Sound quality characteristics of refrigerator noise in real living environments with relation to psychoacoustical and autocorrelation function parameters.

PubMed

Sato, Shin-ichi; You, Jin; Jeon, Jin Yong

2007-07-01

Psychoacoustical and autocorrelation function (ACF) parameters were employed to describe the temporal fluctuations of refrigerator noise during starting, transition into/from the stationary phase and termination of operation. The temporal fluctuations of refrigerator noise include a click at start-up, followed by a rapid increase in volume, a change of pitch, and termination of the operation. Subjective evaluations of the noise of 24 different refrigerators were conducted in a real living environment. The relationship between objective measures and perceived noisiness was examined by multiple regression analysis. Sound quality indices were developed based on psychoacoustical and ACF parameters. The psychoacoustical parameters found to be important for evaluating noisiness in the stationary phase were loudness and roughness. The relationship between noisiness and ACF parameters shows that sound energy and its fluctuations are important for evaluating noisiness. Also, refrigerator sounds that had a fluctuation of pitch were rated as more annoying. The tolerance level for the starting phase of refrigerator noise was found to be 33 dBA, which is the level where 65% of the participants in the subjective tests were satisfied.

Experiments of multichannel least-square methods for sound field reproduction inside aircraft mock-up: Objective evaluations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gauthier, P.-A.; Camier, C.; Lebel, F.-A.; Pasco, Y.; Berry, A.; Langlois, J.; Verron, C.; Guastavino, C.

2016-08-01

Sound environment reproduction of various flight conditions in aircraft mock-ups is a valuable tool for the study, prediction, demonstration and jury testing of interior aircraft sound quality and annoyance. To provide a faithful reproduced sound environment, time, frequency and spatial characteristics should be preserved. Physical sound field reproduction methods for spatial sound reproduction are mandatory to immerse the listener's body in the proper sound fields so that localization cues are recreated at the listener's ears. Vehicle mock-ups pose specific problems for sound field reproduction. Confined spaces, needs for invisible sound sources and very specific acoustical environment make the use of open-loop sound field reproduction technologies such as wave field synthesis (based on free-field models of monopole sources) not ideal. In this paper, experiments in an aircraft mock-up with multichannel least-square methods and equalization are reported. The novelty is the actual implementation of sound field reproduction with 3180 transfer paths and trim panel reproduction sources in laboratory conditions with a synthetic target sound field. The paper presents objective evaluations of reproduced sound fields using various metrics as well as sound field extrapolation and sound field characterization.

Factors affecting breeding soundness classification of beef bulls examined at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine.

PubMed

Barth, Albert D; Waldner, Cheryl L

2002-04-01

Breeding soundness evaluation records from 2110 beef bulls, for the period of 1986 to 1999, were analyzed to determine the prevalence and importance of factors affecting breeding soundness classification. The percentage of all bulls classified as satisfactory ranged from 49.0% in January to 73.3% in May. The percentage of physically normal bulls with satisfactory semen quality ranged from 65.7% in January to 87.5% in June. Poor body condition or excessive body condition, below average or below the recommended minimum scrotal circumference, lameness, and severe scrotal frostbite significantly reduced the probability of a satisfactory breeding soundness classification. The percentage of sperm with midpiece defects declined significantly and the percentage of sperm with head defects increased significantly with the approach of summer. Photoperiod, cold stress, poor or excessive body condition, and reduced feed quality may interact to reduce semen quality in the winter months.

Changes in teachers' voice quality during a working day with and without electric sound amplification.

PubMed

Jónsdottir, Valdis; Laukkanen, Anne-Maria; Siikki, Ilona

2003-01-01

The present study investigated changes in the voice quality of teachers during a working day (a). in ordinary conditions and (b). when using electrical sound amplification while teaching. Classroom speech of 5 teachers was recorded with a portable DAT recorder and a head-mounted microphone during the first and the last lesson of a hard working day first in ordinary conditions and the following week using amplification. Long-term average spectrum and sound pressure level (SPL) analyses were made. The subjects' comments were gathered by questionnaire. Voice quality was evaluated by 2 speech trainers. With amplification, SPL was lower and the spectrum more tilted. Voice quality was evaluated to be better. The subjects reported less fatigue in the vocal mechanism. Spectral tilt decreased and SPL increased during the day. There was a tendency for perceived asthenia to decrease. No significant changes were observed in ordinary conditions. The acoustic changes seem to reflect a positive adaptation to vocal loading. Their absence may be a sign of vocal fatigue. Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel

Perceptual assessment of quality of urban soundscapes with combined noise sources and water sounds.

PubMed

Jeon, Jin Yong; Lee, Pyoung Jik; You, Jin; Kang, Jian

2010-03-01

In this study, urban soundscapes containing combined noise sources were evaluated through field surveys and laboratory experiments. The effect of water sounds on masking urban noises was then examined in order to enhance the soundscape perception. Field surveys in 16 urban spaces were conducted through soundwalking to evaluate the annoyance of combined noise sources. Synthesis curves were derived for the relationships between noise levels and the percentage of highly annoyed (%HA) and the percentage of annoyed (%A) for the combined noise sources. Qualitative analysis was also made using semantic scales for evaluating the quality of the soundscape, and it was shown that the perception of acoustic comfort and loudness was strongly related to the annoyance. A laboratory auditory experiment was then conducted in order to quantify the total annoyance caused by road traffic noise and four types of construction noise. It was shown that the annoyance ratings were related to the types of construction noise in combination with road traffic noise and the level of the road traffic noise. Finally, water sounds were determined to be the best sounds to use for enhancing the urban soundscape. The level of the water sounds should be similar to or not less than 3 dB below the level of the urban noises.

Effects of HearFones on speaking and singing voice quality.

PubMed

Laukkanen, Anne-Maria; Mickelson, Nils Peter; Laitala, Marja; Syrjä, Tiina; Salo, Arla; Sihvo, Marketta

2004-12-01

HearFones (HF) have been designed to enhance auditory feedback during phonation. This study investigated the effects of HF (1) on sound perceivable by the subject, (2) on voice quality in reading and singing, and (3) on voice production in speech and singing at the same pitch and sound level. Test 1: Text reading was recorded with two identical microphones in the ears of a subject. One ear was covered with HF, and the other was free. Four subjects attended this test. Tests 2 and 3: A reading sample was recorded from 13 subjects and a song from 12 subjects without and with HF on. Test 4: Six females repeated [pa:p:a] in speaking and singing modes without and with HF on same pitch and sound level. Long-term average spectra were made (Tests 1-3), and formant frequencies, fundamental frequency, and sound level were measured (Tests 2 and 3). Subglottic pressure was estimated from oral pressure in [p], and simultaneously electroglottography (EGG) was registered during voicing on [a:] (Test 4). Voice quality in speech and singing was evaluated by three professional voice trainers (Tests 2-4). HF seemed to enhance sound perceivable at the whole range studied (0-8 kHz), with the greatest enhancement (up to ca 25 dB) being at 1-3 kHz and at 4-7 kHz. The subjects tended to decrease loudness with HF (when sound level was not being monitored). In more than half of the cases, voice quality was evaluated "less strained" and "better controlled" with HF. When pitch and loudness were constant, no clear differences were heard but closed quotient of the EGG signal was higher and the signal more skewed, suggesting a better glottal closure and/or diminished activity of the thyroarytenoid muscle.

Quiet PROPELLER MRI techniques match the quality of conventional PROPELLER brain imaging techniques.

PubMed

Corcuera-Solano, I; Doshi, A; Pawha, P S; Gui, D; Gaddipati, A; Tanenbaum, L

2015-06-01

Switching of magnetic field gradients is the primary source of acoustic noise in MR imaging. Sound pressure levels can run as high as 120 dB, capable of producing physical discomfort and at least temporary hearing loss, mandating hearing protection. New technology has made quieter techniques feasible, which range from as low as 80 dB to nearly silent. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the image quality of new commercially available quiet T2 and quiet FLAIR fast spin-echo PROPELLER acquisitions in comparison with equivalent conventional PROPELLER techniques in current day-to-day practice in imaging of the brain. Thirty-four consecutive patients were prospectively scanned with quiet T2 and quiet T2 FLAIR PROPELLER, in addition to spatial resolution-matched conventional T2 and T2 FLAIR PROPELLER imaging sequences on a clinical 1.5T MR imaging scanner. Measurement of sound pressure levels and qualitative evaluation of relative image quality was performed. Quiet T2 and quiet T2 FLAIR were comparable in image quality with conventional acquisitions, with sound levels of approximately 75 dB, a reduction in average sound pressure levels of up to 28.5 dB, with no significant trade-offs aside from longer scan times. Quiet FSE provides equivalent image quality at comfortable sound pressure levels at the cost of slightly longer scan times. The significant reduction in potentially injurious noise is particularly important in vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and the debilitated. Quiet techniques should be considered in these special situations for routine use in clinical practice. © 2015 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Possibilities of psychoacoustics to determine sound quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Genuit, Klaus

For some years, acoustic engineers have increasingly become aware of the importance of analyzing and minimizing noise problems not only with regard to the A-weighted sound pressure level, but to design sound quality. It is relatively easy to determine the A-weighted SPL according to international standards. However, the objective evaluation to describe subjectively perceived sound quality - taking into account psychoacoustic parameters such as loudness, roughness, fluctuation strength, sharpness and so forth - is more difficult. On the one hand, the psychoacoustic measurement procedures which are known so far have yet not been standardized. On the other hand, they have only been tested in laboratories by means of listening tests in the free-field and one sound source and simple signals. Therefore, the results achieved cannot be transferred to complex sound situations with several spatially distributed sound sources without difficulty. Due to the directional hearing and selectivity of human hearing, individual sound events can be selected among many. Already in the late seventies a new binaural Artificial Head Measurement System was developed which met the requirements of the automobile industry in terms of measurement technology. The first industrial application of the Artificial Head Measurement System was in 1981. Since that time the system was further developed, particularly by the cooperation between HEAD acoustics and Mercedes-Benz. In addition to a calibratable Artificial Head Measurement System which is compatible with standard measurement technologies and has transfer characteristics comparable to human hearing, a Binaural Analysis System is now also available. This system permits the analysis of binaural signals regarding physical and psychoacoustic procedures. Moreover, the signals to be analyzed can be simultaneously monitored through headphones and manipulated in the time and frequency domain so that those signal components being responsible for noise annoyance can be found. Especially in complex sound situations with several spatially distributed sound sources, standard, one-channel measurements methods cannot adequately determine sound quality, the acoustic comfort, or annoyance of sound events.

Comparing Binaural Pre-processing Strategies I: Instrumental Evaluation.

PubMed

Baumgärtel, Regina M; Krawczyk-Becker, Martin; Marquardt, Daniel; Völker, Christoph; Hu, Hongmei; Herzke, Tobias; Coleman, Graham; Adiloğlu, Kamil; Ernst, Stephan M A; Gerkmann, Timo; Doclo, Simon; Kollmeier, Birger; Hohmann, Volker; Dietz, Mathias

2015-12-30

In a collaborative research project, several monaural and binaural noise reduction algorithms have been comprehensively evaluated. In this article, eight selected noise reduction algorithms were assessed using instrumental measures, with a focus on the instrumental evaluation of speech intelligibility. Four distinct, reverberant scenarios were created to reflect everyday listening situations: a stationary speech-shaped noise, a multitalker babble noise, a single interfering talker, and a realistic cafeteria noise. Three instrumental measures were employed to assess predicted speech intelligibility and predicted sound quality: the intelligibility-weighted signal-to-noise ratio, the short-time objective intelligibility measure, and the perceptual evaluation of speech quality. The results show substantial improvements in predicted speech intelligibility as well as sound quality for the proposed algorithms. The evaluated coherence-based noise reduction algorithm was able to provide improvements in predicted audio signal quality. For the tested single-channel noise reduction algorithm, improvements in intelligibility-weighted signal-to-noise ratio were observed in all but the nonstationary cafeteria ambient noise scenario. Binaural minimum variance distortionless response beamforming algorithms performed particularly well in all noise scenarios. © The Author(s) 2015.

Evaluating the performance of active noise control systems in commercial and industrial applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Depies, C.; Deneen, S.; Lowe, M.

1995-06-01

Active sound cancellation technology is increasingly being used to quiet commercial and industrial air-moving devices. Engineers and designers are implementing active or combination active/passive technology to control sound quality in the workplace and the acoustical environment in residential areas near industrial facilities. Sound level measurements made before and after the installation of active systems have proved that significant improvements in sound quality can be obtained even if there is little or no change in the NC/RC or dBA numbers. Noise produced by centrifugal and vane-axial fans, pumps and blowers, commonly used for ventilation and material movement in industry, are frequentlymore » dominated by high amplitude, tonal noise at low frequencies. And the low-frequency noise produced by commercial air handlers often has less tonal and more broadband characteristics, resulting in audible duct rumble noise and objectionable room spectrums. Because the A-weighting network, which is commonly used for industrial noise measurements, de-emphasizes low frequencies, its single number rating can be misleading in terms of judging the overall subjective sound quality in impacted areas and assessing the effectiveness of noise control measures. Similarly, NC values, traditionally used for commercial HVAC acoustical design criteria, can be governed by noise at any frequency and cannot accurately depict human judgment of the aural comfort level. Analyses of frequency spectrum characteristics provide the most effective means of assessing sound quality and determining mitigative measures for achieving suitable background sound levels.« less

Remote transmission of live endoscopy over the Internet: Report from the 87th Congress of the Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society.

PubMed

Shimizu, Shuji; Ohtsuka, Takao; Takahata, Shunichi; Nagai, Eishi; Nakashima, Naoki; Tanaka, Masao

2016-01-01

Live demonstration of endoscopy is one of the most attractive and useful methods for education and is often organized locally in hospitals. However, problems have been apparent in terms of cost, preparation, and potential risks to patients. Our aim was to evaluate a new approach to live endoscopy whereby remote hospitals are connected by the Internet for live endoscopic demonstrations. Live endoscopy was transmitted to the Congress of the Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopic Society by 13 domestic and international hospitals. Patients with upper and lower gastrointestinal diseases and with pancreatobiliary disorders were the subjects of a live demonstration. Questionnaires were distributed to the audience and were sent to the demonstrators. Questions concerned the quality of transmitted images and sound, cost, preparations, programs, preference of style, and adverse events. Of the audience, 91.2% (249/273) answered favorably regarding the transmitted image quality and 93.8% (259/276) regarding the sound quality. All demonstrators answered favorably regarding image quality and 93% (13/14) regarding sound quality. Preparations were completed without any outsourcing at 11 sites (79%) and were evaluated as 'very easy' or 'easy' at all but one site (92.3%). Preparation cost was judged as 'very cheap' or 'cheap' at 12 sites (86%). Live endoscopy connecting multiple international centers was satisfactory in image and sound quality for both audience and demonstrators, with easy and inexpensive preparation. The remote transmission of live endoscopy from demonstrators' own hospitals was preferred to the conventional style of locally organized live endoscopy. © 2015 The Authors Digestive Endoscopy © 2015 Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society.

Adaptive sound speed correction for abdominal ultrasonography: preliminary results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Sungmin; Kang, Jeeun; Song, Tai-Kyung; Yoo, Yangmo

2013-03-01

Ultrasonography has been conducting a critical role in assessing abdominal disorders due to its noninvasive, real-time, low cost, and deep penetrating capabilities. However, for imaging obese patients with a thick fat layer, it is challenging to achieve appropriate image quality with a conventional beamforming (CON) method due to phase aberration caused by the difference between sound speeds (e.g., 1580 and 1450m/s for liver and fat, respectively). For this, various sound speed correction (SSC) methods that estimate the accumulated sound speed for a region-of interest (ROI) have been previously proposed. However, with the SSC methods, the improvement in image quality was limited only for a specific depth of ROI. In this paper, we present the adaptive sound speed correction (ASSC) method, which can enhance the image quality for whole depths by using estimated sound speeds from two different depths in the lower layer. Since these accumulated sound speeds contain the respective contributions of layers, an optimal sound speed for each depth can be estimated by solving contribution equations. To evaluate the proposed method, the phantom study was conducted with pre-beamformed radio-frequency (RF) data acquired with a SonixTouch research package (Ultrasonix Corp., Canada) with linear and convex probes from the gel pad-stacked tissue mimicking phantom (Parker Lab. Inc., USA and Model539, ATS, USA) whose sound speeds are 1610 and 1450m/s, respectively. From the study, compared to the CON and SSC methods, the ASSC method showed the improved spatial resolution and information entropy contrast (IEC) for convex and linear array transducers, respectively. These results indicate that the ASSC method can be applied for enhancing image quality when imaging obese patients in abdominal ultrasonography.

The meaning of city noises: Investigating sound quality in Paris (France)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubois, Daniele; Guastavino, Catherine; Maffiolo, Valerie; Guastavino, Catherine; Maffiolo, Valerie

2004-05-01

The sound quality of Paris (France) was investigated by using field inquiries in actual environments (open questionnaires) and using recordings under laboratory conditions (free-sorting tasks). Cognitive categories of soundscapes were inferred by means of psycholinguistic analyses of verbal data and of mathematical analyses of similarity judgments. Results show that auditory judgments mainly rely on source identification. The appraisal of urban noise therefore depends on the qualitative evaluation of noise sources. The salience of human sounds in public spaces has been demonstrated, in relation to pleasantness judgments: soundscapes with human presence tend to be perceived as more pleasant than soundscapes consisting solely of mechanical sounds. Furthermore, human sounds are qualitatively processed as indicators of human outdoor activities, such as open markets, pedestrian areas, and sidewalk cafe districts that reflect city life. In contrast, mechanical noises (mainly traffic noise) are commonly described in terms of physical properties (temporal structure, intensity) of a permanent background noise that also characterizes urban areas. This connotes considering both quantitative and qualitative descriptions to account for the diversity of cognitive interpretations of urban soundscapes, since subjective evaluations depend both on the meaning attributed to noise sources and on inherent properties of the acoustic signal.

Design and evaluation of a parametric model for cardiac sounds.

PubMed

Ibarra-Hernández, Roilhi F; Alonso-Arévalo, Miguel A; Cruz-Gutiérrez, Alejandro; Licona-Chávez, Ana L; Villarreal-Reyes, Salvador

2017-10-01

Heart sound analysis plays an important role in the auscultative diagnosis process to detect the presence of cardiovascular diseases. In this paper we propose a novel parametric heart sound model that accurately represents normal and pathological cardiac audio signals, also known as phonocardiograms (PCG). The proposed model considers that the PCG signal is formed by the sum of two parts: one of them is deterministic and the other one is stochastic. The first part contains most of the acoustic energy. This part is modeled by the Matching Pursuit (MP) algorithm, which performs an analysis-synthesis procedure to represent the PCG signal as a linear combination of elementary waveforms. The second part, also called residual, is obtained after subtracting the deterministic signal from the original heart sound recording and can be accurately represented as an autoregressive process using the Linear Predictive Coding (LPC) technique. We evaluate the proposed heart sound model by performing subjective and objective tests using signals corresponding to different pathological cardiac sounds. The results of the objective evaluation show an average Percentage of Root-Mean-Square Difference of approximately 5% between the original heart sound and the reconstructed signal. For the subjective test we conducted a formal methodology for perceptual evaluation of audio quality with the assistance of medical experts. Statistical results of the subjective evaluation show that our model provides a highly accurate approximation of real heart sound signals. We are not aware of any previous heart sound model rigorously evaluated as our proposal. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Music therapy in adults with cochlear implants : Effects on music perception and subjective sound quality].

PubMed

Hutter, E; Grapp, M; Argstatter, H

2016-12-01

People with severe hearing impairments and deafness can achieve good speech comprehension using a cochlear implant (CI), although music perception often remains impaired. A novel concept of music therapy for adults with CI was developed and evaluated in this study. This study included 30 adults with a unilateral CI following postlingual deafness. The subjective sound quality of the CI was rated using the hearing implant sound quality index (HISQUI) and musical tests for pitch discrimination, melody recognition and timbre identification were applied. As a control 55 normally hearing persons also completed the musical tests. In comparison to normally hearing subjects CI users showed deficits in the perception of pitch, melody and timbre. Specific effects of therapy were observed in the subjective sound quality of the CI, in pitch discrimination into a high and low pitch range and in timbre identification, while general learning effects were found in melody recognition. Music perception shows deficits in CI users compared to normally hearing persons. After individual music therapy in the rehabilitation process, improvements in this delicate area could be achieved.

Historical trends in the accumulation of chemicals in Puget Sound. National status and trends program for marine environmental quality: Technical memo

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lefkovitz, L.F.; Cullinan, V.I.; Crecelius, E.A.

The purpose of the study is to: (1) continue monitoring historical trends in the concentration of contaminants in Puget Sound sediments, and (2) quantify recent trends in the recovery of contaminated sediments. Results from this study can be compared with those obtained in the 1982 study to determine whether sediment quality is still improving and to estimate the rate of recovery. A statistically significant reduction in sediment contamination over the past 20 years would provide empirical evidence that environmental regulation has had a positive impact on the water quality in Puget Sound. Chemical trends were evaluated from six age-dated sedimentmore » cores collected from the main basin of Puget Sound. Chemical analyses included metals, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), PCBs and chlorinated pesticides, nutrients (total nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P)), butyl tins, and total organic carbon (TOC). Sedimentation (cm/yr) and deposition rates (g/sq cm/yr) were estimated using a steady-state Pb-210 dating technique.« less

A Hearing-Based, Frequency Domain Sound Quality Model for Combined Aerodynamic and Power Transmission Response with Application to Rotorcraft Interior Noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sondkar, Pravin B.

The severity of combined aerodynamics and power transmission response in high-speed, high power density systems such as a rotorcraft is still a major cause of annoyance in spite of recent advancement in passive, semi-active and active control. With further increase in the capacity and power of this class of machinery systems, the acoustic noise levels are expected to increase even more. To achieve further improvements in sound quality, a more refined understanding of the factors and attributes controlling human perception is needed. In the case of rotorcraft systems, the perceived quality of the interior sound field is a major determining factor of passenger comfort. Traditionally, this sound quality factor is determined by measuring the response of a chosen set of juries who are asked to compare their qualitative reactions to two or more sounds based on their subjective impressions. This type of testing is very time-consuming, costly, often inconsistent, and not useful for practical design purposes. Furthermore, there is no known universal model for sound quality. The primary aim of this research is to achieve significant improvements in quantifying the sound quality of combined aerodynamic and power transmission response in high-speed, high power density machinery systems such as a rotorcraft by applying relevant objective measures related to the spectral characteristics of the sound field. Two models have been proposed in this dissertation research. First, a classical multivariate regression analysis model based on currently known sound quality metrics as well some new metrics derived in this study is presented. Even though the analysis resulted in the best possible multivariate model as a measure of the acoustic noise quality, it lacks incorporation of human judgment mechanism. The regression model can change depending on specific application, nature of the sounds and types of juries used in the study. Also, it predicts only the averaged preference scores and does not explain why two jury members differ in their judgment. To address the above shortcoming of applying regression analysis, a new human judgment model is proposed to further improve the ability to predict the degree of subjective annoyance. The human judgment model involves extraction of subjective attributes and their values using a proposed artificial jury processor. In this approach, a set of ear transfer functions are employed to compute the characteristics of sound pressure waves as perceived subjectively by human. The resulting basilar membrane displacement data from this proposed model is then applied to analyze the attribute values. Using this proposed human judgment model, the human judgment mechanism, which is highly sophisticated, will be examined. Since the human judgment model is essentially based on jury attributes that are not expected to change significantly with application or nature of the sound field, it gives a more common basis to evaluate sound quality. This model also attempts to explain the inter-juror differences in opinion, which is critical in understanding the variability in human response.

Comparing Binaural Pre-processing Strategies I

PubMed Central

Krawczyk-Becker, Martin; Marquardt, Daniel; Völker, Christoph; Hu, Hongmei; Herzke, Tobias; Coleman, Graham; Adiloğlu, Kamil; Ernst, Stephan M. A.; Gerkmann, Timo; Doclo, Simon; Kollmeier, Birger; Hohmann, Volker; Dietz, Mathias

2015-01-01

In a collaborative research project, several monaural and binaural noise reduction algorithms have been comprehensively evaluated. In this article, eight selected noise reduction algorithms were assessed using instrumental measures, with a focus on the instrumental evaluation of speech intelligibility. Four distinct, reverberant scenarios were created to reflect everyday listening situations: a stationary speech-shaped noise, a multitalker babble noise, a single interfering talker, and a realistic cafeteria noise. Three instrumental measures were employed to assess predicted speech intelligibility and predicted sound quality: the intelligibility-weighted signal-to-noise ratio, the short-time objective intelligibility measure, and the perceptual evaluation of speech quality. The results show substantial improvements in predicted speech intelligibility as well as sound quality for the proposed algorithms. The evaluated coherence-based noise reduction algorithm was able to provide improvements in predicted audio signal quality. For the tested single-channel noise reduction algorithm, improvements in intelligibility-weighted signal-to-noise ratio were observed in all but the nonstationary cafeteria ambient noise scenario. Binaural minimum variance distortionless response beamforming algorithms performed particularly well in all noise scenarios. PMID:26721920

Environment in pediatric wards: light, sound, and temperature.

PubMed

Oliveira, Lia; Gomes, Cláudia; Bacelar Nicolau, Leonor; Ferreira, Luís; Ferreira, Rosário

2015-09-01

The mutual relationship between sleep and disease is well known, becoming more relevant whenever the disease leads to hospitalization. We intend to describe patterns of environmental factors of some pediatric wards, and to verify if these are in line with those recommended. As a secondary aim, we characterize sleep quality during hospitalization. Five pediatric wards of a tertiary-level hospital were included. Light, sound, and temperature were measured and assessed through descriptive statistics. The following recommended values were considered: maximum light 100 Lux, maximum sound 45 dB, and optimal temperature 20-24 °C. A questionnaire was prepared to assess children's sleep, and it was completed by a caregiver. Light values were within the desirable limits for 86% of evaluated time. In all wards, the intensity of sound was much higher than desirable, being above 45 dB during 85% of evaluated time. The temperature was above 24 °C during 78% of total time. Based on 34 answered questionnaires (out of 50 distributed), almost half of the respondents believe that sleep quality and restlessness are worse at the hospital. Most children slept for a longer time at home. Eighteen children awoke more times at the hospital, and those awakenings were mostly attributed to noise. The sound and temperature were higher than recommended. The different values between these wards may be due to different levels of care, but this shows that there are no standard rules on this matter. A worse quality and shorter duration of sleep at hospital were reported. Comprehensive studies are necessary to evaluate the impact of environmental factors on disease recovery. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Psychophysiological acoustics of indoor sound due to traffic noise during sleep

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tulen, J. H. M.; Kumar, A.; Jurriëns, A. A.

1986-10-01

The relation between the physical characteristics of sound and an individual's perception of its as annoyance is complex and unclear. Sleep disturbance by sound is manifested in the physiological responses to the sound stimuli and the quality of sleep perceived in the morning. Both may result in deterioration of functioning during wakefulness. Therefore, psychophysiological responses to noise during sleep should be studied for the evaluation of the efficacy of sound insulation. Nocturnal sleep and indoor sound level were recorded in the homes of 12 subjects living along a highway with high traffic density. Double glazing sound insulation was used to create two experimental conditions: low insulation and high insulation. Twenty recordings were made per subject, ten recordings in each condition. During the nights with low insulation the quality of sleep was so low that both performance and mood were negatively affected. The enhancement of sound insulation was not effective enough to increase the restorative effects of sleep. The transient and peaky characteristics of traffic sound were also found to result in non-adaptive physiological responses during sleep. Sound insulation did have an effect on noise peak characteristics such as peak level, peak duration and slope. However, the number of sound peaks were found to be the same in both conditions. The relation of these sound peaks detected in the indoor recorded sound level signal to characteristics of passing vehicles was established, indicating that the sound peaks causing the psychophysiological disturbances during sleep were generated by the passing vehicles. Evidence is presented to show that the reduction in sound level is not a good measure of efficacy of sound insulation. The parameters of the sound peaks, as described in this paper, are a better representation of psychophysiological efficacy of sound insulation.

Assessment of sound quality perception in cochlear implant users during music listening.

PubMed

Roy, Alexis T; Jiradejvong, Patpong; Carver, Courtney; Limb, Charles J

2012-04-01

Although cochlear implant (CI) users frequently report deterioration of sound quality when listening to music, few methods exist to quantify these subjective claims. 1) To design a novel research method for quantifying sound quality perception in CI users during music listening; 2) To validate this method by assessing one attribute of music perception, bass frequency perception, which is hypothesized to be relevant to overall musical sound quality perception. Limitations in bass frequency perception contribute to CI-mediated sound quality deteriorations. The proposed method will quantify this deterioration by measuring CI users' impaired ability to make sound quality discriminations among musical stimuli with variable amounts of bass frequency removal. A method commonly used in the audio industry (multiple stimulus with hidden reference and anchor [MUSHRA]) was adapted for CI users, referred to as CI-MUSHRA. CI users and normal hearing controls were presented with 7 sound quality versions of a musical segment: 5 high pass filter cutoff versions (200-, 400-, 600-, 800-, 1000-Hz) with decreasing amounts of bass information, an unaltered version ("hidden reference"), and a highly altered version (1,000-1,200 Hz band pass filter; "anchor"). Participants provided sound quality ratings between 0 (very poor) and 100 (excellent) for each version; ratings reflected differences in perceived sound quality among stimuli. CI users had greater difficulty making overall sound quality discriminations as a function of bass frequency loss than normal hearing controls, as demonstrated by a significantly weaker correlation between bass frequency content and sound quality ratings. In particular, CI users could not perceive sound quality difference among stimuli missing up to 400 Hz of bass frequency information. Bass frequency impairments contribute to sound quality deteriorations during music listening for CI users. CI-MUSHRA provided a systematic and quantitative assessment of this reduced sound quality. Although the effects of bass frequency removal were studied here, we advocate CI-MUSHRA as a user-friendly and versatile research tool to measure the effects of a wide range of acoustic manipulations on sound quality perception in CI users.

Roughness modelling based on human auditory perception for sound quality evaluation of vehicle interior noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Y. S.; Shen, G. Q.; Guo, H.; Tang, X. L.; Hamade, T.

2013-08-01

In this paper, a roughness model, which is based on human auditory perception (HAP) and known as HAP-RM, is developed for the sound quality evaluation (SQE) of vehicle noise. First, the interior noise signals are measured for a sample vehicle and prepared for roughness modelling. The HAP-RM model is based on the process of sound transfer and perception in the human auditory system by combining the structural filtering function and nonlinear perception characteristics of the ear. The HAP-RM model is applied to the measured vehicle interior noise signals by considering the factors that affect hearing, such as the modulation and carrier frequencies, the time and frequency maskings and the correlations of the critical bands. The HAP-RM model is validated by jury tests. An anchor-scaled scoring method (ASM) is used for subjective evaluations in the jury tests. The verification results show that the novel developed model can accurately calculate vehicle noise roughness below 0.6 asper. Further investigation shows that the total roughness of the vehicle interior noise can mainly be attributed to frequency components below 12 Bark. The time masking effects of the modelling procedure enable the application of the HAP-RM model to stationary and nonstationary vehicle noise signals and the SQE of other sound-related signals in engineering problems.

Direct Signal-to-Noise Quality Comparison between an Electronic and Conventional Stethoscope aboard the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marshburn, Thomas; Cole, Richard; Ebert, Doug; Bauer, Pete

2014-01-01

Introduction: Evaluation of heart, lung, and bowel sounds is routinely performed with the use of a stethoscope to help detect a broad range of medical conditions. Stethoscope acquired information is even more valuable in a resource limited environments such as the International Space Station (ISS) where additional testing is not available. The high ambient noise level aboard the ISS poses a specific challenge to auscultation by stethoscope. An electronic stethoscope's ambient noise-reduction, greater sound amplification, recording capabilities, and sound visualization software may be an advantage to a conventional stethoscope in this environment. Methods: A single operator rated signal-to-noise quality from a conventional stethoscope (Littman 2218BE) and an electronic stethoscope (Litmann 3200). Borborygmi, pulmonic, and cardiac sound quality was ranked with both stethoscopes. Signal-to-noise rankings were preformed on a 1 to 10 subjective scale with 1 being inaudible, 6 the expected quality in an emergency department, 8 the expected quality in a clinic, and 10 the clearest possible quality. Testing took place in the Japanese Pressurized Module (JPM), Unity (Node 2), Destiny (US Lab), Tranquility (Node 3), and the Cupola of the International Space Station. All examinations were conducted at a single point in time. Results: The electronic stethoscope's performance ranked higher than the conventional stethoscope for each body sound in all modules tested. The electronic stethoscope's sound quality was rated between 7 and 10 in all modules tested. In comparison, the traditional stethoscope's sound quality was rated between 4 and 7. The signal to noise ratio of borborygmi showed the biggest difference between stethoscopes. In the modules tested, the auscultation of borborygmi was rated between 5 and 7 by the conventional stethoscope and consistently 10 by the electronic stethoscope. Discussion: This stethoscope comparison was limited to a single operator. However, we believe the results are noteworthy. The electronic stethoscope out preformed the traditional stethoscope in each direct comparison. Consideration should be made to incorporate an electronic stethoscope into current and future space vehicle medical kits.

40 CFR 81.32 - Puget Sound Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 18 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Puget Sound Intrastate Air Quality...) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) DESIGNATION OF AREAS FOR AIR QUALITY PLANNING PURPOSES Designation of Air Quality Control Regions § 81.32 Puget Sound Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The Puget Sound...

40 CFR 81.32 - Puget Sound Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Puget Sound Intrastate Air Quality...) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) DESIGNATION OF AREAS FOR AIR QUALITY PLANNING PURPOSES Designation of Air Quality Control Regions § 81.32 Puget Sound Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The Puget Sound...

40 CFR 81.32 - Puget Sound Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 18 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Puget Sound Intrastate Air Quality...) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) DESIGNATION OF AREAS FOR AIR QUALITY PLANNING PURPOSES Designation of Air Quality Control Regions § 81.32 Puget Sound Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The Puget Sound...

40 CFR 81.32 - Puget Sound Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 18 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Puget Sound Intrastate Air Quality...) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) DESIGNATION OF AREAS FOR AIR QUALITY PLANNING PURPOSES Designation of Air Quality Control Regions § 81.32 Puget Sound Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The Puget Sound...

40 CFR 81.32 - Puget Sound Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Puget Sound Intrastate Air Quality...) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) DESIGNATION OF AREAS FOR AIR QUALITY PLANNING PURPOSES Designation of Air Quality Control Regions § 81.32 Puget Sound Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The Puget Sound...

Sexual health education interventions for young people: a methodological review.

PubMed Central

Oakley, A.; Fullerton, D.; Holland, J.; Arnold, S.; France-Dawson, M.; Kelley, P.; McGrellis, S.

1995-01-01

OBJECTIVES--To locate reports of sexual health education interventions for young people, assess the methodological quality of evaluations, identify the subgroup with a methodologically sound design, and assess the evidence with respect to the effectiveness of different approaches to promoting young people's sexual health. DESIGN--Survey of reports in English by means of electronic databases and hand searches for relevant studies conducted in the developed world since 1982. Papers were reviewed for eight methodological qualities. The evidence on effectiveness generated by studies meeting four core criteria was assessed. Judgments on effectiveness by reviewers and authors were compared. PAPERS--270 papers reporting sexual health interventions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE--The methodological quality of evaluations. RESULTS--73 reports of evaluations of sexual health interventions examining the effectiveness of these interventions in changing knowledge, attitudes, or behavioural outcomes were identified, of which 65 were separate outcome evaluations. Of these studies, 45 (69%) lacked random control groups, 44 (68%) failed to present preintervention and 38 (59%) postintervention data, and 26 (40%) omitted to discuss the relevance of loss of data caused by drop outs. Only 12 (18%) of the 65 outcome evaluations were judged to be methodologically sound. Academic reviewers were more likely than authors to judge studies as unclear because of design faults. Only two of the sound evaluations recorded interventions which were effective in showing an impact on young people's sexual behaviour. CONCLUSIONS--The design of evaluations in sexual health intervention needs to be improved so that reliable evidence of the effectiveness of different approaches to promoting young people's sexual health may be generated. PMID:7833754

An evaluation of talker localization based on direction of arrival estimation and statistical sound source identification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishiura, Takanobu; Nakamura, Satoshi

2002-11-01

It is very important to capture distant-talking speech for a hands-free speech interface with high quality. A microphone array is an ideal candidate for this purpose. However, this approach requires localizing the target talker. Conventional talker localization algorithms in multiple sound source environments not only have difficulty localizing the multiple sound sources accurately, but also have difficulty localizing the target talker among known multiple sound source positions. To cope with these problems, we propose a new talker localization algorithm consisting of two algorithms. One is DOA (direction of arrival) estimation algorithm for multiple sound source localization based on CSP (cross-power spectrum phase) coefficient addition method. The other is statistical sound source identification algorithm based on GMM (Gaussian mixture model) for localizing the target talker position among localized multiple sound sources. In this paper, we particularly focus on the talker localization performance based on the combination of these two algorithms with a microphone array. We conducted evaluation experiments in real noisy reverberant environments. As a result, we confirmed that multiple sound signals can be identified accurately between ''speech'' or ''non-speech'' by the proposed algorithm. [Work supported by ATR, and MEXT of Japan.

Evaluating musical instruments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Campbell, D. Murray

Scientific measurements of sound generation and radiation by musical instruments are surprisingly hard to correlate with the subtle and complex judgments of instrumental quality made by expert musicians.

Applications of the TIROS-N sounding and cloud motion wind enhancement for the FGGE 'special effort'. [Global Weather Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Atlas, R.

1980-01-01

In January of 1978, a panel of experts recommended that a 'special effort' be made to enhance and edit satellite soundings and cloud tracked winds in data sparse regions. It was felt that these activities would be necessary to obtain maximum benefits from an evaluation of satellite data during the Global Weather Experiment (FGGE). The 'special effort' is being conducted for the two special observing periods of FGGE. More than sixty cases have been selected for enhancement on the basis of meteorological interest. These cases include situations of blocking, cutoff low development, cyclogenesis, and tropical circulations. The sounding data enhancement process consists of supplementing the operational satellite sounding data set with higher resolution soundings in meteorologically active regions, and with new soundings where data voids or soundings of questionable quality exist.

Performance of an open-source heart sound segmentation algorithm on eight independent databases.

PubMed

Liu, Chengyu; Springer, David; Clifford, Gari D

2017-08-01

Heart sound segmentation is a prerequisite step for the automatic analysis of heart sound signals, facilitating the subsequent identification and classification of pathological events. Recently, hidden Markov model-based algorithms have received increased interest due to their robustness in processing noisy recordings. In this study we aim to evaluate the performance of the recently published logistic regression based hidden semi-Markov model (HSMM) heart sound segmentation method, by using a wider variety of independently acquired data of varying quality. Firstly, we constructed a systematic evaluation scheme based on a new collection of heart sound databases, which we assembled for the PhysioNet/CinC Challenge 2016. This collection includes a total of more than 120 000 s of heart sounds recorded from 1297 subjects (including both healthy subjects and cardiovascular patients) and comprises eight independent heart sound databases sourced from multiple independent research groups around the world. Then, the HSMM-based segmentation method was evaluated using the assembled eight databases. The common evaluation metrics of sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, as well as the [Formula: see text] measure were used. In addition, the effect of varying the tolerance window for determining a correct segmentation was evaluated. The results confirm the high accuracy of the HSMM-based algorithm on a separate test dataset comprised of 102 306 heart sounds. An average [Formula: see text] score of 98.5% for segmenting S1 and systole intervals and 97.2% for segmenting S2 and diastole intervals were observed. The [Formula: see text] score was shown to increases with an increases in the tolerance window size, as expected. The high segmentation accuracy of the HSMM-based algorithm on a large database confirmed the algorithm's effectiveness. The described evaluation framework, combined with the largest collection of open access heart sound data, provides essential resources for evaluators who need to test their algorithms with realistic data and share reproducible results.

Development of a Bone-Conducted Ultrasonic Hearing Aid for the Profoundly Deaf: Evaluation of Sound Quality Using a Semantic Differential Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakagawa, Seiji; Fujiyuki, Chika; Kagomiya, Takayuki

2013-07-01

Bone-conducted ultrasound (BCU) is perceived even by the profoundly sensorineural deaf. A novel hearing aid using the perception of amplitude-modulated BCU (BCU hearing aid: BCUHA) has been developed. However, there is room for improvement particularly in terms of sound quality. BCU speech is accompanied by a strong high-pitched tone and contain some distortion. In this study, the sound quality of BCU speech with several types of amplitude modulation [double-sideband with transmitted carrier (DSB-TC), double-sideband with suppressed carrier (DSB-SC), and transposed modulations] and air-conducted (AC) speech was quantitatively evaluated using semantic differential and factor analysis. The results showed that all the types of BCU speech had higher metallic and lower esthetic factor scores than AC speech. On the other hand, transposed speech was closer than the other types of BCU speech to AC speech generally; the transposed speech showed a higher powerfulness factor score than the other types of BCU speech and a higher esthetic factor score than DSB-SC speech. These results provide useful information for further development of the BCUHA.

Sound quality indicators for urban places in Paris cross-validated by Milan data.

PubMed

Ricciardi, Paola; Delaitre, Pauline; Lavandier, Catherine; Torchia, Francesca; Aumond, Pierre

2015-10-01

A specific smartphone application was developed to collect perceptive and acoustic data in Paris. About 3400 questionnaires were analyzed, regarding the global sound environment characterization, the perceived loudness of some emergent sources and the presence time ratio of sources that do not emerge from the background. Sound pressure level was recorded each second from the mobile phone's microphone during a 10-min period. The aim of this study is to propose indicators of urban sound quality based on linear regressions with perceptive variables. A cross validation of the quality models extracted from Paris data was carried out by conducting the same survey in Milan. The proposed sound quality general model is correlated with the real perceived sound quality (72%). Another model without visual amenity and familiarity is 58% correlated with perceived sound quality. In order to improve the sound quality indicator, a site classification was performed by Kohonen's Artificial Neural Network algorithm, and seven specific class models were developed. These specific models attribute more importance on source events and are slightly closer to the individual data than the global model. In general, the Parisian models underestimate the sound quality of Milan environments assessed by Italian people.

Modeling subjective evaluation of soundscape quality in urban open spaces: An artificial neural network approach.

PubMed

Yu, Lei; Kang, Jian

2009-09-01

This research aims to explore the feasibility of using computer-based models to predict the soundscape quality evaluation of potential users in urban open spaces at the design stage. With the data from large scale field surveys in 19 urban open spaces across Europe and China, the importance of various physical, behavioral, social, demographical, and psychological factors for the soundscape evaluation has been statistically analyzed. Artificial neural network (ANN) models have then been explored at three levels. It has been shown that for both subjective sound level and acoustic comfort evaluation, a general model for all the case study sites is less feasible due to the complex physical and social environments in urban open spaces; models based on individual case study sites perform well but the application range is limited; and specific models for certain types of location/function would be reliable and practical. The performance of acoustic comfort models is considerably better than that of sound level models. Based on the ANN models, soundscape quality maps can be produced and this has been demonstrated with an example.

Effect of real-world sounds on protein crystallization.

PubMed

Zhang, Chen-Yan; Liu, Yue; Tian, Xu-Hua; Liu, Wen-Jing; Li, Xiao-Yu; Yang, Li-Xue; Jiang, Han-Jun; Han, Chong; Chen, Ke-An; Yin, Da-Chuan

2018-06-01

Protein crystallization is sensitive to the environment, while audible sound, as a physical and environmental factor during the entire process, is always ignored. We have previously reported that protein crystallization can be affected by a computer-generated monotonous sound with fixed frequency and amplitude. However, real-world sounds are not so simple but are complicated by parameters (frequency, amplitude, timbre, etc.) that vary over time. In this work, from three sound categories (music, speech, and environmental sound), we selected 26 different sounds and evaluated their effects on protein crystallization. The correlation between the sound parameters and the crystallization success rate was studied mathematically. The results showed that the real-world sounds, similar to the artificial monotonous sounds, could not only affect protein crystallization, but also improve crystal quality. Crystallization was dependent not only on the frequency, amplitude, volume, irradiation time, and overall energy of the sounds but also on their spectral characteristics. Based on these results, we suggest that intentionally applying environmental sound may be a simple and useful tool to promote protein crystallization. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Water quality and bed sediment quality in the Albemarle Sound, North Carolina, 2012–14

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moorman, Michelle C.; Fitzgerald, Sharon A.; Gurley, Laura N.; Rhoni-Aref, Ahmed; Loftin, Keith A.

2017-01-23

The Albemarle Sound region was selected in 2012 as one of two demonstration sites in the Nation to test and improve the design of the National Water Quality Monitoring Council’s National Monitoring Network (NMN) for U.S. Coastal Waters and Tributaries. The goal of the NMN for U.S. Coastal Waters and Tributaries is to provide information about the health of our oceans, coastal ecosystems, and inland influences on coastal waters for improved resource management. The NMN is an integrated, multidisciplinary, and multi-organizational program using multiple sources of data and information to augment current monitoring programs.This report presents and summarizes selected water-quality and bed sediment-quality data collected as part of the demonstration project conducted in two phases. The first phase was an occurrence and distribution study to assess nutrients, metals, pesticides, cyanotoxins, and phytoplankton communities in the Albemarle Sound during the summer of 2012 at 34 sites in Albemarle Sound, nearby sounds, and various tributaries. The second phase consisted of monthly sampling over a year (March 2013 through February 2014) to assess seasonality in a more limited set of constituents including nutrients, cyanotoxins, and phytoplankton communities at a subset (eight) of the sites sampled in the first phase. During the summer of 2012, few constituent concentrations exceeded published water-quality thresholds; however, elevated levels of chlorophyll a and pH were observed in the northern embayments and in Currituck Sound. Chlorophyll a, and metals (copper, iron, and zinc) were detected above a water-quality threshold. The World Health Organization provisional guideline based on cyanobacterial density for high recreational risk was exceeded in approximately 50 percent of water samples collected during the summer of 2012. Cyanobacteria capable of producing toxins were present, but only low levels of cyanotoxins below human health benchmarks were detected. Finally, 12 metals in surficial bed sediments were detected at levels above a published sediment-quality threshold. These metals included chromium, mercury, copper, lead, arsenic, nickel, and cadmium. Sites with several metal concentrations above the respective thresholds had relatively high concentrations of organic carbon or fine sediment (silt plus clay), or both and were predominantly located in the western and northwestern parts of the Albemarle Sound.Results from the second phase were generally similar to those of the first in that relatively few constituents exceeded a water-quality threshold, both pH and chlorophyll a were detected above the respective water-quality thresholds, and many of these elevated concentrations occurred in the northern embayments and in Currituck Sound. In contrast to the results from phase one, the cyanotoxin, microcystin was detected at more than 10 times the water-quality threshold during a phytoplankton bloom on the Chowan River at Mount Gould, North Carolina in August of 2013. This was the only cyanotoxin concentration measured during the entire study that exceeded a respective water-quality threshold.The information presented in this report can be used to improve understanding of water-quality conditions in the Albemarle Sound, particularly when evaluating causal and response variables that are indicators of eutrophication. In particular, this information can be used by State agencies to help develop water-quality criteria for nutrients, and to understand factors like cyanotoxins that may affect fisheries and recreation in the Albemarle Sound region.

Measuring School Climate for Gauging Principal Performance: A Review of the Validity and Reliability of Publicly Accessible Measures. A Quality School Leadership Issue Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clifford, Matthew; Menon, Roshni; Gangi, Tracy; Condon, Christopher; Hornung, Katie

2012-01-01

This policy brief provides principal evaluation system designers information about the technical soundness and cost (i.e., time requirements) of publicly available school climate surveys. The authors focus on the technical soundness of school climate surveys because they believe that using validated and reliable surveys as an outcomes measure can…

Real-time sound speed correction using golden section search to enhance ultrasound imaging quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoon, Chong Ook; Yoon, Changhan; Yoo, Yangmo; Song, Tai-Kyong; Chang, Jin Ho

2013-03-01

In medical ultrasound imaging, high-performance beamforming is important to enhance spatial and contrast resolutions. A modern receive dynamic beamfomer uses a constant sound speed that is typically assumed to 1540 m/s in generating receive focusing delays [1], [2]. However, this assumption leads to degradation of spatial and contrast resolutions particularly when imaging obese patients or breast since the sound speed is significantly lower than the assumed sound speed [3]; the true sound speed in the fatty tissue is around 1450 m/s. In our previous study, it was demonstrated that the modified nonlinear anisotropic diffusion is capable of determining an optimal sound speed and the proposed method is a useful tool to improve ultrasound image quality [4], [5]. In the previous study, however, we utilized at least 21 iterations to find an optimal sound speed, which may not be viable for real-time applications. In this paper, we demonstrates that the number of iterations can be dramatically reduced using the GSS(golden section search) method with a minimal error. To evaluate performances of the proposed method, in vitro experiments were conducted with a tissue mimicking phantom. To emulate a heterogeneous medium, the phantom was immersed in the water. From the experiments, the number of iterations was reduced from 21 to 7 with GSS method and the maximum error of the lateral resolution between direct and GSS was less than 1%. These results indicate that the proposed method can be implemented in real time to improve the image quality in the medical ultrasound imaging.

Feasibility of Newly Developed Endoscopic Ultrasound with Zone Sonography Technology for Diagnosis of Pancreatic Diseases

PubMed Central

Itoh, Akihiro; Kawashima, Hiroki; Ohno, Eizaburo; Itoh, Yuya; Nakamura, Yosuke; Hiramatsu, Takeshi; Sugimoto, Hiroyuki; Sumi, Hajime; Hayashi, Daijiro; Ohmiya, Naoki; Miyahara, Ryoji; Nakamura, Masanao; Funasaka, Kohei; Ishigami, Masatoshi; Katano, Yoshiaki; Goto, Hidemi

2013-01-01

Background/Aims To confirm the feasibility of using newly developed endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) with Zone sonography™ technology (ZST; Fujifilm Corp.). Methods Seventy-five patients with pancreatic disorders were enrolled: 45 with intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm; 15 with ductal carcinoma; five with neuroendocrine tumors; three with serous cystic neoplasms; and seven with simple cysts. The endoscopes used were EG-530UR2 and EG-530UT2 (Fujifilm Corp.). Two items were evaluated: visualization depth among four frequencies and image quality after automatic adjustment of sound speed (AASS), assessed using a 5-scale Likert scale by two endosonographers blinded to disease status. Because sound speed could be manually controlled, besides AASS, image quality at sound speeds of 1,440 and 1,600 m/sec were also assessed. Results In all cases, sufficient images were obtained in the range of 3 cm from the EUS probe. Judgments of image quality before AASS were 3.49±0.50, 3.65±0.48, respectively. After AASS, A and B scored 4.36±0.48 and 4.40±0.49 (p<0.0001). There were significant differences in the data before and after AASS and plus 60 m/sec, but no significant difference between the datasets were seen after AASS and at sound speeds manually set for minus 100 m/sec. Conclusions EUS with ZST was shown to be feasible in this preliminary experiment. Further evaluation of this novel technology is necessary and awaited. PMID:23898392

Feasibility of newly developed endoscopic ultrasound with zone sonography technology for diagnosis of pancreatic diseases.

PubMed

Hirooka, Yoshiki; Itoh, Akihiro; Kawashima, Hiroki; Ohno, Eizaburo; Itoh, Yuya; Nakamura, Yosuke; Hiramatsu, Takeshi; Sugimoto, Hiroyuki; Sumi, Hajime; Hayashi, Daijiro; Ohmiya, Naoki; Miyahara, Ryoji; Nakamura, Masanao; Funasaka, Kohei; Ishigami, Masatoshi; Katano, Yoshiaki; Goto, Hidemi

2013-07-01

To confirm the feasibility of using newly developed endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) with Zone sonography™ technology (ZST; Fujifilm Corp.). Seventy-five patients with pancreatic disorders were enrolled: 45 with intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm; 15 with ductal carcinoma; five with neuroendocrine tumors; three with serous cystic neoplasms; and seven with simple cysts. The endoscopes used were EG-530UR2 and EG-530UT2 (Fujifilm Corp.). Two items were evaluated: visualization depth among four frequencies and image quality after automatic adjustment of sound speed (AASS), assessed using a 5-scale Likert scale by two endosonographers blinded to disease status. Because sound speed could be manually controlled, besides AASS, image quality at sound speeds of 1,440 and 1,600 m/sec were also assessed. In all cases, sufficient images were obtained in the range of 3 cm from the EUS probe. Judgments of image quality before AASS were 3.49±0.50, 3.65±0.48, respectively. After AASS, A and B scored 4.36±0.48 and 4.40±0.49 (p<0.0001). There were significant differences in the data before and after AASS and plus 60 m/sec, but no significant difference between the datasets were seen after AASS and at sound speeds manually set for minus 100 m/sec. EUS with ZST was shown to be feasible in this preliminary experiment. Further evaluation of this novel technology is necessary and awaited.

Cross cultural translation and adaptation to Brazilian Portuguese of the Hearing Implant Sound Quality Index Questionnaire - (HISQUI19).

PubMed

Caporali, Priscila Faissola; Caporali, Sueli Aparecida; Bucuvic, Érika Cristina; Vieira, Sheila de Souza; Santos, Zeila Maria; Chiari, Brasília Maria

2016-01-01

Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the instrument Hearing Implant Sound Quality Index (HISQUI19), and characterization of the target population and auditory performance in Cochlear Implant (CI) users through the application of a synthesis version of this tool. Evaluations of conceptual, item, semantic and operational equivalences were performed. The synthesis version was applied as a pre-test to 33 individuals, whose final results characterized the final sample and performance of the questionnaire. The results were analyzed statistically. The final translation (FT) was back-translated and compared with the original version, revealing a minimum difference between items. The changes observed between the FT and the synthesis version were characterized by the application of simplified vocabulary used on a daily basis. For the pre-test, the average score of the interviewees was 90.2, and a high level of reliability was achieved (0.83). The translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the HISQUI19 questionnaire showed suitability for conceptual, item, semantic and operational equivalences. For the sample characterization, the sound quality was classified as good with better performance for the categories of location and distinction of sound/voices.

A human-hearing-related prediction tool for soundscapes and community noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Genuit, Klaus

2002-11-01

There are several methods of calculation available for the prediction of the A-weighted sound-pressure level of environmental noise, which are, however, not suitable for a qualified prediction of the residents' annoyance and physiological strain. The subjectively felt noise quality does not only depend on the A-weighted sound-pressure level, but also on other psychoacoustical parameters, such as loudness, roughness, sharpness, etc. In addition to these physical and psychoacoustical aspects of noise, the so-called psychological or cognitive aspects have to be considered, too, which means that the listeners' expectations, their mental attitude, as well as the information content of the noise finally influence the noise quality perceived by the individual persons. Within the scope of a research project SVEN (Sound Quality of Vehicle Exterior Noise), which is promoted by the EC, a new tool has been developed which allows a binaural simulation and prediction of the environmental noise to evaluate the influence of different contributions by the sound events with respect to the psychoacoustical parameters, the spatial distribution, movement, and frequency. By means of this tool it is now possible to consider completely new aspects regarding the audible perception of noise when establishing a soundscape or when planning community noise.

Estimating occupant satisfaction of HVAC system noise using quality assessment index.

PubMed

Forouharmajd, Farhad; Nassiri, Parvin; Monazzam, Mohammad R; Yazdchi, Mohammadreza

2012-01-01

Noise may be defined as any unwanted sound. Sound becomes noise when it is too loud, unexpected, uncontrolled, happens at the wrong time, contains unwanted pure tones or unpleasant. In addition to being annoying, loud noise can cause hearing loss, and, depending on other factors, can affect stress level, sleep patterns and heart rate. The primary object for determining subjective estimations of loudness is to present sounds to a sample of listeners under controlled conditions. In heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems only the ventilation fan industry (e.g., bathroom exhaust and sidewall propeller fans) uses loudness ratings. In order to find satisfaction, percent of exposure to noise is the valuable issue for the personnel who are working in these areas. The room criterion (RC) method has been defined by ANSI standard S12.2, which is based on measured levels of in HVAC systems noise in spaces and is used primarily as a diagnostic tool. The RC method consists of a family of criteria curves and a rating procedure. RC measures background noise in the building over the frequency range of 16-4000 Hz. This rating system requires determination of the mid-frequency average level and determining the perceived balance between high-frequency (HF) sound and low-frequency (LF) sound. The arithmetic average of the sound levels in the 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz octave bands is 44.6 dB; therefore, the RC 45 curve is selected as the reference for spectrum quality evaluation. The spectral deviation factors in the LF, medium-frequency sound and HF regions are 2.9, 7.5 and -2.3, respectively, giving a Quality Assessment Index (QAI) of 9.8. This concludes the QAI is useful in estimating an occupant's probable reaction when the system design does not produce optimum sound quality. Thus, a QAI between 5 and 10 dB represents a marginal situation in which acceptance by an occupant is questionable. However, when sound pressure levels in the 16 or 31.5 Hz octave bands exceed 65 dB, vibration in lightweight office construction is possible.

Investigating the Role of Auditory and Tactile Modalities in Violin Quality Evaluation

PubMed Central

Wollman, Indiana; Fritz, Claudia; Poitevineau, Jacques; McAdams, Stephen

2014-01-01

The role of auditory and tactile modalities involved in violin playing and evaluation was investigated in an experiment employing a blind violin evaluation task under different conditions: i) normal playing conditions, ii) playing with auditory masking, and iii) playing with vibrotactile masking. Under each condition, 20 violinists evaluated five violins according to criteria related to violin playing and sound characteristics and rated their overall quality and relative preference. Results show that both auditory and vibrotactile feedback are important in the violinists’ evaluations but that their relative importance depends on the violinist, the violin and the type of evaluation (different criteria ratings or preference). In this way, the overall quality ratings were found to be accurately predicted by the rating criteria, which also proved to be perceptually relevant to violinists, but were poorly correlated with the preference ratings; this suggests that the two types of ratings (overall quality vs preference) may stem from different decision-making strategies. Furthermore, the experimental design confirmed that violinists agree more on the importance of criteria in their overall evaluation than on their actual ratings for different violins. In particular, greater agreement was found on the importance of criteria related to the sound of the violin. Nevertheless, this study reveals that there are fundamental differences in the way players interpret and evaluate each criterion, which may explain why correlating physical properties with perceptual properties has been challenging so far in the field of musical acoustics. PMID:25474036

Motorized Recreation Sounds Influence Nature Scene Evaluations: The Role of Attitude Moderators.

PubMed

Benfield, Jacob; Taff, B D; Weinzimmer, David; Newman, Peter

2018-01-01

Soundscape assessment takes many forms, including letting the consequences of the soundscape be an indicator of soundscape quality or value. As a result, much social science research has been conducted to better quantify problem soundscapes and the subsequent effects on humans exposed to them. Visual evaluations of natural environments are one area where research has consistently shown detrimental effects of noisy or anthropogenic soundscapes (e.g., those containing noise from motorized recreation), but the potential moderating role of individual attitudes toward elements within the soundscape has not been sufficiently explored. This study demonstrates that both pro-motorized recreation and pro-motorized recreation management attitudes can alter the effect of motorized recreation noise on scenic evaluations in opposing directions. Pro-recreation attitudes lessen the effect of the soundscape, while pro-management attitudes heighten the negative effect of anthropogenic sounds on scenic evaluation. The implications for other areas of soundscape research, especially with regard to soundscape quality assessment through experienced outcomes, are discussed, including possible strategies for prioritizing known or relevant moderating variables.

"Let Me Hear Your Handwriting!" Evaluating the Movement Fluency from Its Sonification.

PubMed

Danna, Jérémy; Paz-Villagrán, Vietminh; Gondre, Charles; Aramaki, Mitsuko; Kronland-Martinet, Richard; Ystad, Sølvi; Velay, Jean-Luc

2015-01-01

The quality of handwriting is evaluated from the visual inspection of its legibility and not from the movement that generates the trace. Although handwriting is achieved in silence, adding sounds to handwriting movement might help towards its perception, provided that these sounds are meaningful. This study evaluated the ability to judge handwriting quality from the auditory perception of the underlying sonified movement, without seeing the written trace. In a first experiment, samples of a word written by children with dysgraphia, proficient children writers, and proficient adult writers were collected with a graphic tablet. Then, the pen velocity, the fluency, and the axial pen pressure were sonified in order to create forty-five audio files. In a second experiment, these files were presented to 48 adult listeners who had to mark the underlying unseen handwriting. In order to evaluate the relevance of the sonification strategy, two experimental conditions were compared. In a first 'implicit' condition, the listeners made their judgment without any knowledge of the mapping between the sounds and the handwriting variables. In a second 'explicit' condition, they knew what the sonified variables corresponded to and the evaluation criteria. Results showed that, under the implicit condition, two thirds of the listeners marked the three groups of writers differently. In the explicit condition, all listeners marked the dysgraphic handwriting lower than that of the two other groups. In a third experiment, the scores given from the auditory evaluation were compared to the scores given by 16 other adults from the visual evaluation of the trace. Results revealed that auditory evaluation was more relevant than the visual evaluation for evaluating a dysgraphic handwriting. Handwriting sonification might therefore be a relevant tool allowing a therapist to complete the visual assessment of the written trace by an auditory control of the handwriting movement quality.

“Let Me Hear Your Handwriting!” Evaluating the Movement Fluency from Its Sonification

PubMed Central

Danna, Jérémy; Paz-Villagrán, Vietminh; Gondre, Charles; Aramaki, Mitsuko; Kronland-Martinet, Richard; Ystad, Sølvi; Velay, Jean-Luc

2015-01-01

The quality of handwriting is evaluated from the visual inspection of its legibility and not from the movement that generates the trace. Although handwriting is achieved in silence, adding sounds to handwriting movement might help towards its perception, provided that these sounds are meaningful. This study evaluated the ability to judge handwriting quality from the auditory perception of the underlying sonified movement, without seeing the written trace. In a first experiment, samples of a word written by children with dysgraphia, proficient children writers, and proficient adult writers were collected with a graphic tablet. Then, the pen velocity, the fluency, and the axial pen pressure were sonified in order to create forty-five audio files. In a second experiment, these files were presented to 48 adult listeners who had to mark the underlying unseen handwriting. In order to evaluate the relevance of the sonification strategy, two experimental conditions were compared. In a first ‘implicit’ condition, the listeners made their judgment without any knowledge of the mapping between the sounds and the handwriting variables. In a second ‘explicit’ condition, they knew what the sonified variables corresponded to and the evaluation criteria. Results showed that, under the implicit condition, two thirds of the listeners marked the three groups of writers differently. In the explicit condition, all listeners marked the dysgraphic handwriting lower than that of the two other groups. In a third experiment, the scores given from the auditory evaluation were compared to the scores given by 16 other adults from the visual evaluation of the trace. Results revealed that auditory evaluation was more relevant than the visual evaluation for evaluating a dysgraphic handwriting. Handwriting sonification might therefore be a relevant tool allowing a therapist to complete the visual assessment of the written trace by an auditory control of the handwriting movement quality. PMID:26083384

Restoring speech perception with cochlear implants by spanning defective electrode contacts.

PubMed

Frijns, Johan H M; Snel-Bongers, Jorien; Vellinga, Dirk; Schrage, Erik; Vanpoucke, Filiep J; Briaire, Jeroen J

2013-04-01

Even with six defective contacts, spanning can largely restore speech perception with the HiRes 120 speech processing strategy to the level supported by an intact electrode array. Moreover, the sound quality is not degraded. Previous studies have demonstrated reduced speech perception scores (SPS) with defective contacts in HiRes 120. This study investigated whether replacing defective contacts by spanning, i.e. current steering on non-adjacent contacts, is able to restore speech recognition to the level supported by an intact electrode array. Ten adult cochlear implant recipients (HiRes90K, HiFocus1J) with experience with HiRes 120 participated in this study. Three different defective electrode arrays were simulated (six separate defective contacts, three pairs or two triplets). The participants received three take-home strategies and were asked to evaluate the sound quality in five predefined listening conditions. After 3 weeks, SPS were evaluated with monosyllabic words in quiet and in speech-shaped background noise. The participants rated the sound quality equal for all take-home strategies. SPS with background noise were equal for all conditions tested. However, SPS in quiet (85% phonemes correct on average with the full array) decreased significantly with increasing spanning distance, with a 3% decrease for each spanned contact.

Personal sleep pattern visualization using sequence-based kernel self-organizing map on sound data.

PubMed

Wu, Hongle; Kato, Takafumi; Yamada, Tomomi; Numao, Masayuki; Fukui, Ken-Ichi

2017-07-01

We propose a method to discover sleep patterns via clustering of sound events recorded during sleep. The proposed method extends the conventional self-organizing map algorithm by kernelization and sequence-based technologies to obtain a fine-grained map that visualizes the distribution and changes of sleep-related events. We introduced features widely applied in sound processing and popular kernel functions to the proposed method to evaluate and compare performance. The proposed method provides a new aspect of sleep monitoring because the results demonstrate that sound events can be directly correlated to an individual's sleep patterns. In addition, by visualizing the transition of cluster dynamics, sleep-related sound events were found to relate to the various stages of sleep. Therefore, these results empirically warrant future study into the assessment of personal sleep quality using sound data. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Signal analysis of the female singing voice: Features for perceptual singer identity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mellody, Maureen

2001-07-01

Individual singing voices tend to be easy for a listener to identify, particularly when compared to the difficulty of identifying the performer of any other musical instrument. What cues does a listener use to identify a particular singing voice? This work seeks to identify a set of features with which one can synthesize notes with the vocal quality of a particular singer. Such analysis and synthesis influences computer music (in the creation of synthetic sounds with different timbre), vocal pedagogy (as a training tool to help singers understand properties of their own voice as well as different professional-quality voices), and vocal health (to identify improper behavior in vocal production). The problem of singer identification is approached in three phases: signal analysis, the development of low- order representations, and perceptual evaluation. To perform the signal analysis, a high-resolution time- frequency distribution is applied to vowel tokens from sopranos and mezzo-sopranos. From these results, low- order representations are created for each singer's notes, which are used to synthesize sounds with the timbral quality of that singer. Finally, these synthesized sounds, along with original recordings, are evaluated by trained listeners in a variety of perceptual experiments to determine the extent to which the vocal quality of the desired singer is captured. Results from the signal analysis show that amplitude and frequency estimates extracted from the time-frequency signal analysis can be used to re-create each signal with little degradation in quality and no loss of perceptual identity. Low-order representations derived from the signal analysis are used in clustering and classification, which successfully clusters signals with corresponding singer identity. Finally, perceptual results indicate that trained listeners are, surprisingly, only modestly successful at correctly identifying the singer of a recording, and find the task to be particularly difficult for certain voices and extremely easy for others. Listeners also indicate that the majority of sounds synthesized with the low-order representations sufficiently capture the desired vocal timbre. Again, the task is easy for certain voices and much more difficult when evaluating other singers, consistent with the results from the original recordings.

Rationale for the tinnitus retraining therapy trial.

PubMed

Formby, Craig; Scherer, Roberta

2013-01-01

The Tinnitus Retraining Therapy Trial (TRTT) is a National Institutes of Health-sponsored, multi-centered, placebo-controlled, randomized trial evaluating the efficacy of tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) and its component parts, directive counseling and sound therapy, as treatments for subjective debilitating tinnitus in the military. The TRTT will enroll 228 individuals at an allocation ratio of 1:1:1 to: (1) directive counseling and sound therapy using conventional sound generators; (2) directive counseling and placebo sound generators; or (3) standard of care as administered in the military. Study centers include a Study Chair's Office, a Data Coordinating Center, and six Military Clinical Centers with treatment and data collection standardized across all clinics. The primary outcome is change in Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ) score assessed longitudinally at 3, 6, 12, and 18-month follow-up visits. Secondary outcomes include: Change in TQ sub-scales, Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, Tinnitus Functional Index, and TRT interview visual analog scale; audiometric and psychoacoustic measures; and change in quality of life. The TRTT will evaluate TRT efficacy by comparing TRT (directive counseling and conventional sound generators) with standard of care; directive counseling by comparing directive counseling plus placebo sound generators versus standard of care; and sound therapy by comparing conventional versus placebo sound generators. We hypothesize that full TRT will be more efficacious than standard of care, directive counseling and placebo sound generators more efficacious than standard of care, and conventional more efficacious than placebo sound generators in habituating the tinnitus awareness, annoyance, and impact on the study participant's life.

