Fundamental Frequency Analysis Research Articles

Developmental Changes in Acoustic Characteristics of Speech of Estonian Adolescents

The paper introduces the Estonian Adolescent Speech Corpus and explores the developmental changes in speech production based on acoustic characteristics of fundamental frequency (F0), formant frequencies, and speech tempo as a function of age and gender. Age- and gender-related anatomic changes in adolescence have implications for speech acoustics: a sudden drop of F0 at puberty in boys, and an almost gradual decrease of the acoustic vowels space. In parallel with anatomic changes, the development of the speech motor system is manifested as the increase of speaking rate. The analysis of fundamental frequency (F0) shows that in both male and female speakers, the F0 decreases gradually at the age from 9 to 12 years, then in males F0 drops ca by 100 Hz at the age of 12–15 due to puberty voice change, and becomes stable at the age of 15–18; in female speakers, a gradual decrease of F0 continues till the age 18. The formant frequencies of vowels decrease gradually from 10 to 15 years in both genders and the quality of vowels stabilizes at the age of 15–18 years, gender-specific differences emerge at the age of 12–13. Speech rate increases from 4 syllables per second in 9–10 years to 5.1 syllables per second in 14 years and becomes stable between the ages of 15 and 18, gender differences are not significant. The results of the current study can be considered as reference data that are typical for Estonian-speaking individuals aged 9–18 years with normal language development.

Vocal Characteristics across English-Northern Sotho Bilingual Speakers: A Comparative Study

Introduction: Bilinguals constitute a significant portion of speech-language pathologists’ (SLPs) caseloads. Insight into the cross-linguistic effect on voice is needed to guide SLPs to make linguistically appropriate observations when working with heterogenous populations. Method: Nineteen female English-Northern Sotho bilinguals performed three speech tasks (reading, picture description, and monologue) in each language. Acoustic analysis of mean fundamental frequency (f₀), intensity, and articulation rate was conducted with Praat. A panel of blinded listeners reached consensus after independently reviewing the recordings during perceptual analysis of voice quality, resonance, and glottal attack. Results: The following statistically significant differences were found across and within the languages: The mean f₀ was 204.61 Hz in the Northern Sotho picture description yet 196.50 Hz in the English picture description. The mean intensity of reading in Northern Sotho was 66.38 dB whereas the mean intensity of reading in English was 65.09 dB. Articulation rate was 3.78 syllables/s in English passage reading and 3.41 syllables/s in Northern Sotho passage reading. Within English, passage reading elicited a significantly quicker articulation rate than the picture description (3.34 syllables/s) and monologue (3.46 syllables/s). Within Northern Sotho, mean f₀ was 203.83 Hz in passage reading yet 191.11 Hz in the monologue. Perceptual voice quality, glottal attack, and resonance were comparable across languages. Conclusion: Relationships between languages spoken, task performance, and vocal characteristics were observed in English-Northern Sotho bilingual females. SLPs must consider the interaction of language, task performance, and vocal characteristics when working with bilingual clients.

Body exposure and vocal analysis: validation of fundamental frequency as a correlate of emotional arousal and valence.

Vocal analysis of fundamental frequency (f0) represents a suitable index to assess emotional activation. However, although f0 has often been used as an indicator of emotional arousal and different affective states, its psychometric properties are unclear. Specifically, there is uncertainty regarding the validity of the indices of f0mean and f0variabilitymeasures (f0dispersion, f0range, and f0SD) and whether higher or lower f0 indices are associated with higher arousal in stressful situations. The present study therefore aimed to validate f0 as a marker of vocally encoded emotional arousal, valence, and body-related distress during body exposure as a psychological stressor. N = 73 female participants first underwent a 3-min, non-activating neutral reference condition, followed by a 7-min activating body exposure condition. Participants completed questionnaires on affect (i.e., arousal, valence, body-related distress), and their voice data and heart rate (HR) were recorded continuously. Vocal analyses were performed using Praat, a program for extracting paralinguistic measures from spoken audio. The results revealed no effects for f0 and state body dissatisfaction or general affect. F0mean correlated positively with self-reported arousal and negatively with valence, but was not correlated with HRmean/maximum. No correlations with any measure were found for any f0variabililtymeasures. Given the promising findings regarding f0mean for arousal and valence and the inconclusive findings regarding f0 as a marker of general affect and body-related distress, it may be assumed that f0mean represents a valid global marker of emotional arousal and valence rather than of concrete body-related distress. In view of the present findings regarding the validity of f0, it may be suggested that f0mean, but not f0variabilitymeasures, can be used to assess emotional arousal and valence in addition to self-report measures, which is less intrusive than conventional psychophysiological measures.

