Field Recordings Research Articles

Research review. Navigating the digital limes: Transformative practices and challenges in Classical and Mediterranean archaeology

This paper examines the profound impact of digital technology on Classical and Mediterranean archaeology, with a focus on digital field recording and infrastructures. Using the “Skeuomorphism of Practice” framework, it traces the integration of technology into our existing methodologies. The Swedish Pompeii Project is used as a case study to illustrate the adoption of 3D models into traditional archaeological practices. While highlighting the benefits, the paper also addresses the tensions between traditional and digital methods. As archaeological practices increasingly generate digital data, the role of infrastructures as collaborative hubs is emphasized. The study questions the adequacy of current pedagogy in preparing students for the digital and technological landscapes and argues for continued critical reflection on the impact of technology.

Influence of Dolphin-Watching Tourism Vessels on the Whistle Emission Pattern of Common Dolphins and Bottlenose Dolphins

Recent years have seen a notable rise in dolphin-watching boat activities along the Algarve coast in Portugal, potentially affecting the common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) and bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) local populations. This study examines the impact of increasing underwater noise levels from these boats on dolphin vocalizations. Field recordings were conducted from June to September 2022, analyzing dolphin whistles in various boat presence scenarios. The results indicate significant changes in whistle-frequency characteristics with boat presence, including increased start, low, and high frequencies, alongside a decrease in the number of inflection points in modulated whistles. The changes might negatively impact dolphin populations viability, underscoring the need for further research. Additionally, improved mitigation strategies may be necessary to reduce the potential negative effects of dolphin watching on cetacean communication and behavior in the Algarve region.

3D audio recording of complex underwater sound fields

In this study, we developed a method to capture underwater sound fields and reproduce them for human listeners, providing an immersive 3D auditory experience. We recorded the sound field with an array of four hydrophones arranged in a tetrahedral structure. The side length of the tetrahedron (around 70 cm) was a compromise between capturing accurately the low frequency pressure gradients and spatial aliasing effects at higher frequencies. Subsequently, we transformed the signals into the domain of spherical harmonics facilitating a representation as first-order Ambisonics that is independent of the recording. For playback on devices such as headphones or loudspeaker systems, we used established decoding routines that enhance the immersive audio experience with techniques such as parametric decoding and diffuse sound field equalization. During an expedition to northern Norway, we recorded the underwater soundscape in deep fjords with vocalizing killer whales and singing humpback whales. The resulting binaural renderings for headphones of these sound scenes are astonishing and sparked interest among scientist, artists and general public. This research also helps to enhance our understanding and perception of these intelligent marine mammals and their unique acoustic underwater world, ultimately aiding in better protecting them from noise pollution.

Coupling nanoscopic tomography and micromagnetic modelling to assess the stability of geomagnetic recorders

The recording of planetary magnetic fields is often attributed to uniformly-magnetised nanoscopic iron oxides, called single-domain. Yet, the main magnetic constituents of rocks are more complex, non-uniformly magnetised grains in single or multi-vortex states. We know little about their behaviour due to limitations in defining their precise shape and internal magnetic structure. Here we combine non-destructive Ptychographic X-ray Computed Nano-tomography with micromagnetic modelling to explore the magnetic stability of remanence-bearing minerals. Applied to a microscopic rock sample, we identified hundreds of nanoscopic grains of magnetite/maghemite with diverse morphologies. Energy barrier calculations were performed for these irregularly shaped grains. For some grains, these morphological irregularities near the transition from single-domain to the single-vortex state allow for multiple domain states, some unstable and unable to record the field for significant periods. Additionally, some other grains exhibit temperature-dependent occupancy probabilities, potentially hampering experiments to recover the intensity of past magnetic fields.

