Annoyance response to mixed transportation noise in Hong Kong

To better understand mixed transportation noise-annoyance response, a study was undertaken in Hong Kong to (1) unravel factors affecting annoyance response to mixed transportation noise; (2) contrast noise-annoyance relationships between road traffic and railway noise dominant situations; and (3) explain the differences, if any, between the two using structural equation modelling from the data collected in a social survey. Results of this study show that annoyance is largely determined by noise disturbance and perceived noisiness. Personal noise sensitivity, attitudes towards different means of transport and perceived quality of the living environment are secondary contributing factors. When road traffic noise dominates, annoyance is primarily determined by noise disturbance caused by the peaks of railway noise events; when railway noise dominates, peaks of train events can induce annoyance response directly without causing disturbance. Policy implications of such results on how to minimize noise-annoyance response are discussed in the paper.     

射频SQUID心磁图数据自适应滤波研究

研究了滤除50Hz工频干扰的几种自适应算法，并应用于射频超导量子干涉仪（SQUID）心 磁图仪采集的心磁数据50Hz滤波中.对算法的性能进行了计算机仿真比较.结果表明，带50 Hz干扰的SQUID心磁信号通过自适应噪声对消法，干扰得到了很好的抑制. 关键词： SQUID 心磁图 自适应滤波 噪声消除     

Estimating traffic noise for inclined roads with freely flowing traffic

Traffic noise measurements on the kerbs of 19 independent inclined trunk roads with freely flowing traffic within the residential areas of Hong Kong are carried out in the present investigation. The performance of the existing noise prediction models in predicting traffic noise from inclined roads is evaluated. By regression analysis and simple physical consideration of the traffic noise production mechanisms, formulae for the prediction of the L_A10, L_A50, L_A90 and L_Aeq are developed or re-calibrated. Results suggest tyre noise has the major contribution to the overall noise environment when the source is an inclined trunk road. Also, the road gradient is found to have a higher contribution to the traffic noise than assumed in the existing models, but becomes unimportant when the background noise level L_A90 is concerned.     

On monitoring community noise using arbitrarily chosen measurement periods

An attempt to find out the effectiveness of using short time span measurements to monitor or assess the acoustical environment is summarized in the present study. Long time span noise level recording was carried out in the high-rise residential areas of Hong Kong. The short time span results were then obtained from these records by arbitrarily choosing a time period of a specific length. It is found that there is a high probability that the short time span results can be very much lower than the worst scenario of a site, but the estimations of the energy-based Day-night level and Day-evening-night level are within engineering tolerance. It is also found that taking one additional short time span measurement at a site strategically can improve significantly the assessment outcome for the day time period.     

Critique of subjective responses of Chinese to aircraft noise

A recent paper has reported a difference in response to aircraft noise between the community living around Hong Kong International Airport and that living around Heathrow Airport in the UK. The difference has been ascribed to a different sensitivity of Chinese in Hong Kong to aircraft noise. This paper questions whether any such difference exists and suggests that the result is more likely a function of the techniques of survey and analysis adopted in the Hong Kong study. This is based on a statistical comparison of the regression lines and on an examination of the problems associated with transferring an annoyance scale developed in one environment to another.     

Estimating leisure noise in Spanish cities

Noise pollution is a great environmental problem in big cities. In particular, the leisure noise is one of the most significant problems during the night period and the responsible of a growing number of complaints and sleep disturbances from population.For that reason, with the aim of approaching an analysis on spatio-temporal evolution of the leisure noise, some areas with leisure activity as main noise source was sampled. With these results, a protocol to address an appropriate action against leisure noise problems is put forth. This procedure explains how to diagnose a leisure area or predict the noise levels inside these areas. Therefore, the proposed procedure could help taking better solutions in order to reduce the impact of leisure noise on the exposed population.     

