Aims In the UK, deaths associated with COVID-19 have occurred in two waves. Evidence has shown an increase in 30-day mortality for hip fracture patients co-infected with COVID-19. However, there are no studies analysing mortality trends between the first two waves of the UK pandemic. Additionally, hospital versus community acquired COVID-19 infection between the two waves has not been analysed. Furthermore, predictive factors of 30-day mortality have not been fully evaluated. Methods Data from two audits conducted by the CHIP collaborative group were used: a published regional audit in England of nine hospitals providing the COVID-19 negative cases and an unpublished UK national audit of 43 hospitals, which provided the COVID-19 positive cases. Data collection for the COVID-19 positive cases was from 23 March to 31 December 2020. September 1, 2020 was used to define the transition between the two waves. Results There were 517 COVID-19 positive hip fracture patients and 1445 COVID-19 negative hip fracture patients. Overall, 30-day mortality rates were 5.7% in the COVID-19 negative group and 22.4% in the COVID-19 positive patients ( p < 0.001). A difference in survival function between the first and second waves was found ( p = 0.038). To allow for significant demographic differences, a matched analysis of 185 patients found a 26.5% 30-day mortality in the first wave compared to 21.1% in the second wave ( p = 0.222). Within the COVID-19 positive groups, the virus was hospital acquired in 66.7% of cases in the first wave and 72.8% of cases in the second wave ( p = 0.130). Independent predictors of mortality were found to include COVID-19 positive status, AMTS ≤ 6, male gender and age. Conclusion There was a reduction in 30-day mortality for hip fracture patients co-infected with COVID-19 between the two UK pandemic waves but this was not statistically significant. There was no reduction in hospital acquired COVID-19 infection between the two waves.

Turkish delight is a confectionery product that differs from the others with its characteristic soft and jelly-like consistency. The main ingredients used in its production are sugar, wheat starch and glucose syrup. In recent years, there has been a tendency to increase consumer interest in so-called functional foods. This encourages confectionery manufacturers to look for a suitable alternative for partial or complete replacement of sucrose in the composition. One of the newest alternatives to sucrose is isomaltulose. It differs from other sugars by its low glycemic index and its non-cariogenicity. The aim of the present study was to establish the influence of isomaltulose, as a substitute for sucrose in the composition of „Ordinary “and „Extra “Turkish delight, on their main physicochemical parameters and properties. Based on a comparative analysis, the main physicochemical parameters and properties of locum masses, obtained with sucrose and isomaltulose, were determined.

Aims: SARTEC conducted an experimental study with the objective of determining the effects of various nitrogen rates on sunflower growth and yield in the Afgoi district, Lower Shabelle region. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out at the SARTEC experimental farm in Afgoi during the Der season of 2020. The experiment used a Russian kind of sunflower and was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications and four plots for each. The crop was fertilized with different rates of N at 50, 100, and 150 kg ha-1, with a control/unfertilized plot included in each of the replications. Plant height, head diameter, hundred-seed weight, seed, straw, and biological yield, as well as harvest index, were all measured on five plants from each plot for data collection. Results: The different fertilizer rates applied to the sunflower crop resulted in highly significant variations in yield and yield components. Seed-related parameters like seed weight and seed yield were influenced substantially more than other variables, including plant height; stem diameter, head diameter, and straw yield. Despite having the highest seed yield, plots with 150 kg of N ha-1 were not more cost-effective than plots with 100 kg ha-1. Conclusion: In Somalia, 100 kg of N per hectare is the ideal rate for maximizing sunflower revenue and production while adhering to best management practices.

About 70 years ago, the Mahdist or Ansār state, in many ways a traditional Muslim government, crumbled under the fire of the Anglotional Egyptian cannons. On the condominium government that followed fell the task of pacifying the country and introducing western concepts of administration. All Sudanese attempts to defy foreign domination had failed completely by 1924. The British, the stronger of the two partners, had the lion's share in shaping the destiny of the country. Towards the end of World War II, the influential and educated Sudanese, like other Africans and Asians, demanded the right of self-determination. In 1946, in preparation for this, a sample of western democracy was introduced in the form of an Advisory Council. This Council, which was restricted to the northern Sudan, was followed two years later by the Legislative Assembly, which had slightly more powers. Although these democratic innovations were quite alien to the country and were introduced at a relatively late date, they were in keeping with traditional institutions. Until recently, the Sudan consisted of a number of tribal units where no classes or social distinctions existed and the tribal chief was no more than the first among equals; the people were therefore not accustomed to autocratic rule.

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The Sudan Research Unit was established as an inter-disciplinary unit in the Faculty of Arts of the University of Khartoum in July 1964. Its objectives were specified broadly as the promotion of research in the human and social sciences concerning the Sudan, assisting research on projects which need co-ordination of different disciplines, training research workers, and sponsoring publication reports on their progress and results. The Sudan Research Unit also maintains contact with other centres of Sudanese studies and with centres of African studies in general. It is not at present giving any Sudanese courses, although it plans to do so in future. The Unit now organises a fortnightly postgraduate seminar on African studies, dealing with subjects of general interest.