bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A survey on readiness of cloud based queuing management system implementation to mobile users
Authors: Saleh, A. H. Mohd , Radzi, N. A. Mohamed , Ahmad, W. S. H. M. Wan , Rashidi C. B. M.
Published: March 2020

Queuing Management System (QMS) has been used in medical facilities to manage crowd systematically and reduce customer dissatisfaction. However, customers that use conventional QMS needs to be within the facility to have access to the QMS information. With the integration of mobile application and cloud based QMS, customers are able to access QMS information anywhere. However, migrating to a new technology requires a study on the readiness of the system. Hence, the objective of this study is to understand the effect of implementing QMS by investigating the effect of time efficiency, cost efficiency, accessibility, reliability, variety, convenience towards customer satisfaction. 311 respondents were given survey questions with 100% response rate. The results were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. For reliability analysis, the survey questions were proven to be valid, where factor analysis done supports the results to be effective for further analysis. Correlation and regression analysis done also show that there are influences between the independent variables and the dependent variable.
Advanced optimal by PSO-PI for DC motor
Authors: Jeaeb Salam Waley , Salman Abbas Zghair , Jawad Qusay A. , Shareef Haider
Published: March 2020

Interest in the drive system which used in many applications is increasing day by day. So, many researchers have focused on the analyses, design and control of these systems. In this study, Optimal for Dc motor in drive system control strategy has been proposed for PSO-PI and fuzzy logic controller (FLC) based Dc motor in drive system. In order to test dynamic performance of PSO-PI based drive System, simulation study was carried out by MATLAB/Simulink. The results obtained from the PSO-PI based drive system are not only superior in the rise time, settling time and overshoot but can prevent from voltage and has improved power quality. 
A cashless payment transaction (CPaT) using RFID technology
Authors: Ya’acob Norsuzila , Yusoff AzitaLaily , Seroja Sarnin Suzi , Mohd Ali Darmawaty , Fadzlina Naim Nani , Kassim Murizah , Binti Mohd Azni Nur Amirah
Published: March 2020

Virtual money is an actual money that a person own but in a form of a plastic card, an online account and a token or a ticket. Referring to the cash-base system, it is full of fraud and money scam activity. It even happens in a smaller division of a human population which are among family members. For example, when a child decided to do a money scam towards their parents by asking for extra money for what they actually needed to pay for school internal fee and with today’s technology, they can easily recreate a receipt of the payment based on the amount of money they have scammed. In this Cashless Payment Transaction (CPaT) in a school based on Low Frequency (LF) RFID Technology system, the system offers a virtual money transaction in the plastic card form and allows the transaction to be monitored by parents with the help of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, MySQL database and Email notification system. The MySQL database is paired with the PHP prgramming language  where the calculation for deduction credit will be done before being updated to the RFID card and MySQL database. As a result, the system will allow a cash-free transaction for school payment activity and allow parents to monitor their child spending activity and nutrition intake via MySQL database that are designed based on Graphical User Interface (GUI) within one minute after the transaction is successfully done.
Heartbeats: music recommendation system with fuzzy inference engine
Authors: Kasinathan Vinothini , Mustapha Aida , Sau Tong Tan , Che Abdul Rani Mohamad Firdaus , Abd Rahman Nor Azlina
Published: March 2020

In developing a music recommendation system, there are several factors that can contribute to the inefficiency in music selection. One of the problems persists during the music listening is that common music playing application lacks the ability to acquire context of the user. Another problem that common music recommendation system fails to address the is emotional impact of the recommended song. To address this gap, this paper presents a music recommendation system based on fuzzy inference engine that considers user activities and emotion as part of the recommendation parameters. The system includes building a smart music recommendation system that has user profiling capabilities to recommend correct songs based on the user’s preferences, mood and time. Findings of the this paper have shown that Heartbeats’s fuzzy inference engine has successfully achieved its aim, which is to improve users’ music listening experience by giving suitable song recommendation based on user context situation.
A review of combined economic emission dispatch for optimal power dispatch with renewable energy
Authors: F. Aswan N. , N. Abdullah M. , Abu Bakar A. H.
Published: March 2020

This paper provides comprehensive review of recent formulation and solution of combined economic emission dispatch problem considering renewable energy. Generally, power dispatch plays an important role in power generation system that mainly depends on the fossil fuels. Rapid depletion of these sources cause a limitation and increase the fuel price. At the same time, the poisonous gases emit by the thermal generator causes a long term environmental pollution. An extensive researches have been conducted for last few decades by considering Renewable Energy (RE) in power generation system as an alternative source. Therefore, Combined Economic Emission Dispatch (CEED) of thermal and renewable energy resources currently formulated in power dispatch problem. The optimization methods that commonly used to solve the CEED problem are categorized as traditional method, non-conventional method and hybrid method. It can be concluded that non-conventional and hybrid method have great and superior solution for solving multiobjective economic emission dispatch problem. The recent research related to CEED with RE are summarized in terms of methods, test cases, conditions, types of RE and constraints. Thus, it can be useful references for the research in this area.
Image classification of malaria using hybrid algorithms: convolutional neural network and method to find appropriate K for K-nearest neighbor
Authors: Lumchanow Wisit , Udomsiri Sakol
Published: March 2020

