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.

Gis- Based Environmental Modeling for Integration of Urban Accessibility and Air Quality

Good establishment of urban transportation network in proportion to residential zones is an important element in urban planning. Increasing urban network has both positive (accessibility) and negative (air pollution) impacts. Accessibility and air quality are chosen as key elements with respect to their critical roles in quality of life and environmental impacts. A spatial and mathematical model is useful to find the effective functions and activities on accessibility and air quality. Also, it has capability to assign quantitative values to these functions. The overall objective of this study is to develop a decision support tool to plan appropriate locations for residential landuses and urban transportation network development through the use of spatial technologies to address two issues - accessibility and air quality. Methodology of this study helps to select suitable sites for development of urban transportation network and residential zones. Petaling Jaya, a developing city in Selangor, Malaysia has been chosen as a case study. This method can explain the linkage between accessibility and air quality. It covers the optimum accessibility from residential to commercial and administrative area along reducing air quality. There are two main focuses in this method: definition of the optimum distance between residential zones and roads based on mathematical model, and definition of the optimum location of residential zones in proportion to urban transportation network. In this method, calibration of a complex mathematical spatial decision support model for air pollution monitoring and quantitative interpretation of urban accessibility explores and arranges important criteria such as traffic volume, wind speed, and travel time which could be interpreted to predict suitable landuses and urban networks location in quantitative framework. The main finding of this research is a mathematical model, with about 90% accuracy, can be applied for the study area to find optimum distance from roads to avoid air pollution. Exploring potential locations for residential land use development as series of suitability maps to show current suitable and potential locations for future development is another finding of this research. Series of maps and quantitative parameters analyzed to find some area with good accessibility and air quality. The results show 66 % of study area has good accessibility and 20% of study area has potential for air pollution. The potential polluted areas are mostly located in residential landuse. Combination of accessible and non polluted areas with vacant lands and current residence areas show that 60% of current residential area are allocated in good accessible and air quality locations and with current transport network, 8% of study area has potential to develop for future. Also, there is a need to re-design of transportation networks and landuses for future development of residential zones. The spatial scenario planning framework developed in this research is an example of an effective integrated decision-making framework. This research has successfully managed to develop a scientifically based approach to convert conceptual configuration of non polluted and accessible areas into strategic locations using geospatial technology. Modeling for emitted air pollution by transportation, interpretation of transportation accessibility and analyzing the successful and non-successful current and future development has provided an efficient spatial approach for urban planning. It is hoped that this mathematical and spatial based approach can be employed in transportation planning and residential landuse suitability assessment at both the local and structure plan levels

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

Spatial distribution of total phosphorus and organic carbon in the salt-affected soils in the Meyghan Playa, Iran

Due to widespread and fast-growing urban developments, large amounts of industrial, agricultural, and municipal wastewaters are produced which can change ecosystem functions after being released into rivers and lakes. The distributions of organic carbon (OC) and total phosphorus (TP) of soil were studied in the salt affected soils in the Meyghan Playa, Iran, to show the impacts of human activities on these soils and sediment properties in this arid region of the world. Samples were taken from 250 points and were analyzed geostatistically for electrical conductivity (EC), pH, TP, and OC. Although EC had the highest coefficient of variation (CV = 2.4) compared to CVs of the other soil properties, the sill/nugget ratio for EC in the geostatistical analysis was the highest one. Therefore, EC had the strongest spatial dependence compared to OC, TP, and pH with lower sill/nugget ratios and moderate spatial dependence. The maximum amount of OC was more than 2% which was observed near the entrance of municipal wastewater to the Meyghan Lake, and the highest soil TP was more than 400 kg mg-1 near the entrance of municipal wastewater and also at river mouths, which can be attributed to leaching and runoff fertilizers from farmlands. Enrichment of OC in the entrance of municipal wastewater toward the lake is related to eutrophication and higher plant production.Devido à expansão e ao rápido crescimento e desenvolvimento urbano, têm sido produzidas grandes quantidades de águas residuais industriais, agrícolas e municipais que podem alterar, quando vertidas nos rios e lagos, as funções dos ecossistemas. Estudaram-se as distribuições do carbono orgânico (OC) e do fósforo total (TP) em solos afetados por sais em Playa Meyghan, Irão, com o objetivo de mostrar os impactos das atividades humanas nas propriedades dos solos e sedimentos desta região árida. As amostras foram colhidas em 250 pontos e os valores da condutividade elétrica (EC), pH, TP e OC foram analisados por métodos geoestatísticos. Embora a EC apresentasse o maior coeficiente de variação (CV = 2,4) comparada com os coeficientes de variação das outras propriedades do solo, a razão still/nugget na análise geoestatística era a mais alta. Deste modo, a EC apresentava a mais forte dependência espacial em comparação com o OC, TP e pH que mostraram razões still/nugget mais baixas e uma dependência espacial moderada. A quantidade máxima de OC era superior a 2%, a qual foi observada próximo da entrada das águas residuais municipais no Lago Mayghan, e o valor mais elevado do TP no solo, superior a 400 kg mg-1, também se determinou na mesma zona e ainda nas fozes dos rios, o que se pode atribuir a processos de lixiviação e escorrência de fertilizantes provenientes das terras de cultivo. O enriquecimento em C orgânico na entrada das águas residuais municipais até ao lago está relacionado com a eutrofização e uma maior produção vegetal.Debido a la expasión y al rápido crecimiento del desarrollo urbano, se están produciendo grandes cantidades de aguas residuales industriales, agrícolas y municipales que pueden modificar las funciones ecosistémicas tras su vertido en ríos y lagos. Se estudiaron las distribuciones de carbono orgánico (OC) y fósforo total (TP) en suelos afectados por sales en Playa Meyghan, Irán, con objeto de mostrar los impactos de las actividades humanas sobre las propiedades de suelos y sedimentos en esta region árida. Se recogieron muestras en 250 puntos y se analizaron geoestadísticamente valores de conductividad eléctrica (EC), pH, TP y OC. Aunque la conductividad eléctrica presentó el coeficiente de variación más alto (CV = 2,4) en comparación con los coeficientes de variación de otras propiedades del suelo, la razón sill/nugget para la EC en el análisis geoestadístico fue la más elevada. Por tanto, la EC presentaba la dependencia espacial más fuerte en comparación con el carbono orgánico, el fósforo total y el pH, que mostraron razones still/nugget más bajas y una dependencia espacial moderada. La cantidad máxima de carbono orgánico fue superior al 2% y se observó en las cercanías de la entrada de aguas residuales municipales al Lago Meyghan, y el valor más elevado de fósforo total, superior a 400 kg mg-1, se determinó en esta zona y también en las desembocaduras de los ríos, lo que se puede atribuir a procesos de lixiviado y escorrentía con fertilizantes procedentes de las tierras de cultivo. El enriquecimiento en carbono orgánico en las cercanías de la entrada de aguas residuales municipales hacia el lago está relacionado con la eutrofización y con una mayor producción vegetal

