Search

Nowadays there is a water crisis, farmers usually use wastewater and well water for agricultural cultivation. A pot experiment was used to investigate the influence of Duhok municipal wastewater for irrigation of broccoli plants of the genus (Brassica oleracea var. Italica (Broccoli) as compared to fresh water on broccoli parts and morphology of the plant. Municipal wastewater can be a rich source of necessary nutrients for plant growth when used as irrigation water. In this investigation, the municipal wastewater was preserved in plastic bottles taken from sewage sludge called (Hishkero) river, while the utilized soil got around the Misuriké district under a loamy soil texture class. The result showed that the broccoli plant was significantly affected by wastewater compared to freshwater in increasing potassium, lead, and copper (1.92 ± 0.05 % ), (1.70 ± 0.05 %), (0.66 ± 0.02 mg/kg-1), (0.56 ± 0.02 mg/kg-1), (0.23 ± 0.03 mg/kg-1), (0.05 ± 0.03 mg/kg-1) respectively. While the broccoli plant for macro-nutrient accumulation (NPK) was significantly accumulated in shoot and head more than roots (1.45 ± 0.04 %), (1.41 ± 0.04 %), (0.24 ± 0.03 %), (0.33 ± 0.03 %), (2.17 ± 0.07 %), (2.11 ± 0.07 %) respectively. In conclusion, the nutrient content in broccoli was improved by wastewater as it has high nutrient contents with permissible levels of hazardous heavy metals of as lead and cadmium especially in the eaten part.

This work investigates several aspects of differential subordination and superordination, leading to the inclusion of a specific class within the domain of univalent meromorphic functions in a perforated open unit disc and deriving a few sandwich theorems. The purpose of this article is to look into a few of the characteristics of variation subordination for analytic univalent functions over a perforated unit disc. It additionally aims to shed insight into geometric characteristics like coefficient inequality, Hadamard product characteristics, and the Komatu integral operator. A few interesting findings have been discovered for variations in subordination as well as superordination in analytic univalent functions. The outcomes about variations in subordination, including linear algebra operators, were presented employing convolutions involving two linear operators. Everyone evaluates and investigates subordinations as well as superordinations about convolutions using includes from the Komatu integral operator. The convolution operator as a tool was used for obtaining multiple findings over differential subordination within the perforated unit disk employing a generalized hypergeometric function. Appropriate classes of acceptable functions are examined, and the two-dimensional real estate of the differential subordinations is explained by utilizing the linear operator, a technique that Srivastava introduced as well as examined. This leads to the establishment of several sandwich-type theorems for a class of univalent analytical functions. The current work examines several subclasses of star-like functions that are defined by subordination. Additionally, our team provides some relevant links between the results reported here and those acquired previously.

Summary: Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) require fault diagnosis for safe operation. Here, we present a protocol for UAV fault diagnosis using signal processing and artificial intelligence. We describe steps for collecting vibration-based signal data, preprocessing, and feature extraction using a 3-axis accelerometer or similar sensors. We then detail the application of machine learning techniques, including deep neural networks, support vector machine, k-nearest neighbor, and other algorithms, for classifying faults. This protocol is applicable to various UAV models for accurate fault detection.For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Al-Haddad et al.,1,2,3,4 Shandookh et al.5 : Publisher’s note: Undertaking any experimental protocol requires adherence to local institutional guidelines for laboratory safety and ethics.

Background Septal myectomy and alcohol septal ablation (ASA) are septal reduction therapies for patients with symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Operator and hospital volume may influence outcomes, but contemporary data on this relationship are limited. Methods and Results This retrospective cohort study used data from the Vizient Clinical Data Base (2016–2022). Patients with undergoing septal myectomy and ASA were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD‐10‐CM) codes and stratified into low‐, medium‐, and high‐volume groups based on annualized operator and hospital volumes. The outcomes were 30‐day in‐hospital mortality and 90‐day readmission, analyzed using multivariable adjusted logistic and Cox models. Among 5725 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (3990 septal myectomy; 1735 ASA), most operators and hospitals performed

Background2020 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) Guidelines state that the ideal time for mitral valve surgery in primary mitral regurgitation (PMR) is when the LV approaches but has not yet reached echocardiographic LV ejection fraction (EF) 40 mm. However, it is difficult to know the imminent risk of crossing this threshold when the surgical outcome is less optimal.ObjectiveUsing machine learning and statistical models, we have shown that cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) LV sphericity index (SI) and LV mid circumferential strain rate (SRcirc) added to LVEF and LVESD predict LVEF

The propulsion of economic growth is a multifaceted construct, influenced by technology, capital, and resource management, with Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) being a significant contributors to innovation and employment. This study examines the growth of Scottish SMEs across four sectors over a 14-year period (2008–2021) by employing a novel statistical approach to understand their development trajectories within the framework of open innovation. The paper engaged in a longitudinal analysis to assess trends and inform policy for sustainable growth by the utilization of open-access data. Theoretical metrics such as the Average Growth Rate, Compound Average Growth Rate (CAGR), and Year-Over-Year (YoY) Growth were applied to evaluate sectoral performance. The findings revealed varied growth patterns; the information technology sector exhibited a robust increase, while the telecommunications sector showed significant percentage growth. Conversely, the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector experienced a decline that suggests a potential market gap. An affirmative trajectory in CAGR was observed in most sectors except ICT, which corroborates a shift in technological evolution and market needs. The study illuminates the dynamic economic landscape of Scottish SMEs, with telecoms emerging as the most prosperous sector in terms of growth rates, thus indicates a shifting economic focus. The study’s limitations are briefly discussed, in addition to the need for updated databases and further research employing predictive modeling with machine learning to enhance forecasting capabilities and foster open innovation for sustainable economic development.

The aim of this research is to investigate certain problems of differential subordination and superordination of analytic univalent functions in an open unit disk. Furthermore, the universal by-product operator and geometric properties such as coefficient inequalities are investigated. Remarkable results on the differential subordination and superordination of analytic univalent functions and results using higher derivative operator for differential subordination are obtained. Some interesting applications of subordination in the unit disk are obtained using convolution and convexity.

Drought stress (DS) is one of the most destructive abiotic stresses that negatively affects plant growth, and yield. The intensity of DS is continuously increasing due rapid of water sources, less rainfall, and an increase in global warming. The world’s population is increasing at an alarming rate which needs a substantial increase in crop production to meet global food needs. Therefore, in this context, we must have to increase crop production in the scenarios of rapid climate change and increasing intensity of abiotic stresses. Globally, different measures are used to mitigate the adverse impacts of DS, recently biochar (BC) has emerged as an excellent soil amendment to mitigate the toxic effects of DS and improve crop production. The application maintains membrane integrity, plant water relations, nutrient homeostasis, photosynthetic performance, hormonal balance and osmolytes accumulation, and gene expression thereby improving plant performance under DS. Moreover, BC application under DS also improves soil organic matter, water holding capacity, soil structure stability, and activity of beneficial microbes which can improve the plant performance under DS. In the present review different mechanisms through which BC mitigates the adverse impacts of DS on plants are discussed. This review provides new suggestions on the role of BC in mitigating the adverse impacts of DS.

Mung bean (Vigna radiata) is the rich source of fiber and essential nutrients. They play a vital role in sustainable agriculture due to their ability to fix nitrogen in the soil and enhance soil fertility. Drought is characterized by limited water resources and severe arid climatic conditions, notably impair crop growth and yield. In the current experiment, two genotypes, Azri-M 2006 and NM-92, were studied against drought stress that was applied as 2 days and 4 days irrigation gap per week. Foliar application of magnesium-silicate (20 ppm and 30 ppm concentrations) and Moringa leaf extract (30% v/v solution) was applied as treatments. The results from the experiment morphology anatomical and yield components were recorded according to the prescribed methods. The result revealed that drought stress reduced the growth of plant. Foliar application of 30 ppm silicon against drought stress showed a highly significant (p

A new species of parasitoid wasp (Braconidae, Microgastrinae) from the kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is described, Microplitis idreesae sp. nov. The genus is reported for the first time in the Eastern province of the KSA. This is the first host-parasitoid association for Microplitis documented in the country. The new species attacks Mythimna Ochsenheimer (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae). Natural history information is provided such as the association of males with females, geographical location, possible food plants, and details of wasp cocoons. In addition, a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene is presented. A taxonomic key to the species of Microplitis reported from the KSA is provided. Characters of this new species and its affinities with the three previous species described from the KSA and four of the closely related to Palaeartic species are also discussed.

Nowadays, heavy metals are regarded as the most significant contaminants due to industrial activities and have an impact on their presence in milk. The presence of heavy metals in milk could have a serious negative impact on public health. The current study aims to determine the amount of various heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Co, Cd, Cr, Ni, Fe, and Zn) in raw Awassi ewe’s milk collected from Kwashe industrial area, Duhok province, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. The sheep were grazed in Sulaivany plain contaminated by drains of industrial effluents of several crude oil refineries and other 200 different factories. Atomic absorption spectrophotometer was utilized to analyze the milk specimens after wet digestion. Results displayed that the heavy metals concentration was in the range of 3.64-4.27 mg/L for Pb, 0.59-1.13 mg/L for Cu, 0.01-0.09 mg/L for Co, 0.12-1.46 mg/L for Cd, 0.24-0.29mg/L for Cr, 0.89-0.99 mg/L for Ni, 0.89-0.94 mg/L for Fe and 3.99-6.13 mg/L for Zn. Statistical analyses showed that excusing Cr, and all other studied heavy metals concentrations were higher than the human-health safety recommended. Furthermore, among the heavy metals in the current study, the Zn was the highest mean value recorded (4.99 mg/L) and it exceeded the limited value (3.8 mg/L) by WHO/FAO, (1999). The permissible level of pb in milk is 0.05 mg/L, and the mean concentration of pb in the milk sample (3.99 mg/L) was significantly higher than the permissible value. Moreover, the mean value of Cd (0.75 mg/L), Cu (0.79 mg/L), Co (0.038 mg/L), Ni (0.948 mg/L), and Fe (0.91 mg/L) were above the limited value (0.01 mg/L) for Cd, 0.03 mg/l for Cu, (0.001-0.008) for Co, (0.1mg/L) for Ni and 0.1 for Fe, respectively. While the Cr concentration (0.27 mg/L) was lower than the recommended level (0.3 mg/L). Therefore, it was observed that the amount of heavy metals in the sheep milk utilized in this investigation possesses a health risk. Hence, it is always needful to persuade the pollutants in milk in the current area.

The main objective of the present study is to spatially evaluate the water contamination of Khabur River, before it arrives in Zakho City, inside the city, and after it leaves the city of Zakho by heavy metals. Also, the seasonal effects of Zakho municipal wastewater discharged in the Khabur River were detected in this study. The results showed that some heavy metals, such as Ni, were not detected in all studied samples in this study due to their low concentration levels. It is indicated that heavy metals are statistically affected by spatial location and high amounts were detected after leaving, compared to before entering the city which indicates that municipal wastewater is the main source of metal pollution. However, all water tests met the WHO's authorized limits. The average detected concentrations of copper, iron, manganese, and lead ranges from 0.003 to 0.025 mg/L, 0.000 to 0.054 mg/L, and 0.057 to 0.112 mg/L, and 0.014 to 0.135 mg/L respectively, while the highest concentrations of copper and iron were recorded significantly in Bedare (0.025 mg/L, 0.054 mg/L) respectively. The highest concentration of Lead (Pb) was detected in Chamtre and Tawke 0.117 mg/L and 0.135 mg/L respectively and this increase may be due to the presence of oil in the discharged industrial wastewater, in this village. Regarding season’s effects, higher mean concentrations for Mn 0.13423 mg/L, Fe, and 0.04208 mg/L were recorded in the autumn season. However, copper and lead had higher mean concertation 0.02389 mg/L, and 0.097 mg/L respectively, during the winter season, while the lowest mean concentration of copper was recorded in autumn, and lead in the summer season had a minimum concentration. There was a significant difference (P

The high concentration of nitrogen (N) compounds in wastewater was found to be creating a reason of eutrophication, effect the biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems and human health. The aim of this study is to reduce harmful N forms from wastewater by biological nitrogen transforming (BNT) bacteria and to investigate the fluctuation of ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOB), nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB), and pathogenic bacteria during this process, so compost representative. A sample of municipal wastewater was taken, and then subjected to the treatment process of BNT, which was subdivided into three stages of ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification. The result revealed that nitrifying bacteria were flocculated during biological nitrogen transformation, like AOB and NOB isolated until obtaining colonies during the nitrification process, by liquid mineral solution and Agar-Agar then calculated. The AOB count was 468 CFU/ml and NOB was 2130 CFU/ml in the sample. The existence of coliform bacteria, especially E. coli raises the possibility of water contamination by pathogens bacteria that cause many serious illnesses in human. Therefore, Mac-Conkey agar was used for the isolation of total coliform bacteria through the BNT process because it is selective and also differentiating agar that specialized in the growth of gram- negative bacteria. Total coliform bacteria decreased gradually, before ammonification (556 CFU/ml), after ammonification (226 CFU/ml), after nitrification (154 CFU/ml) and after denitrification (45 CFU/ml) that have been determined and indicated that further chemical disinfection like chlorination or ozonation were required for complete sterilization of pathogenic bacteria. The study concluded that all harmful forms of N and total coliform bacteria that cause human and ecosystem deleterious were reduced by BNT.

BackgroundClass I echocardiographic guidelines in primary mitral regurgitation (PMR) risks left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 60%. There are no models predicting LVEF

Medicinal plants, an important source of herbal medicine, are gaining more demand with the growing human needs in recent times. However, these medicinal plants have been recognized as one of the possible sources of heavy metal toxicity in humans as these medicinal plants are exposed to cadmium-rich soil and water because of extensive industrial and agricultural operations. Cadmium (Cd) is an extremely hazardous metal that has a deleterious impact on plant development and productivity. These plants uptake Cd by symplastic, apoplastic, or via specialized transporters such as HMA, MTPs, NRAMP, ZIP, and ZRT-IRT-like proteins. Cd exerts its effect by producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and interfere with a range of metabolic and physiological pathways. Studies have shown that it has detrimental effects on various plant growth stages like germination, vegetative and reproductive stages by analyzing the anatomical, morphological and biochemical changes (changes in photosynthetic machinery and membrane permeability). Also, plants respond to Cd toxicity by using various enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant systems. Furthermore, the ROS generated due to the heavy metal stress alters the genes that are actively involved in signal transduction. Thus, the biosynthetic pathway of the important secondary metabolite is altered thereby affecting the synthesis of secondary metabolites either by enhancing or suppressing the metabolite production. The present review discusses the abundance of Cd and its incorporation, accumulation and translocation by plants, phytotoxic implications, and morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular responses of medicinal plants to Cd toxicity. It explains the Cd detoxification mechanisms exhibited by the medicinal plants and further discusses the omics and biotechnological strategies such as genetic engineering and gene editing CRISPR- Cas 9 approach to ameliorate the Cd stress.

Abstract Background Preeclampsia is a global health problem and it is the main cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Breastfeeding has been reported to be associated with lower postpartum blood pressure in women with gestational hypertension. However, there is no published data on the role that breastfeeding might play in preventing preeclampsia. The aim of the current study was to investigate if breastfeeding was associated with preeclampsia in parous women. Method A case-control study was conducted in Saad Abualila Maternity Hospital in Khartoum, Sudan, from May to December 2019. The cases (n = 116) were parous women with preeclampsia. Two consecutive healthy pregnant women served as controls for each case (n = 232). The sociodemographic, medical, and obstetric histories were gathered using a questionnaire. Breastfeeding practices and duration were assessed. Results A total of 98 (84.5%) women with preeclampsia and 216 (93.1%) women in the control group had breastfed their previous children. The unadjusted odds ratio (OR) of preeclampsia (no breastfeeding vs breastfeeding) was 3.55, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.64,7.70 and p value = 0.001 based on these numbers. After adjusting for age, parity, education level, occupation, history of preeclampsia, history of miscarriage, body mass index groups the adjusted OR was 3.19, 95% CI 1.49, 6.82 (p value = 0.006). Conclusion Breastfeeding might reduce the risk for preeclampsia. Further larger studies are required.

Abstract Background Dengue fever (DF) is an arthropod-borne disease caused by dengue virus (DENV). DENV is a member of the genus Flavivirus in the family Flaviviridae. Recently, DENV has been reported as an important emerging infectious viral pathogen in Sudan. Multiple outbreaks and sporadic cases of DF have been frequently reported in the eastern region of Sudan. The present study was conducted to confirm DENV outbreak in Kassala State, eastern Sudan, 2019, and to provide some information on the molecular characterization of the DENV isolate associated with the disease outbreak. Methods A hundred serum samples were collected during the outbreak from residents of Kassala State, Sudan, 2019. ELISA was used to detect DENV non structural protein NS1 (DENV-NS1) in acute phase sera sampled during the disease outbreak. RT-PCR assays were used to amplify a fragment of the capsid/pre-membrane region (CprM) of the viral polyprotein gene. The PCR products of the amplified CprM region of the viral polyprotein gene were purified and partial sequences were generated and used to confirm the specificity of DENV sequences and to identify the virus serotype. Phylogenetic tree was constructed to determine the genotype of DENV associated with the outbreak. Results Using DENV-NS1 ELISA assay, DENV infection was confirmed in 23% sampled sera. The detection of DENV RNA was made possible using group-specific RT-PCR assay. The virus was serotyped as DENV serotype 3 (DENV-3) using DENV serotype-specific RT-PCR assay. Phylogenetic analysis of the partial CprM sequences of the viral polyprotein gene indicates that the virus belonged to genotype III of DENV-3. Conclusion The scientific data presented in this investigation confirmed that genotype III of DENV-3 was associated with the disease outbreak in eastern Sudan, 2019. The study represents the first report on molecular characterization of DENV-3 in Sudan.

