Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Sound requirement'

Technology and policy play a twofold role in international environmental laws. Stronger environmental policies encourage new green technologies and likewise, better technologies make it easier to regulate. “Technology transfer” refers to the transfer from one party, an association or institution that developed the technology, to another that adopts, adapts, and uses it. As different kinds of threats posed by climate change are continuously increasing all over the world the issue of “technology transfer” especially the transfer of environmentally sound technologies has become one of the key topics of international environmental debates. This thesis addresses, firstly, the possible methods of technology transfer and secondly, how current international environmental laws play its role to facilitate the transfer. Accordingly, I have focused on the concerned provisions of Kyoto Protocol and its subsequent implementation measures. I have also taken in to account the decisions of the annual meetings of the Conference of the parties (COPs) of the UNFCCC. The thesis has also made a brief comparative discussion between the provisions of international environmental laws and the provisions of intellectual property rights in terms of technology transfer. However, at the last stage of the thesis, some potential recommendations are mentioned and briefly discussed in view to come up with a sustainable solution. In addition to the international environmental law, I have also tried to figure out some other international or multinational instruments which concern the transfer of environmentally sound technologies.

South African education authorities demand of teachers a high degree of competency in both official languages. In the Cape Province in particular, teachers are not considered eligible for promotion posts unless they possess the so-called Higher Bilingualism Certificate, signifying their command of both official languages at "First Language" level. In view of the fact that the overwhelming majority of schools nowadays are single-medium institutions; this requirement may strike the objective observer as an anomaly. An attempt was made, therefore, first of all to investigate the historical background to this requirement. The "language question", a problematic feature of South African education since the beginning of the nineteenth.century, was not resolved when legislators chose "bilingualism and language equality" for the Union of South Africa in 1910. The available evidence suggests, however, that bilingualism was actively pursued as an educational ideal at least until the end of the 1940s, and for this reason education authorities placed a high premium on teachers who were "fully bilingual". Nowadays the typical (White) school is a single-medium institution where the second language is rarely if ever heard outside the classroom where it is taught as a subject. The present policy, to demand a high degree of proficiency in both official languages of teachers occupying promotion posts at such a school, may then be described not only as an anomaly, but as an anachronism. A further problem is the fact that the various educational institutions (specifically teachers' colleges and universities) that set examinations leading to the Higher Bilingualism Certificate rarely communicate with one another, and are therefore unable to agree on uniform standards and criteria, or to ensure that such standards are maintained. That this is indeed the case, was confirmed by examination of "Big E" test papers set at three teachers' colleges, two Colleges for Continued Training, and four universities in the Cape Province. In an attempt to establish what assistance and support might be needed by a "second language" user of English in order for him to improve to the point where he resembled a "first language" user of English in his "terminal language behaviour", a comparison (by means of error analysis) of the responses of two groups (an Ll and an L2 group) to the same test paper was undertaken. The available evidence suggests that L2 users may need to be helped to acquire a more extensive vocabulary, but, above all, that they need to improve their ability to handle two crucially important aspects of usage: idiom and grammar. The final chapter attempts to establish pedagogic and linguistic bases for a course intended for "Big E" candidates, and makes recommendations with regard to (i) the content and the form of the course, and (ii) sound examination practice. The concluding thoughts offer the view that such a course could remain useful even in a future South Africa where the emphasis may shift from a demand for teachers who are "fully bilingual" to teachers who have a good command of English.

Thesis (MA--Communication Studies) -- Auckland University of Technology, 2005.
Chapter 5 not included in e-thesis. Also held in print (viii, 177 leaves, 30 cm.) in Wellesley Theses Collection. (T 338.4778149 HIL)

