Task Performance Research Articles

Gender Differences in Performing an Overhead Drilling Task Using an Exoskeleton-A Cross-Sectional Study.

(1) Exoskeletons offer potential benefits for overhead working tasks, but gender effects or differences are unclear. This study aimed to compare the performance as well as subjective body strain and comfort of men and women using an upper-body exoskeleton. (2) n = 20 female and n = 16 male participants performed an overhead drilling task with and without a passive upper-body exoskeleton in a randomized cross-over study. The task performance of different movement phases, perceived exertion, and ease of use were measured to compare gender differences. One- and two-way analyses were used to compare genders in the different conditions. The body mass index (BMI) was included as a covariate. (3) Gender differences in task performance were found for error integrals (p < 0.001) with higher values in male participants. Moreover, there was a significant interaction effect for gender x exoskeleton use. While females showed performance decrements in aiming with exoskeleton use, the males' performance increased (p = 0.025). No other gender differences were observed. (4) Gender differences in task performance using an upper-body industrial exoskeleton were less detectable than expected, indicating that body composition and anthropometrics might be valuable indicators for performance including assisting devices. Moreover, future studies should also integrate the examination of muscle activity to gain more insights into potential gender movement control patterns.

ТЕОРЕТИКО-МЕТОДИЧНІ ОСНОВИ УПРАВЛІННЯ АСОРТИМЕНТОМ ПРОДУКЦІЇ

The article substantiates the importance of managing the range of products in the general management system. It is noted that the assortment policy of a business entity depends on its mission, the developed strategy and tactics, and on the other hand, the assortment policy affects the formation of strategy and determines the tactical decisions of business entities. It is justified that the formation and implementation of the assortment policy of business entities requires a clear idea of the strategic goals of economic activity; clear understanding of one's own capabilities, analysis of the external environment, industry and market trends. It is justified that in the product assortment management system it is advisable to follow the algorithm / procedure for evaluating and improving the assortment structure, which clearly structures the work on the performance of tasks, removes the need to spend time and resources on periodic assignment of tasks to specialists of structural units, etc. The algorithm provides certainty regarding: 1) the frequency of evaluation of the range of products by the business entity; 2) methods on the basis of which the existing assortment structure of production and feasibility of production of potentially new types of products that can be introduced into production will be evaluated; 3) responsible persons (specialists of the structural unit/department) for performing assortment evaluation procedures and preparing conclusions/working out draft decisions regarding the assortment. A model of formation/adjustment of the assortment portfolio of business entities is proposed. Making managerial decisions according to the model should be based on the results of assessing the impact of external environmental factors, the existing assortment structure, the feasibility of introducing new types of products, and the results of assessing the potential / opportunities for expanding production, forecasting and planning, etc.

An exploratory study on second language learner engagement in different types of interactive tasks in video-chat and text-chat communication

Abstract This study investigated 48 Hong Kong English as a second language (ESL) learners’ engagement in three types of interactive tasks conducted via video chat or text chat. The learners, paired with their university friends, completed a descriptive task, a narrative task, and a decision-making task. They were randomly assigned to either the video-chat or text-chat group and were interviewed about their emotional engagement in each task immediately after task performance. The findings revealed that both groups of learners were behaviourally the least engaged but cognitively the most engaged in the decision-making task. They experienced positive emotions during the descriptive task, but fewer reported positive emotions in the other two tasks. The text-chat group was the most socially engaged in the decision-making task. Furthermore, the video-chat group was behaviourally and emotionally more engaged than the text-chat group. These findings have implications for task design and selection in computer-mediated communication.

Evaluation of ComBat harmonization for reducing across-tracer differences in regional amyloid PET analyses.

