An overview of factors responsible for geographic distribution pattern of ixodid ticks in the Sudan

Tick fauna in the Sudan comprises over 70 species prevalent in diverse ecological zones. Among these are the most economically important ticks in Africa, namely Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, Hyalomma anatolicum, Amblyomma variegatum, Amblyomma lepidum, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus and Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus. Several factors determine the dynamic changes of tick distribution in the Sudan. These are animal movement either for trade, nomadism, or migration due to civil unrest etc., habitat modification such as deforestation, large-scale mechanized cultivation and urbanization; drought and desertification, and global climate change. The accelerated change in tick distribution results in outbreaks of several tick-borne diseases. Examples of these are East Coast fever, tropical theileriosis, malignant ovine theileriosis, heartwater and babesiosis by Babesia bovis. Emergence of these diseases in districts believed to be free is alarming and has adverse effects in the process of animal resources development. This communication discusses distribution patterns of the economically important livestock ticks in the Sudan and identifies new zones where ticks have established and the possible factors determining such distribution.Keywords: Distribution, Factors, Livestock, Sudan, Ticks

Simplified numerical modelling of rectangular concrete-filled steel columns, beams and beam-columns

[EN] Because of its computational efficiency, simplified numerical modelling is the preferred method to simulate structural frames for routine design. As for concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) columns, fibre beam element (FBE) modelling is often used in the simplified simulation. However, the accuracy of FBE modelling is greatly affected by the accuracy of the input material models, which should directly account for the interaction between the steel tube and core concrete. In this paper, simple yet accurate material models of steel and concrete are proposed for rectangular CFST columns by utilising a large amount of numerical data generated from detailed three-dimensional finite element modelling of stub columns. The material models are then incorporated into the simplified FBE simulation of rectangular CFST columns, beams and beam-columns. The accuracy of the simplified FBE simulation is verified by a wide range of experimental results on rectangular CFST stub columns, slender columns, beams and beam-columns.Tao, Z.; Katwal, U.; Hassan, K.; Wang, W. (2018). Simplified numerical modelling of rectangular concrete-filled steel columns, beams and beam-columns. En Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Advances in Steel-Concrete Composite Structures. ASCCS 2018. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 19-27. https://doi.org/10.4995/ASCCS2018.2018.6949OCS192

Obesity and cardiovascular disease risk factors among adult Sudanese

Subjects and methods: In this study, the effect of obesity on the development of dyslipidemia, hypertension and glucose intolerance among Sudanese adults attending weight reduction programs was investigated. According to the BMI (Body mass index), 98 overweight/obese and 60 normal weight adults were included. Anthropometric measures were taken, lipid profile and C – reactive protein (CRP) were determined using commercial kits.Results: Obesity related dyslipidemia seems to affect overweight/obese males more than females. On the other hand, overweight /obesity among females, not like males, was found to be associated with high blood pressure probably due inflammation, as determined by CRP level.Conclusion and recommendation: Obesity related dyslipidemia is more prominent among males while obesity related hypertension is a phenomenon among females probably due to release of CRP. We recommend a more detailed study of inflammatory cytokines, in relation to obesity, that mayreflect the mass and/or activity of the adipose tissue.Key words: overweight, dyslipedemia, CVD

Improved Localization and Quantification in Photoacoustic Tomography by Using Acoustic Information Content

In this letter is proposed a method for improving the localization and the quantification of the optical parameters in photoacoustic tomography of biological tissues, that are intrinsically heterogeneous in both optical and acoustic properties. It is based on the exploitation of both the photoacoustic signal, generated by the heterogeneous optical structures, and the secondary acoustic echoes due to the interaction between a primary pho-toacoustic wave generated near the tissues surface region and the heterogeneous acoustic structures. These secondary echoes can also be collected through proper measurements of the photoacoustic signals. The experimental procedure is presented as well as the method to filter the signal and the reconstruction algorithm including the account of the acoustic information

Binding to CSA receptor is associated with asymptomatic and mild malaria: a preliminary study using P.falciparum field isolates from Sudan

Malaria imposes great socio-economic burden on humanity, and afflicts approximately 90 countries and territories in the tropical and subtropical regions, almost one half of them are in Africa, South of Sahara. Sequestration of parasitized erythrocytes within the small vessels of vital organs is a key event in the pathogenesis of malaria and responsible of virulence of Plasmodium falciparum parasite. To find out whether the ability of infected red blood cells (IRBCs) to adhere to a specific receptor is a risk factor for developing severe clinical manifestation of the disease, in-vitro cytoadhesion and inhibition experiments were performed on field isolates obtained from five symptomatic and five asymptomatic patients inhabiting Gazira State, Central Sudan. The results showed significant lower levels (

Simultaneous genital ulcer and meningitis: a case of EBV infection

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with a broad spectrum of diseases, mainly because of its genomic characteristics, which result in different latency patterns in immune cells and infective mechanisms. The patient described in this report is a previously healthy young man who presented to the emergency department with clinical features consistent with meningitis and genital ulcers, which raised concern that the herpes simplex virus was the causative agent. However, the polymerase chain reaction of cerebral spinal fluid was positive for EBV. The authors highlight the importance of this infection among the differential diagnosis of central nervous system involvement and genital ulceratio

Quality of colonoscopy in an organised colorectal cancer screening programme with immunochemical faecal occult blood test. The EQuIPE study (Evaluating Quality Indicators of the Performance of Endoscopy)

OBJECTIVES: To assess variation in the main colonoscopy quality indicators in organised colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programmes based on faecal immunochemical test (FIT). DESIGN: Data from a case-series of colonoscopies of FIT-positive subjects were provided by 44 Italian CRC screening programmes. Data on screening history, endoscopic procedure and histology results, and additional information on the endoscopy centre and the endoscopists were collected. The adenoma detection rate (ADR) and caecal intubation rate (CIR) were assessed for the whole population and the individual endoscopists. To explore variation in the quality indicators, multilevel analyses were performed according to patient/centre/endoscopist characteristics. RESULTS: We analysed 75 569 (mean age: 61.3 years; men: 57%) colonoscopies for positive FIT performed by 479 endoscopists in 79 centres. ADR ranged from 13.5% to 75% among endoscopists (mean: 44.8%). ADR was associated with gastroenterology specialty (OR: 0.87 for others, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.96) and, at the endoscopy centre level, with the routine use of sedation (OR: 0.80 if occasional (600 colonoscopies; 95% CI 1.11 to 2.04) and, at the endoscopy centre level, screening-dedicated sessions (OR: 2.18; 95% CI 1.24 to 3.83) and higher rates of sedation (OR: 0.47 if occasional; 95% CI 0.24 to 0.92). CONCLUSIONS: The quality of colonoscopy was affected by patient-related, endoscopist-related and centre-related characteristics. Policies addressing organisational issues should improve the quality of colonoscopy in our programme and similar programmes. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions

Hong-Ou-Mandel interference between independent III-V on silicon waveguide integrated lasers

The versatility of silicon photonic integrated circuits has led to a widespread usage of this platform for quantum information based applications, including Quantum Key Distribution (QKD). However, the integration of simple high repetition rate photon sources is yet to be achieved. The use of weak-coherent pulses (WCPs) could represent a viable solution. For example, Measurement Device Independent QKD (MDI-QKD) envisions the use of WCPs to distill a secret key immune to detector side channel attacks at large distances. Thus, the integration of III-V lasers on silicon waveguides is an interesting prospect for quantum photonics. Here, we report the experimental observation of Hong-Ou-Mandel interference with 46\pm 2% visibility between WCPs generated by two independent III-V on silicon waveguide integrated lasers. This quantum interference effect is at the heart of many applications, including MDI-QKD. Our work represents a substantial first step towards an implementation of MDI-QKD fully integrated in silicon, and could be beneficial for other applications such as standard QKD and novel quantum communication protocols.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure