Phonation Research Articles

ML-Based Quantitative Analysis of Linguistic and Speech Features Relevant in Predicting Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a severe neurological condition that affects numerous people globally with detrimental consequences. Detecting AD early is crucial for prompt treatment and effective management. This study presents a novel approach for detecting and classifying six types of cognitive impairment using speech-based analysis, including probable AD, possible AD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), memory impairments, vascular dementia, and control. The method employs speech data from DementiaBank’s Pitt Corpus, which is preprocessed and analyzed to extract pertinent acoustic features. The characteristics are subsequently used to educate five machine learning algorithms, namely k-nearest neighbors (KNN), decision tree (DT), support vector machine (SVM), XGBoost, and random forest (RF). The effectiveness of every algorithm is assessed through a 10-fold cross-validation. According to the research findings, the suggested method based on speech obtains a total accuracy of 75.59% concerning the six-class categorization issue. Among the five machine learning algorithms tested, the XGBoost classifier showed the highest accuracy of 75.59%. These findings indicate that speech-based approaches can potentially be valuable for detecting and classifying cognitive impairment, including AD. The paper also explores robustness testing, evaluating the algorithms’ performance under various circumstances, such as noise variability, voice quality changes, and accent variations. The proposed approach can be developed into a noninvasive, cost-effective, and accessible diagnostic tool for the early detection and management of cognitive impairment.

Impact of cochlear implants use on voice production and quality

Cochlear implant users experience difficulties controlling their vocalizations compared to normal hearing peers. However, less is known about their voice quality. The primary aim of the present study was to determine if cochlear implant users’ voice quality would be categorized as dysphonic by the Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI) and smoothed cepstral peak prominence (CPPS). A secondary aim was to determine if vocal quality is further impacted when using bilateral implants compared to using only one implant. The final aim was to determine how residual hearing impacts voice quality. Twenty-seven cochlear implant users participated in the present study and were recorded while sustaining a vowel and while reading a standardized passage. These recordings were analyzed to calculate the AVQI and CPPS. The results indicate that CI users’ voice quality was detrimentally affected by using their CI, raising to the level of a dysphonic voice. Specifically, when using their CI, mean AVQI scores were 4.0 and mean CPPS values were 11.4 dB, which indicates dysphonia. There were no significant differences in voice quality when comparing participants with bilateral implants to those with one implant. Finally, for participants with residual hearing, as hearing thresholds worsened, the likelihood of a dysphonic voice decreased.

Depression recognition using voice-based pre-training model

The early screening of depression is highly beneficial for patients to obtain better diagnosis and treatment. While the effectiveness of utilizing voice data for depression detection has been demonstrated, the issue of insufficient dataset size remains unresolved. Therefore, we propose an artificial intelligence method to effectively identify depression. The wav2vec 2.0 voice-based pre-training model was used as a feature extractor to automatically extract high-quality voice features from raw audio. Additionally, a small fine-tuning network was used as a classification model to output depression classification results. Subsequently, the proposed model was fine-tuned on the DAIC-WOZ dataset and achieved excellent classification results. Notably, the model demonstrated outstanding performance in binary classification, attaining an accuracy of 0.9649 and an RMSE of 0.1875 on the test set. Similarly, impressive results were obtained in multi-classification, with an accuracy of 0.9481 and an RMSE of 0.3810. The wav2vec 2.0 model was first used for depression recognition and showed strong generalization ability. The method is simple, practical, and applicable, which can assist doctors in the early screening of depression.

Effect of Face Masks on Voice Quality Associated with Young and Older Chinese Adult Speakers

