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International audience; Recent development in smart devices has lead us to an explosion in data generation and heterogeneity, which requires new network solutions for better analysing and understanding traffic. These solutions should be intelligent and scalable in order to handle the huge amount of data automatically. With the progress of high-performance computing (HPC), it becomes feasible easily to deploy machine learning (ML) to solve complex problems and its efficiency has been validated in several domains (e.g., healthcare or computer vision). At the same time, network slicing (NS) has drawn significant attention from both industry and academia as it is essential to address the diversity of service requirements. Therefore, the adoption of ML within NS management is an interesting issue. In this paper, we have focused on analyzing network data with the objective of defining network slices according to traffic flow behaviors. For dimensionality reduction, the feature selection has been applied to select the most relevant features (15 out of 87 features) from a real dataset of more than 3 million instances. Then, a K-Means clustering is applied to better understand and distinguish behaviors of traffic. The results demonstrated a good correlation among instances in the same cluster generated by the unsupervised learning. This solution can be further integrated in a real environment using network function virtualization.

Purpose The construction industry represents most of every country’s finances and vital to continued economic growth and activities, especially in developing countries. The impact of the severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 disease (COVID19) on the government’s income resulted in the expectation of many public projects being cancelled or delayed providing little opportunity for the emergence of new public projects. This study collated a global qualitative perspective (survey interviews) on the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and the positive and negative impacts for future-proofing the construction sector. Design/methodology/approach In total, 76 respondents from five continents excluding South America responded to the online open-ended structured questionnaire. Data collected were analysed through artificial inteligence analytics tool – Zoho analytics. Findings The themes indicating the positive impact obtained from the interview were overhead cost reduction, remote working environment, focus on health and safety, improved productivity and sustainability goals while the themes signifying the negative impact were low business turnover, delays in construction payment and output, difficulties working from home and job losses. Supply chain management, construction project management improvement, concentration on health and safety and effective virtual working environment were collated as themes on lessons learned. Social implications The major findings of this study emphasise on the need to improve the occupational health and safety and onsite safety measures for future proofing of the construction industry. Originality/value The findings from the analyses made clear the imperativeness of the built environment research, with a focus on novel framework and strategies for future proofing the construction industry.

It has been reported that persistent cyanide pollution occurs in artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM) catchment areas in Burkina Faso. In the present study, logistic regression (LR) and Regress...

Research on 'digitalization and collaboration' in the construction industry has been gaining momentum in the recent academic engagements. Despite its existence in many industries (i.e. financial services, retailing, publishing and travelling) for over ten years, it is yet to catch up by the construction market; this is due to several challenges whose existence are more dynamic and contextual than generic to various countries. The problems are defined in many studies across borders, but their impacts varied with countries. This case is equally the same to drivers toward the adoption of BIM. This study analyses barriers and drivers to BIM adoption in the Nigerian construction industry from adopters and non-adopters perspectives as to allow an informed decision in developing a strategy for macro BIM adoption. Primary data fetched from professional stakeholders through an online questionnaire survey were analysed using SPSS software and Microsoft Excel. This investigation reveals the most significant barriers against BIM adoption as Lack of expertise, Lack of standardization and protocols to mention but a few. And, most influential drivers from both adopters and non-adopters as Availability of trained professionals to handle the tools, Proof of cost savings by its adoption, BIM Software affordability, and awareness of the technology among the industry stakeholders. The adopters and non-adopters groups have nearly equal Percentage Disagreement (PD) and Percentage Agreement (PA) for both the barriers and drivers to BIM adoption. Thus, this suggests that the adopters are still at the early stage of BIM adoption, so have nearly the same perceptions with the non-adopters. The study recommends proper consideration of the established barriers and drivers while developing any strategy for effective BIM adoption. Further face-to-face (interview) study is necessary to explore more and in-depth challenges to adoption of BIM in the industry; and as the industry is getting more aware of the BIM, periodic evaluation of the critical barriers and drivers is vital.

Estimating the bearing capacity of piles is an essential point when seeking for safe and economic geotechnical structures. However, the traditional methods employed in this estimation are time-consuming and costly. The current study aims at elaborating a new alternative model for predicting the pile-bearing capacity based on eleven new advanced machine-learning methods in order to overcome these limitations. The modeling phase used a database of 100 samples collected from different countries. Additionally, eight relevant factors were selected in the input layer based on the literature recommendations. The optimal inputs were modeled using the machine-learning methods and their performance was assessed through six performance measures using a K-fold cross-validation approach. The comparative study proved the effectiveness of the DNN model, which displayed a higher performance in predicting the pile-bearing capacity. This elaborated model provided the optimal prediction, i.e., the closest to the experimental values, compared to the other models and formulae proposed by previous studies. Finally, a reliable and easy-to-use graphical interface was generated, namely “BeaCa2021”. This will be very helpful for researchers and civil engineers when estimating the pile-bearing capacity, with the advantage of saving time and money.

This chapter sets out to analyse the state of maternal health in Nigeria through the lens of the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs). It discusses maternal health as a right and its implications for achieving SDG 3, titled ‘Ensure Healthy Lives and Promote Well-being for all at all Ages.’ This goal requires, among other things, that adequate attention be given to reproductive health and its incorporation into national policies. The current state of maternal health reveals that Nigeria is far from achieving SDG 3, largely due to the biosocial issues that have remained unaddressed for decades. In addition, the legal regime for the protection of human rights falls short of the standards required to ensure maternal health gets the attention that it deserves. Hence, the chapter examines relevant legal provisions with a view to advocating that maternal health be treated as a basic human right. The chapter uses the prevalence of vesicovaginal fistula among women in northern Nigeria as an example of the relationship between maternal health and socio-economic and cultural issues. Therefore, the chapter recommends ways to control maternal health problems in Nigeria. An important measure will be to make provision for recognizable and enforceable maternal health rights in Nigeria.

