Voice/Data Integration in Mobile Radio Networks: Overview and Future Research Directions

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-09-30

degradation in interactive speech when delays are less than about 300 ms (Gold 1977; Gitman and Frank, 1978). When delays are larger (between 300 ms and 1.5...222-267. Gitman , 1. and H. Frank (1978), "Economic Analysis of Integrated Voice and Data Networks: A Case Study," Proc. IEEE 66 1549-1570. Glynn, P.W

High-Bandwidth Tactical-Network Data Analysis in a High-Performance-Computing (HPC) Environment: Voice Call Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

Gateway 2 4. Voice Packet Flow: SIP , Session Description Protocol (SDP), and RTP 3 5. Voice Data Analysis 5 6. Call Analysis 6 7. Call Metrics 6...analysis processing is designed for a general VoIP system architecture based on Session Initiation Protocol ( SIP ) for negotiating call sessions and...employs Skinny Client Control Protocol for network communication between the phone and the local CallManager (e.g., for each dialed digit), SIP

Voice and endocrinology

PubMed Central

Hari Kumar, K. V. S.; Garg, Anurag; Ajai Chandra, N. S.; Singh, S. P.; Datta, Rakesh

2016-01-01

Voice is one of the advanced features of natural evolution that differentiates human beings from other primates. The human voice is capable of conveying the thoughts into spoken words along with a subtle emotion to the tone. This extraordinary character of the voice in expressing multiple emotions is the gift of God to the human beings and helps in effective interpersonal communication. Voice generation involves close interaction between cerebral signals and the peripheral apparatus consisting of the larynx, vocal cords, and trachea. The human voice is susceptible to the hormonal changes throughout life right from the puberty until senescence. Thyroid, gonadal and growth hormones have tremendous impact on the structure and function of the vocal apparatus. The alteration of voice is observed even in physiological states such as puberty and menstruation. Astute clinical observers make out the changes in the voice and refer the patients for endocrine evaluation. In this review, we shall discuss the hormonal influence on the voice apparatus in normal and endocrine disorders. PMID:27730065

System architecture for an advanced Canadian communications satellite demonstration mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takats, P.; Irani, S.

1992-03-01

An advanced communications satellite system that provides single hop interconnectivity and interworking for both a personal communications network and an advanced private business network in the Ka and Ku bands respectively, is presented. An overall network perspective is discussed that studies the interface of such an advanced satellite communication system to the terrestrial network in the context of the Open Systems Interconnection model. It is shown that this proposed satellite system can dynamically establish links and efficiently allocate the satellite resource amongst the user terminal population for a mix of data and voice traffic.

Innovative Networking Concepts Tested on the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Friedman, Daniel; Gupta, Sonjai; Zhang, Chuanguo; Ephremides, Anthony

1996-01-01

This paper describes a program of experiments conducted over the advanced communications technology satellite (ACTS) and the associated TI-VSAT (very small aperture terminal). The experiments were motivated by the commercial potential of low-cost receive only satellite terminals that can operate in a hybrid network environment, and by the desire to demonstrate frame relay technology over satellite networks. The first experiment tested highly adaptive methods of satellite bandwidth allocation in an integrated voice-data service environment. The second involved comparison of forward error correction (FEC) and automatic repeat request (ARQ) methods of error control for satellite communication with emphasis on the advantage that a hybrid architecture provides, especially in the case of multicasts. Finally, the third experiment demonstrated hybrid access to databases and compared the performance of internetworking protocols for interconnecting local area networks (LANs) via satellite. A custom unit termed frame relay access switch (FRACS) was developed by COMSAT Laboratories for these experiments; the preparation and conduct of these experiments involved a total of 20 people from the University of Maryland, the University of Colorado and COMSAT Laboratories, from late 1992 until 1995.

47 CFR 25.135 - Licensing provisions for earth station networks in the non-voice, non-geostationary Mobile...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Applications and Licenses Earth Stations § 25.135 Licensing provisions for earth station networks in the non... 47 Telecommunication 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Licensing provisions for earth station networks in the non-voice, non-geostationary Mobile-Satellite Service. 25.135 Section 25.135 Telecommunication...

Speech transport for packet telephony and voice over IP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, Maurice R.

1999-11-01

Recent advances in packet switching, internetworking, and digital signal processing technologies have converged to allow realizable practical implementations of packet telephony systems. This paper provides a tutorial on transmission engineering for packet telephony covering the topics of speech coding/decoding, speech packetization, packet data network transport, and impairments which may negatively impact end-to-end system quality. Particular emphasis is placed upon Voice over Internet Protocol given the current popularity and ubiquity of IP transport.

Native voice, self-concept and the moral case for personalized voice technology.

PubMed

Nathanson, Esther

2017-01-01

Purpose (1) To explore the role of native voice and effects of voice loss on self-concept and identity, and survey the state of assistive voice technology; (2) to establish the moral case for developing personalized voice technology. Methods This narrative review examines published literature on the human significance of voice, the impact of voice loss on self-concept and identity, and the strengths and limitations of current voice technology. Based on the impact of voice loss on self and identity, and voice technology limitations, the moral case for personalized voice technology is developed. Results Given the richness of information conveyed by voice, loss of voice constrains expression of the self, but the full impact is poorly understood. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices facilitate communication but, despite advances in this field, voice output cannot yet express the unique nuances of individual voice. The ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence and equality of opportunity establish the moral responsibility to invest in accessible, cost-effective, personalized voice technology. Conclusions Although further research is needed to elucidate the full effects of voice loss on self-concept, identity and social functioning, current understanding of the profoundly negative impact of voice loss establishes the moral case for developing personalized voice technology. Implications for Rehabilitation Rehabilitation of voice-disordered patients should facilitate self-expression, interpersonal connectedness and social/occupational participation. Proactive questioning about the psychological and social experiences of patients with voice loss is a valuable entry point for rehabilitation planning. Personalized voice technology would enhance sense of self, communicative participation and autonomy and promote shared healthcare decision-making. Further research is needed to identify the best strategies to preserve and strengthen identity and sense of

IP voice over ATM satellite: experimental results over satellite channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saraf, Koroush A.; Butts, Norman P.

1999-01-01

IP telephony, a new technology to provide voice communication over traditional data networks, has the potential to revolutionize telephone communication within the modern enterprise. This innovation uses packetization techniques to carry voice conversations over IP networks. This packet switched technology promises new integrated services, and lower cost long-distance communication compared to traditional circuit switched telephone networks. Future satellites will need to carry IP traffic efficiently in order to stay competitive in servicing the global data- networking and global telephony infrastructure. However, the effects of Voice over IP over switched satellite channels have not been investigated in detail. To fully understand the effects of satellite channels on Voice over IP quality; several experiments were conducted at Lockheed Martin Telecommunications' Satellite Integration Lab. The result of those experiments along with suggested improvements for voice communication over satellite are presented in this document. First, a detailed introduction of IP telephony as a suitable technology for voice communication over future satellites is presented. This is followed by procedures for the experiments, along with results and strategies. In conclusion we hope that these capability demonstrations will alleviate any uncertainty regarding the applicability of this technology to satellite networks.

Do What I Say! Voice Recognition Makes Major Advances.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruley, C. Dorsey

1994-01-01

Explains voice recognition technology applications in the workplace, schools, and libraries. Highlights include a voice-controlled work station using the DragonDictate system that can be used with dyslexic students, converting text to speech, and converting speech to text. (LRW)

A national voice network with satellite and small transceivers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reilly, N. B.; Smith, J. G.

1978-01-01

A geostationary satellite utilizing a large multiple-beam UHF antenna is shown to be potentially capable of providing tens of thousands of voice channels for hundreds of thousands of mobile ground terminals using hand-held or vehicular-mounted transceivers with whip antennas. Inclusion of on-board network switching facilities permits full interconnection between any terminal pair within the continental United States (CONUS). Configuration tradeoff studies at selected frequencies from 150 to 1500 MHz, with antenna diameters ranging from 20 to 200 m, and CONUS-coverage multiple beams down to 0.3 deg beamwidth, establish that monthly system user costs in the range of $90 to $150, including leased and maintained ground equipment, are feasible.

Voice in the Agentic Assemblage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mazzei, Lisa A.; Jackson, Alecia Y.

2017-01-01

In this article, we explore how a posthumanist stance has enabled us to work a different consideration of the way in which "voice" is constituted and constituting in educational inquiry; that is, we position voice in a posthuman ontology that is understood as attributable to a complex network of human and nonhuman agents that exceed the…

Neurobiological correlates of emotional intelligence in voice and face perception networks

PubMed Central

Karle, Kathrin N; Ethofer, Thomas; Jacob, Heike; Brück, Carolin; Erb, Michael; Lotze, Martin; Nizielski, Sophia; Schütz, Astrid; Wildgruber, Dirk; Kreifelts, Benjamin

2018-01-01

Abstract Facial expressions and voice modulations are among the most important communicational signals to convey emotional information. The ability to correctly interpret this information is highly relevant for successful social interaction and represents an integral component of emotional competencies that have been conceptualized under the term emotional intelligence. Here, we investigated the relationship of emotional intelligence as measured with the Salovey-Caruso-Emotional-Intelligence-Test (MSCEIT) with cerebral voice and face processing using functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging. MSCEIT scores were positively correlated with increased voice-sensitivity and gray matter volume of the insula accompanied by voice-sensitivity enhanced connectivity between the insula and the temporal voice area, indicating generally increased salience of voices. Conversely, in the face processing system, higher MSCEIT scores were associated with decreased face-sensitivity and gray matter volume of the fusiform face area. Taken together, these findings point to an alteration in the balance of cerebral voice and face processing systems in the form of an attenuated face-vs-voice bias as one potential factor underpinning emotional intelligence. PMID:29365199

Neurobiological correlates of emotional intelligence in voice and face perception networks.

PubMed

Karle, Kathrin N; Ethofer, Thomas; Jacob, Heike; Brück, Carolin; Erb, Michael; Lotze, Martin; Nizielski, Sophia; Schütz, Astrid; Wildgruber, Dirk; Kreifelts, Benjamin

2018-02-01

Facial expressions and voice modulations are among the most important communicational signals to convey emotional information. The ability to correctly interpret this information is highly relevant for successful social interaction and represents an integral component of emotional competencies that have been conceptualized under the term emotional intelligence. Here, we investigated the relationship of emotional intelligence as measured with the Salovey-Caruso-Emotional-Intelligence-Test (MSCEIT) with cerebral voice and face processing using functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging. MSCEIT scores were positively correlated with increased voice-sensitivity and gray matter volume of the insula accompanied by voice-sensitivity enhanced connectivity between the insula and the temporal voice area, indicating generally increased salience of voices. Conversely, in the face processing system, higher MSCEIT scores were associated with decreased face-sensitivity and gray matter volume of the fusiform face area. Taken together, these findings point to an alteration in the balance of cerebral voice and face processing systems in the form of an attenuated face-vs-voice bias as one potential factor underpinning emotional intelligence.

Voice-on-Target: A New Approach to Tactical Networking and Unmanned Systems Control via the Voice Interface to the SA Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-01

Blackberry handheld) device. After each voice command activation, the medic provided voice comments to be recorded in Observer Notepad over Voice...vial (up-right corner of picture) upon voice activation from the medic’s Blackberry handheld. The NPS UAS which was controlled by voice commands...Voice Portal using a standard Blackberry handheld with a head set. The results demonstrated sufficient accuracy for controlling the tactical sensor

Electroglottographic Comparison of Voice Outcomes in Patients With Advanced Laryngopharyngeal Cancer Treated by Chemoradiotherapy or Total Laryngectomy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kazi, Rehan; Institute of Cancer Research, London; Venkitaraman, Ramachandran

2008-02-01

Purpose: To conduct prospective electroglottographic analyses of voice outcomes after radical chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced laryngopharyngeal cancers and to compare them with patients who have undergone total laryngectomy (TL). Patients and Methods: Twenty-one patients (19 male, 2 female, median age [range] 65 [50-85] years) with Stage III/IV laryngopharyngeal cancer received induction chemotherapy followed by radical chemoradiotherapy. Electroglottography, using the sustained vowel /i/ and connected speech, was performed before treatment and 1, 6, and 12 months after treatment. In addition, single voice recordings were taken from 21 patients (16 male, 5 female, aged 65 [50-84] years) who had undergone TL andmore » surgical voice restoration and from 21 normal controls (18 male, 3 female, aged 65 [33-80] years). Results: Before treatment the vocal measures for the chemoradiotherapy patients were significantly different from normal controls in jitter (p = 0.02), maximum phonation time (MPT) (p = 0.001), and words per minute (WPM) (p = 0.01). At 12 months after treatment MPT and WPM had normalized, but jitter and normalized noise energy were significantly worse than in normal controls. Comparison of voice outcomes at 12 months for chemoradiotherapy patients revealed superiority over the TL group in all parameters except MPT (18.2 s vs. 10.4 s, p = 0.06). Analysis of the recovery of voice up to 12 months after treatment revealed progressive improvement in most electroglottographic measures. Conclusions: This prospective study demonstrates significantly better outcome for patients treated with chemoradiotherapy as compared with TL. Progressive normalization of many voice parameters occurs over the 12 months following chemoradiotherapy.« less

Assessment of voice, speech, and related quality of life in advanced head and neck cancer patients 10-years+ after chemoradiotherapy.

PubMed

Kraaijenga, S A C; Oskam, I M; van Son, R J J H; Hamming-Vrieze, O; Hilgers, F J M; van den Brekel, M W M; van der Molen, L

2016-04-01

Assessment of long-term objective and subjective voice, speech, articulation, and quality of life in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for advanced, stage IV disease. Twenty-two disease-free survivors, treated with cisplatin-based CRT for inoperable HNC (1999-2004), were evaluated at 10-years post-treatment. A standard Dutch text was recorded. Perceptual analysis of voice, speech, and articulation was conducted by two expert listeners (SLPs). Also an experimental expert system based on automatic speech recognition was used. Patients' perception of voice and speech and related quality of life was assessed with the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and Speech Handicap Index (SHI) questionnaires. At a median follow-up of 11-years, perceptual evaluation showed abnormal scores in up to 64% of cases, depending on the outcome parameter analyzed. Automatic assessment of voice and speech parameters correlated moderate to strong with perceptual outcome scores. Patient-reported problems with voice (VHI>15) and speech (SHI>6) in daily life were present in 68% and 77% of patients, respectively. Patients treated with IMRT showed significantly less impairment compared to those treated with conventional radiotherapy. More than 10-years after organ-preservation treatment, voice and speech problems are common in this patient cohort, as assessed with perceptual evaluation, automatic speech recognition, and with validated structured questionnaires. There were fewer complaints in patients treated with IMRT than with conventional radiotherapy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hands-free human-machine interaction with voice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juang, B. H.

2004-05-01

Voice is natural communication interface between a human and a machine. The machine, when placed in today's communication networks, may be configured to provide automation to save substantial operating cost, as demonstrated in AT&T's VRCP (Voice Recognition Call Processing), or to facilitate intelligent services, such as virtual personal assistants, to enhance individual productivity. These intelligent services often need to be accessible anytime, anywhere (e.g., in cars when the user is in a hands-busy-eyes-busy situation or during meetings where constantly talking to a microphone is either undersirable or impossible), and thus call for advanced signal processing and automatic speech recognition techniques which support what we call ``hands-free'' human-machine communication. These techniques entail a broad spectrum of technical ideas, ranging from use of directional microphones and acoustic echo cancellatiion to robust speech recognition. In this talk, we highlight a number of key techniques that were developed for hands-free human-machine communication in the mid-1990s after Bell Labs became a unit of Lucent Technologies. A video clip will be played to demonstrate the accomplishement.

The Bangor Voice Matching Test: A standardized test for the assessment of voice perception ability.

PubMed

Mühl, Constanze; Sheil, Orla; Jarutytė, Lina; Bestelmeyer, Patricia E G

2017-11-09

Recognising the identity of conspecifics is an important yet highly variable skill. Approximately 2 % of the population suffers from a socially debilitating deficit in face recognition. More recently the existence of a similar deficit in voice perception has emerged (phonagnosia). Face perception tests have been readily available for years, advancing our understanding of underlying mechanisms in face perception. In contrast, voice perception has received less attention, and the construction of standardized voice perception tests has been neglected. Here we report the construction of the first standardized test for voice perception ability. Participants make a same/different identity decision after hearing two voice samples. Item Response Theory guided item selection to ensure the test discriminates between a range of abilities. The test provides a starting point for the systematic exploration of the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying voice perception. With a high test-retest reliability (r=.86) and short assessment duration (~10 min) this test examines individual abilities reliably and quickly and therefore also has potential for use in developmental and neuropsychological populations.

Pre- and posttreatment voice and speech outcomes in patients with advanced head and neck cancer treated with chemoradiotherapy: expert listeners' and patient's perception.

PubMed

van der Molen, Lisette; van Rossum, Maya A; Jacobi, Irene; van Son, Rob J J H; Smeele, Ludi E; Rasch, Coen R N; Hilgers, Frans J M

2012-09-01

Perceptual judgments and patients' perception of voice and speech after concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) for advanced head and neck cancer. Prospective clinical trial. A standard Dutch text and a diadochokinetic task were recorded. Expert listeners rated voice and speech quality (based on Grade, Roughness, Breathiness, Asthenia, and Strain), articulation (overall, [p], [t], [k]), and comparative mean opinion scores of voice and speech at three assessment points calculated. A structured study-specific questionnaire evaluated patients' perception pretreatment (N=55), at 10-week (N=49) and 1-year posttreatment (N=37). At 10 weeks, perceptual voice quality is significantly affected. The parameters overall voice quality (mean, -0.24; P=0.008), strain (mean, -0.12; P=0.012), nasality (mean, -0.08; P=0.009), roughness (mean, -0.22; P=0.001), and pitch (mean, -0.03; P=0.041) improved over time but not beyond baseline levels, except for asthenia at 1-year posttreatment (voice is less asthenic than at baseline; mean, +0.20; P=0.03). Perceptual analyses of articulation showed no significant differences. Patients judge their voice quality as good (score, 18/20) at all assessment points, but at 1-year posttreatment, most of them (70%) judge their "voice not as it used to be." In the 1-year versus 10-week posttreatment comparison, the larynx-hypopharynx tumor group was more strained, whereas nonlarynx tumor voices were judged less strained (mean, -0.33 and +0.07, respectively; P=0.031). Patients' perceived changes in voice and speech quality at 10-week post- versus pretreatment correlate weakly with expert judgments. Overall, perceptual CCRT effects on voice and speech seem to peak at 10-week posttreatment but level off at 1-year posttreatment. However, at that assessment point, most patients still perceive their voice as different from baseline. Copyright © 2012 The Voice Foundation. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Voice and swallowing outcomes of an organ-preservation trial for advanced laryngeal cancer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fung, Kevin; Lyden, Teresa H.; Lee, Julia

2005-12-01

Introduction: Organ-preservation treatment approaches for advanced laryngeal cancer patients that use combination chemoradiotherapy result in cure rates similar to primary laryngectomy with postoperative radiotherapy. In the national VA Larynx Cancer Trial, successful organ preservation was associated with an overall improvement in quality of life but not in subjective speech compared with long-term laryngectomy survivors. As part of a Phase II clinical trial, a prospective study of speech and swallowing results was conducted to determine if larynx preservation is associated with improved voice and swallowing compared with results in patients who require salvage laryngectomy. Subjects: A total of 97 patients withmore » advanced laryngeal cancer (46 Stage III, 51 Stage IV) were given a single course of induction chemotherapy (cisplatin 100 mg/m{sup 2} on Day 1 and 5-FU 1,000 mg/m{sup 2}/day x 5 days), followed by assessment of response. Patients with less than 50% response underwent early salvage laryngectomy, and patients with 50% or better response underwent concurrent chemoradiation (72 Gy and cisplatin 100 mg/m{sup 2} on Days 1, 22, and 43), followed by two cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy (DDP/5-FU). Direct laryngoscopy and biopsy were performed 8 weeks after radiation therapy to determine final tumor response. Late salvage surgery was performed on patients with persistent or recurrent disease. Methods: Completed survey data on voice and swallowing utilizing the Voice-Related Quality of Life Measure (V-RQOL) and the List Performance Status Scale for Head and Neck Cancer Patients (PSS-HN) were obtained from 56 patients who were alive and free of disease at the time of survey, with a minimum follow-up of 8 months. Comparisons were made between patients with an intact larynx (n = 37) vs. laryngectomy (n = 19), as well as early (n = 12) vs. late salvage laryngectomy (n = 7). Multivariate analysis was performed to determine factors predictive of voice and

Multidimensional assessment of strongly irregular voices such as in substitution voicing and spasmodic dysphonia: a compilation of own research.

PubMed

Moerman, Mieke; Martens, Jean-Pierre; Dejonckere, Philippe

2015-04-01

This article is a compilation of own research performed during the European COoperation in Science and Technology (COST) action 2103: 'Advance Voice Function Assessment', an initiative of voice and speech processing teams consisting of physicists, engineers, and clinicians. This manuscript concerns analyzing largely irregular voicing types, namely substitution voicing (SV) and adductor spasmodic dysphonia (AdSD). A specific perceptual rating scale (IINFVo) was developed, and the Auditory Model Based Pitch Extractor (AMPEX), a piece of software that automatically analyses running speech and generates pitch values in background noise, was applied. The IINFVo perceptual rating scale has been shown to be useful in evaluating SV. The analysis of strongly irregular voices stimulated a modification of the European Laryngological Society's assessment protocol which was originally designed for the common types of (less severe) dysphonia. Acoustic analysis with AMPEX demonstrates that the most informative features are, for SV, the voicing-related acoustic features and, for AdSD, the perturbation measures. Poor correlations between self-assessment and acoustic and perceptual dimensions in the assessment of highly irregular voices argue for a multidimensional approach.

Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) in a Control Center Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pirani, Joseph; Calvelage, Steven

2010-01-01

The technology of transmitting voice over data networks has been available for over 10 years. Mass market VoIP services for consumers to make and receive standard telephone calls over broadband Internet networks have grown in the last 5 years. While operational costs are less with VoIP implementations as opposed to time division multiplexing (TDM) based voice switches, is it still advantageous to convert a mission control center s voice system to this newer technology? Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) has converted its mission voice services to a commercial product that utilizes VoIP technology. Results from this testing, design, and installation have shown unique considerations that must be addressed before user operations. There are many factors to consider for a control center voice design. Technology advantages and disadvantages were investigated as they refer to cost. There were integration concerns which could lead to complex failure scenarios but simpler integration for the mission infrastructure. MSFC HOSC will benefit from this voice conversion with less product replacement cost, less operations cost and a more integrated mission services environment.

Low Vocal Pitch Preference Drives First Impressions Irrespective of Context in Male Voices but Not in Female Voices.

PubMed

Tsantani, Maria S; Belin, Pascal; Paterson, Helena M; McAleer, Phil

2016-08-01

Vocal pitch has been found to influence judgments of perceived trustworthiness and dominance from a novel voice. However, the majority of findings arise from using only male voices and in context-specific scenarios. In two experiments, we first explore the influence of average vocal pitch on first-impression judgments of perceived trustworthiness and dominance, before establishing the existence of an overall preference for high or low pitch across genders. In Experiment 1, pairs of high- and low-pitched temporally reversed recordings of male and female vocal utterances were presented in a two-alternative forced-choice task. Results revealed a tendency to select the low-pitched voice over the high-pitched voice as more trustworthy, for both genders, and more dominant, for male voices only. Experiment 2 tested an overall preference for low-pitched voices, and whether judgments were modulated by speech content, using forward and reversed speech to manipulate context. Results revealed an overall preference for low pitch, irrespective of direction of speech, in male voices only. No such overall preference was found for female voices. We propose that an overall preference for low pitch is a default prior in male voices irrespective of context, whereas pitch preferences in female voices are more context- and situation-dependent. The present study confirms the important role of vocal pitch in the formation of first-impression personality judgments and advances understanding of the impact of context on pitch preferences across genders.

Vocal effort and voice handicap among teachers.

PubMed

Sampaio, Márcio Cardoso; dos Reis, Eduardo José Farias Borges; Carvalho, Fernando Martins; Porto, Lauro Antonio; Araújo, Tânia Maria

2012-11-01

The relationship between voice handicap and professional vocal effort was investigated among teachers in a cross-sectional study of census nature on 4496 teachers within the public elementary education network in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Voice handicap (the outcome of interest) was evaluated using the Voice Handicap Index 10. The main exposure, the lifetime vocal effort index, was obtained as the product of the number of years working as a teacher multiplied by the mean weekly working hours. The prevalence of voice handicap was 28.8% among teachers with high professional vocal effort and 21.3% among those with acceptable vocal effort, thus yielding a crude prevalence ratio (PR) of 1.36 (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.14-1.61). In the final logistic model, the prevalence of voice handicap was statistically associated with the professional vocal effort index (PR=1.47; 95% CI=1.19-1.82), adjusted according to sex, microphone availability in the classroom, excessive noise, pressure from the school management, heartburn, and rhinitis. Copyright © 2012 The Voice Foundation. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

QM/PSK Voice/Data Modem

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1976-03-01

Two Quadrature Modulation/Phase Shift Keyed (QM/PSK) Voice/Data Modem systems have been developed as part of the satellite communications hardware for advanced air traffic control systems. These systems consist of a modulator and demodulator unti whi...

The use of wavelet packet transform and artificial neural networks in analysis and classification of dysphonic voices.

PubMed

Crovato, César David Paredes; Schuck, Adalberto

2007-10-01

This paper presents a dysphonic voice classification system using the wavelet packet transform and the best basis algorithm (BBA) as dimensionality reductor and 06 artificial neural networks (ANN) acting as specialist systems. Each ANN was a 03-layer multilayer perceptron with 64 input nodes, 01 output node and in the intermediary layer the number of neurons depends on the related training pathology group. The dysphonic voice database was separated in five pathology groups and one healthy control group. Each ANN was trained and associated with one of the 06 groups, and fed by the best base tree (BBT) nodes' entropy values, using the multiple cross validation (MCV) method and the leave-one-out (LOO) variation technique and success rates obtained were 87.5%, 95.31%, 87.5%, 100%, 96.87% and 89.06% for the groups 01 to 06, respectively.

Opening end-of-life discussions: how to introduce Voicing My CHOiCES™, an advance care planning guide for adolescents and young adults.

PubMed

Zadeh, Sima; Pao, Maryland; Wiener, Lori

2015-06-01

Each year, more than 11,000 adolescents and young adults (AYAs), aged 15-34, die from cancer and other life-threatening conditions. In order to facilitate the transition from curative to end-of-life (EoL) care, it is recommended that EoL discussions be routine, begin close to the time of diagnosis, and continue throughout the illness trajectory. However, due largely to discomfort with the topic of EoL and how to approach the conversation, healthcare providers have largely avoided these discussions. We conducted a two-phase study through the National Cancer Institute with AYAs living with cancer or pediatric HIV to assess AYA interest in EoL planning and to determine in which aspects of EoL planning AYAs wanted to participate. These results provided insight regarding what EoL concepts were important to AYAs, as well as preferences in terms of content, design, format, and style. The findings from this research led to the development of an age-appropriate advance care planning guide, Voicing My CHOiCES™. Voicing My CHOiCES™: An Advanced Care Planning Guide for AYA became available in November 2012. This manuscript provides guidelines on how to introduce and utilize an advance care planning guide for AYAs and discusses potential barriers. Successful use of Voicing My CHOiCES™ will depend on the comfort and skills of the healthcare provider. The present paper is intended to introduce the guide to providers who may utilize it as a resource in their practice, including physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, psychiatrists, and psychologists. We suggest guidelines on how to: incorporate EoL planning into the practice setting, identify timepoints at which a patient's goals of care are discussed, and address how to empower the patient and incorporate the family in EoL planning. Recommendations for introducing Voicing My CHOiCES™ and on how to work through each section alongside the patient are provided.

Identifying hidden voice and video streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Jieyan; Wu, Dapeng; Nucci, Antonio; Keralapura, Ram; Gao, Lixin

2009-04-01

Given the rising popularity of voice and video services over the Internet, accurately identifying voice and video traffic that traverse their networks has become a critical task for Internet service providers (ISPs). As the number of proprietary applications that deliver voice and video services to end users increases over time, the search for the one methodology that can accurately detect such services while being application independent still remains open. This problem becomes even more complicated when voice and video service providers like Skype, Microsoft, and Google bundle their voice and video services with other services like file transfer and chat. For example, a bundled Skype session can contain both voice stream and file transfer stream in the same layer-3/layer-4 flow. In this context, traditional techniques to identify voice and video streams do not work. In this paper, we propose a novel self-learning classifier, called VVS-I , that detects the presence of voice and video streams in flows with minimum manual intervention. Our classifier works in two phases: training phase and detection phase. In the training phase, VVS-I first extracts the relevant features, and subsequently constructs a fingerprint of a flow using the power spectral density (PSD) analysis. In the detection phase, it compares the fingerprint of a flow to the existing fingerprints learned during the training phase, and subsequently classifies the flow. Our classifier is not only capable of detecting voice and video streams that are hidden in different flows, but is also capable of detecting different applications (like Skype, MSN, etc.) that generate these voice/video streams. We show that our classifier can achieve close to 100% detection rate while keeping the false positive rate to less that 1%.

Natural asynchronies in audiovisual communication signals regulate neuronal multisensory interactions in voice-sensitive cortex.

PubMed

Perrodin, Catherine; Kayser, Christoph; Logothetis, Nikos K; Petkov, Christopher I

2015-01-06

When social animals communicate, the onset of informative content in one modality varies considerably relative to the other, such as when visual orofacial movements precede a vocalization. These naturally occurring asynchronies do not disrupt intelligibility or perceptual coherence. However, they occur on time scales where they likely affect integrative neuronal activity in ways that have remained unclear, especially for hierarchically downstream regions in which neurons exhibit temporally imprecise but highly selective responses to communication signals. To address this, we exploited naturally occurring face- and voice-onset asynchronies in primate vocalizations. Using these as stimuli we recorded cortical oscillations and neuronal spiking responses from functional MRI (fMRI)-localized voice-sensitive cortex in the anterior temporal lobe of macaques. We show that the onset of the visual face stimulus resets the phase of low-frequency oscillations, and that the face-voice asynchrony affects the prominence of two key types of neuronal multisensory responses: enhancement or suppression. Our findings show a three-way association between temporal delays in audiovisual communication signals, phase-resetting of ongoing oscillations, and the sign of multisensory responses. The results reveal how natural onset asynchronies in cross-sensory inputs regulate network oscillations and neuronal excitability in the voice-sensitive cortex of macaques, a suggested animal model for human voice areas. These findings also advance predictions on the impact of multisensory input on neuronal processes in face areas and other brain regions.

Natural asynchronies in audiovisual communication signals regulate neuronal multisensory interactions in voice-sensitive cortex

PubMed Central

Perrodin, Catherine; Kayser, Christoph; Logothetis, Nikos K.; Petkov, Christopher I.

2015-01-01

When social animals communicate, the onset of informative content in one modality varies considerably relative to the other, such as when visual orofacial movements precede a vocalization. These naturally occurring asynchronies do not disrupt intelligibility or perceptual coherence. However, they occur on time scales where they likely affect integrative neuronal activity in ways that have remained unclear, especially for hierarchically downstream regions in which neurons exhibit temporally imprecise but highly selective responses to communication signals. To address this, we exploited naturally occurring face- and voice-onset asynchronies in primate vocalizations. Using these as stimuli we recorded cortical oscillations and neuronal spiking responses from functional MRI (fMRI)-localized voice-sensitive cortex in the anterior temporal lobe of macaques. We show that the onset of the visual face stimulus resets the phase of low-frequency oscillations, and that the face–voice asynchrony affects the prominence of two key types of neuronal multisensory responses: enhancement or suppression. Our findings show a three-way association between temporal delays in audiovisual communication signals, phase-resetting of ongoing oscillations, and the sign of multisensory responses. The results reveal how natural onset asynchronies in cross-sensory inputs regulate network oscillations and neuronal excitability in the voice-sensitive cortex of macaques, a suggested animal model for human voice areas. These findings also advance predictions on the impact of multisensory input on neuronal processes in face areas and other brain regions. PMID:25535356

Advanced networks and computing in healthcare

PubMed Central

Ackerman, Michael

2011-01-01

As computing and network capabilities continue to rise, it becomes increasingly important to understand the varied applications for using them to provide healthcare. The objective of this review is to identify key characteristics and attributes of healthcare applications involving the use of advanced computing and communication technologies, drawing upon 45 research and development projects in telemedicine and other aspects of healthcare funded by the National Library of Medicine over the past 12 years. Only projects publishing in the professional literature were included in the review. Four projects did not publish beyond their final reports. In addition, the authors drew on their first-hand experience as project officers, reviewers and monitors of the work. Major themes in the corpus of work were identified, characterizing key attributes of advanced computing and network applications in healthcare. Advanced computing and network applications are relevant to a range of healthcare settings and specialties, but they are most appropriate for solving a narrower range of problems in each. Healthcare projects undertaken primarily to explore potential have also demonstrated effectiveness and depend on the quality of network service as much as bandwidth. Many applications are enabling, making it possible to provide service or conduct research that previously was not possible or to achieve outcomes in addition to those for which projects were undertaken. Most notable are advances in imaging and visualization, collaboration and sense of presence, and mobility in communication and information-resource use. PMID:21486877

Connections between voice ergonomic risk factors and voice symptoms, voice handicap, and respiratory tract diseases.

PubMed

Rantala, Leena M; Hakala, Suvi J; Holmqvist, Sofia; Sala, Eeva

2012-11-01

The aim of the study was to investigate the connections between voice ergonomic risk factors found in classrooms and voice-related problems in teachers. Voice ergonomic assessment was performed in 39 classrooms in 14 elementary schools by means of a Voice Ergonomic Assessment in Work Environment--Handbook and Checklist. The voice ergonomic risk factors assessed included working culture, noise, indoor air quality, working posture, stress, and access to a sound amplifier. Teachers from the above-mentioned classrooms reported their voice symptoms, respiratory tract diseases, and completed a Voice Handicap Index (VHI). The more voice ergonomic risk factors found in the classroom the higher were the teachers' total scores on voice symptoms and VHI. Stress was the factor that correlated most strongly with voice symptoms. Poor indoor air quality increased the occurrence of laryngitis. Voice ergonomics were poor in the classrooms studied and voice ergonomic risk factors affected the voice. It is important to convey information on voice ergonomics to education administrators and those responsible for school planning and taking care of school buildings. Copyright © 2012 The Voice Foundation. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

SINET3: advanced optical and IP hybrid network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urushidani, Shigeo

2007-11-01

This paper introduces the new Japanese academic backbone network called SINET3, which has been in full-scale operation since June 2007. SINET3 provides a wide variety of network services, such as multi-layer transfer, enriched VPN, enhanced QoS, and layer-1 bandwidth on demand (BoD) services to create an innovative and prolific science infrastructure for more than 700 universities and research institutions. The network applies an advanced hybrid network architecture composed of 75 layer-1 switches and 12 high-performance IP routers to accommodate such diversified services in a single network platform, and provides sufficient bandwidth using Japan's first STM256 (40 Gbps) lines. The network adopts lots of the latest networking technologies, such as next-generation SDH (VCAT/GFP/LCAS), GMPLS, advanced MPLS, and logical-router technologies, for high network convergence, flexible resource assignment, and high service availability. This paper covers the network services, network design, and networking technologies of SINET3.

Acoustics of the trained versus untrained singing voice.

PubMed

Howard, David M

2009-06-01

Acoustic voice analysis is now widely available on today's multimedia computers and knowledge of the acoustics of the trained and untrained singing voice has advanced dramatically in recent years. New techniques have emerged that are providing clearer representations of aspects of the physiology of voice function and a greater understanding of the differences between the voices of untrained and trained singers. Improvements in endoscope technology are changing understanding of vocal fold function and videokymography provides a new way of interpreting the output; some new and interesting possibilities are emerging. Larynx height variation is a feature of untrained singing and singing in different styles and its measurement has been inaccurate hitherto; perhaps the laryngoaltimeter will provide a solution. Magnetic resonance imaging is now a vital tool for vocal tract shape measurement but a new bio-inspired computing is offering a possible alternative. Differences between an untrained and trained singing voice lie in one or more of breathing technique, larynx settings or vocal tract settings. Measurement techniques in each of these areas are important to provide data on the singing voice, and accurate data are essential for natural personalized electronic voice synthesis in the future.

The ADVANCE network: accelerating data value across a national community health center network

PubMed Central

DeVoe, Jennifer E; Gold, Rachel; Cottrell, Erika; Bauer, Vance; Brickman, Andrew; Puro, Jon; Nelson, Christine; Mayer, Kenneth H; Sears, Abigail; Burdick, Tim; Merrell, Jonathan; Matthews, Paul; Fields, Scott

2014-01-01

The ADVANCE (Accelerating Data Value Across a National Community Health Center Network) clinical data research network (CDRN) is led by the OCHIN Community Health Information Network in partnership with Health Choice Network and Fenway Health. The ADVANCE CDRN will ‘horizontally’ integrate outpatient electronic health record data for over one million federally qualified health center patients, and ‘vertically’ integrate hospital, health plan, and community data for these patients, often under-represented in research studies. Patient investigators, community investigators, and academic investigators with diverse expertise will work together to meet project goals related to data integration, patient engagement and recruitment, and the development of streamlined regulatory policies. By enhancing the data and research infrastructure of participating organizations, the ADVANCE CDRN will serve as a ‘community laboratory’ for including disadvantaged and vulnerable patients in patient-centered outcomes research that is aligned with the priorities of patients, clinics, and communities in our network. PMID:24821740

Development of the child's voice: premutation, mutation.

PubMed

Hacki, T; Heitmüller, S

1999-10-05

Voice range profile (VRP) measurement was used to evaluate the vocal capabilities of 180 children aged between 4 and 12 years without voice pathology. There were 10 boys and 10 girls in each age group. Using an automatic VRP measurement system, F0 and SPL dB (lin) were determined and displayed two-dimensionally in real time. The speaking voice, the shouting voice and the singing voice were investigated. The results show that vocal capabilities grow with advancing age, but not continuously. The lowering of the habitual pitch of the speaking voice as well as of the entire speaking pitch range occurs for girls between the ages of 7 and 8, for boys between 8 and 9. A temporary restriction of the minimum vocal intensity of the speaking voice (the ability to speak softly) as well as of the singing voice occurs for girls and for boys at the age of 7-8. A decrease of the maximum speech intensity is found for girls at the age of between 7 and 8, for boys between 8 and 9. A lowering of the pitch as well as of the intensity of the shouting voice occurs for both sexes from the age of 10. In contrast to earlier general opinion we note for girls a stage of premutation (between the age of 7 and 8) with essentially the same changes seen among boys, but 1 year earlier. The beginning of the mutation can be fixed at the age of 10-11 years.

Impact of dynamic rate coding aspects of mobile phone networks on forensic voice comparison.

PubMed

Alzqhoul, Esam A S; Nair, Balamurali B T; Guillemin, Bernard J

2015-09-01

Previous studies have shown that landline and mobile phone networks are different in their ways of handling the speech signal, and therefore in their impact on it. But the same is also true of the different networks within the mobile phone arena. There are two major mobile phone technologies currently in use today, namely the global system for mobile communications (GSM) and code division multiple access (CDMA) and these are fundamentally different in their design. For example, the quality of the coded speech in the GSM network is a function of channel quality, whereas in the CDMA network it is determined by channel capacity (i.e., the number of users sharing a cell site). This paper examines the impact on the speech signal of a key feature of these networks, namely dynamic rate coding, and its subsequent impact on the task of likelihood-ratio-based forensic voice comparison (FVC). Surprisingly, both FVC accuracy and precision are found to be better for both GSM- and CDMA-coded speech than for uncoded. Intuitively one expects FVC accuracy to increase with increasing coded speech quality. This trend is shown to occur for the CDMA network, but, surprisingly, not for the GSM network. Further, in respect to comparisons between these two networks, FVC accuracy for CDMA-coded speech is shown to be slightly better than for GSM-coded speech, particularly when the coded-speech quality is high, but in terms of FVC precision the two networks are shown to be very similar. Copyright © 2015 The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Energy star compliant voice over internet protocol (VoIP) telecommunications network including energy star compliant VoIP devices

DOEpatents

Kouchri, Farrokh Mohammadzadeh

2012-11-06

A Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications system, a method of managing a communications network in such a system and a program product therefore. The system/network includes an ENERGY STAR (E-star) aware softswitch and E-star compliant communications devices at system endpoints. The E-star aware softswitch allows E-star compliant communications devices to enter and remain in power saving mode. The E-star aware softswitch spools messages and forwards only selected messages (e.g., calls) to the devices in power saving mode. When the E-star compliant communications devices exit power saving mode, the E-star aware softswitch forwards spooled messages.

A Conjoint Analysis of Voice Over IP Attributes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zubey, Michael L.; Wagner, William; Otto, James R.

2002-01-01

Managers need to understand the tradeoffs associated with voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) networks as compared to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). This article measures the preference structures between IP telephony and PSTN services using conjoint analysis. The purpose is to suggest VoIP technology attributes that best meet…

Prospective clinical study on long-term swallowing function and voice quality in advanced head and neck cancer patients treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy and preventive swallowing exercises.

PubMed

Kraaijenga, Sophie A C; van der Molen, Lisette; Jacobi, Irene; Hamming-Vrieze, Olga; Hilgers, Frans J M; van den Brekel, Michiel W M

2015-11-01

Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) for advanced head and neck cancer (HNC) is associated with substantial early and late side effects, most notably regarding swallowing function, but also regarding voice quality and quality of life (QoL). Despite increased awareness/knowledge on acute dysphagia in HNC survivors, long-term (i.e., beyond 5 years) prospectively collected data on objective and subjective treatment-induced functional outcomes (and their impact on QoL) still are scarce. The objective of this study was the assessment of long-term CCRT-induced results on swallowing function and voice quality in advanced HNC patients. The study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial on preventive swallowing rehabilitation (2006-2008) in a tertiary comprehensive HNC center with twenty-two disease-free and evaluable HNC patients as participants. Multidimensional assessment of functional sequels was performed with videofluoroscopy, mouth opening measurements, Functional Oral Intake Scale, acoustic voice parameters, and (study specific, SWAL-QoL, and VHI) questionnaires. Outcome measures at 6 years post-treatment were compared with results at baseline and at 2 years post-treatment. At a mean follow-up of 6.1 years most initial tumor-, and treatment-related problems remained similarly low to those observed after 2 years follow-up, except increased xerostomia (68%) and increased (mild) pain (32%). Acoustic voice analysis showed less voicedness, increased fundamental frequency, and more vocal effort for the tumors located below the hyoid bone (n = 12), without recovery to baseline values. Patients' subjective vocal function (VHI score) was good. Functional swallowing and voice problems at 6 years post-treatment are minimal in this patient cohort, originating from preventive and continued post-treatment rehabilitation programs.

Network Speech Systems Technology Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weinstein, C. J.

1980-09-01

This report documents work performed during FY 1980 on the DCA-sponsored Network Speech Systems Technology Program. The areas of work reported are: (1) communication systems studies in Demand-Assignment Multiple Access (DAMA), voice/data integration, and adaptive routing, in support of the evolving Defense Communications System (DCS) and Defense Switched Network (DSN); (2) a satellite/terrestrial integration design study including the functional design of voice and data interfaces to interconnect terrestrial and satellite network subsystems; and (3) voice-conferencing efforts dealing with support of the Secure Voice and Graphics Conferencing (SVGC) Test and Evaluation Program. Progress in definition and planning of experiments for the Experimental Integrated Switched Network (EISN) is detailed separately in an FY 80 Experiment Plan Supplement.

Analysis of Integrated and Nonintegrated Voice and Data Networks for DoD Communications.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-09-01

not. A study of this nature was completed In 1973 by jItman and Frank(31). Gitman and Frank evaluated switching strageties for integrated DOD voice and...miieaea from Figure 5. fhe voice digitization costs were deterained for 56Kbps using information from the Gitman (30) study. Switching costs were...technique. this agrees with the research accomplished by Gitman and Frank(30) which found voice and data integration was the best approach to take

Making Choices, Taking Chances, Facing Challenges, Managing Change: The Implementation of a Voice/Video/Data Network at the Alliance Library System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilford, Valerie J.; Logan, Lee; Bell, Lori; Cloyes, Kay

The Alliance Library System (ALS) is one of 12 regional library systems in Illinois, providing a full spectrum of support services for 300 member libraries of all types (public, school, academic, and special) located in west central Illinois. This paper describes the process by which ALS implemented a voice/video/data network connecting their four…

Voices to reckon with: perceptions of voice identity in clinical and non-clinical voice hearers

PubMed Central

Badcock, Johanna C.; Chhabra, Saruchi

2013-01-01

The current review focuses on the perception of voice identity in clinical and non-clinical voice hearers. Identity perception in auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) is grounded in the mechanisms of human (i.e., real, external) voice perception, and shapes the emotional (distress) and behavioral (help-seeking) response to the experience. Yet, the phenomenological assessment of voice identity is often limited, for example to the gender of the voice, and has failed to take advantage of recent models and evidence on human voice perception. In this paper we aim to synthesize the literature on identity in real and hallucinated voices and begin by providing a comprehensive overview of the features used to judge voice identity in healthy individuals and in people with schizophrenia. The findings suggest some subtle, but possibly systematic biases across different levels of voice identity in clinical hallucinators that are associated with higher levels of distress. Next we provide a critical evaluation of voice processing abilities in clinical and non-clinical voice hearers, including recent data collected in our laboratory. Our studies used diverse methods, assessing recognition and binding of words and voices in memory as well as multidimensional scaling of voice dissimilarity judgments. The findings overall point to significant difficulties recognizing familiar speakers and discriminating between unfamiliar speakers in people with schizophrenia, both with and without AVH. In contrast, these voice processing abilities appear to be generally intact in non-clinical hallucinators. The review highlights some important avenues for future research and treatment of AVH associated with a need for care, and suggests some novel insights into other symptoms of psychosis. PMID:23565088

Climate Voices: Bridging Scientist Citizens and Local Communities across the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wegner, K.; Ristvey, J. D., Jr.

2016-12-01

Based out of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), the Climate Voices Science Speakers Network (climatevoices.org) has more than 400 participants across the United States that volunteer their time as scientist citizens in their local communities. Climate Voices experts engage in nonpartisan conversations about the local impacts of climate change with groups such as Rotary clubs, collaborate with faith-based groups on climate action initiatives, and disseminate their research findings to K-12 teachers and classrooms through webinars. To support their participants, Climate Voices develops partnerships with networks of community groups, provides trainings on how to engage these communities, and actively seeks community feedback. In this presentation, we will share case studies of science-community collaborations, including meta-analyses of collaborations and lessons learned.

Voices on Voice: Perspectives, Definitions, Inquiry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yancey, Kathleen Blake, Ed.

This collection of essays approaches "voice" as a means of expression that lives in the interactions of writers, readers, and language, and examines the conceptualizations of voice within the oral rhetorical and expressionist traditions, and the notion of voice as both a singular and plural phenomenon. An explanatory introduction by the…

Advanced Networks in Motion Mobile Sensorweb

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ivancic, William D.; Stewart, David H.

2011-01-01

Advanced mobile networking technology applicable to mobile sensor platforms was developed, deployed and demonstrated. A two-tier sensorweb design was developed. The first tier utilized mobile network technology to provide mobility. The second tier, which sits above the first tier, utilizes 6LowPAN (Internet Protocol version 6 Low Power Wireless Personal Area Networks) sensors. The entire network was IPv6 enabled. Successful mobile sensorweb system field tests took place in late August and early September of 2009. The entire network utilized IPv6 and was monitored and controlled using a remote Web browser via IPv6 technology. This paper describes the mobile networking and 6LowPAN sensorweb design, implementation, deployment and testing as well as wireless systems and network monitoring software developed to support testing and validation.

