Novel algorithms for cardiovascular parameters' estimation for long term monitoring systems

University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology.In daily life every person needs continuous monitoring of temperature, heart rate, oxygen saturation level, blood pressure parameters and other parameters to have some idea about one's body systems performance and to assist doctors to diagnose one's health status. This information is more necessary for aged and unhealthy people, while it is also necessary for healthy person, who represents the undiagnosed subject. Usually, the healthy and unhealthy subjects are advised to measure their cardiovascular parameters at home at various times in a day to avoid any bad developments for their health status. Available self-measurement devices give only discrete readings and have not provided accurate information of heart rate, oxygen saturation level, and blood pressure parameters in many situations since most of them do not consider the body's movement or the uncertainty associated with the reading. Moreover, Blood pressure parameters (BPP): Systolic, Diastolic, and Mean Blood Pressures, have some types of correlation with the heart rate. This relationship is nonlinear and has many levels of uncertainty. The Type-2 Fuzzy system has a capacity to deal with nonlinear and uncertainty systems. The estimate of Blood pressure parameters based on heart rate can be categorized under such systems that fuzzy system can deal with. This thesis presents a novel algorithm to measure photo-plethysmography signal, heart rate and the oxygen saturation level and also to estimate BPPs for healthy and unhealthy subjects based on a prototype transducer, particle swarm optimization and type-2 Fuzzy System. The measured values of heart rate, oxygen saturation level, systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressures by utilizing the novel algorithn1 are compared with the clinical readings of heart rate, oxygen saturation level, systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressure. Very encouraging results have been achieved for estimating heart rate, oxygen saturation level, systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressures and the accuracy of estimated results for that parameters for healthy subjects, by our designed algorithm, are 99.53%,98.91 %,97.76%,91.81 % and 96.43%, respectively. Add to that, the accuracy of estimated results systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure for unhealthy subjects are 94.51 %,91.48% and 94.79%, respectively. On the contrary, the mean arterial blood pressure is estimated based on same heart rate and existing algorithm. This algorithm can only estimate mean arterial blood pressure. The accuracy of estimated mean arterial blood pressure equals 53.83%. The proposed model achieves very encouraging results; since all accuracies of the blood pressure parameters for unhealthy and healthy subjects are more than 91.4%. Moreover, the proposed algorithm can be utilized to determine heart rate, oxygen saturation level, systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressures

Impact of urban configurations on microclimate and thermal comfort in residential area of Kuala Lumpur

The increase of vertical development causes the modification of urban microclimates and higher intensity of Urban Heat Island (UHI). Scholars emphasise that urban configuration is one of the major factors that influences this issue. Current studies on the relationship of urban configurations and urban climate mainly focus on the urban canyon. Furthermore, there is lack of focus on the impact of urban configurations on both microclimate and thermal comfort. Therefore, this study investigated the impact of urban configurations on the mitigation of UHI and the balance between microclimate and thermal comfort, called Climatically Responsive Urban Configuration (CRUC) in Kuala Lumpur. Four urban configurations, namely: Courtyard, U, Courtyard Canyon and Canyon were investigated using ENVI-met simulation. The urban configurations were simulated according to the value of Sky View Factor (SVF). Besides, these urban configurations were set according to two canyon directions; East West and North South in two empirical sites situated in Kuala Lumpur. The results showed that the urban configurations have impact on both microclimate and thermal comfort. This is an indication that the increase of SVF in urban configurations could mitigate the intensity of the UHI. Enclosed urban configurations such as the Courtyard and Courtyard Canyon complied with the concept of CRUC in the setting of East West canyon direction, whereas urban configurations with canyon features for Canyon and Courtyard Canyon are recommended in the setting of North South canyon direction. The finding emphasised that in Kuala Lumpur climatic context, the high intensity of the solar radiation is the main influential factor in UHI mitigation and forming the CRUC. It is recommended that urban planners avoid East-West canyon direction in strategising the impact of urban configurations on microclimate and thermal comfort

