Evaluation of Support in Singing

Summary This study searched for perceptual, acoustic, and physiological correlates of support in singing. Seven trained professional singers (four women and three men) sang repetitions of the syllable [pa:] at varying pitch and sound levels (1) habitually (with support) and (2) simulating singing without support. Estimate of subglottic pressure was obtained from oral pressure during [p]. Vocal fold vibration was registered with dual-channel electroglottography. Acoustic analyses were made on the recorded samples. All samples were also evaluated by the singers and other listeners, who were trained singers, singing students, and voice specialists without singing education (a total of 63 liste…

Acoustic, perceptual and clinical studies of normal and dysphonic voice

Voice research in Jyvaskyla during the last few years is reviewed. Some results from a number of studies are presented in terms of the variables investigated: background, clinical, perceptual and acoustic characteristics, and the relations between them. Acoustic studies of voice have been carried out by means of long-term average spectrum (LTAS) analysis.

Vocal fold strain and vocal pitch in singing:Radiographic observations of singers and nonsingers

Summary The relationship between vocal fold strain and vocal pitch in singersand nonsingers singing a rising pitch series has been indirectly investigated by means of lateral radiographs. Nonsingers tend to exhibit more strain than singers. To standardize the degree of strain, an index of strain per semitone is proposed. The semitone strain indicates the average amount of strain per 1 semitone of pitch increase or decrease. The index has been shown to be affected by several factors: gender, singing training, singing technique, voice class, age, and status of muscle function. Observations suggest that similar groups of individuals occupy different positions on the stress-strain curve, indica…

External Assessors as “Reviewers” for Quality Assurance of Open Access Journals

Online PR: emerging organisational practice

This article describes recent changes in the media landscape where companies and organisations operate. Such changes have numerous impacts on the basic tenets of public relations as well as its practice, education and further education. The impacts are described, new practices for PR practitioners are identified, and guidelines are given. In the future, there will no longer be two kinds of PR practitioners persisting side by side: those using traditional tools and those practising online communication. Instead, PR practitioners will be expected to integrate all means of communication to be a part of their professional qualifications.

Segment duration in Finnish as imitated by Russians

The paper reports findings of a study in which Russian speakers without any prior knowledge of Finnish imitated utterances in that language, and, in particular, how they succeeded in imitating segmental duration. The data was analysed using acoustic measurements of segment duration as well as auditory analysis by four judges. The results show that Russian speakers faced difficulties in imitating some aspects of the complicated Finnish quantity system. On the other hand, many of the imitated words were judged as comprehensible. Index Terms: duration, length, Finnish, imitation, language learning

The external frame function in the control of pitch, register, and singing mode: Radiographic observations of a female singer

Summary This study investigates pitch control, register, and singing mode related movements of the laryngo-pharyngeal structures by radiographic methods. One trained female singer served as the subject. The results show that singing voice production involves complex movements in the laryngeal structures. Pitch related increase in the thyro-arytenoid distance (vocal fold length) is nonlinear, slowing down as pitch rises. Similar observations have been made earlier. At the highest pitches, a shortening of the distance can be seen, suggesting the use of alternative pitch control mechanisms. The various observations made support the existence of three registers in this trained female singing vo…

Academic Journal Publishing and Open Access

Human Technology: An Interdisciplinary Journal on Humans in ICT Environments started in 2005 as an open-access, peer-reviewed academic journal, published only online. At that time, the traditional printed journal model of publishing houses was quite dominant and largely uncontested. Now open-access journal publishing is growing rapidly (Bjork & Solomon, 2014) and providing important alternative routes to researchers’ access to the literature in many disciplines. This editorial only discusses the gold model of open-access publishing, not the green model (traditional journal publishing and a parallel repository). 1

We Shape Our Tools, and Thereafter Our Tools Shape Us

The current and incoming editors in chief present the articles of this current issue of Human Technology. Additionally, they discuss the human component of recent technological macrotrends and the journal’s editorial interests in responding to and exploring them. During Editor in Chief Pertti Hurme’s 3-year term, research reflecting a wide range of topics has been published in Human Technology. This online journal, proudly open-access since its beginning, and will continue to invite innovative and interesting manuscripts for open-access publishing under its new editor in chief, Jukka Jouhki.

