Improving African Internet Traffic through Maximization of Node Centrality

For most African nations, the cost of an Internet subscription is more than the average yearly per capita income – which inherently makes Internet access a quixotic amenity for the majority of Africans. This disproportionate connectivity creates a disadvantage for Africa’s academic potential because most of its Internet traffic is routed through international fiber optic links – which is costlier than direct connections within Africa [1]. One of the causes for slower Internet traffic is the lack of cooperation between the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) across Africa. This study will explore whether we can increase the average closeness of a sample network representing African Internet traffic by designing and testing strategic link-prediction algorithms versus a random link-prediction algorithm

A triangulation study of the use of traditional medicine and prescribed antischistosomal medicine in communities with high prevalence schistsomiasis infections: perspectives from traditional healers, patients and healthcare workers.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Schistosomes are parasitic worms found in tropical and sub-tropical fresh waters. An estimated 4.5 million South Africans, mainly in settings of rural poverty, are in need of treatment for urogenital schistosomiasis. Women with schistosomiasis are exposed to HIV infection prevalent in African countries. Praziquantel is the treatment used in the mainstream healthcare system to manage schistosomiasis. Although conventional treatment is available, traditional medicine (TM) has been reported to be used for schistosomiasis. This study evaluated the prevalence of the use of traditional medicine and prescribed antischistosomal medicines in communities having high prevalence schistosomiasis infection in ILembe District, KwaZulu-Natal and established whether the unavailability of prescribed antischistosomal medicines led to the use of traditional medicine. Methods Methods This study was a cross-sectional descriptive study using a questionnaire. An exploratory mixed-method approach through interviews was conducted from December 2017 to April 2018 in the ILembe District, KwaZulu-Natal. In addition, a review of medical chart records of patients with schistosomiasis was further carried out to triangulate the information from interviews. Qualitative data were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis while descriptive statistics including frequency and percentage were used for quantitative data, categorical data were presented as tables. Chi-squared tests were performed for the association between continuous variables. A p-value ≤ 0.05 was estimated as statistically significant. Results A protocol mapping evidence of the concurrent use of TM and antischistosomal treatment was drafted. It anticipated findings on identified gaps in the current literature on this topic and provided direction for future research. After mapping for evidence, face-to-face interviews were conducted in phase 1 of this study among 22 traditional health practitioners (THPs) who diagnosed and managed schistosomiasis symptoms based on their knowledge and experiences using plants either alone or in combination with other plants. Senecio serratuloides (Asteraceae) and Hypoxis hemerocallidea (Hypoxidaceae) were prominently used in the study area by THPs for the management schistosomiasis. THPs provided services to individuals who did not want to be treated in the mainstream health care system for schistosomiasis. Following the interviews with THPs, 124 healthcare workers (HCWs) were interviewed with the majority of them (114/124; 91.9%) reporting that Praziquantel was readily available in healthcare facilities. However, most of HCWs (76/124; 61.3%) did not know whether patients seen by them used concurrently TM and Praziquantel for schistosomiasis. No significant relationship between the availability of Praziquantel and the concurrent use of TM by patients for schistosomiasis (X2 = 3.042, p = 0.551) was found. Patients seen by THPs (20) were also interviewed in the same phase 1. They reported that they used TM only for schistosomiasis. Patients attending outpatient departments were also interviewed in this phase. More than half of them (8/15, 53.3%) crossed from TM to the mainstream healthcare system, but they did not disclose their use of TM to HCWs. After the interviews in phase 1, a medical chart review was conducted in phase 2 of the study to analyse the concurrent use of traditional medicine with conventional medicine for schistosomiasis. None of the medical chart records analyzed; documented the concurrent use of TM and Praziquantel. Conclusion TM played a key role in the management of schistosomiasis in the study area. HCWs indicated that although Praziquantel was readily available and free in public sector healthcare facilities, patients used TM for schistosomiasis. HCWs reported not to be aware of whether patients used concurrently TM and Praziquantel for the treatment of schistosomiasis. Further investigations are needed to establish the reasons for use, potential benefits or risks of the concurrent use of modern and traditional medicine for schistosomiasis. Biological studies on TM used for schistosomiasis in the study area are warranted to confirm the pharmacological properties and active compounds of medicinal plants used by THPs for schistosomiasis.Abstract also available in isiZulu in pdf

The burden of diarrhoeal diseases in the Democratic Republic of Congo : A time-series analysis of the global burden of disease study estimates (1990-2019)

