Frequency F0 Research Articles

Comparação entre a frequência fundamental acústica da voz e a frequência de vibração das pregas vocais analisada pela videoquimografia digital

ABSTRACT Purpose To compare the frequency of vocal fold opening variation, analyzed by digital kymography, with the fundamental voice frequency obtained by acoustic analysis, in individuals without laryngeal alteration. Methods Observational analytical cross-sectional study. The participants were forty-eight women and 38 men from 18 to 55 years of age. The evaluation was made by voice acoustic analysis, by the habitual emission of the vowel /a/ for 3 seconds, and days of the week, and digital kymography (DKG), by the habitual emission of the vowels /i/ and /ɛ/. The measurements analyzed were acoustic fundamental frequency (f0), extracted by the Computerized Speech Lab (CSL) program, and dominant frequency of the variation of right (R-freq) and left (L-freq) vocal fold opening, obtained through the KIPS image processing program. The mounting of the kymograms consisted in the manual demarcation of the region by vertical lines delimiting width and horizontal lines separating the posterior, middle and anterior thirds of the Rima glottidis. In the statistical analysis, the Anderson-Darling test was used to verify the normality of the sample. The ANOVA and Tukey tests were performed for the comparison of measurements between the groups. For the comparison of age between the groups, the Mann-Whitney test was used. Results There are no differences between the values of the frequency measurement analyzed by digital kymography, with the acoustic fundamental frequency, in individuals without laryngeal alteration. Conclusion The values of the dominant frequency of the vocal folds opening variation, as assessed by digital kymography, and the acoustic fundamental frequency of the voice are similar, allowing comparison between these measurements in the multidimensional evaluation of the voice, in individuals without laryngeal alteration.

VoxMore: artefato tecnológico para auxiliar a avaliação acústica da voz no processo ensino-aprendizagem e prática clínica

ABSTRACT Purpose to present a technological artifact, the VoxMore plugin, to assist the academic teaching of voice acoustic assessment, as well as to optimize the speech therapy intervention in the practice of vocal clinics. Methods this is a multidisciplinary methodological study for the development of a technological artifact, a plugin, to be used in the Praat software. This tool performs vocal acoustic analysis and generates a report, with information and images referring to the domains of time, frequency, time-frequency, and que-frequency, as well as values of acoustic measures related to fundamental frequency (f0), period measures, disturbance measures of the period of f0, f0 amplitude perturbation measurements, spectral measurements, glottal noise measurements and cepstral measurements. Results in the VoxMore acoustic report, four files are generated with the following information: oscillograms of the voice signal and traces of f0 and intensity; images related to the frequency domain, Fourier spectrum and LPC spectrum, and to the time-frequency domain, spectrogram; information on cepstral and cepstrogram analysis; the values of all acoustic measurements, in numerical results format and in vertical bar graphs. Conclusion VoxMore can contribute both to the teaching-learning process, acting as an auxiliary tool with a formative character in the undergraduate and graduate courses in Speech-Language Pathology, as well as to the clinical practice process, making the use of acoustic analysis in the vocal clinic feasible and supporting decision-making by speech-language pathologist.

Identification of soil characteristics in the Central Java Region using the HVSR (Horizontal to Vertical Spectral Ratio) inversion method

This research aims as one of the efforts to mitigate earthquake disasters by using the HVSR method based on microtremor data at 28 BMKG seismic stations in the central Java Island region to estimate the dominant frequency (f0) and amplification (A0) that describe the dynamic characteristics of the soil and analyse the shear wave velocity at a depth of 30 meters (Vs30). The dominant frequency values in the study area range from 0.648 to 18.257 Hz. The amplification values scattered in the study area ranged from 0.788 - 7.496. This research also produces dominant period parameters (T0) and seismic vulnerability (Kg). The highest seismic vulnerability values are at BUJI in Buayan, Kebumen; GBJI in Gringsing, Batang; and SBJM in Sanden, Bantul. In addition, the Vs30 value is helpful to determine how strong the building foundation resists earthquakes. Based on the Vs value in the ground profile with ellipticity curve modelling, the Vs30 value ranges from 204.756 - 903.046 m/s. The distribution of Vs30 values shows that the research points in central Java are spread by a variety of hard and very dense soil types to soft rock (SC).

Compact Green Harmonic Transponders for Parcel Tracking

This article presents a harmonic transponder, designed to minimize the tag sensitivity to the materials close to it. The tag is based on a dual-frequency dual-port patch antenna and a frequency doubler. The tag is designed to be interrogated by the fundamental frequency f0 equal to 2.4 GHz and it backscatters a signal at 2f0=4.8 GHz. The patch is realized on cardboard, while the frequency doubler and the feedlines are manufactured on a flexible polylactic acid (PLA) substrate. The feed lines are electromagnetically coupled to the patch through H slot apertures. A complete prototype with an area occupation of 5×10 cm was manufactured and directly integrated in a parcel. The antenna features a front-to-back ratio higher than 12 dB at both operating frequencies. The tag could be read up to a distance of 6 m with a transmitted power of 25 dBm Equivalent Isotropically Radiated Power (EIRP), regardless of the object placed in the parcel close to the tag. This work opens the door to a new class of harmonic transponders for tracking applications, characterized by low environmental impact, high integrability, compactness and reliability, which can find application in many Internet of Things emerging applications.

Высокоселективный волноводный полосно-пропускающий фильтр с уровнем подавления помех более 120 dB

The design of a 10th-order waveguide bandpass filter with an additional inductive cross-coupling between non-adjacent resonators has been proposed and studied. An inductive coupling is formed by a U-shaped conductor structure with grounded ends that is formed in the filter cover. This method of cross-coupling organization ensures not only the temperature stability of the characteristics, but also the manufacturability of the structure. The high selectivity of the device is achieved by both the attenuation poles located near the passband, as well as the level of suppression in the stopbands, exceeding 120 dB. The passband loss of the fabricated filter is ~0.8 dB at its central frequency f0 = 18.2 GHz and relative bandwidth Δf / f0 = 1.5%. The small dimensions (135×30×10 mm3) and the weight of about 200 g of the device, with simultaneously high electrical characteristics show the promise of its use, for example, in on-board and ground-based space communication systems.

A high-selectivity waveguide bandpass filter with interference suppression by more than 120 dB in rejection band

The design of a 10th-order waveguide bandpass filter with an additional inductive cross-coupling between non-adjacent resonators has been proposed and studied. An inductive coupling is formed by a U-shaped conductor structure with grounded ends that is formed in the filter cover. This method of cross-coupling organization ensures not only the temperature stability of the characteristics, but also the manufacturability of the structure. The high selectivity of the device is achieved by both the attenuation poles located near the passband, as well as the level of suppression in the stopbands, exceeding 120 dB. The passband loss of the fabricated filter is ~ 0.8 dB at its central frequency f0=18.2 GHz and relative bandwidth Delta f/f0=1.5%. The small dimensions (135x 30x 10 mm) and the weight of about 200 g of the device, with simultaneously high electrical characteristics show the promise of its use, for example, in on-board and ground-based space communication systems Keywords: bandpass filter, waveguide, resonator, cross-coupling.

Detecting Lombard Speech Using Deep Learning Approach.

Robust Lombard speech-in-noise detecting is challenging. This study proposes a strategy to detect Lombard speech using a machine learning approach for applications such as public address systems that work in near real time. The paper starts with the background concerning the Lombard effect. Then, assumptions of the work performed for Lombard speech detection are outlined. The framework proposed combines convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and various two-dimensional (2D) speech signal representations. To reduce the computational cost and not resign from the 2D representation-based approach, a strategy for threshold-based averaging of the Lombard effect detection results is introduced. The pseudocode of the averaging process is also included. A series of experiments are performed to determine the most effective network structure and the 2D speech signal representation. Investigations are carried out on German and Polish recordings containing Lombard speech. All 2D signal speech representations are tested with and without augmentation. Augmentation means using the alpha channel to store additional data: gender of the speaker, F0 frequency, and first two MFCCs. The experimental results show that Lombard and neutral speech recordings can clearly be discerned, which is done with high detection accuracy. It is also demonstrated that the proposed speech detection process is capable of working in near real-time. These are the key contributions of this work.

Vocally-Encoded Emotional Arousal as a Marker of Callous-Unemotional Traits in a Sample of Justice-Involved Adolescents.

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits are associated with severe and persistent juvenile offending. CU traits are also associated with dampened emotional arousal, which suggests that fundamental frequency (f0), a measure of vocally-encoded emotional arousal, may serve as an accessible psychophysiological marker of CU traits in youth. This study investigated the associations between f0 range measured during an emotionally evocative task, CU traits, and emotion dysregulation in a mixed-gender sample of 168 justice-involved youth. For boys, after controlling for covariates, wider f0 range-indicating greater emotional arousal-was negatively associated with CU traits and positively associated with emotion dysregulation. For girls, no significant associations with f0 range emerged; however, CU traits were positively associated with emotion dysregulation. Findings suggest that f0 range may serve as a valid indicator of CU traits in JJ-involved boys, and that detained boys and girls with high CU traits are characterized by different profiles of emotion dysregulation.

Fundamental Frequency Contour (Melody) of Infant Vocalizations across the First Year

Introduction: The fundamental frequency contour (melody) of cry and non-cry utterances becomes more complex with age. However, there is a lack of longitudinal analyses of melody development during the first year of life. Objective: The aim of the study was to longitudinally analyze melody development in typical vocalization types across the first 12 months of life. The aim was twofold: (1) to answer the question whether melody becomes more complex in all vocalization types with age and (2) to characterize complex patterns in more detail. Methods: Repeatedly recorded vocalizations (n = 10,988) of 10 healthy infants (6 female) over their first year of life were analyzed using frequency spectrograms and fundamental frequency (f0) analyses (PRAAT). Melody complexity analysis was performed using specific in-lab software (CDAP, pw-project) in a final subset of 9,237 utterances that contained noise-free, undisturbed contours. Generalized mixed linear models were used to analyze age and vocalization type effects on melody complexity. Results: The vocalization repertoire showed a higher proportion of complex melodies from the second month onward. The age effect was significant, but no difference was found in melody complexity between cry and non-cry vocalizations across the first 6 months. From month 7–12, there was a further significant increase in complex structures only in canonical babbling not in marginal babbling. Melody segmentations by laryngeal constrictions prevailed among complex shapes. Conclusion: The study demonstrated the regularity of melody development in different vocalization types throughout the first year of life. In terms of prosodic features of infant sounds, melody contour is of primary importance, and further studies are required that also include infants at risk for language development.

Analysis Of Liquifaction Potential Using The Method Microzonation in Coastal Zone at North Aceh District

Liquefaction is a natural phenomenon that occurs when previously sandy soil turns into mush as a result of an earthquake and has the potential to become a natural disaster if not anticipated early. the coastal zone of Dewantara District is included in the earthquake-prone area (referring to the results of previous studies, the value of the seismic vulnerability index is between 0.41 to 18.3 Kg, with the potential for damage caused to be medium and high risk) because most of the area is an area that has alluvial plains a wide beach and located on a tectonic route so that it is estimated that there is a potential follow-up threat after an earthquake occurs, in the form of liquefaction. Determination of the distribution of liquefaction potential due to earthquakes is determined based on data obtained from microtremor measurements. The specific objective of this study is to provide information regarding the potential and vulnerability of liquefaction to Policy Makers/Local Governments in evaluating plotting areas and/or preparing regional spatial plans based on disaster risk reduction/mitigation aspects. Based on the results of the processed data analysis, several important conclusions can be identified in this study. The character of soil vulnerability is related to the value of dominant frequency (f0), soil amplification (A0), and seismic vulnerability index (seismic vulnerability index). This relationship can be used to formulate whether an area has the potential to experience lateral ground motion (liquefaction) which potentially can affect the coastal area of ​​Dewantara District. Based on microseismic data analysis (standard deviation), several disaster-prone zone points were obtained in the north and east of the measurement point. In detail, this is shown by the map of the distribution of SVI values ​​in the Coastal Area which is in the range of 20-100, especially in the north it is at a value above 75, which allows for a higher chance of liquefaction on the condition that there are major earthquakes accompanied by with rock pores filled with fluid.

