The Effects of Signal to Noise Ratio, T60 , Wide-Dynamic Range Compression Speed, and Digital Noise Reduction in a Virtual Restaurant Setting.

Objectives: Hearing aid processing in realistic listening environments is difficult to study effectively. Often the environment is unpredictable or unknown, such as in wearable aid trials with subjective report by the wearer. Some laboratory experiments create listening environments to exert tight experimental control, but those environments are often limited by physical space, a small number of sound sources, or room absorptive properties.

From skillful to empathic: evaluating shifts in medical students' perceptions of surgeons through a combined patient as teacher and arts-based reflection program.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to identify whether the incorporation of a combined Patient as teacher (PAT) and arts-based reflection (ABR) program during a surgical clerkship rotation could influence more humanistic perceptions of surgeons, using an innovative evaluation approach.

Methods: A novel, single question evaluation tool was created. Third year medical-students were asked to "list the top 5 attributes of a surgeon, in order of perceived importance" both before and after their surgical clerkship rotations and participation in the PAT/ABR program.

Effectiveness of Life Goal Framing to Motivate Medical Students During Online Learning: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction: Educators need design strategies to support medical students' motivation in online environments. Prompting students to frame a learning activity as preparing them to attain their life goals (e.g.

Motivational Design for Web-Based Instruction in Health Professions Education: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Directed Content Analysis.

Background: Web-based instruction plays an essential role in health professions education (HPE) by facilitating learners' interactions with educational content, teachers, peers, and patients when they would not be feasible in person. Within the unsupervised settings where web-based instruction is often delivered, learners must effectively self-regulate their learning to be successful. Effective self-regulation places heavy demands on learners' motivation, so effective web-based instruction must be designed to instigate and maintain learners' motivation to learn.

Toward 'seeing' critically: a Bayesian analysis of the impacts of a critical pedagogy.

Critical reflection supports enactment of the social roles of care, like collaboration and advocacy. We require evidence that links critical teaching approaches to future critically reflective practice. We thus asked: does a theory-informed approach to teaching critical reflection influence what learners talk about (i.

Using Smartphone-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment in Audiology Research: The Participants' Perspective.

Purpose The article's purpose was to examine participants' impressions and experiences with smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to inform future EMA study design. Method Adults with hearing impairment (HI, = 9) and with normal hearing (NH, = 10) participated in a study using a smartphone-based EMA system to measure their auditory lifestyles. A 14-item survey was scheduled to deliver every 45 min by an EMA app.

Preliminary Examination of the Accuracy of a Fall Detection Device Embedded into Hearing Instruments.

Background: Accidental falls are a significant health risk to older adults and patients seen in audiology clinics. Personal emergency response systems are effective in preventing long lies (defined as remaining on the floor or ground for greater than one hour after a fall), but some individuals would prefer to wear less-conspicuous devices than a traditional neck-worn pendant. No previous investigation has compared the accuracy of head-worn fall detection devices with those worn on other parts of the body.

The Effects of Varying Directional Bandwidth in Hearing Aid Users' Preference and Speech-in-Noise Performance.

Purpose: Directional microphone systems are typically used to improve hearing aid users' understanding of speech in noise. However, directional microphones also increase internal hearing aid noise. The purpose of this study was to investigate how varying directional microphone bandwidth affected listening preference and speech-in-noise performance.

Fitting Noise Management Signal Processing Applying the American Academy of Audiology Pediatric Amplification Guideline: Verification Protocols.

Background: Although guidelines for fitting hearing aids for children are well developed and have strong basis in evidence, specific protocols for fitting and verifying some technologies are not always available. One such technology is noise management in children's hearing aids. Children are frequently in high-level and/or noisy environments, and many options for noise management exist in modern hearing aids.

Accuracy and reliability of a real-ear-to-coupler difference measurement procedure implemented within a behind-the-ear hearing aid.

Background: Measurement of the real ear response of a fitted hearing aid allows matching of the frequency response to prescriptive targets, as well as comparison of the response to both threshold and loudness discomfort level (LDL). These processes are recommended procedures for hearing aid fittings. The real ear aided response (REAR) is often predicted based on the coupler response of the device, the real-ear-to-coupler difference (RECD), and the microphone location effect (MLE).

Antioxidant protection from HIV-1 gp120-induced neuroglial toxicity.

BACKGROUND: The pathogenesis of HIV-1 glycoprotein 120 (gp120) associated neuroglial toxicity remains unresolved, but oxidative injury has been widely implicated as a contributing factor. In previous studies, exposure of primary human central nervous system tissue cultures to gp120 led to a simplification of neuronal dendritic elements as well as astrocytic hypertrophy and hyperplasia; neuropathological features of HIV-1-associated dementia. Gp120 and proinflammatory cytokines upregulate inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), an important source of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrosative stress.

AZT myopathy and HIV-1 polymyositis: one disease or two?

Purpose: This paper discusses the association between inflammatory and mitochondrial pathologies in patients with HIV-1/AIDS treated with zidovudine (AZT).

Methods: We present the clinical and pathological details of a 52-year-old HIV-1 positive male who presented with progressive muscle weakness. We also review the current literature and address the debated pathogenesis of the inflammatory pathology.