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A continuous radon (Rn-222) concentration monitoring system for use in underground soil was developed and tested. The system consists of a 19-mm-diameter, 1100-mm-long detector assembly and a microprocessor based data logger. A small volume chamber is installed at the tip of the detector assembly. A thin ZnS(Ag) scintillator film inside the chamber and a photomultiplier tube (PMT) detect alpha particles from radon and its daughters. When the system is in measurement, the detector part is buried into underground soil. An energy resolution of approximately 70% full width half maximum (FWHM) was obtained for 5.5 MeV alpha particles from Am-241. Both the rise time and fall time for the system were measured to be approximately 1-2 h. Temporal variations in underground radon concentration at different depths were investigated simultaneously using four sets of the developed system. The results confirmed that the developed system is useful for continuous measurement of radon concentration in underground soil. Index Terms--Continuous measurement, radon, real time, underground soil.

Searching for images is an everyday activity. Nevertheless, even a highly skilled searcher often struggles to find what they are looking for. This article studies the factors that affect users’ online web image search behaviour, investigating (1) the use of criteria in making image relevance judgements and (2) the effect of familiarity, difficulty and satisfaction. The study includes 48 users who performed four online image search tasks using Google Images. Simulated work scenarios, questionnaires and screen capture recordings were used to collect data of their image search behaviour. The results show in judging image relevance, users may apply similar criterion, however, the importance of these criteria depends on the type of image search. Similarly, ratings of users’ perception on subjective aspects of performing image search shows they were task dependent. Users’ perception on subjective aspects of performing image search did not always correspond with their actual search behaviour. Correlation analysis shows that subjective factors cannot be definitively measured by using only one component of search behaviour. Future work includes further analysis on the effects of topic familiarity and satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The 222Rn concentration profiles in soil have been measured at an anomaly spot in Tateishi, Japan. In winter, the concentrations were low and showed a negative gradient with depth, but in other seasons, the concentration had both positive and negative gradients with depth, and dramatically changed by time. On the assumption that there was ventilation in deep layers and with driving forces of wind and temperatures, these phenomena were successfully explained. This finding would contribute to a numerical model for 222Rn transport in soil. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The study reports the development of a liquid smoke solution of rice husk ash (RHA) as a green corrosion inhibitor in NH 4 Cl solution in approaching corrosion protection for refinery facilities. The recent utilization of RHA has a partial solution to address the possible chemical to form a filming layer to disconnect bare metal and their environment. This work prepared the RHA solution by condensing the RHA vapor before adding it to various concentrations. The corrosion test of potentiodynamic and electrochemicals intends to discover the inhibitor's corrosion resistance before examining the electronic transition corresponding to the contribution of several functional groups using Ultraviolet Visible (UV-Vis) and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Surface evaluation intends to unveil the nature of the corrosion by utilizing the Scanning Electronic and Atomic Force Microscope. The corrosion test result shows the depression of corrosion rate to 0.120 mmpy with high efficiency beyond 96 % in the addition of 7.5 ppm RHA inhibitor. The greater Nyquist semicircle diameter at high concentrations increases the adsorption of the RHA on the surface of C1018. The electronic transition of n-π* and π -π* shows an extensive contribution of C[bond, double bond]C, C[bond, double bond]O, and -OH based on the UV-Vis and FTIR test. The formation of a complex compound of Fe-(NH 4 Cl-RHA) n blocks the corrosion active sites to reduce the corrosion. This study paves the way for using RHA as an organic compound under NH 4 Cl conditions, such as in a refinery process facility., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Introduction: Optimal pharmacological treatment of tuberculosis (TB) requires a multidisciplinary team, yet the hospital pharmacist's role is unclear. We aimed to analyse hospital pharmacist-provided clinical pharmacy services (CPS) implementation in TB care., Method: A nationwide survey-based online cross-sectional study was conducted on hospital pharmacists in Indonesia from 1 November 2022 to 22 November 2022. Outcomes were the extent of pharmacists' involvement in multidisciplinary TB care, TB-related CPS provided and views on TB-related CPS. The probability of pharmacists' involvement in multidisciplinary TB teams was assessed using logistic regression., Results: In total, 439 pharmacists (mean age 31.2±6.22 years, 78% female) completed the survey. Thirty-six per cent were part of multidisciplinary TB care, and 23% had TB-related tasks. Adherence monitoring (90%) and drug use evaluation (86%) were the most conducted