On the Use of Data Mining Techniques for Crime Profiling

Crime is today a salient fact, an integral part of the risks we face in everyday life. The concern about national andinternational security has increased significantly since the incident of September 11th, 2001 attacks. However, informationoverload thwarts the effective and efficient analysis of criminal activities. Application of data mining in the context of lawenforcement and intelligence analysis holds the promise of solving such problems. The benefit of data mining for policeseems tremendous, yet only a few limited applications are documented. Data mining can be used to model crime detectionproblems. Any research that can help in solving crimes faster will pay for itself. This paper gives reviews current trends inprofiling crime using data mining techniques. We proposed the use of clustering algorithm as a data mining approach to helpdetect the crimes patterns and speed up the process of solving crime.Key words: Crime, profiling, data mining, criminals, attacks and detectio

Effect of Roasting Temperature on the Quality and Acceptability of Dakuwa

The effect of roasting temperature on the quality of dakuwa was studied with a view to ascertaining the best temperature at which to roast the maize grains and groundnut for the production of dakuwa. Maize grains and groundnut were germinated for 72 hours after which they were dried and roasted at 120, 130, 140 and 1500C. The groundnut was decoated after which both maize and groundnut were milled separately. After milling, the maize flour and groundnut paste were mixed together in equal ratio. To this mixture, 10% and 5% respectively of table sugar and granulated red pepper were added. The mixture was then milled and moulded into balls. The dakuwa produced were analysed for proximate composition, mineral content, microbial count and organoleptic properties using standard methods. Results of proximate composition and mineral content showed significant (p<0.05) variations in moisture (3.2-5.9%), protein (16.5-19.1%) and iron (0.00-0.03mg/100g) contents. The total microbial count, colour and overall acceptability also differed significantly (p<0.05). The sample roasted at 1400C had the best results. Keywords: Dakuwa, roasting, proximate composition, mineral, sensory

Effects of antibiotic resistance, drug target attainment, bacterial pathogenicity and virulence, and antibiotic access and affordability on outcomes in neonatal sepsis: an international microbiology and drug evaluation prospective substudy (BARNARDS)

Background Sepsis is a major contributor to neonatal mortality, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). WHO advocates ampicillin–gentamicin as first-line therapy for the management of neonatal sepsis. In the BARNARDS observational cohort study of neonatal sepsis and antimicrobial resistance in LMICs, common sepsis pathogens were characterised via whole genome sequencing (WGS) and antimicrobial resistance profiles. In this substudy of BARNARDS, we aimed to assess the use and efficacy of empirical antibiotic therapies commonly used in LMICs for neonatal sepsis. Methods In BARNARDS, consenting mother–neonates aged 0–60 days dyads were enrolled on delivery or neonatal presentation with suspected sepsis at 12 BARNARDS clinical sites in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa. Stillborn babies were excluded from the study. Blood samples were collected from neonates presenting with clinical signs of sepsis, and WGS and minimum inhibitory concentrations for antibiotic treatment were determined for bacterial isolates from culture-confirmed sepsis. Neonatal outcome data were collected following enrolment until 60 days of life. Antibiotic usage and neonatal outcome data were assessed. Survival analyses were adjusted to take into account potential clinical confounding variables related to the birth and pathogen. Additionally, resistance profiles, pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic probability of target attainment, and frequency of resistance (ie, resistance defined by in-vitro growth of isolates when challenged by antibiotics) were assessed. Questionnaires on health structures and antibiotic costs evaluated accessibility and affordability. Findings Between Nov 12, 2015, and Feb 1, 2018, 36 285 neonates were enrolled into the main BARNARDS study, of whom 9874 had clinically diagnosed sepsis and 5749 had available antibiotic data. The four most commonly prescribed antibiotic combinations given to 4451 neonates (77·42%) of 5749 were ampicillin–gentamicin, ceftazidime–amikacin, piperacillin–tazobactam–amikacin, and amoxicillin clavulanate–amikacin. This dataset assessed 476 prescriptions for 442 neonates treated with one of these antibiotic combinations with WGS data (all BARNARDS countries were represented in this subset except India). Multiple pathogens were isolated, totalling 457 isolates. Reported mortality was lower for neonates treated with ceftazidime–amikacin than for neonates treated with ampicillin–gentamicin (hazard ratio [adjusted for clinical variables considered potential confounders to outcomes] 0·32, 95% CI 0·14–0·72; p=0·0060). Of 390 Gram-negative isolates, 379 (97·2%) were resistant to ampicillin and 274 (70·3%) were resistant to gentamicin. Susceptibility of Gram-negative isolates to at least one antibiotic in a treatment combination was noted in 111 (28·5%) to ampicillin–gentamicin; 286 (73·3%) to amoxicillin clavulanate–amikacin; 301 (77·2%) to ceftazidime–amikacin; and 312 (80·0%) to piperacillin–tazobactam–amikacin. A probability of target attainment of 80% or more was noted in 26 neonates (33·7% [SD 0·59]) of 78 with ampicillin–gentamicin; 15 (68·0% [3·84]) of 27 with amoxicillin clavulanate–amikacin; 93 (92·7% [0·24]) of 109 with ceftazidime–amikacin; and 70 (85·3% [0·47]) of 76 with piperacillin–tazobactam–amikacin. However, antibiotic and country effects could not be distinguished. Frequency of resistance was recorded most frequently with fosfomycin (in 78 isolates [68·4%] of 114), followed by colistin (55 isolates [57·3%] of 96), and gentamicin (62 isolates [53·0%] of 117). Sites in six of the seven countries (excluding South Africa) stated that the cost of antibiotics would influence treatment of neonatal sepsis

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Primary brain T-Cell lymphoma during pregnancy

The incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) during pregnancy is about 0.8 cases per 100,000 women. We describe a case of a 33-year-old woman with primary brain Tcell NHL who was diagnosed at the 32nd week of gestation. She visited the emergency room complaining of a headache, vomiting and drowsiness. Her pregnancy had been uneventful prior to the admission. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a mass at the anterior cranial fossa in the mid liner in the front of the lateral ventricle of the brain. She was hospitalised and monitored regarding her complaints until the foetal lungs matured. During her stay, systemic evaluation revealed no other pathology. She delivered a healthy baby in the 34th week of gestation by Caesarean section and the tumour was evacuated while under the same anaesthesia. She underwent another surgery 12 hours after the first operation because of cerebral herniation. Despite aggressive treatment in the neurosurgical intensive care unit, her condition continued to deteriorate and she died on the tenth postpartum day. Examination of the patient at necropsy revealed no other pathology. The lymph nodes and bone marrow were not involved

Accuracy of intra-operative frozen section in the diagnosis of ovarian tumours

Objectives: To compare frozen-section results with definitive histopathological results of ovarian tumours diagnosed intra operatively at the Zonguldak Maternity Hospital, Zonguldak, Turkey. Methods: The definitive histopathological results of 278 patients who underwent surgery between January 2002 and December 2008 for ovarian masses and on whom frozen sectioning was performed were evaluated retrospectively. After exclusion of 12 patients for whom a definitive result could not be obtained from frozen sections, the results of 266 patients' frozen sections were compared with those from permanent sections. Results: Data of 266 patients was analyzed. The results of frozen sections were 235 (88.3%) benign, 11 (4.2%) borderline and 20 (7.5%) malignant. The sensitivity was 100% for the benign tumours, 77.8% for the borderline tumours and 71.4% for the malignant tumours. The specificity of frozen section was 83.8%, 98.4% and 100% for the benign, borderline and malignant tumours, respectively. Conclusions: Frozen sections have adequate sensitivity and specificity at the Zonguldak Maternity Hospital, Turkey, and can be safely used to guide the intraoperative management of ovarian masses. False-positive and-negative ratios are low

Repeated acute oral exposure to cannabis sativa impaired neurocognitive behaviours and cortico-hippocampal architectonics in wistar rats

The most abused illicit drug in both the developing and the developed world is Cannabis disposing users to varying forms of personality disorders. However, the effects of cannabis on cortico-hippocampal architecture and cognitive behaviours still remain elusive. The present study investigated the neuro-cognitive implications of oral cannabis use in rats. Eighteen adult Wistar rats were randomly grouped to three. Saline was administered to the control rats, cannabis (20 mg/kg) to the experimental group I, while Scopolamine (1 mg/kg. ip) was administered to the last group as a standard measure for the cannabis induced cognitive impairment. All treatments lasted for seven consecutive days. Open Field Test (OFT) was used to assess locomotor activities, Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) for anxiety-like behaviour, and Y maze paradigm for spatial memory and data subjected to ANOVA and T test respectively. Thereafter, rats were sacrificed and brains removed for   histopathological studies. Cannabis significantly reduced rearing frequencies in the OFT and EPM, and increased freezing period in the OFT. It also reduced percentage alternation similar to scopolamine in the Y maze, and these effects were coupled with alterations in the cortico-hippocampal neuronal architectures. These results point to the detrimental impacts of cannabis on cortico-hippocampal neuronal architecture and morphology, and consequently cognitive deficits.Keywords: Anxiety, Cannabis toxicity, Cortex, Memory, Hippocampu

Variants production of Lentinula edodes spores, monokaryon mycelium and dikaryon mycelium by -irradiation

Lentinula edodes or commonly known as shiitake is a cultivated edible mushroom. This mushroom has been used in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmeceutical industries. However after years of selective inbreeding, the mushroom suffers from a small genetic pool. In this study, we attempt to produce genetic variants of shiitake via γ-irradiation. Shiitake’s spores and mycelium (both monokaryon (MM) and dikaryon (DM)) were subjected to γ-irradiation (137Cs) at series of doses ranging from 0 to 4000 Gy. Dose responses were evaluated based on mycelium growth performance and survivability. The γ-irradiation LD50 for shiitake’s spores, MM, 3rd DM subculture and 9th DM subculture were 795 Gy, 460 Gy, 735 Gy and 1330 Gy, respectively. Interestingly our result shows those higher subcultures DM are more resistant to γ-irradiation. We observed that MMs which were exposed to higher dose of γ-irradiation show lower numbers of clamp connections compared to control indicating that there are genetic compatibility changes between individual hyphal cells within the irradiated shiitake mycelia. This study revealed the potential of γ-irradiation as a tool to create diversity in shiitake genetic pool towards healthy and sustainable mushroom crops in the industries