bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effective Grüneisen constant in sodium fluoride crystals
Authors: Akhmedzhanov Farkhad
Published: November 2022

In this paper, we propose a new approach to determining the components of the Grüneisen tensor and establishing unambiguous relationships between the effective Grüneisen constant, which characterizes the nonlinearity of interatomic interaction forces, and the attenuation anisotropy of acoustic waves. The cubic crystals of sodium fluoride were taken as an object of study. Measurements were carried out by the method of Bragg diffraction of light by sound in the frequency range 0.4–1.6 GHz.The obtained values of velocity and attenuation of acoustic waves were used to determine the real and imaginary components of the elasticity tensor. Next, the acoustic damping coefficients and the independent components of the Grüneisen tensor in sodium fluoride crystals were determined. It is shown that the calculations performed trough the attenuation coefficients make it possible to determine the effective Grüneisen constants in two ways, and these results are in good agreement with each other. Thus, the components of the acoustical Grüneisen tensor for sodium fluoride crystals are determined for the first time and the dependence of the effective Grüneisen constant on the direction of propagation and polarization of acoustic waves is calculated.
An examination of the perceptions of Cuban and Peninsular Spanish varieties by native, second language learners of Spanish, and monolingual English speakers
Authors: Martinez Loyola Gabriela , Rafat Yasaman
Published: November 2022

Individuals have been found to make judgments on a person’s personality, income, education, and employment in as little as 30 seconds after listening to their voice. This study investigates the perceptions of Cuban and Peninsular Spanish varieties by native Cuban and Peninsular Spanish speakers, second language (L2) Spanish learners, and monolingual English speakers, to analyze whether (i) these groups differ in their ability to recognize these varieties, and (ii) whether there is stigma attributed to either accent. The study consisted of 5 Cuban (Havana) and 5 Peninsular (Madrid) voices which were disguised and rated by 20 adult listeners. The methodology included the administration of a Bilingual Language Profile (BLP) questionnaire and a survey intended to gauge at listeners’ perceptions. Results revealed that listeners do make unconscious assumptions on an individual’s voice, as the Peninsular variety was often attributed to a higher educational level (84% SP, 48% CU), income (60% SP, 40% CU), and was more closely associated with a CEO position (32%), while the Cuban voice was associated with being funnier and slightly more intelligible. Furthermore, native Cuban listeners were found to outperform all other groups in their ability to correctly categorize the accents with an accuracy rate of 92%.
The perception of English vowels by native Korean and Mandarin speakers
Authors: Zhou Alexis N. , Dmitrieva Olga
Published: November 2022

Second language learners often experience difficulties discriminating L2 contrasts absent in their L1. Theoretical frameworks, (e.g., SLM, PAM, L2LP), make predictions about the acquisition of L2 phonemes based on the existence of equivalent or similar L1 phonemes, but do not explicitly consider the extent of L1 allophonic variability as a contributing factor. The present study compared the perceptual discrimination of English contrasts /ɪ-i/ and /ɛ-æ/ by learners with Mandarin and Korean L1 backgrounds. Both languages have only one L1 phoneme for the two relevant L2 contrasts. Furthermore, Mandarin [ɛ] is an allophone of the highly variable mid vowel phoneme /E/, while Korean /ɛ/ lacks this variability. Allophonic variability may condition learners to accept diverse vowel qualities as acceptable renditions of the corresponding phoneme, therefore lowering their discriminability. In an AX perceptual discrimination task, 16 Standard Mandarin and 14 Korean speakers were similar in their discrimination of the /ɪ-i/ vowels, but, as predicted, the Mandarin group was less accurate for the /ɛ-æ/ pairs. These findings suggest that allophonic variability in the L1 needs to be considered when making theory-driven predictions concerning the acquisition of specific phonological categories.
Characterization and normalization of second language speech intelligibility through lexical stress, speech rate, rhythm, and pauses
Authors: Kang Okim , Hirschi Kevin , Hansen John H. , Looney Stephen
Published: November 2022

While a range of measures based on speech production, language, and perception are possible (Manun et al., 2020) for the prediction and estimation of speech intelligibility, what constitutes second language (L2) intelligibility remains under-defined. Prosodic and temporal features (i.e., stress, speech rate, rhythm, and pause placement) have been shown to impact listener perception (Kang et al., 2020). Still, their relationship with highly intelligible speech is yet unclear. This study aimed to characterize L2 speech intelligibility. Acoustic analyses, including PRAAT and Python scripts, were conducted on 405 speech samples (30 s) from 102 L2 English speakers with a wide variety of backgrounds, proficiency levels, and intelligibility levels. The results indicate that highly intelligible speakers of English employ between 2 and 4 syllables per second and that higher or lower speeds are less intelligible. Silent pauses between 0.3 and 0.8 s were associated with the highest levels of intelligibility. Rhythm, measured by Δ syllable length of all content syllables, was marginally associated with intelligibility. Finally, lexical stress accuracy did not interfere substantially with intelligibility until less than 70% of the polysyllabic words were incorrect. These findings inform the fields of first and second language research as well as language education and pathology.
Prosodic modulations on the formant excursions of diphthongs
Authors: Zhang Miao
Published: November 2022

The excursions of the first two formants of diphthongs in Chinese, English, and Japanese were investigated to see how diphthongs are affected by the hierarchical prosodic structure. The production of /ai, au, ou/ was examined in Chinese and English, and /ai, au, ae/ in Japanese. Three prosodic contexts were examined: word-final, list-final, and IP (intonational phrase)-final positions. The results of GAM analysis of F1 and F2 show that (1) F2 was more affected than F1; (2) diphthong offset was more affected than the onset; (3) only the diphthong onset in Japanese was affected by the prosody. The by-language analysis further shows that the offset of diphthongs at word-final positions in Chinese was less resistant to the coarticulatory effect: F2 raises earlier and higher toward the end of the diphthong due to the influence of the following coronal consonant. Meanwhile, in English and Japanese /ai, ae/ with lower F2 and higher F1 and /au, ou/ with higher F1 and F2 at word-final positions were found, indicating hypoarticulation at lower prosodic boundaries. Some of the diphthong onsets in Japanese were influenced as well. The result suggests hyperarticulation as a prosodic strengthening effect in English and Japanese.
An end-to-end deep learning approach for joint detection, source localization and environmental characterization using a single hydrophone in shallow water
Authors: Vardi-Chouchana Ariel , Bonnel Julien
Published: November 2022

Environmental characterization of underwater environments is crucial for modeling acoustic propagation in the ocean, which in turn enables underwater applications such as performing environmental impact studies on the effect of ocean noise on marine life, evaluating sonar performance and more. In this work, the aim is to automate and improve run-time performance of environmental characterization, compared to classical methods which employ high-cost computational schemes and sometimes require manual inputs from a skilled operator. To do so, we use 1D Convolutional Neural Networks (1D-CNN), a type of Deep Learning (DL) model, to acoustically characterize the underwater environment using unprocessed pressure time-series recorded on a single hydrophone. We notably propose an end-to-end approach to detect, classify and localize acoustic sources along with estimating environmental parameters using a single DL model. The experimental data used for testing the resulting 1D-CNN models are signals that were generated by navy explosives (SUS charges) deployed during the Seabed Characterization Experiment performed in the New England Mud-patch off the coast of Massachusetts.
A Bayes factor based high frequency broadband active acoustic detection scheme for vertical line arrays in ocean waveguides
Authors: Lopes Daniel , Ferreira Ryan , Gendron Paul J. , Norton Christopher
Published: November 2022

From the log posterior odds we develop a Bayes Factor (BF) inference processor for high frequency broadband active monostatic vertical receiver arrays operating in shallow water ocean waveguides. The relevant information regarding the refractive media, rough surface and volume reverberation are incorporated to build the marginal likelihoods under each of the composite hypotheses of null and alternative. Acoustic scattering from a mobile object of interest under considerable depth uncertainty characterizes the compound alternative hypothesis. Approximations are presented and inferences regarding the presence of the mobile body of interest are determined against a composite null hypothesis of reverberation and ambient acoustic noise. Reverberation is modeled via Lambert rough surface scattering. The BF processor is shown to be a time-varying quadratic form of array observations over the beam-delay space. We discuss the structure of the quadratic form relative to the expected angle-delay spectra of target and reverberation. We illustrate the BF inferential approach by considering various refractive waveguides as well as the iso-velocity case. The BF inference structure can be employed for decision theoretic loss functions in order to establish processors that optimally incorporate vertical arrival structure for decision making. [This work supported by the Office of Naval Research.]
Wind-driven underwater ambient noise for seabed remote sensing: A review of methods and results
Authors: Quijano Jorge , Dosso Stan , Siderius Martin
Published: November 2022

Estimation of seabed geoacoustic parameters in shallow water by acoustic remote sensing remains a challenging task due to constraints on hardware, data collection and analysis, and cost of maritime surveys. The work of Lisa Zurk and Martin Siderius, among many others, inspired investigation of signal processing techniques to process wind-driven underwater noise for the estimation of seabed geoacoustics. This paper presents a summary of the work on Bayesian geoacoustic inversion of ambient noise carried out at University of Victoria and Portland State University, using fixed and drifting vertical line arrays (VLA). The Bayesian inversion framework is based on Markov-chain Monte Carlo sampling. It estimates a joint posterior probability density function, from which marginal density functions, moments and covariances between geoacoustic parameters of interest can be quantified. The approach was applied to simulated and experimental ambient noise data for the estimation of seabed layer thicknesses, sound speeds, densities, and sediment attenuations. The resolution of the method was explored as a function of experiment factors such as array design and wind speed, and a method for extending the aperture of a VLA by extrapolating the noise coherence was proposed.
Video Tributes to Lisa Zurk
Authors: Wage Kathleen E. , Rouseff Daniel , Siderius Martin
Published: November 2022

This multimedia presentation is a compilation of reflections on Lisa Zurk's career and legacy.
From room acoustics to paleoacoustics: A preliminary acoustical study in Chauvet Cave
Authors: Kolar Miriam A. , Valentin Luna , Svensson Peter , Martin Sara , Abel Jonathan S. , Michon Romain , Fritz Carole , Tosello Gilles , Chowning John , Wright Matt
Published: November 2022

