bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spark-driven Helmholtz resonator
Authors: Rolt Kenneth D. , Butler John L. , Cavanagh George
Published: October 2005

Spark sources are among the oldest natural sources of electroacoustic transduction, with the most dramatic example being lightning and the resulting thunder in aeroacoustics. In underwater acoustics, W. P. Mason conceived a method for using the spark as a sonar source in a 1946 U. S. Patent 2,403,990. Mason envisioned it as a source of broadband acoustic energy, which was then filtered passively by a housing to narrow the spectrum of the sound pulse. Nearly 50 years later a different method is envisioned for obtaining a coherent sonar pulse from an underwater spark source, by using the spark to drive a Helmholtz resonator. This approach attempts to match the impulsive nature of the spark source to the natural vibration mode of the resonator, rather than by Mason’s filtration method. The design layout, electroacoustic model, and preliminary results for 1 424-Hz, 200-J (input) spark-driven Helmholtz transducer having a Q of ≊35 will be shown. [Work partially supported by SBIR Topic N92-088, under Contract No. N66604-92-C-0409.]
A.D.N.R.: An efficient code for the study of the effects of structural design modifications on the radiated power
Authors: Atalla Noureddine
Published: October 2005

The objective of this presentation is to present a simple but efficient code for the investigation of the effects of structural design modifications on the radiated power of plate-like structures. The code (A.D.N.R.: acoustic design for noise reduction) is based on a variational formulation for the vibration problem that allows it to model easily the effects of typical design modifications such as added stiffeners, added mass, viscoelastic damping, excitation type, and location. To solve the acoustic problem, the approach used in the presented code addresses both the accuracy and computation time problem. It is based on a multipole expansion of Green’s kernel. This expansion allows for a quick and rigorous evaluation of the radiation efficiency. Due to its simplicity, the presented approach constitutes a deterministic step towards answering the accuracy versus computation time usually brought up by engineers. In addition, it is a very useful tool for pedagogic purposes in undergraduate and graduate courses since it can be used to show, rapidly, how the radiated acoustic power is modified for various design configurations. During the presentation, the theoretical background of the presented code will be recalled and the effects of typical design modifications on the radiated power will be demonstrated through several examples. Finally, conclusions concerning the advantages and limitations of the presented code will be stated. [Work supported by CRSNG and IRSST, Canada, and INRS, France.]
Effects of materials, damping, and static load constraints on the radiation from flow-excited plates
Authors: Martin Nathan C.
Published: October 2005

Turbulent boundary-layer (TBL) wall-pressure fluctuations due to fluid flow over the surface of a finite plate excite a flexural vibration response. At frequencies below the coincidence frequency the acoustically slow flexural waves radiate into the fluid as a result of interactions with boundary discontinuities. Relatively simple formulas can be derived that relate the radiated power due to TBL excitation to the dimensions and material properties of the plate. Static load requirements determine the relationship between plate thickness and support spacing for a given plate material. Alternative plate materials include various metals (steel, aluminum, titanium) and composites (e.g., glass or graphite-reinforced epoxy). Applied damping treatments can also be considered as a means of reducing plate response and radiation. This paper examines the issue of plate design for reduced radiation by considering material and damping alternatives in finite plates subject to static load constraints.
Investigations of the possible increase of sound insulation of laminated housings
Authors: Avilova G. M.
Published: October 2005

The spatial-frequency characteristics of the local sound insulation for finite length laminated shells are investigated. The influence of layers parameters of the shells on values minima of the sound insulation was considered. Special attention was paid to the possibilities of sound insulation increasing in the double-wall soundproof housings. It was found that the conditions for the sound insulation of double-wall housings may be 10–15 dB larger than the sound insulation of simple housings with the same weight.
The articulatory trajectories of the tongue in the muscle force space
Authors: Honda Kiyoshi , Kusakawa Naoki
Published: October 2005

The motor command generation mechanism for speech production may be considered as a transformation from a planned articulatory trajectory to multiple motor commands. This study aims to reconstruct a representation of such a trajectory by analyzing EMG signals associated with tongue movements in speech. Tongue EMG data recorded during /schwapVp/ utterances [Baer etal., Ann. Bull. RILP 22, 7–20] were analyzed on the basis of antagonistic relationships among four extrinsic tongue muscles: the genioglossus anterior (GGA), posterior (GGP), the hyoglossus (HG), and the styloglossus (SG). The computed patterns of equilibrium forces derived from EMG were then mapped into the muscle force space, defined by a coordinate system with GGP–HG and GGA–SG axes. The articulatory trajectories obtained correspond well to assumed tongue movements for the utterances. The vowel distribution in the muscle force space shows analogous patterning to vowel distributions in the acoustic and perceptual domains. This coincidence between the articulatory and perceptual representations of vowels implies the co-evolution of the somatoneural relation, and shows evidence of the modular organization of human speech production and perception. [Work supported in part by an NIH Grant No. 00120 to Haskins Laboratories.]
Across session spatial stability of the tongue-jaw complex in alveolar closure
Authors: Alfonso Peter J. , Neely J. Robert
Published: October 2005

