Bats and signal complexity: sound and odor.

Given that bats live in the dark, communicating through sound and odor signals is particularly important. Also, a number of bat species have a polygynous, harem-based mating system. This makes territoriality critical to mating success and therefore makes territorial aggression common. I will cover a number of aspects of odor-based and sound-based communication used during aggressive interactions by the Himalayan leaf-nosed bat, including information encoded in both types of signals and selective factors that impact the evolution of signal complexity.

Publishing for Impact:  Strategies, Tools, and Support for open, measurable scholarship.

In today’s evolving scholarly landscape, publishing strategically is essential for amplifying the visibility, accessibility, and influence of research. This workshop, presented by specialists from Purdue Libraries, explores key elements of impactful publishing—open access, research data management, and scholarly metrics—through the lens of both research and clinical scholarship. Participants will gain practical insights into: Open Access Publishing: Learn how open access models can increase the reach of your work, and discover Purdue-supported publishing agreements that reduce barriers to sharing your research. Research Data Management: Understand best practices for managing data across the research lifecycle, including tools and services available to support data integrity, sharing, and compliance. Measuring Scholarly Impact: Explore tools and strategies for tracking and enhancing the impact of your work, including citation metrics, altmetrics, and persistent identifiers like ORCiD. Whether you're publishing empirical studies, clinical research, or interdisciplinary work, this session will equip you with the knowledge and resources to publish with purpose and maximize the impact of your scholarship.

Sound-Induced Plasticity of the Lateral Olivocochlear Efferent System

Every living being has a unique history of sound experience. While intense noise can damage the inner ear, moderate sounds can also shape auditory function. Understanding when sound exposure is beneficial vs. harmful is key to promoting healthy hearing. Additionally, hearing in noisy environments presents a significant challenge, even for individuals with normal hearing. The lateral olivocochlear (LOC) efferent system is thought to modulate auditory nerve activity to support hearing-in-noise, yet its precise role remains elusive. Sound exposure alters neurotransmitter expression in LOC neurons, suggesting a form of plasticity that could influence auditory function. However, most studies have been confounded by noise-induced hearing loss, making it difficult to isolate LOC effects on hearing. In this talk, I will review what is known about the LOC system and its role in hearing. Then, I will present experiments probing the dynamics of sound-induced changes to the LOC system in mice, using cochlea and brainstem histology and noninvasive electrophysiological measures of hearing. I will conclude by outlining next steps to clarify how sound experience and LOC function interact to shape hearing-in-noise, particularly in the context of hearing loss.

“BIOMAP-ping Auditory Pain."

Loud noise can cause auditory pain, and in a condition called pain hyperacusis, even everyday sounds (i.e. conversation) can become painful. To better understand the mechanisms underlying auditory pain and identify potential alterations in this system during pain hyperacusis, we created two new assays. First, we developed the Behavioral Inventory of Mouse Affective Pain (BIOMAP) method, which assesses affective pain using measures of facial grimace and body position. We validated this approach using a well-established pain model with auditory pain features, CGRP-induced migraine. Notably, BIOMAP enabled us to differentiate two distinct levels of pain within this model, marking a significant advancement in the measurement of affective pain. Next, we designed an assay to examine the effects of sound exposure on affective pain behavior. Mice were exposed to white noise for two minutes, followed by two minutes of silence, with sound levels ranging from 70 dB SPL to 120 dB SPL. At sound levels of 100 dB SPL and above, mice exhibited pain behavior comparable to those observed during CGRP-induced migraine. To investigate the role of cochlear mechanotransduction in auditory pain, we tested mice lacking cochlear mechanotransduction. These mice did not display pain-related behaviors, even when exposed to sound levels as high as 120 dB SPL. Our findings indicate that, in normal hearing mice, cochlear perception of sound is essential for the generation of auditory pain. This work provides important insights into the mechanisms of auditory pain and lays the groundwork for future studies of pain hyperacusis.

“Improving Speech Understanding with Artificial Intelligence: Technology Trends and Clinical Outcomes"

Summary: In this session, we will discuss applications of artificial intelligence for the purpose of improving speech understanding. These technical implementations may range from real-time denoising to generative speech enhancement and beyond. A series of clinical trials will be reviewed, showing how these technologies may significantly improve clinical outcomes. Bio: Dr. Galster is Vice President of Clinical Research at Sonova. He works with a global network of teams on regulatory clinical affairs and clinical research of technology for the treatment of hearing loss. He is a recognized author, lecturer, and adjunct professor in audiology whose research interests include methods for characterizing individual variability and the assessment of hearing outcomes during daily life.

