Changes in Objective Acoustic Measurements and Subjective Voice Complaints in Call Center Customer-Service Advisors During One Working Day

SUMMARY: The aim of this study was to investigate how different acoustic parameters, extracted both from speech pressure waveforms and glottal flows, can be used in measuring vocal loading in modern working environments and how these parameters reflect the possible changes in the vocal function during a working day. In addition, correlations between objective acoustic parameters and subjective voice symptoms were addressed. The subjects were 24 female and 8 male customer-service advisors, who mainly use telephone during their working hours. Speech samples were recorded from continuous speech four times during a working day and voice symptom questionnaires were completed simultaneously. Among the various objective parameters, only F0 resulted in a statistically significant increase for both genders. No correlations between the changes in objective and subjective parameters appeared. However, the results encourage researchers within the field of occupational voice use to apply versatile measurement techniques in studying occupational voice loading.     

Longitudinal voice changes: Facts and interpretation

To study intraindividual vocal changes over time, a longitudinal research design is preferred. However, this procedure reveals many restrictions concerning methodology and interpretation, especially in cases of (semi)retrospective studies. This is illustrated by an investigation of the voices of 20 male Dutch-speaking reporters of the Belgian Radio Broadcasting service. These men read the same text they did 30 years previously for a digital registration. After having copied the high-quality archival recordings digitally, the results of the acoustical analysis of both recordings (recent and archival) were compared. This was done to search for the contribution of aging. In this article we report on the results of the speaking fundamental frequency (SFF) and the standard deviation of the SFF (SFFsd) as a measure of intraindividual variability, and the voice onset time (VOT). Results indicate that, in connected speech, SFF decreased, SFFsd became more restricted, and the VOT increased strongly. The interpretation of the results compels us to conclude that it is extremely difficult to define the specific effect of aging alone, since it is only one element among many others, including methodological concerns.     

飞机舱音记录器背景声的联合时频分析研究

飞机舱音记录器记录的舱音主要是由话语音、噪声和具有不同物理意义的背景声组成的复杂混合体,用传统的辨听和分析方法难以获取较多的舱音特征参数。本文以一个舱音记录器记录的主告警声为例,针对传统短时傅立叶变换在舱音辨听、分析的不足,将联合时频分析引入到飞机舱音分析中,扩展了舱音分析方法。对比分析结果表明:时频分布及其重排,在时频分辨率、时频凝聚性、交叉项干扰的抑制上各有所长,都适合分析非平稳舱音背景声,从而为飞行事故调查提供一种值得采用的方法。     

“Hot Potato Voice” in Peritonsillitis: A Misnomer

The "hot potato voice" is widely recognized as a symptom of peritonsillar cellulitis or abscess; yet there have been no studies assessing the resonance characteristics of the vocal tract in peritonsillitis. Analysis was undertaken of formant frequencies in the articulation of the vowels /i:/. /a:/ and /u:/ in six subjects with peritonsillitis and compared with articulation once the peritonsillitis had settled. Significant variation was found in F1 when articulating /i:/ and in F2 when articulating /a:/, which are explainable by dyskinesis of the peritonsillar musculature. These findings were compared with six subjects articulating the same vowels with and without a hot potato in their mouth. Variation was found in both F1 and F2 when articulating /i:/, which can be related to interference of the potato with movement of the anterior tongue. The changes in the vocal tract differ in these two cases and the title "hot potato voice" in peritonsillitis is a misnomer.     

目标物材料特性对激光语音获取的影响研究

为了扩大激光语音检测系统的应用场景,分析目标物材料参数对系统语音获取的影响,在完善语音获取中,语音信号从产生到与目标物作用的信号流程基础上,对目标物进行声致振动建模,以Sewell-Sharp-Cremer模型为基础,提出目标物声致振动幅度计算方法,并根据Matlab分析计算和实验对比了铁、铝、塑料、纸4种目标物的振幅及其对激光语音获取的影响。仿真及实验结果表明:目标物振幅在300 Hz～1 000 Hz呈指数型衰减,在1 000 Hz以上衰减趋于平缓;300 Hz处非金属材料振幅为69 nm和62 nm,高于金属材料的30 nm和10 nm。金属材料较非金属材料动态范围小,频率敏感度低,更适合作为语音获取的目标物。     

An investigation of motion correction algorithms for pediatric spinal cord DTI in healthy subjects and patients with spinal cord injury

Patient and physiological motion can cause artifacts in DTI of the spinal cord which can impact image quality and diffusion indices. The purpose of this investigation was to determine a reliable motion correction method for pediatric spinal cord DTI and show effects of motion correction on DTI parameters in healthy subjects and patients with spinal cord injury. Ten healthy subjects and ten subjects with spinal cord injury were scanned using a 3 T scanner. Images were acquired with an inner field-of-view DTI sequence covering cervical spine levels C1 to C7. Images were corrected for motion using two types of transformation (rigid and affine) and three cost functions. Corrected images and transformations were examined qualitatively and quantitatively using in-house developed code. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) indices were calculated and tested for statistical significance pre- and post- motion correction. Images corrected using rigid methods showed improvements in image quality, while affine methods frequently showed residual distortions in corrected images. Blinded evaluation of pre and post correction images showed significant improvement in cord homogeneity and edge conspicuity in corrected images (p < 0.0001). The average FA changes were statistically significant (p < 0.0001) in the spinal cord injury group, while healthy subjects showed less FA change and were not significant. In both healthy subjects and subjects with spinal cord injury, quantitative and qualitative analysis showed the rigid scaled-least-squares registration technique to be the most reliable and effective in improving image quality.