Narrow-band Noise Research Articles

Leveraging LDV techniques for the investigation of unsteady turbomachinery flows

ABSTRACTSteps required for proper acquisition and processing of laser Doppler velocimetry data for turbomachinery research applications are addressed. Turbomachinery applications are difficult due to the small internal passages, high-frequency fluctuations, large turbulence intensities, and strong secondary flows resulting in low overall signal-to-noise ratios and narrowband noise sources that cannot be removed by simple band-pass filters. Special aspects that must be considered for successful and accurate laser Doppler velocimetry studies to be conducted in turbomachinery are discussed. Specifically, the design of the measurement volume size, reflection mitigation, engineering of seed particle size and injection schema, and alignment of the traverse mechanism are addressed in terms of their importance (from literature sources) and the solutions implemented by the authors. These techniques have been applied to successfully obtain three-component, unsteady velocity data in a high-speed centrifugal compressor for aeroengine application. Processing techniques are also presented including a novel mixture-model-based statistical method for narrowband noise isolation developed by the authors. The method, validation steps, and example results are presented, showing the successful rejection of noise with high accuracy, a low failure rate, and a significant reduction in required manual inspection. This newly developed method elucidated flow features that were not clear prior to the noise removal.

Turbocharger Centrifugal Compressor Casing Treatment for Improved BPF Noise Using Computational Fluid Dynamics

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">The conventional ported shroud recirculation casing treatment elevates narrowband noise at blade pass frequency. A new ported shroud recirculating casing treatment was implemented in Ford’s 3.5L turbo gas engine as Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH) counter measure to reduce whoosh (broadband flow noise) noise without elevating narrowband noise at blade pass frequency. The new ported shroud design incorporates holes between the main and secondary recirculating passage and a slight cross-sectional area reduction just upstream of the impeller. These design features reduce whoosh noise without elevating the first order and the sixth order tonal noise at blade pass frequency. The new ported shroud design decreases narrowband tonal noise sound pressure level by 3-6 dB in the low to mid flow region compared to the baseline design. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools were used to develop this casing treatment design.</div></div>

Evaluation of brain SERT with 4-[18F]-ADAM/micro-PET and hearing protective effects of dextromethorphan in hearing loss rat model

This study investigated the protective effects of dextromethorphan (DXM) on noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) in rats. This study aimed to improve the auditory threshold and to understand the protective effects of DXM against N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)-induced neurite degeneration of serotonergic neurons. The animals were exposed to 8-kHz narrowband noise at a 118-dB sound pressure level for 3.5 h. The hearing thresholds were determined by measuring the auditory brainstem response to click stimuli. Serotonin transporter (SERT) expression was determined through micro-positron emission tomography (PET) using N,N-dimethyl-2-(2-amino-4-18F-fluorophenylthio)benzylamine (4-[18F]-ADAM). We also investigated the effects of DXM on NMDA-induced morphological changes in the primary cultures of rat serotonergic neurons. NIHL significantly improved after prophylactic treatment with DXM (p < .05). SERT density in DXM-treated rats was significantly higher than that in non–DXM-treated rats. Because prophylactic medication restored the NMDA-inhibited neurite length of serotonergic neurons and presented SERT density, DXM could be a potential agent in alleviating NIHL.

Influence of the Gap Flow of Axial Vehicle Cooling Fans on Radiated Narrowband and Broadband Noise

Influence of the Gap Flow of Axial Vehicle Cooling Fans on Radiated Narrowband and Broadband Noise

An improved Liu chaotic circuit for weak signal detection

By inserting the cosine function to the right of the first row of the Liu chaotic system, a kind of new improved Liu chaotic circuit for weak signal detection is designed. The problems of the non-convergence of the output signal waveform and the narrow area detection by the traditional Duffing chaotic circuit for weak signal detection are resolved by the improved Liu chaotic circuit. The convergence and wide area detection of the improved Liu chaotic system are analyzed by the Flourier transform method, and they are proved by the Matlab simulation. The actual detection experiments show that the acoustic signal can be detected in wide area, the narrow-band noise interference can be overcome and the distorted acoustic signals can be detected by the designed improved Liu chaotic circuit for weak signal detection. The weak signal detection ability of the improved Liu chaotic circuit is superior to the traditional Duffing chaotic circuit. The new design concept of the improved Liu chaotic circuit shows a very high value for engineering application.

