MATHEMATICAL MODELING CONSIDERING AIR POLLUTION OF TRANSPORTATION: AN URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING, CASE STUDY IN PETALING JAYA, MALAYSIA

This paper provides the findings on a project undertaken to develop a geo-spatial mathematical model relating landuse, road type and air quality. The model shows how spatial elements and issues were quantified to accurately represent the usual and unusual urban environment in the development of residential land-use. The mathematical relationship was based on the optimum distance between residential area and urban transportation network. This mathematical analysis would provide a better planning for urban transportation. The spatial data (urban land-use and urban network development) were generated using satellite images, aerial photos and land use maps. Geospatial analyses were performed to find the effect and impact of urban air quality with respect to urban transportation networks. The output of the study would assist the task to reduce negative transport environmental impacts particularly in the field of air pollution. It would also be useful in identifying the potential residential area with respect to urban transportation network towards achieving sustainable development.Transportation, Model, Air pollution, urban environment, land use.

Enhancing the efficiency of open quantum batteries via adjusting the classical driving field

In the context of quantum information, a quantum battery refers to a system composed of quantum particles that can store and release energy in a way that is governed by the principles of quantum mechanics. The study of open quantum batteries is motivated by the fact that real-world quantum systems are almost never perfectly isolated from their environment. One important challenge in the study of open quantum batteries is to develop theoretical models that accurately capture the complex interactions between the battery and its environment. the goal of studying open quantum batteries is to develop practical methods for building and operating quantum devices that can store and release energy with high efficiency and reliability, even in the presence of environmental noise and other sources of decoherence. The charging process of open quantum batteries under the influence of dissipative environment will be studied. In this Work, the effect of the classical driving field on the charging process of open quantum batteries will be investigated. The classical driving field can be used to manipulate the charging and discharging process of the battery, leading to enhanced performance and improved efficiency. It also will be showed that the efficiency of open quantum batteries depends on detuning between the qubit and the classical driving field and central frequency of the cavity and the classical driving field.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures. This is just a draft version of the manuscript. We welcome your comments and contribution

Small molecule tandem organic photovoltaic cells incorporating an α-NPD optical spacer layer

We report an improvement in power conversion efficiency in a small molecule tandem organic photovoltaic (OPV) device by the optimisation of current balancing of the sub-cells using an optical spacer layer. A co-deposited layer of N,N’-bis(1-naphthyl)-N,N′-diphenyl-1,1’-biphenyl-4,4’-diamine (α-NPD) and molybdenum oxide was used as the optical spacer layer and provided a highly transparent and conductive layer. Optical simulations showed the addition of the optical spacer in a boron subphthalocyanine (SubPc)/C60 based tandem OPV device increased the SubPc absorption in the front sub-cell and resulted in current balancing through the device. Fabricated tandem OPV devices showed similar trends, with the power conversion efficiency increasing from 2.3% to 4.2% with the addition of an optimised optical spacer thickness. External quantum efficiency and total absorption efficiency measurements back up the optical model data which attribute the increased performance to improved SubPc absorption in the front sub-cell, balancing the photocurrents of the two sub-cells

Investigating the Effects of Subjective Norms and Trialability on English Teachers` Attitude toward the Use of Technology

Despite the availability of many technological resources in academic settings and their determinant effect in the improvement of teaching and learning, it seems that teachers rarely used them. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of psychological variables on teachers` attitudes regarding technology use.  In this research, most applicable models like the 'technology acceptance model', 'theory of reasoned action', and 'innovation diffusion theory' are used as the foundation for developing a conceptual framework. Variables such as 'perceived usefulness', 'perceived ease of use', 'trialability', 'subjective norms', and 'attitude' are recaptured from these models. The participants of the present research are high school English language teachers in Shiraz. The researcher uses stratified sampling to identify a representative sample from the population. The present study is administered by using five questionnaires to assess variables. The data are analyzed by means of path analysis. According to the obtained result, perceived ease of use is found to be affected by subjective norms and trialability, which in turn influenced the attitude of teachers toward using technology in their teachings. The results propose that the most influential factor on attitude is trialability (β= 0.38). On the other hand, perceived usefulness has a significant, influential effect on attitude. Subjective norms has an indirect but important effect on attitude

Geo-spatial approach for suitable location of transportation terminals in the coastal towns planning

Good establishment of transportation terminals (jetties and airports) of coastal towns in proportion to relevant landuses and urban networks is an important element in urban tourism planning. Increasing urban network has both positive and negative impacts. Accessibility is chosen as key elements with respect to its critical roles in quality and attraction of coastal tourism. The overall objective of this study is to develop a decision support tool to plan appropriate locations for jetties, airport and urban transportation network development through the use of spatial technologies to address the issues of accessibility. Langkawi Island, an important tourism city in Malaysia has been chosen as a case study. This method can explain the linkage between accessibility and tourism quality. It covers the optimum accessibility from Jetties and airport to tourism landuses and facilities area. This research has successfully managed to develop a scientifically based approach to convert conceptual configuration of accessible tourism locations into transportation terminals using geospatial technology. It is hoped that this spatial based approach can be employed in transportation planning and urban network suitability assessment at both the local and structure plan levels

Device operation of organic tandem solar cells

A generalized methodology is developed to obtain the current-voltage characteristic of polymer tandem solar cells by knowing the electrical performance of both sub cells. We demonstrate that the electrical characteristics of polymer tandem solar cells are correctly predicted for both the series and parallel connection of the sub cells. The agreement with experiments allows us to investigate the effect of a reduced open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current or fill factor in one of the sub cells on the performance of the tandem cell. A low fill factor in one of the sub cells leads to a stronger reduction of the efficiency in a series configuration as compared to the parallel tandem device. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved