Opium Poppy Detection Using Deep Learning

Opium poppy monitoring with remote sensing in North Myanmar

The timely and accurate mapping and monitoring of mine tailings dams is crucial to the improvement of management practices by decision makers and to the prevention of disasters caused by failures of these dams. Due to the complex topography, varying geomorphological characteristics, and the diversity of ore types and mining activities, as well as the range of scales and production processes involved, as they appear in remote sensing imagery, tailings dams vary in terms of their scale, color, shape, and surrounding background. The application of high-resolution satellite imagery for automatic detection of tailings dams at large spatial scales has been barely reported. In this study, a target detection method based on deep learning was developed for identifying the locations of tailings ponds and obtaining their geographical distribution from high-resolution satellite imagery automatically. Training samples were produced based on the characteristics of tailings ponds in satellite images. According to the sample characteristics, the Single Shot Multibox Detector (SSD) model was fine-tuned during model training. The results showed that a detection accuracy of 90.2% and a recall rate of 88.7% could be obtained. Based on the optimized SSD model, 2221 tailing ponds were extracted from Gaofen-1 high resolution imagery in the Jing–Jin–Ji region in northern China. In this region, the majority of tailings ponds are located at high altitudes in remote mountainous areas. At the city level, the tailings ponds were found to be located mainly in Chengde, Tangshan, and Zhangjiakou. The results prove that the deep learning method is very effective at detecting complex land-cover features from remote sensing images.

This 2016 Article IV Consultation highlights that the real GDP growth of Lao People’s Democratic Republic is expected to moderate from 7.5 percent in 2015 to 7 percent in 2016. Domestic activity has slowed following a less favorable external environment, and credit growth has also moderated from a high level. As growth continues to moderate in the near-term, inflation is projected to remain in low single digits. The current account deficit is projected to widen to about 19 percent of GDP in 2017 owing to the execution of large infrastructure projects with foreign direct investment.

Floristic inventory of vascular plant in Nam Ha National Biodiversity Conservation Area, Lao People's Democratic Republic

This research provides new evidence for the prevalence and multiple determinants of child undernutrition, and the appropriateness and effectiveness of tools used to measure them, from two low-income settings: Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). The variability in prevalence and in the causes and consequences of child undernutrition, even between communities with many health and sociodemographic parallels, underlines the importance of gathering comprehensive data in individual settings, using standardized methods and protocols, to identify the opportunities for effective management of undernutrition to improve community health.

Speech therapy model for patients with cleft palate in Lao People’s Democratic Republic: Lack of speech services

In many countries, the tuberculosis (TB) annual case detection rate is below the target of 70%. In the Lao People's Democratic Republic in 2005, it did not exceed 55% The DOTS strategy promotes passive case detection of TB. In order to increase the detection rate, we validated a questionnaire targeting lay informants at village level to notify patients with chronic cough and assessed the relevance for TB case-finding. A three-item questionnaire was sent through the district health departments to all villages in six districts in six provinces. The village headmen were asked to notify chronic cough patients. Answers were validated in a door-to-door survey (20 villages/district). In a sub-sample (four villages/district) all confirmed patients were screened for TB and paragonimiasis. Attapeu, Luang Namtha, Luang Prabang, Saravane, Savanakhet and Vientiane provinces in the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Lay informant questionnaires sent from district health offices to villages are cost-effective and foster interaction between the health services and remote and underserved communities. Although the correct detection of patients is highly dependent on direct respondents, a substantial number of new TB and paragonimiasis cases were consistently diagnosed in chronic cough patients. Out of 456 questionnaires, 295 were returned (65%). Return rates were highly variable between districts (48-87%), questionnaires' sensitivity (56-98%), positive predictive value (34-88%) and correlation between number of notified and confirmed patients (r: 0.26-0.78). In sub-sampled villages (13,541 population) 19 (5.1%) TB and 26 (7.0%) paragonimiasis cases were detected in 374 chronic cough patients. This quick questionnaire approach proved motivating for district authorities and village key informants, although no incentives were provided. The highly operator-dependent approach yielded a consistent detection rate of TB and paragonimiasis cases. This approach brings health services and populations in need in close contact, which is particularly crucial in remote and underserved areas.

In industry, it is becoming common to detect and recognize industrial workpieces using deep learning methods. In this field, the lack of datasets is a big problem, and collecting and annotating datasets in this field is very labor intensive. The researchers need to perform dataset annotation if a dataset is generated by themselves. It is also one of the restrictive factors that the current method based on deep learning cannot expand well. At present, there are very few workpiece datasets for industrial fields, and the existing datasets are generated from ideal workpiece computer aided design (CAD) models, for which few actual workpiece images were collected and utilized. We propose an automatic industrial workpiece dataset generation method and an automatic ground truth annotation method. Included in our methods are three algorithms that we proposed: a point cloud based spatial plane segmentation algorithm to segment the workpieces in the real scene and to obtain the annotation information of the workpieces in the images captured in the real scene; a random multiple workpiece generation algorithm to generate abundant composition datasets with random rotation workpiece angles and positions; and a tangent vector based contour tracking and completion algorithm to get improved contour images. With our procedures, annotation information can be obtained using the algorithms proposed in this paper. Upon completion of the annotation process, a json format file is generated. Faster R-CNN (Faster R-convolutional neural network), SSD (single shot multibox detector) and YOLO (you only look once: unified, real-time object detection) are trained using the datasets proposed in this paper. The experimental results show the effectiveness and integrity of this dataset generation and annotation method.

Deep learning methods have become popular among researchers in the field of fault detection. However, their performance depends on the availability of big datasets. To overcome this problem researchers started applying transfer learning to achieve good performance from small available datasets, by leveraging multiple prediction models over similar machines and working conditions. However, the influence of negative transfer limits their application. Negative transfer among prediction models increases when the environment and working conditions are changing continuously. To overcome the effect of negative transfer, we propose a novel deep transfer learning method, coined deep boosted transfer learning, for wind turbine gearbox fault detection that prevents negative transfer and only focuses on relevant information from the source machine. The proposed method is an instance-based deep transfer learning method that updates the weights of the source and the target machine training samples separately. The weights of different source training samples are gradually decreased to reduce the impact on the final model. The proposed method is verified by the Case Western Reserve University bearing and real field wind farm datasets. The results show that the proposed method ignores negative transfer and achieves higher accuracy compared to standard deep learning and deep transfer learning methods.

African swine fever (ASF) is a transboundary viral disease that has heavily impacted Southeast Asia since its introduction in 2019. Smallholder pig production systems in Cambodia and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (the Lao PDR), characterized by low biosecurity, free-ranging practices, and limited veterinary oversight, remain particularly vulnerable. To assess farmers’ awareness and practices regarding ASF, a knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) survey was implemented between March and September 2023 by Agronomes et Vétérinaires Sans Frontières within the framework of the Biosecurity in Pig Farming (BIG) project. A total of 471 pig farmers, including 56% women, were interviewed across eight provinces using a standardized questionnaire (188 in Cambodia and 283 in the Lao PDR). Results showed that ASF awareness was generally high (92% in Cambodia, 66% in the Lao PDR), yet 15% of Cambodian and 30% of Lao respondents expressed doubts about the presence of ASF in their country. While recognition of ASF symptoms was moderate and positively correlated with farmers’ perceived capacity to identify the disease, knowledge of transmission pathways was low and often misaligned with perceptions. Airborne transmission was frequently cited as a risk, and the risks related to visitors and fomites were underestimated by more than 50% of the farmers. Implementation of biosecurity measures (BSM) was limited, with mean scores of 43% in Cambodia and 27% in the Lao PDR. Risky practices such as swill feeding, free-ranging, sharing of boars, traders, and inadequate carcass disposal remained widespread. Statistical analysis identified education level, herd size, knowledge, perceived risks, and perceived benefits of BSM as the main determinants of biosecurity implementation. Farmers with larger herds or stronger commercial orientation demonstrated higher biosecurity adoption, while misconceptions and knowledge gaps remained frequent among smallholder farmers. Strengthening awareness, promoting low-cost and feasible biosecurity practices, and integrating farmer-centred approaches are essential for reducing ASF transmission risks and improving the resilience of smallholder pig production systems in the region.

The present study aims to investigate the level of health self-reliance among Lao women in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) and to enhance their potential for health self-reliance by means of research and development. A variety of qualitative techniques were employed, such as brainstorming, focus groups, in-depth interviews, and observation. The target groups include experts from the Ministry of Public Health, leaders of Lao women, representatives of Lao women in Vientiane Capital, academics with relevant experience in Lao Women's Federation agencies, and representatives of the agency in charge of the project on promoting Laos mothers. It was found that: 1) Lao women in the Lao PDR have normal health and self-reliance; they avoid smoking, eat fermented foods and seasonal fruits and vegetables, and occasionally engage in aerobic and running exercise. Regarding reliance on one's health in the event of illness, research is being done to better understand different ailments. 2) The outcomes of transforming health behaviors and planning seven activities to enhance the health self-reliance potential of Lao women in the Lao PDR.

