bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A description of the acoustic properties of rhotics in Costa Rican Spanish
Authors: Salazar Rodó Sergio J.
Published: November 2023

Studies into the rhotic variation in Costa Rican Spanish have previously utilized perceptive methodologies and focused primarily on phonetic/phonological descriptions of the phenomenon. More recent studies such as Dearstyne (2021) have utilized modern acoustic methodology and have found a system that includes trills, taps, assibilated fricatives and approximants. This study focuses on the latter, seeking to acoustically describe the variant rhotics in this dialect. The methodology is centered on audio-recordings of native speakers from Costa Rica performing a sentence-reading task. The sentences were created to contain rhotics in the contexts in which rhotic variation has been previously documented by Vásquez Carranza (2006). Dependent variables are predicated on the manner of articulation; formants are recorded for approximants while spectral peaks and the center of gravity is taken for assibilated fricatives. Preliminary results for three participants show acoustic values for both qualities that are consistent with the alveolar place of articulation, yet different to other languages and dialects (Quilis 1981, Edwards 1992). (Spectral peak [ř] = 1,408 Hz, center of gravity [ř] = 240 Hz, F2 [ɹ] = 1,755 Hz). It is expected that these data will contribute to a better understanding of the rhotic system in this dialect of Spanish.
Utilizing acoustic methods to investigate word-boundary vowel sequences in one Arabic-Spanish contact situation
Authors: Salazar Rodó Sergio J. , Stafstrom Eden , Alrahil Miriam , Cambridge Julia
Published: November 2023

In the modern world, the globalized nature of both Arabic and Spanish has led to distinct contact situations in different countries. This investigation focuses on word-boundary vowel sequences, which are typically realized as hiatuses or diphthongs in native Spanish speakers. By contrast, native Arabic speakers will not utilize diphthongs across word boundaries, instead preferring to lengthen one vowel or produce a glottal stop (Mohamed 2020).This investigation examines how these distinct strategies are reconciled in the contact situation of Moroccan immigrants to Spain by utilizing acoustic methods to identify and qualify the bilingual approach to word-boundary vowel sequences. This investigation compares monolingual Spanish speakers (n = 3) to two groups of L1 Arabic (Arabic-dominant and Spanish-dominant, n = 7) in Alicante, Spain. Participants completed a language survey, a reading task, and a sociolinguistic interview. All linguistic tasks were recorded and analyzed acoustically on Praat (Boersma & Weenink 2023) utilizing the waveform and spectrogram to identify the strategies utilized to resolve the phonological boundaries. Results from Spanish-dominant bilinguals differ from previous studies in Puerto Rico (Mohamed, 2020), suggesting that this language contact situation differs in Spain and opening up new avenues for study in this area.
Investigating the interaction between voice quality and plosive production in Australian Englishes: Acoustic features of vowel-/t/ sequences
Authors: Loakes Debbie , McDougall Kirsty , Gregory Adele
Published: November 2023

A number of researchers have posited a link between voice quality and consonant production (e.g., Keating and Esposito 2007). This work investigates the connection between the acoustics of voice quality (laryngeal behaviour) and consonant realization (supralaryngeal behaviour) in Australian Englishes. Focusing on speech produced by 52 Australian English speakers (both “mainstream” and Aboriginal English speakers), we show that in vowel-/t/ sequences “breathy” t-categories (e.g., affricates, fricatives) co-occur with breathier vowels (including those with pre-aspiration), while laryngealized t-categories (e.g., ejectives, glottal stops) co-occur with creakier vowels. Vowels preceeding breathy /t/ categories have stastistically significantly higher F0 and H1–H2 values compared to vowels preceding canonical /t/. Meanwhile, vowels preceding glottal t-categories generally have lower mean spectral tilt measures (H1–H2, H1–A1), signifying increased creakiness in the vowel prior to glottal variants. We also report on dynamic analyses of H1–A1, paying attention to acoustic features of the last 25% of the vowel where peaks/troughs occur depending on consonant quality. A relationship between the voice quality of the vowel and the (broad) consonant type is demonstrated, however, it is not one-to-one. Rather voice quality appears to assist in creating the right conditions for particular consonantal variants. Keating, P. and C. Esposito. (2007), “Linguistic voice quality”, UCLA Working Papers in Phonetics, 105: 85-91.
Weakening patterns of intervocalic voiced plosives in Japanese
Authors: Li Weiyu , Mizoguchi Ai , Morimoto Maho , Arai Takayuki
Published: November 2023

