Feasibility of similarity coefficient map in improving morphological evaluation of T2* weighted MRI for renal cancer

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the feasibility of similarity coefficient map (SCM) in improving morphological evaluation of T₂^* weighted (T₂^*W) magnatic resonance imaging (MRI) for renal cancer. Simulation studies and in vivo 12-echo T₂^*W experiments for renal cancers were performed for this purpose. The results of the first simulation study suggest that SCM can reveal small structures which are hard to be distinguished from the background tissue in T₂^*W images and the corresponding T₂^* map. The capability of improving morphological evaluation is likely due to the improvement in signal to noise ratio (SNR) and carrier to noise ratio (CNR) by SCM technique. Compared with T₂^*W images, SCM can improve SNR by a factor ranging from 1.87 to 2.47. Compared with T₂^* maps, SCM can improve SNR by a factor ranging from 3.85 to 33.31. Compared with T₂^*W images, SCM can improve CNR by a factor raging from 2.09 to 2.43. Compared with T₂^* maps SCM can improve CNR by a factor raging from 1.94 to 8.14. For a given noise level, the improvements of SNR and CNR depend mainly on the original SNRs and CNRs in T₂^*W images, respectively. In vivo experiments confirmed the results of the first simulation study. The results of the second simulation study suggest that more echoes are used to generate SCM, and higher SNR and CNR can be achieved in SCM. In conclusion, SCM can provide improved morphological evaluation of T₂^*W MR images for renal cancer by unveiling fine structures which are ambiguous or invisible in the corresponding T₂^*W MR images and T₂^* maps. What is more, in practical application, for a fixed total sampling time, one should increase the number of echoes as much as possible to achieve SCMs with better SNR and CNR.     

Differences in voice quality between men and women: Use of the long-term average spectrum (LTAS)

The goal of this study was to determine if there are acoustical differences between male and female voices, and if there are, where exactly do these differences lie. Extended speech samples were used. The recorded readings of a text by 31 women and by 24 men were analyzed by means of the Long-term Spectrum (LTAS), extracting the amplitude values (in decibels) at intervals of 160 Hz over a range of 8 kHz. The results showed a significant difference between genders, as well as an interaction of gender and frequency level. The female voice showed greater levels of aspiration noise, located in the spectral regions corresponding to the third formant, which causes the female voice to have a more “breathy” quality than the male voice. The lower spectral tilt in the women's voices is another consequence of this presence of greater aspiration noise.     

A Comparative Study of Acoustic Voice Measurements by Means of Dr. Speech and Computerized Speech Lab

In this study, the calculations and results of acoustic voice analysis as calculated by two different analysis systems (Doctor Speech (DRS), Tiger Electronics, Neu-Anspach, Germany, and Computerized Speech Lab (CSL), Kay Elemetrics Corporation, Lincoln Park, NJ) are compared. A group of 120 normal voices was selected for analysis of the objective parameters: fundamental frequency (F(0)), variation of F(0) (F(0)SD), jitter, shimmer, and harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR). The subject group was a random selection of normal voices of adults. The aim of this comparison was to find determined differences and similarities in data measurements between both systems to make data transfer possible. A significant correlation was found for F(0), HNR, and shimmer relative. The correlation for jitter (relative and absolute) and F(0)SD was weak. DRS and CSL are not comparable in absolute figures, but their judgment against normative data is identical. Further research is necessary to explore the affect on pathological voices or child voices.     

结合振动控制的柱面纵向梯度线圈目标场设计方法

在磁共振成像系统的工作过程中,噪声主要是由梯度线圈系统产生的.梯度线圈置于高均匀度超导磁体的室温孔内,并工作于脉冲状态,频繁的开启和关闭会使线圈中电流急剧随时间变化,变化的电流导致线圈受到变化的洛伦兹力作用,从而产生振动,这种高频振动所发出的噪声会对病人产生刺激,严重时甚至会对病人的听觉神经产生损伤.梯度场的场强越强、切换速度越快,所产生的噪声就越大.降低噪声的最根本方法是通过有效的梯度线圈设计,降低洛伦兹力的空间分布.本文针对纵向梯度线圈,在原经典目标场设计方法基础上,加入对振动参量,从而能够有效地降低线圈工作时所产生的噪声.其具体方法是将振动控制函数作为约束条件,通过目标场法建立数学模型,利用MATLAB进行电磁验算.计算结果表明,所提数学模型可有效地降低线圈振动的最大振幅.     

