Abstract: This policy participation action research explores the
roles of Thai government units during its 2010 fiscal year on how to
create value added to recycling business in the central part of
Thailand. The research aims to a) study how the government plays a
role to support the business, and its problems and obstacles on
supporting the business, b) to design a strategic action – short,
medium, and long term plans -- to create value added to the recycling
business, particularly in local full-loop companies/organizations
licensed by Wongpanit Waste Separation Plant as well as those
licensed by the Department of Provincial Administration. Mixed
method research design, i.e., a combination of quantitative and
qualitative methods is utilized in the present study in both data
collection and analysis procedures. Quantitative data was analyzed
by frequency, percent value, mean scores, and standard deviation,
and aimed to note trend and generalizations. Qualitative data was
collected via semi-structured interviews/focus group interviews to
explore in-depth views of the operators. The sampling included 1,079
operators in eight provinces in the central part of Thailand.
Abstract: This study aimed to detect and to identify the main
strains of airborne microorganisms present in the Shanghai Metro
system. Samples were collected using agar plates exposed to the air
and microorganisms were identified using catalase, plasma coagulase
and hymolytic analysis. The results show that the concentration of
mildew present within a newly opened metro line was significantly
higher than for other lines. Differences among underground and
elevated stations can be attributed to differences in passenger flow and
the environment surrounding the stations. Additionally, the
investigation indicated that bacteria reached maximum levels at
different times on weekdays and weekends. The bacteria in the Metro
stations were identified as primarily Gram positive, consisting mainly
of coagulase-negative staphylococcus strains (CNS).
Abstract: In this investigation Salicylic acid, Sulfosalicylic acid
and Acetyl salicylic acid were chosen as a sample for thin layer
chromatography (TLC) on silica gel plates. Bicarbonate buffer at
different pH containing different amounts of boric acid was applied
as mobile phase. Specific interaction of these substances with boric
acid has effect on Rf in thin layer chromatography. Regular and
similar trend was observed in variations of Rf for mentioned
compounds in TLC by altering of percentages of boric acid in mobile
phase in pH range of 8-10. Also effect of organic solvent, mixture of
water/ organic solvent and organic solvent containing boric acid as
mobile phase was studied.
Abstract: In July 2012, an indoor/outdoor monitoring
programme was undertaken in two university sports facilities: a
fronton and a gymnasium. Comfort parameters (temperature, relative
humidity, CO and CO2) and total volatile organic compounds
(VOCs) were continuously monitored. Concentrations of NO2,
carbonyl compounds and individual VOCs were obtained. Low
volume samplers were used to collect particulate matter (PM10). The
minimum ventilation rates stipulated for acceptable indoor air quality
were observed in both sports facilities. It was found that cleaning
activities may have a large influence on the VOC levels. Acrolein
was one of the most abundant carbonyl compounds, showing
concentrations above the recommended limit. Formaldehyde was
detected at levels lower than those commonly reported for other
indoor environments. The PM10 concentrations obtained during the
occupancy periods ranged between 38 and 43μgm-3 in the fronton and
from 154 to 198μgm-3 in the gymnasium.
Abstract: Aptamers are useful tools in microorganism
researches, diagnoses, and treatment. Aptamers are specific target
molecules formed by oligonucleic acid molecules, and are not
decomposed by alcohol. Aptamers used to detect Mycobacterium
tuberculosis (MTB) have been proved to have specific affinity to the
outer membrane proteins of MTB. This article presents a biosensor
chip set with aptamers for early detection of MTB with high specificity
and sensitivity, even in very low concentration. Meanwhile, we have
already made a modified hydrophobic facial mask module with
internal rendering hydrophobic for effectively collecting M.
tuberculosis.
Abstract: A systems approach model for prostate cancer in prostate duct, as a sub-system of the organism is developed. It is accomplished in two steps. First this research work starts with a nonlinear system of coupled Fokker-Plank equations which models continuous process of the system like motion of cells. Then extended to PDEs that include discontinuous processes like cell mutations, proliferation and deaths. The discontinuous processes is modeled by using intensity poisson processes. The model incorporates the features of the prostate duct. The system of PDEs spatial coordinate is along the proximal distal axis. Its parameters depend on features of the prostate duct. The movement of cells is biased towards distal region and mutations of prostate cancer cells is localized in the proximal region. Numerical solutions of the full system of equations are provided, and are exhibit traveling wave fronts phenomena. This motivates the use of the standard transformation to derive a canonically related system of ODEs for traveling wave solutions. The results obtained show persistence of prostate cancer by showing that the non-negative cone for the traveling wave system is time invariant. The traveling waves have a unique global attractor is proved also. Biologically, the global attractor verifies that evolution of prostate cancer stem cells exhibit the avascular tumor growth. These numerical solutions show that altering prostate stem cell movement or mutation of prostate cancer cells lead to avascular tumor. Conclusion with comments on clinical implications of the model is discussed.
