1. |
- Andrade, Pedro Amarante, et al.
(author)
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The Flow and Pressure Relationships in Different Tubes Commonly Used for Semi-occluded Vocal Tract Exercises
- 2016
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In: Journal of Voice. - : Mosby-Elsevier. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 30:1, s. 36-41
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This experimental study investigated the back pressure (Pback) versus flow (U) relationship for 10 different tubes commonly used for semi-occluded vocal tract exercises, that is, eight straws of different lengths and diameters, a resonance tube, and a silicone tube similar to a Lax Vox tube. All tubes were assessed with the free end in air. The resonance tube and silicone tube were further assessed with the free end under water at the depths from 1 to 7 cm in steps of 1 cm. The results showed that relative changes in the diameter of straws affect Pback considerably more compared with the same amount of relative change in length. Additionally, once tubes are submerged into water, Pback needs to overcome the pressure generated by the water depth before flow can start. Under this condition, only a small increase in Pback was observed as the flow was increased. Therefore, the wider tubes submerged into water produced an almost constant Pback determined by the water depth, whereas the thinner straws in air produced relatively large changes to Pback as flow was changed. These differences may be taken advantage of when customizing exercises for different users and diagnoses and optimizing the therapy outcome.
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2. |
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3. |
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4. |
- Geneid, A., et al.
(author)
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Long-term follow-up of patients with spasmodic dysphonia and improved voice despite discontinuation of treatment
- 2017
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In: Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica. - : S. Karger. - 1021-7762 .- 1421-9972. ; 68:3, s. 144-151
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: To evaluate voice function in patients with adductor spasmodic dysphonia (AdSD) who discontinued botulinum toxin (BTX) treatment because they felt that their voice had improved sufficiently. Patients and Methods: Twenty-eight patients quit treatment in 2004, of whom 20 fulfilled the inclusion criteria for the study, with 3 subsequently excluded because of return of symptoms, leaving 17 patients (11 males, 6 females) included in this follow-up study. A questionnaire concerning current voice function and the Voice Handicap Index were completed. Audio-perceptual voice assessments were done by 3 listeners. The inter- and intrarater reliabilities were r > 0.80. Results: All patients had a subjectively good stable voice, but with differences in their audio-perceptual voice assessment scores. Based on the pre-/posttreatment auditory scores on the overall degree of AdSD, patients were divided into 2 subgroups showing more and less improvement, with 10 and 7 patients, respectively. The subgroup with more improvement had shorter duration from the onset of symptoms until the start of BTX treatment, and included 7 males compared to only 4 males in the subgroup with less improvement. Conclusion: It seems plausible that the symptoms of spasmodic dysphonia may decrease over time. Early intervention and male gender seem to be important factors for long-term reduction of the voice symptoms of AdSD.
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5. |
- Gleiser, Julieta E., et al.
(author)
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A method for extracting vibrato parameters applied to violin performance
- 1998
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In: TMH-QPSR. - Stockholm. ; 39:4, s. 039-044
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- A method is presented which semi-automatically extracts the fundamental frequency and displays as continuous signals vibrato rate, vibrato extent and sound level. The method is tested on specially made recordings of violin music with piano accompaniment, using a small microphone mounted directly on the violin. The fundamental frequency was successfully extracted by means of a waveform correlation program. Likewise, vibrato rate and extent were extracted separately for each tone from the fundamental frequency signal after elimination of its DC component. The results seem promising, offering the opportunity of visual examination and measurement of changes in vibrato characteristics during performances of entire pieces of music.
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6. |
- Granqvist, Svante, et al.
(author)
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A method of applying Fourier analysis to high-speed laryngoscopy
- 2001
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In: Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. - : Acoustical Society of America (ASA). - 0001-4966 .- 1520-8524. ; 110:6, s. 3193-3197
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A new method for analysis of digital high-speed recordings of vocal-fold vibrations is presented. The method is based on the extraction of light-intensity time sequences from consecutive images, which in turn are Fourier transformed. The spectra thus acquired can be displayed in four different modes, each having its own benefits. When applied to the larynx, the method visualizes oscillations in the entire laryngeal area, not merely the glottal region. The method was applied to two laryngoscopic high-speed image sequences. Among these examples, covibrations in the ventricular folds and in the mucosa covering the arytenoid cartilages were found. In some cases the covibrations occurred at other frequencies than those of the glottis.
