Change of Ba concentration by species and organ in several fruits grown in city centers

Heavy metals are elements that are very harmful to human and environmental health. Heavy metal concentration in the fruits grown in city centers can reach very high levels and consuming these fruits as food causes a direct intake of heavy metals, which these fruits contain, into a human body and can pose a significant health risk. All the compounds of barium (Ba), which is one of the most dangerous heavy metals, are toxic. Thus, determining the Ba concentration in plants, which are grown in areas with high pollution and consumed as food, is very important. In the present study, it was aimed to determine the change of Ba concentration by species and organ in several fruits grown in areas with high traffic density. Within the scope of this study, Ba concentrations in leaf, branch, bark, seed, and fruits of Prunus ceresifera, Tilia tomentosa, Prunus avium, and Prunus cerasus were compared. As a result, it was determined that the change of Ba concentrations by species and the change by organ were statistically significant in all organs and in all species, respectively. In general, the lowest values were found in Prunus cerasus or Prunus avium, whereas the highest values were observed in Tilia tomentosa. Considering the organs, the lowest values were found in seed and the highest ones in bark and branch.

Evaluation of Carcinogenic Polyaromatic Hydrocarbon Levels in Airborne Particulates Associated with Long-Term Exposure throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic in Makkah, Saudi Arabia

Background: The effect of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on human health differs depending on the duration and exposure path. Objective: This study aimed to examine the effects of PAHs on the human health risks associated with long-term exposure both before and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: PM10 sampling for 24 h was conducted at six sampling sites (Al-Haram, Aziziyah, Al Nuzhah, Muzdalifah, Arafat, and Al Awali). On-site measurements were conducted from March 2020 to February 2021. PAHs were analyzed using Perkin Elmer GC/MS, which was adjusted with standard reagents for identifying 16 PAH mixtures. Results: The 24 h average PM10 concentration showed considerable inconsistencies, exceeding the WHO standards used for median exposure (25.0 µgm−3). The PAH intensities fluctuated from 7.67 to 34.7 ng/m3 in a suburban area, near a rush-hour traffic road, and from 6.34 to 37.4 ng/m3 close to business and light manufacturing areas. The highest carcinogenic compound levels were found in the Al-Azizia, Al Muzdalifah, and Al Nuzah areas because of the high traffic density, and the lowest concentrations were found in the Al-Haram and Arafat areas throughout the year, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic health precautions that were undertaken by the government of Saudi Arabia involving border entry limits and limitations of the Umrah and Hajj seasons. Conclusion: This study period is considered extraordinary as the Saudi Arabian government has undertaken successful preventive measures that have had a great effect both on the spread of the pandemic and in reducing air pollution in Makkah. More studies are required to examine PAHs’ carcinogenic effects after the pandemic measures are eased across Makkah.

Multi-Criteria Selection of Surface Units for SAR Operations at Sea Supported by AIS Data

The authors discuss currently conducted research aimed at improving the planning and performance of search and rescue (SAR) operations at sea. The focus is on the selection of surface units in areas of high traffic density. A large number of ships in the area of distress can make the process of selection of best suited vessels longer. An analysis of features which may render a vessel unsuitable for the job, depending on the area and type of operation, has been conducted. Criteria of assessment and selection of ships have been described, preceded by an expert analysis. The selection process has been made using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). The authors propose to apply officially available data from the Automatic Identification System (AIS)—a sensor for the ECDIS and other electronic chart systems—in the analysis of the availability of ships. Algorithms filtering available units have been built and applied in a simulation, using real AIS data, of one of the most common types of SAR operations. The method is proposed as an enhancement of decision support systems in maritime rescue services.

Statistic Equation to Estimate the Amount of CO2 Emission Produced From High Traffic Density Roads

Energy consumption, especially the energy used for electricity supply has doubled in the past three decades, causing a drastic increase in the carbon emissions produced. Between 1990 and 2005 globally, the amount of CO2 emissions increased 25%. It is estimated that vehicles produce approximately 30% of the global NOx and 14% of global CO2 emissions. Egypt is the fourteenth biggest wellspring of CO2 emissions among all GEF program nations. It was proven that 66% of CO2 emissions comes from fossil fuel as a primary energy consuming source, playing a key role in the overall carbon intensity. The problem of this research is that the roads in developing countries produce a high level of carbon emissions, and the level is increasing due to the heavy usage of fossil fuels in the transportation sector. This research presents statistical analysis equation to analyse the amount of CO2 emissions produced from roads without using heavy and expensive equipment’s. Moreover, the equation can be used as a tool to estimate the amount of CO2 emissions produced from roads during the design phase in order to improve the design and reduce carbon emissions in roads. According to the statistics the main factors affecting the amount of CO2 produced in roads are the electricity generations, types of vehicles and vehicles speed. The research used experimental method to validate the equation by measuring CO2 emissions in high traffic density road using measuring device and compared the measuring results with the statistic equation results. The presented equation should help in reducing the amount of CO2 produced in roads, in return it will help in reducing the growth of global problems such as climate change and ozone depletion.

DISTRIBUTED INTELLIGENT COMMUNICATION NETWORK ARCHITECTURE FOR UNMANNED VEHICLES

Представлена архитектура сети, обеспечивающей поддержку приложений для беспилотного транспорта, требующих ультрамалых задержек. Предлагаемая архитектура использует технологии мобильных граничных вычислений MEC и программно-конфигурируемых сетей SDNдля повышения общей надежности сети и ее масштабируемости в условиях высокой плотности трафика. Также рассмотрен метод кластеризации для устройств с поддержкой технологии Device-to-Device (D2D), позволяющий обеспечить покрытие сети в централизованно недоступных узлах. Результаты оценки с использованием различных сетевых сценариев показывают, что предложенная архитектура с поддержкой MEC/SDN по сравнению с базовой архитектурой обеспечивает прирост производительности сети на 74% с точки зрения блокировки сетевых задач. The article presents the network architecture for supporting unmanned vehicle applications, requiring ultra-low latency. The proposed architecture uses technologies of mobile edge computing (MEC) and software-defined networks (SDN) to increase the overall reliability of the network and its scalability in conditions of high traffic density. A clustering method for D2D devices is also being considered to provide network coverage for centrally inaccessible nodes. Evaluation results using realistic conditions for various network scenarios show that the proposed architecture with MEC/SDN support provides a 74% increase in network performance in terms of blocking network tasks compared to the underlying architecture.

PELUANG PENGHEMATAN ENERGI PADA BILLBOARD UKURAN SEDANG DAN BESAR SE-KOTA BANDUNG

Billboard is the type of outdoor advertising. For this reasonable effectiveness of the billboards were placed and selected on the road that has high traffic density. Furthermore, in order to attract attention, the billboard is equipped with powerful lights large enough to get eye catching effect. At certain hours of relatively low traffic density, so that the expected level of effectiveness of billboards as a function of promotion will also be decreased. In these conditions for reasons of energy saving light energy should be reduced or even turned off. The problem is what time the street has low traffic density. Based on these reasons, it is necessary to conserve energy on billboards as the city of Bandung by conducting a review the level of traffic density per hour and determine the feasibility level of energy use electricity for lighting Billboards.

Congestion bottleneck avoid routing in wireless sensor networks

A new efficient method for detecting congested bottleneck nodes and avoiding them in the route formation in a wireless sensor network is described. Sensor nodes with a higher degree of congestion are excluded while determining the best routing path from a given source to destination in a multi-hop transmission. In a scenario where different communication paths have different maximum congestion levels, selecting that path which has least maximum congestion, is a challenging task. A modified Bellman-Ford algorithm is proposed to solve this problem efficiently. The proposed technique is very much useful for the optimal route selection for vehicles in metropolitan cities that avoids high traffic density junctions. Once the desired destination is specified, the traffic control system can use this algorithm to provide the least congested routes to the intra-city vehicles.