To study the application of Data Visualization and Analysis tools

In today’s world the amount of data has been exploding. Companies capture trillions of bytes of information every day about their customers, suppliers, and operations. Physical devices such as mobile phones, smart phones, and various other communicating devices generate loads of data similarly data on social networking sites will continue to grow.            Large pools of data that can be captured, communicated, aggregated, stored, and analyzed—is now part of every sector and function of the global economy. Hence it’s high time to preserve and secure this data and apply tools that can better visualize and analyse data.There are many data visualizing and analytical tools available in the market today and analyst are still working to improve these tools. In this paper we present a brief review of most of the data visualization and analysis tools. We have focused on two such tools i.e. “Data Wrangler†and “Tableau Publicâ€. Wrangler combines direct manipulation of visualized data, enabling analysts to iteratively explore the space of applicable operations and preview their effects. Through the case study presented in the paper we have shown that Wrangler significantly reduces editing time as compared to manual editing and one can focus and spend more time on analysis instead of editing.†Tableau Public†turns data into any number of visualizations from simple to complex. It also provides drag and drop options into work area which we have applied on the data and presented in this paper

Factors Associated with Coverage and Usage of Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets in Madagascar

In October 2007, long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) were distributed in 59 of the 111 districts in Madagascar as part of a nationwide child survival campaign. A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted six months post-campaign to evaluate net ownership, use and equity. Here, we examined the effects of socioeconomic factors on LLIN ownership and usage in districts with and without net distribution during the campaign. Our data demonstrated that in districts with LLIN distribution, LLIN ownership was similar across all wealth groups in households with at least one child under the age of five years (90.5% versus 88.6%); in districts without net distribution, 57.8% of households in the poorest tertile compared to 90.1% of households in the least poor tertile owned at least one LLIN. In contrast, in LLIN-owning households, both in districts with and without net distribution, higher socio-economic status was not associated with use among children under five years. These findings suggest that socio-economic status contributes to the household net ownership but once a household owns a net, socio-economic status is not associated with net use

Optimising medication management in children and young people with ADHD using a computerised test (QbTest): a feasibility randomised controlled trial

BackgroundMedication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) should be closely monitored to ensure optimisation. There is growing interest in using computerised assessments of ADHD symptoms to support medication monitoring. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the efficacy of one such computerised assessment, the Quantified Behavior (Qb) Test, as part of medication management for ADHD.MethodsThis feasibility multi-site RCT conducted in child and adolescent mental health and community paediatric settings recruited participants aged 6–15 years diagnosed with ADHD starting stimulant medication. Participants were randomised into one of two arms: experimental (QbTest protocol) where participants completed a QbTest at baseline and two follow-up QbTests on medication (2–4 weeks and 8–10 weeks later) and control where participants received treatment as usual, including at least two follow-up consultations. Measures of parent, teacher, and clinician-rated symptoms and global functioning were completed at each time point. Clinicians recorded treatment decision-making and health economic measures were obtained. Data were analysed using multi-level modelling and participants (children and parents) and clinicians were interviewed about their experiences, resulting data were thematically analysed.ResultsForty-four children and young people were randomised. Completion of study outcome measures by care-givers and teachers ranged from 52 to 78% at baseline to 47–65% at follow-up. Participants reported the questionnaires to be useful to complete. SNAP-IV inattention scores showed greater reduction in the intervention than the control group (− 5.85, 95% CI − 10.33, − 1.36,). Engagement with the intervention ranged from 100% at baseline, to 78% follow-up 1 and 57% follow-up 2. However, only 37% of QbTests were conducted in the correct time period. Interview data highlighted that the objectivity of the QbTest was appreciated by clinicians and parents. Clinicians commented that the additional time and resources required meant that it is not feasible to use QbTest for all cases.ConclusionThe trial design and protocol appear to be feasible and acceptable but could be improved by modifying QbTest time periods and the method of data collection. With these changes, the protocol may be appropriate for a full trial. Adding QbTest may improve symptom outcome as measured by SNAP-IV