Wood construction has increased in the recent years for apartment buildings consisting of four to five floors. Compared to other building materials, wood has great environmental benefits. For a building in a larger scale constructed in wood, cross-laminated timber, also known as CLT is an option. The technology for CLT originated in Sweden during the 1990s and since then the development has increased. CLT has excellent stiffness and strength properties. The design of a floor in CLT is important for how the building and the environment are perceived indoors. The wooden floor is about five times lighter than concrete, which means that measures are required to meet the sound requirements set by Boverkets building regulations in Sweden. This will affect the span. The aim of the project is to present a knowledge overview of CLT and for floor in CLT up to 9 meters in span, to compete with concrete floor in steel and prefabricated concrete frames. The study includes a quantitative methodology using three different data collection methods. These are literature study, document analysis and calculations. The literature study and the document analysis are based on scientific-and research articles, together with manuals. The calculations are carried out in Stora Enso's calculation program Calculatis by Stora Enso. The program follows Eurocode's design principles. The result of the study shows that a CLT-board with laminated beams gives greater span than just a CLT-board does. The calculation means that the plate must meet the deflection requirement L / 300. Research shows that construction with CLT is increasing and there is great potential to obtain a cost-effective reduction of the carbon footprint and at the same time improve the utilization of natural resources by replacing non-renewable building materials such as concrete and steel with CLT. In order to achieve the sound requirements that are established, the CLT floor must be dimensioned thicker and measures such as additional insulation. By looking at the results, the conclusion is drawn that CLT-floor may grow further to compete with concrete floor in the future. Currently the material is considered useful and environmental for smaller constructions for such as smaller houses, due to the sound insulation problem. For larger constructions with the similar problem can timber-concrete composite be an alternative. CLT-floor reinforced with glulam beams may be considered as a choice for larger and bigger constructions because the span widths increase, and the construction can withstand maximum deflection. The study is limited to mainly considering CLT but also a small amount of concrete and glulam. Vibrations and environmental risks such as moisture, sunlight and fire, are not considered. The calculations the work uses are based on Eurocode 5, dimensioning of wooden structures. Other types of design principles have been excluded.

The study's objective is to relate the development of Pat Metheny's stylistic characteristics from his interpretation of jazz standards to their incorporation into his own compositions. Stylistic elements are established and a sample of his compositions are analysed to compare his solo style in standards with his compositional style. Metheny is a recognised innovator in technique and uses a wide range of instruments in the guitar family, both traditional and radically new. The use of such instruments frees Metheny from some restrictions and the possibility that this freedom is a major influence in his improvisation and composition is remarked on. There is scope for further work based on a wider sampling, and the methodology used in this study could probably be modified to focus on this objective.

The kea is the only parrot species in the world to include the true alpine environment as part of their habitat. Survival in these harsh alpine conditions has been hypothesised to be the cause of the generalist behaviour of kea, leading to their heightened explorative behaviour and curiosity. Kea are also widely regarded as being extraordinarily intelligent. It is their intelligence that suggests that kea may possess a sophisticated communication system. I conducted a study exploring the potentially complex vocal repertoire of the kea. My study was conducted with wild population of banded juvenile and fledgling kea in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park between February 2003 and April 2004. I obtained 449 vocalisations from 16 identified and several unidentified kea. The results of this study confirmed that the vocal repertoire of the kea is exceptionally large for a parrot species, encompassing over 17 vocalisations. This study revealed five vocalisations previously undescribed in the kea repertoire and showed for the first time that vocal repertoire of immature kea may be different to the repertoire of adult kea. Two possible gender specific vocalisations were also revealed. The study of apparent vocal responses revealed that kea appear to be able to identify vocalisation types and respond accordingly using combinations of increasingly complex vocalisations. This is also the first study to take advantage of the similarity between human and parrot vocal systems for the kea, by utilizing powerful human speech analysis software. The results of this analysis allowed the identification of subtle differences in kea vocalisations, including the presence of graded signals, not identifiable by use of spectrogram analysis.

Although the effects of noise on children’s learning in school classrooms is well documented, there is very little on the effects of noise on preschool children. There are strict legal requirements for the daily noise exposure an adult worker can received in the workplace but nothing to control the noise children can receive in school and early education. There is also little or no data on how sound affects a child, compared to an adult. The early years of life are critical for the development of speech, hearing and auditory processes, as well as being the most vulnerable time for middle ear infections. This work sets out to determine the typical noise levels in early childhood centres and the effects on a range of children and their teachers. Reverberation times in most centres were found to well exceed the 0.6 seconds prescribed by the Australasian standard for schools and learning spaces. Very high levels of noise were recorded in a number of centres with a significant number of children and staff members, exceeding the maximum daily sound exposure of 100% permitted for workers in industry. A range of special needs children were identified as being particularly at-risk to noise, with the most adverse outcomes reported for those experiencing sensory integration disorder. Yet, even though high levels of noise were recorded, the majority of respondents in a survey of teachers rated the lack of sufficient space for the number of children present as the main issue, and inclement weather as the greatest environmental condition contributing to noise (by confining children indoors, especially over long periods of time). Hearing tests on the children were not permitted under the strict human ethics criteria to which this study had to conform, but simple hearing tests on a small group of teachers, revealed that hearing loss could be a serious occupational health issue. The legal issues of noise control and management in early childhood education have been addressed in this thesis, current legal frameworks reviewed, and recommendations presented for future consideration.

