Information entropy of humpback whale songs

The structure of humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) songs was examined using information theory techniques. The song is an ordered sequence of individual sound elements separated by gaps of silence. Song samples were converted into sequences of discrete symbols by both human and automated classifiers. This paper analyzes the song structure in these symbol sequences using information entropy estimators and autocorrelation estimators. Both parametric and nonparametric entropy estimators are applied to the symbol sequences representing the songs. The results provide quantitative evidence consistent with the hierarchical structure proposed for these songs by Payne and McVay [Science 173, 587-597 (1971)]. Specifically, this analysis demonstrates that: (1) There is a strong structural constraint, or syntax, in the generation of the songs, and (2) the structural constraints exhibit periodicities with periods of 6-8 and 180-400 units. This implies that no empirical Markov model is capable of representing the songs' structure. The results are robust to the choice of either human or automated song-to-symbol classifiers. In addition, the entropy estimates indicate that the maximum amount of information that could be communicated by the sequence of sounds made is less than 1 bit per second.     

Subunit definition and analysis for humpback whale call classification

Songs of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) have been studied for several years to gain a deeper insight on the intraspecific social interactions. Such a complex acoustic display is indeed thought to play an important role in both the mating ritual and male to male interaction. Hence, the need to classify the unit constituents of a song objectively and systematically has become crucial to allow processing large data sets. We propose a new approach for song segmentation based on the definition of subunits. Songs of humpback whales collected in Madagascar in August 2008 and 2009 were segmented using an energy detector with a double threshold and classified automatically with a clustering algorithm using MFCCs: the results, which were checked against a manual classification, showed that the use of subunit as the basic constituent of a song rather than the unit produces a more accurate classification of the calls. Such results were expected given that subunits are generally shorter in duration and less variable in terms of their frequency content and so their characteristics are more easily captured by an automatic classifier. Analysis of songs from other years and various areas of the World is necessary to corroborate the repeatability of the method proposed.     

A generalized power-law detection algorithm for humpback whale vocalizations

Conventional detection of humpback vocalizations is often based on frequency summation of band-limited spectrograms under the assumption that energy (square of the Fourier amplitude) is the appropriate metric. Power-law detectors allow for a higher power of the Fourier amplitude, appropriate when the signal occupies a limited but unknown subset of these frequencies. Shipping noise is non-stationary and colored and problematic for many marine mammal detection algorithms. Modifications to the standard power-law form are introduced to minimize the effects of this noise. These same modifications also allow for a fixed detection threshold, applicable to broadly varying ocean acoustic environments. The detection algorithm is general enough to detect all types of humpback vocalizations. Tests presented in this paper show this algorithm matches human detection performance with an acceptably small probability of false alarms (P(FA) < 6%) for even the noisiest environments. The detector outperforms energy detection techniques, providing a probability of detection P(D) = 95% for P(FA) < 5% for three acoustic deployments, compared to P(FA) > 40% for two energy-based techniques. The generalized power-law detector also can be used for basic parameter estimation and can be adapted for other types of transient sounds.     

Vocalizations produced by humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) calves recorded in Hawaii

Although humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) calves are reported to vocalize, this has not been measurably verified. During March 2006, an underwater video camera and two-element hydrophone array were used to record nonsong vocalizations from a mother-calf escort off Hawaii. Acoustic data were analyzed; measured time delays between hydrophones provided bearings to 21 distinct vocalizations produced by the male calf. Signals were pulsed (71%), frequency modulated (19%), or amplitude modulated (10%). They were of simple structure, low frequency (mean=220 Hz), brief duration (mean=170 ms), and relatively narrow bandwidth (mean=2 kHz). The calf produced three series of "grunts" when approaching the diver. During winters of the years 2001-2005 in Hawaii, nonsong vocalizations were recorded in 109 (65%) of 169 groups with a calf using an underwater video and single (omnidirectional) hydrophone. Nonsong vocalizations were most common (34 of 39) in lone mother-calf pairs. A subsample from this dataset of 60 signals assessed to be vocalizations provided strong evidence that 10 male and 18 female calves vocalized based on statistical similarity to the 21 verified calf signals, proximity to an isolated calf (27 of 28 calves), strong signal-to-noise ratio, and/or bubble emissions coincident to sound.     

Variation in humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) song length in relation to low-frequency sound broadcasts

Humpback whale song lengths were measured from recordings made off the west coast of the island of Hawai'i in March 1998 in relation to acoustic broadcasts ("pings") from the U.S. Navy SURTASS Low Frequency Active sonar system. Generalized additive models were used to investigate the relationships between song length and time of year, time of day, and broadcast factors. There were significant seasonal and diurnal effects. The seasonal factor was associated with changes in the density of whales sighted near shore. The diurnal factor was associated with changes in surface social activity. Songs that ended within a few minutes of the most recent ping tended to be longer than songs sung during control periods. Many songs that were overlapped by pings, and songs that ended several minutes after the most recent ping, did not differ from songs sung in control periods. The longest songs were sung between 1 and 2 h after the last ping. Humpbacks responded to louder broadcasts with longer songs. The fraction of variation in song length that could be attributed to broadcast factors was low. Much of the variation in humpback song length remains unexplained.     

