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This paper investigates the potential vertical guidance performance of global positioning system (GPS)/wide area augmentation system (WAAS) user avionics sensor when the modernized GPS and Galileo are available. This paper will first investigate the airborne receiver code noise and multipath (CNMP) confidence (σair). The σair will be the dominant factor in the availability analysis of an L1-L5 dual-frequency GPS/WAAS user avionics sensor. This paper uses the MATLAB Algorithm Availability Simulation Tool (MAAST) to determine the required values for the σair, so that an L1-L5 dual-frequency GPS/WAAS user avionics sensor can meet the vertical guidance requirements of APproach with Vertical guidance (APV) II and CATegory (CAT) I over conterminous United States (CONUS). A modified MAAST that includes the Galileo satellite constellation is used to determine under what user configurations WAAS could be an APV II system or a CAT I system over CONUS. Furthermore, this paper examines the combinations of possible improvements in signal models and the addition of Galileo to determine if GPS/WAAS user avionics sensor could achieve 10 m Vertical Alert Limit (VAL) within the service volume. Finally, this paper presents the future vertical guidance performance of GPS user avionics sensor for the United States' WAAS, Japanese MTSAT-based satellite augmentation system (MSAS) and European geostationary navigation overlay service (EGNOS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of quantum communication, quantum steganography is an important branch of quantum information hiding. In a realistic quantum communication system, quantum noises are unavoidable and will seriously impact the safety and reliability of the quantum steganographic system. Therefore, it is very important to analyze the influence of noise on the quantum steganography protocol and how to reduce the effect of noise. This paper takes the quantum steganography protocol proposed in 2010 as an example to analyze the effects of noises on information qubits and secret message qubits in the four primary quantum noise environments. The results show that when the noise factor of one quantum channel noise is known, the size of the noise factor of the other quantum channel can be adjusted accordingly, such as artificially applying noise, so that the influence of noises on the protocol is minimized. In addition, this paper also proposes a method of improving the efficiency of the steganographic protocol in a noisy environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six Sigma has already become an efficient improvement technique adopted by a great number of enterprises. Numbers of Sigma has become a tool of measuring process capability in some enterprises. But some of enterprises still use process capability indices (PCIs) to measure the process capability. So numbers of Sigma and PCIs both can be used to measure the process capability. The paper will research the relationship between PCIs and numbers of Sigma. In bilateral specifications, the paper will research the relationship between the PCIs which are Cp, Cpk, Cpm and Cpmk, Spk and numbers of Sigma. In unilateral specifications, the paper will research the relationship between the PCIs which are Cpu and Cpl and numbers of Sigma. If supplier and buyer use different tools to measure the process capability, then the communion bridge to Six Sigma and PCIs can decrease the communicate noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate how message construction, style, content, and the textual content of embedded images impacted message retransmission over the course of the first 8 months of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the United States. We analyzed a census of public communications (n = 372,466) from 704 public health agencies, state and local emergency management agencies, and elected officials posted on Twitter between January 1 and August 31, 2020, measuring message retransmission via the number of retweets (ie, a message passed on by others), an important indicator of engagement and reach. To assess content, we extended a lexicon developed from the early months of the pandemic to identify key concepts within messages, employing it to analyze both the textual content of messages themselves as well as text included within embedded images (n = 233,877), which was extracted via optical character recognition. Finally, we modelled the message retransmission process using a negative binomial regression, which allowed us to quantify the extent to which particular message features amplify or suppress retransmission, net of controls related to timing and properties of the sending account. In addition to identifying other predictors of retransmission, we show that the impact of images is strongly driven by content, with textual information in messages and embedded images operating in similar ways. We offer potential recommendations for crafting and deploying social media messages that can "cut through the noise" of an infodemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been many previous noise-related studies on liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in the United States; however, noise control of these facilities using a top-down approach has not been explored in detail. Most studies have demonstrated noise compliance to applicable standards by focusing on a combination of treatments and specifications, with less consideration on control technology feasibility, ranking, and cost-effectiveness. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) prohibits natural gas facilities from emitting day-night noise levels in excess of 55 dB(A) (equivalent to 24-hr continuous level of 49 dB(A)) at nearby receivers. A case study was conducted to evaluate a top-down approach to reduce noise at a typical LNG peak-shaving facility under normal operating conditions, accounting for technical feasibility, control effectiveness, and cost implications. A modeling approach (International Organization for Standardization standard ISO 9613-2) was used to predict and evaluate the facility's noise reduction potential. The study found that the strategy could achieve feasible and environmentally effective reductions up to 11 dB(A) at 500 m from the facility by first identifying source groups with highest-emitting sources and then targeting major noise source contributors per group. This approach is cost-effective because the FERC noise goals can still be achieved by avoiding unnecessary control costs associated with lower-ranked sources. The study identified the following four source groups as the highest noise emitters: (1) liquefaction and instrument air, (2) boil-off gas (BOG) compression, (3) glycol water system (air coolers), and (4) pretreatment. Of all the treatments evaluated, installation of enhanced silencers for gas turbine (GT) package-as well as construction of an acoustical building for the BOG compressors and drivers-resulted in the greatest noise reduction at nearby receivers. The study notes that incremental treatment costs presented in this paper are approximate estimates that may vary depending on factors such as facility size and region. Implications : This study assessed potential noise reductions associated with implementing a top-down noise control strategy on a typical LNG peak-shaving facility. The study determined the top-down noise control strategy could achieve feasible and environmentally effective reductions up to 11 decibels at receivers within 500 m from the facility's center. As LNG suppliers need to support potential supply disruptions, some regions of the US, including New England and Gulf Coast with projected increase in LNG exports and growing needs from power sector, may find information in this study useful with regard to evaluating and prioritizing noise reduction potential of their LNG peak-shaving facilities.

Aircraft noise is generally regarded as the most annoying source of environmental noise and is the most common source of complaints raised by residents living in the vicinity of airports. Many different types of abatement measures can be utilized by airports to reduce the noise impact, but the manner of their implementation can vary between airports. To assess how noise control strategies are implemented across the United States (US), a national survey of noise abatement strategies was conducted. The paper provides a summary of this survey and reports the noise control approaches at 42 different airports across the US. The survey considered general aspects of noise control, as well as specific questions related to noise abatement procedures, noise limits and curfews. Participants were also asked their opinion on the impact of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Balanced Approach, which is the ICAO recommended framework to address aircraft noise. Although just a snapshot of activities across the US is presented, results indicate that a wide array of noise abatement procedures is being implemented. Results also suggest that the ICAOBalanced Approach has yet to be fully embraced in the US, with a large proportion of respondents reporting that they are not familiar with this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: A corpus of English matrix sentences produced by 60 native and nonnative speakers of English was developed as part of a multinational coalition task group. This corpus was tested on a large cohort of U.S. Service members in order to examine the effects of talker nativeness, listener nativeness, masker type, and hearing sensitivity on speech recognition performance in this population. Method: A total of 1,939 U.S. Service members (ages 18–68 years) completed this closed-set listening task, including 430 women and 110 nonnative English speakers. Stimuli were produced by native and nonnative speakers of English and were presented in speech-shaped noise and multitalker babble. Keyword recognition accuracy and response times were analyzed. Results: General(ized) linear mixed-effects regression models found that, on the whole, speech recognition performance was lower for listeners who identified as nonnative speakers of English and when listening to speech produced by nonnative speakers of English. Talker and listener effects were more pronounced when listening in a babble masker than in a speech-shaped noise masker. Response times varied as a function of recognition score, with longest response times found for intermediate levels of performance. Conclusions: This study found additive effects of talker and listener nonnativeness when listening to speech in background noise. These effects were present in both accuracy and response time measures. No multiplicative effects of talker and listener language background were found. There was little evidence of a negative interaction between talker nonnativeness and hearing impairment, suggesting that these factors may have redundant effects on speech recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breakthrough cancer pain (BTCP) is primarily managed at home and can stem from physical exertion and emotional distress triggers. Beyond these triggers, the impact of ambient environment on pain occurrence and intensity has not been investigated. This study explores the impact of environmental factors on the frequency and severity of breakthrough cancer pain (BTCP) in the home context from the perspective of patients with advanced cancer and their primary family caregiver. Methods: A health monitoring system was deployed in the homes of patient and family caregiver dyads to collect self-reported pain events and contextual environmental data (light, temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, ambient noise.) Correlation analysis examined the relationship between environmental factors with: 1) individually reported pain episodes and 2) overall pain trends in a 24-hour time window. Machine learning models were developed to explore how environmental factors may predict BTCP episodes. Results: Variability in correlation strength between environmental variables and pain reports among dyads was found. Light and noise show moderate association (r = 0.50–0.70) in 66% of total deployments. The strongest correlation for individual pain events involved barometric pressure (r = 0.90); for pain trends over 24-hours the strongest correlations involved humidity (r = 0.84) and barometric pressure (r = 0.83). Machine learning achieved 70% BTCP prediction accuracy. Conclusion: Our study provides insights into the role of ambient environmental factors in BTCP and offers novel opportunities to inform personalized pain management strategies, remotely support patients and their caregivers in self-symptom management. This research provides preliminary evidence of the impact of ambient environmental factors on BTCP in the home setting. We utilized real-world data and correlation analysis to provide an understanding of the relationship between environmental factors and cancer pain which may be helpful to others engaged in similar work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on women who worked at Bell Telephone Company in the USA during 1930s and 1940s as telephone operators, and the training programmes they went through. Transmission of information depended on their actions because they had to facilitate the switchboards, and therefore held a crucial position as part of the communication channel. Thus, Bell felt they should tune their ‘bad’ behaviour which embodied noise in their systems. In order to maintain equilibrium, Bell enmeshed Michel Foucault’s disciplinary and biopower forms of governmentality and developed a hybrid form. This combination was seen in their flagship training programme, A Design for Living, where Bell penetrated operators’ bodies and minds, inside and outside work. When the operators revolted, Bell realised power should be exercised through automated dial machines. This would then become an inspiration for cybernetics who aimed to control communication systems that constructed information’s correct behaviour, and consequently users. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: To determine sociodemographic factors associated with occupational, recreational and firearm-related noise exposure. Methods: This nationally representative, multistage, stratified, cluster cross-sectional study sampled eligible National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey participants aged 20–69 years (n = 4675) about exposure to occupational and recreational noise and recurrent firearm usage, using a weighted multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: Thirty-four per cent of participants had exposure to occupational noise and 12 per cent to recreational noise, and 13 per cent repeatedly used firearms. Males were more likely than females to have exposure to all three noise types (adjusted odds ratio range = 2.63–14.09). Hispanics and Asians were less likely to have exposure to the three noise types than Whites. Blacks were less likely than Whites to have occupational and recurrent firearm noise exposure. Those with insurance were 26 per cent less likely to have exposure to occupational noise than those without insurance (adjusted odds ratio = 0.74, 95 per cent confidence interval = 0.60–0.93). Conclusion: Whites, males and uninsured people are more likely to have exposure to potentially hazardous loud noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One source of anthropogenic noise in the oceans which has attracted much concern is naval sonar. As a result of possible impacts of such sonar, several environmental NGOs have pursued legal cases in the United States criticizing environmental assessments conducted prior to exercises and proposed mitigation measures. Cases have been brought using the US National Environmental Protection Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, Endangered Species Act, Coastal Zone Management Act and other statutes. This paper reviews the chronology and results of these various cases. During the G.W. Bush presidential administration, the legal battle went to the US Supreme Court in the case Winter vs. Natural Resources Defense Council. This case however, did not address the potential impacts of sonar on cetaceans or the effectiveness of mitigation measures. During the Obama administration, mitigation measures for naval exercises have been revised, and working groups planned, in an attempt to resolve conflict between parties., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Overexposure to noise remains a widespread and serious health hazard in the U.S. service providing and goods producing industries. Excessive noise can lead to poor verbal communication and reduce the ability to recognize warning signals. These dangerous work conditions can also cause stress and fatigue. Occupational hearing loss is a permanent illness, with no recovery currently possible., Method: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has recognized Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) as one of the ten leading work-related diseases and injuries in the United States, and has emphasized its importance as one of the critical areas expressed in the National Occupational Research Agenda., Results: One of the most serious noise problems in the goods producing industries is the operation of continuous mining machines during underground coal mining. In order to minimize occupational hearing loss, noise hazards are "designed out" early in the design process. NIOSH is leading a national initiative called Prevention through Design (PTD) to promote this concept. This paper describes the quiet-by-design approach of a noise control that reduced noise exposures of continuous mining machine operators by 3dB(A) using the four functional areas of PTD, namely Practice, Policy, Research, and Education.

Objectives: This descriptive summary of the literature provides an overview of the available studies (published before October 2006) on sociodemographic, psychosocial, and other correlates of risk and protective behaviors for hearing loss in young people aged 12 to 25 years., Methods: Publications were identified by a structured search in PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science, and by scrutinizing the reference lists of relevant articles. The protection motivation theory was used as the theoretical framework for categorizing the psychosocial correlates., Results: Thirty-three papers were included that identified several sociodemographic and psychosocial correlates, such as age, gender, school level, ethnicity, music preference, physical activity, social influence, and free supply of hearing protection., Conclusions: For the development of effective interventions we recommend theory-based longitudinal studies among those frequently exposed to loud music to assess these correlates in greater depth.

Military and civilian aircraft overflights are an issue that may impact the quality of life for millions of United States residents. Aircraft noise annoys many people worldwide and is generally thought to adversely affect some wildlife species. In light of increasing demands being placed on airspace, and because of technological improvements in acoustical testing, there is a need to reexamine the effects of aircraft noise exposure on humans and wildlife. This paper reviews past research, current laws and legislation, and presents an argument for the need to revisit the effects of aircraft noise on humans and wildlife. Some evidence suggests that noise may adversely impact wildlife and humans, however, many of the past studies were inconclusive and based on relatively small sample sizes. Given that aircraft noise abatement legislation has been enacted and because of the recent promulgation of community-based noise awareness programs, future studies should be conducted to resolve public policy problems and debates associated with aircraft noise. The need to further study the effects of aircraft noise on humans and wildlife is critical for creating sustainable land use policies near aircraft installations. Data derived from these studies will be used to create sound public policies that enhance the operational capacity of military and civilian aircraft while reducing the opportunity for human and wildlife exposure to aircraft noise.

Assessment of the annoyance of combined noise environments has been the subject of much research and debate. Currently, most countries use some form of the A-weighted equivalent level (ALEQ) to assess the annoyance of most noises. It provides a constant filter that is independent of sound level. Schomer [Acust. Acta Acust. 86(1), 49-61 (2000)] suggested the use of the equal loudness-level contours (ISO 226, 1987) as a dynamic filter that changes with both sound level and frequency. He showed that loudness-level-weighted sound-exposure level (LLSEL) and loudness-level-weighted equivalent level (LL-LEQ) can be used to assess the annoyance of environmental noise. Compared with A-weighting, loudness-level weighting better orders and assesses transportation noise sources, sounds with strong low-frequency content and, with the addition of a 12-dB adjustment, it better orders and assesses highly impulsive sounds vis-a-vis transportation sounds. This paper compares the LLSEL method with two methods based on loudness calculations using ISO 532b (1975). It shows that in terms of correlation with subjective judgments of annoyance-not loudness-the LLSEL formulation performs much better than do the loudness calculations. This result is true across a range of sources that includes aircraft, helicopters, motor vehicles, trains, and impulsive sources. It also is true within several of the sources separately.

