Speech Understanding Research Articles

Hearing preservation in pediatric cochlear implantation.

Pediatric cochlear implantation has evolved considerably over the past three decades to include more patients at earlier ages with greater degrees of residual hearing. As an extension, a significant focus of research over the past decade has surrounded preservation of existing acoustic hearing. Multiple studies published within the last 5 years demonstrate aidable acoustic hearing preservation in 60-90% of pediatric patients, with 40-60% experiencing complete hearing preservation following cochlear implantation. Durability of preserved hearing varies among patients, with some patients losing residual hearing within 1 year of surgery whereas others maintain acoustic hearing through at least 5 years of follow-up. Speech outcomes appear superior among patients with preserved acoustic hearing, particularly in the presence of background noise. Several recent studies suggest a music appreciation advantage in children with preserved acoustic hearing following cochlear implantation. Hearing preservation rates during cochlear implantation in children matches, if not often exceeds, hearing preservation rates observed among adults. Preservation of acoustic hearing during cochlear implantation confers multiple advantages for the pediatric population. Beyond improved speech understanding and music appreciation, minimizing intracochlear trauma and resultant scarring facilitates potential future regenerative treatments or revision surgery.

Hybrid Cochlear Implant Outcomes and Improving Outcomes With Electric-Acoustic Stimulation.

Electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS) provides cochlear implant (CI) recipients with preserved low-frequency acoustic hearing in the implanted ear affording auditory cues not reliably transmitted by the CI including fundamental frequency, temporal fine structure, and interaural time differences (ITDs). A prospective US multicenter clinical trial was conducted examining the safety and effectiveness of a hybrid CI for delivering EAS. Fifty-two adults (mean age 59.9 yr) were enrolled in the study and followed up to 5 years postactivation. Testing included unaided and aided audiometric thresholds, speech perception (Consonant-Nucleus-Consonant [CNC] words in quiet and AzBio sentences +5 dB SNR), and patient-reported outcomes (Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale). Functionally aidable hearing, defined as low-frequency pure-tone average (125-500 Hz) <80 dB HL, was maintained for 77% of patients through 1 year, with 66.7% maintaining through 5 years. Speech perception was significantly improved at all postoperative timepoints compared with preoperative performance with hearing aid(s), and patient-reported outcomes indicated significantly improved subjective speech understanding, spatial hearing, and sound quality. Participants with preserved acoustic hearing using EAS reported significantly higher subjective spatial hearing and sound quality than participants with electric-only hearing in the implanted ear. Patients with high-frequency hearing loss demonstrate significant long-term benefit with a hybrid CI including high rates of functional hearing preservation, significantly improved speech perception, and subjective patient-reported outcomes. EAS with binaural acoustic hearing affords benefit for subjective spatial hearing and sound quality beyond CI listening configurations using monaural acoustic hearing.

Quality of life improvement in Cochlear implant outpatients: a non-randomized clinical trial of an auditory music training program

Objective Research on Cochlear implant (CI) outcomes has been mainly focused on verbal communication, whereas music perception has been less extensively explored. This study evaluated a music rehabilitation program, based on the mobile phone app Meludia (Meludia, France) to improve quality of life (QoL) and verbal perception in CI patients. Design In this non-randomised clinical trial, the experimental group underwent 16 Meludia sessions, while controls did not receive any music-specific rehabilitation. Patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures, including the MUSQUAV questionnaire and NCIQ domains, were utilised alongside Matrix speech perception tests (which measure speech understanding in noise). Study sample Forty patients with CI were considered: experimental group (21 patients) and control group (19 patients). Results Significant improvements (p = 0.017, and p < 0.001) in music-related PRO (MUSQUAV), and general CI PRO measures (NCIQ), respectively, were found in the experimental group. No significant differences were found in Matrix speech perception tests post-rehabilitation. Overall, 57% of participants in the experimental group reported subjective improvements in music perception. Conclusions This study showed the potential of home-based music rehabilitation in enhancing QoL for CI patients, supporting the possibility of implementing specific musical training programs in audiological care. Larger, randomised, controlled trials are necessary for further characterisation of this topic.

Factor Structure of Autism Symptoms in 5-6-Year-Old Children: Age Perspective

The work identifies the factor structure of autism symptoms in older preschoolers to check their age dynamics. An Autism Marker Questionnaire containing 330 potential symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was developed to be implemented as an online survey. 501 children were examined (371 with ASD) already classified by experts as a group of ASD, typically developing (TD) or with developmental delay (DD). At the exploratory stage, a relatively simple 8-factor structure was obtained: Speech Understanding (SU), Emotions (Em), Persistence on Sameness (Sam), Hyperactivity/Disinhibition (Hyp), Sensory disintegration (Sen), Echolalia (Ech). Each factor formed a sufficiently reliable scale in terms of internal consistency. Logistic regression demonstrated high accuracy in dividing children into groups with and without ASD. The model for confirmatory analysis included eight primary factors and 3 secondary factors: 1) Communication disorders, COM (SU, Em, Emp, Ech), 2) Sensory disintegration, SD (SD, PS, Ech), 3) Praxis impairment, PI (Hyp, Mot). The multigroup confirmatory analysis confirmed the equivalence of the model for boys and girls, as well as 5- and 6-year-old children. The factors obtained can be considered as key autistic symptoms for this age group and can shed some light on our theoretical understanding of the autistic symptoms age dynamics in preschoolers.

The relationships between cochlear nerve health and AzBio sentence scores in quiet and noise in postlingually deafened adult cochlear implant users.

This study investigated the relationships between the cochlear nerve (CN) health and sentence-level speech perception outcomes measured in quiet and noise in postlingually deafened adult cochlear implant (CI) users. Study participants included 24 postlingually deafened adult CI users with a Cochlear® Nucleus™ device. For each participant, only one ear was tested. Neural health of the CN was assessed at three or four electrode locations across the electrode array using two parameters derived from results of the electrically evoked compound action potential (eCAP). One parameter was the phase locking value (PLV) which estimated neural synchrony in the CN. The other parameter was the sensitivity of the eCAP amplitude growth function (AGF) slope to changes in the interphase gap (IPG) of biphasic electrical pulses (i.e., the IPGE slope ). Speech perception was tested using AzBio sentences in both quiet and a ten-talker babble background noise with +5 dB and +10 dB signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). IPGE slope and PLV values were averaged across electrodes for each subject, both with and without weighting by the frequency importance function (FIF) of the AzBio sentences. Pearson and Spearman correlations were used to assess the pairwise relationships between the IPGE slope , the PLV, and age. Multiple linear regression models with AzBio score as the outcome and the PLV and the IPGE slope as predictors were used to evaluate the associations between the three variables while controlling for age. The correlation between the IPGE slope and the PLV was negligible and not statistically significant. The PLV, but not the IPGE slope , differed significantly across electrodes, where the apical electrodes had larger PLVs (better neural synchrony) than the basal electrodes. The IPGE slope , but not the PLV, was significantly correlated with participant's age, where smaller IPGE slope values (poorer CN health) were associated with more advanced age. The PLV, but not the IPGE slope , was significantly associated with AzBio scores in noise, where larger PLVs predicted better speech perception in noise. Neither the PLV nor the IPGE slope was significantly associated with AzBio score in quiet. The result patterns remained the same regardless of whether the mean values of the IPGE slope and the PLV were weighted by the AzBio FIF. The IPGE slope and the PLV quantify different aspects of CN health. The positive association between the PLV and AzBio scores suggests that neural synchrony is important for speech perception in noise in adult CI users. The lack of association between age and the PLV indicates that reduced neural synchrony in the CN is unlikely the primary factor accounting for the greater deficits in understanding speech in noise observed in elderly, as compared to younger, CI users.

