Voice Capabilities Research Articles

Transforming Social Policies and Institutions in a Capability Perspective: Agency, Voice and the Capability to Aspire

ABSTRACT The article suggests that putting the enhancement of capability to aspire and capability for voice centre stage of the design and implementation of social policies would entail a deep-seated transformation of such policies. Based on the receiver-doer-judge framework we explore what conditions are to be fulfilled to implement such a transformation, emphasising how the expansion of objective opportunity and entitlement sets should go hand in hand with an increased subjective sense of opportunity and entitlement. We then turn to examine what such transformed institutions would imply in terms of enhancing individual aspirations and capabilities on the one hand and increasing capacity for collective action and social change on the other one, emphasising the key role of capability for voice in both respects. We show how institutions and policies transformed in such a way would differ from dominant approaches to social policies such as social investment, which endorse a more adaptive approach to social policy. It is also suggested how Freire, Dewey and Khader’s ideas could be useful reference points towards the design and implementation of such transformed institutions.

Exploring ‘Employee Voice’ of Informal Female Workers of the Textiles Industry in Pakistan: A Grounded Theory Approach

Firm restructuring and labour subcontracting has paved the way for the rise of informalisation in the female-dominated textiles industry of Pakistan after the expiry of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC). Despite the emergence of low quality of employment available for women in the informal economy, there is a dearth of knowledge on their position at the workplace, namely ‘employee voice.’ This study therefore explores the employee voice of informal female workers of the stitching and ginning sections of the textiles industry in Pakistan in the post ATC period. A grounded theory approach, involving 25 in-depth interviews with informal female workers and employers, is used to explore employer-employee interactions. The findings reveal that the core requirements of the ‘capability for voice’ of informal female workers centre on ‘decisions of employers’, ‘bearing of tradition’ and ‘worker performance’. The grounded theory clarifies the procedure and identifies the interaction of the above categories to form the contextual conditions that direct the expectations of employers and female workers in the informal labour market. The expectations of a ‘perfect fit’ of informal female workers, within the hierarchy of the textiles industry, gives rise to a situation of ‘tolerance/no voice’, despite the negative workplace culture. The findings indicate that strategies to advance gender equality in Pakistan must consider informalisation of the labour market through a gender perspective.

Implementation of Web-GIS Forest Resource Potential Mapping Using Y-Model

Sukabumi is one of the West Java Province regions with the potential for forest resources. The lack of renewal in the way data is processed has led to the need to develop information systems for mapping potential forest resources focused on the Sukabumi region. In doing so, the development of the system will help the government manage forest resources more efficiently. In the system development process, the Y-Model Framework of Web-GIS Development is used as a development method that is a combination of waterfall and agile approaches followed by 4 phases, with a combination of geographic information system engineering with the help of ArcGIS as a tool for mapping and web-based application development contexts. At the development stage, it was also built using text-to-speech technology to provide voice capabilities for the information displayed. The development of web-based GIS applications will help facilitate access to information about potential forest resources in the Sukabumi region for the community and related parties. The results of the development of this system are visualized in the form of maps based on the Geographic Information System (GIS) and presented online through a web application. The success of using the Y-Model framework in the development of this system is demonstrated in the User Acceptance Test (UAT) test results through a questionnaire instrument distributed to respondents with an average value obtained above 82%, which shows the level of user satisfaction with the system has been well received and shows that the application has met the needs of the user.

Voice capabilities of the singer and her hygiene rules

This article provides detailed information about the reforms in our country, the attention paid to the art of music, in particular, the development of the art of singing, the singer’s voice, sounds, sound waves, and types of sound.

The Role of AI-Based Artifacts’ Voice Capabilities for Agency Attribution

The pervasiveness and increasing sophistication of artificial intelligence (AI)-based artifacts within private, organizational, and social realms are changing how humans interact with machines. Theorizing about the way that humans perceive AI-based artifacts is, for example, crucial to understanding why and to what extent humans deem these artifacts to be competent for decision-making but has traditionally taken a modality-agnostic view. In this paper, we theorize about a particular case of interaction, namely that of voice-based interaction with AI-based artifacts. We argue that the capabilities and perceived naturalness of such artifacts, fueled by continuous advances in natural language processing, induce users to deem an artifact as able to act autonomously in a goal-oriented manner. We show that there is a positive direct relationship between the voice capabilities of an artifact and users’ agency attribution, ultimately obscuring the artifact’s true nature and competencies. This relationship is further moderated by the artifact’s actual agency, uncertainty, and user characteristics.

Videolaryngostroboscopy as a diagnostic method in the clinical practice of otorhinolaryngologists and physicians in dental medicine

Background The method of stroboscopy of the larynx makes it possible to examine the movement of the vocal cords, through periodic illumination. Most often electronic videolaryngostroboscopes are used. They allow visualization of the vocal cords. Methods The research is conducted using a certain technique. The patient sings a certain vocal, in a tonality that is comfortable for him, and by means of a microphone, the energy of the sound signal is electronically converted into light. Through laryngostroboscopy, patients are examined before and after prosthetic treatment, to assess voice capabilities. Pathological processes or functional dysphonias can also be established. Results and discussion There are two possibilities for visual perception when analyzing the phonatory oscillations of the glottis: Frozen, still image of vocal fold movement and A moving image (delayed movements of the vocal folds). Laryngostroboscopy can aid the determination of important questions related to the physiology of voice function, as well as assessment and prognosis of voice capabilities before and after prosthetic treatment. Conclusions Laryngostroboscopy is used to study the nature of functional disorders of the voice, preliminary differential diagnosis of benign and malignant neoplasms of the vocal cords, to evaluate the results of treatment, to determine the ability of people to work, the profession that is associated with a large vocal and vocal workload and studies the problems of voice physiology.

Castrati and countertenors: vocal and physiological specificity of performance

Statement of the problem. Today, the vocal music of the Baroque era is in great demand among performers all over the world аnd in Ukraine too. This is a new trend in performance practice, since ancient works of the classical period are the basis of the vocal training repertoire Leading experts in various professional fields (medicine, archeology, history) have many positive research results. The author of the article uses new facts related to the effect of castration on the performer’s body. Today, the art of castrati remains understudied. This is an original phenomenon in the history of singing culture of the XVII–XVIII centuries. Castrato singers have mastered a wide range, limitless breathing and phenomenal vocal technique. They became standard singer-artists and supplanted female singers. The history of voice change after castration is recorded in fragments. It reached us only on the basis of documentary (medical) materials. This fact determines the relevance of the proposed topic. There are many published works in various fields. They are dedicated to this problem. But the secret of castrates has not been fully revealed yet. This is the novelty of the topic. Recent research and publications. Researchers J. Abitbol (2006), N. Clapton (2008)], P. Barbiere (1996), A. Heriot (1975), J. Lauri-Volpi (1972), Govorukhina, N. (2017), V. O. Gigolaeva-Yurchenko (2020, 2021) covered the issue of singing features in the performance of bel canto masters with the help of evolution, history, cultural studies, vocal methodology, phoniatrics and vocal phonopedia. Musical Analysis is complex. There is only one recording of the castrato singer A. Moresky. He is known as the “Angel of Rome” Therefore, the facts about the manner of singing in the Italian classical school of bel canto during the heyday of the Baroque era. They are in historical documents. These documents were written by historians and musicians of that time. Research materials. YouTube materials with performances by the castrato singer A. Moreski and modern countertenors F. Fajoli, F. Zharusski, M. Tsenchich, Yu. Minenko. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. The purpose of the article is to analyze the vocal and physiological specifics of the performance of castrato singers and modern countertenors. The object is the vocal technique of the authentic bel canto vocal style of baroque music affetti; subject – the influence of physiology on the formation of the performance style of castrato singers and modern countertenors stylistic Among the tasks is to identify the dynamics of growing interest in the art of castrato singers in medicine – genetics – vocals; systematize data on the physical and physiological differences in the vocal states of castrato singers and modern countertenors; on the example of the work of countertenors, to state the uniqueness of the vocal physiology of the human body in XX–XXI. The research methodology is represented by historical, analytical, functional, interpretive and gender methods. They contribute to the disclosure of the declared topic from different angles. Results and conclusion. The author presents a panorama of modern studies on castrates. She reveals the destructive function of surgical intervention in the human body, conducts a comparative comparison of castrates and counter tenors. They are two phenomena belonging to different historical centuries. The author emphasizes the advantages of developing the natural sound of a coloratura male voice without medical intervention. She gives examples of the analysis of the adaptive voice capabilities of the human organism of the 20th–21st centuries

