Resolving Multiple Wh-Fragments: A Syntax-Pragmatics Approach

PACLIC 23 / City University of Hong Kong / 3-5 December 200

民画の現代的表現: 多様化する民画と自作について

多摩美術大学201

Understanding the perception of floor impact sounds in apartment buildings

This thesis considered the perception of floor impact sounds in apartment buildings and focused on relationships between non-acoustic factors and annoyance caused by floor impact sounds. Firstly, a qualitative study was conducted to investigate exposure to floor impact sounds. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 residents in apartments in South Korea using a grounded theory methodology. These data were analysed using three coding phases; several key themes were identified and grouped into five categories. Two major noise sources (heavy-weight and light-weight impact source) were grouped together with retaliatory noise under the category of ‘noise exposure’. Different ways to manage noise exposure or cope with negative noise perceptions were categorised under ‘coping’. Health issues and concerns were grouped together under ‘health effects’. ‘Intervening conditions’ were identified and non-acoustic variables in this category included attitudes to authorities and neighbours, noise sensitivity, past experience, and dwelling satisfaction. A conceptual model was proposed to give an overview of how residents perceive and react to floor impact sounds. Secondly, a quantitative study was performed to empirically test the findings of the qualitative study. Survey questions were developed based on a literature review of studies on environmental noise and the findings from the qualitative study. A conceptual model was hypothesised and tested using structural equation modelling. Relationships between non-acoustic factors (noise sensitivity, disturbance, health complaints, coping, negative attitudes to authorities, and closeness with neighbours) and annoyance caused by floor impact sounds were tested using path analysis. The impacts of moderators on the perceptions and reactions to floor impact sounds were examined using two different tests. Noise from footsteps increased the direct impact size of noise sensitivity on perceived disturbance. Empathy, past experience, and dwelling satisfaction were also found to have moderation effects on the relationship between negative attitudes to authorities and coping. A positive relationship was found between annoyance and avoidant coping which was influenced by the moderators of negative attitudes to authorities and neighbours. Findings from path analysis and moderation tests supported and extended the previous findings of environmental noise studies and the qualitative study

Epidemiological Aspects of Exotic Malaria and Dengue Fever in Travelers in Korea

In order to compare the epidemiological aspects of exotic malaria (EM) and dengue fever (DF) imported by travelers in Korea, we have analyzed the current state both of the disease incidence and related risk factors. A total of 345 cases of EM occurred between 2001 and 2008 in Korea, and the average incidence rate per 100,000 population was 0.091. A total of 252 of DF cases occurred during the same period, and its rate was 0.063. While most of the EM and DF prevalence occurred in summer, prevalence in spring and winter was more prominent for EM (P < 0.05 ~ P < 0.01), while outbreaks in summer were more frequent for DF (P < 0.01). In Korea, more males were infected with EM and DF than females (P < 0.01). The remarkable difference between gender distributions in Korea is believed to reflect cultural differences in terms of work and travel. In both diseases, the manhood age bracket (20 - 39 years old) is possible due to increased oversea activities and travel. Moreover, reported EM cases in several prefectures in the regions of Asia and Africa were widely spread by the appropriate vector of mosquitoes, while the vectors of DF in the region of Asia are limited

Emergent localized states at the interface of a twofold PT\mathcal{PT}-symmetric lattice

We consider the role of non-triviality resulting from a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian that conserves twofold PT-symmetry assembled by interconnections between a PT-symmetric lattice and its time reversal partner. Twofold PT-symmetry in the lattice produces additional surface exceptional points that play the role of new critical points, along with the bulk exceptional point. We show that there are two distinct regimes possessing symmetry-protected localized states, of which localization lengths are robust against external gain and loss. The states are demonstrated by numerical calculation of a quasi-1D ladder lattice and a 2D bilayered square lattice.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure