Functional Neuroimaging of the Central Auditory System
Stavros Hatzopoulos, Andrea Ciorba, Mark Krumm in Advances in Audiology and Hearing Science, 2020
Environmental noise is primarily from electromagnetic radiation of miscellaneous equipment in the area. Typically, these would include computers, fans, heating, air conditioning, electrical lighting, high voltage motors (elevators), and high voltage electrical wires. There are two major strategies for reducing environmental noise. The first would include isolation, insulation, and proper grounding. The further the sources can be placed away from the recording environment, the greater the noise reduction. All nonessential electrical equipment should be disabled in the immediate and surrounding areas. Insulation would include using solid, and in good repair, electrical connections, proper grounding, and shielding of electrical wires. Again, separation of electrical wires from the acquisition equipment and wiring is paramount. If possible, having the environmental equipment on a separate circuit from the acquisition equipment would be helpful. Likewise, a direct ground, also separate from the environmental equipment, should be maintained. Realizing that most laboratories are in environments where major construction or remodeling is most likely not available, it is probably only possible to make sure all nonessential equipment is in the off position, electrical wires are separated as much as possible, proper shielding radiofrequency, insulation is intact, all electrical connections, internal and external, are secure (tight), and proper grounding is utilized. Typical contamination is 50/60 Hz voltage source electromagnetic radiation (RF, radiofrequency radiation), usually attributed to poor grounding techniques.
Answers
Ken Addley in MCQs, MEQs and OSPEs in Occupational Medicine, 2023
Measurement of environmental noise level. It allows quick sound-level checks of machinery noise, office noise and other issues around the workplace to be carried out. It measures the instantaneous sound level with either A- or C-weighting. Most noise regulations require A-weighting. It also has both fast and slow time response. The device needs regular calibration, and depending on the device will have a range of 30 dB (A) to 130 dB (A) or 40 dB (C) to 130 dB (C). The unit of acoustic measurement for sound is usually the decibel (dB); however, some sound-level meter devices also determine the equivalent continuous sound level (Leq) and other acoustic parameters.
Environment and health
Liam J. Donaldson, Paul D. Rutter in Donaldsons' Essential Public Health, 2017
The European Environmental Noise Directive of 2002 required countries to create noise maps that show people’s exposure to environmental noise. These were most recently updated in 2014. They are used to identify noise hot spots, and action plans are put in place to deal with them. England’s Public Health Outcomes Framework includes a measure of the percentage of the population affected by noise.
An automated magnetoencephalographic data cleaning algorithm
Published in Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering, 2019
Antonietta Sorriso, Pierpaolo Sorrentino, Rosaria Rucco, Laura Mandolesi, Giampaolo Ferraioli, Stefano Franceschini, Michele Ambrosanio, Fabio Baselice
The environmental noise is due to unavoidable sources such as trains, cars, portable phones, power lines, elevators, and so on. Several countermeasures can be adopted for limiting such a kind of noise. A magnetically shielded room, a chamber enveloped by layers of aluminum and mu-metal, can attenuate external fields by 100 dB and more (Kawakatsu 2003). The adoption of gradiometer sensors, i.e. two or more coils measuring the differential field, makes the system insensitive to homogeneous magnetic fields which are typical of far (noise) sources. Hence, only nearby signal sources are detected, i.e. those within the brain. Several MEG systems have some reference sensors outside the helmet with the aim of measuring the external noise in order to compensate for it during the data pre-processing. It has to be underlined that environmental noise is not limited to magnetic noise. Mechanical vibrations propagate to the helmet and produce modulation artifacts. Thus, the presence of nearby roads or of slamming doors can considerably degrade the recorded signals. A proper design of the floor, mainly in terms of damping materials, can mitigate this noise source.
Effects of prolonged night-time light exposure and traffic noise on the behavior and body temperature rhythmicity of the wild desert rodent, Gerbillus tarabuli
Published in Chronobiology International, 2021
Salem Mamoun Issad, Nadir Benhafri, Khalid El Allali, Hicham Farsi, Saliha Ouali-Hassenaoui, Aicha Dekar-Madoui
In addition to light pollution, anthropogenic noise represents another significant environmental stressor (Kim 2007) with physiological, behavioral, and health disturbances (Swaddle et al. 2015). Traffic noise primarily emanates from road traffic, railways, and aircraft, and they are the main contributors to the overall burden of environmental noise. Beyond its auditory impact on health, like hearing loss, noise stress has extra-auditory effects on the physiology and behavior of animals. It has been shown that environmental noise exposure can induce changes in DNA methylation in the brain (Guo et al. 2017) and alteration of neurotransmitter levels (Ravindran et al. 2005). Moreover, prenatal exposure to noise stress leads to impaired spatial memory that persists into postnatal life (Barzegar et al. 2015). Also, rats exposed to noise stress develop anxiety and depression-like behavior (Haider 2012). Most studies have examined these impacts separately, and to our knowledge, they have never investigated the combined simultaneous effects of prolonged exposure to anthropogenic noise and light pollution (PEL) on the circadian physiology and behavior in mammals.
Aircraft Noise Exposure and Subjective Sleep Quality: The Results of the DEBATS Study in France
Published in Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 2019
Ali-Mohamed Nassur, Marie Lefèvre, Bernard Laumon, Damien Léger, Anne-Sophie Evrard
Transportation noise is a major source of environmental noise pollution, and it represents a major public health issue. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), transportation noise is estimated to cause at least one million healthy life years lost every year in Western Europe, and sleep disorders are the most serious consequence with more than 900 thousand years of life lost every year, mostly related to road traffic noise (WHO, 2011). In addition, poor sleep, especially short sleep (< 6 hr), has been found to be associated with many major comorbidities, for example, obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression, and increased risk of mortality (Cappuccio, D’Elia, Strazzullo, & Miller, 2010; Cappuccio et al., 2008; Gangwisch et al., 2006; Grandner, Jackson, Pak, & Gehrman, 2012; Jones & Rhodes, 2013; Mallon, Broman, & Hetta, 2000; Phillips & Mannino, 2007; Tasali, Leproult, Ehrmann, & Van Cauter, 2008; Vgontzas et al., 2010).
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