Plasticity of Voice Quality: A Prognostic Factor for Outcome of Voice Therapy?

Plasticity of voice quality is defined here as the degree of improvement in deviant voice quality that can be achieved immediately or quasi-immediately by changing basic voicing conditions, posture, articulation or resonance, breathing mechanics, laryngeal position, or auditory feedback. Thirty-two adult patients with various benign organic voice pathologies, and who had a (preoperative) functional voice therapy, were scored before therapy using a weighted multidimensional Index of Voice Plasticity (IVP). The hypothesis is that IVP could be a predictor of the final outcome of functional voice therapy, and therefore a correlation with a comparable quantification of the actual results of the therapy was investigated. The IVP shows a satisfactory correlation (Spearman's rho = 0.68) with the efficacy of (preoperative) voice therapy. The IVP also significantly differs between diagnostic categories. Although its predictive value remains limited, the Index of Voice Plasticity seems helpful in decision making for indication of (presurgical) voice therapy.     

Causal Dissipative Cosmology With Variable G and Λ

A cosmological model with variable G and is considered in the framework of Israel–Stewart–Hiscock (ISH) causal theory. Power law as well as inflationary solutions are obtained. The gravitational constant is found to increase with time.     

Should Singing Activities Be Included in Speech and Voice Therapy for Prepubertal Children?

Customarily, speaking and singing have tended to be regarded as two completely separate sets of behaviors in clinical and educational settings. The treatment of speech and voice disorders has focused on the client's speaking ability, as this is perceived to be the main vocal behavior of concern. However, according to a broader voice-science perspective, given that the same vocal structure is used for speaking and singing, it may be possible to include singing in speech and voice therapy. In this article, a theoretical framework is proposed that indicates possible benefits from the inclusion of singing in such therapeutic settings. Based on a literature review, it is demonstrated theoretically why singing activities can potentially be exploited in the treatment of prepubertal children suffering from speech and voice disorders. Based on this theoretical framework, implications for further empirical research and practice are suggested.     

Causal Viscous Cosmological Models With Variable G and Λ

Einstein's equations with variable gravitational and cosmological constants are considered in the presence of a bulk viscous fluid source described by the truncated causal theory of Israel–Stewart, for the spatially flat homogeneous and isotropic universe. A solution is found in which the cosmological term varies inversely with the square of time. However, the gravitational constant G is found to be increasing with time.     

Intrinsic Decoherence of Two Atoms System With Kerr Medium

We study the effect of Kerr medium on the intrinsic decoherence of a system which consists of two two-level atoms and a optical cavity. The entanglement of the system is calculated by making use of concurrence. Our results show that the intrinsic decoherence is very sensitive to the nonlinear coupling constant of Kerr medium. Both the oscillation period and the amplitude of the concurrence increase with the increasing nonlinear coupling constant.     

Where science fiction meets reality? With oxide semiconductors!

Transparent electronics is today one of the most advanced topics for a wide range of device applications, where the key components are wide band gap semiconductors, where oxides of different origin play an important role, not only as passive components but also as active components similar to what we observe in conventional semiconductors. As passive components they include the use of these materials as dielectrics for a wide range of electronic devices and also as transparent electrical conductors for use in several optoelectronic applications, such as liquid crystal displays, organic light emitting diodes, solar cells, optical sensors etc. As active materials, they exploit the use of truly electronic semiconductors where the main emphasis is being put on transparent thin film transistors, light emitting diodes, lasers, ultraviolet sensors and integrated circuits among others.

     

A New Resonator With A Non─misaligned FourMirorReflectorAndItsEfectOnBeamQualityImprovementOfHighAveragePowerNd：YAGLasers

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Where Is a Singer''s Voice if It Is Placed “Forward”?

Singing teachers sometimes characterize voice quality in terms of "forward" and "backward" placement. In view of our traditional knowledge about voice production it is hard to explain any possible acoustic or articulatory differences between the voices so "placed." The analysis of the teachers' expert opinions demonstrates that, in general, a voice placed "forward" indicates a desirable quality that students should attain by the end of their studies. Productions that were perceived as "forward" and "backward" were selected from the listening test. The acoustic analysis of those productions reveals that the voice quality in the case of "forward" placement correlates with higher frequencies of the second (F2) and third (F3) formants, as well as with a more salient "singer's formant" in the voice. The five basic vowels were included in the investigation.     

Probability in Theories With Complex Dynamics and Hardy’s Fifth Axiom

L. Hardy has formulated an axiomatization program of quantum mechanics and generalized probability theories that has been quite influential. In this paper, properties of typical Hamiltonian dynamical systems are used to argue that there are applications of probability in physical theories of systems with dynamical complexity that require continuous spaces of pure states. Hardy’s axiomatization program does not deal with such theories. In particular Hardy’s fifth axiom does not differentiate between such applications of classical probability and quantum probability.     

Computational Studies on the Interaction of Arctiin and Liquiritin With β-lactoglobulin

The study of the interaction of drugs purified from natural sources and a transport protein, such as β-lactoglobulin (BLG), at the atomic level could be a valuable factor to control their transport to biological sites. In the present study, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation methods were used to study the interaction of arctiin and liquiritin as natural drugs and BLG as the transport protein. The molecular docking results indicated that these drugs bind in the internal cavity of BLG and the BLG affinity for binding the liquiritin is greater than arctiin. The docking results also indicated that the hydrogen bond interactions have a dominant role in the BLG-drug complex stability. The analysis of MD simulation trajectories showed that the root mean square deviation (RMSD) of BLG-liquiritin, unliganded BLG, and BLG-arctiin reached equilibrium and fluctuated around the mean value at about 1000, 3500, and 4000 ps, respectively. The time evolution of the radius of gyration and total solvent accessible surface of the protein showed that BLG-arctiin and BLG-liquiritin complexes became stable around 2500 and 5000 ps, respectively. Also, the profiles of atomic fluctuations during the simulation showed the rigidity of the ligand binding sites.     

Bianchi Type-Ⅲ String Cosmological Model With Bulk Viscosity and Magnetic Field

The Bianchi type-Ⅲ cosmological model for a cloud string in the presence of bulk viscosity and magnetic field are presented. To obtain the determinate model it is assumed that there is an equation of state ρ = kA and the scalar of expansion is proportional to the shear scalar θ ∝ σ, which leads to a relation between metric potentials B = mC^n. The physical and geometric aspects of the model are also discussed. The model describes a shearing non-rotating continuously expanding universe with a big-bang start. In the absence of magnetic field, it reduces to the string model with bulk viscosity that was previously given in the literature.     

Low—Lying Resonance States of Slow Electron Collisions With Atomic Oxygen

A 39-target state close-coupling calculation of low-energy electron scattering from atomic oxygen is carried out with core-valence electron correlation by using R-matrix method. It is shown that the elastic cross section has a huge and sharp increase with the electron energy going down below 1eV. This remarkable structure is attributed to a few very low-lying potential resonances and the features of these resonances are given with partial cross sections. It is also shown that after considering excitations of two electrons from 2s shell, the three lowest atomic energy levels are in agreement with experimental results better than that just considering excitations of two electrons from the 2p shell as well as only one electron from the 2s shell. Elastic and two excitation (^3P→^1D and ^3P→^1S) cross sections are given and compared with the other theoretical and experimental results.