Binaural loudness summation for speech presented via earphones and loudspeaker with and without visual cues

Preliminary data [M. Epstein and M. Florentine, Ear. Hear. 30, 234-237 (2009)] obtained using speech stimuli from a visually present talker heard via loudspeakers in a sound-attenuating chamber indicate little difference in loudness when listening with one or two ears (i.e., significantly reduced binaural loudness summation, BLS), which is known as "binaural loudness constancy." These data challenge current understanding drawn from laboratory measurements that indicate a tone presented binaurally is louder than the same tone presented monaurally. Twelve normal listeners were presented recorded spondees, monaurally and binaurally across a wide range of levels via earphones and a loudspeaker with and without visual cues. Statistical analyses of binaural-to-monaural ratios of magnitude estimates indicate that the amount of BLS is significantly less for speech presented via a loudspeaker with visual cues than for stimuli with any other combination of test parameters (i.e., speech presented via earphones or a loudspeaker without visual cues, and speech presented via earphones with visual cues). These results indicate that the loudness of a visually present talker in daily environments is little affected by switching between binaural and monaural listening. This supports the phenomenon of binaural loudness constancy and underscores the importance of ecological validity in loudness research.     

Deep-level spectroscopy by analysis of isothermal capacitance transients

Summary Deep-level spectrometry of semiconductor has been carried out by measuring isothermal capacitance transients. From the recorded transients, DLTS signals have been reconstructed by software to give Arrhenius plots. Transients have been acquired in two time ranges to increase the emissivity interval on which to observe the trap decay. The method has been tested on Mo/GaAs Schottky barriers and a comparison has been carried out with results obtained on the same diodes using a commercial DLTS system. The authors of this paper have agreed to not receive the proofs for correction.     

Infrared spectral analysis of opto-thermal transients from liquid crystals

Opto-thermal transient signals from a commercial sun-crême and a liquid crystal show marked changes with infrared emission wavelength, temperature and excitation pulse energy density. They reveal dynamic phase change phenomena, induced by the ultraviolet excitation pulse.     

Recurrence quantification analysis of the logistic equation with transients

Recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) detects state changes in drifting dynamical systems without necessitating any a priori constraining mathematical assumptions. Study of the logistic equation with transients posits that RQA may be ideal for analyzing complex biological systems whose equations are unknown and whose dynamics are characteristically non-linear and non-stationary.     

体全息光栅衍射特性的相位迭加分析

本文简要介绍了相位迭加方法,并用该方法分析了反射式体全息光栅的衍射特性,角度选择性和波长选择性,对分析得出的结果进行了数值模拟,并将此方法与经典的耦合波理论进行了对比分析。     

Binaural comodulation masking release: effects of masker interaural correlation

Binaural detection was examined for a signal presented in a narrow band of noise centered on the on-signal masking band (OSB) or in the presence of flanking noise bands that were random or comodulated with respect to the OSB. The noise had an interaural correlation of 1.0 (No), 0.99 or 0.95. In No noise, random flanking bands worsened Spi detection and comodulated bands improved Spi detection for some listeners but had no effect for other listeners. For the 0.99 or 0.95 interaural correlation conditions, random flanking bands were less detrimental to Spi detection and comodulated flanking bands improved Spi detection for all listeners. Analyses based on signal detection theory indicated that the improvement in Spi thresholds obtained with comodulated bands was not compatible with an optimal combination of monaural and binaural cues or to across-frequency analyses of dynamic interaural phase differences. Two accounts consistent with the improvement in Spi thresholds in comodulated noise were (1) envelope information carried by the flanking bands improves the weighting of binaural cues associated with the signal; (2) the auditory system is sensitive to across-frequency differences in ongoing interaural correlation.     

