Timber industries and licensing system in Malaysia

This paper discusses the licensing system of Malaysia's sawmilling and plywood industries which has grown in tandem with the massive land development program begun in the 1960s. Since then, the industry has contributed a significant amount of government revenue, employment opportunities and foreign exchange. Progressive development of the sector has been underpinned by various governmental policies and regulations to nurture legal timber supplies for down-stream processing as well as developing secondary and tertiary processing industries. Policies provide various incentives to modernize the industries in order to upgrade processing efficiency, diversification into value-added and quality products and reduction of processing residues. This includes wider use of the under-utilized timber species as part of an effort to attain a rational balance between national processing capacity and resource availability. Various strategies have been targeted to enhance efficient utilization of all forms of forest products from legal sources. In addition, timber production and licensing are now closely monitored and regulated throughout the supply chain management

Incompressible Liquid Based Force Sensible Silicone Retractor Attachable to Surgical Suction Instruments

This paper presents a silicone retractor, which is a continuation and extension of a previously developed system that had the same three functions as the old version: 1) retracting, 2) suction, and 3) force sensing. These features make the retractor a safe choice for use in neurosurgery. Suction is achieved by attaching the retractor to a suction pipe. The retractor has a deformation area filled with an incompressible liquid that is displaced in proportion to the extent of deformation; fiberscopes or human eyes detecting the displacement get a visual representation of the force. The new design improves on the old one in three ways—miniaturization, made possible by the incompressible-liquid-based mechanism, and measurement of force distribution by distribution of the areas deformed by force. The system was validated by conducting experiments

Haptic threshold for pulling force feedback on surgeon\u27s fingertip in medical robotic systems

The human fingertip has very high density of the receptor to accept sense of touch stimulation. The corresponding somatic sensory area in a brain is very large, and considered to be a specialized part for palpation. A lot of haptic display system then have been developed with the investigation of human haptic perception. However, the researches about the human perception for pulling force at grasping, namely static frictional force are limited. This paper investigated it, aiming at a future development of pulling and grasping force feedback system for neurosurgical robotic systems. For the purpose, this paper explored the possibility of displaying pulling force to an index finger during grasping. The absolute and difference thresholds for pulling sense were the targets. The results showed that grasping disturbs the pulling sense, and the sides of index fingertip can be used to display pulling sense, relatively large force, namely scaled force feedback is required for the perception. The results provide an important insight at a hardware and controller design of force feedback systems. © 2016 IEEE.42nd Conference of the Industrial Electronics Society, IECON 2016; Palazzo dei CongressiFlorence; Italy; 24 October 2016 through 27 October 2016; Category numberCFP16IEC-ART; Code 12554

Fluorescence intensity and bright spot analyses using a confocal microscope for photodynamic diagnosis of brain tumors

Background In photodynamic diagnosis using 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA), discrimination between the tumor and normal tissue is very important for a precise resection. However, it is difficult to distinguish between infiltrating tumor and normal regions in the boundary area. In this study, fluorescent intensity and bright spot analyses using a confocal microscope is proposed for the precise discrimination between infiltrating tumor and normal regions. Methods From the 5-ALA-resected brain tumor tissue, the red fluorescent and marginal regions were sliced for observation under a confocal microscope. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining were performed on serial slices of the same tissue. According to the pathological inspection of the H&E slides, the tumor and infiltrating and normal regions on confocal microscopy images were investigated. From the fluorescent intensity of the image pixels, a histogram of pixel number with the same fluorescent intensity was obtained. The fluorescent bright spot sizes and total number were compared between the marginal and normal regions. Results The fluorescence intensity distribution and average intensity in the tumor were different from those in the normal region. The probability of a difference from the dark enhanced the difference between the tumor and the normal region. The bright spot size and number in the infiltrating tumor were different from those in the normal region. Conclusions Fluorescence intensity analysis is useful to distinguish a tumor region, and a bright spot analysis is useful to distinguish between infiltrating tumor and normal regions. These methods will be important for the precise resection or photodynamic therapy of brain tumors. © 2016 Elsevier B.V.Embargo Period 12 month

Finger-attachment device for the feedback of gripping and pulling force in a manipulating system for brain tumor resection

