Enhancing case definitions for surveillance of human monkeypox in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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Lynda Osadebe

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Human monkeypox (MPX occurs at appreciable rates in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC. Infection with varicella zoster virus (VZV has a similar presentation to that of MPX, and in areas where MPX is endemic these two illnesses are commonly mistaken. This study evaluated the diagnostic utility of two surveillance case definitions for MPX and specific clinical characteristics associated with laboratory-confirmed MPX cases.Data from a cohort of suspect MPX cases (identified by surveillance over the course of a 42 month period during 2009-2014 from DRC were used; real-time PCR diagnostic test results were used to establish MPX and VZV diagnoses. A total of 333 laboratory-confirmed MPX cases, 383 laboratory-confirmed VZV cases, and 36 cases that were determined to not be either MPX or VZV were included in the analyses. Significant (p<0.05 differences between laboratory-confirmed MPX and VZV cases were noted for several signs/symptoms including key rash characteristics. Both surveillance case definitions had high sensitivity and low specificities for individuals that had suspected MPX virus infections. Using 12 signs/symptoms with high sensitivity and/or specificity values, a receiver operator characteristic analysis showed that models for MPX cases that had the presence of 'fever before rash' plus at least 7 or 8 of the 12 signs/symptoms demonstrated a more balanced performance between sensitivity and specificity.Laboratory-confirmed MPX and VZV cases presented with many of the same signs and symptoms, and the analysis here emphasized the utility of including 12 specific signs/symptoms when investigating MPX cases. In order to document and detect endemic human MPX cases, a surveillance case definition with more specificity is needed for accurate case detection. In the absence of a more specific case definition, continued emphasis on confirmatory laboratory-based diagnostics is warranted.

Modelling the Congo basin ecosystems with a dynamic vegetation model

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Dury, Marie; Hambuckers, Alain; Trolliet, Franck; Huynen, Marie-Claude; Haineaux, Damien; Fontaine, Corentin M.; Fayolle, Adeline; François, Louis

2014-05-01

The scarcity of field observations in some parts of the world makes difficult a deep understanding of some ecosystems such as humid tropical forests in Central Africa. Therefore, modelling tools are interesting alternatives to study those regions even if the lack of data often prevents sharp calibration and validation of the model projections. Dynamic vegetation models (DVMs) are process-based models that simulate shifts in potential vegetation and its associated biogeochemical and hydrological cycles in response to climate. Initially run at the global scale, DVMs can be run at any spatial scale provided that climate and soil data are available. In the framework of the BIOSERF project ("Sustainability of tropical forest biodiversity and services under climate and human pressure"), we use and adapt the CARAIB dynamic vegetation model (Dury et al., iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry, 4:82-99, 2011) to study the Congo basin vegetation dynamics. The field campaigns have notably allowed the refinement of the vegetation representation from plant functional types (PFTs) to individual species through the collection of parameters such as the specific leaf area or the leaf C:N ratio of common tropical tree species and the location of their present-day occurrences from literature and available database. Here, we test the model ability to reproduce the present spatial and temporal variations of carbon stocks (e.g. biomass, soil carbon) and fluxes (e.g. gross and net primary productivities (GPP and NPP), net ecosystem production (NEP)) as well as the observed distribution of the studied species over the Congo basin. In the lack of abundant and long-term measurements, we compare model results with time series of remote sensing products (e.g. vegetation leaf area index (LAI), GPP and NPP). Several sensitivity tests are presented: we assess consecutively the impacts of the level at which the vegetation is simulated (PFTs or species), the spatial resolution and the initial land

Land Water Storage within the Congo Basin Inferred from GRACE Satellite Gravity Data

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Crowley, John W.; Mitrovica, Jerry X.; Bailey, Richard C.; Tamisiea, Mark E.; Davis, James L.

2006-01-01

GRACE satellite gravity data is used to estimate terrestrial (surface plus ground) water storage within the Congo Basin in Africa for the period of April, 2002 - May, 2006. These estimates exhibit significant seasonal (30 +/- 6 mm of equivalent water thickness) and long-term trends, the latter yielding a total loss of approximately 280 km(exp 3) of water over the 50-month span of data. We also combine GRACE and precipitation data set (CMAP, TRMM) to explore the relative contributions of the source term to the seasonal hydrological balance within the Congo Basin. We find that the seasonal water storage tends to saturate for anomalies greater than 30-44 mm of equivalent water thickness. Furthermore, precipitation contributed roughly three times the peak water storage after anomalously rainy seasons, in early 2003 and 2005, implying an approximately 60-70% loss from runoff and evapotranspiration. Finally, a comparison of residual land water storage (monthly estimates minus best-fitting trends) in the Congo and Amazon Basins shows an anticorrelation, in agreement with the 'see-saw' variability inferred by others from runoff data.

Linking plant functional traits and forest carbon stocks in the Congo Basin

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Kearsley, Elizabeth; Verbeeck, Hans; Hufkens, Koen; Lewis, Simon; Huygens, Dries; Beeckman, Hans; Steppe, Kathy; Boeckx, Pascal

2013-04-01

Accurate estimates of the amount of carbon stored in tropical forests represent crucial baseline data for recent climate change mitigation policies. Such data are needed to quantify possible emissions due to deforestation and forest degradation, and to evaluate the potential of these forests to act as carbon sinks. Currently, only rough estimates of the carbon stocks for Central African tropical forests are available due to a lack of field data, and little is known about the response of these stocks to climate change. We present the first ground-based carbon stock data for the central Congo Basin in Yangambi, D. R. Congo, based on data of 20 inventory plots of 1 ha covering different forest types. We found an average aboveground carbon stock of 163 ± 19 Mg C ha-1 for intact old-growth forest, which is significantly lower than the stocks recorded in the outer regions of the Congo Basin. Commonly studied drivers for variations of carbon stocks include climatic and edaphic factors, but detailed trait-based studies are lacking. We identified a significant difference in height-diameter relations across the Congo Basin as a driver for spatial differences in carbon stocks. The study of a more detailed interaction of the environment and the available tree species pool as drivers for differences in carbon storage could have large implications. The effect of the species pool on carbon storage can be large since species differ in their ability to sequester carbon, and the collective functional characteristics of plant communities could be a major driver of carbon accumulation. The use of a trait-based approach shows high potential for identifying and quantifying carbon stocks as an ecosystem service. We test for associations between functional trait values and carbon storage across multiple regrowth and old-growth forests types in the Yangambi study area, with soil properties and climate similar for all plots. A selection of traits associated with carbon dynamics is made

The nitrogen budget for different forest types in the central Congo Basin

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Bauters, Marijn; Verbeeck, Hans; Cizungu, Landry; Boeckx, Pascal

2016-04-01

Characterization of fundamental processes in different forest types is vital to understand the interaction of forests with their changing environment. Recent data analyses, as well as modeling activities have shown that the CO2 uptake by terrestrial ecosystems strongly depends on site fertility, i.e. nutrient availability. Accurate projections of future net forest growth and terrestrial CO2 uptake thus necessitate an improved understanding on nutrient cycles and how these are coupled to the carbon (C) cycle in forests. This holds especially for tropical forests, since they represent about 40-50% of the total carbon that is stored in terrestrial vegetation, with the Amazon basin and the Congo basin being the largest two contiguous blocks. However, due to political instability and reduced accessibility in the central Africa region, there is a strong bias in scientific research towards the Amazon basin. Consequently, central African forests are poorly characterized and their role in global change interactions shows distinct knowledge gaps, which is important bottleneck for all efforts to further optimize Earth system models explicitly including this region. Research in the Congo Basin region should combine assessments of both carbon stocks and the underlying nutrient cycles which directly impact the forest productivity. We set up a monitoring network for carbon stocks and nitrogen fluxes in four different forest types in the Congo Basin, which is now operative. With the preliminary data, we can get a glimpse of the differences in nitrogen budget and biogeochemistry of African mixed lowland rainforest, monodominant lowland forest, mixed montane forest and eucalypt plantations.

Monkeypox

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... been found in many animal species: rope squirrels, tree squirrels, Gambian rats, striped mice, dormice and primates. Doubts persist on the natural history of the virus and further studies are needed to identify the exact reservoir of the monkeypox virus and ...

Susceptibility of Marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) to Monkeypox Virus: A Low Dose Prospective Model for Monkeypox and Smallpox Disease.

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Mucker, Eric M; Chapman, Jennifer; Huzella, Louis M; Huggins, John W; Shamblin, Joshua; Robinson, Camenzind G; Hensley, Lisa E

2015-01-01

Although current nonhuman primate models of monkeypox and smallpox diseases provide some insight into disease pathogenesis, they require a high titer inoculum, use an unnatural route of infection, and/or do not accurately represent the entire disease course. This is a concern when developing smallpox and/or monkeypox countermeasures or trying to understand host pathogen relationships. In our studies, we altered half of the test system by using a New World nonhuman primate host, the common marmoset. Based on dose finding studies, we found that marmosets are susceptible to monkeypox virus infection, produce a high viremia, and have pathological features consistent with smallpox and monkeypox in humans. The low dose (48 plaque forming units) required to elicit a uniformly lethal disease and the extended incubation (preclinical signs) are unique features among nonhuman primate models utilizing monkeypox virus. The uniform lethality, hemorrhagic rash, high viremia, decrease in platelets, pathology, and abbreviated acute phase are reflective of early-type hemorrhagic smallpox.

Statistics of Deep Convection in the Congo Basin Derived From High-Resolution Simulations.

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White, B.; Stier, P.; Kipling, Z.; Gryspeerdt, E.; Taylor, S.

