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Cross border data transfer: Complexity of adequate protection and its exceptions
No full textThe majority of the fear that exists about the cloud arises due to the lack of transparency in the cloud. Fears have persisted in relation to how the data are frequently transferred in a cloud for various purposes which includes storing and processing. This is because the level of protection differs between countries and cloud users who belong to countries which provide a high level of protection will be less in favour of transfers that reduce the protection that was originally accorded to their data. Hence, to avoid client dissatisfaction, the Data Protection Directive has stated that such transfers are generally prohibited unless the country that data is being transferred to is able to provide ‘appropriate safeguards’. This article will discuss the position of the Data Protection Directive and how the new General Data Protection Regulation differs from this Directive. This involves the discussion of the similarity as well as the differences of the Directive and Regulation. In summary, it appears that the major principles of the cross border transfer are retained in the new regulation. Furthermore, the article discusses the exceptions that are provided in the standard contractual clause and the reason behind the transition from Safe Harbor to the new US-EU Privacy Shield. This article subsequently embarks on the concept of Binding Corporate Rule which was introduced by the working party and how the new regulation has viewed this internal rule in terms of assisting cross border data transfer. All the issues that will be discussed in this article are relevant in the understanding of cross border data transfer
Does the Source of Foreign Direct Investment Matter to Economic Growth in Malaysia?
No full textForeign direct investment (FDI) is often viewed as a potential contributor to a country’s economic growth and development. However, the extent of the contribution may depend upon the source of such investment inflows. This paper assesses the contribution of inward FDI to Malaysia’s economic growth using investment data disaggregated by source over the period, 2008:Q1–2016:Q3. Due to the mixed orders of integration of the series involved, the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) framework is employed to conduct the assessment. The econometric results indicate that the source of the FDI does matter greatly when considering the extent of its spin-off for the local economy. Specifically, FDI flows from North America and Southeast Asia contribute more significantly to Malaysia’s economic growth than FDI flows from Central and South America, Northeast Asia and Oceania
Synthesis and biological study of acridine-based imidazolium salts
No full textA new series of acridine based imidazolium salts was synthesized and evaluated for in vitro cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines by an MTT assay. The synthesis applied a coupling of imidazoles with 9-chloroacridines, which originated from an Ullmann condensation of a 2-chloro-benzoic acid with an aniline. The target compounds were obtained in high yields. The DPPH assay indicated considerable antioxidant activity for target compounds with simple and short alkyl chains on the imidazole, while increasing chain length and the introduction of an additional π-electron system in most cases reduced the activity. All compounds exhibited low biotoxicity against non-cancerous cell lines, whereas a few compounds showed promising anticancer activity. Unlike for the reference drugs Tamoxifen and Paclitaxel, the anticancer activity of acridine imidazolium ions is specific for only selected cancer types. Reasonable fluorescent behaviour of the products provide potential for visualization of the distribution of active drugs in tissue
5G for Vehicular Communications
No full text5G is ongoing, and it is an emerging platform that not only aims to augment existing but also introduce a plethora of novel applications that require ultra-reliable low-latency communication. It is a new radio access technology that provides building blocks to retrofit existing platforms (e.g., 2G, 3G, 4G, and WiFi) for greater coverage, accessibility, and higher network density with respect to cells and devices. It implies that 5G aims to satisfy a diverse set of communication requirements of the various stakeholders. Among the stakeholders, vehicles, in particular, will benefit from 5G at both the system and application levels. The authors present a tutorial perspective on vehicular communications using the building blocks provided by 5G. First, we identify and describe key requirements of emerging vehicular communications and assess existing standards to determine their limitations. Then we provide a glimpse of the adopted 5G architecture and identify some of its promising salient features for vehicular communications. Finally, key 5G building blocks (i.e., proximity services, mobile edge computing and network slicing) are explored in the context of vehicular communications, and associated design challenges are highlighted
Localization Free Energy Efficient and Cooperative Routing Protocols for Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks
No full textMitigation of channel unfavorable circumstances during data routing in underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs) has utmost significance. It guarantees saving packet corruption along unfavorable channels so that vital data is not lost or become meaningless. This paper proposes two routing protocols for UWSNs: localization free energy efficient routing (LFEER) and its improved version, localization free energy efficient cooperative routing (Co-LFEER). The LFEER makes decision of choosing a relay based on its maximum residual energy, number of hops and the bit error rate of the link over which packets are transmitted. These metrics are chosen to save packets from corruption to the maximum limit and maintain stable paths (where nodes do not die soon). Since a single link is used in the LFEER for packets forwarding, the link may become worse with changing circumstances of the channel. To deal with this issue, cooperative routing is added to the LFFER to construct the Co-LFEER protocol, in which some copies of packets are received by destination to decide about packets quality. Converse to some prevalent protocols, both LFEER and Co-LFEER are independent of knowing the sensor nodes' positions, which increases computational complexity and wasteful utilization of resources. Based on extensive simulations, the proposed schemes are better than Co-DBR in reducing energy utilization and advancing packets to the desired destination
An improved method for inducing prometaphase chromosomes in plants
No full textBackground: Detailed karyotyping using metaphase chromosomes in melon (Cucumis melo L.) remains a challenge because of their small chromosome sizes and poor stainability. Prometaphase chromosomes, which are two times longer and loosely condensed, provide a significantly better resolution for fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) than metaphase chromosomes. However, suitable method for acquiring prometaphase chromosomes in melon have been poorly investigated. Results: In this study, a modified Carnoy's solution II (MC II) [6:3:1 (v/v) ethanol: acetic acid: chloroform] was used as a pretreatment solution to obtain prometaphase chromosomes. We demonstrated that the prometaphase chromosomes obtained using the MC II method are excellent for karyotyping and FISH analysis. We also observed that a combination of MC II and the modified air dry (ADI) method provides a satisfactory meiotic pachytene chromosome preparation with reduced cytoplasmic background and clear chromatin spreads. Moreover, we demonstrated that pachytene and prometaphase chromosomes of melon and Abelia × grandiflora generate significantly better FISH images when prepared using the method described. We confirmed, for the first time, that Abelia × grandiflora has pairs of both strong and weak 45S ribosomal DNA signals on the short arms of their metaphase chromosomes. Conclusion: The MC II and ADI method are simple and effective for acquiring prometaphase and pachytene chromosomes with reduced cytoplasm background in plants. Our methods provide high-resolution FISH images that can help accelerate molecular cytogenetic research in plants
Titania/reduced graphene oxide composite nanofibers for the direct extraction of photosynthetic electrons from microalgae for biophotovoltaic cell applications
No full textTitanium oxide (TiO2)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite nanofibers were synthesized via an electrospinning technique and its potential electrochemical activity constructed its realization as an efficient anode catalyst in biophotovoltaic cells (BPV) with Chlorella vulgaris. The uniform adherence of GO sheets over the hydrolyzed Ti4+ ions, followed by its simultaneous reduction and crystallization, yielded the TiO2/rGO composite nanofibers. The strong interconnection among the nanofibers and the intimate contact between rGO and TiO2 in TiO2/rGO composite improved the efficient electron transportation paths, facilitating the higher oxidation and continuous and stable currents as substantiated, respectively, from the cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry studies. By coupling the continuous electron conduction paths, proficient cell interaction, and elevated structural and chemical stabilities, TiO2/rGO demonstrated the BPV power density of 34.66 ± 1.3 mW m−2 with excellent durability, outperforming the BPV performances of previous reports. Thus the fundamental understanding achieved on the influences of nanocatalytic system in green energy generation opens up the new horizon of anticipation towards the development of sustainable and high-performance BPVs
The ‘Be Cancer Alert Campaign’: protocol to evaluate a mass media campaign to raise awareness about breast and colorectal cancer in Malaysia
