scholarly journals Subjective Preferences for Birdsong and Insect Song in Equal Sound Pressure Level

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshiharu Soeta ◽  
Hiroko Kagawa

Birdsong is used as a sound signal for visually impaired people in train stations in Japan. However, such sound signals were reportedly difficult to be localized by over 40% of visually impaired people. More than 40% of visually impaired people reported that such sound signals were difficult to identify. The sound pressure level of birdsong is typically low because higher levels of birdsong can cause annoyance to users or residents. Therefore, preferences for birdsong should be investigated. Importantly, birdsong and insect song have been shown to have a positive effect on soundscapes. However, preferences for different types of birdsong and insect song have not been investigated. The current study sought to clarify which types of birdsong and insect song are preferred, and to determine the dominant physical parameters that relate to the preference. We evaluated subjective preferences for various types of birdsong and insect song using paired comparison tests. The relationships between subjective preference and physical parameters were examined. The results indicated that Horornis diphone and Teleogryllus emma were the most preferred types of birdsong and insect song, both of which are common in Japan. The maximum peak amplitude of the autocorrelation function, determinants of which are pitch salience, loudness, and spectral content, such as centroid, flux, and rolloff, are significant parameters influencing subjective preference.

Author(s):  
Yoshiharu Soeta ◽  
Ayaka Ariki

Birdsong is used to communicate the position of stairwells to visually impaired people in train stations in Japan. However, more than 40% of visually impaired people reported that such sounds were difficult to identify. Train companies seek to present the sounds at a sound pressure level that is loud enough to be detected, but not so loud as to be annoying. Therefore, salient birdsongs with relatively low sound pressure levels are required. In the current study, we examined the salience of different types of birdsong and insect song, and determined the dominant physical parameters related to salience. We considered insect songs because both birdsongs and insect songs have been found to have positive effects on soundscapes. We evaluated subjective saliences of birdsongs and insect songs using paired comparison methods, and examined the relationships between subjective salience and physical parameters. In total, 62 participants evaluated 18 types of bird songs and 16 types of insect sounds. The results indicated that the following features significantly influenced subjective salience: the maximum peak amplitude of the autocorrelation function, which signifies pitch strength; the interaural cross-correlation coefficient, which signifies apparent source width; the amplitude fluctuation component; and spectral content, such as flux and skewness.


2014 ◽  
Vol 1001 ◽  
pp. 171-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavol Liptai ◽  
Marek Moravec ◽  
Miroslav Badida

This paper describes possibilities in the use of recycled rubber granules and textile materials combined with vermiculite panel. The aim of the research is the application of materials that will be absorbing or reflecting sound energy. This objective is based on fundamental physical principles of materials research and acoustics. Method of measurement of sound absorption coefficient is based on the principle of standing wave in the impedance tube. With a sound level meter is measured maximum and minimum sound pressure level of standing wave. From the maximum and minimum sound pressure level of standing wave is calculated sound absorption coefficient αn, which can take values from 0 to 1. Determination of the sound absorption coefficient has been set in 1/3 octave band and in the frequency range from 50 Hz to 2000 Hz. In conclusion are proposed possibilities of application of these materials in terms of their mechanical and physical parameters.


2021 ◽  
Vol 263 (1) ◽  
pp. 5166-5169
Author(s):  
Haram Lee ◽  
Hyunin Jo ◽  
Jin Yong Jeon

In this study, the general sound environment characteristics of open-plan office (OPO) were investigated, and just noticeable difference (JND) of sound pressure level of speech at a distance of 4 m (Lp,A,S,4m) suggested in ISO 3382-3 was suggested. First, in order to understand the sound environment characteristics of OPO, one minute sound sources recorded in 8 offices were collected and physical and psychological acoustic characteristics were analyzed. A total of 30 office workers were subject to subjective evaluation on 8 sound sources, and they were asked to respond to questionnaires related to annoyance, work satisfaction, and speech privacy. Next, to investigate the JND, two computer simulation models identical to those of the actual OPO were implemented, and sound sources each having six different Lp,A,S,4m values were generated through the change of the sound absorption coefficient of the interior finish. The JND of Lp,A,S,4m was presented by performing paired comparison for the same subjects. It is expected that the JND of Lp,A,S,4m proposed in this study can be used for the sound environment rating of OPO.


