Boyle's Law ignores dynamic processes in governing barotrauma in fish

The expansion and potential rupture of the swim bladder due to rapid decompression, a major cause of barotrauma injury in fish that pass through turbines and pumps, is generally assumed to be governed by Boyle's Law. In this study, two swim bladder expansion models are presented and tested in silico. One based on the quasi-static Boyle's Law, and a Modified Rayleigh Plesset Model (MRPM), which includes both inertial and pressure functions and was parametrised to be representative of a fish swim bladder. The two models were tested using a range of: (1) simulated and (2) empirically derived pressure profiles. Our results highlight a range of conditions where the Boyle's Law model (BLM) is inappropriate for predicting swim bladder size in response to pressure change and that these conditions occur in situ, indicating that this is an applied and not just theoretical issue. Specifically, these conditions include any one, or any combination, of the following factors: (1) when rate of pressure change is anything but very slow compared to the resonant frequency of the swim bladder; (2) when the nadir pressure is near or at absolute zero; and (3) when a fish experiences liquid tensions (i.e. negative absolute pressures). Under each of these conditions, the MRPM is more appropriate tool for predicting swim bladder size in response to pressure change and hence it is a better model for quantifying barotrauma in fish.

To Bag or Not to Bag? How AudioMoth-Based Passive Acoustic Monitoring Is Impacted by Protective Coverings

Bare board AudioMoth recorders offer a low-cost, open-source solution to passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) but need protecting in an enclosure. We were concerned that the choice of enclosure may alter the spectral characteristics of recordings. We focus on polythene bags as the simplest enclosure and assess how their use affects acoustic metrics. Using an anechoic chamber, a series of pure sinusoidal tones from 100 Hz to 20 kHz were recorded on 10 AudioMoth devices and a calibrated Class 1 sound level meter. The recordings were made on bare board AudioMoth devices, as well as after covering them with different bags. Linear phase finite impulse response filters were designed to replicate the frequency response functions between the incident pressure wave and the recorded signals. We applied these filters to ~1000 sound recordings to assess the effects of the AudioMoth and the bags on 19 acoustic metrics. While bare board AudioMoth showed very consistent spectral responses with accentuation in the higher frequencies, bag enclosures led to significant and erratic attenuation inconsistent between frequencies. Few acoustic metrics were insensitive to this uncertainty, rendering index comparisons unreliable. Biases due to enclosures on PAM devices may need to be considered when choosing appropriate acoustic indices for ecological studies. Archived recordings without adequate metadata may potentially produce biased acoustic index values and should be treated cautiously.

Applying appropriate frequency criteria to advance acoustic behavioural guidance systems for fish

Deterrents that use acoustics to guide fish away from dangerous areas depend on the elicitation of avoidance in the target species. Acoustic deterrents select the optimum frequency based on an assumption that highest avoidance is likely to occur at the greatest sensitivity. However, such an assumption may be unfounded. Using goldfish (Carassius auratus) as a suitable experimental model, this study tested this as a null hypothesis. Under laboratory conditions, the deterrence thresholds of individual goldfish exposed to 120 ms tones at six frequencies (250-2000 Hz) and four Sound Pressure Levels (SPL 115-145 dB) were quantified. The deterrence threshold defined as the SPL at which 25% of the tested population startled was calculated and compared to the hearing threshold obtained using Auditory Evoked Potential and particle acceleration threshold data. The optimum frequency to elicit a startle response was 250 Hz; different from the published hearing and particle acceleration sensitivities based on audiograms. The difference between the deterrence threshold and published hearing threshold data varied from 47.1 dB at 250 Hz to 76 dB at 600 Hz. This study demonstrates that information obtained from audiograms may poorly predict the most suitable frequencies at which avoidance behaviours are elicited in fish.

Methods of acoustic gas flux inversion-Investigation into the initial amplitude of bubble excitation

Passive acoustic inversion techniques for measuring gas flux into the water column have the potential to be a powerful tool for the long-term monitoring and quantification of natural marine seeps and anthropogenic emissions. Prior inversion techniques have had limited precision due to lack of constraints on the initial amplitude of a bubble's excitation following its release into the water column ( _R). _R is determined by observing the acoustic signal of bubbles released from sediment in a controlled experiment and its use is demonstrated by quantifying the flux from a volcanic CO₂ seep offshore Panarea (Italy), improving the precision by 78%.

