Special Hearing Research Articles

Standard methods for measuring the effects of special hearing protectors on auditory performance

Traditional hearing protectors attenuate noise via passive and or active technology. The advent of special hearing protectors, i.e., those that provide communications capability, ambient listening/situation awareness function, and/or level dependent attenuation of continuous and/or impulsive noise, has generated additional needs for performance measurement and characterization. ANSI Standards, representing the consensus of the U.S. scientific community, provide accurate, reliable, and repeatable methods for measuring performance. Current standards address the measurement of passive noise attenuation, active and level dependent insertion loss, impulsive peak insertion loss, and speech intelligibility. However, a need exists for a standard measurement method/s to characterize sound localization ability and auditory situation awareness. The presentation will address the application of current standards as well as a framework for a new standard describing three possible methods to measure sound localization performance and auditory situation awareness.

Насонов С.А. Европейские модели производства в суде присяжных: суд присяжных в Австрии (сравнительно-правовое исследование).

The article is devoted to the specific features of the proceedings in the trial by jury according to the Criminal Procedural Code of Georgia of October 9, 2009 as a type of the European model of the said trial. These specificities are viewed in their comparative legal aspects in comparison with the provisions of the Criminal Procedural Code of the Russian Federation. It is noted in the article that the requirements to the candidates for jurors, as provided for in the CPC of Georgia are generally similar to those in the Russian legislation, but they do have some specificities: the juror should be at least 18 years old, psychologists, psychiatrists, lawyers, and persons, whose views exclude them as jurors, may not serve as jurors. Specific feature of the Georgian model of trial by jury is that the quantity of jurors is established in the framework format, and it varies depending on the category of crime, with which a criminal defendant is charged. Unlike the provisions of Art. 326 of the CPC of Russia, the CPC of Georgia provides for a special judicial hearing, where a presiding judge, having listened to the opinions of the parties, established the step amount for the selection, and forms the list of candidates for the jurors out of 50 persons, and the list is given to the parties. The article also concerns specificities of judicial proceedings with the trial by jury according to the CPC of Georgia. The author establishes the following specificities, showing that the Georgian model is a type of Anglo-Saxon model of trial by jury: the competitive judicial interrogation, instructions of the presiding judge to the jurors, which are previously discussed with the parties, two forms of verdict, etc. The article draws a conclusion on the possibility to uptake some models for the trial by jury proceedings.

Hearing Disability in Colombia Self-Perception and Associated Factors 2002-2008

Introduction: Hearing disability is a condition that affects normal ear function, as much in adulthood as in the first years of life. According to the 2005 Census, 6.3% of the Colombian population has some type of disability, of which 17.4% have hearing limitations, including those with hearing devices. Elucidating the conditions of this population and identifying the factors related to hearing disability will permit the management of strategies from different sectors to mitigate the consequences associated with this limitation. Objective: To estimate the self-perception of hearing disability in Colombia and to determine the factors associated with this limitation. Materials and Methods: The present study is cross-sectional, based on the analysis of secondary information obtained from the Registry for Localization and Characterization of Persons with Disability (RLCPD) during the 2002-2008 period. Socio-demographic and healthcare variables were analyzed. Results: 13.6% (102,648/750,377) of the population reported hearing limitations even with the use of special hearing devices. 43.52% (44,041) of people over 3 years of age could neither read nor write. 29.39% (30,145) of people who reported this limitation are not affiliated to any sort of health insurance system. Factors found to be associated with hearing limitations were: socioeconomic stratus (OR: 1.33; CI 95% 1.25; 1.42), illiteracy (OR: 1.44; CI 95% 1.42; 1.46) and lack of affiliation to a health insurance system (OR: 1.03; CI 95% 1.01; 1.04). Conclusion: People registered with hearing disability live under vulnerable conditions; among them, most/the majority pertained to a segment of the population with low economic resources and had difficulty obtaining/accessing work, education and healthcare services.

