Site soundscapes

This research was based on the assumption that landscape architects work on projects in which the acoustic aspects can be taken into consideration. In such projects activities are located within the landscape and specific sounds belong to specific activities. This research raised the orchestration of the soundscape as a new area of concern in the field of landscape architecture; a new method of approaching the problem was suggested. Professionals can learn to recognise the auditory phenomena which are characteristic of a certain type of land use. Acoustic sources are obvious planning elements which can be used as a starting point in the develop-ment process. The effects on the soundscape can subsequently be evaluated according to various planning options. The landscape is viewed as a space for sound sources and listeners where the sounds are transferred and coloured, such that each site has a specific soundscape – a sonotope. This raised questions about the landscape’s acoustic characteristics with respect to the physical layout, space, material and furnishing. Questions related to the planning process, land use and conflicts of interest were also raised, in addition to design issues such as space requirements and aesthetic considerations. A prototype of a computer tool for use in landscape architecture was developed. This was intended to promote listening as well as stimulate an appreciation of the soundscape approach in the processes of planning and design. The purpose was to illustrate auditory problems and raise the aural awareness of the practitioners, for example, while carrying out visits on site. The tool provided a means through which researchers, practitioners and members of the public could meet to facilitate a mutual exchange of ideas. The tool was based on the results of qualitative interviews on two urban settings. These were referred to as reference objects, the design, building material, plant material, functions, traffic conditions and location of which have characteristics which practitioners can compare with their ongoing projects. One of the locations was a pasture on the outskirts of a city, while the other was a public garden which was located towards the centre of the same city. The pasture’s sonotope was characterised by clear, distinct sounds which were neither drowned out by sounds which were emitted a short distance away nor by those emitted at much greater distances. In contrast, the sonotope of the city garden was characterised by the sounds of its surroundings

Movement ecology of Golden eagles(Aquila crysaetos) and risks associated with wind farm development

Renewable energy sources like wind energy are rapidly expanding in order to meet challenges of climate change. Wind energy is leaving a significant negative impact on wildlife through collision of birds and bats with operating wind turbines. Raptors are one of the many species exposed to this threat. Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is a long-lived raptor with slow reproduction rate. The species is listed as Near Threatened in Sweden and faces several threats, such as illegal persecution and collisions with trains and wind turbines. Knowledge of movement ecology and flight behaviour of Golden eagles is therefore essential for a successful management and conservation of the species, if we are to identify the causes of collisions and the spatio-temporal distribution of threats. Topography, wind, habitats and elevation have been suggested to impact on flight behavior for Golden eagles. I studied the movement ecology of Golden eagles by using data from 31 GPS transmitter equipped Golden eagles. Topographic and life history variables were used to explain the patterns of flight height using Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMMs). A combination of these factors including, wind speed and the habitat variables significantly affected the flight height, but overall model predictability was low. This calls for getting a deeper understanding on-site wind conditions and local weather. The flight height of marked birds within wind farm areas was higher than flight height further away from wind turbines. Home range analyses revealed that 60 % of the home range areas (95 % contour) contained operating wind turbines and 85 % of the home ranges contained proposed wind turbines, not constructed yet. Movement ecology in Golden eagles is likely to be affected by wind farms and it needs to be taken into account while planning construction of new wind farms

Utformning av ett graderingssystem för bedömning av bogsår på gris

Bogsår sänker välfärden för de grisar som drabbas av det. Bogsår har blivit ett uppmärksammat djurvälfärdsproblem och branschen försöker jobba förebyggande för att minska förekomsten av dem. Bogsår kan liknas vid trycksår hos människa och drabbar främst suggor under laktationstiden då de ligger ner mycket. Det råder oenighet i hur bogsår utvecklas. Vissa studier visar på en utveckling där såret startar med att epidermis skadas. I andra studier har man visat på att bogsåren startar under huden först för att sedan uppkomma med skada på epidermis i ett sent stadie. I Sverige idag finns ingen enhetlig och likriktad skala att bedöma bogsår efter och därför kan bedömningarna skilja sig åt från fall till fall. Det behövs en skala i Sverige som går att arbeta med praktiskt för att kunna likrikta bedömningarna och för att kunna registrera förekomsten av bogsår. Genom registrering av bogsår skulle man se vilka besättningar som är mer drabbade av bogsår än andra. Hos dessa besättningar skulle det vara möjligt att med exempelvis rådgivning minska förekomsten av bogsår då bogsår är ett multifaktoriellt problem. Bland annat kan bogsår bero på problem i besättningen såsom inhysning och utfodring. Det finns befintliga skalor för bedömning av bogsår men dessa har mestadels använts i studier och inte i det praktiska arbetet med gris. Skalorna är dessutom inte utvärderade i Sverige. I denna studie är en skala framtagen som ska vara enkel att använda praktiskt för flera olika yrkeskategorier inom grisnäringen såsom uppfödare, rådgivare och veterinärer. Skalan som tagits fram i denna studie går från grad 0 till grad 4. I grad 0 klassas huden som helt oskadad och i grad 4 är huden och dess underliggande vävnader påverkade ända in till skulderbladets ben. För att veta huruvida skalan fungerar bra att arbeta med behöver den användas praktiskt för att sedan utvärderas

Workshop om ljud vid Skogskyrkogården 2-3 november 2015

På senare år har intresset för ljudplanering ökat och blivit mer helhetsinriktat (jmfr. Brown 2012). Där man tidigare planerat med utgångspunkt i buller och/eller ljudnivåer, betonas nu allt oftare själva upplevelsen av ljud. Potentiella kvaliteter hos ljud lyfts fram, samtidigt som hänsyn till buller finns kvar som en central del. Man brukar tala om ljudlandskap (Schafer 1994 [1977]; ISO 2014). Ljudlandskapsrörelsen rymmer mycket potential, men eftersom den är relativt ny finns en hel del frågetecken som behöver redas ut och forskning som behöver genomföras. Detta utgjorde bakgrunden till den workshop som genomfördes den 2-3 november på Skogskyrkogården. Workshopen ingick som en förstudie i det Vinnovafinansierade forskningsprojektet "Stadens hållbara ljudrum", med SLU Alnarp som koordinerande part. I forskningsprojektet undersöks hur frågor kring ljudlandskapet kan integreras i planering och gestaltning. Projektet fokuserar initialt på begravningsplatser, där en konflikt mellan platsens krav på rofylldhet och omgivningens ljudnivåer är vanlig. En viktig del i projektet är att utveckla lösningar och verktyg för ljudplanering. Världsarvet Skogskyrkogården är en berömd anläggning som rymmer många arkitektoniska kvaliteter, samtidigt som ljudmiljön är problematisk med buller från Nynäsvägen och Tyresövägen. Stockholm stad och kyrkogårdsförvaltningen utreder för tillfället möjligheterna att minska effekten av bullret på olika sätt. Workshopens upplägg i korthet. De två dagarna på Skogskyrkogården utgjorde en förstudie tänkt som utgångspunkt för fortsatt arbete i projektets fas två. I workshopen deltog människor som på ett eller annat sätt har kunskap om antingen ljudmiljöfrågor och/eller kyrkogårdsmiljöer. Dagarna delades upp i tre delmoment; WI, WII och WIII. WI handlade om att utveckla förståelsen avden befintliga situationen, samt utveckla språket och kommunikationen om ljud genom att begreppsliggöra dem. I WII togs förslag på förbättringar av ljudmiljön fram och i WIII testades en lösning i praktiken. Workshoparbetet visade på komplexiteten att arbeta med ljudfrågor, vilket kanske särskilt framkom i den sista, konkretiserande delen; arbetet med högtalare. I denna del bekräftades de svårigheter, detaljer och små avvägningar som lyckad ljudmaskering är förknippat med. En viktig aspekt som var återkommande under dagarna som helhet var betydelsen av ljudets samspel med andra (särskilt visuella) aspekter. Detta blev kanske särskilt påtagligt på en sådan plats som Skogskyrkogården, där det finns starka visuella kvaliteter att ta hänsyn till. Behovet av att ta fram verktyg som kan verka understödjande för att arbeta med ljudfrågor var en annan aspekt som lyftes fram under dagarna. Här finns en stor utmaning, då verktygen bör vara enkla och överskådliga, samtidigt som de komplexiteter som arbete med ljud kräver måste inkorporeras på lämpligt sätt

Evergreen issues of planning? Learning from history for sustainable urban-rural systems landscapes

Contemporary planning for sustainable development has a main focus on sustainable urban areas. This paper highlights a systemic approach as well as integrated and contextual knowledge in spatial planning. Significant theorists within urban planning, landscape architecture and other related fields are faced with a search for knowledge that accommodates the development of sustainable societies. Our historical selected data (Sitte, Howard, Geddes, Migge, Mumford, and McHarg) was analysed in relation to the contemporary UN policy document The Habitat Agenda and the French architectural theorist Francoise Choay’s theory on urban design and critical planning. We identify several issues that could be considered as fundamental and discuss their potential role in current spatial planning in a Scandinavian context. The results are discussed in relation to theory and current planning trends. The main contribution of the study is a tentative theoretical framework that supports urban-rural interaction in spatial planning, titled The Sustainability Approach. This framework is also suggested as a natural evolution of Choay’s planning models

Evergreen issues of planning? Learning from history for sustainable urban-rural systems landscapes

Contemporary planning for sustainable development has a main focus on sustainable urban areas. This paper highlights a systemic approach as well as integrated and contextual knowledge in spatial planning. Significant theorists within urban planning, landscape architecture and other related fields are faced with a search for knowledge that accommodates the development of sustainable societies. Our historical selected data (Sitte, Howard, Geddes, Migge, Mumford, and McHarg) was analysed in relation to the contemporary UN policy document The Habitat Agenda and the French architectural theorist Francoise Choay’s theory on urban design and critical planning. We identify several issues that could be considered as fundamental and discuss their potential role in current spatial planning in a Scandinavian context. The results are discussed in relation to theory and current planning trends. The main contribution of the study is a tentative theoretical framework that supports urban-rural interaction in spatial planning, titled The Sustainability Approach. This framework is also suggested as a natural evolution of Choay’s planning models

Different HLA-DRB1 allele distributions in distinct clinical subgroups of sarcoidosis patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A strong genetic influence by the MHC class II region has been reported in sarcoidosis, however in many studies with different results. This may possibly be caused by actual differences between distinct ethnic groups, too small sample sizes, or because of lack of accurate clinical subgrouping.</p> <p>Subjects and methods</p> <p>In this study we HLA typed a large patient population (n = 754) recruited from one single centre. Patients were sub-grouped into those with Löfgren's syndrome (LS) (n = 302) and those without (non-Löfgren's) (n = 452), and the majority of them were clinically classified into those with recovery within two years (resolving) and those with signs of disease for more than two years (non-resolving). PCR was used for determination of HLA-DRB1 alleles. Swedish healthy blood donors (n = 1366) served as controls.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was a dramatic difference in the distribution of HLA alleles in LS compared to non-LS patients (p = 4 × 10^-36). Most notably, DRB1*01, DRB1*03 and DRB1*14, clearly differed in LS and non-LS patients. In relation to disease course, DRB1*07, DRB1*14 and DRB1*15 generally associated with, while DRB1*01 and DRB1*03 protected against, a non-resolving disease. Interestingly, the clinical influence of DRB1*03 (good prognosis) dominated over that of DRB1*15 (bad prognosis).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We found several significant differences between LS and non-LS patients and we therefore suggest that genetic association studies in sarcoidosis should include a careful clinical characterisation and sub-grouping of patients, in order to reveal true genetic associations. This may be particularly accurate to do in the heterogeneous non-LS group of patients.</p

