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

Determination of Macro and Micro minerals Contents of Kejeik Fish Product

The objective of this study was to determine the contents of macro and micro minerals of Kejeik product collected from two different locations in Sudan: Singah city (Blue Nile) and Kusti city (White Nile). The ash content of Kejeik samples ranged between 5.78% and 11.80% and the highest value (11.80%) was found in Ijl Kejeik from  Kusti, while the lowest value (5.78%) was found in Ijl Kejeik from Singah. All Kejeik samples contained appreciable amounts of macro-minerals and the calcium was the highest in all samples. Moreover, Kejeik samples contained most of the micro-minerals, however, Nawk Kejeik and Ijl Kejeik collected from Singah contained the lowest concentration of iron. The copper content in Kejeik samples determined in the present study were within a range of 1.99-28.1mg/kg, the lowest was found in Garmut Kejeik (1.99mg/kg), while the highest was in Ijl Kejeik (28.1mg/kg. The study concluded that Kejeik is a safe food with a highly nutritive value which is recommended to be utilized in Sudanese meals especially during shortage of food as nutrients sources

Production and Quality Evaluation of Vinegar from Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) Fruit Pulp

ABSTRACT       Vinegar is a liquid consisting mainly of acetic acid (CH3COOH) and water. The acetic acid is produced by the fermentation of ethanol by acetic acid bacteria. This study aimed to produce vinegar from tamarind fruit pulp and evaluation of its quality. Samples of tamarind fruit were collected from different sites in Sudan: Gedaref (GT), Damazin (DT) and Obeid (OT). The vinegar yields from 1 kg tamarind pulp from (GT), (DT) and (KT) were 300, 200, 260 ml, respectively. The physical characteristics of tamarind fruit pulp and its seeds were determined. The average fruit length, width and weight were 14.28± 0.31mm, 11.06± 1.1mm and 12.33± 0.7g, respectively The production of vinegar was carried out at three stages. The concentration of acetic acid of the produced vinegar from (GT), (DT) and (OT) were equivalent to (16.2%), (19%) and (17.7%), and pH values of these samples were found to be (2.2), (1.9) and (2.0), respectively. The study recommends the efficient industrial use of tamarind fruit in many products such as vinegar.&nbsp

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

The Effect of Mashing Methods on the Production of Nonalcoholic Sorghum Malt Beverage

Although sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) has been used traditionally to produce foods, malt and alcoholic beverages in Sudan, its structure and nutritional function have not been enough studied. Sorghum can be malted and processed into malted foods and beverages. The objective of this study was to study the effect of mashing methods on malt quality and wort composition to produce non-alcoholic sorghum malt beverage.  Malting was carried out at 30°C for 5 days under non-aerated condition. Mashing methods included decantation at 80°C (wort A) and at 100°C (wort B). Wort composition in terms of α –amino nitrogen, total soluble nitrogen, reducing sugars, pH, colour, original gravity and viscosity were determined. The results of wort A were 114 mg/l, 43%, 39.42 mg/ml, 6.59, 9 EBC, 1.026 and 0.846 cP, respectively. Whereas the results of wort B were 125 mg/l, 53%, 41.67 mg/ml, 6.68, 11 EBC, 1.025 and 0.864 cP, respectively. Decantation mashing at 100°C produced much better results in terms of malt and wort properties than that at 80°C where boiling the mash at 100°C adequately gelatinized residual sorghum malt starch, since sorghum starch has a gelatinization temperature of 80°C

Burden of musculoskeletal disorders in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 1990–2013: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013

Moradi-Lakeh M, Forouzanfar MH, Vollset SE, et al. Burden of musculoskeletal disorders in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 1990–2013: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. 2017;76(8):annrheumdis-2016-210146

Burden of obesity in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2015 study

Mokdad AH, El Bcheraoui C, Afshin A, et al. Burden of obesity in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2015 study. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. 2018;63(Suppl. 1):165-176.We used the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2015 study results to explore the burden of high body mass index (BMI) in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). We estimated the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children (2-19 years) and adults (20 years) in 1980 and 2015. The burden of disease related to high BMI was calculated using the GBD comparative risk assessment approach. The prevalence of obesity increased for adults from 15.1% (95% UI 13.4-16.9) in 1980 to 20.7% (95% UI 18.8-22.8) in 2015. It increased from 4.1% (95% UI 2.9-5.5) to 4.9% (95% UI 3.6-6.4) for the same period among children. In 2015, there were 417,115 deaths and 14,448,548 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) attributable to high BMI in EMR, which constitute about 10 and 6.3% of total deaths and DALYs, respectively, for all ages. This is the first study to estimate trends in obesity burden for the EMR from 1980 to 2015. We call for EMR countries to invest more resources in prevention and health promotion efforts to reduce this burden

