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Bactrocera zonata is a devastating invasive pest of tropical and subtropical horticultural crops. Since its detection in Sudan in 2011, almost no information has emerged regarding its bio-ecology. This study aimed to determine the pest’s range and potential distribution in Sudan, it’s relative abundance, infestation level, associated indigenous natural enemies and assess their role in its natural control. The infestation levels of B. zonata and B. dorsalis were assessed in fruit orchards between 2014 and 2016. MaxEnt software was used to predict the distribution of both species countrywide using occurrence points. Out of eighteen states, B. zonata was recorded coexisting with B. dorsalis in nine states, with relative abundance ranging between 0.2–100%. This co-occurrence was also confirmed by MaxEnt that showed high climate suitability in these states, with the mean annual temperature being the most important variable affecting the distribution of both species. Fruits infested with B. zonata included mango, guava, grapefruit, oranges and papaya. Three parasitioids; Tetrastichus giffardianus, Agonaspis sp. and Psytallia sp. were found associated with B. zonata. Our results provide evidence that the pest is widely spread across the country and poses a significant threat of invasion into neighboring countries and beyond unless early detection and eradication programs are applied.

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate how students’ attitude (SA), students’ subjective norms (SN), students’ knowledge sharing intentions (KSI) can contribute to the enhancement of knowledge sharing behaviour (KSB) among students at higher education institutes (HEI) in Oman.Design/methodology/approachThis study follows the quantitative methodology and the deductive causal research approach. The data were conveniently collected through a Web-based questionnaire (Google forms) from 285 active students who are affiliated to Omani universities. SPSS was used to statistically analyse the collected data, including partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM V3.3) to draw the results.FindingsThe study concluded that SA has both direct and indirect positive impact on SN, KSI and KSB. Moreover, the result revealed that there is a mediation effect between SA and KSB through KSI, SA and KSI when SN is playing as a mediation role.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough this study contributes to the existing body of knowledge, this study is limited by the scarcity of the related literature in the Omani context. It is recommended that these shortfalls be addressed together while improving the knowledge-sharing behaviour among students and administrative staff. Furthermore, the potential variation between academic staff and students in terms of factors affecting their intentions to share knowledge within HEIs should be explored.Practical implicationsThis research provides policymakers in academic fields with the appropriate approaches to leverage the knowledge-sharing behaviour amongst Omani students with the understanding of the main factors affecting individuals’ knowledge-sharing behaviours.Social implicationsThis will help in improving the means of employing and practising knowledge-sharing strategies within HEIs, which can generate competitive advantages amongst students and institutions while benefiting knowledge management strategies and its members.Originality/valueThe importance of the study stems from its context being conducted in Oman as a developing country. In addition, this study is one of the initial attempts to investigate KSB by considering SA, SN and KSI and its applicability on HEI in Oman. The findings of the study can serve as inputs to HEI in developing best practices across KSB dimensions and expanding the knowledge-sharing culture amongst HEI’s students in Oman. One of the developed strategies is the spreading of the knowledge-sharing culture among students by positively directing their attitude towards the practices of knowledge exchange.

Background: Emerging studies have shown the potential benefit of arming oncolytic viruses with therapeutic genes. However, most of these therapeutic genes are placed under the regulation of ubiquitous viral promoters. Our goal is to generate a safer yet potent oncolytic herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) for cancer therapy. Methods: Using bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) recombineering, a cell cycle-regulatable luciferase transgene cassette was replaced with the infected cell protein 6 ( ICP6 ) coding region (encoded for UL39 or large subunit of ribonucleotide reductase) of the HSV-1 genome. These recombinant viruses, YE-PC8, were further tested for its proliferation-dependent luciferase gene expression. Results: The ability of YE-PC8 to confer proliferation-dependent transgene expression was demonstrated by injecting similar amount of viruses into the tumour-bearing region of the brain and the contralateral normal brain parenchyma of the same mouse. The results showed enhanced levels of luciferase activities in the tumour region but not in the normal brain parenchyma. Similar findings were observed in YE-PC8-infected short-term human brain patient-derived glioma cells compared with normal human astrocytes. intratumoural injection of YE-PC8 viruses resulted in 77% and 80% of tumour regression in human glioma and human hepatocellular carcinoma xenografts, respectively. Conclusion: YE-PC8 viruses confer tumour selectivity in proliferating cells and may be developed further as a feasible approach to treat human cancers.