This paper presents image classification algorithms to improve the learning rate and to comparison the classification efficiency. Using convolutional neural network (CNN) for feature extraction and method to find appropriate k for k-nearest neighbor (KNN). Medical datasets were used in the experiments to classify Plasmodium Vivax and Plasmodium Falciparum. Results of the study indicated that for Plasmodium Vivax in ring form, the appropriate k was 1 and the learning rate (LR) was 83.33%, Trophozoite (k=5, LR=91.67%), Schizont (k=1, LR=83.33%), and Gametocyte (k=1, LR=91.67%) whereas Plasmodium Falciparum in ring form (k=7, LR=91.67%), Trophozoite (k=1, LR=83.33%), Schizont (k=1, LR=91.67%) and Gametocyte (k=1, LR=100%).
Comparative analysis of energy based optimized dynamic source multipath routing protocol in WSNs
Authors: Ameen Nabeena , Jamal Najumnissa , Raj L. Arun
Published: March 2020

Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) has been considered to be a formula for overcoming various requirements like surveillance, health care, traffic surveillance and defense systems. As an aid to the demands for Wireless sensor network, research has been going on the efficient consumption of energy and secure communication areas for WSN. Here introducing Ant colony optimization based Optimized dynamic Secure multipath routing protocol (ODMRP) have improvised WSN in terms of energy efficiency, performance, strength and scalability. This paper proposed mechanism of Ant Colony Optimization based on the optimized dynamic secure multipath routing protocol (ODMRP-ACO) for data transmission in the WSNs.  This eases the data transmission via WSNs. The shortest path between the source node and the destination node is analyzed by the ant colony cooperation which is based on the ACO. There are several routing protocols like Energy-aware and Secure Routing with Trust (ESRT-ACO), Split multipath routing protocol-Ant colony Optimization (SMR-ACO), Light Weight Trust Based routing protocol (TLB-AODV) and AODV routing protocols that are built with the ACO based Routing Protocol. They are concerned over the End to End Delay, Packet Delivery Rate, Routing Overhead, Throughput and Energy Efficiency. The data analytic results have proven to be effective compared to the other routing protocols designed for WSN. This is because; the overall ODMRP-ACO was calculated to be 96.98% better than the other existing. For the newly developed ODMRP-ACO protocol, the simulation platform used is NS2 simulation software.
Inside: a model for interactive and immersive synchronous media in MOOC courses
Authors: Abdul Latiff Lizzam , Abdul Aziz Azhar , Ismail Afiza , Mokhsin Mudiana
Published: March 2020

MOOC or Massive Online Open Course is increasingly adopted by Universiti Teknologi MARA as one of the e-learning methods. It is estimated that 900 courses will be offered by end of 2018, in line with the Malaysian Government’s push for better utilization of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education. This creates an opportunity to introduce MOOC as a legitimate full alternative to lecture classes. However, learners in a MOOC setting are at a disadvantage when compared to conventional classroom in learner-learner and learner-instructor interaction. There is a huge temporal gap that exists by nature of how the courses are conducted. InSIDE is developed as a model that introduces synchronous interactivity and immersive component within MOOC. To facilitate interaction in this setting, InSIDE suggests a dedicated moderator to accompany the lecture. The model also utilizes a “go high and fail gracefully” approach to overcome the devices, connectivity and infrastructural challenge. In pursuant of the creation of a model that can be used in UiTM, interviews with UiTM’s MOOC facilitators and lecturers were conducted to gain insights on the behind-the-scene processes of creating and managing a course. In order to ensure that the model is feasible within existing infrastructure, a Proof of Concept was conducted with an actual lecture. InSIDE was also presented to three experts on MOOC in UITM. From the qualitative data obtained, 2 out of 3 experts agree that the InSIDE have the possibility to improve MOOC delivery, while one expert agree with reservation in regards required hardware and infrastructure required.
A taxonomy of Malay social media text
Authors: Maskat Ruhaila , Munarko Yuda
Published: March 2020

In this paper, we proposed a preliminary taxonomy of Malay social media text. Performing text analytics on Malay social media text is a challenge. The formal Malay language follows specific spelling and sentence construction rules. However, the Malay language used in social media differs in both aspects. This impedes the accuracy of text analytics. Due to the complexity of Malay social media text, many researches has chosen to focus on classifying the formal Malay language. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to propose a formal taxonomy for Malay text in social media. Narrow and informal categorisations of Malay social media text can be found amidst efforts to pre-process social media text, yet cherry-picked only some categories to be handled. We have differentiated Malay social media text from the formal Malay language by identifying them as Social Media Malay Language or SMML. They consists of spelling variations, Malay-English mix sentence, Malay-spelling English words, slang-based words, vowel-les words, number suffixes and manner of expression.This taxonomy is expected to serve as a guideline in research and commercial products.
Evaluation review of effectiveness and security metrics performance on information technology domain
Authors: Din Roshidi , Bakar Rosmadi , Ismail Azizan , Mustapha Aida , Utama Sunariya
Published: March 2020

