bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perceiving prosodic prominence via unnatural visual information in avatar communication
Authors: Taylor Ryan C. , Prica Dimitri , Keough Megan , Gick Bryan
Published: October 2018

Listeners integrate information from simulated faces in multimodal perception [Cohen, & Massaro 1990, Behav. Res. Meth. Instr. Comp. 22(2), 260–263], but not always in the same way as real faces [Keough et al. 2017, Can. Acoust. 45(3):176–177]. This is increasingly relevant with the dramatic increase in avatar communication in virtual spaces [https://www.bloomberg.com/professional/blog/computings-next-big-thing-virtual-world-may-reality-2020/]. Prosody is especially relevant, because compared to segmental speech sounds, the visual factors indicating prosodic prominence (e.g., eyebrow raises and hand gestures) frequently bear no biomechanical relation to the production of acoustic features of prominence, but are nonetheless highly reliable [Krahmer & Swerts 2007, JML 57(3): 396–414], and avatar virtual communication systems may convey prosodic information through unnatural means, e.g., by expressing amplitude via oral aperture (louder sound = larger opening); the present study examines whether this unnatural but reliable indicator of speech amplitude is integrated in prominence perception. We report an experiment describing whether and how perceivers take into account this reliable but unnatural visual information in the detection of prosodic prominence. Preliminary evidence suggests that oral aperture increases prominence with differences by sentence position.
Influence of word size and tonal sequence probabilities on Mandarin segmentation errors
Authors: LaCross Amy , Sandoval Jordan , Liss Julie
Published: October 2018

The largely effortless process of segmenting a continuous speech stream into words has been shown cross-linguistically to be influenced by implicit knowledge about the distributional probabilities of phonotactics, stress assignment, and word size. Work in tonal languages provides compelling evidence that tones are also likely to be a source of probabilistic information for speakers of these languages. It has been shown that probability of syllable + tone combinations play a role in speech processing in Mandarin (Wiener & Ito, 2016; 2015; Wiener & Turnbull, 2013). Work in Cantonese has also demonstrated that transitional probabilities of lexical tones paired with vowels aid listeners in segmentation (Gomez, et al., 2018). Here we conducted two perception experiments with fifty native-Mandarin speakers and manipulated two potential segmentation cues: word size and tonal sequence probability. Contrary to our hypothesis that participants would make segmentation errors which reflect the most probable word size in Mandarin (two-syllable words) with highly probable tonal sequences, participants’ errors were overwhelmingly three-syllable words with low probability tonal sequences. This suggests that biases towards segmentation errors are not predictable based on straightforward probabilities.
Regional dialect and talker sex information in high-frequency region
Authors: Fox Robert A. , Jacewicz Ewa , McClurg Magan
Published: October 2018

High-pass filtering, in which the higher frequencies are retained and the lower frequencies are eliminated, has not been used in speech perception research as often as low-pass filtering because most intelligibility cues have been assumed to reside in the low-frequency region, up to 4 kHz (French and Steinberg, 1947). Recent research provided new evidence that listeners can also utilize high-frequency energy in the perception of voice, talker sex, and speech characteristics such as naturalness, pleasantness, and clarity, which improves speaker and word recognition in noise. Given the potential for the existence of accessible linguistic and paralinguistic information, the current study asks whether perception of regional dialect can be influenced by spectral content in the high-frequency region, and how robust this information is—in males and females—when low-frequency cues are unavailable. Listeners from Ohio heard phrases produced by males and females from Ohio and Western North Carolina high-pass filtered at 700, 1175, 1973, 3312, and 5560 Hz. Each higher filter provided increasingly fewer cues about dialect whereas sex identification remained relatively high. Female speech provided significantly more dialect cues than male speech when more spectral information was available (filter cut-offs at 1175 and 1973 Hz, but not at 700 Hz).
Relative navigation for command and control of multiple low-cost autonomous underwater vehicles
Authors: Rypkema Nicholas R. , Fischell Erin , Schmidt Henrik
Published: October 2018

A long-held goal of autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) research has been the coordinated use of multiple vehicles for novel applications. Unfortunately, the underwater domain poses significant challenges for navigation and communication—sophisticated navigational sensors increase vehicle price, size, and power use, and acoustic communications are limited in bandwidth and channel capacity. These factors make multi-vehicle deployments rare and limited in scale, with operators commanding each AUV individually and with limited coordination. In this work, we describe an operating paradigm that enables user-friendly command and control of multiple AUVs. Each vehicle uses a custom low-power, low-cost acoustic system to navigate and receive operator commands, consisting of a passive hydrophone array and timed acquisition and processing boards which enable the vehicle to self-localize relative to a synchronized acoustic beacon. By selecting between various beacon-transmitted signals, all vehicles can be simultaneously commanded to switch between behaviors. Additionally, a consequence of beacon-relative navigation is that movement of the beacon results in the concurrent movement of all AUVs. This system is ideal for multi-vehicle operations using inexpensive, miniature AUVs, as it does not require conventional high-cost navigational sensors or acoustic modems, and its passive nature and associated operating scheme enable the deployment of an arbitrarily large number of AUVs. [Work supported by Battelle, ONR, Lincoln Laboratory, DARPA.]
Mapping underwater noise, detection of ships and cetaceans using a SeaExplorer glider at a basin level: Feedback from the first 1000 km-long acoustic exploration of the Western French Mediterranean Sea
Authors: Beguery Laurent , Lossent Julie , Tricarico Romain , Gervaise Cédric , Iorio Lucia D. , valentini poirier cathy anna , Boissery Pierre
Published: October 2018

