Objectives.The general objectives of this dissertationwere to examine the effects of acute exposure to meaningfulirrelevant speech and road traffic noise on memory performance,and to explore annoyance responses to noise exposure in theschool environment for pupils and teachers in different agegroups. Methods. The thesis comprises seven papers, representingdifferent methodological approaches: experiments, surveystudies and interviews. In the experiments, reported in PapersI-V, 288 pupils and teachers participated in the age groups,13-14 years (n=96), 18-20 years (n=96), 35-45 years (n=48) and55-65 years (n=48). The subjects were randomly assigned to oneof three conditions: (a) meaningful irrelevant speech, (b) roadtraffic noise, and (c) silence. The equivalent sound level inthe noise conditions was set to 66 dB(A). A test batteryreflecting episodic and semantic memory were used. The surveystudies, reported in Paper VI and VII, included 207 pupils(M=13.5) and 166 teachers (M=45.9). Two separate questionnairesmainly comprising items about annoyance, noise sensitivity andstress symptoms were administered. Paper VI presents results offocus group interviews (n=16) treating the main topics:disturbing sounds, emotions, ongoing activity, and suggestionsconcerning future changes. Results. The overall findings showedthat both noise sources affected episodic and semantic memoryto the same degree for all age groups. The results indicatedthat the similarity of semantic content between noise and thetask at hand was not the only suitable explanation model, sincea non-speech noise impaired memory as much as speech. Resultsalso indicated that attention effects did notmediate the obtained noise effects and that the noise effectsdid not differ between age groups. Therefore, it seemedunlikely that different memory and attentional capacities stoodout as explanatory factors of the memory effects. Sinceperformances of both episodic and semantic memory tasks wereimpaired, the explanation based on level of access to long-termmemory was also ruled out. However, the episodic memory task,reading comprehension, stood out to be most impaired by noise,suggesting that complexity of the task to perform was ofimportance. For reading comprehension there was also adifferent noise pattern obtained. Participants performance wasin this task, more impaired by meaningful irrelevant speechthan by road traffic noise. This effect indicated thatmeaningful irrelevant speech might reduce the availablecognitive resources necessary for learning the text. Theannoyance models derived from the survey studies indicated thatsensitivity acted as a mediator between hearing status andannoyance, with stress symptoms as an outcome. Whetherannoyance arises or not was also determined by control andpredictability of the noise. In the interviews a differentannoyance pattern was found, in that stress symptoms appearedto be a determinant of annoyance. To be involved, respected,take own responsibility and respect others were suggestions onhow to change the environment to become more silent. Conclusions.For both pupils and teachers acute exposureto meaningful irrelevant speech and road traffic noiseinfluenced both the achieving and providing of knowledge. Acommon annoyance pattern was also found for pupils andteachers, where individual and situational factors were ofimportance. To achieve a more silent school environment in thefuture, the pupils pointed out that the interaction betweenthemselves and their teachers was of importance. Key words:Noise, meaningful irrelevant speech, roadtraffic noise, memory, age groups, school environment, pupils,teachers

Since the first car appeared, the pollution on the roads became an issue, which is still mainly unsolved. Too many people complain about traffic noise. Various methods have been developed that aimed at minimizing the noise pollution and improving the environment. This thesis presents the problems posed by noise pollution, covers the background of noise pollution and its effects on human health. Another important part of the thesis covers the method of noise calculation which applies in specific Nordic countries. The main goal of the thesis is to present maps of noise levels on roads for region Skåne in Sweden. Because the regulation and the limits for noise levels are different for different countries, I could find various calculators for traffic noise. Australia, England, USA have the noise level calculators open for public. Another professional calculator, SoundPlan, is a program that can perform a very accurate calculation for traffic noise but only for small areas. Because of this disadvantage, the request for my thesis was to provide a program which can calculate traffic noise level for wide areas. As a master student specialist in GIS (Geographic Information System) it was natural to develop the traffic noise calculator with available GIS tools. The software system to calculate the traffic noise maps was implemented in ArcMap 9.1, a GIS program which allows creation of tools, according to a mathematical description of noise calculator. The mathematical description is based on the Nordic Prediction method, a document which set up requirements for prediction of road traffic noise. ArcMap 9.1 allows the development of extensions in different programming languages. The tools implemented in this thesis are written in Visual Basic. The thesis work implements several tools for calculating noise levels, starting from the basic traffic noise level and introducing additional noise corrections to perform more accurate noise calculation. The additional corrections could be added because I had access to additional data regarding buildings and population location. The available population data from Lund gave me the opportunity to create a tool which performs population exposure to noise in this region.

