Improving a Bag of Words Approach for Skin Cancer Detection in Dermoscopic Images.
Conference paperAbstract—With a rapidly increasing incidence of melanoma
skin cancer, there is a need for decision support systems to
detect it in its early stages, which would lead to better decisions
in treating it successfully. However, developing such systems is
still a challenging task for researchers. Several Computer Aided-
Diagnosis (CAD) systems have been proposed in the last two
decades to increase the accuracy of melanoma detection. Image
feature extraction is a critical step in differentiating between
melanoma and normal skin lesions. In this paper, we propose
to improve a bag-of-words approach by combining features
consisting of the color histogram and first order moments with the
Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG). Experimental results
show that the proposed technique significantly improves the
detection accuracy, with an average sensitivity of 91% and
specificity of 85%. The proposed system was validated on a
dataset of 200 medically annotated images (40 melanomas and
160 non-melanomas) obtained from the database of the Hospital
Pedro Hispano.
Naser Alfed, Fouad Khelifi, Ahmed Bouridane, (04-2016), Saint Julian's, Malta: IEEE. DOI: 10.1109/CoDIT38383.2016, 24-27
Pigment network-based skin cancer detection.
Conference paperAbstract— Diagnosing skin cancer in its early stages is a challenging task for dermatologists given the fact that the chance for a patient’s survival is higher and hence the process of analyzing skin images and making decisions should be time efficient. Therefore, diagnosing the disease using automated and computerized systems has nowadays become essential. This paper proposes an efficient system for skin cancer detection on dermoscopic images. It has been shown that the statistical characteristics of the pigment network, extracted from the dermoscopic image, could be used as efficient discriminating features for cancer detection. The proposed system has been assessed on a dataset of 200 dermoscopic images of the ‘Hospital Pedro Hispano’ [1] and the results of cross-validation have shown high detection accuracy.
Naser Alfed, Fouad Khelifi, Ahmed Bouridane, (08-2015), Milan, Italy: IEEE (EMBC), 7214-7217
Seed Size, Fecundity and Postfire Regeneration Strategy Are Interdependent in Hakea
Journal ArticleSeed size is a key functional trait that affects plant fitness at the seedling stage and may
vary greatly with species fruit size, growth form and fecundity. Using structural equation
modelling (SEM) and correlated trait evolution analysis, we investigated the interaction network
between seed size and fecundity, postfire regeneration strategy, fruit size, plant height
and serotiny (on-plant seed storage) among 82 species of the woody shrub genus, Hakea,
with a wide spectrum of seed sizes (2–500 mg). Seed size is negatively correlated with fecundity,
while fire-killed species (nonsprouters) produce more seeds than resprouters
though they are of similar size. Seed size is unrelated to plant height and level of serotiny
while it scales allometrically with fruit size. A strong phylogenetic signal in seed size revealed
phylogenetic constraints on seed size variation in Hakea. Our analyses suggest a
causal relationship between seed size, fecundity and postfire regeneration strategy in
Hakea. These results demonstrate that fruit size, fecundity and evolutionary history have
had most control over seed size variation among Hakea species.
Shhoob Mohamed imhmed Elahmir, (06-2015), UNITED STATES: journal.pone, 1 (1371), 1-12
تصور مقترح لتحسين جودة التعليم الجامعي في ليبيا
مقال في مجلة علميةيعد التعليم الجامعي الركيزة الأساسية لأي بلد من بلدان العالم المتقدمة والنامية والذي يعده الآخرون مقياس لتقدم وإزدهار البلدان إذ نجده يحظي بمكانه متميزة في الدول النامية والمتقدمة بهدف تطويره وتحسينه بشكل مستمر لزيادة كفاءته لتحقيق الأهداف المرجوة منهوهي ليست بالمساءلة الحديثة إذ بدأ الإهتمام به قديما في الدول المتقدمة والتي قطعت أشواطا متقدمة كان آخرها تطبيق إدارة الجودة الشاملة في التعليم الجامعي والتي تعد مدخل تطوير وتغيير جذري.
