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Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America Apr 2019Osseointegrated auditory devices (OADs) are hearing devices that use an external receiver/processor that stimulates bone conduction of sound via a titanium prosthesis... (Review)
Review
Osseointegrated auditory devices (OADs) are hearing devices that use an external receiver/processor that stimulates bone conduction of sound via a titanium prosthesis that is drilled into the bone of the cranium. Since their introduction in 1977, OADs have undergone substantial evolution, including changes in manufacturing of the implant, improvements in the external sound processor, and simplification of implantation techniques. Expansion of criteria for patient candidacy for implantation has occurred corresponding with changes in the implants and processors.
Topics: Auditory Threshold; Bone Conduction; Hearing Aids; Hearing Loss; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Humans; Osseointegration; Prosthesis Design; Prosthesis Fitting; Titanium
PubMed: 30617010
DOI: 10.1016/j.otc.2018.11.005 -
Artificial Life 2020This article introduces GeMS, a system for music composition informed by synthetic biology. GeMS generates music with simulations of genetic processes, such as...
This article introduces GeMS, a system for music composition informed by synthetic biology. GeMS generates music with simulations of genetic processes, such as transcription, translation, and protein folding, with which biological systems render chains of amino acids from DNA strands. The system comprises the following components: the , the , and the . The Miranda machine is an abstract Turing-machine-like processor, which manipulates a sequence of DNA symbols according to a set of programming instructions. This process generates a pool of new DNA strands, which are subsequently translated into rhythms. GeMS represents the musical equivalent of amino acids in terms of rhythms, referred to as rhythmic codons. This enables the rhythmator to convert DNA sequences into rhythmic sequences. The pitch processor generates pitches for such rhythmic sequences. It is inspired by the phenomenon of protein folding. The pitch processor considers orientation information of DNA instructions yielded by the Miranda machine in order to activate algorithms for generating pitches. A musical composition, entitled , for percussion ensemble and electronic instruments, is presented to demonstrate the system.
Topics: Computer Simulation; DNA; Genetic Phenomena; Music; Protein Biosynthesis; Protein Folding; Synthetic Biology; Transcription, Genetic
PubMed: 32772858
DOI: 10.1162/artl_a_00325 -
Acta Oto-laryngologica Mar 2021Electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS) is a special treatment modality for those patients who are profoundly deaf in the high-frequency (HF) region and retain usable...
Electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS) is a special treatment modality for those patients who are profoundly deaf in the high-frequency (HF) region and retain usable hearing in the low-frequency (LF) region. Combining the electric stimulation with cochlear implant (CI) in the HF and acoustic amplification of residual hearing using a conventional hearing aid (HA) in the LF region defines EAS. The EAS concept was first proposed by C. von Ilberg from Frankfurt, Germany in the year 1997. In association with MED-EL, all the necessary safety studies were performed in non-human subjects before the first patient received it in 1997. In association with MED-EL, all the necessary safety studies were performed in non-human subjects before the first patient received it in 1999. For the patient to successfully use the EAS concept, the residual hearing needs to be preserved to a high extent and for several years. This requires a highly flexible electrode array in safeguarding the intra-cochlear structures during and after the CI electrode array insertion. Combining the HA unit with the audio processor unit of the CI was necessary for the convenient wearing of the unified audio processor. Fitting of the unified audio processor is another important factor that contributes to the overall success of the EAS treatment. The key translational research efforts at MED-EL were on the development of flexible electrodes, a unified audio processor, innovations in the fitting process, intra-operative monitoring of cochlear health during electrode insertion, pre-operative soft-ware tool to evaluate the cochlear size and electrode selection and some new innovations tried within EAS topic. This article covers the milestones of translational research from the first concept to the widespread clinical use of EAS.
Topics: Acoustic Stimulation; Audiometry, Pure-Tone; Auditory Threshold; Cochlear Implantation; Cochlear Implants; Electric Stimulation; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Humans; Speech Discrimination Tests; Speech Perception
PubMed: 33818263
DOI: 10.1080/00016489.2021.1888477 -
Advanced Science (Weinheim,... Mar 2024Soft metamaterials have attracted extensive attention due to their remarkable properties. These materials hold the potential to program and control the morphing behavior...
Soft metamaterials have attracted extensive attention due to their remarkable properties. These materials hold the potential to program and control the morphing behavior of soft machines, however, their combination is limited by the poor reprogrammability of metamaterials and incompatible communication between them. Here, printable and recyclable soft metamaterials possessing reprogrammable embedded intelligence to regulate the morphing of soft machines are introduced. These metamaterials are constructed from interconnected and periodically arranged logic unit cells that are able to perform compound logic operations coupling multiplication and negation. The scalable computation capacity of the unit cell empowers it to simultaneously process multiple fluidic signals with different types and magnitudes, thereby allowing the execution of sophisticated and high-level control operations. By establishing the laws of physical Boolean algebra and formulating a universal design route, soft metamaterials capable of diverse logic operations can be readily created and reprogrammed. Besides, the metamaterials' potential of directly serving as fluidic processors for soft machines is validated by constructing a soft latched demultiplexer, soft controllers capable of universal and customizable morphing programming, and a reprogrammable processor without reconnection. This work provides a facile way to create reprogrammable soft fluidic control systems to meet on-demand requirements in dynamic situations.
PubMed: 38161221
DOI: 10.1002/advs.202305501 -
Journal of the American Academy of... Mar 2021Cochlear implant (CI) recipients frequently experience difficulty understanding speech over the telephone and rely on hearing assistive technology (HAT) to improve...
BACKGROUND
Cochlear implant (CI) recipients frequently experience difficulty understanding speech over the telephone and rely on hearing assistive technology (HAT) to improve performance. Bilateral inter-processor audio streaming technology using nearfield magnetic induction is an advanced technology incorporated within a hearing aid or CI processor that can deliver telephone audio signals captured at one sound processor to the sound processor at the opposite ear. To date, limited data exist examining the efficacy of this technology in CI users to improve speech understanding on the telephone.
PURPOSE
The primary objective of this study was to examine telephone speech recognition outcomes in bilateral CI recipients in a bilateral inter-processor audio streaming condition (DuoPhone) compared with a monaural condition (i.e., telephone listening with one sound processor) in quiet and in background noise. Outcomes in the monaural and bilateral conditions using either a telecoil or T-Mic2 technology were also assessed. The secondary aim was to examine how deactivating microphone input in the contralateral processor in the bilateral wireless streaming conditions, and thereby modifying the signal-to-noise ratio, affected speech recognition in noise.
RESEARCH DESIGN
A repeated-measures design was used to evaluate speech recognition performance in quiet and competing noise with the telephone signal transmitted acoustically or via the telecoil to the ipsilateral sound processor microphone in monaural and bilateral wireless streaming listening conditions.
STUDY SAMPLE
Nine bilateral CI users with Advanced Bionics HiRes 90K and/or CII devices were included in the study.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
The effects of phone input (monaural [DuoPhone Off] vs. bilateral [DuoPhone on]) and processor input (T-Mic2 vs. telecoil) on word recognition in quiet and noise were assessed using separate repeated-measures analysis of variance. Effect of the contralateral device mic deactivation on speech recognition outcomes for the T-Mic2 DuoPhone conditions was assessed using paired Student's -tests.
RESULTS
Telephone speech recognition was significantly better in the bilateral inter-processor streaming conditions relative to the monaural conditions in both quiet and noise. Speech recognition outcomes were similar in quiet and noise when using the T-Mic2 and telecoil in the monaural and bilateral conditions. For the acoustic DuoPhone conditions using the T-Mic2, speech recognition in noise was significantly better when the microphone of the contralateral processor was disabled.
CONCLUSION
Inter-processor audio streaming allows for bilateral listening on the telephone and produces better speech recognition in quiet and in noise compared with monaural listening conditions for adult CI recipients.
Topics: Adult; Cochlear Implantation; Cochlear Implants; Hearing; Humans; Speech Perception; Telephone
PubMed: 33873219
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1722982 -
PloS One 2021Gordon Moore famously observed that the number of transistors in state-of-the-art integrated circuits (units per chip) increases exponentially, doubling every 12-24...
Gordon Moore famously observed that the number of transistors in state-of-the-art integrated circuits (units per chip) increases exponentially, doubling every 12-24 months. Analysts have debated whether simple exponential growth describes the dynamics of computer processor evolution. We note that the increase encompasses two related phenomena, integration of larger numbers of transistors and transistor miniaturization. Growth in the number of transistors per unit area, or chip density, allows examination of the evolution with a single measure. Density of Intel processors between 1959 and 2013 are consistent with a biphasic sigmoidal curve with characteristic times of 9.5 years. During each stage, transistor density increased at least tenfold within approximately six years, followed by at least three years with negligible growth rates. The six waves of transistor density increase account for and give insight into the underlying processes driving advances in processor manufacturing and point to future limits that might be overcome.
