AC/DC Singer Battles Sensorineural Hearing Loss

In an article posted to CNN.com on April 19, AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson details his battle with sensorineural hearing loss after years of unprotected noise exposure from concert performances. In the article, he refers to his admission of hearing loss and ultimate decision to cease touring with the band as his “darkest day.” Sadly, Johnson is only one in a long line of musicians, including Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton, Ted Nugent, Phil Collins, will.I.am, and many more, who suffer from tinnitus and/or hearing loss as a consequence of their profession.  

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Image reconstruction with uncertainty quantification in photoacoustic tomography

Photoacoustictomography is a hybrid imaging method that combines optical contrast and ultrasound resolution. The goal of photoacoustictomography is to resolve an initial pressure distribution from detectedultrasound waves generated within an object due to an illumination of a short light pulse. In this work, a Bayesian approach to photoacoustictomography is described. The solution of the inverse problem is derived and computation of the point estimates for image reconstruction and uncertainty quantification is described. The approach is investigated with simulations in different detector geometries, including limited view setup, and with different detector properties such as ideal point-like detectors, finite size detectors, and detectors with a finite bandwidth. The results show that the Bayesian approach can be used to provide accurate estimates of the initial pressure distribution, as well as information about the uncertainty of the estimates.

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Military jet noise source imaging using multisource statistically optimized near-field acoustical holography

The identification of acoustic sources is critical to targeted noise reduction efforts for jets on high-performance tactical aircraft. This paper describes the imaging of acoustic sources from a tactical jet using near-field acoustical holography techniques. The measurement consists of a series of scans over the hologram with a dense microphone array. Partial field decomposition methods are performed to generate coherent holograms. Numerical extrapolation of data beyond the measurement aperture mitigates artifacts near the aperture edges. A multisource equivalent wave model is used that includes the effects of the ground reflection on the measurement. Multisource statistically optimized near-field acoustical holography (M-SONAH) is used to reconstruct apparent source distributions between 20 and 1250 Hz at four engine powers. It is shown that M-SONAH produces accurate field reconstructions for both inward and outward propagation in the region spanned by the physical hologram measurement. Reconstructions across the set of engine powers and frequencies suggests that directivity depends mainly on estimated source location; sources farther downstream radiate at a higher angle relative to the inlet axis. At some frequencies and engine powers, reconstructed fields exhibit multiple radiation lobes originating from overlapped source regions, which is a phenomenon relatively recently reported for full-scale jets.

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Shallow water acoustic response and platform motion modeling via a hierarchical Gaussian mixture model

A hierarchical Gaussian mixture model is proposed to characterize shallow water acoustic response functions that are time-varying and sparse. The mixture model is based on the assumption that acoustic paths can be partitioned into two sets. The first is a relatively coherent set of arrivals that on average exhibit Doppler spreading about a mean Doppler and the remaining set is of multiple surface scattered paths that exhibit a spectrally flat Doppler. The hierarchy establishes constraints on the parameters of each of these Gaussian models such that coherent components of the response are both sparse and in the ensemble obey the Doppler spread profile. This is accomplished with a Bernoulli model that indicates the ensonification state of each element in the bi-frequency representation of the acoustic response function. Estimators of the time-varying acoustic response for the full duration of a broadband transmission are developed and employed to compensate for the shared time-varying dilation process among the coherent arrivals. The approach ameliorates response coherence degradation and can be employed to enhance coherent multi-path combining and is a useful alternative to time recursive estimation. The model is tested with acoustic communication recordings taken in shallow water at low signal-to-noise ratios.

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Sensory challenges for trawling bats: Finding transient prey on water surfaces

Bats are able to identify obstacles and prey objects based exclusively on acoustic information acquired via echolocation. To assess the echo information potentially available to the trawling bat Noctilio leporinus, prey objects were ensonified with artificial bat calls and deduced echo target strengths (TS) of the reflected signals. The artificial calls consisted either of constant frequency (CF) or frequency modulated (FM)sounds. Detection distances were calculated for call intensities of N. leporinus emitted in the field and in confined space. Measurements of a transient target consisting of a brief water splash and subsequently expanding water ripples revealed that concentrically expanding water ripples can provide sufficiently loud echoes to be detected by trawling bats. Experiments with stationary targets revealed differences in TS depending on the type of signal used (CF or FM). A calculated maximum detection distance between 4.5 and 13.7 m for all measured targets indicates that prey detection in this very loud calling species occurs much earlier than suggested by estimations based on modifications in echolocation or flight behavior.

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Novel missense mutation in the CLPP gene causes Perrault Syndrome type-3 in a Turkish family.

Novel missense mutation in the CLPP gene causes Perrault Syndrome type-3 in a Turkish family.

J Clin Res Pediatr Endocrinol. 2016 Apr 18;

Authors: Dursun F, Mohamoud HS, Karim N, Naeem M, Jelani M, Kırmızıbekmez H

Abstract
Perrault syndrome (PRLTS) is a heterogeneous group of clinical and genetic disorders in which patients are characterized by sensory neuronal hearing loss, in both sexes and premature ovarian failure or infertility in females. Neurological and hearing loss symptoms appear early in life; however, female infertility obviously cannot be detected before puberty. In addition to this, spastic limbs, muscle weakness, delayed puberty; irregular menstrual cycles have also been observed in PRLTS patients. Mutations in five genes, HSD17B4, HARS2, CLPP, LARS2, and C10orf2, have been reported in five subtypes of PRLTS. Here we report a milder phenotype of PRLTS in a Turkish family in which two affected patients had no neurological findings; however, they both were characterized by sensory neuronal hearing loss and only the female also had secondary amenorrhea and gonadal dysgenesis. Genome-wide homozygosity mapping using 300K SNP microarray analysis together with iScan platform (Illumina, USA) followed by candidate gene Sanger sequencing with ABI 3500 Genetic Analyzer (Life Technologies, USA) were used for molecular diagnosis. We found a novel missense alteration c.624C>G; p.Ile208Met in exon 5 of the CLPP at chromosome 19p13.3. This study expands the mutation spectrum of CLPP pathogenicity in PRLTS type-3 phenotype.

PMID: 27087618 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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Tinnitus And Musical Genius

When you think of tinnitus, you usually don’t think of musical genius as well. However, to the surprise of many people, some of the biggest names in music history have suffered with this condition that causes ringing in the ears. Yet despite the difficulties this can cause, those who have the condition have not let it keep them from turning out some of the greatest hits in music history. To find out how tinnitus and musical genius go together, take a look at some of the most well-known musicians who have had this condition.

Neil Young
One of the most popular singer-songwriters since the 1960s, Neil Young didn’t develop tinnitus until the early 1990s. Attributing his condition to years of playing and listening to loud music, he has reportedly gotten so used to the ringing in his ears that he rarely gives it a second thought.

Barbra Streisand
If there is one name in show business that exemplifies the link between tinnitus and musical genius, it’s Barbra Streisand. Star of stage, screen, and television, Barbra has had the condition since age seven. Known for being somewhat temperamental at times, she points to tinnitus as the reason for her volatile personality.

Pete Townshend
If there was one rock group that exemplified the 1960s, it was The Who. With wild antics such as drummer Keith Moon blowing up his drums during a concert and guitars being smashed onstage, a concert by The Who was wildly unpredictable. However, for lead guitarist and group founder Pete Townshend, those antics ultimately gave him tinnitus. A result of the band’s extremely loud music during concerts and the volume at which he listened to studio playbacks when recording an album, Townshend says his tinnitus has gotten worse as he has aged. In fact, he says after shows his tinnitus is almost unbearable, but he has no plans to quit playing anytime soon.

Other Notables
Along with these three, tinnitus and musical genius can be attributed to many other famous folks in the music business. For example, crooner Engelbert Humperdinck suffers from the condition, as does David Letterman’s former band leader Paul Schaffer. Comedian Steve Martin, who in recent years has become noted for his banjo playing and bluegrass concerts and albums, suffers from tinnitus as a result of a shooting scene in a 1986 movie.

While not all musicians have tinnitus, it’s interesting to note just how many famous musicians suffer from the condition. As concerts continue to be loud, it’s expected even more names will be connected to the link between tinnitus and musical genius.

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