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Top 20 Most Read Articles
June 2007
The 20 articles with the most full-text downloads during the month, in descending order.
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J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 121, Issue 6, pp. 3377-3385 (2007); (9 pages)
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Ocean acoustic interferometry refers to an approach whereby signals recorded from a line of sources are used to infer the Green’s function between two receivers. An approximation of the time domain Green’s function is obtained by summing, over all source positions (stacking), the cross-correlations between the receivers. Within this paper a stationary phase argument is used to describe the relationship between the stacked cross-correlations from a line of vertical sources, located in the same vertical plane as two receivers, and the Green’s function between the receivers. Theory and simulations demonstrate the approach and are in agreement with those of a modal based approach presented by others. Results indicate that the stacked cross-correlations can be directly related to the shaded Green’s function, so long as the modal continuum of any sediment layers is negligible.
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Binaural weighting of monaural spectral cues for sound localization J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 121, Issue 6, pp. 3677-3688 (2007); (12 pages)
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For human listeners, cues for vertical-plane localization are provided by direction-dependent pinna filtering. This study quantified listeners’ weighting of the spectral cues from each ear as a function of stimulus lateral angle, interaural time difference (ITD), and interaural level difference (ILD). Subjects indicated the apparent position of headphone-presented noise bursts synthesized in virtual auditory space. The synthesis filters for the two ears either corresponded to the same location or to two different locations separated vertically by 20 deg. Weighting of each ear’s spectral information was determined by a multiple regression between the elevations to which each ear’s spectrum corresponded and the vertical component of listeners’ responses. The apparent horizontal source location was controlled either by choosing synthesis filters corresponding to locations on or 30 deg left or right of the median plane or by attenuating or delaying the signal at one ear. For broadband stimuli, spectral weighting and apparent lateral angle were determined primarily by ITD. Only for high-pass stimuli were weighting and lateral angle determined primarily by ILD. The results suggest that the weighting of monaural spectral cues and the perceived lateral angle of a sound source depend similarly on ITD, ILD, and stimulus spectral range.
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Complete transmission through a periodically perforated rigid slab J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 121, Issue 6, pp. 3288-3299 (2007); (12 pages)
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The propagation of a normally incident plane acoustic wave through a three-dimensional rigid slab with periodically placed holes is modeled and analyzed. The spacing of the holes A and B, the wavelength λ, and the thickness of the slab L are order one parameters compared to the characteristic size D of the holes, which is a small quantity. Scattering matrix techniques are used to derive expressions for the transmission and reflection coefficients of the lowest mode. These expressions depend only on the transmission coefficient, τ0, of an infinitely long slab with the same configuration. The determination of τ0 requires the solution of an infinite set of algebraic equations. These equations are approximately solved by exploiting the small parameter D/
 . Remarkably, this structure is transparent at certain frequencies and opaque for all others. Such a structure may be useful in constructing narrow-band filters and resonators. |
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Modeling the detection range of fish by echolocating bottlenose dolphins and harbor porpoises J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 121, Issue 6, pp. 3954-3962 (2007); (9 pages)
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The target strength as a function of aspect angle were measured for four species of fish using dolphin-like and porpoise-like echolocation signals. The polar diagram of target strength values measured from an energy flux density perspective showed considerably less fluctuation with azimuth than would a pure tone pulse. Using detection range data obtained from dolphin and porpoise echolocation experiments, the detection ranges for the Atlantic cod by echolocating dolphins and porpoises were calculated for three aspect angles of the cod. Maximum detection ranges occurred when the fish was broadside to the odontocete and minimum detection ranges occurred when the cod was in the tail aspect. Maximum and minimum detection ranges for the bottlenose dolphin in a noise-limited environment was calculated to be 93 and 70 m, respectively. In a quiet environment, maximum and minimum detection ranges for the bottlenose dolphin were calculated to be 173 and 107 m, respectively. The detection ranges for the harbor porpoise in a quiet environment were calculated to be between 15 and 27 m. The primary reason for the large differences in detection ranges between both species was attributed to the 36 dB higher source level of the bottlenose dolphin echolocation signals.
