Learning to produce speech with an altered vocal tract: the role of auditory feedback

Modifying the vocal tract alters a speaker's previously learned acoustic-articulatory relationship. This study investigated the contribution of auditory feedback to the process of adapting to vocal-tract modifications. Subjects said the word /tas/ while wearing a dental prosthesis that extended the length of their maxillary incisor teeth. The prosthesis affected /s/ productions and the subjects were asked to learn to produce "normal" /s/'s. They alternately received normal auditory feedback and noise that masked their natural feedback during productions. Acoustic analysis of the speakers' /s/ productions showed that the distribution of energy across the spectra moved toward that of normal, unperturbed production with increased experience with the prosthesis. However, the acoustic analysis did not show any significant differences in learning dependent on auditory feedback. By contrast, when naive listeners were asked to rate the quality of the speakers' utterances, productions made when auditory feedback was available were evaluated to be closer to the subjects' normal productions than when feedback was masked. The perceptual analysis showed that speakers were able to use auditory information to partially compensate for the vocal-tract modification. Furthermore, utterances produced during the masked conditions also improved over a session, demonstrating that the compensatory articulations were learned and available after auditory feedback was removed.     

Structural relaxation of spin-cast glassy polymer thin films as a possible factor in dewetting

Reiter [1] has recently reported a situation in which the dewetting of quasi-solid films is linked to plastic deformation - rather than viscous flow - resulting from capillary forces. Herein we propose that, in thin films of some glassy polymers - especially poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) - prepared by spin-casting from solvent, structural relaxation might impart sufficient stress to cause plastic deformation. We find that PMMA films decrease in thickness by several percent, which is sufficient to create significant stress in those cases in which the film is attached to a rigid substrate. The floating technique, which can take tens of minutes, might allow most of the structural relaxation to occur prior to dewetting experiments.Received: 1 August 2003PACS: 65.40.De Thermal expansion; thermomechanical effects - 82.60.Lf Thermodynamics of solutions - 61.41. + e Polymers, elastomers, and plasticsM. Sferrazza: Current address: Département de Physique, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Boulevard du Triomphe, CP223, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium     

Synthesis and characterization of a macrocyclic near-infrared optical scaffold

Macrocyclization of a bioactive peptide with a bifunctional near-infrared fluorescent optical probe gives a compound that retained the receptor binding affinity of the peptide and the photophysical properties of the optical probe. The robust nature of the new compound provides a structural framework for optimizing the activity of bioactive molecules and for monitoring chemical or biological processes in vivo and in vitro by near-infrared optical methods.     

Unidirectional travelling wave operation of a mode-locking Nd:Glass ring laser

The development of unidirectional mode-locked pulses in a Nd:glass ring laser is studied for various combinations of active and passive mode-locking and pulse direction discrimination elements.