussios Constantin , Gray Michael
Published: November 2023

Ultrasound-induced cavitation is a promising mechanism for pain-free delivery of vaccines without needles. However, the relationships between cavitation energy and the various bioeffects involved in transdermal vaccination, including skin permeabilization, convective drug transport, reversible and irreversible sonoporation, and immune-stimulation, are not well understood. Previous transdermal ultrasound experiments have demonstrated inhomogeneous delivery across the exposed surface, which remains poorly understood. In this work, we first seek to fully characterize and quantify spatio-temporal cavitation activity across the skin surface, to identify a local cavitation dose that is optimal for all four key bioeffects. We have designed a new in vitro experimental setup that exposes several potential skin models to 265 kHz focused ultrasound, a new generation of protein-based cavitation nuclei (pCaNs), and a fluorescently labelled vaccine analogue, while simultaneously imaging cavitation activity parallel to the skin surface by Passive Acoustic Mapping (PAM). Subsequent staining and multi-photon microscopy of the skin models allows a direct comparison between the PAM-derived spatiotemporal inertial cavitation dose and locations where particular bioeffects were maximized. We will discuss the results of this investigation, how they relate to our recent in vivo study, and whether these findings enable enhancements of the spatial homogeneity and reproducibility of needle-free ultrasound vaccination.
Hearing loss impacts aviator performance and cognitive workload during simulated flight
Authors: Jones Heath , Henry Paula , Noetzel Jennifer , Hale Kyle , Lee Kichol , Stefanson J. R.
Published: November 2023

Hearing loss can render an aviator more susceptible to the adverse effects of degraded communication signals and consequently lead to an increased allocation of mental resources to hear (referred to as listening effort). Army aviation hearing standards, which are primarily based on pure tone and speech recognition test scores in quiet environments, do not necessarily predict the functional impact of hearing loss. The Army has recently adopted a new Military Operational Hearing Test (MOHT) to assess the functional impact of hearing loss. The current study aimed to validate the MOHT, specifically for aviators, and measure subjective workload, task performance, and physiological workload across different simulated hearing loss conditions in both clinical and flight simulator settings. Participants were Army aviators with normal hearing thresholds and underwent clinical testing using the MOHT for normal and hearing loss conditions. In addition to audiometric data, flight performance data were collected from pilots operating a full-motion UH-60 Black Hawk flight simulator for different levels of workloads and compared across the different hearing loss conditions. Subjective and physiological measurements of cognitive workload during simulated flight were also collected. Findings from this study will be leveraged in developing future protocols for aeromedical standards and evaluating hearing loss mitigation strategies using various headset technologies.
Checkerboard and interrupted speech: Critical intelligibility differences observed in factor-analysis-based checkerboard speech stimuli
Authors: Ueda Kazuo , Doan Linh L. , Takeichi Hiroshige
Published: November 2023

It has been shown that the intelligibility of checkerboard speech stimuli, in which speech signals were periodically interrupted in time and frequency, drastically varied according to the combination of the number of frequency bands (2–20) and segment duration (20–320 ms). However, the effects of the number of frequency bands between 4 and 20 and the ways of frequency divisions on intelligibility have been basically unknown. Here we show that 8-band checkerboard speech stimuli were more intelligible than temporally interrupted speech stimuli and 4-band checkerboard speech stimuli, irrespective of segment duration (n = 19 and 20). At the same time, U-shaped intelligibility curves were observed for 4-band and possibly 8-band checkerboard speech stimuli. Furthermore, when the frequency divisions were determined according to regular intervals on a critical bandwidth scale rather than factor analysis results of speech power fluctuations, intelligibility improved at the 160- and 320-ms segment duration. These results suggest that the factor-analysis-based frequency bands perform as speech cue channels that are essential for speech perception and that a probability summation model based on a perceptual unit of speech perception may account for the U-shaped intelligibility curves if the model is modified to include the speech cue channels.
Contribution of jet flow noise sources to the far-field sound power
Authors: Eftekharian Esmaeel , Croaker Paul , Sandberg Richard , Wilkes Daniel , Marburg Steffen , Kessissoglou Nicole
Published: November 2023

