bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relationship between speech intelligibility and comprehension in the presence of poor acoustics and poor voice quality
Authors: Murgia Silvia , Choudhry Bisma N. , Flaherty Mary M. , Bottalico Pasquale
Published: April 2023

Noisy classrooms with poor acoustics decrease children’s speech understanding and comprehension. The signal quality is also often degraded by voice disorders that have a prevalence of 60% among teachers. Emerging evidence demonstrates that cognitive factors such as working memory (WM), attention, and inhibitory control (IC) also mediate children’s ability to recognize speech in noise. Speech intelligibility and comprehension tests were performed in a sound-proof booth with xx normal-hearing elementary students. The vocal material was recorded by an actor with normal and mimicked dysphonic voice. Babble noise was added to obtain 2 signal-to-noise (SNR) ratios at 0 and −12 dB. The test was administered using Qualtrics to collect intelligibility and comprehension scores, and measure response time to evaluate listening effort. Children’s WM and IC were also evaluated to explain individual differences. Results showed a statistically significant decrease in performance and increase in response time for the highest SNR and the dysphonic voice with a more detrimental effect on comprehension. This research determined how listening comprehension interacts with speech recognition and cognitive factors in children, providing pilot data to examine the variability of students' learning experience in classrooms when auditory input is degraded by poor acoustics and poor voice quality.
Fearless Steps APOLLO: Challenges in keyword spotting and topic detection for naturalistic audio streams
Authors: Joglekar Aditya , Lopez-Espejo Ivan , Hansen John H.
Published: April 2023

Fearless Steps (FS) APOLLO is a + 50,000 hr audio resource established by CRSS-UTDallas capturing all communications between NASA-MCC personnel, backroom staff, and Astronauts across manned Apollo Missions. Such a massive audio resource without metadata/unlabeled corpus provides limited benefit for communities outside Speech-and-Language Technology (SLT). Supplementing this audio with rich metadata developed using robust automated mechanisms to transcribe and highlight naturalistic communications can facilitate open research opportunities for SLT, speech sciences, education, and historical archival communities. In this study, we focus on customizing keyword spotting (KWS) and topic detection systems as an initial step towards conversational understanding. Extensive research in automatic speech recognition (ASR), speech activity, and speaker diarization using manually transcribed 125 h FS Challenge corpus has demonstrated the need for robust domain-specific model development. A major challenge in training KWS systems and topic detection models is the availability of word-level annotations. Forced alignment schemes evaluated using state-of-the-art ASR show significant degradation in segmentation performance. This study explores challenges in extracting accurate keyword segments using existing sentence-level transcriptions and proposes domain-specific KWS-based solutions to detect conversational topics in audio streams. [Work Sponsored by NSF via Grant No. 2016725 and EU’s Horizon 2021 R&I Program under MSC Grant No. 101062614.]
Portable hearing laboaratory for developping and evaluating novel hearing aid algorithms
Authors: Pavlovic Chaslav , Kassayan Reza , Michael Nicholas , Kayser Hendrik , Hohmann Volker
Published: April 2023

We report here on the further development of our portable hearing aid research platform achived in Phase III NIDCD project R44DC016247. We also report on a large number of academic studies using the platform around the world. The project builds on the openMHA distribution for ARM processors included in an optimized Linux system developed in our other project R01DC015429. Thus we provide a complete wearable software-hardware fast hearing aid device needed for development of new innovative solutions for assisted hearing. We refer to this device as the PHL, short for Portable Hearing Laboratory. Throught the project we have followed the requirement that the platform should be “acoustically perfect.” That is able to transmit and process signals without audible distortion or noise beyond what is required to compensate for hearing loss. Any new sophisticated algorithms (such as those based on the AI) if run on a platform of inferior quality will adapt for that inferior structire and fail to capitalize on the reach processing capabilities of the modern hearing aids. We also report on a family of devices that can be used either with PHL or with other processors to provide supperior sound; such as bunaural BTE multimicrophone headsets. Last but not least we will present new devices connecting these auxiliary devices to powefull desktop computers for laboratory studies.
End-to-end child-adult speech diarization in naturalistic conditions of preschool classrooms
Authors: Kothalkar Prasanna V. , Irvin Dwight , Buzhardt Jay , Hansen John H.
Published: April 2023

Speech and language development are early indicators of overall analytical and learning ability in pre-school children. Early childhood researchers are interested in analyzing naturalistic versus controlled lab recordings to assess both quality and quantity of such communication interactions between children and adults/teachers. Unfortunately, present-day speech technologies are not capable of addressing the wide dynamic scenario of early childhood classroom settings. Due to diversity of acoustic events/conditionsin daylong audio streams, automated speaker diarization technology is limited and must be advanced to address this challenging domain for audio segmentation and meta-data information extraction. We investigate a Deep Learning-based diarization solution for segmenting classroom interactions of 3–5 year-old children engaging with teachers. Here, the focus is on speaker-label diarization which classifies speech segments as belonging to either Adults or Children, partitioned across multiple classrooms. Our proposed ECAPA-TDNN model achieves a best F1-score of 65.5% on data from two classrooms, based on open dev and test sets for each classroom. Also, F1-scores for individual speaker labels provide a breakdown of performance across naturalistic child classroom engagement. The study demonstrates the prospects of addressing educational assessment needs through communication audio stream analysis, while maintaining both security and privacy of all children and adults.
Neural acoustic fields
Authors: Smaragdis Paris
Published: April 2023

We present a way to compactly represent acoustic transfer functions using a small, yet flexible, parametric representation. We show that we can use a neural network as a “soft” table lookup and train it to produce the value of transfer functions at arbitrary points in space and time. Doing so allows us to interpolate and produce unseen data, and to represent acoustic environments using a remarkably compact representation. Due to this representation being differentiable, this opens up multiple opportunities to employ such models within more sophisticated audio processing systems.
Inferences of seabed characterization in a variable ocean environment
Authors: Knobles David P. , Bonnel Julien , Hodgkiss William , Wilson Preston S. , Neilsen Tracianne B.
Published: April 2023

Dimensional reduction methods based on feature extraction are critical for statistical inference application in variable ocean environments. Presented are analyses for selected acoustic measurements made during the Seabed Characterization Experiment in 2021-2022. Broadband sources were deployed on the New England continental slope between the 200 and 400 m depth contours. The method of analysis includes first analyzing short range (higher grazing angles) acoustic measurements provided by both a broadband towed source and explosive sources. Features utilized for short-ranged data include those associated with seabed interferometry. Then, longer range data (lower grazing angles) are utilized to provide improved estimates of such quantities as the attenuations and sound speed gradients. Features utilized for long-ranged data include those associated with the dispersion of signals generated by explosive sources. As a general guide the mid-frequency band is utilized to infer characteristics about the upper portions of the sediment whereas the lower frequencies are utilized to infer the deeper portions of the seabed. [Work supported by Office of Naval Research.]
Waveform modeling with Gaussian Processes for inversion in ocean acoustics
Authors: Michalopoulou Zoi-Heleni , Gerstoft Peter
Published: April 2023

It has been shown that, in ocean acoustics, Gaussian processes can predict a densely sampled field on a receiving array, when only sparse samples of the sound in the water column are initially available. In a similar manner, a Gaussian process approach can be designed to densely sample signals in the time domain, resulting from the transmission and propagation of broadband waveforms. A mean waveform can be obtained that allows the high-resolution estimation of multipath arrival times. These can then be used for source localization and geoacoustic inversion. Uncertainty quantification in the time-series characterization, readily available from the Gaussian process modeling, facilitates uncertainty quantification in inversion, obviating the need for onerous computations. We investigate the potential of different kernels in aiding the inversion process. [Work supported by ONR.]
On data-driven underwater acoustic direct localization: Design considerations of a deep neural network-based solution
Authors: Weiss Amir , Deane Grant B. , Singer Andrew C. , Wornell Greg
Published: April 2023

High reverberation, depth-dependent speed of sound and intricate environmental structures are a few of the challenges that make the development of reliable underwater acoustic localization (UAL) methods hard. Since the nontrivial physics of underwater acoustics and the inherent random effects amount to a highly complex statistical model of the measured data, it is natural to consider deep neural networks (NNs) as a central tool in the development of UAL methods. Indeed, recent studies have shown that some properly designed NNs can lead to unprecedented localization capabilities and enhanced accuracy. However, out of the already myriad available possibilities, it is not immediately clear how to choose a proper NN architecture—input structure, layer types, training procedure, loss function(s), etc.—that will lead to successful operation. In this talk, we will present an analytically informed architecture that can learn (for now, in simulations) to localize in complex underwater environments. We will also provide analytical arguments that can explain the robustness of such architectures to certain types of propagation/environment model mismatches. The operation of the discussed architecture will be demonstrated via simulation results in a rich, reverberant channel. The results suggest that deep NNs could become a viable solution to the UAL problem.
Underwater acoustic localization via gradient-based optimization
Authors: Kari Dariush , Singer Andrew C. , Vishnu Hari , Weiss Amir
Published: April 2023

