• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2013

Persons with sensorineural hearing impairment have troubles in hearing at noisy environments because of their deteriorated hearing levels and low-spectral resolution of the auditory system and therefore, they use hearing aids to compensate weakened hearing abilities. Various algorithms for hearing loss compensation and environmental noise reduction have been implemented in the hearing aid; however, the performance of these algorithms vary in accordance with external sound situations and therefore, it is important to tune the operation of the hearing aid appropriately in accordance with a wide variety of sound situations. In this study, a sound classification algorithm that can be applied to the hearing aid was suggested. The proposed algorithm can classify the different types of speech situations into four categories: 1) speech-only, 2) noise-only, 3) speech-in-noise, and 4) music-only. The proposed classification algorithm consists of two sub-parts: a feature extractor and a speech situation classifier. The former extracts seven characteristic features - short time energy and zero crossing rate in the time domain; spectral centroid, spectral flux and spectral roll-off in the frequency domain; mel frequency cepstral coefficients and power values of mel bands - from the recent input signals of two microphones, and the latter classifies the current speech situation. The experimental results showed that the proposed algorithm could classify the kinds of speech situations with an accuracy of over 94.4%. Based on these results, we believe that the proposed algorithm can be applied to the hearing aid to improve speech intelligibility in noisy environments.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.363-368
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• 2018

Recently a slat type ceiling is widely used in various spaces, such as music performance spaces and concourse of airport and a general reception area of a building. However, it is hard to find a proper design guideline or material useful in designing such spaces, due to the lack of relevant researches on the effect of a slat ceiling on room acoustics. The present work investigated the effect of a slat type ceiling using a physical scale model method. A 1/20 scale model of a small shoe-box type music performance hall was built and a slat ceiling with different configurations was installed. 6 cases of different ceiling configurations were considered with the combination of 2 slat ceiling height cases and 3 distance cases between slats. The effect of a slat ceiling on the acoustics of a room was evaluated by measuring reverberance($T_{30}$), intelligibility and clarity($D_{50}$ and $C_{80}$), and loudness(G and $G_{80}$).

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.70-77
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• 2017

Bandwidth extension is a technique to improve speech quality, intelligibility and naturalness, extending from the 300 ~ 3,400 Hz narrowband speech to the 50 ~ 7,000 Hz wideband speech. In this paper, an Artificial Bandwidth Extension (ABE) module embedded in the Opus audio decoder is designed using the information of narrowband speech to reduce the computational complexity of LPC (Linear Prediction Coding) and LSF (Line Spectral Frequencies) analysis and the algorithm delay of the ABE module. We proposed a spectral envelope extension method using DBN (Deep Belief Network), one of deep learning techniques, and the proposed scheme produces better extended spectrum than the traditional codebook mapping method.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.649-655
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• 2022

In this paper, a determinant-based two-channel noise reduction method which utilizes speech presence probability (SPP) is proposed. The proposed method improves noise reduction performance from the conventional determinant-based two-channel noise reduction method in [7] by applying SPP to the Wiener filter gain. Consequently, the proposed method adaptively controls the amount of noise reduction depending on the SPP. For performance evaluation, the segmental signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the perceptual evaluation of speech quality, the short time objective intelligibility, and the log spectral distance were measured in the simulated noisy environments considered various types of noise, reverberation, SNR, and the direction and number of noise sources. The experimental results presented that determinant-based methods outperform phase difference-based methods in most cases. In particular, the proposed method achieved the best noise reduction performance maintaining minimum speech distortion.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.218-229
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• 2011

Companding algorithms have been used to enhance speech recognition in noise for cochlea implant users. The efficiency of using companding for digital hearing aid users is not yet validated. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of the companding for digital hearing aid users in the various hearing loss cases. Using HeLPS, a hearing loss simulator, two different sensorinerual hearing loss conditions were simulated; mild gently sloping hearing loss(HL1) and moderate to steeply sloping hearing loss(HL2). In addition, a non-linear compression was simulated to compensate for hearing loss using national acoustic laboratories-non-linear version 1(NAL-NL1) in HeLPS. In companding, the following four different companding strategies were used changing Q values(q1, q2) of pre-filter(F filter) and post filter(G filter). Firstly, five IEEE sentences which were presented with speech-shaped noise at different SNRs(0, 5, 10, 15 dB) were processed by the companding. Secondly, the processed signals were applied to HeLPS. For comparison, signals which were not processed by companding were also applied to HeLPS. For the processed signals, log-likelihood ratio(LLR) and cepstral distance(CEP) were measured for evaluation of speech quality. Also, fourteen normal hearing listeners performed speech reception threshold(SRT) test for evaluation of speech intelligibility. As a result of this study, the processed signals with the companding and NAL-NL1 have performed better than that with only NAL-NL1 in the sensorineural hearing loss conditions. Moreover, the higher ratio of Q values showed better scores in LLR and CEP. In the SRT test, the processed signals with companding(SRT = -13.33 dB SPL) showed significantly better speech perception in noise than those processed using only NAL-NL1(SRT = -11.56 dB SPL).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.95-100
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• 2019