Jet noise is the dominant source of noise during aircraft takeoff. This study uses direct numerical simulation (DNS) data of subsonic jet flow obtained from computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to perform acoustic analyses. The non-negative contribution technique (NNC) is employed to identify aeroacoustic sources of jet noise with the greatest contribution to far-field sound power. The NNC technique uses the Lighthill source distribution with an acoustic impedance matrix constructed from radiation kernels of the free-field Green’s function. The fast multipole method (FMM) is integrated with the NNC technique to reduce computational cost arising from decomposition of the acoustic impedance matrix as well as from the high number of CFD grids associated with the DNS data. The results showed that the dominant aeroacoustic sources are associated with the first component of the Lighthill tensor (T11) and are concentrated along the jet centerline, downstream of the nozzle exit.
An investigation of ongoing tonal changes in Punjabi
Authors: Nara Kiranpreet
Published: November 2023

Punjabi developed the falling and the rising tones due to the loss of the voiced aspirated consonants and the word-final glottal fricative /ɦ/ and the default tone appeared elsewhere. A falling pitch has recently been observed to develop in words with an initial glottal fricative and both falling and rising pitch patterns have been observed in words without any apparent conditioning factor (‘novel’ words). These developments within some traditionally default tone words have been only briefly mentioned in the literature (Shackle, 2003; Schniske, 2015; and Bhardwaj, 2016) and have not been investigated experimentally. The aim of this study was to document the f0 patterns observed in the glottal-initial and novel words and determine how they compare to the f0 of the traditionally default tone words. 24 native speakers of Indian Punjabi (9F, 15M) were recorded online. The stimuli contained 35 monosyllabic words (glottal-initial = 7, novel falling = 4, novel rising = 6, default = 18) with either /a/ or /ə/. The acoustic analysis showed falling f0 for the glottal-initial and novel falling words and a rising f0 for the novel rising words. Welch’s t-tests were conducted to compare the default tone to each of the three newer pitch patterns. The results showed that nearly half of the speakers produced a non-default pitch on the glottal-initial and novel words. Considerable within- and between-speaker variation was observed.
Parameter reduction for environmental inversions in ocean acoustics
Authors: Transtrum Mark K. , Spendlove Jay C. , Neilsen Tracianne B.
Published: November 2023

Environmental inversions in ocean acoustics require the simultaneous estimation of many unknown parameters. Unfortunately, many environmental parameters are unidentifiable from available measurements. Recent work in statistical physics has developed tools for analyzing such models using information geometry. The Manifold Boundary Approximation (MBAM) systematically prunes unidentifiable parameters to produce an identifiable model that can be analyzed with traditional statistical methods. In this talk, we report on progress applying MBAM to underwater acoustics models forenvironmental inversion, focusing on transmission loss (TL) in range-independentnormal mode models. The key technical advance is the calculation of geodesics (a generalization of straight lines to curved surfaces) on a geometric representation of the model known as the model manifold. Geodesics inform which environmental parameters are constrained by ocean sounds and guide the removal of unidentifiable parameters. The result is a simplified, identifiable model of comparable accuracy. We summarize physical insights revealed by MBAM applied to ocean inversion. [Work supported by Office of Naval Research.]
Filter-based solutions for finite and infinite edge diffraction
Authors: Ewert Stephan D. , Kirsch Christoph
Published: November 2023

Sound diffraction occurs at (building) corners, objects and openings, prominently affecting occluded and reflected sounds. Here, a physically-based, parametric filter model for diffraction at arbitrary wedges is presented. The model connects existing high-frequency asymptotic and exact solutions in geometrical acoustics using up to four half-order low-pass filters. Compact expressions for the transfer function and impulse response of the singly diffracted field are derived, with errors below 0.1 dB. A filter modification is suggested to account for the exact solution at low frequencies. The filter solution is further simplified to approximate the spectral effects of diffraction from finite wedges and objects composed thereof, referred to as universal diffraction filter approximation (UDFA). A computationally highly-efficient recursive filter implementation is presented and it is demonstrated that diffraction from flat finite objects like plates or apertures can be closely approximated. To account for effects of higher-order diffraction at the object, a heuristic filter extension is suggested. The presented filter-based diffraction solution is suited for the prediction and simulation of sound propagation including non-specular reflections in architectural acoustics. For virtual acoustics, UDFA provides an efficient and accurate approximation of edge diffraction to account for perceptually relevant frequency-dependent attenuation, extendable to arbitrary objects.
Humpback whale: Yes/no? Challenges with passive acoustic monitoring of this well-described species
Authors: Nguyen Hong Duc Paul , Erbe Christine , Madhusudhana Shyam
Published: November 2023

Humpback whales sing song and produce non-song sounds. Dozens of research articles have described their acoustic repertoire—even if only considering Australian waters. While song structure changes slowly over seasons, individual notes may exhibit multi-decadal stability. Irrespectively, automatically detecting humpback whale vocalizations remains an ongoing development activity while manual validation of automated detections continues to be problematic. While analysing archival recordings from Australian waters using the NOAA/Google convolutional neural network pretrained for humpback whale song [https://tfhub.dev/google/humpbackwhale/1], we found numerous instances of a particular type of sound with spectrographic features resembling those of humpback whale vocalizations. These sounds lacked the context of a song and occurred in chorus-like patterns, withthe same sound recorded at varying received levels and overlapping in time—indicative of many animals simultaneously producing nothing but this specific call. To investigate these phenomena further, we (1) built a custom detector for these specific calls, (2) ran the detector on archival recordings from North-western Australia, and (3) compared geographic and seasonal presences and absences to known patterns of humpback whale occurrence. The likelihood of these scenarios being humpback whales is discussed.
Advancing acoustical analysis: A suite of acoustic research-level measurement tools for professional and clinical applications
Authors: Holik John , Szalay Tuende , Nguyen Duy D. , Madill Catherine
Published: November 2023

This presentation showcases the work of our research group in developing a suite of research-level acoustic measurement tools aimed at bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and practical applications clinical settings. Over the last four years over 100 Speech language Pathologists and Ear, Nose and Throat surgeons internationally have completed our course “Using acoustic analysis to assess and treat voice disorders in clinical and research settings.” This course has focused on advanced acoustic measurement techniques with a freeware (PRAAT) for specific application to voice disorder. The online course offers a one-stop shop for clinicians, providing access to state-of-the-art acoustic quantification methods that were previously restricted to the research domain. Detailed manuals and video walk-throughs ensure users can confidently navigate the measurement process and produce reliable acoustic data for clinical use. We are now planning to expand the range of courses in clinical and research-level acoustical analysis using other freeware applications and applications in other disciplines such as speech, accent and articulation analysis. This presentation will highlight the features and capabilities of our planned suite of research-level acoustic measurement tools, emphasising the translational impact they can have on enhancing acoustical analysis in various fields.
Investigating biophilic design and adaptive acoustic comfort in office spaces in the existence of indoor greenery, operable window, and road traffic noise
Authors: Esmebasi Merve , Lau Siu-Kit
Published: November 2023

This study examines how indoor greenery and operable windows influence the annoyance caused by road traffic noise in office spaces. While existing studies have explored how urban landscapes can reduce noise annoyance in residential areas, there is a gap in understanding the effects of indoor greenery in office environments. The present study utilized a structural equation model to analyze the cause-effect relationships concerning noise perception. Thirty-two combinations of greenery levels, window conditions, and traffic noise across four different sound pressure levels (50dBA–65 dBA) were evaluated. To explain noise perception, the model considered perceptual attributes like pleasantness, eventfulness, appropriateness, preference, and visual aesthetics. The results indicated that traffic noise level affects visual perception, and there is a two-way interaction between auditory and visual perceptions. These findings advocate for incorporating biophilic design to create visually appealing and acoustically pleasant office spaces. Moreover, the study emphasized the positive influence of open windows on the perceived appropriateness of traffic noise resulting in less annoyance. Overall, this research contributes valuable insights to discussions on creating adaptive acoustic comfort in naturally ventilated spaces and enhancing visual aesthetics through biophilic design to mitigate noise annoyance in office environments effectively.
An improved measurement of frequency-dependent shear properties of highly compliant materials using a dynamic Kibble’s method
Authors: Vlajic Nicholas , Robertson Noah , Beck Benjamin
Published: November 2023

