Noise is a common problem in hospitals, and it is known that social behavior can influence sound levels. The aim of this naturally-occurring field experiment was to assess the influence of a non-talking rule on the actual sound level and perception of patients in an outpatient infusion center. In a quasi-randomized …

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Because of the enormous growth of the aviation industry, Schiphol requires to expand its operations. The limitation of 500,000 aircraft movements led to an agreement about the expansion of a regional airport to accommodate the overcapacity of Schiphol Airport. Lelystad Airport was chosen …

How do “human” prejudices reemerge in algorithmic cultures allegedly devised to be blind to them? To answer this question, this book investigates a fundamental axiom in computer science: pattern discrimination. By imposing identity on input data, in order to filter—that is, to discriminate—signals from …

In this paper, we perceptually evaluate two recently proposed binaural multi-microphone speech enhancement methods in terms of intelligibility improvement and binaural-cue preservation. We compare these two methods with the well-known binaural minimum variance distortionless response (BMVDR) method. …

Modern binaural hearing aids (HAs) can collaborate wirelessly with each other as well as with other assistive (wireless) devices. This enables multi-microphone noise reduction over small wireless acoustic sensor networks (WASNs) to increase the intelligibility under adverse conditions. In this work, …

Background While the indoor environmental quality of classrooms is a potential issue because it may affect the wellbeing of school children, the relations are still poorly studied. This study aimed to investigate the relations between classroom characteristics and health and comfort of school children. …

Music is being consumed by more people on a daily basis than ever before. Recreational noise exposure is the cause for a variety of preliminary hearing problems in young adults. Main factors are the use of earbuds as well as headphones and visiting venues such as festivals or clubs where, although …

Multiple scientific and industrial applications such as telecommunication and quantum cryptography causing a rise in the development of the superconducting nanowire single photons detectors (SNSPD). In the last decade, the characteristics of the detectors improved but run against the problem that the …

OBJECTIVES: Children diagnosed with auditory processing disorders (APD) experience difficulties in auditory functioning and with memory, attention, language, and reading tasks. However, it is not clear whether the behavioral characteristics of these children are distinctive from the behavioral characteristics …

Purpose: People have the right to freedom of opinion and expression, as defined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Higher education plays a major role in helping students to develop and express their own opinions and, therefore, should be equally accessible to all. This article …