Comparison of fundamental frequency and perturbation measurements among three analysis systems

The need for standardization of procedures in approaches to voice measurement has been recently emphasized. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the acoustic perturbation measurements from three different analysis systems agree when standardized recording and analysis procedures are used. High-quality acoustic voice recordings from 20 patients were analyzed. The results showed that, although fundamental frequency measurements were in strong agreement among the three systems tested, frequency and amplitude perturbation measurements were not in agreement. The underlying approaches to perturbation measurement appeared to be sufficiently different to produce different results. An argument is made for a standardized set of acoustic signals representing normal, dysphonic, and synthesized voices with known characteristics to facilitate testing of new acoustic analysis systems and confirm measurement accuracy and sensitivity.     

Long-term maintenance of fundamental frequency increases in male-to-female transsexuals

Fundamental frequency for 10 male-to-female transsexuals at longterm follow-up (FUP₀) was compared to fundamental frequency at initial consultation (IF₀) and at discharge from treatment (DF₀). Fundamental frequency (F₀) values for the three occasions were significantly different [F_(2,18) = 24.79, P < .0001] Group mean fundamental frequencies were 125.5 Hz at initial consultation, 168.1 Hz at discharge, and 146.5 Hz at follow-up. There was a moderate but nonsignificant correlation [r(8) = 0.474, P > .05 ns] between the number of intervention sessions and mean F₀ achieved by subjects at discharge (DF₀). There was a significant correlation between the number of treatment sessions and the maintenance of F₀ increases [r(8) = 0.745, P < .05], although the size of the correlation was more modest (r = 0.476) when the data from one subject who had received 90 treatment sessions were removed.     

Effect of artificially lengthened vocal tract on vocal fold oscillation's fundamental frequency.

The fundamental frequency of vocal fold oscillation (F(0)) is controlled by laryngeal mechanics and aerodynamic properties. F(0) change per unit change of transglottal pressure (dF/dP) using a shutter valve has been studied and found to have nonlinear, V-shaped relationship with F(0). On the other hand, the vocal tract is also known to affect vocal fold oscillation. This study examined the effect of artificially lengthened vocal tract length on dF/dP. dF/dP was measured in six men using two mouthpieces of different lengths. Results: The dF/dP graph for the longer vocal tract was shifted leftward relative to the shorter one. Conclusion: Using the one-mass model, the nadir of the "V" on the dF/dP graph was strongly influenced by the resonance around the first formant frequency. However, a more precise model is needed to account for the effects of viscosity and turbulence.     

The interrelationship of subglottic air pressure, fundamental frequency, and vocal intensity during speech

In this study we have simultaneously measured subglottic air pressure, airflow, and vocal intensity during speech in nine healthy subjects. Subglottic air pressure was measured directly by puncture of the cricothyroid membrane. The results show that the interaction between these aerodynamic properties is much more complex that previously believed. Certain trends were seen in most individuals, such as an increase in vocal intensity with increased subglottic air pressure. However, there was considerable variability in the overall aerodynamic properties between subjects and at different frequency and intensity ranges. At certain frequencies several subjects were able to generate significantly louder voices without a comparable increase in subglottic air pressure. We hypothesize that these increases in vocal efficiency are due to changes in vocal fold vibration properties. The relationship between fundamental frequency and subglottic pressure was also noted to vary depending on vocal intensity. Possible mechanisms for these behaviors are discussed.     

Heartbeat-related fundamental frequency and amplitude variation in healthy young and elderly male voices

Modulation of the acoustic amplitude and fundamental frequency of a sustained vowel across the heart cycle was examined via signal-averaging. Ten normal young and ten normal elderly men prolonged phonations of the vowel /a/. Consistent with previous studies, the young men's maximal heart-beat-related frequency and amplitude variations averaged 1.0% and 8.4% of their respective means. Such modulation was estimated to account for 6.6% of the absolute jitter and 11.3% of the shimmer measured in these voice samples. The extent of this systematic variation was significantly greater in the older voices, averaging 2.4% of the mean frequency and 15.4% of the mean amplitude and was estimated to account for approximately 12.9% and 15.8% of their mean absolute jitter and shimmer, respectively. This age-related difference is thought to be a manifestation of involutional changes in laryngeal vascular and soft tissues and in ventilatory biomechanics.     

复杂声音信号基频检测和处理的一种方法及实例

周期性信号基频的检测具有重要的意义，通常的硬件检测方法是采用过零比较器或施密特触发器等电路对输入信号进行整形，从而获得基频脉冲。当信号波形复杂时，这种检测方法就会失准。本文提出了一种新的硬件检测方法有效转变点实时基频检测法，它用两个适当电平切割被测信号，从而获得有效的零点，解决了信号复杂时过零点增多的现象，文内并给出了一个检测人声基频进而实现人声向乐器声转化的应用实例。     

受激旋转拉曼散射效应对基频光光束质量的影响

 采用瞬态受激旋转拉曼散射(SRRS)和空间相位扰动模型,定量分析了泵浦光强度和脉冲宽度对基频光在空气长程传输过程中产生的SRRS效应的阈值距离和转换效率的影响,讨论了泵浦光空间相位畸变对长程传输后的基频光光束质量的影响。研究结果表明：SRRS效应的阈值距离随着泵浦光强度和脉宽的增大而变短;空间相位畸变对斯托克斯光和泵浦光的光强分布存在一定影响,对斯托克斯光相位分布的影响比对泵浦光相位的影响大;SRRS效应的存在将导致基频光光束质量明显变差,对谐波转换效率产生明显影响。     

Formant frequency tuning in singing

It is sometimes claimed that some singers tune their two lowest formant frequencies to harmonic partials in order to increase the audibility of the voice. Voice acoustics predicts that such tuning of formants should cause vowel quality to change. Using a newly constructed digital singing machine, the authors have explored the perceptual consequences of such tuning. Four different cases were represented, in which the two lowest formant frequencies were either constant or adapted to the fundamental frequency according to either of three different strategies. The resulting voice timbres were judged by an expert panel of singing teachers in a listening test consisting of descending chromatic scales. Constant formant frequencies were clearly preferred, presumably because formant tuning entails formant frequency shifts between adjacent tones so substantial that salient vowel quality shifts occur.     

Fundamental Frequency Histograms Measured by Electroglottography During Speech: A Pilot Study for Standardization

This study was designed to develop a database for the electroglottographic measurement of fundamental frequency (Fo) in normal subjects in running speech, for reference in the diagnosis and follow-up of dysphonic patients. A prospective pilot study included 20 healthy male volunteers without laryngeal disorder. Electroglottographic recordings of speaking Fo during connected speech (French) were obtained from two texts with different prosodic content. Fo histograms were sensitive to the variation of speaking Fo between both texts. Graphic representation of the range and distribution of the Fo of the speaker were designed as normalized Fo histograms with plot lines at 5th and 95th percentiles. Less than 5% variability of Fo histograms was recorded when recording more than 15 subjects. This pilot study designed a graphic display of standardized electroglottographic Fo measurements during the physiological condition of connected speech. As the degree of Fo variability depends on the phonetic contents of the text and on the language spoken, a separate histogram for normal subjects needs to be developed in each country or at least for each voice laboratory, with a standard, previously chosen text.     

