Effectiveness of active middle ear implant placement methods in pathological conditions: basilar membrane vibration simulation.

Active middle ear implants (AMEI) amplify mechanical vibrations in the middle ear and transmit them to the cochlea. The AMEI includes a floating mass transducer (FMT) that can be placed using two different surgical approaches: "oval window (OW) vibroplasty" and "round window (RW) vibroplasty." The OW and RW are windows located on the cochlea.

Diagnosing Middle Ear Malformation by Pure-Tone Audiometry Using a Three-Dimensional Finite Element Model: A Case-Control Study.

Background: Hearing loss caused by middle ear malformations is treated by tympanoplasty to reconstruct the acoustic conduction system. The mobility of the ossicles plays a crucial role in postoperative success. However, identifying the location of ossicular malformation based solely on preoperative audiograms is challenging due to the complex relationship between fixation location, deformity levels, and ossicular mobility.

Exploring Mechanisms Underlying Unexplained Air-Bone Gaps Post-Myringoplasty: Temporal Bone Model and Finite Element Analysis.

Purpose: Air-bone gap (ABG) is an essential indicator of middle ear transfer function after myringoplasty. However, there is still uncertainty about the mechanisms behind unexplained ABGs in patients post-myringoplasty. The present study investigated these mechanisms using cadaveric temporal bone (TB) measurement and finite element (FE) modeling.

An Air Recirculation System Based on Bioinspired Soft Re-Air Valve for Highly Efficient Pneumatic Actuation.

Owing to their compliance, lightweight, and high force density characteristics, pneumatic actuation systems have been widely implemented in various soft robots. However, pneumatic actuation systems exhibit low efficiency, poor control performance, and high noise; these make it extremely challenging to widely employ a pneumatic actuation system in mobile robots. To overcome these limitations, many researches were conducted on recycling the compressed air within such systems.

Piezoelectric vibrator-stimulated potential and heart rate accelerations detected from the fetus.

Objectives: The fetus is well known to have a substantial capacity for sound recognition in the uterine environment. The aim of this study was to develop a sound stimulus system equipped with a piezoelectric vibrator (PV), record the PV-stimulated potential (PVSP) of the fetus and monitor changes of the fetal heart rate (FHR) under PV stimulation.

Methods: The relationship between the input voltage applied to a piezoelectric vibrator and the sound pressure generated in the uterus was calibrated based on a model of the maternal abdomen.