Montevideo, walkable city: pedestrianization of a large avenue during 2020 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 263 (5) ◽  
pp. 1586-1593
Author(s):  
Alice Elizabeth Gonzalez ◽  
Pablo Gianoli Kovar ◽  
Lady Carolina Ramírez ◽  
Micaela Luzardo Rivero
Keyword(s):  
Sound Pressure ◽  
Sound Level ◽  
Environmental Sound ◽  
Sound Levels ◽  
Acoustic Quality ◽  
Sound Pressure Levels ◽  
The City

On March 13, 2020, the first cases of SARS-COVID19 were detected in Uruguay. During the first weeks of the pandemic, mobility was significantly reduced with the slogan "If you can, stay home"; it was not a mandatory but voluntary confinement. After a couple of months, there was a big drop in the number of people affected by the disease. Thus, the Municipality of Montevideo, betting on a more human and walkable city, defined that the main avenue of the city had a pedestrian section on Saturday afternoons. This resulted in a greater enjoyment of the city by its inhabitants, as they had more space to walk while maintaining safe distances between people. It was also possible to promote trading, since classically Ave. 18 de Julio is also a commercial stroll. Additionally, the sound pressure levels recorded by the Municipality's stationary sound level meters located at three points along the avenue, showed the reduction of environmental sound levels in pedestrian areas, improving the acoustic quality of the walk. In this paper, sound pressure levels on Saturday afternoons at different times of the year before, during and after the initial lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are compared and discussed.

Assessment of Environmental Noise and Air Quality in Critical Areas at UiTM Engineering Complex

2013 ◽  
Vol 471 ◽  
pp. 125-129
Author(s):  
N.V. David ◽  
K. Ismail
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Sound Pressure ◽  
Quality Measurement ◽  
Environmental Noise ◽  
Sound Level ◽  
Public Parks ◽  
Noise Sources ◽  
Critical Areas ◽  
Sound Levels ◽  
Sound Pressure Levels

Excessive environmental noise and poor air quality can be adverse to human health, living comfort and the environment itself. Measurement of sound pressure levels and air quality in critical areas including libraries, campus areas, public parks and hospitals thus becomes necessary to monitor and mitigate existing noise levels. In a university environment, student activities will be less disrupted if the locations of the activities are sufficiently away from noise sources. The present study is intended to measure sound levels and air quality around the Engineering Complex, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Shah Alam. The measured data is compared with to acceptable sound pressure levels and air quality index specified by the Department of Environment (DOE), Malaysia. Sound pressure levels are measured using the Castle Sound Level Meter Type 6224 and air quality measurement was done by using the BW Gas Alert MicroClip XT device. Both measurements were conducted at five selected stations around the Engineering Complex for three times each weekday for five weeks. Results obtained indicated that sound levels at some locations and time zones are above the thresholds recommended by the DOE. The air quality is acceptable in most locations except the vicinity of a bus stop. With the growing number of students in the university and other factors like construction and redevelopment of existing roads, a continuously increasing noise situations and air pollution proportional to the traffic flow is inevitable.

Measurement and Analysis of the Structural Noise of Urban Bridges

2014 ◽  
Vol 548-549 ◽  
pp. 1623-1626
Author(s):  
Tao Jin ◽  
Qi Huang ◽  
Yong Ding ◽  
Li Feng Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Sound Pressure ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Measured Data ◽  
Sound Level ◽  
Frequency Noise ◽  
Acoustic Environment ◽  
The Road ◽  
Sound Levels ◽  
Measurement And Analysis ◽  
The City

To explore the noise generated by bridges during operational period, the equivalent continuous sound pressure levels of 12 bridges in the city of Ningbo were measured and analyzed. The measured data show that (1) Although the measured sound levels of these bridges meet the requirement of Chinese codes, they are near the maximum limit and the vibration and noise reduction is necessary; (2) A-weighted sound level of bridge is close to that of the road nearby; (3) Z-weighted sound level of bridge is much greater than that of the road nearby, it indicates that the bridge noise contains much low frequency noise, so that A-weighted sound level can’t reflect the noise of bridge accurately, and Z-weighted sound level shall be used to evaluate the acoustic environment near bridges.

scholarly journals Automotive traffic noise and urban public spaces

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (72) ◽  
Author(s):  
Greicikelly Gaburro Paneto ◽  
Cristina Engel de Alvarez ◽  
Paulo Henrique Trombetta Zannin
Keyword(s):  
Urban Space ◽  
Sound Pressure ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Motor Vehicles ◽  
Open Spaces ◽  
Sound Levels ◽  
Measurement Results ◽  
Sound Pressure Levels ◽  
High Sound

In contemporary cities, and usually without realizing it, the population has been exposed to high sound pressure levels, which besides causing discomfort, can lead to health problems. Considering that a large part of this noise comes from emission from motor vehicles, this research aims to evaluate the sound behavior in sound environments configured by voids in the urban fabric, in order to identify whether open spaces can act as attenuators of sound levels. To obtain the expected results, the methodology used was structured from a review of the state-of-the-art and computer simulations relating the variables that influence the formation of urban space and sound emission and propagation, taking as a case study an urban portion of the municipality of Vitória/ES. In parallel, questionnaires were applied to evaluate the user's perception of their exposure. The measurement results indicated that the sound pressure levels caused by traffic noise are above the limit tolerated limit by the NBR norm 10151:2000 for the daytime period. In turn, the results obtained from the population indicated that there is little perception of noise by the users of the spaces surveyed.

