Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 131 in total

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  1. Fulltext A Novel Hybrid Harris Hawk-Arithmetic Optimization Algorithm for Industrial Wireless Mesh Networks
    Devan PAM, Ibrahim R, Omar M, Bingi K, Abdulrab H
    Sensors (Basel), 2023 Jul 07;23(13).
    PMID: 37448072 DOI: 10.3390/s23136224
    A novel hybrid Harris Hawk-Arithmetic Optimization Algorithm (HHAOA) for optimizing the Industrial Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) and real-time pressure process control was proposed in this research article. The proposed algorithm uses inspiration from Harris Hawk Optimization and the Arithmetic Optimization Algorithm to improve position relocation problems, premature convergence, and the poor accuracy the existing techniques face. The HHAOA algorithm was evaluated on various benchmark functions and compared with other optimization algorithms, namely Arithmetic Optimization Algorithm, Moth Flame Optimization, Sine Cosine Algorithm, Grey Wolf Optimization, and Harris Hawk Optimization. The proposed algorithm was also applied to a real-world industrial wireless mesh network simulation and experimentation on the real-time pressure process control system. All the results demonstrate that the HHAOA algorithm outperforms different algorithms regarding mean, standard deviation, convergence speed, accuracy, and robustness and improves client router connectivity and network congestion with a 31.7% reduction in Wireless Mesh Network routers. In the real-time pressure process, the HHAOA optimized Fractional-order Predictive PI (FOPPI) Controller produced a robust and smoother control signal leading to minimal peak overshoot and an average of a 53.244% faster settling. Based on the results, the algorithm enhanced the efficiency and reliability of industrial wireless networks and real-time pressure process control systems, which are critical for industrial automation and control applications.
  2. Fulltext A Novel RSSI Prediction Using Imperialist Competition Algorithm (ICA), Radial Basis Function (RBF) and Firefly Algorithm (FFA) in Wireless Networks
    Goudarzi S, Haslina Hassan W, Abdalla Hashim AH, Soleymani SA, Anisi MH, Zakaria OM
    PLoS One, 2016;11(7):e0151355.
    PMID: 27438600 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151355
    This study aims to design a vertical handover prediction method to minimize unnecessary handovers for a mobile node (MN) during the vertical handover process. This relies on a novel method for the prediction of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) referred to as IRBF-FFA, which is designed by utilizing the imperialist competition algorithm (ICA) to train the radial basis function (RBF), and by hybridizing with the firefly algorithm (FFA) to predict the optimal solution. The prediction accuracy of the proposed IRBF-FFA model was validated by comparing it to support vector machines (SVMs) and multilayer perceptron (MLP) models. In order to assess the model's performance, we measured the coefficient of determination (R2), correlation coefficient (r), root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). The achieved results indicate that the IRBF-FFA model provides more precise predictions compared to different ANNs, namely, support vector machines (SVMs) and multilayer perceptron (MLP). The performance of the proposed model is analyzed through simulated and real-time RSSI measurements. The results also suggest that the IRBF-FFA model can be applied as an efficient technique for the accurate prediction of vertical handover.
  3. Fulltext A Point-of-Care Immunosensor for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin in Clinical Urine Samples Using a Cuneated Polysilicon Nanogap Lab-on-Chip
    Balakrishnan SR, Hashim U, Gopinath SC, Poopalan P, Ramayya HR, Iqbal Omar M, et al.
    PLoS One, 2015;10(9):e0137891.
    PMID: 26368287 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0137891
    Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a glycoprotein hormone secreted from the placenta, is a key molecule that indicates pregnancy. Here, we have designed a cost-effective, label-free, in situ point-of-care (POC) immunosensor to estimate hCG using a cuneated 25 nm polysilicon nanogap electrode. A tiny chip with the dimensions of 20.5 × 12.5 mm was fabricated using conventional lithography and size expansion techniques. Furthermore, the sensing surface was functionalized by (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane and quantitatively measured the variations in hCG levels from clinically obtained human urine samples. The dielectric properties of the present sensor are shown with a capacitance above 40 nF for samples from pregnant women; it was lower with samples from non-pregnant women. Furthermore, it has been proven that our sensor has a wide linear range of detection, as a sensitivity of 835.88 μA mIU(-1) ml(-2) cm(-2) was attained, and the detection limit was 0.28 mIU/ml (27.78 pg/ml). The dissociation constant Kd of the specific antigen binding to the anti-hCG was calculated as 2.23 ± 0.66 mIU, and the maximum number of binding sites per antigen was Bmax = 22.54 ± 1.46 mIU. The sensing system shown here, with a narrow nanogap, is suitable for high-throughput POC diagnosis, and a single injection can obtain triplicate data or parallel analyses of different targets.
  4. Fulltext A case report: Community-acquired Pseudomonas aeruginosa necrotizing fasciitis in a morbidly obese diabetic young man can be fatal
    Mazlan MZ, Zainal Abidin H, Wan Hassan WMN, Nik Mohamad NA, Salmuna ZN, Ibrahim K, et al.
    IDCases, 2020;22:e01001.
    PMID: 33204633 DOI: 10.1016/j.idcr.2020.e01001
    We present a case study of a 26-year-old morbidly obese man with a three-day history of right leg pain and swelling. The swelling was associated with low grade fever. He was alert and conscious upon presentation to the hospital. His physical examination showed gross swelling of the entire right lower limb with no systemic manifestations. There was no discharge and bullae from the swelling area of the leg. He had high blood sugar and was newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus. He was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis. An intravenous imipenem-cilastatin 500 mg every 6 h together with clindamycin 900 mg every 8 h was started empirically. Extensive wound debridement was performed. The swab culture obtained intraoperatively grew Pseudomonas aeruginosa. He required an above knee amputation due to worsening infection despite wound debridement. Post-operatively, he developed acute kidney injury with severe metabolic acidosis, which required daily hemodialysis. However, the patient deteriorated due to septic shock with multi-organ failure, resulting in his death.
  5. Fulltext A comprehensive health effects assessment of the use of sanitizers and disinfectants during COVID-19 pandemic: a global survey
    Hashemi F, Hoepner L, Hamidinejad FS, Haluza D, Afrashteh S, Abbasi A, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2023 Jun;30(28):72368-72388.
    PMID: 37166731 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-27197-6
    COVID-19 has affected all aspects of human life so far. From the outset of the pandemic, preventing the spread of COVID-19 through the observance of health protocols, especially the use of sanitizers and disinfectants was given more attention. Despite the effectiveness of disinfection chemicals in controlling and preventing COVID-19, there are critical concerns about their adverse effects on human health. This study aims to assess the health effects of sanitizers and disinfectants on a global scale. A total of 91,056 participants from 154 countries participated in this cross-sectional study. Information on the use of sanitizers and disinfectants and health was collected using an electronic questionnaire, which was translated into 26 languages via web-based platforms. The findings of this study suggest that detergents, alcohol-based substances, and chlorinated compounds emerged as the most prevalent chemical agents compared to other sanitizers and disinfectants examined. Most frequently reported health issues include skin effects and respiratory effects. The Chi-square test showed a significant association between chlorinated compounds (sodium hypochlorite and per-chlorine) with all possible health effects under investigation (p-value <0.001). Examination of risk factors based on multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that alcohols and alcohols-based materials were associated with skin effects (OR, 1.98; 95%CI, 1.87-2.09), per-chlorine was associated with eye effects (OR, 1.83; 95%CI, 1.74-1.93), and highly likely with itching and throat irritation (OR, 2.00; 95%CI, 1.90-2.11). Furthermore, formaldehyde was associated with a higher prevalence of neurological effects (OR, 2.17; 95%CI, 1.92-2.44). Furthermore, formaldehyde was associated with a higher prevalence of neurological effects (OR, 2.17; 95%CI, 1.92-2.44). The use of sodium hypochlorite and per-chlorine also had a high chance of having respiratory effects. The findings of the current study suggest that health authorities need to implement more awareness programs about the side effects of using sanitizers and disinfectants during viral epidemics especially when they are used or overused.
  6. Fulltext A comprehensive review on modelling the adsorption process for heavy metal removal from waste water using artificial neural network technique
    Fiyadh SS, Alardhi SM, Al Omar M, Aljumaily MM, Al Saadi MA, Fayaed SS, et al.
    Heliyon, 2023 Apr;9(4):e15455.
    PMID: 37128319 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15455
    Water is the most necessary and significant element for all life on earth. Unfortunately, the quality of the water resources is constantly declining as a result of population development, industry, and civilization progress. Due to their extreme toxicity, heavy metals removal from water has drawn researchers' attention. A lot of scientific applications use artificial neural networks (ANNs) because of their excellent ability to map nonlinear relationships. ANNs shown excellent modelling capabilities for the water treatment remediation. The adsorption process uses a variety of variables, making the interaction between them nonlinear. Selecting the best technique can produce excellent results; the adsorption approach for removing heavy metals is highly effective. Different studies show that the ANNs modelling approach can accurately forecast the adsorbed heavy metals and other contaminants in order to remove them.
