Prof. Yizhar Lavner

Research Interests:

• Speech and Audio Signal Processing and Analysis,
• Speech and Voice Perception,
• Biological Signal Processing, Bioacoustics,
• Machine Learning for Audio Signal Processing,
• Scientific Computing.

Current Courses:

• Introduction to Digital Signal Processing (199419),
• Machine Learning (199269), 
• Applied Math and Scientific Computing (122108).
• Linear Algebra (111102)
• Project (199002)
   

Former Courses:

• Mathematical Models in Biology (1997–2005).
• Digital Signal Processing (1998–2000)
• Introduction to Random Signal Processing (1999–2000).
• Speech and Audio Processing (2002, 2005)
• Algorithms in Computational Biology (2005–2006) 

Recent Publications:

• Lavner Y., Melamed R., Bashan M., Vortman Y., (2024), “The bioacoustic soundscape of a pandemic: continuous annual monitoring using a deep learning system in Agmon Hula Lake Park”, Ecological Informatics, 2024.

• Klein D., Lavner Y.,  Vortman Y., (2023), “Breeding biology of the white-throated kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis smyrnensis, with emphasis on color and vocalization, Journal of Ornithology, October, 2023.
• Banai, K., Karawani, H., Lavie, L. and Lavner, Y., (2022), “Rapid but Specific Perceptual Learning Partially Explains Individual Differences in the Recognition of Challenging Speech”, Scientific Reports, June, 2022.
• Marck A. Vortman Y., Kolodny O., Lavner Y. (2022), “ Identification, analysis and characterization of base units of bird vocal communication: The White Spectacled Bulbul (Pycnonotus xanthopygos) as a case study”, Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 377, February, 2022.
• Tarabeih - Ghanayim M., Lavner Y.  and  Banai  K., (2020), "Tasks, Talkers, and the Perceptual Learning of Time-Compressed Speech", Auditory Perception & Cognition, November, 2020.
• Cohen R., Ruinskiy D., Zickfeld J., IJzerman H. and Lavner Y., (2020), "Baby Cry Detection: Deep Learning and Classical Approaches",  Development and Analysis of Deep Learning Architectures, Studies in Computational Intelligence, Springer 2020.
• Banai K. and Lavner Y. (2019), "Effects of stimulus repetition and training schedule on the perceptual learning of time-compressed speech and its transfer", Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics.
• Barmatz H., Klein D. , Vortman Y., Toledo S., and Lavner Y., (2019), “A Method for Automatic Segmentation and Parameter Estimation of Bird Vocalizations”, International Conference on Systems, signals and Image Processing (IWSSIP 2019), Osijek, Croatia,  June 2019.
• Barmatz H., Klein D. , Vortman Y., Toledo S., and Lavner Y., (2018), "Segmentation and Analysis of Bird Trill Vocalizations",  ICSEE 2018, DOI: 10.1109/ICSEE.2018.8646070.
• Frederiks K., Sterkenburg P., Lavner Y., Cohen R., Ruinskiy D., Verbeke W. and Ijzerman, H., (2018), "Mobile Social Physiology as the Future of Relationship Research and Therapy: Presentation of the Bio-App for Bonding (BAB)", 2018, psyarxiv October 2018.
• Lavner Y., Cohen R., Ruinskiy D. and IJzerman H., (2016), "Baby cry detection in domestic environment using deep learning", ICSEE 2016 , Eilat, Israel, November 2016.
• Banai K. and Lavner Y. (2016), "The effects of exposure and training on the perception of time-compressed speech in native versus nonnative listeners", J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 40 (3), 1686-1696, September 2016.
• Lavner Y. and Rabinowitz I. (2015), "Increasing stimulus duration improves attention and memory performance in elderly with cognitive impairment", Sage Open Medicine , 3, December 2015.
• Lavner Y., Khatib S., Artoul F. and Vaya, J., (2014), "An Algorithm for Processing and Analysis of Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) Signals for Early Detection of Parkinson's Disease", 28th IEEE Convention of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in Israel, (IEEEI-2014) , Eilat, Israel, December 2014.
• Banai K. and Lavner Y. (2014), "The effects of training length on the perceptual learning of time-compressed speech and its generalization", J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 136 (4), 1908-1917, October, 2014.
• Khatib S., Finberg J.P.M., Artoul F., Lavner Y., Mahmood S., Tisch U., Haick H., Aluf, Y. and Vaya J., (2014), "Analysis of volatile organic compounds in rats with dopaminergic lesion: Possible application for early detection of Parkinson’s disease", Neurochemistry International, , 76, 82-90, October, 2014.
• Rabinowitz  I. and Lavner Y., (2014), "Association between Finger Tapping and Attention, Memory and Cognitive Status in Elderly Patients", Perceptual & Motor Skills , 19(1):259-278, August, 2014.
• Frid A. and Lavner Y., (2014), "Spectral and Textural Features for Automatic Classification of Fricatives Using SVM", International Conference on Systems, signals and Image Processing (IWSSIP 2014) , Dubrovnik, Croatia, May, 12-15, 2014.
• Ruinskiy D. and Lavner Y., (2014), "A multistage algorithm for fricative spotting", XXII Annual Pacific Voice Conference (XXII PVC 2014), Krakow, Poland, April, 2014.
• Frid A. and Lavner Y., (2014), "Spectral and Textural Features for Automatic Classification of Fricatives", XXII Annual Pacific Voice Conference (XXII PVC 2014), Krakow, Poland, April, 2014.
• Banai K. and Lavner Y., (2012), "Perceptual Learning of Time-Compressed Speech: More than Rapid Adaptation", PloS ONE , Vol. 7, 10, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0047099, 9 pages, October, 2012.
• Cohen R. and Lavner Y., (2012), "Infant Cry Analysis and Detection", 27th IEEE Convention of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in Israel (IEEEI'12) , Eilat, Israel, November 2012.
• Frid A., Lavner Y. and I. Rabinowitz, (2012), "Analysis of Finger Tapping Parameters in People with ADHD", 27th IEEE Convention of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in Israel (IEEEI'12) , Eilat, Israel, November 2012.
• Cohen R., Ierushalmi O., Lavner Y., Genussov M. and Steiner A., (2012), "Manipulation of Unvoiced Fricatives for Improved Discrimination by Hearing Impaired", iberSPEECH 2012 , November 2012.
• Ruinskiy D., Dadush N. and Lavner Y., (2010), "Spectral and Textural Feature-Based System for Automatic Detection of Fricatives and Affricates", 26th IEEE Convention of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in Israel (IEEEI'10) , Eilat, Israel, November 2010.
• Frid A. and Lavner Y., (2010), "Acoustic-Phonetic Analysis of Fricatives for classification using SVM Based Algorithm", 26th IEEE Convention of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in Israel (IEEEI'10) , Eilat, Israel, November 2010.
• M. Genussov, Y. Lavner and I. Cohen, (2010), "Classification of Unvoiced Fricative Phonemes using Geometric Methods", Proc. 12th International Workshop on Acoustic Echo and Noise Control, IWAENC-2010, , Tel-Aviv, Israel, August 30th - September 2nd, 2010.
• Lavner Y. and Ruinskiy D., (2009), "A Decision-Tree based Algorithm for Speech/Music Classification and Segmentation", Eurasip Journal on Audio, Speech and Music Processing , Vol. 2009, 14 pages, Article ID 239892.
• Ruinskiy D., Lavner Y., (2008) "Stochastic models of pitch jitter and amplitude shimmer for voice modification", 25th IEEE Convention of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in Israel (IEEEI'08) , Dec. 2008.
• Grofit S. and Lavner Y., (2008), "Time-Scale Modification of Audio Signals Using Enhanced WSOLA with Management of Transients", IEEE Trans. on Audio, Speech and Language Processing , Vol. 16, 1, 106-115, January 2008.
• Ruinskiy D. and Lavner Y., (2007),"An effective Algorithm for Automatic Detection and Exact Demarcation of Breath Sounds in Speech and Song Signals", IEEE Trans. on Audio, Speech and Language Processing , Vol. 15, 3, 838-850, March 2007.
• Ruinskiy D. , Lavner Y., (2006) "An Algorithm for Automatic Detection of Sounds in Speech Signals", IEEE 2006 conference, 24th Convention of the IEEE (Electricity 2006).
• Kotlar D. and Lavner Y., (2006), "The action of selection on codon bias in the human genome is related to frequency, complexity, and chronology of amino acids", BMC Genomics, 2006, 7:67.
• Lavner Y. and Porat G., (2005), "Voice morphing using 3-D waveform interpolation surfaces and lossless tube area functions", Eurasip Journal on Applied Signal Processing, 2005:8 1174-1184.
• Lavner Y. and Kotlar D., (2005), "Codon Bias as a Factor in Regulating Expression via Translation Rate in the Human Genome", Gene, Vol 345, 1, 127-138.
• Kotlar D., Idelson Z. and Lavner Y., (2004), "Gene prediction analysis based on Spectral representation of DNA sequences and fuzzy KNN", ISMB/ECCB 2004.
• Lavner Y. and Kotlar D., (2004), "Codon Bias Is a Factor in Regulating Expression via Translation Efficiency in the Human Genome", ISMB/ECCB 2004.
• Kotlar D., Lavner Y., (2003), "Gene prediction by spectral rotation (SR) measure - a new method for identifying protein-coding regions" , Genome Res., 2003.
• Gazit I., Lavner, Y., Bloch G., Azulai O., Goldblatt A., Terkel J., (2003) "A simple system for the remote detection and analysis of sniffing in explosives detection dogs", Behavior Research Methods, Instruments & Computers, Vol. 35, 1, 81-89.
• Grofit S. and Lavner Y., (2002), "Time scale modification of music signals", IEEE 2002 Conference, Tel-Aviv, 22 nd. Convention of the IEEE.
• Porat G. and Lavner Y., (2002), "Voice Morphing by 3-D waveform interpolation surface and lossless tube area function", IEEE 2002 Conference, Tel-Aviv, 22 nd. Convention of the IEEE.
• Lavner Y., Rosenhouse, J., and Gath I., (2001), "The prototype model in speaker identification", Int. J. of Speech Technology , 4, 63-74.
• Lavner Y., Gath I. and Rosenhouse, J. (2000), “The Effects of Acoustic Modifications on the Identification of Familiar Voices Speaking Isolated Vowels”,  Speech Communication, Vol. 30, 9-26.
• Lavner, Y., Rosenhouse, J., and Gath I., (1999), “The Prototype Model in Speaker Identification”, Proc. Eurospeech 99, The Sixth European Conference on Speech Communication and Technology, Budapest, Hungary, Sept., 1999, Vol. 2, 771-774.
• Lavner, Y.,  Gath I., and  Rosenhouse, J., (1997), “Acoustic  Features and Perceptive Processes in the Identification of Familiar Voices,” Proc. Eurospeech 97’, Rhodes, Greece.
   