Dynamic Load Test and Contact Force Analysis of the AERORail Structure

The flexible structure of the new type of aerial track studied in this paper is formed by strings and tracks, which have obvious dynamic characteristics under the action of vehicle moving loads and is also an important factor affecting its performance. The paper uses the full-scale model of AERORail, based on the modal test under a specific span, combined with the fundamental frequency analysis of the structure, and carries out the dynamic load test to determine the change law of the contact force acting on the rail by the dynamic load. The time-domain improved algorithm based on the method of moments is used to identify and analyze the dynamic loads under different spans and vehicle speeds and to determine the correlation between the dispatched loads and the spans and vehicle speeds. It is proven that the occurrence time and frequency of the contact force are related to the passing time of the vehicle. The contact force fluctuates with the change in the vehicle speed, but with the increase in the span, the fluctuation of the contact force decreases obviously. The relevant conclusions provide support for the layout of the AERORail vehicle load. For this innovative structure, the relevant conclusions provide the basis for the application of this novel structure.

Contributions of Forward-Focused Voice to Audio-Vocal Feedback Measured Using Nasal Accelerometry and Power Spectral Analysis of Vocal Fundamental Frequency.

The spectral powers of the modulations of vocal fundamental frequency (f o) less than 3 Hz (low-frequency power, LFP) and between 3 and 8 Hz (middle-frequency power, MFP) had been established to indicate the audio-vocal feedback status and vocal efficiency of a speaker, and a resonant voice may enhance the auditory-vocal feedback. This study aims to determine whether the auditory feedback can be augmented by a forward and resonant voice and therefore contribute to the modulations of f o variability. Vocal signals and accelerometric signals of lateral nasal cartilage were obtained from 27 healthy adults who, respectively, sustained vowels /a/ and /i/ with their habitual speaking voice and with a forward-focused voice under three auditory conditions: natural hearing (N0), high-level noise exposure (N90), and low-level noise exposure (N60). Nasal skin vibrations were measured using a nasal accelerometry to reflect voice resonance status. Vocal intensity and f o variability were also analyzed to show the auditory-vocal interactions under varied conditions of auditory feedback and voice resonance. In both N0 and N90 conditions, forward-focused voice showed a significantly lower LFP than the speakers' habitual voice. In addition, LFP of f o would significantly increase during natural voice production as the voice feedback was greatly masked by high-intensity noise; however, with a forward-focused voice, the noise-induced variation in LFP was significantly decreased. Under N90, MFP significantly decreased during forward-focused voice production compared with that measured during natural voice production. The stability of f o modulations was not adversely affected by N60. The results support the idea that vocalizing with a forward-focused voice enhance the auditory feedback of the speaker's own voice and, thus, reduce the variability of f o during sustained phonation, especially when vocalizing in the high noise condition.

The Effect of Phonation into a Glass Tube Immersed in Water Compared to Other Interventions on General Degree of Vocal Deviation, Fundamental Frequency, Sound Pressure Level, and Vocal Self-assessment in Vocally Healthy Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

