• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
• /
• 제11권1호
• /
• pp.51-60
• /
• 2000

Background and Objectives : Quality of life(QOL) is a construct representing physical, mental and social well-being. QOL has been used as a device for measuring the severity of health-related condition and treatment outcomes. As the social welfare system develops, the attention to QOL increases as well. The aims of this study was to examine whether the patients with voice disorder perceived significantly more the effects of voice disorder on QOL than nonpatient group did and if any, identify the sociodemographic risk factors influencing QOL of patients. Materials and Methods : This study asked 113 adults with voice disorders who were enrolled in Voice Clinic in the Department of Otolaryngology, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital between lune 1998 and January 1999 and 111 nonpatients to complete a questionnaire designed to elicit information about the effete of voice disorders on quality of lift. The questionnaire included items concerning sociodemographic areas, voice symptoms, job, effects of voice disorders on QOL domains(work, social, psychological, physical, and communication areas), potential risk factors to exposures, familial and medical history of voice disorders. Results : The sociodemographic characteristics of the patient group are as follows : (1) 75.2% of total patient group were female and the rest were male. (2) Age of total patient group ranged from 20 to 65 years. Hoarseness was the most commonly reported complaints, followed by complaints of high note difficulties during singing and voice fatigue. The patient group perceived effects of voice disorders on the areas of work, social, psychological, physical and communication more adversely than the comparison group did (p＜0.05). QOL impairments were evaluated as a function of age, gender, education, and income, controlling other independent effects. The results were that (1) age was significantly associated with work problems and (2) gender and income were significantly associated with psychological problems. Conclusions : The findings indicated that the patients with voice disorders would perceive markedly adverse effect on all QOL domains, that is, work, social, psychological, physical, communicational areas. Therefore, the results of study suggest that lurker investigations about the nature of voice disorders, the prevention, treatment, and coping strategies are needed in the future.

• Speech Sciences
• /
• 제14권2호
• /
• pp.43-53
• /
• 2007

The purpose of this study was to observe the effect of eating a raw egg by professional or nonprofessional voice users on their voice quality and the duration of the effect. 20 professional voice users and 20 nonprofessional voice users participated in the experiment and they had gone through stroboscopy to have no vocal or laryngeal diseases. The voice exam was performed three times: before eating a raw egg (1st period), right after eating it (2nd period), and 10 minutes later (3rd period). By using Multi-dimensional Voice Program which is a software of Computerized Speech Lab 4500 as a voice analysis instrument, the authors checked the F0, Jitter, Shimmer, Noise to harmonic ratio (NHR), and Voice Range Profile (VRP). Results showed as follows: Firstly, vocal hygiene was good in 57.5% of the total subjects and was poor in 42.5%. 40% of professional voice users and 75% of nonprofessional voice users hand good quality. 77.5% of the total subjects had the vocal fatigue while 22.5% of the subjects did not. 95% of the professional voice users and 60% of nonprofessional voice users complained the vocal fatigue. 60% of the total subjects reported a subjective vocal symptom. 65.0% professional voice users and 70.0% of nonprofessional voice users reported a voice symptom. From the results above, we suggest that eating a raw egg may lead to imporve voice quality of the professional voice users.

• ETRI Journal
• /
• 제38권3호
• /
• pp.444-454
• /
• 2016

Voice service is very demanding in cognitive radio networks (CRNs). The available spectrum in a CRN for CR users varies owing to the presence of licensed users. On the other hand, voice packets are delay sensitive and can tolerate a limited amount of delay. This makes the support of voice traffic in a CRN a complicated task that can be achieved by devising necessary considerations regarding the various network functionalities. In this paper, the support of secondary voice users in a CRN is investigated. First, a novel packet scheduling scheme that can provide the required quality of service (QoS) to voice users is proposed. The proposed scheme utilizes the maximum packet transmission rate for secondary voice users by assigning each secondary user the channel with the best level of quality. Furthermore, an analytical framework developed for a performance analysis of the system, is described in which the effect of erroneous spectrum sensing on the performance of secondary voice users is also taken into account. The QoS parameters of secondary voice users, which were obtained analytically, are also detailed. The analytical results were verified through the simulation, and will provide helpful insight in supporting voice services in a CRN.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
• /
• 제4권2호
• /
• pp.105-114
• /
• 2012