Background There is ongoing debate regarding the impact of direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAAs) on the occurrence of de novo hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a crucial role in the development and angiogenesis of HCC. Aim This study aims to evaluate dynamic changes in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels at different point times during and after treatment of HCV to evaluate the risk of de novo HCC in DAAs-treated HCV patients. Methods This prospective cohort study was conducted on 60 HCV-infected patients; 30 patients had early fibrosis (F1-F2) and 30 patients had advanced fibrosis (F3-F4). HCV-RNA, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to platelet ratio index (APRI), and fibrosis-4 index scores, liver function tests, serum VEGF, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), and abdominal ultrasound were done at baseline, 4 weeks after starting treatment, at the end of treatment, and 12 weeks after treatment. Results VEGF was significantly decreased after completion of treatment (78.94± 10.03) compared to its baseline level (103.17 ± 33.89 pg/ml). Conclusion No de-novo hepatic focal lesion was detected during and up to 12 weeks after completion of treatment. The treatment of HCV by DAAs was associated with a significant decrease in VEGF and AFP levels and an improvement in liver enzymes and fibrosis scores.

Background The Novel Corona virus SARS-CoV-2 emerged to affect the human population in 2019 causing COVID-19 pandemic. The only preventive measures available are social distancing, hand washing and face masks. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of the Sudanese people towards COVID-19. Methods An online cross-sectional study targeting adult Sudanese people was conducted in April 2020. The study used a self-administered questionnaire containing 18 knowledge questions, 5 questions for attitude and six questions for practices. Social media such as Facebook and WhatsApp were utilized to disseminate the questionnaire. The total number of eligible questionnaires available for analysis by the end of the period was 987. Results The mean (±SD) age of respondents was 30.13 (±9.84) years with males representing 55.4%. The majority were university and higher education levels (95.2%), residing in Khartoum (71.7%). The mean (±SD) knowledge score of the participants was 15.33 (± 2.24) and was found to be associated with education level and age groups ( p -value = 0.022, P value =0.010) respectively. The mean (±SD) attitude score was 04.15 (± 0.97) and was significantly associated with older groups and better-educated participants (p-value =0.001, p-value = 0.048) respectively. The practices related to COVID-19 preventive measures mean (±SD) was 02.58 (± 1.73) with a significant difference between age groups and area of residence. Conclusions This study showed that the participants had good knowledge and satisfactory attitude that was not similarly expressed into practice. Efforts are needed in health education and law enforcement to improve the practices among all groups with special emphasis on younger and less educated males.

Nanotechnology has a wide range of applications. Nanotechnology refers to the particle in nanoscale used to improve agricultural productivity and to encounter the unsolved problems conventionally. Nanostructured formulation through mechanisms, such as targeted delivery or slow/controlled release mechanisms as well as conditional release, could release their active ingredients in response to the environmental conditions and biological demands more precisely. Nanotechnology has a great potential for achieving sustainable agriculture, especially in developing countries. Salinity is among the major abiotic stresses which limits the yield and quality of global crops. Zinc (Zn) is a vital micronutrient that is mandatory for the ideal growth of plants and has proved to reduce the hazardous effects of salt stress. To counter the salinity problem, a pot experiment was conducted at wire house of the Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences (ISES), University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan, to observe the effects of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) on wheat variety “Gemmieza” imported from Egypt under salt stress. Notably, 10 dS m –1 salinity was developed artificially, and different doses of Zn conventional fertilizer and ZnO NPs were applied to potted wheat. ZnO NPs (0.12 g pot –1 ) significantly increased the physical parameters of wheat compared to control under salt stress. Application of ZnO NPs (0.12 g pot –1 ) significantly increased chlorophyll A and B contents by 24.6 and 10%, plant height at vegetative and maturity stages by 34.6 and 37.4%, shoot and spike lengths by 30.7 and 27.6%, root fresh and dry weights by 74.5 and 63.1%, and wheat grain yield by 42.2%, respectively. ZnO NPs performed better compared to Zn conventional fertilizer under salt stress and could be used in place of Zn conventional fertilizer in salt-affected soils for attaining better crop production.

Iron indices are pivotal in tuberculosis (TB) owing to their influence on pathogens and immune reactions. Iron indices substantially affect TB progression, resulting in inflammation and anemia. Tuberculosis can induce iron deficiency or excess that may result in compromised immunological function. This study examined the iron index hemoglobin (Hb), serum iron, ferritin, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), unsaturated iron binding capacity (UIBC), and transferrin saturation (TSAT) in PTB patients. Between January 2016 and December 2018, the Port Sudan Tuberculosis Diagnostic Center studied a cohort of 100 adult patients definitively diagnosed with PTB. Additionally, 100 healthy individuals of similar age and sex were chosen as controls for comparative analysis. Among the 100 PTB patients studied, 90% (90/100) had anemia, with an odds ratio of 0.923 (95% CI 0.82–1.04). Anemia of chronic disease (ACD) was the most prevalent type (37%, 31/90). The patients showed diminished levels of HB, serum iron, TIBC, and TSAT compared to the controls, except for ferritin levels. UIBC was higher in patients than in controls, but this difference was not statistically significant. The research concludes that iron metabolism is modified during tuberculosis infection. Consequently, anemia in PTB patients is primarily attributed to ACD rather than iron shortage. The indices of serum iron, TIBC, and UIBC were ineffective in distinguishing between the forms of anemia in PTB patients, as their levels fluctuated in response to the infection. Ferritin served as superior metric for distinguishing between anemia of chronic disease and iron deficiency anemia.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine the factors that affect foreign consumers’ purchase intention towards purchasing halal food products in South Africa. These factors are halal awareness, halal logo and attitude, which are important factors in affecting the intention of consumers. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected via a self-questionnaire with a sample of 230 foreign consumers. For analysing these data, a structural equation modelling technique was used in this study. Findings Based on the study’s results, all factors significantly influence foreign consumers’ intention towards purchasing halal food products and, subsequently, their buying behaviour. Interestingly, the study found that attitudes and halal awareness of non-Muslim consumers are very high compared with those of the Muslim consumers. Although the study addressed halal food consumers, most of the respondents participated in the study were non-Muslims and the majority of them were Christians. Research limitations/implications The respondents were only limited to the Cape Town city in South Africa, and the focus was only on five variables related to halal food consumers, namely, halal awareness halal logo, attitude, purchase intention and buying behaviour. Social implications This study can be used to develop halal food products to attract both Muslim and non-Muslim consumers, who are foreigners to a particular country. Originality/value This study is one of the first studies seeking to determine the factors that affect foreign consumers with regard to the purchase of halal food products in South Africa. It is regarded one of the first attempts to determine halal awareness, halal logo and attitude and how purchase intention and buying behaviour can be influenced.

Autochthonous Sudanese cattle breeds, namely Baggara for beef and Butana and Kenana for dairy, are characterized by their adaptive characteristics and high performance in hot and dry agroecosystems. They are thus used largely by nomadic and semi-nomadic pastoralists. We analyzed the diversity and genetic structure of the BoLA-DRB3 gene, a genetic locus linked to the immune response, for the indigenous cattle of Sudan and in the context of the global cattle repository. Blood samples (n = 225) were taken from three indigenous breeds (Baggara; n = 113, Butana; n = 60 and Kenana; n = 52) distributed across six regions of Sudan. Nucleotide sequences were genotyped using the sequence-based typing method. We describe 53 alleles, including seven novel alleles. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the protein pockets implicated in the antigen-binding function of the MHC complex revealed that pockets 4 and 9 (respectively) differentiate Kenana-Baggara and Kenana-Butana breeds from other breeds. Venn analysis of Sudanese, Southeast Asian, European and American cattle breeds with 115 alleles showed 14 were unique to Sudanese breeds. Gene frequency distributions of Baggara cattle showed an even distribution suggesting balancing selection, while the selection index (ω) revealed the presence of diversifying selection in several amino acid sites along the BoLA-DRB3 exon 2 of these native breeds. The results of several PCA were in agreement with clustering patterns observed on the neighbor joining (NJ) trees. These results provide insight into their high survival rate for different tropical diseases and their reproductive capacity in Sudan’s harsh environment.