Background: Artemether-lumefantrine is a highly effective artemisinin-based combination therapy that was adopted in Mali as first-line treatment for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria. This study was designed to measure the efficacy of artemether-lumefantrine and to assess the selection of the P. falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (pfcrt) and P. falciparum multi-drug resistance 1 (pfmdr1) genotypes that have been associated with drug resistance. Methods: A 28-day follow-up efficacy trial of artemether-lumefantrine was conducted in patients aged 6 months and older suffering from uncomplicated falciparum malaria in four different Malian areas during the 2009 malaria transmission season. The polymorphic genetic markers MSP2, MSP1, and Ca1 were used to distinguish between recrudescence and reinfection. Reinfection and recrudescence were then grouped as recurrent infections and analyzed together by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) to identify candidate markers for artemether-lumefantrine tolerance in the P. falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (pfcrt) gene and the P. falciparum multi-drug resistance 1 (pfmdr1) gene. Results: Clinical outcomes in 326 patients (96.7%) were analyzed and the 28-day uncorrected adequate clinical and parasitological response (ACPR) rate was 73.9%. The total PCR-corrected 28-day ACPR was 97.2%. The pfcrt 76T and pfmdr1 86Y population prevalence decreased from 49.3% and 11.0% at baseline (n = 337) to 38.8% and 0% in patients with recurrent infection (n = 85), p = 0.001), respectively. Conclusion: Parasite populations exposed to artemether-lumefantrine in this study were selected toward chloroquine-sensitivity and showed a promising trend that may warrant future targeted reintroduction of chloroquine or/and amodiaquine.

Le cancer du sein représente un véritable problème de santé publique de par la morbi-mortalité qu’il engendre. Bien que les stratégies de prise en charge précoce soient de mieux en mieux élaborées avec une curabilité en nette augmentation, le cancer métastatique demeure souvent incurable où seules des mesures palliatives peuvent être proposées. Nous rapportons le cas d’une patiente âgée de 59 ans qui consulte aux urgences ophtalmologiques pour une sensation de brouillard de son œil droit évoluant depuis une dizaine de jours environ, dont l’investigation clinique a décelé un carcinome mammaire canalaire infiltrant multi-métastatique. Une chimiothérapie palliative a été entamée dans les plus brefs délais dont les effets sur la tumeur primitive et sur les localisations secondaires étaient assez satisfaisants, notamment au niveau oculaire où une amélioration conséquente de l’acuité visuelle a été notée remontant jusqu’à 6/10. Cependant, après une certaine durée nous avons constaté une diminution de l’acuité visuelle faisant ainsi discuter d’autres alternatives thérapeutiques à savoir une radiothérapie externe de la métastase choroïdienne à laquelle la patiente s’y est farouchement opposée et ce, hormis de nombreuses séances de psychothérapie, puis une injection latéro-bulbaire de corticostéroïdes ayant donné une augmentation spectaculaire de l’acuité visuelle. L’association de métastases cutanées, oculaires, ganglionnaires et pulmonaires à une tumeur du sein bien visible à l’inspection est extrêmement rare et figure parmi les cas historiques auxquels on ne devrait plus assister au 21ème siècle. A cet effet, nous insistons sur le dépistage et la sensibilisation des populations au cancer du sein en mettant l’accent essentiellement sur le soutien psychologique.

An analytical of new theoretical model has been developed to study the Capacitance characteristics for an optically controlled Gallium Arsenic Metal Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor MESFET (OPFET) doped uniformly. The model takes the effects of photoconductive and photovoltaic into account that determine the device characteristics in the illuminated condition. It has been presented here for an analysis of extrinsic and intrinsic parameters such as, gate capacitances including both of the gate-source capacitances gate-drain capacitances under dark and illumination condition. The numerical results have also been compared with the reported data experience in the literature and a good agreement is observed.

Building information modelling (BIM) adoption is generally assessed through one of two main approaches: 1) statistical evaluation of survey responses from stakeholders operating within a country or market, and 2) the use of macro BIM-adoption models and metrics. The recent paper "Macro-BIM adoption: comparative market analysis" sets the pace for continuous development of comparative market studies. However, precedent is important for continuous learning and adoption to contextualise this evolving field. This study aimed to set a unique precedent throguh comparative analysis of BIM adoption trends in the USA, UK and Australia, in order to set the pace for beginners or early BIM-adopting countries. This study is literature-based, analysed using content analysis. The study revealed the following: 1) A vibrant and evenly-distributed BIM adoption requires government involvement; 2) A government mandate facilitates wide BIM adoption and integrates a country's industry into the wider world; 3) A mandate also facilitates BIM research and training, which lead to a rise in the country's income through providing training and workforce export; 4) The dynamic of diffusion vary at different times, depending on a country's flexibility towards adoption of innovation; 5) The dynamic also changes as the industry's culture and regulation changes. Recommendations are made based on the study findings, especially with regards to the new adopter countries planning to develop a strategy for macro-BIM adoption.

In the Sahel region, farmers have adopted various farming practices to improve agricultural yields in order to offset an increasingly variable climate regime and the extension of degraded land. This study analyses the functional behaviour of such three selected water-harvesting techniques (stone rows, zai and half-moon) as compared to the traditional tillage method through a comprehensive experimental setup monitored during three consecutive growing seasons (2015–2017). The results indicate that these farming practices allow a runoff reduction by 25 to 100%. We propose a continuous model simulating the hydrological dynamics of the farming techniques at plot scale. This model is able to reproduce accurately the observed runoff (R2 = 0.73 − 0.95), and gives an insight of the variability of the water storage for each type of techniques in response to the rainfall regime. It appears in particular that zai and half-moons are able to mitigate the effect of dry spells by sustaining available water for crops over extended periods up to three weeks, whereas the direct seeding and stone row techniques rapidly leads to plant water deficit after five days. Even though water infiltration is essentially fostered by surface water retention during rainfall events, our observations suggest that the changes induced to the hydrological dynamics by farming practices also affect soil physical, chemical and biological properties. These effects help completing the explanation of crop yield improvements, but raise some questions of soil evolution and farming practice performances in the long run.

BACKGROUND: The burden of malaria infection in sub-Saharan Africa among school-aged children aged 5-15 years is underappreciated and represents an important source of human-to-mosquito transmission of Plasmodium falciparum. Additional interventions are needed to control and eliminate malaria. We aimed to assess whether preventive treatment of malaria might be an effective means of reducing P falciparum infection and anaemia in school-aged children and lowering parasite transmission. METHODS: In this systematic review and two meta-analyses, we searched the online databases PubMed, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Clinicaltrials.gov for intervention studies published between Jan 1, 1990, and Dec 14, 2018. We included randomised studies that assessed the effect of antimalarial treatment among asymptomatic school-aged children aged 5-15 years in sub-Saharan Africa on prevalence of P falciparum infection and anaemia, clinical malaria, and cognitive function. We first extracted data for a study-level meta-analysis, then contacted research groups to request data for an individual participant data meta-analysis. Outcomes of interest included prevalence of P falciparum infection detected by microscopy, anaemia (study defined values or haemoglobin less than age-adjusted and sex-adjusted values), clinical malaria (infection and symptoms on the basis of study-specific definitions) during follow-up, and code transmission test scores. We assessed effects by treatment type and duration of time protected, and explored effect modification by transmission setting. For study-level meta-analysis, we calculated risk ratios for binary outcomes and standardised mean differences for continuous outcomes and pooled outcomes using fixed-effect and random-effects models. We used a hierarchical generalised linear model for meta-analysis of individual participant data. This study is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42016030197. FINDINGS: Of 628 studies identified, 13 were eligible for the study-level meta-analysis (n=16 309). Researchers from 11 studies contributed data on at least one outcome (n=15 658) for an individual participant data meta-analysis. Interventions and study designs were highly heterogeneous; overall risk of bias was low. In the study-level meta-analysis, treatment was associated with reductions in P falciparum prevalence (risk ratio [RR] 0·27, 95% CI 0·17-0·44), anaemia (0·77, 0·65-0·91), and clinical malaria (0·40, 0·28-0·56); results for cognitive outcomes are not presented because data were only available for three trials. In our individual participant data meta-analysis, we found treatment significantly decreased P falciparum prevalence (adjusted RR [ARR] 0·46, 95% CI 0·40-0·53; p

The overall aim of this study is to appraise the current practice of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on firms operating in the South African construction market. Primary and secondary sources of data were utilized. The primary data were collected via of questionnaire survey issued to 12 different firms operating within the South African construction sector and secondary data obtained from related and reliable scholarly literature such as journal articles, conference papers, reports, books etc. Out of 60 questionnaires issued, 50 were acquired back, and all surveys received were valid. Descriptive statistical analysis was used for the collected primary data. The study reveals that common CSR variables that are practiced by South African construction firms using certified product/material verified by the independent third party. These include supporting government initiatives on public welfare; Occupational health, business ethics and code of conduct; welfare and safety; Purchasing green material and the most important CSR variables are contractual obligations are met, and product and service providers are paid in a timely manner; Using certified product/material verified by the independent third party; Ensuring fair treatment of workers at work irrespective of race, gender, and disability; and consult employees about crucial business activities. The implementation of CSR activities offers a great solution for many problems that are being faced by the South African construction firms as well as the South African society.

Background: Previous controlled studies demonstrated seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) reduces malaria morbidity by &gt, 80% in children aged 3&ndash, 59 months. Here, we assessed malaria morbidity after large-scale SMC implementation during a pilot campaign in the health district of Koutiala, Mali. Methods: Starting in August 2012, children received three rounds of SMC with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) and amodiaquine (AQ). From July 2013 onward, children received four rounds of SMC. Prevalence of malaria infection, clinical malaria and anemia were assessed during two cross-sectional surveys conducted in August 2012 and June 2014. Investigations involved 20 randomly selected clusters in 2012 against 10 clusters in 2014. Results: Overall, 662 children were included in 2012, and 670 in 2014. Children in 2014 versus those surveyed in 2012 showed reduced proportions of malaria infection (12.4% in 2014 versus 28.7% in 2012 (p = 0.001)), clinical malaria (0.3% versus 4.2%, respectively (p &lt, 0.001)), and anemia (50.1% versus 67.4%, respectively (p = 0.001)). A propensity score approach that accounts for environmental differences showed that SMC conveyed a significant protective effect against malaria infection (IR = 0.01, 95% CI (0.0001, 0.09), clinical malaria (OR = 0.25, 95% CI (0.06, 0.85)), and hemoglobin concentration (&beta, = 1.3, 95% CI (0.69, 1.96)) in 2012 and 2014, respectively. Conclusion: SMC significantly reduced frequency of malaria infection, clinical malaria and anemia two years after SMC scale-up in Koutiala.

The importance of studying coastal areas is justified by their resources, ecosystem services, and key role played in socio-economic development. Coastal landscapes are subject to increasing demands and pressures, requiring in-depth analyses for finding appropriate tools or policies for a sustainable landscape management. The present study addresses this issue globally, based on case studies from three continents: Romania (Europe), Algeria (Africa), and Vietnam (Asia), focusing on the anthropogenic pressure resulting from land use/land cover change or urban sprawl, taking into account the role of socioeconomic and political factors. The methodology consisted of producing maps and computing and analyzing indicators, correlating geospatial and socio-economic data in a synergistic manner to explore the changes of landscapes, and identify the specific driving forces. The findings show that the pressure of urbanization and tourism on coastal areas increased, while the drivers and impacts vary. Urbanization is due to derogatory planning in Romania and Algeria, and different national and local goals in Vietnam. The two drivers determine local exemptions from the national regulations, made for profit. In addition to the need for developing and enforcing policies for stopping the degradation and restoring the ecosystems, the findings underline the importance of international cooperation in policy development.

