The current state of artificial intelligence-augmented digitized neurocognitive screening test

The cognitive screening test is a brief cognitive examination that could be easily performed in a clinical setting. However, one of the main drawbacks of this test was that only a paper-based version was available, which restricts the test to be manually administered and graded by medical personnel at the health centers. The main solution to these problems was to develop a potential remote assessment for screening individuals with cognitive impairment. Currently, multiple studies have been adopting artificial intelligence (AI) technology into these tests, evolving the conventional paper-based neurocognitive test into a digitized AI-assisted neurocognitive test. These studies provided credible evidence of the potential of AI-augmented cognitive screening tests to be better and provided the framework for future studies to further improve the implementation of AI technology in the cognitive screening test. The objective of this review article is to discuss different types of AI used in digitized cognitive screening tests and their advantages and disadvantages

Development of a novel and rapid phenotype-based screening method to assess rice seedling growth

Background: Rice (Oryza sativa) is one of the most important model crops in plant research. Despite its considerable advantages, (phenotypic) bioassays for rice are not as well developed as for Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we present a phenotype-based screening method to study shoot-related parameters of rice seedlings via an automated computer analysis. Results: The phenotype-based screening method was validated by testing several compounds in pharmacological experiments that interfered with hormone homeostasis, confirming that the assay was consistent with regard to the anticipated plant growth regulation and revealing the robustness of the set-up in terms of reproducibility. Moreover, abiotic stress tests using NaCl and DCMU, an electron transport blocker during the light dependent reactions of photosynthesis, confirmed the validity of the new method for a wide range of applications. Next, this method was used to screen the impact of semi-purified fractions of marine invertebrates on the initial stages of rice seedling growth. Certain fractions clearly stimulated growth, whereas others inhibited it, especially in the root, illustrating the possible applications of this novel, robust, and fast phenotype-based screening method for rice. Conclusions: The validated phenotype-based and cost-efficient screening method allows a quick and proper analysis of shoot growth and requires only small volumes of compounds and media. As a result, this method could potentially be used for a whole range of applications, ranging from discovery of novel biostimulants, plant growth regulators, and plant growth-promoting bacteria to analysis of CRISPR knockouts, molecular plant breeding, genome-wide association, and phytotoxicity studies. The assay system described here can contribute to a better understanding of plant development in general

Upgrading Biomethane from Biogas using Microbubble Technique in Absorption System

Thesis (M.Eng., Chemical Engineering)--Prince of Songkla University, 201

Is a University Degree for Myself or My Family?

Higher education has undoubtedly become a globalised and competitive marketplace, where different types of universities vie for domestic and international students alike. But higher education often is also a journey that for each individual carries a different personal allure and meaning that goes beyond just obtaining a qualification. The present research seeks to obtain a deeper understanding of how Thai students assign their own personal meanings and expectations to the pursuit of higher education at university and how they negotiate them in their choice of a particular (type of) university with the demands and pressures from their social and cultural environment. It appears that Thai students’ pursuit of higher education and their university choice go far beyond obtaining a qualification and enabling a career. Instead, they are often forced to negotiate their desire for self-identity development, personal growth and university choice with expectations of family honour, social status and cultural expectations

Fine-tuning heat resistance and impact toughness of natural rubber-toughened PLA at Various degrees of PLA/PDLA stereocomplexation

This study represents a new investigation into the influence of stereocomplex crystal content within the blend system of natural rubber (NR) and polylactic acid (PLA), aiming to concomitantly enhance both the impact strength and thermal properties of PLA. The NR content was fixed at 15 wt%, while the amount of stereocomplex crystals was increased by adjusting the PLA:PDLA ratio from 100:0 to 50:50 corresponding to the PDLA content ranging from 0 – 42.5 wt%. Regarding the effect of NR alone, the incorporation of well-dispersed NR into PLA resulted in a significant improvement in the impact strength with a slight increase in heat resistance of PLA as NR acted not only as a toughening agent but also as a mild nucleating agent for PLA. The addition of PDLA, especially at higher contents, provided higher % crystallinity and crystallization rate of stereocomplex crystals, consequently enhancing the heat resistance of the blends. At the optimal PDLA content of 30 wt%, the molded specimens could successfully withstand a temperature of 100 °C throughout the 24-hour test with a 3-fold higher impact strength than that of neat PLA

