Traiter les exceptions en ASP à partir d’une représentation compacte des informations

L’ASP, utilisé dans la forme des programmes logiques normaux, estun cadre adéquat pour le raisonnement non-monotone dans la mesure où il offre un modèle formel valide ainsi que des systèmes opérationnels. Le problème est que la représentation des informations dans ce cadre n’est pas une opération aisée. C’est pourquoi nous proposons de générer automatiquement ces programmes logiques normaux à partir d’une représentation compacte des informations à base de programmes logiques définis. Pour cela, nous appliquons une méthode définie dans le cadre de la logique des défauts dont nous proposons une adaptation

The effect of hypertension on neurocognitive functioning and quality of life

Objectives: Hypertension has been reported as one of the most important etiologic factors in cardiovascular disease. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of hypertension on neurocognitive functioning and quality of life.Design: The study was cross sectional, and clinic based. The sample comprised of 50 adult Zambians aged 40- 65years.Main outcomes: The main outcomes were neurocogntive functioning and quality of life.Measures: The measures used in this study were the Zambian neurobehavioral test battery as a measure of neuro cognitive functioning and the SF12 Health survey as a measure of quality of life.Results: There was no significant difference in neuropsychological test performance on all the seven ability domains measured. On Global Deficit Scores impairment index, Chi square showed more impairment in the hypertensive group; however this was not statistically significant. Pearson's correlations test showed that at 0.05 sig. side effects correlated negatively with Physical functioning (r=0.593) and mental health (r=0.598) and at 0.01 sig. with vitality scale (r=0.6340 and social functioning (r=0.618) of the SF12 health survey domains.Conclusion: Quality of life seems to be more affected than neurocognitive functioning in the hypertensives in this study

Technical guidelines for economic valuation of inland small-scale fisheries in developing countries

These ôTechnical Guidelines for Economic Valuation of Inland Small-scale Fisheries in Developing Countriesö are one of the outputs of the project on ôFood security and poverty alleviation through improved valuation and governance of river fisheries in Africaö. The guidelines draw upon research results and experience gained during the course of the project. The project was coordinated and implemented by the WorldFish Center and was carried out in cooperation with the National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARs) from the participating countries: the Nigeria Institute for Freshwater Fisheries Research, the Departments of Fishery of Niger, Malawi and Zambia, and the Cameroonian MinistΦre de lÆElevage, des PΩches et de lÆIndustrie Animale; and three advanced research institutes (ARIs): the Leibniz University of Hannover in Germany, the Institute for Sustainable Development and Aquatic Resources in UK, and the University of Cape Town in South Africa.Rural development, Sustainable development, Livelihoods, Economic analysis, Research, Artisanal fishing

Stigma, identity and resistance among people living with HIV in South Africa

AIDS-related stigma can cause delays in testing, poor treatment adherence, and greater numbers of new infections. Existing studies from low- and middle-income countries focus on the negative experiences of stigma, and few document resistance strategies. In this article we document the diverse journeys of people living with HIV in South Africa, through ill health, testing, disclosure, and treatment, and their responses to stigma. The research questions of focus are: Why are some able to resist stigma despite poverty and gendered oppression, whereas others are not? Why are some people able to reach closure, adapting to diagnosis, prognosis and finding a social context within which they resist stigma and can live with their illness? The illness narratives reported here show that the ability to resist stigma derives from a new role or identity with social value or meaning. Generation of a new role requires resources that are limited due to poverty, and exacerbated by unstable family relations. People who are socially marginalised have fewer opportunities to demonstrate their social value, face the greatest risk of transmission, re-infection and failure to adhere to medication, and require particular support from the health sector or community groups

The Role of Abdominal Ultrasound and |Chest Radiography in Management of Breast Cancer Patients in a Low Resource Country: A Case of Tanzania

