Karaoke

OBJECTIVES: A whole body vibration platform using vertical oscillation has been shown to be efficacious in reducing vocal fatigue in adults. This study aimed to investigate whether this platform-generated whole body vibration was unique in reducing vocal fatigue by comparing it with self-generated whole body vibration. METHODS: Twenty-four female adults (mean age = 23.96 years) were randomly assigned to one of the following three groups: a machine-generated whole body vibration group (N = 8), a self-generated whole body vibration group (N = 8), and a placebo vocal resting group (N = 8)...

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COVID-19 reaffirms the vital role of superspreaders in a pandemic. We propose to broaden the research on superspreaders through integrating human mobility data and geographical factors to identify superspreading environment. Six types of popular public facilities were selected: bars, shopping centres, karaoke/cinemas, mega shopping malls, public libraries, and sports centres. A historical dataset on mobility was used to calculate the generalized activity space and space-time prism of individuals during a pre-pandemic period...

BACKGROUND: Cambodia has been well recognized for its success in the fight against the HIV epidemic. However, challenges remain in eliminating HIV infections in key populations, including women working in entertainment establishments, such as massage parlors, karaoke bars, or beer gardens. This study explored the prevalence of HIV and identified factors associated with HIV infection among female entertainment workers (FEWs) in Cambodia. METHODS: This national biological and behavioral survey was conducted in 2016 in Phnom Penh and 17 provinces...

OBJECTIVES: It is especially difficult for hospitality workers to avoid secondhand smoke (SHS), meaning that they are likely particularly vulnerable to the effects of SHS. The authors aimed to determine the degree to which smoke-free laws protect hospitality workers from SHS exposure, by examining biochemical markers of such exposure. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study examining SHS exposure in non-smoking employees working in hospitality settings where smoking is prohibited or permitted...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Speech production variability introduces significant challenges for existing speech technologies such as speaker identification (SID), speaker diarization, speech recognition, and language identification (ID). There has been limited research analyzing changes in acoustic characteristics for speech produced by untrained singing versus speaking. To better understand changes in speech production of the untrained singing voice, this study presents the first cross-language comparison between normal speaking and untrained karaoke singing of the same text content...

Background: In the absence of a vaccine or treatment, the most pragmatic strategies against an infectious disease pandemic are extensive early detection testing and social distancing. This study aimed to summarize public and workplace responses to Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) and show how the Korean system has operated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Daily briefings from the Korean Center for Disease Control and the Central Disaster Management Headquarters were assembled from January 20 to May 15, 2020...

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of tinnitus among adolescents, and the factors known or hypothesized to be associated with tinnitus. Based on random sampling of school types and regions, a nationwide hearing survey of the first-year middle and high school students of South Korea was performed. The subjects underwent an otologic examination followed by pure tone audiometry up to 8 kHz. Questionnaires about the factors associated with hearing and tinnitus were completed by the students and their parents...

Beyond normal and non-imitative singing, the imitation of the timbre of another singer's voice, such as in Karaoke singing, involves the demanding reproduction of voice quality features and strongly depends on singing experience and practice. We show that precise voice imitation in a highly proficient and experienced vocal imitator, even in the absence of external auditory voice feedback, largely drew on internal cortico-subcortical auditory resources to control voicing errors based on imagined voice performance...

Beyond the monopoly environment of the early 100% Condom Use Program in Cambodia, less is known about how current female entertainment workers negotiate condom use on their own, and what factors impact that negotiation. This study aims to understand the experiences of current female entertainment workers in negotiating condom use with clients in Cambodia. Data collection occurred over a period of 3 weeks (August-September 2017) with concurrent data transcription and translation. A total of 27 focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted in the following groups: pilot FGD (5), karaoke bar (5), massage parlor (5), beer garden (5), on-call sex workers (3), cross-venue groups exploring parenting issues (2), and street-based sex workers (2)...