Host lipidome and tuberculosis treatment failure

INTRODUCTION: Host lipids play important roles in tuberculosis (TB) pathogenesis. Whether host lipids at TB treatment initiation (baseline) affect subsequent treatment outcomes has not been well characterised. We used unbiased lipidomics to study the prospective association of host lipids with TB treatment failure. METHODS: A case–control study (n=192), nested within a prospective cohort study, was used to investigate the association of baseline plasma lipids with TB treatment failure among adults with pulmonary TB. Cases (n=46) were defined as TB treatment failure, while controls (n=146) were those without failure. Complex lipids and inflammatory lipid mediators were measured using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry techniques. Adjusted least-square regression was used to assess differences in groups. In addition, machine learning identified lipids with highest area under the curve (AUC) to classify cases and controls. RESULTS: Baseline levels of 32 lipids differed between controls and those with treatment failure after false discovery rate adjustment. Treatment failure was associated with lower baseline levels of cholesteryl esters and oxylipin, and higher baseline levels of ceramides and triglycerides compared to controls. Two cholesteryl ester lipids combined in a unique classifier model provided an AUC of 0.79 (95% CI 0.65–0.93) in the test dataset for prediction of TB treatment failure. CONCLUSIONS: We identified lipids, some with known roles in TB pathogenesis, associated with TB treatment failure. In addition, a lipid signature with prognostic accuracy for TB treatment failure was identified. These lipids could be potential targets for risk-stratification, adjunct therapy and treatment monitoring

Randomized Clinical Trial of High-Dose Rifampicin With or Without Levofloxacin Versus Standard of Care for Pediatric Tuberculous Meningitis: The TBM-KIDS Trial

Background. Pediatric tuberculous meningitis (TBM) commonly causes death or disability. In adults, high-dose rifampicin may reduce mortality. The role of fluoroquinolones remains unclear. There have been no antimicrobial treatment trials for pediatric TBM. Methods. TBM-KIDS was a phase 2 open-label randomized trial among children with TBM in India and Malawi. Participants received isoniazid and pyrazinamide plus: (i) high-dose rifampicin (30 mg/kg) and ethambutol (R30HZE, arm 1); (ii) high-dose rifampicin and levofloxacin (R30HZL, arm 2); or (iii) standard-dose rifampicin and ethambutol (R15HZE, arm 3) for 8 weeks, followed by 10 months of standard treatment. Functional and neurocognitive outcomes were measured longitudinally using Modified Rankin Scale (MRS) and Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL). Results. Of 2487 children prescreened, 79 were screened and 37 enrolled. Median age was 72 months; 49%, 43%, and 8% had stage I, II, and III disease, respectively. Grade 3 or higher adverse events occurred in 58%, 55%, and 36% of children in arms 1, 2, and 3, with 1 death (arm 1) and 6 early treatment discontinuations (4 in arm 1, 1 each in arms 2 and 3). By week 8, all children recovered to MRS score of 0 or 1. Average MSEL scores were significantly better in arm 1 than arm 3 in fine motor, receptive language, and expressive language domains (P < .01). Conclusions. In a pediatric TBM trial, functional outcomes were excellent overall. The trend toward higher frequency of adverse events but better neurocognitive outcomes in children receiving high-dose rifampicin requires confirmation in a larger trial. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT02958709

Non-invasive assessment of pollutant particles in the lower airway of children and adults

Epidemiological studies in children suggest that inhalation of carbonaceous particulate matter (PM) adversely affects children's respiratory health. However, the relationship between markers of PM exposure and the quantity of particles entering the paediatric airway is unclear. The hypothesis was that, the carbon in alveolar macrophages (AM) reflects individual exposure of healthy children to PM. The aim was to quantify carbon in AM in extreme (biomass smoke) and with fossil fuel exposure. For fossil fuel exposure the aim was also to establish the relationship between median carbon loading per AM per child and: i) markers of exposures at the home address and ii) lung function iii) markers of airway inflammation. Healthy children were recruited from schools. Exercise parameters recorded. Environmental smoke exposure was excluded by salivary cotinine. AM were sampled by induced sputum. Median carbon area was determined by image analysis of digitized light microscopic images of AM. The median area of AM carbon was higher in Ethiopian women compared with UK adults, (p = 0.0002). Median carbon area in Ethiopian children was higher than UK children (p = 0.0002). In fossil-fuel exposure group, a weak, but significantly positive, association was found between median carbon area and modelled primary PM10 (p = 0.022), and a stronger inverse association between median carbon area and FEV1% predicted (p = 0.004), and FEF25-75% predicted (p = 0.004). There was no significant association between median carbon area and exercise variables and markers of airway inflammation

An Innovative Technique for Static Post-Operative Splintage

Dental Impression Compound was found to be a useful material to fabricate immediate postoperative and maintenance splints after contracture release in 50 cases