Multilevel annoyance modelling of short environmental sound recordings

The recent development and deployment of Wireless Acoustic Sensor Networks (WASN) present new ways to address urban acoustic challenges in a smart city context. A focus on improving quality of life forms the core of smart-city design paradigms and cannot be limited to simply measuring objective environmental factors, but should also consider the perceptual, psychological and health impacts on citizens. This study therefore makes use of short (1–2.7 s) recordings sourced from a WASN in Milan which were grouped into various environmental sound source types and given an annoyance rating via an online survey with N = 100 participants. A multilevel psychoacoustic model was found to achieve an overall R = 0.64 which incorporates Sharpness as a fixed effect regardless of the sound source type and Roughness, Impulsiveness and Tonality as random effects whose coefficients vary depending on the sound source. These results present a promising step toward implementing an on-sensor annoyance model which incorporates psychoacoustic features and sound source type, and is ultimately not dependent on sound level.

Geochemistry of the surface and ground waters of the upper bassin of the river Llobregat

In this work the main geochemical characteristics of the surface and ground waters of the Upper basin of the River Llobregat are described and, discussed. The water samples analysed reveal sharply contrasting characteristics. In both the Fonts del Llobregat and River Bastareny catchments, calcium bicarbonated waters with a low mineral content clearly predominate. However, in the catchment of the River Arija, although the waters of the upper course and the main tributaries are also calcium bicarbonated, it is worth noting that at the confluence with the River Llobregat calcium sulphated water is found. The catchment of the River Saldes shows a greater heterogeneity, with calcium bicarbonated, sodium chloridized and calcium sulphated waters, and thus at the confluence with the River Llobregat the water is sodium-calcium bicarbonated-sulphated. Principal components analysis enables us to arrive at a synthesis which clearly explains these characteristics. These results are fundamentally interpreted on the basis of the lithologies drained by the different watercourses.[es] En el presente estudio se presentan y discuten las principales características geoquímicas de las aguas superficiales y subterráneas de la Alta cuenca del río Llobregat hasta la entrada del río al embalse de La Baells. El conjunto de aguas analizadas presentan características muy contrastadas. Así, tanto en la subcuenca de las fuentes del Llobregat como en la del río Bastareny predominan las aguas bicarbonatadas cálcicas poco mineralizadas. En la subcuenca del río Arija, sí bien las aguas del curso alto y las de los principales afluentes también son bicarbonatadas cálcicas, destaca el hecho de que en la confluencia con el río Llobregat el agua es sulfatada cálcica. La subcuenca del río Saldes es la que presenta una mayor heterogeneidad, con aguas bicarbonatadas cálcicas, cloruradas sódicas y sulfatadas cálcicas, las cuales provocan que en la confluencia con el río Llobregat el agua sea bicarbonatada-sulfatada sódico-cálcica. El análisis de componentes principales ha permitido sintetizar estas características de forma muy clara. Los resultados se interpretan, esencialmente, a partir de las litologías drenadas por los distintos cursos de agua. [fr] Cette étude présente et discute des principales caractéristiques géochimiques des eaux superficielles et souterraines du haut-bassin du fleuve Llobregat (le point le plus en aval considéré se situe juste avant l'entrée du cours d'eau dans le lac de La Baells). L'ensemble des eaux analysées présente des caractéristiques très contrastées. Dans les sous-bassins des sources du Llobregat et du Bastareny prédominent des eaux bicarbonatées calciques peu minéralisées. Dans les sousbassin de la rivière Arija, sur son cours supérieur ainsi que ses principaux affluents, les eaux sont également bicarbonatées calciques, exceptées celles de la confluence avec le Llobregat qui sont sulfatées calciques. Le sous-bassin de la rivière Saldes est celui qui présente la plus grande hétérogénéité, avec des eaux bicarbonatées calciques, chlorurées sadiques et sulfatées calciques. Ces dernières sont responsables du fait qu'à la confluence avec la Llobregat les eaux soient bicarbonato-sulfato sodico-calciques. L'analyse en composantes principales a permis de discriminer nettement ces caractéristiques. Ces résultats sont essentiellement expliqués à partir de la lithologie des différents bassins versants drainés

Urban environment soundscape evaluation: Milan case study of noise events perceptions by citizens

As one of the main urban environmental pollutants, noise is becoming a real public health concern due to its impact on citizen's well-being. Real-operation noise monitoring can help policy makers in improving the quality of urban environments. To this end, Wireless Acoustic Sensor Networks (WASNs) have been deployed in crowded city centers in both America and Europe. The main application of WASNs is to measure the noise levels from road traffic. Yet, other types of sounds can be found in urban areas, which may also affect citizen's health. Here, we aim to evaluate the citizen's perception of different urban sounds considering their psychoacoustic characteristics, namely loudness, sharpness, roughness, fluctuation strength and tonality. To this end, we have conducted an on-line and off-site listening test using a urban acoustic event dataset collected by WASNs in Milan. The dataset includes seven common urban noises such as sirens, horns, people talking, truck, works, among others. Participants have been asked to rate the level of agreement with adjectives such as loud, shrilling, disturbing, sharp or pleasant. The test responses from one hundred volunteers allow us to gather valuable information about people's perceptions of common urban noises

Tailoring negative pressure by crystal defects: Crack induced hydride formation in Al alloys

Climate change motivates the search for non-carbon-emitting energy generation and storage solutions. Metal hydrides show promising characteristics for this purpose. They can be further stabilized by tailoring the negative pressure of microstructural and structural defects. Using systematic ab initio and atomistic simulations, we demonstrate that an enhancement in the formation of hydrides at the negatively pressurized crack tip region is feasible by increasing the mechanical tensile load on the specimen. The theoretical predictions have been used to reassess and interpret atom probe tomography experiments for a high-strength 7XXX-aluminium alloy that show a substantial enhancement of hydrogen concentration at structural defects near a stress-corrosion crack tip. These results contain important implications for enhancing the capability of metals as H-storage materials.Comment: 22 pages, 9 figure

Cows vocalization and behavioral characterization during eutocic and dystocic calvings

Oral session 3[EN] Calving is a painful and stressful event for dairy cows. Continuous monitoring can provide quick and accurate assistance to the cow, reducing stress, pain, and preventing calving difficulties (dystocia). Vocalizations can provide information on cow welfare problems, such as pain. The aims of the current study were: (1) to characterize cows' vocalizations before and during calving and (2) to determine the relationship between cow vocalizations and painrelated behavior in eutocic and dystocic calvings

Paraganglioma of the tongue with SDHB gene mutation in a patient with Graves' disease

The authors want to thank Mr. Jose Eduardo Matos (photog-rapher) for his technical assistance.We report a case of an apparently sporadic paraganglioma of the tongue with a germ-line mutation in a female patient with asymptomatic Graves' disease. The tongue is an unusual primary location. Genetic testing is mandatory in all cases. Thyroid gland dysfunction and autoimmune phenomena could be associated with some paragangliomas.S

Might cows have accents? Acoustic characterization of calves vocalizations from two different geographical locations

Oral session 2[EN] The development of artificial intelligence algorithms and monitoring technologies has led to the increased use of sensors in animal production. Animal production stakeholders have emphasized the importance of non-invasive methods that provide accurate information without compromising the physical integrity of the animals. Animal vocalizations offer an opportunity to capture data of biological relevance without animal manipulation