Acoustic recognition of voice disorders: a comparative study of running speech versus sustained vowels

The signals of running speech and sustained vowels of normals and subjects suffering from dysphonia were analyzed statistically with respect to the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The distribution of the SNR measured in multiple overlapping frames in the speech signal was described by a linear combination of the distribution frequencies for SNR = 0 dB, 0 dB less than SNR less than 15 dB, and SNR greater than or equal to 15 dB. The values of the linear combination, the SNR of the vowels, and clinical assignment of the voices to normal and pathologic populations based on laryngoscopic and stroboscopic investigation parameters were used to compare the different evaluations of the voices. The SNR distribution in speech remained stable over signal lengths of more than 30 s. The correlation coefficient between the SNR measure for running speech and the SNR of sustained vowels amounted to only 0.63. The error rate in the discrimination between normal and dysphonic voices amounted to 22.6% in application to sustained vowels and 5.6% when the SNR distribution was used. Possible reasons for the observed discrepancies are discussed, and the results are compared to those of other studies.     

Voice Analysis of Postlingually Deaf Adults Pre- and Postcochlear Implantation

Objectives

To ascertain whether cochlear implantation (CI), without specific vocal rehabilitation, is associated with changes in perceptual and acoustic vocal parameters in adults with severe to profound postlingual deafness.

Hypothesis

Merely restoring auditory feedback could allow the individual to make necessary adjustments in vocal pattern.

Study Design

Prospective and longitudinal.

Methods

The experimental group composed of 40 postlingually deaf adults (20 males and 20 females) with no previous laryngeal or voice disorders. Participants’ voices were recorded before CI and 6–9 months after CI. To check for chance modifications between two evaluations, a control group of 12 postlingually deaf adults, six male and six female, without CI was also evaluated. All sessions composed of the recording of read sentences from Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice and sustained vowel /a/. Auditory and acoustic analyses were then conducted.

Results

We found a statistically significant reduction in overall severity, strain, loudness, and instability in auditory analysis. In vocal acoustic analysis, we found statistically significant reduction fundamental frequency (F0) values (in male participants) and F0 variability (in both genders). The control group showed no statistically significant changes in most vocal parameters assessed, apart from pitch and F0 (in female participants only). On comparing the interval of variation of results between the experimental and control groups, we found no statistically significant difference in vocal parameters between CI recipients and nonrecipients, with the exception of F0 variability in male participants.

Conclusions

The patients in our sample showed changes in overall severity, strain, loudness, and instability values, and reductions in F0 and its variability. On comparing the variation of results between the groups, we were able to prove in our study that implant recipients postlingually deaf adults (experimental group), without specific vocal rehabilitation, differed from nonrecipients (control group) in loudness and F0 variability sustained vowel /a/ in male participants.     

PbS红外探测器低频噪声物理模型及缺陷表征研究

为了表征PbS薄膜光导红外探测器的材料缺陷,详细推导了1/f和产生-复合(g-r)噪声物理模型,并由实验数据验证了模型的准确性. 利用1/f噪声与表面缺陷关系,计算了不同偏压下表面陷阱密度. 得到该值随偏压升高而增加,由此得出1/f噪声与所加偏压成正比变化,与实验测试结果相一致. 在此模型基础上,研究了g-r噪声与深能级缺陷特征参量的关系,提出由低频噪声表征缺陷激活能、简并因子、俘获截面等缺陷参数的方法. 关键词： 红外探测器 1/f噪声')" href="#">1/f噪声 噪声')" href="#">g-r噪声 缺陷     

Effects of reverberation on perceptual segregation of competing voices

Two experiments investigated the effect of reverberation on listeners' ability to perceptually segregate two competing voices. Culling et al. [Speech Commun. 14, 71-96 (1994)] found that for competing synthetic vowels, masked identification thresholds were increased by reverberation only when combined with modulation of fundamental frequency (F0). The present investigation extended this finding to running speech. Speech reception thresholds (SRTs) were measured for a male voice against a single interfering female voice within a virtual room with controlled reverberation. The two voices were either (1) co-located in virtual space at 0 degrees azimuth or (2) separately located at +/-60 degrees azimuth. In experiment 1, target and interfering voices were either normally intonated or resynthesized with a fixed F0. In anechoic conditions, SRTs were lower for normally intonated and for spatially separated sources, while, in reverberant conditions, the SRTs were all the same. In experiment 2, additional conditions employed inverted F0 contours. Inverted F0 contours yielded higher SRTs in all conditions, regardless of reverberation. The results suggest that reverberation can seriously impair listeners' ability to exploit differences in F0 and spatial location between competing voices. The levels of reverberation employed had no effect on speech intelligibility in quiet.     

T1–T2 Correlation Spectra Obtained Using a Fast Two-Dimensional Laplace Inversion

Spin relaxation is a sensitive probe of molecular structure and dynamics. Correlation of relaxation time constants, such as T₁ and T₂, conceptually similar to the conventional multidimensional spectroscopy, have been difficult to determine primarily due to the absense of an efficient multidimensional Laplace inversion program. We demonstrate the use of a novel computer algorithm for fast two-dimensional inverse Laplace transformation to obtain T₁–T₂ correlation functions. The algorithm efficiently performs a least-squares fit on two-dimensional data with a nonnegativity constraint. We use a regularization method to find a balance between the residual fitting errors and the known noise amplitude, thus producing a result that is found to be stable in the presence of noise. This algorithm can be extended to include functional forms other than exponential kernels. We demonstrate the performance of the algorithm at different signal-to-noise ratios and with different T₁–T₂ spectral characteristics using several brine-saturated rock samples.     

A Mathematical Assessment of the Precision of Parameters in Measuring Resonance Spectra

The accurate interpretation ofin vivomagnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) spectra requires a complete understanding of the associated noise-induced errors. In this paper, we address the effect of complex correlated noise patterns on the measurement of a set ofpeakparameters. This is examined initially at the level of a single spectral analysis followed by addressing the noise-induced errors associated with determining thesignalparameters from thepeakparameters. We describe a relatively simple method for calculating these errors for any correlated noise pattern in terms of the noise standard deviation and correlation length. The results are presented in such a way that an estimate of the errors may be made from a single MRS spectrum. We also explore how, under certain circumstances, the lineshape of the signal may be determined. We then apply these results to reexamine a set ofin vivo³¹P MRS spectra obtained from rat brain prior to and following moderate fluid percussion injury. The approach outlined in this paper will demonstrate how meaningful results may be obtained from spectra where the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is quite small and where knowledge of the precise shape of the signal and the detail of the noise pattern is unknown. In essence, we show how to determine the expected errors in the spectral parameters from an estimate of the SNR from a single spectrum, thereby allowing a more discriminative interpretation of the data.     

Analysis of the excitation functions of (α, xnyp) reactions on natural copper

Excitation functions of the reactions⁶³Cu[(α, n), (α, 2n)+(α, pn)] and⁶⁵Cu[(α, n), (α, 2n), (α, 3n), (α, 4n)+(α, p3n)] were investigated up to 50 MeV using stacked foil activation technique and Ge(Li) gamma ray spectroscopy method. Since natural copper used as the target has two odd-mass stable isotopes of abundance,⁶³Cu(69.17%) and⁶⁵Cu(30.83%), their activation in some cases, gives the same residual nucleus through different reaction channels but with very different threshold energies. In such cases, the individual reaction cross sections are separated with the ratio of theoretical cross sections. The experimental results were compared with the predictions of preequilibrium hybrid model of Blann. A general agreement was found in all reactions using initial exciton numbern ₀=4(4p0h) and also preequilibrium fraction depends on the incident particle energy.     

基于最大信噪比测量两相流速度

为了克服噪声对信号的影响,提出一种利用最大信噪比和相关法测量两相流速度的方法.基于最大信噪比的信号分离方法是一种盲源信号分离方法,该算法利用统计独立信号完全分离时信噪比最大作为分离准则,它具有非常低的计算复杂度.这里首先利用盲源信号分离方法分别提取出上游和下游两相流信号,并据此求出两相流信号的相关函数曲线,由此求出信号的渡越时间,最后给出仿真实验的处理结果.实验结果表明该方法能够满足两相流速度的测量要求.     

Differences in Self-Rated, Perceived, and Acoustic Voice Qualities Between High- and Low-Fatigue Groups

Objectives

The present study was performed to examine which factors among self-rated scales, perceptual evaluations, and acoustic parameters, calculated from sustained vowels, are reliable indicators of physical and mental fatigues.

Methods

A total of 73 volunteers (male:female, 52:21), aged 19–24 years, were enrolled in this study. We defined the high- and low-fatigue groups using the Chalder Fatigue Scale score. For assessment of self-rated symptoms, each subject was asked to complete Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and Voice Rating Scale (VRS). For perceptual evaluations, three clinicians assessed each subject’s vocal quality on the Grade, Roughness, Breathiness, Asthenia, Strain Scale. For acoustic analysis, each subject was asked to produce sustained vowels /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, and /u/ for 3 seconds. Then, the habitual fundamental frequency (F₀), jitter, shimmer, F₀ tremor, mean F₀, standard deviation of F₀, maximum F₀, minimum F₀, normalized noise energy, harmonic-to-noise ratio (HNR), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), amplitude tremor, and ratio within 2–4 kHz were calculated using Dr. Speech software.

Results

In men, VHI, VRS, F₀ tremor, shimmer, HNR, SNR, and amplitude tremor were related to mental fatigue. In women, only VHI was related to physical fatigue, and none of the acoustic parameters was related to the fatigue score. Perceptual evaluations were not related to fatigue in men or women.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that self-rated symptoms and acoustic parameters related to voice quality are indicative of mental fatigue, and these features are prominent in men.     

Removal of t(1) noise from metabolomic 2D (1)H-(13)C HSQC NMR spectra by Correlated Trace Denoising

The presence of t(1) noise artefacts in 2D phase-cycled Heteronuclear Single Quantum Coherence (HSQC) spectra constrains the use of this experiment despite its superior sensitivity. This paper proposes a new processing algorithm, working in the frequency-domain, for reducing t(1) noise. The algorithm has been developed for use in contexts, such as metabolomic studies, where existing denoising techniques cannot always be applied. Two test cases are presented that show the algorithm to be effective in improving the SNR of peaks embedded within t(1) noise by a factor of more than 2, while retaining the intensity and shape of genuine peaks.     

Morphological characterization of the antennal sensilla of the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), with reference to their probable functions

The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), is one of the most significant economic pests of citrus worldwide. This insect vectors three phloem-restricted bacteria in the genus Candidatus Liberibacter that cause huanglongbing (citrus greening), the most severe disease limiting citrus production worldwide. We examined the external morphology of the antennal sensilla of male and female D. citri using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and determined the putative functions of the identified sensilla using transmission electron microscopic (TEM) techniques. The filiform antennae of D. citri were of the conventional type comprised of a basal scape, pedicel and a long, thread-like flagellum, which is composed of eight flagellomeres. Eleven morphologically unique sensillar types were found and described on the antennae of male and female D. citri. Of those identified, the two apical setae, multiporous types I and II sensilla trichoidea, and the antennal rhinaria were porous and may be involved in perception of host- and mate-related volatile chemicals. However, the aporous types I, II and III sensilla trichoidea may have mechanosensory functions and the chaetica sensilla, cavity sensilla and unidentified uniporous sensilla may be involved in proprioception, thermo-hygroreception and cold detection, respectively. The shape, external morphology and array of sensilla on the antennae of male and female D. citri were similar. The only major difference observed was in the morphology of the short apical setae, whose tips were recessed inward in females but not so in males. The results are discussed in relation to plausible roles of the identified sensilla in mate and host location by this species.     

An alternative method to specify the degree of resonator stability

We present an alternative method to specify the stability of real stable resonators. We introduce the degree of optical stability or the S parameter, which specify the stability of resonators in a numerical scale ranging from 0 to 100%. The value of zero corresponds to marginally stable resonator and S < 0 corresponds to unstable resonator. Also, three definitions of the S parameter are provided: in terms of A&D, B&Z _Ro and g ₁ g ₂. It may be noticed from the present formalism that the maximum degree of stability with S = 1 automatically corresponds to g ₁ g ₂ = 1/2. We also describe the method to measure the S parameter from the output beam characteristics and B parameter. A possible correlation between the S parameter and the misalignment tolerance is also discussed.      

Magnetic phases in UNi<Subscript>2</Subscript>Si<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The tetragonal compound UNi₂Si₂ exhibits in zero magnetic field three different antiferromagnetic phases belowT _N =124 K. They are formed by ferromagnetic basal planes, which are antiferromagnetically coupled along thec-axis with the propagation vectorq=(0, 0, q _z ). Two additional order-order magnetic phase transitions are observed below T _N , namely atT ₁=108 K and T ₂=40 K in zero magnetic field. All three phases exhibit strong uniaxial anisotropy confining the U moments to a direction parallel to the c-axis. UNi₂Si₂ single crystals were studied in detail by measuring bulk thermodynamic properties, such as thermal expansion, resistivity, susceptibility, and specific heat. A microscopic study using neutron diffraction was performed in magnetic fields up to 14.5 T parallel to the c-axis, and a complex magnetic phase diagram has been determined. Here, we present the analysis of specific-heat data measured in magnetic fields up to 14 T compared with the results of the neutron-diffraction study and with other thermodynamic properties of UNi₂Si₂.     

Perturbation and hoarseness: A pilot study of six children's voices

Fundamental frequency (F0) perturbation has been found to be useful as an acoustic correlate of the perception of dysphonia in adult voices. In a previous investigation, we showed that hoarseness in children's voices is a stable concept composed mainly of three predictors: hyperfunction, breathiness, and roughness. In the present investigation, the relation between F0 perturbation and hoarseness as well as its predictors was analyzed in running speech of six children representing different degrees of hoarseness. Two perturbation measures were used: the standard deviation of the distribution of perturbation data and the mean of the absolute value of perturbation. The results revealed no clear relation.