Speech Intelligibility in Noise With a Single-Unit Cochlear Implant Audio Processor.

INTRODUCTION The Rondo is a single-unit cochlear implant (CI) audio processor comprising the identical components as its behind-the-ear predecessor, the Opus 2. An interchange of the Opus 2 with the Rondo leads to a shift of the microphone position toward the back of the head. This study aimed to investigate the influence of the Rondo wearing position on speech intelligibility in noise. METHODS Speech intelligibility in noise was measured in 4 spatial configurations with 12 experienced CI users using the German adaptive Oldenburg sentence test. A physical model and a numerical model were used to enable a comparison of the observations. RESULTS No statistically significant differences of the speech intelligibility were found in the situations in which the signal came from the front and the noise came from the frontal, ipsilateral, or contralateral side. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was significantly better with the Opus 2 in the case with the noise presented from the back (4.4 dB, p < 0.001). The differences in the SNR were significantly worse with the Rondo processors placed further behind the ear than closer to the ear. CONCLUSION The study indicates that CI users with the receiver/stimulator implanted in positions further behind the ear are expected to have higher difficulties in noisy situations when wearing the single-unit audio processor.

Statistical Learning, Syllable Processing, and Speech Production in Healthy Hearing and Hearing-Impaired Preschool Children: A Mismatch Negativity Study

OBJECTIVES The objectives of the present study were to investigate temporal/spectral sound-feature processing in preschool children (4 to 7 years old) with peripheral hearing loss compared with age-matched controls. The results verified the presence of statistical learning, which was diminished in children with hearing impairments (HIs), and elucidated possible perceptual mediators of speech production. DESIGN Perception and production of the syllables /ba/, /da/, /ta/, and /na/ were recorded in 13 children with normal hearing and 13 children with HI. Perception was assessed physiologically through event-related potentials (ERPs) recorded by EEG in a multifeature mismatch negativity paradigm and behaviorally through a discrimination task. Temporal and spectral features of the ERPs during speech perception were analyzed, and speech production was quantitatively evaluated using speech motor maximum performance tasks. RESULTS Proximal to stimulus onset, children with HI displayed a difference in map topography, indicating diminished statistical learning. In later ERP components, children with HI exhibited reduced amplitudes in the N2 and early parts of the late disciminative negativity components specifically, which are associated with temporal and spectral control mechanisms. Abnormalities of speech perception were only subtly reflected in speech production, as the lone difference found in speech production studies was a mild delay in regulating speech intensity. CONCLUSIONS In addition to previously reported deficits of sound-feature discriminations, the present study results reflect diminished statistical learning in children with HI, which plays an early and important, but so far neglected, role in phonological processing. Furthermore, the lack of corresponding behavioral abnormalities in speech production implies that impaired perceptual capacities do not necessarily translate into productive deficits.

Speech Intelligibility in Noise With a Pinna Effect Imitating Cochlear Implant Processor.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the speech intelligibility in noise with a new cochlear implant (CI) processor that uses a pinna effect imitating directional microphone system. STUDY DESIGN Prospective experimental study. SETTING Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS Ten experienced, unilateral CI recipients with bilateral severe-to-profound hearing loss. INTERVENTION All participants performed speech in noise tests with the Opus 2 processor (omnidirectional microphone mode only) and the newer Sonnet processor (omnidirectional and directional microphone mode). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE The speech reception threshold (SRT) in noise was measured in four spatial settings. The test sentences were always presented from the front. The noise was arriving either from the front (S0N0), the ipsilateral side of the CI (S0NIL), the contralateral side of the CI (S0NCL), or the back (S0N180). RESULTS The directional mode improved the SRTs by 3.6 dB (p < 0.01), 2.2 dB (p < 0.01), and 1.3 dB (p < 0.05) in the S0N180, S0NIL, and S0NCL situations, when compared with the Sonnet in the omnidirectional mode. There was no statistically significant difference in the S0N0 situation. No differences between the Opus 2 and the Sonnet in the omnidirectional mode were observed. CONCLUSION Speech intelligibility with the Sonnet system was statistically different to speech recognition with the Opus 2 system suggesting that CI users might profit from the pinna effect imitating directionality mode in noisy environments.

Comprehension of Co-Speech Gestures in Aphasic Patients: An Eye Movement Study.

