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Skin colour detection based on an adaptive multi thresholding technique

Ahmed M. Mbarib, Mohammad Hamiruce Marhaban, Abdul Rahman Ramli

Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology, 2007;15(2):103-111.
MyJurnal

Skin colour is an important visual cue for face detection, face recogmtlon, hand segmentation for gesture analysis and filtering of objectionable images. In this paper, the adaptive skin color detection model is proposed, based on two bivariate normal distribution models of the skin chromatic subspace, and on image segmentation using an automatic and adaptive multi-thresholding technique. Experimental results on images presenting a wide range of variations in lighting condition and background demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed skin-segmentation algorithm.
Metachromatic ground substance of normal aortic media at different ages in Chinese subjects

MUMTAZUDDIN AHMED M, MOHIUDDIN A

Med J Malaya, 1963 Mar;17:199-208.
PMID: 13936588
Fulltext A preliminary evaluation of linear control schemes for FES-assisted movements

Ahmed, M., Huq, M.S., Ibrahim, B.S.K.K., Ahmed, A.

Movement Health & Exercise, 2018;7(1):211-223.
MyJurnal

Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) can be used to revive movement
functions of the human body to a certain degree which was lost due to
occurrences of the nervous system disorders resulting from accidents or
diseases. It can also be employed for gait rehabilitation as well as therapy.
Control systems could be employed to improve on the FES-induced motion,
and the closed-loop was targeted due to its advantages. Based on the papers
reviewed, studies have shown that the linear control schemes are popular for
movement restoration in the lower limb, but mostly for continuous standing
contributing to mainly the stance phase. Therefore, a myriad of limitations
was observed which include: the need for using improved sensors, re-tuning
for every subject, tests conducted using patient with more straightforward
ailments, complexity in implementation and most importantly is the issue of
stability. The swing phase of gait movement and the full walking motion have
more complex dynamics and coupled with the nature of the plant (human with
nervous system disorder and the neuromuscular structure) could render the
linear control method obsolete or unsuitable. Hence, there is a need to
investigate other techniques such as the nonlinear and intelligent control
methods.
Fulltext Cost burden of male infertility investigations and treatments: A survey study

Al-Kandari AM, Alenezi A

Urol Ann, 2020;12(4):314-318.
PMID: 33776325 DOI: 10.4103/UA.UA_48_20

PURPOSE: Male infertility represents 50% of all infertility problems. The management of male infertility is expensive, causing a huge burden on the patients. In this study, we aimed to calculate the cost burden of male infertility investigations and treatments.
METHODS: A total of 600 infertile male patients from a single center in Kuwait city were asked to fulfill an internet-based survey. The survey encompassed data about the cost of different investigations and treatments of male infertility. Patients were also asked about the preference of covering their condition either through government or by private insurance.
RESULTS: A total of 145 patients responded to the survey. Most of the patients earned 3295 United States Dollar (USD) to 6590 USD per month. The cost of the outpatient visit ranged from 131.7 to 263.4 USD. The cost of each hormonal test was 164.5 USD while the average cost of each imaging study was 131.8-164.7 USD. Most of the patients (62.8%) received medical therapy with an expense of >988.74 USD. Varicocelectomy cost ranged from 3295 to 6590 USD while the cost of testicular sperm extraction ranged from 1644 to 3294 USD. Most patients (96.3%) did not have health insurance coverage of infertility. On average, patients spent around 18% of their annual income on infertility care, excluding major surgeries.
CONCLUSION: Male infertility is a worrisome medical condition that causes a huge burden on the Kuwait community. Effective management necessitates insurance coverage and public health support owing to the huge financial burden on the patients and their partners. Thus, policymakers should re-evaluate their protocols of spending on male infertility care.
Fulltext Factors Associated with Low Vitamin D Status among Older Adults in Kuwait

ALbuloshi T, Kamel AM, Spencer JPE

Nutrients, 2022 Aug 15;14(16).
PMID: 36014846 DOI: 10.3390/nu14163342

Low vitamin D levels among older people represent a significant health problem worldwide. This study aimed to examine the factors associated with vitamin D deficiency in older people (aged ≥ 65) in the Kuwaiti population. A cross-sectional study was conducted in seven primary healthcare centers across Kuwait (November 2020 to June 2021). The participants (n = 237) had their serum vitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations (analyzed using LC-MS) classified as sufficiency 75 nmol/L (30 ng/mL) or deficiency < 75 nmol/L (below 30 ng/mL). The data were collected using self-administered questionnaires and face-to-face interviews with participants in geriatric clinics. Binomial logistic regression analysis was applied to assess factors associated with vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency was found to be present in two thirds of the participants (n = 150, 63%), with a higher prevalence of deficiency in participants who did not receive vitamin D supplements, compared to those who did (84% vs. 16%, p = 0.001). The results from the binary logistic regression showed that a low duration of sun exposure (OR = 0.24, 95% C.I. [0.08−0.7], p = 0.011), dark skin pigmentation (OR = 4.46, 95% [1.35−20.49], p = 0.026), and lower caloric intake (OR = 0.9, 95% C.I. [0.85−0.96], p = 0.001) were risk factors for vitamin D deficiency. Furthermore, a significant inverse relationship was found between vitamin D levels and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels (OR = 1.16, 95% C.I. [1.04−1.31], p = 0.016). These findings support the recommendation that vitamin D supplementation and adequate sunlight exposure are necessary for raising low vitamin D levels in older people in Kuwait.
Plasmodium knowlesi - an emerging pathogen

Ahmed MA, Cox-Singh J

ISBT science series, 2015 Apr;10(Suppl 1):134-140.
PMID: 26029250

Ten years have passed since the publication of a large focus of Plasmodium knowlesi infections in the human population. The discovery was made during a molecular investigation of atypical P. malariae cases in the Kapit Health Division, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. Patients were more symptomatic with higher parasite counts than expected in P. malariae infections. The investigation found only P. knowlesi DNA present in patient blood samples. Morphological similarity had allowed P. knowlesi to masquerade as P. malariae during routine diagnostic microscopy for malaria. P. knowlesi, a malaria parasite of macaque monkeys, had entered the human population. The subsequent development of P. knowlesi species-specific PCR assays soon demonstrated that the entry was not confined to the Kapit Division but extended across island and mainland Southeast Asia. Relevant clinical descriptions and guidelines for the treatment and management of patents with P. knowlesi malaria were not available. Nor was it clear whether P. knowlesi had undergone a host switch event into the human population or if infections were zoonotic. The outputs of studies on P. knowlesi malaria during the past 10 years will be summarized, highlighting major findings within the context of pathophysiology, virulence, host switch events, treatment, control and importantly malaria elimination.
Fulltext Knowledge and practice of breast self-examination among students in a private higher learning institution in Malaysia

Nimir, Amal R., Al-Dubai, Sami A. R., Alshagga, Mustafa A., Saliem, Ahmed M.

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2014;14(3):0-0.
MyJurnal

Breast cancer is one of the most frequently encountered malignancies among young females in Malaysia, which accounts for 30.4% of newly diagnosed cancers. All women at or above the age of 20 are considered at risk of developing breast cancer. This is a cross-sectional study. The study was conducted in a private medical university in Malaysia during year 2012. Two hundred students were recruited in this study using universal sampling. Data collection was done using a selfadministration questionnaire. Chi-square test was used to assess the association between the practice of breast selfexamination and socio-demographic variables. Only 19.5% of the study sample has sufficient knowledge about BSE which is acquired mostly from local media. Having a family history of malignancy other than breast cancer seems to be the only significant variable associated with knowledge about BSE (P=0.002). Other variables such as demographic data, menstrual history and social history were also tested, but found to be not significant. Frequent community-based awareness programs are needed so that all women can know and practice BSE, which in turn helps to alert the women to any abnormal changes in the breasts so that they will be able to seek medical advice immediately.
Fulltext Auto-Grasping algorithm of robot gripper based on pressure sensor measurement

Ahmed M. M. ALmassri, Chikamune Wada, Wan Hasan, W.Z., Ahmad, S.A.

Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology, 2017;25(102):113-122.
MyJurnal

This paper presents an auto grasping algorithm of a proposed robotic gripper. The purpose is to enhance the grasping mechanism of the gripper. Earlier studies have introduced various methods to enhance the grasping mechanism, but most of the works have not looked at the weight measurement method. Thus, with this algorithm, the weight of the object is calculated based on modified Wheatstone Bridge Circuit (WBC) which is controlled by programmable interface controller (PIC) method. Having this approach introduces and improves the grasping mechanism through an auto grasping algorithm. Experimental results show that an auto grasping algorithm based on pressure sensor measurements leads to a more precise grasping measurement and consequently enhance the sensitivity measurement as well as accurate movement calibration. Furthermore, several different grasping objects based on the proposed method are examined to demonstrate the performance and robustness of our approach.
Modeling of passengers' safety perception for buses on mountainous roads

Khoo HL, Ahmed M

Accid Anal Prev, 2018 Apr;113:106-116.
PMID: 29407657 DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2018.01.025

This study had developed a passenger safety perception model specifically for buses taking into consideration the various factors, namely driver characteristics, environmental conditions, and bus characteristics using Bayesian Network. The behaviour of bus driver is observed through the bus motion profile, measured in longitudinal, lateral, and vertical accelerations. The road geometry is recorded using GPS and is computed with the aid of the Google map while the perceived bus safety is rated by the passengers in the bus in real time. A total of 13 variables were derived and used in the model development. The developed Bayesian Network model shows that the type of bus and the experience of the driver on the investigated route could have an influence on passenger's perception of their safety on buses. Road geometry is an indirect influencing factor through the driver's behavior. The findings of this model are useful for the authorities to structure an effective strategy to improve the level of perceived bus safety. A high level of bus safety will definitely boost passenger usage confidence which will subsequently increase ridership.
Fulltext Bacterial and fungal keratitis in Upper Egypt: in vitro screening of enzymes, toxins and antifungal activity

Gharamah AA, Moharram AM, Ismail MA, Al-Hussaini AK

Indian J Ophthalmol, 2014 Feb;62(2):196-203.
PMID: 24008795 DOI: 10.4103/0301-4738.116463

This work was conducted to study the ability of bacterial and fungal isolates from keratitis cases in Upper Egypt to produce enzymes, toxins, and to test the isolated fungal species sensitivity to some therapeutic agents.
Fulltext Is it toxoplasma encephalitis, HIV encephalopathy or brain tuberculoma?

Nimir AR, Osman E, Ibrahim IA, Saliem AM

BMJ Case Rep, 2013;2013.
PMID: 23580678 DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2013-008803

A 31-year-old Malaysian man was presented with an episode of seizures by the roadside, after having been recently diagnosed as HIV positive accompanied with miliary tuberculosis. On physical examination, he was oriented to person, but not to time or place. There was no neck stiffness or papilloedema. The other systemic examination was unremarkable. Chest examination revealed crepitations at the upper zone of the right lung. After diagnosis suspicion, the case was confirmed as toxoplasma encephalitis by MRI and serological tests. Patient was treated with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole 480-2400 mg/day with folinic acid supplement for 60 days. Two months later, a repeat brain MRI showed resolution of the cerebral lesions.
Fulltext A medical student with symphalangism, would it affect her future career?

Saliem AM, Nimir AR, Abdul Kadir FA

BMJ Case Rep, 2012;2012.
PMID: 23087269 DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2012-006668

Absence of the distal crease of the fingers is usually associated with a flexion deformity. A single crease of one or more fingers is found in many syndromes. We present this report as a rare case of absence of interphalangeal crease of the right ring finger with restriction of flexion but without any other anomaly.
Fulltext A self-optimizing scheme for energy balanced routing in Wireless Sensor Networks using SensorAnt

Shamsan Saleh AM, Ali BM, Rasid MF, Ismail A

Sensors (Basel), 2012;12(8):11307-33.
PMID: 23112658 DOI: 10.3390/s120811307

Planning of energy-efficient protocols is critical for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) because of the constraints on the sensor nodes' energy. The routing protocol should be able to provide uniform power dissipation during transmission to the sink node. In this paper, we present a self-optimization scheme for WSNs which is able to utilize and optimize the sensor nodes' resources, especially the batteries, to achieve balanced energy consumption across all sensor nodes. This method is based on the Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) metaheuristic which is adopted to enhance the paths with the best quality function. The assessment of this function depends on multi-criteria metrics such as the minimum residual battery power, hop count and average energy of both route and network. This method also distributes the traffic load of sensor nodes throughout the WSN leading to reduced energy usage, extended network life time and reduced packet loss. Simulation results show that our scheme performs much better than the Energy Efficient Ant-Based Routing (EEABR) in terms of energy consumption, balancing and efficiency.
An intelligent load shedding scheme using neural networks and neuro-fuzzy

Haidar AM, Mohamed A, Al-Dabbagh M, Hussain A, Masoum M

Int J Neural Syst, 2009 Dec;19(6):473-9.
PMID: 20039470

Load shedding is some of the essential requirement for maintaining security of modern power systems, particularly in competitive energy markets. This paper proposes an intelligent scheme for fast and accurate load shedding using neural networks for predicting the possible loss of load at the early stage and neuro-fuzzy for determining the amount of load shed in order to avoid a cascading outage. A large scale electrical power system has been considered to validate the performance of the proposed technique in determining the amount of load shed. The proposed techniques can provide tools for improving the reliability and continuity of power supply. This was confirmed by the results obtained in this research of which sample results are given in this paper.
Removal of emerging pharmaceutical contaminants by adsorption in a fixed-bed column: A review

Ahmed MJ, Hameed BH

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf, 2018 Mar;149:257-266.
PMID: 29248838 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2017.12.012

Pharmaceutical pollutants substantially affect the environment; thus, their treatments have been the focus of many studies. In this article, the fixed-bed adsorption of pharmaceuticals on various adsorbents was reviewed. The experimental breakthrough curves of these pollutants under various flow rates, inlet concentrations, and bed heights were examined. Fixed-bed data in terms of saturation uptakes, breakthrough time, and the length of the mass transfer zone were included. The three most popular breakthrough models, namely, Adams-Bohart, Thomas, and Yoon-Nelson, were also reviewed for the correlation of breakthrough curve data along with the evaluation of model parameters. Compared with the Adams-Bohart model, the Thomas and Yoon-Nelson more effectively predicted the breakthrough data for the studied pollutants.
Fulltext FSM-F: Finite State Machine Based Framework for Denial of Service and Intrusion Detection in MANET

N Ahmed M, Abdullah AH, Kaiwartya O

PLoS One, 2016;11(6):e0156885.
PMID: 27285146 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0156885

Due to the continuous advancements in wireless communication in terms of quality of communication and affordability of the technology, the application area of Mobile Adhoc Networks (MANETs) significantly growing particularly in military and disaster management. Considering the sensitivity of the application areas, security in terms of detection of Denial of Service (DoS) and intrusion has become prime concern in research and development in the area. The security systems suggested in the past has state recognition problem where the system is not able to accurately identify the actual state of the network nodes due to the absence of clear definition of states of the nodes. In this context, this paper proposes a framework based on Finite State Machine (FSM) for denial of service and intrusion detection in MANETs. In particular, an Interruption Detection system for Adhoc On-demand Distance Vector (ID-AODV) protocol is presented based on finite state machine. The packet dropping and sequence number attacks are closely investigated and detection systems for both types of attacks are designed. The major functional modules of ID-AODV includes network monitoring system, finite state machine and attack detection model. Simulations are carried out in network simulator NS-2 to evaluate the performance of the proposed framework. A comparative evaluation of the performance is also performed with the state-of-the-art techniques: RIDAN and AODV. The performance evaluations attest the benefits of proposed framework in terms of providing better security for denial of service and intrusion detection attacks.
Fulltext Melioidosis: an emerging infectious disease