University Education: Negotiating Personal Desires with Family Expectations

Marketing, Consumers & Society Research GroupHigher education has undoubtedly become a globalised and competitive marketplace, where different types of universities vie for domestic and international students alike. But higher education often is also a journey that for each individual carries a different personal allure and meaning that goes beyond just obtaining a qualification. The present research seeks to obtain a deeper understanding of how Thai students assign their own personal meanings and expectations to the pursuit of higher education at university and how they negotiate them in their choice of a particular (type of) university with the demands and pressures from their social and cultural environment. It appears that Thai students’ pursuit of higher education and their university choice go far beyond obtaining a qualification and enabling a career. Instead, they are often forced to negotiate their desire for self-identity development, personal growth and university choice with expectations of family honour, social status and cultural expectations

M-learning for the Art of Drawing: Informal Learning for a Digital Age

Abstract— Mobile learning (M-learning) has become part of a rich mix of new features and facilities in the teaching and learning process, and with the advent and proliferation of the smartphone, M-learning is reaching new heights. In the art world, M-learning is also being explored, and as students can be connected to their teacher from anywhere in the world, there is no longer the need for a physical studio to learn the magic of art. The researchers therefore set out to create a course using digital technologies for teaching the Art of Drawing online. Initially, the researchers made use of the Delphi method to query a panel of 19 experts in the fields of art education, educational technologists and artists to gather their input for an online, M-Learning course model. After which, 248 Facebook members belonging to the ‘Society of the Professional Art Teachers Development of Thailand’ were selected by use stratified random sampling. From these members, 201 opted to participate in a 2-month M-learning course concerned with the Art of Drawing. Results revealed that both the experts and the course students found the use of digital tools such as the iPad, tablet, and smartphone as very appropriate in learning the Art of Drawing. The same was true for the applications as well.</p

A retrospective propensity score-matched analysis of oncological and functional outcomes of submental island flap versus radial forearm free flap for oral cavity cancer reconstruction

Abstract Background This retrospective study aims to compare the oncological and functional outcomes of the submental island flap versus the radial forearm free flap used for oral cavity cancer reconstruction after minimizing differences in baseline characteristics. Methods Propensity scores for each oral cavity cancer patient who underwent surgical resection and immediate reconstruction with a submental island flap or a radial forearm free flap with a flap size ≤ 60 cm2 between October 2008 and December 2021 were generated based on the likelihood of being selected given their baseline characteristics. Patients were matched using a 1:1 nearest-neighbor approach. Results The final matched-pair analysis included 51 patients in each group. The 5-year overall survival, disease-specific survival, and locoregional control rates were 70.1% and 64.8% (p = 0.612), 77.3% and 83.7% (p = 0.857), and 76.1% and 73.3% (p = 0.664), respectively, for the submental island flap group and the radial forearm free flap group. Speech and swallowing functions were comparable between groups. However, there were significantly lower rates of complication associated with both donor and recipient sites in the submental island flap group, and also the duration of hospital stays and hospital costs were significantly lower in these patients. A subgroup analysis of patients in which the reconstruction was carried out using the submental island flap procedure revealed that in selected cases, the presence of clinically and pathologically positive level I lymph nodes did not affect survival or locoregional control rates. Conclusions Although this study was not randomized, the matched-pair analysis of surgically treated oral cavity cancer patients showed that submental island flap reconstruction is as effective as radial forearm free flap reconstruction with regard to oncological and functional outcomes with lower complication rates, hospital stay, and hospital costs. This flap can be safely and effectively performed in selected cases with a clinical level I lymph node smaller than 1.5 cm and no signs of extranodal extension

In Vitro Comparison of Surgical Implant Placement Accuracy Using Guides Fabricated by Three Different Additive Technologies

Various three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies are commercially available on the market, but the influence of different technologies on the accuracy of implant-guided surgery is unclear. Thus, three printing technologies: Stereolithographic (SLA), Digital light processing (DLP), and Polyjet were evaluated in this study. An entire 30 polyurethane models replicated the clinical situation. Ten surgical guides were printed by SLA, DLP, and PolyJet. Then, implant-guided surgery was performed, and their accuracy outcomes were measured concerning angular deviation, 3D deviation at the entry point, and apex. On top of that, the total processing time was also compared. For the angular deviation, the mean deviation was not statistically significant among all technologies. For the 3D deviation, PolyJet was statistically more accurate than DLP (p = 0.002) and SLA (p = 0.017) at the entry point. PolyJet was also statistically more accurate than DLP (p = 0.007) in regards to 3D deviation at the apex. Within the limitation of this study, the deviations from the experiment showed that PolyJet had the best outcome regarding the 3D deviations at the entry point and at the apex, meanwhile, the DLP printer had the shortest processing time