Information Technology (IT) development is the vital required for human life activities in this global era. This implementation of IT system has becomes competitive among developers to increase the quality of system performance. In order to discover the IT performance of system, it neccesary to evaluate the IT implementation performance. It determines the anticipated system output to prepare to enhance the application performance. In this paper the evaluation performance that is reviewd are effectiveness and security metrics because both of evaluations able to improve the development and protection of system. Therefore, this paper classifies some IT domain development that used in term of effectiveness and security metric approach from previous researchers’ effort. It is categorized the domain based on both evaluation term of effectiveness and security metrics from specific parameter their used. The concern of this paper is to discover the important effectiveness and security metrics in IT domain performance that is anticipated to achieve expected performance.
Short term load forecast of Kano zone using artificial intelligent techniques
Authors: Imam Huzaimu Lawal , Gaya M.S , Galadanci G. S. M
Published: March 2020

Load forecast provides useful information for effective electricity dispatch, planning for future expansion and significantly enhances operational efficiency. Conventional techniques yield unsatisfactory forecast which results in high energy losses and in turn leads to high operational cost and suppressed electricity demand. This paper presents hybrid neuro fuzzy (HNF) and Nonlinear Auto-Regressive with eXogeneous input (NARX) neural network for the short term load prediction of Kano region Nigeria.  Simulation results obtained demonstrated the generalization capabilities of the models in predicting the load accurately well by achieving MAPE of 0.025% and 0.6551% for the HNF model and NARX network model respectively. The models could serve as promising tool for predicting Kano Zone load demand.
Detection of fault during power swing in test system interconnected with DG
Authors: Mohamad Nor Zulaily , Farid Abidin Ahmad , Musirin Ismail
Published: March 2020

Distance relay is prone to mal-operate during power swing, thus most of modern distance relay design is equipped with power swing blocking scheme to block the operation during power swing and reset the blocking operation whenever a fault occurs during power swing. However, the detection of fault during power swing especially for high resistance fault possess a challenging task, therefore it may cause the unblocking function to vulnerable to operate. This paper presents the development of a detection scheme for detecting fault during power swing in test system interconnected with Distributed Generation (DG). In this study, the detection scheme is proposed based on S-Transform analysis on the distance relay input voltage signal. It is demonstrated that the proposed S-Transform detection based scheme can effectively detect various type of fault during power swing includes high resistance fault, as well as able to operate correctly even with the presence of DG in the test system.
Chaotic immune symbiotic organisms search for SVC installation in voltage security control
Authors: Mohamad Zamani Mohamad Khairuzzaman , Musirin Ismail , Suliman Saiful Izwan , Murtadha Othman Muhammad
Published: March 2020

Parallel with the urbanization of the world, energy demand in the world also increased. The increase in energy demand will require a power system to be operated near its stability limit. To mitigate the problem, Flexible Alternating Current Transmission System (FACTS) devices can be installed as a compensation scheme to improve voltage security in a power system. For an effective compensation, FACTS devices should be optimally allocated in a power system. Although optimization techniques can be implemented to optimally allocate these devices, problems have been reported which would affect the performance of the optimization techniques in terms of producing high quality solutions. This paper presents the implementation of Chaotic Immune Symbiotic Organisms Search for solving optimal Static VAr Compensator (SVC) allocation problem for voltage security control. The optimization is validated in IEEE 26-Bus Reliability Test System (RTS) realizes the capability of CISOS in solving the optimization problem. Comparative studies with respect to Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Evolutionary Programming (EP) resulting in good agreement on the results and demonstrated superior performance of CISOS. Results of the study can be beneficial to power system community in terms of compensation planning prior to real world implementation.
Hybrid MVDR-LMS beamforming for Massive MIMO
Authors: M. Tabra Yasmine , Sabbar Bayan
Published: March 2020

With the high speed of communication in LTE-5G, fast beamforming techniques need to be adopted. The training time required to form and steer the main lobes toward 5G multiple users must be short. Least-Mean-Square (LMS) training time is not suitable to work with in LTE-5G, but it has a good performance in forming multiple beams to large number of users and producing nulls in the interference direction. In this paper, an optimized hybrid MVDR-LMS beamforming algorithm is proposed to reduce the time required to estimate the antenna’s weights. This optimization is made by the benefit of previously set weights calculated using MVDR algorithms. The performance of the proposed hybrid MVDR-LMS algorithm tested using MATLAB 2016a.
A comparative study on dimensionality reduction between principal component analysis and k-means clustering
Authors: Noor Mathivanan Norsyela Muhammad , Md.Ghani Nor Azura , Mohd Janor Roziah
Published: March 2020

The curse of dimensionality and the empty space phenomenon emerged as a critical problem in text classification. One way of dealing with this problem is applying a feature selection technique before performing a classification model. This technique helps to reduce the time complexity and sometimes increase the classification accuracy. This study introduces a feature selection technique using K-Means clustering to overcome the weaknesses of traditional feature selection technique such as principal component analysis (PCA) that require a lot of time to transform all the inputs data. This proposed technique decides on features to retain based on the significance value of each feature in a cluster. This study found that k-means clustering helps to increase the efficiency of KNN model for a large data set while KNN model without feature selection technique is suitable for a small data set. A comparison between K-Means clustering and PCA as a feature selection technique shows that proposed technique is better than PCA especially in term of computation time. Hence, k-means clustering is found to be helpful in reducing the data dimensionality with less time complexity compared to PCA without affecting the accuracy of KNN model for a high frequency data.
Analysis of landslide hazard mapping of penang island malaysia using bivariate statistical methods
Authors: Huqqani Ilyas A , Tien Tay Lea , Mohamad Saleh Junita
Published: March 2020

Landslide is one of the disasters which cause property damages, infrastructure destruction, injury and death. This paper presents the analysis of landslide hazard mapping of Penang Island Malaysia using bivariate statistical methods. Bivariate statistical methods are simple approach which are capable to produce good results in short computational time. In this study, three bivariate statistical methods, i.e. Frequency Ratio (FR), Information Value (IV) and Modified Information Value (MIV) are used to generate the landslide hazard maps of Penang Island. These bivariate statistical methods are computed using MATLAB tool. Landslide hazard map is categorized into 4 levels of hazard. The accuracy of each method and effectiveness in predicating landslides are validated and determined by using Receiver of Characteristics curve. The accuracies of FR, IV and MIV methods are 79.58%, 79.14% and 79.37% respectively.
File encryption based on reduced-round AES with revised round keys and key schedule
Authors: De Los Reyes Edjie Malonzo , Sison Ariel M. , Medina Ruji P.
Published: March 2020

The continuing advancement of technology had provided security issues in protecting the confidentiality of information. The need to protect unauthorized access of a third party is warranted.  In this paper, the reduced-round modified AES with revised round keys and key schedule is proposed to ensure file confidentiality.  The modifications to the AES cipher round was the reduction of the round iterations from 10 to 6, and additional key permutations were added in between states; while in the key schedule, additional byte substitution process was appended.  Time and throughput were utilized to measure the performance of the application's encryption/decryption process; while the avalanche effect and randomness tests were used to measure the security of the modified AES algorithm.  The results of evaluations have shown that the encryption and decryption time have improved by 1.27% and 1.21% respectively while the throughput has similarly improved by 1.29% and 3.19% for both encryption and decryption respectively.  Whereas the avalanche effect of the modified AES was 50.06% which was more than the ideal value of 50% and it was also better than the standard AES which was 49.94% using the sample dataset.  Finally, all the ciphertext outputs of the modified AES passed the randomness tests.
Investigation of indoor propagation of WLAN signals
Authors: Sameer Salim Mohammed , Hassan Sayidmarie Khalil , Hassan Aboud Abdullah
Published: March 2020

The propagation of radio waves inside a typical university building is investigated by simulation and measurements. The Line of sight (LOS) and Obstructed Line of sight (OLOS) propagation scenarios were considered. The received power from a WLAN access point operating at 2.45GHz was determined from the simulations and measurements at various positions, orientations, and heights of the Tx and Rx antennas. The path loss exponents were estimated from the obtained simulation and measurement results of the received power variation with distance. The obtained path loss exponent values were found between 1.15-1.63 for LOS propagation and 2.14-2.55 for OLOS.
Ant colony optimization based energy efficiency for improving opportunistic routing in multimedia wireless mesh network
Authors: Harikishore S. , Sumalatha V.
Published: March 2020

Opportunistic Routing (OR) is developing as a favourable prototype to diminish performance deprivation in Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) owing to changing channel conditions and link breakages. When a flow of data is forwarded towards their destination, intermediate forwarders can attune the information of the route carried by the nodes. However, OR does not solve these problems such as routing efficiency and Energy Consumption. If the necessary energy is not presented, the packet is rejected and the delay occurs in the network. To overcome these problems, an Ant Colony Optimization based Energy Efficiency for improving opportunistic routing in Multimedia WMN (ACO-EE) is proposed. In this scheme, we develop the optimal energy strategy based on optimal transmission distance and remaining energy computation is saving node energy and enhancing the network lifetime. The ant colony optimization based route formation is to improve both the energy efficiency and opportunistic routing efficiency in WMN.Simulation results show that ACE-EE can effectively reduce the energy utilization of nodes and extend the network lifetime.
Numerical investigation of V shaped three elements resonator for optical closed loop system
Authors: Sadegh Amiri Iraj , Zaki Rashed Ahmed Nabih
Published: March 2020

