The energy-water-food nexus: strategic analysis of technologies for transforming the urban metabolism.

Urban areas are considered net consumers of materials and energy, attracting these from the surrounding hinterland and other parts of the planet. The way these flows are transformed and returned to the environment by the city is important for addressing questions of sustainability and the effect of human behavior on the metabolism of the city. The present work explores these questions with the use of systems analysis, specifically in the form of a Multi-sectoral Systems Analysis (MSA), a tool for research and for supporting decision-making for policy and investment. The application of MSA is illustrated in the context of Greater London, with these three objectives: (a) estimating resource fluxes (nutrients, water and energy) entering, leaving and circulating within the city-watershed system; (b) revealing the synergies and antagonisms resulting from various combinations of water-sector innovations; and (c) estimating the economic benefits associated with implementing these technologies, from the point of view of production of fertilizer and energy, and the reduction of greenhouse gases. Results show that the selection of the best technological innovation depends on which resource is the focus for improvement. Urine separation can potentially recover 47% of the nitrogen in the food consumed in London, with revenue of $33 M per annum from fertilizer production. Collecting food waste in sewers together with growing algae in wastewater treatment plants could beneficially increase the amount of carbon release from renewable energy by 66%, with potential annual revenues of $58 M from fuel production.

Noise and age-related hearing loss: a study of 40 123 gold miners in South Africa.

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: This retrospective cohort study aimed to describe the differential effect of noise exposure and age-related hearing loss in a large sample of gold miners in South Africa. STUDY SAMPLE: Audiological data of 40 123 South African mine workers were investigated. Data of a non-noise-exposed control group (n = 6162) and group exposed to underground noise (≥ 85 dB A (TWA) (n = 33 961) were included. Within these two larger noise-exposed groups two homogenous exposure groups (HEG) were also selected for analyses, namely the driller group (n = 4399) and the administration group (administrative workers) (n = 2211). Participants were categorized in terms of noise exposure, age, and race. RESULTS: Significantly different thresholds (worse for underground noise group) with respect to the median for all frequencies after adjusting for age was evident between the noise-exposed and control groups (ANCOVA). The largest differences in hearing thresholds between the noise-exposed and control groups were observed at 3 and 4 kHz in the age group 36 to 45 years. Administration and driller group differed significantly (driller group worse results) with respect to the mean LFA512 and HFA346 after adjusting for age (ANCOVA). Black males had significantly better high-frequency hearing compared with white male counterparts but significantly worse low-frequency hearing. CONCLUSION: Age was the most important influence on hearing thresholds for the noise and control groups. Race was shown to be a very significant factor determining susceptibility to NIHL and ARHL.

Evidence of hearing loss in a 'normally-hearing' college-student population.

We report pure-tone hearing threshold findings in 56 college students. All subjects reported normal hearing during telephone interviews, yet not all subjects had normal sensitivity as defined by well-accepted criteria. At one or more test frequencies (0.25-8 kHz), 7% of ears had thresholds ≥25 dB HL and 12% had thresholds ≥20 dB HL. The proportion of ears with abnormal findings decreased when three-frequency pure-tone-averages were used. Low-frequency PTA hearing loss was detected in 2.7% of ears and high-frequency PTA hearing loss was detected in 7.1% of ears; however, there was little evidence for 'notched' audiograms. There was a statistically reliable relationship in which personal music player use was correlated with decreased hearing status in male subjects. Routine screening and education regarding hearing loss risk factors are critical as college students do not always self-identify early changes in hearing. Large-scale systematic investigations of college students' hearing status appear to be warranted; the current sample size was not adequate to precisely measure potential contributions of different sound sources to the elevated thresholds measured in some subjects.

Perceptual consequences of peripheral hearing loss: do edge effects exist for abrupt cochlear lesions?

There is a growing body of research that shows evidence of central neural reorganization in response to lesions in the auditory periphery, even if the lesions occur in maturity. This reorganization consists of an increased neural representation of frequencies corresponding to the edge frequency of the lesion. Data were collected to determine whether this over-representation might have consequences for human perception. The hypothesis was that increased central representation might increase acuity on some psychophysical tasks performed at the edge frequency. Tasks included frequency sweep detection (for tones), intensity discrimination (for 100-Hz-wide bands of noise and tones), gap detection and gap discrimination (both for 100-Hz-wide bands of noise). Results from observers with steeply sloping hearing losses were compared with results from normal-hearing observers performing these tasks with masking noise generated to simulate steeply sloping hearing loss. None of these data provide compelling evidence for the hypothesized edge effect. A 40-Hz following response to tone bursts was collected from a subset of the hearing-impaired observers in an attempt to confirm the animal physiology findings of neural over-representation of the edge frequency. No edge-frequency effect was noted in the results, though there was a non-significant tendency for one of the hearing-impaired observers to show shorter latency of response.

