Malaria Prevention and Mothers: Sudan

This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) in malaria prevention using insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) among mothers of children under five years of age in White Nile State, Sudan. Multistage cluster sampling was used to select 761 mothers for this cross-sectional survey. There were gaps in the KAP in malaria prevention. Only 46.3% of the mothers stated personal protective measures (PPMs) as the best malaria prevention strategy; 54.9% considered ITNs as an effective means; and only 18.7% reported sleeping under an ITN every day. Older mothers were less likely to have good knowledge (OR=0.96), attitudes (OR=0.98) and practices (OR=0.98). Having a Government employee as the head of the household was positively associated with knowledge (OR=2.16) and attitudes (OR=1.96). The mother having a formal education was also positively associated with good knowledge (OR=1.55) and positive attitudes (OR=1.69). Mothers with a monthly household income of <491 Sudanese Pound were more likely to have good knowledge (OR=1.43). Mothers who had good knowledge (OR=4.99) and positive attitudes towards PPMs (OR=2.60) in malaria prevention were found to be more likely to practice preventive measures. Therefore, we recommend focusing on raising mothers’ awareness of the different preventive activities to protect them and their family from malaria.

Opportunistic Bacteria Isolated from Trypauchen Vagina Fish that Infected with Protozoan from Iraq Marine Water

Opportunistic bacteria are microorganisms that have been isolated from a host suffering from stress as a result of parasitic infestation. In this study, two bacterial species, namely Aeromonas hydrophila and Rhizobium radiobacter, were isolated from Trypauchen vagina fish that were infected with Microsporidian parasite cysts from Iraqi marine waters. The infection were mass implanted in the internal and external skeletal muscles and under the gill cover. Many symptoms of bacterial infection were observed in the fish, including flatulence with haemorrhagic fluids, skin disscolouration blackening, separation of crusts, and deformities in the area. The two bacterial species were characterised morphologically and identified using Vitek II system (Biomerieux - USA). To control infection, antibiotic susceptibility was performed using six antibiotics: nalidixic acid, nitrofurantoin, gentamicin, streptomycin, tetracycline and amoxicillin, both bacteria showed high antibiotic resistance. Identification of opportunistic bacteria has a pivotal role in preventing stress factors in fish, treating infections and alleviating their impact on other aquatic organisms.

Improvement of Tannase Production from Bacillus Bacteria by Submerged Fermentation of Spent Tea

Tannase is an enzyme that causes hydrolysis of a group of tannins (gallo-tannins) to gallic acid and glucose. This enzyme is of importance due to its numerous applications in many fields, such as in the food industry by enhancing tea and coffee flavor and improving the quality of fruit juices rich in tannins. Tannase is also of importance in improving the quality of animal feed. Gallic acid is applied in the drug industry, and the production of antioxidants is used in the oil industry. This study was carried out to improve production of tannase from genus Bacillus using spent tea as a substrate by submerged fermentation and applying the statistical design Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Five parameters were considered, and each parameter was studied at five levels. They were temperature range (25 to 45˚C), pH (3–8), incubation period (24–120 hours), spent tea (0.5–2.5%) and rotation speed (100–300rpm). Results obtained revealed that optimum conditions for maximum production of tannase were: temperature at 35˚C, pH at 5, incubation time of 48 hours, spent tea concentration 1.5%, and rotation speed of 150 rpm. We recommend that further studies be carried out to clarify and determine the properties of crude and purified enzymes.

An Econometric Analysis of the Integrative Relationship between Rice Consumption Expenditure and Macroeconomics Factors: Saudi Arabia

Household consumption expenditure, of food and non-food items, is a component of macroeconomic factors in Saudi Arabia. The presence of the equilibrium relationship between the components of the macroeconomic factors is essential for economic growth. This research aimed to measure the extent to which the consumption expenditure of rice was affected by some of the macroeconomic factors, namely national income, per capita national income, and the consumer price index in Saudi Arabia from 1990 to 2018. This research relied on secondary data collected from various sources such as the Saudi Statistics Authority and the World Bank. Johanson’s cointegration test and Granger's causal test were used to achieve the specific goals (knowing the equilibrium relationship and the existence of causality between study variables). The results showed that there was a long-run relationship between the study variables. Also, the results reflected the existence of causality: It was found that the consumption spending on rice is affected by both the national income and the per capita national income separately. From these results, this study recommends that during papering socioeconomic planning, rice should be given more attention.

Dental Erosion Among Secondary Schoolchildren: Sudan

Dental erosion is a type of dental wear defined as loss of hard dental tissue caused by acids not produced by bacteria. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of dental erosion and its correlates among secondary schoolchildren in Omdurman, Sudan. A cross-sectional study was undertaken using stratified random sampling to select 10 secondary schools, from which all students were included. Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire and clinical examination. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and associations were tested using a t-test, correlation, and logistic regression. Four hundred and eighty-three students participated in the study, most of whom (72.5%) attended public schools. The mean age was 12.4 years (SD: ±0.76). More than one-third (35%) of the students presented erosion. Those who reported the consumption of soft drinks or hibiscus had higher mean scores of erosion than those who did not, with mean differences of –0.61 and –0.31, respectively. These also had higher odds of erosion by an OR of 2.7 and 2.4, respectively. Those who had erosion had higher mean scores in tooth brushing, soft drink consumption, and hibiscus drink consumption, with mean differences –0.127, –0.36, and 0.28, respectively. The prevalence of erosion was thus positively associated with soft drink and hibiscus drink consumption, while being negatively associated with tooth brushing frequency.

Diagnosis of Diseases Based on Iridology Using Fuzzy Logic

Many automatic methods have been introduced in iridology to predict diseases according to the iridology chart. This is important to prevent diseases before they develop. This research aims to find a computer model for the early diagnosis of diseases in the brain, back, pelvis, abdomen, and chest using the iridology chart based on fuzzy logic. Image preprocessing for the iris aims to find the ring, code, and features of the iris. Five fuzzy models have been built for diagnosis and to determine a person's disease rate based on specific features that were extracted from the iris as the input variables. Each model contains four membership functions for each input or output variables and 64 fuzzy rules for fuzzification and defuzzification. The five models that were built to diagnose the five diseases of iridology have an accuracy rate of over 98%, with an average accuracy of 98.6223%. The results mean that the models are qualified for use by doctors as medical tools to diagnose specific diseases or as a tool for the public to reassure them about their health.

Development of a General Equation for Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF): Iraq

In the field of water resource management, rainfall intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves are of great importance, especially in the design of hydraulic structures and the assessment of flash-flood risks. The aim of this study is to obtain IDF curves and find empirical equations for rain duration for Al-Najaf city in the southwest of Iraq. Rainfall data for 30 years, from 1989 to 2018, were collected. The practical reduction equation of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), with six methods of probability distribution, was used for short intervals (0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours) with a specified recurrence period (100, 50, 25, 10, 5, and 2 years). The Kolmogorov-Smirnov, chi-squared, and Anderson-Darling goodness of fit tests were used with the help of EasyFit 5.6 software. The findings revealed that the highest intensity of rainfall occurs during a repeated cycle of 100 years with a duration of 0.25 hours, while the lowest intensity of rainfall occurs during a repeated cycle of 2 years with a duration of 24 hours. In the results obtained from the six methods, as well as the superiority of the log Pearson type III method, the consistency of the fit tests showed some convergence.