Hearing screening by community physicians in under-2 year-olds

The efficacy of neonatal screening in lowering age at diagnosis and treatment in congenital hearing loss should not mask the limitations due to the fact that hearing loss often appears or is detected after birth. Early diagnosis of secondary or progressive postnatal hearing loss is nevertheless necessary and justifies systematic screening of hearing disorder in all children seen in consultation, for whatever reason. Screening bilateral hearing loss in under-2 year-olds in a community context is feasible, using simple means: parent interview, clinical observation, and acoumetry using the voice and sound-emitting toys. In case of abnormality detected or suspected on screening, children of whatever age should be referred to an ENT specialist for complete audiometric assessment. Behavioural audiometry is feasible in very young children, and indispensable to diagnosis. The parents will only be reassured after specialized hearing examinations have been performed.

SOCIAL EXCLUSION AND SENSITIZATION OF THE DOPAMINE SYSTEM: A [123I]IBZM-SPECT STUDY IN YOUNG ADULTS WITH SERIOUS HEARING IMPAIRMENT

Communicative disorders can complicate social interactions and may be detrimental for one's self-concept. This study aims to assess the self-concept of children with Cochlear Implants (CI). Results of educational peer groups (special needs or typical) were compared. Correlations amongst speech perception, language comprehension, self-concept and other study variables are determined.This retrospectively patient file study contained 53 CI participants with a mean age of 14.2 (SD = 2.8). Self-concept was measured with the Dutch language version of the Self-Perception Profile for Children and Adolescents. Proportions of low, normal and high competence scores were compared to a normative sample. Outcomes were analyzed for the total CI group and for the two educational peer groups. Results: In the Scholastic Competence, Athletic Competence, Physical Appearance and Behavioral Conduct domains larger proportions of high perceived competence levels were found in the CI Total group compared to the hearing normative sample. Children with CIs in the Mainstream educational subgroup were found to have larger proportions of high levels on these domains. Remarkably, children with CI in the Special hearing impaired educational subgroup reported comparable self-concept scores as their hearing peers. Speech perception and language comprehension were positively correlated to Scholastic Competence.This study has shown that self-concept levels of profoundly hearing impaired children with CI are comparable to those of hearing peers. They are generally satisfied with their functioning in various domains. Better speech perception and language comprehension levels are related to higher outcomes in the Scholastic Competence domain.

Useless hearing in male Emblemasoma auditrix (Diptera, Sarcophagidae)--a case of intralocus sexual conflict during evolution of a complex sense organ?

Sensory modalities typically are important for both sexes, although sex-specific functional adaptations may occur frequently. This is true for hearing as well. Consequently, distinct behavioural functions were identified for the different insect hearing systems. Here we describe a first case, where a trait of an evolutionary novelty and a highly specialized hearing organ is adaptive in only one sex. The main function of hearing of the parasitoid fly Emblemasoma auditrix is to locate the host, males of the cicada species Okanagana rimosa, by their calling song. This task is performed by female flies, which deposit larvae into the host. We show that male E. auditrix possess a hearing sense as well. The morphology of the tympanal organ of male E. auditrix is rather similar to the female ear, which is 8% broader than the male ear. In both sexes the physiological hearing threshold is tuned to 5 kHz. Behavioural tests show that males are able to orient towards the host calling song, although phonotaxis often is incomplete. However, despite extensive observations in the field and substantial knowledge of the biology of E. auditrix, no potentially adaptive function of the male auditory sense has been identified. This unique hearing system might represent an intralocus sexual conflict, as the complex sense organ and the behavioural relevant neuronal network is adaptive for only one sex. The correlated evolution of the sense organ in both sexes might impose substantial constraints on the sensory properties of the ear. Similar constraints, although hidden, might also apply to other sensory systems in which behavioural functions differ between sexes.

