The Relationship Between Cepstral Peak Prominence and Selected Parameters of Dysphonia

Traditional measures of dysphonia vary in their reliability and in their correlations with perceptions of grade. Measurements of cepstral peak prominence (CPP) have been shown to correlate well with perceptions of breathiness. Because it is a measure of periodicity, CPP should also predict roughness. The ability of CPP and other acoustic measures to predict overall dysphonia and the subcategories of breathiness and roughness in pathological voice samples is explored. Preoperative and postoperative speech samples from 19 patients with unilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis who underwent operative intervention were analyzed by trained listeners and by measures of smoothed CPP (CPPS), noise-to-harmonic ratio (NHR), amplitude perturbation quotient (APQ), relative average perturbation (RAP), and smoothed pitch perturbation quotient (sPPQ). The data were analyzed with bivariate Pearson correlation statistics. Grade of dysphonia and breathiness ratings correlated better with measurements of CPPS than with the other measures. CPPS from samples of connected speech (CPPS-s) best predicted overall dysphonia. None of the measures were useful in predicting roughness.     

Laryngeal and Other Otolaryngologic Manifestations of Crohn''s Disease

Laryngeal and other otolaryngologic manifestations of Crohn's disease are uncommon and may be subtle. Crohn's disease is a well-known inflammatory bowel disease of unknown etiology marked by relapsing and remitting granulomatous inflammation of the alimentary tract. Extraintestinal manifestations of Crohn's disease may appear anytime during the course of the disease process and may be the initial symptom. Findings are nonspecific, primarily edema and ulcerations, and may be confused with a multitude of other disease processes. Awareness of these manifestations in the head and neck will prevent misdiagnosis or a delay in diagnosis.     

The effect of longitudinal-transverse coupling and medium temperature on Cerenkov radiation

The effect of medium properties on the energy loss suffered by a relativistic charged particle in a dielectric medium generating Cerenkov radiation is discussed. Here we have taken into account the effect of the coupling of the longitudinal (σ) mode with the transverse (λ) mode in the electromagnetic interaction. Calculation shows that the inclusion of λ-σ coupling in the transverse interaction affects significantly the radiation output. However the modification of the radiation due to the thermal state of the system becomes important at very high temperatures such as one finds in astrophysical situations. This temperature effect is negligible at ordinary temperatures and thus is undetectable in laboratory experiments.     

Shortest Path Problem on a Network with Imprecise Edge Weight

A network with its arc lengths as imprecise number, instead of a real number, namely, interval number and triangular fuzzy number is considered here. Existing ideas on addition and comparison between two imprecise numbers of same type are introduced. To obtain a fuzzy shortest path from a source vertex to all other vertices, a common algorithm is developed which works well on both types of imprecise numbers under consideration. In the proposed algorithm, a decision-maker is to negotiate with the obtained fuzzy shortest paths according to his/her view only when the means are same but the widths are different of the obtained paths. Otherwise, a fuzzy optimal path is obtained to which the decision-maker always satisfies with different grades of satisfaction. All pairs fuzzy shortest paths can be found by repeated use of the proposed algorithm.     

Bridging a Century-Old Problem: The Pathophysiology and Molecular Mechanisms of HA Filler-Induced Vascular Occlusion (FIVO)—Implications for Therapeutic Interventions

Biocompatible hyaluronic acid (HA, hyaluronan) gel implants have altered the therapeutic landscape of surgery and medicine, fostering an array of innovative products that include viscosurgical aids, synovial supplements, and drug-eluting nanomaterials. However, it is perhaps the explosive growth in the cosmetic applications of injectable dermal fillers that has captured the brightest spotlight, emerging as the dominant modality in plastic surgery and aesthetic medicine. The popularity surge with which injectable HA fillers have risen to in vogue status has also brought a concomitant increase in the incidence of once-rare iatrogenic vaso-occlusive injuries ranging from disfiguring facial skin necrosis to disabling neuro-ophthalmological sequelae. As our understanding of the pathophysiology of these injuries has evolved, supplemented by more than a century of astute observations, the formulation of novel therapeutic and preventative strategies has permitted the amelioration of this burdensome complication. In this special issue article, we review the relevant mechanisms underlying HA filler-induced vascular occlusion (FIVO), with particular emphasis on the rheo-mechanical aspects of vascular blockade; the thromboembolic potential of HA mixtures; and the tissue-specific ischemic susceptibility of microvascular networks, which leads to underperfusion, hypoxia, and ultimate injury. In addition, recent therapeutic advances and novel considerations on the prevention and management of muco-cutaneous and neuro-ophthalmological complications are examined.     

Rare earth ions (Eu3+ and Nd3+) doped BaSnF4: transport and photoluminescence characteristics

Investigation on the X-ray diffraction results of rare earth ions such as Eu³⁺ and Nd³⁺ doped BaSnF₄ materials indicates that the doped materials show a similar pattern of BaSnF₄ with the same tetragonal structure (P₄/nmm). The transport properties of the materials have been investigated by impedance spectroscopy, and the results show that the conductivity values are closely related to both concentration and type of the dopant ion. All of these doped materials show an increase in conductivity over un-doped BaSnF₄. The highest conductivity is observed in 3 mol% Nd³⁺ ion-doped BaSnF₄ system (9.01?×?10^?4 Scm^?1), which is about one order higher in comparison to BaSnF₄ conductivity (1.1?×?10^?4 Scm^?1). The room temperature emission spectrum of BaSnF₄:Eu³⁺ and BaSnF₄:Nd³⁺ shows the characteristic bands arising from ⁵D₀?→?⁷F _j (j?=?1, 2, 3, and 4) and ⁴F_3/2 to ⁴I _j (j?=?9/2 and 11/2) transitions of Eu³⁺ and Nd³⁺ ions, respectively.