Classification of Bus Driving Behaviour In Universiti Malaysia Sabah Campus

Driving behaviour has been studied by numerous researchers for the past few years. It includes the instantaneous driving behaviour observations and the drivers speed which are said to be influenced by many factors, such as the demographic measure of the drivers, environmental, passenger effect, and road characteristics. This paper describes the recent analysis and classification of driver behaviour in actual driving scenarios among the bus drivers in Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Main Campus, Kota Kinabalu. This research focussed on determining the riderships of bus in UMS campus, to investigate the differences of instantaneous driving behaviours of bus drivers during the acceleration phase when leaving bus stops, and to poduce the classification of the bus driving behaviour in UMS based on the driver’s accelerations. In order to achieve the objective of this study, observations were made for determining the riderships and the differences in instantaneous bus driving behaviour several times for each bus stops. For drivers speed and accelerations, a mobile applications called Speedometer GPS was used to obtain the data. Interview was conducted to a total number of 10 respondents to obtain their demographic measure. The results obtained shows the ridership of UMS bus is the highest in the afternoon peak. The instantaneous driving behaviour produce the head movement as the highest percentage during peak hour, and inattentive behaviour as the highest during the off peak hour. The bus drivers in UMS were classified as Aggressive and Calm Behaviour Category.

Investigation of Contributing Factors to Traffic Crashes and Violations: A Random Parameter Multinomial Logit Approach

This study investigates contributing factors to traffic violations by seriousness. The traffic violations are divided into four categories by seriousness (unintentional violation, minor violation, serious violation, and crash with violation). The results of the random parameter multinomial logit model indicate that various factors potentially affect the severity of traffic violations. The key findings include the following: (1) female drivers are more likely to commit minor violations; (2) drivers from an area with a longer travel time to work and a higher proportion of driving to work are more likely to have minor violations and serious violations, while those from the high-income area are less likely; (3) drivers are more likely to be associated with a more minor infraction during the afternoon peak (4 p.m.–6 p.m.). The results from this study are expected to be beneficial for policymakers and traffic police to comprehend the factors affecting violations and implement effective strategies to minimize the number and seriousness of traffic violations.

The Influence of Transport on PAHs and Other Carbonaceous Species’ (OC, EC) Concentration in Aerosols in the Coastal Zone of the Gulf of Gdansk (Gdynia)

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of transport on the concentration of carbon species in aerosols collected in the coastal zone of the Gulf of Gdansk in the period outside the heating season. Elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), and the ΣPAHs5 concentrations were measured in aerosols of two size: <3 μm (respirable aerosols) and >3 μm in diameter (inhalable aerosols). Samples were collected between 13 July 2015 and 22 July 2015 (holiday period) and between 14 September 2015 and 30 September 2015 (school period). In both periods samples were taken only during the morning (7:00–9:00 a.m.) and afternoon (3:00–5:00 p.m.) road traffic hours. The highest mean values of the ΣPAHs5 and EC were recorded in small particles during the school period in the morning road traffic peak hours. The mean concentration of OC was the highest in small aerosols during the holiday period. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the concentrations of organic carbon in the morning and afternoon peak hours. Strict sampling and measurement procedures, together with the analysis of air mass backward trajectories and pollutant markers, indicated that the role of land transport was the greatest when local to regional winds prevailed, bringing pollution from nearby schools and the beltway.

Detection of Upper and Lower Planetary-Boundary Layer Curves and Estimation of Their Heights from Ceilometer Observations under All-Weather Conditions: Case of Athens, Greece

The planetary-boundary layer (PBL) plays an important role in air-pollution studies over urban/industrial areas. Therefore, numerous experimental/modelling efforts have been conducted to determine the PBL height and provide statistics. Nowadays, remote-sensing techniques such as ceilometers are valuable tools in PBL-height estimation. The National Observatory of Athens operates a Vaisala CL31 ceilometer. This study analyses its records over a 2-year period and provides statistics about the PBL height over Athens. A specifically developed algorithm reads the CL31 records and estimates the PBL height. The algorithm detects an upper and a lower PBL curve. The results show maximum values of about 2500 m above sea level (asl)/3000 m asl in early afternoon hours in all months for upper PBL, and particularly the summer ones, under all-/clear-sky conditions, respectively. On the contrary, the lower PBL does not possess a clear daily pattern. Nevertheless, one morning and another afternoon peak can be identified. The intra-annual variation of the upper PBL height shows a peak in August in all-weather conditions and in September under clear-sky ones. Season-wise, the upper PBL height varies showing an autumn peak for all-weather cases, while the lower PBL height shows a winter maximum due to persistent surface-temperature inversions in this season.