In underwater acoustic localization via matched-field-processing, given a propagation model and a suitable environmental parameterization, one searches for the location (of the transmitter or receiver) whose replica field is closest to the observed one. The high computational complexity of such non-gradient-based optimization methods renders them infeasible for many real-time scenarios, especially when an accurate solution is desired due to resolution of the search grid required, or as the search dimensionality increases (e.g., when it is necessary to optimize over uncertain environmental parameters such as sound speed or bathymetry). In this talk, we propose a ray-based, differentiable model for acoustic propagation that can be exploited in a gradient-based optimization for localization. For localization applications in which accurate times of arrival might not be available (e.g., due to the signal's relatively small bandwidth), the proposed method does not directly rely upon times of arrivals. Rather, it seeks the location (and possibly environmental parameters) that minimize the squared-error between the observed signal and its estimation via the differentiable model. We leverage the PyTorch optimization and auto-differentiation tools for the implementation and demonstrate successful localization on synthetic data in a dense multipath environment.
Interdependence of sound standards
Authors: Knight Derrick P.
Published: April 2023

Sound standards are developed by multiple organizations, which rely on one another to build complex dependencies. These interdependencies are explored through the example of using ASA/ASNI S12.60 in a hypothetical application of quiet classroom design. The dependencies are contextualized through multiple viewpoints to better understand how each user has their own hierarchy of standards prioritization while benefiting from the ability to trust the infrastructure provided by standards outside their direct area of interest. Finally, the prioritization hierarchy for each point of view is compared to demonstrate why different users might choose to engage in standards development through different organizations.
An overview of the proposed new ASTM standard for impulse response measurements using swept sinusoidal signals
Authors: Mueller-Trapet Markus
Published: April 2023

This contribution presents the current draft of the proposed ASTM standard for impulse response measurements using swept sinusoidal signals for use in room and building acoustics. After briefly discussing the theoretical background and main body of the proposed standard, the main focus of the presentation is the validation procedure to compare reverberation time measurements between the interrupted noise method and the impulse response method. The challenges and associated uncertainties of the validation procedure are discussed, and preliminary results for rooms of different sizes are shown.
Investigation of vibration measurements of heavy/hard impacts
Authors: Raley Michael , Edwards Simon
Published: April 2023

Further to the ASTM field test standard currently under development for heavy/hard impacts, the potential inclusion of vibration measurements warrants additional investigation. This presentation will explore measurement methodology and parameters based on a combination of laboratory and field-testing experience. Broadly speaking, the authors will address the purpose of vibration measurements of heavy/hard impacts, the current uses of vibration measurements, and a range of relevant parameters that require consideration in outlining a standardized measurement methodology. The authors intend to present initial guidance on vibration measurement parameters based on their experience in laboratory and field measurements of heavy hard/hard impacts. These preliminary discussions are intended to inform and invigorate further investigation by the acoustics community with a goal of developing a more robust measurement methodology and standard.
Tuning the octave bands: A history of dividing the spectrum for acoustical measurements in the 20th century
Authors: Weiss Zachary
Published: April 2023

Standardized octave and one-third octave bands are ubiquitous in modern acoustical measurements, such that the particular way they divide the spectrum might reasonably be assumed to be self-evident. Yet when Hans Thilo was granted the patent for the first octave band analyzer in 1937, this division was anything but certain. In the ensuing years, many systems proliferated, with different center frequencies employed between airborne noise and vibration, source and absorption measurements, and even American and European practitioners. This presentation traces the multiple systems in play from Wallace Sabine’s early experiments with organ pipes up through the dominant standard today based upon preferred numbers. Though the large majority of these systems have long since been abandoned, their ghosts are still occasionally encountered, haunting compliance studies beholden to legacy noise ordinances, and muddling the definitions of metrics such as speech interference level (SIL), which were originally defined using older octave bands.
Acoustic solutions for equipment noise: Pipe, fan coil, and ventilation duct
Authors: Raphoz Pascal M.
Published: April 2023

Part 1: pipe lagging Insertion loss for drainage pipes in residential and non-residential buildings review of different standards (EN 14 366 versus ASTM E 1222) used in Americas and Europe ways of optimization: benefits of multilayers. Best practices: examples of project references. More detail information on request Part 2: fan coil and duct lagging Fan coil: how to reduce sound power level? Iso standard ISO 3741 New optimization path with examples Duct lagging: how to reduce breakdown noise? Frequencies spectrum optimization Best practices More detail information on request.
Short-term changes in the underwater soundscape of Mosquito Lagoon after Hurricane Ian
Authors: Wolek Nathan , Early Katrina , Olson Marvel , Sabino Dylaney
Published: April 2023

