Bulan: Maret 2017

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Asia Noise News

Train Passes Through An Apartment Building In Chongqing China

Train Passes Through An Apartment Building In Chongqing China

 

People who will see it for the first time might actually think that there was some sort of a collision between a train and a building: the light railway train in China called the Chongqing Rail Transit No.2 literally travels inside a residential building in the city of Chongqing.

This special railway station was strategically constructed into the sixth to eighth floors of the 19-story block of residential flats in southwest China’s Chongqing. Chongqing Rail Transit No.2 goes through the hole at the center of the building where the residents can directly hop on the train in their own Liziba station.

According to the Telegraph, the idea of Chongqing Rail Transit No.2’s route in the said residential tower has been built in response to space issues due to increasing number of skyscrapers along Chongqing which thereafter obstructs the construction of railway systems. At present, Chongqing is the largest municipality in China with over 49 million residents. It is located in southwest China and is one of the country’s five central cities.

An interview by China News to one of the residents in the ninth floor of the residential building confirmed that from the beginning of the operations of Chongqing Rail Transit No.2, residents have never experienced any noise nuisance and complaints. As a matter of fact, the resident furthered that the noise generated by the large vehicles on street are actually louder compared to the noise made by Chongqing Rail Transit No.2.

Ye Tianyi, Design Lead of the station, explained that the support structures of the building are alienated by about 20 centimetres from the pillars of the rail. Therefore, the building does not feel the intensity of the vibrations coming from the train.

“It isn’t really noise and doesn’t hurt the ears,” the resident said. Chongqing Rail Transit No.2. only produces 75.8 decibels of sound because the train usually runs on rubber tires with air suspension on them, making it one of the quietest rail lines in the world.

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Asia Noise News

Pink noise’ may improve memory, sleep in elderly

Washington, March 12

Gentle sound stimulation such as the rush of a waterfall synchronised to the rhythm of brain waves – also known as pink noise – may significantly enhance deep sleep in older adults and improve their ability to recall words, a new study has found.Deep sleep is critical for memory consolidation.

However, beginning in middle age, deep sleep decreases substantially, which scientists believe contributes to memory loss in ageing.The sound stimulation significantly enhanced deep sleep in participants and their scores on a memory test.”This is an innovative, simple and safe non-medication approach that may help improve brain health,” said Phyllis Zee, professor at Northwestern University in the US.”This is a potential tool for enhancing memory in older populations and attenuating normal age-related memory decline,” said Zee.In the study, 13 participants received one night of acoustic stimulation and one night of sham stimulation.The sham stimulation procedure was identical to the acoustic one, but participants did not hear any noise during sleep. For both sessions, the individuals took a memory test at night and again the next morning.Recall ability after the sham stimulation generally improved on the morning test by a few percent. However, the average improvement was three times larger after pink-noise stimulation.

The degree of slow wave sleep enhancement was related to the degree of memory improvement, suggesting slow wave sleep remains important for memory, even in old age.Although the scientists have not yet studied the effect of repeated nights of stimulation, this method could be a viable intervention for longer-term use in the home, Zee said.Previous research showed acoustic simulation played during deep sleep could improve memory consolidation in young people.But it has not been tested in older adults.The new study targeted older individuals – who have much more to gain memory-wise from enhanced deep sleep – and used a novel sound system that increased the effectiveness of the sound stimulation in older populations.

The study used a new approach, which reads an individual’s brain waves in real time and locks in the gentle sound stimulation during a precise moment of neuron communication during deep sleep, which varies for each person.During deep sleep, each brain wave or oscillation slows to about one per second compared to 10 oscillations per second during wakefulness.Giovanni Santostasi, a study coauthor, developed an algorithm that delivers the sound during the rising portion of slow wave oscillations. This stimulation enhances synchronisation of the neurons’ activity.After the sound stimulation, the older participants’ slow waves increased during sleep.The study was published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. — PTI

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Asia Noise News

Big Ben’s bong noise mapped for the first time

The physics behind the unmistakable sound of one of Britain’s most iconic landmarks is revealed in new study from the University of Leicester.

The famous chime of Britain’s most famous bell is one of the most unmistakable sounds of our culture. But until now, the physics behind its iconic ring has been a mystery.

A team from the Advanced Structural Dynamics Centre at the University of Leicester have now had a once in a lifetime opportunity to create a sound map of Big Ben. They wanted to measure the distinct vibrations of different regions on the surface of the bell as it rang, which all contribute to a unique sound that no other bell can create.

