The Loyalty of Players in Online Streaming Games in Thailand

Purpose- The research aims to get a deeper insight into the factors that impact players’ loyalty to online streaming games in Thailand. Design/Methodology/Approach- The methods include research design, sampling plan, Questionnaire design, pilot test, validity check for the questionnaire, Methods to gather the data and its procedures, and the statistical treatment of the data. The research also made a new conceptual framework based on 3 frameworks from previous related studies. Findings - The loyalty to online streaming games in Thailand has factors that impact it. Such factors or independent variables are gaming intensity, experience, avatar identification, and flow. Loyalty is the dependent variable. The results show that all the independent variables are significant and impact players’ loyalty to online streaming games in Thailand. Research Limitations/Implications –The main limitation was the COVID-19 pandemic; as most people stay at home and practice social distancing, it was somewhat hard to collect data personally. The research on gaming topics is also quite new, so the researchers could not dig too deep into the case. Originality/value- The study is about the loyalty of players in online streaming games in Thailand and the important factors that impact it

Effectiveness of the SA 14-14-2 Live-Attenuated Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine in Myanmar

Myanmar is an endemic country for the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), and the SA-14-14-2 live-attenuated JEV vaccine was first introduced as a catch-up vaccination campaign in 2017. To determine the effectiveness of vaccination by means of neutralizing antibody titers against JEV, a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among five to 15-year-old monastic school children in Mandalay, Myanmar. A total of 198 students who had received vaccines were recruited, and single-time investigation of anti-JEV IgG and neutralizing antibodies against wild-type JEV were determined using anti-JEV IgG ELISA and plaque reduction neutralization tests (PRNT50). All students 100% (198/198) showed positive results on the anti-JEV IgG ELISA, and 87% (172/198) of the students had neutralizing antibodies against JEV six months after immunization. The geometric mean titers of both IgG antibodies and neutralizing antibodies increased with the participants’ age groups, and statistically significant differences in anti-JEV IgG titers were noted across age groups. In this study, we could not investigate the persistence of neutralizing antibodies as only single-time blood collection was done. This study, which is the first report of JEV vaccination among children in Myanmar, showed similar neutralizing antibody production rates among vaccinated individuals as did studies in other countries

An Efficient Federated Learning Framework for Training Semantic Communication System

Semantic communication has emerged as a pillar forthe next generation of communication systems due to its capabilities in alleviating data redundancy. Most semantic communication systems are built upon advanced deep learning models whosetraining performance heavily relies on data availability. Existingstudies often make unrealistic assumptions of a readily accessibledata source, where in practice, data is mainly created on the clientside. Due to privacy and security concerns, the transmission ofdata is restricted, which is necessary for conventional centralizedtraining schemes. To address this challenge, we explore semanticcommunication in a federated learning (FL) setting that utilizesclient data without leaking privacy. Additionally, we designour system to tackle the communication overhead by reducingthe quantity of information delivered in each global round.In this way, we can save significant bandwidth for resourcelimited devices and reduce overall network traffic. Finally, weintroduce a mechanism to aggregate the global model fromclients, called FedLol. Extensive simulation results demonstratethe effectiveness of our proposed technique compared to baselinemethods

Pathogenetic Potential Relating to Metabolic Activity in a Mouse Model of Infection with the Chikungunya Virus East/Central/South African Genotype

Epidemics of the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) from 2004 onwards were caused by the East/Central/South African (ECSA) genotype. However, the pathogenesis of the genotype infection has not been fully explained. In this study, we examined the pathogenic potential of CHIKV ECSA genotype M-30 (M-30) by comparing it with that of African genotype S-27 (S-27) in mice. Following low titer infections in type-I IFN receptor KO (A129) mice, we found that the M-30 infection caused high and acute fatality compared with the S-27 infection. M-30-infected A129 mice showed higher viral loads in their central nervous systems and peripheral organs, and increased levels of IFN- responses in their brains. Interestingly, M-30-infected mice did not show the hypophagia and reductions in weight which were observed in S-27-infected mice. Our observations provide a novel explanation of the pathogenic mechanisms attributed to virus proliferation, anti-type-II IFN response and metabolic activity in the CHIKV ECSA virus in mice

