Maternal and neonatal vitamin D status at birth in black South Africans

Background. Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) in pregnant women has been associated with adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels are affected by numerous factors, including vitamin D intake, skin pigmentation, latitude and season of the year; they therefore vary by race and country. Vitamin D status in pregnant women and their offspring in South Africa (SA) is not well established.Objectives. To assess vitamin D status by measuring serum 25(OH)D in pregnant black SA women and their offspring in Johannesburg (latitude 26°S) and to assess whether vitamin D status is affected by maternal HIV infection.Methods. We prospectively enrolled pregnant women and their healthy neonates, and measured 25(OH)D in maternal and cord blood at delivery. Pregnant women were stratified by their HIV status. Predictors of maternal and neonatal VDD (levels <30 nmol/L) were assessed using multiple logistic regression analysis.Results. A total of 291 pregnant women and their healthy neonates were enrolled over a 21-month period. Mean (standard deviation) maternal and cord blood 25(OH)D levels were 57.0 (29.7) and 41.9 (21.0) nmol/L and the prevalence of VDD was 15.9% and 32.8%, respectively. On average, concentrations of 25(OH)D in cord blood were ~80% of those in the mother. There was no association between cord 25(OH)D and gestational age, but levels were associated with birth weight (p<0.001). There were no differences in maternal or cord blood 25(OH)D levels between those HIV-infected or uninfected. The predictor of VDD in mothers was giving birth in winter (odds ratio (OR) 2.87, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.47 - 5.61), and in neonates the predictors were maternal age (OR 16.5, 95% CI 1.82 - 149), being born in winter (OR 3.68, 95% CI 2.05 - 6.61), being born by caesarean section (OR 4.92, 95% CI 1.56 - 15.57) and being of low birth weight (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.13 - 3.50).Conclusions. Among black SA women delivering in Johannesburg, about one in six mothers and one in three neonates have 25(OH)D levels indicative of VDD. Maternal HIV status appears not to affect levels of 25(OH)D in either the mother or her neonate. Research on the effects of VDD on the outcomes of pregnancy and the best methods to combat the high prevalence of VDD in women of childbearing age in the SA context is required

An Implementation of K-NN Classification Algorithm for Detecting Impersonators in Online Examination Environment

The online examination platforms also known as computer-based testing (CBT) platforms for conducting mass-driven examinations over computer networks to eliminate certain issues such as delay in marking, misplacement of scripts, monitoring, etc., associated with the conventional Pen and Paper Type (PPT) of examination have also been bedeviled with the issue of impersonation commonly associated with the PPT system. The existing online examination platforms rely on passive mechanisms such as the CCTV system and the human invigilators for monitoring the examination halls against cheating and impersonation. The proposed model integrates some level of intelligence into existing online examination prototype by designing and developing an intelligent agent service that could assess students against impersonation threat in an online examination environment using the K-Nearest Neighbor (K-NN) machine learning classification technique considering the level of accuracy and response time in answering the questions. A total of 3,083 dataset was downloaded from an online repository; 80% (2,466) of the dataset was used for training the model, while 20% (617) dataset was used in testing the model to enable the model detect unseen data correctly. Results showed that the developed model has a 99.99% accuracy rate, precision, recall and f-score

An Assessment of Vegetation Variables in the Reclamation Area of the Ex-gold Mining at Ratatotok, Southeast Minahasa

The reclamation area of the ex gold-mining PT. Newmont Minahasa Raya (PT. NMR) will be used as a botanic gardens. This study aims to assess the reclamation program\u27s success based on a variable vegetation of the ex gold-mining area of PT. NMR for the basis of the next management. Observations of vegetation on each unit of area was done by nested sampling system, where plots were placed along a perpendicular transect in a contour line. Vegetation variables were recorded among other: species name, individual number, plot numbers, coordinates, temperature, humidity, canopy cover, and land cover. The effect of vegetation on both of two variable regions, revegetation area and non-revegetation area, was tested using discriminant analysis. The results showed that the vegetation composition of the ex gold mining area of PT. NMR was still dominated by introduction species i.e. gamal (Gliricidia sepium), mahoni (Swietenia macrophylla), and lamtoro (Leucaena leucocephala). The diversity of understorey vegetation was middle category. The vegetation structure of the revegetation area was still in its infancy and has not yet reached climax conditions. However, revegetation efforts PT. NMR has succeeded in restoring the composition and structure of vegetation resembling to vegetation conditions in secondary forests. For supporting the ecosystem stability and promoting development programs of botanic gardens, were the enrichment of native vegetation and endangered species is needed

Desain Vegetasi Bernilai Konservasi Dan Ekonomi Pada Kawasan Penyangga Sistem Tata Air DAS Bolango (Designing of Vegetation Which Conservation and Economic Values in the Buffer Area of Water System at the Bolango Watershed)

