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The soundscape study of an eastern Indian coastal city (Puri) has been investigated. Acoustic data were collected at 36 sampling locations during two time intervals in and around Puri. A number of noise indices, namely, Lmin, Lmax, and Leq, were calculated to demonstrate the noise level of this city. Noise maps are generated using ARC-GIS to investigate the impact of road traffic noise on the soundscape of the city. The response of the public was appraised by a questionnaire. Due to variable traffic features, the equivalent noise level (Leq) as well as peak (L 10 ) and background noise (L 90 ) levels varied with location and time of the day. It was found that socio-demographic characteristics have no bearing on the amount of annoyance. However, a link was observed between age, hearing condition, and noise perception, as well as between gender and impacts of noise., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The accurate prediction of noise levels at outdoor locations requires detailed data of the noise sources and terrain parameters and an efficient model for prediction. However, the possibility of predicting noise with reasonable accuracy using less input data is a challenge and needs to be studied scientifically. The qualities of the noise data, terrain parameters, and prediction model can impact the accuracy of the prediction significantly. This study primarily focuses on the dependency of noise data for efficient noise prediction and mapping. This research article proposes a detailed methodology to predict and map the noise and exposure levels in Ratapur, Uttar Pradesh, India, with various granularities of noise data inputs. The noise levels were measured at various places and at different times of the day at 10 min intervals. Different data input proportions and qualities were used for noise prediction, namely, (1) a large data-based method, (2) a small data-based method, (3) a source point average data-based method, (4) a Google navigation data-based method, and (5) accurate modelling using an ANN-based method, integrating accurate noise data with a sophisticated modelling algorithm for noise prediction. The analysis of the variation between the predicted and measured noise levels was conducted for all five of the methods using the ANOVA technique. Various methods based on less noise data methods predicted the noise levels with accuracies within the ±4–10 dB(A) range, while the ANN-based technique predicted it with an accuracy of ±0.5–2.5 dB(A). Interestingly, the estimation of the noise exposure levels (>85 dB(A)) and the identification of hazard zones around the studied road intersection could also be performed efficiently even when using the data-deficient models. This paper also showcased the possibility of predicting an accurate 3D map for an area by extracting vehicles and terrain features from satellite images without any direct recording of noise data. This paper thus demonstrated approaches to reduce the noise data dependency for noise prediction and mapping and to enable accurate noise-hazard zonation mapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence of the health impacts from environmental noise has largely been drawn from studies in high-income countries, which has then been used to inform development of noise guidelines. It is unclear whether findings in high-income countries can be readily translated into policy contexts in low-middle-income-countries (LMICs). We conducted this systematic review to summarise noise epidemiological studies in LMICs. We conducted a literature search of studies in Medline and Web of Science published during 2009-2021, supplemented with specialist journal hand searches. Screening, data extraction, assessment of risk of bias as well as overall quality and strength of evidence were conducted following established guidelines (e.g. Navigation Guide). 58 studies were identified, 53% of which were from India, China and Bulgaria. Most (92%) were cross-sectional studies. 53% of studies assessed noise exposure based on fixed-site measurements using sound level meters and 17% from propagation-based noise models. Mean noise exposure among all studies ranged from 48 to 120 dB (L eq ), with over half of the studies (52%) reporting the mean between 60 and 80 dB. The most studied health outcome was noise annoyance (43% of studies), followed by cardiovascular (17%) and mental health outcomes (17%). Studies generally reported a positive (i.e. adverse) relationship between noise exposure and annoyance. Some limited evidence based on only two studies showing that long-term noise exposure may be associated with higher prevalence of cardiovascular outcomes in adults. Findings on mental health outcomes were inconsistent across the studies. Overall, 4 studies (6%) had "probably low", 18 (31%) had "probably high" and 36 (62%) had "high" risk of bias. Quality of evidence was rated as 'low' for mental health outcomes and 'very low' for all other outcomes. Strength of evidence for each outcome was assessed as 'inadequate', highlighting high-quality epidemiological studies are urgently needed in LMICs to strengthen the evidence base., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

This paper describes the long-term noise monitoring data for ten consecutive years (2011-2020) acquired from the diversified National Ambient Noise Monitoring Network (NANMN) set up across 7 major cities of India and consisting of 70 stations for continuous noise monitoring throughout the year. The annual average ambient noise levels observed throughout these ten years in 70 locations under study, including 25 locations in commercial zones, 12 in industrial, 16 in residential, and 17 in silence zones, are described. The noise scenario in these ten years is compared and analyzed. It is observed that no site in residential or silence zones meets the ambient noise limits for the past ten years. The study suggests guidelines for a policy framework for environmental noise management and control to regulate noise pollution in Indian cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In exploring the role of mediated noise in socio-political discourse, this paper discusses how noise as an element of the communication model with interruption as its fixed meaning needs reconsideration. Against the backdrop of criticism by the media critics and analysts about high decibel debates in broadcast media, this paper critically analyses the centrality of mediated noise in the political and public discourse in India. Noise, it argues, has emerged as a political device and a discursive weapon employed by the dominant stakeholders, capable of steering discourse and manipulating the public opinion that diverts attention from the pressing issues and emphasizes the political wrangling between the stakeholders while disrupting the discursive process. It underscores how dominant groups produce, manage, and mediate noise as a part of their discursive strategy that simulates constructed sincerity and its unquestionable existence. It is shown that meticulously crafted and stage-managed debate panels in broadcast media are aimed at creating a visual spectacle and are driven by commercial and political interests rather than the concern for informed discourse and debate. Noise, in this sense, is a sound that persuasively refers to its significance, as it creates a realm of discursive ambiguity and undermines a discursive process and its subsequent knowledge. Thus, noise is argued to be a form of discursive violence that manifests in the form of voices that distort the facts, dismiss, or deride a narrative, suppress opposing viewpoints, negate the possibility of discussion, and sabotage opportunities for discourse by creating an atmosphere of fear and violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noise is an underestimated threat that can cause several short- and long-term health problems. It is increasingly becoming a potential hazard to health, physically and psychologically, and affects the general well-being of an individual. The objective of the current study was to examine noise levels at ten different locations in the city of Bhubaneswar, Odisha State, India based on the land use pattern in urban and rural setup. The paper focuses on deploying geospatial techniques using ArcGIS desktop to perform better sampling and further interpolate the statistical data using the Kriging technique to generate a surface representing the distribution of noise levels in various areas. In addition, a health impact survey enabled us to understand the perspectives of the people in and around the monitoring location where health issues like stress, headache, hypertension, and sleeping disorders emerged as some of the most common issues faced. Noise levels were in the range of 43.0 to 74.5 (A) Leq. in rural areas and 61 to 96.5 dB (A) Leq in urban areas. In the current study, noise levels in rural and urban areas exceeded the recommended noise limits as per The Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper has intended to explore the noise level and vulnerability to noise produced in the stone mining and crushing area and the surroundings in the heavily stressed stone mining and crushing area of Middle catchment of Dwarka river basin of Eastern India. Field-based noise recording has been done at different times in every recorded days. Fuzzy logic-based weighting and integration of eight parameters have been done in four selected cluster for noise susceptibility mapping. For exploring noise annoyance odd and risk ratio have been computed for different communities. From the recorded noise level in stone crushing clusters, it is found that the noise level is > 85 dBA from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. when the stone crushers are running on and it is above the ambient noise threshold defined by Central Pollution Control Board in 2000. Maximum noise level is recorded as 112.41 dBA which may cause deafness. Noise intensity gradually decreases from crushing centre towards outside and it prevails up to 500–650 m away from the crushing unit. Noise vulnerable areas constructed based on eight noise level addressing and noise effect indicating parameters using fuzzy logic revealed that about 10.46–27.98% areas fall under very high to high noise vulnerable zones. Therefore, the labourers and the peoples who are living at close proximity of crusher units are highly prone to noise pollution along with stone dust pollution. The effect of noise is highly age and sex sensitive due to their differences in physical strength. These findings could effectively be used for saving the exposed communities from noise vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noise pollution in an urban environment is an issue of serious concern in the major cities of India. There are various factors that contribute to the increase of noise levels in urban areas. The intensity of traffic is one of the factors which contributes to a drastic increase in environmental noise. The management of noise pollution has to be considered in the decision making process. In this paper, an attempt is made to study the existing noise level due to the traffic in Velachery which is declared as a sensitive area by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF). The noise level data is collected using the MS6710 digital sound meter. The Custic simulation software version 3.2 is used for finding the propagation of noise. The spatial patterns of measurement were also calculated, in the sub-urban area of Velachery, Chennai, Tamilnadu, India. A means of transmitting this data to vehicles moving in the area, through a wireless medium is simulated using NCTUns 6.0 (network simulator), to enable drivers to understand the environmental conditions. A hardware was also designed which can be used to transmit and receive the noise data using the Zigbee module. A noise transmitting station is placed at a junction, so that it can transmit this noise data to the receivers which are fitted inside the vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Human's day to day lifestyle, Population growth, human activities in urban and rural places have a great impact on the improvement in transportation zone. Mainly the noise level is increased by the traffic Vehicles such as Government vehicles, Private vehicles, commercial vehicles are caused the noise. Noise is created by traffic is causes many harmful effects such as highly increasing of stress, Sleepiness, difficulties in communication and hearing losses (it may be Permanent or Temporary hearing losses) problem. Hence it is required to monitoring the status of traffic noise produced by the number of vehicles. In the present work, monitoring the ambient noise level along a state highway corridor on State Highway(SH-85) passing through Magadi Taluk to Somwarpet Taluk via, Ramangar, Tumkuru, Mandya, Mysuru, Hassan Distrcict has been considered. We studied noise level at different location in Nagamangala. The data was collected from 2 different locations over a period of 6 months and noise level was compared. Noise level monitoring was conducted day and night twice in 6 months, at two different locations and results were discussed. The monitoring ambient noise level results were discussed with Prescribed Standards. Monitoring of Ambient Noise Level, locations, Methods and Methodology's, Results and Discussions are also described in this Paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of noise pollution are associated with the mental, physical, emotional and psychological well-being of an individual. Its damaging effects from various natural and man-made sources are potential hazards that need to be checked at the planning, executive and judicial levels. The paper presents an overview of the technological aspects of noise pollution, and seeks to visit its legislative aspects with respect to India. Excerpts from international laws are presented for a meaningful discussion. References are made from the conclusions of studies carried out by researchers and legislative cases involving noise pollution to make this paper useful for researchers, planners and administrators.

