Detection of whale calls in noise: performance comparison between a beluga whale, human listeners, and a neural network

This article examines the masking by anthropogenic noise of beluga whale calls. Results from human masking experiments and a software backpropagation neural network are compared to the performance of a trained beluga whale. The goal was to find an accurate, reliable, and fast model to replace lengthy and expensive animal experiments. A beluga call was masked by three types of noise, an icebreaker's bubbler system and propeller noise, and ambient arctic ice-cracking noise. Both the human experiment and the neural network successfully modeled the beluga data in the sense that they classified the noises in the same order from strongest to weakest masking as the whale and with similar call-detection thresholds. The neural network slightly outperformed the humans. Both models were then used to predict the masking of a fourth type of noise, Gaussian white noise. Their prediction ability was judged by returning to the aquarium to measure masked-hearing thresholds of a beluga in white noise. Both models and the whale identified bubbler noise as the strongest masker, followed by ramming, then white noise. Natural ice-cracking noise masked the least. However, the humans and the neural network slightly overpredicted the amount of masking for white noise. This is neglecting individual variation in belugas, because only one animal could be trained. Comparing the human model to the neural network model, the latter has the advantage of objectivity, reproducibility of results, and efficiency, particularly if the interference of a large number of signals and noise is to be examined.     

The effects of distributed masses on acoustic radiation behavior of plates

The acoustic radiation behavior of a plate with a distributed mass loading is studied. A set of in vacuo normal modes or fluid-loaded undamped normal modes are used for modal analysis of the acoustic radiation from a plate in air or in water. Modal radiation efficiency, modal volume displacement, modal input energy and sound power level are computed to show the effects of size and location of the mass loading on the acoustic radiation of the plate. It is observed that the acoustic radiation behavior of a mode in both cases will have relatively larger changes if the mass loading is placed on an antinode of the mode shape or the mass loading is more concentrated. The acoustic radiation behavior of a mode and the radiated power of the plate in water have less change than those in air with the same mass loading due to the added mass of the water, especially for the first few modes.     

Effects of noise on speech production: acoustic and perceptual analyses

Acoustical analyses were carried out on a set of utterances produced by two male speakers talking in quiet and in 80, 90, and 100 dB SPL of masking noise. In addition to replicating previous studies demonstrating increases in amplitude, duration, and vocal pitch while talking in noise, these analyses also found reliable differences in the formant frequencies and short-term spectra of vowels. Perceptual experiments were also conducted to assess the intelligibility of utterances produced in quiet and in noise when they were presented at equal S/N ratios for identification. In each experiment, utterances originally produced in noise were found to be more intelligible than utterances produced in the quiet. The results of the acoustic analyses showed clear and consistent differences in the acoustic-phonetic characteristics of speech produced in quiet versus noisy environments. Moreover, these accounts differences produced reliable effects on intelligibility. The findings are discussed in terms of: (1) the nature of the acoustic changes that taken place when speakers produce speech under adverse conditions such as noise, psychological stress, or high cognitive load: (2) the role of training and feedback in controlling and modifying a talker's speech to improve performance of current speech recognizers; and (3) the development of robust algorithms for recognition of speech in noise.     

The effects on noise of changes in wheel/rail system parameters

An analytical model has been developed that simulates the generation and propagation of wheel/rail noise. In the model, wheel/rail vibrations are induced by running surface roughness. The vibration responses are determined from considering contact stiffness effects and wheel/rail impedance interactions. Near field sound power levels are then calculated by combining the responses with radiation efficiencies, space-averaging the velocity squared on the wheel, and accounting for the decay of vibration along the rail. Finally, the noise levels predicted for the wayside are obtained from an analysis of the propagation that includes the effect of finite ground impedance. Good agreement exists between the analytical model and a series of validation measurements taken at DOT's Transportation Test Center in Pueblo, Colorado. A sensitivity analysis conducted for the parameters of a typical baseline system achieved significant changes in rolling noise only for reductions in wheel/rail contact stiffness, increases in wheel/rail contact area, and decreases in wheel/rail roughness through wheel truing and rail grinding.     