Unsteady Study on the Influence of the Angle of Attack of the Blade on the Stall of the Impeller of the Double-Suction Centrifugal Pump

In order to clearly show the influence on the rotating stall of the impeller of a double-suction centrifugal pump, this paper, using the numerical simulation method of Shear Stress Transform (SST), analyzes the effects of different inlet angles of the blade on hydraulic performance, internal flow field and pressure pulsation in the impeller. The results show that the small angle of attack of the blade inlet scheme can effectively suppress the impeller rotation stall and that the design point head and efficiency are increased by 6.4% and 5.7% respectively. This paper, using turbulence intensity to determine the generation of rotating stall, proposed that the average of turbulence intensity exceeding 2% is a necessary condition for the generation of rotating stall and discovered that the standard deviation of the big angle of attack of the scheme is always greater than that of the small angle being analyzed by the impeller pressure pulsation. The basic critical frequencies of blade inlet pressure pulsation with components of a low frequency is dominated by the impeller rotating frequency F0 and its harmonic frequencies 2F0, and 3F0, but the basic critical frequencies of blade outlet pressure pulsation is governed by Blade Passing Frequency (BPF). The research results can provide some theoretical support for stall research and hydraulic performance optimization of a double-suction pump.

Electrically Tunable MXene Nanomechanical Resonators Vibrating at Very High Frequencies

As an emerging class of two-dimensional (2D) layered nanomaterial, MXene exhibits a number of intriguing properties, such as good electrical conductivity and high elastic modulus, and has witnessed continued growth in related device research. However, nanoscale MXene devices which leverage both the intrinsic electrical and mechanical properties of these 2D crystals have not been experimentally studied. Here we demonstrate nanoelectromechanical resonators based on 2D MXene crystals, where Ti3C2Tx drumheads with a wide range of thickness, from more than 50 layers all the way down to a monolayer, exhibit robust nanomechanical vibrations with fundamental-mode frequency f0 up to >70 MHz in the very high frequency (VHF) band, a displacement noise density down to 52 fm/Hz1/2, and a fundamental-mode frequency-quality factor product up to f0 × Q ≈ 6.85 × 109 Hz. By combining experimental results with theoretical calculations, we independently derive the Young's modulus of 2D Ti3C2Tx crystals to be 270-360 GPa, in excellent agreement with nanoindentation measurements, based on which we elucidate frequency scaling pathways toward microwave frequencies. We further demonstrate electrical tuning of resonance frequency in MXene resonators and frequency-shift-based MXene vacuum gauges with responsivity of 736%/Torr and detection range down to 10-4 Torr. Our study can lead to the design and creation of nanoscale vibratory devices that exploit the intrinsic electrical and mechanical properties in 2D MXene crystals.

Experimental study of forced synchronization and cross-coupling in a liquid-fuelled gas turbine combustor at elevated pressure

The effects of external forcing on a turbulent, liquid-fuelled, swirl-stabilized gas turbine combustor operating at a pressure of approximately 1 MPa are explored experimentally. In particular, the dynamics and coupling between the hydrodynamics, flame dynamics and acoustics are compared for various forcing amplitudes at a fixed forcing frequency ff. The hydrodynamics were characterized via laser Mie scattering from droplets in the fuel spray, while the flame dynamics were qualitatively measured using chemiluminescence (CL) emissions in the 312 ± 12.5 nm wavelength range, both at 10 kHz. The dynamics at the frequencies of interest were extracted using spectral proper orthogonal decomposition (SPOD). In the unforced case, the spray and CL oscillations exhibited similar dynamics, dominated by oscillations at frequency f0, whereas the pressure fluctuations were predominantly at fP. As the forcing amplitude was increased from zero, the spray and CL exhibited changes in their power spectra characteristic of the suppression route to synchronization. The pressure fluctuations, however, were observed to follow the phase-locking route to synchronization. In contrast with expectations from synchronization theory, the amplitude of the pressure fluctuations increased significantly not only after lock-on, but also as the frequency detuning with ff decreased. It is shown that this increase in amplitude is not due to intermittency in the frequency of the pressure oscillations. The simultaneous occurrence of phase-locking and suppression illustrates the rich variety of dynamics that can occur in practical combustor systems. In addition, the amplification of the pressure oscillations based on the frequency detuning with the forcing suggests that classical reasoning based on the Rayleigh Index may not be sufficient to understand the high amplitude behaviour of multimodal systems.

Relative pitch representations and invariance to timbre

Information in speech and music is often conveyed through changes in fundamental frequency (f0), perceived by humans as “relative pitch”. Relative pitch judgments are complicated by two facts. First, sounds can simultaneously vary in timbre due to filtering imposed by a vocal tract or instrument body. Second, relative pitch can be extracted in two ways: by measuring changes in constituent frequency components from one sound to another, or by estimating the f0 of each sound and comparing the estimates. We examined the effects of timbral differences on relative pitch judgments, and whether any invariance to timbre depends on whether judgments are based on constituent frequencies or their f0. Listeners performed up/down and interval discrimination tasks with pairs of spoken vowels, instrument notes, or synthetic tones, synthesized to be either harmonic or inharmonic. Inharmonic sounds lack a well-defined f0, such that relative pitch must be extracted from changes in individual frequencies. Pitch judgments were less accurate when vowels/instruments were different compared to when they were the same, and were biased by the associated timbre differences. However, this bias was similar for harmonic and inharmonic sounds, and was observed even in conditions where judgments of harmonic sounds were based on f0 representations. Relative pitch judgments are thus not invariant to timbre, even when timbral variation is naturalistic, and when such judgments are based on representations of f0.

A miniaturized ultra‐wideband filter with ultra‐wide stopband and high selectivity using a capacitive loading stub in a multimode structure

AbstractIn this paper, a miniaturized ultra‐wideband filter with ultra‐wide stopband and high selectivity using a capacitive loading stub in a multimode structure is proposed. The second, third, and fourth harmonics of the proposed filter are all suppressed on account of using a capacitive loading stub, which makes it have the characteristic of an ultra‐wide stopband. In addition, there are two transmission zeros located at the upper stopband close to the passband, which improves the selectivity of the proposed filter. The proposed filter is fabricated and measured, and the result shows the filter with the center frequency f0 1.185 GHz has 151% 3‐dB fractional bandwidth. Its upper stopband is extended to 9.18 GHz (7.75 f0) and the 20‐dB roll off rate is 212.5 dB/GHz. What's more, the size of the proposed filter is 0.175 λg × 0.18 λg, where λg is the guided wavelength at the center frequency f0.

Computational Estimates of Pitch Height and Pitch Strength in Dysphonic Voices

<h3>Research Objectives</h3> To evaluate the utility of automated computational estimates of pitch height and pitch strength in characterizing dysphonic voices that have glottal (i.e., true vocal folds) and supraglottal (e.g., false vocal folds), vibratory sources (GVS and SGVS). Furthermore, the utility of such pitch-based measures (Zwicker & Fastl, 1990) in characterizing and differentiating these voice signals that vary in periodicity (Type I, II, and III) was also tested (Titze, 1994). <h3>Design</h3> Repeated measures. <h3>Setting</h3> University. <h3>Participants</h3> Dysphonic voice samples (sustained /a/ and sentence) from 30 adults with GVS (10 per signal type) and 30 adults with SGVS (10 per signal type) were selected from a large database through stratified-random sampling. Pitch height and pitch strength were estimated from Auditory-Sawtooth Waveform Inspired Pitch Estimator Prime (Aud-SWIPE', Camacho, 2012) algorithm and compared with conventional fundamental frequency (f0) estimates from PRAAT software (Boersma, 2022). <h3>Interventions</h3> Not Applicable. <h3>Main Outcome Measures</h3> It is hypothesized that dysphonic voices with SGVS will have lower pitch height and pitch strength than GVS due to the inherent differences in anatomical structures of vibration and their associated physiological properties (Alipour & Karnell, 2014; Schwarz et al., 2011). It is also hypothesized that there will be a significant difference in pitch height and pitch strength between the Type I, II, and III voice signals varying in periodicity (Anand et al., 2021). <h3>Results</h3> Pitch height and pitch strength were higher in GVS compared to SGVS. Estimates of pitch height and f0 from were highly correlated and were in close agreement for Type I signals compared to other signal types where PRAAT was unable to provide f0 trace for some voices. Pitch strength was highest for Type I signals and lowest for Type III signals. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Pitch height and pitch strength can be measured in all dysphonic voices irrespective of signal periodicity. <h3>Author(s) Disclosures</h3> Supraja Anand receives salary from the University of South Florida.

