The Sound Environment of the Foetal Sheep

Behaviour ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 81 (2-4) ◽  
pp. 296-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.A. Baldwin ◽  
B.C.J. Moore ◽  
Sally E. Armitage ◽  
J. Toner ◽  
Margaret A. Vince

AbstractThe sound environment of the foetal lamb was recorded using a hydrophone implanted a few weeks before term in a small number of pregnant ewes. It was implanted inside the amniotic sac and sutured loosely to the foetal neck, to move with the foetus. Results differ from those reported earlier for the human foetus: sounds from the maternal cardiovascular system were picked up only rarely, at very low frequencies and at sound pressures around, or below, the human auditory threshold. Other sounds from within the mother occurred intermittently and rose to a high sound pressure only at frequencies above about 300 Hz. Sounds from outside the mother were picked up by the implanted hydrophone when the external sound level rose above 65-70 dB SPL, and the attenuation in sound pressure was rarely more than 30 dB and, especially at low frequencies, usually much less. However, attenuation due to the transmission of sound through the body wall and other tissues tended to change from time to time. It is concluded that the foetal lamb's sound environment consists of (1) intermittent low frequency sounds associated largely with the ewe's feeding and digestive processes and (2) sounds such as vocalisations from the flock, human voices and other sounds from outside the mother.

1994 ◽  
Vol 195 (1) ◽  
pp. 329-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Ehret ◽  
E Keilwerth ◽  
T Kamada

Frequency-response curves of the tympanum and lateral body wall (lung area) were measured by laser Doppler vibrometry in three treefrog (Smilisca baudini, Hyla cinerea, Osteopilus septentrionalis) and four dendrobatid frog (Dendrobates tinctorius, D. histrionicus, Epipedobates tricolor, E. azureiventris) species. The high-frequency cut-off of the body wall response was always lower than that of the tympanum. The best response frequencies of the lateral body wall were lower than those of the tympanum in some species (S. baudini, O. septentrionalis, D. tinctorius), while in the others they were rather similar. Best tympanic frequencies and best body wall response frequencies tended to differ more with increasing body size. Stimulation of the tympanum by sound transfer through 3.14 mm2 areas of the lateral body wall showed that the lung-eardrum pathway can be in two states, depending on breathing activity within the lungs: 44% (in Smilisca), 39% (in Hyla) and 31% (in Osteopilus) of the eardrum vibrations were 2.5-8 times (8-18 dB) larger when the frogs were breathing with the lungs compared with non-breathing conditions. The vibration amplitudes of the tympanum and lateral body wall of the treefrogs followed the same dependence on sound intensity, only absolute amplitudes differed between species. Our results suggest that the lung-eardrum pathway attenuates high-frequency components of species-specific calls and enhances low-frequency components. In addition, an amplitude modulation is imposed on the low frequencies during the rhythm of breathing.


Author(s):  
V. Romero-Garci´a ◽  
E. Fuster-Garcia ◽  
L. M. Garci´a-Raffi ◽  
J. V. Sa´nchez-Pe´rez

Environmental noise problems become an standard topic across the years. Acoustic barriers have been purposed as a possible solution because they can act creating an acoustic attenuation zone which depends on the sound frequency, reducing the sound transmission through it. It was demonstrated that at high sound frequencies the effect of the barriers is more pronounced than at low frequencies, due to the diffraction in their edges. Sonic Crystals (SCs) are periodic arrays of scatterers embedded in a host material with strong modulation of its physical properties, that produces band gaps attenuation in frequencies related with their geometry. These frequencies are explained by the well known Bragg’s diffraction inside the crystal. SCs present different high symmetry directions, where the Bragg’s peaks appears in different frequencies ranges due to the variation of the geometry in each direction. Recently, some authors have studied the possibility to use SCs to reduce noise in free-field condition. Also, it was showed that SCs built by trees are acoustic systems that present acoustic band gaps in low frequency range due to the geometric distribution of the trees. These results led us think that these structures are a suitable device to reduce noise, this means SCs could be use as acoustic barriers. Nevertheless the technological application of these devices for controlling the noise present some problems. First, the angular dependence of the frequencies attenuated when the sound impinges over the SC. Second, the fact that the necessary space to put the SC is bigger than in the case of the traditional acoustic barriers. Finally, the necessity of some robust and long-lasting materials to use them outdoors. In this paper we show the possibility to use different materials (rigid, mixed or soft) to make scatterers, explaining their advantages or disadvantages. These materials in conjunction with some optimization methods will allow us find some solutions to the problems mentioned above. We will relate both acoustic systems, acoustic barriers and SCs, making a comparison of the main properties of each one and then, we will present the technological possibilities to design acoustic barriers based on SCs.


2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro Caresta ◽  
Nicole J. Kessissoglou

A passive isolation approach to reduce the sound pressure radiated by a submarine is presented. The submerged vessel is modeled as a stiffened cylindrical hull partitioned by bulkheads and with two end caps of conical shape. Fluctuating forces from the propeller are transmitted to the hull through the shaft and a rigid foundation, resulting in axisymmetric excitation of the hull. The hull surface motion is mainly in the axial direction with a small radial component due to the coupling between the two orthogonal shell displacements. The sound pressure resulting from the axial motion is radiated from the end caps of the submarine. This work investigates reduction of the far field sound pressure by passive isolation of the end caps from the main hull. Isolation of the axial motion of the end caps from the cylindrical hull results in significant reduction of the radiated sound at low frequencies. The fluid loading approximation for a finite cylindrical shell in the low frequency range is also discussed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-36
Author(s):  
Daniel Hayes

Typical reverberant chambers used for High Intensity Acoustic Testing (HIAT) can achieve high sound pressure levels (SPL) across most of the applicable frequency range (20 Hz to 10 kHz), but they have limitations. Depending on the size of the chamber, low frequency chamber modes may be limited in the testing frequency range. In addition, reverberant chambers that use conventional 1/3-Octave controllers are not able to control low frequency chamber modes as effectively as the higher frequencies. A typical response to this inability to control the chamber modes is to high pass the frequency range of the excitation in the chamber to prevent exciting the low frequency modes. This method protects the test article from over-testing, although it also might under-test an article that has a fundamental mode below the high-pass frequency of the chamber. Recently, Maryland Sound International conducted a test at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) to determine if Direct Field Acoustic Testing (DFAT) technology could be applied to conventional reverberant chambers.


2009 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gunnar Rasmussen ◽  
Kim M. Nielson

The calibration of measurement microphones below 100 Hz is not very well covered by the present IEC standards. The uncertainty increases rapidly and for very low frequencies it goes toward infinity. This paper approaches this issue and presents a unique way to verifying and calibrating the low-frequency response of measurement microphones. Using a small isolated calibration volume and applying a constant force to a large piston inside this volume, you obtain a direct proportional relation between force and sound pressure, allowing calibration of measurement microphones down to 0.01 Hz.


2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 237-246
Author(s):  
Hadi Negahdari ◽  
Sirus Javadpour ◽  
Faramarz Moattar

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 227-232
Author(s):  
Haley Busenbarrick ◽  
Kathleen L. Davenport

Enduring exposure to high sound pressure levels (SPLs) can lead to noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). In the performing arts population, NIHL has been studied primarily in the context of sound exposure experienced by musicians and less so by dancers. This research aimed to identify sound exposure that dancers may experience in some dance classes. Decibel levels were recorded in 12 dance classes (6 ballet, 4 modern, and 1 soft and 1 hard shoe Irish dance) at 8 different studios using the NIOSH SLM app on an iOS smartphone with external microphone. A minimum of five recordings of each class was measured, each collected on a different day, yielding a total of 114 measurements. Results showed that 20.2% of all recordings exceeded the recommended NIOSH sound exposure limits of both 100% projected daily dose and 85 LAeq. Analysis between styles of dance demonstrated significantly lower LAeq (p≤0.05) in soft shoe Irish dance compared to ballet (p=0.023), modern (p=0.035), and Irish hard shoe dance (p=0.009). Irish soft shoe dance demonstrated minimal to no risk of high sound exposure. Conversely, 53.25% of ballet, 90.9% of Irish hard shoe dance, and 68.24% of modern recordings exhibited minimal to moderate risk of high sound exposure. Furthermore, we found wide ranges of projected daily noise doses within classes taught by the same teacher. It is recommended that multiple recordings of dance environments be obtained, as a single sound recording may not accurately represent potential exposure. These findings indicate that dancers of Irish hard shoe, modern, and ballet may benefit from noise intervention such as audiometric testing, noise controls, and hearing protection.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (24) ◽  
pp. 8902
Author(s):  
Ki-Hong Park ◽  
Zhi-Xiong Jiang ◽  
Sang-Moon Hwang