This paper will discuss the difference between self assessment of voice disorders and the hearer voice assessment of a comparative group of normal subjects. The study was conducted on 25 voice disorder subjects and 32 hearers of a comparative group of normal subjects. The results are as follows. Firstly, in K-VHI and VHI-H, the hearers of the comparative group of normal subjects perceived more serious voice disorders than the voice disorder group in all sub-domains. Likewise, in K-VQOL and VRQOL-H, the hearers of the comparative group of normal subjects perceived more serious voice disorders than the voice disorder group in all sub-domains. Secondly, the hearer voice assessment of the comparative group of normal subjects showed no difference in gender regarding the perception of the severity of voice disorder issues. Thirdly, the hearer voice assessment of the comparative group of normal subjects states that in the emotional aspects of VHI-H, professional voice users perceive more serious voice disorders than others. Accordingly, in VRQOL-H, there was no difference in use of the voice between professionals and others.

• Speech Sciences
• /
• 제9권4호
• /
• pp.39-47
• /
• 2002

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Seo Dongil's voice technique on voice quality in patient with adductor spasmodic dysphonia. One patient participated in the study. The subject was assessed acoustically (Ave Fo, Ave Int, percent speech time, percent silence time, percent voice time, percent voiceless time) and perceptually (GRBAS scales) in the first and last session. Dr. Speech (version 4.0, Tiger-DRS) was used to compare acoustic parameters of pre-and post-treatment. Seo Dongil's voice technique consisted of relaxation, breathing exercise and phonation exercise. The results were as follows: First, Seo Dongil's voice technique tented to be effective on decreasing voice break and voice stoppage in patient with adductor spasmodic dysphonia. Second, GRBAS scales showed that Seo Dongil's voice technique was effective on improving voice quality of patient with adductor spasmodic dysphonia.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
• /
• 제28권3E호
• /
• pp.99-108
• /
• 2009

In this paper, we suggest criteria for objective measurement of speech quality in mobile VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services over wireless mobile internet such as mobile WiMAX networks. This is the case that voice communication service is available under other networks. When mobile VoIP service users in the mobile internet network based on packet call up PSTN and mobile network users, but there have not been relevant quality indexes and quality standards for evaluating speech quality of mobile VoIP. In addition, there are many factors influencing on the speech quality in packet network. Especially, if the degraded speech with packet loss transfers to the other network users through the handover, voice communication quality is significantly deteriorated by the transformation of speech codecs. In this paper, we eventually adopt the Gilbert-Elliot channel model to characterize packet network and assess the voice quality through the objective speech quality method of ITU-T P. 862. 1 MOS-LQO for the various call scenario from mobile VoIP service user to PSTN and mobile network users under various packet loss rates in the transmission channel environments. Our simulation results show that transformation of speech codecs results in the degraded speech quality for different transmission channel environments when mobile VoIP service users call up PSTN and mobile network users.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
• /
• 제18권1호
• /
• pp.56-61
• /
• 2007

Introduction: Actually classification of classic singers' voice depends on habitual judgment by voice teachers or voice trainer referring to vocal timbre, vocal range and vocal quality. Such judgments, however, may turn out to be incorrect because they are based on subjective opinions. Therefore, more objective methodology is required. Method: Foreign dissertations searched through Pub Med, along with foreign and domestic journals, were reviewed regard ing how singers' voice has been categorized. Results: Vocal range, vocal timbre, voice quality, fundamental frequency of habitual speaking, length of vocal tract, the length from cricoid cartilage to thyroid cartilage's thyroid notch and length of vocal fold, tone of passaggio as well as traditional approaches such as perceptual judgment used by professional singers have been used for categorize the voice classification. Conclusion: To optimize categorizing singers' voice, vocal range, vocal timbre, voice quality, fundamental frequency of habitual speaking, length of vocal tract, the length from cricoid cartilage to thyroid cartilage's thyroid notch and length of vocal fold, tone of passaggio may be totally recommended.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
• /
• 제30권1호
• /
• pp.21-27
• /
• 2019

Background and Objectives : Voice disorder is recognized as a major problem because it negatively affects the elderly's social participation and quality of life. The purpose of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of Korean aging voice index (KAVI), which assesses the quality of life related to the voice of the elderly. Materials and Method : This study was conducted on 211 elderly people aged 65 years or older : 111 patients with voice disorder (mean age 69.8, range 65-80 years) and 100 nomorphonic participants (mean age 70.6, range 65-82 years). Aging voice index was translated into Korean and used and Korean voice-related quality of life (KVQOL) was conducted to verify KAVI. The validity (item validity, concurrent validity, and construct validity) and reliability (test-retest reliability and internal consistency reliability) of KAVI. Results : The item validity (ICC=0.895) and construct validity (r=0.765) showed a high correlation, respectively. And concurrent validity (r=0.748), test-retest reliability (0.851), and internal consistency reliability (${\alpha}=0.832$) were statistically significant in voice disorder group. In addition, there was a significant difference between the voice disorder and the nomorphonic group in AVI total score. Conclusion : KAVI is a validated and reliable quality of life tool that will be useful for assessing the presence and effectiveness of interventions in clinical settings.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
• /
• 제15권3호
• /
• pp.69-74
• /
• 2023

This study introduces an innovative model for zero-shot voice conversion that utilizes the capabilities of HuBERT. Zero-shot voice conversion models can transform the speech of one speaker to mimic that of another, even when the model has not been exposed to the target speaker's voice during the training phase. Comprising five main components (HuBERT, feature encoder, flow, speaker encoder, and vocoder), the model offers remarkable performance across a range of scenarios. Notably, it excels in the challenging unseen-to-unseen voice-conversion tasks. The effectiveness of the model was assessed based on the mean opinion scores and similarity scores, reflecting high voice quality and similarity to the target speakers. This model demonstrates considerable promise for a range of real-world applications demanding high-quality voice conversion. This study sets a precedent in the exploration of HuBERT-based models for voice conversion, and presents new directions for future research in this domain. Despite its complexities, the robust performance of this model underscores the viability of HuBERT in advancing voice conversion technology, making it a significant contributor to the field.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
• /
• 제15권4호
• /
• pp.45-51
• /
• 2023

Voice issues such as voice weakness that arise with age can have social and emotional impacts, potentially leading to feelings of isolation and depression. This study aimed to investigate the changes in acoustic characteristics resulting from aging, focusing on voice quality and spoken fluency. To this end, tasks involving sustained vowel phonation and paragraph reading were recorded for 20 elderly and 20 young participants. Voice-quality-related variables, including F0, jitter, shimmer, and Cepstral Peak Prominence (CPP) values, were analyzed along with speech-fluency-related variables, such as average syllable duration (ASD), articulation rate (AR), and speech rate (SR). The results showed that in voice quality-related measurements, F0 was higher for the elderly and voice quality was diminished, as indicated by increased jitter, shimmer, and lower CPP levels. Speech fluency analysis also demonstrated that the elderly spoke more slowly, as indicated by all ASD, AR, and SR measurements. Correlation analysis between voice quality and speech fluency showed a significant relationship between shimmer and CPP values and between ASD and SR values. This suggests that changes in spoken fluency can be identified early by measuring the variations in voice quality. This study further highlights the reciprocal relationship between voice quality and spoken fluency, emphasizing that deterioration in one can affect the other.