Background: Breast cancer is among the commonest cancers affecting women in Tanzania. Most of them seek hospital treatment when the disease has reached an advanced stage. Hence widely available modalities like ultrasound (LUS) and chest radiograph (CXR) can be used to establishmetastasis in newly diagnosed patients. The main objective of this study was to determine the role of abdominal ultrasound and chest radiography in detection of liver and lung metastasis in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients.Methods: This was a descriptive cross sectional study in which 103 new breast cancer patients attending Ocean Road Cancer Institute (ORCI) were recruited consecutively. All participants were investigated for liver and lung metastases using abdominal ultrasound and chest x-ray respectively.Standardized questionnaires were used to obtain socio-demographic and to document examination findings.Results: Participants were aged between 26 – 77 years, with a mean of 48±11.22. The prevalence of metastasis to the liver and lungs were 18.4% and 20.4% respectively. Majority of patients with breast cancer had locally advanced breast cancer disease that is either TNM stage three (59.2%) or four (32%) disease upon arrival to ORCI.Conclusion: This study has demonstrated a high detection rate of LUS and CXR for liver and lung metastasis in patients with locally advanced breast cancer

Investigating the effect of acid stress on selected mesophilic micro-organisms implicated in bioleaching

During start-up of heap bioleaching, low grade ores are typically treated with acid for agglomeration and to combat the acid neutralising capacity of the gangue minerals. This may stress the bioleaching inocula, particularly upon inoculation during ore agglomeration. Acid addition for agglomeration varies across operations, ore types and their neutralising capacity, with limited information published on recommended concentrations. The initial pH in the agglomeration mix is typically below pH 1.0 and may be as low as pH 0.5. This paper investigates the effect of acid stress in terms of initial acid concentration and exposure duration in submerged culture on mesophilic bacteria typically implicated in mineral sulphide bioleaching and critical for heap colonisation at start-up. Following acid stress, cultures were returned to standard operating conditions in batch stirred slurry reactors and their performance assessed in terms of mineral leach rates, ferrous oxidation and the rate of microbial growth. Increasing acid stress resulted in an increase in the lag period before onset of microbial growth and iron oxidation. Following adaptation, typical growth and ferrous iron oxidation rates were observed under low stress conditions while reduction in the rate and extent of microbial growth and ferrous iron oxidation persisted at extreme conditions. A reduction in yield (microbial cells produced per kg iron oxidised) was observed with increased acid concentration over comparative times. Microbial speciation analysis indicated a substantial decrease in the diversity of surviving bacterial species

Traiter automatiquement les exceptions en introduisant la spécificité en ASP

La programmation par ensembles réponses (plus connue sous le terme anglais d\u27Answer Set Programming, abrégé en ASP), utilisée dans la forme des programmes logiques normaux, est un cadre adéquat pour le raisonnement par défaut dans la mesure où il offre un modèle formel valide ainsi que des systèmes opérationnels. La représentation des informations dans ce cadre n\u27étant pas une opération aisée, nous proposons de générer automatiquement ces programmes logiques normaux à partir d\u27une représentation compacte des informations. Pour cela, nous utilisons la spécificité des informations de la même manière que cela a déjà été proposé pour la logique des défauts et dont nous proposons une adaptation à l\u27ASP tant d\u27un point de vue théorique que pratique

Endoscopic third ventriculostomy and choroid plexus cauterization in childhood hydrocephalus in Zambia

Background: Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) and Choroid Plexus Cauterization (CPC) have been recommended as reliable surgical options in developing countries for childhood hydrocephalus owing to reported shunt failures in shunt dependency.Objective: To evaluate outcomes of the ETV and ETV-CPC procedures as surgical options for selected forms of hydrocephalus in Zambia.Methods: Between 2007 and 2010, 131 children with hydrocephalus underwent the ETV or ETVCPC procedures at Beit Cure Hospital (BCH) and were eligible for the analysis. Failed ETV was defined as cases that needed subsequent surgical procedures within 6 months of operation.Results: A total number of 110 (84%) children underwent ETV-CPC and 21 (16%) had ETV alone. The overall success rate was 74%, whereas ETV-CPC was 76% and ETV alone was 62% (p < 0.0001). ETV success rate was more likely with children aged one year and above (p < 0.06) and with non-post infectious hydrocephalus (p < 0.29). Age and etiology were not significantly associated with the outcomes.Conclusions: Endoscopic third ventriculostomy is a safe, reliable and effective option for selected forms of hydrocephalus in Zambia. The combination of ETV and CPC was more effective than ETV alone. It is highly recommended that such services be extended to other referral hospitals as options to shunt placement, especially in cases where access for treatment failure is likely to be delayed.Keywords: Hydrocephalus, endoscopic third ventriculostomy, choroid plexus cauterization, Outcomes, Physiotherapy, Zambi

