Food Insecurity and Conflict Events in Africa

The aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between food insecurity and conflict events short of war in Africa, taking account of a host of mediating factors, including the degree of inequality, the level of development, democratic quality, quality of governance and the degree of government expenditure, which we incorporate into our analysis. Our results suggest that food price volatility does contribute significantly to conflict events measured by political events in Africa (ACLED). Greater democracy can engender more conflict, but in a non-linear fashion. The broader V-DEM participatory index of democracy also encourages more protest. Our governance variables are significant, emphasising the salience of state capacity in this regard. An innovation of our study is the inclusion of inequality. We deploy two metrics of vertical inequality: the GINI coefficient and the broader V-DEM egalitarian index. The GINI index of income inequality has a counter-intuitive statistically insignificant sign, suggesting that greater income equality or middle-class share of income results in greater political unrest. We also utilise political measures of inter-group horizontal inequality which significantly engender conflict risk

Early surgical results with intent to treat by radical retropubic prostatectomy for clinically localized prostate cancer

Aims: To evaluate the early cancer control rates, morbidity and mortality in men undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) for clinicallylocalized adenocarcinoma prostate.Methods: Patient\u27s characteristics, operative data, progressive-free survival rates, morbidity and mortality were analyzed for 23 men with clinical T1-2 prostate cancer who underwent surgery with an intent to treat by RRP between December 1997 to July 2001.Results: Patient\u27s mean age was 63 +/- 6.2 years (range 51 to 76 years) with American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) status I in 4%, II in 65% and III in 31%. Two third of the patients had lower urinary tract obstructive symptoms, followed by hematuria (9%) and back pain (4%). Clinical stages were T1b in 4%, T1c in 9%, T2a in 17%, T2b in 22% and T2c in 48% of the patients. Mean pre-operative serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) was 25 +/- 29 ng/ml (1.1 to 99.3). Bilateral pelvic lymphnode disection(PLND) and RRP was performed in 20 cases (nerve-sparing RRP 5 cases). In 3 cases with gross lymph node metastasis at frozen section, only bilateral orchidectomy was done. The mean operative time was 270 +/- 65 minutes and mean blood loss was 1097 +/- 654 mls. Packed cell transfusions were nil in 26%, 1-2 units in 44%, 3-4 units in 26% and 5 units in 4% of the patients who underwent RRP. The mean length of hospital stay was 10.2 +/- 1 days. Out of 20 patients who underwent RRP, 65% of tumors were confined to the specimen, 20% had seminal vesicle invasion and 15% had nodal metastasis. There was no peri-operative mortality while 2 patients developed epididymo-orchitis and 1 had myocardial ischemia (without infarction). Overall 87% of the patients were fully continent and 13% had mild to moderate stress urinary incontinence. The mean time of return of continence was 11.5 +/- 11.6 weeks. Two of the 3 patients (66%) with follow up information and having undergone nerve-sparing RRP are potent. At a mean follow up of 19.4 +/- 13 months (range 3-45 months), 20 of 23 total patients (87%) and 17 of 20 RRP patients (85%) remained free of disease recurrence with PSA \u3c or = 0.4 ng/ml. Conclusion: Our early results confirm the excellent potential for cancer control and low morbidity of radical prostatectomy for men with localizedprostate cancer. These results are in conformity with the vast Western experience. Long-term results will be provided

Enhancing the security of image transmission in Quantum era: A Chaos-Assisted QKD Approach using entanglement

The emergence of quantum computing has introduced unprecedented security challenges to conventional cryptographic systems, particularly in the domain of optical communications. This research addresses these challenges by innovatively combining quantum key distribution (QKD), specifically the E91 protocol, with logistic chaotic maps to establish a secure image transmission scheme. Our approach utilizes the unpredictability of chaotic systems alongside the robust security mechanisms inherent in quantum entanglement. The scheme is further fortified with an eavesdropping detection mechanism based on CHSH inequality, thereby enhancing its resilience against unauthorized access. Through quantitative simulations, we demonstrate the effectiveness of this scheme in encrypting images, achieving high entropy and sensitivity to the original images. The results indicate a significant improvement in encryption and decryption efficiency, showcasing the potential of the scheme as a viable solution against the vulnerabilities posed by quantum computing advancements. Our research offers a novel perspective in secure optical communications, blending the principles of chaos theory with QKD to create a more robust cryptographic framework.Comment: 29 pages, 10 equations, 11 figure

