The Stigma of Wasta: The Effect of Wasta on Perceived Competence and Morality

Wasta is an Arabic word that means the use of social connections to obtain benefits that otherwise would not be provided. Wasta plays a very important role in securing of employment in Arab countries. This paper attempts to study the attribution effects of wasta on perceptions of competence and morality. The main hypotheses is that those that use wasta to obtain employment will be perceived as incompetent and immoral irrespective of their true competence and morality. Data gathered from an Egyptian sample supports the hypotheses. Thus, we conclude that wasta may tarnish the image or stigmatize its user.Nepotism, attribution theory

Prevalence rate of chloroquine resistance to plasmodium falciparum malaria among sudanese populations in malaria endemic areas in khartoum state and sennar state

Objective: The study was carried out to assessment or to evaluate chloroquine Resistance of Plasmodium falciparum among Sudanese populations (10–85 years) ,malaria endemic area in Sennar region (Sennar state in South East Sudan) and Khartoum State (the capital). Design: The study was carried out on 190 samples of all of the study areas between March and December 2007, corresponding to the period of high malaria transmission. All samples were tested for chloroquine  Resistance to  Plasmodium falciparum by using in vitro micro tests.  These study sites are located in an irrigated agricultural scheme, where transmission is seasonal. Setting: AL-Neelain University – College of Medical Laboratory Sciences – Sudan – Khartoum. Results: By using in vitro micro tests: In Sennar state the resistance to chloroquine was found to be 78.1% and about 21.9% were sensitive. Out of 105 patients only 23 patients(21.9%) were sensitive and 82 patients(78.1%) did not respond, 29 patients(27.6%), 19 patients (18.1%) and 34 patients (32.4%) of  a total of 105 patients were early R1, RII and RIII  levels of  resistance respectively. In Khartoum state the the resistance to chloroquine was found to be 68.2% and about 31.8% were sensitive. Out of 85 patients only 27 patients (31.8%) were sensitive and 58 patients (68.2%) did not respond, 35 patients (41.2%) and 23 patients (27.1%) of a total of 85 patients were early R1 and RII levels of resistance respectively. Conclusions: By using in vitro micro tests: In Sennar state the resistance to chloroquine was found to be 78.1% and about 21.9% were sensitive while in Khartoum state the the resistance to chloroquine was found to be 68.2% and about 31.8% were sensitive

Micro-remediation of chromium contaminated soils

Bacteria are tiny organisms which are ubiquitously found in the environment. These microscopic living bodies are responsible for the flow of nutrients in biogeochemical cycles and fertility imparted to the soil. Release of excessive chromium in agricultural soils due to rapid growth of industries may result in minimizing the fertility of soil in future, which will lead to reduction in crop production. Plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) are beneficial to the environment, some of which can tolerate chromium and protect plants against heavy metal stress. The current study aims to identify such chromium-tolerant auxin-producing rhizobacteria and to investigate their inoculation effects on the growth characteristics of Lens culinaris in chromium polluted soils by using two different chromium salts i.e., K2Cr2O7 and K2CrO4 in varying concentrations (0, 50, 100, 200, 400 and 500 µgml−1). The results revealed that Bacillus species are efficient in significantly reducing the deleterious effects of Cr. These effective bacterial strains were able to stimulate the growth of metal effected plants of Lens culinaris which were grown in chromium contaminated environment. Therefore, these plant growth promoting rhizobacteria PGPRs, having both auxin production potential and chromium-resistance ability, are considered as efficient micro-factories against chromium pollution

Optimization of Processing Parameters to Achieve Superior Quality and Maximum Recovery of Canola Oil