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Vowel formants from the wave equation J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 122, Issue 1, pp. EL1-EL7 (2007); (7 pages) Online Publication Date: 01 Jun 2007
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This article describes modal analysis of acoustic waves in the human vocal tract while the subject is pronouncing [øː]. The model used is the wave equation in three dimensions, together with physically relevant boundary conditions. The geometry is reconstructed from anatomical MRI data obtained by other researchers. The computations are carried out using the finite element method. The model is validated by comparing the computed modes with measured data.
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J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 121, Issue 6, pp. 3639-3645 (2007); (7 pages)
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A spectral discrimination task was used to estimate the frequency range over which information about the temporal envelope is consolidated. The standard consisted of n equal intensity, random phase sinusoids, symmetrically placed around a signal component. The signal was an intensity increment of the central sinusoid, which on average was 1000 Hz. Pitch cues were degraded by randomly selecting the center frequency of the complex and single channel energy cues were degraded with a roving-level procedure. Stimulus bandwidth was controlled by varying the number of tones and the frequency separation between tones. For a fixed frequency separation, thresholds increased as n increased until a certain bandwidth was reached, beyond which thresholds decreased. This discontinuity in threshold functions suggests that different auditory processes predominate at different bandwidths, presumably an envelope analysis at bandwidths less than the breakpoint and across channel level comparisons for wider stimulus bandwidths. Estimates of the “transition bandwidth” for 46 listeners ranged from 100 to 1250 Hz. The results are consistent with a peripheral filtering system having multiple filterbanks.
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Low-frequency characteristics of human and guinea pig cochleae J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 121, Issue 6, pp. 3628-3638 (2007); (11 pages)
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Previous physiological studies investigating the transfer of low-frequency sound into the cochlea have been invasive. Predictions about the human cochlea are based on anatomical similarities with animal cochleae but no direct comparison has been possible. This paper presents a noninvasive method of observing low frequency cochlear vibration using distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) modulated by low-frequency tones. For various frequencies (15–480 Hz), the level was adjusted to maintain an equal DPOAE-modulation depth, interpreted as a constant basilar membrane displacement amplitude. The resulting modulator level curves from four human ears match equal-loudness contours (ISO226:2003) except for an irregularity consisting of a notch and a peak at 45 Hz and 60 Hz, respectively, suggesting a cochlear resonance. This resonator interacts with the middle ear stiffness. The irregularity separates two regions of the middle ear transfer function in humans: A slope of 12 dB/octave below the irregularity suggests mass-controlled impedance resulting from perilymph movement through the helicotrema; a 6-dB/octave slope above the irregularity suggests resistive cochlear impedance and the existence of a traveling wave. The results from four guinea pig ears showed a 6-dB/octave slope on either side of an irregularity around 120 Hz, and agree with published data.
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Observable parameters from multipath bottom reverberation in shallow water J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 121, Issue 6, pp. 3363-3376 (2007); (14 pages)
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Multipath ocean reverberation originating from the seabed in shallow isovelocity water, with particular attention to its information content in the cylindrical spreading and mode stripping regions, is considered. The reverberation is evaluated using Weston’s flux integral method, both analytically with various simplifying approximations and numerically with all but one of these approximations rescinded. The functional form of the analytical solution is used to infer which physical seabed parameters can be extracted from measurements of reverberation. Coarse- and fine-grained sediments (sand and clay) are both considered. The main purpose of the numerical solutions is to check the accuracy of the analytical approximations; they also serve as a convenient surrogate for measured reverberation.
