Biomedical subjects

Jorge C Lucero

Publications and source records attributed to Jorge C Lucero.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Comparison of measures of variability of speech movement trajectories using synthetic records.

In speech research, it is often desirable to assess quantitatively the variability of a set of speech movement trajectories. This problem is studied here using synthetic trajectories, which consist of a common pattern and terms representing amplitude and phase variability. The results show that a technique for temporal alignment of the records based on functional data analysis allows us to extract the pattern and variability terms as separate functions, with good approximation. Indices of amplitude and phase variability are defined, which provide a more accurate assessment of variability than previous approaches.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2005

Simulations of temporal patterns of oral airflow in men and women using a two-mass model of the vocal folds under dynamic control.

In this study we use a low-dimensional laryngeal model to reproduce temporal variations in oral airflow produced by speakers in the vicinity of an abduction gesture. It attempts to characterize these temporal patterns in terms of biomechanical parameters such as glottal area, vocal fold stiffness, subglottal pressure, and gender differences in laryngeal dimensions. A two-mass model of the vocal folds coupled to a two-tube approximation of the vocal tract is fitted to oral airflow records measured in men and women during the production of /aha/ utterances, using the subglottal pressure, glottal width, and Q factor as control parameters. The results show that the model is capable of reproducing the airflow records with good approximation. A nonlinear damping characteristics is needed, to reproduce the flow variation at glottal abduction. Devoicing is achieved by the combined action of vocal fold abduction, the decrease of subglottal pressure, and the increase of vocal fold tension. In general, the female larynx has a more restricted region of vocal fold oscillation than the male one. This would explain the more frequent devoicing in glottal abduction-adduction gestures for /h/ in running speech by women, compared to men.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Empirical modeling of human face kinematics during speech using motion clustering.

In this paper we present an algorithm for building an empirical model of facial biomechanics from a set of displacement records of markers located on the face of a subject producing speech. Markers are grouped into clusters, which have a unique primary marker and a number of secondary markers with an associated weight. Motion of the secondary markers is computed as the weighted sum of the primary markers of the clusters to which they belong. This model may be used to produce facial animations, by driving the primary markers with measured kinematic signals.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2005

Multidimensional analyses of voicing offsets and onsets in female speakers.

This study investigates cross-speaker differences in the factors that predict voicing thresholds during abduction-adduction gestures in six normal women. Measures of baseline airflow, pulse amplitude, subglottal pressure, and fundamental frequency were made at voicing offset and onset during intervocalic /h/, produced in varying vowel environments and at different loudness levels, and subjected to relational analyses to determine which factors were most strongly related to the timing of voicing cessation or initiation. The data indicate that (a) all speakers showed differences between voicing offsets and onsets, but the degree of this effect varied across speakers; (b) loudness and vowel environment have speaker-specific effects on the likelihood of devoicing during /h/; and (c) baseline flow measures significantly predicted times of voicing offset and onset in all participants, but other variables contributing to voice timing differed across speakers. Overall, the results suggest that individual speakers have unique methods of achieving phonatory goals during running speech. These data contribute to the literature on individual differences in laryngeal function, and serve as a means of evaluating how well laryngeal models can reproduce the range of voicing behavior used by speakers during running speech tasks.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Phonation thresholds as a function of laryngeal size in a two-mass model of the vocal folds.

This letter analyzes the oscillation onset-offset conditions of the vocal folds as a function of laryngeal size. A version of the two-mass model of the vocal folds is used, coupled to a two-tube approximation of the vocal tract in configuration for the vowel /a/. The standard male configurations of the laryngeal and vocal tract models are used as reference, and their dimensions are scaled using a single factor. Simulations of the vocal fold oscillation and oral output are produced for varying values of the scaling factor. The results show that the oscillation threshold conditions become more restricted for smaller laryngeal sizes, such as those appropriate for females and children.

Age Factors↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Identifying a differential equation for lip motion.

A second order homogeneous differential equation is fitted to lip trajectories during speech at fast, normal, and slow speaking rates. The objective is to characterize lip motion in terms of biomechanical parameters such as stiffness, damping, and applied external forces. The results show that, at fast speaking rates, the lip behaves like a simple mass-spring oscillator moving at its natural frequency, and with low variability across repetitions. At slow speaking rates, on the other hand, the lip is under a stronger external control to conform to the required trajectory, which introduces a larger variability across repetitions. The case of normal rate falls between the fast and slow rate cases.

Algorithms↗