The auditory roles of the gas bladder and suprabranchial chamber in walking catfish (Clarias batrachus)

Abstract Background The enhanced auditory abilities of certain fish are dependent on specialized hearing structures. Several gas-holding structures, including the suprabranchial chamber, otic gas bladder, and Weberian apparatus-linked gas bladder, have been demonstrated to improve the hearing ability of fish. The walking catfish (Clarias batrachus), a benthic species, is unique in that it has both a suprabranchial chamber (SC) and a Weberian apparatus-linked, encapsulated gas bladder (WGB). This study aimed to investigate the respective roles of these two structures in contributing to the overall hearing ability of walking catfish. Results The auditory evoked potentials method was used to measure hearing thresholds in intact fish and fish with a deflated WGB and/or SC. Gas removal from the WGB increased auditory thresholds at all frequencies tested (0.4 to 5.0 kHz), whereas injection of water into the SC shifted the threshold only at frequencies below 3.0 kHz. However, such a correlation was not observed for the SC at 4.0 and 5.0 kHz. Conclusions The findings indicated that both the encapsulated WGB and the SC had an accessory auditory role. However, WGB enhanced hearing abilities in the whole frequency range, whereas SC did not.

Deafness and the Educational Rights: A Brief Review through a Brazilian Perspective

In some countries, the human rights involving a proper education are still a privilege for just a few. In some of these regions, the right for a living with dignity and access to the current knowledge is considered a luxury, especially for people with special needs (e.g. deaf children) as the governmental systems still struggle to provide proper conditions to the regular ones. Herein we showed a brief review on deafness, its history on Brazilian education, the Brazilian sign language and the current need of deaf people for teaching resources at the scholar context to. We have also discussed facts that contributed to the Brazilian deaf education and alternative methodologies for the generation of educational resources that can maximize the teaching-learning process by stimulating the interest of deaf students for the science and biotechnological context. The inclusive educational practice with development of proper educational materials and methods may facilitate the teaching and learning process for everyone, including those with hearing loss. This inclusive practice is of great importance for achieving the educational improvement of all people in any society as a whole. Therefore, this article revisited themes that must be considered in the education of people with special hearing needs to guarantee their right of having a proper education and attention.

Reformed Churches struggle for justice: Lessons learnt from their submissions before the TRC

The truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) arranged a special hearing for all faith communities in relation to their contribution to human rights violations under apartheid. This forced different faith groupings and Christian denominations to recollect their role in the struggle for justice in South Africa. two prominent Reformed Churches made submissions to the TRC on how they have dealt with the history of apartheid in relation to the struggle for justice. Their submissions were made up of different themes as they reflected on their role in the struggle for justice within South Africa’s apartheid’s past (within the time frame 1960 to 1990). This contribution aims to highlight and discuss some of the most prominent themes in the struggle for justice from the two Reformed Churches as they reflected on the apartheid past and to identify some lessons from among these themes that the church community can use in order to empower the church to redeem the past and contribute to healing and reconciliation in the present and future.