We tested whether karaoke training improves cognitive skills and reduces the risk of physical function impairments. We conducted a single-blinded randomized controlled trial in 26 elderly participants at residential care facilities, who were generally healthy or required the lowest level of care. Participants were near the threshold for mild cognitive impairment with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and close to the sarcopenia cut-off with the skeletal muscle mass index. Pulmonary function as measured with spirometry and tongue strength were used as markers for physical functions affected by sarcopenia...

BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common and important cause of pain and disability, but interventions aimed at modifying structures visible on imaging have been disappointing. While OA affects the whole joint, synovitis and effusion have been recognised as having a role in the pathogenesis of OA. Krill oil reduces knee pain and systemic inflammation and could be used for targeting inflammatory mechanisms of OA. METHODS/DESIGN: We will recruit 260 patients with clinical knee OA, significant knee pain and effusion-synovitis present on MRI in five Australian cities (Hobart, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth)...

Background: Female entertainment workers (FEWs) in Cambodia work in predominantly alcohol-based venues and therefore may face occupational risks. Studies have suggested that FEWs are pressured to consume alcohol while at the workplace, which may have adverse health outcomes. This study aims to explore the experiences of alcohol use among FEWs in Cambodia. Methods: Twenty-seven focus group discussions (FGDs) with FEWs were conducted across five sites in four provinces in Cambodia. FGD participants were FEWs who worked at entertainment venues, including karaoke TV bars, beer gardens, and massage parlors, as well as women who worked as on-call or street-based sex workers, and women across entertainment venues who were parenting...

BACKGROUND: Vibration is commonly used to relax tension in the limb and truck muscle. Vibration used directly on the muscle concerned and vertical vibration used on the whole-body through a foot platform have been reported in the literature to be useful to release muscle tension. AIM: The present study investigated the effect of indirect whole-body vibration (WBV) and direct localized perilaryngeal vibration (LPV) on the phonatory functions of nondysphonic individuals with vocal fatigue...

A cross-sectional study was conducted among indirect FSWs (a type of FSWs who provide sex services under the cover of entertainment or recreational enterprises) in Denpasar, Bali from August to October 2017 to investigate factors associated with protected sex with clients using the Health Belief Model (HBM) framework. The protected sex as a dependent variable was identified through self-reported consistency in using condoms with clients in the last month. Independent variables consisted of six HBM constructs and three main groups of modifying factors (personal, sex work, and interventional factors)...

Sexual infidelity plays a significant role in the high rate of spousal transmission of HIV in Cambodia. The sexual beliefs and attitudes of a person begin in childhood and are developed through multiple chains in early adolescence, affecting his or her future sexual behavior and future incidence of HIV. A deeper understanding of the perspectives of adolescents regarding infidelity is critical to effective HIV prevention efforts during adulthood. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, this study explored the perceptions of male adolescents regarding male infidelity...

OBJECTIVE: Public opinion and support can be powerful mandates for smoke-free policy. However, the scarcity of evidence on public opinion among Malaysians necessitates further investigation. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the level of support for smoke-free policy at various public domains and its associated factors among Malaysian adults. DESIGN: Data were derived from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey, Malaysia (GATS-M). GATS-M is a nationwide study that employed a multistage, proportionate-to-size sampling strategy to select a representative sample of 5112 Malaysian adults aged 15 years and above...

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Mechanisms underlying the distress of hyperarousal in people with insomnia remain enigmatic. We investigated whether insomnia impedes the overnight adaptation to emotional distress. METHODS: We induced the distressful self-conscious emotion of shame four times across three consecutive days by exposing 64 participants to their often embarrassingly out-of-tune singing, recorded earlier during a Karaoke session. Perceived physical, emotional, and social distress was assessed with the Experiential Shame Scale...

BACKGROUND: The prevention of suicidal ideation plays a key role in reducing suicide rates. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of suicidal ideation among college students in Jilin Province, China, and to analyse the risk factors associated with suicidal ideation. METHODS: A total of 6284 valid data collection sheets were collected using the stratified cluster sampling method. The data collected were divided into four sections, namely, socio-demographic information, family and social interactions, daily habits, and mental health self-rating scales...