BACKGROUND: Co-speech gestures are omnipresent and a crucial element of human interaction by facilitating language comprehension. However, it is unclear whether gestures also support language comprehension in aphasic patients. Using visual exploration behavior analysis, the present study aimed to investigate the influence of congruence between speech and co-speech gestures on comprehension in terms of accuracy in a decision task. METHOD: Twenty aphasic patients and 30 healthy controls watched videos in which speech was either combined with meaningless (baseline condition), congruent, or incongruent gestures. Comprehension was assessed with a decision task, while remote eye-tracking allowed analysis of visual exploration. RESULTS: In aphasic patients, the incongruent condition resulted in a significant decrease of accuracy, while the congruent condition led to a significant increase in accuracy compared to baseline accuracy. In the control group, the incongruent condition resulted in a decrease in accuracy, while the congruent condition did not significantly increase the accuracy. Visual exploration analysis showed that patients fixated significantly less on the face and tended to fixate more on the gesturing hands compared to controls. CONCLUSION: Co-speech gestures play an important role for aphasic patients as they modulate comprehension. Incongruent gestures evoke significant interference and deteriorate patients' comprehension. In contrast, congruent gestures enhance comprehension in aphasic patients, which might be valuable for clinical and therapeutic purposes.

Perception of co-speech gestures in aphasic patients: A visual exploration study during the observation of dyadic conversations

Background: Co-speech gestures are part of nonverbal communication during conversations. They either support the verbal message or provide the interlocutor with additional information. Furthermore, they prompt as nonverbal cues the cooperative process of turn taking. In the present study, we investigated the influence of co-speech gestures on the perception of dyadic dialogue in aphasic patients. In particular, we analysed the impact of co-speech gestures on gaze direction (towards speaker or listener) and fixation of body parts. We hypothesized that aphasic patients, who are restricted in verbal comprehension, adapt their visual exploration strategies. Methods: Sixteen aphasic patients and 23 healthy control subjects participated in the study. Visual exploration behaviour was measured by means of a contact-free infrared eye-tracker while subjects were watching videos depicting spontaneous dialogues between two individuals. Cumulative fixation duration and mean fixation duration were calculated for the factors co-speech gesture (present and absent), gaze direction (to the speaker or to the listener), and region of interest (ROI), including hands, face, and body. Results: Both aphasic patients and healthy controls mainly fixated the speaker’s face. We found a significant co-speech gesture x ROI interaction, indicating that the presence of a co-speech gesture encouraged subjects to look at the speaker. Further, there was a significant gaze direction x ROI x group interaction revealing that aphasic patients showed reduced cumulative fixation duration on the speaker’s face compared to healthy controls. Conclusion: Co-speech gestures guide the observer’s attention towards the speaker, the source of semantic input. It is discussed whether an underlying semantic processing deficit or a deficit to integrate audio-visual information may cause aphasic patients to explore less the speaker’s face. Keywords: Gestures, visual exploration, dialogue, aphasia, apraxia, eye movements

A Dynamic Analysis: the Smile and Display of Dentition during Speech

The objective of this retrospective study is to follow up on a previous Dynamic Smile Analysis and videographically analyze and develop averages for soft tissue norms with respect to the display of dentition during speech. These values would then be compared cross-sectionally across different age groups to see whether changes attributable to the aging process could be seen. A secondary objective was to compare averages for soft tissue norms in the display of dentition during speech to averages for soft tissue norms in the display of dentition during the smile. Materials and Method: Records from a previous study in which video equipment was used to capture video for 26 1 subjects were re-evaluated to find appropriate frames to analyze for speech. Two frames for each subject were selected; one frame representing the maximal display of maxillary incisors during speech and the second representing the widest transverse display of dentition during speech. After excluding 40 subjects the data for the remaining 221 subjects was analyzed. These averages were then compared to averages attained in the previous study to compare the display of the dentition during speech to the display of the dentition during smile. Results: On average, a difference in 1.29 mm was seen in the display of the maxillary incisors during speech at maximal display and during the smile. An average of 7.23 mm of maxillary incisors is readily visible during maximum display of maxillary incisors during speech, as compared to 8.52 mm during the smile. The constructed smile index was also smaller when measured during the speech when compared to the smile index by an average of 2.58 units. Conclusion: This study helps to establish age-related dynamic norms for the display of dentition during speech. The dynamic measures indicate that the display of dectition is greater, on average, during the smile than at speech.

