bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Risk of piperacillin‐induced hemolytic anemia in patients with cystic fibrosis and antipseudomonal treatment: a prospective observational study
Authors: Roehmel Jobst , Specht Philip , Staab Doris , Schwarz Carsten , Salama Abdulgabar , Mayer Beate
Published: November 2019

BACKGROUND

Drug‐induced immune hemolytic anemia (DIIHA) is a rare but severe side effect caused by numerous drugs. Case reports and case series suggest that piperacillin‐related DIIHA may be more common among patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). However, the prevalence is speculative. The aim of this prospective, observational study was determine the prevalence of DIIHA in such affected patients.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Patients with CF hospitalized for parenteral antibiotic therapy at Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, who had previously been exposed to IV antibiotics, were enrolled. Blood samples were collected on Days 3 and 12 of antibiotic treatment courses. Serological studies were performed using standard techniques with gel cards. Screening for drug‐dependent antibodies (ddab) was performed in the presence of the drugs and their urinary metabolites.

RESULTS

A total of 52 parenteral antibiotic cycles in 43 patients were investigated. Ddab against piperacillin were detected in two patients (4.7%). The direct AHG was positive with anti‐IgG only in both patients. However only one of these patients developed mild immune hemolytic anemia. Both patients had been repeatedly treated with piperacillin without any evident hemolysis. There was no correlation between the exposure to piperacillin and the prevalence of ddab.

CONCLUSION

Our prospective study indicates that piperacillin‐induced ddab occur more frequently in patients with CF than previously suggested. The question related to the significance of piperacillin‐dependent antibodies may reflect new aspects in this field.
SCIENCE AND RELIGION IN NINETEENTH‐CENTURY EUROPE: NON‐ANGLO‐AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES
Authors: Navarro Jaume , Tampakis Kostas
Published: November 2019

This is an introduction to the thematic section on “The Historiography of Science and Religion in Europe,” which resulted from a symposium held at the eighth Conference of the European Society for the History of Science, University College London, UK, from September 14–17, 2018. The introduction provides a brief argument for the decentering of science and religion from the Anglo‐American discourse. It concludes by previewing the contributions of the section's essays.
TEILHARD, THE SIX PROPOSITIONS, AND HUMAN ORIGINS: A RESPONSE
Authors: Grumett David
Published: November 2019

Recent archival research has uncovered material that usefully explains why the French Jesuit Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was required to remain in China for so long, despite assenting to the Six Propositions. However, the context in Rome, existing narrative evidence, and aspects of the archival evidence make it more likely than not that the Holy Office had a role in his silencing. Proposition 4 advocated monogenism, whereas Teilhard was developing a monophyletic understanding of human origins, which is consistent with recent attempts to situate Adam and Eve within an evolutionary account of these. The content of Proposition 4 exceeded existing magisterial teaching and requiring Teilhard's subscription to it suppressed legitimate theological debate.
HARUN YAHYA'S INFLUENCE IN MUSLIM MINORITY CONTEXTS: IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH IN BRITAIN, EUROPE, AND BEYOND
Authors: Moran Glen
Published: November 2019

In 2006, the Turkish Harun Yahya Enterprise published and distributed thousands of copies of its anti‐evolutionary textAtlas of Creationto educational institutes in the West. Although this was little more than a publicity stunt, it resulted in Harun Yahya becoming a mainstay in discussions about creationism in Europe. Although Yahya is often presented as the “go to” representative of European Muslim perceptions of evolution, one would be hard pressed to find the literature about Islamic creationism in Europe that does not engage in a discussion of Harun Yahya. However, little evidence exists to support the notion that Harun Yahya warrants such extensive attention, or that Harun Yahya has a substantive influence among European Muslims. This article will explore existing claims about the popularity of Harun Yahya, before drawing on recent research into Muslim perceptions of evolution to argue that Harun Yahya is relatively unknown among Muslims, at least in the British context, and is not influential even among those who are familiar with his work.
DRAPER IN SPAIN: THE CONFLICTING CIRCULATION OF THE CONFLICT THESIS
Authors: Navarro Jaume
Published: November 2019

This article delves into the reception of John W. Draper's History of the Conflict between Religion and Science in Spain. With two translations into Spanish appearing almost simultaneously in 1876, the conflict became a weapon in a long political dispute. The tensions between conservatives and liberals, between monarchists and republicans had the university and pedagogical reforms as one of the main battlefields. One of the chief reformist movements was informed by “Krausism,” an ideology that had academic freedom as one if its central tenets. The similarities between the educational agenda of Draper and that of Krausists explain why the former's book resonated among members of the latter group. The article argues that in order to understand the reception of Draper in Spain, one should pay attention to the disputes about national identity and educational reforms, so as to place the so‐called conflict thesis in the context of opposing Spanish patriotisms.
“SERVING GOD, FATHERLAND, AND LANGUAGE”: ALCOVER, CATALAN, AND SCIENCE
Authors: Ceba Herrero Agustín , March Noguera Joan
Published: November 2019