Effects of Tonsillectomy on Speech Spectrum

Changes in the speech spectrum of vowels and consonants before and after tonsillectomy were investigated to find out the impact of the operation on speech quality. Speech recordings obtained from patients were analyzed using the Kay Elemetrics, Multi-Dimensional Voice Processing (MDVP Advanced) software. Examination of the time-course changes after the operation revealed that certain speech parameters changed. These changes were mainly F3 (formant center frequency) and B3 (formant bandwidth) for the vowel /o/ and a slight decrease in B1 and B2 for the vowel /a/. The noise-to-harmonic ratio (NHR) also decreased slightly, suggesting less nasalized vowels. It was also observed that the fricative, glottal consonant /h/ has been affected. The larger the tonsil had been, the more changes were seen in the speech spectrum. The changes in the speech characteristics (except F3 and B3 for the vowel /o/) tended to recover, suggesting an involvement of auditory feedback and/or replacement of a new soft tissue with the tonsils. Although the changes were minimal and, therefore, have little effect on the extracted acoustic parameters, they cannot be disregarded for those relying on their voice for professional reasons, that is, singers, professional speakers, and so forth.     

空间外差光谱仪基频波长的定标

基于空间外差光谱仪的工作原理和干涉图的产生机制,提出了一种空间外差光谱仪的基频波长定标方法。沿干涉条纹法线方向求取像元相位,通过对法线方向的像元相位进行线性拟合求取相位直线的斜率,该相位斜率与干涉条纹法线方向的空间频率具有对应关系,在获取两种已知波长的激光干涉图的相位斜率后即可确定该空间外差光谱仪的基频波长。四组波长数据的测试结果显示,用该方法定标的基频波长具有很好的一致性,标准差为0.044 nm。定标结果仿真的光谱与实测光谱完全一致,证明了该方法的可行性。     

Source-filter Comparison of Measurements of Fundamental Frequency Perturbation and Amplitude Perturbation for Synthesized Voice Signals

SUMMARY: An investigation of the effect of glottal source aperiodicities (jitter, shimmer, and aspiration noise) on the estimation of fundamental frequency (f0) perturbation and amplitude perturbation, of synthesized, glottal source and voiced speech waveforms, is considered. Firstly, 4, cycle-event f0 estimators are examined: (1) waveform matching of the low-pass filtered waveform, (2) positive peaks (PPs) from the speech waveform, (3) PPs from the low-pass filtered waveform, and (4) positive zero crossings from the low-pass filtered waveform. The analysis shows that f0 perturbation measures taken from the low-pass filtered waveform are affected by both amplitude perturbation and random glottal noise, whereas, f0 perturbation measures taken from the PPs of the original waveform are affected by noise but not by amplitude perturbation. It is shown for the low-pass filter methods that the effects of amplitude perturbation and noise lead to increased errors in the measurement of f0 perturbation for the synthesized speech waveforms when compared with the synthesized glottal waveforms. Shimmer of the synthesized speech waveform is approximately equal to shimmer of the synthesized glottal source. However, noise and jitter affect measures of amplitude perturbation. The estimation of f0 perturbation from the synthesized speech waveform is shown to be nonlinearly related to f0 perturbation estimation from the synthesized glottal waveform as a consequence of the filtering action of the vocal tract. Low-pass filtering the voiced speech waveform is shown to provide a partial solution to this problem.     

Effects of driving frequency of longitudinal transducer on the vibration characteristics of a stepped plate

The flexural vibration characteristics of a stepped plate, driven at its center by different frequency of longitudinal transducer with a certain area are investigated. The variation in the nodal circle, fundamental frequency and displacement distribution of the stepped plate are calculated by using finite element method (FEM) under different driving frequencies. The results show that the fundamental frequency and nodal circle of the flexural-vibration stepped plate (FVSP) increase with an increase in the driving frequency of the longitudinal vibration ultrasonic transducer (LVUT), before the second-order flexural vibration occurs. When the driving frequency is f = 28 kHz, the displacement amplitude of the stepped plate can achieve the maximum, and the nodal circle radius of the stepped plate is 2.61 cm which fits evenly the edge of stepped profile. Meanwhile, the directivity and radiation efficiency of the FVSP would be greatly improved in a special driving frequency. The conclusions agree with the experimental ones and are significant for both design and applications of the stepped plate.     