This study was not funded. GMO received a scholarship from Chevening to study towards a Masters in Public Health at the University of Aberdeen.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Eckardt points on a cubic threefold

In this paper we survey Eckardt points on a smooth complex cubic threefold with an approach aimed at computing all Eckardt points of a cubic threefold. In addition, we construct cubic threefolds with no Eckardt points but containing triple lines.Comment: References adde

LA CRISE FINANCIÈRE INTERNATIONALE ET LES RISQUES ENCOURUS PAR LES ENTREPRISES CONGOLAISES

L’économie mondiale présente plusieurs façades qui sont, sans doute les éléments constitutifs de son déploiement tangible au sein de chaque société respective de la planète. Nous pouvons citer à l’occurrence les notions des propriétés privées, plus précisément des moyens de production, les concepts de libre échange sur des marchés et la libre concurrence, la notion de l’interventionnisme étatique etc… toutes ces données sont inhérentes au fonctionnement permanemment visible de l’économie dans le quotidien de notre vie. Il convient par ailleurs de souligner qu’une analyse introspective de l’économie mondiale laisse apparaitre un fait indéniable que son fonctionnement au travers l’histoire ne s’opère pas sans neufs. Il existe de cycle de période où l’économie mondiale est parfaitement viable et donc en plein essor ou croissement mais il apparait de temps où elle est fortement frappée par des crises de nature et d’origine diverse et diversifiée retraçant cette histoire mouvementée, l’économiste Paul KSUGMAN note ce qui suit « celles-ci fut cependant suivie par une période de croissance économique soutenue dans le monde industrialisé, ponctué de récessions courtes et modernisés alternant avec reprise vigoureuses et soutenues pendant toute une génération » Notre contribution n’a pas la prétention de s’étendre de manière exhaustive sur l’étude analytique des crises économiques qui ont frappé nos sociétés au cours des temps. Elle a pour objet spécifique de jeter au regard panoramique sur la crise 2008 qui a connu notre humanité contemporaine.L’économie mondiale présente plusieurs façades qui sont, sans doute les éléments constitutifs de son déploiement tangible au sein de chaque société respective de la planète. Nous pouvons citer à l’occurrence les notions des propriétés privées, plus précisément des moyens de production, les concepts de libre échange sur des marchés et la libre concurrence, la notion de l’interventionnisme étatique etc… toutes ces données sont inhérentes au fonctionnement permanemment visible de l’économie dans le quotidien de notre vie. Il convient par ailleurs de souligner qu’une analyse introspective de l’économie mondiale laisse apparaitre un fait indéniable que son fonctionnement au travers l’histoire ne s’opère pas sans neufs. Il existe de cycle de période où l’économie mondiale est parfaitement viable et donc en plein essor ou croissement mais il apparait de temps où elle est fortement frappée par des crises de nature et d’origine diverse et diversifiée retraçant cette histoire mouvementée, l’économiste Paul KSUGMAN note ce qui suit « celles-ci fut cependant suivie par une période de croissance économique soutenue dans le monde industrialisé, ponctué de récessions courtes et modernisés alternant avec reprise vigoureuses et soutenues pendant toute une génération » Notre contribution n’a pas la prétention de s’étendre de manière exhaustive sur l’étude analytique des crises économiques qui ont frappé nos sociétés au cours des temps. Elle a pour objet spécifique de jeter au regard panoramique sur la crise 2008 qui a connu notre humanité contemporaine

Diagnostic Des Geo-Helminthes Chez Les Enfants De 1-10 Ans A L’hopital General De Reference De Kintambo A Kinshasa En RDCONGO

This end-of-cycle work focused on the diagnosis of soil-transmitted helminths in children aged 1-10 years examined at the General Reference Hospital of Kintambo. The socio-demographic results of those diagnosed revealed that individuals of the male sex dominated over the female sex, with 31 cases or 62% against 19 cases or 38%.        According to the distribution of age groups, children whose age varies from 3-4 years were the most affected. The distribution of people diagnosed according to the positive results of soil-transmitted helminth species showed that Ascaris lumbricoides was the most represented species with a number of 37 children diagnosed out of 50, or 74%

Analyse du genocide rwandais : la causalité entre le genocide au Rwanda em 1994 et les massacres dans la République Démocratique du Congo