Study of the hydrodynamic processes of rivers and floodplains with obstructions

A study has been undertaken to supplement design methods and develop innovative approaches for the effective management of rivers and floodplains to reduce flood risk. The focus has been on enhancing the understanding and representation of the hydrodynamic processes of a variety of flow conditions and the associated hydraulic interaction with selected obstruction types, such as mangroves and vehicles for the representative river basins of the Merbok and Klang, on the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, and the Valency, near Boscastle, in the UK. For the study of the hydrodynamic processes of natural floodplains, a numerical model has been refined to investigate the effects of mangroves on tsunamis, with the inclusion of modelling idealised test cases. A similar model has then been applied to a mangrove fringed floodplain for the Merbok river basin. In recognising the importance of mangroves as natural defences against flooding disasters, a novel innovative and environmentally friendly approach, namely the Artificial Mangrove Shelter (AMS), has been first initiated and modelled, for the sustainable restoration and rehabilitation of mangroves along floodplains. In studying the hydrodynamic processes of urban floodplains, a series of experimental investigations has been undertaken on stationary scaled model vehicles in laboratory flumes, to study the effects of vehicles on flood flow propagation and, the influence of the flood flows on the stability of the vehicles. In order to develop a useful innovative approach to evaluate the degree of hydraulic stability for vehicles, a novel three colour zone envelope curve has been first introduced and developed, herein known as the Traffic Light of Hydraulic Stability (TLHS), to identify the likelihood of vehicle movement. The study was then extended to investigate the consequential hydraulic impact of flooded vehicles on blocked bridges, through a physical modelling study in a laboratory flume, with the purpose being to replicate a typical section of prototype floodplain conditions for the Boscastle and Klang. In this study, eventually natural and urban environments along the rivers and floodplains have consideration the hydrodynamic processes and interaction between hydraulic obstructions and flood flows, with novel and practical approaches being developed for effective management of rivers and floodplains.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

A novel approach, using regional climate model, to derive present and future Intensity-Duration-Frequency curves

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Study of the hydrodynamic processes of rivers and floodplains with obstructions

A study has been undertaken to supplement design methods and develop innovative approaches for the effective management of rivers and floodplains to reduce flood risk. The focus has been on enhancing the understanding and representation of the hydrodynamic processes of a variety of flow conditions and the associated hydraulic interaction with selected obstruction types, such as mangroves and vehicles for the representative river basins of the Merbok and Klang, on the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, and the Valency, near Boscastle, in the UK. For the study of the hydrodynamic processes of natural floodplains, a numerical model has been refined to investigate the effects of mangroves on tsunamis, with the inclusion of modelling idealised test cases. A similar model has then been applied to a mangrove fringed floodplain for the Merbok river basin. In recognising the importance of mangroves as natural defences against flooding disasters, a novel innovative and environmentally friendly approach, namely the Artificial Mangrove Shelter (AMS), has been first initiated and modelled, for the sustainable restoration and rehabilitation of mangroves along floodplains. In studying the hydrodynamic processes of urban floodplains, a series of experimental investigations has been undertaken on stationary scaled model vehicles in laboratory flumes, to study the effects of vehicles on flood flow propagation and, the influence of the flood flows on the stability of the vehicles. In order to develop a useful innovative approach to evaluate the degree of hydraulic stability for vehicles, a novel three colour zone envelope curve has been first introduced and developed, herein known as the Traffic Light of Hydraulic Stability (TLHS), to identify the likelihood of vehicle movement. The study was then extended to investigate the consequential hydraulic impact of flooded vehicles on blocked bridges, through a physical modelling study in a laboratory flume, with the purpose being to replicate a typical section of prototype floodplain conditions for the Boscastle and Klang. In this study, eventually natural and urban environments along the rivers and floodplains have consideration the hydrodynamic processes and interaction between hydraulic obstructions and flood flows, with novel and practical approaches being developed for effective management of rivers and floodplains