The expansion and diversification of the claudin gene family: insight from the lamprey

Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witswatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. May 2015 in JohannesburgClaudins are a large gene family found in all vertebrates. Claudins encode tetraspan membrane proteins, involved in the structure and function of the tight junctions. This association of cells leads to the formation of the epithelial sheet which is involved in many functions such as embryo morphogenesis. The NCBI database shows 27 claudins identified in humans; 23 in mice and 17 in Xenopus. This suggests that an increase in gene family size may correlate with the evolution of more complex vertebrates. In this study claudins from the most basal extant vertebrate, the sea lamprey, were investigated. RNA used to build up the lamprey genome by Jeramiah Smith (Smith et al., 2012), was used for lamprey claudin sequences. Additionally this study identified 2 more claudins (Cldn B & Cldn F). The phylogenetic tree constructed using claudins from higher vertebrate model organisms and the invertebrates Ciona intestinalis and Drosophila melanogaster; showed that lamprey claudins are evolutionarily more distantly related to their orthologs in higher vertebrates. Furthermore some claudins in lamprey did not show any homologs in higher vertebrates and vice versa, indicating the emergence of novel members in higher vertebrates. However lamprey Cldn A was found to be homologous to CLDN 3 in higher vertebrates. This is interesting since CLDN 3 is involved in the development of two vertebrate specific traits; one of which is the ear placode. Thus Cldn A (renamed Cldn 3B), was made a focus of this study. RNA in situ hybridization using probes designed from individual UTRs showed localised expression of Cldn 3B in the ear placode, pharyngeal pouch, pericardial cavity and the fin fold whereas Cldn B (renamed Cldn 8B) was mostly expressed in the pharyngeal pouch and ear placode much like its orthologs in higher vertebrates. Knockout experiments showed that Cldn 3B is involved in sealing and expansion of the ear placode and pharyngeal arches during development whereas Cldn 8B is involved in determining ear placode development. Thus claudins are seen to be heavily involved in the morphology of vertebrate specific traits therefore an expansion in this gene family would affect the complexity of vertebrates during evolution

“Work opportunity, budgetary constraint, housing and well-being” A qualitative study exploring the financial situation and well-being of patients receiving opioid substitution therapy

Master Thesis in Global HealthINTH395BMAMD-GLO

Analyse des modalités de livraison liées à l'évolution technologique du e-commerce

Cette étude vise à déterminer les modalités de livraison les plus durables. L’idée de la démarche est d’intégrer au développement technologique du e-commerce la notion de durabilité. Avec la croissance soutenue du nombre de colis livrés par année, il y a là un enjeu majeur pour ce nouveau mode de consommation. Ce travail a également pour objectif d’apporter une vision critique et constructive afin de faire évoluer les solutions actuelles ou en cours de développement. Pour ce faire, l’analyse PESTEL – Politique, Economique, Socio-culturel, Technologique, Environnemental, Légal –, l'étude des parties prenantes et l’analyse multicritères sont les outils appropriés permettant de rassembler le maximum d’éléments sur les dimensions économiques, sociales et environnementales. A l’issu de ces analyses, un premier aperçu des modalités les plus prometteuses et de celles qui sont relativement moins intéressantes à développer sera établi. Pour alléger la recherche, une sélection sera effectuée afin de concentrer l’analyse sur les modalités durables et viables. A ce stade du rapport, les avantages et inconvénients des différentes modalités seront identifiés. Afin de mieux apprécier ces éléments, une représentation SWOT – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats en français Forces, Faiblesses, Opportunités, Menaces – illustrera la partie synthèse. Elle sera enrichie des implications probables sur le marché du travail. La sauvegarde du métier de livreur, la satisfaction des clients, le respect de l’environnement ainsi que les intérêts économiques des acteurs du marché sont les boussoles qui induisent les recommandations de ce travail. L’adaptation des livraisons actuelles grâce au concours des outils de communication modernes fait par exemple partie des conseils les plus rentables et simples à réaliser. Quelques résultats surprenants ainsi que des recommandations utiles figurent également dans ce rapport. Elles vous donneront sans aucun doute un nouveau regard sur votre prochaine livraison. Deviendrez-vous alors acteur du changement

An In-Depth Evaluation of Micro-Surfacing Treatment

Micro-surfacing since its formal introduction in 1980 has proved to be the number one treatment option for maintenance and preservation of pavements. This paper reviews the design and equipment practice, construction process, benefits, limitations and worldwide state of the practice of micro-surfacing. Two implemented project examples are also included to corroborate why micro-surfacing is a better preservation maintenance strategy. The general consensus from the literature is that micro-surfacing is a cost effective and eco-friendly treatment but more research needs to be done to validate and quantify the less environmental impacts and energy usage it offers unlike other treatments. Suggestions like standardization of the mixture design and whether rolling of the micro-surfacing surface adds value are future research topics that will greatly improve its effectiveness. It is my hope that through this review, more developing countries under strict budgetary constraints can take up this practice and enjoy the many benefits that micro-surfacing offers

Reducing CO₂ Emissions Through Industrial Symbiosis: A Simultaneous Heat and Mass Integration Approach

CO₂ emissions have a harmful effect on the environment as CO₂ is the most significant contributor to global climate change. In 2015, representatives from countries around the globe met at the Paris Climate Conference to discuss the status of the global carbon budget and climate change. There, it was agreed to make a global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is expected intergovernmental mandates will be implemented to limit CO₂ emissions in effort to cap the global temperature rise at 2°C above pre-industrial temperatures. Reduction of CO₂ emissions is one of the most important strategies in addressing global climate change. About half of all CO₂ emissions come from industry and power plants. Therefore, these stationary sources are logical starting points for consideration. A commonly proposed solution to reducing CO₂ emissions is Carbon Capture, Utilization and Sequestration (CCUS). This strategy presents the opportunity to simultaneously reduce CO₂ emissions and create valuable products from waste material, generating profit for companies without the need to overhaul the energy infrastructure. However, despite the promise of CCUS, the chemical properties of CO₂ have rendered many developments in this area to be cost prohibitive. The objective of this work is to demonstrate that by applying the principles of heat and mass integration through an industrial-symbiosis approach, CO₂ utilization processes can be integrated into eco-industrial parks to yield value-added chemicals in a cost-effective manner while offering enhanced CO₂ fixation. A hierarchical approach and an optimization formulation have been developed to screen the alternatives and to provide conceptual designs of the promising pathways and integration strategies. A case study was solved to illustrate the merits of the proposed approach. Preliminary screening shows that, when integrated with a typical hydrocarbon processing industrial city, urea, methanol, formic acid, acetic acid and ethylene glycol are viable candidates for production from CO₂. Various configurations of these processes show a positive net fixation of CO₂ while generating a profit. The overall reduction of CO₂ emissions, however, is limited to around 16% due to capacity constraints on the new processes

The earliest iron-producing communities in the Lower Congo region of Central Africa : new insights from the Bu, Kindu and Mantsetsi sites

In 2015 the KongoKing research project team excavated the Bu, Kindu and Mantsetsi sites situated in the Kongo-Central Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). All are part of the Kay Ladio Group. This is the first detailed publication on this cultural group, to which no contemporary ones can currently be linked, either from the Atlantic coast of Congo-Brazzaville or from along the Congo River and its tributaries upstream of Kinshasa. Dated to between cal. AD 30 and 475, these settlements mark the presence of what are so far the oldest known iron-producing communities south of the Central African equatorial forest. Evidence for metallurgy is associated with remants of polished stone axes, which were perhaps being used for ritual purposes by this point in time. The charcoal remains found at the sites indicate a savanna environment that was more wooded in Kindu and Mantsetsi than in Bu

Smart Homes and Sustainable Cities: The Design of a Low-Cost Solution for Comprehensive Home Automation

The challenge for smart cities is to connect as many of its inhabitants to technology enabling solutions that improve their lives. Smart homes provide all users a means of interacting and impacting their environment. In developing economies this proves challenging and these challenges are daunting and overwhelming since system costs are always a foreboding factor. The chapter addresses these challenges by providing a low-cost solution for a home energy saving measure. It introduces an overview of enabling technologies for a smart home by considering energy management, energy saving, load management and monitoring and control of living spaces. By leveraging the application of the Internet of Things (IoT) and load management strategies, the realisation of a smart home is made possible. This chapter presents a broad overview of the design and development of a web-enabled smart home solution. Web development and control systems together form the backbone of automation for modern home automation technologies such as the Internet of Things and embedded systems. The developed web-enabled home automation incorporates elements of web developed software application and digital control systems. The web-enabled interface energy saving measure is a networked system that uses web-enabled applications for enabling energy efficiency by incorporating load management, remote power consumption, monitoring and control

Thrombasthénie de Glanzmann: à propos de 11 cas

Introduction: La thrombasthénie de Glanzmann est une pathologie hémorragique héréditaire rare due à une déficience ou un dysfonctionnement du complexe glycoprotéique IIb/IIIa de la membrane  plaquettaire. Le but de notre étude est de décrire les caractéristiques démographiques, cliniques et biologiques d'une série de patients atteints de thrombasthénie de Glanzmann.Méthodes: C'est une étude portant sur tous les patients atteints de thrombasthénie de Glanzmann  diagnostiqués au Laboratoire Central d'Hématologie du Centre Hospitalier Ibn Sina de Rabat au Maroc pendant la période allant du 1er mars 2011 au 31 mars 2013, soit 25 mois. Après avoir recueilli les  données  épidémiologiques et cliniques de nos patients, nous avons réalisé une étude biologique comportant une  numération plaquettaire et une agrégométrie. Résultats: 11 patients ont présenté des profils agrégométriques compatibles à une TG. La majorité de ces malades étaient issus de mariages consanguins (54,5%) et originaires de régions situées dans le nord du Maroc. Le syndrome hémorragique s'est révélé principalement cutanéo-muqueux, avec une prédominance des gingivorragies (72,7%), des épistaxis (63,6%) et des ecchymoses (45,5%). Conclusion: Nos résultats ont montré que la thrombasthénie de Glanzmann est une pathologie relativement fréquente au Maroc.Key words: Thrombasthénie de Glanzmann, plaquettes, hémorragie, Maro

Sustainable Fashion: Current and Future Research Directions

Purpose:The sustainable fashion literature is fragmented across the management discipline, leaving the path to a sustainable fashion future unclear. As of yet, there has been no attempt to bring these insights together, or to more generally explore the question of “what do we know about sustainable fashion and where do we go from here?” The aim of this review paper is to bring together the sustainable fashion field, identifying opportunities for societal impact and further research.Design/methodology/approach:A systematic literature review was conducted from the first appearances of sustainable fashion in the management literature in 2000 up to articles published in June 2019, resulting in 465 included articles. Findings:The results illustrate that sustainable fashion research is largely defined by two approaches: pragmatic change and radical change. Our findings reveal seven research streams that span across the discipline to explore how organisational and consumer habits can be shaped for the future. Research limitations/implications:What is known about sustainable fashion is constantly evolving with a variety of contributions from multiple fields. The paper aims to provide a representative sample of the state of sustainable fashion in management literature to date, but space limitations make a full exploration of all contributions impossible.Practical implications:This review provides decision makers with insights that have been synthesised from across the management field.Originality/value:This review identifies knowledge gaps and informs managerial decision making in the field, particularly through serving as a foundation for further research.<br/