Abstract
The vocal fold mucosa, which consists of the epithelium and the superficial layer of the lamina propria, has been modeled by a fluid encapsulated in a silicone membrane. The artificial mucosa was attached to a rigid (metal) vocal fold body and introduced into an airflow channel. Flow-induced oscillation of the mucosa was achieved at various flow pressures and glottal diameters. Phonation threshold pressure, the parameter of interest, was lowest for glottal diameters between 0.0 and 0.1 mm and for fluids with the lowest viscosity. There was a consistent hysteresis effect; that is, phonation threshold pressure was always lower when oscillation subsided than when oscillation was initiated.

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