The effect of the number of aircraft noise events on sleep quality

BackgroundBoth the WHO and the EC recommend the use of L_night as the primary indicator for sleep disturbance. Still, a key question for noise policy is whether the prediction of sleep quality could be improved by taking the number of events into account in addition to L_night.ObjectivesThe current paper investigates the association between sleep quality and the number of aircraft noise events. The first aim of this study was to investigate whether, for the purpose of predicting sleep quality measured by motility, the nummer of events is adequately represented in L_night for the purpose of predicting sleep quality measured by motility. The second aim was to investigate whether the number of events at a given L_night has an additional predictive value. In addition, it was explored whether the total number of events should be taken into account for the production of sleep quality, or only the number of events exceeding a certain sound pressure level.MethodsThis study is based on data of a field study among 418 people living within a range of 20 km from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The data from this study are well suited for this purpose, since for every subject both the number and the exposure level of events are available. Sleep quality was measured by motility, derived from actimeters worn on the wrist, and by self-reported sleep quality scored on a 11-point scale. Mixed linear regression models were built in a stepwise manner to predict sleep quality during a sleep period time.ResultsThe results show that, given a certain equivalent noise level, additional information on the overall number of events does not improve the prediction of sleep quality. However, the number of events above L_Amax of 60 dB was related to an increase in mean motility, indicating lower sleep quality. No effect of number of events was found on self-reported sleep quality.ConclusionsThis study suggests that the number of events is more or less adequately represented in L_night and only the number of high noise level events may have additional effects on sleep quality as measured by motility. This may be viewed as an indication that, in addition to L_night, the number of events with a relatively high L_Amax could be used as a basis for protection against noise-induced sleep disturbance.     

Nocturnal road traffic noise assessment and sleep research: The usefulness of different timeframes and in- and outdoor noise measurements

In this paper, we investigated the procedure of noise assessment in the study of nocturnal noise exposure during sleep in the home situation. The use of two different timeframes (fixed from 11 PM to 07 AM versus personal “Time in Bed” period) was explored as well as the relation between indoor and outdoor noise levels and between the actual and estimated noise levels. Noise recordings were performed inside and outside the bedroom of 24 subjects living in high density road traffic noise areas in the Brussels’ Capital Region during seven consecutive days. Indoor and outdoor noise indicators L_Aeq, L_Amax and individual noise events were analysed. Subjects completed a daily sleep log in which the Time in Bed period was assessed. The results indicate that, for outdoor noise assessment, the use of an average L_Aeq might not be sufficient to reflect well the noise levels during the sleep period. For indoor measurements, significant differences were found in the comparison between both timeframes (L_Aeq: T = 16; p < .001). Considering the relation between indoor and outdoor measurements, low correlations (r = .49; p < .001) were found even when the location of the bedroom as a mediating factor was accounted for (street side; r = .52; p < .001). Therefore, from our study, caution is needed when relying on outdoor noise measurements for the evaluation of sleep disturbances. Furthermore, one needs to be aware of the weak correspondence between indoor and outdoor noise levels in the discussion of what a harmonized noise indicator for the evaluation of noise exposure and sleep disturbances should consist of.     

Practical guidance for risk assessment of traffic noise effects on sleep

Environmental noise disturbs sleep and may impair well-being, performance and health. The European Union Directive 2002/49/EC (END) requires member states to generate noise maps and action plans to mitigate traffic noise effects on the population. However, practical guidance for the generation of action plans, i.e. for assessing the effects of traffic noise on sleep, is missing. Based on the current literature, we provide guidance on hazard identification, exposure assessment, exposure-response relationships and risk estimation: there is currently no consensus on both exposure and outcome variables that describe traffic noise effects on sleep most adequately. END suggests the equivalent noise level L_night as the primary exposure variable, and our own simulations of single nights with up to 200 noise events based on a field study on the effects of aircraft noise on sleep support using expert consensus L_night ranges (<30, 30-40, 40-55, >55 dB) for risk assessment. However, the precision of risk assessment may be considerably improved by adding information on the number of noise events contributing to L_night. The calculation of L_night should be extended to the shoulder hours of the day if traffic is busy during these periods. More data are needed on the combined effects of different traffic modes.     