Japanese voiced plosives have been observed to exhibit weakened burst intensity, and in some instances, they may show a complete weakening with no observable burst. Maekawa (2010) investigated the weakening rate of voiced plosives in Japanese and its relationship with surrounding acoustic environments. His study revealed a notable tendency for consonant weakening, particularly at positions characterized by weak prosodic boundaries. However, despite referring to a general phenomenon of consonant weakening, there exist various pronunciation patterns. The articulatory gestures responsible for generating these diverse weakening patterns have not yet been thoroughly investigated. In this research, we conducted recording experiments involving native Japanese speakers, simultaneously capturing tongue movements using an ultrasound device. Our focus was directed towards the patterns of weakening observed in intervocalic Japanese voiced plosives and how to classify them. We identified three major patterns of plosives consonant weakening: (1) Voiced glide pattern, (2) Voiced frication pattern, and (3) Pattern with halted vocal fold vibration and weak aspiration. Variation was found in the frequency of occurrence of these patterns among alveolar, velar, and bilabial plosives. It is important to note that the rate of specific weakening patterns at different articulatory points varies among individuals. Additionally, for alveolar and velar sounds, tongue movement was analyzed using ultrasound imaging.
mGlif: A software tool for manual glottal inverse filtering
Authors: Mokhtari Parham
Published: November 2023

Despite decades of advances in automated estimation of the voice source (glottal flow) from the speech signal, manual glottal inverse filtering remains the gold standard; yet, options are limited regarding available software tools. Here, a new software application for glottal-flow estimation is introduced, with a graphical user interface designed for manual specification and tuning of inverse-filter parameters while results are updated and displayed in real-time. The user can flexibly control the signal polarity and sampling rate, the analysis frame position and duration, and the type of window and preemphasis for vocal-tract modeling. The tunable inverse-filter parameters are the frequencies and bandwidths of vocal-tract poles and zeros, and the lip-radiation coefficient. A single window displays graphical information in several panels: the speech waveform (scrollable), the selected frame, its log-power spectrum before and after preemphasis, the model spectrum including vocal-tract and lip-radiation effects, the estimated glottal-flow waveform, its derivative, and their log-power spectra. All information pertaining to an analysis may be saved at any time, ready to be reloaded for review or analysis resumption. Key data may also be exported for further use outside the application. The software will be made freely available to the research community.
Angle domain cepstral comb and notch liftering—A method to separate concurrent gear and bearing faults under variable speed conditions
Authors: Randall Robert , Smith Wade
Published: November 2023

In recent years, in particular because of the importance of wind turbines in renewable power generation, there is now a demand for signal processing techniques to cope with the variable speed. It is also important to distinguish between gear and bearing faults which are both critical in wind turbine monitoring. This paper describes a pair of interrelated techniques, which make use of the fundamental differences between gear and bearing fault signals to separately diagnose them, even when both are present at the same time, andfor speed variations up to ± 20%. The signals are order tracked to the (rotation) angle domain, after which the real cepstrum is calculated. The deterministic gear signals appear only at discrete quefrencies, which can be extracted by comb liftering, which results in signals virtually independent of speed and speed variation, and which are very close to the static transmission error (STE) of each gear. For bearing faults, the discrete quefrency components are instead removed by a comb notch lifter, leaving a signal dominated by the bearing fault information. The paper gives numerous examples from gear test rigs with concurrent gear faults (root crack and developing pitting) and bearing faults, separating and diagnosing the two types of fault sources while excluding background noise.
Predicting virtual acoustic source properties in a stereophonic sound-field using the coherence properties of the acoustic velocity vector field
Authors: Driscoll Erin , Bocko Mark , Smith Sarah R.
Published: November 2023

It is widely understood that the mutual coherence properties, including the relative phase, of the channel signals in a stereophonic sound reproduction system significantly influence a listener’s perception of the resulting virtual acoustic sources. This talk presents a quantitative model that combines wavefield coherence theory, the acoustic velocity vector, and known perceptual cues to make quantitative predictions of the perceived location and spatial spread of horizontally placed stereophonic virtual sources as a function of the mutual coherence properties of the stereo channel signals. It will be seen that a small number of parameters, including the intrinsic coherence time of the source signal, the relative phase of the channels, and perceptual averaging times, account for most of the variation in the cues that determine virtual acoustic source localization. The output of the coherence model will be compared to the results of earlier experiments, including ones investigating the “phaseyness” problem and precedence effect. Additionally, the potential of this model to account for reverberation in the listening space will be demonstrated.
Development of a data sonification toolkit and case study sonifying astrophysical phenomena for visually imparied individuals
Authors: Jones Kim-Marie N. , Allen Mitchell J. , McCutcheon Kashlin
Published: November 2023

Data is predominantly conveyed and analysed in a visual manner. Data sonification provides an alternative approach to data analysis, has a broader application (e.g., peripheral monitoring) and offers accessibility to an alternative cohort (e.g., the visually impaired). While there are countless data visualization tools available, producing data sonifications typically requires in-depth knowledge of audio software and/or computer programming. Research was undertaken into existing data sonification tools, and subsequently a Data Sonification Toolkit was developed using Abelton Live and Max for Live. The Toolkit was developed in particular as an alternative means of data analysis for use by multiple disciplines across a built environment firm. The key aims for the toolkit were that (1) it should be user-friendly and accessible to people without an in-depth knowledge of either Ableton or Max, (2) the sonifications produced be accurate and true representations of input data sets, and (3) the Toolkit should have the capability and flexibility to be expanded and customized by those with the expertise to do so. The Toolkit was used, in collaboration with astrophysicist Chris Harrison, to develop sonifications of astronomical phenomena for the visually impaired. These sonifications were presented at the British Science Festival in 2019.
Electroacoustic modeling of speech intelligibility for a new road tunnel
Authors: Thompson Derek , Victoria Reymar , Feng Jennifer
Published: November 2023

This paper presents the process of electroacoustic design and modeling for tunnel public address (PA) system for the North East Link (NEL) road tunnel in Melbourne. The tunnel includes over 6km of twin-bore tunnels, with varying cross-sections along its length. The different tunnel spaces addressed in the design include mainline tunnel bores, interchanges, ramps, as well as pedestrian cross-passages and egress passages. This paper outlines how large data sets from CAD models were managed using a new automation method (Grasshopper 3D) throughout the design process to produce and maintain detailed electroacoustic modeling in Odeon software. In particular, this paper explores new and novel modeling methods adopted to address design constraints and to achieve a PA system capable of producing adequate speech intelligibility for emergency evacuation within very challenging acoustic environments.
Influence of indoor and outdoor noises on the speech intelligibility in classrooms
Authors: Lee Seung-Min , Haan Chan-Hoon
Published: November 2023

There are many noise sources inside the classrooms such as heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning(HVAC) noises. Also, there are outdoor noises near classrooms such as road traffic noises. Under these situations, teachers are using loudspeaker system in order to enhance the speech transmission. The present study aims to investigate the students’ subjective responses to teacher’s speech under many different noise situations. in order to this, questionnaire survey was undertaken to 60 students in two different classrooms. They were asked to mark their subjective listening comprehension and speech intelligibility in 5-points scale at every cases when three conditions were changed including opening status of doors and windows, operating HVAC system, and usage of loudspeaker system. Also, sound levels were measured in each case. As a result, it was found that only 17% of subjects responded that they were prevented from noises from outdoor and HVAC system. Also, it was responded that using loudspeaker system can enhance the listening conditions 2.7 times more than normal condition. Nevertheless, there are 33% of negative responses to loudspeaker system due to the artificial tone of speech. Thus, it can be concluded that indoor and outdoor noises cause by opening windows and operating HVAC system do not affect student’s speech intelligibility much in general cases, Also, using loudspeaker system in small classroom should be used cautiously considering students’ preferences.
Evolution of the highest sound pressure levels in vertebrate communication calls
Authors: Walker Benjamin J. , Jordan Neil R. , Rogers Tracey L.
Published: November 2023

The loudest communication calls produced by vertebrates have been proposed to have a physical limit. However, this idea is at odds with the implicit assumption that loudness is driven by body size, where each section of an acoustic system (e.g., vocal tract, pharyngeal space, lungs) increases in size as an animal gets larger. A physical limit to loudness may exist for animals with different acoustic systems, but this has not been explored using comparative analysis. We compare the loudest communication calls across 80 vertebrate species and show the assertion of a physical limit to loudness exists for animals with particular acoustic systems but breaks down where others scale with body mass. We show that for vertebrates with air sacs, loudness scales with body mass but it approaches a physical limit. We also show that air sac location can affect loudness, where louder calls are correlated with air sacs that filter (after the sound source) as opposed to air sacs that increase air volume (before the sound source). We examine ecological and evolutionary pressures which may have led to these modifications and their influence on vocal signaling.
A cabled ocean acoustic array to be installed in the Gulf of Maine
Authors: Miksis-Olds Jennifer , Brask Debra , Buck David , Cole Art , Hashem Leon , Hennessey Jack , Lyons Anthony P. , Martin Bruce S. , Ridgeway Theresa , Rogers Richard , Willoughby David
Published: November 2023

It is often noted that we know more about the planets than the processes of our oceans. A network of ocean observatories is improving our knowledge; however, measurements are still relatively scarce and do not provide enough data to validate and refine models of ocean currents, soundscapes, and biological activity. A cabled acoustic array is being developed for deployment in 2024 in the coastal waters of the Gulf of Maine to complement existing oceanographic monitoring infrastructure. The system will make measurements of the nearshore (6 km) environment and shed light on the connections between coastal measurements and the overall Gulf of Maine environment. The system is designed to synoptically collect acoustic, oceanographic, and biogeochemical data, while also remaining flexible enough in design to incorporate new sensors in the future. Measurements made with this ocean asset will serve as a baseline for pattern and trend analyses of changing environmental conditions in an area of high productivity, human use, and species diversity. The data management and visualization team are developing an infrastructure to provide public access to the data and its products. Public data access will permit researchers at all levels to advance our understanding of ocean acoustics and oceanographic processes.
Using ocean ambient sound to sense arrival time fluctuations due to temperature
Authors: Ragland John , Abadi Shima
Published: November 2023

