(Ebook) Qualitative Cusp Catastrophe Risk-Based Model for Describing Noise Induced Hearing Loss by Salvatore Sebastiano Gambacorta ISBN 9780645466010, 0645466018

(Ebook) Qualitative Cusp Catastrophe Risk-Based Model for Describing Noise Induced Hearing Loss by Salvatore Sebastiano Gambacorta ISBN 9780645466010, 0645466018

This publication will explore the dynamics of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) using the Cusp Catastrophe Model. The widespread use of catastrophe theory began in the 1960s, when Rene Thom brought it to the study of biological morphogenesis. Since then, catastrophe theory has been used to describe nonlinear phenomena in fields as diverse as health, economics, engineering, psychology, linguistics, sociology, and theoretical physics. Significantly, although Newtonian mechanics describes smooth or continuous processes exceptionally well, catastrophe theory excels at offering a general technique for analysing nonlinear events characterised by abrupt transitions and dramatic qualitative changes. In this context, the author gives an introduction to catastrophe theory by describing key notions such as phase-spaces and bifurcations. The model is also presented from a qualitative risk management viewpoint, in terms of distal and proximal risk variables, which may be used as a mind-tool to visualise and facilitate hearing loss prevention.