Unifying Power of Sport Fandom

Through previous research, it was known that sport has many physical and non-physical benefits to participants and is a powerful tool used to bring people together in light of social and political differences. However, little was known about the impact of sport fandom on feelings of social connectedness. The purpose of this study was to further the understanding of feelings of social connectedness in sport fandom within the context of the current polarized political environment in the United States. Survey methodology was used to capture demographics and other variables including political identity and behaviors, sport fandom identity and behaviors, and feelings of social connectedness. The survey was distributed on Twitter through the use of relevant hashtags and also sent to students, faculty, and staff at St. John Fisher College. Results found that there was a significant relationship between ratings of sport fandom identity and behaviors and reported feelings of social connectedness. There was also found to be a significant predictive relationship between the grand means of sport and politics to the grand mean of social connectedness. The results of this research study added support for the use sport and sport fandom as tools for bringing people together within a polarized society as these findings suggested that sport fandom was a strong unifying tool that transcended the divided sociopolitical culture of the US today

Micro finance for water and sanitation in West Africa

This paper focus on the challenge of financing the expansion and maintenance of water and sanitation services in poor rural areas and small towns. One possible solution lies in increasing flows of local finance through innovative financing mechanisms. These mechanisms must not only be available, but also be accessible to those who most need them. There is therefore a need to identify what capacities and support are required at local level to create the optimal conditions to promote and implement such mechanisms. The paper is based on a study undertaken by CREPA - Centre Régional pour l’Eau Potable et l’Assainissement à faible coût - in eight countries in West Africa which evaluated the impact and documented a number of experiences where micro finance has been used for water and sanitation projects

Cyst-Wall-Protein-1 is fundamental for Golgi-like organelle neogenesis and cyst-wall biosynthesis in Giardia lamblia

The genome of the protozoan parasite Giardia lamblia is organized in two diploid nuclei, which has so far precluded complete analysis of gene function. Here we use a previously developed Cre/loxP-based knock-out and selection marker salvage strategy in the human-derived isolate WB-C6 to eliminate all four copies of the Cyst-Wall-Protein-1 locus (CWP1). Because these loci are silenced in proliferating trophozoites and highly expressed only in encysting cells, CWP1 ablation allows functional characterization of a conditional phenotype in parasites induced to encyst. We show that encysting Δcwp1 cells are unable to establish the stage-regulated trafficking machinery with Golgi-like encystation-specific vesicles required for cyst-wall formation but show morphological hallmarks of cyst development and karyokinesis. This ‘pseudocyst’ phenotype is rescued by transfection of Δcwp1 cells with an episomally maintained CWP1 expression vector. Genome editing in genera Giardia and Trypanosoma are the only reported examples addressing questions on pathogen transmission within the Excavata supergroup

CLAM, a continuous line alignment and monitoring method for RICH mirrors

A method is proposed for the angular alignment of RICH mirrors and for its monitoring, in particular for the COMPASS RICH-1 mirror system. Observing (by means of four cameras) apparent discontinuities in the images of continuous linear objects reflected by the mirrors surface, a relative misalignment of adjacent mirrors can be deduced and then corrected. The method can attain a sensitivity of at least 0.1 mrad, and can also be applied on-line to keep under control the stability of the mirrors during data taking

Evidence for the involvement of the Arabidopsis SEC24A in male transmission

Eukaryotic cells use COPII-coated carriers for endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-to-Golgi protein transport. Selective cargo capture into ER-derived carriers is largely driven by the SEC24 component of the COPII coat. The Arabidopsis genome encodes three AtSEC24 genes with overlapping expression profiles but it is yet to be established whether the AtSEC24 proteins have overlapping roles in plant growth and development. Taking advantage of Arabidopsis thaliana as a model plant system for studying gene function in vivo, through reciprocal crosses, pollen characterization, and complementation tests, evidence is provided for a role for AtSEC24A in the male gametophyte. It is established that an AtSEC24A loss-of-function mutation is tolerated in the female gametophyte but that it causes defects in pollen leading to failure of male transmission of the AtSEC24A mutation. These data provide a characterization of plant SEC24 family in planta showing incompletely overlapping functions of the AtSEC24 isoforms. The results also attribute a novel role to SEC24 proteins in a multicellular model system, specifically in male fertility

Perinatal mortality in rural Burkina Faso: a prospective community-based cohort study