Laryngostroboscopic examination of voice characteristics in patients before and after dental treatment

The progress of modern medicine and the widespread introduction of new technologies in the treatment process requires health professionals to be informed about the opportunities offered by science to improve the results of procedures. For the first time Topler and Ortel, in the period 1866–1878, applied the stroboscopic effect to decompose the motion of fast-moving objects. It is known that the image we get in phonation is collective due to the peculiarities of the retina and vocal apparatus. The stroboscopic effect is based on the use of a high-frequency pulse lamp, which allows the illumination of the rapid movements of the vocal cords up to 5 times per second, by interrupting the light source. Thus, the actual phonatory oscillations of the vocal folds are replaced by delayed, observable visual perceptions, possessing properties of the real movements. When the patient is asked to sing a vocal, the energy of the sound is converted into light. The pulse lamp starts to light up and goes out with the frequency of oscillation of the vocal cords. The stroboscopic indicators that can be evaluated are: frequency of movement of the vocal cords, amplitude of oscillations, course of movement, etc. Laryngostroboscopy is used to assess vocal abilities for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of functional dysphonia, and the diagnosis of processes associated with infiltration of a pathological process in the vocal muscle. In recent years, high-magnification laryngostroboscopes have been used. They allow better magnification and visibility, as well as video recording of the image. The prosthetic base is an important element in the construction of prosthetic structures. It not only provides stability to the prosthesis, but also affects the speech function. The relevance and importance of scientific issues for the study of voice capabilities in dental prosthetics are due to the fact that, in recent years, dental medicine has undergone a number of changes related to the evolution of technologies and methods for manufacturing dentures and materials that are used in the process. The aim is to synthesize a structure that, on the one hand, is strong enough not to fracture during mastication and thin enough not to affect the patient’s speech function. This means that dental professionals need to develop their skills to work with new and innovative technologies.

Voice Activated IoT Devices for Healthcare: Design Challenges and Emerging Applications

The recent pandemic forced substantial changes in our lives, including the way we interact with physical objects. For example, voice-activated systems that enable users to communicate with them through speech commands are becoming more pervasive. At the same time, recent technology developments delivered voice capability to Internet of Things (IoT) devices with low-power audio transducers. Voice-activated IoT devices have the potential to engage patients and caregivers in new and cost-efficient ways, from telehealth and digital health, to portable diagnostics and remotely delivered care. In this brief, we review voice activated IoT devices, discuss their trends, and identify unique challenges when these devices are used in the healthcare sector. Furthermore, we discuss some future application scenarios and their characteristics.

A follow-up study of surgically managed benign vocal cord lesions using vocal handicap index - 10 score.

Benign lesions of the vocal cords not only impair the patient's ability to communicate due to poor pronunciation and voice capabilities, but they also cause a variety of psychological and social problems, worsening their quality of life. To assess voice handicap, Voice Handicap Index (VHI)-10 is an easy-to-administer, valid and reliable tool. The present study was conducted to compare the pre-operative and post-operative well-being of patients with benign vocal cord lesions using VHI-10 among patients attending our Outpatient department. The study was a hospital based observational study with prospective study design, conducted over a period of 17 months (August 2019 to December 2020) on 53 patients who were clinically diagnosed to have benign vocal cord lesion and underwent micro laryngeal surgery followed by histopathological confirmation. Follow-up of the participants was done on 4th and 8th week post-operatively. Visualization of the condition of the laryngeal structures using laryngoscope assessment of VHI-10 score was done at each follow-up visit. In our study, out of 53 study participants, approximately one-third of the cases were seen in the 5th decade, that is, 40-49 years. The mean (±SD) age of the study participants was 43.2 (±12.1) years. There was male predominance (73.6%) with male to female ratio of 2.78:1. Majority of the patients had voice-demanding profession with history of vocal abuse. In cases of non-professional voice users, the highest incidence was noted in homemakers (11.4%). Smoking was noted in nine male patients while all the female patients were non-smokers. Habit of alcohol consumption was seen in 15.1% patients and 7.5% patients had habit of other substance abuse such as tobacco chewing, betel nut chewing, etc. Vocal polyps were the most common benign lesions found in 43.3% of the patients. Preoperatively mean (± SD) VHI-10 score was 20.7 (±3.5) which significantly decreased to 12.6 (±2.5) at 4th week post-operatively and 8.5 (±2.3) at 8th week post-operatively. Mean differences between pre-operative and post-operative scores were statistically significant (P < 0.01), depicting that there was improvement in the voice of the patients post-operatively. The VHI-10 scale is shown to be a good and convenient tool for assessing patient voice handicap and determining improvement post-operatively. Wider studies with larger sample size in different parts of the country may be recommended to validate the findings of the study. In addition to surgical excision of lesion, speech therapy, and patient counselling are indubitably essential measures that should be undertaken for each patient so as to alleviate the handicapping effect of voice disorder and improve the overall quality of life of the individuals.

