The Effect of Stimulus Intensity and Carrier Frequency on Auditory Middle- and Long-Latency Evoked Potentials Using a Steady-State-Response Approach

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to measure magnitude changes of auditory steady-state responses (ASSRs) and respective transient middle- and long-latency responses as a function of stimulus intensity and carrier frequency. The literature lacks clear consensus, including relationship to loudness.

Method

A cohort of 48 adults with normal hearing was examined from a companion study (Tlumak, Durrant, & Delgado, 2015) on effects of aging. ASSRs were elicited by repeated tone-burst stimuli presented at rates of 40 and 0.75 Hz at 3 frequencies and 5 levels of stimulus intensity. The design also permitted scrutiny of any gender bias to the results.

Results

Similar to derived transient response findings, ASSR magnitude (harmonic sum) systematically increased with intensity. Input–output function only at 0.75 Hz approximated a log–log linear function. However, slopes fell well below that of doubling of loudness per 10 dB SPL. Results failed to demonstrate significance as a function of carrier frequency and gender for both repetition rates.

Conclusion

Effects of stimulus intensity, carrier frequency, and gender on ASSRs were similar to those of their transient counterparts. Findings remain disappointing for objective loudness estimation. Results suggest only a clear linkage to the long-latency response and the 0.75-Hz magnitude but require careful consideration of limitations/underlying mechanisms when measuring loudness-related effects.

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40-Hz Sinusoidal Auditory Steady-State Response and Tone Burst Auditory Brainstem Response Using a Kalman Filter to Determine Thresholds Pre- and Post-Myringotomy With Grommet Tube in Children With Mild, Low-Frequency Conductive Hearing Loss

Purpose

Accurate estimation of mild, low-frequency hearing loss is difficult in young children. This study aimed to determine the accuracy of 40-Hz sinusoidal auditory steady-state response (sASSR) compared with tone burst auditory brainstem response (TB-ABR) to detect mild, low-frequency hearing loss in children with otitis media with effusion and to measure postoperative thresholds.

Methods

Thresholds at 500 and 4000 Hz were measured behaviorally and electrophysiologically using TB-ABR and 40-Hz sASSR with a Kalman filter in 26 children with otitis media with effusion. Recording was conducted preoperatively and postoperatively while children were actively awake. Repeated measures mixed analyses of variance were conducted to determine effects among measures and the two test frequencies.

Results

Both 40-Hz sASSR and TB-ABR accurately detected preoperative and postoperative thresholds and were within 5–10 dB of the behavioral thresholds at 4000 Hz. At 500 Hz, the mean 40-Hz sASSR threshold was only 5 dB above the behavioral thresholds and 18 dB better than the 500-Hz ABR threshold. Positive correlations were found but not between 40-sASSR and TB-ABR at 500 Hz. Also, the interrater judgment of the response was better for sASSR (89%) than TB-ABR (83%).

Conclusion

The 40-Hz sASSR is more accurate than TB-ABR in determining a mild, low-frequency threshold.

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Aided Electrophysiology Using Direct Audio Input: Effects of Amplification and Absolute Signal Level

Purpose

This study investigated (a) the effect of amplification on cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) at different signal levels when signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) were equated between unaided and aided conditions, and (b) the effect of absolute signal level on aided CAEPs when SNR was held constant.

Method

CAEPs were recorded from 13 young adults with normal hearing. A 1000-Hz pure tone was presented in unaided and aided conditions with a linear analog hearing aid. Direct audio input was used, allowing recorded hearing aid noise floor to be added to unaided conditions to equate SNRs between conditions. An additional stimulus was created through scaling the noise floor to study the effect of signal level.

Results

Amplification resulted in delayed N1 and P2 peak latencies relative to the unaided condition. An effect of absolute signal level (when SNR was constant) was present for aided CAEP area measures, such that larger area measures were found at higher levels.

Conclusion

Results of this study further demonstrate that factors in addition to SNR must also be considered before CAEPs can be used to clinically to measure aided thresholds.

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Outcomes of an International Audiology Service-Learning Study-Abroad Program

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to evaluate students' academic and civic learning, with particular interest in cultural competence, gained through participation in the Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences in Zambia study-abroad program.

