Signals within animals’vocal communication are considered functional referential and context-specific.Even in the absence of the context,receivers are expected to acquire the information of calls and respond specific...Signals within animals’vocal communication are considered functional referential and context-specific.Even in the absence of the context,receivers are expected to acquire the information of calls and respond specificallyWhereas the framework was supported by plenty of evidence,its exhaustivity in describing all animal vocalisations has been questioned.Here,we investigated the vocal repertoire of a cooperatively breeding species,Azure-winged Magpie(Cyanopica cyanus),to present evidence for referential signals.The results showed that Azure-winged Magpies had a relatively large vocal repertoire,consisting of twelve distinct calls.These calls were associated with the context including movement,begging for food,contact,vigilance against predators,etc.However,even the predator-specific alarm calls would induce various responses of receivers.This implies that multiple pieces of information are involved in the vocalisation,which could be utilised by the receiver to select an appropriate response based on the surroundings.Our study gives a detailed description of the context and function of the vocal repertoire in Azure-winged Magpies,laying the foundation for further investigation on the developmental mechanisms of bird vocalisations.This study also suggests that the referential signals of animal vocalisations may not be limited to the context-specific responses of receivers and need to be discussed from a broader perspective.展开更多
BACKGROUND Functional vocal cord disorders can be a differential diagnosis for postoperative upper airway obstruction requiring urgent intervention.However,this may be unfamiliar to anesthesiologists who would favor i...BACKGROUND Functional vocal cord disorders can be a differential diagnosis for postoperative upper airway obstruction requiring urgent intervention.However,this may be unfamiliar to anesthesiologists who would favor inappropriate airway intervention and increased morbidity.CASE SUMMARY A 61-year-old woman underwent cervical laminectomy,followed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy 10 mo later.Despite adequate reversal of neuromuscular blockade,the patient experienced repetitive respiratory difficulty with inspiratory stridor after extubation.After the second operation,the patient was diagnosed with paradoxical vocal fold motion(PVFM)by an otolaryngologist based on the clinical features and fiberoptic bronchoscopy results,and the patient was successfully treated.CONCLUSION PVFM should be considered a differential diagnosis if a patient presents with stridor after general anesthesia.展开更多
The Internet of Things(IoT)plays an essential role in the current and future generations of information,network,and communication development and applications.This research focuses on vocal tract visualization and mod...The Internet of Things(IoT)plays an essential role in the current and future generations of information,network,and communication development and applications.This research focuses on vocal tract visualization and modeling,which are critical issues in realizing inner vocal tract animation.That is applied in many fields,such as speech training,speech therapy,speech analysis and other speech production-related applications.This work constructed a geometric model by observation of Magnetic Resonance Imaging data,providing a new method to annotate and construct 3D vocal tract organs.The proposed method has two advantages compared with previous methods.Firstly it has a uniform construction protocol for all speech organs.Secondly,this method can build correspondent feature points between different speech organs.There are less than three control parameters can be used to describe every speech organ accurately,for which the accumulated contribution rate is more than 88%.By means of the reconfiguration,the model error is less than 1.0 mm.Regarding to the data from Chinese Magnetic resonance imaging(MRI),this is the first work of 3D vocal tract model.It will promote the theoretical research and development of the intelligent Internet of Things facing speech generation-related issues.展开更多
Background: Double-lumen endotracheal (DLT) is commonly used for one-lung ventilation and lung separation during thoracic surgery. There are case reports of medically induced laryngeal granulomas, mainly in patients a...Background: Double-lumen endotracheal (DLT) is commonly used for one-lung ventilation and lung separation during thoracic surgery. There are case reports of medically induced laryngeal granulomas, mainly in patients after single-lumen endotracheal (SLT) tube intubation and tracheotomy, and giant granulomas of the vocal cords due to double-lumen bronchial tube insertion have rarely been reported. Case presentation: A 49-year-old female patient underwent single-port thoracoscopy after DLT intubation as well as a wedge resection of the lower lobe of the left lung, which caused giant vocal process granulomas (VPGs) postoperatively. Based on a retrospective analysis of the general condition, current medical history, past medical history, and visual laryngoscopic observation of the vocal folds tissue, which ruled out preoperative vocal fold granuloma formation, we hypothesized that double-lumen bronchial catheter intubation may have been the primary cause of her vocal fold granuloma formation. Conclusions: Giant granuloma of the vocal folds after DLT insertion is a rare postoperative complication;therefore, if DLT intubation is to be performed, the anesthesiologist should choose an appropriate intubation plan and deal with it promptly to avoid the risk factors to ensure that the patient’s perioperative period is safe and smooth. In addition, if postoperative complications are encountered, they should be followed up and observed on time.展开更多
