Experimental investigation of the influence of a posterior gap on glottal flow and sound

The influence of a posterior gap on the airflow through the human glottis was investigated using a driven synthetic model. Instantaneous orifice discharge coefficient of a glottal shaped orifice was obtained from the time-varying orifice area and the velocity distribution of the pulsated jet measured on the axial plane using a single hot-wire probe. Instantaneous orifice discharge coefficient values were found to undergo a cyclic hysteresis loop when plotted versus Reynolds number and time, indicating a pressure head increase and a net energy transfer from the air flow to the orifice wall. The net energy transferred was estimated to be around 10% of the value presumably required to achieve self-sustained oscillation. The radiated sound pressure was measured to characterize the influence of the minimum flow through the posterior gap on the broadband component of the radiated sound. The presence of a posterior gap was found to significantly increase the broadband sound level produced over the frequency range in which human hearing is most sensitive.     

Determination of superior surface strains and stresses, and vocal fold contact pressure in a synthetic larynx model using digital image correlation

Stresses and strains within the vocal fold tissue may play a critical role in voice fatigue, in tissue damage and resulting voice disorders, and in tissue healing. In this study, experiments were performed to determine mechanical fields on the superior surface of a self-oscillating physical model of the human vocal folds using a three-dimensional digital image correlation method. Digital images obtained using a high-speed camera together with a mirror system were used to measure displacement fields, from which strains, strain rates, and stresses on the superior surface of the model vocal folds were computed. The dependence of these variables on flow rate was established. A Hertzian impact model was used to estimate the contact pressure on the medial surface from superior surface strains. A tensile stress dominated state was observed on the superior surface, including during collision between the model folds. Collision between the model vocal folds limits the medial-lateral stress levels on the superior surface, in conjunction with compressive stress or contact pressure on the medial surface.     

Solving air traffic conflict problems via local continuous optimization

This paper first introduces an original trajectory model using B-splines and a new semi-infinite programming formulation of the separation constraint involved in air traffic conflict problems. A new continuous optimization formulation of the tactical conflict-resolution problem is then proposed. It involves very few optimization variables in that one needs only one optimization variable to determine each aircraft trajectory. Encouraging numerical experiments show that this approach is viable on realistic test problems. Not only does one not need to rely on the traditional, discretized, combinatorial optimization approaches to this problem, but, moreover, local continuous optimization methods, which require relatively fewer iterations and thereby fewer costly function evaluations, are shown to improve the performance of the overall global optimization of this non-convex problem.     

Adaptive tuning of an electrodynamically driven thermoacoustic cooler

The commercial development of thermoacoustic coolers has been hampered in part by their low efficiencies compared to vapor compression systems. A key component of electrodynamically driven coolers is the electromechanical transducer, or driver. The driver's electroacoustic transduction efficiency, defined as the ratio of the acoustic power delivered to the working gas by the moving piston and the electrical power supplied, must be maintained near its maximum value if a high overall system efficiency is to be achieved. Modeling and experiments have shown that the electroacoustic efficiency peaks sharply near the resonance frequency of the electro-mechano-acoustic system. The optimal operating frequency changes as the loading condition changes, and as the properties of the working gas vary. The driver efficiency may thus drop significantly during continuous operation at a fixed frequency. In this study, an on-line driver efficiency measurement scheme was implemented. It was found that the frequency for maximum electroacoustic efficiency does not precisely match any particular resonance frequency, and that the efficiency at resonance can be significantly lower than the highest achievable efficiency. Therefore, a direct efficiency measurement scheme was implemented and validated using a functional thermoacoustic cooler. An adaptive frequency-tuning scheme was then implemented. Experiments were performed to investigate the effectiveness of the control scheme to maintain the maximum achievable driver efficiency for varying operating conditions.     

The Synthesis and Properties of New Metal-free and Metallophthalocyanines Containing Four Diloop Macrocyclic Moieties

The synthesis and characterization of new metal-free (9) and metal-containing (Zn, Ni or Cu 10, 11, 12) derivatives of a symmetrically octasubstituted phthalocyanine derived from 21,22-dicyano-2,3,5,6,8,9,11,12,15,17,18,25,26,28-tetradecahydro[1,4,7,12] benzodioxadithiacyclotetradeceno[6,7-b][1,4,7,10,13]benzopentaoxacyclopentadecene (7), which was synthesized in a multi-step reaction sequence, have been described. The novel compouds have been characterized by a combination of elemental analysis, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, IR, UV–vis and MS spectral data.