This article intends to contribute to the science–religion historiography with two topics—philology and the construction of national identities—that can help provide a more complex picture of the relations between science and religion. We use the life and work of the Mallorcan Catholic priest Antoni Maria Alcover (1862–1932) as a case study that puts language, linguistics, and nationalism on the board of science and religion studies. Alcover was the main driving force of the Catalan Dictionary, a collective enterprise that set out to inventory the complete oral and literary lexicon of this language, and which mobilized thousands of people, many of which were clergymen, from all over the Catalan‐speaking territories. In the article, we will explore Alcover's education; the way he established a link between language, religion, and fatherland; the shaping of his identity as a philologist in the image mainly of new German notions and practices; as well as his role in the institutionalization process of the Catalan language as a scientific language, as a language for science and for religion.
SCIENCE AND RELIGION AS LANGUAGES: UNDERSTANDING THE SCIENCE–RELIGION RELATIONSHIP USING METAPHORS, ANALOGIES, AND MODELS
Authors: Lee Amy H.
Published: November 2019

Many scholars often use the terms “metaphors,” “analogies,” and “models” interchangeably and inadvertently overlook the uniqueness of each word. According to recent cognitive studies, the three terms involve distinct cognitive processes using features from a familiar concept and applying them to an abstract, complicated concept. In the field of science and religion, there have been various objects or ideas used as metaphors, analogies, or models to describe the science–religion relationship. Although these heuristic tools provided some understanding of the complex interaction, they failed to address the broad nature of science and religion as well as the multifarious relationship between the two in a sociocultural context. Unlike the previous candidates, the concept of language, including the notions of linguistic worldview, linguistic identity, dialects, power, and bilingualism, offers a unique and comprehensive window through which science, religion, and the relationship between the two are seen with clarity.
A Novel Vortex Identification Technique Applied to the 3D Flow Field of a High-Pressure Turbine
Authors: Pátý Marek , Lavagnoli Sergio
Published: November 2019

The efficiency of modern axial turbomachinery is strongly driven by the secondary flows within the vane or blade passages. The secondary flows are characterized by a complex pattern of vortical structures that origin, interact, and dissipate along the turbine gas path. The endwall flows are responsible for the generation of a significant part of the overall turbine loss because of the dissipation of secondary kinetic energy and mixing out of nonuniform momentum flows. The understanding and analysis of secondary flows requires a reliable vortex identification technique to predict and analyze the impact of specific turbine designs on the turbine performance. However, the literature shows a remarkable lack of general methods to detect vortices and to determine the location of their cores and to quantify their strength. This paper presents a novel technique for the identification of vortical structures in a general 3D flow field. The method operates on the local flow field, and it is based on a triple decomposition of motion proposed by Kolář. In contrast to a decomposition of velocity gradient into the strain and vorticity tensors, this method considers a third, pure shear component. The subtraction of the pure shear tensor from the velocity gradient remedies the inherent flaw of vorticity-based techniques, which cannot distinguish between rigid rotation and shear. The triple decomposition of motion serves to obtain a 3D field of residual vorticity whose magnitude is used to define vortex regions. The present method allows to locate automatically the core of each vortex, to quantify its strength, and to determine the vortex bounding surface. The output may be used to visualize the turbine vortical structures for the purpose of interpreting the complex three-dimensional viscous flow field and to highlight any case-to-case variations by quantifying the vortex strength and location. The vortex identification method is applied to a high-pressure turbine with three optimized blade tip geometries. The 3D flow field is obtained by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) computations performed with Numeca FINE/Open. The computational model uses steady-state Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations closed by the Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model. Although developed for turbomachinery applications, the vortex identification method proposed in this work is of general applicability to any three-dimensional flow field.
Solar Desalination Based on Micro Gas Turbines Driven by Parabolic Dish Collectors
Authors: Sánchez David , Rollán Miguel , García-Rodríguez Lourdes , Martínez Gonzalo S.
Published: November 2019

This paper presents the preliminary design and techno-economic assessment of an innovative solar system for the simultaneous production of water and electricity at small scale, based on the combination of a solar micro gas turbine (mGT) and a bottoming desalination unit. To assess this system, a design model is developed to select the main design parameters for two different desalination technologies, reverse osmosis (RO), and multi-effect distillation (MED), aiming to exploit the available electricity and waste heat from the turbine, respectively. The results show that, from a thermodynamic standpoint, it is possible to exceed 65% solar energy utilization if both electricity and waste heat are used to produce fresh water. Nevertheless, the better thermodynamic performance of the fully integrated system does not translate into a more economical production of water. Indeed, the cost of water turns out lower when coupling the solar microturbine and reverse osmosis units only (between 3 and 3.5 €/m3), while making further use of the available waste heat in a multi-effect distillation system rises the cost of water by 15%.
Sound transmission analysis of various lightweight wall panels
Authors: Kumar Nishant , Singh Mahavir
Published: November 2019