Mapping child growth failure across low- and middle-income countries

Child growth failure (CGF), manifested as stunting, wasting, and underweight, is associated with high 5 mortality and increased risks of cognitive, physical, and metabolic impairments. Children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face the highest levels of CGF globally. Here we illustrate national and subnational variation of under-5 CGF indicators across LMICs, providing 2000–2017 annual estimates mapped at a high spatial resolution and aggregated to policy-relevant administrative units and national levels. Despite remarkable declines over the study period, many LMICs remain far from the World Health 10 Organization’s ambitious Global Nutrition Targets to reduce stunting by 40% and wasting to less than 5% by 2025. Large disparities in prevalence and rates of progress exist across regions, countries, and within countries; our maps identify areas where high prevalence persists even within nations otherwise succeeding in reducing overall CGF prevalence. By highlighting where subnational disparities exist and the highest-need populations reside, these geospatial estimates can support policy-makers in planning locally 15 tailored interventions and efficient directing of resources to accelerate progress in reducing CGF and its health implications

Global, regional, and national incidence and mortality for HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria during 1990–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013

BACKGROUND: The Millennium Declaration in 2000 brought special global attention to HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria through the formulation of Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 6. The Global Burden of Disease 2013 study provides a consistent and comprehensive approach to disease estimation for between 1990 and 2013, and an opportunity to assess whether accelerated progress has occured since the Millennium Declaration. METHODS: To estimate incidence and mortality for HIV, we used the UNAIDS Spectrum model appropriately modified based on a systematic review of available studies of mortality with and without antiretroviral therapy (ART). For concentrated epidemics, we calibrated Spectrum models to fit vital registration data corrected for misclassification of HIV deaths. In generalised epidemics, we minimised a loss function to select epidemic curves most consistent with prevalence data and demographic data for all-cause mortality. We analysed counterfactual scenarios for HIV to assess years of life saved through prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) and ART. For tuberculosis, we analysed vital registration and verbal autopsy data to estimate mortality using cause of death ensemble modelling. We analysed data for corrected case-notifications, expert opinions on the case-detection rate, prevalence surveys, and estimated cause-specific mortality using Bayesian meta-regression to generate consistent trends in all parameters. We analysed malaria mortality and incidence using an updated cause of death database, a systematic analysis of verbal autopsy validation studies for malaria, and recent studies (2010-13) of incidence, drug resistance, and coverage of insecticide-treated bednets. FINDINGS: Globally in 2013, there were 1·8 million new HIV infections (95% uncertainty interval 1·7 million to 2·1 million), 29·2 million prevalent HIV cases (28·1 to 31·7), and 1·3 million HIV deaths (1·3 to 1·5). At the peak of the epidemic in 2005, HIV caused 1·7 million deaths (1·6 million to 1·9 million). Concentrated epidemics in Latin America and eastern Europe are substantially smaller than previously estimated. Through interventions including PMTCT and ART, 19·1 million life-years (16·6 million to 21·5 million) have been saved, 70·3% (65·4 to 76·1) in developing countries. From 2000 to 2011, the ratio of development assistance for health for HIV to years of life saved through intervention was US$4498 in developing countries. Including in HIV-positive individuals, all-form tuberculosis incidence was 7·5 million (7·4 million to 7·7 million), prevalence was 11·9 million (11·6 million to 12·2 million), and number of deaths was 1·4 million (1·3 million to 1·5 million) in 2013. In the same year and in only individuals who were HIV-negative, all-form tuberculosis incidence was 7·1 million (6·9 million to 7·3 million), prevalence was 11·2 million (10·8 million to 11·6 million), and number of deaths was 1·3 million (1·2 million to 1·4 million). Annualised rates of change (ARC) for incidence, prevalence, and death became negative after 2000. Tuberculosis in HIV-negative individuals disproportionately occurs in men and boys (versus women and girls); 64·0% of cases (63·6 to 64·3) and 64·7% of deaths (60·8 to 70·3). Globally, malaria cases and deaths grew rapidly from 1990 reaching a peak of 232 million cases (143 million to 387 million) in 2003 and 1·2 million deaths (1·1 million to 1·4 million) in 2004. Since 2004, child deaths from malaria in sub-Saharan Africa have decreased by 31·5% (15·7 to 44·1). Outside of Africa, malaria mortality has been steadily decreasing since 1990. INTERPRETATION: Our estimates of the number of people living with HIV are 18·7% smaller than UNAIDS's estimates in 2012. The number of people living with malaria is larger than estimated by WHO. The number of people living with HIV, tuberculosis, or malaria have all decreased since 2000. At the global level, upward trends for malaria and HIV deaths have been reversed and declines in tuberculosis deaths have accelerated. 101 countries (74 of which are developing) still have increasing HIV incidence. Substantial progress since the Millennium Declaration is an encouraging sign of the effect of global action. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Mapping 123 million neonatal, infant and child deaths between 2000 and 2017

Since 2000, many countries have achieved considerable success in improving child survival, but localized progress remains unclear. To inform efforts towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.2—to end preventable child deaths by 2030—we need consistently estimated data at the subnational level regarding child mortality rates and trends. Here we quantified, for the period 2000–2017, the subnational variation in mortality rates and number of deaths of neonates, infants and children under 5 years of age within 99 low- and middle-income countries using a geostatistical survival model. We estimated that 32% of children under 5 in these countries lived in districts that had attained rates of 25 or fewer child deaths per 1,000 live births by 2017, and that 58% of child deaths between 2000 and 2017 in these countries could have been averted in the absence of geographical inequality. This study enables the identification of high-mortality clusters, patterns of progress and geographical inequalities to inform appropriate investments and implementations that will help to improve the health of all populations