Range Of Modulation Frequencies Research Articles

Neural coding of time-varying interaural time differences and time-varying amplitude in the inferior colliculus.

Binaural cues occurring in natural environments are frequently time varying, either from the motion of a sound source or through interactions between the cues produced by multiple sources. Yet, a broad understanding of how the auditory system processes dynamic binaural cues is still lacking. In the current study, we directly compared neural responses in the inferior colliculus (IC) of unanesthetized rabbits to broadband noise with time-varying interaural time differences (ITD) with responses to noise with sinusoidal amplitude modulation (SAM) over a wide range of modulation frequencies. On the basis of prior research, we hypothesized that the IC, one of the first stages to exhibit tuning of firing rate to modulation frequency, might use a common mechanism to encode time-varying information in general. Instead, we found weaker temporal coding for dynamic ITD compared with amplitude modulation and stronger effects of adaptation for amplitude modulation. The differences in temporal coding of dynamic ITD compared with SAM at the single-neuron level could be a neural correlate of "binaural sluggishness," the inability to perceive fluctuations in time-varying binaural cues at high modulation frequencies, for which a physiological explanation has so far remained elusive. At ITD-variation frequencies of 64 Hz and above, where a temporal code was less effective, noise with a dynamic ITD could still be distinguished from noise with a constant ITD through differences in average firing rate in many neurons, suggesting a frequency-dependent tradeoff between rate and temporal coding of time-varying binaural information.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Humans use time-varying binaural cues to parse auditory scenes comprising multiple sound sources and reverberation. However, the neural mechanisms for doing so are poorly understood. Our results demonstrate a potential neural correlate for the reduced detectability of fluctuations in time-varying binaural information at high speeds, as occurs in reverberation. The results also suggest that the neural mechanisms for processing time-varying binaural and monaural cues are largely distinct.

Analysis of Parameters for a Distributed Temperature Sensing based on Raman Scattering

This paper presents a theoretical and computational study on the analysis of parameters for distributed temperature sensing in optical fibers, based on spontaneous Raman scattering effect. The parameters studied were the optical power level, the range of frequency modulation and the length of the sensor element, as well as the application of optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR). Two different approaches of reading temperature information from the backscattered signal were also tested. First, one considered the pulse response, and later the ratio between the amplitudes of the detected signals were taken. Such analysis has shown the second method is more efficient to detect the peak of hot spot temperature in the fiber. Spatial resolution equal to 0.96 m and a temperature resolution of 0.089 ÂoC were achieved using singlemode fiber 30 meters long.

Control of dynamics in a loss-modulated erbium-doped fiber ring laser

An experimental investigation of the time-domain dynamics of an erbium-doped fiber ring laser is carried out by the loss modulation technique, using an intensity modulator in the ring cavity, in the modulation frequency range of 1–60 kHz. By changing the four control parameters of pumping ratio, modulation frequency, modulation index, and modulator bias voltage, the laser dynamics can be modified all the way from period-1 to the chaotic regime. The presence of period-1, period-2, period-4, higher periods, and chaos confirm that the chaos is achieved through a period-doubling route. However, period-3 and period-6 are also obtained through other routes for certain parametric choices. The effect of the pumping ratio is also discussed. A higher value of pumping ratio requires a higher modulating signal amplitude to push the laser into the chaotic regime until the second laser threshold. Besides this, the chaotic regimes for the higher pumping ratio are wider in frequency and shifted toward higher frequencies. Calculations done with an established theoretical model provide a suitable handle on the parameters and help in emphasizing the control possible in this multiparameter dynamical system.

Modeling Responses in the Superior Paraolivary Nucleus: Implications for Forward Masking in the Inferior Colliculus

A phenomenological model of the responses of neurons in the superior paraolivary nucleus (SPON) of the rodent is presented in this study. Pure tones at the characteristic frequency (CF) and broadband noise stimuli evoke offset-type responses in these neurons. SPON neurons also phase-lock to the envelope of sinusoidally amplitude-modulated (SAM) stimuli for a range of modulation frequencies. Model SPON neuron received inhibitory input that was relayed by the ipsilateral medial nucleus of the trapezoid body from the contralateral model ventral cochlear nucleus neuron. The SPON model response was simulated by detecting the slope of its inhibitory postsynaptic potential. Responses of the proposed model to pure tones at CF and broadband noise were offset-type independent of the duration of the input stimulus. SPON model responses were also synchronized to the envelope of SAM stimuli with precise timing for a range of modulation frequencies. Modulation transfer functions (MTFs) obtained from the model response to SAM stimuli resemble the physiological MTFs. The output of the proposed SPON model provides an input for models of physiological responses at higher levels of the ascending auditory pathway and can also be utilized to infer possible mechanisms underlying gap detection and duration encoding as well as forward masking at the level of the auditory midbrain.