Surgical management of laryngeal paralysis varies depending on whether the vocal cords are in abduction, adduction or paramedian position. Various surgical techniques have been described including partial arytenoidect...Surgical management of laryngeal paralysis varies depending on whether the vocal cords are in abduction, adduction or paramedian position. Various surgical techniques have been described including partial arytenoidectomy which is reported to give good surgical results that are stable over time. The objective of the study was to analyze the surgical therapeutic elements of bilateral paralysis, especially to assess partial arytenoidectomy, one of the most performed techniques. This was a descriptive retrospective study of cases of bilateral immobility admitted between January 1<sup>st</sup> 2008 and March 31<sup>st</sup> 2018 and treated surgically. Socio-demographic and therapeutic data were collected. The survey involved 46 patients, with an equal number of male and female (23) with 50% of male patients and 23 patients were female, or a sex ratio of 1. The average age of the patients was 56 ± 17 years ranging between 14 and 89 years. Posterior partial arytenoidectomy was the most widely performed surgical technique (26 patients or 56.5%), followed by cordopexia or lateral-fixing of a vocal cord (19.6%) and posterior cordectomy (17.4%). Patients who received a partial arytenoidectomy and cordopexia had their vocal cords either in adduction or in the paramedian position. Those who received a posterior cordectomy had their vocal cords in adduction. 18 patients (39.13%) were taken to the operating theatre in less than 6 hours, 28 (60.9%) had no post-operative complications, and 9 patients received a surgical enlargement resumption. In post-operative follow-up, 11 patients suffered pulmonary aspiration corrected after speech therapy;26 patients (56.5%) did not. Partial arytenoidectomy remains the most performed surgical procedure in the management of closed bilateral laryngeal paralysis at the Mont-Godinne University Hospital. It allows a reliable and durable breathing function over time with less impact on the voice.展开更多
Background:In the last decade,enigmatic male-like cuckoo calls have been reported several times in East Asia.These calls exhibited a combination of vocal traits of both Oriental Cuckoo(Cuculus optatus)and Common Cucko...Background:In the last decade,enigmatic male-like cuckoo calls have been reported several times in East Asia.These calls exhibited a combination of vocal traits of both Oriental Cuckoo(Cuculus optatus)and Common Cuckoo(Cuculus canorus)advertising calls,and some authors therefore suggested that the enigmatic calls were produced by either Common×Oriental Cuckoo male hybrids or Common Cuckoo males having a gene mutation.However,the exact identity of calling birds are still unknown.Methods:We recorded previously unknown male-like calls from three captive Oriental Cuckoo females,and compared these calls with enigmatic vocalizations recorded in the wild as well as with advertising vocalizations of Common and Oriental Cuckoo males.To achieve this,we measured calls automatically.Besides,we video-recorded captive female emitting male-like calls,and compared these recordings with the YouTube recordings of calling males of both Common and Oriental Cuckoos to get insight into the mechanism of call production.Results:The analysis showed that female male-like calls recorded in captivity were similar to enigmatic calls recorded in the wild.Therefore,Oriental Cuckoo females might produce the latter calls.Two features of these female calls appeared to be unusual among birds.First,females produced male-like calls at the time of spring and autumn migratory activity and on migration in the wild.Because of this,functional significance of this call remained puzzling.Secondly,the male-like female call unexpectedly combined features of both closed-mouth(closed beak and simultaneous inflation of the‘throat sac')and open-mouth(prominent harmonic spectrum and the maximum neck extension observed at the beginning of a sound)vocal behaviors.Conclusions:The Cuculus vocalizations outside the reproductive season remain poorly understood.Here,we found for the first time that Oriental Cuckoo females can produce male-like calls in that time.Because of its rarity,this call might be an atavism.Indeed,female male-like vocalizations are still known in non-parasitic tropical and apparently more basal cuckoos only.Therefore,our findings may shed light on the evolution of vocal communication in avian brood parasites.展开更多
Background: Avian brood parasitism is a breeding strategy in which brood parasites lay their eggs in the nest of other species.This behavior is closely related to aspects of the biological evolution of the parasitic s...Background: Avian brood parasitism is a breeding strategy in which brood parasites lay their eggs in the nest of other species.This behavior is closely related to aspects of the biological evolution of the parasitic species such as reduced female body size and plumage color polymorphism.However,not much is known whether it is associated with the evolution of vocalization.Methods: We collected samples of the typical male calls of 67 species belonging to the sub?family Cuculinae.Using the calls,we measured five acoustic parameters for each samples to test the differences in vocal structures between parasitic and nonparasitic species.To control for potential phylogenetic effects,we also performed phylogenetic independent contrast analyses.Results: We found that vocal structures were relatively similar among the parasitic species with a tendency to simple and low?frequency calls.In addition,harmonic structures were observed more frequently in the nonparasitic group.Conclusions: Overall,these results support the idea that brood parasitic behavior with associated ecological condi?tions may play a role in vocal evolution,a better understanding of which may greatly improve our knowledge of vocal diversification in non?oscine birds.展开更多