  7. Fulltext A novel fractional-order dead-time compensating controller for the wireless networks
    Devan PAM, Ibrahim R, Omar M, Bingi K, Nagarajapandian M, Abdulrab H
    Sci Rep, 2023 Oct 17;13(1):17658.
    PMID: 37848485 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-44515-7
    Wireless technology is becoming increasingly critical in industrial environments in recent years, and the popular wireless standards are WirelessHART, ZigBee, WLAN and ISA100.11a, commonly used in closed-loop systems. However, wireless networks in closed-loop control experience packet loss or drops, system delay and data threats, leading to process instability and catastrophic system failure. To prevent such issues, it is necessary to implement dead-time compensation control. Traditional techniques like model predictive and predictive PI controllers are frequently employed. However, these methods' performance is sluggish in wireless networks, with processes having long dead times and set-point variations, potentially affecting network and process performance. Therefore, this paper proposes a fractional calculus-based predictive PI compensator for wired and wireless networks in the process control industries. The proposed technique has been simulated and evaluated on industrial process models, including pressure, flow, and temperature, where measurement and control are carried out wirelessly. The wireless network's performance has been evaluated based on packet loss, reduced throughput, and increased system latency. The proposed compensator outperformed traditional methods, demonstrating superior set-point tracking, disturbance rejection, and delay compensation characteristics in the performance evaluations of the first, second, and third-order systems. Overall, the findings indicate that the proposed compensator enhances wireless networks' performance in the process control industry and improves system stability and reliability by reducing almost half of the overshoot and settling an average of 8.3927% faster than the conventional techniques in most of the systems.
  8. A novel shape representation of the dental arch and its applications in some dentistry problems
    Rijal OM, Abdullah NA, Isa ZM, Davaei FA, Noor NM, Tawfiq OF
    Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc, 2011;2011:5092-5.
    PMID: 22255484 DOI: 10.1109/IEMBS.2011.6091261
    Standardized digital images of maxillary dental casts of 47 subjects were analyzed using MATLAB software whereby the two hamular notches and the incisive papilla defines the Cartesian vertical and horizontal axes, as well as the origin. The angle and length of the midpoints of the anterior teeth, mesiobuccal and distobuccal cusp of the posterior teeth were measured from the origin and denoted as θ(1), …, θ(18) and l(1), …, l(18) respectively. These values were collectively used to represent the shape of each dental cast. Clustering and principal component analyses were employed to find possible groups of dental arches using the above measure of shape. The main result of this study is that the 3 groups of dental arch shape may be represented by the novel feature vector v(k) = (θ(k)(1), l(k)(1), θ(k)(3), l(k)(3), θ(k)(5), l(k)(5), θ(k)(13), l(k)(13)), k = 1, 2, 3. Knowledge of v(k) implies three impression trays should be sufficient in a particular prosthetic dentistry application for Malaysian patients. Further, given that v(k) are accurately measured they may be potential candidates as evidence in specific application of forensic dentistry.
  9. A preliminary study of job satisfaction and motivation among the Malaysian primary healthcare professionals
    Chew B, Ramli A, Omar M, Ismail I
    Malays Fam Physician, 2013;8(2):15-25.
    PMID: 25606277 MyJurnal
    AIM: This study aimed to examine the relationship between personal or work-based characteristics and job satisfaction and motivation in Malaysian primary healthcare professionals.

    METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey conducted during the 15th Family Medicine Scientific Conference in June 2011 using the Warr-Cook-Wall scales. The questionnaires included demography and work-related items and were self-distributed and returned at the end of the conference. Independent risk factors were identified using multiple linear regressions.

    RESULTS: A total of 149 conference participants completed the survey, with a response rate of 33.1%. They were mainly females (85.2%), Malay (83.2%), and married (83.9%) in almost equal proportions of practice location (urban 57.8% and rural 42.2%). Majority of them were working at community-based health clinics (74.0%) and in public sectors (94.4%). The respondents were mainly doctors (91.4%). The mean age of the participants was 39.1 years (SD 8.0), with a mean duration of service of 9 years (SD 6.9). Family medicine specialty (FMSt) residents had lower job satisfaction (B = -8.0, 95% CI -14.61 to -1.40, p = 0.02). Family medicine specialists (FMSs) had higher satisfaction with working conditions (B = 1.95, 95% CI 0.50 to 3.41, p = 0.01). A male worker had on average 2.8 (95% CI -4.7 to -0.9, p = 0.005) lower points in the total intrinsic job motivation scale. There was a positive relationship between the duration of working and job motivation (B = 0.10, 95% CI 0.004 to 0.2, p = 0.04).

