Corneal Trauma

Trauma is often the main cause of unilateral loss of vision in developing countries. Although corneal trauma can range from tiny corneal abrasions to sight-threatening and penetrating ocular injuries, even minor corneal trauma that breaches the epithelium has the potential to result in microbial keratitis and its associated complications, up until complete loss of vision. Even though ocular trauma is a global problem, blindness from eye injuries occurs mostly in developing countries, especially those where wars and civil conflicts bring around eye traumas from various weapons such as land mines, chemical substances, etc. Chemical injuries from both acids and alkalies are common causes of corneal injury due to their easy availability and soft regulations regarding their use. This chapter includes photos of trauma cases of the anterior segment, corneal and conjunctival foreign bodies, sequelae of blunt and penetrating trauma, chemical injuries, as well as a case of posttraumatic iris cyst.

INFLUENCE OF PRE-MARITAL COUNSELLING ON SUSTAINABILITY OF MARRIAGES IN GREATER ACCRA REGION, GHANA

The study focused on elements discussed during pre-marital counselling and how those elements mediate on the sustainability of marriages in Greater Accra Region. Concurrent triangulation mixed method design was chosen for the study. For the quantitative phase 100 marriage people were randomly selected from 10 churches. At the qualitative phase 4 head pastors were conveniently selected from the 10 churches. Mean and standard deviation was used to analysed the questionnaire for the quantitative phase while the semi-structured interview scheduled was thematically analysed to explain issues as they emerged in the study. The study showed conflict resolution, communication, adjusting to individual difference, sex and romance, family lifecycles in marriage and separation from past-memories and families were some elements discussed during pre-marital counselling to help sustain the marriages. Again, respondents were of the view that pre-marital counselling is vital for the sustainability of marriages and should be made compulsory for new couples. Lastly, it was revealed the philosophy of pre-marital counselling is not only being aware of potential land mines in their relationship, but to equip married people to learn the skills necessary to successfully deal with challenges throughout their marriage which help in the sustainability. Therefore, it was recommended that the churches should employ professional counsellors who understand the principle of marriage counselling to perform the act of counselling and follow-up service should be done to check if the elements discussed during pre-marital counselling are being put into practice.

Single, Dual, and Triple Antithrombotic Therapy in Cancer Patients with Coronary Artery Disease: Searching for Evidence and Personalized Approaches

Improvement in life expectancy of patients suffering from oncohematologic disorders has turned cancer from an acute into a chronic condition, making the management of comorbidities problematic, especially when it comes to both acute and chronic cardiovascular diseases. Treatment-related adverse events and drug–drug interactions often influence the therapeutic approach of patients with active malignancies and cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, tumor cells and platelets maintain a complex crosstalk that on one hand enhances tumor dissemination and on the other hand induces hemostasis abnormalities. Hence, clinicians should move carefully in the intricate land mines established by patients with active cancer under antithrombotic therapy. To date, there is no consensus on the antithrombotic treatment of patients with cardiovascular diseases and concomitant malignancies. The aim of this review is to collect the available scientific evidence, including the latest clinical trials and guidelines, in order to provide guidance on the management of antithrombotic treatment (both antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy) in cancer patients with either pre-existent or new-onset coronary artery disease. Randomized-controlled trials on antithrombotic treatment in oncologic populations, which by far have thus far been excluded, have to be promoted to supply recommendations in the oncohematologic setting.

IOT based Land Mine Detection Robot

Such equipment is usually automatically blasted through pressure when a target steps on it or drives on it. Demining or mine clearance is the process of removing land mines from an area, while minesweeping describes the task of locating mines. Landmines are generally easy to lay and difficult and dangerous. They are harmful due to their unknown positions and are often difficult to detect. Although dimming has been given the highest priority, currently my clearing operation is a labor-intensive, slow, very dangerous, expensive and low technology operation. The current rate of human quarry is about 100 thousand per year. The idea is to build and develop an automated robot capable of detecting buried landmines and taking them from their locations, enabling the operator to control the robot from afar. The buried quarry is detected using metal detectors as most land mines have metal components. The robot will travel in a straight line route. The system allows the operator to stay at a safe distance by enabling the robot to safely control. Wireless control is for the safety of the operator, designed robots must be able to operate remotely, and is equipped with wireless data transmission capabilities.

Shallow buried improvised explosive device detection via convolutional neural networks

The issue of detecting improvised explosive devices, henceforth IEDs, in rural or built-up urban environments is a persistent and serious concern for governments in the developing world. In many cases, such devices are plastic, or varied metallic objects containing rudimentary explosives, which are not visible to the naked eye and are difficult to detect autonomously. The most effective strategy for detecting land mines also happens to be the most dangerous. This paper intends to leverage the use of a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to aid in the discovery of such IEDs. As part of a related project, an autonomous sensor array was used to detect the devices in terrains too hazardous for a human to survey. This paper presents a CNN and its training methodology, suitable to make use of the sensor system. This convolutional neural network can accurately distinguish between a potential IED and surrounding undergrowth and natural features of the environment in real-time. The training methodology enabled the CNN to successfully recognise the IEDs with an accuracy of 98.7%, in well-lit conditions. The results are evaluated against other convolutional neural systems as well as against a deterministic algorithm, showing that the proposed CNN outperforms its competitors including the deterministic method.