Summary: Increasing left atrial (LA) size predicts outcomes in patients with isolated mitral regurgitation (MR). Chymase is plentiful in the human heart and affects extracellular matrix remodeling. Chymase activation correlates to LA fibrosis, LA enlargement, and a decreased total LA emptying fraction in addition to having a potential intracellular role in mediating myofibrillar breakdown in LA myocytes. Because of the unreliability of the left ventricular ejection fraction in predicting outcomes in MR, LA size and the total LA emptying fraction may be more suitable indicators for timing of surgical intervention. Key Words: chymase, fibrosis, left atrium, left ventricle, mitral regurgitation, mitral valve

Abstract Giant Multilocular Prostatic Cystadenoma (GMPC) is one of the rare benign tumors of the prostate. This report presents a case of a young man who has been recently diagnosed with GMPC. Our report highlights the importance of timely diagnosis and treatment, considering the overlapping symptoms with other common urinary conditions.

The Alternaria species are considered to produce a plethora of several mycotoxins constituting a risk factor for both human and animal health. This work aimed mainly to explore the cytotoxicity of a combined mixture of altenuene (ALT), alternariol (AOH), tenuazonic acid (TeA), and altenuisol (AS) toxins produced by pathogenic A. alternata toward human oral epithelial cells (PCS-200-014), lung fibroblast cells (WI-38), and male albino rats. The sequencing of the multi-locus, RNA polymerase second largest subunit (rpb2), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gapdh), and Alternaria major allergen gene (Alt a 1) was performed to infer relationships among isolated Alternaria species. The phylogenetic analysis of gapdh, rpb2, and Alt-a 1 sequence data indicated that all isolates resided in A. alternata. The pathogenic potentiality of A. alternata was investigated on tomato plants cv. super strain B under greenhouse conditions, and all isolates were pathogenic to tomato plants, with significant (p < 0.05) variations. The ability of A. alternata isolates to produce mycotoxins was also explored using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). All tested isolates were able to produce at least one of the assessed mycotoxins—ALT, AOH, TeA, and AS—and ALT was reported as the dominant mycotoxin, produced by 80% of A. alternata isolates. The cytotoxic properties of the combined mixture of ALT, AOH, TeA, and AS at concentrations of 31.25, 62.50, 125, 250, and 500 µg/mL were assessed via the MTT assay method after exposure for 24 h versus the control. The treatment of both cell lines with combined mixtures of ALT, AOH, TeA, and AS showed a dose-dependent decrease in cell viability. The highest concentrations tested at 62.50, 125, 250, and 500 µg/mL significantly decreased cell viability and caused cell damage compared to the lowest concentration of 31.25 µg/mL and the control. The cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of the combined mixtures of ALT, AOH, TeA, and AS on male albino rats were also investigated via the gene expression of (TNF-α) and using hematological (CBC), chemical (alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and urea and creatinine), and histopathological analyses. A marked increase was observed in the levels of ALT, AST, urea and creatinine, TNF-α gene expression, red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), hemoglobin (Hb), and packed cell volume % (PCV) after 28 days of exposure relative to the untreated control. Pathological alterations were also observed in the liver and kidney tissues of rats. Conclusively, this work provides a new understanding on the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of mycotoxins of pathogenic A. alternata from tomatoes.

The goal of this paper is to investigate some of the features of differential subordination of analytic univalent functions in an open unit disc. In addition, it has shed light on geometric features such as coefficient inequality, Hadamard product qualities, and the Komatu integral operator. Some intriguing results for third-order differential subordination and superordination of analytic univalent functions have been installed. Then, using the convolution of two linear operators, certain results of third order differential subordination involving linear operators were reported. As a result, we use features of the Komatu integral operator to analyze and study third-order subordinations and superordinations in relation to the convolution. Finally, several results for third order differential subordination in the open unit disk using generalized hypergeometric function have been addressed using the convolution operator.

Lasiodiplodia (family Botryosphaeriaceae) is a widely distributed fungal genus that causes a variety of diseases in tropical and subtropical regions. During 2020–2021, a routine survey of fruit tree plants was conducted in five Egyptian Governorates, and fresh samples exhibiting dieback, decline, leaf spot and root rot symptoms were collected. Collection from eight different symptomatic leaves, twigs, branches and roots of fruit trees yielded 18 Lasiodiplodia-like isolates. The sequencing data from the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), partial translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1-a) and β-tubulin (tub2) were used to infer phylogenetic relationships with known Lasiodiplodia species. Two isolates obtained from black necrotic lesions on Phoenix dactylifera leaves were identified as a putative novel species, L. newvalleyensis sp. nov., and were thus subjected to further morphological characterization. The results of isolation and molecular characterization revealed that L. theobromae (n = 9) was the most common species on Mangifera indica, Citrus reticulata, C. sinensis, Ficus carica, Prunus persica, Prunus armeniaca and Pyrus communis trees. Lasiodiplodia pseudotheobromae (n = 5) was isolated from M. indica, Prunus persica and C. sinensis. Lasiodiplodia laeliocattleyae (n = 2) was isolated from C. reticulata. Pathogenicity test results suggested that all Lasiodiplodia species were pathogenic to their hosts. The present study is considered the first to characterize and decipher the diversity of Lasiodiplodia species associated with fruit trees in Egypt, using the multi-locus ITS, tef1-a and tub2 sequence data, along with morphological and pathogenic trials. To our knowledge, this is the first report of L. newvalleyensis on Phoenix dactylifera and L. laeliocattleya on C. reticulata in Egypt and worldwide.

