Pattern of Potential Laboratory Markers for COVID-19 in Eastern Sudan

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recent global health crisis. One of the major issues of COVID-19 is its unpredictable manifestations and serious outcomes. Many hematological parameters are thought to change dramatically during the course of the disease. These include white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. This study aimed at evaluating certain laboratory results;peripheral blood lymphopenia, relative neutrophilia, high neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, and elevated C-reactive protein as potential laboratory markers of COVID-19 in Eastern Sudanese patients. Methods: We, retrospectively, aimed at the evaluation of peripheral blood leucocytes count, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio NLR and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in confirmed COVID-19 eastern Sudanese patients during the course of the disease. Results: The mean total leucocytes count, % neutrophils count, absolute neutrophils count and C-reactive protein (CRP) were significantly higher (P. value = 0.000) in COVID-19 patients than in the control group while the mean % lymphocytes count and % mixed cells count were found to be significantly lower in COVID-19 patients than in the control group (P. value 0.000). Conclusion: Peripheral blood leucocyte alterations (simultaneous presence of lymphopenia, relative neutrophilia and high neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) along with elevated CRP levels may be valuable biomarkers associated with COVID-19 in Port Sudan city, Red Sea state, Sudan. These markers might be important in prediction, inspection of disease progression and prognosis.

Hematological Alterations in an Eastern Sudanese Chronic Kidney Disease Patient Population

Background: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), associated with a slow and progressive loss of kidney function over a period of several years, is an important clinical disaster with an increasing rate of morbidity and mortality especially in the least developed countries. Many hematological parameters are thought to alter dramatically during the course of the disease. These include white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. Methods: We tried, retrospectively, to evaluate the peripheral blood hematological alterations in a group of patients undergoing hemodialysis in an eastern Sudan dialysis center to add local medical information. Results: Anemia (Low hemoglobin and hematocrit) was detected in 94% of the patients’ group. Mean Erythrocyte count (3.32vs.4.76 (×109/L)), Hemoglobin concentration (9.4vs.13 (g/dl)), Hematocrit (28.7vs.38.7 (L/L)) and platelet count (296 vs. 238 (×109/L)) were significantly lower in the patients’ group than in the control group (P-values Conclusion: Five out of eight studied parameters (Red cell count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean cell hemoglobin concentration, and platelets count) have shown a significant alteration in CKD patients. As the complete blood count (CBC) test is the most utilized test in clinical laboratory practice, these alterations may be considered as early indicators for CKD. Furthermore, all patients with CKD must be routinely checked for these alterations.

Effect of Valence Band Tail Width on the Open Circuit Voltage of P3HT:PCBM Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cell:AMPS-1D Simulation Study

The effect of the valence band tail width on the open circuit voltage of P3HT：PCBM bulk heterojunction solar cell is investigated by using the AMPS-1D computer program. An effective medium model with exponential valence and conduction band tail states is used to simulate the photovoltaic cell. The simulation result shows that the open circuit voltage depends Iinearly on the logarithm of the generation rate and the slope depends on the width of the valence band tail. The open circuit voltage decreases with the increasing width of the band tail. The dark and light ideality factors increase with the width of the valence band tail.

Viscous Dark Energy Models with Variable G and A

We consider a cosmological model with bulk viscosity η and variable cosmological A ∝p^-α, alpha = const and gravitational G constants. The model exhibits many interesting cosmological features. Inflation proceeds du to the presence of bulk viscosity and dark energy without requiring the equation of state p =-p. During the inflationary era the energy density p does not remain constant, as in the de-Sitter type. Moreover, the cosmological and gravitational constants increase exponentially with time, whereas the energy density and viscosity decrease exponentially with time. The rate of mass creation during inflation is found to be very huge suggesting that all matter in the universe is created during inflation.

Passive Cooling Strategies in Greening Existing Residential Building in Hot Dry Climate： Case Study in Bahrain

This paper will present several passive-cooling technologies and design features that can be adopted to reduce building heat gain without the need of excess energy consumption. A typical residential unit will be selected as case study and a three basic passive cooling strategies were selected to enhance the building envelop, as well as using appropriate shading devices and green roofing system that prove to be a good environment quality improver. IES energy simulation software will be used to evaluate the performance of the building. The study revealed a number of significant findings in reducing the energy consumption and enhancing the tenants＇ thermal comfort. American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Airconditioning Engineer （ASHRAE） standards specially via improving the performance of building envelop because it is the interface between internal and external environment. Moreover, improving the building envelope has recorded that overall energy and chiller energy consumption can be reduced up to 10.8% and 21.6% respectively, Therefore, it is anticipated that further reductions can be achieved via applying more passive cooling strategies. Finally, it could argue that the results of this paper will not only be applicable to Bahrain but also many countries that have similar climatic and environmental context.