    CONCLUSION: FMSt residents might have the least job satisfaction, but FMSs were generally satisfied with their working conditions regardless of the location of their clinics. Men and those who were novice in primary healthcare may need more support for motivation.

  10. A probability distribution of shape for the dental maxillary arch using digital images
    Rijal OM, Abdullah NA, Isa ZM, Noor NM, Tawfiq OF
    Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc, 2012;2012:5420-3.
    PMID: 23367155 DOI: 10.1109/EMBC.2012.6347220
    Selected landmarks from each of 47 maxillary dental casts were used to define a Cartesian-coordinate system from which the positions of selected teeth were determined on standardized digital images. The position of the i-th tooth was defined by a line of length (l(i)) joining the tooth to the origin, and the angle (θ(i)) of this line to the horizontal Cartesian axis. Four teeth, the central incisor, lateral incisor, canine and first molar were selected and their position were collectively used to represent the shape of the dental arch. A pilot study using clustering and principal component analysis strongly suggest the existence of 3 groups of arch shape. In this study, the homogeneity of the 3 groups was further investigated and confirmed by the Dunn and Davies-Bouldein validity indices. This is followed by an investigation of the probability distribution of these 3 groups. The main result of this study suggests 3 groups of multivariate (MV) normal distribution. The MV normal probability distribution of these groups may be used in further studies to investigate the issues of variation of arch shape, which is fundamental to the practice of prosthodontics and orthodontics.
  11. Fulltext A refactoring categorization model for software quality improvement
    Almogahed A, Mahdin H, Omar M, Zakaria NH, Gu YH, Al-Masni MA, et al.
    PLoS One, 2023;18(11):e0293742.
    PMID: 37917752 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293742
    Refactoring, a widely adopted technique, has proven effective in facilitating and reducing maintenance activities and costs. Nonetheless, the effects of applying refactoring techniques on software quality exhibit inconsistencies and contradictions, leading to conflicting evidence on their overall benefit. Consequently, software developers face challenges in leveraging these techniques to improve software quality. Moreover, the absence of a categorization model hampers developers' ability to decide the most suitable refactoring techniques for improving software quality, considering specific design goals. Thus, this study aims to propose a novel refactoring categorization model that categorizes techniques based on their measurable impacts on internal quality attributes. Initially, the most common refactoring techniques used by software practitioners were identified. Subsequently, an experimental study was conducted using five case studies to measure the impacts of refactoring techniques on internal quality attributes. A subsequent multi-case analysis was conducted to analyze these effects across the case studies. The proposed model was developed based on the experimental study results and the subsequent multi-case analysis. The model categorizes refactoring techniques into green, yellow, and red categories. The proposed model, by acting as a guideline, assists developers in understanding the effects of each refactoring technique on quality attributes, allowing them to select appropriate techniques to improve specific quality attributes. Compared to existing studies, the proposed model emerges superior by offering a more granular categorization (green, yellow, and red categories), and its range is wide (including ten refactoring techniques and eleven internal quality attributes). Such granularity not only equips developers with an in-depth understanding of each technique's impact but also fosters informed decision-making. In addition, the proposed model outperforms current studies and offers a more nuanced understanding, explicitly highlighting areas of strength and concern for each refactoring technique. This enhancement aids developers in better grasping the implications of each refactoring technique on quality attributes. As a result, the model simplifies the decision-making process for developers, saving time and effort that would otherwise be spent weighing the benefits and drawbacks of various refactoring techniques. Furthermore, it has the potential to help reduce maintenance activities and associated costs.
  12. Fulltext Absorbed dose rate levels around amang plant buildings
    Omar, M., Sulaiman, I., Hassan, A.
    Journal of Nuclear and Related Technologies, 2008;2008(2):73-76.
    MyJurnal
    The measurements of absorbed dose rate in air around amang plant buildings were carried out using a scintillation detector. It was found that the mean radiation levels at seven amang plants were in the range of 1.6 – 5.5 µGy h -1. The individual maximum value measured was 56 µGy h -1. The annual dose to a worker transporting the minerals to the plant was estimated to be 1.5 mSv y -1.
