Globalisation, the internet, and guilty pleasures in Morocco

This paper explores the ways in which the internet as the engine of globalization contributes to the spread of a global culture by transforming traditional cultural values. Morocco has been at the crossroad of globalising forces for sometimes, yet the cultural values that treat men and women differently remain strong. Using questionnaires and interviews, this research finds that the internet facilitates the breakdown of traditional boundaries that militate against sharing space and mixing with the opposite sex. The internet acts as a medium, which empowers individuals to behave in ways that breach Moroccan social norms, allowing young people to evade traditional barriers to romance by sidestepping cultural taboos without breaking them

Characterization of Eimeria Species in Commercial Broilers by PCR Based on ITS1 Regions of rDNA

Background: Coccidiosis is an intestinal disease of chickens caused by various species of proto­zoan parasites within the genus Eimeria. Diagnosis and genetic characterization of different spe­cies of Eimeria are central to the prevention, surveillance, and control of coccidiosis. The aim of this study was to detect different chicken Eimeria species from several areas in Khuzestan, south­west Iran.Methods: From February to September 2008, PCR assay as well as parasitological examinations was applied for the identification of field isolates of Eimeria parasites around Ahvaz, center of Khuzestan, southwest Iran. Data were analyzed by the Kappa statistic test.Results: Eimeria maxima, E. necatrix, E. tenella, E. acervulina and E. mitis were detected in this study. The prevalence of Eimeria spp. was 31.5% (126 of 400) and E. tenella was the most preva­lent species in Khuzestan. Based on the Kappa statistical test, a good correlation between the results of PCR and traditional biometrical methods was only observed for E. maxima.Conclusion: The present study is the first on the prevalence of Eimeria species in Khuzestan, based on the molecular findings. We believe that traditional methods are not sufficiently reliable for specific diagnosis of Eimeria species in chickens and PCR based amplification of DNA se­quence of parasite, could resolve this problem

Perception of Domestic Violence against Women amongst Libyan Migrants in Manchester

We surveyed one hundred and seventy five Libyans in Manchester in order to assess their attitudes and perceptions of domestic violence against women (DVAW). Overall, 82% of the participants agreed that the definition of DVAW involves verbal abuse, economic abuse, threat to use violence, physical and sexual violence. Ninety-five percent agreed that if the husband shouts at his wife, curses her, pulls or pushes her, punches her, or breaks things in the house, these behaviours reflect DVAW. Unemployment (80%) and lack of material resources (70%) were the major perceived contributing factors regarding DVAW. We discuss the implications of the study and its limitations

Gender and Educational Differences in Perception of Domestic Violence Against Women Among Libyan Migrants in Manchester.

Domestic violence against women (DVAW) is a worldwide phenomenon and refers to any act committed against women that results in physical and psychological harm, and coercion, loss of liberty, and deprivation. There is a dearth of research and information about the extent and prevalence of domestic violence among Libyan communities. The aim of the study was to explore community knowledge of, and attitudes toward, DVAW and to improve our understanding of the factors that influence knowledge, attitudes, and responses, particularly educational and gender differences. Using snowball sampling, we analyzed 20 semistructured interviews with Libyans living in Manchester, United Kingdom. We found gender and education-influenced participants' perception of DVAW. Men in general did not recognize DVAW as a serious social problem; noticeably, they saw it as a personal and family issue. Knowing attitudes toward DVAW is necessary for government and communities' prevention policies as attitudes influence perpetration of DVAW

Evaluation of a commercial ELISA kit (IDEXX) to differentiate AI virus-infected poultry from AI-vaccinated poultry (DIVA)

Vaccination programs for the control of avian influenza (AI) in poultry have limitations due to the problem of differentiating between vaccinated and virus-infected birds. The use of AI vaccination in poultry would have greater worldwide acceptance if reliable tests that clearly discriminated between naturally infected and vaccinated-only animals (DIVA) were available. In this study, to differentiate avian influenza virus (AIV)-infected chickens vs. chickens immunized with inactivated avian influenza virus, a commercial ELISA Kit (IDEXX) was used. Using HI as the reference method, the sensitivity of the commercial ELISA kit was 100% and its specificity was 100%. In the present study, we demonstrated that, 3 weeks after infection or vaccination, sera from both infected and vaccinated groups were tested positive and the difference in mean optical density between vaccinated and challenged birds, as detected by a commercial ELISA kit (IDEXX), was very small. Therefore, this assay cannot distinguish infected from vaccinated poultry