Customers Recognition Level of Logos in Kingdom of Bahrain

This study is conducted to measure customer recognition level of business logos in Kingdom of Bahrain in order to identify the best predictor for logo recognition in a local context.A quantitative approach and combination of descriptive and correlational research design is reflected in this study.Customers in Bahraini market whose age range is between 15 and 50 years were deemed to be research population;to form a representative sample,non-probability sampling technique was applied,specifically combination of convenient and judgmental sampling method.While in deciding the size of the sample,ratio sampling was used;total of 384 customers using confidence level of 95%were the research sample.As for data collection,the researcher used structured interview questionnaire as an instrument to extract the raw data and 16 business logos were presented equally to customers,those logos belong to four distinctive industries in Bahrain:food,medical,beauty services,and fashion.As for the demographic profile,most of customers in the sample were female(54.9%)that belonged to the age range between 18-24 years old(33%)with income range between 301 and 600 BD(41.1%)from Capital Governorate(41.9%);in term of education level most of respondents have bachelor’s degree holder(58.1%).The research concluded with significant findings,one of which was that the relationship profile revealed that all of the demographic variables inserted in the research had significant correlation with the customer’s overall logo recognition and in addition to the other aspects associated with recognition,such as logo scope recognition,logo industry recognition,and company name recognition.Moreover,it has been concluded that the scope of all medical logos in the research was mostly moderately by the customer beside many other findings.

Phantom Energy with Variable G and A

We investigate a cosmological model of a phantom energy with a variable cosmological constant （∧） depending on the energy density （ρ） as ∧∝ρ^α,α=const and a variable gravitational constant G. The model requires α 〈 0 and a negative gravitational constant. The cosmological constant evolves with time as ∧ ∝ t^-2. For ω 〉 - 1 and α 〈 -1 the cosmological constant ∧ 〈 0, G 〉 0 and ρ decrease with cosmic expansion. For ordinary energy （or dark energy）, i.e.ω 〉 -1, we have -1 〈 α〈 0 and β 〉 0 so that G〉0 increases with time and p decreases with time. Cosmic acceleration with dust particles is granted, provided -2/3 〈α〈 0 and ∧〉0.

Evaluation of the Conservatism Level in Kuwait Stock Exchange By Using Basu Model

This study aims to evaluate the level of accounting conservatism when preparing financial statements by companies listed in Kuwait Stock Exchange （KSE）. In addition, the study examines the factors that affect the level of accounting conservatism in those companies with regard to company sizes, debt contracts, and the type of sector the company belongs to. To achieve these goals, the Basu （1997） model was used to measure conservatism level and the factors influencing it. The sample of the study comprises of 225 companies listed in KSE. Findings of the study showed that the KSE succeeded in forcing Kuwait companies to present a reasonable level of accounting conservatism. The study also found out that the financial statements of small companies were conservative, while those of the big ones were not. In addition, the debt contracts left an impact upon financial reports of accounting conservatism. Thus, companies with lower debts were more conservative than those of higher ones. Moreover, the financial statements of the financial sector in KSE were the most conservative.

Tourism in Turkey:A Socio-Economic Assessment

Tourism plays an important role in socio-economic development of nations worldwide.In the case of poor countries,tourism contributes to job creation,poverty alleviation,and foreign exchange earnings.Because of its multi-discipline dimensions,tourism increases the economy capabilities to generate production linkages which encourage investments in various productive and service sectors of the economy.Countries with limited natural capital can benefit from tourism to sustain growth and support development.Turkey is one of the most attractive tourism destinations in the world.Because of its geographical location and cultural attractions,Turkey has become an important spot for millions of tourists from different parts of the world.The aim of this paper is to examine the impact of tourism on socio-economic development in Turkey and the future prospects that the country can achieve from investment in the tourism sector.Turkey should construct well-defined strategy the aim of which is to make tourism as an effective instrument for fostering economic growth and sustaining development.

On the Origin of the Gamma-Ray Burst Redshift Distribution in the Early Universe

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most powerful events in the universe, and are promising standard candles for cosmological studies. The data from NASA's Swift satellite reveal a distribution for the GRB number density that peaks at a redshift between 1 and 3. In this paper, we classify GRBs based on their duration and discuss the origin of their progenitors. We shed light on the formation mechanism of supermassive black holes and massive stars at the early universe, and show how this process and other related events can lead to a relatively high number of GRBs that peak at high redshift.

