Pilot Study: Understanding the Effects of Voicing Intervention on HFCC Therapy in People with Cystic Fibrosis

The efficacy of High-Frequency Chest Compression (HFCC) airway clearance therapy is linked to the induced-peak expiratory airflow pulse (IPEF) at the patient's mouth. The authors' goal was to determine the conditions that yield the highest IPEF using HFCC running at 6 Hz in conjunction with voicing intervention. A pilot experimental study was conducted in a laboratory setting. Six adults with moderate to mild cystic fibrosis (CF) and 10 healthy adults participated. When the component characteristics of voicing were disregarded in data analysis of four conditions, voicing only intervention (V₁I₀), HFCC only intervention (V₀I₁), voicing intervention and HFCC intervention combinations (V₁I₁) and nonintervention (V₀I₀), V₀I₁ had significantly higher (P < 0.0001) IPEF. Data analyses of 64 separate voicing component characteristics, frequency (×4), amplitude (×4), and rhythm (×2) of voicing intervention, in addition to absence and presence of HFCC intervention (V₁I₀ and V₁I₁), were examined. One condition in V₁I₀ had significantly higher (P < 0.000001) IPEF than other conditions in V₁I₀ and V₁I₁ in both experimental and control groups. Based on these findings, V₁I₁ may yield higher IPEF than V₀I₁. One condition of amplitude component of voicing and one condition of rhythm component of voicing had significantly higher (P < 0.0001) IPEF than other conditions of amplitude and rhythm components in both CF and control subjects. Analysis of this combined condition of V₁I₁ showed that this specific condition of V₁I₁ had significantly higher (P < 0.000001) IPEF than any other conditions in V₁I₁ and V₀I₁.     

Cine-MR Detection of Geometrical Size Anomalies in the Descending Chest Aorthic Artery for Some Heart Pathologies.

In this MRI work the Fast Gradient-Echo technique has been applied to the detection of the geometrical and elastic properties of the chest aorthic descending artery to check probable troubles in the blood flux which subtend several heart pathologies. The average diameter and the time variations of the aorthic vessel have been measured in the axial scanning plane to minimize the experimental errors. From the analysis of the vessel average diameter and the related root mean square deviation, a parameter named Contractility has been defined, in close relation with the elastic properties of the aorthic vessel. This parameter measured in patients affected from heavy cardiac pathologies such as aorthic arc aneurysm and right atrial mixoma shows remarkable variations when compared to the values obtained in healthy subjects. The use of the Contractility is suggested for a quick MRI determination of these cardiocircolatory pathologies.     

Patterns of breath support in projection of the singing voice

Recordings of the rib cage and abdominal motions and acoustic output were obtained from five professional opera singers during performance of an aria recorded with two levels of voice projection. The condition of greater projection resulted in a significant increase in the acoustic power in the frequency band 2-4 kHz, relative to the power in the 0-2 kHz band, and a decrease in the mean expiratory flow, implying a move to more efficient vocalization with the greater projection. Also, the condition of greater projection resulted in a larger rib cage, particularly in the lateral dimension, but only a small decrease in the abdominal lateral dimension, suggesting that the greater abdominal support required for a larger projection is obtained by increased activation of abdominal muscles acting medially.     

The perceptual nature of vocal register change

This study focuses on the perceptual nature of chest and falsetto registers as a function of various production tokens and methods of perceptual evaluation. Fifteen target tones, ranging from G#3 to A#4, were sung by a male and a female subject in the context of ascending and descending sequences on the vowels /a/ and /i/. Register transitions were elicited by setting strict constraints on production. Segments of 1-s duration were extracted from the target notes, digitized, and acoustically analyzed. These excerpts were presented to ten trained listeners in four different perceptual tasks. Identification and discrimination tasks yielded nearly identical results, suggesting that the primary registers are perceived as distinct entities. The marked change from chest to falsetto as well as the locus of the transition between these registers did not vary systematically as a function of production token or perceptual task. Mean register shift-point frequencies of the male and female subjects were perceived at 320 Hz and 353 Hz, respectively. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical clustering analyses were utilized to capture the dimensionality and the internal structure of perceptual data sets derived from the pair-wise similarity ratings. Optimal spatial representation of these data required no more than two orthogonal dimensions, with the quality attribute represented by the dominant dimension. The representation of pitch differences was reflected only in the internal ordering of the stimuli within registers, but did not affect the perceptual discontinuity between registers.     

Measurement of Characteristic Leap Interval Between Chest and Falsetto Registers

A markedly smaller time constant distinguishes a chest-falsetto leap from the more usual execution of a sung interval by muscular adjustments in the length and tension of the vocal folds. The features of such a chest-falsetto leap are examined in detail with respect to F0, peak-to-peak amplitude of the vocal-fold contact area signal (EGG), and the closed quotient. A method is proposed to standardize and quantify this chest-falsetto leap in the characteristic leap interval (CLI), a measure of the separation between the natural registers in a given singing voice. The measure is applied to a varied group of experienced singers. Preliminary results include a suggested dimorphic pattern with respect to sex, with female voices exhibiting smaller CLIs and less individual diversity than male voices.     

Resonance strategies for the belting style: Results of a single female subject study

This study explores resonance strategies used for the belting style and associated vocal fold vibratory patterns, for the vowels /e/, /a/, /i/, and /u/ on G4 and B4-flat. Acoustic spectra of belted vowels and their unoptimized, "speech-like" equivalents were compared. Vocal fold vibratory patterns were quantified using electroglottography. Results show that /a/ is inherently suitable for belting and requires no adjustment. For /e/, F2-H5 tuning was observed. For /i/, F1 was detuned from H1, enhancing also H2. For /u/, both F1 and F2 were raised to accomplish F2-H3 tuning. These results show that the loud, bright sound of the belting style is achieved by the implementation of resonance strategies that enhance higher harmonics. Electroglottography revealed that resonance strategies also result in raising the closed quotient (CQ) above 52%, an apparent threshold value for belting.