Background Suprasternal access is an alternative access strategy for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) where the innominate artery is cannulated from an incision above the sternal notch. To date, suprasternal access has never been compared with transfemoral TAVR. Thus, we sought to assess safety, feasibility, and early clinical outcomes between suprasternal and transfemoral access for patients undergoing TAVR. Methods and Results We evaluated patients from 2 institutional prospective, observational registries containing 1348 patients. Patients were selected in a 2:1 ratio (transfemoral:suprasternal) on the basis of propensity score matching. The primary outcome was in‐hospital mortality, and secondary outcomes included the incidence of ischemic stroke, major bleeding, vascular injury, left bundle‐branch block, and permanent pacemaker implantation at 30‐day follow‐up. Propensity score matching identified 89 patients undergoing suprasternal TAVR and 159 patients undergoing transfemoral TAVR suitable for analysis. There was no significant difference between suprasternal TAVR and transfemoral TAVR with respect to in‐hospital mortality (1.1% versus 0.6%; odds ratio [OR], 1.80; 95% CI, 0.11–29.06; P=0.680). No patients in either cohort suffered an ischemic stroke. The incidence of major bleeding (2.2% versus 2.5%; OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.16–4.96; P=0.895) and vascular injury (1.1% versus 1.9%; OR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.06–5.77; P=0.651) did not differ significantly. The frequency of left bundle‐branch block (9.4% versus 15.8%; OR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.24–1.30; P=0.177) and permanent pacemaker implantation (11.2% versus 5.9%; OR, 2.01; 95% CI, 0.75–5.45; P=0.169) were not statistically significantly different. Conclusions Suprasternal TAVR was safe and achieved promising short‐term clinical outcomes when compared with transfemoral TAVR. Future studies seeking to identify the optimal alternative access site should evaluate suprasternal TAVR access alongside other substitutes for transfemoral TAVR.

The narrative of the digital phenotype as a transformative vector in healthcare is nearly identical to the concept of “data drivenness” in other fields such as law enforcement. We examine the role of a prescription drug monitoring program in California—a computerized law enforcement surveillance program enabled by a landmark Supreme Court case that upheld “broad police powers”—in the interprofessional conflict between physicians and law enforcement over the jurisdiction of drug use. We bring together interview passages, clinical artifacts, and academic and gray literature to investigate the power relations between police, physicians, and patients to show that prescribing data appear to the physician as evidence of problematic patient behavior by the patients, and to law enforcement as evidence of physician misconduct. In turn, physicians have adopted a disciplinary approach to patients, using quasi-legalistic documents to litigate patient behavior. We conclude that police powers have been used to pave data infrastructure through a contested jurisdiction, and law enforcement have used that infrastructure to enroll physicians into the work of disciplining patients.

Introduction: Hereditary spastic paraplegia is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous neurological entity that includes more than 80 disorders which share lower limb spasticity as a common feature. Abnormalities in multiple cellular processes are implicated in their pathogenesis, including lipid metabolism; but still 40% of the patients are undiagnosed. Our goal was to identify the disease-causing variants in Sudanese families excluded for known genetic causes and describe a novel clinico-genetic entity.Methods: We studied four patients from two unrelated consanguineous Sudanese families who manifested a neurological phenotype characterized by spasticity, psychomotor developmental delay and/or regression, and intellectual impairment. We applied next-generation sequencing, bioinformatics analysis, and Sanger sequencing to identify the genetic culprit. We then explored the consequences of the identified variants in patients-derived fibroblasts using targeted-lipidomics strategies.Results and Discussion: Two homozygous variants in ABHD16A segregated with the disease in the two studied families. ABHD16A encodes the main brain phosphatidylserine hydrolase. In vitro, we confirmed that ABHD16A loss of function reduces the levels of certain long-chain lysophosphatidylserine species while increases the levels of multiple phosphatidylserine species in patient's fibroblasts.Conclusion:ABHD16A loss of function is implicated in the pathogenesis of a novel form of complex hereditary spastic paraplegia.

Abstract Background Breast cancer intrinsic molecular subtype (IMS) as classified by the expression-based PAM50 assay is considered a strong prognostic feature, even when controlled for by standard clinicopathological features such as age, grade, and nodal status, yet the molecular testing required to elucidate these subtypes is not routinely performed. Furthermore, when such bulk assays as RNA sequencing are performed, intratumoral heterogeneity that may affect prognosis and therapeutic decision-making can be missed. Methods As a more facile and readily available method for determining IMS in breast cancer, we developed a deep learning approach for approximating PAM50 intrinsic subtyping using only whole-slide images of H&E-stained breast biopsy tissue sections. This algorithm was trained on images from 443 tumors that had previously undergone PAM50 subtyping to classify small patches of the images into four major molecular subtypes—Basal-like, HER2-enriched, Luminal A, and Luminal B—as well as Basal vs. non-Basal. The algorithm was subsequently used for subtype classification of a held-out set of 222 tumors. Results This deep learning image-based classifier correctly subtyped the majority of samples in the held-out set of tumors. However, in many cases, significant heterogeneity was observed in assigned subtypes across patches from within a single whole-slide image. We performed further analysis of heterogeneity, focusing on contrasting Luminal A and Basal-like subtypes because classifications from our deep learning algorithm—similar to PAM50—are associated with significant differences in survival between these two subtypes. Patients with tumors classified as heterogeneous were found to have survival intermediate between Luminal A and Basal patients, as well as more varied levels of hormone receptor expression patterns. Conclusions Here, we present a method for minimizing manual work required to identify cancer-rich patches among all multiscale patches in H&E-stained WSIs that can be generalized to any indication. These results suggest that advanced deep machine learning methods that use only routinely collected whole-slide images can approximate RNA-seq-based molecular tests such as PAM50 and, importantly, may increase detection of heterogeneous tumors that may require more detailed subtype analysis.

This paper deals with an important issue concerning the relationship between Islamic sharia rules in the field of combating theft, the scientific development in the field of computers and the internet, and their uses in the evolution of methods of committing digital theft crime. The paper is divided into four sections that look into the question of the applicability of the financial condition, the provision of taking money, the condition defining the security and protection of wealth, and the requirements of proving the crime of theft in Islamic Law. The researcher concluded the possibility of applying the Islamic rules related to theft crime to electronic money in theory, and the difficulty of that in practice or reality due to some problems related to the nature of electronic money in some cases (information or data and programs). Other problems are related to proving the crime. Therefore, the researcher recommends the necessity of legislative intervention to indicate the provisions applicable to this type of theft, and whether the rulings on this type of crime relate to the prescribed punishment for theft in Islamic Law or discretionary punishments.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant status of plasma vitamin E and plasma and intracellular coenzyme Q10 in children with type 1 diabetes. Method: This case–control study was conducted on 72 children with type 1 diabetes and compared to 48 healthy children, who were age, sex, and ethnicity‐matched. The diabetic children were divided according to their glycosylated hemoglobin (A1c %) into two groups: poor and good glycemic control groups. All children underwent full history taking, clinical examination, and laboratory measurement of complete blood count, A1c %, plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, and vitamin E levels and coenzyme Q10 levels in plasma, erythrocytes, and platelets. Results: Children with poor glycemic control showed significantly higher plasma vitamin E, coenzyme Q10, triglycerides, low‐density lipoproteins, waist circumference/height ratio, cholesterol levels, and lower high‐density lipoproteins and platelet coenzyme Q10 redox status in comparison to those with good glycemic control and the control group (p