<p><b>Objectives.</b>The general objectives of this dissertationwere to examine the effects of acute exposure to meaningfulirrelevant speech and road traffic noise on memory performance,and to explore annoyance responses to noise exposure in theschool environment for pupils and teachers in different agegroups.</p><p><b>Methods</b>. The thesis comprises seven papers, representingdifferent methodological approaches: experiments, surveystudies and interviews. In the experiments, reported in PapersI-V, 288 pupils and teachers participated in the age groups,13-14 years (n=96), 18-20 years (n=96), 35-45 years (n=48) and55-65 years (n=48). The subjects were randomly assigned to oneof three conditions: (a) meaningful irrelevant speech, (b) roadtraffic noise, and (c) silence. The equivalent sound level inthe noise conditions was set to 66 dB(A). A test batteryreflecting episodic and semantic memory were used. The surveystudies, reported in Paper VI and VII, included 207 pupils(M=13.5) and 166 teachers (M=45.9). Two separate questionnairesmainly comprising items about annoyance, noise sensitivity andstress symptoms were administered. Paper VI presents results offocus group interviews (n=16) treating the main topics:disturbing sounds, emotions, ongoing activity, and suggestionsconcerning future changes. Results. The overall findings showedthat both noise sources affected episodic and semantic memoryto the same degree for all age groups. The results indicatedthat the similarity of semantic content between noise and thetask at hand was not the only suitable explanation model, sincea non-speech noise impaired memory as much as speech.</p><p><b>Results</b>also indicated that attention effects did notmediate the obtained noise effects and that the noise effectsdid not differ between age groups. Therefore, it seemedunlikely that different memory and attentional capacities stoodout as explanatory factors of the memory effects. Sinceperformances of both episodic and semantic memory tasks wereimpaired, the explanation based on level of access to long-termmemory was also ruled out. However, the episodic memory task,reading comprehension, stood out to be most impaired by noise,suggesting that complexity of the task to perform was ofimportance. For reading comprehension there was also adifferent noise pattern obtained. Participants performance wasin this task, more impaired by meaningful irrelevant speechthan by road traffic noise. This effect indicated thatmeaningful irrelevant speech might reduce the availablecognitive resources necessary for learning the text. Theannoyance models derived from the survey studies indicated thatsensitivity acted as a mediator between hearing status andannoyance, with stress symptoms as an outcome. Whetherannoyance arises or not was also determined by control andpredictability of the noise. In the interviews a differentannoyance pattern was found, in that stress symptoms appearedto be a determinant of annoyance. To be involved, respected,take own responsibility and respect others were suggestions onhow to change the environment to become more silent.</p><p><b>Conclusions.</b>For both pupils and teachers acute exposureto meaningful irrelevant speech and road traffic noiseinfluenced both the achieving and providing of knowledge. Acommon annoyance pattern was also found for pupils andteachers, where individual and situational factors were ofimportance. To achieve a more silent school environment in thefuture, the pupils pointed out that the interaction betweenthemselves and their teachers was of importance.</p><p><b>Key words:</b>Noise, meaningful irrelevant speech, roadtraffic noise, memory, age groups, school environment, pupils,teachers</p>

Common practice in acoustic design does not consider air gaps. Thereare different opinions about air gaps and their affect on noise reduction.The report analyzes the credibility of the requirements used in a theoretical calculation model that addresses noise reduction in acoustic screens. Several measurement results from empirical attempts in a realistic environment for different screen models are compared.The result shows that a horizontal 50-millimeter gap has no noticeable impact on noise reduction. The result for horizontal air gaps against ground is of particular interest as it allows a simplified foundation to be used.Vertical air gaps have a greater negative influence on noise reduction but the results presented in the report can be used when lower demands are set on screens.An economic analysis shows that the result from the experiment when using a simplified foundation results in a cost reduction ofapproximately 300 SEK per meter acoustic screen.

