Bare soil moisture retrieval from multi-temporal X-band TerraSAR-X SAR images

IGARSS 2015, Milan, ITA, 26-/07/2015 - 31/07/2015International audienceThe aim of the present study is to analyze the sensitivity of X-band SAR (TerraSAR-X) signals as a function of different physical bare soil parameters (soil moisture, soil roughness), and to evaluate the accuracy of change detection approach proposed for soil moisture estimation. Firstly, we presented a brief description of our ground and satellite database. Secondly, we considered the main results of our statistical analysis of the relationships between radar and soil parameters: soil moisture and different roughness parameters (the rms height, Zs parameter, and a new roughness parameter Zg. Finally, we proposed an algorithm combing multi-temporal X-band SAR images (TerraSAR-X) with different continuous thetaprobe measurements for the retrieval of surface soil moisture at a high spatial resolution

THE ANTI-HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIC EFFECT OF ULVAN POLYSACCHARIDE EXTRACTED FROM THE GREEN ALGA ULVAFASCIATA ON AGED HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIC RATS

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the relation between hypercholesterolemia and aging, beside the role of Ulva fasciata polysaccharides (UFP)aqueous extracts in lowering cholesterol in aged hypercholesterolemia-induced rats was demonstrated.Method: A total of 140 male Wister rats weighing 120±10 g, 6-9 months old were used. Hypercholesterolemia was induced in rats by feeding ratshigh-fat diet (cholesterol), cholesterol was orally administrated at a dose of (30 mg/0.3 ml olive oil/1 kg animal) 5 times a week for 12 consecutiveweeks, lard fat was mixed with normal diet (1 kg of animal lard was added to 5 kg of normal diet), the occurrence of hypercholesterolemia wasdetermined by measuring the lipid profile (TC, LDL-C, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol [HDL-C], triglyceride [TG]), the old hypercholesterolemic(HC) rats were only used.Results: The antihypercholesterolemic (HC) effects of ulvan, the sulfated polysaccharide extracted from the green alga Ulvafasciata, in aged rats,were studied. Algal treatment declared a significant reduction in serum total lipid level while, elevation of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levelwas noticed in HC rats. Moreover, the algal treatment significantly decreased serum liver and kidney functions biomarkers and improved the hepaticantioxidant levels in hyperlipidemic aged rats. In addition, ulvan administration significantly suppressed the expression of tumor necrosis factoralpha,myeloperoxidaseand cell vascularand intracellularadhesionmolecules-1,whileincreasedthe anti-inflammatorycytokinelevel;interleukin-10.Furthermore,the histopathologicalexaminationof aorta,liverandkidneyof HC-treatedratsindicatedthatthe Ulvafasciatapolysaccharides(UFP),isapotentnaturalhypolipidemicnutraceuticalforthe ameliorationof hyperlipidemiain aged rats.Conclusion: It could be concluded that, in comparison with the standard anti-HC drug (fluvastatin) used in this study, both cold and hot UFP algalextracts of U. fasciata demonstrated appreciable anti-hypercholesterolemic property, in addition to their antioxidant activity even in the old HC stressed rats. Thus, it could be used as a natural lipid regulator.Keywords: Ulvafasciata, Hypercholesterolemia, Polysaccharides, Rats, Sulfated polysaccharides, Aging, Hyper-cholesterolemia

Influence of Radar Frequency on the Relationship Between Bare Surface Soil Moisture Vertical Profile and Radar Backscatter

International audienceThe aim of this letter is to discuss the influence of radar frequency on the relationship between surface soil moisture and the nature of radar backscatter over bare soils. In an attempt to address this issue, the advanced integral equation model was used to simulate backscatter from soil surfaces with various moisture vertical profiles, for three frequency bands, namely, L, C, and X. In these computations, we investigated the influence of the vertical heterogeneity of soil moisture on the characteristics of the backscattered signals. The influence of radar frequency is clearly demonstrated. A database produced from Envisat ASAR and TerraSAR-X data, which was acquired over bare soils with in situ measurements of moisture content and ground surface roughness, was used to validate the utility of taking the soil moisture heterogeneity into account in the backscatter model