Demands of lightweight wall panels and acoustical privacy in recent years have accelerated the incorporation of wall panels in the modern building element constructions. Lightweight wall panels are based on multi-layered structures which are a combination of gypsum board, glass wool/mineral wool, resilient steel channels and staggered wood studs used for inter-dwelling walls in modern buildings. The objective of this paper is to investigate the implementation of different types of combination to improve the sound insulation of sandwich constructions from above materials. The Sound Transmission Class (STC) characteristics of panel constructions with various combinations have been investigated. The measurements have been performed in the sound transmission suite of the CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, India according to ISO 10140 and ASTM 90. This paper presents the STC value of 20 samples tested in systematic evaluation for sound transmission through different sandwich structures with a frequency range of 50–6300 Hz with STC varying 46–59. As low frequency sound is the common cause for noise, the sound transmission measurements have been done on frequencies as low as 50 Hz. This work will help the noise control engineers, builders, designers, acoustic consultants, and residents/consumers to select construction suitable for wall panels to use in buildings.
The vibration behavior of submicron gas vesicles in response to acoustic excitation as determined via laser doppler vibrometry
Authors: Huang An , Zhang Shuai , Bar-Zion Avinoam , Wang Jiaying , Mena Oscar , Shapiro Mikhail G. , Friend James
Published: November 2019

Gas vesicles (GVs) are remarkably stable nano-sized gas-filled protein shells proven effective in ultrasonic imaging. The many potential benefits of GVs arise from their strong gas equilibrium at a submicron size as produced by bacteria or algae, producing significant contrast in ultrasound imaging. The actual vibration behavior of GVs, including buckling and collapse, is poorly understood since the GVs are too small for observation methods of sufficient speed to produce details of the GV deformation during exposure to ultrasound. Traditional optical or acoustic microscopy methods are, in any case, not useful, and ex-situtransmission electron microscopy produces useful images but without sufficient time resolution. We propose to instead use laser Doppler vibrometry (LDV) to observe the vibration behavior of GVs. Employing interferometry, LDV offers a far better spatiotemporal resolution. While the typical GV is smaller than 1 μm, an agglomeration of GVs may be used with the LDV to produce a measurable displacement response from a controlled, acoustically delivered pressure. In this talk, we report the fundamental and first harmonic resonance frequencies of GVs and vibration to buckling and collapse at the clinically relevant frequency of 6.5 MHz. We also compare these results with predictions from classic theories of bubble and particle oscillations and finite difference-based computations.
Perceived annoyance of Mach-cutoff flight ground signatures compared to common transportation sounds
Authors: Broyles Jonathan , Vigeant Michelle C. , Sparrow Victor W.
Published: November 2019

Supersonic flight over land was prohibited by the FAA in 1973 to avoid sonic-booms that cause civilian annoyance. A potential operational solution to sonic-booms over land is Mach-cutoff flight, which in ideal atmospheric conditions, refracts the sonic-boom upwards thus creating an evanescent sound-field below. The goal of this study was to compare the perceived degree of annoyance of the evanescent signatures to common transportation sounds. Mach-cutoff flight stimuli were generated using recordings from NASA’s Farfield Investigation of No-boom Thresholds dataset and transportation sounds were recorded at local interstates, railroads, and airports. Subjective testing was conducted to investigate annoyance and preference using individual comparisons with an absolute scale and multiple comparisons with a relative scale. An ANOVA and a linear-regression model were calculated to analyze the annoyance and preference of the transportation modes. [This research was funded by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration Office of Environment and Energy through ASCENT, the FAA Center of Excellence for Alternative Jet Fuels and the Environment, Project 42 through FAA Award No. 13-C-AJFE-PSU under the supervision of Sandy Liu. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the FAA.]
Ground-based exploding balloon noise propagating over a grass-covered field
Authors: Smith Margaret G. , Neilsen Tracianne B. , Escobedo Julio A. , Ostergaard Sarah A.
Published: November 2019

With ground-based, impulsive acoustic sources, the initial blast wave can be followed by additional noise that is difficult to interpret. As outlined by Embelton [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 100 (1996)], a porous ground can lead to creeping, ground, and surface waves. In a recent test on a grass-covered field, the blast noise from exploding balloons had evidence of a secondary arrival that in some cases was larger than the blast wavefront. The balloons were filled with oxy-acetylene gas and placed on the ground or in holes. The balloons were ignited, and the sound from the resulting explosions were measured at distances of 100, 130, and 160 m. At each of these stations, microphones were placed at four heights: 0.01, 1.2, 2.4, and 3.6 m. For every explosion, the blast wave amplitude increases with height, while the secondary arrival amplitude decreases with height. This variation in height can help identify the type of wave responsible for the secondary arrival. For example,the amplitude of surface waves propagating over grass exponentially decay with height. This study will help distinguish different types of acoustic signals produced by ground-based explosions, such as the Volcano Hazards Workshop in 2018.
The lexical bias in older adults’ compensation to altered auditory feedback
Authors: Colby Sarah , Shiller Douglas , Clayards Meghan , Baum Shari
Published: November 2019