TB-related CPS. Pharmacists' views on TB-related CPS implementation were generally positive, except for financial incentives. Work experience (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.09 to 3.61), ever received TB-related training (OR 3.51, 95% CI 2.03 to 6.14) and specific assignments to provide TB-related CPS (OR 8.42, 95% CI 4.99 to 14.59) significantly increased pharmacist involvement in multidisciplinary TB care., Conclusion: Around one-third of hospital pharmacists are part of multidisciplinary TB care, with medication adherence and drug use monitoring as primary tasks. Pharmacists' experience, training, assignment to provide TB-related CPS and financial incentives are key elements for further implementation in multidisciplinary TB care. Pharmacists should proactively support current TB care and conduct operational research, sharing data with healthcare peers and fostering a collaborative multidisciplinary TB care team., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

With a history of more than 200 years of tin mining, Bangka Island has brought along a byproduct of heavy minerals containing radionuclide elements. There are some concerns about this byproduct material contributing to natural radiation in the environment. In this study, a car-borne survey was conducted to accurately assess natural background radiation in Bangka Island. Indoor and outdoor ambient dose rates in 146 houses were also measured to assess the radiation dose from external exposure received by the public. Soil samples were collected and measured using a gamma spectroscopy system to evaluate the contributions of specific radionuclides to external terrestrial exposure. From 3790 measurement points during the car-borne survey, the highest ambient dose equivalent rate was 596 nSv h -1 measured in Muntok area, with a mean value of 101 nSv h -1 and a median value of 95 nSv h -1 . The ambient dose equivalent rate distribution map showed a relatively higher value in the northern coastal area of the island, where the Pemali tin deposit is located. The annual effective dose received from external radiation in the 146 houses in Bangka Island ranged from 0.44 to 1.30 mSv year -1 , with a median value of 0.66 mSv year -1 . The soil contained a relatively high amount of thorium ( 232 Th), which contributed 69% to external radiation exposure in Bangka Island., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: The global incidence of tuberculosis is decreasing, yet it remains high in Indonesia. The Indonesian National Tuberculosis Program facilitates mandatory notification, which enables early detection and treatment, minimises complications, prevents transmission, and decreases deaths. This study aimed to assess the characteristics, trends, and economic burden of notified drug-susceptible tuberculosis cases registered in this system from 2017 to 2019., Methods: We performed a multiyear cross-sectional study focusing on drug-susceptible tuberculosis notified cases, incidence, geographical tuberculosis case distribution, treatment outcomes, and costs in Indonesia using data from Sistem Informasi Tuberkulosis (2017-19). The settings were Indonesian health-care facilities that provide tuberculosis control programmes and services. Eligible patients were those who were diagnosed with drug-susceptible tuberculosis and notified to Sistem Informasi Tuberkulosis., Findings: Between 2017 and 2019, notified cases increased from 429 219 to 523 614 individuals, corresponding to an increase in incidence from 167 cases per 100 000 to 196 cases per 100 000. In 2019, more than 250 cases per 100 000 inhabitants were notified in Jakarta, North Sulawesi, Gorontalo, and Papua. Treatment success rate increased from 363 098 (84·60%) of 429 219 in 2017 to 452 966 (86·51%) of 523 614 in 2019, with a relatively stable mortality, changing from 3·15% to 3·05%. HIV status was increasingly confirmed, with unknown status decreasing from 66·21% to 43·68%. The costs of visits and monitoring and drug regimens were relatively stable, with total direct medical costs slightly increasing from US$39·40 to $40·40 per case., Interpretation: Progress was made on drug-susceptible tuberculosis management in Indonesia. However, further intensified efforts, including case-finding, optimising diagnosis, and cost-effective tuberculosis management are required if Indonesia is to achieve the 2025 WHO End Tuberculosis Strategy target incidence of fewer than 55 cases per 100 000 people. These data are an important starting point for understanding drug-susceptible tuberculosis dynamics in Indonesia and optimising its management., Funding: Directorate General of Higher Education; Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests MJP is a member of the Committee of Vaccination & Immunization and a shareholder of HealthEcore and Pharmacoeconomics Advice Groningen. All other authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

In this paper, we proposed a stochastic SVEI brucellosis model with stage structure by introducing the effect of environmental white noise on transmission dynamics of brucellosis. By Has'minskii theory and constructing suitable Lyapunov functions, we established sufficient conditions on the existence of ergodic stationary distribution for the considered model. Moreover, we also established sufficient condition for extinction of the disease. Finally, two examples with numerical simulations are given to illustrate the main results of this paper., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2022 Dilnaray Iskandar et al.)

