Measuring tongue motion from tagged cine-MRI using harmonic phase (HARP) processing

A cine series of tagged magnetic resonance (MR) images of the tongue is used to measure tongue motion and its internal deformation during speech. Tagged images are collected in three slice orientations (sagittal, coronal, and axial) during repetitions of the utterance "disouk" (/disuk/). A new technique called harmonic phase MRI (HARP-MRI) is used to process the tagged MR images to measure the internal deformation of the tongue. The measurements include displacement and velocity of tissue points, principal strains, and strain in the line-of-action of specific muscles. These measurements are not restricted to tag intersections, but can be calculated at every pixel in the image. The different motion measurements complement each other in understanding the tongue kinematics and in hypothesizing the internal muscle activity of the tongue.     

Tongue-surface movement patterns during speech and swallowing

The tongue has been frequently characterized as being composed of several functionally independent articulators. The question of functional regionality within the tongue was examined by quantifying the strength of coupling among four different tongue locations across a large number of consonantal contexts and participants. Tongue behavior during swallowing was also described. Vertical displacements of pellets affixed to the tongue were extracted from the x-ray microbeam database. Forty-six participants recited 20 vowel-consonant-vowel (VCV) combinations and swallowed 10 ccs of water. Tongue-surface movement patterns were quantitatively described by computing the covariance between the vertical time-histories of all possible pellet pairs. Phonemic differentiation in vertical tongue motions was observed as coupling varied predictably across pellet pairs with place of articulation. Moreover, tongue displacements for speech and swallowing clustered into distinct groups based on their coupling profiles. Functional independence of anterior tongue regions was evidenced by a wide range of movement coupling relations between anterior tongue pellets. The strengths and weaknesses of the covariance-based analysis for characterizing tongue movement are considered.     

Interacting effects of syllable and phrase position on consonant articulation

The complexities of how prosodic structure, both at the phrasal and syllable levels, shapes speech production have begun to be illuminated through studies of articulatory behavior. The present study contributes to an understanding of prosodic signatures on articulation by examining the joint effects of phrasal and syllable position on the production of consonants. Articulatory kinematic data were collected for five subjects using electromagnetic articulography (EMA) to record target consonants (labial, labiodental, and tongue tip), located in (1) either syllable final or initial position and (2) either at a phrase edge or phrase medially. Spatial and temporal characteristics of the consonantal constriction formation and release were determined based on kinematic landmarks in the articulator velocity profiles. The results indicate that syllable and phrasal position consistently affect the movement duration; however, effects on displacement were more variable. For most subjects, the boundary-adjacent portions of the movement (constriction release for a preboundary coda and constriction formation for a postboundary onset) are not differentially affected in terms of phrasal lengthening-both lengthen comparably.     

Enhanced linearized reduced-order models for subsurface flow simulation

Trajectory piecewise linearization (TPWL) represents a promising approach for constructing reduced-order models. Using TPWL, new solutions are represented in terms of expansions around previously simulated (and saved) solutions. High degrees of efficiency are achieved when the representation is projected into a low-dimensional space using a basis constructed by proper orthogonal decomposition of snapshots generated in a training run. In recent work, a TPWL procedure applicable for two-phase subsurface flow problems was presented. The method was shown to perform well for many cases, such as those with no density differences between phases, though accuracy and robustness were found to degrade in other cases. In this work, these limitations are shown to be related to model accuracy at key locations and model stability. Enhancements addressing both of these issues are introduced. A new TPWL procedure, referred to as local resolution TPWL, enables key grid blocks (such as those containing injection or production wells) to be represented at full resolution; i.e., these blocks are not projected into the low-dimensional space. This leads to high accuracy at selected locations, and will be shown to improve the accuracy of important simulation quantities such as injection and production rates. Next, two techniques for enhancing the stability of the TPWL model are presented. The first approach involves a basis optimization procedure in which the number of columns in the basis matrix is determined to minimize the spectral radius of an appropriately defined amplification matrix. The second procedure incorporates a basis matrix constructed using snapshots from a simulation with equal phase densities. Both approaches are compatible with the local resolution procedure. Results for a series of test cases demonstrate the accuracy and stability provided by the new treatments. Finally, the TPWL model is used as a surrogate in a direct search optimization algorithm, and comparison with results using the full-order model demonstrates the efficacy of the enhanced TPWL procedures for this application.     

