Noise levels in hospital settings have risen beyond the recommended range of 35-40 decibels, resulting in poor patient healing outcomes and other health conditions ranging from sleep deprivation, anxiety, agitation, delirium, depression, and high heart rate and blood pressure. These negative patient health experiences are evidenced by poor scores for the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, which are indicators of patients' perceptions of care. This project explored whether an educational activity for 48 direct care staff, who include registered nurses and nursing assistants, in a cardiac unit on the impact of noise pollution on patient healing would increase staff members' knowledge of interventions to reduce noise pollution. The information processing theory guided this project. Eighty-nine percent of the participants strongly agreed that the educational activity was relevant to their practice as health care providers on the cardiac monitored unit. All participants strongly agreed that they would be able to identify when the unit was noisy and when noise was impacting a patient both physiologically and psychologically. Participants indicated that they could implement the suggested behavioral modifications to promote a healing environment. Participants strongly agreed that the speaker was effective in communicating the importance of noise pollution and its impact on patient healing and ways in which to combat the problem (89%), and they were generally satisfied with the learning activity (91%). Reducing noise pollution might create a healing environment for cardiac patients, thus positively impacting patient satisfaction and well-being.

Current European legislation aims to limit vehicle noise emissions since many people are exposed to road traffic noise in urban areas. Vehicle pass-by noise is measured according to the international standard ISO 362 in Europe. More recent investigations of urban traffic have led to the proposal of a revised ISO 362 which includes a constant-speed test in addition to the traditional accelerated test in order to determine the pass-by noise value. In order to meet the legal pass-by noise requirements, vehicle manufacturers and suppliers must analyse and quantify vehicle noise source characteristics during the development phase of the vehicle. In addition, predictive tools need to be available for the estimation of the final pass-by noise value. This thesis aims to contribute to the understanding of vehicle pass-by noise and of the characteristics of the vehicle noise sources contributing to pass-by noise. This is supported through an extensive literature review in which current pass-by noise prediction methods are reviewed as well. Furthermore, three vehicle noise sources are replicated experimentally under laboratory conditions. This involves an orifice noise source, represented by a specially designed loudspeaker on a moving trolley, shell noise, represented by a metal cylinder structure, and tyre cavity and sidewall noise, represented by an annular membrane mounted on a tyre-like structure. The experimentally determined directivity characteristics of the acoustically excited noise sources are utilised in the pass-by noise prediction method. The predictive results are validated against experimental measurements of the three vehicle-like noise sources made within an anechoic chamber.

Timing jitter and phase noise are important design considerations in most electronic systems, particularly communication systems. The desire for faster transmission speeds and higher levels of integration, combined with lower signal levels and denser circuit boards has placed greater emphasis on managing problems related to phase noise, timing jitter, and timing distribution. This thesis reports original work on phase noise modelling in electronic systems. A new model is proposed which predicts the up-conversion of baseband noise to the carrier frequency in RF amplifiers. The new model is validated by comparing the predicted phase noise performance to experimental measurements as it applies to a common emitter (CE), bipolar junction transistor (BJT) amplifier. The results show that the proposed model correctly predicts the measured phase noise, including the shaping of the noise about the carrier frequency, and the dependence of phase noise on the amplifier parameters. In addition, new work relating to timing transfer in digital communication systems is presented. A new clock recovery algorithm is proposed for decoding timing information encoded using the synchronous residual time-stamp (SRTS) method. Again, theoretical analysis is verified by comparison with an experimental implementation. The results show that the new algorithm correctly recovers the source clock at the destination, and satisfies the jitter specification set out by the ITU-T for G.702 signals.

