Edge Detection: A Collection of Pixel based Approach for Colored Images

The existing traditional edge detection algorithms process a single pixel on an image at a time, thereby calculating a value which shows the edge magnitude of the pixel and the edge orientation. Most of these existing algorithms convert the coloured images into gray scale before detection of edges. However, this process leads to inaccurate precision of recognized edges, thus producing false and broken edges in the image. This paper presents a profile modelling scheme for collection of pixels based on the step and ramp edges, with a view to reducing the false and broken edges present in the image. The collection of pixel scheme generated is used with the Vector Order Statistics to reduce the imprecision of recognized edges when converting from coloured to gray scale images. The Pratt Figure of Merit (PFOM) is used as a quantitative comparison between the existing traditional edge detection algorithm and the developed algorithm as a means of validation. The PFOM value obtained for the developed algorithm is 0.8480, which showed an improvement over the existing traditional edge detection algorithms.Comment: 5 Page

Perbandingan Kemampuan Siswa Berpikir Reflektif Dengan Siswa Berpikir Intuitif Di Sekolah Menengah Atas

This research aimed to describe the differences of students\u27 abilities in reflective thinking and intuitive thinking and to describe the type of thinking abilities indicating the greater result in terms of problem solving abilities and mathematical learning achievement with factors of thinking abilities and school level category types. The type of the research was explorative descriptive research with quantative approach. The results of this research indicate that there were differences between students\u27 abilities of reflective and intuitive thinking in term of problem solving\u27s abilities and mathematical learning achievement, there were differences between them in term of problem solving abilities and mathematical learning achievement at each school level category, those who have reflective thinking showed greater result in problem solving abilities and mathematical learning achievement than students who have intuitive thinking, those who have reflective thinking showed greater result in problem solving abilities and mathematical learning achievement than students who have intuitive thinking at each school level category

Spectral decomposition of starbursts and AGNs in 5-8 micron Spitzer IRS spectra of local ULIRGs

We present an analysis of the 5-8 micron Spitzer-IRS spectra of a sample of 68 local Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies (ULIRGs). Our diagnostic technique allows a clear separation of the active galactic nucleus (AGN) and starburst (SB) components in the observed mid-IR emission, and a simple analytic model provides a quantitative estimate of the AGN/starburst contribution to the bolometric luminosity. We show that AGNs are ~30 times brighter at 6 micron than starbursts with the same bolometric luminosity, so that even faint AGNs can be detected. Star formation events are confirmed as the dominant power source for extreme infrared activity, since ~85% of ULIRG luminosity arises from the SB component. Nonetheless an AGN is present in the majority (46/68) of our sources.Comment: 5 Pages, 3 figures. MNRAS Letters, Accepte

The HH34 outflow as seen in [FeII]1.64um by LBT-LUCI

Dense atomic jets from young stars copiously emit in [FeII] IR lines, which can, therefore, be used to trace the immediate environments of embedded protostars. We want to investigate the morphology of the bright [FeII] 1.64um line in the jet of the source HH34 IRS and compare it with the most commonly used optical tracer [SII]. We analyse a 1.64um narrow-band filter image obtained with the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) LUCI instrument, which covers the HH34 jet and counterjet. A Point Spread Function (PSF) deconvolution algorithm was applied to enhance spatial resolution and make the IR image directly comparable to a [SII] HST image of the same source. The [FeII] emission is detected from both the jet, the (weak) counter-jet, and from the HH34-S and HH34-N bow shocks. The deconvolved image allows us to resolve jet knots close to about 1\arcsec from the central source. The morphology of the [FeII] emission is remarkably similar to that of the [SII] emission, and the relative positions of [FeII] and [SII] peaks are shifted according to proper motion measurements, which were previously derived from HST images. An analysis of the [FeII]/[SII] emission ratio shows that Fe gas abundance is much lower than the solar value with up to 90% of Fe depletion in the inner jet knots. This confirms previous findings on dusty jets, where shocks are not efficient enough to remove refractory species from grains.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, note accepted by A&

