AN EXTRACTION APPROACH OF THE TOP-BOUNDED SPACE FORMED BY BUILDINGS FOR PEDESTRIAN NAVIGATION

The navigation of pedestrians can be regarded as their movements from one unoccupied space to another unoccupied and connected space. These movements generally occur in three types of environments: indoor, outdoor, and semi-bounded (top-bounded, and/or side-bounded) spaces. While the two former types of spaces are subject to most of the attention, the latter (semi-bounded) also presents a valuable impact on the navigation behaviour. For example, top-bounded environments (e.g. roofs, shelters, etc.) are very popular for pedestrian navigation since a top structure can offer protection from harsh weather, rain, or strong sun. However, such semibounded spaces are completely missing in current navigation models and systems. This is partly explained by the fact that modelling the space, which is by defining a three-dimensional boundless and extensible component (mainly out of the indoor environment), is a very challenging task. In this paper, we propose a structure-based approach for top-bounded space extraction in the built environment, relying on 3D models. Thanks to the rapid expansion and availability of 3D city models, our approach can help to account for such type of spaces in 3D pedestrian navigation systems

An Economic Assessment of Sorghum Improvement in Mali, Impact Assessment Report No. 2

Since the Sahelian droughts of the 1970s and 1980s, raising sorghum productivity through development of higher-yielding varieties has been a policy priority for the Government of Mali, in partnership with ICRISAT. ICRISAT’s involvement in sorghum improvement in the Sahel dates to 1975. Sorghum is one of the two main dryland cereals (the other is pearl millet) produced in Mali, and is both a food staple and ready source of cash for majority of the country’s predominantly rural population. This report consists of two analytical components, (a) a census of sorghum variety and hybrid seed use in 58 villages in the Cercles of Dioila, Kati, and Koutiala, where new sorghum materials have been tested in farmers’ fields; and (b) an assessment of the economic impact of major varieties of improved sorghum released since the study by Yapi et al. (2000), including recently released sorghum hybrids, based on an economic surplus model. The report also presents an ex post assessment of returns to research investment..

Assessing the presence of Wuchereria bancrofti in vector and human populations from urban communities in Conakry, Guinea

The Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis was launched in 2000 with the goal of interrupting transmission of lymphatic filariasis (LF) through multiple rounds of mass drug administration (MDA). In Guinea, there is evidence of ongoing LF transmission, but little is known about the most densely populated parts of the country, including the capital Conakry. In order to guide the LF control and elimination efforts, serological and entomological surveys were carried out to determine whether or not LF transmission occurs in Conakry.; The prevalence of circulating filarial antigen (CFA) of Wuchereria bancrofti was assessed by an immuno-chromatography test (ICT) in people recruited from all five districts of Conakry. Mosquitoes were collected over a 1-year period, in 195 households in 15 communities. A proportion of mosquitoes were analysed for W. bancrofti, using dissection, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay and conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR).; CFA test revealed no infection in the 611 individuals examined. A total of 14,334 mosquitoes were collected; 14,135 Culex (98.6 %), 161 Anopheles (1.1 %) and a few other species. Out of 1,312 Culex spp. (9.3 %) and 51 An. gambiae (31.7 %) dissected, none was infected with any stage of the W. bancrofti parasite. However, the LAMP assay revealed that 1.8 % of An. gambiae and 0.31 % of Culex spp. were positive, while PCR determined respective prevalences of 0 % and 0.19 %.; This study revealed the presence of W. bancrofti DNA in mosquitoes, despite the apparent absence of infection in the human population. Although MDA interventions are not recommended where the prevalence of ICT is below 1 %, the entomological results are suggestive of the circulation of the parasite in the population of Conakry. Therefore, rigorous surveillance is still warranted so that LF transmission in Conakry would be identified rapidly and adequate responses being implemented

