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Species composition and diversity of mushroom were examined from different areas of Gorakhpur district. The fruiting bodies of mushrooms were collected between 2011-13 during different seasons. As a result of extensive field survey and microscopic studies in laboratory 12 taxa belonging to 8 families were identified. Frequency and distribution of collected samples were also calculated from data observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Essential oils isolated from 35 aromatic plants of Gorakhpur Division, India, were screened at 0.36 μl ml-1 against four dominant fungi Aspergillus flavus Link, A. niger van Tieghem, A. ochraceus Wilhelm and A. terreus Thom found on stored pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan Linn.) seeds. Chenopodium ambrosioides Linn. and Citrus aurantium Linn. oils exhibited strong antimycotic activity (100% mycelial inhibition). The minimum inhibitory concentration of C. ambrosioides oil was less (0.07 μl ml-1) than that of C. aurantium oil, against all the test fungi. Both the oils were fungicidal at higher doses (1.71-2.78 μl ml-1). C. ambrosioides oil exhibited broad fungitoxic spectrum against 16 other storage fungi of pigeon pea seeds. The oil remained effective with increased inoculum load, and physical factors had no adverse effect on its toxicity. C. ambrosioides oil proved superior to aluminium phosphide and ethylene dibromide, synthetic fumigants, at 0.29 μl ml-1 and significantly protected 1 kg of pigeon pea seeds from microbial attack for up to 6 months. Chenopodium oil can be recommended as an effective substitute of synthetic fumigants for storage of pigeon pea seeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many positioning systems designed to determine or track a user's location have been proposed many years. There are three categories: global location systems, wide-area location systems based on cellular networks and indoor location system. Global position system (GPS) receives signals from multiple satellites and employs a triangulation process to determine physical location. The limitation is inefficient for indoor use or in urban areas where high building shield the satellite signals. Wide-area location systems based on cellular involves measuring the signal strength; the angle of signal arrival and/or the time difference of signal arrive and is highly limited by the cell size. Several approaches have been proposed for indoor location sensing; such as infrared sensing, radio frequency, ultrasonic, and scene capture analysis. Each of these methods has their own advantages and disadvantages. Some are expensive to implement, while others are not very accurate. A wireless local-area network (WLAN) based positioning system has distinct advantages over all other system. Due to it is an economical solution because the WLAN network usually exists already as part of the communications infrastructure. Notebook computers, personal digital assistants (PDA), or the other mobile device equipped with WLAN capability, the position system can be implemented in software. The WLAN covered the large area compared with other types of indoor positioning systems. The system used an underlying wireless data network, such as the IEEE 802.11 wireless network, to estimate user location has gained attention recently, for indoor applications and do not require additional hardware for user location determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to utilize the space-time permutation scan statistic and GIS for investigating and visualizing the spatial diffusion of diarrhea outbreaks in Chiang Mai province, Thailand. A space-time retrospective analysis was conducted to detect the outbreak signals of diarrhea from 1 November 2003 to 31 October 2006, in order to include all confirmed diarrhea cases of patient less than five years of age. A total of 37,536 diarrhea cases were reported in Chiang Mai from November 1, 2003 to October 31, 2006. In the study, period had more village outbreak and the diarrhea incidence was so high. The strongest signals of outbreak (13 villages) was on 17 January 2006 (cool season) and occurred to the conurbations of Mac Chaem district (Chang Khoeng and Tha Pha sub-districts), which is located about 100 km to the south-west of Chiang Mai City. This signal had 44 cases observed over 8 days when 2.98 were expected (relative risk = 14.79). The weaker signal was on 29 June 2005 (begin of rainy season) that were located in southern Chiang Mai (Chore Thong district), there had 16 cases observed over 11 days when 1.21 were expected theoretically (relative risk = 13.24). The daily spatial spread or diffusion of diarrhea outbreak from the first day to the end day of incidence (17-24 January 2006) in the study site of Mac Chaem district was follow a pattern of contagious diffusion. They spread outward from a village of origin (Ban Rai), with high incidence to nearby villages, which related to the area of high population densities, within the urban and agricultural areas along the main course of Mae Chaem River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2009, the fatal outbreak of H1N1 influenza A became one of the