Cerebral Processing of Voice Gender Studied Using a Continuous Carryover fMRI Design

PubMed Central

Pernet, Cyril; Latinus, Marianne; Crabbe, Frances; Belin, Pascal

2013-01-01

Normal listeners effortlessly determine a person's gender by voice, but the cerebral mechanisms underlying this ability remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate 2 stages of cerebral processing during voice gender categorization. Using voice morphing along with an adaptation-optimized functional magnetic resonance imaging design, we found that secondary auditory cortex including the anterior part of the temporal voice areas in the right hemisphere responded primarily to acoustical distance with the previously heard stimulus. In contrast, a network of bilateral regions involving inferior prefrontal and anterior and posterior cingulate cortex reflected perceived stimulus ambiguity. These findings suggest that voice gender recognition involves neuronal populations along the auditory ventral stream responsible for auditory feature extraction, functioning in pair with the prefrontal cortex in voice gender perception. PMID:22490550

World Voice Day in news: analysis of reports on the Voice Campaign in Brazil.

PubMed

Dornelas, Rodrigo; Giannini, Susana Pimentel Pinto; Ferreira, Léslie Piccolotto

2015-01-01

To analyze the television reports on the World Voice Day transmitted by Globo(r) TV. We researched television reports broadcasted by Globo(r) Network in regional television news programs from March 15 to April 20, 2013. For the data analysis, the Document Analysis technique was used. The analyzed variables were the following: location, broadcasting period, duration, interviewed professional, mention of multiprofessional work, orientation to the population, and the interview approach (health promotion or disease prevention). Through statistical analysis, the interview approach was considered the outcome and associated with the other variables. On the regions where there are news programs for the researched TV station, the majority made reports about the Voice Campaign. Among these, we discovered that the five regions of Brazil were contemplated, in the morning/afternoon periods, with medium duration of 5.3 minutes. The presence of the speech-language pathologist was observed in greater numbers of the interviews, as also the emphasis on the importance of a multiprofessional work. Regarding the content presented, the interviewees focused on diseases caused by habits that impair the voice, with orientation to the public about what negatively interferes in the vocal well-being. The approach of the interviews was not, in the majority of times, of the same nature (promoting the vocal well-being or preventing voice disorder), and the interprofessional practice is still seen less frequently as a possible work strategy.

Internet Voice Distribution System (IVoDS) Utilization in Remote Payload Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Best, Susan; Bradford, Bob; Chamberlain, Jim; Nichols, Kelvin; Bailey, Darrell (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Due to limited crew availability to support science and the large number of experiments to be operated simultaneously, telescience is key to a successful International Space Station (ISS) science program. Crew, operations personnel at NASA centers, and researchers at universities and companies around the world must work closely together to perform scientific experiments on-board ISS. NASA has initiated use of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to supplement the existing HVoDS mission voice communications system used by researchers. The Internet Voice Distribution System (IVoDS) connects researchers to mission support "loops" or conferences via Internet Protocol networks such as the high-speed Internet 2. Researchers use IVoDS software on personal computers to talk with operations personnel at NASA centers. IVoDS also has the capability, if authorized, to allow researchers to communicate with the ISS crew during experiment operations. NODS was developed by Marshall Space Flight Center with contractors A2 Technology, Inc. FVC, Lockheed- Martin, and VoIP Group. IVoDS is currently undergoing field-testing with full deployment for up to 50 simultaneous users expected in 2002. Research is currently being performed to take full advantage of the digital world - the Personal Computer and Internet Protocol networks - to qualitatively enhance communications among ISS operations personnel. In addition to the current voice capability, video and data-sharing capabilities are being investigated. Major obstacles being addressed include network bandwidth capacity and strict security requirements. Techniques being investigated to reduce and overcome these obstacles include emerging audio-video protocols and network technology including multicast and quality-of-service.

Voice quality change in future professional voice users after 9 months of voice training.

PubMed

Timmermans, Bernadette; De Bodt, Marc; Wuyts, Floris; Van de Heyning, Paul

2004-01-01

Sixty-eight students of a school for audiovisual communication participated in this study. A part of them, 49 students, received voice training for 9 months (the trained group); 19 subjects received no specific voice training (the untrained group). A multidimensional test battery containing the GRBAS scale, videolaryngostroboscopy, Maximum Phonation Time (MPT), jitter, lowest intensity (IL), highest frequency (FoH), Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI) and Voice Handicap Index (VHI) was applied before and after training to evaluate training outcome. The voice training is made up of technical workshops in small groups (five to eight subjects) and vocal coaching in the ateliers. In the technical workshops, basic skills are trained (posture, breathing technique, articulation and diction), and in the ateliers, the speech and language pathologist assists the subjects in the practice of their voice work. This study revealed a significant amelioration over time for the objective measurements [Dysphonia Severity Index: from 2.3 to 4.5 ( P<0.001)] and the self-evaluation [Voice Handicap Index, from 23 to 18.4 ( P=0.016)] for the trained group only. This outcome favors the systematic introduction of voice training during the schooling of professional voice users.

Success with voice recognition.

PubMed

Sferrella, Sheila M

2003-01-01

You need a compelling reason to implement voice recognition technology. At my institution, the compelling reason was a turnaround time for Radiology results of more than two days. Only 41 percent of our reports were transcribed and signed within 24 hours. In November 1998, a team from Lehigh Valley Hospital went to RSNA and reviewed every voice system on the market. The evaluation was done with the radiologist workflow in mind, and we came back from the meeting with the vendor selection completed. The next steps included developing a business plan, approval of funds, reference calls to more than 15 sites and contract negotiation, all of which took about six months. The department of Radiology at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network (LVHHN) is a multi-site center that performs over 360,000 procedures annually. The department handles all modalities of radiology: general diagnosis, neuroradiology, ultrasound, CT Scan, MRI, interventional radiology, arthography, myelography, bone densitometry, nuclear medicine, PET imaging, vascular lab and other advanced procedures. The department consists of 200 FTEs and a medical staff of more than 40 radiologists. The budget is in the $10.3 million range. There are three hospital sites and four outpatient imaging center sites where services are provided. At Lehigh Valley Hospital, radiologists are not dedicated to one subspecialty, so implementing a voice system by modality was not an option. Because transcription was so far behind, we needed to eliminate that part of the process. As a result, we decided to deploy the system all at once and with the radiologists as editors. The planning and testing phase took about four months, and the implementation took two weeks. We deployed over 40 workstations and trained close to 50 physicians. The radiologists brought in an extra radiologist from our group for the two weeks of training. That allowed us to train without taking a radiologist out of the department. We trained three to six

Digital signal processing algorithms for automatic voice recognition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Botros, Nazeih M.

1987-01-01

The current digital signal analysis algorithms are investigated that are implemented in automatic voice recognition algorithms. Automatic voice recognition means, the capability of a computer to recognize and interact with verbal commands. The digital signal is focused on, rather than the linguistic, analysis of speech signal. Several digital signal processing algorithms are available for voice recognition. Some of these algorithms are: Linear Predictive Coding (LPC), Short-time Fourier Analysis, and Cepstrum Analysis. Among these algorithms, the LPC is the most widely used. This algorithm has short execution time and do not require large memory storage. However, it has several limitations due to the assumptions used to develop it. The other 2 algorithms are frequency domain algorithms with not many assumptions, but they are not widely implemented or investigated. However, with the recent advances in the digital technology, namely signal processors, these 2 frequency domain algorithms may be investigated in order to implement them in voice recognition. This research is concerned with real time, microprocessor based recognition algorithms.

Learning [Voice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tauberer, Joshua Ian

2010-01-01

The [voice] distinction between homorganic stops and fricatives is made by a number of acoustic correlates including voicing, segment duration, and preceding vowel duration. The present work looks at [voice] from a number of multidimensional perspectives. This dissertation's focus is a corpus study of the phonetic realization of [voice] in two…

Advance reservation access control using software-defined networking and tokens

DOE PAGES

Chung, Joaquin; Jung, Eun-Sung; Kettimuthu, Rajkumar; ...

2017-03-09

Advance reservation systems allow users to reserve dedicated bandwidth connection resources from advanced high-speed networks. A common use case for such systems is data transfers in distributed science environments in which a user wants exclusive access to the reservation. However, current advance network reservation methods cannot ensure exclusive access of a network reservation to the specific flow for which the user made the reservation. We present in this paper a novel network architecture that addresses this limitation and ensures that a reservation is used only by the intended flow. We achieve this by leveraging software-defined networking (SDN) and token-based authorization.more » We use SDN to orchestrate and automate the reservation of networking resources, end-to-end and across multiple administrative domains, and tokens to create a strong binding between the user or application that requested the reservation and the flows provisioned by SDN. Finally, we conducted experiments on the ESNet 100G SDN testbed, and demonstrated that our system effectively protects authorized flows from competing traffic in the network.« less

Advance reservation access control using software-defined networking and tokens

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chung, Joaquin; Jung, Eun-Sung; Kettimuthu, Rajkumar

Advance reservation systems allow users to reserve dedicated bandwidth connection resources from advanced high-speed networks. A common use case for such systems is data transfers in distributed science environments in which a user wants exclusive access to the reservation. However, current advance network reservation methods cannot ensure exclusive access of a network reservation to the specific flow for which the user made the reservation. We present in this paper a novel network architecture that addresses this limitation and ensures that a reservation is used only by the intended flow. We achieve this by leveraging software-defined networking (SDN) and token-based authorization.more » We use SDN to orchestrate and automate the reservation of networking resources, end-to-end and across multiple administrative domains, and tokens to create a strong binding between the user or application that requested the reservation and the flows provisioned by SDN. Finally, we conducted experiments on the ESNet 100G SDN testbed, and demonstrated that our system effectively protects authorized flows from competing traffic in the network.« less

Advance reservation access control using software-defined networking and tokens

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chung, Joaquin; Jung, Eun-Sung; Kettimuthu, Rajkumar

Advance reservation systems allow users to reserve dedicated bandwidth connection resources from advanced high-speed networks. A common use case for such systems is data transfers in distributed science environments in which a user wants exclusive access to the reservation. However, current advance network reservation methods cannot ensure exclusive access of a network reservation to the specific flow for which the user made the reservation. We present here a novel network architecture that addresses this limitation and ensures that a reservation is used only by the intended flow. We achieve this by leveraging software-defined networking (SDN) and token-based authorization. We usemore » SDN to orchestrate and automate the reservation of networking resources, end-to-end and across multiple administrative domains, and tokens to create a strong binding between the user or application that requested the reservation and the flows provisioned by SDN. We conducted experiments on the ESNet 100G SDN testbed, and demonstrated that our system effectively protects authorized flows from competing traffic in the network. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.« less

Changes After Voice Therapy in Acoustic Voice Analysis of Chinese Patients With Voice Disorders.

PubMed

Lu, Dan; Chen, Fei; Yang, Hui; Yu, Rong; Zhou, Qi; Zhang, Xinyuan; Ren, Jia; Zheng, Yitao; Zhang, Xiaoyan; Zou, Jian; Wang, Haiyang; Liu, Jun

2018-05-01

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of voice therapy on patients with voice disorders by comparing the acoustic parameter changes before and after treatment. This is a retrospective study. Forty-five female patients with early-stage vocal nodules or polyps, postoperative patients, and patients with chronic laryngitis were divided into three subgroups. Videostroboscopic, acoustic analysis (fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, mean harmonics-to-noise ratio), and maximum phonation time (MPT) were measured before and after treatment. Fifty healthy female volunteers were the control group. After treatment, 24.4% of nodules or polyps had decreased in size, 11.1% of patients with chronic laryngitis and postoperative patients had reduced edema, and the mucosal wave of vocal folds had different degrees of recovery in postoperative patients. All acoustic analysis values and MPT in the patient group were statistically worse than in the control group, except for fundamental frequency before treatment (P > 0.05). After treatment, the acoustic analysis and MPT values were improved. However, the jitter, mean harmonics-to-noise ratio, and MPT values in the patient group were still worse after voice therapy than in the control group (P < 0.05). Most of acoustic analysis values can be useful as a complementary tool in diagnosis and assessment of voice disorders; however, it is not recommended to use a single parameter to assess voice quality. Voice therapy can improve voice quality in patients with voice disorders, but a period longer than 8 weeks is recommended for these patients. Copyright © 2018 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analysis and Classification of Voice Pathologies Using Glottal Signal Parameters.

PubMed

Forero M, Leonardo A; Kohler, Manoela; Vellasco, Marley M B R; Cataldo, Edson

2016-09-01

The classification of voice diseases has many applications in health, in diseases treatment, and in the design of new medical equipment for helping doctors in diagnosing pathologies related to the voice. This work uses the parameters of the glottal signal to help the identification of two types of voice disorders related to the pathologies of the vocal folds: nodule and unilateral paralysis. The parameters of the glottal signal are obtained through a known inverse filtering method, and they are used as inputs to an Artificial Neural Network, a Support Vector Machine, and also to a Hidden Markov Model, to obtain the classification, and to compare the results, of the voice signals into three different groups: speakers with nodule in the vocal folds; speakers with unilateral paralysis of the vocal folds; and speakers with normal voices, that is, without nodule or unilateral paralysis present in the vocal folds. The database is composed of 248 voice recordings (signals of vowels production) containing samples corresponding to the three groups mentioned. In this study, a larger database was used for the classification when compared with similar studies, and its classification rate is superior to other studies, reaching 97.2%. Copyright © 2016 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

HNET - A National Computerized Health Network

PubMed Central

Casey, Mark; Hamilton, Richard

1988-01-01

The HNET system demonstrated conceptually and technically a national text (and limited bit mapped graphics) computer network for use between innovative members of the health care industry. The HNET configuration of a leased high speed national packet switching network connecting any number of mainframe, mini, and micro computers was unique in it's relatively low capital costs and freedom from obsolescence. With multiple simultaneous conferences, databases, bulletin boards, calendars, and advanced electronic mail and surveys, it is marketable to innovative hospitals, clinics, physicians, health care associations and societies, nurses, multisite research projects libraries, etc.. Electronic publishing and education capabilities along with integrated voice and video transmission are identified as future enhancements.

US long distance fiber optic networks: Technology, evolution and advanced concepts. Volume 3: Advanced networks and economics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

This study projects until 2000 the evolution of long distance fiber optic networks in the U.S. Volume 1 is the executive Summary. Volume 2 focuses on fiber optic components and systems that are directly related to the operation of long-haul networks. Optimistic, pessimistic and most likely scenarios of technology development are presented. The activities of national and regional companies implementing fiber long haul networks are also highlighted, along with an analysis of the market and regulatory forces affecting network evolution. Volume 3 presents advanced fiber optic network concept definitions. Inter-LATA traffic is quantified and forms the basis for the construction of 11-, 15-, 17-, and 23-node networks. Using the technology projections from Volume 2, a financial model identifies cost drivers and determines circuit mile costs between any two LATAs. A comparison of fiber optics with alternative transmission concludes the report.

US long distance fiber optic networks: Technology, evolution and advanced concepts. Volume 3: Advanced networks and economics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1986-10-01

This study projects until 2000 the evolution of long distance fiber optic networks in the U.S. Volume 1 is the executive Summary. Volume 2 focuses on fiber optic components and systems that are directly related to the operation of long-haul networks. Optimistic, pessimistic and most likely scenarios of technology development are presented. The activities of national and regional companies implementing fiber long haul networks are also highlighted, along with an analysis of the market and regulatory forces affecting network evolution. Volume 3 presents advanced fiber optic network concept definitions. Inter-LATA traffic is quantified and forms the basis for the construction of 11-, 15-, 17-, and 23-node networks. Using the technology projections from Volume 2, a financial model identifies cost drivers and determines circuit mile costs between any two LATAs. A comparison of fiber optics with alternative transmission concludes the report.

Neural circuits underlying mother's voice perception predict social communication abilities in children.

PubMed

Abrams, Daniel A; Chen, Tianwen; Odriozola, Paola; Cheng, Katherine M; Baker, Amanda E; Padmanabhan, Aarthi; Ryali, Srikanth; Kochalka, John; Feinstein, Carl; Menon, Vinod

2016-05-31

The human voice is a critical social cue, and listeners are extremely sensitive to the voices in their environment. One of the most salient voices in a child's life is mother's voice: Infants discriminate their mother's voice from the first days of life, and this stimulus is associated with guiding emotional and social function during development. Little is known regarding the functional circuits that are selectively engaged in children by biologically salient voices such as mother's voice or whether this brain activity is related to children's social communication abilities. We used functional MRI to measure brain activity in 24 healthy children (mean age, 10.2 y) while they attended to brief (<1 s) nonsense words produced by their biological mother and two female control voices and explored relationships between speech-evoked neural activity and social function. Compared to female control voices, mother's voice elicited greater activity in primary auditory regions in the midbrain and cortex; voice-selective superior temporal sulcus (STS); the amygdala, which is crucial for processing of affect; nucleus accumbens and orbitofrontal cortex of the reward circuit; anterior insula and cingulate of the salience network; and a subregion of fusiform gyrus associated with face perception. The strength of brain connectivity between voice-selective STS and reward, affective, salience, memory, and face-processing regions during mother's voice perception predicted social communication skills. Our findings provide a novel neurobiological template for investigation of typical social development as well as clinical disorders, such as autism, in which perception of biologically and socially salient voices may be impaired.

Flow Control and Routing in an Integrated Voice and Data Communication Network

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-08-01

require continuous and almost real - time delivery; they are very sensitive to delay. Data conversations, on the other hand, are generally intolerant of...packets arrive in time to be delivered to the sink. However, this is not the solution we seek. We have noted that voice conversations require almost real ...by long messages that require continuous real - time delivery; e.g. voice facsimile, video. Class II: characterized by short discrete messages that

Voice care knowledge among clinicians and people with healthy voices or dysphonia.

PubMed

Fletcher, Helen M; Drinnan, Michael J; Carding, Paul N

2007-01-01

An important clinical component in the prevention and treatment of voice disorders is voice care and hygiene. Research in voice care knowledge has mainly focussed on specific groups of professional voice users with limited reporting on the tool and evidence base used. In this study, a questionnaire to measure voice care knowledge was developed based on "best evidence." The questionnaire was validated by measuring specialist voice clinicians' agreement. Preliminary data are then presented using the voice care knowledge questionnaire with 17 subjects with nonorganic dysphonia and 17 with healthy voices. There was high (89%) agreement among the clinicians. There was a highly significant difference between the dysphonic and the healthy group scores (P = 0.00005). Furthermore, the dysphonic subjects (63% agreement) presented with less voice care knowledge than the subjects with healthy voices (72% agreement). The questionnaire provides a useful and valid tool to investigate voice care knowledge. The findings have implications for clinical intervention, voice therapy, and health prevention.

Perceived control and voice handicap in patients with voice disorders.

PubMed

Frazier, Patricia; Merians, Addie; Misono, Stephanie

2017-11-01

The purpose of the study was to replicate and extend previous research on the relation between perceived present control and voice handicap and to further examine the psychometric properties of a present control scale adapted for patients with voice disorders (Misono, Meredith, Peterson, & Frazier, 2016). Sample 1 consisted of 1,129 patients recruited from a voice disorder clinic who completed measures of perceived present control, distress, and voice handicap in the clinic. Sample 2 consisted of 62 patients from the same clinic who completed measures of present control, distress, voice handicap, and general control beliefs online at baseline and measures of present control and voice handicap again 3 weeks later (n = 59). With regard to the psychometric properties of the voice-adapted present control scale, alpha coefficients were above .80 and the 3-week test-reliability coefficient was .69. There was mixed support for the hypothesized 1-factor structure of the scale. In Sample 1, present control was more strongly associated with lower voice handicap than was distress and accounted for significant variance in voice handicap controlling for distress. In Sample 2, present control at baseline predicted later voice handicap, controlling for general control beliefs and distress. Present control appears to be a promising target for adjunctive interventions for patients with voice disorders. An evidence-based online present control intervention (Hintz, Frazier, & Meredith, 2015) is being adapted for this patient population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Effects on vocal range and voice quality of singing voice training: the classically trained female voice.

PubMed

Pabon, Peter; Stallinga, Rob; Södersten, Maria; Ternström, Sten

2014-01-01

A longitudinal study was performed on the acoustical effects of singing voice training under a given study program, using the voice range profile (VRP). Pretraining and posttraining recordings were made of students who participated in a 3-year bachelor singing study program. A questionnaire that included questions on optimal range, register use, classification, vocal health and hygiene, mixing technique, and training goals was used to rate and categorize self-assessed voice changes. Based on the responses, a subgroup of 10 classically trained female voices was selected, which was homogeneous enough for effects of training to be identified. The VRP perimeter contour was analyzed for effects of voice training. Also, a mapping within the VRP of voice quality, as expressed by the crest factor, was used to indicate the register boundaries and to monitor the acoustical consequences of the newly learned vocal technique of "mixed voice." VRPs were averaged across subjects. Findings were compared with the self-assessed vocal changes. Pre/post comparison of the average VRPs showed, in the midrange, (1) a decrease in the VRP area that was associated with the loud chest voice, (2) a reduction of the crest factor values, and (3) a reduction of maximum sound pressure level values. The students' self-evaluations of the voice changes appeared in some cases to contradict the VRP findings. VRPs of individual voices were seen to change over the course of a singing education. These changes were manifest also in the average group. High-resolution computerized recording, complemented with an acoustic register marker, allows a meaningful assessment of some effects of training, on an individual basis and for groups that comprise singers of a specific genre. It is argued that this kind of investigation is possible only within a focused training program, given by a faculty who has agreed on the goals. Copyright © 2014 The Voice Foundation. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Quantitative evaluation of the voice range profile in patients with voice disorder.

PubMed

Ikeda, Y; Masuda, T; Manako, H; Yamashita, H; Yamamoto, T; Komiyama, S

1999-01-01

In 1953, Calvet first displayed the fundamental frequency (pitch) and sound pressure level (intensity) of a voice on a two-dimensional plane and created a voice range profile. This profile has been used to evaluate clinically various vocal disorders, although such evaluations to date have been subjective without quantitative assessment. In the present study, a quantitative system was developed to evaluate the voice range profile utilizing a personal computer. The area of the voice range profile was defined as the voice volume. This volume was analyzed in 137 males and 175 females who were treated for various dysphonias at Kyushu University between 1984 and 1990. Ten normal subjects served as controls. The voice volume in cases with voice disorders significantly decreased irrespective of the disease and sex. Furthermore, cases having better improvement after treatment showed a tendency for the voice volume to increase. These findings illustrated the voice volume as a useful clinical test for evaluating voice control in cases with vocal disorders.

Voice symptoms and voice-related quality of life in college students.

PubMed

Merrill, Ray M; Tanner, Kristine; Merrill, Joseph G; McCord, Matthew D; Beardsley, Melissa M; Steele, Brittanie A

2013-08-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of voice disorders in college students and their effect on the students as shown by quality-of-life indicators. A cross-sectional survey was completed by 545 college students in 2012. The survey included 10 questions from the Voice-Related Quality of Life (V-RQOL), selected voice symptoms, and quality-of-life indicators of functional health and well-being based on the Short Form 36-item Health Survey (SF-36). Twenty-nine percent of the college students (mean age, 22.7 years) reported a history of a voice disorder. Hoarseness was the most prevalent voice symptom, but was not correlated with V-RQOL scores. A wobbly or shaky voice, throat dryness, vocal fatigue, and vocal effort explained a significant amount of variance on the social-emotional and physical domains of the V-RQOL index (p < 0.05). Voice symptoms limited emotional and physical functioning as indicated by SF-36 scores. Voice disorders significantly influence psychosocial and physical functioning in college students. These findings have important implications for voice-care services in this population.

Detection of Pathological Voice Using Cepstrum Vectors: A Deep Learning Approach.

PubMed

Fang, Shih-Hau; Tsao, Yu; Hsiao, Min-Jing; Chen, Ji-Ying; Lai, Ying-Hui; Lin, Feng-Chuan; Wang, Chi-Te

2018-03-19

Computerized detection of voice disorders has attracted considerable academic and clinical interest in the hope of providing an effective screening method for voice diseases before endoscopic confirmation. This study proposes a deep-learning-based approach to detect pathological voice and examines its performance and utility compared with other automatic classification algorithms. This study retrospectively collected 60 normal voice samples and 402 pathological voice samples of 8 common clinical voice disorders in a voice clinic of a tertiary teaching hospital. We extracted Mel frequency cepstral coefficients from 3-second samples of a sustained vowel. The performances of three machine learning algorithms, namely, deep neural network (DNN), support vector machine, and Gaussian mixture model, were evaluated based on a fivefold cross-validation. Collective cases from the voice disorder database of MEEI (Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary) were used to verify the performance of the classification mechanisms. The experimental results demonstrated that DNN outperforms Gaussian mixture model and support vector machine. Its accuracy in detecting voice pathologies reached 94.26% and 90.52% in male and female subjects, based on three representative Mel frequency cepstral coefficient features. When applied to the MEEI database for validation, the DNN also achieved a higher accuracy (99.32%) than the other two classification algorithms. By stacking several layers of neurons with optimized weights, the proposed DNN algorithm can fully utilize the acoustic features and efficiently differentiate between normal and pathological voice samples. Based on this pilot study, future research may proceed to explore more application of DNN from laboratory and clinical perspectives. Copyright © 2018 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Voices Rising: A Bulletin about Women and Popular Education. Volumes 1-4. 1987-1990.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Voices Rising: A Bulletin about Women and Popular Education, 1990

1990-01-01

This document consists of the six issues of the serial "Voices Rising" issued during the four-year period 1987-1990. "Voices Rising" is the primary networking tool of the Women's Program of the International Council for Adult Education (ICAE). Articles in these issues include: "Tribute to a Courageous Woman--Nabila Breir"; "Centre for Women's…

The professional voice.

PubMed

Benninger, M S

2011-02-01

The human voice is not only the key to human communication but also serves as the primary musical instrument. Many professions rely on the voice, but the most noticeable and visible are singers. Care of the performing voice requires a thorough understanding of the interaction between the anatomy and physiology of voice production, along with an awareness of the interrelationships between vocalisation, acoustic science and non-vocal components of performance. This review gives an overview of the care and prevention of professional voice disorders by describing the unique and integrated anatomy and physiology of singing, the roles of development and training, and the importance of the voice care team.

Voice to Voice: Developing In-Service Teachers' Personal, Collaborative, and Public Voices.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thurber, Frances; Zimmerman, Enid

1997-01-01

Describes a model for inservice education that begins with an interchange of teachers' voices with those of the students in an interactive dialog. The exchange allows them to develop their private voices through self-reflection and validation of their own experiences. (JOW)

Relationship between Activity Noise, Voice Parameters, and Voice Symptoms among Female Teachers.

PubMed

Pirilä, Sirpa; Pirilä, Paula; Ansamaa, Terhi; Yliherva, Anneli; Sonning, Samuel; Rantala, Leena

2017-01-01

Our interest was in how teachers' voices behave during the delivery of lessons in core subjects (e.g., mathematics, science, etc.). We sought to evaluate the relationship between voice sound pressure level (SPL), vocal fundamental frequency (F0), voice symptoms, activity noise, and differences therein during the first and the last lessons in core subjects of the day. The participants were 24 female elementary school teachers. Voice symptoms were evaluated by questionnaire. The data were recorded on 2 portable voice accumulators (VoxLog) from the first and last lessons of the day. The versions of accumulators differed by frequency weighting; therefore, the analysis and the results of noise and voice SPL were treated separately: unweighted (group 1) and A-weighted (group 2). Difference in voice SPL followed difference in activity noise. F0 increased between the first and last lessons. Correlations were found between differences in the noise and the voice symptoms of tiredness and dryness. Irritating mucus was associated with high F0 during the first lesson. An apparent increase in voice loading due to the activity noise was observed during lessons in core subjects. Collaboration between specialists in voice and acoustics and teachers and pupils is needed to reduce this voice loading. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Neural circuits underlying mother’s voice perception predict social communication abilities in children

PubMed Central

Abrams, Daniel A.; Chen, Tianwen; Odriozola, Paola; Cheng, Katherine M.; Baker, Amanda E.; Padmanabhan, Aarthi; Ryali, Srikanth; Kochalka, John; Feinstein, Carl; Menon, Vinod

2016-01-01

The human voice is a critical social cue, and listeners are extremely sensitive to the voices in their environment. One of the most salient voices in a child’s life is mother's voice: Infants discriminate their mother’s voice from the first days of life, and this stimulus is associated with guiding emotional and social function during development. Little is known regarding the functional circuits that are selectively engaged in children by biologically salient voices such as mother’s voice or whether this brain activity is related to children’s social communication abilities. We used functional MRI to measure brain activity in 24 healthy children (mean age, 10.2 y) while they attended to brief (<1 s) nonsense words produced by their biological mother and two female control voices and explored relationships between speech-evoked neural activity and social function. Compared to female control voices, mother’s voice elicited greater activity in primary auditory regions in the midbrain and cortex; voice-selective superior temporal sulcus (STS); the amygdala, which is crucial for processing of affect; nucleus accumbens and orbitofrontal cortex of the reward circuit; anterior insula and cingulate of the salience network; and a subregion of fusiform gyrus associated with face perception. The strength of brain connectivity between voice-selective STS and reward, affective, salience, memory, and face-processing regions during mother’s voice perception predicted social communication skills. Our findings provide a novel neurobiological template for investigation of typical social development as well as clinical disorders, such as autism, in which perception of biologically and socially salient voices may be impaired. PMID:27185915

I like my voice better: self-enhancement bias in perceptions of voice attractiveness.

PubMed

Hughes, Susan M; Harrison, Marissa A

2013-01-01

Previous research shows that the human voice can communicate a wealth of nonsemantic information; preferences for voices can predict health, fertility, and genetic quality of the speaker, and people often use voice attractiveness, in particular, to make these assessments of others. But it is not known what we think of the attractiveness of our own voices as others hear them. In this study eighty men and women rated the attractiveness of an array of voice recordings of different individuals and were not told that their own recorded voices were included in the presentation. Results showed that participants rated their own voices as sounding more attractive than others had rated their voices, and participants also rated their own voices as sounding more attractive than they had rated the voices of others. These findings suggest that people may engage in vocal implicit egotism, a form of self-enhancement.

Voice measures of workload in the advanced flight deck: Additional studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schneider, Sid J.; Alpert, Murray

1989-01-01

These studies investigated acoustical analysis of the voice as a measure of workload in individual operators. In the first study, voice samples were recorded from a single operator during high, medium, and low workload conditions. Mean amplitude, frequency, syllable duration, and emphasis all tended to increase as workload increased. In the second study, NASA test pilots performed a laboratory task, and used a flight simulator under differing work conditions. For two of the pilots, high workload in the simulator brought about greater amplitude, peak duration, and stress. In both the laboratory and simulator tasks, high workload tended to be associated with more statistically significant drop-offs in the acoustical measures than were lower workload levels. There was a great deal of intra-subject variability in the acoustical measures. The results suggested that in individual operators, increased workload might be revealed by high initial amplitude and frequency, followed by rapid drop-offs over time.

Auditory traits of "own voice".

PubMed

Kimura, Marino; Yotsumoto, Yuko

2018-01-01

People perceive their recorded voice differently from their actively spoken voice. The uncanny valley theory proposes that as an object approaches humanlike characteristics, there is an increase in the sense of familiarity; however, eventually a point is reached where the object becomes strangely similar and makes us feel uneasy. The feeling of discomfort experienced when people hear their recorded voice may correspond to the floor of the proposed uncanny valley. To overcome the feeling of eeriness of own-voice recordings, previous studies have suggested equalization of the recorded voice with various types of filters, such as step, bandpass, and low-pass, yet the effectiveness of these filters has not been evaluated. To address this, the aim of experiment 1 was to identify what type of voice recording was the most representative of one's own voice. The voice recordings were presented in five different conditions: unadjusted recorded voice, step filtered voice, bandpass filtered voice, low-pass filtered voice, and a voice for which the participants freely adjusted the parameters. We found large individual differences in the most representative own-voice filter. In order to consider roles of sense of agency, experiment 2 investigated if lip-synching would influence the rating of own voice. The result suggested lip-synching did not affect own voice ratings. In experiment 3, based on the assumption that the voices used in previous experiments corresponded to continuous representations of non-own voice to own voice, the existence of an uncanny valley was examined. Familiarity, eeriness, and the sense of own voice were rated. The result did not support the existence of an uncanny valley. Taken together, the experiments led us to the following conclusions: there is no general filter that can represent own voice for everyone, sense of agency has no effect on own voice rating, and the uncanny valley does not exist for own voice, specifically.

Voice outcomes after concurrent chemoradiotherapy for advanced nonlaryngeal head and neck cancer: a prospective study.

PubMed

Paleri, Vinidh; Carding, Paul; Chatterjee, Sanjoy; Kelly, Charles; Wilson, Janet Ann; Welch, Andrew; Drinnan, Michael

2012-12-01

The voice impact of treatment for nonlaryngeal head and neck primary sites remains unknown. We conducted a prospective study of a consecutive sample of patients undergoing chemoradiation for nonlaryngeal head and neck cancer. The Voice Symptom Scale (VoiSS) was completed, and voice recordings were made at 3 time-points. Of 42 recruited patients, 34 completed the measures before and in the early posttreatment phase (mean 16.5 weeks), while 21 patients were assessed at the final time-point (mean, 20.4 months). VoiSS scores showed statistically significant progressive deterioration in the total score (p = .02) and impairment subscale (p < .0001) through to the final assessment. Acoustic measures and perceptual ratings deteriorated significantly (p < .001) in the early posttreatment weeks and improved at the final assessment, but not to the baseline. Interrater agreement was excellent for expert measures. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first prospective study to show that chemoradiation therapy for nonlaryngeal head and neck cancer has a significant effect on the patients' self-reported voice quality, even in the long term. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Connections between voice ergonomic risk factors in classrooms and teachers' voice production.

PubMed

Rantala, Leena M; Hakala, Suvi; Holmqvist, Sofia; Sala, Eeva

2012-01-01

The aim of the study was to investigate if voice ergonomic risk factors in classrooms correlated with acoustic parameters of teachers' voice production. The voice ergonomic risk factors in the fields of working culture, working postures and indoor air quality were assessed in 40 classrooms using the Voice Ergonomic Assessment in Work Environment - Handbook and Checklist. Teachers (32 females, 8 males) from the above-mentioned classrooms recorded text readings before and after a working day. Fundamental frequency, sound pressure level (SPL) and the slope of the spectrum (alpha ratio) were analyzed. The higher the number of the risk factors in the classrooms, the higher SPL the teachers used and the more strained the males' voices (increased alpha ratio) were. The SPL was already higher before the working day in the teachers with higher risk than in those with lower risk. In the working environment with many voice ergonomic risk factors, speakers increase voice loudness and use more strained voice quality (males). A practical implication of the results is that voice ergonomic assessments are needed in schools. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Bioengineered vocal fold mucosa for voice restoration*

PubMed Central

Ling, Changying; Li, Qiyao; Brown, Matthew E.; Kishimoto, Yo; Toya, Yutaka; Devine, Erin E.; Choi, Kyeong-Ok; Nishimoto, Kohei; Norman, Ian G.; Tsegyal, Tenzin; Jiang, Jack J.; Burlingham, William J.; Gunasekaran, Sundaram; Smith, Lloyd M.; Frey, Brian L.; Welham, Nathan V.

2015-01-01

Patients with voice impairment caused by advanced vocal fold (VF) fibrosis or tissue loss have few treatment options. A transplantable, bioengineered VF mucosa would address the individual and societal costs of voice-related communication loss. Such a tissue must be biomechanically capable of aerodynamic-to-acoustic energy transfer and high-frequency vibration, and physiologically capable of maintaining a barrier against the airway lumen. Here, we isolated primary human VF fibroblasts and epithelial cells and cocultured them under organotypic conditions. The resulting engineered mucosae showed morphologic features of native tissue, proteome-level evidence of mucosal morphogenesis and emerging extracellular matrix complexity, and rudimentary barrier function in vitro. When grafted into canine larynges ex vivo, the mucosae generated vibratory behavior and acoustic output that were indistinguishable from those of native VF tissue. When grafted into humanized mice in vivo, the mucosae survived and were well tolerated by the human adaptive immune system. This tissue engineering approach has the potential to restore voice function in patients with otherwise untreatable VF mucosal disease. PMID:26582902

Voice responses to changes in pitch of voice or tone auditory feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sivasankar, Mahalakshmi; Bauer, Jay J.; Babu, Tara; Larson, Charles R.

2005-02-01

The present study was undertaken to examine if a subject's voice F0 responded not only to perturbations in pitch of voice feedback but also to changes in pitch of a side tone presented congruent with voice feedback. Small magnitude brief duration perturbations in pitch of voice or tone auditory feedback were randomly introduced during sustained vowel phonations. Results demonstrated a higher rate and larger magnitude of voice F0 responses to changes in pitch of the voice compared with a triangular-shaped tone (experiment 1) or a pure tone (experiment 2). However, response latencies did not differ across voice or tone conditions. Data suggest that subjects responded to the change in F0 rather than harmonic frequencies of auditory feedback because voice F0 response prevalence, magnitude, or latency did not statistically differ across triangular-shaped tone or pure-tone feedback. Results indicate the audio-vocal system is sensitive to the change in pitch of a variety of sounds, which may represent a flexible system capable of adapting to changes in the subject's voice. However, lower prevalence and smaller responses to tone pitch-shifted signals suggest that the audio-vocal system may resist changes to the pitch of other environmental sounds when voice feedback is present. .

Singing voice outcomes following singing voice therapy.

PubMed

Dastolfo-Hromack, Christina; Thomas, Tracey L; Rosen, Clark A; Gartner-Schmidt, Jackie

2016-11-01

The objectives of this study were to describe singing voice therapy (SVT), describe referred patient characteristics, and document the outcomes of SVT. Retrospective. Records of patients receiving SVT between June 2008 and June 2013 were reviewed (n = 51). All diagnoses were included. Demographic information, number of SVT sessions, and symptom severity were retrieved from the medical record. Symptom severity was measured via the 10-item Singing Voice Handicap Index (SVHI-10). Treatment outcome was analyzed by diagnosis, history of previous training, and SVHI-10. SVHI-10 scores decreased following SVT (mean change = 11, 40% decrease) (P < .001). Approximately 18% (n = 9) of patient SVHI-10 scores decreased to normal range. The average number of sessions attended was three (± 2); patients who concurrently attended singing lessons (n = 10) also completed an average of three SVT sessions. Primary muscle tension dysphonia (MTD1) and benign vocal fold lesion (lesion) were the most common diagnoses. Most patients (60%) had previous vocal training. SVHI-10 decrease was not significantly different between MTD and lesion. This is the first outcome-based study of SVT in a disordered population. Diagnosis of MTD or lesion did not influence treatment outcomes. Duration of SVT was short (approximately three sessions). Voice care providers are encouraged to partner with a singing voice therapist to provide optimal care for the singing voice. This study supports the use of SVT as a tool for the treatment of singing voice disorders. 4 Laryngoscope, 126:2546-2551, 2016. © 2016 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

Keeping Your Voice Healthy

MedlinePlus

... an ENT Doctor Near You Keeping Your Voice Healthy Keeping Your Voice Healthy Patient Health Information News ... voice-related. Key Steps for Keeping Your Voice Healthy Drink plenty of water. Moisture is good for ...

Voice Habits and Behaviors: Voice Care Among Flamenco Singers.

PubMed

Garzón García, Marina; Muñoz López, Juana; Y Mendoza Lara, Elvira

2017-03-01

The purpose of this study is to analyze the vocal behavior of flamenco singers, as compared with classical music singers, to establish a differential vocal profile of voice habits and behaviors in flamenco music. Bibliographic review was conducted, and the Singer's Vocal Habits Questionnaire, an experimental tool designed by the authors to gather data regarding hygiene behavior, drinking and smoking habits, type of practice, voice care, and symptomatology perceived in both the singing and the speaking voice, was administered. We interviewed 94 singers, divided into two groups: the flamenco experimental group (FEG, n = 48) and the classical control group (CCG, n = 46). Frequency analysis, a Likert scale, and discriminant and exploratory factor analysis were used to obtain a differential profile for each group. The FEG scored higher than the CCG in speaking voice symptomatology. The FEG scored significantly higher than the CCG in use of "inadequate vocal technique" when singing. Regarding voice habits, the FEG scored higher in "lack of practice and warm-up" and "environmental habits." A total of 92.6% of the subjects classified themselves correctly in each group. The Singer's Vocal Habits Questionnaire has proven effective in differentiating flamenco and classical singers. Flamenco singers are exposed to numerous vocal risk factors that make them more prone to vocal fatigue, mucosa dehydration, phonotrauma, and muscle stiffness than classical singers. Further research is needed in voice training in flamenco music, as a means to strengthen the voice and enable it to meet the requirements of this musical genre. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Integrating cues of social interest and voice pitch in men's preferences for women's voices.

PubMed

Jones, Benedict C; Feinberg, David R; Debruine, Lisa M; Little, Anthony C; Vukovic, Jovana

2008-04-23

Most previous studies of vocal attractiveness have focused on preferences for physical characteristics of voices such as pitch. Here we examine the content of vocalizations in interaction with such physical traits, finding that vocal cues of social interest modulate the strength of men's preferences for raised pitch in women's voices. Men showed stronger preferences for raised pitch when judging the voices of women who appeared interested in the listener than when judging the voices of women who appeared relatively disinterested in the listener. These findings show that voice preferences are not determined solely by physical properties of voices and that men integrate information about voice pitch and the degree of social interest expressed by women when forming voice preferences. Women's preferences for raised pitch in women's voices were not modulated by cues of social interest, suggesting that the integration of cues of social interest and voice pitch when men judge the attractiveness of women's voices may reflect adaptations that promote efficient allocation of men's mating effort.

Voice Therapy Practices and Techniques: A Survey of Voice Clinicians.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mueller, Peter B.; Larson, George W.

1992-01-01

Eighty-three voice disorder therapists' ratings of statements regarding voice therapy practices indicated that vocal nodules are the most frequent disorder treated; vocal abuse and hard glottal attack elimination, counseling, and relaxation were preferred treatment approaches; and voice therapy is more effective with adults than with children.…

The Climate Voices Speakers Network: Collaborating with Nontraditional, National Networks to Develop Climate Literacy on a Local Level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wegner, K.; Schmidt, C.; Herrin, S.

2015-12-01

How can we leverage the successes of the numerous organizations in the climate change communication arena to build momentum rather than reinvent the wheel? Over the past two years, Climate Voices (climatevoices.org) has established a network of nearly 400 speakers and established partnerships to scale programs that address climate change communication and community engagement. In this presentation, we will present how we have identified and fostered win-win partnerships with organizations, such as GreenFaith Interfaith Partners for the Environment and Rotary International, to reach the broader general public. We will also share how, by drawing on the resources from the National Climate Assessment and the expertise of our own community, we developed and provided our speakers the tools to provide their audiences access to basic climate science - contributing to each audience's ability to understand local impacts, make informed decisions, and gain the confidence to engage in solutions-based actions in response to climate change. We will also discuss how we have created webinar coaching presentations by speakers who aren't climate scientists- and why we have chosen to do so.

Utilization of Internet Protocol-Based Voice Systems in Remote Payload Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chamberlain, jim; Bradford, Bob; Best, Susan; Nichols, Kelvin

2002-01-01

Due to limited crew availability to support science and the large number of experiments to be operated simultaneously, telescience is key to a successful International Space Station (ISS) science program. Crew, operations personnel at NASA centers, and researchers at universities and companies around the world must work closely together to per orm scientific experiments on-board ISS. The deployment of reliable high-speed Internet Protocol (IP)-based networks promises to greatly enhance telescience capabilities. These networks are now being used to cost-effectively extend the reach of remote mission support systems. They reduce the need for dedicated leased lines and travel while improving distributed workgroup collaboration capabilities. NASA has initiated use of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to supplement the existing mission voice communications system used by researchers at their remote sites. The Internet Voice Distribution System (IVoDS) connects remote researchers to mission support "loopsll or conferences via NASA networks and Internet 2. Researchers use NODS software on personal computers to talk with operations personnel at NASA centers. IVoDS also has the ;capability, if authorized, to allow researchers to communicate with the ISS crew during experiment operations. NODS was developed by Marshall Space Flight Center with contractors & Technology, First Virtual Communications, Lockheed-Martin, and VoIP Group. NODS is currently undergoing field-testing with full deployment for up to 50 simultaneous users expected in 2002. Research is being performed in parallel with IVoDS deployment for a next-generation system to qualitatively enhance communications among ISS operations personnel. In addition to the current voice capability, video and data/application-sharing capabilities are being investigated. IVoDS technology is also being considered for mission support systems for programs such as Space Launch Initiative and Homeland Defense.

Advancing Health Professions Education Research by Creating a Network of Networks.

PubMed

Carney, Patricia A; Brandt, Barbara; Dekhtyar, Michael; Holmboe, Eric S

2018-02-27

Producing the best evidence to show educational outcomes, such as competency achievement and credentialing effectiveness, across the health professions education continuum will require large multisite research projects and longitudinal studies. Current limitations that must be overcome to reach this goal include the prevalence of single-institution study designs, assessments of a single curricular component, and cross-sectional study designs that provide only a snapshot in time of a program or initiative rather than a longitudinal perspective.One solution to overcoming these limitations is to develop a network of networks that collaborates, using longitudinal approaches, across health professions and regions of the United States. Currently, individual networks are advancing educational innovation toward understanding the effectiveness of educational and credentialing programs. Examples of such networks include: (1) the American Medical Association's Accelerating Change in Medical Education initiative, (2) the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education, and (3) the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's Accreditation System. In this Invited Commentary, the authors briefly profile these existing networks, identify their progress and the challenges they have encountered, and propose a vigorous way forward toward creating a national network of networks designed to determine the effectiveness of health professions education and credentialing.

Secure voice-based authentication for mobile devices: vaulted voice verification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, R. C.; Scheirer, Walter J.; Boult, Terrance E.

2013-05-01

As the use of biometrics becomes more wide-spread, the privacy concerns that stem from the use of biometrics are becoming more apparent. As the usage of mobile devices grows, so does the desire to implement biometric identification into such devices. A large majority of mobile devices being used are mobile phones. While work is being done to implement different types of biometrics into mobile phones, such as photo based biometrics, voice is a more natural choice. The idea of voice as a biometric identifier has been around a long time. One of the major concerns with using voice as an identifier is the instability of voice. We have developed a protocol that addresses those instabilities and preserves privacy. This paper describes a novel protocol that allows a user to authenticate using voice on a mobile/remote device without compromising their privacy. We first discuss the Vaulted Verification protocol, which has recently been introduced in research literature, and then describe its limitations. We then introduce a novel adaptation and extension of the Vaulted Verification protocol to voice, dubbed Vaulted Voice Verification (V3). Following that we show a performance evaluation and then conclude with a discussion of security and future work.

Integrated Networks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinovitz, Stewart

1987-01-01

A strategy for integrated data and voice networks implemented at the University of Michigan is described. These networks often use multi-technologies, multi-vendors, and multi-transmission media that will be fused into a single integrated network. Transmission media include twisted-pair wire, coaxial cable, fiber optics, and microwave. (Author/MLW)

Teaching Advanced Concepts in Computer Networks: VNUML-UM Virtualization Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruiz-Martinez, A.; Pereniguez-Garcia, F.; Marin-Lopez, R.; Ruiz-Martinez, P. M.; Skarmeta-Gomez, A. F.

2013-01-01

In the teaching of computer networks the main problem that arises is the high price and limited number of network devices the students can work with in the laboratories. Nowadays, with virtualization we can overcome this limitation. In this paper, we present a methodology that allows students to learn advanced computer network concepts through…

Voices Not Heard: Voice-Use Profiles of Elementary Music Teachers, the Effects of Voice Amplification on Vocal Load, and Perceptions of Issues Surrounding Voice Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrow, Sharon L.

2009-01-01

Teachers represent the largest group of occupational voice users and have voice-related problems at a rate of over twice that found in the general population. Among teachers, music teachers are roughly four times more likely than classroom teachers to develop voice-related problems. Although it has been established that music teachers use their…

Dimensionality in voice quality.

PubMed

Bele, Irene Velsvik

2007-05-01

This study concerns speaking voice quality in a group of male teachers (n = 35) and male actors (n = 36), as the purpose was to investigate normal and supranormal voices. The goal was the development of a method of valid perceptual evaluation for normal to supranormal and resonant voices. The voices (text reading at two loudness levels) had been evaluated by 10 listeners, for 15 vocal characteristics using VA scales. In this investigation, the results of an exploratory factor analysis of the vocal characteristics used in this method are presented, reflecting four dimensions of major importance for normal and supranormal voices. Special emphasis is placed on the effects on voice quality of a change in the loudness variable, as two loudness levels are studied. Furthermore, the vocal characteristics Sonority and Ringing voice quality are paid special attention, as the essence of the term "resonant voice" was a basic issue throughout a doctoral dissertation where this study was included.