INDOOR 3D MODELING AND FLEXIBLE SPACE SUBDIVISION FROM POINT CLOUDS

Indoor navigation can be a tedious process in a complex and unknown environment. It gets more critical when the first responders try to intervene in a big building after a disaster has occurred. For such cases, an accurate map of the building is among the best supports possible. Unfortunately, such a map is not always available, or generally outdated and imprecise, leading to error prone decisions. Thanks to advances in the laser scanning, accurate 3D maps can be built in relatively small amount of time using all sort of laser scanners (stationary, mobile, drone), although the information they provide is generally an unstructured point cloud. While most of the existing approaches try to extensively process the point cloud in order to produce an accurate architectural model of the scanned building, similar to a Building Information Model (BIM), we have adopted a space-focused approach. This paper presents our framework that starts from point-clouds of complex indoor environments, performs advanced processes to identify the 3D structures critical to navigation and path planning, and provides fine-grained navigation networks that account for obstacles and spatial accessibility of the navigating agents. The method involves generating a volumetric-wall vector model from the point cloud, identifying the obstacles and extracting the navigable 3D spaces. Our work contributes a new approach for space subdivision without the need of using laser scanner positions or viewpoints. Unlike 2D cell decomposition or a binary space partitioning, this work introduces a space enclosure method to deal with 3D space extraction and non-Manhattan World architecture. The results show more than 90% of spaces are correctly extracted. The approach is tested on several real buildings and relies on the latest advances in indoor navigation

Hodgkin Lymphoma at the Paediatric Oncology Unit of Gabriel Touré Teaching Hospital, Bamako, Mali: 5-Year Experience

Introduction. The aim of this retrospective, unicentric study over 5 years is to describe the epidemiologic, pathologic, clinic and therapeutic aspects of children treated for Hodgkin lymphoma in our paediatric oncology unit. Patients and Methods. From January 2005 to December 2009, all children under 18 years of age, with Hodgkin lymphoma were included in this study. The treatment protocol was the GFAOP (Groupe Franco—Africain d'Oncologie Pédiatrique) Hodgkin lymphoma treatment protocol. Results. During the study period, 217 cancer cases were diagnosed in our centre. Of these cases, 7 were Hodgkin Lymphoma (LH) (0.04%). The mean age was 11.7 years. The sex-ratio was 6/1. 4% (5/7) of patients were stage IIB and 28.6% (2/7) stage IIIB of Ann-Arbor classification. There were 3 cases (42.8%) of sclero-nodular subtype, 2 cases (28.6%) of lymphocyte-rich classical HL subtype, 1 case (14.3%) of mixed cellularity and 1 case (14.3%) of lymphocyte depleted subtype. With a median followup of 37 months, 5 patients (71.4%) are alive, and 2 patients (28.6%) died. Conclusion. Broader multicentric studies are needed for more accurate data on this malignancy

Tri phytochimique et activité antibactérienne des extraits hydroacétoniques de Baphia nitida (Fabaceae) sur Shigella spp et E. coli, deux entérobactéries impliquées dans les diarrhées infantiles à Daloa, Côte d’Ivoire