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7. |
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8. |
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9. |
- Granqvist, Svante, 1963-
(author)
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Computer methods for voice analysis
- 2003
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This thesis consists of five articles and a summary. Thethesis deals with methods for measuring properties of thevoice. The methods are all computer-based, but utilisedifferent approaches for measuring different aspects of thevoice. Paper I introduces the Visual Sort and Rate (VSR) method forperceptual rating of voice quality. The method is based on theVisual Analogue Scale (VAS), but simultaneously shows allstimuli as icons along the VAS on the computer screen. As thelistener places similar-sounding stimuli close to each otherduring the rating process, comparing stimuli becomeseasier. Paper II introduces the correlogram. Fundamental frequencyF0 sometimes cannot be strictly defined, particularly forperturbed voice signals. The method displays multipleconsecutive correlation functions in a grey scale image. Thus,the correlogram avoids selecting a single F0 value. Rather itpresents an unbiased image of periodicity, allowing theinvestigator to select among several candidates, ifappropriate. PaperIII introduces a method for detection of phonation tobe utilised in voice accumulators. The method uses twomicrophones attached near the subjects ears. Phase andamplitude relations of the microphone signals are used to forma phonation detector. The output of the method can be used tomeasure phonation time, speaking time and fundamental frequencyof the subject, as well as sound pressure level of both thesubjects voicing and the ambient sounds. Paper IV introduces a method for Fourier analysis ofhigh-speed laryngoscopic imaging. The data from the consecutiveimages are re-arranged to form time-series that reflect thetime-variation of light intensity in each pixel. Each of thesetime series is then analysed by means of Fouriertransformation, such that a spectrum for each pixel isobtained. Several ways of displaying these spectra aredemonstrated. Paper V examines a test set-up for simultaneous recording ofairflow, intra-oral pressure, electro-glottography, audio andhigh-speed imaging. Data are analysed with particular focus onsynchronisation between glottal area and inverse filteredairflow. Several methodological aspects are also examined, suchas the difficulties in synchronising high-speed imaging datawith the other signals.
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10. |
- Granqvist, Svante, et al.
(author)
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Paranasal sinus ventilation by humming
- 2006
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In: Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. - : Acoustical Society of America (ASA). - 0001-4966 .- 1520-8524. ; 119:5, s. 2611-2617
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The gas nitric oxide (NO) is generated in the human paranasal sinuses and can be measured in nasally exhaled air. During humming, a marked increase in exhaled NO content has been observed. The acoustic phenomenon responsible for this evacuation of NO gas from the sinuses was analyzed. A tube model was constructed with a syringe containing NO gas attached radially. This tube was excited with an air stream modulated by a sine wave. Increased evacuation was observed whenever the syringe was not located at a pressure node of the exciting sine wave. A computer model of the system showed a good matching of observed pressure versus frequency data in the syringe resonator. The results thus suggest that the alternating pressure in the nasal cavity forces the air plug in the ostium of the paranasal sinus resonators to vibrate, thus expelling from the cavity NO gas, which is transported to free air by the exhalatory air stream.
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11. |
- Granqvist, Svante, et al.
(author)
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Resonance tube phonation in water : High-speed imaging, electroglottographic and oral pressure observations of vocal fold vibrations - A pilot study
- 2015
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In: Logopedics, Phoniatrics, Vocology. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1401-5439 .- 1651-2022. ; 40:3, s. 113-121
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Phonation into glass tubes (resonance tubes), keeping the free end of the tube in water, has been a frequently used voice therapy method in Finland and more recently also in other countries. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate what effects tube phonation with and without water has on the larynx. Two participants were included in the study. The methods used were high-speed imaging, electroglottographic observations of vocal fold vibrations, and measurements of oral pressure during tube phonation. Results showed that the fluctuation in the back pressure during tube phonation in water altered the vocal fold vibrations. In the high-speed imaging, effects were found in the open quotient and amplitude variation of the glottal opening. The open quotient increased with increasing water depth (from 2 cm to 6 cm). A modulation effect by the water bubbles on the vocal fold vibrations was seen both in the high-speed glottal area tracings and in the electroglottography signal. A second experiment revealed that the increased average oral pressure was largely determined by the water depth. The increased open quotient can possibly be explained by an increased abduction of the vocal folds and/or a reduced transglottal pressure. The back pressure of the bubbles also modulates glottal vibrations with a possible massage effect on the vocal folds. This effect and the well-defined average pressure increase due to the known water depth are different from those of other methods using a semi-occluded vocal tract.
