The dichotic presentation of two sinusoids with a slight difference in frequency elicits subjective fluctuations called binaural beat (BB). BBs provide a classic example of binaural interaction considered to result from neural interaction in the central auditory pathway that receives input from both ears. To explore the cortical representation of the fluctuation of BB, we recorded magnetic fields evoked by slow BB of 4.00 or 6.66 Hz in nine normal subjects. The fields showed small amplitudes; however, they were strong enough to be distinguished from the noise accompanying the recordings. Spectral analyses of the magnetic fields recorded on single channels revealed that the responses evoked by BBs contained a specific spectral component of BB frequency, and the magnetic fields were confirmed to represent an auditory steady-state response (ASSR) to BB. The analyses of spatial distribution of BB-synchronized responses and minimum-norm current estimates revealed multiple BB ASSR sources in the parietal and frontal cortices in addition to the temporal areas, including auditory cortices. The phase of synchronized waveforms showed great variability, suggesting that BB ASSR does not represent changing interaural phase differences (IPD) per se, but instead it reflects a higher-order cognitive process corresponding to subjective fluctuations of BB. Our findings confirm that the activity of the human cerebral cortex can be synchronized with slow BB by using information on the IPD.

Characteristics of flow fields produced by a dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator in quiescent air are numerically investigated. A time-dependent localized body-force distribution is utilized to mimic the effect of the plasma actuator with modulated bursts. The computed time-averaged and instantaneous flow fields are compared with the experimental results by using high-speed schlieren photography and particle image velocimetry. The computed flow fields are in good agreement with the experimental results when the nondimensional parameter (D c) is within the appropriate range. With an appropriate choice of D c , the location and size of the induced flow structures, computed with respect to the maximum flow velocity parallel to the wall, are quantitatively in agreement with the experimental results. Also considered are the effects of the burst frequency (non-dimensionalized by the chord length and the free-stream velocity of assumed separated flow control experiment) on the induced flow. The results show that changes in the burst frequency cause insignificant changes in the magnitude of the time-averaged flow parallel to the wall, but they cause significant fluctuations in the amplitude and power spectral densities of that flow.

Objectives:To evaluate the effect of a self-controlled vocal exercise in elderly people with glottal closure insufficiency.Design:Parallel-arm, individual randomized controlled trial.Methods:Patients who visited one of 10 medical centers under the National Hospital Organization group in Japan for the first time, aged 60 years or older, complaining of aspiration or hoarseness, and endoscopically confirmed to have glottal closure insufficiency owing to vocal cord atrophy, were enrolled in this study. They were randomly assigned to an intervention or a control group. The patients of the intervention group were given guidance and a DVD about a self-controlled vocal exercise. The maximum phonation time which is a measure of glottal closure was evaluated, and the number of patients who developed pneumonia during the six months was compared between the two groups.Results:Of the 543 patients enrolled in this trial, 259 were allocated into the intervention group and 284 into the control; 60 of the intervention group and 75 of the control were not able to continue the trial. A total of 199 patients (age 73.9 ±7.25 years) in the intervention group and 209 (73.3 ±6.68 years) in the control completed the six-month trial. Intervention of the self-controlled vocal exercise extended the maximum phonation time significantly (p < 0.001). There were two hospitalizations for pneumonia in the intervention group and 18 in the control group, representing a significant difference (p < 0.001).Conclusion:The self-controlled vocal exercise allowed patients to achieve vocal cord adduction and improve glottal closure insufficiency, which reduced the rate of hospitalization for pneumonia significantly.Clinical Trial.gov Identifier-UMIN000015567

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1b Laryngoscope, 2593-2599, 2018.