Listening Effort, An Overview of App Validation and Testing by the Audiology 4 all Project.

OBJECTIVE: To describe an application's development and validation process that aims to track hearing difficulties in adverse environments (a listening effort application). DESIGN: 71 subjects were evaluated, divided into two groups: 30 subjects aged between 18 and 30, and 41 subjects aged between 40 and 65. All subjects had European Portuguese as their native language; the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) scored above 24, and all could read and write. All subjects performed the intelligibility test in noise and the test of listening effort. The two tests were randomly applied in the free field in the audiometric cabin and the application. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between the results of the two methods (p>0.05). For the group aged between 40 and 65 years old, the ROC curve showed that intelligibility inferior to 68.5% and the number of correct answers lower than 1,5 in the listening effort test are the optimal cut-off for referral to further management. Both tests showed low sensitivity and specificity regarding individuals between 18 and 30 years old, indicating that the application is inappropriate for this age group. CONCLUSIONS: The application is valid and can contribute to the screening and self-awareness of listening difficulties in middle age, with a reduction in the prevalence of dementia soon.

Mitigating air and noise pollution through highway capping: The Bundang-Suseo Highway Cap Project case study.

Highways, while vital for transportation, often lead to heightened air and noise pollution, adversely affecting nearby communities. This study delves into the effectiveness of highway capping, a sustainable urban development strategy, in addressing these environmental challenges, with a specific focus on the Bundang-Suseo Highway in South Korea. This study employed a multifaceted approach, incorporating on-road monitoring, in situ measurements, and vertical assessments using UAVs. Following the cap's installation, the area experienced more stable pollutant levels, marking a notable shift from the previously fluctuating conditions heavily influenced by the highway. In-depth in situ monitoring near the cap revealed significant reductions in noise and pollutants like UFP and BC. Furthermore, UAV monitoring captured these changes in pollutant levels at different altitudes. Notably, the installation of the highway cap led to increased PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 levels at ground level, but a decrease above the cap, emphasizing the critical importance of intentional highway cap design in enhancing urban air quality and reducing exposure to harmful pollutants. This research yields invaluable insights for urban planners, health authorities, and policymakers, aiding the precise identification of pollution-prone areas and advocating for improved highway cap design to enhance urban environments.

Effectiveness of sound and darkness interventions for critically ill patients' sleep quality: A systematic review and component network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Noise and lighting are prime factors of poor sleep quality in critically ill patients, which impair recovery and increase the risk of delirium or complications. AIM: To identify and rank the effectiveness of sound and darkness interventions on the sleep quality of critically ill patients. STUDY DESIGN: This systematic review and component network meta-analysis was based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews incorporating the Network Meta-Analyses (PRISMA-NMA) Statement. The Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane CENTRAL, CINAHL, Airiti Library, and Google Scholar databases were searched from inception to August 10, 2021, for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on sound and darkness interventions targeting critically ill patients' sleep quality. We applied standard and component NMA to determine the effects of interventions. The certainty of evidence was evaluated using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool (V.2.0) and the online Confidence in Network Meta-Analysis (CINeMA) application. RESULTS: Twenty-four RCTs with 1507 participants who used combined interventions constituting seven competing interventions were included in the standard NMA. The combination of earplugs, eye masks, and music; eye masks alone; earplugs combined with eye masks; and music alone had beneficial intervention effects. The combination of earplugs, eye masks, and music was the best intervention, and these components had no interaction effect. An eye mask had the best relative effect, followed by music, quiet time, and earplugs. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides clinical evidence of the effectiveness of using eye masks, music, and earplugs to improve sleep quality in critically ill patients. We also recommend future research using bedtime music, nocturnal eye masks, and quiet time, which had the best relative effects on sleep quality. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This study provides recommendations for interventions that nurses can use to improve critically ill patients' sleep quality.

Preventing Excessive Noise Exposure in Infants, Children, and Adolescents.

Noise affects people of all ages. Noise-induced hearing loss, a major problem for adults, is also a problem for young people. Sensorineural hearing loss is usually irreversible. Environmental noise, such as traffic noise, can affect learning, physiologic parameters, sleep, and quality of life. Children and adolescents have unique vulnerabilities. Infants and young children must rely on adults to remove them from noisy situations; children may not recognize hazardous noise exposures; teenagers often do not understand consequences of high exposure to music from personal listening devices or attending concerts and dances. Personal listening devices are increasingly used, even by small children. Environmental noise has disproportionate effects on underserved communities. This statement and its accompanying technical report review common sources and effects of noise as well as specific pediatric exposures. Because noise exposure often starts in infancy and effects are cumulative, more attention to noise in everyday activities is needed starting early in life. Pediatricians can potentially lessen harms by raising awareness of children's specific vulnerabilities to noise. Safer listening is possible. Noise exposure is underrecognized as a serious public health issue in the United States. Greater awareness of noise hazards is needed at a societal level.

Preventing Excessive Noise Exposure in Infants, Children, and Adolescents.

Noise exposure is a major cause of hearing loss in adults. Yet, noise affects people of all ages, and noise-induced hearing loss is also a problem for young people. Sensorineural hearing loss caused by noise and other toxic exposures is usually irreversible. Environmental noise, such as traffic noise, can affect learning, physiologic parameters, and quality of life. Children and adolescents have unique vulnerabilities to noise. Children may be exposed beginning in NICUs and well-baby nurseries, at home, at school, in their neighborhoods, and in recreational settings. Personal listening devices are increasingly used, even by small children. Infants and young children cannot remove themselves from noisy situations and must rely on adults to do so, children may not recognize hazardous noise exposures, and teenagers generally do not understand the consequences of high exposure to music from personal listening devices or attending concerts and dances. Environmental noise exposure has disproportionate effects on underserved communities. In this report and the accompanying policy statement, common sources of noise and effects on hearing at different life stages are reviewed. Noise-abatement interventions in various settings are discussed. Because noise exposure often starts in infancy and its effects result mainly from cumulative exposure to loud noise over long periods of time, more attention is needed to its presence in everyday activities starting early in life. Listening to music and attending dances, concerts, and celebratory and other events are sources of joy, pleasure, and relaxation for many people. These situations, however, often result in potentially harmful noise exposures. Pediatricians can potentially lessen exposures, including promotion of safer listening, by raising awareness in parents, children, and teenagers. Noise exposure is underrecognized as a serious public health issue in the United States, with exposure limits enforceable only in workplaces and not for the general public, including children and adolescents. Greater awareness of noise hazards is needed at a societal level.

Incubator-based active noise control device: comparison to ear covers and noise reduction zone quantification.

BACKGROUND: Noise exposure in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is consistently higher than current recommendations. This may adversely affect neonatal sleep, weight gain, and overall health. We sought to evaluate the effect of a novel active noise control (ANC) system. METHODS: An ANC device's noise reduction performance was compared to that of adhesively affixed foam ear covers in response to alarm and voice sounds in a simulated NICU environment. The zone of noise reduction of the ANC device was quantified with the same set of alarm and voice sounds. RESULTS: The ANC device provided greater noise reduction than the ear covers in seven of the eight sound sequences tested in which a noise reduction greater than the just noticeable difference was achieved. For noise in the 500 Hz octave band, the ANC device exhibited consistent noise reduction throughout expected patient positions. It provided better performance for noise below 1000 Hz than above 1000 Hz. CONCLUSIONS: The ANC device provided generally superior noise reduction to the ear covers and provided a zone of noise reduction throughout the range where an infant would be placed within an incubator. Implications for patient sleep and weight gain are discussed. IMPACT: Active noise control device can effectively reduce noise inside an infant incubator due to bedside device alarms. This is the first analysis of an incubator-based active noise control device and comparison to adhesively affixed silicone ear covers. A non-contact noise reduction device may be an appropriate means of reducing noise exposure of the hospitalized preterm infant.

[Analysis of noise reduction measures in a noise workshop handover control room].

Objective: To explore the sound insulation, sound absorption and other noise reduction transformation methods in a noise workshop handover control room. Methods: In December 2021, through the occupational health investigation and on-site testing of the handover control room of a noise workshop, the causes of excessive noise were analyzed, and the transformation design scheme to reduce noise was proposed and the effect was analyzed. Results: Before the transformation, the peak frequency band noise intensity of the noise workshop handover control room was 112.8 dB (A), and the peak frequency was 1000 Hz. After noise reduction, the theoretical calculated control value was 61.0 dB (A), and the measured noise intensity was 59.8 dB (A) . Conclusion: The noise intensity of the handover control room is reduced after noise reduction, which is in line with the contact limit requirements of the control room in GBZ 1-2010 "Hygienic Standards for the Design of Industrial Enterprises", and has reference significance for noise control engineering.

A Quality Improvement Pilot Project for Noise Reduction in the NICU.