Older adults show a larger lexical bias when categorizing speech sounds (i.e., Ganong effect), such that they are even more biased than younger adults to categorize ambiguous tokens as real words rather than non-words (Mattys and Scharenborg, 2014). Using an altered auditory feedback paradigm, we sought to investigate whether this larger perceptual bias would be reflected in older adults’ compensation to perturbations of their own speech. Groups of older (n = 27) and younger adults (n = 35) produced monosyllabic words and non-words containing the vowel /ε/. Altered auditory feedback lowered the first formant (F1) of the vowel towards an F1 characteristic of /ɪ/. This real-time frequency manipulation shifted the perceived lexical status of the stimuli (i.e., words were shifted towards non-words, and non-words towards words). Younger adults compensated more to non-words that were shifted towards real words (e.g., kess-kiss) than to real words that were shifted towards non-words (e.g., chest-chist), consistent with previous findings (Bourguignon et al., 2014). However, older adults did not show the same pattern of compensation as younger adults, suggesting that different mechanisms are involved in older adults’ lexical bias. A combination of age-related cognitive and sensory changes likely influences the effect of lexical status on sensorimotor adaptation in older adults.
Interference structure in the form function for bistatic scattering from elastic spherical shells in water
Authors: Fortuner Auberry R. , Marston Philip L.
Published: November 2019

Although the monostatic scattering from a sphere is independent of viewing angle, the bistatic frequency response contains rich structures a function of scattering angle. The exact solution for the far-field scattering from underwater elastic spherical shells is examined as a function of scattering angle. The high-frequency scattering from spherical shells includes contributions from leaky Lamb-type waves that circumnavigate the shell while continuously radiating into the fluid. The form function in scattering angle contains multiple interference patterns between the specular reflection and the different modes of Lamb waves. This interference structure is similar to the case for solid spheres and cylinders recently studied [A.M. Gunderson, A.L. España, and P.L. Marston, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 142, 110–115 (2017)], where the interference patterns between the specular reflection and Rayleigh waves were examined. For the elastic shell case, the greater number of Lamb wavemodes and their highly dispersive nature creates richer interference structure in the form function from that of the solid sphere. The interference loci between the specular reflection and the two lowest mode Lamb waves are calculated and compared with the bistatic form function. [Work supported by the Office of Naval Research.]
Acoustic test fixtures: From KEMAR and beyond!
Authors: Okorn Edward , Wulf-Andersen Peter
Published: November 2019

In 1972, KEMAR was introduced to the world. Based on the average of about 5000 males and females from the U.S. Air Force. It was the first head and torso simulator designed especially for acoustic research and enabled the hearing aid laboratories to perform simulated in-situ measurements of hearing aids. Today, more than 47 years after its introduction, KEMAR is able to test any device that contains both loudspeakers and microphones as well as performing binaural recordings of product sound and music. Fixturing, ear simulators, and special microphones, also known as couplers, are used by acousticians and engineers to design and test the many forms of modern acoustic electronics used from entertainment (Ear Buds, Headphones, IEMs, Smart Speakers, etc.), to hearing protection (Noise Cancelation), to medical devices (Hearing and Augmentation and Aids), to automotive cabins and sound systems, to military headsets alike. This presentation will discuss the evolution, ongoing design challenges, and future direction of Acoustic Test Fixtures required for the acoustic discovery and development going forward.
Neural tracking of musical rhythm reflected in the autonomic nervous system
Authors: Zhao Tian , Kuhl Patricia K.
Published: November 2019

Humans start responding to music even before birth, and one particular measure, heart rate variability (HRV), reflecting the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) function, has been shown to respond to a music stimulus and to music therapy in the NICU. However, whether and how HRV is related to musical rhythm processing has not been examined. A group of adults (N = 15) passively listened to duple and triple rhythmic patterns while we measured their neural tracking of the rhythmic patterns and PNS function simultaneously using MEG and ECG. Results showed that adults’ neural tracking of beat level rhythm is 2.5 times stronger than their tracking of meter level rhythm, regardless of the energy of the beat and meter in the stimulus. Moreover, this ratio is significantly related to HRV across individuals. That is, the stronger an individual’s brain tracks the meter level rhythm, the higher the HRV, indicating a higher level PNS function (i.e., lower stress). This relation is not affected by an individual’s experience with music training. Data collection in infants (7-month and 11-month) is currently ongoing and the results will be discussed in relation to the adult findings.
Psychological and Physiological Acoustics: From sound to sensation
Authors: Oxenham Andrew J.
Published: November 2019

