Complementary Behavior Research Articles

Complementary Host Behavior of Fluorenone-Derived Host Compounds during Crystallization Processes from Mixed Anilines

Complementary Host Behavior of Fluorenone-Derived Host Compounds during Crystallization Processes from Mixed Anilines

Photo-BQCA: Positive Allosteric Modulators Enabling Optical Control of the M1 Receptor.

The field of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) research has greatly benefited from the spatiotemporal resolution provided by light controllable, i.e., photoswitchable ligands. Most of the developed tools have targeted the Rhodopsin-like family (Class A), the largest family of GPCRs. However, to date, all such Class A photoswitchable ligands were designed to act at the orthosteric binding site of these receptors. Herein, we report the development of the first photoswitchable allosteric modulators of Class A GPCRs, designed to target the M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor. The presented benzyl quinolone carboxylic acid (BQCA) derivatives, Photo-BQCisA and Photo-BQCtrAns, exhibit complementary photopharmacological behavior and allow reversible control of the receptor using light as an external stimulus. This makes them valuable tools to further investigate M1 receptor signaling and a proof of concept for photoswitchable allosteric modulators at Class A receptors.

Financial literacy in Saudi Arabian MSMES: Insights from Islamic banks’ customers

This paper investigates the influence of financial knowledge, financial attitude, financial skills, and financial behavior on the financial literacy of Saudi Arabian MSMEs. The sample is 341 MSMEs that are clients of Islamic banking institutions. The paper employs the PLS-SEM method to analyze the collected data. The findings reveal statistically significant and strong positive correlations (p < 0.05) between financial knowledge, financial skills, financial behavior, and financial literacy. This implies that MSMEs with a strong foundation in financial knowledge, proficient skills, and positive financial behaviors tend to exhibit higher levels of financial literacy. Among the variables studied, financial knowledge exerted the strongest influence on financial literacy. This shows the importance of enhancing financial knowledge among MSME owners and managers to improve their overall financial literacy. Interestingly, the study did not identify a statistically significant relationship between financial attitude and financial literacy. This suggests that simply possessing a positive attitude toward finance may not necessarily translate into higher levels of financial literacy without complementary knowledge, skills, and behaviors. By prioritizing these areas, policymakers and Islamic banking institutions can contribute to improving financial literacy levels among Saudi Arabian MSMEs, ultimately fostering their growth, performance, and resilience.

Development of dynamic simulation model for 20 kWe micro heat pipe fission battery with dual power conversion system

Recent advancements in politics, technology, and economics have sparked interest in small-scale nuclear power generation. Heat-pipe micro-reactors, a type of small modular reactor (SMR), are ideal for remote and specialized applications like deep-sea and deep-space exploration. Traditionally, these reactors have used thermoelectric generators (TEGs) or Stirling engines for power conversion. However, TEGs suffer from low efficiency, and while Stirling engines have improved, they still have lower long-term stability compared to TEGs. Furthermore, comprehensive studies on system-level transients, dynamic behavior, and thermal responses are lacking. This study designs and models a dual power conversion system integrating TEGs and Free-Piston Stirling Generators (FPSGs) for micro heat pipe reactors to enhance efficiency, stability, and reliability. By integrating the two systems in parallel, the limitations of each technology are addressed, offering a robust solution for small, portable nuclear power generation. A dynamic simulation model incorporating the reactor core, heat pipes, and power conversion system enabled a comprehensive study of system transients and interactions. The core was modeled using thermal energy balance equations, and a thermal resistance approach was applied to the heat pipe. The TEG model included the Thomson and Seebeck effects, while neutronics feedback used a point kinetics model. The nonlinear analysis model was applied to simulate the FPSG. The system reached a stable operation after about 1000 s, generating 20kWe with 29.39% efficiency. It maintained stability without external control during transients within a specific range, demonstrating its feasibility. The TEG and FPSG exhibited independent yet complementary behaviors, ensuring reliable performance across scenarios.

