This paper handles the background theory, methods and results of the master thesis project titled "Variable acoustics in multi-functional stadiums". \\ The purpose of the project was to investigate whether variable room acoustics could be applicable to large multi-functional stadiums to improve their ability to adapt the soundscape in the stadium for different types of events. The two events which were analyzed during the project was electrically amplified concerts and ice hockey matches. \\ The paper starts by going over relevant acoustical and psycho-acoustical parameters and concepts as well as giving a few examples on already existing multi-functional stadiums including their acoustical strengths and weaknesses towards the two types of events. The report concludes that reflections are of the utmost importance for both types of events, especially early-arriving reflection with great magnitudes. At concerts, these are wished to be repressed while at hockey-matches, the early reflections should be amplified and increased in quantity to give the crowd a better feedback from the stadium increasing the supporters ability to create a loud and intense atmosphere. \\ Gallon fabric, aluminum and plexi-glass was tested in the MWL-laboratory in order to assess the materials reflective capabilities as the idea was to use these materials as reflectors during the hockey-matches. The results showed close to full reflection across the entire spectrum for aluminum and plexi-glass while the gallon fabric showed great reflective capabilities for the higher frequencies while letting the lower frequencies pass through the material. \\ The effects off the reflectors on the soundscape was simulated in a fictional stadium which was built in the modelling software SketchUp using the simulation software ODEON. The results showed great promise as the reflectors gave a great increase in the early reflections. As for the concerts, rolling-curtains which can easily be mounted and removed was added around the walls of the stadium while the reflectors was removed. This solution also showed great results during the simulations as the early reflections was now suppressed instead of magnified. / Denna uppsats behandlar bekgrundsteori, metodik och resultat från examensarbetet titulerat "Variabel rumsakustik i multi-funktions arenor".\\ Syftet med projektet var att undersöka huruvida variabel rumsakustik skulle kunna tillämpas på stora multi-funktions arenor för att förbättra dess förmåga att anpass sin ljudbild för olika typer av evenemang. Projektet riktar sig mot elförstärkta konserter och ishockey-matcher. \\ Uppsatsen börjar med att gå igenom relevanta akustiska och psyko-akustiska parametrar och begrepp för att sedan ge några exempel på redan existerande multi-funktions arenors akustiska styrkor och svagheter vid de bägge typerna av evenemang. Rapporten drar slutsatsen att reflektioner är av yttersta vikt vid bägge fallen, särkiljt de som är tidigt anländande och av hög magnitud. Under konserter önskas dessa att dämpas medans man vid ishockey-matcher önskar att förstärka dessa och öka dess antal för att ge publiken en starkare akustisk återkoppling från arenan och underlätta för supportrarna att skapa en högljudd och intensiv atmosfär. \\ Galonstyg, aluminium och plexiglas testades i MWL-laboratoriet för att bedöma dess reflekterande förmågor då idén var att använda dessa material som reflektorer under ishockey-matcherna. Resultaten visade nära full reflektion över hela spektrat för de aluminiumet och plexi-glaset medan galonstyget visade stora reflketerande egenskaper vid högre frekvenser samtidigt som det tillät de lägre frekvenserna passera genom materialet. \\ Reflektorernas effekt på ljudbilden simulerades i en påhittat arena som byggdes i moddeleringsprogrammet SketchUp med hjälp av simuleringsprogrammet ODEON. Resultaten var mycket lovande då en stor ökning sågs hos de tidiga reflexerna, både i kvantitet och kvalitet. För konserterna användes istället ljudabsorberande rullgardiner längs arenans väggar medans reflektorerna togs bort. Simuleringsresultaten visade nu istället en markant minsking i tidiga reflexer.

The purpose of this study is to analyze and seek for a possible meaning and suggestion behind the soundscape in the first episode of True Detectives fourth season; Night Country. Four individual elements have been selected for deeper analysis and based upon those, six scenes where those elements are present were selected for the study. Each auditory element that was selected was then analyzed  in depth looking at the more technical aspects of identifying and categorizing sound but also how it impacts the audience on an emotional and narrative level to explore, not only how the soundscape is established early on, but what effects this has on the viewers expectations and predictions for how the narrative could unfold.  The results of this study points towards there being, for the first time in the series history, something paranormal happening in the world of the characters. Despite there being hints and suggestions that paranormal activity is part of the cinematic world of True Detective in the past, this has never been the case once the mysteries unfold but the soundscape in Night Country, as early as episode one, and the results of this study suggests that this is about to change. / The purpose of this media production is to be used as a base for discussion during seminars regarding honor related violence and oppression. The mateiral is the be used during education for proffesionals in the field of social work.

Det här arbetet syftar till att genom design av en telefonapplikation undersöka hur ljud kan förstärkas av den omgivande miljön. Arbetet visar på hur miljöförstärkt ljud skiljer sig från ljudförstärkt miljö samt vilka begränsningar det innebär att använda en vanlig smartphone som plattform.  Ett långsiktigt mål är att genom en produkt som låter oetablerade ljudproducenter distribuera sina alster i den offentliga miljön främja fri kultur och kreativitet. Arbetet har följt principen för RtD (research through design), där designprocessen utgör det fall som studeras och dokumentationen av den utgör den bas av data som analyseras och leder till slutsatser kring ämnet. Designprocessen i detta arbete innebär en mindre omfattande användarstudie i enkätform för att identifiera målgrupp, krav och mål. Följd av en andra studie där en prototyp framtagen med grund i resultaten från användarstudien utvärderas av deltagare genom observation, intervju och reaktionskort.  De största utmaningarna för designen grundar sig i att ta fram en applikation som inte stör upplevelsen, men samtidigt kan instruera användaren i hur man använder applikationen. Utifrån arbetet dras slutsatsen att användarinstruktioner, såväl visuella som auditiva, löper större risk att störa upplevelsen i miljöförstärkt ljud än i ljudförstärkt miljö. Vidare konstateras att den största bristen i en lösning som bygger på standardutrustning i jämförelse med en lösning som nyttjar dedikerad utrustning utgörs av begränsningar när det kommer till att ange riktning med hjälp av ljudets rumslighet.

Vehicles are becoming increasingly autonomous, as automotive industries are investing in innovative technology. Therefore the technology becomes more available and affordable, making it possible for Toyota Material Handling Europe (TMHE) to introduce automated features in their trucks. Vehicles that have a forward collision warning system, and thus are partly autonomous, are involved in less accidents than those without. In manufacturing industries there is currently a problem with truck collisions and an automated solution might be a suitable way to prevent these. When implementing an automation device, human machine interaction and user-friendliness are aspects to keep in mind during the development. The thesis concerns how autonomous features can assist the truck driver, and how to provide the driver with intuitive feedback. The purpose was to ensure the drivers’ and surrounding personnel’s safety as well as increase the productivity. Research was performed regarding in what situation an assisting device is needed and how to communicate information in an intuitive manner to help the driver in this situation. A conceptual interface was developed that allows communication between the driver and a future all-knowing system, that tracks all objects and personnel in a warehouse. The drivers have had a central role in the process. The observations were performed in the TMHE warehouse to identify situations. The most perilous and frequent situation was when drivers need to focus both in the fork and drive wheel directions simultaneously. This either puts the surroundings or the driver in danger. A conceptual interface was developed to help the driver in this situation. This resulted in a concept implementable in both current and future trucks, to harmonise the solution and ensure a safe warehouse environment. A lo-fi prototype was constructed and evaluated iteratively with drivers to ensure the quality and usability of the concept. The resulting feedback solution consists of sounds from speakers mounted in the headrest and a display interface with warning symbols. The sounds are directional to notify the driver if the danger is to the left or right behind his back. If the danger is only semi-close, the driver receives a warning, but if it is very close, the truck is stopped autonomously. The symbols appear on the display simultaneously as the sounds are heard, to provide further feedback. Additionally, an Autonomous Positioning feature has been developed, that consists of symbols and buttons on the display interface, as well as an alert sound from the display to indicate the system’s activation and deactivation. Safety is enhanced since neither personnel nor trucks are in risk of collision when implementing the concept. As the concept helps the driver position the truck effortlessly towards the pallet the productivity is also improved.

