Truck Activity Pattern Classification Using Anonymous Mobile Sensor Data

To construct, operate, and maintain a transportation system that supports the efficient movement of freight, transportation agencies must understand economic drivers of freight flow. This is a challenge since freight movement data available to transportation agencies is typically void of commodity and industry information, factors that tie freight movements to underlying economic conditions. With recent advances in the resolution and availability of big data from Global Positioning Systems (GPS), it may be possible to fill this critical freight data gap. However, there is a need for methodological approaches to enable usage of this data for freight planning and operations. To address this methodological need, we use advanced machine-learning techniques and spatial analyses to classify trucks by industry based on activity patterns derived from large streams of truck GPS data. The major components are: (1) derivation of truck activity patterns from anonymous GPS traces, (2) development of a classification model to distinguish trucks by industry, and (3) estimation of a spatio-temporal regression model to capture rerouting behavior of trucks. First, we developed a K-means unsupervised clustering algorithm to find unique and representative daily activity patterns from GPS data. For a statewide GPS data sample, we are able to reduce over 300,000 daily patterns to a representative six patterns, thus enabling easier calibration and validation of the travel forecasting models that rely on detailed activity patterns. Next, we developed a Random Forest supervised machine learning model to classify truck daily activity patterns by industry served. The model predicts five distinct industry classes, i.e., farm products, manufacturing, chemicals, mining, and miscellaneous mixed, with 90% accuracy, filling a critical gap in our ability to tie truck movements to industry served. This ultimately allows us to build travel demand forecasting models with behavioral sensitivity. Finally, we developed a spatio-temporal model to capture truck rerouting behaviors due to weather events. The ability to model re-routing behaviors allows transportation agencies to identify operational and planning solutions that mitigate the impacts of weather on truck traffic. For freight industries, the prediction of weather impacts on truck driver’s route choices can inform a more accurate estimation of billable miles

Manufacturing of biocomposite shell mimetic via the powder compaction method

Natural sea shells are used in the treatment of waste air-streams in biofitration process, however this industry requires new methods of fabricating synthetic shell media to perform in the way natural shell performs. This present study investigates the manufacturing of seashells-like bioceramic/biocomposites as a filter bed with optimum porosity and compressive load capacity using uniaxial die compaction method. According to the structure of natural sea shell, calcium carbonate bioceramics/biocomposites were designed and manufactured in three steps. In the first step, optimisation of the process parameters and their effects on the porosity (Pr) and compressive load (Cs) of bio-ceramic 1 have been studied. Statistical analyses of the data indicates that only the weight fraction of the pore former and the compaction load influenced significantly the porosity and the compressive load. The compaction speed has no significant influence on the properties of the artificial bioceramic. Higher weight fraction of pore former and lower compaction load leads to high porosity and low compressive load. In the second step, the effect of the particle size of the pore former on porosity and compressive load of calcium carbonate bioceramic 2 was investigated and optimised. The particle size of the pore former has a significant effect on compressive load. No substantial effect of the particle size of the pore former has been found to vary the porosity of the bioceamic 2. In the third step, the effect of the addition of biopolymers on compressive load of calcium carbonate biocomposite has been analysed. The mixing of individual or both biopolymers together increased the compressive load of the calcium carbonate biocomposites significantly. This new synthetic bioceramic/composites were also examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and their behaviour under compression test was also determined. Porosity and compressive load of the natural seashells were compared with artificial calcium carbonate bioceramic/biocomposites. The biocomposite performed well mechanically under dry conditions however more research is required to identify the problems that occurred under wet conditions

A General Overview of Multi-objective Multiple-participant Decision Making for Flood Management

Decision-making problems in water resources are often associated with multiple objectives and multiple stakeholders. To enable more effective and acceptable decision outcome, it is required that more participation is ensured in the decision making process. This is particularly relevant for flood management problems where the number of stakeholders could be very large. Although application of multi-objective decision-making tools in water resources is very wide, application with the consideration of multiple stakeholders is much more limited. The solution methodologies adapted for multi-objective multi-participant decision problems are generally based on aggregation of decisions obtained for individual decision makers. This approach seems somewhat inadequate when the number of stakeholders is very large, as often is the case in flood management. The present study has been performed to have an overview of existing solution methodologies for multi-objective decision making approaches in water resources. Decision making by single and multiple stakeholders has been considered under both deterministic and uncertain conditions. It has been found that the use of fuzzy set theory to represent various uncertainties associated with decision making situations under multi-objective multiple-participant environment is very promising. Coupled with multi-objective methods (e. g. compromise programming and goal programming), fuzzy approach has also the ability to support group decisions, to reflect collective opinions and conflicting judgments.https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/wrrr/1003/thumbnail.jp