Temporal voice areas exist in autism spectrum disorder but are dysfunctional for voice identity recognition

PubMed Central

Borowiak, Kamila; von Kriegstein, Katharina

2016-01-01

The ability to recognise the identity of others is a key requirement for successful communication. Brain regions that respond selectively to voices exist in humans from early infancy on. Currently, it is unclear whether dysfunction of these voice-sensitive regions can explain voice identity recognition impairments. Here, we used two independent functional magnetic resonance imaging studies to investigate voice processing in a population that has been reported to have no voice-sensitive regions: autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Our results refute the earlier report that individuals with ASD have no responses in voice-sensitive regions: Passive listening to vocal, compared to non-vocal, sounds elicited typical responses in voice-sensitive regions in the high-functioning ASD group and controls. In contrast, the ASD group had a dysfunction in voice-sensitive regions during voice identity but not speech recognition in the right posterior superior temporal sulcus/gyrus (STS/STG)—a region implicated in processing complex spectrotemporal voice features and unfamiliar voices. The right anterior STS/STG correlated with voice identity recognition performance in controls but not in the ASD group. The findings suggest that right STS/STG dysfunction is critical for explaining voice recognition impairments in high-functioning ASD and show that ASD is not characterised by a general lack of voice-sensitive responses. PMID:27369067

Mindfulness of voices, self-compassion, and secure attachment in relation to the experience of hearing voices.

PubMed

Dudley, James; Eames, Catrin; Mulligan, John; Fisher, Naomi

2018-03-01

Developing compassion towards oneself has been linked to improvement in many areas of psychological well-being, including psychosis. Furthermore, developing a non-judgemental, accepting way of relating to voices is associated with lower levels of distress for people who hear voices. These factors have also been associated with secure attachment. This study explores associations between the constructs of mindfulness of voices, self-compassion, and distress from hearing voices and how secure attachment style related to each of these variables. Cross-sectional online. One hundred and twenty-eight people (73% female; M age  = 37.5; 87.5% Caucasian) who currently hear voices completed the Self-Compassion Scale, Southampton Mindfulness of Voices Questionnaire, Relationships Questionnaire, and Hamilton Programme for Schizophrenia Voices Questionnaire. Results showed that mindfulness of voices mediated the relationship between self-compassion and severity of voices, and self-compassion mediated the relationship between mindfulness of voices and severity of voices. Self-compassion and mindfulness of voices were significantly positively correlated with each other and negatively correlated with distress and severity of voices. Mindful relation to voices and self-compassion are associated with reduced distress and severity of voices, which supports the proposed potential benefits of mindful relating to voices and self-compassion as therapeutic skills for people experiencing distress by voice hearing. Greater self-compassion and mindfulness of voices were significantly associated with less distress from voices. These findings support theory underlining compassionate mind training. Mindfulness of voices mediated the relationship between self-compassion and distress from voices, indicating a synergistic relationship between the constructs. Although the current findings do not give a direction of causation, consideration is given to the potential impact of mindful and

Voice activity and participation profile: assessing the impact of voice disorders on daily activities.

PubMed

Ma, E P; Yiu, E M

2001-06-01

Traditional clinical voice evaluation focuses primarily on the severity of voice impairment, with little emphasis on the impact of voice disorders on the individual's quality of life. This study reports the development of a 28-item assessment tool that evaluates the perception of voice problem, activity limitation, and participation restriction using the International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps-2 Beta-1 concept (World Health Organization, 1997). The questionnaire was administered to 40 subjects with dysphonia and 40 control subjects with normal voices. Results showed that the dysphonic group reported significantly more severe voice problems, limitation in daily voice activities, and restricted participation in these activities than the control group. The study also showed that the perception of a voice problem by the dysphonic subjects correlated positively with the perception of limitation in voice activities and restricted participation. However, the self-perceived voice problem had little correlation with the degree of voice-quality impairment measured acoustically and perceptually by speech pathologists. The data also showed that the aggregate scores of activity limitation and participation restriction were positively correlated, and the extent of activity limitation and participation restriction was similar in all except the job area. These findings highlight the importance of identifying and quantifying the impact of dysphonia on the individual's quality of life in the clinical management of voice disorders.

The effectiveness of a voice treatment approach for teachers with self-reported voice problems.

PubMed

Gillivan-Murphy, Patricia; Drinnan, Michael J; O'Dwyer, Tadhg P; Ridha, Hayder; Carding, Paul

2006-09-01

Teachers are considered the professional group most at risk of developing voice-problems, but limited treatment effectiveness evidence exists. We studied prospectively the effectiveness of a 6-week combined treatment approach using vocal function exercises (VFEs) and vocal hygiene (VH) education with 20 teachers with self-reported voice problems. Twenty subjects were randomly assigned to a no-treatment control (n = 11) and a treatment group (n = 9). Fibreoptic endoscopic evaluation was carried out on all subjects before randomization. Two self-report voice outcome measures were used: the Voice-Related Quality of Life (VRQOL) and the Voice Symptom Severity Scale (VoiSS). A Voice Care Knowledge Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), developed specifically for the study, was also used to evaluate change in selected voice knowledge areas. A Student unpaired t test revealed a statistically significant (P < 0.05) improvement in the treatment group as measured by the VoiSS. There was not a significant improvement in the treatment group as measured by the V-RQOL. The difference in voice care knowledge areas was also significant for the treatment group (P < 0.05). This study suggests that a voice treatment approach of VFEs and VH education improved self-reported voice symptoms and voice care knowledge in a group of teachers.

17 Ways to Say Yes: Toward Nuanced Tone of Voice in AAC and Speech Technology

PubMed Central

Pullin, Graham; Hennig, Shannon

2015-01-01

Abstract People with complex communication needs who use speech-generating devices have very little expressive control over their tone of voice. Despite its importance in human interaction, the issue of tone of voice remains all but absent from AAC research and development however. In this paper, we describe three interdisciplinary projects, past, present and future: The critical design collection Six Speaking Chairs has provoked deeper discussion and inspired a social model of tone of voice; the speculative concept Speech Hedge illustrates challenges and opportunities in designing more expressive user interfaces; the pilot project Tonetable could enable participatory research and seed a research network around tone of voice. We speculate that more radical interactions might expand frontiers of AAC and disrupt speech technology as a whole. PMID:25965913

Voice Use Among Music Theory Teachers: A Voice Dosimetry and Self-Assessment Study.

PubMed

Schiller, Isabel S; Morsomme, Dominique; Remacle, Angélique

2017-07-25

This study aimed (1) to investigate music theory teachers' professional and extra-professional vocal loading and background noise exposure, (2) to determine the correlation between vocal loading and background noise, and (3) to determine the correlation between vocal loading and self-evaluation data. Using voice dosimetry, 13 music theory teachers were monitored for one workweek. The parameters analyzed were voice sound pressure level (SPL), fundamental frequency (F0), phonation time, vocal loading index (VLI), and noise SPL. Spearman correlation was used to correlate vocal loading parameters (voice SPL, F0, and phonation time) and noise SPL. Each day, the subjects self-assessed their voice using visual analog scales. VLI and self-evaluation data were correlated using Spearman correlation. Vocal loading parameters and noise SPL were significantly higher in the professional than in the extra-professional environment. Voice SPL, phonation time, and female subjects' F0 correlated positively with noise SPL. VLI correlated with self-assessed voice quality, vocal fatigue, and amount of singing and speaking voice produced. Teaching music theory is a profession with high vocal demands. More background noise is associated with increased vocal loading and may indirectly increase the risk for voice disorders. Correlations between VLI and self-assessments suggest that these teachers are well aware of their vocal demands and feel their effect on voice quality and vocal fatigue. Visual analog scales seem to represent a useful tool for subjective vocal loading assessment and associated symptoms in these professional voice users. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Applicability of voice acoustic analysis with vocal loading testto diagnostics of occupational voice diseases].

PubMed

Niebudek-Bogusz, Ewa; Sliwińska-Kowalska, Mariola

2006-01-01

An assessment of the vocal system, as a part of the medical certification of occupational diseases, should be objective and reliable. Therefore, interest in the method of acoustic voice analysis enabling objective assessment of voice parameters is still growing. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the applicability of acoustic analysis with vocal loading test to the diagnostics of occupational voice disorders. The results of acoustic voice analysis were compared using IRIS software for phoniatrics, before and after a 30-min vocal loading test in 35 female teachers with diagnosed occupational voice disorders (group I) and in 31 female teachers with functional dysphonia (group II). In group I, vocal effort produced significant abnormalities in voice acoustic parameters, compared to group II. These included significantly increased mean fundamental frequency (Fo) value (by 11 Hz) and worsened jitter, shimmer and NHR parameters. Also, the percentage of subjects showing abnormalities in voice acoustic analysis was higher in this group. Conducting voice acoustic analysis before and after the vocal loading test makes it possible to objectively confirm irreversible voice impairments in persons with work-related pathologies of the larynx, which is essential for medical certification of occupational voice diseases.

Using Ambulatory Voice Monitoring to Investigate Common Voice Disorders: Research Update

PubMed Central

Mehta, Daryush D.; Van Stan, Jarrad H.; Zañartu, Matías; Ghassemi, Marzyeh; Guttag, John V.; Espinoza, Víctor M.; Cortés, Juan P.; Cheyne, Harold A.; Hillman, Robert E.

2015-01-01

Many common voice disorders are chronic or recurring conditions that are likely to result from inefficient and/or abusive patterns of vocal behavior, referred to as vocal hyperfunction. The clinical management of hyperfunctional voice disorders would be greatly enhanced by the ability to monitor and quantify detrimental vocal behaviors during an individual’s activities of daily life. This paper provides an update on ongoing work that uses a miniature accelerometer on the neck surface below the larynx to collect a large set of ambulatory data on patients with hyperfunctional voice disorders (before and after treatment) and matched-control subjects. Three types of analysis approaches are being employed in an effort to identify the best set of measures for differentiating among hyperfunctional and normal patterns of vocal behavior: (1) ambulatory measures of voice use that include vocal dose and voice quality correlates, (2) aerodynamic measures based on glottal airflow estimates extracted from the accelerometer signal using subject-specific vocal system models, and (3) classification based on machine learning and pattern recognition approaches that have been used successfully in analyzing long-term recordings of other physiological signals. Preliminary results demonstrate the potential for ambulatory voice monitoring to improve the diagnosis and treatment of common hyperfunctional voice disorders. PMID:26528472

How do teachers with self-reported voice problems differ from their peers with self-reported voice health?

PubMed

Lyberg Åhlander, Viveka; Rydell, Roland; Löfqvist, Anders

2012-07-01

This randomized case-control study compares teachers with self-reported voice problems to age-, gender-, and school-matched colleagues with self-reported voice health. The self-assessed voice function is related to factors known to influence the voice: laryngeal findings, voice quality, personality, psychosocial and coping aspects, searching for causative factors of voice problems in teachers. Subjects and controls, recruited from a teacher group in an earlier questionnaire study, underwent examinations of the larynx by high-speed imaging and kymograms; voice recordings; voice range profile; audiometry; self-assessment of voice handicap and voice function; teaching and environmental aspects; personality; coping; burnout, and work-related issues. The laryngeal and voice recordings were assessed by experienced phoniatricians and speech pathologists. The subjects with self-assessed voice problems differed from their peers with self-assessed voice health by significantly longer recovery time from voice problems and scored higher on all subscales of the Voice Handicap Index-Throat. The results show that the cause of voice dysfunction in this group of teachers with self-reported voice problems is not found in the vocal apparatus or within the individual. The individual's perception of a voice problem seems to be based on a combination of the number of symptoms and of how often the symptoms occur, along with the recovery time. The results also underline the importance of using self-assessed reports of voice dysfunction. Copyright © 2012 The Voice Foundation. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Writing with Voice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kesler, Ted

2012-01-01

In this Teaching Tips article, the author argues for a dialogic conception of voice, based in the work of Mikhail Bakhtin. He demonstrates a dialogic view of voice in action, using two writing examples about the same topic from his daughter, a fifth-grade student. He then provides five practical tips for teaching a dialogic conception of voice in…

Advanced information processing system: Input/output network management software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nagle, Gail; Alger, Linda; Kemp, Alexander

1988-01-01

The purpose of this document is to provide the software requirements and specifications for the Input/Output Network Management Services for the Advanced Information Processing System. This introduction and overview section is provided to briefly outline the overall architecture and software requirements of the AIPS system before discussing the details of the design requirements and specifications of the AIPS I/O Network Management software. A brief overview of the AIPS architecture followed by a more detailed description of the network architecture.

Amplifying Student Voice: The Missing Link in School Transformation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beattie, Helen

2012-01-01

This article recounts the story of how one state in the United States is systematically amplifying student voice through school transformation efforts across a network of secondary schools (Grades 9 through 12; ages 14 to 18). The author is the creator and director of a statewide initiative entitled "Youth and Adults Transforming Schools Together"…

Long-term effects of Lee Silverman Voice Treatment on daily voice use in Parkinson's disease as measured with a portable voice accumulator.

PubMed

Körner Gustafsson, Joakim; Södersten, Maria; Ternström, Sten; Schalling, Ellika

2018-02-15

This study examines the effects of an intensive voice treatment focusing on increasing voice intensity, LSVT LOUD ® Lee Silverman Voice Treatment, on voice use in daily life in a participant with Parkinson's disease, using a portable voice accumulator, the VoxLog. A secondary aim was to compare voice use between the participant and a matched healthy control. Participants were an individual with Parkinson's disease and his healthy monozygotic twin. Voice use was registered with the VoxLog during 9 weeks for the individual with Parkinson's disease and 2 weeks for the control. This included baseline registrations for both participants, 4 weeks during LSVT LOUD for the individual with Parkinson's disease and 1 week after treatment for both participants. For the participant with Parkinson's disease, follow-up registrations at 3, 6, and 12 months post-treatment were made. The individual with Parkinson's disease increased voice intensity during registrations in daily life with 4.1 dB post-treatment and 1.4 dB at 1-year follow-up compared to before treatment. When monitored during laboratory recordings an increase of 5.6 dB was seen post-treatment and 3.8 dB at 1-year follow-up. Changes in voice intensity were interpreted as a treatment effect as no significant correlations between changes in voice intensity and background noise were found for the individual with Parkinson's disease. The increase in voice intensity in a laboratory setting was comparable to findings previously reported following LSVT LOUD. The increase registered using ambulatory monitoring in daily life was lower but still reflecting a clinically relevant change.

Advanced optical components for next-generation photonic networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoo, S. J. B.

2003-08-01

Future networks will require very high throughput, carrying dominantly data-centric traffic. The role of Photonic Networks employing all-optical systems will become increasingly important in providing scalable bandwidth, agile reconfigurability, and low-power consumptions in the future. In particular, the self-similar nature of data traffic indicates that packet switching and burst switching will be beneficial in the Next Generation Photonic Networks. While the natural conclusion is to pursue Photonic Packet Switching and Photonic Burst Switching systems, there are significant challenges in realizing such a system due to practical limitations in optical component technologies. Lack of a viable all-optical memory technology will continue to drive us towards exploring rapid reconfigurability in the wavelength domain. We will introduce and discuss the advanced optical component technologies behind the Photonic Packet Routing system designed and demonstrated at UC Davis. The system is capable of packet switching and burst switching, as well as circuit switching with 600 psec switching speed and scalability to 42 petabit/sec aggregated switching capacity. By utilizing a combination of rapidly tunable wavelength conversion and a uniform-loss cyclic frequency (ULCF) arrayed waveguide grating router (AWGR), the system is capable of rapidly switching the packets in wavelength, time, and space domains. The label swapping module inside the Photonic Packet Routing system containing a Mach-Zehnder wavelength converter and a narrow-band fiber Bragg-grating achieves all-optical label swapping with optical 2R (potentially 3R) regeneration while maintaining optical transparency for the data payload. By utilizing the advanced optical component technologies, the Photonic Packet Routing system successfully demonstrated error-free, cascaded, multi-hop photonic packet switching and routing with optical-label swapping. This paper will review the advanced optical component technologies

A pneumatic Bionic Voice prosthesis-Pre-clinical trials of controlling the voice onset and offset.

PubMed

Ahmadi, Farzaneh; Noorian, Farzad; Novakovic, Daniel; van Schaik, André

2018-01-01

Despite emergent progress in many fields of bionics, a functional Bionic Voice prosthesis for laryngectomy patients (larynx amputees) has not yet been achieved, leading to a lifetime of vocal disability for these patients. This study introduces a novel framework of Pneumatic Bionic Voice Prostheses as an electronic adaptation of the Pneumatic Artificial Larynx (PAL) device. The PAL is a non-invasive mechanical voice source, driven exclusively by respiration with an exceptionally high voice quality, comparable to the existing gold standard of Tracheoesophageal (TE) voice prosthesis. Following PAL design closely as the reference, Pneumatic Bionic Voice Prostheses seem to have a strong potential to substitute the existing gold standard by generating a similar voice quality while remaining non-invasive and non-surgical. This paper designs the first Pneumatic Bionic Voice prosthesis and evaluates its onset and offset control against the PAL device through pre-clinical trials on one laryngectomy patient. The evaluation on a database of more than five hours of continuous/isolated speech recordings shows a close match between the onset/offset control of the Pneumatic Bionic Voice and the PAL with an accuracy of 98.45 ±0.54%. When implemented in real-time, the Pneumatic Bionic Voice prosthesis controller has an average onset/offset delay of 10 milliseconds compared to the PAL. Hence it addresses a major disadvantage of previous electronic voice prostheses, including myoelectric Bionic Voice, in meeting the short time-frames of controlling the onset/offset of the voice in continuous speech.

Voice similarity in identical twins.

PubMed

Van Gysel, W D; Vercammen, J; Debruyne, F

2001-01-01

If people are asked to discriminate visually the two individuals of a monozygotic twin (MT), they mostly get into trouble. Does this problem also exist when listening to twin voices? Twenty female and 10 male MT voices were randomly assembled with one "strange" voice to get voice trios. The listeners (10 female students in Speech and Language Pathology) were asked to label the twins (voices 1-2, 1-3 or 2-3) in two conditions: two standard sentences read aloud and a 2.5-second midsection of a sustained /a/. The proportion correctly labelled twins was for female voices 82% and 63% and for male voices 74% and 52% for the sentences and the sustained /a/ respectively, both being significantly greater than chance (33%). The acoustic analysis revealed a high intra-twin correlation for the speaking fundamental frequency (SFF) of the sentences and the fundamental frequency (F0) of the sustained /a/. So the voice pitch could have been a useful characteristic in the perceptual identification of the twins. We conclude that there is a greater perceptual resemblance between the voices of identical twins than between voices without genetic relationship. The identification however is not perfect. The voice pitch possibly contributes to the correct twin identifications.

Validation and Adaptation of the Singing Voice Handicap Index for Egyptian Singing Voice.

PubMed

Abou-Elsaad, Tamer; Baz, Hemmat; Afsah, Omayma; Abo-Elsoud, Hend

2017-01-01

Measuring the severity of a voice disorder is difficult. This can be achieved by both subjective and objective measures. The Voice Handicap Index is the most known and used self-rating tool for voice disorders. The Classical Singing Handicap Index (CSHI) is a self-administered questionnaire measuring the impact of vocal deviation on the quality of life of singers. The objective of this study was to develop an Arabic version of the CSHI and to test its validity and reliability in Egyptian singers with different singing styles with normal voice and with voice disorders. The interpreted version was administered to 70 Egyptian singers including artistic singers (classical and popular) and specialized singers (Quran reciters and priests) who were divided into 40 asymptomatic singers (control group) and 30 singers with voice disorders. Participants' responses were statistically analyzed to assess the validity and reliability, and to compare the patient group with the control group. Quran reciters, patients with no previous professional training, and patients with vocal fold lesions demonstrated the highest scores. The Arabic version of CSHI is found to be a reliable, valid, and sensitive self-assessment tool that can be used in the clinical practice for the evaluation of the impact of voice disorders on singing voice. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analysis And Augmentation Of Timing Advance Based Geolocation In Lte Cellular Networks

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-01

NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA DISSERTATION ANALYSIS AND AUGMENTATION OF TIMING ADVANCE-BASED GEOLOCATION IN LTE CELLULAR NETWORKS by...estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the...AND SUBTITLE ANALYSIS AND AUGMENTATION OF TIMING ADVANCE-BASED GEOLOCA- TION IN LTE CELLULAR NETWORKS 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 6. AUTHOR(S) John D. Roth 7

A pneumatic Bionic Voice prosthesis—Pre-clinical trials of controlling the voice onset and offset

PubMed Central

Noorian, Farzad; Novakovic, Daniel; van Schaik, André

2018-01-01

Despite emergent progress in many fields of bionics, a functional Bionic Voice prosthesis for laryngectomy patients (larynx amputees) has not yet been achieved, leading to a lifetime of vocal disability for these patients. This study introduces a novel framework of Pneumatic Bionic Voice Prostheses as an electronic adaptation of the Pneumatic Artificial Larynx (PAL) device. The PAL is a non-invasive mechanical voice source, driven exclusively by respiration with an exceptionally high voice quality, comparable to the existing gold standard of Tracheoesophageal (TE) voice prosthesis. Following PAL design closely as the reference, Pneumatic Bionic Voice Prostheses seem to have a strong potential to substitute the existing gold standard by generating a similar voice quality while remaining non-invasive and non-surgical. This paper designs the first Pneumatic Bionic Voice prosthesis and evaluates its onset and offset control against the PAL device through pre-clinical trials on one laryngectomy patient. The evaluation on a database of more than five hours of continuous/isolated speech recordings shows a close match between the onset/offset control of the Pneumatic Bionic Voice and the PAL with an accuracy of 98.45 ±0.54%. When implemented in real-time, the Pneumatic Bionic Voice prosthesis controller has an average onset/offset delay of 10 milliseconds compared to the PAL. Hence it addresses a major disadvantage of previous electronic voice prostheses, including myoelectric Bionic Voice, in meeting the short time-frames of controlling the onset/offset of the voice in continuous speech. PMID:29466455

Advanced Scientific Computing Research Network Requirements: ASCR Network Requirements Review Final Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bacon, Charles; Bell, Greg; Canon, Shane

The Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) is the primary provider of network connectivity for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science (SC), the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. In support of SC programs, ESnet regularly updates and refreshes its understanding of the networking requirements of the instruments, facilities, scientists, and science programs that it serves. This focus has helped ESnet to be a highly successful enabler of scientific discovery for over 25 years. In October 2012, ESnet and the Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) of the DOE SCmore » organized a review to characterize the networking requirements of the programs funded by the ASCR program office. The requirements identified at the review are summarized in the Findings section, and are described in more detail in the body of the report.« less

Voices from Networked Classrooms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brownlee-Conyers, Jean; Kraber, Brenda

1996-01-01

In 1994, the Glenview (Illinois) Public Schools created three technology-rich educational environments (TREEs) that use alternative teaching and learning methods through networked communication technologies. Each setting consists of three teachers and about 75 heterogeneously grouped students (ages 9-12) who work collaboratively to solve problems…

EARLINET: towards an advanced sustainable European aerosol lidar network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pappalardo, G.; Amodeo, A.; Apituley, A.; Comeron, A.; Freudenthaler, V.; Linné, H.; Ansmann, A.; Bösenberg, J.; D'Amico, G.; Mattis, I.; Mona, L.; Wandinger, U.; Amiridis, V.; Alados-Arboledas, L.; Nicolae, D.; Wiegner, M.

2014-08-01

The European Aerosol Research Lidar Network, EARLINET, was founded in 2000 as a research project for establishing a quantitative, comprehensive, and statistically significant database for the horizontal, vertical, and temporal distribution of aerosols on a continental scale. Since then EARLINET has continued to provide the most extensive collection of ground-based data for the aerosol vertical distribution over Europe. This paper gives an overview of the network's main developments since 2000 and introduces the dedicated EARLINET special issue, which reports on the present innovative and comprehensive technical solutions and scientific results related to the use of advanced lidar remote sensing techniques for the study of aerosol properties as developed within the network in the last 13 years. Since 2000, EARLINET has developed greatly in terms of number of stations and spatial distribution: from 17 stations in 10 countries in 2000 to 27 stations in 16 countries in 2013. EARLINET has developed greatly also in terms of technological advances with the spread of advanced multiwavelength Raman lidar stations in Europe. The developments for the quality assurance strategy, the optimization of instruments and data processing, and the dissemination of data have contributed to a significant improvement of the network towards a more sustainable observing system, with an increase in the observing capability and a reduction of operational costs. Consequently, EARLINET data have already been extensively used for many climatological studies, long-range transport events, Saharan dust outbreaks, plumes from volcanic eruptions, and for model evaluation and satellite data validation and integration. Future plans are aimed at continuous measurements and near-real-time data delivery in close cooperation with other ground-based networks, such as in the ACTRIS (Aerosols, Clouds, and Trace gases Research InfraStructure Network) www.actris.net, and with the

ASTP Onboard Voice Transcription

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

The transcription is presented of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project voice communications as recorded on the command module data storage equipment. Data from this recorder are telemetered (dumped) to Space Tracking and Data Network sites for retransmission to the Johnson Space Center. The transcript is divided into three columns -- time, speaker, and text. The Greenwich mean time column consists of three two-digit numbers representing hours, minutes, and seconds (e.g., 22 34 14) for the Julian dates shown at the top of the page on which a new day begins. The speaker column indicates the source of a transmission; the text column contains the verbatim transcript of the communications.

[The singing voice].

PubMed

García-López, Isabel; Gavilán Bouzas, Javier

2010-01-01

Singing voice is a special subgroup within the field of voice. In addition to the differences in physiology between singing and speaking voice, singer patients are often regarded as a challenge for the otolaryngologist. The reason for this is probably that the field of voice has not received as much attention as others in our speciality. Moreover, in the case of singers, empathy is vital in the doctor-patient relationship, and, as in many other cases, it forms part of the therapeutic effect. In order to achieve this, the physician has to know what singers are and which are the main pathologies they suffer, how they are formed and how they are expressed. This review offers an overlook of the pathological-physiology of singing voice from a double point of view, scientific and artistic, which in the case of singing are inevitably linked. Copyright © 2009 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

Joint Communications Support Element: The Voice Heard Round the World

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

Initial Entry Package ( IEP ), Early Entry Package (EEP), and Joint Mobil- ity Package provide secure and nonsecure voice, video, and data to small mobile...teams operating worldwide. The IEP and EEP can be rapidly scaled to meet force surge require- ments from small dismounted teams up to an advance

Advanced functional network analysis in the geosciences: The pyunicorn package

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donges, Jonathan F.; Heitzig, Jobst; Runge, Jakob; Schultz, Hanna C. H.; Wiedermann, Marc; Zech, Alraune; Feldhoff, Jan; Rheinwalt, Aljoscha; Kutza, Hannes; Radebach, Alexander; Marwan, Norbert; Kurths, Jürgen

2013-04-01

Functional networks are a powerful tool for analyzing large geoscientific datasets such as global fields of climate time series originating from observations or model simulations. pyunicorn (pythonic unified complex network and recurrence analysis toolbox) is an open-source, fully object-oriented and easily parallelizable package written in the language Python. It allows for constructing functional networks (aka climate networks) representing the structure of statistical interrelationships in large datasets and, subsequently, investigating this structure using advanced methods of complex network theory such as measures for networks of interacting networks, node-weighted statistics or network surrogates. Additionally, pyunicorn allows to study the complex dynamics of geoscientific systems as recorded by time series by means of recurrence networks and visibility graphs. The range of possible applications of the package is outlined drawing on several examples from climatology.

Effect of Auditory-Perceptual Training With Natural Voice Anchors on Vocal Quality Evaluation.

PubMed

Dos Santos, Priscila Campos Martins; Vieira, Maurílio Nunes; Sansão, João Pedro Hallack; Gama, Ana Cristina Côrtes

2018-01-10

To analyze the effects of auditory-perceptual training with anchor stimuli of natural voices on inter-rater agreement during the assessment of vocal quality. This is a quantitative nature study. An auditory-perceptual training site was developed consisting of Programming Interface A, an auditory training activity, and Programming Interface B, a control activity. Each interface had three stages: pre-training/pre-interval evaluation, training/interval, and post-training/post-interval evaluation. Two experienced evaluators classified 381 voices according to the GRBASI scale (G-grade, R-roughness, B-breathiness, A-asthenia, S-strain, I-instability). Voices were selected that received the same evaluation by both evaluators: 57 voices for evaluation and 56 for training were selected, with varying degrees of deviation across parameters. Fifteen inexperienced evaluators were then selected. In the pre-, post-training, pre-, and postinterval stages, evaluators listened to the voices and classified them via the GRBASI scale. In the stage interval evaluators read a text. In the stage training each parameter was trained separately. Evaluators analyzed the degrees of deviation of the GRBASI parameters based on anchor stimuli, and could only advance after correctly classifying the voices. To quantify inter-rater agreement and provide statistical analyses, the AC1 coefficient, confidence intervals, and percentage variation of agreement were employed. Except for the asthenia parameter, decreased agreement was observed in the control condition. Improved agreement was observed with auditory training, but this improvement did not achieve statistical significance. Training with natural voice anchors suggest an increased inter-rater agreement during perceptual voice analysis, potentially indicating that new internal references were established. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Role of Occupational Voice Demand and Patient-Rated Impairment in Predicting Voice Therapy Adherence.

PubMed

Ebersole, Barbara; Soni, Resha S; Moran, Kathleen; Lango, Miriam; Devarajan, Karthik; Jamal, Nausheen

2018-05-01

Examine the relationship among the severity of patient-perceived voice impairment, perceptual dysphonia severity, occupational voice demand, and voice therapy adherence. Identify clinical predictors of increased risk for therapy nonadherence. A retrospective cohort study of patients presenting with a chief complaint of persistent dysphonia at an interdisciplinary voice center was done. The Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10) and the Voice-Related Quality of Life (V-RQOL) survey scores, clinician rating of dysphonia severity using the Grade score from the Grade, Roughness Breathiness, Asthenia, and Strain scale, occupational voice demand, and patient demographics were tested for associations with therapy adherence, defined as completion of the treatment plan. Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis was performed to establish thresholds for nonadherence risk. Of 166 patients evaluated, 111 were recommended for voice therapy. The therapy nonadherence rate was 56%. Occupational voice demand category, VHI-10, and V-RQOL scores were the only factors significantly correlated with therapy adherence (P < 0.0001, P = 0.018, and P = 0.008, respectively). CART analysis found that patients with low or no occupational voice demand are significantly more likely to be nonadherent with therapy than those with high occupational voice demand (P < 0.001). Furthermore, a VHI-10 score of ≤29 or a V-RQOL score of >40 is a significant cutoff point for predicting therapy nonadherence (P < 0.011 and P < 0.004, respectively). Occupational voice demand and patient perception of impairment are significantly and independently correlated with therapy adherence. A VHI-10 score of ≤9 or a V-RQOL score of >40 is a significant cutoff point for predicting nonadherence risk. Copyright © 2018 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interpersonal Processes and Attachment in Voice-Hearers.

PubMed

Robson, George; Mason, Oliver

2015-11-01

Studies of both clinical and non-clinical voice hearers suggest that distress is rather inconsistently associated with the perceived relationship between voice and hearer. It is also not clear if their beliefs about voices are relevant. This study investigated the links between attachment anxiety/avoidance, interpersonal aspects of the voice relationship, and distress whilst considering the impact of beliefs about voices and paranoia. Forty-four voice-hearing participants completed a number of self-report measures tapping attachment, interpersonal processes in the voice relationship, beliefs about voices, paranoia, distress and depression. Attachment avoidance was related to voice intrusiveness, hearer distance and distress. Attachment anxiety was related to voice intrusiveness, hearer dependence and distress. A series of simple mediation analyses were conducted that suggest that the relationship between attachment and voice related distress may be mediated by interpersonal dynamics in the voice-hearer relationship, beliefs about voices and paranoia. Beliefs about voices, the hearer's relationship with their voices, and the distress voices sometimes engender appear to be meaningfully related to their attachment style. This may be important to consider in therapeutic work.

More than Just Two Sexes: The Neural Correlates of Voice Gender Perception in Gender Dysphoria

PubMed Central

Junger, Jessica; Habel, Ute; Bröhr, Sabine; Neulen, Josef; Neuschaefer-Rube, Christiane; Birkholz, Peter; Kohler, Christian; Schneider, Frank; Derntl, Birgit; Pauly, Katharina

2014-01-01

Gender dysphoria (also known as “transsexualism”) is characterized as a discrepancy between anatomical sex and gender identity. Research points towards neurobiological influences. Due to the sexually dimorphic characteristics of the human voice, voice gender perception provides a biologically relevant function, e.g. in the context of mating selection. There is evidence for a better recognition of voices of the opposite sex and a differentiation of the sexes in its underlying functional cerebral correlates, namely the prefrontal and middle temporal areas. This fMRI study investigated the neural correlates of voice gender perception in 32 male-to-female gender dysphoric individuals (MtFs) compared to 20 non-gender dysphoric men and 19 non-gender dysphoric women. Participants indicated the sex of 240 voice stimuli modified in semitone steps in the direction to the other gender. Compared to men and women, MtFs showed differences in a neural network including the medial prefrontal gyrus, the insula, and the precuneus when responding to male vs. female voices. With increased voice morphing men recruited more prefrontal areas compared to women and MtFs, while MtFs revealed a pattern more similar to women. On a behavioral and neuronal level, our results support the feeling of MtFs reporting they cannot identify with their assigned sex. PMID:25375171

Remote voice training: A case study on space shuttle applications, appendix C

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mollakarimi, Cindy; Hamid, Tamin

1990-01-01

The Tile Automation System includes applications of automation and robotics technology to all aspects of the Shuttle tile processing and inspection system. An integrated set of rapid prototyping testbeds was developed which include speech recognition and synthesis, laser imaging systems, distributed Ada programming environments, distributed relational data base architectures, distributed computer network architectures, multi-media workbenches, and human factors considerations. Remote voice training in the Tile Automation System is discussed. The user is prompted over a headset by synthesized speech for the training sequences. The voice recognition units and the voice output units are remote from the user and are connected by Ethernet to the main computer system. A supervisory channel is used to monitor the training sequences. Discussions include the training approaches as well as the human factors problems and solutions for this system utilizing remote training techniques.

Internet Telephony

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-12-01

compression technology . The ubiquity of routed Internet Protocol (IP) networks, and the desire to trim telephony costs are the major driving forces of the...mid- 󈨞s, data and voice began to merge, propelled by advances in compression technology . The ubiquity of routed Internet Protocol (IP) networks...transmit voice over IP networks that are privately owned or publicly utilized. If we have the technology to transmit Voice over the Internet then why not

Children's Voice or Children's Voices? How Educational Research Can Be at the Heart of Schooling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stern, Julian

2015-01-01

There are problems with considering children and young people in schools as quite separate individuals, and with considering them as members of a single collectivity. The tension is represented in the use of "voice" and "voices" in educational debates. Voices in dialogue, in contrast to "children's voice", are…

Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Alters Auditory-motor Integration For Voice Control

PubMed Central

Li, Weifeng; Chen, Ziyi; Yan, Nan; Jones, Jeffery A.; Guo, Zhiqiang; Huang, Xiyan; Chen, Shaozhen; Liu, Peng; Liu, Hanjun

2016-01-01

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common drug-refractory focal epilepsy in adults. Previous research has shown that patients with TLE exhibit decreased performance in listening to speech sounds and deficits in the cortical processing of auditory information. Whether TLE compromises auditory-motor integration for voice control, however, remains largely unknown. To address this question, event-related potentials (ERPs) and vocal responses to vocal pitch errors (1/2 or 2 semitones upward) heard in auditory feedback were compared across 28 patients with TLE and 28 healthy controls. Patients with TLE produced significantly larger vocal responses but smaller P2 responses than healthy controls. Moreover, patients with TLE exhibited a positive correlation between vocal response magnitude and baseline voice variability and a negative correlation between P2 amplitude and disease duration. Graphical network analyses revealed a disrupted neuronal network for patients with TLE with a significant increase of clustering coefficients and path lengths as compared to healthy controls. These findings provide strong evidence that TLE is associated with an atypical integration of the auditory and motor systems for vocal pitch regulation, and that the functional networks that support the auditory-motor processing of pitch feedback errors differ between patients with TLE and healthy controls. PMID:27356768

Integrating Voice into the School Network: Benefits of Wireless VoIP

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flatland, Jeanne

2005-01-01

Voice Communications are critical for the proper functioning of primary, secondary and higher education environments. At the K-12 level, teachers and staff must be able to communicate with each other between classrooms and the school office. Also, teachers often need to communicate between schools within a district as well as with the district…

Vocal responses to unanticipated perturbations in voice loudness feedback: an automatic mechanism for stabilizing voice amplitude.

PubMed

Bauer, Jay J; Mittal, Jay; Larson, Charles R; Hain, Timothy C

2006-04-01

The present study tested whether subjects respond to unanticipated short perturbations in voice loudness feedback with compensatory responses in voice amplitude. The role of stimulus magnitude (+/- 1,3 vs 6 dB SPL), stimulus direction (up vs down), and the ongoing voice amplitude level (normal vs soft) were compared across compensations. Subjects responded to perturbations in voice loudness feedback with a compensatory change in voice amplitude 76% of the time. Mean latency of amplitude compensation was 157 ms. Mean response magnitudes were smallest for 1-dB stimulus perturbations (0.75 dB) and greatest for 6-dB conditions (0.98 dB). However, expressed as gain, responses for 1-dB perturbations were largest and almost approached 1.0. Response magnitudes were larger for the soft voice amplitude condition compared to the normal voice amplitude condition. A mathematical model of the audio-vocal system captured the main features of the compensations. Previous research has demonstrated that subjects can respond to an unanticipated perturbation in voice pitch feedback with an automatic compensatory response in voice fundamental frequency. Data from the present study suggest that voice loudness feedback can be used in a similar manner to monitor and stabilize voice amplitude around a desired loudness level.

Interim Service ISDN Satellite (ISIS) network model for advanced satellite designs and experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pepin, Gerard R.; Hager, E. Paul

1991-01-01

The Interim Service Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) Satellite (ISIS) Network Model for Advanced Satellite Designs and Experiments describes a model suitable for discrete event simulations. A top-down model design uses the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) as its basis. The ISDN modeling abstractions are added to permit the determination and performance for the NASA Satellite Communications Research (SCAR) Program.

Pedagogic Voice: Student Voice in Teaching and Engagement Pedagogies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baroutsis, Aspa; McGregor, Glenda; Mills, Martin

2016-01-01

In this paper, we are concerned with the notion of "pedagogic voice" as it relates to the presence of student "voice" in teaching, learning and curriculum matters at an alternative, or second chance, school in Australia. This school draws upon many of the principles of democratic schooling via its utilisation of student voice…

Output power distributions of terminals in a 3G mobile communication network.

PubMed

Persson, Tomas; Törnevik, Christer; Larsson, Lars-Eric; Lovén, Jan

2012-05-01

The objective of this study was to examine the distribution of the output power of mobile phones and other terminals connected to a 3G network in Sweden. It is well known that 3G terminals can operate with very low output power, particularly for voice calls. Measurements of terminal output power were conducted in the Swedish TeliaSonera 3G network in November 2008 by recording network statistics. In the analysis, discrimination was made between rural, suburban, urban, and dedicated indoor networks. In addition, information about terminal output power was possible to collect separately for voice and data traffic. Information from six different Radio Network Controllers (RNCs) was collected during at least 1 week. In total, more than 800000 h of voice calls were collected and in addition to that a substantial amount of data traffic. The average terminal output power for 3G voice calls was below 1 mW for any environment including rural, urban, and dedicated indoor networks. This is <1% of the maximum available output power. For data applications the average output power was about 6-8 dB higher than for voice calls. For rural areas the output power was about 2 dB higher, on average, than in urban areas. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Voice Savers for Music Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cookman, Starr

2012-01-01

Music teachers are in a class all their own when it comes to voice use. These elite vocal athletes require stamina, strength, and flexibility from their voices day in, day out for hours at a time. Voice rehabilitation clinics and research show that music education ranks high among the professionals most commonly affected by voice problems.…

Emotional voices in context: A neurobiological model of multimodal affective information processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brück, Carolin; Kreifelts, Benjamin; Wildgruber, Dirk

2011-12-01

Just as eyes are often considered a gateway to the soul, the human voice offers a window through which we gain access to our fellow human beings' minds - their attitudes, intentions and feelings. Whether in talking or singing, crying or laughing, sighing or screaming, the sheer sound of a voice communicates a wealth of information that, in turn, may serve the observant listener as valuable guidepost in social interaction. But how do human beings extract information from the tone of a voice? In an attempt to answer this question, the present article reviews empirical evidence detailing the cerebral processes that underlie our ability to decode emotional information from vocal signals. The review will focus primarily on two prominent classes of vocal emotion cues: laughter and speech prosody (i.e. the tone of voice while speaking). Following a brief introduction, behavioral as well as neuroimaging data will be summarized that allows to outline cerebral mechanisms associated with the decoding of emotional voice cues, as well as the influence of various context variables (e.g. co-occurring facial and verbal emotional signals, attention focus, person-specific parameters such as gender and personality) on the respective processes. Building on the presented evidence, a cerebral network model will be introduced that proposes a differential contribution of various cortical and subcortical brain structures to the processing of emotional voice signals both in isolation and in context of accompanying (facial and verbal) emotional cues.

Emotional voices in context: a neurobiological model of multimodal affective information processing.

PubMed

Brück, Carolin; Kreifelts, Benjamin; Wildgruber, Dirk

2011-12-01

Just as eyes are often considered a gateway to the soul, the human voice offers a window through which we gain access to our fellow human beings' minds - their attitudes, intentions and feelings. Whether in talking or singing, crying or laughing, sighing or screaming, the sheer sound of a voice communicates a wealth of information that, in turn, may serve the observant listener as valuable guidepost in social interaction. But how do human beings extract information from the tone of a voice? In an attempt to answer this question, the present article reviews empirical evidence detailing the cerebral processes that underlie our ability to decode emotional information from vocal signals. The review will focus primarily on two prominent classes of vocal emotion cues: laughter and speech prosody (i.e. the tone of voice while speaking). Following a brief introduction, behavioral as well as neuroimaging data will be summarized that allows to outline cerebral mechanisms associated with the decoding of emotional voice cues, as well as the influence of various context variables (e.g. co-occurring facial and verbal emotional signals, attention focus, person-specific parameters such as gender and personality) on the respective processes. Building on the presented evidence, a cerebral network model will be introduced that proposes a differential contribution of various cortical and subcortical brain structures to the processing of emotional voice signals both in isolation and in context of accompanying (facial and verbal) emotional cues. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A ''Voice Inversion Effect?''

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bedard, Catherine; Belin, Pascal

2004-01-01

Voice is the carrier of speech but is also an ''auditory face'' rich in information on the speaker's identity and affective state. Three experiments explored the possibility of a ''voice inversion effect,'' by analogy to the classical ''face inversion effect,'' which could support the hypothesis of a voice-specific module. Experiment 1 consisted…

Mechanics of human voice production and control

PubMed Central

Zhang, Zhaoyan

2016-01-01

As the primary means of communication, voice plays an important role in daily life. Voice also conveys personal information such as social status, personal traits, and the emotional state of the speaker. Mechanically, voice production involves complex fluid-structure interaction within the glottis and its control by laryngeal muscle activation. An important goal of voice research is to establish a causal theory linking voice physiology and biomechanics to how speakers use and control voice to communicate meaning and personal information. Establishing such a causal theory has important implications for clinical voice management, voice training, and many speech technology applications. This paper provides a review of voice physiology and biomechanics, the physics of vocal fold vibration and sound production, and laryngeal muscular control of the fundamental frequency of voice, vocal intensity, and voice quality. Current efforts to develop mechanical and computational models of voice production are also critically reviewed. Finally, issues and future challenges in developing a causal theory of voice production and perception are discussed. PMID:27794319

Mechanics of human voice production and control.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhaoyan

2016-10-01

As the primary means of communication, voice plays an important role in daily life. Voice also conveys personal information such as social status, personal traits, and the emotional state of the speaker. Mechanically, voice production involves complex fluid-structure interaction within the glottis and its control by laryngeal muscle activation. An important goal of voice research is to establish a causal theory linking voice physiology and biomechanics to how speakers use and control voice to communicate meaning and personal information. Establishing such a causal theory has important implications for clinical voice management, voice training, and many speech technology applications. This paper provides a review of voice physiology and biomechanics, the physics of vocal fold vibration and sound production, and laryngeal muscular control of the fundamental frequency of voice, vocal intensity, and voice quality. Current efforts to develop mechanical and computational models of voice production are also critically reviewed. Finally, issues and future challenges in developing a causal theory of voice production and perception are discussed.

Silence and voicing accumulations in Italian primary school teachers with and without voice disorders

PubMed Central

Bottalico, Pasquale; Graetzer, Simone; Astolfi, Arianna; Hunter, Eric J.

2016-01-01

Objectives The relationship between the silence and voicing accumulations of primary school teachers and the teachers’ clinical status was examined. The goal was to determine whether more voicing accumulations and fewer silence accumulations were measured for the vocally unhealthy subjects than for the healthy subjects, which would imply more vocal loading and fewer short-term recovery moments. Methods 26 Italian primary school teachers were allocated by clinicians to three groups: (1) with organic voice disorders, (2) with subjectively mild organic alteration and/or functional voice symptoms, and (3) normal voice quality and physiology. Continuous silence and voicing periods were measured with the APM3200 during the teachers’ 4-hour workdays. The accumulations were grouped into 7 time intervals, ranging from 0.03–0.9 s to 3.16–10 s, according to Italian prosody. The effects of group on silence and voicing accumulations were evaluated. Results Regarding silence accumulations, Group 1 accumulated higher values in intervals between 0.1 and 3.15 s than other groups, while Groups 2 and 3 did not differ from each other. Voicing accumulations between 0.17 and 3.15 s were higher for subjects with a structural disorder. A higher time dose was accumulated by these subjects (40.6%) than other subjects (Group 2, 31.9%; Group 3, 32.3%). Conclusions While previous research has suggested that a rest period of a few seconds may produce some vocal fatigue recovery, these results indicate that periods shorter than 3.16 s may not have an observable effect on recovery. The results provide insight into how vocal fatigue and vocal recovery may relate to voice disorders in occupational voice users. PMID:27316793

The Glasgow Voice Memory Test: Assessing the ability to memorize and recognize unfamiliar voices.

PubMed

Aglieri, Virginia; Watson, Rebecca; Pernet, Cyril; Latinus, Marianne; Garrido, Lúcia; Belin, Pascal

2017-02-01

One thousand one hundred and twenty subjects as well as a developmental phonagnosic subject (KH) along with age-matched controls performed the Glasgow Voice Memory Test, which assesses the ability to encode and immediately recognize, through an old/new judgment, both unfamiliar voices (delivered as vowels, making language requirements minimal) and bell sounds. The inclusion of non-vocal stimuli allows the detection of significant dissociations between the two categories (vocal vs. non-vocal stimuli). The distributions of accuracy and sensitivity scores (d') reflected a wide range of individual differences in voice recognition performance in the population. As expected, KH showed a dissociation between the recognition of voices and bell sounds, her performance being significantly poorer than matched controls for voices but not for bells. By providing normative data of a large sample and by testing a developmental phonagnosic subject, we demonstrated that the Glasgow Voice Memory Test, available online and accessible from all over the world, can be a valid screening tool (~5 min) for a preliminary detection of potential cases of phonagnosia and of "super recognizers" for voices.

Training outcome in future professional voice users after 18 months of voice training.