Due to geological closures between 21 000 and 29 000 years ago, the acoustics of the UNESCO World Heritage site, Chauvet Cave (Ardèche, France) have been in slow flux via mineral deposition processes that continue to alter its interior. Since Upper Paleolithic humans created extensive and elaborate artworks throughout this grand limestone cavern more than 30 000 years ago, the cave’s interior has changed with calcite and other minerals forming a diversity of features including the best-known stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstone floor coverings. Here, we report on archaeoacoustics fieldwork in 2022 that initiated acoustical mapping and reconstructive modeling to enable archaeological acoustics research and the creation of auralizations and multimodal experiences for virtual public access to this conservation-restricted place. We present here a comparative room acoustics study of two substantively enclosed cave areas (Salle du Fond and Galerie du Cactus) whose volumes differ significantly, but whose extant reverberation times are similar across most center bands, providing important information about the dynamical contributions of surface materials and structural features distinct to each impulse-response-measured location. Our study exemplifies an archaeological application of room acoustics methods with site-responsive techniques that offer a human-centered approach for understanding and translating cultural heritage acoustics across time.
Should more effortful utterances map to more elaborate signals?
Authors: Taft Benjamin N.
Published: November 2022

Many songbirds tune the frequency of their whistled vocalizations by varying the length of their vocal tract. To do this, they must open their bills wider to produce higher tones and then close them again for lower pitches. The time course of frequency variation in such a bird's song, thus, maps directly to the time course of motor effort by its bill. In 2016, Podos et al. described frequency excursion as “for any given song or song segment, the sum of frequency modulations both within and between notes on a per-time basis.” As predicted from the previous work, birds with larger bills are constrained to produce less frequency excursion than birds with smaller bills. After reviewing this result, I will elaborate on ways to extend the idea of a map between motor effort and signal characteristic from one-to-one to many-to-many.
The use of acoustic holography for simultaneous characterization of various focus steering configurations in ultrasound fields generated by multi-element phased arrays
Authors: Khokhlova Vera A. , Nikolaev Dmitry A. , Tsysar Sergey A. , Kaloev Azamat Z. , Kreider Wayne , Sapozhnikov Oleg A.
Published: November 2022

Acoustic holography has been successfully applied for accurate characterization of ultrasound sources. However, its direct use for multi-element phased arrays with many possible field configurations is not feasible. Here, two methods based on transient acoustic holography are proposed allowing reconstruction of all field configurations over a range of frequencies. The methods were tested using a 2 MHz piezocomposite 12-element annular array. First, the holography measurement was performed with all array elements excited in phase. After field reconstruction on the array surface, each element was separated spatially. Second, the array elements were excited individually in sequence for each measurement location. After separating the measured signals in time, 12 separate holograms were obtained to representing each array element individually. For both methods, the array performance was predicted by numerically defining the phase of each element. To evaluate these predictions, a hologram for a specific case of focus steering toward the array was measured independently. Although both characterization methods captured the array performance with focus steering, the approach that extracts elements from time sequences provided higher accuracy and thus can be used for sources with stronger electrical and mechanical crosstalk between the elements. [Work supported by RSF-20-12-00145 and NIH R01EB025187.]
Effect of acoustic output on fetal ultrasound color Doppler performance
Authors: Huber Matthew , Bradway David , Flint Katelyn , Trahey Gregg
Published: November 2022

Increasing transmit acoustic output in color Doppler ultrasound imaging improves the received data temporal signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), but such elevated acoustic pressures increase the potential for inertial cavitation and tissue heating. Safety regulations constrain maximum acoustic output to mitigate bioeffects, but lower output is encouraged following the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) principle. In this study, color Doppler imaging with a Siemens ACUSON Sequoia and 10L4 transducer was performed on the placenta umbilical cord insertion site of 10 pregnant volunteers. Flow data were collected at five acoustic output levels and four frequency settings to assess each parameter’s effect. The output Thermal Index (TI) ranged from 0.001 to 0.7 and frequency ranged from 4.0 to 7.3 MHz. Increased temporal SNR in the receive signals at high output levels was linked to lower pulse-to-pulse phase variance and velocity bias. These metrics changed most dramatically across low output levels, before converging towards constant phase variance and velocity bias at high temporal SNR. The output levels approaching stable phase variance and velocity were specific to each volunteer and frequency. This result provides a framework for future automated Doppler ALARA implementations that calculate performance metrics and adjust acoustic power in accordance with ALARA principles.
Tense voice without the high f0: the case of glottalized vowels in Zongozotla Totonac
Authors: Dawson Hayley , Garellek Marc , López-Francisco Osbel , Amith Jonathan
Published: November 2022

Prototypical creaky voice involves increased glottal constriction, lower periodicity, and lower f0. Keating et al. (2015, Proc. ICPhS) argue that other kinds of creaky voice manifest only some of these properties. For example, “tense voice” is constricted but has neither a low nor irregular f0. Although tense voice is usually produced with a high f0, the aforementioned authors suggest that tense voice can also occur with non-high f0. In this study, we argue that glottalized (also known as “laryngealized”;) vowels of Zongozotla Totonac qualify as such: they are produced with tense voice but with non-high f0. Zongozotla Totonac is a Totonac-Tepehua language spoken in the municipality of Zongozotla, Puebla, Mexico. We recorded eight speakers producing nine word pairs that contrast in terms of modal versus glottalized vowels. Compared to modal vowels, glottalized vowels show increased constriction, as indexed by lower spectral tilt and weaker voicing. However, glottalized and modal vowels do not differ in terms of f0 or periodicity. Taken together, the results suggest that glottalized vowels are produced with tense voice, for which the increase in constriction is criterial. This analysis has implications for understanding sound change in Totonac as well as for the taxonomy of creaky voice subtypes.
Perceiving the intersection of gender identity, sexual orientation, and gender expression in American English
Authors: Lang Benjamin
Published: November 2022

Listeners make assumptions about speaker gender identity (GI), sexual orientation (SO), or gender expression (GE) from speech (Tripp and Munson, 2021). Researchers have identified correlations between acoustic cues such as center of gravity (COG) of /s/ and perceived speaker’s identity. In this study, I investigate how a multitude of acoustic features combine to influence nuanced perception of GI, SO, and GE in speech. In an online study, 197 listeners rated the speech of 66 speakers of American English for perceived GI, SO, and GE. Acoustic measures for f0, vowel formants and dispersion, segment durations, fricative spectra, and creaky voice were correlated with these judgments using analyses such as random forests and PCA. The results indicate that ensembles of acoustic features, including well-known features such as f0 and COG of /s/ but also creaky voice and diphthong formants, contribute to the perception of GI, SO, and GE such that common perceived social categories emerge. I discuss the complex interactions of acoustic cues that describe the ways in which listeners construct a speaker’s identity along traditional binaries such masculine or feminine as well as outside those binaries for queer identities.
Development of vowel acoustics and subglottal resonances in American English-speaking children: A longitudinal Study
Authors: Shetty Vishwas , Lulich Steven M. , Palo Pertti , Alwan Abeer
Published: November 2022

Acoustic analysis of typically developing elementary school-aged (prepubertal) children’s speech has been primarily performed on cross-sectional data in the past. Few studies have examined longitudinal data in this age group. For this presentation, we analyze the developmental changes in the acoustic properties of children’s speech using data collected longitudinally over four years (from first grade to fourth grade). Four male and four female children participated in this study. Data were collected once every year for each child. Using these data, we measured the four-year development of subglottal acoustics (first two subglottal resonances) and vowel acoustics (first four formants and fundamental frequency). Subglottal acoustic measurements are relatively independent of context, and average values were obtained for each child in each year. Vowel acoustics measurements were made for seven vowels (i, ɪ, ɛ, æ, ʌ, ɑ, u), each occurring in two different words in the stressed syllable. We investigated the correlations between the children’s subglottal acoustics, vowel acoustics, and growth-related variables such as standing height, sitting height, and chronological age. Gender-, vowel-, and child-specific analyses were carried out in order to shed light on how typically developing speech acoustics depend on such variables. [Work supported, in part, by the NSF.]
Consonantal contrasts in Hnaring Lutuv
Authors: Ziegler Grayson , Bohnert Amanda , Berkson Kelly H.
Published: November 2022

Hnaring is a dialect of Lutuv, a member of the South Central branch of Tibeto-Burman spoken by 15 000 to 18 000 people in Chin State in western Burma and in refugee communities worldwide (community estimates, Eberhard et al., 2022; Salaz and Raymer, 2020). Like many other Tibeto-Burman languages, Lutuv features an extensive consonantal inventory, with three-way contrasts for labial and coronal stops and two-way contrasts for dorsals, laryngeal contrasts for sibilant and lateral affricates (/ts, tsʰ/, /tl, tlʰ/), and voicing contrasts for sonorants /r, r̥, l, l̥, n, n̥, m, m̥/. Of special note is the high degree of variability observed in the instantiation of voiceless sonorants, which can include alternately ordered phases of aspiration, frication, and/or voicing. For example, voiceless laterals can be realized in at least four ways ([lʰ, ʰl, ɬ, l̥]); rhotics alternate between rhotic and sibilant productions ([ʰr, rʰ, ʃ]); and nasals show phasing and voicing differences [ʰm, mʰ, m̥, m⌢m̥]. Using both wordlist data and naturalistic speech from a conversational corpus collected during Summer 2022, this study presents a suite of temporal and spectral measures for Hnaring Lutuv consonants and combines qualitative and quantitative data to characterize the observed variation.
Overview of ocean ambient noise interferometry – Theory and simulation
Authors: Ragland John , Abadi Shima
Published: November 2022

Ambient noise interferometry is a passive acoustic technique for environment characterization. The technique uses coherent ambient sound to approximate the Green’s function between two sensors. It has previously been used in ocean acoustics to passively estimate water temperature, sound-speed structure, and mode shapes as well as for sensor localization. Since this technique utilizes the ambient noise field, whose characteristics are often unknown, understanding the effects of non-isotropic ambient sound is important for ambient noise interferometry. In this talk, an overview of the theoretical literature for noise interferometry will be presented with a specific emphasis on the effects of non-isotropic ocean noise source distributions. Additionally, simulations that explore the emergence of the Green’s function will be presented. Specifically, sound source distributions and environmental parameters such as sound speed profile will be explored. Lastly, the implications of these works on the possibilities and limitations of ambient noise interferometry will be discussed. [Work supported by the ONR.]
Detection and monitoring of seafloor methane bubbles using hydrophones
Authors: Abadi Shima , Bjorklund Tor A. , Liu Junzhe , Johnson H. P.
Published: November 2022