Noise pollution, an urban territorial phenomenon, is assuming serious proportions in Delhi, the third largest urban centre of India. The frequency and intensity of pollution has been increasing day by day. The present study reviews the data on sources, intensity and health implications of pollutants collected through household survey using questionnaires from two contrasting density areas; one from high-density area and another from low-density area. The analysis reveals that tremendous increase in population, industrial activities, unchecked growth in vehicular traffic and rapidly changing life style are the major factors that have created and aggravated the problem of pollution in the study area. The major health implications include annoyance, disturbance in sleep, interference with communication and other harmful effects. With the help of regression analysis, the cause and effect relationship between the intensity of pollution and occurrence of diseases among sampled households of Delhi has been established by this study. Some suggestions such as land use and transportation planning are also given in this paper for mitigating and managing the noise pollution problem in the sustainable urban development perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major objective of the investigation was to evaluate the road traffic noise and its likely impacts on the local community of Asansol city (West Bengal, India) by monitoring and modeling. The attitudinal response of local population due to existing vehicular noise is presented in the paper. Noise and Attitudinal Survey was conducted at 25 locations. A total of 869 individuals were surveyed. The relationship between traffic noise levels and annoyance was studied using correlation, linear and multiple linear regressions analysis. The average Ldn value was 73.28 ± 8.51 dB(A) (55.1–87.3); The Traffic Noise Index (TNI) was 80.62 ± 15.88 dB(A) (49.4–115.8). The mean value of percent of population Highly Annoyed (%HA) due to road traffic noise was 26.50 ± 3.37 (19.44–33.2), whereas the mean dissatisfaction score (MDS) was 2.96 ± 0.90 (1.04–4.45). Annoyance modeling was also performed based on field data. It can be said that Noise values gives desirable annoyance predicting values in comparison to vehicular data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A corollary to industrialization and urbanization is a significant increase in noise levels. In many industrial settings, the noise levels are such that they are potential health hazards. There are many studies which suggest that prolonged exposures to high noise levels have a negative impact on various aspects of human physiology. However, not much work has been conducted in studying the effects of various noise frequencies in the industrial environment. This paper has made an attempt to identify various noise frequency components to which the workers of six major industries in Mysore (Karnataka State, India) are being exposed, and their effects on the physical, physiological, and psychological systems of the working community with respect to their noisy industrial environment. The study results showed that the sampled industrial workers were repeatedly being exposed to noise of dominant low- and mid-octave band center frequencies. It is found that symptoms such as 'eye ball pressure,' 'awakening from sleep,' 'pains in neck,' 'frequent ear vibration,' 'chronic fatigue,' 'repeated headache,' 'backache,' and 'repeated ear pulsation' are observed to be highly associated with low- and mid-octave band center frequency noise exposure among the sampled workers. Furthermore, among the major psychological symptoms identified to be associated with octave band center frequencies, it is evident that 'irritability' is highly associated with low- and mid-octave band noise frequency characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambient noise tomography is a powerful tool that has found increasing application in reservoir analysis and imaging. The Cachar fold belt in lower Assam, northeast India encompasses several wells under active hydrocarbon production, along with several dry wells. To overcome the lack of active seismic data over the entire fold belt, a passive seismic study was carried out to image the concealed three‐dimensional sub‐surface structures. The data were recorded from February to November 2011 by a network of 65 wideband seismometers spanning an area of about 40 × 60 km2. The data are crosscorrelated in the 2–5 s band, followed by phase‐weighted stacking to estimate noise correlation functions with surface wave signatures. The traveltimes picked from the frequency‐time analysis are utilized in a tomographic inversion for Rayleigh wave group velocities. The group velocity anomalies have a lateral resolution of ~ 3.5 × 5.5 km2 and variations of up to ±20%$\pm 20\%$ for each period. The group velocities are in turn inverted for S‐wave velocity distribution as a function of depth. The three‐dimensional S‐wave velocity tomograms reveal the tight anticlines and broad synclines, with high‐ and low‐velocity zones corresponding to structural highs and lows, respectively. The structural interpretation is supported for the part of the region with producing wells and covered by active seismic data, wherein the post‐stack time migrated seismic section shows anticlinal and synclinal features similar to those obtained from ambient noise tomography. The structures revealed by ambient noise tomography can help identify zones of interest to be targeted by active seismic surveys in the Cachar fold belt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forecasts of Indian summer monsoon rainfall (ISMR: June to September, JJAS) are issued prior to the onset of rainy season. Thus, an assessment of both potential and actual forecast skills for Indian summer monsoon rainfall should be based on a longer lead time. Based upon the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) fifth-generation seasonal forecast system (SEAS5), two lead times are considered: one with an April initial condition (IC) and the other with a May IC from 1981 through 2019 (39 years). Our results show that SEAS5 successfully represents the spatial patterns and