This study have outlined numerical investigation of V shaped three element resonator. The stability parameter is measured against back mirror curvature radius, back mirror phase angle, focusing length, focusing mirror phase angle, folding range in both S plane and T plane. The stability parameter is changed in positive and negative trend under the operating system parameters. The stability parameter should be optimized in order to achieve high performance efficiency of resonator system. Beam radius variations are also measured versus focusing range, folding range, and back mirror phase angle. It is clear that the negative effects of increasing system parameters on beam radius variation in both S plane and T plane. 
Image watermarking using discrete wavelet-tchebichef transform
Authors: Setyono Andik , Setiadi De Rosal Ignatius Moses
Published: March 2020

Image watermarking is one of the most popular techniques for authenticating copyright on the digital image. Many research on image watermarking has proved that the joint of Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) and Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) combinations can improve both imperceptibility and robustness when compared to DCT or DWT only. Discrete Tchebichef Transform (DTT) denotes an alternative transformation that has a similarity property with DCT. DTT has an advantage in reducing memory requirements during computing, so the calculation speed is much faster than DCT. This study tested the performance of DTT and DCT on non-blind image watermarking method, where DTT and DCT are performed after DWT. Based on the experimental results, this research proved that the DTT was combined successfully with DWT and very potential for further investigation because it has a computing performance much better than DCT. While the image watermarking quality, both the imperceptibility and robustness aspects were completely identical with the combination of DCT and DWT transformation.
Twitter data analysis using hadoop ecosystems and apache zeppelin
Authors: Wilson Stanly , R Sivakumar
Published: March 2020

The day-to-day life of the people doesn't depend only on what they think, but it is affected and influenced by what others think. The advertisements and campaigns of the favourite celebrities and mesmerizing personalities influence the way people think and see the world. People get the news and information at lightning speed than ever before. The growth of textual data on the internet is very fast. People express themselves in various ways on the web every minute. They make use of various platforms to share their views and opinions. A huge amount of data is being generated at every moment on this process. Being one of the most important and well-known social media of the present time, millions of tweets are posted on Twitter every day. These tweets are a source of very important information and it can be made use for business, small industries, creating government policies, and various studies can be performed by using it. This paper focuses on the location from where the tweets are posted and the language in which the tweets are written. These details can be effectively analysed by using Hadoop. Hadoop is a tool that is used to analyze distributed big data, streaming data, timestamp data and text data. With the help of Apache Flume, the tweets can be collected from Twitter and then sink in the HDFS (Hadoop Distributed File System). These raw data then analyzed using Apache Pig and the information available can be made use for social and commercial purposes. The result will be visualized using Apache Zeppelin.
A revision of taxonomic relation between Oenothera royfraseri and O. turoviensis (sect. Oenothera, subsect. Oenothera; Onagraceae) based on multivariate analyses of morphological characters

Authors: WOŹNIAK-CHODACKA MONIKA
Published: March 2020

The taxonomic relation between Oenothera royfraseri and O. turoviensis (sect. Oenothera, subsect. Oenothera; Onagraceae) has remained unresolved. According to the representatives of the so-called American school of taxonomy (W. Dietrich, P.H. Raven, W.L. Wagner) the former name is one of almost 70 synonyms of widely treated O. biennis (AB-II plastome-genome combination) while the latter is a synonym of O. parviflora (BC-IV arrangement). On the other hand, European researchers (K. Rostański, A. Soldano, V. Jehlík) tend to assign both names to one species, under the name O. royfraseri. In order to establish the taxonomic relation of the studied taxa, morphometric comparisons, based on qualitative and quantitative traits, were carried out. The studies included European specimens labelled as O. royfraseri and/or O. turoviensis (with the nomenclatural types of the two names) as well as representatives of the two other species, O. biennis and O. parviflora, which were taken as a background. The performed multivariate statistical analyses (correspondence analysis, principal component analysis, discriminant analysis followed by canonical discriminant analysis) provided strong evidence supporting the American’s hypothesis on separateness of the two species. As it was demonstrated, O. royfraseri and O. turoviensis differ mostly by the sepal tips arrangement, which is considered by American and European researchers as one of the most essential variables in taxa recognition within the group. The obtained results have also indicated that O. royfraseri is distinct from European representatives of O. biennis, which is partially concordant with Rostański’s opinion. The two last-mentioned species can be discriminated by red vs. green papillae, strigillose vs. glandular hair predominance, respectively, as well as by quantitative features of the flowers, which are significantly larger in O. biennis.
Redescription of Anastatus mantoidae Motschulsky, the type species of Anastatus Motschulsky 1859, and Anastatus echidna (Motschulsky), the type species of Cacotropia Motschulsky 1863, with respect to taxonomy of Anastatus (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae: Eupelminae)
Authors: GIBSON GARY A. P.
Published: March 2020

