All articles tagged with #noise
Carol Tannenhauser reflects on the impending noise and disruption from a three-year construction project to install an elevator at the West 81st Street subway station, which she initially dreads but ultimately accepts, inspired by the story of Sasha Blair-Goldensohn, a disability advocate who has long campaigned for accessible subway stations.
Two cicada broods are set to emerge in Illinois this spring and summer, with densities of up to a million and a half per acre. The noise from these insects, which can reach decibels similar to a lawn mower or passing jet, is expected to be disruptive, but their life cycle is short, lasting just four to six weeks. The emergence is predicted to occur between mid-May and early June, with the Northern Illinois Brood's emergence typically lasting approximately four weeks. While the noise may be substantial, cicadas are harmless and can be appreciated by nature lovers, and they also provide benefits such as being a valuable food source for birds and improving water filtration into the ground.
In mid-May, over 1 trillion cicadas from Brood XIX and Brood XIII will emerge in 17 U.S. states, creating a loud, high-pitched buzz that will last for weeks. This rare overlap in emergence, not seen since 1803, is caused by the 13 and 17-year cycles of the two broods. The cicadas will make their distinctive noise using vibrating membranes called tymbals, and their emergence will vary depending on location and weather, with a lifespan of four to six weeks. Unlike locusts, cicadas do not cause severe destruction to plant life.
Researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute have developed a method to use noise to process quantum information, increasing the performance of qubits by 700%. By continuously monitoring and adapting to environmental changes in real time, they have demonstrated a new approach to quantum computing that could lead to more powerful computers in the future. This interdisciplinary effort involves the integration of a singlet-triplet spin qubit with FPGA-powered qubit controllers and has the potential to revolutionize quantum computing by actively adjusting for environmental noise.
A new study reveals that the Danionella cerebrum, a tiny fish discovered three years ago, can produce sounds as loud as 140 decibels, comparable to the noise of an airplane during take-off. The fish possesses a unique sound-generating organ and uses a specialized apparatus to create rapid, loud pulses for communication in visually restrictive environments, challenging the notion that fish are generally quiet animals.
Ann Arbor, Michigan, is phasing in a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers due to concerns over noise and pollution. The ban will be implemented gradually over four years, with a complete prohibition by January 2028. Violations will result in fines, which will be used to help low-income residents and small businesses acquire alternative leaf blowers. The city previously banned outdoor maintenance equipment with two-cycle gas engines in downtown areas.
Researchers at the University of Duisburg-Essen have developed a method for extracting data from noisy signals, which could have implications for quantum computers. By analyzing the noise generated by a quantum dot sample exposed to an exciting laser, the researchers were able to determine the lifetime of spin states. This technique allows for the re-evaluation of older data and the discovery of previously hidden signals.
Residents in the Highlands neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky, expressed concerns about recent crime and loud music from local bars at a community meeting. The meeting addressed the increase in violence near Bardstown Road and Frankfort Avenue, with residents feeling unsafe and desperate for solutions. Representatives from law enforcement and alcohol beverage control discussed steps being taken, including increased police patrols and a zero tolerance policy for noise violations. There are also discussions about revisiting a plan to change bar closing times from 4 a.m. to 2 a.m. to address the issues.
MIT researchers have developed a new privacy metric called Probably Approximately Correct (PAC) Privacy, which allows for the addition of minimal noise to machine-learning models while still protecting sensitive data. The researchers created an algorithm that automatically determines the optimal amount of noise to add, based on the uncertainty or entropy of the original data. This approach, unlike other privacy methods, does not require knowledge of the model's inner workings or training process. The PAC Privacy algorithm guarantees privacy even against adversaries with infinite computing power. While the technique does not indicate the accuracy loss caused by the added noise, it can be improved by creating more stable machine-learning models that produce consistent outputs with subsampled data.
IBM researchers have used a technique called "error mitigation" to overcome the problems with today's quantum processors and produce an accurate result despite the noise in the system. They intentionally amplified and then measured the processor's noise at different levels to estimate a function that produces similar output as the actual measurements. This function can then have its noise set to zero to produce an estimate of what the processor would do without any noise at all. The researchers tested this system using an Ising model and found that it outperformed similar calculations on classical computers.
Too much noise, particularly loud noise, can hurt a child's cognitive development, notably for language-based skills such as reading. Studies show that when children's environment is quiet enough for them to pay attention to sounds that are important or particularly interesting to them, it is a powerful teaching tool. Silence is difficult to find and to create, but teachers can minimize noise in the classroom to help children concentrate. Nina Kraus, a neurobiologist at Northwestern University, believes turning down the noise in our lives starts with embracing silence.
Major companies like Amazon, Walmart, Google, UPS, FedEx, Uber, and DHL are planning to use drones for deliveries. However, the noise factor associated with hundreds of drones flying around neighborhoods at once will be unbearably loud. Liability issues and the question of how packages will be dropped off also arise. Companies need to figure out these issues before implementing drone delivery plans.
A fire at the Shell Deer Park Chemical Plant caused loud rumblings from flares that kept some residents awake on Friday night. The fire broke out on Friday afternoon but is now under control. Nine contractors were evaluated at the hospital but have been released. Emergency responders worked for hours to get the fire under control. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has launched an emergency response page for those wishing to get more information about their response to the fire.