From 3D landscape visualization to environmental simulation: The contribution of sound to the perception of virtual environments

This research investigated the perceptual interaction of combining sound with 3D landscape visualizations. Images sourced from Google Earth at St. James’s Park, London, UK, showing terrain only,terrain with built form or terrain with primarily vegetation were paired with four sound conditions using recordings from the park (i.e. ‘no sound’, anthropogenic, mechanical and natural). Perceived realism and preference were evaluated using a survey delivered via the Internet and in a controlled laboratory environment (N = 199 total). Analysis using repeated measures ANOVA indicated the interaction of sound and 3D visualizations significantly alters environmental perception both positively and negatively. Sounds and visuals that are congruent receive higher realism and preference ratings while the more incongruent the combination is, the lower the corresponding ratings. The lowest realism and preference ratings are given to visualizations showing terrain only combined with speech. The highest realism ratings overall correspond to visualization with built form combined with speech, and visualizations showing primarily vegetation paired with a birdcall. The absolute highest realism rating was for the visualization with primarily vegetation and some built form paired with speech, while the highest preference ratings correspond to visualizations showing vegetation paired with birdcall or no sound. Aural-visual data collected via the web-based survey was comparable to data collected in the laboratory and overall realism ratings for the Google Earth visualizations were low (e.g. below 3 on a 1–5 likert type scale). The results suggest there is an opportunity to increase experiential authenticity of 3D landscape visualizations with sound

Effect of ionic liquids on the structural, thermal and in vitro degradation properties of poly(ε-caprolactone) synthesized in the presence of Candida antarctica lipase B

The study provides detailed information on the differences in the structural, thermal and degradation properties of poly(e-caprolactone) synthesized in two different ionic liquids, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [bmim][PF6] and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide [bmim][NTf2], regarding its further usage in the pharmaceutical field. The polymer structure confirms the presence of both linear polymer chains with end-functional hydroxyl groups allowing covalent coupling of the therapeutic agents, and cyclic macromolecules, both affecting the degree of crystallinity of polymer. The highest macrocyclic content (64%) after 7 days of polymerization at 80 8C was observed for [bmim][NTf2]. For [bmim][PF6], the macrocyclic content value was not dependent on the reaction time and remained at a similar level (10–14% at 80 8C). The results of degradation test revealed that hydrolytic degradation of ester bonds is more pronounced for PCLs synthesized in [bmim][NTf2], due to their lower degree of crystallinity compared with PCLs obtained in [bmim][PF6]. A high purity, low polydispersity index of the obtained polymers and high yield of the process (ca., 90%) indicate that ionic liquids seem to be promising solvents for the synthesis of biomedical polymers

Valuation of Green Walls and Green Roofs as Soundscape Measures: Including Monetised Amenity Values Together with Noise-attenuation Values in a Cost-benefit Analysis of a Green Wall Affecting Courtyards

Economic unit values of soundscape/acoustic effects have been based on changes in the number of annoyed persons or on decibel changes. The normal procedure has been the application of these unit values to noise-attenuation measures affecting the noisier façade of a dwelling. Novel modular vegetation-based soundscape measures, so-called green walls, might be relevant for both noisy and quieter areas. Moreover, their benefits will comprise noise attenuation as well as non-acoustic amenity effects. One challenge is to integrate the results of some decades of non-acoustic research on the amenity value of urban greenery into design of the urban sound environment, and incorporate these non-acoustic properties in the overall economic assessment of noise control and overall sound environment improvement measures. Monetised unit values for green walls have been included in two alternative cases, or demonstration projects, of covering the entrances to blocks of flats with a green wall. Since these measures improve the noise environment on the quiet side of the dwellings and courtyards, not the most exposed façade, adjustment factors to the nominal quiet side decibel reductions to arrive at an estimate of the equivalent overall acoustic improvement have been applied. A cost-benefit analysis of the green wall case indicates that this measure is economically promising, when valuing the noise attenuation in the quieter area and adding the amenity/aesthetic value of the green wall