Background and Objectives For patients with polyps and cysts, glottal gaps resulting from their lesions have negative respiratory effects when they vocalize. Phonatory Aerodynamic System is clinically used, but is often limited in the measurement of vowels. So the researchers attempted to verify the usefulness of Phonatory Aerodynamic System by comparing differences in respiratory characteristics and patterns which can be measured by the level of connected speech. Materials and Method Among the subjects who were diagnosed through a stroboscopy, there were 33 patients with polyps and 23 patients with cysts. Then, 36 subjects who were found to have no specific findings through a stroboscopy and perceptual test were selected to the normal group. We compared respiratory characteristics and patterns. And compared vocal polyps and cysts before and after laryngeal micro surgery (LMS). Results First, difference in respiratory patterns between the normal group and the patients with polyps and cysts were examined to show that breath groups, breath group syllables, and expiratory·inspiratory volume were significantly higher in the polyp/cyst group than those in the normal group, indicating that precision was lowered during the conversation, due to reduction in speech intelligibility and interruption of communication. Second, there were significant differences in maximum phonation time, mean flow rate, and subglottal pressure among respiratory characteristics, breath groups, breath group syllables, and inspiratory volume before and after LMS, which appeared to be similar to the normal group. Conclusion The understanding of respiratory characteristics and patterns produced by patients in connected speech which is most similar to natural speech was found to be the objective and useful method for examining characteristics of the subjects.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.11 no.12
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• pp.5191-5198
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• 2010

Although numerous studies have analyzed the relationship between subway travel demand (STD) and various characteristics of subway catchment area (SCA), a few studies examined the relationship between STD and the structure of pedestrian networks within each SCA. Hence, this study evaluates the structure of pedestrian networks within 79 SCAs in the city of Busan using Space syntax and investigates the relationship between STD and several characteristics of SCA including the spatial structure of pedestrian network. The analysis results show that the spatial integration of pedestrian networks within the SCAs, which represents the magnitudes of walking accessibility to subway station, is positively associated with STD among the three spatial indexes such as integration, connectivity, and intelligibility. In addition, the results show that STD significantly increases as the number of travel gathering facilities and the average floor area ratio within the SCAs increase. This study ultimately corroborates that designing the grid pedestrian network and assigning the travel gathering facilities to the compact buildings within SCAs are needed to ameliorate the spatial structure of SCA in the city of Busan as transit-oriented development system.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.447-456
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• 2021

This study analyzed 28 domestic and foreign studies related Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets treatment techniques from 1984 to 2020 to prepare basic data for the development of PROMPT intervention programs and examination tools. According to the analysis, continuous research has been conducted since 1984 when the prompt study was first started, and the method of research was 16 intervention studies, with the highest number of speech disorders, and the target age being 3 to 5 years old, the most frequently conducted for infancy. The treatment was the most frequent in the 16th sessions, and the activities were based on the Motor Speech Hierarchy(MSH), except for the subjects of the non-verbal autism spectrum disorder. According to the analysis of the dependent variables, 'speech production' was the most common, followed by 'speech motor control', 'articulation', and 'speech intelligibility' were highest. Combined with all these studies, it suggests that PROMPT, which are directly useful for exercise spoken word production, are effectively being used outside the country and that it is necessary to develop a PROMPT program that can be applied domestically, in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.538-547
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• 2019

This study analyzes the conceptual understanding of in-service and pre-service earth science teachers about the H-R diagrams and evolution of stars using conceptual status analysis categories. The results show that (a) many teachers use unscientific language in the Intelligibility range, (b) teachers are categorized in Low scientific inquiry ability related to graph creation and unscientific analogy for scientific concept which is hightly corelated to the possibility of misunderstanding in the teaching process, and (c) pre-service teachers lack the understanding of the secondary science curriculum. It is necessary to develop pre-service curriculum that can be applied to the school site. In the category of Plausibility range, (d) both groups understood the cosmological meaning of stellar evolution. However, pre-service teachers do not specifically explain the mechanism of a star. In the category of Fruitfulness range, in-service teachers come up with educational problems reflecting the academic characteristics of earth science and apply their knowledge to actual problem solving. On the other hand, pre-service teachers show high nonresponse ratio, they do not see the H-R diagram and the evolution of stars as a practical concept. In the analysis process, both groups are found to have many unscientific conceptions about the H-R diagram and evolution of stars. Therefore, it is suggested that caution be used in developing a professional development program of earth science teachers.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.92-101
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• 2016

There are many results in which acoustical conditions of a classroom play an important role for studying effects and academic achievement of students. However, there are very few guidelines or design proposals which could make appropriate acoustic environment when classrooms are built or renovated. The present study suggests various design proposals satisfying acoustic standards of classrooms based on theoretical calculation and acoustic field experiments. At first, minimum area of sound absorption was calculated which is required to satisfy the acoustic standard for domestic middle and high schools. Also, room acoustic measurements were carried out in order to investigate the acoustic performance of an existing classroom by changing interior finishing materials on ceiling and rear walls. As a result, it was revealed that reverberation time standard below 0.8 s can be acquired even if there is no sound absorption on ceiling which is a general practice executed in Korea. Specially, it was found that if partial area of ceiling would be treated as reflective with the ratio of sound absorption and reflection as 2:1, almost similar acoustic parameters of $C_{50}$, $D_{50}$, RASTI (Rapid Speech Transmission Index) and higher sound levels could be acquired in comparison with the case of entire sound absorption on ceiling.