The study aimed to investigate how managing the growing water demand and wastewater production by treating and reclaiming Water from the Wastewater in Delta State. Mainly to carry out a comparative feasibility study and develop a decision support system (DSS) or strategy/planning framework for a sustainable alternative for water/wastewater treatment and management in oil & gas industries, Water, wastewater industries and authorities in Delta State. Data was collected using a mixed approach. Primary data was collected using semi-structured interviews and closed-ended questionnaire survey. Descriptive analysis was applied in analysing the questionnaires, and thematic analysis was used in analysing the interviews. It was concluded that a centralised system is required to collect rainwater and wastewater, and recycle Water in Delta state for reuse, and reduce dependence on freshwater. It will be an improvement to the direct collection of wastewater from individual houses by private waste management organisations that drain the sewage systems. It was found that causes of water and wastewater problems in Delta State, Nigeria include: government regulation; financial problem; lack of sufficient land for development; pollution; high population; using potable Water for non-potable use; water shortage; poor technology; lack of people’s awareness on water, and poor maintenance. Based on this, grey water reuse, decentralised system of water reclamation and education and awareness of wastewater management were recommended to solve the water and wastewater problems found in the state. Microscale solutions such as ponds, permeable pavements, rain gardens, rainwater harvesting systems, wetlands, and green roofs were recommended. In addition to the recommendations, a strategic framework/decision support system for sustainable alternatives for oil, gas, water and wastewater industries and authorities was developed.

The main challenge in the electricity networks VHV, HV or MV is to satisfy the customer and this by two important factors: the quality and continuity of service, that is why we must ensure the stability of the electricity network, this is the important role played by the protection systems participating to this goal, faced to a various faults affecting the electrical networks sometimes caused by thunderstorms, lightning, short circuits caused by other external objects, as well as earth faults … In most cases, electrical faults are manifested by mechanical damage, costing a lot of money. To this end we have chosen the neutral protection EHV (Electrical High Voltage), this system is of great importance among others, to preserve the factors raised. In this paper we have evaluated the nature of the faults in direct connection or not to the ground and better understand them by creating a simulation of a protection relay on Simulink MATLAB allowing the best possible to recreate the real phenomenon either the defect or the behavior of system of protection.

It has been reported that persistent cyanide pollution occurs in artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASGM)-affected catchment areas in Burkina Faso. In the present study, the logistic regression method was employed to identify the factors that influence the spatial distribution of cyanide pollution as well as to predict the cyanide pollution map risk at catchment level. Soil samples were collected from two ASGM sites in the northern Zougnazagmiline (“North”) site and southern Galgouli (“South”) site parts of Burkina Faso, covering areas of 22 km2 and 20 km2, respectively. Free cyanide concentration in each sample was measured. It was shown that the spatial distribution of cyanide was solely controlled by the soil type in Zougnazagmiline and both the soil type and electric conductivity in Galgouli. On the other hand, the cyanidation zones within the two catchments were the places where the highest risk of cyanide pollution occurs, with probabilities of 0.8 and 1 in Zougnazagmiline and Galgouli, respectively. > 20% of the settled area in the Zougnazagmiline and 5% of that in Galgouli were exposed to cyanide pollution. Logistic regression was able to reliably predict cyanide contamination in areas affected by ASGM. The model could be useful for decision-makers to plan ASGM-site decontamination.

For highly automated driving in urban regions it is essential to know the precise position of the car. Furthermore it is important to understand the surrounding context in complex situations, e.g. multilane crossings and turn lanes. To understand those situations there is not only the task to detect the lane border, but to detect the painted information inside the lane. The paper is facing and evaluating two methods to classify this additional lane information. Therefore the images from five cameras mounted around the car are used. Four of them with fisheye lenses. The methods have in common, that the input images are transformed into a bird view projection. First introduced method is to extract contours from the transformed images and collect geometrical features and Fourier coefficients. The second introduced way, is to calculate histograms of oriented gradients and use it as input for the classification step. Both classification approaches are implemented and evaluated as multiclass and single class detectors for each arrow type. Furthermore, the classification results from a support vector machine and random forest were faced for this classification problem. The results from the multiclass detectors are evaluated and presented in form of confusion matrices. With the introduced approaches a high detection confidence could be achieved, proofed with validation datasets and in practical use.

Aim: This study evaluated Building Information Modelling (BIM) awareness and adoption in Nigeria through the line of enquiry known as the 'diffusion of innovations' and its possible uptake. Study Design: The study is quantitative in nature and the primary data fetched through questionnaire survey within Nigerian construction industry. Place and Duration of the Study: Conducted within North-west, North-central and Lagos, Nigeria for a period of 4 months. Methodology: A quantitative approach was adopted to x-ray the Nigerian construction industry; a structured questionnaire was used across the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC). The generated data were analysed through descriptive statistics (in percentages) and presented in charts and graphs. Results: The result revealed that 59.5% are aware of BIM technology; 22.8% are aware and currently using BIM and the remaining 17.7% neither aware nor using BIM; consequently, the industry was evaluated just within the Late Majority in terms of awareness and just entered the Early Majority in terms of BIM technology adoption. Conclusion: Nigeria is at least five years behind US, UK and South Africa. In addition to lagging behind by at least five years, it is also behind by about 10% and 50% for UK and US respectively. The study also discovers the most significant barriers to BIM adoption as lack of BIM experts and lack of collaboration by its team stakeholders. The industry is likely to take the UK pattern in adopting the BIM and Recommendations are made based on the findings of the research.

