Accuracy, recording interference, and articulatory quality of headsets for ultrasound recordings

Abstract In this paper we evaluate the accuracy, recording interference, and articulatory quality of two different ultrasound probe stabilization headsets: a metallic Ultrasound Stabilisation Headset (USH) and UltraFit, a recently developed headset that is 3D printed in Nylon. To evaluate accuracy, we recorded three native speakers of German with different head sizes using an optical marker tracking system that provides sub-millimeter tracking accuracy (NaturalPoint OptiTrack Expression). The speakers had to read C1V1C2V1/2 non-words (to diminish lexical influences) in three conditions: wearing the USH headset, wearing the UltraFit headset, and without a headset. To estimate the relative headset movement, we measured the movement between tracked points on the probe, headset, and speaker's nose. By also tracking visual marker points on the speaker's lip and chin, we compared the movement of the outer articulators with and without a headset and, thereby, measured how the headsets interfere with the articulatory space of the speaker. Additionally, we computed the differences in tongue profiles at the acoustic midpoint of V1 under the three conditions and evaluated the articulatory recording quality with a distance index and an area index. In the final evaluation, we also compared formant measurements of recordings with and without headsets. With this objective evaluation we provide a systematic analysis of different headsets for Ultrasound Tongue Imaging (UTI) and also contribute to the discussion of using UTI stabilization headsets for recording natural speech. We show that both headsets have a similar accuracy, with the USH performing slightly better overall but introducing the largest error for one speaker, and that the UltraFit headset shows more flexibility during recordings. Each headset influences the lip opening differently. Concerning the tongue movement, there are no significant differences between different sessions, showing the stability of both headsets during the recordings. Acoustic analysis of formant differences in vowels revealed that the USH headset has a larger influence on formant production than the UltraFit headset

A European study investigating patterns of transition from home care towards institutional dementia care: the protocol of a RightTimePlaceCare study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Health care policies in many countries aim to enable people with dementia to live in their own homes as long as possible. However, at some point during the disease the needs of a significant number of people with dementia cannot be appropriately met at home and institutional care is required. Evidence as to best practice strategies enabling people with dementia to live at home as long as possible and also identifying the right time to trigger admission to a long-term nursing care facility is therefore urgently required. The current paper presents the rationale and methods of a study generating primary data for best-practice development in the transition from home towards institutional nursing care for people with dementia and their informal caregivers. The study has two main objectives: 1) investigate country-specific factors influencing institutionalization and 2) investigate the circumstances of people with dementia and their informal caregivers in eight European countries. Additionally, data for economic evaluation purposes are being collected.</p> <p>Methods/design</p> <p>This paper describes a prospective study, conducted in eight European countries (Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, United Kingdom). A baseline assessment and follow-up measurement after 3 months will be performed. Two groups of people with dementia and their informal caregivers will be included: 1) newly admitted to institutional long-term nursing care facilities; and 2) receiving professional long-term home care, and being at risk for institutionalization. Data will be collected on outcomes for people with dementia (e.g. quality of life, quality of care), informal caregivers (e.g. caregiver burden, quality of life) and costs (e.g. resource utilization). Statistical analyses consist of descriptive and multivariate regression techniques and cross-country comparisons.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The current study, which is part of a large European project 'RightTimePlaceCare', generates primary data on outcomes and costs of long-term nursing care for people with dementia and their informal caregivers, specifically focusing on the transition from home towards institutional care. Together with data collected in three other work packages, knowledge gathered in this study will be used to inform and empower patients, professionals, policy and related decision makers to manage and improve health and social dementia care services.</p

Vom Spiel zur Story

Diese Masterarbeit untersucht aus einer soziolinguistischen und diskursanalytischen Perspektive anhand des spezifischen Genres der sogenannten „Story“ im Online-Forum „Civilization Webring Forum“ die Appropriation des Kulturartefakts „Sid Meier’s Civilization V“, um soziale Prozesse der Interaktion und Positionierung innerhalb der Diskursgemeinschaft dieses Forums nachzuvollziehen. Dabei stützt sie sich auf die Theorien der Cultural Studies nach Hall (1980) und Fiske (2011, 1990) als Rahmengerüst der kulturellen Rezeption, die Genretheorie Swales (1993) bzw. Baumans und Briggs (1992) zur Beschreibung des textuellen Umfelds und den Konzeptionen zur Positionierung nach Du Bois (2007) und Spitzmüller (2013b). Im Rahmen von Storys (sic) tauschen sich User*innen über ihre Spielerfahrung mittels narrativer Berichte aus, um die herum Kommentare getätigt werden. Als Ausgangspunkt zur Betrachtung dieses stark intertextuellen Genres dient eine Untersuchung der Rahmungen, die das Spiel selbst herstellt und die in weiterer Folge großen Einfluss auf die Gestaltung der Storys haben. Dem folgt die Entwicklung von Beschreibungskategorien für einzelne Instanzen innerhalb des Genres aus der quantitativ orientierten Analyse von 62 generisch passenden Threads des Forums, bevor die qualitative Analyse einer einzelnen Story darlegt, wie innerhalb des Genres Positionen hergestellt, eingenommen und verhandelt werden. 124 Dabei gelangt diese Arbeit zu dem Schluss, dass der kommunikative Prozess des Genres Story die Evaluation seiner inhärenten Stileigenschaften und dargestellter spielerischen Expertise vor dem Hintergrund des generischen Umfelds der Story im Speziellen und der Forengemeinschaft im Allgemeinen durch die teilnehmenden User*innen beinhaltet und so integraler Bestandteil von Selbstpräsentation und Identitätsbildung innerhalb der Forengemeinschaft ist.This Master’s Thesis aims to explore the appropriation of the computer game „Sid Meier’s Civilization V“ by the users of the online forum “Civilization Webring Forum” from a sociolinguistic and discourse analytic perspective via analyzing the genre “Story”, which has developed in said forum to share gaming experience between members. For analysis this thesis refers to the tradition of Cultural Studies done by Hall (1980) and Fiske (2011, 1990), the genre theory of Swales (1993) and Bauman and Briggs (1992) and positioning theory of Du Bois (2007) and Spitzmüller (2013b). This thesis starts by exploring the frames offered by the game itself as a point of departure before it establishes categories to describe single instances of the genre Story by means of quantitative oriented analysis of 62 apt threads of the forum. In a last step a single example is used to show by application of a qualitative oriented analysis how positioning is done in the communicative process of Storys (sic). The thesis concludes that by creating a room for evaluating and critizising its style and shown player skill in itself and in comparison to other instances of the genre the Story works as a means presenting oneself in front of the discourse community of the forum as a whole, thus being an important part of creating an in-group identity

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FU Berlin) organisiert. 35 Teilnehmer aus Universitäten und Industrie waren angemeldet; es fanden 12 Präsentationen und die Vorführung einiger Demonstratoren statt. Dieser Bericht enthält die Beschreibungen dieser Präsentationen sowie einige der vorgestellten Foliensätze. Die Organisatoren hoffen, daß diese Veranstaltung die Zusammenarbeit und Qualität der Forschung zu Sensornetze