Validation of an Algorithm for Semi-automated Estimation of Voice Relative Fundamental Frequency.

Objectives: Relative fundamental frequency (RFF) has shown promise as an acoustic measure of voice, but the subjective and time-consuming nature of its manual estimation has made clinical translation infeasible. Here, a faster, more objective algorithm for RFF estimation is evaluated in a large and diverse sample of individuals with and without voice disorders.

Methods: Acoustic recordings were collected from 154 individuals with voice disorders and 36 age- and sex-matched controls with typical voices.

The Impact of Glottal Configuration on Speech Breathing.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine whether changes in respiratory patterns occurred in response to volitional changes in glottal configuration.

Methods: Twelve vocally healthy participants read a passage while wearing the Inductotrace respiratory inductive plethysmograph, which measures the excursions of the rib cage and abdomen. Participants read the passage 5 times in a typical speaking voice (baseline phase), 10 times in an experimental voice, which was similar to a breathy vocal quality (experimental phase), and 5 times again in a typical speaking voice (return phase).

Voice Relative Fundamental Frequency Via Neck-Skin Acceleration in Individuals With Voice Disorders.

Purpose: This study investigated the use of neck-skin acceleration for relative fundamental frequency (RFF) analysis.

Method: Forty individuals with voice disorders associated with vocal hyperfunction and 20 age- and sex-matched control participants were recorded with a subglottal neck-surface accelerometer and a microphone while producing speech stimuli appropriate for RFF. Rater reliabilities, RFF means, and RFF standard deviations derived from the accelerometer were compared with those derived from the microphone.

Individual Monitoring of Vocal Effort With Relative Fundamental Frequency: Relationships With Aerodynamics and Listener Perception.

Purpose: The acoustic measure relative fundamental frequency (RFF) was investigated as a potential objective measure to track variations in vocal effort within and across individuals.

Method: Twelve speakers with healthy voices created purposeful modulations in their vocal effort during speech tasks. RFF and an aerodynamic measure of vocal effort, the ratio of sound pressure level to subglottal pressure level, were estimated from the aerodynamic and acoustic signals.

Discrete vs. continuous surface electromyographic interface control.

Over 50% of the 273,000 individuals with spinal cord injuries in the US have cervical injuries and are therefore unable to operate a keyboard and mouse with their hands. In this experiment, we compared two systems using surface electromyography (sEMG) recorded from facial muscles to control an onscreen keyboard. Both systems used five sEMG sensors to capture muscle activity during five distinct facial gestures that then mapped to five cursor commands: move left, move right, move up, move down, and click.