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• The right olfactory sulcus is deeper than the left at different stages of life. • A higher degree of symmetry in left and right olfactory sulcus depth in women. • Olfactory function is largely determined by age. • Normative data for olfactory sulcus depth are presented as a reference. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between olfactory sulcus (OS) depth and olfactory function considering age and gender and to provide normative data on OS depth in a population with normal olfactory function. OS depth was obtained using T1 magnetic resonance imaging scans. Participants (mean age ± sd = 57 ± 16 years, ranging from 20 to 80 years) were screened for olfactory function using the Sniffin' Sticks Screening 12 test. They were divided into an olfactory dysfunction group (n = 604) and a normosmia group (n = 493). Participants also completed questionnaires measuring depression, anxiety and quality of life. The right OS was deeper than the left side in all age groups. On the left side, women had deeper OS compared with men, exhibiting a higher degree of symmetry in left and right OS depth in women. Variance of olfactory function was largely determined by age, OS depth explained only minor portions of this variance. Normative data for minimum OS depth was 7.55 mm on the left and 8.78 mm on the right for participants aged between 18 and 35 years (n = 144), 6.47 mm on the left and 6.99 mm on the right for those aged 36–55 years (n = 120), and 5.28 mm on the left and 6.19 mm on the right for participants older than 55 years (n = 222). Considering the limited resolution of the presently used T1 weighted MR scans and the nature of the olfactory screening test, OS depth explained only minor portions of the variance of olfactory function, which was largely determined by age. Age-related normative data of OS depth are presented as a reference for future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant increase in working from home worldwide, making the work-from-home (WFH) setting a crucial context for studying the influence of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) on workers' well-being and productivity. A narrative and visual synthesis of 41 research articles on IEQ in WFH settings was conducted to identify the IEQ factors being measured and their correlations with perceived productivity and well-being. This review shows that the IEQ conditions at home were mainly within the recommended international standards. However, some high maxima were recorded, particularly for metrics related to quality of indoor air partly due to wider availability of evidence, which raised concerns regarding the suitability of indoor conditions while working from home. Despite the presence of these high maxima, workers generally rated all environmental factors highly. This could possibly reflect their lack of awareness of changes in environmental conditions, suggesting that monitoring environmental conditions might be necessary when working from home. Compared with traditional offices, workers seemed to be more satisfied with the environmental conditions at home although some WFH settings were found to be deficient in sound insulation, ergonomic and technological support, leading to multiple health complaints. Several studies have also demonstrated significant correlations between assessments of IEQ and ergonomics and those of productivity, physical and mental well-being. Future IEQ studies in WFH settings should consider using a longitudinal study design and including more representative samples, different seasons, multi-domain analyses, and multicountry and multicultural settings. • IEQ conditions at home were mainly within the recommended international standards. • Satisfaction rates across all IEQ domains were generally high in WFH settings. • High maxima were recorded in all domains, especially air pollutants. • Personalized and adaptable physical environments at home might be helpful. • Each IEQ domain had a small to moderate effect on productivity and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing building wall systems is a multi-criteria problem characterised by a complex interplay of variables that drive long-term energy and environmental performance. Achieving holistic sustainability outcomes will require the application of life cycle thinking to the design and evaluation of building walling systems. However, the aspiration for minimising operational and embodied energy and mitigating the environmental impacts requires conflicting strategies. Therefore, this study proposes a comprehensive, integrated life cycle and energy simulation (ILES) methodology for analysing different walling systems of residential buildings in India and Australia. This method involves performing a process-based life cycle assessment to compute the environmental impacts of various walling materials, followed by energy modelling to evaluate the performance of these materials in the operational phase of buildings in combination with embodied energy analysis, which accounts for energy consumption during the material manufacturing phases. The results reveal that insulated cavity-clay masonry or concrete walls with extruded polystyrene are favourable Australian walling options, while metal cladding-based walling systems have significant environmental and energy burdens. For India, autoclave aerated block, fly ash bricks, and concrete block-based walling systems are recommended, while reinforced concrete and clay brick walls exhibit significant environmental and energy burdens. This study also advocates the consideration of supply chains in mitigating Scope 3 emissions from building walling systems in residential buildings. [Display omitted] • Integrated life cycle assessment with energy modelling of residential building walling systems. • Optimal and sub-optimal walling systems identified for different climates. • Ranking of walling systems provided to facilitate contextual decision-making. • Enabling policies and energy sources needed to accelerate low-carbon building materials adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to identify and examine the relevance of implementing remote work by small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) business operators during the post-COVID-19 era in developing nations. The study utilised a qualitative methodology, conducting interviews with twenty SME businesses, including business leaders and management level employees. It explores the challenges faced by these operators in maintaining remote work and its impact on their business operations. Data was analysed and compiled using ATLAS.ti software. The findings indicate that not all SME are capable of sustaining remote working environments. The nature of the business plays a crucial role in providing flexibility to employees in their operations. There are also weaknesses in remote work security that need to be addressed, as they can potentially impact business operations and performance. The implications of the pandemic on business operations, regardless of size, are significant globally. This study sheds light on the challenges faced by SME in implementing remote work and its feasibility in the post-COVID-19 period. The content of this paper is based on information, observations, and discussions with SME operators on how COVID-19 has compelled their businesses to adapt to the changing environment. Previously, there was no urgency for businesses to embrace remote work operations, but the pandemic has forced them to adopt such measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to investigate some physical attributes, total phenolics content, total flavonoids content, mineral composition, bioluminescence toxicity assay and antioxidant activity in terms of DPPH, HPS, TAC and FRAP assays in the kernel and pomace samples of six apricot cultivars grown in Balochistan, Pakistan. TFC and TPC determined by the AlCl 3 and Folin-Ciocalteu assays in apricot kernel extracts of six cultivars varied from 1797.5 (Chagali) to 4778.9 (Badoghur) mg QUE/100 g DW and from 1750.0 (Chagali) to 5005.8 (Badoghur) mg GAE/100 g DW. Apricot kernels exhibited higher antioxidant activity than pomace; antioxidant activity in terms of IC 50 in kernels ranged from 24.88 to 98.61 μg/ml for DPPH, 334.84 to 516.63 μg/ml for HPS, from 22.02 to 110.80 μg/ml for TAC and from 96.27 to 163.35 μg/ml for FRAP. The apricot kernels showed higher TPC, TFC, bioluminescence toxicity to V. logei and antioxidant activity than the pomace. The correlation analysis demonstrated substantial contributions of polyphenols and flavonoids to antioxidant assays. The sample type was the leading factor affecting the amounts of K, Na, Ca, Fe, and Mn in the tested samples; mineral contents were higher in pomace than kernels. The highest inhibition to V. logei was found in the kernels of Badoghur (IC 50 = 1.61 mg/ml). The PCA analysis showed significant contributions of phenolic and flavonoid contents towards antioxidant bioluminescence toxicity assays. Our results suggest Badoghur, Shakarpara and Sardai kernels are rich sources of secondary metabolites and possess remarkable antioxidant and antiluminescence activity and can make a significant contribution to the treatment and prevention of chronic health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Red-light running among Malaysian motorcyclists is high compared to other road users. • 26.2% among motorcyclists run the red light and 54.1% of them, run the red-light without stopping. • Red-light running occurs regardless of the type of motorcycle in any region. Red-light running (RLR) among motorcyclists at signalised junctions (SJ) in Malaysia are common. This study investigates factors associated with RLR among motorcyclists at signalised junctions. The observation was conducted in 2016–2017, at 26 signalised junctions nationwide, and was analysed using the mixed-effect logistic regression. Out of the 53,475 observed vehicles, only 3.6% run the red light (by which 99% are motorcycles), and from the 19,232 observed motorcycles, 26.2% among motorcyclists run the red light while 54.1% of them , run the red-light without stopping. Factors associated with a high probability of RLR are male riders who do not wear a helmet, who approach the SJ via lane split , who cross SJ via turning, SJ with no traffic island, and SJ with the presence of vehicles waiting on one or both legs. The random parameters show that the majority (83%) of variation in the outcomes occurs among the riders (at Level 1), which suggest that motorcyclists' characteristics and riding behaviour are still the main factors in affecting the RLR occurrences and require more in-depth study. While 1.5% of variation occurs among the type of motorcycle by region (at Level 2), it also shows that RLR occurs regardless. Other variations are from