National issues facing collaborative mobile money service provision

Recently, the developing countries are considering the development of mobile money ecosystems that supports more inclusive financial systems to overcome the high financial exclusion of their population.Such ecosystems can be enabled by facilitating the collaboration between diverse stakeholders from different sectors: financial, telecommunication, regulatory bodies and IT service providers.This development of mobile money ecosystem emphasized on considering existing issues of main stakeholders’ and their conflicting interests.The aim of this paper is to understand the existing issues that government needs to resolve when participating in collaborative mobile money ecosystem.The Sudanese national mobile money project was used as case study in this research. Qualitative interpretive interviews were conducted to collect data from different stakeholders in different sectors in Sudan. The data was analyzed using qualitative data analysis approach.The results of the analysis focus on representing the multiple perspectives of stakeholders on each identified government’s issue.Findings contribute toward a better understanding of mobile money ecosystem in Sudan from government’s perspective.This understanding can facilitate building successful value propositions between mobile money stakeholders which can result in better financial services

National issues facing collaborative mobile money service provision

Recently, the developing countries are considering the development of mobile money ecosystems that supports more inclusive financial systems to overcome the high financial exclusion of their population.Such ecosystems can be enabled by facilitating the collaboration between diverse stakeholders from different sectors: financial, telecommunication, regulatory bodies and IT service providers.This development of mobile money ecosystem emphasized on considering existing issues of main stakeholders’ and their conflicting interests.The aim of this paper is to understand the existing issues that government needs to resolve when participating in collaborative mobile money ecosystem.The Sudanese national mobile money project was used as case study in this research. Qualitative interpretive interviews were conducted to collect data from different stakeholders in different sectors in Sudan. The data was analyzed using qualitative data analysis approach.The results of the analysis focus on representing the multiple perspectives of stakeholders on each identified government’s issue.Findings contribute toward a better understanding of mobile money ecosystem in Sudan from government’s perspective.This understanding can facilitate building successful value propositions between mobile money stakeholders which can result in better financial services

Toxicological evaluation of Thymelaea hirsuta and protective effect against CCl4-induced hepatic injury in rats

The aerial part of Thymelaea hirsuta (TH) is used as decoction in the treatment of different pathologies in folk medicine in Morocco. The present investigation was carried out to evaluate the potential of toxicity of an aqueous extract of TH and its hepatoprotective activity against CCl4-induced hepatic injury in rats. In the acute study, there were no signs of toxicity observed after oral administration of single dose of the extract (5g/kg body weight). In the sub-chronic dose study, (given by gavages (4 ml/kg) to Wistar rats daily at: 0.0 g/kg, 0.5g/kg, 1 g/kg or 2 g/kg body weight for 4 weeks) no variation on biochemical parameters; serum glucose, creatinine and urea levels was observed compared to the control group. However, the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALAT) and aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT) were markedly decreased (P < 0.05 and P<0.001 respectively) as compared to the controls. There were no significant differences in red blood cells count (p<0.05), in Hemoglobin and Hematocrit serum levels but a significant increase in white blood cells count (p<0.001) and in platelets (p< 0.05) for all doses tested. Histopathological examination of the liver, spleen and kidneys tissues at the end of the study showed normal architecture. The elevated serum enzymatic activities of ALAT and ASAT, due to carbon tetrachloride treatment (1 ml/kg CCl4 every 72 h during 15 days) were restored towards normalization by the plant extracts. The biochemical observations were supplemented with histopathological examination of liver sections. The results indicate that this plant possesses no toxicity effects but hepatoprotective properties.Keywords: Thymelaea hirsuta, Wistar rats, Toxicity, Histopathology, hepatoprotective action, Folk medicin

Prevalence of Muscle Dysmorphia and Associated Health Activities in Male Medical Students in Karachi, Pakistan

