Sexual harassment in Malaysian educational institutions: causes and solutions

The vitality of schools in proffering solutions to the societal challenges cannot be underrated. However, school as a hub and pivot place in addressing multifarious challenges in our society is faced with some social ills such as bullying and sexual harassment. An escalation of sexual harassment in schools' and on campuses cannot be denied. The greater challenge is inadequacy and ineffective measures to curb prevalence of sexual harassment. More so, there are only a few existing guidelines in combating sexual harassment such as the Penal Code, Employment Act and the Code of Conduct for Industrial Harmony. However, there is yet to be a proper academic focus providing an effective mode of minimizing the prevalence of sexual harassment in schools and institutions of higher learning by formulating a policy and procedure in eschewing sexual harassment in schools in particular, and society in general in Malaysia. Hence, this paper elaborately explicates the various issues relating to sexual harassment in the Malaysian schools and institutions of higher learning and further, the suggested approaches towards its prevention

In vivo sensitivity estimation and imaging acceleration with rotating RF coil arrays at 7 Tesla

Using a new rotating SENSitivity Encoding (rotating-SENSE) algorithm, we have successfully demonstrated that the rotating radiofrequency coil array (RRFCA) was capable of achieving a significant reduction in scan time and a uniform image reconstruction for a homogeneous phantom at 7 Tesla. However, at 7 Tesla the in vivo sensitivity profiles (B) become distinct at various angular positions. Therefore, sensitivity maps at other angular positions cannot be obtained by numerically rotating the acquired ones. In this work, a novel sensitivity estimation method for the RRFCA was developed and validated with human brain imaging. This method employed a library database and registration techniques to estimate coil sensitivity at an arbitrary angular position. The estimated sensitivity maps were then compared to the acquired sensitivity maps. The results indicate that the proposed method is capable of accurately estimating both magnitude and phase of sensitivity at an arbitrary angular position, which enables us to employ the rotating-SENSE algorithm to accelerate acquisition and reconstruct image. Compared to a stationary coil array with the same number of coil elements, the RRFCA was able to reconstruct images with better quality at a high reduction factor. It is hoped that the proposed rotation-dependent sensitivity estimation algorithm and the acceleration ability of the RRFCA will be particularly useful for ultra high field MRI

Numerical Modelling of the Electromagnetic Field – Material Interactions in Magnetic Resonance Imaging

With the latest developments in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology, particularly in the areas of high-field superconducting magnets, high-performance ultra-short gradient coils and high radio-frequency (RF) excitation devices; the interaction of electromagnetic fields generated by the new generation of imagers and patients, healthcare workers as well as system components has recently attracted substantial attention. Due to the complexity of the electromagnetic field - tissue and field - metal interactions, computational modelling plays an essential role in the analysis, design and development of modern MRI systems. Recent progress in the development of MRI superconducting magnets has resulted in a considerable increase in human exposure to very large static magnetic fields of up to several Tesla. Body movement through these fields can cause the induction of currents that are potentially above the regulatory limits. In addition to that, novel imaging sequences demand very large magnitudes and high switching rates in magnetic field gradients, which are known to be the prime source of frequently reported peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) sites in the patients. When highfrequency fields are employed to excite a spin ensemble during MRI imaging, electromagnetic energy is coupled with the tissue and deposited within, which causes regional temperature elevations within the patient, thus leading to possible tissue/cell injury. Overall, electromagnetic field – tissue interaction is a hot topic of research and requires further analysis and consideration. Apart from interacting with the patient, electromagnetic fields produced by the imager also couple to the conducting materials in the MRI system to induce eddy currents that degrade image quality. The eddy current manifestations are a significant concern in MRI and require accurate prediction models, analysis schemes and control methods. Overall this thesis is concerned with computational bioelectromagnetics and associated effects such as concomitant thermal changes. The developed methods are also used in novel design scenarios. In part, this research engages the numerical computational modelling of patient and healthcare worker exposures to strong static and low-frequency pulsed magnetic fields produced by different main superconducting magnets and gradient coils respectively. The main focus herein is on the computation of electric field and current density distributions and levels within tissue-equivalent models of males and females. Various exposure scenarios and setups are considered in the work to evaluate, analyze, compare, comprehend and predict the worst-case field induction in the tissue. This information is particularly useful in terms of compliant activity around and within the clinical MRI imagers. The thesis also details the development and utilization of modified finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) methods in cylindrical space for numerical modelling of lowfrequency transient eddy currents induced within realistic cryostat vessels during both longitudinal and transverse magnetic field gradient switching. In addition, transient eddy currents are numerically evaluated using the method and incorporated into a longitudinal gradient coil design process. In the optimization procedure the gradient coil is modified so that the fields created by the coil and the eddy currents combine together to generate spatially homogeneous gradients that follows the desired temporal variation. In that way the eddy currents are neither prevented nor minimized but rather constructively used in shaping uniform space-time magnetic field gradients. Furthermore, the research presents linear and non-linear heat transfer computational models on the basis of the conventional Penne’s bio-heat transfer equation. The nonlinear model is verified against experimental temperature results from a hyperthermia study on a mouse using a 150 kHz induction coil, while the linear model is used directly in a study on rats under the exposure of high-frequency volume resonators (0.5 - 1 GHz). The thermal models find applications in modelling the deposition of electromagnetic field energy within tissue and computation of associated thermal effects in high-field MRI