APARC Practice Poster and Talk for Coalition on Global Hearing Health Conference.

Isabella Huddleston's Poster:

Title: Evaluating Tympan as an Affordable and Accessible Substitute for Traditional Portable Audiometric Equipment

The World Health Organization estimates that over 430 million people worldwide live with disabling hearing loss, with approximately 80% residing in low- and middle-income countries (World Health Organization, 2021). A major barrier to treatment in these regions is the limited availability of diagnostic services and the shortage of trained hearing care professionals. 93% of low-income countries report having fewer than one audiologist per one million people (Kamenov et al., 2021). The increasing demand for affordable and accessible hearing healthcare necessitates portable audiometric devices. While commercial options exist, their often-prohibitive cost limits widespread use, especially in resource-constrained settings. This research investigates the field usability of the Tympan, a cost-effective open-source research toolkit developed by Creare, LLC, in comparison to currently FDA-approved portable devices. The total cost of the Tympan system—including the Tympan ($300), a tablet ($1,000), and headphones ($200)—is approximately $1,500, significantly lower than competing devices, which typically range from $4,000 to $6,000. Our primary objective is to identify differences in precision, practical utility, operational efficiency, and user experience between the Tympan and established portable audiometers under real-world conditions. We assess factors like device setup time, user interface intuitiveness, portability, power requirements, and data management. The Tympan will be utilized in parallel with other portable audiometric instruments to perform equivalent assessments a part of program designed to increase hearing health care accessibility in rural Indiana communities, as well during a study investigating the auditory consequences of noise exposure during a Division-1 college basketball games, allowing us to assess the validity and usability of the Tympan in multiple environments. Preliminary findings highlight the Tympans' potential as a viable and user-friendly alternative for audiological applications, including community-based hearing assessments, mobile clinics, and remote healthcare. This study aims to inform future portable audiometry designs and to guide clinicians, researchers, and public health practitioners seeking efficient, affordable, and accurate tools for hearing assessment outside traditional clinical settings, especially in low-resource communities.

 

Mike Heinz and Alex Hustedt-Mai’s Talk:

Title: Accessible Precision Audiology Research Center (APARC): Community-Engaged Hearing Research in Indiana and Beyond

Background: 430 million people across the globe have untreated hearing loss, 80% live in low/middle-income countries. Access to hearing healthcare is a major barrier with only one audiologist per 24,500 people in the U.S., and less than one per million people in most low-income countries. Even when care is available, treatment effectiveness is limited by poor diagnostic specificity for sensorineural hearing loss. The Accessible Precision Audiology Research Center (APARC) addresses these concerns by leveraging collaborations between audiology, auditory neuroscience, and AI data analytics to collect large-N data from diverse populations and developing an outreach model to provide audiological care to under-resourced communities.

Methods: Originally located on campus, APARC expanded to Indianapolis to improve accessibility and participant diversity. APARC fosters community engagement and provides free comprehensive hearing evaluations. APARC has made lab testing completely mobile to reach rural communities who lack access. In partnership with Creare, APARC is validating the Open Hearing platform, an affordable, open-source hearing research toolkit designed to increase transparency and access to technology.

Results: APARC opened next to a food court to facilitate community engagement and reach diverse populations. APARC has participated in many community events including the Indy Winter’s Farmers Market, which works with low-income community members. In 8 months open we have conducted comprehensive hearing evaluations for over 200 participants (racial demographics mirror the US), with each receiving results and recommendations from an audiologist. Additionally, APARC has received pilot funding to work with rural health clinics to teach providers how to screen for and counsel on hearing loss while bringing our comprehensive testing to the community with our mobile equipment, including the Open Hearing platform.

Conclusions: APARC demonstrates the benefits and feasibility of community-engaged research. With a model that can be expanded to increase access to quality audiological care in underserved communities

Unlocking the Potential for Engineered Acoustic Structures: From Enhanced Consumer Audio to Noise Mitigation

Controlling acoustic waves is critical in many fields, including verbal communication, medical imaging, structural health monitoring, ocean exploration, and national security. Engineered acoustic structures, also known as acoustic metamaterials, are artificially designed structures that can control the behavior of sound waves by manipulating the effective material properties of the structure. In recent years, these structures have been proposed as a promising approach to wave control, but their power efficiency and frequency range have often been limiting factors for consumer audio applications. In this talk, I will present a series of my works on how to achieve 100% power efficiency in arbitrary wavefront control using engineered acoustic structures. When combined with optimization, I will show our recent success in efficiently controlling the acoustic radiation within an ultra-broad bandwidth from 1kHz to 10kHz. I will also show our recent work on noise control and efficient energy harvesting.