Investigating Predictive Capabilities of RBFNN, MLPNN and GRNN Models for LTE Cellular Network Radio Signal Power Datasets

Efficient radio frequency signal coverage planning with well configured transmitters and receivers’ communication channels, is the heart of any cost-effective cellular network design, deployment and operation. It ensures that both network quality and coverage are simultaneously make best use of (i.e. maximized). This work aim to appraise the adaptive learning and predictive capacity of three neural network models on spatial radio signal power datasets obtained from commercial LTE cellular networks. The neural network models are radial basis function neural network (RBFNN), multilayer perceptron neural network (MLPNN) trained with Bayesian regulation algorithms and general regression neural network (GRNN) models.  Largely, it is established from the results that ANN prediction methods can tolerate and adapt to measurement errors of attenuating LTE radio signals. Performance comparisons reveal that all the neural network models can predict the propagated LTE radio signals with considerable errors. Specifically, RBFNN delivered the overall best performance with the smallest mean absolute percentage error, root mean square error, mean absolute error and standard deviation values. The GRNN model also gave better prediction results with marginal errors compared to the MLPNN. Thus, the predictive abilities of RBFNN and GRNN models can be explored as a useful tool to successfully plan or fine-tune mobile radio signal coverage area. Keywords: Neural networks; Signal power; attenuating radio signals; radial basis function multilayer perceptron, general regression neural network, Adaptive signal predictio

Agronomic efficacy of compost manure and NPK fertilizer on some soil chemical properties and maize production in an ultisol environment

Studies were conducted as an on-farm trial at Evboneka in 2009 and 2010 cropping seasons to estimate the effect of soil amendments in enhancing soil fertility status and relative agronomic efficacy of maize yield in humid ultisol environment. Effects of compost was investigated at application rates of 20 and 40 t ha-1 while NPK and organo-mineral fertilizer effects were investigated at 200 kg/ha and a combination of 100 kg/ha NPK and 20 t/ha compost manure (organo-mineral fertilizer) with maize TZEE-W cultivar resulting in five treatments and replicated three times. The results obtained revealed that the tested soil was low in organic matter, total N, available P, moderately acidic and low cations (Ca, Mg and K). The compost manure was rich in N, P, Mg, K, organic carbon and Ca concentration. The application of compost manure and NPK to the soil improved the soil fertility status. The highest maize height (132.70 cm), greatest total dry weight (0.63 t ha-1) and relative agronomic efficacy (%) were obtained from plots treated with 40 t/ha-1 compost manure while the plots treated with organo-mineral had the greatest LAI (2.75)

APOE E4 is associated with impaired self-declared cognition but not disease risk or age of onset in Nigerians with Parkinson's disease

The relationship between APOE polymorphisms and Parkinson's disease (PD) in black Africans has not been previously investigated. We evaluated the association between APOE polymorphic variability and self-declared cognition in 1100 Nigerians with PD and 1097 age-matched healthy controls. Cognition in PD was assessed using the single item cognition question (item 1.1) of the MDS-UPDRS. APOE genotype and allele frequencies did not differ between PD and controls (p > 0.05). No allelic or genotypic association was observed between APOE and age at onset of PD. In PD, APOE ε4/ε4 conferred a two-fold risk of cognitive impairment compared to one or no ε4 (HR: 2.09 (95% CI: 1.13-3.89; p = 0.02)), while APOE ε2 was associated with modest protection against cognitive impairment (HR: 0.41 (95% CI 0.19-0.99, p = 0.02)). Of 773 PD with motor phenotype and APOE characterized, tremor-dominant (TD) phenotype predominated significantly in ε2 carriers (87/135, 64.4%) compared to 22.2% in persons with postural instability/gait difficulty (PIGD) (30/135) and 13.3% in indeterminate (ID) (18/135, 13.3%) (p = 0.037). Although the frequency of the TD phenotype was highest in homozygous ε2 carriers (85.7%), the distribution of motor phenotypes across the six genotypes did not differ significantly (p = 0.18). Altogether, our findings support previous studies in other ethnicities, implying a role for APOE ε4 and ε2 as risk and protective factors, respectively, for cognitive impairment in PD

Stroke genetics informs drug discovery and risk prediction across ancestries

Previous genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of stroke - the second leading cause of death worldwide - were conducted predominantly in populations of European ancestry(1,2). Here, in cross-ancestry GWAS meta-analyses of 110,182 patients who have had a stroke (five ancestries, 33% non-European) and 1,503,898 control individuals, we identify association signals for stroke and its subtypes at 89 (61 new) independent loci: 60 in primary inverse-variance-weighted analyses and 29 in secondary meta-regression and multitrait analyses. On the basis of internal cross-ancestry validation and an independent follow-up in 89,084 additional cases of stroke (30% non-European) and 1,013,843 control individuals, 87% of the primary stroke risk loci and 60% of the secondary stroke risk loci were replicated (P < 0.05). Effect sizes were highly correlated across ancestries. Cross-ancestry fine-mapping, in silico mutagenesis analysis(3), and transcriptome-wide and proteome-wide association analyses revealed putative causal genes (such as SH3PXD2A and FURIN) and variants (such as at GRK5 and NOS3). Using a three-pronged approach(4), we provide genetic evidence for putative drug effects, highlighting F11, KLKB1, PROC, GP1BA, LAMC2 and VCAM1 as possible targets, with drugs already under investigation for stroke for F11 and PROC. A polygenic score integrating cross-ancestry and ancestry-specific stroke GWASs with vascular-risk factor GWASs (integrative polygenic scores) strongly predicted ischaemic stroke in populations of European, East Asian and African ancestry(5). Stroke genetic risk scores were predictive of ischaemic stroke independent of clinical risk factors in 52,600 clinical-trial participants with cardiometabolic disease. Our results provide insights to inform biology, reveal potential drug targets and derive genetic risk prediction tools across ancestries.</p

Stroke genetics informs drug discovery and risk prediction across ancestries

Previous genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of stroke — the second leading cause of death worldwide — were conducted predominantly in populations of European ancestry1,2. Here, in cross-ancestry GWAS meta-analyses of 110,182 patients who have had a stroke (five ancestries, 33% non-European) and 1,503,898 control individuals, we identify association signals for stroke and its subtypes at 89 (61 new) independent loci: 60 in primary inverse-variance-weighted analyses and 29 in secondary meta-regression and multitrait analyses. On the basis of internal cross-ancestry validation and an independent follow-up in 89,084 additional cases of stroke (30% non-European) and 1,013,843 control individuals, 87% of the primary stroke risk loci and 60% of the secondary stroke risk loci were replicated (P < 0.05). Effect sizes were highly correlated across ancestries. Cross-ancestry fine-mapping, in silico mutagenesis analysis3, and transcriptome-wide and proteome-wide association analyses revealed putative causal genes (such as SH3PXD2A and FURIN) and variants (such as at GRK5 and NOS3). Using a three-pronged approach4, we provide genetic evidence for putative drug effects, highlighting F11, KLKB1, PROC, GP1BA, LAMC2 and VCAM1 as possible targets, with drugs already under investigation for stroke for F11 and PROC. A polygenic score integrating cross-ancestry and ancestry-specific stroke GWASs with vascular-risk factor GWASs (integrative polygenic scores) strongly predicted ischaemic stroke in populations of European, East Asian and African ancestry5. Stroke genetic risk scores were predictive of ischaemic stroke independent of clinical risk factors in 52,600 clinical-trial participants with cardiometabolic disease. Our results provide insights to inform biology, reveal potential drug targets and derive genetic risk prediction tools across ancestries

Stroke genetics informs drug discovery and risk prediction across ancestries

Previous genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of stroke — the second leading cause of death worldwide — were conducted predominantly in populations of European ancestry1,2. Here, in cross-ancestry GWAS meta-analyses of 110,182 patients who have had a stroke (five ancestries, 33% non-European) and 1,503,898 control individuals, we identify association signals for stroke and its subtypes at 89 (61 new) independent loci: 60 in primary inverse-variance-weighted analyses and 29 in secondary meta-regression and multitrait analyses. On the basis of internal cross-ancestry validation and an independent follow-up in 89,084 additional cases of stroke (30% non-European) and 1,013,843 control individuals, 87% of the primary stroke risk loci and 60% of the secondary stroke risk loci were replicated (P < 0.05). Effect sizes were highly correlated across ancestries. Cross-ancestry fine-mapping, in silico mutagenesis analysis3, and transcriptome-wide and proteome-wide association analyses revealed putative causal genes (such as SH3PXD2A and FURIN) and variants (such as at GRK5 and NOS3). Using a three-pronged approach4, we provide genetic evidence for putative drug effects, highlighting F11, KLKB1, PROC, GP1BA, LAMC2 and VCAM1 as possible targets, with drugs already under investigation for stroke for F11 and PROC. A polygenic score integrating cross-ancestry and ancestry-specific stroke GWASs with vascular-risk factor GWASs (integrative polygenic scores) strongly predicted ischaemic stroke in populations of European, East Asian and African ancestry5. Stroke genetic risk scores were predictive of ischaemic stroke independent of clinical risk factors in 52,600 clinical-trial participants with cardiometabolic disease. Our results provide insights to inform biology, reveal potential drug targets and derive genetic risk prediction tools across ancestries