Being storied; a lived experience of time discusses selected aspects of the research and studio practice undertaken in the course of the year 2008. Central to the process has been attending to the mundane acts of everyday life in the rural environment in which I live. It discusses actions such as walking, listening, collecting and documenting as well as experiments with a waste material, used baling plastic that is installed in various ways into the landscape. Parallel to this are investigations with sound and text, which have drawn on my varied musical background. There is an exploration of time - the idea of durée, human experience of time, quality of attention through intense focus, and memory as it accumulates over time. Art of the everyday has also been a key area of research. Life changing events have occurred during the course of the year. The death of parents has substantially influenced the work. The practice described is multi-faceted, involving the use of text, sound, photography and film.

Dissertação de Mestrado Integrado em Engenharia do Ambiente apresentada à Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia
O comportamento acústico e térmico da envolvente de edifícios pode ter um impacto significativo na saúde dos ocupantes. A Organização Mundial de Saúde tem vindo a alertar para a relação de algumas doenças, nomeadamente cardiovasculares, e o ruído. Está também provado haver uma relação entre a mortalidade e a falta de conforto térmico dos edifícios, demonstrado pela sazonalidade da mortalidade, função do clima e da falta de condições das habitações.Como os vãos envidraçados são dos elementos mais preponderantes no conforto acústico e térmico dos edifícios, torna-se importante encontrar soluções envidraçadas que garantam os melhores níveis de conforto ambiental interior dos edifícios.No presente documento pretende-se compilar, discutir critérios de seleção e analisar informação que facilite a seleção de envidraçados para aplicação na envolvente de edifícios, em função de componentes mais críticas associadas ao conforto acústico e térmico do ambiente interior. Foram analisados vários resultados provenientes de ferramentas de cálculo, ensaios laboratoriais, artigos e normas. O trabalho consistiu no estudo sobre a otimização acústica e térmica de vão envidraçados destinados à envolvente de edifícios por forma a facilitar a escolha das melhores soluções a aplicar. Neste contexto, pretende-se apresentar os tipos de materiais (vidro, caixilho), as suas características mais relevantes e os componentes essenciais que constituem as soluções de janela tendo em conta os parâmetros com maior influência no seu desempenho térmico e acústico.Os vãos envidraçados permitem a passagem de calor, luz natural e sons provenientes de várias fontes de emissão para o interior dos edifícios, todas estas questões podem ser melhoradas através da alteração de alguns materiais constituintes da solução envidraçada. No entanto, ao melhorar uma das características, podemos estar a agravar outra, o que torna difícil a tarefa de garantir a solução com desempenho ótimo.Com o intuito de compreender o impacto das soluções envidraçadas no desempenho térmico e acústico, tendo em vista o estabelecimento de uma relação entre ambos, foram recolhidos dados dos parâmetros térmicos e acústicos com maior influência no desempenho das soluções. Para proceder à análise e recolha destes parâmetros efetuou-se uma revisão bibliográfica detalhada, recorreu-se a normas, regulamentos, ferramentas fornecidas pelos fabricantes, ensaios laboratoriais e cálculos. Com base na informação recolhida foi possível fazer uma análise crítica do impacto da alteração de componentes. Esta análise serviu de base à fase seguinte, em que se procedeu a uma reflexão sobre regras de dimensionamento de janelas, tendo sempre em conta a necessidade de cumprir os requisitos mínimos exigidos na legislação.Complementou-se, ainda, a observação das regras de especificação preconizadas na norma portuguesa NP 4517:2014. Com o intuito de verificar a sua aplicabilidade, foram apresentados exemplos de aplicação da mesma nas vertentes de desempenho térmico (U_w e g) e de desempenho acústico (R_w).
The acoustic and thermal behavior of building surroundings can have significant impact on resident´s health. The World Health Organization has been warning about the particular connection between cardiovascular diseases and noise. It is also proven the existence of a relation between mortality and the absence of thermal comfort of buildings, demonstrated by the mortality seasonality, climate and lack of living conditions. It is particularly important to look for glass solutions that ensure environmental comfort inside buildings such as glazed openings, which are among the most predominant elements on acoustic and thermal comfort of buildings.The aim of the present document is to compile and discuss selection criteria just as the analysis of information that eases glazing selection for application in building surroundings, depending on more critical components associated with acoustic and thermal comfort of interior environment. Several results from calculating tools, laboratory experiments, articles and standards were analysed. This study consisted on acoustic and thermal optimization of glazed openings intended for building surroundings, in order to ease the choice between the best solutions available for this application. With this in mind, it is intended to present several materials (glass, window frame), their most relevant features and the best essential components for window solution, having into account the most influential parameters on thermal and acoustic performance.Glazed openings allow the passage of heat, natural light and sounds from different emission sources, inside buildings. All of these aspects can be improved by altering the composition of the glazing solution. However, improving one feature can exacerbate another, which makes the task of ensuring an optimal performance solution even more difficult. In order to comprehend the impact of glazed solutions on thermal and acoustic performance, aiming the establishment of a relation between both, data was collected from thermal and acoustic parameters with major influence on the performance of the mentioned solutions. To examine and collect these parameters, a detailed revision of literature was made by turning to standards, tools supplied by manufactures, laboratory experiments and calculations. With the gathered information, it was possible to carry out a critical analysis of the component alteration impact. This stage served as a base to the next step in which was made a reflection on window sizing rules, considering the necessity to comply with the minimum requirements present on the current legislation. It was further complemented the observation of specification rules recommended in the Portuguese standard NP 4517: 2014. In order to verify it´s applicability, several application of the standard examples were presented in the thermal performance (U_w e g) and acoustic performance fields (R_w).