While methods exist to characterize the Young’s modulus and loss factor of viscoelastic materials, there are fewer methods to characterize the shear modulus and loss factor in shear. We previously presented an experimental apparatus that applied dynamic torque on rod-like viscoelastic materials with diameters of 0.5 cm to 2 cm and lengths of 10 cm to 30 cm. The torque was applied using Lorentz forces and measured using a dynamic version of Kibble’s method (similarly, the Watt method). Here, we present a modified version of this apparatus that has several notable improvements over the previously reported version. Improvements include a stronger, more uniform magnetic field and a direct measurement of the angular response of the specimen using a laser and photo-diode configuration. Moreover, the direct measurement of the angular response eliminates the need to know other geometric quantities (such as the radius of the electromagnetic coil), which further reduces the uncertainty of the measured torque. The measurement of the angular response and applied torque are fit to models in order to determine the shear moduli and loss factor. We demonstrate this improved technique on rod-like specimens of different highly-compliant viscoelastic materials.
(Re-)exploring the normal modes of axisymmetric structures: An English church bell case study
Authors: Perrin Robert , Halkon Benjamin J. , Guo Zimu
Published: November 2023

The normal modes of axisymmetric structures are of interest to structural engineers, physicists and musical acousticians. Previously, some of the present authors have made studies of church bells, hand bells, elephant bells, various gongs and rings. Group theoretical arguments have been used, with considerable success, in classifying the normal modes of these structures and in understanding how “beats” arise from split degenerate doublets. It is now pointed out that further information can be obtained from group theory using a variety of additional arguments. In particular, it infers a basic distinction between “in-extensional” and “extensional” types of modes. In the present work, we concentrate on the case of an English church bell, as an example axisymmetric structure, whose normal modes were previously measured in a frequency range of up to about 10 kHz. In that earlier work, the results were analyzed with what was then considered a state-of-the-art finite-element package. We now repeat this exercise with a modern finite-element package to explore the differences between the types of modes and validate the Group theory observations. The agreement with experiment is much improved and some new level of understanding of the spectrum of the bell is achieved.
An acoustic examination of Drehu vowels
Authors: Torres Catalina , Li Weicong , Escudero Paola
Published: November 2023

Drehu is an indigenous language spoken in New Caledonia. Compared to other Oceanic languages, it has rather large vowel and consonantal inventories. The vowel system consists of 14 vowels, distinguishing seven vowel qualities and an additional length distinction. Previous phonological studies showed divergent proposals for two of the vowel qualities /ɛ/ and /ə/ based on impressionistic descriptions. For this study, data was collected through a controlled reading task that was conducted during a fieldwork trip. We investigate the Drehu vowels for the first time, using acoustic data from eight native speakers (4 female). Vowel duration, formant values and dynamic formant properties were measured to examine the phonetic correlates of the proposed phonological vowel quality and length distinctions. In this study, we report seven timbres identified across the fourteen vowels of the system. Our results confirm a distinction between phonologically long and short vowels based on duration differences. We provide a detailed acoustic description of the vowel system and propose a revised vowel inventory based on a detailed analysis of formant structure of open-mid /ɛ/ and the central vowel /ə/.
Automated Koala call detection using a cochlea model
Authors: Jamshidi Hadi , Xu Ying , Afshar Saeed , Law Brad , André van Schaik
Published: November 2023

Estimating koala populations is challenging, making surveys costly and often imprecise. This study examines the feasibility of recognising koala calls from audio recordings using a bio-inspired acoustic approach. In the work, we propose to use the Cascade of Asymmetric Resonators with Fast-Acting Compression (CAR-FAC) cochlea model to pre-process koala recordings and a support vector machine (SVM) for classification. The frequency-dependent gain and bandwidth properties of the CAR-FAC model in pre-processing noisy data are discussed and investigated. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method, it is compared with an FFT-based system as a baseline method. The baseline methodology uses a Mel-spectrogram pre-processing and the same linear classifier as the proposed method as the back-end. In summary, we achieved 96.7% accuracy for the proposed system.
Influence of the sound speed profile below the isothermal surface duct on the duct mode leakage rates
Authors: Zinoviev Alex
Published: November 2023

The isothermal surface duct is an important feature in the sound speed profile (SSP) in ocean, as it allows acoustic signals to propagate to long distances. Usually, such a duct is modeled as two intervals of sound speed with respect to depth with N 2-linear SSP approximating linear SSP. The interval above the duct boundary has a positive sound speed gradient over depth, while the interval below has a negative gradient. At the duct boundary the gradient normally has a discontinuity. In this paper, based on the author’s previously derived solution for the depth-separated Helmholtz equation in the environment with the N 2-exponential sound speed profile, he shows how this SSP can be used to model the smooth transition between the two intervals. Also, three SSPs with nearly identical sound speed between the duct boundary and the surface but with different profiles below the duct are considered, and energy leakage from the duct is calculated for the first three duct modes in a range of frequencies. It is shown that the shape of the sound speed profile below the duct can significantly affect the modal leakage rates.
Building bridges: Doug Cato’s remarkable career spanning underwater acoustics and animal bioacoustics
Authors: Buck John
Published: November 2023

Doug Cato’s research includes pioneering studies of the underwater acoustic environment surrounding Australia and numerous contributions to our understanding of marine mammal acoustic behavior. Moreover, his relaxed avuncular manner allowed him to assemble collaborations spanning disparate disciplines while mentoring the next generation of acoustics researchers in Australia. Throughout his career, Doug built bridges between underwater acoustics and animal bioacoustics, and between Australian and international researchers. This talk highlights two international collaborations applying signal processing techniques to humpback whale songs and leopard seal calling bouts. These projects estimated the information entropy and structure of the sequences of sounds in these marine mammal vocalizations. Comparing sliding window entropy estimates with Markov models supports Doug’s earlier observations that Australian humpback song follows the hierarchical structure proposed by Payne & McVay for North Atlantic humpbacks [Miksis-Olds et al., JASA, 2008]. The same comparison of entropy estimators for leopard seal calling bouts reveals that most of the sequential structure of in these animals’ calls is captured by Markov models.
Cetacean audiogram models
Authors: Ketten Darlene R. , Tubelli Andrew A. , Zosuls Aleks
Published: November 2023

Modelling is an established alternative to in vivo audiometry. We produced finite element models (FEM) of hearing in minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae) whales and frequency place maps (FPMs; total hearing ranges) for these species plus right (Eubalaeglacialis) and blue (Balaenoptera musculus) whales with control data for bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) Anatomically derived FPMs were obtained from microCT scans, basilar membrane histology, and nanoindentation stiffness measurements. FEM simulations of frequency response peak sensitivities used middle ear transfer function (METF) and laser Doppler measurements of stapes footplate velocities. Frequency responses were measured for stimuli at bone versus tympanic membrane/glove finger sites to assess most sensitive input locations. Odontocetes had a high pass response with corner frequencies from 10 kHz to 30 kHz. Response frequencies extended to 125 kHz, the limit of our measurement capability. Mysticetes had a bandpass response characterized by peak sensitivity from 0.5 kHz to 2 kHz for stimuli at the glove finger. Preliminary audiograms show peak responses differ among baleen whale species but were generally between 20 Hz and 5 kHz with functional hearing ranges of 50 Hz–35 kHz for tested species. [Work supported by the Joint Industry Programme on Sound and Marine Life.]
Direct measurements of gas flux at seep sites using a broadband split-beam echosounder
Authors: Weidner Elizabeth , Mayer Larry , Weber Thomas C.
Published: November 2023

