To alleviate the conflict between audibility and distortion in the conventional loudness compensation method, an adaptive multichannel loudness compensation method is proposed for hearing aids. The linear and wide dyn...To alleviate the conflict between audibility and distortion in the conventional loudness compensation method, an adaptive multichannel loudness compensation method is proposed for hearing aids. The linear and wide dynamic range compression （WDRC） methods are alternately employed according to the dynamic range of the band-passed signal and the hearing range （HR） of the patient. To further reduce the distortion caused by the WDRC and improve the output signal to noise ratio （SNR） under noise conditions, an adaptive adjustment of the compression ratio is presented. Experimental results demonstrate that the output SNR of the proposed method in babble noise is improved by at least 1.73 dB compared to the WDRC compensation method, and the average speech intelligibility is improved by 6.0% and 5. 7%, respectively, compared to the linear and WDRC compensation methods.展开更多
This paper makes comments on conflicts in a micro-story of 527 words,The Ray,written by American writer Ron Milner.The story,from a unique perspective of narration,attracts and strikes the reader as a loud protest ami...This paper makes comments on conflicts in a micro-story of 527 words,The Ray,written by American writer Ron Milner.The story,from a unique perspective of narration,attracts and strikes the reader as a loud protest amidst silence,against human beings' self-destructive abuse of nuclear technology and craziness of arms races during the cold war.The paper,from the historical,cultural,and religious contexts,presents an analysis of the hero's death and of the message the reader can draw from the story.展开更多
Ambisonics is a series of flexible spatial sound reproduction systems based on spatial harmonics decomposition of sound field.Traditional horizontal and spatial Ambisonics reconstruct horizontal and spatial sound fiel...Ambisonics is a series of flexible spatial sound reproduction systems based on spatial harmonics decomposition of sound field.Traditional horizontal and spatial Ambisonics reconstruct horizontal and spatial sound field with certain order of spatial harmonics,respectively.Both the Shannon-Nyquist spatial sampling frequency limit for accurately reconstructing sound field and the complexity of system increase with the increasing order of Ambisonics.Based on the fact that the horizontal localization resolution of human hearing is higher than vertical resolution,mixed-order Ambisonics(MOA)reconstructs horizontal sound field with higher order spatial harmonics,while reconstructs vertical sound field with lower order spatial harmonics,and thereby reaches a compromise between the perceptual performance and the complexity of system.For a given order horizontal Ambisoncis or MOA reproduction,the number of horizontal loudspeakers is flexible,providing that it exceeds some low limit.By using Moore’s revised loudness model,the present work analyzes the influence of the number of horizontal loudspeakers on timbre both in horizontal Ambisonics and MOA reproduction.The binaural loudness level spectra(BLLS)of Ambisoncis reproduction are calculated and then compared with those of target sound field.The results indicate that below the Shannon-Nyquist limit of spatial sampling,increasing the number of horizontal loudspeakers influence little on BLLS then timbre.Above the limit,however,the BLLS for Ambisoncis reproduction deviate from those of target sound field.The extent of deviation depends on both the direction of target sound field and the number of loudspeakers.Increasing the number of horizontal loudspeakers may increase the change of BLLS then timbre in some cases,but reduce the change in some other cases.For MOA,the influence of the number of horizontal loudspeakers on BLLS and timbre reduces when virtual source departs from horizontal plane to the high or low elevation.The subjective evaluation experiment also validates the analysis.展开更多
The recent Standard ISO 226 concerning equal-loudness-level contours has been critically analysed. As a result, it is shown that the fitting and smoothing processes applied in the standard lead to parameter values def...The recent Standard ISO 226 concerning equal-loudness-level contours has been critically analysed. As a result, it is shown that the fitting and smoothing processes applied in the standard lead to parameter values defining equal-loudness-level contours that are not consistent with the chosen loudness function type. Serious mathematical and acoustical discrepancies have also been found that result in constant terms having an unnecessarily high numerical accuracy and a flawed phon definition, which leads to an erroneous loudness level representation. Therefore an extensive treatment of the logarithmic calculations (phon) of a loudness function is performed in this study. Finally, the author concludes that it would be desirable for the discrepancies in the standard (shown in the study) to be taken into account and corrected before publishing a new version of the standard.展开更多
An online experiment to acquire the interior noise of a China Railways High-speed （CRH） train showed that it wasmainly composed of middle-low frequency components and could not be described properly by linear or A-w...An online experiment to acquire the interior noise of a China Railways High-speed （CRH） train showed that it wasmainly composed of middle-low frequency components and could not be described properly by linear or A-weighted soundpressure level （SPL）. Thus, the appropriate way to evaluate the high-speed train interior noise is to use sound quality parameters,and the most important is loudness. To overcome the disadvantages of the existing loudness algorithms, a novel signal-adaptiveMoore loudness algorithm （AMLA） based on the equivalent rectangular bandwidth （ERB） spectrum was introduced. The valida-tion reveals that AMLA can obtain higher accuracy and efficiency, and the simulated dark red noise conforms best to thehigh-speed train interior noise by loudness and auditory assessment. The main loudness component of the interior noise is below27.6 ERB rate （erbr）, and the sound quality of the interior noise is relatively stable between 300-350 km/h. The specific loudnesscomponents among 12-15 erbr stay invariable throughout the acceleration or deceleration process while components among20-27 erbr are evidently speed related. The unusual random noise is effectively identified, which indicates that AMLA is anappropriate method for sound quality assessment of the high-speed train under both steady and transient conditions.展开更多
A stationary loudness model has been built up on the basis of the former ISO 226: 1987 concerning equal-loudness-level contours. The loudness and loudness level expressions derived in the study include the same parame...A stationary loudness model has been built up on the basis of the former ISO 226: 1987 concerning equal-loudness-level contours. The loudness and loudness level expressions derived in the study include the same parameters as used when determining the equal-loudness-level contours of the former ISO standard. However, as an additional main idea, a loudness summation rule has been proposed in the study. Moreover, the loudness expressions have been normalised to give the same values for people who have a similar sense of hearing. It has also been found that the loudness expressions include basically two different weightings. The first weighting is a conservative frequency weighting in the domain of sound pressure level, and the second weighting consists of coefficients applied to the weighted sound pressure levels. The latter have the greatest effect on the very low-frequency range. Finally, the paper includes a new way to use the A-weighting which takes into account the compressed character of the equal-loudness-level contours at the low frequency range. This method remarkably transforms the character of the A-weighting as a measure for low-frequency environmental noise.展开更多
The continued popularity of reality television, and the release of the recent HBO film Cinema Verite--about the production of the first ＂reality show,＂ An American Family （1973） --has resulted in renewed interest ...The continued popularity of reality television, and the release of the recent HBO film Cinema Verite--about the production of the first ＂reality show,＂ An American Family （1973） --has resulted in renewed interest in the series and tangentially its other distinction--its portrayal of the first openly gay character on prime time television. Lance, the oldest of the Loud family children, is on film both flamboyant and effusive, but at the same time-through judicious editing--an asexual creature with no romantic or sexual relationships. This paper considers Lance in the context of Gay representation in media of the 1970s, and then explores the struggle of the filmmakers--and the Loud family themselves--to control and contain the public perception of Lance. The often vague and allusive comments by Lance＇s parents and even Lance himself suggest a character that is at once channing, witty, and vibrantly alive, yet also pretentious and deceitful. The final argument is that these complicit efforts to avoid controversy actually engender it, turning Lance Loud into a figure of mystery and conjecture ... and the undisputed star of the series.展开更多
Jewish American writer Jonathan Safran Foer's masterpiece Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close tells a moving story of Oscar,a nine-year-old boy.After losing his father in 9/11,he is looking for every person in New...Jewish American writer Jonathan Safran Foer's masterpiece Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close tells a moving story of Oscar,a nine-year-old boy.After losing his father in 9/11,he is looking for every person in New York with the last name Black,hoping to find the lock for the key his father left.In the novel,Foer's trauma narrative strategy shows compulsive repetition.Through the repetition of words,pictures and actions,Foer powerfully conveys his understanding of helplessness and trauma,thus arousing the sympathy of readers.展开更多
Laughter is a universal language that brings people together.Among all forms of laughter,a loud laugh is particularly powerful.When someone laughs loudly,it can lift the mood of everyone nearby and create a joyful atm...Laughter is a universal language that brings people together.Among all forms of laughter,a loud laugh is particularly powerful.When someone laughs loudly,it can lift the mood of everyone nearby and create a joyful atmosphere.展开更多