PubMed

Timmermans, Bernadette; De Bodt, Marc S; Wuyts, Floris L; Van de Heyning, Paul H

2004-01-01

The goal of this study is to define the long-term influence of vocal hygiene education and the effectiveness of voice training in 46 students. Half of the subjects, called the trained group (n = 23), received vocal hygiene education during 1 school year and voice training during 2 school years (18 months). The other half, also 23 subjects, received neither vocal hygiene education nor voice training as such (called the untrained group). The voice training is made up of technical workshops (30 h a year in groups of 5-8 subjects) and vocal coaching in the radio and drama projects (30 h whole class). In the lectures (30 h) a theoretical background on breathing, articulation, voicing and vocal hygiene was discussed. A multidimensional test battery containing the GRBAS scale, videolaryngostroboscopy, maximum phonation time, jitter, lowest intensity, highest frequency, Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI) and Voice Handicap Index (VHI) was applied before and after 18 months to evaluate the effect of voice training over time. A questionnaire on daily habits was presented before the lectures, and after 18 months to detect the long-term effect of the lectures. The objectively measured voice quality (DSI) of the trained group improved significantly over time (p < 0.001) due to training (p = 0.008), which was not the case in the untrained group. The self-assessed VHI, on the other hand, changed over time (p < 0.001) in both groups. For the trained group the VHI changed from 18.4 to 14.4 and in the untrained group from 20.1 to 15.3. It is important to note that the VHI scores of both groups remained high. The interpretation of the results of the daily habit questionnaire is disturbing: the initial high degree of smoking, vocal abuse, stress and late meals was not influenced by the lectures or training and remained high. This study proves the positive outcome and emphasizes the need for a well-organized voice training program in future professional voice users. However, the lectures

You're a What? Voice Actor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liming, Drew

2009-01-01

This article talks about voice actors and features Tony Oliver, a professional voice actor. Voice actors help to bring one's favorite cartoon and video game characters to life. They also do voice-overs for radio and television commercials and movie trailers. These actors use the sound of their voice to sell a character's emotions--or an advertised…

Personal Genres, Public Voices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Danielewicz, Jane

2008-01-01

Writing in personal genres, like autobiography, leads writers to public voices. Public voice is a discursive quality of a text that conveys the writer's authority and position relative to others. To show how voice and authority depend on genre, I analyze the autobiographies of two writers who take opposing positions on the same topic. By producing…

Voice - How humans communicate?

PubMed

Tiwari, Manjul; Tiwari, Maneesha

2012-01-01

Voices are important things for humans. They are the medium through which we do a lot of communicating with the outside world: our ideas, of course, and also our emotions and our personality. The voice is the very emblem of the speaker, indelibly woven into the fabric of speech. In this sense, each of our utterances of spoken language carries not only its own message but also, through accent, tone of voice and habitual voice quality it is at the same time an audible declaration of our membership of particular social regional groups, of our individual physical and psychological identity, and of our momentary mood. Voices are also one of the media through which we (successfully, most of the time) recognize other humans who are important to us-members of our family, media personalities, our friends, and enemies. Although evidence from DNA analysis is potentially vastly more eloquent in its power than evidence from voices, DNA cannot talk. It cannot be recorded planning, carrying out or confessing to a crime. It cannot be so apparently directly incriminating. As will quickly become evident, voices are extremely complex things, and some of the inherent limitations of the forensic-phonetic method are in part a consequence of the interaction between their complexity and the real world in which they are used. It is one of the aims of this article to explain how this comes about. This subject have unsolved questions, but there is no direct way to present the information that is necessary to understand how voices can be related, or not, to their owners.

Speaker's voice as a memory cue.

PubMed

Campeanu, Sandra; Craik, Fergus I M; Alain, Claude

2015-02-01

Speaker's voice occupies a central role as the cornerstone of auditory social interaction. Here, we review the evidence suggesting that speaker's voice constitutes an integral context cue in auditory memory. Investigation into the nature of voice representation as a memory cue is essential to understanding auditory memory and the neural correlates which underlie it. Evidence from behavioral and electrophysiological studies suggest that while specific voice reinstatement (i.e., same speaker) often appears to facilitate word memory even without attention to voice at study, the presence of a partial benefit of similar voices between study and test is less clear. In terms of explicit memory experiments utilizing unfamiliar voices, encoding methods appear to play a pivotal role. Voice congruency effects have been found when voice is specifically attended at study (i.e., when relatively shallow, perceptual encoding takes place). These behavioral findings coincide with neural indices of memory performance such as the parietal old/new recollection effect and the late right frontal effect. The former distinguishes between correctly identified old words and correctly identified new words, and reflects voice congruency only when voice is attended at study. Characterization of the latter likely depends upon voice memory, rather than word memory. There is also evidence to suggest that voice effects can be found in implicit memory paradigms. However, the presence of voice effects appears to depend greatly on the task employed. Using a word identification task, perceptual similarity between study and test conditions is, like for explicit memory tests, crucial. In addition, the type of noise employed appears to have a differential effect. While voice effects have been observed when white noise is used at both study and test, using multi-talker babble does not confer the same results. In terms of neuroimaging research modulations, characterization of an implicit memory effect

Exploring the feasibility of smart phone microphone for measurement of acoustic voice parameters and voice pathology screening.

PubMed

Uloza, Virgilijus; Padervinskis, Evaldas; Vegiene, Aurelija; Pribuisiene, Ruta; Saferis, Viktoras; Vaiciukynas, Evaldas; Gelzinis, Adas; Verikas, Antanas

2015-11-01

The objective of this study is to evaluate the reliability of acoustic voice parameters obtained using smart phone (SP) microphones and investigate the utility of use of SP voice recordings for voice screening. Voice samples of sustained vowel/a/obtained from 118 subjects (34 normal and 84 pathological voices) were recorded simultaneously through two microphones: oral AKG Perception 220 microphone and SP Samsung Galaxy Note3 microphone. Acoustic voice signal data were measured for fundamental frequency, jitter and shimmer, normalized noise energy (NNE), signal to noise ratio and harmonic to noise ratio using Dr. Speech software. Discriminant analysis-based Correct Classification Rate (CCR) and Random Forest Classifier (RFC) based Equal Error Rate (EER) were used to evaluate the feasibility of acoustic voice parameters classifying normal and pathological voice classes. Lithuanian version of Glottal Function Index (LT_GFI) questionnaire was utilized for self-assessment of the severity of voice disorder. The correlations of acoustic voice parameters obtained with two types of microphones were statistically significant and strong (r = 0.73-1.0) for the entire measurements. When classifying into normal/pathological voice classes, the Oral-NNE revealed the CCR of 73.7% and the pair of SP-NNE and SP-shimmer parameters revealed CCR of 79.5%. However, fusion of the results obtained from SP voice recordings and GFI data provided the CCR of 84.60% and RFC revealed the EER of 7.9%, respectively. In conclusion, measurements of acoustic voice parameters using SP microphone were shown to be reliable in clinical settings demonstrating high CCR and low EER when distinguishing normal and pathological voice classes, and validated the suitability of the SP microphone signal for the task of automatic voice analysis and screening.

Combined Use of Standard and Throat Microphones for Measurement of Acoustic Voice Parameters and Voice Categorization.

PubMed

Uloza, Virgilijus; Padervinskis, Evaldas; Uloziene, Ingrida; Saferis, Viktoras; Verikas, Antanas

2015-09-01

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the reliability of the measurements of acoustic voice parameters obtained simultaneously using oral and contact (throat) microphones and to investigate utility of combined use of these microphones for voice categorization. Voice samples of sustained vowel /a/ obtained from 157 subjects (105 healthy and 52 pathological voices) were recorded in a soundproof booth simultaneously through two microphones: oral AKG Perception 220 microphone (AKG Acoustics, Vienna, Austria) and contact (throat) Triumph PC microphone (Clearer Communications, Inc, Burnaby, Canada) placed on the lamina of thyroid cartilage. Acoustic voice signal data were measured for fundamental frequency, percent of jitter and shimmer, normalized noise energy, signal-to-noise ratio, and harmonic-to-noise ratio using Dr. Speech software (Tiger Electronics, Seattle, WA). The correlations of acoustic voice parameters in vocal performance were statistically significant and strong (r = 0.71-1.0) for the entire functional measurements obtained for the two microphones. When classifying into healthy-pathological voice classes, the oral-shimmer revealed the correct classification rate (CCR) of 75.2% and the throat-jitter revealed CCR of 70.7%. However, combination of both throat and oral microphones allowed identifying a set of three voice parameters: throat-signal-to-noise ratio, oral-shimmer, and oral-normalized noise energy, which provided the CCR of 80.3%. The measurements of acoustic voice parameters using a combination of oral and throat microphones showed to be reliable in clinical settings and demonstrated high CCRs when distinguishing the healthy and pathological voice patient groups. Our study validates the suitability of the throat microphone signal for the task of automatic voice analysis for the purpose of voice screening. Copyright © 2015 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Advanced Fault Diagnosis Methods in Molecular Networks

PubMed Central

Habibi, Iman; Emamian, Effat S.; Abdi, Ali

2014-01-01

Analysis of the failure of cell signaling networks is an important topic in systems biology and has applications in target discovery and drug development. In this paper, some advanced methods for fault diagnosis in signaling networks are developed and then applied to a caspase network and an SHP2 network. The goal is to understand how, and to what extent, the dysfunction of molecules in a network contributes to the failure of the entire network. Network dysfunction (failure) is defined as failure to produce the expected outputs in response to the input signals. Vulnerability level of a molecule is defined as the probability of the network failure, when the molecule is dysfunctional. In this study, a method to calculate the vulnerability level of single molecules for different combinations of input signals is developed. Furthermore, a more complex yet biologically meaningful method for calculating the multi-fault vulnerability levels is suggested, in which two or more molecules are simultaneously dysfunctional. Finally, a method is developed for fault diagnosis of networks based on a ternary logic model, which considers three activity levels for a molecule instead of the previously published binary logic model, and provides equations for the vulnerabilities of molecules in a ternary framework. Multi-fault analysis shows that the pairs of molecules with high vulnerability typically include a highly vulnerable molecule identified by the single fault analysis. The ternary fault analysis for the caspase network shows that predictions obtained using the more complex ternary model are about the same as the predictions of the simpler binary approach. This study suggests that by increasing the number of activity levels the complexity of the model grows; however, the predictive power of the ternary model does not appear to be increased proportionally. PMID:25290670

Military and Government Applications of Human-Machine Communication by Voice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weinstein, Clifford J.

1995-10-01

This paper describes a range of opportunities for military and government applications of human-machine communication by voice, based on visits and contacts with numerous user organizations in the United States. The applications include some that appear to be feasible by careful integration of current state-of-the-art technology and others that will require a varying mix of advances in speech technology and in integration of the technology into applications environments. Applications that are described include (1) speech recognition and synthesis for mobile command and control; (2) speech processing for a portable multifunction soldier's computer; (3) speech- and language-based technology for naval combat team tactical training; (4) speech technology for command and control on a carrier flight deck; (5) control of auxiliary systems, and alert and warning generation, in fighter aircraft and helicopters; and (6) voice check-in, report entry, and communication for law enforcement agents or special forces. A phased approach for transfer of the technology into applications is advocated, where integration of applications systems is pursued in parallel with advanced research to meet future needs.

A model for incorporating patient and stakeholder voices in a learning health care network: Washington State's Comparative Effectiveness Research Translation Network.

PubMed

Devine, Emily Beth; Alfonso-Cristancho, Rafael; Devlin, Allison; Edwards, Todd C; Farrokhi, Ellen T; Kessler, Larry; Lavallee, Danielle C; Patrick, Donald L; Sullivan, Sean D; Tarczy-Hornoch, Peter; Yanez, N David; Flum, David R

2013-08-01

To describe the inaugural comparative effectiveness research (CER) cohort study of Washington State's Comparative Effectiveness Research Translation Network (CERTAIN), which compares invasive with noninvasive treatments for peripheral artery disease, and to focus on the patient centeredness of this cohort study by describing it within the context of a newly published conceptual framework for patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR). The peripheral artery disease study was selected because of clinician-identified uncertainty in treatment selection and differences in desired outcomes between patients and clinicians. Patient centeredness is achieved through the "Patient Voices Project," a CERTAIN initiative through which patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments are administered for research and clinical purposes, and a study-specific patient advisory group where patients are meaningfully engaged throughout the life cycle of the study. A clinician-led research advisory panel follows in parallel. Primary outcomes are PRO instruments that measure function, health-related quality of life, and symptoms, the latter developed with input from the patients. Input from the patient advisory group led to revised retention procedures, which now focus on short-term (3-6 months) follow-up. The research advisory panel is piloting a point-of-care, patient assessment checklist, thereby returning study results to practice. The cohort study is aligned with the tenets of one of the new conceptual frameworks for conducting PCOR. The CERTAIN's inaugural cohort study may serve as a useful model for conducting PCOR and creating a learning health care network. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

System Design Plan for a DCS (Defense Communications System) Data Transmission Network.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-07-01

modems , FDO group modems , and Voice Frequency Carrier Telegraph (VFCT) networks. The DTN will be a synchronous network and its implementation must coincide...Frequency (VF) modems and Voice Frequency Carrier Telegraph (VFCT) networks. Further, data circuits can be extended over present analog FDM facilities using...VF or group data modems . In addition to the availability of terrestrial and satellite digital transmission facilities, the implementation of the DTN

Interactions between voice clinics and singing teachers: a report on the British Voice Association questionnaire to voice clinics in the UK.

PubMed

Davies, J; Anderson, S; Huchison, L; Stewart, G

2007-01-01

Singers with vocal problems are among patients who present at multidisciplinary voice clinics led by Ear Nose and Throat consultants and laryngologists or speech and language therapists. However, the development and care of the singing voice are also important responsibilities of singing teachers. We report here on the current extent and nature of interactions between voice clinics and singing teachers, based on data from a recent survey undertaken on behalf of the British Voice Association. A questionnaire was sent to all 103 voice clinics at National Health Service (NHS) hospitals in the UK. Responses were received and analysed from 42 currently active clinics. Eight (19%) clinics reported having a singing teacher as an active member of the team. They were all satisfied with the singing teacher's knowledge and expertise, which had been acquired by several different means. Of 32 clinics without a singing teacher regularly associated with the team, funding and difficulty of finding an appropriate singing voice expert (81% and 50%, respectively) were among the main reasons for their absence. There was an expressed requirement for more interaction between voice clinics and singing teachers, and 86% replied that they would find it useful to have a list of singing teachers in their area. On the matter of gaining expertise and training, 74% of the clinics replying would enable singing teachers to observe clinic sessions for experience and 21% were willing to assist in training them for clinic-associated work.

Online matchmaking: It's not just for dating sites anymore! Connecting the Climate Voices Science Speakers Network to Educators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wegner, K.; Herrin, S.; Schmidt, C.

2015-12-01

Scientists play an integral role in the development of climate literacy skills - for both teachers and students alike. By partnering with local scientists, teachers can gain valuable insights into the science practices highlighted by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), as well as a deeper understanding of cutting-edge scientific discoveries and local impacts of climate change. For students, connecting to local scientists can provide a relevant connection to climate science and STEM skills. Over the past two years, the Climate Voices Science Speakers Network (climatevoices.org) has grown to a robust network of nearly 400 climate science speakers across the United States. Formal and informal educators, K-12 students, and community groups connect with our speakers through our interactive map-based website and invite them to meet through face-to-face and virtual presentations, such as webinars and podcasts. But creating a common language between scientists and educators requires coaching on both sides. In this presentation, we will present the "nitty-gritty" of setting up scientist-educator collaborations, as well as the challenges and opportunities that arise from these partnerships. We will share the impact of these collaborations through case studies, including anecdotal feedback and metrics.

Online Matchmaking: It's Not Just for Dating Sites Anymore! Connecting the Climate Voices Science Speakers Network to Educators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wegner, Kristin; Herrin, Sara; Schmidt, Cynthia

2015-01-01

Scientists play an integral role in the development of climate literacy skills - for both teachers and students alike. By partnering with local scientists, teachers can gain valuable insights into the science practices highlighted by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), as well as a deeper understanding of cutting-edge scientific discoveries and local impacts of climate change. For students, connecting to local scientists can provide a relevant connection to climate science and STEM skills. Over the past two years, the Climate Voices Science Speakers Network (climatevoices.org) has grown to a robust network of nearly 400 climate science speakers across the United States. Formal and informal educators, K-12 students, and community groups connect with our speakers through our interactive map-based website and invite them to meet through face-to-face and virtual presentations, such as webinars and podcasts. But creating a common language between scientists and educators requires coaching on both sides. In this presentation, we will present the "nitty-gritty" of setting up scientist-educator collaborations, as well as the challenges and opportunities that arise from these partnerships. We will share the impact of these collaborations through case studies, including anecdotal feedback and metrics.

Effects of singing training on the speaking voice of voice majors.

PubMed

Mendes, Ana P; Brown, W S; Rothman, Howard B; Sapienza, Christine

2004-03-01

This longitudinal study gathered data with regard to the question: Does singing training have an effect on the speaking voice? Fourteen voice majors (12 females and two males; age range 17 to 20 years) were recorded once a semester for four consecutive semesters, while sustaining vowels and reading the "Rainbow Passage." Acoustic measures included speaking fundamental frequency (SFF) and sound pressure level (SLP). Perturbation measures included jitter, shimmer, and harmonic-to-noise ratio. Temporal measures included sentence, consonant, and diphthong durations. Results revealed that, as the number of semesters increased, the SFF increased while jitter and shimmer slightly decreased. Repeated measure analysis, however, indicated that none of the acoustic, temporal, or perturbation differences were statistically significant. These results confirm earlier cross-sectional studies that compared singers with nonsingers, in that singing training mostly affects the singing voice and rarely the speaking voice.

Proceedings of the Workshop on Advanced Network and Technology Concepts for Mobile, Micro, and Personal Communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paul, Lori (Editor)

1991-01-01

The Workshop on Advanced Network and Technology Concepts for Mobile, Micro, and Personal Communications was held at NASA's JPL Laboratory on 30-31 May 1991. It provided a forum for reviewing the development of advanced network and technology concepts for turn-of-the-century telecommunications. The workshop was organized into three main categories: (1) Satellite-Based Networks (L-band, C-band, Ku-band, and Ka-band); (2) Terrestrial-Based Networks (cellular, CT2, PCN, GSM, and other networks); and (3) Hybrid Satellite/Terrestrial Networks. The proceedings contain presentation papers from each of the above categories.

Understanding the 'Anorexic Voice' in Anorexia Nervosa.

PubMed

Pugh, Matthew; Waller, Glenn

2017-05-01

In common with individuals experiencing a number of disorders, people with anorexia nervosa report experiencing an internal 'voice'. The anorexic voice comments on the individual's eating, weight and shape and instructs the individual to restrict or compensate. However, the core characteristics of the anorexic voice are not known. This study aimed to develop a parsimonious model of the voice characteristics that are related to key features of eating disorder pathology and to determine whether patients with anorexia nervosa fall into groups with different voice experiences. The participants were 49 women with full diagnoses of anorexia nervosa. Each completed validated measures of the power and nature of their voice experience and of their responses to the voice. Different voice characteristics were associated with current body mass index, duration of disorder and eating cognitions. Two subgroups emerged, with 'weaker' and 'stronger' voice experiences. Those with stronger voices were characterized by having more negative eating attitudes, more severe compensatory behaviours, a longer duration of illness and a greater likelihood of having the binge-purge subtype of anorexia nervosa. The findings indicate that the anorexic voice is an important element of the psychopathology of anorexia nervosa. Addressing the anorexic voice might be helpful in enhancing outcomes of treatments for anorexia nervosa, but that conclusion might apply only to patients with more severe eating psychopathology. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Experiences of an internal 'anorexic voice' are common in anorexia nervosa. Clinicians should consider the role of the voice when formulating eating pathology in anorexia nervosa, including how individuals perceive and relate to that voice. Addressing the voice may be beneficial, particularly in more severe and enduring forms of anorexia nervosa. When working with the voice, clinicians should aim to address both the content of the voice and how

Experiences of hearing voices: analysis of a novel phenomenological survey

PubMed Central

Woods, Angela; Jones, Nev; Alderson-Day, Ben; Callard, Felicity; Fernyhough, Charles

2015-01-01

Summary Background Auditory hallucinations—or voices—are a common feature of many psychiatric disorders and are also experienced by individuals with no psychiatric history. Understanding of the variation in subjective experiences of hallucination is central to psychiatry, yet systematic empirical research on the phenomenology of auditory hallucinations remains scarce. We aimed to record a detailed and diverse collection of experiences, in the words of the people who hear voices themselves. Methods We made a 13 item questionnaire available online for 3 months. To elicit phenomenologically rich data, we designed a combination of open-ended and closed-ended questions, which drew on service-user perspectives and approaches from phenomenological psychiatry, psychology, and medical humanities. We invited people aged 16–84 years with experience of voice-hearing to take part via an advertisement circulated through clinical networks, hearing voices groups, and other mental health forums. We combined qualitative and quantitative methods, and used inductive thematic analysis to code the data and χ2 tests to test additional associations of selected codes. Findings Between Sept 9 and Nov 29, 2013, 153 participants completed the study. Most participants described hearing multiple voices (124 [81%] of 153 individuals) with characterful qualities (106 [69%] individuals). Less than half of the participants reported hearing literally auditory voices—70 (46%) individuals reported either thought-like or mixed experiences. 101 (66%) participants reported bodily sensations while they heard voices, and these sensations were significantly associated with experiences of abusive or violent voices (p=0·024). Although fear, anxiety, depression, and stress were often associated with voices, 48 (31%) participants reported positive emotions and 49 (32%) reported neutral emotions. Our statistical analysis showed that mixed voices were more likely to have changed over time (p=0·030), be

On shame and voice-hearing

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Hearing voices in the absence of another speaker—what psychiatry terms an auditory verbal hallucination—is often associated with a wide range of negative emotions. Mainstream clinical research addressing the emotional dimensions of voice-hearing has tended to treat these as self-evident, undifferentiated and so effectively interchangeable. But what happens when a richer, more nuanced understanding of specific emotions is brought to bear on the analysis of distressing voices? This article draws findings from the ‘What is it like to hear voices’ study conducted as part of the interdisciplinary Hearing the Voice project into conversation with philosopher Dan Zahavi's Self and Other: Exploring Subjectivity, Empathy and Shame to consider how a focus on shame can open up new questions about the experience of hearing voices. A higher-order emotion of social cognition, shame directs our attention to aspects of voice-hearing which are understudied and elusive, particularly as they concern the status of voices as other and the constitution and conceptualisation of the self. PMID:28389551

The integration of voice science, voice pathology, medicine, public speaking, acting, and singing.

PubMed

Scherer, R C; Brewer, D W; Colton, R; Rubin, L S; Raphael, B N; Miller, R; Howell, E; Moore, G P

1994-12-01

The integration of voice science, voice pathology, medicine, public speaking, acting, and singing has been central to evolution in all fields. The Voice Foundation Symposia have played a seminal and central role in fostering integration among disciplines. The result has been an improvement in the knowledge and practice in each field. And the future promises to be even more informative and exciting.

Using VoiceThread to Promote Collaborative Learning in On-Line Clinical Nurse Leader Courses.

PubMed

Fox, Ola H

The movement to advance the clinical nurse leader (CNL) as an innovative new role for meeting higher health care quality standards continues with CNL programs offered on-line at colleges and universities nationwide. Collaborative learning activities offer the opportunity for CNL students to gain experience in working together in small groups to negotiate and solve care process problems. The challenge for nurse educators is to provide collaborative learning activities in an asynchronous learning environment that can be considered isolating by default. This article reports on the experiences of 17 CNL students who used VoiceThread, a cloud-based tool that allowed them to communicate asynchronously with one another through voice comments for collaboration and sharing knowledge. Participants identified benefits and drawbacks to using VoiceThread for collaboration as compared to text-based discussion boards. Students reported that the ability to hear the voice of their peers and the instructor helped them feel like they were in a classroom communicating with "real" instructor and peers. Students indicated a preference for on-line classes that used VoiceThread discussions to on-line classes that used only text-based discussion boards. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Voice parameters and videonasolaryngoscopy in children with vocal nodules: a longitudinal study, before and after voice therapy.

PubMed

Valadez, Victor; Ysunza, Antonio; Ocharan-Hernandez, Esther; Garrido-Bustamante, Norma; Sanchez-Valerio, Araceli; Pamplona, Ma C

2012-09-01

Vocal Nodules (VN) are a functional voice disorder associated with voice misuse and abuse in children. There are few reports addressing vocal parameters in children with VN, especially after a period of vocal rehabilitation. The purpose of this study is to describe measurements of vocal parameters including Fundamental Frequency (FF), Shimmer (S), and Jitter (J), videonasolaryngoscopy examination and clinical perceptual assessment, before and after voice therapy in children with VN. Voice therapy was provided using visual support through Speech-Viewer software. Twenty patients with VN were studied. An acoustical analysis of voice was performed and compared with data from subjects from a control group matched by age and gender. Also, clinical perceptual assessment of voice and videonasolaryngoscopy were performed to all patients with VN. After a period of voice therapy, provided with visual support using Speech Viewer-III (SV-III-IBM) software, new acoustical analyses, perceptual assessments and videonasolaryngoscopies were performed. Before the onset of voice therapy, there was a significant difference (p<0.05) in mean FF, S and J, between the patients with VN and subjects from the control group. After the voice therapy period, a significant improvement (p<0.05) was found in all acoustic voice parameters. Moreover, perceptual voice analysis demonstrated improvement in all cases. Finally, videonasolaryngoscopy demonstrated that vocal nodules were no longer discernible on the vocal folds in any of the cases. SV-III software seems to be a safe and reliable method for providing voice therapy in children with VN. Acoustic voice parameters, perceptual data and videonasolaryngoscopy were significantly improved after the speech therapy period was completed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

An efficient protocol for providing integrated voice/data services to mobiles over power-limited satellite channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bose, Sanjay K.

1991-02-01

Various mobile satellite communication systems are being developed for providing integrated voice/data services over a shared satellite transponder which is power-limited in nature. A common strategy is to use slotted ALOHA request channels to request channel assignments for voice/data calls from a network management station. To maximize efficiency in a system with a power-limited satellite transponder, it is proposed that the bursty nature of voice sources be exploited by the NMS to 'over-assign' channels. This may cause problems of inefficiency and potential instability, as well as a degradation in the quality of service. Augmenting this with the introduction of simple state-dependent control procedures provides systems which exhibit more desirable operational features.

Selective attention in perceptual adjustments to voice.

PubMed

Mullennix, J W; Howe, J N

1999-10-01

The effects of perceptual adjustments to voice information on the perception of isolated spoken words were examined. In two experiments, spoken target words were preceded or followed within a trial by a neutral word spoken in the same voice or in a different voice as the target. Over-all, words were reproduced more accurately on trials on which the voice of the neutral word matched the voice of the spoken target word, suggesting that perceptual adjustments to voice interfere with word processing. This result, however, was mediated by selective attention to voice. The results provide further evidence of a close processing relationship between perceptual adjustments to voice and spoken word recognition.

Swinging at a cocktail party: voice familiarity aids speech perception in the presence of a competing voice.

PubMed

Johnsrude, Ingrid S; Mackey, Allison; Hakyemez, Hélène; Alexander, Elizabeth; Trang, Heather P; Carlyon, Robert P

2013-10-01

People often have to listen to someone speak in the presence of competing voices. Much is known about the acoustic cues used to overcome this challenge, but almost nothing is known about the utility of cues derived from experience with particular voices--cues that may be particularly important for older people and others with impaired hearing. Here, we use a version of the coordinate-response-measure procedure to show that people can exploit knowledge of a highly familiar voice (their spouse's) not only to track it better in the presence of an interfering stranger's voice, but also, crucially, to ignore it so as to comprehend a stranger's voice more effectively. Although performance declines with increasing age when the target voice is novel, there is no decline when the target voice belongs to the listener's spouse. This finding indicates that older listeners can exploit their familiarity with a speaker's voice to mitigate the effects of sensory and cognitive decline.

Acoustic and perceptual characteristics of the voice in patients with vocal polyps after surgery and voice therapy.

PubMed

Petrovic-Lazic, Mirjana; Jovanovic, Nadica; Kulic, Milan; Babac, Snezana; Jurisic, Vladimir

2015-03-01

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of endolaryngeal phonomicrosurgery (EPM) and voice therapy in patients with vocal fold polyps using perceptual and acoustic analysis before and after both therapies. The acoustic tests and perceptual evaluation of voice were carried out on 41 female patients with vocal fold polyp before and after EPM and voice therapy. Both therapy strategies were performed. Used acoustic parameters were Jitter percent (Jitt), pitch perturbation quotient (PPQ), shimmer percent (Shim), amplitude perturbation quotient (APQ), fundamental frequency variation (vF0), noise-to-harmonic ratio (NHR), Voice Turbulence Index (VTI). For perceptual evaluation, GRB scale was used. Results indicated higher values of investigated parameters in patients' group than in the control group (P < 0.01). Good correlation between the perceptual hoarseness factors of GRB scale and objective acoustic voice parameters were observed. All analyzed acoustic parameters improved after the phonomicrosurgery and voice therapy and tend to approach to values of the control group. For Jitt percent, Shim percent, vF0, VTI, and NHR, there were statistically significant differences. Perceptual voice evaluation revealed statistically significantly (P < 0.01) decreased rating of G (grade), R (rough) and B (breathy) after surgery and voice therapy. Our data indicated that both acoustic and perceptual characteristic of voice in patients with vocal polyps significantly improved after phonomicrosurgical and voice treatment. Copyright © 2015 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Voice amplification versus vocal hygiene instruction for teachers with voice disorders: a treatment outcomes study.

PubMed

Roy, Nelson; Weinrich, Barbara; Gray, Steven D; Tanner, Kristine; Toledo, Sue Walker; Dove, Heather; Corbin-Lewis, Kim; Stemple, Joseph C

2002-08-01

Voice problems are common among schoolteachers. This prospective, randomized clinical trial used patient-based treatment outcomes measures combined with acoustic analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of two treatment programs. Forty-four voice-disordered teachers were randomly assigned to one of three groups: voice amplification using the ChatterVox portable amplifier (VA, n = 15), vocal hygiene (VH, n = 15), and a nontreatment control group (n = 14). Before and after a 6-week treatment phase, all teachers completed: (a) the Voice Handicap Index (VHI), an instrument designed to appraise the self-perceived psychosocial consequences of voice disorders; (b) a voice severity self-rating scale; and (c) an audiorecording for later acoustic analysis. Based on pre- and posttreatment comparisons, only the amplification group experienced significant reductions on mean VHI scores (p = .045), voice severity self-ratings (p = .012), and the acoustic measures of percent jitter (p = .031) and shimmer (p = .008). The nontreatment control group reported a significant increase in level of vocal handicap as assessed by the VHI (p = .012). Although most pre- to posttreatment changes were in the desired direction, no significant improvements were observed within the VH group on any of the dependent measures. Between-group comparisons involving the three possible pairings of the groups revealed a pattern of results to suggest that: (a) compared to the control group, both treatment groups (i.e., VA and VH) experienced significantly more improvement on specific outcomes measures and (b) there were no significant differences between the VA and VH groups to indicate superiority of one treatment over another. Results, however, from a posttreatment questionnaire regarding the perceived benefits of treatment revealed that, compared to the VH group, the VA group reported more clarity of their speaking and singing voice (p = .061), greater ease of voice production (p = .001), and greater

ACTS TDMA network control. [Advanced Communication Technology Satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Inukai, T.; Campanella, S. J.

1984-01-01

This paper presents basic network control concepts for the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) System. Two experimental systems, called the low-burst-rate and high-burst-rate systems, along with ACTS ground system features, are described. The network control issues addressed include frame structures, acquisition and synchronization procedures, coordinated station burst-time plan and satellite-time plan changes, on-board clock control based on ground drift measurements, rain fade control by means of adaptive forward-error-correction (FEC) coding and transmit power augmentation, and reassignment of channel capacities on demand. The NASA ground system, which includes a primary station, diversity station, and master control station, is also described.

The Organizational Voice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Inkster, Bob

This overview of an English course, "Writing for Government, Business, and Industry" (listed as English 339 at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota), emphasizes the essential elements of audience and voice. Composition theorists' assertion that the absence of voice is symptomatic of a profound developmental deficit (suggesting an…

The relation of vocal fold lesions and voice quality to voice handicap and psychosomatic well-being.

PubMed

Smits, R; Marres, H; de Jong, Felix

2012-07-01

Voice disorders have a multifactorial genesis and may be present in various ways. They can cause a significant communication handicap and impaired quality of life. To assess the effect of vocal fold lesions and voice quality on voice handicap and psychosomatic well-being. Female patients, aged 18-65 years, who were referred to the outpatient clinic with voice problems were subsequently assessed. Laryngostroboscopic examination and acoustic voice analysis were carried out, and the patients were asked to fill in the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and Symptom Check List-90 questionnaires. Eighty-two patients were included. In 43 patients (52.4%), a vocal fold lesion was observed. The VHI and psychosomatic well-being did not differ significantly between patients with and without a vocal fold lesion. The patients with a vocal fold lesion showed lower scores on the Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI) compared with those without a vocal fold lesion. However, the DSI was not correlated with voice handicap and psychosomatic well-being, except for the VHI physical subscale. Objective measurement does not necessarily correlate with the subjective appraisal of the patient's voice handicap and psychosomatic well-being. Furthermore, the criterion of the presence of a vocal fold lesion as the base of indemnity that is applied by health insurance institutions should be questioned. Copyright © 2012 The Voice Foundation. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Learned face-voice pairings facilitate visual search.

PubMed

Zweig, L Jacob; Suzuki, Satoru; Grabowecky, Marcia

2015-04-01

Voices provide a rich source of information that is important for identifying individuals and for social interaction. During search for a face in a crowd, voices often accompany visual information, and they facilitate localization of the sought-after individual. However, it is unclear whether this facilitation occurs primarily because the voice cues the location of the face or because it also increases the salience of the associated face. Here we demonstrate that a voice that provides no location information nonetheless facilitates visual search for an associated face. We trained novel face-voice associations and verified learning using a two-alternative forced choice task in which participants had to correctly match a presented voice to the associated face. Following training, participants searched for a previously learned target face among other faces while hearing one of the following sounds (localized at the center of the display): a congruent learned voice, an incongruent but familiar voice, an unlearned and unfamiliar voice, or a time-reversed voice. Only the congruent learned voice speeded visual search for the associated face. This result suggests that voices facilitate the visual detection of associated faces, potentially by increasing their visual salience, and that the underlying crossmodal associations can be established through brief training.

14 CFR 23.1457 - Cockpit voice recorders.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Cockpit voice recorders. 23.1457 Section 23... Equipment § 23.1457 Cockpit voice recorders. (a) Each cockpit voice recorder required by the operating rules...) Voice communications transmitted from or received in the airplane by radio. (2) Voice communications of...

Crossing Cultures with Multi-Voiced Journals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Styslinger, Mary E.; Whisenant, Alison

2004-01-01

In this article, the authors discuss the benefits of using multi-voiced journals as a teaching strategy in reading instruction. Multi-voiced journals, an adaptation of dual-voiced journals, encourage responses to reading in varied, cultured voices of characters. It is similar to reading journals in that they prod students to connect to the lives…

Optical Multiple Access Network (OMAN) for advanced processing satellite applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mendez, Antonio J.; Gagliardi, Robert M.; Park, Eugene; Ivancic, William D.; Sherman, Bradley D.

1991-01-01

An OMAN breadboard for exploring advanced processing satellite circuit switch applications is introduced. Network architecture, hardware trade offs, and multiple user interference issues are presented. The breadboard test set up and experimental results are discussed.

Human voice quality measurement in noisy environments.

PubMed

Ueng, Shyh-Kuang; Luo, Cheng-Ming; Tsai, Tsung-Yu; Yeh, Hsuan-Chen

2015-01-01

Computerized acoustic voice measurement is essential for the diagnosis of vocal pathologies. Previous studies showed that ambient noises have significant influences on the accuracy of voice quality assessment. This paper presents a voice quality assessment system that can accurately measure qualities of voice signals, even though the input voice data are contaminated by low-frequency noises. The ambient noises in our living rooms and laboratories are collected and the frequencies of these noises are analyzed. Based on the analysis, a filter is designed to reduce noise level of the input voice signal. Then, improved numerical algorithms are employed to extract voice parameters from the voice signal to reveal the health of the voice signal. Compared with MDVP and Praat, the proposed method outperforms these two widely used programs in measuring fundamental frequency and harmonic-to-noise ratio, and its performance is comparable to these two famous programs in computing jitter and shimmer. The proposed voice quality assessment method is resistant to low-frequency noises and it can measure human voice quality in environments filled with noises from air-conditioners, ceiling fans and cooling fans of computers.

Interactive Augmentation of Voice Quality and Reduction of Breath Airflow in the Soprano Voice.

PubMed

Rothenberg, Martin; Schutte, Harm K

2016-11-01

In 1985, at a conference sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, Martin Rothenberg first described a form of nonlinear source-tract acoustic interaction mechanism by which some sopranos, singing in their high range, can use to reduce the total airflow, to allow holding the note longer, and simultaneously enrich the quality of the voice, without straining the voice. (M. Rothenberg, "Source-Tract Acoustic Interaction in the Soprano Voice and Implications for Vocal Efficiency," Fourth International Conference on Vocal Fold Physiology, New Haven, Connecticut, June 3-6, 1985.) In this paper, we describe additional evidence for this type of nonlinear source-tract interaction in some soprano singing and describe an analogous interaction phenomenon in communication engineering. We also present some implications for voice research and pedagogy. Copyright © 2016 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interventions for preventing voice disorders in adults.

PubMed

Ruotsalainen, J H; Sellman, J; Lehto, L; Jauhiainen, M; Verbeek, J H

2007-10-17

Poor voice quality due to a voice disorder can lead to a reduced quality of life. In occupations where voice use is substantial it can lead to periods of absence from work. To evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to prevent voice disorders in adults. We searched MEDLINE (PubMed, 1950 to 2006), EMBASE (1974 to 2006), CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library, Issue 2 2006), CINAHL (1983 to 2006), PsychINFO (1967 to 2006), Science Citation Index (1986 to 2006) and the Occupational Health databases OSH-ROM (to 2006). The date of the last search was 05/04/06. Randomised controlled clinical trials (RCTs) of interventions evaluating the effectiveness of treatments to prevent voice disorders in adults. For work-directed interventions interrupted time series and prospective cohort studies were also eligible. Two authors independently extracted data and assessed trial quality. Meta-analysis was performed where appropriate. We identified two randomised controlled trials including a total of 53 participants in intervention groups and 43 controls. One study was conducted with teachers and the other with student teachers. Both trials were poor quality. Interventions were grouped into 1) direct voice training, 2) indirect voice training and 3) direct and indirect voice training combined.1) Direct voice training: One study did not find a significant decrease of the Voice Handicap Index for direct voice training compared to no intervention.2) Indirect voice training: One study did not find a significant decrease of the Voice Handicap Index for indirect voice training when compared to no intervention.3) Direct and indirect voice training combined: One study did not find a decrease of the Voice Handicap Index for direct and indirect voice training combined when compared to no intervention. The same study did however find an improvement in maximum phonation time (Mean Difference -3.18 sec; 95 % CI -4.43 to -1.93) for direct and indirect voice training combined when compared to no

Effects of emotional valence and arousal on the voice perception network

PubMed Central

Kotz, Sonja A.; Belin, Pascal

2017-01-01

Abstract Several theories conceptualise emotions along two main dimensions: valence (a continuum from negative to positive) and arousal (a continuum that varies from low to high). These dimensions are typically treated as independent in many neuroimaging experiments, yet recent behavioural findings suggest that they are actually interdependent. This result has impact on neuroimaging design, analysis and theoretical development. We were interested in determining the extent of this interdependence both behaviourally and neuroanatomically, as well as teasing apart any activation that is specific to each dimension. While we found extensive overlap in activation for each dimension in traditional emotion areas (bilateral insulae, orbitofrontal cortex, amygdalae), we also found activation specific to each dimension with characteristic relationships between modulations of these dimensions and BOLD signal change. Increases in arousal ratings were related to increased activations predominantly in voice-sensitive cortices after variance explained by valence had been removed. In contrast, emotions of extreme valence were related to increased activations in bilateral voice-sensitive cortices, hippocampi, anterior and midcingulum and medial orbito- and superior frontal regions after variance explained by arousal had been accounted for. Our results therefore do not support a complete segregation of brain structures underpinning the processing of affective dimensions. PMID:28449127

Correlation of VHI-10 to voice laboratory measurements across five common voice disorders.

PubMed

Gillespie, Amanda I; Gooding, William; Rosen, Clark; Gartner-Schmidt, Jackie

2014-07-01

To correlate change in Voice Handicap Index (VHI)-10 scores with corresponding voice laboratory measures across five voice disorders. Retrospective study. One hundred fifty patients aged >18 years with primary diagnosis of vocal fold lesions, primary muscle tension dysphonia-1, atrophy, unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP), and scar. For each group, participants with the largest change in VHI-10 between two periods (TA and TB) were selected. The dates of the VHI-10 values were linked to corresponding acoustic/aerodynamic and audio-perceptual measures. Change in voice laboratory values were analyzed for correlation with each other and with VHI-10. VHI-10 scores were greater for patients with UVFP than other disorders. The only disorder-specific correlation between voice laboratory measure and VHI-10 was average phonatory airflow in speech for patients with UVFP. Average airflow in repeated phonemes was strongly correlated with average airflow in speech (r=0.75). Acoustic measures did not significantly change between time points. The lack of correlations between the VHI-10 change scores and voice laboratory measures may be due to differing constructs of each measure; namely, handicap versus physiological function. Presuming corroboration between these measures may be faulty. Average airflow in speech may be the most ecologically valid measure for patients with UVFP. Although aerodynamic measures changed between the time points, acoustic measures did not. Correlations to VHI-10 and change between time points may be found with other acoustic measures. Copyright © 2014 The Voice Foundation. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Military and government applications of human-machine communication by voice.

PubMed Central

Weinstein, C J

1995-01-01

This paper describes a range of opportunities for military and government applications of human-machine communication by voice, based on visits and contacts with numerous user organizations in the United States. The applications include some that appear to be feasible by careful integration of current state-of-the-art technology and others that will require a varying mix of advances in speech technology and in integration of the technology into applications environments. Applications that are described include (1) speech recognition and synthesis for mobile command and control; (2) speech processing for a portable multifunction soldier's computer; (3) speech- and language-based technology for naval combat team tactical training; (4) speech technology for command and control on a carrier flight deck; (5) control of auxiliary systems, and alert and warning generation, in fighter aircraft and helicopters; and (6) voice check-in, report entry, and communication for law enforcement agents or special forces. A phased approach for transfer of the technology into applications is advocated, where integration of applications systems is pursued in parallel with advanced research to meet future needs. Images Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 5 Fig. 6 PMID:7479718

Quantitative analysis of professionally trained versus untrained voices.

PubMed

Siupsinskiene, Nora

2003-01-01

The aim of this study was to compare healthy trained and untrained voices as well as healthy and dysphonic trained voices in adults using combined voice range profile and aerodynamic tests, to define the normal range limiting values of quantitative voice parameters and to select the most informative quantitative voice parameters for separation between healthy and dysphonic trained voices. Three groups of persons were evaluated. One hundred eighty six healthy volunteers were divided into two groups according to voice training: non-professional speakers group consisted of 106 untrained voices persons (36 males and 70 females) and professional speakers group--of 80 trained voices persons (21 males and 59 females). Clinical group consisted of 103 dysphonic professional speakers (23 males and 80 females) with various voice disorders. Eighteen quantitative voice parameters from combined voice range profile (VRP) test were analyzed: 8 of voice range profile, 8 of speaking voice, overall vocal dysfunction degree and coefficient of sound, and aerodynamic maximum phonation time. Analysis showed that healthy professional speakers demonstrated expanded vocal abilities in comparison to healthy non-professional speakers. Quantitative voice range profile parameters- pitch range, high frequency limit, area of high frequencies and coefficient of sound differed significantly between healthy professional and non-professional voices, and were more informative than speaking voice or aerodynamic parameters in showing the voice training. Logistic stepwise regression revealed that VRP area in high frequencies was sufficient to discriminate between healthy and dysphonic professional speakers for male subjects (overall discrimination accuracy--81.8%) and combination of three quantitative parameters (VRP high frequency limit, maximum voice intensity and slope of speaking curve) for female subjects (overall model discrimination accuracy--75.4%). We concluded that quantitative voice assessment

Full Service ISDN Satellite (FSIS) network model for advanced ISDN satellite design and experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pepin, Gerard R.

1992-01-01

The Full Service Integrated Services Digital Network (FSIS) network model for advanced satellite designs describes a model suitable for discrete event simulations. A top down model design uses the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) as its basis. The ACTS and the Interim Service ISDN Satellite (ISIS) perform ISDN protocol analyses and switching decisions in the terrestrial domain, whereas FSIS makes all its analyses and decisions on-board the ISDN satellite.

[The voice of the singer in the phonetogram].

PubMed

Klingholz, F

1989-01-01

Phonetograms were subdivided into areas approximating voice registers. By means of an analytical description of the areas, parameters could be established for a differentiation of voice categories and efficiency. The evaluation of 21 untrained and 34 trained voices showed a significant difference between the two groups. Male singers demonstrated more efficiency in the head and chest registers than male non-singers; female singers showed a stronger efficiency only in the head voice in comparison with their non-singer counterparts. Proceeding from voice sound alone, voices are often misclassified regarding the voice categories, and voice problems arise. Moreover, enhanced training of only chest or head voice function results in functional disorders in the singing voice. Such cases can be demonstrated by means of phonetograms.

An Investigation of Multidimensional Voice Program Parameters in Three Different Databases for Voice Pathology Detection and Classification.

PubMed

Al-Nasheri, Ahmed; Muhammad, Ghulam; Alsulaiman, Mansour; Ali, Zulfiqar; Mesallam, Tamer A; Farahat, Mohamed; Malki, Khalid H; Bencherif, Mohamed A

2017-01-01

Automatic voice-pathology detection and classification systems may help clinicians to detect the existence of any voice pathologies and the type of pathology from which patients suffer in the early stages. The main aim of this paper is to investigate Multidimensional Voice Program (MDVP) parameters to automatically detect and classify the voice pathologies in multiple databases, and then to find out which parameters performed well in these two processes. Samples of the sustained vowel /a/ of normal and pathological voices were extracted from three different databases, which have three voice pathologies in common. The selected databases in this study represent three distinct languages: (1) the Arabic voice pathology database; (2) the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary database (English database); and (3) the Saarbruecken Voice Database (German database). A computerized speech lab program was used to extract MDVP parameters as features, and an acoustical analysis was performed. The Fisher discrimination ratio was applied to rank the parameters. A t test was performed to highlight any significant differences in the means of the normal and pathological samples. The experimental results demonstrate a clear difference in the performance of the MDVP parameters using these databases. The highly ranked parameters also differed from one database to another. The best accuracies were obtained by using the three highest ranked MDVP parameters arranged according to the Fisher discrimination ratio: these accuracies were 99.68%, 88.21%, and 72.53% for the Saarbruecken Voice Database, the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary database, and the Arabic voice pathology database, respectively. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Nanocarbon networks for advanced rechargeable lithium batteries.

PubMed

Xin, Sen; Guo, Yu-Guo; Wan, Li-Jun

2012-10-16

Carbon is one of the essential elements in energy storage. In rechargeable lithium batteries, researchers have considered many types of nanostructured carbons, such as carbon nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, graphene, and nanoporous carbon, as anode materials and, especially, as key components for building advanced composite electrode materials. Nanocarbons can form efficient three-dimensional conducting networks that improve the performance of electrode materials suffering from the limited kinetics of lithium storage. Although the porous structure guarantees a fast migration of Li ions, the nanocarbon network can serve as an effective matrix for dispersing the active materials to prevent them from agglomerating. The nanocarbon network also affords an efficient electron pathway to provide better electrical contacts. Because of their structural stability and flexibility, nanocarbon networks can alleviate the stress and volume changes that occur in active materials during the Li insertion/extraction process. Through the elegant design of hierarchical electrode materials with nanocarbon networks, researchers can improve both the kinetic performance and the structural stability of the electrode material, which leads to optimal battery capacity, cycling stability, and rate capability. This Account summarizes recent progress in the structural design, chemical synthesis, and characterization of the electrochemical properties of nanocarbon networks for Li-ion batteries. In such systems, storage occurs primarily in the non-carbon components, while carbon acts as the conductor and as the structural buffer. We emphasize representative nanocarbon networks including those that use carbon nanotubes and graphene. We discuss the role of carbon in enhancing the performance of various electrode materials in areas such as Li storage, Li ion and electron transport, and structural stability during cycling. We especially highlight the use of graphene to construct the carbon conducting

Clinical voice analysis of Carnatic singers.

PubMed

Arunachalam, Ravikumar; Boominathan, Prakash; Mahalingam, Shenbagavalli

2014-01-01

Carnatic singing is a classical South Indian style of music that involves rigorous training to produce an "open throated" loud, predominantly low-pitched singing, embedded with vocal nuances in higher pitches. Voice problems in singers are not uncommon. The objective was to report the nature of voice problems and apply a routine protocol to assess the voice. Forty-five trained performing singers (females: 36 and males: 9) who reported to a tertiary care hospital with voice problems underwent voice assessment. The study analyzed their problems and the clinical findings. Voice change, difficulty in singing higher pitches, and voice fatigue were major complaints. Most of the singers suffered laryngopharyngeal reflux that coexisted with muscle tension dysphonia and chronic laryngitis. Speaking voices were rated predominantly as "moderate deviation" on GRBAS (Grade, Rough, Breathy, Asthenia, and Strain). Maximum phonation time ranged from 4 to 29 seconds (females: 10.2, standard deviation [SD]: 5.28 and males: 15.7, SD: 5.79). Singing frequency range was reduced (females: 21.3 Semitones and males: 23.99 Semitones). Dysphonia severity index (DSI) scores ranged from -3.5 to 4.91 (females: 0.075 and males: 0.64). Singing frequency range and DSI did not show significant difference between sex and across clinical diagnosis. Self-perception using voice disorder outcome profile revealed overall severity score of 5.1 (SD: 2.7). Findings are discussed from a clinical intervention perspective. Study highlighted the nature of voice problems (hyperfunctional) and required modifications in assessment protocol for Carnatic singers. Need for regular assessments and vocal hygiene education to maintain good vocal health are emphasized as outcomes. Copyright © 2014 The Voice Foundation. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Plasma Cholesterol–Induced Lesion Networks Activated before Regression of Early, Mature, and Advanced Atherosclerosis

PubMed Central

Björkegren, Johan L. M.; Hägg, Sara; Jain, Rajeev K.; Cedergren, Cecilia; Shang, Ming-Mei; Rossignoli, Aránzazu; Takolander, Rabbe; Melander, Olle; Hamsten, Anders; Michoel, Tom; Skogsberg, Josefin

2014-01-01

Plasma cholesterol lowering (PCL) slows and sometimes prevents progression of atherosclerosis and may even lead to regression. Little is known about how molecular processes in the atherosclerotic arterial wall respond to PCL and modify responses to atherosclerosis regression. We studied atherosclerosis regression and global gene expression responses to PCL (≥80%) and to atherosclerosis regression itself in early, mature, and advanced lesions. In atherosclerotic aortic wall from Ldlr−/−Apob 100/100 Mttp flox/floxMx1-Cre mice, atherosclerosis regressed after PCL regardless of lesion stage. However, near-complete regression was observed only in mice with early lesions; mice with mature and advanced lesions were left with regression-resistant, relatively unstable plaque remnants. Atherosclerosis genes responding to PCL before regression, unlike those responding to the regression itself, were enriched in inherited risk for coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction, indicating causality. Inference of transcription factor (TF) regulatory networks of these PCL-responsive gene sets revealed largely different networks in early, mature, and advanced lesions. In early lesions, PPARG was identified as a specific master regulator of the PCL-responsive atherosclerosis TF-regulatory network, whereas in mature and advanced lesions, the specific master regulators were MLL5 and SRSF10/XRN2, respectively. In a THP-1 foam cell model of atherosclerosis regression, siRNA targeting of these master regulators activated the time-point-specific TF-regulatory networks and altered the accumulation of cholesterol esters. We conclude that PCL leads to complete atherosclerosis regression only in mice with early lesions. Identified master regulators and related PCL-responsive TF-regulatory networks will be interesting targets to enhance PCL-mediated regression of mature and advanced atherosclerotic lesions. PMID:24586211

Advanced wireless mobile collaborative sensing network for tactical and strategic missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Hao

2017-05-01

In this paper, an advanced wireless mobile collaborative sensing network will be developed. Through properly combining wireless sensor network, emerging mobile robots and multi-antenna sensing/communication techniques, we could demonstrate superiority of developed sensing network. To be concrete, heterogeneous mobile robots including unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) are equipped with multi-model sensors and wireless transceiver antennas. Through real-time collaborative formation control, multiple mobile robots can team the best formation that can provide most accurate sensing results. Also, formatting multiple mobile robots can also construct a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication system that can provide a reliable and high performance communication network.

Voice hearing: a secondary analysis of talk by people who hear voices.

PubMed

Jones, Malcolm; Coffey, Michael

2012-02-01

Unitary explanations of mental illness symptoms appear to be inadequate when faced with everyday experiences of living with these conditions. In particular, the experience of voice hearing is not sufficiently accounted for by biomedical explanations. This paper revisits data collected from a sample of people who hear voices to perform a secondary analysis with the aim of examining the explanatory devices deployed by individuals in their accounts of voice hearing. Secondary analysis is the use of existing data, collected for a previous study, in order to explore a research question distinct from the original inquiry. In this study, we subjected these data to a thematic analysis. People who hear voices make use of standard psychiatric explanations about the experience in their accounts. However, the accounts paint a more complex picture and show that people also impute personal meaning to the experience. This in turn implicates both personal and social identity; that is, how the person is known to themselves and to others. We suggest that this knowledge can inform a more thoughtful engagement with the experiences of voice hearing by mental health nurses. © 2011 The Authors; International Journal of Mental Health Nursing © 2011 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc.

Does CPAP treatment affect the voice?

PubMed

Saylam, Güleser; Şahin, Mustafa; Demiral, Dilek; Bayır, Ömer; Yüceege, Melike Bağnu; Çadallı Tatar, Emel; Korkmaz, Mehmet Hakan

2016-12-20

The aim of this study was to investigate alterations in voice parameters among patients using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Patients with an indication for CPAP treatment without any voice problems and with normal laryngeal findings were included and voice parameters were evaluated before and 1 and 6 months after CPAP. Videolaryngostroboscopic findings, a self-rated scale (Voice Handicap Index-10, VHI-10), perceptual voice quality assessment (GRBAS: grade, roughness, breathiness, asthenia, strain), and acoustic parameters were compared. Data from 70 subjects (48 men and 22 women) with a mean age of 44.2 ± 6.0 years were evaluated. When compared with the pre-CPAP treatment period, there was a significant increase in the VHI-10 score after 1 month of treatment and in VHI- 10 and total GRBAS scores, jitter percent (P = 0.01), shimmer percent, noise-to-harmonic ratio, and voice turbulence index after 6 months of treatment. Vague negative effects on voice parameters after the first month of CPAP treatment became more evident after 6 months. We demonstrated nonsevere alterations in the voice quality of patients under CPAP treatment. Given that CPAP is a long-term treatment it is important to keep these alterations in mind.

Network Quality of Service Monitoring for IP Telephony.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ghita, B. V.; Furnell, S. M.; Lines, B. M.; Le-Foll, D.; Ifeachor, E. C.

2001-01-01

Discusses the development of real-time applications on the Internet for telecommunications and presents a non-intrusive way of determining network performance parameters for voice packet flows within a voice over IP (Internet Protocol), or Internet telephony call. Considers measurement of quality of service and describes results of a preliminary…

VOT and the perception of voicing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Remez, Robert E.

2004-05-01

In explaining the ability to distinguish phonemes, linguists have described the dimension of voicing. Acoustic analyses have identified many correlates of the voicing contrast in initial, medial, and final consonants within syllables, and these in turn have motivated studies of the perceptual resolution of voicing. The framing conceptualization articulated by Lisker and Abramson 40 years ago in physiological, phonetic, and perceptual studies has been widely influential, and research on voicing now adopts their perspective without reservation. Their original survey included languages with two voicing categories (Dutch, Puerto Rican Spanish, Hungarian, Tamil, Cantonese, English), three voicing categories (Eastern Armenian, Thai, Korean), and four voicing categories (Hindi, Marathi). Perceptual studies inspired by this work have also ranged widely, including tests with different languages and with listeners of several species. The profound value of the analyses of Lisker and Abramson is evident in the empirical traction provided by the concept of VOT in research on the every important perceptual question about speech and language in our era. Some of these classic perceptual investigations will be reviewed. [Research supported by NIH (DC00308).

Biphonation in voice signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herzel, Hanspeter; Reuter, Robert

1996-06-01

Irregularities in voiced speech are often observed as a consequence of vocal fold lesions, paralyses, and other pathological conditions. Many of these instabilities are related to the intrinsic nonlinearities in the vibrations of the vocal folds. In this paper, a specific nonlinear phenomenon is discussed: The appearance of two independent fundamental frequencies termed biphonation. Several narrow-band spectrograms are presented showing biphonation in signals from voice patients, a newborn cry, a singer, and excised larynx experiments. Finally, possible physiological mechanisms of instabilities of the voice source are discussed.

In Search of Voice: Theory and Methods in K-12 Student Voice Research in the Us, 1990-2010

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzalez, Taucia E.; Hernandez-Saca, David I.; Artiles, Alfredo J.

2017-01-01

Student voice research is a promising field of study that disrupts traditional student roles by reorganizing learning spaces that center youth voices. This review synthesizes student voice research by answering the following questions: (a) To what extent has student voice been studied at the K-12 levels in the US? (b) What are the conceptual…

Children's voices: can we hear them?

PubMed

McPherson, G; Thorne, S

2000-02-01

This article addresses an important but often neglected notion in the care of children--the notion of voice. Recognizing that a crucial role for pediatric nurses is that of advocate for the child, this article poses the questions of how children's voices can be heard and how nurses know whose voice they represent when they act in an advocacy capacity. Drawing on contributions from psychology, sociology, and feminist studies, the analysis narrows our focus to the special challenge created for pediatric nurses when they recognize the importance of voice in caring for children, and examines the complexities inherent in attending to voice in pediatric nursing practice.

Tracheostomy cannulas and voice prosthesis

PubMed Central

Kramp, Burkhard; Dommerich, Steffen

2011-01-01

Cannulas and voice prostheses are mechanical aids for patients who had to undergo tracheotomy or laryngectomy for different reasons. For better understanding of the function of those artificial devices, first the indications and particularities of the previous surgical intervention are described in the context of this review. Despite the established procedure of percutaneous dilatation tracheotomy e.g. in intensive care units, the application of epithelised tracheostomas has its own position, especially when airway obstruction is persistent (e.g. caused by traumata, inflammations, or tumors) and a longer artificial ventilation or special care of the patient are required. In order to keep the airways open after tracheotomy, tracheostomy cannulas of different materials with different functions are available. For each patient the most appropriate type of cannula must be found. Voice prostheses are meanwhile the device of choice for rapid and efficient voice rehabilitation after laryngectomy. Individual sizes and materials allow adaptation of the voice prostheses to the individual anatomical situation of the patients. The combined application of voice prostheses with HME (Head and Moisture Exchanger) allows a good vocal as well as pulmonary rehabilitation. Precondition for efficient voice prosthesis is the observation of certain surgical principles during laryngectomy. The duration of the prosthesis mainly depends on material properties and biofilms, mostly consisting of funguses and bacteries. The quality of voice with valve prosthesis is clearly superior to esophagus prosthesis or electro-laryngeal voice. Whenever possible, tracheostoma valves for free-hand speech should be applied. Physicians taking care of patients with speech prostheses after laryngectomy should know exactly what to do in case the device fails or gets lost. PMID:22073098

Tracheostomy cannulas and voice prosthesis.

PubMed

Kramp, Burkhard; Dommerich, Steffen

2009-01-01

Cannulas and voice prostheses are mechanical aids for patients who had to undergo tracheotomy or laryngectomy for different reasons. For better understanding of the function of those artificial devices, first the indications and particularities of the previous surgical intervention are described in the context of this review. Despite the established procedure of percutaneous dilatation tracheotomy e.g. in intensive care units, the application of epithelised tracheostomas has its own position, especially when airway obstruction is persistent (e.g. caused by traumata, inflammations, or tumors) and a longer artificial ventilation or special care of the patient are required. In order to keep the airways open after tracheotomy, tracheostomy cannulas of different materials with different functions are available. For each patient the most appropriate type of cannula must be found. Voice prostheses are meanwhile the device of choice for rapid and efficient voice rehabilitation after laryngectomy. Individual sizes and materials allow adaptation of the voice prostheses to the individual anatomical situation of the patients. The combined application of voice prostheses with HME (Head and Moisture Exchanger) allows a good vocal as well as pulmonary rehabilitation. Precondition for efficient voice prosthesis is the observation of certain surgical principles during laryngectomy. The duration of the prosthesis mainly depends on material properties and biofilms, mostly consisting of funguses and bacteries. The quality of voice with valve prosthesis is clearly superior to esophagus prosthesis or electro-laryngeal voice. Whenever possible, tracheostoma valves for free-hand speech should be applied. Physicians taking care of patients with speech prostheses after laryngectomy should know exactly what to do in case the device fails or gets lost.

Voice Tremor in Parkinson's Disease: An Acoustic Study.

PubMed

Gillivan-Murphy, Patricia; Miller, Nick; Carding, Paul

2018-01-30

Voice tremor associated with Parkinson disease (PD) has not been characterized. Its relationship with voice disability and disease variables is unknown. This study aimed to evaluate voice tremor in people with PD (pwPD) and a matched control group using acoustic analysis, and to examine correlations with voice disability and disease variables. Acoustic voice tremor analysis was completed on 30 pwPD and 28 age-gender matched controls. Voice disability (Voice Handicap Index), and disease variables of disease duration, Activities of Daily Living (Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale [UPDRS II]), and motor symptoms related to PD (UPDRS III) were examined for relationship with voice tremor measures. Voice tremor was detected acoustically in pwPD and controls with similar frequency. PwPD had a statistically significantly higher rate of amplitude tremor (Hz) than controls (P = 0.001). Rate of amplitude tremor was negatively and significantly correlated with UPDRS III total score (rho -0.509). For pwPD, the magnitude and periodicity of acoustic tremor was higher than for controls without statistical significance. The magnitude of frequency tremor (Mftr%) was positively and significantly correlated with disease duration (rho 0.463). PwPD had higher Voice Handicap Index total, functional, emotional, and physical subscale scores than matched controls (P < 0.001). Voice disability did not correlate significantly with acoustic voice tremor measures. Acoustic analysis enhances understanding of PD voice tremor characteristics, its pathophysiology, and its relationship with voice disability and disease symptomatology. Copyright © 2018 The Voice Foundation. All rights reserved.

Epidemiology of Voice Disorders in Latvian School Teachers.

PubMed

Trinite, Baiba

2017-07-01

The prevalence of voice disorders in the teacher population in Latvia has not been studied so far and this is the first epidemiological study whose goal is to investigate the prevalence of voice disorders and their risk factors in this professional group. A wide cross-sectional study using stratified sampling methodology was implemented in the general education schools of Latvia. The self-administered voice risk factor questionnaire and the Voice Handicap Index were completed by 522 teachers. Two teachers groups were formed: the voice disorders group which included 235 teachers with actual voice problems or problems during the last 9 months; and the control group which included 174 teachers without voice disorders. Sixty-six percent of teachers gave a positive answer to the following question: Have you ever had problems with your voice? Voice problems are more often found in female than male teachers (68.2% vs 48.8%). Music teachers suffer from voice disorders more often than teachers of other subjects. Eighty-two percent of teachers first faced voice problems in their professional carrier. The odds of voice disorders increase if the following risk factors exist: extra vocal load, shouting, throat clearing, neglecting of personal health, background noise, chronic illnesses of the upper respiratory tract, allergy, job dissatisfaction, and regular stress in the working place. The study findings indicated a high risk of voice disorders among Latvian teachers. The study confirmed data concerning the multifactorial etiology of voice disorders. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sex hormones and the elderly male voice.

PubMed

Gugatschka, Markus; Kiesler, Karl; Obermayer-Pietsch, Barbara; Schoekler, Bernadette; Schmid, Christoph; Groselj-Strele, Andrea; Friedrich, Gerhard

2010-05-01

The objective was to describe influences of sex hormones on the male voice in an elderly cohort. Sixty-three elderly males were recruited to undergo assessment of voice parameters, stroboscopy, voice-related questionnaires, a blood draw, and an ultrasound examination of the laryngeal skeleton. The group was divided into men with normal hormonal status and men with lowered levels of sex hormones, called hypogonades. Depending on the level of androgens, voice parameters did not differ. In subjects with decreased levels of estrogens, a significant increase in mean fundamental frequency, as well as changes of highest and lowest frequency plus a shift of the frequency range could be detected. We could detect significant changes of voice parameters depending on status of estrogens in elderly males. Androgens appear to have no impact on the elderly male voice. To our knowledge, this is the first prospective study that correlates sex hormones with voice parameters in elderly men. (c) 2010 The Voice Foundation. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Voice quality after endoscopic laser surgery and radiotherapy for early glottic cancer: objective measurements emphasizing the Voice Handicap Index

PubMed Central

Caminero Cueva, Maria Jesús; Señaris González, Blanca; Llorente Pendás, José Luis; Gorriz Gil, Carmen; López Llames, Aurora; Alonso Pantiga, Ramón; Suárez Nieto, Carlos

2007-01-01

We analyzed the functional outcome and self-evaluation of the voice of patients with T1 glottic carcinoma treated with endoscopic laser surgery and radiotherapy. We performed an objective voice evaluation, as well as a physical, emotional and functional well being assessment of 19 patients treated with laser surgery and 18 patients treated with radiotherapy. Voice quality is affected both by surgery and radiotherapy. Voice parameters only show differences in the maximum phonation time between both treatments. Results in the Voice Handicap Index show that radiotherapy has less effect on patient voice quality perception. There is a reduced impact on the patient’s perception of voice quality after radiotherapy, despite there being no significant differences in vocal quality between radiotherapy and laser cordectomy. PMID:17999074

Voice Controlled Wheelchair

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

Michael Condon, a quadraplegic from Pasadena, California, demonstrates the NASA-developed voice-controlled wheelchair and its manipulator, which can pick up packages, open doors, turn a TV knob, and perform a variety of other functions. A possible boon to paralyzed and other severely handicapped persons, the chair-manipulator system responds to 35 one-word voice commands, such as "go," "stop," "up," "down," "right," "left," "forward," "backward." The heart of the system is a voice-command analyzer which utilizes a minicomputer. Commands are taught I to the computer by the patient's repeating them a number of times; thereafter the analyzer recognizes commands only in the patient's particular speech pattern. The computer translates commands into electrical signals which activate appropriate motors and cause the desired motion of chair or manipulator. Based on teleoperator and robot technology for space-related programs, the voice-controlled system was developed by Jet Propulsion Laboratory under the joint sponsorship of NASA and the Veterans Administration. The wheelchair-manipulator has been tested at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital, Downey, California, and is being evaluated at the VA Prosthetics Center in New York City.

Deficits in voice and multisensory processing in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome.

PubMed

Salles, Juliette; Strelnikov, Kuzma; Carine, Mantoulan; Denise, Thuilleaux; Laurier, Virginie; Molinas, Catherine; Tauber, Maïthé; Barone, Pascal

2016-05-01

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare neurodevelopmental and genetic disorder that is characterized by various expression of endocrine, cognitive and behavioral problems, among which a true obsession for food and a deficit of satiety that leads to hyperphagia and severe obesity. Neuropsychological studies have reported that PWS display altered social interactions with a specific weakness in interpreting social information and in responding to them, a symptom closed to that observed in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Based on the hypothesis that atypical multisensory integration such as face and voice interactions would contribute in PWS to social impairment we investigate the abilities of PWS to process communication signals including the human voice. Patients with PWS recruited from the national reference center for PWS performed a simple detection task of stimuli presented in an uni-o or bimodal condition, as well as a voice discrimination task. Compared to control typically developing (TD) individuals, PWS present a specific deficit in discriminating human voices from environmental sounds. Further, PWS present a much lower multisensory benefits with an absence of violation of the race model indicating that multisensory information do not converge and interact prior to the initiation of the behavioral response. All the deficits observed in PWS were stronger for the subgroup of patients suffering from Uniparental Disomy, a population known to be more sensitive to ASD. Altogether, our study suggests that the deficits in social behavior observed in PWS derive at least partly from an impairment in deciphering the social information carried by voice signals, face signals, and the combination of both. In addition, our work is in agreement with the brain imaging studies revealing an alteration in PWS of the "social brain network" including the STS region involved in processing human voices. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fluid-acoustic interactions and their impact on pathological voiced speech

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erath, Byron D.; Zanartu, Matias; Peterson, Sean D.; Plesniak, Michael W.

2011-11-01

Voiced speech is produced by vibration of the vocal fold structures. Vocal fold dynamics arise from aerodynamic pressure loadings, tissue properties, and acoustic modulation of the driving pressures. Recent speech science advancements have produced a physiologically-realistic fluid flow solver (BLEAP) capable of prescribing asymmetric intraglottal flow attachment that can be easily assimilated into reduced order models of speech. The BLEAP flow solver is extended to incorporate acoustic loading and sound propagation in the vocal tract by implementing a wave reflection analog approach for sound propagation based on the governing BLEAP equations. This enhanced physiological description of the physics of voiced speech is implemented into a two-mass model of speech. The impact of fluid-acoustic interactions on vocal fold dynamics is elucidated for both normal and pathological speech through linear and nonlinear analysis techniques. Supported by NSF Grant CBET-1036280.

Clinical Features of Psychogenic Voice Disorder and the Efficiency of Voice Therapy and Psychological Evaluation.

PubMed

Tezcaner, Zahide Çiler; Gökmen, Muhammed Fatih; Yıldırım, Sibel; Dursun, Gürsel

2017-11-06

The aim of this study was to define the clinical features of psychogenic voice disorder (PVD) and explore the treatment efficiency of voice therapy and psychological evaluation. Fifty-eight patients who received treatment following the PVD diagnosis and had no organic or other functional voice disorders were assessed retrospectively based on laryngoscopic examinations and subjective and objective assessments. Epidemiological characteristics, accompanying organic and psychological disorders, preferred methods of treatment, and previous treatment outcomes were examined for each patient. A comparison was made based on voice disorders and responses to treatment between patients who received psychotherapy and patients who did not. Participants in this study comprised 58 patients, 10 male and 48 female. Voice therapy was applied in all patients, 54 (93.1%) of whom had improvement in their voice. Although all patients were advised to undergo psychological assessment, only 60.3% (35/58) of them underwent psychological assessment. No statistically significant difference was found between patients who did receive psychological support concerning their treatment responses and patients who did not. Relapse occurred in 14.7% (5/34) of the patients who applied for psychological assessment and in 50% (10/20) of those who did not. There was a statistically significant difference in relapse rates, which was higher among patients who did not receive psychological support (P < 0.005). Voice therapy is an efficient treatment method for PVD. However, in the long-term follow-up, relapse of the disease is observed to be higher among patients who failed to follow up on the recommendation for psychological assessment. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Model for Incorporating Patient and Stakeholder Voices in a Learning Healthcare Network: Washington State’s Comparative Effectiveness Research Translation Network (CERTAIN)

PubMed Central

Devine, EB; Alfonso-Cristancho, R; Devlin, A; Edwards, TC; Farrokhi, ET; Kessler, L; Lavallee, DC; Patrick, DL; Sullivan, SD; Tarczy-Hornoch, P; Yanez, ND; Flum, DR

2014-01-01

Objective To describe the inaugural comparative effectiveness research (CER) cohort study of Washington State’s Comparative Effectiveness Research Translation Network (CERTAIN), which compares invasive to non-invasive treatments for peripheral artery disease; to focus on the patient-centeredness of this cohort study by describing it within the context of a newly published conceptual frameworks for patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR). Study Design and Setting The peripheral artery disease study was selected due to clinician-identified uncertainty in treatment selection and differences in desired outcomes between patients and clinicians. Patient-centeredness is achieved through the ‘Patient Voices Project’, a CERTAIN initiative through which patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments are administered for research and clinical purposes, and a study-specific patient advisory group where patients are meaningfully engaged throughout the life cycle of the trial. A clinician-led research advisory panel follows in parallel. Results Primary outcomes are PRO instruments that measure function, health-related quality of life, and symptoms; the latter developed with input from patients. Input from the patient advisory group led to revised retention procedures, which now focus on short-term (3–6 months) follow-up. The research advisory panel is piloting a point-of-care, patient assessment checklist, there by returning study results to practice. The cohort study is aligned with the tenets of one of the new conceptual frameworks for conducting PCOR. Conclusion CERTAIN’s inaugural cohort study may serve as a useful model for conducting PCOR and creating a Learning Healthcare Network. PMID:23849146

It doesn't matter what you say: FMRI correlates of voice learning and recognition independent of speech content.

PubMed

Zäske, Romi; Awwad Shiekh Hasan, Bashar; Belin, Pascal

2017-09-01

Listeners can recognize newly learned voices from previously unheard utterances, suggesting the acquisition of high-level speech-invariant voice representations during learning. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) we investigated the anatomical basis underlying the acquisition of voice representations for unfamiliar speakers independent of speech, and their subsequent recognition among novel voices. Specifically, listeners studied voices of unfamiliar speakers uttering short sentences and subsequently classified studied and novel voices as "old" or "new" in a recognition test. To investigate "pure" voice learning, i.e., independent of sentence meaning, we presented German sentence stimuli to non-German speaking listeners. To disentangle stimulus-invariant and stimulus-dependent learning, during the test phase we contrasted a "same sentence" condition in which listeners heard speakers repeating the sentences from the preceding study phase, with a "different sentence" condition. Voice recognition performance was above chance in both conditions although, as expected, performance was higher for same than for different sentences. During study phases activity in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) was related to subsequent voice recognition performance and same versus different sentence condition, suggesting an involvement of the left IFG in the interactive processing of speaker and speech information during learning. Importantly, at test reduced activation for voices correctly classified as "old" compared to "new" emerged in a network of brain areas including temporal voice areas (TVAs) of the right posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG), as well as the right inferior/middle frontal gyrus (IFG/MFG), the right medial frontal gyrus, and the left caudate. This effect of voice novelty did not interact with sentence condition, suggesting a role of temporal voice-selective areas and extra-temporal areas in the explicit recognition of learned voice identity

Associations between the Transsexual Voice Questionnaire (TVQ[superscript MtF) and Self-Report of Voice Femininity and Acoustic Voice Measures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dacakis, Georgia; Oates, Jennifer; Douglas, Jacinta

2017-01-01

Background: The Transsexual Voice Questionnaire (TVQ[Superscript MtF]) was designed to capture the voice-related perceptions of individuals whose gender identity as female is the opposite of their birth-assigned gender (MtF women). Evaluation of the psychometric properties of the TVQ[Superscript MtF]is ongoing. Aims: To investigate associations…

Treating voice disorders in the school-based setting: working within the framework of IDEA.

PubMed

Ruddy, Bari Hoffman; Sapienza, Christine M

2004-10-01

The role of the speech-language pathologist (SLP) has developed considerably over the last 10 years given the medical and technological advances in lifesustaining procedures. Over time, children born with congenital, surgical, or "medically fragile" conditions hav become mainstreamed into regular school-based settings, thus extending the traditional role of the SLP and multidisciplinary team. Understanding the impact of these voice disorders on the child's educational performance has been a struggle for many clinicians because the eligibility decisions for students in school-based settings must be made within the framework of federal legislation and regulations governing the provision of services for students with disabilities. This article discusses how to identify children with voice disorders under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) definition, the role of the SLP in assigning priority in various voice management scenarios, and how models of therapy can be incorporated in the school-based setting.

Finding Your Voice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neugebauer, Bonnie

2008-01-01

In this article, the author offers ways on how to find a voice when telling or sharing stories in print or in person. To find a voice, someone must: (1) Trust themselves; (2) Trust their audience whether they know they can trust them or not; (3) Be respectful in their inventions; (4) Listen to and read the stories of others; (5) Make mistakes; (6)…

Voice Response Systems Technology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerald, Jeanette

1984-01-01

Examines two methods of generating synthetic speech in voice response systems, which allow computers to communicate in human terms (speech), using human interface devices (ears): phoneme and reconstructed voice systems. Considerations prior to implementation, current and potential applications, glossary, directory, and introduction to Input Output…

Advanced optical network architecture for integrated digital avionics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgan, D. Reed

1996-12-01

For the first time in the history of avionics, the network designer now has a choice in selecting the media that interconnects the sources and sinks of digital data on aircraft. Electrical designs are already giving way to photonics in application areas where the data rate times distance product is large or where special design requirements such as low weight or EMI considerations are critical. Future digital avionic architectures will increasingly favor the use of photonic interconnects as network data rates of one gigabit/second and higher are needed to support real-time operation of high-speed integrated digital processing. As the cost of optical network building blocks is reduced and as temperature-rugged laser sources are matured, metal interconnects will be forced to retreat to applications spanning shorter and shorter distances. Although the trend is already underway, the widespread use of digital optics will first occur at the system level, where gigabit/second, real-time interconnects between sensors, processors, mass memories and displays separated by a least of few meters will be required. The application of photonic interconnects for inter-printed wiring board signalling across the backplane will eventually find application for gigabit/second applications since signal degradation over copper traces occurs before one gigabit/second and 0.5 meters are reached. For the foreseeable future however, metal interconnects will continue to be used to interconnect devices on printed wiring boards since 5 gigabit/second signals can be sent over metal up to around 15 centimeters. Current-day applications of optical interconnects at the system level are described and a projection of how advanced optical interconnect technology will be driven by the use of high speed integrated digital processing on future aircraft is presented. The recommended advanced network for application in the 2010 time frame is a fiber-based system with a signalling speed of around 2

In the Beginning Was the Familiar Voice Personally Familiar Voices in the Evolutionary and Contemporary Biology of Communication

PubMed Central

Sidtis, Diana; Kreiman, Jody

2011-01-01

The human voice is described in dialogic linguistics as an embodiment of self in a social context, contributing to expression, perception and mutual exchange of self, consciousness, inner life, and personhood. While these approaches are subjective and arise from phenomenological perspectives, scientific facts about personal vocal identity, and its role in biological development, support these views. It is our purpose to review studies of the biology of personal vocal identity -- the familiar voice pattern-- as providing an empirical foundation for the view that the human voice is an embodiment of self in the social context. Recent developments in the biology and evolution of communication are concordant with these notions, revealing that familiar voice recognition (also known as vocal identity recognition or individual vocal recognition) or contributed to survival in the earliest vocalizing species. Contemporary ethology documents the crucial role of familiar voices across animal species in signaling and perceiving internal states and personal identities. Neuropsychological studies of voice reveal multimodal cerebral associations arising across brain structures involved in memory, emotion, attention, and arousal in vocal perception and production, such that the voice represents the whole person. Although its roots are in evolutionary biology, human competence for processing layered social and personal meanings in the voice, as well as personal identity in a large repertory of familiar voice patterns, has achieved an immense sophistication. PMID:21710374

Changes after voice therapy in objective and subjective voice measurements of pediatric patients with vocal nodules.

PubMed

Tezcaner, Ciler Zahide; Karatayli Ozgursoy, Selmin; Ozgursoy, Selmin Karatayli; Sati, Isil; Dursun, Gursel

2009-12-01

The aim of this study was to analyze the efficiency of the voice therapy in children with vocal nodules by using the acoustic analysis and subjective assessment. Thirty-nine patients with vocal fold nodules, aged between 7 and 14, were included in the study. Each subject had voice therapy led by an experienced voice therapist once a week. All diagnostic and follow-up workouts were performed before the voice therapy and after the third or the sixth month. Transoral and/or transnasal videostroboscopic examination and acoustic analysis were achieved using multi-dimensional voice program (MDVP) and subjective analysis with GRBAS scale. As for the perceptual assessment, the difference was significant for four parameters out of five. A significant improvement was found in the acoustic analysis parameters of jitter, shimmer, and noise-to-harmonic ratio. The voice therapy which was planned according to patients' needs, age, compliance and response to therapy had positive effects on pediatric patients with vocal nodules. Acoustic analysis and GRBAS may be used successfully in the follow-up of pediatric vocal nodule treatment.

14 CFR 23.1457 - Cockpit voice recorders.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... intelligibility. (c) Each cockpit voice recorder must be installed so that the part of the communication or audio... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Cockpit voice recorders. 23.1457 Section 23... Equipment § 23.1457 Cockpit voice recorders. (a) Each cockpit voice recorder required by the operating rules...

14 CFR 23.1457 - Cockpit voice recorders.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... intelligibility. (c) Each cockpit voice recorder must be installed so that the part of the communication or audio... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Cockpit voice recorders. 23.1457 Section 23... Equipment § 23.1457 Cockpit voice recorders. (a) Each cockpit voice recorder required by the operating rules...

14 CFR 23.1457 - Cockpit voice recorders.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... intelligibility. (c) Each cockpit voice recorder must be installed so that the part of the communication or audio... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Cockpit voice recorders. 23.1457 Section 23... Equipment § 23.1457 Cockpit voice recorders. (a) Each cockpit voice recorder required by the operating rules...

Maximal Ambient Noise Levels and Type of Voice Material Required for Valid Use of Smartphones in Clinical Voice Research.

PubMed

Lebacq, Jean; Schoentgen, Jean; Cantarella, Giovanna; Bruss, Franz Thomas; Manfredi, Claudia; DeJonckere, Philippe

2017-09-01

Smartphone technology provides new opportunities for recording standardized voice samples of patients and transmitting the audio files to the voice laboratory. This drastically improves the achievement of baseline designs, used in research on efficiency of voice treatments. However, the basic requirement is the suitability of smartphones for recording and digitizing pathologic voices (mainly characterized by period perturbations and noise) without significant distortion. In a previous article, this was tested using realistic synthesized deviant voice samples (/a:/) with three precisely known levels of jitter and of noise in all combinations. High correlations were found between jitter and noise to harmonics ratio measured in (1) recordings via smartphones, (2) direct microphone recordings, and (3) sound files generated by the synthesizer. In the present work, similar experiments were performed (1) in the presence of increasing levels of ambient noise and (2) using synthetic deviant voice samples (/a:/) as well as synthetic voice material simulating a deviant short voiced utterance (/aiuaiuaiu/). Ambient noise levels up to 50 dB A are acceptable. However, signal processing occurs in some smartphones, and this significantly affects estimates of jitter and noise to harmonics ratio when formant changes are introduced in analogy with running speech. The conclusion is that voice material must provisionally be limited to a sustained /a/. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The prevalence of voice disorders in 911 emergency telecommunicators.

PubMed

Johns-Fiedler, Heidi; van Mersbergen, Miriam

2015-05-01

Emergency 911 dispatchers or telecommunicators have been cited as occupational voice users who could be at risk for voice disorders. To test the theoretical assumption that the 911 emergency telecommunicators (911ETCs) are exposed to risk for voice disorders because of their heavy vocal load, this study assessed the prevalence of voice complaints in 911ETCs. A cross-sectional survey was sent to two large national organizations for 911ETCs with 71 complete responses providing information about voice health, voice complaints, and work load. Although 911ETCs have a higher rate of reported voice symptoms and score higher on the Voice Handicap Index-10 than the general public, they have a voice disorder diagnosis prevalence that mirrors the prevalence of the general population. The 911ETCs may be underserved in the voice community and would benefit from education on vocal health and treatments for voice complaints. Copyright © 2015 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Influence of Sleep Disorders on Voice Quality.

PubMed

Rocha, Bruna Rainho; Behlau, Mara

2017-09-19

To verify the influence of sleep quality on the voice. Descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study. Data were collected by an online or printed survey divided in three parts: (1) demographic data and vocal health aspects; (2) self-assessment of sleep and vocal quality, and the influence that sleep has on voice; and (3) sleep and voice self-assessment inventories-the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Voice Handicap Index reduced version (VHI-10). A total of 862 people were included (493 women, 369 men), with a mean age of 32 years old (maximum age of 79 and minimum age of 18 years old). The perception of the influence that sleep has on voice showed a difference (P < 0.050) between measures of sleep quality and vocal self-assessment. There were higher scores on the ESS, PSQI, and VHI-10 protocols if sleep and vocal self-assessment were poor. The results indicate that the greater the effect that sleep has on voice, the greater the perceived voice handicap. The aspects that influence a voice handicap are vocal self-assessment, ESS total score, and self-assessment of the influence that sleep has on voice. The absence of daytime sleepiness is a protective factor (odds ratio [OR] > 1) against perceived voice handicap; the presence of daytime sleepiness is a damaging factor (OR < 1). Sleep quality influences voice. Perceived poor sleep quality is related to perceived poor vocal quality. Individuals with a voice handicap observe a greater influence of sleep on voice than those without. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Sound of Voice: Voice-Based Categorization of Speakers’ Sexual Orientation within and across Languages

PubMed Central

Maass, Anne; Paladino, Maria Paola; Vespignani, Francesco; Eyssel, Friederike; Bentler, Dominik

2015-01-01

Empirical research had initially shown that English listeners are able to identify the speakers' sexual orientation based on voice cues alone. However, the accuracy of this voice-based categorization, as well as its generalizability to other languages (language-dependency) and to non-native speakers (language-specificity), has been questioned recently. Consequently, we address these open issues in 5 experiments: First, we tested whether Italian and German listeners are able to correctly identify sexual orientation of same-language male speakers. Then, participants of both nationalities listened to voice samples and rated the sexual orientation of both Italian and German male speakers. We found that listeners were unable to identify the speakers' sexual orientation correctly. However, speakers were consistently categorized as either heterosexual or gay on the basis of how they sounded. Moreover, a similar pattern of results emerged when listeners judged the sexual orientation of speakers of their own and of the foreign language. Overall, this research suggests that voice-based categorization of sexual orientation reflects the listeners' expectations of how gay voices sound rather than being an accurate detector of the speakers' actual sexual identity. Results are discussed with regard to accuracy, acoustic features of voices, language dependency and language specificity. PMID:26132820

The Sound of Voice: Voice-Based Categorization of Speakers' Sexual Orientation within and across Languages.

PubMed

Sulpizio, Simone; Fasoli, Fabio; Maass, Anne; Paladino, Maria Paola; Vespignani, Francesco; Eyssel, Friederike; Bentler, Dominik

2015-01-01

Empirical research had initially shown that English listeners are able to identify the speakers' sexual orientation based on voice cues alone. However, the accuracy of this voice-based categorization, as well as its generalizability to other languages (language-dependency) and to non-native speakers (language-specificity), has been questioned recently. Consequently, we address these open issues in 5 experiments: First, we tested whether Italian and German listeners are able to correctly identify sexual orientation of same-language male speakers. Then, participants of both nationalities listened to voice samples and rated the sexual orientation of both Italian and German male speakers. We found that listeners were unable to identify the speakers' sexual orientation correctly. However, speakers were consistently categorized as either heterosexual or gay on the basis of how they sounded. Moreover, a similar pattern of results emerged when listeners judged the sexual orientation of speakers of their own and of the foreign language. Overall, this research suggests that voice-based categorization of sexual orientation reflects the listeners' expectations of how gay voices sound rather than being an accurate detector of the speakers' actual sexual identity. Results are discussed with regard to accuracy, acoustic features of voices, language dependency and language specificity.

Treatment of Voice Disorders in Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hooper, Celia R.

2004-01-01

Children with voice disorders do respond to treatment, with vocal hyperfunction being the predominant disorder on the caseload of the pediatric voice clinician. This article reviews the literature in describing what is known about these children and typical disorders, prevention of voice disorders, the need for treatment, the referral patterns of…

Treatment outcomes for professional voice users.

PubMed

Wingate, Judith M; Brown, William S; Shrivastav, Rahul; Davenport, Paul; Sapienza, Christine M

2007-07-01

Professional voice users comprise 25% to 35% of the U.S. working population. Their voice problems may interfere with job performance and impact costs for both employers and employees. The purpose of this study was to examine treatment outcomes of two specific rehabilitation programs for a group of professional voice users. Eighteen professional voice users participated in this study; half had complaints of throat pain or vocal fatigue (Dysphonia Group), and half were found to have benign vocal fold lesions (Lesion Group). One group received 5 weeks of expiratory muscle strength training followed by six sessions of traditional voice therapy. Treatment order was reversed for the second group. The study was designed as a repeated measures study with independent variables of treatment order, laryngeal diagnosis (lesion vs non-lesion), gender, and time. Dependent variables included maximum expiratory pressure (MEP), Voice Handicap Index (VHI) score, Vocal Rating Scale (VRS) score, Voice Effort Scale score, phonetogram measures, subglottal pressures, and acoustic and perceptual measures. Results showed significant improvements in MEP, VHI scores, and VRS scores, subglottal pressure for loud intensity, phonetogram area, and dynamic range. No significant difference was found between laryngeal diagnosis groups. A significant difference was not observed for treatment order. It was concluded that the combined treatment was responsible for the improvements observed. The results indicate that a combined modality treatment may be successful in the remediation of vocal problems for professional voice users.

The Rise of the Child's Voice; the Silencing of the Spiritual Voice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Kate

2009-01-01

In recent years the notion of the child's voice has gained prominence, particularly influenced by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1989 which outlined rights for children on an international scale. Many countries, including the UK, subsequently legislated for the child's voice to be heard in a variety of arenas…

ALASKA MARINE VHF VOICE

Science.gov Websites

Tsunamis 406 EPIRB's National Weather Service Marine Forecasts ALASKA MARINE VHF VOICE Marine Forecast greater danger near shore or any shallow waters? NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PRODUCTS VIA ALASKA MARINE VHF VOICE NOAA broadcasts offshore forecasts, nearshore forecasts and storm warnings on marine VHF channels

Modeling Signaling Networks to Advance New Cancer Therapies.

PubMed

Saez-Rodriguez, Julio; MacNamara, Aidan; Cook, Simon

2015-01-01

Cell signaling pathways control cells' responses to their environment through an intricate network of proteins and small molecules partitioned by intracellular structures, such as the cytoskeleton and nucleus. Our understanding of these pathways has been revised recently with the advent of more advanced experimental techniques; no longer are signaling pathways viewed as linear cascades of information flowing from membrane-bound receptors to the nucleus. Instead, such pathways must be understood in the context of networks, and studying such networks requires an integration of computational and experimental approaches. This understanding is becoming more important in designing novel therapies for diseases such as cancer. Using the MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) and PI3K (class I phosphoinositide-3' kinase) pathways as case studies of cellular signaling, we give an overview of these pathways and their functions. We then describe, using a number of case studies, how computational modeling has aided in understanding these pathways' deregulation in cancer, and how such understanding can be used to optimally tailor current therapies or help design new therapies against cancer.

Voice pedagogy-what do we need?

PubMed

Gill, Brian P; Herbst, Christian T

2016-12-01

The final keynote panel of the 10th Pan-European Voice Conference (PEVOC) was concerned with the topic 'Voice pedagogy-what do we need?' In this communication the panel discussion is summarized, and the authors provide a deepening discussion on one of the key questions, addressing the roles and tasks of people working with voice students. In particular, a distinction is made between (1) voice building (derived from the German term 'Stimmbildung'), primarily comprising the functional and physiological aspects of singing; (2) coaching, mostly concerned with performance skills; and (3) singing voice rehabilitation. Both public and private educators are encouraged to apply this distinction to their curricula, in order to arrive at more efficient singing teaching and to reduce the risk of vocal injury to the singers concerned.

Can We Hear the Student Voice?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garlick, Su

2008-01-01

The Student Voice project was launched in January 2007. The aim was to provide a method of encouraging students to become actively involved in decisions about their own learning and empowering them with appropriate ways to do so. Ninety-two pupils were divided up into specific focus groups (a voice). These "voices" include: (1) the…

MoNET: media over net gateway processor for next-generation network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elabd, Hammam; Sundar, Rangarajan; Dedes, John

2001-12-01

MoNETTM (Media over Net) SX000 product family is designed using a scalable voice, video and packet-processing platform to address applications with channel densities from few voice channels to four OC3 per card. This platform is developed for bridging public circuit-switched network to the next generation packet telephony and data network. The platform consists of a DSP farm, RISC processors and interface modules. DSP farm is required to execute voice compression, image compression and line echo cancellation algorithms for large number of voice, video, fax, and modem or data channels. RISC CPUs are used for performing various packetizations based on RTP, UDP/IP and ATM encapsulations. In addition, RISC CPUs also participate in the DSP farm load management and communication with the host and other MoP devices. The MoNETTM S1000 communications device is designed for voice processing and for bridging TDM to ATM and IP packet networks. The S1000 consists of the DSP farm based on Carmel DSP core and 32-bit RISC CPU, along with Ethernet, Utopia, PCI, and TDM interfaces. In this paper, we will describe the VoIP infrastructure, building blocks of the S500, S1000 and S3000 devices, algorithms executed on these device and associated channel densities, detailed DSP architecture, memory architecture, data flow and scheduling.

Patient-reported voice and speech outcomes after whole-neck intensity modulated radiation therapy and chemotherapy for oropharyngeal cancer: prospective longitudinal study.

PubMed

Vainshtein, Jeffrey M; Griffith, Kent A; Feng, Felix Y; Vineberg, Karen A; Chepeha, Douglas B; Eisbruch, Avraham

2014-08-01

To describe voice and speech quality changes and their predictors in patients with locally advanced oropharyngeal cancer treated on prospective clinical studies of organ-preserving chemotherapy-intensity modulated radiation therapy (chemo-IMRT). Ninety-one patients with stage III/IV oropharyngeal cancer were treated on 2 consecutive prospective studies of definitive chemoradiation using whole-field IMRT from 2003 to 2011. Patient-reported voice and speech quality were longitudinally assessed from before treatment through 24 months using the Communication Domain of the Head and Neck Quality of Life (HNQOL-C) instrument and the Speech question of the University of Washington Quality of Life (UWQOL-S) instrument, respectively. Factors associated with patient-reported voice quality worsening from baseline and speech impairment were assessed. Voice quality decreased maximally at 1 month, with 68% and 41% of patients reporting worse HNQOL-C and UWQOL-S scores compared with before treatment, and improved thereafter, recovering to baseline by 12-18 months on average. In contrast, observer-rated larynx toxicity was rare (7% at 3 months; 5% at 6 months). Among patients with mean glottic larynx (GL) dose ≤20 Gy, >20-30 Gy, >30-40 Gy, >40-50 Gy, and >50 Gy, 10%, 32%, 25%, 30%, and 63%, respectively, reported worse voice quality at 12 months compared with before treatment (P=.011). Results for speech impairment were similar. Glottic larynx dose, N stage, neck dissection, oral cavity dose, and time since chemo-IMRT were univariately associated with either voice worsening or speech impairment. On multivariate analysis, mean GL dose remained independently predictive for both voice quality worsening (8.1%/Gy) and speech impairment (4.3%/Gy). Voice quality worsening and speech impairment after chemo-IMRT for locally advanced oropharyngeal cancer were frequently reported by patients, underrecognized by clinicians, and independently associated with GL dose. These findings support

Patient-Reported Voice and Speech Outcomes After Whole-Neck Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy and Chemotherapy for Oropharyngeal Cancer: Prospective Longitudinal Study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vainshtein, Jeffrey M.; Griffith, Kent A.; Feng, Felix Y.

Purpose: To describe voice and speech quality changes and their predictors in patients with locally advanced oropharyngeal cancer treated on prospective clinical studies of organ-preserving chemotherapy–intensity modulated radiation therapy (chemo-IMRT). Methods and Materials: Ninety-one patients with stage III/IV oropharyngeal cancer were treated on 2 consecutive prospective studies of definitive chemoradiation using whole-field IMRT from 2003 to 2011. Patient-reported voice and speech quality were longitudinally assessed from before treatment through 24 months using the Communication Domain of the Head and Neck Quality of Life (HNQOL-C) instrument and the Speech question of the University of Washington Quality of Life (UWQOL-S) instrument, respectively.more » Factors associated with patient-reported voice quality worsening from baseline and speech impairment were assessed. Results: Voice quality decreased maximally at 1 month, with 68% and 41% of patients reporting worse HNQOL-C and UWQOL-S scores compared with before treatment, and improved thereafter, recovering to baseline by 12-18 months on average. In contrast, observer-rated larynx toxicity was rare (7% at 3 months; 5% at 6 months). Among patients with mean glottic larynx (GL) dose ≤20 Gy, >20-30 Gy, >30-40 Gy, >40-50 Gy, and >50 Gy, 10%, 32%, 25%, 30%, and 63%, respectively, reported worse voice quality at 12 months compared with before treatment (P=.011). Results for speech impairment were similar. Glottic larynx dose, N stage, neck dissection, oral cavity dose, and time since chemo-IMRT were univariately associated with either voice worsening or speech impairment. On multivariate analysis, mean GL dose remained independently predictive for both voice quality worsening (8.1%/Gy) and speech impairment (4.3%/Gy). Conclusions: Voice quality worsening and speech impairment after chemo-IMRT for locally advanced oropharyngeal cancer were frequently reported by patients, underrecognized by clinicians, and

Recognizing Student Leadership: Schools and Networks as Sites of Opportunity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGregor, Jane

2007-01-01

Against the wider background of increasing interest in pupil voice, this article gives examples of the student involvement activity in the largest of the National College of School Leadership (NCSL) development and enquiry initiatives: the Networked Learning Communities project. In programme-level research, student voice and participation were…

Smartphone App for Voice Disorders

MedlinePlus

... on. Feature: Taste, Smell, Hearing, Language, Voice, Balance Smartphone App for Voice Disorders Past Issues / Fall 2013 ... developed a mobile monitoring device that relies on smartphone technology to gather a week's worth of talking, ...

Using narrative inquiry to listen to the voices of adolescent mothers in relation to their use of social networking sites (SNS).

PubMed

Nolan, Samantha; Hendricks, Joyce; Williamson, Moira; Ferguson, Sally

2018-03-01

This article presents a discussion highlighting the relevance and strengths of using narrative inquiry to explore experiences of social networking site (SNS) use by adolescent mothers. Narrative inquiry as a method reveals truths about holistic human experience. Knowledge gleaned from personal narratives informs nursing knowledge and clinical practice. This approach gives voice to adolescent mothers in relation to their experiences with SNS as a means of providing social support. Discussion paper. This paper draws and reflects on the author's experiences using narrative inquiry and is supported by literature and theory. The following databases were searched: CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Medline, Scopus, ERIC, ProQuest, PsychINFO, Web of Science and Health Collection (Informit). Key terms and Boolean search operators were used to broaden the search criteria. Search terms included: adolescent mother, teenage mother, "social networking sites", online, social media, Facebook, social support, social capital and information. Dates for the search were limited to January 1995-June 2017. Narrative research inherently values the individual "story" of experience. This approach facilitates rapport building and methodological flexibility with an often difficult to engage sample group, adolescents. Narrative inquiry reveals a deep level of insight into social networking site use by adolescent mothers. The flexibility afforded by use of a narrative approach allows for fluidity and reflexivity in the research process. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Borderline Space for Voice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Batchelor, Denise

2012-01-01

Being on the borderline as a student in higher education is not always negative, to do with marginalisation, exclusion and having a voice that is vulnerable. Paradoxically, being on the edge also has positive connections with integration, inclusion and having a voice that is strong. Alternative understandings of the concept of borderline space can…

Ontario's Student Voice Initiative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Courtney, Jean

2014-01-01

This article describes in some detail aspects of the Student Voice initiative funded and championed by Ontario's Ministry of Education since 2008. The project enables thousands of students to make their voices heard in meaningful ways and to participate in student-led research. Some students from grades 7 to 12 become members of the Student…

Behavioral Treatment of Voice Disorders in Teachers

PubMed Central

Ziegler, Aaron; Gillespie, Amanda I.; Verdolini Abbott, Katherine

2010-01-01

Introduction The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on the behavioral treatment of voice disorders in teachers. The focus is on phonogenic disorders, that is voice disorders thought to be caused by voice use. Methods Review of the literature and commentary. Results The review exposes distinct holes in the literature on the treatment of voice problems in teachers. However, emerging trends in treatment are noted. For example, most studies identified for review implemented a multiple-therapy approach in a group setting, in contrast to only a few studies that assessed a single-therapy approach with individual patients. Although the review reveals that the evidence around behavioral treatment of voice disorders in teachers is mixed, a growing body of data provides some indicators on how effectively rehabilitation of teachers with phonogenic voice problems might be approached. Specifically, voice amplification demonstrates promise as a beneficial type of indirect therapy and vocal function exercises as well as resonant voice therapy show possible benefits as direct therapies. Finally, only a few studies identified even remotely begin to meet guidelines of the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials statement, a finding that emphasizes the need to increase the number of investigations that adhere to strict research standards. Conclusions Although data on the treatment of voice problems in teachers are still limited in the literature, emerging trends are noted. The accumulation of sufficient studies will ultimately provide useful evidence about this societally important issue. PMID:20093840

Experimentation and evaluation of advanced integrated system concepts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ross, M.; Garrigus, K.; Gottschalck, J.; Rinearson, L.; Longee, E.

1980-09-01

This final report examines the implementation of a time-phased test bed for experimentation and evaluation of advanced system concepts relative to the future Defense Switched Network (DSN). After identifying issues pertinent to the DSN, a set of experiments which address these issues are developed. Experiments are ordered based on their immediacy and relative importance to DSN development. The set of experiments thus defined allows requirements for a time phased implementation of a test bed to be identified, and several generic test bed architectures which meet these requirements are examined. Specific architecture implementations are costed and cost/schedule profiles are generated as a function of experimental capability. The final recommended system consists of two separate test beds: a circuit switch test bed, configured around an off-the-shelf commercial switch, and directed toward the examination of nearer term and transitional issues raised by the evolving DSN; and a packet/hybrid test bed, featuring a discrete buildup of new hardware and software modules, and directed toward examination of the more advanced integrated voice and data telecommunications issues and concepts.

Spirituality and hearing voices: considering the relation

PubMed Central

McCarthy-Jones, Simon; Waegeli, Amanda; Watkins, John

2013-01-01

For millennia, some people have heard voices that others cannot hear. These have been variously understood as medical, psychological and spiritual phenomena. In this article we consider the specific role of spirituality in voice-hearing in two ways. First, we examine how spirituality may help or hinder people who hear voices. Benefits are suggested to include offering an alternative meaning to the experience which can give more control and comfort, enabling the development of specific coping strategies, increasing social support, and encouraging forgiveness. Potential drawbacks are noted to include increased distress and reduced control resulting from placing frightening or coercive constructions on voices, social isolation, the development of dysfunctional beliefs, and missed/delayed opportunities for successful mental health interventions. After examining problems surrounding classifying voices as either spiritual or psychotic, we move beyond an essentialist position to examine how such a classification is likely to be fluid, and how a given voice may move between these designations. We also highlight tensions between modernist and postmodernist approaches to voice-hearing. PMID:24273597

Reliability in perceptual analysis of voice quality.

PubMed

Bele, Irene Velsvik

2005-12-01

This study focuses on speaking voice quality in male teachers (n = 35) and male actors (n = 36), who represent untrained and trained voice users, because we wanted to investigate normal and supranormal voices. In this study, both substantial and methodologic aspects were considered. It includes a method for perceptual voice evaluation, and a basic issue was rater reliability. A listening group of 10 listeners, 7 experienced speech-language therapists, and 3 speech-language therapist students evaluated the voices by 15 vocal characteristics using VA scales. Two sets of voice signals were investigated: text reading (2 loudness levels) and sustained vowel (3 levels). The results indicated a high interrater reliability for most perceptual characteristics. Connected speech was evaluated more reliably, especially at the normal level, but both types of voice signals were evaluated reliably, although the reliability for connected speech was somewhat higher than for vowels. Experienced listeners tended to be more consistent in their ratings than did the student raters. Some vocal characteristics achieved acceptable reliability even with a smaller panel of listeners. The perceptual characteristics grouped in 4 factors reflected perceptual dimensions.

Advanced Communication and Networking Technologies for Mars Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhasin, Kul; Hayden, Jeff; Agre, Jonathan R.; Clare, Loren P.; Yan, Tsun-Yee

2001-01-01

Next-generation Mars communications networks will provide communications and navigation services to a wide variety of Mars science vehicles including: spacecraft that are arriving at Mars, spacecraft that are entering and descending in the Mars atmosphere, scientific orbiter spacecraft, spacecraft that return Mars samples to Earth, landers, rovers, aerobots, airplanes, and sensing pods. In the current architecture plans, the communication services will be provided using capabilities deployed on the science vehicles as well as dedicated communication satellites that will together make up the Mars network. This network will evolve as additional vehicles arrive, depart or end their useful missions. Cost savings and increased reliability will result from the ability to share communication services between missions. This paper discusses the basic architecture that is needed to support the Mars Communications Network part of NASA's Space Science Enterprise (SSE) communications architecture. The network may use various networking technologies such as those employed in the terrestrial Internet, as well as special purpose deep-space protocols to move data and commands autonomously between vehicles, at disparate Mars vicinity sites (on the surface or in near-Mars space) and between Mars vehicles and earthbound users. The architecture of the spacecraft on-board local communications is being reconsidered in light of these new networking requirements. The trend towards increasingly autonomous operation of the spacecraft is aimed at reducing the dependence on resource scheduling provided by Earth-based operators and increasing system fault tolerance. However, these benefits will result in increased communication and software development requirements. As a result, the envisioned Mars communications infrastructure requires both hardware and protocol technology advancements. This paper will describe a number of the critical technology needs and some of the ongoing research

[Hearing voices does not always constitute a psychosis].

PubMed

Sommer, I E C; van der Spek, D W

2016-01-01

Hearing voices (i.e. auditory verbal hallucinations) is mainly known as part of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. However, hearing voices is a symptom that can occur in many psychiatric, neurological and general medical conditions. We present three cases of non-psychotic patients with auditory verbal hallucinations caused by different disorders. The first patient is a 74-year-old male with voices due to hearing loss, the second is a 20-year-old woman with voices due to traumatisation. The third patient is a 27-year-old woman with voices caused by temporal lobe epilepsy. Hearing voices is a phenomenon that occurs in a variety of disorders. Therefore, identification of the underlying disorder is essential to indicate treatment. Improvement of coping with the voices can reduce their impact on a patient. Antipsychotic drugs are especially effective when hearing voices is accompanied by delusions or disorganization. When this is not the case, the efficacy of antipsychotic drugs will probably not outweigh the side-effects.

[A comparative acoustic study of the speaking and singing voice during the adolescent's break of the voice].

PubMed

Amy de la Bretèque, B; Sanchez, S

2000-01-01

The observation of the vocal evolution of adolescent singers has shown it takes place in two stages, the singing voice changing after the speaking voice. The same pattern has been encountered and made more explicit with a study of 50 non-singer adolescents. It thus appears that the average pitch of the speaking voice deepening by one octave is not by itself the sign that the break of the voice has ended. This study also shows the individual nature of adolescent vocal evolution and its length (up to two years in one out of four cases).

Permanent Quadriplegia Following Replacement of Voice Prosthesis.

PubMed

Ozturk, Kayhan; Erdur, Omer; Kibar, Ertugrul

2016-11-01

The authors presented a patient with quadriplegia caused by cervical spine abscess following voice prosthesis replacement. The authors present the first reported permanent quadriplegia patient caused by voice prosthesis replacement. The authors wanted to emphasize that life-threatening complications may be faced during the replacement of voice prosthesis. Care should be taken during the replacement of voice prosthesis and if some problems have been faced during the procedure patients must be followed closely.

Progress on the Development of Future Airport Surface Wireless Communications Network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kerczewski, Robert J.; Budinger, James M.; Brooks, David E.; Franklin, Morgan; DeHart, Steve; Dimond, Robert P.; Borden, Michael

2009-01-01

Continuing advances in airport surface management and improvements in airport surface safety are required to enable future growth in air traffic throughout the airspace, as airport arrival and departure delays create a major system bottleneck. These airport management and safety advances will be built upon improved communications, navigation, surveillance, and weather sensing, creating an information environment supporting system automation. The efficient movement of the digital data generated from these systems requires an underlying communications network infrastructure to connect data sources with the intended users with the required quality of service. Current airport surface communications consists primarily of buried copper or fiber cable. Safety related communications with mobile airport surface assets occurs over 25 kHz VHF voice and data channels. The available VHF spectrum, already congested in many areas, will be insufficient to support future data traffic requirements. Therefore, a broadband wireless airport surface communications network is considered a requirement for the future airport component of the air transportation system. Progress has been made on defining the technology and frequency spectrum for the airport surface wireless communications network. The development of a test and demonstration facility and the definition of required testing and standards development are now underway. This paper will review the progress and planned future work.

Updating signal typing in voice: addition of type 4 signals.

PubMed

Sprecher, Alicia; Olszewski, Aleksandra; Jiang, Jack J; Zhang, Yu

2010-06-01

The addition of a fourth type of voice to Titze's voice classification scheme is proposed. This fourth voice type is characterized by primarily stochastic noise behavior and is therefore unsuitable for both perturbation and correlation dimension analysis. Forty voice samples were classified into the proposed four types using narrowband spectrograms. Acoustic, perceptual, and correlation dimension analyses were completed for all voice samples. Perturbation measures tended to increase with voice type. Based on reliability cutoffs, the type 1 and type 2 voices were considered suitable for perturbation analysis. Measures of unreliability were higher for type 3 and 4 voices. Correlation dimension analyses increased significantly with signal type as indicated by a one-way analysis of variance. Notably, correlation dimension analysis could not quantify the type 4 voices. The proposed fourth voice type represents a subset of voices dominated by noise behavior. Current measures capable of evaluating type 4 voices provide only qualitative data (spectrograms, perceptual analysis, and an infinite correlation dimension). Type 4 voices are highly complex and the development of objective measures capable of analyzing these voices remains a topic of future investigation.

Invisible but Essential: The Role of Professional Networks in Promoting Faculty Agency in Career Advancement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niehaus, Elizabeth; O'Meara, KerryAnn

2015-01-01

The benefits of professional networks are largely invisible to the people embedded in them (O'Reilly 1991), yet professional networks may provide key benefits for faculty careers. The purpose of the study reported here was to explore the role of professional networks in faculty agency in career advancement, specifically focusing on the overall…

Optoelectronic advancements in analog avionics networking systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilgus, Joseph S.

1996-12-01

Over the past two decades, the types of networks used in both commercial and military systems to route information throughout a designated platform have essentially remained unchanged. Traditionally, digital networks have been used to route low data rate, low-bandwidth signals usually not exceeding 2 Ghz, amongst a variety of sensors, digital and signal processors and video displays. On the other hand, analog networks have been responsible for routing broad- banded radio-frequency signals, those ranging from 2 Ghz to well beyond 100 Ghz, between a specific antenna aperture and its designated receiver type. Current analog systems use one of either two approaches to transfer this signal information. The first approach uses microwave waveguides. This design is very efficient, albeit bulky, and has typically been used in ground-based systems. HOwever, it does not lend itself very well to airborne platforms where size and weight constraint are of primary concern. The second approach uses coaxial cable, which tends to exhibit excessive loss at higher frequencies and is much heavier than optical fiber. Like its counterpart the microwave waveguide, it too is not ideally suited for airborne platforms. However, up to now it has been the technology of choice for this particular application. This has led to other alternatives to be sought. With recent advancements being made in optoelectronics, optical fiber is becoming a viable alternative to the above mentioned approaches. It is the intent of this paper to identify airborne applications for photonic technology in analog networks and discuss the needed building blocks to implement this particular type of system.

[Design of standard voice sample text for subjective auditory perceptual evaluation of voice disorders].

PubMed

Li, Jin-rang; Sun, Yan-yan; Xu, Wen

2010-09-01

To design a speech voice sample text with all phonemes in Mandarin for subjective auditory perceptual evaluation of voice disorders. The principles for design of a speech voice sample text are: The short text should include the 21 initials and 39 finals, this may cover all the phonemes in Mandarin. Also, the short text should have some meanings. A short text was made out. It had 155 Chinese words, and included 21 initials and 38 finals (the final, ê, was not included because it was rarely used in Mandarin). Also, the text covered 17 light tones and one "Erhua". The constituent ratios of the initials and finals presented in this short text were statistically similar as those in Mandarin according to the method of similarity of the sample and population (r = 0.742, P < 0.001 and r = 0.844, P < 0.001, respectively). The constituent ratios of the tones presented in this short text were statistically not similar as those in Mandarin (r = 0.731, P > 0.05). A speech voice sample text with all phonemes in Mandarin was made out. The constituent ratios of the initials and finals presented in this short text are similar as those in Mandarin. Its value for subjective auditory perceptual evaluation of voice disorders need further study.

Medications and Adverse Voice Effects.

PubMed

Nemr, Kátia; Di Carlos Silva, Ariana; Rodrigues, Danilo de Albuquerque; Zenari, Marcia Simões

2017-08-16

To identify the medications used by patients with dysphonia, describe the voice symptoms reported on initial speech-language pathology (SLP) examination, evaluate the possible direct and indirect effects of medications on voice production, and determine the association between direct and indirect adverse voice effects and self-reported voice symptoms, hydration and smoking habits, comorbidities, vocal assessment, and type and degree of dysphonia. This is a retrospective cross-sectional study. Fifty-five patients were evaluated and the vocal signs and symptoms indicated in the Dysphonia Risk Protocol were considered, as well as data on hydration, smoking and medication use. We analyzed the associations between type of side effect and self-reported vocal signs/symptoms, hydration, smoking, comorbidities, type of dysphonia, and auditory-perceptual and acoustic parameters. Sixty percent were women, the mean age was 51.8 years, 29 symptoms were reported on the screening, and 73 active ingredients were identified with 8.2% directly and 91.8% indirectly affecting vocal function. There were associations between the use of drugs with direct adverse voice effects, self-reported symptoms, general degree of vocal deviation, and pitch deviation. The symptoms of dry throat and shortness of breath were associated with the direct vocal side effect of the medicine, as well as the general degree of vocal deviation and the greater pitch deviation. Shortness of breath when speaking was also associated with the greatest degree of vocal deviation. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender-related voice problems in transsexuals - therapeutical demands.

PubMed

Misołek, Maciej; Niebudek-Bogusz, Ewa; Morawska, Joanna; Orecka, Bogusława; Ścierski, Wojciech; Lisowska, Grażyna

2016-01-01

The paper presents a case study of a transsexual patient who underwent a voice pitch elevation surgery performed in Poland for the first time. The human voice is a reflection of the working of hormones and human psyche. This fact is of particular importance in transsexualism, a disorder consisting in incongruence between the individual's biological sex and their identified gender. For many transsexual people, especially of the MTF (male to female) type, who have undergone hormonal and surgical sex change, the voice still presents a major problem, causing difficulties in everyday life. Hormonal treatment does not influence feminisation of the larynx. In the described MTF case, the patient's low androphonic voice was perceived as a male voice. In order to feminise the patient's voice a phonosurgical procedure was performed: the length of the vibrating portion of the vocal folds was shortened by over 50% of their total length by means of suturing of the anterior part of the vocal fold. As a result of the surgical treatment the pitch of voice was raised considerably, with F0 of spoken voice increased from 109 Hz to 209 Hz. The voice range also changed towards female tones, from 59-146 Hz to 148-343 Hz. Pitch elevation positively influenced the patient's subjective voice assessment: total score of the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) improved from 99 to 19 points, and the score of its emotional sub-scale: 39 and 2 points, respectively. The described case of a surgical male-to-female voice change presents one of the dilemmas faced by modern medicine. (Endokrynol Pol 2016; 67 (4): 452-455).

Social Networking Goes to School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Michelle R.

2010-01-01

Just a few years ago, social networking meant little more to educators than the headache of determining whether to penalize students for inappropriate activities captured on Facebook or MySpace. Now, teachers and students have an array of social-networking sites and tools--from Ning to VoiceThread and Second Life--to draw on for such serious uses…

Two-voice fundamental frequency estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Cheveigné, Alain

2002-05-01

An algorithm is presented that estimates the fundamental frequencies of two concurrent voices or instruments. The algorithm models each voice as a periodic function of time, and jointly estimates both periods by cancellation according to a previously proposed method [de Cheveigné and Kawahara, Speech Commun. 27, 175-185 (1999)]. The new algorithm improves on the old in several respects; it allows an unrestricted search range, effectively avoids harmonic and subharmonic errors, is more accurate (it uses two-dimensional parabolic interpolation), and is computationally less costly. It remains subject to unavoidable errors when periods are in certain simple ratios and the task is inherently ambiguous. The algorithm is evaluated on a small database including speech, singing voice, and instrumental sounds. It can be extended in several ways; to decide the number of voices, to handle amplitude variations, and to estimate more than two voices (at the expense of increased processing cost and decreased reliability). It makes no use of instrument models, learned or otherwise, although it could usefully be combined with such models. [Work supported by the Cognitique programme of the French Ministry of Research and Technology.

Measurement of voice onset time in maxillectomy patients.

PubMed

Hattori, Mariko; Sumita, Yuka I; Taniguchi, Hisashi

2014-01-01

Objective speech evaluation using acoustic measurement is needed for the proper rehabilitation of maxillectomy patients. For digital evaluation of consonants, measurement of voice onset time is one option. However, voice onset time has not been measured in maxillectomy patients as their consonant sound spectra exhibit unique characteristics that make the measurement of voice onset time challenging. In this study, we established criteria for measuring voice onset time in maxillectomy patients for objective speech evaluation. We examined voice onset time for /ka/ and /ta/ in 13 maxillectomy patients by calculating the number of valid measurements of voice onset time out of three trials for each syllable. Wilcoxon's signed rank test showed that voice onset time measurements were more successful for /ka/ and /ta/ when a prosthesis was used (Z = -2.232, P = 0.026 and Z = -2.401, P = 0.016, resp.) than when a prosthesis was not used. These results indicate a prosthesis affected voice onset measurement in these patients. Although more research in this area is needed, measurement of voice onset time has the potential to be used to evaluate consonant production in maxillectomy patients wearing a prosthesis.

Measurement of Voice Onset Time in Maxillectomy Patients

PubMed Central

Hattori, Mariko; Sumita, Yuka I.; Taniguchi, Hisashi

2014-01-01

Objective speech evaluation using acoustic measurement is needed for the proper rehabilitation of maxillectomy patients. For digital evaluation of consonants, measurement of voice onset time is one option. However, voice onset time has not been measured in maxillectomy patients as their consonant sound spectra exhibit unique characteristics that make the measurement of voice onset time challenging. In this study, we established criteria for measuring voice onset time in maxillectomy patients for objective speech evaluation. We examined voice onset time for /ka/ and /ta/ in 13 maxillectomy patients by calculating the number of valid measurements of voice onset time out of three trials for each syllable. Wilcoxon's signed rank test showed that voice onset time measurements were more successful for /ka/ and /ta/ when a prosthesis was used (Z = −2.232, P = 0.026 and Z = −2.401, P = 0.016, resp.) than when a prosthesis was not used. These results indicate a prosthesis affected voice onset measurement in these patients. Although more research in this area is needed, measurement of voice onset time has the potential to be used to evaluate consonant production in maxillectomy patients wearing a prosthesis. PMID:24574934

Smartphones Offer New Opportunities in Clinical Voice Research.

PubMed

Manfredi, C; Lebacq, J; Cantarella, G; Schoentgen, J; Orlandi, S; Bandini, A; DeJonckere, P H

2017-01-01

Smartphone technology provides new opportunities for recording standardized voice samples of patients and sending the files by e-mail to the voice laboratory. This drastically improves the collection of baseline data, as used in research on efficiency of voice treatments. However, the basic requirement is the suitability of smartphones for recording and digitizing pathologic voices (mainly characterized by period perturbations and noise) without significant distortion. In this experiment, two smartphones (a very inexpensive one and a high-level one) were tested and compared with direct microphone recordings in a soundproof room. The voice stimuli consisted in synthesized deviant voice samples (median of fundamental frequency: 120 and 200 Hz) with three levels of jitter and three levels of added noise. All voice samples were analyzed using PRAAT software. The results show high correlations between jitter, shimmer, and noise-to-harmonics ratio measured on the recordings via both smartphones, the microphone, and measured directly on the sound files from the synthesizer. Smartphones thus appear adequate for reliable recording and digitizing of pathologic voices. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Voice and choice by delegation.

PubMed

van de Bovenkamp, Hester; Vollaard, Hans; Trappenburg, Margo; Grit, Kor

2013-02-01

In many Western countries, options for citizens to influence public services are increased to improve the quality of services and democratize decision making. Possibilities to influence are often cast into Albert Hirschman's taxonomy of exit (choice), voice, and loyalty. In this article we identify delegation as an important addition to this framework. Delegation gives individuals the chance to practice exit/choice or voice without all the hard work that is usually involved in these options. Empirical research shows that not many people use their individual options of exit and voice, which could lead to inequality between users and nonusers. We identify delegation as a possible solution to this problem, using Dutch health care as a case study to explore this option. Notwithstanding various advantages, we show that voice and choice by delegation also entail problems of inequality and representativeness.

Normal voice processing after posterior superior temporal sulcus lesion.

PubMed

Jiahui, Guo; Garrido, Lúcia; Liu, Ran R; Susilo, Tirta; Barton, Jason J S; Duchaine, Bradley

2017-10-01

The right posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) shows a strong response to voices, but the cognitive processes generating this response are unclear. One possibility is that this activity reflects basic voice processing. However, several fMRI and magnetoencephalography findings suggest instead that pSTS serves as an integrative hub that combines voice and face information. Here we investigate whether right pSTS contributes to basic voice processing by testing Faith, a patient whose right pSTS was resected, with eight behavioral tasks assessing voice identity perception and recognition, voice sex perception, and voice expression perception. Faith performed normally on all the tasks. Her normal performance indicates right pSTS is not necessary for intact voice recognition and suggests that pSTS activations to voices reflect higher-level processes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Voice stress analysis and evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haddad, Darren M.; Ratley, Roy J.

2001-02-01

Voice Stress Analysis (VSA) systems are marketed as computer-based systems capable of measuring stress in a person's voice as an indicator of deception. They are advertised as being less expensive, easier to use, less invasive in use, and less constrained in their operation then polygraph technology. The National Institute of Justice have asked the Air Force Research Laboratory for assistance in evaluating voice stress analysis technology. Law enforcement officials have also been asking questions about this technology. If VSA technology proves to be effective, its value for military and law enforcement application is tremendous.

National Strategic Research Plan for Hearing and Hearing Impairment and Voice and Voice Disorders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Inst. on Deafness and Other Communications Disorders, Bethesda, MD.

This monograph presents an update to the strategic plan of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), focusing on recent accomplishments, program goals, strategies, and priorities in research opportunities in the areas of hearing/hearing impairment and voice/voice disorders. Specifically considered for the…

The Voices of the Documentarist

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Utterback, Ann S.

1977-01-01

Discusses T. S. Elliot's essay, "The Three Voices of Poetry" which conceptualizes the position taken by the poet or creator. Suggests that an examination of documentary film, within the three voices concept, expands the critical framework of the film genre. (MH)

Effects of chemoradiotherapy on voice and swallowing

PubMed Central

Lazarus, Cathy L.

2009-01-01

Purpose of review Chemotherapy has been found to result in comparable survival rates to surgery for head and neck cancer. However, toxicity can often be worse after chemoradiotherapy, with impairment in voice, swallowing, nutrition, and quality of life. Investigators are attempting to modify radiotherapy treatment regimens to spare organs that have an impact on swallowing. This review will highlight voice and swallowing impairment seen after chemoradiotherapy, as well as treatment for voice and swallowing disorders in this population. Results of newer radiotherapy regimens will also be highlighted. Recent findings Specific oropharyngeal swallowing motility disorders after chemoradiotherapy have been identified. Damage to specific structures has been correlated with specific pharyngeal phase swallow impairment. Swallowing function and quality of life have been examined over time, with improvement seen in both. Preventive/prophylactic swallow exercise programs have been encouraging. Chemoradiotherapy effects on voice have been identified in terms of acoustic, aerodynamic, and patient and clinician-rated perception of function. Improvement in voice has also been observed over time after chemoradiotherapy. Voice therapy has been found to have a positive impact on voice and perceptual measures in this population. Summary Current studies show some improvement in swallow function after swallow and voice therapy in patients treated with chemoradiotherapy. Further, there is a suggestion of improved swallow function with sparing of organs with specific radiotherapy protocols. Future research needs to focus on specific voice and swallow treatment regimens in the head and neck cancer patient treated with chemoradiotherapy, specifically, timing, frequency, duration, and specific treatment types. PMID:19337126

Teacher response to ambulatory monitoring of voice.

PubMed

Hunter, Eric J

2012-10-01

Voice accumulation and dosimetry devices are used for unobtrusive monitoring of voice use. While numerous studies have used these devices to examine how individuals use their voices, little attention has been paid to how subjects respond to them. Therefore, the purpose of this short communication is to begin to explore two questions: 1) How do voice monitoring devices affect daily communication? and 2) How do participants feel about the physical design and function of these types of voice monitoring devices? One key finding is that most of the subjects remain aware of the dosimeter while wearing it, which may impact the data collected. Further, most subjects have difficulty with the accelerometer and/or the data storage device.

Advanced Polymer Network Structures

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-01

double networks in a single step was identified from coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations of polymer solvents bearing rigid side chains dissolved...in a polymer network. Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations also explored the mechanical behavior of traditional double networks and...DRI), polymer networks, polymer gels, molecular dynamics simulations , double networks 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF

Obligatory and facultative brain regions for voice-identity recognition

PubMed Central

Roswandowitz, Claudia; Kappes, Claudia; Obrig, Hellmuth; von Kriegstein, Katharina

2018-01-01

Abstract Recognizing the identity of others by their voice is an important skill for social interactions. To date, it remains controversial which parts of the brain are critical structures for this skill. Based on neuroimaging findings, standard models of person-identity recognition suggest that the right temporal lobe is the hub for voice-identity recognition. Neuropsychological case studies, however, reported selective deficits of voice-identity recognition in patients predominantly with right inferior parietal lobe lesions. Here, our aim was to work towards resolving the discrepancy between neuroimaging studies and neuropsychological case studies to find out which brain structures are critical for voice-identity recognition in humans. We performed a voxel-based lesion-behaviour mapping study in a cohort of patients (n = 58) with unilateral focal brain lesions. The study included a comprehensive behavioural test battery on voice-identity recognition of newly learned (voice-name, voice-face association learning) and familiar voices (famous voice recognition) as well as visual (face-identity recognition) and acoustic control tests (vocal-pitch and vocal-timbre discrimination). The study also comprised clinically established tests (neuropsychological assessment, audiometry) and high-resolution structural brain images. The three key findings were: (i) a strong association between voice-identity recognition performance and right posterior/mid temporal and right inferior parietal lobe lesions; (ii) a selective association between right posterior/mid temporal lobe lesions and voice-identity recognition performance when face-identity recognition performance was factored out; and (iii) an association of right inferior parietal lobe lesions with tasks requiring the association between voices and faces but not voices and names. The results imply that the right posterior/mid temporal lobe is an obligatory structure for voice-identity recognition, while the inferior parietal

Implementation of the Intelligent Voice System for Kazakh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yessenbayev, Zh; Saparkhojayev, N.; Tibeyev, T.

2014-04-01

Modern speech technologies are highly advanced and widely used in day-to-day applications. However, this is mostly concerned with the languages of well-developed countries such as English, German, Japan, Russian, etc. As for Kazakh, the situation is less prominent and research in this field is only starting to evolve. In this research and application-oriented project, we introduce an intelligent voice system for the fast deployment of call-centers and information desks supporting Kazakh speech. The demand on such a system is obvious if the country's large size and small population is considered. The landline and cell phones become the only means of communication for the distant villages and suburbs. The system features Kazakh speech recognition and synthesis modules as well as a web-GUI for efficient dialog management. For speech recognition we use CMU Sphinx engine and for speech synthesis- MaryTTS. The web-GUI is implemented in Java enabling operators to quickly create and manage the dialogs in user-friendly graphical environment. The call routines are handled by Asterisk PBX and JBoss Application Server. The system supports such technologies and protocols as VoIP, VoiceXML, FastAGI, Java SpeechAPI and J2EE. For the speech recognition experiments we compiled and used the first Kazakh speech corpus with the utterances from 169 native speakers. The performance of the speech recognizer is 4.1% WER on isolated word recognition and 6.9% WER on clean continuous speech recognition tasks. The speech synthesis experiments include the training of male and female voices.

Telehealth on advanced networks.

PubMed

Wilson, Laurence S; Stevenson, Duncan R; Cregan, Patrick

2010-01-01

We address advanced Internet for complex telehealth applications by reviewing four hospital-based broadband telehealth projects and identifying common threads. These projects were conducted in Australia under a 6-year research project on broadband Internet applications. Each project addressed specific clinical needs and its development was guided by the clinicians involved. Each project was trialed in the field and evaluated against the initial requirements. The four projects covered remote management of a resuscitation team in a district hospital, remote guidance and interpretation of echocardiography, virtual-reality-based instructor-student surgical training, and postoperative outpatient consultations following pediatric surgery. Each was characterized by a high level of interpersonal communication, a high level of clinical expertise, and multiple participants. Each made use of multiple high-quality video and audio links and shared real-time access to clinical data. Four common threads were observed. Each application provided a high level of usability and task focus because the design and use of broadband capability was aimed directly to meet the clinicians' needs. Each used the media quality available over broadband to convey words, gestures, body movements, and facial expressions to support communication and a sense of presence among the participants. Each required a complex information space shared among the participants, including real-time access to stored patient data and real-time interactive access to the patients themselves. Finally, each application supported the social and organizational aspects of their healthcare focus, creating and maintaining relationships between the various participants, and this was done by placing the telehealth application into a wider functioning clinical context. These findings provide evidence for a significantly enhanced role for appropriate telemedicine systems running on advanced networks, in a wider range of clinical

The Voice as Computer Interface: A Look at Tomorrow's Technologies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lange, Holley R.

1991-01-01

Discussion of voice as the communications device for computer-human interaction focuses on voice recognition systems for use within a library environment. Voice technologies are described, including voice response and voice recognition; examples of voice systems in use in libraries are examined; and further possibilities, including use with…

Nanotechnology enabled sensors and wireless sensing networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsui, Ray; Zhang, Ruth; Mastroianni, Sal; Díaz Aguilar, Alvaro; Forzani, Erica; Tao, Nongjian

2009-05-01

The capabilities of future mobile communication devices will extend beyond merely transmitting and receiving voice, data, and video information. For example, first responders such as firefighters and emergency workers will wear environmentally- aware devices that will warn them of combustible and toxic gases as well as communicate that information wirelessly to the Command and Control Center. Similar sensor systems could alert warfighters of the presence of explosives or biological weapons. These systems can function either in the form of an individual stand-alone detector or part of a wireless sensor network. Novel sensors whose functionality is enhanced via nanotechnology will play a key role in realizing such systems. Such sensors are important because of their high sensitivity, low power consumption, and small size. This talk will provide an overview of some of the advances made in sensors through the use of nanotechnology, including those that make use of carbon nanotubes and nanoparticles. Their applicability in mobile sensing and wireless sensor networks for use in national security and public safety will be described. Other technical challenges associated with the development of such systems and networks will also be discussed.

Voice Problems in New Zealand Teachers: A National Survey.

PubMed

Leão, Sylvia H de S; Oates, Jennifer M; Purdy, Suzanne C; Scott, David; Morton, Randall P

2015-09-01

This study determined the prevalence and nature of voice problems in New Zealand (NZ) teachers using a national self-report questionnaire. Epidemiological cross-sectional survey. Participants were 1879 primary and secondary teachers (72.5% females). Three prevalence timeframes were estimated. Severity of voice problems, recovery time, days away from work, symptoms, health assistance, and voice education were also investigated. Prevalence of self-reported vocal problems was 33.2% during their teaching career, 24.7% over the teaching year, and 13.2% on the day of the survey. Primary teachers (P<0.001; odds ratio [OR]=1.74; confidence interval [CI]=1.33-2.40), females (P=0.008; OR=1.63; CI=1.13-2.37), and those aged 51-60 years (P=0.010; OR=1.45; CI=1.11-3.00) were more likely to report problems. Among teachers reporting voice problems during the year, 47% were moderate or severe; for 30%, voice recovery took more than 1 week. Approximately 28% stayed away from work 1-3 days owing to a vocal problem and 9% for more than 3 days. Women reported longer recovery times and more days away. Symptoms associated with voice problems (P<0.001) were voice quality alteration (OR=4.35; CI=3.40-5.57), vocal effort (OR=1.15; CI=0.96-1.37), voice breaks (OR=1.55; CI=1.30-1.84), voice projection difficulty (OR=1.25; CI=1.04-1.50), and throat discomfort (OR=1.22; CI=1.02-1.47). Of the teachers reporting voice problems, only 22.5% consulted a health practitioner. Only 38% of the teachers with chronic voice problems visited an otolaryngologist. Higher hours of voice training/education were associated with fewer self-reported voice problems. Voice problems are of concern for NZ teachers, as has been reported for teachers in other countries. There is still limited awareness among teachers about vocal health, potential risks, and specialized health services for voice problems. Copyright © 2015 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Voice, boundary work, and visibility in research on sex work in Morocco.

PubMed

Montgomery, Anne

2015-01-01

How might the ethnographer conduct research on health and suffering among populations who would rather remain hidden? Drawing on my research with female sex workers in southern Morocco, I suggest and demonstrate an approach that allows interlocutors' discretionary practices to guide ethnographic inquiry. I show how boundary work--as a politics of visibility founded on practices of discretion, concealment, and distancing--emerged as central to my interlocutors' livelihood strategies and their efforts to enact moral personhood, integrate themselves into networks of solidarity, and articulate social critiques. A methodological focus on discourses and practices of boundary drawing, I argue, was essential for conceptualizing and representing the suffering of the women with whom I worked. Using boundary work as a guide, the ethnographer does not give voice to suffering, but learns how suffering is already voiced as part of attempts to survive, aspire, and become.

The recognition of female voice based on voice registers in singing techniques in real-time using hankel transform method and macdonald function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meiyanti, R.; Subandi, A.; Fuqara, N.; Budiman, M. A.; Siahaan, A. P. U.

2018-03-01

A singer doesn’t just recite the lyrics of a song, but also with the use of particular sound techniques to make it more beautiful. In the singing technique, more female have a diverse sound registers than male. There are so many registers of the human voice, but the voice registers used while singing, among others, Chest Voice, Head Voice, Falsetto, and Vocal fry. Research of speech recognition based on the female’s voice registers in singing technique is built using Borland Delphi 7.0. Speech recognition process performed by the input recorded voice samples and also in real time. Voice input will result in weight energy values based on calculations using Hankel Transformation method and Macdonald Functions. The results showed that the accuracy of the system depends on the accuracy of sound engineering that trained and tested, and obtained an average percentage of the successful introduction of the voice registers record reached 48.75 percent, while the average percentage of the successful introduction of the voice registers in real time to reach 57 percent.

Advanced digital signal processing for short-haul and access network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Junwen; Yu, Jianjun; Chi, Nan

2016-02-01

Digital signal processing (DSP) has been proved to be a successful technology recently in high speed and high spectrum-efficiency optical short-haul and access network, which enables high performances based on digital equalizations and compensations. In this paper, we investigate advanced DSP at the transmitter and receiver side for signal pre-equalization and post-equalization in an optical access network. A novel DSP-based digital and optical pre-equalization scheme has been proposed for bandwidth-limited high speed short-distance communication system, which is based on the feedback of receiver-side adaptive equalizers, such as least-mean-squares (LMS) algorithm and constant or multi-modulus algorithms (CMA, MMA). Based on this scheme, we experimentally demonstrate 400GE on a single optical carrier based on the highest ETDM 120-GBaud PDM-PAM-4 signal, using one external modulator and coherent detection. A line rate of 480-Gb/s is achieved, which enables 20% forward-error correction (FEC) overhead to keep the 400-Gb/s net information rate. The performance after fiber transmission shows large margin for both short range and metro/regional networks. We also extend the advanced DSP for short haul optical access networks by using high order QAMs. We propose and demonstrate a high speed multi-band CAP-WDM-PON system on intensity modulation, direct detection and digital equalizations. A hybrid modified cascaded MMA post-equalization schemes are used to equalize the multi-band CAP-mQAM signals. Using this scheme, we successfully demonstrates 550Gb/s high capacity WDMPON system with 11 WDM channels, 55 sub-bands, and 10-Gb/s per user in the downstream over 40-km SMF.

Designing interaction, voice, and inclusion in AAC research.

PubMed

Pullin, Graham; Treviranus, Jutta; Patel, Rupal; Higginbotham, Jeff

2017-09-01

The ISAAC 2016 Research Symposium included a Design Stream that examined timely issues across augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), framed in terms of designing interaction, designing voice, and designing inclusion. Each is a complex term with multiple meanings; together they represent challenging yet important frontiers of AAC research. The Design Stream was conceived by the four authors, researchers who have been exploring AAC and disability-related design throughout their careers, brought together by a shared conviction that designing for communication implies more than ensuring access to words and utterances. Each of these presenters came to AAC from a different background: interaction design, inclusive design, speech science, and social science. The resulting discussion among 24 symposium participants included controversies about the role of technology, tensions about independence and interdependence, and a provocation about taste. The paper concludes by proposing new directions for AAC research: (a) new interdisciplinary research could combine scientific and design research methods, as distant yet complementary as microanalysis and interaction design, (b) new research tools could seed accessible and engaging contextual research into voice within a social model of disability, and (c) new open research networks could support inclusive, international and interdisciplinary research.

Student Voice as a Contested Practice: Power and Participation in Two Student Voice Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, Carol; Taylor, Carol

2013-01-01

This article applies theoretical understandings of power relations within student voice work to two empirical examples of school-based student voice projects. The article builds on and refines theoretical understandings of power and participation developed in previous articles written by the authors. The first article argued that at the heart of…

14 CFR 29.1457 - Cockpit voice recorders.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Cockpit voice recorders. 29.1457 Section 29... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Equipment Miscellaneous Equipment § 29.1457 Cockpit voice recorders. (a) Each cockpit voice recorder required by the operating rules of this chapter must be approved...

14 CFR 25.1457 - Cockpit voice recorders.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Cockpit voice recorders. 25.1457 Section 25... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY AIRPLANES Equipment Miscellaneous Equipment § 25.1457 Cockpit voice recorders. (a) Each cockpit voice recorder required by the operating rules of this chapter must be approved...

Human voice perception.

PubMed

Latinus, Marianne; Belin, Pascal

2011-02-22

We are all voice experts. First and foremost, we can produce and understand speech, and this makes us a unique species. But in addition to speech perception, we routinely extract from voices a wealth of socially-relevant information in what constitutes a more primitive, and probably more universal, non-linguistic mode of communication. Consider the following example: you are sitting in a plane, and you can hear a conversation in a foreign language in the row behind you. You do not see the speakers' faces, and you cannot understand the speech content because you do not know the language. Yet, an amazing amount of information is available to you. You can evaluate the physical characteristics of the different protagonists, including their gender, approximate age and size, and associate an identity to the different voices. You can form a good idea of the different speaker's mood and affective state, as well as more subtle cues as the perceived attractiveness or dominance of the protagonists. In brief, you can form a fairly detailed picture of the type of social interaction unfolding, which a brief glance backwards can on the occasion help refine - sometimes surprisingly so. What are the acoustical cues that carry these different types of vocal information? How does our brain process and analyse this information? Here we briefly review an emerging field and the main tools used in voice perception research. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perceptual Characteristics of Female Voices.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Batstone, Susan; Tuomi, Seppo K.

1981-01-01

Male and females listeners rated 21 young female voices on seven scales representing unique vocal features. Voices were described as "passive", or traditionally female, and "active," characterized as "lively,""colorful," and "sexy." Females found active characteristics more salient; males preferred the passive characteristics. Implications for…

How to help teachers' voices.

PubMed

Saatweber, Margarete

2008-01-01

It has been shown that teachers are at high risk of developing occupational dysphonia, and it has been widely accepted that the vocal characteristics of a speaker play an important role in determining the reactions of listeners. The functions of breathing, breathing movement, breathing tonus, voice vibrations and articulation tonus are transmitted to the listener. So we may conclude that listening to the teacher's voice at school influences children's behavior and the perception of spoken language. This paper presents the concept of Schlaffhorst-Andersen including exercises to help teachers improve their voice, breathing, movement and their posture. Copyright 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.

A perspective on early commercial applications of voice-processing technology for telecommunications and aids for the handicapped.

PubMed Central

Seelbach, C

1995-01-01

The Colloquium on Human-Machine Communication by Voice highlighted the global technical community's focus on the problems and promise of voice-processing technology, particularly, speech recognition and speech synthesis. Clearly, there are many areas in both the research and development of these technologies that can be advanced significantly. However, it is also true that there are many applications of these technologies that are capable of commercialization now. Early successful commercialization of new technology is vital to ensure continuing interest in its development. This paper addresses efforts to commercialize speech technologies in two markets: telecommunications and aids for the handicapped. PMID:7479814

Varieties of Voice-Hearing: Psychics and the Psychosis Continuum

PubMed Central

Powers, Albert R.; Kelley, Megan S.; Corlett, Philip R.

2017-01-01

Hearing voices that are not present is a prominent symptom of serious mental illness. However, these experiences may be common in the non-help-seeking population, leading some to propose the existence of a continuum of psychosis from health to disease. Thus far, research on this continuum has focused on what is impaired in help-seeking groups. Here we focus on protective factors in non-help-seeking voice-hearers. We introduce a new study population: clairaudient psychics who receive daily auditory messages. We conducted phenomenological interviews with these subjects, as well as with patients diagnosed with a psychotic disorder who hear voices, people with a diagnosis of a psychotic disorder who do not hear voices, and matched control subjects (without voices or a diagnosis). We found the hallucinatory experiences of psychic voice-hearers to be very similar to those of patients who were diagnosed. We employed techniques from forensic psychiatry to conclude that the psychics were not malingering. Critically, we found that this sample of non-help-seeking voice hearers were able to control the onset and offset of their voices, that they were less distressed by their voice-hearing experiences and that, the first time they admitted to voice-hearing, the reception by others was much more likely to be positive. Patients had much more negative voice-hearing experiences, were more likely to receive a negative reaction when sharing their voices with others for the first time, and this was subsequently more disruptive to their social relationships. We predict that this sub-population of healthy voice-hearers may have much to teach us about the neurobiology, cognitive psychology and ultimately the treatment of voices that are distressing. PMID:28053132

Voice-stress measure of mental workload

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alpert, Murray; Schneider, Sid J.

1988-01-01

In a planned experiment, male subjects between the age of 18 and 50 will be required to produce speech while performing various tasks. Analysis of the speech produced should reveal which aspects of voice prosody are associated with increased workloads. Preliminary results with two female subjects suggest a possible trend for voice frequency and amplitude to be higher and the variance of the voice frequency to be lower in the high workload condition.

14 CFR 27.1457 - Cockpit voice recorders.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Cockpit voice recorders. 27.1457 Section 27... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Equipment Safety Equipment § 27.1457 Cockpit voice recorders. (a) Each cockpit voice recorder required by the operating rules of this chapter must be approved, and...

14 CFR 25.1457 - Cockpit voice recorders.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Cockpit voice recorders. 25.1457 Section 25... recorders. (a) Each cockpit voice recorder required by the operating rules of this chapter must be approved... interphone system. (4) Voice or audio signals identifying navigation or approach aids introduced into a...

14 CFR 27.1457 - Cockpit voice recorders.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Cockpit voice recorders. 27.1457 Section 27... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Equipment Safety Equipment § 27.1457 Cockpit voice recorders. (a) Each cockpit voice recorder required by the operating rules of this chapter must be approved, and...

14 CFR 25.1457 - Cockpit voice recorders.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Cockpit voice recorders. 25.1457 Section 25... recorders. (a) Each cockpit voice recorder required by the operating rules of this chapter must be approved... interphone system. (4) Voice or audio signals identifying navigation or approach aids introduced into a...

14 CFR 135.151 - Cockpit voice recorders.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Cockpit voice recorders. 135.151 Section... Equipment § 135.151 Cockpit voice recorders. (a) No person may operate a multiengine, turbine-powered... required by certification or operating rules unless it is equipped with an approved cockpit voice recorder...

