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ABSTRACT: Objectives: Proteus mirabilis is an important opportunistic Gram-negative pathogen. This study reports the whole genome sequence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) P. mirabilis PM1162 and explores its antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and their genetic environments. Methods: P. mirabilis PM1162 was isolated from a urinary tract infection in China. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined, and whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed. ARGs, insertion sequence (IS) elements, and prophages were identified using ResFinder, ISfinder, and PHASTER software, respectively. Sequence comparisons and map generation were performed using BLAST and Easyfig, respectively. Results: On its chromosome, P. mirabilis PM1162 harboured 15 ARGs, including cat, tet(J), blaCTX-M-14 (three copies), aph(3′)-Ia, qnrB4, blaDHA-1, qacE, sul1, armA, msr(E), mph(E), aadA1, and dfrA1. We focused our analysis on the four related MDR regions: (1) genetic contexts associated with blaCTX-M-14; (2) the prophage containing blaDHA-1, qnrB4, and aph(3′)-Ia; (3) genetic environments associated with mph(E), msr(E), armA, sul, and qacE; and (4) the class II integron harbouring dfrA1, sat2, and aadA1. Conclusion: This study reported the whole genome sequence of MDR P. mirabilis PM1162 and the genetic context of its ARGs. This comprehensive genomic analysis of MDR P. mirabilis PM1162 provides a deeper understanding of its MDR mechanism and elucidates the horizontal spread of its ARGs, thus providing a basis for the containment and treatment of the bacteria.

The newest infection is a novel coronavirus named COVID-19, that initially appeared in December 2019, in Wuhan, China, and is still challenging to control. The main focus of this paper is to investigate a novel fractional-order mathematical model that explains the behavior of COVID-19 in Ethiopia. Within the proposed model, the entire population is divided into nine groups, each with its own set of parameters and initial values. A nonlinear system of fractional differential equations for the model is represented using Caputo fractional derivative. Legendre spectral collocation method is used to convert this system into an algebraic system of equations. An inexact Newton iterative method is used to solve the model system. The effective reproduction number (R0) is computed by the next-generation matrix approach. Positivity and boundedness, as well as the existence and uniqueness of solution, are all investigated. Both endemic and disease-free equilibrium points, as well as their stability, are carefully studied. We calculated the parameters and starting conditions (ICs) provided for our model using data from the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) and the Ethiopian Ministry of Health from 22 June 2020 to 28 February 2021. The model parameters are determined using least squares curve fitting and MATLAB R2020a is used to run numerical results. The basic reproduction number is R0=1.4575. For this value, disease free equilibrium point is asymptotically unstable and endemic equilibrium point is asymptotically stable, both locally and globally.

BaAl2O4:Eu2+, Dy3+ thin films have been successfully deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method. Formation of crystalline phase was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement. The average crystallite size calculates using the Scherer's formula was found to be between 15.2 and 30.5 nm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrograph revealed that, the films have non uniform morphology with variable grain size for all the deposition conditions. The surface morphology displays some tendency for agglomeration as a function of increasing deposition pressure, which may be due to the sintering or coalesce of small particles into clusters. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements also show an increase in surface roughness as the oxygen deposition pressure is increased. The BaAl2O4:Eu2+, Dy3+ thin-film phosphors exhibit photoluminescence (PL) emission at 495 nm upon 254 nm excitation. This can be attributed to the electronic transition of Eu2+ ions from 4f65d1 to 4f. The present study recommends that this phosphor could be used as luminescent materials for light emitting diode applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Admasu Haile Hantalo,1 Kassahun Haile Taassaw,1 Fithamlak Solomon Bisetegen,2 Yimtubezenash Woldeamanuel Mulate3 1Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wolkite University, Wolkite, Ethiopia; 2Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Wolaita Sodo University, Wolaita Sodo, Ethiopia; 3Department of Microbiology, Immunology, Parasitology, School of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Admasu Haile HantaloDepartment of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wolkite University, Wolkite, EthiopiaTel +251 926 427 907Email haileadmasu31@gmail.comBackground: Urinary tract infection remains one of the major public health problems in developing countries, including Ethiopia. Its prevalence is fuelled by human immunodeficiency virus infection which represents a considerable health problem amongst these populations. This study aimed to assess the prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility pattern and associated factors of bacterial urinary tract infections among adult PLHIV.Methods: Cross-sectional study was conducted from May to December, 2018 among adult people living with HIV/AIDS in Wolaita Sodo University Teaching and Referral Hospital. The socio-demographic data and clinical data were collected using structured questionnaire. Mid-stream urine sample was collected for bacterial isolation and identification. Antimicrobial sensitivity testing was done by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion technique. Logistic regression was conducted to check the association between UTI and associated factors.Results: The overall prevalence of urinary tract infection was 29 (14.1%). The predominant bacteria isolated was E. coli 13 (44.8%) followed by S. aureus 5 (17.2%). Gender, CD4 count, history of catheterization, history of hospitalization, and DM status were independent factors for the occurrence of urinary tract infection. E. coli species were 100% and 84.6% susceptible to ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin, respectively; whereas, there was a complete resistance to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and ampicillin. K. pneumoniae was pan resistant to gentamicin, amikacin and ampicillin, whereas 100% sensitive to nitrofurantoin. The rate of MDR was 23 (79.3%) with the majority, 16 (69.6%), gram negative and seven (30.4%) gram positive.Conclusion: The burden of UTI among people living with HIV was considerably high. The findings of this study will help policy makers and other stakeholders as baseline information.Keywords: urinary tract infection, PLHIV, antibiotic susceptibility pattern, Wolaita, Ethiopia

