Abstract: An online system receives product data from a third party system describing characteristics of a product being offered by a third party system. The online system compares a price of the product being offered by the third party system to prices for the product being offered by other systems. The online system determines a competitiveness value for the product offered by the third party system relative to the other systems. Accordingly, when the online system identifies an opportunity to present a content item to a user, the online system retrieves candidate content items, determines a score for each candidate content item, and adjusts the score of the content item offered by the third party based on the competitiveness value for the product.

Abstract: An online system receives a content item for a product that includes a creative with placeholder components that are replaceable with information describing the product. A goal is associated with presentation of the product which the online system uses to determine a price for the product for each user at the time the content item is presented to the user. Using the goal, the online system determines a price of the product for the user based on the goal and a determined likelihood of the user interacting with the content item for the product and replaces a placeholder component of the creative for the content item with a price component. The online system then provides the content item including the creative describing the product with an offer to purchase the product at the determined price for the product for display to the user.

Abstract: An online system receives a content item for presentation to one or more users of the online system that includes a creative. The creative includes information describing the product or information for purchasing the product. To increase a likelihood of users interacting with the content item when it is presented, the creative includes a field for an offer associated with the product that is populated with information for the offer as the content item is presented to a user of the online system. The information for the offer populated into the field of the creative can be one of a number of offer format options (e.g., $1,600, $300 off, 25% off, etc.) available for the product and can be selected based on user engagement data associated with each of the different offer format options.

Abstract: Systems for fitting an implantable cochlear stimulator to a patient include an interface unit configured to display a graphical representation of an implant fitting line as part of a graphical user interface. The implant fitting line has a slope and a horizontal position and represents a mapping relationship between a plurality of audio frequencies and a plurality of stimulation sites within a cochlea of the patient. The interface unit is further configured to facilitate adjustment of the slope and/or horizontal position of the fitting line.

Abstract: Errors in pitch (frequency) allocation within a cochlear implant are corrected in order to provide a significant and profound improvement in the quality of sound perceived by the cochlear implant user. In one embodiment, the user is stimulated with a reference signal, e.g., the tone “A” (440 Hz) and then the user is stimulated with a probe signal, separated from the reference signal by an octave, e.g., high “A” (880 Hz). The user adjusts the location where the probe signal is applied, using current steering, until the pitch of the probe signal, as perceived by the user, matches the pitch of the reference signal, as perceived by the user. In this manner, the user maps frequencies to stimulation locations in order to tune his or her implant system to his or her unique cochlea.

Abstract: Among other things, a stimulation strategy can be customized for a cochlear implant implanted in an individual by testing at least a pair of electrodes selected from an array of electrodes associated with the cochlear implant. Testing the at least a pair of electrodes includes applying a first stimulation to the at least a pair of electrodes using a first pair of pulse trains that are out of phase, and applying a second stimulation to the at least a pair of electrodes using a second pair of pulse trains that are out of phase. A determination is made on whether the at least a pair of electrodes stimulate the same neural population based on a sensitivity of the individual to detect a perceived difference between the two pairs of pulse trains. The one or more electrodes of the array of electrodes are selectively stimulated based on the determination.

Abstract: A multichannel cochlear implant system spatially spreads the excitation pattern in the target neural tissue by either: (1) rapid sequential stimulation of a small group of electrodes, or (2) simultaneously stimulating a small group of electrodes. Such multi-electrode stimulation stimulates a greater number of neurons in a synchronous manner, thereby increasing the amplitude of the extra-cellular voltage fluctuation and facilitating its recording. The electrical stimuli are applied simultaneously (or sequentially at a rapid rate) on selected small groups of electrodes while monitoring the evoked compound action potential (ECAP) on a nearby electrode. The presence of an observable ECAP not only validates operation of the implant device at a time when the patient may be unconscious or otherwise unable to provide subjective feedback, but also provides a way for the magnitude of the observed ECAP to be recorded as a function of the amplitude of the applied stimulus.

Abstract: Methods of automatically identifying whether a neural recording signal includes a neural response signal include fitting an artifact model to a neural recording signal to produce a fitted artifact model signal, determining a strength-of-response (SOR) metric that describes a distance of the neural recording signal from the fitted artifact model signal, and identifying the neural recording signal as including a neural response signal if the strength-of-response metric is above a pre-determined threshold.

Abstract: Methods of denoising a neural recording signal include correlating a neural recording signal with a number of basis functions to obtain a number of weights and then multiplying the weights with the basis functions to obtain a denoised neural recording signal. The basis functions are derived using principal component analysis. Systems for denoising a neural recording signal include one or more devices configured to correlate a neural recording signal with the basis functions to obtain the weights and then multiply the weights with the basis functions to obtain the denoised neural recording signal.

Abstract: Methods of automatically determining a neural response threshold current level include identifying one or more neural response signals at one or more corresponding stimulation current levels, identifying one or more non-response signals at one or more corresponding stimulation current levels, and analyzing a trend between the neural response signals and the non-response signals. Systems for automatically determining a neural response threshold current level include one or more devices configured to identify one or more neural response signals at one or more corresponding stimulation current levels, identify one or more non-response signals at one or more corresponding stimulation current levels; and analyze a trend between the neural response signals and the non-response signals.

Abstract: The stimulation provided in the electrically stimulated cochlea is modulated in accordance with the amplitude of a received acoustic signal and the onset of a sound in a received acoustic signal to provide increased sound perception. An onset time that corresponds to the onset of a sound is detected in an acoustic signal associated with a frequency band. A forcing voltage and a transmitting factor are determined, wherein the forcing voltage and the transmitting factor are associated with the frequency band at the detected onset time. The acoustic signal is modulated as a function of the forcing voltage and the transmitting factor to generate an output signal. The generated output signal can be used to stimulate the cochlea. The modulation strategy can be used in conjunction with sound processing strategies that employ frequency modulation, amplitude modulation, or a combination of frequency and amplitude modulation.

Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods for matching pitch information between bilateral cochlear implants in order to maximize a patient's listening experience. The system permits an electrode array of a first cochlear implant to be pitch matched to an electrode array of a second cochlear implant system by utilizing virtual electrodes, which enable cochlear stimulation at a location in between physical electrodes on the electrode array. At least one electrode of the first electrode array is mapped to a virtual electrode of the second electrode array.

Abstract: Errors in pitch allocation within a cochlear implant are corrected in order to provide a significant and profound improvement in the quality of sound perceived by the cochlear implant user. The disclosure provides a tool for determining the implant fitting curve for cochlear implant system to correct pitch warping. The method presents familiar musical tunes to determine the implant fitting slope (relative alignment). In addition, in one embodiment, speech sounds may be used to determine the offset of the fitting line (absolute alignment). The use of music and speech to determine the implant fitting curve (line) and the slope is facilitated by using techniques to implement virtual electrodes to more precisely direct stimuli to the location or “place” on the cochlea.

Abstract: An exemplary method of fitting a cochlear implant system to a patient includes establishing an implant fitting line having a slope and a position. The implant fitting line represents a relationship between a number of stimulation sites within a cochlea of the patient and a number of corresponding audio frequencies. That is, the implant fitting line defines which locations along the length of the cochlea, when stimulated, are perceived by the patient as specific tones or frequencies. The method further includes presenting a first audio signal having a number of audio frequencies to the patient and applying a stimulus current to one or more stimulation sites corresponding to the number of audio frequencies of the first audio signal. The method further includes adjusting the slope of the fitting line based on a response of the patient to the stimulus current.