bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Numerical analysis for a chemotaxis-Navier–Stokes system
Authors: Duarte-Rodríguez Abelardo , Rodríguez-Bellido María Ángeles , Rueda-Gómez Diego A. , Villamizar-Roa Élder J.
Published: June 2020

In this paper we develop a numerical scheme for approximating a d-dimensional chemotaxis-Navier–Stokes system, d =2, 3, modeling cellular swimming in incompressible fluids. This model describes the chemotaxis-fluid interaction in cases where the chemical signal is consumed with a rate proportional to the amount of organisms. We construct numerical approximations based on the Finite Element method and analyze optimal error estimates and convergence towards regular solutions. In order to construct the numerical scheme, we use a splitting technique to deal with the chemo-attraction term in the cell-density equation, leading to introduce a new variable given by the gradient of the chemical concentration. Having the equivalent model, we consider a fully discrete Finite Element approximation which is well-posed and mass-conservative. We obtain uniform estimates and analyze the convergence of the scheme. Finally, we present some numerical simulations to verify the good behavior of our scheme, as well as to check numerically the optimal error estimates proved in our theoretical analysis.
Odontogenic fibroma-like lesions associated with amelogenesis imperfecta: short case
Authors: Sohail Kanwal , Kiyani Amber , Zeb Rabeea
Published: June 2020

Observation: We present a case of a 21-year-old Pakistani female with hypoplastic amelogenesis imperfecta (AI), microdontia, and multiple gingival swellings overlying impacted teeth. The gingival swellings were diagnosed as AI-associated odontogenic fibroma (OF)-like lesions on histology. Commentary: AI is an inherited enamel defect that may present in association with microdontia, root abnormalities, taurodontism, pulp stones, gingival hyperplasia, and rarely, gingival tumors. These gingival tumors share histologic features with odontogenic fibroma (OF), a benign odontogenic neoplasm, and are referred to as AI-associated OF-like lesions in the literature. Conclusion: AI-associated OF-like lesions are rare, this case will inform oral surgeons and other dental practitioners about this process and its management.
Optimality conditions for nonsmooth interval-valued and multiobjective semi-infinite programming
Authors: Jennane Mohsine , Kalmoun El Mostafa , Lafhim Lahoussine
Published: June 2020

We consider a nonsmooth semi-infinite interval-valued vector programming problem, where the objectives and constraint functions need not to be locally Lipschitz. Using Abadie’s constraint qualification and convexificators, we provide Karush–Kuhn–Tucker necessary optimality conditions by converting the initial problem into a bi-criteria optimization problem. Furthermore, we establish sufficient optimality conditions under the asymptotic convexity assumption.
Schädelfrakturen bei der Katze: CT-Befunde und Management
Authors: Betz Daniela Simon
Published: June 2020

Knight R, Meeson RL. Feline head trauma: A CT analysis of skull fractures and their management in 75 cats. J Feline Med Surg 2019; 21: 1120–1126

Bis zu 27 % aller traumabedingten Frakturen bei Katzen betreffen die Schädelknochen. CT-Studien sind sensitiver in der Darstellung von Schädelfrakturen als die Röntgenuntersuchung. Ziel der Studie war daher, Frakturen bei der Katze nach Schädeltrauma mittels CT-Untersuchung zu charakterisieren und deren begleitende Verletzungen sowie das Management zu beschreiben.
ABC5 International Consensus Conference on Advanced Breast Cancer, Lisbon, 16 November 2019
Authors: Untch Michael , Würstlein Rachel , Lüftner Diana , Haidinger Renate , Fasching Peter A. , Augustin Doris , Briest Susanne , Ettl Johannes , Förster Frank , Kurbacher Christian M. , Lück Hans-Joachim , Marschner Norbert , Müller Lothar , Müller Volkmar , Radke Isabel , Ruckhäberle Eugen , Scheffen Iris , Schumacher-Wulf Eva , Schwoerer Moritz , Steinfeld-Birg Dieter , Ziegler-Löhr Katja , Thomssen Christoph , Harbeck Nadia
Published: June 2020

The Advanced Breast Cancer Fifth International Consensus Conference (ABC5) which focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of advanced breast cancer was held in Lisbon on November 14 – 16, 2019. The aim of the conference is to standardize the treatment of advanced breast cancer worldwide using evidence-based data and to ensure that patients with advanced breast disease anywhere in the world are treated appropriately and have access to the latest therapies. This year, the emphasis was on new developments and study results from patients with advanced breast cancer as well as precision medicine. The collaboration with patient advocates from all over the globe is also an important goal of the ABC Conference, which is why the international ABC panel also included a number of patient advocates. We present a commentary on the voting results of the ABC5 panelists in Lisbon by a working group of German breast cancer specialists together with the implications for routine clinical care in Germany. The commentary is based on the recommendations of the Breast Commission of the German Gynecological Oncology Working Group (AGO). This commentary is useful, it includes country-specific features for the ABC consensus.
Klinische, diagnostische und therapeutische Aspekte der
Pachydermoperiostose (PDP): Ein Fallbericht
Authors: Morgenstern Thomas , Hammer Michael , Oji Vinzenz , Maier Anna
Published: June 2020

