bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quantifying labial, palatal, and pharyngeal contributions to third formant lowering in American English /ɹ/
Authors: Harper Sarah , Goldstein Louis , Narayanan Shrikanth S.
Published: November 2017

Although the acoustic profile of /ɹ/ is largely stable across speakers and contexts in rhotic dialects of American English (e.g., Hagiwara, 1995), significant variability is observed in the articulatory implementation of the palatal, pharyngeal, and labial constriction gestures involved in its production (Delattre & Freeman, 1968; Alwan et al., 1999; Tiede et al., 2004). In order to quantify each gesture’s relative contribution to F3 lowering, we expand upon previous work on articulatory-acoustic relations in American English /ɹ/ by examining the acoustic effect of articulatory variation separately for each supralaryngeal constriction gesture. Real-time MRI data from four speakers in the USC-TIMIT corpus (Narayanan et al., 2014) were analyzed to determine the location, length, and aperture for each constriction gesture in 668 tokens of /ɹ/. Acoustic data were taken from simultaneous audio recordings of each speaker’s real-time MRI capture, with F1-F4 values extracted at the time of maximal constriction for each gesture. Our results suggest that each gesture’s acoustic contribution to F3 depends on between- and within-speaker variation in the articulation of /ɹ/, as variation in the length and location of the palatal and pharyngeal gestures is associated with differences in their relative effect size on F3 lowering. [Work supported by NIH.]
Exploring the source of short-term variations in respiratory data
Authors: Fuchs Susanne , Koenig Laura L.
Published: November 2017

Past studies of speech breathing have observed short-term variations in the respiratory signal. In early kinematic work, Stetson observed “ripples“ on the breathing signals, which he interpreted to represent chest pulses for each syllable. Ladefoged and coauthors subsequently reported that brief excursions in respiratory data corresponded closely in time to stressed syllables. Segmental characteristics may also impact respiratory signals, however. In particular, voiceless obstruents have been associated with short-term decreases in breathing data, presumably reflecting rapid airflow venting through an open glottis. Indeed, much of Stetson's speech material consisted of repeated CV syllables with voiceless stop onsets. This study revisits the degree to which voiceless consonants correspond to negative excursions in respiratory signals obtained from several speakers. We collected acoustic data as well as intraoral pressure (to infer subglottal pressure non-invasively) and used inductance plethysmography to obtain displacements of the rib cage and abdomen. We use acoustic and intraoral pressure signals to locate voiceless segments as well as nasal consonants in stressed syllables, and assess the characteristics of the respiratory signals in these regions. The nasals provide a control condition for testing whether voiceless sounds have unique effects on the respiratory data.
Vowel contrasts relative to schwa: Effects of utterance-level fundamental frequency
Authors: Kuo Christina
Published: November 2017

The purpose of this study is to characterize the potential effects of utterance-level fundamental frequency (F0) on the acoustic contrasts of vowels as expressed relative to the mid-central vowel schwa. This is a follow-up to a previous study [Kuo, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 141, 3840 (2017)] based on a hypothesis of schwa as a speaker-defined reference for vowel contrasts. The hypothesized reference schwa is made up of the averaged first and second formant (F1 and F2) frequencies from many tokens of schwa produced by a given speaker. Motivated by the potential interactions among F0, spectral sampling, and articulation, the present study evaluates the effects, if any, of utterance-level F0 on vowel contrasts relative to schwa. Utterance-level F0 is measured for breath groups at the sentence level. Vowel contrasts are expressed as the Euclidean distances between vowels and the reference schwa in the F1-F2 space. Specifically, two questions are of interest. First, are the Euclidean distances between vowels and the reference schwa impacted by the utterance-level F0? Second, does utterance-level F0 affect the variability of schwa productions, and thus influencing the makeup of the reference schwa? Findings will be discussed within the framework of the acoustic theory of speech production.
Predictive denoising of speech in noise using deep neural networks
Authors: Pariente Manuel , Pressnitzer Daniel
Published: November 2017

Deep neural networks have recently been used in several studies to improve speech intelligibility in noise. Here, we tested whether such networks could denoise speech in a predictive manner, which would be highly desirable for potential real-time applications. Training targets for the networks consisted in a mask (ideal binary mask or ideal ratio mask) for the last observed frame (non-predictive) and for one frame ahead in the future (predictive). Frame length was fixed at 48 ms. Training was performed on a target speaker with added speech-shaped noise, using about 25 min of training speech, at different signal to noise ratios ranging from −12 to 3 dB. A behavioral experiment was run to measure intelligibility of semantically unpredictable sentences in speech-shaped noise. For the behavioral experiment, target sentences were different from the learning sentences, and novel exemplars of speech-shaped noise were drawn on each trial. We observed intelligibility gains for both network architectures over a broad range of signal to noise ratios, with a maximum of 13.6 percentage points for the non-predictive network compared to 9.4 percentage points for the predictive network. This shows that a network may successfully be trained to denoise a specific speaker in a predictive manner.
Electrophysiological determination of backward masking function
Authors: Smith Silas , Yonovitz Al
Published: November 2017