In response to concerns about the impact of man-made noise on marine ecosystems, researchers and environmental managers are currently collecting in situ measurements of oceanic noise levels. The objectives of in situ measurements are to provide the acoustic signatures of individual ships, with the use of AIS databases, to feed the models; to calibrate the model for mapping of shipping noise, and to assess marine biodiversity through the sounds emitted by marine animals (invertebrates, fishes, and cetaceans). The usefulness of the data collected depends on the duration of acquisition and the diversity of the measurements (e.g., shipping density and water depth). Gliders are ideal vehicles to collect noise level data across oceanic basins and over long time periods. Here, we show results from a SeaExplorer glider equipped with a high quality acoustic payload travelling for 30 days (09/15/2017-10/15/2017) along a 1000 km-long transect of the Western French Mediterranean Sea. The trajectory of the glider was chosen to sample the highest and lowest shipping densities. We here report on the statistical distribution of oceanic noise levels in the bandwidths assessed by the European Marine Framework Strategy Directive as well as on the detection of cetacean and ship sounds along the transect.
Multiple scattering effects for a solid cylinder with axis oblique relative to a nearby horizontal surface
Authors: Espana Aubrey L. , Plotnick Daniel , Williams Kevin , Marston Philip L.
Published: October 2018

It has been shown that when studying the acoustic scattering from a cylinder near a flat interface, there exists multiple paths by which sound can travel to, and subsequently scatter from, the cylinder. Specifically, sound can couple into a number of surface elastic waves (SEW), some of which give rise to an observed enhancement to the backscattering. Previously, the coupling conditions for these mechanisms have been derived, which are dependent on the relative angles between the target, the source/receiver and the interface [Plotnick, et al., JASA 140(3), 2016]. Here, a non-singular Helmholtz Kirchhoff Integral method has been implemented in a hybrid finite element/propagation model in order to predict the first and second order scattering mechanisms that exist when the cylinder is near an air-water interface, with its axis oblique with respect to the interface. This model, combined with the coupling conditions for SEWs, is used to dissect tank measurements that previously were only partially understood. Various multiple scattering mechanisms are identified and discussed. [Work supported by the Office of Naval Research.]
How to create an advanced acoustical test and research laboratory in 5 months
Authors: Sauro Ronald , Lilly Jerry G.
Published: October 2018

This paper will take you through the need, design, building, and testing of a state of the art acoustical testing and research facility in a 5 month period. We will discuss the increasing need for wide frequency bandwidth measurements of absorption, transmission loss, very low level sound power measurements, and high resolution measurement of the directivity of speakers and diffusers. We will also look at the limits of standard laboratories and observe what changes are needed to extend those abilities and limits. At the end of the paper, we can look at the end result measurements of these facilities to see how close to design and performance the lab approached.
Using laboratory measurement data to improve acoustic simulations and evaluate performance
Authors: DeGrandis James J. , Azad Hassan , Sauro Ronald
Published: October 2018

There are many different uses for the data that comes from a measurement. With the advent of new testing methodologies, data has become finely granular—allowing for precise analysis of the properties and performance of materials, geometries, and even simulations. Raw measurement data can be retained and compared directly to the output of complex acoustic models for development, improvement, evaluation, and eventually a form of calibration. Advances in technology are rapidly removing the limitations of computational power needed to create accurate models of acoustic phenomena in a timely and efficient manner. This allows a progression from limited particle simulations on single workstations, to large scale wave-based simulations using cloud-based GPU computing clusters. Performance will be evaluated, comparing their output to laboratory measurements, with the goal of creating better tools for acoustic design, prediction, experimentation, and development.
Using passive acoustics to estimate populations of animals in groups
Authors: Kloepper Laura
Published: October 2018

Passive acoustic monitoring is a widely used method to identify animal species and determine spatial and temporal activity patterns. One area where acoustic methods have not yet been successfully applied, however, is in determining population counts. Recently, my lab developed an acoustic method that accurately predicts the count of bats leaving from a cave roost in a given time period. Data were acquired of Brazilian free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) across multiple nights and at different cave locations with different roost structures. We used a single microphone to monitor echolocation activity and simultaneously record the emerging bats with thermal and standard video. Bat abundance counts were determined from a single video frame analysis (every 10 sec) and were compared to different energy measures of an acoustic sequence recorded at the time of the analyzed video frame. For most cave locations, linear regression models successfully predicted bat emergence count based on acoustic intensity of the emerging stream, which indicates future population estimates may be collected solely with acoustics. Here, I describe this method and report on its application for counting other animals in groups.
A parallelization of the wavenumber integration acoustic modelling package OASES
Authors: Hope Gaute , Schmidt Henrik
Published: October 2018