Contrasting Cloud Regimes and Associated Rainfall over the South Asian and East Asian Monsoon Regions

The Asian monsoon has large spatial and temporal variabilities in winds and precipitation. This study reveals that the Asian monsoon also exhibits pronounced regional differences in cloud regimes and cloud–rainfall relationship at a wide range of time scales from diurnal to seasonal to interannual. Over South (East) Asia, the convectively active regime of deep convection (CD) occurs frequently in June–September (March–September) with a late-afternoon peak (morning feature). The intermediate mixture (IM) regime over South Asia mainly occurs in summer and maximizes near noon. It develops as CD at late afternoon and dissipates as convective cirrus (CC) after midnight, showing a life cycle of thermal convection in response to solar radiation. Over East Asia, IM is dominant in cold seasons with a small diurnal cycle, indicating a prevalence of midlevel stratiform clouds. Further analyses show that CD and CC contribute 80%–90% of the rainfall amount and most of the intense rainfall in the two key regions. The CD-related rainfall also accounts for the pronounced diurnal cycles of summer rainfall with a late-afternoon peak (morning feature) over northern India (Southeast China). The afternoon CD-related rainfall mainly results from thermal convection under the moderate humidity but warm conditions particularly over northern India, while the morning CD-related rainfall over Southeast China is more related to the processes with high humidity. The CD/CC-related rainfall also exhibits large interannual variations that explain ~90% of the interannual variance of summer rainfall. The interannual variations of CD/CC occurrence are positively correlated with the moist southerlies and induced convergence, especially over Southeast China, suggesting a close relationship between cloud regimes and monsoon activities.

Chronobiological patterns of acute aortic dissection in central China

BackgroundAcute aortic dissection (AAD) is a life-threatening emergency with poor clinical outcomes. Understanding the chronological patterns of AAD onset would be helpful for identifying the triggers of AAD and preventing this catastrophic event.MethodsWe collected data from 2048 patients diagnosed with AAD at Tongji Hospital (Wuhan, China) from 2011 to 2018. The χ2 test was used to determine whether a specific period had significantly different seasonal/weekly distributions from other periods. Fourier models were used to analyse the rhythmicity in monthly/circadian distribution.ResultsThe mean age was 53.4±10.9 years, and 1161 patients (56.7%) were under 55 years. One thousand six hundred fifty-seven patients (80.9%) were male, and 935 cases (45.7%) were type A dissections. The proportions of patients with comorbid hypertension/diabetes were 60.3% (1234 cases) and 1.8% (36 cases), respectively. A peak was identified in colder periods (winter/December) and a trough in warmer periods (summer/June). No significant variation was observed in weekly distribution. Fourier analysis showed a statistically significant circadian variation (p<0.001) with a nocturnal trough in 2:00–3:00, a morning peak in 9:00–10:00, and an afternoon peak in 16:00–17:00. Subgroup analyses identified circadian rhythmicity in all subgroups except for the female group and younger group (younger than 55 years).ConclusionOur results confirmed that the onset of AAD exhibits significant seasonal, monthly and circadian patterns. Patients with AAD with different Stanford-type dissections, sexes, ages and hypertension statuses could present different circadian variations. These findings may provide novel perspectives for identifying the triggers of AAD and better preventing this catastrophic event.