Origin of the broad-band noise in acoustic cavitation

The broad-band noise has been experimentally used to monitor the cavitation activity in a sonochemical reactor, an ultrasonic cleaning bath, a biological tissue, etc. However, the origin of the broad-band noise is still under debate. In the present review, two models for the mechanism of the broad-band noise are discussed. One is acoustic emissions from chaotically (non-periodically) pulsating bubbles. The other is acoustic emissions from bubbles with temporal fluctuation in the number of bubbles. It is suggested that the latter mechanism is sometimes dominant. Further studies are required on the role for bubble cluster dynamics as well as the bubble–bubble interaction in the broad-band noise especially at relatively low ultrasonic frequencies.     

Effects of noise levels and call types on the source levels of killer whale calls

Accurate parameter estimates relevant to the vocal behavior of marine mammals are needed to assess potential effects of anthropogenic sound exposure including how masking noise reduces the active space of sounds used for communication. Information about how these animals modify their vocal behavior in response to noise exposure is also needed for such assessment. Prior studies have reported variations in the source levels of killer whale sounds, and a more recent study reported that killer whales compensate for vessel masking noise by increasing their call amplitude. The objectives of the current study were to investigate the source levels of a variety of call types in southern resident killer whales while also considering background noise level as a likely factor related to call source level variability. The source levels of 763 discrete calls along with corresponding background noise were measured over three summer field seasons in the waters surrounding the San Juan Islands, WA. Both noise level and call type were significant factors on call source levels (1-40 kHz band, range of 135.0-175.7 dB(rms) re 1 [micro sign]Pa at 1 m). These factors should be considered in models that predict how anthropogenic masking noise reduces vocal communication space in marine mammals.     

Passive acoustic detection and localization of whales: effects of shipping noise in Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park

The performance of large-aperture hydrophone arrays to detect and localize blue and fin whales' 15-85 Hz signature vocalizations under ocean noise conditions was assessed through simulations from a normal mode propagation model combined to noise statistics from 15 960 h of recordings in Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park. The probability density functions of 2482 summer noise level estimates in the call bands were used to attach a probability of detection/masking to the simulated call levels as a function of whale depth and range for typical environmental conditions. Results indicate that call detection was modulated by the calling depth relative to the sound channel axis and by modal constructive and destructive interferences with range. Masking of loud infrasounds could reach 40% at 30 km for a receiver at the optimal depth. The 30 dB weaker blue whale D-call were subject to severe masking. Mapping the percentages of detection and localization allowed assessing the performance of a six-hydrophone array under mean- and low-noise conditions. This approach is helpful for optimizing hydrophone configuration in implementing passive acoustic monitoring arrays and building their detection function for whale density assessment, as an alternative to or in combination with the traditional undersampling visual methods.     

不同条件的声波对果蝇行为影响的实验研究

利用声波不同频率、声强及作用时间3个因子,研究了声波辐照对果蝇行为的影响。通过正交实验得出声波对果蝇行为影响的主次因素及最优水平搭配,并按照最优水平搭配进行了验证实验。实验结果表明:(1)果蝇在声波辐照下,其行为会做出趋避反应、觅食被抑制。(2)本次正交实验的声波辐照因子中,声压级和频率是主要因素。(3)按最优水平搭配因子声波辐照果蝇,果蝇有显著的趋避行为反应,有效趋避率达到22.48%。     

The effects of long-term exposure to railway and road traffic noise on subjective sleep disturbance

