Kinematics of birdsong: functional correlation of cranial movements and acoustic features in sparrows

1993 ◽  
Vol 182 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. W. Westneat ◽  
J. H. Long ◽  
W. Hoese ◽  
S. Nowicki
Keyword(s):  
Vocal Tract ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Acoustic Properties ◽  
Zonotrichia Albicollis ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
Acoustic Frequency ◽  
Mean Frequency ◽  
Singing Behavior ◽  
Resonance Properties ◽  
Melospiza Georgiana

The movements of the head and beak of songbirds may play a functional role in vocal production by influencing the acoustic properties of songs. We investigated this possibility by synchronously measuring the acoustic frequency and amplitude and the kinematics (beak gape and head angle) of singing behavior in the white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) and the swamp sparrow (Melospiza georgiana). These birds are closely related emberizine sparrows, but their songs differ radically in frequency and amplitude structure. We found that the acoustic frequencies of notes in a song have a consistent, positive correlation with beak gape in both species. Beak gape increased significantly with increasing frequency during the first two notes in Z. albicollis song, with a mean frequency for note 1 of 3 kHz corresponding to a gape of 0.4 cm (a 15 degrees gape angle) and a mean frequency for note 2 of 4 kHz corresponding to a gape of 0.7 cm (a 30 degrees gape angle). The relationship between gape and frequency for the upswept third note in Z. albicollis also was significant. In M. georgiana, low frequencies of 3 kHz corresponding to beak gapes of 0.2-0.3 cm (a 10–15 degrees break angle), whereas frequencies of 7–8 kHz were associated with flaring of the beak to over 1 cm (a beak angle greater than 50 degrees). Beak gape and song amplitude are poorly correlated in both species. We conclude that cranial kinematics, particularly beak movements, influence the resonance properties of the vocal tract by varying its physical dimensions and thus play an active role in the production of birdsong.

scholarly journals Dual UV-Thermal Curing of Biobased Resorcinol Epoxy Resin-Diatomite Composites with Improved Acoustic Performance and Attractive Flame Retardancy Behavior

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-48
Author(s):  
Quoc-Bao Nguyen ◽  
Henri Vahabi ◽  
Agustín Rios de Anda ◽  
Davy-Louis Versace ◽  
Valérie Langlois ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Release ◽  
Flame Retardant ◽  
Epoxy Resin ◽  
Flame Retardancy ◽  
Sound Absorption ◽  
Flexural Modulus ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Acoustic Properties ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
Compacting Pressure

This study has developed novel fully bio-based resorcinol epoxy resin–diatomite composites by a green two-stage process based on the living character of the cationic polymerization. This process comprises the photoinitiation and subsequently the thermal dark curing, enabling the obtaining of thick and non-transparent epoxy-diatomite composites without any solvent and amine-based hardeners. The effects of the diatomite content and the compacting pressure on microstructural, thermal, mechanical, acoustic properties, as well as the flame behavior of such composites have been thoroughly investigated. Towards the development of sound absorbing and flame-retardant construction materials, a compromise among mechanical, acoustic and flame-retardant properties was considered. Consequently, the composite obtained with 50 wt.% diatomite and 3.9 MPa compacting pressure is considered the optimal composite in the present work. Such composite exhibits the enhanced flexural modulus of 2.9 MPa, a satisfying sound absorption performance at low frequencies with Modified Sound Absorption Average (MSAA) of 0.08 (for a sample thickness of only 5 mm), and an outstanding flame retardancy behavior with the peak of heat release rate (pHRR) of 109 W/g and the total heat release of 5 kJ/g in the pyrolysis combustion flow calorimeter (PCFC) analysis.

Une nouvelle méthode de mesure de la fonction d'aire du conduit vocal : cas des voyelles

2005 ◽  
Vol 83 (7) ◽  
pp. 721-737
Author(s):  
H Teffahi ◽  
B Guerin ◽  
A Djeradi
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Method ◽  
Cross Correlation ◽  
Sound Production ◽  
Linear Prediction ◽  
Vocal Tract ◽  
Random Sequence ◽  
Speech Sound ◽  
Acoustic Properties ◽  
External Excitation ◽  
White Noise Excitation

Knowledge of vocal tract area functions is important for the understanding of phenomena occurring during speech production. We present here a new measurement method based on the external excitation of the vocal tract with a known pseudo-random sequence, where the area function is obtained by a linear prediction analysis applied to the cross-correlation between the sequence and the signal measured at the lips. The advantages of this method over methods based on sweep-tones or white noise excitation are (1) a much shorter measurement time (about 100 ms) and (2) the possibility of speech sound production during the measurement. This method has been checked against classical methods through systematic comparisons on a small corpus of vowels. Moreover, it has been verified that simultaneous speech sound production does not perturb significantly the measurements. This method should thus be a very helpful tool for the investigation of the acoustic properties of the vocal tract in various cases for vowels.

Sensitivity of Acoustic Resonance Properties to a Change in Volume of Piriform Sinuses

2016 ◽  
Vol 821 ◽  
pp. 671-676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vojtěch Radolf
Keyword(s):  
Computational Models ◽  
Vocal Tract ◽  
Acoustic Resonance ◽  
Mode Shapes ◽  
Finite Element Models ◽  
Antiresonance Frequency ◽  
Resonance Frequencies ◽  
Resonance Properties ◽  
1D Model

Piriform sinuses (PS), side branches of the human vocal tract, produce extra resonances and antiresonances which influence the quality of produced voice. These acoustic resonant characteristics can be numerically simulated by 3D finite element models of the vocal tract with lateral cavities. Computations that use these accurate methods are very time consuming, therefore this study introduces a simplified 1D mathematical model to analyse acoustical effects of side branches. Although the 1D model cannot capture higher-frequency transversal mode shapes, the resulted changes caused by piriform sinuses partially correspond to recent findings of 3D computational models. New pair of resonances around 5 kHz followed by an antiresonance frequency were detected in the results of the model including PS. The first four resonance frequencies lying below the first new resonance of PS decreased with increasing PS volume and similarly both the new resonances of PS. The higher original resonances increased with increasing PS volume.

Influence of Transversal Acoustic Excitation of the Burner Approach Flow on the Flame Structure

2010 ◽  
Vol 133 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Hauser ◽  
Manuel Lorenz ◽  
Thomas Sattelmayer
Keyword(s):  
Combustion Chamber ◽  
Acoustic Field ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Phase Distribution ◽  
Flame Structure ◽  
Excitation Frequency ◽  
Acoustic Properties ◽  
Acoustic Oscillations ◽  
Test Rig ◽  
Low Frequencies

Modern large gas turbines for power generation have multiple burners, which are distributed around the circumference of the engine and which generate flames in combustors of either annular or can-annular geometry. In both cases, considering only the axial modes has proven to be insufficient for the assessment of the thermoacoustic stability. An adequate analysis requires consideration of the circumferential acoustic coupling generated by the acoustic field in the upstream and downstream annuli and the open passages between the cans, respectively. As in annular combustors, the particularly critical eigenmodes with low frequencies are predominantly of circumferential nature; the stability of annular combustors is often governed by the onset of circumferential acoustic oscillations. To determine the influence of these circumferential acoustic modes on the dynamic flame behavior, a new single burner test rig was developed. The unique acoustic properties of the test rig allow the exposure of a single swirl burner to a two-dimensional acoustic field that resembles the circumferential mode in an annular combustor. Measurements were performed for axial as well as transversal excitation of the burner and the combination of both. To investigate the dynamic flame structure, phase-resolved flame images have been evaluated in terms of amplitude and phase distribution. Under transversal excitation, the flame structure becomes highly asymmetrical. A region of higher OH∗ intensity is generated in the combustion chamber, which rotates with the excitation frequency. From phase-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements of the isothermal flow, it is concluded that the transversal excitation modulates the swirl generation leading to an asymmetrical velocity distribution in the burner nozzle and the combustion chamber.

