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Braun R, Tfirn M, Ford RM. Listening to life: Sonification for enhancing discovery in biological research. Biotechnol Bioeng 2024. [PMID: 38678506 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
Sonification, or the practice of generating sound from data, is a promising alternative or complement to data visualization for exploring research questions in the life sciences. Expressing or communicating data in the form of sound rather than graphs, tables, or renderings can provide a secondary information source for multitasking or remote monitoring purposes or make data accessible when visualizations cannot be used. While popular in astronomy, neuroscience, and geophysics as a technique for data exploration and communication, its potential in the biological and biotechnological sciences has not been fully explored. In this review, we introduce sonification as a concept, some examples of how sonification has been used to address areas of interest in biology, and the history of the technique. We then highlight a selection of biology-related publications that involve sonifications of DNA datasets and protein datasets, sonifications for data collection and interpretation, and sonifications aimed to improve science communication and accessibility. Through this review, we aim to show how sonification has been used both as a discovery tool and a communication tool and to inspire more life-science researchers to incorporate sonification into their own studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhea Braun
- Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Maxwell Tfirn
- Department of Music, Christopher Newport University, Newport News, Virginia, USA
| | - Roseanne M Ford
- Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
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Clarke H, Leav S, Zestic J, Mohamed I, Salisbury I, Sanderson P. Enhanced Neonatal Pulse Oximetry Sounds for the First Minutes of Life: A Laboratory Trial. HUMAN FACTORS 2024; 66:1017-1036. [PMID: 35993422 DOI: 10.1177/00187208221118472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Auditory enhancements to the pulse oximetry tone may help clinicians detect deviations from target ranges for oxygen saturation (SpO2) and heart rate (HR). BACKGROUND Clinical guidelines recommend target ranges for SpO2 and HR during neonatal resuscitation in the first 10 minutes after birth. The pulse oximeter currently maps HR to tone rate, and SpO2 to tone pitch. However, deviations from target ranges for SpO2 and HR are not easy to detect. METHOD Forty-one participants were presented with 30-second simulated scenarios of an infant's SpO2 and HR levels in the first minutes after birth. Tremolo marked distinct HR ranges and formants marked distinct SpO2 ranges. Participants were randomly allocated to conditions: (a) No Enhancement control, (b) Enhanced HR Only, (c) Enhanced SpO2 Only, and (d) Enhanced Both. RESULTS Participants in the Enhanced HR Only and Enhanced SpO2 Only conditions identified HR and SpO2 ranges, respectively, more accurately than participants in the No Enhancement condition, ps < 0.001. In the Enhanced Both condition, the tremolo enhancement of HR did not affect participants' ability to identify SpO2 range, but the formants enhancement of SpO2 may have attenuated participants' ability to identify tremolo-enhanced HR range. CONCLUSION Tremolo and formant enhancements improve range identification for HR and SpO2, respectively, and could improve clinicians' ability to identify SpO2 and HR ranges in the first minutes after birth. APPLICATION Enhancements to the pulse oximeter tone to indicate clinically important ranges could improve the management of oxygen delivery to the neonate during resuscitation in the first 10 minutes after birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugh Clarke
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Samnang Leav
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Jelena Zestic
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Ismail Mohamed
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Isaac Salisbury
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Penelope Sanderson
- School of Psychology
- School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, and
- School of Clinical Medicine, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
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Hinckfuss K, Sanderson PM, Brecknell B, Loeb RG, Liu D, Liley H. Evaluating enhanced pulse oximetry auditory displays for neonatal oxygen targeting: A randomized laboratory trial with clinicians and non-clinicians. APPLIED ERGONOMICS 2023; 107:103918. [PMID: 36395550 DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2022.103918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Standard pulse oximeter auditory tones do not clearly indicate departures from the target range of oxygen saturation (SpO2) of 90%-95% in preterm neonates. We tested whether acoustically enhanced tones would improve participants' ability to identify SpO2 range. Twenty-one clinicians and 23 non-clinicians used (1) standard pulse oximetry variable-pitch tones plus alarms; (2) beacon-enhanced tones without alarms in which reference tones were inserted before standard pulse tones when SpO2 was outside target range; and (3) tremolo-enhanced tones without alarms in which pulse tones were modified with tremolo when SpO2 was outside target range. For clinicians, range identification accuracies (mean (SD)) in the standard, beacon, and tremolo conditions were 52% (16%), 73% (14%) and 76% (13%) respectively, and for non-clinicians 49% (16%), 76% (13%) and 72% (14%) respectively, with enhanced conditions always significantly more accurate than standard. Acoustic enhancements to pulse oximetry clearly indicate departures from preterm neonates' target SpO2 range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Hinckfuss
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Penelope M Sanderson
- Schools of Psychology, Clinical Medicine, and ITEE, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
| | - Birgit Brecknell
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Robert G Loeb
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - David Liu
- Sunshine Coast University Hospital, Queensland, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Helen Liley
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
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Sanderson PM, Loeb RG, Liley H, Liu D, Paterson E, Hinckfuss K, Zestic J. Signaling Patient Oxygen Desaturation with Enhanced Pulse Oximetry Tones. Biomed Instrum Technol 2022; 56:46-57. [PMID: 35671368 PMCID: PMC9767428 DOI: 10.2345/0899-8205-56.2.46] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Manufacturers could improve the pulse tones emitted by pulse oximeters to support more accurate identification of a patient's peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) range. In this article, we outline the strengths and limitations of the variable-pitch tone that represents SpO2 of each detected pulse, and we argue that enhancements to the tone to demarcate clinically relevant ranges are feasible and desirable. The variable-pitch tone is an appreciated and trusted feature of the pulse oximeter's user interface. However, studies show that it supports relative judgments of SpO2 trends over time and is less effective at supporting absolute judgments about the SpO2 number or conveying when SpO2 moves into clinically important ranges. We outline recent studies that tested whether acoustic enhancements to the current tone could convey clinically important ranges more directly, without necessarily using auditory alarms. The studies cover the use of enhanced variable-pitch pulse oximeter tones for neonatal and adult use. Compared with current tones, the characteristics of the enhanced tones represent improvements that are both clinically relevant and statistically significant. We outline the benefits of enhanced tones, as well as discuss constraints of which developers of enhanced tones should be aware if enhancements are to be successful.
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Affiliation(s)
- Penelope M Sanderson
- Penelope M. Sanderson, PhD, is professor of cognitive engineering and human factors in the Schools of Psychology, Clinical Medicine, and Information Technology and Electrical Engineering at The University of Queensland in Queensland, Australia.
| | - Robert G Loeb
- Robert G. Loeb, MD, is an honorary professor in the School of Psychology at The University of Queensland in Queensland, Australia, and an emeritus clinical professor at University of Florida-Gainesville
| | - Helen Liley
- Helen Liley, MBCh, FRACP, is a senior staff specialist at Mater Mothers' Hospital and a professor in the Faculty of Medicine at The University of Queensland in Queensland, Australia
| | - David Liu
- David Liu, MBBS, PhD, is an anaesthetics registrar at Sunshine Coast University Hospital in Queensland, Australia, and a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine at The University of Queensland in Queensland, Australia
| | - Estrella Paterson
- Estrella Paterson, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Psychology at The University of Queensland in Queensland, Australia
| | - Kelly Hinckfuss
- Kelly Hinckfuss, MPhil, is a clinical masters student in the School of Psychology at The University of Queensland in Queensland, Australia
| | - Jelena Zestic
- Jelena Zestic, PhD, is a human systems engineer at Boeing Research and Technology in Brisbane, Australia
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Sanderson PM, Loeb RG, Liley H, Liu D, Paterson E, Hinckfuss K, Zestic J. Signaling Patient Oxygen Desaturation with Enhanced Pulse Oximetry Tones. Biomed Instrum Technol 2022. [PMID: 35671368 DOI: 10.2345/1943-5967-56.2.46] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Manufacturers could improve the pulse tones emitted by pulse oximeters to support more accurate identification of a patient's peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) range. In this article, we outline the strengths and limitations of the variable-pitch tone that represents SpO2 of each detected pulse, and we argue that enhancements to the tone to demarcate clinically relevant ranges are feasible and desirable. The variable-pitch tone is an appreciated and trusted feature of the pulse oximeter's user interface. However, studies show that it supports relative judgments of SpO2 trends over time and is less effective at supporting absolute judgments about the SpO2 number or conveying when SpO2 moves into clinically important ranges. We outline recent studies that tested whether acoustic enhancements to the current tone could convey clinically important ranges more directly, without necessarily using auditory alarms. The studies cover the use of enhanced variable-pitch pulse oximeter tones for neonatal and adult use. Compared with current tones, the characteristics of the enhanced tones represent improvements that are both clinically relevant and statistically significant. We outline the benefits of enhanced tones, as well as discuss constraints of which developers of enhanced tones should be aware if enhancements are to be successful.
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Affiliation(s)
- Penelope M Sanderson
- Penelope M. Sanderson, PhD, is professor of cognitive engineering and human factors in the Schools of Psychology, Clinical Medicine, and Information Technology and Electrical Engineering at The University of Queensland in Queensland, Australia.
| | - Robert G Loeb
- Robert G. Loeb, MD, is an honorary professor in the School of Psychology at The University of Queensland in Queensland, Australia, and an emeritus clinical professor at University of Florida-Gainesville
| | - Helen Liley
- Helen Liley, MBCh, FRACP, is a senior staff specialist at Mater Mothers' Hospital and a professor in the Faculty of Medicine at The University of Queensland in Queensland, Australia
| | - David Liu
- David Liu, MBBS, PhD, is an anaesthetics registrar at Sunshine Coast University Hospital in Queensland, Australia, and a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine at The University of Queensland in Queensland, Australia
| | - Estrella Paterson
- Estrella Paterson, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Psychology at The University of Queensland in Queensland, Australia
| | - Kelly Hinckfuss
- Kelly Hinckfuss, MPhil, is a clinical masters student in the School of Psychology at The University of Queensland in Queensland, Australia
| | - Jelena Zestic
- Jelena Zestic, PhD, is a human systems engineer at Boeing Research and Technology in Brisbane, Australia
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Paterson E, Sanderson PM, Salisbury IS, Burgmann FP, Mohamed I, Loeb RG, Paterson NA. Evaluation of an enhanced pulse oximeter auditory display: a simulation study. Br J Anaesth 2020; 125:826-834. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bja.2020.05.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
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