Modeling the Influence of COVID-19 Protective Measures on the Mechanics of Phonation

Overview

Journal J Acoust Soc Am

Publisher American Institute of Physics

Specialty Otorhinolaryngology

Date 2022 Jun 1

PMID 35649932

Authors

Jonathan J Deng

Mohamed A Serry

Matias Zanartu

Byron D Erath

Sean D Peterson

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

In an effort to mitigate the 2019 novel coronavirus disease pandemic, mask wearing and social distancing have become standard practices. While effective in fighting the spread of the virus, these protective measures have been shown to deteriorate speech perception and sound intensity, which necessitates speaking louder to compensate. The goal of this paper is to investigate via numerical simulations how compensating for mask wearing and social distancing affects measures associated with vocal health. A three-mass body-cover model of the vocal folds (VFs) coupled with the sub- and supraglottal acoustic tracts is modified to incorporate mask and distance dependent acoustic pressure models. The results indicate that sustaining target levels of intelligibility and/or sound intensity while using these protective measures may necessitate increased subglottal pressure, leading to higher VF collision and, thus, potentially inducing a state of vocal hyperfunction, a progenitor to voice pathologies.

Citing Articles

Effect of medical mask on voice in patients with dysphonia.

Su J, Kang J, Ren Q, Zhu Z, Zhang S, Ge P World J Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2025; 11(1):10-16.

PMID: 40070510 PMC: 11891283. DOI: 10.1002/wjo2.181.

Human behavior in the time of COVID-19: Learning from big data.

Lyu H, Imtiaz A, Zhao Y, Luo J Front Big Data. 2023; 6:1099182.

PMID: 37091459 PMC: 10118015. DOI: 10.3389/fdata.2023.1099182.

Exploring the mechanics of fundamental frequency variation during phonation onset.

Serry M, Stepp C, Peterson S Biomech Model Mechanobiol. 2022; 22(1):339-356.

PMID: 36370231 PMC: 10369356. DOI: 10.1007/s10237-022-01652-8.

References

Toscano J, Toscano C . Effects of face masks on speech recognition in multi-talker babble noise. PLoS One. 2021; 16(2):e0246842. PMC: 7904190. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246842. View

Truong T, Weber A . Intelligibility and recall of sentences spoken by adult and child talkers wearing face masks. J Acoust Soc Am. 2021; 150(3):1674. PMC: 8487070. DOI: 10.1121/10.0006098. View

Carbon C . Wearing Face Masks Strongly Confuses Counterparts in Reading Emotions. Front Psychol. 2020; 11:566886. PMC: 7545827. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.566886. View

Palmiero A, Symons D, Morgan 3rd J, Shaffer R . Speech intelligibility assessment of protective facemasks and air-purifying respirators. J Occup Environ Hyg. 2016; 13(12):960-968. PMC: 5065390. DOI: 10.1080/15459624.2016.1200723. View

Smiljanic R, Keerstock S, Meemann K, Ransom S . Face masks and speaking style affect audio-visual word recognition and memory of native and non-native speech. J Acoust Soc Am. 2021; 149(6):4013. PMC: 8269755. DOI: 10.1121/10.0005191. View

Busch-Vishniac I, West J, Barnhill C, Hunter T, Orellana D, Chivukula R . Noise levels in Johns Hopkins Hospital. J Acoust Soc Am. 2006; 118(6):3629-45. DOI: 10.1121/1.2118327. View

Pavlovic C . Derivation of primary parameters and procedures for use in speech intelligibility predictions. J Acoust Soc Am. 1987; 82(2):413-22. DOI: 10.1121/1.395442. View

Sommer D, Erath B, Zanartu M, Peterson S . Corrected contact dynamics for the Steinecke and Herzel asymmetric two-mass model of the vocal folds. J Acoust Soc Am. 2012; 132(4):EL271-6. DOI: 10.1121/1.4734013. View

Serry M, Stepp C, Peterson S . Physics of phonation offset: Towards understanding relative fundamental frequency observations. J Acoust Soc Am. 2021; 149(5):3654. PMC: 8163514. DOI: 10.1121/10.0005006. View

10.

Titze I . Nonlinear source-filter coupling in phonation: theory. J Acoust Soc Am. 2008; 123(5):2733-49. PMC: 2811547. DOI: 10.1121/1.2832337. View

11.

Xie X, Li Y, Chwang A, Ho P, Seto W . How far droplets can move in indoor environments--revisiting the Wells evaporation-falling curve. Indoor Air. 2007; 17(3):211-25. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0668.2007.00469.x. View

12.

Saunders G, Jackson I, Visram A . Impacts of face coverings on communication: an indirect impact of COVID-19. Int J Audiol. 2020; 60(7):495-506. DOI: 10.1080/14992027.2020.1851401. View

13.

Takemoto H, Honda K, Masaki S, Shimada Y, Fujimoto I . Measurement of temporal changes in vocal tract area function from 3D cine-MRI data. J Acoust Soc Am. 2006; 119(2):1037-49. DOI: 10.1121/1.2151823. View

14.

Eikenberry S, Mancuso M, Iboi E, Phan T, Eikenberry K, Kuang Y . To mask or not to mask: Modeling the potential for face mask use by the general public to curtail the COVID-19 pandemic. Infect Dis Model. 2020; 5:293-308. PMC: 7186508. DOI: 10.1016/j.idm.2020.04.001. View

15.

Magee M, Lewis C, Noffs G, Reece H, Chan J, Zaga C . Effects of face masks on acoustic analysis and speech perception: Implications for peri-pandemic protocols. J Acoust Soc Am. 2020; 148(6):3562. PMC: 7857500. DOI: 10.1121/10.0002873. View

16.

Gunter H . A mechanical model of vocal-fold collision with high spatial and temporal resolution. J Acoust Soc Am. 2003; 113(2):994-1000. DOI: 10.1121/1.1534100. View

17.

Guss J, Sadoughi B, Benson B, Sulica L . Dysphonia in performers: toward a clinical definition of laryngology of the performing voice. J Voice. 2013; 28(3):349-55. DOI: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2013.10.004. View

18.

Zanartu M, Galindo G, Erath B, Peterson S, Wodicka G, Hillman R . Modeling the effects of a posterior glottal opening on vocal fold dynamics with implications for vocal hyperfunction. J Acoust Soc Am. 2014; 136(6):3262. PMC: 4257958. DOI: 10.1121/1.4901714. View

19.

Zhang Y, Jiang J . Chaotic vibrations of a vocal fold model with a unilateral polyp. J Acoust Soc Am. 2004; 115(3):1266-9. DOI: 10.1121/1.1648974. View

20.

Lucero J, Schoentgen J . Smoothness of an equation for the glottal flow rate versus the glottal area. J Acoust Soc Am. 2015; 137(5):2970-3. DOI: 10.1121/1.4919297. View