Preliminary Results on the Influence of Engineered Artificial Mucus Layer on Phonation

Author(s):  
Michael Döllinger ◽  
Franziska Gröhn ◽  
David A. Berry ◽  
Ulrich Eysholdt ◽  
Georg Luegmair

Purpose Previous studies have confirmed the influence of dehydration and an altered mucus (e.g., due to pathologies) on phonation. However, the underlying reasons for these influences are not fully understood. This study was a preliminary inquiry into the influences of mucus architecture and concentration on vocal fold oscillation. Method Two excised human larynges were investigated in an in vitro setup. The oscillations of the vocal folds at various airflow volume rates were recorded through the use of high-speed imaging. Engineered mucus containing polymers (interconnected polymers and linear polymers) was applied to the vocal folds. From the high-speed footage, glottal parameters were extracted through the use of objective methods and were compared to a gold standard (physiological saline solution). Results Variations were found for all applications of mucus. Fundamental frequency dropped and the oscillatory behavior (speed quotient [SQ], closing quotient [CQ]) changed for both larynges. The 2 applied mucus architectures displayed different effects on the larynges. The interconnected polymer displayed clear low-pass filter characteristics not found for the linear polymer. Increase of polymer concentration affected parameters to a certain point. Conclusion The data confirm results found in previous studies. Furthermore, the different effects—comparing architecture and concentration—suggest that, in the future, synthetic mucus can be designed to improve phonation.

2017 ◽  
Vol 09 (05) ◽  
pp. 1750064 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Van Hirtum ◽  
X. Pelorson

Experiments on mechanical deformable vocal folds replicas are important in physical studies of human voice production to understand the underlying fluid–structure interaction. At current date, most experiments are performed for constant initial conditions with respect to structural as well as geometrical features. Varying those conditions requires manual intervention, which might affect reproducibility and hence the quality of experimental results. In this work, a setup is described which allows setting elastic and geometrical initial conditions in an automated way for a deformable vocal fold replica. High-speed imaging is integrated in the setup in order to decorrelate elastic and geometrical features. This way, reproducible, accurate and systematic measurements can be performed for prescribed initial conditions of glottal area, mean upstream pressure and vocal fold elasticity. Moreover, quantification of geometrical features during auto-oscillation is shown to contribute to the experimental characterization and understanding.


2013 ◽  
Vol 437 ◽  
pp. 840-844 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Gang Liu ◽  
Bing Zhao

This paper use the passive vision system through high-speed camera collects molten pool images; and then according to the frequency domain characteristics of the weld pool image Butterworth low-pass filter; gradient method for image enhancement obtained after pretreatment. Research Roberts, Sobel, Prewitt, Log, Zerocross, and Canny 6 both traditional differential operator edge detection processing results. Through comparison and analysis of choosing threshold for [0.1, 0. Canny operator can get the ideal molten pool edge character, for subsequent welding molten pool defect recognition provides favorable conditions.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Ki Kim ◽  
Youngkyu Kim ◽  
Jungmin Oh ◽  
Seung-Ho Choi ◽  
Ahra Jung ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Recently, high-speed digital imaging (HSDI), especially HSD endoscopic imaging is being routinely used for the diagnosis of vocal fold disorders. However, high-speed digital endoscopic imaging devices are usually large and costly, which limits access by patients in underdeveloped countries and in regions with inadequate medical infrastructure. Modern smartphones have sufficient functionality to process the complex calculations that are required for processing high-resolution images and videos with a high frame rate. Recently, several attempts have been made to integrate medical endoscopes with smartphones to make them more accessible to underdeveloped countries. OBJECTIVE To develop a smartphone adaptor for endoscopes to reduce the cost of devices, and to demonstrate the possibility of high-speed vocal cord imaging using the high-speed imaging functions of a high-performance smartphone camera. METHODS A customized smartphone adaptor was designed for clinical endoscopy using selective laser melting (SLM)-based 3D printing. Existing laryngoscope was attached to the smartphone adaptor to acquire high-speed vocal cord endoscopic images. Only existing basic functions of the smartphone camera were used for HSDI of the vocal folds. For image processing, segmented glottal areas were calculated from whole HSDI frames, and characteristics such as volume, shape and longitudinal edge length were analyzed. RESULTS High-speed digital smartphone imaging with the smartphone-endoscope adaptor could achieve 940 frames per second, and was used to image the vocal folds of five volunteers. The image processing and analytics demonstrated successful calculation of relevant diagnostic variables from the acquired images. CONCLUSIONS A smartphone-based HSDI endoscope system can function as a point-of-care clinical diagnostic device. Furthermore, this system is suitable for use as an accessible diagnostic method in underdeveloped areas with inadequate medical service infrastructure.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junjie Zeng ◽  
Wenying Zhao ◽  
Shuhua Yue

