Source Of Nuisance Research Articles

Annoyance of construction site noise: development of relevant indices

This project is part of a need to define one or more annoyance indicators for construction site noise, which is a major source of nuisance for local residents. For the moment, the control values are the LeqA level, which is not sufficient to characterise noise annoyance, particularly because of the variability of sources. A mobile application has been developed, enabling local residents to report any disturbing noise. At the same time, site monitoring by Bureau Veritas makes it possible to identify the exact source. Pending development of the application on one or more sites, a laboratory experiment focused on a very noisy machine: the Hydraulic Rock Breaker, which produces repeated impulse noises. Recordings of different configurations were made and modified in the frequency domain (attenuation of certain bands) and time domain (variation in the periodicity of pulses). 56 stimuli were used in an experiment in which 63 participants assessed the unpleasantness of each stimulus. The results of this experiment show that the percentile loudness N5 (computed according to ISO 532-1 standard) can be a reliable indicator of annoyance. These results will be verified with recordings from other machines used on construction sites.

A comprehensive analysis of removal of hazardous dust particulates from chemical and process industries off gases by advanced wet scrubbing techniques – A review

The entire globe has been suffering from the hazardous effects of air pollution since the last century. Particulate matter (PM), being one of the primary concerns of atmospheric hazard, leads to several acute and chronic health hazards of present times. This specific research briefs us about the wide spread PM health impacts, sources of particulate nuisance, some specific control measures, and their advancement over the years. It has been observed recently that the rising concern of world population, global urbanization, and artificial intervention are the prime causes of air pollution. The immediate effects of such PM lead to an overall increased rate of mortality and morbidity in the human race. The rate of transmission of several airborne diseases through the atmospheric medium in form of droplet-aerosol imposes severe threat over the deep respiratory organs of several lifeforms. The study portrays vast characterization cum classification of several wet scrubbing techniques used till date. There is a clear comparison between conventional and modified treatment options for handling PM in an efficient manner. Since huge amount of mass transfer phenomena has been conducted for the efficient removal of PM via various modes of wet scrubbers, it was quite necessary to focus on the extensive literature related to such novel technologies. Numerous associated techniques can be clubbed in assembly with the available conventional system which works best in modified variants as proposed research. Moreover, zero discharge, environmental sustainability, and cost effectiveness can be taken into account for achieving the best outcomes.

The Urban Deployment Model: A Toolset for the Simulation and Performance Characterization of Radiation Detector Deployments in Urban Environments.

Static and mobile radiation detectors can be deployed in urban environments for a range of nuclear security applications, including radiological source search-and-tracking scenarios. Modeling detector performance for such applications is challenging, as it does not depend solely on the detector capabilities themselves. Many factors must be taken into consideration, including specific source and background signatures, the topology and constraints of the deployment environment, the presence of nuisance sources, and whether detectors are mobile or static. When considering the simultaneous deployment of multiple, heterogeneous detectors, assessment of the system-wide performance requires the simulation of the individual detectors, and a system-level analysis of the detection performance. In radiological source search-and-tracking scenarios, performance is mostly dominated by the probability of encounter, which depends on the specifics of a given deployment, e.g., static vs. mobile detectors or a combination of both modalities, the number of detectors deployed, the dynamic vs. static setting of false alarm rates, and individual vs. networked operation. The Urban Deployment Model (UDM) toolset was specifically developed to cover the gap in the available generic frameworks for the simulation of radiation detector deployments at city scales. UDM provides a unified and modular framework to support the simulation and performance characterization of heterogeneous detector deployments in urban environments. This paper presents the key components along the UDM workflow.

Community Perceptions of Blackfly Nuisance and Acceptability of the "Slash and Clear" Vector Control Approach in the Ntui Health District of Cameroon: A Qualitative Study.

Besides being vectors of the onchocerciasis parasite, blackflies are a source of nuisance in onchocerciasis-endemic communities. We investigated the experience of residents in the Ntui Health District (Cameroon) regarding blackfly nuisance and assessed their perceptions of a novel "Slash and Clear" (S&C) intervention for blackfly control. Focus group discussions were conducted before and after S&C implementation (respectively, in February 2022 and December 2023). Blackflies were known to emerge from the river areas and cause disease. To prevent blackfly bites, the population often covered their body with protective clothing and applied various substances (kerosene, oil, or lemon) to their skin. Post-intervention data showed reduced blackfly nuisance, and the willingness to sustain blackfly control in the long-term was unanimous among community leaders and members, including the village volunteers who implemented the S&C intervention. In conclusion, blackfly nuisance is evident in the Ntui onchocerciasis focus of Cameroon and led to a panoply of coping practices, some of which could be detrimental to their health. Implementing S&C for blackfly control is well accepted and could sustainably alleviate the nuisance caused by blackflies while simultaneously breaking the onchocerciasis transmission cycle.