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12. |
- Granqvist, Svante, 1963-, et al.
(author)
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Simultaneous analysis of vocal fold vibration and transglottal airflow : exploring a new experimental setup
- 2003
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In: Journal of Voice. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 17, s. 319-330
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Summary: The purpose of this study was to develop an analysis system for studying the relationship between vocal fold vibration and the associated transglottal airflow. Recordings of airflow, electroglottography (EGG), oral air pressure, and acoustic signals were performed simultaneously with high-speed imaging at a rate of approximately 1900 frames/s. Inverse filtered airflow is compared with the simultaneous glottal area extracted from the high-speed image sequence. The accuracy of the synchronization between the camera images and the foot pedal synchronization pulse was examined, showing that potential synchronization errors increase with time distance to the synchronization pulse. Therefore, analysis was limited to material near the synchronization pulse. Results corroborate previous predictions that air flow lags behind area, but also they reveal that relationships between these two entities may be complex and apparently varying with phonation mode.
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13. |
- Granqvist, Svante, et al.
(author)
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The correlogram : A visual display of periodicity
- 2003
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In: Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. - : Acoustical Society of America (ASA). - 0001-4966 .- 1520-8524. ; 114:5, s. 2934-2945
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Fundamental frequency (F-0) extraction is often used in voice quality analysis'. In pathological voices with a high degree of instability in F-0, it is common for F-0 extraction algorithms to fail. In such cases, the faulty F-0 values might spoil the possibilities for further data analysis. This paper presents the correlogram, a new method of displaying periodicity. The correlogram is based on the waveform-matching techniques often used in F-0 extraction programs, but with no mechanism to select an actual F-0 value. Instead, several candidates for F-0 are shown as dark bands. The result is presented as a 3D plot with time on the x axis, correlation delay inverted to frequency on the y axis, and correlation on the z axis. The z axis is represented in a gray scale as in a spectrogram. Delays corresponding to integer multiples, of the period time will receive high correlation, thus resulting in candidates at F-0, F-0/2, F-0/3, etc. While the correlogram, adds little to F-0 analysis of normal voices, it is useful for analysis of pathological voices since it illustrates the full. complexity of the periodicity in the voice signal. Also, in combination with manual tracing, the correlogram can be used for semimanual F-0 extraction. If so, F-0 extraction can be performed on many voices that cause problems for conventional F-0 extractors. To demonstrate the properties of the method it is applied to synthetic and natural voices, among them six pathological voices, which are characterized by roughness, vocal fry, gratings/scrape, hypofunctional breathiness and voice breaks, or combinations of these.
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14. |
- Granqvist, Svante, et al.
(author)
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The front and sub-lingual cavities in coronal stops : An acoustic approach to volume estimation
- 2003
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In: Proceedings of the XVth International Congress of Phonetic Sciences, Barcelona. ; , s. 941-944
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The subapical cavity has been shown to play a significant role in determining the F-patterns of articulations made with a raised tongue blade. This paper reports quantitative data on subapical volumes for Swedish dental and retroflex voiced stops. These estimates were made by means of an acoustic method using pulse excitation of the front cavity. EPG was employed to determine the place of articulation of the consonants. Front cavity volumes were found to vary in an approximately linear fashion as a function of place of articulation. For retroflex consonants, volumes ranged between 2 and 11 cm3. A lawful second-order effect was observed with front vowel contexts tending to shift the pattern towards smaller, and back vowels towards larger volumes.
