Tone Characteristics Research Articles

Sound quality evaluation of small fan noise by tonal components

As Covod-19 has made online meetings from home offices the norm, the noise from small fans installed in information devices has increasingly become a factor disrupting a comfortable environment. In addition, as global warming accelerates, the use of new small fans called wearable fans has expanded, and the distance between small fans and humans has become even closer. In this study, we investigated whether T-TNR and T-PR, which are two methods for evaluating the tone characteristics of small fans, can be applied to the noise of projectors and wearable fans. We investigated a method for selecting dominant components and searched for a method for determining the harshness threshold using T-TNR and T-TPR.

INFORMING THROUGH HISTORY: ARTICLES ABOUT ISHAN-MULLAHS IN THE SOVIET PRESS AS A TOOL FOR TEACHING STUDENTS

The article analyzes the social portrait of religious figures represented in Kazakh periodicals of the Soviet period. Special attention is paid to the coverage of these figures in the newspaper “Kazakh” and the comparison with the derogatory tone characteristic of the newspaper “Ak zhol”. The emphasis is placed on the importance of accurately documenting the fate of the khojas, mullahs, Islamists and pilgrims who became victims of Soviet power repression, as well as their role in the resistance in conditions of political upheaval.The position of the newspaper "Ak zhol" and the national intelligentsia on these issues was also evaluated. Since Kazakhstan is a secular and multi-confessional state that values peaceful coexistence and religious stability, understanding the historical context through the press is important for the development of national science and education.The article emphasizes the need to preserve and disseminate information about these historical figures in order to promotea deeper understanding of religious and cultural dynamics. In conclusion, it is noted that the work on restoring historical justice and researching the repressions of the past contributes to strengthening identity and national memory, which is key to the formation of a conscious and informed society, including young generation.

Biomechanical Profile after Dry Needling in Mixed Martial Arts.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of dry needling (DN) intervention on the responses of muscle tone, stiffness, and elasticity, as well as power, pressure pain thresholds, and blood perfusion of the flexor carpi radialis muscle in mixed martial arts (MMA) athletes. Thirty-two trained/developmental men MMA fighters (25.5±4.5 years; 24.5±3 body mass index) participated in a randomized crossover study. Participants underwent a single intervention, receiving both DN and placebo. Laser Doppler flowmetry measured blood perfusion, while a myotonometer assessed the mechanical characteristics of muscle tone, stiffness, and elasticity of the flexor carpi radialis muscle. Pressure pain thresholds (PPT) were measured using an algometer, and maximal forearm muscle force was measured using a hand dynamometer. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, immediately after, and 24 hours and 48 hours post-intervention. A two-way repeated-measures ANOVA revealed significant Intervention*Time interaction for all outcomes: perfusion unit (p<0.001), muscle tone (p<0.001), stiffness (p<0.001), elasticity (p<0.001), PPT (p<0.001) and maximal forearm muscle force (p<0.001). The current study suggests that a single session of DN enhances muscle recovery, increases muscle strength, and improved PPT in MMA athletes. These positive adaptations appear to last up to 48 hours in some variables.

Wolf Tones and Humidity in Violins

This paper attempts to, perhaps for the first time in this type of studies, quantitatively evaluate the severeness (as defined in this paper) of the undesired wolf tones on a violin as the surrounding humidity changes. The severity of the wolf tones was evaluated by a skilled violinist under various humidity conditions. It was found that a total duration and frequency of occurrence of wolf tones during a set period time are largest around 50% humidity, a humidity at which violins are recommended to be maintained for optimizing the projection across the entire register of the instrument, whereas other characteristics of the wolf tones, such as modulation index and the period, did not exhibit significant changes over the humidity change. When the humidity deviates from 50%, the total durations and the occurrence frequency of the wolf tones both diminishes. On the other hand, the amplitude (i.e. volume) of the wolf tones are larger on the lower humidity and the higher humidity ends, and was smallest around 50% humidity. These findings may shed new light on the traditional theories and analysis of wolf tones as well as on evaluations of various wolf tones elimination methodologies. It was also found that although the evaluation method involved some subjectivity, this way of evaluating the wolf tones had consistency and a good degree of reliability, paving a new way to quantify the wolf tones.

Анализ эффективности нового способа выявления ахроматопсии

Aim: to assess the efficacy of a novel method for diagnosing achromatopsia. Patients and Methods: twenty patients with congenital achromatopsia established by genetic testing were enrolled. Sixteen (80%) patients were diagnosed with mutations in the CNGB3 gene and 4 (20%) patients were diagnosed with mutations in the CNGA3 gene. The control group 1 (with eye diseases) included 37 patients with congenital optic atrophy and 5 patients with oculocutaneous albinism. The control group 2 (without eye diseases) included 40 individuals. At the initial stage of the study, we compared the perception of brightness of chromatic and achromatic images in patients with achromatopsia. To this end, we employed our own images with specific characteristics of color tone, lightness (brightness), and saturation. The results of the first phase have demonstrated that for most patients with achromatop-sia, the lightest and least distinguishable images on a white background are blue. In light of this, we developed tests to detect achromatopsia (tests #1 and #2). Each test comprises four gray silhouette images (with a lightness of 80% for test #1 and 50% for test #2) and four blue images (R0/ G255/B255). For the blue images, saturation is maximal (S 100%) in both tests, while luminosity is L 80% for test #1 and L 50% for test #2. Results: all individuals in the control group 2, patients with optic atrophy and oculocutaneous albinism, were able to see all blue and gray images of both tests and easily identified the blue images corresponding to the gray (achromatic) ones. In the first test, 95% of patients with achromatopsia (n=19) were unable to see blue images or distinguish their shape from gray images. In contrast, all patients were able to distinguish the shape of gray images of the same lightness and specify them. In test #2 (L 50%), the majority of patients (n=13, 65%) exhibited difficulties with the shape of blue images. The remaining seven patients (35%) demonstrated the ability to name blue images and match them to gray images. Two of them were diagnosed with mutations in the CNGA3 gene, while five of them were diagnosed with mutations in the CNGB3 gene. Therefore, the cone system disorder in these patients was less severe than in the others. Conclusion: the achromatopsia test, developed on the basis of comparative analysis of perceived luminosity of chromatic and achromatic images, is simple and accessible. This test provides preliminary differential diagnosis with other eye diseases and determines the most appropriate strategy of further examinations to establish the diagnosis. KEYWORDS: achromatopsia, color vision, method to diagnose achromatopsia, color per-ception abnormality, monochromacy, color vision deficiency, color disfunction. FOR CITATION: Sukhanova N.V., Rychkova S.I., Likhvantseva V.G., Sandimirov R.I., Kadyshev V.V., Zinchenko R.A. Analyzing the efficacy of a novel method for detecting achromatopsia. Russian Journal of Clinical Ophthalmology. 2024;24(2):49–54 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.32364/2311- 7729-2024-24-2-1.

Investigation for recent trend of the extraordinary tonal sounds observed from landing aircraft and its influence on noise evaluation

We have been investigating the extraordinary tonal sound emitted from landing aircraft for some time. The extraordinary tonal sound has the characteristics of pure tones with a prominent specific frequency and has a short duration and a prominent level fluctuation. The results of a study conducted at Narita Airport about 15 years ago showed that the incidence was high for the B777, the most advanced aircraft type at the time. It was also found to have a little effect on WECPNL, the aircraft noise rating at the time, and the degree of influence was small. Some of these extraordinary tonal sounds existed differently than they did 15 years ago, which could be confirmed by the latest GTF-engine-equipped aircraft. Furthermore, in Japan, the aircraft noise evaluation index has changed from WECPNL to Lden compared to 15 years ago. In this study, based on the results of surveys conducted at several airports in Japan, we report on the current situation in which the aircraft type composition has changed, and we again examined the actual occurrence of this extraordinary tonal sound and its impact on the evaluated amount of aircraft noise.