Помехоустойчивость когерентного приема сигналов с многопозиционной фазовой манипуляцией и прямоугольной огибающей в гидроакустическом канале связи

The main purpose of this work is to develop a methodology for determining the parameters of M-PSK signals, in which the signals become relatively invariant to frequent distortions in the marine environment. The frequency distortions of the signals are caused by the uneven frequency response of the attenuation of the marine environment. The main part of this technique is to assess the effect of frequency distortion of signals on the noise immunity of reception. To do this, the error probabilities of the receiver of M-PSK signals determined, which is optimal in the absence of distortion. Methods. The provisions of applied hydroacoustics, the theory of random processes and the theory of transmission of discrete messages are used. The main content. The paper considered a model of a single-beam hydroacoustic communication channel, characteristic of the deep sea, when the receiver or transmitter is located in the depths of the sea. The transmission coefficient of the channel is used as a transmission coefficient with a Gaussian amplitude - frequency response and a linear phase-frequency response. The additive boundary of the probability of error in the coherent reception of M-PSK signals with a rectangular envelope is determined. As a receiver, a coherent receiver is considered, optimal by the criterion of maximum similarity under the action of white Gaussian noise and the absence of distortion in the marine environment. A logarithmic measure of increasing the probability of error is introduced, which characterizes the deterioration of noise immunity due to frequency distortions in the channel. For some typical cases, the values of signal parameters that are relatively invariant to frequency distortions in the marine environment are determined. Results. Expressions are found for the upper bound of the probability of error of coherent signal receivers of M-PSK signals with a rectangular envelope for M = 2, 4, 8, 16, 32. A logarithmic measure of the relative increase in the probability of error compared to the case of the absence of distortions is introduced. The functional dependence of this measure is determined on the duration of sending the signal, the carrier frequency and the number of phases of the signal, as well as on the communication range and the signal-to-noise ratio. On the plane of the carrier frequency, the duration of the signal, for each type of signal, the boundary of the region above which the signals are relatively invariant to frequency distortions in the marine environment is constructed. For the communication range R = 3 km and the carrier frequency f0 = 30 kHz, the minimum values of the duration of invariant signals are given.

Control of separated flow transition over a highly loaded compressor blade via dynamic surface deformation

The laminar separation and transition process seriously deteriorate the aerodynamic performance of a compressor blade at a low Reynolds number (Re). To suppress the laminar separation without reattachment over a highly loaded compressor blade at Re=3.5 × 105, an active flow control strategy based on dynamic surface deformation (DSD) is numerically investigated by large eddy simulations (LESs). The control mechanism of DSD is analyzed, and the vortex dynamics in the transition process are resolved. Furthermore, the loss mechanism is clarified based on the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget analysis. For the uncontrolled case, the rolling-up and breakdown of large-scale hairpin vortices accelerate the generation of turbulent fluctuations, which distinctly extend the region of high-level TKE production term and thus cause large total pressure loss. As the DSD is activated at the oscillation frequency f0 (f0 is the vortex shedding frequency in separated shear layers), periodic pressure fluctuation waves are induced with the appearance of small-scale vortices. The convection of these vortices enlarges the local vorticity and makes the boundary layer velocity profile fuller, which successfully eliminates the large-scale laminar separation on the compressor blade. As such, the region of high-level TKE production term shrinks distinctly due to the weakened vortex dynamics, and the total pressure loss is reduced by 78.9%. With increasing the oscillation frequency from f0 to 2f0 or 4f0, the loss is slightly enlarged due to the rapid growth of turbulent boundary layers, but it is still lower than that of the uncontrolled case. The results demonstrate that DSD is feasible in controlling large-scale laminar separation, and there exists an optimal oscillation frequency.