激光调频连续波测距的精度评定方法研究

基于双光纤光路等光频重采样原理,提出了一种距离精度的评定方法.通过推导噪声背景下等光频重采样信号中距离参量的克拉美-罗下边界,得到了影响系统测距精度的两个重要因素:信噪比和扫描带宽,并进行了实验验证.实验表明,该评价方法并不会受到任何距离估算方法的影响,根据此方法可以选择一个最优的距离估算方法.通过对两个影响精度的因素进行仿真分析可知,在扫描带宽为2.2 nm时,若将测量光路的信噪比提升至70 dB以上,系统可获得低于10μm的测距精度.该精度评定方法可为后续改善调频连续波测距系统性能提供理论参考.     

周界固定带裂纹薄圆板的振动基频

在将裂纹板挠度表示为正交多项式的基础上，用分区技术的瑞利一里兹方法求解了含不同长度径向裂纹和弧向裂纹的周界固定圆板的振动基频。实验上用小球撞击法测定了裂纹圆板的辐射声场频谱，并得出了谱的基频。此外用有限元法对裂纹板作了理论计算。三项结果基本符合。探究了裂纹长度对圆板基频的影响规律。     

分子体系的热运动基本方程

宏观热现象是由宏观物体中大量微观粒子(原子、分子…等)相互作用产生的无规则混乱运动引起的.分子体系的温度愈高、体积愈大,它的混乱运动程度就愈大,我们引入一个物理量S来表征这种运动的混乱度. 我们可以看出,混乱度S是温度T和体积V的函数S(T,V),或为能量E和体积V的函数S(E,V).我们在本文中证明,在缓慢的可逆热运动过度中,通过作微观的功和宏观功的方法,给体系一无穷小的能量dE,使其混乱度与体积的变化分别为dS与dV,则三者有如下关系:dE=TdS-pdV.这就是在可逆过程中的热运动基本方程,也就是传统热力学中所称的热力学基本方程.     

Fundamental frequency and sound pressure level of phonation in pathological states

The fundamental frequency (F₀) for the habitual pitch (F_0HAB), F₀ for the lowest physiological tone (F_0L), F₀ for the highest physiological tone (F_0H), F₀ range of phonation (F₀ Rg), sound pressure level (SPL) for habitual loudness (SPL_HAB), SPL for the softest tone (SPL_S), SPL for the loudest tone (SPL_L), and SPL range of phonation (SPL Rg) were measured in 40 normal adult subjects and 1,563 voice patients with varying diseases. F_0H, F₀ Rg, SPL_L, and SPL Rg were decreased in many disease groups. F_0HAB and F_0L varied. SPL_HAB and SPL_S were increased in some disease groups. F₀-related parameters reflected effects of treatments in the cases with polyp, Reinke's edema, epithelial hyperplasia, carcinoma, and paralysis. Effects of treatments were manifested in SPL-related parameters in the cases with nodule, polyp, carcinoma, and paralysis.     

Sensitivity of Elastic Properties to Measurement Uncertainties in Laryngeal Muscles With Implications for Voice Fundamental Frequency Prediction

This paper discusses the effects of measurement uncertainties when calculating elastic moduli of laryngeal tissue. Small dimensions coupled with highly nonlinear elastic properties exacerbate the uncertainties. The sensitivity of both tangent and secant Young's Modulus was quantified in terms of the coefficient of variation, which depended on measurement of reference length and cross-sectional area. Uncertainties in the measurement of mass, used to calculate cross-sectional area of a small tissue sample, affected Young's Modulus calculations when tissue absorption of the hydrating solution was not accounted for. Uncertainty in reference length had twice the effect on elasticity than other measures. The implication of these measurement errors on predicted fundamental frequency of vocalization is discussed. Refinements on isolated muscle experimental protocols are proposed that pay greatest attention to measures of highest sensitivity.