variations in the mean JJAS precipitation in the ISMR region compared with the observed rainfall patterns. However, there seem to be significant discrepancies in the simulation of mean precipitation, particularly over topographical regions. SEAS5 is capable of reproducing the observed annual precipitation cycle in India. Moreover, the model is able to better predict the realistic ISMR teleconnections with El Niño-Southern Oscillation and the Indian Ocean Dipole at May ICs. The resulting forecasts across the region are characterized by moderate significant potential and actual skill in both leads, and it decreases as lead time increases. The predictability of SEAS5 is directly related to its ability to correctly predict the forcing of the tropical sea surface temperature and its teleconnections. In spite of this, both lead forecasts have a significant number of unpredicted events and false alarms. This study highlights model discrepancies, shows poor performance in predicting ISMR, and highlights the need for further research on this crucial issue of social relevance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sleep disturbance negatively affects recovery and survival of patients in intensive care units (ICUs). Aims and Objectives: This study aimed to measure the noise levels and evaluate the impact of a white noise app on the sleep quality of critically ill patients. Design: A quasi‐experimental time series pre‐test–post‐test control group design with repeated measures was adopted. Methods: The study was conducted in the high dependency unit (HDU) of a selected tertiary care hospital in Mangalore, Karnataka State, India. Conscious oriented patients with systolic blood pressure ranging from 100/70 to 140/90 mm Hg and hearing acuity of at most 20 dB in both ears were included in the study. Noise levels in the HDU were measured using calibrated sound level meter on weekdays/weekends in three different shifts and an average of 24 readings was obtained per shift. A 4‐point Likert scale was used to assess the sleep quality. The intervention included administration of white noise app twice a day, for three consecutive days by using different masking sounds such as white noise on day 1 which resembles to a humming AC conditioner, pink noise on day 2 which resembles to the sound of ocean waves and brown noise on day 3 which resembles a steady rainfall. The app was used with the help of JBL earphones C10SI an excellent noise cancellation and noise isolating earphone. Results: Among the 54 subjects, the mean age of the patients was 40.28 years, majority 34 (63%) were males. The noise level in the ICU was more than 60 dB. There was a significant difference in the sleep quality after the application of the white noise app in the experimental group on Day 1 (Z = −3.996; P =.001), Day 2 (Z = −3.302; P =.001), and Day 3 (−2.822; P =.005) compared to the control group. Conclusion: Adoption of technology driven noise reduction applications would enhance the quality of sleep among the ICU patients. Relevance to clinical practice: The use of a technology‐driven application helps control noise levels which promotes improved sleep quality among critically ill patients in the intensive care units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New Keynesian dynamic stochastic general equilibrium models with various specifications of technology, markup, and interest rate shocks are estimated with Indian data using Kalman filter based pure and Bayesian likelihood estimation. Preference and interest rate shocks are found to be important for output determination, whereas markup and interest rate shocks are important for inflation. News, as contained in stock market variables and arising from anticipated interest rates, affects growth of gross domestic product. Interest rate shock is anticipated at horizon of one quarter and out of total variance explained by interest rate shock, one third is due to the anticipated shock. Anticipated interest rate shock diminishes the share of preference shock in output determination. Although markup shock has a large share, its persistence is low. There is evidence that permanent component of technology is not well anticipated. Once we incorporate this, technology shocks affect output more, although they still remain much below US levels. Implications for policy include forward guidance on interest rates, less reaction to short‐term supply shocks, and allowing technology shocks to play out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: India has over 50 million workers employed in industries with exposure to very high sound levels, predisposing them to noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis by using the following criteria: (1) Observational or experimental studies conducted in India; (2) English language studies; (3) Published during January 2010--December 2019; (4) Primary outcome: proportion of participants detected with NIHL. We reviewed bibliographic databases (PubMed, Scopus, and DOAJ) and Google Scholar, and extracted the relevant data. Results: A total of 160 documents were identified after removing duplicates, and 33 full texts were screened, of which 22 studies were included. The mean (SD) effective sample size of the studies was 107.1 (78.9). The pooled proportion of participants with NIHL irrespective of the category was 0.49 (95%CI: 0.22--0.76) and that of hearing loss was 0.53 (95%CI: 0.28-- 0.78). Most studies reported that none of the workers, especially in the informal sectors, used auditory protection. Conclusions: NIHL is a major neglected public health occupational health challenge in India linked with adverse social determinants of health. Sustained advocacy for implementation of legislative and behavior change communication for protecting the hearing of workers is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on various studies related to noise of vibration as of April 2013. It mentions that dynamic behavior of structures may be changed by the presence of human occupants. It states that whole-body vibration (WBV) can be affective by gender differences under standing posture. It adds that D. Banarjee conducted a study on impacts of traffic noise to human health in India.