Abstract B070: Addressing health disparities around breastfeeding: Development of a braided curriculum

Abstract Purpose: Breastfeeding initiation and longer duration are known to reduce risk of breast and ovarian cancer. While racial disparities in breast cancer diagnosis and mortality rates exist in the United States, disparate rates of breastfeeding initiation and duration continue to widen. The positive effects of these community lactation support through peer education programs among Black mothers have been demonstrated, but these programs are limited by the lack of reach to vulnerable families. Integration of lactation education and support within parenting programs targeting complementary maternal behaviors, such as psychosocial stress does not exist. This proof-of-concept study uses novel Systematic Braiding methodology to develop an integrated maternal behavior parenting curriculum. Methods: In line with the systematic braiding technique, key stakeholders of two evidence based programs, Intergen (a culturally competent breastfeeding peer-educator program) and SafeCare® (a widely disseminated evidence-based parenting program), were consulted to identify core program components, shared and unique theoretical constructs, and programmatic targets including: population of interest, behaviors, delivery mode, program content, dose and length, assessment, fidelity monitoring. Results: 10 program developers and content experts identified shared and unique theoretical constructs and programmatic targets including: population of interest – at-risk minority parents, behaviors (parenting, breastfeeding, and cancer prevention), delivery mode (in person and self-guided), program content, dose and length, assessment, and fidelity monitoring. Areas of integration were captured to inform the braiding of the new curriculum based in social cognitive theory and the theory of planned behavior including modules on cancer education, prevention through breastfeeding, and screening were captured to inform the braiding of the new curriculum. Future directions will assess the acceptability and feasibility of the braided curriculum via user-centered feedback across informants from each of four key informant groups: 1) target recipients of the curriculum including Black women, <36 weeks gestation; 2) potential program providers; 3) community health care professionals; and 4) state-level legislative representatives. Interim findings will be presented. Discussion: There is limited exploration on using widely disseminated parenting programs to increase breastfeeding uptake among African American mothers. This study takes first steps towards developing a robust intervention to increase the reach of breastfeeding education to expecting African American mothers through a widely disseminated parenting model. Improving knowledge of cancer prevention through breastfeeding along with behavior (initiation and duration) among this at-risk population may positively impact breast and ovarian cancer risk. Citation Format: Marlo Vernon, Ashwini Tiwari, Elinita Pollard, Biplab Datta, Zach Hoffman, Kate Guastaferro, Shannon Self-Brown. Addressing health disparities around breastfeeding: Development of a braided curriculum [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2024 Sep 21-24; Los Angeles, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33(9 Suppl):Abstract nr B070.

Turkish validity and reliability study of the Baby-Led Weaning Scale

AimThe aim of this study was to test the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Baby-Led Weaning Scale for parents with babies/children aged from 6 to 30 months. MethodsThe sample for this methodological research consisted of parents with babies aged 6 to 30 months between March and June 2024 in a city in eastern Turkey. The data were collected from 354 parents for exploratory factor analysis, from 213 parents for confirmatory factor analysis, and from 70 for the test-retest reliability study. The data were collected using the “Descriptive Information Form”, the “Baby-Led Weaning Scale” and the “Transition to Complementary Feeding Behaviors Scale” (TCFBS). ResultsThe total content validity index score of the Baby Led Weaning Scale was 0.92 and the content validity rate score was 0.92. The TCBFS was used for the concordance of the scale with similar scales. During the measurements, the intra-observer reliability of the Baby Led Weaning Scale was statistically significant (p < 0.001). The Exploratory Factor Analysis revealed a three-factor structure, explaining 611.5 % of the variance. The fix index values were χ2/df = 3.036, RMSEA = 0.069, GFI = 0.902, CFI = 0.907 and AGFI = 0.857, IFI = 0.928, and TLI = 0.921.The Cronbach alpha values of the scale were in the range of 0.706 and 0.831. ConclusionAs a result, the Turkish adaptation of the Baby Led Weaning Scale is a valid and reliable measurement tool. Practical implicationsThe Baby-Led Weaning Scale can be used as a simple and objective tool to measure the knowledge level of parents with babies/children aged 6 to 30 months.

Asymmetric Adaption in Social Learning: Understanding the Dilemma of Competition and Cooperation.

