A Neo-colonialist French Foreign Policy in Africa? Insights from Côte d'Ivoire

The main aim of this paper is to analyze possible persistent French neo- colonialism in Africa. The first section deals with the theoretical framework of the term under scrutiny, followed by an analysis of the genesis of contemporary French foreign policy towards Africa by comparing the French presidential administrations, as well as analyzing the persistent French military presence in Africa. The paper also focuses on the study of France’s relations with African countries using the example of Côte d’Ivoire and of the French military intervention during the civil war in Côte d’Ivoire (2002). The paper discusses the main consequences of French interventions in the region, and the result of the analysis is a comprehensive assessment of current mutual relations and of the current French influence in sub-Saharan Africa

Application of Lean Manufacturing Methods in the Production of Ultrasonic Sensor

The paper deals with the use of lean manufacturing methods for ultrasonic sensors production optimization. The company where this case study was applied is part of a group that is one of the most important suppliers in the automotive industry. It is necessary for companies to constantly improve and innovate their production environment to remain competitive in the market. The current car manufacturers\u27 demands include the pressure to increase production efficiency which can be achieved by implementing lean management. Production processes are never perfect and need to be improved and optimized to achieve the ideal state. The optimization focuses on the part of the sensor production line where the cap and seal are fitted. The ultrasonic sensor is used for measuring the oil level and temperature in a narrow area. The case study aims to optimize the fitting process problem and the resulting product of this process because it does not meet the quality requirements

Methods for calculating economic weights of traits in pigs

Selection of animals is performed on the basis of a complex of traits, which are characterised by breeding values and economic weights. Various methodologies are used to choose the most important traits in pig breeding programs. Using the subjective approach, economic importance of pig traits were based on the required genetic gain and on subjective decision of the breeders. These methods could be ambiguous, however the insufficient information about the trait importance can be complemented in some cases (e.g. for organic pig farms). In objective methods, the performance of a pig production system (measured as profit or costs) in relation to improving the genetic level of a pig trait is considered. Compared to other livestock species, pigs breeding structure play some role when defining the trait economic weights. The general, flexible and fee available computer program would be useful tool for calculating economic weights of pig traits

Top-Down proteomics based on LC-MS combined with cDNA sequencing to characterize multiple proteoforms of Amiata donkey milk proteins

An in-depth molecular characterization of the main milk proteins, caseins (CNs) and whey proteins, from Amiata donkey combining top-down proteomic analysis (LC-MS) and cDNA sequencing, revealed multiple proteoforms arising from complex splicing patterns, including cryptic splice site usage and exon skipping events. Posttranslational modifications, in particular phosphorylation, increased the variety and complexity of proteoforms. αs2-CN perfectly exemplifies such a complexity. With 2 functional genes, CSN1S2 I and CSN1S2 II, made of 20 and 16 exons respectively, nearly 30 different molecules of this CN were detected in the milk of one Amiata donkey. A cryptic splice site usage, leading to a singular shift of the open reading frame and generating two αs2-CN I isoforms with different C-terminal sequences, was brought to light. Twenty different αs1-CN molecules with different phosphorylation levels ranging between 4 and 9P were identified in a single milk sample, most of them resulting from exon skipping events and cryptic splice site usage. Novel genetic polymorphisms were detected for CNs (β- and αs-CN) as well as for whey proteins (lysozyme C and β-LG I). The probable new β-LG I variant, with a significantly higher mass than known variants, appears to display an N-terminal extension possibly related to the signal peptide sequence. This represents the most comprehensive report to date detailing the complexity of donkey milk protein micro-heterogeneity, a prerequisite for discovering new elements to objectify the original properties of donkey’s milk

Bio-economic Models for Efficient Dairy Cattle Breeding

The objective of this study was to define the main principles when the economic weights of traits are defined to be applicate in dairy cattle breeding. The competitive farming is a function of additive genetic values of traits weighted with economic values. For the calculation of economic values, the bio-economic models are mostly used. These models should reflect the production circumstances of evaluated production systems and be flexible to fit other production situations. Except of the production traits, the functional traits and traits for feed intake utilization are very important for the sustainable production. The environmental benefits (e. g. reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, welfare) should be mentioned as well. Results based on the bio-economic models provide the first information whether the breeding goal for cattle would be redefined. Moreover, flexibility of the bio-economic models enables to evaluate the breeding goals for different customer groups and for different cattle breeds. They are beneficial tools for comprehensive evaluation of the economic values for the most important traits in cattle and in sheep