Effects of colored noise and noise delay on a calcium oscillation system

As a calcium oscillations system is in steady state, the effects of colored noise and noise delay on the system is investigated using stochastic simulation methods. The results indicate that: (1) the colored noise can induce coherence bi-resonance phenomenon. (2) there exist three peaks in the R–_τ0$R\text{–}{\tau }_0$ (R$R$ is the reciprocal coefficient of variance, and _τ0${\tau }_0$ is the self-correlation time of the colored noise) curves. For the same noise intensity Q=1$Q=1$, the Gaussian colored noise can induce calcium spikes but the white noise cannot do this. (3) the delay time can improve noise induced spikes regularity as _τ0${\tau }_0$ is small, and R$R$ has a significant minimum with increasing τ$\tau$ as _τ0${\tau }_0$ is large. (4) large values of ζ$\zeta$ reduce noise induced spikes regularity.     

Effects of non-Gaussian noise on a calcium oscillation system

We investigate the effects of the non-Gaussian colored noise on a calcium oscillation system using stochastic simulation methods. It is found that the reciprocal coefficient of variance R has a maximum (R max ) with increasing noise intensity Q. The non-Gaussian noise parameter q has an important effect on the system. For some values of q (e.g., q = 0.9, q = 1.0), R has a maximum with increasing correlation time τ. Non-Gaussian noise induced spikes are more regular than Gaussian noise induced spikes when q is small and Q has large values. The R has a maximum with increasing q. Therefore, non-Gaussian noise could play more effective roles in the calcium oscillation system.     

Effects of acoustical noise on annoyance, performance and fatigue during mental memory task

This paper describes the effects of meaningful and meaningless external acoustical noise, at various sound pressure level values, on participants during a mental task. That is, the authors focused on the psychological impression of `annoyance' caused by noise, and `performance' indicated by factors such as percentage of correct answers and reaction time. More specifically, the authors discussed how these two items depend on the sound pressure level value of noise, and how they change due to meaningful or meaningless noise. Moreover, the difference between subjective feelings of `fatigue' before and after the task, both with and without noise was considered. Furthermore, an investigation was made into how the above items change in the case of aural or visual task presentations. The task was the probe digit, which is a short-term memory task. As a result, the importance of reducing meaningful external noise at low sound pressure level values was shown.     

Effects of image processing on the noise properties of confocal images

The effects on the noise content of producing a projection from a stack of confocal images are investigated. Processing by retaining either the mean or peak pixel value is found to reduce noise, with the former giving more noise reduction. Gaussian noise, shot noise and speckle are considered. The effects of processing on the perception of the images are discussed.     

Effects of non-Gaussian noise on the dynamical properties of a logistic system

The dynamical properties of a tumor cell growth system described by the logistic system with coupling between non- Gaussian and Gaussian noise terms are investigated. The effects of the nonextensive index q on the stationary properties and the transient properties are discussed, respectively. The results show that the nonextensive index q can induce the tumor cell numbers to decrease greatly in the case of q 〉 1. Moreover, the switch from the steady stable state to the extinct state is speeded up as the increases of q, and the tumor cell numbers can be more obviously restrained for a large value of q. The numerical results are found to be in basic agreement with the theoretical predictions.     

Causality study on a feedforward active noise control headset with different noise coming directions in free field

A systematic analysis is proposed to predict the performance of a typical feedforward single channel ANC headset in terms of the delay, especially the non-causal delay caused by different noise coming directions. First, the performance of a non-causal feedforward system for a band-limited noise is analyzed by using a simplified pure delay model, where it is found that the noise reduction bandwidth is narrowed and the maximum noise reduction is decreased with the increase of the non-causal delay. Second, a systematic method is developed, which can be used to predict the system performance with measured primary and secondary path transfer functions in most practical sound fields and to study the effects of the control filter length and the path delay on the performance. Then, the causality of a typical feedforward active noise control headset with the primary source at 0° and 90° positions in an anechoic chamber is analyzed, and the performance for the two locations predicted by the systematic analysis is shown in good agreements with the experiment results. Finally, an experiment of a typical feedforward active noise control headset in a reverberation chamber is carried out, which shows the validity of the proposed systematic analysis for other more practical sound fields.     