Abstract This paper provides a numerical approach for solving the time-fractional Fokker–Planck equation (FFPE). The authors use the shifted Chebyshev collocation method and the finite difference method (FDM) to present the fractional Fokker–Planck equation into systems of nonlinear equations; the Newton–Raphson method is used to produce approximate results for the nonlinear systems. The results obtained from the FFPE demonstrate the simplicity and efficiency of the proposed method.

The application of phosphogypsum (PG) on sodic soils provides nutrients to the soil, reduces the toxic effect of Na+, and improves soil properties. Laboratory experiments were performed to evaluate the effects of PG on the chemical properties of sodic soils. The treatments were arranged in a completely randomized design with five replications. The treatments included 0% GR (control), 50% GR (28.18 g·kg−1), 100% GR (56.37 g·kg−1), 150% GR (84.50 g·kg−1), and 200% GR (112.74 g·kg−1) rates that were thoroughly mixed with soil under incubation, whereas PG was mixed with topsoil before leaching at the same application rates under the leaching experiment. Soil and leachate samples from each pot were collected in 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 days and subjected to spectrometric analysis. Results indicated that there was a highly significant (p

Governments and health officials are eager to gain a thorough understanding of the dynamics of COVID-19 transmission in order to devise strategies to mitigate the pandemic’s negative effects. As a result, we created a new fractional order mathematical model to investigate the dynamics of Covid-19 vaccine transmission in Ethiopia. The nonlinear system of differential equations for the model is represented using Atangana–Baleanu fractional derivative in Caputo sense and the Jacobi spectral collocation method is used to convert this system into an algebraic system of equations, which is then solved using inexact Newton’s method. The fundamental reproduction number, R0for the proposed model is determined using the next generation matrix approach.

Objective: Lung cancer is the most common cancer and can appear as a solitary pulmonary nodule. Early detection of lung cancer in this patient population would be beneficial for the disease management. In this study, the potential application of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) on early detection of lung cancer in this population was investigated. Methods: The number of CTCs in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and serum levels of tumor-related markers, cancer antigen 125 (CA125), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) were measured in patients with a solitary pulmonary nodule. The association between CTCs and lung cancer was examined. The diagnosis performances of CTCs and selected tumor-related markers were compared. Results: The CTC positivity was significantly associated with lung cancer ( P = .009). The sensitivity of CTCs and CA125, CEA, NSE, and CA125/CEA/NSE was 75%, 5.6%, 0%, 25%, and 33%, respectively. The sensitivity of CTCs was improved from 75% to 83% by the combination with CA125 or NSE. Conclusion: CTCs may be helpful for the early detection of lung cancer in patients with a solitary pulmonary nodule.

In this paper, the generalized fractional integral operators involving Appell’s function F3⋅ in the kernel due to Marichev–Saigo–Maeda are applied to the p,q-extended Struve function. The results are stated in terms of Hadamard product of the Fox–Wright function ψrsz and the p,q-extended Gauss hypergeometric function. A few of the special cases (Saigo integral operators) of our key findings are also reported in the corollaries. In addition, the solutions of a generalized fractional kinetic equation employing the concept of Laplace transform are also obtained and examined as an implementation of the p,q-extended Struve function. Technique and findings can be implemented and applied to a number of similar fractional problems in applied mathematics and physics.