Backward Masking (BM) functions have been shown to relate to age, lead toxicity, and in children with language disorders. These functions may be indicative of auditory processing deficits. This study investigated if Evoked Potentials (EP) could be utilized to obtain BM functions. The design of this study allowed observation of the early, middle, and late auditory evoked potentials. This process allowed us to observe the differential electrophysiological responses of evoked potentials during the BM effect. This study was randomized using four different stimulus conditions. With a long inter-stimulus interval and high sample rate simultaneous early, middle, and late potentials were obtained. The stimuli were a pure-tone alone, (1) 1000 Hz, (2) a masking noise alone, (3) the pure-tone followed by the masking noise, and (4) a control condition with no auditory stimulus. This approach, using a randomization allowed any adaptation or habituation to the stimuli to be equally distributed within each condition. Using arithmetic operations on the derived evoked potentials allows for localization of brain structures utilized in BM processing. Results indicated the determination of BM functions can be obtained objectively.
Sound art with Hertz
Authors: Gossweiler Peter Francis C.
Published: November 2017

This article seeks to reflect on personal artistic processes in sound art and acoustic art pieces. It reports experiences, work pieces, and exhibitions where I applied a conventional language of sound measurement (Hertz) to minimize unexpected narratives and interpretations. Finally, we present the exhibition “HERTZ of the place where we are in“ (2016), which has been audiodescripted for blind people, and thus we understand a little more of how we can fill these distances between language and its referent with alternative approaches and how we think about what we hear in acoustic environments.
Adaptive manifold interpolation techniques for acoustic metamaterial characterization in HPC environments
Authors: Robeck Corbin , Reed Heather , Kelly Alex , Shakalis Andrew , Salari Reza , Cipolla Jeffrey
Published: November 2017

Functionally graded acoustic metamaterials (FGAMs) can be designed to have specific waveguide properties dictated by a theory relevant to the application. Frequently, these material properties do not exist naturally, and must be fabricated by gradually layering manufactured unit cell microstructures, resulting in a (usually smooth) variation of properties. Tailoring these microstructures to the demands of the relevant theory requires assembling microstructures with very specific material properties—a process that often requires haphazardly searching a large domain space of unit cells for desirable parameter combinations. Moreover, the process of determining the material tensor of interest for a specific set of metamaterial cell design parameters typically involves solving a costly high dimensional finite element problem for each new microstructure cell of interest. This work presents a gradient-based, manifold interpolation technique to characterize acoustic metamaterial homogenized elastic tensors. An adaptive refinement method is used to seed the interpolation data allowing the method to reliably recover unit cell stiffness tensors within predefined error bounds—allowing for interpolation of a cell with desired properties within specified error tolerances while minimizing the number of unit cells that require high-fidelity, computationally-expensive simulation. Finally, an implementation of the process is presented in a massively parallel computing environment.
Characterizing hysteretic materials in complex systems from vibration measurements
Authors: Liem Alyssa T. , McDaniel James G.
Published: November 2017

A new method is proposed for estimating the material properties of a component in a complex system, given vibration measurements taken at points on the system. The method begins by identifying a set of unknown material parameters for each material. A finite element model is constructed using initial estimates of these parameters. A set of error metrics is defined and each metric is assumed to be zero when the correct parameters are used in the model. These error metrics may, for example, include averages of vibrational responses or modal properties. By evaluating the finite element model as the material parameters are varied, relationships between the material parameters and the error metrics are established. The best estimates of the material parameters are found by requiring that all error metrics be zero. The method is particularly valuable when applied to the in situ determination of hysteretic material properties, in which the frequency-dependent constitutive law might contain several unknown parameters. Examples will be presented that illustrate the accuracy and robustness of the method.
Stories of speech science
Authors: Story Brad H.
Published: November 2017

A fundamental aspect of teaching, on any topic, is the continual pursuit of telling a story. Although technology and advances in teaching methods may facilitate new and exciting forms of presenting course materials, they do not, by themselves, build the context for the content of a course. Every lecture, activity, homework assignment, project, quiz, and examination can be regarded as chapters that build, over the duration of a course, a compelling and engaging story in which students take part. The aim of this talk is to encourage development of speech science courses that weave together history, theory, technology, visual and auditory experience, assessment, and, importantly, the instructor’s own research to spin a good tale. [Work supported by NIH R01-DC011275 and NSF BCS-1145011.]
Teaching phonetics to undergraduate students majoring speech and hearing sciences and disorders
Authors: Kariyasu Makoto
Published: November 2017

Phonetics is a fundamental course to provide students key knowledge and skills for understanding speech and hearing disorders. In our university, the students are required to take two courses. In Phonetics, we present the basic anatomy and physiology of speech production with emphasis on the three elements, flow, vibrations, and movement. Historical studies on speech production and perception, such as phonetic invariance, perceptual restoration, are presented. Based on the experimental findings, students learned the nature of human communication. That is, speech production is highly adaptive, but speech signal is somewhat varied. In some situations, the top-down processing helps listeners understand speech code. In Phonetics LAB, phonetic transcription, sound productions with vocal tract aerodynamics and acoustics are covered. The acoustic theory of speech production is presented, then the speech waveform and spectrogram of vowels and consonants are explained. Students are requested to show the understanding how speech is produced in reference to the vocal tract shaping and aerodynamics. For speech therapists, it is essential to demonstrate an automatic processing of hearing sounds and knowing the vocal tract. Disordered speech should be understood for possible mechanisms because speech therapists need to modify the human body and its control mechanisms.
Variability and invariants: Facilitating deep learning
Authors: Lee Chao-Yang
Published: November 2017

Discussions of education in acoustics have traditionally focused on content issues such as “demonstration experiments, laboratory exercises, interpretation of basic concepts in acoustics, homework problems, possible exam questions, and tutorial papers” as noted in the announcement for a JASA special issue on education in 2010. However, well-constructed content does not always translate to actual learning. Furthermore, a common sentiment among new and established teachers is that much time and effort end up being spent on classroom management rather than teaching the content. How do students learn best? How do teachers help students understand the nature and progress of their learning? This paper reports a longitudinal study on teaching speech science to undergraduate students majoring in communication sciences and disorders. The course was taught by the author 19 times in a span of 10 years to 994 students at a public university. The relationships between how grades were determined, the actual final grade, and teaching evaluation are examined. The findings are discussed in the context of the author's reflections on teaching philosophy and strategies.
Online vs. in-person: Exploring the outcomes and impacts
Authors: Tucker Benjamin V. , Mills Timothy
Published: November 2017

Over the last few decades, the teaching of online courses has grown tremendously, especially with the rise in popularity of massive open online courses. In phonetics, the offerings of online courses has also grown. The University of Alberta has offered an online phonetics course for four years, which is academically equivalent to the in-person course. The University of Alberta online course runs as a standard semester course offered twice a year with the similar deadlines and structure as the in-person course. In this presentation we discuss and explore the advantages and challenges of online versus in-person courses from the instructor's perspective. We report the differences and similarities in student learning outcomes and student success. We discuss methods of student engagement, implementation of laboratory activities (active-learning), and exam invigilation. We also comment on the advantages of combining materials from online and in-person courses in blended learning environments.
Improving comprehension through team quizzes
Authors: Kimball Amelia E. , Drackley Patrick , Cole Jennifer
Published: November 2017

As instructors of a large introductory linguistics course, we face a challenge common to many teachers in the language sciences: we have a large amount of basic knowledge to communicate before moving on to more complex applications, and our students have varying degrees of preparation for our class. We address this challenge by using team-based learning (Michaelsen et al., 2001) and team quizzes (Gross Davis, 2009, p. 194). In this presentation, we share our approach to team work through a hands-on demonstration of the Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique, a scratch-off answer sheet that encourages students to work together to find the correct answer during a quiz. Using this technique, students move beyond passive listening as they explain concepts and defend their ideas to team members. We find that this technique works particularly well for introducing new topics that require repetition before “sticking.” We also find that by keeping work focused in the classroom and providing peer feedback, students enjoy participating in team activities. Adopting this method has shown positive outcomes in our course, with use of team quizzes correlated with higher test scores, more positive course evaluations, and increases in course enrollment.
Active learning for acoustic classification
Authors: Blevins Matthew G. , Nykaza Edward T. , Nick William M.
Published: November 2017

Classification of noise sources based on their acoustic signatures is becoming increasingly necessary due to the increasing prevalence of noise monitoring systems. The intractable amount of data that these systems capture necessitates robust and efficient classification algorithms. However, the process of building a classifier requires manually labeling recorded noise events, which is a time consuming task. In this paper we explore a method for reducing the human burden and making the process more efficient called active learning, or “listener-in-the-loop.” This method iteratively improves classifier performance by querying a human listener using optimally chosen observations based on certainty factors, which measure the degree of belief or disbelief based on probability for a particular classification. Classifier performance as well as algorithm efficiency, in terms of computational costs and amount of data required, will be discussed.
Nonlinear frequency dependence of sound attenuation in sea bottoms at low frequencies
Authors: Zhou Jixun , Li Zhenglin
Published: November 2017

In the 1980s, several papers were published that stressed the importance of non-linear frequency dependence (NLFD) of sound attenuation in marine sediments al low frequencies, and showed experimental evidence that the NLFD can have a significant effect on long-range sound propagation [Zhou et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 78, 1003–1009 (1985); 79, Suppl. 1, S68, (1986); 82, 287–292(1987); 82, 2068–2074 (1987)]. According to Kibblewhite [JASA, 86, 718–738 (1989)], “the only program directly related to marine sediment attenuation and not identified by Hamilton is that of Zhou et al.” This analysis of NLFD was extended later to cover 20 locations in different coastal zones around the world, resulting in an effective geoacoustic model for sandy to sand-silt-clay bottoms. [Zhou, Zhang and Knobles, JASA, 125, 2847–2866 (2009)]. However, the attenuation-frequency relationship is still an open issue. There is a pressing need to have quality sound-speed and attenuation data in the low- to high-frequency transition band from one location by using both inverse and direct techniques. Thus, a sea-going experiment in an area with shallower water depth is desirable. This paper will discuss some physical and technical issues related to broadband geoacoustic inversions and examine some data from muddy bottoms.
Inversion of geoacoustic parameters from transmission loss measurements in the presence of swim bladder bearing fish in the Santa Barbara Channel
Authors: Diachok Orest , Turgut Altan
Published: November 2017

