Efficient CTL Verification via Horn Constraints Solving

The use of temporal logics has long been recognised as a fundamental approach to the formal specification and verification of reactive systems. In this paper, we take on the problem of automatically verifying a temporal property, given by a CTL formula, for a given (possibly infinite-state) program. We propose a method based on encoding the problem as a set of Horn constraints. The method takes a program, modeled as a transition system, and a property given by a CTL formula as input. It first generates a set of forall-exists quantified Horn constraints and well-foundedness constraints by exploiting the syntactic structure of the CTL formula. Then, the generated set of constraints are solved by applying an off-the-shelf Horn constraints solving engine. The program is said to satisfy the property if and only if the generated set of constraints has a solution. We demonstrate the practical promises of the method by applying it on a set of challenging examples. Although our method is based on a generic Horn constraint solving engine, it is able to outperform state-of-art methods specialised for CTL verification.Comment: In Proceedings HCVS2016, arXiv:1607.0403

Cryptococcal Meningitis Diagnostics and Screening in the Era of Point-of-Care Laboratory Testing.

Over the past ten years, standard diagnostics for cryptococcal meningitis in HIV-infected persons have evolved from culture to India ink to detection of cryptococcal antigen (CrAg), with the recent development and distribution of a point-of-care lateral flow assay. This assay is highly sensitive and specific in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), but is also sensitive in the blood to detect CrAg prior to meningitis symptoms. CrAg screening of HIV-infected persons in the blood prior to development of fulminant meningitis and preemptive treatment for CrAg-positive persons are recommended by the World Health Organization and many national HIV guidelines. Thus, CrAg testing is occurring more widely, especially in resource-limited laboratory settings. CrAg titer predicts meningitis and death and could be used in the future to customize therapy according to burden of infection

Bacteriology and antibiogram of pathogens from wound infections at Dessie Laboratory, North East Ethiopia

Wound infections result in sepsis, limb loss, long hospital stays, higher costs, and are responsible for significant human mortality and morbidity worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the profile of pathogens cultured from wound infection and determine the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns.  A retrospective analysis of bacterial pathogens and their antimicrobial susceptibility was done on wound swab samples that have been cultured at Dessie Regional Laboratory from 2003 to 2010. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were done using disc diffusion technique as per the standard of Kirby-Bauer method. The mean age of male and female patients was 31.2 and 29.8 years, respectively with male to female ratio of 1:1.6. Out of 599 wound swab samples analyzed, 422 (70.5%) were culture positive.  A total of 500 bacteria from 422 positive cases were identified. Seventy eight (18.5%) of the culture had double infections. Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequently isolated pathogen which accounted for 208 (41.6%) of isolates followed by Pseudomonas spp. 92 (18.4%), E. coli 82 (16.4%), Proteus spp. 55 (11.0%), Enterobacter spp. 21 (4.2%), and Citrobacter spp. 21 (4.2%), Klebsiella spp. 12 (2.4%) and Coagulate negative staphylococcus 9 (1.8%). Amoxicillin had the highest resistance rate 78.9%, followed by tetracycline 76.1% and erythromycin (63.9%). The sensitivity rates of norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin and gentamicin were 95.1%, 91.8% and 85%, respectively.  The overall multiple antimicrobial resistances rate was 65.2% and only 13% of the isolates were sensitive to all antimicrobial agents tested. The most frequently isolated bacteria were sensitive to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, cloxacillin and norfloxacin. These antimicrobials are considered as appropriate antimicrobials for empirical treatment of wound infections. Periodic surveillance of aetiology and drug susceptibility both in the community and hospital settings is recommended.&nbsp

Addition of lime and gypsum to Ethiopian soils to enable lentil growth

Non-Peer Reviewe

Research Trends in Dry Port Sustainability: A Bibliometric Analysis

This study consolidates research on operational sustainability in dry ports. A total of 232 papers published in the last 23 years (2000–2023) are reviewed to assess the breadth of research perspectives in dry port sustainable operations. Additionally, the findings summarize current research trends, identify flaws in the body of knowledge, and suggest potential research areas. A bibliographic analysis approach is deployed to explore the existing body of knowledge, review the concepts in depth, and narrow the focus on potential research areas. Within this context, a content analysis technique has been utilized to explore and understand the conceptual underpinnings of specific themes, typically involving trending subjects like sustainability, dry ports, inland ports, economic sustainability, social sustainability, and environmental sustainability. Tools such as BibExcel and VOSviewer were utilized to assist in conducting the bibliometric analysis. The majority of dry port research has concentrated on the definition, functions, policy and governance, location analysis, ownership, and dry port-seaport interaction. Less attention is paid to dry port sustainability in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the interaction of internal and external collaboration with dry port sustainability, dry port social sustainability, dry port economic sustainability, dry port environment sustainability, and dry port service quality. Specifically, there has been limited research output on the sustainability of dry ports within the context of landlocked nations. This study will raise awareness of unexplored areas for further research by focusing on critical issues that are not generally covered by scholars in existing literature, such as dry port internal sustainability management and external collaboration

