Patterns of relationship between PM10 from air monitoring quality station and AOT data from MODIS sensor onboard of Terra satellite

Thailand, especially in the northern region, often encounters the problem of having PM10 exceeding the normal standard level, which could do harm to people’s health. Mostly, such problem is caused by the burning of forest area and open area; this is clearly seen during January–April of every year. Also, the problem as mentioned is caused by the meteorological conditions and the terrains in the northern region that make it easy for PM10 to be accumulated. The aim of this study was to analyze the patterns of relationship between PM10 measured from the ground monitoring station and AOT data received from MODIS sensor onboard of Terra satellite in Phrae Province located in the northern region of Thailand. The method performed was by analyzing the correlation between PM10 data obtained from the ground monitoring station and the AOT data received from the MODIS sensor onboard of Terra satellite during January–April 2018. It was found from the study that the change of the intensity of PM10 and AOT in the climate was highly related; it appeared that the correlation coefficient (r) in January–April was 0.92, 0.91, 0.91 and 0.92, respectively. This research pointed out that during February– –April, the areas of Phrae Province had the level of PM10 that affected health. Besides, from the method in this research, it revealed AOT data received from MODIS sensor onboard of Terra satellite could be applied in order to follow up, monitor, and notify the spatial changes of PM10 efficiently.

Group Formation Using Friendship Graph in Managing Students’ Projects in Educational Settings

In the literature, there are several group formation methods such as random, self-selected, instructor-selected, and mixed, which have been outlined on how to form groups for effective learning and project completion. There is little empirical research on which of the approaches creates the best student learning experience. In this article, we examine the use of acquaintance and friendship graphs in generating groups to manage projects in a learning environment. This work focuses on freshmen and sophomores from faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences and faculty of Medicine at “Nile university of Nigeria”. In creating the friendship graphs for each of the classes, a questionnaire is employed. The responses from the students are transformed into graph input data. The resultant graphs are then analyzed to create the project groups. The performance (measured by group grades) of students in the projects is an evidence that this method of creating groups is effective. Moreover, the project completion time and average score of the projects show improvement in comparison to previous year’s groups, which were formed by instructor-selected method. Furthermore, testing our created groups against the normal standard of group formation using a balanced distribution of GPA scores, see [1], indicates that our method passed with 83%. In fact, when each student was presented with the opportunity to choose through voting whether to be within an instructor-selected group with a balanced distribution of GPA scores or a group formed by the friendship graph approach, an overwhelming 78% chooses the latter

Bacteriological quality of cage-cultured abalone Haliotis asinina

Abalone is one of the most highly priced seafood delicacies and prepared in various dishes like breaded, soup, steamed and sashimi. They are susceptible to microbial contamination since it is eaten raw sometimes and pathogenic microorganisms can be hazardous to consumers. The present study was carried out to determine the coliform load and the presence of presumptive pathogenic bacteria in cage-cultured abalone in Taytay, Palawan, Philippines. The study was limited to the detection of coliform and some presumptive pathogenic bacteria in different parts of abalone such as gut, gills and mantle. The result of the study revealed that the count of coliforms present in the mantle and gills of abalone falls within the normal standard limit (7 – 21 MPN 100g-1 sample). On the other hand, the gut of abalone was beyond the standard limit (460 MPN 100g-1 sample). Moreover, the gut of abalone harbors Vibrio spp., Salmonella spp. and Shigella spp. and general enteric bacteria. Foodborne infections caused by Vibrio, Salmonella and Shigella are common in Asia.

Stress Management

The chapter departs from a review of scientific research in job-related stress. A model of neurodynamics explains the action mechanism of classical meditation as in-depth relaxation as effective means to cope with stress. This line of research has so far been considered alternative by the medical healthcare system, but understanding of the neurophysiological action mechanism should lead to inclusion in accordance with the normal standard of modern healthcare. A minireview of “Meditation and Prevention of Stress” by Are Holen complements the chapter.

INNERVATION OF THE MEDIAN NERVE MOTOR BRANCHES IN THE FOREARM AND ITS CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyse the anatomical variations of the median nerve motor branches in the elbow region. Methods: Twenty upper limbs of 10 adult male cadavers were prepared by intra-arterial injection of a solution of 10% glycerol and formaldehyde. All cadavers belonged to the institution anatomy laboratory. Results: We found a great variability within the distribution of median nerve branches leading to forearm muscles. Only three limbs (14%) presented the normal standard of innervation described in anatomy treatises. The pronator teres muscle (PTM), flexor carpi radialis (FCR), palmaris longus (PL), and the flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) received exclusive innervation from the median nerve in all forearms. The anterior interosseous nerve (AIN) also originated from the median nerve in all dissected limbs. Conclusion: A thorough understanding of the anatomy of the median nerve branches is important for performing surgeries such as: approach to the proximal third of the forearm, alleviation of pronator teres and anterior interosseous nerve compression syndromes, and distal nerve transfers. It also enables a better understanding the recovery of muscle function after a nerve injury. Level of Evidence IV, Case series.

Extended High Frequency Audiometry for Revealing Sudden Sensory Neural Hearing Loss in Acute Tinnitus Patients

Introduction The measurement of extended high-frequency (EHF) audiometry has become more popular recently, mainly in connection with ototoxicity and noise-induced hearing loss. New-onset tinnitus evaluation includes a standard hearing test that shows no pathology. Objective The aim of the present study was to evaluate the possibility that acute tinnitus is essentially connected to sudden sensory neural hearing loss (SSNHL), by utilizing EHF audiometry in cases in which standard audiometry for frequencies between 8 kHZ to 8000 Hz is within normal limits. Methods A retrospective study was conducted between January 2009 and May 2014 that included all patients presenting with acute tinnitus and normal standard audiometry. All patients underwent EHF audiometry and were treated accordingly. Results Thirty-two patients with acute tinnitus and asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss on EHF audiometry were identified. The average deltas between the ears were between 9.2 and 33 dB (worse in the affected ear). Conclusion Extended high-frequency audiometry up to 20,000 Hz should be performed in all patients with acute tinnitus and standard audiometry within normal limits.

Apolipoprotein CIII Deficiency Protects Against Atherosclerosis in Knockout Rabbits

Objective: Apo (apolipoprotein) CIII mediates the metabolism of triglyceride (TG)-rich lipoproteins. High levels of plasma apoCIII are positively correlated with the plasma TG levels and increase the cardiovascular risk. However, whether apoCIII is directly involved in the development of atherosclerosis has not been fully elucidated. Approach and Results: To examine the possible roles of apoCIII in lipoprotein metabolism and atherosclerosis, we generated apoCIII KO (knockout) rabbits using ZFN (zinc finger nuclease) technique. On a normal standard diet, apoCIII KO rabbits exhibited significantly lower plasma levels of TG than those of WT (wild type) rabbits while total cholesterol and HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels were unchanged. Analysis of lipoproteins isolated by sequential ultracentrifugation revealed that reduced plasma TG levels in KO rabbits were accompanied by prominent reduction of VLDLs (very-low-density lipoproteins) and IDLs (intermediate-density lipoproteins). In addition, KO rabbits showed faster TG clearance rate after intravenous fat load than WT rabbits. On a cholesterol-rich diet, KO rabbits exhibited constantly and significantly lower levels of plasma total cholesterol and TG than WT rabbits, which was caused by a remarkable reduction of β-VLDLs—the major atherogenic lipoproteins. β-VLDLs of KO rabbits showed higher uptake by cultured hepatocytes and were cleared faster from the circulation than β-VLDLs isolated from WT rabbits. Both aortic and coronary atherosclerosis was significantly reduced in KO rabbits compared with WT rabbits. Conclusions: These results indicate that apoCIII deficiency facilitates TG-rich lipoprotein catabolism, and therapeutic inhibition of apoCIII expression may become a novel means not only for the treatment of hyperlipidemia but also for atherosclerosis.

Assessing the Financial Statement (Ratios) of Anglogold-Ashanti Limited, Ghana

This study assessed the financial position of Anglogold –Ashanti ltd, Ghana by conducting various financial ratio analyses. The study used time series data for a period of 7 years (2008/09 to 2013/14) of Anglogold Ashanti Limited. The data was analysed using standard tool ratio analysis. This was applied to evaluating the financial performance. Among the ratios used are the Liquidity ratio, current or acid test ration, profitability ratio, gross margin, return on equity, debt to equity. Tables were used in the data presentation. The study findings revealed that both current and the quick ratios has a fluctuating trend of continues increase for the study period (2009-2011), that is (1.68, 1.93, 1.33, 1.77, 0.53, 0.53) and (0.90, 0.89, 0.62, 1.06, 0.65, 0.67 0.84). Also, the higher the ratio the more solvent the business is. Although, the company’s ratio was high it did not always imply that there was solvency but also indicated that the company was holding excess liquid funds. The quick ratio was also in a fluctuating trend throughout the period 2008 – 14. The company liquidity position was not far from the normal standard; to some extent it was satisfactory. The total assets turnover ratio also indicated an increasing trend from the year 2008 – 14(0.56, 0.62, 0.73, 0.54, 0.56, 0.49 and 0.39. Based on the findings, the study concluded that, the company’s overall position is not at a good position, particularly the last year under review due to decreased profit level from the previous year. It is better for the organization not to diversify the funds to different sectors in the present market scenario. The study recommended the need for the company to increase its sales by more promotions and by quick movements of the finished goods.

An Automatic Method for Black Margin Elimination of Sentinel-1A Images over Antarctica

The Sentinel-1A satellite was launched in April 2014 with a primary C-Band terrain observation with progressive scans synthetic aperture radar (TOPSAR) onboard and has collected plenty of high-quality images for global change studies. However, low magnitude signals around image margins (black margins) does not preserve the normal standard level, influencing the potential usage with these data. Through image analysis, we find that the signal from black margin (BM) is highly dominated by the closest effective signals and the signal in BM shows an increasing trend along the direction from image boundary to image center. An edge detector is developed based on the signal characteristics of BM. Furthermore, an automatic method to discriminate and eliminate BM is designed. Images from both extra wide (EW) and interferometric wide (IW) swath observation modes, covering the land, ocean, and coast of the Antarctic, are taken to verify the robustness of our method. Through comparison with BM edges extracted by human interpretation, our method has the maximum BM edge extraction error of 1.9 ± 3.2 pixels. When considering perimeter (or area) difference along radial direction of BM edge, our method has an averaging extraction accuracy of −0.35 ± 0.11 (or 0.14 ± 1.38) pixels, which suggests that our method is effective and can be potentially used to eliminate BM for multidisciplinary applications of Sentinel-1 data.