Brucella sero-prevalence and modifiable risk factors among predisposed cattle keepers and consumers of un-pasteurized milk in Mbarara and Kampala districts, Uganda

Background: Brucellosis is an important zoonotic disease in developing countries yet it is often not recognized, goes unreported and does not attract public health action by these governments including Uganda.Objective: To estimate the sero-prevalence and assess modifiable risk factors associated with Brucella seropositivity in cattle keepers and consumers of unpasteurized milk in Uganda.Methods: One group comprised of 161 individuals randomly selected from households living on farms that had Brucella sero-positive cattle and/or goats in Mbarara District from an earlier survey; the second group comprised of 168 randomly selected individuals attending an HIV voluntary counseling and testing clinic in Kampala District. Sera samples were tested using Rapid Plate Agglutination Test, Standard Tube Agglutination Test and cELISA.Results: The sero-prevalence of brucellosis among exposed cattle keepers in Mbarara and consumers of unpasteurised milk in Kampala Districts was 5.8% (95%CI: 3.3%, 8.3%) and 9% (95%CI: 13.3%, 4.7%), respectively. Consumption of unboiled milk was significantly (p=0.004) associated with seropositivity in Mbarara District. There was no association between sero-positivity with age, sex and awareness of human brucellosis.Conclusion: Human brucellosis is prevalent among livestock rearing communities and consumers of unpasteurised milk. The continued consumption of unboiled milk is a major health risk.Key words: Brucellosis, Modifiable risk factors, Sero-prevalence, unpasteurised milk, cELIS

Proteome and phosphoproteome analysis of starch granule-associated proteins from normal maize and mutants affected in starch biosynthesis

In addition to the exclusively granule-bound starch synthase GBSSI, starch granules also bind significant proportions of other starch biosynthetic enzymes, particularly starch synthases (SS) SSI and SSIIa, and starch branching enzyme (BE) BEIIb. Whether this association is a functional aspect of starch biosynthesis, or results from non-specific entrapment during amylopectin crystallization, is not known. This study utilized genetic, immunological, and proteomic approaches to investigate comprehensively the proteome and phosphoproteome of Zea mays endosperm starch granules. SSIII, BEI, BEIIa, and starch phosphorylase were identified as internal granule-associated proteins in maize endosperm, along with the previously identified proteins GBSS, SSI, SSIIa, and BEIIb. Genetic analyses revealed three instances in which granule association of one protein is affected by the absence of another biosynthetic enzyme. First, eliminating SSIIa caused reduced granule association of SSI and BEIIb, without affecting GBSS abundance. Second, eliminating SSIII caused the appearance of two distinct electrophoretic mobility forms of BEIIb, whereas only a single migration form of BEIIb was observed in wild type or any other mutant granules examined. Third, eliminating BEIIb caused significant increases in the abundance of BEI, BEIIa, SSIII, and starch phosphorylase in the granule, without affecting SSI or SSIIa. Analysis of the granule phosphoproteome with a phosphorylation-specific dye indicated that GBSS, BEIIb, and starch phosphorylase are all phosphorylated as they occur in the granule. These results suggest the possibility that starch metabolic enzymes located in granules are regulated by post-translational modification and/or protein–protein interactions

Eco-Innovation for Recycling/Remanufacturing Electric Vehicle Engines

Because of climate changes and the increasing cost of raw materials, the mobility will become more and more electric in the future years. It is already the case for automotive and the first electric car from Renault company, “Renault Zoé” appeared in 2009. So the first models are now reaching their End-Of-Life and it is time to consider their dismantling. The traditional recycling industry used for Internal Combustion Engine vehicles is not adapted to electric vehicle powertrains. This study deals with the disassembly of 2 electric powertrains of Renault Zoé vehicle. All the components have been separated, identified, their chemical composition has been determined as well as their potential recyclability. We have highlighted that sometimes, some materials should be substituted by more recyclable others and that some subsets should be redesigned in order to facilitate the disassembly. A strategy to maximize the gain, reduce wastes has been built and some recommendations for the future design of these electric powertrains has been proposed