Aim of the present study was to improve the efficiency of processing to achieve a superior quality of canola oil with better recovery. Three sets of canola oil containing crude, neutralized, bleached, deodorized oils and deodorizer distillates (DD) were collected from edible oil processing industries. Important physicochemical properties of the oil were evaluated in all three sets including unsaponifiable matter, phosphorus content and soap content. The industrial processing of set I and II was found to be satisfactory as compared to set III. Therefore, set III was selected for the optimization of different processing parameters during each stage of processing. For neutralization, bleaching and deodorization different parameters were optimized to achieve a better quality of the finished product, good recovery and control of the processing cost. After optimization, physicochemical characteristics of neutralized, bleached, deodorized oil and its DD were evaluated. Also, the loss and recovery of neutral oil were calculated in each processing stage. The results of the present study showed that a slight variation of processing parameters leads to a great impact on the quality and recovery of the canola oil. High contents of free fatty acids (FFA) in DD indicated that it could be used as a potential source of biodiesel production

A study on the effects of social media advertisement on consumer’s attitude and customer response

Given that Social Media Advertising put significant impact on Consumer’s attitude and shapes Customer’s buying behavior, so the managers of manufacturing industries of Pakistan should use the social media platform for their marketing activities. Concisely, we’ve got validated that Social media is becoming highly significant also as convenient for the businesses and helping them in using it as a tool for marketing, external promotions, customer management, and as an inside channel for employee communications. The study was involved with survey and analysis was conducted based on a total of 500 responses whereas most of the respondents were students who had experience in business sector and linked industry. The analysis used structural equation modeling to test the research model and hypothesis. The findings imply that Social Media Advertisement had significant impact on Consumer Attitude and Customer Response in business success, so the managers of manufacturing/business industries of Pakistan should use the social media platform for their marketing activities. As far as delimitations are concerned, this research focused on Social Media Advertising effects on consumer’s attitude and shapes customer buying behavior irrespective of other marketing tools. However, the data was collected from limited number of respondents, the study may contain biasness/unfairness because the results are self-reported and respondents may have answered inaccurately which may make the results less convincing

A review on biogenic green synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles by plant biomass and their applications

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade de Vigo/CISUGNanobiotechnology has recently gained prominence as a fundamental branch of modern science and a novel epoch in the field of material researches. Due to a wide range of applications it attracts attention of many scientists from all over the world. Bionanomaterials are prepared using a variety of physical, chemical, and biological techniques and methods. Many different metal and metal oxide nanoparticles are reported to be produced by biological systems, including bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, yeasts, viruses, and plants. Among all of them, biocompatible zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), obtained through biosynthesis with the aid of plant-derived materials, appears to be a highly successful way to create a fast, clean, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly platform for the production and application of these bionanomaterials. This review focuses on the plant extractderived ZnO NPs synthesis, with a special emphasis on the recent advances and applications of these nanomaterials

Detection of Vaginosis causing by Gardnerella vaginalis among Pregnant Women attending a Khartoum State Hospitals by using conversional method

Background: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common cause of unpleasant vaginal odor and discharge in women of reproductive age. It is induced by an imbalance in naturally occurring microflora. Any change in the resident flora including reduction of lactobacilli allows for different anaerobic bacteria to gain a foothold and multiply. Nevertheless the process is multifactorial and the initial mechanism of replacement of normal lactobacillary flora by opportunistic pathogens. In pregnancy, certain complications such as preterm delivery, premature rupture of the membranes, and so on could ensue from Bacterial vaginosis. Objective: This study aimed to determine the frequency of Gardnerella vaginalis among pregnant women at Khartoum state hospitals, and to find out risk factors predisposing to the infection. Material and methods: A total of 140 of high vaginal swab were collected and examined by using wet preparation, Amsel criteria and culture method for detection of Gardnerella vaginalis from 70 pregnant women attended to Khartoum hospitals. Results: The overall prevalence of the studied Gardnerella vaginalis among pregnant women at Khartoum hospitals was as follows: Gardnerella vaginalis was isolated from 20 pregnant women (28.5%). The most frequent age group was 21-30 years (71.4%) and the most frequent group was second trimester (61.5%). Conclusion: The highest rate with Gardnerella was detected from pregnant women that came from Khartoum, followed by Omdurman. The most infections were detected in second trimester of pregnancy. The rate of Gardenerlla was found to be higher within age group 21-30 years. Keywords: Pregnant Women, vaginosis, Gardnerella vaginalis, Sudanes