most serious global concerns since mid-April. Within two months, the outbreak spectrum surged to pandemic. After one year, H1N1 caused at least 18,000 deaths in more than 200 countries worldwide. However, with timely collaborative responses among various organizations worldwide, the spread of the disease was finally brought back to normal. Swift action and cooperation through sharing relevant and comprehensive information played a crucial role for decision makers to issue pertinent measures and guidelines for preparedness and response. By deploying web-based technology and geographic information systems (GIS), these planning and intervention processes were achieved more economically and effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques are used to develop the risk zone map of Dengue Fever (DF)/Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF) in Chachoengsao province, Thailand. The risk zonation index is derived using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The medical database considered for the study was referenced to the geographical and meteorological data layers. Based on this analysis, potential areas were categorized as very high, high, moderately high, moderately low, low, and very low risk categories. The model used in this study provided valuable information to prepare DF/DHF risk zones for decision support to mitigate the epidemic. Factor weights used in AHP were evaluated and found to be acceptable as the consistency ratio (CR) was 0.031, which was < 0.1. Spatial modelling included a huge database about physical-environment, climatic, and demographic factors. Approximately, 74.96% people lived in very high, high, and moderately high risk zones. The most at risk zone was shown to be Mueang Chachoengsao district with a population of 142,485 or 22.34% of total population. The results from AHP based DF/DHF risk zonation gave useful information on different levels of disease risk areas. The methodology is general and can he applied in other application fields, such as disease outbreak during natural disaster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture is the mainstay of rural populations, especially in the developing world. Increasing population and the demand for food, fodder and fuelwood have threatened the sustainability of the land resources. Without understanding farmers' perceptions on land-related issues, sustainable management of land resources is impossible because they have intimate knowledge of their land. Besides technical solutions to land-related problems, socio-economic appraisal also plays an important role for solutions to these problems. Therefore, the objectives of this article are to find farmers' perceptions on land degradation and to examine the socio-economic determinants of land degradation in the study area. In this study, a structured questionnaire was used to collect information on different socio-economic parameters affecting land degradation and farmers' perceptions on the status of land degradation in Pishin sub-basin, Pakistan. Farmers' perceptions are presented using simple descriptive statistics, whereas socio-economic determinants of land degradation in the study area were investigated using a binary logistic regression technique. The model predicted seven determinants of land degradation in the study area: household size, number of educated male members in the household, frequency of visits of extension workers, security of tenure, access to credit, cropping pattern and livestock population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chi River always faces floods and water shortage problems in the rainy season and subsequent dry season, respectively. The Royal Thai Government emphasizes on construction of floodwater retention reservoirs to store more water along the Chi River. This water is to be used mainly for agriculture in the subsequent dry season. A methodology was developed to identify potential floodwater retention zones using the Analytical Hierarchical Process and GIS-based data. They were surface water, drainage density, landform, land use, soil drainage, salt crust, geological formation, lineament density, vegetation index, and groundwater yield. The result was the potential water retention zones map, which was categorized as excellent, good, moderate, poor and very poor classes. The map was validated with a field survey of floodwater retention site. The results agreed with the field check. The hydrodynamic model (MIKE11) was employed to simulate diversion of discharges from the Chi River into retention reservoirs. The results of simulation revealed that the proposed reservoir (Kud Dok) could retain floodwater at the maximum storage capacity of 8.13 million m³ for return periods of 3, 5, 8 and 25 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation is aimed in contribute the concepts and methods of the innovative development and application of Geographical Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing regarding Malaria prevalence. Kanchanaburi province, Thailand is chosen 0.3 study area. The input data are based on the geospatial factors including climatic aspects, physical environment, and statistical record of Malaria cases. Afterwards