The movements of the tongue, lips, and jaw were transduced by electromagnetic midsagittal articulography. A single session included 20 repetitions of /pap/, /tat/, and /sas/ imbedded in a carrier phrase at normal, slow, and fast speech rates. Seven talkers completed three sessions at 1-week intervals. Reported here are measures of across session stability of tongue and jaw spatial synergies for alveolar closure at normal rates. Preliminary analyses indicate that idiosyncratic organization of the tongue and jaw for alveolar closure is relatively stable within and across sessions. However, across session stability, in terms of the relative contribution of the tongue and jaw towards closure and motor equivalence covariability of the summed tongue-jaw, the jaw, and the derived independent tongue displacements, is sensitive to variations in normal speech rate. For example, tongue-jaw synergies varied when the difference between session average duration of the tongue and/or jaw gestures approached 30%. [Work supported by NIH DC-00121 to Haskins Laboratories and University of Illinois research grant.]
MRI measurement and 3-D FEM analysis of the nasal and paranasal cavities
Authors: Suzuki Hisayoshi , Ishida Akira , Nakai Takayoshi , Dang Jianwu
Published: October 2005

Morphological measurement of the nasal and paranasal cavities were performed by means of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique. Three-dimensional acoustic tube models were constructed using the MRI data. Using the finite element method (FEM), the Helmholtz equation was solved for sinusoidal pressure wave input at the velopharyngeal port to obtain sound pressure, particle velocity, and sound intensity in the nasal cavity. In the FEM modeling, the nasal tract containing the paranasal sinuses is divided into 3470 meshes and 4625 nodes. The cross-sectional shape of the tract was approximated by an elliptical shape whose area and circumference were matched to the observed data. The frequency transfer function as a ratio of sound pressure at the velopharyngeal port to that at the nostrils, and input impedance at the velopharyngeal port were calculated and compared with those of the classical electric circuit model of the nasal tract. A FEM model incorporating shape asymmetry between the left and right passages as defined by the MRI observation was compared with that of the hypothetical models having symmetrical shapes. The results showed that the complicated spectral shape of nasal sounds can be successfully accounted for using the 3-D FEM approach.
The temporal coordination of articulator movements: Are coarticulation and assimilation really synonymous?
Authors: Wood Sidney A. J.
Published: October 2005

The transition model (i) of classical phonetics distinguished between inevitable transitions between momentary target configurations (called coarticulation by Menzerath and Lacerda in 1933) and assimilation extending over a larger domain than a transition, implying reorganization of the input. By the 1950s it was clear that coarticulation extended beyond target configurations and involved more than two phonemes, and sub-cortical tug-of-war models (ii) came to be preferred, based on competition between phonemes for muscles and articulator movement [e.g., Öhman, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 39, 151–168 (1966)] and seeing coarticulation and assimilation as synonymous. Finally (iii) gesturequeuing models [e.g., Kozhevnikov and Chistovich, SpeechArticulationandPerception (1965)] delay gestures that are antagonistic to on-going activity, implying a cortical scanning procedure to survey on-coming input. Examples of articulator timing, analyzed from x-ray motion films of speech, are presented that favor (iii) rather than (ii). It is argued that much current controversy over coarticulation can be avoided if a cortical level of motor control and the distinction between coarticulation and assimilation were accepted again. The procedures and some data are presented in Wood [J. Phon. 19, 281–292 (1991)].
Vertical noise versus wind speed
Authors: Lange Joan C. , Mitchell Stephen K. , Levinson Scott J.
Published: October 2005

The outpost sunrise exercise was conducted at a deep, high bottom loss area in the Pacific Ocean. Vertical 24-element arrays, nested for 75 and 150 Hz, were moored at the seabottom and at critical depth. The exercise was conducted during the fall, when high wind speeds are likely; wind speed (w) was recorded from a nearby buoy. For w≥4.5 m/s, omnidirectional noise depended on receiver depth and frequency band. At 300 Hz, ambient noise recorded below the critical depth was well correlated with wind speed, but at lower frequencies, this was not so. Correlation of beam noise level [BNL(φ)] for w≥4.5 m/s depended on vertical angle φ. Horizontally (φ=0°), the field was dominated by distant noise. BNL(φ) for φ≤15° closely tracked w. BNL(φ) was estimated at 65 and 130 Hz. BNL(90°) increased from 55 to 70 dB//μPa2 Hz-sr as w increased from 4.5 to 11 m/s. Theoretical BNL(φ) with source directionalities of a dipole, plane of monopoles, and volume of monopole planes are compared with data. A source modeled as a of a plane of monopoles between λ/5 and λ/3 depth best fist the data. [Work supported by the Office of Naval Research.]
Ambient noise and earthquake measurements with Swallow Floats
Authors: Desharnais Francine
Published: October 2005

Ten Swallow Floats were deployed in the Ionian Sea (Mediterranean) during the SACLANTCEN sea trail of June 1992. Each of the floats (property of the Marine Physical Laboratory—Scripps) contained three orthogonal particle velocity sensors, one hydrophone, and a compass, enabling measurements of vectorial acoustic intensity in the range of 0.5 to 25 Hz. The data compare well with other ambient noise data from heavy shipping traffic areas, and comparisons are made with published data from other sources. Because of a subduction front south of Crete, the area is rich in seismic events. Part of the earthquake energy is transmitted into the water, and the intensity measurements allow one to locate the areas that are particularly active. In fact, due to the relatively low acoustic attenuation in water, a Swallow Float seems to have a higher sensitivity than a land station to earthquakes occurring under water. Examples to support this hypothesis are shown. A transmitted 20-Hz tone allowed the causes of errors in bearing estimates to be determined.
Environmental correlate to underwater acoustic noise in the Arctic Ocean
Authors: Scoggins Timothy M. , Bedford Nancy R.
Published: October 2005

In an effort to find a physical parameter to use as a predictor of acoustic noise in the Arctic Ocean, a modified version of the AIDJEX plastic ice model was used to study the mechanical energy balance of the sea ice cover in the vicinity of long-term acoustic measurements taken in the Lincoln Sea in 1989–90. It was assumed that pa−pw (the rate at which the air works on the ice minus the rate at which the ice works on the water) was the power available for generating noise and that a fixed fraction of this power was converted locally into acoustic noise intensity in the water. The dominant environmental variable in this term was the geostrophic wind velocity, derived from barometric pressure measurements from The Coordinated Arctic Buoy Program [Colony and Rigor, APL/Washington]. A relative noise intensity was determined by calculating the quantity pa−pw on a grid over the Arctic Ocean, weighting by transmission loss from the grid points to the measurement site, and summing. Monthly time series correlation coefficients between pa−pw and 15-Hz noise intensity were generally near 0.6. [Sponsored by the AEAS Program of the Office of Naval Research.]
A theoretical model of bubble clouds as sources of noise in shallow water environment
Authors: Oguz Hasan N.
Published: October 2005

Wave breaking that leads to bubble cloud formation is known to be a major contributor to the underwater noise levels in the low-frequency range (100 Hz–1 kHz). The emission theory that was developed by the author [Oguz, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. (to be published)] for deep ocean has been extended to handle shallow water environments. The model consists of a bubble cloud system excited by the injection of bubbles during a wave breaking event. The bottom effects are incorporated by the method of images. For simplicity, only the soft and hard bottom cases are considered in this development. The resonance characteristics of the bubble cloud are not affected by the presence of a bottom for depths much larger than the cloud size. However, the far-field acoustic pressure of an individual bubble cloud differs considerably from the deep water case due to the interference between the source and its images. As a result, the ambient noise level distribution in shallow water can be markedly different than in deep ocean. The results are compared with field measurements and a good agreement is found. [Work supported by the ONR.]
Analyses of DTAGS acoustic array reverberation data from exposed rocks and sediment covered areas of ARSRP fine-scale experiment
Authors: Kalra Ashok K. , Fulford James K.
Published: October 2005

Acoustic reverberation data that were acquired with Naval Research Laboratory’s (NRL’s) Deep Towed Acoustic/Geophysics System (DTAGS) over exposed rocks and sediment covered areas for the Acoustic Reverberation Special Research Program’s (ARSRP’s) fine-scale experiment were analyzed. DTAGS is identical to a seismic streamer with its own energy source but has two collinear receiver arrays (acoustic and geophysics) and the whole system can be towed to 5000-m depths close to the sea bottom. Only acoustic array data were analyzed to study the reverberation phenomena in the area. DTAGS acoustic array data were acquired with a point source LFM signal ranging from 250 to 650 Hz of 125-ms duration. The data were deconvolved for source signal recorded in the field and beamformed in time domain in order to preserve the higher frequencies of the returned signal. The beamformed data to isolate the reverberation signals pertaining to specific insonification areas of exposed rocks and/or sediment covered areas were analyzed. The reverberation from exposed rocks and sediment covered areas were analyzed for their frequency content and grazing angles to determine their relationships with scattering strengths. [Work sponsored by the Office of Naval Research.]
July 1993 ARSRP acoustics experiments: Some results from R/V Al
l
i
a
n
c
e
Authors: Preston J. R.
Published: October 2005

In July 1993 SACLANTCEN participated in an experiment for the Acoustic Reverberation Special Research Program (ARSRP). The primary objective was to take high-resolution measurements to shed light on the detailed physical processes dominating the low-frequency scattering from rough topographic features and from deep sediment pond areas. A very detailed set of monostatic and bistatic scattering experiments were conducted (using frequencies from 150–1500 Hz) just west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge near 26 °N and 47 °W. Results are presented that show monostatic and bistatic scattering from selected bathymetric features using both pulses and shots as sources. Area water depths ranged from 3300 to greater than 5200 m. The receivers were a horizontal array of 128 elements spaced at 0.5, 1, and 2 m, and a vertical array with 32 elements and the same spacings. Source depths varied from 120 to 1200 m and receiver depths ranged from 400 to 500 m. Received reverberation levels and scattering strength values are presented as functions of the estimated scatterer position on area bathymetry maps. Estimates of monostatic bottom scattering strengths are given using parabolic equation propagation models to interpret the data. Finally, comparisons of measured reverberation and modeled reverberation are presented.
Acoustic color of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Authors: Makris Nicholas C. , Menis Richard , Avelino Lilimar
Published: October 2005

Narrow-band waveforms in the frequency range 200–300 Hz were transmitted from a vertical source array during the Main Acoustics Experiment (SRP) of July 1993. The resulting backscatter from the ocean bottom was received on a horizontal array. Two-way travel times are computed using a ray trace that includes bottom and surface interacting paths. Combining these results with beamforming, backscatter returns are charted to respective scattering sites on the western flank of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). A histogram of the backscatter level as a function of frequency is obtained for each grid point in the survey area. Each histogram is then assigned a color to represent that particular frequency response. A chart of the frequency responses or acoustic colors of the survey area is then composed by charting the acoustic color derived for each grid point. The acoustic color chart is compared with charts of two-way transmission loss, geomorphology, and mean acoustic intensity or brightness to elucidate the observed spatial characteristics. For example, deterministic facets much larger than a wavelength backscatter sound uniformly with frequency and are acoustically white. Surfaces with roughness scales comparable to an acoustic wavelength are characterized by acoustic colors that vary with the incident wavelength.
What do speakers’ tongues do with a suit in greasy wash water?
Authors: Dembowski James , Westbury John R.
Published: October 2005

The sad fact is that little is known about kinematic variability during natural, connected speech. For example, nearly nothing is known about motions of the tongue for one speaker, or across several speakers, repeating the same phrase. Consequently, the generality of common assumptions concerning those motions cannot be judged. The present study describes the spatio-temporal variability of lingual fleshpoint movements during the consonants /t n g/, across five tokens of the phrase ‘‘...suit in greasy...,’’ extracted from a 13-syllable sentence repeated by 20 normal American English speakers. Data were drawn from the University of Wisconsin x-ray Microbeam Speech Production Database. This phrase was chosen because allowable allophones for its step consonants permit a wide range of articulatory possibilities for phonetically naive speakers producing connected speech. Results of graphic analyses of fleshpoint trajectories and time histories show that lingual gestures associated with these consonants vary substantially within and between speakers. Moreover, these gestures sometimes differ markedly from expectations based on analyses of these consonants in nonsense-syllable or citation-word productions. Such findings have implications for synthesis and recognition of connected speech, as well as for theories of gesture-phoneme correspondence. [Work supported by NIH Grant No. DC00820.]
Coda lenition in American English consonants: An EPG study
Authors: Wright R.
Published: October 2005

Electropalatography (EPG) was used to investigate the effect of syllable position and phonetic environment on degree of lenition of alveolar consonants in American English. EPG recordings were made sentences in which [t], [d], and [n] appeared in word initial (syllable-onset) position and in word final (syllable-coda) position in V−♯V and V−♯C environments. Lenition was measured here in terms of duration and area of peak contact and overall duration of contact in the alveolar region. Preliminary results indicate that, as expected, all three consonants undergo lenition in coda position: all showed a significant reduction of peak contact duration and overall contact duration. There was also a significantly greater reduction in duration of both peak and overall contact when the coda consonant was followed by a vowel. In addition, coda [t] and [d] showed a reduction of peak contact area, and a significantly greater reduction of peak contact area when followed by a vowel than when followed by a consonant. These results suggest that a gestural model of coda lenition should take into account not only the effect of syllable position but also the effect of overlap with a following vowel. [Work supported by Department of Education.]
Effects of position-in-syllable on consonant articulation and acoustics
Authors: Keating P. , Wright R.
Published: October 2005

It is known that consonants in syllable onset position have closer oral constrictions than do coda consonants. Here, electropalatographic and acoustic data were used to determine whether onset consonants are also less sonorous (more obstruent-like). The alveolar consonants /t d n l/ were compared in word-initial (syllable onset) versus word-final (syllable coda) position. Onset consonants had greater palatal contact in both area and duration. Acoustic comparisons for /t/ and /d/ have not yet been made; /n/ and /l/ in onset position had consistently less acoustic energy than in code position, and were therefore sharply differentiated from the following vowel. This effect was most pronounced for /l/, which often lost its anterior contact completely in coda position. These data show that the low amplitude seen for onset /l/’s, and the subsequent amplitude rise into a following vowel, depends on the presence of significant contact between the tongue blade and the palate. Thus these data clarify the role of the anterior articulation as a separate component in the distinction between ‘‘dark’’ versus ‘‘light’’ /l/. More generally, the experiment shows that reduction of an oral articulation, seen here in codas, makes consonants less distinct from syllable peaks. [Work supported by UCLA and U.S. Department of Education.]
Customized 3-D electropalatography display
Authors: Saw Cheng Cheng
Published: October 2005

The result of the Kay Elemetrics palatometer, like all other EPG systems, can only be viewed on a standardized 2-D display. Yet, a 3-D display is often crucial to attribute aspects of the data to individual anatomy. Thus a display showing the time-varying contact information on a roughly customized 3-D image of the palate allowing views from all perspectives was developed. The main visualization program used, dataexplorer, provided enhanced methods of viewing data. Using the program, the palate was constructed as a wire-frame object defined by a set of x-y-z values interconnected by triangles. Likewise, the electrodes where contact was made appeared as little spheres superimposed onto the wire-frame object. The combined image in a sample or single frame of contact was saved as a TIFF file; the entire sequence of TIFF files from an utterance is then transferred onto the Macintosh and presented in a visual movie format along with audio aids. A study of taps and flaps illustrates data processed by this method. [Work supported by NSF.]
Jaw height and consonant place
Authors: Lee Sook-hyang , Beckman Mary E. , Jackson Michel
Published: October 2005

Since the jaw’s vertical displacement is largely due to rotation about the condyle, its contribution to a consonant’s constriction should depend on distance from the condyle. An earlier study of one speaker’s productions of English stops showed higher jaw in labials than in velars, as predicted, but highest jaw in coronals. This study investigates more consonant types produced by three speakers each of Korean, French, and Arabic. In general, the hypothesized dependency was supported. Jaw height was greater in labials than in velars, and greater in velars than in uvulars, but contributed nothing to pharyngeals and laryngeals. However, the problematic results concerning coronals were confirmed; the jaw was highest in coronals, particularly [s] and [∫ ]. Moreover, in Korean the jaw was higher in velars coarticulated with a neighboring central vowel [barred eye] than coarticulated with the fronter [i]. The greater contribution to coronal fricatives may be because the lower incisors must be positioned to impinge on the air stream, whereas the greater height for dorsal stops next to [barred eye] may be because the opposing surface (the hard palate) is furthest away from the tongue in that place.
Do air-stream mechanisms influence tongue movement paths?
Authors: Hoole Philip , Munhall K. G.
Published: October 2005

The sequence of positions (path) that an articulator follows during movement can reveal much about its planning and control processes. In this presentation data is described that show the paths of tongue dorsum movements during velar consonant production. Velar consonants often exhibit forward movement of the tongue during the closure phase, producing an elliptical path in VCV sequences. Data were collected to examine some of the influences on these paths. Specifically, whether overpressure behind the constriction contributes to the movement pattern was tested. Tongue movements for three subjects were recorded using electromagnetic articulography. The subjects produced /VgV/ sequences with egressive and ingressive airstream. In addition, speaking volume was manipulated. Two of the subjects showed consistent effects of airstream direction. Ingressive tokens showed reduction or elimination of forward tongue movement in the consonant. The third speaker was not a naive speaker and had practiced extensively before the recordings. He showed negligible airstream influences, suggesting that the effects could be overridden. All three subjects showed effects of speaking volume on the tongue path. The data suggest that the motor system may take advantage of the airstream forces to produce a particular path, however the overpressure is not solely responsible for the elliptical path.
An articulatory study of segmental complexity in alveolopalatals and palatalized alveolars
Authors: Recasens Daniel , Romero Joaquin
Published: October 2005

Alveolopalatal consonants such as /left hook en/ (as in French baigner ‘‘to bathe’’) have been described as complex segments, composed of a tongue-tip gesture and a tongue-dorsum gesture, since they show extensive palatal contact. Evidence from electropalatographic data suggests, however, that alveolopalatals are simple segments produced with a single tongue-blade gesture and that the observed palatal contact does not result from the presence of an independent dorsal gesture, but from articulatory coupling effects. In order to further test the issue of segmental complexity in alveolopalatals, the articulatory characteristics of the Catalan alveolopalatal phoneme /left hooked en/ were compared to those of a truly complex segment involving two independent tongue-front and tongue-dorsum gestures: the Russian palatalized alveolar phoneme /nj/. An electromagnetic measuring device was used to obtain tongue movement data from a Catalan speaker and a Russian speaker for several consonants. Results show that, while in Catalan /left hooked en/, tongue tip, tongue blade, and tongue dorsum achieve the constriction at essentially the same time, Russian /nj/ shows a progression in the achievement of the target from tongue tip to tongue dorsum. This finding supports the hypothesis that Catalan alveolopalatal /left hooked en/ is a simple segment, whereas Russian palatalized alveolar /nj/ is complex. [Work supported by NIH Grant Nos. DC-00121 and HD-01994 to Haskins Laboratories and by ESPRIT-BRA 6975 ‘‘Speech Maps’’ Project of the European Community.]
Manifestations of contrastive emphasis in jaw movement
Authors: Erickson Donna , Lenzo Kevin , Fujimura Osamu
Published: October 2005

Measurements of area, duration, excursion, position, and velocity of mandible motion from x-ray microbeam pellet traces were examined [K. Lenzo and D. Erickson, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. (1994)]. Three American English speakers read sentences of the types, ‘‘Is it 599 Pine Street? No, it’s 59FIVE Pine Street,’’ with contrastive emphasis on each of the initial, medial, and final numbers, and also without contrastive emphasis [J. Westbury and O. Fujimura, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Suppl. 1 85, S98 (1989)]. Composite reference phrases were created and a set of difference measures between the reference phrase and each token on the emphasis conditions was calculated. A ‘‘1’’ was assigned to the word with perceived contrastive emphasis and ‘‘0’’ to the other words in order to determine which articulatory measure correlated most highly with the presence of contrastive emphasis. Excursion in the final part of the syllable shows the highest correlation with contrastive emphasis for all three speakers, suggesting that the VC portion of the syllable is more sensitive to contrastive emphasis than the CV portion or the CVC as a whole. The implications of these findings to a model of speech production are discussed. [This work has been supported in part by a research fund from ATR International, given to O. Fujimura.]
Aerodynamic and laryngeal study of Korean obstruents
Authors: Lee Seungmie
Published: October 2005

The stops, fricatives, and affricates of Korean can be categorized into three groups, i.e., the slightly aspirated group, the unaspirated tense group, and the heavily aspirated group. All the Korean obstruents are voiceless except for the slightly aspirated ones that become voiced when they occur in intervocalic position. This paper examines aerodynamic aspects and glottal activity during in the production of the Korean obstruents. The linguistic material consisted of words with all the obstruents in word-initial and word-medial positions. One female and three male native speakers of Korean served as subjects. The oral airflow signal was recorded and inverse filtered to obtain an estimate of the glottal pulse. The aerodynamic patterns at the transitions from vowel to obstruent and from obstruent to vowel were analyzed. Laryngeal activity was recorded using transillumination. Results suggest that for Korean initial obstruents, the size of the glottal opening and its coordination with supralaryngeal events combine to determine the VOT. Following the release of the obstruents, the pattern of airflow differed between the three groups with the heavily aspirated group showing the highest flow rates and the unaspirated tense group the lowest rates. [Work supported by a Fulbright Grant.] a)Also at Seoul National Univ.
Sagittal plane tongue-jaw coordination in speech
Authors: Munhall K. G. , Ostry D. J.
Published: October 2005

In this presentation, the coordination of tongue and jaw movements in speech on the basis of two-dimensional x-ray microbeam recordings was examined. The goal is to specify the relationship between tongue motion and the motion of the jaw in each of its degrees of freedom. Specifically, the relationship between jaw position and orientation and the motion of x-ray tracking pellets on the tongue was examined. The relationship is studied both in the case in which the mechanical coupling of tongue and jaw motion is present and in the case where the contribution of jaw motion to tongue movements has been mathematically removed. Elsewhere, x-ray microbeam data have been presented that suggest that jaw position (i.e., translation) and orientation (i.e., rotation) in speech may be separately controlled [Ostry and Munhall, J. Neurophysiol. (in press)]. The present study extends this finding to address whether tongue and jaw motions in speech are coordinated on the basis of a linkage at the level of the system’s degrees of freedom or whether the linkage occurs on some other basis. [Work supported by NSERC.]
X-ray film database for speech research
Authors: Munhall K. G. , Vatikiotis-Bateson E. , Tohkura Y.
Published: October 2005

Over the past 40 years, x-ray films of the moving vocal tract have been the basis of much of the knowledge of speech production. Because of the risks involved with cineradiography, these films form an irreplaceable database. Unfortunately, as these films age, they deteriorate and become increasingly less accessible. In this presentation a collaborative effort between ATR Laboratories and Queen’s University to transfer some of these films to videodisc is described. The goals were: (1) to archive the films in a stable medium that can serve as a database of high-quality vocal tract images suitable for image processing, (2) to make the films available by disseminating them to the speech community, and (3) to begin automatic extraction of time-varying descriptions of the full vocal tract. Currently, a 1 h videodisc has been produced. The disc contains 2–3 min, 35-mm high-speed films provided by J. Perkell (MIT) and C. Rochette (Université Laval). The subjects were native speakers of Canadian English and Canadian French. The images were transferred to video frame by frame and the accompanying audio recordings have been synchronized with the images. The original audio recordings are also being made available separately on DAT.
Acoustic differences between ‘‘bunched’’ and ‘‘retroflex’’ variants of American English /r/
Authors: Espy-Wilson Carol , Boyce Suzanne
Published: October 2005

In American English, two articulatory variants of /r/ are commonly found: ‘‘bunched’’ /r/—in which the tongue dorsum is bunched in the region of the palate—and ‘‘retroflex’’—in which the tongue tip is curled such that the underside faces the alveopalate. Use of these variants appears to be idiosyncratic for different speakers. Past studies have failed to find any consistent acoustic difference between the variants [cf. Delattre and Freeman (1965)], but have been hampered by the fact that without articulatory confirmation, it is difficult to know which variant was uttered. In the study reported here, Electromagnetometer data from a single speaker producing /r/ in various phonetic and stress contexts was used to determine which instances were ‘‘bunched’’ and which ‘‘retroflex,’’ and a detailed acoustic study of these productions was carried out. Here, it appears to be the case that ‘‘bunched’’ /r/ occurs only when adjacent to /g/. Preliminary results suggest that for the ‘‘bunched’’ /r/, F4 is close in frequency, while F3 and F4 are further apart for the ‘‘retroflex’’ /r/. This difference may be explained by the presence of additional side paths around the tongue caused by the bunched configuration.
Phase resetting in speech. I. Repetitive utterances
Authors: Saltzman Elliot , Lofqvist Anders , Kinsella-Shaw Jeff , Rubin Philip E. , Kay Bruce
Published: October 2005

This experiment addresses the sequential dynamics governing bilabial and laryngeal movements in speech. Two subjects produced the repetitive sequence /pæpæ.../ while a randomly timed, transient mechanical load was applied to the lower lip in 80% of 300 productions; the load pulled the lip downwards. Movements of the lips, the jaw, and the larynx were recorded using optoelectronic techniques. For each trial, successive peak labial openings and laryngeal abductions were used to define a series of lip aperture (upper lip minus lower lip) and laryngeal cycles, respectively. Phase resetting analyses were performed separately on the labial and laryngeal cycles in order to examine the steady-state phase shifts induced as a function of the cycle phase of perturbation delivery. Preliminary analyses indicate that steady-state shifts occurred for both lips and larynx, but no steady-state shifts occurred in the relative phasing of these articulators. Analyses of the cycles that were actually perturbed showed that the steady state effects were primarily due to durational changes induced in these perturbed cycles. Results will be discussed in relation to the dynamics of intergestural timing, and will be used to interpret the results of a companion perturbation study on discrete speech sequences. [Work supported by NIH.]
The use of radio tags to optimally manage production flow in a manufacturing facility
Authors: Reis Robert S.
Published: October 2005

Radio tags have emerged as an exciting new tool to manage assets. Radio tags are miniature radio transmitter/radio receivers that can be attached to anything that moves. The tags report their location and memory contents to companion readers, called interrogators. A radio tag system can then complete a facility-wide physical inventory in minutes instead of days. Today, Savi’s radio tags are used at a major US Air Force Maintenance Facility in San Antonio, Texas. This facility re-manufactures F-15, F-16, and C-5A aircraft engines. Tags are attached to engine sub-assemblies which can report hourly the sub-assembly status and location as the work progresses. Through the use of this radio tag system, dynamic resource scheduling can be applied to the work-in-progress to optimally manage production flow. It is envisioned that this system will save hundreds of millions of dollars in inventory costs.
Micro-cellular factory communications using low-power, unlicensed radio tags
Authors: Verma Vikram
Published: October 2005

A multi-layered communications system that uses radio and acoustic communications is described. This system is built around small communications cells that can communicate with thousands of radio tags within a cell. This system performs automatic collision avoidance, automatic location reporting, and automatic store and forward message routing between the tags and the central computer. The result is a system that can complete a complete facility-wide physical inventory (including read/write status monitoring at each tag) in minutes, with virtually no human intervention.
Computer-aided technique for the choice of a vibromonitoring system for accelerometer installation sites
Authors: Myshinsky E. L. , Yakimov V. A.
Published: October 2005

The decisive role in the choice of the installation of primary converters in an engine vibro-monitoring system is played by sensitivity, i.e., the degree of change of the measurement parameter at a chosen location on a unit of change of dynamic forces. Within the scope of the linear theory of fluctuations this value is determined by the mass-frequency characteristics of the equipment, and its mounting and seating. The theoretical and experimental evaluation of the engine transmission function under operating conditions causes some difficulties. In addition, the sensitivity of the originally chosen measurement locations can change during engine service and that can require updating of their installation locations. An algorithm is offered that permits one, on the basis of the vibromonitoring system information, to execute the following procedures: (1) to reveal the locations of equipment with a low signal-to-noise ratio; (2) to exclude duplication of the information about the engine-acoustic condition; (3) to make a range of chosen locations according to the degree of their sensitivity; and (4) to supply the control of the distribution of engine dynamic forces stipulated by a change of engineering conditions.
Modeling changes in magnitude and timing of glottal and oral movements for synthesis of voiceless obstruents
Authors: Williams David R.
Published: October 2005

A series of simulations was conducted to determine the precision needed to specify orifice area parameters for synthesis of intervocalic voiceless obstruents. Time variation of glottal and oral cross-sectional areas was controlled using a set of quasi-articulatory parameters [K. N. Stevens and C. A. Bickley, J. Phon. 19, 161–174 (1991)]. Values of flows and pressures were computed using a low-frequency equivalent circuit model of vocal tract aerodynamics. Intraoral pressure values were mapped into KLSYN88 synthesizer source parameters via a set of equations. Rate of change in oral constriction area at closure/release was varied over a 10:1 range, as was the size of the narrowest fricative constriction. Maximum glottal opening was varied over a 3:1 range. Timing of the glottal movement relative to the oral movements was varied by ±30 ms. While peak glottal and oral flows were significantly affected by the manipulations, the characteristic acoustic attributes of the two obstruent types were retained over a wide range of the magnitude variations. Obstruent voicing was also fairly robust over changes in relative timing, although extreme timing misalignments did not yield especially good exemplars of the category. [Work supported by NIMH.]
Synthesis of severely pathological voices
Authors: Bangayan Phil , Alwan Abeer , Kreiman Jody , Long Christopher
Published: October 2005