  13. Fulltext Adult smokers' perception of the role of religion and religious leadership on smoking and association with quitting: a comparison between Thai Buddhists and Malaysian Muslims
    Yong HH, Hamann SL, Borland R, Fong GT, Omar M, ITC-SEA project team
    Soc Sci Med, 2009 Oct;69(7):1025-31.
    PMID: 19695758 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.07.042
    In recent years, attempts have been made to incorporate religion into tobacco control efforts, especially in countries like Malaysia and Thailand where religion is central to the lives of people. This paper is a prospective examination of the perceived relevance and role of religion and religious authorities in influencing smoking behaviour among Muslims in Malaysia and Buddhists in Thailand. Data were collected from 1482 Muslim Malaysian and 1971 Buddhist Thai adult smokers who completed wave 1 (early 2005) of the International Tobacco Control Southeast Asia Survey (ITC-SEA). Respondents were asked about the role of religion and religious leadership on smoking at Wave 1 and among those recontacted, quitting activity at Wave 2. Results revealed that over 90% of both religious groups reported that their religion guides their day-to-day behaviour at least sometimes, but Malaysian Muslims were more likely to report that this was always the case. The majority (79% Muslims and 88% Buddhists) of both groups believed that their religion discourages smoking. About 61% of the Muslims and 58% of the Buddhists reported that their religious leaders had encouraged them to quit before and a minority (30% and 26%, respectively) said they would be an influential source to motivate them to quit. Logistic regression models suggest that these religious factors had a clear independent association with making quitting attempts in both countries and this translated to success for Malaysian Muslims but not for the Thai Buddhists. Taken together, results from this study indicate that religion and religious authorities are both relevant and important drivers of quitting, but whether this is always enough to guarantee success is less clear. Religion can be a culturally relevant vehicle to complement other tobacco control efforts.
  14. Fulltext Adult smokers' reactions to pictorial health warning labels on cigarette packs in Thailand and moderating effects of type of cigarette smoked: findings from the international tobacco control southeast Asia survey
    Yong HH, Fong GT, Driezen P, Borland R, Quah AC, Sirirassamee B, et al.
    Nicotine Tob Res, 2013 Aug;15(8):1339-47.
    PMID: 23291637 DOI: 10.1093/ntr/nts241
    In this study, we aimed to examine, in Thailand, the impact on smokers' reported awareness of and their cognitive and behavioral reactions following the change from text-only to pictorial warnings printed on cigarette packs. We also sought to explore differences by type of cigarette smoked (roll-your-own [RYO] vs. factory-made [FM] cigarettes).
  15. Fulltext Affordable ART for developing countries: a cost benefit comparison of low dose stimulation versus high dose GnRH antagonist protocol
    Noorashikin M, Ong FB, Omar MH, Zainul-Rashid MR, Murad AZ, Shamsir A, et al.
    J Assist Reprod Genet, 2008 Jul;25(7):297-303.
    PMID: 18654847 DOI: 10.1007/s10815-008-9239-9
    Low dose stimulation (LS) is emerging as an alternative regime in assisted reproductive technology (ART). This study aimed to compare the cost-effectiveness of LS to the high dose GnRH antagonist (Atg) regime.
  16. An expectation-maximization algorithm based Kalman smoother approach for single-trial estimation of event-related potentials
    Ting CM, Samdin SB, Salleh ShH, Omar MH, Kamarulafizam I
    Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc, 2012;2012:6534-8.
    PMID: 23367426 DOI: 10.1109/EMBC.2012.6347491
    This paper applies an expectation-maximization (EM) based Kalman smoother (KS) approach for single-trial event-related potential (ERP) estimation. Existing studies assume a Markov diffusion process for the dynamics of ERP parameters which is recursively estimated by optimal filtering approaches such as Kalman filter (KF). However, these studies only consider estimation of ERP state parameters while the model parameters are pre-specified using manual tuning, which is time-consuming for practical usage besides giving suboptimal estimates. We extend the KF approach by adding EM based maximum likelihood estimation of the model parameters to obtain more accurate ERP estimates automatically. We also introduce different model variants by allowing flexibility in the covariance structure of model noises. Optimal model selection is performed based on Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). The method is applied to estimation of chirp-evoked auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) for detection of wave V critical for assessment of hearing loss. Results shows that use of more complex covariances are better estimating inter-trial variability.
  17. An outbreak of Hongkong influenza in a youth camp in West Malaysia
    Tan DS, Dhillon GS, Omar M, Eapen JS
    Med J Malaya, 1971 Jun;25(4):263-8.
    PMID: 4261297
  18. An Îto stochastic differential equations model for the dynamics of the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line treated by radiotherapy
    Oroji A, Omar M, Yarahmadian S
    J Theor Biol, 2016 10 21;407:128-137.
    PMID: 27457094 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2016.07.035
    In this paper, a new mathematical model is proposed for studying the population dynamics of breast cancer cells treated by radiotherapy by using a system of stochastic differential equations. The novelty of the model is essentially in capturing the concept of the cell cycle in the modeling to be able to evaluate the tumor lifespan. According to the cell cycle, each cell belongs to one of three subpopulations G, S, or M, representing gap, synthesis and mitosis subpopulations. Cells in the M subpopulation are highly radio-sensitive, whereas cells in the S subpopulation are highly radio-resistant. Therefore, in the process of radiotherapy, cell death rates of different subpopulations are not equal. In addition, since flow cytometry is unable to detect apoptotic cells accurately, the small changes in cell death rate in each subpopulation during treatment are considered. Subsequently, the proposed model is calibrated using experimental data from previous experiments involving the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. Consequently, the proposed model is able to predict tumor lifespan based on the number of initial carcinoma cells. The results show the effectiveness of the radiation under the condition of stability, which describes the decreasing trend of the tumor cells population.
  19. Fulltext Assessing the status of intrauterine insemination before forming a medically assisted conception unit
    Omar MH, Ong FB, Adeeb NN, Sharif JM, Nasri N, Yassin MJ
    Med J Malaysia, 1999 Mar;54(1):65-71.
    PMID: 10972007
    A survey in 1996 of our female patients suggest that the three commonest causes of infertility were endometriosis, anovulation and idiopathic which comprises of about 70% of all the patients. In the male patients, sperm morphology evaluation by critical criteria showed that abnormal morphology was present in 71% while 87% of all the semen analysis were abnormal. The objective of this study was to assess the status of IUI before proceeding to formulate patient protocols for IVF in a tertiary infertility referral unit. A retrospective study of patients data was done from Jan 1995 to Dec 1996. Ovarian stimulation by clomiphene for anovulatory and idiopathic patients was performed on couples with at least one patent fallopian tube. Ovulation induction was by an intramuscular injection of 5000 i.u of HCG after follicular maturation. IUI was performed approximately 36-40 hours later. A total of 74 couples received 114 treatment cycles producing a total of 9 conceptions. The conception rate of IUI was therefore 7.89% per cycle and 12.16% per couple with the cumulative pregnancy rate of 28.21%. Associated success features of IUI found in this study were the age of the woman and the semen parameters of the husband.
  20. Assessment of natural radioactivity levels in rocks and their relationships with the geological structure of Johor state, Malaysia
    Alnour IA, Wagiran H, Ibrahim N, Hamzah S, Elias MS, Laili Z, et al.
    Radiat Prot Dosimetry, 2014 Jan;158(2):201-7.
    PMID: 23965286 DOI: 10.1093/rpd/nct206
    The distribution of natural radionuclides ((238)U, (232)Th and (40)K) and their radiological hazard effect in rocks collected from the state of Johor, Malaysia were determined by gamma spectroscopy using a high-purity germanium detector. The highest values of (238)U, (232)Th and (40)K activity concentrations (67±6, 85±7 and 722±18 Bg kg(-1), respectively) were observed in the granite rock. The lowest concentrations of (238)U and (232)Th (2±0.1 Bq kg(-1) for (238)U and 2±0.1 Bq kg(-1) for (232)Th) were observed in gabbro rock. The lowest concentration of (40)K (45±2 Bq kg(-1)) was detected in sandstone. The radium equivalent activity concentrations for all rock samples investigated were lower than the internationally accepted value of 370 Bq kg(-1). The highest value of radium equivalent in the present study (239±17 Bq kg(-1)) was recorded in the area of granite belonging to an acid intrusive rock geological structure. The absorbed dose rate was found to range from 4 to 112 nGy h(-1). The effective dose ranged from 5 to 138 μSv h(-1). The internal and external hazard index values were given in results lower than unity. The purpose of this study is to provide information related to radioactivity background levels and the effects of radiation on residents in the study area under investigation. Moreover, the relationships between the radioactivity levels in the rocks within the geological structure of the studied area are discussed.
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