scholarly journals Does Sentence-Level Coarticulation Affect Speech Recognition in Noise or a Speech Masker?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Brandi Jett ◽  
Emily Buss ◽  
Virginia Best ◽  
Jacob Oleson ◽  
Lauren Calandruccio
Keyword(s):  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Target Type ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Sentence Recognition ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Noise Masker ◽  
Sentence Level ◽  
Speech Recognition In Noise ◽  
Main Effects

Purpose Three experiments were conducted to better understand the role of between-word coarticulation in masked speech recognition. Specifically, we explored whether naturally coarticulated sentences supported better masked speech recognition as compared to sentences derived from individually spoken concatenated words. We hypothesized that sentence recognition thresholds (SRTs) would be similar for coarticulated and concatenated sentences in a noise masker but would be better for coarticulated sentences in a speech masker. Method Sixty young adults participated ( n = 20 per experiment). An adaptive tracking procedure was used to estimate SRTs in the presence of noise or two-talker speech maskers. Targets in Experiments 1 and 2 were matrix-style sentences, while targets in Experiment 3 were semantically meaningful sentences. All experiments included coarticulated and concatenated targets; Experiments 2 and 3 included a third target type, concatenated keyword-intensity–matched (KIM) sentences, in which the words were concatenated but individually scaled to replicate the intensity contours of the coarticulated sentences. Results Regression analyses evaluated the main effects of target type, masker type, and their interaction. Across all three experiments, effects of target type were small (< 2 dB). In Experiment 1, SRTs were slightly poorer for coarticulated than concatenated sentences. In Experiment 2, coarticulation facilitated speech recognition compared to the concatenated KIM condition. When listeners had access to semantic context (Experiment 3), a coarticulation benefit was observed in noise but not in the speech masker. Conclusions Overall, differences between SRTs for sentences with and without between-word coarticulation were small. Beneficial effects of coarticulation were only observed relative to the concatenated KIM targets; for unscaled concatenated targets, it appeared that consistent audibility across the sentence offsets any benefit of coarticulation. Contrary to our hypothesis, effects of coarticulation generally were not more pronounced in speech maskers than in noise maskers.

scholarly journals The Clear-Speech Benefit for School-Age Children: Speech-in-Noise and Speech-in-Speech Recognition

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (12) ◽  
pp. 4265-4276
Author(s):  
Lauren Calandruccio ◽  
Heather L. Porter ◽  
Lori J. Leibold ◽  
Emily Buss
Keyword(s):  
Speech Recognition ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
School Age ◽  
Clear Speech ◽  
Adaptive Procedure ◽  
Sentence Recognition ◽  
Speech In Noise ◽  
Noise Masker ◽  
Children Speech ◽  
Speaking Style

Purpose Talkers often modify their speech when communicating with individuals who struggle to understand speech, such as listeners with hearing loss. This study evaluated the benefit of clear speech in school-age children and adults with normal hearing for speech-in-noise and speech-in-speech recognition. Method Masked sentence recognition thresholds were estimated for school-age children and adults using an adaptive procedure. In Experiment 1, the target and masker were summed and presented over a loudspeaker located directly in front of the listener. The masker was either speech-shaped noise or two-talker speech, and target sentences were produced using a clear or conversational speaking style. In Experiment 2, stimuli were presented over headphones. The two-talker speech masker was diotic (M 0 ). Clear and conversational target sentences were presented either in-phase (T 0 ) or out-of-phase (T π ) between the two ears. The M 0 T π condition introduces a segregation cue that was expected to improve performance. Results For speech presented over a single loudspeaker (Experiment 1), the clear-speech benefit was independent of age for the noise masker, but it increased with age for the two-talker masker. Similar age effects for the two-talker speech masker were seen under headphones with diotic presentation (M 0 T 0 ), but comparable clear-speech benefit as a function of age was observed with a binaural cue to facilitate segregation (M 0 T π ). Conclusions Consistent with prior research, children showed a robust clear-speech benefit for speech-in-noise recognition. Immaturity in the ability to segregate target from masker speech may limit young children's ability to benefit from clear-speech modifications for speech-in-speech recognition under some conditions. When provided with a cue that facilitates segregation, children as young as 4–7 years of age derived a clear-speech benefit in a two-talker masker that was similar to the benefit experienced by adults.

