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Comparing MDVP and PRAAT in the Acoustic Analysis of Fundamental

Frequency and Jitter Percent

Conference Paper · August 2020

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5 authors, including:

Ahmed Nagy Francesca D'Alessandro

United Arab Emirates University University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
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Courtney VanBuren
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
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Proposal ID: 11405

Proposal Type: General Submission Form
Authors
Order Disclosure Author Informa on
1 No Response Dr. Ahmed Nagy Abdelrahman (PRESENTING AUTHOR: Author who will be presen ng) (Submi er)
ana01@fayoum.edu.eg
University at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY 14214 United States
ASHA Affilia on: ASHA Member Student: No
Cer fica on: CCC-SLP
Author Biographical Sketch:
(This will appear a er the author completes their disclosure)
2 No Response Ms. Francesca D'Alessandro (AUTHOR ONLY: Author, but will NOT be presen ng)
fcdaless@buffalo.edu
University at Buffalo Undergraduate Speech and Hearing
Buffalo, NY 14215 United States
ASHA Affilia on: ASHA Member Student: Master's SLP student (current)
Cer fica on: None
Author Biographical Sketch:
(This will appear a er the author completes their disclosure)
3 No Response Ms. Nicole Feeley (AUTHOR ONLY: Author, but will NOT be presen ng)
nfeeley@buffalo.edu
University at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY United States
ASHA Affilia on: ASHA Member Student: Master's SLP student (current)
Cer fica on: None
Author Biographical Sketch:
(This will appear a er the author completes their disclosure)
4 No Response Ms. Courtney VanBuren (AUTHOR ONLY: Author, but will NOT be presen ng)
cvanbure@buffalo.edu
University at Buffalo
Middleport, NY 14105 United States
ASHA Affilia on: ASHA Member Student: Master's SLP student (current)
Cer fica on: None
Author Biographical Sketch:
(This will appear a er the author completes their disclosure)
5 No Response Ms. Taylor Wagner (AUTHOR ONLY: Author, but will NOT be presen ng)
twagner3@buffalo.edu
University at Buffalo
Sanborn, NY 14132 United States
ASHA Affilia on: ASHA Member Student: Master's SLP student (current)
Cer fica on: None
Author Biographical Sketch:
(This will appear a er the author completes their disclosure)
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4/10/2020 ASHA 2020

Requested Session Format: Poster (90 minute commitment)

Poten al Alterna ve Format I understand that there is no alterna ve format for a Poster.

Topic Area: Voice and Upper Airway Disorders Across the Lifespan

Title of Proposal
Comparing MDVP and PRAAT in the Acous c Analysis of Fundamental Frequency and Ji er Percent

Review and Confirm Your Title

Yes Please confirm that your tle has capital le ers for principal words and has no quota on marks. Make sure
your tle is *not* in ALL CAPS. Also, remember to use person first language in your tle. For example: SLPs Role
in Trea ng Children Who are Hard of Hearing versus SLPs Role in Trea ng Hard of Hearing Children.

Instruc onal Level:

The content of the proposal is best suited for a endees at the following learner level.
Intermediate

Abstract Type: Research

Learner Outcomes
1. Recognize Differences across MDVP and PRAAT acous c analysis
2. Assess Which of the two tools has a greater research validity
3. Choose between the two tools for clinical prognosis evalua on
Yes Please confirm that your learner outcomes comply with the requirements outlined above. Failure to comply
with the requirements will result in your submission not being accepted for presenta on.

Session Descrip on
We compared measurements of Fundamental Frequency and Ji er Percent across MDVP and PRAAT. We
collected forty-two acous c signals from healthy par cipants and analyzed the full-length sample as well as,
first, second, and third equal dura on trimmed segments. We concluded that the MDVP measurements are
more reflec ve of the acous c parameters in nature; reflec ng a superior measuring technique compared to
PRAAT.

Abstract/Summary
Introduc on:
Jiang et al. 2009 found an eleva on of Ji er percent in the voices of adult pa ents with vocal fold polyps and
nodules compared to Normal subjects [1]. Campisi et al. , 2002 showed that Pediatric pa ents with vocal fold
nodules also have an elevated Ji er Percent [2]. In a 2019 study, Richardson et al. reported that in a group of 50
healthy subjects, there were significant differences in Ji er percent measured by MDVP and PRAAT, however
fundamental frequency was not significantly different across the two measuring tools. The researchers chose to
analyze the middle three seconds of the acous c s mulus to eliminate the impact of voice onset and offset
from the performed analysis [3]. Different methods for compu ng the acous c period in the two devices were
acknowledged in 2018 by Boersma and Weenink [4]. Waveform matching is used in PRAAT to cross-correlate
with the maximum of the next wave; MDVP employs peak picking from the signal to measure period dura on.

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In the present study, our first goal was to explore differences in the values of Fundamental Frequency and Ji er
Percent across MDVP and PRAAT in forty-two maximum phona on me acous c samples obtained from
individuals with a normal voice. The second goal was to inves gate if the differences varied when compared
across the full length of the sample and corresponding equal sequen al segments from each signal.

Par cipants:
We collected Sixty Maximum Phona on me samples from 10 healthy par cipants. The samples were collected
for another study inves ga ng the impact of vocal hygienic advice on acous c parameters. Forty-two signals
qualified with complete data points for the current analysis. The par cipants were University at Buffalo
teaching staff.

Methods:
A brief history at intake asked the par cipant about phonasthenic symptoms, history of smoking, previous
seeking of medical advice for Dysphonia or phono-surgery. Auditory perceptual assessment, Grade of
Dysphonia ra ng {GRBAS} [5], and a Voice Handicap Index pa ent ques onnaire [6] followed. Our Team
recorded a voice sample of a sustained vowel /a / Maximum Phona on Time a er task demonstra on by the
research associate. Sample collec on was at a fixed distance of 10 cm from the microphone for all par cipants
using PRAAT with a unified sampling rate of 44,000 Hz, Mono-sound. We analyzed the captured Wav files in
PRAAT and MDVP. We evaluated data for the full-length signal and three trimmed equal-length segments of the
sample.

Results:
Descrip ve sta s cs comparing the means and standard devia ons across the two tools showed persistent
rela onships. Means of Fundamental Frequency and Ji er Percent measurements were always higher in MDVP.
The Standard devia on of Fundamental Frequency showed a persistent pa ern of larger values in PRAAT. For
Ji er Percent, the MDVP standard devia on was greater.

We performed an Anderson Darling test to inves gate the Normality of Data; the results showed that only Ji er
percent PRAAT full signal and Ji er percent 2nd third in PRAAT had a normal distribu on. We subsequently
performed a Mann-Whitney test for PRAAT vs MDVP in every signal group. The results show a lack of sta s cal
significance in the difference between the values across the two tools for Fundamental Frequency, while in
MDVP, the scores for Ji er percent are significantly higher.

Conclusion:
The lack of significant difference of Fundamental frequency measurement across the two instruments is a
reflec on of the stability of the physical nature of the parameter that has shown persistence across tools and
study condi ons in much earlier work[7]. In regular scien fic analogy, a lower standard of devia on reflects
higher reliability by showing that the measurements made are closer to the mean. In the current study, the size
of the standard devia on may be an indica on of the rela onship between the measuring technique used by
each tool and the acous c parameters’ physical nature. The standard devia on of fundamental frequency in
PRAAT is higher in our samples acquired from a modest number of par cipants ( the expected variability
between signals is low); MDVP reflects this with a smaller standard devia on for Fundamental frequency. The
presence of a normal distribu on in PRAAT second 3rd where the variability of the signal is minimal may
indicate a lower sensi vity in measuring the variability within each sample represented by Ji er percent.
Presence of normality of distribu on of Full signal Ji er percent in PRAAT may be a sign of greater suscep bility
for a signal artefact in the measuring technique of the tool when signal onset and offset are also analyzed.

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If accepted, is this Abstract/Summary suitable for publica on in the Program Planner/Mobile App? Yes

Will this proposed session focus on one specific approach, product or product line, tool, technique, service
or model (without men on of or informa on about other similar approaches, products, services,
techniques, tools or models)? No
If yes, describe:

References/Cita ons

1. Jiang, J.et al., Objec ve acous c analysis of pathological voices from pa ents with Vocal fold Nodules and
Polyps. Folia Phoniatrica et Logopedica. 2009. 61:p. 342-349
2. Campisi, P. et al., Computer -Assisted Voice Analysis Establishing a Pediatric Database Archives of
Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery. , 2002. 128: p. 156-160.
3. Richardson, K. et al., A compara ve norma ve study between mul dimensional Voice Program, PRAAT, and
TF32. Perspec ves of ASHA special interest groups. 2019. Vol 4 : p. 563-573.
4. Boersema, P. & Weenink, D., PRAAT, Doing Phone cs by Computer [Manual]. Retrieved from
h p://www.fon.humuva.nl/praat
5. Jalalinajafabadi, F., et al., Perceptual Evalua on of Voice Quality and its correla on with Acous c
measurement. European Modelling Symposium 2013: p.283- 286.
6. Jacobson, B.H., et al., The Voice Handicap Index(VHI) Development and Valida on. American Journal of
Speech-Language Pathology. ,1997. 6 (3): p. 66-70.
7. Campisi, P., et al., Acous c Analysis of the Voice in Pediatric Cochlear Implant Recipients: A longitudinal
study. The Laryngoscope. , 2005. 115: p. 1046-1050.

Time-Ordered Agenda

N/A

Keywords
Keyword 1: Acous c Analysis
Keyword 2: Voice
Keyword 3: MDVP
Keyword 4: PRAAT
Keyword 5: Ji er percent

Will this submission be of par cular interest to any of the following audiences? Students
Researchers
Early Career Professionals (under 5 years)
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Are you presen ng as an interprofessional team that includes non-CSD presenters? No

Would you and/or the presenters of this session be willing to speak with the media about your
presenta on? Yes

How much of this proposed presenta on has been previously presented (I.e., at other mee ngs or
conferences)? 0%

Has this proposal been developed by an ASHA Commi ee, Board or Council? No

Enter the name of the ASHA Commi ee, Board or Council.

I/We can present on any day (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday). Yes
I/We cannot present on the following day(s): N/A
Special Reason

Is this a panel presenta on/discussion with five (5) or more presenters? No

Themed Sessions: Our 2020 theme, "Reframe Your Thinking. Detours. Details. Discovery." is about the
discoveries we make when we diverge from the usual path in our research, service delivery or teaching.
Does your session fall under one of our theme categories? Discovery Sessions are those that highlight new
findings, whether from the lab, the clinical space, or the classroom.

Does any presenter listed in the proposal require a reasonable accommoda on due to disability? This
informa on will be solely used for scheduling purposes. No
Please add the name of the presenter(s) who will need assistance and describe their needs. The presenter
will be contacted for addi onal informa on, if needed.

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