음성압축 방식의 변화가 한국어 단음절 숫자 인지기능에 미치는 영향의 비교 연구

다양한 음성 압축방식이 여러 분야에서 광범위하게 사용되고 있으며 그 심리음향적 인지결과는 대상 언어의 특성과 압축 방식에 따라서 다를 수가 있다. 한국어에서도 이러한 인지 결과를 비교하는 정량적인 자료가 관련된 임상이나 응용 분야에서 필요하지만 구체적인 내용이 확인되어 있지 않다. 본 연구에서는 통제된 언어적 특성을 갖는 0에서 9까지 한국어 단음절 숫자 들이 무작위로 조합되는 다섯 쌍 조합(quintet set)을 대상으로 하여 자주 사용되는 세가지 대표적인 음성 압축방식의 특성을 비교 분석하였다. 비교 기준으로는 기존의 연구에서 분석 정리된 시간과 주파수 정보가 모두 일정하게 변화되는 PNT (Preserving No Trait) 압축에서 얻은 자료를 비교 근거로 선정하였다. 이를 기준으로 하여 동일한 조건의 정상인 그룹에서 심리음향적 피치(pitch) 정보가 주로 보전되는 PPT (Preserving Pitch Trait), 시간 정보가 주로 보전되는 PTT (Preserving Time Trait) 압축방식의 인지 결과를 기록하고 분석하였다(N=20). 본 연구 결과에서 얻어진 자료를 보면, 정보의 압축비율이 높을 수록 심리음향학적으로 중요한 주파수 정보(피치)를 보전하는 것이 인지도 측면에서 가장 유리한 것으로 나타났다(PPT>PTT>PNT). 또한, 세가지 압축방법에서 50% 인지율을 보이는 압축률의 역치도 PPT가 20%, PTT가 42%, PNT가 44% 순으로 나타났다. 따라서 인지도 측면에서만 살펴보면 본 조건에서는 PPT 압축 방식이 가장 우수한 것으로 추정되었다. 이러한 숫자 자극을 이용한 평가 방법은 향후 새로운 압축 방식의 효율성과 인지도 측면을 비교 가능하게 하며, 이를 이용하면, 청각정보처리기능을 진단하거나 압축 관련 특수 보청기 적합 재활에서 정량적인 지표를 제공하는 도구로도 사용될 수 있을 것으로 판단된다. The performances of speech compression schemes appeared to be dependent on the response profiles to compressed stimuli and the features of individual languages to some extent. Although these response profiles were critical in comparing various compression outcomes, the related data were limited in number for Korean monosyllabic words. From the previous study, data from PNT (Preserving No Trait) compression was selected as a base set for comparison. In this study, the outcomes from PPT (Preserving Pitch Trait) and PTT (Preserving Time Trait) were analyzed under the same condition. Then, the properties of these three widely used representative compression schemes were quantitatively compared in normal hearing adults (N=20) for controlled Korean quintet digit sets (0 through 9). Results showed that PPT compression scheme exhibited the best perceptual performances for the Korean quintet digit sets in the final outcomes (PPT>PTT>PNT). The compression ratios of 50% performances were estimated as about 20%, 42%, and 44% for PPT, PTT, and PNT, respectively. The data indicated the influences of the salient psychoacoustic features of the three representative compressions on perceiving Korean monosyllabic digit words. This controlled procedure with monosyllabic quintet sets can evaluate efficiency and effectiveness of other compression schemes and may also contribute to diagnosing auditory processing disorders and fitting special hearing aids with compression issues.

Approach to the Subject of 'Contact' in the Music and Culture of Listening

The best way to respect the rights of the author or tuner and an artist, it's your turn to create new work, or the beauty critical review of the elders and branches of art.Even the artist thinks Silence and People do work 'cause, his amnesia phenomenon that product of social culture wrong. Community general its audience. The superiority and public taste formed.For example, if you listen to the musical community constantly to music unscientific to be tempered, a new way of reading or singing The stranger does hear her and would swing.I think that's way of not again, but is very similar to the work of others; together, somehow helping the bad cycle has no ears.It must be said, one of the most important tasks of the artist, Physical contact Hearer. Music so important in this context, perhaps the concept of living force and mass production album, superior.We are the special hearing audience, But we have contact, general, as well as improper flow into the group with look of disbelief there no understanding of the art and the artists themselves, or try the beauty of their art for specific purposes; advantage they are all social product without listening is.Is there in the attitude of the and the artist, difference clearly visible to them.It so that the eye and written by trained, ears have heard. Should the phenomenon of raising serious audience extremely polished.

Analytical model of internally coupled ears

Lizards and many birds possess a specialized hearing mechanism: internally coupled ears where the tympanic membranes connect through a large mouth cavity so that the vibrations of the tympanic membranes influence each other. This coupling enhances the phase differences and creates amplitude differences in the tympanic membrane vibrations. Both cues show strong directionality. The work presented herein sets out the derivation of a three dimensional analytical model of internally coupled ears that allows for calculation of a complete vibration profile of the membranes. The analytical model additionally provides the opportunity to incorporate the effect of the asymmetrically attached columella, which leads to the activation of higher membrane vibration modes. Incorporating this effect, the analytical model can explain measurements taken from the tympanic membrane of a living lizard, for example, data demonstrating an asymmetrical spatial pattern of membrane vibration. As the analytical calculations show, the internally coupled ears increase the directional response, appearing in large directional internal amplitude differences (iAD) and in large internal time differences (iTD). Numerical simulations of the eigenfunctions in an exemplary, realistically reconstructed mouth cavity further estimate the effects of its complex geometry.

Exceptional high-frequency hearing and matched vocalizations in Australian pygopod geckos

We describe exceptional high-frequency hearing and vocalizations in a genus of pygopod lizards (Delma) that is endemic to Australia. Pygopods are a legless subfamily of geckos and share their highly specialized hearing organ. Hearing and vocalizations of amniote vertebrates were previously thought to differ clearly in their frequency ranges according to their systematic grouping. The upper frequency limit would thus be lowest in chelonians and increasingly higher in crocodilians, lizards, birds and mammals. We report data from four Delma species (D. desmosa, D. fraseri, D. haroldi, D. pax) from the Pilbara region of Western Australia that were studied using recordings of auditory-nerve compound action potentials (CAP) under remote field conditions. Hearing limits and vocalization energy of Delma species extended to frequencies far above those reported for any other lizard group, 14 kHz and >20 kHz, respectively. Their remarkable high-frequency hearing derives from the basilar papilla, and forward masking of CAP responses suggests a unique division of labor between groups of sensory cells within the hearing organ. These data also indicate that rather than having only strictly group-specific frequency ranges, amniote vertebrate hearing is strongly influenced by species-specific physical and ecological constraints.

Truth commissions and gender: A South African case study

South Africa’s gendered past was never substantially addressed by the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) despite attempts by women’s groups to ensure its inclusion.. The TRC’s treatment of gender was in part constrained by its ‘gender-blind’ mandate, which ignored the different experiences and interests of men and women. Its shortfalls were further reinforced by the combination of limited time and resources, the lack of a systematic proactive gender strategy, and the lack of sustained involvement and interventions by the feminist community. While interventions by women’s groups and activists led the Commission to take up gender in ad hoc ways, such as through the Special Hearings on Women, the engagement of the TRC with gender remained at best tangential and as such the opportunity to capture a more complete picture of the apartheid era was lost.

The caring profession: Paediatricians and altruism

For my sins, I am on a national committee called the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC). Actually, I love it. Since 1988, the PBAC has been advising the Australian Government on which medicines should be funded through the national Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, based on cost-effectiveness and other criteria. Since 2006, the PBAC has also considered funding of new vaccines. It is a unique approach, designed to improve equity and to reduce the cost of medicines and vaccines to the Australian people. There are two paediatricians on the committee at present. Applications to the PBAC for funding are prepared by a sponsor, usually a pharmaceutical company. Under the Free Trade Agreement, the sponsor can opt for a special hearing to present their case verbally to the PBAC before the committee considers the application in private. These special hearings add significantly to the duration of an already jam-packed 3-day meeting, and since the companies are not allowed to present new data not already included in the hugely detailed applications, some members of the committee are not exactly enamoured of hearings. The best hearings are generally those in which a clinician is brought along by the company to talk about the implications to the patient of a rare condition or to clarify important clinical queries. At a recent meeting, the PBAC considered an application for botulinum toxin to be used to treat spasticity in children with cerebral palsy. There was a hearing. To my surprise, a consultant in paediatric rehabilitation who works at the same hospital as I entered with the pharmaceutical company representatives and proceeded to explain the clinical details of the benefits of botulinum toxin for affected children and different ways of assessing the children's response to therapy. He talked beautifully and helped the committee reach what I feel was a good decision. Earlier, there had been some internal committee gossip about the considerable honoraria that some clinicians were reputedly paid for a 5- or 10-min hearing presentation. After his presentation, I emailed my colleague asking him what he had been paid to appear. He replied almost instantly that the pharmaceutical company had only paid for his airfare and asking jokingly if he should have requested an honorarium. I replied that his position as an unpaid advocate for his patients was far more honourable than accepting an honorarium. I shared this exchange with some of the committee, who all responded, to the effect, ‘You paediatricians are all so nice and you care about your patients more than you care about money.’ Charles Dickens was a genius and a strong advocate of the rights of disadvantaged children, but his least endearing quality was a somewhat saccharine sentimentality. Over-sentimental paediatricians also have emetic potential, but at least paediatricians care. I am proud that altruism in medicine and particularly in paediatrics is not dead.