Fanconi-Bickel syndrome versus osteogenesis imperfeeta: An Iranian case with a novel mutation in glucose transporter 2 gene, and review of literature

Fanconi-Bickel syndrome is an extremely rare hereditary metabolic disease, characterized by hepatomegaly due to glycogen storage, refractory hypophosphatemic rickets, marked growth retardation and proximal renal tubular acidosis. Recurrent bone fractures are one of the hallmark findings. It is a single gene disorder; the responsible gene belongs to the facilitative glucose transporters 2 (GLUT2) family gene or (SLC2A2) mapped to the q26.1-26.3 locus on chromosome 3, and encodes the GLUT protein 2. This protein is expressed in pancreatic ί-cells, hepatocytes, renal tubules, and intestinal mucosa. Several mutations in the GLUT2 gene have been reported in different ethnicities. Herein we report an Iranian girl with a missed diagnosis of osteogenesis imperfecta. She was referred with the history of frequent fractures, and severe motor delay and was suspected to osteogenesis imperfecta. Following the case we detected refractory rickets instead of OI, sever growth failure, proximal renal tubulopathy and RTA, and enlarged kidneys, progressive hepatomegaly, and GSD on liver biopsy. Glucose and galactose tolerance tests confirmed abnormal carbohydrate metabolism. Molecular analysis on GLUT2 gene revealed a homozygous novel mutation in exon 5; it was 15 nucleotide deletion and 7 nucleotide insertion and caused a frame shift mutation, produced a premature truncated protein (P.A229QFsX19). This mutation has not been reported before in the relevant literature

Highly efficient and stable flexible perovskite solar cells with metal oxides nanoparticle charge extraction layers

\u3cp\u3eIn this study, the fabrication of highly efficient and durable flexible inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is reported. Presynthesized, solution-derived NiO\u3csub\u3ex\u3c/sub\u3e and ZnO nanoparticles films are employed at room temperature as a hole transport layer (HTL) and electron transport layer (ETL), respectively. The triple cation perovskite films are produced in a single step and for the sake of comparison, ultrasmooth and pinhole-free absorbing layers are also fabricated using MAPbI\u3csub\u3e3\u3c/sub\u3e perovskite. The triple cation perovskite cells exhibit champion power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 18.6% with high stabilized power conversion efficiency of 17.7% on rigid glass/indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates (comparing with 16.6% PCE with 16.1% stabilized output efficiency for the flexible polyethylene naphthalate (PEN)/thin film barrier/ITO substrates). More interestingly, the durability of flexible PSC under simulation of operative condition is proved. Over 85% of the maximum stabilized output efficiency is retained after 1000 h aging employing a thin MAPbI\u3csub\u3e3\u3c/sub\u3e perovskite (over 90% after 500 h with a thick triple cation perovskite). This result is comparable to a similar state of the art rigid PSC and represents a breakthrough in the stability of flexible PSC using ETLs and HTLs compatible with roll to roll production speed, thanks to their room temperature processing.\u3c/p\u3