9 research outputs found
How many focus markers are there in Konkomba?
No full textThis article discusses the divergent status of the two particles lé and lá in the grammar of Konkomba, a Gur language (Niger-Congo) of the Gurma subgroup. While previous studies claim that both particles are focus markers, this author argues that only the particle lá should be analyzed as a pure pragmatic device. Distributional studies suggest that the use of particle lé, on the other hand, is only required under specific focus conditions, and primarily represents a syntactic device
Monitoring for multidrug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum isolates and analysis of pyrimethamine resistance evolution in Uige province, Angola.
No full textOBJECTIVES: To assess the extent of drug resistance in Uige through molecular genetic analysis and to test whether the dhfr triple mutant alleles present in Angola are of southeast Asian origin. METHODS: Seventy-one samples of blood from children admitted to the Pediatric Emergency Unit of Uige Provincial Hospital in 2004 were screened for resistance mutations at pfcrt, pfmdr1, pfdhfr, pfdhps and pfATPase6. RESULTS: Mutations in pfcrt (codon76), pfmdr1 (codon86), pfdhfr (codons 51, 59, 108) and pfdhps (codons 436, 437) were common. Among the 66 isolates for which we were able to determine complete genetic information 13.7% carried all seven of these mutations. Flanking microsatellite analysis revealed the triple mutant pfdhfr was derived from the southeast Asian lineage, while the N51I+S108N double mutant pfdhfr alleles are a local origin. pfATPase6 mutations were rare and S769N was not found. CONCLUSION: The parasite population of Uige Angola has high frequency mutations in pfcrt, dhfr and dhps associated with resistance to chloroquine and sulphadoxine pyrimethamine, reflecting past reliance on these two drugs which were the mainstay of treatment until recently. Our findings show that drug resistance in Uige has occurred through a combination of local drug pressure and the regional and international dispersal of resistance mutant alleles
Sociology shots of state in the Republic of Congo from 1958 to 1973
No full textRépublique du Congo, l’armée, en tant qu’ensemble de structures et de moyens militaires institutionnellement affectés à la mise en œuvre de la politique décidée par les autorités politiques pour assurer et garantir la défense nationale, est loin d’être l’auteur exclusif des coups d’Etat, même si, systématiquement, elle profite des conséquences politiques attachées à ceux-ci. En réalité, les coups d’Etat y sont la résultante d’une lutte entre plusieurs champs. Dans cette lutte, les acteurs des coups d’Etat, en fonction de leurs corpus idéologiques respectifs, mettent en place des stratégies dont la particularité n’est pas de se limiter au champ bureaucratique mais d’engager également la société appréhendée au regard de leurs groupes ethniques ou régionaux d’appartenance. Ainsi, mobilisent-ils, non seulement leurs propres capitaux (diplômes, profession), mais aussi les ressources de leurs groupes ethniques ou régionaux en vue de réaliser la conquête ou la conservation du pouvoir. Par le jeu complexe des solidarités idéologiques, ethniques ou corporatistes, les acteurs politiques tissent des alliances et, selon le cas, participent ou s’opposent à l’exécution des coups d’Etat. Sous ce rapport, les coups d’Etat, qui supposent une importante mobilisation stratégique, politique et matérielle de la part de ceux qui en forment le projet, se confondent à un mode de conquête du pouvoir assimilable formellement à l’élection, et s’inscrivent dans ce que Marcel Mauss nomme les faits sociaux totaux. Les leaders politiques appartenant aux ethnies minoritaires, ne pouvant accéder au pouvoir par voie démocratique, élaborent une stratégie de conquête de pouvoir prenant appui sur l’armée. Ainsi, détournée de sa mission traditionnelle de protection du territoire national face aux agressions extérieures, l’armée voit sa valeur opérationnelle diminuée.In Republic of Congo, the army, as a whole of structures and average soldiers institutionally assigned to the implementation of the policy decided by the political authorities to ensure and guarantee national defense, is far from being the exclusive author of the coups d'etat, even if, systematically, it benefits from the political consequences attached to those. Actually, the coups d'etat are there the resultant of a fight between several fields. In this fight, the actors of the coups d'etat, according to their respective ideological corpora, set up strategies whose characteristic is not to limit themselves to the bureaucratic field but to also engage the company apprehended taking into consideration their ethnic or regional group of membership. Thus, they mobilize, not only their own capital (diplomas, profession), but also resources of their ethnic or regional groups in order to carry out the conquest or the conservation of the power. By the complex play of ideological solidarity, ethnic or corporatists, the political actors weave alliances and, according to the case, take part or are opposed to the execution of the coups d'etat. Under this report, the coups d'etat, which suppose an important strategic mobilization, political and material on behalf of those which form the project of it, merge with a mode of conquest of the power comparable formally to the election, and fit in what Marcel Mauss names the total social facts. The political leaders belonging to the minority ethnic groups, not being able to reach the power by democratic way, work out a strategy of conquest of fascinating power support on the army. Thus, diverted its traditional mission of protection of the national territory vis-a-vis the external aggressions, the army sees its decreased operational value
Development and characterization of a pseudo multiple reaction monitoring method for the quantification of human uromodulin in urine.