“The illuminating quiet”: a metaphor analysis of autobiographical descriptions of inner speech in aphasia

ABSTRACT Background Inner speech in aphasia is a rapidly expanding research area, but can be defined in numerous ways. Unlike behaviourally observable language processes such as overt word-production, inner speech is only directly available to introspection. Subjective experience thus grounds our understanding of inner speech and is a necessary starting point for investigating its definition. Descriptions of inner speech written by people with aphasia can make an important contribution to conceptual clarity in the literature. This important data source has not been systematically analysed. Our research addresses this gap. Aims This research aims to understand the subjective experience of impaired and preserved inner speech in aphasia, through analysis of the metaphors used in autobiographical accounts, and to interpret the findings in relation to the inner speech literature. Methods & Procedures This study carries out a metaphor-led discourse analysis of descriptions of inner speech in four autobiographical accounts of aphasia. Metaphorical expressions describing language processing were identified and coded, then systematic metaphors (i.e. the related concepts which are used consistently to describe a particular topic) were described. The metaphors used to describe inner speech were then analysed, with attention to patterns of use and contextual information. Results & Discussion 338 expressions made use of the main systematic metaphors which were used to describe inner speech. Two types of inner speech- Phonological Inner Speech and Dialogic Inner Speech – were described as distinct and dissociable experiences, and were described using different metaphors. Phonological Inner Speech, the internal activation of phonological representations, as used in mental repetition of a word or phrase, was described by two authors using the metaphors WORDS AS OBJECTS, MIND AS CONTAINER and INNER SPEECH AS HEARING WORDS. Dialogic Inner Speech, the use or awareness of linguistic inner reasoning or dialogue, was described by two different authors using the metaphors INNER SPEECH AS INNER VOICES/PERSONS/MONOLOGUE/DIALOGUE and APHASIA AS SILENCE/FLUID/SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE. A double dissociation of these different definitions of inner speech is seen across two of the accounts. Different impacts on language processing and cognition were also described. Conclusions This research demonstrates that subjective accounts of inner speech can help clarify theoretical discussions and clinical implications. Although recent research within aphasiology has focused mainly on Phonological Inner Speech, we show that in these accounts the impairment of Dialogic Inner Speech was described as more salient and more explicitly as a “lack of inner voices”.

Active piezoelectric bone conduction implant Osia® 2 - evaluation of surgery and one-year audiological and quality of life benefits.

To present the surgical outcomes and one-year audiological and quality of life results of implantation of the Osia®2 active piezoelectric bone conduction implant. Twenty adults with mixed and conductive hearing loss were implanted with the Osia® 2 system and followed up for at least one year. The surgical course, healing, and soft tissue condition were assessed. Audiometric tests included pure tone audiometry, speech audiometry and direct bone conduction measurements. Participants completed the APHAB and SSQ questionnaires. All surgeries were successful. No soft tissue problems were observed. Pure tone audiometry showed a mean functional gain of 47.4 ± 5.6 dB HL (p = 0.000089). The Polish Monosyllabic Word Test showed mean improvements for silent, medium and loud speech of 59.5 ± 1.8%, 46.5 ± 32.3% and 13.3 ± 20.9% in quiet and 38.5 ± 24.4%, 62.0 ± 9.1%, and 36.5 ± 34.4% in noise (all p < 0.05). The Polish Matrix Test indicated a mean SNR improvement of 8.78 ± 2.31 dB SPL (p = 0.000155). BC in situ measurements were significantly better post-implantation compared to preoperative levels with Baha®6Max on the Softband. APHAB scores showed significant improvements in global, ease of communication, background noise and reverberation scores (all p < 0.001). SSQ scores improved significantly in speech, spatial and quality subscales (all p < 0.000001). The Osia®2 implantation is an effective treatment for patients with mixed and conductive hearing loss. The surgery is relatively easy and safe, with no significant postoperative or magnet pressure-related complications. Osia®2 significantly improves speech understanding in noise and reduces communication problems.

Speech in noise performance in adults with cochlear implants using a combined channel deactivation strategy with a variable number of dynamic focused channels.