Method

Twelve female students participated in the program. Quantitative data collected included pre- and postprogram administration of the Public Affairs Scale (Levesque-Bristol & Cornelius-White, 2012) to measure changes in participants' civic learning. Qualitative data included journals, end-of-program reflection papers, videos, and researcher field notes. Feedback was also obtained from community-partner organizations via a questionnaire and rating scale.

Results

Comparison of the pre- and postprogram Public Affairs Scale data showed a significant increase in cultural competence and a marginal increase in community engagement at the conclusion of the program. Qualitative data showed that participants' cultural awareness was increased, they benefited from hands-on learning, and they experienced a variety of emotions and emotional and personal growth.

Conclusions

Results show that a short-term study-abroad program with a service-learning component can be a mechanism for students to enhance academic and civic learning, specifically cultural competence and clinical skills. Sustainability of programs is a challenge that needs to be addressed.

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Validation of the Chinese Translation of the Spatial Hearing Questionnaire and Its Short Form

Purpose

Few questionnaires address how to measure spatial hearing ability in complex listening situations. The purpose of the study was (a) to validate the Chinese translation of the Spatial Hearing Questionnaire (C-SHQ) among Chinese participants and (b) to provide a shortened version for the purpose of clinical screening.

Method

This was a cross-sectional study. The C-SHQ was developed from the process of translation and back-translation of the original 24-item, English version (Tyler, Perreau, & Ji, 2009). The C-SHQ was administered to 146 patients at the Department of Otolaryngology Clinic of Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital between October 2013 and May 2014 at Sichuan, China. Exploratory factor analysis and reliability tests were performed for the full version, and confirmatory factor analysis was applied for the shortened version of the C-SHQ.

Results

The exploratory factor analysis revealed scores loaded on 3 similar factors compared with the original SHQ. The internal consistency reliability was high (Cronbach's α = 0.99). The confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a shortened version of 12 items is sufficient to measure spatial hearing abilities.

Conclusions

The C-SHQ and its short form are both reliable and valid questionnaires, which are suitable for both research and clinical settings to measure spatial hearing ability in the Chinese population.

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Relating Hearing Aid Use to Social and Emotional Loneliness in Older Adults

Purpose

Hearing loss is a risk factor for social isolation and loneliness. We investigated the buffering effects of hearing aid use on perceived social and emotional loneliness.

Method

Forty older adults participated. Prior to and following the hearing aid fitting, participants completed the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (De Jong Gierveld & Kamphuis, 1985); a change in feelings of loneliness following hearing aid use was the outcome indicator.

Results

There was a significant decline in perceptions of loneliness following 4 to 6 weeks of hearing aid use. A dose effect emerged with persons with moderate-to-severe hearing loss experiencing the greatest reduction in perceived loneliness with hearing aid use.

Conclusion

Associated with poorer health status and higher consumption of health care services, perceived loneliness is a challenge to treat. Hearing aid use appears to be a buffer against the experience of loneliness.

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Linguistic Masking Release in School-Age Children and Adults

Purpose

This study assessed if 6- to 8-year-old children benefit from a language mismatch between target and masker speech for sentence recognition in a 2-talker masker.

Method

English sentence recognition was evaluated for English monolingual children (ages 6–8 years, n = 15) and adults (n = 15) in an English 2-talker and a Spanish 2-talker masker. A regression analysis with subject as a random variable was used to test the fixed effect of listener group and masker language and the interaction of these two effects.

Results

Thresholds were approximately 5 dB higher for children than for adults in both maskers. However, children and adults benefited to the same degree from a mismatch between the target and masker language with approximately 3 dB lower thresholds in the Spanish than the English masker.

Conclusions

Results suggest that children are able to take advantage of linguistic differences between English and Spanish speech maskers to the same degree as adults. Yet, overall worse performance for children may indicate general cognitive immaturity compared with adults, perhaps causing children to be less efficient when combining glimpses of degraded speech information into a meaningful sentence.

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Aided Electrophysiology Using Direct Audio Input: Effects of Amplification and Absolute Signal Level

Purpose

This study investigated (a) the effect of amplification on cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) at different signal levels when signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) were equated between unaided and aided conditions, and (b) the effect of absolute signal level on aided CAEPs when SNR was held constant.