IntroductionInadequate knowledge, negative attitudes and risky practices are major hindrances to preventing the spread of HIV. This study aimed to assess HIV-related knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAPs) of high school students in Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR).MethodsA cross-sectional study on unmarried male students aged between 16 and 19 years old was undertaken in 2010 to evaluate their KAPs. We selected 300 eligible grade VII students through systematic random sampling from different high schools in one province of Lao PDR.ResultsThe majority of students surveyed were aware that HIV can be transmitted by sexual intercourse (97.7%), from mother to child (88.3%) and through sharing needles or syringes (92.0%). Misconceptions about transmission of HIV were observed among 59.3% to 74.3% of respondents. Positive attitudes towards HIV/AIDS were observed among 55.7% of respondents. Nearly half of the surveyed students (45.3%) said that they would be willing to continue studying in a school with HIV-positive friends, and 124 (41.3%) said they would continue attending a school with HIV-positive teachers. Ninety-four (31.3%) students had a history of sexual intercourse, and 70.2% of these students had used a condom. However, only 43.9% said they used condoms consistently. Students with medium and high levels of knowledge were 4.3 (95% CI=2.1–9.0, P<0.001) and 13.3 (95% CI=6.5–27.4, P<0.001) times more likely to display positive attitudes towards people living with HIV. Similarly, safe practices related to safe sex were also observed among students with medium (OR=2.8, 95% CI=0.9–8.8, P=0.069) and high levels of knowledge (OR=1.9, 95% CI=0.6–6.2, P=0.284). More than three-quarters of students mentioned television and radio as major sources of information on HIV/AIDS.ConclusionsDespite adequate knowledge about HIV/AIDS among the school students, misconceptions about routes of transmission were found. Negative attitudes to HIV/AIDS and risky practices were also present. Educational programmes with specific interventions are recommended to increase KAPs and to prevent new HIV infections among students in Lao PDR.

BackgroundThe scaling up of antiviral treatment (ART) coverage in the past decade has increased access to care for numerous people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in low-resource settings. Out-of-pocket payments (OOPs) represent a barrier for healthcare access, adherence and ART effectiveness, and can be economically catastrophic for PLWHA and their family. We evaluated OOPs of PLWHA attending outpatient and inpatient care units and estimated the financial burden for their households in the Lao People's Democratic Republic. We assumed that such OOPs may result in catastrophic health expenses in this context with fragile economical balance and low health insurance coverage.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey of a randomized sample of routine outpatients and a prospective survey of consecutive new inpatients at two referral hospitals (Setthathirat in the capital city, Savannaket in the province). After obtaining informed consent, PLWHA were interviewed using a standardized 82-item questionnaire including information on socio-economic characteristics, disease history and coping strategies. All OOPs occurring during a routine visit or a hospital stay were recorded. Household capacity-to-pay (overall income minus essential expenses), direct and indirect OOPs, OOPs per outpatient visit and per inpatient stay as well as catastrophic spending (greater than or equal to 40% of the capacity-to-pay) were calculated. A multivariate analysis of factors associated with catastrophic spending was conducted.ResultsA total of 320 PLWHA [280 inpatients and 40 outpatients; 132 (41.2%) defined as poor, and 269 (84.1%) on ART] were enrolled. Monthly median household income, essential expenses and capacity-to-pay were US$147.0 (IQR: 86–242), $126 (IQR: 82–192) and $14 (IQR: 19–80), respectively. At the provincial hospital OOPs were higher during routine visits, but three fold lower during hospitalization than in the central hospital ($21.0 versus $18.5 and $110.8 versus $329.8 respectively (p<0.01). The most notable OOPs were related to transportation and to loss of income. A total of 150 patients (46.8%; 95%CI: 41.3–52.5) were affected by catastrophic health expenses; 36 outpatients (90.0%; 95%CI: 76.3–97.2) and 114 inpatients (40.7%; 95%CI: 34.9–46.7). A total of 141 (44.0%) patients had contracted loans, and 127 (39.6%) had to sell some of their assets. In the multivariate analysis, being of Lao Loum ethnic group (Coef.-1.4; p = 0.04); being poor (Coef. -1.0; p = 0.01) and living more than 100 km away from the hospital (Coef.-1.0; p = 0.002) were positively associated with catastrophic spending. Conversely being in the highest wealth quartile (Coef. 1.6; p<0.001), living alone (Coef. 1.1; p = 0.04), attending the provincial hospital (Coef. 1.0; p = 0.002), and being on ART (Coef.1.2; p = 0.003), were negatively associated with catastrophic spending.ConclusionPLWHA’s households face catastrophic OOPs that are not directly attributable to the cost of ART or to follow-up tests, particularly during a hospitalization period. Transportation, distance to healthcare and time spent at the health facility are the major contributors for OOPs and for indirect opportunity costs. Being on ART and attending the provincial hospital were associated with a lower risk of catastrophic spending. Decentralization of care, access to ART and alleviation of OOPs are crucial factors to successfully decrease the household burden of HIV-AIDS expenses.