To analyze the effect of phonation in a glass tube immersed in water compared to other interventions on general degree of vocal deviation, fundamental frequency, sound pressure level, and vocal self-assessment in vocally healthy individuals. This is a systematic review and meta-analysis developed from the research question: "In vocally healthy individuals, what is the effect of phonation into a glass tube immersed in water versus other vocal interventions, other activities, or no intervention on general degree of vocal deviation, fundamental frequency, sound pressure level, and vocal self-assessment?" An electronic search was performed using Medline, LILACS, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, and SCOPUS databases, and a manual search was performed in the gray literature (Brazilian Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations and OpenGrey), the Journal of Voice, and the citations of the studies. Studies with (P) population of adults with healthy voices, (I) intervention with phonation into a glass tube immersed in water, (C) comparison with other vocal interventions, other activities, or no intervention, (O) outcomes of the general degree of vocal deviation, fundamental frequency, sound pressure level, and vocal self-assessment, and an (S) study with the experimental or quasi-experimental design were included. Risk of bias assessment and meta-analysis of the outcomes were performed. A total of 457 studies were found in the search; four were selected for the systematic review and meta-analysis. In the risk of bias assessment, there was an uncertain risk of selection and performance bias in 100% of the studies and uncertain risk of detection bias of 75%. All studies had an experimental design, and most of them were conducted on women. In the fundamental frequency analysis, there was no difference between the effect sizes of the interventions (z=0.471, P=0.638). In the vocal self-assessment, the estimated odds ratio was 1.31, showing a greater chance of improvement in the intervention group than with the comparison group (z=3.45, P < 0.001). There were not enough studies to analyze the general degree of vocal deviation and sound pressure level outcomes. Phonation into a glass tube immersed in water has a greater positive effect on vocal self-assessment than other interventions in vocally healthy individuals.

Estimation of air traffic controllers' fatigue based on the analysis of the human voice's fundamental frequency

Estimation of air traffic controllers' fatigue based on the analysis of the human voice's fundamental frequency

Design of experiments analysis of fundamental frequency of laminated composite hypar shells with cut-out

The effect of lamination angle (A), width-to-thickness ratio (B), cut-out location along x-direction (C) and cut-out location along y direction (D) on fundamental frequency of hypar shells made of laminated composites is considered using Taguchi robust design concept. Finite element analysis is done to obtain fundamental frequency of the structure for different parametric variation. Three levels of each parameter are considered to form L27 orthogonal array in order to maximize fundamental frequency. Main effect plot identifies the significant parameters. Optimal condition for maximum fundamental frequency is obtained as 45° lamination angle, width-to-thickness ratio of 20, cut-out location along x-direction 0.4 and along y-direction 0.3 (A2B1C3D2). Interaction plots locate the interaction effects between selected parameters. Analysis of Variance study evaluates the significant parameters and their contribution on output, i.e., fundamental frequency. Current investigation reveals, width-to-thickness ratio of shell is the most significant factor while lamination angle and cut-out location have little significance. Among the interacting parameters, interaction between lamination angle & cut-out location (A × C) and interaction between width-to-thickness ratio & cut-out location (B × C) have some significance. Width-to-thickness ratio (B) has 96.76% contribution while lamination angle (A) and cutout locations (C & D) and interactions have low contribution. Residual plots for fundamental frequency are considered and confirmation test validates the present analysis. S/N ratio is found to improve by 12.43% compared to the initial condition.

Quantitative analysis of fundamental frequency in Spanish (L2) and Brazilian Portuguese (L1)

This paper analyzes the intonation of Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese (BP) produced by monolingual speakers of both languages and bilingual BP speakers that lived in Spain on average for 6 years. Bilinguals produced data in both Spanish L2 (BL2) and BP L1 (BL1). Speech materials are sentences in different modalities (declaratives, yes-no and wh-questions) and reading styles (isolated sentences and storytelling). Fundamental frequency (f0) contours were analyzed to assess learning in Spanish L2 and language attrition in the L1 production of bilinguals. Variability in the f0 contours of the four language conditions was gauged by means of three indices (peak rate, peak range and global standard deviation). Dynamic time warping (DTW) distances between pairs of f0 contours were also measured as a way to measure within- and between-language differences in intonation patterns. The main results are: 1) BL2 and BL1 contours are significantly more variable than the monolingual ones both quantitatively and qualitatively; 2) BL2 contours partially converge towards the patterns of Spanish monolinguals, showing that there is learning; 3) there is evidence for language attrition in the form of transfer of Spanish patterns to BP contours produced by bilinguals; 4) Learning and attrition levels are different depending on sentence modality, such that learning is greater in modalities that differ less between BP and Spanish and attrition is greater in modalities that differ the most.

