The Role of Informal Cooperation to Improve the Agricultural Practices: Case of El-Nafir in South Kordofan State, Sudan

El-Nafir is an informal cooperation form practiced in Sudan to accomplish various daily activities. Despite the important role of El-Nafir, especially in offering labours to farmers, no studies have been conducted to highlight its importance. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the role of El-Nafir in improving agricultural practices in Abu Jubahyah Locality, South Kordofan State, Sudan. Heads of household (HHHs) questionnaires and field observations were used for primary data, where 75 HHHs were selected randomly. Descriptive analysis, T-test, and correlation analysis were performed using SPSS. The results showed that El-Nafir has contributed to improving agricultural production. The findings indicated that implementation per Fadden (4200 m²) is cost-effective and time-efficient. Implementing agricultural activities per Fadden via El-Nafir was low cost (18.01 US$) compared to hired labourers (42.89 US$). The study found that lack of financial support, shortage of skilled labours, lack of collective action awareness, war, and insecurity are the factors that influenced the success of El-Nafir's strategy. The study concluded that El-Nafir's strategy improved agricultural practices inside and outside the farms, including cultivation, crop harvesting, protection, and cleaning of the harvested crops. The study recommends the adoption of El-Nafir to enhance the agricultural production and marketing

Second language learning and the cultural knowledge, the inseparable process: A case study of studying English at Jordanian universities

This study intends to prove the importance of having knowledge of the culture as a background that can play a direct role in learning the foreign language. The study takes English language as an example. Because there is an interactive role between cultural teaching and foreign language teaching, the study attempts to prove that teaching English language should not be limited to linguistic knowledge, but also to the cultural knowledge. Finally, the study concludes that having knowledge of the foreign culture can help students acquire English language better .The study recommends that universities should be provided with an appropriate environment to encourage the learning of foreign language. Keywords: Cultural education, Jordanian Universities, Socio Linguistics, Teaching of English as a foreign language, multiculturalism

Determination of the Levels of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Toasted Bread Using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry

Concentration of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in eighteen baked bread samples using gas oven toasting were evaluated in this study. Samples were classified into the following categories: (1) bread baked from white wheat flour, (2) bread baked from brown wheat flour, and (3) sandwich bread baked from white wheat flour. Analysis was performed by GC-MS after Soxhlet extraction of the sample and clean up of the extract. The levels of B[a]P was not detected in ten of eighteen samples. In the rest of the samples, B[a]P are varied from 2.83 to 16.54 μg/kg. B[a]A, CHR, B[b]FA, B[k] FA, IP, DB[a,h]A, and B[ghi]P concentrations were found to be less than 10.0 μg/kg. However, B[a]P are not detected in original white and brown wheat flour. The total PAHs were varied in the range 1.06–44.24 μg/kg and 3.08–278.66 μg/kg for H-PAH and L-PAH, respectively. Reproducibility and repeatability of the proposed method was calculated and presented in terms of recovery and relative standard deviations (RSD, %). Recoveries were varied from 72.46% to 99.06% with RSD ± 0.28–15.01% and from 82.39% to 95.01% with RSD ±1.91–13.01% for repeatability and reproducibility, respectively. Different commercialized samples of toasted bread were collected and analyzed

Characteristics of mentally ill offenders from 100 psychiatric court reports

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is an increasing probability that the psychiatrist will, willingly or not, come into contact with mentally ill offenders in the course of their practice. There are increasing rates of violence, substance abuse and other psychiatric disorders that are of legal importance. Therefore, the aim of this work was to investigate the rates of different mental disorders in 100 court reports and to investigate the characteristics of mentally ill offenders.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>All cases referred from different departments of the legal system to the forensic committee for assessment of legal accountability over 13-months duration were included. A specially designed form was prepared for data collection. Cases were classified into five groups: murder, robbery, financial offences, violent and simple offences and a group for other offences. Data were subjected to statistical analysis and comparisons between different groups of subjects were performed by analysis of variance (ANOVA).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Men constituted 93% of cases. In all, 73% of offenders were younger than 40 years old. Schizophrenia cases made up 13% of the total, substance related cases constituted 56% and amphetamine cases alone made up 21%; 10% of cases were antisocial personality disorders, and 51% of cases were classified as having a low education level. Unemployment was found in 34% of cases. The final decision of the forensic committee was full responsibility in 46% of cases and partial responsibility in 11% of cases, with 33% considered non-responsible. A total of 58% of cases had had contact with psychiatric healthcare prior to the offence and in 9% of cases contact had been in the previous 12 weeks. A history of similar offences was found in 32% of cases. In all, 14% of the offences were murders, 8% were sexual crimes, and 31% were violent/simple crimes.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The ability of the legal system to detect cases was good, while the ability of the healthcare system to predict crimes and offences was weak, as 58% of cases had had previous contact with the healthcare system previously. Substance abuse, especially amphetamine abuse, played an important role.</p

Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: a prospective, international, multicentre cohort study