A relation of loudness to loudness just noticeable difference (JND) is derived based on signal detection theory and the hypothesis that loudness is the nerve spike count in the duration of T, and the spike rate distr...A relation of loudness to loudness just noticeable difference (JND) is derived based on signal detection theory and the hypothesis that loudness is the nerve spike count in the duration of T, and the spike rate distribution of stable tonal stimulus is a stable normal stochastic process. The relation suggests that ratio of loudness JND to loudness of tone is independent of intensity, which can explain well experimental results about the relation of intensity JND to intensity of tone, especially those that could not be explained before such as the Weber fraction hump at the moderate level and the near miss to Weber's law.展开更多
基金The National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.61301219,61375028,61273266)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(No.BK20130241)+1 种基金the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(No.2242013K30010)the Science and Technology Program of Nantong(No.BK2014002)
文摘To alleviate the conflict between audibility and distortion in the conventional loudness compensation method, an adaptive multichannel loudness compensation method is proposed for hearing aids. The linear and wide dynamic range compression （WDRC） methods are alternately employed according to the dynamic range of the band-passed signal and the hearing range （HR） of the patient. To further reduce the distortion caused by the WDRC and improve the output signal to noise ratio （SNR） under noise conditions, an adaptive adjustment of the compression ratio is presented. Experimental results demonstrate that the output SNR of the proposed method in babble noise is improved by at least 1.73 dB compared to the WDRC compensation method, and the average speech intelligibility is improved by 6.0% and 5. 7%, respectively, compared to the linear and WDRC compensation methods.
文摘This paper makes comments on conflicts in a micro-story of 527 words,The Ray,written by American writer Ron Milner.The story,from a unique perspective of narration,attracts and strikes the reader as a loud protest amidst silence,against human beings' self-destructive abuse of nuclear technology and craziness of arms races during the cold war.The paper,from the historical,cultural,and religious contexts,presents an analysis of the hero's death and of the message the reader can draw from the story.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(11674105)State Key Lab.of Subtropical Building Science,South China University of Technology.
文摘Ambisonics is a series of flexible spatial sound reproduction systems based on spatial harmonics decomposition of sound field.Traditional horizontal and spatial Ambisonics reconstruct horizontal and spatial sound field with certain order of spatial harmonics,respectively.Both the Shannon-Nyquist spatial sampling frequency limit for accurately reconstructing sound field and the complexity of system increase with the increasing order of Ambisonics.Based on the fact that the horizontal localization resolution of human hearing is higher than vertical resolution,mixed-order Ambisonics(MOA)reconstructs horizontal sound field with higher order spatial harmonics,while reconstructs vertical sound field with lower order spatial harmonics,and thereby reaches a compromise between the perceptual performance and the complexity of system.For a given order horizontal Ambisoncis or MOA reproduction,the number of horizontal loudspeakers is flexible,providing that it exceeds some low limit.By using Moore’s revised loudness model,the present work analyzes the influence of the number of horizontal loudspeakers on timbre both in horizontal Ambisonics and MOA reproduction.The binaural loudness level spectra(BLLS)of Ambisoncis reproduction are calculated and then compared with those of target sound field.The results indicate that below the Shannon-Nyquist limit of spatial sampling,increasing the number of horizontal loudspeakers influence little on BLLS then timbre.Above the limit,however,the BLLS for Ambisoncis reproduction deviate from those of target sound field.The extent of deviation depends on both the direction of target sound field and the number of loudspeakers.Increasing the number of horizontal loudspeakers may increase the change of BLLS then timbre in some cases,but reduce the change in some other cases.For MOA,the influence of the number of horizontal loudspeakers on BLLS and timbre reduces when virtual source departs from horizontal plane to the high or low elevation.The subjective evaluation experiment also validates the analysis.
文摘The recent Standard ISO 226 concerning equal-loudness-level contours has been critically analysed. As a result, it is shown that the fitting and smoothing processes applied in the standard lead to parameter values defining equal-loudness-level contours that are not consistent with the chosen loudness function type. Serious mathematical and acoustical discrepancies have also been found that result in constant terms having an unnecessarily high numerical accuracy and a flawed phon definition, which leads to an erroneous loudness level representation. Therefore an extensive treatment of the logarithmic calculations (phon) of a loudness function is performed in this study. Finally, the author concludes that it would be desirable for the discrepancies in the standard (shown in the study) to be taken into account and corrected before publishing a new version of the standard.
基金supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(No.2016QNA4012),China
文摘An online experiment to acquire the interior noise of a China Railways High-speed （CRH） train showed that it wasmainly composed of middle-low frequency components and could not be described properly by linear or A-weighted soundpressure level （SPL）. Thus, the appropriate way to evaluate the high-speed train interior noise is to use sound quality parameters,and the most important is loudness. To overcome the disadvantages of the existing loudness algorithms, a novel signal-adaptiveMoore loudness algorithm （AMLA） based on the equivalent rectangular bandwidth （ERB） spectrum was introduced. The valida-tion reveals that AMLA can obtain higher accuracy and efficiency, and the simulated dark red noise conforms best to thehigh-speed train interior noise by loudness and auditory assessment. The main loudness component of the interior noise is below27.6 ERB rate （erbr）, and the sound quality of the interior noise is relatively stable between 300-350 km/h. The specific loudnesscomponents among 12-15 erbr stay invariable throughout the acceleration or deceleration process while components among20-27 erbr are evidently speed related. The unusual random noise is effectively identified, which indicates that AMLA is anappropriate method for sound quality assessment of the high-speed train under both steady and transient conditions.
文摘A stationary loudness model has been built up on the basis of the former ISO 226: 1987 concerning equal-loudness-level contours. The loudness and loudness level expressions derived in the study include the same parameters as used when determining the equal-loudness-level contours of the former ISO standard. However, as an additional main idea, a loudness summation rule has been proposed in the study. Moreover, the loudness expressions have been normalised to give the same values for people who have a similar sense of hearing. It has also been found that the loudness expressions include basically two different weightings. The first weighting is a conservative frequency weighting in the domain of sound pressure level, and the second weighting consists of coefficients applied to the weighted sound pressure levels. The latter have the greatest effect on the very low-frequency range. Finally, the paper includes a new way to use the A-weighting which takes into account the compressed character of the equal-loudness-level contours at the low frequency range. This method remarkably transforms the character of the A-weighting as a measure for low-frequency environmental noise.
文摘The continued popularity of reality television, and the release of the recent HBO film Cinema Verite--about the production of the first ＂reality show,＂ An American Family （1973） --has resulted in renewed interest in the series and tangentially its other distinction--its portrayal of the first openly gay character on prime time television. Lance, the oldest of the Loud family children, is on film both flamboyant and effusive, but at the same time-through judicious editing--an asexual creature with no romantic or sexual relationships. This paper considers Lance in the context of Gay representation in media of the 1970s, and then explores the struggle of the filmmakers--and the Loud family themselves--to control and contain the public perception of Lance. The often vague and allusive comments by Lance＇s parents and even Lance himself suggest a character that is at once channing, witty, and vibrantly alive, yet also pretentious and deceitful. The final argument is that these complicit efforts to avoid controversy actually engender it, turning Lance Loud into a figure of mystery and conjecture ... and the undisputed star of the series.
文摘Jewish American writer Jonathan Safran Foer's masterpiece Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close tells a moving story of Oscar,a nine-year-old boy.After losing his father in 9/11,he is looking for every person in New York with the last name Black,hoping to find the lock for the key his father left.In the novel,Foer's trauma narrative strategy shows compulsive repetition.Through the repetition of words,pictures and actions,Foer powerfully conveys his understanding of helplessness and trauma,thus arousing the sympathy of readers.
文摘Laughter is a universal language that brings people together.Among all forms of laughter,a loud laugh is particularly powerful.When someone laughs loudly,it can lift the mood of everyone nearby and create a joyful atmosphere.
文摘A relation of loudness to loudness just noticeable difference (JND) is derived based on signal detection theory and the hypothesis that loudness is the nerve spike count in the duration of T, and the spike rate distribution of stable tonal stimulus is a stable normal stochastic process. The relation suggests that ratio of loudness JND to loudness of tone is independent of intensity, which can explain well experimental results about the relation of intensity JND to intensity of tone, especially those that could not be explained before such as the Weber fraction hump at the moderate level and the near miss to Weber's law.
