Air pressure and airflow differences between esophageal and tracheoesophageal speech of Cantonese

The present study attempted to investigate the aerodynamic differences between esophageal (SE) and tracheoesophageal (TE) speech of Cantonese. Airflow data was obtained from sustained vowels, and pressure below the pharyngoesophageal (PE) segment was estimated from /ip(h)ip(h)i/ syllables produced by the alaryngeal speakers. Results indicated that SE speech was associated with a lower rate of airflow and a higher pressure below the PE segment than TE speech. Based on the pressure-flow relationship, it is inferred that the estimated neoglottal resistance is greater in SE speakers than in TE speakers. It is speculated that such difference in neoglottal resistance may be related to the use of different air reservoir mechanism between SE and TE speakers.postprintThe 9th Phonetic Conference of China (PCC 2010) and Conference in Evolutionary Linguistics II (CIEL-II), Nankai University, Tianjin, China, 28 May-1 June 2010.第九届中国语音学学术会议、 第二届演化语言学研讨会，中国， 天津，南开大学，2010年5月28日至6月1日

Interaction between lexical tone and labial movement in Cantonese bilabial plosive production

Regular SessionThe present study investigates the possible acoustic-articulatory interaction during production of Cantonese plosives at different lexical tones. Using electromagnetic articulography (EMA), movement of the jaw, and upper and lower lips was measured during production of word-initial bilabial plosives at six lexical tones. Preliminary data reveals a strong relationship between aspiration and lip opening velocity (LOV), as well as tone and range of labial separation. The present data indicate a dependency between the articulatory and phonatory systems of the human speech production mechanism.published_or_final_versio

Contribution of voice fundamental frequency and formants to the identification of speaker’s gender

Regular SessionIdentification of gender from speech sounds has been found to rely on speakers’ voice fundamental frequency (F0) and formant frequencies. The present study aimed at examining the contribution of F0 and formants to the correct detection of speaker’s gender. Results revealed that F0 is the primary cue for gender perception and listeners showed a higher accuracy in identifying male’s than female’s voices.published_or_final_versio

Teaching English in Hong Kong Kindergartens: A Survey of Practices

The teaching of English to very young learners has become popular across the Asia Pacific region, and Hong Kong is no exception. This trend is believed to be driven by socio-economic forces rather than by educational research since there is a dearth of empirical research in this area. This paper draws on data from a questionnaire which was part of a larger study to portray systematically the school contexts in which the teaching of English took place. The principals of 38% (n=256) of the local registered kindergartens in Hong Kong responded to questions about English instruction time, teachers’ professional qualifications, curriculum activities and the school language environment. The results indicated that English was taught in most of the kindergartens as a specific subject, following a textbook-based approach. It was taught for an average of 64 minutes per week in programmes featuring half-day sessions. The teachers’ professional backgrounds, the allocation of instruction time, and the curriculum planning practices were diverse, implying that there was a large gap between the classroom instruction and the contextual support and guidelines. This gap should alert practitioners, parents, and policy makers to the fact that the perceived head start effect of teaching English early cannot be taken for granted. The intricate interaction between global forces, policy implementation and micro-level practices at the school level are also discussed and extrapolated.postprin

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation as a treatment for articulatory dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease

Neuroimaging has demonstrated that improved speech outcomes in Parkinson’s disease (PD) subsequent to behavioral treatment approaches is associated with increased activity in the motor and pre-motor cortex. High frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is capable of modulating cortical activity and has been reported to have significant benefit to general motor function in PD. It is possible therefore, that high frequency rTMS may also have …postprintThe 19th World Congress on Parkinson’s Disease and Related Disorders, Shanghai, China, 11-14 December 2011

Quantification of vocal tract configuration of older children with Down syndrome: A pilot study

Objective: To quantify the vocal tract (VT) lumen of older children with Down syndrome using acoustic reflection (AR) technology. Design: Comparative study. Setting: Vocal tract lab with sound-proof booth. Participants: Ten children (4 males and 6 females), aged 9-17 years old diagnosed with Down syndrome. Ten typically developing children (4 males and 6 females) matched for age, gender, and race. Intervention: Each participant's vocal tract measurements were obtained by using an Eccovision Acoustic Pharyngometer. Main outcome measures: Six vocal tract dimensional parameters (oral length, oral volume, pharyngeal length, pharyngeal volume, total vocal tract length, and total vocal tract volume) from children with Down syndrome and the typically developing children were measured and compared. Results: Children with Down syndrome exhibited small oral cavities when compared to control group (F(1, 18) = 6.55, p = 0.02). They also demonstrated a smaller vocal tract volumes (F(1, 18) = 2.58, p = 0.13), although the results were not statistically significant at the 0.05 level. Pharyngeal length, pharyngeal volume, and vocal tract length were not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusion: Children with Down syndrome had smaller oral cavities, and smaller vocal tract volumes. No significant differences were found for pharyngeal length, pharyngeal volume, and vocal tract length between these two groups. © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.postprin