Introduction Differences in amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracer pharmacokinetics and binding properties lead to discrepancies in amyloid-β uptake estimates. Harmonization of tracer-specific biases is crucial for optimal performance of downstream tasks. Here, we investigated the efficacy of ComBat, a data-driven harmonization model, for reducing tracer-specific biases in regional amyloid PET measurements from [18F]-florbetapir (FBP) and [11C]-Pittsburgh Compound-B (PiB). Methods One-hundred-thirteen head-to-head FBP-PiB scan pairs, scanned from the same subject within ninety days, were selected from the Open Access Series of Imaging Studies 3 (OASIS-3) dataset. The Centiloid scale, ComBat with no covariates, ComBat with biological covariates, and GAM-ComBat with biological covariates were used to harmonize both global and regional amyloid standardized uptake value ratios (SUVR). Variants of ComBat, including longitudinal ComBat and PEACE, were also tested. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and mean absolute error (MAE) were computed to measure the absolute agreement between tracers. Additionally, longitudinal amyloid SUVRs from an anti-amyloid drug trial were simulated using linear mixed effects modeling. Differences in rates-of-change between simulated treatment and placebo groups were tested, and change in statistical power/Type-I error after harmonization was quantified. Results In the head-to-head tracer comparison, ComBat with no covariates was the best at increasing ICC and decreasing MAE of both global summary and regional amyloid PET SUVRs between scan pairs of the same group of subjects. In the clinical trial simulation, harmonization with both Centiloid and ComBat increased statistical power of detecting true rate-of-change differences between groups and decreased false discovery rate in the absence of a treatment effect. The greatest benefit of harmonization was observed when groups exhibited differing FBP-to-PiB proportions. Conclusion ComBat outperformed the Centiloid scale in harmonizing both global and regional amyloid estimates. Additionally, ComBat improved the detection of rate-of-change differences between clinical trial groups. Our findings suggest that ComBat is a viable alternative to Centiloid for harmonizing regional amyloid PET analyses.

Contrastive Functional Connectivity Defines Neurophysiology-informed Symptom Dimensions in Major Depression.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a prevalent psychiatric disorder characterized by substantial clinical and neurobiological heterogeneity. Conventional studies that solely focus on clinical symptoms or neuroimaging metrics often fail to capture the intricate relationship between these modalities, limiting their ability to disentangle the complexity in MDD. Moreover, patient neuroimaging data typically contains normal sources of variance shared with healthy controls, which can obscure disorder-specific variance and complicate the delineation of disease heterogeneity. We employed contrastive principal component analysis to extract disorder-specific variations in fMRI-based resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) by contrasting MDD patients (N=233) with age-matched healthy controls (N=285). We then applied sparse canonical correlation analysis to identify latent dimensions in the disorder variations by linking the extracted contrastive connectivity features to clinical symptoms in MDD patients. Two significant and generalizable dimensions linking distinct brain circuits and clinical profiles were discovered. The first dimension, associated with an apparent "internalizing-externalizing" symptom dimension, was characterized by self-connections within the visual network and also associated with choice reaction times of cognitive tasks. The second dimension, associated with personality facets such as extraversion and conscientiousness typically inversely associated with depression symptoms, is primarily driven by self-connections within the dorsal attention network. This "depression-protective personality" dimension is also associated with multiple cognitive task performances related to psychomotor slowing and cognitive control. Our contrastive RSFC-based dimensional approach offers a new avenue to dissect clinical heterogeneity underlying MDD. By identifying two stable, neurophysiology-informed symptom dimensions in MDD patients, our findings may enhance disease mechanism insights and facilitate precision phenotyping, thus advancing the development of targeted therapeutics for precision mental health.

Self-presenting in Front of a Friendly Female Audience Increases Young Men Risk-taking in the Iowa Gambling Task

Abstract Purpose During intersex interactions heterosexual men show a temporary cognitive impairment and an increase in risky behaviors. These effects have been interpreted as caused by the negative emotion and stress experienced by men attempting to produce a positive impression of themselves. Under this line of reasoning men’s cognitive performance during a heterosexual interaction is maladaptive and perhaps it could be improved when the audience or target of men’s public performance express positive, supportive feedback. Methods Fifty-eight heterosexual young males were asked to provide a self-presentation and to perform a difficult arithmetical task in front of two female confederates. One group of men interacted with a negative unsupportive audience while the other group interacted with a friendly and supportive audience. We tested men’s decision making in the Iowa Gambling Task after they engaged in this public performance task. Results We found that men self-presenting in front of a friendly female audience engaged in more risky decision making during the last two blocks of the Iowa Gambling Task. There were no differences in parameters of cardiovascular reactivity and no differences of perceived judge’s attractiveness between the two groups. Men exposed to the unfriendly female audience perceived the female judge as more interested in them. Conclusion When heterosexual men self-present and perform in front of a supportive and friendly female audience their risk-taking in the Iowa Gambling Task increases but the exact mechanism leading to this behavior requires further study.

Electromyographically controlled prosthetic wrist improves dexterity and reduces compensatory movements without added cognitive load

Wrist function is a top priority for transradial amputees. However, the combined functional, biomechanical, and cognitive impact of using a powered prosthetic wrist is unclear. Here, we quantify task performance, compensatory movements, and cognitive load while three transradial amputees performed a modified Clothespin Relocation Task using two myoelectric prostheses with and without the wrists. The two myoelectric prostheses include a commercial prosthesis with a built-in powered wrist, and a newly developed inexpensive prosthetic wrist for research purposes, called the “Utah wrist”, that can be adapted to work with various sockets and prostheses. For these three participants, task failure rate decreased significantly from 66% ± 12% without the wrist to 39% ± 9% with the Utah wrist. Compensatory forward leaning movements also decreased significantly, from 24.2° ± 2.5 without the wrist to 12.6° ± 1.0 with the Utah wrist, and from 23.6° ± 7.6 to 15.3° ± 7.2 with the commercial prosthesis with an integrated wrist. Compensatory leftward bending movements also significantly decreased, from 20.8° ± 8.6 to 12.3° ± 5.3, for the commercial with an integrated wrist. Importantly, simultaneous myoelectric control of either prosthetic wrist had no significant impact on cognitive load, as assessed by the NASA Task Load Index survey and a secondary detection response task. This work suggests that functional prosthetic wrists can improve dexterity and reduce compensation without significantly increasing cognitive effort. These results, and the introduction of a new inexpensive prosthetic wrist for research purposes, can aid future research and development and guide the prescription of upper-limb prostheses.

Robotic-Assisted Navigation in Single-Level Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion Reduces Surgeons’ Mental Workload Compared With Fluoroscopic and Computed Tomographic Techniques: A Nonrandomized Prospective Controlled Trial

Background: Pedicle screw placement during spine fusion is physically and mentally demanding for surgeons. Consequently, spine surgeons can become fatigued, which has implications for both patient safety and surgeon well-being. Purpose: We sought to assess the cognitive workload of surgeons placing pedicle screws using robotic-assisted navigation compared with fluoroscopic and computed tomography (CT)-assisted placement. Methods: We performed a nonrandomized prospective controlled trial to compare the cognitive workload of 3 surgeons performing single-level minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MI-TLIF) using robotic, CT, or fluoroscopic navigation on 25 patients (15 in the robotic navigation group and 10 in the nonrobotic group). Immediately after each procedure, surgeons submitted the National Aeronautics and Space Administration–Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), which has 6 subscales: mental demands, physical demands, temporal demands, performance, effort, and frustration. Four tasks associated with pedicle screw placement were assessed independently: (1) screw planning, (2) calibrating robot/obtaining imaging/registration, (3) pedicle cannulation, and (4) screw placement. Patient demographics and surgical characteristics were obtained and reviewed. Results: Surgeons’ self-reported cognitive workload was significantly reduced when using robotic-assisted navigation versus CT/fluoroscopic navigation. Workload was reduced for screw planning, pedicle cannulation, and screw placement. In addition, there were significant reductions in each subdomain for these 3 tasks, encompassing mental demand, physical demand, temporal demand, effort, and frustration with improved task performance. Conclusions: This study found significant reductions in mental workload with improved perceived performance for robotic-assisted pedicle screw placement compared with fluoroscopic and CT-navigation techniques. Lowering the cognitive burden associated with screw placement may allow surgeons to address the remainder of the operative case with less decision fatigue, prevent complications, and increase surgeon wellness.

Cognitive correlates of circadian rhythm and sleep-wake behaviour in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients

ABSTRACT Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients often experience reduced physical activity, sleep disturbances, and cognitive impairment. However, reports on measurement of rest-activity rhythm and sleep-wake behavior and their impact on cognitive functions in COPD patients are limited. This study aimed to objectively measure circadian rhythms (rest-activity and ambient illuminance) and sleep behaviors in clinically stable COPD patients and their relationship with cognitive functions. The study involved 65 male COPD patients and 50 age-matched controls, monitored over 3–7 days using actigraphy. Cognitive status was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) followed by short interbal time estimation via time production and reproduction with reaction time measurement using TimeProd software. Findings indicated significant disruptions in circadian rhythms in COPD patients, characterized by lower mesor, amplitude, and autocorrelation coefficients compared to controls. Patients also reported poorer sleep quality and higher sleep fragmentation, with 85.7% displaying cognitive impairment. Notably, longer time estimations, increased variability in task performance, and slower reaction times suggested cognitive deterioration. Positive correlations emerged between rhythm parameters (amplitude and circadian quotient) and cognitive performance metrics. This highlights the relevance of circadian and sleep disturbances in COPD, suggesting that addressing these rhythms could help mitigate cognitive decline, potentially through chronotherapeutic strategies.

Deep Learning Enhanced CNN with Bio-Inspired Techniques and BCE For Effective Lung Nodules Detection &amp; Classification For Accurate Diagnosis

Objectives: To propose a new hybrid deep learning model to boost lung nodule detection and classification in combination with a bioinspired method for efficient hyper-parameter optimization to maximize true positive and nodule discrimination rates. Methods: In order to extract the intrinsic and complex features from different lung nodules, deep learning-based enhanced CNN (ECNN) is used. Segmentation masks are generated using Mask-RCNN to isolate and capture the ROIs, which serve as input to CNN. Prior to segmentation and extraction, data cleaning, transformation, and augmentation is done. Hyper-parameter optimization is done using a bio-inspired differential evolution method, which helps to identify the learning rate and number of layers to achieve optimal performance. We utilize BCE to quantify the performance of classification tasks. A large-scale CT-DICOM image dataset with 25,1135 images is used for this research work, collected from the cancer imaging archive, which has a clinically proven record of 355 instances with detailed image analysis, tumor location, and bounding boxes with a resolution of 512x512 pixels. 175794 images are used for training, and 75341 images are used for testing and validation. The performance of the new system is assessed using MATLAB, where results are compared with existing models such as SVM-WSS, GCPSO-PNN, and 3D-DLCNN models. Findings: The newly suggested ECNN with DE Bio-inspired model boosts the performance of lung nodule detection and classification with 94.7% accuracy, 93.8% sensitivity, 94.5% specificity, 93.4% F1 score, 92.4% dice coefficient, 0.1 Log Loss and AUC-ROC with 0.93 TPR and 0.07 FPR. Novelty: The novel method presents an advanced computational model using deep learning and bio-inspired algorithms for robust classification of lung nodules, which significantly improves the early diagnosis. This CAD model overcomes the limitations of the existing approaches SVM-WSS, GCPSO-PNN, and 3D-DLCNN in terms of segmentation, classification, error detection, and hyper-parameter tuning. Keywords: Lung Nodules, Deep Learning, Disease Classification, Image Processing, ECNN- DE Classifier, CT-DICOM Dataset

Soundscape and indoor air quality in naturally ventilated educational environments: a multi-domain study

In this study, indoor air quality (IAQ) and acoustics were jointly analysed to determine their i) combined effect on students' performance in a math task, and ii) cross-modal effect on soundscape perception. 192 students (12 to 14 years) took part in a laboratory experiment. Students were separated into two classroom-like chambers with different IAQ conditions: a CO2 concentration of 800 and 2000 ppm, respectively. The participants were asked to solve calculations and answer a soundscape questionnaire in three listening conditions: quiet, a natural scenario with birdsongs, and one scenario with children's playground activity sounds. In the latter two conditions, the sounds were played back through headphones at a level of 47 dBA. Results show that students had faster response times in the math task in quiet compared to the listening condition with children's activity sounds, while maintaining a similar task accuracy. No effect of the IAQ conditions and natural sounds was found on the task performance. No cross-modal effect of CO2 concentration on soundscape perception was detected. Regarding soundscape assessments, playground activity was rated as the most annoying listening condition, while listening to birdsongs was the most pleasant one, despite its noise level exceeding the quiet condition.

Oxytocin differentially modulates reward system responses to social and non-social incentives.

