The Role of Traffic Volume on Sound Pressure Level Reduction before and during COVID-19 Lockdown Measures-A Case Study in Bochum, Germany.

During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, sound pressure levels (SPL) decreased because of lockdown measures all over the world. This study aims to describe SPL changes over varying lockdown measure timeframes and estimate the role of traffic on SPL variations. To account for different COVID-19 lockdown measures, the timeframe during the pandemic was segmented into four phases. To analyze the association between a-weighted decibels (dB(A)) and lockdown phases relative to the pre-lockdown timeframe, we calculated a linear mixed model, using 36,710 h of recording time. Regression coefficients depicting SPL changes were compared, while the model was subsequently adjusted for wind speed, rainfall, and traffic volume. The relative adjusted reduction of during pandemic phases to pre-pandemic levels ranged from -0.99 dB(A) (CI: -1.45; -0.53) to -0.25 dB(A) (CI: -0.96; 0.46). After controlling for traffic volume, we observed little to no reduction (-0.16 dB(A) (CI: -0.77; 0.45)) and even an increase of 0.75 dB(A) (CI: 0.18; 1.31) during the different lockdown phases. These results showcase the major role of traffic regarding the observed reduction. The findings can be useful in assessing measures to decrease noise pollution for necessary future population-based prevention.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on levels of deep-ocean acoustic noise.

The extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic led to measures to mitigate the spread of the disease, with lockdowns and mobility restrictions at national and international levels. These measures led to sudden and sometimes dramatic reductions in human activity, including significant reductions in ship traffic in the maritime sector. We report on a reduction of deep-ocean acoustic noise in three ocean basins in 2020, based on data acquired by hydroacoustic stations in the International Monitoring System of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. The noise levels measured in 2020 are compared with predicted levels obtained from modelling data from previous years using Gaussian Process regression. Comparison of the predictions with measured data for 2020 shows reductions of between 1 and 3 dB in the frequency range from 10 to 100 Hz for all but one of the stations.

New determinants of mental health: the role of noise pollution. A narrative review.

Urbanisation processes and anthropogenic actions led to a significant increase in pollution levels, with relevant consequences on global health. In particular, noise pollution demonstrated an association with cardiovascular, metabolic, and respiratory diseases. Furthermore, increasing evidence underlined the possible role of air and noise pollution in the development of psychiatric disorders. In this narrative review, evidence concerning the relationship between noise pollution and the emergence of psychiatric symptoms or psychiatric disorders is summarised. After the literature search process was completed, 40 papers were included in the present review. The exposure to road-, rail-, and air- traffic represented a risk factor for the emergence of affective disorders. This could also be mediated by the occurrence of circadian rhythms disturbances or by noise annoyance and noise sensitivity, both influencing psychological well-being and health-related quality of life. Fewer studies concentrated on special populations, particularly pregnant women and children, for whom noise pollution was confirmed as a risk factor for psychopathology. The better clarification of the complex interaction between noise pollution and mental health may help to identify subjects at risk and targeting specific prevention and intervention strategies in the urban environment.

The Health Effects of 72 Hours of Simulated Wind Turbine Infrasound: A Double-Blind Randomized Crossover Study in Noise-Sensitive, Healthy Adults.

BACKGROUND: Large electricity-generating wind turbines emit both audible sound and inaudible infrasound at very low frequencies that are outside of the normal human range of hearing. Sufferers of wind turbine syndrome (WTS) have attributed their ill-health and particularly their sleep disturbance to the signature pattern of infrasound. Critics have argued that these symptoms are psychological in origin and are attributable to nocebo effects. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to test the effects of 72 h of infrasound (1.6-20 Hz at a sound level of ∼90 dB pk re 20µPa, simulating a wind turbine infrasound signature) exposure on human physiology, particularly sleep. METHODS: We conducted a randomized double-blind triple-arm crossover laboratory-based study of 72 h exposure with a >10-d washout conducted in a noise-insulated sleep laboratory in the style of a studio apartment. The exposures were infrasound (∼90 dB pk), sham infrasound (same speakers not generating infrasound), and traffic noise exposure [active control; at a sound pressure level of 40-50 dB LAeq,night and 70 dB LAFmax transient maxima, night (2200 to 0700 hours)]. The following physiological and psychological measures and systems were tested for their sensitivity to infrasound: wake after sleep onset (WASO; primary outcome) and other measures of sleep physiology, wake electroencephalography, WTS symptoms, cardiovascular physiology, and neurobehavioral performance. RESULTS: We randomized 37 noise-sensitive but otherwise healthy adults (18-72 years of age; 51% female) into the study before a COVID19-related public health order forced the study to close. WASO was not affected by infrasound compared with sham infrasound (-1.36 min; 95% CI: -6.60, 3.88, p=0.60) but was worsened by the active control traffic exposure compared with sham by 6.07 min (95% CI: 0.75, 11.39, p=0.02). Infrasound did not worsen any subjective or objective measures used. DISCUSSION: Our findings did not support the idea that infrasound causes WTS. High level, but inaudible, infrasound did not appear to perturb any physiological or psychological measure tested in these study participants. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10757.