ObjectivesFace masks have become important after the pandemic, but the change in voice when wearing a face mask is still unclear. The study investigated the effect of face masks on the acoustic and perceptual characteristics of voice quality associated with young and older Chinese adults. MethodsVoice samples of the sustained vowel /a/ and continuous speech produced by 44 older and 61 young adults with and without an ASTM level-3 surgical face mask were recorded and analyzed. Perceptual and acoustic parameters including mean fundamental frequency (F0) and intensity, perturbation measures (jitter and shimmer), harmonic-to-noise ratio (HNR), smoothed cepstral peak prominence (CPPs), and long-term average spectrum (LTAS) measures were obtained and compared. ResultsWhen comparing masked to unmasked voices, for both male and female speakers, F0 and intensity showed no significant changes, except for F0 of continuous speech, which increased significantly. Meanwhile, perturbation measures including jitter and shimmer were reduced, HNR and CPPs were increased, and LTAS measures encompass low frequency mean spectral energy (MSE), high frequency MSE, and spectral tilt (ST) were different. For perceptual measures, the overall grade of dysphonia, and roughness were reduced, except for the breathiness among older male speakers, while the other vocal qualities were not changed. Between young and older speakers, significant differences in shimmer, CPPs, and perceived breathiness among male speakers, and low frequency MSE among female speakers were found. ConclusionWearing a surgical mask appeared to change the perceived voice quality. This is supported by the change in perturbation and LTAS measures, and HNR and CPPs values. In addition, some differences between young and older male adults were observed. Communication effectiveness may be affected when wearing surgical masks due to changes in voice quality. Additionally, clinicians need to exercise caution in evaluating the voice quality of clients when wearing face masks.

Comparison of Two Multiparameter Acoustic Voice Outcome Indices in the Treatment of Hyperfunctional Voice Disorders: Dysphonia Severity Index and Acoustic Voice Quality Index

IntroductionThe Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI) and Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI) are the two widely used multiparameter acoustic instrumented indices that estimate dysphonia severity and track treatment outcomes. This study compared the performance of these two indices in identifying voice quality changes with eclectic voice therapy in individuals with Hyperfunctional Voice Disorders (HFVD). Method20 individuals with HFVD including 8 males and 13 females in the age range of 20-55 years received an Eclectic voice therapy program named the Comprehensive Voice Habilitation Program (CVHP). All the participants attended 15 sessions of voice therapy. DSI and AVQI measures were obtained at the baseline, immediate post-therapy, 15 days post-therapy (follow-up 1), and 60 days post-therapy (follow-up 2). Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance was performed to verify whether there were any differences between the time points for dependent variables DSI and AVQI. The effect sizes obtained for the DSI and AVQI measures were also noted. ResultsA significant difference was obtained between the baseline and post-therapy, follow-up 1 and follow-up 2 for AVQI measure with a very large effect size, eta2 =0.451. In contrast, DSI showed significant difference only between the baseline and follow up 1 with effect size, eta2=0.187. ConclusionThe results of this study confirmed that both DSI and AVQI were effective in tracking the changes in the severity of dysphonia. However, when compared, AVQI appeared to be more sensitive than DSI in potentially reflecting the effect of eclectic voice therapy in HFVD.

Robust constrained cosine arctangent based adaptive filtering for feedback control in hearing aids

The striking problem of acoustic feedback remains a persistent challenge in hearing aids (HAs), imposing limitations on attainable amplification and significantly deteriorating sound quality, often manifesting as disruptive howling artifacts. With the objective of feedback mitigation, the feedback path is estimated using an adaptive filter. The constrained least mean square (CLMS) technique is commonly employed in adaptive filtering applications where it is necessary to meet specific linear constraints. However, algorithm's robustness is compromised when impulsive or non-Gaussian noise interference occurs. In lieu of this, a novel algorithm known as the robust constrained cosine arctangent (CCAT) adaptive filtering is introduced to enhance the convergence behavior. This has been formulated with the inclusion of linear constraints to the suggested cosine function integrated with the arctangent technique. This algorithm aims to address the issue of feedback cancellation in hearing aids along a set of constraints. To achieve a minimal steady-state error and expedite the convergence of the method, a novel policy that adjusts the step factor has been suggested. CCAT-VSS is a modified version of CCAT that includes a variable step size (VSS). The simulation findings demonstrate that the suggested method exhibits superior performance for misalignment, added stable gain and certain voice quality assessments.

