19672 research outputs found
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The use and effectiveness of Facebook in small-scale volunteer organisation for refugee children’s education in Malaysia
No full textHow is a small-scale volunteer organization in Malaysia utilizing Facebook to engage the Malaysian public in volunteer work for refugee children’s education? This paper addresses this question by investigating the social media use of “Let’s Tutor a Refugee Child”. By using quantitative content analysis and social media analytics, this study analyzes the Facebook use on both message level and organization level. This study found that there is a salient divide between the different types of social media content and the interaction created online. It also found that the prevalence of advocacy messages based on the social media advocacy pyramid is very different. Over half of the all Facebook posts by volunteer organization fall into the “Information” category, followed by the “Action” category. “Community-building” posts seem to be neglected. With regards to the effectiveness of social media, this study found that (a) although volunteer organizations have managed to reach a significant number of members; they have failed to keep their members active on social media, (b) volunteer organization are not fully exploiting dialogical affordance of social media, and (c) volunteer organization have failed to get more members stepping up to action. This study contributes to social media literature by integrating different theories to show the utilization of social media by small-scale volunteer organizations
The Multi-Objective Optimization Algorithm Based on Sperm Fertilization Procedure (MOSFP) Method for Solving Wireless Sensor Networks Optimization Problems in Smart Grid Applications
No full textPrior studies in Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) optimization mostly concentrate on maximizing network coverage and minimizing network energy consumption. However, there are other factors that could affect the WSN Quality of Service (QoS). In this paper, four objective functions that affect WSN QoS, namely end-To-end delay, end-To-end latency, network throughput and energy efficiency are studied. Optimal value of packet payload size that is able to minimize the end-To-end delay and end-To-end latency, while also maximizing the network throughput and energy efficiency is sought. To do this, a smart grid application case study together with a WSN QoS model is used to find the optimal value of the packet payload size. Our proposed method, named Multi-Objective Optimization Algorithm Based on Sperm Fertilization Procedure (MOSFP), along with other three state-of-The-Art multi-objective optimization algorithms known as OMOPSO, NSGA-II and SPEA2, are utilized in this study. Different packet payload sizes are supplied to the algorithms and their optimal value is derived. From the experiments, the knee point and the intersection point of all the obtained Pareto fronts for all the algorithms show that the optimal packet payload size that manages the trade-offs between the four objective functions is equal to 45 bytes. The results also show that the performance of our proposed MOSFP method is highly competitive and found to have the best average value compared to the other three algorithms. Furthermore, the overall performance of MOSFP on four objective functions outperformed OMOPSO, NSGA-II and SPEA2 by 3%, 6% and 51%, respectively
Management of sphenoid lateral recess encephalocoeles
No full textPURPOSE OF REVIEW: Sphenoid sinus lateral recess encephalocoeles (SSLRE) are rare occurrences and pose unique challenges due to limited surgical access for endoscopic endonasal repair and also the lack of consensus on optimal perioperative managements specifically in the spontaneous cases, which are also believed to be a variant of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). Endoscopic endonasal approaches have largely replaced the transcranial route and the techniques are continuously being refined to reduce the neurovascular morbidity and improve outcome. RECENT FINDINGS: Transpetrygoid is the most utilized approach with modifications suggested to limit bone removal, exposure and preservation of the neurovascular structures as dictated by the extent of the lateral recess. As more experience is gained, extended transphenoidal techniques were also successfully used for access. Lateral transorbital is a new approach to the lateral recess investigated in cadavers. IIH treatment is still controversial in the setting of SSLRE, but it appears rationale to evaluate, monitor and treat if necessary. SUMMARY: SSLRE management should be tailored to the specific anatomical variances and cause. Modifications of techniques have been described giving different options to access the lateral recess. Successful repair for spontaneous SSLRE may require treatment of IIH if present, but the long-term outcome is still unclear
Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Among Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer Patients in Malaysia: An Early Report From the MyBCC Study
No full textBackground. The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has increased and little is known on CAM use during the initial period. Therefore, the aim was to determine prevalence of CAM use among newly diagnosed breast cancer patients prior to seeking conventional treatment. Methods. This is a cross-sectional study involved interviewing newly diagnosed breast cancer patients in the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) using a structured questionnaire. Eligible respondents were interviewedduring a routine clinical visit. Results. A total of 400 patients were interviewed, of whom 139 (34.8%) were CAM users. Dietary supplementation (n = 107, 77.0%) was the most frequently used type of CAM, followed by spiritual healing (n = 40, 28.8%) and traditional Chinese medicine (n = 32, 23.0%). Malay ethnic group (n = 61, 43.9%) was the largest group of CAM users, followed by Chinese (n = 57, 41.0%) and Indian (n = 20, 14.4%). Majority of these CAM users (n = 87, 73.1%) did not disclose the use of CAM to their doctors. Most of them used remedies based on the recommendation of family and friends. Malay ethnicity and patients with 3 or more comorbidities were more likely to use CAM. Conclusion. There is substantial use of CAM among breast cancer patients in UMMC prior to seeking hospital treatment, and the most popular CAM modality is dietary supplements. Since, the majority of CAM users do not disclose the use of CAM to their physicians, therefore health care providers should ensure that those patients who are likely to use CAM are appropriately counseled and advised
A self-pulsing ring cavity ultra-long Raman fiber laser
No full textUltra-long Raman fiber lasers are of significant interest due to their application in the telecommunications industry. In this work we propose a self-pulsing ultra-long Raman fiber laser with a ring cavity configuration. A TrueWave® REACH fiber is deployed as the gain medium for the Raman fiber laser. Three laser cavities with different total cavity lengths are investigated; these generate pulse repetition rates of approximately 25 MHz, 14 MHz and 10 MHz for TrueWave® REACH fibers of lengths 28 km, 56 km and 76 km, respectively. With a similar pump power of 2.48 W a broader spectral bandwidth is observed for the shorter laser cavity. The highest signal-to-noise ratios of 46 dB and 47 dB are attained for laser cavities with 56 km and 76 km TrueWave® REACH fibers at pump powers of 1.62 W and 1.97 W, respectively. This work differs from previous works which mostly employed a linear laser cavity configuration and other gain media to obtain a self-pulsing Raman fiber laser
Temperature-independent hygrometry using micromachined photonic crystal fiber
No full textAn in-fiber Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated for relative humidity (RH) and temperature measurements. The MZI is formed by a grapefruit-shaped photonic crystal fiber (G-PCF) cascaded with a short section of multimode fiber that serves as a mode coupler. To enhance sensitivity to humidity, femtosecond laser micromachining was performed to remove a portion of cladding of the G-PCF to expose its core to the ambient medium. The output interference spectrum is fast Fourier transformed to produce a spatial frequency spectrum that describes the intensity composition of the cladding modes in the MZI. In our investigation, it was observed that the interference dip intensity has a sensitivity of −0.077 dB=% RH to the change of RH in the range of 25%–80% RH, whereas the dip wavelength has a temperature sensitivity of ∼3.3 pm∕°C in the range of 25°C–70°C. In addition, the dip intensity was insensitive to temperature. These characteristics have provided convenience in eliminating temperature cross talk and achieving accurate humidity measurement
Terrorist groups online networking tactics: Why Twitter Magnetize the youth of Saudi Arabia?
No full textIn July 2013, the European Parliament distinguished Wahhabism as the fundamental wellspring of worldwide fear mongering, but then the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, censuring IS in the most grounded terms, has demanded that "the thoughts of fanaticism, radicalism and psychological warfare don't have a place with Islam in any capacity". Different individuals from the Saudi decision class, be that as it may, look all the more sympathetic on the development, commending its staunch restriction to Shiaism and for its Salafi devotion, its adherence to the first practices of Islam. IS' abuse of online networking and computerized system assumes a key part in its worldwide scattering of promulgation, radicalization, and enlistment. Be that as it may, deliberate research on Islamic fear monger correspondence by means of online networking is constrained. Our examination researches the inquiry: How do IS individuals/supporters utilize Twitter for fear based oppression correspondence: publicity, radicalization, and enrollment? Hypothetically, we drew on microeconomic system speculations to build up a hypothetical structure for multi-sided Twitter organizes in the worldwide Islamic psychological militant corre-spondence condition. Exactly, we gathered 3,039 tweets posted by @shamiwitness who was recognized in earlier research as "a data disseminator" for the IS cause. Methodologically, we performed interpersonal organization investigation, pattern and substance examina-tions of the tweet information. We find solid proof for Shamiwitness-intermediated multi-sided Twitter systems of worldwide broad communications, territorial Arabic broad communications, IS warriors, and IS sympathizers, supporting the structure's utility. The paper will focus on probing solutions that can guide the youth in using Twitter for a more positive approach and how can this influence be eradicated. The interview approach will be used to gather data and make the implications
Q-switched hafnium bismuth erbium-doped fiber laser with bismuth (III) telluride based saturable absorber
No full textIn this work, we fabricated the Bismuth (III) Telluride (Bi2Te3) based saturable absorber (SA) by embedding the material into polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) film. By incorporating the film inside laser cavity with a homemade Hafnium Bismuth Erbium-doped fiber (HBEDF) as a gain medium, a stable Q-switched fiber laser was generated to operate at 1532 nm region. The repetition rate of the laser was tunable from 41.1 to 61.0 kHz while corresponding pulse width shrinks from 9.46 to 5.48 µs as the 980 nm pump power rises from 69 to 122 mW. The maximum pulse energy was 31.5 nJ. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the Q-switched fiber laser using n relatively short length of HBEDF as the gain medium
High-Capacity Image Steganography with Minimum Modified Bits Based on Data Mapping and LSB Substitution
No full textSteganography is the art and practice of communication using hidden messages. The least significant bits (LSB) based method is the well-known type of steganography in the spatial domain. Usually, achieving the larger embedding capacity in LSB-based methods requires a large number of LSB bits modification which indirectly reduces the visual quality of stego-image and increases the risk of steganalysis detection attacks. In this study, we propose a novel steganography method with data mapping strategy which can reduce the number of bits modification per pixel. In the proposed method, four secret data bits are mapped with the four most significant bits of a cover pixel. Furthermore, the only two LSBs of a pixel are modified to indicate the mapping strategy. Experimental results show that the proposed method is able to achieve 3.48% larger embedding capacity while enhancing the visual quality (i.e., peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) 3.73 dB) and reducing the modification of 0.76 bits per pixel. Moreover, the proposed method provides security against basic Regular and Singular groups (RS) steganalysis and histogram steganalysis detection attacks
Vermicompost Supplementation Improves the Stability of Bioactive Anthocyanin and Phenolic Compounds in Clinacanthus nutans Lindau
No full textThis project studied the effect of vermicompost application on the composition of bioactive anthocyanin and phenolic compounds, and the antioxidant activity of Clinacanthus nutans. The correlation between the bioactive constituents and antioxidant capacity was also evaluated. In this project, a field study was conducted using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four treatment groups, including control plants (CC), plants supplied with chemical fertilizer (CF), plants supplied with vermicompost (VC), and plants supplied with mixed fertilizer (MF). The leaves of C. nutans from all treatment groups were harvested, subjected to solvent extraction, and used for quantification of total anthocyanin content (TAC), total phenolic content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC). The initial antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated using 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays, as well as after two and four weeks of storage at −20 ◦C and 4◦C. Data analysis showed that CC plants contained the highest TAC (2180.14 ± 338.43 µg/g dry weight) and TFC (276.25 ± 3.09 mg QE/g dry weight). On the other hand, CF plants showed the highest TPC (181.53 ± 35.58 mg GAE/g dry weight). Moreover, we found that CC plants had the highest antioxidant potential against DPPH radicals whereas MF plants showed the lowest antioxidant potential. After four weeks of extract storage at −20◦C and 4◦C, the TPC, TFC, TAC, and antioxidant potential of the extracts decreased. Extracts from VC showed the lowest percentage of total phenolic and total flavonoid loss after extract storage at −20◦C and 4◦C compared with other plant extracts. At this juncture, it could be deduced that the application of vermicompost had little effect on the expression of phenolics, flavonoids, or anthocyanin in C. nutans. However, the extract from plants treated with vermicompost (VC and MF) showed better stability compared with CC and CF after extract storage at different temperatures