MRI and gravimetric studies of hydrology in drip irrigated heaps and its effect on the propagation of bioleaching microorganisms

Heap bioleaching performance is dependent on the contacting of the leach solution with the ore bed, hence on the system hydrodynamics. In this study two experimental setups were used to examine hydrodynamics associated with irrigation from a single drip emitter, one of the most common methods of heap irrigation. A specialist magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method which is insensitive to the metal content of the ore was used to examine the liquid flow into an ore bed in the immediate vicinity of an irrigation point. The distribution of liquid in, microbial colonisation of and mineral recovery from a bioleach of a large scale 132 kg “ore slice” were subsequently monitored using sample ports positioned along the breadth and height of the reactor. In both systems the lateral movement of the liquid increased with bed depth, though preferential flow was evident. The majority of the liquid flow was in the region directly below the irrigation point and almost no liquid exchange occurred in the areas of lowest liquid content at the upper corners of the bed in which fluid exchange was driven by capillary action. The MRI studies revealed that the liquid distribution was unchanging following an initial settling of the ore bed and that, at steady state, the majority (~60%) of the liquid flowed directly into established large channels. The limited lateral movement of the liquid had a significant impact on the local leaching efficiencies and microbial colonisation of the ore with cell concentrations in the regions of lowest liquid content lying below the detection limit. Hence poor lateral liquid distribution with drip irrigation, and the associated impact on colonisation was identified as a significant disadvantage of this irrigation approach. Further, the need to optimise fluid exchange throughout the ore bed was identified as key for optimisation of leaching performance

Using Open Public Meetings and Elections to Promote Inward Transparency and Accountability: Lessons from Zambia

BackgroundCommunity-led governance can ensure that leaders are accountable to the populations they serve and strengthen health systems for maternal care. A key aspect of democratic accountability is electing respective governance bodies, in this case community boards, and holding public meetings to inform community members about actions taken on their behalf. After helping build and open 10 maternity waiting homes (MWHs) in rural Zambia as part of a randomized controlled trial, we assisted community governance committees to plan and execute annual meetings to present performance results and, where needed, to elect new board members. MethodsWe applied a principally qualitative design using observation and analysis of written documentation of public meetings to answer our research question: how do governance committees enact inward transparency and demonstrate accountability to their communities. The analysis measured participation and stakeholder representation at public meetings, the types and purposes of accountability sought by community members as evidenced by questions asked of the governance committee, and responsiveness of the governance committee to issues raised at public meetings. ResultsPublic meetings were attended by 6 out of 7 possible stakeholder groups, and reports were generally transparent. Stakeholders asked probing questions focused mainly on financial performance. Governance committee members were responsive to questions raised by participants, with 59% of answers rated as fully or mostly responsive (showing understanding of and answering the question). Six of the 10 sites held elections to re-elect or replace governance committee members. Only 2 sites reached the target set by local stakeholder committees of 50% female membership, down from 3 at formation. To further improve transparency and accountability, community governance committees need to engage in advance preparation of reports, and should consult with stakeholders on broader measures for performance assessment. Despite receiving training, community-level governance committees lacked understanding of the strategic purpose of open public meetings and elections, and how these relate to democratic accountability. They were therefore not motivated to engage in tactics to manage stakeholders effectively. ConclusionWhile open meetings and elections have potential to enhance good governance at the community level, continuous training and mentoring are needed to build capacity and enhance sustainability