bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The relative weighting of energy and envelope-modulation cues in increment detection.
Authors: Patra Harisadhan , Messersmith Jessica J. , Jesteadt Walt
Published: October 2013

Recent findings suggest that listeners primarily rely on envelope-modulation cues rather than energy cues in an increment detection task, where one of the two sounds contains a brief increment in intensity in a longer duration tone. The relative contributions of energy and envelope-modulation cues in increment detection were evaluated in six normal-hearing young adults. The detection thresholds for a 20 ms increment added in the middle of a 420 ms pedestal of either 500 or 4000 Hz were obtained as a function of pedestal level. On-frequency or off-frequency maskers were either 30- or 150-Hz wide random-phase Gaussian noise (RPN) or low-noise noise (LNN), centered either at 500 or 4000 Hz. The envelope fluctuation in LNN is minimal compared to that in RPN. The detection thresholds were greater in RPN than LNN in on-frequency, but not in off-frequency masking conditions. The detection thresholds increased at the wider masker bandwidth. Results suggest that listeners may rely on a decision process that is based on within-channel energy and envelope-modulation cues, where the within-channel envelope-modulation cues predominate. The relative weighting of these cues are pedestal and masker dependent. [Work supported by R01 DC006648 and T32 DC000013.]
Relationships between timing in reading and language ability and auditory temporal masking.
Authors: Zettler Cynthia M. , Sevcik Rose A. , Morris Robin D. , Romski Mary Ann , O’Rourke Colleen , Clarkson Marsha G.
Published: October 2013

Broad timing difficulties may play a role in reading problems, but its role and a potential relationship with auditory temporal processing are unclear. The present study explored relationships between variables that might identify timing as a possible link between reading and auditory temporal masking. Tone identification thresholds were measured for 75 adults for backward masking and comodulation masking release (CMR) stimuli. Adults also completed a battery of nonverbal IQ, naming speed, motor speed, language, and reading measures. Backward masking stimuli consisted of a 20-ms, 1-kHz tone immediately preceding a 300-ms, 600–1400 Hz bandpass noise masker. A notched-noise condition included a spectral notch between 800 and 1200 Hz. CMR stimuli consisted of a reference condition in which a 1-kHz tone was temporally centered in a 20-Hz wide narrow-band modulated noise masker alone and one with eight flanking bands of modulated noise in adjacent frequency regions present. CMR was measured as the improvement in threshold with flanking bands present relative to the single-masker reference. Auditory stimuli were presented via headphones. Results indicated that nonverbal intelligence predicted performance on masking tasks, supporting previous research. Likewise, motor speed predicted performance for some of the masking tasks, suggesting that the underlying timing elements are not independent.
Effect of selective attention on the segregation of interleaved melodies.
Authors: Devergie Aymeric , Grimault Nicolas , Tillmann Barbara , Berthommier Frédéric
Published: October 2013

The role of attention in streaming remains controversial and the data from the literature appear at first sight to be inconsistent [C. Alain and L. J. Bernstein, Curr. Opin. Otolarygol. Head Neck Surg. 16, 485–489 (2008)], aimed to reconcile these data arguing that selective attention may increase segregation via a sensory mechanism that enhances the processing of task-relevant acoustic information, and a suppression mechanism that attenuates the processing of task-irrelevant stimuli. To test this hypothesis, we proposed an interleaved melody paradigm with various rhythm conditions applied to familiar target melodies and unfamiliar masking melodies. All targets and maskers had the same pitch ranges and timbre variations. No rhythm cue was available in condition 1 (irregular target and masker rhythms). The masker was presented at a regular rhythm in condition 2, the target remaining irregular. Performance over chance in condition 1 indicated that attention enables listeners to extract a familiar melody from a background melody. The better performance in condition 2 can be interpreted in terms of suppression of the masker melody based on the rhythm regularity. Overall, the current findings are consistent with Alain and Berstein’s hypothesis that selective attention can modulate neural processes involved in auditory scene analysis.
Further studies on the benefit of a carrier phrase for word recognition in a two-talker masker: Contributions of coarticulation and auditory stream segregation.
Authors: Bonino Angela Y. , Leibold Lori J. , Buss Emily
Published: October 2013

In adults with normal hearing, word recognition has been shown to benefit from inclusion of a carrier phrase in the presence of a continuous two-talker masker, but not with speech-shaped noise [Bonino et al., Association for Research in Otolaryngology MidWinter Meeting, Baltimore, MD (2009)]. One explanation for this finding is that a carrier phrase aids in the perceptual segregation of the target word from the two-talker background, either through auditory stream segregation or through coarticulation of the carrier and target. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the benefit of the carrier phrase, “say the word,” presented prior to a monosyllabic target word. In experiment 1, performance was assessed as a function of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in either a two-talker masker or a speech-shaped noise, presented at 0, +5, and +10 dB SNR. In experiment 2, performance was compared across two carrier conditions utilizing either the carrier/target pairs from the original recording or a single utterance of the carrier preceding all target presentations; the time delay between the carrier phrase and target word was also manipulated. Results from these experiments will be discussed, with a focus on the implications for understanding the underlying mechanism responsible for the carrier phrase benefit. [This work was supported by NIH NIDCD grant R03 DC008389 and American Academy of Audiology/American Academy of Audiology Foundation Research.]
Matching the waveform and the temporal window in stimulus generation.
Authors: Hartmann William M. , Colburn H. Steven
Published: October 2013

The discrete Fourier transform (DFT) of a signal that is windowed with a rectangular window having duration TD is given by the coefficients of the Fourier series for a periodic waveform having period TD. This periodic waveform is “matched” to the rectangular window because of a special relationship between the components of the windowed signal (windowed sine or cosine functions) and the harmonics of the periodic waveform (sine or cosine functions). Component m of the windowed signal is orthogonal to harmonic n of the waveform (m≠n). If the window (overall duration TD) is not rectangular, the DFT still corresponds to a periodic waveform having period TD, but that waveform is not matched to the window because the components of the windowed signal are not orthogonal to the harmonics of the periodic waveform. If the window has raised-cosine edges, with durations τ, on either end, the components of the windowed signal are orthogonal to harmonics of a periodic waveform only if the period of the waveform is TD−τ, not TD. The distinction becomes important in generating stimuli for psychoacoustical and physiological experiments. [Work supported by the NIDCD, Grants DC00181 and DC00100.]
Voice quality contour measurements for prosody detection.
Authors: Choi Jeung-Yoon
Published: October 2013

Voice quality contour measurements were used to detect prosody markers. This work is an extension of an earlier paper that examined static voice quality measures for prosody detection. Voice quality measures include those related to the voice source, such as open quotient, spectral tilt, and harmonic component distributions. Specifically, the measurements comprise: the relative amplitudes of the first two harmonics; the relative amplitudes of the first harmonic in relation to the amplitudes of the first and third formants. Contour measurements over several syllables, in addition to static measurements at the nucleus of each syllable, were used to detect ToBI markers for accent and boundaries. Experimental results show varying improvements over using only static measurements.
Advanced time-frequency displays applied to forensic speaker identification.
Authors: Fulop Sean A. , Ferrari Disner Sandra
Published: October 2013

Forensic phoneticians have long utilized conventional spectrograms as the basis of the the auditory-acoustic method of speaker identification. Recent investigations [S. A. Fulop and K. Fitz, “Using the reassigned spectrogram to obtain a voiceprint,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 119, 3337 (2006); S. A. Fulop and S. Disner, “The reassigned spectrogram as a tool for voice identification,” Int. Congress of Phonetic Sciences XVI, 1853–1856 (2007)] have suggested that a newer technology, i.e., the reassigned spectrogram, may be at least as valuable in the service of speaker identification. The present paper describes methods for forensic speaker identification using enhanced time-frequency displays including reassigned spectrograms and Zhao-Atlas-Marks distributions. Identification methods which employ the aforementioned displays are compared with the more established auditory-acoustic method, using recordings of 10 speakers saying several short phrases two times each. The results point to the efficacy of these newer time-frequency displays for speaker identification, particularly when used to corroborate conventional methods. One important development is the ability to focus on the detailed time-frequency features of the phonation process, thereby obtaining a new speech biometric indicative of vocal cord dynamics.
A step in the realization of a speech recognition system based on gestural phonology and landmarks.
Authors: Mitra Vikramjit , Nam Hosung , Espy-Wilson Carol Y.
Published: October 2013

Current state-of-the-art speech recognition systems poorly perform in casual speech as they are not robust against acoustic variations. Variability is an intrinsic problem of phone-based recognition systems as phone-units may be distinctive in the cognitive domain, but their physical characteristics can vary considerably due to coarticulation. Articulatory phonology proposes that articulatory constriction gesture is an invariant action unit and speech can be decomposed into a constellation of gestures. Speech recognition studies have recently employed this framework in the sense that speech acoustic variations can be accounted for by gestural coarticulation and reduction. The VT time-functions are time-varying physical realizations of gestural constellations at distinct vocal tract sites for a given utterance. This study aims to predict VT time-functions from acoustic signals as a component model in a complete gesture-based speech recognition system. We will compare artificial neural-network (ANN) based nonlinear regression models against hierarchical support vector regression (SVR) to obtain VT time-functions from the speech signal. A single ANN can generate all 8 VT time functions, whereas SVRs generate one output at a time, necessitating use of 8 SVRs. We also explore usage of spectral parameters such as MFCC and PLPs against knowledge-based acoustic parameters (APs).
Understanding vocoded speech in steady and amplitude modulated bandpass noise.
Authors: Nie Yingjiu , Nelson Peggy
Published: October 2013

Vocoded speech perception was investigated in amplitude-modulated bandpass noise to assess normal-hearing listeners’ speech understanding through cochlear implant simulations with temporal and spectral interference. Sixteen vocoder bands were applied to IEEE sentences and white noise [Fu and Nogaki (2004)]. The lower 10 bands were maintained for speech, eliminating the upper bands. The spectra of vocoded noises were set to be completely overlapping, partially overlapping, and completely separate from the speech bands. Amplitude modulations (AMs) were imposed on the noises, varying from 25–300 Hz. AM detection thresholds were measured for 80-ms white noise carriers, with rates of 25, 100, and 300 Hz. Preliminary data showed that: (1) vocoded speech perception scores were significantly different between listeners, ranging from 53–80% in quiet and from 10–54% in overlapping noise; (2) the spectra of the noise bands affected vocoder speech perception, with greater overlap causing reduced scores; (3) the noise AM rate did not significantly affect speech scores; however, vocoded speech perception in noise was significantly correlated with AM detection thresholds at 25 Hz. Results suggest that the spectral overlap of noise and speech causes reduced performance even when the noise is modulated. [Research supported by the Univ. of Minnesota.]
Attention to speech sounds in normal-hearing and deaf children with cochlear implants.
Authors: Houston Derek M.
Published: October 2013

Cochlear implantation (CI) is a treatment for severe-to-profound hearing loss in congenitally deaf children. Although there is very little variability in auditory thresholds among CI recipients, there is a large amount of variability in language outcomes. One possible source of variability in language outcomes is individual differences in attention and cognitive processes, which may be affected by early auditory deprivation. The effect of auditory deprivation on attention to auditory input was investigated by comparing attention to speech sounds in 23 young deaf children with CIs and 23 normal-hearing age-match controls. The deaf children received their CIs between 6 and 23 months and were tested several times during the first 1.5 years after implantation. Participants were seated on their caregiver’s lap in front of a TV monitor. On each trial, they were presented with a checkerboard pattern and either silence or a repeating speech sound. Normal-hearing children looked longer at the checkerboard during the sound trials at the youngest ages whereas CI children were delayed in showing a preference for the sound trials. Moreover, performance on this task correlated with language outcome measures taken two years later, suggesting that attention to speech sounds after implantation is predictive of later language development.
Far field performance of an anechoic chamber used for speech and hearing research.
Authors: Godfrey Richard , Emrick Christopher , Goff Allison , Hiss Meghan , Kiener Anna , Lamoreau Katherine , MacMeekin Alexandra , Minton Ashley , Monjot Mallory , Ridenour Heather , Sanders Jennifer , Ulakovic Dana
Published: October 2013

The department has a 13×7×8 ft fully anechoic chamber whose commissioning records were misplaced. The graduate acoustics class measured the acoustics of the chamber from 250–2000 Hz in preparation for future research projects. The focus was on the far field and its limits (near field, and approach to wedge tips). Four groups of students made measurements along the same path. The difference in the levels at a location from that at a reference location was calculated. The mean and standard deviations of these differences were then calculated to compare these measurements with the inverse square law theory. Some measurements were also made in the near field, and closer than one-quarter wavelength from the wedge tips. The average of the means from 12–74 in. was 0.73 dB below theory. The average 95% confidence limits of these data in this range was +/− 1.1 dB. These deviations compare favorably with the acceptance criteria in the ANSI standard. The near/far field guideline also appears to be reasonable. Measurements closer than one-quarter wavelength from the wedge tips may be possible. However, further extremes characterization is needed. Envelope noise reduction should also be measured.
Aspect determination using a transducer with a spiral wavefront: Basic concept and numerical modeling.
Authors: Hefner Brian T. , Dzikowicz Benjamin R.
Published: October 2013

A circular cylindrical acoustic transducer whose direction of motion is radial produces an outgoing signal whose wavefronts are concentric circles. A similar transducer can be designed to generate spiral wavefronts where the phase of the outgoing wave changes by 360 deg in one revolution around the transducer. If these two transducers are used in tandem as a beacon, short tone bursts fired consecutively from each transducer can be used to determine the aspect angle to a receiver relative to the beacon. This is an acoustic version of the VHF omnidirectional ranging systems currently in use in airplane navigation. There are several ways of designing a transducer to produce the spiral wavefront required for the beacon. Several of these designs have been modeled numerically to understand the details of the outgoing field and their impact on aspect determination. [Work supported by ONR.]
Impulse response based geo-acoustic inversion using a mobile acoustic source.
Authors: Heaney Kevin D. , Emerson Chris
Published: October 2013

