Veterans and Hearing Loss

“We treat  hearing loss as an inevitable cost of war. It shouldn’t be.” An article published in Washington Post highlights the fact that among male veterans seeking VA care, 16.4 percent to 26.6 percent suffer from serious hearing loss and tinnitus, and 7.3 percent to 13.4 percent of female veterans are affected. How much of this is combat-related or due to environmental factors such as background noise, training, and medication is unknown. 

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Secondary School Teachers' Beliefs, Attitudes, and Reactions to Stuttering

Purpose

The study identifies teachers' beliefs about and attitudes toward stuttering and explores to what extent these beliefs and attitudes prompt specific teachers' reactions to the stuttering of a student.

Method

Participants were teachers in secondary education in Flanders (Belgium), currently teaching an adolescent who stutters. They were the student's class teacher or instructed a course in which communication is important. Ten semistructured interviews were conducted and analyzed thematically.

Results

Teachers believed that (a) when peers do not react to the stuttering, the lesson is not disrupted by it, and the student who stutters participates in the lesson, stuttering is not necessarily a problem; (b) when attention is paid to it, stuttering can become a problem; (c) they try to react as little as possible to the stuttering; and (d) they seldom talk about the stuttering.

Conclusion

Although teachers reported that they feel confident in how to deal with stuttering, and although it is possible that students who stutter do not feel the need to talk about their stuttering, teachers could consult their students on this matter. This way, they would acknowledge the stuttering and likely encourage the students to approach them when they feel the need.

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Secondary School Teachers' Beliefs, Attitudes, and Reactions to Stuttering

Purpose

The study identifies teachers' beliefs about and attitudes toward stuttering and explores to what extent these beliefs and attitudes prompt specific teachers' reactions to the stuttering of a student.

Method

Participants were teachers in secondary education in Flanders (Belgium), currently teaching an adolescent who stutters. They were the student's class teacher or instructed a course in which communication is important. Ten semistructured interviews were conducted and analyzed thematically.

Results

Teachers believed that (a) when peers do not react to the stuttering, the lesson is not disrupted by it, and the student who stutters participates in the lesson, stuttering is not necessarily a problem; (b) when attention is paid to it, stuttering can become a problem; (c) they try to react as little as possible to the stuttering; and (d) they seldom talk about the stuttering.

Conclusion

Although teachers reported that they feel confident in how to deal with stuttering, and although it is possible that students who stutter do not feel the need to talk about their stuttering, teachers could consult their students on this matter. This way, they would acknowledge the stuttering and likely encourage the students to approach them when they feel the need.

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Secondary School Teachers' Beliefs, Attitudes, and Reactions to Stuttering

Purpose

The study identifies teachers' beliefs about and attitudes toward stuttering and explores to what extent these beliefs and attitudes prompt specific teachers' reactions to the stuttering of a student.

Method

Participants were teachers in secondary education in Flanders (Belgium), currently teaching an adolescent who stutters. They were the student's class teacher or instructed a course in which communication is important. Ten semistructured interviews were conducted and analyzed thematically.

Results

Teachers believed that (a) when peers do not react to the stuttering, the lesson is not disrupted by it, and the student who stutters participates in the lesson, stuttering is not necessarily a problem; (b) when attention is paid to it, stuttering can become a problem; (c) they try to react as little as possible to the stuttering; and (d) they seldom talk about the stuttering.

Conclusion

Although teachers reported that they feel confident in how to deal with stuttering, and although it is possible that students who stutter do not feel the need to talk about their stuttering, teachers could consult their students on this matter. This way, they would acknowledge the stuttering and likely encourage the students to approach them when they feel the need.