Pilot study on evaluation indices for aircraft noise considering sound quality

In Japan, Lden is currently used as an evaluation index for aircraft noise. It is based on the A-weighted sound pressure. It evaluates differences in noise loudness, but it does not necessarily take into account differences due to changes in sound quality. Over the past several decades, single event of aircraft noise has been significantly reduced. As a result, we have experienced a change from the "noisy" sound quality of the old generation jets to the "soft" sound quality of the recent aircrafts. Has the sound quality really improved, and has its improvement been evaluated? On the other hand, since the 2000's, we have sometimes experienced hearing the extraordinary tonal sounds from landing aircraft. It has the characteristics of pure tonal tone with 250-500 Hz and has a short duration and a prominent level fluctuation. Doessuch a sudden tonality change, which is also negatively perceived, not affect the evaluation? This paper describes the results of trial calculation in order to examine the possibility of evaluating aircraft noise considering its sound quality, based on several indices such as EPNL, loudness, sharpness, and Tonal Audibility (TA), in addition to the A-weighted noise (LAmax, LEA), and its comparative verification including differences in aircraft generations.

The construction of English ecological discourse system in cognitive linguistics applicable to semantic association network model

Abstract Based on the features and knowledge elements of the semantic network, this paper proposes a formal model of the semantic network of English ecological discourse and constructs an abstract description based on classification learners and reduced operation commands. In the formal description, the semantic features are extracted based on the sequence model, the text composition is completed based on the word relationship for the adaptive semantic network, and the hierarchical structure of the semantic network is constructed. By selecting English ecological news discourse data from mainstream news media in the United Kingdom and the United States and combining it with the adaptive semantic network, the subject of the discourse system is determined, and the characteristics of the title tone and modal verbs are analyzed. English ecological discourse has 115,000 modal verbs. Low-modal verbs reached 993,000, and high-modal verbs accounted for the smallest proportion, 516,000. The ecological characteristics of English news are revealed through the ecological discourse analysis of this paper.

Increasing Hearing Readiness Using Boothless Audiometry

ABSTRACT Introduction U.S. Army regulations require all soldiers to undergo annual audiometric testing to maintain hearing readiness. The standard method of monitoring hearing in the DoD is via multi-person testing in sound-treated booths using the Defense Occupational and Environmental Health Readiness System—Hearing Conservation. COVID-19 significantly hindered the standard method, resulting in alarming declines in hearing readiness. In response, the Army Hearing Program initiated a pilot program to use boothless audiometers to supplement standard methods to increase hearing readiness. Materials and Methods Funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act was used to purchase 169 boothless audiometers and increase staffing at dozens of Army Hearing Program clinics. Standard operating procedures were established for audiometric testing outside the booth using a process matching standard test parameters (i.e., test frequencies, tone characteristics, and interstimulus intervals). Additional capabilities developed to leverage this new technology during the annual hearing exam include the administration of automated contralateral masking, enhanced tinnitus screening, and hearing health education and training. Results Monitoring audiometry using boothless audiometers has been conducted for nearly 12,000 service members worldwide. Thresholds obtained via boothless audiometers are comparable to follow-up thresholds obtained from the standard test methods in the booth (mean difference 95% CI, −1.2, 0.9), and hearing readiness has returned to pre-pandemic levels at installations where this novel technology is being used regularly. Conclusions Significant reductions in patient encounters as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic have led to innovative solutions leveraging boothless audiometers. While this has aided the primary mission to maintain a medically ready force, innovations from this endeavor highlight several additional improvements relative to current standards of care that should be considered for permanent inclusion in DoD Hearing Conservation Programs.

