A Comparative Analysis of Bacterial Growth with Earphone Use

Background: Recently the worldwide usage of earphones has increased especially among the school and college students who have a high rate of sharing among them. Alike airline headsets, headphones and stethoscope ear-pieces, ear phones can easily be a vector of potential pathogens, which can give rise to otitis externa. Purpose: To compare the bacterial growth of the external ear in association with earphone and assess the role of earphones as vector or microorganisms. Material and Methods: 50 voluntary male subjects (age 18-25 years) were chosen and divided into two groups, A and B, according to the use of earphones. Swabs were taken from their left ear and the left earpiece of the earphone. Samples were processed as recommended. Results: In group A, bacteria were found in 20 (80%) ear and 14 (56%) earphone swabs. In group B, bacteria were found in 23 (92%) ear and 17 (68%) earphone swabs. Group B showed heavy growth and a significant increase in the number of bacterial growths after frequent and constant use. Conclusion: Frequent and constant use of earphones increases the bacterial growth in the ear and sharing of earphones might be a potential vector of commensals. It is therefore, always better not to share or else to clean the earphones before sharin

PERANCANGAN KAMPANYE SOSIAL BIJAK MENGGUNAKAN EARPHONE UNTUK REMAJA DI KOTA BANDUNG. BUNGA RAMADHAN PUTRIE SALSABILA 126010068

Penggunaan earphone pada masa kini telah menjadi sebuah kebutuhan dan juga menjadi gaya hidup yang memberikan kenyamanan dalam mendengarkan mendengarkan musik yang diantara nya mendengarkan musik menjadi lebih jelas dan bebas dan memberikan ruang privasi bagi penggunanya, serta dapat digunakan kapan pun dan dimanapun. Ukuran earphone yang praktis dan mudah disimpan dan dibawa-bawa memberikan keuntungan tersendiri bagi penggunanya. Namun, penggunaan earphone yang berlebihan dapat membawa dampak buruk. Dampak yang muncul yaitu penurunan pendengaran pada usia muda yang merupakan dampak serius yang bisa saja dapat terjadi kepada para pengguna earphone apabila mereka tidak memiliki kesadaran untuk menggunakan earphone secara baik dan benar. Untuk itu melalui kampanye sosial ini, masyarakat diberi himbauan berupa pesan agar dapat menyadari betapa pentingnya menjaga pendengaran agar tetap baik untuk kedepannya. Kata Kunci: Earphone, perancangan kampanye, bijak, penurunan pendengaran

Perancangan Kampanye Bijak Menggunakan Earphone

Kini penggunaan earphone menjadi sebuah kebutuhan yang juga menjadi gaya hidup yang memberikan Kenyamanan dalam mendengarkan kejelasan musik dan memberikan suatu ruang privasi bagi penggunanya, dapat digunakan kapan pun dan dimanapun, memberikan kepraktisan dalam ukurannya yang mudah dibawa-bawa dan disimpan. Namun, penggunaan earphone yang tidak wajar dapat membawa dampak buruk bagi penggunanya. Penurunan pendengaran pada usia muda dapat menjadi dampak serius yang bisa saja mengena kepada para pengguna earphone apabila mereka tidak memiliki kesadaran untuk menggunakan earphone secara tepat. Untuk itulah melalui kampanye sosial ini, masyarakat diberi pesan dan menyadari betapa pentingnya menjaga pendengaran untuk ke depannya dan yang sedikitnya telah mengetahui, telah merespon dengan mengurangi intensitas pemakaian yang berlebihan

Perceived noisiness under anechoic, semi-reverberant and earphone listening conditions

Magnitude estimates by each of 31 listeners were obtained for a variety of noise sources under three methods of stimuli presentation: loudspeaker presentation in an anechoic chamber, loudspeaker presentation in a normal semi-reverberant room, and earphone presentation. Comparability of ratings obtained in these environments were evaluated with respect to predictability of ratings from physical measures, reliability of ratings, and to the scale values assigned to various noise stimuli. Acoustic environment was found to have little effect upon physical predictive measures and ratings of perceived noisiness were little affected by the acoustic environment in which they were obtained. The need for further study of possible differing interactions between judged noisiness of steady state sound and the methods of magnitude estimation and paired comparisons is indicated by the finding that in these tests the subjects, though instructed otherwise, apparently judged the maximum rather than the effective magnitude of steady-state noises

Acoustic Mechanisms that Determine the Ear-Canal Sound Pressures Generated by Earphones