BACKGROUND: Increased noxious noise leads to adverse short-term and long-term effects on the growing neonate. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends maintaining a noise level of less than 45 decibels (dBA). The average baseline noise level in an open-pod neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) was 62.6 dBA. PURPOSE: The purpose of this pilot project was to reduce the average noise levels by 39% at the end of an 11-week period. METHODS: The location of the project was in a large, high-acuity level IV open-pod layout NICU that consisted of 4 pods, one of which was cardiac-focused. The average baseline noise level in the cardiac pod was 62.6 dBA in a 24-hour period. Noise levels were not monitored before this pilot project. This project was implemented over an 11-week period. Several modes of education were used for parents and staff. Post-education, Quiet Times were implemented at set times twice daily. Noise levels were monitored for 4 weeks during Quiet Times, with weekly noise level updates for staff. General noise levels were collected a final time to evaluate the overall change in the average noise levels. RESULTS: At the end of the project, noise levels decreased from 62.6 dBA to 54 dBA, a 13.7% reduction. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE AND RESEARCH: At the end of this pilot project it was noted that: Online modules were the best way to educate staff. Parents should be included in the implementation of quality improvement. Healthcare providers need to know and understand that they can make preventative changes to improve the outcomes of the population.

Dental drill noise reduction using a commercially-available earplug device.

AIM: The dental handpiece noise in a dental surgery is concerning to both patients and staff as a major cause of dental phobia in patients and potential hearing loss in clinical staff. High-frequency noise generated by dental handpieces is considered to be the worst of the many noises in a dental clinic. Methods to reduce this noise have been proposed and either passive or active noise reduction headphones are often suggested. However, in a dental surgery environment, the need for good verbal communication with the patient needs to be maintained. As a result, this paper aims to evaluate one proprietary anti-noise device considered suitable for this specific purpose. METHODS: Lab-based experiments were set up and carried out to evaluate QuietOn, using GRAS 43AG-1 Ear and Cheek Simulator to mimic a section of the human head and ear to represent the acoustic characteristics of an actual ear. Two types of dental drill noise recordings, one for electric motor-driven and another one for air turbine-driven, were played back through high-definition speakers. Sound data captured by the simulator are then visualised and plotted using MATLAB for analysis. MAIN FINDINGS: QuietOn is effective at low frequencies (< 1kHz). However, when dealing with high-frequency noise such as dental handpieces it is ineffective yet subdues verbal communication. CONCLUSIONS: Further development of passive or active noise cancellation earplugs is still needed to target dental handpiece noise while maintaining verbal communication.

Sound and Light Levels in a General Intensive Care Unit Without Windows to Provide Natural Light.

BACKGROUND: Appropriate levels and patterns of sound and light in an intensive care room help to maintain the patient's normal physiological functions. High sound levels can disrupt the patient's normal sleep architecture, cause hearing deficits, and induce the onset of delirium. Intensive care unit patients frequently report poor sleep, partly due to the environment. OBJECTIVES: An observational pilot prospective study was designed to record sound pressure and light pollution levels in an Italian intensive care unit, without windows to provide natural light. METHOD: Sound levels were measured in decibel A (dBA) every 10 seconds. Sound data were analyzed for sound peak, defined as the number of times sound levels exceeded 45, 50, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, and 85 dBA. Light measures were taken every 10 seconds on a continuous basis. Light data were analyzed for light "peaks," defined as the number of times light levels exceeded 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 lux. RESULTS: The overall median sound level during the study period was equal to 54.60 (interquartile range [IQR], 51.70-57.70) dBA. The daytime median sound level was 56.00 (IQR, 53.00-59.50) dBA, and the nighttime median was 53.00 (IQR, 49.50-55.20) dBA (P < .001). The overall median light level was equal to 114 (IQR, 0-225) lux. The daytime median light level was 184 (IQR, 114-293) lux, and the nighttime median was 0 (IQR, 0-50) lux (P < .001). With respect to room lighting, rooms were observed to have "no lights on" 12.6% of daytime and 41% of nighttime. DISCUSSION: The sound levels recorded in our sample demonstrated that peaks >45 dBA during daytime and nighttime are, respectively, equal to 99.9% and 98.6% of all readings. The Environmental Protection Agency/World Health Organization recommended thresholds for both day (45 dBA) and night (35 dBA). Sound levels reached "toxic levels" when sound-generating activities were performed by nurses and physicians.

Impulse noise measurement in view of noise hazard assessment and use of hearing protectors.

Experience shows the occurrence of situations when the measurements of impulse noise parameters are made with measurement equipment unsuitable for such conditions. The results of using such equipment were compared with the results of using equipment with a sufficiently large upper limit of the measurement range. The analysis was carried out on the example of noise generated during shots from a Mossberg smooth-bore shotgun and AKM rifle, as well as produced in the forge. The use of the unsuitable equipment allowed to indicate the exceeding of the exposure limit value of the peak value of the signal (LCpeak), but this is not always possible when determining the energy properties of the signal (LEX,8h). While the inadequate properties of the measurement equipment will generally not prevent the conclusion that noise in a particular workplace is hazardous to hearing, the results of measurements cannot be used to select hearing protectors.