Development of the technique of forming the professionalism of a pop artist: Vocal discourse

Pop vocals play a significant role in today’s music industry and cultural environment. The pop style of singing has become extremely popular among young people, which determines the relevance of studying the methods of teaching pop vocals, which is characterized by technical features, emotional expression and the use of specific artistic techniques. The purpose of this study is to study effective approaches and create the own methods of teaching pop vocals, in particular, the formation of vocal qualities, to support and develop the potential of young performers. The analytical method, typological approach and generalization were used in the research work. As a result of the research, the key aspects and factors influencing the successful adaptation of young performers to the pop style of singing were revealed. As a result of the scientific work, it was established the importance of systematic classes and vocal practice for achieving a high level of vocal skill. As a result of the research work, it was possible to develop a method of teaching pop vocals, aimed at the effective formation of vocal qualities in young performers. This technique took into account the key aspects and factors influencing the successful adaptation of young performers to the pop style of singing. The developed method of teaching pop vocals can be used as a basis for the systematic and step-by-step development of vocal abilities of young performers. It is aimed at improving voice quality, control of performance technique, musical interpretation and stage presentation. The obtained work results can be used to improve approaches to teaching pop vocals and developing musical talents in young performers. This research can serve as a basis for further research and development in the field of pop singing and music pedagogy.

A lecturer’s voice quality and its effect on memory, listening effort, and perception in a VR environment

Many lecturers develop voice problems, such as hoarseness. Nevertheless, research on how voice quality influences listeners’ perception, comprehension, and retention of spoken language is limited to a small number of audio-only experiments. We aimed to address this gap by using audio-visual virtual reality (VR) to investigate the impact of a lecturer’s hoarseness on university students’ heard text recall, listening effort, and listening impression. Fifty participants were immersed in a virtual seminar room, where they engaged in a Dual-Task Paradigm. They listened to narratives presented by a virtual female professor, who spoke in either a typical or hoarse voice. Simultaneously, participants performed a secondary task. Results revealed significantly prolonged secondary-task response times with the hoarse voice compared to the typical voice, indicating increased listening effort. Subjectively, participants rated the hoarse voice as more annoying, effortful to listen to, and impeding for their cognitive performance. No effect of voice quality was found on heard text recall, suggesting that, while hoarseness may compromise certain aspects of spoken language processing, this might not necessarily result in reduced information retention. In summary, our findings underscore the importance of promoting vocal health among lecturers, which may contribute to enhanced listening conditions in learning spaces.

양측성 성대 마비의 수술적 치료

Bilateral vocal fold paralysis (BVFP) is characterized by the complete or partial inability to move the vocal folds. BVFP presents with inspiratory dyspnea resulting from airway narrowing at the glottic level, where both vocal folds are positioned paramedian. Historically, iatrogenic damage to the recurrent laryngeal nerves has been identified as a common cause of BVFP. This condition is often critical, necessitating immediate treatment such as intubation for short-term relief, and potentially surgical procedures like tracheostomy to address the compromised airway. The primary objective in managing BVFP is to alleviate dyspnea in affected patients. Treatment options include tracheostomy, arytenoidectomy, laterofixation, and cordotomy, each with varying degrees of effectiveness in improving airway function, though voice quality may be negatively impacted or remain unchanged. The diversity in study methodologies, the absence of large-scale controlled randomized trials, and the challenge of distinguishing BVFP from posterior glottic stenosis hinder the ability to definitively determine the superiority of one treatment approach over another.

Typing or Speaking? Comparing Text and Voice Answers to Open Questions on Sensitive Topics in Smartphone Surveys

The smartphone increase in web surveys, coupled with technological developments, provides novel opportunities for measuring attitudes. For example, smartphones allow the collection of voice instead of text answers by using the built-in microphone. This may facilitate answering questions with open answer formats resulting in richer information and higher data quality. So far, there is only a little body of research investigating voice and text answers to open questions. In this study, we therefore compare the linguistic and content characteristics of voice and text answers to open questions on sensitive topics. For this purpose, we ran an experiment in a smartphone survey ( N = 1001) and randomly assigned respondents to an answer format condition (text or voice). The findings indicate that voice answers have a higher number of words and a higher number of topics than their text counterparts. We find no differences regarding sentiments (or extremity of answers). Our study provides new insights into the linguistic and content characteristics of voice and text answers. Furthermore, it helps to evaluate the usefulness and usability of voice answers for future smartphone surveys.

Evaluation of Voice Therapy After Type I, II, and V Cordectomy for Early-Stage Laryngeal Cancer Using Subjective Voice Quality Assessment Tools.

Evaluation of Voice Therapy After Type I, II, and V Cordectomy for Early-Stage Laryngeal Cancer Using Subjective Voice Quality Assessment Tools.

L2 prosody effects on pronunciation teaching and oral communication: updated

Pronunciation accuracy in a foreign language requires mastering production of both segmental (consonants and vowels) and prosody (features that operate from the syllable domain, such as lexical/phrasal stress, pitch accent, rhythm, intonation, and voice quality) of speech. This study aims to elucidate the significance of instruction in pronunciation, with a focus on L2 prosody as a pivotal component in the enhancement of oral communication skills. The objective is to reduce pronunciation discrepancies and augment conversational interactions in spoken communication. The theoretical review of our research is based on studies such as, Munro and Derwing (2020 [1999]) Derwing and Munro (2015), Levis (2018), which underscore the role of prosody in the context of pronunciation instruction and in L2 oral communication. We also have supported in studies such as, Ortega-Lebaria et al. (2023), Silva Jr. (2023), for the selection of techniques and guidelines for extracting both durational and melodic parameters from L2 prosody-focused research. Regarding the methodology, we gathered data from Brazilian English speakers and native speakers of English from the USA. Each participant read a passage, from which we selected ten utterances for subsequent analysis. The acoustic analysis was conducted based on the duration of phonetic syllables (V-V units) and the fundamental frequency (F0), both normalized using Lobanov’s z-score. We also employed ANOVA statistical tests to examine the group effect for both duration and F0 parameters. Our findings indicate notable differences between native and Brazilian English speakers’ productions for both duration and F0. We conclude, even on a preliminary basis, that the application of L2 prosody is relevant in improving pronunciation instruction and enhancing oral communication.

Complications of Injection Laryngoplasty

Injection laryngoplasty (IL), commonly used to treat unilateral vocal cord paralysis, aims to improve glottic insufficiency, while preventing aspiration and enhancing voice quality by injecting material into the vocal cords. Moreover, recent advancements in endoscopic technology and biomaterials facilitated this procedure in the office setting under local anesthesia. IL is generally considered a safe procedure due to its minimally invasive nature. However, as clinical cases increase, reports of various complications associated with IL are also on the rise. These complications are typically not serious and they improve spontaneously with follow-up. However, they can often lead to serious issues affecting the patient’s safety and function, requiring active treatment or management. In this article, we will review possible complications that may arise during and after IL.

Application of multimodality perception scene construction based on Internet of Things (IoT) technology in art teaching

Numerous impediments beset contemporary art education, notably the unidimensional delivery of content and the absence of real-time interaction during instructional sessions. This study endeavors to surmount these challenges by devising a multimodal perception system entrenched in Internet of Things (IoT) technology. This system captures students’ visual imagery, vocalizations, spatial orientation, movements, ambient luminosity, and contextual data by harnessing an array of interaction modalities encompassing visual, auditory, tactile, and olfactory sensors. The synthesis of this manifold information about learning scenarios entails strategically placing sensors within physical environments to facilitate intuitive and seamless interactions. Utilizing digital art flower cultivation as a quintessential illustration, this investigation formulates tasks imbued with multisensory channel interactions, pushing the boundaries of technological advancement. It pioneers advancements in critical domains such as visual feature extraction by utilizing DenseNet networks and voice feature extraction leveraging SoundNet convolutional neural networks. This innovative paradigm establishes a novel art pedagogical framework, accentuating the importance of visual stimuli while enlisting other senses as complementary contributors. Subsequent evaluation of the usability of the multimodal perceptual interaction system reveals a remarkable task recognition accuracy of 96.15% through the amalgamation of Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) speech features with a long-short-term memory (LSTM) classifier model, accompanied by an average response time of merely 6.453 seconds—significantly outperforming comparable models. The system notably enhances experiential fidelity, realism, interactivity, and content depth, ameliorating the limitations inherent in solitary sensory interactions. This augmentation markedly elevates the caliber of art pedagogy and augments learning efficacy, thereby effectuating an optimization of art education.