No full textBACKGROUND: Uromodulin is the most abundant protein in healthy human urine. Recently it has been suggested as a specific biomarker of renal tubular damage. We have developed a novel pseudo multiple reaction monitoring (pseudo MRM) for the protein's quantification in human urine.
RESULTS: Selection of two peptides allowed quantification of uromodulin in human urine. The pseudo MRM quantified uromodulin in healthy individuals between 21 and 1344 nM and in autosomal dominant tubulointerstitial kidney disease-UMOD patients between 2 and 25 nM.
CONCLUSION: The pseudo MRM allows greater confidence in assay specificity than traditional MRM methods and quantified uromodulin at concentrations higher than achievable by ELISA. Differences in urinary uromodulin concentration related to the rs4293393 promoter variant in the UMOD gene was confirmed. This method will be used to further investigate uromodulin as a biomarker of renal injury
Assessment of the impact of potential climate change on the water balance of a semi-arid watershed
No full textWith a yearly precipitation of 200 mm in most of the country, Jordan is considered one of the least water-endowed regions in the world. Water scarcity in Jordan is exacerbated by growing demands driven by population and industrial growth and rising living standards. Major urban and industrial centers in Jordan including the Capital Amman are concentrated in the northern highlands, mostly contained within the boundaries of the Zarqa River Watershed (ZRW). The ZRW is the third most productive basin in the greater Jordan River System. King Talal Dam was built a few kilometers upstream of the Zarqa-Jordan confluence to regulate its input mostly for the benefit of agricultural activities in the Jordan Valley. Concerns regarding the sensitivity of the ZRW to potential climate change have prompted the authors to carry out the current study. The methodology adopted is based on simulating the hydrological response of the basin under alternative climate change scenarios. Utilizing the BASINS-HSPF modeling environment, scenarios represent ing climate conditions with ±20percent change in rainfall, and 1°C, 2°C and 3.5°C increases in average temperature were simulated and assessed. The HSPF model was calibrated for the ZRW using records spanning from 1980 through 1994. The model was validated against an independent data record extending from 1995 through 2002. Calibration and verification results were assessed based on linear regression fitting of monthly and daily flows. Monthly calibration and verifications produced good fit with regression coefficient r values equal to 0.928 and 0.923, respectively. Assessment based on daily records show much more modest r value of 0.785. The study shows that climate warming can dramatically impact runoffs and groundwater recharge in the ZRW. However the impact of warming can be greatly influenced by significant changes in rainfall volume. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2008.Ackerman D, 2005, J AM WATER RESOUR AS, V41, P477, DOI 10.1111-j.1752-1688.2005.tb03750.x; Al-Abed N, 2005, ENVIRON GEOL, V47, P405, DOI 10.1007-s00254-004-1165-2; Al-Abed NA, 2002, HYDROL PROCESS, V16, P3169, DOI 10.1002-hyp.1094; Albek M, 2004, J HYDROL, V285, P260, DOI 10.1016-j.jhydrol.2003.09.002; ALMAHAMID J, 2005, INTEGRATION WATER RE; *ALSH ENG, 2000, JOR95G31IG99; Bates B. C., 2008, CLIMATE CHANGE WATER; Bicknell BR, 2001, HYDROLOGICAL SIMULAT; BURN S, 2000, COMPUT ENVIRON URBAN, V24, P5; Dibike YB, 2005, J HYDROL, V307, P145, DOI 10.1016-j.hydrol.2004.10.012; *JAP INT CORP AG, 2001, MIN WAT IRR HASH KIN; Johnson MS, 2003, J HYDROL, V284, P57, DOI 10.1016-j.jhydrol.2003.07.005; JRIDI A, 2005, DEV JORDANIAN JORDAN; Lenhart T, 2002, PHYS CHEM EARTH, V27, P645, DOI 10.1016-S1474-7065(02)00049-9; Matondo JI, 2004, PHYS CHEM EARTH, V29, P1193, DOI 10.1016-j.pce.2004.09.035; *OPTIMA, 2007, CAS STUD ZARQ RIV; RADCLIFFE DE, 2002, WATERSHED SCALE MODE; RAGAB R, 2002, CLIMATE CHANGE, V81, P3; RAHBEH M, 1996, RAINFALL RUNOFF RELA; *US GEOL SURV, 1998, OV MIDDL E WAT RES W; *WAJ, 2005, ARCH DAT WAT AUTH JO25272