data preprocessing needs to be carried out. Malaria cases map and information value (i-value) approach will he used in order to identify the relation between physical and social factors, and also statistical analysis will be carried out so as to define the relation of climatic factor. The final output based on those approaches is a Malaria risk map which is classified into three classes including high risk level, moderate risk level and low risk level. This study also develops the model based on i-values which are formed as thematic layers in GIS database and are computed using different map analysis techniques, for example, map crossing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative analysis morphometric parameters such as stream length, drainage density (DD), bifurcation ratio (Rb), slope, shape factors are good indicators for morphological evolution of a basin. Relationships of these parameters with structure, lithology and geomorphology are enhancing the factors which control the erosion behavior of the area and further use for proper management and development programs. In this study LANDSAT ETM+ data is used for DIP techniques such as NDVI and lineaments enhancement, and GIS techniques to extract different models. In this study the Dashtgol basin which is a watershed overlooking the reservoir of the great Shahid Abasspour dam in the south west Iran has selected to evaluate geomorphic factors. This basin is located within the ZFB. It exhibits complex geological and geomorphic configuration. The information from remotely sensed and ground truth data are analysed in GIS environment. Further, the study, area is divided in 10 hydrologic divisions. The results show that the maximum erosion belongs to the sixth hydrologic division (27.5 t/h per year) and the minimum erosion belongs to second hydrologic division (14.8 t/h per year). Geologic interpretation and geomorphic analysis in GIS environment on the Sabzab river profile shows that the tectonic process is a factor to increase the rates of sedimentation and erosion in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a major public health concern in Asia including India. Objectives: To evaluate an in-house developed dipstick enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test vis-à-vis two commercial kits for detection of JE virus-specific IgM antibodies. Setting and Design: Comparative study carried out in Research and Development centre. Materials and Methods: A total of 136 specimens comprising 84 serum and 52 CSF samples were tested by in-house dipstick ELISA, Pan-Bio IgM capture ELISA (Pan-Bio, Australia) and JEV CheX IgM capture ELISA (XCyton, India). Results: The overall agreement among all three tests was found to be 92% with both serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples. The sensitivity of the dipstick ELISA was found to be 91% with serum and 89% with CSF samples respectively. The specificity of the dipstick ELISA with reference to both commercial assays was found to be 100% in serum and CSF samples in this study. Conclusions: The in-house dipstick ELISA with its comparable sensitivity and specificity can be used as a promising test in field conditions since it is simple, rapid and requires no specialized equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the fabrication and characterization of Ill-nitride layered tunnel barriers with applications for a new type of tunable hyperspectral imaging detector with intrinsically hyperspectral pixels. This would enable each pixel to be individually tunable in real-time through a range of wavelengths, with the number and width of spectral channels being dynamically adjustable. Shape-engineered electron barriers fabricated from III-nitride heterostructures allow barrier height to be varied by application of a voltage. A spectroscopy of photon wavelength is enabled via the collection of photoexcited electrons across this barrier. The device is envisioned for tunable detection of ultraviolet through infrared wavelengths. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The present study developed an artificial neural network (ANN) model to overcome the difficulties in training the ANN models with continuous data consisting of rainy and non-rainy days. Among the six models analyzed the ANN model which used generalized feedforward type network and a hyperbolic tangent function and a combination of meteorological parameters (relative humidity, air pressure, wet bulb temperature and cloudiness), and the rainfall at the point of forecasting and rainfall at the surrounding stations, as an input for training of the model was found most satisfactory in forecasting rainfall in Bangkok, Thailand. The developed ANN model was applied to derive rainfall forecast from 1 to 6 h ahead at 75 rain gauge stations in the study area as forecast point from the data of 3 consecutive years (1997-1999). Results were highly satisfactory for rainfall forecast 1 to 3 h ahead. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the most important input parameter beside rainfall itself is the wet bulb temperature in forecasting rainfall. Based on these results, it is recommended that the developed ANN model can be used for real-time rainfall forecasting and flood management in Bangkok, Thailand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High quality Alx>0.5Ga1-xN layers were grown on (0001) sapphire substrates by metal organic chemical vapor deposition utilizing an AlN nucleation layer. The growth conditions of the nucleation layer were observed to have a large impact on both the surface morphology and the crystalline quality of the AlxGa1-xN layers. Low temperature nucleation layers with an optimum thickness of ∼15 nm gave the best quality AlxGa1-xN layers. Additionally the annealing of the nucleation layer was seen to have a dramatic effect on the crystalline quality of the overgrown AlxGa1-xN layers. The quality of the films as measured by atomic force microscopy and x-ray diffraction was largely independent of the V/III ratios of the AlxGa1-xN layers, although Al incorporation and growth rate were affected. Two distinct regimes were identified for the Al incorporation in the overgrown AlxGa1-xN as a function of ammonia flow rate; the Al incorporation first decreases with increase in the ammonia flow rate and then increases with a continued increase in the ammonia flow rate. It is shown that the residence time of the species in the growth system controls the amount of the precursor prereaction independently of the actual flow rates and V/III ratio affecting the Al incorporation in the solid phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a method for creating a hard mask for the dry etching of microphotonic structures and devices. We demonstrate that spin-on glass [hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ)] has sufficient dry etch resistance to allow the creation of high-quality, deeply etched photonic crystals. Furthermore, HSQ is a more favorable hard mask for the creation of active devices than plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition (PECVD) silica, as less damage is incurred. It is also an economic and convenient replacement for PEVCD in photonic crystal fabrication. We examine this method and show that it can create photonic crystals of equivalent quality to those created using PEVCD masking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use/land cover of the Earth is changing dramatically because of human activities and natural disasters. Information about changes is useful for updating land use/land cover maps for planning and management of natural resources, Several methods for land use/land cover change detection using time series Landsat imagery data were employed and discussed. Landsat 5 TM colour composites of 1990, 1993, 1996 and 1999 were employed for locating training samples for supervised classification in the coastal areas of Ban Don Bay, Surat Thani, Thailand. This study illustrated an increasing trend of shrimp farms. forest/mangrove and urban areas with a decreasing trend of agricultural and wasteland areas. Land use changes from one category to others have been clearly represented by the NDVI composite images, which were found suitable for delineating the development of shrimp farms and land use changes in Ban Don Bay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the Brock and Bird relation and the Flory statistical theory, the surface tension of five binary mixtures of 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane with benzene, toluene, p-xylene, acetone and cyclohexane have been evaluated at 298.15 K. The values of surface tension thus obtained have been utilized to compute ultrasonic velocity via the Auerbach relation. Theoretical values have been compared with experimental data and deviations in the ultrasonic velocity have been interpreted in terms of intermolecular interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On screening the leaf extracts of some higher plants for their volatile antifungal activity against the test organism Aspergillus flavus, the extract of Ocimum adscendens exhibited the strongest fungitoxicity. The leaves showed maximum fungitoxicity as compared with other plant parts. The volatile fungitoxic fraction obtained as an essential oil was standardized by various physico-chemical properties. The oil showed its fungicidal nature and broad range of activity at its minimum inhibitory concentration. The oil was thermostable and the toxicity remained unchanged even on autoclaving and on storage for up to 360 days. Moreover, the oil proved more active than some prevalent synthetic fungicides and exhibited no phytotoxic effect on Vigna radiata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On mycoflora analysis of dried fruits and seeds of chilli stored for six months, Aspergilltis flavus and A. niger were the more frequent out of eighteen fungi isolated. Some terpenoids viz. Citral, Citronellal, Citronellol, Eugenol, Farnesol and Nerol showed absolute toxicity against A. flavus and A. niger at 0.5 per cent concentration. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and nature (fungistatic/fungicidal) of all the terpenoids against both these fungi were determined. Citral, Eugenol and Nerol exhibited a broad range of toxicity and were found to be more efficacious than some synthetic fungicides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]