Use integrated management of childhood illnesses guidelines: a need for adaptation for use in Ghindae hospital, Eritrea

Background: Diarrheal diseases are among the commonest causes of morbidity and mortality among infants and young children in the developing world and most commonly in the sub-Saharan including Eritrea. Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) is a strategy developed by UNICEF and WHO for developing countries and other resource poor countries currently being practiced in Africa, Asia, and South America. IMCI guidelines are simplified system of diagnosis and treatment that is designed for use by health workers with limited training and little or no laboratory support. According to this guideline bloody diarrhea is treated with ORS, additional fluid support and cotrimoxazole empirically with the assumption that the etiologic agent is shigella. If the child does not improve on follow up then metronidazole is added with the assumption that the etiologic agent is parasitic mainly amoeba and giardia. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the use of IMCI guidelines in children presenting with diarrhea at Ghindae Hospital. Methods: The study was a prospective in which all children below the age of 5 years, who presented primarily with all forms of diarrhea during the one month period from June 1st 2008 to June 30 2008, were included in the study. All stool samples were subjected to laboratory analysis. Results: Eighty seven children who presented with all forms of diarrhea to the IMCI OPD or as IPD were included in the study. More than 50% of the cases had parasitic infestation mainly Amoeba and Giardia. Less than 5% of the children presented with mild or severe dehydration. The majority (92%) of the cases had no dehydration had diarrhea with no dehydration. Conclusion: In Ghindae community there is a justification for use of metronidazole as a first line treatment of bloody diarrhea, because of the preponderance of parasitic infestation instead of bacterial causes for the majority of cases of children presenting with diarrhea, a clear need for adaptation of IMC

A comparative study of molecular and morphological methods of describing genetic relationships in traditional Ethiopian highland maize

The comparison of different methods of estimating the genetic diversity could define their usefulness in plant breeding and conservation programs. In this study, a total of 15 morphological traits, eight AFLP-primer combinations and 20 simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci were used (i) to study the morphological and genetic diversity among 62 selected highland maize accessions, (ii) to assess the level of correlation between phenotypic and genetic distances, and (iii) to classify the accessions into groups based on molecular profiles and morphological traits. The analysis of variance of the morphological data revealed significant differences among accessions for all measured traits. The mean morphological dissimilarity (0.3 with a range of 0.1-0.68) was low in comparison to dissimilarity calculated using SSR markers (0.49 with a range 0.27-0.63) and AFLP markers (0.57 with a range 0.32-0.69). The correlation between the morphological dissimilarity matrix and the matrices of genetic dissimilarity based on SSR and AFLP markers was 0.43 and 0.39, respectively (p = 0.001). The correlation between SSRs and AFLPs dissimilarity matrices was 0.67 (p = 0.001). This congruence indicates that both marker systems are equally suited for genetic diversity study of maize accessions. Cluster analysis of morphological and marker distances revealed three groups of maize accessions with distinctive genetic profiles and morphological traits. This information will be useful for collections, conservation and various breeding programs in the highlands of Ethiopia.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 4 (7), pp. 586-595, 200

Using giant african pouched rats to detect human tuberculosis: a review

Despite its characteristically low sensitivity, sputum smear microscopy remains the standard for diagnosing tuberculosis (TB) in resource-poor countries. In an attempt to develop an alternative or adjunct to microscopy, researchers have recently examined the ability of pouched rats to detect TB-positive human sputum samples and the microbiological variables that affect their detection. Ten published studies, reviewed herein, suggest that the rats are able to detect the specific odor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which causes TB, and can substantially increase new-case detections when used for second-line TB screening following microscopy. Further research is needed to ascertain the rats' ability to detect TB in children and in HIV-positive patients, to detect TB when used for first-line screening, and to be useful in broad-scale applications where cost effectiveness is a major consideration