The Effects of Aging on Speech Perception in Noise: Comparison between Normal-Hearing and Cochlear-Implant Listeners

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (07) ◽  
pp. 656-665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Su-Hyun Jin ◽  
Chang Liu ◽  
Douglas P. Sladen
Keyword(s):  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Aging Effect ◽  
Speech Understanding ◽  
Detection Thresholds ◽  
Speech Perception In Noise ◽  
Sentence Recognition ◽  
Hearing Status ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Effects Of Aging ◽  
Speech Recognition In Noise

Background: Speech understanding in noise is comparatively more problematic for older listeners with and without hearing loss, and age-related changes in temporal resolution might be associated with reduced speech recognition in complex noise. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of aging on temporal processing and speech perception in noise for normal-hearing (NH) and cochlear-implant (CI) listeners. Research Design: All participants completed three experimental procedures: (1) amplitude modulation (AM) detection thresholds, (2) sentence recognition in quiet, and (3) speech recognition in steady or modulating noise. Study Sample: Four listener groups participated in the study: 11 younger (≤ 30 yr old, YNH) listeners and 12 older (> 60 yr old, ONH) listeners with NH and 7 younger (< 55 yr old, YCI) and 6 older (> 60 yr old, OCI) CI users. CI listeners have been wearing their device either monaurally or binaurally at least 1 yr. Data collection and Analysis: For speech recognition testing, there were eight listening conditions in noise (4 modulation frequencies × 2 signal-to-noise ratios) and one in quiet for each listener. For modulation detection testing, a broadband noise with a duration of 500 msec served as the stimuli at three temporal modulation frequencies of 2, 4, and 8 Hz, which were used to modulate the noise in the speech recognition experiment. We measured AM detection thresholds using a two-interval, two-alternative, forced-choice adaptive procedure. We conducted a series of analysis of variance tests to examine the effect of aging on each test result and measured the correlation coefficient between speech recognition in noise and modulation detection thresholds. Results: Although older NH and CI listeners performed similar to the younger listeners with the same hearing status for sentence recognition in quiet, there was a significant aging effect on speech recognition in noise. Regardless of modulation frequency and signal-to-noise ratio, speech recognition scores of the older listeners were poorer than those of the younger listeners when hearing status was matched. We also found a significant effect of aging on AM detection at each modulating frequency and a strong correlation between speech recognition in modulating noise and AM detection thresholds at 2 and 4 Hz. Conclusions: Regardless of differences in hearing status, the degree and pattern of aging effect on auditory processing of the NH listener groups were similar to those of the CI listener groups. This result suggests that age-related declines in speech understanding are likely multifactorial, including peripheral and central factors. Although the age cutoff of the current older age group was 10 yr less than in previous studies (Dubno et al, 2002; Lin et al, 2011), we still found the age-related differences on two auditory tasks. This study extends the knowledge of age-related auditory perception difficulties to CI listeners.

scholarly journals The Role of Multisensory Temporal Covariation in Audiovisual Speech Recognition in Noise

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Henry Venezia ◽  
Robert Sandlin ◽  
Leon Wojno ◽  
Anthony Duc Tran ◽  
Gregory Hickok ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Visual Speech ◽  
Auditory Signal ◽  
Motion Trajectories ◽  
Speech Cues ◽  
Audiovisual Speech Recognition ◽  
Speech Envelope ◽  
Speech Recognition In Noise

Static and dynamic visual speech cues contribute to audiovisual (AV) speech recognition in noise. Static cues (e.g., “lipreading”) provide complementary information that enables perceivers to ascertain ambiguous acoustic-phonetic content. The role of dynamic cues is less clear, but one suggestion is that temporal covariation between facial motion trajectories and the speech envelope enables perceivers to recover a more robust representation of the time-varying acoustic signal. Modeling studies show this is computationally feasible, though it has not been confirmed experimentally. We conducted two experiments to determine whether AV speech recognition depends on the magnitude of cross-sensory temporal coherence (AVC). In Experiment 1, sentence-keyword recognition in steady-state noise (SSN) was assessed across a range of signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) for auditory and AV speech. The auditory signal was unprocessed or filtered to remove 3-7 Hz temporal modulations. Filtering severely reduced AVC (magnitude-squared coherence of lip trajectories with cochlear-narrowband speech envelopes), but did not reduce the magnitude of the AV advantage (AV &gt; A; ~ 4 dB). This did not depend on the presence of static cues, manipulated via facial blurring. Experiment 2 assessed AV speech recognition in SSN at a fixed SNR (-10.5 dB) for subsets of Exp. 1 stimuli with naturally high or low AVC. A small effect (~ 5% correct; high-AVC &gt; low-AVC) was observed. A computational model of AV speech intelligibility based on AVC yielded good overall predictions of performance, but over-predicted the differential effects of AVC. These results suggest the role and/or computational characterization of AVC must be re-conceptualized.

Evaluation of Speech Recognition of Cochlear Implant Recipients Using Adaptive, Digital Remote Microphone Technology and a Speech Enhancement Sound Processing Algorithm

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (05) ◽  
pp. 502-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jace Wolfe ◽  
Mila Morais ◽  
Erin Schafer ◽  
Smita Agrawal ◽  
Dawn Koch
Keyword(s):  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Cochlear Implant ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Processing Algorithm ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Sound Processing ◽  
Sentence Recognition ◽  
Repeated Measures Design ◽  
Simultaneous Use ◽  
Speech Recognition In Noise

Background: Cochlear implant recipients often experience difficulty with understanding speech in the presence of noise. Cochlear implant manufacturers have developed sound processing algorithms designed to improve speech recognition in noise, and research has shown these technologies to be effective. Remote microphone technology utilizing adaptive, digital wireless radio transmission has also been shown to provide significant improvement in speech recognition in noise. There are no studies examining the potential improvement in speech recognition in noise when these two technologies are used simultaneously. Purpose: The goal of this study was to evaluate the potential benefits and limitations associated with the simultaneous use of a sound processing algorithm designed to improve performance in noise (Advanced Bionics ClearVoice) and a remote microphone system that incorporates adaptive, digital wireless radio transmission (Phonak Roger). Research Design: A two-by-two way repeated measures design was used to examine performance differences obtained without these technologies compared to the use of each technology separately as well as the simultaneous use of both technologies. Study Sample: Eleven Advanced Bionics (AB) cochlear implant recipients, ages 11 to 68 yr Data Collection and Analysis: AzBio sentence recognition was measured in quiet and in the presence of classroom noise ranging in level from 50 to 80 dBA in 5-dB steps. Performance was evaluated in four conditions: (1) No ClearVoice and no Roger, (2) ClearVoice enabled without the use of Roger, (3) ClearVoice disabled with Roger enabled, and (4) simultaneous use of ClearVoice and Roger. Results: Speech recognition in quiet was better than speech recognition in noise for all conditions. Use of ClearVoice and Roger each provided significant improvement in speech recognition in noise. The best performance in noise was obtained with the simultaneous use of ClearVoice and Roger. Conclusions: ClearVoice and Roger technology each improves speech recognition in noise, particularly when used at the same time. Because ClearVoice does not degrade performance in quiet settings, clinicians should consider recommending ClearVoice for routine, full-time use for AB implant recipients. Roger should be used in all instances in which remote microphone technology may assist the user in understanding speech in the presence of noise.