Acoustic transmission data was collected during the Office of Naval Research Quantifying, Predicting and Exploiting Uncertainty (QPE) Pilot cruise off Taiwan (Sept. 2008). Two LFM signals were transmitted from the OASIS Mobile Acoustic Source (OMAS), which is an expendable trackable navigable mobile acoustic source paired with a sonobuys receiver for in situ TL measurements. The LFM transmissions were centered at 600 Hz (Q=6) and 900 Hz (Q=4.5). These sources and signals have been used in the past to estimate in situ transmission loss from the peak of the matched filter output. Stacking the matched-filter output as a function of range leads to a measurement of the signal evolution as a function of range, permitting qualitative geoacoustic inversion from features (number of observable bottom bounces at close range and loss of higher order bottom bounces vs range) and a quantitative time-domain based geoacoustic inversion using the parabolic equation as the forward model. The resulting sediment can then be compared with the (almost independent) measurements of transmission loss to evaluate the inversions accuracy. [Work was supported by the Office of Naval Research, Code 32OA.]
Long-term broadband acoustic observations of zooplankton scattering layers in Saanich Inlet, British Columbia.
Authors: Ross Tetjana , Lawson Gareth
Published: October 2013

The application of broadband techniques to fish and zooplankton bioacoustics is showing potential to transform the field into one that is much more quantitative. This is because broadband techniques allow the use of the known spectra of organisms or nonbiological sources of scattering to distinguish between scatterers, allowing discrimination without the need for extensive groundtruthing. This makes it ideal for remote monitoring of fish or zooplankton assemblages, since continuous net-sampling is often not possible. An upward-looking 85–155 kHz broadband sonar has been collecting data nearly continuously on the Victoria Experimental Network Under the Sea (VENUS) mooring in Saanich Inlet, British Columbia since March 2008. Saanich Inlet is known to have large populations of euphausiids, which create a strong acoustic scattering layer that migrates from depth to the surface and back each day. The thickness, timing, strength and spectral response of this layer is examined throughout the annual cycle and the feasibility of using this type of sonar to elucidate changing zooplankton assemblages (due to growth and changing species composition) is assessed.
Comparison of unconfined compression and spatially modulated ultrasound radiation force estimates of shear modulus.
Authors: McAleavey Stephen A. , Collins Erin , Elegbe Etana , Kelly Johanna
Published: October 2013

Spatially modulated ultrasound radiation force (SMURF) [S. McAleavey et al., Ultrason. Imag. 29, 87–104, (2007)] is a novel method for ultrasonic estimation of the low-frequency shear modulus properties of elastic media. In this approach, radiation force with a known lateral magnitude variation is applied impulsively within a region of interest using short (∼30 μs) bursts of ultrasound. The spatial frequency k of the radiation force intensity variation is selectable and determined through beamforming. Application of the radiation force impulse gives rise to a low-frequency (500–2000 Hz) shear wave. The temporal frequency ω of this wave is measured using Doppler ultrasound methods. The modulus is estimated from the relationship G=ρ(ωk)2, where ρ is the material density. To validate this method, the moduli of five samples of Zerdine (CIRS, Incorporated), an ultrasonically tissue-equivalent elastic material, were measured using conventional unconfined cyclic compression and SMURF implemented on a Siemens Antares scanner. The samples were cylindrical with diam 54 mm and height 25 mm. The shear modulus of the samples ranged from 2.5–35 kPa. For all samples, the two methods agreed to within the estimated variation. An intrasample variation of 8% was observed for SMURF in the (assumed uniform) samples. [Work supported by NIH/NIBIB.]
A stabilized forward elasticity finite element formulation yields a stable and convergent inverse elasticity solution.
Authors: Rivas Carlos E. , Barbone Paul E. , Oberai Assad A.
Published: October 2013

“Elastography” refers to the procedure of using ultrasound to image tissue deformation. Images showing tissue deformation are sensitive to distributions of tissue mechanical properties. The mechanical properties themselves may be quantified by solving an inverse elasticity problem. An iterative approach to solving the inverse problem can be formulated by repeated solutions of the forward problem. That is, the shear modulus distribution sought is that which predicts a displacement field most consistent with the measured displacement field. Here we show that given plane displacement measurements for plane stress elasticity, the continuous elastic equilibrium equation uniquely determines the modulus distribution. On the other hand, we shall also demonstrate that the discrete elasticity equations from standard FEM discretization does not, even at the limit of infinite mesh refinement. We diagnose the problem as an underenforcement of the elasticity equations. With this knowledge, we have been able to design new forward elasticity FEM formulations that provide provably convergent forward and inverse elasticity solutions.
Ultrasonic properties of normal and cancerous human breast cell lines.
Authors: Shin Sang-Mo , Sung Koeng-Mo , Koh Hyun-Woo , Anastasiadis Pavlos
Published: October 2013