The Effectiveness of Vocal Hygiene Education With Resonant Voice Therapy for School-Aged Children With Vocal Nodules

This study evaluated the effectiveness of vocal hygiene education with resonant voice therapy for school-aged children with vocal nodules. A pre-test/post-test control group design was employed. Seventeen children aged between 6 and 9 years old with vocal nodules were randomly assigned to three groups: a treatment group, a placebo group and a control group. Children in the treatment group (n = 7) received six consecutive, weekly, one-hour sessions of vocal hygiene education with resonant voice therapy. Children in the placebo group (n = 5) received six consecutive, weekly, one-hour sessions on presentation skills training. Children in the control group (n = 5) did not receive any form of treatment. Subjective outcome measures included auditory-perceptual evaluation of overall dysphonia severity, the Pediatric Voice Handicap Index (pVHI) and the Children's Voice Handicap Index-10 (CVHI-10). Objective outcome measures included acoustic analysis of fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer and noise-to-harmonic ratio. Significant improvements in perceptual ratings of overall dysphonia severity levels and pVHI scores were found in the treatment group. No significant changes in acoustic measures and CVHI-10 scores were noted in any of the three groups. Interestingly, an improvement in perceptual overall dysphonia severity levels at post-evaluation was observed in the no treatment control group.

Fundamental frequency analysis of endohedrally functionalized carbon nanotubes with metallic nanowires: a molecular dynamics study.

The endohedral functionalization of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with nanowires (NWs), i.e., NWs@CNTs, has been the center of attention in a lot of research due to the applications of NWs@CNTs in nanoelectronic devices, heterogeneous catalysis, and electromagnetic wave absorption. To this end, based on the classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, the effect of four pentagonal structures of encapsulated metallic nanowires (mNWs), namely the eclipsed pentagon (E), the deformed staggered pentagon (Ds), staggered pentagon (S), and staggered pentagonal structure without the monatomic chain passing through the centers of the parallel pentagons (R) configurations on the vibrational behavior of CNTs, is investigated. Also, the effects of geometrical parameters such as length and radius of CNTs on the natural frequencies of simulated models are explored. The results illustrate that by increasing the length, the natural frequency of pure CNTs and mNWs@CNTs decreases. In a similar length, mNWs@CNTs possess lower natural frequencies compared to the pure CNTs. According to the results, the highest and lowest natural frequencies are calculated by inserting the S structure of sodium NW and Ds structure of aluminum NW inside their proper armchair CNT, i.e., Na-S NW@ (9,9) CNT and Al-Ds NW@ (7,7) CNT, respectively.

Fundamental frequency analysis of a thermally loaded corroded exponentially graded rotor bearing system

ABSTRACT Corrosion is an unintentional degradation of a material, which transpires due to harsh environmental conditions. It is a surface phenomenon that results in loss of material, which affects the dynamic characteristics and structural integrity of any structure. Fundamental frequency analysis of a corroded functionally graded (FG) rotor-bearing system using finite element method (FEM) for flexural vibrations is presented in work. A functionally graded (FG) shaft, Stainless Steel as the inner-metal core and Zirconia as the outer-ceramic layer is considered. Exponential gradation law is followed to assign the material properties along the radial direction of the shaft. The exponential temperature distribution (ETD) method based on Fourier law of heat conduction has been used for the temperature distribution across the cross-section of the FG shaft. Finite element formulations of a corroded FG shaft element have been developed using Timoshenko beam theory. An FE code is developed to compute the natural and whirl frequencies of an FG rotor-bearing system for various parameters such as corrosion length, position, depth and thermal gradients to investigate the influence of corrosion on fundamental frequencies. It has been investigated that there is a significant influence of corrosion parameters on the natural and whirl frequencies of an FG rotor-bearing system.

A comprehensive computer simulation for frequency analysis of the annular system with a honeycomb core and angle-ply multiscale hybrid nanocomposite face sheets