M-Mode Color Doppler Ultrasonic Imaging of Vertical Tongue Movement During Articulatory Movement

To observe and estimate the movement of the tongue, ultrasonic investigation is the most harmless real-time monitoring procedure for analyzing articulatory movements. Color Doppler ultrasonic imaging is special in that it can only sample a moving target, and it can indicate the velocity and direction of the target by color and brightness in real time. This study assessed and demonstrated the validity of M-mode color Doppler ultrasonic imaging to observe the movements of the tongue during syllable repetition tasks performed by normal subjects and dysarthric patients, those affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cerebellar ataxia, Parkinsonism, and polymyopathy. When the transducer was set below the jaw, upward movement was indicated by a blue signal and downward movement was indicated by a red one on the screen of the ultrasound machine. We also measured the velocity of the tongue by contrast scale classified by 15 degrees. Thus, we could observe vertical tongue movement by a color-coded pattern after quantitative analysis. The Doppler signal patterns of normal subjects were verified by simultaneous video x-ray fluorography recordings. The findings for dysarthric patients corresponded well with previously reported features analyzed by other methods. Therefore, color Doppler ultrasonic imaging of the tongue is a useful procedure to researchers for clinical speech and voice studies.     

A simple acoustic model to characterize the internal low frequency sound field in centrifugal pumps

Conventional centrifugal pumps with volute casing generate fluid-dynamic noise particularly at the so-called blade-passing frequency, which is attributed to the interaction of the flow exiting the pump impeller with the volute tongue. Following previous work by the authors to characterize the effect of that blade–tongue interaction on the tonal sound produced, this paper presents a simple acoustic model for centrifugal pumps that considers ideal sound sources of arbitrary position and properties. The model is to be implemented in a software code that applies it systematically to a pump previously tested at laboratory, until identifying the set of ideal sources that best reproduce the pressure fluctuation measurements. In this model, the ideal sources are assumed to radiate plane sound waves along the impeller channels, volute, and outlet diffuser. The volute was considered to be composed by a succession of slices, each of them equivalent to a linear 3-port acoustic system with individual sound transmission and reflection coefficients. A series of tests was conducted to check the validity of the acoustic model, by applying an external acoustic load onto the pump outlet duct and measuring the noise reflected. The resulting reflection coefficient was in good agreement with the predictions of the acoustic model. Finally, the model was used to investigate the pump internal sound field at the blade-passing frequency when operating at 70% of nominal flow rate. It was concluded that the sound field can be characterized reasonably by a dipole-like source located at the tongue region.     

Syllable structure and integration of voicing and manner of articulation information in labial consonant identification

Speech perception requires the integration of information from multiple phonetic and phonological dimensions. A sizable literature exists on the relationships between multiple phonetic dimensions and single phonological dimensions (e.g., spectral and temporal cues to stop consonant voicing). A much smaller body of work addresses relationships between phonological dimensions, and much of this has focused on sequences of phones. However, strong assumptions about the relevant set of acoustic cues and/or the (in)dependence between dimensions limit previous findings in important ways. Recent methodological developments in the general recognition theory framework enable tests of a number of these assumptions and provide a more complete model of distinct perceptual and decisional processes in speech sound identification. A hierarchical Bayesian Gaussian general recognition theory model was fit to data from two experiments investigating identification of English labial stop and fricative consonants in onset (syllable initial) and coda (syllable final) position. The results underscore the importance of distinguishing between conceptually distinct processing levels and indicate that, for individual subjects and at the group level, integration of phonological information is partially independent with respect to perception and that patterns of independence and interaction vary with syllable position.     

Lingual vibrotactile sensation magnitudes: comparison of suprathreshold responses for the tongue and hand

The psychophysical method of magnitude production was used to obtain suprathreshold vibratory sensation magnitude functions from a group of ten young adult subjects. The test frequency was 250 Hz, and the body sites tested were the anterior midline section of the dorsum of the tongue, the thenar eminence of the right hand, and the distal pad of the middle finger of the right hand. Results showed that the mechanoreceptive mechanisms located within these three body locations can produce suprathreshold magnitude functions that are compatible with each other as well as with those described in the literature.     

Cross-sectional tongue shape during the production of vowels

This study used ultrasound imaging to examine the cross-sectional shape of the tongue during the production of the ten English vowels ( see text ) in two consonant contexts--/p/ and /s/--and at two scan angles--anterior and posterior. Results were compared with models of sagittal tongue shape. A newly built transducer holder and head restraint maintained the ultrasound transducer in a fixed position inferior to the mandible at a chosen location and angle. The transducer was free to move only in a superior/inferior direction, and demonstrated reliable tracking of the jaw. Since the tongue is anisotrophic along its length, anterior and posterior scan angles were examined to identify differences in tongue shape. Similarly, the coarticulatory effects of the sibilant /s/ versus the bilabial /p/ were examined, to assess variability of intrinsic tongue shape for the vowels. Results showed that the subject's midsagittal tongue grooving was almost universal for the vowels. Posterior grooves were deeper than anterior grooves. In /s/ context, posterior tongue grooves were shallower than in /p/ context. Anteriorly, /s/ context caused deeper grooves for low vowels. Cross-sectional tongue shape varied with tongue position similarly to sagittal tongue shape.     

A self-learning predictive model of articulator movements during speech production

A model is presented which predicts the movements of flesh points on the tongue, lips, and jaw during speech production, from time-aligned phonetic strings. Starting from a database of x-ray articulator trajectories, means and variances of articulator positions and curvatures at the midpoints of phonemes are extracted from the data set. During prediction, the amount of articulatory effort required in a particular phonetic context is estimated from the relative local curvature of the articulator trajectory concerned. Correlations between position and curvature are used to directly predict variations from mean articulator positions due to coarticulatory effects. Use of the explicit coarticulation model yields a significant increase in articulatory modeling accuracy with respect to x-ray traces, as compared with the use of mean articulator positions alone.     

On the lingual organization of the German vowel system.

A hybrid PARAFAC and principal-component model of tongue configuration in vowel production is presented, using a corpus of German vowels in multiple consonant contexts (fleshpoint data for seven speakers at two speech rates from electromagnetic articulography). The PARAFAC approach is attractive for explicitly separating speaker-independent and speaker-dependent effects within a parsimonious linear model. However, it proved impossible to derive a PARAFAC solution of the complete dataset (estimated to require three factors) due to complexities introduced by the consonant contexts. Accordingly, the final model was derived in two stages. First, a two-factor PARAFAC model was extracted. This succeeded; the result was treated as the basic vowel model. Second, the PARAFAC model error was subjected to a separate principal-component analysis for each subject. This revealed a further articulatory component mainly involving tongue-blade activity associated with the flanking consonants. However, the subject-specific details of the mapping from raw fleshpoint coordinates to this component were too complex to be consistent with the PARAFAC framework. The final model explained over 90% of the variance and gave a succinct and physiologically plausible articulatory representation of the German vowel space.     

The tongue stops here: ultrasound imaging of the palate (L)

This letter presents a method for imaging the palate and extracting the palate contour from ultrasound images. Ultrasound does not usually capture the palate because the air at the tongue surface reflects the ultrasound beam back to the transducer. However, when the tongue touches the palate during a swallow, the ultrasound beam is transmitted through the soft tissue until it reaches and is reflected by the palate. In combination with tongue contours, the palate contour has the potential for disambiguation of the tongue surface, registration of images within and across subjects, and calculation of phonetically important measures.     

焦点、词重音与边界调对语调短语末词基频模式的影响

研究了语调短语边界处焦点、词重音位置与上升的边界调对语调短语末词基频模式的影响。通过分析两个美式英语语料库语调短语末词的声学特征,我们发现当该单词是焦点时,重音的基频峰值比边界调的尾值高;边界调在重音实现后才充分体现出来;词重音在音节结构中后移会压缩词重音后基频调域范围。当语调短语末词不是焦点时,边界调的上升趋势从开始就体现出来,并压制了词重音的基频凸显。我们的结论是,焦点可以通过提升词重音基频峰值的高度完成;焦点和边界调实现的力度受词重音所处位置限制,在极端的情况下,边界调只能在语调短语最末音节的尾部实施。在有限音段上这些韵律特征都有表达其功能最彻底的一段位置,它们竞相展现,此消彼长。      

A GIS based road traffic noise prediction model

A road traffic noise prediction model has been developed suitable for use in China. This model is based on local environmental standards, vehicle types and traffic conditions. The model was accurate to 0.8 dBA at locations near the road carriage way and 2.1 dBA within the housing estate, which is comparable to the FHWA model. An integrated noise-GIS system was developed to provide general functions for noise modeling and an additional tool for noise design, where a new interaction mode in “WHAT IF Question/Explanation” format was used. Application of this system offered improvements in the efficiency and accuracy of traffic noise assessment and noise design.     

一种多元非线性模型在激光诱导击穿光谱定量分析中的应用

现有的激光诱导击穿光谱定量分析模型大多是基于激光诱导等离子体处于局部热平衡这一假设,而实际上等离子体只是在有限的时间、空间内近似处于热平衡状态。非热平衡状态下各个能级上的粒子布居数不服从玻尔兹曼分布,故用某一能级的单一谱线做定量分析会带来一定误差。考虑到等离子体的非热平衡状态,提出了一种多元非线性定量分析模型,该模型充分利用了待分析粒子的不同上能级对应的多条跃迁谱线信息,能够有效减小信号不稳定对定量分析结果的影响。利用此模型和建立在等离子体局部热平衡假设上的单谱线内标模型分别对30块钢铁样品中Mn元素的含量进行定量分析对比,对比结果表明,多元非线性模型的测量准确性和重复性均优于单谱线内标模型。     

