scholarly journals PET/CT background noise and its effect on speech recognition

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iva Speck ◽  
Valentin Rottmayer ◽  
Konstantin Wiebe ◽  
Antje Aschendorff ◽  
Johannes Thurow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Auditory Pathway ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Masking Effect ◽  
Air Cooling ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Pet Ct ◽  
Ct Scanners ◽  
Central Auditory Pathway

AbstractPositron emission tomography (PET) has been successfully used to investigate central nervous processes, including the central auditory pathway. Unlike early water-cooled PET-scanners, novel PET/CT scanners employ air cooling and include a CT system, both of which result in higher background noise levels. In the present study, we describe the background noise generated by two state-of-the-art air-cooled PET/CT scanners. We measured speech recognition in background noise: recorded PET noise and a speech-shaped noise applied in clinical routine to subjects with normal hearing. Background noise produced by air-cooled PET/CT is considerable: 75.1 dB SPL (64.5 dB(A)) for the Philips Gemini TF64 and 76.9 dB SPL (68.4 dB(A)) for the Philips Vereos PET/CT (Philips Healthcare, The Netherlands). Subjects with normal hearing exhibited better speech recognition in recorded PET background noise compared with clinically applied speech-shaped noise. Speech recognition in both background noises correlated significantly. Background noise generated by PET/CT scanners should be considered when PET is used for the investigation of the central auditory pathway. Speech in PET noise is better than in speech-shaped noise because of the minor masking effect of the background noise of the PET/CT.

Further Validation of the Speech Transmission Index (STI)

1987 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 403-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larry E. Humes ◽  
Stephen Boney ◽  
Faith Loven
Keyword(s):  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Sound Field ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Noise Levels ◽  
Transmission Index ◽  
Speech Transmission ◽  
Binaural Listening ◽  
Prospective Analyses

The present article further evaluates the accuracy of speech-recognition predictions made according to two forms of the Speech Transmission Index (STI) for normal-hearing listeners. The first portion of this article describes the application of the modified Speech Transmission Index (mSTI) to an extensive set of speech-recognition data. Performance of normal-hearing listeners on a nonsense-syllable recognition task in 216 conditions involving different speech levels, background noise levels, reverberation times and filter passbands was found to be monotonically related to the mSTI. The second portion of this article describes a retrospective and prospective analysis of an extended sound-field version of the STI, referred to here as STI x . This extended STI considers many of the variables relevant to sound-field speech recognition, some of which are not incorporated in the mSTI. These variables include: (a) reverberation time; (b) speech level; (e) noise level; (d) talker-to-listener distance; (e) directivity of the speech source; and (f) directivity of the listener (eg., monaural vs. binaural listening). For both the retrospective and prospective analyses, speech-recognition was found to vary monotonically with STI x .

Masking of Speech in Young and Elderly Listeners With Hearing Loss

1994 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 655-661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela E. Souza ◽  
Christopher W. Turner
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing Loss ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing ◽  
Masking Noise ◽  
Speech Spectrum ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
High Pass

This study examined the contributions of various properties of background noise to the speech recognition difficulties experienced by young and elderly listeners with hearing loss. Three groups of subjects participated: young listeners with normal hearing, young listeners with sensorineural hearing loss, and elderly listeners with sensorineural hearing loss. Sensitivity thresholds up to 4000 Hz of the young and elderly groups of listeners with hearing loss were closely matched, and a high-pass masking noise was added to minimize the contributions of high-frequency (above 4000 Hz) thresholds, which were not closely matched. Speech recognition scores for monosyllables were obtained in the high-pass noise alone and in three noise backgrounds. The latter consisted of high-pass noise plus one of three maskers: speechspectrum noise, speech-spectrum noise temporally modulated by the envelope of multi-talker babble, and multi-talker babble. For all conditions, the groups with hearing impairment consistently scored lower than the group with normal hearing. Although there was a trend toward poorer speech-recognition scores as the masker condition more closely resembled the speech babble, the effect of masker condition was not statistically significant. There was no interaction between group and condition, implying that listeners with normal hearing and listeners with hearing loss are affected similarly by the type of background noise when the long-term spectrum of the masker is held constant. A significant effect of age was not observed. In addition, masked thresholds for pure tones in the presence of the speech-spectrum masker were not different for the young and elderly listeners with hearing loss. These results suggest that, for both steady-state and modulated background noises, difficulties in speech recognition for monosyllables are due primarily, and perhaps exclusively, to the presence of sensorineural hearing loss itself, and not to age-specific factors.

