Assistive listening devices (ALDs) refer to various types of amplification equipment designed to improve the communication of individuals with hard of hearing to enhance the accessibility to speech signal when individual hearing instruments are not sufficient. There are many types of ALDs to overcome a triangle of speech to noise ratio (SNR) problems, noise, distance, and reverberation. ALDs vary in their internal electronic mechanisms ranging from simple hard-wire microphone-amplifier units to more sophisticated broadcasting systems. They usually use microphones to capture an audio source and broadcast it wirelessly over a frequency modulation (FM), infra-red, induction loop, or other transmission techniques. The seven types of ALDs are introduced including hardwire devices, FM sound system, infra-red sound system, induction loop system, telephone listening devices, television, and alert/alarm system. Further development of digital wireless technology in hearing instruments will make possible direct communication with ALDs without any accessories in the near future. There are two technology solutions for digital wireless hearing instruments improving SNR and convenience. One is near-field magnetic induction combined with Bluetooth radio frequency (RF) transmission or proprietary RF transmission and the other is proprietary RF transmission alone. Recently launched digital wireless hearing aid applying this new technology can communicate from the hearing instrument to personal computer, phones, Wi-Fi, alert systems, and ALDs via iPhone, iPad, and iPod. However, it comes with its own iOS application offering a range of features but there is no option for Android users as of this moment.
Equipment Design ; Hearing Aids ; Hearing* ; Microcomputers ; MP3-Player ; Noise ; Telephone ; Television ; Wireless Technology*

PURPOSE: This study was intended to determine how the choice of music affects the physiological and psychological status of women college student during music therapy. METHODS: A nonequivalent experimental group pretest-posttest design was used. 19 out of 54 subjects were assigned to listen to their favorite music and 17 to their unfavorite music for 20 minutes using MP3 players and headphones. Anxiety, blood pressure, pulse and blood glucose levels of the subjects were measured before treatment. The data was analyzed by Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon signed rank test using the SPSS/WIN 10.0 program. RESULTS: The result showed that systolic blood pressure, blood glucose and anxiety level decreased significantly in the favorite music group. however systolic blood pressure, pulse rate and anxiety level increased significantly in the unfavorite music group. The favorite music group showed a significantly higher level of satisfaction than the unfavorite music group. CONCLUSION: Choice of music affects the physiological and psychological status of an individual. Favorite music listening would enhance the effect of music therapy. Therefore, selection of music must be considered in light of the subject's preference and characteristics.
Anxiety ; Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Female ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Light ; MP3-Player ; Music ; Music Therapy

PURPOSE: This study was intended to determine how the choice of music affects the physiological and psychological status of women college student during music therapy. METHODS: A nonequivalent experimental group pretest-posttest design was used. 19 out of 54 subjects were assigned to listen to their favorite music and 17 to their unfavorite music for 20 minutes using MP3 players and headphones. Anxiety, blood pressure, pulse and blood glucose levels of the subjects were measured before treatment. The data was analyzed by Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon signed rank test using the SPSS/WIN 10.0 program. RESULTS: The result showed that systolic blood pressure, blood glucose and anxiety level decreased significantly in the favorite music group. however systolic blood pressure, pulse rate and anxiety level increased significantly in the unfavorite music group. The favorite music group showed a significantly higher level of satisfaction than the unfavorite music group. CONCLUSION: Choice of music affects the physiological and psychological status of an individual. Favorite music listening would enhance the effect of music therapy. Therefore, selection of music must be considered in light of the subject's preference and characteristics.
Anxiety ; Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Female ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Light ; MP3-Player ; Music ; Music Therapy

Exposure to high levels of music that could lead to music induced hearing loss (MIHL) has been of recent interest especially for young adults, considering their excessive use of personal listening devices such as MP3 player. More attention should be drawn to MIHL for noting that early noise exposure leads to earlier onset of presbycusis. In search of appropriate and safe listening habits for young adults, this investigation was aimed to evaluate output levels and frequencies generated by the Samsung galaxy note MP3 player depending on two earphone types; ear-bud and over-the-ear earphones and three music genres; rock, hip-hop, ballade. A sound level meter was used to measure output level and frequency spectrum between 12.5 and 16000 Hz at all 1/3-octave bands. The following results can be summarized. 1) The earphone styles did not produce significant difference in output levels, but the music genres did. However, the results of music genres varied. 2) Neither earphone styles nor music genres produced significant difference in frequency response spectrum, except music genres at the volume settings we usually listen to. Additionally, volume levels should be lower than 50% for usual listening situation. Through this investigation, it was noted that the frequency range was substantial between 50 and 1000 Hz regardless of the styles of earphones and music genres, implying that we should be cautious of this frequency range when we listen to music. Researchers should give more attention to the effects of the mixture of output level and frequency spectrum, considering that the auditory system has frequency specificity from the periphery to the central to provide refined methods for protecting our ears from MIHL.
Ear ; Galaxies ; Hearing Loss ; Humans ; MP3-Player ; Music ; Noise ; Presbycusis ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: This phenomenological study was to describe and to understand nurses' experiences of caring for woman with disability during pregnancy and childbirth. METHODS: Participants were 13 nurses from 3 hospitals and 2 local clinics in J city, and were selected through snow-balling method. Data were collected two face to face, semi-structured interviews. The researcher used MP3 player and smart phone for recording as well as transcription process. As for the data analysis, Colaizzi's method was applied. RESULTS: Nurses' experiences were structured as four theme clusters: ‘Communicating between/among nurses’, ‘Recognizing pregnancy and childbirth of woman with disability’, ‘Taking care of woman with disability based on their differences’ and ‘Reflecting on nursing care for woman with disability’. CONCLUSION: It seemed that nurses' recognition to woman with disability and her pregnancy and childbirth was related their nursing care for woman with disability.
Female ; Humans ; Methods ; MP3-Player ; Nursing Care ; Parturition* ; Pregnancy* ; Smartphone ; Statistics as Topic

OBJECTIVES: This study is part of the ongoing development of treatment methods for metabolic syndrome (MS) project, which involves monitoring daily physical activity. In this study, we have focused on detecting walking activity from subjects which includes many other physical activities such as standing, sitting, lying, walking, running, and falling. Specially, we implemented an integrated solution for various physical activities monitoring using a mobile phone and PC. METHODS: We put the iPod touch has built in a tri-axial accelerometer on the waist of the subjects, and measured change in acceleration signal according to change in ambulatory movement and physical activities. First, we developed of programs that are aware of step counts, velocity of walking, energy consumptions, and metabolic equivalents based on iPod. Second, we have developed the activity recognition program based on PC. iPod synchronization with PC to transmit measured data using iPhoneBrowser program. Using the implemented system, we analyzed change in acceleration signal according to the change of six activity patterns. RESULTS: We compared results of the step counting algorithm with different positions. The mean accuracy across these tests was 99.6 +/- 0.61%, 99.1 +/- 0.87% (right waist location, right pants pocket). Moreover, six activities recognition was performed using Fuzzy c means classification algorithm recognized over 98% accuracy. In addition we developed of programs that synchronization of data between PC and iPod for long-term physical activity monitoring. CONCLUSIONS: This study will provide evidence on using mobile phone and PC for monitoring various activities in everyday life. The next step in our system will be addition of a standard value of various physical activities in everyday life such as household duties and a health guideline how to select and plan exercise considering one's physical characteristics and condition.
Acceleration ; Cellular Phone ; Deception ; Family Characteristics ; Metabolic Equivalent ; Monitoring, Ambulatory ; Motor Activity ; MP3-Player ; Running ; Walking