Determining the appropriate parents for breeding programs is the most important decision that plant breeders must make to maximize the genetic variability and produce excellent recombinant genotypes. Several methods are used to identify genotypes with desirable phenotypic features for breeding experiments. In this study, five kalanchoe genotypes were morphologically characterized by assessing plant height, number of inflorescences, number of flowers, flower length, flower diameter and number of petals. The analysis showed the distinction of yellow kalanchoe in the plant height trait, while the orange kalanchoe was distinguished in the number of inflorescences, the number of flowers and flower length traits, whereas the violet kalanchoe possessed the largest flower diameter and the highest number of petals. The molecular profiling was performed by random amplified polymorphism DNA (RAPD), inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) and start codon targeted (SCoT)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tools. Genomic DNA was extracted from young leaves and the PCR reactions were performed using ten primers for each SCoT, ISSR and RAPD marker. Only four out of ten primers showed amplicon profiles in all PCR markers. A total of 70 bands were generated by SCoT, ISSR and RAPD-PCR with 35 polymorphic bands and 35 monomorphic bands. The total number of bands of RAPD, ISSR and SCoT was 15, 17 and 38, respectively. The polymorphism percentages achieved by RAPD, ISSR and SCoT were 60.25%, 15% and 57%, respectively. The cluster analysis based on morphological data revealed two clusters. Cluster I consisted of violet and orange kalanchoe, and cluster II comprised red, yellow and purple kalanchoe. Whereas the cluster analysis based on molecular data revealed three clusters. Cluster I included only yellow kalanchoe, cluster II comprised orange and violet kalanchoe while cluster III comprised red, and purple kalanchoe. The study concluded that orange, violet and yellow kalanchoe are distinguished parents for breeding economically valued traits in kalanchoe. Also, the study concluded that SCoT and RAPD markers reproduced reliable banding patterns to assess the genetic polymorphism among kalanchoe genotypes that consider the basis stone for genetic improvements in ornamental plants.

Background: Arginases catalyze the last step in the urea cycle. Hyperargininemia, a rare autosomal-recessive disorder of the urea cycle, presents after the first year of age with regression of milestones and evolves gradually into progressive spastic quadriplegia and cognitive dysfunction. Genetic studies reported various mutations in the ARG1 gene that resulted in hyperargininemia due to a complete or partial loss of arginase activity.Case Presentation: Five patients from an extended highly consanguineous Sudanese family presented with regression of the acquired milestones, spastic quadriplegia, and mental retardation. The disease onset ranged from 1 to 3 years of age. Two patients had epileptic seizures and one patient had stereotypic clapping. Genetic testing using whole-exome sequencing, done for the patients and a healthy parent, confirmed the presence of a homozygous novel missense variant in the ARG1 gene [GRCh37 (NM_001244438.1): exon 4: g.131902487T>A, c.458T>A, p.(Val153Glu)]. The variant was predicted pathogenic by five algorithms and affected a highly conserved amino acid located in the protein domain ureohydrolase, arginase subgroup. Sanger sequencing of 13 sampled family members revealed complete co-segregation between the variant and the disease distribution in the family in line with an autosomal-recessive mode of inheritance. Biochemical analysis confirmed hyperargininemia in five patients.Conclusion: This study reports the first Sudanese family with ARG1 mutation. The reported variant is a loss-of-function missense mutation. Its pathogenicity is strongly supported by the clinical phenotype, the computational functional impact prediction, the complete co-segregation with the disease, and the biochemical assessment.

Software Defined Network (SDN) is a new technology that separate the ‎control plane from the data plane. SDN provides a choice in automation and ‎programmability faster than traditional network. It supports the ‎Quality of Service (QoS) for video surveillance application. One of most ‎significant issues in video surveillance is how to find the best path for routing the packets ‎between the source (IP cameras) and destination (monitoring center). The ‎video surveillance system requires fast transmission and reliable delivery ‎and high QoS. To improve the QoS and to achieve the optimal path, the ‎SDN architecture is used in this paper. In addition, different routing algorithms are ‎used with different steps. First, we evaluate the video transmission over the SDN with ‎Bellman Ford algorithm. Then, because the limitation of Bellman ford ‎algorithm, the Dijkstra algorithm is used to change the path when a congestion occurs. Furthermore, the Dijkstra algorithm is used with two ‎controllers to reduce the time consumed by the SDN controller. ‎ POX and Pyretic SDN controllers are used such that POX controller is ‎responsible for the network monitoring, while Pyretic controller is responsible for the ‎routing algorithm and path selection. Finally, a modified Dijkstra algorithm is further proposed and evaluated with two ‎controllers to enhance the performance. The results show that the modified Dijkstra algorithm outperformed the other approaches in the aspect of QoS parameters.

Power consumption in datacenters has become an emerging concern for the cloud providers. This poses enormous challenges for the programmers to motivate new paradigms to enhance the efficiency of cloud resources through designing innovative energy-aware algorithms. However, balancing the weights over geographically dispersed datacenters has been shown to be essential in decreasing the temperature consumption per datacenter. In this paper, we have formulated a load balancing paradigm to exploit the idea of scheduling scientific workflows over distributed cloud resources to make system outcome more efficient. The proposed heuristic works based on three constraints. First, initiating cloud resource locality for tenants and calculating the shortest distance in order to direct module applications to the closet resources and conserving more bandwidth cost. Second, selecting the most temperature aware datacenters based on geographical climate to maintain electricity cost for the providers. Third, running multiple datacenters within the same geographical location instead of housing the entire workloads in a single datacenter. This allows providers to take a tremendous advantage of sustaining the system from degradation or even unpredictable failure which in turn will frustrate the tenants. Furthermore, applications are formulated as Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG)-structured workflow. For the underlying cloud hardware, our model groups the cloud servers to communicate as if they were in the same physical location. Additionally, both modes, on-demand and reservation, are supported in our algorithm. Finally, the simulation showed that our method was able to enhance the utilization rates about 67% compared to the baseline model.