Background: The task of identifying a tumor in the brain is a complex problem that requires sophisticated skills and inference mechanisms to accurately locate the tumor region. The complex nature of the brain tissue makes the problem of locating, segmenting, and ultimately classifying Magnetic Resonance (MR) images a complex problem. The aim of this review paper is to consolidate the details of the most relevant and recent approaches proposed in this domain for the binary and multi-class classification of brain tumors using brain MR images., Objective: In this review paper, a detailed summary of the latest techniques used for brain MR image feature extraction and classification is presented. A lot of research papers have been published recently with various techniques proposed for identifying an efficient method for the correct recognition and diagnosis of brain MR images. The review paper allows researchers in the field to familiarize themselves with the latest developments and be able to propose novel techniques that have not yet been explored in this research domain. In addition, the review paper will facilitate researchers who are new to machine learning algorithms for brain tumor recognition to understand the basics of the field and pave the way for them to be able to contribute to this vital field of medical research., Results: In this paper, the review is performed for all recently proposed methods for both feature extraction and classification. It also identifies the combination of feature extraction methods and classification methods that, when combined, would be the most efficient technique for the recognition and diagnosis of brain tumor from MR images. In addition, the paper presents the performance metrics, particularly the recognition accuracy, of selected research published between 2017-2021., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

The biological effects of low dose-rate radiation exposures on humans remains unknown. In fact, the Japanese nation still struggles with this issue after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Recently, we have found a unique area in Indonesia where naturally high radiation levels are present, resulting in chronic low dose-rate radiation exposures. We aimed to estimate the comprehensive dose due to internal and external exposures at the particularly high natural radiation area, and to discuss the enhancement mechanism of radon. A car-borne survey was conducted to estimate the external doses from terrestrial radiation. Indoor radon measurements were made in 47 dwellings over three to five months, covering the two typical seasons, to estimate the internal doses. Atmospheric radon gases were simultaneously collected at several heights to evaluate the vertical distribution. The absorbed dose rates in air in the study area vary widely between 50 nGy h -1 and 1109 nGy h -1 . Indoor radon concentrations ranged from 124 Bq m -3 to 1015 Bq m -3 . That is, the indoor radon concentrations measured exceed the reference levels of 100 Bq m -3 recommended by the World Health Organization. Furthermore, the outdoor radon concentrations measured were comparable to the high indoor radon concentrations. The annual effective dose due to external and internal exposures in the study area was estimated to be 27 mSv using the median values. It was found that many residents are receiving radiation exposure from natural radionuclides over the dose limit for occupational exposure to radiation workers. This enhanced outdoor radon concentration might be as a result of the stable atmospheric conditions generated at an exceptionally low altitude. Our findings suggest that this area provides a unique opportunity to conduct an epidemiological study related to health effects due to chronic low dose-rate radiation exposure., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Variations of image segmentation techniques, particularly those used for Brain MRI segmentation, vary in complexity from basic standard Fuzzy C-means (FCM) to more complex and enhanced FCM techniques., Objective: In this paper, a comprehensive review is presented on all thirteen variations of FCM segmentation techniques. In the review process, the concentration is on the use of FCM segmentation techniques for brain tumors. Brain tumor segmentation is a vital step in the process of automatically diagnosing brain tumors. Unlike segmentation of other types of images, brain tumor segmentation is a very challenging task due to the variations in brain anatomy. The low contrast of brain images further complicates this process. Early diagnosis of brain tumors is indeed beneficial to patients, doctors, and medical providers., Results: FCM segmentation works on images obtained from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners, requiring minor modifications to hospital operations to early diagnose tumors as most, if not all, hospitals rely on MRI machines for brain imaging., Conclusion: In this paper, we critically review and summarize FCM based techniques for brain MRI segmentation., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Background: Detection of brain tumor is a complicated task, which requires specialized skills and interpretation techniques. Accurate brain tumor classification and segmentation from MR images provide an essential