Method

CAEPs were recorded from 13 young adults with normal hearing. A 1000-Hz pure tone was presented in unaided and aided conditions with a linear analog hearing aid. Direct audio input was used, allowing recorded hearing aid noise floor to be added to unaided conditions to equate SNRs between conditions. An additional stimulus was created through scaling the noise floor to study the effect of signal level.

Results

Amplification resulted in delayed N1 and P2 peak latencies relative to the unaided condition. An effect of absolute signal level (when SNR was constant) was present for aided CAEP area measures, such that larger area measures were found at higher levels.

Conclusion

Results of this study further demonstrate that factors in addition to SNR must also be considered before CAEPs can be used to clinically to measure aided thresholds.

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Outcomes of an International Audiology Service-Learning Study-Abroad Program

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to evaluate students' academic and civic learning, with particular interest in cultural competence, gained through participation in the Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences in Zambia study-abroad program.

Method

Twelve female students participated in the program. Quantitative data collected included pre- and postprogram administration of the Public Affairs Scale (Levesque-Bristol & Cornelius-White, 2012) to measure changes in participants' civic learning. Qualitative data included journals, end-of-program reflection papers, videos, and researcher field notes. Feedback was also obtained from community-partner organizations via a questionnaire and rating scale.

Results

Comparison of the pre- and postprogram Public Affairs Scale data showed a significant increase in cultural competence and a marginal increase in community engagement at the conclusion of the program. Qualitative data showed that participants' cultural awareness was increased, they benefited from hands-on learning, and they experienced a variety of emotions and emotional and personal growth.

Conclusions

Results show that a short-term study-abroad program with a service-learning component can be a mechanism for students to enhance academic and civic learning, specifically cultural competence and clinical skills. Sustainability of programs is a challenge that needs to be addressed.

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Validation of the Chinese Translation of the Spatial Hearing Questionnaire and Its Short Form

Purpose

Few questionnaires address how to measure spatial hearing ability in complex listening situations. The purpose of the study was (a) to validate the Chinese translation of the Spatial Hearing Questionnaire (C-SHQ) among Chinese participants and (b) to provide a shortened version for the purpose of clinical screening.

Method

This was a cross-sectional study. The C-SHQ was developed from the process of translation and back-translation of the original 24-item, English version (Tyler, Perreau, & Ji, 2009). The C-SHQ was administered to 146 patients at the Department of Otolaryngology Clinic of Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital between October 2013 and May 2014 at Sichuan, China. Exploratory factor analysis and reliability tests were performed for the full version, and confirmatory factor analysis was applied for the shortened version of the C-SHQ.

Results

The exploratory factor analysis revealed scores loaded on 3 similar factors compared with the original SHQ. The internal consistency reliability was high (Cronbach's α = 0.99). The confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a shortened version of 12 items is sufficient to measure spatial hearing abilities.

Conclusions

The C-SHQ and its short form are both reliable and valid questionnaires, which are suitable for both research and clinical settings to measure spatial hearing ability in the Chinese population.

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Phoneme and Word Scoring in Speech-in-Noise Audiometry

Purpose

Understanding speech in background noise is difficult for many individuals; however, time constraints have limited its inclusion in the clinical audiology assessment battery. Phoneme scoring of words has been suggested as a method of reducing test time and variability. The purposes of this study were to establish a phoneme scoring rubric and use it in testing phoneme and word perception in noise in older individuals and individuals with hearing impairment.

Method

Words were presented to 3 participant groups at 80 dB in speech-shaped noise at 7 signal-to-noise ratios (−10 to 35 dB). Responses were scored for words and phonemes correct.

Results

It was not surprising to find that phoneme scores were up to about 30% better than word scores. Word scoring resulted in larger hearing loss effect sizes than phoneme scoring, whereas scoring method did not significantly modify age effect sizes. There were significant effects of hearing loss and some limited effects of age; age effect sizes of about 3 dB and hearing loss effect sizes of more than 10 dB were found.

Conclusion

Hearing loss is the major factor affecting word and phoneme recognition with a subtle contribution of age. Phoneme scoring may provide several advantages over word scoring. A set of recommended phoneme scoring guidelines is provided.

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Linguistic Masking Release in School-Age Children and Adults

Purpose

This study assessed if 6- to 8-year-old children benefit from a language mismatch between target and masker speech for sentence recognition in a 2-talker masker.