Ambient noise interferometry is a technique that uses coherent ambient sound measured at two separate locations to estimate the Green’s function between the sensors. Specifically, if the ambient sound is diffuse, the cross-correlation between sensors converges to the Green’s function between the sensors. In this talk, we apply the technique of ambient noise interferometry to two Ocean Observatories Initiative hydrophones that are separated by 3.2km and bottom mounted at a depth of 1500 m. It has previously been shown that these hydrophones can passively estimate several multi-path propagation peaks reliably throughout the 8 years that they have been recording ambient sound. We present an algorithm that estimates the arrival time of these peaks using the empirical Green’s function and compare these estimated arrivals to simulated acoustic arrivals. We demonstrate that the arrival times estimated with ambient sound show good agreement with the simulated results and have clear annual fluctuations due to seasonal temperature changes in the water column. We will discuss the future possibilities of extending this work for inversion based oceanographic measurements. [work supported by ONR.]
Automatic detection of lung ultrasound b-lines over heart cycles for assessing pulmonary edema
Authors: Bui Ngoc Thang , Luoma Charlie E. , Zhang Xiaoming
Published: November 2023

Excess extravascular lung water (EVLW) is a common consequence for patients with congestive heart failure, inflammatory conditions, or acute respiratory distress syndrome. Computed tomography (CT) is widely used to assess EVLW, but with a higher radiation dose and logistical complexity. Lung ultrasound (LUS) using B-line artifacts demonstrates a reasonable correlation with EVLW, but user experience with the acquisition technique, equipment-dependent factors and the subjective analysis of the B-line artifacts results in significant inter-observer variability. We propose a technique to automatically detect lung ultrasound B-lines over heart cycles. The method first extracts B-mode image features from videos in a region of interest (ROI). A ResNet50-UNet network is then applied to segment regions of B-lines. This technique was performed on 8 videos (i.e., 4 patients versus 4 controls with the duration of each video 2–3 s, resolution 1024 × 758 pixels, and frame rate 28 fps). The training accuracy and lossvalue of proposed models were 96.5% and 0.05, respectively. The paired t-test statical analysis shows that there is significant difference (p-value = 0.0035) of total number of B-line between normal and lungs with edema. The proposed method improves the accuracy for counting the B-lines and reduces the labor work and intra-observer variability from different users.
Skull bone acoustics properties in children with specific language disorders
Authors: elnoshokaty ibrahim y.
Published: November 2023

The acoustic properties of the skull OF children with specific language disorders and how they might affect hearing were investigated. Broadband noise was isolated throw 2 procedures first by all tests in the audiology room and second by a tailored isolated helmet with six bone mics attached to skull gaps and spectrally analyzed using a Fast Fourier Transform and in 1/3-octave bands. Energetic peaks were found centered near 63 and 125 Hz, and all on the left side of the skull (e.g., range greater than 10 dB around 900 Hz). Acoustic patterns from each skull were subsequently compared with air and bone conduction sensory thresholds. Individual skull patterns reliably correlated with bone conduction thresholds, but not air conduction thresholds, indicating a possible mediating role of the skull to hearing.
A research on cognition of Soundscape in daily life of university students living in Tokyo
Authors: Akita Takeshi
Published: November 2023

In the present research, interest to soundscape that is cognized by a person in everyday life is investigated. Ordinarily, a person perceives their environment by using his sense. Using hearing sense, he perceives acoustic environment. At the same time, he perceives light environment by vision, thermal environment by sensation of warmth, and air quality by smell. In such a case, knowing how important acoustic environment is for people among various environment is seemed to be useful for creating good soundscape. To reveal this point, one investigation using a questionnaire of freedescription is carried out. Forty-five university students who were all twenties and lived in Tokyo participated in the investigation. They were instructed to write down perceived environment (acoustic, light, thermal, or air quality environment) and its comfortableness in their daily life at home, office, or part time job. Results showed that 7.3 environments per person were answered by questionee, and 41.9% of answer were about acoustic environment. They also showed that 49.3% of answers about acoustic environment said uncomfortable, but that answered acoustic environment and its comfortableness varied widely. It is supposed that students in Tokyo relatively have high level interest in soundscape among various environments.
What’s that noise—Found it! Sometimes
Authors: Baldassano John , Keefe Joseph
Published: November 2023

