Domain-specific Sentiment Dictionary Construction for Sentiment Classification

Sentiment dictionaries are commonly used to solve the problem of sentiment classification for customer reviews. The number of sentiment words in the generalized dictionaries such as SentiWordNet is limited and lack of many sentiment words especially domain-specific sentiment words. Different domains have different sentiment words and the sentiment of a word depends on the domain in which it is used. In this paper, an approach based on Point-wise Mutual Information (PMI) is proposed to construct a domain-specific sentiment dictionary effectively and automatically. The proposed system is evaluated on three diverse datasets from different domains by using 10-fold cross validation. Accordingly to the experimental results, the goodness of the extracted dictionary is relatively high and significantly improves the performance of sentiment classification. The experimental results show that the extracted domain-specific dictionary outperforms the generalized dictionary, SentiWordNet. The proposed method learns the domain-specific sentiment words efficiently and it is domain adaptable

In vitro antidiabetic activities of Myanmar medicinal plants: Cassia siamea Lam. and Butea monosperma Roxb.

This study aimed to evaluate the antidiabetic potentials of Cassia siamea and Butea monosperma. Cytotoxic activity of test extracts was performed by a hemolytic assay. Estimation of the antidiabetic properties was explored by α-glucosidase and DPP-IV inhibition assays. The glucose transportation activity of test extracts across the yeast cells was expressed by a glucose uptake assay. Non-hemolytic effects of test extracts were shown as lysis per cent less than 15 on RBCs. The inhibition potential of test extracts on α-glucosidase enzyme illustrates that IC50 values (μg/mL) of C. siamea was 76.33±12.2 and B. monosperma was 77.28±2.02. While the IC50 values of the acarbose was 36.76±1.55 μg/mL. In addition, the tested extracts showed the ability to inhibit DPP-IV enzyme activity in a concentration-dependent manner. The IC50 (μg/mL) values of C. siamea, B. monosperma, and the sitagliptin were 117.02±9.73, 103±8.5, and 144.85±13.43, respectively in DPP-IV inhibitory assay. Moreover, the test extracts could transport glucose in yeast cells representing the glucose uptake effectively especially in B. monosperma with a concentration-dependent manner in all tested glucose concentrations. This study provided that the tested extracts promise to possess the antidiabetic potential with non-hemolytic properties, diabetic-enzymes suppressing potency and glucose utilizing ability

A Study of Burkholderia pseudomallei in the Environment of Farms in Thanlyin and Hmawbi Townships, Myanmar.

Melioidosis is a tropical infection, first described in Myanmar but now rarely diagnosed there, which is widespread in Southeast Asia. The infection is predominantly acquired by people and animals through contact with soil or water. This study aimed to detect the causative organism, Burkholderia pseudomallei, in environmental samples from farms in Thanlyin and Hmawbi townships near Yangon, Myanmar. One hundred and twenty soil samples and 12 water samples were collected and processed using standard microbiological methods. Burkholderia species were isolated from 50 of the 120 (42%) soil samples but none of the water samples. Arabinose assimilation was tested to differentiate between B. pseudomallei and the nonpathogenic Burkholderia thailandensis, and seven of 50 isolates (14%) were negative. These were all confirmed as B. pseudomallei by a species-specific multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This is the first study to detect environmental B. pseudomallei in Myanmar and confirms that melioidosis is still endemic in the Yangon area

Enhanced melioidosis surveillance in patients attending four tertiary hospitals in Yangon, Myanmar.

Abstract To investigate the current epidemiology of melioidosis in Yangon, Myanmar, between June 2017 and May 2019 we conducted enhanced surveillance for melioidosis in four tertiary hospitals in Yangon, where the disease was first discovered in 1911. Oxidase-positive Gram-negative rods were obtained from the microbiology laboratories and further analysed at the Department of Medical Research. Analysis included culture on Ashdown agar, the three disc sensitivity test (gentamicin, colistin and co-amoxiclav), latex agglutination, API 20 NE, antibiotic susceptibility testing, and a subset underwent molecular confirmation with a Burkholderia pseudomallei specific assay. Twenty one of 364 isolates (5.7%) were confirmed as B. pseudomallei and were mostly susceptible to the antibiotics used in standard therapy for melioidosis. Ten patients were from Yangon Region, nine were from Ayeyarwaddy region, and one each was from Kayin and Rakhine States. A history of soil contact was given by seven patients, five had diabetes mellitus and one had renal insufficiency. The patients presented with septicaemia (12 cases), pneumonia (three cases), urinary tract infection (two cases) and wound infection (four cases). Eighteen patients survived to hospital discharge. This study highlights the likelihood that melioidosis may be far more common, but underdiagnosed, in more rural parts of Myanmar as in other countries in SE Asia.</jats:p

In vitro antidiabetic activities of Myanmar medicinal plants: Cassia siamea Lam. and Butea monosperma Roxb.

