High Frequency Sounds Research Articles

Localization of Low- and High-Frequency Sounds in Cochlear Implant Recipients Using a Contralateral Hearing Aid.

The ability to localize sounds is partly recovered in patients using a cochlear implant (CI) in one ear and a hearing aid (HA) on the contralateral side. Binaural processing seems effective at least to some extent, despite the difference between electric and acoustic stimulation in each ear. To obtain further insights into the mechanisms of binaural hearing in these listeners, localization of low- and high-frequency sounds was tested. The study used a within-subject design, where participants were tasked with localizing sound sources in the horizontal plane. The experiment was conducted in an anechoic chamber, where an array of seven loudspeakers was mounted along the 24 azimuthal angle span from -90° to +90°. Stimuli were applied with different frequencies: broadband noise and high- and low-frequency noise. Ten CI recipients participated in the study. All had an asymmetric hearing loss with a CI in the poorer ear and an HA on the contralateral side. Accuracy of sound localization in terms of angular error and percentage of correct localization scores. The median angular error was 40° in bimodal conditions for both broadband noise and high-frequency noise stimuli. The angular error increased to 47° for low-frequency noise stimuli. In the unilaterally aided condition with an HA, only a median angular error of 78° was observed. Irrespective of the frequency composition of the stimuli, this group of bimodal listeners showed some ability to localize sounds. Angular errors were larger than those reported in the literature for bilateral CI users or single-sided deaf listeners with a CI. In the unilateral listening condition with HA, only localization of sounds was not possible for most subjects.

Spectral and temporal resolution in listeners with age-dependent hearing loss

Two basic mechanisms perform the frequency analysis of sounds: (i) the spectral mechanism presented by a bank of frequency-tuned filters and (ii) The temporal mechanism that uses the temporal structure of the signal. The temporal structure manifests in the autocorrelation function. The roles of the spectral and temporal mechanisms in the age-dependent hearing loss were investigated using rippled-spectrum signals. It has been shown previously that discrimination of two rippled signals with different positions of ripples at the frequency scale is mostly performed the spectral processing; for discrimination between a rippled and “flat” signal, the temporal processing dominated. In cases of hearing loss, the decrease of the acuteness of frequency-tuned cochlear filters resulted in reduction of the ripple-pattern resolution by the spectral mechanism. This effect did not influence the capabilities of the temporal mechanism. However, listeners with the age-dependenthearing loss did not perceive high sound frequencies. High frequencies were more favorable for temporal processing, so the inability to perceive these frequencies negatively influenced the ripple resolution. Thus, resolution of rippled signals may reduce at any discrimination task; however, the mechanisms of the reduction differed depending on the task. [Work supported by The Russian Science Foundation, Grant 23-25-00148.]

Creating luxury brand names in the hospitality and tourism sector: The role of sound symbolism in destination branding

Service firms can use sensory cues to provide a perception of luxury in terms of quality and service. In the area of destination branding, brand names are one of the core elements of brands that help communicate their image to a consumer in the hospitality and tourism sector. Psycholinguistics research demonstrates that linguistic cues embedded within brand names can be used to convey the image of a brand. Relying on the latest literature on psycholinguistics, branding, and hospitality services, the present study investigates the sounds and/or letters present in fictional brand names that may enhance their perception of luxury. The results demonstrate that higher-frequency sounds (e.g., i, e, f, s, v, z) appear to increase the perception of luxury brands more than lower-frequency sounds (e.g., u, o, b, d, g). Among various speech sounds, the letter v in names also increases the intention to visit luxury hospitality services (restaurants, hotels). These findings demonstrate how brands in the hospitality and tourism sectors can use certain linguistic features to signal their perception of luxury to tourists.

Control and Manipulate Fluid Movement

Water can be propelled from one end of a ship/Boat to the other by using a high sound frequency and leveraging the Mpemba effect. The boat May Move across the water in a sea or river without burning fuel because to this displacement of water beneath the vessel in the opposite direction, which creates a forward buoyant force.

CASPER: Covert Channel Using Internal Speakers

In recent years, researchers have studied various methods for transferring data in a network-separated environment, and the most representative method is the use of inaudible frequency signals like ultrasonic waves. This method has the advantage of being able to transfer data without other people noticing, but it has the disadvantage that speakers must exist. In a laboratory or company, external speakers may not be attached to each computer. Therefore, this paper presents a new covert channel attack that transfers data using internal speakers on the computer's motherboard. The internal speaker can also produce a sound of the desired frequency, and, therefore, data can be transferred using high frequency sounds. We encode data into Morse code or binary code and transfer it. Then we record it using a smartphone. At this time, the location of the smartphone can be any distance within 1.5 m when the length per bit is longer than 50 ms, such as on the computer body or on the desk. Data are obtained by analyzing the recorded file. Our results show that data is transferred from a network-separated computer using an internal speaker with 20 bits/s in maximum.

An investigation on source identification of very high frequency sounds radiated from home appliances around us.

We investigated the azimuth angle characteristics of head related transfer function (HRTF) at very high frequency region using two kinds of head and torso simulators (HATS). In the measurement of hearing thresholds, there are two ways using a headphone or a loudspeaker. In general, it will be carried out using a loudspeaker because sound pressure calibration and measurement are simple. However, the hearing threshold which measured using a loudspeaker at very high frequency region may contain some errors because sound pressure level (SPL) reaching the ear are seriously affected by a small movement of the head. Also, the SPL near the pinna seriously depends on both shapes of a pinna and a head because excess attenuation by diffraction of VHF sound is very large. To provide assurance for the accuracy measurement of hearing threshold, it is important to make clear the relationship between the SPL and shape of head and/or ear. In this paper, we reported the HRTFs calculated from the SPLs measured at three different positions of left ear - a tragus, an auricle and an eardrum and discussed the influence of head and/or ear of HATS from the azimuth angle characteristics of these HRTFs.

A Preliminary Exploration of the Effects of Different Sound Types on the Behavior of Melopsittacus undulates (Budgerigar)

Objective: To explore the effects of different sound types (including different species, frequencies, and volumes on Melopsittacus undulatus singing and approach and avoidance behaviors. Methods: The experimental or test group was set up with different combinations of sound types, frequencies, and volume, and its effects on Melopsittacus undulatus singing and approach and avoidance response were observed. Results: The immediate and sustained effects of noise on Melopsittacus undulatus singing behavior were significantly increased compared to musical tones; under the same volume, high frequency and undulating sounds led to an increase in both immediate and subsequent calls of Melopsittacus undulatus; under the same frequency, a high volume will lead to an increase in the number of tweeting made by Melopsittacus undulatus; a combined increase in frequency and volume will lead to a highly significant increase in the number of tweeting made by Melopsittacus undulatus. An 85dB noise triggers a singing response from Melopsittacus undulatus and produces a clear source avoidance behavior; a frequency of 2048Hz triggers a singing response from Melopsittacus undulatus. Conclusion: This study revealed that noise was more likely to elicit an increase in the number of tweeting made by Melopsittacus undulatus than musical sounds. Loudness volumes of 85dB and above and frequency of 2048Hz and above were more likely to trigger the singing and approach and avoidance response in Melopsittacus undulatus.

A Study on the Psychological Noise Reduction Effect on Dental Handpiece Noise through the Bone Conduction Speaker Equipped Unit Chair and Notch-Filtered Music

Anxiety in dental patients has caused inconvenient experiences during their dental visits due to the noise generated by the dental handpiece. High-frequency sounds generated by the handpiece have been challenging to reduce using the active control method that targets low-frequency sounds, as well as the difficulty in applying the noise control method using sound-absorbing materials, because the size of the handpiece is small. As an alternative, a method that can reduce noise and provide stability by playing music to patients is being studied. However, in most studies, there are inconveniences such as the need to turn the music volume higher to cover dental handpiece noise or having to wear headphones to play music. In this study, in order to reduce this inconvenience and optimize the noise reduction effect of music, we propose a technology that converts music into sound masking and a unit chair equipped with a bone conduction speaker that plays music, and through clinical trials with 35 patients, it was confirmed that the proposed system made the patients emotionally stable. In addition, by analyzing the causes of these emotional changes, it suggests that the preferred genre of music by patients should also be considered.

