Formal Specification of a Context-aware Whiteboard System in CCA

A context-aware whiteboard system provides a number of services in a smart classroom including registering students as they enter the classroom; logging students and lecturers in to the blackboard virtual learning environment at the beginning of each lecture and logging them out at the end of the lecture. This system also notifies students of their absence to a lecture and maintains a list of attendance automatically. Using information from the timetable, it is aware of the lectures that are scheduled to take place in the classroom and the students that are allowed to attend these lectures. Finally, it allows students and lecturers to interact with teaching materials such as lecture slides and videos stored in the blackboard virtual learning environment. This paper proposes a formal specification of the white board system in the Calculus of Context-aware Ambients (CCA in short). This enables the formal analysis of the white board system using the execution environment of CCA. Some important properties of a classroom white board system have been validated as a proof of concept

A case study of image retrieval on lung cancer chest x-ray pictures.

This paper presents a case study of an image retrieval system based on a notion of similarity between images in a multimedia database and where a user request can be an image file or a keyword. The CBIR (Content Based Image Retrieval) system, the current System of Search for Information (SSI) --e.g. PEIR, MIRC, MIR, IRMA, and Pathopic-- and the Current Search Engines (CSE) --e.g. Google, Yahoo and Alta Vista-- make image search possible only when the query is a keyword. This type of search is limited because keywords are not expressive enough to describe all important characteristics of an image. For example, an exact match request cannot be formulated in such systems and in SSI system, users should know natural language (e.g. English, French or German) used. We used XIRS (an XML Image Retrieval System) to set up a similarity distance between images, then to compare the request image with those in a database. An experimentation of XIRS on lung cancer diagnosis is presented. The statistics show that our system is more efficient than leading CBIR systems such as ERIC7, PEIR, PathoPic and CSE

PHYSICO-CHEMISTRY OF GEOPHAGIC SOILS INGESTED TO RELIEF NAUSEA AND VOMITING DURING PREGNANCY

Background: Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy (NVP) is one of the most common symptoms experienced by most women during their first trimester of pregnancy. For some of these women, especially the more tribally and culturally oriented ones, soil ingestion is one of the remedies used to curb NVP. The aim of this study was to physico-chemically characterise selected geophagic soils from Cameroon and South Africa, ingested for the relief of NVP and to appraise their ability to meet the needs of geophagic individuals. Materials and Methods: Thirteen geophagic soil samples (6 from Cameroon and 7 from South Africa) were obtained from traditional mine sites and physico-chemically characterized. The following tests were conducted; particle size distribution (PSD), liquid limit (LL), plastic limit (PL), plasticity index, soil pH and electrical conductivity (EC). Results: The samples were texturally classified as silt loam, of medium to high plasticity with normal to active swelling potentials. The samples were generally acidic (pH of 3.1 – 6.1) with low EC (average of 92.71µS/cm). Conclusion: Based on soil consistency limits and pH, the samples were found to be suitable for use as remedy for NVP with soils from Cameroon displaying the most optimum properties

Dementia and cognitive impairment in French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa: a comprehensive review on moving out of the shadows of neglect

Dementia is a global public health problem with increasing prevalence and incidence worldwide. The African continent is expected to bear the biggest brunt of the burden of dementia by 2050 because of the rapid demographic changes, including rapid population growth, an increase in life expectancy, and ageing. However, French-speaking Sub-Saharan African (FS-SSA) countries are underrepresented in research on dementia in Africa. While the reasons are diverse and complex, linguistic and cultural barriers to research, disproportionately affect these countries and may be significant factors. Any efforts, therefore, to redress the burden of dementia in Africa must consider the specific demographic, cultural, and linguistic characteristics of FS-SSA countries. This scoping review explores the current state of knowledge in dementia and cognitive impairment in Sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting research gaps and specific patterns unique to FS-SSA Africa. We identify pathways for research to bridge the knowledge gaps on dementia in FS-SSA as part of the global endeavor to tackle dementia worldwide