Lee Silverman Voice Treatment to Improve Speech in Parkinson's Disease: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background Speech changes occur in the early stages of Parkinson's disease (PD) and cause communication difficulties, leading to social isolation. Lee Silverman voice treatment (LSVT) is a speech therapy approach designed to improve patients' language and voice capabilities. Objective The effectiveness of the LSVT was compared with that of other speech interventions or no treatment to evaluate PD patients with dysarthria. Design Systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized trials. Data Sources: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, and SinoMed library were searched from inception to December 2021 related to PD and LSVT. Method s were screened and reviewed against the eligibility criteria (intervention group participants were PD assessed based on LSVT (LSVT Loud) and randomized control). Result Ten randomized controlled trials were identified on speech symptoms in patients with PD. Compared with the respiratory therapy (RET) exercise, or no training group, a significant improvement was detected in the sound press level (SPL) after immediate treatment during the reading of vowel and rainbow passages and an increase in semitone standard deviation (STSD). Furthermore, the LSVT training significantly increased the participants' scores on unified Parkinson's disease rating scale (UPDRS-III) and speech intelligibility. Conclusion This meta-analysis demonstrated the efficacy of LSVT in increasing vocal loudness and functional communication among individuals with PD. However, most studies included participants with mild-moderate PD. Thus, additional randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with large sample sizes are needed to validate the efficacy of LSVT in patients with different progressions of PD, including severe PD.

Protecting working welfare recipients through human rights experimentalism

AbstractIn this paper, we adopt an experimentalist approach to determining the content of international human rights for assessing national mandatory work programmes for recipients of social assistance (MWPs). This approach implies going back and forth between law and experience in order to determine the better way to secure human rights in an ever-changing environment. After having identified six criteria for evaluating MWPs in the soft case-law of international bodies, we confront this emerging international human rights framework with an empirical study on MWP practices in the Netherlands. This confrontation reveals that specific aspects of the capability for voice of working welfare recipients are absent in the human rights framework and that the framework is not gender-neutral. Including these aspects, we construct an experimentalist human-rights-based instrument that is suitable for evaluating national MWPs.

Employee Participation Rights During Company Restructuring: Lessons Learned from the “Capability for Voice” in British Law

In the current economic context, marked by a growing number of company restructuring processes as well as a rising unemployment rate, it seems important to address the employee’s issue of job security as well as the need to reduce the negative impacts that some restructuring processes have on businesses and employees. One solution in this regard is to ensure that employees are heard during the restructuring process. Since the Quebec and the federal Canadian legal frameworks on the subject offer insufficient protections, the author’s goal is to find solutions in order to strengthen the existing frameworks as well as to suggest different ways of adopting other legal information and consultation procedures applicable to company restructuring in general. To this end, the author is interested in whether a process of information and consultation of employees in restructuring matters, similar to what exists in the European Union, is possible in Canada, in light of the British experience. In fact, the United Kingdom’s case is particularly interesting for Canada, because this country originally applied a collective laissez-faire approach to employee participation rights during company restructuring which was similar to the North American one. It was only because of mandatory directives of the European Union on the subject that the United Kingdom has set up information and consultation procedures recognized by law. In order to perform this study, we have used the method of comparative law and as a theoretical framework we have applied the capability for voice, developed by Amartya Sen, which provides a method for assessing the impact and relevance of Parliament acts that recognize extended participation rights to employees in regard to a company’s economic decisions. In doing so, we assess the extent that the British statutory instruments, related to the subject matter under study, meet the conditions of the capability for voice, which are prerequisites to pass from the involvement stage of the employees in company decisions to their real influence on such issues.