Dyspnea Severity Assessment Based on Vocalization Behavior with Deep Learning on the Telephone.

In this paper, a system to assess dyspnea with the mMRC scale, on the phone, via deep learning, is proposed. The method is based on modeling the spontaneous behavior of subjects while pronouncing controlled phonetization. These vocalizations were designed, or chosen, to deal with the stationary noise suppression of cellular handsets, to provoke different rates of exhaled air, and to stimulate different levels of fluency. Time-independent and time-dependent engineered features were proposed and selected, and a k-fold scheme with double validation was adopted to select the models with the greatest potential for generalization. Moreover, score fusion methods were also investigated to optimize the complementarity of the controlled phonetizations and features that were engineered and selected. The results reported here were obtained from 104 participants, where 34 corresponded to healthy individuals and 70 were patients with respiratory conditions. The subjects' vocalizations were recorded with a telephone call (i.e., with an IVR server). The system provided an accuracy of 59% (i.e., estimating the correct mMRC), a root mean square error equal to 0.98, false positive rate of 6%, false negative rate of 11%, and an area under the ROC curve equal to 0.97. Finally, a prototype was developed and implemented, with an ASR-based automatic segmentation scheme, to estimate dyspnea on line.

Entropy as a Measure of Auditory Environment Diversity: An Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) Approach.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the validity and usefulness of entropy computed using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data as a measure of auditory environment diversity. DESIGN: We conducted two secondary analyses on existing EMA datasets. The first determined the construct validity of auditory environment entropy by examining the effect of COVID-19 on entropy. To demonstrate entropy's usefulness, the second examined if entropy could predict the benefit of hearing aid (HA) noise reduction features. RESULTS: Consistent with the known effect of COVID-19 on social lifestyle, COVID-19 significantly reduced auditory environment diversity, supporting entropy's construct validity. HA users with higher entropy reported poorer outcomes and perceived more benefit from HA features, supporting the feasibility of using entropy to predict communication performance and feature benefit. CONCLUSIONS: Entropy derived from EMA data is a valid and useful auditory environment diversity measure. This measure could allow researchers to better understand the communication needs of people with hearing loss.

Unintended impacts of the Open Streets program on noise complaints in New York City.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, several cities allocated more public spaces for physical activity and recreation instead of road transport through Open Streets. This policy locally reduces traffic and provides experimental testbeds for healthier cities. However, it may also generate unintended impacts. For instance, Open Streets may impact the levels of exposure to environmental noise but there are no studies assessing these unintended impacts. OBJECTIVES: Using noise complaints from New York City (NYC) as a proxy of annoyance caused by environmental noise, we estimated associations at the census tract level between same-day proportion of Open Streets in a census tract and noise complaints in NYC. METHODS: Using data from summer 2019 (pre-implementation) and summer 2021 (post-implementation), we fit regressions to estimate the association between census tract-level proportion of Open Streets and daily noise complaints, with random effects to account for within-tract correlation and natural splines to allow non-linearity in the estimated association. We accounted for temporal trends and other potential confounders, such as population density and poverty rate. RESULTS: In adjusted analyses, daily street/sidewalk noise complaints were nonlinearly associated with an increasing proportion of Open Streets. Specifically, compared to the mean proportion of Open Streets in a census tract (0.11%), 5% of Open Streets had a 1.09 (95% CI: 0.98, 1.20) and 10% had a 1.21 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.42) times higher rate of street/sidewalk noise complaints. Our results were robust to the choice of data source for identifying Open Streets. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that Open Streets in NYC may be linked to an increase in street/sidewalk noise complaints. These results highlight the necessity to reinforce urban policies with a careful analysis for potential unintended impacts to optimize and maximize the benefits of these policies.

Introduction to the Special Issue on COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a global event affecting all aspects of human life and society, including acoustic aspects. In this Special Issue on COVID-19 and acoustics, we present 48 papers discussing the acoustical impacts of the pandemic and how we deal with it. The papers are divided into seven categories which include: physical masking and speech production, speech perception, noise, the underwater soundscape, the urban soundscape, pathogen transmissibility, and medical diagnosis.

Helmet CPAP bundle: A narrative review of practical aspects and nursing interventions to improve patient's comfort.

BACKGROUND: The application of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) with a helmet is increasing around the world, both inside and outside of the intensive care unit. Current published literature focus's on indications, contraindications and efficiency of Helmet CPAP in differing clinical scenarios. Few reports, summarising the available knowledge concerning technical characteristics and nursing interventions to improve patient's comfort, are available. AIM: To identify the crucial technical aspects in managing patients undergoing Helmet-CPAP, and what nursing interventions may increase comfort. METHODS: A narrative literature review of primary research published 2002 onwards. The search strategy comprised an electronic search of three bibliographic databases (Pubmed, Embase, CINAHL). RESULTS: Twenty-three studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Research primarily originated from Italy. Nine key themes emerged from the review: gas flow management, noise reduction, impact of gas flow and HME filters on delivered FiO2, filtration of exhaled gas / environmental protection, PEEP monitoring, airway pressure monitoring, active humidification of gas flow, helmet fixation and tips to implement awake prone position during Helmet-CPAP. CONCLUSIONS: A Helmet-CPAP check-list has been made of nine key interventions based on the available evidence regarding system set up, monitoring and management. Implementation of this check-list may help nurses and physicians to increase the comfort of patients treated with Helmet CPAP and enhance their compliance with long-term treatment.

Effects of Age at Implantation on Outcomes of Cochlear Implantation in Children with Short Durations of Single-Sided Deafness.

OBJECTIVE: Children with single-sided deafness (SSD) show reduced language and academic development and report hearing challenges. We aim to improve outcomes in children with SSD by providing bilateral hearing through cochlear implantation of the deaf ear with minimal delay. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study of 57 children with SSD provided with cochlear implant (CI) between May 13, 2013, and June 25, 2021. SETTING: Tertiary children's hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Children with early onset (n = 40) or later onset of SSD (n = 17) received CIs at ages 2.47 ± 1.58 years (early onset group) and 11.67 ± 3.91 years (late onset group) (mean ± SD). Duration of unilateral deafness was limited (mean ± SD = 1.93 ± 1.56 yr). INTERVENTION: Cochlear implantation of the deaf ear. MAIN OUTCOMES/MEASURES: Evaluations of device use (data logging) and hearing (speech perception, effects of spatial release from masking on speech detection, localization of stationary and moving sound, self-reported hearing questionnaires). RESULTS: Results indicated that daily device use is variable (mean ± SD = 5.60 ± 2.97, range = 0.0-14.7 h/d) with particular challenges during extended COVID-19 lockdowns, including school closures (daily use reduced by mean 1.73 h). Speech perception with the CI alone improved (mean ± SD = 65.7 ± 26.4 RAU) but, in the late onset group, remained poorer than in the normal hearing ear. Measures of spatial release from masking also showed asymmetric hearing in the late onset group ( t13 = 5.14, p = 0.001). Localization of both stationary and moving sound was poor (mean ± SD error = 34.6° ± 16.7°) but slightly improved on the deaf side with CI use ( F1,36 = 3.95, p = 0.05). Decreased sound localization significantly correlated with poorer self-reported hearing. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Benefits of CI in children with limited durations of SSD may be more restricted for older children/adolescents. Spatial hearing challenges remain. Efforts to increase CI acceptance and consistent use are needed.

Dissociating COVID-19 from other respiratory infections based on acoustic, motor coordination, and phonemic patterns.

In the face of the global pandemic caused by the disease COVID-19, researchers have increasingly turned to simple measures to detect and monitor the presence of the disease in individuals at home. We sought to determine if measures of neuromotor coordination, derived from acoustic time series, as well as phoneme-based and standard acoustic features extracted from recordings of simple speech tasks could aid in detecting the presence of COVID-19. We further hypothesized that these features would aid in characterizing the effect of COVID-19 on speech production systems. A protocol, consisting of a variety of speech tasks, was administered to 12 individuals with COVID-19 and 15 individuals with other viral infections at University Hospital Galway. From these recordings, we extracted a set of acoustic time series representative of speech production subsystems, as well as their univariate statistics. The time series were further utilized to derive correlation-based features, a proxy for speech production motor coordination. We additionally extracted phoneme-based features. These features were used to create machine learning models to distinguish between the COVID-19 positive and other viral infection groups, with respiratory- and laryngeal-based features resulting in the highest performance. Coordination-based features derived from harmonic-to-noise ratio time series from read speech discriminated between the two groups with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.94. A longitudinal case study of two subjects, one from each group, revealed differences in laryngeal based acoustic features, consistent with observed physiological differences between the two groups. The results from this analysis highlight the promise of using nonintrusive sensing through simple speech recordings for early warning and tracking of COVID-19.

