Abstract:The so-called Laryngeal Adductor Reflex (LAR) protects the respiratory tract from particle intrusion by quickly approximating the vocal folds to close the free glottal space. An impaired LAR may be associated with an increased risk of aspiration and other adverse conditions. To evaluate the integrity of the LAR, we recently developed an endoscopic prototype for LAR triggering by shooting accelerated droplets onto a predefined laryngeal target region. We now modified the existing droplet-dispensing system to adapt the fluid system pressure as well as the valve opening time to user-chosen values autonomously. This has been accomplished using a microcontroller board connected to a pressure sensor and a mechatronic syringe pump. For performance validation, we designed a measurement setup capable of tracking the droplet along a vertical trajectory. In addition to the experimental setup, the influence of parameters such as system pressure and valve opening time on the micro-droplet formation is presented. Further development will enable the physician to adjust the droplet momentum by setting a single input value on the microcontroller-based setup, thus further increasing usability of the diagnostic device.
The phonon-plasmon interaction in a magnetized inhomogeneous semiconductor quantum plasma is reported using a quantum hydrodynamic model. A quantum modified dispersion relation is employed, which leads to an evolution expression for the gain coefficient of the acoustic wave. In the present study, quantum effects and inhomogeneity are taken into account through non-dimensional quantum parameter-H and scale length of density variation parameter-L, respectively. The effects of these parameters, as well as propagation distance z, angular frequency ω, and orientation of magnetic field θ, on gain characteristics of the acoustic wave are investigated. These investigations are made for linearly and quadratically varying density structures in the presence and the absence of the magnetic field. The results infer that the magnetic field and linearly or quadratically varying density structures would play a decisive role in deciding the gain characteristics of the acoustic wave in the inhomogeneous semiconductor quantum plasma.
Amplification of an acoustic wave is considered in magnetised piezoelectric n-type semiconductor plasma under quantum hydrodynamic regime. The important ingredients of this study are the inclusion of quantum diffraction effect via the Bohm potential, statistical degeneracy pressure, and externally applied magnetostatic field in the momentum balance equation of the charged carriers. A modified dispersion relation is derived for evolution of acoustic wave by employing the linearization technique. Detailed analysis of quantum modified dispersion relation of acoustic wave is presented. For a typical parameter range, relevant to n-InSb at 77 K, it is found that the non-dimensional quantum parameter H reduces the gain while magnetic field enhances the gain of acoustic wave. The crossover from attenuation to amplification occurs at (ϑ0/ϑs) = 1 and this crossover point is found to be unaffected by quantum correction and magnetic field. It is also found that the maximum gain point shifts towards lower drift velocity regime due to the presence of magnetic field while quantum parameter H shifts this point towards higher drift velocity. Numerical results on the acoustic gain per radian and acoustic gain per unit length are also illustrated. Our results could be useful in understanding acoustic wave propagation in magnetised piezoelectric semiconductor in quantum regime.
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