Acoustic Properties of Timber Joist Ceilings with Respects to their Response onto the Effects of Dynamic Loads

2013 ◽  
Vol 649 ◽  
pp. 269-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dagmar Donaťáková ◽  
Jana Krupicová ◽  
Zuzana Kolářová ◽  
Bohumil Straka
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Properties ◽  
Dynamic Loads ◽  
Subjective Perception ◽  
Acoustic Parameters ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
Acoustic Conditions

The paper discusses some issues connected to timber joist ceilings found not only in historical protected buildings but also in newly designed multi-storey timber based ones, with regards to their acoustic parameters perceived by the inhabitants of such objects. These problems are usually connected to the complaints of the users because of unsatisfying acoustic conditions indoors, observed mainly at low frequencies, even though the requirements given by the legislation are met. The paper with its content is a reaction to the contradiction between the results coming from measurements and subjective perception, and is complemented by structural evaluations seeking the effects of dynamic tremors and vibrations.

scholarly journals An Acoustic Study of Vowels Produced by Alaryngeal Speakers in Taiwan

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 481-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia-Shiou Liao
Keyword(s):  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Euclidean Distance ◽  
Vocal Tract ◽  
Acoustic Properties ◽  
Formant Frequency ◽  
Acoustic Study ◽  
Artificial Larynx ◽  
Resonance Frequencies ◽  
Vowel Space ◽  
Southern Min

PurposeThis study investigated the acoustic properties of 6 Taiwan Southern Min vowels produced by 10 laryngeal speakers (LA), 10 speakers with a pneumatic artificial larynx (PA), and 8 esophageal speakers (ES).MethodEach of the 6 monophthongs of Taiwan Southern Min (/i, e, a, ɔ, u, ə/) was represented by a Taiwan Southern Min character and appeared randomly on a list 3 times (6 Taiwan Southern Min characters × 3 repetitions = 18 tokens). Each Taiwan Southern Min character in this study has the same syllable structure, /V/, and all were read with tone 1 (high and level). Acoustic measurements of the 1st formant, 2nd formant, and 3rd formant were taken for each vowel. Then, vowel space areas (VSAs) enclosed by /i, a, u/ were calculated for each group of speakers. The Euclidean distance between vowels in the pairs /i, a/, /i, u/, and /a, u/ was also calculated and compared across the groups.ResultsPA and ES have higher 1st or 2nd formant values than LA for each vowel. The distance is significantly shorter between vowels in the corner vowel pairs /i, a/ and /i, u/. PA and ES have a significantly smaller VSA compared with LA.ConclusionsIn accordance with previous studies, alaryngeal speakers have higher formant frequency values than LA because they have a shortened vocal tract as a result of their total laryngectomy. Furthermore, the resonance frequencies are inversely related to the length of the vocal tract (on the basis of the assumption of the source filter theory). PA and ES have a smaller VSA and shorter distances between corner vowels compared with LA, which may be related to speech intelligibility. This hypothesis needs further support from future study.

Collective singing dynamics in a competition context drive song plasticity

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pepe Alcami ◽  
Shouwen Ma ◽  
Manfred Gahr
Keyword(s):  
Time Scales ◽  
Physical Aggression ◽  
Social Conditions ◽  
The Other ◽  
Acoustic Properties ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Recording Technology ◽  
Singing Behavior ◽  
Freely Behaving ◽  
Motor Production

AbstractAnimals need to adapt their motor production to challenging social conditions at behaviorally-relevant time scales. Here, we use telemetric recording technology from freely-behaving canaries in natural-like social conditions in which male canaries compete for females. We report that male canaries influence each other’s singing during ‘duels’ characterized by temporal overlaps of their songs, which are often followed by physical aggression. Duels evolve in time and both canaries can lead or follow the other canary’s song on a song-to-song basis. Remarkably, overlapping behavior induces singing plasticity: both song length and its variability increase when canaries overlap their songs. Furthermore, song acoustic properties reveal a link between dueling and song similarity. Altogether, results show that canary singing behavior is plastic in social environments.

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