Abstract: The U.S. Navy, whose sonars kill marine mammals, provides approximately 50% of the funds for marine mammal research worldwide. We examined six reviews of research on the effects of anthropogenic sound on marine mammals, as well as the primary papers cited in the reviews. These reviews cite references showing noise has no effect on marine mammals at an increasing frequency as their funding moves from a conservation organization to independent to partial U.S. military sources. Primary papers are 2.3 times more likely to be cited in the reviews as concluding no effect of noise if the research was militarily-funded than if not. Thus, conflict of interest may have led to a misrepresentation of the effects of noise on marine mammals in both the primary and secondary literature, and thus misinform public policy decisions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Evolving Takagi Sugeno (eTS) models are optimised for use in applications with high sampling rates. This mode of use produces excellent prediction results very quickly and with low memory requirements, even with large numbers of input attributes. In this paper eTS modelling is adapted for optimality in situations where memory usage and processing time are not specific requirements. The new method, eTS with memory, is demonstrated on two financial time series, both the fullband signals and after decomposition by the discrete wavelet transform. It is shown that the use of previous inputs and multiple iterations in eTS can produce better predictions for signals which are not dominated by the characteristics of noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s, the U.S. Navy conducted a series of ocean acoustic measurement exercises to support development of systems and techniques to detect nuclear submarines. The exercises and most of the technical documentation were classified. In 2003, a project was sponsored by the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR, Arlington, VA) to declassify documentation and demonstrate the capability to recover acoustic data recorded on magnetic tape. One of the exercises, known as CHURCH OPAL, was selected for demonstration of acoustic data recovery. The record on magnetic tape spanned a period of ten days in September 1975 from a vertical assembly of hydrophones at a site midway between Hawaii and California. This paper presents selected excerpts from a key report (Wittenborn, 1976) on ambient noise that previously was unpublished and unavailable for general distribution. The earlier work is augmented with more complete and detailed analyses of the recovered digital data using modern analytical techniques. Data acquired from the hydrophones below critical depth enabled isolation of ambient noise due to distant shipping and local wind. The frequency band of the acoustic analyses was 30-500 Hz. The wind component of the ambient noise was evaluated at frequencies lower than reported by Wenz (1962). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Occupational noise exposure and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) among construction workers has long been recognized as a problem in the United States, yet little is known about the prevalence of NIHL among American construction workers. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of hearing loss among operating engineers (OEs) who operate heavy construction machinery. Method: As a part of hearing protection intervention, an audiometric test was conducted for both ears at frequencies 0.5 through 8 kHz in the soundproof booth. Prior to the audiometric test, a paper-pencil pre-hearing test questionnaire was administered and an otoscopic examination was completed. Prevalence of hearing loss was determined based on hearing threshold levels (HTLs) in the worst ear with a low fence of 25 dB. Result: A total of 623 workers were included in the analysis and they were predominantly middle-aged Caucasian males (mean age = 43 years, Caucasian = 90%, male = 92%). Over 60% of OEs showed hearing loss in the noise-sensitive higher frequencies of 4 and 6 kHz. The rate of hearing loss was particularly higher among workers who reported longer years of working in the construction industry. Workers showed significantly poorer hearing in the left ear, and a typical characteristic of NIHL, a V-notch at 4 or 6 kHz, was not shown in this population. Thirty-eight percent reported ringing/buzzing in the ear and 62% indicated having problems in understanding what people say in loud noise. Average reported use of hearing protection devices (HPDs) was 48% of the time they were required to be used. Significant inverse relationship was found between higher frequency (4–6 kHz) hearing loss and use of HPDs ( r =−0.134, p < 0.001). Workers using HPDs more had significantly better hearing than those who did not. Conclusion: The study demonstrated a significant NIHL problem and low use of HPDs in OEs. An effective hearing conservation program, including a periodic audiometric testing and hearing protection intervention, for this study population should be in place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past 5 to 10 years much of the work in fluctuations has been broadly exploratory, intended to characterize observable time and space scales of fluctuation and to identify the environmental phenomena responsible. Much of Project MIMI (Miami/Michigan), with both fixed-system and moving-source experiments, has been devoted to this task. Although the data base now established is useful in providing direction for future work that is more application-oriented, more survey data of this type are needed, particularly at very low acoustic frequencies. More information is required, for example, on the space and time scale of fluctuations which degrade performance in array reception and which influence phase coherence at multisite receivers. A better definition is needed also of the relative importance of temporal and spatial variability in the medium for fluctuations in signals from moving sources. This paper presents data and discussion pertinent to these needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new method for robust and accurate fundamental frequency (F0) estimation in the presence of background noise and spectral distortion. Degree of dominance and dominance spectrum are defined based on instantaneous frequencies. The degree of dominance allows one to evaluate the magnitude of individual harmonic components of the speech signals relative to background noise while reducing the influence of spectral distortion. The fundamental frequency is more accurately estimated from reliable harmonic components which are easy to select given the dominance spectra. Experiments are performed using white and babble background noise with and without spectral distortion as produced by a SRAEN filter. The results show that the present method is better than previously reported methods in terms of both gross and fine F0 errors. 