The use of port state measures as a tool of combating illegal unreported unregulated fishing: Is there a need for expansion of coastal state jurisdiction?

This dissertation examines the scope and limitations of port state jurisdiction with respect to the enforcement of international conservation and management measures established under international and national instruments. The current fisheries regulatory regimes rely primarily on flag states to enforce these measures against foreign vessels. The aim of this dissertation is to recommend an expansion of port state enforcement jurisdiction over foreign vessels when fishing in the high seas. The expansion of port state jurisdiction supplements the role of flag states in enforcing the provisions of international conventions and agreements applicable in the high seas and also fills in where flag of convenience fishing vessels have failed to do so. To support this view, the dissertation will compare the issue of illegal unreported unregulated fishing with the issue of marine pollution. The significance of this comparison is to show how provisions in regard to marine pollution, have legitimized the expansion of port state jurisdiction to the extent that port states have enforcement jurisdiction over foreign flagged vessels which violate the provisions of LOSC relating to marine pollution in the high seas

Faith, gender and peacebuilding: The roles of women of faith in peacebuilding in the Conflict between the Gusii and Maasai of south-western Kenya.

This thesis explores the roles of women of faith in peacebuilding in the conflict between the Gusii and Maasai of South-western Kenya. While religion has at times legitimated women’s exclusion and predominantly created male religious elite figures in peacebuilding, I demonstrate how women of faith deploy religious resources for peace. Acting within complex unequal gendered socio-cultural conditions and positions, the women of faith deploy religious faith as an identity, motivation, and legitimating moral authority and voice in peacebuilding. Gendered barriers hinder them from finding status and a place in formal peacebuilding mechanisms alongside males, but still the women of faith struggle and develop an attitude and disposition of moral influence, and faith power that facilitates them to act as agents in peacebuilding. The women of faith deploy religious resources in mourning and burial rituals of healing and reconciliation, in everyday spiritual practices of sharing lives, and through services that provide security and protection especially for children, the elderly, the injured and the infirm. Religion enables women to establish protective infrastructure through women of faith networks and organizations that provide services to the community, mobilize human capital, and conduct outreach and community engagement. I show that even as the women of faith deploy these religious resources for peacebuilding, they recognize the gendered barriers they are faced with and the public peacebuilding mechanisms that they are excluded from. Deployment of religious resources for peacebuilding intersects with gender identities and relations, and in some instances religious faith transcends established gender norms and gendered barriers or even removes them

How to transform Africa's food system

This paper has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union through the African Research Initiative for Scientific Excellence (ARISE; Grant no. DCI-PANAF/2020/420-028).In 2021, one in five people in Africa was affected by hunger, and the continent had the highest prevalence of undernourished people globally. We argue that food systems in Africa can be more resilient if their development includes climate adaptation. About 64% of the world’s available arable land is in Africa. The continent is also host to a young workforce, and a range of traditional agricultural practices and emerging technologies that can revolutionise food production and trade. Yet, the number of undernourished African people is rising, with an increase from 15.5% to 20.3% between 2010 and 20213. The population in Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to almost double by 2050, to reach about 2.1 billion people4, which will further increase demand for food. While efforts are being made to enhance Africa’s food security and resilience, existing food systems have not properly addressed its needs and priorities. We propose five pathways to help shape and transform Africa’s food systems, drawing on ideas discussed at a session at the Adaptation Futures Conference held in October 2023 in Montreal, Canada that was convened by the African Research Initiative for Scientific Excellence programme. The pathways range from the development of food systems on urban fringes to revamping urban agroforestry policy and practices; reforming land use policies; investing in research, technology, and innovation; and minimizing inequalities in adaptive capacity strengthening.Peer reviewe

Intraseasonal Precipitation Variability over West Africa under 1.5 °C and 2.0 °C Global Warming Scenarios: Results from CORDEX RCMs.