RBL: A Multimodal Emotion Analysis Model Based on Language Guided Transformer

Emotional analysis has important value in the economic and social fields such as public opinion analysis, market research and risk prediction. Nowadays, the rapid development of short video media has led to the expansion of emotional analysis content from text content to multimedia content. Multimodal emotion analysis is to mine emotional information from the fusion of text, language and pictures. At present, some achievements have been made in the research of emotion analysis for multimodal data. However, due to the huge content of multimodal information, contextual emotion correlation between modes and within modes, the current multimodal emotion analysis still has some shortcomings. In view of this, this study proposes the RBL model - a multimodal sentiment analysis model based on LGT (Linguistics-Guided Transformer), which uses Bert and Resnet models to extract text features and image features, and Librosa toolkit to extract voice features.

The impact of previous endoscopic treatments on functional outcome after cricotracheal resection.

Treatment options for benign subglottic stenosis include endoscopic techniques or open surgery. Although endoscopic treatment is less invasive, a considerable proportion of patients develop recurrent stenosis. Endoscopic pretreatments do not exclude patients from a later surgical repair; however, the impact of previous endoscopic treatment attempts on functional outcome after open surgery is unknown. All patients, who received a cricotracheal resection (CTR) between January 2017 and June 2023 at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, were included in this retrospective study. Patient characteristics, surgical variables and postoperative outcome including a detailed functional assessment were analysed. A total of 65 patients received a CTR during the study period, of which 40 were treatment naïve and 25 had a median of 2 (range 1-9) endoscopic pretreatments. Less-invasive voice-sparing CTR or standard CTR were more often possible in treatment-naïve patients. In contrary, pretreated patients regularly required extended procedures (P = 0.049). Three or more endoscopic treatments resulted in a significantly lower mean fundamental frequency (F0) after open repair (P = 0.048). In addition, a trend towards smaller mean sound pressure levels, a higher voice handicap index, higher impairments in RBH scores (roughness, breathing and hoarseness) and a higher dysphagia severity index was found in pretreated patients. The respiratory outcome after surgery was comparable between both groups. Multiple endoscopic pretreatments lead to worse voice quality after CTR. The impact of prior endoscopic treatment before surgical repair should be considered when discussing treatment options with patients suffering from subglottic stenosis.

Voicing or register in Jarai dialects? Implications for the reconstruction of Proto-Chamic and for registrogenesis

Abstract Jarai is a Chamic language of Vietnam and Cambodia that is traditionally described as preserving the original Austronesian voicing contrast in onset obstruents. However, there is anecdotal evidence that it has developed a register contrast, i.e. a binary contrast based on a bundle of spectral properties like pitch, voice quality and vowel quality. We conducted production and perception experiments of the voicing/register contrast in two Jarai varieties spoken in Saom Kaning, Cambodia, and Ea Sup, Vietnam, to determine if they preserve voicing and/or have developed a register contrast. Results show that both dialects have a register contrast primarily based on vowel height modulations (F1) and that onset voicing has become at best an optional secondary property of register. F1 is also the primary cue used for register identification in both dialects. Implications for the diachronic development of the register contrast in Chamic languages and in Mainland Southeast Asia in general are discussed.

Do Acoustic Characteristics of Dysarthria in People With Parkinson's Disease Differ Across Languages?