Dental caries is considered a major health problem among schoolchildren in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). According to Health Belief Model (HBM)-based research, children’s oral health behavior can be determined by their guardians’ beliefs. This study aimed to describe children’s oral health behavior and its association with childhood dental caries, as well as to assess associations between children’s tooth-brushing behavior and guardians’ beliefs in an urban area of Lao PDR, using HBM. Data were collected from ten primary schools in the Sisattanak district, the Vientiane capital, between 2013 and 2014. Ten dentists with the help of dental hygienists and schoolteachers conducted dental health check-ups at the schools that diagnosed dental caries based on visual inspection. They also conducted a questionnaire-based survey with the schoolchildren’s guardians to collect data including socio-economic and demographic information, their children’s oral health behavior, and guardians’ beliefs derived from HBM, including perceived susceptibility to and perceived severity of child dental caries, perceived benefit of and perceived barrier to child’s tooth brushing, and self-efficacy in making their children brush their teeth twice daily. A mixed-effects logistic regression model assessed the association between dental caries and children’s oral health behavior and between children’s tooth-brushing behavior and guardians’ beliefs. Data from 1161 of 1304 (89.0%) children registered at the schools were used. The prevalence of dental caries was 82%. Children who brushed their teeth ≥ twice/day were significantly less likely to have dental caries than those brushing once or seldom (OR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.45 to 0.91). The number of children who brushed twice daily also significantly increased with the increased level of guardians’ self-efficacy (OR: 2.14, 95% CI: 1.91 to 2.41). In conclusion, childhood dental caries was associated with daily tooth brushing. Children’s tooth-brushing behavior was associated with guardians’ self-efficacy in making their children brush twice daily.

In the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), village health volunteers play an important role in providing health services including those to reduce the burden of malaria. Over the last two decades, the volunteer network has expanded to bring malaria services closer to communities and contributed to the reduction of malaria cases. However, as malaria test positivity rates decreased, many volunteers have lost motivation to continue providing routine malaria services, and other services they provide may not reflect growing healthcare demands for common diseases in the community. This study explored the perspectives, knowledge and inputs of key health stakeholders and community members in southern Lao PDR on community-delivered models in order to refine the volunteer model in the context of Lao PDR's primary health care sector and malaria elimination goals. Semi-structured interviews with multi-level health stakeholders, participatory workshops with community leaders, and focus group discussions with community members and current village health volunteers were conducted. Deductive followed by inductive thematic analysis was used to explore and categorise stakeholders' perspectives on community-delivered models for malaria elimination. Both stakeholders and community members agreed that village health volunteers are essential providers of malaria services in rural communities. Apart from malaria, community members identified dengue, diarrhoea, influenza, skin infections and tuberculosis as priorities (in descending order of importance) and requested community-based primary health care for these diseases. Stakeholders and community members suggested integrating prevention, diagnosis, and treatment services for the five priority diseases into the current malaria volunteer model. A divergence was identified between community members' expectations of health services and the services currently provided by village health volunteers. Stakeholders proposed an integrated model of healthcare to meet the needs of the community and help to maintain volunteers' motivation and the long-term sustainability of the role. An evidence-based, integrated community-delivered model of healthcare should be developed to balance the needs of both community members and stakeholders, with consideration of available resources and current health policies in Lao PDR.