104 research outputs found
The Properties of the Fatty Aldehyde Decarbonylase from Synechocystis PCC6803
Alkanes dominate the constituents of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel and are naturally produced by diverse species; saturated and unsaturated fatty acids are converted to alkanes and alkenes respectively by the enzyme aldehyde decarbonylase (AD). Here we describe the over-expression, purification, data collected and X-ray crystal structure solved for the AD protein from Synechocystis PCC6803.
This report describes the optimisation of over-expression, protein purification and characterization and crystallisation of the Synechocystis cyanobacterial AD enzyme (SynADC) has been carried out. The optimisation of protein expression has been carried out using the pET160, pET22b and pColdTM II. Expression of soluble protein was obtained with all vectors. The initial LumioTM tag on pET160 prevented the protein from crystallising; the pColdTM II vector with a small His-tag was used for high soluble protein over-expression. The purification of the SynADC was optimized and the enzyme was characterised biochemically, SynADC was found to be a dimer of 29 kDa molecular weight. Metal contents were investigated using ICP-MS, SynADC protein was found to contain; Zn, Fe, Ni and Mn metals in a ratio (2.37, 1.16, 0.137, and 0.032) mg/l respectively.
The enzyme has been assayed using a series of ferredoxin assays of (C8, C10, C12, C13, C16 and C18) and activity has been determined using C13 aldehyde and C18 aldehyde.
The enzyme has been successfully crystallised with four different ligands (valeric acid, Hexanoic acid, C4 and C8) using the microbatch method and metal soaking, this has allowed the X-ray structure to be determined. Based on this structure predication of electron transfer mechanism, a mutagenesis experiment has been carried out with the change of Asp143 to Asn, Leu and Ala. The enzyme has been assayed using PMS. Experiments to determine potential proteins, which could interact with SynADC, have been carried out. Positive results have been obtained using SDS-PAGE however, more protein is required for mass spectrometric determination.
This project was part of a larger study to clone and solve the structure of the Synechocystis Cyanobacterial AD in order to understand its substrate specificity and mechanism. Work carried out in collaboration with others is clearly mentioned in this thesis
Monitoring and Evaluation of the Emergency Plan Progress (MEEPP): End-of-project evaluation
This report evaluates the scope of the Monitoring and Evaluation of the Emergency Plan Progress (MEEPP) and the lessons learned from the project in Uganda, which aims to improve availability and quality of PEPFAR data
Protecting hope: Situation analysis of vulnerable children in Uganda 2009
The Government of Uganda has focused attention on the problem of orphaned and other vulnerable children through a number of policies, regulations, and initiatives. In 2004, the Ministry of Gender Labor and Social Development developed the National OVC Policy, aimed at improving the quality of life for poor and vulnerable children, such as children who have been orphaned, children who are living on the streets, children who are at risk of abuse, and children exposed to situations of armed conflict. However, despite the many efforts to improve the circumstances of vulnerable children in Uganda, policymakers, donors, and program managers still lack comprehensive and up-to-date information about their numbers, geographic distribution, characteristics, and needs. Furthermore, documentation of existing programs addressing the circumstances of vulnerable children is limited. To address these needs, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Uganda contracted the Population Council and its partners, Uganda Bureau of Statistics and Mathematica Policy Research, to conduct a situation analysis of vulnerable children in Uganda. The situation analysis aims to increase the understanding of the scope of the problem of vulnerable children and the response to it, including the full spectrum of core services, in order to facilitate country-wide planning and to inform current and future programming efforts
Situation assessment of the HIV response among young people in Zambia
The main objective of this situational assessment is to compile and synthesize existing recent information on HIV and young people together with the current AIDS response for young people in Zambia—including programs, policies, and key partners—and to document gaps and challenges in the response. The assessment aims to further strengthen this response by all stakeholders including the Government of the Republic of Zambia, the UN, faith-based organizations, civil society organizations, donors, young people, and youth-led organizations. Recommendations include: amending and strengthening laws related to HIV programming for young people and involving them in design and implementation; offering health services, life skills, and HIV education; developing program guidelines, including monitoring and evaluation; and allowing the Joint United Nations Team on AIDS to take a leading role
Programme recommendations for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV: A practical guide for managers