AUCTORITAS Projektstyrning AB arbetar med att få fram förfrågningsunderlag för två nya flerbostadshus i en miljö som är bullerutsatt. Ett problem som uppstått är att hitta en utfackningsvägg som klarar kraven för buller samt U-värde som samtidigt är ekonomisk försvarbar. Författarna har på uppdrag av AUCTORITAS Projektstyrning AB undersökt 10 olika utfackningsväggar med hänsyn till ljudreduktion, U-värde samt pris. Syftet med arbetet var att utreda de tekniska egenskaperna för utfackningsväggarna. Frågeställningen som behandlades var följande: Hur påverkar olika materialval ljuddämpningen? Vilka utfackningsväggar klarar bullerkraven vid en nybyggnation på Albyberget? Kan problematiken lösas enbart med väggarna eller krävs det ytterligare åtgärder? Är det ekonomiskt försvarbart att välja en tjockare vägg med hänsyn till u-värde istället för att maximera BOA? För att besvara dessa frågor har författarna genomfört laborationer, litteraturstudier samt tagit del av ett referensobjekt, akustikrapporter, energiberäkningsrapporter och kalkylböcker/offerter. Intervju med en person som besitter kunskap inom området buller/akustik har utförts och använts som kompletterande underlag. Resultatet ledde till att en standard träregelvägg på 395 mm som uppfyllde samtliga projektkrav som samtidigt var ekonomisk försvarbar med en kostnad på 1 391 kr/m2 rekommenderades till flerbostadshusen på Albyberget / AUCTORITAS Projektstyrning AB is working on obtaining contract documents for two new apartment buildings in an environment that is exposed to noise. One problem that has arisen is to find an infill wall that meets the requirements for noise and U-value, which at the same time is economically justifiable. The authors, on behalf of AUCTORITAS Projektstyrning AB, have examined 10 different infill walls with regard to noise reduction, U-value and price. The purpose of the work was to investigate the technical properties of the infill walls. The question that was addressed was the following: How does different materials affect the sound attenuation? Which infill walls can handle the noise requirements of a new construction on Albyberget? Can the problem be solved solely with the walls or does it require further action? Is it economically justifiable to choose a thicker wall with regard to u value instead of maximizing the living space? In order to answer these questions, the authors have carried out laboratory work, literature studies and also taken part in a reference object, acoustics reports, energy calculation reports and costing books/offers. An interview with a person with knowledge in the area of noise/acoustics have been completed and used as a complementary basis. The results led to a recommendation of a standard timber frame wall with a thickness of 395 mm, that met all of the project requirements and with a cost of 1 391 kr/m2 to be used in the buildings at Albyberget.

Previous research has suggested that the type of residential dwelling and the tenure status of an individual affects response to noise. However, the effects of these variables has been assumed but not empirically demonstrated. Using questionnaire data collected at selected residential sites, in the Toronto region, this analysis tests the separate and joint effects of dwelling type and tenure, on response to road traffic noise. The results show that tenure status had no effect on a resident's response to traffic noise. There was only a weak dwelling type effect, with detached unit residents being slightly more disturbed than multi-unit residents by the equivalent noise level. The findings do not support a policy of varying noise standards for different types of residential area. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

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No description available.

Syftet med detta examensarbete har varit att ta fram en metod för att skapa lyssninsbart trafikbuller med datorn, så kallat auraliserat trafikbuller, att koppla till en bullerkarta. I kartan skulle det gå att lyssna på hur trafikbullret skulle låta för att ge en bättre uppfattning om vad ljudnivån och färgskalan i en traditionell bullerkartläggning betyder. Bullerkartläggningar kan annars vara svåra att förstå då de enbart beskriver ljudnivån och inte typen av trafikbuller eller hur störande det är. Metoden behövde vara snabberäknad och lätt att använda för att vara ett lättillgängligt komplement till traditionella bullerkartläggningar. Auraliseringen baserades på ljudinspelningar av en motorväg, landsväg och en stadsgata, och som bakgrundsljud användes en lokalgata, fågelsång och ett förklarande samtal. Med Trafikverkets uppdelning av vägnätet i funktionella klasser delades vägarna in i vägtyperna motorväg, landsväg och stadsgata, och avståndet mellan fasadpunkterna och vägtyperna beräknades med programvaran ArcGIS Pro. Från en traditionell bullerkartläggning som beräknats i SoundPLAN erhölls ljudnivån vid fasadpunkterna. Genom att dämpa trafikbullret från de olika vägtyperna med atmosfärsdämpning, som främst dämpade de höga frekvenserna vilket gjorde att bullret uppfattades som mer avlägset, och med geometrisk spridning som dämpade den totala ljudnivån,kunde en ljudmix skapas för varje fasadpunkt. I många fall behövdes ljudet dämpas ytterligare eftersom dämpningen på grund av exempelvis andra hus och bullerskyddsskärmar inte hade inkluderats, och detta gjordes genom att sänka den totala ljudnivån till beräknade ljudnivån i bullerkartläggningen. I lugna områden där enbart lokalgator fanns i närområdet återspeglade ljudnivån trafikbullret från lokalgatorna, och trafikbullret från de större vägarna riskerades att överskattas och ge en missvisande trafikljudmix. Detta korrigerades genom att addera en avståndsberoende extradämpning som adderades till motorvägen, landsvägen och stadsgatan.  Med en beräkningstid av 100 000 punkter på fem dagar är metoden tillräckligt snabb för att kunna användas vid bullerkartläggningar av även de största städerna i Sverige. Resultatet ger en uppfattning av hur det skulle låta på platsen, men låter inte exakt som i verkligheten. För att hålla komplexiteten nere beräknades auraliseringen med monoljud som sedan dubblerades till stereo. Den begränsas också av hur väl genomförd bullerkartläggningen är och inkluderar inte hur vädret påverkar trafikbullret. En noggrannare kalibrering av extradämpningen skulle behöva ske för att för en mer korrekt ljudmix i lugna bostadsområden. Metoden är anpassningsbar och fler trafikinspelningar går att addera till beräkningarna, väderparametrar kan justeras och med en anpassad bullerkartläggning går det att erhålla mer korrekta auraliseringar. / The aim of this project has been to develop a method for making audible traffic noise with the computer (auralization of traffic noise) to upload to a noise map. In the noise map, it would be possible to listen to how the traffic noise would sound like to give a better idea of what the sound level and color scale in a traditional noise survey means. Noise surveys can otherwise be difficult to understand as they only describe the noise level and not the type of traffic noise or how disturbing it would be. This method needed to be fast and easy to use to be an easily accessible complement to traditional noise maps. The auralization was based on sound recordings of a highway, country road and a city street, and as background sounds a local street, birdsong and an explanatory conversation were used. With the Swedish Transport Administration's classification of the road network into functional classes, the roads were divided into the road types motorway, country road and city street, and the distance between the facade points and road types was calculated with the ArcGIS Pro software. From a traditional noise map calculated in SoundPLAN, the sound level at the facade points was obtained.By attenuating the traffic noise from the different road types with atmospheric attenuation, which mainly attenuated the high frequencies and made the noise perceived as more remote, and with geometric scattering that attenuated the overall noise level, a sound mix could be created for each facade point. In many cases, the sound needed to be attenuated further because the attenuation due to, for example, other houses and noise protection screens had not been included, and this was done by lowering the total noise level to the calculated noise level of the noise mapping. In quiet areas where only local streets were in the close surrounding, the noise level reflected the traffic noise from the local streets, and the traffic noise from the major roads risked being overestimated and given a misleading traffic noise mix. This was corrected by adding a distance-dependent extra damping that was added to the motorway, country road and city street. With a calculation time of 100,000 points of five days, the method is fast enough to be used in noise mapping even in the largest cities in Sweden. The result gives an idea of how it would sound, but does not sound exactly like in reality. It is limited by how well the noise mapping is calculated and does not include how the weather affects traffic noise. A more accurate calibration of the extra damping would need to be calculated in order for a more accurate sound mix in quiet residential areas. The method is adaptable and more traffic recordings can be added to the calculations, weather parameters can be adjusted and with an adapted noise mapping it is possible to obtain more accurate auralizations.