Noise impact assessment by utilizing noise map and GIS: A case study in the city of Chungju, Republic of Korea

In this study, a scheme to develop a noise map and noise impact assessment method using GIS has been suggested. After developing a road-traffic noise map for the city of Chungju, Republic of Korea, noise impact assessment was performed through analyzing the map. A 3-dimensional terrain model was generated using digital maps and building models were prepared using the information from draft and digital maps. To develop a noise evaluation model, a noise-source map for each road was generated. The noise levels at 25 locations close to roads were measured and compared with the expected noise levels to verify the developed noise map. An excess noise map was generated by comparing the road-traffic noise map with a noise-standard map. Using the excess noise map, the areas exceeding environmental noise standards were effectively evaluated through a GIS space analysis. The 3-dimensional facade noise map was generated to calculate the number of people exposed to a certain noise level.     

Environmental noise – ‘Forgotten’ or ‘Ignored’ pollutant?

It has been 20 years since the European Commission adopted the Green Paper on Future Noise Policy in 1996, taking the first comprehensive step towards the development of an EU-wide noise policy. This document envisioned a directive that would harmonise methods for the assessment of environmental noise and the dissemination of information to the public. This led to the establishment of Directive 2002/49/EC in 2002 also known as the Environmental Noise Directive (END). The END called for the development of strategic noise maps and action plans across every EU Member State in five year intervals. Two phases of noise mapping and action planning have now been completed and Member States are about to embark on the third phase of noise mapping, due in 2017. Focussing on results reported to the European Commission, this study summarises the current state of noise mapping, 20 years after the publication of the Green Paper, and identifies critical needs for future noise mapping phases.     

Utilizing noise mapping for environmental impact assessment in a downtown redevelopment area of Seoul, Korea

In environmental impact assessment, noise impact assessment usually consists of three stages: surveying the existing noise levels, predicting noise levels induced by future construction works and predicting noise levels after the completion of a project. The distance-attenuation relation of a point source, which has been used in Korea to predict the noise level due to its simplicity, does not consider complex acoustic phenomena like multi-reflections, diffractions and absorptions that arise due to the complex topographic configurations of surrounding buildings and terrains. To consider such physical and acoustical complexities, a noise mapping tool is adopted to produce a series of three noise maps: for the present environment, for the planned construction works and for the future. For meaningful noise mapping, both acoustically- and topographically-good information is essential. Standard sound power levels and directivities of various construction equipments are required. Exact scheduling of construction processes and equipment locations must be provided. When the legal limit is exceeded, mitigation measures are applied to satisfy these limits and a subsequent noise map is constructed to verify the effect of these measures. Foreign prediction models are adopted for the situations in Korea if a certain validation condition is satisfied.     

Bridging rate coding and temporal spike coding by effect of noise

It is controversial whether temporal spike coding or rate coding is dominant in the information processing of the brain. We show by a two-layered neural network model with noise that, when noise is small, cortical neurons fire synchronously and intervals of synchronous firing robustly encode the signal information, but that the neurons desynchronize with moderately strong noise to encode waveforms of the signal more accurately. Further increase of noise just deteriorates the encoding. A positive role of noise in the brain is suggested in a meaning different from stochastic resonance, coherence resonance, and deterministic chaos.     

发光二极管可靠性的噪声表征

通过对发光二极管内部结构的研究，发现N_t(界面态陷阱密度)和扩散电流比率 是影响发光二极管性能的重要因素，并与器件可靠性有密切关系.器件内部存在的多种噪声 中，低频1/f噪声可表征N_t和扩散电流比率.在深入研究发光二极管工作原理及1 /f噪声载流子数涨落理论和迁移率涨落理论的基础上，建立了发光二极管的电性能模型及1/ f噪声模型.在输入电流宽范围变化的条件下测量了器件的电学噪声，实验结果与理论模型符 合良好.通过对其测量结果分析，深入研究了噪声和发光二极管性能与可靠性的关系，证明 了噪声幅值越大，电流指数越接近于2，器件可靠性越差，失效率则显著增大. 关键词： 1/f噪声 发光二极管 陷阱 光功率     