Cochlear implant listeners show difficulties in understanding speech in noise. Channel interactions from activating overlapping neural populations reduce the signal accuracy necessary to interpret complex signals. Optimizing programming strategies based on focused detection thresholds to reduce channel interactions has led to improved performance. In the current study, two previously suggested methods, channel deactivation and focused dynamic tripolar stimulation, were combined to create three cochlear implant programs. Utilizing an automatic channel selection algorithm from focused detection threshold profiles, three programs were created with the same deactivated channels but varying proportions of channels employing focused stimulation, monopolar, dynamic focused and a mixed program. Thirteen ears in eleven adult cochlear implant listeners with Advanced Bionics HiRes90k devices were tested. Vowel identification and sentence perception in quiet and noise served as outcome measures, and the influences of listening experience, age, clinical consonant-nucleus-consonant performance, and perceptual thresholds on speech performance were assessed. Across subjects, different degrees of focusing showed individual performance improvements for vowels and sentences over the monopolar program. However, only slight trends and no significant group improvements were observed. Focused listening benefits were shown for individuals with less cochlear implant experience, and clinically poor performers seem to benefit more from focusing than good performers. The current findings suggest that deactivating and focusing subsets of channels improves speech performance for some individuals, especially poor performers, a possible effect of reduced channel interactions. The findings also show that individual performance is largely variable, possibly due to listening experience, age or the underlying detection threshold.

Oppressive expression and the Czech and Slovak communities of Northern Ireland

Feminist philosophers of language have, in the last several decades, demonstrated the usefulness of employing a speech-act theoretical lens to understand how expression works to enact and reinforce oppression. Despite the growing influence of these approaches in the philosophy and political theory literature, however, their use in other disciplines remains severely limited. This is surprising, especially given the real potential of the speech-act approach to illuminate the mechanisms by which everyday acts contribute to large-scale oppressions. This paper takes up this call for interdisciplinarity, utilising a speech-act theory of oppression to better understand the real-life experiences of the under-researched Czech and Slovak communities of Northern Ireland. Using semi-structured interviews followed by thematic analysis, our study expands our understanding of oppressive speech by revealing a complex relationship between victims’ experiences and their understanding of wider societal oppression, exposing a channel via which victims can exercise agency by contesting attempts to reinforce their oppression. In so doing, the study also draws attention to a novel theoretical lens with which to understand experiences of harmful speech, one which is currently under-utilised by those outside of the philosophy/political theory disciplines.

Phoneme-related potentials recorded from normal hearing listeners and cochlear implant users in a selective attention paradigm to continuous speech

Cochlear implants can restore the ability to understand speech in patients with profound sensorineural hearing loss. At present, it is not fully understood how cochlear implant users perceive speech and how electric hearing provided by a cochlear implant differs from acoustic hearing. Phoneme-related potentials characterize neural responses to individual instances of phonemes extracted from continuous speech.This retrospective study investigated phoneme-related potentials in cochlear implant users in a selective attention paradigm. Responses were compared between normal hearing listeners and cochlear implant users, and between attended and unattended conditions. Differences between phoneme categories were compared and a classifier was trained to predict the phoneme category from the neural representation.The phoneme-related potentials of cochlear implant users showed similar responses to the ones obtained in normal hearing listeners for early responses (< 100 ms) but not for later responses (> 100 ms) where peaks were smaller or absent. Attention led to an enhancement of the response, whereas latency was mostly not affected by attention. The temporal morphology of the response was influenced by the phonetic features of the stimulus, allowing a classification of the phoneme category based on the phoneme-related potentials.There is a clinical need for methods that can rapidly and objectively assess the speech understanding performance of cochlear implant users. Phoneme-related potentials may provide such a link between the acoustic and the neural representations of phonemes. They may also reveal the challenges of individual subjects and thus provide indications for patient-specific auditory training, rehabilitation programs or the fitting of cochlear implant parameters.