Method

English sentence recognition was evaluated for English monolingual children (ages 6–8 years, n = 15) and adults (n = 15) in an English 2-talker and a Spanish 2-talker masker. A regression analysis with subject as a random variable was used to test the fixed effect of listener group and masker language and the interaction of these two effects.

Results

Thresholds were approximately 5 dB higher for children than for adults in both maskers. However, children and adults benefited to the same degree from a mismatch between the target and masker language with approximately 3 dB lower thresholds in the Spanish than the English masker.

Conclusions

Results suggest that children are able to take advantage of linguistic differences between English and Spanish speech maskers to the same degree as adults. Yet, overall worse performance for children may indicate general cognitive immaturity compared with adults, perhaps causing children to be less efficient when combining glimpses of degraded speech information into a meaningful sentence.

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The Effect of Stimulus Intensity and Carrier Frequency on Auditory Middle- and Long-Latency Evoked Potentials Using a Steady-State-Response Approach

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to measure magnitude changes of auditory steady-state responses (ASSRs) and respective transient middle- and long-latency responses as a function of stimulus intensity and carrier frequency. The literature lacks clear consensus, including relationship to loudness.

Method

A cohort of 48 adults with normal hearing was examined from a companion study (Tlumak, Durrant, & Delgado, 2015) on effects of aging. ASSRs were elicited by repeated tone-burst stimuli presented at rates of 40 and 0.75 Hz at 3 frequencies and 5 levels of stimulus intensity. The design also permitted scrutiny of any gender bias to the results.

Results

Similar to derived transient response findings, ASSR magnitude (harmonic sum) systematically increased with intensity. Input–output function only at 0.75 Hz approximated a log–log linear function. However, slopes fell well below that of doubling of loudness per 10 dB SPL. Results failed to demonstrate significance as a function of carrier frequency and gender for both repetition rates.

Conclusion

Effects of stimulus intensity, carrier frequency, and gender on ASSRs were similar to those of their transient counterparts. Findings remain disappointing for objective loudness estimation. Results suggest only a clear linkage to the long-latency response and the 0.75-Hz magnitude but require careful consideration of limitations/underlying mechanisms when measuring loudness-related effects.

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40-Hz Sinusoidal Auditory Steady-State Response and Tone Burst Auditory Brainstem Response Using a Kalman Filter to Determine Thresholds Pre- and Post-Myringotomy With Grommet Tube in Children With Mild, Low-Frequency Conductive Hearing Loss

Purpose

Accurate estimation of mild, low-frequency hearing loss is difficult in young children. This study aimed to determine the accuracy of 40-Hz sinusoidal auditory steady-state response (sASSR) compared with tone burst auditory brainstem response (TB-ABR) to detect mild, low-frequency hearing loss in children with otitis media with effusion and to measure postoperative thresholds.

Methods

Thresholds at 500 and 4000 Hz were measured behaviorally and electrophysiologically using TB-ABR and 40-Hz sASSR with a Kalman filter in 26 children with otitis media with effusion. Recording was conducted preoperatively and postoperatively while children were actively awake. Repeated measures mixed analyses of variance were conducted to determine effects among measures and the two test frequencies.

Results

Both 40-Hz sASSR and TB-ABR accurately detected preoperative and postoperative thresholds and were within 5–10 dB of the behavioral thresholds at 4000 Hz. At 500 Hz, the mean 40-Hz sASSR threshold was only 5 dB above the behavioral thresholds and 18 dB better than the 500-Hz ABR threshold. Positive correlations were found but not between 40-sASSR and TB-ABR at 500 Hz. Also, the interrater judgment of the response was better for sASSR (89%) than TB-ABR (83%).

Conclusion

The 40-Hz sASSR is more accurate than TB-ABR in determining a mild, low-frequency threshold.

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via IFTTT

Aided Electrophysiology Using Direct Audio Input: Effects of Amplification and Absolute Signal Level

Purpose

This study investigated (a) the effect of amplification on cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) at different signal levels when signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) were equated between unaided and aided conditions, and (b) the effect of absolute signal level on aided CAEPs when SNR was held constant.

Method

CAEPs were recorded from 13 young adults with normal hearing. A 1000-Hz pure tone was presented in unaided and aided conditions with a linear analog hearing aid. Direct audio input was used, allowing recorded hearing aid noise floor to be added to unaided conditions to equate SNRs between conditions. An additional stimulus was created through scaling the noise floor to study the effect of signal level.

Results

Amplification resulted in delayed N1 and P2 peak latencies relative to the unaided condition. An effect of absolute signal level (when SNR was constant) was present for aided CAEP area measures, such that larger area measures were found at higher levels.

Conclusion

Results of this study further demonstrate that factors in addition to SNR must also be considered before CAEPs can be used to clinically to measure aided thresholds.

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Outcomes of an International Audiology Service-Learning Study-Abroad Program

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to evaluate students' academic and civic learning, with particular interest in cultural competence, gained through participation in the Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences in Zambia study-abroad program.

Method

Twelve female students participated in the program. Quantitative data collected included pre- and postprogram administration of the Public Affairs Scale (Levesque-Bristol & Cornelius-White, 2012) to measure changes in participants' civic learning. Qualitative data included journals, end-of-program reflection papers, videos, and researcher field notes. Feedback was also obtained from community-partner organizations via a questionnaire and rating scale.

Results

Comparison of the pre- and postprogram Public Affairs Scale data showed a significant increase in cultural competence and a marginal increase in community engagement at the conclusion of the program. Qualitative data showed that participants' cultural awareness was increased, they benefited from hands-on learning, and they experienced a variety of emotions and emotional and personal growth.

Conclusions

Results show that a short-term study-abroad program with a service-learning component can be a mechanism for students to enhance academic and civic learning, specifically cultural competence and clinical skills. Sustainability of programs is a challenge that needs to be addressed.

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Validation of the Chinese Translation of the Spatial Hearing Questionnaire and Its Short Form

Purpose

Few questionnaires address how to measure spatial hearing ability in complex listening situations. The purpose of the study was (a) to validate the Chinese translation of the Spatial Hearing Questionnaire (C-SHQ) among Chinese participants and (b) to provide a shortened version for the purpose of clinical screening.

Method

This was a cross-sectional study. The C-SHQ was developed from the process of translation and back-translation of the original 24-item, English version (Tyler, Perreau, & Ji, 2009). The C-SHQ was administered to 146 patients at the Department of Otolaryngology Clinic of Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital between October 2013 and May 2014 at Sichuan, China. Exploratory factor analysis and reliability tests were performed for the full version, and confirmatory factor analysis was applied for the shortened version of the C-SHQ.

Results

The exploratory factor analysis revealed scores loaded on 3 similar factors compared with the original SHQ. The internal consistency reliability was high (Cronbach's α = 0.99). The confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a shortened version of 12 items is sufficient to measure spatial hearing abilities.

Conclusions

The C-SHQ and its short form are both reliable and valid questionnaires, which are suitable for both research and clinical settings to measure spatial hearing ability in the Chinese population.

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Relating Hearing Aid Use to Social and Emotional Loneliness in Older Adults

Purpose

Hearing loss is a risk factor for social isolation and loneliness. We investigated the buffering effects of hearing aid use on perceived social and emotional loneliness.

Method

Forty older adults participated. Prior to and following the hearing aid fitting, participants completed the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (De Jong Gierveld & Kamphuis, 1985); a change in feelings of loneliness following hearing aid use was the outcome indicator.

Results

There was a significant decline in perceptions of loneliness following 4 to 6 weeks of hearing aid use. A dose effect emerged with persons with moderate-to-severe hearing loss experiencing the greatest reduction in perceived loneliness with hearing aid use.

Conclusion

Associated with poorer health status and higher consumption of health care services, perceived loneliness is a challenge to treat. Hearing aid use appears to be a buffer against the experience of loneliness.

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via IFTTT

Linguistic Masking Release in School-Age Children and Adults

Purpose

This study assessed if 6- to 8-year-old children benefit from a language mismatch between target and masker speech for sentence recognition in a 2-talker masker.

Method

English sentence recognition was evaluated for English monolingual children (ages 6–8 years, n = 15) and adults (n = 15) in an English 2-talker and a Spanish 2-talker masker. A regression analysis with subject as a random variable was used to test the fixed effect of listener group and masker language and the interaction of these two effects.