Subseasonal and Diurnal Variability in Lightning and Storm Activity over the Yangtze River Delta, China, during Mei-yu Season

Using 5 years of operational Doppler radar, cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning observations, and National Centers for Environmental Prediction reanalysis data, this study examined the spatial and temporal characteristics of and correlations between summer storm and lightning activity over the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), with a focus on subseasonal variability and diurnal cycles. The spatiotemporal features of storm top, duration, maximum reflectivity, size, and cell-based vertical integrated liquid water were investigated using the Storm Cell Identification and Tracking algorithm. Our results revealed that there was high storm activity over the YRD, with weak diurnal variations during the mei-yu period. Specifically, storms were strongly associated with mei-yu fronts and exhibited a moderate size, duration, and intensity. On average, afternoon storms exhibited stronger reflectivity and higher storm tops than morning storms, as evidenced by the afternoon peak in CG lightning. The storm intensity strengthened in the post-mei-yu period, due to an increase in atmospheric instability; this was accompanied by a higher frequency of CG lighting. The diurnal cycles of storm frequency and CG lightning in the post-mei-yu period followed a unimodal pattern with an afternoon peak. This is attributable to increased thermodynamic instability in the afternoon, as little diurnal variation was observed for wind shear and moisture. An inverse correlation between lightning occurrence and mean peak current (MPC) for negative CG lightning was evident during the pre-mei-yu and mei-yu periods. The diurnal variation in MPC for negative CG lightning agreed well with that for storm intensity.

Studi Karakteristik Pejalan Kaki di LampuPenyeberangan Ruas Jl. Jend. Sudirman

Pedestrians are part of a transportation system that is no less important than other modes of transportation. Therefore pedestrian needs are an integral part of the road transportation system. Based on the results of an evaluation of the behavior of pedestrian crossers on the Jalan Jend section. Sudirman on the influence of traffic, which can be concluded from this study is on the Jalan Jend segment. Sudirman during the hours of 06.00 - 08.00 that the crossing uses more roads than crossing through the zebra crossing in the morning and the zebra crossing in the crossing lights can be concluded to function ineffectively, on the Jalan Jend segment. Sudirman during 16.00 - 18.00 more crossers using zebra crossing than crossing through roads in the morning and zebra crossing in crossing lights can be concluded to function effectively, during the morning peak the average pedestrian crossing that passes through the road influences the performance of the current traffic where it is able to hold 1 vehicle for 1.03 seconds and during the afternoon peak the average pedestrian crosser that passes through the road affects the performance of traffic flow which is able to hold 2 vehicles for 1.53 seconds.

Corridors of Mei-Yu-Season Rainfall over Eastern China

Successive mesoscale convective systems may develop for several days during the mei-yu season (June–July) over eastern China. They can yield excessive rainfall in a narrow latitudinal band (called a corridor), causing severe floods. The climatology of rainfall corridors and related environmental factors are examined using 20 yr of satellite rainfall and atmospheric data. A total of 93 corridors are observed over eastern China, with maximum occurrence at 27°–31°N. They typically last 2–3 days, but some persist ≥4 days, with an extreme event lasting 11 days. These multiday convective episodes exhibit primary and secondary peaks in the morning and afternoon, respectively, with a diurnal cycle that is in contrast to other afternoon-peak rain events. On average, the corridors occur in ~23% days of the mei-yu season, but they can contribute ~51% of the total rainfall. They also vary with years and explain ~70% of the interannual variance of mei-yu-season rainfall. Composite analyses show that most corridors develop along zonally oriented quasi-stationary mei-yu fronts over central China where monsoon southwesterlies converge with northerly anomalies from the midlatitudes. The monsoon flow accelerates at ~0200 LST and forms a regional wind maximum or low-level jet over South China, which induces moisture flux convergence in morning-peak corridors. The nocturnal acceleration is less evident for afternoon-peak corridors. The mei-yu front and monsoon southwesterlies also influence the corridor’s duration, which is regulated by a dipole of geopotential anomalies, with positive in the tropics and negative in the midlatitudes. The dipole expresses a joint influence of the blocking patterns in midlatitudes and the El Niño–related anomalous high over the western Pacific Ocean, and the dipole's intensity explains well the interannual variations of the corridors.

Marking and use of Kiss & Ride car parks

In recent years, Kiss & Ride car parks have appeared in Polish cities. The idea of the car park is to transfer the passenger to the transfer node, so that the rest of the journey can be done by public transport. Car parks of this type are also located near other places, where it is necessary to lift or pick up another person (for example, near schools, hotels). The article presents marking of Kiss & Ride car parks in Polish cities. The parking analysis was carried out on four car parks of this type in Wrocław during morning peak and during afternoon peak. The stopping time and purpose of parking were determined. Keywords: Car park; Kiss & Ride; Wrocław