Transient temperature rise in a mouse due to low-frequency regional hyperthermia

A refined nonlinear heat transfer model of a mouse has been developed to simulate the transient temperature rise in a neoplastic tumour and neighbouring tissue during regional hyperthermia using a 150 kHz inductive coil. In this study, we incorporate various bio-energetic enhancements to the heat transfer equation and numerical validations based on experimental findings for the mouse, in terms of nonlinear metabolic heat production, homeothermy, blood perfusion parameters, thermoregulation, psychological and physiological effects. The discretized bio-heat transfer equation has been validated with the commercial software FEMLAB on a canonical multi-sphere object before applying the scheme to the inhomogeneous mouse voxel phantom. The time-dependent numerical results of regional hyperthermia of mouse thigh have been compared with the available experimental temperature results with only a few small disparities. During the first 20 min of local unfocused heating, the temperature in the tumour and the surrounding tissue increased by around 7.5 degrees C. The objective of this preliminary study was to develop a validated electrothermal numerical scheme for inductive hyperthermia of a small mammal with the intention of expanding the model into a complete numerical solution involving ferromagnetic nanoparticles for targeted heating of tumours at low frequencies. In addition, the numerical scheme herein could assist in optimizing and tailoring of focused electromagnetic fields for hyperthermia

Islamic banking business in Malaysia: the regulatory aspects

This chapter discusses the regulatory aspects of the Islamic Banking business in Malaysia with reference to the various legislation promulgated by the Malaysian Parliament and other subsidiary legislation enforced on the said topic

Numerical modelling of thermal effects in rats due to high-field magnetic resonance imaging (0.5-1 GHz)

A finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) thermal model has been developed to compute the temperature elevation in the Sprague Dawley rat due to electromagnetic energy deposition in high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The field strengths examined ranged from 11.75-23.5 T (corresponding to H-1 resonances of 0.5-1 GHz) and an N-stub birdcage resonator was used to both transmit radio-frequency energy and receive the MRI signals. With an in-plane resolution of 1.95 mm, the inhomogeneous rat phantom forms a segmented model of 12 different tissue types, each having its electrical and thermal parameters assigned. The steady-state temperature distribution was calculated using a Pennes 'bioheat' approach. The numerical algorithm used to calculate the induced temperature distribution has been successfully validated against analytical solutions in the form of simplified spherical models with electrical and thermal properties of rat muscle. As well as assisting with the design of MRI experiments and apparatus, the numerical procedures developed in this study could help in future research and design of tumour-treating hyperthermia applicators to be used on rats in vivo