Condition number as a measure of noise performance of diffusion tensor data acquisition schemes with MRI

Diffusion tensor mapping with MRI can noninvasively track neural connectivity and has great potential for neural scientific research and clinical applications. For each diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data acquisition scheme, the diffusion tensor is related to the measured apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) by a transformation matrix. With theoretical analysis we demonstrate that the noise performance of a DTI scheme is dependent on the condition number of the transformation matrix. To test the theoretical framework, we compared the noise performances of different DTI schemes using Monte-Carlo computer simulations and experimental DTI measurements. Both the simulation and the experimental results confirmed that the noise performances of different DTI schemes are significantly correlated with the condition number of the associated transformation matrices. We therefore applied numerical algorithms to optimize a DTI scheme by minimizing the condition number, hence improving the robustness to experimental noise. In the determination of anisotropic diffusion tensors with different orientations, MRI data acquisitions using a single optimum b value based on the mean diffusivity can produce ADC maps with regional differences in noise level. This will give rise to rotational variances of eigenvalues and anisotropy when diffusion tensor mapping is performed using a DTI scheme with a limited number of diffusion-weighting gradient directions. To reduce this type of artifact, a DTI scheme with not only a small condition number but also a large number of evenly distributed diffusion-weighting gradients in 3D is preferable.     

DLS粒度测量实验中噪声的影响与克服

噪声是始终存在于动态光散射实验的整个测量过程中,噪声的大小直接影响测量系统的信噪比大小与测量结果的准确性。根据噪声产生的物理原因,将动态光散射实验中的噪声分为外部环境噪声和设备内部噪声两大类。为了最大限度的降低噪声提高测量的准确性,在详细探讨影响动态光散射粒度测量实验中各种噪声的来源的基础上,分析了噪声对实验结果的影响,并提出相应解决的办法。     

平行声屏障的陷波模态及其插入损失优化

为了改善平行声屏障的性能，本文基于有限元仿真的方法对其陷波模态和插入损失进行了研究。其中，陷波模态是平行声屏障的固有性质，与其几何参数有关。当陷波模态处于共振频率时，平行声屏障内部声场的声能量达到峰值，同时声波垂直入射到声屏障的顶端，使声影区的衍射声能也达到峰值，最终导致插入损失显著下降。本文还对3种优化平行声屏障插入损失的方法进行了分析。结果表明，楔形和扩散型声屏障可降低声波的多次反射效应对插入损失的影响，但是对陷波模态的改善较小。而吸声型声屏障有效的抑制了陷波模态对插入损失的不利影响，从而改善了平行声屏障的性能。     

Aircrafts’ taxi noise. Sound power level and directivity frequency band results

When noise mapping airports, the main noise sources are take offs and landings. But aircrafts’ taxi noise can also be important, and should be considered, for instance when there are residential buildings near the airport’s terminal.Main prediction tools, like Integrated Noise Model (INM), do not consider taxiing and standard outdoors noise predictions software applications must be used, to model taxi as industrial noise sources.This technical note shows frequency band sound power levels and directivity data for several aircrafts’ classes; so that an acoustic consultant can include taxi for noise mapping an airport.     

矢量拖线阵水听器流噪声响应特性

针对传统拖线阵流噪声理论的局限性, 建立了完善的矢量拖线阵流噪声理论分析方法, 可全面准确地揭示矢量拖线阵流噪声响应特性. 基于细长圆柱的湍流边界层压力起伏Carpenter模型, 采用波数-频率谱分析方法对矢量拖线阵流噪声响应特性进行了理论研究, 导出了圆柱形矢量水听器流噪声响应的声压和振速自功率谱及其互功率谱的解析表达式, 定量分析了流噪声响应功率谱与拖曳速度、水听器尺寸、套管尺寸和材料等参数之间变化规律; 另外, 还讨论了圆柱形矢量水听器偏离护套轴线时矢量拖线阵流噪声响应, 导出了流噪声响应的声压、径向和轴向振速自功率谱及其互功率谱的解析表达式, 数值计算结果表明: 轴线偏移距离对声压和轴向振速的高频噪声的影响要大于对低频噪声的影响, 而对径向振速的全频段噪声都有明显影响, 且对振速分量影响要远大于对声压影响.     