scholarly journals Investigation of Noise Pollution Distribution in Different Parts of Yazd Textile Factories

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Javad Zare Sakhvidi ◽  
Hamideh Bidel ◽  
Ahmad Ali Kheirandish
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Exposure ◽  
Sound Pressure Level ◽  
Textile Industry ◽  
Sound Pressure ◽  
Noise Pollution ◽  
Sound Level ◽  
Pressure Level ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Sound Pressure Levels ◽  
Different Parts

 Background: Chronic occupational exposure to noise is an unavoidable reality in the country's textile industry and even other countries. The aim of this study was to compare the sound pressure level in different parts of the textile industry in Yazd and in different parts of the textile industry. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 930 textile workers in Yazd. A questionnaire was used to obtain demographic information and how to use protective equipment. Then, to obtain the sound pressure level of each unit and device and to use the measurement principles, a calibrated sound level meter was used. Then the results were analyzed using SPSS Ver.29 software. Results: The participants in this study were 714 males and 216 females with a mean age of 35.27 and 33.63 years, respectively. Seven hundred fifty-six participants (81.29%) were exposed to sound pressure levels higher than 85 dB. Among the participants, only 18.39% of the people used a protective phone permanently. Except for factory E, with an average sound pressure level of 77.78 dB, the rest of the factories had an average sound pressure level higher than the occupational exposure limit. The sound measurement results of different devices show that the sound pressure levels above 90 dB are related to the parts of Dolatab, Ring, Kinetting (knitting), Chanel, Autoconer, Dolakni, Open End, MultiLakni, Tabandegi, Texture, and Poy. Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, noise above 90 dB is considered as one of the main risk factors in most parts of the textile industry (spinning and weaving), which in the absence of engineering, managerial or individual controls on it causes hearing loss in becoming employees of this industry

scholarly journals A soundscape analysis for selected parks in Bydgoszcz

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
pp. 00097
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Sztubecka
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sound Level ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Subjective Perception ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
City Center ◽  
The City

Areas that are considered human-friendly are green spaces. The existing urban parks are designed to fulfill the role of relaxation, recreation, and entertainment. However, in many cases, these are historic places, which at the time didn't have much of an impact on external factors. Sustainable development issues are related to the quality of life and the usage of the environment and its resources by present and future generations. Noise and noise protection is an issue that is part of sustainable development. The inadequate implementation of the principles of sustainable development and non-inclusion of noise can noticeably lead to negative effects now and in the future. The aim of the paper is to analyze the soundscapes of two Bydgoszcz parks located in the city center. The values of the equivalent sound level for these areas were obtained from the existing Bydgoszcz acoustic plan. Subsequently, the resulting distribution of noise was compared with the results of subjective perception of sounds by visitors. On this basis, conclusions can be drawn regarding the ways of shaping such areas while taking into account the perception of visitors.

R-weighting provides better estimation for rat hearing sensitivity

2000 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 136-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Böjrk ◽  
T. Nevalainen ◽  
M. Hakumäki ◽  
H.-M. Voipio
Keyword(s):  
Sound Pressure Level ◽  
Sound Pressure ◽  
Sound Level ◽  
Pressure Level ◽  
Sound Studies ◽  
Response Curves ◽  
Acoustic Environment ◽  
High Frequencies ◽  
Hearing Sensitivity ◽  
Sound Levels

Since sounds may induce physiological and behavioural changes in animals, it is necessary to assess and define the acoustic environment in laboratory animal facilities. Sound studies usually express sound levels as unweighted linear sound pressure levels. However, because a linear scale does not take account of hearing sensitivity-which may differ widely both between and within species at various frequencies-the results may be spurious. In this study a novel sound pressure level weighting for rats, R-weighting, was calculated according to a rat's hearing sensitivity. The sound level of a white noise signal was assessed using R-weighting, with H-weighting tailored for humans, A-weighting and linear sound pressure level combined with the response curves of two different loudspeakers. The sound signal resulted in different sound levels depending on the weighting and the type of loudspeaker. With a tweeter speaker reproducing sounds at high frequencies audible to a rat, R- and A-weightings gave similar results, but the H-weighted sound levels were lower. With a middle-range loudspeaker, unable to reproduce high frequencies, R-weighted sound showed the lowest sound levels. In conclusion, without a correct weighting system and proper equipment, the final sound level of an exposure stimulus can differ by several decibels from that intended. To achieve reliable and comparable results, standardization of sound experiments and assessment of the environment in animal facilities is a necessity. Hence, the use of appropriate species-specific sound pressure level weighting is essential. R-weighting for rats in sound studies is recommended.

scholarly journals Towards the Interpretation of Sound Measurements from Smartphones Collected with Mobile Crowdsensing in the Healthcare Domain: An Experiment with Android Devices