2004 Acoustical Society of America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to examine the role of noise sensitivity in response to environmental noise, this paper presents detailed comparisons of socio-acoustic studies conducted around international airports in Amsterdam, Sydney, and London. Earlier findings that noise sensitivity moderates the effect of noise on annoyance were examined to see if they could be replicated in each of the datasets, independent of the technique of measuring noise sensitivity. The relation between exposure to aircraft noise and noise annoyance was studied separately for groups of individuals with low, medium, and high noise sensitivity, with statistical adjustment for relevant confounders. Results support the previous findings that noise sensitivity is an independent predictor of annoyance and adds to the prediction of noise annoyance afforded by noise exposure level by up to 26% of explained variance. There is no evidence of a moderating effect, whereby the covariation between noise exposure level and annoyance is weak for people who score at the extreme high or low end of the sensitivity scale, and strong for people who score in the middle of the sensitivity scale. Generally, noise sensitivity appears to increase annoyance independently of the level of noise exposure after adjustment for relevant confounders. These findings were consistent across the three datasets. 2004 Acoustical Society of America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes how exposures received during routine and episodic non-occupational activities contribute to total noise exposure in a group of occupationally exposed workers. Two-hundred and sixty-six construction apprentices enrolled in a longitudinal hearing loss study and completed questionnaires at 1 yr of follow-up to determine their episodic activities (e.g. concert attendance, power tool use, firearms exposure). Noise exposure levels for these episodic exposures were determined from the published literature. Routine activities were assessed using activity cards filled out over 530 subject-days, along with noise dosimetry measurements made over 124 subject-days of measurement. Equivalent Leq exposure levels were then calculated for specific activities. These activity-specific Leq values were combined into estimated individual annual Leq exposure levels for the 6760 nominal annual non-occupational hours in a year (LAeq6760h), which were then transformed into equivalent levels for a 2000 h exposure period (LA2000hn) for comparison with occupational noise exposure risk criteria. The mean non-occupational LAeq6760h exposure values for the cohort ranged from 56 to 87 dBA (equivalent LA2000hn 62–93 dBA). At the mid range of the routine and episodic activity exposure level distribution, the mean LAeq6760h was 73 dBA (LA2000hn 78 dBA). Nineteen percent of the LA2000hn non-occupational exposures exceeded 85 dBA, the generally recommended occupational limit for a 2000 h workyear, at the mid-range of exposure levels. Due to a lack of available data, firearms use could not be incorporated into the total noise exposure estimates. However, firearms users reported more exposure to other noisy non-occupational activities and had statistically significantly higher estimated exposure levels even without including their firearms exposure than did non-shooters. When compared with the high levels of occupational noise found in construction, non-occupational noise exposures generally present little additional exposure for most workers. However, they may contribute significantly to overall exposure in the subset of workers who frequently participate in selected noisy activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares hearing protector attenuations calculated using National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) method No. 1 ("long method") and the HML method. The study was done on 144 combinations of 12 noises and 12 protectors. In each case, the attenuation was calculated using each of the above methods. The difference between attenuations was used to define the accuracy of the high, medium, and low (HML) method. It was found that the attenuations calculated using the HML method are almost always lower than those calculated using the NIOSH method. However, the differences between both attenuations are well within the field noise level measurement errors. Consequently, the HML method appears to be an acceptable approximation of the NIOSH method, offering the additional advantage of being easier to apply. The higher accuracy of the HML method, when compared to the Noise Reduction Rating (NRR), makes is preferable for applications in industrial hearing conservation programs.

Objectives This study: (i) assessed the relationship between noise exposure and injury risk, comprehensively adjusting for individual factors, psychosocial stressors, and organizational influences; (ii) determined the relative importance of noise on injuries; (iii) estimated the lowest observed adverse effect level (LOAEL) of noise on injury risk to determine the threshold of noise considered hazardous to injuries; and (iv) quantified the fraction of injuries that could be attributed to hazardous noise exposure. Methods In this cross-sectional study at 10 US surface mine sites, traditional mixed effects, Poisson regression, and boosted regression tree (BRT) models were run on the number of reported work-related injuries in the last year. The LOAEL of noise on injuries was identified by estimating the percent increase in work-related injuries at different thresholds of noise exposure using a counterfactual estimator through the BRT model. A population attributable fraction (PAF) was quantified with this counterfactual estimator to predict reductions in injuries at the LOAEL. Results Among 18 predictors of work-related injuries, mine site, perceived job safety, age, and sleepiness were the most important predictors. Occupational noise exposure was the seventh most important predictor. The LOAEL of noise for work-related injuries was a full-shift exposure of 88 dBA. Exposure ≥88 dBA was attributed to 20.3% (95% CI: 11.2%, 29.3%) of reported work-related injuries in the last year among the participants. Conclusions This study further supports hypotheses of a dose–response relationship between occupational noise exposure and work-related injuries, and suggests that exposures ≥88 dBA may increase injury risk in mining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine mammals are protected under dedicated taxonomic legislation, endangered species legislation, and general environmental stewardship laws in many countries. Governments and agencies within those countries are tasked with assessing and limiting human impacts in accordance with their own laws, including those arising from underwater noise emissions. While the United States (US) has established thresholds for permanent and temporary threshold shifts (PTS and TTS) in the hearing of marine mammals, Canada has not yet established specific numeric onset thresholds for hearing impairment or other noise-related impacts. Given that Canada and the US are jointly responsible for the management of a number of at-risk marine mammals, we provide a brief overview of the main laws and associated standards relevant to management of noise impacts on marine mammals in these two jurisdictions. The US PTS/TTS thresholds are only a small part of a suite of elements collectively applied to assess and mitigate the full range of impacts of noise on marine mammals, and the implementation of these (or any other) thresholds in Canada would not negate the need to conduct case-specific impact assessments to satisfy their own broader requirements. Caution should be taken when applying US thresholds to address Canadian legal standards, as there are substantial differences in the legal definitions to which these thresholds might be applied. Thus, the need for, and application of, similar generalised PTS/TTS thresholds in Canada is still under debate and noise impacts will likely continue to be assessed in different ways in these two bordering nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Communities with lower socioeconomic status and higher prevalence of racial/ethnic minority populations are often more exposed to environmental pollutants. Although studies have shown associations between aircraft noise and property values and various health outcomes, little is known about how aircraft noise exposures are sociodemographically patterned. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to describe characteristics of populations exposed to aviation noise by race/ethnicity, education, and income in the United States. METHODS: Aircraft noise contours characterized as day-night average sound level (DNL) were developed for 90 U.S. airports in 2010 for DNL ≥45 dB(A) in 1-dB(A) increments. We compared characteristics of exposed U.S. Census block groups at three thresholds (≥45, ≥55, and ≥65 dB(A)), assigned on the basis of the block group land area being =50% within the threshold, vs. unexposed block groups near study airports. Comparisons were made across block group race/ethnicity, education, and income categories within the study areas (푛 ≥ 4,031-74,253). We performed both multinomial and other various multivariable regression approaches, including models controlling for airport and models with random intercepts specifying within-airport effects and adjusting for airport-level means. RESULTS: Aggregated across multiple airports, block groups with a higher Hispanic population had higher odds of being exposed to aircraft noise. For example, the multinomial analysis showed that a 10-percentage point increase in a block group’s Hispanic population was associated with an increased odds ratio of 39% (95% CI: 25%, 54%) of being exposed to =65 dB(A) compared with block groups exposed to <45 dB(A). Block groups with higher proportions of residents with only a high school education had higher odds of being exposed to aircraft noise. Results were robust across multiple regression approaches; however, there was substantial heterogeneity across airports. DISCUSSION: These results suggest that across U.S. airports, there is indication of sociodemographic disparities in noise exposures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated by the recent debate on the implications of low R2 in the U.S. market, we conjecture that lower R2 is more likely to be associated with noise and low pricing efficiency because stock price tracks its fundamentals more loosely in a less efficient stock market such as China. We conclude that, first, there is no significant difference in information content among stocks with high and low R2. Second, both accruals anomaly and price momentum are much stronger among firms with lower R2. Moreover, the price momentum effect is much stronger among stocks with higher DIS, a new proxy constructed to provide a direct description of noise in stock price. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of the OSHA noise amendment has made it necessary to make two different noise exposure measurements. These are the employee's exposure with reference to the action level criteria, which requires a threshold of 80 dBA, and the employee's exposure with reference to the permissible exposure limit, which employs a 90 dBA threshold. In addition to the time constraints involved in measuring employee exposure in relation to two different thresholds, many organizations will not have access to equipment capable of performing these separate tasks simultaneously. Based on 242 simultaneous exposure measurements of both the action level and the permissible exposure level criteria, this paper describes a method which uses one noise exposure criteria measurement to predict an employee's exposure at the other.

An exact measurement of the effectiveness of a hearing protector requires the determination of how well it works in the specific noise in which it is to be worn. As a practical matter, though, people do not generally remain in a single noise spectrum throughout a working career or even throughout a working day, so it does not matter so much that most measurers are not likely to be equipped to perform spectrum analyses. Other techniques for judging earplugs and earmuffs are obviously necessary. Previous research has tried to find the average attenuation given by a particular device in several (or many) noises, or it has tried to deal with the attenuation given in noises given with particular C-minus-A values. In this paper, a procedure is developed for compressing these multiple-spectra calculations into a single-spectrum computation that proves to be at least as accurate as the more complex methods.

There has been considerable recent activity in the development of standards relating to bioacoustics, especially in the areas of noise, hearing, and speech. Most of these national and international standards are written within the framework of the Bioacoustic Committee, S3, of the American National Standards Institute. This paper briefly describes how standards for bioacoustics are developed and used. Many of the new standards on noise, hearing, and speech are also described.