Results

Thresholds were approximately 5 dB higher for children than for adults in both maskers. However, children and adults benefited to the same degree from a mismatch between the target and masker language with approximately 3 dB lower thresholds in the Spanish than the English masker.

Conclusions

Results suggest that children are able to take advantage of linguistic differences between English and Spanish speech maskers to the same degree as adults. Yet, overall worse performance for children may indicate general cognitive immaturity compared with adults, perhaps causing children to be less efficient when combining glimpses of degraded speech information into a meaningful sentence.

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Phoneme and Word Scoring in Speech-in-Noise Audiometry

Purpose

Understanding speech in background noise is difficult for many individuals; however, time constraints have limited its inclusion in the clinical audiology assessment battery. Phoneme scoring of words has been suggested as a method of reducing test time and variability. The purposes of this study were to establish a phoneme scoring rubric and use it in testing phoneme and word perception in noise in older individuals and individuals with hearing impairment.

Method

Words were presented to 3 participant groups at 80 dB in speech-shaped noise at 7 signal-to-noise ratios (−10 to 35 dB). Responses were scored for words and phonemes correct.

Results

It was not surprising to find that phoneme scores were up to about 30% better than word scores. Word scoring resulted in larger hearing loss effect sizes than phoneme scoring, whereas scoring method did not significantly modify age effect sizes. There were significant effects of hearing loss and some limited effects of age; age effect sizes of about 3 dB and hearing loss effect sizes of more than 10 dB were found.

Conclusion

Hearing loss is the major factor affecting word and phoneme recognition with a subtle contribution of age. Phoneme scoring may provide several advantages over word scoring. A set of recommended phoneme scoring guidelines is provided.

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Is Tinnitus Treatable?

What Is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is a condition where a person frequently experiences buzzing, hissing or ringing in the ears. It affects around 25 million people in America. There are several things that can trigger tinnitus, including noise-induced hearing loss, brain tumors, blood vessel damage or hormonal changes.

It is also important to note that tinnitus can be a side effect of certain medications. In fact, it is estimated there are over 200 medications that can cause tinnitus.

Is Tinnitus Treatable?

Many people are wondering, “Is Tinnitus Treatable?” The answer to question is yes. Even though there is no miracle cure for tinnitus, there are many ways that it can be treated. People who suffer from hearing loss may be able to alleviate their tinnitus symptoms by wearing a hearing aid. The better you hear, the less you will notice your tinnitus.

Counseling is another treatment option for tinnitus. Counselors can educate you about what is going inside of your brain if you have tinnitus. Your counselor can also talk about ways you can relax so that the noise is less noticeable.

Antidepressants may also be used to reduce tinnitus symptoms. There have been studies done to suggest that antidepressants are effective for reducing tinnitus symptoms. However, antidepressants can cause side effects, such as dry mouth, constipation and heart problems. Only a physician can determine whether antidepressants are right for you.

Notch Sound Therapy

Are you still wondering, “Is tinnitus treatable?” If so, then you may want to consider trying notch sound therapy. Notch sound therapy is a treatment that works by reducing the volume of your tinnitus. It also helps reduce the distress and pain this condition causes.

Notch sound therapy involves using white noise or music to remove sound energy. Experts believe that notch sound therapy works by reducing the activity of the auditory neurons. There are a few steps you will need to take in order to use notch sound therapy. You will need to use the AudioNotch tuner in order to find the frequency of your tinnitus.

After that, you will need to either use AudioNotch sounds or upload your own music. AudioNotch will then create a sound therapy just for you. You will need to listen to sound therapy for one hour per day. You will notice an improvement in your tinnitus within several days of treatment. However, notch sound therapy is intended to be used for several months.
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On band gap predictions for multiresonant metamaterials on plates

Recently wide frequency band gaps were observed in an experimental realization of a multiresonant metamaterial for Lamb waves propagating in thin plates. The band gaps rose from hybridization between the flexural plate (A0Lamb waves) and longitudinal resonances in rods attached perpendicularly. Shortly thereafter a theory based on considering a one-dimensional periodic array of rods and the scattering matrix for a single rod successfully described the observations. This letter presents an alternative simpler theory, arguably accurate at high rod density, that treats the full two-dimensional array of rods and makes no assumption of periodicity. This theory also fits the measurements.