Comparison of Speech Recognition With Adaptive Digital and FM Remote Microphone Hearing Assistance Technology by Listeners Who Use Hearing Aids

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Thibodeau
Keyword(s):  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Real World ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Wireless Technology ◽  
Noisy Environment ◽  
Sentence Recognition ◽  
Wireless Signal ◽  
Speech Recognition In Noise

Purpose The purpose of this study was to compare the benefits of 3 types of remote microphone hearing assistance technology (HAT), adaptive digital broadband, adaptive frequency modulation (FM), and fixed FM, through objective and subjective measures of speech recognition in clinical and real-world settings. Method Participants included 11 adults, ages 16 to 78 years, with primarily moderate-to-severe bilateral hearing impairment (HI), who wore binaural behind-the-ear hearing aids; and 15 adults, ages 18 to 30 years, with normal hearing. Sentence recognition in quiet and in noise and subjective ratings were obtained in 3 conditions of wireless signal processing. Results Performance by the listeners with HI when using the adaptive digital technology was significantly better than that obtained with the FM technology, with the greatest benefits at the highest noise levels. The majority of listeners also preferred the digital technology when listening in a real-world noisy environment. The wireless technology allowed persons with HI to surpass persons with normal hearing in speech recognition in noise, with the greatest benefit occurring with adaptive digital technology. Conclusion The use of adaptive digital technology combined with speechreading cues would allow persons with HI to engage in communication in environments that would have otherwise not been possible with traditional wireless technology.

Recognition of Speech from the Television with Use of a Wireless Technology Designed for Cochlear Implants

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (05) ◽  
pp. 388-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mila Morais Duke ◽  
Jace Wolfe ◽  
Erin Schafer
Keyword(s):  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Light Emitting Diode ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Repeated Measures Design ◽  
Sentence Level ◽  
Television Use ◽  
Speech Recognition In Noise ◽  
Sound Processor ◽  
Experience Difficulty

Background: Cochlear implant (CI) recipients often experience difficulty understanding speech in noise and speech that originates from a distance. Many CI recipients also experience difficulty understanding speech originating from a television. Use of hearing assistance technology (HAT) may improve speech recognition in noise and for signals that originate from more than a few feet from the listener; however, there are no published studies evaluating the potential benefits of a wireless HAT designed to deliver audio signals from a television directly to a CI sound processor. Purpose: The objective of this study was to compare speech recognition in quiet and in noise of CI recipients with the use of their CI alone and with the use of their CI and a wireless HAT (Cochlear Wireless TV Streamer). Research Design: A two-way repeated measures design was used to evaluate performance differences obtained in quiet and in competing noise (65 dBA) with the CI sound processor alone and with the sound processor coupled to the Cochlear Wireless TV Streamer. Study Sample: Sixteen users of Cochlear Nucleus 24 Freedom, CI512, and CI422 implants were included in the study. Data Collection and Analysis: Participants were evaluated in four conditions including use of the sound processor alone and use of the sound processor with the wireless streamer in quiet and in the presence of competing noise at 65 dBA. Speech recognition was evaluated in each condition with two full lists of Computer-Assisted Speech Perception Testing and Training Sentence-Level Test sentences presented from a light-emitting diode television. Results: Speech recognition in noise was significantly better with use of the wireless streamer compared to participants’ performance with their CI sound processor alone. There was also a nonsignificant trend toward better performance in quiet with use of the TV Streamer. Performance was significantly poorer when evaluated in noise compared to performance in quiet when the TV Streamer was not used. Conclusions: Use of the Cochlear Wireless TV Streamer designed to stream audio from a television directly to a CI sound processor provides better speech recognition in quiet and in noise when compared to performance obtained with use of the CI sound processor alone.