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The influence of gait speed on the stability of walking among the elderly

Publication date: Available online 12 April 2016
Source:Gait & Posture
Author(s): Yifang Fan, Zhiyu Li, Shuyan Han, Changsheng Lv, Bo Zhang
Walking speed is a basic factor to consider when walking exercises are prescribed as part of a training programme. Although associations between walking speed, step length and falling risk have been identified, the relationship between spontaneous walking pattern and falling risk remains unclear. The present study, therefore, examined the stability of spontaneous walking at normal, fast and slow speed among elderly (67.5±3.23) and young (21.4±1.31) individuals. In all, 55 participants undertook a test that involved walking on a plantar pressure platform. Foot-ground contact data were used to calculate walking speed, step length, pressure impulse along the plantar-impulse principal axis and pressure record of time series along the plantar-impulse principal axis. A forward dynamics method was used to calculate acceleration, velocity and displacement of the centre of mass in the vertical direction. The results showed that when the elderly walked at different speeds, their average step length was smaller than that observed among the young (p=0.000), whereas their anterior–posterior variability and lateral variability had no significant difference. When walking was performed at normal or slow speed, no significant between-group difference in cadence was found. When walking at a fast speed, the elderly increased their stride length moderately and their cadence greatly (p=0.012). In summary, the present study found no correlation between fast walking speed and instability among the elderly, which indicates that healthy elderly individuals might safely perform fast-speed walking exercises.



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The influence of gait speed on the stability of walking among the elderly

Publication date: Available online 12 April 2016
Source:Gait & Posture
Author(s): Yifang Fan, Zhiyu Li, Shuyan Han, Changsheng Lv, Bo Zhang
Walking speed is a basic factor to consider when walking exercises are prescribed as part of a training programme. Although associations between walking speed, step length and falling risk have been identified, the relationship between spontaneous walking pattern and falling risk remains unclear. The present study, therefore, examined the stability of spontaneous walking at normal, fast and slow speed among elderly (67.5±3.23) and young (21.4±1.31) individuals. In all, 55 participants undertook a test that involved walking on a plantar pressure platform. Foot-ground contact data were used to calculate walking speed, step length, pressure impulse along the plantar-impulse principal axis and pressure record of time series along the plantar-impulse principal axis. A forward dynamics method was used to calculate acceleration, velocity and displacement of the centre of mass in the vertical direction. The results showed that when the elderly walked at different speeds, their average step length was smaller than that observed among the young (p=0.000), whereas their anterior–posterior variability and lateral variability had no significant difference. When walking was performed at normal or slow speed, no significant between-group difference in cadence was found. When walking at a fast speed, the elderly increased their stride length moderately and their cadence greatly (p=0.012). In summary, the present study found no correlation between fast walking speed and instability among the elderly, which indicates that healthy elderly individuals might safely perform fast-speed walking exercises.



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The influence of gait speed on the stability of walking among the elderly

Publication date: Available online 12 April 2016
Source:Gait & Posture
Author(s): Yifang Fan, Zhiyu Li, Shuyan Han, Changsheng Lv, Bo Zhang
Walking speed is a basic factor to consider when walking exercises are prescribed as part of a training programme. Although associations between walking speed, step length and falling risk have been identified, the relationship between spontaneous walking pattern and falling risk remains unclear. The present study, therefore, examined the stability of spontaneous walking at normal, fast and slow speed among elderly (67.5±3.23) and young (21.4±1.31) individuals. In all, 55 participants undertook a test that involved walking on a plantar pressure platform. Foot-ground contact data were used to calculate walking speed, step length, pressure impulse along the plantar-impulse principal axis and pressure record of time series along the plantar-impulse principal axis. A forward dynamics method was used to calculate acceleration, velocity and displacement of the centre of mass in the vertical direction. The results showed that when the elderly walked at different speeds, their average step length was smaller than that observed among the young (p=0.000), whereas their anterior–posterior variability and lateral variability had no significant difference. When walking was performed at normal or slow speed, no significant between-group difference in cadence was found. When walking at a fast speed, the elderly increased their stride length moderately and their cadence greatly (p=0.012). In summary, the present study found no correlation between fast walking speed and instability among the elderly, which indicates that healthy elderly individuals might safely perform fast-speed walking exercises.