Construction Industry in Nigeria has since required a disruptive technology to change its construction business and improve its capabilities and productivity. As an on-going research (PhD work) to developing a strategy for an effective Building Information Modelling (BIM) adoption in Nigeria, a macro-BIM adoption study was carried out to establish BIM maturity within the Nigerian construction market. Online questionnaire was used as tool for data collection from the professional stakeholders in the industry. In the process to formulate a National BIM Roadmap, five conceptual macro-BIM maturity models were utilized. The models’ findings act as a guide in developing a national BIM adoption policy. The five applied models helped classify the macro maturity components and the key policies’ deliverables that must be addressed within both the initiation and consultation phases of proposing the Nigerian BIM roadmap. The results established positive progress in awareness and adoption level compared to the 2017 survey. Recommendations are made based on the study findings as to advance into policy development.

The ‘digitalization and collaboration’ or Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the construction industry has been gaining momentum in the recent academic engagements. Despite its existence in many industries (i.e. publishing, retailing, financial and travel services) for over a decade, the construction industry is yet to catch up with them. This is due to several challenges whose existence are more dynamic and perhaps generic than static to various countries. The challenges are mostly defined, but their impacts are frequently varied with boundaries; and the same applied to drivers toward a successful BIM adoption. This study aims to establish barriers and drivers to adopting BIM across Nigerian construction industry professions for synchronization and collective engagements. Primary data was fetched from professional stakeholders (Architects, Engineers, Builders, Quantity Surveyors, Project Managers and Planners) using online structured questionnaire. A total of 68 valid responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The study reveals a significant improvement in awareness level with much better adoption rate; however, the utilization level remain very limited due to lack of clarity, knowledge and guide. Lack of expertise within organizations and within project team as well as lack of standardization and protocols (in descending order) were found as significant barriers to BIM adoption. On the other hand, availability of trained professionals to handle BIM tools, proof of cost savings by its adoption and the BIM software affordability (in descending order) were found as the significant drivers to achieving a quick and effective BIM adoption. Recommendations were made based on the study findings.

International audience; In the last few years, the term "quality of service" has become increasingly synonymous with digital cellular networks and has greatly influenced the way we manage network traffic. The IEEE 802.16 standard is a broadband wireless access system that enables high speed data transfer over large distances. It is one of the standards that meet the IMT-Advanced specifications. It also incorporates a quality of service framework to provide quality of service to both realtime and non-realtime multimedia applications. One of the critical contributions of a QoS framework is efficient scheduling of network traffic. This paper dilates on a two-level scheduling algorithm for base station uplink scheduler to provide quality of service to various classes of traffic. The proposed algorithm ensures efficient and fair mul-timedia transmission. We also deliberated on a video transmission framework based on the proposed algorithm. The performance of two-level scheduling algorithm has been extensively analyzed through simulations and the results have effectively established the efficacy of the proposed algorithm. The results reveal that the the proposed algorithm is able to fairly and efficiently schedule network traffic while ensuring quality of service for all classes of traffic.

The determination of the current voltage characteristics I–V of the optically controlled metal semiconductor field effect transistors (MESFET) termed as OPFET, in which we take into account, in channel region, of both photoconductive effect and photovoltaic effect at the Schottky gate, it is essential to understand its behaviors. Several analytical and empirical expressions have been proposed. In this paper, we present a analytical model of the OPFET GaN by the influence of surface recombination and the life time of minority carriers on the static properties of this component, given by the law A that taking into account the effects of the light on the component properties that take into account the effects of physical and geometrical parameters and conductance and transconductance.

This article belongs to the Special Issue Autonomous Vehicles Technology In conditional automation (level 3), human drivers can hand over the Driving Dynamic Task (DDT) to the Automated Driving System (ADS) and only be ready to resume control in emergency situations, allowing them to be engaged in non-driving related tasks (NDRT) whilst the vehicle operates within its Operational Design Domain (ODD). Outside the ODD, a safe transition process from the ADS engaged mode to manual driving should be initiated by the system through the issue of an appropriate Take Over Request (TOR). In this case, the driver's state plays a fundamental role, as a low attention level might increase driver reaction time to take over control of the vehicle. This paper summarizes and analyzes previously published works in the field of conditional automation and the TOR process. It introduces the topic in the appropriate context describing as well a variety of concerns that are associated with the TOR. It also provides theoretical foundations on implemented designs, and report on concrete examples that are targeted towards designers and the general public. Moreover, it compiles guidelines and standards related to automation in driving and highlights the research gaps that need to be addressed in future research, discussing also approaches and limitations and providing conclusions. This work was funded by the Austrian Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation, and Technology (BMK) Endowed Professorship for Sustainable Transport Logistics 4.0; the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness under the TRA201563708-R and TRA2016-78886-C3-1-R project; open access funding by the Johannes Kepler University Linz.

Soil and water samples were collected from a watershed in Burkina Faso where illegal artisanal gold extraction using cyanidation occurs. The samples were used to evaluate cyanide contamination and the presence of cyanide degrading bacteria (CDB). Free cyanide (F-CN) was detected in all samples, with concentrations varying from 0.023 to 0.9 mg kg(-1), and 0.7-23 μg L(-1) in the soil and water samples, respectively. Potential CDB also were present in the samples. To test the effective F-CN degradation capacity of the isolated CDB species, the species were cultivated in growth media containing 40, 60 or 80 mg F-CN L(-1), with or without nutrients, at pH 9.5 and at room temperature. More than 95% of F-CN was degraded within 25 h, and F-CN degradation was associated with bacterial growth and ammonium production. However, initial concentrations of F-CN higher than 100 mg L(-1) inhibited bacterial growth and cyanide degradation. Abiotic tests showed that less than 3% of F-CN was removed by volatilization. Thus, the degradation of F-CN occurred predominately by biological mechanisms, and such mechanisms are recommended for remediation of contaminated soil and water. The bacteria consortium used in the experiment described above exist in a Sahelian climate, which is characterized by a long hot and dry season. Because the bacteria are already adapted to the local climate conditions and show the potential for cyanide biodegradation, further applicability to other contaminated areas in West Africa, where illegal gold cyanidation is widespread, should be explored.

Previous studies have shown that a single season of intermittent preventive treatment in schoolchildren (IPTsc) targeting the transmission season has reduced the rates of clinical malaria, all-cause clinic visits, asymptomatic parasitemia, and anemia. Efficacy over the course of multiple years of IPTsc has been scantly investigated. Methods: An open, randomized-controlled trial among schoolchildren aged 6–13 years was conducted from September 2007 to January 2010 in Kolle, Mali. Students were included in three arms: sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine+artesunate (SP+AS), amodiaquine+artesunate (AQ+AS), and control (C). All students received two full doses, given 2 months apart, and were compared with respect to the incidence of clinical malaria, all-cause clinic visits, asymptomatic parasitemia, and anemia. Results: A total of 296 students were randomized. All-cause clinic visits were in the SP+AS versus control (29 (20.1%) vs. 68 (47.2%); 20 (21.7%) vs. 41 (44.6%); and 14 (21.2%) vs. 30 (44.6%); p < 0.02) in 2007, 2008, and 2009, respectively. The prevalence of asymptomatic parasitemia was lower in the SP+AS compared to control (38 (7.5%) vs. 143 (28.7%); and 47 (12.7%) vs. 75 (21.2%); p < 0.002) in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Hemoglobin concentration was significantly higher in children receiving SP+AS (11.96, 12.06, and 12.62 g/dL) than in control children (11.60, 11.64, and 12.15 g/dL; p < 0.001) in 2007, 2008, and 2009, respectively. No impact on clinical malaria was observed. Conclusion: IPTsc with SP+AS reduced the rates of all-cause clinic visits and anemia during a three-year implementation.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is 1 of the deadliest cancers, representing the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the world; This high mortality is due to late symptom onset and because most of the cases of pancreatic cancer are stage IV at diagnosis, and hence not a candidate for curative resection. The following report will serve to emphasize the role of new-onset diabetes in certain patients as a warning sign necessitating further investigation for pancreatic cancer. It’ s about a 46-years old man was admitted in hospital «service of forensic and penitentiary medicine » for jaundice associated with progressive asthenia, abdominal pain, and weight loss. He had been diagnosed with diabetes 4 weeks earlier by his GP. Despite lifestyle changes, he had been commenced on metformin after just 2 weeks due to poor glycaemic control. Physical examination showed a mass of the upper right quadrant on palpation. Computed tomography of the abdomen showing a solid mass of 55 mm in the head of the pancreas, hypodense in particular, with mild Wirsung and bile ducts dilatation, and the focal thrombi is found at the level of the 9 mm splenomersaraic confluent, with hepatic secondary localization images. He was subsequently diagnosed with new-onset diabetes and metastatic pancreatic cancer. The treatment with basal insulin / bolus and anticoagulant therapy was instituted and after stabilization; the patient has been oriented for bilio-pancreatic derivation, and eventual biopsy in a specialized center, but unfortunately the patient died only a few weeks after. PC occurs with increased frequency in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) which is considered the third modifiable risk factor for pancreatic cancer after cigarette smoking and obesity. Although numerous studies have linked both entities since 1833 the mechanism behind this association are complex and not well understood by the moment.

Modern DNA sequencing technologies have greatly reduced their physical dimensions while still being able to process large numbers of molecules. Under ideal conditions the raw throughput of such devices may peak at the equivalent of 1 human genome per 3.5 hours. Such outputs present a large burden on the ensuing computing devices tasked with processing the raw data and completing the sequence. To approach the power and spatial footprint of the measurement devices, hardware-accelerated embedded computers are needed. The design of an FPGA-based accelerator customized for one aspect of this task – basecalling – is described herein. Simulations indicate a system capable of basecalling the equivalent of one human genome in 35 minutes within an estimated power budget of 10 W.

Summary Background Artemether–lumefantrine and artesunate–amodiaquine are used as first-line artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) in west Africa. Pyronaridine–artesunate and dihydroartemisinin–piperaquine are potentially useful for diversification of ACTs in this region, but further safety and efficacy data are required on malaria retreatment. Methods We did a randomised, multicentre, open-label, longitudinal, controlled phase 3b/4 clinical trial at seven tertiary centres in Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali. Eligible participants for first malaria episode and all retreatment episodes were adults and children aged 6 months and older with microscopically confirmed Plasmodium spp malaria (>0 to

With the green economy being promoted as a path to sustainable development and food security within the African continent, the influx of agricultural land is proliferating at a rapid pace often replacing natural savannah forests. Where agriculture is primarily rainfed, the possible adverse impacts of agricultural land influx on rainfall occurrences in water-limited areas such as West Africa warrant attention. Using field observations complemented by model calculations in southeastern Burkina Faso, the main causes of a 10-30% suppressed daytime rainfall recorded over agricultural fields when referenced to natural savannah forests are examined. Measurements and model runs reveal that the crossing of the mixed layer height and lifting condensation levels, a necessary condition for cloud formation and subsequent rainfall occurrence, was 30% more frequent above the natural savannah forest. This increase in crossing statistics was primarily explained by increases in measured sensible heat flux above the savannah forest rather than differences in lifting condensation heights.