UNAIDS estimates that 800,000 children were infected with HIV in 2001, almost all through transmission of the virus from their mothers during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding. Of these, seven of each eight live in sub-Saharan Africa and most of the rest live in South and Southeast Asia. To combat mother-to-child transmission of HIV (MTCT), in 1999 the UNAIDS Secretariat, UNFPA, UNICEF, and WHO launched the Inter Agency Task Team on Prevention of HIV Transmission in Pregnant Women, Mothers, and Their Children (IATT), which provides guidance for prevention of MTCT (PMTCT). In the view of the IATT, PMTCT is part of broader strategies to prevent the transmission of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, to care for HIV-positive women and their families, and to promote maternal-child health. The IATT has proposed a four-pronged approach for the prevention of HIV transmission to pregnant women, mothers, and their children, yet significant financial and technical challenges remain. To address these challenges, UNICEF has supported 11 pilot projects in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. This HIV/AIDS working paper provides guidance for improving and scaling up PMTCT programs, based on what program managers and evaluators identify as successful strategies
Knowing myself first : Feasibility of self-testing among health workers in Kenya
Report of a study exploring the feasibility and acceptability of free HIV home self-testing among health workers in Kenya, within the range of other HIV testing options available
Implementing incentive-based HIV interventions in Zambia: The COMPACT model
The Population Council received a cooperative agreement from USAID to implement the Community Mobilization for Preventive Action (COMPACT) project, to develop and determine the feasibility of “community compacts” as an innovative approach to prevent HIV in Zambian communities. The aim is to mobilize the communities through a capacity-building process that enables them to identify HIV prevention targets, develop interventions to achieve those targets, and measure the results. This study determined baseline levels of key indicators related to HIV, sexual behaviors, gender-based violence, alcohol abuse, and reproductive health. These baseline measures will be compared with midline and endline levels to assess COMPACT’s programmatic success. Additionally, the baseline findings provided critical insights into key areas for interventions in these four communities and highlighted variability in the populations across the communities and between males and females that provide valuable guidance for programming
Integrating HIV prevention and care into maternal and child health care settings: Lessons learned from Horizons studies
Many women in the developing world still lack access to high-quality HIV/AIDS prevention and care services. To address this problem, Horizons has undertaken a range of operations research efforts that examine the integration of HIV-related care in the maternal-child health setting. At a workshop held in Kenya in July 2001, participants discussed the experience to date and formulated practical strategies for improving the integration. This consultation report summarizes that discussion according to the following seven key program components: Training and Motivation to Improve the Performance of Health Workers; Supervision of HIV Services and Quality Assurance of HIV Testing; Caring for Mothers; Voluntary Counseling and Testing Services; Counseling on Infant Feeding; Provision of Antiretroviral Drugs to Reduce Mother-to-Child Transmission; Involving Male Partners
Evaluation of United Nations-supported pilot projects for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV: Overview of findings
Worldwide about 800,000 children a year get HIV infections from their mothers—either during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding. Countries have the potential to prevent a large share of these infections through low-cost, effective interventions. UN agencies have taken the lead in helping developing countries mount programs for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT). This working paper presents key findings from an evaluation of UN-supported pilot PMTCT projects in 11 countries: Botswana, Burundi, Cote d’Ivoire, Honduras, India, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Key findings include feasibility and coverage, factors contributing to program coverage, program challenges, scaling up, the special case of low-prevalence countries, and recommendations. The pilot experience has shown that introducing PMTCT programs into antenatal care in a wide variety of settings is feasible and acceptable to a significant proportion of antenatal care clients who have a demand for HIV information, counseling, and testing. As they go to scale, PMTCT programs can learn from the pilot phase, during which hundreds of thousands of clients were successfully reached
Introduction: Going Public
The period in which the public history movement has developed has been one of considerable change. This has been a result of the passing of post-war generations, the effects wrought by continuing internal and external conflicts, the globalisation of economies, the emergence of new media forms and the major impact of the digital revolution. This has seen significant shifts in the transmission, reception and practice of history
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