Influence of the Acoustic Reflex on Vowel Recognition

1986 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 420-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Dorman ◽  
Ingrid Cedar ◽  
Maureen Hannley ◽  
Marjorie Leek ◽  
Julie Mapes Lindholm

Computer synthesized vowels of 50- and 300-ms duration were presented to normal-hearing listeners at a moderate and high sound pressure level (SPL). Presentation at the high SPL resulted in poor recognition accuracy for vowels of a duration (50 ms) shorter than the latency of the acoustic stapedial reflex. Presentation level had no effect on recognition accuracy for vowels of sufficient duration (300 ms) to elicit the reflex. The poor recognition accuracy for the brief, high intensity vowels was significantly improved when the reflex was preactivated. These results demonstrate the importance of the acoustic reflex in extending the dynamic range of the auditory system for speech recognition.

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 483-489
Author(s):  
Adam Pilch ◽  
Tadeusz Kamisinski ◽  
Mirosław Rataj ◽  
Szymon Polak

Abstract Ariane 5 rocket produces very high sound pressure levels during launch, what can influence structures located in the fairing. To reduce risk of damage, launch in vacuum conditions is preferred for noise sensitive instruments. In Wide Filed Imager (WFI) project, the main part of the filterwheel assembly is an extremely thin (~240 nm) filter of large area (170×170 mm), very sensitive to noise and vibrations. The aim of this study was to verify numerical calculations results in anechoic measurements. The authors also checked the influence of WFI geometry and sound absorbing material position on sound pressure level (SPL) affecting the filter mounted inside the assembly. Finite element method (FEM) simulations were conducted in order to obtain noise levels in filter position during Ariane 5 rocket launch. The results will be used in designing of WFI filterwheel assembly and endurance of the filter during launch verification.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. e21089 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jérôme Sueur ◽  
David Mackie ◽  
James F. C. Windmill

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomás Sierra-Polanco ◽  
Lady Catherine Cantor-Cutiva ◽  
Eric J. Hunter ◽  
Pasquale Bottalico

The physical production of speech level dynamic range is directly affected by the physiological features of the speaker such as vocal tract size and lung capacity; however, the regulation of these production systems is affected by the perception of the communication environment and auditory feedback. The current study examined the effects of room acoustics in an artificial setting on voice production in terms of sound pressure level and the relationship with the perceived vocal comfort and vocal control. Three independent room acoustic parameters were considered: gain (alteration of the sidetone or playback of one’s own voice), reverberation time, and background noise. An increase in the sidetone led to a decrease in vocal sound pressure levels, thus increasing vocal comfort and vocal control. This effect was consistent in the different reverberation times considered. Mid-range reverberation times (T30 ≈ 1.3 s) led to a decrease in vocal sound pressure level along with an increase in vocal comfort and vocal control, however, the effect of the reverberation time was smaller than the effect of the gain. The presence of noise amplified the aforementioned effects for the variables analyzed.


1981 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 406-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard H. Wilson

Aural acoustic-immittance (admittance and impedance) measurements during the quiescent and reflexive states were made using a computer sampling technique on 18 subjects with normal hearing in each of two age groups (< 30 years and > 50 years). Seven pure-tones (250–6000 Hz) and broadband-noise stimuli served to elicit the acoustic reflex at sound-pressure levels from 84–116 dB (tones) and 66–116 dB (noise) in 2-dB steps during ascending and descending runs. The contralateral middle-ear activity, was monitored with a 220-Hz probe by digitizing the conductance and susceptance outputs of an acoustic-admittance meter. The computer corrected for the immittance characteristics of the ear-canal volume by utilizing measurements made at an ear-canal pressure of -350 daPa and then by converting the conductance and susceptance values into admittance and impedance units. The results are reported as the immittance change between the quiescent and reflexive states as a function of both the activator sound-pressure level and the activator-pressure level above the reflex threshold. There were no significant differences between the static-immittance values for the two groups, Although acoustic-reflex thresholds for the two groups were the same in the low- to mid-frequency region (250–2000 Hz), the reflex thresholds for the > 50-years group were elevated significantly ( 8 dB) for 4000 Hz, 6000 Hz, and noise activators. In all conditions, the magnitude of the acoustic reflex was substantially smaller for the > 50-years group as compared with the < 30-years group. The variability of the reflex magnitude was large for both groups of subjects. Saturation of the individual growth functions, which was frequency dependent, occurred twice as often with the > 50-years group as with the < 30-years group. The relationship between the magnitude changes in conductance and susceptance from the quiescent to the reflexive state was the same for the two groups. Finally, the magnitude differences among the reflex-growth data were not related to differences in static immittance.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. e11942813
Author(s):  
Débora Bonesso Andriollo ◽  
Gabriele Rodrigues Bastilha ◽  
Letícia Fernandez Frigo ◽  
Carla Aparecida Cielo

The objective of this study was to verify the vocal measurements of athletes from an american football team from a municipality in the countryside of the state. With participation of eight men, aged between 18 and 39 years old (average of 24.25 years old). The collection of maximum phonation time of the vowels /a/, /i/, /u/, /s/, /z/, /e/ and number counting in normal pitch and loudness and the maximum phonation time of the [ė] was performed. Modal Sound Pressure Level and dynamic range were obtained by emission of /a:/. Acoustic evaluation of glottal and spectrographic sources. Maximum phonation times were below normality; the s/z ratio within the normality; the ratio ė/e below normality; the difference between vowels and number counting, the modal sound pressure level and the dynamic range were above normality. The acoustic vocal analysis showed impairment of the glottic source while the spectrographs were considered normal. In these American football athletes, pneumo-phono-articulatory incoordination with hyperfunctional characteristics and acoustic signal with presence of instability, aperiodicity and vocal emission failures were found, probably due to the incorrect vocal uses practiced in the sport.


AIAA Journal ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 1107-1117 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Lafont ◽  
F. Méry ◽  
R. Roncen ◽  
F. Simon ◽  
E. Piot

Author(s):  
Henrik Møller

Contours of equal annoyance were determined for pure tones in the frequency range 4 – 31.5 Hz. The curves show a narrowing of the dynamic range of the ear at low frequencies. The same pattern is seen for equal loudness curves, and the results support the theory that the annoyance of infrasound is closely related to the loudness sensation. Annoyance ratings of 1/3 octave noise did not deviate from ratings of pure tones with the same sound pressure level. Combinations of audio and infrasonic noise were in general given a rating close to or slightly above the rating of the most annoying of the individual noise conditions. For infrasound the proposed G1-weighting curve is shown to give values that correlate well with subjective annoyance rating. Values obtained with the G2-curve do not correlate as well. Low audio frequencies are not covered by the G-curves, and it is shown that these are insufficiently covered by the A-curve. Further research is needed in this area.


2004 ◽  
Vol 332 (4) ◽  
pp. 299-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mérouane Atig ◽  
Jean-Pierre Dalmont ◽  
Joël Gilbert

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