14 CFR 135.151 - Cockpit voice recorders.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Cockpit voice recorders. 135.151 Section... Equipment § 135.151 Cockpit voice recorders. (a) No person may operate a multiengine, turbine-powered... required by certification or operating rules unless it is equipped with an approved cockpit voice recorder...

14 CFR 29.1457 - Cockpit voice recorders.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Cockpit voice recorders. 29.1457 Section 29... recorders. (a) Each cockpit voice recorder required by the operating rules of this chapter must be approved... interphone system. (4) Voice or audio signals identifying navigation or approach aids introduced into a...

14 CFR 135.151 - Cockpit voice recorders.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Cockpit voice recorders. 135.151 Section... Equipment § 135.151 Cockpit voice recorders. (a) No person may operate a multiengine, turbine-powered... required by certification or operating rules unless it is equipped with an approved cockpit voice recorder...

14 CFR 135.151 - Cockpit voice recorders.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Cockpit voice recorders. 135.151 Section... Equipment § 135.151 Cockpit voice recorders. (a) No person may operate a multiengine, turbine-powered... required by certification or operating rules unless it is equipped with an approved cockpit voice recorder...

14 CFR 135.151 - Cockpit voice recorders.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Cockpit voice recorders. 135.151 Section... Equipment § 135.151 Cockpit voice recorders. (a) No person may operate a multiengine, turbine-powered... required by certification or operating rules unless it is equipped with an approved cockpit voice recorder...

14 CFR 29.1457 - Cockpit voice recorders.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Cockpit voice recorders. 29.1457 Section 29... recorders. (a) Each cockpit voice recorder required by the operating rules of this chapter must be approved... interphone system. (4) Voice or audio signals identifying navigation or approach aids introduced into a...

14 CFR 25.1457 - Cockpit voice recorders.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Cockpit voice recorders. 25.1457 Section 25... recorders. (a) Each cockpit voice recorder required by the operating rules of this chapter must be approved... interphone system. (4) Voice or audio signals identifying navigation or approach aids introduced into a...

14 CFR 27.1457 - Cockpit voice recorders.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Cockpit voice recorders. 27.1457 Section 27... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Equipment Safety Equipment § 27.1457 Cockpit voice recorders. (a) Each cockpit voice recorder required by the operating rules of this chapter must be approved, and...

Implicit Multisensory Associations Influence Voice Recognition

PubMed Central

von Kriegstein, Katharina; Giraud, Anne-Lise

2006-01-01

Natural objects provide partially redundant information to the brain through different sensory modalities. For example, voices and faces both give information about the speech content, age, and gender of a person. Thanks to this redundancy, multimodal recognition is fast, robust, and automatic. In unimodal perception, however, only part of the information about an object is available. Here, we addressed whether, even under conditions of unimodal sensory input, crossmodal neural circuits that have been shaped by previous associative learning become activated and underpin a performance benefit. We measured brain activity with functional magnetic resonance imaging before, while, and after participants learned to associate either sensory redundant stimuli, i.e. voices and faces, or arbitrary multimodal combinations, i.e. voices and written names, ring tones, and cell phones or brand names of these cell phones. After learning, participants were better at recognizing unimodal auditory voices that had been paired with faces than those paired with written names, and association of voices with faces resulted in an increased functional coupling between voice and face areas. No such effects were observed for ring tones that had been paired with cell phones or names. These findings demonstrate that brief exposure to ecologically valid and sensory redundant stimulus pairs, such as voices and faces, induces specific multisensory associations. Consistent with predictive coding theories, associative representations become thereafter available for unimodal perception and facilitate object recognition. These data suggest that for natural objects effective predictive signals can be generated across sensory systems and proceed by optimization of functional connectivity between specialized cortical sensory modules. PMID:17002519

Implicit multisensory associations influence voice recognition.

PubMed

von Kriegstein, Katharina; Giraud, Anne-Lise

2006-10-01

Natural objects provide partially redundant information to the brain through different sensory modalities. For example, voices and faces both give information about the speech content, age, and gender of a person. Thanks to this redundancy, multimodal recognition is fast, robust, and automatic. In unimodal perception, however, only part of the information about an object is available. Here, we addressed whether, even under conditions of unimodal sensory input, crossmodal neural circuits that have been shaped by previous associative learning become activated and underpin a performance benefit. We measured brain activity with functional magnetic resonance imaging before, while, and after participants learned to associate either sensory redundant stimuli, i.e. voices and faces, or arbitrary multimodal combinations, i.e. voices and written names, ring tones, and cell phones or brand names of these cell phones. After learning, participants were better at recognizing unimodal auditory voices that had been paired with faces than those paired with written names, and association of voices with faces resulted in an increased functional coupling between voice and face areas. No such effects were observed for ring tones that had been paired with cell phones or names. These findings demonstrate that brief exposure to ecologically valid and sensory redundant stimulus pairs, such as voices and faces, induces specific multisensory associations. Consistent with predictive coding theories, associative representations become thereafter available for unimodal perception and facilitate object recognition. These data suggest that for natural objects effective predictive signals can be generated across sensory systems and proceed by optimization of functional connectivity between specialized cortical sensory modules.

Measuring voice outcomes: state of the science review.

PubMed

Carding, Pau N; Wilson, J A; MacKenzie, K; Deary, I J

2009-08-01

Researchers evaluating voice disorder interventions currently have a plethora of voice outcome measurement tools from which to choose. Faced with such a wide choice, it would be beneficial to establish a clear rationale to guide selection. This article reviews the published literature on the three main areas of voice outcome assessment: (1) perceptual rating of voice quality, (2) acoustic measurement of the speech signal and (3) patient self-reporting of voice problems. We analysed the published reliability, validity, sensitivity to change and utility of the common outcome measurement tools in each area. From the data, we suggest that routine voice outcome measurement should include (1) an expert rating of voice quality (using the Grade-Roughness-Breathiness-Asthenia-Strain rating scale) and (2) a short self-reporting tool (either the Vocal Performance Questionnaire or the Vocal Handicap Index 10). These measures have high validity, the best reported reliability to date, good sensitivity to change data and excellent utility ratings. However, their application and administration require attention to detail. Acoustic measurement has arguable validity and poor reliability data at the present time. Other areas of voice outcome measurement (e.g. stroboscopy and aerodynamic phonatory measurements) require similarly detailed research and analysis.

A new voice rating tool for clinical practice.

PubMed

Gould, James; Waugh, Jessica; Carding, Paul; Drinnan, Michael

2012-07-01

Perceptual rating of voice quality is a key component in the comprehensive assessment of voice, but there are practical difficulties in making reliable measurements. We have developed the Newcastle Audio Ranking (NeAR) test, a new referential system for the rating of voice parameters. In this article, we present our first results using NeAR. We asked five experts and 11 naive raters to assess 15 male and 15 female voices using the NeAR test. We assessed: validity with respect to the GRBAS scale; interrater reliability; sensitivity to subtle voice differences; and the performance of expert versus naïve raters. There was a uniformly excellent agreement with GRBAS (r=0.87) and interrater agreement (intraclass correlation coefficient=0.86). Considering each GRBAS grade of voice separately, there was still good interrater agreement in NeAR, implying it has good sensitivity to subtle changes. All these results were equally true for expert and naive raters. The NeAR test is a promising new tool in the assessment of voice disorders. Copyright © 2012 The Voice Foundation. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Obligatory and facultative brain regions for voice-identity recognition.

PubMed

Roswandowitz, Claudia; Kappes, Claudia; Obrig, Hellmuth; von Kriegstein, Katharina

2018-01-01

Recognizing the identity of others by their voice is an important skill for social interactions. To date, it remains controversial which parts of the brain are critical structures for this skill. Based on neuroimaging findings, standard models of person-identity recognition suggest that the right temporal lobe is the hub for voice-identity recognition. Neuropsychological case studies, however, reported selective deficits of voice-identity recognition in patients predominantly with right inferior parietal lobe lesions. Here, our aim was to work towards resolving the discrepancy between neuroimaging studies and neuropsychological case studies to find out which brain structures are critical for voice-identity recognition in humans. We performed a voxel-based lesion-behaviour mapping study in a cohort of patients (n = 58) with unilateral focal brain lesions. The study included a comprehensive behavioural test battery on voice-identity recognition of newly learned (voice-name, voice-face association learning) and familiar voices (famous voice recognition) as well as visual (face-identity recognition) and acoustic control tests (vocal-pitch and vocal-timbre discrimination). The study also comprised clinically established tests (neuropsychological assessment, audiometry) and high-resolution structural brain images. The three key findings were: (i) a strong association between voice-identity recognition performance and right posterior/mid temporal and right inferior parietal lobe lesions; (ii) a selective association between right posterior/mid temporal lobe lesions and voice-identity recognition performance when face-identity recognition performance was factored out; and (iii) an association of right inferior parietal lobe lesions with tasks requiring the association between voices and faces but not voices and names. The results imply that the right posterior/mid temporal lobe is an obligatory structure for voice-identity recognition, while the inferior parietal lobe is

Effects of cross-language voice training on speech perception: Whose familiar voices are more intelligible?

PubMed Central

Levi, Susannah V.; Winters, Stephen J.; Pisoni, David B.

2011-01-01

Previous research has shown that familiarity with a talker’s voice can improve linguistic processing (herein, “Familiar Talker Advantage”), but this benefit is constrained by the context in which the talker’s voice is familiar. The current study examined how familiarity affects intelligibility by manipulating the type of talker information available to listeners. One group of listeners learned to identify bilingual talkers’ voices from English words, where they learned language-specific talker information. A second group of listeners learned the same talkers from German words, and thus only learned language-independent talker information. After voice training, both groups of listeners completed a word recognition task with English words produced by both familiar and unfamiliar talkers. Results revealed that English-trained listeners perceived more phonemes correct for familiar than unfamiliar talkers, while German-trained listeners did not show improved intelligibility for familiar talkers. The absence of a processing advantage in speech intelligibility for the German-trained listeners demonstrates limitations on the Familiar Talker Advantage, which crucially depends on the language context in which the talkers’ voices were learned; knowledge of how a talker produces linguistically relevant contrasts in a particular language is necessary to increase speech intelligibility for words produced by familiar talkers. PMID:22225059

Advanced obstacle avoidance for a laser based wheelchair using optimised Bayesian neural networks.

PubMed

Trieu, Hoang T; Nguyen, Hung T; Willey, Keith

2008-01-01

In this paper we present an advanced method of obstacle avoidance for a laser based intelligent wheelchair using optimized Bayesian neural networks. Three neural networks are designed for three separate sub-tasks: passing through a door way, corridor and wall following and general obstacle avoidance. The accurate usable accessible space is determined by including the actual wheelchair dimensions in a real-time map used as inputs to each networks. Data acquisitions are performed separately to collect the patterns required for specified sub-tasks. Bayesian frame work is used to determine the optimal neural network structure in each case. Then these networks are trained under the supervision of Bayesian rule. Experiment results showed that compare to the VFH algorithm our neural networks navigated a smoother path following a near optimum trajectory.

Cognitive Attachment Model of Voices: Evidence Base and Future Implications

PubMed Central

Berry, Katherine; Varese, Filippo; Bucci, Sandra

2017-01-01

There is a robust association between hearing voices and exposure to traumatic events. Identifying mediating mechanisms for this relationship is key to theories of voice hearing and the development of therapies for distressing voices. This paper outlines the Cognitive Attachment model of Voices (CAV), a theoretical model to understand the relationship between earlier interpersonal trauma and distressing voice hearing. The model builds on attachment theory and well-established cognitive models of voices and argues that attachment and dissociative processes are key psychological mechanisms that explain how trauma influences voice hearing. Following the presentation of the model, the paper will review the current state of evidence regarding the proposed mechanisms of vulnerability to voice hearing and maintenance of voice-related distress. This review will include evidence from studies supporting associations between dissociation and voices, followed by details of our own research supporting the role of dissociation in mediating the relationship between trauma and voices and evidence supporting the role of adult attachment in influencing beliefs and relationships that voice hearers can develop with voices. The paper concludes by outlining the key questions that future research needs to address to fully test the model and the clinical implications that arise from the work. PMID:28713292

Protective and risk factors associated with voice strain among teachers in Castile and Leon, Spain: recommendations for voice training.

PubMed

Ubillos, Silvia; Centeno, Javier; Ibañez, Jaime; Iraurgi, Ioseba

2015-03-01

The aim of this research was to know the protective and risk factors associated with voice strain in teachers. A total of 675 teachers from Castille and León, Spain took part in the research within an age range between 23 and 66 years (from nursery school to university). A cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytic design was applied to data from a self-administered questionnaire. The research showed that 16.4% had suffered some voice disorder and a remarkable percentage had never received any kind of voice training. The bivariate and multivariate analyses show that the size of the classroom, being a primary school teacher, teaching physical education, the noise caused by the students in the classroom, the struggle to keep the order within the class, raising the voice, and bad sleep are risk factors in the voice disorders. Each learning stage features a different risk factor, namely in nursery school, the noise caused by the pupils; in primary education, raising the voice; and in secondary education, the struggle to keep the order within the class. All these risk factors are linked with each other. The preventive measures must provide adequate answers to the voice requirements for every subject and stage, and these preventive measures must be based on the educational psychology principles to help the teachers deal with the problems originated by the lack of authority or the noise made by the students, using the proper voice techniques. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale (VTDS) and Voice Symptom Scale (VoiSS) in the Evaluation of Patients With Voice Disorders.

PubMed

Lopes, Leonardo Wanderley; de Oliveira Florencio, Vanessa; Silva, Priscila Oliveira Costa; da Nóbrega E Ugulino, Ana Celiane; Almeida, Anna Alice

2018-01-04

We aimed to correlate the Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale (VTDS) with the Voice Symptom Scale (VoiSS) for evaluation of patients with dysphonia. In addition, we aimed to compare vocal tract discomfort symptoms in patients with and without self-reported voice problem. This is a descriptive, cross-sectional, and retrospective study. We analyzed 143 women and 62 men with voice disorders, as confirmed by endoscopic larynx examination. All patients completed the VTDS and VoiSS at vocal evaluation. Descriptive statistics and the Spearman correlation test were applied to all variables. The degree of covariance of variables was noted. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the average number of discomfort symptoms among patients with and without self-reported voice problems. A weak to moderate positive correlation was observed between the average number, frequency, and intensity of comfort symptom and the total score, physical domain score, and limitation domain score of the VoiSS. The vocal tract discomfort symptoms and the emotional domain score of the VoiSS were weakly correlated. Patients with self-reported voice problems had a higher number, frequency, and intensity of vocal tract discomfort symptoms. There is correlation between the VTDS and VoiSS scales, with greater references to vocal tract discomfort symptom in patients with self-reported voice problems. Therefore, the discomfort symptoms seem to influence the perception of the impact of a voice problem. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Psychometric Properties of the Voice Handicap Index in People With Parkinson's Disease.

PubMed

Guimaraes, I; Cardoso, R; Pinto, S; Ferreira, J J

2017-03-01

Psychosocial impact of dysphonia in people with Parkinson disease (PD) has been described with the Voice Handicap Index (VHI); however, its psychometric properties when applied in this population are not described. The objective of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the VHI in people with PD. A cross-sectional study of 151 subjects without cognitive impairment (90 people with PD and 61 controls) was carried out. The VHI was applied along with clinician-based (Mini Mental State Examination, Hoehn and Yahr staging, and Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale) and patient-based (self-rated voice severity) outcome measures. The psychometric properties of the VHI analyzed were the feasibility, reliability, and construct validity. The average age of the PD population studied was 67 years; 51% had a primary level of education and 81% were retired. On average, they had disease onset duration of 11 years, a mild disease stage, mild to moderate global motor disability and impairment, and a normal to mild self-rated voice severity. The psychometric attributes of the VHI demonstrated that the questionnaire is feasible (missing data less than 1%), reliable (Cronbach α > 0.9), and valid (71.5% of the total variance is explained by five factors, correlates with voice severity, PD disability, and impairment, and differentiates subjects with PD from subjects without PD). The VHI is a reliable and valid tool that can be recommended for the population under study although further work is required to investigate its utility in advanced stages of disease. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Plasticity after perceptual narrowing for voice perception: reinstating the ability to discriminate monkeys by their voices at 12 months of age

PubMed Central

Friendly, Rayna H.; Rendall, Drew; Trainor, Laurel J.

2013-01-01

Differentiating individuals by their voice is an important social skill for infants to acquire. In a previous study, we demonstrated that the ability to discriminate individuals by voice follows a pattern of perceptual narrowing (Friendly et al., 2013). Specifically, we found that the ability to discriminate between two foreign-species (rhesus monkey) voices decreased significantly between 6 and 12 months of age. Also during this period, there was a trend for the ability to discriminate human voices to increase. Here we investigate the extent to which plasticity remains at 12 months, after perceptual narrowing has occurred. We found that 12-month-olds who received 2 weeks of monkey-voice training were significantly better at discriminating between rhesus monkey voices than untrained 12-month-olds. Furthermore, discrimination was reinstated to a level slightly better than that of untrained 6-month-olds, suggesting that voice-processing abilities remain considerably plastic at the end of the first year. PMID:24130540

Voice feminization in male-to-female transgendered clients after Wendler's glottoplasty with vs. without voice therapy support.

PubMed

Casado, Juan C; Rodríguez-Parra, María J; Adrián, José A

2017-04-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the medium-term results of Wendler's glottoplasty surgery (WG) and the effects of post-operative voice therapy in a group of male-to-female transsexuals. This is a retrospective study of 18 transsexuals who voluntarily underwent WG between 2010 and 2014 at a single hospital. Ten of the subjects underwent an additional voice therapy training. The group was assessed pre- vs. post-treatments with a limited battery of measures consisting of fundamental frequency (Fo), maximum phonation time, the TSEQ transgender self-assessment questionnaire, and perceptual assessment of the voice (Visual Analog Scale and a simplified version of the classical Hirano-GRBAS scale) by inter-rater agreement. The surgical procedure consisted of a de-epithelialization of the anterior third of both vocal folds; this area was sutured, and the surface of both vocal folds was vaporized with a laser diode. The results showed a significant increase in vocal tone and feminization of voice in all participants, including a significant increase in Fo 12 months after treatment. Significant improvements were also shown in other evaluated measures, such as self-reported satisfaction and the degree of feminization of the voice. However, no improvements in maximum phonation time were observed. The use of voice therapy appears decisive for optimal improvement of this class of patients. WG applied appropriately by well-trained hands is thus a very effective and less traumatic procedure than other techniques that aim for an acceptable feminization of the voice in MtoF transgendered clients.

Voice tracking and spoken word recognition in the presence of other voices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Litong-Palima, Marisciel; Violanda, Renante; Saloma, Caesar

2004-12-01

We study the human hearing process by modeling the hair cell as a thresholded Hopf bifurcator and compare our calculations with experimental results involving human subjects in two different multi-source listening tasks of voice tracking and spoken-word recognition. In the model, we observed noise suppression by destructive interference between noise sources which weakens the effective noise strength acting on the hair cell. Different success rate characteristics were observed for the two tasks. Hair cell performance at low threshold levels agree well with results from voice-tracking experiments while those of word-recognition experiments are consistent with a linear model of the hearing process. The ability of humans to track a target voice is robust against cross-talk interference unlike word-recognition performance which deteriorates quickly with the number of uncorrelated noise sources in the environment which is a response behavior that is associated with linear systems.

Voice changes after thyroidectomy without recurrent laryngeal nerve injury.

PubMed

Sinagra, Diego L; Montesinos, Manuel R; Tacchi, Verónica A; Moreno, Julio C; Falco, Jorge E; Mezzadri, Norberto A; Debonis, Daniel L; Curutchet, H Pablo

2004-10-01

Injury of the inferior laryngeal nerve is not the only cause of voice alteration after thyroidectomy; many patients notice minimal changes immediately after operation, without evidence of inferior laryngeal nerve damage. We hypothesized that there may be other causes for voice modification, such as injuries of the superior laryngeal nerve, prethyroid strap muscles, and cricothyroid muscles. We describe voice changes after total thyroidectomy, without inferior laryngeal nerve injury, using a computer program to objectively compare different patterns of voice. Forty-six consecutive patients who underwent total thyroidectomy were studied between March 1997 and December 1999. Acoustic voice analysis was performed preoperatively and at the second, fourth, and sixth postoperative months using a microphone adapted to a personal computer. Parameters measured were intensity of the voice (Shimmer) and fundamental frequency (Fo). No complications occurred during operation or in the postoperative period. Voice fatigue during phonation was the most common symptom after thyroidectomy. Forty patients (87%) stated that their voices had changed since the operation, and common complaints were voice alteration while speaking loudly, changes in voice pitch, and voice disorder while singing. Changes in the Fo and Shimmer values in smokers versus nonsmokers were similar (Fo overall, p = 0.56; Shimmer overall, p = 0.66), as were the same parameters in benign and malignant pathologies (Fo overall, p = 0.66; Shimmer overall, p = 0.67). Voice changes after uncomplicated thyroidectomy occur and can be objectively measured. This is important in the preoperative counseling of patients before thyroidectomy, for ethical and legal purposes.

Advancing Underwater Acoustic Communication for Autonomous Distributed Networks via Sparse Channel Sensing, Coding, and Navigation Support

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-30

underwater acoustic communication technologies for autonomous distributed underwater networks , through innovative signal processing, coding, and...4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Advancing Underwater Acoustic Communication for Autonomous Distributed Networks via Sparse Channel Sensing, Coding, and...coding: 3) OFDM modulated dynamic coded cooperation in underwater acoustic channels; 3 Localization, Networking , and Testbed: 4) On-demand

Research on realization scheme of interactive voice response (IVR) system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Xin; Zhu, Guangxi

2003-12-01

In this paper, a novel interactive voice response (IVR) system is proposed, which is apparently different from the traditional. Using software operation and network control, the IVR system is presented which only depends on software in the server in which the system lies and the hardware in network terminals on user side, such as gateway (GW), personal gateway (PG), PC and so on. The system transmits the audio using real time protocol (RTP) protocol via internet to the network terminals and controls flow using finite state machine (FSM) stimulated by H.245 massages sent from user side and the system control factors. Being compared with other existing schemes, this IVR system results in several advantages, such as greatly saving the system cost, fully utilizing the existing network resources and enhancing the flexibility. The system is capable to be put in any service server anywhere in the Internet and even fits for the wireless applications based on packet switched communication. The IVR system has been put into reality and passed the system test.

Voice and Speech after Laryngectomy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stajner-Katusic, Smiljka; Horga, Damir; Musura, Maja; Globlek, Dubravka

2006-01-01

The aim of the investigation is to compare voice and speech quality in alaryngeal patients using esophageal speech (ESOP, eight subjects), electroacoustical speech aid (EACA, six subjects) and tracheoesophageal voice prosthesis (TEVP, three subjects). The subjects reading a short story were recorded in the sound-proof booth and the speech samples…

Voice, Schooling, Inequality, and Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, James

2013-01-01

The rich studies in this collection show that the investigation of voice requires analysis of "recognition" across layered spatial-temporal and sociolinguistic scales. I argue that the concepts of voice, recognition, and scale provide insight into contemporary educational inequality and that their study benefits, in turn, from paying attention to…

What Presidents Need To Know about the Impact of Networking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leadership Abstracts, 1993

1993-01-01

Many colleges and universities are undergoing cultural changes as a result of extensive voice, data, and video networking. Local area networks link large portions of most campuses, and national networks have evolved from specialized services for researchers in computer-related disciplines to general utilities on many campuses. Campuswide systems…

Assessments of Voice Use and Voice Quality Among College/University Singing Students Ages 18-24 Through Ambulatory Monitoring With a Full Accelerometer Signal.

PubMed

Schloneger, Matthew J; Hunter, Eric J

2017-01-01

The multiple social and performance demands placed on college/university singers could put their still-developing voices at risk. Previous ambulatory monitoring studies have analyzed the duration, intensity, and frequency (in Hertz) of voice use among such students. Nevertheless, no studies to date have incorporated the simultaneous acoustic voice quality measures into the acquisition of these measures to allow for direct comparison during the same voicing period. Such data could provide greater insight into how young singers use their voices, as well as identify potential correlations between vocal dose and acoustic changes in voice quality. The purpose of this study was to assess the voice use and the estimated voice quality of college/university singing students (18-24 years old, N = 19). Ambulatory monitoring was conducted over three full, consecutive weekdays measuring voice from an unprocessed accelerometer signal measured at the neck. From this signal, traditional vocal dose metrics such as phonation percentage, dose time, cycle dose, and distance dose were analyzed. Additional acoustic measures included perceived pitch, pitch strength, long-term average spectrum slope, alpha ratio, dB sound pressure level 1-3 kHz, and harmonic-to-noise ratio. Major findings from more than 800 hours of recording indicated that among these students (a) higher vocal doses correlated significantly with greater voice intensity, more vocal clarity and less perturbation; and (b) there were significant differences in some acoustic voice quality metrics between nonsinging, solo singing, and choral singing. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Issues in forensic voice.

PubMed

Hollien, Harry; Huntley Bahr, Ruth; Harnsberger, James D

2014-03-01

The following article provides a general review of an area that can be referred to as Forensic Voice. Its goals will be outlined and that discussion will be followed by a description of its major elements. Considered are (1) the processing and analysis of spoken utterances, (2) distorted speech, (3) enhancement of speech intelligibility (re: surveillance and other recordings), (4) transcripts, (5) authentication of recordings, (6) speaker identification, and (7) the detection of deception, intoxication, and emotions in speech. Stress in speech and the psychological stress evaluation systems (that some individuals attempt to use as lie detectors) also will be considered. Points of entry will be suggested for individuals with the kinds of backgrounds possessed by professionals already working in the voice area. Copyright © 2014 The Voice Foundation. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Voice characteristics in the progression of Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Holmes, R J; Oates, J M; Phyland, D J; Hughes, A J

2000-01-01

This study examined the acoustic and perceptual voice characteristics of patients with Parkinson's disease according to disease severity. The perceptual and acoustic voice characteristics of 30 patients with early stage PD and 30 patients with later stage PD were compared with data from 30 normal control subjects. Voice recordings consisted of prolongation of the vowel /a/, scale singing, and a 1-min monologue. In comparison with controls and previously published normative data, both early and later stage PD patients' voices were characterized perceptually by limited pitch and loudness variability, breathiness, harshness and reduced loudness. High modal pitch levels also characterized the voices of males in both early and later stages of PD. Acoustically, the voices of both groups of PD patients demonstrated lower mean intensity levels and reduced maximum phonational frequency ranges in comparison with normative data. Although less clear, the present data also suggested that the PD patients' voices were characterized by excess jitter, a high-speaking fundamental frequency for males and a reduced fundamental frequency variability for females. While several of these voice features did not appear to deteriorate with disease progression (i.e. harshness, high modal pitch and speaking fundamental frequency in males, fundamental frequency variability in females, low intensity and jitter), breathiness, monopitch and monoloudness, low loudness and reduced maximum phonational frequency range were all worse in the later stages of PD. Tremor was the sole voice feature which was associated only with later stage PD.

Common diagnoses and treatments in professional voice users.

PubMed

Franco, Ramon A; Andrus, Jennifer G

2007-10-01

Common problems among all patients seen by the laryngologist are also common among professional voice users. These include laryngopharyngeal reflux, muscle tension dysphonia, fibrovascular vocal fold lesions (eg, nodules and polyps), cysts, vocal fold scarring, changes in vocal fold mobility, and age-related changes. Microvascular lesions and their associated sequelae of vocal fold hemorrhage and laryngitis due to voice overuse are more common among professional voice users. Much more common among professional voice users is the negative impact that voice problems have on their ability to work, on their overall sense of well-being, and sometimes on their very sense of self. This article reviews the diagnosis and treatment options for these and other problems among professional voice users, describing the relevant roles of medical treatment, voice therapy, and surgery. The common scenario of multiple concomitant entities contributing to a symptom complex is underscored. Emphasis is placed on gaining insight into the "whole" patient so that individualized management plans can be developed. Videos of select diagnoses accompany this content online.

An Examination of Two Policy Networks Involved in Advancing Smokefree Policy Initiatives.

PubMed

Moreland-Russell, Sarah; Carothers, Bobbi J

2015-09-08

This study examines smokefree policy networks in two cities—Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri—one that was successful in achieving widespread policy success, and one that was not. Descriptive social network analyses and visual network mapping were used to compare importance and contact relationships among actors involved in the smokefree policy initiatives. In Kansas City, where policy adoption was achieved, there was a higher level of connectivity among members, with network members being in contact with an average of more than five people, compared to just over two people for the St. Louis network. For both cities, despite being recognized as important, politicians were in contact with the fewest number of people. Results highlight the critical need to actively engage a variety of stakeholders when attempting city wide public health policy change. As evident by the success in smokefree policy adoption throughout Kansas City compared to St. Louis, closer linkages and continued communication among stakeholders including the media, coalitions, public health agencies, policymakers, and other partners are essential if we are to advance and broaden the impact of public health policy. Results indicate that the presence of champions, or those that play leadership roles in actively promoting policy by linking individuals and organizations, play an important role in advancing public health policy. Those working in public health should examine their level of engagement with the policy process and implement strategies for improving that engagement through relationship building and ongoing interactions with a variety of stakeholders, including policymakers.

Sex hormones and the female voice.

PubMed

Abitbol, J; Abitbol, P; Abitbol, B

1999-09-01

In the following, the authors examine the relationship between hormonal climate and the female voice through discussion of hormonal biochemistry and physiology and informal reporting on a study of 197 women with either premenstrual or menopausal voice syndrome. These facts are placed in a larger historical and cultural context, which is inextricably bound to the understanding of the female voice. The female voice evolves from childhood to menopause, under the varied influences of estrogens, progesterone, and testosterone. These hormones are the dominant factor in determining voice changes throughout life. For example, a woman's voice always develops masculine characteristics after an injection of testosterone. Such a change is irreversible. Conversely, male castrati had feminine voices because they lacked the physiologic changes associated with testosterone. The vocal instrument is comprised of the vibratory body, the respiratory power source and the oropharyngeal resonating chambers. Voice is characterized by its intensity, frequency, and harmonics. The harmonics are hormonally dependent. This is illustrated by the changes that occur during male and female puberty: In the female, the impact of estrogens at puberty, in concert with progesterone, produces the characteristics of the female voice, with a fundamental frequency one third lower than that of a child. In the male, androgens released at puberty are responsible for the male vocal frequency, an octave lower than that of a child. Premenstrual vocal syndrome is characterized by vocal fatigue, decreased range, a loss of power and loss of certain harmonics. The syndrome usually starts some 4-5 days before menstruation in some 33% of women. Vocal professionals are particularly affected. Dynamic vocal exploration by televideoendoscopy shows congestion, microvarices, edema of the posterior third of the vocal folds and a loss of its vibratory amplitude. The authors studied 97 premenstrual women who were prescribed a

Scientific bases of human-machine communication by voice.

PubMed Central

Schafer, R W

1995-01-01

The scientific bases for human-machine communication by voice are in the fields of psychology, linguistics, acoustics, signal processing, computer science, and integrated circuit technology. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the basic scientific and technological issues in human-machine communication by voice and to point out areas of future research opportunity. The discussion is organized around the following major issues in implementing human-machine voice communication systems: (i) hardware/software implementation of the system, (ii) speech synthesis for voice output, (iii) speech recognition and understanding for voice input, and (iv) usability factors related to how humans interact with machines. PMID:7479802

DLMS Voice Data Entry.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-06-01

34 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FIGURE PAGE 1 Block Diagram of DLMS Voice Recognition System .............. S 2 Flowchart of DefaulV...particular are a speech preprocessor and a minicomputer. In the VRS, as shown in the block diagram of Fig. 1, the preprocessor is a TTI model 8040 and...Data General 6026 Magnetic Zo 4 Tape Unit Display L-- - Equipment Cabinet Fig. 1 block Diagram of DIMS Voice Recognition System qS 2. Flexible Disk

Eye Movements Reveal Fast, Voice-Specific Priming

PubMed Central

Papesh, Megan H.; Goldinger, Stephen D.; Hout, Michael C.

2015-01-01

In spoken word perception, voice specificity effects are well-documented: When people hear repeated words in some task, performance is generally better when repeated items are presented in their originally heard voices, relative to changed voices. A key theoretical question about voice specificity effects concerns their time-course: Some studies suggest that episodic traces exert their influence late in lexical processing (the time-course hypothesis; McLennan & Luce, 2005), whereas others suggest that episodic traces influence immediate, online processing. We report two eye-tracking studies investigating the time-course of voice-specific priming within and across cognitive tasks. In Experiment 1, participants performed modified lexical decision or semantic classification to words spoken by four speakers. The tasks required participants to click a red “×” or a blue “+” located randomly within separate visual half-fields, necessitating trial-by-trial visual search with consistent half-field response mapping. After a break, participants completed a second block with new and repeated items, half spoken in changed voices. Voice effects were robust very early, appearing in saccade initiation times. Experiment 2 replicated this pattern while changing tasks across blocks, ruling out a response priming account. In the General Discussion, we address the time-course hypothesis, focusing on the challenge it presents for empirical disconfirmation, and highlighting the broad importance of indexical effects, beyond studies of priming. PMID:26726911

Children's Recognition of Cartoon Voices.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spence, Melanie J.; Rollins, Pamela R.; Jerger, Susan

2002-01-01

A study examined developmental changes in talker recognition skills by assessing 72 children's (ages 3-5) recognition of 20 cartoon characters' voices. Four- and 5-year-old children recognized more of the voices than did 3-year-olds. All children were more accurate at recognizing more familiar characters than less familiar characters. (Contains…

Voices for Illinois Children, 1999.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Voices for Illinois Children, 1999

1999-01-01

This document is comprised of the three "Voices for Illinois Children" newsletter issues published during 1999. Voices for Illinois Children is a child advocacy group that works to make kids "count" in Illinois and to ensure that the basic needs of all children, families, and communities are met. These newsletter issues explore…

Communication Network Design: West Ottawa School District.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Couch, David deS.

This report describes the technical details and rationale behind the decisions in the design and development of the communications network installed as part of a 1991-1993 district-wide construction project in the West Ottawa Public Schools (Michigan). The project called for development of a communications network to carry voice, data, and video…

Nationwide SIP Telephony Network Design to Prevent Congestion Caused by Disaster

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Satoh, Daisuke; Ashitagawa, Kyoko

We present a session initiation protocol (SIP) network design for a voice-over-IP network to prevent congestion caused by people calling friends and family after a disaster. The design increases the capacity of SIP servers in a network by using all of the SIP servers equally. It takes advantage of the fact that equipment for voice data packets is different from equipment for signaling packets in SIP networks. Furthermore, the design achieves simple routing on the basis of telephone numbers. We evaluated the performance of our design in preventing congestion through simulation. We showed that the proposed design has roughly 20 times more capacity, which is 57 times the normal load, than the conventional design if a disaster were to occur in Niigata Prefecture struck by the Chuetsu earthquake in 2004.

[The comparative assessment of the vocal function in the professional voice users and non-occupational voice users in the late adulthood].

PubMed

Pavlikhin, O G; Romanenko, S G; Krasnikova, D I; Lesogorova, E V; Yakovlev, V S

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the clinical and functional condition of the voice apparatus in the elderly patients and to elaborate recommendations for the prevention of disturbances of the vocal function in the professional voice users. This comprehensive study involved 95 patients including the active professional voice users (n=48) and 45 non-occupational voice users at the age from 61 to 82 years with the employment history varying from 32 to 51 years. The study was designed to obtain the voice characteristics by means of the subjective auditory assessment, microlaryngoscopy, video laryngostroboscopy, determination of maximum phonation time (MPT), and computer-assisted acoustic analysis of the voice with the use of the MDVP Kay Pentaxy system. The level of anxiety of the patients was estimated based on the results of the HADS questionnaire study. It is concluded that the majority of the disturbances of the vocal function in the professional voice users have the functional nature. It is concluded that the method of neuro-muscular electrophonopedic stimulation (NMEPS) of laryngeal muscles is the method of choice for the diagnostics of the vocal function of the voice users in the late adulthood. It is recommended that the professional vocal load for such subjects should not exceed 12-14 hours per week. Rational psychotherapy must constitute an important component of the system of measures intended to support the working capacity of the voice users belonging to this age group.

The singer's voice range profile: female professional opera soloists.

PubMed

Lamarche, Anick; Ternström, Sten; Pabon, Peter

2010-07-01

This work concerns the collection of 30 voice range profiles (VRPs) of female operatic voice. We address the questions: Is there a need for a singer's protocol in VRP acquisition? Are physiological measurements sufficient or should the measurement of performance capabilities also be included? Can we address the female singing voice in general or is there a case for categorizing voices when studying phonetographic data? Subjects performed a series of structured tasks involving both standard speech voice protocols and additional singing tasks. Singers also completed an extensive questionnaire. Physiological VRPs differ from performance VRPs. Two new VRP metrics, the voice area above a defined level threshold and the dynamic range independent from the fundamental frequency (F(0)), were found to be useful in the analysis of singer VRPs. Task design had no effect on performance VRP outcomes. Voice category differences were mainly attributable to phonation frequency-based information. Results support the clinical importance of addressing the vocal instrument as it is used in performance. Equally important is the elaboration of a protocol suitable for the singing voice. The given context and instructions can be more important than task design for performance VRPs. Yet, for physiological VRP recordings, task design remains critical. Both types of VRPs are suggested for a singer's voice evaluation. Copyright (c) 2010 The Voice Foundation. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Parent Trigger Laws and the Promise of Parental Voice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, William C.; Rowland, Julie

2014-01-01

Parent trigger laws have gained momentum nationally under the premise that they will increase local authority by amplifying parental voice in the decision to turn around "failing" schools. Using Hirschman's exit, voice, and loyalty framework we create two conceptual models of voice and evaluate the promise of voice in California, home of…

Reported Voice Difficulties in Student Teachers: A Questionnaire Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fairfield, Carol; Richards, Brian

2007-01-01

As professional voice users, teachers are particularly at risk of abusing their voices and developing voice disorders during their career. In spite of this, attention paid to voice care in the initial training and further professional development of teachers is unevenly spread and insufficient. This article describes a questionnaire survey of 171…

Artificial vision by multi-layered neural networks: neocognitron and its advances.

PubMed

Fukushima, Kunihiko

2013-01-01

The neocognitron is a neural network model proposed by Fukushima (1980). Its architecture was suggested by neurophysiological findings on the visual systems of mammals. It is a hierarchical multi-layered network. It acquires the ability to robustly recognize visual patterns through learning. Although the neocognitron has a long history, modifications of the network to improve its performance are still going on. For example, a recent neocognitron uses a new learning rule, named add-if-silent, which makes the learning process much simpler and more stable. Nevertheless, a high recognition rate can be kept with a smaller scale of the network. Referring to the history of the neocognitron, this paper discusses recent advances in the neocognitron. We also show that various new functions can be realized by, for example, introducing top-down connections to the neocognitron: mechanism of selective attention, recognition and completion of partly occluded patterns, restoring occluded contours, and so on. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Belt voice: Acoustical measurements and esthetic correlates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bounous, Barry Urban

This dissertation explores the esthetic attributes of the Belt voice through spectral acoustical analysis. The process of understanding the nature and safe practice of Belt is just beginning, whereas the understanding of classical singing is well established. The unique nature of the Belt sound provides difficulties for voice teachers attempting to evaluate the quality and appropriateness of a particular sound or performance. This study attempts to provide answers to the question "does Belt conform to a set of measurable esthetic standards?" In answering this question, this paper expands on a previous study of the esthetic attributes of the classical baritone voice (see "Vocal Beauty", NATS Journal 51,1) which also drew some tentative conclusions about the Belt voice but which had an inadequate sample pool of subjects from which to draw. Further, this study demonstrates that it is possible to scientifically investigate the realm of musical esthetics in the singing voice. It is possible to go beyond the "a trained voice compared to an untrained voice" paradigm when evaluating quantitative vocal parameters and actually investigate what truly beautiful voices do. There are functions of sound energy (measured in dB) transference which may affect the nervous system in predictable ways and which can be measured and associated with esthetics. This study does not show consistency in measurements for absolute beauty (taste) even among belt teachers and researchers but does show some markers with varying degrees of importance which may point to a difference between our cognitive learned response to singing and our emotional, more visceral response to sounds. The markers which are significant in determining vocal beauty are: (1) Vibrancy-Characteristics of vibrato including speed, width, and consistency (low variability). (2) Spectral makeup-Ratio of partial strength above the fundamental to the fundamental. (3) Activity of the voice-The quantity of energy being produced. (4

Wireless Tactical Networks in Support of Undersea Research

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-04-01

of 802.11 is to provide a radio capable of transmitting voice, video, and data standard set of operational rules so that WLAN products between its...networking in support of the network-centric [TFB-99] Trangeled A., Franchi P., Berni A., Data warfare concept, in which operational advantage is

Effects of Radioactive Iodine Ablation Therapy on Voice Quality.

PubMed

Aydoğdu, İmran; Atar, Yavuz; Saltürk, Ziya; Sarı, Hüseyin; Ataç, Enes; Aydoğdu, Zeynep; İnan, Muzaffer; Mersinlioğlu, Gökhan; Uyar, Yavuz

2017-01-01

The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of radioactive iodine ablation therapy on voice quality of patients diagnosed with well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma. We enrolled 36 patients who underwent total or subtotal thyroidectomy due to well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Voice recordings from patients were analyzed for acoustic and aerodynamic voice. The Voice Handicap Index-10 was used for subjective analysis. The control group consisted of 36 healthy participants. Results taken before and after therapy were compared statistically. There were no differences in the results taken before and after therapy for the radioactive iodine ablation group. The Voice Handicap Index-10 results did not differ between groups before and after therapy. Radioactive iodine ablation therapy has no effect on voice quality objectively or subjectively. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Collaboration and conquest: MTD as viewed by voice teacher (singing voice specialist) and speech-language pathologist.

PubMed

Goffi-Fynn, Jeanne C; Carroll, Linda M

2013-05-01

This study was designed as a qualitative case study to demonstrate the process of diagnosis and treatment between a voice team to manage a singer diagnosed with muscular tension dysphonia (MTD). Traditionally, literature suggests that MTD is challenging to treat and little in the literature directly addresses singers with MTD. Data collected included initial medical screening with laryngologist, referral to speech-language pathologist (SLP) specializing in voice disorders among singers, and adjunctive voice training with voice teacher trained in vocology (singing voice specialist or SVS). Initial target goals with SLP included reducing extrinsic laryngeal tension, using a relaxed laryngeal posture, and effective abdominal-diaphragmatic support for all phonation events. Balance of respiratory forces, laryngeal coordination, and use of optimum filtering of the source signal through resonance and articulatory awareness was emphasized. Further work with SVS included three main goals including a lowered breathing pattern to aid in decreasing subglottic air pressure, vertical laryngeal position to lower to allow for a relaxed laryngeal position, and a top-down singing approach to encourage an easier, more balanced registration, and better resonance. Initial results also emphasize the retraining of subject toward a sensory rather than auditory mode of monitoring. Other areas of consideration include singers' training and vocal use, the psychological effects of MTD, the personalities potentially associated with it, and its relationship with stress. Finally, the results emphasize that a positive rapport with the subject and collaboration between all professionals involved in a singer's care are essential for recovery. Copyright © 2013 The Voice Foundation. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Multivariate sensitivity to voice during auditory categorization.

PubMed

Lee, Yune Sang; Peelle, Jonathan E; Kraemer, David; Lloyd, Samuel; Granger, Richard

2015-09-01

Past neuroimaging studies have documented discrete regions of human temporal cortex that are more strongly activated by conspecific voice sounds than by nonvoice sounds. However, the mechanisms underlying this voice sensitivity remain unclear. In the present functional MRI study, we took a novel approach to examining voice sensitivity, in which we applied a signal detection paradigm to the assessment of multivariate pattern classification among several living and nonliving categories of auditory stimuli. Within this framework, voice sensitivity can be interpreted as a distinct neural representation of brain activity that correctly distinguishes human vocalizations from other auditory object categories. Across a series of auditory categorization tests, we found that bilateral superior and middle temporal cortex consistently exhibited robust sensitivity to human vocal sounds. Although the strongest categorization was in distinguishing human voice from other categories, subsets of these regions were also able to distinguish reliably between nonhuman categories, suggesting a general role in auditory object categorization. Our findings complement the current evidence of cortical sensitivity to human vocal sounds by revealing that the greatest sensitivity during categorization tasks is devoted to distinguishing voice from nonvoice categories within human temporal cortex. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Making women's voices heard: technological change and women's employment in Malaysia.

PubMed

Ng Choon Sim, C

1999-01-01

This paper examines the 1994-96 UN University Institute for New Technologies policy research project on technological change and women's employment in Asia. The project was conducted to provide a voice for nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) representing women workers. It focuses on the Malaysian experience in terms of the impact of technology on women's work and employment in the telecommunications and electronic industry. The results of the NGO research project revealed that the shift to a more intensive production has no uniform impact on women. Although new jobs were created, women employment status remains vulnerable. Meaning, female workers are afraid of the technological redundancy, casualization of labor, as well as health and safety hazards associated with new technology. A good example of the effect of industrialization to women¿s rights is the situation in Malaysia. Although cutting edge technology, combined with restructuring, has yielded some benefits in terms of a vastly expanded network and services, better performances and economies of scale, employment situation of the majority of women still remained in the low-skilled or semi-skilled categories. In order to upgrade women employment status along with the technological advancement, open communication and cooperation of all types is needed to ensure a successful outcome.

Defense switched network technology and experiments program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weinstein, C. J.

1983-09-01

This report documents work performed during FY 1983 on the DCA-sponsored Defense Switched Network Technology and Experiments Program. The areas of work reported are: (1) development of routing algorithms for application in the Defense Switched Network (DSN); (2) instrumentation and integration of the Experimental Integrated Switched Network (EISN) test facility; (3) development and test of data communication techniques using DoD-standard data protocols in an integrated voice/data network; and (4) EISN system coordination and experiment planning.

Acoustic and Perceived Measurements Certifying Tango as Voice Treatment Method.

PubMed

Tafiadis, Dionysios; Kosma, Evangelia I; Chronopoulos, Spyridon K; Papadopoulos, Aggelos; Toki, Eugenia I; Vassiliki, Siafaka; Ziavra, Nausica

2018-03-01

Voice disorders are affecting everyday life in many levels, and their prevalence has been studied extensively in certain and general populations. Notably, several factors have a cohesive influence on voice disorders and voice characteristics. Several studies report that health and environmental and psychological etiologies can serve as risk factors for voice disorders. Many diagnostic protocols, in the literature, evaluate voice and its parameters leading to direct or indirect treatment intervention. This study was designed to examine the effect of tango on adult acoustic voice parameters. Fifty-two adults (26 male and 26 female) were recruited and divided into four subgroups (male dancers, female dancers, male nondancers, and female nondancers). The participants were asked to answer two questionnaires (Voice Handicap Index and Voice Evaluation Form), and their voices were recorded before and after the tango dance session. Moreover, water consumption was investigated. The study's results indicated that the voices' acoustic characteristics were different between tango dancers and the control group. The beneficial results are far from prominent as they prove that tango dance can serve stand-alone as voice therapy without the need for hydration. Also, more research is imperative to be conducted on a longitudinal basis to obtain a more accurate result on the required time for the proposed therapy. Copyright © 2018 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The road to NHDPlus — Advancements in digital stream networks and associated catchments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moore, Richard B.; Dewald, Thomas A.

2016-01-01

A progression of advancements in Geographic Information Systems techniques for hydrologic network and associated catchment delineation has led to the production of the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus). NHDPlus is a digital stream network for hydrologic modeling with catchments and a suite of related geospatial data. Digital stream networks with associated catchments provide a geospatial framework for linking and integrating water-related data. Advancements in the development of NHDPlus are expected to continue to improve the capabilities of this national geospatial hydrologic framework. NHDPlus is built upon the medium-resolution NHD and, like NHD, was developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Geological Survey to support the estimation of streamflow and stream velocity used in fate-and-transport modeling. Catchments included with NHDPlus were created by integrating vector information from the NHD and from the Watershed Boundary Dataset with the gridded land surface elevation as represented by the National Elevation Dataset. NHDPlus is an actively used and continually improved dataset. Users recognize the importance of a reliable stream network and associated catchments. The NHDPlus spatial features and associated data tables will continue to be improved to support regional water quality and streamflow models and other user-defined applications.

