Evaluation of Social Perception on Water Issues in Cameron Highlands （Malaysia） by Principle Factor Analysis

Dealing with water resources issues requires understanding of the community perception. It is important to create a communicative partnership between community and government towards sustainable water resources management. Opinion survey is an essential step to gather the point of view from local community. However, it always generates a large and complex dataset that are difficult to be interpreted by decision maker. In order to overcome this difficulty, statistical methods are applied to develop an interpretability model for decision maker. This study demonstrated the application of Descriptive Analysis and Principle Factor Analysis （PFA） to reduce the complexity of opinion survey dataset by revealing underlying information. A total of 106 respondents were interviewed; consisting of 68 male and 38 female respondents respectively. This study first applied descriptive analysis to identify the basic score for each variable, and these variables are soil erosion （68.9%）, degradation of water quality （65.1%）, degradation of freshwater ecosystem （61.0%）, water shortage （50%）, agricultural solid waste problem （46.2%）, water borne diseases （23.6%）, illegal land clearing （21.7%）, legal land clearing （15.1%）, uncontrolled river water abstraction in upstream （54.7%））, poor solid waste management （34.0%）, low awareness of local community （61.3%）, haphazard planning and development （74.5%） and administration mistake （37.0%）. Based on the PFA result, a total of four rotated factors were extracted, representing different aspects of water related issues in Cameron Highlands. Factor 1, 2, 3 and 4 were summarised to four topics namely： （1） water environment degradation caused by illegal solid waste disposal and low awareness of community, （2） agricultural development leading to negative impacts on water resources such as water shortage and ecosystem deterioration, （3） land clearing activity leading to serious land erosion （4） human health problem due to e-coli bacterial pollution and administration mistake on land development in Cameron Highlands.

Analysis on the medication rule of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of COVID-19 patients

Objective: To describe patterns of utilization of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) in the treatment of patients with coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).Methods: Adult patients with COVID-19 who received TCM treatment were divided into a non-serious group(mild and moderate types) and a serious group(severe and critical types) according to their admission conditions. The medical records and prescriptions of these patients were investigated to determine their TCM utilization patterns.Results: In all, 3,872 COVID-19 patients were included. Oral Chinese traditional patent medicine(CPM) was the most commonly used type of TCM(83.2%), fol owed by decoction(64.4%). As for medication pattern, the proportion of multi-drug combinations was higher than single drug use(55.0% vs. 45.0%). Decoction combined with oral CPM was the most common combination(39.1%,1,514/3,872). Oral y administered, injected, and external y applied CPM were significantly more common in the serious group than in the non-serious, while decoction and non-drug TCM treatments were more common in the non-serious than in the serious group.Multi-drug combinations were used for the majority of patients in both groups, mainly in the form of decoction combined with oral CPM.Serious patients were analysed by three groups of different prognoses and outcomes, including discharged after improvement,discharged after relapse and improvement, died final y. The two most common medication patterns were decoction combined with oral CPM and oral CPM alone in the two final y discharged groups. Oral CPM alone or used in combination with injected CPM were seen most commonly in the death group. Significant differences were established in medication patterns among patients in these three groups.Conclusions: Oral CPM was the mainly used TCM for COVID-19 patients, followed by decoction. More common medication pattern was multi-drug combination, especially decoction combined with oral CPM. The treatment measures and medication patterns of TCM commonly used in COVID-19 patients with the range of conditions found in this study should be further explored in the future to provide a more complete reference for COVID-19 treatment.

Application of the Quantitative Descriptive Analysis in Cosmetics Sensory Evaluation

The sensory evaluation method was introduced so late in China, and a complete system of this method has not built yet in cosmetics industry. In this article, the application of the Quantitative Descriptive Analysis method in the evaluation of the sensory assessment items are studied. With the SPSS reliability analysis, it was found that the Quantitative Descriptive Analysis method is not suitable for some sensory assessment items.

Effect of different drying methods on the taste and volatile compounds,sensory characteristics of Takifugu obscurus

Pufferfish is prone to deterioration due to abundant nutrients and high moisture content.Drying technology can extend the shelf life and enhance the flavor quality of aquatic products.The study investigated the effect of hot air drying(HAD),microwave vacuum drying(MVD)and hot air assisted radio frequency drying(HARFD)on the taste and volatile profiles of Takifugu obscurus.Different drying methods had significant influence on the color,rehydration,5’-nucleotides,free amino acids and volatile components(P<0.05).The results showed that HAD and HARFD could promote the flavor of T.obscurus by producing higher equivalent umami concentration(EUC)values,which were about two times of MVD group,and more pronounced pleasant odor according to sensory analysis.HAD is more appropriate for industrial application than HARFD and MVD considering the economic benefits.This study could provide a reference for the industrial application of drying T.obscurus.

Constraint-induced aphasia therapy for patients with aphasia: A systematic review

Objectives:This study aimed to systematically evaluate the effects of constraint-induced aphasia therapy(OAT)for aphasic patients reported by randomized controlled trials.Methods:Relevant randomized controlled trials were retrieved from 11 electronic databases.A methodological quality assessment was conducted in accordance with the Cochrane Handbook,and metaanalyses were performed by using RevMan 5.2.A descriptive analysis was conducted when the included trials were not suitable for a meta-analysis.Results:A total of 12 trials were included.A statistically significant group difference was shown from the meta-analysis in the results measured by the Western Aphasia Battery(random-effects model,MD=1.23,95%CI=0.31 to 2.14,P<0.01).However,there were no statistically significant differences shown in the results of the Boston Naming Test(fixed-effects model,MD=-1.79,95%CI=-11.19 to Z62,P>0.05)and Aachen Aphasia Test(fixed-effects model,MD=-1.11,95%CI=-4.49 to 2.27,P>0.05).The descriptive analysis showed positive results in language performances of naming,repetition,and comprehension.Conclusion:This systematic review indicated that CIAT was efficient for improving language performance with regard to naming,comprehension,repetition,written language,and oral language based on the current evidence.And this review provides some meaningful guides for clinical practice:expand the therapy duration to 2 or 3 h per day,focus on naming,and choose the best assessment tool.It also indicates a need for more rigorous,large-scale,and high-quality trials in the future.

Sensory Marketing: Designing Pleasurable Products

Luxury products, household appliances, cosmetics and products for the general public all use the techniques of sensory marketing in the very first phases of conception to specify or give a distinct character to the way they are perceived. Creating the visio-tactile qualities of a mobile phone or dashboard, designing the acoustics used in a lipstick tube closure: these considerations offer industry a way of managing and mastering the sensorial identity which will set their products apart from those of their competitors. Sensory marketing is based upon the objective definition, the analysis and the mastering of the qualitative characteristics of the object to be conceived.

The Effect of Simulated Transportation Conditions on the Chemical, Physical and Sensory Profiles of Mailler-Thurgau and Scheurebe Wines

The impact of different phases of shipment （at sea and at port） on two German white wines of two vintages and the lasting effects of the temperature regimes over time was investigated. The wines were subjected to three temperature programs--control （15 ℃）, linear increase （15℃ steadily increasing to 45 ℃）, and diurnal fluctuation （15 ℃/40 ℃）--in both movement and non-movement conditions. The wines were analyzed for chemical, physical and sensorial changes at one and eight months post-treatment. Changes in temperature and pressure were recorded within the bottles, which correlated with the temperature programs： ＋0.04 bar/℃ in the linear increase program and ＋0.08 bar/℃ in the diurnal fluctuation program. The oxygen levels in the headspace and in the wine were monitored during all of the treatments. The oxygen development in the bottles was similar between the diurnal and linear programs, and was found to be distinctive from the control program. The chemical analysis revealed that there were significant differences related to the experimental treatments of the wines for the following parameters： tartaric acid, free sulfur dioxide, total sulfur dioxide and percent cork weight loss measurements. Difference sensory testing found very few differences. After eight months storage, significant differences were found in the Diurnal Non-movement treatment compared to Linear Non-movement and control treatments, as well as Diurnal Movement and Control treatments for the 2014 Miiller-Thurgau wine. Sensory descriptive analysis of the wines found that the wines could be differentiated by variety, but could not be distinguished according to experimental treatment after one month storage. These results indicate that wines of these types are more robust to shipping conditions than previously found.