Die Pachydermoperiostose (PDP; auch Primäre Hypertrophe
Osteoarthropathie (PHO) oder Touraine-Solente-Golé Syndrom) ist eine
extrem seltene hereditäre Erkrankung der Haut und gelenknahen
Knochen. Anhand des Falles eines 35-jährigen männlichen
Patienten mit Arthralgien und Pachydermie werden im Folgenden wesentliche
Aspekte zu Klinik, Diagnostik und Differenzialdiagnostik der Erkrankung
vorgestellt. Therapeutische Optionen beschränken sich im
Wesentlichen auf symptomatische Maßnahmen. Die Anwendung
spezifischer Therapien sind lediglich in Einzelfällen
beschrieben.
Nasal transmissible venereal tumours in 12 dogs – a retrospective study
Authors: Ignatenko Nataliia , Abramenko Irina , Soto Sara , Mueller Ralf , Boehm Teresa M. S. A. , Troedson Karin , Fejos Csilla , Hirschberger Johannes
Published: June 2020

Objective The aim of this study was a retrospective analysis of clinical manifestation and treatment outcome of the nasal form of transmissible venereal tumours (TVT).

Material and methods Twelve dogs suffering from nasal TVT were included in this study. Patients with primary genital lesions were excluded from the study. Signalment, physical examination and laboratory findings, results of further diagnostics, and treatment results were recorded in all patients.

Results The study population comprised 9 male and 4 female dogs with an (estimated) age ranging from 3 to 7 years. With one exception all dogs originated from Ukraine. Symptoms of nasal TVT included sneezing, nasal bleeding (all cases), skull infiltration (9 cases), oronasal fistulas (9 cases) and cutaneous fistulas (5 cases). Animals received vincristine sulfate at 0.7 mg/m2 i. v. weekly. The treatment course consisted of 4–9 cycles (median 5 cycles). Complete remission was achieved in all cases. All dogs were disease-free during the follow-up period (median 23.5 months, range 12–56 months). All patients tolerated the treatment very well.

Clinical significance In conclusion, our data suggest that nasal TVT can have a good response to vincristine treatment. TVT should be considered as a differential diagnosis in sneezing dogs with nasal discharge or bleeding especially in young dogs and in dogs with suspected nasal tumours, even in countries without a stray animal population.
Neuer Blick auf ein altes Element – Eisen, Hepcidin und Entzündung
Authors: Humann-Ziehank Esther
Published: June 2020

Eisen (Fe) ist ein essenzielles Spurenelement und nimmt in der tierärztlichen Praxis insbesondere durch seine Bedeutung bei der Eisenmangelanämie einen wichtigen Platz ein. Die Fe-Bereitstellung, z. B. für die Hämoglobinsynthese, stellt hohe Anforderungen an die Eisenhomöostase. Mit der Charakterisierung des Hepcidins als regulatives Protein des Eisenstoffwechsels wurde deutlich, dass Fe einer hormonähnlichen Regulation unterliegt. In der Leber gebildetes Hepcidin reguliert den membranständigen Fe-Transporter Ferroportin. Ein Anstieg der Hepcidinkonzentration führt zu einer Reduzierung der Abgabe von intrazellulär gespeichertem Fe in den Extrazellulärraum. Diese Internalisierung von Fe erfolgt vor allem im retikuloendothelialen System und in Monozyten/Makrophagen, aber auch die enterale Fe-Absorption wird durch Hepcidin vermindert. Auslöser für die hepatische Hepcidinsynthese sind nach derzeitiger Sicht einerseits hohe Fe- bzw. Transferrinkonzentrationen im Plasma. Aber auch Entzündungsmediatoren wie Zytokine führen zur gesteigerten Hepcidinsynthese. Hiermit wurde ein Erklärungsansatz für die oft beobachtete deutliche Abnahme der Fe-Konzentration im Plasma im Rahmen akuter Entzündungen entwickelt, der Mechanismus wird als sog. Zytokin-Hepcidin-Link bezeichnet. Da viele pathogene Mikroorganismen Fe für ihren eigenen Stoffwechsel benötigen, wird die über Hepcidin vermittelte Modulation der Fe-Verfügbarkeit mit Internalisierung von Fe in den Intrazellulärraum der unspezifischen Abwehr zugeordnet. Fe-Supplementationen durch den Tierarzt oder den Landwirt greifen in diese Regulation ein, doch gibt es bisher nur wenige Studien zu den klinischen und metabolischen Auswirkungen oraler oder parenteraler Fe-Supplementierung unter Einbeziehung des Hepcidins. Diese sollte zukünftig wissenschaftlich detaillierter beschrieben werden. Möglicherweise resultiert daraus eine Neubewertung der verschiedenen Formen der Fe-Gabe an Wiederkäuer, Schweine und/oder Pferde.
Wesen, Ursachen, Therapie und Prophylaxe der hypokalzämischen Gebärparese beim Rind
Authors: Khol Johannes L. , Moser Katharina , Miklis Alexandra , Dirisamer Michaela , Wittek Thomas
Published: June 2020