Both sexes of Anastatus mantoidae Motschulsky, the type species of Anastatus Motschulsky, 1859, and females of Anastatus echidna (Motschulsky), the type species of Cacotropia Motschulsky, 1863, the oldest junior synonym of Anastatus (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae: Eupelminae), are redescribed and illustrated based on original type material and compared to more recently collected material. Anastatus mantoidae, previously known only from Sri Lanka, is newly reported from Indonesia (Java and Sumatra) and Thailand, and a very similar species, A. motschulskyi n. sp., is newly described based on both sexes from Malaysia (Sabah) and Thailand and compared to A. mantoidae. Anastatus echidna, also originally known only from Sri Lanka, is newly reported from India, Pakistan and Thailand, and potential synonymy of one or both of Anastatus amarus (Subba Rao, 1957) and Anastatus acherontiae Narayanan, Subba Rao & Ramachandra Rao, 1960, under A. echidna is discussed.
An extension of exemptions: systemic shifts in European Union law and policies
Authors: Bartha Ildikó , Horváth Tamás M.
Published: March 2020

Rules on services of general interest allow exceptions to the internal market law of the European Union. Do these exceptions really remain within the limits of free competition? Nowadays, this question seems not to be independent from the risk of direct political considerations influencing the market of public services. This tendency may result in national legislative or administrative measures that may run counter to the spirit of the original objectives of European Union integration. European Union substantive and procedural law does not seem to raise unavoidable obstacles to such efforts. In the context of the European Union regulatory framework for services of general interest, our research focuses on the results of an analysis of a database of European Union court cases that highlights the challenges and threats of recent national instruments of public sector organization to the operation of the European Union internal market and competition rules.
Artificial neural network technique to predict dynamic fracture of particulate composite
Authors: Kushvaha Vinod , Kumar S Anand , Madhushri Priyanka , Sharma Aanchna
Published: March 2020

In this paper, the artificial neural network technique using a multi-layer perceptron feed forward scheme was used to model and predict the mode-I fracture behaviour of particulate polymer composites when subjected to impact loading. A neural network consisting of three-layers was employed to develop the network. Artificial neural network was constructed using six input parameters such as shear wave speed ( CS), density ( D), elastic modulus ( Ed), longitudinal wave speed ( CL), volume fraction ( Vf) and time ( t). The influence of input parameters on the output stress intensity factor and crack-initiation fracture toughness were found to be in the order of t >  CS >  D >  Ed >  CL >  Vf. The degree of accuracy of prediction was 92.7% for stress intensity factor. In this regard, artificial neural network can be used in the modelling and prediction of fracture behaviour of particulate polymer composites under impact loading.
Epilogue
Authors: West Harper , Wruble Steve , Lee Bandy X.
Published: March 2020

The rise of a mentally unstable individual to power in the United States has forced the mental health profession to consider the ethical dilemma of speaking up (“duty to warn and protect”) or remaining silent. As archived in this edition and summarized in this epilogue, some in the current era have chosen vocal activism and organizing. The current era has led many to question their beliefs and morals. Millions have chosen the path of new or renewed activism. By empowering many who may have previously felt disempowered, an invigorated ethos of activism may be the beacon necessary to lead us out of this dark age.
The centenary of the ‘Appeal to All Christian People’ and the ecumenical vocation of Anglicanism
Authors: Worthen Jeremy
Published: March 2020

The ‘Appeal to All Christian People’ that was issued by the Lambeth Conference a hundred years ago reflected a deep sense of the ecumenical vocation of Anglicanism. Three interlinking elements were critical for this: ecclesiology of visible unity, experience as a communion of Churches, and repentance for disunity. While substantial challenges have become apparent over the past century, their combination remains a significant offering that Anglicanism can make to the global Church today.
Authority and leadership in the Church (especially diocese and cathedral)
Authors: Avis Paul
Published: March 2020

This article explores the contested concepts of authority and leadership in the Church, in the context of modern cultural and social conditions and with special reference to the diocese and cathedral and the ministry of bishop and dean respectively. The need for ethical and theological criteria for authority is underlined, resulting in a model of moral authority, grounded in character, example and dialogue, as a basis for salutary forms of leadership. The current inflated rhetoric of ‘leadership’ is challenged by a stress on long-term formation and the call that may come at a critical moment. In conclusion, certain toxic models of leadership are held up to be shunned and some key skills and aptitudes are identified.
Scoping Review of Economical, Efficient, and Effective Cultural Competency Measures
Authors: Chun Maria B. J. , Jackson David S.
Published: March 2020