Advance Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) have gained huge attention in the last decades. One of the fundamental steps of the video processing chain is the detection of areas where the car can drive through, i.e. free-space. In this paper we present an approach for the detection of free-space which is based on image segmentation and classification of the obtained image segments. For the image segmentation step we use several state-of-the-art approaches. The classification is done by a random-forest classifier trained to label the image segments with one of three geometric classes (ground, sky, vertical) based on spatial, color and shape features. Segments labelled as ground are used to detect the free-space area in front of the car. Furthermore, a comparison of the results obtained by using different segmentation approaches is provided.

This paper aims to build a constitutive model intended to describe the thermomechanical behavior of shape memory alloys. This behavior presents many facets, among them we have considered the simple way of shape memory, which is one of most important properties of shape memory alloys. Because of numerous stages of this effect, the subject was divided into three independent parts. For each part, we built the corresponding thermodynamic potential and we deduced the constitutive equations. To make this model workable, we have developed an algorithm. The simulation was performed using the NiTi as shape memory alloy.

Background Artemisinins, commonly used to treat malaria, have shown activity against cytomegalovirus (CMV) in vitro , in an animal model, and in case reports; however, the in vivo anti-CMV activity has not been well investigated. Objectives To evaluate whether artemisinins affect CMV shedding among subjects co-infected with CMV and malaria. Study design A prospective observational study of children in Mali (6 month–10 year) presenting with fever. Urine samples were collected at day 0, 3, and 14 from children treated with artemether-lumefantrine (Coartem ® ) for malaria and those who had other illnesses not treated with Coartem. CMV DNA was quantified using a real-time PCR. Resulting urine viral loads were compared between the groups at three time points. Results 164 malaria cases and 143 non-malaria comparisons were enrolled. Eighty-one (49%) cases and 88 (62%) comparisons shed CMV at day 0. Day 0 and day 3 viral loads were similar, but at day 14 the median viral load of cases was lower than that of comparisons (360 vs 720 copies/mL or 2.56 vs 2.86 log 10 ), p = 0.059. A stratified analysis of day 0 high viral shedders (defined as >1000 copies/mL) showed significantly lower median viral load at day 14 among cases (490 copies/mL, 2.69 log 10 ) vs comparisons (1200 copies/mL, 3.08 log 10 ), p = 0.045. Conclusion A high rate of urinary CMV shedding was found in a malaria-endemic area. Among high virus shedders artemether-lumefantrine decreased urine viral load, but the effect was not observed when analysis of both high and low shedders was performed. These results support additional studies of artemisinin dosing and duration in CMV infection.

This study highlights the perception and the option value of climate information in the sahelian and sudano-sahelian agro-climatic zones of Burkina Faso. From the sampled farmers only 21.78% have access to climate information, while 93% of them need climate information to guide through their decision in planning agricultural activities. Option value shows the interest granted by farmers using climate information. About 64% of the farmers are willing to pay an average of Francs CFA 546.34 to obtain climate information. The willingness to pay is determined by the the farmers’ ability to predict the climate, to use radio as a means of information, farmers’ awareness of previous forecasts and early onset of rainy season. While farmers considered benefits from the use of climate information, it is clear that its contribution to farm income remains a field of research to explore. Thus it is necessary to experiment with individual farms and to evaluate the contribution of climate information to the value added in different crops and farmers’ income.

A methodology for assessing irrigation system performance was developed by the then International Irrigation Management Institute (IIMI, now IWMI) in the 1990s in Burkina Faso. It was applied successfully to small-scale reservoir-based irrigation schemes (50–150 ha). The current study was carried out on two larger river-diversion irrigation systems in the south-west of the country, namely Vallee du Kou (1200 ha) and Karfiguela (350 ha), in order to analyse and verify: the applicability of the methodology to large-scale river-diversion schemes with more complex hydraulic networks and greater economic activities; the relevance of the performance indicators used and the constraints pertaining to the acquisition of the basic data required for their determination; the scope for adoption and application of the methodology by farmers' organizations for routine performance monitoring. The methodology seems well suited for large-scale irrigation systems, but its adoption by farmers' organizations has to be facilitated and accompanied by adequate training and the close involvement of the system managers. The indicators requiring the manipulation of a few physical elements can be determined relatively easily. Those involving water measurements are more difficult to calculate. The study makes a critical analysis of some indicators and demonstrates the evidence of the necessity to select among the indicators with regard to the irrigation system context. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The scarcity of freshwater resources is a critical problem in semi-arid zones and marginal quality water is increasingly being used in agriculture. This paper aimed at evaluating the physico-chemical and biological risks on irrigated soils and fruits of macrophyte treated wastewater (TWW), the nutrients supply, and the effect on tomato and eggplant production in semi-arid Burkina Faso. During three years of experiments, treated wastewater was used, with fresh water as control, in combination with or without mineral fertilizer application at recommended rate (140 kg N/ha + 180 kg P2O5/ha + 180 kg K2O/ha). The study revealed that the treated wastewater provided variable nutrients supply depending on year and element. The treated wastewater without mineral fertilizer improved eggplant yield (40% in average) compared to the freshwater. Both crops responded better to mineral fertilizer (52% for tomato and 82% for eggplant) and the effects of the treated wastewater and fertilizer were additive. As the N supply of TWW was very unsteady (8-227% of crop need), and P2O5 supply did not satisfy in whole crop need (3-58%) during any of the three years of experiment, we recommended that moderate N and P2O5 fertilizers be applied when irrigating with TWW in semi-arid West-Africa. On the contrary, the K2O supply was more steady and close to crop requirement (78-126%) over the three years of experiment and no addition of K fertilizer may be needed when irrigated with TWW. Faecal coliforms and helminth eggs were observed in treated wastewater and irrigated soils at rate over the FAO and WHO recommended limits for vegetable to be eaten uncooked. Tomato fruits were observed to be faecal coliform contaminated with the direct on-foliage irrigation with treated wastewater. Our results indicate that treated wastewater can effectively be used as both nutrients source and crop water supply in market gardening in the semi-arid Sub-Saharan West Africa (SSWA) where freshwater and farm income are limiting. Yet consumers should properly cook or disinfect treated-wastewater irrigated vegetables before eating, and market gardeners should also be careful manipulating treated wastewater to avoid direct health contamination in this environment. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Irrigation in Sahelian West African countries covers a wide variety of systems and practices. In this paper, we discuss various technical and managerial options including free or controlled submersion, improved inland valleys, flood recession cropping, and full control in small and large irrigation schemes through a classification developed by national experts in five Sahelian countries. Governments are currently promoting two strategies. One is based on large schemes, with foreign or national private investment. The other is based on small private irrigation approches. Water constraints are not very strongly taken into account, as the priority is to develop new schemes in order to reach food security for fast growing cities.