Digital Technology: the Effect of Connected World to Computer Ethic and Family

The development of digital technology such as smartphones, tablets and other gadgets grows very rapidly in the last decade so does the development of mobile applications for those mobile systems or smartphones. Unfortunately, those applications often do not specify the age range for their users. This is actually a problem in the world of digital technology and software development. It is not yet known whether the applications is good be used for children or not. Nowadays, parents are faced with the dilemma of allowing their children to use these modern gadgets, which often lead to serious addiction or keeping them in the dark and risk raising ignorant kids. This research shows 80% of respondents agree or strongly agree that the gadget will affect to the development of children social skill. Therefore, in this research, the framework for ethical assessment is introduced and it can be applied to digital technology included gadget and its application in order to mitigate the negative effect of digital technology and gadgets

Effect of Final Felling on Natural Regeneration III Rhizophora dominated Forests of Matang Mangrove Reserve

A study was undertaken to determine the effect of final felling an the natural regeneration of mangrove forests in matang Reserve. Two adjoining compartments (nos. 38 and 39) having typical Rhizophora forests and belonging to innundation classes III and IV 'were located from which three plots 'which were ready for felling and another three which had been felled during the past six months, were sampled. Although, four species were recorded bath at pre-felling and post-felling stages, the most common were Rhizophora apiculata and Bruguiera parviflora. The farmer 'was more abundant than the latter in most of the plats. All the plots were highly stacked particularly with Rhizophora seedlings. Both the species shOwed considerable variation in different height classes in between the plats bath at prefelling and post felling stages. Before felling the maximum number of seedlings of Rhizophora belonged to l' - 5' height class (720/0) those below l' and between 5 -10' accounted for 25 per cent and 3 per cent respectively. After felling, the pattern was the same but the proportion of the seedlings in l' - 5' group decreased to 54 per cent, Those below l' increased in number. A pronounced deleterious effect was not observed on the stocking of Rhizophora seedlings· in compartment 38 after lagging, The reverse was true in the overcrowded compartment 39, In the case of B, parviflora, the highest number of seedlings belonged to the HI (below 1') class (over 800/0 of the total) both before and after logging. An increase of about 16% was recorded in the number of this species in lagged-aver plat 6. However, mast of the plats in the present study were found to be adequately stocked with Rhizophora seedlings

Antioxidant Activity of Extract From Ultrasonic-Assisted Extraction of Durian Peels

The increase in durian production results in the accumulation of durian peel waste. The bioactive component of durian peel has the potential to be used as an antioxidant. Thus, there is a need to carry out an extraction process to obtain bioactive compounds from durian peel. However, conventional extraction methods cause damage to phenolic compounds due to oxidation, hydrolysis and ionization reactions during the extraction process. Therefore, durian peel extraction was carried out using ultrasonic assisted extraction method (UAE) in this study. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of varying ratios of durian peel to ethanol solvents and extraction time on the yield, total phenolics content, total flavonoids content and antioxidant activity. The results of the research data were analyzed using a two-factor completely randomized design, which included variations of the ratio of durian peel to ethanol solvents and extraction time The Duncan's New Multiple Range Test (DNMRT) was carried out as a follow up test to determine the differences in each treatment at a significance level of 0.05. The results showed that the best treatment for peel extraction using ultrasonic assisted extraction was a 1: 9 ratio of durian peel to ethanol at an extraction time of 20 minutes. The extraction of durian peel under this condition gave the highest yield of 12.77 ± 0.16%, antioxidant activity (IC50) of 38.33 ± 0.12 ppm, total phenolic content of 63.30 ± 0.08 mgGAE / g and total flavonoids content of 47.53 ± 0.48 mgQE / g. In addition, total phenolics content and total flavonoid content showed a strong correlation to the antioxidant activity of durian peel extract

Microbial quality of some herbal solid dosage forms

Herbal remedies are widely used for the treatment and prevention of various diseases and often contain highly active pharmacological compounds. These products have the potential of contamination withdifferent microorganisms. This is due to raw materials contamination and unhygienic production conditions. In this study, microbiological quality of some herbal solid dosage forms from public markets, in the city of Sari, Iran was examined. 20 herbal products as tablet, powder and capsule wereprepared. The products were evaluated for microbial contamination by USP (United States Pharmacopoeia) microbial limit test for enumeration and identification. Total aerobic count showed that all products had more than 1100 microorganism per gram. Isolation and identification of microbialcontamination showed that all the samples were contaminated with Salmonella sp. and there was no evidence for contamination of the samples by Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. In conclusion, all the samples of herbal drugs evaluated did not generally meet the standards for microbial limits as specified in official monographs. Such products can adversely affect health status of consumers as well as the stability of the products

