Fast Inhibition Slows and Desynchronizes Mouse Auditory Efferent Neuron Activity.

The encoding of acoustic stimuli requires precise neuron timing. Auditory neurons in the cochlear nucleus (CN) and brainstem are well suited for accurate analysis of fast acoustic signals, given their physiological specializations of fast membrane time constants, fast axonal conduction, and reliable synaptic transmission. The medial olivocochlear (MOC) neurons that provide efferent inhibition of the cochlea reside in the ventral brainstem and participate in these fast neural circuits.

Using a linear dynamic system to measure functional connectivity from M/EEG.

Measures of functional connectivity (FC) can elucidate which cortical regions work together in order to complete a variety of behavioral tasks. This study's primary objective was to expand a previously published model of measuring FC to include multiple subjects and several regions of interest. While FC has been more extensively investigated in vision and other sensorimotor tasks, it is not as well understood in audition.

Fast inhibition slows and desynchronizes mouse auditory efferent neuron activity.

The encoding of acoustic stimuli requires precise neuron timing. Auditory neurons in the cochlear nucleus (CN) and brainstem are well-suited for accurate analysis of fast acoustic signals, given their physiological specializations of fast membrane time constants, fast axonal conduction, and reliable synaptic transmission. The medial olivocochlear (MOC) neurons that provide efferent inhibition of the cochlea reside in the ventral brainstem and participate in these fast neural circuits.

Negative impacts from latency masked by noise in simulated beamforming.

Those experiencing hearing loss face severe challenges in perceiving speech in noisy situations such as a busy restaurant or cafe. There are many factors contributing to this deficit including decreased audibility, reduced frequency resolution, and decline in temporal synchrony across the auditory system. Some hearing assistive devices implement beamforming in which multiple microphones are used in combination to attenuate surrounding noise while the target speaker is left unattenuated.

CO(2), CO, and Hg emissions from the Truman Shepherd and Ruth Mullins coal fires, eastern Kentucky, USA.

Carbon dioxide (CO(2)), carbon monoxide (CO), and mercury (Hg) emissions were quantified for two eastern Kentucky coal-seam fires, the Truman Shepherd fire in Floyd County and the Ruth Mullins fire in Perry County. This study is one of the first to estimate gas emissions from coal fires using field measurements at gas vents. The Truman Shepherd fire emissions are nearly 1400t CO(2)/yr and 16kg Hg/yr resulting from a coal combustion rate of 450-550t/yr.