Abstract: Goat milk has an hypoallergenic effects, and allergic
diseases related to abnormal of intestinal flora. Probiotic microorganisms
do exert an activity on the immune system in the skin of
the individual.The purpose of this study are to determine the number
of leukocyte and lymphocyte proliferation in rat supplemented with
fermented goat milk (acidophilus milk and kefir) and sensitized with
dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB). Female Wistar rats 6-8 weeks olds
were divided into 3 treatment groups. The first group supplemented
goat milk kefir, second group acidophilus goat milk, and third group
as control. During 28-day experiment, on day 15 rat sensitized with
allergen DNCB on the dorsal of the body, and on day 24 was
challenged with DNCB on the ear. Sampling of blood and tissue of
intestinal Peyer'patch (PP) were performed on day 14 (before DNCB
sensitized) and on day 28 (after DNCB sensitized). The results
showed the number of neutrophils in rats supplemented with
acidophilus milk was higher (P
Abstract: This paper demonstrates the application of craziness based particle swarm optimization (CRPSO) technique for designing the 8th order low pass Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) filter. CRPSO, the much improved version of PSO, is a population based global heuristic search algorithm which finds near optimal solution in terms of a set of filter coefficients. Effectiveness of this algorithm is justified with a comparative study of some well established algorithms, namely, real coded genetic algorithm (RGA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO). Simulation results affirm that the proposed algorithm CRPSO, outperforms over its counterparts not only in terms of quality output i.e. sharpness at cut-off, pass band ripple, stop band ripple, and stop band attenuation but also in convergence speed with assured stability.
Abstract: The Internet is the global data communications
infrastructure based on the interconnection of both public and private
networks using protocols that implement Internetworking on a global
scale. Hence the control of protocol and infrastructure development,
resource allocation and network operation are crucial and interlinked
aspects. Internet Governance is the hotly debated and contentious
subject that refers to the global control and operation of key Internet
infrastructure such as domain name servers and resources such as
domain names. It is impossible to separate technical and political
positions as they are interlinked. Furthermore the existence of a
global market, transparency and competition impact upon Internet
Governance and related topics such as network neutrality and
security. Current trends and developments regarding Internet
governance with a focus on the policy-making process, security and
control have been observed to evaluate current and future
implications on the Internet. The multi stakeholder approach to
Internet Governance discussed in this paper presents a number of
opportunities, issues and developments that will affect the future
direction of the Internet. Internet operation, maintenance and
advisory organisations such as the Internet Corporation for Assigned
Names and Numbers (ICANN) or the Internet Governance Forum
(IGF) are currently in the process of formulating policies for future
Internet Governance. Given the controversial nature of the issues at
stake and the current lack of agreement it is predicted that
institutional as well as market governance will remain present for the
network access and content.
Abstract: Following the loss of NASA's Space Shuttle
Columbia in 2003, it was determined that problems in the agency's
organization created an environment that led to the accident. One
component of the proposed solution resulted in the formation of the
NASA Engineering Network (NEN), a suite of information retrieval
and knowledge-sharing tools. This paper describes the
implementation of communities of practice, which are formed along
engineering disciplines. Communities of practice enable engineers to
leverage their knowledge and best practices to collaborate and take
information learning back to their jobs and embed it into the
procedures of the agency. This case study offers insight into using
traditional engineering disciplines for virtual collaboration, including
lessons learned during the creation and establishment of NASA-s
communities.
Abstract: Waste corn pulp was investigated as a potential feedstock during vermicomposting using Eisenia fetida. Corn pulp is the major staple food in Southern Africa and constitutes about 25% of the total organic waste. Wastecooked corn pulp was blended with cow dung in the ratio 6:1 respectively to optimize the vermicomposting process. The feedstock was allowed to vermicompost for 30 days. The vermicomposting took place in a 3- tray plastic worm bin. Moisture content, temperature, pH, and electrical conductivity were monitoreddaily. The NPK content was determined at day 30. During vermicomposting, moisture content increased from 27.68% to 52.41%, temperature ranged between 19- 25◦C, pH increased from 5.5 to 7.7, and electrical conductivity decreased from 80000μS/cm to 60000μS/cm. The ash content increased from 11.40% to 28.15%; additionally the volatile matter increased from 1.45% to 10.02%. An odorless, dark brown vermicompost was obtained. The vermicompost NPK content was 4.19%, 1.15%, and 6.18% respectively.
Abstract: The number of framework conceived for e-learning
constantly increase, unfortunately the creators of learning materials
and educational institutions engaged in e-formation adopt a
“proprietor" approach, where the developed products (courses,
activities, exercises, etc.) can be exploited only in the framework
where they were conceived, their uses in the other learning
environments requires a greedy adaptation in terms of time and
effort. Each one proposes courses whose organization, contents,
modes of interaction and presentations are unique for all learners,
unfortunately the latter are heterogeneous and are not interested by
the same information, but only by services or documents adapted to
their needs. Currently the new tendency for the framework
conceived for e-learning, is the interoperability of learning materials,
several standards exist (DCMI (Dublin Core Metadata Initiative)[2],
LOM (Learning Objects Meta data)[1], SCORM (Shareable Content
Object Reference Model)[6][7][8], ARIADNE (Alliance of Remote
Instructional Authoring and Distribution Networks for Europe)[9],
CANCORE (Canadian Core Learning Resource Metadata
Application Profiles)[3]), they converge all to the idea of learning
objects. They are also interested in the adaptation of the learning
materials according to the learners- profile. This article proposes an
approach for the composition of courses adapted to the various
profiles (knowledge, preferences, objectives) of learners, based on
two ontologies (domain to teach and educational) and the learning
objects.
Abstract: In this study thermodynamic performance analysis of a
combined organic Rankine cycle and ejector refrigeration cycle is
carried out for use of low-grade heat source in the form of sensible
energy. Special attention is paid to the effects of system parameters
including the turbine inlet temperature and turbine inlet pressure on the
characteristics of the system such as ratios of mass flow rate, net work
production, and refrigeration capacity as well as the coefficient of
performance and exergy efficiency of the system. Results show that
for a given source the coefficient of performance increases with
increasing of the turbine inlet pressure. However, the exergy
efficiency has an optimal condition with respect to the turbine inlet
pressure.
Abstract: This article outlines conceptualization and
implementation of an intelligent system capable of extracting
knowledge from databases. Use of hybridized features of both the
Rough and Fuzzy Set theory render the developed system flexibility
in dealing with discreet as well as continuous datasets. A raw data set
provided to the system, is initially transformed in a computer legible
format followed by pruning of the data set. The refined data set is
then processed through various Rough Set operators which enable
discovery of parameter relationships and interdependencies. The
discovered knowledge is automatically transformed into a rule base
expressed in Fuzzy terms. Two exemplary cancer repository datasets
(for Breast and Lung Cancer) have been used to test and implement
the proposed framework.
Abstract: The purpose of this study is i) to investigate the driving factors and barriers of the adoption of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Halal logistic and ii) to develop an ICT adoption framework for Halal logistic service provider. The Halal LSPs selected for the study currently used ICT service platforms, such as accounting and management system for Halal logistic business. The study categorizes the factors influencing the adoption decision and process by LSPs into four groups: technology related factors, organizational and environmental factors, Halal assurance related factors, and government related factors. The major contribution in this study is the discovery that technology related factors (ICT compatibility with Halal requirement) and Halal assurance related factors are the most crucial factors among the Halal LSPs applying ICT for Halal control in transportation-s operation. Among the government related factors, ICT requirement for monitoring Halal included in Halal Logistic Standard on Transportation (MS2400:2010) are the most influencing factors in the adoption of ICT with the support of the government. In addition, the government related factors are very important in the reducing the main barriers and the creation of the atmosphere of ICT adoption in Halal LSP sector.
Abstract: This paper investigated the organizational
innovativeness of public listed housing developers in Malaysia. We
conceptualized organizational innovativeness as a multi-dimensional
construct consisting of 5 dimensions: market innovativeness, product
innovativeness, process innovativeness, behavior innovativeness and
strategic innovativeness. We carried out questionnaire survey with all
accessible public listed developers in Malaysia and received a 56
percent response. We found that the innovativeness of public listed
housing developers is low. The paper ends by providing some
explanations for the results.
Abstract: A mobile agent is a software which performs an
action autonomously and independently as a person or an
organizations assistance. Mobile agents are used for searching
information, retrieval information, filtering, intruder recognition in
networks, and so on. One of the important issues of mobile agent is
their security. It must consider different security issues in effective
and secured usage of mobile agent. One of those issues is the
integrity-s protection of mobile agents.
In this paper, the advantages and disadvantages of each method,
after reviewing the existing methods, is examined. Regarding to this
matter that each method has its own advantage or disadvantage, it
seems that by combining these methods, one can reach to a better
method for protecting the integrity of mobile agents. Therefore, this
method is provided in this paper and then is evaluated in terms of
existing method. Finally, this method is simulated and its results are
the sign of improving the possibility of integrity-s protection of
mobile agents.
Abstract: This research sought to discover the forms of
promotion and dissemination of traditional local wisdom that are
used to create occupations among the elderly at Noanmueng
Community, Muang Sub-District, Baan Doong District, Udornthani
Province. The criteria used to select the research sample group were:
having a role involved in the promotion and dissemination of
traditional local wisdom to create occupations among the elderly;
being an experienced person who the residents of Noanmueng
Community find trustworthy; and having lived in Noanmueng
Community for a long time so as to be able to see the development
and change that occurs. A total of 16 persons were thus selected. Data
was gathered through a qualitative study, using semi-structured indepth
interviews. The collected data was then summarized and
discussed according to the research objectives. Finally, the data was
presented in narrative format. Results found that the identifying
traditional local wisdom of the community (which grew from the
residents’ experience and beneficial usage in daily life, passed down
from generation to generation) was the weaving of cloth and
basketry. As for the manner of promotion and dissemination of
traditional local wisdom, these skills were passed down through
teaching by example to family members, relatives and others in the
community. This was largely the initiative of the elders or elderly
members of the community. In order for the promotion and
dissemination of traditional local wisdom to create occupations
among the elderly, the traditional local wisdom should be supported
in every way through participation of the community members. For
example, establish a museum of traditional local wisdom for the
collection of traditional local wisdom in various fields, both from the
past and present innovations. This would be a source of pride for the
community, simultaneously helping traditional local wisdom to
become widely known and to create income for the community’s
elderly. Additional ways include organizing exhibitions of products
made by traditional local wisdom, finding both domestic and
international markets, as well as building both domestic and
international networks aiming to find opportunities to market
products made by traditional local wisdom.
Abstract: In this research, an aerobic composting method is
studied to reuse organic waste from rubber factory waste as soil fertilizer and to study the effect of cellulolytic microbial activator
(CMA) as the activator in the rubber factory waste composting. The
performance of the composting process was monitored as a function
of carbon and organic matter decomposition rate, temperature and
moisture content. The results indicate that the rubber factory waste is best composted with water hyacinth and sludge than composted
alone. In addition, the CMA is more affective when mixed with the rubber factory waste, water hyacinth and sludge since a good fertilizer is achieved. When adding CMA into the rubber factory
waste composted alone, the finished product does not achieve a
standard of fertilizer, especially the C/N ratio.
Finally, the finished products of composting rubber factory waste and water hyacinth and sludge (both CMA and without CMA), can be an environmental friendly alternative to solve the disposal problems of rubber factory waste. Since the C/N ratio, pH, moisture
content, temperature, and nutrients of the finished products are acceptable for agriculture use.
Abstract: Centrally controlled authentication and authorization services can provide enterprise with an increase in security, more flexible access control solutions and an increased users' trust. By using redirections, users of all Web-based applications within an organization are authenticated at a single well known and secure Web site and using secure communication protocol. Users are first authenticated at the central server using their domain wide credentials before being redirected to a particular Web-based application. The central authentication server will then provide others with pertinence authorization related particulars and credentials of the authenticated user to the specific application. The trust between the clients and the server hosts is established by secure session keys exchange. Case- studies are provided to demonstrate the usefulness and flexibility of the proposed solution.