Durch den laktationsbedingten sprunghaften Anstieg des Kalziumbedarfs nach der Geburt können hochleistende Milchkühe in eine hypokalzämische Stoffwechsellage geraten. Die Anfälligkeit für das Auftreten einer Gebärparese steigt dabei mit zunehmendem Alter der Tiere, hängt aber auch von zahlreichen anderen Faktoren wie dem Säure-Basen-Haushalt und der Versorgung mit Kalzium sowie anderen Mineralstoffen und Spurenelementen ab. Die Therapie erfolgt durch Kalziumapplikation, meist in Kombination mit Magnesium. Um die negativen Folgen des Kalziummangels zu vermeiden, sollte das Augenmerk jedoch auf dessen Prophylaxe liegen. Die peripartale orale Applikation von Kalziumverbindungen, eine der einfachsten Prophylaxemaßnahmen, ist mit einem hohen Arbeitsaufwand verbunden und setzt eine genaue Kenntnis des Geburtstermins voraus. Letzteres trifft auch für die parenterale Applikation von Vitamin D3 zu, die 1 Woche vor der Geburt erfolgen sollte. Zusätzlich birgt diese Methode bei wiederholter Anwendung die Gefahr einer Kalzinose. Die Verringerung des Kalziumangebots in der Trockensteherfütterung aktiviert die Mechanismen zur Kalziumhomöostase und stellt eine weitere Möglichkeit zur Prophylaxe der Gebärparese dar. Auch das gezielte Herbeiführen einer milden (kompensierten) metabolischen Azidose im Organismus, um die Sensitivität der Parathormonrezeptoren zu erhöhen und die Kalziumresorption im Darm zu steigern, kann zur Prophylaxe der Hypokalzämie eingesetzt werden. Hierzu dient eine sog. DCAD-Fütterung (DCAD = dietary cation anion difference) am Ende der Trockenstehperiode, bei der die Menge der starken Kationen (Kalium und Natrium) sowie der starken Anionen (Sulfat und Chlorid) beeinflusst wird. Dies geschieht entweder durch kaliumarme Fütterung (Teil-DCAD) oder den zusätzlichen Einsatz von sauren Salzen (Voll-DCAD). Insbesondere die Voll-DCAD ist mit einem nicht unerheblichen Analyse- und Kontrollaufwand verbunden. Je nach Inzidenz und Betriebsgröße sowie personellen und strukturellen Möglichkeiten gilt es daher, die am besten geeignete Methode zur Gebärpareseprophylaxe auszuwählen und umzusetzen.
Prostatakarzinom – chirurgische Komplikationen
Authors: Haidl Friederike , Al-Monajjed Rouvier
Published: June 2020

Die radikale Prostatektomie (RP) als offener, laparoskopischer oder robotergestützter Eingriff stellt nach wie vor den kurativen „Goldstandard“ für Patienten mit einem lokal begrenzten Prostatakarzinom dar. Heutzutage wird die RP zudem als Erstbehandlung für ein lokal fortgeschrittenes Prostatakarzinom, eventuell im Rahmen eines multimodalen Settings mit adjuvanter Strahlen-/Hormontherapie angewendet. Die zunehmende Erfahrung der Chirurgen, die bessere Kenntnis der Anatomie und die Verfeinerungen der Operationstechniken haben die onkologischen sowie funktionellen Ergebnisse immens verbessert. In unserem Artikel möchten wir einen Überblick über die mit der Operation verbundenen Komplikationen geben.
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gastrointestinal endoscopy activity in France
Authors: Belle Arthur , Barret Maximilien , Bernardini David , Tarrerias Anne-Laure , Bories Erwan , Costil Vianna , Denis Bernard , Gincul Rodica , Karsenti David , Koch Stephane , Laquiere Arthur , Lecomte Thierry , Quentin Vincent , Rahmi Gabriel , Robaszkiewicz Michel , Vaillant Eric , Vanbiervliet Geoffroy , Vienne Ariane , Dumeiran Franck , Gronier Olivier , Chaussade Stanislas ,   for the French Society of Digestive Endoscopy (Société Française d’Endoscopie Digestive)
Published: June 2020

Background The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has majorly affected medical activity around the world. We sought to measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy activity in France.

Methods We performed a web-based survey, including 35 questions on the responders and their endoscopic practice, from 23 March to 27 March 2020, sent to the 3300 French gastroenterologists practicing endoscopy.

Results 694 GI endoscopists (21 %) provided analyzable data; of these, 29.4 % (204/694) were involved in the management of COVID-19 patients outside the endoscopy department. During the study period, 98.7 % (685/694) of endoscopists had had to cancel procedures. There were 89 gastroenterologists (12.8 %) who reported symptoms compatible with COVID-19 infection, and a positive PCR test was recorded in 12/197 (6.1 %) vs. 3/497 (0.6 %) endoscopists in the high vs. low prevalence areas, respectively (P < 0.001).

Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic led to a major reduction in the volume of GI endoscopies performed in France in March 2020. The prolonged limited access to GI endoscopy could lead to a delay in the management of patients with GI cancers.
Posttraumatic Acute Spinal Epidural Hematoma of the Dorsolumbar Region
Authors: Agrawal Amit , V. Uma Maheshwara Reddy , Brinda Kuraparthy , Moscote-Salazar Luis R. , Dhanireddy Keerthana
Published: June 2020

In spite of the relative common occurrence of spinal injuries, spinal epidural hematomas (SEHs) are rare lesions. Depending on the onset, site, size, and presence of neurological deficits, they can be treated conservatively or surgically. In the presented article, we report an uncommon case of posttraumatic dorsolumbar SEH and discuss the characteristic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) imaging findings of epidural fat in the cases of traumatic spinal hematomas.
Role of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Traumatic Brain Injury—Evidence-Based Consensus
Authors: Velho Vernon , Kharosekar Hrushikesh , Bhople Laxmikant , Palande Deepak A.
Published: June 2020