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15. |
- Granqvist, Svante
(author)
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The self-to-other ratio applied as a phonation detector for voice accumulation
- 2003
-
In: Logopedics, Phoniatrics, Vocology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1401-5439 .- 1651-2022. ; 28:2, s. 71-80
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A new method for phonation detection is presented. The method utilises two microphones attached near the subject's ears. Simplified, phonation is assumed to occur when the signals appear mainly in-phase and at equal amplitude. Several signal processing steps are added in order to improve the phonation detection, and finally the original signal is sorted in separate channels corresponding to the phonated and non-phonated instances. The method is tested in a laboratory setting to demonstrate the need for some of the stages of the signal processing and to examine the processing speed. The resulting sound file allows for measurement of phonation time, speaking time and fundamental frequency of the subject and sound pressure level of the subject's voice and the environmental sounds separately. The present implementation gives great freedom for adjustment of analysis parameters, since the microphone signals are recorded on DAT tape and the processing is performed off-line on a PC. In future versions, a voice accumulator based on this principle could be designed in order to shorten analysis time and thus make the method more appropriate for clinical use.
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16. |
- Granqvist, Svante
(author)
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The visual sort and rate method for perceptual evaluation in listening tests
- 2003
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In: Logopedics, Phoniatrics, Vocology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1401-5439 .- 1651-2022. ; 28:3, s. 109-116
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper introduces the Visual Sort and Rate (VSR) method which can be utilized for perceptual rating of sound stimuli. The method facilitates comparing similar stimuli, thus making the rank ordering of the stimuli easier. To examine the potential benefits of the method, it was compared with two other methods for perceptual rating of audio stimuli. The first method was a straightforward computer-based implementation of a visual analogue scale (VAS) allowing multiple playbacks and re-play of previously heard stimuli (C-VAS). The second method utilized a VAS where the responses were given on paper (P-VAS). The three methods were compared by using two sets of stimuli. The first set was a synthetically generated series of stimuli mimicking the vowel /a/ with different spectral tilts. In this test, a single parameter was rated. The second set of stimuli was a naturally spoken voice. For this set of stimuli three parameters were rated. Results show that the VSR method gave better reliability of the subjects' ratings in the single-parameter tests: Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients were significantly higher for the VSR method than for the other methods. For the multi-parameter, intra-subject test, significantly higher Pearson correlation coefficients were found for the VSR method than for the VAS on paper.
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17. |
- Hagberg, Emilie, et al.
(author)
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The Impact of Maxillary Advancement on Consonant Proficiency in Patients With Cleft Lip and Palate, Lay Listeners' Opinion, and Patients' Satisfaction With Speech
- 2019
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In: The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal. - : NLM (Medline). - 1055-6656 .- 1545-1569. ; 56:4, s. 454-461
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: This study investigates the impact of maxillary advancement (Le Fort Iosteotomy) on consonant proficiency in patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP) and explores how these patients and lay people perceive their speech 1 year post Le Fort I osteotomy. Design: Retrospective group study before and after treatment. Participants: All patients with CLP who had undergone Le Fort I osteotomy for maxillary retrognathia between 2007 and 2010 at Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden (n = 21). Six patients were excluded due to additional malformations and missing data. Two experienced speech and language pathologists assessed consonant proficiency, and speech accuracy was determined by lay listeners from pre- and postoperative standardized audio recordings. The patients' satisfaction with speech postoperatively was collected from medical records. Main Outcome Measures: Percentage of oral consonants correct and acoustic analysis of /s/, lay listeners' opinion, and patients' satisfaction with speech. Results: One year postoperation, 11 of the 15 patients had improved articulation, especially on the /s/-sound, without speech intervention. The mean percentage of oral consonants correct before treatment (82%) was significantly improved later (95%; P > .01). This assessment was supported by the patients' satisfaction with speech. However, lay listeners' opinion on accuracy was inconsistent. Length of maxillary advancement or change in occlusion did not correlate with change in articulation. Conclusion: Maxillary advancement performed to normalize occlusion and facial profile improved consonant proficiency in patients with CLP 1 year postoperation. Lay listeners' and patients' perceptions of speech need further exploration.