Abstract Background Infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy (INAD) is a rare hereditary neurological disorder caused by mutations in PLA2G6. The disease commonly affects children below 3 years of age and presents with delay in motor skills, optic atrophy and progressive spastic tetraparesis. Studies of INAD in Africa are extremely rare, and genetic studies from Sub Saharan Africa are almost non-existent. Case presentation Two Sudanese siblings presented, at ages 18 and 24 months, with regression in both motor milestones and speech development and hyper-reflexia. Brain MRI showed bilateral and symmetrical T2/FLAIR hyperintense signal changes in periventricular areas and basal ganglia and mild cerebellar atrophy. Whole exome sequencing with confirmatory Sanger sequencing were performed for the two patients and healthy family members. A novel variant (NM_003560.2 c.1427 + 2 T > C) acting on a splice donor site and predicted to lead to skipping of exon 10 was found in PLA2G6. It was found in a homozygous state in the two patients and homozygous reference or heterozygous in five healthy family members. Conclusion This variant has one very strong (loss of function mutation) and three supporting evidences for its pathogenicity (segregation with the disease, multiple computational evidence and specific patients’ phenotype). Therefore this variant can be currently annotated as “pathogenic”. This is the first study to report mutations in PLA2G6 gene in patients from Sudan.

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is the most important edible fruit crop in Saudi Arabia. Date palm cultivation and productivity are severely affected by various fungal diseases in date palm-producing countries. In recent years, black scorch disease has emerged as a devastating disease affecting date palm cultivation in the Arabian Peninsula. In the current survey, leaves and root samples were collected from deteriorated date palm trees showing variable symptoms of neck bending, leaf drying, tissue necrosis, wilting, and mortality of the entire tree in the Al-Ahsa region of Saudi Arabia. During microscopic examination, the fungus isolates growing on potato dextrose agar (PDA) media produced thick-walled chlamydospores and endoconidia. The morphological characterization confirmed the presence of Thielaviopsis punctulata in the date palm plant samples as the potential agent of black scorch disease. The results were further confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), sequencing, and phylogenetic dendrograms of partial regions of the ITS, TEF1-α, and β-tubulin genes. The nucleotide sequence comparison showed that the T. punctulata isolates were 99.9–100% identical to each other and to the T. punctulata isolate identified from Iraq-infecting date palm trees. The pathogenicity of the three selected T. punctulata isolates was also confirmed on date palm plants of Khalas cultivar. The morphological, molecular, and pathogenicity results confirmed that T. punctulata causes black scorch disease in symptomatic date palm plants in Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, seven commercially available fungicides were also tested for their potential efficacy to control black scorch disease. The in vitro application of the three fungicides Aliette, Score, and Tachigazole reduced the fungal growth zone by 86–100%, respectively, whereas the in vivo studies determined that the fungicides Aliette and Score significantly impeded the mycelial progression of T. punctulata with 40% and 73% efficiency, respectively. These fungicides can be used in integrated disease management (IDM) strategies to curb black scorch disease.

A recent symposium and workshop in Khartoum, the capital of the Republic of Sudan, brought together broad expertise from three universities to address the current burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases facing the Sudanese healthcare system. These meetings identified common challenges that impact the burden of diseases in the country, most notably gaps in data and infrastructure which are essential to inform and deliver effective interventions. Non-communicable diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, renal disease and cancer are increasing dramatically, contributing to multimorbidity. At the same time, progress against communicable diseases has been slow, and the burden of chronic and endemic infections remains considerable, with parasitic diseases (such as malaria, leishmaniasis and schistosomiasis) causing substantial morbidity and mortality. Antimicrobial resistance has become a major threat throughout the healthcare system, with an emerging impact on maternal, neonatal and paediatric populations. Meanwhile, malnutrition, micronutrient deficiency and poor perinatal outcomes remain common and contribute to a lifelong burden of disease. These challenges echo the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals and concentrating on them in a unified strategy will be necessary to address the national burden of disease. At a time when the country is going through societal and political transition, we draw focus on the country and the need for resolution of its healthcare needs.

While several group contribution method (GCM) models have been developed in recent years for the prediction of ionic liquid (IL) properties, some challenges exist in their effective application. Firstly, the models have been developed and tested based on different datasets; therefore, direct comparison based on reported statistical measures is not reliable. Secondly, many of the existing models are limited in the range of ILs for which they can be used due to the lack of functional group parameters. In this paper, we examine two of the most diverse GCMs for the estimation of IL melting point; a key property in the selection and design of ILs for materials and energy applications. A comprehensive database consisting of over 1300 data points for 933 unique ILs, has been compiled and used to critically evaluate the two GCMs. One of the GCMs has been refined by introducing new functional groups and reparametrized to give improved performance for melting point estimation over a wider range of ILs. This work will aid in the targeted design of ILs for materials and energy applications.

Background: This was a comparative randomised study to find out the value of using loupe magnification and methylene blue dye in identification of the thyroglossal duct and to compare between them. Patients and Methods: Twenty-two patients who presented with infrahyoid thyroglossal duct cyst were subjected to excision of the cyst with two methods for identification of thyroglossal duct track during the operation. Data were anlysed for identification of multiple tracts, the tract relation to the hyoid bone, incidence of complications and operative time. Results: We found that multiple tracts were present in 9.1% of the patients in Group I and 36.3% in Group II, with no statistically significant difference between the two groups. The incidence of complications was 27.2% in Group I and 9.1% in Group II, with no statistically significant difference between both groups. However, the incidence of identification of the tract, and its relation to the hyoid bone was higher in Group II (90.9%) than in Group I (45.5%) , with a statistically significant difference between both groups. Also the incidence of identification of the extension level of the tract above the hyoid bone and up to the tongue base was significantly higher in Group II (72.8%) as compared to Group I (9.1%). The operative time was significantly shorter in Group II (54.35 min) and was 76.55 min in Group I, (P = 0.0001). Conclusion: Intra-operative identification of the thyroglossal tract is an essential step in the removal of the thyroglossal duct cyst. Both loupe magnification and methylene blue dye help in the tract identification, however, the usage of surgical loupes enhances better and safe results.