Mandatory Procedures and Fairness in Mental Impairment Hearings

Uncertainty has attended procedures for adjudging unfitness to stand trial in Victoria pursuant to the Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act 1997 (Vic) and how “special hearings” should be conducted when a person is determined to be unfit to stand trial but does not wish to pursue the defence of not guilty because of mental impairment. In R v Langley [2008] VSCA 81, (2009) 19 VR 90 the Victorian Court of Appeal clarified the procedures to be employed at jury trials on such matters and quashed a decision not in conformity with proper procedures, making clear that denial of fairness to such accused persons has the potential to result in appealable error.

On prosecution of civil liabilities of debtor’s senior managers in bankruptcy law

The Enterprise Bankruptcy Law has designed the regime for debtor’s senior managers to bear civil liabilities, while the framework design concerning the prosecution mechanism of civil liabilities is still unclear. How to establish a prosecution mechanism of civil liabilities of debtor’s senior managers in line with the purposes of the bankruptcy regime is a substantial issue during the implementation of Enterprise Bankruptcy Law. The realization of the civil liabilities regime of debtor’s senior managers depends on the establishment and operation of a relatively well-developed prosecution mechanism of civil liabilities. The focus of the prosecution mechanism of civil liabilities is to determine the subject of prosecution of civil liabilities, the way to realize civil liabilities, and the special hearing proceedings and authorities of the court. Taking steps to clarify and improve the prosecution mechanism of civil liabilities focusing on the subjects of prosecution (debtor’s senior managers) and authorities of the court, is the essence and systematic safeguard of realizing the civil liabilities regime of debtor’s senior managers in the Enterprise Bankruptcy Law.

The acoustic treatment in classroom refurbishment: A double blind experimental study examining the acoustic and auditory environment of the cellular classroom.

This paper will present data from the Essex Study of mainstream schools designed for inclusion of children with special hearing difficulties. It will present data from the experimental study which was set up to guide the specification of classroom acoustic performance standards. The UK Special Educational Needs Legislation requires education authorities to meet the special educational needs of all children. The major need considered in the provision of children with special hearing requirements, including deaf and hard of hearing children, is their ability to function when there is competing sound. Control of competing sound is in part the job of the teacher, as the dominant source of sound is created by the occupants, but the acoustician has a significant role to play. The acoustic performance of a classroom has considerable impact on every aspect of teaching and learning and ultimately on whether a child’s special educational needs can be met within an inclusive educational setting. The findings of the ...

Using long-acting β 2-agonists safely: What will be the impact of the US Food and Drug Administration's panel recommendations?

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched an investigation into the safety of long-acting beta(2)-agonists (LABAs). While the impact of this investigation is yet to be seen, clinicians should be circumspect in the use of these agents and prescribe them according to the recommendations of current asthma guidelines, informing patients and their caretakers about potential risks. As clinical trials attempt to address the question of whether LABAs are safe for use in pediatric and adult populations, current data provide no clear answers. A special hearing of the FDA's Pulmonary-Allergy Drugs Advisory Committee, Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee, and Pediatric Advisory Committee attempted to seek consensus on the matter as it reviewed the results of controlled clinical trials and conducted a benefit:risk assessment of LABAs to make recommendations on their safety.

A Self-Defining Universe? Case Studies from the ‘Special Hearings: Women’ of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission

A Self-Defining Universe? Case Studies from the ‘Special Hearings: Women’ of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission