Designing Robust LMCA-based Threshold Secret Sharing Scheme for Digital Images Using Multiple Configurations Assignment

In this paper, we present a new (t,n)-threshold secret images sharing scheme based on linear memory cellular automata (LMCA). While all existing LMCA-based sharing scheme are not robust, the proposed one provides full robustness property. Precisely, any subset of t participants can collude to recover the shared secret, in contrast to existing LMCA-based schemes when this is possible only for participants having consecutive shares. To achieve robustness, produced shares are constructed using subsets of different LMCA’s configurations instead of using single ones. The subsets are defined according to an assignments matrix that is generated using a specific heuristic. The proposed scheme is shown to be robust, and its security is experimentally evaluated with respect to the problem of secret color image sharing. Obtained results illustrate the secrecy of the produced shares, while comparison gives an accurate evaluation with respect to existing schemes

Can montelukast correct immune dysregulation in preschool children with mild persistent asthma?

Background: Asthma is the most common inflammatory disorder among preschool and school-age children. Regulation of immune cells and their cytokines is essential to control asthma. Montelukast is a leukotriene receptor antagonist that suppresses inflammatory cell proliferation, and reduces cytokines and mediator secretion. Objective: The research team's goal was to study the immunological parameters among mild  asthmatic patients before and after the treatment with Montelukast. Methods: Forty preschool children with mild persistent asthma and twenty healthy, non-allergic children were included in the study. Blood eosinophil count, total IgE, serum IL-4, IL-10, and IL-13 levels were  assessed. T helper (CD3+CD4+) and T regulatory (CD4+CD25+) cell counts were measured using flow cytometry; for mild asthmatics before and after six weeks of treatment with Montelukast and for the control group. Results: Asthmatic children have shown a significant elevation of serum levels of IgE, IL4 and IL13, and also an increase of eosinophils, total lymphocyte T cells and T helper cell count. However; serum levels of IL10 and Treg cell count was lower in asthmatics compared to control. Following six weeks of Montelukast treatment, all immunological parameters improved. There was a significant elevation of serum levels of IL10 and Treg cell count, with a decrease in serum levels of IgE, IL4 and IL13; eosinophil counts, and helper T cells. Conclusion: Montelukast treatment improves the impaired immunological balance of mild asthmatic children through the increase of serum IL-10, T regulatory cell counts that have anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory effects. It also decreases T helper cells and their proinflammatory cytokines

Effect of isoniazid preventive therapy on risk of death in west African, HIV-infected adults with high CD4 cell counts: long-term follow-up of the Temprano ANRS 12136 trial

Temprano ANRS 12136 was a factorial 2 × 2 trial that assessed the benefits of early antiretroviral therapy (ART; ie, in patients who had not reached the CD4 cell count threshold used to recommend starting ART, as per the WHO guidelines that were the standard during the study period) and 6-month isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) in HIV-infected adults in Côte d'Ivoire. Early ART and IPT were shown to independently reduce the risk of severe morbidity at 30 months. Here, we present the efficacy of IPT in reducing mortality from the long-term follow-up of Temprano. Methods For Temprano, participants were randomly assigned to four groups (deferred ART, deferred ART plus IPT, early ART, or early ART plus IPT). Participants who completed the trial follow-up were invited to participate in a post-trial phase. The primary post-trial phase endpoint was death, as analysed by the intention-to-treat principle. We used Cox proportional models to compare all-cause mortality between the IPT and no IPT strategies from inclusion in Temprano to the end of the follow-up period. Findings Between March 18, 2008, and Jan 5, 2015, 2056 patients (mean baseline CD4 count 477 cells per μL) were followed up for 9404 patient-years (Temprano 4757; post-trial phase 4647). The median follow-up time was 4·9 years (IQR 3·3–5·8). 86 deaths were recorded (Temprano 47 deaths; post-trial phase 39 deaths), of which 34 were in patients randomly assigned IPT (6-year probability 4·1%, 95% CI 2·9–5·7) and 52 were in those randomly assigned no IPT (6·9%, 5·1–9·2). The hazard ratio of death in patients who had IPT compared with those who did not have IPT was 0·63 (95% CI, 0·41 to 0·97) after adjusting for the ART strategy (early vs deferred), and 0·61 (0·39–0·94) after adjustment for the ART strategy, baseline CD4 cell count, and other key characteristics. There was no evidence for statistical interaction between IPT and ART (pinteraction=0·77) or between IPT and time (pinteraction=0·94) on mortality. Interpretation In Côte d'Ivoire, where the incidence of tuberculosis was last reported as 159 per 100 000 people, 6 months of IPT has a durable protective effect in reducing mortality in HIV-infected people, even in people with high CD4 cell counts and who have started ART

Herbal Remedies And Their Adverse Effects In Tem Tribe Traditional Medicine In Togo

