Rhotic sounds are some of the most challenging sounds for L2 learners to acquire. This study investigates the production of English rhotic sounds by Mandarin-English bilinguals with two English proficiency levels. The production of the English /ɹ/ by 17 Mandarin-English bilinguals was examined with ultrasound imaging and compared with the production of native English speakers. The ultrasound data show that bilinguals can produce native-like bunched and retroflex gestures, but the distributional pattern of tongue shapes in various contexts differs from that of native speakers. Acoustically, the English /ɹ/ produced by bilinguals had a higher F3 and F3-F2, as well as some frication noise in prevocalic /ɹ/, features similar to the Mandarin /ɹ/. Mandarin-English bilinguals did produce language-specific phonetic realizations for the English and Mandarin /ɹ/s. There was a positive correlation between language proficiency and English-specific characteristics of /ɹ/ by Mandarin-English bilinguals in both articulation and acoustics. Phonetic similarities facilitated rather than hindered L2 speech learning in production: Mandarin-English bilinguals showed better performance in producing the English /ɹ/ allophones that were more similar to the Mandarin /ɹ/ (syllabic and postvocalic /ɹ/s) than producing the English /ɹ/ allophone that was less similar to the Mandarin /ɹ/ (prevocalic /ɹ/). This study contributes to our understanding of the mechanism of speech production in late bilinguals.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the uniqueness of the pop singing genre by determining the role of the Chinese language in the creation of popular singing in education with modern innovative technologies. The paper began by determining which types of popular music were the most popular among respondents and the influence of modern innovative technologies on music education. The results showed that popular folk music (25%) and popular music (23%) are the most popular genres. This is because they are based on improvisational elements and combine modern and ethnic musical elements with the use of modern innovative technologies. Pentatonic preservation (94.3), modern innovative technologies (91.2), expressive performance (85.6), sound fluidity and mobility (82) and instrumental accompaniment have been identified as the most defining characteristics of contemporary Chinese popular music (78.1). Taking into account how pure and expressive Chinese music is, the study found that singing should take into account the following aspects of the Chinese language: the tonality of vowels, the influence of consonant sounds, the use of sound imitations, the performance of words with different levels of complexity, and the relationship between speech and musical intonation. It has been proven that students in group 1 who studied vocals and were taught the rules for combining phonetic features of language when singing had better results in terms of quality performance (0.83) and expressive performance (0.91). The non-professional singers in group 2 attained scores of 0.62 and 0.85, respectively.

The present study investigated the articulatory contact pressure during the production of bilabial plosives by esophageal (ES), tracheoesophageal (TE), and laryngeal speakers.
The peak contact pressure (PCP) during bilabial plosive production of /CVCVCVCVCV/ syllable strings of /p/ and /ph/ was obtained from 10 ES, 10 TE, and 10 laryngeal speakers of Cantonese. PCP values were obtained by using a pressure transduction system (Iowa Oral Performance Instrument) during speech production.
The results showed that ES speakers exhibited a significantly greater PCP value than TE and laryngeal speakers, as revealed by cheek muscle compression force. In addition, the unaspirated bilabial plosive /p/ was associated with a greater PCP than its aspirated counterpart /ph/.
The current findings might support the hypothesis of over-exaggerated speech for better intelligibility among alaryngeal speakers. In addition, the increased oral muscular effort could be associated with a compensatory strategy for maintaining a high intraoral pressure or the unique air intake by ES speakers.

Worker-bee mouthparts consist of the glossa, the galeae and the vestigial labial palp, and it is these structures that enable bees to feed themselves. The articulation joints, 60∼70 µm in diameter, are present on the tip of the labial palp and are covered with olfactory sensilla, allowing movements between the segments. Using a specially designed high-speed camera system, we discovered that the articulation joint could swing in the nectar at a frequency of ∼50 Hz, considerably higher than the usual motion frequency of mammalian joints. To understand the potential drag reduction in this tiny organ, we examined its microstructure and also its surface wettability. We found that chitinous semispherical protuberances (4∼6 µm in diameter) are uniformly scattered on the surface of the joint and, moreover, that the surface is hydrophobic. We proposed a hydrodynamic model and revealed that the specialized surface can effectively reduce the mean equivalent friction (Ff) by ∼10%, through the use of protuberances immersed in the liquid feed. Theoretical results indicated that the dimensions of such protuberances are the predominant factor in minimizing Ff, and that the natural dimensions of the protuberances are close to the theoretical optimum at which friction is at a minimum. These discoveries may inspire the design of high-frequency micro-joints for engineering applications, such as in micro-stirrers.