Synthesis and evaluation of new designed multiple ligands directed towards both peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ and angiotensin II type 1 receptor

Because of the complex biological networks, many pathologic disorders fail to be treated with a molecule directed towards a single target. Thus, combination therapies are often necessary, but they have many drawbacks. An alternative consists in building molecules intended to interact with multiple targets, called designed multiple ligands. We followed such a strategy in order to treat metabolic syndrome, by setting up molecules directed towards both type 1 angiotensin II (AT1) receptor and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ). For this purpose, many molecules were prepared by merging both pharmacophores following three different strategies. Their ability to activate PPAR-γ and to block AT1 receptors were evaluated in vitro. This strategy led to the preparation of many new PPAR-γ activating and AT1 blocking molecules. Among them, some exhibited both activities, highlighting the convenience of this approach

DLX5/6 GABAergic Expression Affects Social Vocalization: Implications for Human Evolution

DLX5 and DLX6 are two closely related transcription factors involved in brain development and in GABAergic differentiation. The DLX5/6 locus is regulated by FoxP2, a gene involved in language evolution and has been associated with neurodevelopmental disorders and mental retardation. Targeted inactivation of Dlx5/6 in mouse GABAergic neurons (Dlx5/6VgatCre mice) results in behavioral and metabolic phenotypes notably increasing lifespan by 33%. Here, we show that Dlx5/6VgatCre mice present a hyper-vocalization and hyper-socialization phenotype. While only 7% of control mice emitted more than 700 vocalizations/10 min, 30% and 56% of heterozygous or homozygous Dlx5/6VgatCre mice emitted more than 700 and up to 1,400 calls/10 min with a higher proportion of complex and modulated calls. Hyper-vocalizing animals were more sociable: the time spent in dynamic interactions with an unknown visitor was more than doubled compared to low-vocalizing individuals. The characters affected by Dlx5/6 in the mouse (sociability, vocalization, skull, and brain shape..) overlap those affected in the "domestication syndrome". We therefore explored the possibility that DLX5/6 played a role in human evolution and "self-domestication"comparing DLX5/6 genomic regions from Neanderthal and modern humans. We identified an introgressed Neanderthal haplotype (DLX5/6-N-Haplotype) present in 12.6% of European individuals that covers DLX5/6 coding and regulatory sequences. The DLX5/6-N-Haplotype includes the binding site for GTF2I, a gene associated with Williams-Beuren syndrome, a hyper-sociability and hyper-vocalization neurodevelopmental disorder. The DLX5/6-N-Haplotype is significantly underrepresented in semi-supercentenarians (>105 years of age), a well-established human model of healthy aging and longevity, suggesting their involvement in the coevolution of longevity, sociability, and speech

The failed liberalisation of Algeria and the international context: a legacy of stable authoritarianism

The paper attempts to challenge the somewhat marginal role of international factors in the study of transitions to democracy. Theoretical and practical difficulties in proving causal mechanisms between international variables and domestic outcomes can be overcome by defining the international dimension in terms of Western dominance of world politics and by identifying Western actions towards democratising countries. The paper focuses on the case of Algeria, where international factors are key in explaining the initial process of democratisation and its following demise. In particular, the paper argues that direct Western policies, the pressures of the international system and external shocks influence the internal distribution of power and resources, which underpins the different strategies of all domestic actors. The paper concludes that analysis based purely on domestic factors cannot explain the process of democratisation and that international variables must be taken into more serious account and much more detailed

How do financial intermediaries create value in security issues?

We study incentive provision in a model of securities issuance with an informed issuer and uninformed investors. We show that the presence of an informed intermediary may increase surplus even if we allow for collusion between the intermediary and the issuer. Collusion is neutralized by introducing a misalignment between the interests of the issuer and those of the intermediary. To achieve this, the intermediary commits to hold some of the securities. The intermediary then underprices the remaining securities and extracts any investor surplus through a “participation fee.” We provide an explanation for the diffusion of book building and quid pro quo practices in Initial Public Offerings (IPOs)