Measurement of bistatic sea surface scattering with a parametric acoustic source

This work presents the results from a series of bistatic sea surface scattering experiments conducted in shallow water using a parametric acoustic array as a source and a receiver comprising a horizontal linear array. The experiments measured scattering at three frequencies (4, 8, and 15 kHz) and at three incident grazing angles (13º, 20º, and 30º). The measurements were made over a 5 day period during which a variety of environmental conditions were encountered. This paper provides an outline of the experiments and presents some results for the forward scattering strength. The results show that the wave direction has a significant effect on the surface forward scattering. At each incident grazing angle, the fluctuations of scattering strength due to environmental conditions decreases as the frequency increases.

The response of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) to insonified bubble curtains

Acoustic bubble curtains have been marketed as relatively low cost and easily maintained behavioural deterrents for fisheries management. Their energy efficiency can be improved by reducing air flow and exploiting bubble resonance. In a series of three flume experiments, we: (1) investigated the reactions of carp to a low air flow bubble curtain, (2) compared the effectiveness of resonant versus non-resonant insonified bubble curtains (for the same volume flux of gas injected through the nozzles) to deter passage, and determined the stimuli responsible for eliciting deterrence, and (3) included the effect of visual cues generated by the bubble curtain. This study showed that bubble curtains with a higher proportion of resonant bubbles deterred carp relatively better. Passage rejection was likely influenced by multiple cues at distances within a body length of the fish- specifically the rate of change in both particle motion and flow velocity caused by rising bubbles. All acoustic bubble curtains were less effective in the presence of daylight, suggesting that vision plays an important role at mediating carp reactions. We discuss the importance of ascertaining the bubble size distribution, in addition to the gas flow rate and aperture size, when characterising acoustically active bubble curtains.

Acoustic propagation in gassy intertidal marine sediments: An experimental study

The need to predict acoustic propagation through marine sediments that contain gas bubbles has become increasingly important for civil engineering and climate studies. There are relatively few in situ acoustic wave propagation studies of muddy intertidal sediments, in which bubbles of biogenic gas (generally methane, a potent greenhouse gas) are commonly found. We used a single experimental rig to conduct two in situ intertidal acoustical experiments to improve understanding of acoustic remote sensing of gassy sediments, eventually including gas bubble size distributions. In the first experiment, we measured sediment sound speed and attenuation between four aligned hydrophones for a quasi-plane wave propagating along the array. The second experiment involved a focused insonified sediment volume created by two transducers emitting coincident sound beams at different frequencies that generated bubble-mediated acoustic signals at combination frequencies. The results from sediment core analyses, and comparison of in situ acoustic velocity and attenuation values with those of water-saturated sediments, together provide ample evidence for the presence of in situ gas bubbles in the insonified volumes of sediments. These datasets are suitable for linear and non-linear inversion studies that estimate in situ greenhouse gas bubble populations, needed for future acoustical remote sensing applications.

Mobile surveys and machine learning can improve urban noise mapping: Beyond A-weighted measurements of exposure

Urban noise pollution is a major environmental issue, second only to fine particulate matter in its impacts on physical and mental health. To identify who is affected and where to prioritise actions, noise maps derived from traffic flows and propagation algorithms are widely used. These may not reflect true levels of exposure because they fail to consider noise from all sources and may leave gaps where roads or traffic data are absent. We present an improved approach to overcome these limitations. Using walking surveys, we recorded 52,366 audio clips of 10 s each along 733 km of routes throughout the port city of Southampton. We extracted power levels in low (11 to 177 Hz), mid (177 Hz to 5.68 kHz), high (5.68 to 22.72 kHz) and A-weighted frequencies and then built machine-learning (ML) models to predict noise levels at 30 m resolution across the entire city, driven by urban form. Model performance (r²) ranged from 0.41 (low frequencies) to 0.61 (mid frequencies) with mean absolute errors of 4.05 to 4.75 dB. The main predictors of noise were related to modes of transport (road, air, rail and water) but for low frequencies, port activities were also important. When mapped to the city scale, A-weighted frequencies produced a similar spatial pattern to mid-frequencies, but did not capture the major sources of low frequency noise from the port or scattered hotspots of high frequencies. We question whether A-weighted noise mapping is adequate for health and wellbeing impact assessments. We conclude that mobile surveys combined with ML offer an alternative way to map noise from all sources and at fine resolution across entire cities that may more accurately reflect true exposures. Our approach is suitable for noise data gathered by citizen scientists, or from a network of sensors, as well as from structured surveys.