brereton l., gardiner c., gott m., ingleton c., barnes s. & carroll c. (2011) The hospital environment for end of life care of older adults and their families: an integrative review. Journal of Advanced Nursing 68(5), 981-993. Abstract Aim. This article is a report of an integrative review to identify key elements of the physical hospital environment for end of life care of older adults and their families as reported by patients, relatives, staff and policy makers. Background. Globally ageing populations and increases in long-term illness mean that more people will need palliative care in the future. Despite policy initiatives to increase end of life care in the community, many older adults prefer, and will require, end of life care in hospital. Providing an appropriate physical environment for older adults requiring end of life care is important given concerns about hospital environments for this group. Data sources. Thirteen databases from 1966 to 2010 were searched including ASSIA, BNI, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Social Science Citation Index, the Science Citation Index, HMIC and the National Research Register. Reference and citation tracking was performed on included publications. Review methods. An integrative review was conducted. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts for inclusion and completed data extraction. Study quality is not reported as this poses methodological difficulties in integrative reviews. Data synthesis involved thematic analysis informed by the findings of included literature. Results. Ten articles were included. Four themes were identified: privacy as needed; proximity (physically and emotionally) to loved ones, home and nature; satisfaction with the physical environment; and deficiencies in physical environment. Conclusion. Little evidence exists about physical hospital environments for end of life care of older adults and their families. More research is required in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article profiles members of the editorial board of the journal. It mentions that doctor of philosophy (PhD) Ganesh G. Raman, editor-in-chief, is widely recognized in the field of jet noise, screech, and jet flows. Thomas Brook PhD, editorial board in North America, works at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a Senior Research Scientist. It says that Inigo U. Borchers PhD, editorial board in Europe, is an experienced researcher in the area of aerospace acoustics.

Laboratory experiments were conducted to characterize the noise produced by jets from a rectangular nozzle with thrust-vectoring capability. Such exhaust jets are present on state-of-the-art fighter aircraft designed for supermaneuverability. This scaled nozzle research was facilitated by the design of a model with rectangular exit geometry and thrust-vectoring attachments, thus simulating one configuration of such aircraft. A supersonic, helium--air mixture jet issued from this nozzle, and acoustic measurements were made with four microphones arranged in a circular arc in the far-field region. Schlieren photographs were recorded to establish the major features of the jet flow. Significant among the results was the fact that the addition of thrust-vectoring attachments set to 0 deg deflection, on an otherwise clean rectangular nozzle, decreases the intensity of sound radiated on each axis plane to below that of a round nozzle jet. Furthermore, deflection of the flow in the minor axis plane by virtue of these nozzle attachments induces an approximately corresponding deflection of the acoustic field without significant additional noise components in the peak emission direction. The frequency spectra as well as overall sound pressure levels of microphone measurements with the rectangular nozzle jet at several observation positions and thrust-vectoring configurations are presented and summarized in the results of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is expected that with the projected increase in air travel aeroacoustics research will be very critical in meeting increasingly stringent aircraft noise certification standards. In the United States aeroacoustics research has steadily progressed toward enhanced safety, noise benefits and lower costs. This report provides a brief summary of selected recent aeroacoustics activity in the US. Four topics of great interest to the aerospace industry are: (1) Advanced Subsonic Technology (AST) for future subsonic aircraft, (2) High Speed Research (HSR) for future supersonic commercial aircraft, (3) Rotorcraft noise control efforts, and (4) Weapons bay and other noise control applications for the military. Examples of good progress in the areas of jet, fan, airframe and helicopter noise as well as liner design and weapons bay noise suppression are provided herein. In the next few years we look forward to seeing major strides in noise reduction technology and our ability to predict situations of aeroacoustics interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the article, the authors discuss the National Park Service anthropogenic noise model for exposure assessment and the efforts to address noise or unwanted sound as environmental risk factor that affect the health and well-being of people. Also cited are how noise can induce an emotional toll and cause a physiological stress response, as well as the environmental factors like topography, climate, population density, and hydrology.

Exposure to noise—or unwanted sound—is considered a major public health issue in the United States and internationally. Previous work has shown that even acute noise exposure can influence physiological response in humans and that individuals differ markedly in their susceptibility to noise. Recent research also suggests that specific acoustic properties of noise may have distinct effects on human physiological response. Much of the existing research on physiological response to noise consists of laboratory studies using very simple acoustic stimuli—like white noise or tone bursts—or field studies of longer-term workplace noise exposure that may neglect acoustic properties of the noise entirely. By using laboratory exposure to realistic heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) noise, the current study explores the interaction between acoustic properties of annoying noise and individual response to working in occupational noise. This study assessed autonomic response to two acoustically distinct noises while participants performed cognitively demanding work. Results showed that the two HVAC noises affected physiological arousal in different ways. Individual differences in physiological response to noise as a function of noise sensitivity were also observed. Further research is necessary to link specific acoustic characteristics with differential physiological responses in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hearing-impaired (HI) listeners who benefit from hearing-aid use in quiet often continue to have difficulty understanding speech in noise. Requesting talkers to speak clearly is one strategy to overcome this deficit. Paradoxically, one feature of clear speech is a shift to higher frequencies, which may move speech energy into a frequency range that is inaudible or more distorted for some HI listeners. Casual (or conversational) speech, on the other hand, may shift speech energy into a lower frequency range that is more audible or less distorted. This study examined the intelligibility of 21 amplified, casually- and clearly-spoken, US