Time-resolved scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) equipped with time-resolved signal analysis offers unique possibilities for studying the mechanical properties of cells in vitro. The method is nondestructive and noninvasive on a cellular level, which enables real-time measurements on living cells. The ultrasonic attenuation coefficients and sound speeds of MCF 10A normal breast cells and MCF 7 weakly invasive cancerous cells were measured and compared using a time-resolved SAM operating at 0.86 GHz center frequency and with 5 ns pulse duration. The attenuation coefficients of MCF 10A and MCF 7 cells were found to be 126 ± 67 and 443 ± 129 dB, respectively, while the sound speeds of the same cells were 1583 ± 24 and 1736 ± 61 m/s, respectively. Both the attenuation coefficient and sound speed of MCF 7 cells were higher than those of MCF 10A cells. In particular, the difference in the attenuation coefficients was pronounced. The relative differences in sound speed and attenuation coefficient could be utilized to differentiate normal cells from cancerous cells. [Weiss et al. IEEE Trans. Ultrasonics, Ferroeletrics, and Freq. Contrl. 54, 2257–2271 (2007)] [Work supported by Korean Science and Engineering Foundation.]
Transducer characterization by laser Doppler vibrometry.
Authors: Cooling Martin P. , Humphrey Victor F. , Theobald Pete D. , Robinson Stephen P.
Published: October 2013

A laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) can be set up such that its laser beam passes through the glass wall of a water tank to be incident upon the radiating surface of an immersed ultrasonic transducer. Scanning the laser beam across a transducer in this way has the potential to be a fast, noninvasive method for source characterization and, in turn, field prediction. Such measurements are, however, significantly complicated by the acousto-optic interaction—that is, the effect on the measurements of the acoustic field through which the laser beam passes. To increase understanding of the resultant acousto-optic artifact, a detailed simulation of the LDV measurement of a circular, plane-piston transducer emitting a tone-burst has been created. The use of a transient field is important for simulation and experiment, such that measurements can be made over a time window which ends before any acoustic signal reaches the water tank boundaries. The simulation results show a significant acousto-optic artifact contribution to the surface velocity data, but also that for some applications useful field predictions may be made in spite of this. To complement the simulations, experimental measurements have been made using a commercial LDV (Polytec PSV-400) on a 500 kHz circular transducer.
Three decades of wind instrument research at Brigham Young Univ.
Authors: Strong William
Published: October 2013

Wind instrument research at Brigham Young University during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s will be reviewed. In more or less chronological order, the research was as follows: (1) Calculation of input impedances of an oboe; (2) predictor coefficient analysis/synthesis of French horn tones; (3) functional model of a simplified clarinet; (4) calculated and measured modal frequencies of brass instruments; (5) calculation and measurement of flute impedances and standing waves; (6) calculation and measurement of horn impedances; (7) simulation of a player-clarinet system; (8) optimization of clarinet toneholes; (9) simulation of a player-trumpet system; (10) stroboscopic measurement of the lip motions of a trombone player; (11) calculation and measurement of nonlinear effects in loud trombone tones; (12) finite element modeling of the lips of a trombone player. [Work supported by the Institute for Research in Musical Acoustics.]
The ultreo: A novel toothbrush that combines sonic and ultrasound physics.
Authors: Mourad Pierre D. , Roberts Frank , McInnes Chris
Published: October 2013

Efficacious, daily oral health care represents an important part of maintaining the overall health of individuals. Here we sought to develop and demonstrate the usefulness of a new power toothbrush, one that incorporated both sonic processes (in the form of rapid bristle motion that directly removes plaque as well as generates bubbles) and ultrasound (sourced from the brush head, that activated the bubbles). We adapted a set of existing power toothbrushes to incorporate an ultrasound source with sufficient controls to explore the effects of different ultrasound parameters on plaque removal in vitro and in vivo. The combination of sonic and ultrasound physics removed plaque in vitro in a synergistic manner, likely through the action of cavitation. In vivo, the Ultreo toothbrush—a commercial version of this brush—removed comparable amounts of plaque to another commercial brush in half the time, and removed more plaque than manual toothbrushes. A combination of sonic bristle motion and ultrasound-facilitated cavitation appears to produce superior plaque removal compared to existing, sonic only, or manual tooth brushes.
Particle image velocimetry study of acoustic field in miniature traveling wave device.
Authors: Rodriguez Ivan A. , Symko Orest G.
Published: October 2013

Particle imaging velocimetry (PIV) techniques were employed to investigate the flow patterns inside a 2 kHz annular thermoacoustic device. This thermoacoustic device uses air at one atmosphere as its working fluid and smoke for seeding particles. For these measurements, the sound level output of the device was kept to 140 dB to help maintain the suspension of seeding particles. Several types of flow patterns were observed, including Gedeon streaming, start-up noise characterized by instabilities such as vortices, and a traveling wave throughout accompanied by radial standing waves localized near corners. Such measurements are challenging in small high frequency devices. In order to satisfy the Shannon-Nyquist theorem, a 2 kHz engine would need to be sampled at a minimum of 4 kHz; however, a new technique was developed that allows for the measurements to be made using a camera with a maximum frame rate per sec of 300. This new method makes it possible to perform measurements on a flow without the need for more expensive and delicate high speed equipment, thereby, making observation of high speed flows more readily available. [Research supported by the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/U.S. Army Forces Strategic Command.]
Auditory perception through the cortical analysis of spectrotemporal modulations.
Authors: Shamma Shihab
Published: October 2013