the range of median width (3.9% at Level 3) and the speed limit range along major roads (9.5% at Level 4). To reduce RLR among motorcyclists, we are recommending that SJ be equipped with traffic islands, and replace the overhead signal pole with pedestal pole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice-derived bioactive compounds are now widely used as active ingredients in health foods, pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical products and as food additives. Polyphenolic compounds, gamma oryzanol, and vitamin E are among the bioactive constituents in rice that have important antioxidant, anti-aging, and anti-pigmentation properties among others. In this present study, broken rice was subjected to solid-state fermentation for 20 days by using two types of fungi, Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus oligosporus. Cosmeceutical-related functionalities of the fermented broken rice extracts were tested by evaluating antioxidant activities as well as tyrosinase and elastase inhibition activities. Total phenolic content and total flavonoid content of fermented broken rice extracts were also measured. Fermentation caused a substantial increase in the total phenolic and flavonoid content of broken rice. Ferric-reducing antioxidant activity was the highest (18.47 mM FE(II)/g sample) in broken rice fermented with R. oligosporus on day 20. Fermentation of broken rice with the same fungus resulted in higher DPPH radical-scavenging antioxidant activity than A. niger , with the highest activity recorded was 94.17%. Broken rice fermented with R. oligosporus for 20 days had the highest tyrosinase and elastase inhibition activities with the value of 46% and 51.9%, respectively. The results demonstrate that the fermentation process increased the biological activities and the numbers of bioactive compounds for potential use in the cosmeceutical industry. This undervalued by-product of the rice milling industry can effectively be used for the production of high value products through fungal solid-state fermentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metals like copper, chromium, cadmium, lead, and zinc are key contaminants of freshwater reservoirs because of their deadly, non-biodegradable, and persistent nature. The work involves the comparison of various single and combined processes such as ozonation (Ozo), adsorption on activated carbon (AC), adsorption on rice husk (RH), ozonation in the presence of rice husk (Ozo/RH) and ozonation in the presence of activated carbon (Ozo/AC) for the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and heavy metals from the municipal wastewater. Various factors such as adsorbent dose reaction time and synchronizing effect of COD removal on the removal efficiency of heavy metals was studied. The maximum removal of both COD and heavy metals was achieved by ozonation in the presence of activated carbon (Ozo/AC) combined process. The results further reveal that COD removal efficiencies have a positive synchronizing impact on the removal efficiencies of heavy metals. It is therefore concluded that (Ozo/AC) combined process may be used for the removal of heavy metals in wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study aims to determine risk factors contributing to traffic crashes in 9,176 fatal cases involving motorcycle in Malaysia between 2010 and 2012. For this purpose, both multinomial and mixed models of motorcycle fatal crash outcome based on the number of vehicle involved are estimated. The corresponding model predicts the probability of three fatal crash outcomes: motorcycle single-vehicle fatal crash, motorcycle fatal crash involving another vehicle and motorcycle fatal crash involving two or more vehicles. Several road characteristic and environmental factors are considered including type of road in the hierarchy, location, road geometry, posted speed limit, road marking type, lighting, time of day and weather conditions during the fatal crash. The estimation results suggest that curve road sections, no road marking, smooth, rut and corrugation of road surface and wee hours, i.e. between 00.00 am to 6 am, increase the probability of motorcycle single-vehicle fatal crashes. As for the motorcycle fatal crashes involving multiple vehicles, factors such as expressway, primary and secondary roads, speed limit more than 70 km/h, roads with non-permissible marking, i.e. double lane line and daylight condition are found to cause an increase the probability of their occurrence. The estimation results also suggest that time of day (between 7 pm to 12 pm) has an increasing impact on the probability of motorcycle single-vehicle fatal crashes and motorcycle fatal crashes involving two or more vehicles. Whilst the multinomial logit model was found as more parsimonious, the mixed logit model is likely to capture the unobserved heterogeneity in fatal motorcycle crashes based on the number of vehicles involved due to the underreporting data with two random effect parameters including 70 km/h speed limit and double lane line road marking. Highlights • This study determines the risk factors contributing to motorcycle fatal traffic crashes. • This study use multinomial and mixed models to analyzed motorcycle fatal crash outcome. • The fatal motorcycle crash outcome is based on the number of vehicle involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing evidence associating changes in brain function following radiotherapy for head and neck cancers as precursors for brain dysfunction may be utilized as biomarkers for early detection. This review aimed to determine the role of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) in detecting functional brain changes. A systematic search was conducted in the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science (WoS) databases in June 2022. The inclusion criteria involved patients with head and neck cancer who underwent radiotherapy and periodic assessments with rs-fMRI. A meta-analysis was conducted to assess the ability of rs-fMRI to detect brain changes. Ten studies comprising 513 subjects (437 head and neck cancer patients and 76 healthy controls) were included in the analysis. Most studies demonstrated the significance of rs-fMRI in detecting brain changes in regions such as the temporal and frontal lobes, cingulate cortex, and cuneus. These changes were associated with radiation dose in six out of ten studies and latency in four out of ten studies. A substantial effect size (r = 0.71, p < 0.001) was observed between rs-fMRI and brain changes, indicating the potential of rs-fMRI as a monitoring tool for brain alterations. rs-fMRI shows promise as a tool for detecting brain functional changes following radiotherapy for head and neck cancers. It correlates with latency and prescription dose, suggesting its potential for assessing treatment-related brain alterations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Irradiation of the brain regions from nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) radiotherapy (RT) is frequently unavoidable, which may result in radiation-induced cognitive deficit. The study uses deep learning (DL) to develop prediction models for assessing cognitive deficits in patients following radiotherapy (RT) for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The study aimed to evaluate the relationship between compromised cognition, quality of life (QoL), and MRI changes using remote assessments. Seventy NPC patients aged 20-76 with pre- and post-RT (6 months - 1 year) MRI imaging and complete cognitive assessments were recruited. The hippocampus, temporal lobes (TLs), and cerebellum were delineated, and dosimetry parameters were extracted. Cognitive assessments were conducted post-RT via telephone using the Telephone Interview Cognitive Status (TICS), Telephone Montreal Cognitive Assessment (T-MoCA), Telephone Mini Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (Tele-MACE), and QLQ-H&N 43. Regression and deep neural network (DNN) models were used to predict post-RT cognition using anatomical and treatment dose features. Remote cognitive assessments were inter-correlated (r >0.9). The TLs showed significant pre- and post-RT volume differences, and cognitive deficits were associated with RT-induced volume atrophy and dose distribution. DNN models achieved good classification accuracy, with the area under the receiver operating curve (AUROC) for cognitive prediction of T-MoCA (AUROC = 0.878), TICS (AUROC = 0.89), and Tele-MACE (AUROC = 0.919). Remote assessments and DL-based prediction models can aid in predicting cognitive deficits following NPC RT. Comparable RESULTS: with standard assessments suggest replacing them with remote assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The transport sector is fast changing with demand for distillates increasing amidst declining gasoline consumption in many markets especially in the developed world. Increasingly refineries are stretched to operate less efficiently and this is manifested through a drop in efficiency as a consequence of increasing diesel production via less efficient routes, particularly on the marginal barrel of diesel. It has been suggested that this decline in diesel production efficiency, as the ratio of gasoline to diesel (G/D) production drops, can partly be mitigated through the use of Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) diesel. In this paper we adopted refinery Linear-Programming models to represent the refining system in Europe as well as a district in the U.S. to investigate the effects of increased availability of GTL diesel to a refiner on the energy efficiency and GHG emissions of refineries. Here we showed that indeed there is an improvement in diesel production efficiency with increasing GTL concentrations, but this efficiency gain (<0.5%) is insufficient to counteract the higher energy consumption and emissions associated with the production of GTL, thus leading to an overall decline in life cycle efficiency (up to 5%), and an increase in life cycle GHG emissions (up to 2%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feed additives play an important role in providing health benefits towards ruminant's production. The selection of probiotic encapsulation in pellet form gives limitation as probiotics are sensitive towards heat and delivery condition in a ruminant's stomach. Synbiotic encapsulation involves encapsulating probiotics with prebiotic ingredients to boost their viability. In this study, we investigated the best formulation of alginate (Alg) (3%, 4%, and 5%) and palm kernel cake (PKC) coating ratios (1:0, 1:1, and 1:1.5) for Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ATCC 8014 microencapsulation, through extrusion method. The optimum formulation was selected based on thermostability, physicochemical, morphological, and in vitro release properties. The unencapsulated probiotic (initial concentration of approximately 9.30 log CFU/mL) was the control sample in this study. The average microencapsulation efficiency for all samples was greater than 97%. The encapsulated probiotics (4% Alg-supplemented with 4% PKC) had the highest survival rates after heat exposure (99.33%) and in vitro release analysis (94.67%). The addition of alginate enhanced the roughness average significantly as well as increased the size. The activation energy showed that the sample without and with PKC utilized energy ranging from 254 to 200 kJ/kmol. K and 363–400 kJ/kmol. K, respectively. Thus, an optimized formulation of 4% Alg and a coating ratio of 1:1 may be able to prevent probiotic loss in industrial feed additives. [Display omitted] • Average microencapsulation efficiency for Alg-PKC coating was greater than 97%. • Alg-PKC matrices increased L. plantarum survivability after simulated thermal exposure. • The synbiotic provides significant continuous release delivery and survival in in vitro release. • Activation energy of sample with PKC was higher compared to sample without PKC. • The addition of Alg and PKC increases the roughness average exponentially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research uses data from observations of 8277 motorcyclists at various types of roads of the road hierarchy in Malaysia in 2015, to investigate the effects of road characteristics, motorcyclists’ riding behaviour, motorcyclists’ and motorcycles’ characteristics on the occurrence of riding with excessive speed. For data collection and analysis, new software, i.e. MECHROM, was developed. The speed analysis shows that motorcyclists go faster than other vehicles on dual carriageway primary roads with three-lanes and dual carriageway collector roads with four-lanes. In general, 42.2% of the observed motorcycles exceed the speed limit and 28.6% of them go beyond the 85th percentile of the traffic speed. In determining the factors associated with motorcyclists riding with excessive speed, a mixed effect logistic regression model was produced, with three levels statistically significant random effect parameters. The fixed parameters factors are: primary road, roads with no shoulder, motorcycles with engine capacity of more than 150cc, not overloaded motorcycle, bright motorcycle, male rider, wears helmet and shoes, riding in the middle of the lane or shoulder, lane splitting (i.e. passing through in between two vehicles) and weaving between vehicles. The random parameters show that the majority of variation in the outcomes (56.5%) occurs at level 1 (the rider), while 12.2% of variation occurs at level 2 (motorcycle), and 31.2% at level 3 (location). The variations indicate that the motorcyclist’s characteristics and riding behaviour are of importance, while the variable “type of motorcycle” clearly indicates that riding with excessive speed occurs regardless of the type of motorcycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most studies that investigated the impact of buildings' indoor environmental quality (IEQ) focused on office buildings, with those studying schools focusing on the impact on students' well-being rather than teachers'. Additionally, most of these studies limited their assessment of well-being to occupants' satisfaction with IEQ factors (e.g. thermal comfort and lighting), overlooking essential aspects related to psychological, social, and physical well-being. This paper presents results of a study conducted in 32 schools in Manitoba, Canada, to investigate the extent to which occupants' IEQ satisfaction factors can be used as measures of teachers psychological, social, and physical well-being. The study involved adapting, deploying and refining an existing IEQ satisfaction survey; and developing, deploying, refining and validating three new surveys to evaluate teachers' psychological, social and physical well-being in schools. Three existing validated well-being surveys in the literature for assessing generic psychological, social and physical well-being were also deployed with the other surveys to teachers in the 32 schools. The association analyses between these different surveys found ventilation and thermal comfort to be the most significant measure of teachers' physical well-being with moderately positive correlations, while lighting and acoustics and privacy were insignificant measures of well-being, thus reinforcing the need to distinguish between occupants' IEQ satisfaction and their well-being in future research. The newly developed well-being surveys include some factors not found in the existing generic well-being surveys and are therefore likely to produce the most representative assessment of teachers' well-being for detailed IEQ impact investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six aggregated refinery linear programming (LP) models were developed to represent actual refineries in North America, Latin America, Europe (including the CIS), Middle East, Asia (excluding China) and China. The models were used to conduct regional comparative assessments and to evaluate the effects of carbon pricing on refinery operations globally. We found that the average refinery energy efficiencies for the regions were estimated to range from 92.2% to 95.2%. The well-to-refinery gate carbon intensities for gasoline, diesel and jet fuels were estimated to be 17.1 (16.4–19.4), 13.3 (12.5–14.2) and 10.1 (9.6–10.8) gCO2eq/MJ, respectively. If refineries are forced to at least meet the 2014 regional volume demands for oil products, pricing CO 2 would not have an impact on either refinery productions, efficiency or emissions. If refineries are allowed to re-optimize production slates to reduce CO 2 emissions, refineries would opt to increase gasoline yield at the expense of diesel. This is counter intuitive since gasoline has a higher carbon intensity than diesel. The refinery bias against dieselization creates a supply preference toward a less efficient transportation end use. Here, we argue that if carbon pricing is not administered properly, this can lead to emissions leakage from refineries to the road transport sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lifecycle CO 2 emission of ethanol blended gasoline was simulated to investigate how fuel properties and composition affect overall emission. Fuel research octane number (RON), octane sensitivity and ethanol content (derived from sugarcane and corn) were varied in the simulations to formulate blended fuels that economically achieve target specifications. The well-to-pump (WTP) simulation results were then analyzed to understand the effects of fuel composition on emission. Elevated ethanol content displaces aromatics and olefins required in gasoline blendstock to reach a target fuel specification. The addition of greater sugarcane-based ethanol percentage in constant aromatics and olefins fuel reduces its WTP CO 2 emission. Corn-based ethanol blending does not offer CO 2 emission offset due to its high production emissions. The mixing of sugarcane-based with corn-based ethanol is shown to be a potentially effective method for achieving a blended fuel with a lower lifecycle CO 2 emission. Besides CO 2 emission, the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emission from land-use conversions (LUC), CH 4 , and N 2 O are also significant in determining the optimal fuel blend. Herein, we present preliminary results showing that total GHG emissions significantly increase when either corn or sugarcane ethanol is blended at even small percentages; detailed results will be addressed in future communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to perform a comprehensive systematic review of deep learning (DL) models in predicting RT-induced toxicity. A literature review was performed following the PRISMA guidelines. Systematic searches were performed in PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane and Embase databases from the earliest record up to September 2022. Related studies on deep learning models for radiotherapy toxicity prediction were selected based on predefined PICOS criteria. Fourteen studies of radiotherapy-treated patients on different types of cancer [prostate (n = 2), HNC (n = 4), liver (n = 2), lung (n = 4), cervical (n = 1), and oesophagus (n = 1)] were eligible for inclusion in the systematic review. Information regarding patient characteristics and model development was summarized. Several approaches, such as ensemble learning, data augmentation, and transfer learning, that were utilized by selected studies were discussed. Deep learning techniques are able to produce a consistent performance for toxicity prediction. Future research using large and diverse datasets and standardization of the study methodologies are required to improve the consistency of the research output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An observational study, focusing on motorcyclists, was conducted between June and August 2012 at access points on straight road sections of primary roads in Malaysia. This was done in order to gain more insight into the actual road traffic situation at these sites. The majority of the motorcyclists kept to the speed limit and lowered speed when approaching an access point, especially when road users were on it. However, when the primary road traffic volume was high, they maintained higher speeds compared to other vehicles. The behavioral observations revealed a risky right turning movement, i.e. Opposite Indirect Right Turn (OIRT), from the access point into the primary road. Motorcyclists generally had a high compliance rate of helmet (except for female motorcyclists) and headlight usage. Motorcyclists attempting to enter the primary road were poor at utilizing the turning indicator. They were observed not to turn their heads to look for vehicles when entering a road with a low volume of traffic, compared to entering a road with a high volume of traffic. Most of the motorcyclists did not comply with the stop line rule, especially those who made the OIRT. Motorcyclists entering from the access point are involved in serious traffic conflicts to about the same extent as other vehicles. Moreover, motorcyclists who stopped at the stop line and made a right turn into the primary road by accepting a short gap, resulting in a time lag of less than 4 s, were involved in the majority of the serious conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of motorcycle accident fatalities in Malaysia occur on primary roads, especially at access points situated along straight road sections. To explore the behavioral factors that may contribute to motorcyclists being involved in hazardous situations at these locations and to develop working hypotheses for a consecutive quantitative study, a qualitative observational study was carried out. Six subject riders exiting from