BACKGROUND: There is a scarcity of reliable data on perinatal mortality (PNM) in Sub-Saharan Africa. The PROMISE-EBF trial, during which we promoted exclusive breastfeeding, gave us the opportunity to describe the epidemiology of PNM in Banfora Health District, South-West in Burkina Faso. STUDY OBJECTIVES: To measure the perinatal mortality rate (PNMR) in the PROMISE-EBF cohort in Banfora Health District and to identify potential risk factors for perinatal death. METHODS: We used data collected prospectively during the PROMISE-EBF-trial to estimate the stillbirth rate (SBR) and early neonatal mortality rate (ENMR). We used binomial regression with generalized estimating equations to identify potential risk factors for perinatal death. RESULTS: 895 pregnant women were enrolled for data collection in the EBF trial and followed-up to 7 days after birth. The PNMR, the SBR and the ENMR, were 79 per 1000 (95% CI: 59-99), 54 per 1000 (95% CI: 38-69) and 27 per 1000 (95% CI: 9-44), respectively. In a multivariable analysis, nulliparous women (RR = 2.90, 95% CI: 1.6-5.0), primiparae mothers (RR = 2.20, 95% CI: 1.2-3.9), twins (RR = 4.0, 95% CI: 2.3-6.9) and giving birth during the dry season (RR = 2.1 95% CI: 1.3-3.3) were factors associated with increased risk of perinatal death. There was no evidence that risk of perinatal death differed between deliveries at home and at a health centre CONCLUSION: Our study observed the highest PNMR ever reported in Burkina. There is an urgent need for sustainable interventions to improve maternal and newborn health in the country

Hydro-Agricultural Development, Integrated Water Resources Management in Climate Variability and Agricultural Migration Context in the Plandi 2 Sub-Watershed of Upper Mouhoun, Burkina Faso

peer reviewedBurkina Faso is characterised by unfavourable hydrological conditions and the population's need for water to increase. In response, the authorities developed a policy of water resource mobilisation to satisfy the requirement of agropastoral and domestic needs. The Hauts-Bassins region benefited from these developments with the transfer of agro-pastoral populations. Natural resources are subject to anthropic pressure, consequences of the transfer of populations and the spontaneous movements attracted by these developments. The objective of this paper is to analyse the field implementation of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) in the context of pressure on natural resources and climate variability. The methodology combines participatory, spatial and systemic approaches. The sub-watershed shelters a perimeter developed for hydro-agricultural purposes and has received a significant migratory flow of agro-pastoralists looking for "new land" since the 1970s. In 2018, 78.6. Clean water and sanitatio

Multidisciplinary Management of Breast Cancer During Pregnancy

Although breast cancer during pregnancy (BCDP) is rare (occurring with only 0.4% of all BC diagnoses in female patients aged 16–49 years), management decisions are challenging to both the patient and the multidisciplinary team

Combined nanometric and phylogenetic analysis of unique endocytic compartments in Giardia lamblia sheds light on the evolution of endocytosis in Metamonada

BACKGROUND: Giardia lamblia, a parasitic protist of the Metamonada supergroup, has evolved one of the most diverged endocytic compartment systems investigated so far. Peripheral endocytic compartments, currently known as peripheral vesicles or vacuoles (PVs), perform bulk uptake of fluid phase material which is then digested and sorted either to the cell cytosol or back to the extracellular space. RESULTS: Here, we present a quantitative morphological characterization of these organelles using volumetric electron microscopy and super-resolution microscopy (SRM). We defined a morphological classification for the heterogenous population of PVs and performed a comparative analysis of PVs and endosome-like organelles in representatives of phylogenetically related taxa, Spironucleus spp. and Tritrichomonas foetus. To investigate the as-yet insufficiently understood connection between PVs and clathrin assemblies in G. lamblia, we further performed an in-depth search for two key elements of the endocytic machinery, clathrin heavy chain (CHC) and clathrin light chain (CLC), across different lineages in Metamonada. Our data point to the loss of a bona fide CLC in the last Fornicata common ancestor (LFCA) with the emergence of a protein analogous to CLC (GlACLC) in the Giardia genus. Finally, the location of clathrin in the various compartments was quantified. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, this provides the first comprehensive nanometric view of Giardia's endocytic system architecture and sheds light on the evolution of GlACLC analogues in the Fornicata supergroup and, specific to Giardia, as a possible adaptation to the formation and maintenance of stable clathrin assemblies at PVs