Oxytocin has been shown to modulate behavior related to processing of monetary incentives and to regulate social and reproductive behavior, yet little is known about how oxytocin differentially influences neural responses to social and non-social incentives. We aimed to evaluate the effects of oxytocin administration on behavioral and neural responses to social and monetary incentives. Twenty-eight healthy adults (age 18-45 years) performed both monetary and social incentive tasks during blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) imaging. Intranasal oxytocin or placebo was administered before each scan using a double blind, randomized, cross-over design. Task performance and self-reported motivation and mood states were collected. Time-series analysis was conducted to assess the influence of oxytocin on the hemodynamic response in the ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra (VTA/SN) and nucleus accumbens (NAc). Oxytocin demonstrated a multifaceted effect on VTA/SN and NAc when processing reward incentives, with it increasing BOLD response in VTA/SN and decreasing BOLD response in NAc during social incentive anticipation. A reversal of this was shown with decreased BOLD responses in the VTA/SN and increased BOLD response in the NAc during monetary incentive anticipation. Our findings suggest a more nuanced purpose of oxytocin when evaluating reward incentive decision making. It is possible that while oxytocin does increase salience to rewards, that it is more important for cognitive control when determining short-term versus long-term benefits in rewards. Future studies should more closely examine the relationship between oxytocin and delay discounting.

Investigations of motor performance with neuromodulation and exoskeleton using leader-follower modality: a tDCS study.

This study investigates how the combination of robot-mediated haptic interaction and cerebellar neuromodulation can improve task performance and promote motor skill development in healthy individuals using a robotic exoskeleton worn on the index finger. The authors propose a leader-follower type of mirror game where participants can follow a leader in a two-dimensional virtual reality environment while the exoskeleton tracks the index finger motion using an admittance filter. The game requires two primary learning phases: the initial phase focuses on mastering the pinching interface, while the second phase centers on predicting the leader's movements. Cerebral transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with anodal polarity is applied to the subjects during the game. It is shown that the subjects' performance improves as they play the game. The combination of tDCS with finger exoskeleton significantly enhances task performance. Our research indicates that modulation of the cerebellum during the mirror game improves the motor skills of healthy individuals. The results also indicate potential uses for motor neurorehabilitation in hemiplegia patients.

Study on averaging method of event related potentials under noise

Open offices that make effective use of limited space and encourage dialogue, interaction, and collaboration among employees, are becoming an increasingly. However, productive work-related conversation might actually decrease the performance of other employees within earshot more so than other random, meaningless noises. The presence of noise during the performance of cognitive tasks involving such as memory, commonly causes a subjective experience of annoyance, which can lead to a decline in performance. This tendency is stronger in response to meaningful noise, such as music and conversation, than for meaningless noise, such as the sound of traffic, and heating ventilating and air-conditioning noise. It is well known that the Event-Related Potential (ERP) in the brain wave elicited by internal or external stimuli are related to the operation of selective attention. The present experiment was designed to determine the effects of the noise on ERPs in the auditory odd-ball paradigms. In order to examined differences in the ERP components due to the noise, performance of algorithm for estimating waveform of ERPs such as averaging method is evaluated.

Obstacle negotiation while dual-tasking in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD): An augmented-reality approach

BackgroundChildren with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) exhibit deficits in predictive motor control, balance, and aspects of cognitive control, which are important for safely negotiating obstacles while walking. As concurrent performance of cognitive and motor tasks (dual-tasking) may exacerbate these deficits, we examined motor and cognitive dual-tasking differences between children with DCD and their typically developing (TD) peers during obstacle negotiation. Methods34 children aged 6–12 years (16 TD, 18 DCD) walked along a 12 m path, stepping over an obstacle (30 % or 50 % of leg length) at its mid-point. On dual-task trials, participants completed a simple or complex (cognitive) visual discrimination task presented via an augmented reality headset. Proportional dual-task costs (pDTCs) were measured on cognitive and gait outcomes over three phases: pre-obstacle, obstacle step-over, and post-obstacle. ResultsDuring the obstacle step-over phase, both groups increased their leading leg clearance when dual-tasking, while the DCD group had larger pDTC than TD for the high obstacle under simple stimulus conditions (viz simple-high combination). The complex cognitive task produced larger pDTCs than the simple one on leading leg clearance and post-obstacle gait variability. ConclusionsIn general, both DCD and TD groups showed similar pDTCs under complex conditions, while the specific deficit in DCD under the simple-high combination suggests a (default) compensatory strategy during step-over when attention is diverted to a secondary task. Competing cognitive and motor demands during obstacle negotiation present a potential safety risk for children.