In the era of multimedia devices, smartphones have become the primary device for consuming multimedia content. As technological developments have facilitated a more immersive multimedia experience, enlarged displays and the use of several sensors have limited the allowable size of microspeakers. Although sound plays an important role when consuming multimedia content, the limited space for microspeakers in modern devices leads to poor acoustic performance, especially at low frequencies. To address this issue, this paper proposes a novel microspeaker structure that enhances the low-frequency sound pressure level (SPL), while also featuring reduced exterior dimensions. The structure was designed and analyzed using 3D finite element analysis. Through coupling analysis, the simulation results were verified on the basis of the experimental results. The novel microspeaker has one outer magnet surrounding the entire coil, unlike in prototype microspeakers, which have two outer magnets. The gap between the top plates and coil is reduced, and a new type of coil is introduced for the purpose of increasing electromagnetic force. The samples were manufactured, and their SPLs were tested in an anechoic chamber. The experimental results prove that the proposed microspeaker offers an improved SPL at low frequencies compared with prototype microspeakers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 377
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Mazur ◽  
Stanislaw Wrona ◽  
Marek Pawelczyk

Reduction of noise generated by devices is an important problem, both in industrial environments where high sound pressure levels may damage hearing, and in households where the sound pressure level is usually moderate, but may cause discomfort and stress. Classically used passive methods often have poor performance for low frequencies. Alternatively, active control can be used to improve noise reduction in this frequency range. In the proposed approach, noise generated by devices may be reduced by controlling vibrations of the casing. The authors previously confirmed the performance of the proposed active control approach using a dedicated noise-canceling casing. Herein, we describe further development and application of the method to an off-the-shelf washing machine. Electrodynamic actuators were installed on four walls of the washing machine. The performance of the control systems was experimentally evaluated during the real spinning phase and the results are reported here.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciana Dias Bernardo ◽  
Eduardo Mendonça Scheeren ◽  
Runer Augusto Marson ◽  
Eduardo Borba Neves

Success in precision activities such as shooting depends on the subtle control of body motion. To analyze the influence on stabilometric signal responses for the motor task of aiming a pistol with different cognitive demands and levels of exposure to high sound pressure in Brazilian Army personnel. This cross-sectional analytical study used stabilometry to quantify the behavior of the body during motor, cognitive, and auditory tasks. Twenty-five volunteers recruited to participate in the study completed a questionnaire, underwent anthropometric evaluation and cinemetry, and scored the perceived difficulty during exposure to a sound pressure of 132 dB while using protective equipment. A significant increase in the displacement (p=0,02), anteroposterior amplitude (p=0,01), anteroposterior velocity (p=0,01), and the perceived difficulty scale (p=0,03) between Situation 1 (aiming without other cognitive action or environmental noise) and Situation 3 (shooting noise and progressive counting) was confirmed. number of shots heard). Correlation between the perceived difficulty scale and the variables of displacement (p=0,01), anteroposterior amplitude (p=0,01), area (p=0,006) and anteroposterior mean frequency (p=0,01) were observed. The accuracy of aiming events correlated with the median lateral median frequency (p=0,02). Stabilometric signals demonstrated increased total displacement, anteroposterior amplitude, and anteroposterior velocity in the presence of high sound pressure levels. These results indicate the need for future studies to investigate the underlying mechanisms of possible vestibular damage induced by noise.  


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