Diagnostic validity of methods for assessment of swallowing sounds: a systematic review.

PubMed

Taveira, Karinna Veríssimo Meira; Santos, Rosane Sampaio; Leão, Bianca Lopes Cavalcante de; Neto, José Stechman; Pernambuco, Leandro; Silva, Letícia Korb da; De Luca Canto, Graziela; Porporatti, André Luís

2018-02-03

Oropharyngeal dysphagia is a highly prevalent comorbidity in neurological patients and presents a serious health threat, which may lead to outcomes of aspiration pneumonia, ranging from hospitalization to death. This assessment proposes a non-invasive, acoustic-based method to differentiate between individuals with and without signals of penetration and aspiration. This systematic review evaluated the diagnostic validity of different methods for assessment of swallowing sounds, when compared to Videofluroscopic of Swallowing Study (VFSS) to detect oropharyngeal dysphagia. Articles in which the primary objective was to evaluate the accuracy of swallowing sounds were searched in five electronic databases with no language or time limitations. Accuracy measurements described in the studies were transformed to construct receiver operating characteristic curves and forest plots with the aid of Review Manager v. 5.2 (The Nordic Cochrane Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark). The methodology of the selected studies was evaluated using the Quality Assessment Tool for Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2. The final electronic search revealed 554 records, however only 3 studies met the inclusion criteria. The accuracy values (area under the curve) were 0.94 for microphone, 0.80 for Doppler, and 0.60 for stethoscope. Based on limited evidence and low methodological quality because few studies were included, with a small sample size, from all index testes found for this systematic review, Doppler showed excellent diagnostic accuracy for the discrimination of swallowing sounds, whereas microphone-reported good accuracy discrimination of swallowing sounds of dysphagic patients and stethoscope showed best screening test. Copyright © 2018 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of substitution monopole models for tire noise sound synthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berckmans, D.; Kindt, P.; Sas, P.; Desmet, W.

2010-01-01

Due to the considerable efforts in engine noise reduction, tire noise has become one of the major sources of passenger car noise nowadays and the demand for accurate prediction models is high. A rolling tire is therefore experimentally characterized by means of the substitution monopole technique, suiting a general sound synthesis approach with a focus on perceived sound quality. The running tire is substituted by a monopole distribution covering the static tire. All monopoles have mutual phase relationships and a well-defined volume velocity distribution which is derived by means of the airborne source quantification technique; i.e. by combining static transfer function measurements with operating indicator pressure measurements close to the rolling tire. Models with varying numbers/locations of monopoles are discussed and the application of different regularization techniques is evaluated.

Measuring the Quality of Early Childhood Programs--Guidelines for Effective Evaluation Tools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Epstein, Ann S.

2000-01-01

Summarizes what High/Scope discovered to be the critical characteristics of a comprehensive and valid measure of early childhood program quality. Provides suggestions for how the tool can be used, and highlights with examples. Asserts that the guidelines effectively assess efforts of child development, staff development, and soundness of…

The acoustical design of vehicles-a challenge for qualitative evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schulte-Fortkamp, Brigitte; Genuit, Klaus; Fiebig, Andre

2005-09-01

Whenever the acoustical design of vehicles is explored, the crucial question about the appropriate method of evaluation arises. Research shows that not only acoustic but also non-acoustic parameters have a major influence on the way sounds are evaluated. Therefore, new methods of evaluation have to be implemented. Methods are needed which give the opportunity to test the quality of the given ambience and to register the effects and evaluations in their functional interdependence as well as the influence of personal and contextual factors. Moreover, new methods have to give insight into processes of evaluation and their contextual parameters. In other words, the task of evaluating acoustical ambiences consists of designating a set of social, psychological, and cultural conditions which are important to determine particular individual and collective behavior, attitudes, and also emotions relative to the given ambience. However, no specific recommendations exist yet which comprise particular descriptions of how to assess those specific sound effects. That is why there is a need to develop alternative methods of evaluation with whose help effects of acoustical ambiences can be better predicted. A method of evaluation will be presented which incorporates a new sensitive approach for the evaluation of vehicle sounds.

Reverberation negatively impacts musical sound quality for cochlear implant users.

PubMed

Roy, Alexis T; Vigeant, Michelle; Munjal, Tina; Carver, Courtney; Jiradejvong, Patpong; Limb, Charles J

2015-09-01

Satisfactory musical sound quality remains a challenge for many cochlear implant (CI) users. In particular, questionnaires completed by CI users suggest that reverberation due to room acoustics can negatively impact their music listening experience. The objective of this study was to more specifically characterize of the effect of reverberation on musical sound quality in CI users, normal hearing (NH) non-musicians, and NH musicians using a previously designed assessment method, called Cochlear Implant-MUltiple Stimulus with Hidden Reference and Anchor (CI-MUSHRA). In this method, listeners were randomly presented with an anechoic musical segment and five-versions of this segment in which increasing amounts of reverberation were artificially added. Participants listened to the six reverberation versions and provided sound quality ratings between 0 (very poor) and 100 (excellent). Results demonstrated that on average CI users and NH non-musicians preferred the sound quality of anechoic versions to more reverberant versions. In comparison, NH musicians could be delineated into those who preferred the sound quality of anechoic pieces and those who preferred pieces with some reverberation. This is the first study, to our knowledge, to objectively compare the effects of reverberation on musical sound quality ratings in CI users. These results suggest that musical sound quality for CI users can be improved by non-reverberant listening conditions and musical stimuli in which reverberation is removed.

Nonlinear frequency compression: effects on sound quality ratings of speech and music.

PubMed

Parsa, Vijay; Scollie, Susan; Glista, Danielle; Seelisch, Andreas

2013-03-01

Frequency lowering technologies offer an alternative amplification solution for severe to profound high frequency hearing losses. While frequency lowering technologies may improve audibility of high frequency sounds, the very nature of this processing can affect the perceived sound quality. This article reports the results from two studies that investigated the impact of a nonlinear frequency compression (NFC) algorithm on perceived sound quality. In the first study, the cutoff frequency and compression ratio parameters of the NFC algorithm were varied, and their effect on the speech quality was measured subjectively with 12 normal hearing adults, 12 normal hearing children, 13 hearing impaired adults, and 9 hearing impaired children. In the second study, 12 normal hearing and 8 hearing impaired adult listeners rated the quality of speech in quiet, speech in noise, and music after processing with a different set of NFC parameters. Results showed that the cutoff frequency parameter had more impact on sound quality ratings than the compression ratio, and that the hearing impaired adults were more tolerant to increased frequency compression than normal hearing adults. No statistically significant differences were found in the sound quality ratings of speech-in-noise and music stimuli processed through various NFC settings by hearing impaired listeners. These findings suggest that there may be an acceptable range of NFC settings for hearing impaired individuals where sound quality is not adversely affected. These results may assist an Audiologist in clinical NFC hearing aid fittings for achieving a balance between high frequency audibility and sound quality.

48 CFR 52.222-46 - Evaluation of Compensation for Professional Employees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... obtaining the quality of professional services needed for adequate contract performance. It is therefore in... fairly compensated. As a part of their proposals, offerors will submit a total compensation plan setting... contract. The Government will evaluate the plan to assure that it reflects a sound management approach and...

Sound quality assessment of Diesel combustion noise using in-cylinder pressure components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Payri, F.; Broatch, A.; Margot, X.; Monelletta, L.

2009-01-01

The combustion process in direct injection (DI) Diesel engines is an important source of noise, and it is thus the main reason why end-users could be reluctant to drive vehicles powered with this type of engine. This means that the great potential of Diesel engines for environment preservation—due to their lower consumption and the subsequent reduction of CO2 emissions—may be lost. Moreover, the advanced combustion concepts—e.g. the HCCI (homogeneous charge compression ignition)—developed to comply with forthcoming emissions legislation, while maintaining the efficiency of current engines, are expected to be noisier because they are characterized by a higher amount of premixed combustion. For this reason many efforts have been dedicated by car manufacturers in recent years to reduce the overall level and improve the sound quality of engine noise. Evaluation procedures are required, both for noise levels and sound quality, that may be integrated in the global engine development process in a timely and cost-effective manner. In previous published work, the authors proposed a novel method for the assessment of engine noise level. A similar procedure is applied in this paper to demonstrate the suitability of combustion indicators for the evaluation of engine noise quality. These indicators, which are representative of the peak velocity of fuel burning and the resonance in the combustion chamber, are well correlated with the combustion noise mark obtained from jury testing. Quite good accuracy in the prediction of the engine noise quality has been obtained with the definition of a two-component regression, which also permits the identification of the combustion process features related to the resulting noise quality, so that corrective actions may be proposed.

Rationale for the tinnitus retraining therapy trial

PubMed Central

Formby, Craig; Scherer, Roberta

2013-01-01

The Tinnitus Retraining Therapy Trial (TRTT) is a National Institutes of Health-sponsored, multi-centered, placebo-controlled, randomized trial evaluating the efficacy of tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) and its component parts, directive counseling and sound therapy, as treatments for subjective debilitating tinnitus in the military. The TRTT will enroll 228 individuals at an allocation ratio of 1:1:1 to: (1) directive counseling and sound therapy using conventional sound generators; (2) directive counseling and placebo sound generators; or (3) standard of care as administered in the military. Study centers include a Study Chair’s Office, a Data Coordinating Center, and six Military Clinical Centers with treatment and data collection standardized across all clinics. The primary outcome is change in Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ) score assessed longitudinally at 3, 6, 12, and 18-month follow-up visits. Secondary outcomes include: Change in TQ sub-scales, Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, Tinnitus Functional Index, and TRT interview visual analog scale; audiometric and psychoacoustic measures; and change in quality of life. The TRTT will evaluate TRT efficacy by comparing TRT (directive counseling and conventional sound generators) with standard of care; directive counseling by comparing directive counseling plus placebo sound generators versus standard of care; and sound therapy by comparing conventional versus placebo sound generators. We hypothesize that full TRT will be more efficacious than standard of care, directive counseling and placebo sound generators more efficacious than standard of care, and conventional more efficacious than placebo sound generators in habituating the tinnitus awareness, annoyance, and impact on the study participant’s life. PMID:23571304

Development, evaluation, and utility of a peer evaluation form for online teaching.

PubMed

Gaskamp, Carol D; Kintner, Eileen

2014-01-01

Formative assessment of teaching by peers is an important component of quality improvement for educators. Teaching portfolios submitted for promotion and tenure are expected to include peer evaluations. Faculty resources designed for peer evaluation of classroom teaching are often inadequate for evaluating online teaching. The authors describe development, evaluation, and utility of a new peer evaluation form for formative assessment of online teaching deemed relevant, sound, feasible, and beneficial.

Motorized Recreation Sounds Influence Nature Scene Evaluations: The Role of Attitude Moderators

PubMed Central

Benfield, Jacob; Taff, B. D.; Weinzimmer, David; Newman, Peter

2018-01-01

Soundscape assessment takes many forms, including letting the consequences of the soundscape be an indicator of soundscape quality or value. As a result, much social science research has been conducted to better quantify problem soundscapes and the subsequent effects on humans exposed to them. Visual evaluations of natural environments are one area where research has consistently shown detrimental effects of noisy or anthropogenic soundscapes (e.g., those containing noise from motorized recreation), but the potential moderating role of individual attitudes toward elements within the soundscape has not been sufficiently explored. This study demonstrates that both pro-motorized recreation and pro-motorized recreation management attitudes can alter the effect of motorized recreation noise on scenic evaluations in opposing directions. Pro-recreation attitudes lessen the effect of the soundscape, while pro-management attitudes heighten the negative effect of anthropogenic sounds on scenic evaluation. The implications for other areas of soundscape research, especially with regard to soundscape quality assessment through experienced outcomes, are discussed, including possible strategies for prioritizing known or relevant moderating variables. PMID:29706911

The sound strength parameter G and its importance in evaluating and planning the acoustics of halls for music.

PubMed

Beranek, Leo

2011-05-01

The parameter, "Strength of Sound G" is closely related to loudness. Its magnitude is dependent, inversely, on the total sound absorption in a room. By comparison, the reverberation time (RT) is both inversely related to the total sound absorption in a hall and directly related to its cubic volume. Hence, G and RT in combination are vital in planning the acoustics of a concert hall. A newly proposed "Bass Index" is related to the loudness of the bass sound and equals the value of G at 125 Hz in decibels minus its value at mid-frequencies. Listener envelopment (LEV) is shown for most halls to be directly related to the mid-frequency value of G. The broadening of sound, i.e., apparent source width (ASW) is given by degree of source broadening (DSB) which is determined from the combined effect of early lateral reflections as measured by binaural quality index (BQI) and strength G. The optimum values and limits of these parameters are discussed.

Sleep-Wake Evaluation from Whole-Night Non-Contact Audio Recordings of Breathing Sounds

PubMed Central

Dafna, Eliran; Tarasiuk, Ariel; Zigel, Yaniv

2015-01-01

Study Objectives To develop and validate a novel non-contact system for whole-night sleep evaluation using breathing sounds analysis (BSA). Design Whole-night breathing sounds (using ambient microphone) and polysomnography (PSG) were simultaneously collected at a sleep laboratory (mean recording time 7.1 hours). A set of acoustic features quantifying breathing pattern were developed to distinguish between sleep and wake epochs (30 sec segments). Epochs (n = 59,108 design study and n = 68,560 validation study) were classified using AdaBoost classifier and validated epoch-by-epoch for sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, accuracy, and Cohen's kappa. Sleep quality parameters were calculated based on the sleep/wake classifications and compared with PSG for validity. Setting University affiliated sleep-wake disorder center and biomedical signal processing laboratory. Patients One hundred and fifty patients (age 54.0±14.8 years, BMI 31.6±5.5 kg/m2, m/f 97/53) referred for PSG were prospectively and consecutively recruited. The system was trained (design study) on 80 subjects; validation study was blindly performed on the additional 70 subjects. Measurements and Results Epoch-by-epoch accuracy rate for the validation study was 83.3% with sensitivity of 92.2% (sleep as sleep), specificity of 56.6% (awake as awake), and Cohen's kappa of 0.508. Comparing sleep quality parameters of BSA and PSG demonstrate average error of sleep latency, total sleep time, wake after sleep onset, and sleep efficiency of 16.6 min, 35.8 min, and 29.6 min, and 8%, respectively. Conclusions This study provides evidence that sleep-wake activity and sleep quality parameters can be reliably estimated solely using breathing sound analysis. This study highlights the potential of this innovative approach to measure sleep in research and clinical circumstances. PMID:25710495

Pitch-informed solo and accompaniment separation towards its use in music education applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cano, Estefanía; Schuller, Gerald; Dittmar, Christian

2014-12-01

We present a system for the automatic separation of solo instruments and music accompaniment in polyphonic music recordings. Our approach is based on a pitch detection front-end and a tone-based spectral estimation. We assess the plausibility of using sound separation technologies to create practice material in a music education context. To better understand the sound separation quality requirements in music education, a listening test was conducted to determine the most perceptually relevant signal distortions that need to be improved. Results from the listening test show that solo and accompaniment tracks pose different quality requirements and should be optimized differently. We propose and evaluate algorithm modifications to better understand their effects on objective perceptual quality measures. Finally, we outline possible ways of optimizing our separation approach to better suit the requirements of music education applications.

Human knee joint sound during the Lachman test: Comparison between healthy and anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knees.

PubMed

Tanaka, Kazunori; Ogawa, Munehiro; Inagaki, Yusuke; Tanaka, Yasuhito; Nishikawa, Hitoshi; Hattori, Koji

2017-05-01

The Lachman test is clinically considered to be a reliable physical examination for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) deficiency. However, the test involves subjective judgement of differences in tibial translation and endpoint quality. An auscultation system has been developed to allow assessment of the Lachman test. The knee joint sound during the Lachman test was analyzed using fast Fourier transformation. The purpose of the present study was to quantitatively evaluate knee joint sounds in healthy and ACL-deficient human knees. Sixty healthy volunteers and 24 patients with ACL injury were examined. The Lachman test with joint auscultation was evaluated using a microphone. Knee joint sound during the Lachman test (Lachman sound) was analyzed by fast Fourier transformation. As quantitative indices of the Lachman sound, the peak sound (Lachman peak sound) as the maximum relative amplitude (acoustic pressure) and its frequency were used. In healthy volunteers, the mean Lachman peak sound of intact knees was 100.6 Hz in frequency and -45 dB in acoustic pressure. Moreover, a sex difference was found in the frequency of the Lachman peak sound. In patients with ACL injury, the frequency of the Lachman peak sound of the ACL-deficient knees was widely dispersed. In the ACL-deficient knees, the mean Lachman peak sound was 306.8 Hz in frequency and -63.1 dB in acoustic pressure. If the reference range was set at the frequency of the healthy volunteer Lachman peak sound, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 83.3%, 95.6%, 95.2%, and 85.2%, respectively. Knee joint auscultation during the Lachman test was capable of judging ACL deficiency on the basis of objective data. In particular, the frequency of the Lachman peak sound was able to assess ACL condition. Copyright © 2016 The Japanese Orthopaedic Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spatial acoustic radiation of respiratory sounds for sleep evaluation.

PubMed

Shabtai, Noam R; Zigel, Yaniv

2017-09-01

Body posture has an effect on sleeping quality and breathing disorders and therefore it is important to be recognized for the completion of the sleep evaluation process. Since humans have a directional acoustic radiation pattern, it is hypothesized that microphone arrays can be used to recognize different body postures, which is highly practical for sleep evaluation applications that already measure respiratory sounds using distant microphones. Furthermore, body posture may have an effect on distant microphone measurement; hence, the measurement can be compensated if the body posture is correctly recognized. A spherical harmonics decomposition approach to the spatial acoustic radiation is presented, assuming an array of eight microphones in a medium-sized audiology booth. The spatial sampling and reconstruction of the radiation pattern is discussed, and a final setup for the microphone array is recommended. A case study is shown using recorded segments of snoring and breathing sounds of three human subjects in three body postures in a silent but not anechoic audiology booth.

Restorative Qualities of and Preference for Natural and Urban Soundscapes.

PubMed

Krzywicka, Paulina; Byrka, Katarzyna

2017-01-01

Psychological restoration in urban agglomerations has become a growing challenge. Although scientific proof of the significance of nature is irrefutable, an increase in built-up areas has led to a decrease in urban greenery. Thus, a growing need for restorativeness in urban surroundings has emerged. To investigate whether positively evaluated sonic environments, represented by natural and urban sounds, have comparable restorative qualities we conducted two studies. The aim of the first (Study 1) was to explore the restorative qualities of positively assessed natural and urban sounds. Participants ( N = 88) were asked to listen and to rate 22 recordings (each 1 min long) either from natural or urban environments. In the second (Study 2) we investigated whether positively evaluated sonic environments (natural and urban), demand for restoration (feeling relaxed or fatigued) and company (being alone or with a friend) affect the restorative qualities of natural and urban soundscapes. After reading assigned scenarios (feeling relaxed or fatigued; being alone or with a friend), participants ( N = 120) were asked to imagine a walk in presented sonic environments and to complete forms (one for each sonic environment) concerning the restorative qualities of given soundscapes (natural and urban). Top five recordings of natural and urban sonic environments were selected from Study 1 and combined into a 154-s soundtrack, to provide a background for the imagined walks in both settings. Our findings confirmed that natural sounds are perceived more favorably than urban recordings. Even when only the most positively assessed soundscapes were compared, nature was still perceived as being more restorative than urban areas. Company of a friend was found to be more beneficial in the urban surroundings, particularly when there was no need for restoration.

Restorative Qualities of and Preference for Natural and Urban Soundscapes

PubMed Central

Krzywicka, Paulina; Byrka, Katarzyna

2017-01-01

Psychological restoration in urban agglomerations has become a growing challenge. Although scientific proof of the significance of nature is irrefutable, an increase in built-up areas has led to a decrease in urban greenery. Thus, a growing need for restorativeness in urban surroundings has emerged. To investigate whether positively evaluated sonic environments, represented by natural and urban sounds, have comparable restorative qualities we conducted two studies. The aim of the first (Study 1) was to explore the restorative qualities of positively assessed natural and urban sounds. Participants (N = 88) were asked to listen and to rate 22 recordings (each 1 min long) either from natural or urban environments. In the second (Study 2) we investigated whether positively evaluated sonic environments (natural and urban), demand for restoration (feeling relaxed or fatigued) and company (being alone or with a friend) affect the restorative qualities of natural and urban soundscapes. After reading assigned scenarios (feeling relaxed or fatigued; being alone or with a friend), participants (N = 120) were asked to imagine a walk in presented sonic environments and to complete forms (one for each sonic environment) concerning the restorative qualities of given soundscapes (natural and urban). Top five recordings of natural and urban sonic environments were selected from Study 1 and combined into a 154-s soundtrack, to provide a background for the imagined walks in both settings. Our findings confirmed that natural sounds are perceived more favorably than urban recordings. Even when only the most positively assessed soundscapes were compared, nature was still perceived as being more restorative than urban areas. Company of a friend was found to be more beneficial in the urban surroundings, particularly when there was no need for restoration. PMID:29046653

FIELD CHECK MANUAL FOR LANGUAGE LABORATORIES, A SERIES OF TESTS WHICH A NON-TECHNICAL PERSON CAN CONDUCT TO VERIFY SPECIFICATIONS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

GRITTNER, FRANK; PAVLAT, RUSSELL

IN ORDER TO ASSIST NON-TECHNICAL PEOPLE IN SCHOOLS TO CONDUCT A FIELD CHECK OF LANGUAGE LABORATORY EQUIPMENT BEFORE THEY MAKE FINAL PAYMENTS, THIS MANUAL OFFERS CRITERIA, TESTS, AND METHODS OF SCORING THE QUALITY OF THE EQUIPMENT. CHECKLISTS ARE PROVIDED FOR EVALUATING CONSOLE FUNCTIONS, TAPE RECORDERS, AMPLIFIERS, SOUND QUALITY (INCLUDING…

Technology for enhancing chest auscultation in clinical simulation.

PubMed

Ward, Jeffrey J; Wattier, Bryan A

2011-06-01

The ability to use an acoustic stethoscope to detect lung and/or heart sounds, and then to then communicate one's interpretation of those sounds is an essential skill for many medical professionals. Interpretation of lung and heart sounds, in the context of history and other examination findings, often aids the differential diagnosis. Bedside assessment of changing auscultation findings may also guide treatment. Learning lung and heart auscultation skills typically involves listening to pre-recorded normal and adventitious sounds, often followed by laboratory instruction to guide stethoscope placement, and finally correlating the sounds with the associated pathophysiology and pathology. Recently, medical simulation has become an important tool for teaching prior to clinical practice, and for evaluating bedside auscultation skills. When simulating cardiovascular or pulmonary problems, high-quality lung and heart sounds should be able to accurately corroborate other findings such as vital signs, arterial blood gas values, or imaging. Digital audio technology, the Internet, and high-fidelity simulators have increased opportunities for educators and learners. We review the application of these technologies and describe options for reproducing lung and heart sounds, as well as their advantages and potential limitations.

Dimensions of vehicle sounds perception.

PubMed

Wagner, Verena; Kallus, K Wolfgang; Foehl, Ulrich

2017-10-01

Vehicle sounds play an important role concerning customer satisfaction and can show another differentiating factor of brands. With an online survey of 1762 German and American customers, the requirement characteristics of high-quality vehicle sounds were determined. On the basis of these characteristics, a requirement profile was generated for every analyzed sound. These profiles were investigated in a second study with 78 customers using real vehicles. The assessment results of the vehicle sounds can be represented using the dimensions "timbre", "loudness", and "roughness/sharpness". The comparison of the requirement profiles and the assessment results show that the sounds which are perceived as pleasant and high-quality, more often correspond to the requirement profile. High-quality sounds are characterized by the fact that they are rather gentle, soft and reserved, rich, a bit dark and not too rough. For those sounds which are assessed worse by the customers, recommendations for improvements can be derived. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

One approach to design of speech emotion database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uhrin, Dominik; Chmelikova, Zdenka; Tovarek, Jaromir; Partila, Pavol; Voznak, Miroslav

2016-05-01

This article describes a system for evaluating the credibility of recordings with emotional character. Sound recordings form Czech language database for training and testing systems of speech emotion recognition. These systems are designed to detect human emotions in his voice. The emotional state of man is useful in the security forces and emergency call service. Man in action (soldier, police officer and firefighter) is often exposed to stress. Information about the emotional state (his voice) will help to dispatch to adapt control commands for procedure intervention. Call agents of emergency call service must recognize the mental state of the caller to adjust the mood of the conversation. In this case, the evaluation of the psychological state is the key factor for successful intervention. A quality database of sound recordings is essential for the creation of the mentioned systems. There are quality databases such as Berlin Database of Emotional Speech or Humaine. The actors have created these databases in an audio studio. It means that the recordings contain simulated emotions, not real. Our research aims at creating a database of the Czech emotional recordings of real human speech. Collecting sound samples to the database is only one of the tasks. Another one, no less important, is to evaluate the significance of recordings from the perspective of emotional states. The design of a methodology for evaluating emotional recordings credibility is described in this article. The results describe the advantages and applicability of the developed method.

The use of remote sensing to estimate changes of seagrass extent and biomass in Cockburn Sound, Western Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vidyan, S.

2018-05-01

The extent of seagrasses in Cockburn Sound was examined using Nearmap images of year 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016 to be compared to the last assessment in 1999. It was identified that the seagrass coverage has increased by 231 Ha since 1999, with most of the growth occurred in the southern part. While the water quality in Cockburn Sound has improved, it is believed that there are other pressures affecting the slow growth rate of the seagrasses. Seagrass biomass was also evaluated using Landsat images of year 1994, 1999, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016 in addition to a field survey data of leaf biomass in 2016. Despite its increasing extent, seagrass in Cockburn Sound indicated a declining biomass since 1994, which is believed due to the changing nutrient content.

Approaches for evaluating the effects of bivalve filter feeding on nutrient dynamics in Puget Sound, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Konrad, Christopher P.

2014-01-01

Marine bivalves such as clams, mussels, and oysters are an important component of the food web, which influence nutrient dynamics and water quality in many estuaries. The role of bivalves in nutrient dynamics and, particularly, the contribution of commercial shellfish activities, are not well understood in Puget Sound, Washington. Numerous approaches have been used in other estuaries to quantify the effects of bivalves on nutrient dynamics, ranging from simple nutrient budgeting to sophisticated numerical models that account for tidal circulation, bioenergetic fluxes through food webs, and biochemical transformations in the water column and sediment. For nutrient management in Puget Sound, it might be possible to integrate basic biophysical indicators (residence time, phytoplankton growth rates, and clearance rates of filter feeders) as a screening tool to identify places where nutrient dynamics and water quality are likely to be sensitive to shellfish density and, then, apply more sophisticated methods involving in-situ measurements and simulation models to quantify those dynamics.

A multichannel amplitude and relative-phase controller for active sound quality control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mosquera-Sánchez, Jaime A.; Desmet, Wim; de Oliveira, Leopoldo P. R.

2017-05-01

The enhancement of the sound quality of periodic disturbances for a number of listeners within an enclosure often confronts difficulties given by cross-channel interferences, which arise from simultaneously profiling the primary sound at each error sensor. These interferences may deteriorate the original sound among each listener, which is an unacceptable result from the point of view of sound quality control. In this paper we provide experimental evidence on controlling both amplitude and relative-phase functions of stationary complex primary sounds for a number of listeners within a cavity, attaining amplifications of twice the original value, reductions on the order of 70 dB, and relative-phase shifts between ± π rad, still in a free-of-interference control scenario. To accomplish such burdensome control targets, we have designed a multichannel active sound profiling scheme that bases its operation on exchanging time-domain control signals among the control units during uptime. Provided the real parts of the eigenvalues of persistently excited control matrices are positive, the proposed multichannel array is able to counterbalance cross-channel interferences, while attaining demanding control targets. Moreover, regularization of unstable control matrices is not seen to prevent the proposed array to provide free-of-interference amplitude and relative-phase control, but the system performance is degraded, as a function of the amount of regularization needed. The assessment of Loudness and Roughness metrics on the controlled primary sound proves that the proposed distributed control scheme noticeably outperforms current techniques, since active amplitude- and/or relative-phase-based enhancement of the auditory qualities of a primary sound no longer implies in causing interferences among different positions. In this regard, experimental results also confirm the effectiveness of the proposed scheme on stably enhancing the sound qualities of periodic sounds for multiple listeners within a cavity.

Considerations in the Development of a Sound Tolerance Interview and Questionnaire Instrument

PubMed Central

Sherlock, LaGuinn P.; Formby, Craig

2017-01-01

Most clinicians approach the objective fitting of hearing aids with three goals in mind: audibility, comfort, and tolerance. When these three amplification goals have been met, the hearing aid user is more likely to adapt to and perceive benefit from hearing aid use. However, problems related to the loudness of sounds and reduced sound tolerance, which may or may not be reported by the aided user, can adversely impact adaptation to amplification and the individual's quality of life. Although there are several standardized questionnaires available to evaluate hearing aid benefit and satisfaction, there is no standardized questionnaire or interview tool for evaluating reduced sound tolerance and the related impact on hearing aid use. We describe a 36-item tool, the Sound Tolerance Questionnaire (STQ), consisting of six sections, including experience with hearing aids, sound sensitivity/intolerance, medical and noise exposure histories, coexisting tinnitus problems, and a final question to differentiate the primary and secondary problems related to sound intolerance, tinnitus, and hearing loss. In its current format as a research tool, the STQ was sensitive in pinpointing vague sound tolerance complaints not reported by the study participants in eligibility screening by Formby et al. A refined version of the STQ, the Sound Tolerance Interview and Questionnaire Instrument (STIQI), structured as a two-part tool, is presented in the appendix for prospective clinical use. The STIQI has potential utility to delineate factors contributing to loudness complaints and/or reduced sound tolerance in individuals considering hearing aid use, as well as those who have been unsuccessful hearing aid users secondary to loudness complaints or sound intolerance. The STIQI, when validated and refined, also may hold promise for predicting hearing aid benefit and/or assessing treatment-related change over time of hearing aid use or interventions designed to remediate problems of loudness and/or sound intolerance among hearing aid candidates or users. PMID:28286364

Subjective evaluation and electroacoustic theoretical validation of a new approach to audio upmixing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usher, John S.

Audio signal processing systems for converting two-channel (stereo) recordings to four or five channels are increasingly relevant. These audio upmixers can be used with conventional stereo sound recordings and reproduced with multichannel home theatre or automotive loudspeaker audio systems to create a more engaging and natural-sounding listening experience. This dissertation discusses existing approaches to audio upmixing for recordings of musical performances and presents specific design criteria for a system to enhance spatial sound quality. A new upmixing system is proposed and evaluated according to these criteria and a theoretical model for its behavior is validated using empirical measurements. The new system removes short-term correlated components from two electronic audio signals using a pair of adaptive filters, updated according to a frequency domain implementation of the normalized-least-means-square algorithm. The major difference of the new system with all extant audio upmixers is that unsupervised time-alignment of the input signals (typically, by up to +/-10 ms) as a function of frequency (typically, using a 1024-band equalizer) is accomplished due to the non-minimum phase adaptive filter. Two new signals are created from the weighted difference of the inputs, and are then radiated with two loudspeakers behind the listener. According to the consensus in the literature on the effect of interaural correlation on auditory image formation, the self-orthogonalizing properties of the algorithm ensure minimal distortion of the frontal source imagery and natural-sounding, enveloping reverberance (ambiance) imagery. Performance evaluation of the new upmix system was accomplished in two ways: Firstly, using empirical electroacoustic measurements which validate a theoretical model of the system; and secondly, with formal listening tests which investigated auditory spatial imagery with a graphical mapping tool and a preference experiment. Both electroacoustic and subjective methods investigated system performance with a variety of test stimuli for solo musical performances reproduced using a loudspeaker in an orchestral concert-hall and recorded using different microphone techniques. The objective and subjective evaluations combined with a comparative study with two commercial systems demonstrate that the proposed system provides a new, computationally practical, high sound quality solution to upmixing.

Understanding and managing experiential aspects of soundscapes at Muir woods national monument.

PubMed

Pilcher, Ericka J; Newman, Peter; Manning, Robert E

2009-03-01

Research has found that human-caused noise can detract from the quality of the visitor experience in national parks and related areas. Moreover, impacts to the visitor experience can be managed by formulating indicators and standards of quality as suggested in park and outdoor recreation management frameworks, such as Visitor Experience and Resource Protection (VERP), as developed by the U.S. National Park Service. The research reported in this article supports the formulation of indicators and standards of quality for human-caused noise at Muir Woods National Monument, California. Phase I identified potential indicators of quality for the soundscape of Muir Woods. A visitor "listening exercise" was conducted, where respondents identified natural and human-caused sounds heard in the park and rated the degree to which each sound was "pleasing" or "annoying." Certain visitor-caused sounds such as groups talking were heard by most respondents and were rated as annoying, suggesting that these sounds may be a good indicator of quality. Loud groups were heard by few people but were rated as highly annoying, whereas wind and water were heard by most visitors and were rated as highly pleasing. Phase II measured standards of quality for visitor-caused noise. Visitors were presented with a series of 30-second audio clips representing increasing amounts of visitor-caused sound in the park. Respondents were asked to rate the acceptability of each audio clip on a survey. Findings suggest a threshold at which visitor-caused sound is judged to be unacceptable, and is therefore considered as noise. A parallel program of sound monitoring in the park found that current levels of visitor-caused sound sometimes violate this threshold. Study findings provide an empirical basis to help formulate noise-related indicators and standards of quality in parks and related areas.

A comparative study of electronic stethoscopes for cardiac auscultation.

PubMed

Pinto, C; Pereira, D; Ferreira-Coimbra, J; Portugues, J; Gama, V; Coimbra, M

2017-07-01

There are several electronic stethoscopes available on the market today, with a very high potential for healthcare namely telemedicine, assisted decision and education. However, there are no recent comparatives studies published about the recording quality of auscultation sounds. In this study we aim to: a) define a ranking, according to experts opinion of 6 of the most relevant electronic stethoscopes on the market today; b) verify if there are any relations between a stethoscope's performance and the type of pathology present; c) analyze if some pathologies are more easily identified than others when using electronic auscultation. Our methodology consisted in creating two study groups: the first group included 18 cardiologists and cardiology house officers, acting as the gold standard of this work. The second included 30 medical students. Using a database of heart sounds recorded in real hospital environments, we applied questionnaires to observers from each group. The first group listened to 60 cardiac auscultations recorded by the 6 stethoscopes, and each one was asked to identify the pathological sound present: aortic stenosis, mitral regurgitation or normal. The second group was asked to choose, between two auscultation recordings, using as criteria the best sound quality for the identification of pathological sounds. Results include a total of 1080 evaluations, in which 72% of cases were correctly diagnosed. A detailed breakdown of these results is presented in this paper. As conclusions, results showed that the impact of the differences between stethoscopes is very small, given that we did not find statistically significant differences between all pairs of stethoscopes. Normal sounds showed to be easier to identify than pathological sounds, but we did not find differences between stethoscopes in this identification.

Detection of Abnormal Operation Noise Using CHLAC of Sound Spectrograph and Continuous DP Matching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hattori, Koosuke; Ohmi, Taishi; Taguchi, Ryo; Umezaki, Taizo

It is a general way that the industrial product is tested by individual inspector. If the product involves sound factors, each inspector will evaluate the test product to sort out a strange engine noise from the natural sound. However, it is hard to cover the consistency in evaluation criteria due to the personal equation referred to the idea that every individual had an inherent bias, plus a physical and mental conditions can be a negative effect on his/her evaluation criteria. It would be ideal if the criteria would not be affected by anyone, anywhere, circumstances; accordingly the quality of products must be equated. In this paper, we propose a noise detection method based on Cubic Higher-order Local Auto-Correlation (CHLAC) scheme and DP Matching provided by Cepstrum Analysis to extract the correct solution. This technique is practically used for detecting any human abnormal movements out of a monitored video clip and identifying individual persons by voice. The study results are shown to be highly effective in our proposed method.

Evaluating the lower-tropospheric COSMIC GPS radio occultation sounding quality over the Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Xiao; Xie, Feiqin; Ao, Chi O.

2018-04-01

Lower-tropospheric moisture and temperature measurements are crucial for understanding weather prediction and climate change. Global Positioning System radio occultation (GPS RO) has been demonstrated as a high-quality observation technique with high vertical resolution and sub-kelvin temperature precision from the upper troposphere to the stratosphere. In the tropical lower troposphere, particularly the lowest 2 km, the quality of RO retrievals is known to be degraded and is a topic of active research. However, it is not clear whether similar problems exist at high latitudes, particularly over the Arctic, which is characterized by smooth ocean surface and often negligible moisture in the atmosphere. In this study, 3-year (2008-2010) GPS RO soundings from COSMIC (Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate) over the Arctic (65-90° N) show uniform spatial sampling with average penetration depth within 300 m above the ocean surface. Over 70 % of RO soundings penetrate deep into the lowest 300 m of the troposphere in all non-summer seasons. However, the fraction of such deeply penetrating profiles reduces to only about 50-60 % in summer, when near-surface moisture and its variation increase. Both structural and parametric uncertainties of GPS RO soundings were also analyzed. The structural uncertainty (due to different data processing approaches) is estimated to be within ˜ 0.07 % in refractivity, ˜ 0.72 K in temperature, and ˜ 0.05 g kg-1 in specific humidity below 10 km, which is derived by comparing RO retrievals from two independent data processing centers. The parametric uncertainty (internal uncertainty of RO sounding) is quantified by comparing GPS RO with near-coincident radiosonde and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) ERA-Interim profiles. A systematic negative bias up to ˜ 1 % in refractivity below 2 km is only seen in the summer, which confirms the moisture impact on GPS RO quality.

Acoustical analysis of trained and untrained singers onsite before and after prolonged voice use

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, Christophe E.

Controlled acoustic environments are important in voice research. Recording environment affects the quality of voice recordings. While sound booths and anechoic chambers are examples of controlled acoustic environments widely used in research, they are both costly and not portable. The long-term goal of this project is to compare the voice usage and efficiency of trained and untrained singers onsite immediately before and after vocal performance. The specific goal of this project is the further of development a Portable Sound Booth (PSB) and standardization of onsite voice recording procedures under controlled conditions. We hypothesized that the simple and controlled acoustic environment provided by the PSB would enable consistent reliable onsite voice recordings and the immediate differences as a consequence of voice usage were measurable. Research has suggested that it would be possible to conduct onsite voice recordings. Proof of concept research titled "Construction and Characterization of a Portable Sound Booth for Onsite Measurement" was conducted before initiating the full research effort. Preliminary findings revealed that: (1) it was possible to make high-quality voice recordings onsite, (2) the use of a Portable Sound Booth (PSB) required further acoustic characterization of its inherent acoustic properties, and (3) testable differences before and after performance were evident. The specific aims were to (1) develop and refine onsite objective voice measurements in the PSB and (2) evaluate use of the PSB to measure voice quality changes before and after voice usage.

Evaluation of the causal framework used for setting national ambient air quality standards.

PubMed

Goodman, Julie E; Prueitt, Robyn L; Sax, Sonja N; Bailey, Lisa A; Rhomberg, Lorenz R

2013-11-01

Abstract A scientifically sound assessment of the potential hazards associated with a substance requires a systematic, objective and transparent evaluation of the weight of evidence (WoE) for causality of health effects. We critically evaluated the current WoE framework for causal determination used in the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) assessments of the scientific data on air pollutants for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) review process, including its methods for literature searches; study selection, evaluation and integration; and causal judgments. The causal framework used in recent NAAQS evaluations has many valuable features, but it could be more explicit in some cases, and some features are missing that should be included in every WoE evaluation. Because of this, it has not always been applied consistently in evaluations of causality, leading to conclusions that are not always supported by the overall WoE, as we demonstrate using EPA's ozone Integrated Science Assessment as a case study. We propose additions to the NAAQS causal framework based on best practices gleaned from a previously conducted survey of available WoE frameworks. A revision of the NAAQS causal framework so that it more closely aligns with these best practices and the full and consistent application of the framework will improve future assessments of the potential health effects of criteria air pollutants by making the assessments more thorough, transparent, and scientifically sound.

The PEACE project review of clinical instruments for hospice and palliative care.

PubMed

Hanson, Laura C; Scheunemann, Leslie P; Zimmerman, Sheryl; Rokoske, Franziska S; Schenck, Anna P

2010-10-01

Hospice and palliative care organizations are expanding their use of standardized instruments and other approaches to measure quality. We undertook a systematic review and evaluation of published patient-level instruments for potential application in hospice and palliative care clinical quality measurement. We searched prior reviews and computerized reference databases from 1990 through February 2007 for studies of instruments relevant to physical, psychological, social, cultural, spiritual, or ethical aspects of palliative care, or measuring prognosis, function or continuity of care. Publications were selected for full review if they provided evidence of psychometric properties or practical application of an instrument tested in or appropriate for a hospice or palliative care population. Selected instruments were evaluated and scored for scientific soundness and potential application in clinical quality measurement. The search found 1427 publications, with 229 selected for full manuscript review. Manuscripts provided information on 129 instruments which were evaluated using a structured scoring guide for psychometric properties. Thirty-nine instruments scoring near or above the 75th percentile were recommended. Most instruments covered multiple domains or focused on care for physical symptoms, psychological or social aspects of care. Few instruments were available to measure cultural aspects of care, structure and process of care, and continuity of care. Numerous patient-level instruments are available to measure physical, psychological and social aspects of palliative care with adequate evidence for scientific soundness and practical clinical use for quality improvement and research. Other aspects of palliative care may benefit from further instrument development research.

Online hyperspectral imaging system for evaluating quality of agricultural products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mo, Changyeun; Kim, Giyoung; Lim, Jongguk

2017-06-01

The consumption of fresh-cut agricultural produce in Korea has been growing. The browning of fresh-cut vegetables that occurs during storage and foreign substances such as worms and slugs are some of the main causes of consumers' concerns with respect to safety and hygiene. The purpose of this study is to develop an on-line system for evaluating quality of agricultural products using hyperspectral imaging technology. The online evaluation system with single visible-near infrared hyperspectral camera in the range of 400 nm to 1000 nm that can assess quality of both surfaces of agricultural products such as fresh-cut lettuce was designed. Algorithms to detect browning surface were developed for this system. The optimal wavebands for discriminating between browning and sound lettuce as well as between browning lettuce and the conveyor belt were investigated using the correlation analysis and the one-way analysis of variance method. The imaging algorithms to discriminate the browning lettuces were developed using the optimal wavebands. The ratio image (RI) algorithm of the 533 nm and 697 nm images (RI533/697) for abaxial surface lettuce and the ratio image algorithm (RI533/697) and subtraction image (SI) algorithm (SI538-697) for adaxial surface lettuce had the highest classification accuracies. The classification accuracy of browning and sound lettuce was 100.0% and above 96.0%, respectively, for the both surfaces. The overall results show that the online hyperspectral imaging system could potentially be used to assess quality of agricultural products.

Criteria for Reviewing District Competency Tests.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herman, Joan L.

A formative evaluation minimum competency test model is examined. The model systematically uses assessment information to support and facilitate program improvement. In terms of the model, four inter-related qualities are essential for a sound testing program. The content validity perspective looks at how well the district has defined competency…

Nutrition Education and Training Program, 1985-86. Final Evaluation Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guerrero, Frank; Hunt, Daniel M.

The New York City Board of Education's Nutrition Education and Training Program was developed and implemented to improve the quality of nutrition education in elementary schools. The project's primary objectives were to: (1) provide elementary school teachers and food service personnel with enhanced knowledge of sound nutrition; (2) provide…

A Patient-Centered, Provider-Facilitated Approach to the Refinement of Nonlinear Frequency Compression Parameters Based on Subjective Preference Ratings of Amplified Sound Quality.

PubMed

Johnson, Earl E; Light, Keri C

2015-09-01

To evaluate sound quality preferences of participants wearing hearing aids with different strengths of nonlinear frequency compression (NFC) processing versus no NFC processing. Two analysis methods, one without and one with a qualifier as to the magnitude of preferences, were compared for their percent agreement to differentiate a small difference in perceived sound quality as a result of applied NFC processing. A single-blind design was used with participants unaware of the presence or strength of NFC processing (independent variable). The National Acoustic Laboratories-Nonlinear 2 (NAL-NL2) prescription of amplification was chosen because audibility is intentionally not prescribed in the presence of larger sensorineural hearing loss thresholds. A lack of prescribed audibility, when present, was deemed an objective qualifier for NFC. NFC is known to improve the input bandwidth available to listeners when high-frequency audibility is not otherwise available and increasing strengths of NFC were examined. Experimental condition 3 (EC3) was stronger than the manufacturer default (EC2). More aggressive strengths (e.g., EC4 and EC5), however, were expected to include excessive distortion and even reduce the output bandwidth that had been prescribed as audible by NAL-NL2 (EC1). A total of 14 male Veterans with severe high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss. Participant sound quality preference ratings (dependent variable) without a qualifier as to the magnitude of preference were analyzed based on binomial probability theory, as is traditional with paired comparison data. The ratings with a qualifier as to the magnitude of preference were analyzed based on the nonparametric statistic of the Wilcoxon signed rank test. The binomial probability analysis method identified a sound quality preference as well as the nonparametric probability test method. As the strength of NFC increased, more participants preferred the EC with less NFC. Fourteen of 14 participants showed equal preference between EC1 and EC2 perhaps, in part, because EC2 showed no objective improvement in audibility for six of the 14 participants (42%). Thirteen of the 14 participants showed no preference between NAL-NL2 and EC3, but all participants had an objective improvement in audibility. With more NFC than EC3, more and more participants preferred the other EC with less NFC in the paired comparison. By referencing the recommended sensation levels of amplitude compression (e.g., NAL-NL2) in the ear canal of hearing aid wearers, the targeting of NFC parameters can likely be optimized with respect to improvements in effective audibility that may contribute to speech recognition without adversely impacting sound quality. After targeting of NFC parameters, providers can facilitate decisions about the use of NFC parameters (strengths of processing) via sound quality preference judgments using paired comparisons. American Academy of Audiology.

Development of An Empirical Water Quality Model for Stormwater Based on Watershed Land Use in Puget Sound

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-29

Development of An Empirical Water Quality Model for Stormwater Based on Watershed Land Use in Puget Sound Valerie I. Cullinan, Christopher W. May...Systems Center, Bremerton, WA) Introduction The Sinclair and Dyes Inlet watershed is located on the west side of Puget Sound in Kitsap County...Washington, U.S.A. (Figure 1). The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS), U.S Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the Washington State Department of

Quality of Mobile Phone and Tablet Mobile Apps for Speech Sound Disorders: Protocol for an Evidence-Based Appraisal

PubMed Central

Morris, Meg E; Erickson, Shane; Serry, Tanya A

2016-01-01

Background Although mobile apps are readily available for speech sound disorders (SSD), their validity has not been systematically evaluated. This evidence-based appraisal will critically review and synthesize current evidence on available therapy apps for use by children with SSD. Objective The main aims are to (1) identify the types of apps currently available for Android and iOS mobile phones and tablets, and (2) to critique their design features and content using a structured quality appraisal tool. Methods This protocol paper presents and justifies the methods used for a systematic review of mobile apps that provide intervention for use by children with SSD. The primary outcomes of interest are (1) engagement, (2) functionality, (3) aesthetics, (4) information quality, (5) subjective quality, and (6) perceived impact. Quality will be assessed by 2 certified practicing speech-language pathologists using a structured quality appraisal tool. Two app stores will be searched from the 2 largest operating platforms, Android and iOS. Systematic methods of knowledge synthesis shall include searching the app stores using a defined procedure, data extraction, and quality analysis. Results This search strategy shall enable us to determine how many SSD apps are available for Android and for iOS compatible mobile phones and tablets. It shall also identify the regions of the world responsible for the apps’ development, the content and the quality of offerings. Recommendations will be made for speech-language pathologists seeking to use mobile apps in their clinical practice. Conclusions This protocol provides a structured process for locating apps and appraising the quality, as the basis for evaluating their use in speech pathology for children in English-speaking nations. PMID:27899341

Quality of Mobile Phone and Tablet Mobile Apps for Speech Sound Disorders: Protocol for an Evidence-Based Appraisal.

PubMed

Furlong, Lisa M; Morris, Meg E; Erickson, Shane; Serry, Tanya A

2016-11-29

Although mobile apps are readily available for speech sound disorders (SSD), their validity has not been systematically evaluated. This evidence-based appraisal will critically review and synthesize current evidence on available therapy apps for use by children with SSD. The main aims are to (1) identify the types of apps currently available for Android and iOS mobile phones and tablets, and (2) to critique their design features and content using a structured quality appraisal tool. This protocol paper presents and justifies the methods used for a systematic review of mobile apps that provide intervention for use by children with SSD. The primary outcomes of interest are (1) engagement, (2) functionality, (3) aesthetics, (4) information quality, (5) subjective quality, and (6) perceived impact. Quality will be assessed by 2 certified practicing speech-language pathologists using a structured quality appraisal tool. Two app stores will be searched from the 2 largest operating platforms, Android and iOS. Systematic methods of knowledge synthesis shall include searching the app stores using a defined procedure, data extraction, and quality analysis. This search strategy shall enable us to determine how many SSD apps are available for Android and for iOS compatible mobile phones and tablets. It shall also identify the regions of the world responsible for the apps' development, the content and the quality of offerings. Recommendations will be made for speech-language pathologists seeking to use mobile apps in their clinical practice. This protocol provides a structured process for locating apps and appraising the quality, as the basis for evaluating their use in speech pathology for children in English-speaking nations. ©Lisa M Furlong, Meg E Morris, Shane Erickson, Tanya A Serry. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 29.11.2016.

Characterization of water-quality and bed-sediment conditions in Currituck Sound, North Carolina, prior to the Mid-Currituck Bridge construction, 2011–15

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wagner, Chad R.; Fitzgerald, Sharon; Antolino, Dominick J.

2015-12-24

The characterization of water-quality and bed-sediment chemistry in Currituck Sound along the proposed alignment of the Mid-Currituck Bridge summarized herein provides a baseline for determining the effect of bridge construction and bridge deck runoff on environmental conditions in Currituck Sound.

Sequential bilateral cochlear implantation improves working performance, quality of life, and quality of hearing.

PubMed

Härkönen, Kati; Kivekäs, Ilkka; Rautiainen, Markus; Kotti, Voitto; Sivonen, Ville; Vasama, Juha-Pekka

2015-05-01

This prospective study shows that working performance, quality of life (QoL), and quality of hearing (QoH) are better with two compared with a single cochlear implant (CI). The impact of the second CI on the patient's QoL is as significant as the impact of the first CI. To evaluate the benefits of sequential bilateral cochlear implantation in working, QoL, and QoH. We studied working performance, work-related stress, QoL, and QoH with specific questionnaires in 15 patients with unilateral CI scheduled for sequential CI of another ear. Sound localization performance and speech perception in noise were measured with specific tests. All questionnaires and tests were performed before the second CI surgery and 6 and 12 months after its activation. Bilateral CIs increased patients' working performance and their work-related stress and fatigue decreased. Communication with co-workers was easier and patients were more active in their working environment. Sequential bilateral cochlear implantation improved QoL, QoH, sound localization, and speech perception in noise statistically significantly.

Synthesis of vibroarthrographic signals in knee osteoarthritis diagnosis training.

PubMed

Shieh, Chin-Shiuh; Tseng, Chin-Dar; Chang, Li-Yun; Lin, Wei-Chun; Wu, Li-Fu; Wang, Hung-Yu; Chao, Pei-Ju; Chiu, Chien-Liang; Lee, Tsair-Fwu

2016-07-19

Vibroarthrographic (VAG) signals are used as useful indicators of knee osteoarthritis (OA) status. The objective was to build a template database of knee crepitus sounds. Internships can practice in the template database to shorten the time of training for diagnosis of OA. A knee sound signal was obtained using an innovative stethoscope device with a goniometer. Each knee sound signal was recorded with a Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grade. The sound signal was segmented according to the goniometer data. The signal was Fourier transformed on the correlated frequency segment. An inverse Fourier transform was performed to obtain the time-domain signal. Haar wavelet transform was then done. The median and mean of the wavelet coefficients were chosen to inverse transform the synthesized signal in each KL category. The quality of the synthesized signal was assessed by a clinician. The sample signals were evaluated using different algorithms (median and mean). The accuracy rate of the median coefficient algorithm (93 %) was better than the mean coefficient algorithm (88 %) for cross-validation by a clinician using synthesis of VAG. The artificial signal we synthesized has the potential to build a learning system for medical students, internships and para-medical personnel for the diagnosis of OA. Therefore, our method provides a feasible way to evaluate crepitus sounds that may assist in the diagnosis of knee OA.

The impact of satellite temperature soundings on the forecasts of a small national meteorological service

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolfson, N.; Thomasell, A.; Alperson, Z.; Brodrick, H.; Chang, J. T.; Gruber, A.; Ohring, G.

1984-01-01

The impact of introducing satellite temperature sounding data on a numerical weather prediction model of a national weather service is evaluated. A dry five level, primitive equation model which covers most of the Northern Hemisphere, is used for these experiments. Series of parallel forecast runs out to 48 hours are made with three different sets of initial conditions: (1) NOSAT runs, only conventional surface and upper air observations are used; (2) SAT runs, satellite soundings are added to the conventional data over oceanic regions and North Africa; and (3) ALLSAT runs, the conventional upper air observations are replaced by satellite soundings over the entire model domain. The impact on the forecasts is evaluated by three verification methods: the RMS errors in sea level pressure forecasts, systematic errors in sea level pressure forecasts, and errors in subjective forecasts of significant weather elements for a selected portion of the model domain. For the relatively short range of the present forecasts, the major beneficial impacts on the sea level pressure forecasts are found precisely in those areas where the satellite sounding are inserted and where conventional upper air observations are sparse. The RMS and systematic errors are reduced in these regions. The subjective forecasts of significant weather elements are improved with the use of the satellite data. It is found that the ALLSAT forecasts are of a quality comparable to the SAR forecasts.

Low-frequency noise assessment metrics -- What do we know?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Broner, N.

1994-12-31

The issue of sound quality in offices and other occupied spaces has been of continuing interest since the 1950s. Existing assessment methods do not adequately account for the low-frequency background sound (< 250 Hz) produced by operating heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, in particular, low-frequency rumble. This paper discusses the results of ASHRAE-sponsored research in which more than 75 HVAC noise samples were collected, normalized, and categorized in terms of sound quality. The results support previous findings that a neutral curve has a slope of approximately {minus}5 decibels (dB) per octave. There is also support for the contention thatmore » the balanced noise criterion B (NCB) curves are overly conservative in the region from 63 to 500 Hz and overly permissive below 63 Hz when compared with the room criteria (RC) curves. A modified set of room sound quality (RSQ) curves -- the room sound quality (RSQ) curves -- is proposed.« less

The Quest for Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chappuis, Stephen; Chappuis, Jan; Stiggins, Rick

2009-01-01

Instructional decisions based on quality assessments and a balanced assessment system most effectively promote student learning. To inform sound decisions, assessments need to satisfy five key standards of quality: (1) clear purpose; (2) clear learning targets; (3) sound assessment design; (4) effective communication of results; and (5) student…

Tinnitus and sound intolerance: evidence and experience of a Brazilian group.

PubMed

Onishi, Ektor Tsuneo; Coelho, Cláudia Couto de Barros; Oiticica, Jeanne; Figueiredo, Ricardo Rodrigues; Guimarães, Rita de Cassia Cassou; Sanchez, Tanit Ganz; Gürtler, Adriana Lima; Venosa, Alessandra Ramos; Sampaio, André Luiz Lopes; Azevedo, Andreia Aparecida; Pires, Anna Paula Batista de Ávila; Barros, Bruno Borges de Carvalho; Oliveira, Carlos Augusto Costa Pires de; Saba, Clarice; Yonamine, Fernando Kaoru; Medeiros, Ítalo Roberto Torres de; Rosito, Letícia Petersen Schmidt; Rates, Marcelo José Abras; Kii, Márcia Akemi; Fávero, Mariana Lopes; Santos, Mônica Alcantara de Oliveira; Person, Osmar Clayton; Ciminelli, Patrícia; Marcondes, Renata de Almeida; Moreira, Ronaldo Kennedy de Paula; Torres, Sandro de Menezes Santos

Tinnitus and sound intolerance are frequent and subjective complaints that may have an impact on a patient's quality of life. To present a review of the salient points including concepts, pathophysiology, diagnosis and approach of the patient with tinnitus and sensitivity to sounds. Literature review with bibliographic survey in LILACS, SciELO, Pubmed and MEDLINE database. Articles and book chapters on tinnitus and sound sensitivity were selected. The several topics were discussed by a group of Brazilian professionals and the conclusions were described. The prevalence of tinnitus has increased over the years, often associated with hearing loss, metabolic factors and inadequate diet. Medical evaluation should be performed carefully to guide the request of subsidiary exams. Currently available treatments range from medications to the use of sounds with specific characteristics and meditation techniques, with variable results. A review on tinnitus and auditory sensitivity was presented, allowing the reader a broad view of the approach to these patients, based on scientific evidence and national experience. Copyright © 2017 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

A systematic review evaluating the psychometric properties of measures of social inclusion.

PubMed

Cordier, Reinie; Milbourn, Ben; Martin, Robyn; Buchanan, Angus; Chung, Donna; Speyer, Renée

2017-01-01

Improving social inclusion opportunities for population health has been identified as a priority area for international policy. There is a need to comprehensively examine and evaluate the quality of psychometric properties of measures of social inclusion that are used to guide social policy and outcomes. To conduct a systematic review of the literature on all current measures of social inclusion for any population group, to evaluate the quality of the psychometric properties of identified measures, and to evaluate if they capture the construct of social inclusion. A systematic search was performed using five electronic databases: CINAHL, PsycINFO, Embase, ERIC and Pubmed and grey literature were sourced to identify measures of social inclusion. The psychometric properties of the social inclusion measures were evaluated against the COSMIN taxonomy of measurement properties using pre-set psychometric criteria. Of the 109 measures identified, twenty-five measures, involving twenty-five studies and one manual met the inclusion criteria. The overall quality of the reviewed measures was variable, with the Social and Community Opportunities Profile-Short, Social Connectedness Scale and the Social Inclusion Scale demonstrating the strongest evidence for sound psychometric quality. The most common domain included in the measures was connectedness (21), followed by participation (19); the domain of citizenship was covered by the least number of measures (10). No single instrument measured all aspects within the three domains of social inclusion. Of the measures with sound psychometric evidence, the Social and Community Opportunities Profile-Short captured the construct of social inclusion best. The overall quality of the psychometric properties demonstrate that the current suite of available instruments for the measurement of social inclusion are promising but need further refinement. There is a need for a universal working definition of social inclusion as an overarching construct for ongoing research in the area of the psychometric properties of social inclusion instruments.

A systematic review evaluating the psychometric properties of measures of social inclusion

PubMed Central

Milbourn, Ben; Martin, Robyn; Buchanan, Angus; Chung, Donna; Speyer, Renée

2017-01-01

Introduction Improving social inclusion opportunities for population health has been identified as a priority area for international policy. There is a need to comprehensively examine and evaluate the quality of psychometric properties of measures of social inclusion that are used to guide social policy and outcomes. Objective To conduct a systematic review of the literature on all current measures of social inclusion for any population group, to evaluate the quality of the psychometric properties of identified measures, and to evaluate if they capture the construct of social inclusion. Methods A systematic search was performed using five electronic databases: CINAHL, PsycINFO, Embase, ERIC and Pubmed and grey literature were sourced to identify measures of social inclusion. The psychometric properties of the social inclusion measures were evaluated against the COSMIN taxonomy of measurement properties using pre-set psychometric criteria. Results Of the 109 measures identified, twenty-five measures, involving twenty-five studies and one manual met the inclusion criteria. The overall quality of the reviewed measures was variable, with the Social and Community Opportunities Profile-Short, Social Connectedness Scale and the Social Inclusion Scale demonstrating the strongest evidence for sound psychometric quality. The most common domain included in the measures was connectedness (21), followed by participation (19); the domain of citizenship was covered by the least number of measures (10). No single instrument measured all aspects within the three domains of social inclusion. Of the measures with sound psychometric evidence, the Social and Community Opportunities Profile-Short captured the construct of social inclusion best. Conclusions The overall quality of the psychometric properties demonstrate that the current suite of available instruments for the measurement of social inclusion are promising but need further refinement. There is a need for a universal working definition of social inclusion as an overarching construct for ongoing research in the area of the psychometric properties of social inclusion instruments. PMID:28598984

Qualities of Single Electrode Stimulation as a Function of Rate and Place of Stimulation with a Cochlear Implant

PubMed Central

Landsberger, David M.; Vermeire, Katrien; Claes, Annes; Van Rompaey, Vincent; Van de Heyning, Paul

2015-01-01

Objectives Although it has been previously shown that changes in temporal coding produce changes in pitch in all cochlear regions, research has suggested that temporal coding might be best encoded in relatively apical locations. We hypothesized that although temporal coding may provide useable information at any cochlear location, low rates of stimulation might provide better sound quality in apical regions that are more likely to encode temporal information in the normal ear. In the present study, sound qualities of single electrode pulse trains were scaled to provide insight into the combined effects of cochlear location and stimulation rate on sound quality. Design Ten long term users of MED-EL cochlear implants with 31 mm electrode arrays (Standard or FLEXSOFT) were asked to scale the sound quality of single electrode pulse trains in terms of how “Clean”, “Noisy”, “High”, and “Annoying” they sounded. Pulse trains were presented on most electrodes between 1 and 12 representing the entire range of the long electrode array at stimulation rates of 100, 150, 200, 400, or 1500 pulses per second. Results While high rates of stimulation are scaled as having a “Clean” sound quality across the entire array, only the most apical electrodes (typically 1 through 3) were considered “Clean” at low rates. Low rates on electrodes 6 through 12 were not rated as “Clean” while the low rate quality of electrodes 4 and 5 were typically in between. Scaling of “Noisy” responses provided an approximately inverse pattern as “Clean” responses. “High” responses show the trade-off between rate and place of stimulation on pitch. Because “High” responses did not correlate with “Clean” responses, subjects were not rating sound quality based on pitch. Conclusions If explicit temporal coding is to be provided in a cochlear implant, it is likely to sound better when provided apically. Additionally, the finding that low rates sound clean only at apical places of stimulation is consistent with previous findings that a change in rate of stimulation corresponds to an equivalent change in perceived pitch at apical locations. Collectively, the data strongly suggests that temporal coding with a cochlear implant is optimally provided by electrodes placed well into the second cochlear turn. PMID:26583480

[Preventive effects of sound insulation windows on the indoor noise levels in a street residential building in Beijing].

PubMed

Guo, Bin; Huang, Jing; Guo, Xin-biao

2015-06-18

To evaluate the preventive effects of sound insulation windows on traffic noise. Indoor noise levels of the residential rooms (on both the North 4th ring road side and the campus side) with closed sound insulation windows were measured using the sound level meter, and comparisons with the simultaneously measured outdoor noise levels were made. In addition, differences of indoor noise levels between rooms with closed sound insulation windows and open sound insulation windows were also compared. The average outdoor noise levels of the North 4th ring road was higher than 70 dB(A), which exceeded the limitation stated in the "Environmental Quality Standard for Noise" (GB 3096-2008) in our country. However, with the sound insulation windows closed, the indoor noise levels reduced significantly to the level under 35 dB(A) (P<0.05), which complied with the indoor noise level standards in our country. The closed or open states of the sound insulation windows had significant influence on the indoor noise levels (P<0.05). Compared with the open state of the sound insulation window, when the sound insulation windows were closed, the indoor noise levels reduced 18.8 dB(A) and 8.3 dB(A) in residential rooms facing North 4th ring road side and campus side, respectively. The results indicated that installation of insulation windows had significant noise reduction effects on street residential buildings especially on the rooms facing major traffic roads. Installation of the sound insulation windows has significant preventive effects on indoor noise in the street residential building.

A Comprehensive Quality Evaluation System for Complex Herbal Medicine Using PacBio Sequencing, PCR-Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis, and Several Chemical Approaches

PubMed Central

Zheng, Xiasheng; Zhang, Peng; Liao, Baosheng; Li, Jing; Liu, Xingyun; Shi, Yuhua; Cheng, Jinle; Lai, Zhitian; Xu, Jiang; Chen, Shilin

2017-01-01

Herbal medicine is a major component of complementary and alternative medicine, contributing significantly to the health of many people and communities. Quality control of herbal medicine is crucial to ensure that it is safe and sound for use. Here, we investigated a comprehensive quality evaluation system for a classic herbal medicine, Danggui Buxue Formula, by applying genetic-based and analytical chemistry approaches to authenticate and evaluate the quality of its samples. For authenticity, we successfully applied two novel technologies, third-generation sequencing and PCR-DGGE (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis), to analyze the ingredient composition of the tested samples. For quality evaluation, we used high performance liquid chromatography assays to determine the content of chemical markers to help estimate the dosage relationship between its two raw materials, plant roots of Huangqi and Danggui. A series of surveys were then conducted against several exogenous contaminations, aiming to further access the efficacy and safety of the samples. In conclusion, the quality evaluation system demonstrated here can potentially address the authenticity, quality, and safety of herbal medicines, thus providing novel insight for enhancing their overall quality control. Highlight: We established a comprehensive quality evaluation system for herbal medicine, by combining two genetic-based approaches third-generation sequencing and DGGE (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis) with analytical chemistry approaches to achieve the authentication and quality connotation of the samples. PMID:28955365

A Comprehensive Quality Evaluation System for Complex Herbal Medicine Using PacBio Sequencing, PCR-Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis, and Several Chemical Approaches.

PubMed

Zheng, Xiasheng; Zhang, Peng; Liao, Baosheng; Li, Jing; Liu, Xingyun; Shi, Yuhua; Cheng, Jinle; Lai, Zhitian; Xu, Jiang; Chen, Shilin

2017-01-01

Herbal medicine is a major component of complementary and alternative medicine, contributing significantly to the health of many people and communities. Quality control of herbal medicine is crucial to ensure that it is safe and sound for use. Here, we investigated a comprehensive quality evaluation system for a classic herbal medicine, Danggui Buxue Formula, by applying genetic-based and analytical chemistry approaches to authenticate and evaluate the quality of its samples. For authenticity, we successfully applied two novel technologies, third-generation sequencing and PCR-DGGE (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis), to analyze the ingredient composition of the tested samples. For quality evaluation, we used high performance liquid chromatography assays to determine the content of chemical markers to help estimate the dosage relationship between its two raw materials, plant roots of Huangqi and Danggui. A series of surveys were then conducted against several exogenous contaminations, aiming to further access the efficacy and safety of the samples. In conclusion, the quality evaluation system demonstrated here can potentially address the authenticity, quality, and safety of herbal medicines, thus providing novel insight for enhancing their overall quality control. Highlight : We established a comprehensive quality evaluation system for herbal medicine, by combining two genetic-based approaches third-generation sequencing and DGGE (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis) with analytical chemistry approaches to achieve the authentication and quality connotation of the samples.

[Experience of the implementation of the method of the integral assessment of drinking water on indicators of chemical harmlessness in St. Petersburg].

PubMed

Mel'tser, A V; Erastova, N V; Kiselev, A V

2013-01-01

Providing population with quality drinking water--one of the priority tasks of the state policy aimed at maintaining the health of citizens. Hygienic rating of the drinking water quality envisages requirements to assurance its safety in the epidemiological and radiation relations, harmlessness of chemical composition and good organoleptic properties. There are numerous data proving the relationship between the chemical composition of drinking water and human health, and therefore the issue of taking a hygienically sound measures to improve the efficiency of water treatment has more and more priority. High water quality--the result of complex solution of tasks, including an integral approach to assessment of the quality of drinking water the use of hygienically sound decisions in the modernization of water treatment systems. The results of the integral assessment of drinking water on the properties of harmlessness have shown its actuality in the development and implementation of management decisions. The use of the spatial characteristics of integrated indices permits to visualize changes in the quality of drinking water in all stages of production and transportation from the position of health risks, evaluate the effectiveness of technological solutions and set priorities for investing.

Puget Sound Dissolved Oxygen Modeling Study: Development of an Intermediate Scale Water Quality Model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Khangaonkar, Tarang; Sackmann, Brandon S.; Long, Wen

2012-10-01

The Salish Sea, including Puget Sound, is a large estuarine system bounded by over seven thousand miles of complex shorelines, consists of several subbasins and many large inlets with distinct properties of their own. Pacific Ocean water enters Puget Sound through the Strait of Juan de Fuca at depth over the Admiralty Inlet sill. Ocean water mixed with freshwater discharges from runoff, rivers, and wastewater outfalls exits Puget Sound through the brackish surface outflow layer. Nutrient pollution is considered one of the largest threats to Puget Sound. There is considerable interest in understanding the effect of nutrient loads on themore » water quality and ecological health of Puget Sound in particular and the Salish Sea as a whole. The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) contracted with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to develop a coupled hydrodynamic and water quality model. The water quality model simulates algae growth, dissolved oxygen, (DO) and nutrient dynamics in Puget Sound to inform potential Puget Sound-wide nutrient management strategies. Specifically, the project is expected to help determine 1) if current and potential future nitrogen loadings from point and non-point sources are significantly impairing water quality at a large scale and 2) what level of nutrient reductions are necessary to reduce or control human impacts to DO levels in the sensitive areas. The project did not include any additional data collection but instead relied on currently available information. This report describes model development effort conducted during the period 2009 to 2012 under a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cooperative agreement with PNNL, Ecology, and the University of Washington awarded under the National Estuary Program« less

Quality and Rigor of the Concept Mapping Methodology: A Pooled Study Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosas, Scott R.; Kane, Mary

2012-01-01

The use of concept mapping in research and evaluation has expanded dramatically over the past 20 years. Researchers in academic, organizational, and community-based settings have applied concept mapping successfully without the benefit of systematic analyses across studies to identify the features of a methodologically sound study. Quantitative…

Aggregating School Based Findings to Support Decision Making: Implications for Educational Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaniuka, Theodore S.; Vitale, Michael R.; Romance, Nancy R.

2013-01-01

Successful school reform is dependent on the quality of decisions made by educational leaders. In such decision making, educational leaders are charged with using sound research findings as the basis for choosing school reform initiatives. As part of the debate regarding the usability of various evaluative research designs in providing information…

Perceptual aspects of reproduced sound in car cabin acoustics.

PubMed

Kaplanis, Neofytos; Bech, Søren; Tervo, Sakari; Pätynen, Jukka; Lokki, Tapio; van Waterschoot, Toon; Jensen, Søren Holdt

2017-03-01

An experiment was conducted to determine the perceptual effects of car cabin acoustics on the reproduced sound field. In-car measurements were conducted whilst the cabin's interior was physically modified. The captured sound fields were recreated in the laboratory using a three-dimensional loudspeaker array. A panel of expert assessors followed a rapid sensory analysis protocol, the flash profile, to perceptually characterize and evaluate 12 acoustical conditions of the car cabin using individually elicited attributes. A multivariate analysis revealed the panel's consensus and the identified perceptual constructs. Six perceptual constructs characterize the differences between the acoustical conditions of the cabin, related to bass, ambience, transparency, width and envelopment, brightness, and image focus. The current results indicate the importance of several acoustical properties of a car's interior on the perceived sound qualities. Moreover, they signify the capacity of the applied methodology in assessing spectral and spatial properties of automotive environments in laboratory settings using a time-efficient and flexible protocol.

Georgia Basin-Puget Sound Airshed Characterization Report 2014

EPA Science Inventory

The Georgia Basin - Puget Sound Airshed Characterization Report, 2012 was undertaken to characterize the air quality within the Georgia Basin/Puget Sound region,a vibrant, rapidly growing, urbanized area of the Pacific Northwest. The Georgia Basin - Puget Sound Airshed Characteri...

High-Frequency Amplification and Sound Quality in Listeners with Normal through Moderate Hearing Loss

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ricketts, Todd A.; Dittberner, Andrew B.; Johnson, Earl E.

2008-01-01

Purpose: One factor that has been shown to greatly affect sound quality is audible bandwidth. Provision of gain for frequencies above 4-6 kHz has not generally been supported for groups of hearing aid wearers. The purpose of this study was to determine if preference for bandwidth extension in hearing aid processed sounds was related to the…

Design and testing of a novel audio transducer to train string musical instruments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cinquemani, Simone; Giberti, Hermes

2018-03-01

Stringed wooden instruments, like violins or double basses, experience a decrease in performance if they are not played for a long time. For this reason, top class instruments are usually given to musicians and played every day to preserve sound quality. The paper deals with the design, construction and testing of a device to be inserted in the bridge of a stringed wooden instrument to simulate the stresses experienced by the instrument during normal playing. The device could provide a simple, fast and inexpensive way to recover the sound of an instrument that has not been played for a period of time, or even to enhance the instrument's sound. The device is based on two magnetostrictive actuators that can exert suitable forces on the body of the violin. The device has been designed and tested to exert forces as constant as possible in the range of frequency between 10 Hz and 15kHz. Experimental tests are carried out to evaluate the effect of the device on the sound produced by the violin during a 3 weeks hours training. Two hi-quality microphones have been used to measure principal harmonics and changes during the test. Results show that in the first part of the test (approximately 100 hours) amplitudes of main harmonics widely change, while in the following their values remain constant. This behavior demonstrates the violin has reached its "nominal" status.

Articulation of sounds in Serbian language in patients who learned esophageal speech successfully.

PubMed

Vekić, Maja; Veselinović, Mila; Mumović, Gordana; Mitrović, Slobodan M

2014-01-01

Articulation of pronounced sounds during the training and subsequent use of esophageal speech is very important because it contributes significantly to intelligibility and aesthetics of spoken words and sentences, as well as of speech and language itself. The aim of this research was to determine the quality of articulation of sounds of Serbian language by groups of sounds in patients who had learned esophageal speech successfully as well as the effect of age and tooth loss on the quality of articulation. This retrospective-prospective study included 16 patients who had undergone total laryngectomy. Having completed the rehabilitation of speech, these patient used esophageal voice and speech. The quality of articulation was tested by the "Global test of articulation." Esophageal speech was rated with grade 5, 4 and 3 in 62.5%, 31.3% and one patient, respectively. Serbian was the native language of all the patients. The study included 30 sounds of Serbian language in 16 subjects (480 total sounds). Only two patients (12.5%) articulated all sounds properly, whereas 87.5% of them had incorrect articulation. The articulation of affricates and fricatives, especially sound /h/ from the group of the fricatives, was found to be the worst in the patients who had successfully mastered esophageal speech. The age and the tooth loss of patients who have mastered esophageal speech do not affect the articulation of sounds in Serbian language.

Cleaning up Trumpet Sound: Some Paths to Better Tone

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zingara, James J.

2004-01-01

Of all the factors used to assess trumpet players, the one that distinguishes the established professional from the student is sound quality. While a good sound may be called "full," "rich," or "dark," poor sound is often described as "constricted," "tight," "thin," or "fuzzy." Although students' concept of good sound is important, many times…

Spatial sound field synthesis and upmixing based on the equivalent source method.

PubMed

Bai, Mingsian R; Hsu, Hoshen; Wen, Jheng-Ciang

2014-01-01

Given scarce number of recorded signals, spatial sound field synthesis with an extended sweet spot is a challenging problem in acoustic array signal processing. To address the problem, a synthesis and upmixing approach inspired by the equivalent source method (ESM) is proposed. The synthesis procedure is based on the pressure signals recorded by a microphone array and requires no source model. The array geometry can also be arbitrary. Four upmixing strategies are adopted to enhance the resolution of the reproduced sound field when there are more channels of loudspeakers than the microphones. Multi-channel inverse filtering with regularization is exploited to deal with the ill-posedness in the reconstruction process. The distance between the microphone and loudspeaker arrays is optimized to achieve the best synthesis quality. To validate the proposed system, numerical simulations and subjective listening experiments are performed. The results demonstrated that all upmixing methods improved the quality of reproduced target sound field over the original reproduction. In particular, the underdetermined ESM interpolation method yielded the best spatial sound field synthesis in terms of the reproduction error, timbral quality, and spatial quality.

Sound quality evaluation of air conditioning sound rating metric

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hodgdon, Kathleen K.; Peters, Jonathan A.; Burkhardt, Russell C.; Atchley, Anthony A.; Blood, Ingrid M.

2003-10-01

A product's success can depend on its acoustic signature as much as on the product's performance. The consumer's perception can strongly influence their satisfaction with and confidence in the product. A metric that can rate the content of the spectrum, and predict its consumer preference, is a valuable tool for manufacturers. The current method of assessing acoustic signatures from residential air conditioning units is defined in the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI 270) 1995 Standard for Sound Rating of Outdoor Unitary Equipment. The ARI 270 metric, and modified versions of that metric, were implemented in software with the flexibility to modify the features applied. Numerous product signatures were analyzed to generate a set of synthesized spectra that targeted spectral configurations that challenged the metric's abilities. A subjective jury evaluation was conducted to establish the consumer preference for those spectra. Statistical correlations were conducted to assess the degree of relationship between the subjective preferences and the various metric calculations. Recommendations were made for modifications to improve the current metric's ability to predict subjective preference. [Research supported by the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute.

Investigation of Extended Bandwidth Hearing Aid Amplification on Speech Intelligibility and Sound Quality in Adults with Mild-to-Moderate Hearing Loss.

PubMed

Seeto, Angeline; Searchfield, Grant D

2018-03-01

Advances in digital signal processing have made it possible to provide a wide-band frequency response with smooth, precise spectral shaping. Several manufacturers have introduced hearing aids that are claimed to provide gain for frequencies up to 10-12 kHz. However, there is currently limited evidence and very few independent studies evaluating the performance of the extended bandwidth hearing aids that have recently become available. This study investigated an extended bandwidth hearing aid using measures of speech intelligibility and sound quality to find out whether there was a significant benefit of extended bandwidth amplification over standard amplification. Repeated measures study designed to examine the efficacy of extended bandwidth amplification compared to standard bandwidth amplification. Sixteen adult participants with mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss. Participants were bilaterally fit with a pair of Widex Mind 440 behind-the-ear hearing aids programmed with a standard bandwidth fitting and an extended bandwidth fitting; the latter provided gain up to 10 kHz. For each fitting, and an unaided condition, participants completed two speech measures of aided benefit, the Quick Speech-in-Noise test (QuickSIN™) and the Phonak Phoneme Perception Test (PPT; high-frequency perception in quiet), and a measure of sound quality rating. There were no significant differences found between unaided and aided conditions for QuickSIN™ scores. For the PPT, there were statistically significantly lower (improved) detection thresholds at high frequencies (6 and 9 kHz) with the extended bandwidth fitting. Although not statistically significant, participants were able to distinguish between 6 and 9 kHz 50% better with extended bandwidth. No significant difference was found in ability to recognize phonemes in quiet between the unaided and aided conditions when phonemes only contained frequency content <6 kHz. However significant benefit was found with the extended bandwidth fitting for recognition of 9-kHz phonemes. No significant difference in sound quality preference was found between the standard bandwidth and extended bandwidth fittings. This study demonstrated that a pair of currently available extended bandwidth hearing aids was technically capable of delivering high-frequency amplification that was both audible and useable to listeners with mild-to-moderate hearing loss. This amplification was of acceptable sound quality. Further research, particularly field trials, is required to ascertain the real-world benefit of high-frequency amplification. American Academy of Audiology

[Should disease management be feared? (1): hospital care].

PubMed

Gaspoz, J M; Rutschmann, O

2005-11-23

The goals of disease management are: (1) an integrated health care delivery system; (2) knowledge-based care; (3) elaborate information systems; (4) continuous quality improvement. In-hospital disease management and, more specifically, critical pathways, establish standardized care plans, set goals and time actions to reach these goals. They can reduce variations in practice patterns and resource utilization without compromising quality of care. Such strategies participate to quality improvement programs in hospitals when they involve and empower all actors of a given process of care, are not imposed from outside, and use sound and rigorous development and evaluation methods.

Investigation on the reproduction performance versus acoustic contrast control in sound field synthesis.

PubMed

Bai, Mingsian R; Wen, Jheng-Ciang; Hsu, Hoshen; Hua, Yi-Hsin; Hsieh, Yu-Hao

2014-10-01

A sound reconstruction system is proposed for audio reproduction with extended sweet spot and reduced reflections. An equivalent source method (ESM)-based sound field synthesis (SFS) approach, with the aid of dark zone minimization is adopted in the study. Conventional SFS that is based on the free-field assumption suffers from synthesis error due to boundary reflections. To tackle the problem, the proposed system utilizes convex optimization in designing array filters with both reproduction performance and acoustic contrast taken into consideration. Control points are deployed in the dark zone to minimize the reflections from the walls. Two approaches are employed to constrain the pressure and velocity in the dark zone. Pressure matching error (PME) and acoustic contrast (AC) are used as performance measures in simulations and experiments for a rectangular loudspeaker array. Perceptual Evaluation of Audio Quality (PEAQ) is also used to assess the audio reproduction quality. The results show that the pressure-constrained (PC) method yields better acoustic contrast, but poorer reproduction performance than the pressure-velocity constrained (PVC) method. A subjective listening test also indicates that the PVC method is the preferred method in a live room.

Using soil quality indicators for monitoring sustainable forest management

Treesearch

James A. Burger; Garland Gray; D. Andrew Scott

2010-01-01

Most private and public forest land owners and managers are compelled to manage their forests sustainably, which means management that is economically viable,environmentally sound, and socially acceptable. To meet this mandate, the USDA Forest Service protects the productivity of our nation’s forest soils by monitoring and evaluating management activities to ensure...

Nondestructive Methods for Detecting Defects in Softwood Logs

Treesearch

Kristin C. Schad; Daniel L. Schmoldt; Robert J. Ross

1996-01-01

Wood degradation and defects, such as voids and knots, affect the quality and processing time of lumber. The ability to detect internal defects in the log can save mills time and processing costs. In this study, we investigated three nondestructive evaluation techniques for detecting internal wood defects. Sound wave transmission, x-ray computed tomography, and impulse...

The combustion of sound and rotten coarse woody debris: a review

Treesearch

Joshua C. Hyde; Alistair M.S. Smith; Roger D. Ottmar; Ernesto C. Alvarado; Penelope Morgan

2011-01-01

Coarse woody debris serves many functions in forest ecosystem processes and has important implications for fire management as it affects air quality, soil heating and carbon budgets when it combusts. There is relatively little research evaluating the physical properties relating to the combustion of this coarse woody debris with even less specifically addressing...

Voice Quality and Gender Stereotypes: A Study of Lebanese Women with Reinke's Edema

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matar, Nayla; Portes, Cristel; Lancia, Leonardo; Legou, Thierry; Baider, Fabienne

2016-01-01

Purpose Women with Reinke's edema (RW) report being mistaken for men during telephone conversations. For this reason, their masculine-sounding voices are interesting for the study of gender stereotypes. The study's objective is to verify their complaint and to understand the cues used in gender identification. Method Using a self-evaluation study,…

Ultrasound pallet part evaluator/grader and cant scanner

Treesearch

Mohammed F. Kabir; Philip A. Araman; Daniel L. Schmoldt; Mark E. Schafer

2002-01-01

Sorting and grading of wooden pallet parts are key factors for manufacturing quality and durable pallets. The feasibility of ultrasonic scanning for defect detection and classification has been examined in this report. Defects, such as sound and unsound knots, decay, bark pockets, wane, and holes were scanned on both red oak (Quercus rubra, L.) and yellow-poplar (...

A study of videoconferencing for postgraduate continuing education in dentistry in the UK--the teachers' view.

PubMed

Odell, E W; Francis, C A; Eaton, K A; Reynolds, P A; Mason, R D

2001-08-01

Videoconferencing is an established method for providing medical education over long distances. Our aims were to assess the feasibility of videoconferencing in dental postgraduate education, to evaluate its practicability, teacher satisfaction and evaluate equipment. Twenty-seven teachers from the 4 London Dental Schools provided 41 postgraduate dental education sessions on a range of topics to regional postgraduate centres and dental practices as part of the Thames Health Region's programme. Videoconferencing was carried out using a relatively inexpensive personal computer system link using ISDN2 telephone lines and Z350 protocol. Presenter views and assessment were obtained by questionnaire, interview and videotape. Teachers felt that minimal additional preparation time was required for videoconferencing and 21/27 preferred it to in-person teaching, most noting the saving in travel time. Only 3 of the teachers were dissatisfied with their ability to communicate, 4 were equivocal and 20 were either pleased or very pleased. The teachers largely enjoyed the experience and performed well in the new medium. However, sound quality proved inadequate in 5/41 links and most sessions included some periods of suboptimal sound. Only 4 teachers were satisfied with their ability to perform question and answer interaction with the audience. We conclude that experienced teachers adapt readily to videoconferencing and learn to communicate effectively very quickly. Teachers were positive about the medium despite its shortcomings and improvements in sound quality would allow a rapid expansion of postgraduate dental education by videoconference.

In-flight auscultation during medical air evacuation: comparison between traditional and amplified stethoscopes.

PubMed

Fontaine, Emmanuelle; Coste, Sébastien; Poyat, Chrystelle; Klein, Céline; Lefort, Hugues; Leclerc, Thomas; Dubourdieu, Stéphane; Briche, Frédérique; Jost, Daniel; Maurin, Olga; Domanski, Laurent; Tourtier, Jean-Pierre

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the capacity of a traditional stethoscope versus an electronically amplified one (expected to reduce background and ambient noise) to assess heart and respiratory sounds during medical transport. It was a prospective, double-blinded, randomized performed study. One traditional stethoscope (Littmann Cardiology III; 3M, St Paul, MN) and 1 electronically amplified stethoscope (Littmann 3200, 3M) were used for our tests. Heart and lung auscultation during real medical evacuations aboard a medically configured Falcon 50 aircrafts were studied. The quality of auscultation was ranged using a numeric rating scale from 0 to 10 (0 corresponding to "I hear nothing" and 10 to "I hear perfectly"). Data collected were compared using a t-test for paired values. A total of 40 comparative evaluations were performed. For cardiac auscultation, the value of the rating scale was 4.53 ± 1.91 and 7.18 ± 1.88 for the traditional and amplified stethoscope, respectively (paired t-test: P < .0001). For respiratory sounds, quality of auscultation was estimated at 3.1 ± 1.95 for a traditional stethoscope and 5.10 ± 2.13 for the amplified one (paired t-test: P < .0001). This study showed that practitioners would be better helped in hearing cardiac and respiratory sounds with an electronically amplified stethoscope than with a traditional one during air medical transport in a medically configured Falcon 50 aircraft. Copyright © 2014 Air Medical Journal Associates. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pre-slaughter sound levels and pre-slaughter handling from loading at the farm till slaughter influence pork quality.

PubMed

Vermeulen, L; Van de Perre, V; Permentier, L; De Bie, S; Verbeke, G; Geers, R

2016-06-01

This study investigates the relationship between sound levels, pre-slaughter handling during loading and pork quality. Pre-slaughter variables were investigated from loading till slaughter. A total of 3213 pigs were measured 30 min post-mortem for pH(30LT) (M. Longissimus thoracis). First, a sound level model for the risk to develop PSE meat was established. The difference in maximum and mean sound level during loading, mean sound level during lairage and mean sound level prior to stunning remained significant within the model. This indicated that sound levels during loading had a significant added value to former sound models. Moreover, this study completed the global classification checklist (Vermeulen et al., 2015a) by developing a linear mixed model for pH(30LT) and PSE prevalence, with the difference in maximum and mean sound level measured during loading, the feed withdrawal period and the difference in temperature during loading and lairage. Hence, this study provided new insights over previous research where loading procedures were not included. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Smartphone Application for Customized Frequency Table Selection in Cochlear Implants.

PubMed

Jethanamest, Daniel; Azadpour, Mahan; Zeman, Annette M; Sagi, Elad; Svirsky, Mario A

2017-09-01

A novel smartphone-based software application can facilitate self-selection of frequency allocation tables (FAT) in postlingually deaf cochlear implant (CI) users. CIs use FATs to represent the tonotopic organization of a normal cochlea. Current CI fitting methods typically use a standard FAT for all patients regardless of individual differences in cochlear size and electrode location. In postlingually deaf patients, different amounts of mismatch can result between the frequency-place function they experienced when they had normal hearing and the frequency-place function that results from the standard FAT. For some CI users, an alternative FAT may enhance sound quality or speech perception. Currently, no widely available tools exist to aid real-time selection of different FATs. This study aims to develop a new smartphone tool for this purpose and to evaluate speech perception and sound quality measures in a pilot study of CI subjects using this application. A smartphone application for a widely available mobile platform (iOS) was developed to serve as a preprocessor of auditory input to a clinical CI speech processor and enable interactive real-time selection of FATs. The application's output was validated by measuring electrodograms for various inputs. A pilot study was conducted in six CI subjects. Speech perception was evaluated using word recognition tests. All subjects successfully used the portable application with their clinical speech processors to experience different FATs while listening to running speech. The users were all able to select one table that they judged provided the best sound quality. All subjects chose a FAT different from the standard FAT in their everyday clinical processor. Using the smartphone application, the mean consonant-nucleus-consonant score with the default FAT selection was 28.5% (SD 16.8) and 29.5% (SD 16.4) when using a self-selected FAT. A portable smartphone application enables CI users to self-select frequency allocation tables in real time. Even though the self-selected FATs that were deemed to have better sound quality were only tested acutely (i.e., without long-term experience with them), speech perception scores were not inferior to those obtained with the clinical FATs. This software application may be a valuable tool for improving future methods of CI fitting.

Observing system simulations using synthetic radiances and atmospheric retrievals derived for the AMSU and HIRS in a mesoscale model. [Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diak, George R.; Huang, Hung-Lung; Kim, Dongsoo

1990-01-01

The paper addresses the concept of synthetic satellite imagery as a visualization and diagnostic tool for understanding satellite sensors of the future and to detail preliminary results on the quality of soundings from the current sensors. Preliminary results are presented on the quality of soundings from the combination of the High-Resolution Infrared Radiometer Sounder and the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit. Results are also presented on the first Observing System Simulation Experiment using this data in a mesoscale numerical prediction model.

Harmonic Frequency Lowering: Effects on the Perception of Music Detail and Sound Quality.

PubMed

Kirchberger, Martin; Russo, Frank A

2016-02-01

A novel algorithm for frequency lowering in music was developed and experimentally tested in hearing-impaired listeners. Harmonic frequency lowering (HFL) combines frequency transposition and frequency compression to preserve the harmonic content of music stimuli. Listeners were asked to make judgments regarding detail and sound quality in music stimuli. Stimuli were presented under different signal processing conditions: original, low-pass filtered, HFL, and nonlinear frequency compressed. Results showed that participants reported perceiving the most detail in the HFL condition. In addition, there was no difference in sound quality across conditions. © The Author(s) 2016.

Changes of some functional speech disorders after surgical correction of skeletal anterior open bite.

PubMed

Knez Ambrožič, Mojca; Hočevar Boltežar, Irena; Ihan Hren, Nataša

2015-09-01

Skeletal anterior open bite (AOB) or apertognathism is characterized by the absence of contact of the anterior teeth and affects articulation parameters, chewing, biting and voice quality. The treatment of AOB consists of orthognatic surgical procedures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of treatment on voice quality, articulation and nasality in speech with respect to skeletal changes. The study was prospective; 15 patients with AOB were evaluated before and after surgery. Lateral cephalometric x-ray parameters (facial angle, interincisal distance, Wits appraisal) were measured to determine skeletal changes. Before surgery, nine patients still had articulation disorders despite speech therapy during childhood. The voice quality parameters were determined by acoustic analysis of the vowel sound /a/ (fundamental frequency-F0, jitter, shimmer). Spectral analysis of vowels /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/ was carried out by determining the mean frequency of the first (F1) and second (F2) formants. Nasality in speech was expressed as the ratio between the nasal and the oral sound energies during speech samples. After surgery, normalizations of facial skeletal parameters were observed in all patients, but no statistically significant changes in articulation and voice quality parameters occurred despite subjective observations of easier articulation. Any deterioration in velopharyngeal insufficiency was absent in all of the patients. In conclusion, the surgical treatment of skeletal AOB does not lead to deterioration in voice, resonance and articulation qualities. Despite surgical correction of the unfavourable skeletal situation of the speech apparatus, the pre-existing articulation disorder cannot improve without professional intervention.

Simulation modeling for stratified breast cancer screening - a systematic review of cost and quality of life assumptions.

PubMed

Arnold, Matthias

2017-12-02

The economic evaluation of stratified breast cancer screening gains momentum, but produces also very diverse results. Systematic reviews so far focused on modeling techniques and epidemiologic assumptions. However, cost and utility parameters received only little attention. This systematic review assesses simulation models for stratified breast cancer screening based on their cost and utility parameters in each phase of breast cancer screening and care. A literature review was conducted to compare economic evaluations with simulation models of personalized breast cancer screening. Study quality was assessed using reporting guidelines. Cost and utility inputs were extracted, standardized and structured using a care delivery framework. Studies were then clustered according to their study aim and parameters were compared within the clusters. Eighteen studies were identified within three study clusters. Reporting quality was very diverse in all three clusters. Only two studies in cluster 1, four studies in cluster 2 and one study in cluster 3 scored high in the quality appraisal. In addition to the quality appraisal, this review assessed if the simulation models were consistent in integrating all relevant phases of care, if utility parameters were consistent and methodological sound and if cost were compatible and consistent in the actual parameters used for screening, diagnostic work up and treatment. Of 18 studies, only three studies did not show signs of potential bias. This systematic review shows that a closer look into the cost and utility parameter can help to identify potential bias. Future simulation models should focus on integrating all relevant phases of care, using methodologically sound utility parameters and avoiding inconsistent cost parameters.

Hybrid cochlear implantation: quality of life, quality of hearing, and working performance compared to patients with conventional unilateral or bilateral cochlear implantation.

PubMed

Härkönen, Kati; Kivekäs, Ilkka; Kotti, Voitto; Sivonen, Ville; Vasama, Juha-Pekka

2017-10-01

The objective of the present study is to evaluate the effect of hybrid cochlear implantation (hCI) on quality of life (QoL), quality of hearing (QoH), and working performance in adult patients, and to compare the long-term results of patients with hCI to those of patients with conventional unilateral cochlear implantation (CI), bilateral CI, and single-sided deafness (SSD) with CI. Sound localization accuracy and speech-in-noise test were also compared between these groups. Eight patients with high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss of unknown etiology were selected in the study. Patients with hCI had better long-term speech perception in noise than uni- or bilateral CI patients, but the difference was not statistically significant. The sound localization accuracy was equal in the hCI, bilateral CI, and SSD patients. QoH was statistically significantly better in bilateral CI patients than in the others. In hCI patients, residual hearing was preserved in all patients after the surgery. During the 3.6-year follow-up, the mean hearing threshold at 125-500 Hz decreased on average by 15 dB HL in the implanted ear. QoL and working performance improved significantly in all CI patients. Hearing outcomes with hCI are comparable to the results of bilateral CI or CI with SSD, but hearing in noise and sound localization are statistically significantly better than with unilateral CI. Interestingly, the impact of CI on QoL, QoH, and working performance was similar in all groups.

Effects of changed aircraft noise exposure on experiential qualities of outdoor recreational areas.

PubMed

Krog, Norun Hjertager; Engdahl, Bo; Tambs, Kristian

2010-10-01

The literature indicates that sound and visual stimuli interact in the impression of landscapes. This paper examines the relationship between annoyance with sound from aircraft and annoyance with other area problems (e.g., careless bicycle riding, crowding, etc.), and how changes in noise exposure influence the perceived overall recreational quality of outdoor recreational areas. A panel study (telephone interviews) conducted before and after the relocation of Norway's main airport in 1998 examined effects of decreased or increased noise exposure in nearby recreational areas (n = 591/455). Sound from aircraft annoyed the largest proportion of recreationists, except near the old airport after the change. The decrease in annoyance with sound from aircraft was accompanied by significant decreases in annoyance with most of the other area problems. Near the new airport annoyance with most factors beside sound from aircraft increased slightly, but not significantly. A relationship between aircraft noise annoyance and perceived overall recreational quality of the areas was found.

Effects of Changed Aircraft Noise Exposure on Experiential Qualities of Outdoor Recreational Areas

PubMed Central

Krog, Norun Hjertager; Engdahl, Bo; Tambs, Kristian

2010-01-01

The literature indicates that sound and visual stimuli interact in the impression of landscapes. This paper examines the relationship between annoyance with sound from aircraft and annoyance with other area problems (e.g., careless bicycle riding, crowding, etc.), and how changes in noise exposure influence the perceived overall recreational quality of outdoor recreational areas. A panel study (telephone interviews) conducted before and after the relocation of Norway’s main airport in 1998 examined effects of decreased or increased noise exposure in nearby recreational areas (n = 591/455). Sound from aircraft annoyed the largest proportion of recreationists, except near the old airport after the change. The decrease in annoyance with sound from aircraft was accompanied by significant decreases in annoyance with most of the other area problems. Near the new airport annoyance with most factors beside sound from aircraft increased slightly, but not significantly. A relationship between aircraft noise annoyance and perceived overall recreational quality of the areas was found. PMID:21139858

An open access database for the evaluation of heart sound algorithms.

PubMed

Liu, Chengyu; Springer, David; Li, Qiao; Moody, Benjamin; Juan, Ricardo Abad; Chorro, Francisco J; Castells, Francisco; Roig, José Millet; Silva, Ikaro; Johnson, Alistair E W; Syed, Zeeshan; Schmidt, Samuel E; Papadaniil, Chrysa D; Hadjileontiadis, Leontios; Naseri, Hosein; Moukadem, Ali; Dieterlen, Alain; Brandt, Christian; Tang, Hong; Samieinasab, Maryam; Samieinasab, Mohammad Reza; Sameni, Reza; Mark, Roger G; Clifford, Gari D

2016-12-01

In the past few decades, analysis of heart sound signals (i.e. the phonocardiogram or PCG), especially for automated heart sound segmentation and classification, has been widely studied and has been reported to have the potential value to detect pathology accurately in clinical applications. However, comparative analyses of algorithms in the literature have been hindered by the lack of high-quality, rigorously validated, and standardized open databases of heart sound recordings. This paper describes a public heart sound database, assembled for an international competition, the PhysioNet/Computing in Cardiology (CinC) Challenge 2016. The archive comprises nine different heart sound databases sourced from multiple research groups around the world. It includes 2435 heart sound recordings in total collected from 1297 healthy subjects and patients with a variety of conditions, including heart valve disease and coronary artery disease. The recordings were collected from a variety of clinical or nonclinical (such as in-home visits) environments and equipment. The length of recording varied from several seconds to several minutes. This article reports detailed information about the subjects/patients including demographics (number, age, gender), recordings (number, location, state and time length), associated synchronously recorded signals, sampling frequency and sensor type used. We also provide a brief summary of the commonly used heart sound segmentation and classification methods, including open source code provided concurrently for the Challenge. A description of the PhysioNet/CinC Challenge 2016, including the main aims, the training and test sets, the hand corrected annotations for different heart sound states, the scoring mechanism, and associated open source code are provided. In addition, several potential benefits from the public heart sound database are discussed.

Objective evaluation of the knocking sound of a diesel engine considering the temporal and frequency masking effect simultaneously

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yun, Dong-Un; Lee, Sang-Kwon

2017-06-01

In this paper, we present a novel method for an objective evaluation of knocking noise emitted by diesel engines based on the temporal and frequency masking theory. The knocking sound of a diesel engine is a vibro-acoustic sound correlated with the high-frequency resonances of the engine structure and a periodic impulsive sound with amplitude modulation. Its period is related to the engine speed and includes specific frequency bands related to the resonances of the engine structure. A knocking sound with the characteristics of a high-frequency impulsive wave can be masked by low-frequency sounds correlated with the harmonics of the firing frequency and broadband noise. The degree of modulation of the knocking sound signal was used for such objective evaluations in previous studies, without considering the masking effect. However, the frequency masking effect must be considered for the objective evaluation of the knocking sound. In addition to the frequency masking effect, the temporal masking effect occurs because the period of the knocking sound changes according to the engine speed. Therefore, an evaluation method considering the temporal and frequency masking effect is required to analyze the knocking sound objectively. In this study, an objective evaluation method considering the masking effect was developed based on the masking theory of sound and signal processing techniques. The method was applied successfully for the objective evaluation of the knocking sound of a diesel engine.

Data Assimilation Experiments using Quality Controlled AIRS Version 5 Temperature Soundings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Susskind, Joel

2008-01-01

The AIRS Science Team Version 5 retrieval algorithm has been finalized and is now operational at the Goddard DAAC in the processing (and reprocessing) of all AlRS data. Version 5 contains accurate case-by-case error estimates for most derived products, which are also used for quality control. We have conducted forecast impact experiments assimilating AlRS quality controlled temperature profiles using the NASA GEOS-5 data assimilation system, consisting of the NCEP GSI analysis coupled with the NASA FVGCM. Assimilation of quality controlled temperature profiles resulted in significantly improved forecast skill in both the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere Extra-Tropics, compared to that obtained from analyses obtained when all data used operationally by NCEP except for AlRS data is assimilated. Experiments using different Quality Control thresholds for assimilation of AlRS temperature retrievals showed that a medium quality control threshold performed better than a tighter threshold, which provided better overall sounding accuracy; or a looser threshold, which provided better spatial coverage of accepted soundings. We are conducting more experiments to further optimize this balance of spatial coverage and sounding accuracy from the data assimilation perspective. In all cases, temperature soundings were assimilated well below cloud level in partially cloudy cases. The positive impact of assimilating AlRS derived atmospheric temperatures all but vanished when only AIRS stratospheric temperatures were assimilated. Forecast skill resulting from assimilation of AlRS radiances uncontaminated by clouds, instead of AlRS temperature soundings, was only slightly better than that resulting from assimilation of only stratospheric AlRS temperatures. This reduction in forecast skill is most likely the result of significant loss of tropospheric information when only AIRS radiances unaffected by clouds are used in the data assimilation process.

Deeper Cochlear Implant Electrode Insertion Angle Improves Detection of Musical Sound Quality Deterioration Related to Bass Frequency Removal.

PubMed

Roy, Alexis T; Penninger, Richard T; Pearl, Monica S; Wuerfel, Waldemar; Jiradejvong, Patpong; Carver, Courtney; Buechner, Andreas; Limb, Charles J

2016-02-01

Cochlear implant (CI) electrode arrays typically do not reach the most apical regions of the cochlea that intrinsically encode low frequencies. This may contribute to diminished implant-mediated musical sound quality perception. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of varying degrees of apical cochlear stimulation (measured by angular insertion depth) on musical sound quality discrimination. Increased apical cochlear stimulation will improve low-frequency perception and musical sound quality discrimination. Standard (31.5 mm, n = 17) and medium (24 mm, n = 8) array Med-EL CI users, and normal hearing (NH) listeners (n = 16) participated. Imaging confirmed angular insertion depth. Participants completed a musical discrimination task in which they listened to a real-world musical stimulus (labeled reference) and provided sound quality ratings to versions of the reference, which included a hidden reference and test stimuli with increasing amounts of low-frequency removal. Scores for each CI users were calculated on the basis of how much their ratings differed from NH listeners for each stimulus version. Medium array and standard users had significantly different insertion depths (389.4 ± 64.5 and 583.9 ± 78.5 degrees, respectively; p <  .001). A significant Pearson's correlation was observed between angular insertion depth and the hidden reference scores (p < 0.05). CI users with greater apical stimulation made sound quality discriminations that more closely resembled those of NH controls for stimuli that contained low frequencies (< 200 Hz of information). These findings suggest that increased apical cochlear stimulation improves musical low-frequency perception, which may provide a more satisfactory music listening experience for CI users.

AIRS Obs4MIPs V2 data set

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, B.

2017-12-01

The Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) has become a central element of national and international assessments of climate change. The CMIP Phase 6 (CMIP6) model experiments will be the foundation for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), scheduled for publication around 2021. To increase the fidelity of the IPCC AR6, the CMIP6 model experiments need rigorous evaluation. The "Observations for Model Intercomparison Projects" (Obs4MIPs) collects, organizes and publishes various well-established satellite data sets for CMIP model evaluation. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU), the NASA's temperature and humidity sounding system on the Aqua satellite, has provided over a decade-long high-quality tropospheric temperature and moisture sounding data. Under the current support of the NASA Data for Operation and Assessment (NDOA) program, we are generating and publishing the AIRS Obs4MIPs V2 data set including the monthly mean tropospheric air temperature, specific humidity, and relative humidity profiles from September 2002 to September 2016. This will provide the latest AIRS data in Obs4MIPs and assist the climate modeling community to better use the AIRS data for CMIP (including CMIP3, CMIP5, and CMIP6) model evaluation. In this presentation, we will discuss the AIRS Obs4MIPs V2 data set and their possible use for CMIP6 climate model evaluation.

Hearing the music in the spectrum of hydrogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LoPresto, Michael C.

2016-03-01

Throughout a general education course on sound and light aimed at music and art students, analogies between subjective perceptions of objective properties of sound and light waves are a recurring theme. Demonstrating that the pitch and loudness of musical sounds are related to the frequency and intensity of a sound wave is simple and students are easily able to draw the analogies with the color and brightness of light. When considering an entire spectrum, the presence of multiple frequencies and wavelengths of different intensities is perceived by the ear as sound quality, or musical timbre, while the perception of the eye is the tone or hue of a color. What follows is a description of a demonstration that draws the analogy between musical sound quality and the tone or hue of light in which the emission spectrum of hydrogen is considered and actually played as a musical chord.

Inferring Human Activity Recognition with Ambient Sound on Wireless Sensor Nodes.

PubMed

Salomons, Etto L; Havinga, Paul J M; van Leeuwen, Henk

2016-09-27

A wireless sensor network that consists of nodes with a sound sensor can be used to obtain context awareness in home environments. However, the limited processing power of wireless nodes offers a challenge when extracting features from the signal, and subsequently, classifying the source. Although multiple papers can be found on different methods of sound classification, none of these are aimed at limited hardware or take the efficiency of the algorithms into account. In this paper, we compare and evaluate several classification methods on a real sensor platform using different feature types and classifiers, in order to find an approach that results in a good classifier that can run on limited hardware. To be as realistic as possible, we trained our classifiers using sound waves from many different sources. We conclude that despite the fact that the classifiers are often of low quality due to the highly restricted hardware resources, sufficient performance can be achieved when (1) the window length for our classifiers is increased, and (2) if we apply a two-step approach that uses a refined classification after a global classification has been performed.

In flight auscultation: comparison of electronic and conventional stethoscopes.

PubMed

Tourtier, Jean P; Fontaine, Emmamuelle; Coste, Sébastien; Ramsang, Solange; Schiano, Patrick; Viaggi, Marie; Libert, Nicolas; Durand, Xavier; Chargari, Cyrus; Borne, Marc

2011-10-01

The ability to auscultate during air medical transport is compromised by high ambient noise levels. The aim of this study was to assess the capabilities of a traditional and an amplified stethoscope (which is expected to reduce background and ambient noise) to assess heart and breath sounds during medical transport in a Falcon 50 plane. A prospective, double-blind, randomized study was performed. We tested 1 model of traditional stethoscope (Littman cardiology III) and 1 model of amplified stethoscope (Littman 3100). We studied heart and lung auscultation during real medical evacuations aboard Falcon 50 (medically configured). For each, the quality of auscultation was described using a numeric rating scale (ranging from 0 to 10, with 0 corresponding to "I hear nothing" and 10 corresponding to "I hear perfectly"). Comparisons were accomplished using a t test for paired values. A total of 32 comparative evaluations were performed. For cardiac auscultation, the value of the rating scale was 5.8 ± 1.5 and 6.4 ± 1.9, respectively, for the traditional and amplified stethoscope (P = .018). For lung sounds, quality of auscultation was estimated at 3.3 ± 2.4 for traditional stethoscope and at 3.7 ± 2.9 for amplified stethoscope (P = .15). Practicians in Falcon 50 are more able to hear cardiac sounds with an amplified than with a traditional stethoscope, whereas there is no significant difference concerning breath sounds auscultation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Critical Appraisal of Microbiology Guidelines Endorsed by two Professional Organisations: Société Française De Microbiologie (SFM) and American Society of Microbiology (ASM).

PubMed

Fonfrède, Michèle; Couaillac, Jean Paul; Augereau, Christine; Lepargneur, Jean Pierre; Watine, Joseph

2012-07-01

Medical practice guidelines (GLs) being tools that are mainly designed to evaluate medical professionals, it sounds logical, and fair, that professionals should in turn evaluate GLs. Microbiology being a medical discipline, we used the AGREE instrument, i.e. an established evaluation tool for GLs, in order to evaluate the quality of two major microbiology guidelines, i.e. the SFM GLs and the ASM GLs). Both guidelines remain sub-optimal in their levels of quality, and obtain scores that are not very different from the average scores obtained by many other guidelines in various medical disciplines. We therefore believe that both guidelines need to be modified before they can be recommended without provisos. A higher degree of multi-disciplinary work, including a more formal implication of methodologists, as well as of infectious disease clinicians, and of economists, might perhaps enable future editions of these guidelines to reach higher levels of quality.

Feasibility of an electronic stethoscope system for monitoring neonatal bowel sounds.

PubMed

Dumas, Jasmine; Hill, Krista M; Adrezin, Ronald S; Alba, Jorge; Curry, Raquel; Campagna, Eric; Fernandes, Cecilia; Lamba, Vineet; Eisenfeld, Leonard

2013-09-01

Bowel dysfunction remains a major problem in neonates. Traditional auscultation of bowel sounds as a diagnostic aid in neonatal gastrointestinal complications is limited by skill and inability to document and reassess. Consequently, we built a unique prototype to investigate the feasibility of an electronic monitoring system for continuous assessment of bowel sounds. We attained approval by the Institutional Review Boards for the investigational study to test our system. The system incorporated a prototype stethoscope head with a built-in microphone connected to a digital recorder. Recordings made over extended periods were evaluated for quality. We also considered the acoustic environment of the hospital, where the stethoscope was used. The stethoscope head was attached to the abdomen with a hydrogel patch designed especially for this purpose. We used the system to obtain recordings from eight healthy, full-term babies. A scoring system was used to determine loudness, clarity, and ease of recognition comparing it to the traditional stethoscope. The recording duration was initially two hours and was increased to a maximum of eight hours. Median duration of attachment was three hours (3.75, 2.68). Based on the scoring, the bowel sound recording was perceived to be as loud and clear in sound reproduction as a traditional stethoscope. We determined that room noise and other noises were significant forms of interference in the recordings, which at times prevented analysis. However, no sound quality drift was noted in the recordings and no patient discomfort was noted. Minimal erythema was observed over the fixation site which subsided within one hour. We demonstrated the long-term recording of infant bowel sounds. Our contributions included a prototype stethoscope head, which was affixed using a specially designed hydrogel adhesive patch. Such a recording can be reviewed and reassessed, which is new technology and an improvement over current practice. The use of this system should also, theoretically, reduce risk of infection. Based on our research we concluded that while automatic assessment of bowel sounds is feasible over an extended period, there will be times when analysis is not possible. One limitation is noise interference. Our larger goals include producing a meaningful vital sign to characterize bowel sounds that can be produced in real-time, as well as providing automatic control for patient feeding pumps.

Determination of water quality, toxicity and estrogenic activity in a nearshore marine environment in Rio de Janeiro, Southeastern Brazil.

PubMed

do Nascimento, Marilia Teresa Lima; Santos, Ana Dalva de Oliveira; Felix, Louise Cruz; Gomes, Giselle; de Oliveira E Sá, Mariana; da Cunha, Danieli Lima; Vieira, Natividade; Hauser-Davis, Rachel Ann; Baptista Neto, José Antonio; Bila, Daniele Maia

2018-03-01

Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) can be found in domestic sewage, wastewater treatment plant effluents, natural water, rivers, lakes and in the marine environment. Jurujuba Sound, located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Southeastern Brazil, receives untreated sewage into its waters, one the main sources of aquatic contamination in this area. In this context, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the estrogenic potential of water sampled from different depths and from areas with differential contamination levels throughout Jurujuba Sound. Water quality was evaluated and acute toxicity assays using Allviibrio fischeri were conducted, while estrogenic activity of the water samples was determined by a Yeast Estrogen Screening assay (YES). Water quality was mostly within the limits established for marine waters by the Brazilian legislation, with only DOC and ammoniacal nitrogen levels above the maximum permissible limits. No acute toxicity effects were observed in the Allivibrio fisheri assay. The YES assay detected moderate estrogenic activity in bottom water samples from 3 sampling stations, ranging from 0.5 to 3.2ngL -1 , as well as in one surface water sample. Estrogenic activity was most frequently observed in samples from the bottom of the water column, indicating adsorption of estrogenic compounds to the sediment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hydrogeochemical and vertical electrical soundings for groundwater investigations, Burg El-Arab area, Northwestern Coast of Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atwia, Mohamed G.; Abu-Heleika, Mohamed M.; El-Horiny, Mohamed M.

2013-04-01

An integrated geological, hydrochemical, and geoelectrical investigation of shallow groundwater occurrence in Burg El-Arab area, northwestern coastal zone of Egypt is carried out. Groundwater of oolitic limestone and clastic aquifers is the principal source of water supply for agriculture in the area. The purpose of this study is to describe the hydrogeologic characteristics of aquifers and to provide a general evaluation of the chemical quality of water in aquifers. Chemical analysis was used to evaluate the chemical characteristics of groundwater and assessment of water quality. Electrical soundings were employed to delineate different water bearing formations and the configuration of the interface between them. Thirty-four water samples were collected and chemically analyzed from the two main aquifers in the area. Groundwaters of oolitic limestone aquifer are dominated by NaCl and have average TDS of approximately 2830 mg/l. Groundwater samples from clastic aquifer are slightly weakly mineralized (TDS approximately 2700 mg/l) and dominated by CaSO4. The hydrochemical data indicate that the groundwater is of meteoric origin. The variation in the chemistry of water is thought to be related to the weathering of minerals of the water-bearing sediments, mixing with marine water, and leaching of fertilizers in the newly reclaimed areas. Groundwater of the area can be used for irrigation under special circumstances management as the sodium hazard is medium while the salinity hazard ranges from high to very high. Thirty-four profiles of vertical electrical soundings (VESs) were obtained in Burg El-Arab area to examine the variations of subsurface geology and associated groundwater chemistry. Resistivity and thickness of aquifers, resistivity of the unsaturated zone and depth to the confining bed have been delineated from the interpretation of electrical sounding data. The range of electrical resistivity values have been assigned to different layers by calibrating electrical resistivity with the borehole data. Results of the vertical electrical soundings and the hydrochemistry of the groundwater samples show that the brackish groundwater is dominated in the study area whereas the fresh groundwater is found as isolated patches in oolitic limestone aquifer.

A Wireless Electronic Esophageal Stethoscope for Continuous Monitoring of Cardiovascular and Respiratory Systems during Anaesthesia

PubMed Central

Parsaei, H.; Vakily, A.; Shafiei, A.M.

2017-01-01

Background: The basic requirements for monitoring anesthetized patients during surgery are assessing cardiac and respiratory function. Esophageal stethoscopes have been developed for this purpose, but these devices may not provide clear heart and lung sound due to existence of various noises in operating rooms. In addition, the stethoscope is not applicable for continues monitoring, and it is unsuitable for observing inaccessible patients in some conditions such as during CT scan. Objective: A wireless electronic esophageal stethoscope is designed for continues auscultation of heart and lung sounds in anesthetized patients. The system consists of a transmitter and a receiver. The former acquires, amplifies and transmits the acquired sound signals to the latter via a frequency modulation transmitter. The receiver demodulates, amplifies, and delivers the received signal to a headphone to be heard by anesthesiologist. Results: The usability and effectiveness of the designed system was qualitatively evaluated by 5 anesthesiologists in Namazi Hospital and Shahid Chamran Hospital, Shiraz, Iran on 30 patients in several operating rooms in different conditions; e.g., when electro surgery instruments are working. Fortunately, the experts on average ranked good quality for the heard heart and lung sounds and very good on the user friendly being of the instrument. Conclusion: Evaluation results demonstrate that the developed system is capable of capturing and transmitting heart and lung sounds successfully. Therefore, it can be used to continuously monitor anesthetized patients’ cardiac and respiratory function. Since via the instrument wireless auscultation is possible, it could be suitable for observing inaccessible patients in several conditions such as during CT scan. PMID:28451580

Personal evaluation structure of environmental sounds: experiments of subjective evaluation using subjects' own terms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawai, Keiji; Kojima, Takaya; Hirate, Kotaroh; Yasuoka, Masahito

2004-10-01

In this study, we conducted an experiment to investigate the evaluation structure that lies at the basis of peoples' psychological evaluation of environmental sounds. In the experiment, subjects were given cards on each of which a name of one of the environmental sounds in the specified context is written. Then they did the following three tasks: (1) to sort the cards into groups by the similarity of their impressions of the imagined sounds; (2) to name each group with the word that best represented their overall impression of the group; and (3) to evaluate all sounds on the cards using the words obtained in the previous task. These tasks were done twice: once assuming they heard the sounds at ease inside their homes and once while walking outside in a resort theme park. We analysed the similarity of imagined impression between the sounds with a cluster analysis and clusters of sounds were produced, namely, sounds labelled "natural," "transportation," and so on. A principal component analysis revealed the three major factors of the evaluation structure for both contexts and they were interpreted as preference, activity and sense of daily life.

Potential Benefits of an Integrated Electric-Acoustic Sound Processor with Children: A Preliminary Report.

PubMed

Wolfe, Jace; Neumann, Sara; Schafer, Erin; Marsh, Megan; Wood, Mark; Baker, R Stanley

2017-02-01

A number of published studies have demonstrated the benefits of electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS) over conventional electric stimulation for adults with functional low-frequency acoustic hearing and severe-to-profound high-frequency hearing loss. These benefits potentially include better speech recognition in quiet and in noise, better localization, improvements in sound quality, better music appreciation and aptitude, and better pitch recognition. There is, however, a paucity of published reports describing the potential benefits and limitations of EAS for children with functional low-frequency acoustic hearing and severe-to-profound high-frequency hearing loss. The objective of this study was to explore the potential benefits of EAS for children. A repeated measures design was used to evaluate performance differences obtained with EAS stimulation versus acoustic- and electric-only stimulation. Seven users of Cochlear Nucleus Hybrid, Nucleus 24 Freedom, CI512, and CI422 implants were included in the study. Sentence recognition (assayed using the pediatric version of the AzBio sentence recognition test) was evaluated in quiet and at three fixed signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) (0, +5, and +10 dB). Functional hearing performance was also evaluated with the use of questionnaires, including the comparative version of the Speech, Spatial, and Qualities, the Listening Inventory for Education Revised, and the Children's Home Inventory for Listening Difficulties. Speech recognition in noise was typically better with EAS compared to participants' performance with acoustic- and electric-only stimulation, particularly when evaluated at the less favorable SNR. Additionally, in real-world situations, children generally preferred to use EAS compared to electric-only stimulation. Also, the participants' classroom teachers observed better hearing performance in the classroom with the use of EAS. Use of EAS provided better speech recognition in quiet and in noise when compared to performance obtained with use of acoustic- and electric-only stimulation, and children responded favorably to the use of EAS implemented in an integrated sound processor for real-world use. American Academy of Audiology

Specific guidelines for assessing and improving the methodological quality of economic evaluations of newborn screening

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Economic evaluation of newborn screening poses specific methodological challenges. Amongst others, these challenges refer to the use of quality adjusted life years (QALYs) in newborns, and which costs and outcomes need to be considered in a full evaluation of newborn screening programmes. Because of the increasing scale and scope of such programmes, a better understanding of the methods of high-quality economic evaluations may be crucial for both producers/authors and consumers/reviewers of newborn screening-related economic evaluations. The aim of this study was therefore to develop specific guidelines designed to assess and improve the methodological quality of economic evaluations in newborn screening. Methods To develop the guidelines, existing guidelines for assessing the quality of economic evaluations were identified through a literature search, and were reviewed and consolidated using a deductive iterative approach. In a subsequent test phase, these guidelines were applied to various economic evaluations which acted as case studies. Results The guidelines for assessing and improving the methodological quality of economic evaluations in newborn screening are organized into 11 categories: “bibliographic details”, “study question and design”, “modelling”, “health outcomes”, “costs”, “discounting”, “presentation of results”, “sensitivity analyses”, “discussion”, “conclusions”, and “commentary”. Conclusions The application of the guidelines highlights important issues regarding newborn screening-related economic evaluations, and underscores the need for such issues to be afforded greater consideration in future economic evaluations. The variety in methodological quality detected by this study reveals the need for specific guidelines on the appropriate methods for conducting sound economic evaluations in newborn screening. PMID:22947299

Low complexity lossless compression of underwater sound recordings.

PubMed

Johnson, Mark; Partan, Jim; Hurst, Tom

2013-03-01

Autonomous listening devices are increasingly used to study vocal aquatic animals, and there is a constant need to record longer or with greater bandwidth, requiring efficient use of memory and battery power. Real-time compression of sound has the potential to extend recording durations and bandwidths at the expense of increased processing operations and therefore power consumption. Whereas lossy methods such as MP3 introduce undesirable artifacts, lossless compression algorithms (e.g., flac) guarantee exact data recovery. But these algorithms are relatively complex due to the wide variety of signals they are designed to compress. A simpler lossless algorithm is shown here to provide compression factors of three or more for underwater sound recordings over a range of noise environments. The compressor was evaluated using samples from drifting and animal-borne sound recorders with sampling rates of 16-240 kHz. It achieves >87% of the compression of more-complex methods but requires about 1/10 of the processing operations resulting in less than 1 mW power consumption at a sampling rate of 192 kHz on a low-power microprocessor. The potential to triple recording duration with a minor increase in power consumption and no loss in sound quality may be especially valuable for battery-limited tags and robotic vehicles.

Teaching room acoustics as a product sound quality issue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kleiner, Mendel; Vastfjall, Daniel

2003-04-01

The department of Applied Acoustics teaches engineering and architect students at Chalmers University of Technology. The teaching of room acoustics to architectural students has been under constant development under several years and is now based on the study of room acoustics as a product sound quality issue. Various listening sessions using binaural sound recording and reproduction is used to focus students' learning on simple, easy to remember concepts. Computer modeling using ray tracing software and auralization is also used extensively as a tool to demonstrate concepts in addition to other software for simple sound generation and manipulation. Sound in general is the focus of an interdisciplinary course for students from Chalmers as well as from a school of art, a school of design, and a school of music which offers particular challenges and which is almost all listening based.

A screening approach for classroom acoustics using web-based listening tests and subjective ratings.

PubMed

Persson Waye, Kerstin; Magnusson, Lennart; Fredriksson, Sofie; Croy, Ilona

2015-01-01

Perception of speech is crucial in school where speech is the main mode of communication. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether a web based approach including listening tests and questionnaires could be used as a screening tool for poor classroom acoustics. The prime focus was the relation between pupils' comprehension of speech, the classroom acoustics and their description of the acoustic qualities of the classroom. In total, 1106 pupils aged 13-19, from 59 classes and 38 schools in Sweden participated in a listening study using Hagerman's sentences administered via Internet. Four listening conditions were applied: high and low background noise level and positions close and far away from the loudspeaker. The pupils described the acoustic quality of the classroom and teachers provided information on the physical features of the classroom using questionnaires. In 69% of the classes, at least three pupils described the sound environment as adverse and in 88% of the classes one or more pupil reported often having difficulties concentrating due to noise. The pupils' comprehension of speech was strongly influenced by the background noise level (p<0.001) and distance to the loudspeakers (p<0.001). Of the physical classroom features, presence of suspended acoustic panels (p<0.05) and length of the classroom (p<0.01) predicted speech comprehension. Of the pupils' descriptions of acoustic qualities, clattery significantly (p<0.05) predicted speech comprehension. Clattery was furthermore associated to difficulties understanding each other, while the description noisy was associated to concentration difficulties. The majority of classrooms do not seem to have an optimal sound environment. The pupil's descriptions of acoustic qualities and listening tests can be one way of predicting sound conditions in the classroom.

Impact of Aberrant Acoustic Properties on the Perception of Sound Quality in Electrolarynx Speech

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meltzner, Geoffrey S.; Hillman, Robert E.

2005-01-01

A large percentage of patients who have undergone laryngectomy to treat advanced laryngeal cancer rely on an electrolarynx (EL) to communicate verbally. Although serviceable, EL speech is plagued by shortcomings in both sound quality and intelligibility. This study sought to better quantify the relative contributions of previously identified…

Music therapy as specific and complementary training for adults after cochlear implantation: A pilot study.

PubMed

Hutter, E; Argstatter, H; Grapp, M; Plinkert, P K

2015-09-01

Although cochlear implant (CI) users achieve good speech comprehension, they experience difficulty perceiving music and prosody in speech. As the provision of music training in rehabilitation is limited, a novel concept of music therapy for rehabilitation of adult CI users was developed and evaluated in this pilot study. Twelve unilaterally implanted, postlingually deafened CI users attended ten sessions of individualized and standardized training. The training started about 6 weeks after the initial activation of the speech processor. Before and after therapy, psychological and musical tests were applied in order to evaluate the effects of music therapy. CI users completed the musical tests in two conditions: bilateral (CI + contralateral, unimplanted ear) and unilateral (CI only). After therapy, improvements were observed in the subjective sound quality (Hearing Implant Sound Quality Index) and the global score on the self-concept questionnaire (Multidimensional Self-Concept Scales) as well as in the musical subtests for melody recognition and for timbre identification in the unilateral condition. Discussion Preliminary results suggest improvements in subjective hearing and music perception, with an additional increase in global self-concept and enhanced daily listening capacities. The novel concept of individualized music therapy seems to provide an effective treatment option in the rehabilitation of adult CI users. Further investigations are necessary to evaluate effects in the area of prosody perception and to separate therapy effects from general learning effects in CI rehabilitation.

Sound field diffusivity in NASA Langley Research Center hardwalled acoustic facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcgary, M. C.

1982-01-01

Cross correlation measurements were performed to determine the quality of the sound fields in the ANRL reverberation room and the ANRL transmission loss facility. The results indicate the level of sound field diffuseness which may be attained in these hardwalled acoustic facilities.

Point focusing using loudspeaker arrays from the perspective of optimal beamforming.

PubMed

Bai, Mingsian R; Hsieh, Yu-Hao

2015-06-01

Sound focusing is to create a concentrated acoustic field in the region surrounded by a loudspeaker array. This problem was tackled in the previous research via the Helmholtz integral approach, brightness control, acoustic contrast control, etc. In this paper, the same problem was revisited from the perspective of beamforming. A source array model is reformulated in terms of the steering matrix between the source and the field points, which lends itself to the use of beamforming algorithms such as minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) and linearly constrained minimum variance (LCMV) originally intended for sensor arrays. The beamforming methods are compared with the conventional methods in terms of beam pattern, directional index, and control effort. Objective tests are conducted to assess the audio quality by using perceptual evaluation of audio quality (PEAQ). Experiments of produced sound field and listening tests are conducted in a listening room, with results processed using analysis of variance and regression analysis. In contrast to the conventional energy-based methods, the results have shown that the proposed methods are phase-sensitive in light of the distortionless constraint in formulating the array filters, which helps enhance audio quality and focusing performance.

Auscultation in flight: comparison of conventional and electronic stethoscopes.

PubMed

Tourtier, J P; Libert, N; Clapson, P; Tazarourte, K; Borne, M; Grasser, L; Debien, B; Auroy, Y

2011-01-01

The ability to auscultate during air medical transport is compromised by high ambient-noise levels. The aim of this study was to assess the capabilities of a traditional and an electronic stethoscope (which is expected to amplify sounds and reduce ambient noise) to assess heart and breath sounds during medical transport in a Boeing C135. We tested one model of a traditional stethoscope (3MTM Littmann Cardiology IIITM) and one model of an electronic stethoscope (3MTM Littmann Stethoscope Model 3000). We studied heart and lung auscultation during real medical evacuations aboard a medically configured C135. For each device, the quality of auscultation was described using a visual rating scale (ranging from 0 to 100 mm, 0 corresponding to "I hear nothing," 100 to "I hear perfectly"). Comparisons were accomplished using a t-test for paired values. A total of 36 comparative evaluations were performed. For cardiac auscultation, the value of the visual rating scale was 53 ± 24 and 85 ± 11 mm, respectively, for the traditional and electronic stethoscope (paired t-test: P = .0024). For lung sounds, quality of auscultation was estimated at 27 ± 17 mm for traditional stethoscope and 68 ± 13 for electronic stethoscope (paired t-test: P = .0003). The electronic stethoscope was considered to be better than the standard model for hearing heart and lung sounds. Flight practitioners involved in air medical evacuation in the C135 aircraft are better able to practice auscultation with this electronic stethoscope than with a traditional one. Copyright © 2011 Air Medical Journal Associates. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relation Between the Overall Impression of the Sound Environment and Types and Loudness of Environmental Sounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

KAWAI, K.; YANO, T.

2002-02-01

This paper reports an experimental study determining the effects of the type and loudness of individual sounds on the overall impression of the sound environment. Field and laboratory experiments were carried out. In each experiment, subjects evaluated the sound environment presented, which consisted of combinations of three individual sounds of road traffic, singing crickets and the murmuring of a river, with five bipolar adjective scales such as Good-Bad, Active-Calm and Natural-Artificial. Overall loudness had the strongest effect on most types of evaluations; relative SPL has a greater effect than overall loudness on a particular evaluation of the natural-artificial scale. The test sounds in the field experiment were generally evaluated as more good and more natural than those in the laboratory. The results of comparisons between laboratory and field sounds indicate a difference in the trend between them. This difference may be explained by the term of selective listening but that needs further investigation.

Improving road safety and residential quality of life : evaluating the automated wayside horn system.

PubMed

Lucke, Roy E; Raub, Richard A; Thunder, Thomas E

2004-01-01

The automated wayside horn system is designed to replace the train horn as a means of alerting motorists to danger and thus enhancing safety at highway-rail grade crossings. Furthermore, the wayside horn directionality is such that the warning sound is broadcast over a smaller sector than the train horn, thereby reducing residential noise. This article examines the results of an evaluation comparing train horns with wayside horns in the village of Mundelein, Illinois, USA. The study derived from previous work in Gering, Nebraska, and Ames, Iowa.During the 3 months covering the 'before' (train horn) period and through to 'after' (wayside horn), more than 19 500 crossing gate closures were recorded on videotape at three crossings. Analysis showed motorist violation of level-crossing laws decreased 68%, from an average rate of 3.53 per 100 gate closings when train horns were in use to 1.12 per 100 with the wayside horn. The decrease was statistically significant. Of equal importance was the decrease in residential noise. Sound measurements taken in a sample of residential yards showed a decrease in sound levels by more than 10 decibels (dB) at most locations. When plotted as sound contours, decreases in the area of coverage ranged from 85% at the 90dB level to 65% at the 70dB level.However, there are two issues with the use of wayside horns that need to be resolved. First, and most important, is that the wayside horn starts sounding when the warning lights begin to flash. This startles motorists, and some stop on the rail tracks. A second issue is the frequent unwarranted activation of the system, which encourages people to ignore the gate.

Online estimation of room reverberation time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ratnam, Rama; Jones, Douglas L.; Wheeler, Bruce C.; Feng, Albert S.

2003-04-01

The reverberation time (RT) is an important parameter for characterizing the quality of an auditory space. Sounds in reverberant environments are subject to coloration. This affects speech intelligibility and sound localization. State-of-the-art signal processing algorithms for hearing aids are expected to have the ability to evaluate the characteristics of the listening environment and turn on an appropriate processing strategy accordingly. Thus, a method for the characterization of room RT based on passively received microphone signals represents an important enabling technology. Current RT estimators, such as Schroeder's method or regression, depend on a controlled sound source, and thus cannot produce an online, blind RT estimate. Here, we describe a method for estimating RT without prior knowledge of sound sources or room geometry. The diffusive tail of reverberation was modeled as an exponentially damped Gaussian white noise process. The time constant of the decay, which provided a measure of the RT, was estimated using a maximum-likelihood procedure. The estimates were obtained continuously, and an order-statistics filter was used to extract the most likely RT from the accumulated estimates. The procedure was illustrated for connected speech. Results obtained for simulated and real room data are in good agreement with the real RT values.

Auralization of vibroacoustic models in engineering using Wave Field Synthesis: Application to plates and transmission loss

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolduc, A.; Gauthier, P.-A.; Berry, A.

2017-12-01

While perceptual evaluation and sound quality testing with jury are now recognized as essential parts of acoustical product development, they are rarely implemented with spatial sound field reproduction. Instead, monophonic, stereophonic or binaural presentations are used. This paper investigates the workability and interest of a method to use complete vibroacoustic engineering models for auralization based on 2.5D Wave Field Synthesis (WFS). This method is proposed in order that spatial characteristics such as directivity patterns and direction-of-arrival are part of the reproduced sound field while preserving the model complete formulation that coherently combines frequency and spatial responses. Modifications to the standard 2.5D WFS operators are proposed for extended primary sources, affecting the reference line definition and compensating for out-of-plane elementary primary sources. Reported simulations and experiments of reproductions of two physically-accurate vibroacoustic models of thin plates show that the proposed method allows for an effective reproduction in the horizontal plane: Spatial and frequency domains features are recreated. Application of the method to the sound rendering of a virtual transmission loss measurement setup shows the potential of the method for use in virtual acoustical prototyping for jury testing.

"Updates to Model Algorithms & Inputs for the Biogenic ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

We have developed new canopy emission algorithms and land use data for BEIS. Simulations with BEIS v3.4 and these updates in CMAQ v5.0.2 are compared these changes to the Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature (MEGAN) and evaluated the simulations against observations. This has resulted in improvements in model evaluations of modeled isoprene, NOx, and O3. The National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) Atmospheric Modeling and Analysis Division (AMAD) conducts research in support of EPA mission to protect human health and the environment. AMAD research program is engaged in developing and evaluating predictive atmospheric models on all spatial and temporal scales for forecasting the air quality and for assessing changes in air quality and air pollutant exposures, as affected by changes in ecosystem management and regulatory decisions. AMAD is responsible for providing a sound scientific and technical basis for regulatory policies based on air quality models to improve ambient air quality. The models developed by AMAD are being used by EPA, NOAA, and the air pollution community in understanding and forecasting not only the magnitude of the air pollution problem, but also in developing emission control policies and regulations for air quality improvements.

Direct-current vertical electrical-resistivity soundings in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Westjohn, D.B.; Carter, P.J.

1989-01-01

Ninety-three direct-current vertical electrical-resistivity soundings were conducted in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan from June through October 1987. These soundings were made to assist in mapping the depth to brine in areas where borehole resistivity logs and water-quality data are sparse or lacking. The Schlumberger array for placement of current and potential electrodes was used for each sounding. Vertical electrical-resistivity sounding field data, shifted and smoothed sounding data, and electric layers calculated using inverse modeling techniques are presented. Also included is a summary of the near-surface conditions and depths to conductors and resistors for each sounding location.

Continuous robust sound event classification using time-frequency features and deep learning

PubMed Central

Song, Yan; Xiao, Wei; Phan, Huy

2017-01-01

The automatic detection and recognition of sound events by computers is a requirement for a number of emerging sensing and human computer interaction technologies. Recent advances in this field have been achieved by machine learning classifiers working in conjunction with time-frequency feature representations. This combination has achieved excellent accuracy for classification of discrete sounds. The ability to recognise sounds under real-world noisy conditions, called robust sound event classification, is an especially challenging task that has attracted recent research attention. Another aspect of real-word conditions is the classification of continuous, occluded or overlapping sounds, rather than classification of short isolated sound recordings. This paper addresses the classification of noise-corrupted, occluded, overlapped, continuous sound recordings. It first proposes a standard evaluation task for such sounds based upon a common existing method for evaluating isolated sound classification. It then benchmarks several high performing isolated sound classifiers to operate with continuous sound data by incorporating an energy-based event detection front end. Results are reported for each tested system using the new task, to provide the first analysis of their performance for continuous sound event detection. In addition it proposes and evaluates a novel Bayesian-inspired front end for the segmentation and detection of continuous sound recordings prior to classification. PMID:28892478

Continuous robust sound event classification using time-frequency features and deep learning.

PubMed

McLoughlin, Ian; Zhang, Haomin; Xie, Zhipeng; Song, Yan; Xiao, Wei; Phan, Huy

2017-01-01

The automatic detection and recognition of sound events by computers is a requirement for a number of emerging sensing and human computer interaction technologies. Recent advances in this field have been achieved by machine learning classifiers working in conjunction with time-frequency feature representations. This combination has achieved excellent accuracy for classification of discrete sounds. The ability to recognise sounds under real-world noisy conditions, called robust sound event classification, is an especially challenging task that has attracted recent research attention. Another aspect of real-word conditions is the classification of continuous, occluded or overlapping sounds, rather than classification of short isolated sound recordings. This paper addresses the classification of noise-corrupted, occluded, overlapped, continuous sound recordings. It first proposes a standard evaluation task for such sounds based upon a common existing method for evaluating isolated sound classification. It then benchmarks several high performing isolated sound classifiers to operate with continuous sound data by incorporating an energy-based event detection front end. Results are reported for each tested system using the new task, to provide the first analysis of their performance for continuous sound event detection. In addition it proposes and evaluates a novel Bayesian-inspired front end for the segmentation and detection of continuous sound recordings prior to classification.

A variable passive low-frequency absorber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsen, Niels Werner; Thompson, Eric R.; Gade, Anders Christian

2005-04-01

Multi-purpose concert halls face a dilemma. They can host classical music concerts, rock concerts and spoken word performances in a matter of a short period. These different performance types require significantly different acoustic conditions in order to provide the best sound quality to both the performers and the audience. A recommended reverberation time for classical music may be in the range of 1.5-2 s for empty halls, where rock music sounds best with a reverberation time around 0.8-1 s. Modern rhythmic music often contains high levels of sound energy in the low frequency bands but still requires a high definition for good sound quality. Ideally, the absorption of the hall should be adjustable in all frequency bands in order to provide good sound quality for all types of performances. The mid and high frequency absorption is easily regulated, but adjusting the low-frequency absorption has typically been too expensive or requires too much space to be practical for multi-purpose halls. Measurements were made on a variable low-frequency absorber to develop a practical solution to the dilemma. The paper will present the results of the measurements as well as a possible design.

Mobile videoconferencing for enhanced emergency medical communication - a shot in the dark or a walk in the park? ‒‒ A simulation study.

PubMed

Melbye, Sigurd; Hotvedt, Martin; Bolle, Stein Roald

2014-06-02

Videoconferencing on mobile phones may enhance communication, but knowledge on its quality in various situations is needed before it can be used in medical emergencies. Mobile phones automatically activate loudspeaker functionality during videoconferencing, making calls particularly vulnerable to background noise. The aim of this study was to investigate if videoconferencing can be used between lay bystanders and Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) operators for initial emergency calls during medical emergencies, under suboptimal sound and light conditions. Videoconferencing was tested between 90 volunteers and an emergency medical dispatcher in a standardized scenario of a medical emergency. Three different environments were used for the trials: indoors with moderate background noise, outdoors with daylight and much background noise, and outdoors during nighttime with little background noise. Thirty participants were recruited for each of the three locations. After informed consent, each participant was asked to use a video mobile phone to communicate with an EMD operator. During the video call the EMD operator gave instructions for tasks to be performed by the participant. The video quality from the caller to the EMD was evaluated by the EMD operator and rated on a five step scale ranging from "not able to see" to "good video quality". Sound quality between participants and EMD operators was assessed by a method developed for this trial. Kruskal - Wallis and Chi-square tests were used for statistical analysis. Video quality was significantly different between the groups (p <0.001), and the nighttime group had lower video quality. For most sessions in the nighttime group it was still possible to see actions done at the simulated emergency site. All participants were able to perform their tasks according to the instructions given by dispatchers, although with a need for more repetitions during sessions with much background noise. No calls were rated by dispatchers as incomprehensible due to low sound quality and only 3% of the calls were considered somewhat difficult or very difficult to understand. Videoconferencing on mobile phones can be used for the initial emergency call during medical emergencies also in suboptimal conditions.

Estimating stratospheric temperature trends using satellite microwave radiances

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hudson, Robert D.; Newman, Paul A.; Schoeberl, Mark R.

1990-01-01

The objective was to evaluate and intercompare stratospheric temperatures using Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) data as a basis data set. The MSU, aboard the NOAA polar orbiter satellite series, provides twice daily global coverage over a layer (50-150 mb) at approximately a (170km)(exp 2) resolution. Conventional data sets will be compared to the satellite data in the lower stratosphere in order to assess their quality for trend computations.

Measuring the youth bullying experience: a systematic review of the psychometric properties of available instruments.

PubMed

Vessey, Judith; Strout, Tania D; DiFazio, Rachel L; Walker, Allison

2014-12-01

Bullying is a significant problem in schools and measuring this concept remains problematic. The purposes of this study were to (1) identify the published self-report measures developed to assess youth bullying; (2) evaluate their psychometric properties and instrument characteristics; and (3) evaluate the quality of identified psychometric papers evaluating youth bullying measures. A systematic review of the literature was conducted using 4 electronic databases. Data extraction and appraisal of identified instruments were completed using a standardized method and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Thirty-one articles describing 27 self-report instruments were evaluated in our analysis. Quality assessments ranged from 18% to 91%, with 6 papers reaching or exceeding a quality score of 75%. Limited evidence supporting the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of existing youth bullying measures was identified. Evidence supporting the psychometric soundness of the instruments identified was limited. Many measures were in early development and additional evaluation is necessary to validate their psychometric properties. A pool of instruments possesses acceptable initial psychometric dependability for selected assessment purposes. These findings have significant implications for assessing youth bullying and designing and evaluating school-based interventions. © 2014, American School Health Association.

The influence of company identity on the perception of vehicle sounds.

PubMed

Humphreys, Louise; Giudice, Sebastiano; Jennings, Paul; Cain, Rebecca; Song, Wookeun; Dunne, Garry

2011-04-01

In order to determine how the interior of a car should sound, automotive manufacturers often rely on obtaining data from individual evaluations of vehicle sounds. Company identity could play a role in these appraisals, particularly when individuals are comparing cars from opposite ends of the performance spectrum. This research addressed the question: does company identity influence the evaluation of automotive sounds belonging to cars of a similar performance level and from the same market segment? Participants listened to car sounds from two competing manufacturers, together with control sounds. Before listening to each sound, participants were presented with the correct company identity for that sound, the incorrect identity or were given no information about the identity of the sound. The results showed that company identity did not influence appraisals of high performance cars belonging to different manufacturers. These results have positive implications for methodologies employed to capture the perceptions of individuals. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: A challenge in automotive design is to set appropriate targets for vehicle sounds, relying on understanding subjective reactions of individuals to such sounds. This paper assesses the role of company identity in influencing these subjective reactions and will guide sound evaluation studies, in which the manufacturer is often apparent.

A Time-of-Flight Method to Measure the Speed of Sound Using a Stereo Sound Card

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carvalho, Carlos C.; dos Santos, J. M. B. Lopes; Marques, M. B.

2008-01-01

Most homes in developed countries have a sophisticated data acquisition board, namely the PC sound board. Designed to be able to reproduce CD-quality stereo sound, it must have a sampling rate of at least 44 kHz and have very accurate timing between the two stereo channels. With a very simple adaptation of a pair of regular PC microphones, a…

Mapping saltwater intrusion in the Biscayne Aquifer, Miami-Dade County, Florida using transient electromagnetic sounding

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fitterman, David V.

2014-01-01

Saltwater intrusion in southern Florida poses a potential threat to the public drinking-water supply that is typically monitored using water samples and electromagnetic induction logs collected from a network of wells. Transient electromagnetic (TEM) soundings are a complementary addition to the monitoring program because of their ease of use, low cost, and ability to fill in data gaps between wells. TEM soundings have been used to map saltwater intrusion in the Biscayne aquifer over a large part of south Florida including eastern Miami-Dade County and the Everglades. These two areas are very different with one being urban and the other undeveloped. Each poses different conditions that affect data collection and data quality. In the developed areas, finding sites large enough to make soundings is difficult. The presence of underground pipes further restricts useable locations. Electromagnetic noise, which reduces data quality, is also an issue. In the Everglades, access to field sites is difficult and working in water-covered terrain is challenging. Nonetheless, TEM soundings are an effective tool for mapping saltwater intrusion. Direct estimates of water quality can be obtained from the inverted TEM data using a formation factor determined for the Biscayne aquifer. This formation factor is remarkably constant over Miami-Dade County owing to the uniformity of the aquifer and the absence of clay. Thirty-six TEM soundings were collected in the Model Land area of southeast Miami-Dade County to aid in calibration of a helicopter electromagnetic (HEM) survey. The soundings and HEM survey revealed an area of saltwater intrusion aligned with canals and drainage ditches along U.S. Highway 1 and the Card Sound Road. These canals and ditches likely reduced freshwater levels through unregulated drainage and provided pathways for seawater to flow at least 12.4 km inland.

Evaluation of the impact of noise metrics on tiltrotor aircraft design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sternfeld, H.; Spencer, R.; Ziegenbein, P.

1995-01-01

A subjective noise evaluation was conducted in which the test participants evaluated the annoyance of simulated sounds representative of future civil tiltrotor aircraft. The subjective responses were correlated with the noise metrics of A-weighted sound pressure level, overall sound pressure level, and perceived level. The results indicated that correlation between subjective response and A-weighted sound pressure level is considerably enhanced by combining it in a multiple regression with overall sound pressure level. As a single metric, perceived level correlated better than A-weighted sound pressure level due to greater emphasis on low frequency noise components. This latter finding was especially true for indoor noise where the mid and high frequency noise components are attenuated by typical building structure. Using the results of the subjective noise evaluation, the impact on tiltrotor aircraft design was also evaluated. While A-weighted sound pressure level can be reduced by reduction in tip speed, an increase in number of rotor blades is required to achieve significant reduction of low frequency noise as measured by overall sound pressure level. Additional research, however, is required to achieve comparable reductions in impulsive noise due to blade-vortex interaction, and also to achieve reduction in broad band noise.

The development and psychometrical evaluation of a set of instruments to evaluate the effectiveness of diabetes patient education.

PubMed

Duprez, Veerle; De Pover, Marleen; De Spiegelaere, Marc; Beeckman, Dimitri

2014-02-01

To develop a set of psychometrically sound instruments to assess knowledge, self-management and self-efficacy of diabetic patients. Furthermore, a survey to evaluate the satisfaction about diabetes education for patients was developed and tested. Treatment and secondary prevention of diabetes require a complex combination of care components. Patients' education has been accepted to improve diabetes knowledge, self-management and self-efficacy. Psychometrically sound instruments are needed to measure these patient-centred outcomes. Psychometric instrument validation. The first phase included a systematic literature review to develop the instruments. Content validity was evaluated using a two-round Delphi procedure involving diabetes experts. The content validity of the instruments was excellent. In a second phase, a convenience sample of 188 diabetic patients in two hospitals in one specific care region in Belgium participated in the psychometric evaluation. The criterion-related validity and internal consistency reliability were evaluated. The study produced a 21-item knowledge instrument, reflecting knowledge about 'glycemic control' and 'medico-social management aspects'. The self-management instrument included 32 statements, reflecting 'treatment and compliance' and 'general lifestyle'. The self-efficacy instrument included 30 items, reflecting 'nutrition', 'treatment' and 'regimen'. The patient satisfaction survey included 36 items, reflecting satisfaction about the relationship among the diabetes specialist, the diabetes educator, podiatrist and dietician. An instrument set with sound psychometric characteristics was developed to assess knowledge, self-management and self-efficacy of diabetic patients. Future studies should focus on the association between the instrument outcomes and clinical patient outcomes. The current instrument can support the design of educational interventions and training programmes and reduce inconsistencies in the information that patients receive. Furthermore, the instruments can be used for benchmarking the quality of diabetic patient education. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Loss of urban forest canopy and the related effects on soundscape and human directed attention

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laverne, Robert James Paul

The specific questions addressed in this research are: Will the loss of trees in residential neighborhoods result in a change to the local soundscape? The investigation of this question leads to a related inquiry: Do the sounds of the environment in which a person is present affect their directed attention?. An invasive insect pest, the Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis ), is killing millions of ash trees (genus Fraxinus) throughout North America. As the loss of tree canopy occurs, urban ecosystems change (including higher summer temperatures, more stormwater runoff, and poorer air quality) causing associated changes to human physical and mental health. Previous studies suggest that conditions in urban environments can result in chronic stress in humans and fatigue to directed attention, which is the ability to focus on tasks and to pay attention. Access to nature in cities can help refresh directed attention. The sights and sounds associated with parks, open spaces, and trees can serve as beneficial counterbalances to the irritating conditions associated with cities. This research examines changes to the quantity and quality of sounds in Arlington Heights, Illinois. A series of before-and-after sound recordings were gathered as trees died and were removed between 2013 and 2015. Comparison of recordings using the Raven sound analysis program revealed significant differences in some, but not all measures of sound attributes as tree canopy decreased. In general, more human-produced mechanical sounds (anthrophony) and fewer sounds associated with weather (geophony) were detected. Changes in sounds associated with animals (biophony) varied seasonally. Monitoring changes in the proportions of anthrophony, biophony and geophony can provide insight into changes in biodiversity, environmental health, and quality of life for humans. Before-tree-removal and after-tree-removal sound recordings served as the independent variable for randomly-assigned human volunteers as they performed the Stroop Test and the Necker Cube Pattern Control test to measure directed attention. The sound treatments were not found to have significant effects on the directed attention test scores. Future research is needed to investigate the characteristics of urban soundscapes that are detrimental or potentially conducive to human cognitive functioning.

Structured Counseling for Auditory Dynamic Range Expansion.

PubMed

Gold, Susan L; Formby, Craig

2017-02-01

A structured counseling protocol is described that, when combined with low-level broadband sound therapy from bilateral sound generators, offers audiologists a new tool for facilitating the expansion of the auditory dynamic range (DR) for loudness. The protocol and its content are specifically designed to address and treat problems that impact hearing-impaired persons who, due to their reduced DRs, may be limited in the use and benefit of amplified sound from hearing aids. The reduced DRs may result from elevated audiometric thresholds and/or reduced sound tolerance as documented by lower-than-normal loudness discomfort levels (LDLs). Accordingly, the counseling protocol is appropriate for challenging and difficult-to-fit persons with sensorineural hearing losses who experience loudness recruitment or hyperacusis. Positive treatment outcomes for individuals with the former and latter conditions are highlighted in this issue by incremental shifts (improvements) in LDL and/or categorical loudness judgments, associated reduced complaints of sound intolerance, and functional improvements in daily communication, speech understanding, and quality of life leading to improved hearing aid benefit, satisfaction, and aided sound quality, posttreatment.

Structured Counseling for Auditory Dynamic Range Expansion

PubMed Central

Gold, Susan L.; Formby, Craig

2017-01-01

A structured counseling protocol is described that, when combined with low-level broadband sound therapy from bilateral sound generators, offers audiologists a new tool for facilitating the expansion of the auditory dynamic range (DR) for loudness. The protocol and its content are specifically designed to address and treat problems that impact hearing-impaired persons who, due to their reduced DRs, may be limited in the use and benefit of amplified sound from hearing aids. The reduced DRs may result from elevated audiometric thresholds and/or reduced sound tolerance as documented by lower-than-normal loudness discomfort levels (LDLs). Accordingly, the counseling protocol is appropriate for challenging and difficult-to-fit persons with sensorineural hearing losses who experience loudness recruitment or hyperacusis. Positive treatment outcomes for individuals with the former and latter conditions are highlighted in this issue by incremental shifts (improvements) in LDL and/or categorical loudness judgments, associated reduced complaints of sound intolerance, and functional improvements in daily communication, speech understanding, and quality of life leading to improved hearing aid benefit, satisfaction, and aided sound quality, posttreatment. PMID:28286367

Acoustic evaluation and adjustment of an open-plan office through architectural design and noise control.

PubMed

Passero, Carolina Reich Marcon; Zannin, Paulo Henrique Trombetta

2012-11-01

Arranging office space into a single open room offers advantages in terms of easy exchange of information and interaction among coworkers, but reduces privacy and acoustic comfort. Thus, the purpose of this work was to evaluate the acoustic quality of a real open-plan office and to propose changes in the room to improve the acoustic conditioning of this office. The computational model of the office under study was calibrated based on RT and STI measurements. Predictions were made of the RT and STI, which generated the radius of distraction r(D), and the rate of spatial decay of sound pressure levels per distance doubling DL(2) in the real conditions of the office and after modifications of the room. The insertion of dividers between work stations and an increase in the ceiling's sound absorption improved the acoustic conditions in the office under study. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Statistical Analysis for Subjective and Objective Evaluations of Dental Drill Sounds.

PubMed

Yamada, Tomomi; Kuwano, Sonoko; Ebisu, Shigeyuki; Hayashi, Mikako

2016-01-01

The sound produced by a dental air turbine handpiece (dental drill) can markedly influence the sound environment in a dental clinic. Indeed, many patients report that the sound of a dental drill elicits an unpleasant feeling. Although several manufacturers have attempted to reduce the sound pressure levels produced by dental drills during idling based on ISO 14457, the sound emitted by such drills under active drilling conditions may negatively influence the dental clinic sound environment. The physical metrics related to the unpleasant impressions associated with dental drill sounds have not been determined. In the present study, psychological measurements of dental drill sounds were conducted with the aim of facilitating improvement of the sound environment at dental clinics. Specifically, we examined the impressions elicited by the sounds of 12 types of dental drills in idling and drilling conditions using a semantic differential. The analysis revealed that the impressions of dental drill sounds varied considerably between idling and drilling conditions and among the examined drills. This finding suggests that measuring the sound of a dental drill in idling conditions alone may be insufficient for evaluating the effects of the sound. We related the results of the psychological evaluations to those of measurements of the physical metrics of equivalent continuous A-weighted sound pressure levels (LAeq) and sharpness. Factor analysis indicated that impressions of the dental drill sounds consisted of two factors: "metallic and unpleasant" and "powerful". LAeq had a strong relationship with "powerful impression", calculated sharpness was positively related to "metallic impression", and "unpleasant impression" was predicted by the combination of both LAeq and calculated sharpness. The present analyses indicate that, in addition to a reduction in sound pressure level, refining the frequency components of dental drill sounds is important for creating a comfortable sound environment in dental clinics.

Satellite sound broadcasting system study: Mobile considerations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golshan, Nasser

1990-01-01

Discussed here is the mobile reception part of a study to investigate a satellite sound broadcast system in the UHF or L bands. Existing propagation and reception measurements are used with proper interpretation to evaluate the signaling, coding, and diversity alternatives suitable for the system. Signal attenuation in streets shadowed by buildings appear to be around 29 db, considerably higher than the 10 db adopted by CCIR. With the marriage of proper technologies, an LMSS class satellite can provide substantial direct satellite audio broadcast capability in UHF or L bands for high quality mobile and portable indoor reception by low cost radio receivers. This scheme requires terrestrial repeaters for satisfactory mobile reception in urban areas. A specialized bandwidth efficient spread spectrum signalling technique is particularly suitable for the terrestrial repeaters.

The business case for quality.

PubMed

Boehler, Richard; Hardesty, Daniel; Gonzales, Eva; Kasnetz, Karen

2009-10-01

Among the lessons St. Joseph Medical Center learned in implementing a diabetes care management program were that: There is a sound business case for quality with such a program. A sound business plan based on a track record of accomplishments by other organizations is key to gaining clinician buy-in. Deploying dwindling resources to simultaneously improve care and the organization's bottom line requires collaboration between clinicians and finance.

NASA Glenn's Acoustical Testing Laboratory Awarded Accreditation by the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Akers, James C.; Cooper, Beth A.

2004-01-01

NASA Glenn Research Center's Acoustical Testing Laboratory (ATL) provides a comprehensive array of acoustical testing services, including sound pressure level, sound intensity level, and sound-power-level testing per International Standards Organization (ISO)1 3744. Since its establishment in September 2000, the ATL has provided acoustic emission testing and noise control services for a variety of customers, particularly microgravity space flight hardware that must meet International Space Station acoustic emission requirements. The ATL consists of a 23- by 27- by 20-ft (height) convertible hemi/anechoic test chamber and a separate sound-attenuating test support enclosure. The ATL employs a personal-computer-based data acquisition system that provides up to 26 channels of simultaneous data acquisition with real-time analysis (ref. 4). Specialized diagnostic tools, including a scanning sound-intensity system, allow the ATL's technical staff to support its clients' aggressive low-noise design efforts to meet the space station's acoustic emission requirement. From its inception, the ATL has pursued the goal of developing a comprehensive ISO 17025-compliant quality program that would incorporate Glenn's existing ISO 9000 quality system policies as well as ATL-specific technical policies and procedures. In March 2003, the ATL quality program was awarded accreditation by the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) for sound-power-level testing in accordance with ISO 3744. The NVLAP program is administered by the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the U.S. Department of Commerce and provides third-party accreditation for testing and calibration laboratories. There are currently 24 NVLAP-accredited acoustical testing laboratories in the United States. NVLAP accreditation covering one or more specific testing procedures conducted in accordance with established test standards is awarded upon successful completion of an intensive onsite assessment that includes proficiency testing and documentation review. The ATL NVLAP accreditation currently applies specifically to its ISO 3744 soundpower- level determination procedure (see the photograph) and supporting ISO 17025 quality system, although all ATL operations are conducted in accordance with its quality system. The ATL staff is currently developing additional procedures to adapt this quality system to the testing of space flight hardware in accordance with International Space Station acoustic emission requirements.<

The performance of an automatic acoustic-based program classifier compared to hearing aid users' manual selection of listening programs.

PubMed

Searchfield, Grant D; Linford, Tania; Kobayashi, Kei; Crowhen, David; Latzel, Matthias

2018-03-01

To compare preference for and performance of manually selected programmes to an automatic sound classifier, the Phonak AutoSense OS. A single blind repeated measures study. Participants were fit with Phonak Virto V90 ITE aids; preferences for different listening programmes were compared across four different sound scenarios (speech in: quiet, noise, loud noise and a car). Following a 4-week trial preferences were reassessed and the users preferred programme was compared to the automatic classifier for sound quality and hearing in noise (HINT test) using a 12 loudspeaker array. Twenty-five participants with symmetrical moderate-severe sensorineural hearing loss. Participant preferences of manual programme for scenarios varied considerably between and within sessions. A HINT Speech Reception Threshold (SRT) advantage was observed for the automatic classifier over participant's manual selection for speech in quiet, loud noise and car noise. Sound quality ratings were similar for both manual and automatic selections. The use of a sound classifier is a viable alternative to manual programme selection.

Human neuromagnetic steady-state responses to amplitude-modulated tones, speech, and music.

PubMed

Lamminmäki, Satu; Parkkonen, Lauri; Hari, Riitta

2014-01-01

Auditory steady-state responses that can be elicited by various periodic sounds inform about subcortical and early cortical auditory processing. Steady-state responses to amplitude-modulated pure tones have been used to scrutinize binaural interaction by frequency-tagging the two ears' inputs at different frequencies. Unlike pure tones, speech and music are physically very complex, as they include many frequency components, pauses, and large temporal variations. To examine the utility of magnetoencephalographic (MEG) steady-state fields (SSFs) in the study of early cortical processing of complex natural sounds, the authors tested the extent to which amplitude-modulated speech and music can elicit reliable SSFs. MEG responses were recorded to 90-s-long binaural tones, speech, and music, amplitude-modulated at 41.1 Hz at four different depths (25, 50, 75, and 100%). The subjects were 11 healthy, normal-hearing adults. MEG signals were averaged in phase with the modulation frequency, and the sources of the resulting SSFs were modeled by current dipoles. After the MEG recording, intelligibility of the speech, musical quality of the music stimuli, naturalness of music and speech stimuli, and the perceived deterioration caused by the modulation were evaluated on visual analog scales. The perceived quality of the stimuli decreased as a function of increasing modulation depth, more strongly for music than speech; yet, all subjects considered the speech intelligible even at the 100% modulation. SSFs were the strongest to tones and the weakest to speech stimuli; the amplitudes increased with increasing modulation depth for all stimuli. SSFs to tones were reliably detectable at all modulation depths (in all subjects in the right hemisphere, in 9 subjects in the left hemisphere) and to music stimuli at 50 to 100% depths, whereas speech usually elicited clear SSFs only at 100% depth.The hemispheric balance of SSFs was toward the right hemisphere for tones and speech, whereas SSFs to music showed no lateralization. In addition, the right lateralization of SSFs to the speech stimuli decreased with decreasing modulation depth. The results showed that SSFs can be reliably measured to amplitude-modulated natural sounds, with slightly different hemispheric lateralization for different carrier sounds. With speech stimuli, modulation at 100% depth is required, whereas for music the 75% or even 50% modulation depths provide a reasonable compromise between the signal-to-noise ratio of SSFs and sound quality or perceptual requirements. SSF recordings thus seem feasible for assessing the early cortical processing of natural sounds.

Simulation of Water Quality in the Tull Creek and West Neck Creek Watersheds, Currituck Sound Basin, North Carolina and Virginia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Garcia, Ana Maria

2009-01-01

A study of the Currituck Sound was initiated in 2005 to evaluate the water chemistry of the Sound and assess the effectiveness of management strategies. As part of this study, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was used to simulate current sediment and nutrient loadings for two distinct watersheds in the Currituck Sound basin and to determine the consequences of different water-quality management scenarios. The watersheds studied were (1) Tull Creek watershed, which has extensive row-crop cultivation and artificial drainage, and (2) West Neck Creek watershed, which drains urban areas in and around Virginia Beach, Virginia. The model simulated monthly streamflows with Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficients of 0.83 and 0.76 for Tull Creek and West Neck Creek, respectively. The daily sediment concentration coefficient of determination was 0.19 for Tull Creek and 0.36 for West Neck Creek. The coefficient of determination for total nitrogen was 0.26 for both watersheds and for dissolved phosphorus was 0.4 for Tull Creek and 0.03 for West Neck Creek. The model was used to estimate current (2006-2007) sediment and nutrient yields for the two watersheds. Total suspended-solids yield was 56 percent lower in the urban watershed than in the agricultural watershed. Total nitrogen export was 45 percent lower, and total phosphorus was 43 percent lower in the urban watershed than in the agricultural watershed. A management scenario with filter strips bordering the main channels was simulated for Tull Creek. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool model estimated a total suspended-solids yield reduction of 54 percent and total nitrogen and total phosphorus reductions of 21 percent and 29 percent, respectively, for the Tull Creek watershed.

High-frequency amplification and sound quality in listeners with normal through moderate hearing loss.

PubMed

Ricketts, Todd A; Dittberner, Andrew B; Johnson, Earl E

2008-02-01

One factor that has been shown to greatly affect sound quality is audible bandwidth. Provision of gain for frequencies above 4-6 kHz has not generally been supported for groups of hearing aid wearers. The purpose of this study was to determine if preference for bandwidth extension in hearing aid processed sounds was related to the magnitude of hearing loss in individual listeners. Ten participants with normal hearing and 20 participants with mild-to-moderate hearing loss completed the study. Signals were processed using hearing aid-style compression algorithms and filtered using two cutoff frequencies, 5.5 and 9 kHz, which were selected to represent bandwidths that are achievable in modern hearing aids. Round-robin paired comparisons based on the criteria of preferred sound quality were made for 2 different monaurally presented brief sound segments, including music and a movie. Results revealed that preference for either the wider or narrower bandwidth (9- or 5.5-kHz cutoff frequency, respectively) was correlated with the slope of hearing loss from 4 to 12 kHz, with steep threshold slopes associated with preference for narrower bandwidths. Consistent preference for wider bandwidth is present in some listeners with mild-to-moderate hearing loss.

IEP goals for school-age children with speech sound disorders.

PubMed

Farquharson, Kelly; Tambyraja, Sherine R; Justice, Laura M; Redle, Erin E

2014-01-01

The purpose of the current study was to describe the current state of practice for writing Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals for children with speech sound disorders (SSDs). IEP goals for 146 children receiving services for SSDs within public school systems across two states were coded for their dominant theoretical framework and overall quality. A dichotomous scheme was used for theoretical framework coding: cognitive-linguistic or sensory-motor. Goal quality was determined by examining 7 specific indicators outlined by an empirically tested rating tool. In total, 147 long-term and 490 short-term goals were coded. The results revealed no dominant theoretical framework for long-term goals, whereas short-term goals largely reflected a sensory-motor framework. In terms of quality, the majority of speech production goals were functional and generalizable in nature, but were not able to be easily targeted during common daily tasks or by other members of the IEP team. Short-term goals were consistently rated higher in quality domains when compared to long-term goals. The current state of practice for writing IEP goals for children with SSDs indicates that theoretical framework may be eclectic in nature and likely written to support the individual needs of children with speech sound disorders. Further investigation is warranted to determine the relations between goal quality and child outcomes. (1) Identify two predominant theoretical frameworks and discuss how they apply to IEP goal writing. (2) Discuss quality indicators as they relate to IEP goals for children with speech sound disorders. (3) Discuss the relationship between long-term goals level of quality and related theoretical frameworks. (4) Identify the areas in which business-as-usual IEP goals exhibit strong quality.

Anticipated Effectiveness of Active Noise Control in Propeller Aircraft Interiors as Determined by Sound Quality Tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Powell, Clemans A.; Sullivan, Brenda M.

2004-01-01

Two experiments were conducted, using sound quality engineering practices, to determine the subjective effectiveness of hypothetical active noise control systems in a range of propeller aircraft. The two tests differed by the type of judgments made by the subjects: pair comparisons in the first test and numerical category scaling in the second. Although the results of the two tests were in general agreement that the hypothetical active control measures improved the interior noise environments, the pair comparison method appears to be more sensitive to subtle changes in the characteristics of the sounds which are related to passenger preference.

The description of cough sounds by healthcare professionals

PubMed Central

Smith, Jaclyn A; Ashurst, H Louise; Jack, Sandy; Woodcock, Ashley A; Earis, John E

2006-01-01

Background Little is known of the language healthcare professionals use to describe cough sounds. We aimed to examine how they describe cough sounds and to assess whether these descriptions suggested they appreciate the basic sound qualities (as assessed by acoustic analysis) and the underlying diagnosis of the patient coughing. Methods 53 health professionals from two large respiratory tertiary referral centres were recruited; 22 doctors and 31 staff from professions allied to medicine. Participants listened to 9 sequences of spontaneous cough sounds from common respiratory diseases. For each cough they selected patient gender, the most appropriate descriptors and a diagnosis. Cluster analysis was performed to assess which cough sounds attracted similar descriptions. Results Gender was correctly identified in 93% of cases. The presence or absence of mucus was correct in 76.1% and wheeze in 39.3% of cases. However, identifying clinical diagnosis from cough was poor at 34.0%. Cluster analysis showed coughs with the same acoustics properties rather than the same diagnoses attracted the same descriptions. Conclusion These results suggest that healthcare professionals can recognise some of the qualities of cough sounds but are poor at making diagnoses from them. It remains to be seen whether in the future cough sound acoustics will provide useful clinical information and whether their study will lead to the development of useful new outcome measures in cough monitoring. PMID:16436200

Evaluation of swallowing ability using swallowing sounds in maxillectomy patients.

PubMed

Kamiyanagi, A; Sumita, Y; Ino, S; Chikai, M; Nakane, A; Tohara, H; Minakuchi, S; Seki, Y; Endo, H; Taniguchi, H

2018-02-01

Maxillectomy for oral tumours often results in debilitating oral hypofunction, which markedly decreases quality of life. Dysphagia, in particular, is one of the most serious problems following maxillectomy. This study used swallowing sounds as a simple evaluation method to evaluate swallowing ability in maxillectomy patients with and without their obturator prosthesis placed. Twenty-seven maxillectomy patients (15 men, 12 women; mean age 66.0 ± 12.1 years) and 30 healthy controls (14 men, 16 women; mean age 44.9 ± 21.3 years) were recruited for this study. Participants were asked to swallow 4 mL of water, and swallowing sounds were recorded using a throat microphone. Duration of the acoustic signal and duration of peak intensity (DPI) were measured. Duration of peak intensity was significantly longer in maxillectomy patients without their obturator than with it (P < .05) and was significantly longer in maxillectomy patients without their obturator than in healthy controls (P < .025 after Bonferroni correction). With the obturator placed, DPI was significantly longer in maxillectomy patients who had undergone soft palate resection than in those who had not (P < .05). These results suggest swallowing ability in maxillectomy patients could be improved by wearing an obturator prosthesis, particularly during the oral stage. However, it is difficult to improve the oral stage of swallowing in patients who have undergone soft palate resection even with obturator placement. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Assessment of spatial and physical neighborhood characteristics that influence sound quality and herewith well-being and health

PubMed Central

Devilee, Jeroen; van Kempen, Elise; Swart, Wim; van Kamp, Irene; Ameling, Caroline

2017-01-01

Environmental noise and health studies seldom address the positive effect of environments with high acoustic quality. Sound quality, in turn, is influenced by a large number of factors, including the spatial–physical characteristics of a neighborhood. In general, these characteristics cannot be retrieved from existing databases. In this article, we describe the design of an audit instrument and demonstrate its value for gathering information about these characteristics of neighborhoods. The audit instrument used was derived from research in other fields than environmental health. The instrument was tested in 33 neighborhoods in the Dutch cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Arnhem. In these neighborhoods, more or less homogeneous subareas were identified that were subject of the audit. The results show that the audit approach is suitable to gather neighborhood data that are relevant for the sound quality of neighborhoods. Together with survey data, they provide information that could further the field of soundscape and health. Several suggestions for improvement of the audit instrument were made. PMID:28615546

A study of low-cost, robust assistive listening system (ALS) based on digital wireless technology.

PubMed

Israsena, P; Dubsok, P; Pan-Ngum, S

2008-11-01

We have developed a simple, low-cost digital wireless broadcasting system prototype, intended for a classroom of hearing impaired students. The system is designed to be a low-cost alternative to an existing FM system. The system implemented is for short-range communication, with a one-transmitter, multiple-receiver configuration, which is typical for these classrooms. The data is source-coded for voice-band quality, FSK modulated, and broadcasted via a 915 MHz radio frequency. A DES encryption can optionally be added for better information security. Test results show that the system operating range is approximately ten metres, and the sound quality is close to telephone quality as intended. We also discuss performance issues such as sound, power and size, as well as transmission protocols. The test results are the proof of concept that the prototype is a viable alternative to an existing FM system. Improvements can be made to the system's sound quality via techniques such as channel coding, which is also discussed.

Objective and subjective evaluation of the acoustic comfort in classrooms.

PubMed

Zannin, Paulo Henrique Trombetta; Marcon, Carolina Reich

2007-09-01

The acoustic comfort of classrooms in a Brazilian public school has been evaluated through interviews with 62 teachers and 464 pupils, measurements of background noise, reverberation time, and sound insulation. Acoustic measurements have revealed the poor acoustic quality of the classrooms. Results have shown that teachers and pupils consider the noise generated and the voice of the teacher in neighboring classrooms as the main sources of annoyance inside the classroom. Acoustic simulations resulted in the suggestion of placement of perforated plywood on the ceiling, for reduction in reverberation time and increase in the acoustic comfort of the classrooms.

Effects of a three-week vocal exercise program using the Finnish Kuukka exercises on the speaking voice of Norwegian broadcast journalism students.

PubMed

Bele, Irene; Laukkanen, Anne-Maria; Sipilä, Laura

2010-12-01

Nine broadcast journalism students attended 10 hours in Kuukka vocal exercises, which aims at producing a ringing vocal quality. Nine control subjects received no training. A text was read at habitual loudness before and after the course. Five speech specialists evaluated the text samples for perceptual voice quality and analyzed mean fundamental frequency (F0), equivalent sound level (Leq), and long-term average spectrum (LTAS). For the Training Group, voice quality improved and correlated negatively with firmness and timbre (less firm and darker qualities being considered more desirable), and F0 increased slightly. Leq increased significantly in both groups. The results show positive and perceivable differences after the course. However, the aimed ring was not reached, may be due to too short time.

Commencement Bay Cumulative Impact Study: Historic Review of Special Aquatic Sites

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-05-04

is generally defined as a geographic region of south Puget Sound in Washington State extending from Brown’s Point to Point Defiance. (Figure-10. it...amount of sediment load. 2 2 Area enlarged Commencement Bay Cumulative Impacts Study (U Puget Sound 0 0 3.0 600E,0 Point) Figureat 1. Study AreaMa...the Puget Sound Environmental Atlas was produced under funding from the Seattle District Corps of Engineers, EPA, and the Puget Sound Water Quality

New Stethoscope With Extensible Diaphragm.

PubMed

Takashina, Tsunekazu; Shimizu, Masashi; Muratake, Torakazu; Mayuzumi, Syuichi

2016-08-25

This study compared the diagnostic efficacy of the common suspended diaphragm stethoscope (SDS) with a new extensible diaphragm stethoscope (EDS) for low-frequency heart sounds. The EDS was developed by using an ethylene propylene diene monomer diaphragm. The results showed that the EDS enhanced both the volume and quality of low-frequency heart sounds, and improved the ability of examiners to auscultate such heart sounds. Based on the results of the sound analysis, the EDS is more efficient than the SDS. (Circ J 2016; 80: 2047-2049).

Application of Wavelet Filters in an Evaluation of ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Air quality model evaluation can be enhanced with time-scale specific comparisons of outputs and observations. For example, high-frequency (hours to one day) time scale information in observed ozone is not well captured by deterministic models and its incorporation into model performance metrics lead one to devote resources to stochastic variations in model outputs. In this analysis, observations are compared with model outputs at seasonal, weekly, diurnal and intra-day time scales. Filters provide frequency specific information that can be used to compare the strength (amplitude) and timing (phase) of observations and model estimates. The National Exposure Research Laboratory′s (NERL′s) Atmospheric Modeling and Analysis Division (AMAD) conducts research in support of EPA′s mission to protect human health and the environment. AMAD′s research program is engaged in developing and evaluating predictive atmospheric models on all spatial and temporal scales for forecasting the Nation′s air quality and for assessing changes in air quality and air pollutant exposures, as affected by changes in ecosystem management and regulatory decisions. AMAD is responsible for providing a sound scientific and technical basis for regulatory policies based on air quality models to improve ambient air quality. The models developed by AMAD are being used by EPA, NOAA, and the air pollution community in understanding and forecasting not only the magnitude of the air pollu

Science 101: What Determines the Quality of Musical Notes?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson, Bill

2014-01-01

Compare the sounds produced by a symphony with those produced by a high school orchestra, the notes produced by hitting a tympani with those produced by hitting a trash can lid, and the sounds produced by Al Green with those produced by Yoko Ono. Even though the pitch of a note (determined by the "frequency" of the sound wave) is the…

Sound reduction management in the neonatal intensive care unit for preterm or very low birth weight infants.

PubMed

Almadhoob, Abdulraoof; Ohlsson, Arne

2015-01-30

Infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are subjected to stress, including sound of high intensity. The sound environment in the NICU is louder than most home or office environments and contains disturbing noises of short duration and at irregular intervals. There are competing auditory signals that frequently challenge preterm infants, staff and parents. The sound levels in NICUs often exceed the maximum acceptable level of 45 decibels (dB), recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Hearing impairment is diagnosed in 2% to 10% of preterm infants versus 0.1% of the general paediatric population. Noise may cause apnoea, hypoxaemia, alternation in oxygen saturation, and increased oxygen consumption secondary to elevated heart and respiratory rates and may, therefore, decrease the amount of calories available for growth. Elevated levels of speech are needed to overcome the noisy environment in the NICU, thereby increasing the negative impacts on staff, newborns, and their families. High noise levels are associated with an increased rate of errors and accidents, leading to decreased performance among staff. The aim of interventions included in this review is to reduce sound levels to 45 dB or less. This can be achieved by lowering the sound levels in an entire unit, treating the infant in a section of a NICU, in a 'private' room, or in incubators in which the sound levels are controlled, or reducing the sound levels that reaches the individual infant by using earmuffs or earplugs. By lowering the sound levels that reach the neonate, the resulting stress on the cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological, and endocrine systems can be diminished, thereby promoting growth and reducing adverse neonatal outcomes. Primary objectiveTo determine the effects of sound reduction on growth and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of neonates. Secondary objectives1. To evaluate the effects of sound reduction on short-term medical outcomes (bronchopulmonary dysplasia, intraventricular haemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia, retinopathy of prematurity).2. To evaluate the effects of sound reduction on sleep patterns at three months of age.3. To evaluate the effects of sound reduction on staff performance.4. To evaluate the effects of sound reduction in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) on parents' satisfaction with the care. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, abstracts from scientific meetings, clinical trials registries (clinicaltrials.gov; controlled-trials.com; and who.int/ictrp), Pediatric Academic Societies Annual meetings 2000 to 2014 (Abstracts2View(TM)), reference lists of identified trials, and reviews to November 2014. Preterm infants (< 32 weeks' postmenstrual age (PMA) or < 1500 g birth weight) cared for in the resuscitation area, during transport, or once admitted to a NICU or a stepdown unit. We performed data collection and analyses according to the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group. One small, high quality study assessing the effects of silicone earplugs versus no earplugs qualified for inclusion. The original inclusion criteria in our protocol stipulated an age of < 48 hours at the time of initiating sound reduction. We made a deviation from our protocol and included this study in which some infants would have been > 48 hours old. There was no significant difference in weight at 34 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA): mean difference (MD) 111 g (95% confidence interval (CI) -151 to 374 g) (n = 23). There was no significant difference in weight at 18 to 22 months corrected age between the groups: MD 0.31 kg, 95% CI -1.53 to 2.16 kg (n = 14). There was a significant difference in Mental Developmental Index (Bayley II) favouring the silicone earplugs group at 18 to 22 months corrected age: MD 14.00, 95% CI 3.13 to 24.87 (n = 12), but not for Psychomotor Development Index (Bayley II) at 18 to 22 months corrected age: MD -2.16, 95% CI -18.44 to 14.12 (n =12). To date, only 34 infants have been enrolled in a randomised controlled trial (RCT) testing the effectiveness of reducing sound levels that reach the infants' ears in the NICU. Based on the small sample size of this single trial, we cannot make any recommendations for clinical practice. Larger, well designed, conducted and reported trials are needed.

Urban noise functional stratification for estimating average annual sound level.

PubMed

Rey Gozalo, Guillermo; Barrigón Morillas, Juan Miguel; Prieto Gajardo, Carlos

2015-06-01

Road traffic noise causes many health problems and the deterioration of the quality of urban life; thus, adequate spatial noise and temporal assessment methods are required. Different methods have been proposed for the spatial evaluation of noise in cities, including the categorization method. Until now, this method has only been applied for the study of spatial variability with measurements taken over a week. In this work, continuous measurements of 1 year carried out in 21 different locations in Madrid (Spain), which has more than three million inhabitants, were analyzed. The annual average sound levels and the temporal variability were studied in the proposed categories. The results show that the three proposed categories highlight the spatial noise stratification of the studied city in each period of the day (day, evening, and night) and in the overall indicators (L(And), L(Aden), and L(A24)). Also, significant differences between the diurnal and nocturnal sound levels show functional stratification in these categories. Therefore, this functional stratification offers advantages from both spatial and temporal perspectives by reducing the sampling points and the measurement time.

The Development of a Web-Based Urban Soundscape Evaluation System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudarsono, A. S.; Sarwono, J.

2018-05-01

Acoustic quality is one of the important aspects of urban design. It is usually evaluated based on how loud the urban environment is. However, this approach does not consider people’s perception of the urban acoustic environment. Therefore, a different method has been developed based on the perception of the acoustic environment using the concept of soundscape. Soundscape is defined as the acoustic environment perceived by people who are part of the environment. This approach considers the relationship between the sound source, the environment, and the people. The analysis of soundscape considers many aspects such as cultural aspects, people’s expectations, people’s experience of space, and social aspects. Soundscape affects many aspects of human life such as culture, health, and the quality of life. Urban soundscape management and planning must be integrated with the other aspect of urban design, both in the design and the improvement stages. The soundscape concept seeks to make the acoustic environment as pleasant as possible in a space with or without uncomfortable sound sources. Soundscape planning includes the design of physical features to achieve a positive perceptual outcome. It is vital to gather data regarding the relationship between humans and the components of a soundscape, e.g., sound sources, features of the physical environment, the functions of a space, and the expectation of the sound source. The data can be measured and gathered using several soundscape evaluation methods. Soundscape evaluation is usually conducted using in-situ surveys and laboratory experiments using a multi-speaker system. Although these methods have been validated and are widely used in soundscape analysis, there are some limitations in the application. The in-situ survey needs to be done at one time with many people at the same time because it is hard to replicate the acoustic environment. Conversely, the laboratory experiment does not have a problem with the repetition of the experiment. This method requires a room with a multi-speaker reproduction system. This project used a different method to analyse soundscape developed using headphones via the internet. The internet system for data gathering has been established; a website has enabled to reproduce high-quality audio and it has a system to design online questionnaires. Furthermore, the development of a virtual reality system allows the reproduction of virtual audio-visual stimulus on a website. Although the website has an established system to gather the required data, the problem is the validation of the reproduction system for soundscape analysis, which needs to be done with consideration of several factors: the suitable recording system, the effect of headphone variation, the calibration of the system, and the perception result from internet-based acoustic environment reproduction. This study aims to develop and validate a web-based urban soundscape evaluation method. By using this method, the experiment can be repeated easily and data can be gathered from many respondents. Furthermore, the simplicity of the system allows for the application by the stakeholders in urban design. The data gathered from this system is important for the design of an urban area with consideration of the acoustic aspects.

Statistical Analysis for Subjective and Objective Evaluations of Dental Drill Sounds

PubMed Central

Yamada, Tomomi; Kuwano, Sonoko; Ebisu, Shigeyuki; Hayashi, Mikako

2016-01-01

The sound produced by a dental air turbine handpiece (dental drill) can markedly influence the sound environment in a dental clinic. Indeed, many patients report that the sound of a dental drill elicits an unpleasant feeling. Although several manufacturers have attempted to reduce the sound pressure levels produced by dental drills during idling based on ISO 14457, the sound emitted by such drills under active drilling conditions may negatively influence the dental clinic sound environment. The physical metrics related to the unpleasant impressions associated with dental drill sounds have not been determined. In the present study, psychological measurements of dental drill sounds were conducted with the aim of facilitating improvement of the sound environment at dental clinics. Specifically, we examined the impressions elicited by the sounds of 12 types of dental drills in idling and drilling conditions using a semantic differential. The analysis revealed that the impressions of dental drill sounds varied considerably between idling and drilling conditions and among the examined drills. This finding suggests that measuring the sound of a dental drill in idling conditions alone may be insufficient for evaluating the effects of the sound. We related the results of the psychological evaluations to those of measurements of the physical metrics of equivalent continuous A-weighted sound pressure levels (LAeq) and sharpness. Factor analysis indicated that impressions of the dental drill sounds consisted of two factors: “metallic and unpleasant” and “powerful”. LAeq had a strong relationship with “powerful impression”, calculated sharpness was positively related to “metallic impression”, and “unpleasant impression” was predicted by the combination of both LAeq and calculated sharpness. The present analyses indicate that, in addition to a reduction in sound pressure level, refining the frequency components of dental drill sounds is important for creating a comfortable sound environment in dental clinics. PMID:27462903

MO-FG-BRA-02: A Feasibility Study of Integrating Breathing Audio Signal with Surface Surrogates for Respiratory Motion Management

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lei, Y; Zhu, X; Zheng, D

Purpose: Tracking the surrogate placed on patient skin surface sometimes leads to problematic signals for certain patients, such as shallow breathers. This in turn impairs the 4D CT image quality and dosimetric accuracy. In this pilot study, we explored the feasibility of monitoring human breathing motion by integrating breathing sound signal with surface surrogates. Methods: The breathing sound signals were acquired though a microphone attached adjacently to volunteer’s nostrils, and breathing curve were analyzed using a low pass filter. Simultaneously, the Real-time Position Management™ (RPM) system from Varian were employed on a volunteer to monitor respiratory motion including both shallowmore » and deep breath modes. The similar experiment was performed by using Calypso system, and three beacons taped on volunteer abdominal region to capture breath motion. The period of each breathing curves were calculated with autocorrelation functions. The coherence and consistency between breathing signals using different acquisition methods were examined. Results: Clear breathing patterns were revealed by the sound signal which was coherent with the signal obtained from both the RPM system and Calypso system. For shallow breathing, the periods of breathing cycle were 3.00±0.19 sec (sound) and 3.00±0.21 sec (RPM); For deep breathing, the periods were 3.49± 0.11 sec (sound) and 3.49±0.12 sec (RPM). Compared with 4.54±0.66 sec period recorded by the calypso system, the sound measured 4.64±0.54 sec. The additional signal from sound could be supplement to the surface monitoring, and provide new parameters to model the hysteresis lung motion. Conclusion: Our preliminary study shows that the breathing sound signal can provide a comparable way as the RPM system to evaluate the respiratory motion. It’s instantaneous and robust characteristics facilitate it possibly to be a either independently or as auxiliary methods to manage respiratory motion in radiotherapy.« less

Information Quality in Regulatory Decision Making: Peer Review versus Good Laboratory Practice.

PubMed

McCarty, Lynn S; Borgert, Christopher J; Mihaich, Ellen M

2012-07-01

There is an ongoing discussion on the provenance of toxicity testing data regarding how best to ensure its validity and credibility. A central argument is whether journal peer-review procedures are superior to Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) standards employed for compliance with regulatory mandates. We sought to evaluate the rationale for regulatory decision making based on peer-review procedures versus GLP standards. We examined pertinent published literature regarding how scientific data quality and validity are evaluated for peer review, GLP compliance, and development of regulations. Some contend that peer review is a coherent, consistent evaluative procedure providing quality control for experimental data generation, analysis, and reporting sufficient to reliably establish relative merit, whereas GLP is seen as merely a tracking process designed to thwart investigator corruption. This view is not supported by published analyses pointing to subjectivity and variability in peer-review processes. Although GLP is not designed to establish relative merit, it is an internationally accepted quality assurance, quality control method for documenting experimental conduct and data. Neither process is completely sufficient for establishing relative scientific soundness. However, changes occurring both in peer-review processes and in regulatory guidance resulting in clearer, more transparent communication of scientific information point to an emerging convergence in ensuring information quality. The solution to determining relative merit lies in developing a well-documented, generally accepted weight-of-evidence scheme to evaluate both peer-reviewed and GLP information used in regulatory decision making where both merit and specific relevance inform the process.

The sound exposure of the audience at a music festival.

PubMed

Mercier, V; Luy, D; Hohmann, B W

2003-01-01

During the Paleo Festival in Nyon, Switzerland, which took place from 24th to 29th July 2001, ten volunteers were equipped each evening with small sound level meters which continuously monitored their sound exposure as they circulated among the various festival events. Sound levels at the mixing console and at the place where people are most heavily exposed (in front of the speakers) were measured simultaneously. In addition, a sample of 601 people from the audience were interviewed over the six days of the festival and asked their opinion of sound level and quality, as well as provide details of where in the arena they preferred to listen to the concerts, whether they used ear plugs, if they had experienced any tinnitus, and if so how long it had persisted. The individual sound exposure during a typical evening was on average 95 dB(A) although 8% of the volunteers were exposed to sound levels higher then 100 dB(A). Only 5% of the audience wore ear plugs throughout the concert while 34% used them occasionally. While some 36% of the people interviewed reported that they had experienced tinnitus after listening to loud music, the majority found both the music quality and the sound level good. The sound level limit of 100 dB(A) at the place where the people are most heavily exposed seems to be a good compromise between the public heath issue, the demands of artists and organisers, and the expectations of the public. However, considering the average sound levels to which the public are exposed during a single evening, it is recommended that ear plugs be used by concert-goers who attend more than one day of the festival.

Methodological quality of economic evaluations of new pharmaceuticals in The Netherlands.

PubMed

Hoomans, Ties; Severens, Johan L; van der Roer, Nicole; Delwel, Gepke O

2012-03-01

In the Netherlands, decisions about the reimbursement of new pharmaceuticals are based on cost effectiveness, as well as therapeutic value and budget impact. Since 1 January 2005, drug manufacturers are formally required to substantiate the cost effectiveness of drugs that have therapeutic added value in comparison with existing ones through pharmacoeconomic evaluations. Dutch guidelines for pharmacoeconomic research provide methods guidance, ensuring consistency in both the evidence and the decision-making process about drug reimbursement. This study reviewed the methodological quality of all 21 formally required pharmacoeconomic evaluations of new pharmaceuticals between 1 January 2005 and 1 October 2008, and verified whether these evaluations complied with pharmacoeconomic guidelines. Data on the quality of the pharmacoeconomic evaluations were extracted from the pharmacoeconomic reports published by the Dutch Health Care Insurance Board (CVZ). The Board's newsletters provided information on the advice to, and reimbursement decisions made by, the Dutch Minister of Health. All data extraction was carried out by two independent reviewers, and descriptive analyses were conducted. The methodological quality was sound in only 8 of the 21 pharmacoeconomic evaluations. In most cases, the perspective of analysis, the comparator drugs, and the reporting of both total and incremental costs and effects were correct. However, drug indication, form (i.e. cost utility/cost effectiveness) and time horizon of the evaluations were frequently flawed. Moreover, the costs and effects of the pharmaceuticals were not always analysed correctly, and modelling studies were often non-transparent. Twelve drugs were reimbursed, and nine were not. The compliance with pharmacoeconomic guidelines in economic evaluations of new pharmaceuticals can be improved. This would improve the methodological quality of the pharmacoeconomic evaluations and ensure consistency in the evidence and the decision-making process for drug reimbursement in the Netherlands.

The assessment of expert testimony relevance and admissibility in medical malpractice cases in the Czech Republic. Can American judicial practice help us?

PubMed

Zakharov, Sergey

2011-03-01

The relevance and admissibility of expert medical testimony in relation to medical malpractice suits requires a more successful development of formal criteria and a more intentional compliance with efficient judicial procedures. The American judicial system provides an excellent model for implementation of a critical approach to knowledge collection, the evaluation of the validity of scientifically sound information, and the examination of expert's testimony on the basis of a sound methodology. An analysis of the assessment and application of reliability yields evidence that assuring standards to improve the quality of expert medical testimony will increase the overall probability of a fair outcome during the judicial process. Applying these beneficial strategies in medical malpractice cases will continue to support further considerations of promoting justice and solving problems through sufficient scientific means.

[Influence of environmental noise on sleep quality and sleeping disorders-implications for health].

PubMed

Kohlhuber, M; Bolte, G

2011-12-01

Environmental noise is a well-known risk factor influencing sleep-wake behavior and sleep quality. Epidemiologic studies have shown that environmental noise is regarded as the most annoying environmental factor. Noise causes modifications in physiologic and mental functions and may result in health outcomes like elevated blood pressure and ischemic heart disease. Reactions to high sound levels during sleep are decreased sleep intensity, arousals, and increased stress hormone secretion. Effects of poor sleep quality are reduced cognitive performance, tiredness, and psychosomatic symptoms. Long-term consequences of recurrent sleep loss due to environmental noise may be heart disease and increased medication intake. Arousals occur especially due to single noise events and intermittent noise. Laboratory and field studies showed no habituation of physiologic parameters to high sound levels. Sleep is especially sensitive to noise; therefore, sound levels during nighttime should be much lower than during daytime.

Puget Sound Dissolved Oxygen Modeling Study: Development of an Intermediate-Scale Hydrodynamic Model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Zhaoqing; Khangaonkar, Tarang; Labiosa, Rochelle G.

2010-11-30

The Washington State Department of Ecology contracted with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to develop an intermediate-scale hydrodynamic and water quality model to study dissolved oxygen and nutrient dynamics in Puget Sound and to help define potential Puget Sound-wide nutrient management strategies and decisions. Specifically, the project is expected to help determine 1) if current and potential future nitrogen loadings from point and non-point sources are significantly impairing water quality at a large scale and 2) what level of nutrient reductions are necessary to reduce or dominate human impacts to dissolved oxygen levels in the sensitive areas. In this study, anmore » intermediate-scale hydrodynamic model of Puget Sound was developed to simulate the hydrodynamics of Puget Sound and the Northwest Straits for the year 2006. The model was constructed using the unstructured Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model. The overall model grid resolution within Puget Sound in its present configuration is about 880 m. The model was driven by tides, river inflows, and meteorological forcing (wind and net heat flux) and simulated tidal circulations, temperature, and salinity distributions in Puget Sound. The model was validated against observed data of water surface elevation, velocity, temperature, and salinity at various stations within the study domain. Model validation indicated that the model simulates tidal elevations and currents in Puget Sound well and reproduces the general patterns of the temperature and salinity distributions.« less

Physiological and Psychological Evaluation of Strength of Auditory Stimulus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Umehara, Susumu; Asano, Hirotoshi; Ide, Hideto

In this study, we evaluated the pleasantness or unpleasantness experienced by human beings depending on the intensity of sound; using the nasal skin temperature that was determined using thermograms obtained from an infrared thermograph. Many studies have been carried out on the influence of sound intensity on human beings. However, the effect of sound has not been evaluated on the basis of facial skin temperature. We evaluated the experienced with variations in changes in the pleasure or displeasure noise; this was evaluated on the basis of facial skin temperature, electroencephalogram, and heart rate variability. The experimental results showed that the effect of variations in the sound intensity on the changes in the pleasure or displeasure experienced by human beings can be quantitatively evaluated on the basis of facial skin temperature.

Efficacy of Bone-Anchored Hearing Aids in Single-Sided Deafness: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Kim, Gaeun; Ju, Hyun Mi; Lee, Sun Hee; Kim, Hee-Soon; Kwon, Jeong A; Seo, Young Joon

2017-04-01

Bone-anchored hearing aids (BAHAs) have been known to partially restore some of the functions lost in subjects with single-sided deafness (SSD). Our aims in this systemic review were to analyze the present capabilities of BAHAs in the context of SSD, and to evaluate the efficacy of BAHAs in improving speech recognition in noisy conditions, sound localization, and subjective outcomes. A systematic search was undertaken until August 2015 by two independent reviewers, with disagreements resolved by consensus. Among 286 references, we analyzed 14 studies that used both subjective and objective indicators to assess the capabilities of a total of 296 patients in the unaided and aided situations. Although there was "no benefit" of BAHA implantation for sound localization, BAHAs certainly improved subjects' speech discrimination in noisy circumstances. In the six studies that dealt with sound localization, no significant difference was found after the implantation. Twelve studies showed the benefits of BAHAs for speech discrimination in noise. Regarding subjective outcomes of using the prosthesis in patients with SSD (abbreviated profile of hearing aid benefit [APHAB] and the Glasgow hearing aid benefit profile [GHABP], etc.), we noticed an improvement in the quality of life. This systematic review has indicated that BAHAs may successfully rehabilitate patients with SSD by alleviating the hearing handicap to a certain degree, which could improve patients' quality of life. This report has presented additional evidence of effective auditory rehabilitation for SSD and will be helpful to clinicians counseling patients regarding treatment options for SSD.

Evaluative Conditioning Induces Changes in Sound Valence

PubMed Central

Bolders, Anna C.; Band, Guido P. H.; Stallen, Pieter Jan

2012-01-01

Through evaluative conditioning (EC) a stimulus can acquire an affective value by pairing it with another affective stimulus. While many sounds we encounter daily have acquired an affective value over life, EC has hardly been tested in the auditory domain. To get a more complete understanding of affective processing in auditory domain we examined EC of sound. In Experiment 1 we investigated whether the affective evaluation of short environmental sounds can be changed using affective words as unconditioned stimuli (US). Congruency effects on an affective priming task for conditioned sounds demonstrated successful EC. Subjective ratings for sounds paired with negative words changed accordingly. In Experiment 2 we investigated whether extinction occurs, i.e., whether the acquired valence remains stable after repeated presentation of the conditioned sound without the US. The acquired affective value remained present, albeit weaker, even after 40 extinction trials. These results provide clear evidence for EC effects in the auditory domain. We will argue that both associative as well as propositional processes are likely to underlie these effects. PMID:22514545

Bioaccumulation of toxic substances associated with dredging and dredged material disposal: a literature review

USGS Publications Warehouse

Seelye, James G.; Mac, Michael J.

1984-01-01

A literature review of sediment bioassessment was conducted as the first step in the development of a more standardized and ecologically sound test procedure for evaluating sediment quality. Based on the review, the authors concluded that 1) a standardized laboratory bioassessment test should consist of flowthrough exposure of at least 10 days duration using more than one aquatic organism including at least an infaunal benthic invertebrate and a fish species. 2) Before adoption of a laboratory sediment bioassessment procedure, the laboratory results should be evaluated by comparison with field conditions. 3) Most current sediment bioassessment regulatory tests measure acute toxicity or bioaccumulation. Development of tests to evaluate chronic, sublethal effects is needed.

Audiovisual quality estimation of mobile phone video cameras with interpretation-based quality approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radun, Jenni E.; Virtanen, Toni; Olives, Jean-Luc; Vaahteranoksa, Mikko; Vuori, Tero; Nyman, Göte

2007-01-01

We present an effective method for comparing subjective audiovisual quality and the features related to the quality changes of different video cameras. Both quantitative estimation of overall quality and qualitative description of critical quality features are achieved by the method. The aim was to combine two image quality evaluation methods, the quantitative Absolute Category Rating (ACR) method with hidden reference removal and the qualitative Interpretation- Based Quality (IBQ) method in order to see how they complement each other in audiovisual quality estimation tasks. 26 observers estimated the audiovisual quality of six different cameras, mainly mobile phone video cameras. In order to achieve an efficient subjective estimation of audiovisual quality, only two contents with different quality requirements were recorded with each camera. The results show that the subjectively important quality features were more related to the overall estimations of cameras' visual video quality than to the features related to sound. The data demonstrated two significant quality dimensions related to visual quality: darkness and sharpness. We conclude that the qualitative methodology can complement quantitative quality estimations also with audiovisual material. The IBQ approach is valuable especially, when the induced quality changes are multidimensional.

Control of Toxic Chemicals in Puget Sound, Phase 3: Study Of Atmospheric Deposition of Air Toxics to the Surface of Puget Sound

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

deposition directly to Puget Sound was an important source of PAHs, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and heavy metals . In most cases, atmospheric...versus Atmospheric Fluxes ........................................................................66  PAH Source Apportionment ...temperature inversions) on air quality during the wet season. A semi-quantitative apportionment study permitted a first-order characterization of source

The sound manifesto

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Donnell, Michael J.; Bisnovatyi, Ilia

2000-11-01

Computing practice today depends on visual output to drive almost all user interaction. Other senses, such as audition, may be totally neglected, or used tangentially, or used in highly restricted specialized ways. We have excellent audio rendering through D-A conversion, but we lack rich general facilities for modeling and manipulating sound comparable in quality and flexibility to graphics. We need coordinated research in several disciplines to improve the use of sound as an interactive information channel. Incremental and separate improvements in synthesis, analysis, speech processing, audiology, acoustics, music, etc. will not alone produce the radical progress that we seek in sonic practice. We also need to create a new central topic of study in digital audio research. The new topic will assimilate the contributions of different disciplines on a common foundation. The key central concept that we lack is sound as a general-purpose information channel. We must investigate the structure of this information channel, which is driven by the cooperative development of auditory perception and physical sound production. Particular audible encodings, such as speech and music, illuminate sonic information by example, but they are no more sufficient for a characterization than typography is sufficient for characterization of visual information. To develop this new conceptual topic of sonic information structure, we need to integrate insights from a number of different disciplines that deal with sound. In particular, we need to coordinate central and foundational studies of the representational models of sound with specific applications that illuminate the good and bad qualities of these models. Each natural or artificial process that generates informative sound, and each perceptual mechanism that derives information from sound, will teach us something about the right structure to attribute to the sound itself. The new Sound topic will combine the work of computer scientists with that of numerical mathematicians studying sonification, psychologists, linguists, bioacousticians, and musicians to illuminate the structure of sound from different angles. Each of these disciplines deals with the use of sound to carry a different sort of information, under different requirements and constraints. By combining their insights, we can learn to understand of the structure of sound in general.

Evaluation of the Effect of Noise on the Rate of Errors and Speed of Work by the Ergonomic Test of Two-Hand Co-Ordination

PubMed Central

Habibi, Ehsanollah; Dehghan, Habibollah; Dehkordy, Sina Eshraghy; Maracy, Mohammad Reza

2013-01-01

Background: Among the most important and effective factors affecting the efficiency of the human workforce are accuracy, promptness, and ability. In the context of promoting levels and quality of productivity, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of exposure to noise on the rate of errors, speed of work, and capability in performing manual activities. Methods: This experimental study was conducted on 96 students (52 female and 44 male) of the Isfahan Medical Science University with the average and standard deviations of age, height, and weight of 22.81 (3.04) years, 171.67 (8.51) cm, and 65.05 (13.13) kg, respectively. Sampling was conducted with a randomized block design. Along with controlling for intervening factors, a combination of sound pressure levels [65 dB (A), 85 dB (A), and 95 dB (A)] and exposure times (0, 20, and 40) were used for evaluation of precision and speed of action of the participants, in the ergonomic test of two-hand coordination. Data was analyzed by SPSS18 software using a descriptive and analytical statistical method by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) repeated measures. Results: The results of this study showed that increasing sound pressure level from 65 to 95 dB in network ‘A’ increased the speed of work (P < 0.05). Increase in the exposure time (0 to 40 min of exposure) and gender showed no significant differences statistically in speed of work (P > 0.05). Male participants got annoyed from the noise more than females. Also, increase in sound pressure level increased the rate of error (P < 0.05). Conclusions: According to the results of this research, increasing the sound pressure level decreased efficiency and increased the errors and in exposure to sounds less than 85 dB in the beginning, the efficiency decreased initially and then increased in a mild slope. PMID:23930164

The Benefits of Bimodal Aiding on Extended Dimensions of Speech Perception: Intelligibility, Listening Effort, and Sound Quality

PubMed Central

Chalupper, Josef

2017-01-01

The benefits of combining a cochlear implant (CI) and a hearing aid (HA) in opposite ears on speech perception were examined in 15 adult unilateral CI recipients who regularly use a contralateral HA. A within-subjects design was carried out to assess speech intelligibility testing, listening effort ratings, and a sound quality questionnaire for the conditions CI alone, CIHA together, and HA alone when applicable. The primary outcome of bimodal benefit, defined as the difference between CIHA and CI, was statistically significant for speech intelligibility in quiet as well as for intelligibility in noise across tested spatial conditions. A reduction in effort on top of intelligibility at the highest tested signal-to-noise ratio was found. Moreover, the bimodal listening situation was rated to sound more voluminous, less tinny, and less unpleasant than CI alone. Listening effort and sound quality emerged as feasible and relevant measures to demonstrate bimodal benefit across a clinically representative range of bimodal users. These extended dimensions of speech perception can shed more light on the array of benefits provided by complementing a CI with a contralateral HA. PMID:28874096

From the past to the future: natural sound recordings and the preservation of the bioacoustics legacy in Portugal.

PubMed

Marques, Paulo A M; Magalhães, Daniel M; Pereira, Susana F; Jorge, Paulo E

2014-01-01

The preservation of historical and contemporary data safeguards our scientific legacy. Bioacoustic recordings can have historical as well as scientific value and should be assessed for their conservation requirements. Unpreserved bioacoustics recordings are generally not referenced and are frequently at high risk of loss by material degradation and/or by misplacement. In this study we investigated the preservation status of sets of natural sound recordings made in Portugal from 1983 until 2010 inclusive. We evaluated the recordings on the basis of their rate of loss, the degree to which unpreserved recordings could be preserved, and their risk of loss. Recordists of animal sounds were surveyed (by questionnaire or interview) to identify sets of recordings and to collect information on their quality and state of preservation. Of the 78 recordists identified, we found that 32% of the recordings have an unclear status and that only 9% of the recordings are lost. Of the c. 6 terabytes of unpreserved sound recordings discovered, an estimated 49% were recoverable. Moreover, 95% of the recoverable sets of recordings were at high risk of loss by their being misplaced. These risks can be minimized if recordists are persuaded to deposit their material in an institution committed to long-term curation of such data (e.g. sound archives). Overall, the study identified a considerable body of unpreserved animal sound recordings that could contribute to our scientific heritage and knowledge of the biodiversity found in Portugal. It highlights the need to implement effective policies to promote the deposit of recordings for preservation and to reverse the present scenario so that scientific material can be preserved for future generations.

46 CFR 298.14 - Economic soundness.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 8 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Economic soundness. 298.14 Section 298.14 Shipping... Eligibility § 298.14 Economic soundness. (a) Economic Evaluation. We shall not issue a Letter Commitment for... you seek Title XI financing or refinancing, will be economically sound. The economic soundness and...

46 CFR 298.14 - Economic soundness.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 8 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Economic soundness. 298.14 Section 298.14 Shipping... Eligibility § 298.14 Economic soundness. (a) Economic Evaluation. We shall not issue a Letter Commitment for... you seek Title XI financing or refinancing, will be economically sound. The economic soundness and...

46 CFR 298.14 - Economic soundness.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 8 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Economic soundness. 298.14 Section 298.14 Shipping... Eligibility § 298.14 Economic soundness. (a) Economic Evaluation. We shall not issue a Letter Commitment for... you seek Title XI financing or refinancing, will be economically sound. The economic soundness and...

46 CFR 298.14 - Economic soundness.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 8 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Economic soundness. 298.14 Section 298.14 Shipping... Eligibility § 298.14 Economic soundness. (a) Economic Evaluation. We shall not issue a Letter Commitment for... you seek Title XI financing or refinancing, will be economically sound. The economic soundness and...

46 CFR 298.14 - Economic soundness.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 8 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Economic soundness. 298.14 Section 298.14 Shipping... Eligibility § 298.14 Economic soundness. (a) Economic Evaluation. We shall not issue a Letter Commitment for... you seek Title XI financing or refinancing, will be economically sound. The economic soundness and...

Correlation between Identification Accuracy and Response Confidence for Common Environmental Sounds

DTIC Science & Technology

set of environmental sounds with stimulus control and precision. The present study is one in a series of efforts to provide a baseline evaluation of a...sounds from six broad categories: household items, alarms, animals, human generated, mechanical, and vehicle sounds. Each sound was presented five times

The Ins and Outs of Modern Doors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

College Planning & Management, 1999

1999-01-01

Discusses the qualities and trends in modern metal doors for educational facilities that include fire protection and sound-control attributes. Important differences in door manufacturing methods and materials are addressed and sound-transmission class values, ratings, and rating descriptions are listed. (GR)

Creating A Choral Sound.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leenman, Tracy E.

1996-01-01

Covers a variety of strategies for creating a unique and identifiable choral sound. Provides specific instructions for developing singing in unison and recommends a standing arrangement of soprano, alto, tenor, and bass quartets. Provides other tips for instrumentation, sight reading, and quality rehearsal time. (MJP)

Benthic Resources Assessment Technique Evaluation of Disposal Sites in Puget Sound and Adjacent Waters,

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-12-01

of potential impacts to demersal fish feeding habitat. sites. 2. One aspect of benthic habitat quality is the relative amount of trophic support that...a given benthic habitat provides demersal bottom- feeding fishes. Analytical procedures have been developed at the U.S. Army Engineer Waterways...suspend the larger material and to allow fine sands, silts and clays to pass through the screens. Residual material was 2 I! Ii placeL a cloth bags that

Application of a Water Quality Model to Mississippi Sound to Evaluate Impacts of Freshwater Diversions

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-01

Bunch et al. (2005) focused on the Port of Gulfport, the domain extended from east of Mobile Bay (including Mobile Bay), south to the Chandeleur ...more fully meet the needs of the MSCIP. The extension was southward beyond Chandeleur Islands and further west to include all of Lake Borgne and Lake...except for possibly chlorophyll a. This diversion elevates chloro- phyll a near the Chandeleur Islands, more so than the Bonnet Carre′ diver- sion

Results of time-domain electromagnetic soundings in Miami-Dade and southern Broward Counties, Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fitterman, David V.; Prinos, Scott T.

2011-01-01

Time-domain electromagnetic (TEM) soundings were made in Miami-Dade and southern Broward Counties to aid in mapping the landward extent of saltwater in the Biscayne aquifer. A total of 79 soundings were collected in settings ranging from urban to undeveloped land, with some of the former posing problems of land access and interference from anthropogenic features. TEM soundings combined with monitoring-well data were used to determine if the saltwater front had moved since the last time it was mapped, to provide additional spatial coverage where existing monitoring wells were insufficient, and to help interpret a previously collected helicopter electromagnetic (HEM) survey flown in the southernmost portion of the study area. TEM soundings were interpreted as layered resistivity-depth models. Using information from well logs and water-quality data, the resistivity of the freshwater saturated Biscayne aquifer is expected to be above 30 ohm-meters, and the saltwater-saturated aquifer will have resistivities of less than 10 ohm-meters allowing determination of water quality from the TEM interpretations. TEM models from 29 soundings were compared to electromagnetic induction logs collected in nearby monitoring wells. In general, the agreement of these results was very good, giving confidence in the use of the TEM data for mapping saltwater encroachment.

Cross-Modal Associations between Sounds and Drink Tastes/Textures: A Study with Spontaneous Production of Sound-Symbolic Words.

PubMed

Sakamoto, Maki; Watanabe, Junji

2016-03-01

Many languages have a word class whose speech sounds are linked to sensory experiences. Several recent studies have demonstrated cross-modal associations (or correspondences) between sounds and gustatory sensations by asking participants to match predefined sound-symbolic words (e.g., "maluma/takete") with the taste/texture of foods. Here, we further explore cross-modal associations using the spontaneous production of words and semantic ratings of sensations. In the experiment, after drinking liquids, participants were asked to express their taste/texture using Japanese sound-symbolic words, and at the same time, to evaluate it in terms of criteria expressed by adjectives. Because the Japanese language has a large vocabulary of sound-symbolic words, and Japanese people frequently use them to describe taste/texture, analyzing a variety of Japanese sound-symbolic words spontaneously produced to express taste/textures might enable us to explore the mechanism of taste/texture categorization. A hierarchical cluster analysis based on the relationship between linguistic sounds and taste/texture evaluations revealed the structure of sensation categories. The results indicate that an emotional evaluation like pleasant/unpleasant is the primary cluster in gustation. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Examining the Role of Patient Experience Surveys in Measuring Health Care Quality

PubMed Central

Elliott, Marc N.; Zaslavsky, Alan M.; Hays, Ron D.; Lehrman, William G.; Rybowski, Lise; Edgman-Levitan, Susan; Cleary, Paul D.

2015-01-01

Patient care experience surveys evaluate the degree to which care is patient-centered. This article reviews the literature on the association between patient experiences and other measures of health care quality. Research indicates that better patient care experiences are associated with higher levels of adherence to recommended prevention and treatment processes, better clinical outcomes, better patient safety within hospitals, and less health care utilization. Patient experience measures that are collected using psychometrically sound instruments, employing recommended sample sizes and adjustment procedures, and implemented according to standard protocols are intrinsically meaningful and are appropriate complements for clinical process and outcome measures in public reporting and pay-for-performance programs. PMID:25027409

Perception of quality and trustworthiness of Internet resources by personal health information seekers.

PubMed

Stavri, P Zoë; Freeman, Donna J; Burroughs, Catherine M

2003-01-01

This paper focuses on one dimension of personal health information seeking: perception of quality and trustworthiness of information sources. Intensive interviews were conducted using a conversational, unstructured, exploratory interview style. Interviews were conducted at 3 publicly accessible library sites in Arizona, Hawaii and Nevada. Thirty-eight non-experts were interviewed. Three separate and distinct methods used to identify credible health information resources were identified. Consumers may have strong opinions about what they mistrust; use fairly rigorous evaluation protocols; or filter information based on intuition or common sense, eye appeal or an authoritative sounding sponsor or title. Many people use a mix of rational and/or intuitive criteria to assess the health information they use.

Prevalence of high frequency hearing loss consistent with noise exposure among people working with sound systems and general population in Brazil: A cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

El Dib, Regina P; Silva, Edina MK; Morais, José F; Trevisani, Virgínia FM

2008-01-01

Background Music is ever present in our daily lives, establishing a link between humans and the arts through the senses and pleasure. Sound technicians are the link between musicians and audiences or consumers. Recently, general concern has arisen regarding occurrences of hearing loss induced by noise from excessively amplified sound-producing activities within leisure and professional environments. Sound technicians' activities expose them to the risk of hearing loss, and consequently put at risk their quality of life, the quality of the musical product and consumers' hearing. The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of high frequency hearing loss consistent with noise exposure among sound technicians in Brazil and compare this with a control group without occupational noise exposure. Methods This was a cross-sectional study comparing 177 participants in two groups: 82 sound technicians and 95 controls (non-sound technicians). A questionnaire on music listening habits and associated complaints was applied, and data were gathered regarding the professionals' numbers of working hours per day and both groups' hearing complaint and presence of tinnitus. The participants' ear canals were visually inspected using an otoscope. Hearing assessments were performed (tonal and speech audiometry) using a portable digital AD 229 E audiometer funded by FAPESP. Results There was no statistically significant difference between the sound technicians and controls regarding age and gender. Thus, the study sample was homogenous and would be unlikely to lead to bias in the results. A statistically significant difference in hearing loss was observed between the groups: 50% among the sound technicians and 10.5% among the controls. The difference could be addressed to high sound levels. Conclusion The sound technicians presented a higher prevalence of high frequency hearing loss consistent with noise exposure than did the general population, although the possibility of residual confounding due to unmeasured factors such as socioeconomic status cannot be ruled out. PMID:18462490

Digital Sound Synthesis Algorithms: a Tutorial Introduction and Comparison of Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, J. Robert

The objectives of the dissertation are to provide both a compendium of sound-synthesis methods with detailed descriptions and sound examples, as well as a comparison of the relative merits of each method based on ease of use, observed sound quality, execution time, and data storage requirements. The methods are classified under the general headings of wavetable-lookup synthesis, additive synthesis, subtractive synthesis, nonlinear methods, and physical modelling. The nonlinear methods comprise a large group that ranges from the well-known frequency-modulation synthesis to waveshaping. The final category explores computer modelling of real musical instruments and includes numerical and analytical solutions to the classical wave equation of motion, along with some of the more sophisticated time -domain models that are possible through the prudent combination of simpler synthesis techniques. The dissertation is intended to be understandable by a musician who is mathematically literate but who does not necessarily have a background in digital signal processing. With this limitation in mind, a brief and somewhat intuitive description of digital sampling theory is provided in the introduction. Other topics such as filter theory are discussed as the need arises. By employing each of the synthesis methods to produce the same type of sound, interesting comparisons can be made. For example, a struck string sound, such as that typical of a piano, can be produced by algorithms in each of the synthesis classifications. Many sounds, however, are peculiar to a single algorithm and must be examined independently. Psychoacoustic studies were conducted as an aid in the comparison of the sound quality of several implementations of the synthesis algorithms. Other psychoacoustic experiments were conducted to supplement the established notions of which timbral issues are important in the re -synthesis of the sounds of acoustic musical instruments.

Interactive Sonification of Spontaneous Movement of Children—Cross-Modal Mapping and the Perception of Body Movement Qualities through Sound

PubMed Central

Frid, Emma; Bresin, Roberto; Alborno, Paolo; Elblaus, Ludvig

2016-01-01

In this paper we present three studies focusing on the effect of different sound models in interactive sonification of bodily movement. We hypothesized that a sound model characterized by continuous smooth sounds would be associated with other movement characteristics than a model characterized by abrupt variation in amplitude and that these associations could be reflected in spontaneous movement characteristics. Three subsequent studies were conducted to investigate the relationship between properties of bodily movement and sound: (1) a motion capture experiment involving interactive sonification of a group of children spontaneously moving in a room, (2) an experiment involving perceptual ratings of sonified movement data and (3) an experiment involving matching between sonified movements and their visualizations in the form of abstract drawings. In (1) we used a system constituting of 17 IR cameras tracking passive reflective markers. The head positions in the horizontal plane of 3–4 children were simultaneously tracked and sonified, producing 3–4 sound sources spatially displayed through an 8-channel loudspeaker system. We analyzed children's spontaneous movement in terms of energy-, smoothness- and directness-index. Despite large inter-participant variability and group-specific effects caused by interaction among children when engaging in the spontaneous movement task, we found a small but significant effect of sound model. Results from (2) indicate that different sound models can be rated differently on a set of motion-related perceptual scales (e.g., expressivity and fluidity). Also, results imply that audio-only stimuli can evoke stronger perceived properties of movement (e.g., energetic, impulsive) than stimuli involving both audio and video representations. Findings in (3) suggest that sounds portraying bodily movement can be represented using abstract drawings in a meaningful way. We argue that the results from these studies support the existence of a cross-modal mapping of body motion qualities from bodily movement to sounds. Sound can be translated and understood from bodily motion, conveyed through sound visualizations in the shape of drawings and translated back from sound visualizations to audio. The work underlines the potential of using interactive sonification to communicate high-level features of human movement data. PMID:27891074

Interactive Sonification of Spontaneous Movement of Children-Cross-Modal Mapping and the Perception of Body Movement Qualities through Sound.

PubMed

Frid, Emma; Bresin, Roberto; Alborno, Paolo; Elblaus, Ludvig

2016-01-01

In this paper we present three studies focusing on the effect of different sound models in interactive sonification of bodily movement. We hypothesized that a sound model characterized by continuous smooth sounds would be associated with other movement characteristics than a model characterized by abrupt variation in amplitude and that these associations could be reflected in spontaneous movement characteristics. Three subsequent studies were conducted to investigate the relationship between properties of bodily movement and sound: (1) a motion capture experiment involving interactive sonification of a group of children spontaneously moving in a room, (2) an experiment involving perceptual ratings of sonified movement data and (3) an experiment involving matching between sonified movements and their visualizations in the form of abstract drawings. In (1) we used a system constituting of 17 IR cameras tracking passive reflective markers. The head positions in the horizontal plane of 3-4 children were simultaneously tracked and sonified, producing 3-4 sound sources spatially displayed through an 8-channel loudspeaker system. We analyzed children's spontaneous movement in terms of energy-, smoothness- and directness-index. Despite large inter-participant variability and group-specific effects caused by interaction among children when engaging in the spontaneous movement task, we found a small but significant effect of sound model. Results from (2) indicate that different sound models can be rated differently on a set of motion-related perceptual scales (e.g., expressivity and fluidity). Also, results imply that audio-only stimuli can evoke stronger perceived properties of movement (e.g., energetic, impulsive) than stimuli involving both audio and video representations. Findings in (3) suggest that sounds portraying bodily movement can be represented using abstract drawings in a meaningful way. We argue that the results from these studies support the existence of a cross-modal mapping of body motion qualities from bodily movement to sounds. Sound can be translated and understood from bodily motion, conveyed through sound visualizations in the shape of drawings and translated back from sound visualizations to audio. The work underlines the potential of using interactive sonification to communicate high-level features of human movement data.

Quality indicators for hip fracture care, a systematic review.

PubMed

Voeten, S C; Krijnen, P; Voeten, D M; Hegeman, J H; Wouters, M W J M; Schipper, I B

2018-05-17

Quality indicators are used to measure quality of care and enable benchmarking. An overview of all existing hip fracture quality indicators is lacking. The primary aim was to identify quality indicators for hip fracture care reported in literature, hip fracture audits, and guidelines. The secondary aim was to compose a set of methodologically sound quality indicators for the evaluation of hip fracture care in clinical practice. A literature search according to the PRISMA guidelines and an internet search were performed to identify hip fracture quality indicators. The indicators were subdivided into process, structure, and outcome indicators. The methodological quality of the indicators was judged using the Appraisal of Indicators through Research and Evaluation (AIRE) instrument. For structure and process indicators, the construct validity was assessed. Sixteen publications, nine audits and five guidelines were included. In total, 97 unique quality indicators were found: 9 structure, 63 process, and 25 outcome indicators. Since detailed methodological information about the indicators was lacking, the AIRE instrument could not be applied. Seven indicators correlated with an outcome measure. A set of nine quality indicators was extracted from the literature, audits, and guidelines. Many quality indicators are described and used. Not all of them correlate with outcomes of care and have been assessed methodologically. As methodological evidence is lacking, we recommend the extracted set of nine indicators to be used as the starting point for further clinical research. Future research should focus on assessing the clinimetric properties of the existing quality indicators.

Parallel Processing of Large Scale Microphone Arrays for Sound Capture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jan, Ea-Ee.

1995-01-01

Performance of microphone sound pick up is degraded by deleterious properties of the acoustic environment, such as multipath distortion (reverberation) and ambient noise. The degradation becomes more prominent in a teleconferencing environment in which the microphone is positioned far away from the speaker. Besides, the ideal teleconference should feel as easy and natural as face-to-face communication with another person. This suggests hands-free sound capture with no tether or encumbrance by hand-held or body-worn sound equipment. Microphone arrays for this application represent an appropriate approach. This research develops new microphone array and signal processing techniques for high quality hands-free sound capture in noisy, reverberant enclosures. The new techniques combine matched-filtering of individual sensors and parallel processing to provide acute spatial volume selectivity which is capable of mitigating the deleterious effects of noise interference and multipath distortion. The new method outperforms traditional delay-and-sum beamformers which provide only directional spatial selectivity. The research additionally explores truncated matched-filtering and random distribution of transducers to reduce complexity and improve sound capture quality. All designs are first established by computer simulation of array performance in reverberant enclosures. The simulation is achieved by a room model which can efficiently calculate the acoustic multipath in a rectangular enclosure up to a prescribed order of images. It also calculates the incident angle of the arriving signal. Experimental arrays were constructed and their performance was measured in real rooms. Real room data were collected in a hard-walled laboratory and a controllable variable acoustics enclosure of similar size, approximately 6 x 6 x 3 m. An extensive speech database was also collected in these two enclosures for future research on microphone arrays. The simulation results are shown to be consistent with the real room data. Localization of sound sources has been explored using cross-power spectrum time delay estimation and has been evaluated using real room data under slightly, moderately and highly reverberant conditions. To improve the accuracy and reliability of the source localization, an outlier detector that removes incorrect time delay estimation has been invented. To provide speaker selectivity for microphone array systems, a hands-free speaker identification system has been studied. A recently invented feature using selected spectrum information outperforms traditional recognition methods. Measured results demonstrate the capabilities of speaker selectivity from a matched-filtered array. In addition, simulation utilities, including matched -filtering processing of the array and hands-free speaker identification, have been implemented on the massively -parallel nCube super-computer. This parallel computation highlights the requirements for real-time processing of array signals.

Vital Signs Rate Meter.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-09-01

stethoscope . Auscultation in respiratory medicine, however, has advanced slowly since Laennec established auscultation of lung sounds as a means of... stethoscope and the ear have limitations in their use as instruments for the evaluation of respiratory sounds. Respiratory sounds have a wide spectrum...Amplification, Rectification and Level-shft ing Stage ... 11 Respiratory Sound Circuitry ....... .................. ... 11 Sound Sensor

Automatic detection of wheezes by evaluation of multiple acoustic feature extraction methods and C-weighted SVM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sosa, Germán. D.; Cruz-Roa, Angel; González, Fabio A.

2015-01-01

This work addresses the problem of lung sound classification, in particular, the problem of distinguishing between wheeze and normal sounds. Wheezing sound detection is an important step to associate lung sounds with an abnormal state of the respiratory system, usually associated with tuberculosis or another chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD). The paper presents an approach for automatic lung sound classification, which uses different state-of-the-art sound features in combination with a C-weighted support vector machine (SVM) classifier that works better for unbalanced data. Feature extraction methods used here are commonly applied in speech recognition and related problems thanks to the fact that they capture the most informative spectral content from the original signals. The evaluated methods were: Fourier transform (FT), wavelet decomposition using Wavelet Packet Transform bank of filters (WPT) and Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC). For comparison, we evaluated and contrasted the proposed approach against previous works using different combination of features and/or classifiers. The different methods were evaluated on a set of lung sounds including normal and wheezing sounds. A leave-two-out per-case cross-validation approach was used, which, in each fold, chooses as validation set a couple of cases, one including normal sounds and the other including wheezing sounds. Experimental results were reported in terms of traditional classification performance measures: sensitivity, specificity and balanced accuracy. Our best results using the suggested approach, C-weighted SVM and MFCC, achieve a 82.1% of balanced accuracy obtaining the best result for this problem until now. These results suggest that supervised classifiers based on kernel methods are able to learn better models for this challenging classification problem even using the same feature extraction methods.

Evaluation of the effects of nonlinear frequency compression on speech recognition and sound quality for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss.

PubMed

Picou, Erin M; Marcrum, Steven C; Ricketts, Todd A

2015-03-01

While potentially improving audibility for listeners with considerable high frequency hearing loss, the effects of implementing nonlinear frequency compression (NFC) for listeners with moderate high frequency hearing loss are unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of activating NFC for listeners who are not traditionally considered candidates for this technology. Participants wore study hearing aids with NFC activated for a 3-4 week trial period. After the trial period, they were tested with NFC and with conventional processing on measures of consonant discrimination threshold in quiet, consonant recognition in quiet, sentence recognition in noise, and acceptableness of sound quality of speech and music. Seventeen adult listeners with symmetrical, mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss participated. Better ear, high frequency pure-tone averages (4, 6, and 8 kHz) were 60 dB HL or better. Activating NFC resulted in lower (better) thresholds for discrimination of /s/, whose spectral center was 9 kHz. There were no other significant effects of NFC compared to conventional processing. These data suggest that the benefits, and detriments, of activating NFC may be limited for this population.

Inferring speaker attributes in adductor spasmodic dysphonia: ratings from unfamiliar listeners.

PubMed

Isetti, Derek; Xuereb, Linnea; Eadie, Tanya L

2014-05-01

To determine whether unfamiliar listeners' perceptions of speakers with adductor spasmodic dysphonia (ADSD) differ from control speakers on the parameters of relative age, confidence, tearfulness, and vocal effort and are related to speaker-rated vocal effort or voice-specific quality of life. Twenty speakers with ADSD (including 6 speakers with ADSD plus tremor) and 20 age- and sex-matched controls provided speech recordings, completed a voice-specific quality-of-life instrument (Voice Handicap Index; Jacobson et al., 1997), and rated their own vocal effort. Twenty listeners evaluated speech samples for relative age, confidence, tearfulness, and vocal effort using rating scales. Listeners judged speakers with ADSD as sounding significantly older, less confident, more tearful, and more effortful than control speakers (p < .01). Increased vocal effort was strongly associated with decreased speaker confidence (rs = .88-.89) and sounding more tearful (rs = .83-.85). Self-rated speaker effort was moderately related (rs = .45-.52) to listener impressions. Listeners' perceptions of confidence and tearfulness were also moderately associated with higher Voice Handicap Index scores (rs = .65-.70). Unfamiliar listeners judge speakers with ADSD more negatively than control speakers, with judgments extending beyond typical clinical measures. The results have implications for counseling and understanding the psychosocial effects of ADSD.

Binaural model-based dynamic-range compression.

PubMed

Ernst, Stephan M A; Kortlang, Steffen; Grimm, Giso; Bisitz, Thomas; Kollmeier, Birger; Ewert, Stephan D

2018-01-26

Binaural cues such as interaural level differences (ILDs) are used to organise auditory perception and to segregate sound sources in complex acoustical environments. In bilaterally fitted hearing aids, dynamic-range compression operating independently at each ear potentially alters these ILDs, thus distorting binaural perception and sound source segregation. A binaurally-linked model-based fast-acting dynamic compression algorithm designed to approximate the normal-hearing basilar membrane (BM) input-output function in hearing-impaired listeners is suggested. A multi-center evaluation in comparison with an alternative binaural and two bilateral fittings was performed to assess the effect of binaural synchronisation on (a) speech intelligibility and (b) perceived quality in realistic conditions. 30 and 12 hearing impaired (HI) listeners were aided individually with the algorithms for both experimental parts, respectively. A small preference towards the proposed model-based algorithm in the direct quality comparison was found. However, no benefit of binaural-synchronisation regarding speech intelligibility was found, suggesting a dominant role of the better ear in all experimental conditions. The suggested binaural synchronisation of compression algorithms showed a limited effect on the tested outcome measures, however, linking could be situationally beneficial to preserve a natural binaural perception of the acoustical environment.

ARTICULATION OF SPEECH SOUNDS OF SERBIAN LANGUAGE IN CHILDREN AGED SIX TO EIGHT.

PubMed

Mihajlović, Biljana; Cvjetićanin, Bojana; Veselinović, Mila; Škrbić, Renata; Mitrović, Slobodan M

2015-01-01

Phonetic and phonological system of the healthy members of one linguistic community is fully formed around 8 yedrs of age. The auditory and articulatory habits are established with age and tend to be more difficult to be upgraded and completed later. The research was done as a cross-sectional study, conducted at the preschool institution "Radosno detinjstvo" and primary school "Branko Radičević" in Novi Sad. It included 66 children of both genders, aged 6 to 8. The quality of articulation was determined according to the Global Articulation Test by working with each child individually. In each individual vowel, plosive, nasal, lateral and fricative, the quality of articulation was statistically significantly better in the first graders compared to the preschool children (p<0.01). In each affricate, except for the sound /ć/, the quality of articulation was statistically significantly better in the first graders than in the preschool children (p<0.01). The quality of articulation of all speech sounds was statistically significantly better in the first graders than in the preschool children (p<0.01). The most common disorder of articulation is distortion, while only substitution and substitution associated with distortion are less common. Omission does not occur in children from 6 to 8 years of age. Girls have slightly better quality of articulation. The articulatory disorders are more common in preschool children than in children who are in the first grade of primary school. The most commonly mispronounced sounds belong to the group of affricates and fricatives.

Microphone Handling Noise: Measurements of Perceptual Threshold and Effects on Audio Quality

PubMed Central

Kendrick, Paul; Jackson, Iain R.; Fazenda, Bruno M.; Cox, Trevor J.; Li, Francis F.

2015-01-01

A psychoacoustic experiment was carried out to test the effects of microphone handling noise on perceived audio quality. Handling noise is a problem affecting both amateurs using their smartphones and cameras, as well as professionals using separate microphones and digital recorders. The noises used for the tests were measured from a variety of devices, including smartphones, laptops and handheld microphones. The signal features that characterise these noises are analysed and presented. The sounds include various types of transient, impact noises created by tapping or knocking devices, as well as more sustained sounds caused by rubbing. During the perceptual tests, listeners auditioned speech podcasts and were asked to rate the degradation of any unwanted sounds they heard. A representative design test methodology was developed that tried to encourage everyday rather than analytical listening. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the handling noise events was shown to be the best predictor of quality degradation. Other factors such as noise type or background noise in the listening environment did not significantly affect quality ratings. Podcast, microphone type and reproduction equipment were found to be significant but only to a small extent. A model allowing the prediction of degradation from the SNR is presented. The SNR threshold at which 50% of subjects noticed handling noise was found to be 4.2 ± 0.6 dBA. The results from this work are important for the understanding of our perception of impact sound and resonant noises in recordings, and will inform the future development of an automated predictor of quality for handling noise. PMID:26473498

Precision of working memory for speech sounds.

PubMed

Joseph, Sabine; Iverson, Paul; Manohar, Sanjay; Fox, Zoe; Scott, Sophie K; Husain, Masud

2015-01-01

Memory for speech sounds is a key component of models of verbal working memory (WM). But how good is verbal WM? Most investigations assess this using binary report measures to derive a fixed number of items that can be stored. However, recent findings in visual WM have challenged such "quantized" views by employing measures of recall precision with an analogue response scale. WM for speech sounds might rely on both continuous and categorical storage mechanisms. Using a novel speech matching paradigm, we measured WM recall precision for phonemes. Vowel qualities were sampled from a formant space continuum. A probe vowel had to be adjusted to match the vowel quality of a target on a continuous, analogue response scale. Crucially, this provided an index of the variability of a memory representation around its true value and thus allowed us to estimate how memories were distorted from the original sounds. Memory load affected the quality of speech sound recall in two ways. First, there was a gradual decline in recall precision with increasing number of items, consistent with the view that WM representations of speech sounds become noisier with an increase in the number of items held in memory, just as for vision. Based on multidimensional scaling (MDS), the level of noise appeared to be reflected in distortions of the formant space. Second, as memory load increased, there was evidence of greater clustering of participants' responses around particular vowels. A mixture model captured both continuous and categorical responses, demonstrating a shift from continuous to categorical memory with increasing WM load. This suggests that direct acoustic storage can be used for single items, but when more items must be stored, categorical representations must be used.

The Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ)

PubMed Central

Gatehouse, Stuart; Noble, William

2017-01-01

The Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ) is designed to measure a range of hearing disabilities across several domains. Particular attention is given to hearing speech in a variety of competing contexts, and to the directional, distance and movement components of spatial hearing. In addition, the abilities both to segregate sounds and to attend to simultaneous speech streams are assessed, reflecting the reality of hearing in the everyday world. Qualities of hearing experience include ease of listening, and the naturalness, clarity and identifiability of different speakers, different musical pieces and instruments, and different everyday sounds. Application of the SSQ to 153 new clinic clients prior to hearing aid fitting showed that the greatest difficulty was experienced with simultaneous speech streams, ease of listening, listening in groups and in noise, and judging distance and movement. SSQ ratings were compared with an independent measure of handicap. After differences in hearing level were controlled for, it was found that identification, attention and effort problems, as well as spatial hearing problems, feature prominently in the disability–handicap relationship, along with certain features of speech hearing. The results implicate aspects of temporal and spatial dynamics of hearing disability in the experience of handicap. The SSQ shows promise as an instrument for evaluating interventions of various kinds, particularly (but not exclusively) those that implicate binaural function. PMID:15035561

A systematic review of health care efficiency measures.

PubMed

Hussey, Peter S; de Vries, Han; Romley, John; Wang, Margaret C; Chen, Susan S; Shekelle, Paul G; McGlynn, Elizabeth A

2009-06-01

To review and characterize existing health care efficiency measures in order to facilitate a common understanding about the adequacy of these methods. Review of the MedLine and EconLit databases for articles published from 1990 to 2008, as well as search of the "gray" literature for additional measures developed by private organizations. We performed a systematic review for existing efficiency measures. We classified the efficiency measures by perspective, outputs, inputs, methods used, and reporting of scientific soundness. We identified 265 measures in the peer-reviewed literature and eight measures in the gray literature, with little overlap between the two sets of measures. Almost all of the measures did not explicitly consider the quality of care. Thus, if quality varies substantially across groups, which is likely in some cases, the measures reflect only the costs of care, not efficiency. Evidence on the measures' scientific soundness was mostly lacking: evidence on reliability or validity was reported for six measures (2.3 percent) and sensitivity analyses were reported for 67 measures (25.3 percent). Efficiency measures have been subjected to few rigorous evaluations of reliability and validity, and methods of accounting for quality of care in efficiency measurement are not well developed at this time. Use of these measures without greater understanding of these issues is likely to engender resistance from providers and could lead to unintended consequences.

Harmonic Frequency Lowering

PubMed Central

Kirchberger, Martin

2016-01-01

A novel algorithm for frequency lowering in music was developed and experimentally tested in hearing-impaired listeners. Harmonic frequency lowering (HFL) combines frequency transposition and frequency compression to preserve the harmonic content of music stimuli. Listeners were asked to make judgments regarding detail and sound quality in music stimuli. Stimuli were presented under different signal processing conditions: original, low-pass filtered, HFL, and nonlinear frequency compressed. Results showed that participants reported perceiving the most detail in the HFL condition. In addition, there was no difference in sound quality across conditions. PMID:26834122

Sounds of silence: How to animate virtual worlds with sound

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Astheimer, Peter

1993-01-01

Sounds are an integral and sometimes annoying part of our daily life. Virtual worlds which imitate natural environments gain a lot of authenticity from fast, high quality visualization combined with sound effects. Sounds help to increase the degree of immersion for human dwellers in imaginary worlds significantly. The virtual reality toolkit of IGD (Institute for Computer Graphics) features a broad range of standard visual and advanced real-time audio components which interpret an object-oriented definition of the scene. The virtual reality system 'Virtual Design' realized with the toolkit enables the designer of virtual worlds to create a true audiovisual environment. Several examples on video demonstrate the usage of the audio features in Virtual Design.

Contaminant loading to Puget Sound from two marinas. Puget Sound estuary program. Final report, June 1988-October 1988

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Crecelius, E.A.; Fortman, T.J.; Kiesser, S.L.

1989-07-01

Concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, PAH's, TBT and FC bacteria were measured in surface sediment, sediment-trap, and water-column samples at two marinas in Puget Sound during summer of 1988. Levels of contaminants inside the marinas were compared with levels outside. TBT had greatest elevation in marina sediments compared to reference sediments. Few of sediments exceeded Puget Sound AET sediment quality values but most did exceed PSDDA screening levels for in-water disposal of dredged sediment. All marinas estimated to contribute less than one percent of total mass loading of Cu, Pb and Zn to main basin of Puget Sound. Contribution ofmore » TBT may be much more significant if antifouling paints are the major source for Puget Sound.« less

Applications of direct-to-consumer hearing devices for adults with hearing loss: a review

PubMed Central

Manchaiah, Vinaya; Taylor, Brian; Dockens, Ashley L; Tran, Nicole R; Lane, Kayla; Castle, Mariana; Grover, Vibhu

2017-01-01

Background This systematic literature review is aimed at investigating applications of direct-to-consumer hearing devices for adults with hearing loss. This review discusses three categories of direct-to-consumer hearing devices: 1) personal sound amplification products (PSAPs), 2) direct-mail hearing aids, and 3) over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids. Method A literature review was conducted using EBSCOhost and included the databases CINAHL, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO. After applying prior agreed inclusion and exclusion criteria, 13 reports were included in the review. Results Included studies fell into three domains: 1) electroacoustic characteristics, 2) consumer surveys, and 3) outcome evaluations. Electroacoustic characteristics of these devices vary significantly with some meeting the stringent acoustic criteria used for hearing aids, while others producing dangerous output levels (ie, over 120-dB sound pressure level). Low-end (or low-cost) devices were typically poor in acoustic quality and did not meet gain levels necessary for most adult and elderly hearing loss patterns (eg, presbycusis), especially in high frequencies. Despite direct-mail hearing aids and PSAPs being associated with lower satisfaction when compared to hearing aids purchased through hearing health care professionals, consumer surveys suggest that 5%–19% of people with hearing loss purchase hearing aids through direct-mail or online. Studies on outcome evaluation suggest positive outcomes of OTC devices in the elderly population. Of note, OTC outcomes appear better when a hearing health care professional supports these users. Conclusion While some direct-to-consumer hearing devices have the capability to produce adverse effects due to production of dangerously high sound levels and internal noise, the existing literature suggests that there are potential benefits of these devices. Research of direct-to-consumer hearing devices is limited, and current published studies are of weak quality. Much effort is needed to understand the benefits and limitations of such devices on people with hearing loss. PMID:28553093

Applications of direct-to-consumer hearing devices for adults with hearing loss: a review.

PubMed

Manchaiah, Vinaya; Taylor, Brian; Dockens, Ashley L; Tran, Nicole R; Lane, Kayla; Castle, Mariana; Grover, Vibhu

2017-01-01

This systematic literature review is aimed at investigating applications of direct-to-consumer hearing devices for adults with hearing loss. This review discusses three categories of direct-to-consumer hearing devices: 1) personal sound amplification products (PSAPs), 2) direct-mail hearing aids, and 3) over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids. A literature review was conducted using EBSCOhost and included the databases CINAHL, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO. After applying prior agreed inclusion and exclusion criteria, 13 reports were included in the review. Included studies fell into three domains: 1) electroacoustic characteristics, 2) consumer surveys, and 3) outcome evaluations. Electroacoustic characteristics of these devices vary significantly with some meeting the stringent acoustic criteria used for hearing aids, while others producing dangerous output levels (ie, over 120-dB sound pressure level). Low-end (or low-cost) devices were typically poor in acoustic quality and did not meet gain levels necessary for most adult and elderly hearing loss patterns (eg, presbycusis), especially in high frequencies. Despite direct-mail hearing aids and PSAPs being associated with lower satisfaction when compared to hearing aids purchased through hearing health care professionals, consumer surveys suggest that 5%-19% of people with hearing loss purchase hearing aids through direct-mail or online. Studies on outcome evaluation suggest positive outcomes of OTC devices in the elderly population. Of note, OTC outcomes appear better when a hearing health care professional supports these users. While some direct-to-consumer hearing devices have the capability to produce adverse effects due to production of dangerously high sound levels and internal noise, the existing literature suggests that there are potential benefits of these devices. Research of direct-to-consumer hearing devices is limited, and current published studies are of weak quality. Much effort is needed to understand the benefits and limitations of such devices on people with hearing loss.

Hardness and elasticity of caries-affected and sound primary tooth dentin bonded with 4-META one-step self-etch adhesives

PubMed Central

Hosoya, Yumiko; Tay, Franklin R.; Miyakoshi, Shoichi; Pashley, David H.

2013-01-01

Purpose This study evaluated the quality of the interface of sound and carious primary tooth dentin bonded with two 4-META one-step self-etch adhesives. Methods Twelve sound and twelve carious primary molars were bonded with AQ Bond Plus (AQBP; Sun Medical) or Hybrid Bond (HB; Sun Medical) and restored with Clearfil Protect Liner F (Kuraray Medical Inc.). After 24 hours of water immersion, the teeth were sectioned and polished. Resin-dentin interfaces were measured with a nano-indentation tester and hardness and Young’s modulus were calculated. Data were analyzed using one-way or two-ways ANOVA and Fisher’s PLSD test with α=0.05. Resin-dentin interfaces were also observed with SEM and TEM. Ammoniacal silver nitrate was used as a tracer for TEM observation. Results Hardness and Young’s modulus of the interfacial dentin were significantly lower than the underlying intact dentin except for the carious-AQBP group. However, there was no significant difference of hardness and Young's moduli of the interfacial dentin among all groups. TEM revealed extensive interfacial nanoleakage in sound dentin bonded with either AQBP or HB. For the carious teeth, nanoleakage was absent in the hybrid layers bonded with the two adhesives. However, extensive silver deposits were identified from the subsurface, porous caries-affected dentin. PMID:18795517

Study of environmental sound source identification based on hidden Markov model for robust speech recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishiura, Takanobu; Nakamura, Satoshi

2003-10-01

Humans communicate with each other through speech by focusing on the target speech among environmental sounds in real acoustic environments. We can easily identify the target sound from other environmental sounds. For hands-free speech recognition, the identification of the target speech from environmental sounds is imperative. This mechanism may also be important for a self-moving robot to sense the acoustic environments and communicate with humans. Therefore, this paper first proposes hidden Markov model (HMM)-based environmental sound source identification. Environmental sounds are modeled by three states of HMMs and evaluated using 92 kinds of environmental sounds. The identification accuracy was 95.4%. This paper also proposes a new HMM composition method that composes speech HMMs and an HMM of categorized environmental sounds for robust environmental sound-added speech recognition. As a result of the evaluation experiments, we confirmed that the proposed HMM composition outperforms the conventional HMM composition with speech HMMs and a noise (environmental sound) HMM trained using noise periods prior to the target speech in a captured signal. [Work supported by Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications of Japan.

“Summary of the Emission Inventories compiled for the ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

We present a summary of the emission inventories from the US, Canada, and Mexico developed for the second phase of the Air Quality Model Evaluation International Initiative (AQMEII). Activities in this second phase are focused on the application and evaluation of coupled meteorology-chemistry models over both North America and Europe using common emissions and boundary conditions for all modeling groups for the years of 2006 and 2010. We will compare the emission inventories developed for these two years focusing on the SO2 and NOx reductions over these years and compare with socio-economic data. In addition we will highlight the differences in the inventories for the US and Canada compared with the inventories used in the phase 1 of this project. The National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) Atmospheric Modeling and Analysis Division (AMAD) conducts research in support of EPA mission to protect human health and the environment. AMAD research program is engaged in developing and evaluating predictive atmospheric models on all spatial and temporal scales for forecasting the air quality and for assessing changes in air quality and air pollutant exposures, as affected by changes in ecosystem management and regulatory decisions. AMAD is responsible for providing a sound scientific and technical basis for regulatory policies based on air quality models to improve ambient air quality. The models developed by AMAD are being used by EPA, NOAA, and the air pollut

NATIONAL WATER-QUALITY ASSESSMENT (NAWQA) PROGRAM

EPA Science Inventory

The National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program is designed to describe the status and trends in the quality of the Nations ground- and surface-water resources and to provide a sound understanding of the natural and human factors that affect the quality of these resources. ...

Evaluation of several non-reflecting computational boundary conditions for duct acoustics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watson, Willie R.; Zorumski, William E.; Hodge, Steve L.

1994-01-01

Several non-reflecting computational boundary conditions that meet certain criteria and have potential applications to duct acoustics are evaluated for their effectiveness. The same interior solution scheme, grid, and order of approximation are used to evaluate each condition. Sparse matrix solution techniques are applied to solve the matrix equation resulting from the discretization. Modal series solutions for the sound attenuation in an infinite duct are used to evaluate the accuracy of each non-reflecting boundary conditions. The evaluations are performed for sound propagation in a softwall duct, for several sources, sound frequencies, and duct lengths. It is shown that a recently developed nonlocal boundary condition leads to sound attenuation predictions considerably more accurate for short ducts. This leads to a substantial reduction in the number of grid points when compared to other non-reflecting conditions.

Dispatching demand response transit service maximizing productivity and service quality guidebook : final report, March 2009.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-03-01

The ability of transit agencies to staff dispatch effectively and use technology to its full advantage is critical : in responding proactively as service changes occur and in making sound routing decisions. Sound routing : decisions result in improve...

Sound quality recognition using optimal wavelet-packet transform and artificial neural network methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xing, Y. F.; Wang, Y. S.; Shi, L.; Guo, H.; Chen, H.

2016-01-01

According to the human perceptional characteristics, a method combined by the optimal wavelet-packet transform and artificial neural network, so-called OWPT-ANN model, for psychoacoustical recognition is presented. Comparisons of time-frequency analysis methods are performed, and an OWPT with 21 critical bands is designed for feature extraction of a sound, as is a three-layer back-propagation ANN for sound quality (SQ) recognition. Focusing on the loudness and sharpness, the OWPT-ANN model is applied on vehicle noises under different working conditions. Experimental verifications show that the OWPT can effectively transfer a sound into a time-varying energy pattern as that in the human auditory system. The errors of loudness and sharpness of vehicle noise from the OWPT-ANN are all less than 5%, which suggest a good accuracy of the OWPT-ANN model in SQ recognition. The proposed methodology might be regarded as a promising technique for signal processing in the human-hearing related fields in engineering.

Remote Sensing of Suspended Sediment Dynamics in the Mississippi Sound

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merritt, D. N.; Skarke, A. D.; Silwal, S.; Dash, P.

2016-02-01

The Mississippi Sound is a semi-enclosed estuary between the coast of Mississippi and a chain of offshore barrier islands with relatively shallow water depths and high marine biodiversity that is wildly utilized for commercial fishing and public recreation. The discharge of sediment-laden rivers into the Mississippi Sound and the adjacent Northern Gulf of Mexico creates turbid plumes that can extend hundreds of square kilometers along the coast and persist for multiple days. The concentration of suspended sediment in these coastal waters is an important parameter in the calculation of regional sediment budgets as well as analysis of water-quality factors such as primary productivity, nutrient dynamics, and the transport of pollutants as well as pathogens. The spectral resolution, sampling frequency, and regional scale spatial domain associated with satellite based sensors makes remote sensing an ideal tool to monitor suspended sediment dynamics in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Accordingly, the presented research evaluates the validity of published models that relate remote sensing reflectance with suspended sediment concentrations (SSC), for similar environmental settings, with 51 in situ observations of SSC from the Mississippi Sound. Additionally, regression analysis is used to correlate additional in situ observations of SSC in Mississippi Sound with coincident observations of visible and near-infrared band reflectance collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor aboard the Aqua satellite, in order to develop a site-specific empirical predictive model for SSC. Finally, specific parameters of the sampled suspended sediment such as grain size and mineralogy are analyzed in order to quantify their respective contributions to total remotely sensed reflectance.

An evaluative review of questionnaires recommended for the assessment of quality of life and symptom severity in women with urinary incontinence.

PubMed

Hewison, Ann; McCaughan, Dorothy; Watt, Ian

2014-11-01

To provide an up-to-date assessment of the quality of commonly recommended questionnaires for measuring symptom severity and quality of life in women with urinary incontinence and also to consider their application to practice. Urinary incontinence is a common problem for women. In addition to various physical symptoms, there is a known effect on quality of life. Psychometrically robust questionnaires are reported to be the best way to measure an individual's perceptions of symptom severity and quality of life, and a number of different ones are recommended for use in international and national guidance, which can be confusing for clinicians. Moreover, there are concerns over the applicability of some of these instruments in clinical practice. An evaluative review was carried out examining selected questionnaires measuring symptom severity and/or quality of life. Selection of questionnaires for inclusion in the review was based on the recommendations of evidence-based guidance, followed by systematic scrutiny of the characteristics of the individual recommended questionnaires. Thirteen questionnaires were included in the review, of which three appeared to 'outperform' the remainder in terms of their psychometric properties and other characteristics. This review provides the most up-to-date and comprehensive analysis of the quality and applicability of the included questionnaires and offers the practitioner advice on which to select for use in practice. This review aims to help the practitioner choose a questionnaire based on a sound evaluation of the quality of the questionnaire and its applicability to the clinical setting. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Using Incremental Rehearsal to Teach Letter Sounds to English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rahn, Naomi L.; Wilson, Jennifer; Egan, Andrea; Brandes, Dana; Kunkel, Amy; Peterson, Meredith; McComas, Jennifer

2015-01-01

This study examined the effects of incremental rehearsal (IR) on letter sound expression for one kindergarten and one first grade English learner who were below district benchmark for letter sound fluency. A single-subject multiple-baseline design across sets of unknown letter sounds was used to evaluate the effect of IR on letter-sound expression…

Optimum sensor placement for microphone arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rabinkin, Daniel V.

Microphone arrays can be used for high-quality sound pickup in reverberant and noisy environments. Sound capture using conventional single microphone methods suffers severe degradation under these conditions. The beamforming capabilities of microphone array systems allow highly directional sound capture, providing enhanced signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) when compared to single microphone performance. The overall performance of an array system is governed by its ability to locate and track sound sources and its ability to capture sound from desired spatial volumes. These abilities are strongly affected by the spatial placement of microphone sensors. A method is needed to optimize placement for a specified number of sensors in a given acoustical environment. The objective of the optimization is to obtain the greatest average system SNR for sound capture in the region of interest. A two-step sound source location method is presented. In the first step, time delay of arrival (TDOA) estimates for select microphone pairs are determined using a modified version of the Omologo-Svaizer cross-power spectrum phase expression. In the second step, the TDOA estimates are used in a least-mean-squares gradient descent search algorithm to obtain a location estimate. Statistics for TDOA estimate error as a function of microphone pair/sound source geometry and acoustic environment are gathered from a set of experiments. These statistics are used to model position estimation accuracy for a given array geometry. The effectiveness of sound source capture is also dependent on array geometry and the acoustical environment. Simple beamforming and time delay compensation (TDC) methods provide spatial selectivity but suffer performance degradation in reverberant environments. Matched filter array (MFA) processing can mitigate the effects of reverberation. The shape and gain advantage of the capture region for these techniques is described and shown to be highly influenced by the placement of array sensors. A procedure is developed to evaluate a given array configuration based on the above-mentioned metrics. Constrained placement optimizations are performed that maximize SNR for both TDC and MFA capture methods. Results are compared for various acoustic environments and various enclosure sizes. General guidelines are presented for placement strategy and bandwidth dependence, as they relate to reverberation levels, ambient noise, and enclosure geometry. An overall performance function is described based on these metrics. Performance of the microphone array system is also constrained by the design limitations of the supporting hardware. Two newly developed hardware architectures are presented that support the described algorithms. A low- cost 8-channel system with off-the-shelf componentry was designed and its performance evaluated. A massively parallel 512-channel custom-built system is in development-its capabilities and the rationale for its design are described.

Land-use planning for nearshore ecosystem services—the Puget Sound Ecosystem Portfolio Model

USGS Publications Warehouse

Byrd, Kristin

2011-01-01

The 2,500 miles of shoreline and nearshore areas of Puget Sound, Washington, provide multiple benefits to people—"ecosystem services"—including important fishing, shellfishing, and recreation industries. To help resource managers plan for expected growth in coming decades, the U.S. Geological Survey Western Geographic Science Center has developed the Puget Sound Ecosystem Portfolio Model (PSEPM). Scenarios of urban growth and shoreline modifications serve as model inputs to develop alternative futures of important nearshore features such as water quality and beach habitats. Model results will support regional long-term planning decisions for the Puget Sound region.

Sound texture perception via statistics of the auditory periphery: Evidence from sound synthesis

PubMed Central

McDermott, Josh H.; Simoncelli, Eero P.

2014-01-01

Rainstorms, insect swarms, and galloping horses produce “sound textures” – the collective result of many similar acoustic events. Sound textures are distinguished by temporal homogeneity, suggesting they could be recognized with time-averaged statistics. To test this hypothesis, we processed real-world textures with an auditory model containing filters tuned for sound frequencies and their modulations, and measured statistics of the resulting decomposition. We then assessed the realism and recognizability of novel sounds synthesized to have matching statistics. Statistics of individual frequency channels, capturing spectral power and sparsity, generally failed to produce compelling synthetic textures. However, combining them with correlations between channels produced identifiable and natural-sounding textures. Synthesis quality declined if statistics were computed from biologically implausible auditory models. The results suggest that sound texture perception is mediated by relatively simple statistics of early auditory representations, presumably computed by downstream neural populations. The synthesis methodology offers a powerful tool for their further investigation. PMID:21903084

An early warning system for groundwater pollution based on the assessment of groundwater pollution risks.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Weihong.; Zhao, Yongsheng; Hong, Mei; Guo, Xiaodong

2009-04-01

Groundwater pollution usually is complex and concealed, remediation of which is difficult, high cost, time-consuming, and ineffective. An early warning system for groundwater pollution is needed that detects groundwater quality problems and gets the information necessary to make sound decisions before massive groundwater quality degradation occurs. Groundwater pollution early warning were performed by considering comprehensively the current groundwater quality, groundwater quality varying trend and groundwater pollution risk . The map of the basic quality of the groundwater was obtained by fuzzy comprehensive evaluation or BP neural network evaluation. Based on multi-annual groundwater monitoring datasets, Water quality state in sometime of the future was forecasted using time-sequenced analyzing methods. Water quality varying trend was analyzed by Spearman's rank correlative coefficient.The relative risk map of groundwater pollution was estimated through a procedure that identifies, cell by cell,the values of three factors, that is inherent vulnerability, load risk of pollution source and contamination hazard. DRASTIC method was used to assess inherent vulnerability of aquifer. Load risk of pollution source was analyzed based on the potential of contamination and pollution degree. Assessment index of load risk of pollution source which involves the variety of pollution source, quantity of contaminants, releasing potential of pollutants, and distance were determined. The load risks of all sources considered by GIS overlay technology. Early warning model of groundwater pollution combined with ComGIS technology organically, the regional groundwater pollution early-warning information system was developed, and applied it into Qiqiha'er groundwater early warning. It can be used to evaluate current water quality, to forecast water quality changing trend, and to analyze space-time influencing range of groundwater quality by natural process and human activities. Keywords: groundwater pollution, early warning, aquifer vulnerability, pollution load, pollution risk, ComGIS

Acceptability of VTOL aircraft noise determined by absolute subjective testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sternfeld, H., Jr.; Hinterkeuser, E. G.; Hackman, R. B.; Davis, J.

1972-01-01

A program was conducted during which test subjects evaluated the simulated sounds of a helicopter, a tilt wing aircraft, and a 15 second, 90 PNdB (indoors) turbojet aircraft used as reference. Over 20,000 evaluations were made while the test subjects were engaged in work and leisure activities. The effects of level, exposure time, distance and aircraft design on subjective acceptability were evaluated. Some of the important conclusions are: (1) To be judged equal in annoyance to the reference jet sound, the helicopter and tilt wing sounds must be 4 to 5 PNdB lower when lasting 15 seconds in duration. (2) To be judged significantly more acceptable than the reference jet sound, the helicopter sound must be 10 PNdB lower when lasting 15 seconds in duration. (3) To be judged significantly more acceptable than the reference jet sound, the tilt wing sound must be 12 PNdB lower when lasting 15 seconds in duration. (4) The relative effect of changing the duration of a sound upon its subjectively rated annoyance diminishes with increasing duration. It varies from 2 PNdB per doubling of duration for intervals of 15 to 30 seconds, to 0.75 PNdB per doubling of duration for intervals of 120 to 240 seconds.

Contaminant Concentrations in Storm Water Entering the Sinclair/Dyes Inlet Subasin of the Puget Sound, USA, During Storm Event and Baseflow Conditions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brandenberger, Jill M.; May, Christopher W.; Cullinan, Valerie I.

2007-03-29

The Sinclair and Dyes Inlet watershed is located on the west side of Puget Sound in Kitsap County, Washington, U.S.A. (Figure 1). Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS), U.S Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the Washington State Department of Ecology (WA-DOE), Kitsap County, City of Bremerton, City of Bainbridge Island, City of Port Orchard, and the Suquamish Tribe have joined in a cooperative effort to evaluate water-quality conditions the Sinclair-Dyes Inlet watershed and correct identified problems. A major focus of this project, known as Project ENVVEST, is to develop Water Clean-up (TMDL) Plans for constituents listed on the 303(d) list within themore » Sinclair and Dyes Inlet watershed. Segments within the Sinclair and Dyes Inlet watershed were listed on the State of Washington’s 1998 303(d) due to fecal coliform contamination in marine water, metals in sediment and fish tissue, and organics in sediment and fish tissue (WA-DOE 2003). Stormwater loading was identified by ENVVEST as one potential source of sediment contamination, which lacked sufficient data for the contaminant mass balance calculations conducted for the watershed. This paper summarizes the contaminant concentrations in representative streams and outfalls discharging into Sinclair and Dyes Inlets during 18 storm events and wet/dry season baseflow conditions between November 2002 and May 2005. This paper serves as a portion of the report titled, “Surface and Stormwater Quality Assessment for Sinclair and Dyes Inlet, Washington” (Brandenberger et al. 2007).« less

Quality ratings of frequency-compressed speech by participants with extensive high-frequency dead regions in the cochlea

PubMed Central

Salorio-Corbetto, Marina; Baer, Thomas; Moore, Brian C. J.

2017-01-01

Abstract Objective: The objective was to assess the degradation of speech sound quality produced by frequency compression for listeners with extensive high-frequency dead regions (DRs). Design: Quality ratings were obtained using values of the starting frequency (Sf) of the frequency compression both below and above the estimated edge frequency, fe, of each DR. Thus, the value of Sf often fell below the lowest value currently used in clinical practice. Several compression ratios were used for each value of Sf. Stimuli were sentences processed via a prototype hearing aid based on Phonak Exélia Art P. Study sample: Five participants (eight ears) with extensive high-frequency DRs were tested. Results: Reductions of sound-quality produced by frequency compression were small to moderate. Ratings decreased significantly with decreasing Sf and increasing CR. The mean ratings were lowest for the lowest Sf and highest CR. Ratings varied across participants, with one participant rating frequency compression lower than no frequency compression even when Sf was above fe. Conclusions: Frequency compression degraded sound quality somewhat for this small group of participants with extensive high-frequency DRs. The degradation was greater for lower values of Sf relative to fe, and for greater values of CR. Results varied across participants. PMID:27724057

Identification and tracking of particular speaker in noisy environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sawada, Hideyuki; Ohkado, Minoru

2004-10-01

Human is able to exchange information smoothly using voice under different situations such as noisy environment in a crowd and with the existence of plural speakers. We are able to detect the position of a source sound in 3D space, extract a particular sound from mixed sounds, and recognize who is talking. By realizing this mechanism with a computer, new applications will be presented for recording a sound with high quality by reducing noise, presenting a clarified sound, and realizing a microphone-free speech recognition by extracting particular sound. The paper will introduce a realtime detection and identification of particular speaker in noisy environment using a microphone array based on the location of a speaker and the individual voice characteristics. The study will be applied to develop an adaptive auditory system of a mobile robot which collaborates with a factory worker.

Bull influences on conception percentage and calving date in Angus Hereford, Brahman and Senepol single-sire herds.

PubMed

Larsen, R E; Littell, R; Rooks, E; Adams, E L; Falcon, C; Warnick, A C

1990-09-01

Bull breeding soundness parameters, semen characteristics and sexual behavior were evaluated for effects on reproductive performance in single-sire beef herds. A total of 155 cow herds (Angus, 50 herds; Hereford, 40 herds; Brahman, 46 herds; and Senepol, 19 herds) bred to bulls of the same breed were observed for 8 yr. All bulls produced adequate quality semen and had scrotal circumference (SC)>or=30 cm. Reproductive performance was evaluated by the conception rate (CON), conception rate during the first 21 d of the breeding season (21dCON), mean calving date (MCD), and mean calving date of the first half of the herd to calve (HHCD). Correlations were determined between breeding soundness parameters and reproductive performance for all bulls combined, by breed, and by age. The Cp statistic was used to select models for the effects of parameters on CON, 21dCON, MCD and HHCD. Breeding season length and breed had significant effects. The percentages of normal cells, proximal droplets, detached heads and the semen score (motility plus percentage of normal cells) had a significant effect on CON when all bulls were considered. After the effect of season was deleted, the most significant parameter affecting CON in the Brahman was the percentage of detached sperm heads. In the Angus, motility was significantly correlated with all reproductive performance indices. In the Hereford, breeding soundness examination score (BSE) was positively correlated with 21dCON.

Workflow for Criticality Assessment Applied in Biopharmaceutical Process Validation Stage 1.

PubMed

Zahel, Thomas; Marschall, Lukas; Abad, Sandra; Vasilieva, Elena; Maurer, Daniel; Mueller, Eric M; Murphy, Patrick; Natschläger, Thomas; Brocard, Cécile; Reinisch, Daniela; Sagmeister, Patrick; Herwig, Christoph

2017-10-12

Identification of critical process parameters that impact product quality is a central task during regulatory requested process validation. Commonly, this is done via design of experiments and identification of parameters significantly impacting product quality (rejection of the null hypothesis that the effect equals 0). However, parameters which show a large uncertainty and might result in an undesirable product quality limit critical to the product, may be missed. This might occur during the evaluation of experiments since residual/un-modelled variance in the experiments is larger than expected a priori. Estimation of such a risk is the task of the presented novel retrospective power analysis permutation test. This is evaluated using a data set for two unit operations established during characterization of a biopharmaceutical process in industry. The results show that, for one unit operation, the observed variance in the experiments is much larger than expected a priori, resulting in low power levels for all non-significant parameters. Moreover, we present a workflow of how to mitigate the risk associated with overlooked parameter effects. This enables a statistically sound identification of critical process parameters. The developed workflow will substantially support industry in delivering constant product quality, reduce process variance and increase patient safety.

Performance evaluation of heart sound cancellation in FPGA hardware implementation for electronic stethoscope.

PubMed

Chao, Chun-Tang; Maneetien, Nopadon; Wang, Chi-Jo; Chiou, Juing-Shian

2014-01-01

This paper presents the design and evaluation of the hardware circuit for electronic stethoscopes with heart sound cancellation capabilities using field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). The adaptive line enhancer (ALE) was adopted as the filtering methodology to reduce heart sound attributes from the breath sounds obtained via the electronic stethoscope pickup. FPGAs were utilized to implement the ALE functions in hardware to achieve near real-time breath sound processing. We believe that such an implementation is unprecedented and crucial toward a truly useful, standalone medical device in outpatient clinic settings. The implementation evaluation with one Altera cyclone II-EP2C70F89 shows that the proposed ALE used 45% resources of the chip. Experiments with the proposed prototype were made using DE2-70 emulation board with recorded body signals obtained from online medical archives. Clear suppressions were observed in our experiments from both the frequency domain and time domain perspectives.

Psychometric Properties of Language Assessments for Children Aged 4–12 Years: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Denman, Deborah; Speyer, Renée; Munro, Natalie; Pearce, Wendy M.; Chen, Yu-Wei; Cordier, Reinie

2017-01-01

Introduction: Standardized assessments are widely used by speech pathologists in clinical and research settings to evaluate the language abilities of school-aged children and inform decisions about diagnosis, eligibility for services and intervention. Given the significance of these decisions, it is important that assessments have sound psychometric properties. Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to examine the psychometric quality of currently available comprehensive language assessments for school-aged children and identify assessments with the best evidence for use. Methods: Using the PRISMA framework as a guideline, a search of five databases and a review of websites and textbooks was undertaken to identify language assessments and published material on the reliability and validity of these assessments. The methodological quality of selected studies was evaluated using the COSMIN taxonomy and checklist. Results: Fifteen assessments were evaluated. For most assessments evidence of hypothesis testing (convergent and discriminant validity) was identified; with a smaller number of assessments having some evidence of reliability and content validity. No assessments presented with evidence of structural validity, internal consistency or error measurement. Overall, all assessments were identified as having limitations with regards to evidence of psychometric quality. Conclusions: Further research is required to provide good evidence of psychometric quality for currently available language assessments. Of the assessments evaluated, the Assessment of Literacy and Language, the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-5th Edition, the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Preschool: 2nd Edition and the Preschool Language Scales-5th Edition presented with most evidence and are thus recommended for use. PMID:28936189

Improving Service Quality: Achieving High Performance in the Public and Private Sectors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milakovich, Michael E.

Quality-improvement principles are a sound means to respond to customer needs. However, when various quality and productivity theories and methods are applied, it is very difficult to consistently deliver quality results, especially in quasi-monopolistic, non-competitive, and regulated environments. This book focuses on quality-improvement methods…

Acoustic Quality Levels of Mosques in Batu Pahat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azizah Adnan, Nor; Nafida Raja Shahminan, Raja; Khair Ibrahim, Fawazul; Tami, Hannifah; Yusuff, M. Rizal M.; Murniwaty Samsudin, Emedya; Ismail, Isham

2018-04-01

Every Friday, Muslims has been required to perform a special prayer known as the Friday prayers which involve the delivery of a brief lecture (Khutbah). Speech intelligibility in oral communications presented by the preacher affected all the congregation and determined the level of acoustic quality in the interior of the mosque. Therefore, this study intended to assess the level of acoustic quality of three public mosques in Batu Pahat. Good acoustic quality is essential in contributing towards appreciation in prayers and increasing khusyu’ during the worship, which is closely related to the speech intelligibility corresponding to the actual function of the mosque according to Islam. Acoustic parameters measured includes noise criteria (NC), reverberation time (RT) and speech transmission index (STI), and was performed using the sound level meter and sound measurement instruments. This test is carried out through the physical observation with the consideration of space and volume design as a factor affecting acoustic parameters. Results from all 3 mosques as the showed that the acoustic quality level inside these buildings are slightly poor which is at below 0.45 coefficients based on the standard. Among the factors that influencing the low acoustical quality are location, building materials, installation of sound absorption material and the number of occupants inside the mosque. As conclusion, the acoustic quality level of a mosque is highly depends on physical factors of the mosque such as the architectural design and space volume besides other factors as been identified by this study.

24 CFR 51.106 - Implementation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... day-night average sound level data are not available may be evaluated from NEF or CNEL analyses using.... The day-night average sound level may be estimated from the design hour L10 or Leq values by the.... The Department of Defense uses day-night average sound level based on C-weighted sound level...

Determinants of the reliability of ultrasound tomography sound speed estimates as a surrogate for volumetric breast density

PubMed Central

Khodr, Zeina G.; Sak, Mark A.; Pfeiffer, Ruth M.; Duric, Nebojsa; Littrup, Peter; Bey-Knight, Lisa; Ali, Haythem; Vallieres, Patricia; Sherman, Mark E.; Gierach, Gretchen L.

2015-01-01

Purpose: High breast density, as measured by mammography, is associated with increased breast cancer risk, but standard methods of assessment have limitations including 2D representation of breast tissue, distortion due to breast compression, and use of ionizing radiation. Ultrasound tomography (UST) is a novel imaging method that averts these limitations and uses sound speed measures rather than x-ray imaging to estimate breast density. The authors evaluated the reproducibility of measures of speed of sound and changes in this parameter using UST. Methods: One experienced and five newly trained raters measured sound speed in serial UST scans for 22 women (two scans per person) to assess inter-rater reliability. Intrarater reliability was assessed for four raters. A random effects model was used to calculate the percent variation in sound speed and change in sound speed attributable to subject, scan, rater, and repeat reads. The authors estimated the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for these measures based on data from the authors’ experienced rater. Results: Median (range) time between baseline and follow-up UST scans was five (1–13) months. Contributions of factors to sound speed variance were differences between subjects (86.0%), baseline versus follow-up scans (7.5%), inter-rater evaluations (1.1%), and intrarater reproducibility (∼0%). When evaluating change in sound speed between scans, 2.7% and ∼0% of variation were attributed to inter- and intrarater variation, respectively. For the experienced rater’s repeat reads, agreement for sound speed was excellent (ICC = 93.4%) and for change in sound speed substantial (ICC = 70.4%), indicating very good reproducibility of these measures. Conclusions: UST provided highly reproducible sound speed measurements, which reflect breast density, suggesting that UST has utility in sensitively assessing change in density. PMID:26429241

Determinants of the reliability of ultrasound tomography sound speed estimates as a surrogate for volumetric breast density

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Khodr, Zeina G.; Pfeiffer, Ruth M.; Gierach, Gretchen L., E-mail: GierachG@mail.nih.gov

Purpose: High breast density, as measured by mammography, is associated with increased breast cancer risk, but standard methods of assessment have limitations including 2D representation of breast tissue, distortion due to breast compression, and use of ionizing radiation. Ultrasound tomography (UST) is a novel imaging method that averts these limitations and uses sound speed measures rather than x-ray imaging to estimate breast density. The authors evaluated the reproducibility of measures of speed of sound and changes in this parameter using UST. Methods: One experienced and five newly trained raters measured sound speed in serial UST scans for 22 women (twomore » scans per person) to assess inter-rater reliability. Intrarater reliability was assessed for four raters. A random effects model was used to calculate the percent variation in sound speed and change in sound speed attributable to subject, scan, rater, and repeat reads. The authors estimated the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for these measures based on data from the authors’ experienced rater. Results: Median (range) time between baseline and follow-up UST scans was five (1–13) months. Contributions of factors to sound speed variance were differences between subjects (86.0%), baseline versus follow-up scans (7.5%), inter-rater evaluations (1.1%), and intrarater reproducibility (∼0%). When evaluating change in sound speed between scans, 2.7% and ∼0% of variation were attributed to inter- and intrarater variation, respectively. For the experienced rater’s repeat reads, agreement for sound speed was excellent (ICC = 93.4%) and for change in sound speed substantial (ICC = 70.4%), indicating very good reproducibility of these measures. Conclusions: UST provided highly reproducible sound speed measurements, which reflect breast density, suggesting that UST has utility in sensitively assessing change in density.« less

Corrections on energy spectrum and scatterings for fast neutron radiography at NECTAR facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Shu-Quan; Bücherl, Thomas; Li, Hang; Zou, Yu-Bin; Lu, Yuan-Rong; Guo, Zhi-Yu

2013-11-01

Distortions caused by the neutron spectrum and scattered neutrons are major problems in fast neutron radiography and should be considered for improving the image quality. This paper puts emphasis on the removal of these image distortions and deviations for fast neutron radiography performed at the NECTAR facility of the research reactor FRM- II in Technische Universität München (TUM), Germany. The NECTAR energy spectrum is analyzed and established to modify the influence caused by the neutron spectrum, and the Point Scattered Function (PScF) simulated by the Monte-Carlo program MCNPX is used to evaluate scattering effects from the object and improve image quality. Good analysis results prove the sound effects of the above two corrections.

