ACCURACY AND PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS IN CUSTOM CNN ARCHITECTURES

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are biologically inspired feed forward artificial neural networks. The artificial neurons in CNNs are connected in a manner similar to the neurons in the mammalian visual system. CNNs are currently used for image recognition, semantic segmentation, natural language processing, playing video games and many other applications. A CNN can consist of millions of neurons that require billions of computations to produce a single output

Validation of the Kiswahili version of the migraine disability assessment scale in Dar es salaam, Tanzania

Background: Migraine is a chronic paroxysmal neurological disorder characterized by multiphase attacks of head pain and many neurological symptoms. The MIDAS is a five (5) question-based questionnaire used in clinical practices to identify the disability caused by migraine at work, school, household or social life; with a score indicating little or no disability (0-5), mild disability (6-10), moderate disability (11-20), and severe disability (21+). Translated versions of the MIDAS scale in a number of languages has been validated. Translating and validating the Kiswahili version of the MIDAS questionnaire is essential and needed to ensure its comparability to the original English version. In the Kiswahili speaking population, MIDAS-K questionnaire will be an essential tool that will guide treatment in patients with migraine and bridge the gap between clinician and patient understanding of disability caused by migraines. Objective: To validate a Kiswahili translation of the MIDAS among patients suffering from Migraine in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Methods: A cross-sectional psychometric validation study of this instrument was conducted after translation to Kiswahili. A total of 70 migraneurs were recruited by systematic random sampling in this study. Construct validity was analyzed using exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation and factors were then analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis for model fit. Convergent and divergent validity was also examined. Internal consistency, split half reliability and test retest reliability was analyzed using Cronbach Alpha, Guttmann coefficient and intra class correlation coefficient respectively. Results: v Factor analysis showed two-factor structure. The construct had good model fit as shown by Chi Square/degree of freedom of 1.46, Tucker-Lewis-Index of 0.90 and Comparative Index of 0.99. Convergent validity and discriminant validity was good. MIDAS-K had a good internal consistency of 0.78, good split half reliability of 0.80 and acceptable test retest reliability for all items as well as total MIDAS-K scores. Conclusion: The Kiswahili version of the MIDAS questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool to measure migraine-related disability in the Tanzanian population. Further studies are recommended in other Kiswahili-speaking nations in view of existing subtle lexical differences

Data Analysis using Hierarchical Computing

Supervised learning algorithm can be used to mine datasets on the internet. Stock market, Medical organizations, education institutes all store a huge amount of data .For the purpose of analyzing this data classification algorithms can be used. The processing of these algorithms can be done using eithera single machine either sequentially or parallel or on multiple machine either using 1)Parallel approach 2)Cloud approach 3)Hierarchical approach

The Iḥyāʾ of al-Jāmiʿ al-Anwar: Religious Values in the Restoration of Sacred Islamic Monuments

Motivated by religious belief, a small Muslim community known as the Dawoodi Bohras restored the 11th century Fatimid masjid of al-Jāmiʿ al-Anwar in Historic Cairo in 1980 to substantial criticism from the international conservation community. In a process which they termed iḥyāʾ, or to bring to life, the Bohras claimed to have returned the ruined masjid to its ‘original’ state by restoring its function as a site of living tradition. The ‘Euro-American preservation community’, however, insisted that the Bohras had instead created a ‘new’ building and in doing so, had killed the monument’s spirit and sense of ‘antiquity and authenticity’. The genesis of this research study lies in the tension between the Bohra restoration and the criticism levelled against it by proponents of modern conservation. Through an analysis of the Dawoodi Bohra community’s restoration of al-Jāmiʿ al-Anwar, this study has situated a Muslim community’s values towards the architectural conservation of a sacred place of worship within the larger context of Cairo’s conservation history and contemporary heritage discourse, giving voice to a particularly underrepresented phenomenon in modern conservation scholarship. The interpretivist, qualitative methodology employed in this study begins with a series of literature reviews followed by the historical analysis of classical and pre-modern sources which describe a range of conservation activity at al-Anwar over its 1000 year history. These preliminary discussions provide context for a detailed account of the al-Anwar restoration and a critical analysis of the commentary it received in English and Arabic sources. A wide array of data collection methods — including narrative interviews of restoration participants, semi-structured interviews of visitors and behavioral mapping — helped reconstruct the restoration account and analyze its enduring legacy. Themes identified in the aforementioned literature and data sources through a process of inductive thematic analysis are used as a template to analyze the Fatimid Tayyibi textual tradition in order to determine the religious values and concepts embedded within the restoration and its surrounding discourse. Research findings show that the Bohra community’s practice of architectural conservation is clearly informed by religious values. The analysis of the Fatimid Tayyibi textual tradition revealed that conceptions regarding beauty, light, renewal, completion, truth and originality were responsible for very specific decisions on site and coalesced to form a distinct aesthetic philosophy that dictated the restoration approach. The provision of bright interiors, for instance, was related to divine radiance, and the use of premium materials was associated with notions of sacrifice and devotion. Thematic analysis also revealed the multiple authenticities embedded within the philosophy of iḥyāʾ and demonstrated how four concepts in particular — respect, purity, beauty and functionality — impacted the Bohra community’s perception of the masjid and their approach to its restoration. In its treatment of Islamic heritage, modern conservation practice must extend beyond merely accommodating religious agents in the dialogue surrounding the conservation of their heritage, and instead allow their beliefs and values to contribute to the parameters within which restorations operate and the criteria by which their success is measured. This will not occur until a process of acknowledging, identifying and accommodating Islamic values is undertaken. Aside from filling a major gap in the conservation scholarship of Historic Cairo, this study’s demonstration of an explicit link between Bohra conservation practices as Muslim lived experience and Islamic values as found in the Fatimid textual tradition contributes to this process and sheds light on the diverse and meaningful ways in which Muslim communities conserve and protect their sacred heritage