During late September 2022, Hurricane Ian passed over the east coast of Florida and Mosquito Lagoon. This 4740-acre body of water is part of a larger estuary system sandwiched between the mainland and narrow barrier islands. Two-thirds of the lagoon is located within Canaveral National Seashore, which helps maintain a balance between protecting its rich biodiversity and allowing access for recreational boating. As part of a previously planned study, we deployed two HydroMoths in Mosquito Lagoon to capture the underwater soundscape for two months from September 24 to November 19. Our sampling protocol recorded 5 min of continuous sound at the top and bottom of every hour, with the idea that we could begin to explore diurnal and lunar cycles. When Hurricane Ian's path took it directly over our recorders, we were given an unplanned opportunity to document how the underwater soundscape would respond. The most striking change came from the oyster toadfish (Opsanus tau). Calls from males of this species are a prominent part of the underwater soundscape in Mosquito Lagoon during their breeding season. In the days immediately following Hurricane Ian, they lowered the fundamental frequency of their calls leading to an audible change in pitch.
Random matrix theory to quantify micro-structural changes in rodent lungs due to pulmonary diseases
Authors: Cole Azadeh D. , Roshankhah Roshan , Blackwell John , Montgomery Stephanie A. , Egan Thomas M. , Muller Marie
Published: April 2023

We exploit the random matrix theory to detect changes in rodent lungs exhibiting pulmonary fibrosis and edema. Coherences in the backscattered signals are stronger when single scattering dominates (fibrosis/edema). On the contrary, healthy lungs exhibit more apparent randomness due to multiple scattering. This leads to differences in the distribution of eigenvalues, which can be retrieved using Singular Value Decomposition of the Inter-elementResponse Matrix (IRM). We use features of the eigenvalue distribution (E(x), the expected value, and, the eigenvalue with the highest probability) to quantify changes in lung parenchyma and investigate whether they can improve the specificity of quantitative ultrasound to lung diseases. IRMs were acquired from 51 rat lungs (10 controls, 18 edematous, 17 fibrotic, 6 fibrotic rats, which were treated with Nintedanib) using a 128-element linear array (Verasonics L11-4v, 7.8 MHz). Severity of fibrosis and edema were quantified by histology and the ratio of wet to dry weight. Both parameters showed significant differences between edematous and fibrotic lungs, and between control and fibrotic lungs, which was significantly correlated to both the severity of fibrosis and edema. E(x) was significantly correlated to the severity of fibrosis. This suggests that these parameters could be part of a toolkit for the quantitative assessment of lung diseases.
Specialized finite element basis functions for mid-frequency simulations
Authors: Goldsberry Benjamin M.
Published: April 2023

Finite element analysis (FEA) has over the years become a common numerical tool for simulating time and frequency acoustic wave scattering and radiation problems due to its flexibility to model multiphysics coupling and complex geometries. For mid-frequency acoustic simulations, the computational mesh must be sufficiently fine to represent the wave field and the geometry, which becomes computationally expensive and impractical to use. Recent works in partition of unity FEA and isogeometric analysis have shown that using smooth basis functions that well-represent the local solution typically produce increased accuracy per degree of freedom compared to traditional FEA with Lagrange basis functions. In this work, the concept of designing accurate basis functions that can be easily incorporated into a finite element framework is explored. This process makes use of the Helmholtz-Kirchhoff integral defined along the edges of the mesh to locally represent the solution in the interior of each element. Therefore, this method only requires degrees of freedom on the element boundaries and does not require any a priori knowledge of the local solution for enrichment. Numerical dispersion results will be presented, and the practical implementation into FEA codes will be discussed.
Infrasound propagation from a vertically extended source
Authors: Waxler Roger M. , Liang Bin , Hetzer Claus
Published: April 2023

The propagation of infrasound from a vertically extended source is investigated. The source is allowed to have azimuthal and vertical variation. The radial extent of the source is assumed to be small compared to an acoustic wavelength. No such assumption is made for the vertical extent. The problem is treated in cylindrical coordinates, as is appropriate for outdoor sound propagation, in a way analogous to the treatment of radiation from a compact source in unbounded three dimensional space. Several equivalent formulations will be presented along with example cases.
The design and evaluation of additively manufactured piezoelectric acoustic transducers
Authors: Tufariello Justin , Robinson Barry , Allan Shawn , Corrado Casey , Angilella Alex , Pazol Brian
Published: April 2023

Ceramic additive manufacturing (AM) has been demonstrated as a capable method to fabricate piezocomposite acoustic transducers that exhibit augmented sensitivity, increased bandwidth, and controlled directivity by virtue of geometry. These improvements are intrinsic to the novel piezoelectric ceramic structure, which may be printed in forms that cannot be fabricated through conventional manufacturing methods. The AM process allows for functionally-graded apertures, 3-3 piezocomposite structures, and auxetic lattices which have been simulated, printed, and measured with compelling results. This presentation expands upon previous work completed through a collaboration between Lithoz America, LLC (Lithoz), MSI Transducers Corp. (MSI), and the MITRE Corporation (MITRE) to produce novel piezoelectric structures and validate acoustic and hydrostatic pressure performance of 1-3 piezocomposite structures under operationally relevant conditions. The presentation will encompass a discussion of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of piezoelectric metamaterials conducted at MITRE, the lithography-based ceramic manufacturing (LCM) process of said structures at Lithoz, and empirical measurements of piezoelectric and acoustical specifications of the printed structures conducted at MSI. Finally, test data recorded at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) will be shown, demonstrating the resilience of AM 1-3 piezocomposite under 10 000 PSI of hydrostatic pressure derived by means of in-situ electrical impedance measurements.
The dystopian soundscape: A post COVID soundscape exploration
Authors: Siebein Keely M. , Siebein Gary W.
Published: April 2023

The pandemic has caused a huge upheaval in the global landscape. From travel restrictions, illness testing and vaccination requirements, to unrest and tensions among so many, this marks an unprecedented time. As certain states and countries enforced draconian restrictions, people have sought refuge leaving some areas and repopulating others. From a soundscape of a small city whose recent booming population since covid has found increasing tension in protests and religious demonstrations, to a large city, dealing with new growth and noise concerns from entertainment establishments, short term rentals and loud vehicles. New technology is emerging to help police some of these concerns, but is there an ethical conscience in the enforcement of these? How does our role in soundscape and acoustic design help shape the future? What does the handling of this pandemic foreshadow about similar circumstances that are to come, and what does this mean for the soundscape of the future?
Soundscape experiences of vulnerable groups in the pandemic and post-pandemic era: Acoustic environments are diverse but not inclusive
Authors: Hasegawa Yoshimi
Published: April 2023

People perceive sound environments in diverse ways. Experiencing substantial changes in soundscapes due to disruptions of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic was relatively adaptable for some people but painfully unacceptable for other people, especially physically, mentally, or socially disadvantaged persons (i.e., vulnerable groups). This talk presents soundscape experiences of those vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights their adverse and heterogeneous perceptions to the pandemic-related changes in acoustic environments. Reviewing a collected COVID-19 pandemic-related studies shows that people from socially vulnerable groups found their surrounding soundscapes detrimental and bothersome. Highly heterogeneous experiences of the acoustic environments were observed among people with atypical hearing characteristics such as hearing impairments and tinnitus. While extreme acoustic environments (i.e., being in silence or exposed to excessive noise) were found as unfavorable for all listeners, there are too many non-auditory confounding factors influencing the soundscape experiences in their real-life situations. The findings would advance knowledge on their diverse auditory experiences and support resilient post-pandemic soundscapes for broader individuals, which will potentially contribute to designing inclusive sound environments for human well-being.
Predicting timescales of relaxation in the shallow Earth’s subsurface
Authors: Illien Luc , Sens-Schönfelder Christoph
Published: April 2023

Earthquakes introduce long-lasting transient mechanical damage in the subsurface, which cause postseismic hazards such as enhanced landsliding and can take years to recover to steady-state values. This observation has been linked to relaxation, a phenomenon observed in a wide class of materials after straining perturbations. In this presentation, I analyze the successive effect of two large earthquakes on ground properties through the monitoring of seismic velocity from ambient noise interferometry in the Atacama desert in Chile. The absence of rainfall in this area allows study of the mechanical state of the subsurface by limiting the potential effect of variable groundwater content. I show that relaxation timescales are a function of the current state of the subsurface when perturbed by earthquakes, rather than ground shaking intensity. Our study highlights the predictability of earthquake damage dynamics in the Earth's near-surface and potentially other materials. I propose to reconcile this paradigm with existing physical frameworks by considering the superposition of different populations of damaged contacts.
One-dimensional experimental verification of weak-form homogenization theory for heterogenous systems
Authors: Ochi Gordon M. , Dunn Kyle G. , Muhlestein Michael B. , Swearingen Michelle E.
Published: April 2023

Metamaterials are synthetic composite materials that exhibit specific effective properties for long-wavelength stimuli. Modeling of these materials often relies upon homogenization methods to replace inhomogeneous systems with more simple to analyze homogenous systems. In this work, wediscuss a one-dimensional experimental verification of a weak-form homogenization method based on Hamilton’s principle for mechanical media. In the experiment, a heterogeneous structure is fabricated out of wood and placed within a four inch diameter section of PVC pipe. This heterogeneous structure is designed such that it restricts the cross-sectional area at regular intervals, yielding alternating sections of restriction/no-restrictionalong the pipe length. The source is a compression driver outputting weakly non-linear sinusoidal waveforms, located at one end of the PVC pipe, while the other end of the pipe is terminated with anechoic foam to negate end reflections. Data are gathered through implementation of the two-microphone method at multiple locations along the pipe length, which enables isolation of the forward traveling wave. Verification of the homogenization theory in the one-dimensional case is discussed, as well as the ability for the heterogeneous structure to reduce the shock formation distance.
Short periods of perinatal acoustic experience alter the developmental trajectory of auditory cortex
Authors: Lomber Stephen , Meredith M. A.
Published: April 2023