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18. |
- Hertegård, S., et al.
(author)
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Botulinum toxin injections for essential voice tremor
- 2000
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In: Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology. - : SAGE Publications. - 0003-4894 .- 1943-572X. ; 109:2, s. 204-209
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Fifteen patients, 13 women and 2 men, with a mean age of 72.7 years (56 to 86 years) and a clinical diagnosis of essential voice tremor, were treated with botulinum injections to the thyroarytenoid muscles, and in some cases, to the cricothyroid or thyrohyoid muscles. Evaluations were based on subjective judgments by die patients, and on perceptual and acoustic analysis of voice recordings. Subjective evaluations indicated that the treatment had a beneficial effect in 678 of the patients. Perceptual evaluations showed a significant decrease in voice tremor during connected speech (p < .05). Acoustic analysis showed a nearly significant decrease in the fundamental frequency variations (p = .06) and a significant decrease in fundamental frequency during sustained vowel phonation (p <. 01). The results of perceptual evaluation coincided most closely with the subjective judgments. It was concluded that the treatment was successful in 50% to 65% of the patients, depending on the method of evaluation.
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19. |
- Lã, F.M.B., et al.
(author)
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Female Voice-Related Sexual Attractiveness to Males : Does it Vary With Different Degrees of Conception Likelihood?
- 2021
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In: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Previous investigations have found that female voice-related attractiveness to males increases when both conception likelihood (CL) and voice fundamental frequency (fo) are elevated. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a perceptual experiment where 78 heterosexual males rated sexual attractiveness of 9 female voice samples, recorded at menstrual, follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle under two double-blinded randomly allocated conditions: a natural menstrual cycle (placebo condition) and when using an oral contraceptive pill (OCP condition). The voice samples yielded a total of 54 stimuli that were visually sorted and rated using Visor software. Concentrations of estrogens, progesterone and testosterone were analyzed, and measurements of speaking fundamental frequency (sfo) and its standard deviation (sfoSD), fo derivative (dfo) and fo slope were made. A multilevel ordinal logistic regression model nested in listeners and in females, and adjusted by phase and condition, was carried out to assess the association between ratings and: (1) phases and conditions; (2) sex steroid hormonal concentrations; and (3) voice parameters. A high probability of obtaining high ratings of voice sexual attractiveness was found for: (1) menstrual phase of placebo use and follicular phase of OCP use; (2) for low estradiol to progesterone ratio and testosterone concentrations; and (3) for low dfo. The latter showed a moderate statistical association with ratings of high attractiveness, as compared with the small association found for the remaining variables. It seems that the voice is a weak cue for female CL. Female sexual attraction to males may be a consequence of what females do in order to regulate their extended sexuality across the menstrual cycle rather than of estrus cues, the use of paralinguistic speech patterns being an example.
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20. |
- Lã, F.M.B., et al.
(author)
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Long-Term Average Spectrum Characteristics of Portuguese Fado-Canção from Coimbra
- 2023
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In: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 37:4, s. 631.e7-631.e15
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Descriptions of acoustical characteristics of Fado, a Portuguese urban style sung in Lisbon and Oporto, are scarce, particularly concerning Fado-Canção, a related style sung in Coimbra. The present study aims at describing long-term average spectrum (LTAS) parameters of 16 professional singers while singing and reading the lyrics of a typical Fado-Canção. LTAS parameters were investigated in terms of: (1) equivalent sound level (Leq); (2) spectral differences between 3 frequency bands 0–2, 2–5, and 5–8 kHz; and (3) quantification of spectral prominence between 2 and 4 kHz, calculated as the level difference between the peak in this frequency region and a reference trendline between 1 and 5 kHz, henceforth Formant Cluster Prominence (FCP). Given that Fado-Canção, besides Fado and traditional styles, originated also from classical singing, and that previous studies on Fado suggest the absence of a singer's formant cluster, the averaged LTAS for all Fado-Canção singers was further compared to the LTAS of two world-touring opera baritones singing an operatic aria and a lied. Results show that Fado-Canção is commonly sung with a Leq of 86.4 dB and a FCP of about 10 dB, values significantly higher when compared to reading. The FCP in Fado-Canção, although smaller than for the two classical opera singers’ examples (14.8 and 20 dB, respectively), suggests that the style preserved some of its original lyrical influence. However, because younger singers present higher energy in the 5–8 kHz region relative to the remaining frequency bands as compared to older singers, it seems that Fado-Canção may be drifting towards non-classical vocal practices. FCP seems to be a promising straightforward method to quantify the degree of formant clustering around the region of the singer's formant in LTAS, allowing comparisons between different singers and singing styles.
