The role of suppression in the upward spread of masking.

The upward spread of masking refers to the higher growth rate of masking for maskers lower in frequency than the signal, compared to maskers at the signal frequency (Wegel RL, Lane CE. The auditory masking of one pure tone by another and its possible relation to the dynamics of the inner ear. Physics Rev. 23:266–285, 1924; Egan JP, Hake HW. On the masking pattern of a simple auditory stimulus. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 22:622–630, 1950; Delgutte B. Physiological mechanisms of psychophysical masking: Observations from auditory-nerve fibres. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 87:791–809, 1990a, Delgutte B. Two-tone rate suppression in auditory-nerve fibres: Dependence on suppressor frequency and level. Hear Res. 49:225–246, 1990b). The upward spread of simultaneous masking may arise from a combination of excitatory and suppressive effects. In this study, growth of masking functions were obtained for a 4-kHz signal masked by an on-frequency (4 kHz) or off-frequency (2.4 kHz), simultaneous or forward masker, in the presence of a notched noise with a center frequency of 4 kHz presented to restrict off-frequency listening. Compression was estimated from the slopes of the off-frequency growth of masking functions. Suppression was estimated by comparing the off-frequency simultaneous- and forward-masked growth of masking functions. Results showed that, for mid-level signals (35–60 dB SPL), the compression exponent estimated from simultaneous and forward masking averaged 0.31 and 0.26, respectively. The maximum amount of suppression (defined as the decrease in the basilar-membrane response to the signal) was variable, ranging from about 6 to 17 dB across subjects. Despite the substantial reduction in the response to the signal, the results suggest that suppression has a minimal effect on the slope of the masking function at mid levels. Rather, upward spread of masking seems to be mainly determined by the compressive basilar-membrane response to the signal in relation to the linear response to the lower-frequency masker

Distribution and enrichment of trace metals in benthic, estuarine sediments: Southport Broadwater, Australia

The distribution and enrichment of selected trace metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sn, Zn) in benthic sediments of the Southport Broadwater, a semi-enclosed coastal body of water adjacent to the Gold Coast city, south-eastern Queensland, Australia, was studied with the objective of assessing the extent and degree of sediment contamination. Sediment samples from the 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm depth intervals of 32 sites within the Southport Broadwater and surrounding residential canals were analysed for particle size distribution, pH, organic C and ‘near-total’ major (Al, Ca, Fe, Mn) and trace (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sn, Zn) metal contents. Sediment contamination for each trace metal was assessed by (1) comparison with Australian sediment quality guidelines, (2) calculation of the index of geoaccumulation based on regional background values, and (3) geochemical normalisation against Al (i.e. the abundance of alumino-silicate clay minerals). Based on this approach, the results indicate that submerged sediments in the study area are not presently enriched with Cd, Cr or Ni, with the spatial distribution of these metals being very well explained by the abundance of alumino-silicate clay minerals. However, several sites were strongly enriched with Cu, Pb, Sn and Zn, arising from sources related to either urban runoff or vessel maintenance activities. The study indicates that several varying approaches are needed for a satisfactory assessment of contaminant enrichment in estuarine sediments