In clinical measurements of hearing sensitivity, a given earphone is assumed to produce essentially the same sound-pressure level in all ears. However, recent measurements [Voss et al., Ear and Hearing (in press)] show that with some middle-ear pathologies, ear-canal sound pressures can deviate by as much as 35 dB from the normal-ear value; the deviations depend on the earphone, the middle-ear pathology, and frequency. These pressure variations cause errors in the results of hearing tests. Models developed here identify acoustic mechanisms that cause pressure variations in certain pathological conditions. The models combine measurement-based Thevenin equivalents for insert and supra-aural earphones with lumped-element models for both the normal ear and ears with pathologies that alter the ear\u27s impedance (mastoid bowl, tympanostomy tube, tympanic-membrane perforation, and a \u27high- impedance\u27 ear). Comparison of the earphones\u27 Thevenin impedances to the ear\u27s input impedance with these middle-ear conditions shows that neither class of earphone acts as an ideal pressure source; with some middle-ear pathologies, the ear\u27s input impedance deviates substantially from normal and thereby causes abnormal ear-canal pressure levels. In general, for the three conditions that make the ear\u27s impedance magnitude lower than normal, the model predicts a reduced ear-canal pressure (as much as 35 dB), with a greater pressure reduction with an insert earphone than with a supra-aural earphone. In contrast, the model predicts that ear-canal pressure levels increase only a few dB when the ear has an increased impedance magnitude; the compliance of the air-space between the tympanic membrane and the earphone determines an upper limit on the effect of the middle-ear\u27s impedance increase. Acoustic leaks at the earphone-to-ear connection can also cause uncontrolled pressure variations during hearing tests. From measurements at the supra-aural earphone-to-ear connection, we conclude that it is unusual for the connection between the earphone cushion and the pinna to seal effectively for frequencies below 250 Hz. The models developed here explain the measured pressure variations with several pathologic ears. Understanding these mechanisms should inform the design of more accurate audiometric systems which might include a microphone that monitors the ear-canal pressure and corrects deviations from normal

Gambaran Perilaku Remaja Terhadap Penggunaan Earphone Pada Siswa SMA Negeri Kota Padang

Earphone adalah alat yang digunakan untukmendengarkan musik dari telepon genggam dan perangkat audio lainnya.Sebuah survey yang dilakukan oleh American Speech Languageand Hearing Association (2006) menemukan bahwa remaja lebih banyak menggunakan perangkat dengar pribadidengan volume keras dan dalam waktu yang lama. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui gambaran perilaku remaja terhadap pengunaan earphone pada siswa SMA Negeri Kota Padang Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan metode deskriptif pada siswa SMAN Negeri Kota Padang yang berjumlah 13.105 orang.Didapatkan sampel berjumlah 427 orang, pengambilan sampel dilakukan dengan teknik Cluster Sampling.Data diambil dengan menggunakan kuesioner.Analisis data menggunakan analisis univarat dengan menggunakan program SPSS (Statistical Product and Service Solution) 21.00 for Windows. Hasil didapatkan proporsi pengguna earphone pada siswa SMA Negeri Kota Padangberjumlah 83,6%. Perilaku siswa dibagi menjadi 3 kategori yaitu pengetahuan, sikap dan tindakan. Hasilnya didapatkan siswa tersebut memiliki pengetahuan dan sikap yang baik terhadap penggunaan earphone dengan persentase 93,4% dan 80,9%. Tindakan siswa ketika menggunakan earphone cukup baik dengan persentasi 66,3%. Kesimpulan penelitian ini adalah sebagian besar siswa SMA Negeri Kota Padang menggunakan earphone.Siswa tersebut memiliki pengetahuan yang baik mengenai dampak penggunaan earphone dan cara pencegahannya. Siswa juga memiliki sikap yang baik terhadap penggunaan earphone dan bertindak cukup baik ketika menggunakan earphone. Kata Kunci :Earphone, remaja, perilak

Comfortable, lightweight safety helmet holds radio transmitter, receiver

For two-way radio communication where safety gear is required, a lightweight helmet with few protrusions has been designed. The electronics components and power supply are mounted between the inner and outer shells, and resilient padding is used for the lining

Distortion products in auditory fMRI research: Measurements and solutions

Nonlinearities in the cochlea can introduce audio frequencies that are not present in the sound signal entering the ear. Known as distortion products (DPs), these added frequencies complicate the interpretation of auditory experiments. Sound production systems also introduce distortion via nonlinearities, a particular concern for fMRI research because the Sensimetrics earphones widely used for sound presentation are less linear than most high-end audio devices (due to design constraints). Here we describe the acoustic and neural effects of cochlear and earphone distortion in the context of fMRI studies of pitch perception, and discuss how their effects can be minimized with appropriate stimuli and masking noise. The amplitude of cochlear and Sensimetrics earphone DPs were measured for a large collection of harmonic stimuli to assess effects of level, frequency, and waveform amplitude. Cochlear DP amplitudes were highly sensitive to the absolute frequency of the DP, and were most prominent at frequencies below 300 Hz. Cochlear DPs could thus be effectively masked by low-frequency noise, as expected. Earphone DP amplitudes, in contrast, were highly sensitive to both stimulus and DP frequency (due to prominent resonances in the earphone's transfer function), and their levels grew more rapidly with increasing stimulus level than did cochlear DP amplitudes. As a result, earphone DP amplitudes often exceeded those of cochlear DPs. Using fMRI, we found that earphone DPs had a substantial effect on the response of pitch-sensitive cortical regions. In contrast, cochlear DPs had a small effect on cortical fMRI responses that did not reach statistical significance, consistent with their lower amplitudes. Based on these findings, we designed a set of pitch stimuli optimized for identifying pitch-responsive brain regions using fMRI. These stimuli robustly drive pitch-responsive brain regions while producing minimal cochlear and earphone distortion, and will hopefully aid fMRI researchers in avoiding distortion confounds