Integrating Lesotho economy into the regional automotive value chain : manufacturing of car-seat covers

Includes bibliographical referencesThe purpose of this study was to analyse the Automotive Industry in Southern Africa, to assess how best Lesotho can contribute to this supply chain. This analysis was done to better understand the sector, to identify Lesotho's potential to produce car seat covers for South African automotive assembly plants, and find the best trade policies and programmes to support value chains in the sector. The plan was to assess the possibility for Lesotho made automotive components manufacturers to supply the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs - the main automotive assembly plants), and use the South African Automotive Industry as the entry point for the Lesotho components to penetrate the Regional Automotive Value Chain. The main focus of this study was the manufacturing of car-seat covers to supply the seven Original Equipment Manufacturers namely: Volkswagen, BMW, Renault, Toyota, Daimler Chrysler, Ford and Mercedes Benz. The impact of Motor Industry Development Programme (MIDP) and Automotive Production and Development Programme (APDP) on the industry was assessed. The impact of the APDP on relocation of components manufacturers to other Southern African Customs Union (SACU) countries was assessed, Lesotho being used as a case study. It set out to find out if Lesotho firms have the potential to contribute to the automotive value chains through manufacture of car seat covers

Rural livelihoods in Tsekong Village, Eastern Cape : vulnerability to environmental change

Abstract: Rural livelihoods in South Africa are composed of varying combinations of natural-resource- based and non-natural-resource-based incomes and activities. Since the end of apartheid in 1994 and the shift to a democratic South Africa, various changes have occurred in rural livelihoods across the country. This research examines the local environmental and livelihood history of a village in the Eastern Cape, namely the Tsekong Village, which is located in one of the former Bantustans (Homelands), the Transkei. There is often an assumption that agriculture is the centre of South African rural livelihoods; however, this assumption is not always correct. The overall aim of this study was to identify how livelihoods in the Tsekong Village have changed due to environmental as well as political and economic changes, and to identify how people have adapted to these changes over as long a period as they can recall. Information was obtained from life history interviews and participant observation in the village, following which a thematic analysis was conducted to address the research objectives. The research consists of three objectives. The first objective was to explore – through oral histories – the long-term perceived climatic environmental changes. The second was to document perceived changes in livelihood composition dating back to the oldest memories. The third was to explore perceived changes in population composition in Tsekong Village. This was done through conversations and enquiries with older community members to understand how they perceive the changes that have taken place. Although there are limitations specifically related to memory and accuracy, this method was chosen for its depth of engagement. Participants provided long narratives of changes in rural livelihoods, from agrarian to income-based livelihoods. The findings illustrate that environmental changes, as well as socio-political changes have resulted in reduced agriculture in homestead gardens and a complete end to farming in distant farming fields. Households no longer engage in agriculture on distant fields and have resorted to selling the land. This indicates a transition away from land-based livelihoods. Households have increasingly resorted to cash-based incomes provided by the social welfare system. This dissertation contributes to a better understanding and representation of the livelihood composition in rural areas of the Eastern Cape. Moreover, it provides information in detail on the environmental changes as experienced by the local people for more appropriate adaptations in the future.M.Sc. (Environmental Management

Molecular phylogeny of microhylid frogs (Anura: Microhylidae) with emphasis on relationships among New World genera

BACKGROUND: Over the last ten years we have seen great efforts focused on revising amphibian systematics. Phylogenetic reconstructions derived from DNA sequence data have played a central role in these revisionary studies but have typically under-sampled the diverse frog family Microhylidae. Here, we present a detailed phylogenetic study focused on expanding previous hypotheses of relationships within this cosmopolitan family. Specifically, we placed an emphasis on assessing relationships among New World genera and those taxa with uncertain phylogenetic affinities (i.e., incertae sedis). RESULTS: One mitochondrial and three nuclear genes (about 2.8 kb) were sequenced to assess phylogenetic relationships. We utilized an unprecedented sampling of 200 microhylid taxa representing 91% of currently recognized subfamilies and 95% of New World genera. Our analyses do not fully resolve relationships among subfamilies supporting previous studies that have suggested a rapid early diversification of this clade. We observed a close relationship between Synapturanus and Otophryne of the subfamily Otophryninae. Within the subfamily Gastrophryninae relationships between genera were well resolved. CONCLUSION: Otophryninae is distantly related to all other New World microhylids that were recovered as a monophyletic group, Gastrophryninae. Within Gastrophryninae, five genera were recovered as non-monophyletic; we propose taxonomic re-arrangements to render all genera monophyletic. This hypothesis of relationships and updated classification for New World microhylids may serve as a guide to better understand the evolutionary history of this group that is apparently subject to convergent morphological evolution and chromosome reduction. Based on a divergence analysis calibrated with hypotheses from previous studies and fossil data, it appears that microhylid genera inhabiting the New World originated during a period of gradual cooling from the late Oligocene to mid Miocene