Hybrid Dy-NFIS & RLS equalization for ZCC code in optical-CDMA over multi-mode optical fiber

For long haul coherent optical fiber communication systems, it is significant to precisely monitor the quality of transmission links and optical signals. The channel capacity beyond Shannon limit of Single-mode optical fiber (SMOF) is achieved with the help of Multi-mode optical fiber (MMOF), where the signal is multiplexed in different spatial modes. To increase single-mode transmission capacity and to avoid a foreseen “capacity crunch”, researchers have been motivated to employ MMOF as an alternative. Furthermore, different multiplexing techniques could be applied in MMOF to improve the communication system. One of these techniques is the Optical Code Division Multiple Access (Optical-CDMA), which simplifies and decentralizes network controls to improve spectral efficiency and information security increasing flexibility in bandwidth granularity. This technique also allows synchronous and simultaneous transmission medium to be shared by many users. However, during the propagation of the data over the MMOF based on Optical-CDMA, an inevitable encountered issue is pulse dispersion, nonlinearity and MAI due to mode coupling. Moreover, pulse dispersion, nonlinearity and MAI are significant aspects for the evaluation of the performance of high-speed MMOF communication systems based on Optical-CDMA. This work suggests a hybrid algorithm based on nonlinear algorithm (Dynamic evolving neural fuzzy inference (Dy-NFIS)) and linear algorithm (Recursive least squares (RLS)) equalization for ZCC code in Optical-CDMA over MMOF. Root mean squared error (RMSE), mean squared error (MSE) and Structural Similarity index (SSIM) are used to measure performance results

COVID-19 Mixed Impact on Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Activities: A Qualitative Study in UK-Based Hospitals

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a well-known global threat due to the subsequent increase in antimicrobial usage. Several antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) strategies have been implemented to curb irrational prescribing and reduce the AMR burden. However, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has enormously impacted the healthcare system and jeopardized public health, causing millions of deaths globally. Our semi-structured qualitative study aimed to explore the impact of COVID-19 on AMS activities in the UK hospitals. Seventeen interviews were conducted with health care professionals who were part of AMS teams (consultant medical microbiologists, infectious disease consultants, antimicrobial pharmacists). Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. An inductive thematic framework was adopted to analyse and create the themes. After agreement of the hierarchical framework definition, all transcripts were coded accordingly. Four main themes and 15 sub-themes were identified. These main themes were: (1) AMS activities or strategies before and during the pandemic; (2) challenges to implementing AMS activities before and during the pandemic; (3) information from public authorities on AMS during the pandemic; and (4) new AMS activities/strategies adopted during the pandemic. Staff vacancies, redeploying of AMS staff to other duties and meeting the burden related to the COVID-19 and lack of resources were the most frequently identified contributing factors to withheld AMS activities during the pandemic. However, modifications to the hybrid working environment, i.e., remote or flexible working, allowed for resumption of AMS activities including virtual ward rounds, virtual meetings and other activities. Further research needs to assess the impact of the hybrid delivery system on AMS activities

The Association between Preoperative Blood Pressure Elevations and Postoperative Adverse Outcomes after Non-cardiac Surgery: A Single-center Retrospective Observational Study

Blood pressure (BP) often rises before surgery. This study investigated whether BP elevation immediately before surgery was associated with adverse outcomes. Medical records of 11,732 patients (average age: 61 years; male: 47.4%) who underwent non-cardiac elective inpatient surgery under general anesthesia at Kagawa University Hospital between January 2011 and June 2019 were reviewed. Differences between the first BP values measured on the day before surgery and the first BP values in the operating room were defined as Δ systolic BP (ΔSBP) and Δ diastolic BP (ΔDBP). The relationships between ΔSBP/ΔDBP and 30-day mortality, 30-day readmission, and over-the-standard length of hospital stay (OSLOS) were assessed. OSLOS was defined as a hospital stay longer than mean+2 standard deviations and was calculated using the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination data. In univariate analysis, the differences in ΔSBP and ΔDBP between the OSLOS and standard LOS groups were both 2 mmHg. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, only ΔDBP was associated with OSLOS. The adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for the largest quartile was 1.31 (1.02-1.69) (p<0.05). ΔDBP was associated with OSLOS; however, there may be little need to worry about large ΔSBPs and ΔDBPs in clinical practice