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major health problem in India and worldwide, resulting in significant morbidity, mortality, and disabilities of young and productive group of society. Various treatment modalities in the immediate period following a TBI are focused on altering the acute pathophysiology. Secondary injury is precipitated by ischemia resulting from decreased cerebral blood flow leading to hypoxia and is particularly likely to occur in the first 24 hours after injury. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) targets TBI-induced ischemia by exposing patients to an environment that substantially increases the amount of O2 inspiration (100% O2 at >1 atmosphere absolute), producing an increased O2 concentration in the plasma and thus increased delivery of O2 for diffusion to brain tissue. Despite the capacity of HBOT to protect against secondary ischemic damage, the use of HBOT for the treatment of TBI has been controversial. To gain acceptance in routine clinical use, a clinical method of assessing its effectiveness in the individual patient, computed tomography perfusion scan, single-photon emission computed tomography scans, and other intermediate indicators of the effects of HBOT should be examined by large and high-quality studies.
Analysis of Employee Patient Portal Use and Electronic Health Record Access at an Academic Medical Center
Authors: Sulieman Lina , Steitz Bryan , Rosenbloom S. Trent
Published: June 2020

Background Patient portals provide patients and their caregivers online access to limited health results. Health care employees with electronic health record (EHR) access may be able to view their health information not available in the patient portal by looking in the EHR.

Objective In this study, we examine how employees use the patient portal when they also have access to the tethered EHR.

Methods We obtained patient portal and EHR usage logs corresponding to all employees who viewed their health data at our institution between January 1, 2013 and November 1, 2017. We formed three cohorts based on the systems that employees used to view their health data: employees who used the patient portal only, employees who viewed health data in the EHR only, and employees who used both systems. We compared system accesses and usage patterns for each employee cohort.

Results During the study period, 35,172 employees accessed the EHR as part of patients' treatment and 28,631 employees accessed their health data: 25,193 of them used the patient portal and 13,318 accessed their clinical data in EHR. All employees who accessed their records in the EHR viewed their clinical notes at least once. Among EHR accesses, clinical note accesses comprised more than 42% of all EHR accesses. Provider messaging and appointment scheduling were the most commonly used functions in the patient portal. Employees who had access to their health data in both systems were more likely to engage with providers through portal messages.

Conclusion Employees at a large medical center accessed clinical notes in the EHR to obtain information about their health. Employees also viewed other health data not readily available in the patient portal.
Intensive Care Unit Setup for COVID-19
Authors: Panse Shweta , Kanchi Muralidhar , Chacko Jose , S. Srinath Kumar T. , Ramanjaneya Ranganatha , Wilben Viju , Alva Arjun , Shetty Deviprasad
Published: June 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has become a challenge to all the healthcare systems in the world. Urgent creation of an intensive care unit (ICU) for the same is the need of the hour. The ideal ICU for COVID -19 should be isolated, fully equipped with invasive and noninvasive monitoring, with 24/7 trained medical personnel, nursing staff and laboratory support. As the coronavirus infection is transmitted by droplets and is highly contagious, protection of healthcare workers is crucial. Personnel working inside the ICU should get personal protective equipment (PPE). Strict guidelines for donning and doffing of PPE should be followed to prevent cross-contamination. Respiratory failure being the commonest complication of COVID-19, knowing the ventilator management for the same is essential. It is of great importance to meticulously manage all the resources to combat this contagion.
Impacts of oxygen radical ambient on structural and optical properties of (AlGa)2O3 films deposited by pulsed laser deposition
Authors: Zhang Fabi , Hu Congyu , Arita Makoto , Saito Katsuhiko , Tanaka Tooru , Guo Qixin
Published: June 2020

We report on the impacts of oxygen radical ambient for (AlGa)2O3 films grown on sapphire substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). All the films showed a monoclinic crystal structure and high transmittance in the ultraviolet and visible wavelength range. The surface roughness was less than 3 nm for all films, and the surface morphology has changed by applying oxygen radical ambient. The growth rate was faster in oxygen radical ambient compared with conventional oxygen ambient. Oxygen radical ambient has influences on the crystal quality of the (AlGa)2O3 films. The Ga content in β-(AlGa)2O3 films grown with oxygen plasma assistance was higher than that without the oxygen plasma, indicating the suppression of the re-evaporation of Ga related species from the film surface by plasma assistance during the PLD process.
Estimating the voluntary intake by sheep of tropical grasses from digestibility, regrowth-age and leaf content: a meta-analysis
Authors: Dixon R. M. , Mayer R. J.
Published: June 2020

