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Automatic Burns Analysis Using Machine Learning
Get PDFBurn injuries are a significant global health concern, causing high mortality and morbidity rates. Clinical assessment is the current standard for diagnosing burn injuries, but it suffers from interobserver variability and is not suitable for intermediate burn depths. To address these challenges, machine learning-based techniques were proposed to evaluate burn wounds in a thesis. The study utilized image-based networks to analyze two medical image databases of burn injuries from Caucasian and Black-African cohorts. The deep learning-based model, called BurnsNet, was developed and used for real-time processing, achieving high accuracy rates in discriminating between different burn depths and pressure ulcer wounds. The multiracial data representation approach was also used to address data representation bias in burn analysis, resulting in promising performance. The ML approach proved its objectivity and cost-effectiveness in assessing burn depths, providing an effective adjunct for clinical assessment. The study's findings suggest that the use of machine learning-based techniques can reduce the workflow burden for burn surgeons and significantly reduce errors in burn diagnosis. It also highlights the potential of automation to improve burn care and enhance patients' quality of life.Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF);
Gombe State University study fellowshi
Pregnancy, Transition to Motherhood, Infant Feeding Attitudes and Health Locus of Control in Nigeria
Get PDFExclusive breastfeeding and holistic maternity care are strategic to improving maternal and infant health outcomes in Nigeria. This thesis aimed at informing policies and interventions to promote breastfeeding and to improve Nigerian mother’s experiences in antenatal and intrapartum care. The study in this research focused upon psychological dynamics underlying societal culture around maternity and breastfeeding. Using quantitative method, attitudes toward breastfeeding and health orientation were surveyed in 400 Nigerian men and women using the Iowa Infant Feeding Attitude Scale (IIFAS) and the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale (MHLoC). There were more positive attitudes toward breastfeeding in males, participants in the 20-29-year-old age category, and in those who identified as single. Higher internal HLoC was associated with more positive attitudes to breastfeeding and higher EHLoC scores were associated with more negative attitudes to formula feeding. The second study explored the experience of pregnancy and childbirth in Nigerian women. Qualitative interviews with 12 women implied that Nigerian women perceive pregnancy and childbirth as a multidimensional experience comprising physiological and psychological elements and also as risky.
Control mechanisms that reflected internal HLoC included choosing multiple antenatal care sources to obtain holistic care, adopting new technology in bridging perceived communication gaps with health care providers and adopting physical and mental strategies in controlling the somatic and sensory changes that accompany pregnancy. Pregnancy and childbirth were viewed through an external HLoC lens as spiritual, and reflected in an entrenched belief in the intervention of deity to mitigate pain and risk associated with childbirth. These results have implications for practice, intervention and policy to promote breastfeeding at the societal level and improve maternity services for the current and next child-bearing generation
Collision and Avoidance Modelling of Autonomous Vehicles using Genetic Algorithm and Neural Network
Get PDFThis thesis is to study the optimisation problems in autonomous vehicles, especially the modelling and optimisation of collision avoidance, and to develop some optimisation algorithms based on genetic algorithms and neural networks to operate autonomous vehicles without any collision. Autonomous vehicles, also called self-driving vehicles or driverless vehicles are completely robotised driving frameworks to allow the vehicle to react to outside conditions within a bunch of calculations to play out the undertakings. This thesis summarised artificial intelligence and optimisation techniques for autonomous driving systems in the literature.
The optimisation problems related to autonomous vehicles are categorised into four groups: lane change, motion planner, collision avoidance, and artificial intelligence. A chart had been developed to summarise those research and related optimisation methods to help future researchers in the selection of optimisation methods Collision Avoidance is one of streamlining issues in autonomous vehicles. Several sensors had been used to identify position and dangers and collision avoidance algorithms had been developed to analyse the dangers and to use vehicles to avoid a collision. In this thesis, the current research on collision avoidance has been reviewed and some challenges and future works were presented to select the research direction of this thesis, the aim of this research will be the development of optimisation methods to avoid collisions in a predefined environment.