This study assessed the performance of 24 simulations, from five regional climate models (RCMs) participating in the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX), in representing spatiotemporal characteristics of precipitation over West Africa, compared to observations. The top five performing RCM simulations were used to assess future precipitation changes over West Africa, under 1.5 °C and 2.0 °C global warming levels (GWLs), following the representative concentration pathway (RCP) 8.5. The performance evaluation and future change assessment were done using a set of seven ‘descriptors’ of West African precipitation namely the simple precipitation intensity index (SDII), the consecutive wet days (CWD), the number of wet days index (R1MM), the number of wet days with moderate and heavy intensity precipitation (R10MM and R30MM, respectively), and annual and June to September daily mean precipitation (ANN and JJAS, respectively). The performance assessment and future change outlook were done for the CORDEX–Africa subdomains of north West Africa (WA-N), south West Africa (WA-S), and a combination of the two subdomains. While the performance of RCM runs was descriptor- and subregion- specific, five model runs emerged as top performers in representing precipitation characteristics over both WA-N and WA-S. The five model runs are CCLM4 forced by ICHEC-EC-EARTH (r12i1p1), RCA4 forced by CCCma-CanESM2 (r1i1p1), RACMO22T forced by MOHC-HadGEM2-ES (r1i1p1), and the ensemble means of simulations made by CCLM4 and RACMO22T. All precipitation descriptors recorded a reduction under the two warming levels, except the SDII which recorded an increase. Unlike the WA-N that showed less frequency and more intense precipitation, the WA-S showed increased frequency and intensity. Given the potential impact that these projected changes may have on West Africa’s socioeconomic activities, adjustments in investment may be required to take advantage of (and enhance system resilience against damage that may result from) the potential changes in precipitation

Convergent antibody responses are associated with broad neutralization of hepatitis C virus

IntroductionEarly development of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) targeting the hepatitis C virus (HCV) envelope glycoprotein E2 is associated with spontaneous clearance of infection, so induction of bNAbs is a major goal of HCV vaccine development. However, the molecular antibody features important for broad neutralization are not known.MethodsTo identify B cell repertoire features associated with broad neutralization, we performed RNA sequencing of the B cell receptors (BCRs) of HCV E2-reactive B cells of HCV-infected individuals with either high or low plasma neutralizing breadth. We then produced a monoclonal antibody (mAb) expressed by pairing the most abundant heavy and light chains from public clonotypes identified among clearance, high neutralization subjects.ResultsWe found distinctive BCR features associated with broad neutralization of HCV, including long heavy chain complementarity determining region 3 (CDRH3) regions, specific VH gene usage, increased frequencies of somatic hypermutation, and particular VH gene mutations. Most intriguing, we identified many E2-reactive public BCR clonotypes (heavy and light chain clones with the same V and J-genes and identical CDR3 sequences) present only in subjects who produced highly neutralizing plasma. The majority of these public clonotypes were shared by two subjects who cleared infection. A mAb expressing the most abundant public heavy and light chains from these clearance, high neutralization subjects had features enriched in high neutralization clonotypes, such as increased somatic hypermutation frequency and usage of IGHV1-69, and was cross-neutralizing.DiscussionTogether, these results demonstrate distinct BCR repertoires associated with high plasma neutralizing capacity. Further characterization of the molecular features and function of these antibodies can inform HCV vaccine development

An Investigation Of Pre-Service Elementary-School Teachers\u27 Knowledge Of Properties Of Real Numbers

Current recommendations for school mathematics include teaching algebra as a K–12 content stranding beginning in the elementary-school grades. The focus of this study was on preservice elementary mathematics teachers’ knowledge of algebra content in the intended curriculum for K–8 mathematics. In the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM), great emphasis is placed on numerical structure, and the usefulness of number properties in algebraic manipulation. In this study, preservice teachers’ knowledge of structural properties was explored. The purpose of this study was to investigate the knowledge that preservice elementary teachers have about number properties and whether they could apply these properties in meaningful ways. Preservice elementary teachers (PETs) at a community college in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic were sought to participate in this study. Participants were sought from three courses: MT1, MT2, and MT3. The teaching intervention was situated in the MT1 course because part of the course’s learning outcomes included fostering numerical and algebraic reasoning. Participating PETs in MT2 and MT3 received no special instruction on properties of real numbers because that content was supposed to have been taught and learned in the MT1 course. Both the quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed that the participating PETs did not demonstrate strong knowledge of properties. The analyses revealed that there was not an educationally significant difference between MT1 and MT2/MT3 participants’ knowledge of number of properties. The analyses also revealed that the instructional intervention emphasizing properties resulted in modest gains in MT1 PETs’ knowledge of properties but the gains were not educationally significant. The findings revealed the challenges of preparing teachers with well-developed structure sense and strong understanding of properties—knowledge that is essential in helping young learners gain relational understandings of early algebra

UTILIZATION OF SOLUBLE RECEPTOR BINDING PROTEINS TO CHARACTERIZE MOLECULAR AND PHENOTYPIC FEATURES OF MEMORY B CELL AND NEUTRALIZING ANTIBODY RESPONSES IN HEPATITIS C VIRUS OR SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME CORONAVIRUS 2 INFECTION

A goal of vaccines is to elicit a durable memory B cell response that can be recalled upon during infection. During viral infections, B- and T-cell memory responses develop against structural and nonstructural virion proteins. Antibodies against receptor binding glycoproteins on virion surfaces are associated with protection against reinfection. Therefore, it’s important to build tools to efficiently characterize an effective antibody and memory B cell response against these viral infections. Soluble antigens of the receptor binding glycoprotein envelope 2 (E2) of hepatitis C virus (HCV) or the spike receptor binding domain (S-RBD) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were constructed with 6x-his tags on the C-terminal of each protein. E2 or S-RBD were used as baits to capture and detect memory specific B cells in HCV and SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals respectively. We used multi-dimensional flow cytometric to characterize inhibitor and activator cell surface markers. FACS sorting and in vitro stimulation followed by neutralization, binding affinity, and B cell receptor sequencing assays were used to characterize novel broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs). In HCV, we detected E2 specific (E2+) memory B cells in both persistence and clearance subjects. Among E2+ mature class switched memory B cells (MBC), frequencies of resting memory B cells (rMBC) were reduced, frequencies of activated MBC (actMBC) and tissue-like MBC (tlMBC) were increased, and expression of FCRL5, an IgG receptor, was significantly upregulated. Moreover, plasma anti-E2 IgG levels were positively correlated with frequencies of E2+ rMBC and E2+ actMBC. Anti-E2 IgG levels were negatively correlated with levels of FCRL5 expression on E2+ rMBC and PD-1 expression on E2+ actMBC. We isolated and characterized 55 novel cross reactive E2 specific bNAbs from an elite HCV neutralizer who naturally cleared three infections. We detected germline precursors of these bNAbs from the earlier infections and discovered enriched amino acid substitutions in the V gene segments. We discovered that HCV specific bNAbs use a wider range of V gene segments than previously described. We characterized the first crystal structures of non-VH 1-69 bNAbs and new neutralizing epitopes in E2. In SARS-CoV-2, we detected S-RBD specific (S-RBD+) memory B cells in 13 of 14 subjects in the ambulatory mild (n= 7) or hospitalized moderate to severe disease (n= 7) cohorts. FCRL5 was significantly upregulated on S-RBD+ rMBC in all subjects. This was some of the first evidence of a durable B cell immunity after mild or severe COVID-19 disease

UTILIZATION OF SOLUBLE RECEPTOR BINDING PROTEINS TO CHARACTERIZE MOLECULAR AND PHENOTYPIC FEATURES OF MEMORY B CELL AND NEUTRALIZING ANTIBODY RESPONSES IN HEPATITIS C VIRUS OR SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME CORONAVIRUS 2 INFECTION

A goal of vaccines is to elicit a durable memory B cell response that can be recalled upon during infection. During viral infections, B- and T-cell memory responses develop against structural and nonstructural virion proteins. Antibodies against receptor binding glycoproteins on virion surfaces are associated with protection against reinfection. Therefore, it’s important to build tools to efficiently characterize an effective antibody and memory B cell response against these viral infections. Soluble antigens of the receptor binding glycoprotein envelope 2 (E2) of hepatitis C virus (HCV) or the spike receptor binding domain (S-RBD) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were constructed with 6x-his tags on the C-terminal of each protein. E2 or S-RBD were used as baits to capture and detect memory specific B cells in HCV and SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals respectively. We used multi-dimensional flow cytometric to characterize inhibitor and activator cell surface markers. FACS sorting and in vitro stimulation followed by neutralization, binding affinity, and B cell receptor sequencing assays were used to characterize novel broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs). In HCV, we detected E2 specific (E2+) memory B cells in both persistence and clearance subjects. Among E2+ mature class switched memory B cells (MBC), frequencies of resting memory B cells (rMBC) were reduced, frequencies of activated MBC (actMBC) and tissue-like MBC (tlMBC) were increased, and expression of FCRL5, an IgG receptor, was significantly upregulated. Moreover, plasma anti-E2 IgG levels were positively correlated with frequencies of E2+ rMBC and E2+ actMBC. Anti-E2 IgG levels were negatively correlated with levels of FCRL5 expression on E2+ rMBC and PD-1 expression on E2+ actMBC. We isolated and characterized 55 novel cross reactive E2 specific bNAbs from an elite HCV neutralizer who naturally cleared three infections. We detected germline precursors of these bNAbs from the earlier infections and discovered enriched amino acid substitutions in the V gene segments. We discovered that HCV specific bNAbs use a wider range of V gene segments than previously described. We characterized the first crystal structures of non-VH 1-69 bNAbs and new neutralizing epitopes in E2. In SARS-CoV-2, we detected S-RBD specific (S-RBD+) memory B cells in 13 of 14 subjects in the ambulatory mild (n= 7) or hospitalized moderate to severe disease (n= 7) cohorts. FCRL5 was significantly upregulated on S-RBD+ rMBC in all subjects. This was some of the first evidence of a durable B cell immunity after mild or severe COVID-19 disease