PHONETOVOX: A Novel Prototype Device for Alaryngeal Speech

Objective: To describe a prototype improvised hand held device for alaryngeal speech. Methods: Design: Instrument Innovation Setting: Tertiary Private Hospital Participants: Four listeners with normal hearing, were native Tagalog-speakers and had no previous experience with alaryngeal speech types participated in initial trials. Results: The prototype PHONETOVOX was fabricated using a soundproofed cellphone casing with an intra-oral sound port attachment and a cellphone was loaded with Pocket Talkbox v. 1.4.0 software. The device was tested for its ability to produce intelligible speech by using the cellphone as a substitute for the larynx using oral cavity resonators and articulators, producing a synthesized sound mimicking the human voice. The PHONETOVOX produced intelligible words. Initial testing using a C-V-C Tagalog Word List had 4 listeners identify 34, 35, 47, and 54 out of 93 words (37 to 58%), with an overall average intelligibility of 46%. Conclusion: Despite its restrictions in articulation and the wide range of results from the four listeners, our initial results may suggest the potential of PHONETOVOX as another modality for alaryngeal speech comparable to the 36 – 38 % intelligibility of commercially-available devices. Further trials with actual laryngectomees are needed to further establish intelligibility and acceptability. Keywords: Laryngectomy, Alaryngeal speech, Laryngeal Cancer

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Stereospecific, Palladium-catalyzed C(sp3)–H Alkenylation and Alkynylation of a Proline Derivative Enabled by 8-Aminoquinoline as a Directing Group

10.26434/chemrxiv.12034743 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Aleksandra Balliu ◽

Aaltje Roelofje Femmigje Strijker ◽

Michael Oschmann ◽

Monireh Pourghasemi Lati ◽

Oscar Verho

Keyword(s):

Carboxylic Acid ◽

Building Blocks ◽

Wide Range ◽

Palladium Catalyzed ◽

Directing Group ◽

High Yields ◽

Vinyl Iodides ◽

Initial Results

In this preprint, we present our initial results concerning a stereospecific Pd-catalyzed protocol for the C3 alkenylation and alkynylation of a proline derivative carrying the well utilized 8‑aminoquinoline directing group. Efficient C–H alkenylation was achieved with a wide range of vinyl iodides bearing different aliphatic, aromatic and heteroaromatic substituents, to furnish the corresponding C3 alkenylated products in good to high yields. In addition, we were able show that this protocol can also be used to install an alkynyl group into the pyrrolidine scaffold, when a TIPS-protected alkynyl bromide was used as the reaction partner. Furthermore, two different methods for the removal of the 8-aminoquinoline auxiliary are reported, which can enable access to both cis- and trans-configured carboxylic acid building blocks from the C–H alkenylation products.

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Nutritionally variant streptococci.

Clinical Microbiology Reviews ◽

10.1128/cmr.4.2.184 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 184-190 ◽

Cited By ~ 134

Author(s):

K L Ruoff

Keyword(s):

Cell Wall ◽

Oral Cavity ◽

Successful Treatment ◽

Distinct Species ◽

Growth Conditions ◽

Clinical Specimens ◽

Wide Range ◽

Streptococcal Species ◽

A Cell

Streptococci requiring either pyridoxal or L-cysteine for growth were first observed 30 years ago as organisms forming satellite colonies adjacent to colonies of "helper" bacteria. Although they were previously considered nutritional mutants of viridans streptococcal species, the nutritionally variant streptococci (NVS) are currently thought to belong to distinct species of the genus Streptococcus. NVS strains may display pleomorphic cellular morphologies, depending on their growth conditions, and are distinguished from most other streptococci by enzymatic and serological characteristics and the presence of a cell wall chromophore. NVS are found as normal inhabitants of the oral cavity, and in addition to their participation in endocarditis, they have been isolated from a wide range of clinical specimens. Endocarditis caused by NVS is often difficult to eradicate; combinations of penicillin and an aminoglycoside are recommended for treatment. The unique physiological features of the NVS contribute to the difficulties encountered in their recovery from clinical specimens and may play a role in the problems associated with successful treatment of NVS endocarditis.

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Metagenome of SARS-Cov2 patients in Shenzhen with travel to Wuhan shows a wide range of species - Lautropia, Cutibacterium, Haemophilus being most abundant - and Campylobacter explaining diarrhea

10.31219/osf.io/jegwq ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Sandeep Chakraborty

Keyword(s):

Secondary Infection ◽

Bacterial Species ◽

Bacterial Load ◽

San Diego County ◽

Opportunistic Pathogens ◽

Sequencing Data ◽

Familial Cluster ◽

Chinese Study ◽

Wide Range ◽

Initial Results

The metagenome of patients infected with SARS-Cov2 [1] has shown Prevotella to be a key player in immune response [2] in one Chinese study [3], just starting in another [4] and a host of other opportunistic pathogens in a study from San Diego county [5]. The metagenome can also be queried to find host response genes [5], as was done in monkey cells infected with SARS-Cov2 [6]Nanopore sequencing data from a familial cluster in ShenzhenThe patients were tested for 4 bacterial species - Bordetella pertussis, Bordetella parapertussis, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. The sequencing data (Accid:SRR10948474, Nanopore) from five patients in a family cluster from Shenzhen who presented with unexplained pneumonia after returning from Wuhan (Table 1) shows a wide range of bacterial species - Lautropia, Cutibacterium, Haemophilus being most abundant. The presence of Campylobacter explains diarrhea seen in the patient [7,8]. Also, their tests should have detected Mycoplasma, since it is there in the data.Significant bacterial load with some bacterial species predominatingThe bacterial reads are about 20% (95K out of 500K reads). The viral load is also significant here (70K reads) [2]. They are in SI.familial/allsequences.fa. The number of bacterial species (with at least two reads) is 876 (SI.familial/list.allbacteria.txt). Thus, it is important to consider secondary infection, a possible reason why azithromycin (in addition to hydroxychloroquine) has given good initial results in a clinical trial [9].

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Adenomatoid Hyperplasia of The Oral Cavity: A Diagnostic Dilemma

European Annals of Dental Sciences ◽

10.52037/eads.2021.0007 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ali ALTINDAĞ ◽

Poyzan Bozkurt ◽

Burak Bilecenoğlu ◽

Kaan Orhan

Keyword(s):

Oral Cavity ◽

Correct Diagnosis ◽

Age Distribution ◽

Salivary Gland Tumor ◽

Histological Evaluation ◽

Gland Tumor ◽

Diagnostic Dilemma ◽

Location Data ◽

Wide Range ◽

Review Study

This review study presents literature review and discusses the clinical significance of Adenomatoid Hyperplasia, a commonly misdiagnosed lesion. This rare entity has been seldom presented and is not well enough described in the literature. Only 15 reports with 95 cases could be attained during the online literature search using the keywords: Adenomatoid, Tumor, Hyperplasia, Minor salivary Glands. Data revealed a tendency towards the male gender. Age distribution of patients did not reveal a tendency towards a specific age group but presented a peak incidence in the 4th and 5th decades. Location data revealed a tendency towards the palate, especially the hard palate. Most of the presented cases were asymptomatic and the most common initial diagnosis made was salivary gland tumor. It was concluded that, adenomatoid hyperplasia of the oral cavity may resemble a wide range of pathologies and in order to differentiate and to achieve a correct diagnosis, histological evaluation is fundamental.

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Prevalence of Tongue Cleaning Using a Toothbrush: A Questionnaire Survey in Fukui Prefecture, Japan

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2019/6320261 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Shinpei Matsuda ◽

Takehisa Saito ◽

Hisato Yoshida ◽

Hitoshi Yoshimura ◽

Kazuo Sano

Keyword(s):

Questionnaire Survey ◽

General Public ◽

Private Hospital ◽

Age Groups ◽

Tongue Coating ◽

Wide Range ◽

Tongue Cleaning ◽

The University

Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate the tongue cleaning habits using toothbrushes among outpatients of the University of Fukui Hospital and a private hospital in Fukui Prefecture. Methods. We administered a questionnaire survey to volunteers detailing tongue cleaning habits using toothbrushes. The content of the questions in this survey were as follows: gender, age, frequency of tongue cleaning, portion of tongue cleaning, and purposes of tongue cleaning. Results. We had 1,014 volunteers of various ages participating in this study. Regarding the frequency of tongue cleaning, 187 (18.4%) of all participants replied, “Every day”, and 346 (34.1%) replied, “Sometimes”. Regarding tongue cleaning of the 533 participants with active tongue cleaning habits, 242 (45.4%) participants replied, “The center of the dorsum of the tongue”, and 274 (51.4%) replied, “The entire tongue”. When analyzing the purpose of tongue cleaning, 346 (64.9%) participants replied, “To remove the tongue stain”, 192 (36.0%) participants replied, “To remove the tongue coating”, and 240 (45.0%) participants replied, “To manage halitosis”. Conclusions. This study clarified that a wide range of age groups in the nonhospitalized general public practiced tongue cleaning habits using a toothbrush for various purposes.

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Evaluation of the Specificity of the Leukocyte Migration Inhibition Test against Histologically Homologous and Heterologous Neoplastic Antigens in Cancer Patients

Tumori Journal ◽

10.1177/030089168106700302 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 67 (3) ◽

pp. 169-175 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Giovanni Mantovani ◽

Maria A. Manca ◽

Francesco Cossu ◽

Ernesto Proto ◽

Guglielmo Taglieri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Digestive Tract ◽

Laryngeal Cancer ◽

Cancer Tissue ◽

Migration Inhibition ◽

Cancer Antigens ◽

Homologous Antigen ◽

Wide Range ◽

Heterologous Antigens

The aim of the present study was to verify whether the CMI response of the host's lymphocytes is directed towards tumor-associated antigens (TAA) specific for each histological type of tumor. The leucocyte migration inhibition (LMI) test was selected for this purpose, utilizing the cancer patients' leucocytes and, as neoplastic antigens, formalin-fixed cells of surgically removed cancer tissue. Two hundred and eighteen patients were studied, 110 of whom were affected by breast cancer, 48 by digestive tract and 60 by laryngeal cancer. The total amount of tests performed was 278. The leucocytes of 93 normal subjects were tested against the different tissues' cancer antigens, as were the leucocytes of 41 patients with cancer of different organs tested against the corresponding normal tissues' antigens. The breast cancer patients (122 tests performed) showed 82.35 % positive tests against homologous antigen, 72.72 % and 95.24 % against heterologous (digestive tract and laryngeal cancer, respectively) antigens. The digestive tract cancer patients (69 tests performed) showed 70.27 % positive tests against homologous, 66.66 % and 43.48 % against heterologous antigens (breast and laryngeal cancer, respectively). The laryngeal cancer patients (87 tests performed) showed 74.29 % positive tests against homologous, 38.10 % and 80.65 % against heterologous antigens (breast and digestive tract, respectively). The results led to the conclusion that the LMI test response of cancer patients was not « tissue specific »: the test did not discriminate between the homologous and the heterologous cancer antigens, and it seems that the response was not directed towards specific TAA but only towards wide-range or « group » TAA, shared by several types of tumors.

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Extragalactic jets as probes of distant clusters of galaxies and the clusters occupied by bent radio AGN (COBRA) survey

Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union ◽

10.1017/s1743921315002410 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 10 (S313) ◽

pp. 315-320

Author(s):

Elizabeth L. Blanton ◽

Rachel Paterno-Mahler ◽

Joshua D. Wing ◽

M. L. N. Ashby ◽

Emmet Golden-Marx ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Radio Galaxies ◽

Radio Sources ◽

Clusters Of Galaxies ◽

Wide Range ◽

Extragalactic Jets ◽

Large Survey ◽

Kinetic Mode ◽

Group Environments ◽

Initial Results ◽

Quasars And Radio Galaxies

AbstractWe are conducting a large survey of distant clusters of galaxies using radio sources with bent jets and lobes as tracers. These radio sources are driven by AGN and achieve their bent morphologies through interaction with the surrounding gas found in clusters of galaxies. Based on low-redshift studies, these types of sources can be used to identify clusters very efficiently. We present initial results from our survey of 653 bent-double radio sources with optical hosts too faint to appear in the SDSS. The sample was observed in the infrared with Spitzer, and it has revealed ~200 distant clusters or proto-clusters in the redshift range z ~ 0.7 - 3.0. The sample of bent-doubles contains both quasars and radio galaxies enabling us to study both radiative and kinetic mode feedback in cluster and group environments at a wide range of redshifts.

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Tracking patchy pulsating aurora through all-sky images

Annales Geophysicae ◽

10.5194/angeo-35-777-2017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 35 (4) ◽

pp. 777-784 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Eric Grono ◽

Eric Donovan ◽

Kyle R. Murphy

Keyword(s):

Time History ◽

Image Data ◽

Auroral Oval ◽

Automatic Identification ◽

Inner Magnetosphere ◽

Wide Range ◽

History Of ◽

Initial Results ◽

Automatic Technique

Abstract. Pulsating aurora is frequently observed in the evening and morning sector auroral oval. While the precipitating electrons span a wide range of energies, there is increasing evidence that the shape of pulsating auroral patches is controlled by structures in near-equatorial cold plasma; these patches appear to move with convection, for example. Given the tremendous and rapidly increasing amount of auroral image data from which the velocity of these patches can be inferred, it is timely to develop and implement techniques for the automatic identification of pulsating auroral patch events in these data and for the automatic determination of the velocity of individual patches from that data. As a first step towards this, we have implemented an automatic technique for determining patch velocities from sequences of images from the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) all-sky imager (ASI) and applied it to many pulsating aurora events. Here we demonstrate the use of this technique and present the initial results, including a comparison between ewograms (east–west keograms) and time series of patch position as determined by the algorithm. We discuss the implications of this technique for remote sensing convection in the inner magnetosphere.

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BiFeO3-BaTiO3: A new generation of lead-free electroceramics

Journal of Advanced Dielectrics ◽

10.1142/s2010135x18300049 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 08 (06) ◽

pp. 1830004 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

Dawei Wang ◽

Ge Wang ◽

Shunsuke Murakami ◽

Zhongming Fan ◽

Antonio Feteira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Energy Storage ◽

Limited Range ◽

Lead Free ◽

Potassium Sodium Niobate ◽

Energy Storage Devices ◽

Storage Devices ◽

Wide Range ◽

Energy Storage Properties ◽

New Generation ◽

Initial Results

Lead-based electroceramics such as Pb(Zr.Ti)O3 (PZT) and its derivatives have excellent piezoelectric, pyroelectric and energy storage properties and can be used in a wide range of applications. Potential lead-free replacements for PZT such as potassium sodium niobate (KNN) and sodium bismuth titanate (NBT) have a much more limited range of useful properties and have been optimized primarily for piezoelectric applications. Here, we review the initial results on a new generation of lead-free electroceramics based on BiFeO3-BaTiO3 (BF-BT) highlighting the essential crystal chemistry that permits a wide range of functional properties. We demonstrate that with the appropriate dopants and heat treatment, BF-BT can be used to fabricate commercially viable ceramics for applications, ranging from sensors, multilayer actuators, capacitors and high-density energy storage devices. We also assess the potential of BF-BT-based ceramics for electrocaloric and pyroelectric applications.

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Time Dependent Indentation Testing At Non-Ambient Temperatures Utilizing the High Temperature Mechanical Properties Microprobe

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-356-645 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 356 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

B. N. Lucas ◽

W. C. Oliver

Keyword(s):

High Vacuum ◽

Ultra High Vacuum ◽

Time Dependent ◽

Depth Sensing ◽

Ambient Temperatures ◽

High Temperature Mechanical Properties ◽

Wide Range ◽

Stress Changes ◽

Laser Interferometric ◽

Initial Results

AbstractTime dependent indentation data for pure indium from -100 °C to 75 °C is presented. The properties reported include hardness, indentation strain rate, stress exponent and apparent activation energy for creep. These properties were measured using a depth-sensing indentation system capable of performing experiments between -100 °C and 300 °C in ultra-high vacuum. In addition, by employing laser interferometric techniques, this system can obtain displacement data with time constants as low as 50 ns. This allows the investigation of the material response to very fast stress changes over an extremely wide range of strain rates. The adverse and beneficial dynamic effects of step-loading the indenter into the surface of the material will be discussed. Initial results obtained from this type of experiment show that it is possible to obtain energy dissipation or damping information from the material being studied.

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