Differences in Self-Rated, Perceived, and Acoustic Voice Qualities Between High- and Low-Fatigue Groups

Objectives

The present study was performed to examine which factors among self-rated scales, perceptual evaluations, and acoustic parameters, calculated from sustained vowels, are reliable indicators of physical and mental fatigues.

Methods

A total of 73 volunteers (male:female, 52:21), aged 19–24 years, were enrolled in this study. We defined the high- and low-fatigue groups using the Chalder Fatigue Scale score. For assessment of self-rated symptoms, each subject was asked to complete Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and Voice Rating Scale (VRS). For perceptual evaluations, three clinicians assessed each subject’s vocal quality on the Grade, Roughness, Breathiness, Asthenia, Strain Scale. For acoustic analysis, each subject was asked to produce sustained vowels /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, and /u/ for 3 seconds. Then, the habitual fundamental frequency (F₀), jitter, shimmer, F₀ tremor, mean F₀, standard deviation of F₀, maximum F₀, minimum F₀, normalized noise energy, harmonic-to-noise ratio (HNR), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), amplitude tremor, and ratio within 2–4 kHz were calculated using Dr. Speech software.

Results

In men, VHI, VRS, F₀ tremor, shimmer, HNR, SNR, and amplitude tremor were related to mental fatigue. In women, only VHI was related to physical fatigue, and none of the acoustic parameters was related to the fatigue score. Perceptual evaluations were not related to fatigue in men or women.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that self-rated symptoms and acoustic parameters related to voice quality are indicative of mental fatigue, and these features are prominent in men.     

Optical and acoustic study of nucleation and growth of bubbles at a liquid-solid interface induced by nanosecond-pulsed-laser heating

The dynamics of liquid-vapor phase-change in the nanosecond time-scale induced by pulsed-laser heating of a liquid on a solid sample is studied by means of optical reflectance and scattering measurements, and the piezoelectric detection technique. The liquids studied include water, ethanol, methanol, IsoproPropyl Alcohol (IPA), and mixtures of water and IPA. The threshold fluence for nucleation is determined with high accuracy using the optical and acoustic signals. Heat diffusion calculations performed for the threshold fluences indicate that the liquids are sufficiently superheated before nucleation sets on. The transient optical reflectance signal is analyzed by an effective-medium theory to provide bubble-growth kinetics, so that the bubble-growth velocity for the test liquids could be estimated. In addition, it is observed that, following the thermally induced nucleation, repetitive acoustic cavitation at the surface of the solid sample occurs, with a time interval related to the speed of sound in the liquid.     

A model for the plane to plane variations in catalytic activity seen during nitric oxide decomposition on platinum

Previous work has shown that the reactivity of platinum for nitric oxide decomposition varies significantly with the geometry of the exposed surface of the platinum. Here, the available data are compared to the predictions of a model, which is based on conservation of orbital symmetry and a simplified picture of the band structure of the surface. The model predicts that the (100) face of platinum should be more active than either the (111) or the (110). The (410) should be more active still. These predictions agree with recent experiment. The model makes several other predictions which need to be tested experimentally. These results suggest that symmetry conservation methods, similar to the ones developed by Woodward and Hoffmann for organic reactions, could yield many valuable insights into the relative activity of various catalyst structures.     

Congruential Inventory Model for Two-Echelon Distribution Systems

Large-scale inventory-distribution systems typically comprise a hierarchy of warehouses that stock goods for distribution to retailers at which demand for these goods originates. This paper develops an inventory model for two-echelon distribution systems under the assumption that the central warehouse and retailers order periodically. Characteristics of the optimal policy are described. An iterative solution procedure is presented to find optimal or near optimal operating-policy variables. Solutions of the model to a large number of test examples show that the model outperforms other existing models in the literature without sacrificing the computation time. Tested against the lower bounds on the optimal average annual variable cost obtained by removing some of the ordering costs, the solutions of the present model are found to be near optimal.     

Removal of nanoparticles on silicon wafer using a self-channeled plasma filament

The effective removal of nanoparticles from a silicon wafer surface was demonstrated using the self-channeled plasma filament excited by a femtosecond (130?fs) Ti:sapphire laser (?? _p=790?nm). The photoinduced self-channeled plasma filament in air reached a length of approximately 110?C130?mm from the first focal spot with diameters ranging from 40 to 50???m at input intensities of more than 1.0×10¹⁴?W/cm². By the scan of wafer using the X?CY?CZ stage during self-channeled plasma filament, the removal variation of nanoparticles on surface was observed in situ before and after the plasma filament occurred. The cleaning efficiency was strongly dependent on the gap distance between the plasma filament and the surface. The removal efficiency of nanoparticles reached 96?% with no damage to the surface when the gap was 150???m.     

Measurement of Inherent Material Density of Nanoparticle Agglomerates

We describe a new technique to measure the size dependent inherent material density of chain agglomerate particles. Measurements were carried out for diesel soot and aluminum/alumina agglomerate particles in the nanometer size range. Transmission electron microscopy was used to measure the volumes of agglomerate particles that were preselected by mass using an aerosol particle mass analyzer. We found that the density of diesel exhaust particles increased from 1.27 to 1.78g/cm³ as particle mobility size increased from 50 to 220nm. When particles are preheated to remove volatile components, the density was 1.77±0.07g/cm³, independent of particle size. The densities measured after heating correspond to the inherent material density of diesel soot. Measurements with aluminum nanoparticles were made downstream of a furnace where aluminum (Al) was converted to alumina (Al₂O₃). From measurements of inherent material density we were able to infer the extent of reaction, which varied with furnace temperature.     

Comment on “An enhanced polarization mechanism for the metal cations modified amorphous TiO2 based electrorheological materials” by Qing Wu, Bin Yuan Zhao, Chen Fang and Ke Ao Hu

Comments on a recent article on an enhanced polarization mechanism for the metal cations modified amorphous TiO₂ based electrorheological materials are presented, based upon an examination of the yield stress, which is a function of electric-field strength, of the materials. Using the deduced critical electric-field strengths, we find that the universal yield stress equation proposed collapses the data given by Qing Wu, Bin Yuan Zhao, Chen Fang, Ke Ao Hu, Eur. Phys. J. E 17, 63 (2005), onto a single curve.