Measuring the neck frequency response function of laryngectomy patients: implications for the design of electrolarynx devices

Measurements of the neck frequency response function (NFRF), defined as the ratio of the spectrum of the estimated volume velocity that excites the vocal tract to the spectrum of the acceleration delivered to the neck wall, were made at three different positions on the necks of nine laryngectomized subjects (five males and four females) and four normal laryngeal speakers (two males and two females). A minishaker driven by broadband noise provided excitation to the necks of subjects as they configured their vocal tracts to mimic the production of the vowels /a/, /ae/, and /I/. The sound pressure at the lips was measured with a microphone and an impedance head mounted on the shaker measured the acceleration. The neck wall passed low-frequency sound energy better than high-frequency sound energy, and thus the NFRF was accurately modeled as a low-pass filter. The NFRFs of the different subject groups (female laryngeal, male laryngeal speakers, laryngectomized males, and laryngectomized females) differed from each other in terms of corner frequency and gain, with both types of male subjects presenting NFRFs with larger overall gains. In addition, there was a notable amount of intersubject variability within groups. Because the NFRF is an estimate of how sound energy passes through the neck wall, these results should aid in the design of improved neck-type electrolarynx devices.     

20 W of continuous-wave sodium D2 resonance radiation from sum-frequency generation with injection-locked lasers

A 20-W all-solid-state continuous-wave single-frequency source tuned to the sodium D2a line at 589.159 nm has been developed for adaptive optical systems. This source is based on sum-frequency mixing two injection-locked Nd:YAG lasers in lithium triborate in a doubly resonant external cavity. Injection locking the Nd:YAG lasers not only ensures single-frequency operation but also allows the use of a single rf local oscillator for Pound-Drever-Hall locking both the injection-slave and the sum-frequency cavities. We observe power-conversion efficiencies in excess of 55% and a linearly polarized diffraction-limited output tunable across the sodium D2 line (589.156 to 589.160 nm) with no change in output power and with high amplitude and pointing stability.     

Total fusion cross sections for 18, 17, 16O + 27Al at energies near the Coulomb barrier

Total fusion cross sections have been measured for ^{18, 17, 16}O + ²⁷Al systems at bombarding energies 27–42 MeV. The evaporation residues were detected in the angular range 4°–25° (lab) using a $\text{2E?E}$ counter telescope. Barrier radii extracted from total fusion and elastic scattering cross sections are found to increase with the projectile mass. The effect of the yrast levels on the isotopic yields in the evaporation cascade is investigated.     

Reverse plane partitions and tableau hook numbers

The generating function of R. P. Stanley for reverse plane partitions on a tableau shape is obtained by a direct method that clearly shows the combinatorial significance of the hook numbers for the shape. The process generalizes the hooks into zigzag paths.     

Solvent effects on the electrochemical p-doping of PEDOT

EQCM experiments were carried out on PEDOT films exposed to TEABF(4)/CH(3)CN and TEABF(4)/CH(2)Cl(2) under permselective conditions and subjected to cyclic voltammetry in the potential range corresponding to p-doping. Current and frequency responses were used to obtain time-resolved ion and solvent flux data as functions of potential. Normalization of these fluxes with potential scan rate distinguishes thermodynamically (ir)reversible elementary steps in the overall redox process. The specific mechanisms are different in the two solvents, although both show mechanistic switches at partial redox conversion during both p-doping and undoping. These different mechanistic signatures are characterized according to the solvent identity, by different patterns of deviation from scan rate normalization for the experimentally measured ion and solvent fluxes. Comparison of these ion and solvent fluxes demonstrates that the rates of solvent expulsion (during doping) and entry (during undoping) are key determinants of mechanism. In both switching directions there are changes between kinetically limiting and rapid solvent transfer that depend upon solvent identity, i.e. the mechanism depends substantially upon charge state, switching direction and solvent. These mechanistic pathways and shifts can be visualized by a scheme-of-cubes representation.     

X-ray spectroscopy of electrochemically deposited iridium oxide films: detection of multiple sites through structural disorder

We report the results of X-ray absorption spectroscopy studies on electrochemically deposited iridium oxide films. The emphasis of the study is the correlation of X-ray derived structural data with electrochemically controlled charge state. Data were acquired for films subject to redox cycling in neutral and alkaline aqueous media. In both cases, cyclic voltammetric responses show two redox couples, coulometrically of roughly equal magnitude. Assays of the iridium population (based on the iridium L(3) absorption edge amplitude) and the charge injected (based on integration of the voltammetric response) show that overall an average of ca. one electron per iridium atom is transferred. The absorption edge shifts indicate that the formal charge on the iridium changes, on average, from ca. 3.5+ to ca. 4.5+ across the entire process. EXAFS-derived changes in mean Ir-O distance and their mean square variation have been interpreted in terms of a two-site model, in which the two types of site have distinct redox potentials. Variations of local structure and disorder with potential are discussed and a generic model for structural disorder (parameterized via Debye-Waller factor) with diagnostic capability is developed.     

Theory for solvent and salt transfer accompanying partial redox conversion of electroactive polymer films under permselective and nonpermselective conditions

A comprehensive thermodynamic model for solvent and salt transfer accompanying a partial redox conversion, i.e., conversion between any two oxidation levels, of an electroactive polymer (EAP) film is presented. We discuss two possible cases, namely, one-phase and two-phase behavior of an EAP film. An expression describing the extent of solvent transfer in these situations is presented. Salt transfer is characterized by the difference in permselectivity indices (Delta R(b,a)) between two oxidation levels of the EAP film. Delta R(b,a) represents the difference in co-ion (salt) exclusion properties of the EAP in the two different oxidation levels. Delta R(b,a) is expressed in terms of the EAP's charge, number of electrons transferred in the redox reaction of an electroactive unit, concentration of the supporting electrolyte, salt partition coefficient between solvent and EAP phases, and salt activity coefficients in both phases. Plots of Delta R(b,a) as a function of the electrolyte concentration allow determining the EAP's phase behavior, ratio of salt partition coefficients, and number of electrons exchanged in the redox process. Delta R(b,a) is an experimentally accessible quantity; it can be obtained from electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) experiments. Delta R(b,a) values can be used as a diagnostic tool to characterize an EAP film.