Shortness of the palate: A cause of problems in singing

Constriction of the pharynx used to compensate for a palate that is slightly too short interferes with relaxed voice production. The condition can be diagnosed by simple means and can be confirmed by lateral radiographs of the skull. Treatment consists of pushback surgery of the soft palate and pharyngoplasty.     

Adverse Effects of Environmental Noise on Acoustic Voice Quality Measurements

An accurate analysis of voice quality is imperative when using acoustic measurements to diagnose vocal pathologies. It is known that noise has a significant effect on the reliability and validity of acoustic voice measurements, but the precise relationship has not been established. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of noise on the accuracy, reliability, and validity of acoustic voice quality measurements while balancing for gender, age, intersubject and intrasubject variability, microphones, computer hardware, analysis software, and type of noise. Level of noise was precisely controlled. The specific focus of interest was to determine the critical levels of noise that can invalidate voice quality measurements and to generate practical recommendations. Results suggest that the recommended, acceptable, and unacceptable levels of noise in the acoustic environment are above 42 dB, above 30 dB, and below 30 dB signal-to-noise ratio, respectively.     

基于产品开发能力培养的混合式教学实施探索——以现代化妆品科学与技术课程为例

How to take the student as the center and the OBE (Outcomes-based Education) concept as the guide to comprehensively cultivate students' professional ability and professional quality has become an important content of applied undergraduate teaching reform. Taking "Modern Cosmetics Science and Technology" course as an example, an online and offline blended teaching implementation mode based on product development skills and literacy was constructed. It includes diversified teaching methods, immersive learning atmosphere, PBL (Problem-Based Learning) product projects, special anchors, and technical expert status conversion. The feasibility was implemented and verified.     

Intrasubject variability of objective voice measures

Recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of voice disorders necessitate the need for accurate and reliable objective voice measurements. There are many instruments commonly used to analyze voice data. Many, if not most, of these instruments have not been adequately tested for reliability or consistency. This study evaluates the intrasubject variability of the objective voice measurements from two commonly used voice analysis instruments. The study also presents data correlating subjective mood states, room temperatures, sleep times of the subject, time since last meal, and hydration levels to the various acoustic measures. Several weak but significant correlations were obtained and are discussed. Guidelines for the appropriate use of these instruments are described.     

The Relative Contributions of Speaking Fundamental Frequency and Formant Frequencies to Gender Identification Based on Isolated Vowels

The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy with which listeners could identify the gender of a speaker from a synthesized isolated vowel based on the natural production of that speaker when (1) the fundamental frequency was consistent with the speaker's gender, (2) the fundamental frequency was inconsistent with the the speaker's gender, and (3) the speaker was transgendered. Ten male-to-female transgendered persons, 10 men and 10 women, served as subjects. Each speaker produced the vowels /i/, /u/, and //. These vowels were analyzed for fundamental frequency and the first three formant frequencies and bandwidths. Formant frequency and bandwidth information was used to synthesize two vowel tokens for each speaker, one at a fundamental frequency of 120 Hz and one at 240 Hz. Listeners were asked to listen to these tokens and determine whether the original speaker was male or female. Listeners were not aware of the use of transgendered speakers. Results showed that, in all cases, gender identifications were based on fundamental frequency, even when fundamental frequency and formant frequency information was contradictory.     

A Comparative Study of Acoustic Voice Measurements by Means of Dr. Speech and Computerized Speech Lab

In this study, the calculations and results of acoustic voice analysis as calculated by two different analysis systems (Doctor Speech (DRS), Tiger Electronics, Neu-Anspach, Germany, and Computerized Speech Lab (CSL), Kay Elemetrics Corporation, Lincoln Park, NJ) are compared. A group of 120 normal voices was selected for analysis of the objective parameters: fundamental frequency (F(0)), variation of F(0) (F(0)SD), jitter, shimmer, and harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR). The subject group was a random selection of normal voices of adults. The aim of this comparison was to find determined differences and similarities in data measurements between both systems to make data transfer possible. A significant correlation was found for F(0), HNR, and shimmer relative. The correlation for jitter (relative and absolute) and F(0)SD was weak. DRS and CSL are not comparable in absolute figures, but their judgment against normative data is identical. Further research is necessary to explore the affect on pathological voices or child voices.     

社交网络用户浏览轨迹信息隐私保护方法仿真

随着网络应用的广泛普及,QQ、微信、YY语音、陌陌等社交软件走进千家万户,但社交网络用户浏览轨迹信息隐私保护问题也随之而来。由于社交网络平台安全机制存在漏洞,抵御网络攻击性能不强,使社交网络用户信息纷纷泄露。针对问题根源,提出ACP用户隐私信息防护系统,建立社交网络用户真空登陆模块(VM)、通讯信息密码文模块(RDT)及信息储存保护墙模块(LDM)一体化ACP用户隐私信息防护系统,从根源保护社交网络用户浏览轨迹信息的隐私安全。通过数据模拟仿真实验证明提出的ACP用户隐私信息防护系统,对社交网络用户浏览轨迹信息隐私保护具有可用性与有效性。     

Reflections on the promise and complexity of mathematics coaching

If students are to develop mathematical proficiency, then mathematics teaching must both change and improve. In an effort to provide site-based professional development addressing the mathematical content and pedagogical demands that teachers encounter in reality of public schooling, many school districts are turning to elementary mathematics coaches. Knowledgeable coaches can have a significant positive impact on teachers, yet this study documents substantial variance in the amount of coaching delivered and in the nature of activity that coaches undertake within schools. Coaches are frequently responsive to the needs of individual teachers. If this support is primarily marked by shared teaching or provision of instructional materials, it may not transform either instruction or teacher knowledge. Similarly if coaches assume duties that primarily address an administrator’s needs, they will have less time to enhance a school’s mathematics program. Coaches need to engage teachers in fundamental dialogue about mathematical content, mathematical learning, and student understanding. It may be that this dialogue and the effectiveness of a coach’s work with individual teachers would benefit from a coach’s concurrent work with grade-level teams. When a coach leads a grade-level team through discussion of targeted goals and approaches, the coach may facilitate individual teacher learning while building collective learning. When coupled with the support of a principal, this partnership may foster instructional change across a school.     

A model of professional competences in mathematics to update mathematical and didactic knowledge of teachers

This paper describes part of a research and development project carried out in public elementary schools. Its objective was to update the mathematical and didactic knowledge of teachers in two consecutive levels in urban and rural public schools of Region de Los Lagos and Region de Los Rios of southern Chile. To that effect, and by means of an advanced training project based on a professional competences model, didactic interventions based on types of problems and types of mathematical competences with analysis of contents and learning assessment were designed. The teachers’ competence regarding the didactic strategy used and its results, as well as the students’ learning achievements are specified. The project made possible to validate a strategy of lifelong improvement in mathematics, based on the professional competences of teachers and their didactic transposition in the classroom, as an alternative to consolidate learning in areas considered vulnerable in two regions of the country.     

Behavior of the Cricopharyngeal Segment During Esophageal Phonation in Laryngectomized Patients

BACKGROUND: After total laryngectomy, the interruption of the upper digestive tube and the section of the cricopharyngeal segment alter the high-pressure zone of the pharyngoesophageal transition, which will not only start to have a digestive function, but also be stimulated to take on the production of voice and speech. The pressure observed in the cricopharyngeal segment seems to act as a critical factor for the development of esophageal sound production, and manometry is the procedure capable of quantifying the pressure observed in this region. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the current study was to assess the upper esophageal sphincter pressure in laryngectomized patients who are either successful or unsuccessful esophageal speakers, both at rest and during esophageal phonation, using manometry. METHODS: Twenty laryngectomized persons aged 32 to 83 years (mean, 44.2 years) were submitted to evaluation by a speech pathologist and divided into two groups, ie, successful esophageal speakers (N=12) and unsuccessful esophageal speakers (N=8), according to a scale validated by Wepman et al (1953). The upper esophageal sphincter (UES) pressure was assessed by manometry both at rest and during the following voice emissions in Portuguese: the vowel "a," the monosyllable "pa," and the sentence "papai papou pipoca." The amplitude, the duration of the pressure wave, and the area under the curve were measured. RESULTS: At rest, the mean UES pressure was 11.83 mm Hg for successful esophageal speakers and 9.92 mm Hg for unsuccessful esophageal speakers, with no significant difference between groups; the mean for the two groups as a whole was 11.06 mm Hg. During the voice and speech sequence tests, no significant difference was observed when the emissions in Portuguese of "a," "pa," and the sentence were analyzed separately. CONCLUSION: As the pressure observed at rest did not differ between the successful esophageal speakers and the unsuccessful esophageal speakers, and the amplitude, the duration of the pressure wave, and the area under the amplitude x duration curve were also equal for both groups, we conclude that the cricopharyngeal segment pressure is not a preponderant factor for the acquisition of esophageal voice and speech.