The aim of this thesis is to survey the discussions around the position of sound art within the broader arts, and to explore strategies and research areas within fine art and my own practice, so as to identify new areas of enquiry and develop my work within this field. I investigate the phenomenology of vision and hearing and contrast the different ways these two senses operate as primary sources of perception. I analyse the privileging of sight and the dominance of the visual in art institutions. Ideas of the literal and model subject within installation art are explored and the convergence of these subjectivities is overlaid with this phenomenological research, in order to develop a direction within installation art. The lack of authoritative sources in this field, beyond the few relevant texts, has meant that my research has employed respected new media and the Internet as a second tier of sources. I also analyse my own practice as an example of how sound art activates extramusical ideas. My research concludes that sound art has much to reveal to the broader arts community about perception and the creation of meaning, and also that there are many prospective avenues of enquiry within fine arts for the inclusion and analysis of audio based work. Keywords: sound art; phenomenology; hearing; privileging of sight; subjectivities; extramusical; perception.

Annoyance due to relatively high levels of sound and noise, above 50 dB, has been well documented in noise assessment literature. The potential for annoyance or disturbance from low amplitude sound, below 50 dB to the threshold of an individual’s hearing, is not as well documented. The thesis presents a new approach to the measurement and assessment of intrusive noise and low amplitude sound. Acoustical and sound quality measures are integrated with measures of loudness, pitch, dissonance and tonality to provide physical measures of sound. Individual amenity is assessed with respect to personal noise sensitivity and personal attitudes to sound in the environment, the environment itself and the perceived qualities of the audible sound. A decision-support methodology to integrate perceived noise with noise performance indicators, annoyance criteria, personal noise sensitivity and amenity is presented. A method for rating intrusive noise is derived. Designs for sound measurement and calibration instrumentation are described. Methods to measure and assess low amplitude sound are presented. Keywords annoyance, intrusive-noise, noise-sensitivity, sound-quality, soundscape