To elucidate whether Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) diversity in Sudan resulted from multiple introductions or from acquired changes over time from 1 introduction event, we generated complete genome sequences from RVFV strains detected during the 2007 and 2010 outbreaks. Phylogenetic analyses of small, medium, and large RNA segment sequences indicated several genetic RVFV variants were circulating in Sudan, which all grouped into Kenya-1 or Kenya-2 sublineages from the 2006–2008 eastern Africa epizootic. Bayesian analysis of sequence differences estimated that diversity among the 2007 and 2010 Sudan RVFV variants shared a most recent common ancestor circa 1996. The data suggest multiple introductions of RVFV into Sudan as part of sweeping epizootics from eastern Africa. The sequences indicate recent movement of RVFV and support the need for surveillance to recognize when and where RVFV circulates between epidemics, which can make data from prediction tools easier to interpret and preventive measures easier to direct toward high-risk areas.

The pathophysiology of the placental malaria is not fully understood. If there is a fetal sex-specific susceptibility to malaria infection, this might add to the previous knowledge on the immunology, endocrinology and pathophysiology of placental malaria infections.This study was conducted to assess whether the sex of the fetus was associated with placental malaria infections.A cross-sectional study was performed including a secondary analysis of a cohort of women who were investigated for prevalence and risk factors (including fetal sex) for placental malaria in eastern Sudan. Placental histology was used to diagnose placental malaria infections.Among 339 women enrolled, the mean (SD) age was 25.8 (6.7) years and parity was 2.7 (2.2). Among the new born babies, 157 (46.3%) were male and 182 (53.7%) were female. Five (1.5%), 9 (2.7%) and 103 (30.4%) of the 339 placentas had active, active-chronic, past-chronic malaria infection on histopathology examination respectively, while 222 (65.5%) of them showed no malaria infection. Logistic regression analyses showed no associations between maternal age or parity and placental malaria infections. Women who have blood group O (OR = 1.95, 95% CI = 1.19-3.10; P = 0.007) and women who had female new born were at higher risk for placental malaria infections (OR = 2.55, 95% CI = 1.57-4.13; P< 0.001).Fetal gender may be a novel risk factor for placental malaria. In this work the female placentas were at higher risk for malaria infections than the male placentas.

This paper introduces a new biased estimator, namely, almost unbiased Liu estimator (AULE) of β for the multiple linear regression model with heteroscedastics and/or correlated errors and suffers from the problem of multicollinearity. The properties of the proposed estimator is discussed and the performance over the generalized least squares (GLS) estimator, ordinary ridge regression (ORR) estimator (Trenkler, 1984), and Liu estimator (LE) (Kaçiranlnar, 2003) in terms of matrix mean square error criterion are investigated. The optimal values of d for Liu and almost unbiased Liu estimators have been obtained. Finally, a simulation study has been conducted which indicated that under certain conditions on d, the proposed estimator performed well compared to GLS, ORR and LE estimators.

Multiple novel oral anticoagulants and left atrial appendage closure devices (WATCHMAN) have been tested against dose-adjusted vitamin K antagonists in randomized controlled trials for stroke prophylaxis in non-valvular atrial fibrillation. No direct comparisons of these strategies are available from randomized controlled trials. We conducted the current analyses by combining efficacy and safety characteristics of all FDA approved stroke prophylaxis treatment strategies for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.We searched SCOPUS from 1945 till October 2015 for randomized controlled trials comparing these strategies and reporting efficacy and safety outcomes. Six randomized controlled trials were identified and included in the final analyses and review. We followed PRISMA guidelines for network meta-analyses while reporting the current analyses. We collected data on ischemic stroke, major bleeding, and the composite primary safety endpoint as defined by various randomized controlled trials. Network meta-analyses were conducted using consistency and inconsistency models for efficacy and safety outcomes. Surface under the cumulative ranking curve were then utilized to cluster rank these treatments for safety and efficacy.Six randomized controlled trials with 59,627 patients comparing six treatment strategies were eligible for the analyses. All prophylaxis strategies had comparable rates of ischemic stroke. Apixaban was associated with the least number of primary safety endpoint events as compared with all other treatments. In the cluster analyses assessing safety and efficacy, apixaban, edoxaban and dabigatran ranked best followed by vitamin K antagonists and rivaroxaban, whereas the WATCHMAN left atrial appendage closure device ranked last.Dose-adjusted vitamin K antagonists, novel oral anticoagulants, and the WATCHMAN left atrial appendage closure devices are equally efficacious for ischemic stroke prevention but these treatments have different safety profiles. More randomized controlled trials are needed to directly compare these strategies.

HIV-associated Neurocognitive Disorders (HAND) are common among HIV-positive individuals. This study explored the prevalence and correlates of HAND in Nigeria. 80 HIV-positive and 40 HIV-negative adults selected from Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) received comprehensive evaluations. A multidomain neuropsychological test (MDNPT) battery assessing 7 domains was administered to the participants and their performance was combined with measures of functional status to classify impairments into various grades of HAND. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify correlates of symptomatic HAND. Among the HIV-positive individuals, 50% were highly active antiretroviral therapy-experienced (HAART+) and 50% were highly active antiretroviral therapy naive (HAART−). Symptomatic HAND was found among 40% of the HAART− individuals and 30% of the HAART+ individuals. Respective prevalence of HIV-associated dementia (HAD) was 23% and 5%, respectively (p=0.0002). In a binary logistic regression model, only fewer years of education independently predicted symptomatic HAND [Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.04–1.44, p=0.016]. The prevalence of HAND in Nigeria is high with HAD being commoner among HAART− patients. Provision of HAART and strict monitoring of patients at risk of HAND are needed to scale down the burden of the disease.