Microphone handling noise : measurements of perceptual threshold and effects on audio quality

A psychoacoustic experiment was carried out to test the effects of microphone handling noise on perceived audio quality. Handling noise is a problem affecting both amateurs using their smartphones and cameras, as well as professionals using separate microphones and digital recorders. The noises used for the tests were measured from a variety of devices, including smartphones, laptops and handheld microphones. The signal features that characterise these noises are analysed and presented. The sounds include various types of transient, impact noises created by tapping or knocking devices, as well as more sustained sounds caused by rubbing. During the perceptual tests, listeners auditioned speech podcasts and were asked to rate the degradation of any unwanted sounds they heard. A representative design test methodology was developed that tried to encourage everyday rather than analytical listening. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the handling noise events was shown to be the best predictor of quality degradation. Other factors such as noise type or background noise in the listening environment did not significantly affect quality ratings. Podcast, microphone type and reproduction equipment were found to be significant but only to a small extent. A model allowing the prediction of degradation from the SNR is presented. The SNR threshold at which 50% of subjects noticed handling noise was found to be 4.2 ± 0.6 dBA. The results from this work are important for the understanding of our perception of impact sound and resonant noises in recordings, and will inform the future development of an automated predictor of quality for handling noise

Lanthanum strontium manganite/yttria-stabilized zirconia nanocomposites derived from a surfactant assisted, co-assembled mesoporous phase

A one-pot, soft-chemistry, surfactant-assisted co-assembly approach to prepare La1-xSrxMnO3 (LSM)/Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ) nanocomposites for use as solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cathodes has been investigated. This material with sub-hundred nanometer grain sizes for each phase is the first such nanocomposite where aqueous-based precursors of each component are incorporated in a single synthetic step. This approach utilizes the co-assembly of an anionic yttrium/zirconium acetatoglycolate gel, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as the cationic surfactant template, and inorganic La, Mn, and Sr salts under alkaline aqueous conditions. The resulting as-synthesized product is an amorphous mesostructured organic/inorganic composite, which is transformed to a mesoporous inorganic oxide with nanocrystalline YSZ walls upon calcination. Calcination to temperatures above 600°C lead to collapse of the mesopores followed by further crystallization of the nanocrystalline YSZ phase and a final crystallization of the LSM perovskite phase above 1000°C. Both the fully crystalline LSM/YSZ and the mesoporous intermediate phase have been investigated for phase homogeneity by TEM energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) mapping and spot analysis which confirm the dispersion of LSM within a YSZ matrix at the nanometer scale. Impedance spectroscopy analysis of LSM/YSZ nanocomposite electrodes demonstrate a low polarization resistance of around 0.2 Ω cm2 with an activation energy (Ea) as low as 1.42 eV. Cathodic polarization studies show stable current densities over a 40 h test demonstration

Lanthanum strontium manganite/yttria-stabilized zirconia nanocomposites derived from a surfactant assisted, co-assembled mesoporous phase

A one-pot, soft-chemistry, surfactant-assisted co-assembly approach to prepare La1-xSrxMnO3 (LSM)/Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ) nanocomposites for use as solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cathodes has been investigated. This material with sub-hundred nanometer grain sizes for each phase is the first such nanocomposite where aqueous-based precursors of each component are incorporated in a single synthetic step. This approach utilizes the co-assembly of an anionic yttrium/zirconium acetatoglycolate gel, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as the cationic surfactant template, and inorganic La, Mn, and Sr salts under alkaline aqueous conditions. The resulting as-synthesized product is an amorphous mesostructured organic/inorganic composite, which is transformed to a mesoporous inorganic oxide with nanocrystalline YSZ walls upon calcination. Calcination to temperatures above 600°C lead to collapse of the mesopores followed by further crystallization of the nanocrystalline YSZ phase and a final crystallization of the LSM perovskite phase above 1000°C. Both the fully crystalline LSM/YSZ and the mesoporous intermediate phase have been investigated for phase homogeneity by TEM energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) mapping and spot analysis which confirm the dispersion of LSM within a YSZ matrix at the nanometer scale. Impedance spectroscopy analysis of LSM/YSZ nanocomposite electrodes demonstrate a low polarization resistance of around 0.2 Ω cm2 with an activation energy (Ea) as low as 1.42 eV. Cathodic polarization studies show stable current densities over a 40 h test demonstration