Papers by Kerstin Persson Waye
The present study was carried out to investigate if there is a difference in perception of annoya... more The present study was carried out to investigate if there is a difference in perception of annoyance, loudness and unpleasantness between monophonic recordings played back through a loudspeaker and binaural recordings played back via headphones, and to evaluate whether a possible difference depends on temporal and frequency characteristics as well as spatial characteristics of the sounds. Evaluations were also done in order to see a possible effect of durations of sound exposures. The experiment adopted three psychometric methods for achieving responses from subjects. Fifty-four young students participated and three types of sounds were used in the experiments: everyday "restaurant" sound (from using cutlery at platters, moving chairs, talking etc.), road traffic sound and a low-frequency ventilation sound. The sounds were recorded with two different techniques (monophonic and binaural). The monophonic recordings were presented through a loudspeaker and the binaural recordings were presented through both closed (circum-aural) and completely open (free-ofthe-ear) headphones. Each sound was played back at three different levels. The results show that for all judgments (annoyance, loudness and unpleasantness), there was no significant main effect of recording and playback techniques; however significant interactions between techniques and sounds were found. For annoyance and unpleasantness, an influence of psychoacoustic method was found.
From 203 cases of low-frequency complaints a random selection of twenty-one cases were investigat... more From 203 cases of low-frequency complaints a random selection of twenty-one cases were investigated. The main aim of the investigation was to answer the question whether the annoyance is caused by an external physical sound or by a physically non-existing sound, i.e. low-frequency tinnitus. Noise recordings were made in the homes of the complainants, and the complainants were exposed to these in blind test listening experiments. Furthermore, the low-frequency hearing function of the complainants was investigated, and characteristics of the annoying sound was matched. The results showed that some of the complainants are annoyed by a physical sound (20-180 Hz), while others suffer from low-frequency tinnitus (perceived frequency 40-100 Hz). Physical sound at frequencies below 20 Hz (infrasound) is not responsible for the annoyance -or at all audible -in any of the investigated cases, and none of the complainants has extraordinary hearing sensitivity at low frequencies. For comparable cases of low-frequency noise complaints in general, it is anticipated that physical sound is responsible in a substantial part of the cases, while low-frequency tinnitus is responsible in another substantial part of the cases.
From 203 cases of low-frequency complaints a random selection of twenty-one cases were investigat... more From 203 cases of low-frequency complaints a random selection of twenty-one cases were investigated. The main aim of the investigation was to answer the question whether the annoyance is caused by an external physical sound or by a physically non-existing sound, i.e. low-frequency tinnitus. Noise recordings were made in the homes of the complainants, and the complainants were exposed to these in blind test listening experiments. Furthermore, the low-frequency hearing function of the complainants was investigated, and characteristics of the annoying sound was matched. The results showed that some of the complainants are annoyed by a physical sound (20-180 Hz), while others suffer from low-frequency tinnitus (perceived frequency 40-100 Hz). Physical sound at frequencies below 20 Hz (infrasound) is not responsible for the annoyance -or at all audible -in any of the investigated cases, and none of the complainants has extraordinary hearing sensitivity at low frequencies. For comparable cases of low-frequency noise complaints in general, it is anticipated that physical sound is responsible in a substantial part of the cases, while low-frequency tinnitus is responsible in another substantial part of the cases.
Joint Baltic-Nordic Acoustic …, 2008
From a group of 203 cases of low-frequency-noise complaints a random selection of twenty-one case... more From a group of 203 cases of low-frequency-noise complaints a random selection of twenty-one cases were investigated. The main aim of the investigation was to answer the question whether the annoyance is caused by an external physical sound or by a low-frequency tinnitus. Noise recordings were made in the homes of the complainants, and the complainants were exposed to these recordings from their own home in blind test listening experiments. Furthermore, the low-frequency hearing function of the complainants was investigated, and characteristics of the annoying sound was matched. The results showed that some of the complainants are annoyed by a physical sound (20-1 80 Hz), while others suffer from low-frequency tinnitus (perceived frequency 40-100 Hz). Physical sound at frequencies below 20 Hz (infrasound) is not responsible for the annoyance -or at all audible -in any of the investigated cases, and none of the complainants has extraordinary hearing sensitivity at low frequencies. For comparable cases of low-frequency noise complaints in general, it is anticipated that physical sound is responsible in a substantial part of the cases, while low-frequency tinnitus is responsible in another substantial part of the cases.