Emotional brand communication on social media to foster financial well-being

Through the lens of the emotional contagion theory, it is argued in this paper that retail banks’ brand communication strategies must enhance customers’ financial well-being in a bid to foster more engagement and create more trust. Financial well-being is even more important when customers experience hard economic times, as was the case during the period under review. To engage emotionally with customers in a digital environment devoid of real interaction, retail banks must be more aware of their emotional tone on social media by implementing a brand communication strategy that is more empathetic. Adopting an inductive qualitative research approach, this study assessed the emotional tone most evident in the Twitter corpora of seven South African retail banks’ social media brand communication during a pandemic, from a financial content marketing perspective. These banks were selected because they supply banking services to the general public, as opposed to corporations or other banks. In doing so, several data analysis tools were used to understand the context and the emotional tone characteristics embedded in the corpus, namely linguistic inquiry and word count, NVivo, and the social media analytics tool, Mention. While the retail banks’ financial content marketing initiatives focused on educating consumers about the banks’ products and services and how these may assist them to accomplish their financial objectives, the banks did so with an empathic approach and a positive emotional tone. This study contributes to the literature by highlighting the need for financial brands, particularly retail banks, to focus on a positive emotional tone in their social media brand communication strategies to enhance customers’ financial well-being, especially in developing countries. The findings also accentuate importance of understanding emotional contagion for effective financial content marketing.

Visual Misrepresentations: The Lack of Skin Tone and Sex Equity in General Surgical Textbooks

Lack of racial and ethnic diversity in educational material contributes to health disparities. This study sought to determine if images of skin color and sex in general surgery textbooks were reflective of the U.S. All human figures with discernable sex characteristics and/or skin tone were evaluated independently by 4 coders. Each image was categorized as male or female. Skin tone in each image was categorized using the Massey- Martin skin color scale. This data was compared to 2020 U.S. Census Data. U.S. Medical School. Not applicable. A total of 1179 images were evaluated for skin tone alone; 293 images for sex alone. 650 images depicted characteristics of both sex and skin tone. Interrater reliability was 0.78 for skin tone and 0.91 for sex. While the U.S. population is 59.3% white, 29.5% non-black persons of color and 13.6% black, in surgical textbooks, 90.7% of images were white, 6.5% were non-black persons of color, and 2.8% were black. Distribution of skin tone for all textbooks were significantly different. (p < 0.001) compared to the U.S. The U.S. population is 49.5% male and 50.5% female. When images of sex specific genitalia and breasts are excluded, surgical textbook images are 62.9% male and 37.1% female. Only 1 textbook had a distribution of sex that was similar to the U.S. Despite increasing diversity in the U.S. population there is a lack of skin tone and sex diversity in traditional surgical textbooks.

An acoustic study of Cantonese alaryngeal speech in different speaking conditions.

Esophageal (ES) speech, tracheoesophageal (TE) speech, and the electrolarynx (EL) are common methods of communication following the removal of the larynx. Our recent study demonstrated that intelligibility may increase for Cantonese alaryngeal speakers using clear speech (CS) compared to their everyday "habitual speech" (HS), but the reasoning is still unclear [Hui, Cox, Huang, Chen, and Ng (2022). Folia Phoniatr. Logop. 74, 103-111]. The purpose of this study was to assess the acoustic characteristics of vowels and tones produced by Cantonese alaryngeal speakers using HS and CS. Thirty-one alaryngeal speakers (9 EL, 10 ES, and 12 TE speakers) read The North Wind and the Sun passage in HS and CS. Vowel formants, vowel space area (VSA), speaking rate, pitch, and intensity were examined, and their relationship to intelligibility were evaluated. Statistical models suggest that larger VSAs significantly improved intelligibility, but slower speaking rate did not. Vowel and tonal contrasts did not differ between HS and CS for all three groups, but the amount of information encoded in fundamental frequency and intensity differences between high and low tones positively correlated with intelligibility for TE and ES groups, respectively. Continued research is needed to understand the effects of different speaking conditions toward improving acoustic and perceptual characteristics of Cantonese alaryngeal speech.