A study of the incubation period, or age at onset, of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies/prion diseases.
No full textIn order to model epidemics of infectious diseases, particularly to estimate probable numbers of cases with onset at any particular time, it is necessaiy to incorporate a term for the incubation period frequency distribution. Sartwell's hypothesis states that the incubation period frequency distribution for infectious disease is generally a log-normal distribution, based on his examination of disease with short incubation periods. However, it may not apply to diseases with long incubation periods. During the course of an epidemic of a disease with a long incubation period, left and right censoring makes direct observation of the frequency distribution highly unreliable; in addition, time of infection is often unknown. Therefore, for a previously undescribed disease, methods other than direct observation must be employed. One method is to extrapolate from information available for other diseases.
In evaluation of Sartwell's hypothesis as applied to diseases with long incubation periods, examination of transfijsion-associated AIDS data was inconclusive. Examination of data for experimental transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE)/prion disease in several species suggests that it may not apply. For natural TSE/prion disease, age at onset is used generally as a 'proxy' for incubation period since infection time is rarely known; the validity of this may vary with the disease type and species being examined. Using this measure, again Sartwell's hypothesis was not confirmed.
For both incubation period and age at onset, evidence presented suggests that observed frequency distribution coefficient of skewness is associated with modal age at onset (and thus indirectly with prior age at infection, where appropriate), an earlier modal age at onset resulting in a larger observed coefficient of skewness. The relationship of this association with Sartwell's findings is discussed; they are not incompatible. In addition, an association between observed coefficient of skewness and sample size is demonstrated and the implications discussed
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Development of a sustainable water management strategy in the Alwahat area of Libya
No full textGroundwater in the Alwahat region of Libya is a non-renewable resource, and is the only source of water for agricultural land in the region. The aim of this research is to explore the contemporary performance of the groundwater sector in Libya and to develop a strategy for providing a sustainable groundwater resource to achieve a social, economic and environmentally-sustainable water future. Perceptions about groundwater sustainability are elicited from 769 local stakeholders. This analysis is conducted using a triangulated mixed-methods design, to interpret the collected information. Conflicts of opinion among the stakeholders are exposed, highlighting controversies concerning their levels of satisfaction with water supplies, their awareness of water sustainability issues, their understanding of recent changes in groundwater quality and the environmental impact of water use, and future solutions to prevent water misuse. In addition to this, there is an examination of what officials report as the extensive misuse of water due to the installation of pumps, and some of the farmers abstracting drinking water from the network for irrigations well as digging deeper into the ground and sinking more wells, which abstracts excessive amounts of water and lowers the groundwater level. The known reasons of groundwater contamination discussed in this study include oil operations, increased salinity in water soil infiltration, and crop fertilization which is established by reliable sources; however no contemporary quantitative or qualitative monitoring data is available