Whole body vibration compared to conventional physiotherapy in patients with gonarthrosis: a protocol for a randomized, controlled study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common degenerative arthropathy. Load-bearing joints such as knee and hip are more often affected than spine or hands. The prevalence of gonarthrosis is generally higher than that of coxarthrosis.</p> <p>Because no cure for OA exists, the main emphasis of therapy is analgesic treatment through either mobility or medication. Non-pharmacologic treatment is the first step, followed by the addition of analgesic medication, and ultimately by surgery.</p> <p>The goal of non-pharmacologic and non-invasive therapy is to improve neuromuscular function, which in turn both prevents formation of and delays progression of OA. A modification of conventional physiotherapy, whole body vibration has been successfully employed for several years. Since its introduction, this therapy is in wide use at our facility not only for gonarthrosis, but also coxarthrosis and other diseases leading to muscular imbalance.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>This study is a randomized, therapy-controlled trial in a primary care setting at a university hospital. Patients presenting to our outpatient clinic with initial symptoms of gonarthrosis will be assessed against inclusion and exclusion criteria. After patient consent, 6 weeks of treatment will ensue. During the six weeks of treatment, patients will receive one of two treatments, conventional physiotherapy or whole-body-vibration exercises of one hour three times a week. Follow-up examinations will be performed immediately after treatment and after another 6 and 20 weeks, for a total study duration of 6 months. 20 patients will be included in each therapy group.</p> <p>Outcome measurements will include objective analysis of motion and ambulation as well as examinations of balance and isokinetic force. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index and SF-12 scores, the patients' overall status, and clinical examinations of the affected joint will be carried out.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>As new physiotherapy techniques develop for the treatment of OA, it is important to investigate the effectiveness of competing strategies. With this study, not only patient-based scores, but also objective assessments will be used to quantify patient-derived benefits of therapy.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien (DRKS) DRKS00000415</p> <p>Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01037972</p> <p>EudraCT 2009-017617-29</p

Onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy: an explorative case-control study with viral metagenomic analyses on Onchocerca volvulus [version 2; peer review: 2 approved]

Background A high prevalence of onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy (OAE) has been observed in onchocerciasis-endemic areas with high ongoing Onchocerca volvulus transmission. However, the pathogenesis of OAE remains to be elucidated. We hypothesise that the O. volvulus virome could be involved in inducing epilepsy. With this study, we aim to describe the O. volvulus virome and identify potential neurotropic viruses linked to OAE. Methods In Maridi County, an onchocerciasis endemic area in South Sudan with a high prevalence of OAE, we will conduct an exploratory case-control study enrolling 40 persons aged 12 years and above with palpable onchocerciasis nodules. Cases will be participants with OAE (n=20), who will be age- and village-matched with controls without epilepsy (n=20). For each study participant, two skin snips at the iliac crest will be obtained to collect O. volvulus microfilariae, and one nodulectomy will be performed to obtain adult worms. A viral metagenomic study will be conducted on microfilariae and adult worms, and the O. volvulus virome of persons with and without OAE will be compared. The number, size, and localisation of onchocerciasis nodules in persons with and without OAE will be described. Moreover, the pre- and post-nodulectomy frequency of seizures in persons with OAE will be compared. Ethics and dissemination The protocol has been approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Antwerp and the Ministry of Health of South Sudan. Findings will be disseminated nationally and internationally via meetings and peer-reviewed publications. Registration ClinicalTrials.gov registration NCT05868551 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05868551). Protocol version 1.1, dated 09/05/2023

Burden of onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy: First estimates and research priorities

__Background:__ Since the 1990s, evidence has accumulated of an increased prevalence of epilepsy in onchocerciasis-endemic areas in Africa as compared to onchocerciasis-free areas. Although the causal relationship between onchocerciasis and epilepsy has yet to be proven, there is likely an association.

XIRS: an XML-based image retrieval system.

This paper presents a formalization of an image retrieval system based on a notion of similarity between images in a multimedia database (namely XML-Enabled Database) and where a user request can be an image file or a keyword. The CBIR (Content Based Image Retrieval) system and the current search engines (e.g. Google, Yahoo….) make image search possible only when the query is a keyword. This type of search is limited because keywords are not expressive enough to describe all important characteristics of an image. For example, an exact match request cannot be formulated in such systems. Thus, we propose a search system in which a request might be an image file or a keyword. The MPEG-7 standard is used for describing an image as an XML document. A similarity distance between images is defined which is used to compare the request image with the images of a database. We also propose an algorithm to calculate a similarity distance between two XML nodes with a given precision ‘k’ (k is defined by the user: he can fix ‘k’ at 100% for the exact match retrieval of features) so as to be able to provide accurate information in response to a user request. The statistics show that our system is more efficient than leading content based image retrieval systems such as ERIC7 and current search engines