The technique they used, called ‘laser Doppler vibrometry’, pointed hundreds of lasers at the bell, and measured how much the light beams were disrupted by vibrations at different points. “Many of the vibrations in the metal of Big Ben are too tiny to be seen by the naked eye,” says Martin Cockrill, from the Department of Engineering at the University of Leicester. “But this is what we were able to map using the lasers…we (got) over 500 measurements across the surface, which just wouldn’t have been possible with previous technologies”.

The vibration patterns of Big Ben © University of Leicester

The cutting-edge method ensured that the map could be created without damaging the bell. “You cannot just glue sensors to a national treasure such as Big Ben. Our ability to do the whole thing without touching the bell was key to the whole project”, adds Martin.

But the experiment didn’t come without hardships. Setting up the technology at the top of Big Ben’s home, the Elizabeth Tower (often mistakenly called Big Ben itself), was no mean feat. “One of the most challenging parts of the job was carrying all of our equipment up the 334 seps of the spiral staircase to the belfry. Then to get everything set up before the first chime, we were literally working against the clock”.

In the end, the team managed to make an intricately detailed 3D map of the Big Ben, which clearly shows different frequencies of vibrations, or vibrational modes, at different regions of the bell. The distinct patterns of the vibrations all contribute to producing Big Ben’s iconic peal.


© BBC

The project is now the subject of a documentary called Sound Waves: The Symphony of Physics, presented by BBC Focus magazine columnist Helen Czerski. You can catch it nowon BBC iPlayer.

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Asia Noise News

City noise pollution linked to hearing loss: study

Urban noise pollution and hearing loss are closely linked, according to rankings of 50 large cities in both categories released on Friday.

High-decibel urban areas — such as Guangzhou, New Delhi, Cairo and Istanbul — topped the list of cities where hearing was most degraded, researchers reported.

Likewise, cities least afflicted by noise pollution — including Zurich, Vienna, Oslo and Munich — registered the lowest levels of decline in hearing.

This statistical link does not necessarily mean the constant din of city life is the main driver of hearing loss, which can also be caused by infections, genetic disorders, premature birth, and even some medicines.

The findings are also preliminary, and have yet to be submitted for peer-reviewed publication.

“But this is a robust result,” said Henrik Matthies, managing director of Mimi Hearing Technologies, a German company that has amassed data on 200,000 people drawn from a hearing test administered via cell phones.

“The fact that noise pollution and hearing loss have such a tight correlation points to an intricate relationship,” he told AFP.

Researchers at Mimi and Charite University Hospital in Berlin explored the link by constructing two separate databases.

The first combined information from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Norwegian-based technology research group SINTEF to create a noise pollution ranking for cities around the world.

Stockholm, Seoul, Amsterdam and Stuttgart were also among the least likely to assault one’s ears, while Shanghai, Hong Kong and Barcelona came out as big noise makers.

Paris — one of the most densely populated major cities in Europe — scored as the third most cacophonous.

The ranking for hearing loss drew from Mimi’s phone-based test, in which respondents indicated age and sex. Geo-location technology pinpointed the cities.

‘Silent epidemic’

The results were measured against a standard for age-adjusted hearing.

On average, people in the loudest cities were ten years “older” — in terms of hearing loss — than those in the quietest cities, the study found.

Stacked side-by-side, the two city rankings are remarkably similar, suggesting more than an incidental link.

The findings highlight the need for better monitoring, the researchers said.

“While eye and sight checks are routine, ear and hearing exams are not,” said Manfred Gross, head of the department of Audiology and Phoniatrics at Charite University Hospital.

“The earlier hearing loss is detected, the better the chances are for preventing further damage.”

Collaborations between scientists and private companies that collect health-related information from consumers are becoming more common in the era of Big Data.

California-based DNA genetic testing company 23andMe, for example, has worked extensively with university researchers to ferret out rare genetic disorders by combing through mountains of anonymous data from its clients.

Also on Friday, World Hearing Day, the WHO released figures showing annual costs of unaddressed hearing loss of between US$750 billion and US$790 billion globally.

Direct health care costs were calculated to be up to US$107 billion, with loss of productivity due to unemployment or early retirement about the same.

“Societal costs” — stemming from social isolation, inability to communicate and stigma — were estimated at more than US$500 billion.

In a recent editorial, the medical journal The Lancet said hearing loss is a “silent epidemic,”noting that proper care remains out of reach for millions of people.

Mimi Hearing Technologies develops music applications that adjust to the individual hearing deficiencies of listeners.

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Noise and Vibration Product News

Geonoise Thailand: acoustic laboratory tests expanded

Geonoise Thailand’s acoustic laboratory expanded it’s services again, here below a short overview:

Material Testing Services Thailand

Do let us know your requirements, we can perform independent, ISO confirmed acoustic tests in our laboratory.

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