偏置信号调制下噪声关联的周期调制对单模激光随机共振的影响

在噪声受偏置信号调制的情况下,讨论色噪声之间的关联受时间周期调制所驱动的单模激光系统中的随机共振.用线性化近似的方法计算了输出信噪比.具体讨论输出信噪比随噪声自关联时间、噪声强度和偏置信号的变化关系.发现输出信噪比随抽运噪声强度和自关联时间的变化出现随机共振,而偏置信号会降低随机共振的峰值.实际应用中应控制优选偏置信号强度. 关键词： 偏置信号 色噪声 时间周期调制 噪声间关联程度     

On a simple derivation of master equations for diffusion processes driven by white noise and dichotomic Markov noise

A very simple way is presented of deriving the partial differential equations (the master equations) satisfied by the probability density for certain kinds of diffusion processes in one dimension, in which the driving term is a Gaussian white noise, or a dichotomic noise, or a combination of the two. The method involves the use of certain ‘formulas of differentiation’ to derive the equations obeyed by the characteristic functions of the processes concerned, and thence the corresponding master equations. The examples presented cover a substantial number of diffusion processes that occur in physical modelling, including some master equations derived recently in the literature for generalizations of persistent diffusion.     

Effects of noise on periodic orbits of the logistic map

Noise can induce an inverse period-doubling transition and chaos. The effects of noise on each periodic orbit of three different period sequences are investigated for the logistic map. It is found that the dynamical behavior of each orbit, induced by an uncorrelated Gaussian white noise, is different in the mergence transition. For an orbit of the period-six sequence, the maximum of the probability density in the presence of noise is greater than that in the absence of noise. It is also found that, under the same intensity of noise, the effects of uncorrelated Gaussian white noise and exponentially correlated colored (Gaussian) noise on the period-four sequence are different.      

Impact of aircraft sound quality combined with the repetition of aircraft flyovers on annoyance as perceived activity disturbance in a laboratory context

This study focuses on perceived activity disturbance evaluated by participants who are subjected to the repetition noise of current aircraft and modified aircraft in regard to tonal quality. A previous study devoted to the sound quality of aircraft noise revealed that one of the most important perceptive features is the emergence of Doppler shifted tones. Six 20-min sound sequences were created combining two variables: number of aircraft (N₁ with six aircraft and N₂ with 10 aircraft plus one sequence without aircraft N₀) and tonality (sequences with current aircraft, sequences with +5 dB-amplified tonality and sequences with −5 dB-attenuated tonality). For all sequences, the equivalent sound level and the peak level of the loudest event are constant, except for the sequence without aircraft. Sixty-three subjects, attending two different sequences in one session, rated on a category scale the level of activity disturbance due to the noise environment when carrying out memory and concentration tasks. The order of presentation was controlled as an additional variable in the variance analyses. The perceived activity disturbance is significantly influenced by the equivalent sound level. The influence of the number of aircraft flyovers is statistically significant at the 5% level. High tonal components have no effect on perceived disturbance. Memory and concentration performances, measured by number of incorrect or correct answers, are influenced only by the order of presentation, revealing the importance of the learning effect. Reaction time, which is influenced by the equivalent sound level, seems better adapted for measuring the effect of noise on task achievement. These results are discussed in regard to related research.     

Identification of noise sources on a residential split-system air-conditioner using sound intensity measurements

This paper presents the results of experimental studies of the noise of a residential split-system air-conditioner unit. The compressor and condenser and associated fans were removed from the unit and did not form part of the studies. Care was taken with the unit to separate the inlet and exhaust noise from the noise radiated from the cabinet. The measurements were made with a two-microphone sound intensity probe and these resulted in sound power level data. The sound power levels produced by radiation from the inlet, exhaust and cabinet were obtained for five different volume flow rates. The effect on the sound power generated by removing the coil was investigated. Measurements and subjective studies show that the low frequency sound is predominantly radiated from the exhaust and inlet. At high frequency, the cabinet noise dominates.     

Effect of masking noise on cognitive performance and annoyance in open plan offices

Even for low noise levels, employees working in open-plan offices declare they are disturbed by different sound sources and especially by intelligible speech. This paper presents two experiments that aim at studying the effects of sound sources on task performance and cognitive load. In the first experiment, thirty-five individuals were assigned a serial memory task in four noise conditions: printers, intelligible speech, non-intelligible speech and phone rings. Noise annoyance was assessed by measuring task performance and cognitive workload (NASA-TLX). Although there was no significant difference between intelligible speech, unintelligible speech and phone ring tone signals in terms of annoyance, the performance in a memory task decreased in the presence of intelligible speech. In the second experiment, the relevance of a new intelligibility index was evaluated. This index was derived from eSII as defined by Rhebergen et al. (2006) to deal with fluctuating noise as speech babble. Fifty-five subjects performed a serial memory task in four STIt (time varying Speech Transmission Index calculated for every 12.5 ms in dynamic environment) conditions (from 0.38 to 0.69) while STI values were kept constant (around 0.36). No significant difference appeared between the decreases in performance observed with multiple levels of intelligibility. However, a significant difference between two groups of individuals appeared in performance measurements. The group of better performers seemed to be less affected by the high level of intelligibility condition than the other ones.     

离子通道噪声对神经元新陈代谢能量的影响

利用随机Hodgkin-Huxley模型对发生在不同膜面积、不同温度下的神经元新陈代谢能量损耗进行了数值模拟研究.与实际神经元进行比较,表明神经元细胞膜存在一个最佳的膜面积和最佳的温度. 在最佳的膜面积和温度下,神经元的新陈代谢能量损耗最小. 最佳的膜面积与实际神经元膜面积一致,并且这个最佳的温度与室温一致. 关键词： 噪声 离子通道 神经元 Hodgkin-Huxley模型     

小波变换重建超短脉冲光谱相位的误差分析

分析了噪声对小波变换重建超短脉冲光谱相位的影响. 在理想情况和附加噪声、倍增噪声， 以及干涉条纹采样量化干扰的情况下，分析了小波变换对几种光谱相位的重建精度. 结果显 示，在理想情况和噪声干扰的情况下，小波变换的相位重建精度都在003rad范围以内. 这 说明小波变换是一种精确可信的光谱相位重建方法，具有很强的抗噪声干扰能力. 另外，将 小波变换的轨迹图类比SHG FROG的轨迹图，可以直接定性判断脉冲的啁啾特征. 关键词： 超短脉冲 相位重建 小波变换 噪声     

A three-dimensional physical model of MRI noise based on current noise sources in a conductor

Magnetic flux noise is generated by any conductor in equilibrium with a bath as a result of random fluctuating currents. A physical model of this flux noise is proposed, based on allowable current patterns in the conductor, which we describe as natural current modes. This model gives insight into the spatial characteristics of the magnetic noise which is encountered in a variety of magnetic measurements and imaging modalities such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).     

Effects of urban morphology on the traffic noise distribution through noise mapping: A comparative study between UK and China

Due to the rapid urban development and massive population increase in many eastern cities, the difference in urban density and morphology between typical western and eastern cities is becoming significant. This consequently makes the noise distribution in the eastern cities rather different from typical low density European cities. In this research, two representative cities with different urban densities, Greater Manchester in the UK and Wuhan in China, were selected, which have low and high average urban density respectively, and also have considerable differences in building form and traffic pattern. In the mean time, these two cities have similar urban scale and traffic amount. In each city, based on the urban morphological analyses considering urban land-use, building and road density, and noise source distribution, a number of typical urban areas, 500 * 500 m² each, were sampled. A noise-mapping software package was then used to generate generic noise maps, based on existing digital vector maps for terrain and building, and traffic data obtained by on-site measurements. The comparison results show that the average and minimum noise level in Greater Manchester samples is generally higher than that in Wuhan samples, while the maximum noise level in Wuhan samples is mostly higher. By developing a Matlab program, correlations have been analysed between noise distributions and the urban characteristics relating to urban density, such as the road and building coverage ratio. Overall, comparisons between these two typical cities have shown significant effects of urban morphology on the traffic noise distribution.     

Experimental study of dynamic and noise produced by a gearing excited by a multi-harmonic excitation

This paper deals with the rattle noise, caused by the fluctuation of the engine torque (acyclic excitation) which, under special conditions, can cause multiple impacts inside the gearbox. Its aim is to experimentally describe the rattle phenomenon in a gearbox. First, a fully instrumented test rig consisting of a simplified gearbox was designed in order to recreate the rattle noise phenomenon for a multi harmonic excitation imposed to the input shaft of the gearbox. Second, different gearbox configurations were used to characterize the rattle threshold and the rattle noise evolution, in relation to excitation parameters and mechanical gearbox parameters. Third, a simplified model of the rattle phenomenon is drawn, aiming to determine the most significant parameters to the rattle noise.