2016-12-01

Convection transports moisture, momentum, heat and aerosols through the troposphere, and so the temporal variability of convection is a major driver of global weather and climate. The Congo basin is home to some of the most intense convective activity on the planet and is under strong seasonal influence of biomass burning aerosol. However, deep convection in the Congo basin remains under studied compared to other regions of tropical storm systems, especially when compared to the neighbouring, relatively well-understood West African climate system. We use the WRF model to perform a high-resolution, cloud-system resolving simulation to investigate convective storm systems in the Congo. Our setup pushes the boundaries of current computational resources, using a 1 km grid length over a domain covering millions of square kilometres and for a time period of one month. This allows us to draw statistical conclusions on the nature of the simulated storm systems. Comparing data from satellite observations and the model enables us to quantify the diurnal variability of deep convection in the Congo basin. This approach allows us to evaluate our simulations despite the lack of in-situ observational data. This provides a more comprehensive analysis of the diurnal cycle than has previously been shown. Further, we show that high-resolution convection-permitting simulations performed over near-seasonal timescales can be used in conjunction with satellite observations as an effective tool to evaluate new convection parameterisations.

Lesula: a new species of Cercopithecus monkey endemic to the Democratic Republic of Congo and implications for conservation of Congo's central basin.

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John A Hart

Full Text Available In June 2007, a previously undescribed monkey known locally as "lesula" was found in the forests of the middle Lomami Basin in central Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC. We describe this new species as Cercopithecus lomamiensis sp. nov., and provide data on its distribution, morphology, genetics, ecology and behavior. C. lomamiensis is restricted to the lowland rain forests of central DRC between the middle Lomami and the upper Tshuapa Rivers. Morphological and molecular data confirm that C. lomamiensis is distinct from its nearest congener, C. hamlyni, from which it is separated geographically by both the Congo (Lualaba and the Lomami Rivers. C. lomamiensis, like C. hamlyni, is semi-terrestrial with a diet containing terrestrial herbaceous vegetation. The discovery of C. lomamiensis highlights the biogeographic significance and importance for conservation of central Congo's interfluvial TL2 region, defined from the upper Tshuapa River through the Lomami Basin to the Congo (Lualaba River. The TL2 region has been found to contain a high diversity of anthropoid primates including three forms, in addition to C. lomamiensis, that are endemic to the area. We recommend the common name, lesula, for this new species, as it is the vernacular name used over most of its known range.

Gender implications of forest product value chains in the Congo basin

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ingram, V.; Schure, J.M.; Tieguhong, J.C.; Ndoye, O.; Awono, A.; Iponga, D.M.

2014-01-01

Activities and roles in value chains of forest products in the Congo Basin are highly gendered, varying with the product's characteristics, the segment of the chain and customary regulations and norms. High-value products are primarily male-harvested when customary rules govern tenure and access,

Production of animal protein in the Congo Basin, a challenge for the future of people and wildlife

OpenAIRE

Moula, Nassim; Hornick, Jean-Luc; Ruppol, Patrick; Antoine-Moussiaux, Nicolas; Leroy, Pascal

2014-01-01

Protein needs are considerable in the Congo Basin, a vast territory dominated by forest and inhabited by tens of millions of people. Whereas over 85% of the DRC’s population of the Basin live in the forest, the situation is different in other countries where the majority is urban (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo and Gabon). This paper presents several achievements of the Centre for Tropical Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine in Kinshasa (CAVTK), which aims since 2001 to conduct pil...

Small-scale production in the Congo basin of low-acid carotene-rich red palm oil

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Silou Thomas

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The red palm oil consumed in the Congo basin come essentially from small-scale production from the dura or tenera varieties (the latter being a hybrid of dura and pisifera. These three varieties are endemic to the Congo basin. The tenera variety is characterized a thick pulp (about 50% of the nut from which 70–90% of oil (based on fresh pulp can be extracted. The dura variety has less pulp (30% of the nut by weight, and gives an oil yield of the same order of magnitude. The oil is extracted from the crushed pulp after a series of mixing steps in hot water at about 60 °C. When obtained from freshly harvested nuts (at most 3 days storage, this oil is rich in carotenoids (800–2600 ppm and polyphenols (5–13 mg/g, and presents low acid values (IA < 5 and peroxide values (IP < 10. Here we describe this traditional production process, widespread in the Congo basin, and suggest innovations that substantially increase the quantity of oil extracted and significantly improve the quality of the end product.

Congo Basin rainfall climatology: can we believe the climate models?

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Washington, Richard; James, Rachel; Pearce, Helen; Pokam, Wilfried M; Moufouma-Okia, Wilfran

2013-01-01

The Congo Basin is one of three key convective regions on the planet which, during the transition seasons, dominates global tropical rainfall. There is little agreement as to the distribution and quantity of rainfall across the basin with datasets differing by an order of magnitude in some seasons. The location of maximum rainfall is in the far eastern sector of the basin in some datasets but the far western edge of the basin in others during March to May. There is no consistent pattern to this rainfall distribution in satellite or model datasets. Resolving these differences is difficult without ground-based data. Moisture flux nevertheless emerges as a useful variable with which to study these differences. Climate models with weak (strong) or even divergent moisture flux over the basin are dry (wet). The paper suggests an approach, via a targeted field campaign, for generating useful climate information with which to confront rainfall products and climate models.

Profiling climate change vulnerability of forest indigenous communities in the Congo Basin

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nkem, J.N.; Somorin, O.A.; Jum, C.; Idinoba, M.E.; Bele, Y.M.; Sonwa, D.J.

2013-01-01

The livelihood strategies of indigenous communities in the Congo Basin are inseparable from the forests, following their use of forest ecosystem goods and services (FEGS). Climate change is expected to exert impacts on the forest and its ability to provide FEGS. Thus, human livelihoods that depend

Mapping Congo Basin vegetation types from 300 m and 1 km multi-sensor time series for carbon stocks and forest areas estimation

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A. Verhegghen

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This study aims to contribute to the understanding of the Congo Basin forests by delivering a detailed map of vegetation types with an improved spatial discrimination and coherence for the whole Congo Basin region. A total of 20 land cover classes were described with the standardized Land Cover Classification System (LCCS developed by the FAO. Based on a semi-automatic processing chain, the Congo Basin vegetation types map was produced by combining 19 months of observations from the Envisat MERIS full resolution products (300 m and 8 yr of daily SPOT VEGETATION (VGT reflectances (1 km. Four zones (north, south and two central were delineated and processed separately according to their seasonal and cloud cover specificities. The discrimination between different vegetation types (e.g. forest and savannas was significantly improved thanks to the MERIS sharp spatial resolution. A better discrimination was achieved in cloudy areas by taking advantage of the temporal consistency of the SPOT VGT observations. This resulted in a precise delineation of the spatial extent of the rural complex in the countries situated along the Atlantic coast. Based on this new map, more accurate estimates of the surface areas of forest types were produced for each country of the Congo Basin. Carbon stocks of the Basin were evaluated to a total of 49 360 million metric tons. The regional scale of the map was an opportunity to investigate what could be an appropriate tree cover threshold for a forest class definition in the Congo Basin countries. A 30% tree cover threshold was suggested. Furthermore, the phenology of the different vegetation types was illustrated systematically with EVI temporal profiles. This Congo Basin forest types map reached a satisfactory overall accuracy of 71.5% and even 78.9% when some classes are aggregated. The values of the Cohen's kappa coefficient, respectively 0.64 and 0.76 indicates a result significantly better than random.

Satellite-based estimates of surface water dynamics in the Congo River Basin

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Becker, M.; Papa, F.; Frappart, F.; Alsdorf, D.; Calmant, S.; da Silva, J. Santos; Prigent, C.; Seyler, F.

2018-04-01

In the Congo River Basin (CRB), due to the lack of contemporary in situ observations, there is a limited understanding of the large-scale variability of its present-day hydrologic components and their link with climate. In this context, remote sensing observations provide a unique opportunity to better characterize those dynamics. Analyzing the Global Inundation Extent Multi-Satellite (GIEMS) time series, we first show that surface water extent (SWE) exhibits marked seasonal patterns, well distributed along the major rivers and their tributaries, and with two annual maxima located: i) in the lakes region of the Lwalaba sub-basin and ii) in the "Cuvette Centrale", including Tumba and Mai-Ndombe Lakes. At an interannual time scale, we show that SWE variability is influenced by ENSO and the Indian Ocean dipole events. We then estimate water level maps and surface water storage (SWS) in floodplains, lakes, rivers and wetlands of the CRB, over the period 2003-2007, using a multi-satellite approach, which combines the GIEMS dataset with the water level measurements derived from the ENVISAT altimeter heights. The mean annual variation in SWS in the CRB is 81 ± 24 km3 and contributes to 19 ± 5% of the annual variations of GRACE-derived terrestrial water storage (33 ± 7% in the Middle Congo). It represents also ∼6 ± 2% of the annual water volume that flows from the Congo River into the Atlantic Ocean.

