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  1. Fulltext Towards sustainable transport policy framework: A rail-based transit system in Klang Valley, Malaysia
    Yusoff I, Ng BK, Azizan SA
    PLoS One, 2021;16(3):e0248519.
    PMID: 33711053 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248519
    This study examines the sustainable transport policy framework in the case of railway development in Klang Valley, Malaysia. It is guided by the main principle that sustainable transport policy is a result of the integration of broad policy instruments that range from infrastructure provision and management, technological improvements, regulation, information, awareness, education, and pricing and taxation. Although this study is mainly qualitative, performance data available at the ASEAN Statistics Division, World Bank Open Data and Global Competitiveness Reports. This is followed by in-person interviews with experts who have vast knowledge, experience, and direct participation in sustainable railway development in Malaysia, especially those related to the Klang Valley development. The main findings have indicated that the current framework in Malaysia meets the criteria of sustainable development policy framework, which are essentially constituted within environmental protection. It also constitutes the pursuance of long-term growth in terms of economic and societal needs. Nonetheless, the rail-based transit system in Malaysia is highly driven by the Government and there is no clear sign indicating that the public is shifting from the road and private transport to rail-based services.
    Matched MeSH terms: Railroads*
  2. Recent progress in research on PM2.5 in subways
    Chang L, Chong WT, Wang X, Pei F, Zhang X, Wang T, et al.
    Environ Sci Process Impacts, 2021 May 26;23(5):642-663.
    PMID: 33889885 DOI: 10.1039/d1em00002k
    Nowadays, PM2.5 concentrations greatly influence indoor air quality in subways and threaten passenger and staff health because PM2.5 not only contains heavy metal elements, but can also carry toxic and harmful substances due to its small size and large specific surface area. Exploring the physicochemical and distribution characteristics of PM2.5 in subways is necessary to limit its concentration and remove it. At present, there are numerous studies on PM2.5 in subways around the world, yet, there is no comprehensive and well-organized review available on this topic. This paper reviews the nearly twenty years of research and over 130 published studies on PM2.5 in subway stations, including aspects such as concentration levels and their influencing factors, physicochemical properties, sources, impacts on health, and mitigation measures. Although many determinants of station PM2.5 concentration have been reported in current studies, e.g., the season, outdoor environment, and station depth, their relative influence is uncertain. The sources of subway PM2.5 include those from the exterior (e.g., road traffic and fuel oil) and the interior (e.g., steel wheels and rails and metallic brake pads), but the proportion of these sources is also unknown. Control strategies of PM mainly include adequate ventilation and filtration, but these measures are often inefficient in removing PM2.5. The impacts of PM2.5 from subways on human health are still poorly understood. Further research should focus on long-term data collection, influencing factors, the mechanism of health impacts, and PM2.5 standards or regulations.
    Matched MeSH terms: Railroads*
  3. Fulltext Complex Network Theory Applied to the Growth of Kuala Lumpur's Public Urban Rail Transit Network
    Ding R, Ujang N, Hamid HB, Wu J
    PLoS One, 2015;10(10):e0139961.
    PMID: 26448645 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139961
    Recently, the number of studies involving complex network applications in transportation has increased steadily as scholars from various fields analyze traffic networks. Nonetheless, research on rail network growth is relatively rare. This research examines the evolution of the Public Urban Rail Transit Networks of Kuala Lumpur (PURTNoKL) based on complex network theory and covers both the topological structure of the rail system and future trends in network growth. In addition, network performance when facing different attack strategies is also assessed. Three topological network characteristics are considered: connections, clustering and centrality. In PURTNoKL, we found that the total number of nodes and edges exhibit a linear relationship and that the average degree stays within the interval [2.0488, 2.6774] with heavy-tailed distributions. The evolutionary process shows that the cumulative probability distribution (CPD) of degree and the average shortest path length show good fit with exponential distribution and normal distribution, respectively. Moreover, PURTNoKL exhibits clear cluster characteristics; most of the nodes have a 2-core value, and the CPDs of the centrality's closeness and betweenness follow a normal distribution function and an exponential distribution, respectively. Finally, we discuss four different types of network growth styles and the line extension process, which reveal that the rail network's growth is likely based on the nodes with the biggest lengths of the shortest path and that network protection should emphasize those nodes with the largest degrees and the highest betweenness values. This research may enhance the networkability of the rail system and better shape the future growth of public rail networks.
    Matched MeSH terms: Railroads*
  4. Fulltext Bee Inspired Novel Optimization Algorithm and Mathematical Model for Effective and Efficient Route Planning in Railway System
    Leong KH, Abdul-Rahman H, Wang C, Onn CC, Loo SC
    PLoS One, 2016;11(12):e0166064.
    PMID: 27930659 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166064
    Railway and metro transport systems (RS) are becoming one of the popular choices of transportation among people, especially those who live in urban cities. Urbanization and increasing population due to rapid development of economy in many cities are leading to a bigger demand for urban rail transit. Despite being a popular variant of Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP), it appears that the universal formula or techniques to solve the problem are yet to be found. This paper aims to develop an optimization algorithm for optimum route selection to multiple destinations in RS before returning to the starting point. Bee foraging behaviour is examined to generate a reliable algorithm in railway TSP. The algorithm is then verified by comparing the results with the exact solutions in 10 test cases, and a numerical case study is designed to demonstrate the application with large size sample. It is tested to be efficient and effective in railway route planning as the tour can be completed within a certain period of time by using minimal resources. The findings further support the reliability of the algorithm and capability to solve the problems with different complexity. This algorithm can be used as a method to assist business practitioners making better decision in route planning.
