Genetic characterization of two Sudanese goat breeds (Capra hircus) using RAPD molecular markers

Seven primers of randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) were selected to study the genetic variations among 14 individuals of goat (Capra hircus) from two domestic Sudanese goat breeds (Niloticand Nubian). The test generated 59 entirely repeatable RAPD fragment bands and the statistical analysis showed 55 polymorphic bands among the 14 individuals. The genetic distances among the populationrange from 8 to 72%. The highest dissimilarity coefficient was between individuals within the Nilotic breeds while there was a comparatively low degree of differentiation among the Nubian population. The constructed UPGMA dendrogram of the coefficient of similarity showed that the Nubian clustered together while the individuals from the Nilotic form 4 groups. It was clearly seen that the link between the individual of the Nilotic is quite weak and some of them linked to the Nubian. The results of thestudy offer useful information about some Sudanese goat breeds

Random Access to Grammar Compressed Strings

Grammar based compression, where one replaces a long string by a small context-free grammar that generates the string, is a simple and powerful paradigm that captures many popular compression schemes. In this paper, we present a novel grammar representation that allows efficient random access to any character or substring without decompressing the string. Let $S$ be a string of length $N$ compressed into a context-free grammar $\mathcal{S}$ of size $n$. We present two representations of $\mathcal{S}$ achieving $O(\log N)$ random access time, and either $O(n\cdot \alpha_k(n))$ construction time and space on the pointer machine model, or $O(n)$ construction time and space on the RAM. Here, $\alpha_k(n)$ is the inverse of the $k^{th}$ row of Ackermann's function. Our representations also efficiently support decompression of any substring in $S$: we can decompress any substring of length $m$ in the same complexity as a single random access query and additional $O(m)$ time. Combining these results with fast algorithms for uncompressed approximate string matching leads to several efficient algorithms for approximate string matching on grammar-compressed strings without decompression. For instance, we can find all approximate occurrences of a pattern $P$ with at most $k$ errors in time $O(n(\min\{|P|k, k^4 + |P|\} + \log N) + occ)$, where $occ$ is the number of occurrences of $P$ in $S$. Finally, we generalize our results to navigation and other operations on grammar-compressed ordered trees. All of the above bounds significantly improve the currently best known results. To achieve these bounds, we introduce several new techniques and data structures of independent interest, including a predecessor data structure, two "biased" weighted ancestor data structures, and a compact representation of heavy paths in grammars.Comment: Preliminary version in SODA 201

Patterns of Orthopaedic Complications of Haemophilia at Khartoum Haemophilia Clinic

Background: Haemophilia is a common hereditary bleeding disorder caused by deficiency in clotting factor VIII (Type A) factor IX (Type B) with A:B 5:1. Severity of the disease depends on the level of the circulating factor. Bleeding tendency is the presenting feature and musculoskeletalinvolvement is a common presenting feature.Objectives: To study the demographic characteristics, clinical and radiological patterns of musculoskeletal disorders associated with haemophilia in patients presented to Khartoum Haemophilia Clinic (KHC).Patients and Methods: Demographic characteristics, patterns of clinical and radiological features of 78 patients with haemophilia A and B who presented to KHC, between March 2004 and June 2005 were analyzed.Results: There were 78 patients; all were males, their ages ranging between 1.5 and 50 years. 80% of them were either of preschool or school age groups. Haemophilia A: B was 4.5:1. Over 80% had articular involvement and the knee joint was involved in more than 50% of cases.Radiological findings were less severe in patients with haemophilia B, and were more severe in patients older than 30 years of age.Conclusion: We conclude that most of patients present with sequelae of recurrent musculoskeletal bleeds. Thus we observed that most of cases presented late with already destroyed joints. We recommend here to give treatment as prophylactic rather than on demand as it is now practiced asinevitable destruction of joints with repeated bleeds will be the presenting feature

Employee Perspectives of Working Remotely During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Ministry of Education in the United Arab Emirates

The global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the way work is performed, shifting it from conventional offices into virtual environments. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has attempted to face and embrace these challenges nationally in a supportive and coordinated manner, offering reasoned solutions with the wise vision and continuous support of its leadership. This paper examines the transition of work at one of the most influential entities in the UAE; the Ministry of Education (MOE). The purpose here is to highlight the impact of this transition on employees of all levels within the ministry. This paper evaluates the experience of remote working at the MOE from employees’ perspectives by assessing the following key factors: MOE readiness, employee satisfaction, and employee productivity. For this purpose, a survey of around 1,500 employees was conducted and analyzed, where each of these three key factors was broken down into several contributing factors. This paper offers insights regarding the activation of remote working systems for employees in response to unanticipated incidents, highlighting a variety of factors which contribute to their readiness, satisfaction, and productivity. This study analyzes the value and originality of MOE remote working practices and their impact on the wider community. Keywords: Working remotely, telework, remote work, virtual environments, COVID19 DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/12-33-03 Publication date: November 30th 2020

GC-MS analysis, antioxidant and antibacterial activity of acetone fractions obtained from Guiera Senegalensis leaves and Quercus Infectoria Nutgalls extracts

Medicinal plants are considered an important source of phytochemical compounds that play a vital role to produce a definite physiological action for the treatment of several diseases. This study was aimed to investigate the phytoconstituents of Guiera senegalensis leaves and Quercus infectoria nutgalls extracts, and to study their antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Ethanol extracts were subjected to sequential fractionation using petroleum ether, dichloromethane and acetone. Acetone fraction (as major) was analyzed using qualitative and quantitative GC-MS analysis. In vitro antioxidant activity and antibacterial sensitivity against Staphylococcus aureus of acetone fraction were evaluated whereas; DPPH radical scavenging activity and disc diffusion methods were used, respectively. Results obtained from GC-MS analysis for G. senegalensis were showed the presence of eupafolin, pyrogallol, hydroquinone and catechol with percentages of 65.16%, 15.79%, 10.36% and 8.69%, respectively. While Q. infectoria GC-MS analysis was revealed the presence of pyrogallol as major phytoconstituent (94.77%).  The antioxidant activity of the two extracts showed higher 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity (94%) at a concentration of 250 μg/ml compared to standard popylgallate. Both extracts at a concentration of 25 mg/ml were exhibited higher antibacterial activity against S. aureus compared to gentamicin. It could be concluded that G. senegalensis leaves and Q. infectoria nutgalls possess significant antioxidant and antibacterial principles for possible treatment of inflammations and bacterial infections especially those caused by S. aureus. Further experimental and clinical studies are warranted.

An Evaluation of Diverse Therapeutic Interventions for Substance Use Disorders: Serotonergic Hallucinogens, Immunotherapy, and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Substance Use Disorders are a substantial public health concern whose treatment remains challenging. High rates of relapse are in fact a hallmark of drug addiction despite the wide variety of psychotherapeutic and pharmacotherapeutic approaches. This chapter discusses three innovative and controversial therapeutic approaches for Substance Use Disorders that have received considerable attention: the use of classic serotonergic hallucinogenic drugs (LSD and psilocybin), addiction immunotherapy and anti-addiction vaccines, and the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation. These treatments are not necessarily new but are discussed because they represent a diverse set of approaches that address varied aspects of drug addiction. Furthermore, they have an accumulated body of research from which to assess their future viability. For each of these therapeutic approaches this chapter considers the theoretical basis for use, history, status of the literature supporting their use, limitations, and potential applications. While these three interventions represent highly varied approaches to the treatment of Substance Use Disorders, this diversity may be necessary given the complex nature of addictive disorders