Automatic plant pest detection and recognition using k-means clustering algorithm and correspondence filters

Plant pest recognition and detection is vital for food security, quality of life and a stable agricultural economy. This research demonstrates the combination of the k-means clustering algorithm and the correspondence filter to achieve pest detection and recognition. The detection of the dataset is achieved by partitioning the data space into Voronoi cells, which tends to find clusters of comparable spatial extents, thereby separating the objects (pests) from the background (pest habitat). The detection is established by extracting the variant distinctive attributes between the pest and its habitat (leaf, stem) and using the correspondence filter to identify the plant pests to obtain correlation peak values for different datasets. This work further establishes that the recognition probability from the pest image is directly proportional to the height of the output signal and inversely proportional to the viewing angles, which further confirmed that the recognition of plant pests is a function of their position and viewing angle. It is encouraging to note that the correspondence filter can achieve rotational invariance of pests up to angles of 360 degrees, which proves the effectiveness of the algorithm for the detection and recognition of plant pests

Assessment of Scholarly Publications of Nigerian Health Sciences Researchers in MEDLINE/PubMed (1996-2007)

Scholarly publications are outcome of research and are important channels for dissemination of research findings by researchers. The main objective of this study was to assess the scholarly publications of Nigerian health sciences’ researchers and the journals in which they publish. Health science researchers are health care providers, faculty, medical scientists and other allied health professionals who conduct research in health related fields. Research articles written by Nigerian health sciences’ researchers published during 1996-2007 were accessed through the MEDLINE/PubMed database. Both the author affiliation in Address field and Publication date field were used to obtain data on the number and characteristics of publications by the researchers. A total of 7030 articles were published during the period. The number of publications increased from 338 in 1996 to 952 in 2007. Of the 7,030 citations, 2,124 (31%) were published in nine Nigerian journals with the African Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences having the highest (660). However, 17 articles were published in four international multidisciplinary journals namely: British Medical Journal (BMJ), Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Approximately 80% of the publications were Original Research Articles. Nigerian health sciences’ researchers are productive in terms of scholarly publications. However, their publications are concentrated more in national journals, some of which are not indexed in any bibliographic database; others are print only, not widely circulated thereby limiting the impact of their research. Development of a national bibliographc database to index articles published in Nigerian journals and publication of more journal in electronic format is recommended.Keywords: Biomedical journals, Nigerian health science researchers, Publication output, Scientific publication

Introduction: The Fogarty International Research Ethics Education and Curriculum Development Program in Historical Context

In response to the increasing need for research ethics expertise in low and middle income countries (LMICs), the NIH's Fogarty International Research Ethics Education and Curriculum Development Program has provided grants for the development of training programs in international research ethics for LMIC professionals since 2000. This collection of papers draws upon the combined expertise of Fogarty grantees, trainees, and other experts to assess the state of research ethics in LMICs, and the lessons learned over 12 years of international research ethics education; to assess future needs; and to chart a way forward to meet those needs. In this introductory paper we briefly sketch the evolution of research ethics as applied to LMIC research, the underpinning and evolution of the Fogarty bioethics program, and summarize key conclusions from the other papers in the collection

Estimation of aquifer properties using electrical resistivity data in parts of Nsukka L.G.A., Enugu State

Communications in Physical Sciences Vol. 2. No. 1, 1-13. (2017) The study was carried out to investigate the variation of hydrodynamic parameters in parts of Nsukka Local Government Area, Enugu State, via vertical electrical sounding (VES) technique employing Schlumberger electrode configuration. The results from measured parameters were used in estimating other parameters such as hydraulic conductivity, transmissivity, porosity, formation factor and tortuosity. The third layer was delineated as aquiferous layer, with relative thickness compared to the overlying layers. The range of results obtained shows a high variation of these parameters, hydraulic conductivity ranges from 0.0989 to 0.5079m/day with an average of 0.3025m/day. Transmissivity has range between 6.5779 and 57.9546m2/day, with the average value of 18.7491m2/day; porosity ranged from 27.6863 to 29.3226%, and its average is 28.6524%. Formation factor and tortuosity range from 0.00043 to 0.00049 and 0.1129 to 0.1167 respectively. Their variation was clearly displayed on the contour maps, and this was attributed to changes in properties of subsurface, such as grain sizes, pore shapes and sizes. The result of this study will be a useful guide in exploration and abstraction of groundwater repositories in the study area &nbsp

Machine Learning Research Trends in Africa: A 30 Years Overview with Bibliometric Analysis Review

In this paper, a critical bibliometric analysis study is conducted, coupled with an extensive literature survey on recent developments and associated applications in machine learning research with a perspective on Africa. The presented bibliometric analysis study consists of 2761 machine learning-related documents, of which 98% were articles with at least 482 citations published in 903 journals during the past 30 years. Furthermore, the collated documents were retrieved from the Science Citation Index EXPANDED, comprising research publications from 54 African countries between 1993 and 2021. The bibliometric study shows the visualization of the current landscape and future trends in machine learning research and its application to facilitate future collaborative research and knowledge exchange among authors from different research institutions scattered across the African continent

At the helm of healthwork: the exploration of biographical issues in HIV management.

This thesis explores the consequences of healthwork on the biographies of people living with HIV in Nigeria. Biography, as Corbin and Strauss (1987) observed, consists of biographical temporality, the body, and the conception of self. This research explores the impacts of healthwork on the biographies of HIV-positive individuals. In this regard, this study unpacks the biographical implications of healthwork on the everyday lives of people living with HIV.Thirty-two people living with HIV recruited from two HIV-support groups in SouthWestern Nigeria, were interviewed about their experiences of living with HIV using semi-structured interviews. The data obtained were then analysed using thematic analysis.Four key findings resulted from the study. First, it was found that healthwork iscomprised of practices that HIV-positive individuals undertake around their health to support their treatment regime; these practices included spirituality, counselling, adherence, testing, dieting, concealment, support group participation and internet use. Second, healthwork helped to rebuild and reconstruct the disrupted biographical temporality of HIV-positive individuals by providing continuity and positivity. Third, healthwork helped to construct non-infectiousness corporealities through reassessment, negotiation, minimisation, and demythologisation. Fourth, healthwork helped to foster the empowered self and the optimistic self for HIV-positive individuals who constructed powerless and hopeless selves following diagnosis. These findings on biographical time, the body, and the conception of self, offer important insights into biographical aspects of HIV management, and thus contribute to the literature on healthwork, as well as an understanding of HIV management in a contemporary Nigerian context. Overall, this research has demonstrated that healthwork is integral to the personal and social fabric of HIV-positive individuals

Country mapping: Kenya

The Population Council embarked on a three-year project to explore the acceptability of the progesterone vaginal ring (PVR) among women in sub-Saharan Africa and to develop a strategic plan for its introduction. This technical report presents the findings of the assessments in Kenya with specific focus on: (1) the country’s demographic profile; (2) the health systems, health policy, and family planning program context; and (3) stakeholder perspectives regarding the PVR. The findings suggest that the introduction of the PVR would fill a gap in the family planning needs of breastfeeding women in Kenya, and there is strong support from stakeholders for its future introduction. Given the health system challenges (staffing and infrastructure), there is a need for contraceptives that require little training on the part of the provider, do not require a sophisticated health infrastructure, are long-acting and thus do not require monthly visits to a health center, are user-friendly and woman-controlled, and are safe. The PVR addresses all of these concerns and, based on the information documented thus far, is likely to be a welcome addition to the existing contraceptive method mix in the country