Using co-operative vehicle-infrastructure systems to reduce traffic emissions and improve air quality at signalized urban intersections

Road transport has expanded the scope of human mobility, increasing the distances people travel. However, the recent increase in the number of vehicles has resulted in many adverse consequences in terms of safety, efficiency and the environment. Traffic emissions are known to be the main source of air pollution in urban areas. Today while demand for environmental aspects has increased and is expected to increase even further, a new development has occurred in the applications of co-operative vehicle-infrastructure systems. Using co-operative systems, vehicles and road infrastructures can communicate with each other through Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I or I2V) communication. Therefore, co-operative systems can be used to improve road safety, efficiency and air quality. \ud \ud This thesis gives more insight into the impacts of co-operative vehicle-infrastructure systems on the environment. To assess these impacts first, a modeling framework of traffic, emission and dispersion model was developed. Second, an indicator for local air quality was developed to support decision making on short-term local traffic measures. Third, an algorithm was developed using I2V communication to influence the traffic flow in real-time and help reducing traffic emissions. Finally, the developed algorithm was tested using the modeling framework. The results show that traffic emissions can be reduced for both actuated and adaptive controller using I2V communication

Assessment Of Knowledge, Attitudes, Perception And Barriers Towards Pharmacovigilance Activities Among Community Pharmacists And Final Year Pharmacy Students In Malaysia.

Tindak Balas Ubat Berbahaya (Adverse Drug Reactions, ADR) sering kali dikaitkan dengan kadar morbiditi dan mortaliti yang tinggi di serantau dunia. Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) are associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality worldwide

Assessment of knowledge, attitudes, perception and barriers towards pharmacovigilance activities among community pharmacists and final year pharmacy students in Malaysia

Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) are associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In order to overcome this problem, many countries around the world have established national pharmacovigilance systems. Most of the phannacovigilance system nowadays depends largely on ADR Spontaneous Reporting System (SRS) by healthcare professional such as physicians and pharmacists. Within this context, Malaysia established its pharmacovigilance system in 1987. The Malaysian Adverse Drug Reaction Advisory Committee (MADRAC) was established under the umbrella of Drug Control Authority (DCA) for documenting SRS reports received from healthcare professionals. As with most of the spontaneous ADRs reporting system worldwide, the Malaysian SRS has also been affected by underreporting of ADRs especially by the community pharmacists. Data from MADRAC shows that the ADRs reporting rate by community pharmacists is low compared to their counterparts in the other countries. Furthermore, there are no comprehensive studies conducted to explore the reasons behind under reporting of ADRs among community pharmacists in Malaysia. This thesis aims to explore the knowledge, attitude and perception held by community pharmacists regarding ADR reporting

(20S*,24S*)-25-Hy­droxy-20,24-ep­oxy-A-homo-4-oxadammaran-3-one (Chrysura) isolated from the leaves of Walsura chrysogyne

The title dammarane triterpenoid, C30H50O4, assigned the name chrysura, was isolated from an ethyl acetate extract of Walsura chrysogyne leaves (Meliaceae). It has 20S*,24S* relative stereochemistry and an oxepanone ring with two methyl groups at position 4. The two cyclo­hexane rings adopt chair conformations. The cyclo­pentane and tetra­hydro­furan rings have envelope conformations; their mean planes make a dihedral angle of 13.1 (3)°, indicating that the rings are only slightly tilted with respect to each other. There is an intra­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bond in the mol­ecule, which forms S(6) and S(7) ring motifs. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked via O—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming chains propagating along [001] which stack along the b-axis direction

Multi-counterpropagation network model for colour recognition

Minolta Chroma Meters was used to convert colours into numbers. It offers five different colour systems for measuring absolute chromaticity, that is, CIE Yxy, L*a*b*, L*C*H°, Hunter Lab and XYZ. In this study, only L*a*b* is used, and combinations of two counterpropagation network (CPN) are required to recognise 808 colours produced by The Royal Horticultural Society, based on RHS Colour Chart [1]. Our proposed neural network model is tested; the result shows that 99% of trained data are recognised, against 98% for untrained data

The impact of adding fetal MRI to sonographically diagnosed intrauterine ventriculomegaly: a prospective cohort study