The constant challenge in social interactions involves making informed decisions in the face of competitive and cooperative dilemmas. The decision-making process can be influenced by various factors present in the social context. According to the behavior-pattern-categorization framework of information acquisition, potential biases may develop at all stages of decision-making as information about social context is progressively entered and integrated. In this study, employing the Chicken Game, we investigated the influence of varying information levels within the behavior-pattern-categorization framework (i.e., competitiveness of behavior choice, uncertainty of behavior pattern, and sociality of category) on decision-making in the dilemma of competition and cooperation. Combined with reinforcement learning models, our findings from three experiments showed that participants exhibited basic complementary behavior, becoming less competitive against highly competitive opponents and vice versa. Notably, individuals exhibited varying adaptation rates to different levels of opponent competitiveness and fluctuations. Specifically, participants adapted slower to highly competitive opponents and faster to cooperative opponents. This asymmetric adaptation in social learning is related to the rate at which various levels of information are updated. The current study disentangles the different levels of information acquisition and highlights the asymmetric processing that can occur during the updating of information within each level.

Disagreement serves an explainable ensemble model based on Dempster–Shafer evidence-fusion for an improved skin lesion classification

The ever-growing development of deep learning models for skin lesion classification yields consistently to exceptional performance. These models revealed remarkable accuracy and robustness in the diagnosis of various skin lesion classes. Although this advancement enables significant aids in early detection and diagnosis, selecting the most suitable model for a task is challenging especially when most models demonstrate high proficiency. Consequently, small performance variations among well-performing models become critical factors. These variations present an additional challenge especially when considering the black-box nature of the model, which may result in a lack of evidence and certainty when making critical decisions. In this study, we tackle the problem of selecting the most appropriate models for skin lesion classification among various well-performing, yet unexplainable deep learning models. In fact, by proposing an ensemble approach that leverages Dempster–Shafer theory and feature importance visualization, we aim to create a trustworthy and interpretable model for improved skin lesion classification. The proposed Dempster–Shafer evidence-fusion ensemble model, provides insights into evidence-based integration of multiple models allowing for enhanced trustworthiness in the decision-making process. This is accomplished through comparing the high performances between different deep learning models. Hence, metrics are extracted by performing statistical tests and explainable methods besides numerical assessment, from the failure cases to profile the disagreement from different perspectives. With these metrics, the classifiers’ complementary behaviors is then identified, accordingly making contribution in proposing an explainable ensemble model and leveraging the complementary strengths of the individual models. The proposed ensemble model has been exhaustively evaluated using the challenging HAM10000 dataset. The results obtained indicate that the proposed skin lesion classifier can provide useful decision support while significantly improving classification performance by 6% in terms of accuracy compared with the best-performing individual model, and achieving 92% accuracy.

Heterogeneous mean-field analysis of the generalized Lotka–Volterra model on a network

Abstract We study the dynamics of the generalized Lotka–Volterra model with a network structure. Performing a high connectivity expansion for graphs, we write down a mean-field dynamical theory that incorporates degree heterogeneity. This allows us to describe the fixed points of the model in terms of a few simple order parameters. We extend the analysis even for diverging abundances, using a mapping to the replicator model. With this we present a unified approach for both cooperative and competitive systems that display complementary behaviors. In particular we show the central role of an order parameter called the critical degree, g c . In the competitive regime g c serves to distinguish high degree nodes that are more likely to go extinct, while in the cooperative regime it has the reverse role, it will determine the low degree nodes that tend to go relatively extinct.

Realization of logic gates in bi-directionally coupled nonlinear oscillators.

Implementation of logic gates has been investigated in nonlinear dynamical systems from various perspectives over the years. Specifically, logic gates have been implemented in both single nonlinear systems and coupled nonlinear oscillators. The majority of the works in the literature have been done on the evolution of single oscillators into OR/AND or NOR/NAND logic gates. In the present study, we demonstrate the design of logic gates in bi-directionally coupled double-well Duffing oscillators by applying two logic inputs to the drive system alone along with a fixed bias. The nonlinear system, comprising both bi-directional components, exhibits varied logic behaviors within an optimal range of coupling strength. Both attractive and repulsive couplings yield similar and complementary logic behaviors in the first and second oscillators. These couplings play a major role in exhibiting fundamental and universal logic gates in simple nonlinear systems. Under a positive bias, both the first and second oscillators demonstrate OR logic gate for the attractive coupling, while exhibiting OR and NOR logic gates, respectively, for the repulsive coupling. Conversely, under a negative bias, both the first and second oscillators display AND logic gate for the attractive coupling, and AND and NAND logical outputs for the repulsive coupling. Furthermore, we confirm the robustness of the bi-directional oscillators against moderate noise in maintaining the desired logical outputs.

Assessing the Complementarity of Wind and Solar Energy in Kentucky

Recently, there has been a push by countries to diversify their energy mix considering various factors. In this regard, there have been several studies conducted to assess the potential for using sources such as wind and solar to generate supplemental energy to the already present energy generation setup. In this regard, this study explores the potential of wind for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. To perform this study, wind data were sourced for eight locations across Kentucky from the publicly accessible wind speed information present at Weather Underground for the years 2020–2021 (two years). An analysis was performed concerning the seasonal, monthly, and hourly variation in the wind speed so as to identify the expected times of sufficient wind energy generation. Moreover, a comparison of the collected data was performed with data from a home-based weather station as well as a deployed wind turbine to validate the variation pattern of the publicly sourced data. Finally, in order to investigate the variation patterns of wind and solar energy sources, a comparative analysis was also performed using data from a solar power generation plant in Kentucky. A seasonal and monthly complementarity was observed between the wind and solar energy. However, when considering daily patterns, the wind was found to follow solar generation with an offset. While further research is required, this analysis indicates that it is possible to deploy wind energy power generation projects in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The seasonal complementary behavior of wind and solar energy can be used along with battery storage in conjunction with natural gas to provide a diversified electricity generation portfolio.

Hyphenation of Liquid Chromatography and Trapped Ion Mobility - Mass Spectrometry for Characterization of Isomeric Phosphatidylethanolamines with Focus on N-Acylated Species.

In prior research, hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS/MS) has demonstrated applicability for characterizing regioisomers in lipidomics studies, including phosphatidylglycerols (PG) and bis(monoacyl)glycerophosphates (BMP). However, there are other lipid regioisomers, such as phosphatidylethanolamines (PE) and lyso-N-acyl-PE (LNAPE), that have not been studied as extensively. Therefore, hyphenated mass spectrometric methods are needed to investigate PE and LNAPE regioisomers individually. The asymmetric structure of LNAPE favors isomeric species, which can result in coelution and chimeric MS/MS spectra. One way to address the challenge of chimeric MS/MS spectra is through mobility-resolved fragmentation using trapped ion mobility spectrometry (TIMS). Therefore, we developed a multidimensional HILIC-TIMS-MS/MS approach for the structural characterization of isomeric phosphatidylethanolamines in both negative and positive ionization modes. The study revealed the complementary fragmentation pattern and ion mobility behavior of LNAPE in both ionization modes, which was confirmed by a self-synthesized LNAPE standard. With this knowledge, a distinction of regioisomeric PE and LNAPE was achieved in human plasma samples. Furthermore, regioisomeric LNAPE species containing at least one unsaturated fatty acid were noted to exhibit a change in collision cross-section in positive ionization mode, leading to a lipid characterization with respect to fatty acyl positional level. Similar mobility behavior was also observed for the biological LNAPE precursor N-acyl-PE (NAPE). Application of this approach to plasma and cereal samples demonstrated its effectiveness in regioisomeric LNAPE and NAPE species' elucidation.

Deep learning based crop-type mapping using SAR and optical data fusion

Accurate crop maps are essential in various applications related to food security management activities. Remote Sensing is the primary data source for land-use and land-cover monitoring applications. However, high spectral, spatial, and temporal variations of crop types during their phonological stages make crop mapping challenging. According to the complementary behaviors of optical and radar data, a deep learning-based feature-level fusion strategy is proposed for accurate crop-type mapping. The proposed method uses Sparse Auto-Encoders (SAE) as its base classifier and can involve spatial information in two data-preparation and post-processing steps. Involving spatial information in the classification process can significantly improve crop mapping. The post-processing step uses the guided filter as an edge-aware filtering process that uses field boundary information that implicitly exists in data. Accuracy analysis was performed using two pairs of RapidEye and UAVSAR data from two agricultural areas in Canada. The suitability and higher performance of the proposed method were demonstrated compared to traditional machine learning and common decision-level fusion methods. Accuracy metrics were improved by at least 3% and 1% in two datasets. Class F-scores were also significantly enhanced in oat and wheat classes (up to 20%).

Unraveling Heterogeneity in Online Shopping and Travel Behavior Through Latent Class Modeling

While existing literature has extensively explored the impact of online shopping on travel behavior, few studies have undertaken segmentation analysis to uncover hidden behavioral heterogeneity. This study fills this gap by addressing heterogeneity and identifying distinct shopper segments based on online shopping and shopping travel behaviors, with a focus on product types. Data collected in November and December 2021 from 1,747 shoppers in Florida were analyzed using Latent Class Analysis (LCA) with covariates. Sociodemographic and residential characteristics, COVID-19 influences, attitudes, and perceptions of channel-specific factors served as active and inactive covariates to predict class membership. Our model identified six classes of shoppers, with short-distance dual-channel shoppers representing the largest class (28.4%) and exclusive online shoppers the smallest (6.2%). Dual-channel shopaholics, overrepresented by Gen Zers, Millennials, Blacks, and workers, exhibited high average monthly vehicle miles traveled (VMT) across all product types and a strong potential for complementary shopping behavior. Conversely, exclusive online shoppers overrepresented by members of the silent generation, those who live alone, have no vehicle, and do not enjoy shopping, demonstrated potential substitutive shopping behavior. In general, single-channel shoppers showed lower monthly VMT than their dual-channel counterparts across all product types. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of shopping behavior, offering insights for a more accurate quantification of the net traffic and environmental impacts of e-commerce. Additionally, they provide valuable considerations for designing segment-specific policies aimed at minimizing complementary shopping and maximizing substitutive shopping.

Two‐Dimensional Heterostructure Complementary Logic Enabled by Optical Writing

Integrated logic circuits using atomically thin, two‐dimensional (2D) materials offer several potential advantages compared to established silicon technologies such as increased transistor density, circuit complexity, and lower energy dissipation leading to scaling benefits. In this article, a novel approach to achieve tunable doping in 2D semiconductors is explored to achieve complementary transistors and logic integration. By selectively transferring WSe2 onto hBN and SiO2 substrates, complementary transistor behavior (n‐ and p‐type) was achieved using a UV light source and electrostatic activation. Furthermore, advanced characterization techniques, including high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM), provided insights into the chemical composition and surface potential changes after UV writing. Finally, a logic inverter was successfully implemented using selectively photo‐induced doped WSe2 transistors, showcasing the potential for practical logic applications. This innovative method opens new avenues for designing energy‐efficient and reconfigurable 2D semiconductor circuits, addressing key challenges in modern electronics.

Proton-pumping rhodopsins promote the growth and survival of phytoplankton in a highly variable ocean.

Proton-pumping rhodopsins (PPRs) utilize sunlight to produce cellular energy. They are widely distributed in marine phytoplankton and were recently shown to occur in the vacuolar membrane of a marine diatom, making the vacuole a second light transducing organelle. Of course, the first, the chloroplast, is where photosynthesis occurs. However, the two light-driven sources of cellular energy are quite different and, in many ways, complement one another. Photosynthesis works best at low to intermediate light intensities, and is inhibited at high light, while PPR is predicted to work best at high light intensities. And photosynthetic rates decrease with decreasing temperature and are subject to iron limitation, while PPR photochemistry is not directly limited by iron, and is unaffected by temperature. Thus, the two phototrophic systems are favored under different sets of conditions. Placing PPR in the vacuole may benefit this complementary situation where one or the other phototrophic process is favored depending on the environmental conditions. And here, the presence of PPR in the vacuole may be especially beneficial for growth and survival as that organelle often acts as a storage site for cellular energy in the form of the phosphate anhydride bonds of polyphosphates. We hypothesize that this complementary behavior, along with the ability to store excess energy produced by PPR in the vacuole as high energy polyphosphates, represents an important survival strategy in the ocean, where light, iron levels, and temperature vary widely on a variety of spatial and temporal scales.

Visualization of the Plasmid DNA Delivery System by Complementary Fluorescence Labeling of Arginine-Rich Peptides.

Cell-penetrating peptides, such as arginine-rich peptides, encapsulate nucleic acid drugs and deliver them to intracellular compartments. Comprehensive tracking of drug delivery systems (DDSs) provides information about the behavior of the drug as well as the fate of the drug carrier after drug release, which is crucial for minimizing side effects. In this study, we labeled peptides designed to carry plasmid DNA with two types of dyes, traditional dye fluorescein and aggregation-induced emission (AIE) dye tetraphenylethylene, and subsequently tracked the DDS through the complementary ON and OFF fluorescence behaviors of the dyes. Traditional fluorescent dyes are susceptible to aggregation-caused quenching during bioimaging, a problem that is mitigated by using AIE dyes. However, by using both of these contrasting fluorescent labels, we were able to clearly visualize the DDS at different stages of its deployment, from drug transport and delivery to carrier dissociation and migration, demonstrating the feasibility of accurate DDS visualization by complementary fluorescence labeling.

