Local Initiatives Support Corporation

This study aims to examine the knowledge and attitudes of adults towards nutrition in terms of sustainability. In addition, the study aimed to determine the demographic characteristics that affect the knowledge and attitudes of adults towards nutrition. This study, which was conducted with a descriptive screening model, was conducted with 208 adults. The research data were collected online via Google Form with the “Personal Information Form” and the “Questionnaire on Food Sustainability Knowledge and Attitudes to Sustainable Eating”. The survey used was adapted from its original language for the first time and was designed to assess the sustainability knowledge and attitudes of adults. Descriptive statistics (mean, number, percentage), Kruskal Wallis Variance Analysis, Mann Whitney U Test, Pearson chi-square analysis were used in the analysis of the research data. In the study, it was observed that the awareness of the concepts related to sustainable nutrition knowledge was high, and especially the university graduate adult population showed high interest in sustainable and healthy nutrition. It was also observed that the participants had positive attitudes towards sustainable nutrition and that these attitudes were not affected by any sociodemographic variables. In the study, it was observed that the participants' knowledge about nutrition was quite good and their attitudes were positive. In this case, it is important to support the knowledge and attitudes of adults towards nutrition in order to maintain and improve the current situation in terms of sustainability.

This paper provides sufficient conditions over the sequence of samples and parameters of an adaptive Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm to ensure ergodicity with respect to a target distribution that can have unbounded support. These conditions aim to make more easily usable the conditions of Containment and Diminishing Adaptation from Roberts and Rosenthal [2007] formulated over the transition kernels, without needing, as was done in other works, an artificial assumption of the compactness over both sample and parameter spaces. The paper shows that the condition of compactness can be relaxed to a more realistic bound in probability over the sequence of both samples and parameters.

Modern electronic systems increasingly operate across multiple voltage domains, necessitating robust and efficient level shifter (LS) circuits to ensure reliable inter-domain communication. In low-power digital applications, minimizing propagation delay and transition time is critical for achieving high-speed and energy-efficient operation. This work presents a high-performance level shifter optimized for integration within Li-ion battery charger systems. The proposed design achieves a substantial reduction in propagation delays from 0.15 to 0.09062 ns while preserving signal integrity. When integrated with a gate driver, the overall structure exhibits a propagation delay of 0.20468 ns and a transition time of 0.014 ns, marking a significant improvement from the previous 0.036 ns. Furthermore, the proposed circuit occupies only 0.00039 mm² of silicon area, representing a 92% reduction compared to prior implementations (0.05 mm²). The complete design was implemented using Taiwan semiconductor manufacturing company (TSMC) 130 nm complementary metal–oxide– semiconductor (CMOS) technology, with both schematic simulation and layout carried out in the Cadence Virtuoso design environment. These results underscore the potential of the proposed solution for compact and high-efficiency system-on-chip (SoC) battery management applications.

This study delves into the design and integration of event-driven architectures (EDA) within intelligent Internet of Things (IoT) systems, aiming to address the growing demands of real-time processing for the vast and heterogeneous data streams generated by connected devices. It is situated within an ongoing trajectory of innovation that seeks to enhance the responsiveness, reliability, and efficiency of next-generation IoT infrastructures. The primary objective is to identify and assess the most suitable middleware solutions (such as Kafka, MQTT, and RabbitMQ) capable of optimizing latency, ensuring data consistency, and maintaining the resilience of distributed environments. Beyond its technological dimension, the study advances a conceptual model that intertwines event-processing, edge computing, and distributed intelligence, fostering a fluid and adaptive orchestration of digital resources. This model endows IoT systems with heightened decision-making autonomy and strengthened robustness in the face of failures, congestion, and fluctuating data flows. The anticipated outcomes provide a comprehensive methodological and technical framework for the design of intelligent, scalable, and reliable IoT systems, while simultaneously deepening the theoretical understanding of event-driven paradigms in highly dynamic data environments and opening new avenues for scientific and industrial innovation.

We introduce CollabToolBuilder, a flexible multiagent LLM framework with expert-in-the-loop (HITL) guidance that iteratively learns to create tools for a target goal, aligning with human intent and process, while minimizing time for task/domain adaptation effort and human feedback capture. The architecture generates and validates tools via four specialized agents (Coach, Coder, Critic, Capitalizer) using a reinforced dynamic prompt and systematic human feedback integration to reinforce each agent's role toward goals and constraints. This work is best viewed as a system-level integration and methodology combining multi-agent in-context learning, HITL controls, and reusable tool capitalization for complex iterative problems such as scientific document generation. We illustrate it with preliminary experiments (e.g., generating state-of-the-art research papers or patents given an abstract) and discuss its applicability to other iterative problem-solving.

Background Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective HIV prevention strategy for populations at high risk, including men who have Sex with men (MSM) and Female Sex Workers (FSW). Despite being a proven HIV prevention tool and its effectiveness, the uptake of PrEP remains low in many settings, including Cameroon, posing challenges to HIV control. This study assessed PrEP uptake and associated factors among key populations in Nylon and New Bell Health Districts of Cameroon. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 284 participants (91 MSM and 193 FSW) between January and June 2024, recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. PrEP eligibility was assessed based on self-reported risk behaviors, as outlined in World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Data on demographic characteristics, PrEP awareness, and uptake were collected through structured questionnaires. Logistic regression analyses identified factors associated with PrEP uptake. Results Among the 220 participants eligible for PrEP, only 62 (28.2%) accepted and were initiated on the medication. Significant predictors of uptake included monthly income above 100,000 FCFA (aOR = 4.37, 95% CI: 1.76–11.5, p = 0.002), MSM status (aOR = 2.97, 95% CI: 1.24–7.30, p = 0.015). Conversely, engaging in condomless sex (aOR = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.15–0.75, p = 0.009), higher education (aOR = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.13–0.92, p = 0.034), and relying on sex as the primary source of income (OR = 0.10, 95% CI: 0.02–0.37, p < 0.001) were negatively associated with PrEP uptake. Discussion PrEP uptake in Nylon and New Bell remains suboptimal, reflecting persistent economic, behavioral, and structural barriers. Higher income and MSM status predicted uptake, while condomless sex, sex as a source of income, and higher education were negative factors. Addressing stigma, financial vulnerability, and risk perception through tailored, community-based interventions is essential to strengthen PrEP utilization and HIV prevention outcomes in Cameroon. Conclusion PrEP uptake remains suboptimal among key populations in the Nylon and New Bell Health Districts. Financial barriers, socio-demographic factors, and sexual behavior have a significant influence on uptake. Tailored public health interventions addressing these barriers are essential for enhancing PrEP utilization and reducing HIV transmission in these vulnerable groups.

Increasing energy demands have created an urgent need to explore alternative energy solutions. Waste heat, commonly lost in energy production, can be effectively utilised through thermoelectric generators (TEGs). These devices generate electricity when a temperature difference is employed across a thermoelectric material. The efficiency of TEGs can be significantly improved by combining them with Phase Change Materials (PCMs). PCMs help maintain a steady temperature gradient over a longer period, leading to better system efficiency and power output. The goal of this study is to experimentally evaluate the thermal and electrical performance of TEGs integrated with PCMs for efficient waste heat recovery at low temperatures. Two paraffin-based PCMs with distinct thermophysical properties were used to assess their performance during charging and discharging cycles. The results showed that the PCM-1-TEG system achieved an average power output of 0.27 W and an efficiency of 1.11 % during charging, while the PCM-2-TEG system produced 0.28 W and an efficiency of 0.8 %. However, both systems experienced a sharp drop in power and efficiency as the stored energy diminished. During the discharge phase, PCM-1 delivered an average power output and efficiency of 0.03 W and 0.3 %, while PCM-2 achieved 0.029 W and 0.31 %. The selected PCMs enabled continued electricity generation for up to 180 minutes after external heat was removed, highlighting their role in stabilizing the thermal gradient and sustaining power output during discharge. Based on the comparative performance of two PCMs, the results suggest that phase change temperature range and latent heat capacity significantly influence thermal buffering and electrical output behavior. Therefore, these properties should be considered when selecting PCMs for real-world waste heat applications.

