Objective In voice assessment, the evaluation of voice quality is a major component in which roughness has received wide acceptance as a major subtype of abnormal voice quality. The aim of the present study was to develop a new multivariate acoustic model for the evaluation of roughness. Method In total, 970 participants with dysphonia and 88 participants with normal voice were included. Concatenated voice samples of continuous speech and sustained vowel [a:] were perceptually judged on roughness severity. Acoustic analyses were conducted on the voiced segments of the continuous speech sample plus sustained vowel as well. A stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was applied to construct an acoustic model of the best acoustic predictors. Concurrent validity, diagnostic accuracy, and cross-validation were verified on the basis of Spearman correlation coefficient (rs), several estimates of the receiver operating characteristics plus the likelihood ratio, and iterated internal cross-correlations. Results Six experts were included for perceptual analysis based on acceptable rater reliability. Stepwise multiple regression analysis yielded a 12-variable acoustic model. A marked correlation was identified between the model and the perceptual judgment (rs = 0.731, P = 0.000). The cross-correlations confirmed a high comparable degree of association. However, the receiver operating characteristics and likelihood ratio results showed the best diagnostic outcome at a threshold of 2.92, with a sensitivity of 51.9% and a specificity of 94.9%. Conclusions Currently, the newly developed roughness model is not recommended for clinical practice. Further research is needed to detect the acoustic complexity of roughness (eg, multiplophonia, irregularity, chaotic structure, glottal fry, etc).
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Purpose Over the last 5 decades, many acoustic measures have been created to measure roughness and breathiness. The aim of this study is to present a meta-analysis of correlation coefficients (r) between auditory-perceptual judgment of roughness and breathiness and various acoustic measures in both sustained vowels and continuous speech. Method Scientific literature reporting perceptual–acoustic correlations on roughness and breathiness were sought in 28 databases. Weighted average correlation coefficients (r w) were calculated when multiple r-values were available for a specific acoustic marker. An r w ≥ .60 was the threshold for an acoustic measure to be considered acceptable. Results From 103 studies of roughness and 107 studies of breathiness that were investigated, only 33 studies and 34 studies, respectively, met the inclusion criteria of the meta-analysis on sustained vowels. Eighty-six acoustic measures were identified for roughness and 85 acoustic measures for breathiness on sustained vowels, in which 43 and 39 measures, respectively, yielded multiple r-values. Finally, only 14 measures for roughness and 12 measures for breathiness produced r w ≥ .60. On continuous speech, 4 measures for roughness and 21 measures for breathiness were identified, yielding 3 and 6 measures, respectively, with multiple r-values in which only 1 and 2, respectively, had r w ≥ .60. Conclusion This meta-analysis showed that only a few acoustic parameters were determined as the best estimators for roughness and breathiness.
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On the eve of the twenty-first century, it is a scandal that there are still people sleeping rough on our streets. This is not a situation we can continue to tolerate in a modern and civil society. These were the words of Tony Blair in his foreword to the policy document Rough Sleeping, The Government’s Strategy. In this the Government set out the ‘tough but achievable target of reducing rough sleeping in England by at least two thirds by 2002’. To achieve this target, the Rough Sleepers Unit (RSU) was established and a strategy was set out. In 1999, inspired by this energetic approach, the councilwoman for homelessness in Amsterdam, Guusje ter Horst, stated that from 2000 no-one in Amsterdam would ever again have to sleep rough against their will. In this article we discuss some of the implications of the 2000 target in Central London, focusing on the balance in the British government’s approach between options and sanctions. We argue that this balance could be improved if more attention was paid to the views of rough sleepers themselves. On this point, Britain could learn something from the Netherlands. But the learning process is two-way: the RSU has something to offer to the Netherlands, in terms of the cohesive approach for which both countries are aiming, but which is better developed in Britain.
