Improved vocal tract reconstruction and modeling using an image super-resolution technique

J Acoust Soc Am. 2013 Jun;133(6):EL439-45. doi: 10.1121/1.4802903.

Abstract

Magnetic resonance imaging has been widely used in speech production research. Often only one image stack (sagittal, axial, or coronal) is used for vocal tract modeling. As a result, complementary information from other available stacks is not utilized. To overcome this, a recently developed super-resolution technique was applied to integrate three orthogonal low-resolution stacks into one isotropic volume. The results on vowels show that the super-resolution volume produces better vocal tract visualization than any of the low-resolution stacks. Its derived area functions generally produce formant predictions closer to the ground truth, particularly for those formants sensitive to area perturbations at constrictions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Artifacts
  • Computer Simulation*
  • Epiglottis / anatomy & histology*
  • Epiglottis / physiology
  • Humans
  • Image Enhancement / methods*
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / methods*
  • Imaging, Three-Dimensional / methods*
  • Larynx / anatomy & histology*
  • Larynx / physiology
  • Lip / anatomy & histology*
  • Lip / physiology
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
  • Pharynx / anatomy & histology*
  • Pharynx / physiology
  • Phonation / physiology*
  • Phonetics*
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Software
  • Sound Spectrography
  • Speech Acoustics