Zwislocki Cochlea Model Computer Program Collection, 1979-2012

Summary

Creator:
Kletsky, Earl J.
Abstract:
The Zwislocki Cochlea Model computer program simulates the response of the Zwislocki Cochlea Model to sinusoidal vibrations applied to the stapes, a small bone in the middle ear.
Extent:
1 box (0.25 linear feet)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Zwislocki Cochlea Model Computer Program Collection,

Background

Scope and content:

The Zwislocki Cochlea Model Computer Program Collection contains multiple storage formats containing backup files used to preserve the simulation program created by Earl J. Kletsky and Dean J. Aprajian. The program is preserved on four formats in this collection: compact disc, SD memory card, USB flash drive, and print format. In addition to containing the program's C++ source code, these backups also contain extensive documentation describing the program, sample outputs of the simulation, and three additional reports (dated 1981, 2000, and 2005) which demonstrate the growth of the program over time.

Information on each digital storage device comes in four file formats: .PDF (Portable Document Format), .PAGES (Apple Pages Format), .DOC (Microsoft Word Format), and .RTF (Rich Text Format). Some Fortran versions of the program are also included in the digital versions.

Biographical / historical:

Jozef J. Zwislocki joined the Syracuse University faculty in 1957 as a researcher studying audiology and related topics. Some of his earlier work involved modeling aspects of the cochlear system, and this work was first put through simulation testing in 1966. Along with the help of Earl J. Kletsky, R. Gardinier, and B. Klock, Zwislocki constructed a physical testing model at the University's Laboratory for Sensory Communication. In the years that followed, Kletsky, a fellow Syracuse University faculty member, sought to explore new ways of simulating Zwislocki's Cochlea Model.

In 1979, Kletsky wrote a computer simulation that built off the structure of the previous physical simulation. Though this early simulation had noticeable limitations, it proved to be a great improvement over the previous testing methods, providing significantly more data for analysis. In the years that followed, the program was updated in various ways, including Dean J. Arpajian's work with A. J. Wixson to add new ways to plot data, and the work of J. Bruno and M. Schechter to improve the user interface and menus. By 1988, Arpajian had rewritten the program to run on a Macintosh computer, at far faster speeds than previous iterations, and with new user interface improvements implemented to make the program easier to use by a broader research community.

In 1999, when Zwislocki introduced a new aspect into the Zwislocki Cochlear Model, active positive feedback, the program responded by incorporating this new element. The update to the program was written by Arpajian with suggestions from Kletsky. These two would collaborate on this program once more in 2005, when a new version of the program was brought online. This most recent version of the Zwislocki Cochlear Model computer program features a tutorial, a user's guide, and animated model outputs related to traveling waves in the basilar membrane.

Acquisition information:
Syracuse University professor Earl J. Kletsky provided the Archives with the Zwislocki Cochlea Model Computer Program in 2012.
Processing information:

Materials were placed in acid-free folders.

Arrangement:

The items are arranged in alphabetical order.

Access and use

Restrictions:

Please note that the collection is housed off-site, and advance notice is required to allow time to have the materials brought to the Reading Room on campus.

Terms of access:

Written permission must be obtained from &sua_name; and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Preferred citation:

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Zwislocki Cochlea Model Computer Program Collection,

Location of this collection:
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries
Bird Library, Room 600
Syracuse, NY 13244, United States
Link to repository site
Contact:
315.443.2697
scrc@syr.edu