Context The voluntary intake (VI) of forages by ruminants is usually estimated from diet DM digestibility (DMD), but may be related also to the age of regrowth and the leaf blade content (Leaf) of the forage. Aim To examine the reliability of the prediction of the VI of tropical grasses by sheep from the DMD, Leaf and Regrowth-age characteristics of the forage. Methods Data from eight experiments with mature sheep fed tropical grass hay diets (n = 229) were used to explore prediction of VI of DM (VIDM), digestible DM (DDM) (VIDDM) and estimated metabolisable energy from the DMD, Leaf and Regrowth-age of the forage. Key results The variables were generally correlated. In data pooled across experiments the VI (g/kg W0.75.day) of DM was poorly correlated with DMD, Leaf or Regrowth-age (r = 0.30–0.52). The regressions between VI and each of the variables differed among experiments in elevation (P < 0.001) but generally not in slope. When ‘experiment’ was included as a factor the VIDM (g/kg W0.75.day) = K + 0.0912 × DMD (R2 0.80; r.s.d. 6.8; K range –26.0 to +7.8; P < 0.001). Also VIDM = K + 0.069 × DMD + 0.020 × Leaf (R2 0.88; r.s.d. 5.4; DMD and Leaf, P < 0.001); thus inclusion of Leaf reduced the r.s.d. while K ranged widely (–20.5 to +12.0). The voluntary intake of digestible DM (VIDDM) = K + 0.081 × DMD + 0.011 × Leaf (R2 0.89; r.s.d. 3.2; DMD and Leaf P < 0.001; K range –35.0 to –16.3). Regrowth-age was correlated with both Leaf and DMD, and VIDM was predicted by Regrowth-age or Leaf with comparable error. Because numerous factors alter the composition of grasses at a specific Regrowth-age the DMD should be a more generally suitable variable to predict intakes of forage DM and DDM. Conclusions The estimation of the VI of ruminants ingesting tropical grass forages can be improved if the diet Leaf is included with diet DMD as a predictor. However, the general prediction of VI of sheep may involve large errors. Implications Knowledge of the leaf content as well as the digestibility should improve estimation of VI of tropical grasses by ruminants.
Evidence that melatonin promotes soybean seedlings growth from low-temperature stress by mediating plant mineral elements and genes involved in the antioxidant pathway
Authors: Bawa George , Feng Lingyang , Shi Jianyi , Chen Guopeng , Cheng Yajiao , Luo Jie , Wu Weishu , Ngoke Bancy , Cheng Ping , Tang Zhongqin , Pu Tian , Liu Jiang , Liu Weiguo , Yong Taiwen , Du Junbo , Yang Wenyu , Wang Xiaochun
Published: June 2020

Melatonin (MT) regulates several physiological activities in plants. However, information on how MT regulates soybean growth under low-temperature (LT) stress is lacking. To better understand how MT promotes plant growth and development under LT stress, we designed this study to evaluate the role of MT pretreatment on soybean seedlings exposed to LT stress. Our results showed that LT stress increased oxidative damage by increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, which affected the growth and development of soybean seedlings. However, the application of 5 µmol L–1 MT significantly decreased the oxidative damage by increasing plant mineral element concentrations and the transcript abundance of antioxidant related genes, which enhanced the decrease in ROS accumulation. These results collectively suggest the involvement of MT in improving LT stress tolerance of soybean seedlings by mediating plant mineral elements and the expression of genes involved in the antioxidant pathway.
Alteration in plant spacing improves submergence tolerance in Sub1 and non-Sub1 rice (cv. IR64) by better light interception and effective carbohydrate utilisation under stress
Authors: Bhaduri Debarati , Chakraborty Koushik , Nayak A. K. , Shahid Mohammad , Tripathi Rahul , Behera Rashmita , Singh Sudhanshu , Srivastava Ashish K.
Published: June 2020

Besides genetic improvement for developing stress-tolerant cultivars, agronomic management may also add considerable tolerance against different abiotic stresses in crop plants. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of six different spacing treatments (S1: 10 × 10 cm; S2: 15 × 10 cm; S3:15 × 15 cm; S4:20 × 10 cm; S5: 20 × 15 cm; S6: 20 × 20 cm (row-row × plant-plant)) for improving submergence tolerance in rice. A high yielding submergence intolerant rice cultivar IR64 was tested against its SUB1 QTL introgressed counterpart (IR64-Sub1) for 12 days of complete submergence for different spacing treatments in field tanks. Relatively wider spaced plants showed higher individual plant biomass and early seedling vigour, which was particularly helpful for IR64 in increasing plant survival (by 150% in S6 over S1) under 12 days of submergence, whereas the improvement was less in IR64-Sub1 (13%). Underwater radiation inside the plant canopy, particularly beyond 40 cm water depth, was significantly greater in wider spacing treatments. Leaf senescence pattern captured by SPAD chlorophyll meter reading and chlorophyll fluorescence imaging data (Fm, Fv/Fm) taken at different time intervals after stress imposition suggested that there was lesser light penetration inside the canopy of closer spaced plants, and that it might hasten leaf senescence and damage to the photosynthetic system. The initial content of total non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) was higher in wider spaced plants of IR64, and also the rate of depletion of NSC was lesser compared with closer spaced plants. In contrast, there was not much difference in NSC depletion rate under different spacing in IR64-Sub1. Further, higher antioxidant enzyme activities in wider spaced plants (both IR64 and IR64-Sub1) after de-submergence indicated better stress recovery and improved tolerance. Taken together we found that wider spacing (row-row: 20 cm and plant-plant: 15 cm and more) can significantly improve submergence tolerance ability in rice, particularly in submergence intolerant non-Sub1 cultivar like IR64, perhaps due to better underwater light penetration, delayed leaf senescence and slower depletion of NSC reserve.
Two-dimensionally controllable DSR generation from dumbbell-shaped mode-locked all-fiber laser*
Authors: Dou Zhi-Yuan , Zhang Bin , Cai Jun-Hao , Hou Jing
Published: June 2020

An all-fiber dumbbell-shaped dual-amplifier mode-locked Er-doped laser that can function in dissipative soliton resonance (DSR) regime is demonstrated. A nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM) and a nonlinear amplifying loop mirror (NALM) are employed to initiate the mode-locking pulses. Unlike conventional single-amplifier structure, the output peak power of which remains unchanged when pump power is varied, the proposed structure allows its output peak power to be tuned by changing the pump power of the two amplifiers while the pulse duration is directly determined by the amplifier of nonlinear amplifying loop mirror. The entire distribution maps of peak power and pulse duration clearly demonstrate that the two amplifiers are related to each other, and they supply directly a guideline for designing tunable peak power DSR fiber laser. Pulse width can change from 800 ps to 2.6 ns and peak power varies from 13 W to 27 W. To the best of our knowledge, the peak power tunable DSR pulse is observed for the first time in dumbbell-shaped Er-doped all-fiber mode-locked lasers.
Far-zone behaviors of scattering-induced statistical properties of partially polarized spatially and spectrally partially coherent electromagnetic pulsed beam*
Authors: Li Yan , Gao Ming , Lv Hong , Wang Li-Guo , Ren Shen-He
Published: June 2020

In this study, we explore the far-zero behaviors of a scattered partially polarized spatially and spectrally partially coherent electromagnetic pulsed beam irradiating on a deterministic medium. The analytical formula for the cross-spectral density matrix elements of this beam in the spherical coordinate system is derived. Within the framework of the first-order Born approximation, the effects of the scattering angle θ, the source parameters (i.e., the pulse duration T
0 and the temporal coherence length Tcxx
), and the scatterer parameter (i.e., the effective width of the medium σR
) on the spectral density, the spectral shift, the spectral degree of polarization, and the degree of spectral coherence of the scattered source in the far-zero field are studied numerically and comparatively. Our work improves the scattering theory of stochastic electromagnetic beams and it may be useful for the applications involving the interaction between incident light waves and scattering media.
Nonlinear dynamics in non-volatile locally-active memristor for periodic and chaotic oscillations*
Authors: Gu Wen-Yu , Wang Guang-Yi , Dong Yu-Jiao , Ying Jia-Jie
Published: June 2020

Complexity and abundant dynamics may arise in locally-active systems only, in which locally-active elements are essential to amplify infinitesimal fluctuation signals and maintain oscillating. It has been recently found that some memristors may act as locally-active elements under suitable biasing. A number of important engineering applications would benefit from locally-active memristors. The aim of this paper is to show that locally-active memristor-based circuits can generate periodic and chaotic oscillations. To this end, we propose a non-volatile locally-active memristor, which has two asymptotically stable equilibrium points (or two non-volatile memristances) and globally-passive but locally-active characteristic. At an operating point in the locally-active region, a small-signal equivalent circuit is derived for describing the characteristics of the memristor near the operating point. By using the small-signal equivalent circuit, we show that the memristor possesses an edge of chaos in a voltage range, and that the memristor, when connected in series with an inductor, can oscillate about a locally-active operating point in the edge of chaos. And the oscillating frequency and the external inductance are determined by the small-signal admittance Y(iω). Furthermore, if the parasitic capacitor in parallel with the memristor is considered in the periodic oscillating circuit, the circuit generates chaotic oscillations.
Human detection with and without weapon using LTE-based passive Forward Scattering Radar System
Authors: Hafizah Abdul Aziz Noor , Firdaus Hussain Muhammad
Published: June 2020

Firstly, radar is a system that has a radio transmitter that transmits radio waves, which will be received by a receiver, and it is used for detecting and locating objects. The passive radar system only receives signal from existing transmitters such as telecommunication antenna by using radio signal for tracking, detecting and so on. This experimental study was conducted with a human holding a weapon representing intruders that cross borders illegally into the country. Existing commercial telecommunication antenna was used as the transmitter transmitting the electromagnetic waves, and the system received the waves by using the receiver antenna. There are many techniques for a passive radar but in this case, we used the forward scattering region to detect human with and without weapon. The Doppler signature from human detection is produced when the receiver antenna detects any presence of a human that passes through between the transmitter and receiver. Two LTE frequencies used in this experimental work were 1.8 GHz and 2.63 GHz with several providers and have wider LTE coverage. The data from human detection was collected using LTE based passive forward scattering radar system, and was then analysed using Matlab programme. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to classify the human without weapon and human holding a weapon into two categories. This system successfully classified the human with and without weapon and could be used by the military for border protection.
Investigation on fiber optic sensor using FBG for various temperature and liquid density
Authors: Idris S. K. , Haroon H. , Abdul Razak H. , Mohd Zain A. S.
Published: June 2020

There are several issues that present in conventional sensor including its accuracy, safety, durability and RF effect. These issues could be minimized with the implementation of fiber optic sensor. This project is to design and implement optical sensor using FBG for various temperature and liquid density sensing. The FBG sensor was submerged in liquid substances to determine the sensing conditions. The available pigtail was connected to the circulator, 1550nm laser source and optical spectrum analyzer (OSA). The data regarding temperature and density sensing captured from OSA were observed and analyzed. It is found that the relationship between the change in temperature and the change in wavelength is virtually linear in both environments making FBG a good candidate for sensing temperature.
Performance improvement of a slotted square patch antenna using FSS superstrate for wireless application
Authors: Nassr Z. A. , Zabri S.N. , Shairi N. A. , Zakaria Z. , Othman A. , Zobilah A. M.
Published: June 2020

This paper presents a wideband planar antenna integrated with a frequency selective surface (FSS). Initially, the FSS array screen is investigated using a basic square ring to construct a unit cell of the FSS periodical structure with a (12x12) array. FR4 with a permittivity of 4.7 and a thickness of 1.6 mm is used as the substrate material for both FSS structure and antenna. Then, the antenna is placed closely parallel over the FSS configuration at a distance of 28 mm. After analyzing the performance of the antenna in terms of return loss, directivity and antenna gain, the design is integrated with the FSS structure in order to achieve a stable frequency response. Directivity and gain improvement of 6.5 dB and 5.1 dB respectively are observed along broadside direction.
Mobile applications in customer relationship management to enhance empowerment of knowledge to customers
Authors: Gani Z , Maung W
Published: June 2020