The honeycomb structures, due to minimal density, relative high out-of-plane compression properties, and out-of-plane shear properties, have attracted a lot of attention. Regarding this issue, in the current research, fundamental frequency analysis of the annular plate with two angle-ply multiscale hybrid nanocomposite face sheets and a honeycomb core is investigated. Halpin-Tsai as well as Hamilton’s principle, are presented for obtaining the effective material properties and governing equations of the presented composite system. For modeling the thermal environment, three-kind of thermal loading is presented. Also, the current structure is covered with the Kerr elastic foundation. The generalized differential quadrature method is presented for obtaining the exact fundamental frequency of the annular plate with two angle-ply multiscale hybrid nanocomposite face sheets and a honeycomb core. Finally, the result section is given to illustrate the influences of two angle-ply multiscale hybrid nanocomposite reinforcement, the geometry of honeycomb core, thermal loading, elastic foundation, the weight fraction of nanocomposites, and structural parameters of the annular plate on the fundamental frequency of the annular plate with two angle-ply multiscale hybrid nanocomposite face sheets and a honeycomb core. The outcomes of the current report show that for the clamped edge in the boundary conditions and each increasing is a reason for falling down the frequency of the annular plate with a honeycomb core. Another consequence is that the impact of temperature changes on the frequency of the disk is hardly dependent on the fiber angle.

Changes in Spoken and Sung Productions Following Adaptation to Pitch-shifted Auditory Feedback

Using voice to speak or to sing is made possible by remarkably complex sensorimotor processes. Like any other sensorimotor system, the speech motor controller guides its actions with maximum performance at minimum cost, using available sources of information, among which, auditory feedback plays a major role. Manipulation of this feedback forces the speech monitoring system to refine its expectations for further actions. The present study hypothesizes that the duration of this refinement and the weight applied on different feedbacks loops would depend on the intended sounds to be produced, namely reading aloud versus singing. We asked participants to sing "Happy Birthday" and read a paragraph of Harry Potter before and after experiencing pitch-shifted feedback. A detailed fundamental frequency (F0) analysis was conducted for each note in the song and each segment in the paragraph (at the level of a sentence, a word, or a vowel) to determine whether some aspects of F0 production changed in response to the pitch perturbations experienced during the adaptation paradigm. Our results showed that changes in the degree of F0-drift across the song or the paragraph was the metric that was the most consistent with a carry-over effect of adaptation, and in this regard, reading new material was more influenced by recent remapping than singing. The motor commands used by (normally-hearing) speakers are malleable via altered-feedback paradigms, perhaps more so when reading aloud than when singing. But these effects are not revealed through simple indicators such as an overall change in mean F0 or F0 range, but rather through subtle metrics, such as a drift of the voice pitch across the recordings.

Vocal parameters, muscle palpation, self-perception of voice symptoms, pain, and vocal fatigue in women with muscle tension dysphonia.

To identify muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) signs and symptoms, as well as to analyze the results of vocal parameters, the physical clinical examination of muscle palpation, the self-perception of vocal symptoms, vocal pain, and fatigue of women with MTD and compare them with women with healthy voices. a cross-sectional study with 45 women (23 with MTD and 22 controls), similar median age between groups. The speech-language and otorhinolaryngological evaluation determined the diagnosis of MTD. All participants responded to the Voice Symptoms Scale (VoiSS), Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI), and Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) protocols. They were also assessed by a palpatory evaluation of the perilaryngeal musculature, auditory-perceptual evaluation, and acoustic analysis of the voice fundamental frequency. The speech sample included sustained vowels "a", "i" and "e" and connected speech, recorded in a silent environment, and submitted to auditory-perceptual evaluation by three judges. In the acoustic analysis, the fundamental frequency and maximum phonation times were extracted. The MTD group had worse results in VoiSS, VFI, and NMQ, in addition to greater resistance to palpation and a high vertical position of the larynx. The vocal parameters also showed greater deviation in the MTD group, except for the fundamental frequency. There was no relationship between vocal symptoms, fatigue, or pain with the general degree of dysphonia in the MTD group, indicating important symptoms in mild or moderate vocal deviations. women with MTD presented vocal symptoms, vocal fatigue, muscle pain, resistance to palpation and deviated vocal parameters when compared to vocally healthy women.

