Molecular diagnosis of Shigella, Salmonella and Campylobacter by multiplex Real-time PCR in stool culture samples in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)

ABSTRACT:Background: Bacteriological diagnosis of Campylobacter spp, Salmonella spp and Shigella spp could be necessary in the case of infectious gastroenteritis syndrome.The objective of this study was to diagnose concomitantly the three enteropathogenic bacteria by multiplex Real-Time PCR in stool culture samples in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso).Materials and Methods: The study was conducted from February 5th to March 9th, 2013. Two hundred stool samples were received during the study period. The bacteria were identified by bacterial culture following by multiplex Real-Time PCR.Results: Shigella spp and Campylobacter spp were sought by culture in all 200 samples. Enteropathogenic E. coli was sought only in 37 samples from all children under 2 years old. The bacterial culture was positive in 12 stool samples. Shigella spp and Salmonella spp. were isolated respectively in 5 (2.5%) and 3 samples (1.5%). Enteropathogenic E. coli was isolated in 10.8% (4/37) of the samples tested.The multiplex real-time PCR identified bacteria in 20 patients, including 17 cases of Shigella spp., 1 case of Salmonella spp. and 2 cases of Campylobacter spp.Conclusions: This study has highlighted the low frequency of 3 sought bacterial genera in stool samples. It has also demonstrated a significant difference between the culture and the multiplex Real-Time PCR method in the diagnosis of Shigella

Optimization of processing parameters of nanocomposite film for fresh sliced okra packaging

Nanocomposite film can be regarded as an active packaging material which is capable of curtailing microbial growth and keeping food for an extended life. In this research, the optimum processing parameters of cassava starch-zinc nanocomposite film was determined for packaging fresh-sliced okra. Samples of the films, with thickness ranging between 15– 17µm, were developed from the blends of 24g of cassava starch, 0–2 % zinc nanoparticles (NP) and 45–55 % glycerol in 600 ml distilled water. The ideal film was determined by optimizing the film processing parameters using Box-Behnken Design in Surface Response Methodology. It was subsequently used to package fresh-sliced okra at 10– 27oC temperature and 3– 9 days storage period; and compared with a low density polyethylene film (LDPE, 10 µm). The results showed that the 17µm thick film, whose desirability function is closer to the optimal goal, gave values of 7.4 × 104 CFU/g, 21.62 mg/ 100g, 0.44 mg/l and 10.46 IU for bacteria count, ascorbic acid, titratable acidity and β-carotene contents, respectively. Also, there was a progressive decrease in the quality of the packaged products with an increase in the temperature and the storage period (poC was not significant. Thus, the nanocomposite film can essentially be used for the packaging of fresh-sliced okra

DEVELOPING ORGANIC FARMING IN NORWAY THROUGH SYSTEMIC ACTION RESEARCH

A systemic action research approach to gain insight into the present situation of the agroecosystem, to envision scenarios, and to accomplish workable outcomes is performed. This process is to be accomplished in a participatory way that empowers stakeholders to continue the learning process and system development in an ecologically friendly, socio-culturally feasible and economically viable way

Multicultural Competence: Exploring and Monitoring Its Development

Educators engaged in international, intercultural educational programs are responsible for maximizing the benefits of these experiences for participants. This requires a clear focus on the development of multicultural (or intercultural) competencies (MCC) in participants if students are to deal effectively and appropriately across cultures. This session explores the development and assessment of MCC abilities. It is based on findings from an international research effort that examined a comprehensive construct of MCC, developed a tool for its assessment, and identified intercultural outcomes in participants as well as their hosts engaged in an intercultural exchange. The session also explores the nature of multicultural competence -- definitions, characteristics, components, developmental levels, and the important role of language proficiency -- and highlights the need for intercultural educators to explicitly address, develop, and monitor MCC abilities in their participants

