Experimental study on the effects of low pressure and acoustic characteristics on heart rate and acoustic comfort
Abstract While extensive research exists on acoustic comfort and heart rate under normal atmospheric pressure conditions, studies examining low-pressure environments (e.g., aircraft cabins at 75–85 kPa and high-altitude trains) remain limited. Focusing on the asymptomatic pressure range (80–101 kPa,...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14490-2 |
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| author | Tieming Guo Songtao Hu Qingqing Li |
| author_facet | Tieming Guo Songtao Hu Qingqing Li |
| author_sort | Tieming Guo |
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| description | Abstract While extensive research exists on acoustic comfort and heart rate under normal atmospheric pressure conditions, studies examining low-pressure environments (e.g., aircraft cabins at 75–85 kPa and high-altitude trains) remain limited. Focusing on the asymptomatic pressure range (80–101 kPa, equivalent to altitudes below 3000 m), this study addresses two fundamental research questions: (1) whether atmospheric pressure and acoustic characteristics significantly affect heart rate, and (2) whether systematic variations in acoustic comfort occur with these environmental factors. Through controlled experiments combining pressure variations (80–101 kPa) with acoustic characteristics (white noise: 65/85 dB; speech/music: 70 dB), we obtained three principal findings: First, neither pressure nor acoustic characteristics (sound pressure level and sound frequency) significantly alter heart rate within this range-a finding that contrasts with known hypoxic effects observed at altitudes above 3650 m. Second, acoustic comfort decreased with reduced pressure exclusively in white noise environments (65–85 dB), while it remained stable for speech and music at 70 dB. Third, we established both an acoustic comfort evaluation function and frequency-band-specific comfort zones, which enable differentiated noise control standards across frequency bands and identify 75 dB as a critical threshold and low-frequency noise as key design parameters. These results yield the first piecewise comfort evaluation function specifically developed for low-pressure transportation environments. The findings provide immediate applications for noise control strategies in both aviation and high-altitude rail systems, offering scientifically grounded standards for environmental design. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2bb697cc955e418fbdb519c9d4e0bb23 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-2bb697cc955e418fbdb519c9d4e0bb232025-08-20T03:05:26ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-0115111210.1038/s41598-025-14490-2Experimental study on the effects of low pressure and acoustic characteristics on heart rate and acoustic comfortTieming Guo0Songtao Hu1Qingqing Li2Qingdao Agricultural UniversityQingdao University of TechnologyQingdao Agricultural UniversityAbstract While extensive research exists on acoustic comfort and heart rate under normal atmospheric pressure conditions, studies examining low-pressure environments (e.g., aircraft cabins at 75–85 kPa and high-altitude trains) remain limited. Focusing on the asymptomatic pressure range (80–101 kPa, equivalent to altitudes below 3000 m), this study addresses two fundamental research questions: (1) whether atmospheric pressure and acoustic characteristics significantly affect heart rate, and (2) whether systematic variations in acoustic comfort occur with these environmental factors. Through controlled experiments combining pressure variations (80–101 kPa) with acoustic characteristics (white noise: 65/85 dB; speech/music: 70 dB), we obtained three principal findings: First, neither pressure nor acoustic characteristics (sound pressure level and sound frequency) significantly alter heart rate within this range-a finding that contrasts with known hypoxic effects observed at altitudes above 3650 m. Second, acoustic comfort decreased with reduced pressure exclusively in white noise environments (65–85 dB), while it remained stable for speech and music at 70 dB. Third, we established both an acoustic comfort evaluation function and frequency-band-specific comfort zones, which enable differentiated noise control standards across frequency bands and identify 75 dB as a critical threshold and low-frequency noise as key design parameters. These results yield the first piecewise comfort evaluation function specifically developed for low-pressure transportation environments. The findings provide immediate applications for noise control strategies in both aviation and high-altitude rail systems, offering scientifically grounded standards for environmental design.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14490-2Low pressureAcoustic comfortSound pressure level (SPL)Acoustic comfort zone |
| spellingShingle | Tieming Guo Songtao Hu Qingqing Li Experimental study on the effects of low pressure and acoustic characteristics on heart rate and acoustic comfort Scientific Reports Low pressure Acoustic comfort Sound pressure level (SPL) Acoustic comfort zone |
| title | Experimental study on the effects of low pressure and acoustic characteristics on heart rate and acoustic comfort |
| title_full | Experimental study on the effects of low pressure and acoustic characteristics on heart rate and acoustic comfort |
| title_fullStr | Experimental study on the effects of low pressure and acoustic characteristics on heart rate and acoustic comfort |
| title_full_unstemmed | Experimental study on the effects of low pressure and acoustic characteristics on heart rate and acoustic comfort |
| title_short | Experimental study on the effects of low pressure and acoustic characteristics on heart rate and acoustic comfort |
| title_sort | experimental study on the effects of low pressure and acoustic characteristics on heart rate and acoustic comfort |
| topic | Low pressure Acoustic comfort Sound pressure level (SPL) Acoustic comfort zone |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14490-2 |
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