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common infections associated with health care, but its importance as a global health priority is not fully understood. We quantified the burden of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery in countries in all parts of the world. Methods: This international, prospective, multicentre cohort study included consecutive patients undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection within 2-week time periods at any health-care facility in any country. Countries with participating centres were stratified into high-income, middle-income, and low-income groups according to the UN's Human Development Index (HDI). Data variables from the GlobalSurg 1 study and other studies that have been found to affect the likelihood of SSI were entered into risk adjustment models. The primary outcome measure was the 30-day SSI incidence (defined by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for superficial and deep incisional SSI). Relationships with explanatory variables were examined using Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02662231. Findings: Between Jan 4, 2016, and July 31, 2016, 13 265 records were submitted for analysis. 12 539 patients from 343 hospitals in 66 countries were included. 7339 (58·5%) patient were from high-HDI countries (193 hospitals in 30 countries), 3918 (31·2%) patients were from middle-HDI countries (82 hospitals in 18 countries), and 1282 (10·2%) patients were from low-HDI countries (68 hospitals in 18 countries). In total, 1538 (12·3%) patients had SSI within 30 days of surgery. The incidence of SSI varied between countries with high (691 [9·4%] of 7339 patients), middle (549 [14·0%] of 3918 patients), and low (298 [23·2%] of 1282) HDI (p < 0·001). The highest SSI incidence in each HDI group was after dirty surgery (102 [17·8%] of 574 patients in high-HDI countries; 74 [31·4%] of 236 patients in middle-HDI countries; 72 [39·8%] of 181 patients in low-HDI countries). Following risk factor adjustment, patients in low-HDI countries were at greatest risk of SSI (adjusted odds ratio 1·60, 95% credible interval 1·05–2·37; p=0·030). 132 (21·6%) of 610 patients with an SSI and a microbiology culture result had an infection that was resistant to the prophylactic antibiotic used. Resistant infections were detected in 49 (16·6%) of 295 patients in high-HDI countries, in 37 (19·8%) of 187 patients in middle-HDI countries, and in 46 (35·9%) of 128 patients in low-HDI countries (p < 0·001). Interpretation: Countries with a low HDI carry a disproportionately greater burden of SSI than countries with a middle or high HDI and might have higher rates of antibiotic resistance. In view of WHO recommendations on SSI prevention that highlight the absence of high-quality interventional research, urgent, pragmatic, randomised trials based in LMICs are needed to assess measures aiming to reduce this preventable complication

Photonic hydrogel for continuous glucose monitoring using smartphone readout

Diabetes has become one of the leading deaths causes worldwide. Developing low-cost, rapid, and reusable sensors can provide a solution for continuous glucose monitoring to reduce the diabetic complications that could be fatal. Here, Phenylboronic acid (PBA)-based hydrogel sensors with embedded photonic nanostructures were developed for rapid and continuous glucose quantification within the physiological range. The photonic nanostructures were imprinted on the PBA-based hydrogel using simple and rapid process. Three different sensors: free-standing (FS), stand-alone (SA), and optical fiber (OF) were fabricated and tested in the glucose concentration range of 0–50 mM. A sensitivity of 6, 3, and 1.2 µW/mM was documented for FS, SA, and OF sensors, respectively. A rapid response time of 20 s and saturation time of 3 min were recorded along with a limit of detection of 1 mM. The sensing capabilities of these sensors were examined in both transmission and reflection configurations. Practicality of the sensors was tested using smartphone readout. The optical power was measured using a smartphone exploiting its photodiode and the power changes were correlated with glucose concentrations. These developed sensors may have applications in remote, continuous, and real-time glucose monitoring systems

Liquid Phase Hydrogenation of MIBK over M/CsPW (M = Ag, Ru, Pt, and Pd)

Four different metal nanoparticles (metal = Ag, Ru, Pt, or Rh) were impregnated on the acidic cesium salt of tungstophosphoric acid Cs2.5H0.5PW12O40 (CsPW) with a loading amount of 2 wt%. The prepared catalysts were characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), N2 sorption measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Results confirmed the formation of highly distributed metallic nanoparticle centres over the acidic CsPW. The catalytic activity of the prepared catalysts were evaluated in the liquid phase hydrogenation of methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) to 2-methylpentane (2-MP) at 453 K. Pd-CsPW showed the highest activity compared to other catalysts, where 10% conversion was obtained with 91% selectivity after 4 h&rsquo;s reaction time

Remote provision of breastfeeding support and education:Systematic review and meta‐analysis

The Covid‐19 pandemic has led to a substantial increase in remotely provided maternity care services, including breastfeeding support. It is, therefore, important to understand whether breastfeeding support provided remotely is an effective method of support. To determine if breastfeeding support provided remotely is an effective method of support. A systematic review and meta‐analysis were conducted. Twenty‐nine studies were included in the review and 26 contributed data to the meta‐analysis. Remotely provided breastfeeding support significantly reduced the risk of women stopping exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months by 25% (risk ratio [RR]: 0.75, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.63, 0.90). There was no significant difference in the number of women stopping any breastfeeding at 4–8 weeks (RR: 1.10, 95% CI: 0.74, 1.64), 3 months (RR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.71, 1.11), or 6 months (RR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.81, 1.03) or the number of women stopping exclusive breastfeeding at 4–8 weeks (RR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.70, 1.07) or 6 months (RR: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.85, 1.0). There was substantial heterogeneity of interventions in terms of mode of delivery, intensity, and providers. This demonstrates that remote interventions can be effective for improving exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months but the certainty of the evidence is low. Improvements in exclusive breastfeeding at 4–8 weeks and 6 months were only found when studies at high risk of bias were excluded. They are also less likely to be effective for improving any breastfeeding. Remote provision of breastfeeding support and education could be provided when it is not possible to provide face‐to‐face care