Employing machine learning to predict adverse acute post-surgical outcomes following elective ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction

Background: Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction ameliorates valgus elbow instability in various patient populations, including overhead athletes, patients with acute UCL rupture following high energy trauma, and those with chronic, subclinical elbow laxity. This study aims to explore machine learning algorithms to identify risk factors in patients undergoing elective UCL reconstruction in the ambulatory setting to predict postoperative outcomes. Methods: RStudio was used to create a filtering code to identify adult patients who underwent elective UCL reconstruction from 2008 to 2018 in the American college of surgeons national surgical quality improvement program database. Patients were analyzed using six ML algorithms, which were trained to predict outcomes such as extended length of stay, non-home discharge, and adverse events based on various patient characteristics and surgical variables. Algorithmic performance was then assessed and top performing algorithms underwent further analysis to determine relative feature importance using a permutation feature importance method. Results: ML exhibited excellent performance in predicting LOS, with an average AUC of 0.953, similar to that of logistic regression. Regarding NHD, ML demonstrated a 60.8% increase in AUC compared to LR. In predicting AAE, ML achieved an average AUC that was 12.7% higher than LR. Conclusions: The highly predictive capability of ML indicates the possibility to represent a procedure-specific complementary tool for the preoperative risk stratification process. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of UCL reconstruction in the management and outcomes of any patient, regardless of age or activity level

Improved protocol for plasma microRNA extraction and comparison of commercial kits

MicroRNAs are small, non-coding RNA molecules that are becoming popular biomarkers in several diseases. However, their low abundance in serum/plasma poses a challenge in exploiting their potential in clinics. Several commercial kits are available for rapid isolation of microRNA from plasma. However, reports guiding the selection of appropriate kits to study downstream assays are scarce. Hence, we compared four commercial kits to evaluate microRNA-extraction from plasma and provided a modified protocol that further improved the superior kit’s performance. We compared four kits (miRNeasy Serum/Plasma, miRNeasy Mini Kit from Qiagen; RNA-isolation, and Absolutely-RNA MicroRNA Kit from Agilent technologies) for quality and quantity of microRNA isolated, extraction efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Bioanalyzer-based Agilent Small RNA kit was used to evaluate quality and quantity of microRNA. Extraction efficiency was evaluated by detection of four endogenous control microRNA using real-time-PCR. Further, we modified the manufacturer’s protocol for miRNeasy Serum/Plasma kit to improve yield. miRNeasy Serum/Plasma kit outperformed the other three kits in microRNA-quality (P < 0.005) and yielded maximum microRNA-quantity. Recovery of endogenous control microRNA i.e. hsa-miR-24-3p, hsa-miR-191-5p, hsa-miR-423-5p and hsa-miR-484 was higher as well. Modification with the inclusion of a double elution step enhanced yield of microRNA extracted with miRNeasy Serum/Plasma kit significantly (P < 0.001). We demonstrated that miRNeasy Serum/Plasma kit outperforms other kits and can be reliably used with a limited plasma quantity. We have provided a modified microRNA-extraction protocol with improved microRNA output for downstream analyses

Biodegradation kinetics of 4-fluorocinnamic acid by a consortium of Arthrobacter and Ralstonia strains

Arthrobacter sp. strain G1 is able to grow on 4-fluorocinnamic acid (4-FCA) as sole carbon source. The organism converts 4-FCA into 4-fluorobenzoic acid (4-FBA) and utilizes the two-carbon side-chain for growth with some formation of 4-fluoroacetophenone as a dead-end side product. We also have isolated Ralstonia sp. strain H1, an organism that degrades 4-FBA. A consortium of strains G1 and H1 degraded 4-FCA with Monod kinetics during growth in batch and continuous cultures. Specific growth rates of strain G1 and specific degradation rates of 4-FCA were observed to follow substrate inhibition kinetics, which could be modeled using the kinetic models of Haldane–Andrew and Luong–Levenspiel. The mixed culture showed complete mineralization of 4-FCA with quantitative release of fluoride, both in batch and continuous cultures. Steady-state chemostat cultures that were exposed to shock loadings of substrate responded with rapid degradation and returned to steady-state in 10–15 h, indicating that the mixed culture provided a robust system for continuous 4-FCA degradation