It is well established that attenuation due to swim bladder bearing fish can have profound effects on transmission loss (TL) in continental shelf and slope environments (Weston, 1967; Diachok, 1999). Realistic estimates of geoacoustic parameters from TL measurements in such environments may be derived by application of the concurrent bio and geo inversion method (Diachok and Wales, 2005; Diachok and Wadsworth, 2014). This method assumes that the biological environment may be characterized by bio-alpha (attenuation coefficient within the layer), layer depth, and layer thickness. Application of this method to broadband TL measurements between 0.3 and 5 kHz in the Santa Barbara Channel resulted in realistic estimates of geo and bioacoustic parameters. Inverted geoacoustic parameters were consistent with coincident core and chirp sonar measurements. Inverted bioacoustic parameters were consistent with concurrent measurements of fish depths and length distributions of dominant species. The latter permitted calculation of swim bladder dimensions and resonance frequencies. Neglect of bio-alpha resulted in unrealistically high values of geo-alpha. These results suggest that some previously reported inversions of geo-alpha from TL measurements at other sites may have been biased by neglect of bio-alpha. [This research was supported by the ONR Ocean Acoustics Program.]
Inversion of geoacoustic parameters from transmission loss measurements in the presence of swim bladder bearing fish in the Yellow Sea
Authors: Diachok Orest
Published: November 2017

Realistic estimates of geoacoustic parameters from transmission loss (TL) measurements in the presence of swim bladder bearing fish may be derived by application of the concurrent bio and geo inversion method (Diachok and Wales, 2005; Diachok and Wadsworth, 2014). This method was applied to Qiu’s, (1999) TL measurements in the Yellow Sea. Qiu’s measurements were made in August, south of the Shandong Peninsula, where the bottom is composed of sand, and the concentration of anchovies, the dominant species in the Yellow Sea, is high, at night when anchovies are dispersed near the surface and bio-alpha is relatively high. The measured attenuation coefficient (TS—cylindrical spreading—absorption) was nearly 8 dB/km at the resonance frequency of anchovies. Inverted values of bioacoustic parameters were consistent with bioacoustic parameters of anchovies. Inverted geoacoustic parameters were consistent with geoacoustic properties of sand. Disregard of the effects of bio-alpha on TL resulted in unrealistically high estimates of geo-alpha at frequencies above a few hundred Hz. These observations suggest that some previously reported inferences of geo-alpha from TL measurements in the Yellow Sea may have been biased by neglect of bio-alpha. [This research was supported by the ONR Ocean Acoustics Program.]
Chester McKinney and the Acoustical Society of America: Over sixty years of service
Authors: Isakson Marcia J.
Published: November 2017

The impact of Chester McKinney on the Acoustical Society of America cannot be overstated. Chester served as a charter member of the Underwater Acoustics Technical Committee and was its first chair in 1956. He was the driving influence in making the ASA the professional home for underwater acousticians. He established three committees that still serve the society: Archives, Tutorials and Public Relations. He served on the Executive Council, the Medals and Awards Committee, the Committee on Meetings and the Nominating Committee among others. Chester went on to serve as vice-president and president of the society. In 1989, Chester pioneered a census of acousticians. He chaired the census ad-hoc committee, collected and organized the responses and reported the results in JASA [McKinney, Hurdle, and Blue, “A profile of the acoustics community in the United States and Canada,” J. Acous. Soc. Am., 91(2):1169–1179, 1992]. This census can now be compared with the statistics of today to track the growth of the society. Chester received the Gold Medal in 2004, the highest honor the society can bestow.
Acoustic characterization of 3D printed micro-structured scaffolds for tissue engineering
Authors: ALIABOUZAR MITRA , Zhang Lijie Grace , Sarkar Kausik
Published: November 2017

The acoustic and mechanical properties of 3D-printed porous poly-(ethylene glycol)-diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel scaffolds, as a widely used biomaterial, with different geometric channels (hexagonal and square) were explored using a pulse echo technique. The measured values of attenuation and speed of sound were found to be within the range of reported values for soft tissues making PEGDA scaffolds a suitable candidate for cartilage tissue engineering. We also showed that these properties as well as Young’s modulus can be controlled and adjusted to desired values close to biological tissues by varying the 3D printing parameters. Furthermore, our 5-day proliferation as well as three-week chondrogenic differentiation results revealed that cell growth and tissue formation depend on the geometrical features of the 3D-printed scaffolds as well. Cell adhesion and proliferation greatly improved for scaffolds with square and hexagonal pore geometries compared to nonporous scaffolds. Scaffolds with square pores were determined to be the optimal for hMSC growth as well as chondrogenic differentiation. In addition to cell number, total collagen and Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) synthesis were 35% and 31% higher, respectively, for the square pattern compared to the hydrogel scaffolds with hexagonal pore shapes.
Simulation of multi-source external mechanical vibration for shear wave elastography
Authors: Yang Heng , Benjamin Alex , Anthony Brian
Published: November 2017

Shear wave elastography (SWE) provides clinical diagnostics by probing the mechanical properties of soft tissue. Commercial ultrasound scanners use focused acoustic radiation force (ARF) to generate the requisite shear waves. This technique requires complex front-end electronics and may induce thermal stresses within the tissue and electronics. External mechanical vibration (EMV) based SWE emerges as a viable alternative; in addition to being low-cost and robust, it potentially offers higher local displacements and increased standardization compared to ARF based SWE. We present the simulation and sensitivity analysis of a novel EMV technique that can be adopted in clinical settings. The proposed design involves the use of two solid spheres placed symmetrically across or within the imaging plane of a commercial probe. These spheres can vibrate over a range of frequencies, amplitudes, and phases that are independent of one another. A non-linear, viscoelastic, finite-element model is used to simulate the propagation of induced shear waves within tissue-mimicking domains. A systematic sensitivity analysis is performed to determine the dependence of the amplitude, symmetry, attenuation, and interference of the induced shear waves on the following: spatial placement of the spheres relative to the ROI, distance between the spheres, their individual sizes, frequencies, amplitudes, and relative phases of vibration.
Hospital noise: How bad is it?
Authors: Busch-Vishniac Ilene
Published: November 2017

The noise in hospitals has been growing monotonically since at least 1960, and noise is now a top complaint of patients, staff, and visitors. Hospital noise sources are of many types, including HVAC noise from required high air flows, equipment noise from machines such as MRI units, alarms from equipment at patient bedsides, pneumatic tube lab transport systems, PA systems, and speech absolutely everywhere. In 2006, the federal government introduced the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) as a standardized survey to measure patient perception of the quality of care received. Results of the survey are publicly available for each of the over 5500 hospitals in the United States. The first analysis of results showed that the lowest score received by U.S. hospitals in aggregate was the single acoustics question which asks whether patients found their room sufficiently quiet to allow for sleep at night. With the threat of decrease of federal compensation unless they show improvement, hospitals have been developing and implementing noise control programs. In this talk, we will review what we know about hospital noise, what we still need to investigate, and the challenges to achieving transformative change.
Looking back forty years on the significance of my Hunt fellowship
Authors: Garrett Steven L.
Published: November 2017

A postdoctoral fellowship comes at a very important point at the start of a young scientist’s career. Since the Hunt Fellowship provides salary and covers incidental expenses, it allows the applicant to select where (s)he will work and with whom. Although it was impossible to know at the time, my year as a Hunt Fellow at the University of Sussex, doing ultra-low temperature acoustics in superfluids, determined the direction of a career in acoustics that has been challenging and fulfilling over four decades. In Sussex, I shared an office with Prof. Richard Packard, on sabbatical from UC-Berkeley. He invited me to spend the following two years in his laboratory where I also had the pleasure of working with Greg Swift. When Greg left to take the Oppenheimer Postdoctoral Fellowship at Los Alamos National Laboratory to work on novel heat engines with John Wheatley, the field of thermoacoustics was born. After doing a Ph.D. degree under the supervision of Izzy Rudnick and Seth Putterman, the Hunt allowed me to continue working with amazingly talented and innovative physicists. Seth and Izzy are a hard act to follow. Having the access that the Hunt provided set me on a path of lifelong learning.
Hunt Magic: A lifetime of fruitful collaboration
Authors: Everbach E. Carr
Published: November 2017

The 1989–1990 F.V. Hunt Fellowship allowed me to spend one year at the University of Rochester in Edwin Carstensen’s lab to investigate the physical mechanisms of shock wave lithotripsy (ref Boston). Coming from the lab of Bob Apfel at Yale, where I had worked on nonlinear propagation and measurement of B/A, at U. Rochester I applied these concepts to shock wave propagation and measurement in lithotripsy. I also investigated the role of inertial cavitation in both lithotripsy and blood clot dissolution, developing collaborations with Mort Miller’s biophysics lab and clinicians at the Strong Memorial Hospital. The fruitful collaborations I developed at U. Rochester during my Hunt year continued for years thereafter, including several summers spent in Rochester until marriage and family intervened. I can credit the awarding of my NSF Presidential Faculty Fellowship and decades of ultrasound bioeffects work to my Hunt Fellowship year, and I relish ongoing collaborations that enrich my teaching and research at an all-undergraduate institution.
In pursuit of noninvasive microsurgery
Authors: Choi James J.
Published: November 2017

I am committed to creating safe and high performance noninvasive surgical devices and the 2011 Hunt Fellowship supported me at a critical point on my path toward this goal. Noninvasive surgery refers to the local modulation of tissue deep in the body without surgical incisions. This technology has the potential to treat devastating diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease cancers, and stroke. I entered research in this field as an undergraduate at the University of Michigan building multi-element therapeutic arrays under Prof. Charles Cain. I then developed technologies that could deliver drugs to the brain at Columbia University during my doctoral research under Prof. Elisa Konofagou. At this stage, I noticed a severe gap in capability. Although we could spatially control where an ultrasound beam is placed, we had poor control of the safety and performance within it. The 2011 Hunt Fellowship supported me on the development of passive acoustic mapping technologies—a unique technology that allowed for the resolution of sub-beam interactions. This work was conducted at the University of Oxford under Prof. Constantin Coussios. I now lead a team at Imperial College London as a tenured Associate Professor and remain committed to continuing my pursuit of noninvasive microsurgical devices.
The unexpected but fulfilling impact of the Hunt Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in my academia career
Authors: Zhang Likun
Published: November 2017

Soon after I graduated with my Ph.D. degree in Physics from Washington State University in 2012 under the supervision of Dr. Philip L. Marston, I applied to the 2013–2014 Hunt Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. I was honored to receive the fellowship that funded my proposed postdoctoral research on acoustic propagation through internal waves under the joint supervision of Dr. Harry L. Swinney at the University of Texas at Austin and Dr. James F. Lynch at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. I am very grateful to the Hunt Fellowship for providing me with the opportunity to shift from analytical work on physical acoustics and fluid dynamics in my Ph.D. study to numerical and laboratory work on underwater acoustics in postdoctoral research. This has broadened the range of tools that I have to address acoustic problems in my academia career. I am fortunate to have had mentors who guided me on an unexpected but fulfilling career path that led me to becoming a faculty member in Physics at the University of Mississippi with my research affiliated with the National Center for Physical Acoustics. This poster explores the influential role of the Hunt Fellowship in the career path that I have taken.
Physical Acoustics and Oxford: My experience as a researcher, a fellow, and beyond
Authors: Raymond Jason L.
Published: November 2017

In May 2015, I arrived in London after completing my Ph.D. work under the direction of Prof. Christy Holland at the University of Cincinnati and moved shortly thereafter with a goal to help establish one of the principal physical acoustics laboratories in the UK at Oxford. At the outset, it was my hope and expectation that the F. V. Hunt Fellowship would help to define a unique trajectory for my career. During the fellowship and along with the support of my mentor, Prof. Ronald Roy, I have been able to develop a network of collaborators and conduct research which will help to define the next phase of my career and work in acoustics. A highlight of my term as a Hunt Fellow was the opportunity to travel to China, during which I visited four research laboratories relating to my work in therapeutic ultrasound and delivered two invited seminars. I am grateful to the Hunt family estate and the Acoustical Society of America for offering this fellowship, which has not only provided me with the opportunity to conduct research, but also the flexibility to develop as an independent scientist and to work with international collaborators.
Acoustic speech analysis of patients with decompensated heart failure: A pilot study
Authors: Murton Olivia , Daher Maureen , Cunningham Thomas , Verkouw Karla , Tabtabai Sara , Steiner Johannes , Hillman Robert E. , Dec G. W. , Ausiello Dennis , Mehta Daryush
Published: November 2017

Heart failure (HF) is a chronic condition characterized by impaired cardiac function, increased intracardiac filling pressures, and peripheral edema. HF can escalate into decompensation, requiring hospitalization. Patients with HF are typically monitored to prevent decompensation, but current methods are of only limited reliability (e.g., weight monitoring) or invasive and expensive (e.g., surgically implanted devices). This study investigated the ability of acoustic speech analysis to monitor patients with HF, since HF-related edema in the vocal folds and lungs was hypothesized to affect phonation and speech respiration. Ten patients with HF (8 male/2 female, mean age 70 years) undergoing inpatient treatment for decompensation performed a daily recording protocol of sustained vowels, read text, and spontaneous speech. Mean length of stay was 7 days, and average weight loss was 8.5 kg. Acoustic features extracted included fundamental frequency, cepstral peak prominence, automatically identified creaky voice segments, and breath group durations. After treatment, patients displayed increased fundamental frequency (mean change 3.7 Hz), decreased cepstral peak prominence variation (mean change -0.41 dB), and a higher proportion of creaky voice in read passages (mean change 6.9 percentage points) and sentences (mean change 5.5 percentage points), suggesting that phonatory biomarkers may be early indicators of HF-related edema.
Detection of frequency glides in single tones and single formants: Are tones appropriate analogs of formants in psychophysical experiments?
Authors: Molis Michelle R. , Roten Amie
Published: November 2017

Psychophysical studies of the limits on detection of frequency glides often have used single tones as simple, non-speech analogs of more complex speech stimuli. However, the perceptual equivalence of a single component falling at a nominal formant-peak frequency and a multi-component spectral resonance has not been firmly established. The distinction may be especially relevant when formant frequencies change over time. Detection thresholds for upward and downward frequency change were measured for single-component tonal glides and multi-component spectral resonances as a function of center frequency (500 or 1500 Hz) and duration (30 or 120 ms). The fundamental frequency of the formant stimuli was held steady at 104.5 Hz. The tones were presented at 15 dB SL and the formants were presented at approximately 15 dB SL for a 1/3-octave frequency region around the center frequency. Results suggest that thresholds for frequency glide detection depend on the complexity of the stimuli, as well as stimulus direction, center frequency, and duration. [Work supported by NIH/NIDCD.]
Salt + Glycerol-Induced Hyperhydration Enhances Fluid Retention More Than Salt- or Glycerol-Induced Hyperhydration
Authors: Goulet Eric D.B. , De La Flore Adrien , Savoie Félix A. , Gosselin Jonathan
Published: November 2017

Hyperhydration has been demonstrated to improve work capacity and cardiovascular and thermoregulatory functions, enhance orthostatic tolerance, slow or neutralize bone demineralization, and decrease postdive bubble formation. Adding sodium or glycerol to a hyperhydration solution optimizes fluid retention. Sodium and glycerol produce their effect through different physiological mechanisms. If combined into a hyperhydration solution, their impact on fluid retention could potentially be greater than their singular effect. We compared the effect of salt-induced hyperhydration (SIH), glycerol-induced hyperhydration (GIH), and salt + glycerol-induced hyperhydration (SGIH) on fluid balance responses during a 3-hr passive experiment. Using a randomized, crossover, and counterbalanced experiment, 15 young men (22 ± 4 years) underwent three, 3-hr hyperhydration experiments during which they ingested 30 ml/kg fat-free mass (FFM) of water with an artificial sweetener plus either (a) 7.5 g of table salt/L (SIH), (b) 1.4 g glycerol/kg FFM (GIH), or (c) 7.5 g of table salt/L + 1.4 g glycerol/kg FFM (SGIH). After 3 hr, there were no significant differences in plasma volume changes among experiments (SIH: 11.3% ± 9.9%; GIH: 7.6% ± 12.7%; SGIH: 11.3% ± 13.7%). Total urine production was significantly lower (SIH: 775 ± 329 ml; GIH: 1,248 ± 270 ml; SGIH: 551 ± 208 ml) and fluid retention higher (SIH: 1,127 ± 212 ml; GIH: 729 ± 115 ml; SGIH: 1,435 ± 140 ml) with SGIH than either GIH or SIH. Abdominal discomfort was low and not significantly different among experiments. In conclusion, results show that SGIH reduces urine production and provides more fluid retention than either SIH or GIH.
Monitoring Rugby Players for Fitness and Fatigue: What Do Coaches Want?
Authors: Starling Lindsay T. , Lambert Michael I.
Published: November 2017

Purpose: The advantages of monitoring players in a team are well documented. However, barriers associated with lack of resources and time prevent teams from implementing systematic monitoring programs. This study aimed to identify (1) the methods rugby teams use to monitor the training load and associated response to the training load and (2) prerequisites of a monitoring protocol that are scientifically suitable and practically applicable for monitoring fitness and fatigue of rugby players. Methods: Coaches and support staff working with varying levels of rugby union were invited to complete an online questionnaire. Results: Of the 55 respondents, 96% indicated that although they regarded monitoring the training load and training-load response as important, there is no monitoring protocol that is cost-effective, time efficient, and nonaversive to the players. Respondents measured several variables when monitoring and incorporated more subjective than objective measures. Respondents (41%) indicated that they would like a protocol that is time efficient (5–10 min) and provides immediate feedback on players who identify as fatigued (50%). For coaches to have confidence in the information provided by the protocol, it needs to meet basic clinimetric principles of reliability and validity. The technical and biological error in the measurement needs to be known so that meaningful changes in fatigue and fitness can be distinguished from natural variations in the measurements. Conclusions: Prerequisites of an ideal monitoring protocol for rugby players were identified. It follows that a monitoring protocol that fulfills these prerequisites should satisfy both scientific principles and the coach’s demands.
Relationship Between 2 Standardized Tackling Proficiency Tests and Rugby League Match-Play Tackle Performance
Authors: Speranza Michael J.A. , Gabbett Tim J. , Greene David A. , Johnston Rich D. , Townshend Andrew D.
Published: November 2017

This study investigated the relationship between 2 different assessments of tackling ability, physical qualities, and match-play performance in semiprofessional rugby league players. A total of 18 semiprofessional rugby league players (mean [SD]: age = 23.1 [2.0] y and body mass = 98.8 [11.8] kg) underwent tests of upper- and lower-body strength and power. Tackling ability was assessed using video analysis of under- and over-the-ball tackle drills. A total of 2360 tackles were analyzed from match play. Over-the-ball tackle ability was positively related to the proportion of dominant tackles (Spearman rank-order correlation coefficients [rs] = .52; 95% confidence interval [CI] .07–.79, P = .03) and average play-the-ball speeds (rs = .50; 95% CI .04–.78, P = .03) and negatively related to tackles that conceded offloads (rs = −.55; 95% CI −.78 to .04, P = .04). Under-the-ball tackle ability was significantly related to the proportion of dominant tackles (rs = .57; 95% CI .14–.82, P = .01) and missed tackles (rs = −.48; 95% CI −.77 to .02, P = .05). Good over-the-ball tacklers performed proportionally more dominant tackles, allowed significantly fewer offloads, and had longer average play-the-ball speeds. Good under-the-ball tacklers missed proportionately fewer tackles. This study suggests that both the under-the-ball and over-the-ball standardized tackle assessments are associated with varying indicators of match-play tackle performance and justifies the practical utility of these tests to assess and develop both types of tackles.
Athletes Rated as Poor Single-Leg Squat Performers Display Measurable Differences in Single-Leg Squat Biomechanics Compared With Good Performers
Authors: Garrick Lachlan E. , Alexander Bryce C. , Schache Anthony G. , Pandy Marcus G. , Crossley Kay M. , Collins Natalie J.
Published: November 2017

Context: It is important to validate single-leg squat visual rating criteria used in clinical practice and research. Foot orthoses may improve single-leg squat performance in those who demonstrate biomechanics associated with increased risk of lower limb injury. Objective: Validate visual rating criteria proposed by Crossley et al, by determining whether athletes rated as poor single-leg squat performers display different single-leg squat biomechanics than good performers; and evaluate immediate effects of foot orthoses on single-leg squat biomechanics in poor performers. Design: Comparative cross-sectional study. Setting: University laboratory. Participants: 79 asymptomatic athletes underwent video classification of single-leg squat performance based on established visual rating criteria (overall impression, trunk posture, pelvis “in space,” hip movement, and knee movement), and were rated as good (n = 23), fair (n = 41), or poor (n = 15) performers. Intervention: A subset of good (n = 16) and poor (n = 12) performers underwent biomechanical assessment, completing 5 continuous single-leg squats on their dominant limb while 3-dimensional motion analysis and ground reaction force data were recorded. Poor performers repeated the task standing on prefabricated foot orthoses. Main Outcome Measures: Peak external knee adduction moment (KAM) and peak angles for the trunk, hip, knee, and ankle. Results: Compared with good performers, poor performers had a significantly lower peak KAM (mean difference = 0.11 Nm/kg, 95% confidence interval = 0.02 to 0.2 Nm/kg), higher peak hip adduction angle (−4.3°, −7.6° to −0.9°), and higher peak trunk axial rotation toward their stance limb (3.8°, 0.4° to 7.2°). Foot orthoses significantly increased the peak KAM in poor performers (−0.06 Nm/kg, −0.1 to −0.01 Nm/kg), with values approximating those observed in good performers. Conclusions: Findings validate Crossley et al’s visual rating criteria for single-leg squat performance in asymptomatic athletes, and suggest that “off-the-shelf” foot orthoses may be a simple intervention for poor performers to normalize the magnitude of the external KAM during single-leg squat.
Lung cancer–associated pulmonary hypertension: Role of microenvironmental inflammation based on tumor cell–immune cell cross-talk
Authors: Pullamsetti Soni Savai , Kojonazarov Baktybek , Storn Samantha , Gall Henning , Salazar Ylia , Wolf Janine , Weigert Andreas , El-Nikhely Nefertiti , Ghofrani Hossein Ardeschir , Krombach Gabriele A. , Fink Ludger , Gattenlöhner Stefan , Rapp Ulf R. , Schermuly Ralph Theo , Grimminger Friedrich , Seeger Werner , Savai Rajkumar
Published: November 2017

Lung cancer–associated pulmonary hypertension is associated with microenvironmental inflammation caused by tumor cell–immune cell cross-talk.
PD-L1 genetic overexpression or pharmacological restoration in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells reverses autoimmune diabetes
Authors: Ben Nasr Moufida , Tezza Sara , D’Addio Francesca , Mameli Chiara , Usuelli Vera , Maestroni Anna , Corradi Domenico , Belletti Silvana , Albarello Luca , Becchi Gabriella , Fadini Gian Paolo , Schuetz Christian , Markmann James , Wasserfall Clive , Zon Leonard , Zuccotti Gian Vincenzo , Fiorina Paolo
Published: November 2017

Restoration of a PD-L1 defect in HSPCs reverses diabetes in NOD mice and thus may represent a potential cure for T1D.
An antioxidant to attenuate aortic aging
Authors: Hine Christopher
Published: November 2017

Supplementation with the mitochondrial targeted antioxidant MitoQ for 4 weeks decreased aortic stiffness in old mice.
Candida auris: a Review of the Literature
Authors: Jeffery-Smith Anna , Taori Surabhi K. , Schelenz Silke , Jeffery Katie , Johnson Elizabeth M. , Borman Andrew ,   Candida auris Incident Management Team, Manuel Rohini , Brown Colin S.
Published: November 2017

The emerging pathogen
Candida auris
has been associated with nosocomial outbreaks on five continents. Genetic analysis indicates the simultaneous emergence of separate clades of this organism in different geographical locations. Invasive infection and colonization have been detected predominantly in patients in high-dependency settings and have garnered attention due to variable antifungal resistance profiles and transmission within units instituting a range of infection prevention and control measures. Issues with the identification of
C. auris
using both phenotypic and molecular techniques have raised concerns about detecting the true scale of the problem. This review considers the literature available on
C. auris
and highlights the key unknowns, which will provide direction for further work in this field.