OBJECTIVE: This study proposes that there are two types of sensorimotor mismapping in poor-pitch singing: erroneous mapping and no mapping. We created operational definitions for the two types of mismapping based on the precision of pitch-matching and predicted that in the two types of mismapping, phonation differs in terms of accuracy and the dependence on the articulation consistency between the target and the intended vocal action. The study aimed to test this hypothesis by examining the reliability and criterion-related validity of the operational definitions.
METHODS: A within-subject design was used in this study.
METHODS: Thirty-two participants identified as poor-pitch singers were instructed to vocally imitate pure tones and to imitate their own vocal recordings with the same articulation as self-targets and with different articulation from self-targets.
RESULTS: Definitions of the types of mismapping were demonstrated to be reliable with the split-half approach and to have good criterion-related validity with findings that pitch-matching with no mapping was less accurate and more dependent on the articulation consistency between the target and the intended vocal action than pitch-matching with erroneous mapping was. Furthermore, the precision of pitch-matching was positively associated with its accuracy and its dependence on articulation consistency when mismapping was analyzed on a continuum. Additionally, the data indicated that the self-imitation advantage was a function of articulation consistency.
CONCLUSIONS: Types of sensorimotor mismapping lead to pitch-matching that differs in accuracy and its dependence on the articulation consistency between the target and the intended vocal action. Additionally, articulation consistency produces the self-advantage.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is one of the most prevalent malignancies worldwide. The number of anatomic lung cancer resections performed via video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is growing rapidly. Staplers are widely used in VATS procedures, but there is limited clinical data regarding how they might affect performance and postoperative outcomes, including air leak. This clinical trial assessed the use of a powered stapler in VATS lung resection, with a primary study endpoint being occurrence and duration of air leak and prolonged air leak (PAL).
METHODS: Data was collected from a single arm, multi-center study in Chinese patients receiving VATS wedge resection or lobectomy. Intra-operative data included surgery duration; cartridge selection for ligation/transection of bronchus, major vessels, and lung parenchyma; staple line interventions; blood loss; and device usage. Post-operative data included air leak assessments, chest tube duration, length of hospital stay, and adverse events (AEs).
RESULTS: A total of 94 procedures across four institutions in China were included in the final analysis: 15 wedge resections, 74 lobectomies, and five wedge resections followed by lobectomies. Post-operative air leak occurred in five (5.3%) patients who had lobectomy procedures, with PAL in one (1.1%) patient. Sites were generally consistent relative to cartridge use by tissue type. The incidence of stapler firings requiring surgical interventions was seven out of 550 (1.3%). Surgeons participating in the study were satisfied with the articulation and overall usability of the stapler.
CONCLUSIONS: The powered staplers make the VATS procedure easier for the surgeons and have achieved intra- and post-operative patient outcomes comparable to those previously reported.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the consonant production of Chinese-speaking cleft palate children with perceived hypernasal resonance (PHR) after palatoplasty and those with perceived normal resonance (PNR), and to assess the possible influence of language on articulation.
METHODS: Two hospital cleft lip and palate centers in mainland China.
METHODS: Thirty-one speakers were allocated into two groups based on perceptual judgment results of their resonance provided by three speech therapists: one group with PNR (n=20, average age=9.3 years), and another group with PHR (n=11, average age=8.3 years). All participants had no known hearing or cognitive deficits.
METHODS: Articulation was evaluated using two Mandarin Chinese assessment tools, the Putonghua Segmental Phonology Test and the Deep Test for Cleft Palate Speakers in Putonghua. Speaker consonant accuracy was evaluated by two experienced speech therapists.
RESULTS: Compared to individuals with PNR, the PHR group exhibited more difficulties on production of unaspirated consonants, including/b/,/t/,/k/,/ts/,/tʂ/ and/tɕ/, than for aspirated consonants.
CONCLUSIONS: The distinctive feature of aspiration in Mandarin phonology brought a language specific pattern to consonant production among those speakers with PHR after primary palatal closure.

Intra-articular (IA) corticosteroids (CS) have been used in the treatment of osteoarthritis for many years, although their effects on articular cartilage are not fully understood. To identify whether previous animal studies have provided enough evidence about the effects of CS, we undertook a systematic review that identified 35 relevant in vivo animal experimental studies between 1965 and 2014 assessing the effects of CS on either normal cartilage, or in either induced osteoarthritis (OA) or synovitis. The quality of the methodology was assessed. Deleterious effects, both structural and biochemical, have mainly been reported in rabbits and are associated with frequent administration of CS, sometimes at high dose and with systemic side effects. In dogs, four identified studies concluded that there were beneficial effects with methylprednisolone acetate (MPA) and triamcinolone hexacetonide therapy. In horses, MPA was mostly deleterious, while triamcinolone acetonide had positive effects in one study highly rated at quality assessment. However, many methodological weaknesses have been identified, such as the lack of pharmacokinetic and pharmocodynamics data and the large variation in doses between studies, the limited selection criteria at baseline, the absence of blinding, and the lack of statistics or appropriate controls for testing the effects of the vehicle of the drug. Those methodological weaknesses weaken the conclusions of numerous studies that assess beneficial or deleterious effects of CS on articular cartilage. Animal studies have not yet provided definitive data, and further research is required into the role of CS in articular pathobiology.