The wavenumber integration seismo-elastic model OASES can simulate the wave propagation in layered media, consisting of rough interfaces, elastic and porous layers. The wavenumber integration technique requires only the interesting frequencies, receiver depths, and offsets, to be calculated. As we seek to model pulse propagation at higher frequencies, denser sampling of frequencies must be applied. For complex media with many layers, and many vertical sections, the computation time quickly escalates. By exploiting that each frequency response can be calculated independently, a parallelization of the OASES package has been achieved and is presented here. This makes otherwise unfeasible or unpractical simulations computationally achievable. The parallel OASES package is applied to, and benchmarked on, several acoustic and seismic problems. The increased computation capacity is used to simulate and image the full wave field of several cases, reducing the computation time in one case from 1.5 years to 5 hours.
Measurements of sound speed in two types of ice with different microstructure
Authors: Ivakin Anatoliy , Kreider Wayne , Light Bonnie
Published: October 2018

Measurements of sound speed were made on laboratory-grown ice samples serving as proxies for two types of sea ice with different microstructure. The first one, congelation ice, has relatively homogeneous structure typical for first-year sea ice. The second one, granular ice, with a more heterogeneous microstructure, was prepared as a proxy for retextured multi-year sea ice. Both samples had approximately equal bulk salinity (12 ppt) to isolate effects of different microstructure. Sound speed was estimated by measuring time of flight of 400 kHz pulses and was found in congelation ice to be about 10% higher than in granular ice. Error bounds were estimated to be within 1% based on same measurements made for plastic material with known sound speed. Therefore, the results confirm sensitivity of sound speed in ice to its internal microstructure and heterogeneity which are known to affect large-scale ice properties, such as strength, elasticity, permeability, air-sea exchange, habitability, and partitioning of shortwave solar radiation. This motivates future work that would include modeling and measurement of sound speed, attenuation and scattering in natural sea ice, with a goal to develop a remote acoustic sensing technique for sea-ice characterization and, in particular, discrimination between first-year and multi-year ice types.
Cancellous bone characterization using ultrasonic backscatter parametric imaging
Authors: Ta Dean , Li Ying , Li Boyi , Zheng Rui , Le Lawrence H.
Published: October 2018

The ultrasonic imaging of the highly attenuated porous media (like spongy bone) is of great interest to the researchers. In this study, we used a 7.5 MHz focal transducer (V321, Panametrics, USA) to scan a total of 35 bovine cancellous bone samples. The −-6dB lateral resolution of the transducer was 0.157 mm which is comparable to the trabecular bone thickness (0.1–0.2mm). Apparent integrated backscatter (AIB) was calculated using different signal of interest (SOI) to reconstruct the ultrasonic backscatter parametric images. The trabecular bone structure can be clearly seen from the images. AIB was positively correlated with bone mineral density (BMD) (R = 0.61, p<0.05), bone volume fraction (BV/TV) (R = 0.53, p<0.05), and apparent bone density (ABD) (R = 0.58, p<0.05) when SOI was chosen around the surface of the bone sample, but negatively correlated with BMD (R=-0.77, p<0.05), BV/TV (R=-0.81, p<0.05), and ABD (R=-0.82, p<0.05) when SOI was chosen below the surface of the bone sample. We suppose that single scattering (SS) and multiple scattering (MS) may lead to this opposite correlation phenomena. When wavelength is comparable to the scatterer diameter, diffractive scattering is complex as predicted by Faran cylinder model. We suggest that MS may play an important role in cancellous bone characterization.
Targeted microbubble opening of cell-cell junctions for vascular drug delivery elucidated with combined confocal microscopy and Brandaris 128 imaging
Authors: Beekers Ines , Vegter Merel , Lattwein Kirby R. , Mastik Frits , Beurskens Robert , van der Steen Antonius F. W. , Verweij Martin D. , de Jong Nico , Kooiman Klazina
Published: October 2018

Ultrasound insonification of microbubbles enhances vascular drug delivery pathways, such as opening of cell-cell junctions and pore formation (sonoporation). However, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. The aim of our study was to elucidate the microbubble-cell interaction using the Brandaris 128 ultra-high speed camera (~17 Mfps), to visualize microbubble oscillation, coupled to a custom-build Nikon confocal microscope, to visualize cellular response. Confluent endothelial cells were evaluated for opening of cell-cell junctions with Cell Mask and for sonoporation with Propidium Iodide (PI). The cellular response of single targeted microbubbles (n = 168) was monitored up to 4 min after ultrasound insonification (2 MHz, 100–400kPa, 10-cycles). Cell-cell junctions opening occurred more often when cells were only partially attached to their neighbors (45%) than when fully attached (15%). Almost all fully attached cells showing cell-cell opening also showed PI uptake (92%). The mean microbubble excursion was larger when a cell was sonoporated (1.0μm) versus non-sonoporated (0.47μm). Additionally, larger microbubble excursion amplitudes correlated with larger pore size coefficients, obtained by fitting the PI uptake profiles to the Fan model [Fan, et al., PNAS, 2012]. In conclusion, using the state-of-the-art imaging system we can now elucidate the relationship between microbubble oscillation behavior and the drug delivery pathways.
Phospholipid-coated microbubbles: Controlling response to ultrasound
Authors: Langeveld Simone A. , Beekers Ines , van der Steen Antonius F. W. , de Jong Nico , Kooiman Klazina
Published: October 2018

Variability in response to ultrasound is an issue when microbubbles are used for drug delivery. This may be caused by immiscible phospholipid components and lipid phase separation in microbubble coatings. Since cholesterol influences phase distribution in lipid monolayers, we studied its effect (10 mol. %) on DSPC-based microbubbles. Lipid phase and ligand distribution of microbubble coatings were studied using super-resolution microscopy. Microbubble behavior upon ultrasound insonification (20 to 50 kPa, 2 MHz, single 10-cycle burst) was studied using the Brandaris 128 ultra-high-speed camera. As expected, lipid phase separation was observed in microbubble coatings without cholesterol. However, in microbubbles with cholesterol no lipid phase separation was observed. Without cholesterol, the ligand distribution was heterogeneous for only 3.9% of the microbubble surface (n = 42), while this was significantly more (11.6%) for microbubbles with cholesterol (n = 25), likely due to buckles. Moreover, cholesterol-containing microbubbles retained characteristic resonance behavior in response to ultrasound. These results demonstrate that although cholesterol in the microbubble coating affects the miscibility and ligand distribution of phospholipid components, a functional response to ultrasound is preserved. The phospholipid-cholesterol-coated microbubbles we developed may therefore have potential as theranostic agents. [Funding by the Phospholipid Research Center in Heidelberg, Germany, is gratefully acknowledged.]
Non-linear acoustic emissions from therapeutically driven microbubbles
Authors: Prentice Paul , Song Jae Hee
Published: October 2018

Acoustic detection of contrast agent microbubbles, infused to the vasculature for exposure to focused ultrasound, is now routinely undertaken to evaluate therapy and avoid irreversible tissue damage. Harmonic, subharmonic (to the frequency of the focused ultrasound, f0) and broadband emissions are often used to distinguish between stable and inertial cavitation activity, and associated bioeffects. The driven microbubble dynamic responsible for the generation of non-linear emissions, however, may not be well understood. Results from an investigation of single SonoVue microbubbles flowing through a capillary, for exposure to focused ultrasound at f0 = 692 kHz, will be presented. Dual high-speed imaging from orthogonal perspectives at circa 2 × 105, and shadowgraphically at 10 million frames per second, capture microbubble activity and shock wave generation. Acoustic emissions are simultaneously collected with a calibrated broadband needle hydrophone, and high frequency imaging array on passive receive, for cavitation mapping. The results indicate that non-linear emissions are mediated by periodic bubble collapse shock waves, with subharmonic emission occurring above a threshold driving pressure amplitude. Implications for detection and quantification of driven microbubble cavitation activity, as well as conventional classification as stable or inertial, will be discussed. [This work was supported by ERC Starting Grant TheraCav, 336189.]
Mitigating the pitfalls of testing unmanned aerial system vehicles and components in anechoic chambers
Authors: Stephenson James H. , Weitsman Daniel , Zawodny Nikolas S.
Published: October 2018

Flow recirculation is known to develop inside a closed anechoic chamber when testing unmanned aerial system (UAS) rotor components and vehicles. This flow recirculation modifies the inflow through the vehicle’s rotors, which results in significant impacts to the measured acoustic signature. A measurement campaign was undertaken at NASA Langley Research Center in which a UAS rotor was tested inside a small anechoic wind tunnel. Acoustic signatures were obtained with the downwash exhausting down the wind tunnel, and with the tunnel exhaust plugged forcing flow recirculation. Several methods to mitigate the acoustic impacts of flow recirculation were then employed with the wind tunnel in the plugged configuration. The effectiveness of the mitigation strategies are discussed, along with implications for future testing and standards development.
Military and police small arms firing range noise assessments
Authors: Hale Marlund E.
Published: October 2018

Firing ranges are by their nature sources of very loud noise that can damage the hearing of on-site shooters and observers while also potentially causing a noise disturbance off-site. Small arms firing ranges are typically indoor ranges when located in urban or suburban settings, but when located in rural settings, they are typically outdoor ranges designed with varying types and degrees of noise abatement or no noise abatement at all, depending on the setting. Public firing ranges can be busy and in continuous use under good lighting and favorable weather conditions. Often there are wait times. Military and police (M&P) firing ranges are typically active under scheduled usage times. Both M&P ranges host a variety of small arms, from fully automatic and semi-automatic weapons to bolt-action sniper rifles and large caliber side arms, all of which are very loud. It is often mandatory for M&P personnel to undergo shooting practice on a regular basis with some assigned personnel having certification or qualification performance requirements. Several examples of military and police firing ranges, with their issues, similarities and differences, are discussed. Personnel, interior and/or exterior noise abatement measures are usually necessary for these indoor and outdoor M&P firing ranges.
Acoustic bianisotropic metasurfaces for broadband non-reciprocal sound transport
Authors: Popa Bogdan Ioan , Zhai Yuxin , Kwon HyungSuk
Published: October 2018

Acoustic bianisotropic materials are media in which the unconventional momentum—strain and stress—particle velocity couplings offer rich mechanical wave dynamics. For instance, transformation elastodynamics have revealed that bianisotropic media could enable extraordinary control over the propagation of elastic waves including the ability to cloak regions of space from detection with mechanical waves. The development of metamaterials have provided the tools to implement these unconventional materials and the first experimental acoustic bianisotropic materials have featured interesting properties such as independent engineering of transmission and reflection. However, despite recent work in this area, the wave dynamics enabled by mechanical bianisotropy have not been fully uncovered and explored. In this presentation we demonstrate experimentally the power of active bianisotropic metasurfaces to produce highly non-reciprocal sound transport in free space in a remarkably broadband fashion and in very compact materials. In addition, we show that this unusual mechanism for non-reciprocal sound propagation is truly linear and does not rely on any type of frequency conversion or other non-linear processes.
Development and calibration of a smartphone application for use in sound mapping
Authors: Feth Lawrence L. , Hoglund Evelyn M. , Workman Gus , Williams Jared , Raney Morgan , Phillips Megan
Published: October 2018

Klyn and Feth (2016) reported preliminary work to use a smartphone application in a citizen-science project designed to map sound levels in Columbus, OH. Before the main project began, we discovered that the sound level measuring applications available for download had shortcomings that made them unsuitable for the proposed work. This presentation describes the development of two smartphone applications, one iOS and one Android, and the calibration procedures developed to document their accuracy and reliability. Following the suggestions of Kardous, et al. (2014, 2016), we require that the measurements be conducted using an external microphone. In use, microphone voltage is sampled for 30 seconds and processed to reflect the A-weighting scale so that sound levels are recorded as dBA values. The time and location of each sample is saved with the sound level value and can only be uploaded to the project data base if the device has been previously calibrated. Calibration stores an offset value that can be added to each sample before producing mapped values. Limits on proximity of repeated samples are included to ensure a better distribution of results. The apps are currently available for download from their respective “stores.” [Work supported by a grant from the Battelle Engineering, Technology and Human Affairs Endowment.]
The role of pitch and harmonic cancellation when listening to speech in background sounds
Authors: Guest Daniel , Oxenham Andrew J.
Published: October 2018

Fundamental frequency (F0) differences between competing talkers can aid their perceptual segregation (ΔF0 benefit), but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. One theory of ΔF0 benefit, harmonic cancellation, proposes that the periodicity of the masker can be used to cancel (i.e., filter out) its neural representation. Earlier work suggested that a one-octave ΔF0 provided little benefit, an effect predicted by harmonic cancellation due to the shared periodicity of the masker and target. An alternative explanation is that this effect is simply due to spectral overlap between the target and masker. To assess these competing explanations, speech intelligibility of a monotonized target talker masked by a speech-shaped harmonic complex tone was measured as a function of ΔF0 (0, + 3, + 12, + 15 semitones) and spectral structure of the masker (all harmonics, odd harmonics only). We found that removal of the masker’s even harmonics when the target F0 was one octave higher than the masker improved speech reception thresholds by about 6 dB. Because this manipulation eliminated spectral overlap between target and masker components but did not alter their shared periodicity, the finding is consistent with the explanation based on spectral overlap, but not cancellation. [Work supported by NIH R01DC005216 and NSF NRT-UtB1734815 grants.]
Hemispheric decoupling of awareness-related activity in human auditory cortex under informational masking and divided attention
Authors: Dykstra Andrew R. , Gutschalk Alexander
Published: October 2018

Whether unattended sound streams reach perceptual awareness, and the extent to which they are represented in the central auditory system, are fundamental questions of modern hearing science. We examined these questions utilizing M/EEG, multi-tone masking, and a dual-task dichotic listening paradigm. Listeners performed a demanding primary task in one ear—detecting isochronous target-tone streams embedded in random multi-tone backgrounds and counting within-target-stream deviants—and retrospectively reported their awareness of similar masker-embedded targets in the other ear. Irrespective of attention or stimulation ear, left-AC activity strongly covaried with target-stream detection starting as early as 50 ms post-stimulus. In contrast, right-AC activity, while highly sensitive to stimulation ear, was unmodulated by detection until later, and then only weakly. Thus, under certain conditions, human ACs can functionally decouple, such that one—here, right—is automatic and stimulus-driven while the other—here, left—supports perceptual and/or task demands, including basic perceptual awareness of nonverbal sounds both within and outside the focus of top-down selective attention.
Neural correlates of beat perception in vibro-tactile modalities
Authors: Gilmore Sean A. , Nespoli Gabriel , Russo Frank A.
Published: October 2018

Musical rhythms elicits a perception of a beat (or pulse) which in turn elicit spontaneous motor synchronization (Repp & Su, 2013). Electroencephalography (EEG) research has shown that endogenous neural oscillations dynamically entrain to beat frequencies of musical rhythms providing a neurological marker for beat perception(Nozaradan, Peretz, Missal, & Mouraux, 2011). Rhythms however, vary on in complexity modulating ability to synchronize motor movement. Although musical rhythms are assumed to be from auditory sources, recent research suggests that rhythms presented through vibro-tactile stimulation of the spine elicits a comparable capacity as auditory in motor synchronization in simpler rhythms, however, this trend diminishes as complexity increases(Ammirante, Patel, & Russo, 2016). The current research purposes to explore the neural correlates of vibro-tactile beat perception with the aim in providing further evidence for rhythm perception from a vibro-tactile modality. Participants will be passively exposed to simple and complex rhythms from auditory, vibro-tactile, and multi-modal sources. Synchronization ability as well as EEG recording will be obtained in order to provide behavioural and neurological indexes of beat perception. Results from this research will provide evidence for non-auditory, vibro-tactile capabilities of music perception.
Analysis of spectral and transmission characteristics of bone-conducted speech using real utterances and transcutaneous vibration
Authors: Toya Teruki , Birkholz Peter , Unoki Masashi
Published: October 2018

Previous studies related to auditory feedback have found that hearing one's own voice has important roles in maintaining one's speech production. However, it is still unclear how perception of one's bone-conducted (BC) speech affects one's speech production, since most studies have just presented white/pink noise for masking speakers’ BC speech without enough consideration of acoustical and transmission characteristics of BC speech itself. This study aims to investigate spectral characteristics of the observable parts of BC speech (temporal bone (TB) vibration and ear canal (EC) speech) and transmission characteristics related to them. Spectral envelopes of vowel utterances and long-term average spectrum (LTAS) of sentence utterances were analyzed. Moreover, transfer functions from larynxes to TB and EC were measured using transcutaneous vibration signals. As results of these analyses, although the spectral shapes are different among the vowels in TB vibration and EC speech, it was found that the transmission from larynxes to TB emphasizes lower frequency components and the transmission from larynxes to EC emphasizes the higher frequency components. [Work supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant No. JP. 17J03679, and Grant in Aid for Scientific Research Innovative Areas (Grant No. 16H01669, 18H05004) from MEXT, Japan.]
Acoustics and emotion in tonal and non-tonal languages: Findings from individuals with typical hearing and with cochlear implants
Authors: Katz William F. , Pak Cecilia L. , Shin Sujin
Published: October 2018

Talkers of tonal language, such as Mandarin, use the acoustic cues of fundamental frequency (F0), amplitude, and duration to indicate lexical meaning as well as to express linguistic and emotional prosody. It has therefore been hypothesized that tonal language talkers have less prosodic “space” to signal emotional prosody using F0, compared to non-tonal language talkers, and that these differences in prosodic processing should be evident in speech perception and production tasks. In addition, for talkers of both tonal and non-tonal languages, speaking rate interacts with emotional expression, with “sad” mood generally expressed with slower speech, while “happy” and “angry” moods are marked with faster speech rates. Despite the overall importance of speaking rate in signaling particular emotional moods, few data exist for speakers of tonal languages, such as Mandarin, in which lexical tones are typically specified for length. These issues can be addressed by analyzing and modelling data for individuals with cochlear implants, electronic hearing systems that provide relatively good temporal resolution but poor spectral resolution. Findings from our laboratory will be used to address models of prosody perception and production.
How do babies laugh?
Authors: Sauter Disa , Evans Bronwen , Venneker Dianne , Kret Mariska
Published: October 2018