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To prevent noise induced hearing losses caused by listening to music with personal listening devices for young adults, this study was aimed to measure output levels of an MP3 and to identify preferred listening levels (PLLs) depending on earphone types, music genres, and listening durations. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Twenty-two normal hearing young adults (mean=18.82, standard deviation=0.57) participated. Each participant was asked to select his or her most PLLs when listened to Korean ballade or dance music with an earbud or an over-the-ear earphone for 30 or 60 minutes. One side of earphone was connected to the participant’s better ear and the other side was connected to a sound level meter via a 2 or 6 cc-couplers. Depending on earphone types, music genres, and listening durations, loudness A-weighted equivalent (LAeq) and loudness maximum time-weighted with A-frequency sound levels in dBA were measured. RESULTS: Neither main nor interaction effects of the PLLs among the three factors were significant. Overall output levels of earbuds were about 10-12 dBA greater than those of over-the-ear earphones. The PLLs were 1.73 dBA greater for earbuds than over-the-ear earphones. The average PLL for ballad was higher than for dance music. The PLLs at LAeq for both music genres were the greatest at 0.5 kHz followed by 1, 0.25, 2, 4, 0.125, 8 kHz in the order. CONCLUSIONS: The PLLs were not different significantly when listening to Korean ballad or dance music as functions of earphone types, music genres, and listening durations. However, over-the-ear earphones seemed to be more suitable to prevent noise induce hearing loss when listening to music, showing lower PLLs, possibly due to isolation from the background noise by covering ears.
Dancing ; Ear ; Hearing ; Hearing Loss ; Humans ; MP3-Player ; Music ; Noise ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: This study examined the effects of music therapy on pain, anxiety and length of stay of patients undergoing laparoscopic hysterectomy in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). METHODS: Sixty patients who received laparoscopic hysterectomy under general anesthesia from a PACU in a university hospital located in Cheonan city participated in this study. The experimental group (n=30) was offered the option to listen to their preferred music by using MP3 players and headphones for 30 minutes. The control group (n=30) received routine postoperative nursing care. Visual analogue scale was used to measure participants' pain and anxiety, length of stay in the PACU was examined by using their medical records. Data were collected from December 2013 to February 2014 and analyzed by descriptive statistics, chi2-test, Fisher's exact test, and independent t-test using SPSS version 21.0. RESULTS: The result showed that the level of post-operative pain (t=2.44, p=.018), anxiety (t=2.37, p=.021), and the length of stay in PACU (t=3.06, p=.004) significantly decreased in the experimental group as compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: This study indicated that music therapy with the patients' preferred music showed positive effects. Therefore, it can be used as a therapeutic intervention for postoperative pain management of patients with laparoscopic hysterectomy.
Anesthesia, General ; Anxiety* ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Humans ; Hysterectomy* ; Length of Stay* ; Medical Records ; MP3-Player ; Music Therapy* ; Music* ; Nursing Care ; Pain, Postoperative

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of listening to music in inpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia, on their auditory hallucinations, and positive and negative symptoms. METHODS: A quasi-experimental research design with 2x2 cross-over trial and convenience sample was used. Eleven patients (Group AB) listened to music followed by a wash out period and then a usual care period, and 12 patients (Group BA) had a usual care period followed by a wash out period and then listened to music. For one week those who were in the experimental period listened to individualized music using an MP3 player whenever they heard hallucinations. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant decrease in the frequency of auditory hallucinations after listening to the music. There was a decrease in the mean scores for positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and general psychopathology after listening to music, but only negative symptoms showed a statistically significant decrease. The treatment effects on scores for positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and general psychopathology were greater in Group BA than Group AB. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that listening to music may be useful for managing auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia inpatients.
Adult ; Female ; Hallucinations/*prevention & control ; Humans ; MP3-Player ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Music ; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales ; Questionnaires ; Schizophrenia/*therapy ; *Schizophrenic Psychology ; Self Care/methods/psychology

INTRODUCTIONNoise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a preventable condition, and much has been done to protect workers from it. However, thus far, little attention has been given to leisure NIHL. The purpose of this study is to determine the possible music listening preferences and habits among young people in Singapore that may put them at risk of developing leisure NIHL.

METHODSIn our study, the proportion of participants exposed to > 85 dBA for eight hours a day (time-weighted average) was calculated by taking into account the daily number of hours spent listening to music and by determining the average sound pressure level at which music was listened to.

RESULTSA total of 1,928 students were recruited from Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore. Of which, 16.4% of participants listened to portable music players with a time-weighted average of > 85 dBA for 8 hours. On average, we found that male students were more likely to listen to music at louder volumes than female students (p < 0.001). We also found that the Malay students in our study listened to louder music than the Chinese students (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONWe found that up to one in six young persons in Singapore is at risk of developing leisure NIHL from music delivered via earphones. As additional risks due to exposure to leisure noise from other sources was not taken into account, the extent of the problem of leisure NIHL may be even greater. There is a compelling need for an effective leisure noise prevention program among young people in Singapore.

Adolescent ; Audiometry ; Female ; Habits ; Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Leisure Activities ; MP3-Player ; Male ; Music ; Noise ; adverse effects ; Risk ; Singapore ; Students ; Young Adult