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J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 121, Issue 6, pp. 3717-3727 (2007); (11 pages)
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Speech recognition in noise improves with combined acoustic and electric stimulation compared to electric stimulation alone [
Kong et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 117, 1351–1361 (2005)
]. Here the contribution of fundamental frequency (F0) and low-frequency phonetic cues to speech recognition in combined hearing was investigated. Normal-hearing listeners heard vocoded speech in one ear and low-pass (LP) filtered speech in the other. Three listening conditions (vocode-alone, LP-alone, combined) were investigated. Target speech (average F0 = 120 Hz) was mixed with a time-reversed masker (average F0 = 172 Hz) at three signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). LP speech aided performance at all SNRs. Low-frequency phonetic cues were then removed by replacing the LP speech with a LP equal-amplitude harmonic complex, frequency and amplitude modulated by the F0 and temporal envelope of voiced segments of the target. The combined hearing advantage disappeared at 10 and 15 dB SNR, but persisted at 5 dB SNR. A similar finding occurred when, additionally, F0 contour cues were removed. These results are consistent with a role for low-frequency phonetic cues, but not with a combination of F0 information between the two ears. The enhanced performance at 5 dB SNR with F0 contour cues absent suggests that voicing or glimpsing cues may be responsible for the combined hearing benefit.
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Talker intelligibility differences in cochlear implant listeners J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 121, Issue 6, pp. EL223-EL229 (2007); (7 pages) Online Publication Date: 08 May 2007
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People vary in the intelligibility of their speech. This study investigated whether across-talker intelligibility differences observed in normally-hearing listeners are also found in cochlear implant (CI) users. Speech perception for male, female, and child pairs of talkers differing in intelligibility was assessed with actual and simulated CI processing and in normal hearing. While overall speech recognition was, as expected, poorer for CI users, differences in intelligibility across talkers were consistent across all listener groups. This suggests that the primary determinants of intelligibility differences are preserved in the CI-processed signal, though no single critical acoustic property could be identified.
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An alternative Biot’s displacement formulation for porous materials J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 121, Issue 6, pp. 3509-3516 (2007); (8 pages)
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This paper proposes an alternative displacement formulation of Biot’s linear model for poroelastic materials. Its advantage is a simplification of the formalism without making any additional assumptions. The main difference between the method proposed in this paper and the original one is the choice of the generalized coordinates. In the present approach, the generalized coordinates are chosen in order to simplify the expression of the strain energy, which is expressed as the sum of two decoupled terms. Hence, new equations of motion are obtained whose elastic forces are decoupled. The simplification of the formalism is extended to Biot and Willis thought experiments, and simpler expressions of the parameters of the three Biot waves are also provided. A rigorous derivation of equivalent and limp models is then proposed. It is finally shown that, for the particular case of sound-absorbing materials, additional simplifications of the formalism can be obtained.
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Ceiling baffles and reflectors for controlling lecture-room sound for speech intelligibility J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 121, Issue 6, pp. 3517-3526 (2007); (10 pages)
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Reinforcing speech levels and controlling noise and reverberation are the ultimate acoustical goals of lecture-room design to achieve high speech intelligibility. The effects of sound absorption on these factors have opposite consequences for speech intelligibility. Here, novel ceiling baffles and reflectors were evaluated as a sound-control measure, using computer and 1/8-scale models of a lecture room with hard surfaces and excessive reverberation. Parallel ceiling baffles running front to back were investigated. They were expected to absorb reverberation incident on the ceiling from many angles, while leaving speech signals, reflecting from the ceiling to the back of the room, unaffected. Various baffle spacings and absorptions, central and side speaker positions, and receiver positions throughout the room, were considered. Reflective baffles controlled reverberation, with a minimum decrease of sound levels. Absorptive baffles reduced reverberation, but reduced speech levels significantly. Ceiling reflectors, in the form of obstacles of semicircular cross section, suspended below the ceiling, were also tested. These were either 7 m long and in parallel, front-to-back lines, or 0.8 m long and randomly distributed, with flat side up or down, and reflective or absorptive top surfaces. The long reflectors with flat side down and no absorption were somewhat effective; the other configurations were not.
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Plasticity in vowel perception and production: A study of accent change in young adults J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 121, Issue 6, pp. 3814-3826 (2007); (13 pages)
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This study investigated changes in vowel production and perception among university students from the north of England, as individuals adapt their accent from regional to educated norms. Subjects were tested in their production and perception at regular intervals over a period of 2 years: before beginning university, 3 months later, and at the end of their first and second years at university. At each testing session, subjects were recorded reading a set of experimental words and a short passage. Subjects also completed two perceptual tasks; they chose best exemplar locations for vowels embedded in either northern or southern English accented carrier sentences and identified words in noise spoken with either a northern or southern English accent. The results demonstrated that subjects at a late stage in their language development, early adulthood, changed their spoken accent after attending university. There were no reliable changes in perception over time, but there was evidence for a between-subjects link between production and perception; subjects chose similar vowels to the ones they produced, and subjects who had a more southern English accent were better at identifying southern English speech in noise.
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J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 121, Issue 6, pp. 3409-3417 (2007); (9 pages)
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The paper presents a Fourier transform-based signal processing procedure for quantifying the reflection and transmission coefficients and mode conversion of guided waves diffracted by defects in plates made of viscoelastic materials. The case of the S0 Lamb wave mode incident on a notch in a Perspex plate is considered. The procedure is applied to numerical data produced by a finite element code that simulates the propagation of attenuated guided modes and their diffraction by the notch, including mode conversion. Its validity and precision are checked by the way of the energy balance computation and by comparison with results obtained using an orthogonality relation-based processing method.
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Acoustic scattering by a rigid elliptic cylinder in a slightly viscous medium J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 121, Issue 6, pp. 3300-3310 (2007); (11 pages)
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A complete solution is obtained for the two-dimensional diffraction of a time-harmonic acoustic plane wave by an impenetrable elliptic cylinder in a viscous fluid. Arbitrary size, ellipticity, and angle of incidence are considered. The linearized equations of viscous flow are used to write down expressions for the dilatation and vorticity in terms of products of radially and angular dependent Mathieu functions. The no-slip condition on the rigid boundary then determines the coefficients. The resulting computations are facilitated by recently developed library routines for complex input parameters. The solution for the circular cylinder serves as a guide and a differently constructed solution for the strip is also given. Typical results in the “resonant” range of dimensionless wave number, displaying the surface vorticity and the far-field scattering pattern are included, with the latter allowing comparison with the inviscid case.
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J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 121, Issue 6, pp. 3579-3594 (2007); (16 pages)
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The time difference of arrival (TDOA) source localization inverse problem is analyzed for two-dimensional signal propagation detected by a small number of sensor elements in a monitoring array. Nonlinear least-squares solutions are found based on the assumptions of geodesic rays propagating at constant speed. The two-dimensional (2D) TDOA source location problem is shown in the case of three sensors to have dual possible solutions for some combinations of arrival time differences. In the case of four non-collinear sensors, there are unique solutions for all physically possible combinations of time differences. Dual solutions to the three-sensor problem are associated with a small range of arrival time differences but large regions in physical space. The locations of the dual solutions are separated by a wide variety of distances, which in some cases prevent the use of alternative reasoning to remove the ambiguity. Three-sensor TDOA cannot be reliably used for 2D source location unless the source is a priori known to be within either the spatial region spanned by the sensor array or the external zones of unique solution. Determining the minimum number of sensors necessary to unambiguously solve the source location problem assists in cost-effective design of sensor arrays.