A study of noise-induced annoyance and fatigue in open-plan offices: comparison between hearing-impaired and normal-hearing listeners

Several studies outline a future scenario of longer working lives and later retirement, meaning that there could be a large number of elderly workers in offices. Add to this the natural effect of hearing loss due to ageing (presbycusis; which usually presents after the 5th decade of life) and you have an open door to questions regarding the acoustic comfort of this group. In a first study, it was shown that the effect of intelligible speech on performance in a serial recall task is similar for listeners with normal hearing and presbycusis. The aim of this new experiment is to assess whether any differences might occur when people are involved in a more ecologically valid task (long exposure to noise - 3 h/condition - and similar tasks to those performed in open-plan offices). Given the validation of a hearing loss simulator in previous studies, this one will be used to reproduce the group of people with mild hearing loss (onset of presbycusis). Therefore, the same group of people (32 participants) with normal hearing will perform the experiment under two listening conditions, with and without the simulator. Each listening condition will have two noise conditions, irrelevant speech, each with a different intelligibility level.

Analysis of representation and generalization capabilities of pre-trained audio models in urban environments

In the last decade, urban noise pollution has become a significant environmental concern that can be mitigated with the help of audio detection algorithms for classifying different sources of noise and creating more informative noise maps. In this context, machine learning, particularly transfer learning, is an essential technology that enables accurate analysis of urban noise sources. However, the choice of the pre-trained model used to compute audio embeddings can significantly influence the performance of downstream classification tasks. This paper aims to compare the embeddings of various pre-trained models on different data collection campaigns in the context of the Sons al balcó project and quantify the robustness of audio representations. To achieve this, we develop metrics and statistically test the presence of distribution shifts in learned latent features. To evaluate the quality of the embeddings, we perform both qualitative and quantitative analysis using dimensionality reduction methods and assess the performance on downstream tasks using data from different collection campaigns. Results highlight major differences between general purpose and specific models. Our findings suggest the need for careful consideration during the choice of the pre-trained model to use in audio event detection applications.

Assessing indoor and outdoor noise quality and associated health impacts at selected schools in Surat, India

An optimal ambient environment is crucial for healthy development, yet the excess of vehicles and inadequately planned educational infrastructures compromise cognitive growth in children. This study evaluates the impact of ambient noise on student cognition in five schools situated along city arterial and sub-arterial roads. A total of 717 students from grades 7, 8, 9, and 11 participated. Noise levels were measured in prevailing noisy conditions (PC) and controlled silence conditions (SC) within classrooms using the Kimo dB300 sound level meter. The observed differences in noise levels between PC and SC varied across grades, showing reductions of 4.7 ± 3.5 dB, 6.1 ± 0.7 dB, 6.7 ± 1.3 dB, and 4.4 ± 3.46 dB for grades 7, 8, 9, and 11, respectively. Statistical analyses revealed significant differences in the average noise levels under both conditions. Furthermore, cognitive task performance in PC and SC was significantly different, as evidenced by paired t-tests in tasks such as multiplication, word formation, reasoning, and sentence construction. Dimension reduction techniques identified room acoustics, task difficulty, speech intelligibility, mental deficiency, and annoyance as critical factors affecting learning abilities. Teachers reported that major impacts of noise include annoyance, sleeplessness, headache, and hearing impairment.

Correction to: Background music varying in tempo and emotional valence differentially affects cognitive task performance: experimental within-participant comparison

Correction to: Background music varying in tempo and emotional valence differentially affects cognitive task performance: experimental within-participant comparison

Sound of natural and artificial rain impact on ETFE membranes

Thin membranes are known to produce a drum-like effect when subjected to rainfall. Rain noise affects acoustic comfort and might disrupt communication, speech intelligibility and cognitive task performance. Therefore, assessment of the characteristics of noise produced by impact of rain on membranes in different architectural settings is important. Given inherent disparities between natural and artificial precipitation-primarily in terms of droplet size distribution and terminal velocities-underscores the importance of conducting evaluations using natural rain noise. The focus of this study is on the comparative assessment of the sound generated by natural rainfall versus the sound generated by the impact of individual droplet in a semi-anechoic room on single Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) membranes. The study assesses the extent of spectral variations of the rain sound produced in both approaches and the corresponding absolute value of noise intensity.