Fiber-based modulated optical reflectance configuration allowing for offset pump and probe beams.

A new fiber-based modulated optical reflectance configuration is developed in this work. The technique maintains the fiber-based heating laser (pump) and detection laser (probe) in close proximity at a fixed separation distance in a ceramic ferrule. The pump beam periodically heats the sample inducing thermal waves into the sample. The probe beam measures the temperature response at a known distance from the pump beam over a range of heating modulation frequencies. The thermal diffusivity of the sample may be calculated from the phase response between the input heat flux and the temperature response of a sample having a reflective surface. The unique measurement configuration is ideal for in situ measurements and has many advantages for laboratory-based systems. The design and development of the system are reported along with theoretical justification for the experimental design. The thermal diffusivities of Ge and SiC are measured and found to be within 10% of reported literature values. The diffusivity for SiO2 is measured with a relative difference of approximately 100% from the literature value when the ferrule is in contact with the sample. An additional measurement was made on the SiO2 sample with the ferrule not in contact resulting in a difference of less than 2% from the literature value. The difference in the SiO2 measurement when the ferrule is in contact with the sample is likely due to a parallel heat transfer path through the dual-fiber ferrule assembly.

Integration of Optimized Modulation Filter Sets Into Deep Neural Networks for Automatic Speech Recognition

Inspired by physiological studies on the human auditory system and by results from psychoacoustics, an amplitude modulation filter bank (AMFB) has been developed and successfully applied to feature extraction for automatic speech recognition (ASR) in earlier work. Here, we address the question as to which amplitude modulation (AM) frequency decomposition leads to optimal ASR performance by proposing a parameterized functional relationship between modulation center frequency and modulation bandwidth. Word error rates (WERs) of ASR experiments with 1551 different AMFBs are systematically evaluated and compared, resulting in the identification of a comparatively narrow range of optimal modulation frequency to modulation bandwidth characteristics. To integrate modulation processing with deep neural network (DNN) acoustic modeling, we propose merging of modulation filter coefficients with DNN weights prior to a final training step and an improved mean-variance normalization scheme for AMFBs. These modifications are shown to result in further reduction of WERs and are indicative of the proposed system's improved generalization ability, when compared across corpora of 100–960 h of data with mismatched training and test conditions. Analysis of DNN-learned temporal AM filtering properties is carried out and implications for the relevance of different modulation regions as well as the relation to psychoacoustic findings are discussed. ASR experiments with the proposed system demonstrate a high degree of robustness against extrinsic acoustic distortions, resulting in, e.g., an average WER of 9.79% on the Aurora-4 task.

Modulation instability controlled by nonlinear diffraction in metamaterials

In this paper, we investigate the behavior of modulation instability(MI) induced by nonlinear diffraction (NLD) resulting from the vectoral effect in metamaterials with simultaneous Kerr-type electric and magnetic nonlinearity, trying to unfold some novel properties different from those in conventional positive-index media(CM). First, NLD in metamaterials differs from CM mainly in that its value is able to be positive or negative, which provides greater flexibility for us to control the dynamical behavior of MI. Then, we further show that NLD exerts strong influence upon the MI scenario for both defocusing and focusing nonlinear cases, depending on its magnitude and sign. Moreover, we demonstrate NLD can make MI possible even in metamaterials with focusing nonlinearity of negative diffraction case. Finally, we observe NLD under certain limits can open up a new modulation window with an infinite modulation frequency range unseen in conventional MI scenario. Our results denote that NLD in metamaterials can provide us a more powerful strategy to engineer the behavior of MI, as compared with the counterpart in CM.

Voice activity detection in noisy environment using dynamic changes of speech in a modulation frequency range of 1 to 16 Hz

Voice activity detection (VAD) is usually placed at the preprocessing stage of various speech applications. There have been a lot of studies to find acoustic features that are effective in distinguishing speech/non-speech segments on a recorded signal. In this report, we utilize speech characteristics in a modulation frequency range of 1-to-16 Hz, which seem beneficial to avoid misjudgment. The signal amplitudes are evaluated in common logarithms not to miss small changes in speech energy that may have relations with the starting or ending point of an utterance. In order to capture such changes, the first and second derivatives of the signal are calculated. In finding the starting point, the positive second derivatives seem effective. In finding the ending point, the combination of the negative first derivatives and the positive second derivatives seem effective. And these features should be calculated for individual subbands. On these conditions, Deep Neural Network (DNN) is successfully trained to determine the speech/non-speech segments. In this report, we will evaluate this method in comparison with conventional ones for various noisy utterances.

The control of ventilated supercavity pulsation and noise

A technique to control ventilated supercavity pulsation and noise is explored analytically and verified experimentally. The technique, which has its roots in parametric oscillators, changes the stiffness and, therefore, resonance frequency of the ventilated supercavity gas/water system by modulating or adding a sinusoidal component to the ventilation rate. This results in the ventilated supercavity effectively being driven off-resonance as the frequency of the interface waves which force the supercavity gas/water system remain largely unchanged. A wide range of ventilation rate modulation frequencies cause the pulsating supercavity to transition into twin vortex closure, typically within 0.25 sec of modulation initiation. Accompanying the transition from pulsation to twin vortex closure is a reduction in the radiated noise, to the continuum at the pulsation frequency, often by 35 dB or more. Other modulation frequencies do not suppress pulsation, but are effective at changing the supercavity pulsation frequency.

Short-term annoyance reactions to stationary and time-varying wind turbine and road traffic noise: A laboratory study.

Current literature suggests that wind turbine noise is more annoying than transportation noise. To date, however, it is not known which acoustic characteristics of wind turbines alone, i.e., without effect modifiers such as visibility, are associated with annoyance. The objective of this study was therefore to investigate and compare the short-term noise annoyance reactions to wind turbines and road traffic in controlled laboratory listening tests. A set of acoustic scenarios was created which, combined with the factorial design of the listening tests, allowed separating the individual associations of three acoustic characteristics with annoyance, namely, source type (wind turbine, road traffic), A-weighted sound pressure level, and amplitude modulation (without, periodic, random). Sixty participants rated their annoyance to the sounds. At the same A-weighted sound pressure level, wind turbine noise was found to be associated with higher annoyance than road traffic noise, particularly with amplitude modulation. The increased annoyance to amplitude modulation of wind turbines is not related to its periodicity, but seems to depend on the modulation frequency range. The study discloses a direct link of different acoustic characteristics to annoyance, yet the generalizability to long-term exposure in the field still needs to be verified.

Low noise and fast response of infrared sensing structures based on amorphous Y–Ba–Cu–O semiconducting thin films sputtered on silicon

YBa2Cu3O6+x (YBCO) cuprates are semiconducting when oxygen depleted (x < 0.5). We have deposited, by DC sputtering at 150°C, amorphous YBCO (a-YBCO) semiconducting films to evaluate their potential as sensing layer for thermal detection of infrared (IR) radiation. Low temperature elaboration is a key advantage to integrate a radiation detector on a silicon chip bearing already processed readout electronics. We have studied an a-YBCO/metal planar structure test vehicle in the near-IR, concentrating on the high-pass pyroelectric response observed for the device. This response exhibited interesting features: i) because originating from a capacitance current signal, no DC bias was required, hence a low noise current level; ii) the high-pass pyroelectric cutoff was observed in the 20 to 40kHz modulation frequency range; iii) the low-pass cutoff, of readout circuitry origin, was pushed towards the MHz range, with a time constant of ~2μs. The use of an analytical model allowed to simulate correctly the device amplitude and phase of the response as a function of the modulation frequency. All the model parameters were introduced, without adjustment, according to the actual geometrical, physical and electrical characteristics of the device and its measurement setup. The low noise and fast response was characterized by a detectivity above 109cm·Hz1/2·W−1, in the 500Hz to 100kHz range; these features are very promising for fast imaging applications. Migration from near-IR towards mid- and far-IR is also considered.

Neural correlates of behavioral amplitude modulation sensitivity in the budgerigar midbrain

Amplitude modulation (AM) is a crucial feature of many communication signals, including speech. Whereas average discharge rates in the auditory midbrain correlate with behavioral AM sensitivity in rabbits, the neural bases of AM sensitivity in species with human-like behavioral acuity are unexplored. Here, we used parallel behavioral and neurophysiological experiments to explore the neural (midbrain) bases of AM perception in an avian speech mimic, the budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus). Behavioral AM sensitivity was quantified using operant conditioning procedures. Neural AM sensitivity was studied using chronically implanted microelectrodes in awake, unrestrained birds. Average discharge rates of multiunit recording sites in the budgerigar midbrain were insufficient to explain behavioral sensitivity to modulation frequencies <100 Hz for both tone- and noise-carrier stimuli, even with optimal pooling of information across recording sites. Neural envelope synchrony, in contrast, could explain behavioral performance for both carrier types across the full range of modulation frequencies studied (16-512 Hz). The results suggest that envelope synchrony in the budgerigar midbrain may underlie behavioral sensitivity to AM. Behavioral AM sensitivity based on synchrony in the budgerigar, which contrasts with rate-correlated behavioral performance in rabbits, raises the possibility that envelope synchrony, rather than average discharge rate, might also underlie AM perception in other species with sensitive AM detection abilities, including humans. These results highlight the importance of synchrony coding of envelope structure in the inferior colliculus. Furthermore, they underscore potential benefits of devices (e.g., midbrain implants) that evoke robust neural synchrony.