Neuronal and behavioral affective perceptions of human and naturalness-reduced emotional prosodies.

Artificial voices are nowadays embedded into our daily lives with latest neural voices approaching human voice consistency (naturalness). Nevertheless, behavioral, and neuronal correlates of the perception of less naturalistic emotional prosodies are still misunderstood. In this study, we explored the acoustic tendencies that define naturalness from human to synthesized voices. Then, we created naturalness-reduced emotional utterances by acoustic editions of human voices. Finally, we used Event-Related Potentials (ERP) to assess the time dynamics of emotional integration when listening to both human and synthesized voices in a healthy adult sample. Additionally, listeners rated their perceptions for valence, arousal, discrete emotions, naturalness, and intelligibility. Synthesized voices were characterized by less lexical stress (i.e., reduced difference between stressed and unstressed syllables within words) as regards duration and median pitch modulations. Besides, spectral content was attenuated toward lower F2 and F3 frequencies and lower intensities for harmonics 1 and 4. Both psychometric and neuronal correlates were sensitive to naturalness reduction. (1) Naturalness and intelligibility ratings dropped with emotional utterances synthetization, (2) Discrete emotion recognition was impaired as naturalness declined, consistent with P200 and Late Positive Potentials (LPP) being less sensitive to emotional differentiation at lower naturalness, and (3) Relative P200 and LPP amplitudes between prosodies were modulated by synthetization. Nevertheless, (4) Valence and arousal perceptions were preserved at lower naturalness, (5) Valence (arousal) ratings correlated negatively (positively) with Higuchi's fractal dimension extracted on neuronal data under all naturalness perturbations, (6) Inter-Trial Phase Coherence (ITPC) and standard deviation measurements revealed high inter-individual heterogeneity for emotion perception that is still preserved as naturalness reduces. Notably, partial between-participant synchrony (low ITPC), along with high amplitude dispersion on ERPs at both early and late stages emphasized miscellaneous emotional responses among subjects. In this study, we highlighted for the first time both behavioral and neuronal basis of emotional perception under acoustic naturalness alterations. Partial dependencies between ecological relevance and emotion understanding outlined the modulation but not the annihilation of emotional integration by synthetization.

Методика исследования вибрационной активности голосовых связок

In order to develop equipment for diagnosing the state of the human vocal folds (VF) and monitoring their activity during treatment, a complex of studies of animal VF samples (rabbits) was performed. A highly sensitive non-contact laser-optical equipment and a technique for recording VF vibrations in an air flow with controlled pressure have been developed. For a group of rabbits of the same age, data are given on the registration of vibrational frequencies in healthy VFs and received as a result of therapeutic effects ("treated" VFs). It was found that when air is passed through the trachea under a slight pressure of 10-20 mm Hg. three peaks of the characteristic frequencies of natural mechanical vibrations of the VF appear in the range of ~ 200 - 1000 Hz. As a rule, this is the fundamental frequency f1 and its two harmonics f2 = 2 f1 and f3 = 3 f1. Best of all, these oscillations are excited at the end of the outflow of air under a pressure of 1 - 5 mm Hg. A difference was found in the excited vibrations at low frequencies in healthy VF and VF with defects in the form of a scar on one ligament. The frequencies of the lowest natural vibrations in a defective VF are somewhat higher compared to the lowest frequency in a healthy VF, which is explained by an increase in its rigidity during the formation of scar tissue. The technique is characterized by ease of registration, sensitivity and informativeness during treatment by methods of regenerative medicine. Diagnosis of the state of the VF during treatment in comparison with the data for a healthy VF seems to be informative and useful for restoring the vibrational properties of the vocal cords during the treatment.