Sustainable Development, Partnership for the Future

The issue of development as an urgent question is facing future challenges and is recognized along side with the efforts made to promote qualitative changes, aiming at the adaptation, activation, organization, and optimum use of efforts, capacities, and available potentials. So much is said about development, its characteristics, and related considerations. However, main features remain to show in this contest. These include objective participation of society, the endeavor towards adapting the features of advanced societies, together with observing social, economical and environmental specifications, and the changes which aim to fulfill essential needs, together with observing issues emanating from social changes.

Measuring the Success of Hospital Information System across Multispecialty Hospitals in Bahrain

Purpose： The aim of this paper is to measure the success of HISs （hospital information systems） in Bahrain from their end user’s perspectives. Methodology： a quantitative design using a questionnaire based on the DeLone and McLean Information System Success Model （2003） was employed to examine the key determinants comprise of SQ （system quality）, IQ （information quality）, SerQ （service quality） as the independent variables and their effect on the US （user satisfaction）, U （system use） and the perceived NB （net benefits） as the success measures. There are 324 respondents consisting of doctors, nurses, technicians, pharmacists and admin staff of hospitals. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Findings： SQ, IQ and SerQ are significantly positively related to US and U, and the two later are in turns significantly positively related to the perceived NB out of the system to both users and organizations. Research implications： the research reflects the experience of using innovative healthcare technologies in the Middle East and its results show the importance of improving the systems technical quality to ensure more satisfied users, more utilized technologies and to reach the optimal purpose of implementing these systems and reap out their prospected benefits. Moreover, sufficient training and full dependency on the systems are required to get more confident users and reduce the daily work load.

Relation Ship of Maternal Haemoglobin Concentration Measured in Labour with Neonatal Outcome among Sudanese Women

Objective: Data showed that maternal anaemia during pregnancy negatively affects maternal/fetal outcomes. We here attempted to re-confirm this in this specific region of Sudan, with special reference to fetal/neonatal outcome. Methodology: This cross-sectional observational study was carried out at Omdurman Maternity and Khartoum North Teaching Hospitals-Sudan from March 2018 to March 2019, with 246 pregnant women presented in labour enrolled. Maternal characteristics, haemoglobin (Hb) measured after labour initiation and fetal/neonatal outcomes were analyzed. Results: When maternal anemia was defined as Hb less than 10.0 g/dL, 80 (32.5%) had anemia and 166 had not. Anemic women (Hb;8.3 ± 0.31), compared with non-anemic women (Hb;11.4 ± 0.61), were significantly more likely to have low birth weight (LBW) infants (40% vs. 15.7%) and still birth (12.5% vs. 4.8%). There was a correlation between hemoglobin concentration and the followings: LBW, respiratory distress syndrome, neonatal nursery admission, still birth, early neonatal death, and low Apgar score. Conclusions: Maternal aneamia negatively affected fetal/neonatal outcomes. This data may be useful to make health policy in this area.

A Two Stage Batch Arrival Queue with Reneging during Vacation and Breakdown Periods

We study a two stage queuing model where the server provides two stages of service one by one in succession. We consider reneging to occur when the server is unavailable during the system breakdown or vacation periods. We concentrate on deriving the steady state solutions by using supplementary variable technique and calculate the mean queue length and mean waiting time. Further some special cases are also discussed and numerical examples are presented.

Formation of Galaxies in the Context of Gravitational Waves and Primordial Black Holes

The recent discovery of gravitational waves has revolutionized our understanding of many aspects regarding how the universe works. The formation of galaxies stands as one of the most challenging problems in astrophysics. Regardless of how far back we look in the early universe, we keep discovering galaxies with supermassive black holes lurking at their centers. Many models have been proposed to explain the rapid formation of supermassive black holes, including the massive accretion of material, the collapse of type III stars, and the merger of stellar mass black holes. Some of these events give rise to the production of gravitational waves that could be detected by future generations of more sensitive detectors. Alternatively, the existence of these supermassive black holes can be explained in the context of primordial black holes. In this paper we discuss the various models of galaxy formation shedding light on the role that gravitational waves can play to test of the validity of some of these models. We also discuss the prospect of primordial black holes as a seeding constituent for galaxy formation.