Molecular survey of flea-borne pathogens in fleas associated with carnivores from Algeria and an Artificial Neural Network-based risk analysis of flea-borne diseases

As ectoparasites and efficient vectors of pathogens fleas constitute a source of nuisance for animals as well as a major issue for public health in Algeria.In this study, a molecular survey has been conducted to investigate the presence of pathogens in fleas infesting domestic and wild carnivores in the central north and eastern north and south of Algeria. The molecular screening that targeted Acanthocheilonema reconditum, Bartonella spp.,and Dipylidium caninum, was supplemented by a comprehensive analysis of risk factors related to flea-borne pathogens, drawing data from all documentation across multiple languages and sources from Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.In the current study, several Bartonella spp. 56/430 (13.02%) and Dipylidium caninum 3/430 (0.7%) were identified. The sequencing results revealed 5/23 (21.74%) B. clarridgeiae, 3/23 (13.04%) B. henselae, and 3/23 (13.04%) B. vinsonii. The two haplotypes, H1 and H2, of D. caninum were identified for the first time in North Africa.The results of the Artificial Neural Network risk analyses unveiled that the prevalence of pathogens and the presence of host generalist fleas as well as the vectorial competence are the most determinant risk factors of flea-borne diseases in Maghreb.

Convergence of Noise, Climate, Air and Energy actions for an efficient planning: how to act on urban and architectural forms?

While the nature of road traffic and weather conditions remain the main determinants of air pollution and noise in cities, urban design and architectural forms are parameters that planners can play with to combine protection against noise, adaptation to climate change, air quality and energy management. But optimizing urban and architectural forms is not an easy task, because multiple factors are at work, particularly three-dimensional ones, which are sometimes contradictory. Orientation and height of buildings, continuity (or discontinuity) of the built front, layout and distance of buildings from the source of nuisance, urban vegetation, internal design of housing and architectural details, are all levers that can be used to reduce the impacts on the resident population. In order to establish a hierarchy between the different problems, we propose a structuring method to help objectify the priorities. It consists, for each of these influential parameters, in making an inventory of the potential gains and the points of vigilance with regard to noise, air pollution, urban overheating and energy savings and sufficiency. A number of French cities, including the city of Bordeaux, have experimented this approach to plan development projects for highly environmentally ambitious neighborhoods.

Dielectric relaxation in open circuit: Theory, simulations, and some experiments

Static charge on insulating material surfaces may be a source of nuisance and an operational requirement in many devices. It induces a potential that evolves with time due to conduction and polarization processes in the dielectric. Here, we analyze, from a theoretical and experimental point of view, the response of an insulator subjected to a charging pulse, within the frame of linear system theory. The surface potential decay and the return voltage after a brief neutralization, which can be easily measured using an electrostatic probe, usually follow time power laws. We consider here a dielectric following the classical Cole–Cole response function in the frequency domain and derive an exact analytic formula for the potential decay, which involves a Mittag–Leffler function. The relationship between the potential decay and the absorption current when a constant voltage is applied on the dielectric is also analyzed. Experiments on several common insulating materials are analyzed according to this theory, using a numerical simulation with a two-cell model. Return voltage measurements are used to check which materials behave according to the linear model. We underline that an equivalent circuit using constant-phase elements, corresponding to several cells following the Cole–Cole response, can also represent dipolar motions in the dielectric as charge hopping between energy-distributed traps.

Status and noise reduction analysis of robotics lab in an academic institute by using acoustic materials

In recent decades, noise has emerged as one of the most annoying and tiring factors in working environments, be it in factory, workshop, academic or research setup. This paper presents the noise status and noise reduction analysis of Robotics lab in an academic institute. The average equivalent continuous noise level ([Formula: see text]) inside the Robotics lab (64.90–75.99 dB) was within or close to permissible limits of 75 dB as per Indian standards for industrial environment; but the operation of Mig and Spot welding were a source of noise nuisance to the adjoining academic area due to the sound transmission from the Robotics lab. The noise reduction analysis in the study demonstrated the usage of acoustics (glass, curtain, cardboard and thermocol) in windows as sound barriers that dampens the transmission of indoor noise. The Sound Transmission Loss (STL) was observed to be highest in the range of 18.12–22.62 dB (28.88–29.59%) by using the combination of glass and curtain as acoustic barrier in windows of the Robotics lab; thereby, reducing noise nuisance significantly in the academic area. The study revealed the necessity of effective acoustic barrier in labs/workshops under-industrial conditions in academic institutes and proposed a model for predicting STL for the combination of glass and curtain from [Formula: see text] value.

Dual-Wavelength Smoke Detector Measuring Both Light Scattering and Extinction to Reduce False Alarms

Existing fire smoke detectors use the intensity of scattering light or the light extinction coefficient as the indicator of fire smoke to trigger fire alarms. However, false fire alarms could be triggered by dust and water fog. Achieving reliable early fire detection with minimal false alarms is a challenge. Based on the Mie scattering theory of spherical particles, it is derived that the ratio of scattering intensity and the ratio of optical extinction of two incident lights with different wavelengths only depends on the intrinsic properties of the aerosol (the average particle size and refractive index). This paper then presents an improved dual-wavelength smoke detection by measuring scattering light and extinction simultaneously to reduce false alarms. Simulations and verification with test fires of European Standard EN 54 were performed, demonstrating that fires can be distinguished from nuisance sources without complicated calculations. These results indicate that the improved detection system can be applied for smoke monitoring and fire protection.

인도 쓰레기매립지의 환경문제에 관한 법적 해결 방안에 대한 연구

This paper considers the environmental disputes caused by the landfills located in Delhi, India and reviews the Indian Waste-to-Energy policy to resolve the environmental conflicts. India has sound waste management rules and regulations but they are not implemented effectively. Even though the Indian government has applied current Indian environmental policies, such as municipal solid waste rule, it could not properly resolve these disputes based on a lack of administrative will-power. India being the world’s second most populous country generates an enormous amount of garbage. While the waste generated is not managed effectively, it might lead to deterioration of human health and the environment. The waste is usually dumped in Landfills. However, these landfills are poorly managed, and the waste keeps overflowing. Numerous Landfills have led to fire around the locality, and they are a source of nuisance to the neighbourhood. One of the possible solutions could be using waste to energy plants. Waste-to-energy plants use state of the art technology to incinerate the garbage to produce energy. Waste could be used to produce clean energy and could curb pollution. However, the application of thermal technology for waste-to-energy in India is not well controlled because the cost of using crude oil is much cheaper than the expense of applying waste-to-energy technology in India. One of the possible remedies could be under statutory nuisance which would compel the regulatory authorities to protect the human health and the environment.

The benefits of building information modelling in construction noise control in the pre-construction phase (a focus on urban area constructions)

For inner-city construction activities, the propagated construction noise is considered the primary source of nuisance for the surrounding area. Due to the short distance between the site and neighboring buildings, passive noise control techniques such as noise barriers have a limited mitigating impact. As a result, construction companies should anticipate encountering complaints and lawsuits from residents of adjacent buildings, leading to project delays or cost overruns. Previous studies for construction noise control have primarily focused on a real-time solution such as data collection by sensors during the execution phase. Although the guidelines recommend that source management is the most effective method of controlling construction noise, there is no systematic approach for focusing on construction noise during the planning phase. Building Information Modeling (BIM) has been widely used to achieve effective project management, such as time and cost control. However, the benefits of BIM for noise-considered time planning in the pre-construction phase still need to be exploited. This research will focus on the potential of BIM for addressing construction noise as an additional factor during time planning. The findings show how multiple process plans using BIM-supported platforms can be planned and controlled to achieve the lowest risk of discomfort for neighboring area residents.

Promoting The Attractiveness Of Peri-urban Residential Areas Through Public Transport Services - The Strategy Of French Real Estate Professionals

Limiting urban sprawl has been a key challenge for European metropolises for several years. It aims to both structure periurban living and manage periurban mobilities through sustainable policies. The presence of a railway station in periurban areas is at the hearth of territorial strategies. It concerns three types of stakeholders: public and private stakeholders, and individuals. This paper explores the strategy of one of them: the French real estate professionals. It shows that these agents include the principles of territorial sustainable challenges in their promotion marketing to some degree. They are aware that a railway station provides a useful asset to highlight the residential attractiveness of a periurban area. However, they adopt a cautious strategy since the station may be considered as a source of nuisance by future buyers.

Spatial Chaos in the Airport-Proximate Areas - Case Study of Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport

Abstract The airport may be an opportunity for the development of airport-proximate areas, as well as a source of conflicts and nuisances for stakeholders. From the perspective of spatial order and sustainable development, it is necessary to create a coherent vision of the development and operationalize it via spatial management. This article aims to analyze spatial management in areas proximate to Gdansk Airport in the context of spatial chaos. The analyses are based on 232 local spatial development plans for the period 1996-2020, for 11 selected areas in the vicinity of the Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport, documents obtained from the local government, and open-source data. The research concentrates on the analysis of the functions of areas, spatial chaos, and the threat of potential conflicts. The results demonstrate the spatial chaos in proximate areas of Gdansk Airport. This implies that the decisions made by the authorities responsible for spatial management do not respect spatial order and sustainable development and contribute to spatial chaos.

