Development journalism out of date?

The mass media occupy a central position within the processes of social change in Africa. Since successful journalism education can be formative for the further development of the African communication sector, the authors investigate the borderland of theoretical systematisation and empirical research of journalism. This is carried out via the following steps: (1) Firstly, the theoretical and practical basis of the phenomenon of development journalism is exposed and it is referred to its connection to journalism education in Africa. (2) Through the evaluation of African journalism education on the basis of training locations and programmes, the authors are able to pursue the question, which position development journalism takes in current journalism education. (3) The preliminary results show an expansion and differentiation in journalism education in Africa. In principle, this is a positive process, which, however, does not take place to a high extent

Herpesvirus saimiri-induced proteins in lytically infected cells. I. Time-ordered synthesis

The addition of TPA (phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate) to cultures during the lytic infection with herpesvirus saimiri led to an enhanced and accelerated production of polypeptides induced by H. saimiri and to a rapid shut-down of host cell protein synthesis and allowed a detailed analysis of the protein patterns. Analysis of sequential protein synthesis in owl monkey kidney cells lytically infected with H. saimiri 11 permitted the identification of 31 virus-induced polypeptides. The use of the amino acid analogues canavanine (for arginine) and azetidine (for proline) in parallel allowed experiments on the identification of proteins synthesized early and late during lytic infection

Use of ICTs and the Economic Performance of SMEs in East Africa

determinants of aid efforts, generosity, ODA, DAC, donors, G7

Additive Effects of Physical Exercise and Environmental Enrichment on Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis in Mice

Voluntary physical exercise (wheel running, RUN) and environmental enrichment both stimulate adult hippocampal neurogenesis but do so by different mechanisms. RUN induces precursor cell proliferation, whereas ENR exerts a survival-promoting effect on newborn cells. In addition, continued RUN prevented the physiologically occurring age-related decline in precursor cell in the dentate gyrus but did not lead to a corresponding increase in net neurogenesis. We hypothesized that in the absence of appropriate cognitive stimuli the potential for neurogenesis could not be realized but that an increased potential by proliferating precursor cells due to RUN could actually lead to more adult neurogenesis if an appropriate survival-promoting stimulus follows the exercise. We thus asked whether a sequential combination of RUN and ENR (RUNENR) would show additive effects that are distinct from the application of either paradigm alone. We found that the effects of 10 days of RUN followed by 35 days of ENR were additive in that the combined stimulation yielded an approximately 30% greater increase in new neurons than either stimulus alone, which also increased neurogenesis. Surprisingly, this result indicates that although overall the amount of proliferating cells in the dentate gyrus is poorly predictive of net adult neurogenesis, an increased neurogenic potential nevertheless provides the basis for a greater efficiency of the same survival-promoting stimulus. We thus propose that physical activity can “prime” the neurogenic region of the dentate gyrus for increased neurogenesis in the case the animal is exposed to an additional cognitive stimulus, here represented by the enrichment paradigm

Immunological reactivity of a human immunodeficiency virus type I derived peptide representing a consensus sequence of the GP120 major neutralizing region V3

To reduce the opportunities for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) to evade vaccine induced immunity, the development of subunit vaccines must focus on the characterization of immunogenic epitopes, which are major targets for the immune system. The most dominant site for elicitation of neutralising immune response is located on the external envelope glycoprotein gp120 within the third variable domain (V3). To overcome virus type specificity of antibodies directed to the V3-domain we designed a 36 amino acids long gp120/V3-consensus peptide (V3-C36) based on published biological data and sequence comparisons of various HIV-1 virus isolates. This peptide contains a conserved core sequence which is suggested to form a surface-exposed beta-turn. This peptide also includes T-cell epitopes defined in mice and humans, an ADCC-epitope and two highly conserved cysteine residues which were oxidized to form a cystine derivate, thus allowing correct peptide folding. In ELISA-tests, this peptide reacts with at least 90% of randomly selected sera of European and African patients infected with HIV-1 and is recognized by three different HIV-1/V3 "type-specific" antisera (MN, RF, IIIB-strain). Using this peptide as immunogen in rabbits, antisera could be raised with highly cross-reactive and HIV-1/IIIB strain neutralizing properties. Moreover, HTLV/HIV-1/IIIB specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs) of BALB/c mice infected with a gp120 recombinant vaccinia virus recognized the central 16- and 12-mer peptides of the V3-C36 consensus peptide in cytolytic assays, indicating perfect compatibility of the consensus peptide with the IIIB-primed CTLs. The DNA-sequence encoding the V3-consensus loop region might be an important component in newly designed recombinant subunit vaccines. In addition, due to its broad serological reactivity, the V3-consensus peptide might play an important role in special diagnostic purposes

Einfluss von physischer Aktivität auf die Plastizität des Gehirns

Im Tierreich sind ein gesunder Geist und Körper die Voraussetzung für das Überleben. Obwohl das Paradigma "Überleben des Stärkeren" für den Menschen nicht mehr gilt, ist die Gesundheit von Geist und Körper sehr wichtig für das Wohlbefinden und die Lebensqualität im Allgemeinen. Ohne Zweifel ist eine gesunde Bevölkerung auch produktiver und die Kosten für medizinische Behandlungen sind begrenzt. Körperliche Aktivität erhält und verbessert viele Organsysteme des Körpers. In den späten 1990er Jahren wurde deutlich, dass körperliche Aktivität auch die Plastizität des Gehirns beeinflussen kann, indem die Anzahl der neu gebildeten Zellen im Hippocampus verbessert wird - ein Bereich, der auch als Tor zur Gedächtnisbildung bekannt ist. In dieser Monographie präsentiere und diskutiere ich fünf Publikationen, die sich mit der Regulation von zellbasierter Plastizität des Gehirns (Neurogenese) durch verschiedene Stimuli befassen. Hierzu nutze ich Tiermodelle für Schizophrenie sowie Knockout-Stämme für Teile des Immun- und Endocannabinoid-Systems. Ein zentraler Stimulus, den ich in fast allen Arbeiten untersuche ist freiwillige körperliche Aktivität. Alle Publikationen betonen, dass körperliche Aktivität für Neurogenese, kognitive Funktion und Verhalten auch unter pathologischen Bedingungen vorteilhaft ist. Darüber hinaus zeigen die Ergebnisse, wie die multidisziplinäre Untersuchung von Mechanismen, die der Neurogenese und der neuronalen Plastizität zugrunde liegen zu potenziellen therapeutischen Zwecken genutzt werden könnte. In der letzten Arbeit schlage ich vor, dass zusätzlich oder als Alternative zur physischen Aktivität auch die Gabe von Probiotika Neurogenese und Kognition positiv beeinflussen können

Guarded neutrality : the internment of foreign military personnel in The Netherlands during the First World War.

The Dutch do not consider themselves to be a warlike nation. Traditionally isolated from mainstream European affairs, in 1914 they had no major allegiances that bound them to any one side of the conflict. Geographically and economically caught between two of the major belligerents, Great Britain and Germany, the Netherlands was constantly vulnerable to attack from either side. In adopting a position of neutrality at the beginning of the war, the Dutch took a huge gamble. The mobilization of the Dutch army offered some deterrent to a possible invader but although significant in relation to the size of the Dutch population the Dutch army was far too small to offer a realistic long-term deterrent. It therefore fell to the Dutch diplomats to pursue a course that would underscore and protect the Dutch neutral position. Whilst the Dutch government was forced to compromise and adapt their neutral stance in some areas, as a result of pressure from the belligerents and most notably in matters relating to trade and shipping, it had complete control over issues relating to internment. The internment of approximately 50,000 foreign troops in the Netherlands, some for almost the entire four years of the war, provided a convenient showcase for the Dutch to demonstrate their adherence to international law and their impartiality towards the all of the belligerents. It also allowed the Dutch to demonstrate their talents as international peacemakers and negotiators by providing a means for Great Britain and Germany to meet and agree treaties, even though at the same time they were still fighting a very bloody war

Asbestos fibre dimensions and lung cancer mortality among workers exposed to chrysotile

ObjectivesTo estimate exposures to asbestos fibres of specific sizes among asbestos textile manufacturing workers exposed to chrysotile using data from transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and to evaluate the extent to which the risk of lung cancer varies with fibre length and diameter.Methods3803 workers employed for at least 1 day between 1 January 1950 and 31 December 1973 in any of three plants in North Carolina, USA that produced asbestos textile products and followed for vital status through 31 December 2003 were included. Historical exposures to asbestos fibres were estimated from work histories and 3578 industrial hygiene measurements taken in 1935–1986. Exposure–response relationships for lung cancer were examined within the cohort using Poisson regression.ResultsIndicators of fibre length and diameter obtained by TEM were positively and significantly associated with increasing risk of lung cancer. Exposures to longer and thinner fibres tended to be most strongly associated with lung cancer, and models for these fibres fit the data best. Simultaneously modelling indicators of cumulative mean fibre length and diameter yielded a positive coefficient for fibre length and a negative coefficient for fibre diameter.ConclusionsThe results support the hypothesis that the risk of lung cancer among workers exposed to chrysotile asbestos increases with exposure to longer fibres. More research is needed to improve the characterisation of exposures by fibre size and number and to analyse the associated risks in a variety of industries and populations