The exposure-response relationships between subjective annoyance with sleep disturbance from railway trains and road traffic noise were established from an extensive social survey by CENVR (Center for Environmental Noise and Vibration Research) in Korea. The objectives of this research are to determine the long-term effects of noise on sleep and to compare the exposure-response relationships from different noise sources with those from other studies and to elucidate the effects of some modifying factors on subjective responses to noise. From an investigation of the percentage of a highly sleep-disturbed population (%HSD) in response to railway and road traffic noise, it was found that sleep is affected more by railway noise than by road traffic noise. The effects of non-acoustical factors on the responses were examined and sensitivity was shown to be a significant modifying factor, as it pertains to subjective sleep disturbance. A comparison of the response curves from an analysis of pooled data from predominantly European surveys by Miedema and Vos [Behav. Sleep Med. 5, 1-20 (2007)] with the response curves from this survey showed more of a subjective sleep disturbance response in this survey to railway noise, whereas there was no significant difference in terms of a response to road traffic noise.     

Effects of the transducer dynamics in underwater acoustic communication

The inter-carrier interference (ICI) of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, which is caused by the transducer’s dynamics, has been analysed and simulated in this paper. The small Cyclic Prefix (CP) method is proposed to overcome the ICI caused by the transducer in order to maintain the orthogonality between sub-carriers without much loss of the energy and the bandwidth efficiency. The simulation results show that the small CP whose length is longer than the transient response of the transducer can eliminate the ICI problem.     

North Pacific right whale up-call source levels and propagation distance on the southeastern Bering Sea shelf

Call source levels, transmission loss, and ambient noise levels were estimated for North Pacific right whale (Eubalaena japonica) up-calls recorded in the southeastern Bering Sea in autumn of 2000 and 2001. Distances to calling animals, needed to estimate source levels, were based on two independent techniques: (1) arrival-time differences on three or more hydrophones and (2) shallow-water dispersion of normal modes on a single receiver. Average root-mean-square (rms) call source levels estimated by the two techniques were 178 and 176 dB re 1 μPa at 1 m, respectively, over the up-call frequency band, which was determined per call and averaged 90 to 170 Hz. Peak-to-peak source levels were 14 to 22 dB greater than rms levels. Transmission loss was approximately 15?log(10)(range), intermediate between cylindrical and spherical spreading. Ambient ocean noise within the up-call band varied from 72 to 91 dB re 1 μPa(2)/Hz. Under average noise conditions, call spectrograms were detectable for whales at distances up to 100 km, but propagation and detection distance may vary depending on environmental parameters and anthropogenic noise. Obtaining distances to animals and acoustic detection range is a step toward using long-term passive acoustic recordings to estimate abundance for this critically endangered whale population.     

Polaron effects on the refractive index changes in cylindrical quantum dots with parabolic potential

The effect of electron-LO-phonon interaction on refractive index changes (RICs) for cylindrical quantum dots (CQDs) with an applied electric field is theoretically investigated. Analytic forms of the linear and third-order nonlinear the RICs are obtained for a cylindrical QD by using compact-density-matrix approach and iterative method, and the numerical results are presented for a GaAs cylinder quantum dot. The results show that the RICs coefficient is greatly enhanced and the peak shift to the aspect of high energy when considering the influence of electron-LO-phonon interaction.     

分层砂底对浅海信道声传播影响的研究

推导有指向性脉冲声源在海底是分层结构的浅海中声场的积分表达式;分别仿真了爆炸声源和指向性脉冲源在浅海信道中传播的信号波形,其中假设了海底的沉积层和基底分别由水浸泡的砂和固态介质构成,砂底的参数数值用孔隙介质理论和实测相结合的方法进行选择;此外,在用砂和玻璃珠分别模拟砂层海底的水池内,观测了指向性脉冲源在不同接收点的信号的波形;结果表明:仿真波形的包络得到实验的印证。从而证明本文建立的指向性脉冲源在具有砂层海底的浅海中声场模型是可行的,可用于预报海洋环境参数对接收波形的影响,为水下通信、声呐信号设计与处理提供参考信息。     

The prediction of jet noise ground effects using an acoustic analogy and a tailored Green's function