The area of psychological and physiological acoustics encompasses a wide and multidisciplinary range of topics. It is concerned with questions of what happens to sound once it enters the auditory system, and how sound is processed to facilitate communication and navigation. Topics include the biomechanics of the middle and inner ear; the neuroscience of the auditory nerve, brainstem, and cortex; and behavioral studies of auditory perception and cognition. This presentation will provide an overview of some of the many areas currently under investigation, ranging from basic questions about the neural representations of different sound features to clinical applications, such as the development and improvement of hearing aids, as well as cochlear, brainstem, and even midbrain implants that bypass the peripheral auditory system to provide some hearing to people with profound hearing loss. [Work supported by NIH Grant No. R01 DC012262.]
Improvements in detection, localization, and tracking of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in Kauai
Authors: Alongi Gabriela C. , Martin Stephen W. , Matsuyama Brian , Martin Cameron R. , Manzano-Roth Roanne , Henderson Elizabeth
Published: November 2019

Since 2002, passive acoustic monitoring at the Pacific Missile Range Facility off Kauai, HI has yielded minimum density estimates and disturbance analyses for various whale species, but the ability to do so for sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) has been limited. Such efforts have traditionally suffered from false positives and decreased localization accuracy with increased click density. Recent software developments have aimed to address these issues and attempts were made to quantitatively and qualitatively assess improvement using archived 2014 data (n = 1063 hours of recording). Algorithm changes generated 2.4 times more detections (SD = 3.9x) and 1.4 times more localizations (SD = 2.4x) on average. Metrics indicating localization accuracy also improved. The number of detections per localization increased from a median of 5.5 (IQR = 5.2–5.8) to 7.0 (IQR = 6.0–8.3) and the percent of localizations theoretically capable of being tracked increased from 5.9% (IQR = 1.4%–11.6%) to 31.2% (IQR = 8.0%–46.9%). Visual comparison of localizations indicates much lower false positive rates, while other software developments have enabled tracking slow clickers and identifying foraging groups. Ultimately, track-level analyses should permit a more stable metric for minimum density estimates and disturbance tests and help establish baseline kinematics and behavior.
Graph signal smoothness for direction-of-arrival estimation of source targets using non-uniform line arrays
Authors: Alcantara Eldridge , Atlas Les , Abadi Shima
Published: November 2019

Performing direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation of a detected source target using data collected from an array of sensors is a long-studied problem in signal processing. The emerging framework of signal processing on graphs (SPG) offers the opportunity to look at this problem from a different point of view by adding the concept of a graph underlying the measured data as an extra layer of information that can be incorporated in to the data processing system. While a recent presentation [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 143, 1852 (2018)] showed how to use the Graph Fourier Transform to estimate DOA on a uniform line array, the purpose of this talk is to show how we can use the smoothness of a graph signal across vertices for the more involved case of a non-uniform line array. The scope of the problem was narrowed to DOA estimation of a single, far-field, and narrowband source signal. An iterative approach was developed that demonstrates the utility of SPG, and the approach was verified and tested through simulation under different signal-to-noise ratios. We also compared the results to conventional delay-and-sum beamforming to gain insight on what differentiates SPG over existing methods.
High-volume-rate ultrasound 3-D flow imaging with a 2-D spiral array: A simulation study
Authors: Maffett Rebekah , Yiu Billy Y. , Chee Adrian J. , Tortoli Piero , Yu Alfred C.
Published: November 2019

High-volume-rate ultrasound imaging enables the rendering of complex flow dynamics in 3-D; however, high data rates pose significant hurdles towards real-time implementation. A sparsely populated 256-element 2-D spiral array coupled with unfocused transmissions is a potential solution to these challenges. This work analyzes the impact of sparse element distribution on flow velocity estimation with spherical waves (virtual point source 20mm behind the probe) to extend the field of view beyond the array footprint. Field II was used to simulate straight tube flow (6mm-diameter; 45° tilt; 30cm/s plug-flow; Transmission: 7.5 MHz, 3-cycle) to analyze the velocity estimation bias without the influence of surrounding tissue. It was found that the bias at the inlet, mid-section, and outlet were 20.3%, 8.7%, and 4%, respectively; this variation in bias is due to the change in beam-flow angle from 57.8 deg to 34.9 deg. To evaluate the wide-angle and grating-lobe performance of this configuration, the median Doppler power was compared between the center flow region, flow at the extended regions, and the grating lobe region; the relative power to the center flow region was found to be -12.3dB and -19.5dB for extended and grating-lobe regions respectively. These results suggest that the flow estimation region can be extended beyond the array footprint area but extra considerations on the beam-flow angle must be taken, especially in the case of vector flow.
Challenging the multimodal ultrasound with GPU-based research ultrasound platforms
Authors: Lewandowski Marcin , Walczak Mateusz , Witek Beata
Published: November 2019