Voice mail application for visually impaired persons

Technology-based applications are developed day by day in the whole world. But more of those are unusable for the visually impaired people. One of such applications, email has become an important and significant part of formal communication in the professional world. Thus, Voice Mail turns out to be an application through which visionless people can easily send or receive emails. The application uses “Voice to Text” and “Text to Voice” conversion to be usable for the visually impaired people. The system at first takes voice signals from the users as inputs, processes the signals and then converts that voice signals into the text. After that a text processing method is applied to convert the text into voice. Finally, the gmail server is used to connect the server with generating address to send or receive any mail. This application is useful for not only blind people but also for the normal people who always remain busy and doesn’t have time to type in keyboard. Moreover, this application is very much helpful and efficient in time utilization

Introduction to Signal Timing & Traffic Control

The purpose of these lesson plans is to introduce students to traffic signalization basics. Students will be lead through a series of mini-lectures on traffic control and signalization including a discussion on the limitations and benefits of traffic signalization. The lesson plans compliment a computer simulation “game” in which students act as manual operators for a single up to four by four gridded intersection. Students attempt to control the progression of signals to understand the relationship between signal timing and user delay. Through experimentation with the simulation, students generate a presentation discussing the benefits and drawbacks of signal timing and graph the relationship between signal cycle length and driver delay. The lesson plan concludes with each student group giving a presentation on their experimental findings. This set of lesson plans includes the lecture PowerPoint slides with scripted comments and the simulation game files.https://scholarworks.uark.edu/cveglearn/1002/thumbnail.jp

Effect of stocking density on growth performance of monosex tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) with Indian spinach (Basella alba) in a recirculating aquaponic system

An experiment was conducted to compare effect of stocking density on growth performance of monosex tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) with Indian spinach (Basella alba) in a recirculating aquaponic system. The experiment was set-up for 8 weeks under 4 treatments with three replications, where stocking density of tilapia were 30, 50, 70 and 90 fish/tank (300 litre) in treatments T1, T2, T3 and T4, respectively. Water from the tank was recirculated through a vegetable growing tray. Each of the tray was 0.15 m3in size, which was planted with 12 plants (Indian spinach). The fish of all the treatments was fed two times a day. During the experimental period,the range of water temperature was 27.1 to 31.50 C, pH 7.48 to 8.28, ammonia 0.2 to 2.0 mg/l and dissolve oxygen 5.11 to 6.58 mg/l. At the end of the experiment, average weight gain, final length, specific growth rate (%/day), survival rate was significantly higher in T1 (30 fish/tank) treatment while the net yield of fish and plant biomass was higher in T2 (50 fish/tank) treatment.Therefore, the study suggests that stocking density of 50 fish/tank for tilapia, i.e. 167 fish/m3, is suitable for production of both plant and fish in a recirculating aquaponic system

Transportation Engineering: Traffic Control Simulator

The purpose of these lesson plans is to introduce students to traffic signalization basics. Students will be lead through a series of mini-lectures on traffic control and signalization including a discussion on the limitations and benefits of traffic signalization. The lesson plans compliment a computer simulation “game” in which students act as manual operators for a single up to four by four gridded intersection. Students attempt to control the progression of signals to understand the relationship between signal timing and user delay. Through experimentation with the simulation, students generate a presentation discussing the benefits and drawbacks of signal timing and graph the relationship between signal cycle length and driver delay. The lesson plan concludes with each student group giving a presentation on their experimental findings. This set of lesson plans includes the lecture PowerPoint slides with scripted comments and the simulation game files.https://scholarworks.uark.edu/cveglearn/1001/thumbnail.jp

SURVIVAL ASSESSMENT OF PATHOGENIC BACTERIA WITH ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE TRAITS FROM FRESH SUMMER ROYAL GRAPE : IN VITRO MICROBIAL CHALLENGE TEST

Table grape act as a popular and mouthwatering fruit supplement over the world. Unhygienic handling of these fruits can possess a diverse threat to public health safety. Moreover, the fruit juice can serve as a nutrient for bacterial growth as well if kept in an unsanitary condition. For this purpose, five imported grape samples (Red Globe, Perlette, Calmeria, Princess and Summer Royal) were tested to assess the presence of pathogenic bacteria and drug-resistant pattern of the isolates. The total bacterial count (TBC) and total fungal count (TFC) showed the presence large amount of bacterial (ranged from 4.4 x 10(4) to 8.1 x 10(7)) and fungal population on the grapes samples, especially on the skin part of the fruits. Several pathogenic isolates, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus spp., and Pseudomonas spp. were isolated from tested grape samples. However, the presence of Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Vibrio spp. and Klebsiella spp. were not found from any of the samples. The concerning part of the present study was drug-resistant bacterial strains isolated from supplied Fresh Summer Royal Grape. The most of the isolated bacterial spp. were resistant to all most all of the commonly used antibiotics such as ampicillin (10 mu g), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (25 mu g), tetracycline (30 mu g), ceftriaxone (30 mu g), imipenem (10 mu g), chloramphenicol (30 mu g), azithromycin (15 mu g), novobiocin (30 mu g), vancomycin (30 mu g), penicillin G (10 mu g), ciprofloxacin (5 mu g), neomycin (30 mu g), levofloxacin (5 mu g), kanamycin (30 mu g) and cefiximycin (5 mu g). No grape samples showed any kind of antimicrobial activity against both pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria. The survival pattern of inoculated bacterial samples in the grape sample showed a slight decrease in growth in the course of time.Peer reviewe

A survey of prescription pattern of anti-diabetic drugs on diabetic patients with cardiovascular complications within Dhaka metropolis

Background: This survey study was designed to analyze the current prescription pattern of anti-diabetic drugs that used in diabetic patients with cardiovascular complications within Dhaka metropolis.Methods: The present study has been conducted by out-patient department in a number of well-known general and specialized government and private hospitals in Dhaka, Bangladesh for 5 months. 1200 prescriptions and questionnaire were randomly evaluated for this present survey. A standard questionnaire was prepared, containing 17 different questions, to conduct the survey based on patient’s demographic data such as which type of diabetes they have contained, age, gender, education and their self-assessment of health, disease history and medication.Results: Among the patients involved in this study, there were 46% (550) male and 54% (650) female between the ages of 30 and 75 years. Between 46 and 70 years, 19% male and 31% female were found to be diabetic indicating that in this age group female are mostly affected by diabetes. About 2020 antidiabetic drugs were prescribed by the physicians in which 30.43% contained single, 54.16% contained two and 15% contained more than two anti-diabetic drugs. Amongst antidiabetic medications, metformin was the most commonly prescribed drug which was given in 30.69% patients followed by glimepride 10.9%, 5.45% had glipizide, 1% pioglitazone and other drugs. A total of 7.43% drug was prescribed by fixed dose combinations. Highest percentage of male diabetic patients with hypertension (86%), dyslipidemia (100%) and other complications (57%) was found at 75 years of age while no female patients were found under the same condition at the same age.Conclusions: The findings can serve as a guide to choose the formulation and combination of anti-diabetic drugs in this part of the world before developing & marketing any new drug. Therefore it is necessary to create better awareness among people, focus on rational use of anti-diabetic drugs and also motivate our physicians to prescribe the generic drugs

Reproductive health related complications of spinal cord injury among patients at a specialized center in Bangladesh

Background: Our objective was to find out the reproductive health related complications among spinal cord injury patients. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted at the Center for the Rehabilitation of the Paralyzed (CRP) in Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh from August 2017 to July 2018. A total of 289 patients, both indoor and outdoor, with spinal cord injury were randomly selected. The study aimed to examine reproductive health complications associated with spinal cord injury. Data was collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: Among 220 (76.1%) were male and 69 (23.9%) were female. In 15-35 (68.1% and 91.2%), 47 (68.1%) participants had menstruation problem. 42.1% had autonomic dysreflexia and 57.9% had UTI as pregnancy related complications. In sexual activity 52% had difficulties having intercourse, 20% had difficulties to reach orgasm and 28% had dry sex. In male participants after SCI 70.5% had erection problem and 78.6% had ejaculation problem. Participants who had erection problem, most of their neurological level was thoracic level 84.51% and in case of ejaculation also their neurological level was thoracic level 81.50%. Conclusions: Awareness of sexuality and reproductive health after SCI has grown among healthcare professionals and individuals with spinal cord injuries. This recognition emphasizes the importance of open discussions, active listening, and education to enhance the quality of life for those affected by spinal cord injury