Objective: Intrauterine fetal ventriculomegaly (IVM) is one of the most commonly detected fetal anomalies. Prenatal diagnosis in IVM is considered a challenge with a significant impact on management. The current study aims to evaluate the added value of performing fetal MRI to sonographically diagnosed IVM. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted at a tertiary University Hospital in the period between January 2017 and March 2019. We included pregnant women with a single fetus sonographically diagnosed IVM (symmetrical or asymmetrical). First, a basic obstetric sonographic examination was done, followed by a detailed (2D/3D) fetal CNS anomaly scan for the detection of other associated anomalies. A fetal MRI brain scan was performed for all cases. Results: Sixty women were included in the study. Of the 60 fetuses with IVM, additional findings were seen on MRI in 14 cases (23%), and most of these findings were identified in fetuses with severe IVM (about 50%). No additional abnormalities were identified in fetuses of less than 24 weeks gestation. Callosal and septum pellucidum lesions (29%), along with posterior fossa abnormalities (28%) and cortical malformations (21%) accounted for the most common additional significant fetal MRI findings. Fetal MRI sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values in correlation with those of prenatal ultrasound turned out to be notably higher, approaching nearly 100 %. Conclusions: Fetal MRI for sonographically diagnosed moderate or severe IVM is recommended to guide clinical management

Seismic response analysis of linked twin tall buildings with structural coupling

Effect of structural links on seismic responses for a linked building system has been investigated in this paper by using finite element modeling technique. The linked building system in this study is represented by twin 40-story reinforced concrete frame-wall structures horizontally coupled by structural links. It is assumed that the two adjacent buildings were similar in this linked building system, so the two adjacent stories could be linked at the same height by an inter-building link. The linked building system is modeled as a rigid floor diaphragm for towers and as a beam for each link fixedly linked to the perimeter structural framework of the buildings. By employing earthquake time history excitation, the seismic responses of the twin towers were computed at different locations for the link. The responses of structures were evaluated and compared. The analysis outcomes indicated that the link could effectively change the structural responses of the linked building system. The structural responses have been decreased in some cases compared to the single tower, referring to the extra link stiffness as gathering the single tower to withstand seismic excitation. While the responses have been increased in other cases, attributing to the additional mass of link. Thus, in the design of seismic-resistant linked building systems, care must be taken. Particularly regarding properties of the link, specifically mass, stiffness, and location, as well as the link resistance with respect to the strength of the link and/or the structural elements composing the link to obviate undesired structural responses

Impact of educational intervention for improving Malaysian parents’ knowledge towards their children immunization

Background: Parents are the primary health decision-maker for their children. This fact makes parents’ knowledge regarding immunization in general has great impact on their children immunization status. Aims: To assess the knowledge of parents in Malaysia towards their children immunization and to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational seminar for improving parents’ knowledge towards their children immunization. Methods: A cross-sectional study using pre- and post- intervention design was conducted with a sample of 73parents. Changes in knowledge scores before and after the educational seminar were measured. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used whenever appropriate. Frequencies and percentages were used to describe the respondents’ demographic information. Wilcoxon Signed ranks test and The McNemar χ2 test were applied to compare the differences in knowledge before and after the seminar whenever appropriate. Results: Seventy three parents agreed to participate in this educational seminar, majority of them were mothers (n= 64; 87.7%). A comparison of parents’ knowledge before and immediately after the implementation of the educational seminar showed significant differences. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) of the Knowledge scores of immunization significantly increased compared to the baseline following the intervention 12.60±2.69 to 16.03±1.87 (p<0.001), the possible score in knowledge domain ranged from zero to 20. Conclusion: Parents’ knowledge towards immunization improved significantly after the educational intervention. Therefore, introducing educational programs for parents to improve their knowledge about immunization is needed

Immunization knowledge and practice among Malaysian parents: a questionnaire development and pilot-testing

Parents are the main decision makers for their children vaccinations. This fact makes parents’ immunization knowledge and practices as predictor factors for immunization uptake and timeliness. The aim of this pilot study was to develop a reliable and valid instrument in Malaysian language to measure immunization knowledge and practice (KP) of Malaysian parents

The effects of various drying techniques on physicochemical and nutritional qualities of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) calyx

The calyx of the roselle plant (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) has been extensively studied for its anthocyanins. Roselle calyces are exceedingly perishable, making the process of drying and extracting them without sacrificing quality quite difficult. Similarly, there are several commercial drying procedures available, each with its own set of benefits and drawbacks on nutritional and physicochemical qualities in the final product. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of sun, oven and freeze drying on the physicochemical and nutritional properties of roselle calyx. The antioxidant (%RSA), total anthocyanin content (TAC) and their HPLC identification, physicochemical as well as proximate composition were determined. The results showed that freeze drying increased the drying rate significantly and retained the antioxidant activity (32 mg/100 g QE) then fresh calyx, sun and oven drying, freeze-dried calyx also have higher TAC (176.9 mg/l) than sun and oven dried calyx, the HPLC analysis revealed two anthocyanidin cyanidine glucoside and cyanidin glucoside. phytochemicals and proximate of roselle calyces were higher in freeze-dried than oven and sun drying techniques employed. The findings demonstrated that freeze drying the roselle calyces preserve their quality characteristics