Use of acupuncture for the treatment of adductor spasmodic dysphonia: a preliminary investigation

Ten subjects with adductor spasmodic dysphonia participated in a study examining the effects of an acupuncture treatment protocol on their voice disorder. Treatment consisted of eight sessions, and it was designed and performed by two physicians certified in acupuncture. Voice characteristics were evaluated pretreatment and posttreatment using the CSL Motor Speech Profile (MSP), Unified Spasmodic Dysphonia Rating Scale, and Voice Handicap Index (VHI). Subjects also answered a posttreatment questionnaire regarding their experience. Significant pretreatment and posttreatment differences occurred for some MSP measures. Significant differences were found on all three subtests of the VHI, and the average total scores pretreatment and posttreatment differed by 17 points (considered significant according to VHI standardization). Seven of 10 subjects reported improvements in voice production, although expert raters did not detect perceptual changes in voice quality. Possible reasons for the discrepancies between objective measures and self ratings, and implications for further research, are discussed.     

Vocal Tremor Reduction with Deep Brain Stimulation: A Preliminary Report

Vocal tremor has been a challenging problem for patients and their physicians. In some cases, it has been possible to lesson the symptom's tremor through medications and/or voice therapy. However, in most cases no good treatment has been available. Chronic stimulation of the thalamus has been successful in controlling tremors of the upper limb and other portions of the body. Our preliminary experience suggests that it may also be helpful in controlling vocal tremor.     

Treatment Outcomes for Professional Voice Users

Professional voice users comprise 25% to 35% of the U.S. working population. Their voice problems may interfere with job performance and impact costs for both employers and employees. The purpose of this study was to examine treatment outcomes of two specific rehabilitation programs for a group of professional voice users. Eighteen professional voice users participated in this study; half had complaints of throat pain or vocal fatigue (Dysphonia Group), and half were found to have benign vocal fold lesions (Lesion Group). One group received 5 weeks of expiratory muscle strength training followed by six sessions of traditional voice therapy. Treatment order was reversed for the second group. The study was designed as a repeated measures study with independent variables of treatment order, laryngeal diagnosis (lesion vs non-lesion), gender, and time. Dependent variables included maximum expiratory pressure (MEP), Voice Handicap Index (VHI) score, Vocal Rating Scale (VRS) score, Voice Effort Scale score, phonetogram measures, subglottal pressures, and acoustic and perceptual measures. Results showed significant improvements in MEP, VHI scores, and VRS scores, subglottal pressure for loud intensity, phonetogram area, and dynamic range. No significant difference was found between laryngeal diagnosis groups. A significant difference was not observed for treatment order. It was concluded that the combined treatment was responsible for the improvements observed. The results indicate that a combined modality treatment may be successful in the remediation of vocal problems for professional voice users.     

Reflux and vocal disorders in singers with bulimia

Dysphonia associated with bulimia has been described in the literature associated with vocal fold edema and polypoid changes. Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) has been documented to cause reflux vocal fold pathology including edema and polypoid changes. We studied eight singers with bulimia and documented vocal fold pathology, including edema, posterior commissure hypertrophy, ventricular obliteration, and telangiectasia. Reflux was demonstrated in all eight. The results of this study showed that LPR may be a contributing factor to vocal disorders in singers with bulimia.     

Laryngeal Botulinum Toxin Injection: Can It Be a Cause of Obstructive Sleep Apnea as an Adverse Effect?

Spasmodic dysphonia is a chronic voice disorder that is characterized by involuntary spasms of the laryngeal muscles during speech production. Botulinum toxin injection into to the laryngeal muscles is the most common and effective treatment of choice for symptoms of spasmodic dysphonia. We present a 44-year-old man with adductor spasmodic dysphonia who was diagnosed as having upper airway obstruction in a polysomnographic examination during sleep after a botulinum toxin injection.     

Laser bronchoscopy with transglottic/supraglotticventilation to relieve dysphonia and subglottic obstruction

Dysphonia after endotracheal intubation usually indicates a glotticlesion but it can also herald an obstructing subglottic airway mass. Outpatient strobovideolaryngoscopy may be anatomically extended by transglottic videotracheobronchoscopy to achieve a thorough examination of the proximal bronchi, trachea, subglottis, glottis, and supraglottis in selected cases. Combining these techniques with lateral soft tissue x-ray studies of the neck in two patients with dysphonia and stridor, nearly identical postendotracheal intubation subglottic severely obstructing granulation “tumors” were diagnosed. Operative subglottic resection with a rigid ventilating laser bronchoscope combined with transglottic/supraglottic anesthetic ventilation techniques and contact-tip Nd-YAG laser phototherapy relieved the dysphonia and airway obstruction simultaneously. Normal vocal quality and full anatomical airway patency were achieved in both cases. Follow-up postoperative vocal rehabilitation and medical therapy sustained the surgical results.     

Preparation of porous cobalt and nickel oxides from corresponding alkoxides using a sonochemical technique and its application as a catalyst in the oxidation of hydrocarbons

Porous nickel and cobalt oxides were prepared using their alkoxides as inorganic precursors. The stabilization of the mesostructure is especially critical for divalent elements such as Ni and Co, which do not form any network structure, like silicates. The lack of a network-forming multivalent bond is the probable reason why no stable mesoporous oxides have been synthesized for divalent elements yet. Here we have reported our attempt to synthesize porous oxides of Ni and Co. Octadecylamine has been used as the organic structure-directing agent. The product obtained was put under solvent extraction and calcination at various temperatures to remove the surfactant, followed by characterization using XRD, TEM and BET measurements. The FT/IR and thermal analyses (TGA and DSC) were also carried out for supporting information, such as extent of removal of surfactant from the pores of the metal oxide. A relatively better surface area has been obtained for the Co oxide, but in Ni the surface area found is not as good. A possible reason for that has been discussed. The porous (solvent extracted) cobalt oxide has been used as a catalyst in the oxidation reaction of cyclohexane in mild conditions. The catalyst has shown relatively better conversion of cyclohexane into cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol than the nanostructured cobalt oxide catalyst of regular structure.     

Design of URAs by DIRECT global optimization algorithm

Coded aperture imaging (CAI) has evolved as a standard technique for imaging high-energy photon sources and has found numerous applications. Coded aperture arrays (CAAs) are the most important devices in the applications of CAI. In recent years, many approaches were presented to design optimum or near-optimum CAAs. Uniformly redundant arrays (URAs) are the most successful CAAs for their cyclic autocorrelation consisting of a sequence of delta functions on a flat sidelobe, which can easily be subtracted when the object has been reconstructed. Unfortunately, the existing methods can only be used to design URAs with limited number of array sizes and fixed autocorrelative sidelobe-to-peak ratio. In this paper, we presented a method to design more flexible URAs by means of a global optimization algorithm named DIRECT. By our approaches, we obtain various types of URAs including the filled URAs which can be constructed by existing methods and the sparse URAs which have never been constructed and mentioned by existing papers as far as we know.     

Creation and Investigation of Organic Light-Emitting Structures Containing Arrays of Colloidal Quantum Dots

We have created organic electroluminescent structures—ITO/TPD/Alq3/Al and ITO/PEDOT:PSS/TPD/Alq3/Al—which are organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Experiments on the incorporation of CdSe/ZnS colloidal quantum dots into the active layer of the structure have been performed. The parameters of the created structures have been determined using optical-spectroscopy methods. The appropriateness of using the method of high-speed vacuum thermal deposition as a main method for the deposition of structural layers has been demonstrated, and the possibility of accelerated formation of layers of the material without disturbing its chemical structure has been shown. By measuring the photoluminescence spectra at different points in samples, we have determined the quality of the obtained structures and plotted maps of the radiation power distribution of the material and of its thickness. Recommendations for the creation of upper contacts and other regions of light-emitting structures have been formulated. We have created organic structures with ITO/PEDOT:PSS/TPD/TPD + CQD’s CdSe/Alq3/Al colloidal quantum dots, in which electroluminescence of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots has been obtained for a wide range of applied voltages. It has been shown that the introduction of colloidal quantum dots into the structure leads to a significant modification of its electroluminescence spectrum.     

Dysphonia due to kaposi''s sarcoma as the presenting symptom of human immunodeficiency virus

Dysphonia and airway obstruction are rarely caused by Kaposi's Sarcoma (KS). We present the case of a 40 year old man receiving his diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) after presenting with hoarseness caused by laryngeal KS. HIV may contribute to KS growth by stimulating excess production of angiogenic lymphokines and monokines and by decreasing immune surveillance. Histopathology reveals proliferating endothelial cells, fibroblasts, thin vascular slits, and extravasated erythrocytes. A wide variety of localized treatment options exist, while chemotherapeutic agents and alpha-interferon are used for multifocal or widespread disease.     

Mild hydrothermal treatment to prepare highly dispersed multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with improved dispersion property have been prepared by a mild and fast hydrothermal treatment. The hydrothermal process avoids using harsh oxidants and organic solvents, which is environmental friendly and greatly decreases the damage to intrinsic structure of MWCNTs. The modified MWCNTs were highly soluble in polar solvents such as water, ethanol and dimethylformamide. Morphological observation by TEM indicated that the diameter and inherent structure were well reserved in modified MWCNTs. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy were used to quantify functional groups created on the MWCNT surface, and to determine rational parameters of hydrothermal process.     

Removal of 2,4-dinitrophenol using hybrid methods based on ultrasound at an operating capacity of 7 L

Sonochemical removal of 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) has been investigated using ultrasonic bath, with an operating capacity of 7 L, fitted with a large transducer with longitudinal vibrations having a 1 kW rated power output and operating frequency of 25 kHz. It has been revealed from calorimetric studies that maximum power is dissipated at a capacity of 7 L. The concentration of DNP has been monitored with an objective of evaluation of the efficacy of ultrasonic reactor in combination with process intensifying approaches for the removal of DNP. The effect of operating pH and additives such as hydrogen peroxide and ferrous iron activated persulfate on the extent of removal of DNP has been investigated. It has been observed that the extent of removal is greater at lower pH (pH 2.5 and 4) than at higher pH (pH 10). The combined treatment strategies such as ultrasound (US)/Fenton, US/advanced Fenton and US/CuO/H₂O₂ have also been investigated with an objective of obtaining complete removal of DNP using hybrid treatment strategies. The extent of removal has been found to increase significantly in US/Fenton process (98.7%) as compared to that using US alone (5.8%) which demonstrates the efficacy of the combined process. First order kinetics has been fitted for all the approaches investigated in the work. Calculations of cavitational yield indicated the superiority of the reactor design as compared to the conventional ultrasonic horn type reactors. The main intermediates formed during the process of removal of DNP have been identified.     

In-process monitoring techniques for laser cleaning

Diverse in-process monitoring techniques based on acoustic, chromatic and intelligent approaches have been developed for laser cleaning not only to achieve the sound-cleaned surface but also to control the process in an automatic manner. The cleaning of various materials such as copper, marble, paper have also been carried out by using Q-switched Nd:YAG radiation. The process was successfully monitored by detecting the acoustic emission induced by laser–surface interactions during laser cleaning. Novel surface monitoring was achieved by chromatic modulation technique. The monitoring of laser fluence based on neural network logic was carried out by means of the recognition of acoustic spectrum patterns. The prediction system of surface damage has been also developed using fuzzy rule base in the same way as a human expert. These techniques may provide unique information for characterising the process as well as a promise of successful applications for laser cleaning techniques in real practical fields.     

FTIR absorption spectroscopy as a novel method for thin film deposition rate measurement

The precise measurement of the deposition rate is an essential part of successful fabrication of thin films, both organic and inorganic ones. Established methods using quartz oscillators are known to possess a variety of disadvantages, foremost a very limited lifetime. Here, we report on a novel measurement technique for the deposition rate of organic thin films, based on Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Different organic species have been uniquely identified with similar accuracy compared to standard methods. The lifetime of the system can be vastly extended compared to quartz oscillators and multiple organic species can be detected simultaneously, allowing for co-deposition of materials with only one detector necessary. This method can be used for both quantitative as well as qualitative analysis of deposition or doping processes.     