The high attrition rates of anti-cancer drugs during clinical development remains a bottleneck problem in pharmaceutical industry. This is partially due to the lack of quantitative, selective, and rapid readouts of anti-cancer drug activity in situ with high resolution. Although fluorescence microscopy has been commonly used in oncology pharmacological research, fluorescent labels are often too large in size for small drug molecules, and thus may disturb the function or metabolism of these molecules. Such challenge can be overcome by coherent Raman scattering microscopy, which is capable of chemically selective, highly sensitive, high spatial resolution, and high-speed imaging, without the need of any labeling. Coherent Raman scattering microscopy has tremendously improved the understanding of pharmaceutical materials in the solid state, pharmacokinetics of anti-cancer drugs and nanocarriers in vitro and in vivo. This review focuses on the latest applications of coherent Raman scattering microscopy as a new emerging platform to facilitate oncology pharmacokinetic research.


2011 ◽  
Vol 105-107 ◽  
pp. 1966-1969
Author(s):  
Tao Guo ◽  
Jie Zhu ◽  
Gui Tang ◽  
Yan Xu

It is a challenging problem to test the acceleration of the high-speed missiles and space shuttle under high temperature. This paper proposed a design of LC-resonant and high-temperature resistant acceleration sensors about the phenomenon. With the operational amplifier OP4177, it produces the input signal that contents with A/D (Analog to Digital) signal. An eight level low-pass filter MAX291 is used for testing after the signal is regulated. This design mainly uses AD7934 to complete the conversion from analog signals to digital signals. It also recognizes the resonant point of LC acceleration sensor by the DSP (Digital Signal Processing)recognizing program. The acceleration is computed finally by the DSP chip.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Amit Shrestha

The requirement of the versatile signal generator has always been evident in modern RF and communication systems. The most conventional technique, voltage control oscillator (VCO), has inferior phase noise and narrow bandwidth despite its operating frequency can be up to the sub-THz regime. Its phase noise influenced by a various parameter associated with the oscillator circuit e.g. transistor size \& noise, bias current, noise leaking from the bias supply etc. The bandwidth is limited because the input voltage \& the output frequency of the VCO is not strictly linear over the tuning range. The phase noise and SFDR of the VCO output are enhanced by using the phase-lock technique. The phase-locked loop (PLL) uses the feedback system locking the reference frequency set by the VCO. However, the settling time of the PLL is higher due to a feedback control loop. The higher settling time increases the frequency switching time between PLL outputs. IG-oscillators is suitable for multi-GHz range and wide bandwidth application. Signal generation can alos be achieved by the free-electron radiation, optical lasers, Gunn diodes as well and they can operate even at the THz domain. All these signal generators suffer from slow frequency switching, lack of digital controllability, and advance modulation capability even though their frequency of operation is THz regime. Alternatively, the AWG (arbitrary wave generator) can produce a wide range of frequencies with low phase noise, including digital controllability. One of the vital components of the AWG is the direct digital synthesiser (DDS). Generally, it is composed of a phase accumulator, digital to analogue converter, sine mapping circuits and low pass filter. It needs a reference clock that acts as samples of the DDS outputs. Its output frequency can be varied by applying an appropriate digital input code. But high-speed DDS has several limitations; such as low number of output frequency points, lack of phase control unit, high power consumptions etc. This work addresses such limitations.


1999 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 1304-1304 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Berry ◽  
Ingo R. Titze ◽  
Hanspeter Herzel

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yisi S. Zhang ◽  
Daniel Y. Takahashi ◽  
Diana A. Liao ◽  
Asif A. Ghazanfar ◽  
Coen P. H. Elemans

Abstract Across vertebrates, progressive changes in vocal behavior during postnatal development are typically attributed solely to developing neural circuits. How the changing body influences vocal development remains unknown. Here we show that state changes in the contact vocalizations of infant marmoset monkeys, which transition from noisy, low frequency cries to tonal, higher pitched vocalizations in adults, are caused partially by laryngeal development. Combining analyses of natural vocalizations, motorized excised larynx experiments, tensile material tests and high-speed imaging, we show that vocal state transition occurs via a sound source switch from vocal folds to apical vocal membranes, producing louder vocalizations with higher efficiency. We show with an empirically based model of descending motor control how neural circuits could interact with changing laryngeal dynamics, leading to adaptive vocal development. Our results emphasize the importance of embodied approaches to vocal development, where exploiting biomechanical consequences of changing material properties can simplify motor control, reducing the computational load on the developing brain.


Author(s):  
Francesco Centurelli ◽  
Pietro Monsurro ◽  
Giuseppe Scotti ◽  
Pasquale Tommasino ◽  
Alessandro Trifiletti

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