Interaction of Speech Coders and Atypical Speech II

2002 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 689-699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald G. Jamieson ◽  
Vijay Parsa ◽  
Moneca C. Price ◽  
James Till
Keyword(s):  
Communication Systems ◽  
Speech Rate ◽  
Voice Quality ◽  
Voice Disorders ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Speech Quality ◽  
Degraded Speech ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Subband Processing

We investigated how standard speech coders, currently used in modern communication systems, affect the quality of the speech of persons who have common speech and voice disorders. Three standardized speech coders (GSM 6.10 RPELTP, FS1016 CELP, and FS1015 LPC) and two speech coders based on subband processing were evaluated for their performance. Coder effects were assessed by measuring the quality of speech samples both before and after processing by the speech coders. Speech quality was rated by 10 listeners with normal hearing on 28 different scales representing pitch and loudness changes, speech rate, laryngeal and resonatory dysfunction, and coder-induced distortions. Results showed that (a) nine scale items were consistently and reliably rated by the listeners; (b) all coders degraded speech quality on these nine scales, with the GSM and CELP coders providing the better quality speech; and (c) interactions between coders and individual voices did occur on several voice quality scales.

scholarly journals A Comparison of Quality of Life in Adults With Voice Disorders Before and After Voice Therapy

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 30-37
Author(s):  
Tipwaree Aueworakhunanan ◽  
Kalyanee Makarabhirom ◽  
Dechavudh Nityasuddhi
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Voice Quality ◽  
Voice Disorders ◽  
Voice Handicap Index ◽  
Voice Therapy ◽  
Therapy Program ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Voice

Background: Previous studies have documented the effectiveness of voice therapy in terms of voice quality outcomes rather than quality of life outcomes. Objective: To compare the quality of life among patients with voice disorders, before and after voice therapy. Methods: Thirty-six patients with voice disorders who visited the Speech Clinic at Ramathibodi Hospital from March 2013 to January 2015 were enrolled. Thirty minutes per session within 10 weeks period of voice therapy program were used. The voice therapy approaches included direct and indirect therapy. The outcomes of this study were measured using Dr. Speech software version 5 for acoustic analysis and the Voice Handicap Index in Thai version for quality of life. Data was analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics (Paired t test). Results: The total participants were 36 patients with a mean age of 51.31 years. They were divided to 4 groups according to the causes of voice disorders that were 18 patients for structural cause, 8 patients for functional cause, 6 patients for neurological cause, and 4 patients for inflammatory cause. The results for both voice quality and quality of life after voice therapy improved and showed statistically significant differences (P < .05). The patients with all causes of voice disorders were statistically significant differences in total the Voice Handicap Index scores (P < .05). Moreover the structural causes group exhibited statistically significant differences in all subscales (P < .05) but the others causes groups were not statistically significant differences in emotional subscale for functional causes, physical subscale for neurological causes, and functional subscale for inflammatory cause (P > .05) Conclusions: Voice therapy might be an effective treatment to decrease the severity of voice disorders in role of voice quality and quality of life, especially voice disorders from structural causes.

scholarly journals The voice quality of sports coaches

Logopedija ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anđela Bučević ◽  
Ana Bonetti ◽  
Luka Bonetti
Keyword(s):  
Voice Quality ◽  
Training Session ◽  
Acoustic Method ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Sports Coaches ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Female Coaches

The aim of this research paper was to examine the voice quality of sports coaches using the objective (acoustic) method. A total of 28 sports coaches (mean age 28.58, SD=5.08), from the City of Zagreb participated in this research. Recordings of the phonation of the vowel /a/ before and after one training session were obtained and analyzed using the PRAAT Program. Mean, minimal and maximal values of fundamental frequency, shimmer, jitter and harmonics-to-noise ratio were observed. The statistical analyses showed no statistically significant difference in acoustic voice quality of male and female coaches before and after the training session, or between male and female coaches. However, intra-individual differences among participants were observed, which may be significant in terms of their potential to affect the quality of their voices in the future.

Impact of speech therapy on the improvement of voice quality in patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Anna Kuligowska ◽  
Barbara Jamróz ◽  
Joanna Chmielewska ◽  
Katarzyna Jędra ◽  
Tomasz Czernicki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vocal Fold ◽  
Speech Therapy ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Vocal Tract ◽  
Voice Quality ◽  
Maximum Phonation Time ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Vocal Fold Palsy ◽  
The Voice

Aim of study: Evaluation of the speech therapy on voice quality in patients with unilateral vocal fold palsy. Material and methods: The study group included 11 patients, 8 women and 3 men, in age between 16 to 72 years, with unilateral vocal fold palsy, diagnosed in ENT Department of Warsaw Medical University between 2017-2018. Each person completed questionnaires: the voice disability self-assessment scale (VHI), the voice-based quality of life (VRQoL) scale, the vocal tract discomfort scale (VTD). All questionnaires were completed twice, before and after the voice therapy. In addition, the acoustic analysis of the voice, the assessment of the maximum phonation time and the breathing tract were performed twice in each patient. Each of the patients had a voice rehabilitation consisting of a series of 10 meetings. Results: Statistical analysis of the results of maximum phonation time, the self-assessment of voice disability, the quality of life depending on the voice, discomfort of the vocal tract voice acoustic analysis showed statistically significant differences in the results before and after rehabilitation (p <0.005). In addition, the improvement of the respiratory tract was observed in the majority of patients. Conclusions: Speech therapy significantly affects the voice quality of patients with unilateral laryngeal nerve palsy.

Correlation of the Iranian Voice Quality of Life Profile (IVQLP) with Acoustic Measurements across Three Common Voice Disorders

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 514.e7-514.e11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Dehqan ◽  
Ronald C. Scherer ◽  
Fariba Yadegari ◽  
Gholamali Dashti
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Voice Quality ◽  
Voice Disorders ◽  
Acoustic Measurements

Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice Quality of Cochlear-implanted and Normal-hearing Individuals: A Reliability Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 774.e1-774.e8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Cristina Coelho ◽  
Alcione Ghedini Brasolotto ◽  
Ana Carolina Nascimento Fernandes ◽  
Daniela Malta de Souza Medved ◽  
Eduardo Magalhães da Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Voice Quality ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Reliability Study ◽  
Perceptual Evaluation

scholarly journals Objective voice analysis for vocal polyps following microlaryngeal phonosurgery

1970 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
SiKC Toran ◽  
BK Lal
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Voice Quality ◽  
Clinical Analysis ◽  
Voice Analysis ◽  
Acoustic Characteristics ◽  
Causative Factors ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Quality Of Voice ◽  
Acoustic Output

Background: Vocal polyps are the products of voice overuse, misuse and abuse as the most common causative factors. Treatment generally advised for them are voice therapy and Microlaryngeal Phonosurgery (MLPS). The improved or changed quality of voice is generally assessed perceptually and can cause intra rater variability. In this study we compared and analysed the acoustic characteristics before and after MLPS. Objective: The purpose of the study was to acoustically determine the changes in voice quality of a group of patients before and after the surgery. Material and methods: The following patients group were studied prior to and in between 3 and 4 weeks of surgery. Altogether there were 23 patients with either unilateral or bilateral vocal polyps. Voice recording and analysis were performed with Dr. Speech acoustic software (Tiger electronics, USA). The parameters analyzed were in terms of perturbation (Jitter and shimmer), harmonic-to-noise ratio (HNR) and fundamental frequency (F0). Results: The results showed that shimmer, HNR and F0 decreased significantly (p<0.05) following MLPS, but jitter though reduced, was not statistically significant (p=0.694). Conclusion: The acoustic output generally improved after MLPS as evidenced by decreased values of all the four acoustic parameters. The study also stress that voice quality can be improved through the phonosurgical procedures. This multidimensional voice analysis can be very helpful in our ability to provide objective clinical analysis of voices with vocal polyps, and following their surgical treatment. Key words: Acoustic analysis; Vocal polyps; Micro-laryngeal phonosurgery DOI: 10.3126/kumj.v8i2.3555 Kathmandu University Medical Journal (2010), Vol. 8, No. 2, Issue 30, 185-189

Effect of caffeine on the vocal folds: a pilot study

1999 ◽  
Vol 113 (4) ◽  
pp. 341-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Akhtar ◽  
G. Wood ◽  
J. S. Rubin ◽  
P. E. O'Flynn ◽  
P. Ratcliffe
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Voice Quality ◽  
Voice Disorders ◽  
Vocal Folds ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Blood Levels ◽  
Full Study ◽  
Professional Voice Users

AbstractCaffeine is considered to be a dehydrating agent with detrimental effects on the quality of voice of persons ingesting it. This has led medical personnel dealing with voice disorders, especially in the case of professional voice users, to give advice against the use of caffeine. Yet this is an anecdotal truth as an extensive Medline literature search did not reveal any scientific evidence of caffeine being proven to have adverse effects on the vocal folds. We, therefore, initiated this pilot study to ascertain the connection between caffeine and voice quality on a laboratory basis. Two hundred and fifty mg of caffeine were provided to eight volunteers in tablet form, and blood levels along with laryngograph readings were recorded to document the changes produced. Analysing the irregularities of frequencies in a) free speech b) a reading passage and c) singing ‘Happy Birthday’, substantial changes were seen to authenticate the fact that caffeine does produce alterations in voice quality but these alterations have considerable intrasubject variability. A full study with wider parameters is to be performed on this subject as we consider it to be of importance in the management of voice disorders.

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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