Effects of nightlife noise in a city center

Abstract The term Movida takes its name from the evening and night life of the city for their liveliness and animation. During the Movida, noise is one of the problems in the city centers due to the negative effects on the resident population. This paper reports the effects of noise due to the Movida phenomenon within the city center in southern Italy. Along the roads affected by the Movida phenomenon, the values of sound levels in dBA were measured both with fixed stations with a sound level meter and with mobile stations by wearing a noise dosimeter a participant of Movida. The measured noise levels are between 85 dBA to 90 dBA. The noise levels show that the Movida phenomenon generates disturbing conditions on the resident population with consequent conflict between club managers, patrons and residents

Noise exposure of video games players

Video games are a leisure activity that is being practiced by more and more people. Even the average age of the users is gradually increasing, representing a pleasant activity for any age. The literature has widely insinuated the doubt whether such widespread use could have negative consequences for the health of its users. This article describes noise exposure measurement activities for video game users. The damage caused by noise depends on both the acoustic power as well as the exposure time. For this reason, different noise exposure scenarios produced by video games have been simulated. The results of the study show that the daily level of noise exposure is close to the limits imposed by legislation, despite the hours of rest, and were performed in an environment with a low background noise (46.0 dBA

A Comparison between Numerical Simulation Models for the Prediction of Acoustic Behavior of Giant Reeds Shredded

Giant reeds represent a natural fiber widely available in some areas of the world. Its use can be particularly useful as the uncontrolled growth of giant reeds can be a problem because large areas are invaded by them and the crops are damaged. In this study, two models of numerical simulation of the acoustic behavior of giant reeds were put in comparison: the Hamet model and a model based on artificial neural networks. First, the characteristics of the reeds were examined and the procedures for the preparation of the samples to be analyzed were described. Then air flow resistance, porosity and sound absorption coefficient were measured and analyzed in detail. Finally, the results of the numerical modeling of the acoustic coefficient were compared. The neural network-based model showed high Pearson correlation coefficient value, indicating a large number of correct predictions

La misura del rumore prodotto da impianti eolici

Nel presente lavoro sono riportate le misure acustiche allâinterno ed allâesterno di alcune abitazioni che compongono due borghi rurali in prossimità di un parco eolico costituito da tre torri eoliche ciascuna di potenza nominale di 1 MW. Le torri eoliche con potenza nominale fino a 1 MW sono definite di media taglia e seguono per la loro installazione procedure autorizzative più semplici. Pertanto i promotori di impianti eolici spesso preferiscono installare torri eoliche di questa potenza data la procedura amministrativa autorizzativa semplificata. Le misure acustiche sono state eseguite collocando dei fonometri allâinterno ed allâesterno delle abitazioni, per i diversi valori della velocità del vento. Sono stati valutati gli effetti della rumorosità prodotta dal funzionamento delle torri in diverse abitazioni situate intorno al parco eolico con diversa velocità e direzione del vento

L'eleganza dell'Odeon

Nel presente lavoro è descritta una tipologia di un edificio molto diffuso nell’antica Grecia e nella antica Roma: l’Odeon. Questo edificio di modeste dimensioni rispetto ai teatri all’aperti aveva una copertura a tetto ed era impiegato per assemblale pubbliche e rappresentazioni musicali

The acoustics of the longobard church of Santa Sofia in Benevento

This paper presents the results of acoustic measurements carried out in the Longobard church of Santa Sofia in Benevento (Italy). The church is on acentral plan, with a diameter of 23.5 m. In the centre there are six columns, placed at the vertexes of a hexagon and connected by arches which support the dome.Around this central hexagon there is a second decagonal ring, with eight pillars of white limestone blocks interspersed with layers of bricks; and two columns immediately after the entrance. The acoustic measurement were done with a sound source on the altar, and the microphone points in the area were seat people. The average value of reverberation time at the frequency of 1.0 kHz was about 1.5 seconds, so the church can be used for good listening of symphonic music

Acoustic correction using green material in classrooms located in historical buildings

"The acoustic correction inside classrooms located in historical buildings using absorbent panels is difficult for aesthetic . reasons. Furthermore, architectural restrictions are often imposed to preserve the historical heritage. The acoustic . measurements inside the classrooms show high reverberation time values, which imply an adverse environment for speech . reception. In this paper the reverberation time in classrooms located in historical buildings was reduced by installing . removable sound absorbent panels. The panels were made with “green material”. The absorbent material was obtained by . crushing giant reeds of sweet water, a plant which grows quickly in wetlands. The crushed material was then put in jute . sachets, installed in the wooden frames and covered with different colours jute cloth for aesthetics. Acoustic measurements . were made in the classrooms with smooth plaster walls, without students. A virtual model of the classroom was drawn with . 3D CAD. The surface area covered with green material absorbent panels was evaluated by the software Odeon. After the . installation of the absorbent panels, comparisons between the virtual classroom acoustic properties and the real classroom . acoustic properties were made to validate the effect of the green absorption panels.

The Rediscovery of Benevento Roman Theatre Acoustics

This study reports the acoustic history of the Benevento Roman theatre, from its origins in the Roman period to today. The theatre, built in the second century A.D., was abandoned following historical affairs –e.g. barbaric invasions – and natural events (earthquakes, floods, etc.). The building materials were used during the Langobardic Age for the construction of defensive walls and for the adornment of churches and buildings. During the following centuries some houses were built in the theatre. At the beginning of the 1900’s the dominating houses were demolished, in order to bring to the light the buried parts of the theatre and to consolidate the structures. The recovery work ended only in 1950. The theatre is nowadays not only an ancient monument, but also the centre of important social activities with national and international festivals of music, dancing and drama. Using a software for architectural acoustic, and with a 3D theatre virtual model, we predicted the acoustic properties during the Imperial Age. With acoustic measurements carried out "in situ", we evaluated the acoustic properties in the current stat

Wind turbines acoustic measurements

The importance of wind turbines has increased over the last few years throughout the European Community. The European energy policy guidelines state that for the year 2020 20% of all energy must be produced by alternative energy sources. Wind turbines are an important type of energy production without petrol. A wind speed in a range from 2.5 m/s to 25.0 m/s is needed. One of the obstacles to the widespread diffusion of wind turbine is noise generation. This work presents some noise measurements of wind turbines in the South of Italy, and discusses the noise problems for the people living near wind farms

The acoustics of the catacombs of “San Callisto” in Rome

The word "catacomb" means an underground Christian cemetery, characterized by galleries used for burial. The present study shows the acoustic properties of the catacombs of San Callisto in Rome. The acoustic measurements were made to understand which type of religious functions could have been celebrated in them and in particular if the religious functions were spoken or sung. The catacombs were burial places, but they were also places of reunions and visits to the graves of the martyrs. The catacombs were diffused in the different religions of the various areas of Europe and Mediterranean Asia. The catacombs reached the maximum diffusion with the Christianity. The catacombs were made in subsoil easily removable. The catacombs were generally built through the realization of burrows, with corridors that connected the "cubicles" (rooms with a regular plant realized for the burial). The acoustic measurements were carried out with an explosion of balloons toy. In the catacombs of San Callisto the microphones were put in the corridors, in the cubicles, in the Crypt of Popes and in the Crypt of Santa Cecilia. The measured values of reverberation time are short, due to the presence of tuff walls inside the catacomb