In previous studies,researchers have used singing to treat respiratory function in patients with spinal cord injury.However,few studies have examined the way in which vocal training affects respiratory neural plastici...In previous studies,researchers have used singing to treat respiratory function in patients with spinal cord injury.However,few studies have examined the way in which vocal training affects respiratory neural plasticity in patients with spinal cord injury.Vocal respiratory training(VRT)is a type of vocal muscle-related treatment that is often a component of music therapy(MT)and focuses on strengthening respiratory muscles and improving lung function.In this randomized controlled study,we analyzed the therapeutic effects of VRT on respiratory dysfunction at 3 months after cervical spinal cord injury.Of an initial group of 37 patients,26 completed the music therapy intervention,which comprised five 30-minute sessions per week for 12 weeks.The intervention group(n=13)received VRT training delivered by professional certified music therapists.The control group(n=13)received respiratory physical therapy delivered by professional physical therapists.Compared with the control group,we observed a substantial increase in respiratory function in the intervention group after the 12-week intervention.Further,the nerve fiber bundles in the respiratory center in the medulla exhibited a trend towards increased diversification,with an increased number,path length,thickness,and density of nerve fiber bundles.These findings provide strong evidence for the effect of music therapeutic VRT on neural plasticity.This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of China Rehabilitation Research Center(approval No.2020-013-1)on April 1,2020,and was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry(registration No.Chi CTR2000037871)on September 2,2020.展开更多
Background: Individuality in vocalizations may provide an effective tool for surveying populations of the Common Cuckoo(Cuculus canorus) but there remains few data on which technique to use to identify individuality. ...Background: Individuality in vocalizations may provide an effective tool for surveying populations of the Common Cuckoo(Cuculus canorus) but there remains few data on which technique to use to identify individuality. In this research, we compared the within-and between-individual variation in cuckoo calls using two different analytical methods, and discuss the feasibility of using call individuality to count male cuckoos within a population.Methods: We recorded vocalization from 13 males, and measured 15 spectro-temporal variables for each call. The majority of these call variables(n = 12) have greater variation between individuals than within individual. We first calculated the similarity(Pearson's R) for each paired calls in order to find a threshold that could distinguish calls emitted from the same or different males, and then counted the number of males based on this distinction. Second, we used the more widely accepted technique of discriminant function analysis(DFA) to identify individual male cuckoos, and compared the correct rate of classifying individuals between the two analytical methods.Results: Similarity of paired calls from the same male was significantly higher than from different males. Under a relatively broad threshold interval, we achieved a high(>90%) correct rate to distinguish calls and an accurate estimate of male numbers. Based on banded males(n = 3), we found the similarity of paired calls from different days was lower when compared with paired calls from the same day, but this change did not obscure individual identification, as similarity values of paired calls from different days were still larger than the threshold used to distinguish calls from the same or different males. DFA also yielded a high rate(91.9%) of correct classification of individuals.Conclusions: Our study suggests that identifying individual vocalizations can form the basis of an appropriate survey method for counting male cuckoos within a population, provided the performance of different analytical techniques are compared.展开更多
Vocal cord paralysis can occur as a complication o surgery or anaesthesia,if permanent is a significant clinica problem.Early detection is important to optimize the chance o repair,and avoid complications associated w...Vocal cord paralysis can occur as a complication o surgery or anaesthesia,if permanent is a significant clinica problem.Early detection is important to optimize the chance o repair,and avoid complications associated with an impaired swallow.An algorithm to detect altered vocal cord function was presented based on wavelet packet analysis(WPA) and suppor vector machines(SVM),and compared with the Hoarseness Diagram method(HDm),which was reported as an objective voice quality evaluation approach and could be used for pathological voice discrimination.Experiments using voice signals recorded from subjects before and after the procedure show high classification accuracy with the new algorithm,whereas HDm fails in the detection of a hoarse voice.This finding would help to develop a screening tool to detect the vocal structure damage during surgery.展开更多