Attenuation characteristics of tones and vibrations in guitars with nylon, fluorocarbon, and phosphor bronze strings pressed down against fret

Attenuation characteristics of tones and vibrations in guitars with nylon, fluorocarbon, and phosphor bronze strings pressed down against fret

북한 민요 5음음계 조식확장 양상에 관한 연구

The North Korean folk Music is characterized by the pentatonic scale, which is made up of the five tones of gong (C), shang (D), jue (E), zhi (G), and yu (A).&#x0D; There are five corresponding modes in it: gong mode, shang mode, jue mode, zhi mode and yu mode. It contains a unique 'sigimsae' (decorative expressions) and and exhibits a unique style. Given the researches on the pentatonic scale modes in the North Korean folk Music from 1950 to 2000, it is divided into studies on structural characteristics and types of the modes based on 'pyongjo three-tone serial' and 'gemyongjo three-tone serial' and studies on the mode expansion.&#x0D; Among those, the researches on the mode expansion are generally based on Hwang Min-myung's theory.&#x0D; This study examines the theoretical background and formation process of the pentatonic scale modes in the North Korean folk songs and analyzes the structure and tone characteristics between 'basic scale modes' and 'expanded scale modes', which have not yet been studied by the theory of expansion of the pentatonic scale modes in folk songs. Furthere, it seeks theoretical study on the modal development, aspects of modulation, and aspects of modal change in the same serial of extended scale modes. Therefore, this studycomposes the mode scales based on Hwang Min-myung's theory of the expansion of the pentatonic scale modes and divides the corresponding extended modes into 9 types. Among them, it is found that 'same serial modulation' and 'same tonic-note modulation' are made between scale modes due to the characteristics of 'same serials' and 'same scale modes' that appear in modes and extended scale modes in accordance to the alternative notes such as B, Bb, C#, Eb, F, and F#.&#x0D; This study aims to suggest the possibility of the development of the pentatonic scale modes in the Korean folk music. Therefore, it is expected that research on the pentatonic scale modes in Korea and other countries around the world will serve as a theoretical foundation for the creation of music by presenting the direction of research results that strengthen the basic frame of theory.

Effects of structural elasticity on the flow-induced cavity tone in water

Measurement of the flow-induced tones of cavities with three different structural elasticity was conducted in the water tunnel. The frequency and amplitude of the cavity tones varied with the water flow velocity are present and discussed. In addition, the modal jump phenomenon of flow-induced cavities for both elastic cavities and rigid cavities is compared and discussed. The influence law of structural elasticity on the characteristics of flow-induced tones in water cavities in the amplitude-frequency domain is analyzed.

Abdominal and lower extremity muscles activity and thickness in typically developing children and children with developmental delay.

We investigated abdominal and lower extremity muscle activity and thickness in typically developing children and children with developmental delays. A total of 35 children participated: typically developing peers (n=13), children with hypotonia (n=10), and children with spasticity (n=12). Muscle activity and thickness were measured at rest and during activity. Electromyography was used to measure abdominal and lower extremity muscle activities, and abdominal muscle thickness was measured using ultrasonography. There was a significant difference between the groups in the activity of the rectus abdominis and quadriceps muscles at rest and during activity (P<0.05). There was a significant difference between the groups in the thickness of the external oblique and transversus abdominis muscles during activity (P<0.05). There was a significant difference between the groups in the thickness of the external oblique and internal oblique muscles in the sitting position (P<0.05). Therefore, the characteristics of muscle tone should be considered when applying interventions to children with developmental delay.

Synchronic Variation and Diachronic Evolution of Tone Patterns in Kunming Dialect

An acoustic experiment was conducted to analyze the tonal patterns of single characters in the Kunming dialect. The experimental results show that the Kunming dialect has a semi-high flat tone for the first tone, a low descending tone for the second tone, a high descending tone for the third tone, and a low tone for the fourth tone. The first and third tones are both high, while the second and fourth are both low tones, as opposed to the tonal patterns of "flat" and "low". The newer Kunming dialects show variation. The first tone starts and ends at a higher level, the third tone's bent section disappears, and the fourth tone starts and ends at a lower level, with a shorter tone duration. The variation in tone pattern starts in the middle-aged group in the old urban, and the degree of variation is female &gt; male, old urban &gt; old suburban, and the youth and middle-aged group &gt; senior group, respectively. The female tone pattern has more similar vocal tone characteristics to those in the middle-aged and youth groups.

A cross-sectional study of Chinese women facial skin status with environmental factors and individual lifestyles

Geographical, environmental and pollution conditions affect facial skin health, but their effects on skin appearance have not been elucidated. This study aimed to describe the skin barrier and skin tone characteristics of Chinese subjects according to lifestyle and environmental conditions using in vitro measurements. In total, 1092 women aged 22–42 years were recruited from 7 representative Chinese cities. Eight skin parameters (hydration, sebum, pH, transdermal water loss, individual type angle, melanin index, erythema index, yellowness) were measured using noninvasive instruments; individual lifestyle data were also collected. Data on four meteorological factors (air temperature, relative humidity, sunshine duration, wind speed) and seven air pollution indicators (air quality index, fine particulate matter, breathable particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone) were collected in each city from the China Meteorological Administration. Facial skin characteristics differed significantly between cities. Facial skin barrier characteristics and skin tones showed regional differences, with a better skin barrier associated with the western region, as indicated by high skin hydration and sebum secretion and a low pH value. According to the value of transdermal water loss, lighter and darker skin tones were found in the western and southern regions, respectively. Environmental conditions affected facial skin status. Air pollution induced facial skin issues, with fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide contributing the most. Individual lifestyles affected the facial skin barrier and skin tone.

An Investigation in Tone Characteristics of 3D Printed Ukulele Sound Chambers

Musical instruments, and in turn their respective sounds, have changed and developed over time with advents and advances in various manufacturing methods and technologies. In order to effectively interpret the causes of different experimental sound nuances, it becomes important to investigate them metrically in light of precedent sounds. As 3D printing technology emerges into the arena of musical instrument development, so does the need for a thorough understanding of present tools and empirical acoustic groundwork for future endeavors. For the scope of this research, three different filament types (ABS, PLA, and HIPS) were used to print soprano ukulele style resonating chambers using a TAZ 6 fused filament fabrication machine. Normalized sound samples were compared to Makanu soprano ukulele baseline using three tone metrics, drawing from MATLAB Fast Fourier transform and spectrogram functionality. The selected metrics of fullness, sustain and strength demonstrated definitive, early progress toward better understanding sound characteristics of 3D printed string instruments.

Human Skin Tone Detection

Human skin tone variation can be easily seen from person to person within the same ethnic group or different ethnic group. The skin tone is analysed by melanosome size, significant and progressive variation in size and ethnicity. In face recognition the shape of the face gets identified but background used in real time is usually complex with varying lighting conditions. Automatic skin detection has been intensively studied for human-related recognition systems. The Gaussian model for skin detection is with its generality but they lack in their accuracy. Hence we suggest a new statistical colour model for skin detection called an elliptical boundary model. Detection and tracking of human face and hands are used for gesture recognition and to handle the domain transfer problem. The elliptical boundary model overcomes the limitations of the Gaussian model with better performance based on six chrominance spaces on the face, giving a much higher correct detection ratio with faster speed. For that, we are processing with two main domains that are Full stack development which handles the frontend and backend of the application and Machine Learning algorithms which handles the detection of the skin tone. Here we are dealing with image processing techniques for input and the output will find the skin tone of that particular image that we are processing. The applications that involve skin tone detection are face detection, gesture recognition and image filtering. Hence they overcome the different illumination conditions as different domains of skin pixels. The objective of the project is to detect the skin tone from a human face image with various tone characteristics. We are detecting the basic tone differentiation (Fair, Mild or Dark).