A Machine Learning Model to Predict Urban Sprawl Using Official Land-use Data

The rate of global urbanization is constantly increasing. As a result of the massive population growth, there is an increasing demand for further urban development, especially in developing regions such as Aswan city. This paper aims to examine the usage official land-use data in predicting future urban growth until 2046, moreover, to define urban driving forces in case study area. This was done using Similarity weighted model, a machine learning based model to simulate future urban growth. The results show that official land-use data produce a slightly better results’ accuracy than remote sensing sources within small to medium scales. The results although reveal that for study region, urban area is expected to expand to cover an area of almost 4460 Feddan by year 2046. The outcome of this research assesses decision makers to accurately predict future urban sprawl areas using available official land-use data

Epidemiology and Laboratory Investigations in Children with Chronic Liver Diseases in Sohag University Hospital

Background: Chronic liver diseases encompasse metabolic, genetic, drug-induced and inflammatory diseases. The causes of liver disease in children vary with age. In countries where HBV is endemic, perinatal transmission remains the most important cause of chronic infection. The prevalence of hepatitis C infection was much higher in individuals receiving blood products for conditions such as thalassemia or haemophilia. Glycogen storage disorders may present with chronic liver disease.Objectives: To study epidemiological features and laboratory investigations that may affect the incidence in children with chronic liver disease.Patients and methods: Our study included 30 treatment-naïve patients with chronic liver disease of different aetiologies referred to the Department of Pediatrics, Sohag University Hospital. All patients were subjected to history taking, general and local examinations, laboratory investigations and measurement of serum ceruloplasmin.Results: The mean age of children was 10.23 years in case group and 10.75 years in control group, ranging between 5.5 to 15 years. The majority of patients were females (53.3%) and the remained patients were males (46.7%). There was significant difference between patient and control groups as regard total leucocytic count. Also, there were significant differences between the two groups regarding ALT, AST, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin and concentration and high significant differences regarding serum albumin and prothrombin time.Conclusion: Total leucocytic count, AST, ALT, bilirubin, and serum albumin concentration, and prothrombin time are significant investigations to rule out diagnosis and anticipate complications in patients with chronic liver diseases. ALT and PT are early sensitive markers that anticipate liver decompensation

Electrical and Magnetic Properties of Mn-Bi-Sb Alloys

MnBi1-xSbx alloys were prepared by the conventional melt technique. The Seebeck coefficient (S), electrical resistivity (ρ), and magnetic susceptibility (c) were measured at various temperatures ranging from ~100 to 400 K. The electrical resistivity of x £ 0.15 shows both semiconducting and metallic behavior depending on temperature and Sb content, whereas samples x 3 0.2 have only semiconductor behavior in all the temperature range. The negative sign of the Seebeck coefficient increases, i.e., the positivity decreases with the increasing Sb content. The magnetic susceptibility (χ) shows that alloys undergo ferro-paramagnetic transition at a certain temperature (TC) and the TC values decrease with increasing Sb content. From thermoelectric measurements and electronic thermal conductivity calculated, it was observed that Sb doping increases the power factor (PF) and the figure of merit (ZT). Thus, Sb content plays an essential role in making these alloys applicable in the thermoelectric industry

Role of Ultrasonic Elastography in the Evaluation of Fibrosis in Children with Chronic Liver Disease in Comparison to Liver Biopsy

Background: Chronic liver illnesses can be caused by a variety of factors, including metabolic, genetic, drug-induced, inflammatory, structural, dietary, and immunological factors. Even with Computed Tomography (CT) scans or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), liver fibrosis makes diagnostic imaging difficult in chronic liver injury. Percutaneous liver biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosing, grading, and monitoring liver fibrosis in children, but it is painful, invasive, requires heavy sedation, and has numerous complications such as bleeding. Objectives: The aim of the current work was to assess and measure liver stiffness in children with chronic liver disease using real-time elastography (RTE), compare the results to histopathological findings obtained after performing a percutaneous liver biopsy, and investigate the availability of noninvasive safe liver elastography as a future replacement for this invasive tool in the evaluation and grading of liver fibrosis.Patients and methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional comparative study included a total of 30 individuals with chronic liver disease of various etiologies with age ranged from 4-16 years, attending at Department of Pediatric, Sohag University Hospitals. This study was conducted between January 2017 to December 2019. A control group of ten healthy people was also included in the investigation.Results: The degree of liver stiffness measured by the last ultrasonic elastography was greater in the patient group than in the control group, with a statistically significant difference between the two groups. Except for F0-F1 and F3-F4, there was a substantial relationship between fibrosis stage and liver stiffness assessment by sonoelastography, where the difference was significant between every two individual groups. There was a strong link between biopsy diagnosis and liver stiffness measurement.Conclusion: It could be concluded that in adults, ultrasonic elastography is a well-established approach for assessing liver fibrosis. The utility of elastography in the follow-up of children with chronic liver disease might be increased

Use of an adapted participatory learning and action cycle to increase knowledge and uptake of child vaccination in internally displaced persons camps (IVACS): A cluster-randomised controlled trial

Background: Vaccination is a key public health intervention that can reduce excess mortality in humanitarian contexts. Vaccine hesitancy is thought to be a significant problem requiring demand side interventions. Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) approaches have proven effective in reducing perinatal mortality in low income settings and we aimed to apply an adapted approach in Somalia. Methods: A randomised cluster trial was implemented in camps for internally displaced people near Mogadishu, from June to October 2021. An adapted PLA approach (hPLA) was used in partnership with indigenous ‘Abaay-Abaay’ women's social groups. Trained facilitators ran 6 meeting cycles that addressed topics of child health and vaccination, analysed challenges, and planned and implemented potential solutions. Solutions included a stakeholder exchange meeting involving Abaay-Abaay group members and services providers from humanitarian organisations. Data was collected at baseline and after completion of the 3 month intervention cycle. Results: Overall, 64.6% of mothers were group members at baseline and this increased in both arms during the intervention (p = 0.016). Maternal preference for getting young children vaccinated was >95% at baseline and did not change. The hPLA intervention improved the adjusted maternal/caregiver knowledge score by 7.9 points (maximum possible score 21) compared to the control (95% CI 6.93, 8.85; p < 0.0001). Coverage of both measles vaccination (MCV1) (aOR 2.43 95% CI 1.96, 3.01; p < 0.001) and completion of the pentavalent vaccination series (aOR 2.45 95% CI 1.27, 4.74; p = 0.008) also improved. However, adherence to timely vaccination did not (aOR 1.12 95% CI 0.39, 3.26; p = 0.828). Possession of a home-based, child health record card increased in the intervention arm from 18 to 35% (aOR 2.86 95% CI 1.35, 6.06; p = 0.006). Conclusion: A hPLA approach, run in partnership with indigenous social groups, can achieve important changes in public health knowledge and practice in a humanitarian context. Further work to scale up the approach and address other vaccines and population groups is warranted

Digital acrometastase as a primary manifestation of a bronchial adenocarcinoma

Bone metastases of the hands and feet (acrometastases) are rare. Their presentation is variable and is generally confused with certain inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, tenosynovitis, fracture or infection (panartius, osteomyelitis). The etiology of non-digital acrometastases is common to primary tumors with bone metastases (prostate, lung, kidney, breast, thyroid, and digestive tube). However, digital acrometastases are seen almost exclusively during bronchial neoplasia. We describe the case of a 43 year-old man admitted for pain and swelling of the middle finger distal phalanx of the left hand. Etiological assessement was in favor of an unusual secondary localization of bronchial adenocarcinoma. Tumoral causes must always be evoked before any inflammatory digital symptomatology, from where the interest of a good interrogation and a targeted paraclinical assessment.