• Ambient noise levels in seven Indian cities is analyzed for lockdown period. • Noise scenario during the lock down and pre-lockdown period is presented. • A pronounced reduction in ambient noise levels was observed. • Strategy for noise control in residential and silence zone sites is suggested. The paper analyzed the impact of lockdown on the ambient noise levels in the seventy sites in the seven major cities of India and ascertained the noise scenario in lockdown period, and on the Janta Curfew day in comparison to the pre-lock down period and year 2019 annual average values. It was observed that the majority of the noise monitoring sites exhibited a decrement in ambient day and night equivalent noise levels on the national Janta Curfew day and Lockdown period as compared with the normal working days attributed to the restricted social, economical, industrial, urbanization activity and reduced human mobility. A mixed pattern was observed at a few sites, wherein the ambient day and night equivalent noise levels during Janta curfew day and Lockdown period had been reported to be higher than that on the normal working days. The study depicts the noise scenario during the lockdown and pre-lockdown period for seventy sites in India and shall be instrumental in analyzing the consequences and implications of imposing lockdowns in future on the environmental noise pollution in Indian cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The first study reports the noise emissions of indigenously made green crackers developed to reduce air emissions. • The study reveals the impact of fireworks noise on the ambient noise environment. • A prospective view of the legal noise regulations for the green crackers is discussed. • Measurement uncertainty associated with impulsive noise emissions is evaluated. • A six-hour (18.00 to 24.00 h) sound limit is recommended, particularly for the festival seasons. The paper reports the appraisal and analysis of impulsive noise emissions and associated measurement uncertainty for various firecrackers used commonly in Indian scenarios and indigenously made green crackers developed to reduce air emissions. The study is the first study on firecrackers noise in India on evaluation, analysis, and measurement uncertainty in noise emissions of green firecrackers that have now replaced the commercial crackers as per the recent judgment of the Supreme Court of India. The study analyzes the impact of fireworks noise on ambient noise scenarios and presents a perspective view of the legal noise regulations for the green crackers. The frequency-domain analysis, mathematical model correlating the impulsive noise with other time-averaged noise indicators and damage risk criteria, and noise-induced hearing loss due to cracker's noise are analyzed. Finally, the study recommends some technical aspects on the legal noise regulations in India for firecrackers noise that shall be crucial for reducing the environmental noise pollution and associated health hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the noise pollution problem in the Varanasi city and its effect on the exposed people. The study revealed the fact that noise levels have reached an alarming level. The result of the study indicated the fact that 85% of the people were disturbed by traffic noise, about 90% of the people reported that traffic noise is the main cause of headache, high BP problem, dizziness and fatigue. People having higher education and income level are much aware of the health impact due to traffic noise. Marital status was found to be significantly affecting the annoyance level caused by traffic noise. Traffic noise was found to be interfering daily activities such as at resting, reading, communication etc. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper studies work exposure of drivers and conductors of special state buses in Kolkata, India to noise, heat, respirable dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Equivalent noise exposures of drivers at work and in-bus noise are evaluated using a precision noise level meter. Thermal conditions like wet bulb globe temperature, relative humidity, and dry-bulb temperature were measured while plying through different traffic routes. Personal sampling techniques are adopted for dust and VOC monitoring and gas chromatography with flame ionisation detector was used to estimate VOCs. Drivers’ exposure to noise depended on the number of trips performed per day and exceeded the recommended American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists’ threshold limit value, mostly after a second trip. The WBGT index revealed strenuous conditions for the working group. Mean dust exposures for drivers and conductors were found to be much higher than the level proposed in the notice of intended changes of ACGIH TLV (1995–96) for diesel particulate matter. Exposure to benzene, toluene, and xylene exhibit higher results than reported elsewhere. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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Purpose: The current study aimed at observing how informational maskers with varying degrees of linguistic information affect working memory (WM) performance. The linguistic information in the maskers was varied by increasing the number of speakers in the babbles as well as by time-reversal of these babbles. Method: Backward digit (BD) span was measured on 24 normal-hearing native speakers of Kannada language. BD spans were measured under six background conditions – quiet, 2- and 8-speaker babbles (2SB and 8SB), time-reversed 2- and 8- speaker babbles (2RB and 8RB), and speech spectrum noise. The digits were presented at 75 dB SPL and the SNR was maintained at +5 dB to ensure complete audibility and intelligibility of the target digits. Using an adaptive procedure, BD span was calculated as the average of the last four reversals. Results: One-way repeated measures ANOVA showed that the 2SB caused the greatest deterioration in the BD spans. The 8SB and the two RBs resulted in significantly better scores than the 2SB, but were statistically no different from each other. The speech spectrum noise caused negligible deteriorations on the BD spans and was statistically similar to the quiet