An assessment of an acoustic analogy for the mixing noise component of jet noise in the presence of an infinite surface is presented. The reflection of jet noise by the ground changes the distribution of acoustic energy and is characterized by constructive and destructive interference patterns. The equivalent sources are modeled based on the two-point cross-correlation of the turbulent velocity fluctuations and a steady Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) solution. Propagation effects, due to reflection by the surface and refraction by the jet shear layer, are taken into account by calculating the vector Green's function of the linearized Euler equations (LEE). The vector Green's function of the LEE is written in relation to that of Lilley's equation; that is, it is approximated with matched asymptotic solutions and Green's function of the convective Helmholtz equation. The Green's function of the convective Helmholtz equation in the presence of an infinite flat plane with impedance is the Weyl–van der Pol equation. Predictions are compared with measurements from an unheated Mach 0.95 jet. Microphones are placed at various heights and distances from the nozzle exit in the peak jet noise direction above an acoustically hard and an asphalt surface. The predictions are shown to accurately capture jet noise ground effects that are characterized by constructive and destructive interference patterns in the mid- and far-field and capture overall trends in the near-field.     

高速水声通信系统仿真研究

水声信道是较复杂的数据通信环境。本文设计了3种高速水声通信的系统结构,并通过系统的、全面的仿真比较了他们的性能。建立了包括时变衰落、多途和加性干扰的水声信道模型。3种方案都采用相位相干的QPSK调制技术,接收端采用空时联合的自适应均衡(内置DPLL)接收;前向纠错编码译码器分别采用3种方案:卷积码,串行级联码(卷积码+RS码),并行级联卷积码(Turbo码)。通过仿真研究了不同数目水声接收机的接收分集下的系统性能,研究了3种编码方案下的系统性能。     

Measurements of the dependence of sonoluminescence on acoustic pressure of ultrasonic field and measurements of the acoustic spectrum of cavitation noise

Time-averaged values of the sonoluminescence in dependence on the acoustic pressure of ultrasonic field were measured in distilled water, exposed to ultrasonic field of frequency 43·40 kHz at temperatures of 5, 15, 25, 35 and 45 ° C in ambient atmospheric pressure. Average values of the sonoluminescence were measured with the aid of a photomultiplier — as a voltage drop on its working resistance. Effective acoustic pressure of ultrasonic field was measured with a piezoelectric s ensor coupled to a high-frequency millivoltmeter. The acoustic spectrum of cavitation noise (from 0·3 up to 2·0 MHz) in water was measured at temperatures of 5, 15, 25, 35 and 45 °C for various mean values of the sonoluminescence. Piezoelectric sensor was employed in detecting the spectrum of cavitation noise. The voltage signal on the sensor was measured by means of a heterodyne voltmeter. Sonoluminescence flashes were detected with a photomultiplier, amplified and displayed on an oscillograph screen together with the intensity of ultrasonic field in the liquid. Theoretical arguments are outlined explaining the occurrence of maxima in the acoustic spectrum of the cavitation noise.The authors express their thanks to Prof. RNDr. M.Brdika for his constant interest in their work and useful hints.     

Monitoring of anthropogenic acoustic noise in the shelf of Sakhalin Island

The method and results of many days of measurements of acoustic noise generated during installation of the oil and gas producing platform PA-B and construction of an underwater pipeline in the north-eastern shelf of Sakhalin Island are described. Acoustic measurements were carried out simultaneously with the use of five autonomous radio-hydroacoustic stations installed along the coast in a 43 km long line. The measurement objective was to control the level of anthropogenic sounds in a real time scale at the boundary of the coastal feeding area of a unique population of gray whales.     

水声通信实验信道仿真研究

水声信道的时变多途特性对其中通信信号传输构成严重影响，为了分析评估现实实验信道条件下水声通信系统的性能，给出了一种基于实验测量的水声信道仿真方法。此方法通过发射线性调频脉冲以检测信道多径结构，同时分别采用自回归模型与多普勒时间压扩来仿真信道中各路径的时变幅度与时变延迟。通过一个具体的直接序列扩频水声通信系统，表明在仿真与实验信道条件下系统性能具有较好的一致性。