Measurement of methane gas flux from oceanic seep sites is challenging, given the ephemeral nature and the heterogeneous spatial distribution of seeps. Acoustic systems offer a solution, as they make synoptic measurements of the water column, and the gas bubbles are strong acoustic scatterers. Here, we present a method to directly estimate gas flux using a calibrated broadband split-beam echosounder. The vertical range resolution of the broadband system facilitates discrimination of individual bubbles in the acoustic record. By comparing measurements of bubble target strength to an analytical scattering model, bubble radii can be directly measured from the acoustic data. Concurrently, split-aperture processing allows for the precise tracking of bubbles as they rise from the seafloor for measurement of bubble rise velocity. Together, the observations of bubble radius and rise velocity offer a measure of gas flux, requiring nothing more than a vessel transiting over a seep site. Application of this method to seep data collected on the East Siberian Arctic Shelf shows good agreement between resulting measurements of bubble radii (0.68–8.40 mm) with those made using optical sensors, and bubble rise velocities (4–36 cm/s) are consistent with published measurements and models. Extrapolating from single bubbles measurements, our estimates of regional methane flux (2.9 × 104 kg/year) suggest that carbon emissions in this region may be lower than previously believed.
Acoustical imaging and myopia
Authors: McFadden Sally A.
Published: November 2023

A new blindness epidemic has emerged, and it is predicted that by 2050, half the world population will have low vision from myopia (where images are blurred because the eyeball grows too long for its optical power) and 1 Billion people will be blind from pathologies associated with high myopia for which there are no viable treatments. We will discuss how high frequency ultrasonography was used in early studies to prove across species, including humans, that this excessive eye growth was caused by visual input related to our modern environments. Furthermore, aberrant visual exposure causes signals in the retina that induce the outer skin of the eye (sclera) to remodel, becoming excessively thin and weakened. High frequency ultrasound has also been essential to demonstrate that the biomechanics of the sclera are disturbed in complex ways during the development of myopia. For people who are at risk of developing the pathologies of high myopia, new treatments that aim to strengthen the sclera are in development. Due to its depth of penetration, we will introduce how acoustical imaging combined with other imaging modalities may pave the way for guiding more precise scleral treatments for high myopia.
Simulation-based inference for the in situ estimation of the acoustic boundary admittance
Authors: Schmid Jonas M. , Schmid Johannes D. , Marburg Steffen
Published: November 2023

Achieving accurate results in interior acoustic simulations relies on precise knowledge of the boundary properties of all interacting surfaces. Typically, the boundary admittance, which fully characterizes the acoustic properties of a surface, is determined under laboratory conditions such as the impedance tube. Yet, this approach has limitations, motivating the exploration of in situ methods to characterize materials in real-world conditions. In this work, we present a Bayesian approach to determine the acoustic boundary admittance in situ based on a limited number of measurement points. The method utilizes simulation-based inference, where a neural network is trained to approximate the posterior probability distributions of the unknown boundary admittances. The core of the approach is a finite element model used to generate sound pressure data, which also acts as the forward model during the inference process. Consequently, this technique is especially well-suited for applications involving pre-existing geometrical models, such as digital twin applications or model updating. By adopting simulation-based inference, we gain advantages over sampling-based Bayesian approaches, as it effectively handles complex and computationally expensive forward models.
Soundscape exploring through choral performance and music creation
Authors: Wang Wei-Chun
Published: November 2023

With a profound concern for the local environment and culture in Taiwan, this project integrated collected soundscape clips and mobile devices to compose and perform a cross-domain audiovisual soundscape choral concert. Drawing inspiration from M. Schafer’s soundscape concept and music education philosophy, as well as the “Three-S Model” of soundscape—sound, setting, and significance, the project aimed to develop university students’ performance and music creation skills and enhance their perception of soundscapes. Employing the concept of choral theater, the concert creatively combined collected soundscape recordings and imagery from various sites, presenting them through a multidisciplinary theatrical framework. This approach led to a reinterpretation of soundscape choral repertoire, shedding light on their historical context and contemporary relevance. Through quantitative and qualitative analysis of feedback from students, it is found that the integration of visual and auditory elements allowed the audience to have a more enriching sensory experience. Moreover, university student performers gained a heightened sense of observation and analysis of their surroundings through their involvement in specialized creations and performances. This experience allowed them to authentically connect with the essence of world music and local folk songs, fostering a deeper connection with the cultural heritage.