The towed streamer controlled source electromagnetic (CSEM) system collects data faster than the conventional static node-based CSEM system. However, the towed streamer CSEM is typically much noisier than the conventional static node-based CSEM. Identifying and quantifying various sources of noise is important for the development of future robust electromagnetic streamer system. This is the problem I address in this thesis. I achieve this in three parts. First, I examine the idea that the towed streamer suffers from noise induced by its motion through the Earth’s magnetic field according to Faraday’s law of induction. I derive expressions for the motionally-induced noise for the cases of a horizontal streamer parallel to the acquisition vessel’s path and a curved streamer caused by a constant cross-current. These expressions demonstrate that the motionally-induced noise is sensitive to the magnitude of the feather angle at the head and at the tail of the streamer, and to the vertical and lateral motion of the streamer. The key finding is that no motionally-induced noise is generated when the streamer is horizontal and moving in a constant magnetic field. By contrast, when the streamer shape is curved because of cross-currents, motionally-induced noise is generated if the velocity of the streamer varies over time. Second, I analyse and compare the noise recorded using the first generation of towed streamer with the noise recorded using a static ocean bottom cable (OBC) CSEM. I find out that within the frequency range of interest, 0.01–1 Hz the towed streamer noise is 20 dB greater (factor of 10) than the noise recorded with the OBC CSEM. I show also that the motion of the telluric cable between the pair of electrodes in the towed streamer is responsible for this difference in amplitude between the two systems. In the frequency ranges, 0.03–0.1 Hz and 0.03–0.2 Hz, the motionally-induced noise is shown to be uncorrelated across all channels. However, within the frequency band 0.1–0.3 Hz, the motionally-induced noise correlation gradually increases and becomes well correlated at about 0.2 Hz. This correlated noise could be caused by ocean swell from surface waves, water flowing around the streamer or cross-currents. Finally, to identify and quantify the contribution of several distinct sources of noise, and to describe the mechanisms generating each source of noise, I co-designed a prototype towed streamer CSEM. I carried out an experiment with the prototype streamer suspended 1 m below the water surface in the controlled environment of the Edinburgh wave tank located in King’s building campus (the University of Edinburgh). I then subjected the streamer to flow running at velocities of 0–1ms−1 along its length and to waves propagating in the same direction, at 45°, and perpendicular relative to the streamer direction.

Low-frequency noise has been measured on commercial power MOSFETs. These devices, fabricated with the VDMOS structure, exhibit a 1/f type noise spectrum. The interface state density obtained from noise measurements was compared with that obtained from the subthreshold-slope method. Reasonable agreement was found between the two measurements. The radiation effects on the noise power spectral density were also investigated. The results indicated that the noise can be attributed to the generation of interface traps near the Si-SiO₂ interface. The level of interface traps generated by radiation was bias dependent. The positive gate bias gave rise to the largest interface-trap density.

Thesis (DPhil (Geography and Environmental Studies))—University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / The use of average energy aircraft noise contours as the sole means for guiding aircraft noise-based planning around airports is being questioned increasingly. A growing proportion of residents who live in neighbourhoods adjacent to airports are dissatisfied with the averaging procedure that is employed. In their experience of exposure to aircraft noise, particularly in the evening and at night when they are at home, the average energy aircraft noise descriptors are misleading. In order to effectively analyse the socio-spatial interaction of annoyance at and interference by aircraft noise, an alternative approach has been suggested – a supplemental noise perspective. Conventional approaches to aircraft noise land use planning based on average energy noise descriptors run the risk of being ineffectual, or even counterproductive, because they do not consider the central aspects of disturbance, namely the loudness of an event and the number of times events are heard. Consequently, an alternative measure to ameliorate the limitations of average energy noise contours is needed by which airport neighbours, the aviation industry and town planners can better understand the nature of the problem. Although supplemental noise analysis is not new, this study applies it to a South African international airport (OR Tambo) for the first time. The airport’s operations are typical of many busy airports close to large urban areas, serving domestic, regional and international routes. Reportedly, there have been few complaints about noise emanating from the airport, but when they are made they are usually about evening and night-time aircraft noise events. In the context of South Africa as a developing society in transition, where growth of urban settlements continues apace, average energy aircraft noise information must be enhanced by providing supplemental noise information. This study investigated the broad issue of land use planning around airports by employing two aircraft noise prediction models, namely the Integrated Noise Model and the Transparent Noise Information Package, to establish the various potential effects and consequences of night-time aircraft noise in noise zones demarcated according to supplemental aircraft noise information. The effects and consequences examined include annoyance, disturbance of sleep, telephone conversations, watching television and work or study, and the likelihood that people will move away to escape night-time aircraft noise. The perceptions of residents living in neighbourhoods around the airport were surveyed and the responses analysed according to noise zones classified as supplemental noise information. The results show that the airport’s neighbours are annoyed by aircraft noise and that aircraft noise interferes with normal household activities. This annoyance and interference decreases with increasing distance from the airport. Furthermore, reported annoyance and interference is greater in those areas where higher numbers of noise events are encountered, even at relatively low noise levels of 60 LAmax – something not evident from average energy noise contours. This finding strengthens the argument that it is insufficient to provide only average energy aircraft noise information when studying the impact of aircraft noise. To understand the situation more fully, supplemental noise information is essential. The study concludes with a framework constructed to apply supplemental aircraft noise information to the abatement and mitigation measures normally used to deal with aircraft noise.

published_or_final_version / Mechanical Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Mechanical Engineering / Master / Master of Science in Engineering

published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management