An injectable degradable porous polymer scaffold for tissue engineering and drug delivery

Cell transplantation on biodegradable scaffolds is an established approach in tissue engineering to the problem of the regeneration of diseased or damaged tissues. As cells grow and organise themselves, they secrete their own extracellular matrix, while the polymer degrades into natural metabolites resulting in eventual natural tissue replacement. Polymeric materials used for these scaffolds must satisfy a number of requirements. These include defined cell-interactive properties, porosity, biodegradability, mechanical and controlled release properties. To date, scaffolds have been designed to conform to these requirements. However, the need to perform defined three-dimensional structures requires prior knowledge of the dimensions of the defect or cavity to be filled. Furthermore the general use of toxic solvents in the processing of these scaffolds prevents the incorporation of biological agents and cells during fabrication. Therefore, poor transportation of cells through the scaffolds can result in low cell seeding efficiencies. Finally such scaffolds require an invasive operation for transplantation of the material. In contrast a number of injectable materials have been proposed and investigated. The transformation from liquid pre-cursor to gel in such systems can, however, require cell harmful trigger signals such as UV exposure or pH changes. Furthermore, these injectable gels lack a porous structure preventing effective cell migration and restricting tissue formation and vascularisation tothe barrier of diffusion for signalling and nutrient molecules. The work in this thesis presents a scaffold that is both injectable and conforms to the requirements of water-insoluble porous scaffolds. This starts with the synthesis of a biotinylated poly (lactic acid)-poly (ethylene glycol) (PLA-PEG) copolymer. The polymer is degradable, protein resistant and cell interactive when used in conjunction with biotinylated cell adhesive peptides. The biotin unit tethered to the PEG-PLA also provides the polymer with self-assembling properties when used in conjunction with avidin. In contrast to alternative injectable materials, the scaffold presented in this thesis is porous. This porosity is necessary for tissue ingrowth and vascularization. Therefore, before progressing on to the manufacture of the scaffold, a systematic study of two cell types involved in vascularisation was carried out over defined pore features. These studies revealed that cell behaviour over pore features was related to cell type, cell density and pore size. This had significant implications for the injectable scaffold in development because proposed advantages were delivery of a variety of cell types, controlled porous structure, and efficient cell seeding. Microparticles were then manufactured from the PLA-PEG-biotin using a single emulsion manufacturing process. Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) confirmed that these microparticles would bind efficiently to avidin. The condition for optimum self-assembling of particles was then determined using aggregation studies. These studies showed that a critical quantity of avidin was required for microparticles to aggregate together. The ability to aggregate particles of different sizes leads to the potential for controlling scaffold porosity. Rheological testing showed that the scaffold's mechanical properties could be tailored to that of the tissue in which regeneration is required. The self-assembly of microparticles was also demonstrated to form complex three-dimensional scaffolds without the use of toxic solvents. Scaffolds prepared in simulated tissues maintained shape upon injection. Scaffolds were then self-assembled with cells entrapped within them. Cell viability within the self-assembling scaffolds was confirmed by Alamar Blue assays. In vivo studies have demonstrated that cell-scaffold composites permit tissue ingrowth and thus readily undergo vascularisation. The novel molecular-interaction mechanism of self-assembly of these scaffolds differentiates this material from other injectable systems. The formation of porous scaffolds within a cavity or a soft-tissue could be a pre-requisite for tissue remodelling using new cell sources that are dependent on vascularisation and tissue ingrowth. The basic component of the scaffold is a biodegradable microparticle that presents a protein resistant surface with biotinylated moieties. Therefore, standard controlled release technologies and biotin-avidin mediated surface engineering can be combined with the self-assembly to form biomimetic scaffolds that stimulate integrin-mediated cell adhesion and then release growth factors