Perception of Quality and Trustworthiness of Internet Resources by Personal Health Information Seekers

PubMed Central

Stavri, P. Zoë; Freeman, Donna J.; Burroughs, Catherine M.

2003-01-01

Objectives This paper focuses on one dimension of personal health information seeking: perception of quality and trustworthiness of information sources. Design Intensive interviews were conducted using a conversational, unstructured, exploratory interview style. Setting Interviews were conducted at 3 publicly accessible library sites in Arizona, Hawaii and Nevada. Participants: Thirty-eight non-experts were interviewed. Results Three separate and distinct methods used to identify credible health information resources were identified. Consumers may have strong opinions about what they mistrust; use fairly rigorous evaluation protocols; or filter information based on intuition or common sense, eye appeal or an authoritative sounding sponsor or title. Conclusions Many people use a mix of rational and/or intuitive criteria to assess the health information they use. PMID:14728249

Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating the Effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Intervention Delivered by Educators for Children with Speech Sound Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLeod, Sharynne; Baker, Elise; McCormack, Jane; Wren, Yvonne; Roulstone, Sue; Crowe, Kathryn; Masso, Sarah; White, Paul; Howland, Charlotte

2017-01-01

Purpose: The aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of computer-assisted input-based intervention for children with speech sound disorders (SSD). Method: The Sound Start Study was a cluster-randomized controlled trial. Seventy-nine early childhood centers were invited to participate, 45 were recruited, and 1,205 parents and educators of 4- and…

Five Years of JOSIE: Assessment of the Performance of Ozone Sondes Under Quasi-Flight Conditions in the Environmental Simulation Chamber With Regard to Satellite Validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smit, H. G.; Straeter, W.; Helten, M.; Kley, D.

2002-05-01

Up to an altitude of about 20 km ozone sondes constitute the most important data source with long term data coverage for the derivation of ozone trends with sufficient vertical resolution, particularly in the important altitude region around the tropopause. In this region and also above in lower/middle stratosphere up to 30-35 km altitude ozone sondes are of crucial importance to validate and evaluate satellite measurements, particularly for their long term stability. Each ozone sounding is made with an individual disposable instrument and, therefore, have to be characterized well prior to flight. Therefore, quality assurance of ozone sonde performance is a pre-requisite. As part of the quality assurance (QA) plan for ozone sondes that are in routine use in the Global Atmosphere Watch program of the World Meteorological Organization the environmental simulation chamber at the Research Centre Juelich (Germany) is established as World Calibration Centre for Ozone Sondes. The facility enables control of pressure, temperature and ozone concentration and can simulate flight conditions of ozone soundings up to an altitude of 35 km, whereby an accurate UV-photometer serves as a reference. In the scope of this QA-plan for ozonesondes since 1996 several JOSIE (= Juelich Ozone Sonde Intercomparison Experiment) experiments to assess the performance of ozone sondes of different types and manufacturers have been conducted at the calibration facility. We will present an overview of the results obtained from the different JOSIE experiments. The results will be discussed with regard to the use of ozone sondes to validate satellite measurements. Special attention will be paid to the influence of operating procedures on the performance of sondes and the need for standardization to assure ozone sounding data of sufficient quality to use for satellite validations.

Global Bathymetry: Machine Learning for Data Editing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sandwell, D. T.; Tea, B.; Freund, Y.

2017-12-01

The accuracy of global bathymetry depends primarily on the coverage and accuracy of the sounding data and secondarily on the depth predicted from gravity. A main focus of our research is to add newly-available data to the global compilation. Most data sources have 1-12% of erroneous soundings caused by a wide array of blunders and measurement errors. Over the years we have hand-edited this data using undergraduate employees at UCSD (440 million soundings at 500 m resolution). We are developing a machine learning approach to refine the flagging of the older soundings and provide automated editing of newly-acquired soundings. The approach has three main steps: 1) Combine the sounding data with additional information that may inform the machine learning algorithm. The additional parameters include: depth predicted from gravity; distance to the nearest sounding from other cruises; seafloor age; spreading rate; sediment thickness; and vertical gravity gradient. 2) Use available edit decisions as training data sets for a boosted tree algorithm with a binary logistic objective function and L2 regularization. Initial results with poor quality single beam soundings show that the automated algorithm matches the hand-edited data 89% of the time. The results show that most of the information for detecting outliers comes from predicted depth with secondary contributions from distance to the nearest sounding and longitude. A similar analysis using very high quality multibeam data shows that the automated algorithm matches the hand-edited data 93% of the time. Again, most of the information for detecting outliers comes from predicted depth secondary contributions from distance to the nearest sounding and longitude. 3) The third step in the process is to use the machine learning parameters, derived from the training data, to edit 12 million newly acquired single beam sounding data provided by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. The output of the learning algorithm will be confidence ratedindicating which edits the algorithm is confident on and which it is not confident. We expect the majority ( 90%) of edits to be confident and not require human intervention. Human intervention will be required only on the 10% unconfident decisions, thus reducing the amount of human work by a factor of 10 or more.

Characterizing sampling and quality screening biases in infrared and microwave limb sounding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millán, Luis F.; Livesey, Nathaniel J.; Santee, Michelle L.; von Clarmann, Thomas

2018-03-01

This study investigates orbital sampling biases and evaluates the additional impact caused by data quality screening for the Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) and the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS). MIPAS acts as a proxy for typical infrared limb emission sounders, while MLS acts as a proxy for microwave limb sounders. These biases were calculated for temperature and several trace gases by interpolating model fields to real sampling patterns and, additionally, screening those locations as directed by their corresponding quality criteria. Both instruments have dense uniform sampling patterns typical of limb emission sounders, producing almost identical sampling biases. However, there is a substantial difference between the number of locations discarded. MIPAS, as a mid-infrared instrument, is very sensitive to clouds, and measurements affected by them are thus rejected from the analysis. For example, in the tropics, the MIPAS yield is strongly affected by clouds, while MLS is mostly unaffected. The results show that upper-tropospheric sampling biases in zonally averaged data, for both instruments, can be up to 10 to 30 %, depending on the species, and up to 3 K for temperature. For MIPAS, the sampling reduction due to quality screening worsens the biases, leading to values as large as 30 to 100 % for the trace gases and expanding the 3 K bias region for temperature. This type of sampling bias is largely induced by the geophysical origins of the screening (e.g. clouds). Further, analysis of long-term time series reveals that these additional quality screening biases may affect the ability to accurately detect upper-tropospheric long-term changes using such data. In contrast, MLS data quality screening removes sufficiently few points that no additional bias is introduced, although its penetration is limited to the upper troposphere, while MIPAS may cover well into the mid-troposphere in cloud-free scenarios. We emphasize that the results of this study refer only to the representativeness of the respective data, not to their intrinsic quality.

Improved Atmospheric Soundings and Error Estimates from Analysis of AIRS/AMSU Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Susskind, Joel

2007-01-01

The AIRS Science Team Version 5.0 retrieval algorithm became operational at the Goddard DAAC in July 2007 generating near real-time products from analysis of AIRS/AMSU sounding data. This algorithm contains many significant theoretical advances over the AIRS Science Team Version 4.0 retrieval algorithm used previously. Three very significant developments of Version 5 are: 1) the development and implementation of an improved Radiative Transfer Algorithm (RTA) which allows for accurate treatment of non-Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (non-LTE) effects on shortwave sounding channels; 2) the development of methodology to obtain very accurate case by case product error estimates which are in turn used for quality control; and 3) development of an accurate AIRS only cloud clearing and retrieval system. These theoretical improvements taken together enabled a new methodology to be developed which further improves soundings in partially cloudy conditions, without the need for microwave observations in the cloud clearing step as has been done previously. In this methodology, longwave C02 channel observations in the spectral region 700 cm-' to 750 cm-' are used exclusively for cloud clearing purposes, while shortwave C02 channels in the spectral region 2195 cm-' to 2395 cm-' are used for temperature sounding purposes. The new methodology for improved error estimates and their use in quality control is described briefly and results are shown indicative of their accuracy. Results are also shown of forecast impact experiments assimilating AIRS Version 5.0 retrieval products in the Goddard GEOS 5 Data Assimilation System using different quality control thresholds.

Evaluating a linearized Euler equations model for strong turbulence effects on sound propagation.

PubMed

Ehrhardt, Loïc; Cheinet, Sylvain; Juvé, Daniel; Blanc-Benon, Philippe

2013-04-01

Sound propagation outdoors is strongly affected by atmospheric turbulence. Under strongly perturbed conditions or long propagation paths, the sound fluctuations reach their asymptotic behavior, e.g., the intensity variance progressively saturates. The present study evaluates the ability of a numerical propagation model based on the finite-difference time-domain solving of the linearized Euler equations in quantitatively reproducing the wave statistics under strong and saturated intensity fluctuations. It is the continuation of a previous study where weak intensity fluctuations were considered. The numerical propagation model is presented and tested with two-dimensional harmonic sound propagation over long paths and strong atmospheric perturbations. The results are compared to quantitative theoretical or numerical predictions available on the wave statistics, including the log-amplitude variance and the probability density functions of the complex acoustic pressure. The match is excellent for the evaluated source frequencies and all sound fluctuations strengths. Hence, this model captures these many aspects of strong atmospheric turbulence effects on sound propagation. Finally, the model results for the intensity probability density function are compared with a standard fit by a generalized gamma function.

Caregiving demands in parents of children with cancer: psychometric validation of the Care of My Child with Cancer questionnaire.

PubMed

Klassen, Anne; Klaassen, Robert J; Dix, David; Pritchard, Sheila; Yanofsky, Rochelle; Sung, Lillian

2010-08-01

A comprehensive evaluation of the psychometric properties of Care of My Child With Cancer (CMCC) was performed in a sample of 411 parents of children undergoing treatment of cancer at five Canadian pediatric oncology centers. Psychometric tests used to assess data quality, targeting, reliability, and construct validity demonstrated that the CMCC is a scientific sound measure. The CMCC will be helpful for assessing increasing parental responsibility for caregiving tasks associated with cancer care. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A method for evaluating the relation between sound source segregation and masking

PubMed Central

Lutfi, Robert A.; Liu, Ching-Ju

2011-01-01

Sound source segregation refers to the ability to hear as separate entities two or more sound sources comprising a mixture. Masking refers to the ability of one sound to make another sound difficult to hear. Often in studies, masking is assumed to result from a failure of segregation, but this assumption may not always be correct. Here a method is offered to identify the relation between masking and sound source segregation in studies and an example is given of its application. PMID:21302979

Airborne sound transmission loss characteristics of woodframe construction

Treesearch

Fred F. Rudder

1985-01-01

This report summarizes the available data on the airborne sound transmission loss properties of wood-frame construction and evaluates the methods for predicting the airborne sound transmission loss. The first part of the report comprises a summary of sound transmission loss data for wood-frame interior walls and floor-ceiling construction. Data bases describing the...

Evaluating Warning Sound Urgency with Reaction Times

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suied, Clara; Susini, Patrick; McAdams, Stephen

2008-01-01

It is well-established that subjective judgments of perceived urgency of alarm sounds can be affected by acoustic parameters. In this study, the authors investigated an objective measurement, the reaction time (RT), to test the effectiveness of temporal parameters of sounds in the context of warning sounds. Three experiments were performed using a…

Letter-Sound Reading: Teaching Preschool Children Print-to-Sound Processing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolf, Gail Marie

2016-01-01

This intervention study investigated the growth of letter sound reading and growth of consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) word decoding abilities for a representative sample of 41 US children in preschool settings. Specifically, the study evaluated the effectiveness of a 3-step letter-sound teaching intervention in teaching preschool children to…

Similar Sound Separation and Cumulative Introduction in Learning Letter-Sound Correspondences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carnine, Douglas W.

1976-01-01

Since similarity inhibits learning, children will have greater difficulty learning responses that are more similar to each other; the instructional procedure of separating similar sounds was evaluated in two experiments. (DMT)

Sensing of Particular Speakers for the Construction of Voice Interface Utilized in Noisy Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sawada, Hideyuki; Ohkado, Minoru

Human is able to exchange information smoothly using voice under different situations such as noisy environment in a crowd and with the existence of plural speakers. We are able to detect the position of a source sound in 3D space, extract a particular sound from mixed sounds, and recognize who is talking. By realizing this mechanism with a computer, new applications will be presented for recording a sound with high quality by reducing noise, presenting a clarified sound, and realizing a microphone-free speech recognition by extracting particular sound. The paper will introduce a realtime detection and identification of particular speaker in noisy environment using a microphone array based on the location of a speaker and the individual voice characteristics. The study will be applied to develop an adaptive auditory system of a mobile robot which collaborates with a factory worker.

Plane-wave decomposition by spherical-convolution microphone array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rafaely, Boaz; Park, Munhum

2004-05-01

Reverberant sound fields are widely studied, as they have a significant influence on the acoustic performance of enclosures in a variety of applications. For example, the intelligibility of speech in lecture rooms, the quality of music in auditoria, the noise level in offices, and the production of 3D sound in living rooms are all affected by the enclosed sound field. These sound fields are typically studied through frequency response measurements or statistical measures such as reverberation time, which do not provide detailed spatial information. The aim of the work presented in this seminar is the detailed analysis of reverberant sound fields. A measurement and analysis system based on acoustic theory and signal processing, designed around a spherical microphone array, is presented. Detailed analysis is achieved by decomposition of the sound field into waves, using spherical Fourier transform and spherical convolution. The presentation will include theoretical review, simulation studies, and initial experimental results.

Multidisciplinary conceptual design optimization of aircraft using a sound-matching-based objective function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diez, Matteo; Iemma, Umberto

2012-05-01

The article presents a novel approach to include community noise considerations based on sound quality in the Multidisciplinary Conceptual Design Optimization (MCDO) of civil transportation aircraft. The novelty stems from the use of an unconventional objective function, defined as a measure of the difference between the noise emission of the aircraft under analysis and a reference 'weakly annoying' noise, the target sound. The minimization of such a merit factor yields an aircraft concept with a noise signature as close as possible to the given target. The reference sound is one of the outcomes of the European Research Project SEFA (Sound Engineering For Aircraft, VI Framework Programme, 2004-2007), and used here as an external input. The aim of the present work is to address the definition and the inclusion of the sound-matching-based objective function in the MCDO of aircraft.

Not all carp are created equal: Impacts of broadband sound on common carp swimming behavior

USGS Publications Warehouse

Murchy, Kelsie; Vetter, Brooke J.; Brey, Marybeth; Amberg, Jon J.; Gaikowski, Mark; Mensinger, Allen F.

2016-01-01

Bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), silver carp (H. molitrix) (hereafter: bigheaded carps), and common carp (Cyprinus carpio) are invasive fish causing negative impacts throughout their North American range. To control their movements, non-physical barriers are being developed. Broadband sound (0.06 to 10 kHz) has shown potential as an acoustic deterrent for bigheaded carps, but the response of common carp to broadband sound has not been evaluated. Since common carp are ostariophysians, possessing Weberian ossicles similar to bigheaded carps, it is possible that sound can be used as an acoustical deterrent for all three species. Behavioral responses to a broadband sound were evaluated for common carp in an outdoor concrete pond. Common carp responded a median of 3.0 (1st Q: 1.0, 3rd Q: 6.0) consecutive times to the broadband sound which was lower than silver carp and bighead carp to the same stimulus. The current study shows that common carp demonstrate an inconsistent negative phonotaxis response to a broadband sound, and seem to habituate to the sound quickly.

40 CFR 131.11 - Criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS WATER QUALITY STANDARDS Establishment of Water Quality Standards § 131.11 Criteria. (a) Inclusion of pollutants: (1) States must adopt those water quality criteria that protect the designated use. Such criteria must be based on sound...

Effects of fixed labial orthodontic appliances on speech sound production.

PubMed

Paley, Jonathan S; Cisneros, George J; Nicolay, Olivier F; LeBlanc, Etoile M

2016-05-01

To explore the impact of fixed labial orthodontic appliances on speech sound production. Speech evaluations were performed on 23 patients with fixed labial appliances. Evaluations were performed immediately prior to appliance insertion, immediately following insertion, and 1 and 2 months post insertion. Baseline dental/skeletal variables were correlated with the ability to accommodate the presence of the appliances. Appliance effects were variable: 44% of the subjects were unaffected, 39% were temporarily affected but adapted within 2 months, and 17% of patients showed persistent sound errors at 2 months. Resolution of acquired sound errors was noted by 8 months post-appliance removal. Maladaptation to appliances was correlated to severity of malocclusion as determined by the Grainger's Treatment Priority Index. Sibilant sounds, most notably /s/, were affected most often. (1) Insertion of fixed labial appliances has an effect on speech sound production. (2) Sibilant and stopped sounds are affected, with /s/ being affected most often. (3) Accommodation to fixed appliances depends on the severity of malocclusion.

An experimental evaluation of the application of the Kirchhoff formulation for sound radiation from an oscillating airfoil

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brooks, T. F.

1977-01-01

The Kirchhoff integral formulation is evaluated for its effectiveness in quantitatively predicting the sound radiated from an oscillating airfoil whose chord length is comparable with the acoustic wavelength. A rigid airfoil section was oscillated at samll amplitude in a medium at rest to produce the sound field. Simultaneous amplitude and phase measurements were made of surface pressure and surface velocity distributions and the acoustic free field. Measured surface pressure and motion are used in applying the theory, and airfoil thickness and contour are taken into account. The result was that the theory overpredicted the sound pressure level by 2 to 5, depending on direction. Differences are also noted in the sound field phase behavior.

Parent-child interaction in motor speech therapy.

PubMed

Namasivayam, Aravind Kumar; Jethava, Vibhuti; Pukonen, Margit; Huynh, Anna; Goshulak, Debra; Kroll, Robert; van Lieshout, Pascal

2018-01-01

This study measures the reliability and sensitivity of a modified Parent-Child Interaction Observation scale (PCIOs) used to monitor the quality of parent-child interaction. The scale is part of a home-training program employed with direct motor speech intervention for children with speech sound disorders. Eighty-four preschool age children with speech sound disorders were provided either high- (2×/week/10 weeks) or low-intensity (1×/week/10 weeks) motor speech intervention. Clinicians completed the PCIOs at the beginning, middle, and end of treatment. Inter-rater reliability (Kappa scores) was determined by an independent speech-language pathologist who assessed videotaped sessions at the midpoint of the treatment block. Intervention sensitivity of the scale was evaluated using a Friedman test for each item and then followed up with Wilcoxon pairwise comparisons where appropriate. We obtained fair-to-good inter-rater reliability (Kappa = 0.33-0.64) for the PCIOs using only video-based scoring. Child-related items were more strongly influenced by differences in treatment intensity than parent-related items, where a greater number of sessions positively influenced parent learning of treatment skills and child behaviors. The adapted PCIOs is reliable and sensitive to monitor the quality of parent-child interactions in a 10-week block of motor speech intervention with adjunct home therapy. Implications for rehabilitation Parent-centered therapy is considered a cost effective method of speech and language service delivery. However, parent-centered models may be difficult to implement for treatments such as developmental motor speech interventions that require a high degree of skill and training. For children with speech sound disorders and motor speech difficulties, a translated and adapted version of the parent-child observation scale was found to be sufficiently reliable and sensitive to assess changes in the quality of the parent-child interactions during intervention. In developmental motor speech interventions, high-intensity treatment (2×/week/10 weeks) facilitates greater changes in the parent-child interactions than low intensity treatment (1×/week/10 weeks). On one hand, parents may need to attend more than five sessions with the clinician to learn how to observe and address their child's speech difficulties. On the other hand, children with speech sound disorders may need more than 10 sessions to adapt to structured play settings even when activities and therapy materials are age-appropriate.

Acoustic Quality of the 40- by 80- Foot Wind Tunnel Test Section After Installation of a Deep Acoustic Lining

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Soderman, Paul T.; Jaeger, Stephen M.; Hayes, Julie A.; Allen, Christopher S.

2002-01-01

A recessed, 42-inch deep acoustic lining has been designed and installed in the 40- by 80- Foot Wind Tunnel (40x80) test section to greatly improve the acoustic quality of the facility. This report describes the test section acoustic performance as determined by a detailed static calibration-all data were acquired without wind. Global measurements of sound decay from steady noise sources showed that the facility is suitable for acoustic studies of jet noise or similar randomly generated sound. The wall sound absorption, size of the facility, and averaging effects of wide band random noise all tend to minimize interference effects from wall reflections. The decay of white noise with distance was close to free field above 250 Hz. However, tonal sound data from propellers and fans, for example, will have an error band to be described that is caused by the sensitivity of tones to even weak interference. That error band could be minimized by use of directional instruments such as phased microphone arrays. Above 10 kHz, air absorption began to dominate the sound field in the large test section, reflections became weaker, and the test section tended toward an anechoic environment as frequency increased.

Heart energy signature spectrogram for cardiovascular diagnosis

PubMed Central

Kudriavtsev, Vladimir; Polyshchuk, Vladimir; Roy, Douglas L

2007-01-01

A new method and application is proposed to characterize intensity and pitch of human heart sounds and murmurs. Using recorded heart sounds from the library of one of the authors, a visual map of heart sound energy was established. Both normal and abnormal heart sound recordings were studied. Representation is based on Wigner-Ville joint time-frequency transformations. The proposed methodology separates acoustic contributions of cardiac events simultaneously in pitch, time and energy. The resolution accuracy is superior to any other existing spectrogram method. The characteristic energy signature of the innocent heart murmur in a child with the S3 sound is presented. It allows clear detection of S1, S2 and S3 sounds, S2 split, systolic murmur, and intensity of these components. The original signal, heart sound power change with time, time-averaged frequency, energy density spectra and instantaneous variations of power and frequency/pitch with time, are presented. These data allow full quantitative characterization of heart sounds and murmurs. High accuracy in both time and pitch resolution is demonstrated. Resulting visual images have self-referencing quality, whereby individual features and their changes become immediately obvious. PMID:17480232

Neuromimetic Sound Representation for Percept Detection and Manipulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zotkin, Dmitry N.; Chi, Taishih; Shamma, Shihab A.; Duraiswami, Ramani

2005-12-01

The acoustic wave received at the ears is processed by the human auditory system to separate different sounds along the intensity, pitch, and timbre dimensions. Conventional Fourier-based signal processing, while endowed with fast algorithms, is unable to easily represent a signal along these attributes. In this paper, we discuss the creation of maximally separable sounds in auditory user interfaces and use a recently proposed cortical sound representation, which performs a biomimetic decomposition of an acoustic signal, to represent and manipulate sound for this purpose. We briefly overview algorithms for obtaining, manipulating, and inverting a cortical representation of a sound and describe algorithms for manipulating signal pitch and timbre separately. The algorithms are also used to create sound of an instrument between a "guitar" and a "trumpet." Excellent sound quality can be achieved if processing time is not a concern, and intelligible signals can be reconstructed in reasonable processing time (about ten seconds of computational time for a one-second signal sampled at [InlineEquation not available: see fulltext.]). Work on bringing the algorithms into the real-time processing domain is ongoing.

Analysis of motor fan radiated sound and vibration waveform by automatic pattern recognition technique using "Mahalanobis distance"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toma, Eiji

2018-06-01

In recent years, as the weight of IT equipment has been reduced, the demand for motor fans for cooling the interior of electronic equipment is on the rise. Sensory test technique by inspectors is the mainstream for quality inspection of motor fans in the field. This sensory test requires a lot of experience to accurately diagnose differences in subtle sounds (sound pressures) of the fans, and the judgment varies depending on the condition of the inspector and the environment. In order to solve these quality problems, development of an analysis method capable of quantitatively and automatically diagnosing the sound/vibration level of a fan is required. In this study, it was clarified that the analysis method applying the MT system based on the waveform information of noise and vibration is more effective than the conventional frequency analysis method for the discrimination diagnosis technology of normal and abnormal items. Furthermore, it was found that due to the automation of the vibration waveform analysis system, there was a factor influencing the discrimination accuracy in relation between the fan installation posture and the vibration waveform.

Performance appraisal of VAS radiometry for GOES-4, -5 and -6

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chesters, D.; Robinson, W. D.

1983-01-01

The first three VISSR Atmospheric Sounders (VAS) were launched on GOES-4, -5, and -6 in 1980, 1981 and 1983. Postlaunch radiometric performance is assessed for noise, biases, registration and reliability, with special attention to calibration and problems in the data processing chain. The postlaunch performance of the VAS radiometer meets its prelaunch design specifications, particularly those related to image formation and noise reduction. The best instrument is carried on GOES-5, currently operational as GOES-EAST. Single sample noise is lower than expected, especially for the small longwave and large shortwave detectors. Detector to detector offsets are correctable to within the resolution limits of the instrument. Truncation, zero point and droop errors are insignificant. Absolute calibration errors, estimated from HIRS and from radiation transfer calculations, indicate moderate, but stable biases. Relative calibration errors from scanline to scanline are noticeable, but meet sounding requirements for temporarily and spatially averaged sounding fields of view. The VAS instrument is a potentially useful radiometer for mesoscale sounding operations. Image quality is very good. Soundings derived from quality controlled data meet prelaunch requirements when calculated with noise and bias resistant algorithms.

Toxicity of sediment pore water in Puget Sound (Washington, USA): a review of spatial status and temporal trends

USGS Publications Warehouse

Long, Edward R.; Carr, R. Scott; Biedenbach, James M.; Weakland, Sandra; Partridge, Valerie; Dutch, Margaret

2013-01-01

Data from toxicity tests of the pore water extracted from Puget Sound sediments were compiled from surveys conducted from 1997 to 2009. Tests were performed on 664 samples collected throughout all of the eight monitoring regions in the Sound, an area encompassing 2,294.1 km2. Tests were performed with the gametes of the Pacific purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, to measure percent fertilization success as an indicator of relative sediment quality. Data were evaluated to determine the incidence, degree of response, geographic patterns, spatial extent, and temporal changes in toxicity. This is the first survey of this kind and magnitude in Puget Sound. In the initial round of surveys of the eight regions, 40 of 381 samples were toxic for an incidence of 10.5 %. Stations classified as toxic represented an estimated total of 107.1 km2, equivalent to 4.7 % of the total area. Percent sea urchin fertilization ranged from >100 % of the nontoxic, negative controls to 0 %. Toxicity was most prevalent and pervasive in the industrialized harbors and lowest in the deep basins. Conditions were intermediate in deep-water passages, urban bays, and rural bays. A second round of testing in four regions and three selected urban bays was completed 5–10 years following the first round. The incidence and spatial extent of toxicity decreased in two of the regions and two of the bays and increased in the other two regions and the third bay; however, only the latter change was statistically significant. Both the incidence and spatial extent of toxicity were lower in the Sound than in most other US estuaries and marine bays.

Assessment of Reduced Tolerance to Sound (Hyperacusis) in University Students.

PubMed

Yilmaz, Sule; Taş, Memduha; Bulut, Erdoğan; Nurçin, Elçin

2017-01-01

Hyperacusis is defined as a reduction in tolerance to ordinary environmental sounds. Hyperacusis can occur in individuals of all age groups, making daily life difficult for the sufferers. Although there is no objective test to accurately diagnose hyperacusis, questionnaires are useful for the assessment of hyperacusis. The aim of this study was to explore the reduced sound tolerance in university students using a hyperacusis questionnaire (HQ). A total of 536 university students (300 females and 236 males) aged between 18 and 25 years, with a mean age of 21.34 ± 1.87 years, were assessed using an HQ developed by Khalfa. The mean total score of all the participants was 16.34 ± 7.91, and 5.78% of the participants had total scores indicating hyperacusis, where a majority of them were females. Females had significantly higher scores than men in terms of both the total and the attentional and emotional dimensions. The scores of the participants who reported noise exposure or a decrease in their tolerance to noise were significantly higher than those of the other participants. Even among young adults, there was a group of participants suffering from some problems related to decreased tolerance to everyday sounds. Although the Turkish translation of the HQ seems to be a reliable tool for evaluating hyperacusis in young adults, further work with various populations of different age groups is required to establish validity and to assess the psychometric qualities of the Turkish form.

Adaptive Noise Suppression of Pediatric Lung Auscultations With Real Applications to Noisy Clinical Settings in Developing Countries

PubMed Central

Emmanouilidou, Dimitra; McCollum, Eric D.; Park, Daniel E.

2015-01-01

Goal Chest auscultation constitutes a portable low-cost tool widely used for respiratory disease detection. Though it offers a powerful means of pulmonary examination, it remains riddled with a number of issues that limit its diagnostic capability. Particularly, patient agitation (especially in children), background chatter, and other environmental noises often contaminate the auscultation, hence affecting the clarity of the lung sound itself. This paper proposes an automated multiband denoising scheme for improving the quality of auscultation signals against heavy background contaminations. Methods The algorithm works on a simple two-microphone setup, dynamically adapts to the background noise and suppresses contaminations while successfully preserving the lung sound content. The proposed scheme is refined to offset maximal noise suppression against maintaining the integrity of the lung signal, particularly its unknown adventitious components that provide the most informative diagnostic value during lung pathology. Results The algorithm is applied to digital recordings obtained in the field in a busy clinic in West Africa and evaluated using objective signal fidelity measures and perceptual listening tests performed by a panel of licensed physicians. A strong preference of the enhanced sounds is revealed. Significance The strengths and benefits of the proposed method lie in the simple automated setup and its adaptive nature, both fundamental conditions for everyday clinical applicability. It can be simply extended to a real-time implementation, and integrated with lung sound acquisition protocols. PMID:25879837

Use of a Deep Recurrent Neural Network to Reduce Wind Noise: Effects on Judged Speech Intelligibility and Sound Quality.

PubMed

Keshavarzi, Mahmoud; Goehring, Tobias; Zakis, Justin; Turner, Richard E; Moore, Brian C J

2018-01-01

Despite great advances in hearing-aid technology, users still experience problems with noise in windy environments. The potential benefits of using a deep recurrent neural network (RNN) for reducing wind noise were assessed. The RNN was trained using recordings of the output of the two microphones of a behind-the-ear hearing aid in response to male and female speech at various azimuths in the presence of noise produced by wind from various azimuths with a velocity of 3 m/s, using the "clean" speech as a reference. A paired-comparison procedure was used to compare all possible combinations of three conditions for subjective intelligibility and for sound quality or comfort. The conditions were unprocessed noisy speech, noisy speech processed using the RNN, and noisy speech that was high-pass filtered (which also reduced wind noise). Eighteen native English-speaking participants were tested, nine with normal hearing and nine with mild-to-moderate hearing impairment. Frequency-dependent linear amplification was provided for the latter. Processing using the RNN was significantly preferred over no processing by both subject groups for both subjective intelligibility and sound quality, although the magnitude of the preferences was small. High-pass filtering (HPF) was not significantly preferred over no processing. Although RNN was significantly preferred over HPF only for sound quality for the hearing-impaired participants, for the results as a whole, there was a preference for RNN over HPF. Overall, the results suggest that reduction of wind noise using an RNN is possible and might have beneficial effects when used in hearing aids.

Effect of nocturnal sound reduction on the incidence of delirium in intensive care unit patients: An interrupted time series analysis.

PubMed

van de Pol, Ineke; van Iterson, Mat; Maaskant, Jolanda

2017-08-01

Delirium in critically-ill patients is a common multifactorial disorder that is associated with various negative outcomes. It is assumed that sleep disturbances can result in an increased risk of delirium. This study hypothesized that implementing a protocol that reduces overall nocturnal sound levels improves quality of sleep and reduces the incidence of delirium in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients. This interrupted time series study was performed in an adult mixed medical and surgical 24-bed ICU. A pre-intervention group of 211 patients was compared with a post-intervention group of 210 patients after implementation of a nocturnal sound-reduction protocol. Primary outcome measures were incidence of delirium, measured by the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC) and quality of sleep, measured by the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ). Secondary outcome measures were use of sleep-inducing medication, delirium treatment medication, and patient-perceived nocturnal noise. A significant difference in slope in the percentage of delirium was observed between the pre- and post-intervention periods (-3.7% per time period, p=0.02). Quality of sleep was unaffected (0.3 per time period, p=0.85). The post-intervention group used significantly less sleep-inducing medication (p<0.001). Nocturnal noise rating improved after intervention (median: 65, IQR: 50-80 versus 70, IQR: 60-80, p=0.02). The incidence of delirium in ICU patients was significantly reduced after implementation of a nocturnal sound-reduction protocol. However, reported sleep quality did not improve. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Comparative Effects of Snoring Sound between Two Minimally Invasive Surgeries in the Treatment of Snoring: A Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Lee, Li-Ang; Yu, Jen-Fang; Lo, Yu-Lun; Chen, Ning-Hung; Fang, Tuan-Jen; Huang, Chung-Guei; Cheng, Wen-Nuan; Li, Hsueh-Yu

2014-01-01

Background Minimally invasive surgeries of the soft palate have emerged as a less-invasive treatment for habitual snoring. To date, there is only limited information available comparing the effects of snoring sound between different minimally invasive surgeries in the treatment of habitual snoring. Objective To compare the efficacy of palatal implant and radiofrequency surgery, in the reduction of snoring through subjective evaluation of snoring and objective snoring sound analysis. Patients and Method Thirty patients with habitual snoring due to palatal obstruction (apnea-hypopnea index ≤15, body max index ≤30) were prospectively enrolled and randomized to undergo a single session of palatal implant or temperature-controlled radiofrequency surgery of the soft palate under local anesthesia. Snoring was primarily evaluated by the patient with a 10 cm visual analogue scale (VAS) at baseline and at a 3-month follow-up visit and the change in VAS was the primary outcome. Moreover, life qualities, measured by snore outcomes survey, and full-night snoring sounds, analyzed by a sound analytic program (Snore Map), were also investigated at the same time. Results Twenty-eight patients completed the study; 14 received palatal implant surgery and 14 underwent radiofrequency surgery. The VAS and snore outcomes survey scores were significantly improved in both groups. However, the good response (postoperative VAS ≤3 or postoperative VAS ≤5 plus snore outcomes survey score ≥60) rate of the palatal implant group was significantly higher than that of the radiofrequency group (79% vs. 29%, P = 0.021). The maximal loudness of low-frequency (40–300 Hz) snores was reduced significantly in the palatal implant group. In addition, the snoring index was significantly reduced in the radiofrequency group. Conclusions Both palatal implants and a single-stage radiofrequency surgery improve subjective snoring outcomes, but palatal implants have a greater effect on most measures of subjective and objective snoring. Multi-stage radiofrequency surgery was not tested. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01955083 PMID:24816691

Traffic Noise Assessment at Residential Areas in Skudai, Johor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sulaiman, F. S.; Darus, N.; Mashros, N.; Haron, Z.; Yahya, K.

2018-03-01

Vehicles passing by on roadways in residential areas may produce unpleasant traffic noise that affects the residents. This paper presents the traffic noise assessment of three selected residential areas located in Skudai, Johor. The objectives of this study are to evaluate traffic characteristics at selected residential areas, determine related noise indices, and assess impact of traffic noise. Traffic characteristics such as daily traffic volume and vehicle speed were evaluated using automatic traffic counter (ATC). Meanwhile, noise indices like equivalent continuous sound pressure level (LAeq), noise level exceeded 10% (L10) and 90% (L90) of measurement time were determined using sound level meter (SLM). Besides that, traffic noise index (TNI) and noise pollution level (LNP) were calculated based on the measured noise indices. The results showed an increase in noise level of 60 to 70 dBA maximum due to increase in traffic volume. There was also a significant change in noise level of more than 70 dBA even though average vehicle speed did not vary significantly. Nevertheless, LAeq, TNI, and LNP values for all sites during daytime were lower than the maximum recommended levels. Thus, residents in the three studied areas were not affected in terms of quality of life and health.

Modeling high signal-to-noise ratio in a novel silicon MEMS microphone with comb readout

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manz, Johannes; Dehe, Alfons; Schrag, Gabriele

2017-05-01

Strong competition within the consumer market urges the companies to constantly improve the quality of their devices. For silicon microphones excellent sound quality is the key feature in this respect which means that improving the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), being strongly correlated with the sound quality is a major task to fulfill the growing demands of the market. MEMS microphones with conventional capacitive readout suffer from noise caused by viscous damping losses arising from perforations in the backplate [1]. Therefore, we conceived a novel microphone design based on capacitive read-out via comb structures, which is supposed to show a reduction in fluidic damping compared to conventional MEMS microphones. In order to evaluate the potential of the proposed design, we developed a fully energy-coupled, modular system-level model taking into account the mechanical motion, the slide film damping between the comb fingers, the acoustic impact of the package and the capacitive read-out. All submodels are physically based scaling with all relevant design parameters. We carried out noise analyses and due to the modular and physics-based character of the model, were able to discriminate the noise contributions of different parts of the microphone. This enables us to identify design variants of this concept which exhibit a SNR of up to 73 dB (A). This is superior to conventional and at least comparable to high-performance variants of the current state-of-the art MEMS microphones [2].

Sound preference test in animal models of addicts and phobias.

PubMed

Soga, Ryo; Shiramatsu, Tomoyo I; Kanzaki, Ryohei; Takahashi, Hirokazu

2016-08-01

Biased or too strong preference for a particular object is often problematic, resulting in addiction and phobia. In animal models, alternative forced-choice tasks have been routinely used, but such preference test is far from daily situations that addicts or phobic are facing. In the present study, we developed a behavioral assay to evaluate the preference of sounds in rodents. In the assay, several sounds were presented according to the position of free-moving rats, and quantified the sound preference based on the behavior. A particular tone was paired with microstimulation to the ventral tegmental area (VTA), which plays central roles in reward processing, to increase sound preference. The behaviors of rats were logged during the classical conditioning for six days. Consequently, some behavioral indices suggest that rats search for the conditioned sound. Thus, our data demonstrated that quantitative evaluation of preference in the behavioral assay is feasible.

Guidelines for evaluating the educational performance of medical school faculty: priming a national conversation.

PubMed

Baldwin, Constance; Chandran, Latha; Gusic, Maryellen

2011-01-01

The academic community needs a sound framework for the promotion and advancement of educators. The Group on Educational Affairs of the Association of American Medical Colleges organized a consensus conference that affirmed the use of five domains for documenting the quantity and quality of scholarly engagement in educational activities: teaching, curriculum, advising/mentoring, educational leadership/administration, and learner assessment. In this article, we offer detailed guidelines to evaluate these five domains of educator performance and the essential elements of scholarly activity. The guidelines are adapted from our developmental educator portfolio template and educator portfolio analysis tool, previously published in MedEdPORTAL. A short tool for educator performance evaluation that summarizes items in the guidelines is proposed for discussion. Our goal in this article is to itemize criteria for systematic faculty evaluation that can be applied in any institutional setting to assist promotion decision makers in their task of evaluating medical school faculty.

Perception of touch quality in piano tones.

PubMed

Goebl, Werner; Bresin, Roberto; Fujinaga, Ichiro

2014-11-01

Both timbre and dynamics of isolated piano tones are determined exclusively by the speed with which the hammer hits the strings. This physical view has been challenged by pianists who emphasize the importance of the way the keyboard is touched. This article presents empirical evidence from two perception experiments showing that touch-dependent sound components make sounds with identical hammer velocities but produced with different touch forms clearly distinguishable. The first experiment focused on finger-key sounds: musicians could identify pressed and struck touches. When the finger-key sounds were removed from the sounds, the effect vanished, suggesting that these sounds were the primary identification cue. The second experiment looked at key-keyframe sounds that occur when the key reaches key-bottom. Key-bottom impact was identified from key motion measured by a computer-controlled piano. Musicians were able to discriminate between piano tones that contain a key-bottom sound from those that do not. However, this effect might be attributable to sounds associated with the mechanical components of the piano action. In addition to the demonstrated acoustical effects of different touch forms, visual and tactile modalities may play important roles during piano performance that influence the production and perception of musical expression on the piano.

Psychometric Evaluation of an Instrument for Measuring Organizational Climate for Quality: Evidence From a National Sample of Infection Preventionists.

PubMed

Pogorzelska-Maziarz, Monika; Nembhard, Ingrid M; Schnall, Rebecca; Nelson, Shanelle; Stone, Patricia W

2016-09-01

In recent years, there has been increased interest in measuring the climate for infection prevention; however, reliable and valid instruments are lacking. This study tested the psychometric properties of the Leading a Culture of Quality for Infection Prevention (LCQ-IP) instrument measuring the infection prevention climate in a sample of 972 infection preventionists from acute care hospitals. An exploratory principal component analysis showed that the instrument had structural validity and captured 4 factors related to the climate for infection prevention: Psychological Safety, Prioritization of Quality, Supportive Work Environment, and Improvement Orientation. LCQ-IP exhibited excellent internal consistency, with a Cronbach α of .926. Criterion validity was supported with overall LCQ-IP scores, increasing with the number of evidence-based prevention policies in place (P = .047). This psychometrically sound instrument may be helpful to researchers and providers in assessing climate for quality related to infection prevention. © The Author(s) 2015.

Attractive "quiet" courtyards: a potential modifier of urban residents' responses to road traffic noise?

PubMed

Gidlöf-Gunnarsson, Anita; Ohrström, Evy

2010-09-01

The present paper explores the influence of the physical environmental qualities of "quiet". courtyards (degree of naturalness and utilization) on residents' noise responses. A questionnaire study was conducted in urban residential areas with road-traffic noise exposure between L(Aeq,24h) 58 to 68 dB at the most exposed façade. The dwellings had "quiet" indoor section/s and faced a "quiet" outdoor courtyard (L(Aeq,24h) < 48 dB façade reflex included). Data were collected from 385 residents and four groups were formed based on sound-level categories (58-62 and 63-68 dB) and classification of the "quiet" courtyards into groups with low and high physical environmental quality. At both sound-level categories, the results indicate that access to high-quality "quiet" courtyards is associated with less noise annoyance and noise-disturbed outdoor activities among the residents. Compared to low-quality "quiet" courtyards, high-quality courtyards can function as an attractive restorative environment providing residents with a positive soundscape, opportunities for rest, relaxation and play as well as social relations that potentially reduce the adverse effects of noise. However, access to quietness and a high-quality courtyard can only compensate partly for high sound levels at façades facing the streets, thus, 16% and 29% were still noise annoyed at 58-62 and 63-68 dB, respectively. Implications of the "quiet"-side concept are discussed.

Attractive “Quiet” Courtyards: A Potential Modifier of Urban Residents’ Responses to Road Traffic Noise?

PubMed Central

Gidlöf-Gunnarsson, Anita; Öhrström, Evy

2010-01-01

The present paper explores the influence of the physical environmental qualities of “quiet”. courtyards (degree of naturalness and utilization) on residents’ noise responses. A questionnaire study was conducted in urban residential areas with road-traffic noise exposure between LAeq,24h 58 to 68 dB at the most exposed façade. The dwellings had “quiet” indoor section/s and faced a “quiet” outdoor courtyard (LAeq,24h < 48 dB façade reflex included). Data were collected from 385 residents and four groups were formed based on sound-level categories (58–62 and 63–68 dB) and classification of the “quiet” courtyards into groups with low and high physical environmental quality. At both sound-level categories, the results indicate that access to high-quality “quiet” courtyards is associated with less noise annoyance and noise-disturbed outdoor activities among the residents. Compared to low-quality “quiet” courtyards, high-quality courtyards can function as an attractive restorative environment providing residents with a positive soundscape, opportunities for rest, relaxation and play as well as social relations that potentially reduce the adverse effects of noise. However, access to quietness and a high-quality courtyard can only compensate partly for high sound levels at façades facing the streets, thus, 16% and 29% were still noise annoyed at 58–62 and 63–68 dB, respectively. Implications of the “quiet”-side concept are discussed. PMID:20948929

Phonological Awareness and Types of Sound Errors in Preschoolers with Speech Sound Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Preston, Jonathan; Edwards, Mary Louise

2010-01-01

Purpose: Some children with speech sound disorders (SSD) have difficulty with literacy-related skills, particularly phonological awareness (PA). This study investigates the PA skills of preschoolers with SSD by using a regression model to evaluate the degree to which PA can be concurrently predicted by types of speech sound errors. Method:…

New non-invasive automatic cough counting program based on 6 types of classified cough sounds.

PubMed

Murata, Akira; Ohota, Nao; Shibuya, Atsuo; Ono, Hiroshi; Kudoh, Shoji

2006-01-01

Cough consisting of an initial deep inspiration, glottal closure, and an explosive expiration accompanied by a sound is one of the most common symptoms of respiratory disease. Despite its clinical importance, standard methods for objective cough analysis have yet to be established. We investigated the characteristics of cough sounds acoustically, designed a program to discriminate cough sounds from other sounds, and finally developed a new objective method of non-invasive cough counting. In addition, we evaluated the clinical efficacy of that program. We recorded cough sounds using a memory stick IC recorder in free-field from 2 patients and analyzed the intensity of 534 recorded coughs acoustically according to time domain. First we squared the sound waveform of recorded cough sounds, which was then smoothed out over a 20 ms window. The 5 parameters and some definitions to discriminate the cough sounds from other noise were identified and the cough sounds were classified into 6 groups. Next, we applied this method to develop a new automatic cough count program. Finally, to evaluate the accuracy and clinical usefulness of this program, we counted cough sounds collected from another 10 patients using our program and conventional manual counting. And the sensitivity, specificity and discriminative rate of the program were analyzed. This program successfully discriminated recorded cough sounds out of 1902 sound events collected from 10 patients at a rate of 93.1%. The sensitivity was 90.2% and the specificity was 96.5%. Our new cough counting program can be sufficiently useful for clinical studies.

Performance Evaluation of Heart Sound Cancellation in FPGA Hardware Implementation for Electronic Stethoscope

PubMed Central

Chao, Chun-Tang

2014-01-01

This paper presents the design and evaluation of the hardware circuit for electronic stethoscopes with heart sound cancellation capabilities using field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). The adaptive line enhancer (ALE) was adopted as the filtering methodology to reduce heart sound attributes from the breath sounds obtained via the electronic stethoscope pickup. FPGAs were utilized to implement the ALE functions in hardware to achieve near real-time breath sound processing. We believe that such an implementation is unprecedented and crucial toward a truly useful, standalone medical device in outpatient clinic settings. The implementation evaluation with one Altera cyclone II–EP2C70F89 shows that the proposed ALE used 45% resources of the chip. Experiments with the proposed prototype were made using DE2-70 emulation board with recorded body signals obtained from online medical archives. Clear suppressions were observed in our experiments from both the frequency domain and time domain perspectives. PMID:24790573

Evaluation of noise impact mitigation protocols to support CSS : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-03-01

This research project developed and evaluated practical ways of involving the public in context sensitive sound mitigation strategies. The integrated use of photo montage, PowerPoint presentation, linked traffic sound files, and audience response sys...

Characterizing large river sounds: Providing context for understanding the environmental effects of noise produced by hydrokinetic turbines.

PubMed

Bevelhimer, Mark S; Deng, Z Daniel; Scherelis, Constantin

2016-01-01

Underwater noise associated with the installation and operation of hydrokinetic turbines in rivers and tidal zones presents a potential environmental concern for fish and marine mammals. Comparing the spectral quality of sounds emitted by hydrokinetic turbines to natural and other anthropogenic sound sources is an initial step at understanding potential environmental impacts. Underwater recordings were obtained from passing vessels and natural underwater sound sources in static and flowing waters. Static water measurements were taken in a lake with minimal background noise. Flowing water measurements were taken at a previously proposed deployment site for hydrokinetic turbines on the Mississippi River, where sounds created by flowing water are part of all measurements, both natural ambient and anthropogenic sources. Vessel sizes ranged from a small fishing boat with 60 hp outboard motor to an 18-unit barge train being pushed upstream by tugboat. As expected, large vessels with large engines created the highest sound levels, which were, on average, 40 dB greater than the sound created by an operating hydrokinetic turbine. A comparison of sound levels from the same sources at different distances using both spherical and cylindrical sound attenuation functions suggests that spherical model results more closely approximate observed sound attenuation.

Development of An Empirical Water Quality Model for Stormwater Based on Watershed Land Use in Puget Sound

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cullinan, Valerie I.; May, Christopher W.; Brandenberger, Jill M.

2007-03-29

The Sinclair and Dyes Inlet watershed is located on the west side of Puget Sound in Kitsap County, Washington, U.S.A. (Figure 1). The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS), U.S Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the Washington State Department of Ecology (WA-DOE), Kitsap County, City of Bremerton, City of Bainbridge Island, City of Port Orchard, and the Suquamish Tribe have joined in a cooperative effort to evaluate water-quality conditions in the Sinclair-Dyes Inlet watershed and correct identified problems. A major focus of this project, known as Project ENVVEST, is to develop Water Clean-up (TMDL) Plans for constituents listed on the 303(d) listmore » within the Sinclair and Dyes Inlet watershed. Segments within the Sinclair and Dyes Inlet watershed were listed on the State of Washington’s 1998 303(d) because of fecal coliform contamination in marine water, metals in sediment and fish tissue, and organics in sediment and fish tissue (WA-DOE 2003). Stormwater loading was identified by ENVVEST as one potential source of sediment contamination, which lacked sufficient data for a contaminant mass balance calculation for the watershed. This paper summarizes the development of an empirical model for estimating contaminant concentrations in all streams discharging into Sinclair and Dyes Inlets based on watershed land use, 18 storm events, and wet/dry season baseflow conditions between November 2002 and May 2005. Stream pollutant concentrations along with estimates for outfalls and surface runoff will be used in estimating the loading and ultimately in establishing a Water Cleanup Plan (TMDL) for the Sinclair-Dyes Inlet watershed.« less

Potential impacts of discharging tertiary-treated wastewater into Port Royal Sound, South Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Speiran, G.K.; Belval, D.L.

1985-01-01

An assessment of physical characteristics of Port Royal Sound was combined with the results of a dye tracer study and with data collected from a previous environmental study to describe the impact on the water quality from discharging tertiary treated wastewater into the sound. Calculated velocities for the time of maximum velocity in the tidal cycle ranged from 2.32 ft/sec near the bottom to 4.65 ft/sec near the surface of the sound in a cross section in the vicinity of a proposed wastewater outfall. Vertical velocity distributions calculated for the time of maximum velocity were similar at all stations at which velocities were measured except the station in shallow water near the shore. A recent bathymetric chart of the vicinity of the proposed outfall indicates that a bar extends farther along the northern shore of Hilton Head Island than indicated on earlier nautical charts of Port Royal Sound. Continued extension of this bar could alter the impact on water quality from discharge of treated wastewater into the sound. Further study may be needed to monitor changes in the bar if the outfall is located between the bar and Hilton Head Island. Conservative calculations based on the results of the dye tracer study indicate that the discharge of 10.9 million gallons/day of wastewater having concentrations of biochemical oxygen demand and suspended solids of 15 mg/L will result in a maximum cumulative increase in concentrations of biochemical oxygen demand of < 0.01 mg/L and no increase in concentrations of suspended solids at high slack tide in the part of Port Royal Sound most affected by the proposed wastewater discharge. (Author 's abstract)

Quality of Life Assessment for Physical Activity and Health Promotion: Further Psychometrics and Comparison of Measures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gill, Diane L.; Reifsteck, Erin J.; Adams, Melanie M.; Shang, Ya-Ting

2015-01-01

Despite the clear relationship between physical activity and quality of life, few sound, relevant quality of life measures exist. Gill and colleagues developed a 32-item quality of life survey, and provided initial psychometric evidence. This study further examined that quality of life survey in comparison with the widely used short form (SF-36)…

Efficacy of metronome sound guidance via a phone speaker during dispatcher-assisted compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation by an untrained layperson: a randomised controlled simulation study using a manikin.

PubMed

Park, Sang O; Hong, Chong Kun; Shin, Dong Hyuk; Lee, Jun Ho; Hwang, Seong Youn

2013-08-01

Untrained laypersons should perform compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (COCPR) under a dispatcher's guidance, but the quality of the chest compressions may be suboptimal. We hypothesised that providing metronome sounds via a phone speaker may improve the quality of chest compressions during dispatcher-assisted COCPR (DA-COCPR). Untrained laypersons were allocated to either the metronome sound-guided group (MG), who performed DA-COCPR with metronome sounds (110 ticks/min), or the control group (CG), who performed conventional DA-COCPR. The participants of each group performed DA-COCPR for 4 min using a manikin with Skill-Reporter, and the data regarding chest compression quality were collected. The data from 33 cases of DA-COCPR in the MG and 34 cases in the CG were compared. The MG showed a faster compression rate than the CG (111.9 vs 96.7/min; p=0.018). A significantly higher proportion of subjects in the MG performed the DA-COCPR with an accurate chest compression rate (100-120/min) compared with the subjects in the CG (32/33 (97.0%) vs 5/34 (14.7%); p<0.0001). The mean compression depth was not different between the MG and the CG (45.9 vs 46.8 mm; p=0.692). However, a higher proportion of subjects in the MG performed shallow compressions (compression depth <38 mm) compared with subjects in the CG (median % was 69.2 vs 15.7; p=0.035). Metronome sound guidance during DA-COCPR for the untrained bystanders improved the chest compression rates, but was associated more with shallow compressions than the conventional DA-COCPR in a manikin model.

Investigation of in-vehicle speech intelligibility metrics for normal hearing and hearing impaired listeners

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samardzic, Nikolina

The effectiveness of in-vehicle speech communication can be a good indicator of the perception of the overall vehicle quality and customer satisfaction. Currently available speech intelligibility metrics do not account in their procedures for essential parameters needed for a complete and accurate evaluation of in-vehicle speech intelligibility. These include the directivity and the distance of the talker with respect to the listener, binaural listening, hearing profile of the listener, vocal effort, and multisensory hearing. In the first part of this research the effectiveness of in-vehicle application of these metrics is investigated in a series of studies to reveal their shortcomings, including a wide range of scores resulting from each of the metrics for a given measurement configuration and vehicle operating condition. In addition, the nature of a possible correlation between the scores obtained from each metric is unknown. The metrics and the subjective perception of speech intelligibility using, for example, the same speech material have not been compared in literature. As a result, in the second part of this research, an alternative method for speech intelligibility evaluation is proposed for use in the automotive industry by utilizing a virtual reality driving environment for ultimately setting targets, including the associated statistical variability, for future in-vehicle speech intelligibility evaluation. The Speech Intelligibility Index (SII) was evaluated at the sentence Speech Receptions Threshold (sSRT) for various listening situations and hearing profiles using acoustic perception jury testing and a variety of talker and listener configurations and background noise. In addition, the effect of individual sources and transfer paths of sound in an operating vehicle to the vehicle interior sound, specifically their effect on speech intelligibility was quantified, in the framework of the newly developed speech intelligibility evaluation method. Lastly, as an example of the significance of speech intelligibility evaluation in the context of an applicable listening environment, as indicated in this research, it was found that the jury test participants required on average an approximate 3 dB increase in sound pressure level of speech material while driving and listening compared to when just listening, for an equivalent speech intelligibility performance and the same listening task.

Measuring the Mathematical Quality of Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 2011

2011-01-01

In this article, we describe a framework and instrument for measuring the mathematical quality of mathematics instruction. In describing this framework, we argue for the separation of the "mathematical quality of instruction" (MQI), such as the absence of mathematical errors and the presence of sound mathematical reasoning, from pedagogical…

The effect of shift rotation on variations of cortisol, fatigue and sleep in sound engineers.

PubMed

Vangelova, Katia

2008-10-01

The aim was to study the effect of rotation direction on the time-of-day variations of cortisol, fatigue and sleep in sound engineers broadcasting in a life show. The salivary cortisol and ratings of stress, sleepiness and fatigue were followed at three hour intervals in 25 sound engineers: 13 working very fast forward-rotating shifts and 12 working very fast backward-rotating shifts. Cortisol was assessed with radioimmunological kits. The participants reported for stress symptoms and filled sleep diary. Cortisol retained the typical diurnal pattern. The rotation direction interacted with the shift significantly and as a result higher cortisol values during the morning and night shifts in the backward rotating group were found as well as worse quality of sleep. Higher salivary cortisol during morning and night shifts and worse quality of sleep in engineers working very fast backward-rotating shifts may be an indication for insufficient recovery.

Evaluation of the acoustic coordinated reset (CR®) neuromodulation therapy for tinnitus: study protocol for a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial.

PubMed

Hoare, Derek J; Pierzycki, Robert H; Thomas, Holly; McAlpine, David; Hall, Deborah A

2013-07-10

Current theories of tinnitus assume that the phantom sound is generated either through increased spontaneous activity of neurons in the auditory brain, or through pathological temporal firing patterns of the spontaneous neuronal discharge, or a combination of both factors. With this in mind, Tass and colleagues recently tested a number of temporally patterned acoustic stimulation strategies in a proof of concept study. Potential therapeutic sound regimes were derived according to a paradigm assumed to disrupt hypersynchronous neuronal activity, and promote plasticity mechanisms that stabilize a state of asynchronous spontaneous activity. This would correspond to a permanent reduction of tinnitus. The proof of concept study, conducted in Germany, confirmed the safety of the acoustic stimuli for use in tinnitus, and exploratory results indicated modulation of tinnitus-related pathological synchronous activity with potential therapeutic benefit. The most effective stimulation paradigm is now in clinical use as a sound therapy device, the acoustic coordinated reset (CR®) neuromodulation (Adaptive Neuromodulation GmbH (ANM), Köln, Germany). To measure the efficacy of CR® neuromodulation, we devised a powered, two-center, randomized controlled trial (RCT) compliant with the reporting standards defined in the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) Statement. The RCT design also addresses the recent call for international standards within the tinnitus community for high-quality clinical trials. The design uses a between-subjects comparison with minimized allocation of participants to treatment and placebo groups. A minimization approach was selected to ensure that the two groups are balanced with respect to age, gender, hearing, and baseline tinnitus severity. The protocol ensures double blinding, with crossover of the placebo group to receive the proprietary intervention after 12 weeks. The primary endpoints are the pre- and post-treatment measures that provide the primary measures of efficacy, namely a validated and sensitive questionnaire measure of the functional impact of tinnitus. The trial is also designed to capture secondary changes in tinnitus handicap, quality (pitch, loudness, bandwidth), and changes in tinnitus-related pathological synchronous brain activity using electroencephalography (EEG). This RCT was designed to provide a confident high-level estimate of the efficacy of sound therapy using CR® neuromodulation compared to a well-matched placebo intervention, and uniquely in terms of sound therapy, examine the physiological effects of the intervention against its putative mechanism of action. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01541969.

Musical background not associated with self-perceived hearing performance or speech perception in postlingual cochlear-implant users.

PubMed

Fuller, Christina; Free, Rolien; Maat, Bert; Başkent, Deniz

2012-08-01

In normal-hearing listeners, musical background has been observed to change the sound representation in the auditory system and produce enhanced performance in some speech perception tests. Based on these observations, it has been hypothesized that musical background can influence sound and speech perception, and as an extension also the quality of life, by cochlear-implant users. To test this hypothesis, this study explored musical background [using the Dutch Musical Background Questionnaire (DMBQ)], and self-perceived sound and speech perception and quality of life [using the Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire (NCIQ) and the Speech Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ)] in 98 postlingually deafened adult cochlear-implant recipients. In addition to self-perceived measures, speech perception scores (percentage of phonemes recognized in words presented in quiet) were obtained from patient records. The self-perceived hearing performance was associated with the objective speech perception. Forty-one respondents (44% of 94 respondents) indicated some form of formal musical training. Fifteen respondents (18% of 83 respondents) judged themselves as having musical training, experience, and knowledge. No association was observed between musical background (quantified by DMBQ), and self-perceived hearing-related performance or quality of life (quantified by NCIQ and SSQ), or speech perception in quiet.

Conducting Expressively: Navigating Seven Misconceptions That Inhibit Meaningful Connection to Ensemble and Sound

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snyder, Courtney

2016-01-01

When expressivity (ignited by imagination) is incorporated into the learning process for both the conductor (teacher) and player (student), the qualities of movement, communication, instruction, and ensemble sound all change for the better, often with less work. Expressive conducting allows the conductor to feel more connected to the music and the…

Auditory Brainstem Response to Complex Sounds Predicts Self-Reported Speech-in-Noise Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Samira; Parbery-Clark, Alexandra; White-Schwoch, Travis; Kraus, Nina

2013-01-01

Purpose: To compare the ability of the auditory brainstem response to complex sounds (cABR) to predict subjective ratings of speech understanding in noise on the Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ; Gatehouse & Noble, 2004) relative to the predictive ability of the Quick Speech-in-Noise test (QuickSIN; Killion, Niquette,…

Audio direct broadcast satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, J. E.

1983-01-01

Satellite sound broadcasting is, as the name implies, the use of satellite techniques and technology to broadcast directly from space to low-cost, consumer-quality receivers the types of sound programs commonly received in the AM and FM broadcast bands. It would be a ubiquitous service available to the general public in the home, in the car, and out in the open.

Tackling Production Techniques: Professional Studio Sound at Amateur Prices: the Power of the Portable Four-Track Audio Recorder.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, David E.

1997-01-01

One solution to poor quality sound in student video projects is a four-track audio cassette recorder. This article discusses the advantages of four-track over single-track recorders and compares two student productions, one using a single-track and the other a four-track recorder. (PEN)

Application of international videoconferences for continuing medical education programs related to laparoscopic surgery.

PubMed

Huang, Ke-Jian; Cen, Gang; Qiu, Zheng-Jun; Jiang, Tao; Cao, Jun; Fu, Chun-Yu

2014-02-01

Continuing medical education (CME) is an effective way for practicing physicians to acquire up-to-date clinical information. We conducted four CME seminars in 2007-2010 endorsed by the Chinese Medical Association Council on Medical Education. Overseas telelectures and live case demonstrations were introduced in each seminar via telemedicine based on a digital video transport system. Network stability and packet loss were recorded. An anonymous mini-questionnaire was conducted to evaluate the satisfaction of attendees regarding the image and sound quality, content selection, and overall evaluation. Four telelectures and five live case demonstrations were successfully conducted. Stability of the network was maintained during each videoconference. High-quality videos of 720 × 480 pixels at the rate of 30 frames per second were shown to the entire group of attendees. The time delay between Shanghai and Fukuoka, Japan, was only 0.3 s, and the packet loss was 0%. We obtained 129 valid responses to the mini-questionnaire from a total of 146 attendees. The majority of the attendees were satisfied with the quality of transmitted images and voices and with the selected contents. The overall evaluation was ranked as excellent or good. Videoconferences are excellent channels for CME programs associated with laparoscopic training.

Application of International Videoconferences for Continuing Medical Education Programs Related to Laparoscopic Surgery

PubMed Central

Huang, Ke-Jian; Cen, Gang; Jiang, Tao; Cao, Jun; Fu, Chun-Yu

2014-01-01

Abstract Background: Continuing medical education (CME) is an effective way for practicing physicians to acquire up-to-date clinical information. Materials and Methods: We conducted four CME seminars in 2007–2010 endorsed by the Chinese Medical Association Council on Medical Education. Overseas telelectures and live case demonstrations were introduced in each seminar via telemedicine based on a digital video transport system. Network stability and packet loss were recorded. An anonymous mini-questionnaire was conducted to evaluate the satisfaction of attendees regarding the image and sound quality, content selection, and overall evaluation. Results: Four telelectures and five live case demonstrations were successfully conducted. Stability of the network was maintained during each videoconference. High-quality videos of 720×480 pixels at the rate of 30 frames per second were shown to the entire group of attendees. The time delay between Shanghai and Fukuoka, Japan, was only 0.3 s, and the packet loss was 0%. We obtained 129 valid responses to the mini-questionnaire from a total of 146 attendees. The majority of the attendees were satisfied with the quality of transmitted images and voices and with the selected contents. The overall evaluation was ranked as excellent or good. Conclusions: Videoconferences are excellent channels for CME programs associated with laparoscopic training. PMID:23758077

Sounding-Diagnosed Convective Environments and Preliminary Energy Budgets Diagnosed during the TRMM Field Campaigns

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halverson, Jeffrey B.; Roy, Biswadev; O'CStarr, David (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

An overview of mean convective thermodynamic and wind profiles for the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Large Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment (LBA) and Kwajalein Experiment (KWAJEX) field campaigns will be presented, highlighting the diverse continental and marine tropical environments in which rain clouds and mesoscale convective systems evolved. An assessment of ongoing sounding quality control procedures will be shown. Additionally, we will present preliminary budgets of sensible heat source (Q1) and apparent moisture sink (Q2), which have been diagnosed from the various sounding networks.

Harmful Algal Blooms in the Mississippi Sound and Mobile Bay: Using MODIS Aqua and In Situ Data for HABs in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-10-01

Blooms in the Mississippi Sound & Mobile Bay: Using MODIS Aqua & In Situ Data for HABs in the Northern Gulf of Mexico 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT...shores. Phytoplankton populations and in situ water quality were monitored at 3 to 6 week intervals at 17 locations in Mobile Bay & the Mississippi...Sound beginning in July, 2005 & continuing thru June, 2006 along w/ concurrent MODIS Aqua weekly composite or same-day imagery. In situ or satellite

Evaluating standard airborne sound insulation measures in terms of annoyance, loudness, and audibility ratings.

PubMed

Park, H K; Bradley, J S

2009-07-01

This paper reports the results of an evaluation of the merits of standard airborne sound insulation measures with respect to subjective ratings of the annoyance and loudness of transmitted sounds. Subjects listened to speech and music sounds modified to represent transmission through 20 different walls with sound transmission class (STC) ratings from 34 to 58. A number of variations in the standard measures were also considered. These included variations in the 8-dB rule for the maximum allowed deficiency in the STC measure as well as variations in the standard 32-dB total allowed deficiency. Several spectrum adaptation terms were considered in combination with weighted sound reduction index (R(w)) values as well as modifications to the range of included frequencies in the standard rating contour. A STC measure without an 8-dB rule and an R(w) rating with a new spectrum adaptation term were better predictors of annoyance and loudness ratings of speech sounds. R(w) ratings with one of two modified C(tr) spectrum adaptation terms were better predictors of annoyance and loudness ratings of transmitted music sounds. Although some measures were much better predictors of responses to one type of sound than were the standard STC and R(w) values, no measure was remarkably improved for predicting annoyance and loudness ratings of both music and speech sounds.

Evaluation strategy : Puget Sound regional fare card : FY01 earmark evaluation

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-06-24

King County Metro Transit is the lead agency responsible for implementing the Central Puget Sound Regional Fare Coordination Project (RFC Project). The project features a smart card technology that will support and link the fare collection systems of...