Does Congruence Between Brand Name and Brand Logo Influence Brand Affection?: An Experimental Study

Undoubtedly, design and selection of the proper brand elements have a crucial role in the long-term success of a brand. Therefore, to establish strong and favorable brand meaning prior to market entry and enhance the acceptance of the new brand, an ultimate attention should be devoted to design and select brand elements that together convey consistent meaning. Herein, this study aims to examine the effect of interaction between sounds in brand names and shapes of brand logos on brand affection drawing upon sound and shape symbolism. To test the interaction effect between sound and shape, one experimental study was conducted. The findings of the study revealed that sounds in the brand names and shapes of the brand logos alone did not influence brand affection significantly. However, the results purported that the congruent combination of sounds in a brand name and shape of a brand logo significantly influenced brand affection compared to incongruent combinations. More specifically, the results indicated that when brand names are including high (low) frequency sounds and having angular (rounded) brand logo, brand affection towards the brand increased. These results are expected to both contribute to relevant literature and ensure applicable insights to the marketing practitioners who are responsible for designing and selecting brand elements.

Environmental conditions lead to shifts in individual communication, which can cause cascading effects on soundscape composition.

Climate change is increasing aridity in grassland and desert habitats across the southwestern United States, reducing available resources and drastically changing the breeding habitat of many bird species. Increases in aridity reduce sound propagation distances, potentially impacting habitat soundscapes, and could lead to a breakdown of the avian soundscapes in the form of loss of vocal culture, reduced mating opportunities, and local population extinctions. We developed an agent‐based model to examine how changes in aridity will affect both sound propagation and the ability of territorial birds to audibly contact their neighbors. We simulated vocal signal attenuation under a variety of environmental scenarios for the south, central semi‐arid prairies of the United States, ranging from contemporary weather conditions to predicted droughts under climate change. We also simulated how changes in physiological conditions, mainly evaporative water loss (EWL), would affect singing behavior. Under contemporary and climate change‐induced drought conditions, we found that significantly fewer individuals successfully contacted all adjacent neighbors than did individuals in either the contemporary or predicted climate change conditions. We also found that at higher sound frequencies and higher EWL, fewer individuals were able to successfully contact all their neighbors, particularly in drought and climate change drought conditions. These results indicate that climate change‐mediated aridification may alter the avian soundscape, such that vocal communication no longer effectively functions for mate attraction or territorial defense. As climate change progresses, increased aridity in current grasslands may favor shifts toward low‐frequency songs, colonial resource use, and altered songbird community compositions.

Characteristics of speech perception by distantly-presented bone-conducted ultrasound assessed by word intelligibility and monosyllable articulation tests.

High-frequency sounds above 20 kHz presented via bone conduction can be heard clearly and transmit speech information using amplitude modulation. Additionally, bone-conducted ultrasound (BCU) can be perceived even when the vibrator is presented to body parts distant from the head, such as the neck, arm, and trunk. To evaluate this previously presented BCU hearing, word intelligibility and monosyllable articulation tests were conducted in Japanese. The results suggested that a practical speech transmission, comparable to ordinary BCUs presented onto the head, can be obtained by distantly presented BCU.