First report on detection of Hepatozoon ayorgbor in Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides and Hepatozoon colubri in Haemaphysalis sulcata and Hyalomma anatolicum: risks of spillover of Hepatozoon spp. from wildlife to domestic animals

This study aimed to detect Hepatozoon spp. in ticks infesting asymptomatic domestic animals and to provide insight into their potential spillover from wild to domestic animals. In total, 537 tick specimens were collected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, and morphologically identified. The most prevalent tick species was Haemaphysalis cornupunctata (69; 12.8%), followed by Haemaphysalis kashmirensis (62; 11.5%), Rhipicephalus microplus (58; 10.8%), Haemaphysalis montgomeryi (51; 9.5%), Rhipicephalus sanguineus (49; 9.1%), each Haemaphysalis bispinosa and Haemaphysalis sulcata (43; 8.0%), each Hyalomma anatolicum and Rhipicephalus turanicus (37; 6.9%), Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides (33; 6.1%) Hyalomma scupense (30; 5.6%), and Hyalomma isaaci (25; 4.7%). The extracted DNA from a subset of each tick species was subjected to PCR to amplify 18S rRNA fragments of Hepatozoon spp. By BLAST analysis, the Hepatozoon sp. detected in Hy. anatolicum infesting cows and in Ha. sulcata infesting sheep showed 99.7% maximum identity with Hepatozoon colubri. Similarly, the Hepatozoon sp. detected in R. haemaphysaloides infesting goats shared 99.49% maximum identity with Hepatozoon ayorgbor, and the Hepatozoon sp. detected in R. sanguineus infesting dogs exhibited 99.7% identity with Hepatozoon canis. Having an overall infection rate (9.3%; 16/172), the highest infection rate was recorded for each H. canis, and H. colubri (3.5%; 6/172), followed by H. ayorgbor (2.3%; 4/172). In the phylogenetic tree, H. colubri clustered with corresponding species from Iran, H. ayorgbor clustered with the same species from Croatia, Ghana, and Portugal, and H. canis clustered with the conspecifics from Iran, Israel, Romania, and Zambia. Regarding the potential spillover of Hepatozoon spp. from wildlife through ticks, free ranging animals was at higher risk compared to confined animals (RR = 3.05), animals consuming food from wildlife habitats were at higher risk compared to those consuming domestic food (RR = 3.06), and animals residing in farm buildings located in wildlife habitats were at higher risk compared to those residing in farm buildings located in villages (RR = 3.28). In addition to the first report on H. canis in R. sanguineus in Pakistan, this is the earliest data showing H. ayorgbor in R. haemaphysaloides and H. colubri in Ha. sulcata and Hy. anatolicum. These preliminary findings suggest a potential spillover of Hepatozoon spp. from wild to domestic animals via ticks under certain risk factors

The Economic Impact of Optimizing a COVID-19 Management Protocol in Pre-Existing Cardiovascular Disease Patients

This study answers the question of whether the health care costs of managing COVID-19 in preexisting cardiovascular diseases (CVD) patients increased or decreased as a consequence of evidence-based efforts to optimize the initial COVID-19 management protocol in a CVD group of patients. A retrospective cohort study was conducted in preexisting CVD patients with COVID-19 in Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar. From the health care perspective, only direct medical costs were considered, adjusted to their 2021 values. The impact of revising the protocol was a reduction in the overall costs in non-critically ill patients from QAR15,447 (USD 4243) to QAR4337 (USD 1191) per patient, with an economic benefit of QAR11,110 (USD 3051). In the critically ill patients, however, the cost increased from QAR202,094 (USD 55,505) to QAR292,856 (USD 80,433) per patient, with added cost of QAR90,762 (USD 24,928). Overall, regardless of critical care status, the optimization of the initial COVID-19 protocols in patients with preexisting CVD did not reduce overall health care costs, but increased it by QAR80,529 (USD 22,117) per patient