Natural marine seeps of methane are important sources of greenhouse gas emissions that enter the global environment. Monitoring marine methane seeps will reveal important information about how they form, their source regions, and how much of the inventory is microbially consumed within the water column before the gas is released to the atmosphere. While active acoustics methods have been extensively used to detect and monitor methane emissions from the seafloor, there are only a few studies showing the use of passive acoustics for bubble sound detection and monitoring. In this presentation, we use passive acoustics data recorded in a methane seep field in Puget Sound to characterize the bubble sound and estimate the bubble radii from their sound frequency. We use the ratio of a short-term average from a bubble burst over the long-term average to automatically detect the bubble sounds. We also show the relationship between the number of bubble sound detections and the hydrostatics seafloor pressure fluctuations due to tidal changes in water height.
Underwater soundscapes at critical habitats of the endangered Hawaiian monk seal
Authors: Parnell Kirby , Merkens Karlina , Pacini Aude , Bejder Lars
Published: November 2022

Describing underwater soundscapes of critical habitats of marine mammals can provide valuable information on the acoustic environment utilized by sound-reliant animals. For the endangered Hawaiian monk seal (Neomonachus schauinslandi), whose underwater hearing abilities and vocal communication were recently described, the soundscapes of their aquatic habitats are poorly understood. We measured ambient noise levels and identified acoustic signals that contribute to the underwater soundscape at four critical habitats of the Hawaiian monk seal. We deployed SoundTrap 500HF acoustic recorders, at sites with varying habitat types, and recorded continuously for 179 days. We measured broadband (20–24 000 Hz) and octave-band (31.5, 250, 500, and 16 000 Hz center frequencies) sound pressure levels (SPLs) in hourly intervals at each site. Average hourly broadband SPLs ranged from 107.8–123.4 dB re 1 μPa. Octave-band SPLs confirmed diel patterns associated with biological and anthropogenic sources. We recorded two large-scale geophysical events: Hurricane Douglas (Category 4) and a 6.2 magnitude earthquake which increased the 31.5 Hz octave-band SPL. This study provides the first description of underwater soundscapes at critical habitats of the Hawaiian monk seal across its expansive range. These measurements serve as a baseline for future studies to understand the impact of human activity on underwater soundscapes.
Simulation of a tissue backscatter coefficient measurement experiment using the finite element method
Authors: West George , Harris Emma , Bamber Jeff , Lowe Michael J. , Huthwaite Peter
Published: November 2022

Ultrasound has been shown to be an effective imaging modality for investigating tissue health. For example, the backscatter coefficient (BSC) has been shown to be a biomarker of tumour response to therapy but is limited in its application clinically due to the difficulty of accurately acquiring attenuation and diffraction corrections. To assess the variability in BSC assessment, we present a finite element tool simulating a singleelement planar reflector substitution method estimate of the BSC of a set of simulated phantoms. BSC estimates were computed with errors <5% of the theoretical value for a range of source apertures and over a set of phantoms with varying scatterer number densities to within 10%. In addition, the firstorder amplitude envelope statistics of backscattered waves were shown to be commensurate with Rayleigh scattering models. These results indicate that the tool is accurate in its replication of soft tissue-like scattering, suggesting that it could be an opportune testing ground for investigating sources of variability in BSC measurements and the testing of algorithms and hypotheses for interrogating the scattering behaviour of soft tissues.
Realistic modelling of microstructural features in numerical simulations of wave propagation in metals
Authors: Lowe Michael J.
Published: November 2022

Research in numerical modelling in recent years has enabled realistic simulations of wave propagation in three dimensions in large volumes of material, while including features at small scale. A critical enabler has been the growth of computer power, especially Finite Element computations on GPUs. The presentation will start with the development of modelling capability for polycrystalline materials, for which extensive recent work has created realistic simulations for wave speed and grain-scattering attenuation, representing the microstructure at grain scale. This topic has received much attention in theoretical work over several decades, so the simulations have been helpful to evaluate and understand the theoretical models and the physics of the behaviour. Subsequently, the modelling has addressed several other microstructural interests, including simulations for creep damage and fatigue damage, each of which cause reductions of wave speed; models of equivalent macro material properties for these are developed based on studies of the microstructural information. Finally, recent work will be presented on wave propagation and scattering in Titanium alloys containing Macro Textured Regions (MTRs/Macrozones); these comprise microstructures of mixed scale, for which there is interest to use ultrasound to characterise the MTRs (large scale) against a background of a smaller scale regular microstructure.
Machine learning for point-to-point transmission loss estimates in ocean acoustic waveguides
Authors: Kelly Mark , O'Donnell Brian , Sabra Karim G. , Bruna Marsal
Published: November 2022