Dynamic quasi-continuum model for plate-type nano-materials and analysis of fundamental frequency

Dynamic quasi-continuum model for plate-type nano-materials and analysis of fundamental frequency

Effect of Honeycomb Core on Free Vibration Analysis of Fiber Metal Laminate (FML) Beams Compared to Conventional Composites

According to the different higher-order deformation beam theories, the current survey is related to the fundamental frequency analysis of composite beams using the Rayleigh-Ritz method. Different types of materials, including isotropic, fiber-reinforced orthotropic composites, and FML hybrid composites in the presence and the absence of honeycomb core, have been selected. In this theory, the material property as well as the thickness of each layer can be changed, and the effect of various boundary conditions, lay-up configurations, and slenderness ratios of the beams have been discussed. To verify the obtained theoretical results, the FML beam with [Al/0/90/90/0/Al] lay-up pattern was fabricated by hand lay-up technique and subjected to Clamped-Free boundary condition. Accordingly, the free vibration experimental data confirmed the results which were obtained by the different theories. The results show that by changing the reinforced composite beam to the FML beam, the natural frequencies experience a drop by 37%, 43%, and 43% for slenderness ratios of 5, 20, and 100, respectively. This level of descent for transferring from reinforced composite sandwich beam to the FML sandwich beam is about 24%, 37%, and 37.5%, respectively.

Effect of Corrosion on the Natural and Whirl Frequencies of a Functionally Graded Rotor-Bearing System Subjected to Thermal Gradients

Corrosion causes a loss of material resulting in the reduction of mass and stiffness of a component, which consequently affects the dynamic characteristics of any system. Fundamental frequency analysis of a corroded functionally graded (FG) rotor system, using the finite element method based on the Timoshenko beam theory, was investigated in the present paper. The functionally graded shaft consisting of an inner metallic core and an outer ceramic layer was considered with the radial gradation of material properties based on the power law. Nonlinear temperature distribution (NLTD) based on the Fourier law of heat conduction was used to simulate the thermal gradient through the cross-section of the FG rotor. The finite element formulation for a functionally graded shaft with a corrosion defect was developed and the dynamic characteristics were investigated, which is the novelty of the present work. The corrosion parameters such as length, depth and position of the corrosion defect in the shaft were varied and a parametric study was performed to investigate changes in the natural and whirl frequencies. An analysis was carried out for different power indexes and temperature gradients of the functionally graded shaft. The effects of corrosion were analysed and important conclusions are drawn from the investigations.

Fundamental frequency analysis of functionally graded plates with temperature-dependent properties based on improved exponential-trigonometric two-dimensional higher shear deformation theory

The objective of this paper is to provide a computational method to analyze free vibrations of advanced composite plates in thermal environments according to a recently developed higher-order shear deformation theory. This method is based upon the assumptions that displacements field include just four unknowns and considers a combination of trigonometric and exponential shear shape functions which satisfy shear stress free boundary conditions on the plate surfaces. The FG plates are simply supported and subjected to uniform, linear, nonlinear and sinusoidal temperature rise. The temperature field considered is assumed to vary in the thickness direction and constant in the axial directions of plates. It is supposed that the constituent materials possess temperature-dependent properties changing across the thickness with a simple power law function. The equations of motion are obtained by employing Hamilton’s principle and solved based on Navier’s method to determine natural frequencies of the FG plate. A parametric study for FGM plates with different values of power law index and under different sets of thermal environmental conditions has been carried out. The obtained results are compared for temperature-dependent and temperature-independent FG Plates and validated with available results in the literature.

Recognition of Pathological Voices by Human Factor Cepstral Coefficients (HFCC)

Human speech is a means of communication that is very important in our daily lives. It is characterized by its great ability to transmit our ideas, our emotions, our personality etc. So, any alteration of the voice can prevent the person from exercising his professional and daily life naturally. It is for these reasons that it is very necessary to implement systems for detecting and classifying vocal pathologies. These automatic systems can help clinicians customize and detect the existence of any vocal pathology. In this context, several tools have been introduced to achieve early detection of voice disorders. Among these tools are the Human Factor Cepstral Coefficients (HFCC) combined with prosodic parameters, the Noise-Harmonic Ratio (NHR), the Harmonic-Noise Ratio (HNR), analysis of trend Fluctuations (DFA) and Fundamental frequency (F0). These parameters are introduced and calculated in every frame. In this study, we used a variation of HFCC called Equivalent Rectangular Bandwidth (ERB) to study the effects of HFCC on the classification of pathological voices. Using the HTK classifiers, the classification is carried out on two pathological databases, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) and Saarbruecken Voice Database (SVD). To assess the performance of the system, we used sensitivity and specificity.