Pitch Production Research Articles

Properties Investigation on Chip-on-Film (COF) Thermosonic Bonding Using Anisotropic Conductive Films (ACFs)

Chip-on-film (COF) technology has been developed for liquid crystal displays (LCD) due to its high yield capability in fine pitch products. In this study, a new COF thermosonic (TS) bonding process using anisotropic conductive adhesive and ultrasonic vibrations will be introduced. Si chips with 16 cylindrical Cu bumps (¤100µm) and polyimide (PI) film substrate with a thickness of 70µm were prepared. For the bonding condition, the bonding temperature and ultrasonic time were varied from 413 to 453K and from 0.5 to 1s, respectively. Also, thermocompression (TC) bonding was conducted with a bonding temperature of 453K and bonding time of 8s to compare it to the bonding characteristics of TS bonding. The shear strength and electrical resistance of COF assemblies were measured to verify the feasibility of COF TS bonding using ACFs. The cross-sectional inspection and fracture surface analysis of COF joints were also conducted using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). As a result, the mechanical and electrical properties of the COF assembly were improved by increasing the bonding temperature and ultrasonic dwell time. It was also determined that ultrasonic energy has a significant influence in improving the mechanical and electrical properties of the TS COF assembly. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.MB201210]

Verification of two minimally invasive methods for the estimation of the contact pressure in human vocal folds during phonation

The contact pressure on the vocal fold surface during high pitch or amplitude voice production is believed to be one major source of phonotrauma. Models for the quantitative estimate of the contact pressure may be valuable for prevention and treatment. Various indirect and minimally invasive approaches have been purported to estimate contact pressure. But the accuracy of these methods has not yet been objectively verified in controlled laboratory settings. In the present study, two indirect approaches for the estimation of the contact pressure were investigated. One is based on a Hertzian impact model, and the other on a finite element model. A probe microphone was used for direct measurements of the contact pressure and verifications of the indirect approaches. A silicone replica of human vocal folds was used as a test bed. Consistent contact pressure estimations were obtained using all three methods. The advantages and disadvantages of each approach for eventual clinical applications are described.

Production of petroleum pitch from oil refinery residues

The possibility of obtaining petroleum pitches from heavy pyrolysis resin, the heavy distillate formed in production of pitch from heavy pyrolysis resin, and heavy catalytic gasoil is examined. The composition and physicochemical properties of the petroleum pitches obtained and the intermediate products from the process are investigated. The important possibility of obtaining isotropic fiber-forming petroleum pitches with a yield of 20–23.1 wt. % from heavy pyrolysis resin in a unit with an intermittent reactor is demonstrated.

E026 Musical pitch perception and production in children with cochlear implants

E026 Musical pitch perception and production in children with cochlear implants

Disorders of Pitch Production in Tone Deafness

Singing is as natural as speaking for the majority of people. Yet some individuals (i.e., 10–15%) are poor singers, typically performing or imitating pitches and melodies inaccurately. This condition, commonly referred to as “tone deafness,” has been observed both in the presence and absence of deficient pitch perception. In this article we review the existing literature concerning normal singing, poor-pitch singing, and, briefly, the sources of this condition. Considering that pitch plays a prominent role in the structure of both music and speech we also focus on the possibility that speech production (or imitation) is similarly impaired in poor-pitch singers. Preliminary evidence from our laboratory suggests that pitch imitation may be selectively inaccurate in the music domain without being affected in speech. This finding points to separability of mechanisms subserving pitch production in music and language.

Native Experience with a Tone Language Enhances Pitch Discrimination and the Timing of Neural Responses to Pitch Change

Native tone language experience has been linked with alterations in the production and perception of pitch in language, as well as with the brain response to linguistic and non-linguistic tones. Here we use two experiments to address whether these changes apply to the discrimination of simple pitch changes and pitch intervals. Event related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from native Mandarin speakers and a control group during a same/different task with pairs of pure tones differing only in pitch height, and with pure tone pairs differing only in interval distance. Behaviorally, Mandarin speakers were more accurate than controls at detecting both pitch and interval changes, showing a sensitivity to small pitch changes and interval distances that was absent in the control group. Converging evidence from ERPs obtained during the same tasks revealed an earlier response to change relative to no-change trials in Mandarin speakers, as well as earlier differentiation of trials by change direction relative to controls. These findings illustrate the cross-domain influence of language experience on the perception of pitch, suggesting that the native use of tonal pitch contours in language leads to a general enhancement in the acuity of pitch representations.

Relating Pitch Awareness to Phonemic Awareness in Children: Implications for Tone-Deafness and Dyslexia

Language and music are complex cognitive and neural functions that rely on awareness of one's own sound productions. Information on the awareness of vocal pitch, and its relation to phonemic awareness which is crucial for learning to read, will be important for understanding the relationship between tone-deafness and developmental language disorders such as dyslexia. Here we show that phonemic awareness skills are positively correlated with pitch perception–production skills in children. Children between the ages of seven and nine were tested on pitch perception and production, phonemic awareness, and IQ. Results showed a significant positive correlation between pitch perception–production and phonemic awareness, suggesting that the relationship between musical and linguistic sound processing is intimately linked to awareness at the level of pitch and phonemes. Since tone-deafness is a pitch-related impairment and dyslexia is a deficit of phonemic awareness, we suggest that dyslexia and tone-deafness may have a shared and/or common neural basis.

Processing melodic contour and speech intonation in congenital amusics with Mandarin Chinese

Congenital amusia is a disorder in the perception and production of musical pitch. It has been suggested that early exposure to a tonal language may compensate for the pitch disorder ( Peretz, 2008). If so, it is reasonable to expect that there would be different characterizations of pitch perception in music and speech in congenital amusics who speak a tonal language, such as Mandarin. In this study, a group of 11 adults with amusia whose first language was Mandarin were tested with melodic contour and speech intonation discrimination and identification tasks. The participants with amusia were impaired in discriminating and identifying melodic contour. These abnormalities were also detected in identifying both speech and non-linguistic analogue derived patterns for the Mandarin intonation tasks. In addition, there was an overall trend for the participants with amusia to show deficits with respect to controls in the intonation discrimination tasks for both speech and non-linguistic analogues. These findings suggest that the amusics’ melodic pitch deficits may extend to the perception of speech, and could potentially result in some language deficits in those who speak a tonal language.

Supercritical fluid extraction and fractionation of high-temperature coal tar

The high-temperature coal tar sample was separated into 10 narrow oil fractions and one solid-phase pitch product by supercritical fluid extraction and fractionation using n-pentane as solvent at 220°C and pressure from 5 to 15 MPa. Results show that the accumulative yields increase with the extract pressure especially at the lower pressures, and the yield increase rate decrease gradually. The total yield of the oil extract is 78.36%, and the raffinate pitch yield is 21.64%, which is far below that of the conventional distillation. Elemental analysis and chromatograph-mass spectrometer analysis show that with the increase of the extraction pressure, the atomic ratio of carbon to hydrogen, the average ring numbers, as well as the average molecular weight of narrow oil fractions also increase gradually.

Imaging and inducing disorders in musical perception and production.

To perceive and produce music accurately, the brain must represent, categorize, plan, and execute pitched information in response to environmental stimuli. Convergent methods from psychophysics, neuroimaging, and noninvasive brain‐stimulation with normal and tone‐deaf (TD) subjects were employed to show that neural networks controlling pitch perception and production systems include bilateral frontotemporal networks. First, psychophysical data showed that the perception and production of pitch are uncorrelated in TD subjects, suggesting a disconnection between perception and production brain regions. This disconnection was extended in a diffusion tensor imaging study in TD and control subjects: tractography revealed that the arcuate fasciculus, which connects temporal and frontal lobes, is reduced in TD subjects, especially in its superior division in the right hemisphere. This disconnection highlights the importance of frontotemporal interactions in music processing. Finally, to reverse‐engineer the perc...

An acoustical study of vocal pitch matching in congenital amusia

Vocal pitch matching is a foundational skill for singing and is an interesting place to study the relationship between pitch perception and production. To better understand this relationship, we assessed pitch-matching abilities in congenital amusics, who have documented disabilities in pitch perception, and in matched controls under normal, masked, and guided feedback conditions. Their vocal productions were analyzed for fundamental frequency and showed that amusics were significantly less accurate at pitch matching than the controls. However, five of the six amusics showed a significant correlation between their produced pitches and the target pitch. Feedback condition had no effect on pitch-matching accuracy. These results show impaired vocal pitch-matching abilities in amusics but also show a relationship between perceived and produced pitches.

Electrolytic Solder Deposit for Next Generation Flip Chip Solder Bumping

Electrolytic Solder Deposit for Current methods for the formation of pre-solder bumps for flip chip attachment use stencil printing techniques with an appropriate solder paste. The continuing trend towards increasing miniaturisation and the associated decrease in size of solder resist opening, SRO is causing production difficulties with the stencil printing process. Practical experience of production yields has shown that stencil printing will not be able to meet future requirements for solder bump pitch production below 0.15 mm for these applications. This paper describes a novel approach to replace the stencil printing process by use of an electrolytic deposition of solder. In contrast to stencil printing, use of electrolytic deposition techniques allows production of solder bumps with a pitch below 0.15 mm and with a SRO below 80 μm. Methods for production of electrolytic solder bumps based on pure tin as well as alloys of tin/copper and also tin/silver are shown and in particular a method to control the alloy concentration of electroplated tin/copper bumps. Test results with both alloy systems and also pure tin bumping are presented together with comparison of the advantages and disadvantages. The general advantages of replacement of stencil printing by electrolytic deposition of solder bumps are shown and in particular the improvement of bump reliability and the potential to significantly decrease costs by yield improvement.