Underwater acoustic system performance depends on several complex and dynamic environmental parameters, and simulating such performance is vital to the success of development and implementation of these systems. Because of the complexity of the environment and governing physical equations, realistic simulations can become computationally prohibitive. This is especially true of for large environments with many active systems being assessed. By utilizing convolutional neural networks (CNNs) trained on data generated by well-established physics based models (such as BELLHOP’s ray tracing algorithm), network predictions can be used lieu of physics-based models to significantly reduce the computational burden in the loop for system performance simulations. In this paper, the usefulness and limitations of using CNNs to estimate transmission loss (TL), which is a key element in determining system performance, is explored. Using BELLHOP’s ray tracing algorithm as a baseline, CNN’s were able to produce TL results with significantly lower errors than those estimates made using other estimation methods such as spherical spreading and K-nearest neighbors. This indicates that the computational costs of large underwater acoustic simulations may be shifted from inside the simulation to network training, thus allowing for more efficient traditional and Monte Carlo style simulations.
Quantal leaps in understanding Ca
2+
signaling: A “Taylored” approach
Authors: Patel Sandip , Bootman Martin D. , Rossi Ana , Rahman Taufiq , Marchant Jonathan S.
Published: November 2022

On 2 September 2022, about 85 scientists gathered in person at Queens’ College in Cambridge, UK, for a scientific meeting to celebrate the career of Colin W. Taylor of Cambridge University upon his retirement. The meeting was organized by the authors, who are all former graduate students in the Taylor laboratory, which has been at the forefront of Ca
2+
signaling for more than 30 years.
DNA Authentication and Chemical Analysis of
Psilocybe
Mushrooms Reveal Widespread Misdeterminations in Fungaria and Inconsistencies in Metabolites
Authors: Bradshaw Alexander J. , Backman Talia A. , Ramírez-Cruz Virginia , Forrister Dale L. , Winter Jaclyn M. , Guzmán-Dávalos Laura , Furci Giuliana , Stamets Paul , Dentinger Bryn T. M.
Published: November 2022

The therapeutic use of psilocybin, the active ingredient in “magic mushrooms,” is revolutionizing mental health care for a number of conditions, including depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and end-of-life care. This has spotlighted the current state of knowledge of psilocybin, including the organisms that endogenously produce it.
A Nationwide Plasmidome Surveillance in Thailand Reveals a Limited Variety of New Delhi Metallo-β-Lactamase-Producing Carbapenem-Resistant
Enterobacteriaceae
Clones and Spreading Plasmids
Authors: Abe Ryuichiro , Akeda Yukihiro , Sakamoto Noriko , Takeuchi Dan , Sugawara Yo , Yamamoto Norihisa , Kerdsin Anusak , Matsumoto Yuki , Motooka Daisuke , Laolerd Warawut , Santanirand Pitak , Suzuki Masato , Shibayama Keigo , Tomono Kazunori , Iida Tetsuya , Hamada Shigeyuki
Published: November 2022

Despite frequent identification of plasmids carrying carbapenemase genes, the transfer of plasmids carrying carbapenemase genes is not well recognized in clinical settings because of technical limitations. To investigate the detailed mechanisms of the spread of carbapenem-resistant
Enterobacteriaceae
(CRE), we performed multifaceted genomic surveillance of CRE isolates in Thailand and analyzed their plasmidome.
Grass Carp Reovirus Induces Formation of Lipid Droplets as Sites for Its Replication and Assembly
Authors: He Libo , Wang Qian , Liang Xinyu , Wang Hanyue , Chu Pengfei , Yang Cheng , Li Yongming , Liao Lanjie , Zhu Zuoyan , Wang Yaping
Published: November 2022

Grass carp reovirus (GCRV) is the most virulent pathogen in the genus
Aquareovirus
, which belongs to the family
Reoviridae
. GCRV-induced hemorrhagic disease is a major threat to the grass carp aquaculture industry.
A Subunit of the COP9 Signalosome, MoCsn6, Is Involved in Fungal Development, Pathogenicity, and Autophagy in Rice Blast Fungus
Authors: Shen Zi-Fang , Li Lin , Wang Jing-Yi , Zhang Yun-Ran , Wang Zi-He , Liang Shuang , Zhu Xue-Ming , Lu Jian-Ping , Lin Fu-Cheng , Liu Xiao-Hong
Published: November 2022

Magnaporthe oryzae
, a filamentous fungus, is the cause of many cereal diseases. Autophagy is involved in fungal development and pathogenicity.
Foliar Pathogen Infection Manipulates Soil Health through Root Exudate-Modified Rhizosphere Microbiome
Authors: Luo Lifen , Zhang Junxing , Ye Chen , Li Su , Duan Shengshuang , Wang Zhengping , Huang Huichuan , Liu Yixiang , Deng Weiping , Mei Xinyue , He Xiahong , Yang Min , Zhu Shusheng
Published: November 2022

Belowground soilborne disease is the main factor limiting sustainable agricultural production and is difficult to manage due to the complexity of the soil environment. Here, we found that aboveground parts of plants infected by foliar pathogens could enhance the secretion of organic acids, sugars, and amino acids in root exudates to suppress soilborne pathogens and enrich beneficial microbes, eventually changing the plant and soil feedback from negative to positive and alleviating belowground soilborne disease.
Detection of Antimalarial Resistance-Associated Mutations in Plasmodium falciparum via a Platform of Allele-Specific PCR Combined with a Gold Nanoparticle-Based Lateral Flow Assay
Authors: Cheng Weijia , Wang Wei , Zhu Huiyin , Song Xiaonan , Wu Kai , Li Jian
Published: November 2022

Rapid detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) is essential for malaria treatment. Based on the techniques of allele-specific PCR (AS-PCR) and lateral flow assay (LFA), an accurate and powerful platform for SNP detection of
pfmdr1
was developed and evaluated with plasmid and clinical isolates. It offers a useful tool to identify antimalarial drug resistance and can support the effort to eliminate malaria globally.
Expression Level of a Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase Gene in Poinsettia Is Negatively Correlated with Poinsettia Branch-Inducing Phytoplasma Titer
Authors: Lee Shin , Chu Chien-Young , Chu Chia-Ching
Published: November 2022

Phytoplasma-plant interactions are interesting subjects for fundamental and applicative research. Although many studies have characterized molecular interplays between these pathogens and hosts, knowledge on relationships between phytoplasmas’
in planta
population dynamics and host gene expression remains scarce.
Increased seizure frequency in an epilepsy patient receiving medium cut-off dialysis
Authors: Lean Maria , May Stephen , McLucas Michael , Green Malcolm
Published: November 2022

This paper presents the case of a male dialysis patient, with generalised epilepsy, who experienced complications after starting medium cut-off (MCO) dialysis. While receiving haemodiafiltration, the patient’s epilepsy had been relatively well controlled using two antiseizure medications (brivaracetam and sodium valproate). However, the patient’s seizure frequency increased when he was changed to MCO dialysis. MCO is a new dialysis method that has been developed to allow for better clearance of uraemic toxins through its larger pore size. We hypothesise that using the highly permeable MCO membrane changed the seizure threshold by an unknown mechanism. This is the first reported case to observe increased seizure frequency in a patient receiving MCO dialysis. The case highlights the need for caution when prescribing dialysis methods to patients with epilepsy.
Agreement between self-reported diseases from health surveys and national health registry data: a Danish nationwide study
Authors: Jensen Heidi Amalie Rosendahl , Lau Cathrine Juel , Davidsen Michael , Ekholm Ola , Christensen Anne Illemann
Published: November 2022

Background

Agreement may be low when comparing self-reported diseases in health surveys with registry data. The aim of the present study was to examine the agreement between seven self-reported diseases among a representative sample of Danish adults aged ≥16 years and data from medical records. Moreover, possible associations with sociodemographic variables were examined.

Methods

Nationally representative data on self-reported current or previous diabetes, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, myocardial infarction, stroke and cancer, respectively, were derived from the Danish National Health Survey in 2017 (N=183 372). Individual-level data were linked to data on the same diseases from medical records in registries. Logistic regression models were used to explore potential associations between sociodemographic variables and total agreement.

Results

For all included diseases, specificity was >92% and sensitivity varied between 66% (cancer) and 95% (diabetes). Negative predictive value (NPV) was >96% for all diseases and positive predictive value (PPV) varied between 13% (rheumatoid arthritis) and 90% (cancer). Total agreement varied between 91% (asthma) and 99% (diabetes), whereas the kappa value was lowest for rheumatoid arthritis (0.21) and highest for diabetes (0.88). Sociodemographic variables were demonstrated to be significantly associated with total agreement for all diseases, with sex, age and educational level exhibiting the strongest associations. However, the directions of the associations were inconsistent across diseases.

Conclusion

Overall, self-reported data were accurate in identifying individuals without the specific disease (ie, specificity and NPV). However, sensitivity, PPV and kappa varied greatly between diseases. These findings should be considered when interpreting similar results from surveys.
Prevalence of STIs and people’s satisfaction in a general population STI testing site in Bern, Switzerland
Authors: Bigler Dina , Surial Bernard , Hauser Christoph Victor , Konrad Torsten , Furrer Hansjakob , Rauch Andri , Aebi-Popp Karoline
Published: November 2022

Objectives

Access to affordable STI testing for asymptomatic persons is important to reduce STI transmission. Our testing site offers easily accessible and affordable STI testing for the general population irrespective of symptoms. Here we report STI prevalence and motivational factors of attendance.

Methods

Between 2017 and 2019, all participants at our STI testing site at the University Hospital Bern, Switzerland, were interviewed with a computer-based self-completion questionnaire. Pooled (oral, genital and anal) swabs were tested forChlamydia trachomatis,Neisseria gonorrhoeaeand blood samples for syphilis and HIV. People’s motivational factors to attend were assessed using a standardised questionnaire.

Results

5402 individuals between 17 and 82 (median 33.5) years were included. Of those, 2550 (47.2%) were between 25 and 34 years old and 3133 were heterosexual (58%), with rising attendance over the years. One-third attended because of a new sexual relationship, and one-third reported condomless sex. Among all individuals, we found 191 (3.8%) new chlamydia infections (89/191 in females and 101/191 in males) and 54 (1.1%) gonorrhoea infections (44/54 in males). In addition, 52/5125 tested individuals (0.8%) had syphilis requiring treatment.