Collective behaviour of the European minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus) is influenced by signals of differing acoustic complexity

Collective behaviour, such as shoaling in fish, benefits individuals through a variety of activities such as social information exchange and anti-predator defence. Human driven disturbance (e.g. anthropogenic noise) is known to affect the behaviour and physiology of individual animals, but the disruption of social aggregations of fish remains poorly understood. Anthropogenic noise originates from a variety of activities and differs in acoustic structure, dominant frequencies, and spectral complexity. The response of groups of fish may differ greatly, depending on the type of noise, and how it is perceived (e.g. threatening or attractive). In a controlled laboratory study, high resolution video tracking in combination with fine scale acoustic mapping was used to investigate the response of groups of European minnows (Phoxinus phoxinus) to signals of differing acoustic complexity (sinewave tones vs octave band noise) under low (150 Hz) and high (2200 Hz) frequencies. Fish startled and decreased their mean group swimming speed under all four treatments, with low frequency sinewave tones having the greatest influence on group behaviour. The shoals exhibited spatial avoidance during both low frequency treatments, with more time spent in areas of lower acoustic intensity than expected. This study illustrates how noise can influence the spatial distribution and social dynamics within groups of fish, and owing to the high potential for freshwater aquatic environments to be influenced by anthropogenic activity, wider consequences for populations should be further investigated.

Automated extraction of dolphin whistles-A sequential Monte Carlo probability hypothesis density approach

The need for automated methods to detect and extract marine mammal vocalizations from acoustic data has increased in the last few decades due to the increased availability of long-term recording systems. Automated dolphin whistle extraction represents a challenging problem due to the time-varying number of overlapping whistles present in, potentially, noisy recordings. Typical methods utilize image processing techniques or single target tracking, but often result in fragmentation of whistle contours and/or partial whistle detection. This study casts the problem into a more general statistical multi-target tracking framework and uses the probability hypothesis density filter as a practical approximation to the optimal Bayesian multi-target filter. In particular, a particle version, referred to as a sequential Monte Carlo probability hypothesis density (SMC-PHD) filter, is adapted for frequency tracking and specific models are developed for this application. Based on these models, two versions of the SMC-PHD filter are proposed and the performance of these versions is investigated on an extensive real-world dataset of dolphin acoustic recordings. The proposed filters are shown to be efficient tools for automated extraction of whistles, suitable for real-time implementation.

Group behavior and tolerance of Eurasian minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus) in response to tones of differing pulse repetition rate

Behavioral guidance systems are commonly used in freshwater fish conservation. The biological relevance of sound to fish and recorded responses to human-generated noise supports the viability of the use of acoustics as an effective stimulus in such technologies. Relatively little information exists on the long-term responses and recovery of fish to repeated acoustic exposures. In a controlled laboratory study, the response and tolerance of Eurasian minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus) shoals to tonal signals (150 Hz of 1 s pulse duration) differing only in temporal characteristics ("continuous," "slow," "intermediate," or "fast" pulse repetition rate) were investigated. In comparison to independent control groups, fish increased their mean group swimming speed, decreased inter-individual distance, and became more aligned in response to the onset of all four acoustic treatments. The magnitude of response, and time taken to develop a tolerance to a treatment differed according to pulse repetition rate. Groups were found to have the greatest and longest lasting response to tone sequences tested in this study when they were pulsed at an intermediate rate of 0.2 s^-1. This study illustrates the importance of understanding the response of fish to acoustic signals, and will assist toward the development of longer-term effective acoustic guidance systems.

Underwater radiated noise from hydrofoils in coastal water

Underwater noise from commercial shipping throughout the oceans has been increasing over the past decades and the environmental impact of this noise remains an area of great uncertainty. This has led to the measurement of noise from commercial vessels in order to understand the impacts that these vessels may engender. Hydrofoils are used by ferries in various locations around the world and locally may be a significant contributing factor of the soundscape. However, the investigation on underwater radiated noise from the activity of hydrofoils in the field has not been widely conducted. This article is an attempt to characterize the noise from hydrofoils in the field. Detailed measurements in the coastal water close to the Panarea port, Italy are reported. The investigation describes the broadband frequency spectrum with the main energy approximately centered on 30-130 Hz but covering frequencies up to tens of kHz. A key result was that the spectrum of the noise varied between the three stages (displacement, transition, and foiling) of the hydrofoils heading into or out of the port.