To understand the functional organization of the primary auditory cortex (A1), a broad array of stimuli have been used over the years ranging from simple tones to species-specific vocalizations. In our experience, broadband stimuli with spectrotemporally modulated spectra have been most effective in evoking vigorous cortical responses and facilitating measurements of spectrotemporal receptive fields (STRFs). Extensive measurements with such stimuli led us to conclude that A1 cells analyze the spectrotemporal modulation content of their input stimulus through a rich assortment of STRFs spanning the dynamically slow to fast, the spectrally narrow to broad, and tuned at all best frequencies. These experimental findings have subsequently been formulated as a “multiresolution cortical model” whose output is postulated to represent the perceptually significant elements of sound. I shall briefly describe how complex cortical responses have been abstracted and interpreted in the context of this model, and how the model has been effective in a wide variety of applications including the assessment of speech intelligibility, representation of phonemes, explaining the perception of monaural phase sensitivity, detecting speech versus nonspeech sounds, quantifying musical timbre, enhancement of noisy speech, and in the analysis and organization of complex auditory scenes.
Energy flux streamlines vs the alternatives for the visualization of energy coupling at and inside the surface of an ensonified fluid loaded elastic cylindrical shell with vacuum interior: Preliminary results.
Authors: Dean Cleon E. , Braselton James P.
Published: October 2013

Energy flux streamlines are compared with alternative presentations of the energy flux vector field to visualize energy coupling at the surface and inside an ensonified fluid loaded elastic cylindrical shell with vacuum interior for both forward and retrograde guided propagating waves. The present work uses a method adapted from a simpler technique due to Kaduchak and Marston [Gregory Kaduchak and Philip L. Marston, “Traveling-wave decomposition of surface displacements associated with scattering by a cylindrical shell: Numerical evaluation displaying guided forward and backward wave properties,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 98, 3501–3507 (1995)] to isolate unidirectional energy flows.
Non-native listener’s linguistic background and use of contextual cues.
Authors: Shi Lu-Feng
Published: October 2013

Non-native listeners have more difficulty perceiving acoustically degraded English speech than native listeners. In addition, performance in non-native listeners varies greatly depending on many linguistic factors. Recognizing the importance of these factors, the current study assessed how 30 non-native listeners utilized contextual information on the reverberant speech-perception-in-noise test [Sandridge et al., AAS (2005)] based on their linguistic profiles, obtained through the Language Experience and Profile Questionnaire [V. Marian et al., JSLHR 50, 940–967 (2007)]. Specifically, these SPIN sentences (high versus low context) were processed in two levels of multi-talker babble (signal-to-noise ratio =+6 versus 0 dB) and two levels of reverberation (reverberation time =1.2 vs 3.6 s). Significant factors in language dominance, proficiency, learning, and use were identified using correlation and multiple regression procedures. Most strikingly, factors related to reading in English (age of acquisition, age of fluency, and preference) emerged as the strongest predictors of performance regardless of the main effect (noise, reverberation, or context). Most variance in performance could be accounted for by these reading factors and two additional factors related to speaking in English (proficiency and accent).
The production and perception of Mon voice registers.
Authors: Abramson Arthur S. , Ramsay Gordon , Luangthongkum Theraphan
Published: October 2013

As a continuation of our work on voice registers [Abramson et al., Phonetica 61, 147–171 (2004); Abramson et al., Phonetica 64, 80–104 (2007)], another language, Mon, has been examined. A voice register on a syllable is a bundle of phonetic properties among which one, usually phonation type, is paramount. Fieldwork, with support from acoustics [Thongkum, in Bamroongraks et al., (eds.), International Symposium on Language and Linguistics, pp. 22–50 (1998)], has yielded primarily modal voice and higher pitch for one register and breathy voice and lower pitch for the other. Our acoustic analysis has confirmed the significance of F0 height as well as that of the intensity ratios of higher harmonics and the first harmonic. The greater attenuation of the higher spectrum for breathy voice is taken as a consequence of a larger open quotient of the glottal cycle. For validation, electroglottography of the native speakers used for our acoustic analysis has been done. A control test of the robustness of the distinction in natural speech has been run along with one with synthetic speech for the efficacy of incremental changes along three dimensions, F0, spectral slope, and turbulence mixed with glottal pulsing. Final data will be shown.
Fundamental frequency in English and Mandarin.
Authors: Keating Patricia
Published: October 2013