Neuroanatomical markers of speaking Chinese

The aim of this study was to identify regional structural differences in the brains of native speakers of a tonal language (Chinese) compared to nontonal (European) language speakers. Our expectation was that there would be differences in regions implicated in pitch perception and production. We therefore compared structural brain images in three groups of participants: 31 who were native Chinese speakers; 7 who were native English speakers who had learnt Chinese in adulthood; and 21 European multilinguals who did not speak Chinese. The results identified two brain regions in the vicinity of the right anterior temporal lobe and the left insula where speakers of Chinese had significantly greater gray and white matter density compared with those who did not speak Chinese. Importantly, the effects were found in both native Chinese speakers and European subjects who learnt Chinese as a non‐native language, illustrating that they were language related and not ethnicity effects. On the basis of prior studies, we suggest that the locations of these gray and white matter changes in speakers of a tonal language are consistent with a role in linking the pitch of words to their meaning. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Pitch production using solvent extraction of coal: Suitability as carbon anode precursor

Pitch production using solvent extraction of coal: Suitability as carbon anode precursor

Enhanced production and perception of musical pitch in tone language speakers

Individuals differ markedly with respect to how well they can imitate pitch through singing and in their ability to perceive pitch differences. We explored whether the use of pitch in one's native language can account for some of the differences in these abilities. Results from two studies suggest that individuals whose native language is a tone language, in which pitch contributes to word meaning, are better able to imitate (through singing) and perceptually discriminate musical pitch. These findings support the view that language acquisition fine-tunes the processing of critical auditory dimensions in the speech signal and that this fine-tuning can be carried over into nonlinguistic domains.

Savings in large pitch thread production

Savings in large pitch thread production

The relationship between pitch discrimination and vocal production: Comparison of vocal and instrumental musicians

Auditory pitch discrimination and vocal pitch accuracy are fundamental abilities and essential skills of a professional singer; yet, the relationship between these abilities, particularly in trained vocal musicians, has not been the subject of much research. Difference limens for frequency (DLFs) and pitch production accuracy (PPA) were examined among 20 vocalists, 21 instrumentalists, and 21 nonmusicians. All were right-handed young adult females with normal hearing. Stimuli were harmonic tone complexes simulating piano tones and represented the mid-frequency of the untrained female vocal range, F0=261.63-392 Hz (C4-G4). DLFs were obtained by an adaptive psychophysical paradigm. Vocal pitch recordings were analyzed to determine PPA. Musicians demonstrated superior pitch discrimination and production accuracy compared to nonmusicians. These abilities did not distinguish instrumentalists and vocalists. DLF and PPA were significantly correlated with each other only for musicians with instrumental training; however, PPA was most consistent with minimal variance for vocalists. It would appear that a relationship between DLF and PPA develops with musical training, and these abilities can be differentially influenced by the type of specialty training.

Emprego de subprodutos da produção de piches de petróleo na síntese de nanoesferas de carbono

Nanoesferas de carbono foram produzidas a partir de resíduos de petróleo, obtidos da produção de piches pela destilação de óleos decantados, pela técnica de deposição química de vapor a 1200 °C, sem catalisadores, em um processo contínuo. Três resíduos foram selecionados de forma a representar a faixa de propriedades tipicamente encontradas para este material. Nitrogênio e argônio foram empregados como gases de arraste. As nanoesferas obtidas apresentaram propriedades semelhantes para os três resíduos diferentes, sendo a influência do precursor menos significativa que a do gás de arraste empregado. Os rendimentos obtidos, na faixa de 40-50%, e a baixa sensibilidade do processo à composição do precursor indicam que o processo é adequado à utilização industrial.

Laryngeal mechanisms in speech: The contributions of Jan Gauffin

Jan Gauffin was an early user of fiber optics which allowed him to discover that laryngeal structures above the glottal level are involved in speech. His research led him to postulate three independently controlled mechanisms: fundamental frequency control, glottal adduction/abduction, and laryngealization, the latter derived from the protective closure function. He argued that phonetic theory must be revised to account for the main phonation types of the world's languages. He saw them as combinations of two interacting dimensions: adduction/abduction and laryngealization. Secondly he gave the aryepiglottic sphincter an explanatory role in accounting for the production of low pitch and downward pitch inflections. During his lifetime his work received limited attention. However, later laryngoscopic research has confirmed and extended his thinking and findings. His contribution was a pioneering one.

Acquired and congenital disorders of sung performance: A review

Many believe that the majority of people are unable to carry a tune. Yet, this widespread idea underestimates the singing abilities of the layman. Most occasional singers can sing in tune and in time, provided that they perform at a slow tempo. Here we characterize proficient singing in the general population and identify its neuronal underpinnings by reviewing behavioral and neuroimaging studies. In addition, poor singing resulting from a brain injury or neurogenetic disorder (i.e., tone deafness or congenital amusia) is examined. Different lines of evidence converge in indicating that poor singing is not a monolithic deficit. A variety of poor-singing "phenotypes" are described, with or without concurrent perceptual deficits. In addition, particular attention is paid to the dissociations between specific abilities in poor singers (e.g., production of absolute vs. relative pitch, pitch vs. time accuracy). Such diversity of impairments in poor singers can be traced to different faulty mechanisms within the vocal sensorimotor loop, such as pitch perception and sensorimotor integration.