In Africa, up to 80% of the population relies on herbal concoctions for their primarily health care. In Togo, western Africa, Tem tribe is a population with old knowledge of medicinal plants, however, still very little is known about their medical practices. The present study was conducted to access for the apprehension of adverse effects of traditional remedies by Tem traditional healers (TH). Enquiry was performed by interviews with healers from August to October 2007 in Tchaoudjo prefecture (Togo). The study allowed us to interview 54 TH including 41(75.93%) males and 13(24.07%) females, who cited 102 recipes assumed to have adverse effects. The recipes were used alone to cure several diseases including haemorrhoids (22.55%), female sexual disorders and infertility (21.57%), gastrointestinal disorders (18.63%), and malaria (6.86%). A total of 34 plants belonging to 21 families were cited to be components of the recipes. Euphorbiaceae and Mimosaceae families were the most represented, however, Nauclea latifolia, Khaya senegalensis, Pseudocedrela kotschyi and Xeroderris stuhlmannii were the main components of recipes linked to adverse effects. A total of 20 adverse effects were linked to the administration of theses drugs, and among them; diarrhoea, abdominal pains, polyuria, general weakness and vomiting were the most frequently encountered. These findings were in accordance with several reports of the literature concerning medicinal plants, although they were based on empirical observations. Laboratory screenings are needed to access for the effectiveness as well as the possible toxic effects of the recipes. Keywords: traditional concoctions, medicinal plants, adverse effects, Togo

A nonuniform DPLL architecture for optimized performance

This paper presents the design, analysis, simulation, and implementation of the architecture of a new nonuniform-type digital phase-locked loop (DPLL). The proposed loop uses a composite phase detector (CPD), which consists of a sample-and-hold unit and an arctan block. The CPD improves the system linearity and results in a wider lock range. In addition, the loop has an adaptive controller block, which can be used to minimize the overall system sensitivity to variations in the power of the input signal. Furthermore, the controller has a tuning mechanism that gives the designer the flexibility to customize the loop parameters to suit a particular application. These performance parameters include lock range, acquisition time, phase noise or jitter, and signal-to-noise ratio enhancement. The simulation results show that the proposed loop provides flexibility to optimize the major conflicting system parameters. A prototype of the proposed system was implemented using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and the practical results concur with those obtained by simulation using MATLAB/Simulink. © 2013 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan.Published versio

Genomic analysis of resistance to fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) in CIMMYT maize lines

The recent invasion, rapid spread, and widescale destruction of the maize crop by the fall armyworm (FAW; Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith)) is likely to worsen the food insecurity situation in Africa. In the present study, a set of 424 maize lines were screened for their responses to FAW under artificial infestation to dissect the genetic basis of resistance. All lines were evaluated for two seasons under screen houses and genotyped with the DArTseq platform. Foliar damage was rated on a scale of 1 (highly resistant) to 9 (highly susceptible) and scored at 7, 14, and 21 days after artificial infestation. Analyses of variance revealed significant genotypic and genotype by environment interaction variances for all traits. Heritability estimates for leaf damage scores were moderately high and ranged from 0.38 to 0.58. Grain yield was negatively correlated with a high magnitude to foliar damage scores, ear rot, and ear damage traits. The genome-wide association study (GWAS) revealed 56 significant marker–trait associations and the predicted functions of the putative candidate genes varied from a defense response to several genes of unknown function. Overall, the study revealed that native genetic resistance to FAW is quantitative in nature and is controlled by many loci with minor effects

Host plant resistance for fall armyworm management in maize: relevance, status and prospects in Africa and Asia

The fall armyworm [Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith); FAW] has emerged as a serious pest since 2016 in Africa, and since 2018 in Asia, affecting the food security and livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers, especially those growing maize. Sustainable control of FAW requires implementation of integrated pest management strategies, in which host plant resistance is one of the key components. Significant strides have been made in breeding elite maize lines and hybrids with native genetic resistance to FAW in Africa, based on the strong foundation of insect-resistant tropical germplasm developed at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, Mexico. These efforts are further intensified to develop and deploy elite maize cultivars with native FAW tolerance/resistance and farmer-preferred traits suitable for diverse agro-ecologies in Africa and Asia. Independently, genetically modified Bt maize with resistance to FAW is already commercialized in South Africa, and in a few countries in Asia (Philippines and Vietnam), while efforts are being made to commercialize Bt maize events in additional countries in both Africa and Asia. In countries where Bt maize is commercialized, it is important to implement a robust insect resistance management strategy. Combinations of native genetic resistance and Bt maize also need to be explored as a path to more effective and sustainable host plant resistance options. We also highlight the critical gaps and priorities for host plant resistance research and development in maize, particularly in the context of sustainable FAW management in Africa and Asia

Advances in crop insect modelling methods—Towards a whole system approach

A wide range of insects affect crop production and cause considerable yield losses. Difficulties reside on the development and adaptation of adequate strategies to predict insect pests for their timely management to ensure enhanced agricultural production. Several conceptual modelling frameworks have been proposed, and the choice of an approach depends largely on the objective of the model and the availability of data. This paper presents a summary of decades of advances in insect population dynamics, phenology models, distribution and risk mapping. Existing challenges on the modelling of insects are listed; followed by innovations in the field. New approaches include artificial neural networks, cellular automata (CA) coupled with fuzzy logic (FL), fractal, multi-fractal, percolation, synchronization and individual/agent based approaches. A concept for assessing climate change impacts and providing adaptation options for agricultural pest management independently of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emission scenarios is suggested. A framework for estimating losses and optimizing yields within crop production system is proposed and a summary on modelling the economic impact of pests control is presented. The assessment shows that the majority of known insect modelling approaches are not holistic; they only concentrate on a single component of the system, i.e. the pest, rather than the whole crop production system. We suggest system thinking as a possible approach for linking crop, pest, and environmental conditions to provide a more comprehensive assessment of agricultural crop production.Peer reviewe