Effective management of the potential environmental impacts of naval sonar requires quantitative data on the behaviour and hearing physiology of cetaceans. Here, novel experimental and analytical methods were used to obtain such information and to test the effectiveness of an operational mitigation method for naval sonar. A Bayesian method was developed to estimate whale locations through time, integrating visual observations with measurements from on-animal inertial, acoustic, depth, and Fastloc-GPS sensors. The track reconstruction method was applied to 13 humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) data sets collected during a multi-disciplinary behavioural response study in Norwegian waters. Thirty-one controlled exposure experiments with and without active transmissions of 1.3-2 kHz sounds were conducted using a moving vessel that towed a sonar source. Dose-response functions, representing the relationships between measured sonar dose and behavioural responses identified from the reconstructed tracks, predicted that 50% of the humpbacks would initiate avoidance at a relatively high received sound pressure level of 166 dB re 1 µPa. Very similar dose-response functions were obtained for cessation of feeding. In a laboratory study, behavioural reaction times of a harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) to sonar-like sounds were measured using operant conditioning and a psychoacoustic method. Auditory weighting functions, which can be used to improve dose-response functions, were obtained for the porpoise based on the assumption that sounds of equal loudness elicit equal reaction time. Additional analyses of the humpback whale data set provided evidence that ramp-up of naval sonar mitigates harmful sound levels in responsive cetaceans located directly in the path of the source, and suggested that a subset of the humpback whale population, such as mother-calf pairs, and more responsive species would benefit from the use of sonar ramp-up. The findings in this thesis are intended to inform sound exposure criteria and mitigation guidelines for anthropogenic noise exposure to cetaceans.

Le système auditif ascendant est constitué d’étages multiples procédant chacun à un traitement complexe du signal, traitement qui est modulé par un système descendant, formant de multiples boucles corticales et sous-corticales de rétroaction : le système efférent auditif. La boucle la plus longue de ce système serait capable de moduler directement le fonctionnement des cellules sensorielles de l’organe périphérique de l’audition. Le but de ce travail était d’étudier pour la première fois chez le sujet sain, l’effet d’une modulation corticale expérimentale sur le fonctionnement périphérique auditif. Nous avons donc recueilli, dans le cadre d’un protocole en double aveugle contre placebo, chez 34 sujets sains, l’activité des cellules ciliées externes de l’organe de Corti (cellules sensorielles directement en contact avec les fibres nerveuses efférentes), par le recueil d’otoémissions acoustiques (OEAs), avant et après stimulation du cortex auditif par une stimulation magnétique transcrânienne répétitive (SMTr). Une diminution de l’amplitude d’un type d’OEA a été obtenue du côté controlatéral à une stimulation du cortex auditif par SMTr à 10 Hz, effet qui ne peut être expliqué seulement par une action non-spécifique liée au bruit de la SMTr mais qui reste extrêmement variable d’un sujet à un autre. De plus, nous avons montré, du côté ipsilatéral à la SMTr, une diminution de l’amplitude des OEAs immédiatement après la SMTr, et uniquement pour les fortes intensités d’utilisation de la SMTr (donc, pour des niveaux de bruit plus importants), reflétant un effet direct du bruit de la SMTr sur les mécanismes cochléaires actifs, effet présent chez nos sujets même en cas de protections auditives de bonne qualité / The ascending auditory system involves multiples stages where the auditory information is processed and modulated by a top-down influence involving multiple cortico sub-cortical loops: the efferent auditory system. It is hypothesized that the longest loop of this efferent system is able to modulate directly the sensory cells of the peripheral auditory organ. The aim of this work was to study this system, to our knowledge for the first time in healthy humans, and to show a direct cortical influence on the auditory periphery. In a double blind randomized procedure, we recorded, in 34 healthy subjects, the activity of outer hair cells of the organ of Corti (sensory cells, that are in direct synaptic contact with medial efferent fibers), by means of evoked otoacoustic emissions (OAEs), before and after auditory cortex stimulation by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). We showed an inhibitory influence of the auditory cortical stimulation by 10 Hz rTMS on OAE amplitudes, predominantly in the ear contralateral to the rTMS, effect that cannot be attributed to a non-specific effect linked to the impulse noise associated with the rTMS technique, but that remains highly variable across subjects. In addition, we showed a decrease in OAE amplitude on the ipsilateral side, immediately after the rTMS session and only for high rTMS intensities (and hence, higher noise levels), that reflect a direct influence of the rTMS noise on the auditory periphery, effect that is present even in well ear-protected subjects

<p>  </p> <p>Aircraft noise is one of the most significant environmental concerns for the aviation industry, and it adversely affects the physical and mental health of community members who are in close proximity to airports. The operations and expansion of airports and land use planning are affected because of the community’s adverse reaction to such annoyances. Aircraft operations and fleet mix information are required when airport managers and stakeholders execute the Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT) to compute the noise metrics; however, these data are unavailable from over 2,000 United States non-primary General Aviation (GA) airports that lack full-time air traffic control facilities or personnel. </p> <p>This study developed a low-cost noise assessment technology for non-towered GA airports. The Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) messages were obtained using an inexpensive ADS-B receiver. A barometric pressure calibration was applied to improve the aircraft operations estimation. A fleet mix database was created by linking the collected ADS-B data to an FAA-registered aircraft database containing U.S.-registered aircraft information (such as types of aircraft and engines). Specific aircraft information was obtained by filtering the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) identification code from the obtained ADS-B records. A set of 20 advanced aircraft performance parameters was constructed to determine the operation mode and corresponding power setting. The corresponding noise levels were determined using the EUROCONTROL Aircraft Noise and Performance (ANP) database.</p> <p>The testing and validation results from the case study at the Purdue University Airport (ICAO Code: KLAF) demonstrated the developed low-cost approach could identify aircraft noise events, and the accuracy of modeled noise data was assessed with an average error of 4.50 dBA. Therefore, the developed approach appears to be an affordable means of monitoring aircraft noise at non-towered GA airports.  </p>

La pollution sonore est un problème majeur pour les résidents des zones urbaines. La directive Européenne 2002/49/CE impose aux états membres l’établissement de cartes de bruit. Ces dernières sont construites sur la base de l’indice énergétique Lden, également utilisé dans les relations dose-effet établies pour prédire la gêne. Toutefois, pour l’évaluation de la gêne due au bruit dans les zones urbaines, la pertinence de cet indice est souvent remise en question. En effet, de nombreuses études ont montré que les caractéristiques temporelles et spectrales des bruits environnementaux influencent aussi les réponses de gêne et ne sont pas prises en compte dans cet indice. Cette thèse vise à contribuer à l’amélioration de la caractérisation de la gêne due au bruit des véhicules routiers en ville. Elle est basée sur des expériences réalisées en laboratoire. Elle comprend deux parties principales. La première partie a comme objectif de progresser sur la caractérisation physique et perceptive du bruit des passages de divers véhicules routiers en milieu urbain tels que les bus, les deux-roues motorisés, les poids lourds et les véhicules légers. Une attention particulière a été portée sur la caractérisation de la gêne due aux deuxroues motorisés qui sont cités parmi les véhicules routiers les plus gênants et sont peu étudiés dans la littérature. Dans cette perspective, un indicateur acoustique caractéristique de la gêne due au bruit routier urbain a été déterminé : il rend compte de différents attributs auditifs gênants en associant la sonie, un indice spectral et deux indices de modulation proposés dans le cadre de ces travaux. Dans les zones urbaines, les riverains sont souvent exposés à la circulation routière en présence d’autres sources de bruit de l’environnement. L’objectif principal de la deuxième partie est la prédiction de la gêne totale due au bruit du trafic routier urbain combiné avec le bruit de tramway. Dans le but de caractériser la gêne totale, les phénomènes perceptifs liés à la combinaison de ces bruits sont tout d’abord étudiés. Ensuite, l’indicateur proposé précédemment pour caractériser la gêne due au bruit des passages de différents véhicules routiers est testé lorsque différents trafics routiers urbains sont considérés. Sur la base de ces résultats, des modèles permettant de caractériser la gêne due au bruit de trafic routier urbain combiné au bruit de tramway ont été proposés. / Noise pollution is a major concern for residents of urban areas. To date, the European directive 2002/49/CE requires member states to represent community noise through noise maps. These are produced using the Lden (day-evening-night level) index which is also employed for dose-effect relationships in noise annoyance prediction. However, for the assessment of noise annoyance in urban areas, its relevance is often questioned. Numerous studies have shown that noise annoyance due to community noise is not solely based on the sound pressure level and other acoustical signal characteristics such as temporal and spectral features influence noise annoyance ratings. This thesis aims to improve the assessment of noise annoyance due to various road vehicle noises in cities. It is based on experiments carried out in laboratory conditions and comprises two main parts. The first addresses the enhancement of the physical and perceptual characterization of annoyance due to various urban road vehicle pass-by noises, such as buses, poweredtwo- wheelers, heavy vehicles and light vehicles. A specific focus is put on the characterization of annoyance due to powered-two-wheelers which are among the most annoying road vehicles and studied little in the existing literature. An indicator accounting for annoyance-relevant auditory attributes of urban road vehicle pass-by noises is determined: it comprises loudness, a spectral index and two modulation indices proposed in this work. In urban agglomerations, people are often exposed to road traffic in presence of a variety of other environmental noise sources. The focal point of the second part is on the prediction of total annoyance due to urban road traffic noise combined with tramway noise. In the aim of adequately characterizing total annoyance, first the perceptual phenomena involved in annoyance due to the combination of the sources are studied. Furthermore, the analysis allows for the testing of the proposed noise annoyance indicator for the characterization of urban road traffic noise. To characterize annoyance due to tramway noise, an indicator determined in a recent study is employed. Based on these indicators and the findings regarding perceptual phenomena, models for the prediction of total annoyance due to combined urban road traffic and tramway noise are proposed.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T18:12:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ana Maria Pimenta da Fonseca.pdf: 566657 bytes, checksum: 4943537ba9730854c7867eec02d30707 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-10-10 / The goal of this study was to investigate and analyze the civil construction workers audiometric profile upon admission in the State of Bahia (Brazil) from 1999 to 2005. Methods: Audiometric tests (n=5702) were carried out among male workers (age range: 18 to 72) upon admission when applying for several job positions in 43 civil construction companies. Audiograms was classified into three groups: normal , indicating noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and other causes , and were later rated as to the presence/absence of audiometric notches. Results: Normal hearing thresholds were found in 3949 (69.3%) workers, 920 (16.2%) of them showed audiograms indicating NIHL, and other alterations were found in 833 (14.6%) subjects. Although 980 (17.2%) workers did not report noise exposure, 4722 (82.8%) subjects reported at least one year of such exposure. The use of hearing protection devices was reported by 2483 (43.5%) subjects in contrast with 3219 (56.0%) workers who did not use it. Workers exposed to chemicals totaled 1084 (19%) against 4618 (81%) nonexposed ones. Audiometric notches were found in 1684 (29.5%) subjects in the normal group, 919 (16.1%) subjects in the NIHL group and 774 (13.4%) subjects in the other causes group. Conclusions: The prevalence of audiometric alterations was found to be 30.7%, among which 16.1% indicated NIHL and 14.6% were rated as other causes . Increased age, more than 5 years of noise exposure, lack of use of hearing protection devices and exposure to chemicals were associated to the hearing losses found in the sample. The prevalence of audiometric notches in this population was 59.3%, of which 30.9% were unilateral and 28.4% were bilateral. Besides being associated to age, exposure time and job position, notches were more prevalent in the NIHL group and in the other causes group / O presente estudo tem como objetivo investigar e analisar o perfil audiométrico nos exames admissionais em trabalhadores da construção civil na Bahia, no período de 1999 a 2005. Método: Foram avaliadas 5702 audiometria admissionais de trabalhadores do gênero masculino, que faziam processo seletivo em 43 empresas da construção civil. A faixa etária estava entre 18 e 72 anos. Os trabalhadores realizaram exames pré-admissonais para as mais diversas funções da construção civil. Os audiogramas foram classificados em três grupos: normais, sugestivos de PAIR e outras causas. Posteriormente, também foram classificados segundo presença ou ausência de entalhe audiométrico. Resultados: 3949 (69,3%) trabalhadores apresentaram limiares dentro da normalidade, 920 (16,2%) apresentaram alteração sugestiva de PAIR e 833 (14,6%) trabalhadores apresentaram outras alterações. Dentre esses, 980 (17,2%) trabalhadores não relataram exposição a ruído e 4722 (82,8%) tinham tempo de exposição a ruído de, no mínimo, um ano. Quanto ao uso de protetor auricular (EPI), 2483 (43,5%) faziam uso e 3219(56,%) não faziam uso. Em relação à exposição a produtos químicos, 1084(19%) estavam expostos e 4618 (81%) não estavam expostos. O entalhe audiométrico esteve presente em 1684 (29,5%) trabalhadores do Grupo Normal, 919 (16,1%) no Grupo PAIR e 774 (13,4%) no Grupo Outros. Conclusões: A prevalência de alterações audiométricas foi de 30,7%, sendo 16,1% sugestivas de PAIR e 14,6% de outras causas. O aumento da idade, tempo de exposição a ruído superior a cinco anos, não uso de protetores e exposição a produtos químicos foram associados às perdas auditivas encontradas na população. A prevalência de entalhe audiométrico na população foi de 59,3%, sendo 30,9% unilateral e 28,4% bilateral. Os entalhes foram associados à idade, tempo de exposição e função exercida; além de ocorrerem mais nos Grupos PAIR e Outros

La surdité professionnelle constitue un problème de santé publique important, avec une prévalence estimée de 10 à 16%. Les études animales ont mis en évidence une perte des synapses entre les cellules ciliées internes et le nerf auditif et des fibres auditives présentant une activité spontanée faible. Cette synaptopathie cochléaire se manifesterait avant la dégradation des seuils auditifs et la perte des cellules ciliées externes, étant ainsi un précurseur à la surdité professionnelle. L’audiogramme utilisé en milieu clinique ne permet pas de mesurer la synaptopathie cochléaire, se contentant seulement de quantifier la perte d’audibilité causée par l’exposition au bruit. Des études post-mortem humaines ont permis d’identifier une synaptopathie cochléaire, similaire à celle observée dans le modèle animal. Étant donné que la quantification des synapses chez l'humain vivant n'est pas possible, les chercheurs se sont concentrés sur le développement d’outils pouvant servir de marqueur indirect de la synaptopathie cochléaire. À cet égard, les résultats sont divergents d’une étude à l’autre. Il est possible que ces outils ne soient pas sensibles ou que l’exposition au bruit investiguée dans la littérature ne soit pas suffisante pour entraîner une synaptopathie cochléaire chez l’humain. L’objectif de cette thèse est donc d’évaluer les effets d’une exposition au bruit industriel continu et au bruit impulsionnel, qui pourraient s’avérer plus nocives et entraîner un processus précoce de synaptopathie cochléaire. Des individus présentant des seuils auditifs et des émissions otoacoustiques dans la normale ont été investigués à l’aide de mesures électrophysiologiques et psychoacoustiques. Dans la première étude, 40 participants exposés au bruit industriel continu et 40 participants sans exposition au bruit industriel continu ont été recrutés et évalués à l’aide d’un test de perception de la parole dans le bruit (SPiN) et de différentes composantes du