Flyover auralization of a blended wing body aircraft considering atmospheric turbulence effects

In the ARTEM project a novel blended wing body (BWB) long-range aircraft was designed and optimized for low-noise operation. Virtual flyovers of different BWB vehicle variants were synthesized and auralized in the AuraLab using a loudspeaker array. Prior to auralizing the novel aircraft, the applied methods were hierarchically validated by comparison with field recordings of existing jet aircraft, assessing acoustical indices, time-frequency features, perceived plausibility, and induced noise annoyance. To achieve convincing syntheses, the focus was on developing new auralization models for a realistic representation of atmospheric turbulence effects. The syntheses of the BWB obtained with the successfully validated methods were then used in psychoacoustic laboratory experiments for perception-based evaluation regarding (minimized) noise annoyance. The evaluation revealed that, while the BWB may initially be perceived as somewhat more unfamiliar, it is substantially less annoying than current tube-and-wing long-range aircraft of similar range and mission for take-offs as well as for landings.

Przemilczenia

The authors of this essay place Marcin Dymiter’s books – Field Notes (2021) and Machines for Silence (2023) – both against the background of his sound art and in the broader context of silence as one of the most important cultural topos of the 20th century. The common value of both publications is undoubtedly the attempt at an in-depth contextualization of sounds and places, but the historical paragraphs merge into reflections on contemporary sound art. This split seems to characterize the entire diction of the author, who multiplies oppositions between a “culturally noisy” present and a sonically ordered past. The author of Machines... listens to silence in an anthropocentric silence, which reduces language and sound to the role of communication tools, while the a-communicable, chaotic nature of silence – which John Cage equates with ambient sounds – recedes into the background. The titular figures of Dymiter’s books – recording and silence – are metaphors with the help of which the author conducts an anti-modern narrative; beyond their potential to evoke nostalgia for the past, do they have a bearing on the present and its most important problems? Key-words: acoustemology, silence, field recordings, soundscape

The mountain giant rat of Borneo Sundamys infraluteus (Thomas) and its relations

The genus Sundamys comprises the species Sundamys muelleri, Müller‟s rat, which is widespread in the Sundaic biogeographical subregion, and three other taxa, the mountain giant rats of Borneo S. infraluteus, Java S. maxi and Sumatra S. atchinensis. Nine additional specimens of the Borneo Mountain giant rat are reported, and one field record, adding new locations to the known range of the species in the Crocker Range, notably the vicinity of Gn. Alab, and Gn. Lumaku, Sabah, and at Pa Raye, Kalimantan Utara. Measurements of the specimens, and the first from Gn. Mulu, Sarawak, are tabulated with previously published data. Trapping results indicate that this rat is confined to an altitudinal range, 900 – 2350 m, broadly corresponding with the limits of Lower Montane Forest, especially Oak-Laurel forests, and that it occurs both in pristine habitat and in disturbed forests. The topography of the uplands of northern Borneo provides connections between all locations except Mulu, which is surrounded by lowlands. A review of palaeoecological interpretations indicates that favourable habitat for this rat was more extensive in north-western Borneo in the terminal Pleistocene, but may have been more reduced than at present during warm episodes of the Holocene. Consideration of palaeo-environments in the Sundaic subregion suggests that there may have been no genetic contact between mountain giant rats of Sumatra and Borneo during the Quaternary. Although molecular evidence is lacking, it is reasonable to treat Sundamys infraluteus, S. atchinenesis and Sundamys maxi as distinct species, arising independently by vicariant evolution from a Pliocene ancestry.

Dopamine D1 receptors activation rescues hippocampal synaptic plasticity and cognitive impairments in the MK-801 neonatal schizophrenia model

Schizophrenia is a disorder with a higher cognitive decline in early adulthood, causing impaired retention of episodic memories. However, the physiological and behavioral functions that underlie cognitive deficits with a potential mechanism to ameliorate and improve cognitive performance are unknown. In this study, we used the MK-801 neurodevelopmental schizophrenia-like model. Rats were divided into two groups: one received MK-801, and the other received saline for five consecutive days (7–11 postnatal days, PND). We evaluated synaptic plasticity late-LTP and spatial memory consolidation in early adolescence and young adulthood using extracellular field recordings in acute hippocampal slices and the Barnes maze task. Next, we examined D1 receptor (D1R) activation as a mechanism to ameliorate cognitive impairments. Our results suggest that MK-801 neonatal treatment induces impairment in late-LTP expression and deficits in spatial memory retrieval in early adolescence that is maintained until young adulthood. Furthermore, we found that activation of dopamine D1R ameliorates the impairments and promotes a robust expression of late-LTP and an improved performance in the Barnes maze task, suggesting a novel and potential therapeutic role in treating cognitive impairments in schizophrenia.

Cetacean passive acoustic network in the Belgian part of the North sea

In 2016, a design for detecting harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in the Belgian part of the North Sea (BPNS) was developed in the framework of the LifeWatch project using Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) loggers. In 2018, the network of deployments fully matured, and eight locations across the BPNS are presently housed with a C-POD (Chelonia Ltd., UK), a PAM logger moored on the seafloor using a multi-use platform. The PAM logger continuously listens for harbor porpoise click trains, but only stores the click parameters. This paper presents the generated data series of harbor porpoise click trains at a minute-resolution and the details on the individual click trains. The field recordings, methodology and processing are described, along with its data curation, integration and quality control. The data are annually published online in a standardized format, accompanied with the metadata description, and labelled with a digital object identifier for traceability. Data are published under a CC-BY license, allowing the use of data under the condition of providing reference to the original source.

Buckling prediction based on joint opening and safe temperature estimation in jointed plain concrete pavements

Concrete pavement buckling is a significant distress that disrupts traffic flow and results in costly repairs, issues that are increasingly exacerbated by global warming. Addressing these issues, this study develops a systematic framework for assessing jointed plain concrete pavement (JPCP) by integrating temperature and moisture gradients, pavement structures, and material properties into mechanical-based models for predicting buckling potential. Specifically, a two-stage analysis is developed to analyze buckling development based on the slab deformation and the slab-base interface, including joint closure assessment and upheaval buckling prediction. Through the established model, parametric studies are conducted to quantitatively identify key factors influencing buckling. Moreover, the developed models are applied to pavement sections in various climate regions and validated through comparative analysis with field data from the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) database to confirm model accuracy. Additionally, a case study using pavement buckling data from Wisconsin between 2014 and 2020 demonstrates the model's practical application. As the results, it is found that temperature increase, the percentage of incompressible materials, and the coefficient of thermal expansion are critical for joint opening changes, while the coefficient of thermal expansion, elastic modulus, and slab thickness are crucial to post-buckling performance. Regression equations are provided to estimate safe temperature increases as a recommended buckling temperature limit. Furthermore, the predicted joint opening shows reasonable alignment with joint gauge measurement in the field recordings from the LTPP database. Finally, the predicted buckling events are reasonably compared with field recordings for a Wisconsin pavement section from 2014 to 2020. In summary, by considering pavement structural parameters, material properties, and weather conditions, this comprehensive model provides a reasonable tool for predicting and mitigating JPCP buckling in different climate conditions.

Age and interpulse interval relation from newborn to adult sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) off Mauritius

Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) have been studied for decades, but the development of their clicks during the animal growth is not yet well known. The click they emit during socialization and echolocation contains information about the length of their acoustic organs and, therefore the length of the body through the interpulse interval (IPI). This paper provides the first IPI/age relationship for juvenile male and female sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) based on field recordings of individuals whose age is largely known. Across 9 years, audiovisual recordings of a Mauritian sperm whale social unit were carried out. Adult female and juvenile sperm whales were identified and aged. The dataset made from those recordings is publicly available. The interpulse interval was measured for individuals whose ages ranged from 7 days to around 38 years. The growth of the acoustic organ of juveniles showed an early inter-individual variability as well as sexual dimorphism. Usual growth models were also fitted, predicting a mean IPI∞\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$IPI_\\infty$$\\end{document} of 3.5 ms for adults and a physical maturity reached at around 30 years old. The use of passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is one of the main tools used to study sperm whales. This IPI-age relationship may aid demographic studies on sperm whales by enabling PAM to assess the ages of recorded sperm whales.