An Outbreak of Dengue Virus Serotype 2 Cosmopolitan Genotype in Nepal, 2017

Dengue virus (DENV) is one of the most prevalent neglected tropical diseases, with half of the world’s population at risk of infection. In Nepal, DENV was first reported in 2004, and its prevalence is increasing every year. The present study aimed to obtain and characterize the full-length genome sequence of DENV from the 2017 outbreak. Hospital-based surveillance was conducted in two provinces of Nepal during the outbreak. Acute-phase serum samples were collected from 141 clinically suspected dengue patients after the rainy season. By serological and molecular techniques, 37 (26.9%) and 49 (34.8%), respectively, were confirmed as dengue patients. The cosmopolitan genotype of DENV-2 was isolated from 27 laboratory-confirmed dengue patients. Genomic analysis showed many amino acid substitutions distributed mainly among the E, NS3, and NS5 genes. Phylogenetic analyses of the whole genome sequence revealed two clades (Asian and Indian) among DENV-2 isolates from Nepal. The DENV isolates from hilly and Terai areas were similar to Asian and Indian strains, respectively. Further genomic study on different DENV serotypes is warranted to understand DENV epidemics in Nepal, where there are limited scientific resources and infrastructure

Detection of East/Central/South African Genotype of Chikungunya Virus in Myanmar, 2010

In 2010, chikungunya virus of the East Central South African genotype was isolated from 4 children in Myanmyar who had dengue-like symptoms. Phylogenetic analysis of the E1 gene revealed that the isolates were closely related to isolates from China, Thailand, and Malaysia that harbor the A226V mutation in this gene

Observational study of adult respiratory infections in primary care clinics in Myanmar: understanding the burden of melioidosis, tuberculosis and other infections not covered by empirical treatment regimes.

BACKGROUND: Lower respiratory infections constitute a major disease burden worldwide. Treatment is usually empiric and targeted towards typical bacterial pathogens. Understanding the prevalence of pathogens not covered by empirical treatment is important to improve diagnostic and treatment algorithms. METHODS: A prospective observational study in peri-urban communities of Yangon, Myanmar was conducted between July 2018 and April 2019. Sputum specimens of 299 adults presenting with fever and productive cough were tested for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (microscopy and GeneXpert MTB/RIF [Mycobacterium tuberculosis/resistance to rifampicin]) and Burkholderia pseudomallei (Active Melioidosis Detect Lateral Flow Assay and culture). Nasopharyngeal swabs underwent respiratory virus (influenza A, B, respiratory syncytial virus) polymerase chain reaction testing. RESULTS: Among 299 patients, 32% (95% confidence interval [CI] 26 to 37) were diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB), including 9 rifampicin-resistant cases. TB patients presented with a longer duration of fever (median 14 d) and productive cough (median 30 d) than non-TB patients (median fever duration 6 d, cough 7 d). One case of melioidosis pneumonia was detected by rapid test and confirmed by culture. Respiratory viruses were detected in 16% (95% CI 12 to 21) of patients. CONCLUSIONS: TB was very common in this population, suggesting that microscopy and GeneXpert MTB/RIF on all sputum samples should be routinely included in diagnostic algorithms for fever and cough. Melioidosis was uncommon in this population

Anti-malarial landscape in Myanmar: results from a nationally representative survey among community health workers and the private sector outlets in 2015/2016