Sexual dysfunction in hypertensive patients: implications for therapy

Sexual dysfunction associated with hypertension or antihypertensive therapies may impact the ability of patients to stay on therapy and lead to deterioration in patients\' quality of life. Therefore, it is important for practitioners to become familiar with the wide variation in sexual side effects produced by antihypertensive agents and to discuss the potential occurrence of these side effects with their patients. In many cases, a change in the patient\'s drug regimen may help patients overcome specific sexual side effects experienced with certain drugs. Practitioners should consider selecting an antihypertensive therapy that is highly effective in lowering blood pressure and at the same time preserves patients\' quality of life. The effect of medications on sexual function remains controversial. Some blinded trials report little difference between placebo and specific medications, whereas other studies indicate that antihypertensive medications increase sexual dysfunction, which has an impact on quality of life. Recent evidence suggests that losartan, an angiotensin II antagonist, is not typically associated with development of sexual dysfunction and may actually positively impact several indices of sexual function (erectile function, sexual satisfaction, and frequency of sexual activity) as well as perceived quality of life. Thus, angiotensin II antagonists may offer a therapeutic option to prevent or correct erectile dysfunction in patients with hypertension. The favorable effects of these agents on sexual function may be related, in part, to their ability to block angiotensin II, which has recently become recognized as an important mediator of detumescence and possibly erectile dysfunction.Keywords: sexual dysfunction, hypertension, treatment RésuméDysfonction sexuelle associée à l\'hypertension ou aux thérapies antihypertensives pourrait provoquer la capacité des patients de rester sur la thérapie et mener à la détérioration de la qualité de vie des patients. Donc, il est important que les praticiens se familiarisent avec des variations diverses des effets secondaires sexuels de médicament produit par des agents d\'antihypertensif et de discuter la fréquence potentielle de ces effets secondaire avec leur patients. À bien des cas, un changement dans le régime de la drogue de patient pourrait aider les patients à vaincre les effets secondaires sexuels spécifiques expérimentés avec certaines drogues. Les praticiens devraient considérer le choix d\'une thérapie antihypertensive qui est extrêmement efficace de baisser la tension artérielle et en même temps préserver la qualité de vie des patients. Les effets du médicament sur la fonction sexuelle reste controversés. Quelques tests aveugles raportent peu différence entre placebo et médications spécifiques, tandis que des autres études montrent que des médicaments d\'antihypertensive augment la dysfunction sexuelle, qui a une influence sur la qualité de vie. Des preuves récentes suggèrent que losatan, un angoitensine II antagonist, n\'est pas associé typiquement au développement de la dysfonction sexuelle et pourrait en fait positivement avoir un impact sur des indices divers de fonctionnement sexuel (fonction érectile, satisfaction sexuelle, et la fréquence d\'activité sexuelle) aussi bien que la qualité de vie perçue. Donc, angiotensine II antagonist pourrait donner une option thérapeutique pour éviter ou corriger la dysfonction érectile chez des patients atteints de l\'hypertension. Des effets favorables de ces agents sur la fonction sexuelle pourrait être semblable d\'un côté, pour leur capacité de bloquer angiotensine II, qui est tout récemment acceptable comme un médiateur important de détumescence et peut-être dysfonction érectile.Mots clés: dysfonctions sexuelles, hypertension, thérapieAnnals of African Medicine Vol. 4(2) 2005: 46–5

Prevalence and public health implications of the microbial load of abused Naira notes

A hundred and forty (140) pieces of abused Naira notes were randomly and aseptically collected in Kano metropolis and examined microbiologically for the load and type of microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) using swab-rinse and standard plate count techniques. The mean average bacterial counts on the notes ranged between 3.59 x 102 cfu/ml and 1.29 x 105 cfu/ml while fungal counts ranged between 3.24 x 102 cfu/ml and 1.59 x 106 cfu/ml. The lowest and highest counts for both bacteria and fungi were found in the N500 and N5 abused naira denominations respectively. The bacteria isolated include the genera of Bacillus, Brucella, Clostridium, Corynebacterium, Listeria, Micrococcus and Staphylococcus while fungi include the genera of Aspergillus, Fusarium, Mucor, Penicillium and Rhizopus. There was no recovery of both bacteria and fungi in the control. The implications of the results have been discussed. Keywords: Microbiological load, abused naira notes, public health, Kano