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Biomedical subjects

K Galyas

Publications and source records attributed to K Galyas.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1993

NORAM--an instrument used in the assessment of hypernasality: a clinical investigation.

The speech of 102 patients with complete unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and palate and 40 noncleft subjects was analysed using the NORAM (Nasal Oral Ratio Meter) instrument. The results obtained were compared with the perceptual judgments made by experienced listeners. A significant correlation was found between the NORAM values and the listener judgments. The NORAM instrument can thus be used as a complement to listener judgments in assessing hypernasality. A discussion of the acoustic and phonetic aspects of the differences between the instrumental and perceptual results is presented.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

NORAM: calibration and operational advice for measuring nasality in cleft palate patients.

This study was carried out to evaluate the NORAM (Nasal-Oral-RAtio-Meter), developed at the Department of Speech Communication and Music Acoustics, RIT. The speech samples used were the recorded speech of normal and nasally deviant speakers. NORAM measures the total speech time and the duration of the nasalized portions, it also calculates the ratio between these two values. The signals are picked up by two contact microphones, one placed on the alar cartilage of the nose and the other on the outside of the lamina of the thyroid cartilage. They are compared and the segment is rated as nasal, if the signal from the nose pick-up is close in intensity to the larynx signal. It was found that the threshold should be set 9 dB below the larynx signal. The reliability of the measurements depends to a large degree on the accurate calibration of the instrument. In sentences lacking nasal consonants, produced by normal speakers, some nasal segments were registered at word boundaries and at the end of phrases. In the patient material these segments tended to be broader and additional segments were also found.

Cleft Palate↗
PubMed1981

A multi-language, portable text-to-speech system for the disabled.

Previous experience with speech output aids for blind and non-vocal persons has shown great promise. The need for individual adjustments and the relatively small market, makes flexible, programmable aids necessary. A modular microprocessor text-to-speech system has been developed that is portable and battery-operated. This prototype has been adjusted to several different users. Programs for different languages have been developed. Connection of text sources is simplified by standardized interfaces. One special attachment is a 500 symbol Blissymbol board and a related Bliss-to-speech program that transforms the symbol string to well formed sentences.

Blindness↗
PubMed1976

Aids for speech-handicapped.

An improved electrolarynx is described. It provides handcontrolled fundamental frequency which enables the user to approximate natural intonation patterns, thus overcoming the monotony of speech with conventional aids. Training experiments with normal and with laryngectomized subjects have given promising results. A voice amplifier has been developed. Special care has been taken to minimize acoustic feedback problems. It is used for compensation of any weak voice, including esophageal speech and as a supplement to the electrolarynx for increasing the sound output and improving the signal-to-noise ratio. The use of synthetic speech in aids for anarthric patients is discussed.

Amplifiers, Electronic↗