Speech intelligibility prediction in reverberation: Towards an integrated model of speech transmission, spatial unmasking, and binaural de-reverberation

Room acoustic indicators of intelligibility have focused on the effects of temporal smearing of speech by reverberation and masking by diffuse ambient noise. In the presence of a discrete noise source, these indicators neglect the binaural listener's ability to separate target speech from noise. Lavandier and Culling [(2010). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 127, 387–399] proposed a model that incorporates this ability but neglects the temporal smearing of speech, so that predictions hold for near-field targets. An extended model based on useful-to-detrimental (U/D) ratios is presented here that accounts for temporal smearing, spatial unmasking, and binaural de-reverberation in reverberant environments. The influence of the model parameters was tested by comparing the model predictions with speech reception thresholds measured in three experiments from the literature. Accurate predictions were obtained by adjusting the parameters to each room. Room-independent parameters did not lead to similar performances, suggesting that a single U/D model cannot be generalized to any room. Despite this limitation, the model framework allows to propose a unified interpretation of spatial unmasking, temporal smearing, and binaural de-reverberation. I. INTROD

Reverberation limits the release from informational masking obtained in the harmonic and binaural domains

A difference in fundamental frequency (ΔF0) and a difference in spatial location (ΔSL) are two cues known to provide masking releases when multiple speakers talk at once in a room. Situations were examined in which reverberation should have no effect on the mechanisms underlying the release from energetic masking produced by these two cues. Speech reception thresholds using both unpredictable target sentences and the coordinate response measure followed a similar pattern. Both ΔF0s and ΔSLs provided masking releases in the presence of non-speech maskers (matched in excitation pattern and temporal envelope to speech maskers) which, as intended, were robust to reverberation. Larger masking releases were obtained for speech maskers, but critically, they were affected by reverberation. The results suggest that reverberation either limits the amount of informational masking there is to begin with, or affects its release by ΔF0s or ΔSLs

Prediction of binaural speech intelligibility against noise in rooms

In the presence of competing speech or noise, reverberation degrades speech intelligibility not only by its direct effect on the target but also by affecting the interferer. Two experiments were designed to validate a method for predicting the loss of intelligibility associated with this latter effect. Speech reception thresholds were measured under headphones, using spatially separated target sentences and speech-shaped noise interferers simulated in virtual rooms. To investigate the effect of reverberation on the interferer unambiguously, the target was always anechoic. The interferer was placed in rooms with different sizes and absorptions, and at different distances and azimuths from the listener. The interaural coherence of the interferer did not fully predict the effect of reverberation. The azimuth separation of the sources and the coloration introduced by the room also had to be taken into account. The binaural effects were modeled by computing the binaural masking level differences in the studied configurations, the monaural effects were predicted from the excitation pattern of the noises, and speech intelligibility index weightings were applied to both. These parameters were all calculated from the room impulse responses convolved with noise. A 0.95–0.97 correlation was obtained between the speech reception thresholds and their predicted value

Speech segregation in rooms: effects of reverberation on both target and interferer

Speech reception thresholds were measured to investigate the influence of a room on speech segregation between a spatially separated target and interferer. The listening tests were realized under headphones. A room simulation allowed selected positioning of the interferer and target, as well as varying the absorption coefficient of the room internal surfaces. The measurements involved target sentences and speech-shaped noise or 2-voice interferers. Four experiments revealed that speech segregation in rooms was not only dependent on the azimuth separation of sound sources, but also on their direct-to-reverberant energy ratio at the listening position. This parameter was varied for interferer and target independently. Speech intelligibility decreased as the direct-to-reverberant ratio of sources was degraded by sound reflections in the room. The influence of the direct-to-reverberant ratio of the interferer was in agreement with binaural unmasking theories, through its effect on interaural coherence. The effect on the target occurred at higher levels of reverberation and was explained by the intrinsic degradation of speech intelligibility in reverberation

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age  6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score  652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701

Différences entre enceintes acoustiques : une évaluation physique et perceptive

We look for relationships between perceptual and physical evaluations of differences between the restitution of timbre by loudspeakers. Our experimental protocol consists in recording the sound radiated by loudspeakers in a room, and submitting the recordings to listening tests under headphones, as well as to signal analyses. The resulting objective and perceptual dissimilarities are compared. First, the correlation between dissimilarities is computed. Then, we abandon the criterion of linearity and take into account the multidimensional nature of the perception of reproduced sound: both types of dissimilarities are submitted to multidimensional scaling analysis, and the resulting spaces are visually compared. Our results showed the importance of using auditory models to differentiate the signals in the same way as listeners did. Objective attributes describing two of the main perceptual dimensions used by listeners are proposed.Cette étude vise à relier les évaluations physiques et perceptives de différences de restitution du timbre par des enceintes acoustiques. Notre protocole expérimental consiste à enregistrer le champ acoustique rayonné par des enceintes dans une pièce. Ces enregistrements sont soumis à des tests d'écoute au casque, ainsi qu'à des analyses de signal. Les dissemblances objectives et perceptives obtenues sont comparées. La corrélation entre dissemblances est d'abord calculée. Nous abandonnons ensuite le critère de linéarité et prenons en compte le caractère multidimensionnel de notre perception de la reproduction sonore : les deux types de dissemblances sont soumis à une analyse multidimensionnelle, et les espaces obtenus sont comparés visuellement. Nos résultats montrent l'importance d'utiliser des modèles auditifs afin de différencier les signaux d'une manière analogue à celle des auditeurs. Des attributs objectifs décrivant deux des dimensions principales impliquées sont proposés

Comparing the influence of several trajectories of head-tracked movements on the externalization of speech stimulus using non- individualized binaural synthesis

International audienceBinaural rendering uses headphones to (re)create an audio scene at the ears of the listener. In the real acoustic world, sound sources tend to be externalized (that is, perceived to be emanating from a source out in the world) rather than internalized (that is, perceived to be emanating from inside the head). Unfortunately, several studies report a collapse of externalization when listening with headphones to frontal or rear virtual sound sources using non-individualized head-related transfer functions (HRTFs). Previous experiments, conducted with both naive and expert listeners, revealed that this issue could be alleviated by large head-tracked movements (+/-90° continuous rotation of the head in the horizontal plane, with static evaluation immediately following the movement). The present study investigates whether enhanced externalization can also be observed when head movements are: 1) smaller (+/-50°), 2) in the vertical plane and 3) discontinuous (instantaneous shifts in head position). The three parameters under study ? amplitude, direction and continuity - were varied independently within a single experimental paradigm in order to: 1) determine whether optimized head-tracked movements can be defined, bringing highest externalization at the lowest cost in terms of efforts and time, 2) compare the contribution of binaural vs. monaural cues to externalization and 3) determine whether binaural/monaural cues have to vary continuously in order to enhance externalization

Impact of urban road traffic on sound unpleasantness: A comparison of traffic scenarios at crossroads

International audienc