Patents:

• Neoran I., Lavner Y., and Ruinskiy D. , “Apparatus and Method for Discrimination and Segmentation of Audio Content, Based on the Acoustic Signal”, US patent 8428949, April,  2013.

• “The Agmon soundscape: Continuous annual monitoring using deep learning”, The Zoological Society of Israel, 59th zoological conference, Tel-Hai, Israel, December 2022.
• “Bird Song Recognition, Classification and Analysis”, The 1st Israeli Bioacoustics symposium, Ben-Gurtion University of the Negev, Sde-Boker Campus,  Israel, September, 2019.
• "trillomatic - an algorithm and software for automatic analysis and segmentation of trill song", 55th conference of Israel zoological society, December, 2018.
• "Baby cry detection in domestic environment using deep learning", ICSEE 2016, International Conference on the Science of Electrical Engineering, Eilat, Israel, 2016.
• “An Algorithm for Processing and Analysis of Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) Signals for Early Detection of Parkinson's Disease”, 28th IEEE Convention of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in Israel, (IEEEI'14),  Eilat, Israel, 2014.
• “Spectral and Textural Features for Automatic Classification of Fricatives",  Annual Pacific Voice Conference, XXII, PVC East, April 11-13, Krakow, Poland, 2014.
• “A Multi-Stage Algorithm for Fricative Spotting”, Annual Pacific Voice Conference, XXII, PVC East, April 11-13, Krakow, Poland, 2014.
• “Manipulation of Unvoiced Fricatives for Improved Discrimination by Hearing Impaired”, iberSPEECH 2012.
• “Analysis of Finger Tapping Parameters in People with ADHD”, 27th IEEE Convention of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in Israel (IEEEI'12), Eilat, Israel, November 2012.