Comparing noise policies of eight European cities using a noise intervention classification scheme

Over the last decades, cities have been developing noise policies. Comparing such efforts, however, is not straightforward. For this purpose, a previously proposed noise intervention classification scheme is used as a framework. This framework discriminates between source interventions, path interventions, closing/opening new infrastructure, other physical interventions (e.g. achieving a quiet side) and communication/education measures. Responsible officers dealing with noise at environmental departments of eight large European cities were interviewed. The invitations for an interview were sent out taking into account the geographical distribution of cities over Europe while a reasonably high position on a sustainable cities ranking was required. The interviews focused on the noise problem definition and what is in the noise management toolbox of the city. In addition, it is assessed how noise policies are evaluated, and to what extent public participation in the noise policy and planning process occurs. The interviews show highly contrasting opinions and practices among the interviewed cities at almost any aspect of the noise management process

Asymmetric Labor Markets, Southern Wages, and the Location of Firms

This paper studies the behavior of firms towards weak labor rights in developing countries (South). A less than perfectly elastic labor supply in the South gives firms oligopsonistic power tempting them to strategically reduce output to cut wages. In an open economy, competitors operating in perfectly competitive labor markets meanwhile enjoy less aggressive competitors and raise output. Finally, competition effect reduces the ex-post output of a relocating firm. These effects reduce relative profitability of the South casting doubts on traditional beliefs that multinationals are attracted to regions with lower wages. Adopting a minimum wage unambiguously enhances Southern competitiveness and welfare

WHO Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region: A Systematic Review of Transport Noise Interventions and Their Impacts on Health.

This paper describes a systematic review (1980-2014) of evidence on effects of transport noise interventions on human health. The sources are road traffic, railways, and air traffic. Health outcomes include sleep disturbance, annoyance, cognitive impairment of children and cardiovascular diseases. A conceptual framework to classify noise interventions and health effects was developed. Evidence was thinly spread across source types, outcomes, and intervention types. Further, diverse intervention study designs, methods of analyses, exposure levels, and changes in exposure do not allow a meta-analysis of the association between changes in noise level and health outcomes, and risk of bias in most studies was high. However, 43 individual transport noise intervention studies were examined (33 road traffic; 7 air traffic; 3 rail) as to whether the intervention was associated with a change in health outcome. Results showed that many of the interventions were associated with changes in health outcomes irrespective of the source type, the outcome or intervention type (source, path or infrastructure). For road traffic sources and the annoyance outcome, the expected effect-size can be estimated from an appropriate exposure-response function, though the change in annoyance in most studies was larger than could be expected based on noise level change

Technology developments for ACIGA high power test facility for advanced interferometry

Copyright © Institute of Physics and IOP Publishing Limited 2005.The High Optical Power Test Facility for Advanced Interferometry has been built by the Australian Consortium for Interferometric Gravitational Astronomy north of Perth in Western Australia. An 80 m suspended cavity has been prepared in collaboration with LIGO, where a set of experiments to test suspension control and thermal compensation will soon take place. Future experiments will investigate radiation pressure instabilities and optical spring effects in a high power optical cavity with ~200 kW circulating power. The facility combines research and development undertaken by all consortium members, whose latest results are presented.P Barriga, M Barton, D G Blair, A Brooks, R Burman, R Burston, E J Chin, J Chow, D Coward, B Cusack, G de Vine, J Degallaix, J C Dumas, M Feat, S Gras, M Gray, M Hamilton, D Hosken, E Howell, J S Jacob, L Ju, T L Kelly, B H Lee, C Y Lee, K T Lee, A Lun, D E McClelland, K McKenzie, C Mow-Lowry, A Moylan, D Mudge, J Munch, D Rabeling, D Reitze, A Romann, S Schediwy, S M Scott, A Searle, B S Sheard, B J J Slagmolen, P Veitch, J Winterflood, A Woolley, Z Yan and C Zha