Automatic Lineaments Extraction using the Line Algorithm in the Denguélé District (North West of Ivory Coast)

The aim of this work was to apply the LINE Algorithm (Segment Extraction Algorithm) on Landsat 8 images for automatic lineament extraction in the Denguélé district. The Landsat 8 images had previously been subjected to the technique of Principal Component Analysis (PCA). After that, we implemented the LINE algorithm. Indeed, the LINE algorithm uses the following six (6) parameters : RADI (Radius of the filter) for improving the quality of the input image, GTHR (Threshold of the contour gradient), LTHR (Threshold of the contour length), FTHR (Threshold of mounting error), ATHR (Angular difference threshold between two contours ) and DTHR (Distance chaining threshold to link two contours ) for lineament discrimination. Analysis of the principal components PCA 1, PCA2 and PCA3 of bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 of the Landsat 8 images shows that they contain respectively 79.57; 15.88 and 2.15%, this represents overall 97.6% of all channels. 3468 lineaments were extracted. The minimum and maximum lengths of the lineaments extracted are respectively 4201.08 m and 16167.59 m and their cumulative length is 18 919 517.9 m. The lineaments average lengths are 5.55 km; 5.75 km; 5.6 km and 5.40 km respectively for NE-SW, NS, E-W and NW-SE directions. The analysis of the directions of the lineaments using a rose diagram with 10 ° of frequency, shows that the dominant directions are NE-SW (31.83% of the total lineaments), EW (28.71% of the total lineaments) and NS (27.91% of the total lineaments).

Abstract 01: Thirty-day Readmission Rate For Hypertensive Crisis: A Nationwide Analysis

Objective: Hypertensive crisis is a life-threatening condition that leads to poor patient outcomes if not treated urgently. We evaluate the all-cause 30-day readmission rate, resource utilization, predictors of readmission, and the most common causes for readmission in patients admitted with hypertensive crisis. Methods: Using the National Readmission Database 2018, patients ≥18 years of age admitted with the principal diagnosis of the hypertensive crisis were included in the study. The primary outcome was the all-cause 30-day readmission rate in these patients. Results: We identified 129,239 patients as index admissions. The mean age of index patients was 61±0.14 years, and females were 56.6%. The 30-day readmission rate was 10.6 % (13,768± 355). The in-hospital mortality rate was 0.2 % for index admissions and 1.5 % for readmissions. The cumulative length of stay (LOS) for all readmitted patients was 62,046± 1,802 days. The cumulative total cost of hospital services in readmitted patients was 155 ± 4.6 million USD. Age<65, lower-income, increased LOS, increased comorbidity burden, primary payer, and disposition were important predictors of readmission (Table). The most common causes of readmission were hypertensive crisis (19 %), CHF (12.4%), acute renal failure (4.4%), sepsis (2.6%), ESRD (2%), NSTEMI (2%), and stroke (1.7%) Conclusion: In conclusion, the 30-day readmission rate in patients with hypertensive crisis is high (10.6%), with hypertensive crisis and CHF as the most common causes. Resource utilization is also high, with many potential avoidable days and costs. Future strategies should address underlying factors, especially socioeconomic factors.

Implementing an Individual-Centric Discharge Process across Singapore Public Hospitals

Singapore is one of the first known countries to implement an individual-centric discharge process across all public hospitals to manage frequent admissions—a perennial challenge for public healthcare, especially in an aging population. Specifically, the process provides daily lists of high-risk patients to all public hospitals for customized discharge procedures within 24 h of admission. We analyzed all public hospital admissions (N = 150,322) in a year. Among four models, the gradient boosting machine performed the best (AUC = 0.79) with a positive predictive value set at 70%. Interestingly, the cumulative length of stay (LOS) in the past 12 months was a stronger predictor than the number of previous admissions, as it is a better proxy for acute care utilization. Another important predictor was the “number of days from previous non-elective admission”, which is different from previous studies that included both elective and non-elective admissions. Of note, the model did not include LOS of the index admission—a key predictor in other models—since our predictive model identified frequent admitters for pre-discharge interventions during the index (current) admission. The scientific ingredients that built the model did not guarantee its successful implementation—an “art” that requires the alignment of processes, culture, human capital, and senior management sponsorship. Change management is paramount, otherwise data-driven health policies, no matter how well-intended, may not be accepted or implemented. Overall, our study demonstrated the viability of using artificial intelligence (AI) to build a near real-time nationwide prediction tool for individual-centric discharge, and the critical factors for successful implementation.

Morphometric analysis and prioritization of upper Benue River watershed, Northern Nigeria

The upper Benue River watershed is undergoing remarkable modifications due to man-made and natural phenomena. Hence, an evaluation is required to understand the hydrological process of the watershed for planning and management strategies. This study aimed to assess the morphometric characteristics and prioritize the upper Benue River watershed. The boundary of the watershed and sub-watersheds, as well as stream networks, was extracted from the digital elevation model (DEM) coupled with hydrological and topographic maps. Twenty-eight morphometric parameters under three categories, i.e. linear, areal, and relief aspects were computed and mapped. Findings from the study revealed that the watershed is a seventh stream order system characterized by a dendritic drainage pattern. The result also showed that 4821 streams were extracted with a cumulative length of 30,232.84 km. The hypsometric integral of the watershed was estimated to be 0.22, indicating that it is in the old stage. In the prioritization of the watershed, the morphometric variables were utilized to calculate and classify the compound factor. The result showed that sub-watersheds 12, 16, 18, 24, 26, and 27 were ranked as very high priority for which conservation measures are required to mitigate the risk of flood and erosion. The outcome of this study can be used by decision-makers for sustainable watershed management and planning.

Association Between Active Living Environments and Hospitalization for All-Causes and Cardiometabolic Disease

IntroductionNeighbourhoods have the potential to influence population-wide modifiable risk factors such as physical inactivity and obesity. Built environments that encourage active living hold promise as a policy lever for reducing health care burden, particularly that related to cardiometabolic disease. Objectives and ApproachWe examined the role of active living environments on hospitalization risk, frequency, and cumulative length of stay for all-causes and cardiometabolic diseases. The linked dataset is a combination of survey data from Canadian respondents aged 45+, records from a national census of acute hospitalizations, and the Canadian Active Living Environment (Can-ALE) - a 5-class measure of how conducive one’s neighbourhood is to active living based on street connectivity, points of interest, and population density. We modelled the risk of all-cause and cardiometabolic hospitalizations for respondents living in more and less favourable environments using logistic regression. Frequency and cumulative length of stay were modelled using truncated negative binomial regression. Models were adjusted for individual-level factors and proximity to a hospital. An offset variable was included to account for different follow-up times. Results232,000 respondents were included with a mean follow-up time of 5.37 years. Those living in progressively more favourable active living environments (classes 2, 3, 4, and 5) exhibited incrementally lower risk of hospitalization compared to those living in the least favourable (class 1). Relative to respondents living in the least favourable environments (class 1), odds ratios were 0.84 (95% CI 0.76-0.93) for all-cause hospitalization and 0.80 (95% CI 0.68-0.93) for cardiometabolic hospitalization for respondents living in the most favourable environments (class 5). There was little evidence of similar associations for hospitalization frequency and cumulative length of stay. Conclusion / ImplicationsLiving in neighbourhoods that are more conducive to active living are associated with lower risk of all-cause and cardiometabolic hospitalization.

Examining the effects of applying ActiGraph low-frequency extension feature to analyze the sleeping behaviours of preschool-aged children

This study compares sleep outcome measures obtained using normal- and low-frequency extension (LFE) settings (Actilife). Forty-two children (aged 3–6 years) were instructed to wear an ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer on their hip for 7 days, 24 h/day. Total sleep time (min), sleep efficiency (%), and number and cumulative length (min) of awakening were used to compare the settings. Results suggest that the LFE setting results in significant but relatively small reductions in the sleep metrics of children. Trial registration no.: clincialtrials.gov (ID no. NCT02223234) Novelty LFE setting, available through ActiGraph, estimates a significantly reduced total sleep time and efficiency.

Implementing family based treatment in a child and youth eating disorder program: impact on admissions

ObjectivesAnorexia Nervosa (AN) treatment is frequently associated with high costs often due to the use of hospitalization. In Family Based Treatment (FBT) a main goal is to manage recovery of AN in the home environment rather than relying on lengthy hospital admissions. This study examined whether the use of hospitalization altered following the introduction of FBT to a youth eating disorders program in 2009.MethodThis study compared retrospective data of 71 female adolescent patients diagnosed with AN: 10 who received treatment as usual prior to the implementation of FBT; 10 who were treated immediately after FBT implementation; and a further 51 adolescents who received FBT since 2009.ResultsResults indicate that since the implementation of FBT there was a significant reduction in admissions to the medical ward and a significant reduction in cumulative length of stay on both the psychiatric and medical wards in adolescents presenting with AN.

Maturation and Fecundity of Large Freshwater Prawn Macrobrachium malcolmsonii and Macrobrachium gangeticum in the Ganga River System in India

The Ganga is the largest perennial river in India. The prawns’ fishery resources are declining in middle stretch of the river Ganga near Patna. The present paper deals with the maturation and fecundity of large size Macrobrachium species like Macrobrachium gangeticum (Bate) and Macrobrachium malcolmsonii (Edwards) were estimated for the period of two years. Maturity and fecundity of prawn were evaluated according to the size of prawn, ovary and breeding frequency. The initial stage developing ovaries of M. gangeticum were observed small & light yellowish green colour but at stage II to mature gonad of M. gangeticum were found deep yellow green mass in the carapace, whereas in M. malcolmsonii the developing stage of ovaries was observed large yellowish in colour and matured female gonad were found comparatively in large and deep yellow in the carapace. The gravid females observed long setae at the base of genital aperture and 1- 4 pleopodes in both species. After mating, eggs were transferred by both the female prawn from ovary to brood pouch. Berried prawn M. gangeticum one week old fertilized eggs were looked as yellowish green finally brawn color. Whereas, in M. malcolmsonii, one week fertilized eggs were looked as yellowish-grey then finally changed deep gray. M. gangeticum and M. malcolmsonii female releases of eggs, her ovaries displayed either stage resting or zero characteristics. The species of M. gangeticum possess minimum of 8000 eggs with size 75 mm and the maximum 76,240 eggs with respective size 190 mm, whereas M. malcolmsonii the minimum fecundity observed 8100 eggs with size 75 mm and the maximum fecundity was 81,200 eggs of 190 mm size. The total weights of the eggs per female prawn as well as the mean number of eggs were improved with cumulative length and weight. The breeding frequency of both species were found four times and in first breeding the number of eggs was found slight, but it increased comparatively in second and third breeding and got decreased again in fourth breeding.

COVID-19, SARS AND BATS CORONAVIRUSES GENOMES PECULIAR HOMOLOGOUS RNA SEQUENCES

We are facing the worldwide invasion of a new coronavirus. This follows several limited outbreaks of related viruses in various locations in a recent past (SARS, MERS). Although the main current objective of researchers is to bring efficient therapeutic and preventive solutions to the global population, we need also to better understand the origin of the newly coronavirus-induced epidemic in order to avoid future outbreaks. The present molecular appraisal is to study by a bio-infomatic approach the facts relating to the virus and itsprecursors. This article shows how 16 fragments (Env Pol and Integrase genes) from different strains, both diversified and very recent, of the HIV1, HIV2 and SIV retroviruses have high percentage of homology into parts of the genome of COVID_19. Moreover each of these elements is made of 18 or more nucleotides and therefore may have a function. They are called Exogenous Informative Elements (EIE).. Among these EIE, 12 are concentrated in a very small region of the COVID-19 genome, length less than 900 bases, i.e. less than 3% of the total length of this genome. In addition, these EIE are positioned in two functional genes of COVID-19: the orf1ab and S spike genes. Here are the two main facts which contribute to our hypothesis of a partially synthetic genome: A contiguous region representing 2.49% of the whole COVID-19 genome of which 40.99% is made up of 12 diverse fragments originating from various strains of HIV SIV retroviruses. Some of these 12 EIE appear concatenated. Notably, the retroviral part of these regions, which consists of 8 elements from various strainsof HIV1, HIV2 and SIV covers a length of 275 contiguous bases of COVID-19. The cumulative length of these 8 HIV/SIV elements represents 200 bases. Consequently, the HIV SIV density rate of this region of COVID-19 is 200/275 = 72.73%.

Are Women Willing to Delay Their Retirement? A Research on 270 Female Teachers in Inner Mongolia of China

Women’ retirement age is earlier than men in China, which has a negative effect on the problem-solving of aging society and the protection of women’s rights and interests. Therefore, prolonging the retirement age for women has become an important policy choice to alleviate the above problems. But are women themselves willing to delay their retirement? What factors effect women’s intention to delay their retirement? Those should be an important basis for the decision-making of a new retirement policy. This paper explores female delayed retirement intention by selecting the group of female teachers which is an important category of professional women in China. Taking 270 female teachers in Inner Mongolia of China as samples, this paper analyzes the effect of personal, occupational, and policy factors on female teachers’ delayed retirement intention. The results show that the health, children, monthly income, cumulative length of working, professional title and work units have a statistically significant impact on female teachers’ delayed retirement intention. Accordingly, this article puts forward policy implications on gender equity including eliminating the gender difference of retirement age, making flexible retirement policy and protecting women’s occupational interests.