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 170
Author(s):  
Robin Kraft ◽  
Manfred Reichert ◽  
Rüdiger Pryss
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Sound Level ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Environmental Sound ◽  
Mobile Crowdsensing ◽  
Sound Levels ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Combined Use ◽  
Smartphone Sensors ◽  
Ecological Momentary

The ubiquity of mobile devices fosters the combined use of ecological momentary assessments (EMA) and mobile crowdsensing (MCS) in the field of healthcare. This combination not only allows researchers to collect ecologically valid data, but also to use smartphone sensors to capture the context in which these data are collected. The TrackYourTinnitus (TYT) platform uses EMA to track users’ individual subjective tinnitus perception and MCS to capture an objective environmental sound level while the EMA questionnaire is filled in. However, the sound level data cannot be used directly among the different smartphones used by TYT users, since uncalibrated raw values are stored. This work describes an approach towards making these values comparable. In the described setting, the evaluation of sensor measurements from different smartphone users becomes increasingly prevalent. Therefore, the shown approach can be also considered as a more general solution as it not only shows how it helped to interpret TYT sound level data, but may also stimulate other researchers, especially those who need to interpret sensor data in a similar setting. Altogether, the approach will show that measuring sound levels with mobile devices is possible in healthcare scenarios, but there are many challenges to ensuring that the measured values are interpretable.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE METHODOLOGY FOR MEASURING NOISE LEVELS IN THE UNDERGROUND ROLLING STOCK

Akustika ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 183
Author(s):  
Aleksandr Shashurin ◽  
Konstantiv Fiev ◽  
Viktoriia Vasilyeva ◽  
Andrey Voronkov
Keyword(s):  
Sound Pressure ◽  
Rolling Stock ◽  
Noise Levels ◽  
Noise And Vibration ◽  
Frequency Bands ◽  
Sound Levels ◽  
Digital Spectrum ◽  
Sound Pressure Levels ◽  
Noise Measurements ◽  
Underground Railway

This document specifies the methodology for measuring equivalent sound pressure levels in octave frequency bands (in dB rel. 20 μPa), equivalent and maximum A-corrected sound levels (in dB rel. to 20 μPa), generated in the rolling stock in the driver’s cabins and in the passenger rooms of the salons, using acoustic meters - multifunctional analyzers Ecophysics, noise and vibration meters, spectrum analyzers Ecophysics 110A, Oktava 110A Eco, Oktava 110A, Oktava 111, B&K 2250, 2250L, 2270, noise and vibration analyzers ASSISTANT, noise and vibration meters, digital spectrum analyzers Algorithm-05, SVAN979. This methodology is applicable for noise measurements in the driver’s cabins and in the passenger rooms of the rolling stock of both new and old models operated by the underground railway.

Hygienic Characteristics of the Acoustic Environment in the Mi-8 Helicopter Cabin

2021 ◽  
pp. 54-61
Author(s):  
VV Kharitonov
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
Sound Pressure ◽  
Bone Conduction ◽  
Central Compartment ◽  
Sound Level ◽  
Exposure Limits ◽  
Acoustic Environment ◽  
Operating Modes ◽  
Technical Requirements ◽  
Sound Pressure Levels

Introduction: The Mi-8 helicopter generates high-intensity broadband noises by its turboshaft engines whereas a comprehensive hygienic assessment of the acoustic environment in the helicopter cabin has not been conducted. The purpose of the study was to assess the acoustic environment in the Mi-8 helicopter cabin. Materials and methods: Acoustic measurements were carried out on the ground, inside the central cabin of the Mi-8 helicopter in three operating modes of the turboshaft engines: at startup, in the idle mode, and during cruise flight in the “right correction” mode. Measuring microphones were placed during the recording of the signal on a stand at the level of the human ear at six points located next to the reclining seats in the cabin. Acoustic indicators were measured using an SVAN-945A digital sound level meter and a GRAS 40AZ microphone. The collected data were processed in accordance with the requirements of sanitary and epidemiological rules, sanitary standards, and general tactical and technical requirements of the Air Force. Results: Values of regulated noise indicators at the seats of the Mi-8 helicopter crew, sound pressure levels of the most significant tonal frequencies in its central compartment were measured. To establish the presence of tonal noise, a one-third octave analysis of the recorded acoustic signals was carried out. In the central compartment of the helicopter, the values of the regulated infrasound indices and the general sound pressure level were measured in the entire regulated frequency range. Discussion: It was found that the sound pressure levels in almost all sound octaves and the equivalent sound level in all operating modes of the helicopter engines exceed the permissible exposure limits while in the infrasound region they are within the normal range (except for the frequency of 16 Hz). Thus, the class of working conditions by noise corresponds to hazard class 3.3, and by infrasound – to class 2. According to the sanitary regulations, helicopter crews should use noise suppressors to protect themselves from high noise exposures through air and bone conduction. Conclusion: The existing risks of developing a noise and infrasound-induced diseases necessitate constant monitoring of working conditions and health of the crews of Mi-8 helicopters.

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