Journal of Low Frequency Noise, Vibration and Active Control, 2008
From 203 cases of low-frequency complaints a random selection of twenty-one cases were investigat... more From 203 cases of low-frequency complaints a random selection of twenty-one cases were investigated. The main aim was to answer the question whether the annoyance is caused by an external physical sound or by a perceived but physically non-existing sound, i.e. low-frequency tinnitus. Noise recordings were made in the homes of the complainants, and the complainants were exposed to these in blind test listening experiments. Furthermore, the low-frequency hearing function of the complainants was investigated, and characteristics of the annoying sound were matched. The results showed that some of the complainants are annoyed by a physical sound (20–180 Hz), while others suffer from low-frequency tinnitus (perceived frequency 40–100 Hz). Physical sound at frequencies below 20 Hz (infrasound) is not responsible for the annoyance -or at all audible – in any of the investigated cases, and none of the complainants has extraordinary hearing sensitivity at low frequencies. For comparable cases...
The aim of this study was to evaluate annoyance of a less intrusive/more pleasant wind turbine so... more The aim of this study was to evaluate annoyance of a less intrusive/more pleasant wind turbine sound in relation to an original sound with a higher content of unpleasant/intrusive characteristics. Method: A wind turbine sound was modified in accordance with the knowledge of pleasant and unpleasant noise characteristics obtained from previous studies. In total 26 subjects were exposed to this modified sound with and without a tonal character and to the original wind turbine sound with a tonal character, at three sound levels, 40, 45 and 50 dBA. Subjective evaluations were obtained after the exposures using questionnaires. Results: Significant differences between the sounds were found for annoyance and awareness for each level, and for pleasantness for 45 and 50 dBA. The two modified sounds were regarded as least annoying, achieved little perceptual attention and considered most pleasant. 1 INTRODUCTION One requirement for extensive development of wind turbines near populated areas is...
Bild på ett matrum från en av förskoleavdelningarna före och efter intervention Samtliga rapporte... more Bild på ett matrum från en av förskoleavdelningarna före och efter intervention Samtliga rapporter finns att hämta som pdf fil på www.amm.se/soundenvironment Övriga rapporter från detta projekt God ljudmiljö i skola -samband mellan ljudmiljö, hälsa och välbefinnande före och efter åtgärdsprogram (rappport nr 3: 2011) God ljudmiljö i förskola och skola -Krav på rum, bygg-och inredningsprodukter för minskat buller (rappport nr 4: 2011) God ljudmiljö i förskola -beskrivning av rumsakustik före och efter åtgärdsprogram (rappport nr 6: 2011) God ljudmiljö i skola -beskrivning av rumsakustik före och efter åtgärdsprogram (rappport nr 7: 2011
Early environmental quality and life-course mental health effects: The Equal-Life project
Environmental Epidemiology, 2021
Background: There is increasing evidence that a complex interplay of factors within environments ... more Background: There is increasing evidence that a complex interplay of factors within environments in which children grows up, contributes to children’s suboptimal mental health and cognitive development. The concept of the life-course exposome helps to study the impact of the physical and social environment, including social inequities, on cognitive development and mental health over time. Methods: Equal-Life develops and tests combined exposures and their effects on children’s mental health and cognitive development. Data from eight birth-cohorts and three school studies (N = 240.000) linked to exposure data, will provide insights and policy guidance into aspects of physical and social exposures hitherto untapped, at different scale levels and timeframes, while accounting for social inequities. Reasoning from the outcome point of view, relevant stakeholders participate in the formulation and validation of research questions, and in the formulation of environmental hazards. Exposure assessment combines GIS-based environmental indicators with omics approaches and new data sources, forming the early-life exposome. Statistical tools integrate data at different spatial and temporal granularity and combine exploratory machine learning models with hypothesis-driven causal modeling. Conclusions: Equal-Life contributes to the development and utilization of the exposome concept by (1) integrating the internal, physical and social exposomes, (2) studying a distinct set of life-course effects on a child’s development and mental health (3) characterizing the child’s environment at different developmental stages and in different activity spaces, (4) looking at supportive environments for child development, rather than merely pollutants, and (5) combining physical, social indicators with novel effect markers and using new data sources describing child activity patterns and environments.
Journal of Low Frequency Noise, Vibration and Active Control, 1985
Analysis of how the noise level depends on different activities in a child day-care center
In child day-care centers the noise level can rise to high levels and in some cases become so hig... more In child day-care centers the noise level can rise to high levels and in some cases become so high that the people present risk hearing damage. The purpose of this investigation was to study how th ...
Noise and Health - Effects of Low Frequency Noise and Vibrations: Environmental and Occupational Perspectives
Preschool Children's Experience and Understanding of Their Soundscape
Qualitative Research in Psychology, 2012
ABSTRACT Noise may be a serious health problem in preschools. This article explores how preschool... more ABSTRACT Noise may be a serious health problem in preschools. This article explores how preschool-aged children experience, understand, and cope with the soundscape at their preschools. Using a qualitative approach, 36 children (4–6 years old) were interviewed in 11 focus groups. The children related their experience of sound to the consequences the sound had for themselves, their understanding of its source, and their bodily and emotional experience of it. Their perceived trustfulness, comprehensibility, sound descriptions, and manageability of given sounds were interpreted in the model as an expression of uncontrollability. The degree of uncontrollability of sounds accounted for whether children were nondisturbed, disturbed, or distressed by their experience of it. Distressing noise was experienced as both physically and emotionally painful. The children handled such distress by flight, attempting to reduce the hearing sensation, turning to their teachers, and using cognitive strategies. It is important to increase our understanding of how children cope with distressing sounds at preschools.
Exposure to high sound levels and risk of hearing related disorder among obstetrics personnel
Exposure to high sound levels is a well-known cause of hearing disorder. However, this has not be... more Exposure to high sound levels is a well-known cause of hearing disorder. However, this has not been adequately studied in non-industrial work environments. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was performed in an obstetrics ward including sound level measurements and a questionnaire survey among personnel (response rate 72%, n=115). Among 55 of those a nested case-control study was performed, with measurements of pure-tone audiometry, distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) and hearing in noise test (HINT). The sound level measurements showed that 46% of the measured shifts exceeded 80 dB LAeq and 27% of the shifts exceeded 115 dB LAFmax. More than half of the participants reported one or more hearing-related symptom and almost half of the group reported work-related stress and noise annoyance. Calculated cumulative occupational noise dose was significantly associated with increased odds of tinnitus and sound fatigue in logistic regression models. A small proportion of the pa...
Arbetslivsinstitutet är ett nationellt kunskapscentrum för arbetslivsfrågor. På uppdrag av Näring... more Arbetslivsinstitutet är ett nationellt kunskapscentrum för arbetslivsfrågor. På uppdrag av Näringsdepartementet bedriver institutet forskning, utbildning och utveckling kring hela arbetslivet. Arbetslivsinstitutets mål är att bidra till: • Förnyelse och utveckling av arbetslivet • Långsiktig kunskaps-och kompetensuppbyggnad • Minskade risker för ohälsa och olycksfall Forskning och utveckling sker inom tre huvudområden; arbetsmarknad, arbetsorganisation och arbetsmiljö. Forskningen är mångvetenskaplig och utgår från problem och utvecklingstendenser i arbetslivet. Verksamheten bedrivs i ett tjugotal program. En viktig del i verksamheten är kommunikation och kunskapsspridning. Det är i mötet mellan teori och praktik, mellan forskare och praktiker, som det skapas nya tankar som leder till utveckling. En viktig uppgift för Arbetslivsinstitutet är att skapa förutsättningar för dessa möten. Institutet samarbetar med arbetsmarknadens parter, näringsliv, universitet och högskolor, internationella intressenter och andra aktörer. Olika regioner i Sverige har sina unika förutsättningar för utveckling av arbetslivet. Arbetslivsinstitutet finns i Bergslagen,
Analysis of relationships between the sound environment at the ICU and intensive care delirium
High sound levels related to medical equipment and high activity day and night, is a wellknown ph... more High sound levels related to medical equipment and high activity day and night, is a wellknown phenomenon in intensive care units (ICUs). This may result in poor sleep and prolonged recovery for the patients but may also be a precipitating factor for intensive care delirium (ICU delirium).The aim of this pilot study was to describe patients' responses to the sound environment in an ICU and to identify patients' early signs of ICU delirium. Twenty patients from a general Swedish ICU were invited to participate in the project. Data from patients' records and observation protocols were collected and interviews with the patients were made after discharge from the ICU. Data were analysed by using both qualitative and quantitative content analysis. Findings from the analysis of sound registrations, documents and patients' interviews will be reported. (Less)
Occupational and environmental medicine, 2007
To evaluate the prevalence of perception and annoyance due to wind turbine noise among people liv... more To evaluate the prevalence of perception and annoyance due to wind turbine noise among people living near the turbines, and to study relations between noise and perception/annoyance, with focus on differences between living environments. A cross-sectional study was carried out in seven areas in Sweden across dissimilar terrain and different degrees of urbanisation. A postal questionnaire regarding living conditions including response to wind turbine noise was completed by 754 subjects. Outdoor A-weighted sound pressure levels (SPLs) were calculated for each respondent. Perception and annoyance due to wind turbine noise in relation to SPLs was analysed with regard to dissimilarities between the areas. The odds of perceiving wind turbine noise increased with increasing SPL (OR 1.3; 95% CI 1.25 to 1.40). The odds of being annoyed by wind turbine noise also increased with increasing SPLs (OR 1.1; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.25). Perception and annoyance were associated with terrain and urbanisatio...
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Papers by Kerstin Persson Waye