Acoustic detection of North Atlantic right whale contact calls using spectrogram-based statistics

This paper considers the problem of detection of contact calls produced by the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, Eubalaena glacialis. To reduce computational time, the class of acceptable detectors is constrained by the detectors implemented as a bank of two-dimensional linear FIR filters and using the data spectrogram as the input. The closed form representations for the detectors are derived and the detection performance is compared with that of the generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) detector. The test results demonstrate that in the presence of impulsive noise, the spectrogram-based detector using the French hat wavelet as the filter kernel outperforms the GLRT detector and decreases computational time by a factor of 6.     

Acoustic detection of North Atlantic right whale contact calls using the generalized likelihood ratio test

This paper addresses the problem of passive acoustic detection of contact calls produced by the highly endangered North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena glacialis. The proposed solution is based on using a generalized likelihood ratio test detector of polynomial-phase signals with unknown amplitude and polynomial coefficients observed in the presence of locally stationary Gaussian noise. The closed form representation for a minimal sufficient statistic is derived and a realizable detection scheme is developed. The receiver operation characteristic curves are calculated using empirical data recordings containing known right whale calls. The curves demonstrate that the proposed detector provides superior detection performance as compared with other known detection techniques for northern right whale contact calls.     

Acoustic properties of unconsolidated granular mixes

Simple empirical relations have been proposed to relate a limited number of directly measurable non-acoustic properties of an unconsolidated granular mix to its characteristic acoustic impedance and propagation constant. These properties are: characteristic particle dimension, porosity, tortuosity and the density of the grain base. It is believed that the model accounts heuristically for the mechanical friction between the elements of the rigid frame, the absorption in the frame micro-pores, and the degree of compaction. These effects can be important and are linked to the value of material density. This work presents practical applications of the proposed model for the prediction of the acoustic characteristics of hard-backed layers of loose granular mixes which can be used for acoustic absorption and insulation. It is shown that the predictions are in excellent agreement with the measured data for a representative range of loose granular mixes. A comparison of the results of the 4-parameter Attenborough model for the acoustic properties of porous media and the experimental data is made also. This model is used extensively to predict the acoustic properties of porous ground and granular media. The accuracy of this model with respect to loose granular materials is discussed.     

Acoustic properties of a human chest

A cross-spectral method for determining the longitudinal velocity of sound in the tissues of a human chest in vivo is proposed and substantiated. The method is based on the detection of a percussion stroke by two acoustic sensors positioned over opposite parts of a lung. Statistical estimates are obtained for the longitudinal velocity of sound in chest tissues (the middle part of the right lung) from a group of three men (40–47 years old) without any evident lung disorders in the frequency ranges of 80–130, 170–290, and 350–500 Hz. The adequacy of the double-resonance acoustic model of the human respiratory tract, which combines the resonance of the air volume in the human chest and the wave resonances of the bronchial tree as a narrow pipe, is experimentally verified.     

Acoustic properties of heated twin jets

A thorough experimental study of the noise characteristics of twin jets is presented in this paper. Twin round jets are investigated at typical jet engine conditions: that is, with heated high velocity flow. By varying the nozzle to nozzle spacing, it is possible to discriminate between the effects of turbulent mixing and acoustic shielding. As a result of this investigation, it was established that the turbulent mixing effects (both interaction noise generation and mixing suppression) occur for closely spaced nozzles. While acoustic shielding occurs at all nozzle spacings, it plays the dominant role at wide nozzle spacings. The levels of this acoustic shielding afforded by an adjacent jet can be sufficient to cause a nearly complete masking of the noise of the shielded jet. A significant discovery of this investigation was the importance of the layer of cooler, slower moving ambient air that exists between the twin jet plumes. This inter-jet layer causes acoustic refraction and reflection, and as the nozzle separation increases, the layer extends to shield more of the jet noise sources.     

超硬材料的声学特性

利用超声相干技术的几种不同测速方法,测量金刚石聚晶及其它一些超硬材料在室温或960℃以下温区的纵波和横波速度,以此研究这类材料的声学特性和弹性性能。     

二硼化钛陶瓷的声学性能

用超声相比较方法测量了TiB₂陶瓷样品不同方向的声速,以此计算了样品的弹性模量,并与别的作者的结果进行了比较,讨论了引起各种结果差异的原因。     

Acoustic detections of singing humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the eastern North Pacific during their northbound migration.

Numerous (84) acoustic detections of singing humpback whales were made during a spring (08 March-09 June 1997) research cruise to study sperm whales in the central and eastern North Pacific. Over 15,000 km of track-line was surveyed acoustically using a towed hydrophone array. Additionally, 83 sonobuoys were deployed throughout the study area. Detection rates were greatest in late March, near the Hawaiian Islands, and in early April, northeast of the islands. Only one detection was made after April. Detection rates for sonobuoys were unequal in three equally divided longitudinal regions of the study area. Two high density clusters of detections occurred approximately 1200-2000 km northeast of the Hawaiian Islands and were attributed to a large aggregation of migrating animals. The distribution of these detections corroborates findings of previous studies. It is possible that these animals were maintaining acoustic contact during migration. Two unexpected clusters of singing whales were detected approximately 900 to 1000 km west of central and southern California. The location of these detections may indicate a previously undocumented migration route between an offshore breeding area, such as the Revillagigedo Islands, Mexico, and possible feeding areas in the western North Pacific or Bering Sea.     

径向声子晶体隔声特性*

该文构造了由两种匀质材料交替分布的径向声子晶体柱壳模型。首先,针对声波在其中的轴对称传播情况进行了理论分析,建立了声波由内向外传播的传递矩阵,进而导出了声压透射系数和隔声量表达式。采用数值分析的方法系统地讨论了径向声子晶体柱壳的隔声特性,并与单一材质柱壳的传播规律进行对比分析,其次,借助有限元仿真分析的手段对数值结果进行了验证。最后,详细分析了内外流体的特性阻抗对径向声子晶体柱壳隔声特性的影响,得到了相应的参数影响规律。研究表明,径向声子晶体柱壳存在声波带隙,导致其在带隙范围内的隔声效果远远优于单材质柱壳,并且该结构的固有特性突破了质量定律的限制;声波带隙内表面局域态现象出现与否由内外声场和结构场共同决定。     

Acoustic and acoustoelectronic properties of carbon nanotube films

The effect of spontaneous nanotube doping by substrate atoms was discovered using acoustic resonator microwave spectroscopy. The acoustoelectric effect involving surface acoustic waves was observed in nanotube films. The possibility of using nanotube films for efficient acoustic-wave excitation in solids by electrostriction was analyzed.     

Acoustic and dynamic mechanical properties of a polyurethane rubber

Acoustical and dynamic mechanical measurements were carried out on a commercial polyurethane rubber, DeSoto PR1547. The sound speed and attenuation were measured over the range from 12.5 to 75 kHz and 3.9 to 33.6 degrees C. Shear modulus was measured from 10(-4) to 2 Hz and -36 to 34 degrees C. The peak heights of the shear loss tangent varied with temperature, demonstrating thermorheological complexity. At higher temperatures, time-temperature superpositioning could be applied, with the shift factors following the Williams-Landel-Ferry equation. From the combined acoustical and mechanical measurements, values for the dynamic bulk modulus were determined. Moreover, superposition of the bulk modulus data was achieved using the shift factors determined from the dynamic mechanical shear measurements. Finally, this work illustrates the capability and the working rules of acoustical measurements in a small tank.     

Acoustic properties of organic powders as ultrasonic contrast agents

The results of experiments on measuring attenuation and the effective acoustic nonlinear parameter of the second order are given for a suspension of cocoa-powder in water at different concentrations of the suspension. In the process of evaluating the value of the nonlinear parameter the attenuation in the suspension and generation of the second harmonic not only in the suspension but also in water are taken into account. The obtained results are evidence of the possibility of using a suspension of cocoa-powder in water as a technical substitute for ultrasonic contrast agents. The values of attenuation (up to 60 m⁻¹ at the concentration of 1 g of the powder per 1 l of water) and the nonlinear parameter (up to 120 m⁻¹ at the same concentration) mean that the suspension of cocoa-powder in water has smaller attenuation and the nonlinear parameter than ultrasonic contrast agents at the same concentration. However, these values for the suspension differ considerably from corresponding values for water or blood and, therefore, a suspension of cocoa-powder in water is a promising “substitute” for ultrasonic contrast agents in the case of technical testing of systems for nonlinear tomography of a blood flow, but cannot replace them in medical studies.     

重塑砂质含气沉积物的声响应特性与模型预测分析

海洋沉积物中气泡的存在对沉积物的声学特性有显著影响。为实现在实验室内对不同初始应力条件下含气沉积物的声学特性测量,研制了一套可用于土工三轴仪的双探针声学测量系统,基于CT扫描试验获得重塑含气砂样品中气泡群的尺寸分布,确定其共振频率范围。试验结果表明:细砂沉积物声速随气体含量的增加呈指数型降低,衰减系数随气体含量的增加呈指数递增,初始应力的增加会导致沉积物声速变快,声衰减变小。沉积物中气体含量0%～1.18%,测量频率250 kHz,有效围压100 kPa时,声速为1745～976 m/s,衰减系数为57～224 dB/m;有效围压200 kPa时,声速为1773～1011 m/s,衰减系数为41～192 dB/m。利用已建立的含气沉积物声学模型对试验结果进行预测对比,分析表明含气沉积物的声学模型除需考虑气泡的赋存状态和声波在沉积物固、液、气中的界面反射外,还需考虑沉积物所处的原位应力条件。