Trypanosoma brucei gambiense-iELISA : a promising new test for the post-elimination monitoring of human African trypanosomiasis

Background: The World Health Organization targeted Trypanosoma brucei gambiense human African trypanosomiasis (gHAT) for elimination as a public health problem and for elimination of transmission. To measure gHAT elimination success with prevalences close to zero, highly specific diagnostics are necessary. Such a test exists in the form of an antibody-mediated complement lysis test, the trypanolysis test, but biosafety issues and technological requirements prevent its large-scale use. We developed an inhibition ELISA with high specificity and sensitivity that is applicable in regional laboratories in gHAT endemic countries. Methods: The T. b. gambiense inhibition ELISA (g-iELISA) is based on the principle that binding of monoclonal antibodies to specific epitopes of T. b. gambiense surface glycoproteins can be inhibited by circulating antibodies of gHAT patients directed against the same epitopes. Using trypanolysis as reference test, the diagnostic accuracy of the g-iELISA was evaluated on plasma samples from 739 gHAT patients and 619 endemic controls and on dried blood spots prepared with plasma of 95 gHAT and 37 endemic controls. Results: Overall sensitivity and specificity on plasma were respectively 98.0% (95% CI 96.7 - 98.9) and 99.5% (95% CI 98.6-99.9). With dried blood spots, sensitivity was 92.6% (95% CI 85.4 - 97.0), and specificity was 100% (95% CI 90.5 - 100.0). The g-iELISA is stable for at least 8 months when stored at 2-8°C. Conclusion: The g-iELISA might largely replace trypanolysis for monitoring gHAT elimination and for post-elimination surveillance. The g-iELISA kit is available for evaluation in reference laboratories in endemic countries

The 'Societal Turn'. Historicizing Future Society

Even more than has been the case during the last decades, social-economic historians need to construe the concepts of the economy and the social in a broad sense, to include economies of status and affection, material cultures, social power relations and political ecology. Since the turning of the century, a so-called 'societal turn' is imminent. Demands for re-newed interactions with the social sciences are coming back to the surface. In the last decade, social-economic historians have been incorporating ingredients from new political and cultural history, while analysing sociohistorical processes and related practices both as structure, agency and perception. During the next ten years, the challenge for young researchers exists in bringing this societal turn to a decisive phase, making use of our collaborative research en-vironments and our engagement with societal movements both on a local, regional and global scale

War, taxation and the enlargement of farms in coastal Flanders (seventeenth-eighteenth centuries)

Wars always have had a huge impact on societies. If a war lasts for a long period of time, it is even capable of fundamentally changing economic structures. This was a factor in an evolution that took place in coastal Flanders during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In this area, large farms became larger as they were able to absorb small leasehold farms that had gone bankrupt during periods of war. This article investigates the dynamics of this process by examining a large farm in coastal Flanders. It first identifies how such a farm was operated. Subsequently I will look at the impact of war in order to identify the mechanics behind the enlargement of the farms. This article demonstrates in particular how the collection of war taxes played a crucial role in the bankruptcy of the small farms and the survival of the large ones

The Management of the Forests of the Dukes of Arenberg from 1600 untill 1820

With the rise of wood prices in Western Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries, forest owners could increase their revenues. The duke of Arenberg, who owned large forests in the Southern Netherlands, France and the Rhine area, managed to grasp this opportunity. By managing internal and external challenges, the dukes of Arenberg improved the production of their forests considerably over time. This article identifies four managerial changes that contributed to this change. First, the administrative structure and processes in the ducal organisation were upgraded. Second, remuneration policies were adapted to better align the interests of stewards and dukes. Third, the property rights over the forests became more exclusive and lastly, scientific insights percolated through the ducal administration proved beneficial for the forest management practices.L’augmentation du prix du bois aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles en Europe occidentale fournit aux propriétaires de forêts l’opportunité d’augmenter leurs revenus. Les ducs d’Arenberg, propriétaires de vaste forêts dans les Pays-Bas méridionaux, en France et dans la région rhénane, réussirent à saisir cette occasion. En relevant les défis internes et externes, et en profitant de diverses opportunités, ils parvinrent à augmenter considérablement la production de leurs forêts au fil du temps. Cet article identifie quatre changements de gestion qui contribuèrent à cette amélioration. Premièrement, l’amélioration de la structure et des procédures administratives de l’organisation ducale. Deuxièmement, l’adaptation des politiques de rémunération pour mieux aligner les intérêts des intendants sur ceux des ducs. Troisièmement, une évolution des droits de propriété sur les forêts, allant dans le sens d’une plus grande exclusivité. Enfin, l’intégration des connaissances scientifiques au sein de l’administration ducale, qui permit d’améliorer les pratiques de gestion forestière avec un succès croissant.Op het moment dat de houtprijzen in West-Europa begonnen te stijgen tijdens de 17de en 18de eeuw, zagen veel boseigenaars nieuwe kansen om hun inkomsten te verhogen. De hertog van Arenberg, die eigenaar was van diverse grote bossen in de Zuidelijke Nederlanden, Frankrijk en het Rijnland, wist gebruik te maken van deze opportuniteit. Door het oplossen van interne en externe problemen en het grijpen van kansen van allerlei aard, slaagden de hertogen van Arenberg erin om hun productie tijdens deze periode fors op te krikken. In dit artikel worden er vier beheerveranderingen besproken die bijdroegen aan verbeterde bosbouwpraktijken. Ten eerste werden de administratieve structuren en processen verbeterd. Ten tweede werd het verloningsbeleid aangepast zodat de belangen van rentmeesters en de hertog dichter bij elkaar kwamen te liggen. Ten derde werden de eigendomsrechten over de bossen exclusiever en strikter en ten slotte drongen nieuwe wetenschappelijke inzichten met betrekking tot bosbouw door in het beheer.Berghmans Sander. The Management of the Forests of the Dukes of Arenberg from 1600 untill 1820. In: Revue belge de philologie et d'histoire, tome 98, fasc. 4, 2020. Histoire – Geschiedenis. pp. 1049-1082

The management of the forests of the Dukes of Arenberg from 1600 until 1820

With the rise of wood prices in Western Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries, forest owners could increase their revenues. The duke of Arenberg, who owned large forests in the Southern Netherlands, France and the Rhine area, managed to grasp this opportunity. By managing internal and external challenges, the dukes of Arenberg improved the production of their forests considerably over time. This article identifies four managerial changes that contributed to this change. First, the administrative structure and processes in the ducal organisation were upgraded. Second, remuneration policies were adapted to better align the interests of stewards and dukes. Third, the property rights over the forests became more exclusive and lastly, scientific insights percolated through the ducal administration proved beneficial for the forest management practices