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Violin f-hole contribution to far-field radiation via patch near-field acoustical holography J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 121, Issue 6, pp. 3899-3906 (2007); (8 pages)
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The violin radiates either from dual ports (f-holes) or via surface motion of the corpus (top+ribs+back), with no clear delineation between these sources. Combining “patch” near-field acoustical holography over just the f-hole region of a violin with far-field radiativity measurements over a sphere, it was possible to separate f-hole from surface motion contributions to the total radiation of the corpus below 2.6 kHz. A0, the Helmholtz-like lowest cavity resonance, radiated essentially entirely through the f-holes as expected while A1, the first longitudinal cavity mode with a node at the f-holes, had no significant f-hole radiation. The observed A1 radiation comes from an indirect radiation mechanism, induced corpus motion approximately mirroring the cavity pressure profile seen for violinlike bowed string instruments across a wide range of sizes. The first estimates of the fraction of radiation from the f-holes Ff indicate that some low frequency corpus modes thought to radiate only via surface motion (notably the first corpus bending modes) had significant radiation through the f-holes, in agreement with net volume changes estimated from experimental modal analysis. Ff generally trended lower with increasing frequency, following corpus mobility decreases. The f-hole directivity (top/back radiativity ratio) was generally higher than whole-violin directivity.
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Fresnel approximations for acoustic fields of rectangularly symmetric sources J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 121, Issue 6, pp. 3311-3322 (2007); (12 pages)
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A general approach is presented for determining the acoustic fields of rectangularly symmetric, baffled, time-harmonic sources under the Fresnel approximation. This approach is applicable to a variety of separable source configurations, including uniform, exponential, Gaussian, sinusoidal, and error function surface velocity distributions, with and without focusing in either surface dimension. In each case, the radiated field is given by a formula similar to that for a uniform rectangular source, except for additional scaling of wave number and azimuthal distance parameters. The expressions presented are generalized to three different Fresnel approximations that correspond, respectively, to diffracted plane waves, diffracted spherical waves, or diffracted cylindrical waves. Numerical results, for several source geometries relevant to ultrasonic applications, show that these expressions accurately depict the radiated pressure fields, except for points very near the radiating aperture. Highest accuracy near the source is obtained by choice of the Fresnel approximation most suited to the source geometry, while the highest accuracy far from the source is obtained by the approximation corresponding to diffracted spherical waves. The methods are suitable for volumetric computations of acoustic fields including focusing, apodization, and attenuation effects.
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A modified diffusion equation for room-acoustic predication J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 121, Issue 6, pp. 3284-3287 (2007); (4 pages)
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This letter presents a modified diffusion model using an Eyring absorption coefficient to predict the reverberation time and sound pressure distributions in enclosures. While the original diffusion model [
Ollendorff, Acustica 21, 236–245 (1969)
;
J. Picaut et al., Acustica 83, 614–621 (1997)
;
Valeau et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 119, 1504–1513 (2006)
] usually has good performance for low absorption, the modified diffusion model yields more satisfactory results for both low and high absorption. Comparisons among the modified model, the original model, a geometrical-acoustics model, and several well-established theories in terms of reverberation times and sound pressure level distributions, indicate significantly improved prediction accuracy by the modification.
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Near-field time-reversal amplification J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 121, Issue 6, pp. 3602-3606 (2007); (5 pages)
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The spatial resolution of the focused field of a classical time-reversal mirror has a wavelength-order λ diffraction limit. Previously reported results for subwavelength focus require either the full knowledge of the original source or the evanescent waves in the near field. Here it is shown that subwavelength focusing can be achieved without a priori knowledge of the original probe source. If the field is recorded at a few wavelengths away from the probe source, where the amplitude of the near field is too low for subwavelength focusing, it is shown that the low amplitude near field can be amplified and the spatial resolution improved, using the near-field time reversal (NTR) procedure introduced here. The NTR is performed from the phase of the spatial spectrum of the field recorded on an array around the original probe source using an analytical continuation for the amplitude of the spatial spectrum. Following theory, λ/20 resolution is experimentally demonstrated with audible acoustic wavefields in the air.
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