Abstract Background In 2015/2016, an ACTwatch outlet survey was implemented to assess the anti-malarial and malaria testing landscape in Myanmar across four domains (Eastern, Central, Coastal, Western regions). Indicators provide an important benchmark to guide Myanmar’s new National Strategic Plan to eliminate malaria by 2030. Methods This was a cross-sectional survey, which employed stratified cluster-random sampling across four regions in Myanmar. A census of community health workers (CHWs) and private outlets with potential to distribute malaria testing and/or treatment was conducted. An audit was completed for all anti-malarials, malaria rapid diagnostic tests. Results A total of 28,664 outlets were approached and 4416 met the screening criteria. The anti-malarial market composition comprised CHWs (41.5%), general retailers (27.9%), itinerant drug vendors (11.8%), pharmacies (10.9%), and private for-profit facilities (7.9%). Availability of different anti-malarials and diagnostic testing among anti-malarial-stocking CHWs was as follows: artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) (81.3%), chloroquine (67.0%), confirmatory malaria test (77.7%). Less than half of the anti-malarial-stocking private sector had first-line treatment in stock: ACT (41.7%) chloroquine (41.8%), and malaria diagnostic testing was rare (15.4%). Oral artemisinin monotherapy (AMT) was available in 27.7% of private sector outlets (Western, 54.1%; Central, 31.4%; Eastern; 25.0%, Coastal; 15.4%). The private-sector anti-malarial market share comprised ACT (44.0%), chloroquine (26.6%), and oral AMT (19.6%). Among CHW the market share was ACT (71.6%), chloroquine (22.3%); oral AMT (3.8%). More than half of CHWs could correctly state the national first-line treatment for uncomplicated falciparum and vivax malaria (59.2 and 56.9%, respectively) compared to the private sector (15.8 and 13.2%, respectively). Indicators on support and engagement were as follows for CHWs: reportedly received training on malaria diagnosis (60.7%) or national malaria treatment guidelines (59.6%), received a supervisory or regulatory visit within 12 months (39.1%), kept records on number of patients tested or treated for malaria (77.3%). These indicators were less than 20% across the private sector. Conclusion CHWs have a strong foundation for achieving malaria goals and their scale-up is merited, however gaps in malaria commodities and supplies must be addressed. Intensified private sector strategies are urgently needed and must be scaled up to improve access and coverage of first-line treatments and malaria diagnosis, and remove oral AMT from the market place. Future policies and interventions on malaria control and elimination in Myanmar should take these findings into consideration across all phases of implementation

2015年にミャンマー国で発生したデング熱流行の臨床、ウイルス学、疫学解析

Hospital-based surveillance was conducted at two widely separated regions in Myanmar during the 2015 dengue epidemic. Acute phase serum samples were collected from 332 clinically diagnosed dengue patients during the peak season of dengue cases. Viremia levels were measured by quantitative real-time PCR and plaque assays using FcγRIIA-expressing and non-FcγRIIA-expressing BHK cells to specifically determine the infectious virus particles. By serology and molecular techniques, 280/332 (84・3%) were confirmed as dengue patients. All four serotypes of dengue virus (DENV) were isolated from among 104 laboratory-confirmed patients including two cases infected with two DENV serotypes. High percentage of primary infection was noted among the severe dengue patients. Patients with primary infection or DENV IgM negative demonstrated significantly higher viral loads but there was no significant difference among the severity groups. Viremia levels among dengue patients were notably high for a long period which was assumed to support the spread of the virus by the mosquito vector during epidemic. Phylogenetic analyses of the envelope gene of the epidemic strains revealed close similarity with the strains previously isolated in Myanmar and neighboring countries. DENV-1 dominated the epidemic in 2015 and the serotype (except DENV-3) and genotype distributions were similar in both study sites.長崎大学学位論文 学位記番号:博(医歯薬)甲第984号 学位授与年月日:平成29年9月20日Author: A. K. KYAW, M. M. NGWE TUN, M. L. MOI, T. NABESHIMA, K. T. SOE, S. M. THWE, A. A. MYINT, K. T. T. MAUNG, W. AUNG, D. HAYASAKA, C. C. BUERANO, K. Z. THANT and K. MORITACitation: Epidemiology & Infection, 145(9), pp.1886-1897; 2017Nagasaki University (長崎大学)課程博