Electronic dummy for acoustical testing

Electronic Dummy /ED/ used for acoustical testing represents the average male torso from the Xiphoid process upward and includes an acoustic replica of the human head. This head simulates natural flesh, and has an artificial voice and artificial ears that measure sound pressures at the eardrum or the entrance to the ear canal

Product Development Meets Instructional Design- A Case Study in the Redesign of a Fundamentals of Fluids Course

Over the past two years, substantial research and implementation efforts have occurred to support the mobilization of the laboratory experiences in the Fundamental of Fluids course. No longer does the laboratory component of this course require substantial year-long floor space. The entire laboratory curriculum has been redesigned to use equipment designed and fabricate in-house. This equipment is able to be stored in a closet and easily setup and utilized in a just-in-time fashion. The curriculum has been modified and improved based off of research in engineering education and student feedback. This thesis describes the method of applying a product development approach to instructional design. It also contains the curriculum, assessment methods, and results of implementing the curriculum

Synchronization of muscular oscillations between two subjects during isometric interaction

Muscles oscillate with a frequency around 10 Hz. But what happens with myofascial oscillations, if two neuromuscular systems interact? The purpose of this study was to examine this question, initially, on the basis of a case study. Oscillations of the triceps brachii muscles of two subjects were determined through mechanomyography (MMG) during isometric interaction. The MMG-signals were analyzed concerning the interaction of the two subjects with algorithms of nonlinear dynamics. In this case study it could be shown, that the muscles of both neuromuscular systems also oscillate with the known frequency (here 12 Hz) during interaction. Furthermore, both subjects were able to adapt their oscillations against each other. This adjustment induced a significant ( < .05) coherent behavior, which was characterized by a phase shifting of approximately 90°. The authors draw the conclusion, that the complementary neuromuscular partners potentially have the ability of mutual synchronization

The listening talker: A review of human and algorithmic context-induced modifications of speech

International audienceSpeech output technology is finding widespread application, including in scenarios where intelligibility might be compromised - at least for some listeners - by adverse conditions. Unlike most current algorithms, talkers continually adapt their speech patterns as a response to the immediate context of spoken communication, where the type of interlocutor and the environment are the dominant situational factors influencing speech production. Observations of talker behaviour can motivate the design of more robust speech output algorithms. Starting with a listener-oriented categorisation of possible goals for speech modification, this review article summarises the extensive set of behavioural findings related to human speech modification, identifies which factors appear to be beneficial, and goes on to examine previous computational attempts to improve intelligibility in noise. The review concludes by tabulating 46 speech modifications, many of which have yet to be perceptually or algorithmically evaluated. Consequently, the review provides a roadmap for future work in improving the robustness of speech output

Dorsal fin innervation of the bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus

Recent work has shown that the dorsal fins in fish operate not only as locomotive appendages, but also as sensory structures that aid in proprioception. To investigate how fish use these structures for sensing, the innervation of the dorsal fins in bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) was assessed through immunohistochemistry assays. I conducted staining using anti-acetylated tubulin (AAT), a non-specific neuron marker, calcitonin-gene related peptide (CGRP) which stains sensory neurons and cytokeratin 20 (CK20), which binds to mechanoreceptor structures. Stained samples of bluegill dorsal fins were imaged under a laser scanning epifluorescence microscope to visualize mechanoreceptors, as well as sensory and motor neurons. I was able to localize mechanoreceptors in both spiny and soft dorsal fins. Fluorescence imaging revealed ubiquitous sensory innervation throughout the dorsal fins. Putative motor structures tend to be located near the fin base. In the soft dorsal fin, mechanosensory structures were found closer to the fin membrane. Visualization of sensory pathway integration in different regions of the bluegill dorsal fin can further our understanding of how the sensory and motor innervation of fins contribute to overall stability and locomotive capabilities of fish in turbulent environments. Greater knowledge of sensory pathways in simpler appendages like fish fins can provide insight into neuromuscular systems in human limbs and serve as bioinspiration to prosthetics and wearable devices