Measurement of noise events in road traffic streams: initial results from a simulation study

A key question for road traffic noise management is whether prediction of human response to noise, including sleep quality, could be improved over the use of conventional energy equivalent, or percentile, measures, by accounting for noise events in road traffic streams. This paper reports initial results from a noise-events investigation into event-based indicators over an exhaustive set of traffic flow, traffic composition, and propagation distance, conditions in unshielded locations in proximity to roadways. We simulate the time-varying noise level histories at various distances from roadways using a dynamic micro-traffic model and a distribution of sound power levels of individual vehicles. We then develop a comprehensive set of noise event indicators, extrapolated from those suggested in the literature, and use them to count noise events in these simulated time histories. We report the noise-event algorithms that produce realistic, and reliable, counts of noise events for one-hour measurement periods, then reduce redundancy in the indicator set by suggesting a small number of representative event indicators. Later work will report the traffic composition and distance conditions under which noise event measures provide information uncorrelated with conventional road traffic noise indicators — and which thus may prove useful as supplementary indicators to energy-equivalent measures for road traffic noise

De l'un et du divers. La région Rhône-Alpes et la mise en récit de ses langues

International audienceEuropean regions, whether historically well-established ones or those of recent administrative construction, aim to acquire a legitimacy by means of spreading a genuine image and discourse of their own making. In France, the region Rhône-Alpes, a recent administrative unit where two regional languages are spoken, can but follow the trend. This article sets out to assess the ways in which the regional languages have recently been fitted in the regional council's institutional discourse on identification. The linguistic questions have become part of a carefully balanced discourse evolving around the issues of unity and diversity. The article asserts that those languages are enhanced for the sake of a regional discourse and one definite view of languages that eventually neglects the complex social processes in which speakers and promoters of these languages alike are involved.La région Rhône-Alpes constitue à première vue un exemple particulièrement emblématique de la création des régions françaises sur des critères administratifs apparemment arbitraires, imposés par le pouvoir central. Pourtant, au même titre que d'autres régions à l'identité plus marquée comme la Bretagne ou l'Alsace, le conseil régional de Rhône-Alpes a cherché à forger une image distinctive de la région (certains diront une identité), à la fois à destination des citoyens qui vivent sur son sol mais aussi dans une visée de commodification de cette image à travers des activités comme le commerce ou le tourisme. Par commodification, il faut entendre la transformation d'un objet, d'une idée, d'une construction sociale en marchandise échangeable et/ou négociable dans un marché donné (voir Heller, 2003 ; Duchêne, Heller, à paraître)

The scuttle fly (Diptera: Phoridae) assemblages of a wildfire-affected hemiboreal old-growth forest in Tyresta (Sweden)

In natural forests, fire is an important disturbance factor and many studies have been carried out concerning its effect on different ecosystems, but no studies have previously been done considering the scuttle flies in hemiboreal forests. Here, we carried out an ecological investigation of the scuttle fly assemblage in a hemiboreal old-growth forest in Tyresta National Park and Nature Reserve (Sweden) from material collected, using Malaise traps, after wildfires in 1997 and 1999. We evaluated abundances of species, dominance structure, species richness (by non-parametric species richness method — Chao 1) as well as phenology. The most abundant species of the dominant group (i.e. Megaselia pleuralis, M. nigriceps, M pulicaria-complex and M. brevicostalis) are multivoltine and saprophagous, displaying spring and late summer/autumn activity

Marshall University Music Department Presents a Senior Recital, Theresa Bonnell, Piano, James Hedger, Baritone, Bert Bostic, Piano

https://mds.marshall.edu/music_perf/1118/thumbnail.jp

Gee Whiz, Sweety! I\u27m Dead Stuck On You

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/3559/thumbnail.jp

An Analysis Pipeline for Genome-wide Association Studies

We developed an efficient pipeline to analyze genome-wide association study single nucleotide polymorphism scan results. Purl scripts were used to convert genotypes called using the BRLMM algorithm into a modified PB format. We computed summary statistics characteristic of our case and control populations including allele counts, missing values, heterozygosity, measures of compliance with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and several population difference statistics. In addition, we computed association tests, including exact tests of association for genotypes, alleles, the Cochran-Armitage linear trend test, and dominant, recessive, and overdominant models at every single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). In addition, pairwise linkage disequilbrium statistics were elaborated, using the command line version of HaploView, which was possible by writing a reformatting script. Additional Perl scripts permit loading the results into a MySQL database conjoined with a Generic Genome Browser (gbrowse) for comprehensive visualization. This browser incorporates a download feature that provides actual case and control genotypes to users in associated genomic regions. Thus, re-analysis “on the fly” is possible for casual browser users from anywhere on the Internet