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022YFC3202104)Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province,China(BK20211151)。
文摘Signals within animals’vocal communication are considered functional referential and context-specific.Even in the absence of the context,receivers are expected to acquire the information of calls and respond specificallyWhereas the framework was supported by plenty of evidence,its exhaustivity in describing all animal vocalisations has been questioned.Here,we investigated the vocal repertoire of a cooperatively breeding species,Azure-winged Magpie(Cyanopica cyanus),to present evidence for referential signals.The results showed that Azure-winged Magpies had a relatively large vocal repertoire,consisting of twelve distinct calls.These calls were associated with the context including movement,begging for food,contact,vigilance against predators,etc.However,even the predator-specific alarm calls would induce various responses of receivers.This implies that multiple pieces of information are involved in the vocalisation,which could be utilised by the receiver to select an appropriate response based on the surroundings.Our study gives a detailed description of the context and function of the vocal repertoire in Azure-winged Magpies,laying the foundation for further investigation on the developmental mechanisms of bird vocalisations.This study also suggests that the referential signals of animal vocalisations may not be limited to the context-specific responses of receivers and need to be discussed from a broader perspective.
文摘BACKGROUND Functional vocal cord disorders can be a differential diagnosis for postoperative upper airway obstruction requiring urgent intervention.However,this may be unfamiliar to anesthesiologists who would favor inappropriate airway intervention and increased morbidity.CASE SUMMARY A 61-year-old woman underwent cervical laminectomy,followed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy 10 mo later.Despite adequate reversal of neuromuscular blockade,the patient experienced repetitive respiratory difficulty with inspiratory stridor after extubation.After the second operation,the patient was diagnosed with paradoxical vocal fold motion(PVFM)by an otolaryngologist based on the clinical features and fiberoptic bronchoscopy results,and the patient was successfully treated.CONCLUSION PVFM should be considered a differential diagnosis if a patient presents with stridor after general anesthesia.
基金This work was supported by the Regional Innovation Cooperation Project of Sichuan Province(Grant No.2022YFQ0073).
文摘The Internet of Things(IoT)plays an essential role in the current and future generations of information,network,and communication development and applications.This research focuses on vocal tract visualization and modeling,which are critical issues in realizing inner vocal tract animation.That is applied in many fields,such as speech training,speech therapy,speech analysis and other speech production-related applications.This work constructed a geometric model by observation of Magnetic Resonance Imaging data,providing a new method to annotate and construct 3D vocal tract organs.The proposed method has two advantages compared with previous methods.Firstly it has a uniform construction protocol for all speech organs.Secondly,this method can build correspondent feature points between different speech organs.There are less than three control parameters can be used to describe every speech organ accurately,for which the accumulated contribution rate is more than 88%.By means of the reconfiguration,the model error is less than 1.0 mm.Regarding to the data from Chinese Magnetic resonance imaging(MRI),this is the first work of 3D vocal tract model.It will promote the theoretical research and development of the intelligent Internet of Things facing speech generation-related issues.
文摘Background: Double-lumen endotracheal (DLT) is commonly used for one-lung ventilation and lung separation during thoracic surgery. There are case reports of medically induced laryngeal granulomas, mainly in patients after single-lumen endotracheal (SLT) tube intubation and tracheotomy, and giant granulomas of the vocal cords due to double-lumen bronchial tube insertion have rarely been reported. Case presentation: A 49-year-old female patient underwent single-port thoracoscopy after DLT intubation as well as a wedge resection of the lower lobe of the left lung, which caused giant vocal process granulomas (VPGs) postoperatively. Based on a retrospective analysis of the general condition, current medical history, past medical history, and visual laryngoscopic observation of the vocal folds tissue, which ruled out preoperative vocal fold granuloma formation, we hypothesized that double-lumen bronchial catheter intubation may have been the primary cause of her vocal fold granuloma formation. Conclusions: Giant granuloma of the vocal folds after DLT insertion is a rare postoperative complication;therefore, if DLT intubation is to be performed, the anesthesiologist should choose an appropriate intubation plan and deal with it promptly to avoid the risk factors to ensure that the patient’s perioperative period is safe and smooth. In addition, if postoperative complications are encountered, they should be followed up and observed on time.
文摘Surgical management of laryngeal paralysis varies depending on whether the vocal cords are in abduction, adduction or paramedian position. Various surgical techniques have been described including partial arytenoidectomy which is reported to give good surgical results that are stable over time. The objective of the study was to analyze the surgical therapeutic elements of bilateral paralysis, especially to assess partial arytenoidectomy, one of the most performed techniques. This was a descriptive retrospective study of cases of bilateral immobility admitted between January 1<sup>st</sup> 2008 and March 31<sup>st</sup> 2018 and treated surgically. Socio-demographic and therapeutic data were collected. The survey involved 46 patients, with an equal number of male and female (23) with 50% of male patients and 23 patients were female, or a sex ratio of 1. The average age of the patients was 56 ± 17 years ranging between 14 and 89 years. Posterior partial arytenoidectomy was the most widely performed surgical technique (26 patients or 56.5%), followed by cordopexia or lateral-fixing of a vocal cord (19.6%) and posterior cordectomy (17.4%). Patients who received a partial arytenoidectomy and cordopexia had their vocal cords either in adduction or in the paramedian position. Those who received a posterior cordectomy had their vocal cords in adduction. 18 patients (39.13%) were taken to the operating theatre in less than 6 hours, 28 (60.9%) had no post-operative complications, and 9 patients received a surgical enlargement resumption. In post-operative follow-up, 11 patients suffered pulmonary aspiration corrected after speech therapy;26 patients (56.5%) did not. Partial arytenoidectomy remains the most performed surgical procedure in the management of closed bilateral laryngeal paralysis at the Mont-Godinne University Hospital. It allows a reliable and durable breathing function over time with less impact on the voice.
基金performed within the frameworks of state contract with the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology,Ural Branch,Russian Academy of Sciences(project number 18-9-4-22)a part of Program of the Russian Academy of Sciences 2013–2020,No.AAAA-A18-118042690110-1[0109-2019-0003]‘Ecological and evolutionary aspects of animal behavior and communication’supported by the Russian Science Foundation(grant number 20-14-00058)。
文摘Background:In the last decade,enigmatic male-like cuckoo calls have been reported several times in East Asia.These calls exhibited a combination of vocal traits of both Oriental Cuckoo(Cuculus optatus)and Common Cuckoo(Cuculus canorus)advertising calls,and some authors therefore suggested that the enigmatic calls were produced by either Common×Oriental Cuckoo male hybrids or Common Cuckoo males having a gene mutation.However,the exact identity of calling birds are still unknown.Methods:We recorded previously unknown male-like calls from three captive Oriental Cuckoo females,and compared these calls with enigmatic vocalizations recorded in the wild as well as with advertising vocalizations of Common and Oriental Cuckoo males.To achieve this,we measured calls automatically.Besides,we video-recorded captive female emitting male-like calls,and compared these recordings with the YouTube recordings of calling males of both Common and Oriental Cuckoos to get insight into the mechanism of call production.Results:The analysis showed that female male-like calls recorded in captivity were similar to enigmatic calls recorded in the wild.Therefore,Oriental Cuckoo females might produce the latter calls.Two features of these female calls appeared to be unusual among birds.First,females produced male-like calls at the time of spring and autumn migratory activity and on migration in the wild.Because of this,functional significance of this call remained puzzling.Secondly,the male-like female call unexpectedly combined features of both closed-mouth(closed beak and simultaneous inflation of the‘throat sac')and open-mouth(prominent harmonic spectrum and the maximum neck extension observed at the beginning of a sound)vocal behaviors.Conclusions:The Cuculus vocalizations outside the reproductive season remain poorly understood.Here,we found for the first time that Oriental Cuckoo females can produce male-like calls in that time.Because of its rarity,this call might be an atavism.Indeed,female male-like vocalizations are still known in non-parasitic tropical and apparently more basal cuckoos only.Therefore,our findings may shed light on the evolution of vocal communication in avian brood parasites.
基金supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF)funded by the Ministry of Education(2012R1A6A3A04040003)
文摘Background: Avian brood parasitism is a breeding strategy in which brood parasites lay their eggs in the nest of other species.This behavior is closely related to aspects of the biological evolution of the parasitic species such as reduced female body size and plumage color polymorphism.However,not much is known whether it is associated with the evolution of vocalization.Methods: We collected samples of the typical male calls of 67 species belonging to the sub?family Cuculinae.Using the calls,we measured five acoustic parameters for each samples to test the differences in vocal structures between parasitic and nonparasitic species.To control for potential phylogenetic effects,we also performed phylogenetic independent contrast analyses.Results: We found that vocal structures were relatively similar among the parasitic species with a tendency to simple and low?frequency calls.In addition,harmonic structures were observed more frequently in the nonparasitic group.Conclusions: Overall,these results support the idea that brood parasitic behavior with associated ecological condi?tions may play a role in vocal evolution,a better understanding of which may greatly improve our knowledge of vocal diversification in non?oscine birds.
基金supported by Scientific Research Project of Establishment of the Winter Olympics Sports Injury Rehabilitation Diagnosis and Treatment System and Green Channel Demonstration of China,No.2018YFF0301104(to JJL)China Rehabilitation Science Institute,No.2020cz-10(to WZW)Scientific Research Foundation of China Rehabilitation Research Center,No.2017zx-32(to XYZ)。
文摘In previous studies,researchers have used singing to treat respiratory function in patients with spinal cord injury.However,few studies have examined the way in which vocal training affects respiratory neural plasticity in patients with spinal cord injury.Vocal respiratory training(VRT)is a type of vocal muscle-related treatment that is often a component of music therapy(MT)and focuses on strengthening respiratory muscles and improving lung function.In this randomized controlled study,we analyzed the therapeutic effects of VRT on respiratory dysfunction at 3 months after cervical spinal cord injury.Of an initial group of 37 patients,26 completed the music therapy intervention,which comprised five 30-minute sessions per week for 12 weeks.The intervention group(n=13)received VRT training delivered by professional certified music therapists.The control group(n=13)received respiratory physical therapy delivered by professional physical therapists.Compared with the control group,we observed a substantial increase in respiratory function in the intervention group after the 12-week intervention.Further,the nerve fiber bundles in the respiratory center in the medulla exhibited a trend towards increased diversification,with an increased number,path length,thickness,and density of nerve fiber bundles.These findings provide strong evidence for the effect of music therapeutic VRT on neural plasticity.This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of China Rehabilitation Research Center(approval No.2020-013-1)on April 1,2020,and was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry(registration No.Chi CTR2000037871)on September 2,2020.
基金supported by the Youth Scholars Program of Beijing Normal University (No. 31601868 to CX)National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31301888 to DL)+1 种基金General scientific research project of Education Department of Liaoning Province (L2015196 to DL)Open Fund of Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, Beijing Normal University (K1401 to DL)
文摘Background: Individuality in vocalizations may provide an effective tool for surveying populations of the Common Cuckoo(Cuculus canorus) but there remains few data on which technique to use to identify individuality. In this research, we compared the within-and between-individual variation in cuckoo calls using two different analytical methods, and discuss the feasibility of using call individuality to count male cuckoos within a population.Methods: We recorded vocalization from 13 males, and measured 15 spectro-temporal variables for each call. The majority of these call variables(n = 12) have greater variation between individuals than within individual. We first calculated the similarity(Pearson's R) for each paired calls in order to find a threshold that could distinguish calls emitted from the same or different males, and then counted the number of males based on this distinction. Second, we used the more widely accepted technique of discriminant function analysis(DFA) to identify individual male cuckoos, and compared the correct rate of classifying individuals between the two analytical methods.Results: Similarity of paired calls from the same male was significantly higher than from different males. Under a relatively broad threshold interval, we achieved a high(>90%) correct rate to distinguish calls and an accurate estimate of male numbers. Based on banded males(n = 3), we found the similarity of paired calls from different days was lower when compared with paired calls from the same day, but this change did not obscure individual identification, as similarity values of paired calls from different days were still larger than the threshold used to distinguish calls from the same or different males. DFA also yielded a high rate(91.9%) of correct classification of individuals.Conclusions: Our study suggests that identifying individual vocalizations can form the basis of an appropriate survey method for counting male cuckoos within a population, provided the performance of different analytical techniques are compared.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.60971016)
文摘Vocal cord paralysis can occur as a complication o surgery or anaesthesia,if permanent is a significant clinica problem.Early detection is important to optimize the chance o repair,and avoid complications associated with an impaired swallow.An algorithm to detect altered vocal cord function was presented based on wavelet packet analysis(WPA) and suppor vector machines(SVM),and compared with the Hoarseness Diagram method(HDm),which was reported as an objective voice quality evaluation approach and could be used for pathological voice discrimination.Experiments using voice signals recorded from subjects before and after the procedure show high classification accuracy with the new algorithm,whereas HDm fails in the detection of a hoarse voice.This finding would help to develop a screening tool to detect the vocal structure damage during surgery.