Old-school ultrasound was all about discrete modalities (B-mode, Doppler). Today, we prefer to combine multiple methods and advanced processing algorithms to extract more diagnostic data out of the raw RF ultrasound echoes. Thus, high-speed acquisition and processing of channel data have become a standard feature of contemporary research systems. I will present our developments in the programmable and scalable ultrasound systems featuring GPU-based processing. The implementation of multimodal methods is enabled through a high-performance data streaming and software processing approach. We will look into GPU processing and how challenging real-time realization of the Software Defined Ultrasound paradigm can be. We will also discuss the many new opportunities and open-source tools the software approach nevertheless opens up, which can be used for both standard ultrasound processing and advanced post-processing (e.g., machine learning).The case-studies presented show how the platforms can be used as versatile research tools, as well as demonstrators for commercial introduction of the technology. A sneak preview of a 3-D-ready research system will conclude my talk.
Feature reduction through manifold learning for a geospatial model of ambient soundscapes
Authors: Pedersen Katrina , Transtrum Mark K. , Gee Kent L. , Lympany Shane V. , James Michael M. , Salton Alexandria R. , Calton Matthew F.
Published: November 2019

Manifold learning is a type of nonlinear dimensionality reduction that helps identify a minimal combination of features to characterize data. This presentation discusses the use of diffusion maps, a type of manifold learning, on a dataset of 68 geospatial features which cover the contiguous United States. These geospatial features have been used previously to make predictions of ambient soundscapes through an ensemble of machine learning models. As the current model capabilities are expanded to predict the ambient soundscape outside of the contiguous United States, decisions must be made about which geospatial features are required for accurate models. In particular, some of these 68 features are not available or are expensive to obtain for regions outside of the contiguous United States. Diffusion maps can assist in identifying the features, or combinations of features, that best characterize the data space. [Work supported by a U.S. Army SBIR.]
Feature reduction of crowd noise used for machine learning classification
Authors: Butler Brooks A. , Wadsworth Spencer , Stark Dallen , Pedersen Katrina , Forkey Blake , Cook Mylan R. , Todd Eric , Gee Kent L. , Transtrum Mark K.
Published: November 2019

This paper discusses methods used to identify the relative importance of audio features in a supervised machine learning (ML) model for predicting crowd behavior at collegiate basketball games. This work builds upon previous research done at Brigham Young University in which ML classifiers were trained using audio recordings of crowds at collegiate basketball games. Previous classifiers were built using several hundred features. A future goal is real-time classification of crowd behavior. This requires reduced computational time for calculating features and classifying audio data. Feature reduction should decrease the computational time for both of these tasks. The audio features can be separated into two categories: (1) spectral features and (2) low-level signal parameters. This paper discusses feature reduction methods—such as random forest Gini importance and p-value feature selection—and compares reduced feature sets. The number of features used in crowd noise classification can be reduced to 10-15 features before seeing a significant decrease in prediction accuracy.
Atom music: exploring the atomic world through sound
Authors: Linz Jill A.
Published: November 2019

Atom music is a fun and educational way to investigate the sound of the atomic world using music synthesis techniques to create atom “songs.” Students gain insight into the structure of sound and its relation to the structure of matter using Fourier analysis. By correlating the bright lines appearing in atomic spectra to audible tones, individual atom notes can be identified. These notes then comprise a musical scale that is unique to each element. From these scales, atom songs can be created using programs such as Audacity, Logic or Max. Specific atomic traits can be incorporated that allow for creativity in the making of an atom song. Digital synthesizers let the user create waveforms to any specification and allow students to explore the atomic world by creating their music. Simple molecules can be mimicked by combining the music of different atoms to form atom “bands.” More advanced students can use signal processing methods to gain deeper insight into the atom’s sound. Examples of how atom music has been used can be found in a recent article published online by Physics Today titled Composing Atom Music. This presentation explores some of the methods and software used to create atom music.
A draft model community noise ordinance
Authors: Blomberg Leslie D.
Published: November 2019

Once upon a time, it was hoped that the sound level meter would solve all noise pollution problems for communities with clear objective criteria for acceptable and unacceptable noise. That hope failed to be realized because the volume of noise complaints is overwhelming. In the real world, the police cannot respond with a sound level meter to each of the millions of noise calls they receive each year. Yet clearly, decibel levels and sound level meters are critical to noise regulation. This dilemma has stumped the ANSI Model Community Noise Ordinance Working Group for more than 20 years. To avoid this dilemma, this paper proposes a model noise ordinance developed so that police departments can respond to millions of calls each year due to noise, using not just one, but a number of regulatory tools, including (1) nuisance laws, (2) decibel based regulations, (3) operational restrictions (such as setbacks, time of day restrictions, or restrictions based on zoning district), (4) prohibitions (such as no non-emergency honking, no jake brakes, no radios on buses or beaches), (5) equipment requirements (such as muffers or the EPA stamp on motorcycle mufflers), and (6) the plainly audible standard at a specific distance.
Acoustic higher-order topological insulators
Authors: Zhang Baile
Published: November 2019