The mobile application is in rapid growth and dissemination in business and enhancement of customer satisfaction has emerged as a core issue. In Customer Relationship Management (CRM), customer reviews are recognized as fruitful information sources for monitoring and enhancing customer satisfaction levels, in particular, feedback of actual customers expressing their opinion reflects on core business. Customer knowledge about products or services also reflects on the business. Knowledge is one of the key factors for customer service success - most companies would empower employees with knowledge which is deemed reasonable. The knowledge of technical intricacies and variables in finding an accurate Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) by customers has been a challenging task. This challenge via using a UPS calculator that computes upon different back-up time and technical calculations involved, allows customers to find an accurate UPS easily and gives the customers the ownership of the knowledge. This UPS calculator has created a niche market for UPS manufacturing and distributing companies. The feedback from the telephone interview conducted in this study shows that the customer using this UPS calculator can make an accurate decision-making process of purchasing a UPS and electrical wholesalers can give advice to customers to suitable UPS and prices with an improved business process. In the future, this research would like to extend its study towards customer interaction, customer satisfaction and customer value.
Lymphoblast cell morphology identification to detect Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) using various color segmentation
Authors: Nabilah Mohd Safuan Syadia , Razali Md Tomari Mohd , Nurshazwani Wan Zakaria Wan , Othman Nurmiza
Published: June 2020

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is a disease that is defined by the uncontrollable growth of abnormal cell of lymphocyte, which is called lymphoblast. ALL patients cannot be left untreated as it can be fatal, and hence, early detection is very crucial for proper treatment suggestion. Conventionally, ALL analysis is manually done, which is time-consuming and highly dependent on the pathologist’s skills. Furthermore, it will be hard to pathologist as the number of sample increases, and also there are other cells inside the blood smear image, which will create confusion to them. Haematology counter is great to assist the process, but unfortunately, the cost is unbearable for some countries. For that reason, in this project, a computer-aided ALL detection with fast response is proposed. The system consists of five main modules which are image acquisition, pre-processing, segmentation, feature extraction and classification. For the process flow, firstly the color space correction based on l*a*b* color space is applied to standardize the color of the input image. Next, WBC segmentation is employed to locate the WBC region and consequently divided it into two parts which are the nucleus and cytoplasm based on a combination of color space analysis and Otsu thresholding. However, the segmented image contains noises and hence, is eliminated by using a combination of morphological filter and Connected Component Labelling (CCL). Then, the feature extraction process is made to study the nature of each individual cell using features derive from color, texture and geometrical properties. Lastly, lymphoblast classification is incurred to categorized the lymphoblast and the non-lymphoblast cell by employing Support Vector Machine (SVM) with a linear kernel function. As mentioned before, WBC segmentation is divided into two parts, and nucleus detection accuracy is higher than cytoplasm detection accuracy, which is 98.87% and 74.12% respectively. The presence of color space correction is analyzed, and the result is better with 96.92% accuracy for the presence of color space correction compared to 93.55% accuracy for without color space correction result. Classification performance is able to achieve 98.72% of accuracy.
Analysis of local binary pattern using uniform bins as palm vein pattern descriptor
Authors: Atikah Mohd Hayat Nurul , Mohd Noh Zarina , Mohamad Yatim Norhidayah , Ahmad Radzi Syafeeza
Published: June 2020

Palm vein authentication technology which reads the features of palm vein has been widely used in recent years as it offers high accuracy identification and difficult to be forged or impersonated. This paper demonstrates a palm vein recognition system using uniform Local Binary Pattern (LBP) through the Python language and R. Python language was used for contrast enhancement, noise reduction and LBP implementation while R was used for classifying palm vein pattern using K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN) classifier. The palm samples come from two datasets which are from the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Automation (CASIA) and self-dataset. The outcomes were the extracted and classified palm vein pattern based on subjects and their accuracy based on each dataset. The accuracy for all uniform LBP bins and selected uniform LBP bins from self-dataset were 87% and 53% respectively; while for CASIA dataset were 60% and 27% respectively. The results show that the accuracy is higher if all uniform LBP bins are used for the recognition purpose.
Cardioid graph based ECG biometric in varying physiological conditions using compressed QRS
Authors: Nurfarah Ain Mohd Azam Siti , Zohra Fateema-tuz , Azami Sidek Khairul , Smoleń Magdalena
Published: June 2020

This paper proposes a robust biometric identification system using compressed electrocardiogram (ECG) signal by varying physiological conditions. The ECG data were obtained by recording a total of 30 healthy subjects where they performed six regular daily activities repeatedly at a sampling frequency of 1000 Hz. Then, the QRS complexes are segmented by implementing Amplitude Based Technique (ABT) where it compares the amplitudes of ECG points to determine the R peak. The segmented QRS is then compressed for various levels by using Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) algorithms and first 3 Daubechies (db) wavelet are computed. Next, a Cardioid graph is generated. In order to verify the matching process, the classification is performed by using the Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) technique. The results show that by applying this method, the accuracy of the identification rate can be achieved as high as 96.4% even when the data file is compressed up to 73.3%. When the data file is compressed, the outcomes also demonstrate that the execution time is less compare to non-compressed data. Therefore, the biometric identification system can be implemented efficiently as there will be a lesser issue regarding the data storage, execution time and accuracy based on the outcome of the study.
Effect of dielectric barrier discharge on ceramic surface properties
Authors: Yao Furong , Pan Mingqiang , Zhu Zongjian , Liu Jizhu , Wang Yangjun , Huang Haibo , Chen Liguo
Published: June 2020

Ceramics, as a commonly used insulating and thermally conductive material, has a wide range of applications in the field of micro-nano manufacturing. In recent years, research on ceramic bonding has also increased. However, ceramic bonding has some problems such as bonding failure and low bonding quality. Learning from other commonly used bonding materials, the important factor for the success of bonding is the surface properties of the material. Therefore, in this study, the surface of ceramic was treated by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) to improve surface properties. The effects of dielectric barrier discharge on the surface properties of ceramic is investigated from the three aspects: hydrophilic angle, surface energy and surface morphology. In the dielectric barrier discharge experiment, blind via glass is used as the blocking medium for the upper electrode. The lower electrode is covered by ceramic, and the ceramic is also the material to be treated. The influence of processing time, discharge voltage and discharge frequency on the treatment effect is investigated in the experiment. The hydrophilic angle and surface energy of the treated ceramics are measured and calculated by contact angle measuring instrument, and the surface morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the longer the discharge treatment time is, the larger the discharge output voltage is, the smaller the discharge gap is, the faster the hydrophilicity of the surface of the ceramic sheet is, and the higher the activation energy is. The damage of the ceramic surface after treatment is small, and the impurities on the surface are destroyed. In general, the surface properties of ceramics after dielectric barrier discharge treatment are better than before.
The Perception and Use of Social Media by the Parent of Student at University Malaysia Perlis
Authors: Ishak Aida Shakila , Rose Nurul Naimah , Ahmad Nor’izah , Taufiqqurahman M. , Mustafa Mohd Yusri
Published: June 2020

Communication is very important in an organization as a means of communication with one another. The role of communication is emphasized in an organization as a channel and partnership between partners, lecturers, family members and others. Communication is also important as a tool of socialization and education experienced by an individual to bring him to a person having knowledge of the intricacies of social media. This study was conducted to find out the use and usage pattern of social media among parents of University Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP). The research method used in this study was a “semi-structural” interview. The data were analysed using thematic method. The results of the analysis found that some categories of social site use among parents are for the purpose of keeping up with current developments; connect with family members, to get information, entertainment, motivation and others. The finding found that Facebook’s good and bad. In the context of relationship with children, some respondent admit that social media has the potential to be platform to monitor children activities.
Performance Analysis of ZCC-Optical-CDMA over SMF for Fiber-To-The-Home Access Network
Authors: Ghazi Alaan , Aljunid S. A. , Fareed Alaa , Idrus Syed Zulkarnain Syed , Rashidi C. B. M , albayaty Marwa , Al-dawoodi Aras , Fakhrudeen Ahmed M.
Published: June 2020

To provide a sustainable fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), several multiplexing techniques have been developed for this purpose. The correlation features are the main obstacle behind the network performance limitation, which imposes to a high level of multiple access interference. However, the development of multiplexing techniques helps to overcome these limitations, such as optical-code division multiple access (Optical-CDMA). Optical-CDMA is considered as one of the most powerful solutions for FTTH. This paper aims to enhance FTTH network performance by applying Zero cross-correlation code (ZCC) with Optical-CDMA with maximum link single-mode fiber. In the simulation, the system performance is demonstrated in terms of bit error rate, Q-Factor and eye diagram measurements.
IPv6 WSN Geolocation Using the MAC Address
Authors: O’Daniel T
Published: June 2020

Wide-area Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) deployments that consist of a large number of distributed nodes can benefit greatly from self-configuration and constant reporting of the location where data was sensed. Previous work has shown how a WSN node can calculate an initial estimate of its location and a finite set of alternate points that could be its actual location, using the coordinates and nominal transmission radius of its neighbours embedded in their IPv6 addresses. This paper extends that work, presenting a scheme for embedding the coordinates in the Ethernet MAC address to allow use of IPv6 header compression. To save energy, a practical and efficient method for exchanging neighbor address information and supporting dynamic address changes is also proposed to replace listening in promiscuous mode. Necessary modifications to the stack are identified, and a test program is outlined.
CancerMAS Dashboard: Data Visualization of Cancer Cases in Malaysia
Authors: Hamidi Saidatul Rahah , Lokman Anitawati Mohd , Shuhidan Shuhaida Mohamed , Hilmi Muhammad Imran Mohd Nor
Published: June 2020

One of the most famous diseases to ever roam across the globe is cancer. There are many types of cancer but the most common sites are breast, trachea, bronchus, lung, and colon cancer. Cancer can also be found pretty much in every country on earth and our country, Malaysia is not to be missed. The number of mortality in Malaysia for cancer is one of the highest and steps can be taken to help reduce the mortality rate. CancerMAS is a web-based dashboard that visualizes cancer incidence in Malaysia using cancer data that can assist cancer researchers to conduct their studies. The dashboard displays visualizations on ten of the highest cancer sites in Malaysia for male and female along with age-groups. The dashboard also presents visualizations of all cancer sites by gender and ethnic as well as the incidence by states in Malaysia. All of the visualizations are in the form of graphs. The dashboard allows the user to zoom into the graphs and isolates elements in the graphs including hovering over the graph to reveal information.