One of the mixing engineers most important tool when listening, analyzing and taking decisions is the physical space in which the reproduction system and the monitors are placed. The space needs to fulfill certain aspects to be able to qualify as a control room considered good for taking these decisions. In this study an active listening test was conducted to investigate if the RT60 of the natural reverberation in the room affected a mixing engineers’ decisions when adjusting parameters on an artificial reverb. 16 subjects participated, the subjects adjusted reverb level and reverb time of an artificial reverb in two different acoustical environments, with two different values of RT60. The environments were based on a professional control room made for mixing and mastering. The two values for RT60 was achieved through manipulating the room with diffusors and absorbing material. It was found that the subjects were able to adapt to the different acoustical environments, although other differences were found. The order of the which of the environments the subjects started in and which parameter the subject started adjusting, showed a considerable impact on the result. As well as what kind of factors the subjects considered when adjusting the artificial reverb.

Sound is an important part of almost all media. In games, sounds are used to evoke intense emotions in players. Studies has showed that music on its own can induce emotions. Soundeffects is another type of sounds that appear in games. However, do they contribute to the emotional experience? Understanding this will help sound designers enhance scenes in future video games. In this study, 23 participants were asked to conduct a test divided into two part. In the first part they were tasked to listen to four sound effects of fire and choose attributes from a predetermined list that they thought suited. Among these physical attributes were two emotional attributes. In the second part, the subjects were tasked with choosing one of the fours sound effects for a scenario with a positive emotion and motivate their choice. The results show that no sound had neither positive nor negative as an emotional attribute. Of the four sounds, two showed significance that emotion alone was an attribute for the sound. The results from the second part showed that the subjects were divided in what motivated them to choose a sound. More than a third of the subjects based their choice only on if the sound matched the emotion of the scenario presented while slightly less than a third based it only on to fit the location. The last third based it on both emotion and location.

<p>This report is written on commission by WSP Acoustics. The report studies the outdoor sound levels on school yards in Stockholm. The questions given by the company to be answered was what are the actual sound levels at diffrent school yards with low traffic noise and how can you construct a facade element that reduces the sound level from the outside and meet the indoor requirements. Mesurements for four hours was done at eight schools set north and south of the city centre. The measurement period included one school break and one lunch break. The results of the measurements were that the equivalent and maximum sound level had small variations between the schools with some exceptions.The equivalent sound level was Leq 58-62 dB(A) and this shows a small variation. The school with the highest equivalent sound level of 67 dB was Maria skolan. This high level can be explained by more children on the school yard together at the same time etc. The maximum sound level was 85-89 dB(A), this if the level for Sofia skolan 82 dB was ignored. The level 85-89 dB(A) also shows a small variation. Calculations of the sound reduction index (R'w) for facade elements were also carried out for all the schools. The resulting sound reduction index for the whole facade was 34-41 dB. After assuming a 200 mm thick concrete facade for Sjöstadsskolan another calculation of building elements gives that the window have to reduce R'w 32 dB to meet the indoor requirements. In the future WSP Acoustics will use this report to choose building elements such as windows when building or rebuilding schools. It can also be used if any of the eight schools in this report needs a window changed to improve the acoustics.</p>