The connotative meanings of sound symbolism in brand names: A conceptual framework

Phonetic elements of brand names can convey a range of specific meanings. However, an integrated understanding of the sound symbolism of brand names remains elusive. Here, we classify sound symbolism in brand names based on three key dimensions of the semantic differential (evaluation, potency, and activity). In particular, we demonstrated that the sound symbolism of brand names can be explained in terms of the two dimensions of evaluation and potency (but not activity). The presence of higher-frequency sounds (front vowels, fricative, and voiceless consonants) in brand names tends to be associated with concepts linked to higher evaluation and lower potency, whereas lower-frequency sounds (back vowels, stop, and voiced consonants) tend to be more strongly associated with concepts linked to lower evaluation and higher potency. This study provides an integrative understanding of sound symbolism in brand names in terms of semantic differential meanings.

Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL):An Emerging Health Hazard Among Urban Children

Background: Noise has been recognized for hundreds of years as hazardous to health. In big cities, the children are more prone to Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) due to high frequency sounds from different sources. Early reliable diagnosis of hearing loss is essential to adopt appropriate treatment to minimize potential developmental delays attributed to loss. This corner of child health hazards is less addressed ever before in our country.
 Methodology: This study was designed as a cross sectional, observational study conducted in Chittagong metropolitan city of Chittagong district under the guidance of the Department of Physiology, Chattogram Medical College, Chattogram. The study was conducted among the children of 5 to 18 years of age. Sample size was 500. Study was conducted over 1 year of period from November 2009 to October 2010. Hearing status of all children were tested by pure tone audiometry at 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000 and 8000 Hz using sound intensity ranging from 0 – 120 dB.
 Result: 268 (53.6%) samples were male and 232 (46.4%) were female. The average sound level of study area were 90dB (highest) and 60 dB (lowest) at peak hour. This was evident that Mild degree of NIHL was quite high in the study area (8%) and total affected children were 9.2%. Male (7.6%) children are more affected by NIHL than female (2.39%) children. Maximum respondents are affected bilaterally (89.13%).
 Conclusion: Prevalence of NIHL was remarkably high in urban areas among children. All efforts of public health interventions such as education, training, audiometric testing, exposure assessment, hearing protection, noise control and community based awareness programme when feasible should be targeted to prevent the NIHL from childhood and to achieve the best hearing conservation of general population.
 Central Medical College Journal Vol 5 No 1 Jan 2021 PP 7-12

The Spectral Extent of Phasic Suppression of Loudness and Distortion-Product Otoacoustic Emissions by Infrasound and Low-Frequency Tones

We investigated the effect of a biasing tone close to 5, 15, or 30 Hz on the response to higher-frequency probe tones, behaviorally, and by measuring distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs). The amplitude of the biasing tone was adjusted for criterion suppression of cubic DPOAE elicited by probe tones presented between 0.7 and 8 kHz, or criterion loudness suppression of a train of tone-pip probes in the range 0.125–8 kHz. For DPOAEs, the biasing-tone level for criterion suppression increased with probe-tone frequency by 8–9 dB/octave, consistent with an apex-to-base gradient of biasing-tone-induced basilar membrane displacement, as we verified by computational simulation. In contrast, the biasing-tone level for criterion loudness suppression increased with probe frequency by only 1–3 dB/octave, reminiscent of previously published data on low-side suppression of auditory nerve responses to characteristic frequency tones. These slopes were independent of biasing-tone frequency, but the biasing-tone sensation level required for criterion suppression was ~ 10 dB lower for the two infrasound biasing tones than for the 30-Hz biasing tone. On average, biasing-tone sensation levels as low as 5 dB were sufficient to modulate the perception of higher frequency sounds. Our results are relevant for recent debates on perceptual effects of environmental noise with very low-frequency content and might offer insight into the mechanism underlying low-side suppression.

Biallelic p.V37I variant in GJB2 is associated with increasing incidence of hearing loss with age

PurposeThis study aimed to quantitatively assess the incidence of hearing loss in relation to age in individuals with biallelic p.V37I variant in GJB2. MethodsPopulation screening of the biallelic p.V37I variant was performed in 30,122 individuals aged between 0 and 97 years in Shanghai. Hearing thresholds of the biallelic p.V37I individuals and the controls were determined by click auditory brainstem response or pure tone audiometry. ResultsBiallelic p.V37I was detected in 0.528% (159/30,122) of the subjects. Of the biallelic p.V37I newborns, 43.91% (18/41) passed their distortion-product otoacoustic emissions–based newborn hearing screening or had hearing thresholds lower than 20 decible above normal hearing level. The older newborns had elevated hearing thresholds, with increasing incidence of 9.52%, 23.08%, 59.38%, and 80.00% for moderate or higher grade of hearing loss in age groups of 7 to 15 years, 20 to 40 years, 40 to 60 years, and 60 to 85 years, respectively. Their hearing deteriorated at a rate of 0.40 dB hearing level per year on average; males were more susceptible, and deterioration occurred preferentially at higher sound frequencies. ConclusionThe biallelic p.V37I variant is associated with steadily progressive hearing loss with increasing incidence over the course of life. Most of the biallelic p.V37I individuals may develop significant hearing loss in adulthood and, can benefit from early diagnosis and intervention through wide-spread genetic screening.

Leisure-time physical activity and incidence of objectively assessed hearing loss: The Niigata Wellness Study.

Previous cohort study reported that high physical activity was associated with a low risk of self-reported hearing loss in women. However, no studies have examined the association between physical activity and the development of hearing loss as measured using an objective assessment of hearing loss in men and women. Here, we used cohort data to examine the association between leisure-time physical activity and incidence of objectively assessed hearing loss in men and women. Participants included 27537Japanese adults aged 20-80years without hearing loss, who completed a self-administered physical activity questionnaire between April 2001 and March 2002. The participants were followed up for the development of hearing loss as measured by audiometry between April 2002 and March 2008. During follow-up, 3691 participants developed hearing loss. Compared with the none physical activity group, multivariable adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for developing hearing loss were 0.93 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.86-1.01) and 0.87 (0.81-0.95) for the medium (<525MET-min/week) and high (≥525MET-min/week) physical activity groups, respectively (p for trend=0.001). The magnitude of risk reduction was slightly greater in vigorous-intensity activity than in moderate-intensity activity (p for interaction=0.01). Analysis by sound frequency showed that the amount of physical activity was inversely associated with high frequency hearing loss development (p for trend <0.001), but not with low frequency hearing loss development (p for trend=0.19). Higher level of leisure-time physical activity was associated with lower incidence of hearing loss, particularly for vigorous-intensity activities and high sound frequencies.

Effects of Adaptive Non-linear Frequency Compression in Hearing Aids on Mandarin Speech and Sound-Quality Perception

ObjectiveThis study was aimed at examining the effects of an adaptive non-linear frequency compression algorithm implemented in hearing aids (i.e., SoundRecover2, or SR2) at different parameter settings and auditory acclimatization on speech and sound-quality perception in native Mandarin-speaking adult listeners with sensorineural hearing loss.DesignData consisted of participants’ unaided and aided hearing thresholds, Mandarin consonant and vowel recognition in quiet, and sentence recognition in noise, as well as sound-quality ratings through five sessions in a 12-week period with three SR2 settings (i.e., SR2 off, SR2 default, and SR2 strong).Study SampleTwenty-nine native Mandarin-speaking adults aged 37–76 years old with symmetric sloping moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss were recruited. They were all fitted bilaterally with Phonak Naida V90-SP BTE hearing aids with hard ear-molds.ResultsThe participants demonstrated a significant improvement of aided hearing in detecting high frequency sounds at 8 kHz. For consonant recognition and overall sound-quality rating, the participants performed significantly better with the SR2 default setting than the other two settings. No significant differences were found in vowel and sentence recognition among the three SR2 settings. Test session was a significant factor that contributed to the participants’ performance in all speech and sound-quality perception tests. Specifically, the participants benefited from a longer duration of hearing aid use.ConclusionFindings from this study suggested possible perceptual benefit from the adaptive non-linear frequency compression algorithm for native Mandarin-speaking adults with moderate-to-profound hearing loss. Periods of acclimatization should be taken for better performance in novel technologies in hearing aids.

AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF HEARING THRESHOLDS IN PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS

Introduction: Noise has become a very important stress factor in the environment. Drivers are the most commonly affected persons due to trafc noise. The majority of drivers remain unaware about noise induced hearing loss as this is an insidious process, leading to temporary or permanent hearing impairment, but preventable. Pure Tone audiometric test is used to determine the degree of hearing loss in noise exposed individuals. Aim &amp; Objective: To nd the hearing threshold levels for high and mid frequency sounds for both ears in Professional drivers. To evaluate the preponderance of hearing loss between right and left ear using hearing thresholds. Materials &amp; Methods: This study was conducted in 100 Professional male drivers aged between 30-40 years who are working in Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation, Madurai. Pure tone audiometry was used to measure the high and mid frequency hearing threshold levels in both ears. Results: The mean (SD) hearing threshold for high and mid frequency sounds was signicantly higher in left ear comparative to right ear with P value &lt; 0.05. The statistically signicant difference in hearing loss was observed between both ears. Conclusion : Our study showed statistically signicant higher hearing threshold for high and mid frequency sounds in left ear compared to right ear, that concludes left ear is more prone for hearing loss than the right ear

Measurement of very high frequency (VHF) sound in our daily experiences

Recently, it is frequently reported that very high frequency (VHF) sounds are emitted from daily necessaries such as home electric appliances. Although we measured VHF sounds from home electric appliances in our previous study, the origins of such VHF sounds have not yet been identified. In the present study, we tried to identify the VHF sound source in each home electric appliance using a "sound camera", which visualizes the spatial distribution of the sound intensity using a microphone array. The sound camera visualized the location of the sound source at frequencies from 2 to 52 kHz with a field of view of 63 degrees. The sound camera elucidated that the VHF sounds were emitted from the power source of a LET light, the ventilation duct of an electric fan, and the body of an IH cooker. Their frequency characteristics were dependent on the sound source, i.e., combinations of pure tones in the LED light and distributing in a wide frequency range in the electric fan.

Acoustical measurements of masks and the effects on the speech intelligibility in university classrooms

Acoustical measurements of three different masks, surgical, KF94, and N95 respirator (3 M 9210+) were performed and compared with the results obtained with no mask on a dummy head mouth simulator to understand the acoustical effects of the three different masks on speech sounds. The speech intelligibility and perceived difficulty of understanding speech sounds with and without an N95 mask were also measured using speech signals convolved with previously measured impulse responses in 12 occupied university classrooms. The acoustic attenuations with the three masks were greatest in front of the talker. The surgical, and KF94 masks resulted in 6–12 dB reductions of high frequency sounds between 2 kHz and 5 kHz, and the N95 respirator decreased sound levels by an additional 2–6 dB at these frequencies. Both surgical, and KF94 masks performed acoustically better at high frequencies between 2 kHz and 5 kHz than N95 mask did. The mean trends of the speech intelligibility test results indicate that young adult listeners at university achieve a mean score of 90% correct at a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) value of + 8 dBA or higher for no mask conditions, which is a 4 dBA lower SNR value than for N95 mask conditions. The intelligibility scores obtained with N95 mask conditions decreased the correct scores by a maximum of 10% at a SNR of 5 dBA or lower compared to the results obtained with no mask conditions. The perceived difficulty ratings obtained in N95 mask conditions increased the ratings by a maximum of 10% at lower SNR values compared to the results obtained in no mask conditions. Achieving higher SI scores of 95% or more doesn’t indicate that the listeners experience no difficulty at all in understanding speech sounds. Higher SNR values are beneficial for achieving better speech communication for both no mask and an N95 mask on a talker in classrooms.