An injectable degradable porous polymer scaffold for tissue engineering and drug delivery

Cell transplantation on biodegradable scaffolds is an established approach in tissue engineering to the problem of the regeneration of diseased or damaged tissues. As cells grow and organise themselves, they secrete their own extracellular matrix, while the polymer degrades into natural metabolites resulting in eventual natural tissue replacement. Polymeric materials used for these scaffolds must satisfy a number of requirements. These include defined cell-interactive properties, porosity, biodegradability, mechanical and controlled release properties. To date, scaffolds have been designed to conform to these requirements. However, the need to perform defined three-dimensional structures requires prior knowledge of the dimensions of the defect or cavity to be filled. Furthermore the general use of toxic solvents in the processing of these scaffolds prevents the incorporation of biological agents and cells during fabrication. Therefore, poor transportation of cells through the scaffolds can result in low cell seeding efficiencies. Finally such scaffolds require an invasive operation for transplantation of the material. In contrast a number of injectable materials have been proposed and investigated. The transformation from liquid pre-cursor to gel in such systems can, however, require cell harmful trigger signals such as UV exposure or pH changes. Furthermore, these injectable gels lack a porous structure preventing effective cell migration and restricting tissue formation and vascularisation tothe barrier of diffusion for signalling and nutrient molecules. The work in this thesis presents a scaffold that is both injectable and conforms to the requirements of water-insoluble porous scaffolds. This starts with the synthesis of a biotinylated poly (lactic acid)-poly (ethylene glycol) (PLA-PEG) copolymer. The polymer is degradable, protein resistant and cell interactive when used in conjunction with biotinylated cell adhesive peptides. The biotin unit tethered to the PEG-PLA also provides the polymer with self-assembling properties when used in conjunction with avidin. In contrast to alternative injectable materials, the scaffold presented in this thesis is porous. This porosity is necessary for tissue ingrowth and vascularization. Therefore, before progressing on to the manufacture of the scaffold, a systematic study of two cell types involved in vascularisation was carried out over defined pore features. These studies revealed that cell behaviour over pore features was related to cell type, cell density and pore size. This had significant implications for the injectable scaffold in development because proposed advantages were delivery of a variety of cell types, controlled porous structure, and efficient cell seeding. Microparticles were then manufactured from the PLA-PEG-biotin using a single emulsion manufacturing process. Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) confirmed that these microparticles would bind efficiently to avidin. The condition for optimum self-assembling of particles was then determined using aggregation studies. These studies showed that a critical quantity of avidin was required for microparticles to aggregate together. The ability to aggregate particles of different sizes leads to the potential for controlling scaffold porosity. Rheological testing showed that the scaffold's mechanical properties could be tailored to that of the tissue in which regeneration is required. The self-assembly of microparticles was also demonstrated to form complex three-dimensional scaffolds without the use of toxic solvents. Scaffolds prepared in simulated tissues maintained shape upon injection. Scaffolds were then self-assembled with cells entrapped within them. Cell viability within the self-assembling scaffolds was confirmed by Alamar Blue assays. In vivo studies have demonstrated that cell-scaffold composites permit tissue ingrowth and thus readily undergo vascularisation. The novel molecular-interaction mechanism of self-assembly of these scaffolds differentiates this material from other injectable systems. The formation of porous scaffolds within a cavity or a soft-tissue could be a pre-requisite for tissue remodelling using new cell sources that are dependent on vascularisation and tissue ingrowth. The basic component of the scaffold is a biodegradable microparticle that presents a protein resistant surface with biotinylated moieties. Therefore, standard controlled release technologies and biotin-avidin mediated surface engineering can be combined with the self-assembly to form biomimetic scaffolds that stimulate integrin-mediated cell adhesion and then release growth factors

Case of giant cell tumour of proximal tibia treated with intra-lesion curettage with adjuvant therapy and reconstruction with the sandwich technique fixation

Giant cell tumour (GCT) of bone is a benign but locally aggressive tumour with the potential of malignant transformation that mostly involves the meta-epiphyseal region of long bones. A 34-year-old female was presented to our institute with progressive pain and swelling in her right knee and was radiologically and histologically found to have a GCT of proximal tibia. She was treated with extended curettage with power burr, intra-lesion phenol application and internal fixation using the sandwich technique. No recurrence was found and the procedure led to a good functional outcome. A GCT of proximal tibia treated with joint preserving surgery with extended curettage and the sandwich technique fixation gives optimal results leading to a good functional outcome