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Rotational speed invariant fault diagnosis in bearings using vibration signal imaging and local binary patterns

Structural vibrations of bearing housings are used for diagnosing fault conditions in bearings, primarily by searching for characteristicfault frequencies in the envelope power spectrum of the vibration signal. The fault frequencies depend on the non-stationary angular speed of the rotating shaft. This paper explores an imaging-based approach to achieve rotational speed independence. Cycle length segments of the rectified vibration signal are stacked to construct grayscale images which exhibit unique textures for each fault. These textures show insignificant variation with the rotational speed, which is confirmed by the classification results using their local binary pattern histograms.

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Intersections of the Lamb mode dispersion curves of free isotropic plates

The intersections between Lamb mode dispersion curves of free isotropic plates at real values of frequency and wave number are examined for the full allowed range of Poisson's ratio. The generic intersections between the dispersion curves for symmetric and anti-symmetric branches are classified into three types. Type F intersections are conditioned by the two additional real solutions of Rayleigh's cubic equation that occur for . Types I and II intersections occur for all values of , and are distinguished by the vanishing or divergence of the tangent functions in the defining equations for the Lamb modes. A brief discussion is provided of intersections between branches of like symmetry and additional intersections between unlike symmetry branches that occur for special values of .

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Resonance frequency of fluid-filled and prestressed spherical shell—A model of the human eyeball

An acoustic tonometer that measures shifts in resonance frequencies associated with intraocular pressure (IOP) could provide an opportunity for a type of tonometer that can be operated at home or worn by patients. However, there is insufficient theoretical background, especially with respect to the uncertainty in operating frequency ranges and the unknown relationships between IOPs and resonance frequencies. The purpose of this paper is to develop a frequency function for application in an acoustic tonometer. A linear wave theory is used to derive an explicit frequency function, consisting of an IOP and seven other physiological parameters. In addition, impulse response experiments are performed to measure the natural frequencies of porcine eyes to validate the provided function. From a real-time detection perspective, explicitly providing a frequency function can be the best way to set up an acoustic tonometer. The theory shows that the resonance oscillation of the eyeball is mainly dominated by liquid inside the eyeball. The experimental validation demonstrates the good prediction of IOPs and resonance frequencies. The proposed explicit frequency function supports further modal analysis not only of the dynamics of eyeballs, but also of the natural frequencies, for further development of the acoustic tonometer.

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A reduced-order integral formulation to account for the finite size effect of isotropic square panels using the transfer matrix method

The transfer matrix method is a well-established prediction tool for the simulation of sound transmission loss and the sound absorption coefficient of flat multilayer systems. Much research has been dedicated to enhancing the accuracy of the method by introducing a finite size effect of the structure to be simulated. The aim of this paper is to present a reduced-order integral formulation to predict radiation efficiency and radiation impedance for a panel with equal lateral dimensions. The results are presented and discussed for different materials in terms of radiation efficiency, sound transmission loss, and the sound absorption coefficient. Finally, the application of the proposed methodology for rectangular multilayer systems is also investigated and validated against experimental data.

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Rotational speed invariant fault diagnosis in bearings using vibration signal imaging and local binary patterns

Structural vibrations of bearing housings are used for diagnosing fault conditions in bearings, primarily by searching for characteristicfault frequencies in the envelope power spectrum of the vibration signal. The fault frequencies depend on the non-stationary angular speed of the rotating shaft. This paper explores an imaging-based approach to achieve rotational speed independence. Cycle length segments of the rectified vibration signal are stacked to construct grayscale images which exhibit unique textures for each fault. These textures show insignificant variation with the rotational speed, which is confirmed by the classification results using their local binary pattern histograms.

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The Timing and Effort of Lexical Access in Natural and Degraded Speech.