Color and texture associations in voice-induced synesthesia

PubMed Central

Moos, Anja; Simmons, David; Simner, Julia; Smith, Rachel

2013-01-01

Voice-induced synesthesia, a form of synesthesia in which synesthetic perceptions are induced by the sounds of people's voices, appears to be relatively rare and has not been systematically studied. In this study we investigated the synesthetic color and visual texture perceptions experienced in response to different types of “voice quality” (e.g., nasal, whisper, falsetto). Experiences of three different groups—self-reported voice synesthetes, phoneticians, and controls—were compared using both qualitative and quantitative analysis in a study conducted online. Whilst, in the qualitative analysis, synesthetes used more color and texture terms to describe voices than either phoneticians or controls, only weak differences, and many similarities, between groups were found in the quantitative analysis. Notable consistent results between groups were the matching of higher speech fundamental frequencies with lighter and redder colors, the matching of “whispery” voices with smoke-like textures, and the matching of “harsh” and “creaky” voices with textures resembling dry cracked soil. These data are discussed in the light of current thinking about definitions and categorizations of synesthesia, especially in cases where individuals apparently have a range of different synesthetic inducers. PMID:24032023

Simultaneous face and voice processing in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Liu, Taosheng; Pinheiro, Ana P; Zhao, Zhongxin; Nestor, Paul G; McCarley, Robert W; Niznikiewicz, Margaret

2016-05-15

While several studies have consistently demonstrated abnormalities in the unisensory processing of face and voice in schizophrenia (SZ), the extent of abnormalities in the simultaneous processing of both types of information remains unclear. To address this issue, we used event-related potentials (ERP) methodology to probe the multisensory integration of face and non-semantic sounds in schizophrenia. EEG was recorded from 18 schizophrenia patients and 19 healthy control (HC) subjects in three conditions: neutral faces (visual condition-VIS); neutral non-semantic sounds (auditory condition-AUD); neutral faces presented simultaneously with neutral non-semantic sounds (audiovisual condition-AUDVIS). When compared with HC, the schizophrenia group showed less negative N170 to both face and face-voice stimuli; later P270 peak latency in the multimodal condition of face-voice relative to unimodal condition of face (the reverse was true in HC); reduced P400 amplitude and earlier P400 peak latency in the face but not in the voice-face condition. Thus, the analysis of ERP components suggests that deficits in the encoding of facial information extend to multimodal face-voice stimuli and that delays exist in feature extraction from multimodal face-voice stimuli in schizophrenia. In contrast, categorization processes seem to benefit from the presentation of simultaneous face-voice information. Timepoint by timepoint tests of multimodal integration did not suggest impairment in the initial stages of processing in schizophrenia. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Research on a practical telecom and CATV co-network transmission system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, Youju

1998-12-01

A practical co-network transmission system of Telecom and CATV over installed Telecom network is designed. The system, making use of WDM and other technologies, has undergone experiments and performance tests on the Public Switched Telephone Network, which illustrate that optical fiber telecommunication network could be thereby transformed into a unified broadband network integrating VOICE, DATA, and VEDIO expeditiously and conveniently.

Voice and persuasion in a banking telemarketing context.

PubMed

Chebat, Jean-Charles; El Hedhli, Kamel; Gélinas-Chebat, Claire; Boivin, Robert

2007-04-01

Voice has been neglected in research on advertising and persuasion. The present study examined the influence of voice and sex on the credibility of the voice source in a banking telemarketing context as well as with regards to the attitude toward the advertisement, and subjects' behavioral intention. An experiment using voices of a man and a woman was conducted. A recorded mock-telemarketing message consisted of an advertisement for an ATM card offered by a Canadian bank. Subjects were undergraduate students (N=399; 71.6% women, 28.4% men; M age=26.5 yr., SD = 7.4). They completed a questionnaire after hearing the message in telemarketing conditions. Analysis indicated a moderate intensity, an unmarked intonation, and a fast speech rate are associated with a more credible source than the other combinations. Sex was not a significant moderator in the relationship between voice characteristics and source credibility. Voice characteristics significantly affected attitudes toward the advertisement and behavioral intention.

US long distance fiber optic networks: Technology, evolution and advanced concepts. Volume 2: Fiber optic technology and long distance networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1986-10-01

The study projects until 2000 the evolution of long distance fiber optic networks in the U.S. Volume 1 is the Executive Summary. Volume 2 focuses on fiber optic components and systems that are directly related to the operation of long-haul networks. Optimistic, pessimistic and most likely scenarios of technology development are presented. The activities of national and regional companies implementing fiber long haul networks are also highlighted, along with an analysis of the market and regulatory forces affecting network evolution. Volume 3 presents advanced fiber optic network concept definitions. Inter-LATA traffic is quantified and forms the basis for the construction of 11-, 15-, 17-, and 23-node networks. Using the technology projections from Volume 2, a financial model identifies cost drivers and determines circuit mile costs between any two LATAs. A comparison of fiber optics with alternative transmission concludes the report.

US long distance fiber optic networks: Technology, evolution and advanced concepts. Volume 2: Fiber optic technology and long distance networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

The study projects until 2000 the evolution of long distance fiber optic networks in the U.S. Volume 1 is the Executive Summary. Volume 2 focuses on fiber optic components and systems that are directly related to the operation of long-haul networks. Optimistic, pessimistic and most likely scenarios of technology development are presented. The activities of national and regional companies implementing fiber long haul networks are also highlighted, along with an analysis of the market and regulatory forces affecting network evolution. Volume 3 presents advanced fiber optic network concept definitions. Inter-LATA traffic is quantified and forms the basis for the construction of 11-, 15-, 17-, and 23-node networks. Using the technology projections from Volume 2, a financial model identifies cost drivers and determines circuit mile costs between any two LATAs. A comparison of fiber optics with alternative transmission concludes the report.

Mechanical and dynamic aspects of voice production as related to voice therapy and phonosurgery.

PubMed

Isshiki, N

2000-06-01

Laryngeal framework surgery can change the position and tension of the vocal folds safely without direct surgical intervention in the vocal fold proper. Some 23 years of experience with phonosurgery have proved its usefulness in treating dysphonia related to unilateral vocal fold paralysis, vocal fold atrophy, and pitch-related dysphonias. Meanwhile, much information about the mechanism of voice production has been obtained through intraoperative findings of voice and fiberscopic examination of the larynx. Based on such knowledge together with information obtained through model experiments, the human vocal organ was reconsidered mainly from the mechanical view point, and the roles of voice therapy and singing pedagogy were discussed in relation to phonosurgery. The vocal organ may not be an ideal musical organ and is rather vulnerable, but its potential is enormous.

Mechanical and dynamic aspects of voice production as related to voice therapy and phonosurgery.

PubMed

Isshiki, N

1998-06-01

Laryngeal framework surgery can change the position and tension of the vocal folds safely without direct surgical intervention in the vocal fold proper. Some 23 years of experience with phonosurgery have proved its usefulness in treating dysphonia related to unilateral vocal fold paralysis, vocal fold atrophy, and pitch-related dysphonias . Meanwhile, much information about the mechanism of voice production has been obtained through intraoperative findings of voice and fiberscopic examination of the larynx . Based on such knowledge together with information obtained through model experiments, the human vocal organ was reconsidered mainly from the mechanical view point, and the roles of voice therapy and singing pedagogy were discussed in relation to phonosurgery. The vocal organ may not be an ideal musical organ and is rather vulnerable, but its potential is enormous.

Speaker's comfort in teaching environments: voice problems in Swedish teaching staff.

PubMed

Åhlander, Viveka Lyberg; Rydell, Roland; Löfqvist, Anders

2011-07-01

The primary objective of this study was to examine how a group of Swedish teachers rate aspects of their working environment that can be presumed to have an impact on vocal behavior and voice problems. The secondary objective was to explore the prevalence of voice problems in Swedish teachers. Questionnaires were distributed to the teachers of 23 randomized schools. Teaching staff at all levels were included, except preschool teachers and teachers at specialized, vocational high schools. The response rate was 73%. The results showed that 13% of the whole group reported voice problems occurring sometimes, often, or always. The teachers reporting voice problems were compared with those without problems. There were significant differences among the groups for several items. The teachers with voice problems rated items on room acoustics and work environment as more noticeable. This group also reported voice symptoms, such as hoarseness, throat clearing, and voice change, to a significantly higher degree, even though teachers in both groups reported some voice symptoms. Absence from work because of voice problems was also significantly more common in the group with voice problems--35% versus 9% in the group without problems. We may conclude that teachers suffering from voice problems react stronger to loading factors in the teaching environment, report more frequent symptoms of voice discomfort, and are more often absent from work because of voice problems than their voice-healthy colleagues. Copyright © 2011 The Voice Foundation. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

A voice region in the monkey brain.

PubMed

Petkov, Christopher I; Kayser, Christoph; Steudel, Thomas; Whittingstall, Kevin; Augath, Mark; Logothetis, Nikos K

2008-03-01

For vocal animals, recognizing species-specific vocalizations is important for survival and social interactions. In humans, a voice region has been identified that is sensitive to human voices and vocalizations. As this region also strongly responds to speech, it is unclear whether it is tightly associated with linguistic processing and is thus unique to humans. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging of macaque monkeys (Old World primates, Macaca mulatta) we discovered a high-level auditory region that prefers species-specific vocalizations over other vocalizations and sounds. This region not only showed sensitivity to the 'voice' of the species, but also to the vocal identify of conspecific individuals. The monkey voice region is located on the superior-temporal plane and belongs to an anterior auditory 'what' pathway. These results establish functional relationships with the human voice region and support the notion that, for different primate species, the anterior temporal regions of the brain are adapted for recognizing communication signals from conspecifics.

Emirati Teachers' Perceptions of Voice Handicap.

PubMed

Natour, Yaser S; Sartawi, Abdealaziz M; Al Muhairy, Ousha; Efthymiou, Effie; Marie, Basem S

2016-05-01

The purpose of the study was to explore Emirati teachers' perceptions of voice handicap and to analyze their acoustic characteristics to determine whether acoustic measures of teachers' voice would verify their perceptions of voice handicap. Sixty-six Emirati school teachers (33 men and 33 women), with different years of teaching experience and age, and 100 control participants (50 men and 50 women) underwent vocal assessment that included the Voice Handicap Index (VHI-Arab) and acoustic measures (F0, jitter%, shimmer%, signal to noise ratio [SNR]). Significant differences between the teachers' group scores and the control group scores on the following subscales of VHI-Arab: physical (P = 0.006), emotional (P = 0.004), and total score of the test (P = 0.002). No significant differences were found among teachers in the three VHI subscales, and the total score regarding gender (functional P = 0.307; physical P = 0.341; emotional P = 0.126; and total P = 0.184), age (functional P = 0.972; physical P = 0.525; emotional P = 0.772; and total P = 0.848), and years of teaching experience (functional P = 0.319; physical P = 0.619; emotional P = 0.926; and total P = 0.638). The significant differences between the teacher's group and the control group in three acoustic measures: F0 (P = 0.000), shimmer% (P = 0.000), and SNR (P = 0.000) were further investigated. Significant differences were found among female and male teachers in F0 (P = 0.00) and SNR (P = 0.007). As for teachers' age, significant differences were found in SNR (P = 0.028). Teachers' years of experience did not show significant differences in any of the acoustic measures. Teachers have a higher perception of voice handicap. However, they were able to produce better voice quality than control participants were, as expressed in better SNRs. This might have been caused either by manipulation of vocal properties or abusive overloading the vocal system to produce a

Influence of Smartphones and Software on Acoustic Voice Measures

PubMed Central

GRILLO, ELIZABETH U.; BROSIOUS, JENNA N.; SORRELL, STACI L.; ANAND, SUPRAJA

2016-01-01

This study assessed the within-subject variability of voice measures captured using different recording devices (i.e., smartphones and head mounted microphone) and software programs (i.e., Analysis of Dysphonia in Speech and Voice (ADSV), Multi-dimensional Voice Program (MDVP), and Praat). Correlations between the software programs that calculated the voice measures were also analyzed. Results demonstrated no significant within-subject variability across devices and software and that some of the measures were highly correlated across software programs. The study suggests that certain smartphones may be appropriate to record daily voice measures representing the effects of vocal loading within individuals. In addition, even though different algorithms are used to compute voice measures across software programs, some of the programs and measures share a similar relationship. PMID:28775797

Assessments of Voice Use and Voice Quality among College/University Singing Students Ages 18–24 through Ambulatory Monitoring with a Full Accelerometer Signal

PubMed Central

Schloneger, Matthew; Hunter, Eric

2016-01-01

The multiple social and performance demands placed on college/university singers could put their still developing voices at risk. Previous ambulatory monitoring studies have analyzed the duration, intensity, and frequency (in Hz) of voice use among such students. Nevertheless, no studies to date have incorporated the simultaneous acoustic voice quality measures into the acquisition of these measures to allow for direct comparison during the same voicing period. Such data could provide greater insight into how young singers use their voices, as well as identify potential correlations between vocal dose and acoustic changes in voice quality. The purpose of this study was to assess the voice use and estimated voice quality of college/university singing students (18–24 y/o, N = 19). Ambulatory monitoring was conducted over three full, consecutive weekdays measuring voice from an unprocessed accelerometer signal measured at the neck. From this signal were analyzed traditional vocal dose metrics such as phonation percentage, dose time, cycle dose, and distance dose. Additional acoustic measures included perceived pitch, pitch strength, LTAS slope, alpha ratio, dB SPL 1–3 kHz, and harmonic-to-noise ratio. Major findings from more than 800 hours of recording indicated that among these students (a) higher vocal doses correlated significantly with greater voice intensity, more vocal clarity and less perturbation; and (b) there were significant differences in some acoustic voice quality metrics between non-singing, solo singing and choral singing. PMID:26897545

Voice Therapy: A Need for Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reed, Charles G.

1980-01-01

Conceptual and methodological guidelines for voice therapy research are presented, and suggestions are offered for selecting experimental designs. Divergent terminology, philosophy, and issues of voice therapy are examined to serve as an overview and as a basis for research direction. (Author/DLS)

[Extensive treatment of teacher's voice disorders in health spa].

PubMed

Niebudek-Bogusz, Ewa; Marszałek, Sławomir; Woźnicka, Ewelina; Minkiewicz, Zofia; Hima, Joanna; Sliwińska-Kowalska, Mariola

2010-01-01

Treatment in a health spa with proper infrastructure and professional medical care can provide optimal conditions for intensive voice rehabilitation, especially for people with occupational voice disorders. The most numerous group of people with voice disorders are teachers. In Poland, they have an opportunity to take care of, or regain, their health during a one-year paid leave. The authors describe a multi-specialist model of extensive treatment of voice disorders in a health spa, including holistic and interdisciplinary procedures in occupational dysphonia. Apart from balneotherapy, the spa treatment includes vocal training exercises, relaxation exercises, elements of physiotherapy with the larynx manual therapy and psychological workshops. The voice rehabilitation organized already for two groups of teachers has been received with great satisfaction by this occupational group. The implementation of a model program of extensive treatment of voice disorders in a health spa should become one of the steps aimed at preventing occupational voice diseases.

[Advances in sensor node and wireless communication technology of body sensor network].

PubMed

Lin, Weibing; Lei, Sheng; Wei, Caihong; Li, Chunxiang; Wang, Cang

2012-06-01

With the development of the wireless communication technology, implantable biosensor technology, and embedded system technology, Body Sensor Network (BSN) as one branch of wireless sensor networks and important part of the Internet of things has caught more attention of researchers and enterprises. This paper offers the basic concept of the BSN and analyses the related research. We focus on sensor node and wireless communication technology from perspectives of technology challenges, research advance and development trend in the paper. Besides, we also present a relative overview of domestic and overseas projects for the BSN.

Short, self-report voice symptom scales: psychometric characteristics of the voice handicap index-10 and the vocal performance questionnaire.

PubMed

Deary, Ian J; Webb, Alison; Mackenzie, Kenneth; Wilson, Janet A; Carding, Paul N

2004-09-01

Short, self-report symptom questionnaires are useful in routine clinical situations for assessing the progress of disorders and the influence of interventions. The Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10) and Vocal Performance Questionnaire (VPQ) are brief self-reported assessments of voice pathology, apparently useful in the general voice clinic population. Little is known of the structure or internal consistency of either tool, nor whether they correlate. This study carried out a substantial, systematic evaluation of their performance in the Laryngology office setting. 330 adult (222 women, 108 men) voice clinic attenders completed the VHI and the VPQ. The VHI-10 and VPQ each had a large, single principal component, high internal consistency, and were highly correlated (disattenuated r=0.91). The VHI-10 and the VPQ are similar, short, convenient, internally-consistent, unidimensional tools. The total VHI-10 or VPQ score is a good overall indicator of the severity of voice disorders.

Acoustic and phonatory characterization of the Fado voice.

PubMed

Mendes, Ana P; Rodrigues, Aira F; Guerreiro, David Michael

2013-09-01

Fado is a Portuguese musical genre, instrumentally accompanied by a Portuguese and an acoustic guitar. Fado singers' voice is perceptually characterized by a low pitch, hoarse, and strained voice. The present research study sketches the acoustic and phonatory profile of the Fado singers' voice. Fifteen Fado singers produced spoken and sung phonatory tasks. For the spoken voice measures, the maximum phonation time and s/z ratio of Fado singers were near the inefficient physiological threshold. Fundamental frequency was higher than that found in nonsingers and lower than that found in Western Classical singers. Jitter and shimmer mean values were higher compared with nonsingers. Harmonic-to-noise ratio (HNR) was similar to the mean values for nonsingers. For the sung voice, jitter was higher compared with Country, Musical Theater, Soul, Jazz, and Western Classical singers and lower than Pop singers. Shimmer mean values were lower than Country, Musical Theater, Pop, Soul, and Jazz singers and higher than Western Classical singers. HNR was similar for Western Classical singers. Maximum phonational frequency range of Fado singers indicated that male and female subjects had a lower range compared with Western Classical singers. Additionally, Fado singers produced vibrato, but singer's formant was rarely produced. These sung voice characteristics could be related with life habits, less/lack of singing training, or could be just a Fado voice characteristic. Copyright © 2013 The Voice Foundation. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Team Faces Tough Odds to Implement New Phone Network | Poster

Cancer.gov

It was a Saturday, in the final stretch of winter in late February, and the temperature peaked to a pleasant 66 degrees. Many people were outside enjoying the spring-like weather; however, the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Deployment Team was hard at work at Industry Lane. The team of 10 was installing the new voice-only network, including deploying 145 phones, switching

Overgeneral autobiographical memory bias in clinical and non-clinical voice hearers.

PubMed

Jacobsen, Pamela; Peters, Emmanuelle; Ward, Thomas; Garety, Philippa A; Jackson, Mike; Chadwick, Paul

2018-03-14

Hearing voices can be a distressing and disabling experience for some, whilst it is a valued experience for others, so-called 'healthy voice-hearers'. Cognitive models of psychosis highlight the role of memory, appraisal and cognitive biases in determining emotional and behavioural responses to voices. A memory bias potentially associated with distressing voices is the overgeneral memory bias (OGM), namely the tendency to recall a summary of events rather than specific occasions. It may limit access to autobiographical information that could be helpful in re-appraising distressing experiences, including voices. We investigated the possible links between OGM and distressing voices in psychosis by comparing three groups: (1) clinical voice-hearers (N = 39), (2) non-clinical voice-hearers (N = 35) and (3) controls without voices (N = 77) on a standard version of the autobiographical memory test (AMT). Clinical and non-clinical voice-hearers also completed a newly adapted version of the task, designed to assess voices-related memories (vAMT). As hypothesised, the clinical group displayed an OGM bias by retrieving fewer specific autobiographical memories on the AMT compared with both the non-clinical and control groups, who did not differ from each other. The clinical group also showed an OGM bias in recall of voice-related memories on the vAMT, compared with the non-clinical group. Clinical voice-hearers display an OGM bias when compared with non-clinical voice-hearers on both general and voices-specific recall tasks. These findings have implications for the refinement and targeting of psychological interventions for psychosis.

In defense of the passive voice in medical writing.

PubMed

Minton, Timothy D

2015-01-01

Few medical journals specifically instruct authors to use the active voice and avoid the passive voice, but advice to that effect is common in the large number of stylebooks and blogs aimed at medical and scientific writers. Such advice typically revolves around arguments that the passive voice is less clear, less direct, and less concise than the active voice, that it conceals the identity of the person(s) performing the action(s) described, that it obscures meaning, that it is pompous, and that the high rate of passive-voice usage in scientific writing is a result of conformity to an established and old-fashioned style of writing. Some of these arguments are valid with respect to specific examples of passive-voice misuse by some medical (and other) writers, but as arguments for avoiding passive-voice use in general, they are seriously flawed. In addition, many of the examples that stylebook writers give of inappropriate use are actually much more appropriate in certain contexts than the active-voice alternatives they provide. In this review, I examine the advice offered by anti-passive writers, along with some of their examples of "inappropriate" use, and argue that the key factor in voice selection is sentence word order as determined by the natural tendency in English for the topic of discourse ("old" information) to take subject position and for "new" information to come later. Authors who submit to this natural tendency will not have to worry much about voice selection, because it will usually be automatic.

Relationship Between Voice and Motor Disabilities of Parkinson's Disease.

PubMed

Majdinasab, Fatemeh; Karkheiran, Siamak; Soltani, Majid; Moradi, Negin; Shahidi, Gholamali

2016-11-01

To evaluate voice of Iranian patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and find any relationship between motor disabilities and acoustic voice parameters as speech motor components. We evaluated 27 Farsi-speaking PD patients and 21 age- and sex-matched healthy persons as control. Motor performance was assessed by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale part III and Hoehn and Yahr rating scale in the "on" state. Acoustic voice evaluation, including fundamental frequency (f0), standard deviation of f0, minimum of f0, maximum of f0, shimmer, jitter, and harmonic to noise ratio, was done using the Praat software via /a/ prolongation. No difference was seen between the voice of the patients and the voice of the controls. f0 and its variation had a significant correlation with the duration of the disease, but did not have any relationships with the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale part III. Only limited relationship was observed between voice and motor disabilities. Tremor is an important main feature of PD that affects motor and phonation systems. Females had an older age at onset, more prolonged disease, and more severe motor disabilities (not statistically significant), but phonation disorders were more frequent in males and showed more relationship with severity of motor disabilities. Voice is affected by PD earlier than many other motor components and is more sensitive to disease progression. Tremor is the most effective part of PD that impacts voice. PD has more effect on voice of male versus female patients. Copyright © 2016 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Suggestions for Layout and Functional Behavior of Software-Based Voice Switch Keysets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scott, David W.

2010-01-01

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) provides communication services for a number of real time environments, including Space Shuttle Propulsion support and International Space Station (ISS) payload operations. In such settings, control team members speak with each other via multiple voice circuits or loops. Each loop has a particular purpose and constituency, and users are assigned listen and/or talk capabilities for a given loop based on their role in fulfilling the purpose. A voice switch is a given facility's hardware and software that supports such communication, and may be interconnected with other facilities switches to create a large network that, from an end user perspective, acts like a single system. Since users typically monitor and/or respond to several voice loops concurrently for hours on end and real time operations can be very dynamic and intense, it s vital that a control panel or keyset for interfacing with the voice switch be a servant that reduces stress, not a master that adds it. Implementing the visual interface on a computer screen provides tremendous flexibility and configurability, but there s a very real risk of overcomplication. (Remember how office automation made life easier, which led to a deluge of documents that made life harder?) This paper a) discusses some basic human factors considerations related to keysets implemented as application software windows, b) suggests what to standardize at the facility level and what to leave to the user's preference, and c) provides screen shot mockups for a robust but reasonably simple user experience. Concepts apply to keyset needs in almost any type of operations control or support center.

Evaluating iPhone recordings for acoustic voice assessment.

PubMed

Lin, Emily; Hornibrook, Jeremy; Ormond, Tika

2012-01-01

This study examined the viability of using iPhone recordings for acoustic measurements of voice quality. Acoustic measures were compared between voice signals simultaneously recorded from 11 normal speakers (6 females and 5 males) through an iPhone (model A1303, Apple, USA) and a comparison recording system. Comparisons were also conducted between the pre- and post-operative voices recorded from 10 voice patients (4 females and 6 males) through the iPhone. Participants aged between 27 and 79 years. Measures from iPhone and comparison signals were found to be highly correlated. Findings of the effects of vowel type on the selected measures were consistent between the two recording systems and congruent with previous findings. Analysis of the patient data revealed that a selection of acoustic measures, such as vowel space area and voice perturbation measures, consistently demonstrated a positive change following phonosurgery. The present findings indicated that the iPhone device tested was useful for tracking voice changes for clinical management. Preliminary findings regarding factors such as gender and type of pathology suggest that intra-subject, instead of norm-referenced, comparisons of acoustic measures would be more useful in monitoring the progression of a voice disorder or tracking the treatment effect. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Real time analysis of voiced sounds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hong, J. P. (Inventor)

1976-01-01

A power spectrum analysis of the harmonic content of a voiced sound signal is conducted in real time by phase-lock-loop tracking of the fundamental frequency, (f sub 0) of the signal and successive harmonics (h sub 1 through h sub n) of the fundamental frequency. The analysis also includes measuring the quadrature power and phase of each frequency tracked, differentiating the power measurements of the harmonics in adjacent pairs, and analyzing successive differentials to determine peak power points in the power spectrum for display or use in analysis of voiced sound, such as for voice recognition.

Cognitive Behavioural Relating Therapy (CBRT) for voice hearers: a case study.

PubMed

Paulik, Georgie; Hayward, Mark; Birchwood, Max

2013-10-01

There has been a recent focus on the interpersonal nature of the voice hearing experience, with studies showing that similar patterns of relating exist between voice hearer and voice as between voice hearer and social others. Two recent therapeutic approaches to voices, Cognitive Therapy for Command Hallucinations and Relating Therapy, have been developed to address patterns of relating and power imbalances between voice hearer and voice. This paper presents a novel intervention that combines elements of these two therapies, named Cognitive Behavioural Relating Therapy (CBRT). The application of CBRT is illustrated through a clinical case study. The clinical case study showed changes in patterns of relating, improved self-esteem and reductions in voice-related distress. The outcomes provide preliminary support for the utility of CBRT when working with voice hearers.

Psychosocial risk factors which may differentiate between women with Functional Voice Disorder, Organic Voice Disorder and a Control group.

PubMed

Baker, Janet; Ben-Tovim, David; Butcher, Andrew; Esterman, Adrian; McLaughlin, Kristin

2013-12-01

This study aimed to explore psychosocial factors contributing to the development of functional voice disorders (FVD) and those differentiating between organic voice disorders (OVD) and a non-voice-disordered control group. A case-control study was undertaken of 194 women aged 18-80 years diagnosed with FVD (n = 73), OVD (n = 55), and controls (n = 66). FVD women were allocated into psychogenic voice disorder (PVD) (n = 37) and muscle tension voice disorder (MTVD) (n = 36) for sub-group analysis. Dependent variables included biographical and voice assessment data, the number and severity of life events and difficulties and conflict over speaking out (COSO) situations derived from the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule (LEDS), and psychological traits including emotional expressiveness scales. Four psychosocial components differentiated between the FVD and control group accounting for 84.9% of the variance: severe events, moderate events, severe COSO, and mild COSO difficulties. Severe events, severe and mild COSO difficulties differentiated between FVD and OVD groups, accounting for 80.5% of the variance. Moderate events differentiated between PVD and MTVD sub-groups, accounting for 58.9% of the variance. Psychological traits did not differentiate between groups. Stressful life events and COSO situations best differentiated FVD from OVD and control groups. More refined aetiological studies are needed to differentiate between PVD and MTVD.

Mares Prefer the Voices of Highly Fertile Stallions

PubMed Central

Lemasson, Alban; Remeuf, Kévin; Trabalon, Marie; Cuir, Frédérique; Hausberger, Martine

2015-01-01

We investigated the possibility that stallion whinnies, known to encode caller size, also encoded information about caller arousal and fertility, and the reactions of mares in relation to type of voice. Voice acoustic features are correlated with arousal and reproduction success, the lower-pitched the stallion’s voice, the slower his heart beat and the higher his fertility. Females from three study groups preferred playbacks of low-pitched voices. Hence, females are attracted by frequencies encoding for large male size, calmness and high fertility. More work is needed to explore the relative importance of morpho-physiological features. Assortative mating may be involved as large females preferred voices of larger stallions. Our study contributes to basic and applied ongoing research on mammal reproduction, and questions the mechanisms used by females to detect males’ fertility. PMID:25714814

Benefits for Voice Learning Caused by Concurrent Faces Develop over Time.

PubMed

Zäske, Romi; Mühl, Constanze; Schweinberger, Stefan R

2015-01-01

Recognition of personally familiar voices benefits from the concurrent presentation of the corresponding speakers' faces. This effect of audiovisual integration is most pronounced for voices combined with dynamic articulating faces. However, it is unclear if learning unfamiliar voices also benefits from audiovisual face-voice integration or, alternatively, is hampered by attentional capture of faces, i.e., "face-overshadowing". In six study-test cycles we compared the recognition of newly-learned voices following unimodal voice learning vs. bimodal face-voice learning with either static (Exp. 1) or dynamic articulating faces (Exp. 2). Voice recognition accuracies significantly increased for bimodal learning across study-test cycles while remaining stable for unimodal learning, as reflected in numerical costs of bimodal relative to unimodal voice learning in the first two study-test cycles and benefits in the last two cycles. This was independent of whether faces were static images (Exp. 1) or dynamic videos (Exp. 2). In both experiments, slower reaction times to voices previously studied with faces compared to voices only may result from visual search for faces during memory retrieval. A general decrease of reaction times across study-test cycles suggests facilitated recognition with more speaker repetitions. Overall, our data suggest two simultaneous and opposing mechanisms during bimodal face-voice learning: while attentional capture of faces may initially impede voice learning, audiovisual integration may facilitate it thereafter.

Student Voice in a Chinese Context: Investigating the Key Elements of Leadership That Enhance Student Voice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Annie Yan Ni

2012-01-01

This study examines the issues surrounding "student voice" in a specific Chinese context, and assesses the key elements of leadership that could enhance student voice in that context. It reports the results of a research conducted in a community-based educational centre in Hong Kong that provides after-school educational and social…

The Adolescent Female Changing Voice: A Phenomenological Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sweet, Bridget

2015-01-01

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the experience of female voice change from the perspective of female middle and high school choral students. The study was guided by two questions: How do adolescent female choir students experience voice change? What is the essence of the experience of voice change for middle school…

Analog voicing detector responds to pitch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abel, R. S.; Watkins, H. E.

1967-01-01

Modified electronic voice encoder /Vocoder/ includes an independent analog mode of operation in addition to the conventional digital mode. The Vocoder is a bandwidth compression equipment that permits voice transmission over channels, having only a fraction of the bandwidth required for conventional telephone-quality speech transmission.

Speaking in Character: Voice Communication in Virtual Worlds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wadley, Greg; Gibbs, Martin R.

This chapter summarizes 5 years of research on the implications of introducing voice communication systems to virtual worlds. Voice introduces both benefits and problems for players of fast-paced team games, from better coordination of groups and greater social presence of fellow players on the positive side, to negative features such as channel congestion, transmission of noise, and an unwillingness by some to use voice with strangers online. Similarly, in non-game worlds like Second Life, issues related to identity and impression management play important roles, as voice may build greater trust that is especially important for business users, yet it erodes the anonymity and ability to conceal social attributes like gender that are important for other users. A very different mixture of problems and opportunities exists when users conduct several simultaneous conversations in multiple text and voice channels. Technical difficulties still exist with current systems, including the challenge of debugging and harmonizing all the participants' voice setups. Different groups use virtual worlds for very different purposes, so a single modality may not suit all.

Voice Based City Panic Button System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Febriansyah; Zainuddin, Zahir; Bachtiar Nappu, M.

2018-03-01

The development of voice activated panic button application aims to design faster early notification of hazardous condition in community to the nearest police by using speech as the detector where the current application still applies touch-combination on screen and use coordination of orders from control center then the early notification still takes longer time. The method used in this research was by using voice recognition as the user voice detection and haversine formula for the comparison of closest distance between the user and the police. This research was equipped with auto sms, which sent notification to the victim’s relatives, that was also integrated with Google Maps application (GMaps) as the map to the victim’s location. The results show that voice registration on the application reaches 100%, incident detection using speech recognition while the application is running is 94.67% in average, and the auto sms to the victim relatives reaches 100%.

Voice Recognition in Face-Blind Patients

PubMed Central

Liu, Ran R.; Pancaroglu, Raika; Hills, Charlotte S.; Duchaine, Brad; Barton, Jason J. S.

2016-01-01

Right or bilateral anterior temporal damage can impair face recognition, but whether this is an associative variant of prosopagnosia or part of a multimodal disorder of person recognition is an unsettled question, with implications for cognitive and neuroanatomic models of person recognition. We assessed voice perception and short-term recognition of recently heard voices in 10 subjects with impaired face recognition acquired after cerebral lesions. All 4 subjects with apperceptive prosopagnosia due to lesions limited to fusiform cortex had intact voice discrimination and recognition. One subject with bilateral fusiform and anterior temporal lesions had a combined apperceptive prosopagnosia and apperceptive phonagnosia, the first such described case. Deficits indicating a multimodal syndrome of person recognition were found only in 2 subjects with bilateral anterior temporal lesions. All 3 subjects with right anterior temporal lesions had normal voice perception and recognition, 2 of whom performed normally on perceptual discrimination of faces. This confirms that such lesions can cause a modality-specific associative prosopagnosia. PMID:25349193

Physiological characteristics of the supported singing voice. A preliminary study.

PubMed

Griffin, B; Woo, P; Colton, R; Casper, J; Brewer, D

1995-03-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a definition of the supported singing voice based on physiological characteristics by comparing the subjects' concepts of a supported voice with objective measurements of their supported and unsupported voice. This preliminary report presents findings based on data from eight classically trained singers. Subjects answered questions about their concepts of the characteristics of the supported singing voice and how it is produced. Samples of the supported and unsupported singing voice produced at low, medium, and high pitches at a comfortable loudness level were collected for acoustic, spectral, airflow, electroglottographic, air volume, and stroboscopic analyses. Significant differences between the supported and unsupported voice were found for sound pressure level (SPL), peak airflow, subglottal pressure (Ps), glottal open time, and frequency of the fourth formant (F4). Mean flow and F2 frequency differences were sex and pitch related. Males adjusted laryngeal configuration to produce supported voice, whereas glottal configuration differences were greater in females. Breathing patterns were variable and not significantly different between supported and unsupported voice. Subjects in this study believe that the supported singing voice is resonant, clear, and easy to manage and is produced by correct breath management. Results of data analysis show that the supported singing voice has different spectral characteristics from and higher SPL, peak airflow, and Ps than the unsupported voice. Singers adjust laryngeal and/or glottal configuration to account for these changes, but no significant differences in breathing activity were found.

Effects of voice training and voice hygiene education on acoustic and perceptual speech parameters and self-reported vocal well-being in female teachers.

PubMed

Ilomaki, Irma; Laukkanen, Anne-Maria; Leppanen, Kirsti; Vilkman, Erkki

2008-01-01

Voice education programs may help in optimizing teachers' voice use. This study compared effects of voice training (VT) and voice hygiene lecture (VHL) in 60 randomly assigned female teachers. All 60 attended the lecture, and 30 completed a short training course in addition. Text reading was recorded in working environments and analyzed for fundamental frequency (F0), equivalent sound level (Leq), alpha ratio, jitter, shimmer, and perceptual quality. Self-reports of vocal well-being were registered. In the VHL group, increased F0 and difficulty of phonation and in the VT group decreased perturbation, increased alpha ratio, easier phonation, and improved perceptual and self-reported voice quality were found. Both groups equally self-reported increase of voice care knowledge. Results seem to indicate improved vocal well-being after training.

Electrolaryngographically derived voice source changes of child and adolescent singers.

PubMed

Barlow, Christopher; Howard, David M

2005-01-01

Children are the most likely demographic group to undertake regular singing or singing training, but to date there has been little quantitative research into the voice production of children. The authors used closed quotient (CQ) measurements to analyse the singing voices of over 200 male and female, trained and untrained singers aged 8-18 years for differences in voice source according to sex, vocal training and age. Results indicated that the voice source production of subjects could be clearly divided into groups according to age, sex and the level of vocal training received. It was concluded that the process of training a young voice has a quantifiable effect upon the voice source. It was also concluded that sex differences result in significant differences in the voice source of child and adolescent singers.

Voice- and swallow-related quality of life in idiopathic Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

van Hooren, Michel R A; Baijens, Laura W J; Vos, Rein; Pilz, Walmari; Kuijpers, Laura M F; Kremer, Bernd; Michou, Emilia

2016-02-01

This study explores whether changes in voice- and swallow-related QoL are associated with progression of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD). Furthermore, it examines the relationship between patients' perception of both voice and swallowing disorders in IPD. Prospective clinical study, quality of life (QoL). One-hundred mentally competent IPD patients with voice and swallowing complaints were asked to answer four QoL questionnaires (Voice Handicap Index, MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory, Visual Analog Scale [VAS] voice, and Dysphagia Severity Scale [DSS]). Differences in means for the QoL questionnaires and their subscales within Hoehn and Yahr stage groups were calculated using one-way analysis of variance. The relationship between voice- and swallow-related QoL questionnaires was determined with the Spearman correlation coefficient. Scores on both voice and swallow questionnaires suggest an overall decrease in QoL with progression of IPD. A plateau in QoL for VAS voice and the DSS was seen in the early Hoehn and Yahr stages. Finally, scores on voice-related QoL questionnaires were significantly correlated with swallow-related QoL outcomes. Voice- and swallow-related QoL decreases with progression of IPD. A significant association was found between voice- and swallow-related QoL questionnaires. Healthcare professionals can benefit from voice- and swallow-related QoL questionnaires in a multidimensional voice- or swallow-assessment protocol. The patient's perception of his/her voice and swallowing disorders and its impact on QoL in IPD should not be disregarded. 2b. © 2015 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

Design of a digital voice data compression technique for orbiter voice channels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

Candidate techniques were investigated for digital voice compression to a transmission rate of 8 kbps. Good voice quality, speaker recognition, and robustness in the presence of error bursts were considered. The technique of delayed-decision adaptive predictive coding is described and compared with conventional adaptive predictive coding. Results include a set of experimental simulations recorded on analog tape. The two FM broadcast segments produced show the delayed-decision technique to be virtually undegraded or minimally degraded at .001 and .01 Viterbi decoder bit error rates. Preliminary estimates of the hardware complexity of this technique indicate potential for implementation in space shuttle orbiters.

The Moderating Effect of Frequent Singing on Voice Aging.

PubMed

Lortie, Catherine L; Rivard, Julie; Thibeault, Mélanie; Tremblay, Pascale

2017-01-01

The effects of aging on voice production are well documented, including changes in loudness, pitch, and voice quality. However, one important and clinically relevant question that remains concerns the possibility that the aging of voice can be prevented or at least delayed through noninvasive methods. Indeed, discovering natural means to preserve the integrity of the human voice throughout aging could have a major impact on the quality of life of elderly adults. The objective of this study was therefore to examine the potentially positive effect of singing on voice production. To this aim, a group of 72 healthy nonsmoking adults (20-93 years old) was recruited and separated into three groups based on their singing habits. Several voice parameters were assessed (fundamental frequency [f0] mean, f0 standard deviation [SD], f0 minimum and f0 maximum, mean amplitude and amplitude SD, jitter, shimmer, and harmonic-to-noise ratio) during the sustained production of vowel /a/. Other parameters were assessed during standardized reading passage (speaking f0, speaking f0 SD). As was expected, age effects were found on most acoustic parameters with significant sex differences. Importantly, moderation analyses revealed that frequent singing moderates the effect of aging on most acoustic parameters. Specifically, in frequent singers, there was no decrease in the stability of pitch and amplitude with age, suggesting that the voice of frequent singers remains more stable in aging than the voice of non-singers, and more generally, providing empirical evidence for a positive effect of singing on voice in aging. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Validation and reliability of Turkish Singing Voice Handicap index].

PubMed

Denizoğlu, İsmail İlter; Şahin, Mustafa; Kazancıoğlu, Alper; Dağdelen, Zibelhan; Akdeniz, Serap; Oğuz, Haldun; Kılıç, Mehmet Akif; Yücedağ, Aslı; Öğüt, Mehmet Fatih

2016-01-01

This study aims to constitute a valid and reliable Turkish version of the original Singing Voice Handicap Index. An authorized committee assessed the reliability and validity of the content, scope, and language of the original Singing Voice Handicap Index which underwent a back translation process. The Turkish version of the questionnaire was answered twice with a 7 to 10-day interval by two singing voice groups with or without singing voice problems. The reliability and validity analyses were performed based on these answers. Of a total of 123 individuals (64 females, 59 males; mean age 26.2±7.3 years), 81 were without a voice pathology and 42 were with a voice pathology. The total Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.917. The item-total correlations ranged between 0.51 and 0.89. The weighted kappa values of test-retest correlation values of the items were 0.82-0.91. The Cronbach's alpha values of two part of the questionnaire based on the split-half method were 0.89 and 0.84. The mean total scale scores were 21.8±18.5 and 53.6±28.9 in normal and pathology groups, respectively and there was a statistically significant difference in scores between these two groups (p=0.000). The Turkish version of the Singing Voice Handicap Index is a valid and reliable scale which can be used in the evaluation of voice problems of Turkish-speaking singing voice users.

Brain systems mediating voice identity processing in blind humans.

PubMed

Hölig, Cordula; Föcker, Julia; Best, Anna; Röder, Brigitte; Büchel, Christian

2014-09-01

Blind people rely more on vocal cues when they recognize a person's identity than sighted people. Indeed, a number of studies have reported better voice recognition skills in blind than in sighted adults. The present functional magnetic resonance imaging study investigated changes in the functional organization of neural systems involved in voice identity processing following congenital blindness. A group of congenitally blind individuals and matched sighted control participants were tested in a priming paradigm, in which two voice stimuli (S1, S2) were subsequently presented. The prime (S1) and the target (S2) were either from the same speaker (person-congruent voices) or from two different speakers (person-incongruent voices). Participants had to classify the S2 as either a old or a young person. Person-incongruent voices (S2) compared with person-congruent voices elicited an increased activation in the right anterior fusiform gyrus in congenitally blind individuals but not in matched sighted control participants. In contrast, only matched sighted controls showed a higher activation in response to person-incongruent compared with person-congruent voices (S2) in the right posterior superior temporal sulcus. These results provide evidence for crossmodal plastic changes of the person identification system in the brain after visual deprivation. Copyright © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Does insecure attachment mediate the relationship between trauma and voice-hearing in psychosis?

PubMed

Pilton, Marie; Bucci, Sandra; McManus, James; Hayward, Mark; Emsley, Richard; Berry, Katherine

2016-12-30

This study extends existing research and theoretical developments by exploring the potential mediating role of insecure attachment within the relationship between trauma and voice-hearing. Fifty-five voice hearers with a psychosis-related diagnosis completed comprehensive assessments of childhood trauma, adult attachment, voice-related severity and distress, beliefs about voices and relationships with voices. Anxious attachment was significantly associated with the voice-hearing dimensions examined. More sophisticated analysis showed that anxious attachment mediated the relationship between childhood sexual and emotional abuse and voice-related severity and distress, voice-malevolence, voice-omnipotence, voice-resistance and hearer-dependence. Anxious attachment also mediated the relationship between childhood physical neglect and voice-related severity and distress and hearer-dependence. Furthermore, consistent with previous research, the relationship between anxious attachment and voice-related distress was mediated by voice-malevolence, voice-omnipotence and voice-resistance. We propose a model whereby anxious attachment mediates the well-established relationship between trauma and voice-hearing. In turn, negative beliefs about voices may mediate the association between anxious attachment and voice-related distress. Findings presented here highlight the need to assess and formulate the impact of attachment patterns upon the voice-hearing experience in psychosis and the potential to alleviate voice-related distress by fostering secure attachments to therapists or significant others. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of the Auditory Feedback and Phonation in Normal Voices.

PubMed

Arbeiter, Mareike; Petermann, Simon; Hoppe, Ulrich; Bohr, Christopher; Doellinger, Michael; Ziethe, Anke

2018-02-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the auditory feedback mechanisms and voice quality during phonation in response to a spontaneous pitch change in the auditory feedback. Does the pitch shift reflex (PSR) change voice pitch and voice quality? Quantitative and qualitative voice characteristics were analyzed during the PSR. Twenty-eight healthy subjects underwent transnasal high-speed video endoscopy (HSV) at 8000 fps during sustained phonation [a]. While phonating, the subjects heard their sound pitched up for 700 cents (interval of a fifth), lasting 300 milliseconds in their auditory feedback. The electroencephalography (EEG), acoustic voice signal, electroglottography (EGG), and high-speed-videoendoscopy (HSV) were analyzed to compare feedback mechanisms for the pitched and unpitched condition of the phonation paradigm statistically. Furthermore, quantitative and qualitative voice characteristics were analyzed. The PSR was successfully detected within all signals of the experimental tools (EEG, EGG, acoustic voice signal, HSV). A significant increase of the perturbation measures and an increase of the values of the acoustic parameters during the PSR were observed, especially for the audio signal. The auditory feedback mechanism seems not only to control for voice pitch but also for voice quality aspects.

An initial study of voice characteristics of children using two different sound coding strategies in comparison to normal hearing children.

PubMed

Coelho, Ana Cristina; Brasolotto, Alcione Ghedini; Bevilacqua, Maria Cecília

2015-06-01

To compare some perceptual and acoustic characteristics of the voices of children who use the advanced combination encoder (ACE) or fine structure processing (FSP) speech coding strategies, and to investigate whether these characteristics differ from children with normal hearing. Acoustic analysis of the sustained vowel /a/ was performed using the multi-dimensional voice program (MDVP). Analyses of sequential and spontaneous speech were performed using the real time pitch. Perceptual analyses of these samples were performed using visual-analogic scales of pre-selected parameters. Seventy-six children from three years to five years and 11 months of age participated. Twenty-eight were users of ACE, 23 were users of FSP, and 25 were children with normal hearing. Although both groups with CI presented with some deviated vocal features, the users of ACE presented with voice quality more like children with normal hearing than the users of FSP. Sound processing of ACE appeared to provide better conditions for auditory monitoring of the voice, and consequently, for better control of the voice production. However, these findings need to be further investigated due to the lack of comparative studies published to understand exactly which attributes of sound processing are responsible for differences in performance.

ATM over hybrid fiber-coaxial cable networks: practical issues in deploying residential ATM services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laubach, Mark

1996-11-01

Residential broadband access network technology based on asynchronous transfer modem (ATM) will soon reach commercial availability. The capabilities provided by ATM access network promise integrated services bandwidth available in excess of those provided by traditional twisted pair copper wire public telephone networks. ATM to the side of the home placed need quality of service capability closest to the subscriber allowing immediate support for Internet services and traditional voice telephony. Other services such as desktop video teleconferencing and enhanced server-based application support can be added as part of future evolution of the network. Additionally, advanced subscriber home networks can be supported easily. This paper presents an updated summary of the standardization efforts for the ATM over HFC definition work currently taking place in the ATM forum's residential broadband working group and the standards progress in the IEEE 802.14 cable TV media access control and physical protocol working group. This update is fundamental for establishing the foundation for delivering ATM-based integrated services via a cable TV network. An economic model for deploying multi-tiered services is presenting showing that a single-tier service is insufficient for a viable cable operator business. Finally, the use of an ATM based system lends itself well to various deployment scenarios of synchronous optical networks (SONET).

Apollo experience report: Voice communications techniques and performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dabbs, J. H.; Schmidt, O. L.

1972-01-01

The primary performance requirement of the spaceborne Apollo voice communications system is percent word intelligibility, which is related to other link/channel parameters. The effect of percent word intelligibility on voice channel design and a description of the verification procedures are included. Development and testing performance problems and the techniques used to solve the problems are also discussed. Voice communications performance requirements should be comprehensive and verified easily; the total system must be considered in component design, and the necessity of voice processing and the associated effect on noise, distortion, and cross talk should be examined carefully.

Scaling of data communications for an advanced supercomputer network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levin, E.; Eaton, C. K.; Young, Bruce

1986-01-01