In a time when urban areas continue to expand, environmental noise pollution especially from road traffic remains a big challenge. This study was aimed at using open-source GIS tools to predict road traffic noise pollution using the mid-sized city of Gävle as a case study. The noise indicators measured were the equivalent day (Lday), evening (Levening), nighttime (Lnight), and the equivalent daily average (Lden). Traffic data (composition and flow of vehicles on selected roads), traffic source characteristics (road gradient, road surface type), and buildings (geometry) were integrated into Quantum GIS (QGIS) using the CNOSSOS-EU prediction method packaged in OpeNoise, a QGIS plug-in. The resultant noise levels at receiver points were interpolated using the Inverse Distance Weighting method to create noise maps for the city.  The results showed the maximum equivalent day, evening, nighttime predicted noise levels at 85 dB (A), 80 dB (A), 75 dB (A) respectively while the maximum for overall daily average noise level predicted was 85 dB (A). These limits far exceed population exposure threshold limits for the onset of annoyance (55 dB (A)) and sleep disturbance (40 dB (A)). This result is indicative of a poor sound acoustic environment. The pattern of noise level across the city was found to follow street connectivity and traffic intensity. The maximum noise levels were clustered around the highway. Within the city, areas with the highest noise levels were found close to main roads. Residential areas served by service roads were areas with the lowest noise levels. Predicted daytime noise levels (Lday) were compared with 60-second measurements of equivalent noise levels measured at 85 locations during the day in residential and mixed land use areas in the city. The mean of differences between predicted and observed noise levels was found at +1 dB for both residential and areas of mixed land use respectively. Correlation and regression analyses performed for observed and predicted values showed an initial weak positive association with a correlation coefficient of 0.21. However, when outliers were excluded, a correlation coefficient of 0.69 was observed indicating a strong association and linear relationship between the observed and predicted noise levels. Most outliers were underestimations recorded in residential areas at hidden facades. These were attributed to local effects at the measuring locations and assumptions made for building diffraction. The application of the CNOSSOS-EU method in this study did not consider attenuation from ground reflection and terrain effects. Despite these limitations, the results show that the CNOSSOS-EU has good predictive power. However, this study has only been exploratory in nature. It is recommended that further studies be performed with this model as well as in comparison with other models to find the one that best reflects the acoustic environment of the city. A wide application of the CNOSSOS-EU method across several cities will be integral in increasing our understanding of its strengths and weaknesses.