Participatory art for navigating political capabilities and aspirations among rural youth in Zimbabwe

While exploring the everyday experiences of Tonga youth, this paper draws on a participatory graffiti-on-board project in Binga, a rural community in Zimbabwe. Focus is placed on what shapes and drives youth aspirations in precarious contexts marked by unemployment and poverty. Using graffiti to create participatory and artistic engagements, the research aims to stretch the limited boundaries of social and political space available to the youth for discussing issues that concern their development pathways and livelihoods. The article presents everyday narratives that impact on Tonga youths’ aspirations, endeavouring to create a space where they can visualise their prospective futures. Additionally, exhibition spaces are seen as sites for the construction of a collective voice and political capabilities for the youth. We argue that aspirations among disadvantaged youth evidence the broader geopolitical conflict that exists in marginalised communities in Southern Africa. A lack of spaces to construct political voice among the youth curtails their capabilities and agency to choose from existing development opportunities in an uncertain future. We discuss the potential role of participatory art in relation to this in providing spaces for political voice, unsettling established power dynamics and developing a collective, unified voice that might influence governance processes in fragile contexts.

Issues of musical and vocal education of theater students

The author considers the problem of training specialists in the field of Acting and shows that the need of theaters for actors of a "synthetic" kind (with universal voice capabilities, with a high degree of musicality) is dictated by the increasing role of musical elements in a modern performance and is also determined by the search in modern directing. Theatrical practice demonstrates that the musicality of an actor is a crucial quality of acting. Today, in general, as always, the issues of organizing and implementing vocal education for future actors are among the most complex and energy-intensive. First-year students who come to the theater program track at the higher educational institution either do not have any preliminary vocal training at all, or are trained at the elementary level. Nevertheless, it should be noted that some of them were trained to play musical instruments and have musicality. The article deals with the specifics of working with students, aimed mainly at the formation of basic singing skills, which are associated with the acoustic properties of sound, high singing position, vocal diction, breathing, voice science, i.e. all the things that make up the technology of singing professionalism. Meanwhile, the author shows that this work is not with students of the vocal department, but with future actors of the drama theater. And our task is to educate an artistic and creative person, a participant in the dramatic process, which is all theatrical activity.

Smart Wristband-Based Stress Detection Framework for Older Adults With Cortisol as Stress Biomarker

In this work, our objective is to design, develop, and evaluate the effectiveness of a stress detection model for older adults using a system of wrist-worn sensors. Our system uses four signals, EDA, BVP, IBI, and ST from EDA, PPG, and ST sensors, embedded in a smart wristband, to classify between stressed and not-stressed state. The stress reference is obtained from salivary cortisol measurement, which is a well established clinical biomarker for measuring physiological stress. This work is the result of year-long data collection and analysis of 40 older adults (28 females and 12 males) and age 73.625 ± 5.39. EDA, BVP, IBI, and ST signals were collected during TSST (Trier Social Stress Test), which is a well known experimental protocol to reliably induce stress in humans in a social setting. 47 features were extracted from EDA, BVP, IBI, and ST signals, out of which 27 features were selected using a supervised feature selection method. Results and analysis show that combining the features from all the four signal streams increases the model's ability to accurately distinguish between the stressed and not-stressed states. The proposed model achieved a macro-average F1-score of 0.92 and an accuracy of 94% in distinguishing between the two states when features from all the four signals were used. Further, we prototype the proposed stress detection model in a consumer end device with voice capabilities, so that users can receive feedback on their vitals and stress levels by querying on voice-enabled consumer devices such as smartphones and smart speakers.

Специфіка техніки сценічного мовлення в акторському мистецтві початку ХХІ століття

The purpose of the research is to characterize and determine perspective methods of stage speech technique development in modern acting art. Research methods: chronological method is to study the stages of formation and development of stage speech in theater pedagogy; comparative is for a comparative analysis of theoretical and practical applications of methods of stage speech techniques; typological is aimed at identifying the factors influencing the transformation of stage speech and determining the features of this process; theoretical generalization is to summarize the study. Scientific novelty. The development of the stage speech technique problem in the acting art has been theoretically substantiated and logically completed, the main problems of stage speech in the modern domestic theater have been determined and perspective ways of their solution have been characterized. Conclusions. Review of the classic principles of creating a play in modern theater dictates new approaches in the field of stage speech. New trends related to the return to the priority positions of the word, give rise to the search for new techniques and approaches of expression associated with the actor’s voice capabilities. The system of teaching stage language skills requires improved and innovative methods.

Ramiz Mustafayev’in müşayietli xor işlemelerinin üslub xüsusiyyetleri

M e qal e Ramiz Mustafayevin musayi e tli xor ucun xalq mahni isl e m e l e rinin t e hlilin e h e sr edilir. Onlarin sirasinda musayi e t v e xor, musayi e t xor v e solist t e rkibi n e z e r e carpir. Isl e m e l e rd e n yalniz biri 3 s e sli xor ucun n e z e rd e tutulmusdur, dig e rl e ri h e r biri 4 s e sli xor partiyasina malikdir. Dord xor isl e m e sind e solist partiyasi da yer almisdir. R.Mustafayevin musayi e tli xor isl e m e l e rind e ilk novb e d e vokal s e sin imkanlari xalq mahni ifaciliginin e sas uslub xususiyy e tl e ri il e uzlasir. Xor musiqisinin sirl e rin e yaxsi b e l e d olan b e st e kar isl e m e l e rd e kollektivin vokal imkanlarini uz e cixarmaqla yanasi, mahninin obraz-emosional m e zmununun catdirilmasina da xususi diqq e t yetirir. Qeyd olunan xususiyyetler meqalede arasdirilir.

Community practitioners supporting young men with borderline intellectual functioning in the criminal justice system: capability for voice and agency

This article is based on findings from a recent study of community practitioners working in re-entry and reintegration support services in South East Queensland, Australia, which examined the role and influence of these practitioners on young men with mild intellectual impairment or borderline intellectual functioning who were involved in the criminal justice system. The article reflects upon practitioners’ agentic influence and capability for voice across the community services sectors and proposes the extent to which practitioners believed this affected the options available to vulnerable young men with borderline intellectual functioning in the community. The article draws on data collected from the qualitative study, which included interviews with community practitioners and observations of practitioner–client sessions. These data were analysed using a grounded theory approach. The analytical strategy applied Sen’s capability framework within which to interpret the capabilities of practitioners. Practitioners were drawn from funded community organisations providing offender reintegration services, a homelessness service, and a volunteer community group working with ex-prisoners. Findings suggest that reintegration of vulnerable young men with borderline intellectual functioning requires community practitioners to exercise capability for voice and agency in ways that build relational environments. Interaction between re-entry and reintegration services and the broader community services sector can create practical opportunities for support within the reach of young men with borderline intellectual functioning towards community reintegration.

Access Time Analysis of MCPTT Off-Network Mode over LTE

Public safety organizations around the world started migrating toward Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks to support the increasing needs for video and data. To address the unique voice communication requirements of first responders, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) introduced new capabilities that aim at providing similar functionalities as the traditional Land Mobile Radio (LMR) systems, namely, Direct Mode communication and mission critical push-to-talk (MCPTT). Direct Mode communication, also called Proximity Services (ProSe), allows public safety users to communicate directly with each other regardless of the network status. MCPTT was the first mission critical service, and first application, standardized by 3GPP to provide both on- and off-network voice capability. Assessing the performance of those capabilities is critical to accelerate their deployment and adoption by first responders. In this study, we evaluate the performance of an off-network mode MCPTT device over ProSe by focusing on the access time, a measure of the delay incurred before a user can talk. We develop analytical models for various types of calls and verify the accuracy of the predicted access time using ns-3 simulations. We perform sensitivity analysis to show the validity of the models for various scenarios. Finally, we show how the models can be used to guide parameter configuration for both MCPTT and ProSe to optimize the performance.