Acoustic analysis of the effect of personal protective equipment on speech understanding: lessons for clinical environments.

OBJECTIVE: The use of various types of filtering facepiece class 3 (FFP3) mask have become commonplace since the Covid-19 outbreak. These have been evaluated in terms of efficacy regarding aerosol filtration but less emphasis has been placed on the acoustic effects of such masks and their consequences for clinical communication. DESIGN: A microphone 65 cm from a sound-producing Head and Torso Simulator (wearing the masks) was used to measure attenuation via a tone sweep. Predicted impact on speech reception in noise was assessed by weighting the attenuations of cochlear excitation patterns by the frequency importance function of the Speech Intelligibility Index. STUDY SAMPLE: We evaluated acoustic attenuation properties of seven FFP3 masks and a Type IIR surgical mask (as a comparator). RESULTS: The Type IIR mask had the smallest impact on SNR (2.6 dB with visor). Most FFP3s with an addition of a visor (if not already face covering) impacted SNR by approximately 6 dB. The 3 M 6000 was significantly worse (15.8 dB). CONCLUSIONS: Mouth-and-nose covering FFP3s masks had similar effects on SNR (≈6.2 dB with visor). The Tecmen TM-H2 had several advantages over other masks evaluated. It was reusable, allowed lipreading clues and the attenuation was similar to other FFP3s.

Evaluating the hearing screening effectiveness of active noise cancellation technology among young adults: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The population of young adults who are hearing impaired increases yearly, and a device that enables convenient hearing screening could help monitor their hearing. However, background noise is a critical issue that limits the capabilities of such a device. Therefore, this study evaluated the effectiveness of commercial active noise cancellation (ANC) headphones for hearing screening applications in the presence of background noise. In particular, six confounders were used for a comprehensive evaluation. METHODS: We enrolled 12 young adults (a total of 23 ears with normal hearing) to participate in this study. A cross-sectional self-controlled study was conducted to explore the effectiveness of hearing screening in the presence of background noise, with a total of 240 test conditions (=3 ANC models × 2 ANC function statuses × 2 noise types × 5 noise levels × 4 frequencies) for each test ear. Subsequently, a linear regression model was used to prove the effectiveness of ANC headphones for hearing screening applications in the presence of background noise with six confounders. RESULTS: The experimental results showed that, on average, the ANC function of headphones can improve the effectiveness of hearing screening tasks in the presence of background noise. Specifically, the statistical analysis showed that the ANC function enabled a significant 10% improvement ( p < 0.001) compared with no ANC function. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed the effectiveness of ANC headphones for young adult hearing screening applications in the presence of background noise. Furthermore, the statistical results confirmed that as confounding variables, noise type, noise level, hearing screening frequency, ANC headphone model, and sex all affect the effectiveness of the ANC function. These findings suggest that ANC is a potential means of helping users obtain high-accuracy hearing screening results in the presence of background noise. Moreover, we present possible directions of development for ANC headphones in future studies.

Analysis of noise reduction measures in a noise workshop handover control room / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

Objective: To explore the sound insulation, sound absorption and other noise reduction transformation methods in a noise workshop handover control room. Methods: In December 2021, through the occupational health investigation and on-site testing of the handover control room of a noise workshop, the causes of excessive noise were analyzed, and the transformation design scheme to reduce noise was proposed and the effect was analyzed. Results: Before the transformation, the peak frequency band noise intensity of the noise workshop handover control room was 112.8 dB (A), and the peak frequency was 1000 Hz. After noise reduction, the theoretical calculated control value was 61.0 dB (A), and the measured noise intensity was 59.8 dB (A) . Conclusion: The noise intensity of the handover control room is reduced after noise reduction, which is in line with the contact limit requirements of the control room in GBZ 1-2010 "Hygienic Standards for the Design of Industrial Enterprises", and has reference significance for noise control engineering.

Performance Analysis of Active Structural Acoustic Control Applied to a Washing Machine.

Great efforts are undertaken by scientists and manufacturers to reduce noise generated by devices present in the human environment. This task is particularly difficult in the case of low-frequency noise; however, active noise reduction methods can be a solution to such problems. The purpose of this article is to present the active noise-controlling casing method applied to a washing machine, whose noise generated during the spinning process is to be reduced. The paper presents a set of experimental measurements and analyses. It also provides hardware and software configuration details. The employed active control system can efficiently reduce noise, even by 16 dBA in the low-frequency range up to 300 Hz, which is an important step towards making the technology ready for manufacturing. The conclusions drawn are valid for different active noise-control applications, considering a variety of devices.

The Sound of a Circular City: Towards a Circularity-Driven Quietness.

The circular economy paradigm can be beneficial for urban sustainability by eliminating waste and pollution, by circulating products and materials and by regenerating nature. Furthermore, under an urban circular development scheme, environmental noise can be designed out. The current noise control policies and actions, undertaken at a source-medium-receiver level, present a linearity with minimum sustainability co-benefits. A circular approach in noise control strategies and in soundscape design could offer numerous ecologically related co-benefits. The global literature documenting the advantages of the implementation of circular economy in cities has highlighted noise mitigation as a given benefit. Research involving circular economy actions such as urban green infrastructure, green walls, sustainable mobility systems and electro-mobility has acknowledged reduced noise levels as a major circularity outcome. In this research paper, we highlight the necessity of a circularity and bioeconomy approach in noise control. To this end, a preliminary experimental noise modeling study was conducted to showcase the acoustic benefits of green walls and electric vehicles in a medium-sized urban area of a Mediterranean island. The results indicate a noise level reduction at 4 dB(A) when simulating the introduction of urban circular development actions.

Active Indoor Soundscape Design: A Case Study of Ceramic Passive Amplifiers.

Indoor soundscape research has developed rapidly in recent years, with the aim of improving the single indoor noise reduction method and people's acoustic comfort. However, practical solutions to promote the generation of positive indoor soundscapes are still insufficient. The purpose of this study was to explore the improvement effect of ceramic passive amplifiers on the indoor soundscape and the relationship between the improvement effect and different amplifier shapes. Objective sound pressure level (SPL) values and subjective soundscape perception were measured for 10 ceramic passive amplifiers based on the soundscape, mainly using a comparative method. Ten sample amplifiers were compared with the acoustic data of the original open-plan studio environment, and then with an electronic sound amplifier. The results show that ceramic passive amplifiers can improve the quality of the indoor soundscape by creating sound scenes with appropriate loudness. Regarding non-acoustic aspects, the shape and materials of ceramic passive amplifiers play a positive role in emotional guidance.

Improving Patient Comfort in MRI with Predictive Acoustic Noise Cancelling.

With sound pressure levels reaching up to 130 dB, acoustic noise in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is one of the main sources of patient discomfort in otherwise one of the safest medical imaging modalities. In this work, a noise prediction-based approach, termed predictive noise cancelling (PNC), is applied, for the first time, to suppress noise in MRI. In PN C the noise from the scanner gradient coils is predicted based on linear time-invariant models, which relate the individual gradient coil (X, Y and Z) input to the acoustic noise output. A model setup was constructed of a custom speaker box and MRI -compatible microphone to demonstrate live noise reduction. Additional tuning steps, including output channel equalization and clock mismatch correction, were performed to maximize noise reduction. A calibration sequence was designed to determine the model and tuning parameters. Analysis of actual scanner noise shows an upper limit of 21 dB noise reduction with the proposed linear model. For the components of a clinical example sequence, the setup demonstrated in-bore live noise reduction of up to 10 dB (7.01 ± 0.31 dB, 6.42 ± 2.04 dB and 9.28 ± 0.26 dB for X, Y and Z gradient coils respectively) in the presence of system imperfections. Clinical relevance - The results indicate promising noise attenuation without the need to modify scanner hardware or compromises in acquisition speed or quality. This has potential to substantially and cost effectively improve patient comfort in clinical MRI.

Assessment of Real-Time Active Noise Control Devices in Dental Treatment Conditions.

Dental clinics are exposed to various uncomfortable noises. The aim of this study was to quantify the effectiveness of active noise control devices in dental treatment conditions. Two types of commercial headsets (Airpods Pro, QC30) and two types of dental headsets (Alltalk, Quieton Dental) were used for the experiment. Three sounds (high-speed handpiece, low-speed handpiece, and suction system) were measured at three different distances from the dental teeth model, typodont. The distances of 10, 40, and 70 cm reflected the positions of the patient, assistant, and practitioner's ears, respectively. Sound analysis was performed, and the significance of differences in the maximum noise level using each device was determined with the Kruskal−Wallis test. Dental noise was characterized by the peak in sound pressure level (SPL) at 4−5 kHz and >15 kHz frequencies. The commercial headsets efficiently blocked 1 kHz and 10 kHz of noise. The dental headsets efficiently reduced 4−6 and >15 kHz noise. Quieton had the highest maximum SPL in all situations and positions among the four devices. For a better dental clinic, however, active noise control devices more suitable for the characteristics of dental noise should be developed.