Malaria an infectious mosquito-borne disease of humans remains a great cause of poverty in Africa. This study aimed at assessing the occurrence of malaria Parasitaemia and anaemia among different aged group Almajirai in selected traditional Qur’anic centres residing in Municipal and Gwale L.G.As of Kano State. Total of 454 Blood samples from Almajirai of Municipal and Gwale Local Government Areas of Kano Municipal were examined for malaria parasitaemia (MP) using method for microscopic diagnosis of malaria parasites. Anaemia was diagnosed as mild and severe when Packed Cells Volumes (PCV) was below 33% and 25% respectively. Result of the blood (MP) from the two (2) local governments showed that only Plasmodium falciparum species, was encountered. The total positive sample recorded were 162 (35.7%). The highest occurrence 47.4% was recorded within 9-13 age group and the least 1.8% was recorded within 24-28 age groups in Gwale. Statistically no significant difference (P-value ˃ 0.05) was observed among the various age groups of the two local governments. Anaemia was compared between malaria parasitized and non- parasitized subject, anaemia was observed to be associated with the severity of malaria infection. Almajirai should be given free malaria treatment in all government hospital so that those who could not go to hospital due to treatment cost will avail themselves of such opportunities received quality medical care. There is need to introduce appropriate intervention strategies against malaria and its vector, as well increase distribution of Insecticide Treated Nets to Almajirai. Keywords: Malaria, Almajirai, Tsangayu, Municipal, Gwale

Alternative methods to the traditional industrial NOX and SOX flue gas cleaning processes working at lower temperatures and/or leading to useful products are desired. In this work we present our latest results regarding the use of molten ionic media in electrocatalytic membrane separation, ionic liquid reversible absorption and supported ionic liquid deNOX catalysis. Further development of the methods will hopefully make them suitable for installation in different positions in the flue gas duct as compared to the industrial methods available today.

International audience; Two Level Scheduling Algorithm (TLSA) is a QoS-enabled fair and efficient connection admission control and packet scheduling algorithm for WiMAX networks. At the first level, an inter-class scheduling algorithm distributes bandwidth among various WiMAX service classes. Then at the second level, class specific algorithms distribute bandwidth among connections of the associated class. The present paper focuses on a Markov chain based analytical model of TLSA that is comprehensive enough to depict the behavior of inter-class and intra-class scheduling algorithms. Extensive simulations were performed and several criteria were considered to assess the accuracy of the proposed model. We considered bandwidth allocation in both inter-class and intra-class scheduling algorithms, percentage of lost packets and the service ratio. The experiments indicate that the analytical model faithfully captures the behavior of TLSA.

Image quality measurement is a major challenge in digital image processing field. All image quality methods compare two images by providing a quantitative score that describes the degree of similarity, or in other words, the level of distortion between them. In this work, we propose a new full reference image quality measure using some statistical functions called Copulas. To our knowledge, this is the first time that copulas are used for image quality measurement. Our algorithms use the steerable pyramid technique to decompose the original and the distorted images. Then we exploit some of copula functions properties to calculate the image quality of the distorted image (such as a forged image) with respect to its original. The experimental results of our method show that the effectiveness of our method is comparable or better than the state of the current state of the art methods. In addition, our method is simple and fast.

Background Plasmodium falciparum resistance to artemisinin has been reported in South-East Asia. Long half-life drugs are increasingly being used for malaria prevention. The potential spread of parasite resistance to these regimens is real and makes regular efficacy surveillance a priority. Methods From August to December 2004 and July to December 2005, a randomized open label trial of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) + artesunate (AS) versus SP + amodiaquine (AQ), and SP alone, was conducted in two villages of Mali. PCR was used to distinguish new infections from recrudescent P. falciparum infections. Patients were followed for 28 days to assess treatment efficacy. Results Overall 912 children aged between six to 59 months, with uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria were recruited. Baseline characteristics were similar in the three treatment arms. Crude ACPRs were 94.9%; 98.6% and 93.5% for SP + AS; SP + AQ and SP alone arms respectively (SP + AS versus SP + AQ, p = 0.01; SP + AS versus SP, p = 0.5; SP + AQ versus SP, p = 0.001). After PCR adjustment, cACPRs were 99%; 100% and 97.2% for SP + AS; SP + AQ and SP alone arms, respectively (SP + AS versus SP + AQ, p = 0.25; SP + AS versus SP, p = 0.12; SP + AQ versus SP, p = 0.007). Conclusion Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine + amodiaquine therapy was as efficacious as sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine + artesunate, but more efficacious than sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine alone in the treatment of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria in Mali.

Background: Obesity increases the incidence of diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, and cancer. Oxidative stress has been considered one of the mechanisms linking obesity to these pathologies. Our aim was to evaluate the oxidative stress status in obese Adults Methods: Our study focused on a sample of 187 healthy volunteers in the city of Constantine, divided according to their BMI into three groups: group A (BMI