No full textBACKGROUND: Breast and colorectal cancer are the two most common cancers in Malaysia. Low awareness coupled with stigma and erroneous beliefs delay help-seeking behaviours, lead to late presentation and contribute to poor detection rates. Promoting cancer awareness through mass media may be effective in improving cancer-related knowledge and uptake in screening tests. However, research is sparse regarding the cultural translation and implementation of mass media campaigns in Malaysia (and Asia) in terms of raising awareness about colorectal and breast cancer. METHODS: A collaborative partnership comprising researchers from Malaysia and the UK as well as policy makers, public health experts and non-government organisations from Malaysia was formed to design, deliver and evaluate the Be Cancer Alert Campaign. Each awareness-raising campaign will run for five weeks (Colorectal Cancer in April 2018, followed by Breast Cancer in October 2018). Evaluation of the campaigns will take place in Gombak district (Colorectal Cancer) and Petaling district (Breast Cancer) respectively, in the form of a pre-post randomly selected household survey and collection of service utilisation data. Occupants who are aged 40-years and above and are able to answer questions independently will be selected from each household. A sample of 730 with 80% power will detect a change of 6.09% in knowledge that unexplained lump or swelling is a symptom of breast cancer or changes in bowel habits is a symptom of colorectal cancer. DISCUSSION: Malaysia and most South-East Asian countries have a low middle-income economy, with limited resources for cancer control. Late-staged cancers impose a significant economic burden on patients, households, communities, employers, health systems and governments. Our proposed strategy for the implementation of the culturally sensitive mass media cancer awareness-raising campaign will serve as a blueprint for cancer prevention and control policy in South-East Asian countries where the burden of cancer is increasing and there are high cancer death rates
Differential expression of the receptors for thyroid hormone, thyroid stimulating hormone, vitamin D and retinoic acid and extracellular signal-regulated kinase in uterus of rats under influence of sex-steroids
No full textSex-steroids play important role in modulating uterine functions. We hypothesized that these hormones affect expression of proteins in the uterus related to thyroid hormone action. Therefore, changes in expression levels of receptors for thyroid hormone (TRα-1 and TRβ-1), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSHR), vitamin D (VDR) and retinoid acid (RAR) as well as extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) in uterus were investigated under sex-steroid influence. Methods: Two rat models were used: (i) ovariectomised, sex-steroid replaced and (ii) intact, at different phases of oestrous cycle. A day after completion of sex-steroid treatment or following identification of oestrous cycle phases, rats were sacrificed and expression and distribution of these proteins in uterus were identified by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Results: Expression of TRα-1, TRβ-1, TSHR, VDR, RAR and ERK1/2 in uterus was higher following estradiol (E2) treatment and at estrus phase of oestrous cycle when E2 levels were high. A relatively lower expression was observed following progesterone (P) treatment and at diestrus phases of oestrous cycle when P levels were high. Under E2 influence, TRα, TRβ, TSHR, VDR, RAR and ERK1/2 were distributed in luminal and glandular epithelia while under P influence, TSHR, VDR abn RAR were distributed in the stroma. Conclusions: Differential expression and distribution of TRα-1, TRβ-1, TSHR, VDR, RAR and ERK1/2 in different uterine compartments could explain differential action of thyroid hormone, TSH, vitamin D, and retinoic acid in uterus under different sex-steroid conditions
Novel thermal management system using mist cooling for lithium-ion battery packs
No full textThermal management system is crucial for a Lithium-ion battery pack as cycle life, driving range of electric vehicle, usable capacity and safety are heavily dependent on the operating temperature. Optimum operating temperature of Lithium-ion battery pack is about 25-40 °C. Power availability of the battery pack may differ according to the operating temperature. Although air cooling is the simplest and cheapest cooling solution, the cooling capacity is still limited by the low specific heat capacity. This will cause large variation of temperature of cells across the battery pack. In this study, mist cooling is proposed for battery pack thermal management system. Experiments and numerical simulations are conducted to investigate the thermal performance of conventional dry air cooling and mist cooling. Simulation results are then validated with the experimental data. The simulation results show that mist cooling can offer lower and more uniform temperature distribution compared to dry air cooling. Mist cooling with mass flow rate of 5 gs−1 and 3% mist loading fraction is sufficient to ensure the surface temperature of the battery module maintained to below 40 °C. Therefore, mist cooling is a potential solution for the thermal management system of Lithium-ion battery pack