BackgroundThe widespread use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has significantly increased the life expectancy of people living with HIV (PLWHIV). However, this success is accompanied by a growing burden of non-communicable diseases, particularly hypertension, which has emerged as a leading contributor to morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite this growing concern, data on the burden and care cascade of hypertension among PLWHIV in routine care settings remain limited in Cameroon.ObjectiveTo assess the prevalence, associated factors, and care cascade of hypertension among PLWHIV receiving follow-up at Yaoundé Central Hospital in Cameroon in 2024.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study at the Day Hospital of Yaounde Central Hospital, a national referral center for HIV care. PLWHIV aged ≥21 years and under active follow-up were included. Hypertension was defined as systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥140/90 mm Hg or current use of antihypertensive medication. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with hypertension, including clinical and HIV-related parameters.ResultsA total of 554 participants were enrolled, of whom 74.0% were women, with a mean age of 50.9 years. The overall prevalence of hypertension was 36.8% (95% CI: 32.9-40.9) and was higher among men than women (45.1% vs 33.9%). Among hypertensive individuals (n = 204), 66.7% had initiated antihypertensive treatment, 45.6% were retained in care, and only 22.6% had controlled blood pressure. Factors independently associated with hypertension included longer ART duration (>16 years) (adjusted OR = 1.88; P = .036), WHO clinical stage II at HIV diagnosis (adjusted OR = 1.56; P = .033), and suppressed viral load (<1000 copies/mL), which was paradoxically associated with a higher risk of hypertension (adjusted OR = 0.42 for unsuppressed viral load; P = .041). No significant association was found with ART regimen lines.ConclusionHypertension affects more than one-third of PLWHIV in this urban HIV referral center, yet important gaps persist in treatment initiation, retention, and control. These findings highlight the urgent need for integrated hypertension screening and management strategies within HIV care services in Cameroon to reduce long-term cardiovascular risks.

We introduce an evaluation methodology for reading comprehension tasks based on the intuition that certain examples, by the virtue of their linguistic complexity, consistently yield lower scores regardless of model size or architecture. We capitalize on semantic frame annotation for characterizing this complexity, and study seven complexity factors that may account for model's difficulty. We first deploy this methodology on a carefully annotated French reading comprehension benchmark showing that two of those complexity factors are indeed good predictors of models' failure, while others are less so. We further deploy our methodology on a well studied English benchmark by using Chat-GPT as a proxy for semantic annotation. Our study reveals that fine-grained linguisticallymotivated automatic evaluation of a reading comprehension task is not only possible, but helps understand models' abilities to handle specific linguistic characteristics of input examples. It also shows that current state-of-the-art models fail with some for those characteristics which suggests that adequately handling them requires more than merely increasing model size.

People with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and other forms of progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) have a high symptom burden and a poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Despite efforts to offer specialised treatment, clinical care for these patients remains suboptimal and several nonmedical needs remain unaddressed. Developing a core outcome set (COS) can help to identify a minimum set of agreed-upon outcomes that should be measured and acted-upon in clinical care. As a first step towards developing a COS for IPF/PPF, we aimed to identify outcome domains investigated in IPF/PPF research. Conducted within the COCOS-IPF (Co-designing a Core Outcome Set for and with patients with IPF) project, this scoping review follows Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines to search PubMed, Embase and Web of Science for quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods papers. We extracted each paper's outcomes verbatim and classified them using the COMET (Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials) taxonomy. Then, the research team structured outcomes or concepts with similar meanings inductively into outcome domains. We included 428 papers, extracting 1685 outcomes. Most outcomes (n=1340) were identified in quantitative sources, which we could classify in 64 outcome domains, with the main domains being "all-cause survival" (n=237), "lung function" (n=164) and "exercise capacity" (n=99). Qualitative sources identified 51 outcome domains, with the most frequent being "capability to do activities you enjoy" (n=31), "anxiety, worry and fear" (n=26) and "dealing with disease progression" (n=25). The identified outcomes, spanning diverse domains, highlight the complexity of patient experiences and can form the basis to develop a COS for IPF/PPF clinical care, as well as future research.