Purpose: Development and evaluation of an effective attachment device for a bilateral brain tumor resection robotic surgery system based on the sensory performance of the human index finger in order to precisely detect gripping- and pulling-force feedback. Methods: First, a basic test was conducted to investigate the performance of the human index finger in the gripping- and pulling-force feedback system. Based on the test result, a new finger-attachment device was designed and constructed. Then, discrimination tests were conducted to assess the pulling force and the feedback on the hardness of the gripped material. Results: The results of the basic test show the application of pulling force on the side surface of the finger has an advantage to distinguish the pulling force when the gripping force is applied on the finger-touching surface. Based on this result, a finger-attachment device that applies a gripping force on the finger surface and pulling force on the side surface of the finger was developed. By conducting a discrimination test to assess the hardness of the gripped material, an operator can distinguish whether the gripped material is harder or softer than a normal brain tissue. This will help in confirming whether the gripped material is a tumor. By conducting a discrimination test to assess the pulling force, an operator can distinguish the pulling-force resistance when attempting to pull off the soft material. Pulling-force feedback may help avoid the breaking of blood pipes when they are trapped in the gripper or attached to the gripped tissue. Conclusion: The finger-attachment device that was developed for detecting gripping- and pulling-force feedback may play an important role in the development of future neurosurgery robotic systems for precise and safe resection of brain tumors. © 2017 CARSEmbargo Period 12 month

Fecal microbiota transplantation prevents Candida albicans from colonizing the gastrointestinal tract

Gut microbes symbiotically colonize the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, interacting with each other and their host to maintain GI tract homeostasis. Recent reports have shown that gut microbes help protect the gut from colonization by pathogenic microbes. Here, we report that commensal microbes prevent colonization of the GI tract by the pathogenic fungus, Candida albicans. Wild‐type specific pathogen‐free (SPF) mice are resistant to C. albicans colonization of the GI tract. However, administering certain antibiotics to SPF mice enables C. albicans colonization. Quantitative kinetics of commensal bacteria are inversely correlated with the number of C. albicans in the gut. Here, we provide further evidence that transplantation of fecal microbiota is effective in preventing Candida colonization of the GI tract. These data demonstrate the importance of commensal bacteria as a barrier for the GI tract surface and highlight the potential clinical applications of commensal bacteria in preventing pathogenic fungal infections.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149500/1/mim12680_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149500/2/mim12680.pd

Force-detecting gripper and force feedback system for neurosurgery applications

Purpose For the application of less invasive robotic neurosurgery to the resection of deep-seated tumors, a prototype system of a force-detecting gripper with a flexible micromanipulator and force feedback to the operating unit will be developed. Methods Gripping force applied on the gripper is detected by strain gauges attached to the gripper clip. The signal is transmitted to the amplifier by wires running through the inner tube of the manipulator. Proportional force is applied on the finger lever of the operating unit by the surgeon using a bilateral control program. A pulling force experienced by the gripper is also detected at the gripper clip. The signal for the pulling force is transmitted in a manner identical to that mentioned previously, and the proportional torque is applied on the touching roller of the finger lever of the operating unit. The surgeon can feel the gripping force as the resistance of the operating force of the finger and can feel the pulling force as the friction at the finger surface. Results A basic operation test showed that both the gripping force and pulling force were clearly detected in the gripping of soft material and that the operator could feel the gripping force and pulling force at the finger lever of the operating unit. Conclusions A prototype of the force feedback in the microgripping manipulator system has been developed. The system will be useful for removing deep-seated brain tumors in future master-slave-type robotic neurosurgery. © 2013 CARS

Silicone retractor with embedded force-sensing function for attachment to surgical suction pipes

A silicone retractor that can be attached to suction pipes was developed in order to enhance the usability [1]. The measurement of the retracting force is desired in order to avoid damage to brain tissue due to an unexpected large force. This paper presents a force-sensing embedded silicone retractor that can be attached to suction pipes. The developed silicone retractor can provide three functions at the same time: suction, retracting, and retracting force measurement. The force-sensing system is based on a visualization mechanism that displays the force as a colored pole motion. The surgeon can then roughly estimate the retracting force. With a fiberscope, the retracting force can be measured with a resolution of 0.05-0.3 N. The retractor is made of silicone and has the advantages of disposability, low cost, and easy sterilization/disinfection. The system was validated through finite element method analysis and experiments. © 2015 IEEE.IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics, AIM 2015; BEXCOBusan; South Korea; 7 July 2015 through 11 July 2015; Category numberCFP15775-ART; Code 11713