Acoustically and visually tracked drogue measurements of nearsurface water velocities in Lake Huron, plus observations of a coastal upwelling

During July and August of 1980 our research group measured nearsurface water velocities near the eastern coast of Lake Huron by tracking drogues using acoustic travel time and compass sighting techniques. The velocity fields appeared to consist of two components. These have been termed: a sub-current, which varied slowly with depth (compared to the deepest drogue depth of 5.2 m) and, in most cases, was apparently in geostrophic balance with the cross shore pressure gradient; and, a surface layer-current (defined by the relative velocity from deeper to shallower drogues) which decayed rapidly with depth and was directed nearly parallel with the wind and waves. There was no discernable relationship between wind speed and relative velocity. There was, however, a direct dependence of relative velocity with estimated surface roughness, suggesting that Stokes drift may have been primarily responsible for the shear. The magnitudes of the observed relative velocities were approximately equal to Stokes drift magnitudes calculated from representative wave energy spectra. Also reported are measurements of current and temperature structure made prior to and following a coastal upwelling.Prepared for the Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC02-79EV10005 and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under Contract 03-5-022-26

Optimized mobile thin clients through a MPEG-4 BiFS semantic remote display framework

According to the thin client computing principle, the user interface is physically separated from the application logic. In practice only a viewer component is executed on the client device, rendering the display updates received from the distant application server and capturing the user interaction. Existing remote display frameworks are not optimized to encode the complex scenes of modern applications, which are composed of objects with very diverse graphical characteristics. In order to tackle this challenge, we propose to transfer to the client, in addition to the binary encoded objects, semantic information about the characteristics of each object. Through this semantic knowledge, the client is enabled to react autonomously on user input and does not have to wait for the display update from the server. Resulting in a reduction of the interaction latency and a mitigation of the bursty remote display traffic pattern, the presented framework is of particular interest in a wireless context, where the bandwidth is limited and expensive. In this paper, we describe a generic architecture of a semantic remote display framework. Furthermore, we have developed a prototype using the MPEG-4 Binary Format for Scenes to convey the semantic information to the client. We experimentally compare the bandwidth consumption of MPEG-4 BiFS with existing, non-semantic, remote display frameworks. In a text editing scenario, we realize an average reduction of 23% of the data peaks that are observed in remote display protocol traffic

Utilization of Saltmarsh Shorelines by Newly Settled Sciaenids in a Texas Estuary

Post-settlement patterns of habitat use along saltmarsh shorelines of Galveston Bay, Texas were examined for three sciaenids; spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus), red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), and Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus). Collections were made summer through fall of 1997 and 1998 using a 1.5-m beam trawl hand-towed along the outside edge of salt marshes. Sciaenids were collected from tidal pass, bay, and remote tidal creek areas to assess large-scale (bay-wide) patterns of distribution and abundance. Cynoscion nebulosus were smaller and most numerous at bay stations, with densities peaking in June. Conversely, S. ocellatus were collected in higher numbers, and smaller sizes, at stations near the tidal pass, with peak densities in September. Micropogonias undulatus occurred in high numbers near both the tidal pass and remote tidal creeks, with undetectable size differences among areas and peak densities in November. Densities of C. nebulosus and S. ocellatus were greater at sites nearer the larval supply; patterns were less clear for M. undulatus. Small-scale patterns of habitat use were investigated within remote tidal creeks, with trends in density and size apparent for M. undulatus, while few C. nebulosus and S. ocellatus were collected. Interannual variability in densities occurred within and among stations, although total densities for each species were relatively similar between 1997 and 1998