Information theoretic evaluation of a noiseband-based cochlear implant simulator.

Noise-band vocoders are often used to simulate the signal processing algorithms used in cochlear implants (CIs), producing acoustic stimuli that may be presented to normal hearing (NH) subjects. Such evaluations may obviate the heterogeneity of CI user populations, achieving greater experimental control than when testing on CI subjects. However, it remains an open question whether advancements in algorithms developed on NH subjects using a simulator will necessarily improve performance in CI users.

Development of subject-specific geometric spine model through use of automated active contour segmentation and kinematic constraint-limited registration.

This paper describes the development of a patient-specific spine model through use of active contour segmentation and registration of intraoperative imaging of porcine vertebra augmented with kinematic constraints. The geometric active contours are fully automated and lead to a discrete representation of the image segmentation results. After determining errors within the segmentations, application of reliability theory allows the selection of active contour parameters to obtain best-fit segmentations from a stack of 2D images.