Improving Speech Perception in Noise for Children with Cochlear Implants

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (09) ◽  
pp. 623-632 ◽  
Author(s):  
René H. Gifford ◽  
Amy P. Olund ◽  
Melissa DeJong
Keyword(s):  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Speech Perception ◽  
Cochlear Implant ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Speech Understanding ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Experimental Subjects

Background: Current cochlear implant recipients are achieving increasingly higher levels of speech recognition; however, the presence of background noise continues to significantly degrade speech understanding for even the best performers. Newer generation Nucleus cochlear implant sound processors can be programmed with SmartSound strategies that have been shown to improve speech understanding in noise for adult cochlear implant recipients. The applicability of these strategies for use in children, however, is not fully understood nor widely accepted. Purpose: To assess speech perception for pediatric cochlear implant recipients in the presence of a realistic restaurant simulation generated by an eight-loudspeaker (R-SPACE™) array in order to determine whether Nucleus sound processor SmartSound strategies yield improved sentence recognition in noise for children who learn language through the implant. Research Design: Single subject, repeated measures design. Study Sample: Twenty-two experimental subjects with cochlear implants (mean age 11.1 yr) and 25 control subjects with normal hearing (mean age 9.6 yr) participated in this prospective study. Intervention: Speech reception thresholds (SRT) in semidiffuse restaurant noise originating from an eight-loudspeaker array were assessed with the experimental subjects’ everyday program incorporating Adaptive Dynamic Range Optimization (ADRO) as well as with the addition of Autosensitivity control (ASC). Data Collection and Analysis: Adaptive SRTs with the Hearing In Noise Test (HINT) sentences were obtained for all 22 experimental subjects, and performance—in percent correct—was assessed in a fixed +6 dB SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) for a six-subject subset. Statistical analysis using a repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) evaluated the effects of the SmartSound setting on the SRT in noise. Results: The primary findings mirrored those reported previously with adult cochlear implant recipients in that the addition of ASC to ADRO significantly improved speech recognition in noise for pediatric cochlear implant recipients. The mean degree of improvement in the SRT with the addition of ASC to ADRO was 3.5 dB for a mean SRT of 10.9 dB SNR. Thus, despite the fact that these children have acquired auditory/oral speech and language through the use of their cochlear implant(s) equipped with ADRO, the addition of ASC significantly improved their ability to recognize speech in high levels of diffuse background noise. The mean SRT for the control subjects with normal hearing was 0.0 dB SNR. Given that the mean SRT for the experimental group was 10.9 dB SNR, despite the improvements in performance observed with the addition of ASC, cochlear implants still do not completely overcome the speech perception deficit encountered in noisy environments accompanying the diagnosis of severe-to-profound hearing loss. Conclusion: SmartSound strategies currently available in latest generation Nucleus cochlear implant sound processors are able to significantly improve speech understanding in a realistic, semidiffuse noise for pediatric cochlear implant recipients. Despite the reluctance of pediatric audiologists to utilize SmartSound settings for regular use, the results of the current study support the addition of ASC to ADRO for everyday listening environments to improve speech perception in a child's typical everyday program.

scholarly journals Speech Recognition in Real-Life Background Noise by Young and Middle-Aged Adults with Normal Hearing

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji Young Lee ◽  
Jin Tae Lee ◽  
Hye Jeong Heo ◽  
Chul-Hee Choi ◽  
Seong Hee Choi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Middle Aged Adults

Pediatric Hearing Loss and Speech Recognition in Quiet and in Different Types of Background Noise

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 758-767 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond L. Goldsworthy ◽  
Kali L. Markle
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Steady State ◽  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Instrumental Music ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Closed Set ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Speech Spectrum ◽  
Children With Hearing Loss

Purpose Speech recognition deteriorates with hearing loss, particularly in fluctuating background noise. This study examined how hearing loss affects speech recognition in different types of noise to clarify how characteristics of the noise interact with the benefits listeners receive when listening in fluctuating compared to steady-state noise. Method Speech reception thresholds were measured for a closed set of spondee words in children (ages 5–17 years) in quiet, speech-spectrum noise, 2-talker babble, and instrumental music. Twenty children with normal hearing and 43 children with hearing loss participated; children with hearing loss were subdivided into groups with cochlear implant (18 children) and hearing aid (25 children) groups. A cohort of adults with normal hearing was included for comparison. Results Hearing loss had a large effect on speech recognition for each condition, but the effect of hearing loss was largest in 2-talker babble and smallest in speech-spectrum noise. Children with normal hearing had better speech recognition in 2-talker babble than in speech-spectrum noise, whereas children with hearing loss had worse recognition in 2-talker babble than in speech-spectrum noise. Almost all subjects had better speech recognition in instrumental music compared to speech-spectrum noise, but with less of a difference observed for children with hearing loss. Conclusions Speech recognition is more sensitive to the effects of hearing loss when measured in fluctuating compared to steady-state noise. Speech recognition measured in fluctuating noise depends on an interaction of hearing loss with characteristics of the background noise; specifically, children with hearing loss were able to derive a substantial benefit for listening in fluctuating noise when measured in instrumental music compared to 2-talker babble.

scholarly journals Positron emission tomography PET/CT harmonisation study of different clinical PET/CT scanners using commercially available software

BJR|Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 20190035
Author(s):  
Gerry Lowe ◽  
Bruce Spottiswoode ◽  
Jerome Declerck ◽  
Keith Sullivan ◽  
Mhd Saeed Sharif ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Significance ◽  
European Standard ◽  
Resolution Recovery ◽  
Patient Cohort ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Pet Ct ◽  
Smoothing Parameters ◽  
Ct Scanners ◽  
Phantom Studies ◽  
One Way Anova

Objectives: Harmonisation is the process whereby standardised uptake values from different scanners can be made comparable. This PET/CT pilot study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of harmonisation of a modern scanner with image reconstruction incorporating resolution recovery (RR) with another vendor older scanner operated in two-dimensional (2D) mode, and for both against a European standard (EARL). The vendor-proprietary software EQ•PET was used, which achieves harmonisation with a Gaussian smoothing. A substudy investigated effect of RR on harmonisation. Methods: Phantom studies on each scanner were performed to optimise the smoothing parameters required to achieve successful harmonisation. 80 patients were retrospectively selected; half were imaged on each scanner. As proof of principle, a cohort of 10 patients was selected from the modern scanner subjects to study the effects of RR on harmonisation. Results: Before harmonisation, the modern scanner without RR adhered to EARL specification. Using the phantom data, filters were derived for optimal harmonisation between scanners and with and without RR as applicable, to the EARL standard. The 80-patient cohort did not reveal any statistically significant differences. In the 10-patient cohort SUVmax for RR > no RR irrespective of harmonisation but differences lacked statistical significance (one-way ANOVA F(3.36) = 0.37, p = 0.78). Bland-Altman analysis showed that harmonisation reduced the SUVmax ratio between RR and no RR to 1.07 (95% CI 0.96–1.18) with no outliers. Conclusions: EQ•PET successfully enabled harmonisation between modern and older scanners and against the EARL standard. Harmonisation reduces SUVmax and dependence on the use of RR in the modern scanner. Advances in knowledge: EQ•PET is feasible to harmonise different PET/CT scanners and reduces the effect of RR on SUVmax.

Speech Recognition in Background Noise: Monaural versus Binaural Listening Conditions in Normal-hearing Patients

2001 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 625-630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pekka Persson ◽  
Henrik Harder ◽  
Stig Arlinger ◽  
Bengt Magnuson
Keyword(s):  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Binaural Listening

Speech Recognition in Noise in Single-Sided Deaf Cochlear Implant Children on Using Adaptive Digital Microphone Technology

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Speck ◽  
T. Müller ◽  
T. F. Jakob ◽  
K. Wiebe ◽  
A. Aschendorff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Cochlear Implant ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Noise Exposure ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Speech Stimulus ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Single Sided Deafness ◽  
Speech Recognition In Noise

Abstract Background Previous research demonstrated benefits of adaptive digital microphone technologies (ADMTs) in adults with single-sided deafness (SSD) having a cochlear implant (CI). Children with SSD are especially affected by background noise because of their noise exposure in kindergarten and school. Purpose This article aims to evaluate possible effects of ADMT on speech recognition in background noise in children with SSD who use a CI. Study Sample Ten children between 5 and 11 years of age were included. Data Collection and Analysis Speech recognition in noise was assessed for one frontal distant and two lateral speakers. The speech stimulus was presented at a speech level of 65 dB(A) and noise at a level of 55 dB(A). For the presentation condition with one frontal speaker, four listening conditions were assessed: (1) normal-hearing (NH) ear and CI turned off; (2) NH ear and CI; (3) NH ear and CI with ADMT; and (4) NH ear with ADMT and CI. Listening conditions (2) to (4) were also tested for each lateral speaker. The frontal speaker was positioned directly in front of the participant, whereas the lateral speakers were positioned at angles of 90 degrees and –90 degrees to the participant's head. Results Children with SSD who use a CI significantly benefit from the application of ADMT in speech recognition in noise for frontal distant and for lateral speakers. Speech recognition improved significantly with ADMT at the CI and the NH ears. Conclusion Application of ADMT significantly improves speech recognition in noise in children with SSD who use a CI and can therefore be highly recommended. The decision of whether to apply ADMT at the CI NH ear or bilaterally should be made for each child individually.

Use of a Mild-Gain Hearing Aid by Middle-Age Normal-Hearing Adults Who Do and Do Not Self-Report Trouble Hearing in Background Noise

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 419-428
Author(s):  
Jasleen Singh ◽  
Karen A. Doherty
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Middle Age ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Hearing Aid Use ◽  
Hearing Handicap ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Hearing Problems

Purpose The aim of the study was to assess how the use of a mild-gain hearing aid can affect hearing handicap, motivation, and attitudes toward hearing aids for middle-age, normal-hearing adults who do and do not self-report trouble hearing in background noise. Method A total of 20 participants (45–60 years of age) with clinically normal-hearing thresholds (< 25 dB HL) were enrolled in this study. Ten self-reported difficulty hearing in background noise, and 10 did not self-report difficulty hearing in background noise. All participants were fit with mild-gain hearing aids, bilaterally, and were asked to wear them for 2 weeks. Hearing handicap, attitudes toward hearing aids and hearing loss, and motivation to address hearing problems were evaluated before and after participants wore the hearing aids. Participants were also asked if they would consider purchasing a hearing aid before and after 2 weeks of hearing aid use. Results After wearing the hearing aids for 2 weeks, hearing handicap scores decreased for the participants who self-reported difficulty hearing in background noise. No changes in hearing handicap scores were observed for the participants who did not self-report trouble hearing in background noise. The participants who self-reported difficulty hearing in background noise also reported greater personal distress from their hearing problems, were more motivated to address their hearing problems, and had higher levels of hearing handicap compared to the participants who did not self-report trouble hearing in background noise. Only 20% (2/10) of the participants who self-reported trouble hearing in background noise reported that they would consider purchasing a hearing aid after 2 weeks of hearing aid use. Conclusions The use of mild-gain hearing aids has the potential to reduce hearing handicap for normal-hearing, middle-age adults who self-report difficulty hearing in background noise. However, this may not be the most appropriate treatment option for their current hearing problems given that only 20% of these participants would consider purchasing a hearing aid after wearing hearing aids for 2 weeks.

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