Subglottic stenosis (SGS) is a rare yet potentially life-threatening condition that requires prompt identification and treatment. One of the primary symptoms of SGS is a respiratory sound that is ...tonal. To better understand the effect of SGS on expiratory sound, we used direct noise calculation to simulate sound production in a simplified axisymmetric configuration that included the trachea, the vocal folds, the supraglottal tract, and an open environmental space. This study focused on flow-sustained tones and explored the impact of various parameters, such as the SGS severity, the SGS distance, the flowrate, and the glottal opening size. It was found that the sound pressure level (SPL) of the expiratory sound increased with flowrate. SGS had little effect on the sound until its severity approached 75% and SPL increased rapidly as the severity approached 100%. The results also revealed that the tonal components of the sound predominantly came from hole tones and tract harmonics and their coupling. The spectra of the sound were greatly influenced by constricting the glottis, which suggests that respiratory tasks that involve maneuvers to change the glottal opening size could be useful in gathering more information on respiratory sound to aid in the diagnosis of subglottic stenosis.
The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of the Coulomb dry friction model versus the modified Coulomb friction model on the dynamic behavior of the slider-crank mechanism with a ...revolute clearance joint. The normal and tangential forces acting on the contact points between the journal and the bearing are described by using a Hertzian-based contact force model and the Coulomb friction models, respectively. The dynamic equations of the mechanism are derived based on the Lagrange equations of the first kind and the Baumgarte stabilization method. The frictional force is solved via the linear complementarity problem (LCP) algorithm and the trial-and-error algorithm. Finally, three numerical examples are given to show the influence of the two Coulomb friction models on the dynamic behavior of the mechanism. Numerical results show that due to the stick friction, the slider-crank mechanism may exhibit stick-slip motion and can balance at some special positions, while the mechanism with ideal joints cannot.
Rodent ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) are crucial to their social communication and a widely used translational tool for linking gene mutations to behavior. To maximize the causal interpretation of ...experimental treatments, we need to understand how neural control affects USV production. However, both the aerodynamics of USV production and its neural control remain poorly understood.
Here, we test three intralaryngeal whistle mechanisms-the wall and alar edge impingement, and shallow cavity tone-by combining in vitro larynx physiology and individual-based 3D airway reconstructions with fluid dynamics simulations. Our results show that in the mouse and rat larynx, USVs are produced by a glottal jet impinging on the thyroid inner wall. Furthermore, we implemented an empirically based motor control model that predicts motor gesture trajectories of USV call types.
Our results identify wall impingement as the aerodynamic mechanism of USV production in rats and mice. Furthermore, our empirically based motor control model shows that both neural and anatomical components contribute to USV production, which suggests that changes in strain specific USVs or USV changes in disease models can result from both altered motor programs and laryngeal geometry. Our work provides a quantitative neuromechanical framework to evaluate the contributions of brain and body in shaping USVs and a first step in linking descending motor control to USV production.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The false vocal folds are believed to be components of the acoustic filter that is responsible for shaping the voice. However, the effects of false vocal folds on the vocal fold vibration and the ...glottal aerodynamic during phonation remain unclear. This effect has implications for computational modeling of phonation as well as for understanding laryngeal pathologies such as glottal incompetence resulting from unilateral vocal fold paralysis. In this study, a high fidelity, two-dimensional computational model, which combines an immersed boundary method for the airflow and a continuum, finite-element method for the vocal folds, is used to examine the effect of the false vocal folds on flow-induced vibration (FIV) of the true vocal folds and the dynamics of the glottal jet. The model is notionally based on a laryngeal CT scan and employs realistic flow conditions and tissue properties. Results show that the false vocal folds potentially have a significant impact on phonation. The false vocal folds reduce the glottal flow impedance and increase the amplitude as well as the mean glottal jet velocity. The false vocal folds also enhance the intensity of the monopole acoustic sources in the glottis. A mechanism for reduction in flow impedance due to the false vocal folds is proposed.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
An in-house 3D fluid–structure–acoustic interaction numerical solver was employed to investigate the effect of subglottic stenosis (SGS) on dynamics of glottal flow, vocal fold vibration and ...acoustics during voice production. The investigation focused on two SGS properties, including severity defined as the percentage of area reduction and location. The results show that SGS affects voice production only when its severity is beyond a threshold, which is at 75% for the glottal flow rate and acoustics, and at 90% for the vocal fold vibrations. Beyond the threshold, the flow rate, vocal fold vibration amplitude and vocal efficiency decrease rapidly with SGS severity, while the skewness quotient, vibration frequency, signal-to-noise ratio and vocal intensity decrease slightly, and the open quotient increases slightly. Changing the location of SGS shows no effect on the dynamics. Further analysis reveals that the effect of SGS on the dynamics is primarily due to its effect on the flow resistance in the entire airway, which is found to be related to the area ratio of glottis to SGS. Below the SGS severity of 75%, which corresponds to an area ratio of glottis to SGS of 0.1, changing the SGS severity only causes very small changes in the area ratio; therefore, its effect on the flow resistance and dynamics is very small. Beyond the SGS severity of 75%, increasing the SGS severity, leads to rapid increases of the area ratio, resulting in rapid changes in the flow resistance and dynamics.
Aluminum is a significant impurity in the ion-adsorption rare earth ore. The changes in the occurrences of aluminum have a great influence on the leaching of the rare earth ore. In this paper, the ...column leaching method was employed using magnesium sulfate as a leaching agent to investigate the effects of pH and magnesium sulfate concentration in the leaching agent on the leaching of aluminum and rare earths. The results show that at low magnesium sulfate concentrations, the leaching of rare earths is greatly enhanced, while the leaching of aluminum is not significantly affected by a decrease in the pH of leaching agent. At high magnesium sulfate concentrations, a slight increase in the leaching of rare earths is observed, accompanied by a significant increase in the leaching of aluminum upon decreasing the pH of the leaching agent. The leaching behavior of aluminum is related to the changes in the occurrences of aluminum during the leaching process. At low magnesium sulfate concentrations, low pH promotes the transition of Hy-Al to Sol-Al, but due to the low Mg2+ concentration in the leaching agent, Sol-Al is back-adsorbed onto the clays and transformed into Ex-Al, resulting in no significant increase in the aluminum content in the leach solution. However, at higher magnesium sulfate concentrations, aluminum in the leach solution comes mainly from the transformation of Ex-Al. Lowering the pH of the leaching agent can significantly promote the transition of Hy-Al to Sol-Al, thereby greatly increasing the aluminum content in the leach solution. The above results provide theoretical support for the optimization of the in situ leaching of ion-adsorption rare earth ore using magnesium sulfate.
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CEKLJ, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
The reaction wheel bicycle robot is a kind of unmanned mobile robot with great potential. However, the control of such bicycle robots on a curved pavement under inaccurate model parameters, model ...uncertainties and disturbances is challenging due to the lateral instability and underactuated characteristic. Applying conventional control methods to this problem often results in brittle and inaccurate controllers. In this paper, an online serial-parallel combination reinforcement learning with conventional control methods is designed to achieve the path tracking and banlancing control for a reaction wheel bicycle robot on curved pavements. The parallel part of the controller refers to compensating the equilibrium point and the serial part of the controller refers to adjusting the parameters of a sliding mode controller that tracks the target roll equilibrium point. The comparison between the proposed controller and several existing controllers in experimental test built in Matlab Simscape illustrates stronger robustness and better control performances.
In this Letter, the authors theoretically and experimentally investigate the characteristics of phase delay in capacitive pick-off circuits for micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) resonators for ...the first time in history. An analytical model considering the phase delay for capacitive pick-off circuits is built up in theory. Only when they use their proposed novel modified double side-band demodulation configuration for resonators to extract motional amplitude and phase, the phase delay of pick-off circuits can be eliminated and extracted meanwhile in real time. Experiments show that the changing feature of phase delay primarily depends on temperature rather than drive frequency. Experimental results agree well with the theoretical model and reveal the relatively high correlation between the phase delay and temperature. This work provides a new indicator of temperature for resonators, using this phase delay of the pick-off interface, to make temperature compensation.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Aquatic vegetation has been restored since the removal of seine nets from the lake surface of Shengjin Lake in 2018. Through four seasons of phytoplankton sampling surveys from 2019–2020, we analyzed ...spatial and temporal changes in phytoplankton communities, water quality, and aquatic plant recovery in conjunction with previous research literature to reveal the response mechanisms of phytoplankton community structure to rapidly recovering aquatic vegetation. The results showed that the Secchi depth increased (0.4 m to 0.7 m), the concentration of total phosphorus decreased (0.053 mg/L to 0.41 mg/L), the species of aquatic plants (5 species to 16 species), phytoplankton species (210 species to 254 species) and cell density increased after the removal of the seine. Since the removal of the seine of Shengjin Lake, the aquatic vegetation cover has exceeded 80%, the phytoplankton biodiversity has increased, and the water quality has recovered to II-III water status. Our results show that aquatic plants improve water quality through direct and indirect effects and influence phytoplankton community structure together with the water environment, which can provide guidance for the restoration situation of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River through-river lake ecosystems.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Spinel lithium ferrite LiFe5O8 (LFO) has attracted robust research interests due to their potential applications in isolators, circulators, and phase shifters. In this work, a series of LFO thin film ...with various thickness were fabricated on SrTiO3 (STO) single-crystalline substrates by pulsed laser deposition technology. We systematically investigated the influences of the thickness of LFO thin film on the crystal structure and magnetic properties. The in-plane lattice parameter a and in-plane lattice parameter c were modulated by controlling the thickness of LFO thin film, which was confirmed using reciprocal space mappings (RSMs) technology. Furthermore, the microwave magnetism of LFO thin film with various thickness were studied systematically by ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) measurement. Moreover, with increasing the thickness of LFO thin film from 50 to 180 nm, the difference of the ferromagnetic resonance field between easy- and hard-magnetization axis can be enhanced and reach to 330 Oe. These results illustrate that dynamic magnetic properties can be controlled by tuning the thickness of LFO thin film. Our work provides an effective method to tailor the lattice parameter and modify the magnetic properties of the LFO thin film and contributes to further design high-frequency functional device.
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•A series of LFO thin film with various thickness were fabricated by PLD technique.•The microwave magnetism of LFO thin film was studied by using FMR measurement.•The thickness can affect lattice parameter and magnetic property of LFO thin film.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP