Page 54 - Winter 2011

Title: Technology for a Quieter America
Authors: Study Committee of the National Academy of Engineering Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN-13: 978-0-309-156325-5; ISBN-10: 0-309-15632-7
Pages: xvii+192
Binding: Softcover
Internet: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12928
In 2006, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) initiated Technology for a Quieter America, a multi-year study to review state-of-the-art in noise-control engineering, describe the technological, economic and political climate for noise control, and identify gaps in research. During the past three years, a 14-member umbrella committee, chaired by NAE member George Maling (managing director emeritus of the Institute for Noise Control Engineering of the USA), five subcommittees, and focused working groups have explored three categories of issues related to noise-control engi¬neering and public con- cerns: applications of current technologies; research and devel¬opment initiatives; and intra-governmental and public relations programs
The report assesses major sources of noise (transportation, machinery and equipment, consumer products, etc.), and reviews regulations that govern noise levels and the roles of federal, state, and local agencies in noise regulation. It also exam- ines the availability of public information on noise mitigation, and noise-control education in U.S. schools of engineering.
Findings of the report focus on several critical areas: Occupational noise—exposure limits should be reduced and engi- neering controls should be the primary focus of controlling workplace noise. “Buy-quiet” programs that promote the procure- ment of low-noise equipment and allow market forces to operate can play an important role.
Cost-Benefit analysis: The Federal Aviation Administration has been proactive in cost-benefit analysis of noise reduction at airports; these studies, along with similar research from Europe, could lead to highway noise reduction. The report exam- ines the relative merits of “low noise” highways and the use of noise barriers.
Metrics: Advances in the ability to collect, store, and analyze noise data challenge us to reexamine metrics that were devel- oped in the 1970’s.
Title: Active Processes and Otoacoustic Emissions
Editors: Geoffrey A. Manley, Richard R. Fay and Arthur N. Popper Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 978-0-387-71467-7
Pages: 484
Binding: Hardcover
Sounds that are actually produced by healthy ears allow researchers and clinicians to study hearing and cochlear function noninvasively in both animals and humans. Active Processes and Otoacoustic Emissions in Hearing, volume 30 in the Springer Handbook of Auditory Research series presents a review of the biological basis of these otoacoustic emissions. Active processes, such as those in outer hair cells that produce emissions, rep- resent a burgeoning and important area of sensory research. By providing a basis for understanding how and why otoacoustic emissions testing works through a basic under- standing of general hearing processes, this volume will also interest clinicians, particu- larly otolaryngologists and audiologists. The volume starts with an historical perspective on the discovery of otoacoustic emissions and active processes of the cochlea. These are followed by chapters that deal with the physiology of otoacoustic emissions and active processes, and other chapters that discuss different animal groups in which emissions are now found. This is followed by chapters that discuss a wide range of features of emissions, and it ends with a chapter that summarizes the main questions that have arisen out of all of these studies and still remain to be answered.
50 Acoustics Today, January 2011