RsmA Regulates <i>Aspergillus fumigatus</i> Gliotoxin Cluster Metabolites Including Cyclo(L-Phe-L-Ser), a Potential New Diagnostic Marker for Invasive Aspergillosis

<div><p>Dimeric basic leucine zipper (bZIP) proteins are conserved transcriptional enhancers found in all eukaryotes. A recently reported and novel function for bZIPs is association of these proteins with secondary metabolite production in filamentous fungi. In particular a Yap-like bZIP termed RsmA (<u>r</u>estorer of <u>s</u>econdary <u>m</u>etabolism A) was identified in <i>Aspergillus nidulans</i> that positively regulates the carcinogen sterigmatocystin. To assess for conserved function for RsmA, we examined a role of this protein in secondary metabolism in the pathogen <i>A. fumigatus.</i> RsmA was found to positively regulate gliotoxin where overexpression (OE) of <i>rsmA</i> led to 2–100 fold increases of twelve <i>gli</i> cluster metabolites in culture medium including the newly identified <i>gli</i> metabolite cyclo(L-Phe-L-Ser). Lungs from both wild type and <i>OErsmA</i> infected mice contained gliotoxin (2.3 fold higher in <i>OErsmA</i> treatment) as well as the gliotoxin precursor cyclo(L-Phe-L-Ser) (3.2 fold higher in <i>OErsmA</i> treatment). The data here presents a conserved role for RsmA in secondary metabolite cluster activation and suggests cyclo(L-Phe-L-Ser) may serve as an alternative marker for diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis.</p></div

Plasmids used in this study.

<p>Plasmids used in this study.</p

Infected mouse lung extracts (IMLE) HPLC- single ion monitoring (SIM)MS ion chromatograms.

<p>HPLC-SIMMS analysis of crude mouse lung extracts corresponding to mice infected with wild type, or <i>OErsmA</i>. (<b>A</b>) Ion chromatogram showing compound <b>6</b> is approximately two to three times as abundant in the <i>OErsmA</i>-IMLE relative to WT-IMLE. (<b>B</b>) Similarly, gliotoxin is about two times as abundant in <i>OErsmA</i>-IMLE than WT-IMLE. Reference chromatograms (bottom panels) show diagnostic ions of cyclo(L-Phe-L-Ser) (<b>6</b>) and gliotoxin (<b>1</b>). Lung extract chromatograms are scaled to the peaks measured in the <i>OErsmA</i>-IMLE sample (bottom panels of standards are not to scale).</p

Oligonucleotides used in this study.

<p>Oligonucleotides used in this study.</p

Neutrophil chemotaxis is reduced when exposed to extracts from <i>OErsmA</i>.

<p><b>A.</b> Schematic of the neutrophil migration platform used. The neutrophils are placed in the center channel; the compound to be tested is placed in one of the side channels, while the other channel acts as a negative control. The device is prepared in 3 steps: (1) filling, (2) adding neutrophils, and (3) adding the fungal culture supernatants. <b>B</b>. Representative microscopy images of the migration area after 1 h incubation. Supernatant of wild type <i>A. fumigatus</i> (AF WT) has chemoattractive properties on par with the known chemoattractant fMLP. <b>C</b>. Quantification of neutrophil recruitment to the crude supernatant of wild type, <i>OErsmA</i>, and <i>OErsmAΔgliZ</i> strains (significant differences at P<0.5 are indicated by different letters).</p

<i>OErsmA</i> mutants are resistant to menadione.

<p>For each strain, 10⁵ conidia in 5 µl were spotted on GMM plates with 20 µM, 30 µM and 40 µM of menadione, or on GMM only for a control. Each strain was replicated 5 times. The plates were incubated at 37°C for 48 h.</p

Average radial growth of <i>A. fumigatus</i> strains.

<p>10⁴ conidia of each strain were point inoculated on GMM and grown at 37°C for 4 days and at 25°C for 12 days (<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0062591#pone-0062591-g001" target="_blank">Figure 1</a>). Radial growth was measured at the end of each growth period. Means ± standard deviations are indicated for four replicates of each strain. Levels not connected by same letter are significantly different (<i>P</i><0.0001) according to ANOVA analysis.</p