Orientadora: Prof.ª. Dr.ª Larissa Odreski RaminaDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Jurídicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Direito. Defesa : Curitiba, 30/07/2021Inclui referências: p. 114-126Resumo: A África é uma das regiões do mundo com uma representação muito forte dos conflitos armados. Em um período que vai de 1959, passa pela década de 1990 até 2002, há uma queda considerável nas guerras. As últimas décadas foram marcadas por conflitos internos e internacionais. Entre outras rebeliões, insurgências, conflitos, guerras civis e confrontos interétnicos, está o caso do genocídio em Ruanda, que representa uma forte influência do período colonial. Os colonos mostraram um interesse notável e considerável pelos Tutsis, que ainda estabelecerão um sistema de identificação étnica para poder acentuar a teoria separatista. Era obrigatório, a partir de determinada idade, portar carteira de identidade com a menção étnica, entre outros, Tutsi, Hutu ou Twa. Este elemento foi importante para o desenrolar do genocídio que se iniciará em 6 de abril de 1994 com o ataque ao avião do Presidente Habyarimana e seu homólogo burundese, como um estopim, para ter um aparente fim em julho do mesmo ano. Em três meses, somaram-se cerca de 800.000 mortes, a maioria dessas vítimas sendo tutsis. Infelizmente para as pessoas desta parte da África, o pesadelo não terminou nesses 100 dias, pois as retaliações prosseguiram, levando os Hutus a se refugiarem na vizinha RDC. Foi ao mesmo tempo que começaram as guerras na República Democrática do Congo (Ex Zaire). Vinte e sete anos depois, as consequências desse genocídio continuam ativas na RDC, por meio de múltiplos massacres, insurreições e saques sistemáticos de recursos naturais, tornando-se uma questão estratégica para a permanência dos conflitos africanos. Organizações internacionais estiveram presentes desde o início do genocídio, depois durante atos de represália no leste do Congo e ainda hoje nesta mesma parte do continente africano. O mundo inteiro acreditou que a comunidade internacional interviria imediatamente para pôr fim às atrocidades, mas esta demorou a agir. Sua presença ainda se verifica no leste do Congo e os massacres continuam. Esses crimes e violações dos direitos humanos, que ultrapassaram as fronteiras, continuam impunes, por terem sido cometidos fora do período temporal que se enquadra no mandato do Tribunal Penal Internacional para Ruanda.Abstract: Africa is one of the regions of the world that has a fairly strong representation of armed conflict. In a period from 1959, the 1990s until 2002, when there is a considerable decline in wars. The last decades have been marked by internal and international conflicts. Among others rebellions, insurrections, conflicts due to civil wars and interethnic clashes such as the case of the genocide in Rwanda, which represents a strong influence of the colonial legacy. The settlers showed a remarkable and considerable interest in the Tutsis, so they set up a system of ethnic identification to be able to accentuate their separatist theory. It was compulsory from the age of sixteen in Rwanda to have an identity card with an ethnic label. Among others, Tutsi, Hutu or Twa. This element was important for the unfolding of the genocide which began on April 6, 1994 with the attack on the plane of President Habyarimana and his Burundian counterpart, as a trigger, to have an apparent end in July of that same year. In three months, he had nearly 800,000 deaths. There were some from all ethnic groups, but the majority of these victims were Tutsis. Unfortunately for the people of this part of Africa, the nightmare did not end in those 100 days as it was later killed several times in retaliation

Scission oxydante de l'acide oléique sous ultrasons en présence du peroxyde d'hydrogène (H₂O₂)

Les huiles végétales ont été identifiées depuis longtemps comme première ressource naturelle à fort potentiel permettant de remplacer le pétrole. Les acides gras insaturés obtenus à partir des huiles végétales constituent une alternative pour la production de biopolymères. La scission oxydative de l’acide oléique (C18:1) conduit aux acides azélaïque et pélargonique. Ces acides gras possèdent de nombreuses applications industrielles : en particulier l’acide azélaïque qui est le premier précurseur dans la fabrication du polymère (nylon-6: 9) utilisé dans l’industrie textile pour la production de vêtements. Actuellement, cette réaction est réalisée dans l’industrie via l’ozonolyse. Cependant, cette réaction pose de nombreux problèmes, l’ozone est un produit dangereux qui comporte un risque élevé d’explosion. L’objectif est donc de mettre au point un procédé de clivage oxydatif performant, moins couteux et moins polluant que l’ozonolyse. C’est ainsi que pour répondre aux principes de chimie durable, nous avons choisi de travailler avec les ultrasons et un système oxydant à base d’eau oxygénée, associée à des nanocatalyseurs sous forme de nanoparticules magnétisables de façon à pouvoir les séparer par application d’un champ magnétique. Ce travail aborde le sujet du développement d’un système permettant la production des monoacides et diacides sous ultrasons dans un réacteur soit discontinu (batch) ou soit à alimentation continue. L’aspect original des conclusions du travail est la vision par laquelle les ondes ultrasonores affectent la vitesse des réactions de clivage oxydatif qui passe de 5 h à 15 min pour des conversions très élevées supérieures à 98 %. En utilisant ce processus, le temps et l’énergie sont sauvés. La cavitation par ultrason est rapide et génère de fines émulsions du système biphasique dans tout le volume du réacteur qui affectent le transfert de matière interphase. Celui-ci est accéléré, ce qui permet de hautes conversions de l’huile de canola en mono et diacides gras (azélaïque et pélargonique) avec un temps de résidence aussi bas que 6 min dans le cas d’un réacteur continu et 15 min dans un réacteur discontinu, sans avoir recours à un solvant organique. La technique de production des acides carboxyliques sous ultrasons est une nouvelle technologie prometteuse pour la fabrication de biopolymères.Vegetable oils have long been identified as a natural resource with high potential to replace petroleum. Unsaturated fatty acids obtained from vegetable oils are an alternative for the production of biopolymers. The oxidative cleavage of oleic acid (C18: 1) leads to azelaic and pelargonic acids. These fatty acids have many industrial applications: in particular azelaic acid which is a precursor in the manufacture of the polymer (nylon-6: 9) used in the textile industry for the production of clothing. Currently, this reaction is carried out in the industry via ozonolysis. However, this reaction poses many problems, since ozone is a dangerous product with a high risk of explosion. The objective is to develop an efficient oxidative cleavage process, less expensive and less polluting than ozonolysis. Thus, to meet the principles of sustainable chemistry, we chose to work with ultrasound and an oxidizing system based on hydrogen peroxide, associated with nanocatalysts in the form of magnetizable nanoparticles to separate them by a magnetic field. This work deals with the development of a system allowing the production of monoacids and diacids under ultrasound in a batch reactor or a continuous feed reactor. The original aspect of this work is the vision by which the ultrasonic waves affect the speed of the oxidative cleavage reactions which goes from 5 h to 15 min with conversions higher than 98%. Using this process, time and energy are saved. Ultrasonic cavitation is rapid and generates fine biphasic system emulsions throughout the reactor volume that affect interphase material transfer. The latter is accelerated which allows high conversions of canola oil into mono and di-fatty acids (azelaic and pelargonic) with a residence time as low as 6 min in the case of a continuous reactor and 15 min in a batch reactor, without the use of an organic solvent. The technique of producing carboxylic acids under ultrasound is a promising new technology for the manufacture of biopolymers.Résumé en espagno

Triple lines on a cubic threefold

The present paper deals with lines contained in a smooth complex cubic threefold. It is well-known that the set of lines of the second type on a cubic threefold is a curve on its Fano surface. Here we give a description of the singularities of this curve.Comment: Minor changes, reference added to arXiv:2106.0868

Geldanamycin inhibits tyrosine phosphorylation-dependent NF-kB activation

peer reviewedHsp90 is a protein chaperone regulating the stability and activity of many signalling molecules. The requirement of Hsp90 activity in the NF-κB pathway has been recently reported by several authors using the Hsp90 ATPase inhibitor Geldanamycin (GA), an anti-tumour drug. Hsp90 inhibition blocks the synthesis and activation of the IKK complex, the major kinases complex responsible for IκBα phosphorylation on serine 32 and 36, a key step for its degradation and the nuclear translocation of NF-κB. However, the effect of GA on other IκBα kinases, including tyrosine kinases, is unknown. In the present study, we investigated the effect of GA on NF-κB activation induced by sodium pervanadate (PV), a tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor triggering c-Src-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of IκBα. We reporte for the first time that GA inhibits PV-induced IκBα tyrosine phosphorylation and degradation. Using an in vitro kinase assay, we demonstrated that GA inhibits the activity of c-Src as an IκBα tyrosine kinase, but not its cellular expression. As a result, GA blocked PV-induced NF-κB DNA binding activity on an exogenous κB element and on the endogenous iκbα promoter, thereby inhibiting IκBα transcription. Finally, we demonstrated that, despite NF-κB inhibition, pre-treatment with GA does not potentiate PV-induced apoptosis. We conclude that c-Src requires Hsp90 for its tyrosine kinase activity, and its inhibition by GA blocks c-Src-dependent signalling pathways, such as NF-κB activation induced by sodium pervanadate. The effect of GA on PV-induced apoptosis is discussed in the light of recent publications in the literature