In this study, the S-function is applied to Saigo’s k-fractional order integral and derivative operators involving the k-hypergeometric function in the kernel; outcomes are described in terms of the k-Wright function, which is used to represent image formulas of integral transformations such as the beta transform. Several special cases, such as the fractional calculus operator and the S-function, are also listed.

The article discusses a study which examined the prevalence of gastrointestinal helminth infections in local backyard chickens in North Gondar Administrative Zone, Ethiopia. Since they get little to no feed supplementation, chickens in backyard production are said to be in constant risk of infestation by ecto- and endoparasites. Findings revealed an overall gastrointestinal helminth prevalance of 79.62%. Nematodes were found in 157 chickens, while cestodes were recovered in 142 birds. The most prevalent cestodes identified were Raillietina echinobothridia, Raillietina tetragona and Hymenolepsos cantaniana.

The original version of this paper has unfortunately published with some errors which are corrected by publishing this Correction article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smallholders have limited landholding in the highlands of Tigray and therefore there is a critical need to improve land use efficiency (LUE). One way to improve the LUE is through intercropping of companion crops including maize and potato. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the intercropping ratio as a means to improve land use efficiency during the 2012 cropping season. The treatments tested were three intercropping ratios of maize: potato in 1:1, 1:2, 2:1 row arrangement compared against the maize and potato only cropping. The objective of the study was to identify the best intercropping ratio that maximizes land use efficiency. Land equivalent ratio (LER) was used to compare the land use efficiency of the intercrops with each sole crop. The total yield of intercropped crops were greater than sole cropping, shown by LER>1. The overall advantage of intercropping ranged from 35 to 58%. The highest land equivalent value of 58% was recorded for one maize and two potato rows arrangements indicated a yield advantage of 58% over sole crop. The partial land equivalent value of both crops in intercropping was less than one indicating the cohesiveness of both crops in intercropping. Thus, it can be concluded that 1maize: 2 potato intercropping is a viable agronomic option in increasing land use efficiency and increased food security. It is, therefore, imperative to demonstrate the best treatment under farmer’s condition.

In this paper, we establish extensive form of the fractional kinetic equation involving generalized Galué type Struve function using the technique of Laplace transforms. The results are expressed in terms of Mittag-Leffler function. Further, numerical values of the results and their graphical interpretation are interpreted to study the behaviour of these solutions. The results obtained here are quite general in nature and capable of yielding a very large number of known and (presumably) new results.

Talks about the concept of teaching and research. Criteria that distinguish basic research.

This article has been retracted. Please see the retraction notice for more detail: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-019-01484-w. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of the target-substrate distance on the structural, morphological and photoluminescence (PL) properties of the thin film of the Y2SiO5:Ce3+ commercial phosphor studied by the pulsed laser deposition method. The distance between the target and the substrate was in the order of 4.0-6.0 cm with a variation of 0.5. X-ray powder diffraction analysis (XRD) shows that the average crystal size is about 37 nm. As the substrate distance is increased, a substantial reduction in film thickness observed from the measurement of mass before and after deposition. This attributes to the semicircular diffusion of the plasma plume due to the reduction of particle species flow over the deposition area of the substrate. The main PL emission peak was observed at 438 nm, which is attributed to the 5d → 4f transition in Ce3+ orbitals. The 5d orbital is the first excited state in Ce3+ ion energy levels with two close states of 2D3/2 and 2D5/2. The splitting of 5d into suborbital 2D3/2 and 2D5/2 is due to the electron transition between orbitals of the trivalent cerium ion and the host material. This is studied using three excitation wavelengths (276, 303 and 356 nm) in which all their corresponding emission is in the same region peaked at 438 nm. The highest emission occurs with an excitation wavelength of 356 nm for all substrate distances. The CIE gives the blue emission band for the emission wavelength of 438 nm. The maximum ultraviolet-visible spectrum absorbance was observed at around 356 nm. The scanning electron microscope images show that the sizes and the morphology change as the substrate distance changes. The energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer shows the presence of all the elements of the compound matrix (Y, Si, O and Ce). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]