Exploring the Potential Impact of Sentence-Level Comprehension and Sentence-Level Fluency on Deaf Students' Passage Comprehension

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (7) ◽  
pp. 2281-2292
Author(s):  
Ying Zhao ◽  
Xinchun Wu ◽  
Hongjun Chen ◽  
Peng Sun ◽  
Ruibo Xie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Independent Predictor ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Deaf Students ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Sentence Level ◽  
Mediating Mechanisms ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This exploratory study aimed to investigate the potential impact of sentence-level comprehension and sentence-level fluency on passage comprehension of deaf students in elementary school. Method A total of 159 deaf students, 65 students ( M age = 13.46 years) in Grades 3 and 4 and 94 students ( M age = 14.95 years) in Grades 5 and 6, were assessed for nonverbal intelligence, vocabulary knowledge, sentence-level comprehension, sentence-level fluency, and passage comprehension. Group differences were examined using t tests, whereas the predictive and mediating mechanisms were examined using regression modeling. Results The regression analyses showed that the effect of sentence-level comprehension on passage comprehension was not significant, whereas sentence-level fluency was an independent predictor in Grades 3–4. Sentence-level comprehension and fluency contributed significant variance to passage comprehension in Grades 5–6. Sentence-level fluency fully mediated the influence of sentence-level comprehension on passage comprehension in Grades 3–4, playing a partial mediating role in Grades 5–6. Conclusions The relative contributions of sentence-level comprehension and fluency to deaf students' passage comprehension varied, and sentence-level fluency mediated the relationship between sentence-level comprehension and passage comprehension.

The Role of Positive and Negative Affectivity in Healthy and Unhealthy Work-Related Behavior and Experiences

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 56-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Hofmann ◽  
Carl-Walter Kohlmann
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affectivity ◽  
Coping Behavior ◽  
Common Method ◽  
Positive Affectivity ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Teacher Students ◽  
And Behaviors ◽  
Main Effects ◽  
Positive And Negative Affectivity

Abstract. Positive affectivity (PA) and negative affectivity (NA) are basic traits that affect work-related perceptions and behaviors and should be considered in any assessment of these variables. A quite common method to assess healthy or unhealthy types of work-related perceptions and behaviors is the questionnaire on Work-Related Coping Behavior and Experience Patterns (WCEP). However, the association of PA and NA with WCEP remained unclear. In a sample of teachers, physiotherapists, and teacher students ( N = 745; Mage = 35.07, SD = 12.49; 78% females), we aimed to identify the relevance of these basic traits. After controlling for age, gender, and type of occupation, we found main effects of PA and NA, with the specific combination of PA and NA being decisive for predicting the assignment to a WCEP type. The results highlight the need to include PA and NA in future assessments with the WCEP questionnaire.

The role of copper ions in hydrogen peroxide bleaching: Their origin, removal, and effect on pulp quality

TAPPI Journal ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 37-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
PEDRO E.G. LOUREIRO ◽  
SANDRINE DUARTE ◽  
DMITRY V. EVTUGUIN ◽  
M. GRAÇA V.S. CARVALHO
Keyword(s):  
Hydrogen Peroxide ◽  
Copper Ions ◽  
Peroxide Bleaching ◽  
Metals Removal ◽  
Peroxide Decomposition ◽  
Equipment Corrosion ◽  
And Performance ◽  
And Control ◽  
Main Effects

This study puts particular emphasis on the role of copper ions in the performance of hydrogen peroxide bleaching (P-stage). Owing to their variable levels across the bleaching line due to washing filtrates, bleaching reagents, and equipment corrosion, these ions can play a major role in hydrogen peroxide decomposition and be detrimental to polysaccharide integrity. In this study, a Cu-contaminated D0(EOP)D1 prebleached pulp was subjected to an acidic washing (A-stage) or chelation (Q-stage) before the alkaline P-stage. The objective was to understand the isolated and combined role of copper ions in peroxide bleaching performance. By applying an experimental design, it was possible to identify the main effects of the pretreatment variables on the extent of metals removal and performance of the P-stage. The acid treatment was unsuccessful in terms of complete copper removal, magnesium preservation, and control of hydrogen peroxide consumption in the following P-stage. Increasing reaction temperature and time of the acidic A-stage improved the brightness stability of the D0(EOP)D1AP bleached pulp. The optimum conditions for chelation pretreatment to maximize the brightness gains obtained in the subsequent P-stage with the lowest peroxide consumption were 0.4% diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA), 80ºC, and 4.5 pH.

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