Laughter occurs across all great ape species, yet human laughter differs from that of other primates: Human laughter is primarily produced on the exhale, whereas other primates laugh on both the inhale and exhale. In the current study, we asked whether human infants laugh in a similar manner to apes, given that human infants, like non-human primates, tend to laugh in the context of tickling or rough-and-tumble play. Human adults, in contrast, laugh across many different kinds of social interactions. To test this hypothesis, we examined whether human infant laughter is acoustically more similar to non-human apes' laughter. Laughter clips from infants aged 3 to 18 months were annotated by phoneticians and evaluated by two listener samples (naïve listeners and phoneticians, respectively). The results provide support for the prediction that the proportion of infants’ laughter produced on the exhale increases with age. These results suggest that at younger ages, human infants’ laughter is more similar to that of other great apes. These findings are discussed in the context of vocal control maturation and social learning.
Comparing theory, consensus, and perception to the acoustics of emotional speech
Authors: Moriarty Peter M. , Vigeant Michelle , Liu Pan , Gilmore Rick , Cole Pamela
Published: October 2018

A new corpus of emotional speech was created to conduct theory and evidence-based comparisons to the published literature on the effects of a speaker’s intended emotion on the acoustics of their speech. Fifty-five adults were recorded speaking scripts with happy, angry, sad, and non-emotional prosodies. Variations in acoustic parameters such as pitch, timing, and formant deviations were investigated. Based on Scherer’s (1986) theoretical predictions about differences between discrete emotions, and Juslin and Laukka’s (2003) empirically-derived meta-analytic conclusions, we measured the degree to which the emotional speech data reflected predicted differences in the acoustic parameters of these prosodies. First, in relation to non-emotional prosody, angry and happy prosody were each 75% consistent with theory and sad prosody was not (25%). Second, in relation to non-emotional prosody, angry, happy, and sad prosodies were consistent with the empirical evidence base, 70%, 90%, and 50%, respectively. A subjective study was conducted wherein 30 adults rated the speech samples. Overall, adults discriminated the intended emotion of the speaker with 92% accuracy. Multiple regression analyses indicated that less than 25% of the significant acoustic patterns for each prosody accounted for variance in perceived emotional intensity. [Work supported by an award to Pamela Cole (NIMH 104547).]
Vocal emotion identification by older listeners with hearing loss
Authors: Goy Huiwen , Russo Frank A.
Published: October 2018

A speaker’s emotional state is one important type of information carried by the speech signal. Numerous studies have been conducted on younger and older normal-hearing listeners’ ability to identify vocal emotions. Much less is known about how hearing loss affects emotion identification, and whether listeners with hearing loss use similar acoustic cues as normal-hearing listeners to identify emotions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate vocal emotion identification performance by younger normal-hearing listeners and older listeners who use hearing aids, and to examine possible acoustic cues used by listeners to distinguish between emotions. The results showed that older listeners with hearing loss performed much worse in a quiet listening environment (38.9%) than young normal-hearing listeners in quiet (84.7%) or in noise (68.4%), and that the use of hearing aids did not improve their performance significantly. Consideration of the pattern of identification errors and the acoustics of the stimuli suggested that the two listener groups relied on different F0-related cues to distinguish emotions: young listeners related on F0 mean and F0 contour, while older listeners relied mainly on F0 mean. Understanding how listeners with hearing loss identify emotion would provide guidance for developing rehabilitative strategies for hearing loss.
Processing of emotional sounds conveyed by the human voice and musical instruments
Authors: Nolden Sophie , Rigoulot Simon , Jolicoeur Pierre , Armony Jorge L.
Published: October 2018

We investigated how emotional sounds are processed by musicians and non-musicians. Expertise through musical training can shape the way emotional music is processed. However, emotional sounds can arise from other sound sources, too, such as vocal expressions like laughter or cries. Musical expertise can also influence the way these emotional sounds are processed, thus, the impact of musical expertise can generalize over a wide range of emotional sounds. A recent study investigated oscillatory brain activity related to the processing of emotional sounds in musicians and non-musicians (Nolden, Rigoulot, Jolicoeur, & Armony, 2017, see also Rigoulot, Pell, & Armony, 2015). Musicians showed greater overall oscillatory brain activity than non-musicians. This was true for emotional music as well as for emotional sounds produced by the human voice, suggesting that expertise in processing one domain generalizes to different domains.
Geoacoustic properties of seagrass-bearing sediments
Authors: Venegas Gabriel R. , Lee Kevin M. , Ballard Megan S. , Wilson Preston S. , Rahman Abdullah F.
Published: October 2018

Seagrasses are commonly referred to as “ecosystem engineers” due to their ability to modify their environments to create unique ecosystems believed to be the third-most valuable in the world. While engineering nursery habitats for small invertebrates, fish, and microalgae such as diatoms, they also aid in water filtration and are capable of storing 11% of the ocean’s organic carbon each year. Seagrasses mainly grow in shallow salty waters within sandy sediments, but over time can drastically alter the sediment by entrapping silt particles, organic matter and decaying organisms that collect on the seafloor to form an organic-rich mud that incorporates itself with the underlying sand. Anaerobic microbes break down the buried organic matter to produce biogas and more stable organic compounds, which can drastically affect sediment geoacoustic properties. Sediment cores were collected within a Thalassia testudinum meadow in the Lower Laguna Madre, TX, and analyzed in 2-cm depth increments for grain size, density, porosity, sound speed, and attenuation from 100 kHz to 300 kHz, and organic carbon content. Results are compared with those from a seagrass-free sediment core to investigate how these valuable “ecosystem engineers” can alter geoacoustical properties of the seabed. [Work supported by ONR and ARL:UT IR&D.]
Effect of the microphytobenthos photosynthesis on seabed backscattering properties
Authors: Gorska Natalia , Latala Adam , Pniewski Filip
Published: October 2018