Merger of Compact Binaries in the Context of Gravitational Waves and Short-Lived Gamma-Ray Bursts

The discovery of gravitational waves resulting from the merger of two massive black holes (GW150914) has revolutionized our view of merging compact binaries. Recently, the Swope Supernova Survey of the optical counterpart of a gravitational wave event in the NGC 4993 galaxy, GW170817, emanating from the merger of two neutron stars, has triggered a lot of research work. Emphasis has been on comparing the existing theoretical models with the observational data, allowing for the prospect of an even more stringent test of general relativity. The afterglow of this event was observed in a wide range of wavelengths extending from radio waves to gamma rays. In this work, we first explore the evolutionary pathways of compact binary systems following the in-spiral, merger, and ring down sequence. We then proceed to discuss the processes leading to the production of gravitational waves and electromagnetic emission resulting from the merger of compact objects, particularly neutron star binaries and neutron star-black hole systems. We construct a basic inventory of the energy released during the merger of compact binaries in all bands of the electromagnetic spectrum with emphasis on gamma-ray burst emission. The constraints on certain wavelength emissions, such as gamma-ray bursts, are discussed in terms of orbital dynamical instabilities, energy transfer processes, and possible jet orientations with respect to the observer. Finally, we explore the futuristic perspective of the impact of gravitational waves detection on our understanding of the working of the universe.

Supermassive Black Holes, the Early Universe, and Gamma-Ray Bursts

Observational evidence reveals that supermassive black holes reside at the center of most galaxies up to the furthest observable redshifts. The tight M-σ relation suggests a close operative feedback between the growth of supermassive black holes and the growth of the galactic bulge. Models describing the formation scenarios of seeding black holes and their growth are reviewed. In each of these models, the prevailing environments in the primordial-galactic disks, including the gas dynamics, cooling processes, and metallic enrichment are explored. It is shown that the galactic disk parameters set constraints on the channel of formation of the seeding black holes and their growth. Primordial black holes from the inflationary era, their formation, possible interaction, and constraints on their observations are discussed. Gamma-ray bursts resulting either from the collapse of massive stars, or from the collision of compact objects are explored. The abundance of these violent events in the early universe suggests a possible connection with galaxy formation.

Socio-Psychological Factors of Rising Trend of Suicidal Ideation among Indigenous Workforce: Evidence from Himalayan Range

Apart from socio-economic disparities,indigenous people of the Himalayan range in Asia face an increasing trend of suicides.The tragic suicidal events usually go unaddressed,and no strategies are presently in place to mitigate suicides in the future.This study aims to explain the prevailing causes of suicidal ideation to come up with some policy recommendations.Through a preliminary survey,we identified social stigma,social isolation,lack of healthcare facilities,and domestic violence as the potential reasons for suicidal ideation.We identified individuals with suicide ideation for further data collection to test the relationships between the identified variables and suicidal ideation.A quantitative,explanatory and cross-sectional design was used to test the hypotheses.Inferential statistics were applied to the data containing 314 responses,and the results revealed that all the predictive variables influence the formation of suicidal ideation.The study uncovered some new dimensions of social stigma and social isolation that are common among the indigenous people.The results also indicate that some domestic violence is socially acceptable and considered a normal familial matter.Thefindings have theoretical and practical implications.We have identified new dimensions of social stigma,social isolation,and domestic violence that are new additions to the existing bank of literature.It provides insights to encourage public authorities,healthcare providers,and NGO managers to play their role in the right direction to mitigate the problem.This study opens further venues for researchers to investigate the complex issue of suicide more deeply.

On Supersymmetry and the Origin of Dark Matter

Dark matter was first suspected in clusters of galaxies when these galaxies were found to move with too high a speed to be retained in the cluster by their gravitational influence on each other. Some current theories favor cold dark matter models where particles are created with low velocity dispersions and thus would become trapped in baryonic gravitational potentials. According to the standard Big-Bang model, dark matter is of nonbaryonic origin, otherwise the observed abundance of helium in the Universe would be violated. In this work, recent theoretical and observational developments are used to form a consistent picture of the events in the early Universe that gave rise to dark matter. According to the model that will be presented in this paper, supersymmetry plays a major role. In addition, the possibility that dark matter evolves in a spacetime manifold different from that of the observed Universe is discussed.

A Spectrally Selective Window for Hot Climates

Rigorous coupled-wave analysis has been used to design a glazing for hot climates. The designed glazing is relatively simple and it transmits most of the visible light and reflects most of the infrared radiation. It does not need any external source of energy to control its optical properties. It consists of ITO and four periodic pairs of Si/SiO2, deposited on a glass sheet. The optimum thicknesses of ITO, Si and SiO2 are 0.1 μm, 0.15 and 0.4 μm, respectively. The glazing acts as an optically selective filter. It transmits about 80% of the visible light and reflects almost all the infrared radiation. The performance of the glazing is almost independent of the angle of incidence of solar radiation. This makes it suitable for all hours of the day. The fabrication of the glazing and the testing have been performed at the laboratories of the Faculty of Science, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. Magnetron sputtering technique has been used for the fabrication. ITO, Si and SiO2 have been used as sputtering targets. The experimental results are almost identical to the simulation results.