تعد الجودة أهم الوسائل والركائز الأساسية في تحسين آداء المنظمات بشكل عام ومؤسسات التعليم العالي بشكل خاص، فلم تعد الجودة ترفا تربويا تسعي إليه المؤسسات التعليمية أو بديلا تأخذ به أو تتركه، بل أصبح ضرورة ملحة تمليها حركة الحياة المعاصرة ومتطلباتها المتسارعة، ولقد أصبح تحسين جودة التعليم العالي هدفا مهما إستراتيجيا لكل الجامعات التي تتطلع إلي تحقيق الريادة والتميز.
وتأسيسا على ما تقدم، تأتي هذه الدراتسة بتصور مقترح لتحسين جودة التعليم الجامعي في ليبيا من خلال الإجابة على التساؤلات التالي:
- ما واقع التعليم الجامعي في ليبيا؟
- ما هية جودة التعليم الجامعي؟
- ما التصور المقترح لتحسين جودة التعليم الجامعي في ليبيا؟
وللإجابة على هذه التساؤلات سيتم التطرق إلي ما يلي:
ماهية جودة التعليم وأهميتها وفوائد ومتطلبات تطبيقها، وسبل ووسائل تحسين جودة التعليم الجامعي.
ستعتمد هذه الدراسة على المنهج الوصفي من خلال الإعتماد على المصادر الثانوية والرجوع للكتب والمقالات والمواقع الإليكتونية للإسترشاد بها في وضع الإطار العام لهذه الدراسةز
أ. الزائر سعيد جمعة، (06-2014)، غريان: مجلة دراسات في المال والأعمال، 10 (1)، 56-78
أثر العلاقات المالية والإجتماعية على إستقلالية المراجع الخارجي (دراسة ميدانية على المراجعين الخارجيين في ليبيا
مقال في مجلة علميةتقوم مهنة المراجعة الخارجية على الحسابات بوظيفة مهمة وأساسية في الحياة الإقتصادية للمجتمعات البشرية بسبب ما يضيفه تقرير المراجع الخارجي من ثقة في القوائم المالية للوحدات الإقتصادية، وتعد الإستقلالية من أهم السمات الواجب توافرها في المراجع الخارجي والأساس الذي تقوم عليه مهنة المراجعة ككل، وقد أثير في الأدب المحاسبي المتعلق بمجال المراجعة نقاش وجدل كثير حول الآثار التي يمكن أن تتعرض لها إستقلالية المراجع نتيجة لوجود العديد من العلاقات التي قد تؤدي إلي نشوء غحتمالات الشك والتساؤل في إستقلالية المراجعيين الخارجيين لدي مستخدمي القوائم المالية، الأمر الذي يمكن أن يهدد بفقدان الثقة في عمل المراجعين ومن ثم في مهنة المراجعة بالكامل, وتعد العلاقات المالية والعلاقات الإجتماعية التي قد تربط المراجعين الخارجيين بعملائهم محل المراجعة من بين أهم العوامل التي يعتقد بأن لها تاثير على الإستقلالية, لذلك يهدف هذا البحث إلي دراسة التأثير المحتمل لهذه العلاقات على إستقلالية المراجع الخارجي في البيئة الليبية.
ولأجل الوصول إلي تحقيق هذا الهدف تم تقسيم البحث إلي أربعة أجزاء رئيسية, حيث خصص الجزء الأول لتوضيح إطار الدراسة، في حين خصص الجزء الثاني لبناء الإطار النظري للبحث من خلال عرض ما إحتواه الأدب المحاسبي المتعلق بمجال المراجعة من أفكار وآراء حول مدي تأثير العلاقات المالية والإجتماعية على إستقلالية المراجع الخارجي, أما الجزء الثالث فقد تناول عرض وشرح الجوانب المتعلقة بالدراسة الميدانية للبحث، وأخيرا خصص الجزء الرابع لعرض النتائج التي تم الوصول إليها بالإضافة للتوصيات المقترحة.
د. عبدالحكيم البشير الملهوف، (06-2014)، غريان: مجلة دراسات في المال والأعمال، 10 (1)، 7-33
Cyclic AMP effectors in African trypanosomes revealed by genome-scale RNA Interference library screening for resistance to the phosphodiesterase inhibitor Cpd A
Journal ArticleOne of the most promising new targets for trypanocidal drugs to emerge in recent years is the cyclic AMP (cAMP) phosphodiesterase (PDE) activity encoded by TbrPDEB1 and TbrPDEB2. These genes were genetically confirmed as essential, and a highaffinity inhibitor, CpdA, displays potent antitrypanosomal activity. To identify effectors of the elevated cAMP levels resulting from CpdA action and, consequently, potential sites for adaptations giving resistance to PDE inhibitors, resistance to the drug was induced. Selection of mutagenized trypanosomes resulted in resistance to CpdA as well as cross-resistance to membranepermeable cAMP analogues but not to currently used trypanocidal drugs. Resistance was not due to changes in cAMP levels or in PDEB genes. A second approach, a genome-wide RNA interference (RNAi) library screen, returned four genes giving resistance to CpdA upon knockdown. Validation by independent RNAi strategies confirmed resistance to CpdA and suggested a role for the identified cAMP Response Proteins (CARPs) in cAMP action. CARP1 is unique to kinetoplastid parasites and has predicted cyclic nucleotide binding-like domains, and RNAi repression resulted in >100-fold resistance. CARP2 and CARP4 are hypothetical conserved proteins associated with the eukaryotic flagellar proteome or with flagellar function, with an orthologue of CARP4 implicated in human disease. CARP3 is a hypothetical protein, unique to Trypanosoma. CARP1 to CARP4 likely represent components of a novel cAMP signaling pathway in the parasite. As cAMP metabolism is validated as a drug target in Trypanosoma brucei, cAMP effectors highly divergent from the mammalian host, such as CARP1, lend themselves to further pharmacological development
Juma Ahmed Mohamed Ali, (10-2013), United States of America: Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy, 10 (57), 4882-4893
Pyrimidine biosynthesis is not an essential function for Trypanosoma brucei bloodstream forms
Journal ArticleBackground: African trypanosomes are capable of both pyrimidine biosynthesis and salvage of preformed pyrimidines from the host, but it is unknown whether either process is essential to the parasite. Methodology/Principal Findings: Pyrimidine requirements for growth were investigated using strictly pyrimidine-free media, with or without single added pyrimidine sources. Growth rates of wild-type bloodstream form Trypanosoma brucei brucei were unchanged in pyrimidine-free medium. The essentiality of the de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway was studied by knocking out the PYR6-5 locus that produces a fusion product of orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRT) and Orotidine Monophosphate Decarboxylase (OMPDCase). The pyrimidine auxotroph was dependent on a suitable extracellular pyrimidine source. Pyrimidine starvation was rapidly lethal and non-reversible, causing incomplete DNA content in new cells. The phenotype could be rescued by addition of uracil; supplementation with uridine, 29deoxyuridine, and cytidine allowed a diminished growth rate and density. PYR6-52/ 2 trypanosomes were more sensitive to pyrimidine antimetabolites and displayed increased uracil transport rates and uridine phosphorylase activity. Pyrimidine auxotrophs were able to infect mice although the infection developed much more slowly than infection with the parental, prototrophic trypanosome line. Conclusions/Significance: Pyrimidine salvage was not an essential function for bloodstream T. b. brucei. However, trypanosomes lacking de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis are completely dependent on an extracellular pyrimidine source, strongly preferring uracil, and display reduced infectivity. As T. brucei are able to salvage sufficient pyrimidines from the host environment, the py
Juma Ahmed Mohamed Ali, (03-2013), United States of America: Plos one, 3 (8), 32767-32767
An Epidemiological Study of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Al-Jabal Al-Gharbi, Libya
Journal ArticleCutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is an endemic parasitic infection in the Mediterranean region, including Libya and
its Al-jabal Al-gharbi province. We aimed at studying the occupational relevance as well as other epidemiological aspects
of CL. We investigated 140 CL cases who attended at Gharyan outpatient polyclinic during a period of 6 months in 2009.