English coda consonants in nonsense syllables for 10 normal-hearing (NH) and 17 HI listeners. Most clear-speech consonants yielded higher recognition scores as expected. However, certain phonological processes common in casual speech, such as palatalization of higher frequency alveolar into lower frequency postalveolar consonants, generated significantly higher scores than their clear counterparts for some HI listeners in noise. These results have implications for coaching conversational partners of aided HI listeners. For the military, talkers can be instructed how to speak to Service members with hearing loss or in noisy environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to hazardous noise is one of the most common occupational risks, both in the U.S. and worldwide. Repeated overexposure to noise at or above 85 dBA can cause permanent hearing loss, tinnitus, and difficulty understanding speech in noise. It is also associated with cardiovascular disease, depression, balance problems, and lower income. About 22 million U.S. workers are currently exposed to hazardous occupational noise. Approximately 33% of working-age adults with a history of occupational noise exposure have audiometric evidence of noise-induced hearing damage, and 16% of noise-exposed workers have material hearing impairment. While the Mining, Construction, and Manufacturing sectors typically have the highest prevalence of noise exposure and hearing loss, there are noise-exposed workers in every sector and every sector has workers with hearing loss. Noise-induced hearing loss is preventable. Increased understanding of the biological processes underlying noise damage may lead to protective pharmacologic or genetic therapies. For now, an integrated public health approach that (1) emphasizes noise control over reliance on hearing protection, (2) illustrates the full impact of hearing loss on quality of life, and (3) challenges the cultural acceptance of loud noise can substantially reduce the impact of noise on worker health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental conditions and resources that may influence provider's behaviors have been investigated in birth environments focusing on location rather than conditions and available resources. Using a descriptive, cross sectional design, we surveyed a random sample of certified nurse-midwives (CNMs), obstetricians, family practice physicians, and certified professional midwives (CPMs) to describe conditions, resources, and workforce present during U.S. births. In all, 1,243 midwives and physicians reported most environmental resources were present at almost 100% of births they attended. Conditions varied: room noise acceptability restriction of phone calls/texts from any source and lighting kept to a minimum. Trainees were present at most births regardless of setting and provider type. The impact of room noise, phone calls/texting, and lighting on outcomes should be determined. The roles and impact of personnel, including trainees, should be described. The extent to which clusters of resources are associated with outcomes might provide new directions for interventions that improve care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: News media plays an important role in formulating people's knowledge and opinions about various aspects of life, including health. The current study explored how hearing loss and hearing aids are represented in the U.S. newspaper media. Method: A cross-sectional study design was selected to analyze publicly available newspaper media data. The data sets were generated from the database, the U.S. Major Dailies by ProQuest, by searching key words for newspapers published during 1990-2017. Cluster analysis (i.e., text pattern analysis) and chi-square tests were performed using Iramuteq software. Results: The hearing loss data set had 1,527 texts (i.e., articles). The cluster analysis resulted in 7 clusters, which were named as (1) causes and consequences (26.1%), (2) early identification and diagnosis (9%), (3) health promotion and prevention (22.1%), (4) recreational noise exposure (10.4%), (5) prevalence (14.3%), (6) research and development (12.4%), and (7) cognitive hearing science (5.6%). The hearing aids data set had 2,667 texts. The cluster analysis resulted in 8 clusters, which were named as (1) signal processing (20.2%), (2) insurance (8.9%), (3) prevalence (12.4%), (4) research and development (5.4%), (5) activities and relation (16.2%), (6) features to address background noise (13.8%), (7) innovation (12%), and (8) wireless and connectivity (11.1%). Time series analysis of clusters in both "hearing loss" and "hearing aids" data sets indicated changes in the pattern of information presented in the newspaper media during 1990-2016 (e.g., Cluster 7 focuses on cognitive hearing science in a hearing loss data set emerging only since the year 2012 and growing rapidly). Conclusions: The text pattern analysis showed that the U.S. newspaper media focuses on a range of issues when considering hearing loss and hearing aids and that patterns or trends change over time. The study results can be helpful for hearing health care professionals to understand what presuppositions society in general may have as the media has the ability to influence societal perception and opinions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite substantial financial and personnel resources being devoted to occupational exposure monitoring (OEM) by employers, workers' compensation insurers, and other organizations, the United States (U.S.) lacks comprehensive occupational exposure databases to use for research and surveillance activities. OEM data are necessary for determining the levels of workers' exposures; compliance with regulations; developing control measures; establishing worker exposure profiles; and improving preventive and responsive exposure surveillance and policy efforts. Workers' compensation insurers as a group may have particular potential for understanding exposures in various industries, especially among small employers. This is the first study to determine how selected state-based and private workers' compensation insurers collect, store, and use OEM data related specifically to air and noise sampling.  Of 50 insurers contacted to participate in this study, 28 completed an online survey. All of the responding private and the majority of state-based insurers offered industrial hygiene (IH) services to policyholders and employed 1 to 3 certified industrial hygienists on average. Many, but not all, insurers used standardized forms for data collection, but the data were not commonly stored in centralized databases. Data were most often used to provide recommendations for improvement to policyholders. Although not representative of all insurers, the survey was completed by insurers that cover a substantial number of employers and workers. The 20 participating state-based insurers on average provided 48% of the workers' compensation insurance benefits in their respective states or provinces. These results provide insight into potential next steps for improving the access to and usability of existing data as well as ways researchers can help organizations improve data collection strategies. This effort represents an opportunity for collaboration among insurers, researchers, and others that can help insurers and employers while advancing the exposure assessment field in the U.S. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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