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Many studies have investigated factors contributing to large variations in the outcomes of round-window (RW) stimulation but most have focused on the floating mass transducer (FMT). To determine whether results for the FMT hold for a fixed-type transducer (FTT), this study constructs two coupled finite element models of the transducer and the human ear that incorporate the cochlear third windows and inner structures of these two electromagnetic transducers. We use these FE models of the human ear and transducers to investigate the influence of four design parameters and coupling conditions for the transducers, i.e., the support's Young's modulus, the coupling layer's cross sectional area and Young's modulus, and the transducer's cross sectional area. The results show that an increase in the support's Young's modulus reduces the output of the FMT but increases that of the FTT. Reducing the cross sectional area and Young's modulus of the coupling layer significantly increases the low-frequency response of the FMT but slightly reduces that of the FTT. Reducing the cross sectional area of the transducer increases the output of the FMT but reduces that of the FTT. This shows that inner structures of electromagnetic transducers should be considered in the optimal design parameters and coupling conditions for RW stimulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vestibular and cochlear aqueducts serve as additional sound transmission paths and produce different degrees of volume velocity shunt flow in cochlear sound transmission. To investigate its effect on forward and reverse stimulations, a lumped-parameter model of the human ear, which incorporates the third windows, was developed. The model combines a transmission-line ear-canal model, a middle-ear model, and an inner-ear model, which were developed previously by different investigators. The model is verified by comparison with experiments. The intracochlear differential-pressure transfer functions, which reflect the input force to the organ of Corti, were calculated. The results show that middle-ear gain for forward sound transmission is greater than the gain for reverse sound transmission. Changes in the cochlear aqueduct impedance have little effect on forward and reverse stimulations. The vestibular aqueduct has little effect on forward stimulation, but increasing its impedance causes deterioration on reverse stimulation below 300 Hz. Decreasing its impedance increases the excitation effect during reverse stimulation over the entire frequency, especially below 1000 Hz. Moreover, compared with the case without the third windows, the presence of the third windows has little effect on forward stimulation. Whereas, it boosts the reverse stimulation's performance below 300 Hz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large linearly graded structure on atomic scale up to 88 at. %/mm with oriented grown crystals was formed in selenium-tellurium (Se-Te) semiconductor using a strong gravitational field of one million G level at 260 °C. The lattice constants and the binding energies of Se and Te 3d electrons continuously changed along the direction of gravity accordingly, which indicated the formation of the graded band gap structure. The grown crystals showed the crystalline orientation with the c axis of hexagonal structure roughly perpendicular to the direction of gravity. It was found that the diffusion coefficient of sedimentation was larger than that of normal diffusion by more than 100 times, which suggested a different diffusion mechanism from the normal vacancy mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An atomic-scale graded structure has been formed previously in a Bi70Sb30 (at. %) alloy that is miscible in all proportions, by sedimentation of substitutional solute atoms under an ultrastrong gravitational field up to 1×106 G at 220–240 °C [T. Mashimo, T. Ikeda, and I. Minato, J. Appl. Phys. 90, 741 (2001)]. In this study, additional megagravity field experiments were performed on the Bi70Sb30 alloy and pure Bi at different temperatures below their melting points, to investigate the change in crystalline state under the ultrastrong gravitational field. For the Bi70Sb30 alloy ultracentrifuged at 191–205 °C, no change in composition was observed, and the grain sizes of the crystals decreased from several millimeters to tens of micrometers, while no distinct change in grain size was observed for the pure Bi ultracentrifuged under the same experimental conditions. The Bi70Sb30 alloy ultracentrifuged at 220–240 °C consisted of two regions with different morphologies–fine-grained crystals with grain sizes in the range of tens of micrometers in the low gravity region, and large crystals with grain sizes several millimeters long and hundreds of micrometers wide along the direction of gravity in the high gravity region, where sedimentation of atoms was confirmed. The large crystals with hexagonal structures were formed by preferential crystal growth roughly along the c axes, and a large strain that increased as the gravitational field increased existed inside these crystals. Formation of this anomalous crystal state might be correlated with the sedimentation of atoms. © 2004 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ultracentrifuge apparatus, which can generate an ultra-strong gravitational field even >1 000 000 (1 million) G (1 G=9.8 m/s[SUP2]) over a wide temperature range up to >500 °C with high stability control, was developed for new materials science research. The system consists of an air turbine motor with ceramic ball bearings and dumper section, a sample rotor with an outer diameter of up to 160 mm, a vacuum chamber, and a heating system. The nonbored rotor and the double-structural dumper bushing are used to raise the maximum rotational speed and to improve the stability. The samples can be heated by radiant heat. A maximum rotational speed of 190 000 rpm using a 70 mm diam rotor was recorded despite a short time where the maximum gravitational field was &gt1 2000 000 G. Long and high-temperature ultracentrifuge experiments using 70 and 80 mm diam rotors made of titanium alloy with rotational speeds of up to 170 000 rpm even at temperatures of over 200 °C for 100 h with ripples of <0.05% and <1°, respectively, were successfully performed, where the maximum gravitational field of the sample was >1 000 000 G. The potential energy and sample volume were increased by factors of >2 and >4, respectively, compared with those in the Kumamoto University study [T. Mashimo, S. Okazaki, and S. Tashiro, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 67, 3170 (1996)]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A strong gravitational field resulted in the sedimentation of isotope atoms in monatomic liquid. The concentration ratio 82Se/76Se increased by greater than 3.5% in specimen ultracentrifuged at (0.7–0.9)×106 G and at 300 °C. The recovered sample had a feather-shaped crystalline morphology. The concentration gradient was nearly twice that of the steady state analytical result (ideal gas system), indicating a nonideal system diffusion. The present result is evidence of sedimentation of substitutional atoms in condensed matter via self-diffusion and suggestes its possible application to isotope separation, crystalline control, and matter dynamics in massive star. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]