Low Sound Levels Research Articles

Medial olivocochlear efferent reflex inhibition of human cochlear nerve responses

Inhibition of cochlear amplifier gain by the medial olivocochlear (MOC) efferent system has several putative roles: aiding listening in noise, protection against damage from acoustic overexposure, and slowing age-induced hearing loss. The human MOC reflex has been studied almost exclusively by measuring changes in otoacoustic emissions. However, to help understand how the MOC system influences what we hear, it is important to have measurements of the MOC effect on the total output of the organ of Corti, i.e., on cochlear nerve responses that couple sounds to the brain. In this work we measured the inhibition produced by the MOC reflex on the amplitude of cochlear nerve compound action potentials (CAPs) in response to moderate level (52–60 dB peSPL) clicks from five, young, normal hearing, awake, alert, human adults. MOC activity was elicited by 65 dB SPL, contralateral broadband noise (CAS). Using tympanic membrane electrodes, approximately 10 h of data collection were needed from each subject to yield reliable measurements of the MOC reflex inhibition on CAP amplitudes from one click level. The CAS produced a 16% reduction of CAP amplitude, equivalent to a 1.98 dB effective attenuation (averaged over five subjects). Based on previous reports of efferent effects as functions of level and frequency, it is possible that much larger effective attenuations would be observed at lower sound levels or with clicks of higher frequency content. For a preliminary comparison, we also measured MOC reflex inhibition of DPOAEs evoked from the same ears with f2's near 4 kHz. The resulting effective attenuations on DPOAEs were, on average, less than half the effective attenuations on CAPs.

Evaluating Inhibition of Motoneuron Firing From Electromyogram Data to Assess Vestibular Output Using Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials.

Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) are due to vestibular responses producing brief inhibitions of muscle contractions that are detectable in electromyographic (EMG) responses. VEMP amplitudes are traditionally measured by the peak to peak amplitude of the averaged EMG response (VEMPpp) or by a normalized VEMPpp (nVEMPpp). However, a brief EMG inhibition does not satisfy the statistical assumptions for the average to be the optimal processing strategy. Here, it is postulated that the inhibition depth of motoneuron firing is the desired metric for showing the influence of the vestibular system on the muscle system. The authors present a metric called "VEMPid" that estimates this inhibition depth from the EMG data obtained in a usual VEMP data acquisition. The goal of this article was to compare how well VEMPid, VEMPpp, and nVEMPpp track inhibition depth. To find a robust method to compare VEMPid, VEMPpp, and nVEMPpp, realistic physiological models for the inhibition of VEMP EMG signals were made using VEMP data from four measurement sessions on each of the five normal subjects. Each of the resulting 20 EMG-production models was adjusted to match the EMG autocorrelation of an individual subject and session. Simulated VEMP traces produced by these models were used to compare how well VEMPid, VEMPpp, and nVEMPpp tracked model inhibition depth. Applied to simulated and real VEMP data, VEMPid showed good test-retest consistency and greater sensitivity at low stimulus levels than VEMPpp or nVEMPpp. For large-amplitude responses, nVEMPpp and VEMPid were equivalent in their consistency across subjects and sessions, but for low-amplitude responses, VEMPid was superior. Unnormalized VEMPpp was always worse than nVEMPpp or VEMPid. VEMPid provides a more reliable measurement of vestibular function at low sound levels than the traditional nVEMPpp, without requiring a change in how VEMP tests are performed. The calculation method for VEMPid should be applicable whenever an ongoing muscle contraction is briefly inhibited by an external stimulus.