Compared to hearing subjects, psychophysical studies have revealed specific superior visual abilities following hearing loss early in development. The neural substrate for these superior abilities resides in auditory cortex that have been reorganized through crossmodal plasticity. Furthermore, the cartography of auditory cortex is altered following the loss of auditory input early in life. This study examined how perinatal exposure to brief periods of acoustic stimulation alters the developmental trajectory of auditory cortex. Movement detection, localization in the visual periphery, and face discrimination learning are superior in congenitally deaf cats. To examine the role of acoustic experience in mediating these enhanced functions, hearing animals were chemically deafened at increasing ages postnatal. Animals had 1–16 weeks of acoustic exposure prior to deafness onset. Overall, >9 weeks of acoustic experience resulted in no enhanced visual abilities. With >4 weeks of acoustic exposure, enhanced motion detection was not evident. As acoustic experience increased during development, the overall size of auditory cortex, and the size of individual auditory areas also expanded. These results demonstrate that increasingly longer periods of perinatal acoustic experience result in reduced enhanced visual abilities and an increased size of auditory cortex.
The 1980s—The glory years for the development of active noise and vibration control
Authors: Sommerfeldt Scott D.
Published: April 2023

In the field of acoustics in general, and structural acoustics in particular, a new “hot topic” seems to burst upon the scene once or twice each decade. Everyone wants to get involved, numerous sessions on the topic appear at our meetings, and progress on the topic seems to leap forward—at least until the next hot topic comes along. In the 1980s, active noise and vibration control burst upon the scene, becoming the then current hot topic, as advances in digital signal processing made the technique much more attractive. The number of publications and presentations on the topic exploded, and active control was the bandwagon that everyone wanted to be on. The author was just beginning his career during this time period and was able to begin pursuing research on this topic in the early stages of the explosion. The intense interest in the topic continued until about the mid-1990s. This paper will review some of that early activity, what advances were made, why the interest seemed to decline in the 1990s, and what the current state of the discipline is as the research has continued to slowly move forward over the intervening years.
Incorporating a gender expansive perspective into speech science pedagogy
Authors: Merritt Brooke , Levi Susannah V.
Published: April 2023

This talk challenges the assumption of a traditional gender binary in speech science pedagogy. We first define and operationalize notions of sex and gender as they relate to speech communication. We will broadly consider acoustic properties that relate to anatomical differences across humans (such as vocal tract length and vocal fold mass) and acoustic properties that relate to socio-phonetic variation. We challenge the notion that anatomical differences are the only source of speech variability across gender categories. We discuss problems in the literature related to how speakers and listeners are categorized (typically either as binary male/female or binary man/woman with the assumption of cisgender gender identity). We move beyond the binary assumption of the ways that “males” and “females” speak by demonstrating speakers’ agency in constructing linguistic styles that are rich in social information and that convey nuanced identities. We highlight the variability in listeners’ perception of speaker gender and consider potential sources of this variability. Attendees will be provided with instructional tools that incorporate gender diversity into the speech science curriculum and that can be used in classroom discussions and activities.
Comparing tools for automation of formant estimation in diverse pediatric populations
Authors: Valentine Hannah , MacAuslan Joel , Grigos Maria , Speights Marisha
Published: April 2023

Pediatric vowel productions are notoriously hard to reliably quantify. Listener judgments and transcription are subjective, show low intra- and interrater reliability, and are influenced by listener bias. Formant estimation may offer more objectivity, but child speech is fraught with acoustic challenges. Children have less refined articulatory control and they make more production errors. They have high fundamental frequencies, wide formant bandwidths, more variable formant values, and increased subglottal coupling relative to adult speech. Historically, estimation of pediatric formants has been done manually, which is laborious and time-consuming. In recent years, automation tools have been developed to speed up the process. However, these tools have not been widely tested on pediatric speech samples. Even more critically, these tools have not been tested on diverse children. This study uses speech samples from children of color, children with disabilities, and children with both of these identities to compare three automation tools: SpeechMark® (Boyce etal., 2012), Fast Track™ (Barreda, 2021), and a custom Praat® (Boersma & Weenink, 2021) script written by the first author. Outcomes of each tool will be compared and contrasted. The discussion will review the considerations, benefits, and tradeoffs of each automation tool when working with diverse pediatric speech samples.
Interventions to improve undergraduate communication with international instructors
Authors: Freeman Valerie , Loss Sara , Baese-Berk Melissa M.
Published: April 2023