Exact vs. asymptotic spectral densities in the Garg-Onuchic-Ambegaokar charge transfer model and its effect on Fermi's golden rule rate constants.

The Garg-Onuchic-Ambegaokar model [J. Chem. Phys. 83, 4491 (1985)] has been used extensively for benchmarking methods aimed at calculating charge transfer rates. Within this model, the donor and acceptor diabats are described as shifted parabolas along a single primary mode, which is bilinearly coupled to a harmonic bath consisting of secondary modes, characterized by an Ohmic spectral density with exponential cutoff. Rate calculations for this model are often performed in the normal mode representation, with the corresponding effective spectral density given by an asymptotic expression derived at the limit where the Ohmic bath cutoff frequency is much larger than the primary mode frequency. We compare Fermi's golden rule rate constants obtained with the asymptotic and exact effective spectral densities. We find significant deviations between rate constants obtained from the asymptotic spectral density and those obtained from the exact one in the deep inverted region. Within the range of primary mode frequencies commonly employed, we find that the discrepancies increase with decreasing temperature and with decreasing primary mode frequency.

Kalman Filter based Detection and Mitigation of Subsynchronous Resonance with SSSC

In a long transmission line the use of static series synchronous compensation (SSSC) with fixed series capacitor enables fast control of power flow. There is a potential risk of subsynchronous resonance (SSR) due to the series capacitor. In this paper, we propose to use the Kalman filter (KF) for state estimation of subsynchronous components present in series compensated line and the mitigation of SSR. This novel KF based SSR damping controller is referred to as KF-damping controller. The design of KF-damping controller is based on the magnitude of damping torque in the range of torsional mode frequencies. We apply the genetic algorithm to optimize the controller parameters. The proposed KF-damping controller is highly frequency selective and effectively suppresses subsynchronous components of line current in the presence of close frequency oscillations. Analytical and simulation results at various system operating conditions demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed KF-damping controller in mitigating SSR.

Electro-acustic influence of the measuring system on the photoacoustic signal amplitude and phase in frequency domain

The paper discusses the most common impacts of the measuring system on the amplitude and phase of the photoacoustic signals in the frequency domain using the open-cell experimental set-up. The highest signal distortions are detected at the ends of the observed modulation frequency range from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. The attenuation of the signal is observed at lower frequencies, caused by the electronic filtering of the microphone and sound card, with characteristic frequencies of 15 Hz and 25 Hz. At higher frequencies, the dominant signal distortions are caused by the microphone acoustic filtering, having characteristic frequencies around 9 kHz and 15 kHz. It has been found that the microphone incoherent noise, the so called flicker noise, is negligibly small in comparison to the signal and does not affect the signal shape. However, a coherent noise originating from the power modulation system of the light source significantly affects the shape of the signal in the range greater than 10 kHz. The effects of the coherent noise and measuring system influence are eliminated completely using the relevant signal correction procedure targeting the photoacoustic signal generated by the sample.

A Study of Pressure-Dependent Squeeze Film Stiffness as a Resonance Modulator Using Static and Dynamic Measurements

We report on the resonant frequency modulation of inertial microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) structures due to squeeze film stiffness over a range of working pressures. Squeeze film effects have been studied extensively, but mostly in the context of damping and $Q$ -factor determination of dynamic MEMS structures, typically suspended over a fixed substrate with a very thin air gap. Here, we show with experimental measurements and analytical calculations how the pressure-dependent air springs (squeeze film stiffness) change the resonant frequency of an inertial MEMS structure by as much as five times. For capturing the isolated effect of the squeeze film stiffness, we first determine the static stiffness of our structure with atomic force microscope probing and then study the effect of the air spring by measuring the dynamic response of the structure, thus finding the resonant frequencies while varying the air pressure from 1 to 905 mbar. We also verify our results by analytical and Finite Element Method calculations. Our findings show that the pressure-dependent squeeze film stiffness can affect a rather huge range of frequency modulation (>400%) and, therefore, can be used as a design parameter for exploiting this effect in MEMS devices.