CL infection was clinically diagnosed and confirmed by demonstration of Leishmania parasites on smears from lesions.
Our findings showed that males were more affected than females (P=0.04), and people above 10-years were more affected than younger ones (P=0.0001). A significant percent of CL cases belonged to Al-Kawasem subprovince
(P=0.0001). Farm-related activities were the most frequent occupations among CL cases (P=0.04). In addition to farm
workers, housewives and students are at risk groups since they are engaged at farm activities. Moreover, those who have
occupations that require staying outdoors for a part of night, e.g., policemen, are also at risk. Compared to children, adult
CL patients had multiple lesions (P=0.001) that were more prevalent in their upper and lower extremities than the face
(P=0.0001). We conclude that CL is a major health problem in Al-jabal Al-gharbi province of Libya. The presence of rodents and sandflies makes it a suitable environment for Leishmania to spread in an endemic epidemiological pattern. Being engaged in farming activities or outdoor occupations increases the risk of infection. Various clinical patterns of CL
suggest the presence of more than 1 species of Leishmania at Al-jabal Al-gharbi province. We propose that the 2 species
responsible for CL in this area are L. major and L. tropica. Further investigations to identify the leishmanial species responsible for CL at Al-jabal Al-gharbi together with adoption of preventive and control programs are needed.
Khamees Almabrouk Mohammed Almuseeri, (02-2013), كوريا: المجلة الكورية للطفيليات, 51 (1), 75-84
Pyrimidine salvage in Trypanosoma brucei bloodstream forms and the trypanocidal action of halogenated pyrimidines
Journal ArticleAfrican trypanosomes are capable of both pyrimidine biosynthesis and salvage of preformed pyrimidines from the host. However, uptake of pyrimidines in bloodstream form trypanosomes has not been investigated, making it difficult to judge the relative importance of salvage and synthesis or to design a pyrimidine-based chemotherapy. Detailed characterization of pyrimidine transport activities in bloodstream form Trypanosoma brucei brucei found that these cells express a high-affinity uracil transporter (designated TbU3) that is clearly distinct from the procyclic pyrimidine transporters. This transporter had low affinity for uridine and 2′deoxyuridine and was the sole pyrimidine transporter expressed in these cells. In addition, thymidine was taken up inefficiently through a P1-type nucleoside transporter. Of importance, the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil was an excellent substrate for TbU3, and several 5-fluoropyrimidine analogs were investigated for uptake and trypanocidal activity; 5F-orotic acid, 5F-2′deoxyuridine displayed activity in the low micromolar range. The metabolism and mode of action of these analogs was determined using metabolomic assessments of T. brucei clonal lines adapted to high levels of these pyrimidine analogs, and of the sensitive parental strains. The analysis showed that 5-fluorouracil is incorporated into a large number of metabolites but likely exerts toxicity through incorporation into RNA. 5F-2′dUrd and 5F-2′dCtd are not incorporated into nucleic acids but act as prodrugs by inhibiting thymidylate synthase as 5F-dUMP. We present the most complete model of pyrimidine salvage in T. brucei to date, supported by genome-wide profiling of the predicted pyrimidine biosynthesis and conversion enzymes.
Juma Ahmed Mohamed Ali, (02-2013), United States of America: Molecular pharmacology, 2 (28), 439-453
Educational Website for Teaching Children
Master ThesisThe aim was to build an educational website to teach preschoolers aged 2-5 years old some skills; related to reading, writing and pronouncing alphabet, numbers, animal names, shapes and other common words. Also, assist parents and teachers by providing digital game-based learning environment to “edutainment” the children. The study illustrated the usability and usefulness of this educational game-based website and provided future insights for researchers and developers to take into account in future work.
Entisar Nassr Abdulati Abolkasim, (07-2012), The University of Bradford: The University of Bradford,