the access point of a primary road were observed. The observations were narrated in detail and coding was used as a means to analyze the observations and divide (and sub-divide) them into categories, which were then segregated into themes. The results of the study produced a number of hypotheses based on various combination themes, i.e. background condition, motorcyclists’ behavior before exit, motorcyclists’ behavior during exit, and involvement in serious traffic conflicts. The newly developed hypotheses from this study are presented and discussed; they are put forward to be tested in a consecutive quantitative observational study. This study also presents novelty in terms of applying a qualitative observational study on motorcyclists, which can be easily adopted not only for Malaysian researches but also all countries that face similar motorcycle problems at access points or junctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review contributes to the debate regarding feedback needed by architects and building designers to improve the sustainability of their building designs. It utilizes the Integral Sustainable Design framework to harness a more comprehensive definition of sustainability to examine the breadth of currently possible feedback to building designers. The review acknowledges the multiple stakeholders that partake in different stages of a building project and focusses specifically on feedback from completed buildings for architects and designers. This review has endeavoured to summarize the range of current feedback which may be available to architects and draw conclusions regarding the usefulness of some of the assessment methods. There are some aspects of sustainability that have well developed and agreed feedback measures, such as energy use, embodied energy, and Indoor Air Quality. Other aspects about which there has been some research but no agreement on feedback include feeling safe, ecosystem services, and inclusiveness. This review reveals important feedback aspects not covered by either research, sustainability ratings schemes or post occupancy evaluation methods. Indeed, there are many aspects of the sustainability of school buildings about which very little is known, such as physical externalities and community services and the building's effect on socialisation and sense of place. Direct feedback in these areas will increase the pace of sustainability improvement in school design. However, further research is required to determine aspects about which architects desire feedback, would find most useful and to develop efficient feedback methods. • Applies the Integral Sustainable Design framework to school building feedback to architects. • Reveals gaps in sustainability rating schemes as feedback to architects. • Reveals gaps in academic research & POE as feedback to architects. • Develops a more comprehensive definition of sustainability for buildings. • Identifies aspects where feedback methods are needed for improved design of sustainable schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a critical review of the palm biodiesel landscape in Malaysia. The palm industry is a key source of revenue for the country, where in 2009 the industry was responsible for generating 8% of the gross national income per capita. The interest in palm-based biodiesel can be traced back to the early 1980s however it was only in 2006 that Malaysia officially formulated its first National Biofuel Policy as a strategic government intervention to drive development and implementation of palm biodiesel as substitute to regular fossil-based diesel. As at January 2013, the implementation of the biodiesel mandate (at 5% concentration) has been limited to the Klang Valley central region only. But there are plans for a much wider roll-out and at higher concentration blends in 2014. The policy in its current form assumes that all biofuels are sustainable and therefore fails to provide assurances that the fossil diesel will be replaced by a more sustainable energy source. Here it has been argued that a market-based policy approach would be better than a technology-forcing mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Factors affecting serious traffic conflicts involving motorcyclists were investigated. [•] This study applies mixed effects logistic regression with multilevel bootstrapping. [•] Motorcyclist's manner of entry affects the outcome of traffic conflict. [•] Motorcyclist's stopping behavior affects the outcome of traffic conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Motorcycle accident fatalities predictive model on primary road was developed. [•] The model is the first motorcycle safety performance function in Malaysia and Asia. [•] The ADT of motorcycles and number of accesses per kilometer are the main variables. [•] Malaysia needs to establish a synergized road geometry and traffic census database. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The recently developed carbon emission Pinch Analysis (CEPA) techniques are not based on the classical Pinch Analysis concepts of carbon transfer, maximum carbon recovery, minimum carbon targets and the design of carbon exchange networks. Although previous process integration applications using the Pinch Analysis have contributed to carbon footprint reductions via energy efficiency improvements, they do not emphasize the waste-to-resources approach involving carbon exchange. This paper presents a new process integration technique for achieving holistic minimum carbon targets. The technique begins with carbon demand planning, which is followed by targeting the maximum possible carbon exchange using modified sources and demand curves. Next, the carbon management hierarchy (CMH) is introduced to systematically guide the carbon reduction process toward holistic minimum carbon targets. Finally, the minimum carbon utilization network is designed using a network allocation diagram. The application of this holistic approach at a refinery site revealed a maximum potential CO2 reduction of up to 95%. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Malaysia has the highest road fatality risk (per 100,000 population) among the ASEAN countries and more than 50% of the road accident fatalities involve motorcyclists. This study has collected and analysed data from the police, government authorities, and national and international research institutes. Only fatality data are used due to the severe underreporting of severe injuries (up to 600%) and slight injuries (up to 1400%). The analysis reveals that the highest numbers of motorcycle fatalities occur in rural locations (61%), on primary roads (62%) and on straight road sections (66%). The majority are riders (89%), 16 to 20years old (22.5%), and 90% of the motorcycles are privately owned. Of those involved in fatal accidents, 75% of the motorcyclists wear helmets, and 35% do not have proper licences. The highest number of fatalities by type of collision is ‘angular or side’ (27.5%). Although fatal motorcyclist crashes mostly involve ‘passenger cars’ (28%), motorcyclists are responsible for 50% of the collisions either by crashing singly (25%) or with other motorcyclists (25%). While male motorcyclists predominate (94% of fatalities), female motorcyclists aged 31 to 70, possessing ‘no licence’, not wearing helmets and travelling during the day, account for a higher percentage than male motorcyclists. Malaysia must acquire more motorcycle exposure data and establish an injury recording system and database based on hospital-records. To reduce motorcycle fatalities, it first has to understand why young male motorcyclists are prone to fatal crashes in the evenings and on weekends on rural primary roads, especially on straight road sections. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Optimization of thermo-alkaline disintegration of sewage sludge for enhanced biogas yield was carried out using response surface methodology (RSM) and Box–Behnken design of experiment. The individual linear and quadratic effects as well as the interactive effects of temperature, NaOH concentration and time on the degree of disintegration were investigated. The optimum degree of disintegration achieved was 61.45% at 88.50°C, 2.29M NaOH (24.23%w/w total solids) and 21min retention time. Linear and quadratic effects of temperature are most significant in affecting the degree of disintegration. The coefficient of determination (R 2) of 99.5% confirms that the model used in predicting the degree of disintegration process has a very good fitness with the experimental variables. The disintegrated sludge increased the biogas yield by 36%v/v compared to non-disintegrated sludge. The RSM with Box–Behnken design is an effective tool in predicting the optimum degree of disintegration of sewage sludge for increased biogas yield. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents a systematic computer aided technique to design a sustainable (safe, environmentally friendly and economical) tailor-made “green diesel” blend that satisfies a set of desirable target properties. In this work, the software, Integrated Computer Aided System (ICAS) was used to predict the green diesel properties. The blending model is formulated to identify a set of feasible mixture blends that satisfy the desirable target properties such as density and viscosity. The blend design problem is formulated as an NLP problem and solved through GAMS. Application of the systematic technique yields several promising green diesel blends. Four final candidate blends were selected based on three key criterion, i.e. cost, sulfur content and carbon dioxide emissions. The results show that the best diesel contains 82.4% diesel, 16.6% butanol and 1% butyl levulinate. This diesel blend contributes to the reduction of CO2 emission and sulfur content by up to 15% and 17%, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Volatile oil price and growing emphasis on environmental conservation have stimulated the development and utilisation of biomass as a vital source of renewable energy. In reducing the global dependency on fossil fuels, rice husk and rice straw which are the widely abundant agricultural wastes from the rice industry have a vital role to play. This paper reviews the key aspects of the utilisation of rice husk and rice straw as important sources of renewable energy. The paper provides some essential background information that includes the physical and chemical characteristics that dictates the quality of these rice biomasses. This paper also describes the various chemical and physical pretreatment techniques that can facilitate handling and transportation of rice straw and husk. Finally, the paper presents the state-of-the-art on thermo-chemical and bio-chemical technologies to convert rice husk and rice straw into energy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]