Cost Comparison of Methyl Bromide and Sulfuryl Fluoride (ProFume®) for Fumigating Food Processing Facilities, Warehouses, and Cocoa Beans

Costs of fumigating a food processing/warehouse facility using methyl bromide and sulfuryl fluoride (ProFume®) were compared using an economic-engineering approach. The two fumigants were also compared for fumigating cocoa beans. Sulfuryl fluoride is economically feasible for cocoa beans. It is economically feasible for some, but not all, applications in food processing facilities and warehouses. Keywords: Economics, Cost, Benefit, Fumigation methyl bromide, Sulfuryl fluoride, ProFume

Patterns of Economic Growth and Poverty in Sudan

This paper reviewing the economic growth in real terms and have overlook to poverty levels and incidence in Sudan. However, more focus is given to per capita income, since the relation is always observed between poverty levels and per capita income growth. Furthermore, the sectoral contribution to GDP growth also reviewed, to see where income concentrates did? And what was the effect on poverty situation? Sudan was expected to achieve high rates of growth after independence due to vast and rich agricultural land, considerable livestock component as well as capable human resources. However, that do not realized for greatest part of the last five decades. After, enjoying moderate rates of growth and economic stability till 1975, Sudan began to enter into deep structural problems. Sudan’s GDP grew at a trend rate of 2 % while the population was growing at around 2.8 % per annum. This has resulted in reducing the real per capita GDP by 11 % over the fourteen years period affecting the poverty situation in the whole country. Meanwhile, the causes of rural poverty in Sudan are to be found in the sustained urban bias of the development strategies adopted since independence. This tended to neglect the traditional agricultural sector where the vast majority of population lives and is the main source of rural livelihood. This has resulted in high rural to urban migration unaccompanied by either increased productivity in the sector or sufficient urban development to generate the necessary urban employment opportunities, which led to urban poverty in return. Keywords: poverty, rural-urban, inequality, deprivation

Forced exercise increases muscle mass in eae despite early onset of disability

We aimed to determine whether 10 days of treadmill exercise can increase skeletal muscle mass and intramuscular concentrations of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Forty female Lewis rats were randomly assigned to either EAE sedentary (EAE-Sed), EAE exercise (EAE-Ex), Control sedentary (Con-Sed) and Control exercise (Con-Ex). Exercising animals completed a 10 day forced exercising training program. Hind limb skeletal muscles were excised and weighed with soleus muscle used for BDNF and NGF quantification. Statistical analysis was done using a one-way analysis of variance. Disability was more pronounced in the EAE-Ex group than in the EAE-Sed group. Exercising animals (EAE-Ex and Con-Ex) had significantly greater bilateral EDL, plantaris and gastrocnemius muscle mass compared to their sedentary animals (p=0.01). The EAE-Ex group had significantly higher NGF concentrations (1.98±0.3 pg/mg) compared to Con-Ex (0.96±0.07 pg/mg, p=0.003) and Con-Sed (1.2±0.2 pg/mg, p=0.04) groups. The main effect of exercise represented a significantly lower BDNF concentrations in the soleus of exercising animals compared to sedentary animals (p=0.03). Our study provides preliminary evidence that exercise increases skeletal muscle mass despite the early onset of disability in EAE animals

Association of NCF2, IKZF1, IRF8, IFIH1, and TYK2 with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex trait characterised by the production of a range of auto-antibodies and a diverse set of clinical phenotypes. Currently, ∼8% of the genetic contribution to SLE in Europeans is known, following publication of several moderate-sized genome-wide (GW) association studies, which identified loci with a strong effect (OR>1.3). In order to identify additional genes contributing to SLE susceptibility, we conducted a replication study in a UK dataset (870 cases, 5,551 controls) of 23 variants that showed moderate-risk for lupus in previous studies. Association analysis in the UK dataset and subsequent meta-analysis with the published data identified five SLE susceptibility genes reaching genome-wide levels of significance (Pcomb<5×10−8): NCF2 (Pcomb = 2.87×10−11), IKZF1 (Pcomb = 2.33×10−9), IRF8 (Pcomb = 1.24×10−8), IFIH1 (Pcomb = 1.63×10−8), and TYK2 (Pcomb = 3.88×10−8). Each of the five new loci identified here can be mapped into interferon signalling pathways, which are known to play a key role in the pathogenesis of SLE. These results increase the number of established susceptibility genes for lupus to ∼30 and validate the importance of using large datasets to confirm associations of loci which moderately increase the risk for disease

Data for Genetic Analysis Workshop 16 Problem 1, Association Analysis of Rheumatoid Arthritis Data

For Genetic Analysis Workshop 16 Problem 1, we provided data for genome-wide association analysis of rheumatoid arthritis. Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotype data were provided for 868 cases and 1194 controls that had been assayed using an Illumina 550 k platform. In addition, phenotypic data were provided from genotyping DRB1 alleles, which were classified according to the rheumatoid arthritis shared epitope, levels of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide, and levels of rheumatoid factor IgM. Several questions could be addressed using the data, including analysis of genetic associations using single SNPs or haplotypes, as well as gene-gene and genetic analysis of SNPs for qualitative and quantitative factors