共焦扫描荧光显微镜的信噪比与信息量

在研制用于对厚的生物样品进行光学断层成像的共焦扫描荧光显微镜时，由于成像信号十分微弱及存在很强的多次散射作用，因此杂散光的抑制非常重要，而信噪比、信号背景比就成为决定能否获得高对比度、高分率图像的关键。运用光学信息量的概念，在已有的光学成像系统信息量计算、共焦扫描荧光显微镜信噪比及传递函数计算的基础上，详细分析了共焦扫描荧光显微镜信息量与信噪比等之间的定量关系。该关系表明，为了充分利用共焦扫描荧光显微镜的成像性能，必须选择适当的探测小孔。所得的结果对于共焦扫描荧光显微成像系统的研制有重要的实用价值。     

3D analysis and investigation of traffic noise impact from a new motorway on building and surrounding area

This study analyzes and investigates the impact of traffic noise on the high-rise building and surrounding area by the side of a new motorway that links Bangkok to the new Suwannaphum International Airport and Pattaya. A traffic noise simulation model in 3D form is applied on a GIS system. Visualized noise levels are formulated in vectored contours for noise mapping on all surfaces of the building and surrounding ground in a 3D platform. Noise impact is then investigated based on this 3D noise mapping in LAeq,1 h noise contours. The investigation shows that there is a high traffic noise impact on the foreground and front façade of the building, rendering this area unsuitable for residential purposes. The ground area by the sides of the building and the building side panels receive a lower noise impact. Most of these areas are still not acceptable for residential use; however, all of the side panels and most of the ground area by the sides of the building can be used for commercial and business purposes. The back yard and back panel, together with the rooftop, have the lowest traffic noise impact. They are the safest places for use as residential areas, except for a small strip along the front edge of the rooftop. From this study, residential areas that are sensitive to noise impact must be located far away from the front façade and side panels of a building. It is also shows that the building height is not an effective means of reducing motorway noise on the upper part of the building.     

空间关联白噪声影响下小世界神经元网络系统的同步动力学

以电耦合的Terman-Wang小世界神经元网络系统为研究对象, 研究了空间关联白噪声影响下神经元网络系统的同步动力学. 首先将动力学平均场近似理论扩展到受空间关联白噪声影响下的小世界网络系统中, 将描述网络系统动力学演化的2N维随机微分方程简化为11个确定性的矩微分方程. 其次, 基于动力学平均场近似理论所推导的矩方程, 讨论了空间关联噪声、网络结构参数对神经元网络系统同步动力学的关键影响, 发现较大的噪声空间关联系数、耦合强度及节点平均度均对神经元网络系统同步放电具有积极作用. 进一步地, 利用计算机仿真数值模拟原神经元网络系统的同步动力学, 并与基于动力学平均场近似理论所得到的结果进行比较, 发现二者具有较好的一致性.     

Road traffic noise exposure in residential complexes built at different times between 1950 and 2000 in Hong Kong

This paper attempts to determine the exposure of the urban population to road traffic noise living in residential complexes built at different times between 1950 and 2000 in Hong Kong. Noise exposure was estimated at the residents’ dwelling, neighborhood and community by noise mapping. The purpose of the study is to find out if the noise exposure levels of these residential complexes have improved as a result of stepped up noise control and reduction efforts. A total of 212 residential complexes built at different times, by the government and private sector in different districts, were selected for noise assessment. The results show that, compared to private housing, public housing estates are generally exposed to less road traffic noise. The study has also found that, over the 50-year period, the dwelling noise exposure levels of the recently built residential complexes are lower than the older ones, showing some improvement over time. This is particularly more noticeable at the high exposure end. There is however only some small differences in noise level between recent and old developments at the community scale both for public and private housing estates.