Annex 16 : automated traffic monitoring for complex road conditions

Recent advancements in computer vision and machine learning techniques have made traffic monitoring systems highly effective in well structured traffic conditions such as highways. But these systems struggle in handling complex and irregular conditions that exist in developing countries, due to lack of infrastructure and regulation. This research breaks down the problem into different sub-tasks such as vehicle detection, vehicle tracking, and vehicle recognition, then combines each process into one pipeline that can be used for traffic monitoring. Implementing the final pipeline involves improving and aggregating existing techniques. Results demonstrate the potential of these techniques for automated traffic monitoring

Chronic kidney disease of unknown aetiology in Sri Lanka: is cadmium a likely cause?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The rising prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and subsequent end stage renal failure necessitating renal replacement therapy has profound consequences for affected individuals and health care resources. This community based study was conducted to identify potential predictors of microalbuminuria in a randomly selected sample of adults from the North Central Province (NCP) of Sri Lanka, where the burden of CKD is pronounced and the underlying cause still unknown.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Exposures to possible risk factors were determined in randomly recruited subjects (425 females and 461 males) from selected areas of the NCP of Sri Lanka using an interviewer administered questionnaire. Sulphosalicylic acid and the Light Dependent Resister microalbumin gel filtration method was used for initial screening for microalbuminuria and reconfirmed by the <it>Micral </it>strip test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Microalbumnuria was detected in 6.1% of the females and 8.5% of the males. Smoking (p < 0.001), alcohol use (p = 0.003), hypertension (p < 0.001), diabetes (p < 0.001), urinary tract infection (UTI) (p = 0.034) and consumption of water from wells in the fields (p = 0.025) were associated with microalbuminuria. In the binary logistic regression analysis, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, UTI, drinking well water in the fields, smoking and pesticide spraying were found to be significant predictors of microalbuminuria.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, UTI, and smoking are known risk factors for microalbuminuria. The association between microalbuminuria and consumption of well water suggests an environmental aetiology to CKD in NCP. The causative agent is yet to be identified. Investigations for cadmium as a potential causative agent needs to be initiated.</p

Chemical clogging of granular media under acidic groundwater conditions

Generation of acidic groundwater attributed to pyrite oxidation in low-lying acid sulfate soil has caused substantial damage to the soil-water environment and civil infrastructure in coastal Australia. The installation of permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) is a frontier technology in the field of acid neutralisation and removal of toxic heavy metal cations – for example, soluble iron (Fe) and aluminium (Al). This study aims to assess the potential of limestone (calcite) aggregates as the PRB’s main reactive material in low-lying pyritic land. During long-term laboratory column experiments, a significant capacity of limestone for removing contaminant chemical species was observed. Nevertheless, the formation of secondary mineral precipitates upon geochemical reactivity within the granular media in the PRB caused armouring and chemical clogging, which diminished the rate of reactivity – that is, the treatment capacity of calcite aggregates – mainly at the entrance zone of the porous media. Flow properties were altered due to blockage of pores; for instance, hydraulic conductivity was reduced by 25% at the inlet zone. Non-homogeneous clogging towards the outlet was analysed, and the time-dependent effect on the longevity of a limestone column was studied and quantified