Bacteremias caused by Escherichia coli in cancer patients — analysis of 65 episodes

AbstractObjectives: The aims of this study were to evaluate risk factors, clinical presentation, outcome and antimicrobial susceptibility in patients with Escherichia coli bacteremia occurring over seven years in a single cancer hospital.Methods: Sixty five episodes of bacteremia from E. coli appearing over seven years from 12,301 admissions in a single cancer institution were retrospectively analyzed.Results: The proportion of bacteremia caused by E. coli among Gram-negative bacteremia was 20.8% (the second most common organism after Pseudomonas aeruginosa), and infection-associated mortality was 17%.The incidence in 1989–1995 varied from 14.3 to 24.7%. The most common risk factors were: solid tumors as the underlying disease (70.7%); central venous catheter insertion (32.3%); prior surgery (46.2%), and prior chemotherapy within 48 h (44.4%). Neutropenia and urinary catheters did not place patients at high risk in any of the subgroups. When we compared the two subgroups of 61 cases of bacteremia — monomicrobial and polymicrobial (when E. coli was isolated from blood culture with another microorganism) — we found that acute leukemia and breakthrough (recurrence while receiving antibiotics) bacteremia were more frequently associated with polymicrobial E. coli bacteremia. There was also a difference in infection-associated mortality: monomicrobial bacteremia due to E. coli only had a significantly lower mortality in comparison with polymicrobial E. coli bacteremia (8.9 vs 35.0%, respectively; P<0.03).Conclusion: The susceptibility of 115 E. coli strains isolated from 65 episodes of bacteremia was stable. Only two episodes caused by quinolone-resistant strains occurred, both in 1995, after six years of using ofloxacin for prophylaxis in neutropenic patients in our hospital. We found that 85.2–91.3% of all strains were susceptible to aminoglycosides, 97.8% to quinolones, and 90–100% to third generation cephalosporins and imipenems.The patients most commonly infected had solid tumors and the mortality was only 17%

Characterisation of adipocyte-derived extracellular vesicle subtypes identifies distinct protein and lipid signatures for large and small extracellular vesicles

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are biological vectors that can modulate the metabolism of target cells by conveying signalling proteins and genomic material. The level of EVs in plasma is significantly increased in cardiometabolic diseases associated with obesity, suggesting their possible participation in the development of metabolic dysfunction. With regard to the poor definition of adipocyte-derived EVs, the purpose of this study was to characterise both qualitatively and quantitatively EVs subpopulations secreted by fat cells. Adipocyte-derived EVs were isolated by differential centrifugation of conditioned media collected from 3T3-L1 adipocytes cultured for 24 h in serum-free conditions. Based on morphological and biochemical properties, as well as quantification of secreted EVs, we distinguished two subpopulations of adipocyte-derived EVs, namely small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) and large extracellular vesicles (lEVs). Proteomic analyses revealed that lEVs and sEVs exhibit specific protein signatures, allowing us not only to define novel markers of each population, but also to predict their biological functions. Despite similar phospholipid patterns, the comparative lipidomic analysis performed on these EV subclasses revealed a specific cholesterol enrichment of the sEV population, whereas lEVs were characterised by high amounts of externalised phosphatidylserine. Enhanced secretion of lEVs and sEVs is achievable following exposure to different biological stimuli related to the chronic low-grade inflammation state associated with obesity. Finally, we demonstrate the ability of primary murine adipocytes to secrete sEVs and lEVs, which display physical and biological characteristics similar to those described for 3T3-L1. Our study provides additional information and elements to define EV subtypes based on the characterisation of adipocyte-derived EV populations. It also underscores the need to distinguish EV subpopulations, through a combination of multiple approaches and markers, since their specific composition may cause distinct metabolic responses in recipient cells and tissues