Improved ear simulator for extended application range

The international standard IEC 60318-4 specifies an occluded ear simulator for testing headphones, earphones, hearing protectors, hearing aids etc. The standard specifies a specific microphone type which limits the dynamic range of the coupler, such that it is not possible to measure very low levels or very high levels. Additionally, the standard 711 coupler is often interfaced to a pinna simulator incorporated in a Head and Torso simulator as per IEC 60318-7. This interface has traditionally been implemented as a cylindrical, straight ear canal simulator. This makes the fit of many modern in-ear headphones and hearing protectors problematic and unrealistic. By using low noise microphones instead of the standard microphones, the coupler can be used for measuring extremely low sound pressure levels such as noise floor, low level distortion or microphonics. Conversely, by using low sensitivity microphones, the coupler can be used for extremely high level measurements—useful for testing active and passive at...

Cantilever-based acoustic velocity sensors

This paper discusses progress made on the design of an acoustic velocity sensor. An analytic model was developed for the frequency response of a slender cantilever rod forced by the pressure gradient and particle velocity associated with an acoustic wave propagating in a fluid. The model, validated with acoustic response measurements in air, was used to design cantilever sensors, which respond predominately to acoustic particle velocity. One such design utilizes a short cantilever formed from a 125 μm silica glass fiber immersed in a viscous fill fluid whose lateral tip displacement is detected using a multi-fiber optical probe. This velocity sensor is predicted to be able to detect fairly low acoustic sound levels in water. Progress has been made in instrumenting a large pool at NRL to allow accurate propagating acoustic wave response measurements in water of these new velocity sensors down to frequencies below 5 Hz. Measurements made in this facility on various cantilever sensors will be presented and discussed. [Work supported by ONR.]

Simultaneous effects of irrelevant speech, temperature and ventilation rate on performance and satisfaction in open-plan offices

The aim of this study was to investigate how irrelevant speech, temperature and ventilation rate together affect cognitive performance and environmental satisfaction in open-plan offices. In Condition A, neutral temperature (23.5 °C), low intelligibility of speech (high absorption and low masking sound level) and high fresh air supply rate (30 l/s per person) were applied. This was contrasted to Condition B with high room temperature (29.5 °C), highly intelligible speech (low absorption and high masking sound level) and a negligible fresh air supply rate (2 l/s per person). Sixty-five participants were tested. In Condition B, performance decrement was observed especially in working memory tasks. Based on subjective assessments, mental workload, cognitive fatigue and symptoms were higher and environmental satisfaction was lower in Condition B. It was concluded that special attention should be paid to the design of whole indoor environment in open-plan offices to increase subjective comfort and improve performance.

Stimulus Frequency Otoacoustic Emissions Provide No Evidence for the Role of Efferents in the Enhancement Effect.

Auditory enhancement refers to the perceptual phenomenon that a target sound is heard out more readily from a background sound if the background is presented alone first. Here we used stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emissions (SFOAEs) to test the hypothesis that activation of the medial olivocochlear efferent system contributes to auditory enhancement effects. The SFOAEs were used as a tool to measure changes in cochlear responses to a target component and the neighboring components of a multitone background between conditions producing enhancement and conditions producing no enhancement. In the "enhancement" condition, the target and multitone background were preceded by a precursor stimulus with a spectral notch around the signal frequency; in the control (no-enhancement) condition, the target and multitone background were presented without the precursor. In an experiment using a wideband multitone stimulus known to produce significant psychophysical enhancement effects, SFOAEs showed no changes consistent with enhancement, but some aspects of the results indicated possible contamination of the SFOAE magnitudes by the activation of the middle-ear-muscle reflex. The same SFOAE measurements performed using narrower-band stimuli at lower sound levels also showed no SFOAE changes consistent with either absolute or relative enhancement despite robust psychophysical enhancement effects observed in the same listeners with the same stimuli. The results suggest that cochlear efferent control does not play a significant role in auditory enhancement effects.

Evaluation of Extended-Wear Hearing Technology for Children with Hearing Loss.

Research shows that many older children and teenagers who have mild to moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss do not use their hearing instruments during all waking hours. A variety of reasons may contribute toward this problem, including concerns about cosmetics associated with hearing aid use and the inconvenience of daily maintenance associated with hearing instruments. Extended-wear hearing instruments are inserted into the wearer's ear canal by an audiologist and are essentially invisible to outside observers. The goal of this study was to evaluate the potential benefits and limitations associated with use of extended-wear hearing instruments in a group of children with hearing loss. A two-way repeated measures design was used to examine performance differences obtained with the participants' daily-wear hearing instruments versus that obtained with extended-wear hearing instruments. Sixteen children, ages 10-17 yr old, with sensorineural hearing loss ranging from mild to moderately severe. Probe microphone measures were completed to evaluate the aided output of device. Behavioral test measures included word recognition in quiet, sentence recognition in noise, aided warble-tone thresholds, and psychophysical loudness scaling. Questionnaires were also administered to evaluate subjective performance with each hearing technology. Data logging suggested that many participants were not using their daily-wear hearing instruments during all waking hours (mean use was less than 6 h/day). Real ear probe microphone measurements indicated that a closer fit to the Desired Sensation Level Version 5 prescriptive targets was achieved with the children's daily-wear instruments when compared to the extended-wear instruments. There was no statistically significant difference in monosyllabic word recognition at 50 or 60 dBA obtained with the two hearing technologies. Sentence recognition in noise obtained with use of the extended-wear devices was, however, significantly better than what was obtained with the daily-wear hearing aids. Aided warble-tone thresholds indicated significantly better audibility for low-level sounds with use of the daily-wear hearing technology, but loudness scaling results produced mixed results. Specifically, the participants generally reported greater loudness perception with use of their daily-wear hearing aids at 2000 Hz, but use of the extended-wear hearing technology provided greater loudness perception at 4000 Hz. Finally, the participants reported higher levels of subjective performance with use of the extended-wear hearing instruments. Although some measures suggested that daily-wear hearing instruments provided better audibility than the extended-wear hearing devices, word recognition in quiet was similar with use of the two technologies, and sentence recognition in noise was better with the extended-wear hearing technology. In addition, the participants in this study reported better subjective benefit associated with the use of extended-wear hearing technology. Collectively, the results of this study suggest that extended-wear hearing technology is a viable option for older children and teenagers with mild to moderately severe hearing loss.

Flow and geometrical effects on radiated noise from exhaust pipes computed by the Fourier pseudospectral time-domain method

The current work initializes a systematic numerical study on the combined effects of the geometry surrounding an automotive exhaust pipe, i.e. the ground surface and the automotive body, as well as the influence of the non-uniform velocity and temperature from the exhaust jet, on the acoustic radiation pattern of the pipe. The problem is treated by first solving the RANS equations to obtain the mean velocity and temperature solution of the exhaust jet. The acoustic radiation is computed by solving the linearized Euler (LEE) equations. For an efficient solution of the LEE, a recently developed multi-domain extended Fourier pseudospectral time-domain (PSTD) methodology is used. This method combines the favorable spectral accuracy of the PSTD method with a local grid refinement in the region with high gradients of the mean flow and temperature fields. A filter was found necessary for numerical stability of the PSTD method for this application. For radiation of noise from an exhaust pipe in free field, results from PSTD show a good agreement with reference results, both for cases with and without a jet flow. Results show that the presence of a rigid ground surface and simplified automotive body increases the radiated sound power by 6dB for the lower frequency region, and the effect of the body on the directivity is largest for the higher frequencies. Flow effects slightly increase the shielding effect of the body for all frequencies, but have a main impact behind the exhaust pipe, where low frequencies experience higher levels and a cone of low sound levels characterizes the high frequencies.

The notion of “frequency clusters” in spontaneous otoacoustic emission generation

Normal, healthy ears can emit unprovoked low-level sounds called spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs). These arise in a wide variety of different species (e.g., humans, lizards) despite gross morphological differences commonly thought important to the associated biomechanics. As such, theoretical models of SOAE generation differ significantly in their underlying assumptions. One model class [Vilfan and Duke (2008), Biophys. J. 95, 4622–4630; Wit & van Dijk, 2012 JASA 132, 918–926] uses a coupled nonlinear oscillator framework, where each element exhibits a limit cycle (with a unique characteristic frequency) and is visco-elastically coupled to its nearest neighbor. This model proposes that SOAEs arise by groups of oscillators that self-entrain into “clusters,” defined simply as the frequency where the largest peak in the steady-state spectral magnitude occurs. Our study sought to computationally explore more precisely what constitutes a cluster in terms of the underlying oscillator's dynamics. We found that oscillators within a cluster exhibit relatively complicated motions and poor phase coherence. Coupled with the model's inability to reproduce realistic SOAE spectra, the biomechanical relevance of a “cluster” is called into question. Modifications to the model for lizard ears (e.g., universal coupling via the rigid basilar membrane; Bergevin & Shera (2010), JASA 2398–2409) are explored.

Transformation of spatial sensitivity along the ascending auditory pathway.

Locations of sounds are computed in the central auditory pathway based primarily on differences in sound level and timing at the two ears. In rats, the results of that computation appear in the primary auditory cortex (A1) as exclusively contralateral hemifield spatial sensitivity, with strong responses to sounds contralateral to the recording site, sharp cutoffs across the midline, and weak, sound-level-tolerant responses to ipsilateral sounds. We surveyed the auditory pathway in anesthetized rats to identify the brain level(s) at which level-tolerant spatial sensitivity arises. Noise-burst stimuli were varied in horizontal sound location and in sound level. Neurons in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICc) displayed contralateral tuning at low sound levels, but tuning was degraded at successively higher sound levels. In contrast, neurons in the nucleus of the brachium of the inferior colliculus (BIN) showed sharp, level-tolerant spatial sensitivity. The ventral division of the medial geniculate body (MGBv) contained two discrete neural populations, one showing broad sensitivity like the ICc and one showing sharp sensitivity like A1. Dorsal, medial, and shell regions of the MGB showed fairly sharp spatial sensitivity, likely reflecting inputs from A1 and/or the BIN. The results demonstrate two parallel brainstem pathways for spatial hearing. The tectal pathway, in which sharp, level-tolerant spatial sensitivity arises between ICc and BIN, projects to the superior colliculus and could support reflexive orientation to sounds. The lemniscal pathway, in which such sensitivity arises between ICc and the MGBv, projects to the forebrain to support perception of sound location.

Behavioral changes in response to sound exposure and no spatial avoidance of noisy conditions in captive zebrafish.

Auditory sensitivity in fish serves various important functions, but also makes fish susceptible to noise pollution. Human-generated sounds may affect behavioral patterns of fish, both in natural conditions and in captivity. Fish are often kept for consumption in aquaculture, on display in zoos and hobby aquaria, and for medical sciences in research facilities, but little is known about the impact of ambient sounds in fish tanks. In this study, we conducted two indoor exposure experiments with zebrafish (Danio rerio). The first experiment demonstrated that exposure to moderate sound levels (112 dB re 1 μPa) can affect the swimming behavior of fish by changing group cohesion, swimming speed and swimming height. Effects were brief for both continuous and intermittent noise treatments. In the second experiment, fish could influence exposure to higher sound levels by swimming freely between an artificially noisy fish tank (120–140 dB re 1 μPa) and another with ambient noise levels (89 dB re 1 μPa). Despite initial startle responses, and a brief period in which many individuals in the noisy tank dived down to the bottom, there was no spatial avoidance or noise-dependent tank preference at all. The frequent exchange rate of about 60 fish passages per hour between tanks was not affected by continuous or intermittent exposures. In conclusion, small groups of captive zebrafish were able to detect sounds already at relatively low sound levels and adjust their behavior to it. Relatively high sound levels were at least at the on-set disturbing, but did not lead to spatial avoidance. Further research is needed to show whether zebrafish are not able to avoid noisy areas or just not bothered. Quantitatively, these data are not directly applicable to other fish species or other fish tanks, but they do indicate that sound exposure may affect fish behavior in any captive condition.

Exploiting Dual Otoacoustic Emission Sources.

Two distinct processes generate otoacoustic emissions (OAEs). Reflection-source emissions, here recorded as stimulus frequency OAEs, are optimally informative at low sound levels and are more sensitive to slight hearing loss; they have been linked to cochlear amplifier gain and tuning. Distortion-source emissions are strongest at moderate-high sound levels and persist despite mild hearing loss; they likely originate in the nonlinear process of hair cell transduction. In this preliminary study, we exploit the unique features of each by generating a combined reflection-distortion OAE profile in normal hearing and hearing-impaired ears. Distortion-product (DP) and stimulus-frequency (SF) OAEs were recorded over a broad range of stimulus levels and frequencies. Individual I/O and transfer functions were generated for both emission types in each ear, and OAE peak strength, compression threshold, and rate of compression were calculated. These combined SFOAE and DPOAE features in normal and hearing-impaired ears may provide a potentially informative and novel index of hearing loss. This is an initial step toward utilizing OAE source in characterizing cochlear function and dysfunction.

Bone-conduction hearing and seismic sensitivity of the Late Permian anomodont Kawingasaurus fossilis.

An investigation of the internal cranial anatomy of the anomodont Kawingasaurus from the Upper Permian Usili Formation in Tanzania by means of neutron tomography revealed an unusual inner and middle ear anatomy such as extraordinarily inflated vestibules, lateroventrally orientated stapes with large footplates, and a small angle between the planes of the anterior and lateral semicircular canals. The vestibule has a volume, which is about 25 times larger than the human vestibule, although Kawingasaurus has only a skull length of approximately 40 mm. Vestibule inflation and enlarged stapes footplates are thought to be functionally correlated with bone-conduction hearing; both morphologies have been observed in fossorial vertebrates using seismic signals for communication. The firmly fused triangular head with spatulate snout was probably used for digging and preadapted to seismic signal detection. The quadrate-quadratojugal complex was able to transmit sound from the articular to the stapes by small vibrations of the quadrate process, which formed a ball and socket joint with the squamosal. Mechanical considerations suggest that the ventrolaterally orientated stapes of Kawingasaurus was mechanically better suited to transmit seismic sound from the ground to the fenestra vestibuli than a horizontal orientated stapes. The low sound pressure level transformer ratio of 2-3 in Kawingasaurus points to a seismic sensitivity of the middle ear and a vestigial or reduced sensitivity to airborne sound. Three hypothetical pathways of bone conduction in Kawingasaurus are discussed: 1) sound transmission via the spatulate snout and skull roof to the otic capsules, 2) relative movements resulting from the inertia of the mandible if sound is percepted with the skull, and 3) bone conduction from the substrate via mandible, jaw articulation, and stapes to the inner ear.

Contribution of auditory nerve fibers to compound action potential of the auditory nerve.

Sound-evoked compound action potential (CAP), which captures the synchronous activation of the auditory nerve fibers (ANFs), is commonly used to probe deafness in experimental and clinical settings. All ANFs are believed to contribute to CAP threshold and amplitude: low sound pressure levels activate the high-spontaneous rate (SR) fibers, and increasing levels gradually recruit medium- and then low-SR fibers. In this study, we quantitatively analyze the contribution of the ANFs to CAP 6 days after 30-min infusion of ouabain into the round window niche. Anatomic examination showed a progressive ablation of ANFs following increasing concentration of ouabain. CAP amplitude and threshold plotted against loss of ANFs revealed three ANF pools: 1) a highly ouabain-sensitive pool, which does not participate in either CAP threshold or amplitude, 2) a less sensitive pool, which only encoded CAP amplitude, and 3) a ouabain-resistant pool, required for CAP threshold and amplitude. Remarkably, distribution of the three pools was similar to the SR-based ANF distribution (low-, medium-, and high-SR fibers), suggesting that the low-SR fiber loss leaves the CAP unaffected. Single-unit recordings from the auditory nerve confirmed this hypothesis and further showed that it is due to the delayed and broad first spike latency distribution of low-SR fibers. In addition to unraveling the neural mechanisms that encode CAP, our computational simulation of an assembly of guinea pig ANFs generalizes and extends our experimental findings to different species of mammals. Altogether, our data demonstrate that substantial ANF loss can coexist with normal hearing threshold and even unchanged CAP amplitude.

Reflections on the role of a traveling wave along the basilar membrane in view of clinical and experimental findings.

Air conduction (AC) is accompanied by displacements of the two cochlear windows, bulk fluid flow between them, a pressure difference across the basilar membrane, leading to a passive traveling wave along the membrane, which activates the cochlear amplifier and enhances the displacements. AC interacts with bone conduction (BC) stimulation, so that it has been assumed that BC stimulation also involves a passive traveling wave. However, several clinical conditions and experimental manipulations provide evidence that a passive traveling wave may not be involved in BC stimulation at low intensities. Soft tissue conduction (STC) (also called non-osseous bone conduction) involves applying the bone vibrator to soft tissues on the head, neck and thorax, eliciting auditory sensation. STC stimulation probably does not involve a passive traveling wave. This review presents clinical conditions and experimental manipulations which assess the contributions of AC, BC and STC stimulation to the passive traveling wave. Evidence from the clinic (otosclerosis, round window atresia) and from the laboratory (holes in the wall of the inner ear, immobilization of the ossicular chain and the windows, discontinuity of the chain, measurement of basilar membrane displacements in the absence of the cochlear amplifier) lead to the conclusion that a passive basilar membrane traveling wave may not be involved in stimulation at low sound intensities. It is suggested that at low sound levels, the outer hair cell cochlear amplifier may not be activated by a passive traveling wave, but may be directly activated by the fast cochlear fluid pressures induced by AC, BC and STC stimulation. On the other hand, at high intensities, the cochlea is activated by the slow passive traveling wave.

Is low frequency sound level uniformly increasing on a global scale?

Deep water ambient sound level increases have been documented in the eastern North Pacific Ocean over the past 60 years. It remains unclear whether this increasing trend is observed in other regions of the world. In this work, data from the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization International Monitoring System (CTBTO IMS) were used to examine the rate and direction of low frequency sound level change over the past decade in the Indian, South Atlantic, and Equatorial Pacific Oceans. The sources contributing to the overall sound level patterns differed between the regions. The dominant source observed in the South Atlantic was sound from seismic air gun surveys, while shipping and biologic sources contributed more to the acoustic environment at the Equatorial Pacific location. Unlike the increasing trend observed in the NE Pacific, sound levels over the past 5–6 years in the Equatorial Pacific were decreasing. Decreases were also observed for specific sound level parameters and frequency bands in the South Atlantic Ocean. Based on these observations, it does not appear that low frequency sound levels are increasing in all regions of the worlds' oceans. [Work supported by the Office of Naval Research.]

Noise reduction efficiency of Helmholtz resonator in simulated channel of HVAC system

Aims: The purpose of this article was investigating the efficiency of designing resonator in decreasing low noises. Materials and Methods: The designed Helmholtz resonator was installed in a channel analogous to ventilation channel. The resonator was produced signals at very low frequencies (125-500 Hz) and sound pressure levels 60-90 dB and transmitted through a channel by means of a speaker. Afterwards, the variation of sound pressure level was monitored and then intra-channel signals processing and preparing of sound Algorithm in channel was done by MATLAB software. Results: The highest decrease of sound pressure level at 125 Hz frequency among of Helmholtz resonators was observed at chamber diameter of 63 mm and resonator's 1 cm-caliber. Sound pressure level reductions of 0-10 dB were achieved in an experimental duct system using a Helmholtz resonator. Conclusions: This research showed that the designed Helmholtz resonators at a certain frequency of low-frequency sound demonstrated the soundest decrease. The increase in the Helmholtz resonators' chamber volume and their neck's pass area are negatively associated with the rate of sound resonance. As a result, of determining the effective frequency range of the Helmholtz resonator, the designed resonator could be applied as an effective and efficient instrument of removing or decreasing noise.