Experiences of Psychiatric Day-Care Patients during the Introductory Period in Japan

Psychiatric day care plays an important role as transitional support after discharge in Japan. However, interruption rate of the day care treatment is high during the introductory period. The purpose of this study was to clarify the experiences of psychiatric day-care patients during the introductory period and find an approach to care. A qualitative study with thirteen patients at the introductory period was designed to explore participant’s experiences through semi-structured interviews. At first, patients were confused about their attitude because they paid attention to themselves, and consequently closed their involvement with others. However, through therapeutic day care activities, they attempted to adapt themselves and gradually turned their attention toward others and accumulated interpersonal experiences. As interactions with others became more frequent, they became conscious of themselves and others. Finally, while having worries about the future, they looked toward recovery and became aware that they were changing. Experiences of patients during the introductory period were essential to their recovery and gave meaning to their day care usage. Nurses should collaborate with patients to determine whether day care would serve to open a patient’s life to new possibilities.

The Correlation Study between Thinking Styles and English-Speaking Learning Strategies of Junior School Students under the Background of “Double Reduction” Policy

Based on Cognitive Style Theory,Oxford’s Speaking Learning Theory and Communicative Competence Theory,this paper adopts questionnaire method,uses Sternberg’s Thinking Style Inventory modified by Zhang Lifang,as well as Oxford’s Learning Strategies Scale,and combines with the actual situation of junior high school students’oral learning to design the questionnaire of speaking learning strategies.Eighth graders of a junior middle school in Sichuan Province are randomly selected as the research object.The statistical tool SPSS23.0 is used to conduct the descriptive analysis and Pearson correlation analysis of the questionnaire results to explore the overall situation of junior high school students’thinking styles and the use of English-speaking learning strategies as well as their correlation.According to the research,junior high school students generally tend to executive style,liberal style,conservative style,legislative style,hierarchic style.The use of speaking learning strategies is at an average level.They tend to use memory speaking strategies,social speaking strategies,affective speaking strategies,and cognitive speaking strategies.As a whole,there is a relatively significant correlation between thinking styles and speaking learning strategies.Specifically,there is a partial correlation between thinking styles and speaking learning strategies.

Climate-based dengue model in Semarang, Indonesia: Predictions and descriptive analysis

Background:Dengue is one of the most rapidly spreading vector-borne diseases,which is considered to be a major health concern in tropical and sub-tropical countries.It is strongly believed that the spread and abundance of vectors are related to climate.Construction of climate-based mathematical model that integrates meteorological factors into disease infection model becomes compelling challenge since the climate is positively associated with both incidence and vector existence.Methods:A host-vector model is constructed to simulate the dynamic of transmission.The infection rate parameter is replaced with the time-dependent coefficient obtained by optimization to approximate the daily dengue data.Further,the optimized infection rate is denoted as a function of climate variables using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag(ARDL)model.Results:The infection parameter can be extended when updated daily climates are known,and it can be useful to forecast dengue incidence.This approach provides proper prediction,even when tested in increasing or decreasing prediction windows.In addition,associations between climate and dengue are presented as a reversed slide-shaped curve for dengue-humidity and a reversed U-shaped curves for dengue-temperature and dengueprecipitation.The range of optimal temperature for infection is 24.3e30.5C.Humidity and precipitation are positively associated with dengue upper the threshold 70%at lag 38 days and below 50 mm at lag 50 days,respectively.Conclusion:Identification of association between climate and dengue is potentially useful to counter the high risk of dengue and strengthen the public health system and reduce the increase of the dengue burden.

Use of Agaricus bisporus mushroom in beef burgers:antioxidant,flavor enhancer and fat replacing potential

This study aimed to evaluate the potential use of Agaricus bisporus mushroom as a natural antioxidant,fat/salt substitute and flavor enhancer in beef burger.Ten treatments were considered using a fractional factorial design(salt[0.5,1.25 and 2.0%],fat[10,15 and 20%]and mushroom content[0,15 and 30%]).Treatments were characterized by instrumental and sensory measurements.The statistical design indicated that fat content had little influence on the results.The principal component analysis showed that the incorporation of mushrooms and salt modified the texture,moisture and water activity.Oxidative stability decreased as the salt content increased,at a low-fat content.Finally,the sensory profile was affected by the mushroom and salt contents,with the fat content exerting the least influence.Therefore,mushroom incorporation in beef burger may be a feasible strategy to reduce the fat content of beef burgers.