U.S. undergraduates (USUGs) have negative biases toward non-native speaking (NNS) instructors like international teaching assistants (ITAs), which can lower student comprehension and ITAs’ course evaluations (Rubin & Kang 2009). Our long-term collaboration seeks to improve attitudes and intelligibility so USUGs may assume more of the communicative burden with NNSs. We are piloting multiple activities (“interventions”) in various university courses, including accent familiarization, non-English transcription, oral English proficiency scoring, and live or simulated USUG-NNS contact. Outcomes are measured qualitatively (e.g., written reflections) and quantitatively through USUG pre- and post-test intelligibility tasks and “first impression” teaching and personality ratings after listening to audio clips of unfamiliar ITAs. We compare the most and least promising interventions for improving intelligibility and attitudes as measured by these auditory tasks (three semesters, N > 750 students, 6 intervention types + controls). Analysis is ongoing, but in the pilot cohort (N = 117), longer, more involved interventions trended toward higher intelligibility scores and improved overt attitudes, although covert attitudes remained stable. Time permitting, we can also discuss practicalities of implementing such anti-racism interventions into existing courses (instructor buy-in, ITA cooperation, student compliance, etc.).
Care-full and reproducible research: Teaching research skills and ethics to undergraduate researchers using critical replication studies
Authors: Tripp Alayo , Hayes-Harb Rachel
Published: April 2023

Course-based replication studies facilitate broad student participation in science, allowing early-career researchers a direct and fast route to impactful research questions and high-quality methods and analyses. They also provide students opportunities for exciting hands-on experience engaging with contemporary research questions as both theorists and experimentalists. However, reproducibility requires thoughtful attention to generalizability, and new scholars must be taught to critically consider study motivations, assumptions and goals. Teaching reproducibility in this way promotes public trust in science as well as productive skepticism. We discuss a reproducibility-focused undergraduate course where the goal is to provide a meaningful, authentic, and responsible research experience for students. While a heavy emphasis on replication can lead to an uncritical reproduction of harmful science, the present course emphasizes a more inclusive approach to knowledge production, where research skills development is inseparable from education on responsible conduct of research, social justice, and open science values and practices. We cover topics including: selecting a study for replication, intentional development of students’ collaboration skills, finding a balance between replication and extension, students’ reflexivity practice and positionality, human participants considerations, the responsible dissemination of students’ research, course learning outcomes and assessment, and research mentoring “at scale.”
Chirps, harmonics, and aliasing
Authors: Welch Thaddeus B. , Wright Cameron H.
Published: April 2023

An invited paper for a special session entitled “My Favorite Signal Processing Homework Problems.” Abstract: The use of recorded real-world audio signals tends to motivate almost all of the students in our signal processing classes. Early in any course where analog-to-digital conversion is presented, the topic of aliasing is always discussed. One of our favorite, three-part homework problems is to: 1. import an instructor provided recording of an audio frequency whistle (a chirp) into MATLAB, 2. plot its spectrogram, and 3. identify aliasing on the spectrogram. Given the rich harmonic structure of the provided signal, aliasing is clearly present on the properly implemented spectrogram.
Statistics and probabilities for spectral analysis
Authors: Richmond Christ D.
Published: April 2023

Spectral analysis of data plays a central role in many signal processing applications, and comparing the relative output levels between filters often provides clues about the actual signals present in the data. Since data are often corrupted by noise, interference, or some other source of randomness, these filter outputs are also subject to random variations. Proper interpretation of these filter outputs is made possible by an awareness of the nature of their statistical variability. Thus, homework problems that illustrate how basic fundamental properties of random variables/vectors lend significant insight into the nature of such filter output comparisons are of great value in engineering practice. This talk will describe a handful of interesting problems that help with the interpretation of filtered data outputs used in some form of spectral analysis (e.g., FFT filters, beamformers, etc.). The problems considered will leverage notions of invariances, regeneration properties, and a basic algebra of random variables.
Application of wavelet wransform wechniques to measured data
Authors: Leftwich Kendal , Ioup Juliette W.
Published: April 2023

Wavelet transform theory includes a powerful and abstract set of signal processing tools. Students often understand the underlying mathematics of how to perform the procedures but lack the conceptual and computational understanding of how and when to apply wavelets to measured data. In this talk, we will discuss a project designed to take what is learned from textbooks and classroom lectures and apply these skills and tools to measured data from the field. The project is to cover an entire semester with multiple points for instructor evaluation and student revision. The end goal is that students will learn more signal processing skills through computational methods and data analysis and will produce a paper that can be part of a thesis/dissertation as well as a presentation at a future meeting.
Development of a three-dimensional semi-coherent energy flux propagation model
Authors: Langhirt Mark A. , Holland Charles W. , Lin Ying-Tsong , Martinelli Sheri , Brown Daniel C.
Published: April 2023

The classic energy flux propagation model integrates an averaged intensity distribution over elevation angle for an azimuthally symmetric waveguide, and the method has also been extended to reincorporate some of the coherence in the mode-sum cross product, producing caustic features and convergence zones. Some ocean environments with asymmetric range-dependent bathymetry and acoustic medium properties can refract the acoustic wave horizontally which N-by-2D models cannot capture due to their assumed symmetry. Fully three-dimensional models can capture horizontal refraction but are typically computationally expensive to execute. Further development and study of the energy flux method is worthwhile since it avoids root-finding, is not a marching solution, and it invokes mode number invariance under the adiabatic modes assumption to map propagation angles and directly integrate the intensity distribution at the receiver location. A first-pass at analytically deriving a generalizable three-dimensional energy flux model was presented previously, and this current study focuses on further analytical development, numerical implementation, and efforts to verify the model using other three-dimensional acoustic propagation models.
Case study of a Brothertown Indian Nation cultural heritage site—Toward a framework for acoustics heritage research in simulation, analysis, and auralization
Authors: Hsu Timothy , Wenger Seth , Leonard Hope
Published: April 2023

The Brothertown Indian Nation and their ancestors have a centuries old heritage of group singing beginning along the Northeast Atlantic coast of what is now the United States and following them along their migration to the Midwest. The 18th century Curricomp cabin still stands in Connecticut and was an important location in the singing history and political movement that built Brothertown (Eeyamquittoowauconnuck). In this paper, a collaboration with Brothertown Indian Nation and an ongoing public humanities project regarding the Tribe’s aural traditions, a case study will be presented that investigates (1) the results of acoustic modeling and simulation of the Curricomp cabin and (2) auralizations for both binaural listening and a spatial audio installation using those models. Significantly, this paper employs a novel theoretical framework for acoustic heritage research that allows for (3) an analysis of how the scientific process and technological practices mediate intangible heritage. The acoustic models and auralization techniques created in this case study provide acoustic access to a heritage location that would otherwise be inaccessible to the Brothertown Community. The auralizations used in the spatial audio installation serve as a public humanities tool to amplify the contemporary voice of the Brothertown Indian Nation.
Nonlinear dynamics of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions in the presence of internal noise in models of the inner ear
Authors: Samaras George , Agramonte Dani E. , Meaud Julien
Published: April 2023

Spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs) are sounds generated by the inner ear in the absence of an external stimulus and are a direct consequence of the inner ear nonlinearity that arises from hair cell electromechanics. SOAEs with similar spectral characteristics have been observed in both mammals and non-mammalian species such as lizards, suggesting a common mechanism in their generation, despite striking differences in inner ear physiology between mammals and non-mammals. In this work, a model based on coupled limit-cycle oscillators (Vilfan and Duke, Biophys. J, vol. 95, pp. 4622–4630, 2008) and a model based on standing waves (Bowling etal., Sci. Rep., vol. 11, pp. 1–14, 2021) are implemented to analyze their ability to predict key SOAE characteristics. As in experiments, the models predict discrete peaks in the SOAEs with quasi-periodic spacing. However, if noise is neglected, the SOAE peaks are unrealistically sharp. In this work, the effect of noise on SOAE spectral properties (e.g., bandwidth of SOAE peaks) and statistical properties (e.g., interpeak cross-correlations) is evaluated to assess whether either model is a better representation of SOAE generation. This is a key step in understanding the theoretical underpinnings of SOAE generation. [Research funded by NIH grant R01 DC016114.]
Study of the impact of boundary conditions on acoustical behavior of granular materials and their implementation in the finite difference method
Authors: Mo Zhuang , Song Guochenhao , Shi Tongyang , Bolton J. S.
Published: April 2023

Granular materials display significant differences in their acoustical response when tested in a standing wave tube, compared with the behavior of more traditional sound absorbing materials such as fibrous webs and foams. The latter materials can often be modeled as an equivalent fluid with the further assumption that the material properties do not depend on the input signal level. In contrast, the level dependence of the acoustical behavior of granular materials has been observed in measurements of glass bubbles, as reported in previous studies, for example. When the input level is low, the absorption coefficient of the glass bubble stack shows solid-like behavior with multiple peaks associated with modal response of the stack. On the other hand, when the input level is high, glass bubble stacks show fluid-like behavior, with the quarter wavelength resonance in the direction of the tube axis dominating the response. In the current work, the boundary conditions at the air/granule interface and the granule/tube wall boundary are studied, as is the mechanism causing the variation of the apparent stiffness of the granule stack. The proposed model is implemented with a finite difference approach, and the model predictions are compared with acoustic measurements of granule stacks.