483-490This study aimed to evaluate the antidiabetic potentials of Cassia siamea and Butea monosperma. Cytotoxic activity of test extracts was performed by a hemolytic assay. Estimation of the antidiabetic properties was explored by α-glucosidase and DPP-IV inhibition assays. The glucose transportation activity of test extracts across the yeast cells was expressed by a glucose uptake assay. Non-hemolytic effects of test extracts were shown as lysis per cent less than 15 on RBCs. The inhibition potential of test extracts on α-glucosidase enzyme illustrates that IC50 values (μg/mL) of C. siamea was 76.33±12.2 and B. monosperma was 77.28±2.02. While the IC50 values of the acarbose was 36.76±1.55 μg/mL. In addition, the tested extracts showed the ability to inhibit DPP-IV enzyme activity in a concentration-dependent manner. The IC50 (μg/mL) values of C. siamea, B. monosperma, and the sitagliptin were 117.02±9.73, 103±8.5, and 144.85±13.43, respectively in DPP-IV inhibitory assay. Moreover, the test extracts could transport glucose in yeast cells representing the glucose uptake effectively especially in B. monosperma with a concentration-dependent manner in all tested glucose concentrations. This study provided that the tested extracts promise to possess the antidiabetic potential with non-hemolytic properties, diabetic-enzymes suppressing potency and glucose utilizing ability

Occurrence of Gastrointestinal Parasites in Small Ruminants in the Central Part of Myanmar

Gastrointestinal parasite infection in small ruminants remains one of the major economic losses caused by reduced productivity. A total of 380 faecal samples were taken from 280 sheeps in Magway and Pwintbyu Townships and 100 goats in Natmauk Township, Myanmar. Faecal flotation and sedimentation methods were carried out to detect the presence of parasitic infections. Faecal egg and oocyst counts were carried out using the McMaster technique. The overall occurrence of gastrointestinal parasites in small ruminants was 98.4% (374/380). The occurrence of gastrointestinal parasites in sheep (99.3%) was higher than that in goats (96%). The highest occurrence was found in Eimeria spp. (96%), followed by Trichostrongyle (77.1%), Trichuris spp. (35%), and Moniezia expansa (14%). The mixed infection rate was 84.8% (317/374), while a single infection was 15.2% (57/374). The mean eggs per gram (EPG) and oocysts per gram (OPG) of faeces were ranged from 50 to 600 and 50 to 29,800, respectively. Among the 4 nucleotide sequences isolated, one sequence was 94.10-94.47% similarity with Trichostrongylus colubriformis, reported from Laos, and three sequences showed 96.64-99.46% identity with Haemonchus contortus from Laos, China, India, and Mongolia. As gastrointestinal parasite infection in small ruminants was relatively high in the study area, the development of appropriate treatment and control measures should be provided to reduce production losses

Feasibility and readiness to implement Robson classification to monitor caesarean sections in public hospitals in Myanmar: Formative research.

Recent years have demonstrated an increase in caesarean section (CS) in most countries worldwide with considerable concern for the potential consequences. In 2015, WHO proposed the use of Robson classification as a global standard for assessing, monitoring and comparing CS rates. Currently, there is no standardized method to assess CS in Myanmar. The aim of this study was to explore health provider's perceptions about the feasibility, acceptability and readiness to implement the Robson classification in public hospitals across Myanmar. Ten maternities were purposively chosen, including all five teaching hospitals (tertiary referral hospital-level) affiliated to each medical university in Myanmar, which provide maternal and newborn care services, and district/township hospitals. Face-to-face in-depth interviews (IDI) with healthcare providers and facility administrators were conducted using semi-structured discussion guides. Facility and medical records systems were also assessed. We used the thematic analysis approach and Atlas.ti qualitative analysis software. A total of 67 IDIs were conducted. Most participants had willingness to implement Robson classification if there were sufficient human resources and training. Limited human resources, heavy workloads, and infrastructure resources were the major challenges described that may hinder implementation. The focal person for data entry, analysis, or reporting could be differed according to the level of facility, availability of human resources, and ability to understand medical terms and statistics. The respondents mentioned the important role of policy enforcement for the sustainability of data collection, interpretation and feedback. The optimal review interval period could therefore differ according to the availability of responsible persons, and the number of births. However, setting a fixed schedule according to the specific hospital for continuous monitoring of CS rate is required. In Myanmar, implementation of Robson classification is feasible while key barriers mainly related to human resource and training must be addressed to sustain

Qualitative interview guide.

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S1 Checklist -

(PDF)</p

Characteristics of the respondents (n = 67).

Characteristics of the respondents (n = 67).</p