Noise complaints, the COVID-19 pandemic, and compact developments: evidence from five American cities.

The COVID-19 continues to take its toll on human life. Even though to a less threatening extent, and insignificant to some, noise turns out to be one of its consequences without consensus. While individuals experience multiple restrictions and restrain from exuberant activities by spending most of their time at home, reducing public transportation and personal vehicles, overall, they end up reduce anthropogenic noise pressure. On another level, people continue reporting noise concerns at various degrees during the COVID-19 pandemic. To draw a bigger picture as to whether or not these complaints have increased during the COVID-19 compared to the same period last year, this research examines them in five major American cities: New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Phoenix, and Dallas. Furthermore, the study also assessed the complaint patterns, whether reported in compact or sprawled areas. The findings highlight that either the noise complaints increased or decreased during the COVID-19 crisis. Accordingly, four of the five selected cities, except San Francisco, showed a decrease in reported noise. As it turns out, compact developments correlate significantly and positively with noise complaints in all study areas, except in Phoenix. These findings call for regulating and prioritizing noise-related policies. Planners and urban designers can thus advise to sustain environmental planning and public health issues, especially in planning compact developments.

Listening Effort and Speech Perception Performance Using Different Facemasks.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of eight different facemasks on speech perception and listening effort in listeners with normal hearing (NH) and hearing loss by manipulating both mask type and background noise levels. METHOD: Forty adults listened to Quick Speech-in-Noise Test sentences recorded by a female talker through eight different facemasks including a baseline condition with no mask. Listeners were tested in the sound field positioned 6 ft from the loudspeaker. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) loss and listening effort were measured. RESULTS: Listeners with NH exhibited a mild SNR loss, whereas those with hearing loss experienced a moderate SNR loss. Scores for the mild hearing loss group were significantly poorer (higher) than those with slight hearing loss. Speech perception performance was best in the no mask, KN95, and surgical mask conditions and poorest in the cloth mask and cloth mask plus face shield conditions for all groups. As listening effort decreased, speech perception increased for all groups. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of different types of facemasks on speech perception in noise was demonstrated in this study indicating that as the SNR was reduced, listening effort increased and speech perception performance decreased for listeners with NH and slight/mild hearing loss. No mask, KN95, and surgical masks had the least impact on performance, whereas cloth masks posed a significant detriment to communication. If communication is to occur in a background of noise while wearing masks, a KN95 mask and an SNR of at least +15 dB is recommended regardless of hearing status.

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.

Effect of lockdown amid second wave of COVID-19 on environmental noise scenario of the megacity Delhi, India.

This paper analyzes the impact of second wave of COVID-19 lockdown on environmental noise levels of 25 sites in Delhi city and compares the noise scenario during pre-lockdown, lockdown, and post-lockdown periods. The study utilized the noise monitoring data acquired from 25 real-time ambient noise monitoring stations, installed by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, Delhi, at various sites throughout Delhi city. A significant reduction of up to 10 and 3 dB(A) in day and night equivalent noise levels, respectively, had been observed during the lockdown period as compared to the pre-lockdown and post-lockdown periods. The study also revealed that only nine sites, including four industrial and five commercial zone sites, complied with the ambient noise standards during lockdown period, and no silence or residential zone sites complied with the ambient noise standards even during the lockdown period. A roadmap for environmental noise management and control is suggested. The study also reports the community's perception toward the change in acoustic environment of Delhi city during the lockdown period by conducting an environmental noise perception survey. The present study should be helpful in devising noise control action plans and policy interventions for environmental noise management and control in the metropolitan city Delhi, India.

A Low Cost IoT Cyber-Physical System for Vehicle and Pedestrian Tracking in a Smart Campus.

Human tracking and traffic monitoring systems are required to build advanced intelligent, innovative mobility services. In this study, we introduce an IoT system based on low-cost hardware that has been installed on the campus of the University of Malaga, in Spain. The sensors gather smart wireless devices (Bluetooth and Wi-Fi) anonymous information and environmental noise level around them. This research studies the spatio-temporal behavior of people and noise pollution in the campus as a short-scale Smart City, i.e., a Smart Campus. Applying specific machine learning algorithms, we have analyzed two months of captured data (61 days). The main findings from the analysis show that most university community members move through the campus at similar hours, generating congestion problems. In addition, the campus suffers from acoustic pollution according to regulations; therefore, we conclude that the proposed system is useful for gathering helpful information for the university community members and managers. Thanks to its low cost, it can be easily extended and even used in other similar environments, allowing democratic access to Smart City services as an excellent added value.

Airborne Sound Power Levels and Spectra of Noise Sources in Port Areas.

Airborne port noise has historically suffered from a lack of regulatory assessment compared to other transport infrastructures. This has led to several complaints from citizens living in the urban areas surrounding ports, which is a very common situation, especially in countries facing the Mediterranean sea. Only in relatively recent years has an effort been made to improve this situation, which has resulted in a call for and financing of numerous international cooperation research projects, within the framework of programs such as EU FP7, H2020, ENPI-CBC MED, LIFE, and INTERREG. These projects dealt with issues and aspects of port noise, which is an intrinsically tangled problem, since several authorities and companies operate within the borders of ports, and several different noise sources are present at the same time. In addition, ship classification societies have recently recognized the problem and nowadays are developing procedures and voluntary notations to assess the airborne noise emission from marine vessels. The present work summarizes the recent results of research regarding port noise sources in order to provide a comprehensive database of sources that can be easily used, for example, as an input to the noise mapping phase, and can subsequently prevent citizens' exposure to noise.

A qualitative and quantitative synthesis of the impacts of COVID-19 on soundscapes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The current prolonged coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has substantially influenced numerous facets of our daily lives for over two years. Although a number of studies have explored the pandemic impacts on soundscapes worldwide, their works have not been reviewed comprehensively nor systematically, hence a lack of prospective soundscape goals based upon global evidence. This review study examines evidence of the COVID-19 crisis impacts on soundscapes and quantifies the prevalence of unprecedented changes in acoustic environments. Two key-research classes were identified based on a systematic content analysis of the 119 included studies: (1) auditory perceptual change and (2) noise level change due to the COVID-19 pandemic/lockdown. Our qualitative synthesis ascertained the substantial adverse consequences of pandemic soundscapes on human health and well-being while beneficial aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic on soundscapes were yet identified. Furthermore, meta-analysis results highlight that the observed average noise-level reduction (148 averaged samples derived from 31 studies) varied as a function of the stringency level of the COVID-19 confinement policies imposed by the governments, which would be further moderated by urban morphology and main noise sources. Given these collective findings, we propose soundscape materiality, its nexus with related the United Nations' sustainable development goals (SDGs), and prospective approaches to support resilient soundscapes during and after the pandemic, which should be achieved to enhance healthy living and human well-being.

Underwater noise emissions from ships during 2014-2020.

This paper reports trends in the input of underwater noise source energy emission from global shipping, based on bottom-up modeling of individual ships. In terms of energy, we predict the doubling of global shipping noise emissions every 11.5 years, on average, but there are large regional differences. Shipping noise emissions increase rapidly in Arctic areas and the Norwegian Sea. The largest contributors are the containerships, dry bulk and liquid tanker vessels which emit 75% of the underwater shipping noise source energy. The COVID-19 pandemic changed vessel traffic patterns and our modeling indicates a reduction of -6% in global shipping noise source energy in the 63 Hz ⅓ octave band. This reduction was largest in the Greenland Sea, the Coastal Waters of Southeast Alaska and British Columbia as well as the Gulf of California, temporarily disrupting the increasing pre-pandemic noise emission trend. However, in some sea areas, such as the Indian Ocean, Yellow Sea and Eastern China Sea the emitted noise source energy was only slightly reduced. In global scale, COVID-19 pandemic reduced the underwater shipping noise emissions close to 2017 levels, but it is expected that the increasing trend of underwater noise emissions will continue when the global economy recovers.

Effects of experience on recognition of speech produced with a face mask.

Over the past two years, face masks have been a critical tool for preventing the spread of COVID-19. While previous studies have examined the effects of masks on speech recognition, much of this work was conducted early in the pandemic. Given that human listeners are able to adapt to a wide variety of novel contexts in speech perception, an open question concerns the extent to which listeners have adapted to masked speech during the pandemic. In order to evaluate this, we replicated Toscano and Toscano (PLOS ONE 16(2):e0246842, 2021), looking at the effects of several types of face masks on speech recognition in different levels of multi-talker babble noise. We also examined the effects of listeners' self-reported frequency of encounters with masked speech and the effects of the implementation of public mask mandates on speech recognition. Overall, we found that listeners' performance in the current experiment (with data collected in 2021) was similar to that of listeners in Toscano and Toscano (with data collected in 2020) and that performance did not differ based on mask experience. These findings suggest that listeners may have already adapted to masked speech by the time data were collected in 2020, are unable to adapt to masked speech, require additional context to be able to adapt, or that talkers also changed their productions over time. Implications for theories of perceptual learning in speech are discussed.