Bacteriology of urine specimens obtained from men with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia

Background: Bacteriuria and urinary tract infections are common sequelae of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Thus, the knowledge of urine bacteriology in men with symptomatic BPH in our environment may play a complementary role in management. Objectives: To determine the incidence of bacteriuria and the antibiotic sensitivity pattern of bacterial isolates in cultured urine samples of men with symptomatic BPH. Patients and Methods: This was a 1 year prospective study. All patients who presented with lower urinary tract symptoms due to BPH and who met the inclusion criteria were studied. Urine samples were obtained from the patients for microscopy, culture, and sensitivity following standard protocol. Results: Ninety-four patients were studied. The age range was 53-80 years with a mean of 65.5 ΁ 7.8 years. Bacterial isolates were noted in 42 (44.7%) patients. Six of these had two different species of bacterial organisms isolated. Escherichia coli noted in 20 (47.6%) specimens was the most common organism isolated while the least common, Providencia species, was noted in 1 (2.4%). The bacterial isolates were mostly sensitive to imipenem, meropenem, and nitrofurantoin, but showed greater resistance to cefuroxime, gentamicin, and ofloxacin. There was no significant difference between the means for age (P = 0.80), duration of symptoms (P = 0.09), and prostate size (P = 0.52) in the patients with and those without bacteriuria. Conclusion: Bacteriuria is a common finding in patients with symptomatic BPH in our setting. The bacterial isolates showed high level of resistance to oral cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones. There is a need to update guidelines in empiric use of antibiotics in this group of patients

Fluconazole Resistance among Oral Candida Isolates from People Living with HIV/AIDS in a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital

Oropharyngeal candidiasis, a common fungal infection in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), arises from Candida species colonizing the oral cavity. Fluconazole is the preferred treatment and is often used empirically. Few studies have investigated the prevalence of fluconazole resistance in Nigeria. This study aimed at determining the burden of fluconazole resistance among Candida species in the oral cavities of PLWHA. We sampled the oral cavities of 350 HIV-infected adults and an equal number of HIV-negative controls. Candida isolates were identified using germ tube tests, CHROMagar Candida (CHROMagar, Paris, France), and API Candida yeast identification system (BioMérieux, Marcy-l’Étoile, France). Fluconazole susceptibility was determined using the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute disc diffusion method. Data were analysed using SPSS version 21 (IBM, New York, NY, USA). The significance level was set at p ≤ 0.05. The isolation rates for Candida amongst HIV-infected subjects and controls were 20.6% and 3.4%, respectively (p &lt; 0.001). In PLWHA, Candida albicans was most frequently isolated (81.3%) and fluconazole resistance was present in 18 (24%) of the 75 Candida isolates. Resistance to fluconazole was present in half of the non-albicans Candida isolates. Fluconazole resistance is prevalent among oral Candida isolates in PLWHA in the study area with a significantly higher rate among non-albicans Candida spp

Guillain barre syndrome as initial presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus

Background: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by multiple organ involvement including the peripheral nervous system. Guillan- Barrè syndrome (GBS) has an established association with SLE as one of its neurologic manifestations. However, GBS as an initial manifestation of SLE is only sparingly reported in the literature.Methods: We present a case of a 26 year old woman who was initially managed by neurology unit for GBS but subsequently developed body swelling, hypertension and polyarthritis. She was evaluated and managed by both rheumatology and nephrology units.Results: Renal biopsy showed histological features of membranous nephropathy suggestive of stage V lupus nephritis. The patient responded well to high dose corticosteroid, intravenous cyclophosphamide and azathioprine.Conclusion: This case highlights that GBS can be an initial presentation of SLE and the usefulness of immunosuppressants in the management of such cases.Keywords: Guillan-Barrè syndrome, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Lupus Nephritis, Immunosuppressant