background condition. Conclusions: Results showed that the lexical-semantic information in the masker (2SB) causes the greatest deterioration in the WM scores, followed by acoustic–phonetic information (8SB and RBs). Energetic masking resulted in minimal deterioration on the BD spans. These results are further discussed based interpretations from different theories and models of working memory and speech perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the performative digital practices of India's feminist campaign group Blank Noise, with a focus on their 2016 project #WalkAlone. The event sought to explore and challenge embodied notions of female safety and visibility in night-time urban public spaces, by inviting women to walk alone in a place of their choosing between 9pm and midnight. In doing so, Blank Noise called on participants to 'walk alone, together', utilising digital documentation tools and media platforms to network these dispersed embodied acts. Drawing on my participation in #WalkAlone from the remote position of the UK alongside online documentation of the project, I examine how these tools established 'digital proximities' between participants, transforming our solitary acts into collective embodied action. I argue that Blank Noise's project extends Butler's notion of 'plural performativity' (2015) into a digital public sphere, by constructing a mode of embodied assembly within media spaces. Here, digital proximities between dispersed participants forged a concerted enactment from the private and personal actions of individual women, walking on the stage of the nocturnal city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategic noise maps are typically prepared for large-scale areas, towns and cities. However, some comparatively smaller industries are given less importance during preparation of noise maps. Very few studies have been reported worldwide providing insight on industrial noise mapping, and similar reports from India are negligible. This study provides a noise map of a forging plant and also investigates noise distribution pattern within 2 km of surrounding area. The complete study is evaluated in two types of scenario; in the first scenario all individual noise sources of the plant were considered as point sources whereas in the second scenario complete plant was treated as an area source. Furthermore, a regression graph is generated between the predicted and measured values for both scenarios individually which gives coefficients of determination of 0.4689 and 0.6382. This study reveals that the second scenario provides more precise noise prediction map than the first scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In open-cast mines, noise pollution has become a serious concern due to the extreme use of heavy earth moving machinery (HEMM).Materials and Methods: This study is focused to measure and assess the effects of the existing noise levels of major operational mines in the Keonjhar, Sundergadh, and Mayurbhanj districts of Odisha, India. The transportation noise levels were also considered in this study, which was predicted using the modified Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) model.Result and Discussion: It was observed that noise induced by HEMM such as rock breakers, jackhammers, dumpers, and excavators, blasting noise in the mining terrain, as well as associated transportation noise became a major source of annoyance to the habitants living in proximity to the mines. The noise produced by mechanized mining operations was observed between 74.3 and 115.2 dB(A), and its impact on residential areas was observed between 49.4 and 58.9 dB(A). In addition, the noise contour maps of sound level dispersion were demonstrated with the utilization of advanced noise prediction software tools for better understanding.Conclusion: Finally, the predicted values at residential zone and traffic noise are correlated with observed values, and the coefficient of determination, R2, was calculated to be 0.6891 and 0.5967, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noise mapping is a well-established practice among the European nations, and it has been follow for almost two decades. Recently, as per guidelines of the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS), India, noise mapping has been made mandatory in the mining expanses. This study is an effort to map the noise levels in nearby areas of mines in the northern Keonjhar district. The motive of this study is to quantify the existing A-weighted time-average sound level (LAeq, T ) in the study area to probe its effects on the human dwellings and noise sensitive areas with the probability of future development of the mines, roads, and industrial and commercial zone. The LAeq, T was measured at 39 identified locations, including industrial, commercial, residential, and sensitive zones, 15 open cast mines, 3 major highways, and 3 haulage roads. With the utilisation of Predictor LimA Software and other GIS tools, the worked out data is mapped and noise contours are developed for the visualisation and identification of the extent and distribution of sound levels across the study area. This investigation discloses that the present noise level at 60% of the locations in silence and residential zone exposed to significantly high noise levels surpasses the prescribed limit of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), India. The observed day and night time LAeq, T level of both zones ranged between 43.2-62.2 dB(A) and 30.5-53.4 dB(A), respectively, whereas, the average Ldn values vary between 32.7 and 51.2 dB(A). The extensive mobility of heavy vehicles adjoining the sensitive areas and a nearby plethora of open cast mines is the leading cause of exceeded noise levels. The study divulges that the delicate establishments like schools and hospitals are susceptible to high noise levels throughout the day and night. A correlation between observed and software predicted values gives R² of 0.605 for Ld, 0.217 for Ln, and 0.524 for Ldn. Finally, the mitigation measure is proposed and demonstrated using a contour map showing a significant reduction in the noise levels by 0-5.3 dB(A). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To develop sentence lists in the Telugu language for the assessment of speech recognition threshold (SRT) in the presence of background noise through identification of the mean signal-to-noise ratio required to attain a 50% sentence recognition score (SRTn).Design: This study was conducted in three phases. The first phase involved the selection and recording of Telugu sentences. In the second phase, 20 lists, each consisting of 10 sentences with equal intelligibility, were formulated using a numerical optimisation procedure. In the third phase, the SRTn of the developed lists was estimated using adaptive procedures on individuals with normal hearing.Study sample: A total of 68 native Telugu speakers with normal hearing participated in the study. Of these, 18 (including the speakers) performed on various subjective measures in first phase, 20 performed on sentence/word recognition in noise for second phase and 30 participated in the list equivalency procedures in third phase.Results: In all, 15 lists of comparable difficulty were formulated as test material. The mean SRTn across these lists corresponded to −2.74 (SD = 0.21).Conclusions: The developed sentence lists provided a valid and reliable tool to measure SRTn in Telugu native speakers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Aim. The aim of the present study was to identify and evaluate predominant noise sources in the cricket bat industry of Kashmir, India. Methods. Sound levels were measured at operator's ear level in the working zone of the workers of seven cricket bat factories. The impact assessment was made through personal interviews with each worker separately during their period of rest. Results. On average, 62.5% of the workers reported difficulty in hearing and 24.1% of the workers have become patients for hypertension. Only 58.1% of the workers complained of headache due to high noise level. Conclusions. The workers engaged in the cricket bat industry of Kashmir are exposed to high noise levels. It is suggested that personal protective equipment like ear plugs and ear muffs be used by these workers as a protection against this hazard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Noise mapping being an established practice in Europe is hardly practiced for noise management in India although it is mandatory in Indian mines as per guidelines of the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS). As a pilot study, noise mapping was conducted in an opencast mine with three different models; one based on the baseline operating conditions in two shifts (Situation A), and two other virtual situations where either production targets were enhanced by extending working hours to three shifts (Situation B) or only by increased mechanization and not changing the duration of work (Situation C). Methods: Noise sources were categorized as point, line, area, and moving sources. Considering measured power of the sources, specific meteorological and geographical parameters, noise maps were generated using Predictor LimA software. Results: In all three situations, Lden values were 95 dB(A) and 70-80 dB(A) near drill machine and haul roads, respectively. Noise contours were wider in Situation C due to increase in frequency of dumpers. Lden values near Shovel 1 and Shovel 2 under Situation B increased by 5 dB and 3 dB, respectively due to expansion of working hours. In Situation C, noise levels were >82 dB(A) around shovels. Noise levels on both sides of conveyor belts were in the range of 80-85 dB(A) in Situations A and C whereas it was 85-90 dB(A) in Situation B. Near crusher plants, it ranged from 80 to 90 dB(A) in Situations A and C and between 85 and 95 dB(A) in Situation B. In all situations, noise levels near residential areas exceeded the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) limits, i.e., 55 dB(A). Conclusions: For all situations, predicted noise levels exceeded CPCB limits within the mine and nearby residential area. Residential areas near the crusher plants are vulnerable to increased noise propagation. It is recommended to put an acoustic barrier near the crusher plant to attenuate the noise propagation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of operant conditioning in sustaining reduced noise levels in the neonatafintensive care unit (NICU) Design: Quasi-experimental study on quality of care. Setting: Level III NICU of a teaching hospital in south India. Participants: 26 staff employed in the NICU. (7 Doctors, 13 Nursing staff and 6 Nursing assistants). Intervention: Operant conditioning of staff activity for 6 months. This method involves positive and negative reinforcement to condition the staff to modify noise generating activities. Main outcome measures: Comparing noise levels in decibel: A weighted [dB (A)] before conditioning with levels at 18 and 24 months after conditioning. Decibel: A weighted accounts for noise that is audible to human ears. Results: Operant conditioning for 6 months sustains the reduced noise levels to within 62 dB (A) in ventilator room (95% CI: 60.4 - 62.2) and isolation room (95% CI: 55.8-61.5). In the pre-term room, noise can be maintained.within 52 dB (A) (95 % CI: 50.8 - 52.6). This effect is statistically significant in all the rooms at 18 months (P= 0.001). At 24 months post conditioning there is a significant rebound of noise levels by 8.6, 6.7 and 9.9 dB (A) in the ventilator, isolation and pre-term room, respectively (P=0.001). Conclusion: Operant conditioning for 6 months was effective in sustaining reduced noise levels. At 18 months post conditioning, the noise levels were maintained within 62 dB (A), 60 dB (A) and 52 dB (A) in the ventilator, isolation and pre-term room, respectively. Conditioning needs to be repeated at 12 months in the ventilator room and at 18 months in the other rooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on events related to noise and sensing technology. It says that changes to noise ordinances in Houston, Texas were introduced by the City Council, in addition to the establishment of the Greater Houston Entertainment Coalition Political Action Committee (GHEC PAC). It mentions that the Sixth International Conference on Sensing Technology (ICST 2012) will be conducted at Kolkata, India on December 18-21, 2012.

