The Use of Gum Arabic Liquid and Modified Liquid in Concrete Mixes

In this paper, the purest kind of  Gum Arabic, extracted from (Hashab) trees (in western Sudan ), is used in concrete mixes after crushing to be in a form of powder which was dissolved in water to get the liquid of this additive. In this study, Gum Arabic liquid was added to concrete mixes at ratios of 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%, 1.0 % and 1.2 % of cement content. Eleven concrete mixes were prepared: One as a control mix, seven with Gum Arabic liquid, and three with Gum Arabic liquid with modified water cement ratios added. This modification was done by reducing water cement ratios in concrete mixes to be 0.4 %, 0.6% and 0.8% of cement content. The study showed that the addition of Gum Arabic to the concrete mixes has a clear effect when equal to 0.4% of cement content. The compressive strength was measured at ages of 7, 21, and 28 days and it was found that it decreases slightly with increase in the proportion of Gum Arabic in concrete mixes. The concrete mixes prepared using modified gum Arabic in its liquid state by reducing (w/c) and adding gum Arabic as a percentage of cement content showed a clear and significant change in the properties of concrete. These ratios resulted in high compressive strength concrete with good workability. Keywords: Gum Arabic, Hashab, Sudan, compressive strength, workabilit

Identifying Primates and Examining Nest Characteristics of Orang Utan in Sungai Rawog Conservation Area

The decline in the population of primates is a serious concern and is primarily attributed to various anthropogenic factors. This study focuses on the primate diversity and nest characteristics of Orangutan within the Sungai Rawog Conservation Area (SRCA). Its goals are to identify primate species and categorize orangutan nests in SRCA. This study was conducted for five days by using a non-invasive sampling method which are by employed direct observation along main roads and cruising the river. Data collected included primate species and orangutan nest counts. For nest characteristics, the location and successional stages of orangutan nests were determined to study their features. As a result, three species of primates were identified which are Long-Tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis), Eastern Grey gibbon (Hylobates funereus) and Borneon Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus). Forty-five orangutan nests were counted along the main roads and trails. Trail 1 to trail 5 consist of the highest number of Orangutan nest count compared to other trails. From the observation, most of the Orangutan’s nest were built at the edge of the branch tree and the most common successional stage is at the stage in which the structure of the nest has completely ruptured and only left with few branches and twigs. While the least observed successional stage was at the stage in which the nests are quite old and the leaves used in building the nests were brown in colour. The findings imply that the movement of primates is affected by the availability of food and the size of their home ranges. Primates observed less frequently in certain regions are closely tied to their established home ranges and their patterns of movement. The lack of sufficient food resources in these areas serves as a significant factor contributing to the reduced sightings of primates. The method by which an orangutan constructs its nest can vary based on several factors, such as individual preferences, environmental characteristics, and ecological conditions. This information will help to provide baseline data to enhance conservation efforts

A systematic review on prevention of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection by pre-admission screening: the cost effectiveness and practicality

Background: Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a common source of nosocomial infection, which is spreading through the community and hospitals across the countries. The performance of screening program really needs major effort related to laboratory capacity and ethical consideration, among other costly components. Significant literature research was conducted to review the cost, effectiveness and practicality of different methods of pre-admission MRSA screening in the hospital setting. A systematic literature review was conducted with search strategy using the PubMed Medline, Scopus and the Science Direct databases. The relevant data was abstracted from all studies based on various countries which in line with the finalized eligibility criteria. Results: PCR method was reported to have high sensitivity with low turnaround time as compared to culture method. A review of selected studies found the increasing annual costs of screening from standard culture, chromogenic agar to rapid PCR. In the meantime, other studies reported the total costs for labor and materials was lower for rapid PCR screening compared to culture methods. The culturing method offers a high level of variability due to time consumption and additional costs. Whereas PCR was reported as advantageous in term of saving time to identify MRSA positive patients, which involved isolation, thus increase the effectiveness of screening programs. It can pick up false negative results by conventional methods in the early condition of disease. Conclusion: Most studies verified that PCR is the most accurate method for detection of MRSA with Xpert MRSA having the best performance. Otherwise, oxacillin agar screen was revealed as a good alternative method to PCR. Targeted screening on high risk patients using rapid PCR may be the best choice to be implemented, in order to balance the economic and practicality of screening. We recommend that further clinical studies should be done to provide a sharp evidence of MRSA screening

The prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors among students of International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan Campus

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has become the leading cause of death among the non-communicable diseases worldwide. There are many contributing risk factors for the emergence of CVD. A cross-sectional study was conducted to observe the prevalence of CVD risk factors among International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Kuantan Campus (KC) students. 156 participants from different faculties and years of study participated; among them 56 participants were able to complete the whole procedures. A set of questionnaires were distributed to participants. Anthropometric measurements, weight, height, waist circumference, random blood glucose (RBG) and blood pressure were measured. Prevalence of hypertension was 4%. The mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was 114.268 ± 12.034 and 74.964 ± 8.636 of mmHg respectively. Prevalence of overweight and obesity was 34%, with women having a higher percentage (21%) than men (12%). The mean Body-Mass Index (BMI) was 22.184 ± 4.435 kg/m2. The waist circumference has an average of 71.661 ± 9.215 cm. Prevalence of high blood glucose was absent, and the mean blood glucose level was 6.007 ± 1.018 mmol/L. Dietary fibre-rich foods; vegetables were eaten 6-7 times per week, granola bars and fruits were eaten 1- 2 times per week. Home cooked foods were taken 1-2 times per week. Fast foods were taken frequently around 3- 5 times per week. The study community was engaged in physical activities such as brisk-walk, skipping and sports. Smoking prevalence was 4% only among the male population. The stress level was moderate. The students of IIUM KC practiced healthy diet and were physically active. The CVD-related risks do not prevail among the IIUM KC population

The health MDGs in Zanfara state with emphasis on maternal mortality 2010-2015: perspectives and challenges

The Nigerian government has demonstrated commitments for the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals particularly the Health MDGs with an emphasis on reducing maternal mortality. Yet Nigeria along with other developing countries especially in Sub-Saharan Africa could not achieve most the health related targets. Maternal mortality is still unacceptably high with Nigeria contributing to about more than 10% of the global burden of maternal deaths at 576/100.000 live births. Nothern Nigeria continued to have the highest maternal mortality ratio compared to the south states of the country. Zamfara State has one of the highest rates in the northwest second next to Kano State. This study aims to examine some of the challenges of achieving the health MDGs targets in Zamfara State with a particular reference to maternal deaths in the states. Data for this study were collected through qualitative method facilities based approached and review of secondary data. The results of the study showed high maternal deaths at the health facilities and low hospital utilization and health facility deliveries. The causes for high maternal deaths are both direct medical and indirect causes. Some of the medical causes include Hemorrhage, eclampsia sepsis and malaria, while the indirect and non medical causes include socio-cultural and economic factors. These are some of the challenges faced in achieving the MDG target of reducing maternal deaths in Zamfara State. With the new UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs). States in the north like Zamfara needs to re-strategize efforts to improve on the health SDGs especially the maternal health

A new constitutive model of a magneto-rheological fluid actuator using an extreme learning machine method

In this work, a new constitutive model of a magneto-rheological fluid (MRF) actuator is proposed using an extreme learning machine (ELM) technique to enhance the prediction accuracy of the field-dependent actuating force. After briefly reviewing existing rheological constitutive models of MRF actuator, ELM algorithm is formulated using a single-hidden layer feed-forward neural network. In this formulation, both the magnetic field and measured shear rates are used as inputs variables, while the shear stress predicted from the ELM training is used as an output variable. Subsequently, in order to validate the effectiveness of the proposed model, the target defined as the error between the prediction and measured data is set. Then, the fitness of the training and prediction performances is evaluated using a normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) method. It is shown that the shear stress estimation based on the ELM model using sinusoidal activation function is more accurate than conventional rheological constitutive models such as Herschel-Bulkley model. It is also demonstrated that the proposed model is capable of predicting the field-dependent yield stress which is defined as an actuating force of the MRF actuator without causing significant errors