Studien undersöker tre strategiskt valda Facebook-kampanjer där projektledarna blivit intervjuade om deras uppfattningar av kampanjerna. Fyra grupper undersöktes sedan med fyra deltagare i varje för att se hur denna publik uppfattade kampanjerna. Därefter jämfördes skillnader och likheter i uppfattningarna mellan projektledarna och den utvalda publiken. I studien undersöks även vad båda parter anser karaktärisera en lyckad Facebook-kampanj. Teorierna som används är technology-image expectancy gap teorin som uppmärksammar hur publikens förväntningar kan mötas upp av organisationen och virtuellt kampanjskapande samt marknadsföring i sociala medier. Kvalitativa analyser av projektledarna och den valda publiken har genomförts för att undersöka skillnader och likheter i deras uppfattningar av de utvalda kampanjerna och vad de anser karaktäriserar en lyckad Facebook-kampanj. I analysen av resultatet kunde vi utifrån teorierna hitta skillnader och likheter i projektledarnas och publikens uppfattning av de kampanjer vi undersökte. När det kom till uppfattningarna kring vad som karaktäriserar en lyckad kampanj på Facebook var deras åsikter till största del lika med undantaget att projektledarna även poängterade omvärldsbevakning som en viktig del i kampanjskapandet på Facebook. Vi såg i resultatet att det fanns ett gap mellan projektledare och publiken i den mån att det inte handlar om att skapa den häftigaste kampanjen bara på Facebook då publiken genom andra medier påverkas att interagera med organisationen och därmed ser nyttan med att delta i kampanjen. Intressant och anpassat innehåll för publiken är faktorer som ger spridning på Facebook men främst genom andrahandskällor som exempelvis nyhetsinslag eller videoklipp från externa webbplatser, vilket tyder på att andra medier bör bearbetas under kampanjen. Främst ska kampanjen vara till nytta för publiken i form av underhållning eller en tjänst. Kampanjen bör även väcka en viss nyfikenhet hos publiken genom igenkännande av en produkt eller en känd person. Dagens kampanjer kräver ett gediget förarbete med omvärldsbevakning av publikens intressen vilket kan generera ett intressant innehåll och kunskap för dem som jobbar med kampanjen. Detta följs av omfattande realtidskommunikation med publiken.

This report is written on commission by WSP Acoustics. The report studies the outdoor sound levels on school yards in Stockholm. The questions given by the company to be answered was what are the actual sound levels at diffrent school yards with low traffic noise and how can you construct a facade element that reduces the sound level from the outside and meet the indoor requirements. Mesurements for four hours was done at eight schools set north and south of the city centre. The measurement period included one school break and one lunch break. The results of the measurements were that the equivalent and maximum sound level had small variations between the schools with some exceptions.The equivalent sound level was Leq 58-62 dB(A) and this shows a small variation. The school with the highest equivalent sound level of 67 dB was Maria skolan. This high level can be explained by more children on the school yard together at the same time etc. The maximum sound level was 85-89 dB(A), this if the level for Sofia skolan 82 dB was ignored. The level 85-89 dB(A) also shows a small variation. Calculations of the sound reduction index (R'w) for facade elements were also carried out for all the schools. The resulting sound reduction index for the whole facade was 34-41 dB. After assuming a 200 mm thick concrete facade for Sjöstadsskolan another calculation of building elements gives that the window have to reduce R'w 32 dB to meet the indoor requirements. In the future WSP Acoustics will use this report to choose building elements such as windows when building or rebuilding schools. It can also be used if any of the eight schools in this report needs a window changed to improve the acoustics.

This thesis presents four experimental studies, carried out at the Phonetic laboratory, Stockholm University, on infants’ ability to establish auditory-visual sound-meaning associations as a precursor of early word acquisition. Study I reports on the effect of linguistic variance on infants’ ability (3- to 20-months) to establish sound-meaning associations. The target-words embedded in phrases, based on an artificial language, were presented along with visually displayed puppets. Study II investigates the role of attribute type on infants’ ability (3- to 6-months) to establish sound-meaning associations. Two-word phrases, based on the same artificial language as in Study I, were presented along with visually displayed geometrical objects. The words implicitly referred to the color and shape of the objects. Study III examines infants’ ability (12- to 16-months) to predict phonetic information. The subjects were tested on their ability to associate Swedish whole words and disrupted words to familiar objects. Study IV investigates infants’ ability (6- to 8-months) to detect concurrence and synchrony in speech and non-speech. The infants were exposed to Swedish speech sounds presented with corresponding articulatory events, the sound of hand-clapping presented with synchronized hand-clapping movements, and the sound of hand-clapping presented with synchronized articulatory events. The results picture the subject as sensitive to distributional properties of auditory and visual information (Study I and II) but still unable to predict phonetic information, in the beginning of the second year of life (Study III). The infants’ conceptual behavior is outlined as a general-purpose perceptual process influenced by perceptual salience (Study IV). These results are related to a working hypothesis based on the Ecological theory of language acquisition (Lacerda &amp; Sundberg, 2006), and Lindblom (Lindblom, 1990; Lindblom &amp; Lacerda, 2006). / <p>För att köpa boken skicka en beställning till exp@ling.su.se/ To order the book send an e-mail to exp@ling.su.se</p>