A structural modification technique for reducing structure-borne noise of vehicles using a sensitivity analysis is suggested. To estimate the noises generated by the vibration response, a semi structure-acoustic coupling analysis was exploited. As a result of the coupling analysis, severe noise generating positions are identified whose vibrations should be cured through structural modifications. Formulation for the sensitivity analysis of those severe vibration responses with respect to the design changes is derived to enhance the vibration response. Special attention is given in this paper to the use of the experimentally measured vibration responses in the sensitivity analysis. As a result of the proposed method, the structural modifications can be peformed accurately by using experimental data instead of using the finite element method though the higher vibration modes are considered as long as the vibration measurement and acoustic mode calculations are accurate. Effectiveness of this method was examined using an example model by experiments.

Psychoacoustic model based methods have recently been introduced in order to enhance speech signals corrupted by ambient noise. In particular, the perceptual filter is analytically derived where the frequency content of the input noisy signal is made the same as that of the estimated clean signal in auditory domain. However, the analytical derivation should rely on the deconvolution associated with the spreading function in the psychoacoustic model, which results in an ill-conditioned problem. In order to cope with the problem associated with the deconvolution, we propose a novel psychoacoustic model based speech enhancement filter whose principle is the same as the perceptual filter, however the filter is derived by a constrained optimization which provides solutions to the ill-conditioned problem. It is demonstrated with artificially generated signals that the proposed filter operates according to the principle. It is shown that superior performance results from the proposed filter over the perceptual filter provided that a clean speech signal is separable from noise.

The present research examined the contribution of sounds′ familiarity to auditory distance perception, while attempting to control the influences of unavoidable physical characteristics among sounds. Different vocal "styles" ("shouts", "whispers" and "a normal conversation") of man and woman were recorded digitally and presented from a stationary loudspeaker to blindfolded listeners in a semi anechoic chamber. Playback levels were adjusted to remove extraneous sound level cues. The results showed that the shouting voice was judged as appearing farthest, the whispering voice closest, and the conversational voice was intermediate. The findings suggested that the perception of auditory distance may be affected by past experience (or familiarity).

The main question addressed in this research was whether an adaptation of a standard exercise Physiology Procedure would be sensitive enough to record excess oxygen uptake associated with speech activity. Oxygen consumption was recorded for a single subject during 7-minute rest periods and an automatic speech task, also 7-minutes long and performed at three different vocal efforts. The data show measurable and systematic speech-induced modifications of breathing and oxygen uptake patterns. The subject was found to use less power for normal than for soft and loud speech. This result is similar to findings reported by experimental biologists on the energetics of locomotion. However, more comprehensive feasibility studies need to be undertaken on a larger population before solid and detailed conclusions about speech energy costs are possible. However, it appears clear that, for experimental tasks like the present one, i.e., variations in vocal effort, standard exercise physiology methods may indeed offer a viable approach to recording excess oxygen uptake associated with speech movements.

This study investigated whether the adjacency principle. demonstrated in a perceived visual space, can be applied to auditory space. In order to demonstrate an auditory adjacency principle, multiple sound sources were varied in direction and distance in an acoustically absorbant space. Specifically, a NEAR sound source was located 10° to the left of the listener's midline at a distance of 2 meters; a FAR sound source was located 10° to the right at a distance of 5 meters. These sources served as perceptual reference points with respect to the localization of three test sounds, all at a distance of 3 meters. Two of three test sounds were directionally closer to the NEAR and FAR reference sounds, respectively. The other was between the reference sources directionally. The listener was asked to judge the perceived distances and the loudness of the three test sounds and the two reference sounds. The results indicated that the apparent distances of the test sounds were most determined by the disparity of distance between each test sound and the reference sound most directionally adjacent to it. Therefore, the findings offer evidence that the adjacency principle can be applied to the auditory space.