Diversity, Abundance and Distribution Patterns of Epibenthic Echinoderms in Dungonab Bay, Red Sea, Sudan

The abundance, distribution and diversity of epibenthic echinoderm were investigated at Dungonab Bay in the Red Sea coastal water of the Sudan. Four permanent line transects were chosen. Eight (30 × 2) square metre belt transects along each permanent line transect at 20 metre intervals were used to collect data. The data were subjected to univariate and multivariate analyses. Spatial variations of epibenthic echinoderm abundance were assessed with one-way analysis of variance. Hierarchical agglomerative clustering was used to identify and illustrate the similarities in echinoderm abundance between line transects and between belt transects. Indices of richness (d), diversity (H'), evenness (J') and dominance (C) were used to explain the diversity of epibenthic echinoderm species. The distribution pattern of each echinoderm species was determined in each permanent line transect. A total of 986 individuals were recorded within sixteen species of epibenthic echinoderms in the four line transects. Holothuriidae was the dominant family (5 species and 342 individuals). The most abundant echinoderms species was Pearsonothuria graeffei (77 individuals, about 7.81%). Abundances intra-transects and intra-families were insignificant (f = 1.67, p = 0.183, df = 3 and f = 3.24, p = 0.083, df = 9, respectively). The highest values of Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H'), Pielou evenness index (J'), Margalef species richness index (d), and Simpson Dominance index (C) were 2.738, 0.9875, 2.791 and 0.07159, respectively. The distribution patterns of all species in the study transects varied between clumped and uniform, with the exception of Asthenosoma varium of the Echinothuridae family, which had clumped distribution patterns in all transects. The study concluded that Dungonab Bay supports rich and diverse communities of epibenthic echinoderms.

Fatty Acid Profiles of Livers from Two Marine Fishes Inhabiting Sudanese Red Sea Coast

Fish livers a good source of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and omega 3, are usually discarded as a waste when fish are processed for human consumption in Sudan. Highly fresh Triaenodon obesus and Hipposcarus harid fish were purchased from Port Sudan fish central market during December 2014. The fatty acid profiles of the livers of these commercially important fish were determined. The polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acids ratio in the livers oil of T. obesus and H. harid was 1:2.2 and 1:1.38, respectively. The Palmatic (16:0), Pentadecenoic (12:0) and Arachidic acids were the highest in both species. The poly chain unsaturated fatty acids Linolenic (18:3n - 3), Eicosapentaenoic (20:5n - 3) and Docosahexaenoic (22:6n - 3) were detected in the liver of both species. The highest values of above poly chain unsaturated fatty acids were detected in T. obesus.

Concentration of Heavy Metals in Sediment and Seagrasses Tissue of the Red Sea Coastal Water of the Sudan

The study investigated the concentration of Lead, Cadmium, Nickels and Chromium in sediment and seagrass tissues at six selected sites along the Sudanese Red Sea coast. The findings of the study added some important and necessary information about the status and condition of the coastal environment in the Sudanese Red Sea coast in terms of the extent of pollution with heavy metals. The study sites included: Marsa Bashayer, Marsa Dama Dama, Green Area, Shipyard, Marsa Halout and Dungonab Bay. The Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer was used to measure Lead, Cadmium and Nickels. The colorimetric detection method was used for Chromium using the Spectrophotometer. Marsa Dama Dama site revealed high levels concentration of heavy metals in sediment for Lead (60.5) μg/g, Cadmium (0.22) μg/g and Chromium (146.65) μg/g. Marsa Halout showed the highest mean concentration of Nickel in sediment at 14 μg/g. The variation of concentration of metals in sediment between the sites was not significant. The mean concentration of metals in seagrass species tissues ranged from 3.9 to 26.25 μg/g for Lead, 0.1 to 0.90 μg/g for Cadmium, 0.38 to 5.96 μg/g for Nickel and 0.15 to 0.495 μg/g for Chromium. The differences of concentration of heavy metals in seagrass tissues among the sites were significant for Lead and not significant for Cadmium;Nickel and Chromium.

Socio-Economic Characteristics of Three Artisanal Fisheries Communities in the Northern Sudanese Red Sea Coast

Socio-economic characteristics related to fishing gears and boats from three selected small-scale fishers’ communities (Oseif, Dungonab and Mohammed Qol) in the northern part of the Sudanese Red Sea coast were studied. The study was designed to provide base line data and information on the current socio-economic situation, factors that determine the use of fishing gear, types of boats and fishing equipment, challenges facing fishers and the extent to which fishing gear and boats are related with the socio-economic characteristics of the fishers community in the study sites. Fieldwork was carried out during 2016. The study methods included a series of interviews based on questionnaires, field observations and focus group discussions. The results of the study showed that the most common fishing gears are handlines, cast nets and gillnets. The two types of boats used at the study sites are motorized fiberglass and houri (motorized and paddled) with a V-shaped hull. Boat ownership varies among fishers. Each fisher can have several types of gears in different numbers. Target fish species, season, efficiency of gear and fishing location were the main factors determining the use of fishing gear at study sites, respectively. All fishers are men and most have families of at least four people. The majority of fishers are between 21 and 50 years old and work mainly in fishing. They inherited fishing knowledge within the family, and most of them have been working in artisanal fishing for more than 10 years. Fishers have relatively good net incomes compared to other government employers in the study sites. Most fishers work full time in fishing. A small number of fishers work part-time with the possibility of undertaking other income-generating activities such as animal husbandry and seasonal agriculture. The main challenges identified by fishers at the study sites were fish prices, sea surface roughness and high cost of fishing materials, respectively. Most fishers perceived a recent decline in both catch size and abundance.

Distributed and Cooperative Anomaly Detection Scheme for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

Due to their unique characteristics, such as the dynamic changing topology, the absence of central management, the cooperative routing mechanisms, and the resources constraints, Mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) are relatively vulnerable to both active and passive attacks. In MANET, routing attacks try to disrupt the functions of routing protocol by intentionally or unintentionally dropping packets or propagating faked routing messages. However, due to their computation requirements, the prevention mechanisms are not powerful enough to secure MANET. In this paper, we propose a distributed and cooperative scheme using statistical methods to detect routing attacks in MANETs. Our scheme uses both direct and indirect observations to characterize the behaviors of both neighboring and remote nodes. Simple threshold and Grubb’s Test are utilized to propose our new detection methods. The scheme includes innovative methods to compute our proposed measures, Maximum Accusation Number (MAN) and Accusation Number (AN), which are used to make decision about node’s behavior. Experimental results show that our scheme performs well in detecting anomalous events in routing functions.

The content of some selected metabolites of Hypnea valentiae(Turner)Montagne from the Red Sea coast of Sudan

Objective:To investigate some selected metabolic constituents of Hypnea valentiae(Turner)Montagne collected from the Red Sea coast of Sudan to evaluate the economic potential of the alga.Methods:Healthy thalli of the alga under investigation were collected,thoroughly cleaned,air dried and milled.Authentic analytical methods were used to determine moisture,ash,protein lipid and carrageenan contents.Fatty acids profile was revealed with gas chromatography instrumentation.Testing of phytochemical groups of compounds was based on the development of colouration and precipitation upon addition of certain chemical reagents to the extracts.Results:The ash content of the alga[(40.3±0.2)%of dry weight]was comparatively the highest among the parameters tested.The protein,lipid,and carrageenan constituted(9.30±0.70)%,(6.50±0.34)%,and(33.70±0.01)%,respectively of the alga dry matter.Hypnea valentiae(Turner)Montagne from Sudan Red Sea coast composed of 12 fatty acids,8 of which were unsaturated fatty acids and 4 were saturated fatty acids.The major unsaturated fatty acids in the alga was the trans-isomer of linoleic acid and linolelaidic acid(36.32%)followed by palmitoleic acid(13.64%).The major saturated fatty acids was the heptadecanoic acid amounting to 19.10%of the total fatty acids.Phytochemically the alga contained alkaloids,flavonoids and tannins.Conclusions:This alga may represent a promising source of functional food and therapeutic metabolites.Further investigation and critical evaluation of the bioactivity of the phytochemical compounds is required to assure the therapeutic potential of this alga.