微腔结构顶发射有机发光器件

以Ag/ITO为全反射阳极，以Al/Ag为半透明复合阴极，制备了绿色、蓝色两种微腔结构顶发射有机发光器件，研究了微腔效应对顶发射器件颜色的影响，通过调节光程，实现了用同一种有机发光层制备出不同波长的发射.Alq基顶发射器件得到波长峰值从500 nm到584 nm的不同颜色的器件，发光光谱半高宽由传统器件的100 nm窄化到20—40 nm，最高电流效率1.77 cd/A.蓝光顶发射器件发光峰值从464 nm变化到532 nm，半高宽由传统器件的65 nm窄化到17—21 nm，并得到色坐标为(0.141，0.049)的深蓝色顶发射有机发光器件. 关键词： 有机发光 顶发射 微腔效应     

HCFC22替代工质的吸收制冷特性

1引言随着人类生存环境的日益恶化和全球能源危机的日益加剧,吸收式制冷以及吸收制冷工质正越来越受到人们的关注。氟利昂与有机溶剂组成的工质对是当前人们研究得较多一种工质对,其中R22／DMF（二甲基甲酸胺）体系曾被认为是较有前途的一种新型制冷一吸收工质对［‘］。然而,随着蒙特利尔议定书所规定HCFC禁用日期的;临近,R22即将被淘汰,因此,研究吸收制冷中R22的替代问题已变得越来越重要。ZI质物性本文涉及的主要计算有：溶液的汽液平衡计算、制冷剂的汽液平衡计算和工质的恰值计算等。本文中制冷剂之间的汽液平衡由改进PT…     

The evaluation of solution- and solid-phase approaches to the divergent synthesis cinnoline and phenanthrene ring systems

Cinnoline and phenanthrene ring systems have been synthesized from a set of readily available substrates using functional group tolerant reactions. This approach proved successful in both solution- and solid-phase synthesis for phenanthrenes but was limited to solution-phase synthesis for cinnolines. The described approaches to these ring systems complements related approaches to other scaffolds that can be readily accessed from the same substrates using slight variations in the applied chemistry.     

Degradation of 4-chloro 2-aminophenol using combined strategies based on ultrasound,photolysis and ozone

The present work investigates the degradation of 4-chloro 2-aminophenol (4C2AP), a highly toxic organic compound, using ultrasonic reactors and combination of ultrasound with photolysis and ozonation for the first time. Two types of ultrasonic reactors viz. ultrasonic horn and ultrasonic bath operating at frequency of 20 kHz and 36 kHz respectively have been used in the work. The effect of initial pH, temperature and power dissipation of the ultrasonic horn on the degradation rate has been investigated. The established optimum parameters of initial pH as 6 (natural pH of the aqueous solution) and temperature as 30 ± 2 °C were then used in the degradation studies using the combined approaches. Kinetic study revealed that degradation of 4C2AP followed first order kinetics for all the treatment approaches investigated in the present work. It has been established that US + UV + O₃ combined process was the most promising method giving maximum degradation of 4C2AP in both ultrasonic horn (complete removal) and bath (89.9%) with synergistic index as 1.98 and 1.29 respectively. The cavitational yield of ultrasonic bath was found to be eighteen times higher as compared to ultrasonic horn implying that configurations with higher overall areas of transducers would be better selection for large scale treatment. Overall, the work has clearly demonstrated that combined approaches could synergistically remove the toxic pollutant (4C2AP).     

电压调制变色有机电致发光器件中的能量传递

研究了不同掺杂浓度下PVK：Rubrene的光致发光及电致发光的特性。发现掺杂浓度较低的PVK：Rubrene的光致发光与电致发光有较大差别,这是Foerster能量传递及电致发光中陷阱中的电子对空穴的吸引作用使得PVK激子在光致发光和电致发光中的复合速率不同造成的。同时各掺杂浓度在5wt%以下的PVK：Rrbrene发光随电压的增加呈现变色,这是能量传递不完全时,未参与能量传递的PVK激子复合速率随电压升高增大的结果。