Introduction : Dans le but de contribuer à une prise en charge efficiente des diarrhées infantiles et des troubles gastrointestinales, nous avons évalué l’activité antibactérienne des extraits des organes (feuilles tiges et racines) de Baphia nitida, une plante de la pharmacopée ivoirienne. Méthodes : Ainsi, un tri phytochimique des extraits hydroacétoniques d’organes de B. nitida à partir des réactions de précipitations et de colorations suivi des tests de sensibilité antimicrobienne sur Shigella spp et E. coli ATCC 25922 ont été réalisés. Resultats : Les résultats obtenus ont montré que les trois organes de plante étaient riches en polyphénols, flavonoïdes, alcaloïdes et tanins cathéchiques. En plus, les extraits des feuilles de B. nitida ont présenté une plus grande diversité avec d’autres métabolites secondaires qui étaient faiblement représentés. Les extraits de B. nitida se sont revélés bactéricides pour les deux souches testées. Ces actions seraient dose –dépendante avec une inhibition maximale à c = 100 mg/mL. Les extraits des feuilles ont montré une activité antibactérienne plus efficace que les extraits de tiges, eux mêmes plus actifs que les extraits de racines. Conclusion : Les souches d’E. coli testées se sont revelées plus sensibles que celles de Shigella spp pour les trois types d’organes de B. nitida. Les extraits des organes de B. nitida (en particulier les feuilles) pourraient constituer une alternative pour le traitement des diarrhées et une nouvelle source de molécules naturelles antiinfectieuses.   Introduction : In order to contribute to an efficient management of infantile diarrhea and gastrointestinal disorders, we evaluated the antibacterial activities of extracts of organs (leaves, stems and roots) of Baphia nitida, a plant of the Ivorian pharmacopoeia. Methods : Thus, a phytochemical screening of hydroacetone extracts of B. nitida organs based on precipitations and staining reactions followed by antimicrobial susceptibility tests on Shigella spp and E. coli ATCC 25922 were performed. Results : The results obtained revealed that the three plant organs were abundant in polyphenols, flavonoids, alkaloids and catechic tannins. In addition, the extracts from the leaves of B. nitida exhibited a greater diversity of other secondary metabolites that were weakly represented. B. nitida extracts were found to be bactericidal for both strains tested. These actions appeared to be dose-dependent with maximum inhibition at c = 100 mg/mL. The leaves extracts showed a more effective antibacterial activity than the stem extracts, which were more effective than the root extracts. Conclusion : The E. coli strains tested were more sensitive than Shigella spp. for all three types of B. nitida organs. The extracts of B. nitida organs (especially the leaves) could be an alternative for the treatment of diarrhoea and a new source of natural antibacterial molecules

Tri Phytochimique et Activités Antimicrobiennes des Extraits Hydroacétoniques de Baphia Nitida (Fabaceae) sur Shigella spp et E. coli, Deux Entérobactéries Impliquées dans les Diarrhées Infantiles à Daloa, Côte d’Ivoire

Introduction : Dans le but de contribuer à une prise en charge efficiente des diarrhées infantiles et des troubles gastrointestinales, nous avons évaluer les activités antibactériennes des extraits des organes (feuilles tiges et racines) de Baphia nitida, une plante de la pharmacopée ivoirienne.  Méthodes : Ainsi, un tri phytochimique des extraits hydroacétoniques d’organes de B. nitida à partir les réactions de précipitations et de colorations suivi des tests de sensibilité antimicrobienne sur Shigella spp et E. coli ATCC 25922 ont été réalisés. Resultats : Les résultats obtenus ont montré que les trois organes de plante étaient riches en polyphénols, flavonoïdes, alcaloïdes et tanins cathéchiques. En plus, les extraits des feuilles de B. nitida ont présenté une plus grande diversité d’autres métabolites secondaires faiblement représentés. Les extraits de B. nitida se sont revélés bactéricides pour les deux souches testées. Ces actions seraient dose –dépendante avec une inhibition maximale à c =.200 mg/mL. Les extraits des feuilles ont montré une activité antibactérienne plus efficace que les extraits de tiges, eux mêmes plus actifs que les extraits de racines. Conclusion : Les souches d’E. coli testées se sont revelées plus sensibles que celles de Shigella spp pour les trois types d’organes de B. nitida. Les extraits des organes de B. nitida (en particulier les feuilles) pourraient constituer une alternative pour le traitement des diarrhées et une nouvelle source de molécules naturelles antiinfectieuses.   Introduction : In order to contribute to an efficient management of infantile diarrhea and gastrointestinal disorders, we evaluated the antibacterial activities of extracts of organs (leaves, stems and roots) of Baphia nitida, a plant of the Ivorian pharmacopoeia. Methods : Thus, a phytochemical screening of hydroacetone extracts of B. nitida organs based on precipitations and staining reactions followed by antimicrobial susceptibility tests on Shigella spp and E. coli ATCC 25922 were performed. Results : The results obtained revealed that the three plant organs were abundant in polyphenols, flavonoids, alkaloids and catechic tannins. In addition, the extracts from the leaves of B. nitida exhibited a greater diversity of other secondary metabolites that were weakly represented. B. nitida extracts were found to be bactericidal for both strains tested. These actions appeared to be dose-dependent with maximum inhibition at c = 200 mg/mL. The leaf extracts showed a more effective antibacterial activity than the stem extracts, which were more effective than the root extracts. Conclusion : The E. coli strains tested were more sensitive than Shigella spp. for all three types of B. nitida organs. The extracts of B. nitida organs (especially the leaves) could be an alternative for the treatment of diarrhoea and a new source of natural antibacterial molecules