The concept of topological insulators has recently been transferred into acoustics by designing and constructing acoustic analogues of topological insulators, which nowadays are widely called as “acoustic topological insulators.” As dictated by the conventional bulk-boundary correspondence principle, the topologically nontrivial band structure in a d-dimensional topological insulator shall support (d – 1)-dimensional boundary states. However, recent theories have proposed a new class of higher-order topological insulators which do not satisfy the conventional bulk-boundary correspondence principle. For example, a two-dimensional (2-D) second-order topological insulator does not support one-dimensional (1-D) topological edge states, but has topologically protected zero-dimensional (0D) corner states. Three-dimensional (3-D) second-order and third-order topological insulators do not have 2-D topological surface states, but host 1-D hinge states on edges, and 0D corner states on corners. Here we introduce our recent results of designing and constructing acoustic higher-order topological insulators. Both second-order and third-order topological insulators are discussed in a platform of acoustic metamaterials. By direct acoustic measurement, we demonstrate the acoustic bandgap and the in-gap corner states and hinge states.
Dynamics of space- and time-modulated metastructures
Authors: Ruzzene Massimo
Published: November 2019

Topology has recently emerged as a principle governing unique wave transport phenomena through interface or edge modes that are impurity-immune and potentially unidirectional. In this context, this presentation illustrates the effect on dispersion topology of modulations of properties in space and time. The two modulation strategies are shown to lead to dual phenomena, which can be described by interchanging frequency and wavenumber, and that manifest themselves as gaps enabling frequency/wavenumber-selective wave manipulation. Time modulation produces narrowband tunable reflection at a frequency determined by the modulation, which is illustrated on a beam waveguide with switching negative impedance piezoelectric shunts. Adiabatic, or slow, space modulation of the stiffness properties of a plate structure drives the transition from a localized state at one boundary, to a bulk state and, finally, to another localized state at the opposite boundary. The presented investigations suggest the application of modulation strategies for single-port tunable filtering devices that may be implemented in acoustic, mechanical or photonic platforms. Moreover, the considered experimental platforms allow the exploration of various unique properties associated with time and/or space modulation, including filtering, frequency conversion, non-reciprocity, and topological pumping for wave redirection.
Electroacoustic evaluation of pediatric-focused hearing assistive devices/systems in different digital signal transmission arrangements
Authors: Kao Tz-Ching , Thibodeau Linda
Published: November 2019

Pediatric-focused hearing assistive devices/systems (HADS) are intended to facilitate hearing by providing amplification of an acoustic signal and/or improving the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for children with hearing loss. Digital modulated (DM) signal transmission systems operate on a 2.4 GHz bandwidth and transmit signals directly from the speaker to the listener. Little is known about changes in electroacoustic performance of the hearing aid when receiving digital transmitted signals. The purpose of this study was to examine the electroacoustic characteristics of pediatric-focused HADS in three digital transmission arrangements with two transmitters and two behind-the-ear hearing aids. The three arrangements included (1) direct audio input (2) proprietary digital streaming, and (3) induction loop. Comparisons were made per ANSI/ASA S3.47 standard for measurement of HADS as well as the electroacoustic transparency based on 2011 American Academy of Audiology Clinical Practice Guidelines. Electroacoustic analysis across HADS in different digital transmission arrangements revealed variable results. Adjustments were necessary for some arrangements for optimal signal transmission. This supports the critical need of electroacoustic evaluation for HADS.
A biologically oriented sound segregation algorithm
Authors: Chou Kenny , Colburn H. Steven , Sen Kamal
Published: November 2019

Listening in an acoustically cluttered scene is a difficult task for both machines and hearing-impaired listeners. Normal-hearing listeners can accomplish this task with relative ease by grouping certain sounds together (i.e., segregating sound sources), then selecting an acoustic target to attend to. An assistive listening device that mimics the biological mechanisms underlying this behavior may provide an effective solution for those with difficulty listening in acoustically cluttered environments (e.g., a cocktail-party). Here, we present a binaural sound segregation algorithm based on the spatial listening mechanisms of the barn-owl. Sounds from the left and right channels are first filtered with an ERB filterbank and then binaural cues are computed, which stimulate model neurons tuned to corresponding frequency channel and spatial locations. Then, the spiking response of specific model neurons are reconstructed into audible waveforms. We evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm using psychoacoustics, with normal-hearing listeners. Finally, we compare the performance of the proposed algorithm to that of a 16-microphone acoustic beamformer. The proposed algorithm serves as the first step (segregation) in a biologically based solution to the so-called “cocktail party problem.”
Physical principles governing the damping of structural vibrations by modification of the environment and by addition of appendages
Authors: Pierce Allan D.
Published: November 2019