Raja NS, Ahmed MZ, Singh NN

J Postgrad Med, 2005 Apr-Jun;51(2):140-5.
PMID: 16006713

Infectious diseases account for a third of all the deaths in the developing world. Achievements in understanding the basic microbiology, pathogenesis, host defenses and expanded epidemiology of infectious diseases have resulted in better management and reduced mortality. However, an emerging infectious disease, melioidosis, is becoming endemic in the tropical regions of the world and is spreading to non-endemic areas. This article highlights the current understanding of melioidosis including advances in diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Better understanding of melioidosis is essential, as it is life-threatening and if untreated, patients can succumb to it. Our sources include a literature review, information from international consensus meetings on melioidosis and ongoing discussions within the medical and scientific community.
Fulltext Clinical profile of acute flaccid paralysis

Rasul CH, Das PL, Alam S, Ahmed S, Ahmed M

Med J Malaysia, 2002 Mar;57(1):61-5.
PMID: 14569719

This study was done to determine the clinical course, cause and outcome of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) in children. All AFP cases (< 15 years) in the children's ward of Khulna Medical College Hospital (Bangladesh) were recorded, investigated and followed up to sixty days as a part of passive surveillance. Main outcome variables were vulnerable age group, vaccine status, predominant limb involvement, clinical variants, virus isolation and residual paralysis. Thirty-four children with AFP were admitted in hospital in the last three years with the highest number (14) in 1998. The majority of children belonged to the age group 5-9 years with a male female ratio of 1.3:1. Nearly one third of the cases were either partially vaccinated or not vaccinated at all. The lower limbs bore the brunt of paralysis excepting a few (14.7%). Clinically, Guillain Barre Syndrome was the commonest (47.1%) followed by encephalomyelitis. No poliovirus was isolated from these cases. Residual paralysis was observed in four out of ten cases who returned for follow up. AFP will continue to occur even after eradication of poliomyelitis and Guillain Barre Syndrome is the most important clinical entity for this.
Fulltext Low Levels of Polymorphisms and Negative Selection in Plasmodum knowlesi Merozoite Surface Protein 8 in Malaysian Isolates

Atique Ahmed M, Kang HJ, Quan FS

Korean J Parasitol, 2019 Aug;57(4):445-450.
PMID: 31533414 DOI: 10.3347/kjp.2019.57.4.445

Human infections due to the monkey malaria parasite Plasmodium knowlesi is increasingly being reported from most Southeast Asian countries specifically Malaysia. The parasite causes severe and fatal malaria thus there is a need for urgent measures for its control. In this study, the level of polymorphisms, haplotypes and natural selection of full-length pkmsp8 in 37 clinical samples from Malaysian Borneo along with 6 lab-adapted strains were investigated. Low levels of polymorphism were observed across the full-length gene, the double epidermal growth factor (EGF) domains were mostly conserved, and non-synonymous substitutions were absent. Evidence of strong negative selection pressure in the non-EGF regions were found indicating functional constrains acting at different domains. Phylogenetic haplotype network analysis identified shared haplotypes and indicated geographical clustering of samples originating from Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo. This is the first study to genetically characterize the full-length msp8 gene from clinical isolates of P. knowlesi from Malaysia; however, further functional characterization would be useful for future rational vaccine design.
Fulltext Theory, methods, and applications of fractional calculus

Atangana A, Kiliçman A, Oukouomi Noutchie SC, Secer A, Ray SS, El-Sayed AM

ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:249717.
PMID: 25013849 DOI: 10.1155/2014/249717

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