Articles tagged with Music
A new study from Boston Children's Hospital found that digital music players like iPods do not affect pacemaker function. However, the devices can interfere with telemetry, requiring a minimum distance of six inches to avoid issues.
A three-year study at seven major universities reveals that children motivated in the arts develop attention skills and strategies for memory retrieval that also apply to other subject areas. The research identifies eight key points relevant to interests of parents, students, educators, neuroscientists, and policy makers.
Researchers found that, when jazz musicians improvise, a large portion of the brain's prefrontal region 'takes 5' to let creativity flow. This shutdown allows for novel ideas and impulses to emerge. The study suggests this brain pattern is key to highly creative thought.
The University of Illinois has developed a free online collections management program called Archon, which provides easy-to-use tools for archivists. The program makes archival holdings more accessible to users, automatically creating searchable websites and allowing for efficient work processes.
A recent study led by Howard Bassen found no electromagnetic interference from iPods on pacemaker users. Researchers tested four different iPod models and measured magnetic fields and voltages within pacemakers, with all results showing no effects.
Synaesthetes often perceive the world as having a consistent and permanent vision. They may feel strongly about their experiences, which can affect preferences and perceptions. Research by Alicia Callejas Sevilla at the University of Granada explores various forms of synaesthesia.
A study by Montreal Neurological Institute researchers found that tone-deaf individuals have a thicker cortex in regions involved in auditory and musical processing. This parallels the observed cortex thickness in dyslexia, suggesting abnormal neuronal migration or cell pruning during development may contribute to the disorder.
Research comparing music conductors and non-musicians found that experienced conductors
A new study by Mayo Clinic researchers found that massage therapy decreases pain levels for patients after heart surgery. In a pilot study of 58 patients, those who received massage had mean pain scores less than 1 on a scale of 1 to 10, compared to an average rating of 3 among the control group.
Scientists create a functional radio system utilizing a tiny carbon nanotube detector, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of nano-electronics. The device enables wireless transmission of classical music wirelessly from an iPod to a speaker.
Researchers believe 3D printing will revolutionize consumer goods, individualized custom products, and product development with its ability to print solid objects almost instantly. The technology allows for rapid prototyping, digital downloads, and on-demand production, making traditional retail models obsolete.
A Northwestern University study finds that music training improves the brain's multi-sensory processing, leading to enhanced verbal communication skills. The research suggests that musical training could help children develop literacy skills and combat literacy disorders.
Researchers found that 60% of staff suffered from anxiety, but this fell to just 8% after aromatherapy massages and relaxing music. The study also examined seasonal differences and found a greater reduction in winter months.
A study of over 1050 North American and European musicians found that they are more than twice as likely to die an early death compared to the general population. Long-term drug or alcohol problems accounted for nearly one in four deaths, with some stars continuing to experience higher death rates even 25 years after achieving fame.
A new digital watermarking system protects music and media files from online pirates while ensuring high-quality playback for legitimate users. The system, developed by researchers at the University of Ottawa, embeds an image within the audio file to prevent piracy without compromising sound quality.
A Stanford study using fMRI scans found that music engages brain areas involved with paying attention, making predictions, and updating memory. Peak brain activity occurred during silence between musical movements, a process called event segmentation.
The study explores how the brain processes musical movements and transitions, finding two distinct networks involved in perceiving these events. The ventral region detects salient events, while the dorsal region focuses attention on event boundaries, forming a tightly coupled network that maintains attention during movement transitions.
Researchers explore five dimensions of online gifts: initiative, direction, incentive, identification, and limitation. These dimensions reveal how digital gifts facilitate social connections and influence community dynamics.
Researchers at UCLA have created a system to translate protein sequences into musical notes, with a 20-note range spanning over 2 octaves. The music is designed to be melodic and less 'jumpy,' making it more accessible to those who are visually impaired.
A new P2P system, Similarity-Enhanced Transfer (SET), can significantly speed up music and movie downloads by leveraging similarities between files. By identifying relevant chunks of files, SET greatly increases the number of potential sources for downloads.
A UGA study reveals that people take notice when they feel worse than expected, but not when they feel better. This 'affective misforecasting' gap influences product evaluations. By creating realistic expectations, businesses can minimize this effect and improve customer satisfaction.
A Northwestern University study uses EEG measures to show how attention alters brain activity, revealing that paying attention makes brain responses to stimuli more coherent. This synchronization enables a stimulus to stand out and guides behavior.
A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that the brain processes pitch in Mandarin Chinese music before processing semantics in language. This finding highlights why people with cochlear implants struggle to understand tonal languages like Mandarin.
Native languages influence how people group non-language sounds into rhythms, contradicting long-held beliefs. The study suggests exposure to certain patterns of speech can shape perceptions of musical rhythms.
A study by Queen's University researcher Laurence Ashworth suggests that emotion plays a significant role in consumers' purchasing decisions, particularly for high-involvement products. This challenges existing assumptions about the long-term effects of emotional purchases and highlights the potential benefits of incorporating emotions...
Researchers at CU-Boulder and Children's Hospital developed guidelines for safe earphone listening levels using iPods. Typically, individuals can safely listen to music for 4.6 hours a day at 70% volume without risking hearing loss.
A study published in NeuroImage found structural abnormalities in the planum temporale of individuals with Williams syndrome, which may explain their enhanced auditory skills. Despite smaller brain volumes, the temporal lobe was found to be of normal volume, suggesting that other factors contribute to their unique abilities.
Alberto Bressan has been selected to receive the Antonio Feltrinelli Prize for his groundbreaking research on hyperbolic conservation laws. The prize is awarded annually in the area of physical and mathematical sciences, recognizing achievements that contribute to the development of new mathematics.
Research suggests that listening to personal favorite music enhances cognitive function and boosts memory, while also positively affecting mental health and immunity. The Neurosciences and Music II volume explores the brain's processing of music and its impact on various aspects of human life.
A study by Rafael Rob and Joel Waldfogel found that downloading reduces per capita expenditures by $25, while increasing the amount of music each individual consumes by the equivalent of $70. Additionally, the researchers argue that illegal downloading may alleviate monopoly deadweight loss problems.
A study found that young people prefer vinyl due to its visual appeal and the physical interaction required. This resistance against the music industry's attempts to define what's popular is a liberating experience for these teens.
A University of Houston graduate student has developed a new type of memory storage device using solid state physics, promising faster access to data, music, and movies in hand-held devices. The invention utilizes magneto-electric effects in multiferroic compounds to read and write information.
Researchers found that low-dose MDMA had no effect on brain activity when no music was played. However, loud music increased the negative impact of low-dose MDMA and high-dose MDMA on brain activity. Brain activity returned to normal in rats not exposed to music after a day.
A study suggests that Alzheimer's patients can recognize and appreciate music, with one patient singing old songs from her youth. The researchers believe a more musical environment could improve the lives of demented individuals, sparking interest from caregivers to share their experiences.
Researchers investigated whether music training enhances multisensory processing, particularly sound localization in conductors. The study found that conductors outperformed musically untrained subjects in combining auditory and visual cues.
Researchers Anick Bosmans and Hans Baumgartner found that consumers rely on specific extraneous emotions when evaluating products. They discovered two types of emotions: achievement (cheerfulness/dejection) and protection (quiescence/agitation), which influence product evaluations differently.
A study of over 700 patients undergoing coronary procedures found that distant prayer did not improve clinical outcomes, but patients receiving music therapy had less emotional distress and slightly lower mortality rates.
A study by K-State researcher Elizabeth Cady found that familiar songs act as strong memory cues, regardless of whether participants heard the song or saw only the lyrics, photo or title. The study used 124 participants who chose a song from lists of popular music from different periods of their lives.
Researchers at the University of Glasgow are developing a solution to the problem of safe mobile computing by utilizing 3D sound and gestures. This innovative approach allows users to interact with their devices as naturally as talking to a friend while walking, minimizing the risk of accidents.
Researchers found that listening to soft music before bedtime improved sleep quality and reduced daytime dysfunction in older adults. The study, published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, used a technique where participants chose from six tapes featuring soft music and reported significant improvements in overall sleep quality.
Employees share music to portray themselves, but may misread others' musical interests and knowledge. Music sharing builds community within workplaces.
A Rutgers scientist will use a new grant to investigate schizophrenia genes, with the goal of finding better treatments and reduced morbidity. The researcher aims to analyze genetic data using a new statistical analysis method and investigate a recently described class of genes involved in the central nervous system.
A UCI study discovered that enhancing frequency modulation on cochlear implants and hearing aids can significantly boost performance by separating background noise and increasing tonal recognition. This improvement can particularly benefit users of hearing aids, affecting music and certain spoken languages like Mandarin.
A study published in Psychological Science found that extra-curricular music lessons significantly improved IQ scores and academic performance in six-year-old children. The research, led by Dr. E. Glenn Schellenberg, showed that music lessons had a more pronounced effect on cognitive development than drama lessons or no lessons at all.
Research reveals that autistic children can access and analyze musical details more readily than typically developing children. A subgroup of participants achieved impressive scores, even without prior musical training.
Researchers aim to develop AI system that can assess acoustic qualities of spaces using music played in the room. The project has £70,000 funding and could provide solutions for architects and the construction industry.
A recent study from Ohio State University found that listening to music during exercise improves verbal fluency test scores in cardiac rehabilitation patients. The study also revealed that participants reported feeling better emotionally and mentally after working out regardless of whether they listened to music.
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University found that listening to calming music during early active labor can significantly reduce the sensation and distress of pain. The study, led by Sasitorn Phumdoung, suggests that music may be a widely-used alternative to medication for easing pain during childbirth.
Using neurofeedback, students at London's Royal College of Music showed significant improvements in their musical performance across various areas. The most promising results came from the alpha/theta training protocol, improving performances by up to 17%.
A new study found that nodding or shaking one's head can affect agreement with an editorial, increasing confidence in favorable thoughts and decreasing confidence in negative ones. Body movements like writing with a non-dominant hand also influence attitudes, even on important issues.
A recent study found that adolescents with high exposure to rap music videos were 3 times more likely to hit a teacher and twice as likely to have multiple sex partners. The researchers also discovered that frequent viewers of rap videos were more likely to acquire an STD, use drugs, and engage in other risky behaviors.
Research at Ohio State University found that listening to music while exercising increased walking distance by an average of 445 feet among patients with severe lung disease. The study suggests that music can help distract from physical symptoms and improve overall fitness levels, leading to better independence in daily activities.
Researchers at the University of Toronto found that brain music reduced anxiety and improved sleep in subjects with insomnia lasting at least two years. The customized music created specific brain wave patterns, leading to more pronounced effects than placebo music.
Research reveals that people with low self-esteem are significantly less likely to select a comedy video or engage in activities to improve their mood compared to those with high self-esteem. This is attributed to feelings of resignation and sadness, leading to a lack of motivation to change their emotions.
Researchers found that deaf people's brains process vibrations in the same part of the brain as sound, leading to a similar musical experience. This discovery challenges the long-held belief that brains are hardwired at birth and instead shows that our genes provide a developmental strategy for brain organization.
A study by Ohio University health psychologists found that first-time blood donors who used an audiovisual program were less likely to experience symptoms of feeling faint. The program, which included 3D visuals and upbeat music, was more effective in distracting blunters from their stressors than monitors who received no distraction.
Researchers found that frontotemporal dementia patients shifted from disliking classical music to appreciating Italian pop, and another patient discovered a taste for pop music after losing interest in her children. The study suggests that novelty-seeking behavior may play a role in these changes.
A new sociological sampling method, called respondent-driven sampling, can identify hard-to-reach groups. By analyzing the connections between individuals in a group, researchers can gather information and correct for biases to obtain a representative sample of populations such as drug users, jazz musicians, and other marginalized groups.
Researchers have demonstrated that human fetuses can hear by the eighth month of pregnancy, with cardiac and motor responses to computer-generated white noise detected at around 30 weeks. The study's findings suggest that the fetus's auditory system is developed enough to detect sound, but the exact nature and impact of this experience...
Researchers create molecular footprints of information to encode diverse data, including music, on a single silicon surface. The novel approach enables precise control over structure and chemical composition of nano-devices, potentially leading to breakthrough electronic tools.