Sero-Prevalence Study of Camel Trypanosomiasis in Selected Villages of Galkayo, Somalia

A cross-sectional study was carried out aimed to estimate sero-prevalence of camel trypanosomiasis and to investigate the related risk factors of the disease in Four Selected Villages of Galkayo, Mudug region from 14th March 2016 up to 20th April 2016. Blood samples were collected from 69 randomly selected camels of the four study villages, and samples were allowed to clot at room temper to detect the sero-prevalence of trypanosome using Card Agglutination Test for Trypanosomiasis (CATT). The results indicated that the overall sero-prevalence of trypanosomiasis in camels that 15.9% (11) samples were positive for trypanosome evansi (T. evansi) was recorded. Higher infection was found in female (19.4) as compared to male (11.1). However, there is no statistically significant difference in sero-prevalence between sex categories (P > 0.05). High Test infection of sero-prevalence was noted 20% in young age (10), and there was statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) in susceptibility among age groups. These results seem to indicate that T. evansi infection is high in the study area. There is need of further control of camel trypanosomiasis through the uses of curative and prophylactic drugs to avoid the various problems.

A compiled checklist of seaweeds of Sudanese Red Sea coast

Objective:To present an updated and compiled checklist of Sudanese seaweeds as an example for the region for conservational as well as developmental purposes.Methods:The checklist was developed based on both field investigations using line transect method at 4 sites along the Red Sea coast of Sudan and review of available studies done on Sudanese seaweeds.Results:In total 114 macroalgal names were recorded and were found to be distributed in 16 orders,34 families,and 62 genera.The Rhodophyceae macroalgae contained 8 orders,17 families,32 genera and 47 species.The Phaeophyceae macroalgae composed of 4 orders,5 families,17 genera,and 28 species.The 39 species of the Chlorophyceae macroalgae belong to 2 classes,4 orders,12 families,and 14 genera.The present paper proposed the addition of 11 macroalgal taxa to be included in Sudan seaweeds species list.These include 3 red seaweed species,1 brown seaweed species and 7 green seaweed species.Conclusions:This list is not yet inclusive and it only represents the macroalgal species common to the intertidal areas of Sudan Red Sea coast.Further investigation may reveal the presence of more species.While significant levels of diversity and endemism were revealed for other groups of organisms in the Red Sea region,similar work still has to be performed for seaweeds.Considering the impact of climate change on communities’structure and composition and the growing risk of maritime transportation through the Red Sea particularly that may originate from oil tankers as well as that may emanate from oil exploration,baseline data on seaweeds are highly required for management purposes.

Effect of Feed Restriction on Broiler Chicks Prior to Slaughter

The present study was conducted to study the effect of feed restriction prior to slaughter on carcass weight of male broiler chicks from 32 to 40 days of age. A total number of 180 (Pure line) male broiler chicks were taken randomly, labeled and divided into six groups. At 32 days of age, the experimental groups were put under the experimental feeding program. Group A fed ad libitum (control) while group B and C fed 120, 60 gm/bird/day for eight days, respectively. Group D and E fed 120, 60 gm/bird/day for four days respectively, followed by zero feeding for an extra 4 days. Group F deprived of food during the whole experimental period (8 days). The experimental diet was formulated to be approximately iso caloric-iso nitrogenous containing sorghum, groundnut cake, broiler concentrate, calcium, salt, lysine, methionine, and premix. The parameters taken were live body weight, feed intake, mortality, carcass, and non-carcass values. The effect of feed restriction program on male broiler chicks was not significant during the period from 32 to 34 days of age for parameters final live body weight, carcass weight, and dressing percentage, but net weight (gain or loss) was affected by feed restriction program and showed a significant difference (P < 0.01) between experimental groups. From 32 to 36 days of age male broilers subjected to feed restriction regimes showed the lowest reading for final live body weight, net weight (gain or loss) and carcass weight and the difference were significant (P 0.05) between experimental groups for dressing percentage during period from32 to 36 days of age. At the period from 32 to 38 days and the period from 32 to 40 days of age, all parameters were significantly affected by feed restriction program. It was concluded that carcass weight of broiler chickens can be controlled using different options of feed restriction programs according to the need of the market and the producer situation with special consideration to the economic return.

