Real-time crowd density mapping using a novel sensory fusion model of infrared and visual systems

Crowd dynamic management research has seen significant attention in recent years in research and industry in an attempt to improve safety level and management of large scale events and in large public places such as stadiums, theatres, railway stations, subways and other places where high flow of people at high densities is expected. Failure to detect the crowd behaviour at the right time could lead to unnecessary injuries and fatalities. Over the past decades there have been many incidents of crowd which caused major injuries and fatalities and lead to physical damages. Examples of crowd disasters occurred in past decades include the tragedy of Hillsborough football stadium at Sheffield where at least 93 football supporters have been killed and 400 injured in 1989 in Britain's worst-ever sporting disaster (BBC, 1989). Recently in Cambodia a pedestrians stampede during the Water Festival celebration resulted in 345 deaths and 400 injuries (BBC, 2010) and in 2011 at least 16 people were killed and 50 others were injured in a stampede in the northern Indian town of Haridwar (BBC, 2011). Such disasters could be avoided or losses reduced by using different technologies. Crowd simulation models have been found effective in the prediction of potential crowd hazards in critical situations and thus help in reducing fatalities. However, there is a need to combine the advancement in simulation with real time crowd characterisation such as the estimation of real time density in order to provide accurate prognosis in crowd behaviour and enhance crowd management and safety, particularly in mega event such as the Hajj. This paper addresses the use of novel sensory technology in order to estimate people’s dynamic density du ring one of the Hajj activities. The ultimate goal is that real time accurate estimation of density in different areas within the crowd could help to improve the decision making process and provide more accurate prediction of the crowd dynamics. This paper investigates the use of infrared and visual cameras supported by auxiliary sensors and artificial intelligence to evaluate the accuracy in estimating crowd density in an open space during Muslims Pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca)

Isolation, screening and optimization of alkaliphilic cellulolytic fungi for production of cellulase

This study concerns with the production and partial characterization of alkaline cellulase from alkaliphilic cellulolytic (AC) fungi isolated fromsoil in Perlis, Malaysia. The best fungi strain was selected on the basis of producing the highest cellulase at high pH conditions. Cellulase from the selected fungi strain was further characterized under saccharification but varies in operating parameters. Finally, the kineticmodel describing the growth of the AC fungi strain was studied by employing the logistic model. Among the tested fungi strains, Basidiomycetes strain (BK1) showed high potentiality for the production of maximum alkaline cellulase production at pH 9 after 72 h of incubation at 30°C containing 6 g·L−1 carboxyl methyl cellulose. The saccharification process showed that the enzyme favour high alkaline condition and proves thermotolerant properties, while 15% (v/v) enzyme loading and 1% substrate concentration recorded the highest glucose production at about 1.2–1.3mg·mL−1. The novelty of the study is to identify and optimize a unique indigenous fungi that emit alkaliphilic cellulase as alternative usage in biotechnology industries due to its capacity to adapt to the extreme conditions of specific industrial processes. There are revolutionary options for use in biotechnological businesses that involve high pH and therefore have substantial biotechnological promise

Isolation, screening and optimization of alkaliphilic cellulolytic fungi for production of cellulase

This study concerns with the production and partial characterization of alkaline cellulase from alkaliphilic cellulolytic (AC) fungi isolated fromsoil in Perlis, Malaysia. The best fungi strain was selected on the basis of producing the highest cellulase at high pH conditions. Cellulase from the selected fungi strain was further characterized under saccharification but varies in operating parameters. Finally, the kinetic model describing the growth of the AC fungi strain was studied by employing the logistic model. Among the tested fungi strains, Basidiomycetes strain (BK1) showed high potentiality for the production of maximum alkaline cellulase production at pH 9 after 72 h of incubation at 30°C containing 6 g·L−1 carboxyl methyl cellulose. The saccharification process showed that the enzyme favour high alkaline condition and proves thermotolerant properties, while 15% (v/v) enzyme loading and 1% substrate concentration recorded the highest glucose production at about 1.2–1.3 mg·mL−1. The novelty of the study is to identify and optimize a unique indigenous fungi that emit alkaliphilic cellulase as alternative usage in biotechnology industries due to its capacity to adapt to the extreme conditions of specific industrial processes. There are revolutionary options for use in biotechnological businesses that involve high pH and therefore have substantial biotechnological promise

The Use of Essential Oil Embedded in Polylactic Acid/Chitosan-Based Film for Mango Post-Harvest Application against Pathogenic Fungi

Mango has a high global demand. Fruit fungal disease causes post-harvest mango and fruit losses. Conventional chemical fungicides and plastic prevent fungal diseases but they are hazardous to humans and the environment. Direct application of essential oil for post-harvest fruit control is not a cost-effective approach. The current work offers an eco-friendly alternative to controlling the post-harvest disease of fruit using a film amalgamated with oil derived from Melaleuca alternifolia. Further, this research also aimed to assess the mechanical, antioxidant, and antifungal properties of the film infused with essential oil. ASTM D882 was performed to determine the tensile strength of the film. The antioxidant reaction of the film was assessed using the DPPH assay. In vitro and in vivo tests were used to evaluate the inhibitory development of the film against pathogenic fungi, by comparing the film with different levels of essential oil together with the treatment of the control and chemical fungicide. Disk diffusion was used to evaluate mycelial growth inhibition, where the film incorporated with 1.2 wt% essential oil yielded the best results. For in vivo testing of wounded mango, the disease incidence was successfully reduced. For in vivo testing of unwounded mango to which the film incorporated with essential oil was applied, although some quality parameters such as the color index were not significantly affected, weight loss was reduced, soluble solid content was increased, and firmness was increased, compared to the control. Thus, the film incorporated with essential oil (EO) from M. alternifolia can be an environmentally friendly alternative to the conventional approach and the direct application of essential oil to control post-harvest disease in mango