A Simulator for Sound Production in Airways

描述(由申请人提供)：一种用于呼吸道发声的模拟器被提议作为生物医学研究的主要工具。这项工作将把目前正在进行的流体力学、声学以及呼吸和发声的生物力学方面的许多零碎工作联系在一起。呼吸道中的声音产生不仅是理解发声的一个组成部分，而且也是理解与呼吸道阻塞有关的声音(例如，鼾声、儿童喘息声、喉咙以及流感和普通感冒的几种症状)的一个组成部分。过去，研究人员将重点放在特定的声源和共振器上，用于语音和语音应用，但现在整个呼吸道将是一个连续的潜在声源系统。具体目标是：1)开发一种用于软壁管道中非稳定可压缩气流的二维Navier-Stokes解，使得每个气道段都可以潜在地自振，产生声音，并与任何相邻段进行声学和生物力学相互作用；2)推导用于软壁、可折叠壁的集中单元组织模型和连续介质模型之间的数学等价性；3)结合肌肉激活的声带姿势模型作为主要声源，其材料和几何特性由生物力学决定，并允许这种肌肉控制的声源的位置沿气道变化；4)开发基础设施，将呼吸道的解剖学和生物力学特性从普通人类扩展到各种物种、年龄和性别；5)创建并标准化对模拟器模块的有效性、准确性和数值稳定性的测试；6)设计和实施一个控制决策中心，通过该中心可以参与各种级别的模块复杂性。我们预计，最终的模拟实验将对耳鼻喉科医生(儿童和成人)、声音和言语科学家、呼吸生理学家、言语病理学家、声音和言语训练师以及动物生物学家在解释各种呼吸道现象时有用。用户可以根据他们的临床/研究需要，在声带模型的3个输入参数中进行选择：声学、运动学和生理学(肌肉激活)。科学进展将包括新的呼吸道结构数学公式，该结构包括侧支、气道分叉、可折叠的壁以及孔口和皮肤表面的辐射。还将有许多空气和组织运动的可视化。将联系同行研究人员提交他们自己的模块。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A simulator for sound production in airways is being proposed as a major tool for biomedical research. The work will tie together many fragmentary efforts presently ongoing in fluid mechanics, acoustics, and biomechanics of respiration and phonation. Sound production in airways is an integral part of understanding not only vocalization, but also sounds related to airway obstruction (e.g. snoring, pediatric strider, croup, and several symptoms of influenza and the common cold). In the past, researchers have focused on specific sound sources and resonators for voice and speech application, but now the entire airway will be a continuous system of potential sound sources. Specific aims are: 1) develop a two-dimensional Navier- Stokes solution for non-steady compressible air-flow in soft-walled ducts so that every airway section can potentially self-oscillate, create sound, and interact acoustically and biomechanically with any adjacent section; 2) derive mathematical equivalences between lumped-element tissue models and continuum models for soft, collapsible walls; 3) incorporate a muscle-activated vocal fold posturing model as a primary sound source whose material and geometric properties are determined biomechanically, and allow the location of this muscle-controlled sound source to vary along the airway; 4) develop infrastructure for extending the anatomical and biomechanical properties of the airway from generic human to a variety of species, age, and gender; 5) create and standardize tests for validity, accuracy, and numerical stability of simulator modules; 6) design and implement a control decision center by which various levels of module complexity can be engaged. We expect that eventual experimentation with the simulation will be useful to otolaryngologists (pediatric and adult), voice and speech scientists, respiratory physiologists, speech pathologists, voice and speech trainers, and animal biologists in their interpretations of various airway phenomena. Users, based on their clinical/research needs, could select between 3 levels of input parameters to a vocal fold model: acoustic, kinematic, and physiological (muscle activation). The scientific advances will include new mathematical formulations for an airway structure that includes side branches, airway bifurcations, collapsible walls, and radiation from orifices and skin surfaces. There will also be many visualizations of air and tissue movement. Peer researchers will be contacted to submit their own modules.