A variational inference based learning approach for decentralized building fire estimation

Real-time estimation of the fire status is critical for reliable decision-making in building fire emergencies. Learning-based approaches for fire estimation have achieved great success, benefited from exploration of sensor data. However, existing works are mostly designed for specific building structures and seldom account for false alarms. Such flaws affect their generalization in broader environments and robustness in practical use. In this paper, we propose a decentralized learning-based approach for building fire estimation. The estimation is conducted in a decentralized scheme, where building zones conduct fire estimation respectively. The approach is built on variational inference technique, and can infer the location and dynamic intensity of the fires concurrently. Specifically, the fire estimation problem is interpreted in a latent variable model (LVM), with latent variables for fire intensity features and location features. The solution is then derived from variational inference (VI), and approximated via data learning on a novel deep network (namely FireEst-VAE). The network can produce accurate estimation of the fire intensity, while performing false alarm identification as a bonus effect. We evaluate the decentralized approach on full-scale experimental and simulation-generated data from a multi-compartment residence. The results illustrate that the proposed approach performs well on a wide range of fire scenarios with one or multiple fire locations, while preventing false alarms from common nuisance sources. The decentralized learning-based approach for fire estimation shows great potential in smart firefighting for large-scale buildings. • A decentralized learning approach based on variational inference for fire estimation. • Integrating interpretability from model methods and efficiency from learning methods. • The decentralized scheme benefits edge computing and generalization in practical use. • Promising performances on fire intensity estimation and false alarm identification.

Assessment of Knowledge, Practices and Self-Reported Problems Related to Halitosis among the Students of Sharif Medical and Dental College and Bakhtawar Amin Medical and Dental College

Introduction: Halitosis is the source of nuisance and can affect person’s own health. This can also create social issues and may decrease self-confidence. The main cause of large number of populations effected by this condition is lack of awareness, knowledge or non-accessibility to health care facility. Objectives: The aim of this study is to access the knowledge, practices and self-reported problems of halitosis among the students of Sharif Medical & Dental College, Sharif College of Engineering and Technology and Bakhtawar Amin Medical and Dental College Multan. Duration of Study: This cross-sectional study was conducted among students of Sharif Medical & Dental College Sharif College of Engineering and Technology and Bakhtawar Amin Medical and Dental College Multan from 1st July 2019 to 01st January 2022. Material and Methods: The data was collected using a questionnaire consisting of 13 questions includes three components i.e. knowledge, practices and self- reported problems. Practice and self -reported problems were assessed using special scoring system. Results: 500 students participated in the research program. Among all students, 69.8% had knowledge about halitosis. Responses to self-reported problems showed 7.2% of the participants suffered from halitosis. 29.8% and 30.4% reported dental caries and bleeding gums respectively. 25.6% mentioned about the dryness of mouth. 49.4% were concerned about social impact of their bad breath. Conclusion: Increasing awareness, knowledge about the cause and treatment options of this condition can improve the general health and well-being.

Effectiveness of the Modification of Sewers to Reduce the Reproduction of Culex pipiens and Aedes albopictus in Barcelona, Spain.

Mosquitoes breeding in urban sewage infrastructure are both a source of nuisance to the local population and a public health risk, given that biting mosquitoes can transmit pathogenic organisms to humans. The increasing presence of the invasive mosquito species Aedes albopictus in European cities has further exacerbated the problems already caused by native Culex pipiens. We tested the effectiveness of modifications to sewage structures as an alternative to the use of biocides to prevent mosquito breeding. The placing of a layer of concrete at the bottom of sand sewers to prevent water accumulation completely eliminated mosquito reproduction, and so eliminates the need for biocides in modified structures. Sewer modification is thus a valid low-cost alternative for mosquito control.

Spatial distribution of public elementary schools: a case study of Najran, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT Spatial equity in the provision of educational services is a major component to provide a healthy and cheerful living environment in cities. Experts, accordingly, set many standards for selecting school locations. This study has used many of those standards to investigate the spatial distribution of boys’ public elementary schools in Najran city. Statistical techniques such as Locational Quotient, Lorenz Curve, and Geographic Information System tools were employed to show the spatial distribution and analysis of elementary schools. In addition, GIS evaluates the current locations of schools and suggests suitable locations for future schools. The results indicate that the population number and schools within the city are not equidistributed. Some districts are experiencing a glut and concentration of schools, especially in old, fully developed, and highly populated districts, while most of the new eastern districts suffer a lack and have no adequate access to schools. Also, half of the city districts do not have elementary schools. Furthermore, many schools are located close to sources of danger or nuisance sources. Consequently, the study concluded by showing suitable locations for future schools and recommended that planners provide elementary schools in deficient districts and enhance equitable distribution of elementary schools throughout the city.

GKNet: Grasp keypoint network for grasp candidates detection

Contemporary grasp detection approaches employ deep learning to achieve robustness to sensor and object model uncertainty. The two dominant approaches design either grasp-quality scoring or anchor-based grasp recognition networks. This paper presents a different approach to grasp detection by treating it as keypoint detection in image-space. The deep network detects each grasp candidate as a pair of keypoints, convertible to the grasp representation g = {x,y,w,θ} T , rather than a triplet or quartet of corner points. Decreasing the detection difficulty by grouping keypoints into pairs boosts performance. To promote capturing dependencies between keypoints, a non-local module is incorporated into the network design. A final filtering strategy based on discrete and continuous orientation prediction removes false correspondences and further improves grasp detection performance. GKNet, the approach presented here, achieves a good balance between accuracy and speed on the Cornell and the abridged Jacquard datasets (96.9% and 98.39% at 41.67 and 23.26 fps). Follow-up experiments on a manipulator evaluate GKNet using four types of grasping experiments reflecting different nuisance sources: static grasping, dynamic grasping, grasping at varied camera angles, and bin picking. GKNet outperforms reference baselines in static and dynamic grasping experiments while showing robustness to varied camera viewpoints and moderate clutter. The results confirm the hypothesis that grasp keypoints are an effective output representation for deep grasp networks that provide robustness to expected nuisance factors.

The tiger mosquito in Lebanon two decades after its introduction: A growing health concern.

The tiger mosquito was introduced to the Eastern region of the Mediterranean basin more than twenty years ago. In Lebanon, it was first observed in 2002 in a limited number of locations mainly from the coastal area of the country. In the absence of national entomological control program, this invasive mosquito became an established species and is now considered in many localities, a source of nuisance because of its human biting behavior. Several entomological surveys were conducted to monitor the geographic spread and the seasonal dynamics of Aedes albopictus by collecting adult stages and by monitoring oviposition activity. Moreover, its susceptibility to the common groups of insecticides was assessed using WHO standard bioassays. Previous vector competence studies revealed that local strains were able to transmit Chikungunya and Dengue viruses. Due to the increased risk of Zika virus introduction in the country, we determined the competence of local populations to transmit this virus. Mapping results showed that Ae. albopictus is mainly spread in the relatively humid western versant of the Mount Lebanon chain reaching 1000m altitude, while it is absent from arid and semi-arid inland areas. Besides, this mosquito is active during 32 weeks from spring till the end of autumn. Local strains of the tiger mosquito are susceptible to pyrethroids and carbamates but resistant to organophosphates and organochlorines. They showed ability to transmit Zika virus; however, only 9% of females were capable to excrete the virus in their saliva at day 28 post infection. Current and previous observations highlight the need to establish a surveillance system in order to control this mosquito and monitor the potential introduction of related diseases.

Prediction of Vibrations Due to Blast at the Hiré Mine, Côte D’Ivoire

Côte d'Ivoire has, in order to diversify its economic resources, decided to exploit its mineral reserves. Industrial gold mining in Côte d'Ivoire began in 1991 with the opening of the Ity gold mine in the department of Zouan-Hounien, in the west of the country. Several regions of the country have seen mines open. In the Loh-Djiboua region, in the department of Divo, Hiré gold mine opened in 2013. Mine operations consist of mechanical extraction for oxidized ore but also blasting for sulfired ore. Mining operations are then supposed to take place at a minimum distance of five hundred meters from the first dwellings. From the results of the research work, the mining company requests and obtains in 2017, from the State of Côte d'Ivoire, the extension of its operations, in the direction of the city of Hiré, with the possibility of making blast at two hundred and fifty meters from the first dwellings, posing the problem of the proximity of mining blast to the dwellings. The situation appears unprecedented in the mining sector of Côte d'Ivoire. Blast is a source of nuisance, including vibrations. Our study focused on the prediction of vibrations related to shots. Our method of study consisted in first determining, from the formula of Oriard, the constants of the site and to predict from them, the vibrations generated by the explosive blast.