Technical considerations for assistive listening applications using wireless, digital audio streams

Data hiding in the LSB of audio signals is an appealing steganographic method. This is due to the large volume of real-time production and transmission of audio data which makes it difficult to store and analyze these signals. Hence, steganalysis of audio signals requires online operations. Most of the existing steganalysis methods work on stored media files. In this paper, we present a steganalysis technique that can detect the existence of embedded data in the least significant bits of natural audio samples. The algorithm is designed to be simple, accurate, and to be hardware implementable. Hence, hardware implementation is presented for the proposed algorithm. The proposed hardware analyzes the histogram of an incoming stream of audio signals by using a sliding window strategy without needing the storage of the signals. The algorithm is mathematically modeled to show its capability to accurately predict the amount of embedding in an incoming stream of audio signals. Audio files with different amounts of embedded data were used to test the algorithm and its hardware implementation. The experimental results prove the functionality and high accuracy of the proposed method.

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Laser-sound: optoacoustic transduction from digital audio streams

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-78990-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Konstantinos Kaleris ◽

Björn Stelzner ◽

Panagiotis Hatziantoniou ◽

Dimosthenis Trimis ◽

John Mourjopoulos

Keyword(s):

Computational Model ◽

Spatial Location ◽

Laser Pulses ◽

Prototype System ◽

Digital Audio ◽

Laser Induced Breakdown ◽

Pulse Streams ◽

Audio Streams ◽

Sound Transduction ◽

Good Agreement

AbstractThis work presents a novel laser-based optoacoustic transducer capable of reproducing controlled and continuous sound of arbitrary complexity in the air or on solid targets. Light-to-sound transduction is achieved via laser-induced breakdown, leading to the formation of plasma acoustic sources in any desired spatial location. The acoustic signal is encoded into pulse streams via a discrete-time audio modulation and is reproduced by fast consecutive excitation of the target medium with appropriately modulated laser pulses. This results in the signal being directly reconstructed at the desired location of the target medium without the need for a receiver or demodulation device. In this work, the principles and evaluation results of such a novel laser-sound prototype system are presented. The performance of the prototype is evaluated by systematic experimental measurements of audio test signals, from which the basic acoustical response is derived. Moreover, a generic computational model is presented that allows for the simulation of laser-sound reproduction of 1-bit or multibit audio streams. The model evaluations are validated by comparison with the acoustic measurements, whereby a good agreement is found. Finally, the computational model is used to simulate an ideal optoacoustic transducer based on the specifications of state-of-the-art commercially available lasers.

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Clinical Success Using the Audio-Visual Feedback Training for Cluttering

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/2019_pers-sig17-2019-0018 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (6) ◽

pp. 1589-1594

Author(s):

Yvonne van Zaalen ◽

Isabella Reichel

Keyword(s):

Visual Feedback ◽

Clinical Success ◽

Pause Duration ◽

Digital Audio ◽

Male Adolescents ◽

Feedback Training ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Speech Monitoring ◽

Adolescents And Adults

Purpose Among the best strategies to address inadequate speech monitoring skills and other parameters of communication in people with cluttering (PWC) is the relatively new but very promising auditory–visual feedback (AVF) training ( van Zaalen & Reichel, 2015 ). This study examines the effects of AVF training on articulatory accuracy, pause duration, frequency, and type of disfluencies of PWC, as well as on the emotional and cognitive aspects that may be present in clients with this communication disorder ( Reichel, 2010 ; van Zaalen & Reichel, 2015 ). Methods In this study, 12 male adolescents and adults—6 with phonological and 6 with syntactic cluttering—were provided with weekly AVF training for 12 weeks, with a 3-month follow-up. Data was gathered on baseline (T0), Week 6 (T1), Week 12 (T2), and after follow-up (T3). Spontaneous speech was recorded and analyzed by using digital audio-recording and speech analysis software known as Praat ( Boersma & Weenink, 2017 ). Results The results of this study indicated that PWC demonstrated significant improvements in articulatory rate measurements and in pause duration following the AVF training. In addition, the PWC in the study reported positive effects on their ability to retell a story and to speak in more complete sentences. PWC felt better about formulating their ideas and were more satisfied with their interactions with people around them. Conclusions The AVF training was found to be an effective approach for improving monitoring skills of PWC with both quantitative and qualitative benefits in the behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and social domains of communication.

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