A few case studies involving investigation of mystery noise sources are presented. These address techniques used to identify the cause of complaints, locate noise sources amidst competing noise, and compare predicted sound levels to measured sound levels. The presentation will discuss mysteries solved, our approach to noise control recommendations, and lessons learned. Interesting cases include investigation of a tone generated by an electrical power transmission line pole, office noise control involving malfunctioning HVAC systems, and noise source identification within a quiet multi-family residence.
The wave equation as a differentiable-programmable computer for the design of acoustic metamaterials
Authors: Shah Tristan A. , Tiomkin Stas , Amirkulova Feruza
Published: November 2023

Designing new metamaterials enables fine-grain control of wave dynamics. Applications of these materials range from wave steering devices for seismic wave manipulation, to “super-focusing” devices for high-resolution ultrasound imaging and surgery. Control of systems governed by partial differential equations is an inherently hard problem. Specifically, control of wave dynamics is a challenging problem, because of the additional physical constraints and intrinsic properties of wave phenomena such as attenuation, reflection, and scattering. In this work, we propose a novel method for transient control of wave equations with Model Predictive Control. The proposed model incorporates the essential physical properties observed in the original dynamics directly into its lower dimensional latent space. We show that our model is capable of using its latent dynamics to predict scalar integral quantities over a variable length timespan. Moreover, it is fully interpretable by the corresponding physical quantities, which allows it to guarantee solution properties. We demonstrate this method by solving important cases of wave equation, which have not been solved before, such as control of transient waves. We make our code publicly available.
Slow vibration via acoustoelastic coupling: Quasi-bound states in the continuum
Authors: Lee Dongwoo , Park Jeonghoon , Rho Junsuk
Published: November 2023

Elastic bound states in the continuum (BICs) have recently garnered significant attention due to their remarkably high Q-factor, leading to the decoupling of the confined mode from spectrally coexisting radiational channels. In this presentation, we introduce a novel state capable of generating a slow vibration phenomenon, exhibiting multiphysics analogous to the concept of slow light observed in electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). This state arises from the interaction of acoustoelastic coupling within a composite structure, featuring two acoustic cavities enclosed in an elastic bar. The proposed design facilitates quasi-BICs with exceptional spatial efficiency localized within a specific area, enabling tuning of the Purcell factor by approximately six orders of magnitude. The findings of such quasi-BICs may expand the BIC family and opens new avenues for applications in diverse fields, including lasing, sensing, screening, and energy storage platforms, where ultrahigh-Q-factor modes coexist with radiative channels.
Bistable origami-inspired acoustics metasurface for dynamic beam scanning
Authors: Le Dinh Hai , Kronowetter Felix , Chiang Yankei , Rao Jing , Maeder Marcus , Marburg Steffen , Powell David
Published: November 2023

The synergistic integration of acoustic metasurfaces with the adaptive reconfigurability of origami art has demonstrated significant promise in thedynamic modulation of sound waves. This paper proposes an innovative approach to acoustic metasurfaces that incorporates bistable origami-inspired folding structure and digital coding to enable dynamic reconfiguration of beam scanning. The unit cell of the metasurface is optimized to realize two equilibrium states with 180-degree phase difference that can be coded as binary 0 and 1. In particular, by programming each element of the metasurface with different coding sequences, two symmetric reflected acoustic beams can be manipulated at different angles. The proposed design signifies a noteworthy advancement in the field of acoustic metasurfaces, offering a flexible and versatile solution applicable to acoustic imaging, communication, and sensing applications.
Comparing the influence of auditory streaming cues on binaural pitch fusion in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners
Authors: Dean Nicole , Gallun Frederick , Reiss Lina
Published: November 2023

Binaural pitch fusion occurs when dichotic signals eliciting a different pitch are perceived as one sound. Previously, we investigated the effects of auditory streaming cues on binaural fusion using a modification of the ABA streaming paradigm. A dichotic stimulus (fixed tone at frequency fref in the reference ear and variable frequency in the contralateral ear) was presented at alternating intervals with up to 3 “capture” tones at fref. Participants reported whether they perceived galloping or two streams. Binaural fusion frequency range decreased with the number of capture tones and longer inter-stimulus intervals (ISIs), suggesting competition of sequential grouping with capture tones versus simultaneous grouping (fusion) with the dichotic tone. In the present study, we compared the effects in NH and hearing-impaired (HI) listeners. Preliminary data from 13 NH and 5 HI listeners suggest greater reductions in fusion range with number of capture tones and with longer ISI in HI listeners, especially in listeners with broad binaural fusion. These findings indicate that auditory grouping cues can reduce binaural fusion in both NH and HI listeners. Funded by NIH/NIDCD R01DC013307.
Effects of visual stimuli on auditory separation of sound images spatially split by synthesized binaural signal
Authors: Morikawa Daisuke , Sakai Tsubasa , Mokhtari Parham
Published: November 2023