Assessment of English Language Learners Seeking a Graduate Degree in Speech Language Pathology

A shortage of bilingual/bicultural speech language pathologists may reflect a problem with recruitment and retention of bilingual/bicultural students. The purpose of the present study was to survey graduate training programs in speech language pathology to determine typical policies and practices concerning students who apply and are admitted as ELLs. With a growing number of ELL children needing services from a bilingual SLP, it seems that little is being done to address the issue. The problem may be with the reluctance of programs to not only accept ELL students, but there also seems to be a disinclination for any sort of training program to be established for these ELL students. Clinic directors were asked to complete a survey about ELLs seeking clinical training in speech language pathology. In particular, we were interested in obtaining information about whether clinical training programs a) provided opportunities for ELL to participate in clinic, b) assessed the English skills of these students, and c) provided remediation if these students English skills were judged to be less than proficient.

Speech delivered in the Reichstag, May 21st., 1935 : approved translation

by Adolf Hitler

Evaluating a Speech Communication System for deaf people

This paper describes the development of an Advanced Speech Communication System for Deaf People and its field evaluation in a real application domain: the renewal of Driver’s License. The system is composed of two modules. The first one is a Spanish into Spanish Sign Language (LSE: Lengua de Signos Española) translation module made up of a speech recognizer, a natural language translator (for converting a word sequence into a sequence of signs), and a 3D avatar animation module (for playing back the signs). The second module is a Spoken Spanish generator from sign-writing composed of a visual interface (for specifying a sequence of signs), a language translator (for generating the sequence of words in Spanish), and finally, a text to speech converter. For language translation, the system integrates three technologies: an example-based strategy, a rule-based translation method and a statistical translator. This paper also includes a detailed description of the evaluation carried out in the Local Traffic Office in the city of Toledo (Spain) involving real government employees and deaf people. This evaluation includes objective measurements from the system and subjective information from questionnaires. Finally, the paper reports an analysis of the main problems and a discussion about possible solutions.

Review of Research on Speech Technology: Main Contributions From Spanish Research Groups

In the last two decades, there has been an important increase in research on speech technology in Spain, mainly due to a higher level of funding from European, Spanish and local institutions and also due to a growing interest in these technologies for developing new services and applications. This paper provides a review of the main areas of speech technology addressed by research groups in Spain, their main contributions in the recent years and the main focus of interest these days. This description is classified in five main areas: audio processing including speech, speaker characterization, speech and language processing, text to speech conversion and spoken language applications. This paper also introduces the Spanish Network of Speech Technologies (RTTH. Red Temática en Tecnologías del Habla) as the research network that includes almost all the researchers working in this area, presenting some figures, its objectives and its main activities developed in the last years.

A speech interface for air traffic control terminals

Several issues concerning the current use of speech interfaces are discussed and the design and development of a speech interface that enables air traffic controllers to command and control their terminals by voice is presented. A special emphasis is made in the comparison between laboratory experiments and field experiments in which a set of ergonomics-related effects are detected that cannot be observed in the controlled laboratory experiments. The paper presents both objective and subjective performance obtained in field evaluation of the system with student controllers at an air traffic control (ATC) training facility. The system exhibits high word recognition test rates (0.4% error in Spanish and 1.5% in English) and low command error (6% error in Spanish and 10.6% error in English in the field tests). Subjective impression has also been positive, encouraging future development and integration phases in the Spanish ATC terminals designed by Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea (AENA).

Automatic Understanding of ATC Speech: Study of Prospectives and Field Experiments for Several Controller Positions

Although there has been a lot of interest in recognizing and understanding air traffic control (ATC) speech, none of the published works have obtained detailed field data results. We have developed a system able to identify the language spoken and recognize and understand sentences in both Spanish and English. We also present field results for several in-tower controller positions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that field ATC speech (not simulated) is captured, processed, and analyzed. The use of stochastic grammars allows variations in the standard phraseology that appear in field data. The robust understanding algorithm developed has 95% concept accuracy from ATC text input. It also allows changes in the presentation order of the concepts and the correction of errors created by the speech recognition engine improving it by 17% and 25%, respectively, absolute in the percentage of fully correctly understood sentences for English and Spanish in relation to the percentages of fully correctly recognized sentences. The analysis of errors due to the spontaneity of the speech and its comparison to read speech is also carried out. A 96% word accuracy for read speech is reduced to 86% word accuracy for field ATC data for Spanish for the "clearances" task confirming that field data is needed to estimate the performance of a system. A literature review and a critical discussion on the possibilities of speech recognition and understanding technology applied to ATC speech are also given.