Identifying practical and effective tools to evaluate the efficacy of cultural competency (cc) training in medicine continues to be a challenge. Multiple measures of various lengths and stages of psychometric testing exist, but none have emerged as a “gold standard.” This review attempts to identify cc measures with potential to economically, efficiently, and effectively provide insight regarding the value of cc training efforts to make it easier for wider audience utilization. A scoping review of 11 online reference databases/search engines initially yielded 9,626 items mentioning cc measures. After the initial review, focus was placed on measures that assessed cultural competence of medical students, residents, and/or attending physicians. Six measures were identified and reviewed: (1) Cross-Cultural Care Survey, (2) Cultural Competence Health Practitioner Assessment, (3) Cultural Humility Scale, (4) Health Beliefs Attitudes Survey, (5) Tool for Assessing Cultural Competency Training, and (6) the Tucker-Culturally Sensitive Health-Care Provider Inventory. Relevant literature documenting use and current psychometric assessments for each measure were noted. Each measure was found to be of value for its particular purpose but needs more strenuous reliability and validity testing. A commitment to include psychometric assessments should be an expected part of studies utilizing these measures.
Landscapes of beauty and plunder: Japanese American flower growers and an elite public garden in Los Angeles
Authors: Cheng Wendy
Published: March 2020

In 1942, Los Angeles newspaper publisher Elias Manchester Boddy purchased the nursery stock of at least three Japanese-owned nurseries. Two grower families, the Yoshimuras and the Uyematsus, were forced to sell their life’s work prior to their indefinite incarceration by the U.S. government during the Second World War. These plants, including rare and unique breeds of camellias, became the basis of what is now Descanso Gardens, a celebrated public garden. In this article, I examine Boddy’s transactions as an instance of racial plunder: a morally and affectively inflected act of theft structured by racism that is as much about the act’s preconditions and afterlives as it is about the act itself. Using archival research, oral histories, and interviews with family members, I foreground the experiences and perspectives of the Japanese American families across multiple generations and landscapes, rather than a single perspective and defining moment. In doing so, a story emerges involving alternative worldviews forged through and superseding racism and dispossession as well as heterogenous relationships to land not dictated by capitalist logics. In detailing the specifics of the transactions, this work also challenges the silences and misrepresentations that exculpate those who benefited from Internment.
High-Level Control in Lucid Dreams
Authors: Lemyre Alexandre , Légaré-Bergeron Lidia , Landry Roxanne B. , Garon Donald , Vallières Annie
Published: March 2020

The objective of the present study is to explore lucid dream control strategies (LDCSs) facilitating the production of outcomes that are impossible in the real world. Participants are 107 adults who experienced at least one lucid dream per year. They completed an online survey including an open question on LDCSs. Responses were analyzed using a content analysis method with a consensus approach. The results revealed five categories of LDCSs used within the lucid dreams: verbal strategies, strategies based on the use of the dream’s objects or environment, strategies based on the use of the oneiric body, strategies based on the management of emotions, and other strategies. Within these categories, 35 LDCSs were identified. These were used individually or in combination. Three additional LDCSs were used in waking. In conclusion, several LDCSs that were identified could be tested in the context of the lucid dream therapy for chronic nightmares.
Diffusion-weighted MRI versus FDG-PET/CT for diagnosing pancreatic cancer: an indirect comparison meta-analysis
Authors: Que Renye , Chen Yirong , Tao Zhihui , Ge Bingjing , Li Miaohua , Fu Zhiquan , Li Yong
Published: March 2020

Background

Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET)/computed tomography (CT) and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI or DW-MRI) are tools for the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. However, comparison of their diagnostic performance remains unknown.

Purpose

To indirectly compare the diagnostic value of DWI and FDG-PET/CT in the detection of pancreatic cancer.

Material and Methods

A literature search of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library electronic databases for articles published through May 2018 yielded 875 articles. For the meta-analysis, we included 26 studies evaluating the efficacy of DWI and FDG-PET/CT for determining pancreatic cancer with a total of 1377 patients. QUADAS (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies) was used to assess the study quality. Sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) with their 95% confidence intervals were calculated for each individual study.

Results

There were no significant differences between DWI and FDG-PET/CT for sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, or DOR, while DWI AUC was higher than that of FDG-PET/CT for the detection of pancreatic cancer.

Conclusion

The diagnostic value of both DWI and FDG-PET/CT were comparable and, hence, both techniques seem to be equally useful tools for the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
Outcomes After Arthroscopic Repair in Patients With Tears of Hypertrophic Versus Morphologically Normal Acetabular Labra
Authors: Lim Jae-Young , Jang Ye-Hoon , Yoo Jun-Il , Lee Young-Kyun , Koo Kyung-Hoi , Ha Yong-Chan
Published: March 2020

Background:

Recently, a hypertrophic labrum has been reported in the absence of hip dysplasia, which can possibly contribute to an acetabular labral tear.

Purpose:

To compare the clinical outcomes and complications, including the incidence of iatrogenic acetabular labrum and cartilage injury, in patients with tears of hypertrophic versus morphologically normal acetabular labra over a minimum follow-up period of 2 years and to assess the morphologic changes at follow-up computed tomography arthrography in the 2 groups.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

Between January 2010 and December 2016, 20 patients (22 hips) with a hypertrophic labrum underwent arthroscopic hip surgery. A total of 22 patients (22 hips) without a hypertrophic labrum were assigned to the control group based on matching criteria, including age, sex, body mass index, labral tear, and labral repair. Clinical outcomes were assessed with the visual analog scale score, UCLA activity scale score (University of California, Los Angeles), and modified Harris Hip Score. Radiologic outcomes were assessed through serial radiography. Patients were followed for at least 2 years.

Results:

The mean age at surgery was 42 years. The most common cause of arthroscopic surgery in the study group was an isolated acetabular labral tear without any bony structural abnormalities (68.2%, 15 of 22 hips). All improvements in both groups were statistically significant at the last postoperative follow-up ( P < .001). Although the radiologic and clinical outcomes were not significantly different between the groups, the complication rates, including iatrogenic labral perforations and cartilage injury, were significantly higher in patients with hypertrophic acetabular labral tears (9 vs 3, P = .042). The patient-reported satisfaction scores at the last postoperative follow-up were 8.4 and 7.9 in the study and control groups, respectively ( P = .351).

Conclusion:

The high rates of patient-reported satisfaction and the clinical outcomes after arthroscopic repair in both groups are encouraging. Arthroscopic treatment in patients with hypertrophic acetabular labral tears should be carefully performed to prevent iatrogenic injury during the surgery, and isolated hypertrophic labral tears can have good results after repair.
Pregnancy and Delivery Outcomes Following Benzodiazepine Exposure: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Grigoriadis Sophie , Graves Lisa , Peer Miki , Mamisashvili Lana , Ruthirakuhan Myuri , Chan Parco , Hennawy Mirna , Parikh Supriya , Vigod Simone Natalie , Dennis Cindy-Lee , Steiner Meir , Brown Cara , Cheung Amy , Dawson Hiltrud , Rector Neil , Guenette Melanie , Richter Margaret
Published: March 2020

Objective:

Understanding the effects of benzodiazepines (BZDs) on maternal/fetal health remains incomplete despite their frequent use. This article quantifies the effects of antenatal BZD exposure on delivery outcomes.

Methods

Data Sources:

Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched till June 30, 2018.

Study Selection:

English-language cohort studies comparing antenatal BZD exposure to an unexposed group on any delivery outcome were eligible. In all, 23,909 records were screened, 56 studies were assessed, and 14 studies were included.

Data Extraction:

Two reviewers independently assessed quality and extracted data. Estimates were pooled using random effects meta-analysis. Sub-analyses examined several potential moderators including timing of exposure.

Results:

There were 9 outcomes with sufficient data for meta-analysis. Antenatal BZD exposure was significantly associated with increased risk of 6 outcomes initially: spontaneous abortion (pooled odds ratio = 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.43 to 2.42), preterm birth (1.96; 95% CI, 1.25 to 3.08), low birth weight (2.24; 95% CI, 1.41 to 3.88), low Apgar score (2.19; 95% CI, 1.94 to 2.47), Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) admission (2.61; 95% CI, 1.64 to 4.14), and induced abortion (2.04; 95% CI, 1.23 to 3.40). There was significant heterogeneity between studies for most outcomes without consistent moderators. Birth weight (mean difference [MD]: −151.35 g; 95% CI, −329.73 to 27.03), gestational age (−0.49 weeks; 95% CI, −1.18 to 0.19), and small for gestational age (SGA; 1.42; 95% CI, 1.00 to 2.01) did not show significant associations although after adjusting for publication bias, gestational age, and SGA became significant, totaling 8 significant outcomes.

Conclusions:

Antenatal BZD exposure appears to be statistically associated with increased risk of several adverse perinatal outcomes. Although confounds cannot be ruled out, NICU admission does appear clinically relevant and consistent with the antidepressant literature.
Neoliberalism as Corporate Power
Authors: Hathaway Terry
Published: March 2020

Accounts of neoliberalism have noted, but not fully explored, the neoliberal empowerment of corporations. The corporate power literature, similarly, rarely makes the connection between corporate agents and neoliberalism as a power structure. This article fills the gap between these literatures with a dual contribution. It develops these contributions by first reviewing the neoliberalism literature and in so doing, developing the idea of neoliberalism as a bricolage of practice and ideas. It then discusses the mischaracterization of the corporation within neoliberalism before deconstructing four core policy areas of neoliberalism – deregulation, non-intervention, free markets and free trade. In each policy area it is shown how the practice of these policies has enhanced the social and economic power of major corporations – thereby deepening practice-based accounts of neoliberalism – and how the discourse of these policies has empowered corporations in the political arena – thereby deepening the corporate power literature’s account of how corporations operate powerfully. More generally this article offers a much fuller account of how 40 years of ‘free market’ policies have resulted in the creation of oligopolistic corporate economies.