Three-dimensional finite element simulation of acoustic propagation in spiral bubble net of humpback whale

In 2004, Leighton hypothesized that the acoustic calls emitted by humpback whales when feeding using bubble nets, may enhance the effectiveness of the net in confining prey (such as herring) by forming a "wall of sound" with a quiet zone within. Modelling of the acoustics of this phenomenon was previously restricted to 2D; this paper conducts a 3D model of the propagation of signals resembling those emitted by humpback whales when bubble netting, projected into an upward spiral bubble net which data to date suggest is the accurate form for the bubble net in 3D space. In this study, the feeding calls were analyzed in the time-frequency domain to extract acoustic information sufficient to allow modeling of the resulting spatial distribution of acoustic pressure and particle velocity, and how they vary over the duration of the call. Sound propagation in the bubble net was described by using a linear steady-state formulation for an effective medium of bubbly water. Using the predicted attenuation, phase velocity and density in bubbly water, a 3D finite element model was constructed to numerically simulate the upward-spiral bubble net which consists of a mixture of bubbles that exhibit a range of radii. The acoustic pressure field and particle motion field were both calculated within the bubble net. The simulation results show that the energy of the whale feeding call could be effectively focused in the bubble net, generating intensive sound pressure and particle motion fields in the bubbly arm of the net, but with some "quiet" regions closer to the center of the net, as Leighton hypothesized. Furthermore, when the hearing ability of herring is taken into consideration, the results suggest that this acoustic focusing effect could be a plausible factor in trapping them in the bubble net. It also allows speculation on the possible enhancements that the time-varying nature of the call during feeding could give to the whale in this mechanism for the bubble net feeding by humpback whales.

Public exposure to ultrasound and very high-frequency sound in air

Recent work showing the presence of a new generation of ultrasound (US) sources in public places has reopened the debate about whether there are adverse effects of US on humans, and has identified weaknesses in standards and exposure guidelines. Systems that rely on very high-frequency sound (VHFS) and US include public-address voice-alarm (PAVA) systems (whose operational status is often monitored using tones at ∼20 kHz) and pest deterrents. In this study, sound pressure levels (SPLs) produced by 16 sources that were either publically available or installed in busy public spaces were measured. These sources were identified through a citizen science project, wherein members of the public were asked to provide smartphone recordings of VHFS/US sources. With measurements made in realistic listening positions, pest deterrents were found that produced levels of up to 100 dB SPL at ∼20 kHz, and a hand dryer was found to produce 84 dB SPL at 40 kHz. PAVA systems were found to emit lower levels of up to 76 dB SPL at ∼20 kHz. Pest deterrents measured breach recommended safe listening limits for public exposure for people who are nearby even for relatively short periods.

Effects of very high-frequency sound and ultrasound on humans. Part II: A double-blind randomized provocation study of inaudible 20-kHz ultrasound

Some people have reported symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, and headaches that they attribute to ultrasound (US) emitted by devices in public places. The primary aim of the present study was to investigate whether inaudible US can provoke adverse symptoms compared to a sham presentation, under double-blind conditions. A second aim was to investigate whether the expectation of US being present could provoke adverse symptoms (a nocebo response). The US stimulus was a 20 kHz tone presented continuously for 20 min set to at least 15 dB below the participants' detection threshold, giving a typical sound pressure level (SPL) of 84 dB. No evidence that US provoked symptoms was found, but there was evidence of small nocebo effects. A case study on an individual with high self-reported sensitivity to US gave similar results. The present study did not reproduce the severe symptoms reported previously by some members of the public; this may be due to the SPL or duration of the stimulus, or strength of the nocebo stimulus. These findings cannot be used to predict outcomes from exposures to sounds that are audible to the individual in question, or to sounds with higher SPLs, longer durations, or different frequency content.

Measurements of ultrasonic deterrents and an acoustically branded hairdryer: Ambiguities in guideline compliance

Acoustic radiation from three commercial pest deterrents and two hair dryers were measured in an anechoic chamber. The deterrents were chosen because the frequency range at which they emit the most energy is either in the very high-frequency sound band (11.2-17.8 kHz) or the ultrasound band (greater than 17.8 kHz). These are sources that may be heard by a subset of the general population, with the young typically having better high frequency sensitivity. A hairdryer reported to increase the frequency of the motor noise above the audible hearing range was compared with a standard hairdryer. The outputs of the deterrents are compared against six international regulations and guidelines for audible and ultrasound exposure. Multiple ambiguities in the application of these guidelines are discussed. These ambiguities could lead to a device being considered as in compliance despite unconventionally high levels. Even if a device measured here meets a guideline, actual exposures can exceed those taken here and may therefore breach guidelines if the listener is closer to the device or reflections increase the exposure level.

Effects of very high-frequency sound and ultrasound on humans. Part I: Adverse symptoms after exposure to audible very-high frequency sound

Various adverse symptoms resulting from exposure to very high-frequency sound (VHFS) and ultrasound (US) have previously been reported. This study aimed to establish whether these symptoms are experienced under controlled laboratory conditions and are specific to VHFS/US. To do this, participants were exposed to VHFS/US (at frequencies between 13.5 and 20 kHz and sound pressure levels between 82 and 92 dB) and to a 1 kHz reference stimulus, both at 25 dB above their hearing threshold. The VHFS/US and reference stimuli were presented 4 times, each time for 3 min, during which participants performed a sustained attention task, rated their symptom severity, and had their galvanic skin response (GSR) measured to assess their level of anxiety. Prior to exposure, participants were assigned either to a symptomatic or an asymptomatic group, based on their prior history of symptoms that they attributed to VHFS/US. In both groups, overall discomfort ratings were higher in the VHFS/US condition than the reference condition. In the symptomatic group only, difficulty concentrating and annoyance were also rated higher in the VHFS/US than the reference condition. No difference between the two stimulus conditions was seen in performance on the attention task or on average GSRs for either group.

A blind source separation approach for humpback whale song separation

Many marine mammal species are highly social and are frequently encountered in groups or aggregations. When conducting passive acoustic monitoring in such circumstances, recordings commonly contain vocalizations of multiple individuals which overlap in time and frequency. This paper considers the use of blind source separation as a method for processing these recordings to separate the calls of individuals. The example problem considered here is that of the songs of humpback whales. The high levels of noise and long impulse responses can make source separation in underwater contexts a challenging proposition. The approach present here is based on time-frequency masking, allied to a noise reduction process. The technique is assessed using simulated and measured data sets, and the results demonstrate the effectiveness of the method for separating humpback whale songs.

Acoustic wave propagation in gassy porous marine sediments: The rheological and the elastic effects

The preceding paper in this series [Mantouka, Dogan, White, and Leighton, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 140, 274-282 (2016)] presented a nonlinear model for acoustic propagation in gassy marine sediments, the baseline for which was established by Leighton [Geo. Res. Lett. 34, L17607 (2007)]. The current paper aims further advancement on those two studies by demonstrating the particular effects of the sediment rheology, the dispersion and dissipation of the first compressional wave, and the higher order re-scattering from other bubbles. Sediment rheology is included through the sediment porosity and the definition of the contact interfaces of bubbles with the solid grains and the pore water. The intrinsic attenuation and the dispersion of the compressional wave are incorporated using the effective fluid density model [Williams, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 110, 2276-2281 (2001)] for the far field (fully water-saturated sediment). The multiple scattering from other bubbles is included using the method of Kargl [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 11, 168-173 (2002)]. The overall nonlinear formulation is then reduced to the linear limit in order to compare with the linear theory of Anderson and Hampton [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 67, 1890-1903 (1980)], and the results for the damping coefficients, the sound speed, and the attenuation are presented.

Automated tracking of dolphin whistles using Gaussian mixture probability hypothesis density filters

This work considers automated multi target tracking of odontocete whistle contours. An adaptation of the Gaussian mixture probability hypothesis density (GM-PHD) filter is described and applied to the acoustic recordings from six odontocete species. From the raw data, spectral peaks are first identified and then the GM-PHD filter is used to simultaneously track the whistles' frequency contours. Overall over 9000 whistles are tracked with a precision of 85% and recall of 71.8%. The proposed filter is shown to track whistles precisely (with mean deviation of 104 Hz, about one frequency bin, from the annotated whistle path) and 80% coverage. The filter is computationally efficient, suitable for real-time implementation, and is widely applicable to different odontocete species.

Extraterrestrial sound for planetaria: A pedagogical study

The purpose of this project was to supply an acoustical simulation device to a local planetarium for use in live shows aimed at engaging and inspiring children in science and engineering. The device plays audio simulations of estimates of the sounds produced by natural phenomena to accompany audio-visual presentations and live shows about Venus, Mars, and Titan. Amongst the simulated noise are the sounds of thunder, wind, and cryo-volcanoes. The device can also modify the speech of the presenter (or audience member) in accordance with the underlying physics to reproduce those vocalizations as if they had been produced on the world under discussion. Given that no time series recordings exist of sounds from other worlds, these sounds had to be simulated. The goal was to ensure that the audio simulations were delivered in time for a planetarium's launch show to enable the requested outreach to children. The exercise has also allowed an explanation of the science and engineering behind the creation of the sounds. This has been achieved for young children, and also for older students and undergraduates, who could then debate the limitations of that method.

Modelling acoustic scattering, sound speed, and attenuation in gassy soft marine sediments

A model for nonlinear gas bubble pulsation in marine sediments is presented. This model is then linearized to determine the resonance frequency and the damping terms for linear radial oscillations. The linear model is then used to predict the effects that such bubble pulsations will have on the sound speed and attenuation of acoustic waves propagating in gassy marine sediment. The results are compared for monodisperse populations against the predictions of a model of Anderson and Hampton and, furthermore, the additional abilities of the model introduced in this paper are discussed. These features include the removal of the sign ambiguities in the expressions, the straightforward implementation for acoustic propagation through polydisperse bubble populations, the capability to estimate bubble size distributions through a full acoustic inversion, and the capability to predict nonlinear effects.

