RADIO PROPAGATION MODELING OF JOS SUBURBS AT 900MHZ USING AN ADAPTIVE NEURO-FUZZY INFERENCE SYSTEM

This study investigates radio propagation modeling of the suburbs of Jos, Nigeria, at an operating frequency of 900MHz, using an Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) Technique. Path loss values computed based on received power measurements obtained from Base Transceiver Stations situated across the suburbs of the city were used to train, validate and test the ANFIS model for capacity to predict path loss. Results indicated that the ANFIS model with a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) value of 4.74dB offers an improvement in prediction accuracy over the COST 231 Hata model, which has an RMSE value of 5.90dB

Insecticidal effects of Cassia tora and Cassia alata against cowpea weevil (Callosobruchus maculatus)

A study on the effects of Cassia tora and Cassia alata against cowpea weevil (Callosobruchus maculatus) was conducted from April to July, 2016 and aimed at evaluating the effects of Cassia tora and Cassia alata in the control of cowpea weevil (Callosobruchus maculatus). The percentage mortality of Callosobruchus maculatus in white variety seeds of cowpea treated with concentrations 2g, 3g, 4g and 5g powder of Cassia alata are 40%, 50%, 70% and 90% respectively and Cassia tora of the same concentrations gave mortality percentage of 30%, 40%, 60% and 70% respectively. The mortality of adult C. maculatus was higher in both varieties treated with powdered mixture of both plant materials in ratio of Ca80%:Ct20% showed (90%) mortality followed by Ca50%:Ct50% with 80%. C. maculatus mortality according to variety was higher in the white variety than the brown variety with Ca20%:Ct80% mixture as (3.00±1.00) and (2.50±0.50) respectively. The weevil perforation index (WPI), increase as the concentration of the plant increased with Cassia alata having the highest weevil perforation index when compared to Cassia tora. There was significant difference (P<0.05) between combination of the two plants (Cassia alata and Cassia tora) and weevil perforation index for both varieties of cowpea seeds. Since the plant species showed efficacy and are cheap and readily available, it therefore be recommended, that the leaf powders of these two plants can be used in the control of adult C. maculates in storage of cowpea

Interactions between Australian cancer physicians and the pharmaceutical industry: a qualitative study

OBJECTIVES: To understand how and why Australian cancer physicians interact with the pharmaceutical industry. DESIGN: Qualitative study using semistructured interviews, performed by a medical oncologist. Thematic analysis using a combination of deductive and inductive codes. SETTING: Given the evidence on industry influences on clinical practice and the importance to the market of oncology drugs, we sought to better understand cancer physicians' experiences. Practising consultant medical oncologists and clinical haematologists from four Australian states were interviewed over Zoom. PARTICIPANTS: 16 cancer physicians were interviewed between November 2021 and March 2022, from 37 invited (response rate 43%). Most were medical oncologists (n=12 of 16, 75%) and male (n=9 of 16, 56%). OUTCOME MEASURES: The analysis of all interviews was based on grounded theory. Transcripts were coded and then codes formed into themes with supporting quotes. The themes were then placed into categories, used to describe the broad areas into which the themes could be grouped. RESULTS: Six themes were identified that fell within two broad categories: cancer physicians' views and experiences of interactions and management of these interactions. Views and experiences included: the transactional nature of relationships, risks of research dependence, ethical challenges and varied attitudes based on interaction type. Management themes included: lack of useful guidance and reduced interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic. These led to an overarching seventh theme, on the desire for a 'middle road'. Cancer physicians identified the transactional nature of industry relationships and felt uncomfortable with several types of interactions, including those with sales representatives. Most wanted less contact with industry, and the forced separation that occurred with the COVID-19 pandemic was generally welcome. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer physicians may have difficulty balancing the perceived need to interact with industry in modern cancer care while maintaining distance to minimise conflicts of interest. Further research is needed to assess management strategies in this area

Targeted Next Generation Sequencing for malaria research in Africa:Current status and outlook

Targeted Next Generation Sequencing (TNGS) is an efficient and economical Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) platform and the preferred choice when specific genomic regions are of interest. So far, only institutions located in middle and high-income countries have developed and implemented the technology, however, the efficiency and cost savings, as opposed to more traditional sequencing methodologies (e.g. Sanger sequencing) make the approach potentially well suited for resource-constrained regions as well. In April 2018, scientists from the Plasmodium Diversity Network Africa (PDNA) and collaborators met during the 7th Pan African Multilateral Initiative of Malaria (MIM) conference held in Dakar, Senegal to explore the feasibility of applying TNGS to genetic studies and malaria surveillance in Africa. The group of scientists reviewed the current experience with TNGS platforms in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and identified potential roles the technology might play to accelerate malaria research, scientific discoveries and improved public health in SSA. Research funding, infrastructure and human resources were highlighted as challenges that will have to be mitigated to enable African scientists to drive the implementation of TNGS in SSA. Current roles of important stakeholders and strategies to strengthen existing networks to effectively harness this powerful technology for malaria research of public health importance were discussed

Reduced-bias estimator of the Conditional Tail Expectation of heavy-tailed distributions

International audienceSeveral risk measures have been proposed in the literature. In this paper, we focus on the estimation of the Conditional Tail Expectation (CTE). Its asymptotic normality has been first established in the literature under the classical assumption that the second moment of the loss variable is finite, this condition being very restrictive in practical applications. Such a result has been extended by Necir {\it et al.} (2010) in the case of infinite second moment. In this framework, we propose a reduced-bias estimator of the CTE. We illustrate the efficiency of our approach on a small simulation study and a real data analysis

Low specificity of determine HIV1/2 RDT using whole blood in south west Tanzania

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of two rapid detection tests (RDTs) for HIV 1/2 in plasma and in whole blood samples. Methods: More than 15,000 study subjects above the age of two years participated in two rounds of a cohort study to determine the prevalence of HIV. HIV testing was performed using the Determine HIV 1/2 test (Abbott) in the first (2006/2007) and the HIV 1/2 STAT-PAK Dipstick Assay (Chembio) in the second round (2007/2008) of the survey. Positive results were classified into faint and strong bands depending on the visual appearance of the test strip and confirmed by ELISA and Western blot. Results: The sensitivity and specificity of the Determine RDT were 100% (95% confidence interval = 86.8 to 100%) and 96.8% (95.9 to 97.6%) in whole blood and 100% (99.7 to 100%) and 97.9% (97.6 to 98.1%) in plasma respectively. Specificity was highly dependent on the tested sample type: when using whole blood, 67.1% of positive results were false positive, as opposed to 17.4% in plasma. Test strips with only faint positive bands were more often false positive than strips showing strong bands and were more common in whole blood than in plasma. Evaluation of the STAT-PAK RDT in plasma during the second year resulted in a sensitivity of 99.7% (99.1 to 99.9%) and a specificity of 99.3% (99.1 to 99.4%) with 6.9% of the positive results being false. Conclusions: Our study shows that the Determine HIV 1/2 strip test with its high sensitivity is an excellent tool to screen for HIV infection, but that – at least in our setting – it can not be recommended as a confirmatory test in VCT campaigns where whole blood is used