Three deaf mice: mouse models for TECTA-based human hereditary deafness reveal domain-specific structural phenotypes in the tectorial membrane

Tecta is a modular, non-collagenous protein of the tectorial membrane (TM), an extracellular matrix of the cochlea essential for normal hearing. Missense mutations in Tecta cause dominant forms of non-syndromic deafness and a genotype–phenotype correlation has been reported in humans, with mutations in different Tecta domains causing mid- or high-frequency hearing impairments that are either stable or progressive. Three mutant mice were created as models for human Tecta mutations; the TectaL1820F,G1824D/+ mouse for zona pellucida (ZP) domain mutations causing stable mid-frequency hearing loss in a Belgian family, the TectaC1837G/+ mouse for a ZP-domain mutation underlying progressive mid-frequency hearing loss in a Spanish family and the TectaC1619S/+ mouse for a zonadhesin-like (ZA) domain mutation responsible for progressive, high-frequency hearing loss in a French family. Mutations in the ZP and ZA domains generate distinctly different changes in the structure of the TM. Auditory brainstem response thresholds in the 8–40 kHz range are elevated by 30–40 dB in the ZP-domain mutants, whilst those in the ZA-domain mutant are elevated by 20–30 dB. The phenotypes are stable and no evidence has been found for a progressive deterioration in TM structure or auditory function. Despite elevated auditory thresholds, the Tecta mutant mice all exhibit an enhanced tendency to have audiogenic seizures in response to white noise stimuli at low sound pressure levels (≤84 dB SPL), revealing a previously unrecognised consequence of Tecta mutations. These results, together with those from previous studies, establish an allelic series for Tecta unequivocally demonstrating an association between genotype and phenotype.

Simulation of building indoor acoustics using an acoustic diffusion equation model

During the last 40 years, there has been an increasing interest on performing room acoustic simulations for several purposes; among them, to get a lower sound level, to reduce sound propagation between rooms, to increase speech intelligibility and to adjust reverberance. However, there is no universal method able to deal with every kind of scenario. Recently, a method based on the assumption that the sound energy is propagated in a similar fashion to heat transfer or particles in a gas has been proposed. This method, known as a acoustic diffusion equation model, has been successfully applied to several scenarios that may be considered as challenging, such as long rooms, flat rooms, fitted rooms and coupled rooms. The interest of this method lies on its accuracy and efficient implementation. This article presents the current state-of-the-art of this method with special emphasis to its applicability to indoor building simulation.

A phon loudness model quantifying middle ear and cochlear sound compression

Phon loudness data by Lydolf and Mo/ller [1997, see Suzuki and Takeshima, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 116, 918 (2004)] at third octave frequencies 20–1000 Hz suggest evidence for Middle-Ear (ME) Sound Compression (MESC) at loudness above 60 phons. Parameters of a phon model based on sound compression by an idealized cochlear amplifier (Goldstein, 2009, 2011) were fit to the phon data at low sound levels. MESC was estimated as the excess in sound pressure levels of phon data over model predictions for 80–100 phons. MESC was found when cochlear amplifier inputs exceeded the known Acoustic Reflex Threshold (ART) of ~83 dB SPL, causing ME Muscle (MEM) contraction. Physiologically consistent first-order highpass ME transfer functions reveal a mix of MEM attenuation and attenuation at 20–100 Hz attributed to ME static pressure from pressure-field stimuli >100 dB SPL. These attenuations are isolated with the ME modeled as the low side of an RLC analog bandpass. The original data above 60 phons are modeled accurately as the sum of the two attenuations, the cochlear amplifier input, and normal ME attenuation re 1 kHz. The considerable basic information estimated from the phon data can be compared with other sources to guide further integrative research. [NIH funded 1972-04.]