Topics: Electronics; Humans; Miniaturization; Transistors, Electronic
PubMed: 34407116
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256245 -
Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America Oct 2019The work-up and management of sensorineural hearing loss in children has been an area of rapid evolution. With the availability of genetic and cytomegalovirus testing,... (Review)
Review
The work-up and management of sensorineural hearing loss in children has been an area of rapid evolution. With the availability of genetic and cytomegalovirus testing, the diagnostic process is continuously refined. Aural rehabilitation should be provided to children in a timely manner. At present, the main surgical options for the treatment of sensorineural hearing loss are bone conduction sound processors and cochlear implants. Investigations into modalities such as auditory brainstem implants are ongoing. With further technological and medical advancements, the evaluation and management of pediatric sensorineural hearing loss will undoubtedly continue to change.
Topics: Auditory Brain Stem Implants; Bone Conduction; Child; Cochlear Implants; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural; Humans
PubMed: 31303327
DOI: 10.1016/j.otc.2019.05.004 -
Biomedical Engineering Letters May 2022Conventional spike sorting and motor intention decoding algorithms are mostly implemented on an external computing device, such as a personal computer. The innovation of...
Conventional spike sorting and motor intention decoding algorithms are mostly implemented on an external computing device, such as a personal computer. The innovation of high-resolution and high-density electrodes to record the brain's activity at the single neuron level may eliminate the need for spike sorting altogether while potentially enabling in vivo neural decoding. This article explores the feasibility and efficient realization of in vivo decoding, with and without spike sorting. The efficiency of neural network-based models for reliable motor decoding is presented and the performance of candidate neural decoding schemes on sorted single-unit activity and unsorted multi-unit activity are evaluated. A programmable processor with a custom instruction set architecture, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, is designed and implemented for executing neural network operations in a standard 180-nm CMOS process. The processor's layout is estimated to occupy 49 mm of silicon area and to dissipate 12 mW of power from a 1.8 V supply, which is within the tissue-safe operation of the brain.
PubMed: 35529345
DOI: 10.1007/s13534-022-00217-z -
Nature Communications Dec 2022Tensor analytics lays the mathematical basis for the prosperous promotion of multiway signal processing. To increase computing throughput, mainstream processors...
Tensor analytics lays the mathematical basis for the prosperous promotion of multiway signal processing. To increase computing throughput, mainstream processors transform tensor convolutions into matrix multiplications to enhance the parallelism of computing. However, such order-reducing transformation produces data duplicates and consumes additional memory. Here, we propose an integrated photonic tensor flow processor (PTFP) without digitally duplicating the input data. It outputs the convolved tensor as the input tensor 'flows' through the processor. The hybrid manipulation of optical wavelengths, space dimensions, and time delay steps, enables the direct representation and processing of high-order tensors in the optical domain. In the proof-of-concept experiment, an integrated processor manipulating wavelengths and delay steps is implemented for demonstrating the key functionalities of PTFP. The multi-channel images and videos are processed at the modulation rate of 20 Gbaud. A convolutional neural network for video action recognition is demonstrated on the processor, which achieves an accuracy of 97.9%.
PubMed: 36577748
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35723-2 -
IEEE Transactions on Image Processing :... Feb 2023Most recent methods for RGB (red-green-blue)-thermal salient object detection (SOD) involve several floating-point operations and have numerous parameters, resulting in...
Most recent methods for RGB (red-green-blue)-thermal salient object detection (SOD) involve several floating-point operations and have numerous parameters, resulting in slow inference, especially on common processors, and impeding their deployment on mobile devices for practical applications. To address these problems, we propose a lightweight spatial boosting network (LSNet) for efficient RGB-thermal SOD with a lightweight MobileNetV2 backbone to replace a conventional backbone (e.g., VGG, ResNet). To improve feature extraction using a lightweight backbone, we propose a boundary boosting algorithm that optimizes the predicted saliency maps and reduces information collapse in low-dimensional features. The algorithm generates boundary maps based on predicted saliency maps without incurring additional calculations or complexity. As multimodality processing is essential for high-performance SOD, we adopt attentive feature distillation and selection and propose semantic and geometric transfer learning to enhance the backbone without increasing the complexity during testing. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed LSNet achieves state-of-the-art performance compared with 14 RGB-thermal SOD methods on three datasets while improving the numbers of floating-point operations (1.025G) and parameters (5.39M), model size (22.1 MB), and inference speed (9.95 fps for PyTorch, batch size of 1, and Intel i5-7500 processor; 93.53 fps for PyTorch, batch size of 1, and NVIDIA TITAN V graphics processor; 936.68 fps for PyTorch, batch size of 20, and graphics processor; 538.01 fps for TensorRT and batch size of 1; and 903.01 fps for TensorRT/FP16 and batch size of 1). The code and results can be found from the link of https://github.com/zyrant/LSNet.
PubMed: 37022901
DOI: 10.1109/TIP.2023.3242775