Cross-language studies suggest more similarities than differences in how dysarthria affects the speech of people with Parkinson's disease (PwPD) who speak different languages. In this study, we aimed to identify the relative contribution of acoustic variables to distinguish PwPD from controls who spoke varieties of two Romance languages, French and Portuguese. This bi-national, cross-sectional, and case-controlled study included 129 PwPD and 124 healthy controls who spoke French or Portuguese. All participants underwent the same clinical examinations, voice/speech recordings, and self-assessment questionnaires. PwPD were evaluated off and on optimal medication. Inferential analyses included Disease (controls vs. PwPD) and Language (French vs. Portuguese) as factors, and random decision forest algorithms identified relevant acoustic variables able to distinguish participants: (a) by language (French vs. Portuguese) and (b) by clinical status (PwPD on and off medication vs. controls). French-speaking and Portuguese-speaking individuals were distinguished from each other with over 90% accuracy by five acoustic variables (the mean fundamental frequency and the shimmer of the sustained vowel /a/ production, the oral diadochokinesis performance index, the relative sound level pressure and the relative sound pressure level standard deviation of the text reading). A distinct set of parameters discriminated between controls and PwPD: for men, maximum phonation time and the oral diadochokinesis speech proportion were the most significant variables; for women, variables calculated from the oral diadochokinesis were the most discriminative. Acoustic variables related to phonation and voice quality distinguished between speakers of the two languages. Variables related to pneumophonic coordination and articulation rate were the more effective in distinguishing PwPD from controls. Thus, our research findings support that respiration and diadochokinesis tasks appear to be the most appropriate to pinpoint signs of dysarthria, which are largely homogeneous and language-universal. In contrast, identifying language-specific variables with the speech tasks and acoustic variables studied was less conclusive.

Population characteristics and self-assessment of speaking and singing voice in Polish contemporary commercial music singers-an exploratory, cross-sectional study.

The domination of the Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM) industry in music markets has led to a significant increase in the number of CCM performers. Performing in a wide variety of singing styles involves exposing CCM singers to specific risk factors potentially leading to voice problems. This, in turn, necessitates the consideration of this particular group of voice users in the Occupational Health framework. The aim of the present research was threefold. First, it sought to profile the group of Polish CCM singers. Second, it was designed to explore the prevalence of self-reported voice problems and voice quality in this population, in both speech and singing. Third, it aimed to explore the relationships between voice problems and lifetime singing involvement, occupational voice use, smoking, alcohol consumption, vocal training, and microphone use, as potential voice risk factors. The study was conducted in Poland from January 2020 to April 2023. An online survey included socio-demographic information, singing involvement characteristics, and singers' voice self-assessment. The prevalence of voice problems was assessed by the Polish versions of the Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale (VTDS) and the Singing Voice Handicap Index (SVHI). Also, a self-reported dysphonia symptoms protocol was applied. The perceived overall voice quality was assessed by a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) of 100 mm. 412 singers, 310 women and 102 men, completed the survey. Nearly half of the studied population declared lifetime singing experience over 10 years with an average daily singing time of 1 or 2 h. 283 participants received vocal training. For 11.4% of respondents, singing was the primary income source, and 42% defined their career goals as voice-related. The median scores of the VTDS were 11.00 (0-44) and 12.00 (0-40) for the Frequency and Severity subscales, respectively. The median SVHI score of 33 (0-139) was significantly higher than the normative values determined in a systematic review and meta-analysis (2018). Strong positive correlations were observed between SVHI and both VTD subscales: Frequency (r = 0.632, p < 0.001) and Severity (r = 0.611, p < 0.001). The relationships between most of the other variables studied were weak or negligible. The examined CCM singers exhibited substantial diversity with regard to musical genre preferences, aspirations pertaining to singing endeavors, career affiliations, and source of income. Singing voice assessment revealed a greater degree of voice problems in the examined cohort than so far reported in the literature, based on the SVH and VTDS.

Voice quality in patients with temporomandibular disorders

ABSTRACT Objectives This study assessed the voice quality in TMD patients compared to healthy individuals using the Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI) and evaluated the correlation between the DSI and TMD severity. Methods Patients who had TMD with Fonseca’s anamnestic index were subjected to an examination based on the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD). A sample of 35 patients with TMD and 36 healthy subjects were included in the study. Results There were significant differences in the DSI score and its components between healthy subjects and TMD patients (p < .001). A significant correlation was found between the DSI scores and TMD severity (Spearman’s rho: −0.90, p < .001). Conclusion Patients with TMD demonstrated lower DSI scores and lower voice quality compared to healthy subjects.