A study on seroprevalence and coproantigen detection of Toxoplasma gondii in companion cats in Ahvaz area, southwestern Iran

Summary Cats play crucial roles in the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis. In the present study, a total of 198 companion cats of different ages were examined for serum antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii by immunochromatography assay and for oocyst presence in faeces by microscopic examination (flotation method) and immunochromatography assay. The cats were selected between referred cases to the Veterinary Hospital of Ahvaz University, southwestern Iran from December 2006 to November 2009. Classification was made by age, sex, breed, region and season. The studied cats were divided into three groups based on age (<6 months, 6 months-3 years and >3 years) and into five regions based on area (north, east, west, south and central). The results were analyzed by Chi-square analysis, Fischer's exact test and Z test. Forty nine of 198 serum samples (24.75%) had antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii (95% CI: 18.7-30.7%). Prevalence was significantly higher in adult cats above 3 years (38.8%) and 6 months-3 years (26.6%) compared with cats less than 6 months (3.8%) (P<0.001). Prevalence was higher in male cats (29.7%) than females (20.6%), in the summer season (26.2%) and west region (27.5), but the difference was not significant between the prevalence of infection relative to host gender (P=0.14), season (P=0.99) and region (P=0.98). Faecal flotation technique and immunochromatography assay was carried out on faecal samples also and T. gondii oocysts were not detected in any of the 198 samples. Our study showed that the prevalence of infection (24.75%) is relatively high in serum of companion cats in the Ahvaz district

Antibody detection against Leishmania infantum in sera of companion cats in Ahvaz, south west of Iran

Leishmaniasis is an important and common zoonotic disease with a great impact on public health. In the present study, a total of 195 companion cats of different ages were examined for serum antibody detection against Leishmania infantum by immunochromatography assay. The cats were selected from those referring to Veterinary Hospital of Ahvaz University, south west of Iran from May 2009 to March 2012. Classification was made by age, sex, breed, region and season. The studied cats were divided based on age into three groups ( 3 years) and based on area into five regions (north, east, west, south and central). The results were analyzed by using Chi-square analysis, Fischer's exact test and Z test. Eighteen of 195 serum samples (9.23%) had antibody against Leishmania infantum (%95 Confidence Interval: 5.1-13.3%). Prevalence was significantly higher in adult cats above 3 years (28.57%; 14 out of 49) compared with mean-age cats 1- 3 years (3.57%; 3 out of 84) (Odds Ratio: 10.8) and less than 1 year (1.61%; 1 out of 62) (OR: 24.4) (P0.05). In conclusion, it is necessary to control cat's population in these area particular adult cats to reduce risk of infection transmission to other animals and human

Isolation and Genotyping of Acanthamoeba Strains from Envi-ron¬mental Sources in Ahvaz City, Khuzestan Province, South-ern Iran

Background: Acanthamoeba spp. are free-living amoebae commonly found in the environmental sources such as water, soil, and air. This ubiquitous amoeba is the causative agent of amoebic kerati­tis (AK). The objective of the present study was to investigate the presence of Acanthamoeba spp. in water and soil sources in Ahvaz City, Khuzestan Province, southern Iran.Methods: In general, 110 samples of water and soil were taken from different localities of Ahvaz including agricultural canals, rivers, and swimming pools. Filtration and cultivation were carried out on non-nutrient agar medium (NNA). Axenic cultivation was performed for all of positive isolates. PCR analysis was conducted on positive samples. Sequencing was done for 15 PCR products. Geno­types were identified by Blast search and homology analysis.Result: Acanthamoeba spp. was found in 43 (71.6%) of samples of water and 13 (26%) soil samples. Genotyping of 15 samples proved that Acanthamoeba belonged to T4 (86.6%), T2 (6.6%), and T5 (6.6%) genotypes.Conclusion: TYI-S-33 medium could be better than PYG medium for Acanthamoeba axenic culture