choice for medical treatments. Different objects within an MR image have similar size, shape, and density, which makes the tumor classification and segmentation even more complex., Objective: Classification of the brain MR images into tumorous and non-tumorous using deep features and different classifiers to get higher accuracy., Methods: In this study, a novel four-step process is proposed; pre-processing for image enhancement and compression, feature extraction using convolutional neural networks (CNN), classification using the multilayer perceptron and finally, tumor segmentation using enhanced fuzzy cmeans method., Results: The system is tested on 65 cases in four modalities consisting of 40,300 MR Images obtained from the BRATS-2015 dataset. These include images of 26 Low-Grade Glioma (LGG) tumor cases and 39 High-Grade Glioma (HGG) tumor cases. The proposed CNN feature-based classification technique outperforms the existing methods by achieving an average accuracy of 98.77% and a noticeable improvement in the segmentation results are measured., Conclusion: The proposed method for brain MR image classification to detect Glioma Tumor detection can be adopted as it gives better results with high accuracies., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Determination radon concentrations in dwelling in South of Kalimantan Province by using a passive method had been conducted. South Kalimantan is a province in Indonesia and also known as a coal mining area which has the potential for internal exposure of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) to the human. The research area divided into several sections called grid. Each grid represents a 60 km × 60 km area that installed passive radon monitoring 10 population. Passive radon monitors installed in the dwelling with exposures time approximately 3-4 months and then radon monitors were collected and brought to the laboratory for processing and then read the track to calculate the radon concentrations. The data concentrations of radon in the dwelling and GPS location as an input to the make a map of radon concentration by using MapInfo Software v.10.5. The results of the analysis of the concentration of radon in the dwelling of South Kalimantan in the ranged 3.1 ± 0.2 Bq m-3 up to 94.0 ± 6.7 Bq m-3. The result was lower than the reference level radon set by UNSCEAR was 300 Bq m-3. These data are useful in the development plans and regional development, as well as the basis for health policy analysis due to radon in Indonesia. Furthermore, these data will be the contribution of Indonesia in the international world through UNSCEAR, IAEA and WHO. The data obtained as an input in making a map of the concentration of radon in houses of Kalimantan Selatan as part of the map of the concentration of radon in Indonesia., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) has been modeled in mice using pilocarpine induction, with variable results depending on specific strains. To allow efficient xenotransplantation for the purpose of optimizing potential cell-based therapy of human TLE, we have determined the optimal dosing strategy to produce spontaneous recurring seizures in immunodeficient NodScid mice. Multiple 100mg/kg injections of pilocarpine have been shown to be more effective than single 300-400mg/kg injections for inducing spontaneous seizures in NodScid mice. Under our optimal conditions, 88.1 ± 2.9% of the mice experienced status epilepticus (SE) with a survival rate of 61.8 ± 5.9%. Surviving SE mice displayed spontaneous recurrent seizures at a frequency of 2.8 ± 0.9 seizures/day for a duration of 41.1 ± 3.5s. The widely used method of a single injection of pilocarpine was significantly less efficient in inducing seizures in NodScid mice. Therefore, we have determined that a multiple injection "ramping up" of 100mg/kg of pilocarpine is optimal for inducing TLE-like spontaneous seizures in NodScid mice. Using this method, mice with SE efficiently developed SRS and expressed mossy fiber sprouting, a signature histopathological feature of TLE., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

National comparisons of radioactivity measurements of (131)I and (60)Co (in 2010) and of (133)Ba (in 2011) were carried out within the framework of the National Radiation Metrology Laboratory Program of Indonesia, coordinated by PTKMR-BATAN. Eleven laboratories took part in the comparison, and all measurements were made using gamma spectrometry, on point sources with an activity between 2000Bq and 6000Bq. Several laboratories reported values which were more than 10% different from the reference value for (131)I and (133)Ba. Possible reasons for these differences are discussed. This program will be continued with other radionuclides to maintain and control quality assurance for the local laboratories., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A study on the quantification of the dependency of the radon emanation power on soil temperature has been made using the accumulation method. The emanation from dry soil was studied at temperatures between -20 degrees C and 45 degrees C. A formula to calculate the radon emanation power as a function of the temperatures has been developed. The formula would contribute to the modeling of radon transport in soils and building materials.