Firing-rate resonances in the peripheral auditory system of the cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus.

In many communication systems, information is encoded in the temporal pattern of signals. For rhythmic signals that carry information in specific frequency bands, a neuronal system may profit from tuning its inherent filtering properties towards a peak sensitivity in the respective frequency range. The cricket Gryllus bimaculatus evaluates acoustic communication signals of both conspecifics and predators. The song signals of conspecifics exhibit a characteristic pulse pattern that contains only a narrow range of modulation frequencies. We examined individual neurons (AN1, AN2, ON1) in the peripheral auditory system of the cricket for tuning towards specific modulation frequencies by assessing their firing-rate resonance. Acoustic stimuli with a swept-frequency envelope allowed an efficient characterization of the cells' modulation transfer functions. Some of the examined cells exhibited tuned band-pass properties. Using simple computational models, we demonstrate how different, cell-intrinsic or network-based mechanisms such as subthreshold resonances, spike-triggered adaptation, as well as an interplay of excitation and inhibition can account for the experimentally observed firing-rate resonances. Therefore, basic neuronal mechanisms that share negative feedback as a common theme may contribute to selectivity in the peripheral auditory pathway of crickets that is designed towards mate recognition and predator avoidance.

Segregating two simultaneous sounds in elevation using temporal envelope: Human psychophysics and a physiological model.

The ability to segregate simultaneous sound sources based on their spatial locations is an important aspect of auditory scene analysis. While the role of sound azimuth in segregation is well studied, the contribution of sound elevation remains unknown. Although previous studies in humans suggest that elevation cues alone are not sufficient to segregate simultaneous broadband sources, the current study demonstrates they can suffice. Listeners segregating a temporally modulated noise target from a simultaneous unmodulated noise distracter differing in elevation fall into two statistically distinct groups: one that identifies target direction accurately across a wide range of modulation frequencies (MF) and one that cannot identify target direction accurately and, on average, reports the opposite direction of the target for low MF. A non-spiking model of inferior colliculus neurons that process single-source elevation cues suggests that the performance of both listener groups at the population level can be accounted for by the balance of excitatory and inhibitory inputs in the model. These results establish the potential for broadband elevation cues to contribute to the computations underlying sound source segregation and suggest a potential mechanism underlying this contribution.

Effect of the absorption coefficient of aluminium plates on their thermoelastic bending in photoacoustic experiments

The open-cell photoacoustic signal measured in the transmission configuration for aluminum thin plates with thicknesses of 280 μm, 197 μm, and 112 μm is experimentally and theoretically analyzed, in the 20 Hz–7 kHz modulation frequency range. It is shown that the observed differences between the predictions of the standard thermoelastic model and the experiment data of both the amplitude and phase of the photoacoustic signal can be overcome by considering the aluminum samples coated with a thin layer of black paint as volume-absorber materials. This new approach provides a quite good agreement with the obtained experimental data, in the whole frequency range, and yields an effective absorption coefficient of (16 ± 2) mm−1, for a 280 μm-thick sample. The introduction of the finite absorption coefficient led to the correct ratio between the thermal diffusion and thermoelastic components of the photoacoustic signal. Furthermore, it is found that the “volume-absorber” approach accurately describes the behavior of the amplitude, but not that of the phase recorded for a 112 μm-thick sample, due to its relatively strong thermoelastic bending, which is not considered by this theory. Within the approximation of the small bending, the proposed “volume-absorber” model provides a reliable description of the photoacoustic signal for Al samples thicker than 112 μm, and extends the applicability of the classical “opaque” approach.

On the thermal characterization of solids by photoacoustic calorimetry: thermal diffusivity and linear thermal expansion coefficient

In this paper, we resume a straightforwardly methodology that can be employed for accurate thermal diffusivity measurement by photoacoustics. The proposed methodology involves measurements in the thermally thick sample regime with normalization using a thermally thin reference sample, as well as consideration of the sample’s thermoelastic bending in both the thermally thin and thick regime. The usefulness of the method has been demonstrated with measurements in test samples of different materials. The possibilities of the method to account for linear thermal expansion coefficient have been discussed too. It has been demonstrated that for the determination of this parameter the sample must be in the ideal thermally thick regime, i.e. the range of modulation frequencies used must lie well above the cut-off frequency between the thermally thin and thick regimes. In other words, this cut-off frequency must be very small. Although this condition is very difficult to be achieved in praxis, in order to account for it, a method is proposed here that involves measurements in samples with different thicknesses and uses an extrapolation procedure.