This paper discusses how vibrations can be damped by the external environment or by addition of external appendages. The topic is an old one and goes back to Stokes (1845) who considered the damping of pendulums by a surrounding viscous fluid. Damping can also occur because of the radiation of sound into the fluid. In more recent years various authors have considered the possibility of attaching something on the surface of the body, where, by some mechanism, vibrational energy is absorbed within in the appendage. Several widely used concepts are reviewed: the dynamic vibration absorber, constrained layer damping, attachment of fuzzy structures, and attachment of piezoelectric strips. A principal (weak damping) approximation is that the vibrations of the environment and the appendage are the same as if the surface vibrations were unaffected. If energy is held in the vicinity of the surface, then there must be some mechanism by which the energy is dissipated in the appendage, and this dissipation should be higher than in the structure proper. The relevant physical principles vary and must be identified if meaningful estimates of damping are to be made. In some cases, generally because of resonance, the energy density in the appendage is considerably higher than in the structure. Given that the governing equations are linear, the damping is invariably frequency dependent. Paper attempts to succinctly summarize the physical principles and give quantitative guidelines for estimating the damping. [Work supported in part by ONR.]
Impact of cognitive load and sentence predictability on cognitive spare capacity in elderly adults with hearing loss
Authors: Hunter Cynthia R. , Pisoni David B. , Humes Larry E.
Published: November 2019

Listening effort is needed to understand speech that is degraded by hearing loss and/or a noisy environment, and this in turn reduces cognitive spare capacity (CSC), the amount of cognitive resources available for allocation to concurrent tasks. Sentence context is known to boost speech perception accuracy, but how does context affect CSC? Here, we examine the impacts of context and cognitive (memory) load on behavioral measures of CSC. Elderly, hearing-impaired adults listened to noise-masked, spoken sentences in which sentence-final words were either predictable or unpredictable. Each trial began with visual presentation of a short (low load) or long (high load) sequence of to-be-remembered digits. Accuracy and response times for word recognition and digit recall were both facilitated by sentence predictability, indicating that CSC was greater when sentences were predictable. In addition, response times for both words and digits and accuracy for digits were impaired in the high load condition, reflecting decreased CSC under cognitive load. Participants’ baseline cognitive capacity (from a pre-test of working memory) generally did not moderate these effects. Results support the idea that predictable sentence contexts can support CSC and thereby improve ease of listening in elderly adults with hearing loss.
Vowel discrimination in noise with formant enhancement: Effects of hearing loss and aging
Authors: Guan Jingjing , Liu Chang
Published: November 2019

The aim of this study was to investigate whether formant enhancement of F2 would improve vowel formant discrimination in noise for three groups of listeners (i.e., older listeners with hearing loss, older listeners with normal hearing, and young listeners with normal hearing). Thresholds of vowel formant discrimination were examined for the F2 frequencies of three American English vowels: /ʌ/, /ɛ/, and /i/ in long-term speech-shaped noise with signal-to-noise ratio of + 6 dB and + 12 dB. F2 frequencies of three vowels were enhanced by 6 dB. Thresholds of vowel formant discrimination were significantly highest for older listeners with hearing loss, while young listeners with normal hearing had lowest thresholds with the older listeners with normal hearing in between. However, discrimination thresholds were improved significantly for all three groups after F2 enhancement was implemented regardless of low or high SNR of background noise. Hearing loss and aging resulted in higher thresholds of vowel formant discrimination in noise and F2 enhancements could improve discrimination performance for all listeners in noise.
Effects of talker variability on spoken word recognition for adult cochlear implant users
Authors: Tamati Terrin N. , Moberly Aaron C.
Published: November 2019

Cochlear implants (CIs) have been highly successful in providing a restored sense of hearing to profoundly deaf individuals. However, CI users must rely on a signal that is highly degraded in acoustic-phonetic details, conveying limited talker information. Normal-hearing (NH) listeners devote processing resources to accommodating talkers’ voices, and show less accurate and slower word recognition in multiple-talker compared to single-talker conditions. CI users may display a different strategy in adapting to new talkers due to limitations in talker discrimination. The current study examined the effects of talker variability on spoken word recognition by experienced, post-lingually deafened adult CI users, and the extent to which talker variability effects are mediated by limitations in talker discrimination. Word recognition accuracy for lexically easy and hard words were obtained in single-talker and multiple-talker conditions, varying by gender (female, male, mixed). Results demonstrated that single-talker performance was highly variable, but a detrimental effect of talker variability was observed in mixed conditions, when talker differences were best discriminated, particularly for hard lexical items. Taken together, findings suggest that while CI users may be affected less by talker variability overall, they may display a similar strategy as NH listeners for talker adaptation when talker differences are discriminable.