Developing a Behavioral Assay for Tinnitus Characterization

Tinnitus– affecting ~50 million Americans– is hard to characterize because of its diverse manifestations, which hinder treatment efficacy. Our goal was to further develop a pre-clinical tinnitus characterization assay using reverse correlation, where patients render subjective perceptions from random stimuli. We evaluated stimulus generation methods: an area identified for refinement. The most accurate characterizations came from the Brimijoin Gaussian Smoothed method; 8 segments on a frequency spectrum are systematically filled with a Gaussian-shaped power distribution. This showed statistically significant improvement and had the most positive subjective feedback. In the future, this research may be incorporated into a clinical setting to improve tinnitus treatment via characterization

Freelancer Taxation: From Shadow to Digital Light

The recent and rapid growth of the freelance sector in economies worldwide has led to more participation in the informal, or shadow, economy. Freelance workers who operate in the shadow economy are deprived of government protections, benefits, and legitimacy. To facilitate their emergence into full legitimacy, taxation policies must be amended to incentivize these workers to file taxes. In partnership with the Federal Tax Service of the Russian Federation, our project was to provide specific recommendations for improving the tax experience for freelancers by comparing the Russian and German shadow and gig economies. We found that Russia has a more accommodating taxation structure dedicated to freelancers, while the logistics and user experience for paying taxes is smoother in Germany

Reverse Correlation Uncovers More Complete Tinnitus Spectra

Goal: This study validates an approach to characterizing the sounds experienced by tinnitus patients via reverse correlation, with potential for characterizing a wider range of sounds than currently possible. Methods: Ten normal-hearing subjects assessed the subjective similarity of random auditory stimuli and target tinnitus-like sounds (&#x201C;buzzing&#x201D; and &#x201C;roaring&#x201D;). Reconstructions of the targets were obtained by regressing subject responses on the stimuli, and were compared for accuracy to the frequency spectra of the targets using Pearson&#x0027;s $r$. Results: Reconstruction accuracy was significantly higher than chance across subjects: buzzing: $0.52 \pm 0.27$ (mean $\pm$ s.d.), $t(9) = 5.766$, p < 0.001; roaring: $0.62 \pm 0.23$, $t(9) = 5.76$, p < 0.001; combined: $0.57 \pm 0.25$, $t(19) = 7.542$, p < 0.001. Conclusion: Reverse correlation can accurately reconstruct non-tonal tinnitus-like sounds in normal-hearing subjects, indicating its potential for characterizing the sounds experienced by patients with non-tonal tinnitus