    Matched MeSH terms: Railroads/methods*
  5. Fulltext Towards health monitoring using remote heart rate measurement using digital camera: A feasibility study
    Hassan MA, Malik AS, Fofi D, Karasfi B, Meriaudeau F
    Measurement : journal of the International Measurement Confederation, 2020 Jan;149:106804.
    PMID: 32287815 DOI: 10.1016/j.measurement.2019.07.032
    The paper presents a feasibility study for heart rate measurement using a digital camera to perform health monitoring. The feasibility study investigates the reliability of the state of the art heart rate measuring methods in realistic situations. Therefore, an experiment was designed and carried out on 45 subjects to investigate the effects caused by illumination, motion, skin tone, and distance variance. The experiment was conducted for two main scenarios; human-computer interaction scenario and health monitoring scenario. The human-computer scenario investigated the effects caused by illumination variance, motion variance, and skin tone variance. The health monitoring scenario investigates the feasibility of health monitoring at public spaces (i.e. airports, subways, malls). Five state of the art heart rate measuring methods were re-implemented and tested with the feasibility study database. The results were compared with ground truth to estimate the heart rate measurement error. The heart rate measurement error was analyzed using mean error, standard deviation; root means square error and Pearson correlation coefficient. The findings of this experiment inferred promising results for health monitoring of subjects standing at a distance of 500 cm.
    Matched MeSH terms: Railroads
  6. Microsimulation modelling of driver behaviour towards alternative warning devices at railway level crossings
    Tey LS, Zhu S, Ferreira L, Wallis G
    Accid Anal Prev, 2014 Oct;71:177-82.
    PMID: 24929822 DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2014.05.014
    Level crossings are amongst the most complex of road safety issues, due to the addition of rail infrastructure, trains and train operations. The differences in the operational characteristics of different warning devices together with varying crossing, traffic or/and train characteristics, cause different driver behaviour at crossings. This paper compares driver behaviour towards two novel warning devices (rumble strips and in-vehicle audio warning) with two conventional warning devices (flashing light and stop sign) at railway level crossings using microsimulation modelling. Two safety performance indicators directly related to collision risks, violation and time-to-collision, were adopted. Results indicated the active systems were more effective at reducing likely collisions compared to passive devices. With the combined application of driving simulation and traffic microsimulation modelling, traffic safety performance indicators for a level crossing can be estimated. From these, relative safety comparisons for the different traffic devices are derived, or even for absolute safety evaluation with proper calibration from field investigations.
    Matched MeSH terms: Railroads*
  7. Measuring driver responses at railway level crossings
    Tey LS, Ferreira L, Wallace A
    Accid Anal Prev, 2011 Nov;43(6):2134-2141.
    PMID: 21819844 DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2011.06.003
    Railway level crossings are amongst the most complex of road safety control systems, due to the conflicts between road vehicles and rail infrastructure, trains and train operations. Driver behaviour at railway crossings is the major collision factor. The main objective of the present paper was to evaluate the existing conventional warning devices in relation to driver behaviour. The common conventional warning devices in Australia are a stop sign (passive), flashing lights and a half boom-barrier with flashing lights (active). The data were collected using two approaches, namely: field video recordings at selected sites and a driving simulator in a laboratory. This paper describes and compares the driver response results from both the field survey and the driving simulator. The conclusion drawn is that different types of warning systems resulted in varying driver responses at crossings. The results showed that on average driver responses to passive crossings were poor when compared to active ones. The field results were consistent with the simulator results for the existing conventional warning devices and hence they may be used to calibrate the simulator for further evaluation of alternative warning systems.
    Matched MeSH terms: Railroads*
  8. No promising antidote 25 years after the Tokyo subway sarin attack: A review
    Sakurada K, Ohta H
    Leg Med (Tokyo), 2020 Nov;47:101761.
    PMID: 32702607 DOI: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2020.101761
    On the battlefields of Syria, many innocent civilians have been killed or injured by sarin poisoning. In Malaysia in February 2017, a North Korean man was assassinated with VX at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. In the face of such threats, a more effective antidote against organophosphonate acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors is needed, one that can freely penetrate into the central nervous system (CNS) through the blood-brain barrier (BBB). In the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack, which produced more than 6,000 victims, 2-pyridinealdoxime methiodide was the most commonly used antidote in hospitals, but it was unable to prevent CNS damage and no other oximes have been approved for use in Japan. Ultimately, 12 people died, and many victims had severe neurological injuries or sequelae. Although more than 25 years have passed since the incident, progress has been slow in the development of a new antidote that can penetrate the BBB, restore AChE activity in the CNS, and definitely prevent brain injury. From the perspectives of countering terrorism and protecting innocent people from nerve agent attacks, the search for nerve agent antidotes should be accelerated with the goals of improving both survival and quality of life. This review gives an overview of a series of our studies on the development of a new antidote since the Tokyo subway sarin attack and emphasizes that there is unfortunately still no promising antidote for saving the CNS in Japan.
    Matched MeSH terms: Railroads*
  9. Fulltext Level and determinants of knowledge of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis among railway workers in Malaysia
    Ganasegeran K, Menke JM, Challakere Ramaswamy VM, Abdul Manaf R, Alabsi AM, Al-Dubai SA
    Biomed Res Int, 2014;2014:370273.
    PMID: 24701573 DOI: 10.1155/2014/370273
    BACKGROUND: Symptomatic knee osteoarthritis, an ancient malady greatly impairing modern population quality of life, has stimulated global attention to find effective modes of prevention and intervention.

    PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess factors affecting knowledge of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (knee OA) among Malaysian railway workers.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 513 railway workers involving eight major states within Peninsular Malaysia using population-based sampling. The assessment instrument was a face-validated, prepiloted, self-administered instrument with sociodemographics and knowledge items on knee OA.

    RESULTS: Mean (± SD) age of the respondents was 41.4 (± 10.7), with the majority aged 50 years or older (34.9%). Of the total respondents, 53.6% had low levels of knowledge of knee OA disease. Multivariate analysis found that four demographic predictors, age ≥ 50 years, family history of knee OA, self-awareness, and clinical diagnosis of the disease entity, were significantly associated with knowledge scores.

    CONCLUSION: The finding of a low level knee OA knowledge among Malaysian railway workers points to an urgent need for massive information to be disseminated among the workers at risk to foster primary prevention and self-care.

    Matched MeSH terms: Railroads*
  10. Fulltext Prevalence of diabetes, hypertension and renal disease amongst railway workers in Malaysia
    Khalid BA, Usha R, Ng ML, Norella Kong CT, Tariq AR
    Med J Malaysia, 1990 Mar;45(1):8-13.
    PMID: 2152075
    A survey was done to determine the prevalence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension and renal disease, as well as extent of diabetic control, amongst the workers of Malaysian Railways. The prevalence of diabetes was high at 6.6%, with 3.8% of these being insulin dependent diabetes. The highest prevalence was in Indians (16.0%) followed by Chinese (4.9%) and Malays (3.0%). Using HbA1 measurements, diabetic control was poor in 70.6% of the diabetics. Hypertension was found in 37% and proteinuria in 35%. Renal impairment was present in 30% of the diabetics. This survey shows that diabetes, hypertension and renal disease are high amongst the railway workers in Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Railroads*
  11. Fulltext Psycho-behavioural risks of low back pain in railway workers
    Ganasegeran K, Perianayagam W, Nagaraj P, Al-Dubai SA
    Occup Med (Lond), 2014 Jul;64(5):372-5.
    PMID: 24727561 DOI: 10.1093/occmed/kqu039
    BACKGROUND:
    Low back pain (LBP) is the most costly ailment in the work force. Risky work behaviour and psychological stress are established risk factors.

    AIMS:
    To explore the associations between workplace risk factors, psychological stress and LBP among Malaysian railway workers.

    METHODS:
    A cross-sectional study was carried out on railway workers in Malaysia. Socio-demographics, workplace risk factors for LBP, perceived psychological stress and history of LBP over the previous month were obtained by direct interviews using a structured closed-ended questionnaire. Descriptive, bivariate and logistic regression analyses were conducted.

    RESULTS:
    There were 513 study participants (70% response rate). The prevalence of LBP in the previous month was 69%. Multivariate analysis yielded four significant predictors of LBP: employment of ≥ 10 years, lifting and lowering heavy loads, prolonged standing posture and psychological stress.

    CONCLUSIONS:
    The high prevalence of LBP and its significant associations with physical and psychological stress factors in railway workers points to an urgent need for preventive measures, particularly among workers in high-risk occupations.
    Matched MeSH terms: Railroads*
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