Computerised Analysis of Telemonitored Respiratory Sounds for Predicting Acute Exacerbations of COPD.

PubMed

Fernandez-Granero, Miguel Angel; Sanchez-Morillo, Daniel; Leon-Jimenez, Antonio

2015-10-23

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the commonest causes of death in the world and poses a substantial burden on healthcare systems and patients' quality of life. The largest component of the related healthcare costs is attributable to admissions due to acute exacerbation (AECOPD). The evidence that might support the effectiveness of the telemonitoring interventions in COPD is limited partially due to the lack of useful predictors for the early detection of AECOPD. Electronic stethoscopes and computerised analyses of respiratory sounds (CARS) techniques provide an opportunity for substantial improvement in the management of respiratory diseases. This exploratory study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using: (a) a respiratory sensor embedded in a self-tailored housing for ageing users; (b) a telehealth framework; (c) CARS and (d) machine learning techniques for the remote early detection of the AECOPD. In a 6-month pilot study, 16 patients with COPD were equipped with a home base-station and a sensor to daily record their respiratory sounds. Principal component analysis (PCA) and a support vector machine (SVM) classifier was designed to predict AECOPD. 75.8% exacerbations were early detected with an average of 5 ± 1.9 days in advance at medical attention. The proposed method could provide support to patients, physicians and healthcare systems.

Understanding speech when wearing communication headsets and hearing protectors with subband processing.

PubMed

Brammer, Anthony J; Yu, Gongqiang; Bernstein, Eric R; Cherniack, Martin G; Peterson, Donald R; Tufts, Jennifer B

2014-08-01

An adaptive, delayless, subband feed-forward control structure is employed to improve the speech signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the communication channel of a circumaural headset/hearing protector (HPD) from 90 Hz to 11.3 kHz, and to provide active noise control (ANC) from 50 to 800 Hz to complement the passive attenuation of the HPD. The task involves optimizing the speech SNR for each communication channel subband, subject to limiting the maximum sound level at the ear, maintaining a speech SNR preferred by users, and reducing large inter-band gain differences to improve speech quality. The performance of a proof-of-concept device has been evaluated in a pseudo-diffuse sound field when worn by human subjects under conditions of environmental noise and speech that do not pose a risk to hearing, and by simulation for other conditions. For the environmental noises employed in this study, subband speech SNR control combined with subband ANC produced greater improvement in word scores than subband ANC alone, and improved the consistency of word scores across subjects. The simulation employed a subject-specific linear model, and predicted that word scores are maintained in excess of 90% for sound levels outside the HPD of up to ∼115 dBA.

A Pilot Study on the Ability of Young Children and Adults to Identify and Reproduce Novel Speech Sounds.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeni-Komshian, Grace; And Others

This study was designed to compare children and adults on their initial ability to identify and reproduce novel speech sounds and to evaluate their performance after receiving several training sessions in producing these sounds. The novel speech sounds used were two voiceless fricatives which are consonant phonemes in Arabic but which are…

The Belt voice: Acoustical measurements and esthetic correlates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bounous, Barry Urban

This dissertation explores the esthetic attributes of the Belt voice through spectral acoustical analysis. The process of understanding the nature and safe practice of Belt is just beginning, whereas the understanding of classical singing is well established. The unique nature of the Belt sound provides difficulties for voice teachers attempting to evaluate the quality and appropriateness of a particular sound or performance. This study attempts to provide answers to the question "does Belt conform to a set of measurable esthetic standards?" In answering this question, this paper expands on a previous study of the esthetic attributes of the classical baritone voice (see "Vocal Beauty", NATS Journal 51,1) which also drew some tentative conclusions about the Belt voice but which had an inadequate sample pool of subjects from which to draw. Further, this study demonstrates that it is possible to scientifically investigate the realm of musical esthetics in the singing voice. It is possible to go beyond the "a trained voice compared to an untrained voice" paradigm when evaluating quantitative vocal parameters and actually investigate what truly beautiful voices do. There are functions of sound energy (measured in dB) transference which may affect the nervous system in predictable ways and which can be measured and associated with esthetics. This study does not show consistency in measurements for absolute beauty (taste) even among belt teachers and researchers but does show some markers with varying degrees of importance which may point to a difference between our cognitive learned response to singing and our emotional, more visceral response to sounds. The markers which are significant in determining vocal beauty are: (1) Vibrancy-Characteristics of vibrato including speed, width, and consistency (low variability). (2) Spectral makeup-Ratio of partial strength above the fundamental to the fundamental. (3) Activity of the voice-The quantity of energy being produced. (4) Consistency of the voice-How low is the variability in the energy patterns of the voice.

A video approach to interactive patient education.

PubMed

Maller, C E; Twitty, V J; Sauve, A

1997-04-01

A quality improvement model presents the stages of designing and producing a preoperative videotape for improved patient satisfaction outcomes. PACU nurses formed an interdisciplinary team of providers and patients to update an existing preoperative sound/slide program into video. Improved patient outcomes were reflected in greater availability, accessibility, and consistency of preoperative instruction. A videotape program for home viewing was instituted to reach out to the surgical patient population served by the Albuquerque Veterans Affairs Medical Center in New Mexico. A quality improvement storyboard approach to videotape production met Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organization (JCAHO) standards for interactive patient education at a recent JCAHO survey. Preliminary evaluative data from patients supports a growing appeal of videos to patients and family members as an additional preoperative teaching strategy for adult surgical patients.

Force Sensitive Handles and Capacitive Touch Sensor for Driving a Flexible Haptic-Based Immersive System

PubMed Central

Covarrubias, Mario; Bordegoni, Monica; Cugini, Umberto

2013-01-01

In this article, we present an approach that uses both two force sensitive handles (FSH) and a flexible capacitive touch sensor (FCTS) to drive a haptic-based immersive system. The immersive system has been developed as part of a multimodal interface for product design. The haptic interface consists of a strip that can be used by product designers to evaluate the quality of a 3D virtual shape by using touch, vision and hearing and, also, to interactively change the shape of the virtual object. Specifically, the user interacts with the FSH to move the virtual object and to appropriately position the haptic interface for retrieving the six degrees of freedom required for both manipulation and modification modalities. The FCTS allows the system to track the movement and position of the user's fingers on the strip, which is used for rendering visual and sound feedback. Two evaluation experiments are described, which involve both the evaluation and the modification of a 3D shape. Results show that the use of the haptic strip for the evaluation of aesthetic shapes is effective and supports product designers in the appreciation of the aesthetic qualities of the shape. PMID:24113680

Force sensitive handles and capacitive touch sensor for driving a flexible haptic-based immersive system.

PubMed

Covarrubias, Mario; Bordegoni, Monica; Cugini, Umberto

2013-10-09

In this article, we present an approach that uses both two force sensitive handles (FSH) and a flexible capacitive touch sensor (FCTS) to drive a haptic-based immersive system. The immersive system has been developed as part of a multimodal interface for product design. The haptic interface consists of a strip that can be used by product designers to evaluate the quality of a 3D virtual shape by using touch, vision and hearing and, also, to interactively change the shape of the virtual object. Specifically, the user interacts with the FSH to move the virtual object and to appropriately position the haptic interface for retrieving the six degrees of freedom required for both manipulation and modification modalities. The FCTS allows the system to track the movement and position of the user's fingers on the strip, which is used for rendering visual and sound feedback. Two evaluation experiments are described, which involve both the evaluation and the modification of a 3D shape. Results show that the use of the haptic strip for the evaluation of aesthetic shapes is effective and supports product designers in the appreciation of the aesthetic qualities of the shape.

Vibro-Acoustic Analysis of an Aircraft Maintenance Dock

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-08-01

evaluated. This evaluation resulted in a table of allowable number of cycles of operation to produce the same impact on the facility as the original...for 18 Gage Galvanized Steel Walls of HV Ducts 209 H13 Summary of Calculated Vibration Response Parameters at Base of HV 217 H 14 Engine Power Level...The reverberant sound field due to the acoustic energy remaining within the AMD after the first reflection of the direct sound. The direct sound field

Evaluation of the Space Shuttle Transatlantic Abort Landing Atmospheric Sounding System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leahy, Frank B.

2004-01-01

This paper describes a study that was conducted to determine the quality of thermodynamic and wind data measured by the Space Shuttle Transatlantic Abort Landing (TAL) Atmospheric Sounding System (TASS). The system has Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking capability and provides profiles of atmospheric parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, and wind in support of potential emergency Space Shuttle landings at TAL sites. Ten comparison flights between the Low-Resolution Flight Element (LRFE) of the Automated Meteorological Profiling System (AMPS) and TASS were conducted at the Eastern Test Range (ETR) in early 2002. Initial results indicated that wind, temperature, and relative humidity compared well. However, incorrect GPS settings in the TASS software were resulting in altitude differences of about 60 to 70 m (approximately 200 to 230 ft) and air pressure differences of approximately 4 hectoPascals (hPa). TASS software updates to correct altitude data were completed in early 2003. Subsequent testing showed that altitude and air pressure differences were generally less than 5 m and 1 hPa, respectively.

Social cognition in schizophrenia: Factor structure of emotion processing and theory of mind.

PubMed

Browne, Julia; Penn, David L; Raykov, Tenko; Pinkham, Amy E; Kelsven, Skylar; Buck, Benjamin; Harvey, Philip D

2016-08-30

Factor analytic studies examining social cognition in schizophrenia have yielded inconsistent results most likely due to the varying number and quality of measures. With the recent conclusion of Phase 3 of the Social Cognition Psychometric Evaluation (SCOPE) Study, the most psychometrically sound measures of social cognition have been identified. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to: 1) examine the factor structure of social cognition in schizophrenia through the utilization of psychometrically sound measures, 2) examine the stability of the factor structure across two study visits, 3) compare the factor structure of social cognition in schizophrenia to that in healthy controls, and 4) examine the relationship between the factors and relevant outcome measures including social functioning and symptoms. Results supported a one-factor model for the patient and healthy control samples at both visits. This single factor was significantly associated with negative symptoms in the schizophrenia sample and with social functioning in both groups at both study visits. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

EAQUATE: An International Experiment for Hyper-Spectral Atmospheric Sounding Validation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, J. P.; Smith, W.; Cuomo, V.; Larar, A.; Zhou, D.; Serio, C.; Maestri, T.; Rizzi, R.; Newman, S.; Antonelli, P.;

On the angular error of intensity vector based direction of arrival estimation in reverberant sound fields.

PubMed

Levin, Dovid; Habets, Emanuël A P; Gannot, Sharon

2010-10-01

An acoustic vector sensor provides measurements of both the pressure and particle velocity of a sound field in which it is placed. These measurements are vectorial in nature and can be used for the purpose of source localization. A straightforward approach towards determining the direction of arrival (DOA) utilizes the acoustic intensity vector, which is the product of pressure and particle velocity. The accuracy of an intensity vector based DOA estimator in the presence of noise has been analyzed previously. In this paper, the effects of reverberation upon the accuracy of such a DOA estimator are examined. It is shown that particular realizations of reverberation differ from an ideal isotropically diffuse field, and induce an estimation bias which is dependent upon the room impulse responses (RIRs). The limited knowledge available pertaining the RIRs is expressed statistically by employing the diffuse qualities of reverberation to extend Polack's statistical RIR model. Expressions for evaluating the typical bias magnitude as well as its probability distribution are derived.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ballachey, B.E.

The study was conducted to evaluate several biomarkers of genotoxic damage in sea otters that had potentially been exposed to oil spilled from the Exxon Valdez. Thirteen adult male sea otters were captured in eastern (unoiled) Prince William Sound, and 14 in western (oiled) Prince William Sound in September and October 1991. Blood lymphocytes, sperm and testicular cells were collected from the otters for flow cytometric analyses to measure: (1) DNA content of lymphocytes, (2) nuclear chromatin structure of sperm, and (3) subpopulations of cell types in the testis. Additionally, sperm cells were examined by light microscopy for morphological abnormalities.more » The DNA content of blood lymphocytes from sea otters in the oiled vs. unoiled areas was not significantly different, although there was greater variation among samples from the oiled area. One measure of sperm cell quality was poorer for male sea otters from the unoiled area, and may have been associated with differences in the age and breeding status of the two groups sampled. Other measures of sperm and testicular cells did not differ between areas.« less

Social cognition in schizophrenia: Factor structure of emotion processing and theory of mind

PubMed Central

Browne, Julia; Penn, David L.; Raykov, Tenko; Pinkham, Amy E.; Kelsven, Skylar; Buck, Benjamin; Harvey, Philip D.

2018-01-01

Factor analytic studies examining social cognition in schizophrenia have yielded inconsistent results most likely due to the varying number and quality of measures. With the recent conclusion of Phase 3 of the Social Cognition Psychometric Evaluation (SCOPE) Study, the most psychometrically sound measures of social cognition have been identified. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to: 1) examine the factor structure of social cognition in schizophrenia through the utilization of psychometrically sound measures, 2) examine the stability of the factor structure across two study visits, 3) compare the factor structure of social cognition in schizophrenia to that in healthy controls, and 4) examine the relationship between the factors and relevant outcome measures including social functioning and symptoms. Results supported a one-factor model for the patient and healthy control samples at both visits. This single factor was significantly associated with negative symptoms in the schizophrenia sample and with social functioning in both groups at both study visits. PMID:27280525

Sound synthesis and evaluation of interactive footsteps and environmental sounds rendering for virtual reality applications.

PubMed

Nordahl, Rolf; Turchet, Luca; Serafin, Stefania

2011-09-01

We propose a system that affords real-time sound synthesis of footsteps on different materials. The system is based on microphones, which detect real footstep sounds from subjects, from which the ground reaction force (GRF) is estimated. Such GRF is used to control a sound synthesis engine based on physical models. Two experiments were conducted. In the first experiment, the ability of subjects to recognize the surface they were exposed to was assessed. In the second experiment, the sound synthesis engine was enhanced with environmental sounds. Results show that, in some conditions, adding a soundscape significantly improves the recognition of the simulated environment.

A systematic review and classification of interventions for speech-sound disorder in preschool children.

PubMed

Wren, Yvonne; Harding, Sam; Goldbart, Juliet; Roulstone, Sue

2018-05-01

Multiple interventions have been developed to address speech sound disorder (SSD) in children. Many of these have been evaluated but the evidence for these has not been considered within a model which categorizes types of intervention. The opportunity to carry out a systematic review of interventions for SSD arose as part of a larger scale study of interventions for primary speech and language impairment in preschool children. To review systematically the evidence for interventions for SSD in preschool children and to categorize them within a classification of interventions for SSD. Relevant search terms were used to identify intervention studies published up to 2012, with the following inclusion criteria: participants were aged between 2 years and 5 years, 11 months; they exhibited speech, language and communication needs; and a primary outcome measure of speech was used. Studies that met inclusion criteria were quality appraised using the single case experimental design (SCED) or PEDro-P, depending on their methodology. Those judged to be high quality were classified according to the primary focus of intervention. The final review included 26 studies. Case series was the most common research design. Categorization to the classification system for interventions showed that cognitive-linguistic and production approaches to intervention were the most frequently reported. The highest graded evidence was for three studies within the auditory-perceptual and integrated categories. The evidence for intervention for preschool children with SSD is focused on seven out of 11 subcategories of interventions. Although all the studies included in the review were good quality as defined by quality appraisal checklists, they mostly represented lower-graded evidence. Higher-graded studies are needed to understand clearly the strength of evidence for different interventions. © 2018 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Stand development and silviculture in bottomland hardwoods

Treesearch

J. Steven Meadows

1993-01-01

Silviculture for the production of high-quality timber in southern bottomland hardwood forests involves the application of environmentally sound practices in order to enhance the growth and quality of both individual trees and stands. To accomplish this purpose, silvicultural practices are typically used to regulate stand density, species composition, and stem quality...

Environmental Involvement. . . A Teacher's Guide (2nd Edition).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1971

Presented in this teacher's guide are ideas and projects to help students develop an awareness and appreciation of their environment. Sharpening the senses is emphasized through activities dealing with water quality, sound qualities, and noise, air quality, solid waste control, and soil management. The text is divided into four levels roughly…

[A new medical education using a lung sound auscultation simulator called "Mr. Lung"].

PubMed

Yoshii, Chiharu; Anzai, Takashi; Yatera, Kazuhiro; Kawajiri, Tatsunori; Nakashima, Yasuhide; Kido, Masamitsu

2002-09-01

We developed a lung sound auscultation simulator "Mr. Lung" in 2001. To improve the auscultation skills of lung sounds, we utilized this new device in our educational training facility. From June 2001 to March 2002, we used "Mr. Lung" for our small group training in which one hundred of the fifth year medical students were divided into small groups from which one group was taught every other week. The class consisted of ninety-minute training periods for auscultation of lung sounds. At first, we explained the classification of lung sounds, and then auscultation tests were performed. Namely, students listened to three cases of abnormal or adventitious lung sounds on "Mr. Lung" through their stethoscopes. Next they answered questions corresponding to the portion and quality of the sounds. Then, we explained the correct answers and how to differentiate lung sounds on "Mr. Lung". Additionally, at the beginning and the end of the lecture, five degrees of self-assessment for the auscultation of the lung sounds were performed. The ratio of correct answers for lung sounds were 36.9% for differences between bilateral lung sounds, 52.5% for coarse crackles, 34.1% for fine crackles, 69.2% for wheezes, 62.1% for rhonchi and 22.2% for stridor. Self-assessment scores were significantly higher after the class than before. The ratio of correct lung sound answers was surprisingly low among medical students. We believe repetitive auscultation of the simulator to be extremely helpful for medical education.

Use of a Deep Recurrent Neural Network to Reduce Wind Noise: Effects on Judged Speech Intelligibility and Sound Quality

PubMed Central

Keshavarzi, Mahmoud; Goehring, Tobias; Zakis, Justin; Turner, Richard E.; Moore, Brian C. J.

2018-01-01

Despite great advances in hearing-aid technology, users still experience problems with noise in windy environments. The potential benefits of using a deep recurrent neural network (RNN) for reducing wind noise were assessed. The RNN was trained using recordings of the output of the two microphones of a behind-the-ear hearing aid in response to male and female speech at various azimuths in the presence of noise produced by wind from various azimuths with a velocity of 3 m/s, using the “clean” speech as a reference. A paired-comparison procedure was used to compare all possible combinations of three conditions for subjective intelligibility and for sound quality or comfort. The conditions were unprocessed noisy speech, noisy speech processed using the RNN, and noisy speech that was high-pass filtered (which also reduced wind noise). Eighteen native English-speaking participants were tested, nine with normal hearing and nine with mild-to-moderate hearing impairment. Frequency-dependent linear amplification was provided for the latter. Processing using the RNN was significantly preferred over no processing by both subject groups for both subjective intelligibility and sound quality, although the magnitude of the preferences was small. High-pass filtering (HPF) was not significantly preferred over no processing. Although RNN was significantly preferred over HPF only for sound quality for the hearing-impaired participants, for the results as a whole, there was a preference for RNN over HPF. Overall, the results suggest that reduction of wind noise using an RNN is possible and might have beneficial effects when used in hearing aids. PMID:29708061

Digital Media for STEM Learning: Developing scientific practice skills in the K-12 STEM classroom with resources from WGBH and PBS LearningMedia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foster, J.; Connolly, R.

2017-12-01

WGBH's "Bringing the Universe to America's Classrooms" project is a 5-year effort to design, produce and evaluate digital media tools and resources that support scientific practice skills in diverse K-12 learners. Resources leverage data and content from NASA and WGBH signature programs, like NOVA, into sound instructional experiences that provide K-12 STEM teachers with free, quality resources for teaching topics in the Earth and Space Sciences. Resources address the content and practices in the new K-12 Framework for Science Education and are aligned with the NGSS. Participants will learn about design strategies, findings from our evaluation efforts, and how to access free resources on PBS LearningMedia.

Ultrasound tomography imaging with waveform sound speed: parenchymal changes in women undergoing tamoxifen therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sak, Mark; Duric, Neb; Littrup, Peter; Sherman, Mark; Gierach, Gretchen

2017-03-01

Ultrasound tomography (UST) is an emerging modality that can offer quantitative measurements of breast density. Recent breakthroughs in UST image reconstruction involve the use of a waveform reconstruction as opposed to a raybased reconstruction. The sound speed (SS) images that are created using the waveform reconstruction have a much higher image quality. These waveform images offer improved resolution and contrasts between regions of dense and fatty tissues. As part of a study that was designed to assess breast density changes using UST sound speed imaging among women undergoing tamoxifen therapy, UST waveform sound speed images were then reconstructed for a subset of participants. These initial results show that changes to the parenchymal tissue can more clearly be visualized when using the waveform sound speed images. Additional quantitative testing of the waveform images was also started to test the hypothesis that waveform sound speed images are a more robust measure of breast density than ray-based reconstructions. Further analysis is still needed to better understand how tamoxifen affects breast tissue.

Fine manipulation of sound via lossy metamaterials with independent and arbitrary reflection amplitude and phase.

PubMed

Zhu, Yifan; Hu, Jie; Fan, Xudong; Yang, Jing; Liang, Bin; Zhu, Xuefeng; Cheng, Jianchun

2018-04-24

The fine manipulation of sound fields is critical in acoustics yet is restricted by the coupled amplitude and phase modulations in existing wave-steering metamaterials. Commonly, unavoidable losses make it difficult to control coupling, thereby limiting device performance. Here we show the possibility of tailoring the loss in metamaterials to realize fine control of sound in three-dimensional (3D) space. Quantitative studies on the parameter dependence of reflection amplitude and phase identify quasi-decoupled points in the structural parameter space, allowing arbitrary amplitude-phase combinations for reflected sound. We further demonstrate the significance of our approach for sound manipulation by producing self-bending beams, multifocal focusing, and a single-plane two-dimensional hologram, as well as a multi-plane 3D hologram with quality better than the previous phase-controlled approach. Our work provides a route for harnessing sound via engineering the loss, enabling promising device applications in acoustics and related fields.

Sleep disturbance caused by meaningful sounds and the effect of background noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Namba, Seiichiro; Kuwano, Sonoko; Okamoto, Takehisa

2004-10-01

To study noise-induced sleep disturbance, a new procedure called "noise interrupted method"has been developed. The experiment is conducted in the bedroom of the house of each subject. The sounds are reproduced with a mini-disk player which has an automatic reverse function. If the sound is disturbing and subjects cannot sleep, they are allowed to switch off the sound 1 h after they start to try to sleep. This switch off (noise interrupted behavior) is an important index of sleep disturbance. Next morning they fill in a questionnaire in which quality of sleep, disturbance of sounds, the time when they switched off the sound, etc. are asked. The results showed a good relationship between L and the percentages of the subjects who could not sleep in an hour and between L and the disturbance reported in the questionnaire. This suggests that this method is a useful tool to measure the sleep disturbance caused by noise under well-controlled conditions.

SAFT-assisted sound beam focusing using phased arrays (PA-SAFT) for non-destructive evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nanekar, Paritosh; Kumar, Anish; Jayakumar, T.

2015-04-01

Focusing of sound has always been a subject of interest in ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation. An integrated approach to sound beam focusing using phased array and synthetic aperture focusing technique (PA-SAFT) has been developed in the authors' laboratory. The approach involves SAFT processing on ultrasonic B-scan image collected by a linear array transducer using a divergent sound beam. The objective is to achieve sound beam focusing using fewer elements than the ones required using conventional phased array. The effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated on aluminium blocks with artificial flaws and steel plate samples with embedded volumetric weld flaws, such as slag and clustered porosities. The results obtained by the PA-SAFT approach are found to be comparable to those obtained by conventional phased array and full matrix capture - total focusing method approaches.

Systematic evaluation of atmospheric chemistry-transport model CHIMERE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khvorostyanov, Dmitry; Menut, Laurent; Mailler, Sylvain; Siour, Guillaume; Couvidat, Florian; Bessagnet, Bertrand; Turquety, Solene

2017-04-01

Regional-scale atmospheric chemistry-transport models (CTM) are used to develop air quality regulatory measures, to support environmentally sensitive decisions in the industry, and to address variety of scientific questions involving the atmospheric composition. Model performance evaluation with measurement data is critical to understand their limits and the degree of confidence in model results. CHIMERE CTM (http://www.lmd.polytechnique.fr/chimere/) is a French national tool for operational forecast and decision support and is widely used in the international research community in various areas of atmospheric chemistry and physics, climate, and environment (http://www.lmd.polytechnique.fr/chimere/CW-articles.php). This work presents the model evaluation framework applied systematically to the new CHIMERE CTM versions in the course of the continuous model development. The framework uses three of the four CTM evaluation types identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the American Meteorological Society (AMS): operational, diagnostic, and dynamic. It allows to compare the overall model performance in subsequent model versions (operational evaluation), identify specific processes and/or model inputs that could be improved (diagnostic evaluation), and test the model sensitivity to the changes in air quality, such as emission reductions and meteorological events (dynamic evaluation). The observation datasets currently used for the evaluation are: EMEP (surface concentrations), AERONET (optical depths), and WOUDC (ozone sounding profiles). The framework is implemented as an automated processing chain and allows interactive exploration of the results via a web interface.

Human emotions track changes in the acoustic environment.

PubMed

Ma, Weiyi; Thompson, William Forde

2015-11-24

Emotional responses to biologically significant events are essential for human survival. Do human emotions lawfully track changes in the acoustic environment? Here we report that changes in acoustic attributes that are well known to interact with human emotions in speech and music also trigger systematic emotional responses when they occur in environmental sounds, including sounds of human actions, animal calls, machinery, or natural phenomena, such as wind and rain. Three changes in acoustic attributes known to signal emotional states in speech and music were imposed upon 24 environmental sounds. Evaluations of stimuli indicated that human emotions track such changes in environmental sounds just as they do for speech and music. Such changes not only influenced evaluations of the sounds themselves, they also affected the way accompanying facial expressions were interpreted emotionally. The findings illustrate that human emotions are highly attuned to changes in the acoustic environment, and reignite a discussion of Charles Darwin's hypothesis that speech and music originated from a common emotional signal system based on the imitation and modification of environmental sounds.

Characterizing large river sounds: Providing context for understanding the environmental effects of noise produced by hydrokinetic turbines

DOE PAGES

Bevelhimer, Mark S.; Deng, Z. Daniel; Scherelis, Constantin C.

2016-01-06

Underwaternoise associated with the installation and operation of hydrokinetic turbines in rivers and tidal zones presents a potential environmental concern for fish and marine mammals. Comparing the spectral quality of sounds emitted by hydrokinetic turbines to natural and other anthropogenic sound sources is an initial step at understanding potential environmental impacts. Underwater recordings were obtained from passing vessels and natural underwater sound sources in static and flowing waters. Static water measurements were taken in a lake with minimal background noise. Flowing water measurements were taken at a previously proposed deployment site for hydrokinetic turbines on the Mississippi River, where soundsmore » created by flowing water are part of all measurements, both natural ambient and anthropogenic sources. Vessel sizes ranged from a small fishing boat with 60 hp outboard motor to an 18-unit barge train being pushed upstream by tugboat. As expected, large vessels with large engines created the highest sound levels, which were, on average, 40 dB greater than the sound created by an operating hydrokinetic turbine. As a result, a comparison of sound levels from the same sources at different distances using both spherical and cylindrical sound attenuation functions suggests that spherical model results more closely approximate observed sound attenuation.« less

Characterizing large river sounds: Providing context for understanding the environmental effects of noise produced by hydrokinetic turbines

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bevelhimer, Mark S.; Deng, Z. Daniel; Scherelis, Constantin

2016-01-01

Underwater noise associated with the installation and operation of hydrokinetic turbines in rivers and tidal zones presents a potential environmental concern for fish and marine mammals. Comparing the spectral quality of sounds emitted by hydrokinetic turbines to natural and other anthropogenic sound sources is an initial step at understanding potential environmental impacts. Underwater recordings were obtained from passing vessels of different sizes and other underwater sound sources in both static and flowing waters. Static water measurements were taken in a lake with minimal background noise. Flowing water measurements were taken at a previously proposed deployment site for hydrokinetic turbines onmore » the Mississippi River, where the sound of flowing water is included in background measurements. The size of vessels measured ranged from a small fishing boat with a 60 HP outboard motor to an 18-unit barge train being pushed upstream by tugboat. As expected, large vessels with large engines created the highest sound levels, and when compared to the sound created by an operating HK turbine were many times greater. A comparison of sound levels from the same sources at different distances using both spherical and cylindrical sound attenuation functions suggests that spherical model results more closely approximate observed values.« less

Modeling of reverberant room responses for two-dimensional spatial sound field analysis and synthesis.

PubMed

Bai, Mingsian R; Li, Yi; Chiang, Yi-Hao

2017-10-01

A unified framework is proposed for analysis and synthesis of two-dimensional spatial sound field in reverberant environments. In the sound field analysis (SFA) phase, an unbaffled 24-element circular microphone array is utilized to encode the sound field based on the plane-wave decomposition. Depending on the sparsity of the sound sources, the SFA stage can be implemented in two manners. For sparse-source scenarios, a one-stage algorithm based on compressive sensing algorithm is utilized. Alternatively, a two-stage algorithm can be used, where the minimum power distortionless response beamformer is used to localize the sources and Tikhonov regularization algorithm is used to extract the source amplitudes. In the sound field synthesis (SFS), a 32-element rectangular loudspeaker array is employed to decode the target sound field using pressure matching technique. To establish the room response model, as required in the pressure matching step of the SFS phase, an SFA technique for nonsparse-source scenarios is utilized. Choice of regularization parameters is vital to the reproduced sound field. In the SFS phase, three SFS approaches are compared in terms of localization performance and voice reproduction quality. Experimental results obtained in a reverberant room are presented and reveal that an accurate room response model is vital to immersive rendering of the reproduced sound field.

The Acoustic Model Evaluation Committee (AMEC) Reports. Volume 3. Evaluation of the RAYMODE X Propagation Loss Model. Book 1

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-09-01

and run on single sound speed profile. This model the UNIVAC 1108 computer. Other RAYMODE is in exteasive fleet usage, supporting versions were not...sought for significant disparities. (U) In addition to a sound speed versus depth or temperature versus depth plus a (U) Taken together, the two accuracy...as- constant salinity value, the program can sessment techniques, the Difference and access historical sound speed data FOM techniques, lead to

The subjective evaluation of noise from light aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shepherd, K. P.

1976-01-01

A study was conducted in which subjects evaluated the sounds of a light aircraft and a motorcycle. Particular emphasis was placed on examining the duration of the sounds. Thirty subjects gave annoyance ratings to a total of 50 sounds, with peak levels between 65 and 85dB(A). It was found that aircraft and motorcycles have differing optimum duration corrections. The conventional duration correction used in the calculation of EPNL is far from being the optimum for light aircraft.

Quality Assurance of RNA Expression Profiling in Clinical Laboratories

PubMed Central

Tang, Weihua; Hu, Zhiyuan; Muallem, Hind; Gulley, Margaret L.

2012-01-01

RNA expression profiles are increasingly used to diagnose and classify disease, based on expression patterns of as many as several thousand RNAs. To ensure quality of expression profiling services in clinical settings, a standard operating procedure incorporates multiple quality indicators and controls, beginning with preanalytic specimen preparation and proceeding thorough analysis, interpretation, and reporting. Before testing, histopathological examination of each cellular specimen, along with optional cell enrichment procedures, ensures adequacy of the input tissue. Other tactics include endogenous controls to evaluate adequacy of RNA and exogenous or spiked controls to evaluate run- and patient-specific performance of the test system, respectively. Unique aspects of quality assurance for array-based tests include controls for the pertinent outcome signatures that often supersede controls for each individual analyte, built-in redundancy for critical analytes or biochemical pathways, and software-supported scrutiny of abundant data by a laboratory physician who interprets the findings in a manner facilitating appropriate medical intervention. Access to high-quality reagents, instruments, and software from commercial sources promotes standardization and adoption in clinical settings, once an assay is vetted in validation studies as being analytically sound and clinically useful. Careful attention to the well-honed principles of laboratory medicine, along with guidance from government and professional groups on strategies to preserve RNA and manage large data sets, promotes clinical-grade assay performance. PMID:22020152

“AQMEII Status Update” | Science Inventory | US EPA

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

“AQMEII Status Update”This presentation provided an overview and status update of the Air Quality Model Evaluation International Initative (AQMEII) to participants of a workshop of the Task Force on Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution (TF-HTAP) . In addition, the presentation also outlines the objectives and potential timeline for a possible next phase of AQMEII that would involve a collaboration with the current modeling activities of TF-HTAP. The purpose of the presentation was to provide participants at the HTAP meeting with an overview of current AQMEII activities and timelines and to obtain feedback from HTAP workshop participants regarding HTAP timelines. The National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) Atmospheric Modeling and Analysis Division (AMAD) conducts research in support of EPA mission to protect human health and the environment. AMAD research program is engaged in developing and evaluating predictive atmospheric models on all spatial and temporal scales for forecasting the air quality and for assessing changes in air quality and air pollutant exposures, as affected by changes in ecosystem management and regulatory decisions. AMAD is responsible for providing a sound scientific and technical basis for regulatory policies based on air quality models to improve ambient air quality. The models developed by AMAD are being used by EPA, NOAA, and the air pollution community in understanding and forecasting not only the magnitude of the air po

Water-quality trends and basin activities and characteristics for the Albemarle-Pamlico estuarine system, North Carolina and Virginia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harned, D.A.; Davenport, M.S.

1990-01-01

The Albemarle-Pamlico estuarine system has a total basin area of nearly 31,000 square miles and includes the Neuse, Tar, Pamlico, Roanoke, Chowan, and Alligator Rivers, and the Albemarle, Pamlico, Currituck, Croatan, and Roanoke Sounds. Albemarle Sound receives the greatest freshwater inflow of all the sounds in the estuarine system. Inflow to this sound averages about 13,500 cubic feet per second. Inflow to Pamlico Sound from the Pamlico River averages around 5,400 cubic feet per second, and average inflow into the Neuse River estuary is about 6,100 cubic feet per second. Approximately one-half of the inflow into the system is from ground-water discharge. The Neuse River basin has had the greatest increases in wastewater discharges (650 percent since the 1950's) and had the greatesttotal wastewater discharges of any of the basins in the study area, averaging about 200 million gallons per day in 1988. Wastewater discharges into the Neuse and Tar Rivers were nearly equal to the 7-day, 10-year low flows for these rivers. Land-use data compiled in 1973 for the lower parts of the Neuse River basin and lower part of the Tar-Pamlico River basin indicate that 25 percent of the area was evergreen forest, 25 percent was forested wetlands, 20 percent was cropland and pasture, 12 percent was mixed forest, 10 percent was nonforested wetland, and 4 percent was urban. The amount of nonforested wetland in the part of the study area along the Outer Banks declined 6.5 percent from 1973 to 1983. The numbers of farms and acreage in agricultural use in the study area have declined since the 1920's. A decrease of more than 60 percentin the number of farms was shown between the early 1950's and 1982. Fertilizer sales increased through the 1970's, but declined in the 1980's. Manufacturing employment has increased in the last 30 years, while agricultural employment has decreased. Data from seven stations of the U.S. Geological Survey National Stream Quality Accounting Network were used to evaluate water quality for the major streams flowing into the Albemarle-Pamlico estuarine system. Water-quality data for 296 stations in the estuarine system were examined for the period 1945-88. The statistical test used for trend analysis was the Seasonal Kendall test (Hirsch and others, 1982). This nonparametric procedure is useful for analyses of water-quality properties that show non-normally distributed frequency distributions. The Seasonal Kendall trend analyses of water-quality data indicate that change has occurred in the water quality of the Albemarle-Pamlico estuarine system from 1945 to 1988. Dissolved-oxygen concentrations increased at a mean rate of 0.1 milligram per liter per year throughout the estuarine system, except in the Chowan River where decreases of approximately 0.06 milligram per liter per year occurred. In general, pH increased in streams throughout the area at a mean rate of 0.04 pH unit per year, except in the Pamlico River where pH decreased by 0.03 pH unit per year. A general increase in pH and dissolved-oxygen concentrations (if daytime measurements) might be indicative of more productive estuary conditions for algal growth. Suspended-solids concentrations decreased throughout the area at a mean rate of 1.1 milligrams per liter per year, probably as a result of a general decrease in suspended inorganic material. Increasing trends of salinity concentrations, as much as 0.1 part per thousand per year, were detected in Albemarle Sound. Total ammonia plus organic nitrogen concentrations decreased (-0.03 milligram per liter per year) in streams throughout most of the area but increased (0.02 milligram per liter per year) in the Pamlico River. However, ammonia nitrogen concentrations decreased (-0.0035 milligram per liter per year) in the Pamlico River; therefore, increases in organic nitrogen probably caused the observed increase in combined ammonia plus organic nitrogen concentrations. This probably results from increas

National water-quality assessment program : the Albemarle- Pamlico drainage

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lloyd, O.B.; Barnes, C.R.; Woodside, M.D.

1991-01-01

In 1991, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began to implement a full-scale National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program. Long-term goals of the NAWQA program are to describe the status and trends in the quality of a large, representative part of the Nation's surface- and ground-water resources and to provide a sound, scientific understanding of the primary natural and human factors affecting the quality of these resources. In meeting these goals, the program will produce a wealth of water quality information that will be useful to policy makers and managers at the national, State, and local levels. Study-unit investigations constitute a major component of the NAWQA program, forming the principal building blocks on which national-level assessment activities are based. The 60 study-unit investigations that make up the program are hydrologic systems that include parts of most major river basins and aquifer systems. These study units cover areas of 1,200 to more than 65,000 square miles and incorporate about 60 to 70 percent of the Nation's water use and population served by public water supply. In 1991, the Albemarle-Pamlico drainage was among the first 20 NAWQA study units selected for study under the full-scale implementation plan. The Albemarle-Pamlico drainage study will examine the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of water quality issues in a coordinated investigation of surface water and ground water in the Albemarle-Pamlico drainage basin. The quantity and quality of discharge from the Albemarle-Pamlico drainage basin contribute to some water quality problems in the biologically sensitive waters of Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds. A retrospective analysis of existing water quality data will precede a 3-year period of intensive data-collection and analysis activities. The data resulting from this study and the improved understanding of important processes and issues in the upstream part of the study unit will enhance understanding of the quality of water in Albemarle-Pamlico Sounds, the second largest estuarine system in the United States.

In Defense of the Randomized Controlled Trial for Health Promotion Research

PubMed Central

Rosen, Laura; Manor, Orly; Engelhard, Dan; Zucker, David

2006-01-01

The overwhelming evidence about the role lifestyle plays in mortality, morbidity, and quality of life has pushed the young field of modern health promotion to center stage. The field is beset with intense debate about appropriate evaluation methodologies. Increasingly, randomized designs are considered inappropriate for health promotion research. We have reviewed criticisms against randomized trials that raise philosophical and practical issues, and we will show how most of these criticisms can be overcome with minor design modifications. By providing rebuttal to arguments against randomized trials, our work contributes to building a sound methodological base for health promotion research. PMID:16735622

Automated mapping of the ocean floor using the theory of intrinsic random functions of order k

USGS Publications Warehouse

David, M.; Crozel, D.; Robb, James M.

1986-01-01

High-quality contour maps can be computer drawn from single track echo-sounding data by combining Universal Kriging and the theory of intrinsic random function of order K (IRFK). These methods interpolate values among the closely spaced points that lie along relatively widely spaced lines. The technique provides a variance which can be contoured as a quantitative measure of map precision. The technique can be used to evaluate alternative survey trackline configurations and data collection intervals, and can be applied to other types of oceanographic data. ?? 1986 D. Reidel Publishing Company.

Evaluation of JPL Version-5.9.12 Temperature Profiles, Ocean Skin Temperature, Surface Emissivity, and Cloud Cleared Radiances

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Susskind, Joel; Blaisdell, John; Iredell, Lena

2011-01-01

Slide presentation discusses: (1) Modifications to JPL 5.9.12 compared to V5.9.1, (2) Some results showing that V5.9.12 O, with original water vapor sounding channels, is preferable to V5.9.12 N with Antonia Gambacorta s new water vapor channels. (3) Comparison of V5.9.12, V5.9.12 AO, V5.9.1, and V5.0, (4) Accuracy and yield of channel by channel Quality Controlled clear-column radiances R(sub i) and (5) Plans for Version-7.

Math Sense: The Look, Sound, and Feel of Effective Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moynihan, Christine

2012-01-01

How is that you can walk into a classroom and gain an overall sense of the quality of math instruction taking place there? What contributes to getting that sense? In "Math Sense," Chris Moynihan explores some of the components that comprise the look, sound, and feel of effective teaching and learning. Does the landscape of the classroom feature…

Simulating the Response of Urban Water Quality to Climate and Land Use Change in Partially Urbanized Basins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, N.; Yearsley, J. R.; Nijssen, B.; Lettenmaier, D. P.

2014-12-01

Urban stream quality is particularly susceptible to extreme precipitation events and land use change. Although the projected effects of extreme events and land use change on hydrology have been resonably well studied, the impacts on urban water quality have not been widely examined due in part to the scale mismatch between global climate models and the spatial scales required to represent urban hydrology and water quality signals. Here we describe a grid-based modeling system that integrates the Distributed Hydrology Soil Vegetation Model (DHSVM) and urban water quality module adpated from EPA's Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) and Soil and water assessment tool (SWAT). Using the model system, we evaluate, for four partially urbanized catchments within the Puget Sound basin, urban water quality under current climate conditions, and projected potential changes in urban water quality associated with future changes in climate and land use. We examine in particular total suspended solids, toal nitrogen, total phosphorous, and coliform bacteria, with catchment representations at the 150-meter spatial resolution and the sub-daily timestep. We report long-term streamflow and water quality predictions in response to extreme precipitation events of varying magnitudes in the four partially urbanized catchments. Our simulations show that urban water quality is highly sensitive to both climatic and land use change.

A principal components model of soundscape perception.

PubMed

Axelsson, Östen; Nilsson, Mats E; Berglund, Birgitta

2010-11-01

There is a need for a model that identifies underlying dimensions of soundscape perception, and which may guide measurement and improvement of soundscape quality. With the purpose to develop such a model, a listening experiment was conducted. One hundred listeners measured 50 excerpts of binaural recordings of urban outdoor soundscapes on 116 attribute scales. The average attribute scale values were subjected to principal components analysis, resulting in three components: Pleasantness, eventfulness, and familiarity, explaining 50, 18 and 6% of the total variance, respectively. The principal-component scores were correlated with physical soundscape properties, including categories of dominant sounds and acoustic variables. Soundscape excerpts dominated by technological sounds were found to be unpleasant, whereas soundscape excerpts dominated by natural sounds were pleasant, and soundscape excerpts dominated by human sounds were eventful. These relationships remained after controlling for the overall soundscape loudness (Zwicker's N(10)), which shows that 'informational' properties are substantial contributors to the perception of soundscape. The proposed principal components model provides a framework for future soundscape research and practice. In particular, it suggests which basic dimensions are necessary to measure, how to measure them by a defined set of attribute scales, and how to promote high-quality soundscapes.

The acoustic performance of double-skin facades: A design support tool for architects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Batungbakal, Aireen

This study assesses and validates the influence of measuring sound in the urban environment and the influence of glass facade components in reducing sound transmission to the indoor environment. Among the most reported issues affecting workspaces, increased awareness to minimize noise led building designers to reconsider the design of building envelopes and its site environment. Outdoor sound conditions, such as traffic noise, challenge designers to accurately estimate the capability of glass facades in acquiring an appropriate indoor sound quality. Indicating the density of the urban environment, field-tests acquired existing sound levels in areas of high commercial development, employment, and traffic activity, establishing a baseline for sound levels common in urban work areas. Composed from the direct sound transmission loss of glass facades simulated through INSUL, a sound insulation software, data is utilized as an informative tool correlating the response of glass facade components towards existing outdoor sound levels of a project site in order to achieve desired indoor sound levels. This study progresses to link the disconnection in validating the acoustic performance of glass facades early in a project's design, from conditioned settings such as field-testing and simulations to project completion. Results obtained from the study's facade simulations and facade comparison supports that acoustic comfort is not limited to a singular solution, but multiple design options responsive to its environment.

Is physiotherapy effective for children with complex regional pain syndrome type 1?

PubMed

Bialocerkowski, Andrea E; Daly, Anne

2012-01-01

This study synthesized current research evidence on the effectiveness of physiotherapy for the management of children diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome type 1 (CRPS-1), to provide up-to-date physiotherapy treatment recommendations, and to identify areas that require further investigation. Nine electronic databases were searched for quantitative studies that evaluated the effect of physiotherapy on children with CRPS-1. The methodological quality of the studies was evaluated using the Critical Review Form. Data were extracted regarding the study design, participant characteristics, types of outcome measures used, and physiotherapy technique used and its effectiveness. The search strategy identified 303 potential studies, of which 12 met the inclusion criteria (1 randomized controlled trial, 1 comparative study, 10 case series). The methodological quality of all studies was rated as poor to fair. The "stand-alone" value of physiotherapy could not be determined as physiotherapy was prescribed in conjunction with psychological and medical interventions. There is low volume and poor-to-fair quality evidence which suggests that physiotherapy prescribed with other interventions may lead to short-term improvement in the signs and symptoms of CRPS-1 or functional ability in children with CRPS-1, and the relapse rate may be moderately high. High-quality studies are required in this area. These studies should evaluate a package of care (which includes physiotherapy); they should investigate the effects of physiotherapy treatments that have proven effectiveness in adults with CRPS-1; they should use psychometrically sound measures to evaluate outcome; and the nature of physiotherapy should be detailed in future publications to enable replication in the clinical setting.

Investigation of background acoustical effect on online surveys: A case study of a farmers' market customer survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Xingdi

Since the middle of 1990s, internet has become a new platform for surveys. Previous studies have discussed the visual design features of internet surveys. However, the application of acoustics as a design characteristic of online surveys has been rarely investigated. The present study aimed to fill that research gap. The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of background sound on respondents' engagement and satisfaction with online surveys. Two forms of background sound were evaluated; audio recorded in studios and audio edited with convolution reverb technique. The author recruited 80 undergraduate students for the experiment. These students were assigned to one of three groups. Each of the three groups was asked to evaluate their engagement and satisfaction with a specific online survey. The content of the online survey was the same. However, the three groups was exposed to the online survey with no background sound, with background sound recorded in studios; and with background sound edited with convolution reverb technique. The results showed no significant difference in engagement and satisfaction in the three groups of online surveys; without background sound, background sound recorded in studios, and background sound edited with convolution reverb technique. The author suggests that background sound does not contribute to online surveys in all the contexts. The industry practitioners should be careful to evaluate the survey context to decide whether the background sound should be added. Particularly, ear-piercing noise or acoustics which may link to respondents' unpleasant experience should be avoided. Moreover, although the results did not support the advantage of the revolution reverb technique in improving respondents' engagement and satisfaction, the author suggests that the potential of the revolution reverb technique in the applications of online surveys can't be totally denied, since it may be useful for some contexts which need further explorations in future research.

Ultrasound transmission measurements for tensile strength evaluation of tablets.

PubMed

Simonaho, Simo-Pekka; Takala, T Aleksi; Kuosmanen, Marko; Ketolainen, Jarkko

2011-05-16

Ultrasound transmission measurements were performed to evaluate the tensile strength of tablets. Tablets consisting of one ingredient were compressed from dibasic calcium phosphate dehydrate, two grades of microcrystalline cellulose and two grades of lactose monohydrate powders. From each powder, tablets with five different tensile strengths were directly compressed. Ultrasound transmission measurements were conducted on every tablet at frequencies of 2.25 MHz, 5 MHz and 10 MHz and the speed of sound was calculated from the acquired waveforms. The tensile strength of the tablets was determined using a diametrical mechanical testing machine and compared to the calculated speed of sound values. It was found that the speed of sound increased with the tensile strength for the tested excipients. There was a good correlation between the speed of sound and tensile strength. Moreover, based on the statistical tests, the groups with different tensile strengths can be differentiated from each other by measuring the speed of sound. Thus, the ultrasound transmission measurement technique is a potentially useful method for non-destructive and fast evaluation of the tensile strength of tablets. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of hydrokinetic turbine sound on the behavior of four species of fish within an experimental mesocosm

DOE PAGES

Schramm, Michael P.; Bevelhimer, Mark; Scherelis, Constantin

2017-02-04

The development of hydrokinetic energy technologies (e.g., tidal turbines) has raised concern over the potential impacts of underwater sound produced by hydrokinetic turbines on fish species likely to encounter these turbines. To assess the potential for behavioral impacts, we exposed four species of fish to varying intensities of recorded hydrokinetic turbine sound in a semi-natural environment. Although we tested freshwater species (redhorse suckers [Moxostoma spp], freshwater drum [Aplondinotus grunniens], largemouth bass [Micropterus salmoides], and rainbow trout [Oncorhynchus mykiss]), these species are also representative of the hearing physiology and sensitivity of estuarine species that would be affected at tidal energy sites.more » Here, we evaluated changes in fish position relative to different intensities of turbine sound as well as trends in location over time with linear mixed-effects and generalized additive mixed models. We also evaluated changes in the proportion of near-source detections relative to sound intensity and exposure time with generalized linear mixed models and generalized additive models. Models indicated that redhorse suckers may respond to sustained turbine sound by increasing distance from the sound source. Freshwater drum models suggested a mixed response to turbine sound, and largemouth bass and rainbow trout models did not indicate any likely responses to turbine sound. Lastly, findings highlight the importance for future research to utilize accurate localization systems, different species, validated sound transmission distances, and to consider different types of behavioral responses to different turbine designs and to the cumulative sound of arrays of multiple turbines.« less

Effects of hydrokinetic turbine sound on the behavior of four species of fish within an experimental mesocosm

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schramm, Michael P.; Bevelhimer, Mark; Scherelis, Constantin

The development of hydrokinetic energy technologies (e.g., tidal turbines) has raised concern over the potential impacts of underwater sound produced by hydrokinetic turbines on fish species likely to encounter these turbines. To assess the potential for behavioral impacts, we exposed four species of fish to varying intensities of recorded hydrokinetic turbine sound in a semi-natural environment. Although we tested freshwater species (redhorse suckers [Moxostoma spp], freshwater drum [Aplondinotus grunniens], largemouth bass [Micropterus salmoides], and rainbow trout [Oncorhynchus mykiss]), these species are also representative of the hearing physiology and sensitivity of estuarine species that would be affected at tidal energy sites.more » Here, we evaluated changes in fish position relative to different intensities of turbine sound as well as trends in location over time with linear mixed-effects and generalized additive mixed models. We also evaluated changes in the proportion of near-source detections relative to sound intensity and exposure time with generalized linear mixed models and generalized additive models. Models indicated that redhorse suckers may respond to sustained turbine sound by increasing distance from the sound source. Freshwater drum models suggested a mixed response to turbine sound, and largemouth bass and rainbow trout models did not indicate any likely responses to turbine sound. Lastly, findings highlight the importance for future research to utilize accurate localization systems, different species, validated sound transmission distances, and to consider different types of behavioral responses to different turbine designs and to the cumulative sound of arrays of multiple turbines.« less

Evaluating the Psychometric Quality of Social Skills Measures: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Cordier, Reinie; Speyer, Renée; Chen, Yu-Wei; Wilkes-Gillan, Sarah; Brown, Ted; Bourke-Taylor, Helen; Doma, Kenji; Leicht, Anthony

2015-01-01

Impairments in social functioning are associated with an array of adverse outcomes. Social skills measures are commonly used by health professionals to assess and plan the treatment of social skills difficulties. There is a need to comprehensively evaluate the quality of psychometric properties reported across these measures to guide assessment and treatment planning. To conduct a systematic review of the literature on the psychometric properties of social skills and behaviours measures for both children and adults. A systematic search was performed using four electronic databases: CINAHL, PsycINFO, Embase and Pubmed; the Health and Psychosocial Instruments database; and grey literature using PsycExtra and Google Scholar. The psychometric properties of the social skills measures were evaluated against the COSMIN taxonomy of measurement properties using pre-set psychometric criteria. Thirty-Six studies and nine manuals were included to assess the psychometric properties of thirteen social skills measures that met the inclusion criteria. Most measures obtained excellent overall methodological quality scores for internal consistency and reliability. However, eight measures did not report measurement error, nine measures did not report cross-cultural validity and eleven measures did not report criterion validity. The overall quality of the psychometric properties of most measures was satisfactory. The SSBS-2, HCSBS and PKBS-2 were the three measures with the most robust evidence of sound psychometric quality in at least seven of the eight psychometric properties that were appraised. A universal working definition of social functioning as an overarching construct is recommended. There is a need for ongoing research in the area of the psychometric properties of social skills and behaviours instruments.

The influence of reed curvature on the tone quality of lingual organ pipes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plitnik, G. R.; Angster, J.

2002-11-01

Given certain design constraints, such as the type of stop being voiced and the desired tone quality, reed voicers must use consummate skill to curve each tongue so as to produce the best and most stable tone, as well as maintaining a consistent tone quality across an entire rank of pipes. The curvature given to a reed tongue influences not only the harmonic structure of the steady-state sound, but also the attack. Two fundamentally different types of curvature are typically employed, the chorus reed (trompette) curve (which yields a bright sound) and the smooth-toned curve employed for solo reeds such as the clarinet. This study investigated the effect of reed curvature on the vibration and tone of reed tongues of both types. Two F2 pipes (a trompette and a clarinet) were constructed and voiced with 6 different tongues each to produce a variety of tones. The reed's vibration was measured under typical conditions by laser vibrometer; the pressure waves in the boot and in the shallot were measured by means of one-eighth inch microphones and the emitted sound was recorded at the egress. By performing various measurements simultaneously, phase differences were also determined.

Perceptual aspects of singing.

PubMed

Sundberg, J

1994-06-01

The relations between acoustic and perceived characteristics of vowel sounds are demonstrated with respect to timbre, loudness, pitch, and expressive time patterns. The conditions for perceiving an ensemble of sine tones as one tone or several tones are reviewed. There are two aspects of timbre of voice sounds: vowel quality and voice quality. Although vowel quality depends mainly on the frequencies of the lowest two formants. In particular, the center frequency of the so-called singer's formant seems perceptually relevant. Vocal loudness, generally assumed to correspond closely to the sound pressure level, depends rather on the amplitude balance between the lower and the higher spectrum partials. The perceived pitch corresponds to the fundamental frequency, or for vibrato tones, the mean of this frequency. In rapid passages, such as coloratura singing, special patterns are used. Pitch and duration differences are categorically perceived in music. This means that small variations in tuning or duration do not affect the musical interval and the note value perceived. Categorical perception is used extensively in music performance for the purpose of musical expression because without violating the score, the singer may sharpen or flatten and lengthen or shorten the tones, thereby creating musical expression.

Development of Virtual Auditory Interfaces

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-03-01

reference to compare the sound in the VE with the real 4. Lessons from the Entertainment Industry world experience. The entertainment industry has...systems are currently being evaluated. even though we have the technology to create astounding The first system uses a portable Sony TCD-D8 DAT audio...data set created a system called "Fantasound" which wrapped the including sound recordings and sound measurements musical compositions and sound

Recognition of Speech from the Television with Use of a Wireless Technology Designed for Cochlear Implants.

PubMed

Duke, Mila Morais; Wolfe, Jace; Schafer, Erin

2016-05-01

Cochlear implant (CI) recipients often experience difficulty understanding speech in noise and speech that originates from a distance. Many CI recipients also experience difficulty understanding speech originating from a television. Use of hearing assistance technology (HAT) may improve speech recognition in noise and for signals that originate from more than a few feet from the listener; however, there are no published studies evaluating the potential benefits of a wireless HAT designed to deliver audio signals from a television directly to a CI sound processor. The objective of this study was to compare speech recognition in quiet and in noise of CI recipients with the use of their CI alone and with the use of their CI and a wireless HAT (Cochlear Wireless TV Streamer). A two-way repeated measures design was used to evaluate performance differences obtained in quiet and in competing noise (65 dBA) with the CI sound processor alone and with the sound processor coupled to the Cochlear Wireless TV Streamer. Sixteen users of Cochlear Nucleus 24 Freedom, CI512, and CI422 implants were included in the study. Participants were evaluated in four conditions including use of the sound processor alone and use of the sound processor with the wireless streamer in quiet and in the presence of competing noise at 65 dBA. Speech recognition was evaluated in each condition with two full lists of Computer-Assisted Speech Perception Testing and Training Sentence-Level Test sentences presented from a light-emitting diode television. Speech recognition in noise was significantly better with use of the wireless streamer compared to participants' performance with their CI sound processor alone. There was also a nonsignificant trend toward better performance in quiet with use of the TV Streamer. Performance was significantly poorer when evaluated in noise compared to performance in quiet when the TV Streamer was not used. Use of the Cochlear Wireless TV Streamer designed to stream audio from a television directly to a CI sound processor provides better speech recognition in quiet and in noise when compared to performance obtained with use of the CI sound processor alone. American Academy of Audiology.

Trial-to-Trial Carryover in Auditory Short-Term Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Visscher, Kristina M.; Kahana, Michael J.; Sekuler, Robert

2009-01-01

Using a short-term recognition memory task, the authors evaluated the carryover across trials of 2 types of auditory information: the characteristics of individual study sounds (item information) and the relationships between the study sounds (study set homogeneity). On each trial, subjects heard 2 successive broadband study sounds and then…

Evaluating Sound Field Amplification Technology in New Brunswick Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rubin, Rhonda; Aquino-Russell, Catherine; Flagg-Williams, Joan

2007-01-01

(Purpose) The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of classroom sound field amplification on communication in kindergarten through grade 3 classrooms. (Methodology) Sixty classrooms were involved in the study; half of the classrooms were provided with sound field amplification. The flow of communication was measured through…

Data Mining to Chart the Arctic: Analysis of Approaches to Incorporate Outside Source Data into NOAA Office of Coast Survey Workflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rennoll, V.

2016-02-01

The National Centers for Environmental Information provide public access to a wealth of seafloor mapping data, both from National Ocean Service hydrographic surveys and outside source collections. Utilizing the outside source data to improve nautical charts created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is an appealing alternative to traditional surveys, largely in areas with significant data gaps where hydrographic surveys are not planned. However, much of the outside data are collected in transit lines and lack traditional overlapping main scheme lines and crosslines. Spanning multiple years and vessels, these transit line data collections were obtained using disparate operating procedures and have inconsistent qualities. Here, a workflow was developed to ingest these variable depth data within a defined region by assessing their quality and utility for nautical charting. The workflow was evaluated with a navigationally significant area in the Bering Sea, where bathymetric data collected from ten vessels over a period of twelve years were available. The outside data were shown to be of sufficient quality through comparisons with existing NOAA surveys and then used to demonstrate where the data could provide new or updated information on nautical charts, and provide reconnaissance for future hydrographic planning. The utility assessment of the data, however, was hindered by lack of a verified survey-scale sounding database, against which the outside source data could be compared. Having developed the workflow, it is recommended that further outside data is ingested by NOAA's Office of Coast Survey and that a database is developed with full-scale chart soundings for outside data comparisons.

Simulation of prenatal maternal sounds in NICU incubators: a pilot safety and feasibility study.

PubMed

Panagiotidis, John; Lahav, Amir

2010-10-01

This pilot study evaluated the safety and feasibility of an innovative audio system for transmitting maternal sounds to NICU incubators. A sample of biological sounds, consisting of voice and heartbeat, were recorded from a mother of a premature infant admitted to our unit. The maternal sounds were then played back inside an unoccupied incubator via a specialized audio system originated and compiled in our lab. We performed a series of evaluations to determine the safety and feasibility of using this system in NICU incubators. The proposed audio system was found to be safe and feasible, meeting criteria for humidity and temperature resistance, as well as for safe noise levels. Simulation of maternal sounds using this system seems achievable and applicable and received local support from medical staff. Further research and technology developments are needed to optimize the design of the NICU incubators to preserve the acoustic environment of the womb.

Optimum employment of satellite indirect soundings as numerical model input

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horn, L. H.; Derber, J. C.; Koehler, T. L.; Schmidt, B. D.

1981-01-01

The characteristics of satellite-derived temperature soundings that would significantly affect their use as input for numerical weather prediction models were examined. Independent evaluations of satellite soundings were emphasized to better define error characteristics. Results of a Nimbus-6 sounding study reveal an underestimation of the strength of synoptic scale troughs and ridges, and associated gradients in isobaric height and temperature fields. The most significant errors occurred near the Earth's surface and the tropopause. Soundings from the TIROS-N and NOAA-6 satellites were also evaluated. Results again showed an underestimation of upper level trough amplitudes leading to weaker thermal gradient depictions in satellite-only fields. These errors show a definite correlation to the synoptic flow patterns. In a satellite-only analysis used to initialize a numerical model forecast, it was found that these synoptically correlated errors were retained in the forecast sequence.

The influence of flooring on environmental stressors: a study of three flooring materials in a hospital.

PubMed

Harris, Debra D

2015-01-01

Three flooring materials, terrazzo, rubber, and carpet tile, in patient unit corridors were compared for absorption of sound, comfort, light reflectance, employee perceptions and preferences, and patient satisfaction. Environmental stressors, such as noise and ergonomic factors, effect healthcare workers and patients, contributing to increased fatigue, anxiety and stress, decreased productivity, and patient safety and satisfaction. A longitudinal comparative cohort study comparing three types of flooring assessed sound levels, healthcare worker responses, and patient Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) ratings over 42 weeks. A linear mixed model analysis was conducted to determine significant differences between the means for participant responses and objective sound meter data during all three phases of the study. A significant difference was found for sound levels between flooring type for equivalent continuous sound levels. Carpet tile performed better for sound attenuation by absorption, reducing sound levels 3.14 dBA. Preferences for flooring materials changed over the course of the study. The HCAHPS ratings aligned with the sound meter data showing that patients perceived the noise levels to be lower with carpet tiles, improving patient satisfaction ratings. Perceptions for healthcare staff and patients were aligned with the sound meter data. Carpet tile provides sound absorption that affects sound levels and influences occupant's perceptions of environmental factors that contribute to the quality of the indoor environment. Flooring that provides comfort underfoot, easy cleanability, and sound absorption influence healthcare worker job satisfaction and patient satisfaction with their patient experience. © The Author(s) 2015.

48 CFR 52.222-46 - Evaluation of Compensation for Professional Employees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... contract. The Government will evaluate the plan to assure that it reflects a sound management approach and... understanding of work to be performed and should indicate the capability of the proposed compensation structure... of sound management judgment and lack of understanding of the requirement. (c) The Government is...

Evaluation of an inexpensive instrument to detect insects using multiple sound, vibration, and LED sensors

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Instruments have been available for many years to detect insects using sound, vibration, or LED sensors separately. Most of these instruments are relatively expensive. An instrument was evaluated that incorporates all three types of sensors to improve the reliability of distinguishing different spec...

Evaluation of an inexpensive instrument to detect insects using multiple sound, vibration, and LED sensors

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Instruments have been available for many years to detect insects using sound, vibration, or LED sensors separately. Most of these instruments are relatively expensive. An instrument was evaluated that incorporates all three types of sensors to improve the reliability of distinguishing different sp...

High sound pressure levels in Bavarian discotheques remain after introduction of voluntary agreements.

PubMed

Twardella, Dorothee; Wellhoefer, Andrea; Brix, Jutta; Fromme, Hermann

2008-01-01

While no legal rules or regulations exist in Germany, voluntary measures were introduced to achieve a reduction of sound pressure levels in discotheques to levels below 100 dB(A). To evaluate the current levels in Bavarian discotheques and to find out whether these voluntary measures ensured compliance with the recommended limits, sound pressure levels were measured in 20 Bavarian discotheques between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. With respect to the equivalent continuous A-weighted sound pressure level for each 30-minute period (L Aeq,30min ), only 4/20 discotheques remained below the limit of 100 dB(A) in all time periods. Ten discotheques had sound pressure levels below 100 dB(A) for the total measurement period (L Aeq,180min ). None of the evaluated factors (weekday, size, estimated age of attendees, the use of voluntary measures such as participation of disc jockeys in a tutorial, or the availability of a sound level meter for the DJs) was significantly associated with the maximal L Aeq, 30min . Thus, the introduction of voluntary measures was not sufficient to ensure compliance with the recommended limits of sound pressure levels.

Air-borne and tissue-borne sensitivities of bioacoustic sensors used on the skin surface.

PubMed

Zañartu, Matías; Ho, Julio C; Kraman, Steve S; Pasterkamp, Hans; Huber, Jessica E; Wodicka, George R

2009-02-01

Measurements of body sounds on the skin surface have been widely used in the medical field and continue to be a topic of current research, ranging from the diagnosis of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases to the monitoring of voice dosimetry. These measurements are typically made using light-weight accelerometers and/or air-coupled microphones attached to the skin. Although normally neglected, air-borne sounds generated by the subject or other sources of background noise can easily corrupt such recordings, which is particularly critical in the recording of voiced sounds on the skin surface. In this study, the sensitivity of commonly used bioacoustic sensors to air-borne sounds was evaluated and compared with their sensitivity to tissue-borne body sounds. To delineate the sensitivity to each pathway, the sensors were first tested in vitro and then on human subjects. The results indicated that, in general, the air-borne sensitivity is sufficiently high to significantly corrupt body sound signals. In addition, the air-borne and tissue-borne sensitivities can be used to discriminate between these components. Although the study is focused on the evaluation of voiced sounds on the skin surface, an extension of the proposed methods to other bioacoustic applications is discussed.

An Evaluation of Educational Neurological Eye Movement Disorder Videos Posted on Internet Video Sharing Sites.

PubMed

Hickman, Simon J

2016-03-01

Internet video sharing sites allow the free dissemination of educational material. This study investigated the quality and educational content of videos of eye movement disorders posted on such sites. Educational neurological eye movement videos were identified by entering the titles of the eye movement abnormality into the search boxes of the video sharing sites. Also, suggested links were followed from each video. The number of views, likes, and dislikes for each video were recorded. The videos were then rated for their picture and sound quality. Their educational value was assessed according to whether the video included a description of the eye movement abnormality, the anatomical location of the lesion (if appropriate), and the underlying diagnosis. Three hundred fifty-four of these videos were found on YouTube and Vimeo. There was a mean of 6,443 views per video (range, 1-195,957). One hundred nineteen (33.6%) had no form of commentary about the eye movement disorder shown apart from the title. Forty-seven (13.3%) contained errors in the title or in the text. Eighty (22.6%) had excellent educational value by describing the eye movement abnormality, the anatomical location of the lesion, and the underlying diagnosis. Of these, 30 also had good picture and sound quality. The videos with excellent educational value had a mean of 9.84 "likes" per video compared with 2.37 for those videos without a commentary (P < 0.001). The videos that combined excellent educational value with good picture and sound quality had a mean of 10.23 "likes" per video (P = 0.004 vs videos with no commentary). There was no significant difference in the mean number of "dislikes" between those videos that had no commentary or which contained errors and those with excellent educational value. There are a large number of eye movement videos freely available on these sites; however, due to the lack of peer review, a significant number have poor educational value due to having no commentary or containing errors. The number of "likes" can help to identify videos with excellent educational value but the number of "dislikes" does not help in discerning which videos have poor educational value.

Geographical diffusion of prazosin across Veterans Health Administration: Examination of regional variation in daily dosing and quality indicators among veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.

PubMed

Abrams, Thad E; Lund, Brian C; Alexander, Bruce; Bernardy, Nancy C; Friedman, Matthew J

2015-01-01

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a high-priority treatment area for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and dissemination patterns of innovative, efficacious therapies can inform areas for potential improvement of diffusion efforts and quality prescribing. In this study, we replicated a prior examination of the period prevalence of prazosin use as a function of distance from Puget Sound, Washington, where prazosin was first tested as an effective treatment for PTSD and where prazosin use was previously shown to be much greater than in other parts of the United States. We tested the following three hypotheses related to prazosin geographic diffusion: (1) a positive geographical correlation exists between the distance from Puget Sound and the proportion of users treated according to a guideline recommended minimum therapeutic target dose (>/=6 mg/d), (2) an inverse geographic correlation exists between prazosin and benzodiazepine use, and (3) no geographical correlation exists between prazosin use and serotonin reuptake inhibitor/serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SSRI/SNRI) use. Among a national sample of veterans with PTSD, overall prazosin utilization increased from 5.5 to 14.8% from 2006 to 2012. During this time period, rates at the Puget Sound VHA location declined from 34.4 to 29.9%, whereas utilization rates at locations a minimum of 2,500 miles away increased from 3.0 to 12.8%. Rates of minimum target dosing fell from 42.6 to 34.6% at the Puget Sound location. In contrast, at distances of at least 2,500 miles from Puget Sound, minimum threshold dosing rates remained stable (range, 18.6 to 17.7%). No discernible association was demonstrated between SSRI/SNRI or benzodiazepine utilization and the geographic distance from Puget Sound. Minimal threshold dosing of prazosin correlated positively with increased diffusion of prazosin use, but there was still a distance diffusion gradient. Although prazosin adoption has improved, geographic differences persist in both prescribing rates and minimum target dosing. Importantly, these regional disparities appear to be limited to prazosin prescribing and are not meaningfully correlated with SSRI/SNRI and benzodiazepine use as indicators of PTSD prescribing quality.

Candidate Quality Measures for Hand Surgery.

PubMed

2017-11-01

Quality measures are tools used by physicians, health care systems, and payers to evaluate performance, monitor the outcomes of interventions, and inform quality improvement efforts. A paucity of quality measures exist that address hand surgery care. We completed a RAND/UCLA (University of California Los Angeles) Delphi Appropriateness process with the goal of developing and evaluating candidate hand surgery quality measures to be used for national quality measure development efforts. A consortium of 9 academic upper limb surgeons completed a RAND/UCLA Delphi Appropriateness process to evaluate the importance, scientific acceptability, usability, and feasibility of 44 candidate quality measures. These addressed hand problems the panelists felt were most appropriate for quality measure development. Panelists rated the measures on an ordinal scale between 1 (definitely not valid) and 9 (definitely valid) in 2 rounds (preliminary round and final round) with an intervening face-to-face discussion. Ratings from 1 to 3 were considered not valid, 4 to 6 as equivocal or uncertain, and 7 to 9 as valid. If no more than 2 of the 9 ratings were outside the 3-point range that included the median (1-3, 4-6, or 7-9), the panelists were considered to be in agreement. If 3 or more of the panelists' ratings of a measure were within the 1 to 3 range and 3 or more ratings were in the 7 to 9 range, the panelists were considered to be in disagreement. There was agreement on 43% (19) of the measures as important, 27% (12) as scientifically sound, 48% (21) as usable, and 59% (26) as feasible to complete. Ten measures met all 4 of these criteria and were, therefore, considered valid measurements of quality. Quality measures that were developed address outcomes (patient-reported outcomes for assessment and improvement of function) and processes of care (utilization rates of imaging, antibiotics, occupational therapy, ultrasound, and operative treatment). The consortium developed 10 measures of hand surgery quality using a validated methodology. These measures merit further development. Quality measures can be used to evaluate the quality of care provided by physicians and health systems and can inform quality and value-based reimbursement models. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The relationship between aircraft noise exposure and day-use visitor survey responses in backcountry areas of national parks.

PubMed

Rapoza, Amanda; Sudderth, Erika; Lewis, Kristin

2015-10-01

To evaluate the relationship between aircraft noise exposure and the quality of national park visitor experience, more than 4600 visitor surveys were collected at seven backcountry sites in four U.S. national parks simultaneously with calibrated sound level measurements. Multilevel logistic regression was used to estimate parameters describing the relationship among visitor responses, aircraft noise dose metrics, and mediator variables. For the regression models, survey responses were converted to three dichotomous variables, representing visitors who did or did not experience slightly or more, moderately or more, or very or more annoyance or interference with natural quiet from aircraft noise. Models with the most predictive power included noise dose metrics of sound exposure level, percent time aircraft were audible, and percentage energy due to helicopters and fixed-wing propeller aircraft. These models also included mediator variables: visitor ratings of the "importance of calmness, peace and tranquility," visitor group composition (adults or both adults and children), first visit to the site, previously taken an air tour, and participation in bird-watching or interpretive talks. The results complement and extend previous research conducted in frontcountry areas and will inform evaluations of air tour noise effects on visitors to national parks and remote wilderness sites.

Sound therapies for tinnitus management.

PubMed

Jastreboff, Margaret M

2007-01-01

Many people with bothersome (suffering) tinnitus notice that their tinnitus changes in different acoustical surroundings, it is more intrusive in silence and less profound in the sound enriched environments. This observation led to the development of treatment methods for tinnitus utilizing sound. Many of these methods are still under investigation in respect to their specific protocol and effectiveness and only some have been objectively evaluated in clinical trials. This chapter will review therapies for tinnitus using sound stimulation.

A Corresponding Study of Water Quality Evaluation of the Pasquotank Watershed in Northeastern North Carolina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stevenson, J.; Walthall, S.; McKenzie, R.; Dixon, R.

2015-12-01

The Pasquotank River Watershed covers 450 sq miles in the Coastal Plain of NE North Carolina. It flows from the Great Dismal Swamp at the VA/NC border into the Albemarle Sound. The watershed provides a transition between spawning grounds and waters of the Albemarle Sound. Forested swamp wetlands border much of the waterways. Increased agricultural and urban development has greatly affected water quality during recent years. Test were completed along the tributaries and the river itself, adding to the previously data from 2011, 2013, and 2014. Streams tested were the Newbegun Creek, Knobbs Creek, Areneuse Creek, Mill Dam Creek, and Sawyers Creek. These streams cover a large area of the watershed and provide a wide variety of shore development from swampland and farmland to industrial development. Samples were tested for pH, salinity, total dissolved solids, and conductivity. Air/water temperature, dissolved oxygen, wind speed/direction, and turbidity/clarity measurements were taken in the field. The results were placed into an online database and correlated to the location of the sample using Google Maps®. Analysis tools were developed to compare the data from all years. Excel spreadsheets were developed to look more closely at individual points and tests for each point. This database was connected to a data visualization page utilizing Google Maps®. The results show variations for the individual water quality scores, but the overall water quality score for all the tested water sources remained at a comparable level from previous years. Mill Dam Creek rose above the previous three scores of 48 (2011), 47 (2013), and 49 (2014) and achieved a medium water quality score of 57. Areneuse Creek improved in water quality with a medium water quality score of 60. Sawyers Creek became the lowest scoring waterway tested at 35. Knobbs Creek decreased from previous years with a water quality score of 42. For a fourth consecutive testing year, Newbegun Creek fell within the medium water quality range with a score of 65. Pasquotank River rose from the previous testing year's score of 35 but still remained within the bad water quality range with a score of 45. The Lower Pasquotank remained the highest scoring tributary for a second consecutive year with a score of 85. Team included authors plus Ricky Dixon and Raveen McKenzie of MVSU.

Vocal Tract Discomfort and Risk Factors in University Teachers.

PubMed

Korn, Gustavo Polacow; Augusto de Lima Pontes, Antonio; Abranches, Denise; Augusto de Lima Pontes, Paulo

2016-07-01

To characterize the presence of and risk factors for throat pain or irritation among male and female university teachers in private institutions within the city of São Paulo. This is a cross-sectional survey. Voice self-evaluation forms prepared by the Brazilian Ministry of Labor were administered to 846 university teachers in a private institution in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The prevalence of throat pain or irritation was 50.8% and was higher in the women (62.7%) than in the men (43.5%). The prevalence of throat pain or irritation was higher among professionals ≤60 years old and among those who spent most of their time teaching compared with those who spent most of their time performing other professional activities. Other factors, such as noise and sound competition, air pollution, stress and anxiety, personal habits, and lifestyle/quality of life, were related to the presence of throat pain or irritation. University teachers demonstrated a high prevalence of throat pain or irritation. Factors such as age ≤60 years, female gender, time-consuming professional activities, noise and sound competition in the work environment, stress and anxiety, air pollution, access to water, personal habits, and lifestyle/quality of life were related to the presence of throat pain or irritation. Copyright © 2016 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The impact of sound-field systems on learning and attention in elementary school classrooms.

PubMed

Dockrell, Julie E; Shield, Bridget

2012-08-01

The authors evaluated the installation and use of sound-field systems to investigate the impact of these systems on teaching and learning in elementary school classrooms. Methods The evaluation included acoustic surveys of classrooms, questionnaire surveys of students and teachers, and experimental testing of students with and without the use of sound-field systems. In this article, the authors report students' perceptions of classroom environments and objective data evaluating change in performance on cognitive and academic assessments with amplification over a 6-month period. Teachers were positive about the use of sound-field systems in improving children's listening and attention to verbal instructions. Over time, students in amplified classrooms did not differ from those in nonamplified classrooms in their reports of listening conditions, nor did their performance differ in measures of numeracy, reading, or spelling. Use of sound-field systems in the classrooms resulted in significantly larger gains in performance in the number of correct items on the nonverbal measure of speed of processing and the measure of listening comprehension. Analysis controlling for classroom acoustics indicated that students' listening comprehension scores improved significantly in amplified classrooms with poorer acoustics but not in amplified classrooms with better acoustics. Both teacher ratings and student performance on standardized tests indicated that sound-field systems improved performance on children's understanding of spoken language. However, academic attainments showed no benefits from the use of sound-field systems. Classroom acoustics were a significant factor influencing the efficacy of sound-field systems; children in classes with poorer acoustics benefited in listening comprehension, whereas there was no additional benefit for children in classrooms with better acoustics.

Perspectives About Personalization for mHealth Solutions Against Noise Pollution.

PubMed

Kepplinger, Sara; Liebetrau, Judith; Clauss, Tobias; Pharow, Peter

2017-01-01

Noise harms the environmental quality and can have negative effect on health and wellbeing. Providing silent areas and periods of rest is one way to improve the perceived environmental quality. However, realization is not easy in the day to day life. The usage of mHealth solutions which can provide information about the sound of a certain area and the respective effect on humans could be supportive. As the perception of sound is highly subjective, the prediction of the perceived acoustic environments is very difficult. This paper describes a course of action to develop an automatic estimation of an acoustic environment, based on the measurement of sound properties solely. The challenges of this endeavor are explained in detail. Possible application areas in mHealth are identified and presented. This future vision paper wants to draw the attention to different possibilities to cope with noise pollution either by personal behavior change or by using personalized data to reach out for a more general applicability for example through soundscape.

A New Stethoscope Design with Unique Characteristics and Development in Medical Device.

PubMed

Ghahramanifar, M; Haghani, M; Ghadimi Moghadam, A; Ghadimi Moghadam, A K

2018-03-01

As regards the significant role of stethoscopes in the diagnosis of congenital and adventitious heart diseases and prevention of irreparable complications of these diseases, the quality of hearing sound of these stethoscopes by a physician has a significant impact on the disease diagnosis. This device plays an important role in the early diagnosis of congenital heart and respiratory diseases and provides this feasibility since birth. Also, the importance of this device performance in the diagnosis of heart, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases at different age periods is not a secret. This new invented device, in comparison to a variety of available stethoscopes in the field of diagnosis, is capable of hearing the sound of a very high quality and cancelling the noise of sound that sometimes leads to wrong diagnosis or misdiagnosis. This new invented stethoscope is approved by cardiologists, lung and Infectious disease specialists as well as being registered under No. 78382 in Patent Islamic Republic of Iran.

A New Stethoscope Design with Unique Characteristics and Development in Medical Device

PubMed Central

Ghahramanifar, M.; Haghani, M.; Ghadimi Moghadam, A.; Ghadimi Moghadam, A.K.

2018-01-01

As regards the significant role of stethoscopes in the diagnosis of congenital and adventitious heart diseases and prevention of irreparable complications of these diseases, the quality of hearing sound of these stethoscopes by a physician has a significant impact on the disease diagnosis. This device plays an important role in the early diagnosis of congenital heart and respiratory diseases and provides this feasibility since birth. Also, the importance of this device performance in the diagnosis of heart, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases at different age periods is not a secret. This new invented device, in comparison to a variety of available stethoscopes in the field of diagnosis, is capable of hearing the sound of a very high quality and cancelling the noise of sound that sometimes leads to wrong diagnosis or misdiagnosis. This new invented stethoscope is approved by cardiologists, lung and Infectious disease specialists as well as being registered under No. 78382 in Patent Islamic Republic of Iran. PMID:29732350

Water quality monitoring and data collection in the Mississippi sound

USGS Publications Warehouse

Runner, Michael S.; Creswell, R.

2002-01-01

The United States Geological Survey and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources are collecting data on the quality of the water in the Mississippi Sound of the Gulf of Mexico, and streamflow data for its tributaries. The U.S. Geological Survey is collecting continuous water-level data, continuous and discrete water-temperature data, continuous and discrete specific-conductance data, as well as chloride and salinity samples at two locations in the Mississippi Sound and three Corps of Engineers tidal gages. Continuous-discharge data are also being collected at two additional stations on tributaries. The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources collects water samples at 169 locations in the Gulf of Mexico. Between 1800 and 2000 samples are collected annually which are analyzed for turbidity and fecal coliform bacteria. The continuous data are made available real-time through the internet and are being used in conjunction with streamflow data, weather data, and sampling data for the monitoring and management of the oyster reefs, the shrimp fishery and other marine species and their habitats.

Work of PZT ceramics sounder for sound source artificial larynx

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugio, Yuuichi; Kanetake, Ryota; Tanaka, Akimitsu; Ooe, Katsutoshi

2007-04-01

We aim to develop the easy-to-use artificial larynx with high tone quality. We focus on using a PZT ceramics sounder as its sound source, because it is small size, low power consumption, and harmless to humans. But conventional PZT ceramics sounder have the problem that it cannot generate an enough sound in the low frequency range, thus they cannot be used for artificial larynx. Then, we aim to develop the PZT ceramics sounder which can generate enough volume in the low frequency range. If we can lower the resonance frequency of the sounder, it can generate low pitch sound easily. Therefore I created the new diaphragm with low resonance frequency. In addition, we could obtain the high amplitude by changing method of driving. This time, we report on the characteristic comparison of this new PZT ceramics sounder and conventional one. Furthermore, for this new one, we analyzed the best alignment of PZT ceramics and the shape of the diaphragm to obtain low resonance frequency and big amplitude. In fact we analyzed the optimization of the structure. The analysis is done by computer simulation of ANSYS and Laser Doppler Vibrometer. In the future, we will add intonation to the generated sound by input wave form which is developed concurrently, and implant the sounder inside of the body by the method of fixing metal to biomolecule which is done too. And so high tone quality and convenient artificial larynx will be completed.

A High Resolution Hydrodynamic Model of Puget Sound to Support Nearshore Restoration Feasibility Analysis and Design

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Khangaonkar, Tarang; Yang, Zhaoqing

2011-01-01

Estuarine and coastal hydrodynamic processes are sometimes neglected in the design and planning of nearshore restoration actions. Despite best intentions, efforts to restore nearshore habitats can result in poor outcomes if circulation and transport which also affect freshwater-saltwater interactions are not properly addressed. Limitations due to current land use can lead to selection of sub-optimal restoration alternatives that may result in undesirable consequences, such as flooding, deterioration of water quality, and erosion, requiring immediate remedies and costly repairs. Uncertainty with achieving restoration goals, such as recovery of tidal exchange, supply of sediment and nutrients, and establishment of fish migration pathways,more » may be minimized by using numerical models designed for application to the nearshore environment. A high resolution circulation and transport model of the Puget Sound, in the state of Washington, was developed to assist with nearshore habitat restoration design and analysis, and to answer the question “can we achieve beneficial restoration outcomes at small local scale, as well as at a large estuary-wide scale?” The Puget Sound model is based on an unstructured grid framework to define the complex Puget Sound shoreline using a finite volume coastal ocean model (FVCOM). The capability of the model for simulating the important nearshore processes, such as circulation in complex multiple tidal channels, wetting and drying of tide flats, and water quality and sediment transport as part of restoration feasibility, are illustrated through examples of restoration projects in Puget Sound.« less

Sound production by singing humpback whales.

PubMed

Mercado, Eduardo; Schneider, Jennifer N; Pack, Adam A; Herman, Louis M

2010-04-01

Sounds from humpback whale songs were analyzed to evaluate possible mechanisms of sound production. Song sounds fell along a continuum with trains of discrete pulses at one end and continuous tonal signals at the other. This graded vocal repertoire is comparable to that seen in false killer whales [Murray et al. (1998). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 104, 1679-1688] and human singers, indicating that all three species generate sounds by varying the tension of pneumatically driven, vibrating membranes. Patterns in the spectral content of sounds and in nonlinear sound features show that resonating air chambers may also contribute to humpback whale sound production. Collectively, these findings suggest that categorizing individual units within songs into discrete types may obscure how singers modulate song features and illustrate how production-based characterizations of vocalizations can provide new insights into how humpback whales sing.

Human emotions track changes in the acoustic environment

PubMed Central

Ma, Weiyi; Thompson, William Forde

2015-01-01

Emotional responses to biologically significant events are essential for human survival. Do human emotions lawfully track changes in the acoustic environment? Here we report that changes in acoustic attributes that are well known to interact with human emotions in speech and music also trigger systematic emotional responses when they occur in environmental sounds, including sounds of human actions, animal calls, machinery, or natural phenomena, such as wind and rain. Three changes in acoustic attributes known to signal emotional states in speech and music were imposed upon 24 environmental sounds. Evaluations of stimuli indicated that human emotions track such changes in environmental sounds just as they do for speech and music. Such changes not only influenced evaluations of the sounds themselves, they also affected the way accompanying facial expressions were interpreted emotionally. The findings illustrate that human emotions are highly attuned to changes in the acoustic environment, and reignite a discussion of Charles Darwin’s hypothesis that speech and music originated from a common emotional signal system based on the imitation and modification of environmental sounds. PMID:26553987

Musical Sound, Instruments, and Equipment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Photinos, Panos

2017-12-01

'Musical Sound, Instruments, and Equipment' offers a basic understanding of sound, musical instruments and music equipment, geared towards a general audience and non-science majors. The book begins with an introduction of the fundamental properties of sound waves, and the perception of the characteristics of sound. The relation between intensity and loudness, and the relation between frequency and pitch are discussed. The basics of propagation of sound waves, and the interaction of sound waves with objects and structures of various sizes are introduced. Standing waves, harmonics and resonance are explained in simple terms, using graphics that provide a visual understanding. The development is focused on musical instruments and acoustics. The construction of musical scales and the frequency relations are reviewed and applied in the description of musical instruments. The frequency spectrum of selected instruments is explored using freely available sound analysis software. Sound amplification and sound recording, including analog and digital approaches, are discussed in two separate chapters. The book concludes with a chapter on acoustics, the physical factors that affect the quality of the music experience, and practical ways to improve the acoustics at home or small recording studios. A brief technical section is provided at the end of each chapter, where the interested reader can find the relevant physics and sample calculations. These quantitative sections can be skipped without affecting the comprehension of the basic material. Questions are provided to test the reader's understanding of the material. Answers are given in the appendix.

Conversion of environmental data to a digital-spatial database, Puget Sound area, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Uhrich, M.A.; McGrath, T.S.

1997-01-01

Data and maps from the Puget Sound Environmental Atlas, compiled for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Puget Sound Water Quality Authority, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, have been converted into a digital-spatial database using a geographic information system. Environmental data for the Puget Sound area,collected from sources other than the Puget SoundEnvironmental Atlas by different Federal, State, andlocal agencies, also have been converted into thisdigital-spatial database. Background on the geographic-information-system planning process, the design and implementation of the geographic information-system database, and the reasons for conversion to this digital-spatial database are included in this report. The Puget Sound Environmental Atlas data layers include information about seabird nesting areas, eelgrass and kelp habitat, marine mammal and fish areas, and shellfish resources and bed certification. Data layers, from sources other than the Puget Sound Environmental Atlas, include the Puget Sound shoreline, the water-body system, shellfish growing areas, recreational shellfish beaches, sewage-treatment outfalls, upland hydrography,watershed and political boundaries, and geographicnames. The sources of data, descriptions of the datalayers, and the steps and errors of processing associated with conversion to a digital-spatial database used in development of the Puget Sound Geographic Information System also are included in this report. The appendixes contain data dictionaries for each of the resource layers and error values for the conversion of Puget SoundEnvironmental Atlas data.

Multisensor-based real-time quality monitoring by means of feature extraction, selection and modeling for Al alloy in arc welding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhifen; Chen, Huabin; Xu, Yanling; Zhong, Jiyong; Lv, Na; Chen, Shanben

2015-08-01

Multisensory data fusion-based online welding quality monitoring has gained increasing attention in intelligent welding process. This paper mainly focuses on the automatic detection of typical welding defect for Al alloy in gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) by means of analzing arc spectrum, sound and voltage signal. Based on the developed algorithms in time and frequency domain, 41 feature parameters were successively extracted from these signals to characterize the welding process and seam quality. Then, the proposed feature selection approach, i.e., hybrid fisher-based filter and wrapper was successfully utilized to evaluate the sensitivity of each feature and reduce the feature dimensions. Finally, the optimal feature subset with 19 features was selected to obtain the highest accuracy, i.e., 94.72% using established classification model. This study provides a guideline for feature extraction, selection and dynamic modeling based on heterogeneous multisensory data to achieve a reliable online defect detection system in arc welding.

Cochlear implantation in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Gaylor, James M; Raman, Gowri; Chung, Mei; Lee, Jounghee; Rao, Madhumathi; Lau, Joseph; Poe, Dennis S

2013-03-01

Sensorineural hearing loss is the third leading cause of years lived with disability worldwide. Cochlear implants may provide a viable alternative to hearing aids for this type of hearing loss. The Coverage and Analysis Group at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services was interested in an evaluation of recently published literature on this topic. In addition, this meta-analysis is to our knowledge the first to evaluate quality-of-life (QOL) outcomes in adults with cochlear implants. To evaluate the communication-related outcomes and health-related QOL outcomes after unilateral or bilateral cochlear implantation in adults with sensorineural hearing loss. MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Scopus, and previous reports from January 1, 2004, through May 31, 2012. Published studies of adult patients undergoing unilateral or bilateral procedures with multichannel cochlear implants and assessments using open-set sentence tests, multisyllable word tests, or QOL measures. Five researchers extracted information on population characteristics, outcomes of interest, and study design and assessed the studies for risk of bias. Discrepancies were resolved by consensus. A total of 42 studies met the inclusion criteria. Most unilateral implant studies showed a statistically significant improvement in mean speech scores as measured by open-set sentence or multisyllable word tests; meta-analysis revealed a significant improvement in QOL after unilateral implantation. Results from studies assessing bilateral implantation showed improvement in communication-related outcomes compared with unilateral implantation and additional improvements in sound localization compared with unilateral device use or implantation only. Based on a few studies, the QOL outcomes varied across tests after bilateral implantation. Unilateral cochlear implants provide improved hearing and significantly improve QOL, and improvements in sound localization are noted for bilateral implantation. Future studies of longer duration, higher-quality reporting, and large databases or registries of patients with long-term follow-up data are needed to yield stronger evidence.

The Development and Validation of the Student Engagement Scale in an Ethiopian University Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tadesse, Tefera; Manathunga, Catherine E.; Gillies, Robyn M.

2018-01-01

This paper is positioned to make a sound contribution to knowledge of higher education (HE) quality through its study of student engagement in a large university in Ethiopia. We establish that the assessment of student engagement is a valid facet in determining HE quality, contributing holistically alongside quality assurance and university…

The Impact of Sound-Field Systems on Learning and Attention in Elementary School Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dockrell, Julie E.; Shield, Bridget

2012-01-01

Purpose: The authors evaluated the installation and use of sound-field systems to investigate the impact of these systems on teaching and learning in elementary school classrooms. Methods: The evaluation included acoustic surveys of classrooms, questionnaire surveys of students and teachers, and experimental testing of students with and without…

Sounds Good: Using Digital Audio for Evaluation Feedback

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rotheram, Bob

2009-01-01

Feedback on student work is problematic for faculty and students in British higher education. Evaluation feedback takes faculty much time to produce and students are often dissatisfied with its quantity, timing, and clarity. The Sounds Good project has been experimenting with the use of digital audio for feedback, aiming to save faculty time and…

33 CFR 154.1135 - Response plan development and evaluation criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Operating in Prince William Sound, Alaska § 154.1135 Response plan development and evaluation criteria. The following response times must be used in determining the on scene arrival time in Prince William Sound for the response resources required by § 154.1045: Tier 1 (hrs.) Tier 2 (hrs.) tier 3 (hrs.) Prince...

Video indexing based on image and sound

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faudemay, Pascal; Montacie, Claude; Caraty, Marie-Jose

1997-10-01

Video indexing is a major challenge for both scientific and economic reasons. Information extraction can sometimes be easier from sound channel than from image channel. We first present a multi-channel and multi-modal query interface, to query sound, image and script through 'pull' and 'push' queries. We then summarize the segmentation phase, which needs information from the image channel. Detection of critical segments is proposed. It should speed-up both automatic and manual indexing. We then present an overview of the information extraction phase. Information can be extracted from the sound channel, through speaker recognition, vocal dictation with unconstrained vocabularies, and script alignment with speech. We present experiment results for these various techniques. Speaker recognition methods were tested on the TIMIT and NTIMIT database. Vocal dictation as experimented on newspaper sentences spoken by several speakers. Script alignment was tested on part of a carton movie, 'Ivanhoe'. For good quality sound segments, error rates are low enough for use in indexing applications. Major issues are the processing of sound segments with noise or music, and performance improvement through the use of appropriate, low-cost architectures or networks of workstations.

Quantifying the visual-sensory landscape qualities that contribute to cultural ecosystem services using social media and LiDAR

USGS Publications Warehouse

Van Berkel, Derek B.; Tabrizian, Payam; Dorning, Monica; Smart, Lindsey S.; Newcomb, Doug; Mehaffey, Megan; Neale, Anne; Meentemeyer, Ross K.

2018-01-01

Landscapes are increasingly recognized for providing valuable cultural ecosystem services with numer- ous non-material benefits by serving as places of rest, relaxation, and inspiration that ultimately improve overall mental health and physical well-being. Maintaining and enhancing these valuable benefits through targeted management and conservation measures requires understanding the spatial and tem- poral determinants of perceived landscape values. Content contributed through mobile technologies and the web are emerging globally, providing a promising data source for localizing and assessing these land- scape benefits. These georeferenced data offer rich in situ qualitative information through photos and comments that capture valued and special locations across large geographic areas. We present a novel method for mapping and modeling landscape values and perceptions that leverages viewshed analysis of georeferenced social media data. Using a high resolution LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) derived digital surface model, we are able to evaluate landscape characteristics associated with the visual- sensory qualities of outdoor recreationalists. Our results show the importance of historical monuments and attractions in addition to specific environmental features which are appreciated by the public. Evaluation of photo-image content highlights the opportunity of including temporally and spatially vari- able visual-sensory qualities in cultural ecosystem services (CES) evaluation like the sights, sounds and smells of wildlife and weather phenomena.

Effect of ventriculectomy versus ventriculocordectomy on upper airway noise in draught horses with recurrent laryngeal neuropathy.

PubMed

Cramp, P; Derksen, F J; Stick, J A; Nickels, F A; Brown, K E; Robinson, P; Robinson, N E

2009-11-01

Little is known about the efficacy of bilateral ventriculectomy (VE) or bilateral ventriculocordectomy (VCE) in draught horses. To compare the effect of VE and VCE on upper airway noise in draught horses with recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) by use of quantitative sound analysis techniques. In competitive draught horses with grade 4 RLN, VE and VCE reduce upper airway noise during exercise, but VCE is more effective. Thirty competitive hitch or pulling draught horses with grade 4 RLN were evaluated for upper airway sound during exercise. Respiratory rate (RR), inspiratory (Ti) and expiratory time (Te), the ratio between Ti and Te (Ti/Te), inspiratory (Sli) and expiratory sound levels (Sle), the ratio between Sli and Sle (Sli/Sle), and peak sound intensity of the second formant (F2) were calculated. Eleven horses were treated with VE and 19 with VCE. After 90 days of voice and physical rest and 30 days of work, the horses returned for post operative upper airway sound evaluation and resting videoendoscopy. VE significantly reduced Ti/Te, Sli, Sli/Sle and the sound intensity of F2. Respiratory rate, Ti, Te and Sle were unaffected by VE. VCE significantly reduced Ti/Te, Ti, Te, Sli, Sli/Sle and the sound intensity of F2, while RR and Sle were unaffected. The reduction in sound intensity of F2 following VCE was significantly greater than following VE. After VE and VCE, 7/11 (64%) and 15/18 (83%) owners, respectively, concluded that the surgery improved upper airway sound in their horses sufficiently for successful competition. VE and VCE significantly reduce upper airway noise and indices of airway obstruction in draught horses with RLN, but VCE is more effective than VE. The procedures have few post operative complications. VCE is recommended as the preferred treatment for RLN in draught horses. Further studies are required to evaluate the longevity of the procedure's results.

Parent-administered computer-assisted tutoring targeting letter-sound knowledge: Evaluation via multiple-baseline across three preschool students.

PubMed

DuBois, Matthew R; Volpe, Robert J; Burns, Matthew K; Hoffman, Jessica A

2016-12-01

Knowledge of letters sounds has been identified as a primary objective of preschool instruction and intervention. Despite this designation, large disparities exist in the number of letter sounds children know at school entry. Enhancing caregivers' ability to teach their preschool-aged children letter sounds may represent an effective practice for reducing this variability and ensuring that more children are prepared to experience early school success. This study used a non-concurrent multiple-baseline-across-participants design to evaluate the effectiveness of caregivers (N=3) delivering a computer-assisted tutoring program (Tutoring Buddy) targeting letter sound knowledge to their preschool-aged children. Visual analyses and effect size estimates derived from Percentage of All Non-Overlapping Data (PAND) statistics indicated consistent results for letter sound acquisition, as 6weeks of intervention yielded large effects for letter sound knowledge (LSK) across all three children. Large effect sizes were also found for letter sound fluency (LSF) and nonsense word fluency (NWF) for two children. All three caregivers rated the intervention as highly usable and were able to administer it with high levels of fidelity. Taken together, the results of the present study found Tutoring Buddy to be an effective, simple, and usable way for the caregivers to support their children's literacy development. Copyright © 2016 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Acoustic analysis of swallowing sounds: a new technique for assessing dysphagia.

PubMed

Santamato, Andrea; Panza, Francesco; Solfrizzi, Vincenzo; Russo, Anna; Frisardi, Vincenza; Megna, Marisa; Ranieri, Maurizio; Fiore, Pietro

2009-07-01

To perform acoustic analysis of swallowing sounds, using a microphone and a notebook computer system, in healthy subjects and patients with dysphagia affected by neurological diseases, testing the positive/negative predictive value of a pathological pattern of swallowing sounds for penetration/aspiration. Diagnostic test study, prospective, not blinded, with the penetration/aspiration evaluated by fibreoptic endoscopy of swallowing as criterion standard. Data from a previously recorded database of normal swallowing sounds for 60 healthy subjects according to gender, age, and bolus consistency was compared with those of 15 patients with dysphagia from a university hospital referral centre who were affected by various neurological diseases. Mean duration of the swallowing sounds and post-swallowing apnoea were recorded. Penetration/aspiration was verified by fibreoptic endoscopy of swallowing in all patients with dysphagia. The mean duration of swallowing sounds for a liquid bolus of 10 ml water was significantly different between patients with dysphagia and healthy patients. We also described patterns of swallowing sounds and tested the negative/positive predictive values of post-swallowing apnoea for penetration/aspiration verified by fibreoptic endoscopy of swallowing (sensitivity 0.67 (95% confidence interval 0.24-0.94); specificity 1.00 (95% confidence interval 0.56-1.00)). The proposed technique for recording and measuring swallowing sounds could be incorporated into the bedside evaluation, but it should not replace the use of more diagnostic and valuable measures.

Assessment of urban soundscapes with the focus on an architectural installation with musical features.

PubMed

Jambrošić, Kristian; Horvat, Marko; Domitrović, Hrvoje

2013-07-01

Urban soundscapes at five locations in the city of Zadar were perceptually assessed by on-site surveys and objectively evaluated based on monaural and binaural recordings. All locations were chosen so that they would display auditory and visual diversity as much as possible. The unique sound installation known as the Sea Organ was included as an atypical music-like environment. Typical objective parameters were calculated from the recordings related to the amount of acoustic energy, spectral properties of sound, the amount of fluctuations, and tonal properties. The subjective assessment was done on-site using a common survey for evaluating the properties of sound and visual environment. The results revealed the importance of introducing the context into soundscape research because objective parameters did not show significant correlation with responses obtained from interviewees. Excessive values of certain objective parameters could indicate that a sound environment will be perceived as unpleasant or annoying, but its overall perception depends on how well it agrees with people's expectations. This was clearly seen for the case of Sea Organ for which the highest values of objective parameters were obtained, but, at the same time, it was evaluated as the most positive sound environment in every aspect.

Human-assisted sound event recognition for home service robots.

PubMed

Do, Ha Manh; Sheng, Weihua; Liu, Meiqin

This paper proposes and implements an open framework of active auditory learning for a home service robot to serve the elderly living alone at home. The framework was developed to realize the various auditory perception capabilities while enabling a remote human operator to involve in the sound event recognition process for elderly care. The home service robot is able to estimate the sound source position and collaborate with the human operator in sound event recognition while protecting the privacy of the elderly. Our experimental results validated the proposed framework and evaluated auditory perception capabilities and human-robot collaboration in sound event recognition.

Audio Restoration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esquef, Paulo A. A.

The first reproducible recording of human voice was made in 1877 on a tinfoil cylinder phonograph devised by Thomas A. Edison. Since then, much effort has been expended to find better ways to record and reproduce sounds. By the mid-1920s, the first electrical recordings appeared and gradually took over purely acoustic recordings. The development of electronic computers, in conjunction with the ability to record data onto magnetic or optical media, culminated in the standardization of compact disc format in 1980. Nowadays, digital technology is applied to several audio applications, not only to improve the quality of modern and old recording/reproduction techniques, but also to trade off sound quality for less storage space and less taxing transmission capacity requirements.

School Solutions. Special Report: IAQ and Energy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Birr, Dave

1999-01-01

Discusses how energy service companies (ESCO) can help schools upgrade their indoor air quality and make them environmentally sound. How ESCO's help in arranging funding for indoor environmental improvements through energy performance contracts is discussed. Tips on energy-efficiency measures for improving indoor environmental quality are…

MERIS Retrieval of Water Quality Components in the Turbid Albemarle-Pamlico Sound Estuary, USA

EPA Science Inventory

Two remote-sensing optical algorithms for the retrieval of the water quality components (WQCs) in the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine System (APES) have been developed and validated for chlorophyll a (Chl) concentration. Both algorithms are semiempirical because they incorporate some...

MERIS Retrieval of Water Quality Components in the Turbid Albemarle-Pamlico Sound Estuary, USA

EPA Science Inventory

Biological, geophysical and optical field observations carried out in the Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina, USA were used to develop a semi-empirical optical algorithm for assessing inherent optical properties associated with water quality components (WQCs). Three wavelengths ...

3D Sound Techniques for Sound Source Elevation in a Loudspeaker Listening Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Yong Guk; Jo, Sungdong; Kim, Hong Kook; Jang, Sei-Jin; Lee, Seok-Pil

In this paper, we propose several 3D sound techniques for sound source elevation in stereo loudspeaker listening environments. The proposed method integrates a head-related transfer function (HRTF) for sound positioning and early reflection for adding reverberant circumstance. In addition, spectral notch filtering and directional band boosting techniques are also included for increasing elevation perception capability. In order to evaluate the elevation performance of the proposed method, subjective listening tests are conducted using several kinds of sound sources such as white noise, sound effects, speech, and music samples. It is shown from the tests that the degrees of perceived elevation by the proposed method are around the 17º to 21º when the stereo loudspeakers are located on the horizontal plane.

Magnetic Fluids Deliver Better Speaker Sound Quality

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2015-01-01

In the 1960s, Glenn Research Center developed a magnetized fluid to draw rocket fuel into spacecraft engines while in space. Sony has incorporated the technology into its line of slim speakers by using the fluid as a liquid stand-in for the speaker's dampers, which prevent the speaker from blowing out while adding stability. The fluid helps to deliver more volume and hi-fidelity sound while reducing distortion.

Psychomotor Performance Effects Upon Elementary School Children by Sex and Perceptual Speed Ability of Three Compressions of an Instructional Sound Motion Picture.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masterson, James; And Others

Forty-eight sixth-grade students were studied to determine their response to selected compressions of the narration of an instructional sound motion picture. A 4:10 color film with a 158 wpm recorded narration was shown at 25, 33-1/3 and 50 percent compression rates; performance time and quality were measured immediately and after 12-day…

Geohydrologic data from Port Royal Sound, Beaufort County, South Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Burt, R.A.; Belval, D.L.; Crouch, Michael; Hughes, W.B.

1986-01-01

Nine offshore wells were drilled through overlying sediments into the Upper Floridan aquifer in Port Royal Sound, South Carolina and the adjacent Atlantic Ocean, to obtain geologic, hydrologic, and water quality data. The Upper Floridan aquifer consists predominantly of light-gray, poorly consolidated, fossiliferous limestone. In the Port Royal Sound area, the Upper Floridan is overlain by olive-gray, medium to course sand and silty sand. Falling-head permeability tests on these overlying clastic sediments indicate permeabilities of 1,100 to 4.3 x 10 to the 7th power centimeters/sec. Other geologic and hydrologic data, including geophysical logs, sieve analyses, and detailed core descriptions were obtained, along with continuous water level records of the wells, tidal records, and barometric pressure records. Water collected from the Upper Floridan aquifer beneath Port Royal Sound and the ocean ranged in concentration of chloride from 54 to 12,000 mg/l. Measured pH ranged from 6.8 to 8.4, and alkalinity ranged from 122 to 368 mg/l as CaC03. Other water quality data obtained include temperature, specific conductance, carbon-13, carbon-14, tritium , deuterium, oxygen-18, dissolved oxygen, dissolved solids, nitrogen species, phosphorus, organic carbon, cyanide, sulfide, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfate, fluoride, silica , bromide, iodide, and selected trace metals. (USGS)

Neurons and Objects: The Case of Auditory Cortex

PubMed Central

Nelken, Israel; Bar-Yosef, Omer

2008-01-01

Sounds are encoded into electrical activity in the inner ear, where they are represented (roughly) as patterns of energy in narrow frequency bands. However, sounds are perceived in terms of their high-order properties. It is generally believed that this transformation is performed along the auditory hierarchy, with low-level physical cues computed at early stages of the auditory system and high-level abstract qualities at high-order cortical areas. The functional position of primary auditory cortex (A1) in this scheme is unclear – is it ‘early’, encoding physical cues, or is it ‘late’, already encoding abstract qualities? Here we argue that neurons in cat A1 show sensitivity to high-level features of sounds. In particular, these neurons may already show sensitivity to ‘auditory objects’. The evidence for this claim comes from studies in which individual sounds are presented singly and in mixtures. Many neurons in cat A1 respond to mixtures in the same way they respond to one of the individual components of the mixture, and in many cases neurons may respond to a low-level component of the mixture rather than to the acoustically dominant one, even though the same neurons respond to the acoustically-dominant component when presented alone. PMID:18982113

Implementation fidelity of a computer-assisted intervention for children with speech sound disorders.

PubMed

McCormack, Jane; Baker, Elise; Masso, Sarah; Crowe, Kathryn; McLeod, Sharynne; Wren, Yvonne; Roulstone, Sue

2017-06-01

Implementation fidelity refers to the degree to which an intervention or programme adheres to its original design. This paper examines implementation fidelity in the Sound Start Study, a clustered randomised controlled trial of computer-assisted support for children with speech sound disorders (SSD). Sixty-three children with SSD in 19 early childhood centres received computer-assisted support (Phoneme Factory Sound Sorter [PFSS] - Australian version). Educators facilitated the delivery of PFSS targeting phonological error patterns identified by a speech-language pathologist. Implementation data were gathered via (1) the computer software, which recorded when and how much intervention was completed over 9 weeks; (2) educators' records of practice sessions; and (3) scoring of fidelity (intervention procedure, competence and quality of delivery) from videos of intervention sessions. Less than one-third of children received the prescribed number of days of intervention, while approximately one-half participated in the prescribed number of intervention plays. Computer data differed from educators' data for total number of days and plays in which children participated; the degree of match was lower as data became more specific. Fidelity to intervention procedures, competency and quality of delivery was high. Implementation fidelity may impact intervention outcomes and so needs to be measured in intervention research; however, the way in which it is measured may impact on data.

Structural Acoustics and Vibrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaigne, Antoine

This structural chapter is devoted to vibrations of structures and to their coupling with the acoustic field. Depending on the context, the radiated sound can be judged as desirable, as is mostly the case for musical instruments, or undesirable, like noise generated by machinery. In architectural acoustics, one main goal is to limit the transmission of sound through walls. In the automobile industry, the engineers have to control the noise generated inside and outside the passenger compartment. This can be achieved by means of passive or active damping. In general, there is a strong need for quieter products and better sound quality generated by the structures in our daily environment.

Structural Acoustics and Vibrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaigne, Antoine

This chapter is devoted to vibrations of structures and to their coupling with the acoustic field. Depending on the context, the radiated sound can be judged as desirable, as is mostly the case for musical instruments, or undesirable, like noise generated by machinery. In architectural acoustics, one main goal is to limit the transmission of sound through walls. In the automobile industry, the engineers have to control the noise generated inside and outside the passenger compartment. This can be achieved by means of passive or active damping. In general, there is a strong need for quieter products and better sound quality generated by the structures in our daily environment.

Improving the hospital 'soundscape': a framework to measure individual perceptual response to hospital sounds.

PubMed

Mackrill, J B; Jennings, P A; Cain, R

2013-01-01

Work on the perception of urban soundscapes has generated a number of perceptual models which are proposed as tools to test and evaluate soundscape interventions. However, despite the excessive sound levels and noise within hospital environments, perceptual models have not been developed for these spaces. To address this, a two-stage approach was developed by the authors to create such a model. First, semantics were obtained from listening evaluations which captured the feelings of individuals from hearing hospital sounds. Then, 30 participants rated a range of sound clips representative of a ward soundscape based on these semantics. Principal component analysis extracted a two-dimensional space representing an emotional-cognitive response. The framework enables soundscape interventions to be tested which may improve the perception of these hospital environments.

"Going the Extra Mile in Downscaling: Why Downscaling is not ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This presentation provides an example of doing additional work for preprocessing global climate model data for use in regional climate modeling simulations with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. In this presentation, results from 15 months of downscaling the Community Earth System Model (CESM) were shown, both using the out-of-the-box downscaling of CESM and also with a modification to setting the inland lake temperatures. The National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) Atmospheric Modeling and Analysis Division (AMAD) conducts research in support of EPA mission to protect human health and the environment. AMAD research program is engaged in developing and evaluating predictive atmospheric models on all spatial and temporal scales for forecasting the air quality and for assessing changes in air quality and air pollutant exposures, as affected by changes in ecosystem management and regulatory decisions. AMAD is responsible for providing a sound scientific and technical basis for regulatory policies based on air quality models to improve ambient air quality. The models developed by AMAD are being used by EPA, NOAA, and the air pollution community in understanding and forecasting not only the magnitude of the air pollution problem, but also in developing emission control policies and regulations for air quality improvements.

"Total Deposition (TDEP) Maps" | Science Inventory | US EPA

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The presentation provides an update on the use of a hybrid methodology that relies on measured values from national monitoring networks and modeled values from CMAQ to produce of maps of total deposition for use in critical loads and other ecological assessments. Additionally, comparisons of the deposition values from the hybrid approach are compared with deposition estimates from other methodologies. The National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) Atmospheric Modeling and Analysis Division (AMAD) conducts research in support of EPA mission to protect human health and the environment. AMAD research program is engaged in developing and evaluating predictive atmospheric models on all spatial and temporal scales for forecasting the air quality and for assessing changes in air quality and air pollutant exposures, as affected by changes in ecosystem management and regulatory decisions. AMAD is responsible for providing a sound scientific and technical basis for regulatory policies based on air quality models to improve ambient air quality. The models developed by AMAD are being used by EPA, NOAA, and the air pollution community in understanding and forecasting not only the magnitude of the air pollution problem, but also in developing emission control policies and regulations for air quality improvements.

Music Perception with Cochlear Implants: A Review

PubMed Central

McDermott, Hugh J.

2004-01-01

The acceptance of cochlear implantation as an effective and safe treatment for deafness has increased steadily over the past quarter century. The earliest devices were the first implanted prostheses found to be successful in compensating partially for lost sensory function by direct electrical stimulation of nerves. Initially, the main intention was to provide limited auditory sensations to people with profound or total sensorineural hearing impairment in both ears. Although the first cochlear implants aimed to provide patients with little more than awareness of environmental sounds and some cues to assist visual speech-reading, the technology has advanced rapidly. Currently, most people with modern cochlear implant systems can understand speech using the device alone, at least in favorable listening conditions. In recent years, an increasing research effort has been directed towards implant users’ perception of nonspeech sounds, especially music. This paper reviews that research, discusses the published experimental results in terms of both psychophysical observations and device function, and concludes with some practical suggestions about how perception of music might be enhanced for implant recipients in the future. The most significant findings of past research are: (1) On average, implant users perceive rhythm about as well as listeners with normal hearing; (2) Even with technically sophisticated multiple-channel sound processors, recognition of melodies, especially without rhythmic or verbal cues, is poor, with performance at little better than chance levels for many implant users; (3) Perception of timbre, which is usually evaluated by experimental procedures that require subjects to identify musical instrument sounds, is generally unsatisfactory; (4) Implant users tend to rate the quality of musical sounds as less pleasant than listeners with normal hearing; (5) Auditory training programs that have been devised specifically to provide implant users with structured musical listening experience may improve the subjective acceptability of music that is heard through a prosthesis; (6) Pitch perception might be improved by designing innovative sound processors that use both temporal and spatial patterns of electric stimulation more effectively and precisely to overcome the inherent limitations of signal coding in existing implant systems; (7) For the growing population of implant recipients who have usable acoustic hearing, at least for low-frequency sounds, perception of music is likely to be much better with combined acoustic and electric stimulation than is typical for deaf people who rely solely on the hearing provided by their prostheses. PMID:15497033

Music perception with cochlear implants: a review.

PubMed

McDermott, Hugh J

2004-01-01

The acceptance of cochlear implantation as an effective and safe treatment for deafness has increased steadily over the past quarter century. The earliest devices were the first implanted prostheses found to be successful in compensating partially for lost sensory function by direct electrical stimulation of nerves. Initially, the main intention was to provide limited auditory sensations to people with profound or total sensorineural hearing impairment in both ears. Although the first cochlear implants aimed to provide patients with little more than awareness of environmental sounds and some cues to assist visual speech-reading, the technology has advanced rapidly. Currently, most people with modern cochlear implant systems can understand speech using the device alone, at least in favorable listening conditions. In recent years, an increasing research effort has been directed towards implant users' perception of nonspeech sounds, especially music. This paper reviews that research, discusses the published experimental results in terms of both psychophysical observations and device function, and concludes with some practical suggestions about how perception of music might be enhanced for implant recipients in the future. The most significant findings of past research are: (1) On average, implant users perceive rhythm about as well as listeners with normal hearing; (2) Even with technically sophisticated multiple-channel sound processors, recognition of melodies, especially without rhythmic or verbal cues, is poor, with performance at little better than chance levels for many implant users; (3) Perception of timbre, which is usually evaluated by experimental procedures that require subjects to identify musical instrument sounds, is generally unsatisfactory; (4) Implant users tend to rate the quality of musical sounds as less pleasant than listeners with normal hearing; (5) Auditory training programs that have been devised specifically to provide implant users with structured musical listening experience may improve the subjective acceptability of music that is heard through a prosthesis; (6) Pitch perception might be improved by designing innovative sound processors that use both temporal and spatial patterns of electric stimulation more effectively and precisely to overcome the inherent limitations of signal coding in existing implant systems; (7) For the growing population of implant recipients who have usable acoustic hearing, at least for low-frequency sounds, perception of music is likely to be much better with combined acoustic and electric stimulation than is typical for deaf people who rely solely on the hearing provided by their prostheses.

Use of Authentic-Speech Technique for Teaching Sound Recognition to EFL Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sersen, William J.

2011-01-01

The main objective of this research was to test an authentic-speech technique for improving the sound-recognition skills of EFL (English as a foreign language) students at Roi-Et Rajabhat University. The secondary objective was to determine the correlation, if any, between students' self-evaluation of sound-recognition progress and the actual…

Efficient techniques for wave-based sound propagation in interactive applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehra, Ravish

Sound propagation techniques model the effect of the environment on sound waves and predict their behavior from point of emission at the source to the final point of arrival at the listener. Sound is a pressure wave produced by mechanical vibration of a surface that propagates through a medium such as air or water, and the problem of sound propagation can be formulated mathematically as a second-order partial differential equation called the wave equation. Accurate techniques based on solving the wave equation, also called the wave-based techniques, are too expensive computationally and memory-wise. Therefore, these techniques face many challenges in terms of their applicability in interactive applications including sound propagation in large environments, time-varying source and listener directivity, and high simulation cost for mid-frequencies. In this dissertation, we propose a set of efficient wave-based sound propagation techniques that solve these three challenges and enable the use of wave-based sound propagation in interactive applications. Firstly, we propose a novel equivalent source technique for interactive wave-based sound propagation in large scenes spanning hundreds of meters. It is based on the equivalent source theory used for solving radiation and scattering problems in acoustics and electromagnetics. Instead of using a volumetric or surface-based approach, this technique takes an object-centric approach to sound propagation. The proposed equivalent source technique generates realistic acoustic effects and takes orders of magnitude less runtime memory compared to prior wave-based techniques. Secondly, we present an efficient framework for handling time-varying source and listener directivity for interactive wave-based sound propagation. The source directivity is represented as a linear combination of elementary spherical harmonic sources. This spherical harmonic-based representation of source directivity can support analytical, data-driven, rotating or time-varying directivity function at runtime. Unlike previous approaches, the listener directivity approach can be used to compute spatial audio (3D audio) for a moving, rotating listener at interactive rates. Lastly, we propose an efficient GPU-based time-domain solver for the wave equation that enables wave simulation up to the mid-frequency range in tens of minutes on a desktop computer. It is demonstrated that by carefully mapping all the components of the wave simulator to match the parallel processing capabilities of the graphics processors, significant improvement in performance can be achieved compared to the CPU-based simulators, while maintaining numerical accuracy. We validate these techniques with offline numerical simulations and measured data recorded in an outdoor scene. We present results of preliminary user evaluations conducted to study the impact of these techniques on user's immersion in virtual environment. We have integrated these techniques with the Half-Life 2 game engine, Oculus Rift head-mounted display, and Xbox game controller to enable users to experience high-quality acoustics effects and spatial audio in the virtual environment.

Airborne sound transmission loss characteristics of wood-frame construction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rudder, F. F., Jr.

1985-03-01

This report summarizes the available data on the airborne sound transmission loss properties of wood-frame construction and evaluates the methods for predicting the airborne sound transmission loss. The first part of the report comprises a summary of sound transmission loss data for wood-frame interior walls and floor-ceiling construction. Data bases describing the sound transmission loss characteristics of other building components, such as windows and doors, are discussed. The second part of the report presents the prediction of the sound transmission loss of wood-frame construction. Appropriate calculation methods are described both for single-panel and for double-panel construction with sound absorption material in the cavity. With available methods, single-panel construction and double-panel construction with the panels connected by studs may be adequately characterized. Technical appendices are included that summarize laboratory measurements, compare measurement with theory, describe details of the prediction methods, and present sound transmission loss data for common building materials.

Evaluation of a low-cost 3D sound system for immersive virtual reality training systems.

PubMed

Doerr, Kai-Uwe; Rademacher, Holger; Huesgen, Silke; Kubbat, Wolfgang

2007-01-01

Since Head Mounted Displays (HMD), datagloves, tracking systems, and powerful computer graphics resources are nowadays in an affordable price range, the usage of PC-based "Virtual Training Systems" becomes very attractive. However, due to the limited field of view of HMD devices, additional modalities have to be provided to benefit from 3D environments. A 3D sound simulation can improve the capabilities of VR systems dramatically. Unfortunately, realistic 3D sound simulations are expensive and demand a tremendous amount of computational power to calculate reverberation, occlusion, and obstruction effects. To use 3D sound in a PC-based training system as a way to direct and guide trainees to observe specific events in 3D space, a cheaper alternative has to be provided, so that a broader range of applications can take advantage of this modality. To address this issue, we focus in this paper on the evaluation of a low-cost 3D sound simulation that is capable of providing traceable 3D sound events. We describe our experimental system setup using conventional stereo headsets in combination with a tracked HMD device and present our results with regard to precision, speed, and used signal types for localizing simulated sound events in a virtual training environment.

Development of quality indicators to evaluate antibiotic treatment of patients with community-acquired pneumonia in Indonesia.

PubMed

Farida, Helmia; Rondags, Angelique; Gasem, M Hussein; Leong, Katharina; Adityana, A; van den Broek, Peterhans J; Keuter, Monique; Natsch, Stephanie

2015-04-01

To develop an instrument for evaluating the quality of antibiotic management of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) applicable in a middle-income developing country. A previous study and Indonesian guidelines were reviewed to derive potential quality of care indicators (QIs). An expert panel performed a two-round Delphi consensus procedure on the QI's relevance to patient recovery, reduction of antimicrobial resistance and cost containment. Applicability in practice, including reliability, feasibility and opportunity for improvement, was determined in a data set of 128 patients hospitalised with CAP in Semarang, Indonesia. Fifteen QIs were selected by the consensus procedure. Five QIs did not pass feasibility criteria, because of inappropriate documentation, inefficient laboratory services or patient factors. Three QIs provided minor opportunity for improvement. Two QIs contradicted each other; one of these was considered not valid and excluded. A final set of six QIs was defined for use in the Indonesian setting. Using the Delphi method, we defined a list of QIs for assessing the quality of care, in particular antibiotic treatment, for CAP in Indonesia. For further improvement, a modified Delphi method that includes discussion, a sound medical documentation system, improvement of microbiology laboratory services, and multi-center applicability tests are needed to develop a valid and applicable QI list for the Indonesian setting. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Psychoacoustical evaluation of natural and urban sounds in soundscapes.

PubMed

Yang, Ming; Kang, Jian

2013-07-01

Among various sounds in the environment, natural sounds, such as water sounds and birdsongs, have proven to be highly preferred by humans, but the reasons for these preferences have not been thoroughly researched. This paper explores differences between various natural and urban environmental sounds from the viewpoint of objective measures, especially psychoacoustical parameters. The sound samples used in this study include the recordings of single sound source categories of water, wind, birdsongs, and urban sounds including street music, mechanical sounds, and traffic noise. The samples are analyzed with a number of existing psychoacoustical parameter algorithmic models. Based on hierarchical cluster and principal components analyses of the calculated results, a series of differences has been shown among different sound types in terms of key psychoacoustical parameters. While different sound categories cannot be identified using any single acoustical and psychoacoustical parameter, identification can be made with a group of parameters, as analyzed with artificial neural networks and discriminant functions in this paper. For artificial neural networks, correlations between network predictions and targets using the average and standard deviation data of psychoacoustical parameters as inputs are above 0.95 for the three natural sound categories and above 0.90 for the urban sound category. For sound identification/classification, key parameters are fluctuation strength, loudness, and sharpness.

Threshold for onset of injury in Chinook salmon from exposure to impulsive pile driving sounds.

PubMed

Halvorsen, Michele B; Casper, Brandon M; Woodley, Christa M; Carlson, Thomas J; Popper, Arthur N

2012-01-01

The risk of effects to fishes and other aquatic life from impulsive sound produced by activities such as pile driving and seismic exploration is increasing throughout the world, particularly with the increased exploitation of oceans for energy production. At the same time, there are few data that provide insight into the effects of these sounds on fishes. The goal of this study was to provide quantitative data to define the levels of impulsive sound that could result in the onset of barotrauma to fish. A High Intensity Controlled Impedance Fluid filled wave Tube was developed that enabled laboratory simulation of high-energy impulsive sound that were characteristic of aquatic far-field, plane-wave acoustic conditions. The sounds used were based upon the impulsive sounds generated by an impact hammer striking a steel shell pile. Neutrally buoyant juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) were exposed to impulsive sounds and subsequently evaluated for barotrauma injuries. Observed injuries ranged from mild hematomas at the lowest sound exposure levels to organ hemorrhage at the highest sound exposure levels. Frequency of observed injuries were used to compute a biological response weighted index (RWI) to evaluate the physiological impact of injuries at the different exposure levels. As single strike and cumulative sound exposure levels (SEL(ss), SEL(cum) respectively) increased, RWI values increased. Based on the results, tissue damage associated with adverse physiological costs occurred when the RWI was greater than 2. In terms of sound exposure levels a RWI of 2 was achieved for 1920 strikes by 177 dB re 1 µPa(2)⋅s SEL(ss) yielding a SEL(cum) of 210 dB re 1 µPa(2)⋅s, and for 960 strikes by 180 dB re 1 µPa(2)⋅s SEL(ss) yielding a SEL(cum) of 210 dB re 1 µPa(2)⋅s. These metrics define thresholds for onset of injury in juvenile Chinook salmon.

Threshold for Onset of Injury in Chinook Salmon from Exposure to Impulsive Pile Driving Sounds

PubMed Central

Halvorsen, Michele B.; Casper, Brandon M.; Woodley, Christa M.; Carlson, Thomas J.; Popper, Arthur N.

2012-01-01

The risk of effects to fishes and other aquatic life from impulsive sound produced by activities such as pile driving and seismic exploration is increasing throughout the world, particularly with the increased exploitation of oceans for energy production. At the same time, there are few data that provide insight into the effects of these sounds on fishes. The goal of this study was to provide quantitative data to define the levels of impulsive sound that could result in the onset of barotrauma to fish. A High Intensity Controlled Impedance Fluid filled wave Tube was developed that enabled laboratory simulation of high-energy impulsive sound that were characteristic of aquatic far-field, plane-wave acoustic conditions. The sounds used were based upon the impulsive sounds generated by an impact hammer striking a steel shell pile. Neutrally buoyant juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) were exposed to impulsive sounds and subsequently evaluated for barotrauma injuries. Observed injuries ranged from mild hematomas at the lowest sound exposure levels to organ hemorrhage at the highest sound exposure levels. Frequency of observed injuries were used to compute a biological response weighted index (RWI) to evaluate the physiological impact of injuries at the different exposure levels. As single strike and cumulative sound exposure levels (SELss, SELcum respectively) increased, RWI values increased. Based on the results, tissue damage associated with adverse physiological costs occurred when the RWI was greater than 2. In terms of sound exposure levels a RWI of 2 was achieved for 1920 strikes by 177 dB re 1 µPa2⋅s SELss yielding a SELcum of 210 dB re 1 µPa2⋅s, and for 960 strikes by 180 dB re 1 µPa2⋅s SELss yielding a SELcum of 210 dB re 1 µPa2⋅s. These metrics define thresholds for onset of injury in juvenile Chinook salmon. PMID:22745695

Adults with Specific Language Impairment fail to consolidate speech sounds during sleep.

PubMed

Earle, F Sayako; Landi, Nicole; Myers, Emily B

2018-02-14

Specific Language Impairment (SLI) is a common learning disability that is associated with poor speech sound representations. These differences in representational quality are thought to impose a burden on spoken language processing. The underlying mechanism to account for impoverished speech sound representations remains in debate. Previous findings that implicate sleep as important for building speech representations, combined with reports of atypical sleep in SLI, motivate the current investigation into a potential consolidation mechanism as a source of impoverished representations in SLI. In the current study, we trained individuals with SLI on a new (nonnative) set of speech sounds, and tracked their perceptual accuracy and neural responses to these sounds over two days. Adults with SLI achieved comparable performance to typical controls during training, however demonstrated a distinct lack of overnight gains on the next day. We propose that those with SLI may be impaired in the consolidation of acoustic-phonetic information. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Location, location, location: finding a suitable home among the noise

PubMed Central

Stanley, Jenni A.; Radford, Craig A.; Jeffs, Andrew G.

2012-01-01

While sound is a useful cue for guiding the onshore orientation of larvae because it travels long distances underwater, it also has the potential to convey valuable information about the quality and type of the habitat at the source. Here, we provide, to our knowledge, the first evidence that settlement-stage coastal crab species can interpret and show a strong settlement and metamorphosis response to habitat-related differences in natural underwater sound. Laboratory- and field-based experiments demonstrated that time to metamorphosis in the settlement-stage larvae of common coastal crab species varied in response to different underwater sound signatures produced by different habitat types. The megalopae of five species of both temperate and tropical crabs showed a significant decrease in time to metamorphosis, when exposed to sound from their optimal settlement habitat type compared with other habitat types. These results indicate that sounds emanating from specific underwater habitats may play a major role in determining spatial patterns of recruitment in coastal crab species. PMID:22673354

Blue whales respond to simulated mid-frequency military sonar.

PubMed

Goldbogen, Jeremy A; Southall, Brandon L; DeRuiter, Stacy L; Calambokidis, John; Friedlaender, Ari S; Hazen, Elliott L; Falcone, Erin A; Schorr, Gregory S; Douglas, Annie; Moretti, David J; Kyburg, Chris; McKenna, Megan F; Tyack, Peter L

2013-08-22

Mid-frequency military (1-10 kHz) sonars have been associated with lethal mass strandings of deep-diving toothed whales, but the effects on endangered baleen whale species are virtually unknown. Here, we used controlled exposure experiments with simulated military sonar and other mid-frequency sounds to measure behavioural responses of tagged blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) in feeding areas within the Southern California Bight. Despite using source levels orders of magnitude below some operational military systems, our results demonstrate that mid-frequency sound can significantly affect blue whale behaviour, especially during deep feeding modes. When a response occurred, behavioural changes varied widely from cessation of deep feeding to increased swimming speed and directed travel away from the sound source. The variability of these behavioural responses was largely influenced by a complex interaction of behavioural state, the type of mid-frequency sound and received sound level. Sonar-induced disruption of feeding and displacement from high-quality prey patches could have significant and previously undocumented impacts on baleen whale foraging ecology, individual fitness and population health.

Sound propagation elements in evaluation of en route noise of advanced turbofan aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sutherland, Louis C.; Wesler, John

1990-01-01

Cruise noise from an advanced turboprop aircraft is reviewed on the basis of available wind tunnel data to estimate the aircraft noise signature at the source. Available analytical models are used to evaluate the sound levels at the ground. The analysis allows reasonable estimates to be made of the community noise levels that might be generated during cruise by such aircraft, provides the basis for preliminary comparisons with available data on noise of existing aircraft during climb and helps to identify the dominant elements of the sound propagation models applicable to this situation.

Automated acoustic intensity measurements and the effect of gear tooth profile on noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Atherton, William J.; Pintz, Adam; Lewicki, David G.

1987-01-01

Acoustic intensity measurements were made at NASA Lewis Research Center on a spur gear test apparatus. The measurements were obtained with the Robotic Acoustic Intensity Measurement System developed by Cleveland State University. This system provided dense spatial positioning, and was calibrated against a high quality acoustic intensity system. The measured gear noise compared gearsets having two different tooth profiles. The tests evaluated the sound field of the different gears for two speeds and three loads. The experimental results showed that gear tooth profile had a major effect on measured noise. Load and speed were found to have an effect on noise also.

Plastic modes of listening: affordance in constructed sound environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sjolin, Anders

This thesis is concerned with how the ecological approach to perception with the inclusion of listening modes, informs the creation of sound art installation, or more specifically as referred to in this thesis as constructed sound environments. The basis for the thesis has been a practiced based research where the aim and purpose of the written part of this PhD project has been to critically investigate the area of sound art, in order to map various approaches towards participating in and listening to a constructed sound environment. The main areas has been the notion of affordance as coined by James J. Gibson (1986), listening modes as coined by Pierre Schaeffer (1966) and further developed by Michel Chion (1994), aural architects as coined by Blesser and Salter (2007) and the holistic approach towards understanding sound art developed by Brandon LaBelle (2006). The findings within the written part of the thesis, based on a qualitative analysis, have informed the practice that has resulted in artefacts in the form of seven constructed sound environments that also functions as case studies for further analysis. The aim of the practice has been to exemplify the methodology, strategy and progress behind the organisation and construction of sound environments The research concerns point towards the acknowledgment of affordance as the crucial factor in understanding a constructed sound environment. The affordance approach govern the idea that perceiving a sound environment is a top-down process where the autonomic quality of a constructed sound environment is based upon the perception of structures of the sound material and its relationship with speaker placement and surrounding space. This enables a researcher to side step the conflicting poles of musical/abstract and non-musical/realistic classification of sound elements and regard these poles as included, not separated elements in the analysis of a constructed sound environment.

Expanding Access to Quality Pre-K Is Sound Public Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnett, W. Steven

2013-01-01

In 2013, preschool education received more attention in the media and public policy circles than it has for some time, in part because of a series of high-profile proposals to expand access to quality pre-K. The scientific basis for these proposed expansions of quality pre-K is impressive. This paper brings to bear the full weight of the evidence…

Teaching letter sounds to kindergarten English language learners using incremental rehearsal.

PubMed

Peterson, Meredith; Brandes, Dana; Kunkel, Amy; Wilson, Jennifer; Rahn, Naomi L; Egan, Andrea; McComas, Jennifer

2014-02-01

Proficiency in letter-sound correspondence is important for decoding connected text. This study examined the effects of an evidence-based intervention, incremental rehearsal (IR), on the letter-sound expression of three kindergarten English language learners (ELLs) performing below the district benchmark for letter-sound fluency. Participants were native speakers of Hmong, Spanish, and Polish. A multiple-baseline design across sets of unknown letter sounds was used to evaluate the effects of IR on letter-sound expression. Visual analysis of the data showed an increase in level and trend when IR was introduced in each phase. Percentage of all non-overlapping data (PAND) ranged from 95% to 100%. All participants exceeded expected growth and reached the spring district benchmark for letter-sound fluency. Results suggest that IR is a promising intervention for increasing letter-sound expression for ELLs who evidence delays in acquiring letter sounds. Copyright © 2013 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating the Psychometric Quality of Social Skills Measures: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Brown, Ted; Bourke-Taylor, Helen; Doma, Kenji; Leicht, Anthony

2015-01-01

Introduction Impairments in social functioning are associated with an array of adverse outcomes. Social skills measures are commonly used by health professionals to assess and plan the treatment of social skills difficulties. There is a need to comprehensively evaluate the quality of psychometric properties reported across these measures to guide assessment and treatment planning. Objective To conduct a systematic review of the literature on the psychometric properties of social skills and behaviours measures for both children and adults. Methods A systematic search was performed using four electronic databases: CINAHL, PsycINFO, Embase and Pubmed; the Health and Psychosocial Instruments database; and grey literature using PsycExtra and Google Scholar. The psychometric properties of the social skills measures were evaluated against the COSMIN taxonomy of measurement properties using pre-set psychometric criteria. Results Thirty-Six studies and nine manuals were included to assess the psychometric properties of thirteen social skills measures that met the inclusion criteria. Most measures obtained excellent overall methodological quality scores for internal consistency and reliability. However, eight measures did not report measurement error, nine measures did not report cross-cultural validity and eleven measures did not report criterion validity. Conclusions The overall quality of the psychometric properties of most measures was satisfactory. The SSBS-2, HCSBS and PKBS-2 were the three measures with the most robust evidence of sound psychometric quality in at least seven of the eight psychometric properties that were appraised. A universal working definition of social functioning as an overarching construct is recommended. There is a need for ongoing research in the area of the psychometric properties of social skills and behaviours instruments. PMID:26151362