MEDIA IMAGE AS AN IMPORTANT MEANING OF UZBEKISTAN’S IMAGE FORMATION: THEORETICAL AND COGNITIVE ASPECTS

This article analyzes that the media image is an important tool for shaping the image of the country and the theoretical and cognitive aspects of the image. We perceive an object or event through our senses, see and hear them. We understand and comprehend the new information received. They are then placed in our memory as a definite quality mark, image, or ‘piece of symbol’. Therefore, in the modern media space, it is important to understand the content of information about a country, positive or negative information about the image of the region, to understand the realities of what is happening in the region. In the same process, the person who reads the news is the executor of the cognitive activity. There is a subject-object relationship between the subject, that is, the person and the area that is the object of cognitive activity. The main issue is the perception of the person receiving the information in relation to that country. How the country is perceived by the recipient of the information is always important. The nature of any image is closely related to the information stored in the subconscious. For this reason, the study of image in a cognitive context is required. The problem of formation and development of the regional image is one of the interdisciplinary studies from the theoretical and methodological point of view. That is, it is not just a problem facing the science of journalism or mass communications. The issue is multidisciplinary, including sociology, imageology, economics, political science, philosophy, linguistics, especially cognitive linguistics, and can be studied in various aspects. Cognitiveness is a scientific phenomenon that connects language with thinking, that is, consciousness, and explores in deep theoretical aspects the integral connection of psychological, biological, and neurophysiological aspects with social, cultural, and linguistic phenomena in the formation of a particular imagination. According to scholars, cognitive linguistics in this respect is divided into various sub-branches such as psycholinguistics, anthropolinguistics, ethnolinguistics, sociolinguistics. In this research, we tried to study the role of journalism in the formation and development of the country\u27s image, the cognitive impact of the language of the media on the consciousness of the public (audience)

Transforming Society, Transforming Leadership

For several years, SIT Graduate Institute worked with the Ford International Fellows Program (IFP) to provide IFP fellows worldwide with training and reflection on their engagement as leaders for social justice. Out of this effort grew a conceptual framework on “leadership for social justice” and a capacity-building resource manual derived from the Leadership for Social Justice (LSJ) Institutes we carried out. Since that time, a few members of the LSJ project team have been undertaking further research on social justice leadership from varied perspectives. In addition, SIT Study Abroad Academic Director Azim Khan is an IFP and LSJ Institute alumnus, served as an alumni facilitator for the final LSJ Institute in Washington, DC, and is enacting leadership for social justice in his work in India. We would like to present case studies from our research and our experiences with leadership with social justice, along with the LSJ conceptual framework, at the SIT Symposium. The case studies narrate the stories of diverse initiatives focusing on social justice work in Mali, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Tanzania, Zambia and several parts of India. Brief introductions to the case studies are included below. The case studies and experiences provide rich understandings of the strategies and challenges of making transformational social change in varied contexts, and of the nature of leadership for this purpose. The emerging learning from these experiences will provide a critical examination of the relevance and usefulness of the LSJ conceptual framework. In particular, this work will highlight the role of context, gender, education, and advocacy in relation to development and practice of social justice leadership. Social justice leaders are reimagining the meaning of leadership and reinventing it in practice on a daily basis. Lessons from their experiences go to the heart of our pedagogical purposes at SIT. We are also very interested in utilizing this opportunity to find colleagues in other parts of SIT and World Learning working on related topics, in either their research or their practice. We welcome them to suggest ideas for enhancing the session to include their thinking, research, or experiences

AS-754-12 Resolution on the Proposal for the Establishment of the Institute for Advanced Technology and Public Policy

Endorses the proposal to establish an Institute for Advanced Technology and Public Policy

Pågående svenskt projekt: Djurhälsa i ekologiska mjölkbesättningar

I doktorandprojektet ”Djurhälsa i ekologiska mjölkbesättningar” som drivs vid Institutionen för kliniska vetenskaper, Fakulteten för veterinärmedicin och husdjursvetenskap på SLU studeras effekterna av ekologisk drift på hälsa och fruktsamhet i några olika delstudier

A comparative study of the job perceptions of hospitality and tourism staff in China

This study explores the job perceptions of hotel staff and tour guides. It aims to discover more about their skills, attitudes and career plans, and gain comparative insights that will help to develop human resources within these areas of work. The findings reveal that both hospitality and tourism sector in China are faced with a shortage of human resources with an appropriate level of education and of suitably high quality. Oral communication is identified the most important skill identified as a need, followed by professional and ethical standards as well as team work and leadership qualities. Ideas vary considerably with respect to the relative importance of skills within the two work areas. Compared with hotel staff, tour guides in China show lower job loyalty, in part because of low social status and poor opportunities for career progress. This paper concludes that it is essential for Chinese government agencies at a national and provincial level to practice effective and sector-sensitive measures to attract, train , retain and develop appropriate talent in order to meet the needs and challenge of the international tourism industry

A Quantitative Neural Coding Model of Sensory Memory\ud

The coding mechanism of sensory memory on the neuron scale is one of the most\ud important questions in neuroscience. We have put forward a quantitative neural network model,\ud which is self-organized, self-similar, and self-adaptive, just like an ecosystem following\ud Darwin's theory. According to this model, neural coding is a “mult-to-one”mapping from\ud objects to neurons. And the whole cerebrum is a real-time statistical Turing Machine, with\ud powerful representing and learning ability. This model can reconcile some important disputations,\ud such as: temporal coding versus rate-based coding, grandmother cell versus population coding,\ud and decay theory versus interference theory. And it has also provided explanations for some key\ud questions such as memory consolidation, episodic memory, consciousness, and sentiment.\ud Philosophical significance is indicated at last.\u