2019 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 06072 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiberiu Catalina ◽  
Alexandra Ene ◽  
Andreea Biro

There are several physical parameters that are taken into consideration when determining the level of agreeability of an enclosed space. For instance, when choosing the louvers for a room there are a multitude of criteria that might be considered such as colour, material or the degree of opacity. However, these apparently small fixtures may have a significant impact also on other apparently unimportant factors like the sound pressure level and the reverberation time. This paper aims to present different types of devices used to control the way daylight enters a room, from both the illuminance level and the acoustical point of view. During the experimental campaign, five of the most common types of louvers were examined regarding their main role of blocking the light and moreover their influence on the reverberation time and sound pressure level in the analysed chamber.


Author(s):  
Olga KHRYSTOSLAVENKO ◽  
Raimondas GRUBLIAUSKAS

The modeling programs provide a wide range of possibilities for simulating acoustic systems. This paper describes programs used in acoustics for various purposes, such as Sound PLAN, AFMG SoundFlow, WinFLAG, Comsol multiphysics, ANSYS, Roomsim. For the purposes of the current research, the acoustic simulation of the room was carried out. Physical parameters as impedance, sound hard boundary and normal velocity were considered. The sound pressure level in rooms was investigated. Possibilities of using Comsol Multiphysics in the research of acoustics were investigated. Results of the current research show high-frequency eigenmodes located in the corners of the room and in the center of the room. Sound pressure level increased from low to medium frequency and then decreased with frequency drifts. At the frequency of 5000 Hz, minimum sound pressure is observed, which is associated with the decrease in the wavelength co-occurring with the decrease in frequency.


2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 931-947
Author(s):  
Teresa L. D. Hardy ◽  
Carol A. Boliek ◽  
Daniel Aalto ◽  
Justin Lewicke ◽  
Kristopher Wells ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to identify a set of communication-based predictors (including both acoustic and gestural variables) of masculinity–femininity ratings and (b) to explore differences in ratings between audio and audiovisual presentation modes for transgender and cisgender communicators. Method The voices and gestures of a group of cisgender men and women ( n = 10 of each) and transgender women ( n = 20) communicators were recorded while they recounted the story of a cartoon using acoustic and motion capture recording systems. A total of 17 acoustic and gestural variables were measured from these recordings. A group of observers ( n = 20) rated each communicator's masculinity–femininity based on 30- to 45-s samples of the cartoon description presented in three modes: audio, visual, and audio visual. Visual and audiovisual stimuli contained point light displays standardized for size. Ratings were made using a direct magnitude estimation scale without modulus. Communication-based predictors of masculinity–femininity ratings were identified using multiple regression, and analysis of variance was used to determine the effect of presentation mode on perceptual ratings. Results Fundamental frequency, average vowel formant, and sound pressure level were identified as significant predictors of masculinity–femininity ratings for these communicators. Communicators were rated significantly more feminine in the audio than the audiovisual mode and unreliably in the visual-only mode. Conclusions Both study purposes were met. Results support continued emphasis on fundamental frequency and vocal tract resonance in voice and communication modification training with transgender individuals and provide evidence for the potential benefit of modifying sound pressure level, especially when a masculine presentation is desired.


CICTP 2020 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ammar Muhammad ◽  
Qizhou Hu ◽  
Muhammad Tayyab ◽  
Yikai Wu ◽  
Muhammad Ahtsham

Author(s):  
Olga Novikova ◽  

The special library acts as the cultural and educational center for visually impaired people, and as the center for continuing education. The multifunctional performance of the library is substantiated. The joint projects accomplished in cooperation with theatres and museums and aimed at integrating the visually impaired people into the society are described. Advanced training projects for the library professionals accomplished in 2018 are discussed.


Author(s):  
Heather Tilley ◽  
Jan Eric Olsén

Changing ideas on the nature of and relationship between the senses in nineteenth-century Europe constructed blindness as a disability in often complex ways. The loss or absence of sight was disabling in this period, given vision’s celebrated status, and visually impaired people faced particular social and educational challenges as well as cultural stereotyping as poor, pitiable and intellectually impaired. However, the experience of blind people also came to challenge received ideas that the visual was the privileged mode of accessing information about the world, and contributed to an increasingly complex understanding of the tactile sense. In this chapter, we consider how changing theories of the senses helped shape competing narratives of identity for visually impaired people in the nineteenth century, opening up new possibilities for the embodied experience of blind people by impressing their sensory ability, rather than lack thereof. We focus on a theme that held particular social and cultural interest in nineteenth-century accounts of blindness: travel and geography.


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