potentiels évoqués auditifs du tronc cérébral (PEATC). L’exposition au bruit des participants a été mesurée par dosimétrie. Les résultats ne montrent pas d’association entre l’exposition au bruit et les variables du PEATC et du SPiN. Dans la deuxième étude, 27 participants militaires exposés au bruit impulsionnel et 13 participants sans exposition au bruit impulsionnel ont été recrutés. Les PEATC, l’électrocochléographie, le SPiN et la largeur des filtres auditifs rectangulaires équivalents (ERB) ont été mesurés. L’exposition au bruit des participants a été quantifiée à l’aide du Noise Exposure Structured Interview. Les résultats montrent une réduction de l’amplitude de l’onde I, un allongement de la latence de l’onde V, des performances réduites de SPiN et un ERB plus large à 4 kHz chez les militaires exposés au bruit impulsionnel, en comparaison aux participants sans exposition au bruit impulsionnel. Cette thèse est importante d’un point de vue de santé publique puisqu’elle suggère que certains outils cliniques simples, comme la mesure des filtres auditifs, pourraient permettre de détecter les premiers signes d’un dommage auditif avant l’apparition d’une surdité professionnelle mesurée par l’audiogramme. Les résultats renforcent l’importance de la sensibilisation aux risques induits par l’exposition au bruit afin de prévenir l’apparition des troubles de communication et des situations de handicap découlant de la présence d’une surdité professionnelle. / Occupational hearing loss constitutes an important public health problem, with an estimated prevalence of 10 to 16%. Animal studies have shown a phenomenon of synapses dysfunction between the inner hair cells and the auditory nerve and a preferential loss of low spontaneous rate auditory fibers. This cochlear synaptopathy manifests itself before the degradation of hearing thresholds and the loss of outer hair cells, thus being a precursor damage to occupational hearing loss. The audiogram used in a clinical setting does not measure cochlear synaptopathy, only quantifying the loss of audibility caused by noise exposure. In humans, post-mortem studies have identified a process of cochlear synaptopathy, similar to that observed in the animal model. Since quantification of synapses in living humans is not possible, researchers focused on developing a noninvasive measurement that could serve as an indirect marker for cochlear synaptopathy. Several tools have been proposed, but the results vary from one study to another. It is possible that these tools are not sensitive or that noise exposures investigated in the literature is not sufficient to cause cochlear synaptopathy in humans. The objective of this thesis is therefore to evaluate the effects of exposure to continuous industrial noise and impulse noise, which could prove to be more harmful and lead to an accelerated process of cochlear synaptopathy. To this end, individuals with normal hearing thresholds and otoacoustic emissions were investigated using electrophysiological and psychoacoustical measurements. In the first study, 40 participants with occupational noise exposure and 40 participants without occupational noise exposure were recruited and evaluated using a speech perception in noise (SPiN) test and different components of the auditory brainstem response (ABR). Participants’ noise exposure was measured by dosimetry. The results do not show an association between noise exposure and the ABR and SPiN variables. In the second study, 27 military participants exposed to impulse noise and 13 participants without exposure to impulse noise were recruited. ABR, electrocochleography, SPiN and the equivalent rectangular bandwidth (ERB) of auditory filters were measured. Participants' noise exposure was quantified using the Noise Exposure Structured Interview. Results show a reduced wave I amplitude, a lengthened wave V latency, a reduced SPiN performance, and a broader ERB at 4 kHz in military recruits exposed to impulse noise, compared to participants without exposure to impulse noise. This thesis is important from a public health point of view since it suggests that certain simple clinical tools, such as the measurement of auditory filters, might make it possible to detect the first signs of auditory damage before the onset of hearing loss measured by the audiogram. Results reinforce the importance of raising awareness to the risks induced by noise exposure in order to prevent the appearance of communication disorders and handicaps resulting from the presence of occupational hearing loss.