The velvet hand illusion (VHI) is an innovative tactile illusion that enables a human to perceive a velvety sensation by gently rubbing the hands on both sides of wire mesh string through a frame. In order to enhance tactile displays presentation ability, VHI’s mechanism is applied through a series of psychophysical experiments. In this paper, we have investigated the effects of several physica...

In the so-called rubber hand illusion, synchronous visuotactile stimulation of a visible rubber hand together with one's own hidden hand elicits ownership experiences for the artificial limb. Recently, advanced virtual reality setups were developed to induce a virtual hand illusion (VHI). Here, we present functional imaging data from a sample of 25 healthy participants using a new device to ind...

Objective Neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) is a neuro-oncologic condition that presents with bilateral vestibular schwannomas of the cerebellopontine angle (CPA). Voice and swallowing impairment can occur from direct involvement or compression of the vagus nerve or as the result of surgical excision of CPA tumors. The objectives in this study are to (1) assess the prevalence of voice and swallowing im...

Objective: Explore the practical clinical significance and correlation of voice handicap index (VHI) for vocal polyps and vocal nodules, and further validate practicality of VHI. Methods: VHI of vocal cord polyp group (n = 35), vocal nodule group (n = 29), and control group (n = 22) was surveyed respectively. The VHI investigation included three categories of function (F), physiology (P) and em...

Aim: Effects of rhinoplasty were already studied from many points of view: otherwise poor is scientific production focused on changes of voice after rhinoplasty. This preliminary study analyzed objectively and subjectively these potential effects on 19 patients who underwent exclusively closed rhinoplasty. Methods: This preliminary evaluation was conducted from September 2012 to May 2013 and 19...

VHI markets in the European Union are divers. This diversity arises from different historical patterns of development, variations in the rules and arrangements of statutory health care systems and discrepancies in national regulatory regimes. These factors underline the wide range of types of VHI on offer, levels of expenditure on VHI, levels of population coverage, types of insurer, mechanisms...

Contrary to common belief, hydrodynamic interactions in polymer melts are not screened beyond the monomer length and are important in transient regimes. We show that viscoelastic hydrodynamic interactions (VHIs) lead to anomalous dynamics of a tagged chain in an unentangled melt at t<t(N), the Rouse time. The center-of-mass (c.m.) mean-square displacement is enhanced by a large factor increasin...

There is accumulating evidence of condition-dependent mate choice in many species, that is, individual preferences varying in strength according to the condition of the chooser. In humans, for example, people with more attractive faces/bodies, and who are higher in sociosexuality, exhibit stronger preferences for attractive traits in opposite-sex faces/bodies. However, previous studies have ten...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and the Voice-Related Quality of Life Measure (V-RQOL), and to test conversion of scores between the two instruments. Understanding the relationship between instruments will facilitate comparison of voice outcome studies using different measures. A retrospective medical chart review of 140 consec...

BACKGROUND: In this study, we aim to gather information about the quality of life issues, functional outcomes and voice problems facing early glottic cancer patients treated with the surgical techniques such as laryngofissure cordectomy, fronto-lateral laryngectomy, or cricohyoidopexi. In particular, consistency of life and voice quality issues with the laryngeal tissue excised during surgery i...