Temporal analysis and stimulus fluctuation in listeners with normal and impaired hearing.

The first experiment investigated the effects of mild to moderate sensorineural hearing impairment on temporal analysis for noise stimuli of varying bandwidth. Tasks of temporal gap detection, amplitude modulation (AM) detection, and AM discrimination were examined. Relatively high levels of stimulation were used in order to reduce the possibility that the results of the listeners with hearing impairment would be influenced strongly by audibility. A general summary of results was that there was relatively great interlistener variation among the listeners with hearing impairment, with most listeners showing normal performance and some showing degraded performance, regardless of the bandwidth of the stimulus carrying the temporal information. A second experiment investigated the hypothesis that listeners with sensorineural hearing impairment might have poor gap detection due to loudness recruitment. Here, gap markers were presented at levels where loudness growth was steeper for the listeners with hearing impairment than for the listeners with normal hearing. Although gap detection was sometimes poorer in listeners with hearing impairment than in listeners with normal hearing, there was no clear relation between gap detection performance and loudness recruitment in listeners with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing impairment.

Evidence against the influence of aging on distortion-product otoacoustic emissions.

Previous research has reported reduced otoacoustic emission amplitude as a function of age. In each study, however, interpretation of findings was confounded by age-related hearing loss. The present study was designed to re-evaluate the contribution of age and peripheral hearing loss on the prevalence and amplitude of distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) by controlling for degree of peripheral hearing loss. Twenty subjects were divided into four age ranges. All subjects in each group had 15 dB HL or better thresholds from 0.25 through 8 kHz and normal immittance findings. DPOAE audiograms recorded at three intensity levels and input/output functions recorded at six discrete frequencies showed no significant differences in amplitude or noise level between age groups. Findings indicate that when the degree of peripheral hearing loss is adequately controlled, there is no direct effect of advanced age on DPOAE measures. Clinical implications are discussed.

Evaluation of clinicopathological parameters in cattle grazing timber milkvetch.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether hematological and serum biochemical parameters could be used to diagnose poisoning in cattle grazing timber milkvetch (Astragalus miser var. serotinus), a nitropropanol-containing legume. Blood samples were obtained from 20 Hereford cattle on timber milkvetch range in southern British Columbia during 1992 and 1993. Relevant changes in blood parameters were not detected and the parameters could not be used to predict nitropropanol ingestion or intoxication. The same parameters were measured in dosing trials with cattle with rumen fistulas, but relevant changes were not detected. Succinate dehydrogenase is the key target in nitropropanol intoxication and an assay for this enzyme may provide a probe for diagnosis.

Pasture management strategies for reducing the risk of legume bloat in cattle.

Results from two decades (1973-1993) of bloat research at Kamloops are reviewed. The trials were conducted with groups of ruminally fistulated cattle either grazing or fed daily fresh-cut alfalfa (Medicago sativa) herbage. Studies were conducted during the growing season (May to September) and in the fall (October and November). The alfalfa was usually in the vegetative to early bloom stages of growth. Visual assessments of bloat severity on a scale of 1 to 5 were made .5 to 2 h after feeding started, at which time ruminal cannulas were opened to relieve ruminal pressure. Every cultivar of alfalfa tested caused bloat, but sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia), birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), and cicer milkvetch (Astragalus cicer) did not. This confirms the bloat-safe features of these alternate legume forages. Bloat was positively associated with the level of Fraction 1 protein and total soluble protein in alfalfa, supporting the concept of a decreased probability of bloat with advancing stages of plant maturity. There was no association between alfalfa saponins and bloat. Prefeeding ruminal chlorophyll levels were higher and ruminal clearance rates were lower in cattle that were susceptible to bloat. Cattle that bloated on a given day consumed 18 to 25% less alfalfa immediately before bloat than non-bloaters did in the same time period. Ruminal cations were associated with bloat incidence but cation manipulation through supplementation did not prevent bloat. Of all the feed additives tested, only poloxalene (Bloat Guard) completely prevented bloat.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Evaluation of two supplements for the prevention of alfalfa bloat.

Poloxalene and a mineral mixture feed supplement patented for the treatment of emphysema, polyarthritis, and other pectin related diseases were tested in two trials for their ability to prevent bloat in cattle fed fresh alfalfa. Each trial had a crossover design using three Jersey steers with rumen fistulas per group. Each trial period continued until the total number of cases of bloat reached > or = 24. Treatments were given at 0800 each day. The mineral mixture was given at 100 g/d and 190 mg/kg body weight per day in the first and second trials, respectively. Poloxalene, which was tested only in the second trial, was given at 23 mg/kg body weight per day. Each group of steers was then fed 200 kg of freshly harvested alfalfa in the vegetative to early bloom stages of growth at 0830. In the first trial, only 69% as many cases of bloat occurred on the mineral mixture as on the control treatment, but no significant difference was detected in the second trial. The potency of the alfalfa may have been higher in the second trial, when forage dry matter was lower, magnesium and soluble nitrogen were higher, and bloat occasionally occurred twice a day. Bloat did not occur when the steers were treated with poloxalene. In these trials, poloxalene was completely effective in preventing bloat, but the mineral mixture was only partially so.

Modulation Detection Interference (MDI) in listeners with cochlear hearing loss.

This study compared Modulation Detection Interference (MDI) in listeners with cochlear hearing loss and in listeners with normal hearing. The study was motivated by questions of temporal resolution in the listeners with cochlear hearing loss as well as by their general difficulty in monitoring target sounds in the presence of competing background noise. The first experiment was similar to the MDI paradigm of Yost and Sheft (1989) and showed an equivalence in performance between the two groups of listeners: MDI brought about by an interfering tone comodulated with the target tone at 10 Hz was about 11 dB in both groups. There was also no difference in MDI magnitude when the modulation rate of the interferer changed to 25 Hz, indicating a lack of tuning to differential modulation rate in the gated paradigm employed here. The second experiment was analogous in concept to the measurement of a psychophysical tuning curve; the depth of modulation of the interfering carrier was adjusted to just interfere with the detection of a suprathreshold degree of modulation on the target carrier. The listeners with cochlear hearing loss performed quite similarly to the normal group, and the general lack of a frequency effect for the carrier tones suggested that MDI was relatively insensitive to presumed differences in auditory filter bandwidth between listeners. Because the basis of MDI has been hypothesized to be the fusion of the interfering tone with the target tone, the results of this study suggest that the auditory grouping factors presumed to underlie MDI are intact in listeners with hearing loss of cochlear origin.

The effect of conductive hearing loss on the masking-level difference: insert versus standard earphones.

Previous studies have indicated that the masking-level difference is reduced in listeners having conductive hearing loss, even when sensation level is controlled. According to the crosstalk hypothesis, this deficit can be explained in terms of reduced binaural cues at the level of the cochleas, due to acoustic contributions from the bone conduction route. It is possible that such a deficit can be overcome through the use of insert earphones, because such transducers provide a high degree of interaural attenuation. In this study, NoSo and NoS tau thresholds were measured in normal-hearing subjects and in subjects having hearing loss due to otosclerosis, using both standard TDH earphones encased in NAF-48490-1 circumaural cushions and deeply seated Etymotic 3A insert earphones. Masking noise was presented both at a fixed sound-pressure level and at a fixed sensation level. The results did not indicate consistently larger MLDs with insert earphones for either group of subjects, for either type of presentation level. The MLDs of the hearing-impaired subjects often remained abnormally small even when the insert transducers were used and the noise was presented at a fixed SL. Whereas acoustic crosstalk appeared to have a role in the results obtained, other factors (perhaps related to long-term hearing threshold asymmetry and/or interaural phase mismatch) also were apparently involved.

Monaural envelope correlation perception in listeners with normal hearing and cochlear impairment.

Monaural envelope correlation perception was investigated in listeners with normal hearing and in listeners with cochlear hearing loss. Using a three-interval forced-choice procedure, the task of the subject was to identify the one interval out of three where the noise bands had correlated envelopes. Performance was determined as a function of the spectral separation between noise bands (delta f of 250, 500, or 1000 Hz) and the number of noise bands present (two, three, or five). Although individual differences existed, the results generally indicated better performance for the listeners with normal hearing when the delta f between bands was relatively small; however, there was no significant effect of hearing loss when the frequency separation between bands was greater than 250 Hz. The listeners with normal hearing generally showed decreased performance with increasing delta f, whereas the performance of many of the listeners with hearing impairment usually did not change appreciably with variation in delta f. Both groups of listeners showed improved performance with increasing number of noise bands present for the 500-Hz delta f. Only the listeners with hearing impairment showed significantly improved performance with increasing band number for the 250-Hz delta f; neither group showed improved performance with increasing band number for the 1000-Hz delta f. With five bands present, the performance of the listeners with hearing impairment did not differ significantly from that of the listeners with normal hearing, even for the 250-Hz delta f.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Short-term and long-term effects on the masking level difference following middle ear surgery.

The masking-level difference (MLD) was measured in a group of adult listeners having unilateral otosclerosis before stapedectomy surgery, 1 month following surgery, and 1 year following surgery. The results indicated that the MLD in this group improved significantly over each of the sequential tests. In contrast, for a group of normal-hearing listeners, the MLD did not change significantly over sequential testing. The results support an interpretation that a period of exposure to abnormal binaural auditory input (as occurs in a unilateral conductive loss) can blunt sensitivity to binaural cues after normal binaural input has been restored in most adult listeners, however, there appears to be a relatively long-term readjustment or adaptation, such that the sensitivity to binaural cues recovers to a normal or near-normal level at the 1-year postsurgery retest. Two of eight listeners did not show recovery to a normal MLD value over this time period. The efficiency and rate of readjustment may differ among individuals.

Comodulation masking release: is comodulation sufficient?

Common amplitude modulation across frequency facilitates comodulation masking release (CMR) and may also contribute to auditory grouping. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine whether there is an association between these two phenomena; that is, does the occurrence of CMR require that the comodulated noise bands making up the composite masker be grouped together? Three experiments were undertaken, each manipulating one variable designed to hinder the fusion of the comodulated noise bands. In experiment 1, the variable of onset/offset asynchrony was observed to have a marked effect: CMR could be completely abolished if the asynchrony between the on-signal band and the flanking bands was sufficiently great (> or = 50 ms). In experiment 2, an auditory streaming paradigm was employed and this was observed to disrupt CMR significantly. However, a substantial CMR remained. Experiment 3 attempted to hinder the fusion of the comodulated noise bands by drawing the various noise bands into separate harmonic series. However, the small effect observed did not appear to be due to a parsing of the fused image. Results from experiments 1 and 2 suggest that the CMR mechanism does not act in isolation from the processes that give rise to auditory object formation. In particular, the cue of onset/offset synchrony appears to be of paramount importance.

Audiologic and otolaryngologic findings in progeria: case report.

Progeria is a rare syndrome, with an estimated incidence of 1 per 250,000 births. Although children with progeria have the appearance of premature aging or senility, the term is misleading because reported cases of progeria have not manifested most physical or biochemical aspects of old age. Many children with progeria appear normal at birth and then progressively, and rather rapidly, develop the characteristic features during early childhood. Although first described in the 1880s, only approximately 100 cases of progeria are reported in the international literature. The single case study of hearing in progeria, which appeared in 1965, is limited to pure-tone and speech audiometry findings. We report the results of otolaryngologic examination and pure-tone, speech, immittance, and auditory brainstem response (ABR) audiometry for a 5-year-old female with progeria. The patient had a mild-to-moderate, bilateral, conductive hearing loss. Immittance measurements were consistent with fixation of the ossicular chain and this was confirmed surgically. Mildly prolonged ABR wave I-V latencies suggest possible auditory central nervous system involvement.

Comparison of Etymotic insert and TDH supra-aural earphones in auditory brainstem response measurement.

There are few systematic comparisons of Etymotic ER-3A insert earphones versus supra-aural earphones in auditory brainstem response (ABR) measurement. We compared ER-3A insert earphones and two types of supra-aural earphones (TDH-39P and TDH-49P) in a group of normal hearing adults. Acoustic analyses revealed spectral and temporal differences among earphones. Behavioral and ABR thresholds to click stimuli were slightly elevated with the ER-3A compared to the TDH earphones. The ER-3A earphones produced a latency delay, relative to the TDH earphones, that varied from about 0.8 to 1.0 msec, and increased at lower stimulus intensity levels. In addition, ABR wave I amplitude was significantly reduced with the ER-3A earphone. Based on these data, we recommend collection of normative data with the ER-3A earphones prior to their use in ABR measurement.

Masking release for gap detection.

In random noise, masking is influenced almost entirely by noise components in a narrow band around the signal frequency. However, when the noise is not random, but has a modulation pattern which is coherent across frequency, noise components relatively remote from the signal frequency can actually produce a release from masking. This masking release has been called comodulation masking release (CMR). The present research investigated whether a similar release from masking occurs in the analysis of a suprathreshold signal. Specifically, the ability to detect the presence of a temporal gap was investigated in conditions which do and do not result in CMR for detection threshold. Similar conditions were investigated for the masking level difference (a binaural masking release phenomenon). The results indicated that suprathreshold masking release for gap detection occurred for both the masking-level difference (MLD) and for CMR. However, masking release for gap detection was generally smaller than that obtained for detection threshold. The largest gap detection masking release effects obtained corresponded to relatively low levels of stimulation, where gap detection was relatively poor.

Frequency resolution for diotic and dichotic listening conditions compared using the bandlimiting measure and a modified bandlimiting measure.

Two experiments were performed that examined the relation between frequency selectivity for diotic and dichotic stimuli. Subjects were eight normal-hearing listeners. In each experiment, a 500-Hz pure tone of 400-ms duration was presented in continuous noise. In the diotic listening conditions, a signal and noise were presented binaurally with no interaural differences (So and No, respectively). In the dichotic listening conditions, the signal or noise at one ear was 180 degrees out-of-phase relative to the respective stimulus at the other ear (S pi and N pi, respectively). The first experiment examined frequency selectivity using the bandlimiting measure. Here, signal thresholds were determined as a function of masker bandwidth (50, 100, 250, 500, and 1000 Hz) for SoNo, S pi No, and SoN pi listening conditions. The second experiment used a modified bandlimiting measure. Here, signal thresholds (So and S pi) were determined with a relatively narrow No band of masker energy (50 Hz wide) centered about the signal. Then, a second No narrow-band masker (30 Hz wide) was added at another frequency region, and signal thresholds were reestablished. The results of the two experiments indicated that listeners process a wider band of frequencies when resolving dichotic stimuli than when resolving diotic or monotic stimuli. The results also indicated that the bandlimiting measure may underestimate the spectral band processed upon dichotic stimulation. Results are interpreted in terms of an across-ear and across-frequency processing of waveform amplitude envelope.

The masking-level difference in children.

The masking-level difference (MLD) was investigated in children aged 3.9 to 9.5 years and in an adult control group in order to examine the development of the MLD with age. A three-alternative forced-choice adaptive tracking procedure was used for all listeners. MLDs were determined for a 500-Hz pure-tone signal presented in a 300-Hz-wide masking noise centered on 500 Hz, where both interaural time and amplitude cues were present, and in 40-Hz-wide maskers centered on 500 Hz, where either amplitude (MLD delta a) or time (MLD delta t) cues were present. The masking noise level was fixed at 60 dB/Hz SPL. For the 300-Hz-wide masker, the MLDs of the children increased in magnitude up until the age of 5 or 6 years. For the 40-Hz-wide maskers, the MLDs of the 5- and 6-year-old children were still somewhat below adult values. It is possible that these differences between adults and children are related to the development of the peripheral/brainstem auditory system. By this interpretation, the MLD might be small in young listeners because the interaural time and amplitude cues underlying the MLD are coded with relatively poor precision. However, it is perhaps more likely that these differences are coded precisely in the peripheral auditory system, but that more central auditory processes are relatively inefficient in extracting the interaural information.

Spectrotemporal analysis and cochlear hearing impairment: effects of frequency selectivity, temporal resolution, signal frequency, and rate of modulation.

The detection of 500- or 2000-Hz pure-tone signals in unmodulated and modulated noise was investigated in normal-hearing and sensorineural hearing-impaired listeners, as a function of noise bandwidth. Square-wave modulation rates of 15 and 40 Hz were used in the modulated noise conditions. A notched noise measure of frequency selectivity and a gap detection measure of temporal resolution were also obtained on each subject. The modulated noise results indicated a masking release that increased as a function of increasing noise bandwidth, and as a function of decreasing modulation rate for both groups of listeners. However, the improvement of threshold with increasing modulated noise bandwidth was often greatly reduced among the sensorineural hearing-impaired listeners. It was hypothesized that the masking release in modulated noise may be due to several types of processes including across-critical band analysis (CMR), within-critical band analysis, and suppression. Within-band effects appeared to be especially large at the higher frequency region and lower modulation rate. In agreement with previous research, there was a significant correlation between frequency selectivity and masking release in modulated noise. At the 500-Hz region, masking release was correlated more highly with the filter skirt and tail measures than with the filter passband measure. At the 2000-Hz region, masking release was correlated more with the filter passband and skirt measures than with the filter tail measure. The correlation between gap detection and masking release was significant at the 40-Hz modulation rate, but not at the 15-Hz modulation rate. The results of this study suggest that masking release in modulated noise is limited by frequency selectivity at low modulation rates, and by both frequency selectivity and temporal resolution at high modulation rates. However, even when the present measures of frequency selectivity and temporal resolution are both taken into account, significant variance in masking release still remains unaccounted for.