Binaural unmasking of the accuracy of envelope-signal representation in rat auditory cortex but not auditory midbrain

Accurate neural representations of acoustic signals under noisy conditions are critical for animals’ survival. Detecting signal against background noise can be improved by binaural hearing particularly when an interaural-time-difference (ITD) disparity is introduced between the signal and the noise, a phenomenon known as binaural unmasking. Previous studies have mainly focused on the binaural unmasking effect on response magnitudes, and it is not clear whether binaural unmasking affects the accuracy of central representations of target acoustic signals and the relative contributions of different central auditory structures to this accuracy. Frequency following responses (FFRs), which are sustained phase-locked neural activities, can be used for measuring the accuracy of the representation of signals. Using intracranial recordings of local field potentials, this study aimed to assess whether the binaural unmasking effects include an improvement of the accuracy of neural representations of sound-envelope signals in the rat IC and/or auditory cortex (AC). The results showed that (1) when a narrow-band noise was presented binaurally, the stimulus-response (S-R) coherence of the FFRs to the envelope (FFRenvelope) of the narrow-band noise recorded in the IC was higher than that recorded in the AC. (2) Presenting a broad-band masking noise caused a larger reduction of the S-R coherence for FFRenvelope in the IC than that in the AC. (3) Introducing an ITD disparity between the narrow-band signal noise and the broad-band masking noise did not affect the IC S-R coherence, but enhanced both the AC S-R coherence and the coherence between the IC FFRenvelope and AC FFRenvelope. Thus, although the accuracy of representing envelope signals in the AC is lower than that in the IC, it can be binaurally unmasked, indicating a binaural-unmasking mechanism that is formed during the signal transmission from the IC to the AC.

A two adaptive filters-based method for reducing effects of acoustic feedback in single-channel feedforward ANC systems

In most of the existing approaches for neutralizing the effects of acoustic feedback in feed-forward active noise control (FF-ANC) systems, three adaptive filters have been employed. Besides the noise control and feedback neutralization filters (FBNF), a third disturbance removal filter has been exploited to obtain suitable signals for (apposite) adaptation of the other two (adaptive filters). In this paper, we develop an effective acoustic feedback neutralization method which does not require any supplementary third adaptive filter. The proposed method incorporates a probe signal with a time-varying gain and a novel variable step-size strategy for adaptation of the FBNF. During the transient state, the FBNF is excited by a large variance probe signal and a large valued step-size. This enhances the convergence rate of the FBNF. As the FF-ANC system converges, the level of probe noise is decreased to achieve good residual error attenuation performance (at steady-state). Furthermore, the step-size is also reduced to a small value to improve the steady-state performance of the acoustic FBNF. Simulations results show that the proposed two adaptive filters-based method outperforms the existing methods for broad-band reference noise sources and yields better steady-state residual error attenuation performance for narrow-band noise signals.

IMU-Based Attitude Estimation in the Presence of Narrow-Band Noise

In this paper, we consider the inertial measurement units (IMUs) based attitude estimation, a common core problem in a large variety of robotic systems. In particular, we focus on the case where the IMU measurements are contaminated by narrow-band vibration noises caused by the system flexible mode, aerodynamic turbulence, or rotating parts (e.g., motors). Our proposed scheme is a complete solution to adaptively estimate the narrow-band noise and actively compensate it in the attitude estimation. More specifically, the scheme adopts a notch filter to attenuate the narrow-band noise and subsequently embeds such filter into a multiplicative extended Kalman filter framework to eliminate the induced transient error. Furthermore, a least mean square method is utilized to estimate the dominant noise frequency in real time, forming an adaptive notch filter that can effectively attenuate the narrow-band noise with time-varying dominant frequency. The complete algorithm is verified on an actual gimbal system with exhaustive experiments.

Reverberation time and audibility in phased geometrical acoustics using plane or spherical wave reflection coefficients.

Room acoustics parameters are typically predicted using some form of geometrical acoustics for large rooms. For smaller rooms, phased geometrical acoustics improves results for lower frequencies. The use of a spherical wave reflection coefficient improves the results further, yet the exact impact on room acoustics parameters is not fully known. This work predicts the reverberation time in medium-sized rooms (27 m3 < V < 300 m3) using phased geometrical acoustics. The difference between the use of plane and spherical wave reflection modeling is analyzed for a variety of boundary conditions, including non-uniform distribution of absorption. Since calculated differences are greater than the conventional just-noticeable-difference of 5% for reverberation time, laboratory listening tests are performed to confirm audibility of the modeled differences. Two narrow band noise stimuli (octave bands with central frequency 125 and 250 Hz) with a duration of 1 s were used for comparisons of 18 acoustic scenarios by means of a three-alternative forced choice method. More than half of the listeners could hear the differences in all 36 cases. Statistically significant results (chi-squared test was used) were found in two-thirds of the cases, corresponding to those with longer reverberation times.