It has been suggested that Mandarin, as a tone language, uses a larger F0 range than English. This study addresses two questions: (1) Do English and Mandarin F0 profiles differ? (2) How does the type of voice sample which is measured affect this F0 characterization and language comparison? Native speakers of English or Mandarin produced a variety of speech samples intended to elicit a wide range of F0s. Maximum phonation frequency range was measured from pitch sweeps, and speaking F0 was measured from readings of the Rainbow passage, isolated words with various intonations, and a dramatic story. Cepstral pitchtracking was used to log the entire F0 contour for each utterance, and various measures were computed. Preliminary results suggest, first, that the maximum phonation frequency ranges are the same for the two languages; second, that in reading Mandarin speakers use a higher mean F0, but at the same time English speakers use higher maximum F0 and wider range of F0; and third, that these differences do not depend on the speech samples being compared. [Work supported by NSF.]
Comparing contrastively focused and clear speech productions of color terms.
Authors: Redford Melissa A. , Vilela Barbosa Adriano , Vatikiotis-Bateson Eric
Published: October 2013

Words that are prosodically marked as focused in English are phonetically similar to clear speech words. Just as clear speech words are longer and better articulated (hyperarticulated) compared with matched casual speech words, prosodically focused words are longer and hyperarticulated compared to matched, unemphasized words. These similarities suggest that the implementational difference between prosodic focus and clear speech is merely one of scope: the same parameters are adjusted to either highlight a single element in an utterance (focus marking) or all the elements in an utterance (clear speech). To explore this idea we investigated the acoustics and jaw kinematics of producing color terms in either a casual style, a clear speech style, or with contrastive focus. Preliminary acoustic results indicate that clear speech lengthening is greater than focus-marking lengthening in some speakers. These same speakers also vary f0 more when contrastively focusing color terms than when producing them clearly, though this effect interacts with phrase position. Focused and clearly produced color terms are similarly hyperarticulated relative to casually produced terms. The results suggest that most speakers have different parameter settings for prosodic highlighting than for clear speech.
Acoustic correlates of rhythm in Western Cham.
Authors: Ueki Kaori
Published: October 2013

Chamic languages, which are part of the Austronesian language family, are generally known to bear lexical stress on final syllables [Thurgood, (2005)] but no instrumental studies of its prosodic features have been carried out. The current study seeks quantitative results to back up these impressionistic descriptions, and to examine how this language compares against the prosodic typology in June 2005. Syllable rimes of Western Cham, an understudied Chamic language, were measured for duration with respect to position of syllable within a phrase (initial, medial, final). The study shows that durations for final syllables were significantly longer, and that unstressed syllables are reduced in all positions. Preliminary results show that durations and pitch excursions of syllable rimes do not differ markedly with respect to phrasal position. Interactions of pitch and duration at lexical and postlexical levels will also be discussed.
Duration and fundamental frequency patterns in Brazilian Portuguese polysyllabic words.
Authors: Arantes Pablo , Barbosa Plinio
Published: October 2013

Brazilian Portuguese polysyllabic words are said to have secondary stress (SS). There is no clear consensus, though, on how SSs are assigned and what the acoustic correlates for SSs are. We analyzed a corpus of read speech in order to gain some insight on those two issues. The corpus’ target words have 2 to 4 pre-stressed syllables with primary lexical stress falling either on the last or penultimate syllable. Target words appeared in initial, medial, or final position on carrier sentences. Previous works showed that duration and F0 are the main correlates of stress marking in BP with a marginal contribution of vowel quality and spectral emphasis. Statistical analysis of normalized (z-scored) syllable and vowel-to-vowel duration show no evidence of binary alternation. Duration increases exponentially up to the stressed syllable. A Praat script was used to determine global and local F0 maxima and minima. Lexically stressed syllables have F0 peaks associated with them. There is at most one F0 peak on the pre-stressed syllable chain. Peaks tend to be higher in 4-pre-stressed-syllable words and be absent in 2-pre-stressed-syllable words. Target word position do not have a significant effect on duration contour shape and on F0 peak placement.
Dialect distribution of North American English /r/.
Authors: Boyce Suzanne , Tiede Mark , Groves-Wright Kathy , Espy-Wilson Carol , Holland Christy , Choe Kyuran
Published: October 2013

It is well-known that North American English /r/ may be produced by a number of different tongue shapes. This was first reported in detail by Delattre and Freeman (1968), who examined x-ray data from 46 speakers from various regions of the United States and identified six basic tongue shapes used by speakers of “rhotic” dialects to produce /r/. It is unclear, however, whether different shapes are characteristic of particular dialects or geographic regions, or a matter of individual variation based on anatomy, developmental history, etc. In this study, we review findings from a number of published x-ray and MRI studies of tongue shapes for /r/ using speakers from various dialect regions. In addition, we characterize the variability of tongue shapes used for /r/ in an unpublished x-ray database of elderly men with normal speech from the area of Cincinnati, OH. Results show that distinct tongue shape patterns in /r/ production occur both within and across dialect regions, suggesting the primacy of subject-specific factors over dialectal effects. [Work supported by NIH.]
Passive detection in deep water using the reliable acoustic path.
Authors: Zurk Lisa M.
Published: October 2013

The detection of quiet targets in deep water environments is of increasing interest for Navy applications, and detection performance depends critically on efficiently exploiting the frequency-dependent signal and noise structure. Previous measurements in the deep ocean environment of the northeast pacific has demonstrated the significant depth and frequency dependence of the noise, which can also vary with local wind conditions [Gaul et al., IEEE JOE (2007)]. The signal structure depends both on the spectrum of the target itself, but also on the propagation characteristics of the channel. In the concept of a reliable acoustic path (RAP), a receiver placed at or below the critical depth can detect shallow sources out to moderate ranges independent of near-surface water conditions or bottom interaction (hence, the identification as a “reliable” path). In this presentation, we present analysis of noise and signal structure for deep water channels from historic data, propagation modeling, and more recent experimentation. This structure is then used to compute signal excess to quantify detection performance as a function of receiver array placement and topology. Implications of the results on future Navy systems is discussed.
Auralization–audibility of changing scattering coefficients for audience areas in different size venues.
Authors: Rollins Sarah
Published: October 2013

Auralizations in computer modeling are affected by many different variables, such as absorption coefficients, scattering coefficients, and the complexity of the model. However, scattering coefficients are often determined by the best guess of the consultant. In order to isolate the changes due to the scattering coefficient for comparison with measured data, a simple rectilinear room was measured and modeled. This paper will show how changing the architectural surface and audience scattering coefficients affects the auralizations for this room. For comparison, the effects of changing these same coefficients in a larger venue will also be presented.
Validating acoustic monitors for marine animals: Field experience with beaked whales and digital acoustic monitors (DMONs).
Authors: Johnson Mark , Hurst Tom , Arias Anton , Aguilar de Soto Natacha
Published: October 2013

Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is a promising tool for improving the effectiveness of visual surveys for marine animals and for stand-alone persistent monitoring. Nonetheless, significant data gaps make it difficult to predict PAM performance for many species. Detection functions are only beginning to be formed for some vocalizations and detectors. Statistical models for calling rates, as a function of behavior, are needed to translate acoustic detections into abundance estimates, or lack of detections into decisions about absence of animals. Finally, ambient noise levels and spectra are unavailable in most of the world’s oceans, complicating the application of results from one area to another. Although some of these gaps are being addressed by a growing group of researchers, there is an urgent need to develop standards for measuring and reporting results, and to foster the interchange of data. To exemplify the form such standards might take, and the potential pitfalls, we present results from a series of field experiments designed to assess the performance of an acoustic monitor for beaked whales. The experiments made use of a freely available reference design for an acoustic detector, called the DMON, which may provide a basis for standardizing and validating real-time implementations.
Screening large data sets and real-time data streams for bioacoustic signals.
Authors: Klinck Holger , Kindermann Lars , Mellinger David K. , Boebel Olaf
Published: October 2013

This presentation will discuss a major challenge of passive-acoustic monitoring systems: the analysis of large data sets to identify the occurrence of bioacoustic signals of interest. Triggered by the rapid development of digital audio technology and the increasing capacity of memory devices, it has become easier than ever to produce large, long-term acoustic data sets. However, analyzing these data sets is challenging, as suitable automated detection and classification systems are needed to perform the analysis in a reasonable amount of time. One such large data set is currently produced by the Perennial Acoustic Observatory in the Antarctic Ocean. This passive acoustic observatory has been operated by the Alfred Wegener Institute since January 2006 and has generated more than 10,000 hours of data to date. The observatory features a data link via satellite, which allows analysis of the recorded hydroacoustic data in real time in Germany. However, to be able to run custom algorithms over the entire data set in several times real-time speed, a distributed computing system was developed and applied. Here we provide a detailed description of this system and discuss further possible applications.
Integration of automated detection methods into NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) acoustic marine mammal monitoring protocol.
Authors: Yack Tina M. , Barlow Jay , Rankin Shannon , Gillespie Douglas
Published: October 2013

Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) has used combined visual and acoustic techniques to monitor marine mammal populations for the past 8 yrs. Currently, SWFSC passive acoustic surveys of cetaceans require specially trained personnel to monitor hydrophone signals in real-time. While effective, this method is time-consuming and costly. Automated detection of cetacean vocalizations would be a valuable tool during SWFSC surveys, allowing for detection when experienced technicians are unavailable. This technique is advantageous because it significantly reduces effort and removes sources of human error and bias in detection ability. PAMGUARD 1.0 CORE software was evaluated for use in automated detection of cetacean acoustic signals. Three different detector configurations of PAMGUARD were evaluated. This work shows that the majority of whistle and click events can be detected using PAMGUARD software. All of the PAMGUARD trials were capable of detecting whistles and clicks of cetacean species with varying success. These techniques were field-tested at sea during a recent SWFSC marine mammal survey. Automated detection of beaked whales and Dall’s porpoise during this survey will also be discussed. It is our goal to integrate automated detection methods into SWFSC’s acoustic marine mammal monitoring protocol and this work is an important step in doing so.