Perencanaan pembangunan arboretum di DAS Bolango dengan konsep konservasi dan ekonomi perlu dilakukan karena DAS ini memiliki peranan yang penting dalam kehidupan masyarakat sekitar. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah memberikan rekomendasi tentang komposisi dan struktur vegetasi penyusun hutan pada kawasan arboretum sebagai pemelihara mata air Sungai Bolango. Penelitian dimulai dengan mengidentifikasi sumber mata air, tanah, dan kondisi vegetasi eksisting. Metode wawancara kepada masyarakat setempat dilakukan untuk mendukung data etnobotani. Kajian lahan dilakukan antara lain tata guna, kelas kemampuan, konsep pengelolaan, kesesuaian lahan, dan penentuan vegetasinya. Hasil identifikasi sumber mata air menunjukkan bahwa terdapat 3 lokasi yang potensial dibangun arboretum, yaitu Desa Meranti Kecamatan Tapa Kabupaten Bone Bolango, Desa Dulamayo Selatan Kecamatan Telaga Kabupaten Gorontalo, dan Desa Mongiilo Kecamatan Bolango Ulu Kabupaten Bone Bolango. Berdasarkan data kualitas tanah, ketiga lokasi memiliki media perakaran yang cukup baik untuk tanaman budi daya. Secara umum, semua jenis tanaman budi daya sesuai untuk ditanam di ketiga lokasi arboretum. Perlu dilakukan pembuatan teras dan penerapan pola tanam konservasi yang mengaplikasikan tanaman penutup tanah (cover crop), tanaman budi daya, dan pohon penyusun hutan. Selain itu, perlu pemberian pupuk organik berupa kompos dan pupuk kandang

Evaluation of Interconnection Network Performance under Heavy Nonuniform Loads

Abstract. Many simulation-based performance studies of interconnection networks are carried out using synthetic workloads under the assumption of independent traffic sources. We show that this assumption, although may be useful for some traffic patterns, can lead to deceptive performance results for loads beyond saturation. Network throughput varies so much amongst the network nodes that average throughput does not reflect anymore network performance as a whole. We propose the utilization of burst synchronized traffic sources that better reflect the behavior of parallel applications at high loads. A performance study of a restrictive injection mechanism is used to illustrate the different results obtained using independent and non-independent traffic sources

Program Comprehension: Identifying Learning Trajectories for Novice Programmers

This working group asserts that Program Comprehension (PC) plays a critical part in the writing process. For example, this abstract is written from a basic draft that we have edited and revised until it clearly presents our idea. Similarly, a program is written in an incremental manner, with each step being tested, debugged and extended until the program achieves its goal. Novice programmers should develop their program comprehen- sion as they learn to code, so that they are able to read and reason about code while they are writing it. To foster such competencies our group has identified two main goals: (1) to collect and define learning activities that explicitly cover key components of program comprehension and (2) to define possible learning trajectories that will guide teachers using those learning activities in their CS0/CS1 or K-12 courses. [...

Immunization in pregnancy safety surveillance in low and middle-income countries- field performance and validation of novel case definitions

Background: A globally standardized approach in high and low and middle-income countries (LMIC) to actively monitor the safety of vaccines for pregnant women during development and implementation phases is critical. Brighton Collaboration’s (BC) Global Alignment of Immunization Safety Assessment in Pregnancy (GAIA) project has developed globally standardized case definitions (CDs) of key obstetric and neonatal terms for the assessment of safety of vaccines in pregnancy. CDs are categorized into levels of diagnostic certainty, facilitating their use in varied settings. This study evaluates the field performance of CDs in LMIC. Methods: Data from pregnant participants of RCTs for trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine conducted at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, South Africa (SA) between 2011 and 2013 were reviewed retrospectively for preterm birth, stillbirth and hypertension CDs and the Gestational age assessment (GA) algorithm. Data from an ongoing pneumococcal vaccine trial (conducted at MRC Unit, The Gambia) were collected prospectively for GA. Results: For GA, 600 mother-infant dyads from Gambia and 155 mother-infant dyads from SA were reviewed. Level 2B (unsure LMP and US in 2nd trimester) was the most common level seen in Gambia (63%) and level 3B1 (unsure LMP with physical examination) in SA (43%). Preterm deliveries had similar results in SA. The pregnancy-induced hypertension definition performed well, with 96% (54/56) of cases fulfilling ‘level 1’ for ‘preeclampsia with severe features’. 24 stillbirths were identified and 21 records were reviewed; 73.3% (11/15) of the stillbirths classified as antepartum by attending physicians and 83.3% (5/6) of the intrapartum stillbirths did not fulfil the criteria for any level of certainty. Conclusion: BC CDs for neonatal and maternal outcomes (preterm and hypertension) and GA were sensitive, reliable and feasible to use in RCTs in SA and Gambia. Modifications to the stillbirth CD are required to improve its usefulness in varied settings