The Economics of Using Solar Energy: School Buildings in Saudi Arabia as a Case Study

As a result of increasing population and building of new schools in Saudi Arabia, the demand for electricity is growing rapidly. In this context, the utilization of renewable energy resources such as solar energy appears to goal since it is abundant and holds huge ecological and economic promise. This study aims to provide a new entrance in school buildings’ design and construction by studying the current situation of energy consumption, the possibility of using solar cells, and the economics of its exploitation in school buildings. Interviews were conducted in school buildings at different levels in Arar city as a case study to collect data on energy consumption. Furthermore, a base case school building was selected for studying detailed energy consumption, and then, photovoltaic (PV) energy was proposed to use the on-grid system in accordance with governmental regulations. The study concluded that the use of PV energy in school buildings is economically feasible in addition to that more incentive from the government is needed for wide penetration use in Kingdom Saudi Arabia

The Free Amino Acid Composition of The Sudanese Fermented Camel's Milk (Garris)

      Many  workers   have   investigated  the  composition  of  milk and milk   proteins   of   various   species  of   domestic   animals   but   the information regarding  the composition of  fermented  camel 's   milk is  still  limited. The  fresh  camel  milk  contains 3.3-4.7% protein, 2.8 - 3.6%  fat, 4.0 - 5.2%  lactose,  0.7%  ash, 9.2 - 15.4% total solids,  and  to has  a  pH of  6.0-6.5  (Abdel  Rahim, 1987). The casein of camel  milk  is  richer  in  proline  and   threonine than cow's  milk, but poorer in alanine, arginine, glycine and serine (Hoeller and Hassan, 1965)

Management of Helicobacter pylori among medical doctors working in Khartoum, Sudan 2019: a cross-sectional study

Background: Various international guidelines have been developed regarding Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) management, as it is infecting more than half of the world's population. Sudan's health system lacks guidelines regarding H. pylori management, leading to a discrepancy in practice. Investigating the current approach could be a step forward in the formulation of a national consensus in the management of H. pylori. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical doctors currently working in Khartoum, Sudan. Participants were enrolled from platforms of medical associations through an online questionnaire. The questionnaire was scored out of 25 points, and scoring 13 or above considered a good approach. Data analysis was carried out using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results: A total of 358 medical doctors participated in the study. The mean (±SD) score was 12.9(±4.5). Those who were using textbooks, campaigns, symposiums or general medical information to their primary Source of knowledge significantly scored higher. The most selected indication for both diagnosis (76.8%) and treatment (67.6%) was an active peptic ulcer. Stool antigen test (SAT) was the most preferred test (70.7%). The majority of respondents selected triple therapy (82.1%) as a first-line regimen. Only 37.7% confirmed the eradication after four weeks of stopping the treatment. They ensure eradication mainly through SAT (29%). Conclusion: A suboptimal approach was noted among medical doctors of Khartoum, Sudan, regarding H. pylori management. Efforts should be invested in forming national guidelines and the implementation of continuous medical education programs. Keywords: Helicobacter pylori, Medical doctor, Sudan

Utilization of Some Local Date Palm Cultivars in Production of Jam and Assessment of its Quality

The objective of the present work was to study the possibility of the production of jamfrom three local cultivars of dates, namely; Jawa, Gondaila and Kulma. The chemical,microbiological and sensory characteristics of date jams were determined. The analysisrevealed relative increase of moisture content in Kulma date jam (KDJ) (54.62%) ascompared with those of Jawa date jam (JDJ) and Gondaila date jam (GDJ) which were51.09% and 47.94%, respectively. The ash content was 1.7%, 0.4%, and 0.5% in (JDJ),(GDJ) and (KDJ); respectively. The total soluble solids was 80.5%, 80.8% and 78% in(JDJ), (GDJ) and (KDJ); respectively. Reducing sugars were higher in (JDJ) (34.0%)when compared with those of (KDJ) and (GDJ) which were 31% and 24%; respectively.Titrable acidity was 0.4%, 0.32% and 0.37% in (JDJ), (GDJ) and (KDJ); respectively.The highest pH value was found in (GDJ) (4.7) as compared with (JDJ) and (KDJ) whichwere 4.39 and 4.22, respectively. The highest value of ascorbic acid was found in (KDJ)(220 mg/100g) as compared with (JDJ) and (GDJ) which were 150 and 176 mg/100g;respectively. On the other hand, the microbiological analysis of date jam samplesrevealed low levels of total microbial load. The sensory evaluation indicated highacceptability for all samples of date jam

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Mint (Mentha) essential oil

Natural products of plant origin, such as essential oils have great benefit for human life. The objective of this study was to determine the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of mint (mentha) essential oil (EO). The EO obtained by steam distillation and their constituents were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The disc diffusion method was used for the determination of the antimicrobial activity. In the antimicrobial activity, the concentrations of 3.75, 7.5, 15, 30, 60μg/mL of mint essential oil were prepared and tested against four microbes; one Gram-positive: Staphylococcus aureus; two Gram-negative: Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia; and one fungal strain, Candida albicans. The oil content was 0.05% (v/w) and the GC-MS analysis led to the identification 42 components, the major components were found to be, Carvone (53.06%), D-limonene (25.65%), and Eucalyptol (2.56%). The inhibition zones of the oil were compared with standard ciprofloxacin. The results showed that the remarkable inhibition of the bacterial growth against the tested organisms. The microbial activity of mint essential oil was due to the presence of various secondary metabolites. Therefore, may warrant further research to determine the bioactive compound(s)

Isolation, Identification and Characterization of Candida utilis from Some of the Sudanese traditionally Fermented Food Products

The aims of this study were to isolate, identify and characterize the yeast Candida utilis (as a source of single cell protein SCP) from various local Sudanese fermented foods (Kissra, Hulu Mur and Marisa). Hulu Mur samples were found to contain the highest counts of yeast (6.89 cfu/g 6.78 cfu/g) while the low counts were found in Kissra samples (5.95 cfu/g - 5.84 cfu/g). Most of the C. utilis isolates had the same biochemical profiles with some slight variations. The study showed that C. utilis can utilize aerobically and anaerobically dextrose, sucrose, and raffinose and could assimilate maltose under aerobic conditions only. The isolates could not utilize lactose, glactose. cellubiose and arabinose under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. It had an ability to assimilate nitrate and grew at high concentration of ethanol. The study showed that the biomass yield of C utilis was 2.5 g\l using batch fermentation. On the other hand the protein and moisture content of the product were 42% and 61%, therefore. It can be used in the production of single cell protein (SCP)

Production and Quality Evaluation of Paste Made from Two Jawa Date Cultivars

The objective of the present work was to study the production of paste from the local Sudanese date cultivars namely; red Jawa and black Jawa. The date fruit samples were subjected to physical and chemical analysis before production of the paste. The chemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics of date paste were evaluated after processing. The results indicated relative increasing of moisture content in the red Jawa paste (RJP) 23.34% as compared with black Jawa paste (BJP) 20.35%, the ash content in the (RJP) and (BJP) were 1.15% and 1.09%, respectively. Protein content in the (RJP) and (BJP) were 1.75% and 2.04%, respectively. The total soluble solid in (RJP) and (BJP) were found to be 71.5% and 73.9, respectively. The titrable acidity in (RJP) and (BJP) were found to be 0.31% and 0.41% respectively. The pH values were found to be 5.13 and 5.35 in (RJP) and (BJP), respectively. The microbial analysis of date paste showed low levels of total microbial load. The sensory evaluation indicated that all the paste samples were highly accepted by panelists. The study recommended utilization of low quality date fruits like Jawa in production of various products to increase its economic value

Gallbladder cancer: 7-Year experience from Qatar

Thirty-five patients presented with GC during the study period, 10 females (28.6%) and 25 males (71.4%). Fourteen patients (40%) were diagnosed incidentally after laparoscopic cholecystectomy, 16 (48.6%) were diagnosed pathologically, and 4 (11.4%) were diagnosed radiologically. The median age at diagnosis was 54 years (31–78). 74.3% of the disease occurred in patients less than 60 years old. Metastatic disease was discovered in 25 patients (71.4%) versus no metastasis in 10 patients (28.6%). The most common sites for metastasis were the liver (42.9%), peritoneum (25.7%), and lymph nodes (25.7%). Curative central hepatic resection was done in 8 patients (22.9%). Pathology showed adenocarcinoma in 27 patients (77.1%), neuroendocrine tumor in 3 patients (8.6%) and high-grade dysplasia in 1 patient (2.9%). No histopathology was available for 4 patients (11.4%). Twenty-eight patients (80.0%) had regular follow up, with 22 (62.9%) still alive. Six patients (17.1%) died during follow up with survival after diagnosis ranging from 42 days to 6.8 years