Innovative Speech Articulation Tools for Neuroscience Research

描述（由申请人提供）：语言清晰度的变化可能伴随着许多影响语言神经控制的生物医学疾病和病症。从历史上看，通过声学分析测量这些变化需要费力的手工测量或计算机编程技能。作为以前工作的输出的一部分，我们已经开发出快速自动计算机程序的基础上的声学地标的一些具体的研究。这些程序大大简化了获取和分析语音产生数据的过程。在多次合作中，我们发现我们开发的用于产生这些程序的方法在广泛分离的神经学领域产生了重要而有用的结果。然而，迄今为止，这些程序的制定是根据个别项目的特殊需要进行的，并没有系统地解决外部用户的需要。 作为对PA 08-114的回应，我们将把我们的程序库扩展成一个方便的软件工具SpeechMark，供有或没有语音研究背景的科学家更广泛地使用。SpeechMark的模块将以具体措施菜单的形式呈现，并将以现有分析软件工具插件（“端口”）的形式提供 如WaveSurfer、R分析系统、MATLAB和Excel。他们将提供的措施，以及额外的综合措施，我们已经发现是可靠的指标之间存在的人口或条件的语音差异的汇总统计。此外，SpeechMark将被设置为以标准表格格式报告来自单个音频文件或音频文件组的数据，以便轻松输入统计或其他分析软件。我们计划在通用软件开发工具包（SDK）中开发一种有组织的方法，作为每个SpeechMark端口的基础。这将使我们能够维持现有的端口，并开发新的端口，以应对用户群体不断变化的需求。正如PA 08-114所设想的那样，这些工具的可用性将“启动”在广泛的神经学重要研究领域中使用言语产生分析。 公共卫生相关性：健康状况和说话条件的变化通常会影响言语的清晰度。由于缺乏强大的、用户友好的软件工具来快速、自动地测量语音声学，对这些变化的科学研究受到了阻碍。软件开发的目的是使专注于清晰度的声学地标检测软件以WaveSurfer、MATLAB和Excel等现有分析软件工具的附加组件形式提供给更广泛的科学家社区。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Changes in speech articulation can accompany many biomedical disorders and conditions that affect neurological control of speech. Historically, measuring these changes by acoustic analysis has required either laborious hand measurement or computer programming skill. As part of the output of previous work, we have developed fast automatic computer procedures based on acoustic landmarks for a number of specific studies. These procedures considerably streamline the process of acquiring and analyzing speech production data. In multiple collaborations we have found that the method we have developed to produce these procedures yields significant and useful results in widely separated areas of neurological interest. However, development of these procedures has thus far proceeded in response to the particular needs of individual projects and has not systematically addressed the needs of outside users. In response to PA 08-114, we will expand our library of procedures into a convenient software tool, SpeechMark, for wider use by scientists with or without a background in speech research. SpeechMark's modules will be presented as a menu of specific measures and will be provided in the form of plug-ins ("ports") to existing analysis software tools such as WaveSurfer, the R statistical-analysis system, MATLAB, and Excel. They will offer summary statistics for the measures as well as for additional composite measures that we have found to be reliable indicators of the existence of speech differences between populations or conditions. Further, SpeechMark will be set up to report data from a single audio file, or groups of audio files in a standard table format, for easy input to statistical or other analysis software We plan to develop an organized methodology in, a common Software Development Kit (SDK) as a foundation for every SpeechMark port. This will enable us to maintain existing ports and develop new ones in response to the changing needs of the user community. As envisioned by PA 08-114, the availability of such tools will "jump-start" the use of speech production analysis across a wide range of neurologically important areas of research. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Changes in health status and speaking condition often affect the articulation of speech. Scientific investigation of these changes has been handicapped by lack of access to robust, user-friendly software tools for fast, automatic measurement of speech acoustics. The software development is aimed at making acoustic landmark-detection software, which is focused on articulation, available to a wider community of scientists in the form of add-ons to existing analysis software tools such as WaveSurfer, MATLAB, and Excel.