An experimental study of trailing edge noise from a pitching airfoil.

In this study, the far-field noise from a pitching NACA 0012 airfoil was measured at a Reynolds number of 6.6 × 104. The pitching motion was in sinusoidal functions with a mean incident angle of 0°. Cases with the pitching amplitude varying from 7.5° to 15° and frequency from 3 to 8 Hz were tested, corresponding to the reduced frequency from 0.094 to 0.25. A microphone was placed in the far-field and the particle image velocimetry technique was utilized to study the flow structures near the trailing edge. The short-time Fourier transformation results of the noise signals revealed that a high-level narrow-band noise hump occurred at a specific angle of attack in a pitching cycle. At the corresponding moment, a coherent vortex street convecting on the airfoil surface was observed, and the vortex shedding frequency was in good agreement with the central frequency of the noise hump. The occurrence of the noise humps was attributed to the laminar boundary layer separation. In one pitching period, the moment when the narrow-band noise hump occurs is independent from the pitching amplitude and it is delayed as the pitching frequency increases. Larger pitching frequency or amplitude results in lower peak level of the noise humps.

Nanoscale Vector dc Magnetometry via Ancilla-Assisted Frequency Up-Conversion.

Sensing static magnetic fields with high sensitivity and spatial resolution is critical to many applications in fundamental physics, bioimaging, and materials science. Even more beneficial would be full vector magnetometry with nanoscale spatial resolution. Several versatile magnetometry platforms have emerged over the past decade, such as electronic spins associated with nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. Achieving vector magnetometry has, however, often required using an ensemble of sensors or degrading the sensitivity. Here we introduce a hybrid magnetometry platform, consisting of a sensor and an ancillary qubit, that allows vector magnetometry of static fields. While more generally applicable, we demonstrate the method for an electronic NV sensor and a nuclear spin qubit. In particular, sensing transverse fields relies on frequency up-conversion of the dc fields through the ancillary qubit, allowing quantum lock-in detection with low-frequency noise rejection. In combination with the Ramsey detection of longitudinal fields, our frequency up-conversion scheme delivers a sensitive technique for vector dc magnetometry at the nanoscale.

ASE narrow-band noise pulsing in erbium-doped fiber amplifier and its effect on self-phase modulation.

In this paper, we report a study of the features of polarized and unpolarized narrow-band amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) in a low-doped erbium fiber at 976-nm pumping. We demonstrate that ASE noise can be treated as a train of Gaussian-like pulses with random magnitudes, widths, and inter-pulse intervals. ASE noise can also provide a statistical analysis of these three parameters. We also present the data that reveal ASE noise's role in optical spectrum broadening through self-phase modulation of light propagating in a communication fiber. In particular, the data show that the ASE noise derivative defines the broadening's spectral shape.

Revisiting perceived intracranial lateralization for stimuli with interaural time differences that are larger than the head

The interaural time difference (ITD) is the primary sound-localization cue for humans. While realistic sound sources have energy across a wide frequency range, the ear performs a narrowband frequency decomposition, and within each band are ambiguities in the interaural cross-correlation (an index of the signal ITD). These ambiguities are thought to be resolved by the approximate consistency of ITDs across frequency, or “straightness.” However, straightness has not been evaluated over a wide range of stimuli. Therefore, normal-hearing listeners reported the intracranial lateralization of narrowband noises and tone complexes to better evaluate across-frequency ITD processing. In a new modification of the typical paradigm, listeners were encouraged to give multiple responses if split images were perceived. ITDs larger than those naturally produced by the head (~750 ms) best demonstrate straightness because across-frequency comparison is necessary to resolve the interaural phase ambiguities, which is why ITDs as large as 1500 ms were applied. Straightness effects reported previously for narrowband noises were replicated, and were broadly similar for complex tones. The extent of lateralization of 1500-ms ITDs and the occurrence of split images were difficult to account for using simple lateralization-based models for smaller ITDs.