Mobile Communication and Work Practices in Knowledge-based Organizations

This paper examines the role of mobile communication, mobile tools and work practices in the context of organizations, especially knowledge-based organizations. Today, organizations are highly complex and diverse. Not surprisingly, various solutions to incorporating mobile tools and mobile communication in organizations have been devised. Challenges to technological development and research on mobile communication are presented.

External laryngeal frame function in voice production revisited: A review

Research indicates significant contribution of extrinsic laryngeal mechanisms to voice production. This article reviews the major theories of the role of the external laryngeal factors in voice production and relevant experimental data. The review suggests that partly neglected external factors and possibly even misinterpretation of some of the recently documented individual variation in physiological data may have unnecessarily complicated the issues pertaining to the interplay between the physiological mechanisms of the larynx. The implications of contemporary findings and documentation in the modeling of the extrinsic factors are discussed and a synthesis of empirical data into two simpl…

Change and Continuity

Human Technology will move to a new physical location in January 2017—the Open Science Center of the University of Jyväskylä, due to university restructuring—yet the University remains the ultimate publisher. For Human Technology, change is inherent; indeed this is reflected in the research published in each issue. The present issue comprises five articles that demonstrate the ongoing integration of technology in most aspects of human living.

Human Technology : Toward the Second Decade

The inaugural issue of Human Technology: An Interdisciplinary Journal on Humans in ICT Environments was published in 2005. The 10 volumes of two to three issues comprise well over 2000 pages. Upon starting as editor in chief in January 2015, I browsed through the archives and noticed that just over 100 articles had been published in the journal. Examining these titles, it is evident that they address a wide variety of topics. Nevertheless, four broad themes emerge:  The user of technology, with such foci as user experience, user characteristics, usability, user interface, and, on a more theoretical level, cognition;  The learner in a technological environment, covering aspects such as inf…

Roentgenological observations on vocal fold length-changes with special reference to register transition and open/covered voice

This paper examines the length-changes of the vocal folds as a function of voice pitch. Changes in normalized vocal fold elongation (strain) were measured indirectly from calcification points in several laryngeal structures from roentgenological exposures during singing. Changes in vocal fold strain are shown to occur mainly in the register transition area, i.e. the area within which all register changes take place. Changes in vocal fold strain appeared similar in male and female subjects. Evidence for different strain patterns in covered and open singing is presented for female subjects: Strain is higher in non-singers and (“incorrect”) open voice, lower in singers and (“correct”) covered …

On the terminology of voice research

Summary This article reviews problems associated with establishment of a scientifically accurate, internationally recognized, multilingual terminology to describe voice. Two strategies for developing terminology are discussed: consensus and dictation. Ontological decisions are considered an integral part of developing terminology. We conclude that terminological problems should be solved by a terminological committee—as yet to be established—as they average from problems in interpreting the literature and the results of voice research. A comprehensive bibliography and audio tape of the multilingual terminology describing voice would help facilitate adaptation and understanding of the terms …

Attributions by team members for team outcomes in finnish working life

This study focuses on teamwork in Finnish working life. Through a wide cross-section of teams the study examines the causes to which team members attribute the outcomes of their teams. Qualitative data was collected from 314 respondents. They wrote 616 stories to describe memorable experiences of success and failure in teamwork. The stories revealed 1930 explanations. The findings indicate that both favorable and unfavorable team outcomes are perceived as being caused by the characteristics of team members, relationships between members, team communication, team structure, team goals, team leadership, and external forces. The types represent different attribution levels in the context of or…