Background: Muscle Dysmorphia (MD) is a subtype of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and is currently classified under anxiety disorders (subheading: Obsessive-compulsive disorder) in DSM 5. MD is hypothesized to affect the self-esteem and social outlook of the younger generation. MD shows a higher rate in males and may influence their self-confidence rendering them more prone towards using steroids, supplementary proteins and other drugs to alter their physical outlooks as shown in previous studies. This problem has been on the rise lately due to revolutionary advancement in the media and film industry and the abrupt changes about the standards of physical good looks and body shapes. With the lack of studies done in our population, our study will be helpful to consider the prevalence of the disease in our setting and increase awareness in the general public and clinicians. We hope to help clinicians/ therapists find better options in managing the disease. Materials: We performed a cross-sectional study with a sample size of 246 medical school students in Karachi to collect data through self-administered questionnaires. We used the DSM 5 criteria for the diagnosis of BDD and additional questions on the presence of MD. Nutritional habits, exercise routines, use of supplements and drugs were also obtained for exploratory analysis. Results: Our study predicted the prevalence of MD to be 25%. Other main findings included statistical significant associations between MD and the thoughts and practice of steroid use for muscularity. Conclusion: MD is an underdiagnosed and often unrecognized disease that we believe has significant consequences for the young male population. Further work is needed on this in our part of the world. Our research, we believe, can be a stepping stone for further studies that would incorporate wider populations

Evaluation of the Anti-lipidemic Effect of Polyoxyethylenated Cholesterol on Rats Fed High Fat Diet

Abstract: Epidemiological and experimental studies have suggested that a high-fat diet might induce oxidative stress or lipid oxidation and subsequently contribute to the high risk of some diseases such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular ones. The objective of this study was to evaluate the hypolipidemic activity of polyoxyethylenated cholesterol (PEO-Chol) in rats fed high fat diet. Rats were grouped as: group 1-control, group 2-treated with PEO-Chol, group 3-fed on high fat diet for 21 days, group 4-treated with PEO-Chol simultaneously with high fat diet and group 5-rats were treated with PEO-Chol after 7 days of high fat feeding. Plasma glucose and lipid profile including total cholesterol (Chol), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), total lipid (TL), and phospholipid (PL) were estimated in both plasma and liver tissue. Lipid peroxidation was measured as malonaldialdhyde (MDA) in both plasma and liver tissue. Plasma and liver fatty acids were evaluated. Histopathological studies on liver tissue were also performed. The results showed that PEO-Chol supplementation ameliorated significantly the disturbances in plasma glucose, lipid profile and fatty acids. PEO-Chol modulated the MDA levels in both liver tissue and plasma. Also, results of the histopathological investigation for liver tissue showed some normalization. It can be concluded from these results that PEOChol may be a contributing factor in the scavenging of free radicals in hyperlipidemic rats and might exert a beneficial role against some metabolic disorders

SULPHATED POLYSACCHARIDES (SPS) FROM THE GREEN ALGA ULVA FASCIATA EXTRACT MODULATES LIVER AND KIDNEY FUNCTION IN HIGH FAT DIET-INDUCED HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIC RATS

Objective: Hypercholesterolemia (HC) was frequently associated with oxidative stress, and release of inflammatory cytokines is to determine the hypolipidemic effects of sulphated polysaccharides from seaweed Ulva fasciata algal extracts through measuring the activities of some parameters related to liver and kidney functions in the serum of hypercholesterolemic rats as compared to normal one.Methods: Different groups of rats were administered a high cholesterol diet. Liver and kidney functions, inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, CRP, MPO and IL-10), oxidative stress (GSH, MDA and NO), in addition to cell adhesion molecules (ICAM-1 and VCAM-1) were assessed before and after treatment with the algal polysaccharides. In addition, histological examination of liver and kidney were performed to confirm the biochemical findings.Results: The obtained results showed that oxidative stress and inflammatory markers associated with hypercholesterolemia were significantly increased in HC-rats. The histopathological examination of liver and kidney demonstrated severe degeneration with diffuse vacuolar degeneration, necrosis and the presence of fatty droplets. In addition; nephron-histological examination revealed, mild glomerular injury with mild vascular and inflammatory changes. Treatment with the algal sulphated polysaccharides effectively improved these disorders and diminished the formation of fatty liver, as well as renal dysfunction more than the reference drug; fluvastatin. Conclusion: It could be concluded that the consumption of UFP (Ulva fasciata polysaccharides), may be associated with attenuation of inflammatory markers, amelioration of fatty liver and improvement of renal dysfunction, that in turn lead to counteract hypercholesterolemia and its related disorders; such as obesity, and heart disease.Keywords: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Seaweed, Ulva fasciata, Hypercholesterolemia, Hypolipidemic activity, Sulphated polysaccharides (SPs