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21. |
- La, Filipa M. B., et al.
(author)
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Real-Time Visual Feedback of Airflow in Voice Training : Aerodynamic Properties of Two Flow Ball Devices
- 2017
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In: Journal of Voice. - : MOSBY-ELSEVIER. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 31:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objectives. Flow ball devices have been used as teaching tools to provide visual real-time feedback of airflow during singing. This study aims at exploring static back pressure and ball height as function of flow for two devices, marketed as flow ball and floating ball game. Study Design. This is a comparative descriptive study. Methods. A flow-driven vocal tract simulator was used to investigate the aerodynamic properties of these two devices, testing them for four different ball sizes. The flow range investigated was between 0 and 0.5 L/s. Audio, flow, pressure, and ball height were recorded. Results. The flow pressure profiles for both tested devices were similar to those observed in previous studies on narrow tubes. For lifting the ball, both devices had a flow and a pressure threshold. The tested floating ball game required considerably higher back pressure for a given flow as compared with the flow ball. Conclusions. Both tested devices have similar effects on back pressure as straws of 3.7 and 3.0 mm in diameter for the flow ball and the floating ball game, respectively. One might argue that both devices could be used as tools for practicing semi-occluded vocal tract exercises, with the additional benefit of providing real-time visual feedback of airflow during phonation. The flow threshold, combined with the flow feedback, would increase awareness of flow, rather than of pressure, during exercises using a flow ball device.
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22. |
- Laukkanen, Anne-Maria, et al.
(author)
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High-speed registration of phonation-related glottal area variation during artificial lengthening of the vocal tract
- 2007
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In: Logopedics, Phoniatrics, Vocology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1401-5439 .- 1651-2022. ; 32:4, s. 157-164
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Vocal exercises that increase the vocal tract impedance are widely used in voice training and therapy. The present study applies a versatile methodology to investigate phonation during varying artificial extension of the vocal tract. Two males and one female phonated into a hard-walled plastic tube ( 2 cm), whose physical length was randomly pair-wise changed between 30 cm, 60 cm and 100 cm. High-speed image (1900 f/sec) sequences of the vocal folds were obtained via a rigid endoscope. Acoustic and electroglottographic signals (EGG) were recorded. Oral pressure during shuttering of the tube was used to give an estimate of subglottic pressure (P-sub). The only trend observed was that with the two longer tubes compared to the shortest one, fundamental frequency was lower, open time of the glottis shorter, and P-sub higher. The results may partly reflect increased vocal tract impedance as such and partly the increased vocal effort to compensate for it. In other parameters there were individual differences in tube length-related changes, suggesting complexity of the coupling between supraglottic space and the glottis.
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23. |
- Lindestad, Per Å, et al.
(author)
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Voice source characteristics in mongolian throat singing studied with high-speed imaging technique, acoustic spectra, and inverse filtering
- 2001
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In: Journal of Voice. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 15:1, s. 78-85
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Mongolian “throat singing” can be performed in different modes. In Mongolia, the bass-type is called Kargyraa. The voice source in bass-type throat singing was studied in one male singer. The subject alternated between modal voice and the throat singing mode. Vocal fold vibrations were observed with high-speed photography, using a computerized recording system. The spectral characteristics of the sound signal were analyzed. Kymographic image data were compared to the sound signal and flow inverse filtering data from the same singer were obtained on a separate occasion. It was found that the vocal folds vibrated at the same frequency throughout both modes of singing. During throat singing the ventricular folds vibrated with complete but short closures at half the frequency of the true vocal folds, covering every second vocal fold closure. Kymographic data confirmed the findings. The spectrum contained added subharmonics compared to modal voice. In the inverse filtered signal the amplitude of every second airflow pulse was considerably lowered. The ventricular folds appeared to modulate the sound by reducing the glottal flow of every other vocal fold vibratory cycle.