Tri Phytochimique et Activités Antimicrobiennes des Extraits Hydroacétoniques de Baphia Nitida (Fabaceae) sur Shigella spp et E. coli, Deux Entérobactéries Impliquées dans les Diarrhées Infantiles à Daloa, Côte d’Ivoire

Introduction : Dans le but de contribuer à une prise en charge efficiente des diarrhées infantiles et des troubles gastrointestinales, nous avons évaluer les activités antibactériennes des extraits des organes (feuilles tiges et racines) de Baphia nitida, une plante de la pharmacopée ivoirienne.  Méthodes : Ainsi, un tri phytochimique des extraits hydroacétoniques d’organes de B. nitida à partir les réactions de précipitations et de colorations suivi des tests de sensibilité antimicrobienne sur Shigella spp et E. coli ATCC 25922 ont été réalisés. Resultats : Les résultats obtenus ont montré que les trois organes de plante étaient riches en polyphénols, flavonoïdes, alcaloïdes et tanins cathéchiques. En plus, les extraits des feuilles de B. nitida ont présenté une plus grande diversité d’autres métabolites secondaires faiblement représentés. Les extraits de B. nitida se sont revélés bactéricides pour les deux souches testées. Ces actions seraient dose –dépendante avec une inhibition maximale à c =.200 mg/mL. Les extraits des feuilles ont montré une activité antibactérienne plus efficace que les extraits de tiges, eux mêmes plus actifs que les extraits de racines. Conclusion : Les souches d’E. coli testées se sont revelées plus sensibles que celles de Shigella spp pour les trois types d’organes de B. nitida. Les extraits des organes de B. nitida (en particulier les feuilles) pourraient constituer une alternative pour le traitement des diarrhées et une nouvelle source de molécules naturelles antiinfectieuses.   Introduction : In order to contribute to an efficient management of infantile diarrhea and gastrointestinal disorders, we evaluated the antibacterial activities of extracts of organs (leaves, stems and roots) of Baphia nitida, a plant of the Ivorian pharmacopoeia. Methods : Thus, a phytochemical screening of hydroacetone extracts of B. nitida organs based on precipitations and staining reactions followed by antimicrobial susceptibility tests on Shigella spp and E. coli ATCC 25922 were performed. Results : The results obtained revealed that the three plant organs were abundant in polyphenols, flavonoids, alkaloids and catechic tannins. In addition, the extracts from the leaves of B. nitida exhibited a greater diversity of other secondary metabolites that were weakly represented. B. nitida extracts were found to be bactericidal for both strains tested. These actions appeared to be dose-dependent with maximum inhibition at c = 200 mg/mL. The leaf extracts showed a more effective antibacterial activity than the stem extracts, which were more effective than the root extracts. Conclusion : The E. coli strains tested were more sensitive than Shigella spp. for all three types of B. nitida organs. The extracts of B. nitida organs (especially the leaves) could be an alternative for the treatment of diarrhoea and a new source of natural antibacterial molecules