The number of sexual partners, previous bacterial STIs and condomless sex were associated with having an STI. Four heterosexual individuals were newly diagnosed with HIV. People rated a low threshold offer (through online booking or telephone) and personal counselling as most important factors to attend the service.

Conclusion

We found many asymptomatic bacterial STIs requiring treatment. Offering easily accessible STI testing and counselling proved successful as shown by increasing rates of attendance and high levels of satisfaction.
Dynamical evolution of entanglement in disordered oscillator systems
Authors: Abdul-Rahman Houssam
Published: November 2022

We study the non-equilibrium dynamics of a disordered quantum system consisting of harmonic oscillators in a [Formula: see text]-dimensional lattice. If the system is sufficiently localized, we show that, starting from a broad class of initial product states that are associated with a tiling (decomposition) of the [Formula: see text]-dimensional lattice, the dynamical evolution of entanglement follows an area law in all times. Moreover, the entanglement bound reveals a dependency on how the subsystems are located within the lattice in dimensions [Formula: see text]. In particular, the entanglement grows with the maximum degree of the dual graph associated with the lattice tiling.
A FRACTIONAL DIFFERENCE EQUATION MODEL OF A SIMPLE NEURON MAP
Authors: ALKHALAF SALEM , KUMARASAMY SURESH , ARUN SUNDARAM , KARTHIKEYAN ANITHA , BOULAARAS SALAH
Published: November 2022

In this work, we present the dynamics of the one dimension fractional-order Rulkov map of biological neurons. The one-dimensional neuron map shows all the dynamical behaviors observed in the real-time experiment. The integer order one-dimensional Rulkov map exhibits chaotic dynamics in the presence of time-dependent external stimuli like periodic sinusoidal force or random Gaussian process. When we construct a large complex network of neurons, the higher system dimension, as well as the external forcing, is always an obstacle. Interestingly, our study shows even with constant external stimuli, the fractional-order one-dimensional neuron shows a rich variety of complex dynamics including chaotic dynamics. We present our results based on the Lyapunov exponent of the fractional-order systems.
Making the future in the present: using Science and Technology Studies to reflect on 40 years of research in the HADES Underground Research Laboratory
Authors: Geysmans Robbe , Silvikko De Villafranca Marika , Meskens Gaston
Published: November 2022

The timeframes involved in nuclear waste management often speak to the imagination, and even transcend it: what does it mean to isolate and contain human-made materials for periods up to hundreds of thousands or even a million years? In this article, we reflect on the role played by the HADES Underground Research Laboratory in making the distant future comprehensible today. Our argument starts by focusing on the pioneering role HADES played and plays in knowledge production on geological disposal. It highlights the heterogeneous nature of scientific experiments and experiences, and the performative role these play in defining matters of concern for research and development. Second, attention is directed to how HADES contributes to the defining of what is considered possible and imaginable, and how it therefore not only renders the future more predictable, but also contributes to the making of that future. We end the paper with a reflection on the implications of what ‘making the future’ could entail from an ethical perspective, discussing how the intergenerational responsibilities that come with these future-making capacities could be handled.
Unified Buffer: Compiling Image Processing and Machine Learning Applications to Push-Memory Accelerators
Authors: Liu Qiaoyi , Setter Jeff , Huff Dillon , Strange Maxwell , Feng Kathleen , Horowitz Mark , Raina Priyanka , Kjolstad Fredrik
Published: November 2022

Image processing and machine learning applications benefit tremendously from hardware acceleration. Existing compilers target either FPGAs, which sacrifice power and performance for programmability, or ASICs, which become obsolete as applications change. Programmable domain-specific accelerators, such as coarse-grained reconfigurable arrays (CGRAs), have emerged as a promising middle-ground, but they have traditionally been difficult compiler targets since they use a different memory abstraction. In contrast to CPUs and GPUs, the memory hierarchies of domain-specific accelerators use
push memories
: memories that send input data streams to computation kernels or to higher or lower levels in the memory hierarchy and store the resulting output data streams. To address the compilation challenge caused by push memories, we propose that the representation of these memories in the compiler be altered to directly represent them by combining storage with address generation and control logic in a single structure—a unified buffer.

The unified buffer abstraction enables the compiler to separate generic push memory optimizations from the mapping to specific memory implementations in the backend. This separation allows our compiler to map high-level Halide applications to different CGRA memory designs, including some with a ready-valid interface. The separation also opens the opportunity for optimizing push memory elements on reconfigurable arrays. Our optimized memory implementation, the Physical Unified Buffer, uses a wide-fetch, single-port SRAM macro with built-in address generation logic to implement a buffer with two read and two write ports. It is 18% smaller and consumes 31% less energy than a physical buffer implementation using a dual-port memory that only supports two ports.

Finally, our system evaluation shows that enabling a compiler to support CGRAs leads to performance and energy benefits. Over a wide range of image processing and machine learning applications, our CGRA achieves 4.7× better runtime and 3.5× better energy-efficiency compared to an FPGA.