On the Effect of High Stimulation Rates on Temporal Loudness Integration in Cochlear Implant Users.

Long stimuli have lower detection thresholds or are perceived louder than short stimuli with the same intensity, an effect known as temporal loudness integration (TLI). In electric hearing, TLI for pulse trains with a fixed rate but varying number of pulses, i.e. stimulus duration, has mainly been investigated at clinically used stimulation rates. To study the effect of an overall effective stimulation rate at 100% channel crosstalk, we investigated TLI with (a) a clinically used single-channel stimulation rate of 1,500 pps and (b) a high stimulation rate of 18,000 pps, both for an apical and a basal electrode. Thresholds (THR), a line of equal loudness (BAL), and maximum acceptable levels (MALs) were measured in 10 MED-EL cochlear implant users. Stimulus durations varied from a single pulse to 300 ms long pulse trains. At 18,000 pps, the dynamic range (DR) increased by 7.36±3.16 dB for the 300 ms pulse train. Amplitudes at THR, BAL, and MAL decreased monotonically with increasing stimulus duration. The decline was fitted with high accuracy with a power law function (R2=0.94±0.06). Threshold slopes were -1.05±0.36 and -1.66±0.30 dB per doubling of duration for the low and high rate, respectively, and were shallower than for acoustic hearing. The electrode location did not affect the amplitudes or slopes of the TLI curves. THR, BAL, and MAL were always lower for the higher rate and the DR was larger at the higher rate at all measured durations.

Scleral Lens Sensor for Ocular Electrolyte Analysis.

The quantitative analysis of tear analytes in point-of-care settings can enable early diagnosis of ocular diseases. Here, a fluorescent scleral lens sensor is developed to quantitatively measure physiological levels of pH, Na+ , K+ , Ca2+ , Mg2+ , and Zn2+ ions. Benzenedicarboxylic acid, a pH probe, displays a sensitivity of 0.12 pH units within pH 7.0-8.0. Crown ether derivatives exhibit selectivity to Na+ and K+ ions within detection ranges of 0-100 and 0-50 mmol L-1 , and selectivities of 15.6 and 8.1 mmol L-1 , respectively. A 1,2 bis(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,-N',N'-tetraacetic-acid-based probe allows Ca2+ ion sensing with 0.02-0.05 mmol L-1 sensitivity within 0.50-1.25 mmol L-1 detection range. 5-Oxazolecarboxylic acid senses Mg2+ ions, exhibiting a sensitivity of 0.10-0.44 mmol L-1 within the range of 0.5-0.8 mmol L-1 . The N-(2-methoxyphenyl)iminodiacetate Zn2+ ion sensor has a sensitivity of 1 µmol L-1 within the range of 10-20 µmol L-1 . The fluorescent sensors are subsequently multiplexed in the concavities of an engraved scleral lens. A handheld ophthalmic readout device comprising light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and bandpass filters is fabricated to excite as well as read the scleral sensor. A smartphone camera application and an user interface are developed to deliver quantitative measurements with data deconvolution. The ophthalmic system enables the assessment of dry eye severity stages and the differentiation of its subtypes.