The development of hydroacoustic techniques for benthic habitat classification requires understanding of biological effects on seabed geoacoustic properties. The study addresses only one biological process that could potentially change the properties—photosynthesis of benthic microalgae. The previous investigations demonstrated that the impact could be important in warm southern marine waters of relatively high salinity. This motivated us to study the effect of the microphytobenthos photosynthesis on the backscattering properties of the sandy sediments of the southern Baltic Sea, an area of lower temperature and salinity. The five multiday laboratory experiments, different in hydrophysical or biological conditions, were conducted. The backscatter data were acquired in the small tank with sandy bottom under controlled constant temperature and salinity with simulated “day” and “night” conditions (light/dark (L/D) photocycles). Oxygen content in the water column as well as biological and biooptical parameters were additionally monitored. The diel variations of the backscattered signal energy were analyzed. The study demonstrated the impact of microphytobenthos photosynthesis on the backscattering properties of the marine sediment and its sensitivity to the abiotic (illumination level) and biotic (benthic microalgal biomass and macrozoobenthos bioturbation) factors.
An improved Gaussian beam caustic correction for Bellhop at low frequencies
Authors: McCammon Diana F. , Ellis Dale D.
Published: October 2018

Gaussian beams are commonly used in ray-tracing to mitigate the effects of caustics and shadow zones. The problem is how to determine the width of these “fuzzy” beams. Porter and Bucker [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 82, 1349–1359, 1987] proposed a method that expressed the beamwidth and curvature in terms of p and q of the dynamic ray equations. We call q the beamwidth factor. In the Gaussian beam implementation caustics are not caused by the crossing of two rays; rather they occur when the beamwidth factor, which appears in the denominator of the amplitude, becomes small. In practice, this is generally not a problem at high frequencies, but as the frequency gets lower the problem gets more severe. The widely used Bellhop model has a procedure, which “caps” the beamwidth when q becomes too small, but the procedure eventually breaks down at low frequencies. Here, we propose a different cap based on a cylindrical wave front converging to the focal point of a caustic. The various caps are compared with the “exact” normal mode solution for a shallow-water upward refracting environment, illustrating how the new cap provides better reduction of the caustic anomalies.
Validation of airgun array modelled source signatures
Authors: McPherson Craig , MacGillivray Alexander O. , Hagar Edward
Published: October 2018

Characterizing the source levels from seismic airgun arrays to increase confidence in model accuracy has been identified as a requirement by the scientific and regulatory community. To comply with regulatory requirements in Australia, a measurement program was conducted to validate the source signature predictions of JASCO’s Airgun Array Source Model. The validation program measured a range of commercial airgun arrays, including a 2380in3 array, and was conducted in 80m of water with array passing directly over the recorder on the seafloor. For the 2380in3 array, the maximum measured PK was 220.62 dBre1μPa. Due to the proximity of the measurements, interesting features such as ghost cavitation and airgun recharge were observed in the data. The measurement study results were used to validate the modelled far-field source levels through a comparison between the measured received sound-levels and predicted received sound-levels at a real receiver point in the far-field of the source. The predictions were made using a wavenumber integral model coupled to the airgun source model. The program measured received sound levels in the endfire, broadside and vertical directions, and as the results showed good agreement with the modelling results, provided a validation of the complete modelled source signatures for the array.
Wave-based modeling of sound insulation of a double layer finite panel with different infilling materials between two reverberant rooms
Authors: Chen Fangliang , Huang Yihe , DeGanyar Tejav
Published: October 2018

A wave-based model is presented in this study to investigate the direct sound transmission through a double layer panel infilled with different materials and embedded between two rooms. The modal behavior of both the rooms and elastic finite layers are considered; accordingly, the full vibro-acoustic coupling between rooms, panels, and air cavity are accounted for. To validate the presented model, experiments on a double layer finite panel with two aluminum face sheets infilled with different absorption materials between two reverberant rooms are conducted at a certificated testing chamber. Comparisons between the results predicted by the wave-based model and those obtained by INSUL are presented as well. Comprehensive parametric studies are further conducted to study the effects of different design parameters on the sound transmission loss of a double layer panel., such as different filling materials, panel locations in the partition wall, cavity dimensions, boundary conditions of the panel embedded in the wall, damping factor of the elastic layers, panel dimension, and aspect ratio. Findings from the parametric studies will provide an important practice value to guide the design and assembling of a desired double layer panel to achieve an optimized performance of sound insulation between two adjacent rooms.