A Double Threshold Energy Detection-Based Neural Network for Cognitive Radio Networks

In cognitive radio networks(CoR),the performance of cooperative spectrum sensing is improved by reducing the overall error rate or maximizing the detection probability.Several optimization methods are usually used to optimize the number of user-chosen for cooperation and the threshold selection.However,these methods do not take into account the effect of sample size and its effect on improving CoR performance.In general,a large sample size results in more reliable detection,but takes longer sensing time and increases complexity.Thus,the locally sensed sample size is an optimization problem.Therefore,optimizing the local sample size for each cognitive user helps to improve CoR performance.In this study,two new methods are proposed to find the optimum sample size to achieve objective-based improved(single/double)threshold energy detection,these methods are the optimum sample size N^(*)and neural networks(NN)optimization.Through the evaluation,it was found that the proposed methods outperform the traditional sample size selection in terms of the total error rate,detection probability,and throughput.

A Fair Electronic Cash System with Identity-Based Group Signature Scheme

A fair electronic cash system is a system that allows customers to make payments anonymously. Furthermore the trusted third party can revoke the anonymity when the customers did illegal transactions. In this paper, a new fair electronic cash system based on group signature scheme by using elliptic curve cryptography is proposed, which satisfies properties of secure group signature scheme (correctness, unforgeability, etc). Moreover, our electronic cash contains group members (users, merchants and banks) and trusted third party which is acted by central bank as group manager.

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 &mu;m, 0.15 and 0.4 &mu;m, 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.

Presentation and Management of Wilm’s Tumour in Sudan (Three Centre Experience from 2014-2016)

Background: Wilm’s tumour is a cancer of the kidneys that typically occurs in children younger than fifteen years of age and rarely in adults. With an early diagnosis and proper management of Wilm’s tumour by Multi-modal approach, excellent outcome can be obtained. This study was designed to reflect the clinical presentations and focus on different management modalities with an outcome of Wilm’s tumour in Sudan. Patients and methods: This descriptive, retro-prospective analytic study included all patients of Wilm’s tumour at Soba University Hospital, Gezira national paediatric surgery centre and Khartoum teaching Hospital from January 2014 to January 2016. Results: Thirty patients (pts) were included. Females were predominant in a ratio of 3: 1 to males. The mean age was 3.0 - 5.9 years. Those who came from central and western of Sudan were more affected. Most patients presented with abdominal mass 28 pts (93.3%), followed by abdominal distension in 16 pts (53.3%), while the less frequent presentation was haematuria seen only in 2 pts (6.7%). The multimodal approach: surgery and chemotherapy used in 21 pts (70%) and single modality was used in nine patients: surgery alone in 6 pts (20%), or chemotherapy alone in 3 pts (10%). The patients discharged uneventfully 23 pts (76%). Morbidity was seen in two patients. Deaths were occurred in five patients in the study (16.7%). Conclusion: The finding of this study reflected that Wilm’s tumour has an excellent outcome when patient was managed by multimodal approach.

Atypical Presentation of Prostatic Cancer with Left Axillary and Supraclavicular Lymphadenopathy

Introduction: The burden of prostatic cancer is rising in Sudan. Usually, they present late in their disease with urinary tract obstruction, hematuria, bony pain, or cachexia because there is no screening program. Here we present a patient with prostatic cancer who presented with left axillary mass as his main concern. Case Description: 82-year-old Sudanese male presented with a left axillary and left supraclavicular lymphadenopathy of a few months’ duration. He underwent a decisional biopsy which showed metastatic adenocarcinoma. Upper and lower GI endoscopy were performed but the latter was complicated by a sigmoid perforation with peritonitis. During laparatomy, multiple enlarged pelvic lymphnodes were encountered and a biopsy result suggested a metastatic prostatic neoplasm. Later, prostatic biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. The patient was treated with bilateral orchidectomy. Clinical discussion: Lymphatic metastasis to axillary lymph nodes is a very rare manifestation of prostate cancer and only a few cases have been reported in the literature. It can cause diagnostic difficulty since prostate cancer typically metastasis to the pelvic lymph node and very rarely involves he supradiaphragmatic lymph node. Conclusion: Metastatic prostatic carcinoma should be considered among the causes of supra-diaphragmatic lymph adenopathy. Careful physical and imaging examinations combined with PSA and pathological analysis are essential in the diagnosis of advanced prostate cancer with unusual presentation.

Acute Fingertip Injuries in Sudanese Patients: Patterns and Clinical Presentation

Background: Acute fingertip injuries are common and may lead to functional and aesthetic complications if not treated properly. Different types of trauma result in injuries with variable severity and affect certain risk groups. Objectives: To study the high-risk groups affected by fingertip injuries, their etiological factors, clinical features, and wound patterns, and the influence of hand dominance. Study Design: A descriptive study of 103 consecutive patients with 144 acutely injured fingertips. Data Collection/Analysis: We obtained demographic data, occupation, hand dominance, time and cause of trauma, and the presenting symptoms. Further, clinical examination, radiological, and laboratory studies were performed. Wound characteristics were classified according to the pulp, nailbed and bone (PNB) classification. The data were analyzed with the Fisher’s exact test and Chi-square test. Results: A total of 103 patients (88 males, 15 females) presented with 144 injured fingertips. The male to female ratio was 5.8:1, and the mean age was 27.5 years. The age group affected most commonly was 16 - 20 years. There was a strong association between hand dominance and fingertip injuries, as in 65% of the cases, the dominant hand was injured more frequently than the non-dominant (p = 0.01). The sharp and blunt injuries observed involved the left hand more than the right and were often the result of machinery-related trauma (p = 0.04). Approximately 68% of the injuries were related to work, while 26% were attributable to domestic accidents. In 22% of the cases, seasonal workers were the category affected most often, followed by factory workers. Nearly half of the injuries were related to working with machines, while door-trapping was the most frequent cause of injury in children under 5. The index finger was injured most frequently (31.9%), followed by the middle finger (27.9%), while the thumb and little fingers were involved least (11% for each). Pulp injuries were seen in 97% of cases, commonly with lacerations (39.6%, n = 139) while complete pulp loss was seen in 12.6% of cases. 87% of the cases were nail bed injuries, often with nail bed lacerations (28.6%, n = 126), while complete nail bed loss was observed in 9.5% of cases. Tuft fractures were the commonest bone injuries (26%), while complete bone loss was seen in 7.7% of the injured bones (n = 104). Conservative management was carried out on 9% of fingers, while the others required various methods of surgical repair. Nail bed repair was performed in 48.8% of cases (n = 126), while bone fixation was required in 20.2% (n = 104). Conclusions: Fingertip injuries are highly common in practice. In our study, the age, gender, mechanism of trauma and hand dominance had their influence on the pattern of injury. Finally, wound characteristics determine the type of management required.

Antimicrobial activity of methanolic extracts of selected marine macroalgae against some pathogenic microorganisms

Objective:To evaluate the antimicrobial activity of methanolic extracts of six marine macroalgae belonging to green algae(Chlorophyceae),brown algae(Phaeophyceae)and the red algae(Rhodophyceae)collected from the intertidal area of the Sudanese Red Sea coast near Port Sudan.Methods:Methanol was used for extracting the active principles of the algae and the disc diffusion method was performed to examine the activity and the minimum inhibitory concentration of the samples against four pathogenic bacteria and two fungi.Results:All tested algal extracts exhibited considerable bioactivity and inhibited the growth of all pathogenic microorganisms under investigation.The green alga Caulerpa racemosa produced the maximum inhibition zone(21 mm)against Candida albicans while the red alga Laurencia papillosa showed low antimicrobial activity with the minimum inhibition zone of 10 mm against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.The tested algal extracts did not show any special antimicrobial influence on the selected microorganisms when they were considered as Grampositive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi but the most efficient methanolic extracts in inhibiting microbial growth were those of green macroalgae followed by the brown and the red macroalgae respectively.Conclusions:The study demonstrated that the tested marine macroalgae from Sudanese Red Sea coast may represent a potential and alternative source for secondary metabolites with antimicrobial activity.