In this paper, the acoustic and perceptual correlates of bicyclic, rough/breathy, rough/bicyclic, strained/breathy, and breathy/bicyclic, are studied. The work represents a continuation of a previous study [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 94, 1782 (A) (1993)]. An analysis-by-synthesis approach is used, utilizing KLSYN88, to study ten speech waveforms obtained from the VA Hospital in West LA. Preliminary results indicate the synthesizer’s diplophonia parameter (DI) is useful in synthesizing bicyclic voices. Other severe disorders can be synthesized in one of three ways: (1) simultaneous and equal use of parameters needed to synthesize milder cases of pathologies; for example, rough/breathy voices are synthesized with a time-varying F0, characteristic of rough voices, in combination with a high amplitude of aspiration noise, needed for breathiness perception, (2) increased use of a single set of parameters appropriate for a milder pathology; for example, a rough/bicyclic voice is synthesized with a time-varying F0 and very little DI, and (3) sequential use of parameters appropriate for two different qualities; for example, the synthesis of a strained/breathy voice requires varying the open-quotient parameter in time to match the acoustic and perceptual correlates of breathiness in one time interval and those of the strained quality in the other. These results will be discussed in terms of the independence, or otherwise correlation, of acoustic and perceptual features.
Determining concatenative units for speech synthesis
Authors: Tzoukermann Evelyne , Klavans Judith L.
Published: October 2005

The purpose of this research is to determine the best method for deciding on concatenative units (diphones and other polyphones) for speech synthesis. Four different databases are used and a greedy algorithm [J. Van Santen (1991)] is applied in order to extract n-gram phonemic frequencies; this serves as a basis for comparison between dictionary-derived frequencies and corpus-derived frequencies. Two dictionaries, a large one (the Robert Encyclopedic French dictionary with 85 000 headwords) and a small one (the Collins Gem containing 15 000 words) and two phonetically transcribed corpora, a large one (the Hansard, of about 2.5 million words) and a smaller one (the Tubach and Boe of 8 000 words) were used. The hypothesis was that a dictionary could provide essential concatenative unit data without recourse to corpora. Nevertheless, results showed that for interword phenomena, the hypothesis was correct, whereas for intraword effects, such as liaison and assimilation, the dictionary field information falls short. This research presents two interesting aspects: on the practical side, a speech synthesis system for French [E. Tzoukermann (1993)] is being built at AT&T Bell Laboratories and the output of this research will determine the most frequent concatenative units for putting into the working system. On the theoretical side, the goal is to explore the question of what constitutes adequate data for inducing concatenative units.
Issues in French text-to-speech synthesis
Authors: Tzoukermann Evelyne
Published: October 2005

In this paper, the new French text-to-speech system being developed at AT&T is presented. The system, based on diphone and triphone concatenation, follows the general framework of the Bell Laboratories English TTS system [J. Olive (1977); J. Olive and M. Liberman (1979)]. Concatenative units have been recorded within real words from dictionary extraction and from logatomes, or nonexisting words. Researchers disagree as to whether to use logatomes or real words for synthesis. The argument for using logatomes is that it is better to collect neutral words so that the diphone is recorded as neutrally as possible and does not undergo any real word stress. Those against argue that the diphone is over-articulated in a logatome environment and that it reduces the naturalness of the synthesized speech. Experiments are shown that prove the strengths and weaknesses of the two approaches. Methods for automatic segmentation and for the choice of concatenative units are presented, as well as durational and prosodic issues. Directions for future improvement are described, including morphological analysis, part-of-speech tagging, and partial syntactic analysis. Some problems in French text-to-speech, such as nasalization, liaison, realization of schwas, lengthening of silences, prosodic groupings, as well as stable versus unstable phonemes are discussed.
A probabilistic approach to AMDF pitch detection
Authors: Ying Goangshiuan S. , Jamieson Leah H. , Mitchell Carl D.
Published: October 2005

Global error correction routines play an important part in pitch detection algorithms (PDAs). Raw pitch period estimates are often incorrect. A good error correction routine can significantly improve the overall set of pitch estimates for an utterance. A simple and straightforward error correction routine is proposed. The pitch period markers are selected by a two-stage probabilistic postprocessor. A time-domain PDA, AMDF (average magnitude difference function) generates the markers (candidates for the pitch period) for each frame of the utterance. An initial pitch period estimate for each frame is produced, but all of the markers are also saved for possible later use. Using these initial estimates, a probability distribution of the pitch period is calculated across the utterance. This probability distribution is used to adjust the weights of the markers in each frame. Using these new weights, a new pitch period estimate is calculated for each frame. This process is performed twice, each time using the distribution of the previous pitch estimates of the utterance. Initial testing has been done on the CSTR database. The experiments have shown that this procedure can improve the selection of pitch markers and improve pitch contour continuity in the pitch range of the speaker.