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Speech rate and pitch characteristics of infant-directed speech: Longitudinal and cross-linguistic observations

The speech rate and pitch (F0) characteristics of naturalistic, longitudinally recorded infant- and adult-directed speech are reported for three, genetically diverse languages. Previous research has suggested that the prosodic characteristics of infant-directed speech are slowed speech rate, raised mean pitch, and expanded pitch range relative to adult-directed speech. Sixteen mothers (5 Sri Lankan Tamil, 5 Tagalog, 6 Korean) were recorded in their homes during natural interactions with their young infants, and adults, over the course of 12 months beginning when the infant was 4 months old. Regression models indicated that the difference between infant- and adult-directed speech rates decreased across the first year of infants' development. Models of pitch revealed predicted differences between infant- and adult-directed speech but did not provide evidence for cross-linguistic or longitudinal effects within the time period investigated for the three languages. The universality of slowed speech rate, raised pitch, and expanded pitch range is discussed in light of individuals' highly variable implementation of these prosodic features in infant-directed speech.

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The acoustical role of vocal tract in the horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus pusillus

The sound field distribution in the vocal tract with a single sound source in the glottis and the transfer function of the supraglottal vocal tract of the horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus pusillus, have been obtained using the finite-element method(FEM) technique. The models of vocal tracts used for FEM calculation are constructed by tomography scanning. These models are used to set up a finite-element model for calculating the sound field distribution by loading the unit sound source in the glottis. By changing the frequency of the unit sound source, the frequency response was figured out and the acoustic role of vocal tract chambers was examined by obtaining the transfer function and sound pressure distribution before and after filling the chambers using voxels. Sound pressures in the trachea and nostrils are recorded and some analysis of the acoustics of the subglottal and vocal tract was made to find the function of the construction in the vocal tract and subglottal parts. The results show nasal chambers can effectively improve the Q (quality factor) value near the second harmonic, and alternate the sound distribution in the supraglottal part. Whereas the tracheal chambers can reduce the amplitude second harmonic in the subglottal part, its function is like a notch filter which can block the second harmonic component of the back propagation sound under the glottis.

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A robust and passive method for geometric calibration of large arrays

This paper presents a complete strategy for the geometry estimation of large microphone arrays of arbitrary shape. Largeness is intended here in both number of microphones (hundreds) and size (few meters). Such arrays can be used for various applications in open or confined spaces like acoustical imaging, source identification, or speech processing. For so large array systems,measuring the geometry by hand is impractical. Therefore a blind passive method is proposed. It is based on the analysis of the background acoustic noise, supposed to be a diffuse field. The proposed strategy is a two-step process. First the pairwise microphone distances are identified by matching their measuredcoherence function to the one predicted by the diffuse field theory. Second, a robust multidimensional scaling(MDS) algorithm is adapted and implemented. It takes advantage of local characteristics to reduce the set of distances and infer the geometry of the array. This work is an extension of previous studies, and it overcomes unsolved drawbacks. In particular it deals efficiently with the outliers known to ruin standard MDS algorithms. Experimental proofs of this ability are presented by treating the case of two arrays. They show that the proposed improvements manage large spatial arrays.

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Effect of modulation depth, frequency, and intermittence on wind turbine noise annoyancea)

Amplitude modulation (AM) may be an important factor for the perceived annoyance of wind turbinenoise (WTN). Two AM types, typically referred to as “normal AM” (NAM) and “other AM” (OAM), characterize WTN AM, OAM corresponding to having intermittent periods with larger AM depth in lower frequency regions than NAM. The extent to which AM depth, frequency, and type affect WTN annoyance remains uncertain. Moreover, the temporal variations of WTN AM have often not been considered. Here, realistic stimuli accounting for such temporal variations were synthesized such that AM depth, frequency, and type, while determined from real on-site recordings, could be varied systematically. Listening tests with both original and synthesized stimuli showed that a reduction in mean AM depth across the spectrum led to a significant decrease in annoyance. When the spectrotemporal characteristics of the original far-field stimuli and the temporal AM variations were taken into account, the effect of AM frequency remained limited and the presence of intermittent OAM periods did not affect annoyance. These findings suggest that, at a given overall level, the AM depth of NAM periods is the most crucial AM parameter for WTN annoyance.

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