A four dukkha state-space model for hand tracking

In this paper, we propose a hand tracking method which was inspired by the notion of the four dukkha: birth, aging, sickness and death (BASD) in Buddhism. Based on this philosophy, we formalize the hand tracking problem in the BASD framework, and apply it to hand track hand gestures in isolated sign language videos. The proposed BASD method is a novel nature-inspired computational intelligence method which is able to handle complex real-world tracking problem. The proposed BASD framework operates in a manner similar to a standard state-space model, but maintains multiple hypotheses and integrates hypothesis update and propagation mechanisms that resemble the effect of BASD. The survival of the hypothesis relies upon the strength, aging and sickness of existing hypotheses, and new hypotheses are birthed by the fittest pairs of parent hypotheses. These properties resolve the sample impoverishment problem of the particle filter. The estimated hand trajectories show promising results for the American sign language

A Color Based Touchless Finger Mouse

People work with computers almost anytime, everywhere  in the current trend. However, continuously controlling a computer with mouse for a long time might cause much strains to people’s wrist. This work proposes a touchless finger mouse using webcam. A marker with different colours representing different actions is used. The webcam will capture the information on the marker and trigger the associated actions. This prototype is proven to be able to perform most of the actions a normal mouser can perform

One-pot preparation of three-component oil-in-water high internal phase emulsions stabilized by palm-based laureth surfactants and their moisturizing properties

In the present study, olive and olein oils had been used for the preparation of three-component high internal phase emulsions with oil volume fraction of more than 0.77 stabilized by palm-based laureth surfactants for the first time, respectively. These emulsions were easily prepared by one-pot homogenization. The critical micelle concentration and Gibbs energy of the as-synthesized surfactants were determined and discussed. Likewise, the morphology, structural properties, stability and hydration efficacy of the as-prepared emulsions were investigated. Droplet size distribution observed from the optical micrographs was in agreement with the light scattering results which suggested that droplet size increased with increasing ethylene oxide chain length. The rheological measurements of the emulsions at room (25°C) and elevated (40°C) temperatures were interpreted to give clear and direct explanation on the structure and stability of the emulsions. The hydration efficacy of the emulsions was examined in vivo using a corneometer. Both the emulsions containing olive and olein oils, respectively exhibited high stability as indicated by the rheological measurements and the structural properties did not differ from one another. However, olein oil’s hydration efficacy was higher than olive oil’s, suggesting that olein oil could well be a potential moisturizing lipid which might interest the dermatologists

Study of highly concentrated olive oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by palm-based nonionic surfactant

Rheological properties of highly concentrated oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions (HCEs), formed by mixing palm-based nonionic surfactant, C12E6 (HLB = 11.7, CMC = 25μM), water and olive oil volume fraction ≥78vol% were investigated. Samples with lower oil volume fraction (85%) and surfactant concentration (>8%) displayed monodispersity of narrower DSD. The average droplet size decreased with increasing oil volume fraction and surfactant concentration. All frequency sweep experiments exhibited higher G’ than G”, representing the predominantly elastic nature of HCEs. The crossover of the ascendant and descendant flow curves of HCEs with higher oil volume fraction (>85%) and surfactant concentration (>8%) implied a structural build-up that could give rise to very high stability. The high stability was confirmed through accelerated stability test at 40°C for three months

γ-ray assisted synthesis of Ni3Se2 nanoparticles stabilized by natural polymer

Nickel selenide nanoparticles were synthesized using γ-ray irradiation in the presence of natural polymer, chitosan as capping agent. Chitosan is the deacetylated product of chitin, the second most abundant organic resources after cellulose. The nanoparticles were produced using nickel acetate and selenium dioxide and the as-prepared chitosan stabilized nanoparticles were soluble and stable in aqueous solution. The morphology and structure of the nickel selenide nanoparticles were characterized using transmission electron microscope (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Optical properties of the nanoparticles were characterized by UV–Visible spectrophotometer and photoluminescent spectroscopy. The XRD result shows that the nickel selenide conformed to Ni3Se2 with crystal structure of rhombohedral. The absorption spectrum of the Ni3Se2 nanoparticles covered from around 300–600 nm which makes it a potential photovoltaic and optoelectronic device material. In this report, γ-ray irradiation provided a “green”, simple and clean route for the synthesis of chitosan stabilized Ni3Se2 nanoparticles. The size and size distribution of the nickel selenide nanoparticles were influenced by the concentration of chitosan and absorbed dose of γ-ray irradiation

γ-ray assisted synthesis of Ni3Se2 nanoparticles stabilized by natural polymer

Nickel selenide nanoparticles were synthesized using γ-ray irradiation in the presence of natural polymer, chitosan as capping agent. Chitosan is the deacetylated product of chitin, the second most abundant organic resources after cellulose. The nanoparticles were produced using nickel acetate and selenium dioxide and the as-prepared chitosan stabilized nanoparticles were soluble and stable in aqueous solution. The morphology and structure of the nickel selenide nanoparticles were characterized using transmission electron microscope (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Optical properties of the nanoparticles were characterized by UV–Visible spectrophotometer and photoluminescent spectroscopy. The XRD result shows that the nickel selenide conformed to Ni3Se2 with crystal structure of rhombohedral. The absorption spectrum of the Ni3Se2 nanoparticles covered from around 300–600 nm which makes it a potential photovoltaic and optoelectronic device material. In this report, γ-ray irradiation provided a “green”, simple and clean route for the synthesis of chitosan stabilized Ni3Se2 nanoparticles. The size and size distribution of the nickel selenide nanoparticles were influenced by the concentration of chitosan and absorbed dose of γ-ray irradiation

Three-component olive oil-in-water high internal phase emulsions stabilized by palm surfactant and their moisturizing properties

In the present study, olive oil was used for the preparation of three-component high internal phase emulsions with oil volume fraction of more than 0.77 stabilized by palm-based polyoxyethylene lauryl ether for the first time. These emulsions were investigated on their morphology, structural properties, stability, and hydration efficacy. Droplet size distribution observed from the optical micrographs was in agreement with the light scattering results, which suggested that droplet size was influenced by oil phase and surfactant concentrations. Rheological results exhibiting flow curves cross-over implied structural build-up that gave rise to high stability which was supported by stable three-month storage at an elevated temperature. The hydration efficacy of the emulsion was examined in vivo using a corneometer

Effect of Covid-19 lockdown on mobility and traffic accidents in Malaysia

With the rapid spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Malaysian government implemented a series of lockdown measures to break the chain of COVID-19 within the community. The lockdown measures were separated into three phases, namely movement control order (MCO), conditional movement control order (CMCO), and recovery movement control order (RMCO). Due to limited research conducted, this paper aims to investigate the effect of COVID-19 lockdown on mobility and traffic accidents in Malaysia. Quantitative data were collected from the internet and the government agency. They were analysed through descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the changes in mobility and the number of traffic accidents in different aspects. Meanwhile, inferential statistics such as simple regression analysis were applied to validate the relationship between mobility and the number of accidents. The results were presented using graphical and tabular methods. The findings show that the mobility dropped by 64% on average during MCO compared to a baseline value computed during the pre-lockdown period. The reduction in mobility during CMCO and RMCO was 40% and 15%, respectively. Next, the regression analysis reveals a strong positive relationship between mobility and the number of traffic accidents. Hence, the reduction in traffic accidents can be concluded as an impact of COVID-19 lockdown. The reduction in the number of accidents during the three lockdown periods was: MCO (73%), CMCO (46%), and RMCO (19%), compared to the average of 2015-2019. Besides, it was found that the reduction in the number of traffic accidents was greater than the reduction in mobility during the lockdown periods. This suggests that traffic reduction has a multiplicative effect on road safety. Moreover, the findings reveal that the reduction in severe and fatal accidents was greater than the reduction in mobility. This suggests a positive effect of COVID-19 lockdown on the severity of traffic accidents. This study provides an insight into the effect of COVID-19 lockdown on traffic patterns in Malaysia. It also provides important implications for traffic management

Usability and utility evaluation of the web-based "Should I Start Insulin?" patient decision aid for patients with type 2 diabetes among older people

This study aimed to evaluate the usability (ease of use) and utility (impact on user's decision-making process) of a web-based patient decision aid (PDA) among older-age users. A pragmatic, qualitative research design was used. We recruited patients with type 2 diabetes who were at the point of making a decision about starting insulin from a tertiary teaching hospital in Malaysia in 2014. Computer screen recording software was used to record the website browsing session and in-depth interviews were conducted while playing back the website recording. The interviews were analyzed using the framework approach to identify usability and utility issues. Three cycles of iteration were conducted until no more major issues emerged. Thirteen patients participated: median age 65 years old, 10 men, and nine had secondary education/diploma, four were graduates/had postgraduate degree. Four usability issues were identified (navigation between pages and sections, a layout with open display, simple language, and equipment preferences). For utility, participants commented that the website influenced their decision about insulin in three ways: it had provided information about insulin, it helped them deliberate choices using the option-attribute matrix, and it allowed them to involve others in their decision making by sharing the PDA summary printout