Long-term average spectral characteristics of Cantonese alaryngeal speech

Objective: In Hong Kong, esophageal (SE), tracheoesophageal (TE), electrolaryngeal (EL), and pneumatic artificial laryngeal (PA) speech are commonly used by laryngectomees as a means to regain verbal communication after total laryngectomy. While SE and TE speech has been studied to some extent, little is known regarding the EL and PA sound quality. The present study examined the sound quality associated with SE, TE, EL, and PA speech, and compared with that associated with laryngeal (NL) speech by using long-term average speech spectra (LTAS). Methods: Continuous speech samples of reading a 136-word passage were obtained from NL, SE, TE, EL, and PA speakers of Cantonese. The alaryngeal speakers were all superior speakers selected from the New Voice Club of Hong Kong, which is a self-help organization for the laryngectomees in Hong Kong. TE speakers were fitted with Provox valve, and EL speakers used Servox-type electrolarynx. Speech samples were digitized at 20 kHz and 16 bits/sample by using Praat, based on which LTAS contours were developed. First spectral peak (FSP), mean spectral energy (MSE), and spectral tilt (ST) derived from the LTAS contours associated with different speaker groups were compared. Results: Data revealed all speakers generally exhibited similar LTA contours. However, PA speakers exhibited the lowest average FSP value and the greatest average MSE value. NL phonation was associated with a significantly greater ST value than alaryngeal speech of Cantonese. Conclusion: The differences in FSP, MSE, and ST values in different speaker groups may be related to the different sound sources being used by the laryngectomees, and the difference in the way the sound source is coupled with the vocal tract system. © 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.postprin

Women's sexuality after termination of pregnancy in Hong Kong Chinese

Objective: Our aim is to determine sexuality after termination of pregnancy (TOP) in Hong Kong Chinese. Design: This was a prospective study using self-administered questionnaires given before and eight weeks after abortion. Subjects: Women over age 18 years old requesting TOP were invited to participate in the study during the period 6 December 2005 to 28 March 2006. Main outcome measures: Sexual function, couple relationship and psychological well-being like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were assessed. Contraception was also reviewed. Results: No significant change in the number of women who presented with sexual dysfunctions before and after abortion. However, women reported subjective decrease in sexual functions after TOP, ranging from 9.8% for those with increased vaginal pain to 24.5% for those with decreased sexual desire. Majority of them (74.8%) suffered from at least moderate degree of post-traumatic stress symptoms and 10.2% had symptoms suggestive of the presence of a PTSD. Significant associations were seen in subjective decrease of sexual functions with post-traumatic stress symptoms after termination of pregnancy. On the other hand, 41.6% felt less depressed after abortion. There was no significant change in couple relationship after abortion. Conclusion: Termination of pregnancy did not cause sexual dysfunctions. However, significant proportion of women did suffer from decreased sexual functions subjectively which may be due to stress related to unplanned pregnancy or the TOP. The abortion itself did not cause depression and women who had completed family were less depressed after abortion. Post-traumatic stress was prevalent in those having abortion and the symptoms were associated with the subjective decrease in sexual functions.published_or_final_versio

The nested dirichlet distribution and incomplete categorical data analysis

The nested Dirichlet distribution (NDD) is an important distribution defined on the closed n-dimensional simplex. It includes the classical Dirichlet distribution and is useful in incomplete categorical data (ICD) analysis. In this article, we develop the distributional properties of NDD. New large-sample likelihood and small-sample Bayesian approaches for analyzing ICD are proposed and compared with existing likelihood/Bayesian strategies. We show that the new approaches have at least three advantages over existing approaches based on the traditional Dirichlet distribution in both frequentist and conjugate Bayesian inference for ICD. The new methods possess closed-form expressions for both the maximum likelihood and Bayes estimates when the likelihood function is in NDD form; produce computationally efficient EM and data augmentation algorithms when the likelihood is not in NDD form; and provide exact sampling procedures for some special cases. The methodologies are illustrated with simulated and real data.published_or_final_versio

Female sexual dysfunction

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