The contributions of this thesis are that (1) a simulation model had been developed using Matlab for collision avoidance and serval scenarios were proposed and experimented with. The sensors are used as the inputs to determine collision in the learning preparation of the algorithm; (2) a neural network was used for collision avoidance of autonomous vehicles; (3) a new method was proposed with the combination of genetic algorithm and neural network. In the proposed frame, the neural network is used for decision making and a genetic algorithm is used for the training of the neural network. The results and experimentation show that the proposed strategies are well in the designed environment
Welfare gains from international trade and renewable energy demand: Evidence from the OECD countries
Get PDFYesThis paper uses a new measure of international trade, i.e. the international trade potential index, to measure the welfare gains from trade across countries. The measure is based on the import shares of countries in their gross domestic products. It is observed that gains from international trade are low in prosperous economies, but they are larger in poorer economies. Then, the paper investigates the impact of the index of international trade potential on renewable energy consumption in the unbalanced panel dataset of 36 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member countries from 1966 to 2016. The novel evidence is that international trade potential is positively related to renewable energy consumption. It is also found that per capita income, per capita carbon dioxide emissions, and energy prices increase the demand for renewable energy.The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Philosophy & Social Science Fund of Tianjin City, China (Award #: TJYJ20-012)
The effect of government support on bureaucracy, COVID-19 resilience and export intensity: Evidence from North Africa
Get PDFYesThe literature on the imperativeness of government support for firm survival since the onset of COVID-19 is vast, but scholars have scarcely considered the impact of such assistance on managers' time, nor the extent to which support measures induce resilience and export activity. Accordingly, this study assesses the impact of government support on (1) bureaucracy and (2) resilience using data from 535 Moroccan SMEs. It further evaluates the influence of resilience on direct versus indirect exports, and espouses the institutional voids, resource-based and strategy-creation view to explain the associations through a contingency lens. The results demonstrate that (1) government support increases bureaucracy which, (2) surprisingly triggers and enhances resilience. Furthermore, (3) resilience has a positive impact on direct exports but (4) adversely affects indirect exports. Theoretically, the findings acquiesce extant calls for measurement specificity in export performance. Practically, stakeholders' attention is drawn to the value of managers' time well spent
Increasing and sustaining diabetic retinopathy screening in Fiji by leveraging community health workers (CHWs) services: A qualitative study
Get PDFYesInequities in access to diabetic retinopathy (DR) services particularly in rural and remote Fiji is concerning. This is because DR when left undiagnosed and untreated for long, can lead to vision loss and permanent blindness. Appropriate channels must be explored to strengthen services and ensure equitable access to healthcare for everyone. This study describes the development and implementation of DR awareness training for community health workers (CHWs) and their subsequent engagement to raise awareness and scale-up DR screening for communities throughout Fiji.
As part of a programme to reduce the incidence of avoidable blindness due to diabetes amongst people living in the Pacific, DR training for primary level nurses was developed and implemented. As these primary level nurses were already inundated by clinical duties and competing health priorities, a shifting of the task was proposed to engage the CHWs who would instead educate communities on diabetes and DR and make referrals for DR screening. A one-day DR awareness training was developed and implemented by the Pacific Eye Institute with funding from the Fred Hollows Foundation New Zealand.
At the end of the DR programme in 2019, the team had achieved their target and trained a total of 823 CHWs giving an 81.32% coverage of the total 1012 registered CHW in the MHMS register. Anecdotal evidence showed a spike in DR referrals and screenings recorded at health facilities. Three key themes emerged related to the involvement of CHWs which include engagement of CHWs, benefits of the engagement, and health system-related challenges.
The use of CHWs who are already integrated into the health system was considered a sustainable intervention to strengthen diabetes and DR services at the primary level of care, particularly if it involves community awareness, health education, and health services facilitation The future of the CHWs will depend on their being integrated more systematically into local health services with strengthened management and supervision.We acknowledge Fred Hollows Foundation New Zealand for granting this project
Strengthening biological security after COVID-19: Using cartoons for engaging life science stakeholders with the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC)
Get PDFYesThe devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have acutely shown the need for maintaining robust international and national systems for biological security and ensuring that life sciences are used only for peaceful purposes. Life science stakeholders can play an important role in safeguarding scientific and technological advances in biology and related fields against accidental or deliberate misuse, not least because they are on the frontlines of driving innovation. In this paper, we argue that enhancing awareness and understanding of the risk of deliberate disease is essential for effective biological security. We first discuss the issue of ‘dual use’ in science and technology as it relates to disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Second, we review how scientist engagement with dual-use risks has been addressed in the context of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC). Third, we report on the development of an innovative awareness-raising tool, a cartoon series, that can be used for engaging life science stakeholders with BTWC issues. Finally, we outline a set of practical considerations for promoting sustainable life science engagement with the BTWC.The graphic design of the Cartoon Series and the publication of this manuscript have been funded by a grant provided by the UK Research and Innovation Strategic Priorities Fund and HEIF Rescaling Fund through London Metropolitan University, UK
Targeted delivery of a colchicine analogue provides synergy with ATR inhibition in cancer cells
Get PDFYesDespite significant preclinical promise as anticancer agents, vascular-disrupting agents have yet to fulfil their clinical potential due to systemic toxicities. ICT2588 is a tumour-selective MT1-MMP-targeted prodrug of azademethylcolchicine, ICT2552. We investigate activation of ICT2588 and subsequent release of ICT2552 in tumour cells, and examine its ability to induce G2/M cell cycle arrest. We also explore synergism between ICT2588 and ATR inhibition, since colchicine, in addition to its vascular-disrupting properties, is known to induce G2/M arrest, DNA damage, and trigger apoptosis. Several ATR inhibitors are currently undergoing clinical evaluation. The cellular activation of ICT2588 was observed to correlate with MT1-MMP expression, with selective release of ICT2552 not compromised by cellular uptake and prodrug activation mechanisms. ICT2588 induced G2/M arrest, and triggered apoptosis in MT1-MMP-expressing cells, but not in cells lacking MT1-MMP expression, while ICT2552 itself induced G2/M arrest and triggered apoptosis in both cell lines. Interestingly, we uncovered that the intracellular release and accumulation dynamics of ICT2552 subsequent to prodrug activation provided synergism with an ATR inhibitor in a way not observed with direct administration of ICT2552. These findings have important potential implications for clinical combinations of ICT2588 and DNA repair inhibitors
Complete denture prostheses (CDP) treatment and care in Fiji: A qualitative study on dental professionals (DPs) perspectives on the triangle of communication (ToC)
Get PDFYesEffective communication can aid in improving oral healthcare measures such as treatment outcomes and satisfaction of edentulous patients (EDPs) toward the treatment process. The triangle of communication (ToC) involves communication between the dentist, dental technician (DTech), and EDPs. This research aimed to explore the ToC between dental professionals (DPs) and patients undergoing complete denture prostheses (CDP) treatment in Fiji. Materials and Methods: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted among DPs under purposive sampling where focus group discussions were conducted at the four dental prosthetic clinics in Fiji. A semi-structured questionnaire with open-ended questions was applied to participants virtually via Zoom. The collected data were collated and analyzed manually using thematic analysis. Results: A total of 28 DPs participated in the study. Three themes were identified while exploring the ToC from DPs’ perspectives on CDP treatment and care in Fiji: staff communication—dentist and DTech, ToC and information sharing (dentist–DTech and EDPs), and stage-by-stage procedural checks for CDP between DPs. Effective collaboration between dentists and DTechs is an essence of a successful CDP treatment outcome. Most DPs agreed to undergo continuous communication throughout the treatment to keep EDPs engaged throughout the treatment process. In addition, stage-by-stage procedural checks in dental clinics as well as in dental laboratories improved the quality of CDPs. Conclusion: DPs highlighted predominantly the ToC between DPs and EDPs when receiving CDP treatment in Fiji as an essential tool for effective DP and patient engagement. Discussions should be complemented with the use of verbal, nonverbal, and written modes together with the utilization of interpreters to improve CDP treatment and care in Fiji
Prevalence and determinants of undernutrition among under-five children in Nigeria: A systematic review
Get PDFYesChild undernutrition is a key public health issue that both causes and contributes to disease and
death. Undernutrition accounts for 45% of under-five deaths globally most of which occur in Low- and
Middle-income countries (LMIC). Malnutrition has a substantial and long-lasting effect on individuals, families,
communities and the entire nation. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and determinants of undernutrition in
under-five children in Nigeria.
Methodology: This systematic review was done following the Cochrane library guidelines. A search of literature
written in English language and published between 2000 and 2022 was done using PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE
and ProQuest databases. The initial search resulted in 760 studies. These were exported to End note version 9 to
remove duplicates. Titles and s were screened for studies that met the inclusion criteria. Finally, 11 studies
that met the inclusion criteria were thoroughly assessed and data that were relevant to this systematic review were
captured. The study findings were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Results: The prevalence of undernutrition was between 1.0% and 43.3%. The highest prevalence of underweight,
wasting and stunting were 43.3%, 29.3% and 41%, respectively. Factors associated with undernutrition were age,
sex, birth order, recent acute diarrhoea and acute respiratory infection, maternal literacy level, maternal income
<$20 and socio-economic class among others.
Conclusion: Under-five undernutrition is a huge public health issue in Nigeria. Prevalence of undernutrition
varies widely across geo-political zone with a myriad of associated risk factors. Multi-level and multidisciplinary
interventions are required to sustainably address the determinants of under-five undernutrition