In order to clarify the effect of visual stimuli on the spatially split perception of sound images by interaural differences, we conducted spatially split perception experiments under conditions in which visual stimuli were presented on a head mounted display. The auditory stimuli were synthesized binaural signals consisting of two uncorrelated pink noises convolved with the receiver's own head related impulse responses. As manipulated by the listener using the mouse scroll-wheel, the visual and auditory stimuli spread to the left and right in front of the listener, and the listener was made to answer at what point the sound images were spatially split into two. As a result, the detection limit was smaller in the conditions with split visual stimuli than in the condition without visual stimulus. These results suggest that visual stimuli that give the impression of separation reduce the detection limit of the auditorily perceived spatially split sound images.
Crossmodal cueing of masker location in a localization-in-noise task
Authors: Simpson Brian D. , Spencer Nathaniel J. , Wang Michelle , Gilkey Robert H. , Thompson Eric R.
Published: November 2023

Simpson et al. [JASA 129(4), 2489, (2011)] found that localization of a target presented in a simultaneous masker improved when, on a trial-by-trial basis, a preview of the masking stimulus was presented at the location of the upcoming masker. Subsequent research revealed that this improvement resulted solely from cueing the location of the masker (i.e., cueing spectro-temporal properties of the masker provided no additional benefit). In the present study, we examined the degree to which the benefit of cueing masker location depended on the modality in which this cue was provided. In separate blocks of trials, the location of the masker was cued auditorily, visually (LED activated at the masker location) and audio-visually, and compared to performance in a no-cue baseline. The results revealed a substantial (∼10 dB) benefit of cueing the masker auditorily over the no-cue condition, consistent with previous results. Importantly, there was also a substantial (albeit smaller) benefit of a visual cue (∼6 dB). Performance with a bimodal cue was no different than performance with an auditory cue. Thus, although hearing a sound from the upcoming masker location was most effective, the ability to effectively cue space crossmodally suggests that the spatial information itself is most critical.
Accounting for individual differences in the effects of hearing protectors on sound source localization
Authors: Audet David J. , Hunsaker Aoi A. , Greene Nathaniel T. , Butler Mallory A. , Anderson David A. , Jerding Jennifer , Argo Ted , Brown Andrew D.
Published: November 2023

Modern hearing protection devices (HPDs) mitigate the risk of noise-induced hearing loss when used as intended, but negative auditory perceptual side-effects continue to limit usability in critical settings. Dozens of studies, including previous studies by our group, have shown that HPDs lead to significant errors in sound source localization, including large errors in source elevation perception and disorienting front-back confusions. Degradation of performance relative to open-ear listening arises due to peripheral disruptions of monaural and binaural acoustic cues for sound localization; for higher-attenuation devices, reduced audibility can also limit access to these cues, even if cues are relatively intact. A recent multi-site effort by our group leveraged manikin-based acoustic measurements of HPD-induced signal distortions to predict human localization performance during HPD use. Manikin-based acoustic metrics were positively correlated with behavioral performance across a large population of human listeners (n ≥ 120), enabling discrimination of localization impacts across HPDs, but significant individual variability was evident. Here we consider individual factors that may contribute to variability in HPD localization impact across wearers, including audiometric factors and auricular/acoustic factors. Correlational analyses of individualized predictors with localization performance provide new insight on factors that may differentially constrain – or facilitate – sound localization during HPD use.
Effect of cortical activity enhancement on medial olivocochlear reflex
Authors: Uchiyama Kandai , Otsuka Sho , Nakagawa Seiji
Published: November 2023

The medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR) is reported to protects the inner ear from acoustic overexposure. It has been shown that MOCR by fluctuations in cognitive function, e.g., attention and expectation. However, the mechanism by which the cortical cognitive processing modulates MOCR has not been clarified. To investigate this mechanism, we compared the variability of cortical activity and MOCR after a mental calculation task that demands widespread cortical network activities. Cortical activity was assessed by measuring slow vertex response (SVR). Although MOCR strength and SVR amplitude did not change significantly after the calculation task, two measures had reverse dependence on the difficulty of the calculation task; A moderately difficult calculation task increased SVR amplitude while reduced MOCR strength. The results implicate that MOCR variations can be attributed to cortical activity changes. In addition, by simultaneously measuring MOCR and EEG during the calculation task, the time course of the effect of the cortical modulatory effect on MOCR was also examined.
The effect of medial olivocochlear reflex enhancement associated with temporal expectation on listening performance in noise
Authors: Ishizaka Yuki , Otsuka Sho , Nakagawa Seiji
Published: November 2023

The medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR) is efferent feedback activated by acoustic stimulation and plays a role to improve signal detection in noise. We have reported that the MOCR and phase locking value (PLV) of delta oscillations showed a similar decreasing tendency with increasing jitter added to the preceding sound sequence. This suggests that the processing at the cortical regions is involved in the regularity -based enhancement of MOCR. Further, the dependency disappeared as the load of the interfered task increased, suggesting that the cortical predictive control of MOCR requires top-down attention to sounds. Considering the anti-masking effect of MOCR, MOCR enhancement with anticipation may improve listening performance in noise. We extended our previous experiments by measuring listening performance in noise and compared its dependence on the jitter size with MOCR strength and PLV of delta oscillation. In the low load condition, the three indices increased with decreasing the jitter. In the high load condition, by contrast, the dependency on the jitter size disappeared. The similarities of the indices in the dependency on jitter size and attention implicate that the cortical predictive control can facilitate the antimasking of MOCR, therefore improving the listening performance in noise.
Right, but not left, posterior superior temporal gyrus is causally involved in vocal feedback control
Authors: Liu Hanjun , Liu Dongxu , Jones Jeffery A.
Published: November 2023

The posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG) has been implicated in the integration auditory feedback and motor system for controlling vocal production. However, the question as to whether and how the pSTG is causally involved in vocal feedback control is currently unclear. To this end, the present study selectively stimulated the left or right pSTG with continuous theta burst stimulation (c-TBS) in healthy participants, then used event-related potentials to investigate neurobehavioral changes in response to altered auditory feedback during vocal pitch regulation. The results showed that, compared to control (vertex) stimulation, c-TBS over the right pSTG led to smaller vocal compensations for pitch perturbations accompanied by smaller cortical N1 and larger P2 responses. Enhanced P2 responses received contributions from the right-lateralized temporal and parietal regions as well as the insula, and were significantly correlated with suppressed vocal compensations. Surprisingly, these effects were not found when comparing c-TBS over the left pSTG with control stimulation. Our findings provide evidence that supports a causal relationship between right, but not left, pSTG and auditory-motor integration for vocal pitch production. This lends support to a right-lateralized contribution of the pSTG in not only detecting vocal feedback errors but also driving motor commands for error correction.
Exploring the relationship between real-time midsagittal images of the vocal tract and volumetric data
Authors: Jin Craig , Gully Amelia , Proctor Michael I. , Ballard Kirrie , Foster Sheryl , Piyadasa Tharinda , Yue Yaoyao
Published: November 2023

3D analysis of the vocal tract using dynamic MRI remains a technically difficult challenge. Various approaches have been explored such as using parametic models of the vocal tract (Yehia et al., 1997); integrating data across parallel slices of 2D dynamic data (Zhu et al., 2012); applying stack-of-spiral MRI sampling with 3D constrained reconstruction (Zhao et al., 2020); and combining static 3D and dynamic 2D data (Douros et al., 2019). In this work, we follow a similar approach to Douros et al. and explore the relationship between 2D real-time midsagittal images and 3D volumetric scans of the vocal tract. The real-time MRI midsagittal images are recorded during vowel-consonant-vowel vocal tasks, while the 3D volumetric scans are recorded during sustained vowels. We use large deformation diffeomorphic metric mapping as the foundation for this modeling work. We explore techniques to use constraints provided by the real-time MRI midsagittal images to enable smooth deformations of the 3D volumetric data. We focus on the feasibility of the methods and report on the types of constraints explored and the resulting deformations of the 3D volumetric data.
Matching pursuit algorithm for cement evaluation behind the casing
Authors: Assous Said , Bacciarelli Mark , Belloul Arezki M.
Published: November 2023

The oil and gas sector makes extensive use of ultrasonic tool technology for casing and cement examination for well integrity. This requires the determination of the thickness of the casing, its internal structure, and the mechanical properties of the cement behind the casing. In essence an ultrasonic instrument analyses the ultrasonic pulse echoes returned off the internal surface of the casing. To determine the acoustic impedance of the material behind the casing, it can be difficult to distinguish between the primary reflection from the interior surface of the casing and the ones due to the ringing inside the casing wall itself. The primary reflection offers details regarding the internal geometry of the casing, and the decay of the energy within the casing wall reveals more about how well the cement is bonded to the casing. The ultrasonic signals that the transducer receives when it functions as a receiver are easily contaminated by noise, or part of the reflection may be blocked, or the main waveform and the many ringing waveforms are difficult to separate. As a result, the echo signals will have frequency and phase drift or be deformed. To address the various energy packets and extract the pertinent component independently, a matching pursuit algorithm was developed with a specific dictionary to deal with the different energy packets and extract the relevant component separately. The algorithm was tested on simulated and field data.
Monitoring of bolt loosening using vibro-acoustic modulation (VAM)
Authors: LI Jianbin , Zhang Zhen
Published: November 2023

