A new, robust vocal fundamental frequency (F/sub 0/) determination method for the analysis of infant cries

Abstract

The extraction and analysis of the fundamental frequency ( Fo) of infant vocalizations has been the focus of a number of efforts over the past thirty years. It is thought that this parameter is an important information channel from which information regarding the state of an infant can be determined. To date, research groups working to extract the vocal fundamental frequency of infant cries have been limited in the resolution and granularity of the Fo extraction methods used for adult speech, which, typically, are not well suited for infant cries. In general, thefundamental frequency range of adult speech is limited to values below 600 Hz. whereas for infant cries, Fo can have a range of several hundred hertz, and be subject to rapid changes in certain cases. This paperpresents a new method for accurately determining the FO of infant cries, which is applicable to other vocalizations as well. The method presented uses the crosscorrelation of adjacent speech segments to generate a three-dimensional plot called a crosscorrelogram. Fmm this plot, the fundamental frequency of an infant cry can easily be extracted, regardless of the value of Fo.

Neonatal pain: A journey spanning three decades

“…The two‐month‐olds were totally unsurprised by the jack‐in‐the‐box, and very few infants cried in all three conditions, although enough to analyze. There was a pain cry which was high pitched, long in duration, and dysphonated, which is heard as harsh 4,5 …”

“…There was a pain cry which was high pitched, long in duration, and dysphonated, which is heard as harsh. 4,5 However, I had wandered from the initial request about infants in the NICU, the ones undergoing numerous painful procedures, as opposed to healthy infants receiving an injection every two months.…”

“…There was a pain cry which was high pitched, long in duration, and dysphonated, which is heard as harsh. 4 , 5 …”

Efficient Collection and Representation of Preverbal Data in Typical and Atypical Development

“…Bloom et al (1999) calculated frequency-amplitude slopes in preverbal syllabic sounds as a measure of nasality. In addition, the fundamental frequency (F0), i.e., the lowest frequency of vocal fold oscillation, has always been a frequently extracted featurein voice analytics in general, but also for acoustic preverbal sound characterization (e.g., Keating and Buhr 1978;Kent and Murray 1982;Petroni et al 1994;Robb et al 1989). A number of recent studies on crying vocalizations also reported on F0-related preverbal atypicalities in individuals with ASD (e.g., Esposito and Venuti 2010;Esposito et al 2013;Sheinkopf et al 2012).…”

Mel-frequency cepstrum coefficient analysis of infant cry with hypothyroidism

“…Other sign may be present in the first month of life such as dry, cold and pale skin, feeding difficulty, insufficient weight gain, noisy breathing, nasal congestion, respiratory disorders, obstipation and lethargy. [1] Newborn infant cry is characterized by very high fundamental frequency (F 0 ) with abrupt changes and voiced or unvoiced features of very short duration, within a single utterance [2]. Vocal tract resonance frequencies are highly varying and to be tracked accurately.…”