Exploring adult hearing aid user experiences: meaning extraction methods, content patterns, and associations with demographic and outcome variables

Objective Employing automated language analysis, specifically Meaning Extraction Method (MEM) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), to identify key factors in open-text responses about hearing aid experiences. Design Exploratory, cross-sectional design, using an online questionnaire. Responses to a single open-ended question were analysed using MEM, PCA, regression, and correlation analyses. Study sample Participants (n = 538) included adult hearing aid users sampled from the Hearing Tracker website community and Lexie Hearing user databases in the United States. Results The MEM-derived items revealed six factors related to hearing aid experiences: (1) life change, (2) social situation, (3) quality of life, (4) impact and speech understanding, (5) communication and interaction, and (6) music and environmental sounds. IOI-HA item 3 had the most statistically significant correlations with PCA factors. Quantile regression revealed that factors one and two significantly predicted the IOI-HA total score. Positive correlations were observed between self-reported hearing difficulty and factors one, four, and five, as well as between factor one and general health and factor two and physical activity. Conclusion Natural language analysis of open-ended textual responses can offer valuable insights into hearing aid users’ experiences. Future studies should aim to refine this methodology to enhance clinical relevance and generalisability.

Clinical Outcomes for Adult Single-Sided Deafness Cochlear Implantees Exceeding the 5% Candidacy Criterion.

While single-sided deafness cochlear implants (SSD-CIs) have now received regulatory approval in the United States, candidate-ear candidacy criteria (no better than 5% word-recognition score) are stricter than for traditional CI candidates (50 to 60% speech recognition, best-aided condition). SSD implantation in our center began before regulatory approval, using a criterion derived from traditional candidacy: 50% consonant-nucleus-consonant (CNC) word-identification score in the candidate ear. A retrospective analysis investigated whether SSD patients exceeding the 5% CNC criterion nevertheless benefitted from a CI as assessed by spatial-hearing tests (speech understanding in noise [SIN] and localization) and by a patient-reported outcome measure quality-of-life instrument validated for patients with CIs. A retrospective chart review assessed the clinical experience of a single CI center. Subjects consisted of 27 adult CI recipients with SSD (N = 21) or asymmetric hearing loss (AHL; N = 6) implanted since September 2019 with at least 3 months of postoperative follow-up. Patients with revision surgery or simultaneous labyrinthectomy and CI surgery were excluded from the sample. Subjects were divided into 2 groups based on preoperative CNC scores measured under best-aided conditions with a behind-the-ear hearing aid in the sound field at 0.9 m from a front loudspeaker, and the better ear masked using an insert earphone with 45 dB HL speech-weighted noise. The "MEETS" group had preoperative CNC word scores <5%; the "EXCEEDS" group had scores >5%. The clinical protocol also included intelligibility tests using AzBio sentences in the same test conditions as CNC; binaural spatial testing (broadband-noise sound localization, and matrix-sentence speech-reception thresholds in spatially separated noise) using a custom-built 7-speaker array; and the CI Quality of Life (CIQOL) instrument. To evaluate CI benefit, preoperative unaided performance was compared with postoperative binaural (acoustic ear + CI ear) performance at a clinic visit closest to 6 months postsurgery. Of 27 SSD-CI recipients, 11 subjects exceeded the 5% preoperative CNC candidacy criterion. Both the MEETS and EXCEEDS groups improved significantly on all 5 primary study outcome measures (CI-alone CNC and AzBio, binaural SIN and sound localization, and CIQOL). The only statistically significant differences observed between the MEETS and EXCEEDS groups were that preoperative CNC and AzBio scores were significantly higher for the EXCEEDS group, as expected given that the groups were defined based on preoperative speech-perception scores in quiet. There were no statistically significant differences between the MEETS and EXCEEDS groups in postoperative scores in any test or in the magnitude of the improvement from preoperative to postoperative assessment. SSD- and AHL-CI recipients exceeding the 5% CNC preoperative candidacy criterion significantly improved in CI-alone speech perception, spatial hearing, and subjectively reported CIQOL outcomes and the observed benefits were indistinguishable from SSD- and AHL-CI recipients who met the 5% criterion. A less-restrictive SSD-CI and AHL-CI candidacy criterion should be considered, and larger-scale clinical trials to evaluate CI efficacy using a less-stringent candidate-ear criterion are warranted.