Slums represent a tense moment in the urban fabric of Delhi. At the most fundamental level their position in the city is determined by their illegal occupation of state land; owing to this peculiar predicament, their entries into mainstream, legitimate network are limited, if not completely restricted, and they operate within an extensive network of informal economy and practices. In this article, drawing on ethnographic research conducted in a prominent slum-settlement in Delhi, India's capital city, I argue that a narrative of immorality has been systemically and systematically constructed to consider the position of slums and slum-dwellers in the city, such that their claims to (and rights ml the city are negotiated within an 'informal- illegal-immoral' matrix. I explore these negotiations through the politics of sound and more specifically the identification of sounds of and from certain spaces as 'noisy'. In this article I situate these negotiations in relation to what is termed as a sensorio/ re-turn in Delhi's urban planning policies and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop two Feldkamp-type reconstruction algorithms with no backprojection weight for circular and helical trajectory with planar detector geometry. Advances in solid-state electronic detector technologies lend importance to CT systems with the equispaced linear array, the planar (flat panel) detectors, and the corresponding algorithms. We derive two exact Hilbert filtered backprojection (FBP) reconstruction algorithms with no backprojection weight for 2D fan-beam equispace linear array detector geometry (complement of the equi-angular curved array detector). Based on these algorithms, the Feldkamp-type algorithms with no backprojection weight for 3D reconstruction are developed using the standard heuristic extension of the divergent beam FBP algorithm. The simulation results show that the axial intensity drop in the reconstructed image using the FDK algorithms with no backprojection weight with circular trajectory is similar to that obtained by using Hu's and T-FDK, algorithms. Further, we present efficient algorithms to reduce the axial intensity drop encountered in the standard FDK reconstructions in circular cone-beam CT. The proposed algorithms consist of mainly two steps: reconstruction of the object using FDK algorithm with no backprojection weight and estimation of the missing term. The efficient algorithms are compared with the FDK algorithm,Hu's algorithm, T-FDK, and Zhu et al.'s algorithm in terms of axial intensity drop and noise. Simulation shows that the efficient algorithms give similar performance in axial intensity drop as that of Zhu et al.'s algorithm while one of the efficient algorithms outperforms Zhu et al.'s algorithm in terms of computational complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effect of varying levels of illumination, noise and colour combination on blink rate for subjects of different age groups (21–30, 31–40 and 41–50 years) having Internet exposure duration of less than 2 h/day (category 1) and more than 2 h/day (category 2). The pseudo reading task was designed as a software program to investigate the reading task performance. Results showed that the text–background colour combination was significant on the change in spontaneous eye blink rate (SEBR) values on both categories of users for age groups of 21–30 and 41–50 years. The effects of illumination and noise were not significant for subjects of all categories and age levels except for age group of 31–40 years with Internet exposure duration of more than 2 h/day, where illumination was observed to be significant. The results of the study further showed that ambient illumination did not affect significantly the SEBR values for every age group investigated in this research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A phased array acoustic atmospheric wind profiler has been developed. The system has the capability to remotely measure atmospheric horizontal and vertical winds from 70 m to 770 m within the earth's atmospheric boundary layer. This system is being operated at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), which is located in the middle of a highly noisy environment of the city of Delhi. Moreover, due to the rich green surroundings, there are plenty of birds whose calls make measurements at acoustic frequencies very difficult. In spite of the above two limitations, the system has been successfully used to make wind measurements in the height range of 70 m to 455 m. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The noise status of growing urban centres of the country are very much required to develop acoustic design and planning guidelines for various land use classification. An attempt in this direction has been made by measuring noise equivalent levels for cities like Delhi, Jamshedpur, Dehradun and Nagpur. The choice of Ldn (Day–Night noise level) which is a better descriptor of noise quality provides an interesting status of noise in these urban centres. It has been observed that maximum percentage of areas in Delhi and Jamshedpur fall under moderately severe to very severe noisy conditions as compared to Dehradun and Nagpur on the noise rating scale. Ways and means are also considered for mitigation of noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]