Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37687865›Full record

ArticleSensors (Basel, Switzerland)2023

Perforated Concave Earplug (pCEP): A Proof-of-Concept Earplug to Improve Sound Localization without Compromising Noise Attenuation.

Nir Fink, Rachel Levitas, Arik Eisenkraft, Linn Wagnert-Avraham, S David Gertz, Leah Fostick

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Sensors (Basel, Switzerland), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 42% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Nir FinkDepartment of Communication Disorders, Acoustics and Noise Research Lab in the Name of Laurent Levy, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel.ORCID 0000-0002-4937-2628
Rachel LevitasIsrael Defense Forces Medical Corps, Hakirya 6473424, Israel.
Arik EisenkraftInstitute for Research in Military Medicine (IRMM), Faculty of Medicine of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel.ORCID 0000-0002-9368-3490
Linn Wagnert-AvrahamInstitute for Research in Military Medicine (IRMM), Faculty of Medicine of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel.
S David GertzInstitute for Research in Military Medicine (IRMM), Faculty of Medicine of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel.ORCID 0000-0003-0273-3972
Leah FostickDepartment of Communication Disorders, Auditory Perception Lab in the Name of Laurent Levy, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel.ORCID 0000-0003-3594-6229
Hebrew University of Jerusalem · ILIsrael Defense Forces Medical Corps · ILAriel University · IL

Funding

Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps #4440697173Ministry of Defense #4440796070
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Combat soldiers are currently faced with using a hearing-protection device (HPD) at the cost of adequately detecting critical signals impacting mission success. The current study tested the performance of the Perforated-Concave-Earplug (pCEP), a proof-of-concept passive HPD consisting of a concave bowl-like rigid structure attached to a commercial roll-down earplug, designed to improve sound localization with minimal compromising of noise attenuation. Primarily intended for combat/military training settings, our aim was an evaluation of localization of relevant sound sources (single/multiple gunfire, continuous noise, spoken word) compared to 3M™-Combat-Arms™4.1 earplugs in open-mode and 3M™-E-A-R™-Classic™ earplugs. Ninety normal-hearing participants, aged 20-35 years, were asked to localize stimuli delivered from monitors evenly distributed around them in no-HPD and with-HPD conditions. The results showed (1) localization abilities worsened using HPDs; (2) the spoken word was localized less accurately than other stimuli; (3) mean root mean square errors (RMSEs) were largest for stimuli emanating from rear monitors; and (4) localization abilities corresponded to HPD attenuation levels (largest attenuation and mean RMSE: 3M™-E-A-R™-Classic™; smallest attenuation and mean RMSE: 3M™-Combat-Arms™4.1; pCEP was mid-range on both). These findings suggest that the pCEP may benefit in military settings by providing improved sound localization relative to 3M™ E-A-R™-Classic™ and higher attenuation relative to 3M™-Combat Arms™-4.1, recommending its use in noisy environments.

Indexed as

Military PersonnelSound LocalizationEar Protective DevicesHumansSoundhearing protection devicesmilitary noiseperforated concave earplugs (pCEP)sound localization

Identifiers

PMID37687865
PMCPMC10490414
OpenAlexW4386161750

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.