Detection of bolt loosening using vibro-acoustic modulation (VAM) has been increasingly investigated in the past decade. However, conventional nonlinear coefficients, derived from theoretical analysis, are usually based on the assumption of ideal wave-surface interactions at the joint interfaces. Such coefficients show a poor correlation with the tightening torque when the joint is under the combined influences from structural and material nonlinearities. A reliable inspection method of residual bolt torque was proposed in this study using Support Vector Regression (SVR) with acoustic features from VAM. By considering material intrinsic nonlinearity (MIN) and dissipative nonlinearity (DN), responses of aluminum-aluminum and composite-composite bolted joints during the VAM test were accurately simulated. SVR were subsequently established based on the database built by a mixing of simulated and experimental nonlinear spectral features when the joints were inspected at different scenarios. The results show that the evaluation of residual torque using the SVR models driven by the acoustic nonlinear responses show a higher accuracy compared with the conventional nonlinear coefficients. Requiring limited experiment data, the proposed method can achieve reliable inspection of bolt torque by including the simulated data into machine training.
Estimating forward-looking sonar (FLS) image quality using water column data features
Authors: Vetaw Greg , Jayasuriya Suren , ODonnell Brian , Newcomb Wendy
Published: November 2023

Forward-looking sonar (FLS) underwater imaging systems are primarily used for measuring seafloor backscatter. These returns, however, may be occluded due to scattering from other objects in the water such as fish, bubbles, or other suspended objects, and in-band acoustic interference from sources like engines or other acoustic transmissions. The presence of non-seafloor scatterers or interference is most easily observed and estimated in the water column data, the portion of the time-series after the sonar has transmitted a ping, but before that ping has scattered off the seafloor and returned to the FLS. Analysis of the water column time-series returns can be leveraged to estimate the quality of seafloor imagery. In this study, we characterize bright scatterers that appear in the water column data using statistical tools and generate corresponding quality metrics to evaluate imagery.
Cavitation in an antivascular cancer therapy setting
Authors: Goertz David
Published: November 2023

Focused ultrasound in combination with circulating microbubbles is being widely investigated as a means to promote spatially targeted drug delivery. This approach has considerable potential in oncology for a range of therapeutic agents. At sufficiently high pressures, above those typically employed in drug delivery, tumor microvessel damage can be induced to an extent that leads to perfusion shutdown and subsequent ischemic tissue necrosis. This approach is often referred to as antivascular ultrasound (AVUS), which has been shown in preclinical work to be capable of enhancing the effects of radiation therapy, antiangiogenic therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. At present, the mechanisms of AVUS are not well established. It is important to gain a more detailed understanding of the bubble–microvessel interactions that lead to perfusion shutdown, along with the cavitation signatures associated with these behaviors to enable the rational development of effective cavitation based control methods. This talk will provide a brief overview of AVUS therapy in oncology and highlight recent efforts employing two-photon microscopy, high speed optical imaging, and acoustic emission monitoring to gain insights into bubble behavior within small channels and in vivo microvessels under AVUS exposure conditions.
Effect of high temperature on nonlinear guided wave in reinforced concrete structures
Authors: Ng Ching Tai , Ahmed Aseem
Published: November 2023

There are some ations that reinforced concrete (RC) structures may be subjected high temperatures, e.g., building fires, rocket and jet aircraft engine blasts, and nuclear power reactors. It is crucial to ensure the integrity and safety of these RC structures. This study investigates the effects of high temperature on the behavior of nonlinear guided wave, which can potentially be used for non-destructive evaluation, in reinforced concrete structures. In this study, the reinforced concrete specimens are heated from 100 to 800°C. Two sets of experimental studies are considered. At temperatures 100–300°C, piezoceramic transducers are embedded at the rebars in the reinforced concrete specimens to generate and measure the longitudinal wave. At temperatures 300–800°C, the longitudinal transducers are installed at the rebars exposed outside the reinforced concrete specimens. The results show that the high temperature induces the debonding between the rebar and the concrete, which causes the generation of the second harmonic when the longitudinal wave interacts with the debonding. A nonlinear parameter is defined to monitor the effects of the heat damage caused by the increasing temperature on the reinforced concrete structures.
Towards audiovisual scene analysis and object formation
Authors: Lee Adrian KC , Maddox Ross , Bizley Jennifer
Published: November 2023

The neural mechanisms underpinning auditory scene analysis and object formation have been of intense research interest in the past two decades. Fundamentally, however, we live in a multisensory environment. Even Cherry in his original paper posited that “lip reading” as a way for us to solve the cocktail party problem. Yet, how different aspects of visual cues (e.g., timing, linguistic information) help listeners follow conversation in a complex acoustic scene is still not well understood. In this talk, we present a theoretical framework to study audiovisual scene analysis that has been extrapolated from the unisensory object-based attention literature and posit the following questions: How do we define a multi-modal object? What are the predictions from unisensory object-based attention theory when we apply to the audiovisual domain? What are the conceptual models to test the different neural mechanisms that underpin audiovisual scene analysis? Answering these questions would move us closer to addressing the cocktail party problem in the real-world setting as well as help us create, de novo, audiovisual scenes that are more engaging in the augmented/virtual reality world.