Hearing aid benefit in daily life: a qualitative ecological momentary assessment study

IntroductionUnderstanding hearing aid wearer experiences in real-world settings is important to provide responsive and individualized hearing care. This study aimed to describe real-life benefits of hearing aids (HAs), as reported by hearing aid wearers through Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) in various listening environments.MethodQualitative content analysis of 1,209 open-text responses, provided through self-initiated EMAs, was conducted. The de-identified data was collected retrospectively via a smartphone app compatible with these HAs. Only text responses reflecting positive hearing aid experiences were analyzed. The 1,209 open-text responses were categorized into 18 pre-determined sub-categories, further organized into five overarching categories: Conversational, Leisure, Device-related aspects, Lifestyle, and Other factors.ResultsAcross these categories, 48 self-generated meaning units highlighted the multifaceted benefits of HAs. In particular, participants reported significant improvements in conversational settings, specifically during phone conversations and meetings, attributed to improved sound quality and speech understanding when wearing their HAs. During leisure activities, particularly TV watching and music listening, clearer sound and ease of Bluetooth streaming contributed to experienced benefits. Lifestyle improvements were reported in occupational and social settings, as hearing aid wearers stated enhanced communication and sound awareness. Device-related factors contributing to positive wearer experiences included extended battery life and the convenience of rechargeable batteries. The most prominent sub-category, other factors, underscored overall satisfaction, comfort with the device, and improved auditory experiences across various environments.ConclusionThis study reveals the diverse benefits of HAs in improving communication, listening experiences, and quality of life across various settings, as captured through EMA. By emphasizing features like direct streaming and rechargeability, the findings highlight the importance of personalized hearing care and the potential of real-time listener feedback to inform device enhancements and support strategies, advancing more tailored and effective hearing rehabilitation.

Artificial intelligence as a feedback provider in practicing public speaking

ABSTRACT Traditionally, feedback is regarded as crucial in the context of learning and teaching public speaking. In the current course, we analyzed the feedback provided to students by an artificial intelligence (AI) coach and students’ learning experiences in developing public-speaking skills via this tool. The MySpeaker Rhetorich speech coach application served as a platform for practicing public speaking within the course. Students found AI-powered feedback to be advantageous and less biased than feedback from their peers. However, although the AI coach offers benefits, it is not without challenges, and currently, solely relying on it as a teaching tool appears inadequate. Course Voluntary AI-powered public-speaking course. Objectives Participants are able to prepare and deliver a speech and gain basic knowledge and understanding about speech composition and delivery. Participants learn to assess their public-speaking skills by receiving feedback from AI and peers and apply their knowledge on public speaking by providing feedback to others.

Analyzing Expressive Speech Acts in The Late Late Show with James Corden

The Late Late program with James Corden, a prominent late-night talk program, is a great resource for studying expressive speech acts. This study aims to analyze the types of expressive speech acts performed by James Corden in The Late Late Show with James Corden. In this study, the researchers used a qualitative descriptive research method using the Searle and vanderveken (1985) theory to analyze a total of 32 utterances from the last episode of the show, which are included in the types of expressive speech acts, such as 1 data of Apologize, 4 data of Thank, 1 data of Condole, 3 data of Complain, 4 data of Lament, 5 data of Protest, 1 data of Deplore, 1 data of Boast, 5 data of Compliment, 4 data of Welcome and 3 data of Greet. The results show that, James Corden uses various expressive speech acts to interact with the audience and guests, so as to create a lively and fun atmosphere. The findings contribute to the understanding of expressive speech acts in the context of talk shows and show the importance of language in shaping social interactions and relationships.

Temporal speech cue perception in listeners with cochlear implants depends on the time between those cues and previous sound energy.

Cochlear implants (CIs) provide precise temporal information that listeners use to understand speech. Other acoustic cues are not conveyed as precisely, making unambiguous temporal speech cues vital to a listener's ability to understand speech. Several speech sounds are differentiated by small differences in the timing of acoustic features. Previous studies have shown differences in the perception of these differences, depending on whether the speech sound was heard in a single word or embedded in a sentence. This study expands on previous research by exploring forward masking as a possible contributor to the mechanisms driving the effects observed when temporal cues were embedded in sentences. Listeners using CIs performed a phoneme categorization task on words from four continua that each varied mainly on a single temporal dimension. The differentiating phonemes were located at the beginning of the word in two continua and at the end of the word in two others. Silent intervals of 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 ms between the preceding sentence and the target words were tested. Results showed an increasing effect on performance as the inter-stimulus interval duration decreased for the two word-initial phonemic contrasts, lending support to forward masking as an influence on speech understanding.