Spectral loudness summation as a function of duration

Loudness was measured as a function of signal bandwidth for 10-, 100-, and 1000-ms-long signals. The test and reference signals were bandpass-filtered noise spectrally centered at 2 kHz. The bandwidth of the test signal was varied from 200 to 6400 Hz. The reference signal had a bandwidth of 3200 Hz. The reference levels were 45, 55, and 65 dB SPL. The level to produce equal loudness was measured with an adaptive, two-interval, two-alternative forced-choice procedure. A loudness matching procedure was used, where the tracks for all signal pairs to be compared were interleaved. Mean results for nine normal-hearing subjects showed that the magnitude of spectral loudness summation depends on signal duration. For all reference levels, a 6- to 8-dB larger level difference between equally loud signals with the smallest (delta f = 200 Hz) and largest (delta f = 6400 Hz) bandwidth is found for 10-ms-long signals than for the 1000-ms-long signals. The duration effect slightly decreases with increasing reference loudness. As a consequence, loudness models should include a duration-dependent compression stage. Alternatively, if a fixed loudness ratio between signals of different duration is assumed, this loudness ratio should depend on the signal spectrum.     

Deep level study by analysis of thermal and optical transients in semiconductor junctions

This study on deep levels is based on the existence of the transition zone in semiconductor junctions. For each trap we can divide the space charge region into two parts according to whether the trap energy level is above or below a pseudo Fermi level wich depends on experimental conditions; generally, the latter region, called transition zone or edge region, is considered as a weak perturbation. In this paper, we have assembled all possible information given by this particular distribution of charge state. Our analysis gives the necessary background to obtain true interpretation of data with capacitive methods. We show that the analysis of thermal and optical transients gives the energy level, the capture cross section with its activation energy, and the ratio of the two optical cross sections to valence and conduction band. The theoretical results are applied to a detailed study of the “O” level in GaAs. Equipe de recherche associée au C.N.R.S.     

Binaural forward and backward masking: evidence for sluggishness in binaural detection

The threshold of a short interaurally phase-inverted probe tone (20 ms, 500 Hz, S pi) was obtained in the presence of a 750-ms noise masker that was switched after 375 ms from interaurally phase-inverted (N pi) to interaurally in-phase (No). As the delay between probe-tone offset and noise phase transition is increased, the threshold decays from the N pi S pi threshold (masking level difference = 0 dB) to the No S pi threshold (masking level difference = 15 dB). The decay in this "binaural" situation is substantially slower than in a comparable "monaural" situation, where the interaural phase of the masker is held constant (N pi), but the level of the masker is reduced by 15 dB. The prolonged decay provides evidence for additional binaural sluggishness associated with "binaural forward masking." In a second experiment, "binaural backward masking" is studied by time reversing the maskers described above. Again, the situation where the phase is switched from No to N pi exhibits a slower transition than the situation with constant interaural phase (N pi) and a 15-dB increase in the level of the masker. The data for the binaural situations are compatible with the results of a related experiment, previously reported by Grantham and Wightman [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 65, 1509-1517 (1979)] and are well fit by a model that incorporates a double-sided exponential temporal integration window.     

Inclusion compounds of phenol derivatives with cyclodextrins: a combined spectroscopic and thermal analysis

Inclusion compounds involving α‐, β‐ and γ‐cyclodextrins (α‐, β‐ and γCD) and phenol derivatives, namely 3‐methoxyphenol (3MeOPh), 2‐methoxyphenol (2MeOPh) and 3‐methylphenol (3MePh), were investigated and characterized by combining Raman spectroscopy, ab initio calculations, DSC and TG analysis. The effects of the inclusion process on the guest molecules and on the hydrogen bond interactions of the guests were studied by monitoring sensitive modes, such as C C and C H ring stretching modes. Moreover, the combined use of the data available from Raman spectra, computational methods and the known x‐ray structures of similar compounds, allowed the proposal of most probable structures for the αCD inclusion compounds. Both inclusion compounds of meta‐substituted guests in αCD present unusual 1:2 or 2:3 stoichiometries. The Raman spectra of these inclusion compounds reveal the split of several modes, spread over the entire spectral range, indicating the presence of guest molecules inside and outside the CD cavity. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.