Blue emitting exciplex for yellow and white organic light-emitting diodes

White organic light-emitting diodes (WOLEDs) have several desirable features, but their commercialization is hindered by the poor stability of blue light emitters and high production costs due to complicated device structures. Herein, we investigate a standard blue emitting hole transporting material (HTM) N,N'-bis(naphthalen-1-yl)-N,N'-bis(phenyl)benzidine (NPB) and its exciplex emission upon combining with a suitable electron transporting material (ETM), 3-(biphenyl-4-yl)-5-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-4-phenyl-4H-1,2,4-triazole (TAZ). Blue and yellow OLEDs with simple device structures are developed by using a blend layer, NPB:TAZ, as a blue emitter as well as a host for yellow phosphorescent dopant iridium (III) bis(4-phenylthieno[3,2-c]pyridinato-N,C2')acetylacetonate (PO-01). Strategic device design then exploits the ambipolar charge transport properties of tetracene as a spacer layer to connect these blue and yellow emitting units. The tetracene-linked device demonstrates more promising results compared to those using a conventional charge generation layer (CGL). Judicious choice of the spacer prevents exciton diffusion from the blue emitter unit, yet facilitates charge carrier transport to the yellow emitter unit to enable additional exciplex formation. This complementary behavior of the spacer improves the blue emission properties concomitantly yielding reasonable yellow emission. The overall white light emission properties are enhanced, achieving CIE coordinates (0.36, 0.39) and color temperature (4643 K) similar to daylight. Employing intermolecular exciplex emission in OLEDs simplifies the device architecture via its dual functionality as a host and as an emitter.Graphical abstract

Fabrication of porous X-shaped Fe3O4@C core-shell structures for tunable microwave absorption

Designing porous materials with low density and high specific surface area is one of the strategies to obtain excellent wave absorbing properties. In this study, the carbon-coated porous X-shaped Fe3O4 composites used as microwave absorption materials were prepared by heat treatment of FeOOH@Polydopamine (PDA) core-shell precursors. It revealed that the X-shaped Fe3O4 core showed improved magnetic loss in GHz band due to its special shape anisotropy and large specific surface area. In addition, the modification of carbon enabled the Fe3O4 absorbers to have stronger polarization and higher electrical conductivity. The composites exhibited great freedom in performance tunability, allowing for strong absorption (RL<−40 dB) at different frequencies. For composites with thick carbon shell, the reflection loss reached the optimal value of − 64.92 dB at 15.04 GHz at the thickness of 1.75 mm, and the effective bandwidth was up to 4.64 GHz (13.04–17.68 GHz). The impressive performance of the as-prepared Fe3O4 @C core-shell composites was mainly attributed to the complementary behaviors of strong dielectric loss and magnetic loss.

Feeding Premasticated Food to Breastfeeding and Weaned Infants among Sudanese Women, Khartoum North

Premasticated of solid food, when an individual partially breaks down food by chewing and feeding it to another person, usually children, from mouth to mouth, using the hand or by other tools e.g. spoon is common various societies in the world. We also did not know whether Sudanese women practice the premasticated feeding. So, we conducted this study to assess breastfeeding, complementary feeding behavior, presence or absence and rates of premasticated food transfer and infant age, and assessed the food species and part used. The study was conducted in Khartoum North locality, Khartoum State, Sudan. We used descriptive cross-sectional design to complete the study. The study targeted nursing mother with a child less than 24 months of age. The sample size was calculated to be 800. Two thirds of surveyed nursing mothers have had heard of premastication of food. Most heard of it from older generations. Yet, 94 (11.9%) premasticated food for the current young children. They claimed that they start premastication of food after the sixth month of the infant age, and stop the practice before the 24th month. Although many scientists around the world have recognized the possibility of transmitting infection by premasticated food from the mother to the infant, the practice is not without significant benefits. Some authors believe that premastication of food by senior person and deliver it to the infant can help stimulating the immune system in infants. The study was reviewed and approved by the Research Ethics Committee at Alzaiem Alazhari University. Written informed consent was obtained from each individual participant.