A cross-linguistic review of citation tone production studies: Methodology and recommendations.

The study of citation tones, lexical tones produced in isolation, is one of the first steps towards understanding speech prosody in tone languages. However, methodologies for investigating citation tones vary significantly, often leading to limited comparability of tone inventories, both within and across languages. This paper presents a systematic review of research methods and practices in 136 citation tone studies on 129 tonal language varieties in China, including 99 studies published in Chinese, which are therefore not easily available to an international scientific readership. The review provides an overview of possible analytical decisions along the research pipeline, and unveils considerable variation in data collection, analysis, and reporting conventions, particularly in how f0, the primary acoustic correlate for tone, is operationalised and reported across studies. Key methodological issues are identified, including small sample sizes and inadequate transparency in communicating methodological decisions and procedure. This paper offers a clear road map for citation tone production research and proposes a range of recommendations on speaker sampling, experimental design, acoustic processing techniques, f0 analysis, and result reporting, with the goal of facilitating future tonal research and enhancing resources for underrepresented tonal varieties.

Xeinabot: A Spoken Intelligent Agent approach Using Hidden Markov Model with Chatbot Technology in Android Environmen

The present study describes the designing and its execution of xeinabot, a public domains spoken smart agent in an Android system. The primary goal of this work is to design and construct a personal agent that combines chatbot technology and statistical methods for speech search. The former uses Hidden Markove System Algorithmic procedures and the N-gram technique for Automatically Speech Recognition, while the latter relies on chatbot systems for Speech Recognizing and uses Multinomial Naïve Bays Method for classification and brute force search for matching patterns. The main objective of this strategy is to create an agent that convinces people into thinking they are speaking with a human when, in reality, they are speaking with a machine. utilizing chatbot technology to make advantage. After evaluating roughly 500 phrases on various subjects, the evaluation findings show very good results and, in the majority of circumstances, the agent behaves like a person. The success task (correct voice recognition and speech understanding) amounts to 86.6%.

Xeinabot: A Spoken Intelligent Agent approach Using Hidden Markov Model with Chatbot Technology in Android Environmen

The present study describes the designing and its execution of xeinabot, a public domains spoken smart agent in an Android system. The primary goal of this work is to design and construct a personal agent that combines chatbot technology and statistical methods for speech search. The former uses Hidden Markove System Algorithmic procedures and the N-gram technique for Automatically Speech Recognition, while the latter relies on chatbot systems for Speech Recognizing and uses Multinomial Naïve Bays Method for classification and brute force search for matching patterns. The main objective of this strategy is to create an agent that convinces people into thinking they are speaking with a human when, in reality, they are speaking with a machine. utilizing chatbot technology to make advantage. After evaluating roughly 500 phrases on various subjects, the evaluation findings show very good results and, in the majority of circumstances, the agent behaves like a person. The success task (correct voice recognition and speech understanding) amounts to 86.6%.

Cochlear Synaptopathy Evaluation With Electrocochleography in Patients With Hearing Difficulty in Noise Despite Normal Hearing Levels.

This study examined patients with normal hearing thresholds who had trouble understanding speech in noise. We used electrocochleography (ECochG) to detect and compare SP/AP amplitude area ratios, a potential indicator of cochlear synaptopathy, and investigate speech perception disorder in noise. The study included 68 people aged between 18 and 65 years, 35 patients and 33 healthy volunteers, who applied to the otorhinolaryngology clinic between November 2023 and March 2024 with a 2-month history of difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments. Everyone was given a tiptrode electrode ECochG test, and the results were compared between groups. An ECochG test was recorded with tiptrode electrodes and was performed on all participants, and the results were compared between groups. In the ECochG test, the summation potential/action potential (SP/AP) amplitude and area ratios of patients who had difficulty understanding speech in a noisy environment were statistically higher than those of the control group. ECochG testing may provide additional evidence to evaluate auditory nerve pathways.