Psychophysical and anatomical evidence for hidden hearing loss in laboratory mice

Exposure to high intensity sound can lead to temporary or permanent threshold shifts. Noise exposures that do not cause long-term hearing deficits, however, can induce extensive afferent ribbon synapse loss, while hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons remain mostly intact (Kujawa and Liberman, 2009). This loss of synapses despite normal hearing thresholds is referred to as hidden hearing loss (HHL). We examined the development of HHL in laboratory mice using operant conditioning with positive reinforcement. After exposing mice to 8–16 kHz narrowband noise at 100 dB SPL for 2 h, hearing thresholds temporarily shifted for both pure tone and ultrasonic vocalization stimuli; however, post-exposure thresholds and threshold shifts varied by sex and age. Immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy were conducted to quantify peripheral damage and central synaptic reorganization once behavioral testing was complete. Brains were collected, sectioned, and labeled against VGLUT1 or GAD65 and labeling was quantified in the ventral cochlear nucleus. Cochleas were also collected, dissected, and labeled for myosin6 to label hair cells and either CTBP2 or SV2 to identify afferent or efferent terminals, respectively. Our findings show that mice are able to behaviorally recover hearing following non-traumatic noise exposure despite changes in peripheral and central auditory structures.

Case study: An experimental noise reduction study of an extended flow range automotive turbocharger centrifugal compressor

A new turbocharger compressor was designed to reduce noise at the compressor inlet, while allowing peak engine torque and power to be increased by 28% and 29%, respectively, relative to the previous generation (baseline) production engine with identical displacement. Experimental compressor performance and acoustic results were presented for three incremental changes, in order to isolate the impact of individual design features. The new larger impeller with reworked aerodynamics increased the SPL of mid flow range whoosh noise, relative to the baseline compressor. Adding a ported shroud to the new impeller reduced the maximum whoosh noise level below that of the baseline design, but significantly elevated narrowband noise at the blade-pass frequency. The final new compressor design featured the larger impeller with reworked aerodynamics, a ported shroud recirculating casing treatment, holes between the main and secondary recirculation passage, and a slight cross-sectional area reduction just upstream of the impeller. This final configuration decreased overall SPL by 3â–“6 dB(A) in the low to mid flow region, where it was elevated for the baseline compressor. The maximum flow rate of the new compressor increased significantly, and the flow rate at the deep surge boundary increased slightly. Relative to the baseline design, the efficiency of the new compressor was up to 8 percentage points lower at the low flow boundary and up to 18 percentage points higher at elevated flow rates.

The Effect of Short-Term Noise Exposure on Audiometric Thresholds, Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions, and Electrocochleography.

Purpose The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of short-term noise exposure on audiometric thresholds, distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs), and electrocochleography (ECochG) as a function of ear and sex. Method Preexposure and postexposure measures of audiometric thresholds, DPOAEs, and ECochG indices were examined. Sixteen male and 16 female adults participated. Participants were exposed to a 2000-Hz narrowband noise presented at 105 dBA for 10 min. Results Following noise exposure, significantly ( p < .0001) larger auditory threshold differences were observed for left ears. Larger auditory threshold differences were also observed for 3000 and 4000 Hz versus 2000 and 6000 Hz. DPOAE absolute amplitude differences increased with decreasing L 1, L 2 level ( p < .0001). DPOAE absolute amplitude differences also significantly rose with increasing f2 frequencies ( p < .0001). Females generally had larger DPOAE absolute amplitude differences than males ( p < .05). Summating potential amplitudes were significantly larger for female left ears following noise exposure ( p = .03). Left-ear summating potential/action potential amplitude ratios and summating potential/action potential area ratios were increased following noise exposure ( p < .05). Conclusions Utilizing a test battery to examine the effects of short-term noise exposure can reveal the functional status of different structures in the cochlea. There appears to be a susceptibility of the left ear to short-term loud noise exposure. Findings with respect to a sex susceptibility to short-term loud noise exposure were not strong, as sex differences were only observed for a subset of the conditions.

Temporal dynamics and uncertainty in binaural hearing revealed by anticipatory eye movements.

Accurate perception of binaural cues is essential for left-right sound localization. Much literature focuses on threshold measures of perceptual acuity and accuracy. This study focused on supra-threshold perception using an anticipatory eye movement (AEM) paradigm designed to capture subtle aspects of perception that might not emerge in behavioral-motor responses, such as the accumulation of certainty, and rapid revisions in decision-making. Participants heard interaural timing differences (ITDs) or interaural level differences in correlated or uncorrelated narrowband noises, respectively. A cartoon ball moved behind an occluder and then emerged from the left or right side, consistent with the binaural cue. Participants anticipated the correct answer (before it appeared) by looking where the ball would emerge. Results showed quicker and more steadfast gaze fixations for stimuli with larger cue magnitudes. More difficult stimuli elicited a wider distribution of saccade times and greater number of corrective saccades before final judgment, implying perceptual uncertainty or competition. Cue levels above threshold elicited some wrong-way saccades that were quickly corrected. Saccades to ITDs were earlier and more reliable for low-frequency noises. The AEM paradigm reveals the time course of uncertainty and changes in perceptual decision-making for supra-threshold binaural stimuli even when behavioral responses are consistently correct.

Validation of clinical techniques for verification of uniform attenuation earplugs

Objective: Uniform attenuation earplugs (UAE) theoretically provide near even attenuation across frequencies when built to a manufacturer’s specifications. Unfortunately, there is no current research available confirming if custom-molded uniform attenuation earplugs (UAE) are made to specifications nor is there guidance available on clinical methods of measuring attenuation of uniform attenuation earplug (UAE) devices. The goal of this study was to evaluate different procedures for UAE verification and to determine the most accurate clinically accessible verification protocol. Design: Attenuation was measured using probe microphone techniques, as well as real-ear attenuation at threshold (REAT) measurements under circumaural earphones, soundfield speakers and supra-aural earphones. Comparisons were made to a reference system created in the laboratory. Study sample: Seventeen adult participants, totaling 30 ears. Results: The results of this study demonstrate that the REAT measured in the soundfield using a narrowband noise stimulus with masking in the contralateral ear is currently the most accurate and widely available method of verifying UAEs. Conclusions: Factoring in clinical efficiency, the authors of this study recommend verifying attenuation levels using a soundfield REAT procedure as best clinical practice. In addition, the data suggests that REAT measurements under circumaural earphones are an acceptable second choice method.

Functional rate-code models of the auditory brainstem for predicting lateralization and discrimination data of human binaural perception.

This paper presents a rate-code model of binaural interaction inspired by recent neurophysiological findings. The model consists of a peripheral part and a binaural part. The binaural part is composed of models of the medial superior olive (MSO) and the lateral superior olive (LSO), which are parts of the auditory brainstem. The MSO and LSO model outputs are preprocessed in the interaural time difference (ITD) and interaural level difference (ILD) central stages, respectively, which give absolute values of the predicted lateralization at their outputs, allowing a direct comparison with psychophysical data. The predictions obtained with the MSO and LSO models are compared with subjective data on the lateralization of pure tones and narrowband noises, discrimination of the ITD and ILD, and discrimination of the phase warp. The lateralization and discrimination experiments show good agreement with the subjective data. In the case of the phase-warp experiment, the models agree qualitatively with the subjective data. The results demonstrate that rate-code models of MSO and LSO can be used to explain psychophysical data considering lateralization and discrimination based on binaural cues.

Auditory temporal resolution in adaptive tasks. Gap detection investigation.

Objectives:To study auditory temporal resolution skills using adaptive auditory tasks designed with a computer-based experimental program, and to provide normative values for gap detection thresholds (GDTs) of young listeners in 3 listening conditions.Methods:The GDTs were established under 3 stimulus conditions: 1) broadband noise (BBN), 2) narrowband noise within-channel (NBN WC) using similar leading and trailing markers centered at 1.0 KHz, and 3) narrowband noise across-channel (NBN AC) with the leading marker centered at 2.0 KHz and the trailing marker centered at 1.0 KHz. In within-subjects design, the GDTs were obtained from 27 normal hearing young Saudi adults at Speech and Hearing Laboratories, Department of Rehabilitation Health Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between April 2017 and April 2018.Results:The mean GDTs for the BBN condition was 3.19 millisecsond (msec), NBN WC was 14.53 msec, and NBN AC was 29.71 msec. Our findings for the GDTs measured in the 3 conditions were consistent with those of earlier investigations that used different instrumentations. Also, no correlations among the GDTs of the 3 stimulus conditions were found.Conclusion:The present study showed that experimental program is a reliable tool with clinical potential to estimate GDTs across different conditions. Also, the findings of no correlations in the GDTs across stimulus conditions suggest that different processes were involved in the perception of the temporal gap for different stimulus conditions.