New Zealand has a problem with an increasing number of motor vehicles being abandoned at the end of their useful life. The environmental and associated social costs created by this problem are expected to increase with the rising number of vehicles entering the country. In addition, there are environmental concerns regarding some aspects of the legal disposal of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs). The exact magnitude of both problems is unknown and attempts made to address them have been ad hoc and success limited. This thesis sets out to quantify the problems and provide policy makers with tools to improve the overall management of motor vehicle disposal in New Zealand. To assess the extent and cost of the abandoned vehicle problem, local authorities are surveyed. The legislation dealing with car ownership, transferral and disposal and its implementation are scrutinised for weaknesses that allow ELVs to be abandoned without penalty. The automobile recycling industry is surveyed to determine the environmental impact from the industry's activities. Using semi-structured surveys, policies and practices used in other countries for the management of ELVs are investigated and assessed for effectiveness. Their application to the New Zealand situation is ascertained. Of the vehicles which are deregistered each year, one in five is dumped. The direct cost to local authorities, to deal with the 25,500 vehicles abandoned each year, is more than six million dollars. In addition, practices and standards for the removal and disposal of hazardous substances from ELVs vary nationwide, adding to the environmental burden caused by vehicle disposal. Recommendations for the improved management of ELVs target four areas, legislation, institutional practices, entry into the recycling system and dismantling operations. Minor changes to legislation and institutional practices combined with rigorous enforcement will close the data gaps and overcome free-rider problems. A disposal charge added to the registration fee of vehicles entering the country will allow ELV owners to dispose of their vehicles free-of-charge. Improved environmental performance by automotive dismantlers can be achieved through licensing and consistent monitoring from within the industry. Implementation of these recommendations will lead to better management of ELVs, through changed behaviour by private individuals and dismantling operations, and a reduction in the environmental costs associated with vehicle disposal.

Dissertação de Mestrado Integrado em Engenharia Civil apresentada à Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade de Coimbra
As preocupações crescentes da sociedade atual com a poupança energética, sustentabilidade e, simultaneamente a exigência de padrões de conforto cada vez mais elevados, torna imperativo o estudo de soluções construtivas que preencham estes requisitos. A constituição da envolvente dos edifícios poderá ter um grande impacto quer na poupança energética quer no conforto no seu interior. Sendo as paredes de fachada o elemento que ocupa tradicionalmente uma maior área da envolvente opaca, é nele que se poderá atuar. O isolamento térmico exterior de paredes é uma solução construtiva que apresenta inúmeras vantagens, como por exemplo a manutenção da inércia térmica, a correção das pontes térmicas e a redução das condensações superficiais, tornando-o numa alternativa a ter em consideração para a envolvente de edifícios. Porém, a sua utilização não é isenta de desvantagens e limitações. A principal desvantagem da colocação de isolamento térmico pelo exterior é a sua fragilidade ao impacto e perfuração. Ora, havendo no nosso país uma tradição muito marcada na aplicação de revestimentos cerâmicos, eles podem ser usados no revestimento de paredes com isolamento térmico exterior, dando resposta às limitações da solução anterior. Tendo em vista esta hipótese, é fundamental conhecer os requisitos e ensaios de avaliação de desempenho, bem como antever as exigências que se devem impor ao sistema de isolamento térmico exterior com revestimento cerâmico. Neste trabalho é realizado, adicionalmente, o cálculo do atraso térmico e do isolamento a sons aéreos exibidos pelas soluções convencionais de isolamento térmico colocado pelo exterior e por aquelas mesmas soluções revestidas com ladrilhos cerâmicos. Assim, é possível avaliar as melhorias no desempenho térmico e acústico quando no sistema de isolamento térmico pelo exterior se aplica revestimento cerâmico.
Today’s societies concerns with energy saving, sustainability and, simultaneously, the demanding of higher standards of comfort, makes imperative the study of constructive solutions that fulfil all this requirements. The buildings’ envelope composition may have a great impact either in energy savings and interior comfort. Being the element that traditionally occupies a larger area of the opaque envelope, is there where we may act. Exterior thermal insulation of walls is a buildings’ constructive solution which presents several advantages, e.g. maintenance of the thermal inertia, correction of the thermal bridges and reduction of superficial condensation, making it an alternative to take into account for the buildings’ envelope. However, its use isn’t free of disadvantages and limitations. In fact, the main disadvantage of putting the thermal insulation in the outside is its fragility to the impact and perforation. Now, having our country a great tradition in the application of ceramic coating, it may be used as a coating for walls with exterior thermal insulation, responding to the limitations of the previous system. Having this hypothesis in mind, it’s fundamental to know the performance requirements and evaluation tests, as well as to predict the requirements to impose to the external thermal insulation with ceramic tiling. In this paper, it is done, additionally, the calculation of the thermal delay and airborne sound insulation of conventional wall solutions with external thermal insulation and for those same solutions coated with ceramic tiling. That way, it is possible to evaluate the improvements in terms of thermal and acoustical performance when it is applied ceramic coating in the external thermal insulation system.