Female sex pheromone of the common furniture beetleAnobium punctatum (Coleoptera: Anobiidae): Extraction, identification, and bioassays

Observations and reports on the common furniture beetleAnobium punctatum suggested that, on emergence, females use a sex pheromone to attract males. GLC analysis of ovipositor extracts showed the presence of a single component, which was found to be active by EAG and coupled GLC-EAG techniques, and to attract males in both walking and flying assays. The pheromone was identified by GC-MS as 2,3-dihydro-2,3,5-trimethyl-6-(1-methyl-2-oxobutyl)-4H-pyran-4-one (stegobinone), which is the sex pheromone of another anobiid, the drugstore beetle,Stegobium paniceum. MaleA. punctatum responded equally to ovipositor extracts of either species, at both the sensory (EAG) and behavioral levels, which poses the question as to how species specificity in mate attraction is achieved.

Saw-toothed grain beetleOryzaephilus surinamensis (L.) (Coleoptera: Silvanidae) : Antennal and behavioral responses to individual components and blends of aggregation pheromone

The antennal and behavioral responses of the saw-toothed grain beetle,Oryzaephilus surinamensis, to the three components of its male-produced aggregation pheromone were investigated. EAG recordings showed no differences between the responses of the two sexes to the synthetic pheromone components. In contrast, laboratory behavioral assays demonstrated marked differences between the sexes. More females than males were consistently attracted to mixtures of the synthetic components, and this bias appeared to be caused by one component in the blend. Altering the blend ratio resulted in changes in the ratio of the sexes attracted. Thus, if, as suggested by preliminary work, males vary the blend produced, this should alter the relative response of the sexes to the aggregation pheromone.

Stereospecific antennal response by red turpentine beetle,Dendroctonus valens to chiral monoterpenes from ponderosa pine resin

The antennal response ofDendroctonus valens to host monoterpenes from the resin of ponderosa pine was studied using the electroantennogram (EAG) technique. Male and female beetles were given a single dose of each of 11 different monoterpenes. Response amplitude to the different compounds did not vary between sexes and was generally well correlated with results from field attraction studies. Response to (S)-(-)-β-pinene was greatest. The relative amplitude of the responses to the (R)-(+) and (S)-(-) enantiomers of a-pinene, however, were reversed from their relative attractiveness in the field. A dose-response study was conducted for the (R)-(+) and (S) -(-) enantiomers of a-pinene, plus a reciprocal differential saturation test with successive doses of first one enantiomer ofα-pinene and then the other. Comparison of EAG traces suggests different receptors for the two stereoisomers ofα-pinene. Differential saturation curves suggest that while one set of receptors may respond to both enantiomers, some receptors respond only to the (S)-(-) enantiomer.

Grain weevil,Sitophilus granarius (L.): Antennal and behavioral responses to male-produced volatiles

Coupled GC-EAG techniques have been applied to the study of volatiles from the grain weevil,Sitophilus granarius. for the first time. The size of EAG response was independent of the sex of the responding insect but was consistently larger to extracts of males than those of females. This difference was reflected in a behavioral preference for the male extracts by mated adults of both sexes tested together and virgin adults of both sexes tested separately. The GC-EAG results provide evidence for two materials that are released specifically by the males. Using circular dichroism. one has been found to be identical stereochemically with the (2S,3R)-sitophilate reported by others as the aggregation pheromone in a different strain. This enhances the prospects for the development of a single pheromone lure that would be generally applicable whatever the origin of the strain. The small amount of sitophilate found in the males suggests that it is not stored in large amounts. The other material, present in such a small amount that it has yet to be fully characterized, elicits a higher antennal activity than sitophilate and may have a significant role to play in enhancing the trap catch of this economically important pest.

Clutter suppression and classification using twin inverted pulse sonar in ship wakes

Twin inverted pulse sonar (TWIPS) is here deployed in the wake of a moored rigid inflatable boat (RIB) with propeller turning, and then in the wake of a moving tanker of 4580 dry weight tonnage (the Whitchallenger). This is done first to test its ability to distinguish between scatter from the wake and scatter from the seabed, and second to test its ability to improve detectability of the seabed through the wake, compared to conventional sonar processing techniques. TWIPS does this by distinguishing between linear and nonlinear scatterers and has the further property of distinguishing those nonlinear targets which scatter energy at the even-powered harmonics from those which scatter in the odd-powered harmonics. TWIPS can also, in some manifestations, require no range correction (and therefore does not require the a priori environment knowledge necessary for most remote detection technologies).

The performance of methods based on the fractional Fourier transform for detecting marine mammal vocalizations

The analysis of cetacean vocalizations is considered using Fourier-based techniques that employ chirp functions in their decomposition. In particular, the paper considers a short-time methods based on the fractional Fourier transform for detecting frequency modulated narrow-band signals, such as dolphin whistles, and compares this to the classical short-time Fourier methods. The fractional Fourier technique explored computes transforms associated with a range of chirp rates and automatically selects the rate for the final analysis. This avoids the need for prior knowledge of signal's chirp rate. An analysis is presented that details the performance of both methods as signal detectors and allows one to determine their detection thresholds. These thresholds are then used to measure the detectability of synthetic signals. This principle is then extended to measure performance on a set of recordings of narrow-band vocalizations from a range of cetacean species.

An adaptive filter-based method for robust, automatic detection and frequency estimation of whistles

This paper proposes an adaptive filter-based method for detection and frequency estimation of whistle calls, such as the calls of birds and marine mammals, which are typically analyzed in the time-frequency domain using a spectrogram. The approach taken here is based on adaptive notch filtering, which is an established technique for frequency tracking. For application to automatic whistle processing, methods for detection and improved frequency tracking through frequency crossings as well as interfering transients are developed and coupled to the frequency tracker. Background noise estimation and compensation is accomplished using order statistics and pre-whitening. Using simulated signals as well as recorded calls of marine mammals and a human whistled speech utterance, it is shown that the proposed method can detect more simultaneous whistles than two competing spectrogram-based methods while not reporting any false alarms on the example datasets. In one example, it extracts complete 1.4 and 1.8 s bottlenose dolphin whistles successfully through frequency crossings. The method performs detection and estimates frequency tracks even at high sweep rates. The algorithm is also shown to be effective on human whistled utterances.

A passive acoustic device for real-time monitoring of the efficacy of shockwave lithotripsy treatment

Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) is the preferred modality for the treatment of renal and ureteric stone disease. Currently X-ray or ultrasound B-scan imaging are used to locate the stone and to check that it remains targeted at the focus of the lithotripter during treatment. Neither imaging modality is particularly effective in allowing the efficacy of treatment to be judged during the treatment session. A new device is described that, when placed on the patient's skin, can passively monitor the acoustic signals that propagate through the body after each lithotripter shock, and which can provide useful information on the effectiveness of targeting. These acoustic time histories are analyzed in real time to extract the two main characteristic peak amplitudes (m(1) and m(2)) and the time between these peaks (t(c)). A set of rules based on the acoustic parameters was developed during a clinical study in which a complete set of acoustic and clinical data was obtained for 30 of the 118 subjects recruited. The rules, which complied with earlier computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling and in vitro tests, allow each shock to be classified as "effective" or "ineffective." These clinically-derived rules were then applied in a second clinical study in which complete datasets were obtained for 49 of the 85 subjects recruited. This second clinical study demonstrated almost perfect agreement (kappa = 0.94) between the number of successful treatments, defined as >50% fragmentation as determined by X-ray at the follow-up appointment, and a device-derived global treatment score, TS(0), a figure derived from the total number of effective shocks in any treatment. The acoustic system is shown to provide a test of the success of the treatment that has a sensitivity of 91.7% and a specificity of 100%. In addition to the predictive capability, the device provides valuable real-time feedback to the lithotripter operator by indicating the effectiveness of each shock, plus an indication TS(t) of the cumulative effectiveness of the shocks given so far in any treatment, and trends in key parameters. This feedback would allow targeting adjustments to be made during treatment. An example is given of its application to mistargeting because of respiration.

Investigation of an anisotropic tortuosity in a biot model of ultrasonic propagation in cancellous bone

The modeling of ultrasonic propagation in cancellous bone is relevant to the study of clinical bone assessment. Historical experiments revealed the importance of both the viscous effects of bone marrow and the anisotropy of the porous microstructure. Of those propagation models previously applied to cancellous bone, Biot's theory incorporates viscosity, but has only been applied in isotropic form, while Schoenberg's anisotropic model does not include viscosity. In this paper we present an approach that incorporates the merits of both models, by utilizing the tortuosity, a key parameter describing pore architecture. An angle-dependent tortuosity for a layered structure is used in Biot's theory to generate the "Stratified Biot Model" for cancellous bone, which is compared with published bone data. While the Stratified Biot model was inferior to Schoenberg's model for slow wave velocity prediction, the proposed model improved agreement fast wave velocity at high propagation angles, particularly when sorted for porosity. An attempt was made to improve the fast wave agreement at low angles by introducing an angle-dependent Young's Modulus, which, while improving the agreement of predicted fast wave velocity at low angles, degraded agreement at high angles. In this paper the utility of the tortuosity in characterizing the architecture of cancellous bone is highlighted.

Noise reduction in spine videofluoroscopic images using the undecimated wavelet transform

Videofluoroscopy permits using sequences of low quality images to study the spine movement. In this work the problem of enhancing the quality of these images is considered in order to facilitate the extraction of kinematic parameters. The method is based on the undecimated wavelet transform and on a preliminary training of a sub-set of images. The anatomical features are preserved using a mask. Key element of the method is its fast and automated implementation. The concept of improving the extraction of kinematic parameters by improving the image representation instead of the technique to extract these is also innovative. The technique has been tested on two sequences of images and the results demonstrates that the method enhances images not related with training sub-set.

Estimation of critical and viscous frequencies for Biot theory in cancellous bone

The use of Biot theory for modelling ultrasonic wave propagation in porous media involves the definition of a "critical frequency" above which both fast and slow compressional waves will, in principle, propagate. Critical frequencies have been evaluated for healthy and osteoporotic cancellous bone filled with water or marrow, using data from the literature. The range of pore sizes in bone gives rise to a critical frequency band rather than a single critical frequency, the mean of which is lower for osteoporotic bone than normal bone. However, the critical frequency is a theoretical concept and previous researchers considered a more realistic "viscous frequency" above which both fast and slow waves may be experimentally observed. Viscous frequencies in bone are found to be several orders of magnitude greater than calculated critical frequencies. Whereas two waves may well be observed at all ultrasonic frequencies for water-filled cancellous bone at 20 degrees C, it is probable megahertz frequencies would be needed for observation of two waves in vivo.

Ultrasonic propagation in cancellous bone: a new stratified model

The theoretical modeling of ultrasonic propagation in cancellous bone is pertinent to improving the ultrasonic diagnosis of osteoporosis. First, this paper reviews applications of Biot's theory to this problem. Next, a new approach is presented, based on an idealization of cancellous bone as a periodic array of bone-marrow layers. Schoenberg's theory is applied to this model to predict wave properties. Bovine bone samples were tested in vitro using pulses centered at 1 MHz over various angles relative to the orientated cancellous structure. Two longitudinal modes (fast and slow waves) were observed for propagation parallel to the structure, but only one was observed for propagation normal to the structure. Angular-dependence of velocities was examined, and the fast wave was found to be strongly anisotropic. These results gave qualitative agreement with predictions of Schoenberg's theory. Although this new model is a simplification of the cancellous architecture, it has potential for future research.

A modification of pyriform fossa wiring

The disadvantages of pyriform fossa wiring in the event of emergency release of fixation are well known. A simple modification of the technique using a Williams' Modified Eyelet Wire which overcomes these difficulties is described.

Eye protection for patients undergoing oral surgery

The risk to the eyes during oral surgical procedures is pointed out, and a simple method of protection is described.

Meconium ileus equivalent in a child with cystic fibrosis taking cimetidine

A child with cystic fibrosis was given cimetidine in addition to pancreatic extract. Although the stool frequency was reduced the cimetidine had to be withdrawn because meconium ileus equivalent developed.

Diffuse skeletal involvement of streptococcal osteomyelitis in a neonate

A case is presented of a 19-day-old boy who had diffuse skeletal changes of osteomyelitis which were secondary to Group B hemolytic streptococci. The association of multiple osseous lesions with minimal symptomatology is discussed.

Adenovirus type 21 bronchopneumonia in infants and young children

An epidemic of bronchopneumonia in infants and young children, with adenovirus type 21 infection, was observed in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1977. Eighteen children, four to 44 months of age, with clinical and radiologic evidence of bronchopneumonia are described. Several of the children were seriously ill but there were no deaths. When reviewed six to 12 months after diagnosis, six children had clinical signs and 13 had radiologic signs of residual pulmonary disease. There were no detectable pulmonary sequelae in two children. Three children were lost to follow-up and could not be evaluated. Adenovirus type 21 bronchopneumonia is a serious illness and an important cause of chronic bronchopneumopathy in infants and young children.

Horner'sy syndrome and its significance in the management of head and neck trauma

The history, mechanism and aetiology of Horner'sy Syndrome is presented and the pharmacology of the pupil is discussed. The case reported is a rare combination of Horner's Syndrome in a patient who sustained bilateral fractures of the mandible and a chest injury. It is emphasised that the miotic changes in Horner's Syndrome, in combination with head injuries can lead to confusion in diagnosis and the potential anaesthetic hazards and their influence on the management of the facial injury are outlined.