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24. |
- Lohmander, Anette, et al.
(author)
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Reliability of auditory perceptual assessment of hypernasality in speech using different scales
- 2018
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In: Fechner Day 2018. - : International Society for Psychophysics. ; , s. 43-44
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Auditory-perceptual assessment has been criticized because of its inherent subjectivity. However, perceptual judgments are the primary tool in the clinical assessment of voice and resonance parameters and a key task for the speech–language pathologist/therapist (SLP/T). Decision on treatment or further examination is based on the perceptual speech assessment which need to be reliable. Of all perceptual dimensions used to distinguish normal from abnormal speech the most difficult to judge reliably is hypernasality (Watterson et al., 2017). Nevertheless, the final decision regarding whether an individual has nasality or other speech problems is based on the listener’s subjective measurement (Moll, 1λ64). Nasality is present in normal voice production and refers to perceived nasal sounds arising from the coupling of the oral and nasal resonating cavities. Nasal consonants are common in the languages. Normal nasal resonance has a range of acceptability and is perceived along a continuum, while nasal resonance disorders are associated with defects or dysfunction in the palate. In the current study the reliability of perceptual assessment of hypernasality with three different methods were compared. Standardised audio recordings of 5-year-old Swedish-speaking children with repaired cleft palate consisting of 73 stimuli in three different randomised orders were perceptually assessed by four experienced speech-language pathologists using three different methods: a sort and rate procedure (VISOR) allowing comparison between and ordering stimuli along a visual analogue scale; a 2- step method beginning with determination whether the speech resonance is within normal range or not. If not, the stimulus is rated along a 3 point ordinal category scale; a combined category-ratio scale (Borg centiMax®(cM)), where verbally well-defined categories are levelanchored to a ratio scale. Each listener completed a total of 657 hypernasality ratings (73 stimuli in 3 orders by 3 methods) for the rating task. Good to excellent intra-rater reliability was found within each listener for all methods. The highest inter-rater reliability was demonstrated for VISOR and the Borg cM. High consistency within each method was found with the highest for the Borg cM. In conclusion, both the VISOR and the Borg centiMax® seem appropriate for auditory-perceptual assessment of hypernasality with similar and high reliability. However, the Borg cM showed slightly better consistency and seems easiest to use in a clinical setting. Further research should aim for valid definitions of how hypernasality corresponds to the categories along the scale.
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25. |
- McAllister, Anita, 1955-, et al.
(author)
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Child Voice and Noise : A Pilot Study of Noise in Day Cares and the Effects on 10 Children's Voice Quality According to Perceptual Evaluation
- 2009
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In: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier BV. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588. ; 23:5, s. 587-593
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The purpose of this investigation was to study children's exposure to background noise at the ears during a normal day at the day care center and also to relate this to a perceptual evaluation of voice quality. Ten children, from three day care centers, with no history of hearing and speech problems or frequent infections were selected as subjects. A binaural recording technique was used with two microphones placed on both sides of the subject's head, at equal distance from the mouth. A portable digital audio tape (DAT) recorder (Sony TCD-D 100, Stockholm, Sweden) was attached to the subject's waist. Three recordings were made for each child during the day. Each recording was calibrated and started with three repetitions of three sentences containing only sonorants. The recording technique allowed separate analyses of the background noise level and of the sound pressure level (SPL) of each subjects' own voice. Results showed a mean background noise level for the three day care centers at 82.6 dBA Leq, ranging from 81.5 to 83.6 dBA Leq. Day care center no. 2 had the highest mean value and also the highest value at any separate recording session with a mean background noise level of 85.4 dBA Leq during the noontime recordings. Perceptual evaluation showed that the children attending this day care center also received higher values on the following voice characteristics: hoarseness, breathiness, and hyperfunction. Girls increased their loudness level during the day, whereas for boys no such change could be observed.
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