The Timing and Effort of Lexical Access in Natural and Degraded Speech.

Front Psychol. 2016;7:398

Authors: Wagner AE, Toffanin P, Başkent D

Abstract
Understanding speech is effortless in ideal situations, and although adverse conditions, such as caused by hearing impairment, often render it an effortful task, they do not necessarily suspend speech comprehension. A prime example of this is speech perception by cochlear implant users, whose hearing prostheses transmit speech as a significantly degraded signal. It is yet unknown how mechanisms of speech processing deal with such degraded signals, and whether they are affected by effortful processing of speech. This paper compares the automatic process of lexical competition between natural and degraded speech, and combines gaze fixations, which capture the course of lexical disambiguation, with pupillometry, which quantifies the mental effort involved in processing speech. Listeners' ocular responses were recorded during disambiguation of lexical embeddings with matching and mismatching durational cues. Durational cues were selected due to their substantial role in listeners' quick limitation of the number of lexical candidates for lexical access in natural speech. Results showed that lexical competition increased mental effort in processing natural stimuli in particular in presence of mismatching cues. Signal degradation reduced listeners' ability to quickly integrate durational cues in lexical selection, and delayed and prolonged lexical competition. The effort of processing degraded speech was increased overall, and because it had its sources at the pre-lexical level this effect can be attributed to listening to degraded speech rather than to lexical disambiguation. In sum, the course of lexical competition was largely comparable for natural and degraded speech, but showed crucial shifts in timing, and different sources of increased mental effort. We argue that well-timed progress of information from sensory to pre-lexical and lexical stages of processing, which is the result of perceptual adaptation during speech development, is the reason why in ideal situations speech is perceived as an undemanding task. Degradation of the signal or the receiver channel can quickly bring this well-adjusted timing out of balance and lead to increase in mental effort. Incomplete and effortful processing at the early pre-lexical stages has its consequences on lexical processing as it adds uncertainty to the forming and revising of lexical hypotheses.

PMID: 27065901 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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The Timing and Effort of Lexical Access in Natural and Degraded Speech.

The Timing and Effort of Lexical Access in Natural and Degraded Speech.

Front Psychol. 2016;7:398

Authors: Wagner AE, Toffanin P, Başkent D

Abstract
Understanding speech is effortless in ideal situations, and although adverse conditions, such as caused by hearing impairment, often render it an effortful task, they do not necessarily suspend speech comprehension. A prime example of this is speech perception by cochlear implant users, whose hearing prostheses transmit speech as a significantly degraded signal. It is yet unknown how mechanisms of speech processing deal with such degraded signals, and whether they are affected by effortful processing of speech. This paper compares the automatic process of lexical competition between natural and degraded speech, and combines gaze fixations, which capture the course of lexical disambiguation, with pupillometry, which quantifies the mental effort involved in processing speech. Listeners' ocular responses were recorded during disambiguation of lexical embeddings with matching and mismatching durational cues. Durational cues were selected due to their substantial role in listeners' quick limitation of the number of lexical candidates for lexical access in natural speech. Results showed that lexical competition increased mental effort in processing natural stimuli in particular in presence of mismatching cues. Signal degradation reduced listeners' ability to quickly integrate durational cues in lexical selection, and delayed and prolonged lexical competition. The effort of processing degraded speech was increased overall, and because it had its sources at the pre-lexical level this effect can be attributed to listening to degraded speech rather than to lexical disambiguation. In sum, the course of lexical competition was largely comparable for natural and degraded speech, but showed crucial shifts in timing, and different sources of increased mental effort. We argue that well-timed progress of information from sensory to pre-lexical and lexical stages of processing, which is the result of perceptual adaptation during speech development, is the reason why in ideal situations speech is perceived as an undemanding task. Degradation of the signal or the receiver channel can quickly bring this well-adjusted timing out of balance and lead to increase in mental effort. Incomplete and effortful processing at the early pre-lexical stages has its consequences on lexical processing as it adds uncertainty to the forming and revising of lexical hypotheses.

PMID: 27065901 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Identification of a novel homozygous mutation in MYO3A in a Chinese family with DFNB30 non-syndromic hearing impairment.

Identification of a novel homozygous mutation in MYO3A in a Chinese family with DFNB30 non-syndromic hearing impairment.

Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2016 May;84:43-7

Authors: Qu R, Sang Q, Xu Y, Feng R, Jin L, He L, Wang L

Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Hearing loss is a common sensory impairment. Several genetic loci or genes responsible for non-syndrome hearing loss have been identified, including the well-known deafness genes GJB2, MT-RNR1 and SLC26A4. MYO3A belongs to the myosin superfamily. Previously only three mutations in this gene have been found in an Isreali family with DFNB30, in which patients demonstrated progressive hearing loss.
METHODS: In this study, we characterized a consanguineous Kazakh family with congenital hearing loss. By targeted sequence capture and next-generation sequencing, we identified a homozygous mutation and did bioinformatics analysis to this mutation.
RESULTS: A homozygous mutation, MYO3A:c.1841C>T (p.S614F), was identified to be responsible for the disease. Ser614 is located in the motor domain of MYO3A that is highly conserved among different species. Molecular modeling predicts that the conserved Ser614 may play an important role in maintaining the stability of β-sheet and the interaction between neighboring β-strand.
CONCLUSIONS: This is the second report on MYO3A mutations in deafness and the first report in China. The finding help facilitate establishing a better relationship between MYO3A mutation and hearing phenotypes.

PMID: 27063751 [PubMed - in process]

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Delayed diagnosis of childhood deafness: the value of false negatives in the Programme for Early Detection of Neonatal Hearing Loss.

Delayed diagnosis of childhood deafness: the value of false negatives in the Programme for Early Detection of Neonatal Hearing Loss.

Acta Otorrinolaringol Esp. 2016 Apr 6;

Authors: Martínez-Pacheco MC, Ferrán de la Cierva L, García-Purriños FJ

Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Despite its importance, the existence of false negatives (patients who are told they hear well, but they have some degree of hipacusia) is rarely evaluated in programs for early detection of hearing loss. The aim of this study is to determine the variables that can lead to a delayed diagnosis, especially the existence of false negatives and the lack of registration of risk factors.
METHODS: A retrospective study of prevalence has been carried out, in which the medical records of children diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss born within 2005 and 2012 in the health centers of study have been analyzed.
RESULTS: Of the 32 children with sensorineural hearing loss, 16 passed the OAE, 12 did not passed the OAE, and in four they were not carried out. Of the children who passed the OAE, 57% have severe hearing loss. 66% of children with hearing loss presented a risk factor for hearing loss at birth, being the most frecuent family history of hearing loss, but only 7% of those with family history of hearing loss were included in the risk group.
CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study indicate that the late diagnosis of hearing loss is related to the presence of false negatives to the OAE and the non-registration of risk factors.

PMID: 27061391 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Two novel mutations in ILDR1 gene cause autosomal recessive nonsyndromic hearing loss in consanguineous Iranian families.

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Two novel mutations in ILDR1 gene cause autosomal recessive nonsyndromic hearing loss in consanguineous Iranian families.

J Genet. 2015 Sep;94(3):483-7

Authors: Mehrjoo Z, Babanejad M, Kahrizi K, Najmabadi H

PMID: 26440088 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Editorial: Binaural Hearing with Cochlear Implants for Bilateral, Bimodal, and Single-Sided Deafness Patients.

No abstract available

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Editorial: Binaural Hearing with Cochlear Implants for Bilateral, Bimodal, and Single-Sided Deafness Patients.

No abstract available

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Editorial: Binaural Hearing with Cochlear Implants for Bilateral, Bimodal, and Single-Sided Deafness Patients.

No abstract available

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