Vortex Magnetic Domain State Behavior in the Day Plot

AbstractThe ability of rocks to hold a reliable record of the ancient geomagnetic field depends on the structure and stability of magnetic domain‐states contained within constituent particles. In paleomagnetic studies, the Day plot is an easily constructed graph of magnetic hysteresis parameters that is frequently used to estimate the likely magnetic recording stability of samples. Often samples plot in the region of the Day plot attributed to so‐called pseudo‐single‐domain particles with little understanding of the implications for domain‐states or recording fidelity. Here we use micromagnetic models to explore the hysteresis parameters of magnetite particles with idealized prolate and oblate truncated‐octahedral geometries containing single domain (SD), single‐vortex and occasionally multi‐vortex states. We show that these domain states exhibit a well‐defined trend in the Day plot that extends from the SD region well into the multi‐domain region, all of which are likely to be stable remanence carriers. We suggest that although the interpretation of the Day plot and its variants might be subject to ambiguities, if the magnetic mineralogy is known, it can still provide some useful insights about paleomagnetic specimens' dominant domain state, average particle sizes and, consequently, their paleomagnetic stability.

Study of Musicality in the Recitation of Religious Hymns

Religious traditions across the globe have their unique ways of reciting sacred hymns based on different melodic structures. Whether it is the chanting of Veda mantras in Hinduism or the recitation of Salaah in Islam or the singing of psalms in Christianity, there is a melodic flow in these hymns. Hymns have their own melodic appeal that makes them stand out among various melodic compositions, regardless of their language. The objective of this paper is to study the musicality of different religious hymns by selecting a few hymns from different traditions. This paper limits its study to the musical aspects of the oral traditions of reciting sacred hymns of different religions and it attempts to explore the unique musical elements in these hymns and also offers an insight into the artistic expressions across different religious cultures, through their musical recitations. Audio samples of the hymns are collected from various sources including field recordings, online resources and interviews. The collected data is subject to musical analysis by giving notations to the selected audio samples using musical notes of the Indian system of music, analyzing tonal variations and vocal techniques, and comparing the musical features to study the similarities and distinctions. The results of the analysis include finding the musical phrases from the chanting of different hymns, listing the observed commonalities and differences, and realizing the limited scope of melody. Eventually, the study accentuates the power of the musical notes, even with limited combinations, in building an effective auditory impact. These findings have significant implications on understanding the role of music in diverse religious traditions. This in turn results in establishing the fact that music has been an integral part of religious practices which takes it beyond the level of entertainment.

Active few-shot learning for rare bioacoustic feature annotation

The collection and annotation of bioacoustic data present several challenges to researchers. Bioacoustic monitoring of rare (sparse) or cryptic species generally encounter two main issues. The cost of collecting and processing field data and a lack of labelled datasets for the target species. The detection of invasive species incursions and probability of absence testing is especially challenging due to these species having population densities at or close to zero. We present a methodology specifically designed to aid in the analysis of rare acoustic events within long-term field recordings. This approach combines a wavelet-based segmentation method that automatically extracts transient features from within-field recordings. A few-shot active learning recommender system in a human-in-the-loop process prioritises the annotation of low-certainty samples. This process combines the accuracy of human classification and the speed of computational tools to greatly reduce the presence of non-target features in field recordings. We evaluate this approach using an invasive species identification case study. This methodology achieves a test accuracy of 98.4% as well as 81.2% test accuracy using 2-shot, 2-way prototypical learning without fine-tuning, demonstrating high performance at varying data availability contexts. Active learning using low-certainty samples achieves >90% test accuracy using only 20 training samples compared to 80 samples without active learning. This approach allows users to train custom audio classification models for any application with rare features. The model can be easily exported for use in the field making real-time bioacoustic monitoring of less-vocal species a possibility. All code and data are available at https://github.com/Listening-Lab/Annotator.

Patterns of neural activity in prelimbic cortex neurons correlate with attentional behavior in the rodent continuous performance test.

Sustained attention, the ability to focus on a stimulus or task over extended periods, is crucial for higher level cognition, and is impaired in individuals diagnosed with neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, and depression. Translational tasks like the rodent continuous performance test (rCPT) can be used to study the cellular mechanisms underlying sustained attention. Accumulating evidence points to a role for the prelimbic cortex (PrL) in sustained attention, as electrophysiological single unit and local field (LFPs) recordings reflect changes in neural activity in the PrL in mice performing sustained attention tasks. While the evidence correlating PrL electrical activity with sustained attention is compelling, limitations inherent to electrophysiological recording techniques, including low sampling in single unit recordings and source ambivalence for LFPs, impede the ability to fully resolve the cellular mechanisms in the PrL that contribute to sustained attention. In vivo endoscopic calcium imaging using genetically encoded calcium sensors in behaving animals can address these questions by simultaneously recording up to hundreds of neurons at single cell resolution. Here, we used in vivo endoscopic calcium imaging to record patterns of neuronal activity in PrL neurons using the genetically encoded calcium sensor GCaMP6f in mice performing the rCPT at three timepoints requiring differing levels of cognitive demand and task proficiency. A higher proportion of PrL neurons were recruited during correct responses in sessions requiring high cognitive demand and task proficiency, and mice intercalated non-responsive-disengaged periods with responsive-engaged periods that resemble attention lapses. During disengaged periods, the correlation of calcium activity between PrL neurons was higher compared to engaged periods, suggesting a neuronal network state change during attention lapses in the PrL. Overall, these findings illustrate that cognitive demand, task proficiency, and task engagement differentially recruit activity in a subset of PrL neurons during sustained attention.

Study on the Structuring of Music for Buddhist Folk Funeral Rituals in Bijie

I think I have made an in-depth study of folk Buddhist funeral ceremony music in Bijie area, which aims to explore the origin, development, evolution of folk Buddhist funeral ceremony music in Bijie area, as well as its position and role in society and culture, and education. This study adopts a variety of research methods such as field survey, literature study, and music analysis. A large amount of musical materials were collected through field surveys and recordings of different folk Buddhist funeral ceremony music in the Bijie area. Relevant historical documents, folklore and oral history materials were also sorted out and analyzed to understand the historical origin and cultural background of funeral ceremony music. The results of the study show that the folk Buddhist funeral ceremony music in the Bijie area has a long history and a unique style. These musical compositions usually consist of elements such as Buddhist scriptures, mantras, Buddhist music and folk music, forming a unique musical form. In funeral ceremonies, these musical compositions are used to pay homage to the deceased, transcend the spirits of the dead, and protect the living, etc., and they have both religious ceremonial and social functions (ethics and morals, Buddhist education, and rituals). In addition, the study also found that folk Buddhist funeral ritual music in the Bijie area was influenced by a variety of factors during its evolution, such as regional culture, religious sects, and social change. With the development and change of society, the funeral ceremony music also evolved and innovated, gradually forming unique local characteristics. In general, the music of BiJie folk Buddhist funeral rituals is characterized by its solemnity, solemnity, sadness, and mourning, and adds a unique atmosphere to the funeral rituals through various forms of Buddhist scripture recitation, gatha and music performance, so that people are more able to feel the presentation of cultural phenomena such as memorialization and prayers for the deceased, and expectations and teachings for the living, and so on. It reveals the historical origin, cultural background and evolution process of the music of Bijie folk Buddhist funeral ceremony, and provides theoretical and practical guidance for the protection and inheritance of this unique music culture.

Isolation Journal: Remote Interactions in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the development of artistic collaboration during the global lockdown, related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The art work under study involves the author’s practices of ecological sound art and intercultural collaboration in collaboration with Canadian composer and improviser John Oliver. A primary outcome of this work was the album Isolation Journal, released in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic. One feature of Isolation Journal was how it revisited site-specific recordings made in Vietnam, on the countryside north of Hanoi, for an installation made by Östersjö in collaboration with Nguyễn Thanh Thủy and Matthew Sansom [Östersjö, Stefan, and Thanh Thủy Nguyễn. 2016. “The Sounds of Hanoi and the After-Image of the Homeland.” Journal of Sonic Studies 12. https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/246523/246546]. Through remote interactions, and by building a complex sampler instrument using Östersjö's recordings of Aeolian đàn đáy, a traditional Vietnamese lute, as well as field recordings from the site, Oliver and Östersjö created the album Isolation Journal through remote interaction. This in turn became a fundamental building block when the author's Vietnamese/Swedish group The Six Tones took the initiative to develop a scene for telematic performance at Manzi Art Space in Hanoi. This series started out with a concert with John Oliver, The Six Tones and guest performers from Hanoi in July 2020. Building on audio and video documentation, as well as on qualitative interviews with the participating co-performers, an analysis of the emergence of discursive voice [Gorton, David, and Stefan Östersjö. 2019. “Austerity Measures I: Performing the Discursive Voice.” In Voices, Bodies, Practices: Performing Musical Subjectivities, edited by Catherine Laws, William Brooks, David Gorton, Nguyễn Thanh Thủy, Stefan Östersjö, and Jeremy J. Wells, 29–79. Orpheus Institute Series. Leuven: Leuven University Press] is drawn from these two internally linked artistic projects. The paper develops the analytical framework of tele-copresence, a synthesis of the contrasting concepts of telepresence and copresence, as a means for analysing the virtual presence which emerges through such remote musical interaction.

