Abstract
Previous vocal fold modeling studies have generally focused on generating detailed data regarding a narrow subset of possible model configurations. These studies can be interpreted to be the investigation of a single subject under one or more vocal conditions. In this study, a broad population-based sensitivity analysis is employed to examine the behavior of a virtual population of subjects and to identify trends between virtual individuals as opposed to investigating a single subject or model instance. Four different sensitivity analysis techniques were used in accomplishing this task. Influential relationships between model input parameters and model outputs were identified, and an exploration of the model’s parameter space was conducted. Results indicate that the behavior of the selected two-mass model is largely dominated by complex interactions, and that few input-output pairs have a consistent effect on the model. Results from the analysis can be used to increase the efficiency of optimization routines of reduced-order models used to investigate voice abnormalities. Results also demonstrate the types of challenges and difficulties to be expected when applying sensitivity analyses to more complex vocal fold models. Such challenges are discussed and recommendations are made for future studies.
Highlights
The mechanism by which human voice is produced is incredibly complex, consisting of multiple material and geometric nonlinearities [1, 2]
The holistic sensitivity analysis approach undertaken in the current study provides a more comprehensive description of the S&H model’s solution space than provided by studies employing a standard modeling paradigm
A comprehensive population-based sensitivity analysis of the S&H vocal fold model was conducted to provide a global description of model behavior representing normal phonation
Summary
The mechanism by which human voice is produced is incredibly complex, consisting of multiple material and geometric nonlinearities [1, 2]. The system which produces voice (vocal folds, glottis, trachea, etc.) is very difficult to access for the purpose of data collection, making the acquisition of experimental data very difficult These challenges have led many researchers to use numerical models to investigate certain aspects of human phonation. The behavior of even the simplest vocal fold models involves complex, nonlinear interactions and multidimensional solution spaces containing numerous discontinuities and bifurcations [3,4,5,6]. These complexities can obscure important relationships and present an obstacle to obtaining a comprehensive understanding of overall model behavior(s) that can be generalized to the human population. The global behavior of the vast majority of vocal fold models has never been fully characterized
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