Large-eddy simulation of the generation and propagation of internal solitary waves

A modified large-eddy simulation model,the dynamic coherent eddy model(DCEM)is employed to simulate the generation and propagation of internal solitary waves(ISWs)of both depression and elevation type,with wave amplitudes ranging from small,medium to large scales.The simulation results agree well with the existing experimental data.The generation process of ISWs is successfully captured by the DCEM method.Shear instabilities and diapycnal mixing in the initial wave generation phase are observed.The dissipation rate is not equal at different locations of an ISW.ISW-induced velocity field is analyzed in the present study.The structure of the bottom boundary layer(BBL)of internal wave packets is found to be different from that of a single ISW.A reverse boundary jet instead of a separation bubble exists behind the leading internal wave while separation bubbles appear in other parts of the wave-induced velocity field.The boundary jet flow resulting from the adverse pressure gradients has distinctive dynamics compared with free shear jets.     

An idealized radiative transfer scheme for use in a mechanistic general circulation model from the surface up to the mesopause region

A new and numerically efficient method to compute radiative flux densities and heating rates in a general atmospheric circulation model is presented. Our method accommodates the fundamental differences between the troposphere and middle atmosphere in the long-wave regime within a single parameterization that extends continuously from the surface up to the mesopause region and takes the deviations from the gray limit and from the local thermodynamic equilibrium into account. For this purpose, frequency-averaged Eddington-type transfer equations are derived for four broad absorber bands. The frequency variation inside each band is parameterized by application of the Elsasser band model extended by a slowly varying envelope function. This yields additional transfer equations for the perturbation amplitudes that are solved numerically along with the mean transfer equations. Deviations from local thermodynamic equilibrium are included in terms of isotropic scattering, calculating the single scattering albedo from the two-level model for each band. Solar radiative flux densities are computed for four energetically defined bands using the simple Beer-Bougert-Lambert relation for absorption within the atmosphere. The new scheme is implemented in a mechanistic general circulation model from the surface up to the mesopause region. A test simulation with prescribed concentrations of the radiatively active constituents shows quite reasonable results. In particular, since we take the full surface energy budget into account by means of a swamp ocean, and since the internal dynamics and turbulent diffusion of the model are formulated in accordance with the conservation laws, an equilibrated climatological radiation budget is obtained both at the top of the atmosphere and at the surface.     

Experimental validation of flow models for a rigid vocal tract replica

Flow through the vocal tract is studied through an in vitro rigid replica for different geometrical configurations and steady flow conditions with bulk Reynolds numbers Re<15,000. The vocal tract geometry is approximated by two consecutive obstacles, representing "tongue" and "tooth," in a rectangular channel of fixed length. For the upstream tongue obstacle with fixed constriction degree (81%) the streamwise position is varied and for the downstream obstacle the constriction degree is varied from 0% up to 96%. Different upstream pressures are considered for each geometrical configuration. Point pressure measurements at three fixed locations along the channel are experimentally assessed. In addition, the volume airflow rate is measured. The pressure distribution is estimated with a one-dimensional flow model, and the effects of different corrections to a laminar irrotational flow are assessed. The model outcome is validated against experimental data. Depending on the geometrical configuration, the best model accuracy is obtained by accounting for viscosity (needed for constriction degrees at the tooth that are small, i.e.,≤58%, or very large, i.e., ≥96%), a sudden constriction (large gap between both constrictions), or a bending geometry (narrow gap between both constrictions). Best overall model errors vary between 4% and 30% for all assessed geometrical configurations in cases where a tongue obstacle is present.     

Some Phonatory and Resonatory Characteristics of the Rock, Pop, Soul, and Swedish Dance Band Styles of Singing

This investigation aims at describing voice function of four nonclassical styles of singing, Rock, Pop, Soul, and Swedish Dance Band. A male singer, professionally experienced in performing in these genres, sang representative tunes, both with their original lyrics and on the syllable /pae/. In addition, he sang tones in a triad pattern ranging from the pitch Bb2 to the pitch C4 on the syllable /pae/ in pressed and neutral phonation. An expert panel was successful in classifying the samples, thus suggesting that the samples were representative of the various styles. Subglottal pressure was estimated from oral pressure during the occlusion for the consonant [p]. Flow glottograms were obtained from inverse filtering. The four lowest formant frequencies differed between the styles. The mean of the subglottal pressure and the mean of the normalized amplitude quotient (NAQ), that is, the ratio between the flow pulse amplitude and the product of period and maximum flow declination rate, were plotted against the mean of fundamental frequency. In these graphs, Rock and Swedish Dance Band assumed opposite extreme positions with respect to subglottal pressure and mean phonation frequency, whereas the mean NAQ values differed less between the styles.