Sonic Gathering Place: implementation of a biophilic soundscape design and its evaluation

The Sonic Gathering Place (SGP) is a prototype urban furniture installation that uses sound design to enhance the biophilic effects of plants. It uses field recordings from four different biomes in South-Eastern Australia mixed with plants that are representative of those biomes. The SGP has a circular seating structure comprising four integrated planter boxes, each with a single speaker. Nature-based field recordings play through the four-speaker array to create an immersive audio playback experience, though without masking the existing acoustic environment of the installation site. This paper focuses, as practice-led research, on the design process of the installation that encompasses four disciplinary approaches: soundscape design, biophilic design, field recording and urban furniture. Innovatively, it then reports a quantitative survey of the user’s experience of the SGP that hones understanding of human response to the design. Measured user-responses to the SGP, collected through a smartphone-based questionnaire, were overwhelmingly affirmative of the design, including a positive change in self-reported mood resulting from the visit to the SGP. These responses were observed with introduced sound levels set only marginally louder than sound levels that existed before the installation. The results signal a wider role that biophilic sound installations might play in urban landscape design.

Wspólnota dźwięków – wspólnotą kultury. Dźwięk w sytuacjach społecznych

This paper proposes a look at the community of culture from the viewpoint of the community of sounds, which is its immanent part. The sound environment is a significant element which builds a feeling of national, local, group, generational, and other affiliation and identity. Sounds may function as symbols, be a part of rituals, and carry values. Treating the audiosphere as an indicator of a community opens us to a new dimension of reflecting on the meaning of the sound landscape, understood, after R. M. Schafer, as the whole or a part of the sound environment with its perceptual, social, and historical-social context. Sound is the reflection of social organization systems created by people; therefore, social changes are reflected in the sound environment. In the analysis of this issue, I have used field recordings and their descriptions made by pedagogy students from the University of Lodz. The students’ observations confirm that it is worth reflecting on the sound in the ocularcentric world, which seems more than before dominated by sight, considered a sense of distancing by Wolfgang Welsch.

Low-loss nodeless hollow-core anti-resonant soft glass fiber for the 4 µm mid-infrared spectral range

Infrared soft glass hollow-core anti-resonant fibers (HC-ARF) with low loss, excellent mode purity, and robust high-power transmission capabilities have vast potential in mid-infrared high-power laser transmission and biomedical fields. Despite this, the fabrication of these fibers still faces formidable challenges, coupled with an incomplete understanding of the transmission characteristics, thereby amplifying the value of further exploration. In this paper, we fabricate a six-cell nodeless infrared HC-ARF originating from purified sulfide glass, synthesized using a meticulous “stack-and-draw” method and dual-gas-path pressure control method. Notably, we experimentally validate the theoretical performance expectations of this fiber. The fiber exhibits outstanding transmission capabilities and optical transmission quality, characterized by a recorded loss of 0.56 dB/m at 4.79 µm. This is already comparable to traditional step-index sulfide fibers, fully demonstrating its tremendous research value and application potential. Our work has successfully fabricated the lowest loss anti-resonant fiber on record in the mid-infrared field, propelling the development of sulfide HC-ARFs into a new phase and laying a solid foundation for the realization of fiber applications in laser transmission and the biomedical field.