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Fontys University of Applied Science’s Institute of Engineering, and the Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research (DIFFER) are proposing to set up a professorship to develop novel sensors for fusion reactors. Sensors are a critical component to control and optimise the unstable plasma of Tokamak reactors. However, sensor systems are particularly challenging in fusion-plasma facing components, such as the divertor. The extreme conditions make it impossible to directly incorporate sensors. Furthermore, in advanced reactor concepts, such as DEMO, access to the plasma via ports will be extremely limited. Therefore, indirect or non-contact sensing modalities must be employed. The research group Distributed Sensor Systems (DSS) will develop microwave sensor systems for characterising the plasma in a tokamak’s divertor. DSS will take advantage of recent rapid developments in high frequency integrated circuits, found, for instance, in automotive radar systems, to develop digital reflectometers. Access through the divertor wall will be achieved via surface waveguide structures. The waveguide will be printed using 3D tungsten printing that has improved precision, and reduced roughness. These components will be tested for durability at DIFFER facilities. The performance of the microwave reflectometer, including waveguides, will be tested by using it to analyse the geometry and dynamics of the Magnum PSI plasma beam. The development of sensor-based systems is an important aspect in the integrated research and education program in Electrical Engineering, where DSS is based. The sensing requirements from DIFFER offers an interesting and highly relevant research theme to DSS and exciting projects for engineering students. Hence, this collaboration will strengthen both institutes and the educational offerings at the institute of engineering. Furthermore millimeter wave (mmWave) sensors have a wide range of potential applications, from plasma characterisation (as in this proposal) though to waste separation. Our research will be a step towards realising these broader application areas.
De fotonica industrie groeit snel in de Brainport regio. Multinationals zoals ASML maar ook talrijke MKB bedrijven werken aan complexe optische systemen. Zij concurreren op wereldschaal met high tech Amerikaanse en Aziatische spelers. Innovatie is daarvoor van levensbelang. R&D in de sleuteltechnologieën fotonica en geavanceerde fabricagesystemen levert hiervoor de hoognodige brandstof. Zo ook in dit project, waarbij twee high tech MKB bedrijven met Fontys 3D-metaalprinten op een nieuwe en slimme manier gaan inzetten voor fotonica. Complexe optische systemen bevatten meestal meerdere optische elementen (o.a. lenzen, spiegels, diafragma’s, lichtbronnen, sensoren) die onderling in een lichtweg gerangschikt en onderling afgesteld moeten worden. Hierbij worden z.g. optische mounts gebruikt om de positie van de individuele optische elementen vast te leggen en na afstelling te fixeren. Een dergelijke afstelmethode is vaak lastig (divergerend), tijdrovend en niet stabiel over de tijd (want gebaseerd op wrijvingsfixatie). Dit project onderzoekt als oplossing een geïntegreerd monolithisch 3D geprint montagesysteem voor optische elementen, waarbij gebruik gemaakt wordt van ruimtelijk georiënteerde 3D geprinte monolithische elementen (spelings- en hysteresevrij). Hiermee wordt de insteltijd aanzienlijk gereduceerd (doelstelling: 100% --> 30%). Tevens zal de positioneernauwkeurigheid van de hierin opgenomen optische elementen gegarandeerd zijn. Tenslotte zullen er aanzienlijk minder onderdelen in het ontwerp aanwezig zijn. Als concrete en haalbare demonstrator wordt een 3D geprinte monolithische optical mount voor de lichtweg van de “Arinna” laserinterferometer van IBSPE uit Eindhoven ontwikkeld en getest. 3D geprinte optical mounts zijn nieuw voor dit netwerk, maar Fontys en aangesloten ondernemers hebben de relevante ervaring in 3D metaalprinten en fotonica. Met de aangesloten fotonica netwerken Photon Delta, DSPE en PhotonicsNL kan de opgedane kennis snel opgeschaald worden en kunnen ook andere MKB bedrijven deze innovatieve mounts voor hun supply chains gaan onderzoeken.
