Automation of Image Analysis Software for Real-Time Oxygenation Imaging of Wounds

Preliminary work has shown that measuring tissue oxygenation in diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) using Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) using a Near Infrared Optical Scanner (NIROS) has promise in providing clinicians with subclinical physiological information on wound healing. This physiological information includes hemoglobin-based (oxy-hemoglobin, deoxy-hemoglobin, total hemoglobin, and oxygen saturation) concentration maps that undergo contrast analysis, image segmentation, image coregistration, measurements of wound areas, and statistical analysis. Currently, these methods have been implemented separately in MATLAB, requiring a time-consuming image analysis process. Herein, the objective of this project is to consolidate the various steps of image analysis into a single automated, user-friendly, graphical interface for efficient, real-time data analysis in the clinic. Consolidation and automation of the image analysis process can allow real-time assessment of wound healing status, apart from real-time imaging capabilities of the NIROS system. NIROS has the potential to complement the gold-standard clinical visual assessment of DFUs by providing supplementary physiological information on wound healing, and thus guiding treatment, with the possibility of improving patient outcomes

Symbolic Model Checking for Dynamic Epistemic Logic

Dynamic Epistemic Logic (DEL) can model complex information scenarios in a way that appeals to logicians. However, existing DEL implementations are ad-hoc, so we do not know how the framework really performs. For this purpose, we want to hook up with the best available model-checking and SAT techniques in computational logic. We do this by first providing a bridge: a new faithful representation of DEL models as so-called knowledge structures that allow for symbolic model checking. Next, we show that we can now solve well-known benchmark problems in epistemic scenarios much faster than with existing DEL methods. Finally, we show that our method is not just a matter of implementation, but that it raises significant issues about logical representation and update

Clinical and Radiological Features of Multiple Myeloma Patients at the University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia

Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common blood cancer after lymphomas, thereby accounting for 10% of all haematological malignancies.Objectives: To evaluate the clinical and radiological features of Multiple Myeloma at presentation in patients presenting at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH), Lusaka, Zambia.Design: Descriptive studyMethods and Results: Record files of patients diagnosed with MM from 2008-2015 April were reviewed. Data was analysed using SPSS Version 22. The median age at diagnosis was 53.0 (range 32-81 years). From 46 patients, 25 (54%) were men and 21(46%) were females. The most frequent and common clinical and radiological  features in order of occurrence were osteolytic lesions (65%), back pain (59%), bone pain (46%), anaemia (30%), pathological fractures (26%), chest pain (26%) and fatigue (15%). Females had a higher proportion of fatigue than men with (P= 0.036). It was also observed that pathological fractures in individuals with  osteolytic lesions were statistically significant with (P=0.001).Conclusion: It was observed that osteolytic lesions which are a radiological feature of MM were the most frequent feature of patients presenting with MM at UTH, Lusaka Zambia

Symbolic model checking for dynamic epistemic logic — S5 and beyond

Dynamic Epistemic Logic (DEL) can model complex information scenarios in a way that appeals to logicians. However, existing DEL implementations are ad-hoc, so we do not know how the framework really performs. For this purpose, we want to hook up with the best available model checking and SAT techniques in computational logic. We do this by first providing a bridge: a new faithful representation of DEL models as so-called knowledge structures that allow for symbolic model checking. For more complex epistemic change we introduce knowledge transformers analogous to action models. Next, we show that we can now solve well-known benchmark problems in epistemic scenarios much faster than with existing methods for DEL. We also compare our approach to model checking for temporal logics. Finally, we show that our method is not just a matter of implementation, but that it raises significant issues about logical representation and update

The value of procalcitonin and C-reactive protein as early markers of bacteraemia among patients with haematological malignancies receiving chemotherapy: a cross-sectional study

Background: The immune system of patients with haematological malignancies is suppressed during chemotherapy. This renders them vulnerable to frequent infections especially of the bacterial type. Timely diagnosis of these infections is difficult, because a severe infection may be asymptomatic or manifest only in the form of fever or malaise. There is need for laboratory markers that can detect an infectious process at an early stage. This study was aimed at determining the value of using Procalcitonin (PCT) and C reactive protein (CRP), for early diagnosis of infection in patients with haematological malignancies receiving chemotherapy.Methods: This was a cross sectional study consisting of sixty eight (68) patients with haematological malignancies. Data from each participant including sex, age, clinical and laboratory data were collected after obtaining informed consent. Blood specimens were then collected for measurement of PCT, CRP and bacteriological analysis. Patients were divided into two groups; those with a culture positive and negative result. PCT and CRP concentrations were compared between groups using t-test and nonparametric statistical tests respectively. The area under ROC curve, sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratio, and Spearman's correlation coefficient were also calculated.Results: Atotal of 14 (20.6%) microorganisms were isolated, of which 10 were gram-positive bacteria and 4 were gram-negative bacilli. The mean values of PCT which were 6.1ng/mL in the bacteraemia group and 5.1ng/mL in the non-bacteraemia group, p=0.023 and median CRP values were 24.2 (6.43- 48.15) in the bacteraemia and 23.5 (6.03-75.44) in the non-bacteraemia group, p=0.832. The area under curves was 0.52 (95% CI=0.57-0.84) for CRP and 0.70 (95% CI=0.35-0.69) for PCT. PCT value of greater than 4.7 ng/mL is diagnostic for infections (sensitivity 86%, specificity 54%) while that of CRP was 21mg/mL with the sensitivity and specificity of 64% and 44% respectively. Elevated levels of PCT as well as fever were significantly associated with bacteraemia.Conclusion: PCT was a more reliable and sensitive marker of bacteraemia among patients with  haematological malignancies receiving chemotherapy than CRP.Keywords: Procalcitonin (PCT), C reactive protein (CRP), Haematological Malignancies, Bacteraemia Marke

The Relationship between Age, Metallicity, and Abundances for Disk Stars in a Simulated Milky Way

Observations of the Milky Way's low-α disk show that several element abundances correlate with age at fixed metallicity, with unique slopes and small scatters around the age–[X/Fe] relations. In this study, we turn to simulations to explore the age–[X/Fe] relations for the elements C, N, O, Mg, Si, S, and Ca that are traced in a FIRE-2 cosmological zoom-in simulation of a Milky Way–like galaxy, m12i, and understand what physical conditions give rise to the observed age–[X/Fe] trends. We first explore the distributions of mono-age populations in their birth and current locations, [Fe/H], and [X/Fe], and find evidence for inside-out radial growth for stars with ages <7 Gyr. We then examine the age–[X/Fe] relations across m12i's disk and find that the direction of the trends agrees with observations, apart from C, O, and Ca, with remarkably small intrinsic scatters, σint (0.01 − 0.04 dex). This σint measured in the simulations is also metallicity dependent, with σint ≈ 0.025 dex at [Fe/H] = −0.25 dex versus σint ≈ 0.015 dex at [Fe/H] = 0 dex, and a similar metallicity dependence is seen in the GALAH survey for the elements in common. Additionally, we find that σint is higher in the inner galaxy, where stars are older and formed in less chemically homogeneous environments. The age–[X/Fe] relations and the small scatter around them indicate that simulations capture similar chemical enrichment variance as observed in the Milky Way, arising from stars sharing similar element abundances at a given birth place and time