The Upper Jurassic Stanleyville Group of the eastern Congo Basin: An example of perennial lacustrine system

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Caillaud, Alexis; Blanpied, Christian; Delvaux, Damien

2017-08-01

The intracratonic Congo Basin, located in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is the largest sedimentary basin of Africa. The Jurassic strata outcrop along its eastern margin, south of Kisangani (formerly Stanleyville). In the last century, the Upper Jurassic Stanleyville Group was described as a lacustrine series containing a thin basal marine limestone designed as the ;Lime Fine; beds. Since the proposal of this early model, the depositional environment of the Stanleyville Group, and especially the possible marine incursion, has been debated, but without re-examining the existing cores, outcrop samples and historical fossils from the type location near Kisangani that are available at the Royal Museum for Central Africa (MRAC/KMMA, Tervuren, Belgium). In order to refine the former sedimentology, a series of nine exploration cores drilled in the Kisangani sub-basin have been described. This study aims at integrating sedimentary facies in existing sedimentary models and to discuss the hypothesis of the presence of Kimmeridgian marine deposits along the Congo River near Kisangani, a region which lies in the middle of the African continent. Eight facies have been identified, which permit a reinterpretation of the depositional environment and paleogeography of the Stanleyville Group. The base of the Stanleyville Group is interpreted to represent a conglomeratic fluvial succession, which filled an inherited Triassic paleotopography. Above these conglomerates, a transition to a typically lacustrine system is interpreted, which includes: (1) a basal profundal, sublittoral (brown to dark fine-grained siltstones with microbial carbonates, i.e., the ;Lime Fine; beds) and littoral lacustrine series; covered by (2) a sublittoral to profundal interval (brown to dark organic-rich, fine-grained siltstones), which corresponds to the maximum extent of the paleo-lake; and, finally (3) a shallow lacustrine series (greenish calcareous siltstones and sandstones with red siltstones

Characterization of Terrestrial Water Dynamics in the Congo Basin Using GRACE and Satellite Radar Altimetry

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Lee, Lyongki; Beighley, R. Edward; Alsdorf, Douglas; Jung, Hahn Chul; Shum, C. K.; Duan, Jianbin; Guo, Junyi; Yamazaki, Dai; Andreadis, Konstantinos

2011-01-01

The Congo Basin is the world's third largest in size (approximately 3.7 million km^2), and second only to the Amazon River in discharge (approximately 40,200 cms annual average). However, the hydrological dynamics of seasonally flooded wetlands and floodplains remains poorly quantified. Here, we separate the Congo wetland into four 3 degree x 3 degree regions, and use remote sensing measurements (i.e., GRACE, satellite radar altimeter, GPCP, JERS-1, SRTM, and MODIS) to estimate the amounts of water filling and draining from the Congo wetland, and to determine the source of the water. We find that the amount of water annually filling and draining the Congo wetlands is 111 km^3, which is about one-third the size of the water volumes found on the mainstem Amazon floodplain. Based on amplitude comparisons among the water volume changes and timing comparisons among their fluxes, we conclude that the local upland runoff is the main source of the Congo wetland water, not the fluvial process of river-floodplain water exchange as in the Amazon. Our hydraulic analysis using altimeter measurements also supports our conclusion by demonstrating that water surface elevations in the wetlands are consistently higher than the adjacent river water levels. Our research also highlights differences in the hydrology and hydrodynamics between the Congo wetland and the mainstem Amazon floodplain.

Age, extent and carbon storage of the central Congo Basin peatland complex.

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Dargie, Greta C; Lewis, Simon L; Lawson, Ian T; Mitchard, Edward T A; Page, Susan E; Bocko, Yannick E; Ifo, Suspense A

2017-02-02

Peatlands are carbon-rich ecosystems that cover just three per cent of Earth's land surface, but store one-third of soil carbon. Peat soils are formed by the build-up of partially decomposed organic matter under waterlogged anoxic conditions. Most peat is found in cool climatic regions where unimpeded decomposition is slower, but deposits are also found under some tropical swamp forests. Here we present field measurements from one of the world's most extensive regions of swamp forest, the Cuvette Centrale depression in the central Congo Basin. We find extensive peat deposits beneath the swamp forest vegetation (peat defined as material with an organic matter content of at least 65 per cent to a depth of at least 0.3 metres). Radiocarbon dates indicate that peat began accumulating from about 10,600 years ago, coincident with the onset of more humid conditions in central Africa at the beginning of the Holocene. The peatlands occupy large interfluvial basins, and seem to be largely rain-fed and ombrotrophic-like (of low nutrient status) systems. Although the peat layer is relatively shallow (with a maximum depth of 5.9 metres and a median depth of 2.0 metres), by combining in situ and remotely sensed data, we estimate the area of peat to be approximately 145,500 square kilometres (95 per cent confidence interval of 131,900-156,400 square kilometres), making the Cuvette Centrale the most extensive peatland complex in the tropics. This area is more than five times the maximum possible area reported for the Congo Basin in a recent synthesis of pantropical peat extent. We estimate that the peatlands store approximately 30.6 petagrams (30.6 × 10 15  grams) of carbon belowground (95 per cent confidence interval of 6.3-46.8 petagrams of carbon)-a quantity that is similar to the above-ground carbon stocks of the tropical forests of the entire Congo Basin. Our result for the Cuvette Centrale increases the best estimate of global tropical peatland carbon stocks by

Governing Congo Basin forests in a changing climate: actors, discourses and institutions for adaptation and mitigation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Somorin, O.A.

2014-01-01

Governing Congo Basin Forests in a Changing Climate: Actors, Discourses and Institutions for Adaptation and Mitigation

OA Somorin

Abstract

The thesis deals with the central question of the governance processes of making

42 CFR 71.56 - African rodents and other animals that may carry the monkeypox virus.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... the monkeypox virus. 71.56 Section 71.56 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND... and other animals that may carry the monkeypox virus. (a) What actions are prohibited? What animals... transmitting or carrying the monkeypox virus. Such products include, but are not limited to, fully taxidermied...

Organic carbon accumulation in modern sediments of the Angola basin influenced by the Congo deep-sea fan

Science.gov (United States)

Baudin, François; Martinez, Philippe; Dennielou, Bernard; Charlier, Karine; Marsset, Tania; Droz, Laurence; Rabouille, Christophe

2017-08-01

Geochemical data (total organic carbon-TOC content, δ13Corg, C:N, Rock-Eval analyses) were obtained on 150 core tops from the Angola basin, with a special focus on the Congo deep-sea fan. Combined with the previously published data, the resulting dataset (322 stations) shows a good spatial and bathymetric representativeness. TOC content and δ13Corg maps of the Angola basin were generated using this enhanced dataset. The main difference in our map with previously published ones is the high terrestrial organic matter content observed downslope along the active turbidite channel of the Congo deep-sea fan till the distal lobe complex near 5000 m of water-depth. Interpretation of downslope trends in TOC content and organic matter composition indicates that lateral particle transport by turbidity currents is the primary mechanism controlling supply and burial of organic matter in the bathypelagic depths.

Differences between Pygmy and Non-Pygmy Hunting in Congo Basin Forests.

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John E Fa

Full Text Available We use data on game harvest from 60 Pygmy and non-Pygmy settlements in the Congo Basin forests to examine whether hunting patterns and prey profiles differ between the two hunter groups. For each group, we calculate hunted animal numbers and biomass available per inhabitant, P, per year (harvest rates and killed per hunter, H, per year (extraction rates. We assess the impact of hunting of both hunter groups from estimates of numbers and biomass of prey species killed per square kilometre, and by examining the proportion of hunted taxa of low, medium and high population growth rates as a measure of their vulnerability to overhunting. We then map harvested biomass (kg-1P-1Yr-1 of bushmeat by Pygmies and non-Pygmies throughout the Congo Basin. Hunting patterns differ between Pygmies and non-Pygmies; Pygmies take larger and different prey and non-Pygmies sell more for profit. We show that non-Pygmies have a potentially more severe impact on prey populations than Pygmies. This is because non-Pygmies hunt a wider range of species, and twice as many animals are taken per square kilometre. Moreover, in non-Pygmy settlements there was a larger proportion of game taken of low population growth rate. Our harvest map shows that the non-Pygmy population may be responsible for 27 times more animals harvested than the Pygmy population. Such differences indicate that the intense competition that may arise from the more widespread commercial hunting by non-Pygmies is a far more important constraint and source of conflict than are protected areas.

Comparison of Monkeypox Virus Clade Kinetics and Pathology within the Prairie Dog Animal Model Using a Serial Sacrifice Study Design

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Christina L. Hutson

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Monkeypox virus (MPXV infection of the prairie dog is valuable to studying systemic orthopoxvirus disease. To further characterize differences in MPXV clade pathogenesis, groups of prairie dogs were intranasally infected (8×103 p.f.u. with Congo Basin (CB or West African (WA MPXV, and 28 tissues were harvested on days 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 17, and 24 postinfection. Samples were evaluated for the presence of virus and gross and microscopic lesions. Virus was recovered from nasal mucosa, oropharyngeal lymph nodes, and spleen earlier in CB challenged animals (day 4 than WA challenged animals (day 6. For both groups, primary viremia (indicated by viral DNA was seen on days 6–9 through day 17. CB MPXV spread more rapidly, accumulated to greater levels, and caused greater morbidity in animals compared to WA MPXV. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry (IHC findings, however, were similar. Two animals that succumbed to disease demonstrated abundant viral antigen in all organs tested, except for brain. Dual-IHC staining of select liver and spleen sections showed that apoptotic cells (identified by TUNEL tended to colocalize with poxvirus antigen. Interestingly splenocytes were labelled positive for apoptosis more often than hepatocytes in both MPXV groups. These findings allow for further characterization of differences between MPXV clade pathogenesis, including identifying sites that are important during early viral replication and cellular response to viral infection.

Remotely Sensed Based Lake/Reservoir Routing in Congo River Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Raoufi, R.; Beighley, E.; Lee, H.

2017-12-01

Lake and reservoir dynamics can influence local to regional water cycles but are often not well represented in hydrologic models. One challenge that limits their inclusion in models is the need for detailed storage-discharge behavior that can be further complicated in reservoirs where specific operation rules are employed. Here, the Hillslope River Routing (HRR) model is combined with a remotely sensed based Reservoir Routing (RR) method and applied to the Congo River Basin. Given that topographic data are often continuous over the entire terrestrial surface (i.e., does not differentiate between land and open water), the HRR-RR model integrates topographic derived river networks and catchment boundaries (e.g., HydroSHEDs) with water boundary extents (e.g., Global Lakes and Wetlands Database) to develop the computational framework. The catchments bordering lakes and reservoirs are partitioned into water and land portions, where representative flowpath characteristics are determined and vertical water balance and lateral routings is performed separately on each partition based on applicable process models (e.g., open water evaporation vs. evapotranspiration). To enable reservoir routing, remotely sensed water surface elevations and extents are combined to determine the storage change time series. Based on the available time series, representative storage change patterns are determined. Lake/reservoir routing is performed by combining inflows from the HRR-RR model and the representative storage change patterns to determine outflows. In this study, a suite of storage change patterns derived from remotely sensed measurements are determined representative patterns for wet, dry and average conditions. The HRR-RR model dynamically selects and uses the optimal storage change pattern for the routing process based on these hydrologic conditions. The HRR-RR model results are presented to highlight the importance of lake attenuation/routing in the Congo Basin.

Financing and current capacity for REDD+ readiness and monitoring, measurement, reporting and verification in the Congo Basin.

Science.gov (United States)

Maniatis, Danae; Gaugris, Jérôme; Mollicone, Danilo; Scriven, Joel; Corblin, Alexis; Ndikumagenge, Cleto; Aquino, André; Crete, Philippe; Sanz-Sanchez, Maria-José

2013-01-01

This paper provides the first critical analysis of the financing and current capacity for REDD+ readiness in the Congo Basin, with a particular focus on the REDD+ component of national forest monitoring and measurement, reporting and verification (M&MRV). We focus on three areas of analysis: (i) general financing for REDD+ readiness especially M&MRV; (ii) capacity and information for REDD+ implementation and M&MRV; (iii) prospects and challenges for REDD+ and M&MRV readiness in terms of financing and capacity. For the first area of analysis, a REDD+ and M&MRV readiness financing database was created based on the information from the REDD+ voluntary database and Internet searches. For the second area of analysis, a qualitative approach to data collection was adopted (semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, surveys and observations). All 10 countries were visited between 2010 and 2012. We find that: (i) a significant amount of REDD+ financing flows into the Congo Basin (±US$550 million or almost half of the REDD+ financing for the African continent); (ii) across countries, there is an important disequilibrium in terms of REDD+ and M&MRV readiness financing, political engagement, comprehension and capacity, which also appears to be a key barrier to countries receiving equal resources; (iii) most financing appears to go to smaller scale (subnational) REDD+ projects; (iv) four distinct country groups in terms of REDD+ readiness and M&MRV status are identified; and (v) the Congo Basin has a distinct opportunity to have a specific REDD+ financing window for large-scale and more targeted national REDD+ programmes through a specific fund for the region.

Financing and current capacity for REDD+ readiness and monitoring, measurement, reporting and verification in the Congo Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Maniatis, Danae; Gaugris, Jérôme; Mollicone, Danilo; Scriven, Joel; Corblin, Alexis; Ndikumagenge, Cleto; Aquino, André; Crete, Philippe; Sanz-Sanchez, Maria-José

2013-01-01

This paper provides the first critical analysis of the financing and current capacity for REDD+ readiness in the Congo Basin, with a particular focus on the REDD+ component of national forest monitoring and measurement, reporting and verification (M&MRV). We focus on three areas of analysis: (i) general financing for REDD+ readiness especially M&MRV; (ii) capacity and information for REDD+ implementation and M&MRV; (iii) prospects and challenges for REDD+ and M&MRV readiness in terms of financing and capacity. For the first area of analysis, a REDD+ and M&MRV readiness financing database was created based on the information from the REDD+ voluntary database and Internet searches. For the second area of analysis, a qualitative approach to data collection was adopted (semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, surveys and observations). All 10 countries were visited between 2010 and 2012. We find that: (i) a significant amount of REDD+ financing flows into the Congo Basin (±US$550 million or almost half of the REDD+ financing for the African continent); (ii) across countries, there is an important disequilibrium in terms of REDD+ and M&MRV readiness financing, political engagement, comprehension and capacity, which also appears to be a key barrier to countries receiving equal resources; (iii) most financing appears to go to smaller scale (subnational) REDD+ projects; (iv) four distinct country groups in terms of REDD+ readiness and M&MRV status are identified; and (v) the Congo Basin has a distinct opportunity to have a specific REDD+ financing window for large-scale and more targeted national REDD+ programmes through a specific fund for the region. PMID:23878337

Angola: source rock control for Lower Congo Coastal and Kwanza Basin petroleum systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burwood, R. [Fina Exploration Ltd, Epsom (United Kingdom)

1999-07-01

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of petroleum occurrence and provenance for the 1000 km West African Atlantic Margin from Cabinda to mid-Angola. Over this margin the Lower Congo Coastal and Kwanza provinces cumulatively account for reserves of c. 6 gigabarrels oil recoverable (GBOR). These are dominantly reservoired in Pinda carbonate traps of the former basin. However, with production from a range of aggradational wedge, carbonate platform and pre-salt reservoirs, a diversity in oil character presupposes complex hydrocarbon habitats charged by multiple sourcing. Each of these two major Atlantic margin salt basins constitutes a different, source rock driven, hydrocarbon habitat. As classic passive margin pull-apart basins, Early Cretaceous initiated rift events (Pre-rift, Syn-rift I, II, etc.) evolved into the drift phase opening of the southern Atlantic. A striking feature of this progression was widespread evaporite deposition of the Aptian Loeme salt. This separates two distinct sedimentary and tectonic domains of the Pre- and Post-Salt. The core Lower Congo Coastal habitat is dominated by the Pre-Salt Bucomazi Formation sourced 'poly' petroleum system. These lacustrine, often super-rich, sediments reveal considerable organofacies variation between their basin fill (Syn-rift I) and sheet drape (Syn-rift II) development, accounting for the compositional diversity in their progenic petroleums. Of crucial impact is a cognate diversity in their kerogen kinetic behaviour. This controls the conditions and timing of generation and realization of charge potential. With the Lower Congo Coastal habitat extending southwards towards the Ambriz Spur, the Bucomazi facies proper appears restricted to the northern and deeper proto-lake trend. Over the more weakly subsident margins such troughs host inferior sheet drape potential. Elswhere, Upper Cretaceous-Palaeogene marine clastic Iabe Formation sourced petroleum systems are hydrocarbon productive

Win-wins in NTFP market chains? How governance impacts the sustainability of livelihoods based on Congo Basin forest products

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ingram, V.J.

2012-01-01

Exploring the interrelationships between governance, poverty alleviation and sustainability impacts in the framework of market chains for non-timber forest products originating from the Congo Basin. The research focuses on how governance arrangements help or hinder access to forest resources and

"Congo" red: out of Africa?

Science.gov (United States)

Steensma, D P

2001-02-01

Congo red is the essential histologic stain for demonstrating the presence of amyloidosis in fixed tissues. To the best of my knowledge, nothing has been written about why the stain is named "Congo." To understand the etymology and history of the Congo red histologic stain. Primary sources were consulted extensively, including 19th-century corporate documents, newspapers, legal briefs, patents, memoirs, and scientific papers. Sources were obtained from multiple university libraries and German corporate archives. To Europeans in 1885, the word Congo evoked exotic images of far-off central Africa known as The Dark Continent. The African Congo was also a political flashpoint during the Age of Colonialism. "Congo" red was introduced in Berlin in 1885 as the first of the economically lucrative direct textile dyes. A patent on Congo red was filed by the AGFA Corporation of Berlin 3 weeks after the conclusion of the well-publicized Berlin West Africa Conference. During these important diplomatic talks, German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck presided over a discussion of free trade issues in the Congo River basin. A challenge to AGFA's Congo red patent led to a precedent-setting decision in intellectual property law. The Congo red stain was named "Congo" for marketing purposes by a German textile dyestuff company in 1885, reflecting geopolitical current events of that time.

Sequence of pathogenic events in cynomolgus macaques infected with aerosolized monkeypox virus.

Science.gov (United States)

Tree, J A; Hall, G; Pearson, G; Rayner, E; Graham, V A; Steeds, K; Bewley, K R; Hatch, G J; Dennis, M; Taylor, I; Roberts, A D; Funnell, S G P; Vipond, J

2015-04-01

To evaluate new vaccines when human efficacy studies are not possible, the FDA's "Animal Rule" requires well-characterized models of infection. Thus, in the present study, the early pathogenic events of monkeypox infection in nonhuman primates, a surrogate for variola virus infection, were characterized. Cynomolgus macaques were exposed to aerosolized monkeypox virus (10(5) PFU). Clinical observations, viral loads, immune responses, and pathological changes were examined on days 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 postchallenge. Viral DNA (vDNA) was detected in the lungs on day 2 postchallenge, and viral antigen was detected, by immunostaining, in the epithelium of bronchi, bronchioles, and alveolar walls. Lesions comprised rare foci of dysplastic and sloughed cells in respiratory bronchioles. By day 4, vDNA was detected in the throat, tonsil, and spleen, and monkeypox antigen was detected in the lung, hilar and submandibular lymph nodes, spleen, and colon. Lung lesions comprised focal epithelial necrosis and inflammation. Body temperature peaked on day 6, pox lesions appeared on the skin, and lesions, with positive immunostaining, were present in the lung, tonsil, spleen, lymph nodes, and colon. By day 8, vDNA was present in 9/13 tissues. Blood concentrations of interleukin 1ra (IL-1ra), IL-6, and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) increased markedly. By day 10, circulating IgG antibody concentrations increased, and on day 12, animals showed early signs of recovery. These results define early events occurring in an inhalational macaque monkeypox infection model, supporting its use as a surrogate model for human smallpox. Bioterrorism poses a major threat to public health, as the deliberate release of infectious agents, such smallpox or a related virus, monkeypox, would have catastrophic consequences. The development and testing of new medical countermeasures, e.g., vaccines, are thus priorities; however, tests for efficacy in humans cannot be performed because it would be unethical and

New data on the morphology and distribution of the enigmatic Schouteden's sun snake, Helophis schoutedeni (de Witte, 1922) from the Congo Basin

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Nagy, Z. T.; Gvoždík, Václav; Meirte, D.; Collet, M.; Pauwels, O. S. G.

2014-01-01

Roč. 3755, č. 1 (2014), s. 96-100 ISSN 1175-5326 Institutional support: RVO:68081766 Keywords : Helophis * morphology * distribution * Congo Basin Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 0.906, year: 2014

In vitro efficacy of ST246 against smallpox and monkeypox.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Scott K; Olson, Victoria A; Karem, Kevin L; Jordan, Robert; Hruby, Dennis E; Damon, Inger K

2009-03-01

Since the eradication of smallpox and the cessation of routine childhood vaccination for smallpox, the proportion of the world's population susceptible to infection with orthopoxviruses, such as variola virus (the causative agent of smallpox) and monkeypox virus, has grown substantially. In the United States, the only vaccines for smallpox licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have been live virus vaccines. Unfortunately, a substantial number of people cannot receive live virus vaccines due to contraindications. Furthermore, no antiviral drugs have been fully approved by the FDA for the prevention or treatment of orthopoxvirus infection. Here, we show the inhibitory effect of one new antiviral compound, ST-246, on the in vitro growth properties of six variola virus strains and seven monkeypox virus strains. We performed multiple assays to monitor the cytopathic effect and to evaluate the reduction of viral progeny production and release in the presence of the compound. ST-246 had 50% effective concentrations of monkeypox virus. In a dose-dependent manner, plaque size and comet tail formation were markedly reduced in the presence of the drug at low, noncytotoxic concentrations between 0.015 and 0.05 microM. Our in vitro phenotype data suggest that ST-246 inhibits variola and monkeypox viruses similarly by reducing the production and release of enveloped orthopoxvirus and support the development of ST-246 as an antiviral therapeutic compound for the treatment of severe systemic orthopoxvirus infections.

Lightning climatology in the Congo Basin: detailed analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Soula, Serge; Kigotsi, Jean; Georgis, Jean-François; Barthe, Christelle

2016-04-01

The lightning climatology of the Congo Basin including several countries of Central Africa is analyzed in detail for the first time. It is based on World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) data for the period from 2005 to 2013. A comparison of these data with the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) data for the same period shows the WWLLN detection efficiency (DE) in the region increases from about 1.70 % in the beginning of the period to 5.90 % in 2013, relative to LIS data, but not uniformly over the whole 2750 km × 2750 km area. Both the annual flash density and the number of stormy days show sharp maximum values localized in eastern of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and west of Kivu Lake, regardless of the reference year and the period of the year. These maxima reach 12.86 fl km-2 and 189 days, respectively, in 2013, and correspond with a very active region located at the rear of the Virunga mountain range characterised with summits that can reach 3000 m. The presence of this range plays a role in the thunderstorm development along the year. The estimation of this local maximum of the lightning density by taking into account the DE, leads to a value consistent with that of the global climatology by Christian et al. (2003) and other authors. Thus, a mean maximum value of about 157 fl km-2 y-1 is found for the annual lightning density. The zonal distribution of the lightning flashes exhibits a maximum between 1°S and 2°S and about 56 % of the flashes located below the equator in the 10°S - 10°N interval. The diurnal evolution of the flash rate has a maximum between 1400 and 1700 UTC, according to the reference year, in agreement with previous works in other regions of the world.

Comparative Proteomics of Human Monkeypox and Vaccinia Intracellular Mature and Extracellular Enveloped Virions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Manes, Nathan P.; Estep, Ryan D.; Mottaz, Heather M.; Moore, Ronald J.; Clauss, Therese RW; Monroe, Matthew E.; Du, Xiuxia; Adkins, Joshua N.; Wong, Scott; Smith, Richard D.

2008-03-07

Orthopoxviruses are the largest and most complex of the animal viruses. In response to the recent emergence of monkeypox in Africa and the threat of smallpox bioterrorism, virulent (monkeypox virus) and benign (vaccinia virus) orthopoxviruses were proteomically compared with the goal of identifying proteins required for pathogenesis. Orthopoxviruses were grown in HeLa cells to two different viral forms (intracellular mature virus and extracellular enveloped virus), purified by sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation, denatured using RapiGest™ surfactant, and digested with trypsin. Unfractionated samples and strong cation exchange HPLC fractions were analyzed by reversed-phase LC-MS/MS, and analyses of the MS/MS spectra using SEQUEST® and X! Tandem resulted in the identification of hundreds of monkeypox, vaccinia, and copurified host proteins. The unfractionated samples were additionally analyzed by LC-MS on an LTQ-Orbitrap™, and the accurate mass and elution time tag approach was used to perform quantitative comparisons. Possible pathophysiological roles of differentially expressed orthopoxvirus genes are discussed.

The biogeochemistry of carbon across a gradient of streams and rivers within the Congo Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Mann, P. J.; Spencer, R. G. M.; Dinga, B. J.; Poulsen, J. R.; Hernes, P. J.; Fiske, G.; Salter, M. E.; Wang, Z. A.; Hoering, K. A.; Six, J.; Holmes, R. M.

2014-04-01

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and inorganic carbon (DIC, pCO2), lignin biomarkers, and theoptical properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) were measured in a gradient of streams and rivers within the Congo Basin, with the aim of examining how vegetation cover and hydrology influences the composition and concentration of fluvial carbon (C). Three sampling campaigns (February 2010, November 2010, and August 2011) spanning 56 sites are compared by subbasin watershed land cover type (savannah, tropical forest, and swamp) and hydrologic regime (high, intermediate, and low). Land cover properties predominately controlled the amount and quality of DOC, chromophoric DOM (CDOM) and lignin phenol concentrations (∑8) exported in streams and rivers throughout the Congo Basin. Higher DIC concentrations and changing DOM composition (lower molecular weight, less aromatic C) during periods of low hydrologic flow indicated shifting rapid overland supply pathways in wet conditions to deeper groundwater inputs during drier periods. Lower DOC concentrations in forest and swamp subbasins were apparent with increasing catchment area, indicating enhanced DOC loss with extended water residence time. Surface water pCO2 in savannah and tropical forest catchments ranged between 2,600 and 11,922 µatm, with swamp regions exhibiting extremely high pCO2 (10,598-15,802 µatm), highlighting their potential as significant pathways for water-air efflux. Our data suggest that the quantity and quality of DOM exported to streams and rivers are largely driven by terrestrial ecosystem structure and that anthropogenic land use or climate change may impact fluvial C composition and reactivity, with ramifications for regional C budgets and future climate scenarios.

Generation and Characterization of a Double Recombinant Monkeypox Virus for use in Animal Model Development and Therapeutic Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-27

protect the virions from normal host immune responses (4, 41). Orthopoxviruses are genetically and antigenically similar. The central regions of...model for smallpox disease (35). Challenges associated with working with MPXV include the use of Bio Safety Level 3+ (BSL-3+) facilities in...release of weaponized variola or monkeypox, and ongoing monkeypox outbreaks in Africa have prompted investigations into the development of new vaccine

The Potential of Sentinel Satellites for Burnt Area Mapping and Monitoring in the Congo Basin Forests

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Astrid Verhegghen

2016-11-01

Full Text Available In this study, the recently launched Sentinel-2 (S2 optical satellite and the active radar Sentinel-1 (S1 satellite supported by active fire data from the MODIS sensor were used to detect and monitor forest fires in the Congo Basin. In the context of a very strong El Niño event, an unprecedented outbreak of fires was observed during the first months of 2016 in open forests formations in the north of the Republic of Congo. The anomalies of the recent fires and meteorological situation compared to historical data show the severity of the drought. Burnt areas mapped by the S1 SAR and S2 Multi Spectral Instrument (MSI sensors highlight that the fires occurred mainly in Marantaceae forests, characterized by open tree canopy cover and an extensive tall herbaceous layer. The maps show that the origin of the fires correlates with accessibility to the forest, suggesting an anthropogenic origin. The combined use of the two independent and fundamentally different satellite systems of S2 and S1 captured an extent of 36,000 ha of burnt areas, with each sensor compensating for the weakness (cloud perturbations for S2, and sensitivity to ground moisture for S1 of the other.

High Resolution Modelling of the Congo River's Multi-Threaded Main Stem Hydraulics

Science.gov (United States)

Carr, A. B.; Trigg, M.; Tshimanga, R.; Neal, J. C.; Borman, D.; Smith, M. W.; Bola, G.; Kabuya, P.; Mushie, C. A.; Tschumbu, C. L.

2017-12-01

We present the results of a summer 2017 field campaign by members of the Congo River users Hydraulics and Morphology (CRuHM) project, and a subsequent reach-scale hydraulic modelling study on the Congo's main stem. Sonar bathymetry, ADCP transects, and water surface elevation data have been collected along the Congo's heavily multi-threaded middle reach, which exhibits complex in-channel hydraulic processes that are not well understood. To model the entire basin's hydrodynamics, these in-channel hydraulic processes must be parameterised since it is not computationally feasible to represent them explicitly. Furthermore, recent research suggests that relative to other large global rivers, in-channel flows on the Congo represent a relatively large proportion of total flow through the river-floodplain system. We therefore regard sufficient representation of in-channel hydraulic processes as a Congo River hydrodynamic research priority. To enable explicit representation of in-channel hydraulics, we develop a reach-scale (70 km), high resolution hydraulic model. Simulation of flow through individual channel threads provides new information on flow depths and velocities, and will be used to inform the parameterisation of a broader basin-scale hydrodynamic model. The basin-scale model will ultimately be used to investigate floodplain fluxes, flood wave attenuation, and the impact of future hydrological change scenarios on basin hydrodynamics. This presentation will focus on the methodology we use to develop a reach-scale bathymetric DEM. The bathymetry of only a small proportion of channel threads can realistically be captured, necessitating some estimation of the bathymetry of channels not surveyed. We explore different approaches to this bathymetry estimation, and the extent to which it influences hydraulic model predictions. The CRuHM project is a consortium comprising the Universities of Kinshasa, Rhodes, Dar es Salaam, Bristol, and Leeds, and is funded by Royal

A proposed drainage evolution model for Central Africa—Did the Congo flow east?

Science.gov (United States)

Stankiewicz, Jacek; de Wit, Maarten J.

2006-01-01

Understanding the origin of Sub-Saharan biodiversity requires knowing the history of the region's paleo-ecosystems. As water is essential for sustaining of life, the evolving geometry of river basins often have influence on local speciation. With this in mind, we analyse drainage patterns in Central and East Africa. Evidence from marine fossils suggests the Congo Basin was submerged for much of the Cretaceous, and after being uplifted drained eastwards through a paleo-Congo river towards the Indian Ocean. Two remnant peneplains in the Congo Basin are interpreted as evidence that this basin was tectonically stable on at least two occasions in the past. The lower peneplain is interpreted as the base level of the drainage pattern that had its outlet in Tanzania, at the present Rufiji Delta that was once over 500 km wide. The Luangwa, today a tributary of the Zambezi river, was a part of this drainage network. This pattern was subsequently disrupted by uplift associated with the East African Rifting in the Oligocene-Eocene (30-40 Ma). The resulting landlocked system was captured in the Miocene (5-15 Ma) by short rivers draining into the Atlantic Ocean, producing the drainage pattern of Central Africa seen today.

A Lagrangian perspective of the hydrological cycle in the Congo River basin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Sorí

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The Lagrangian model FLEXPART is used to identify the moisture sources of the Congo River basin (CRB and investigate their role in the hydrological cycle. This model allows us to track atmospheric parcels while calculating changes in the specific humidity through the budget of evaporation minus precipitation. This method permits the annual-scale identification of five continental and four oceanic principal regions that provide moisture to the CRB from both hemispheres over the course of the year. The most important is the CRB, which provides more than 50 % of the total atmospheric moisture contribution to precipitation over itself. Additionally, both the land that extends to the east of the CRB and the eastern equatorial South Atlantic Ocean are very important sources, while the Red Sea source is merely important in the (E − P budget over the CRB despite its high evaporation rate. The moisture-sink patterns over the CRB in air masses that were tracked forward in time from all the sources follow the latitudinal rainfall migration and are mostly highly correlated with the pattern of the precipitation rate, ensuring a link between them. In wet (dry years, the contribution of moisture to precipitation from the CRB over itself increases (decreases. Despite the enhanced evaporative conditions over the basin during dry years, the vertically integrated moisture flux (VIMF divergence inhibits precipitation and suggests the transport of moisture from the CRB to remote regions.

National forest cover change in Congo Basin: deforestation, reforestation, degradation and regeneration for the years 1990, 2000 and 2005.

Science.gov (United States)

Céline, Ernst; Philippe, Mayaux; Astrid, Verhegghen; Catherine, Bodart; Musampa, Christophe; Pierre, Defourny

2013-04-01

This research refers to an object-based automatic method combined with a national expert validation to produce regional and national forest cover change statistics over Congo Basin. A total of 547 sampling sites systematically distributed over the whole humid forest domain are required to cover the six Central African countries containing tropical moist forest. High resolution imagery is used to accurately estimate not only deforestation and reforestation but also degradation and regeneration. The overall method consists of four steps: (i) image automatic preprocessing and preinterpretation, (ii) interpretation by national expert, (iii) statistic computation and (iv) accuracy assessment. The annual rate of net deforestation in Congo Basin is estimated to 0.09% between 1990 and 2000 and of net degradation to 0.05%. Between 2000 and 2005, this unique exercise estimates annual net deforestation to 0.17% and annual net degradation to 0.09%. An accuracy assessment reveals that 92.7% of tree cover (TC) classes agree with independent expert interpretation. In the discussion, we underline the direct causes and the drivers of deforestation. Population density, small-scale agriculture, fuelwood collection and forest's accessibility are closely linked to deforestation, whereas timber extraction has no major impact on the reduction in the canopy cover. The analysis also shows the efficiency of protected areas to reduce deforestation. These results are expected to contribute to the discussion on the reduction in CO2 emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) and serve as reference for the period. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Antiviral treatment is more effective than smallpox vaccination upon lethal monkeypox virus infection

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Stittelaar, K. J.; Neyts, J.; Naesens, L.; Amerongen van, G.; Lavieren van, R. F.; Holý, Antonín; De Clercq, E.; Niesters, H. G. M.; Fries, E.; Maas, Ch.; Mulder, P. G. H.; Zeijst van der, B. A. M.; Osterhaus, D. M. E.

2006-01-01

Roč. 439, č. 7077 (2006), s. 745-748 ISSN 0028-0836 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40550506 Keywords : monkeypox virus * vaccination * HPMPC * HPMPO-DAPy Subject RIV: CC - Organic Chemistry Impact factor: 26.681, year: 2006

Dynamic behaviour of natural oil droplets through the water column in deep-water environment: the case of the Lower Congo Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Jatiault, R.; Dhont, D.; Loncke, L.; Durrieu De Madron, X.; Dubucq, D.; Channelliere, C.; Bourrin, F.

2017-12-01

Key words: Hydrocarbon seepage, Oil Slick, Lower Congo Basin, Underwater deflection, Deep-water Pockmark, Ascent speedThe space-borne imagery provides a significant means to locate active oil seeps and to estimate the expelled volume in the marine environment. The analysis of numerous overlapping satellite images revealed an abundant volume of 4400 m3 of oil naturally reaching the sea surface per year, expelled from more than a hundred seep sites through the Lower Congo Basin. The active seepage area is located in the distal compressional province of the basin where salt napes and squeezed diapirs. The integration of current data was used to link accurately sea surface manifestations of natural oil leakages with active fluid flow features on the seafloor. A mooring with ADCPs (Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers) distributed throughout the water column provided an efficient calibration tool to evaluate the horizontal deflection of oil droplets. Using a Eulerian propagation model that considered a range of probable ascent speeds, we estimated the oil migration pathways through the water column using two different approaches. The first approach consisted in simulating the backwards trajectory of oil droplets using sea surface oil slicks locations and concomitant current measurements. The second method analyzed the spatial spreading of the surfacing signatures of natural oil slicks based on 21 years of satellite observations. The location of the surfacing points of oil droplets at the sea surface is restricted to a circle of 2.5 km radius around the release point at the seafloor. Both approaches provided a range of ascent speeds of oil droplets between 3 to 8 cm.s-1. The low deflection values validate the near-vertical links between the average surfacing area of oil slicks at the sea surface with specific seafloor disturbances (i.e. pockmarks or mounds) known to expel fluids.

Sr-isotope stratigraphy and dating of Neo-proterozoic carbonates and glacials from the northern and western parts of the Congo Craton

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poidevin, J.L.

2007-01-01

Numerous occurrences of Neo-proterozoic carbonate platforms and glacigenic litho-facies are present around the Congo craton. They are especially well developed on its western and northern borders, i.e. in the fore-lands of the West Congo and Oubanguides belts. Sr isotopic stratigraphy enables us to characterize the deposition age of some carbonate units from these two domains. The 87 Sr/ 86 Sr isotopic ratios of limestones from the late 'Haut Shiloango' (0.7068) and the 'Schisto-calcaire' (0.7075) of the West-Congo domain are of post-Sturtian and post-Marinoan ages, respectively. The Lenda carbonates (0.7066) from the Northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the limestones (0.7076) from the Bangui Basin, both in the Oubanguides fore-land, are of pre-Sturtian and post-Marinoan ages, respectively. These data associated with lithostratigraphic correlations allow us to ascribe the 'Bas Congo' lower mixtite (tillite) and the Akwokwo tillite (Lindian) to the Sturtian ice age. In the same way, the 'Bas Congo' upper mixtite (tillite) and the Bondo tillite (Bakouma Basin) are likely Marinoan in age. A new synthetic stratigraphy for these Neo-proterozoic domains is developed. (author)

3D stratigraphic modeling of the Congo turbidite system since 210 ka: an investigation of factors controlling sedimentation

Science.gov (United States)

Laurent, Dimitri; Picot, Marie; Marsset, Tania; Droz, Laurence; Rabineau, Marina; Granjeon, Didier; Molliex, Stéphane

2017-04-01

The geometry and internal functioning of turbidite systems are relatively well-constrained today. However, the respective role of autogenic (topographic compensation, dynamics of turbidity currents…) and allogenic factors (tectonics, sea-level, climate) governing their architectural evolution is still under debate. The geometry of the Quaternary Congo Fan is characterized by successive sedimentary prograding/retrograding cycles bounded by upfan avulsions, reflecting a periodic control of sedimentation (Picot et al., 2016). Multi-proxy studies revealed a strong interplay between autogenic control and climate forcing as evidenced by changes in fluvial sediment supplies consistent with arid and humid periods in the Congo River Basin. In the light of these results, the aim of this study is to investigate the relative impact of internal and external forcing factors controlling, both in time and space, the formation and evolution of depocenters of the Congo Deep-Sea Fan since 210 ka. This work represents the first attempt to model in 3D the stratigraphic architecture of the Congo turbidite system using DionisosFlow (IFP-EN), a diffusion process-based software. It allows the simulation of sediment transport and the 3D geometry reproduction of sedimentary units based on physical processes such as sea level changes, tectonics, sediment supply and transport. According to the modeling results, the role of topographic compensation in the deep-sea fan geometry is secondary compared to climate changes in the drainage basin. It appears that a periodic variation of sediment discharge and water flow is necessary to simulate the timing and volume of prograding/retrograding sedimentary cycles and more particularly the upfan avulsion events. The best-fit simulations show that the overriding factor for such changes corresponds to the expansion of the vegetation cover in the catchment basin associated to the Milankovitch cycle of precession which controlled the West African Monsoon

Changing governance arrangements: NTFP value chains in the Congo Basin

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ingram, V.J.

2017-01-01

As forest products from Cameroon and DR Congo are commercialised, a value chain is created from harvesters, processors, and retailers to
consumers worldwide. In contrast to dominant narratives focusing on regulations and customs, these chains are actually governed by dynamic,
multiple

Quelles sont les causes de la déforestation dans le bassin du Congo ? Synthèse bibliographique et études de cas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gillet, P.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Drivers of deforestation in the Congo basin tropical forest. A review. Description of the subject. The forests of the Congo Basin are among the best preserved areas on Earth. Nevertheless, the factors causing deforestation around the world are also present in this subregion. This document presents a literature review of the direct causes and underlying factors of deforestation in the tropical areas and highlights the drivers of deforestation in the Congo Basin and particularly in Cameroon and Gabon. Literature. Direct causes of deforestation, defined as having a direct cause-and-consequence connection with the destruction of forest cover, are underpinned by economic factors, technological developments, pro-deforestation policy measures and demographic pressures. These factors interact in different ways in the various tropical regions worldwide, which explains the differences and similarities of regional deforestation dynamics. Beside the expansion of infrastructure, the development of mining and timber extraction, agriculture is the main direct cause of deforestation in the Congo Basin. In Cameroon, the current deforestation is primarily driven by agriculture. The State emergency plan includes the development of infrastructure, the modernization of production, equipment and mining. The lack of strategy for rapidly changing demographics might be the most important underlying cause of deforestation. In Gabon, although the deforestation rate is low, agriculture and the opening of roads are main drivers. The emergency plan includes modernization of infrastructure and the development of agro-industrial agriculture. Conclusions. A mutation of socio-ecosystems is expected in different parts of the Congo Basin. Future research should now turn to the analysis of socio-ecosystems representative of the various stages of the forest transition and identify drivers of change at different scales.

[Monkeypox: second human case observed in Ivory Coast (rural health sector of Daloa].

Science.gov (United States)

Merouze, F; Lesoin, J J

1983-01-01

A second case of human monkeypox (world fifty-forth case) has been observed in Ivory Coast (rural health sector of Daloa). A three years old girl presented a major pox-like eruption which evolved to recovery. The authors describe the eruption, the evolution of the sickness, and the scars observed at the fourth month after recovery. It has not been possible to prove neither animal-human nor interhuman contagion.

Further assessment of Monkeypox Virus infection in Gambian pouched rats (Cricetomys gambianus) using in vivo bioluminescent imaging

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Falendysz, Elizabeth; Lopera, Juan G.; Faye Lorenzsonn,; Salzer, Johanna S.; Hutson, Christina L.; Doty, Jeffrey; Gallardo-Romero, Nadia; Carroll, Darin S.; Osorio, Jorge E.; Rocke, Tonie E.

2015-01-01

Monkeypox is a zoonosis clinically similar to smallpox in humans. Recent evidence has shown a potential risk of increased incidence in central Africa. Despite attempts to isolate the virus from wild rodents and other small mammals, no reservoir host has been identified. In 2003,Monkeypox virus (MPXV) was accidentally introduced into the U.S. via the pet trade and was associated with the Gambian pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus). Therefore, we investigated the potential reservoir competence of the Gambian pouched rat for MPXV by utilizing a combination of in vivo and in vitro methods. We inoculated three animals by the intradermal route and three animals by the intranasal route, with one mock-infected control for each route. Bioluminescent imaging (BLI) was used to track replicating virus in infected animals and virological assays (e.g. real time PCR, cell culture) were used to determine viral load in blood, urine, ocular, nasal, oral, and rectal swabs. Intradermal inoculation resulted in clinical signs of monkeypox infection in two of three animals. One severely ill animal was euthanized and the other affected animal recovered. In contrast, intranasal inoculation resulted in subclinical infection in all three animals. All animals, regardless of apparent or inapparent infection, shed virus in oral and nasal secretions. Additionally, BLI identified viral replication in the skin without grossly visible lesions. These results suggest that Gambian pouched rats may play an important role in transmission of the virus to humans, as they are hunted for consumption and it is possible for MPXV-infected pouched rats to shed infectious virus without displaying overt clinical signs.

Paleoenvironments, δ13C and δ18O signatures in the Neoproterozoic carbonates of the Comba Basin, Republic of Congo: Implications for regional correlations and Marinoan event

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Préat, Alain; Delpomdor, Franck; Ackouala Mfere, Anna Perla; Callec, Yannick

2018-01-01

The Ediacaran Schisto-Calcaire Group is a ∼1300 m-thick succession belonging to the West Congo Supergroup in Central Africa. In the Comba Basin, it consists of three carbonate-dominated units defined as formations (SCI to SCIII) that are unconformably overlain by clastic deposits (Mpioka Group) interpreted as a molassic formation associated with the Panafrican Orogen. The underlying Upper Tillite and Cap Carbonate (SCIa) units, considered as markers of the Snowball Earth event were studied in three sections. We investigated the carbonates of the Schisto-Calcaire Group by defining new microfacies (MF1-MF7) and we performed C and O isotopic analyses in order to constraint the depositional and diagenetic events directly after the Marinoan interval. Stratigraphic variations of the stable isotopes are important in the series with lighter δ18O values (>1.5‰) than those of the Neoproterozoic ocean in the SCIc unit. According to regional stratigraphy a temperature effect can be dismissed and a freshwater surface layer is the origin of such negative δ18O values in this unit. The negative δ13C anomaly (-3.5‰ on average) of the Cap Carbonate is similarly to the δ18O values (-6.4‰ on average) in the range of the marine domain during postglacial sea level rise. The sample suite as a whole (SCII and SCIII formations) displays heavier δ18O and δ13C than those of the lower part (SCI unit) of the Schisto-Calcaire Group. The comparison with the Lower Congo (Democratic Republic of Congo) and Nyanga (Gabon) basins shows that the meteoric flushing in SCIc unit of the Schisto-Calcaire Group was regional and not local, and could be derived from a climatic evolution. Although an overall overprint is present, our isotopic relationships argue against overall diagenetic resetting of primary compositions and suggest that with careful examination combined with detailed petrographic analysis general depositional and diagenetic controls can be discerned in oxygen and carbon

Foreign capital, forest change and regulatory compliance in Congo Basin forests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brandt, Jodi S; Nolte, Christoph; Agrawal, Arun; Steinberg, Jessica

2014-01-01

Tropical forest change is driven by demand in distant markets. Equally, investments in tropical forest landscapes by capital originating from distant emerging economies are on the rise. Understanding how forest outcomes vary by investment source is therefore becoming increasingly important. We empirically evaluate the relationship between investment source and deforestation from 2000 to 2010 in the Republic of Congo. A Congolese forestry code was implemented in 2000 to mitigate degradation of production forests by standardizing all logging in the country according to sustainable forest management (SFM) guidelines. Following the implementation of this law, the majority (73%) of Congo’s production forests were managed by European (40%) and Asian (33%) companies. European concessions had the highest rates of total and core deforestation, followed by Asian concessions, indicating that the fragmentation of intact forests in Congo is strongly associated with industrial logging fueled by foreign capital. European concession holders were also far more likely to comply with SFM policies, followed by Asian concessions, suggesting that compliance with Sustainable Forest Management policies may not mitigate degradation in tropical production forests. Further evaluation of the relationship between investment source, regulatory compliance, and outcomes in tropical countries is essential for effective conservation of tropical forest ecosystems. (paper)

Foreign capital, forest change and regulatory compliance in Congo Basin forests

Science.gov (United States)

Brandt, Jodi S.; Nolte, Christoph; Steinberg, Jessica; Agrawal, Arun

2014-04-01

Tropical forest change is driven by demand in distant markets. Equally, investments in tropical forest landscapes by capital originating from distant emerging economies are on the rise. Understanding how forest outcomes vary by investment source is therefore becoming increasingly important. We empirically evaluate the relationship between investment source and deforestation from 2000 to 2010 in the Republic of Congo. A Congolese forestry code was implemented in 2000 to mitigate degradation of production forests by standardizing all logging in the country according to sustainable forest management (SFM) guidelines. Following the implementation of this law, the majority (73%) of Congo’s production forests were managed by European (40%) and Asian (33%) companies. European concessions had the highest rates of total and core deforestation, followed by Asian concessions, indicating that the fragmentation of intact forests in Congo is strongly associated with industrial logging fueled by foreign capital. European concession holders were also far more likely to comply with SFM policies, followed by Asian concessions, suggesting that compliance with Sustainable Forest Management policies may not mitigate degradation in tropical production forests. Further evaluation of the relationship between investment source, regulatory compliance, and outcomes in tropical countries is essential for effective conservation of tropical forest ecosystems.

Monkeypox disease transmission in an experimental setting: prairie dog animal model.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christina L Hutson

Full Text Available Monkeypox virus (MPXV is considered the most significant human public health threat in the genus Orthopoxvirus since the eradication of variola virus (the causative agent of smallpox. MPXV is a zoonotic agent endemic to forested areas of Central and Western Africa. In 2003, MPXV caused an outbreak in the United States due to the importation of infected African rodents, and subsequent sequential infection of North American prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus and humans. In previous studies, the prairie dog MPXV model has successfully shown to be very useful for understanding MPXV since the model emulates key characteristics of human monkeypox disease. In humans, percutaneous exposure to animals has been documented but the primary method of human-to-human MPXV transmission is postulated to be by respiratory route. Only a few animal model studies of MPXV transmission have been reported. Herein, we show that MPXV infected prairie dogs are able to transmit the virus to naive animals through multiple transmission routes. All secondarily exposed animals were infected with MPXV during the course of the study. Notably, animals secondarily exposed appeared to manifest more severe disease; however, the disease course was very similar to those of experimentally challenged animals including inappetence leading to weight loss, development of lesions, production of orthopoxvirus antibodies and shedding of similar levels or in some instances higher levels of MPXV from the oral cavity. Disease was transmitted via exposure to contaminated bedding, co-housing, or respiratory secretions/nasal mucous (we could not definitively say that transmission occurred via respiratory route exclusively. Future use of the model will allow us to evaluate infection control measures, vaccines and antiviral strategies to decrease disease transmission.

Trace metal distributions in the sediments from river-reservoir systems: case of the Congo River and Lake Ma Vallée, Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo).

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Mwanamoki, Paola M; Devarajan, Naresh; Niane, Birane; Ngelinkoto, Patience; Thevenon, Florian; Nlandu, José W; Mpiana, Pius T; Prabakar, Kandasamy; Mubedi, Josué I; Kabele, Christophe G; Wildi, Walter; Poté, John

2015-01-01

The contamination of drinking water resources by toxic metals is a major problem in many parts of the world, particularly in dense populated areas of developing countries that lack wastewater treatment facilities. The present study characterizes the recent evolution with time of some contaminants deposited in the Congo River and Lake Ma Vallée, both located in the vicinity of the large city of Kinshasa, capital of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Physicochemical parameters including grain size distribution, organic matter and trace element concentrations were measured in sediment cores sampled from Congo River (n = 3) and Lake Ma Vallée (n = 2). The maximum concentration of trace elements in sediment profiles was found in the samples from the sites of Pool Malebo, with the values of 107.2, 111.7, 88.6, 39.3, 15.4, 6.1 and 4.7 mg kg(-1) for Cr, Ni, Zn, Cu, Pb, As and Hg, respectively. This site, which is characterized by intense human activities, is especially well known for the construction of numerous boats that are used for regular navigation on Congo River. Concerning Lake Ma Vallée, the concentration of all metals are generally low, with maximum values of 26.3, 53.6, 16.1, 15.3, 6.5 and 1.8 mg kg(-1) for Cr, Ni, Zn, Cu, Pb and As, respectively. However, the comparison of the metal profiles retrieved from the different sampled cores also reveals specific variations. The results of this study point out the sediment pollution by toxic metals in the Congo River Basin. This research presents useful tools for the evaluation of sediment contamination of river-reservoir systems.

Evolution and estimated age of the C5 Lukala carbonate-evaporite ramp complex in the Lower Congo region (Democratic Republic of Congo): New perspectives in Central Africa

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Delpomdor, F.; Van Vliet, N.; Devleeschouwer, X.; Tack, L.; Préat, A.

2018-01-01

New detailed lithological, sedimentological, chemostratigraphic data were obtained from exploration drilling samples on the C5 carbonate-dominated formation of the Neoproterozoic Lukala Subgroup (former Schisto-Calcaire Subgroup) from the West Congo Belt (WCB) in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This formation records the last post-Marinoan sea-level events that occurred in the whole basin, followed by the development of the Araçuaï-West Congo Orogen between 630 and 560 Ma. The C5 Formation consists of back-reef lagoonal and peritidal/sabkha cycles of ∼2.0 m in thickness, that record a short-time marine regression, rapidly flooded by a marine transgression with deposition of organic-rich argillaceous carbonates or shales under dysoxia and anoxia conditions. These dysoxic/anoxic waters were rapidly followed by a regional-scale marine transgression, favouring mixing with well-oxygenated waters, and the development of benthic Tonian to Cambro-Ordovician Obruchevella parva-type 'seagrasses' in the nearshore zones of the lagoons. New δ13C and 87Sr/86Sr isotopic data in the C5 Formation of the Lukala Subgroup are used in the frame of a correlation with the Sete Lagoas Formation in Brazil. Relatively comparable negative to positive δ13C excursions point to marine flooding of the whole basin and allow extension of the debatable Late Ediacaran age of the uppermost Sete Lagoas and C5 formations. Sr isotope ;blind dating; failed due to low Sr concentration related to a dolomitization event close 540 Ma. Several tentative datings of the C5 Formation converge to a Late Ediacaran age ranging between 575 and 540 Ma. As the overlying Mpioka folded Subgroup, the C5 series suffered the Pan African deformation, dated at 566 ± 42 Ma. Unlike the previously generally accepted interpretation, our data suggests that the Mpioka Subgroup was deposited in the Early Cambrian.

Shaping forest safety nets with markets: Adaptation to climate change under changing roles of tropical forests in Congo Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nkem, Johnson; Kalame, Fobissie B.; Idinoba, Monica; Somorin, Olufunso A.; Ndoye, Ousseynou; Awono, Abdon

2010-01-01

Tropical forests hold several goods and services used by forest-dependent people as safety nets to traverse difficult periods of resource supply. These same goods and services are constantly surrounded by emerging markets linking remote communities with major urban centers nationally and internationally. How these markets affect adaptation remains unclear. This paper examines the roles of markets in non-timber forest products that normally serve as safety nets for forest communities, and the implications for climate change adaptation in the Congo Basin. Following the identification and prioritization of forest-based development sectors for adaptation by stakeholders, the types of markets and trades surrounding the identified sectors were examined in two provinces in the Democratic Republic of Congo as a case study in order to evaluate revenue flows and their potential contribution to adaptation by local communities. The distribution of the market revenue leaves local people with returns much lower than the worth of the commodity, while wholesalers and retailers reap most of the benefits and profit from the high variability in volume and market earnings for the same commodity across provinces. Markets may increase the value of a commodity as observed in this study, but their contributions to adaptation appear highly limited for local communities following their distribution among the stakeholders in the market chain. This is likely to be worse in free market settings, especially when it diminishes the safety net roles of forest goods and services. Markets should therefore complement rather than substitute forests roles for adaptation to climate change in tropical forest countries. Capturing the benefits of trade for adaptation is crucial but will require policy reforms and further research that addresses the complexity in benefit sharing.

Water Storage Changes using Floodplain Bathymetry from InSAR and satellite altimetry in the Congo River Basin

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Yuan, T.; Lee, H.; Jung, H. C.; Beighley, E.; Alsdorf, D. E.

2016-12-01

Extensive wetlands and swamps expand along the Congo River and its tributaries. These wetlands store water and attenuate flood wave during high water season. Substantial dissolved and solid substances are also transported with the water flux, influencing geochemical environment and biogeochemistry processes both in the wetlands and the river. To understand the role of the wetlands in partitioning the surface water and the accompanied material movement, water storage change is one of the most fundamental observations. The water flow through the wetlands is complex, affected by topography, vegetation resistance, and hydraulic variations. Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) has been successfully used to map relative water level changes in the vegetated wetlands with high spatial resolution. By examining interferograms generated from ALOS PALSAR along the middle reach of the Congo River floodplain, we found greater water level changes near the Congo mainstem. Integrated analysis of InSAR and Envisat altimetry data has shown that proximal floodplain with higher water level change has lower elevation during dry season. This indicates that the spatial variation of water level change in the Congo floodplain is mostly controlled by floodplain bathymetry. A method based on water level and bathymetry model is proposed to estimate water storage change. The bathymetry model is composed of (1) elevation at the intersection of the floodplain and the river and (2) floodplain bathymetry slope. We first constructed the floodplain bathymetry by selecting an Envisat altimetry profile during low water season to estimate elevation at the intersection of the floodplain and the river. Floodplain bathymetry slope was estimated using InSAR measurements. It is expected that our new method can estimate water storage change with higher temporal resolution corresponding to altimeter's repeat cycle. In addition, given the multi-decadal archive of satellite altimetry measurements

Comparative Pathology of Smallpox and Monkeypox in Man and Macaques

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Cann, J. A.; Jahrling, P. B.; Hensley, L. E.; Wahl-Jensen, V.

2012-01-01

Summary In the three decades since the eradication of smallpox and cessation of routine vaccination, the collective memory of the devastating epidemics caused by this orthopoxvirus has waned, and the human population has become increasingly susceptible to a disease that remains high on the list of possible bioterrorism agents. Research using surrogate orthopoxviruses in their natural hosts, as well as limited variola virus research in animal models, continues worldwide; however, interpretation of findings is often limited by our relative lack of knowledge about the naturally occurring disease. For modern comparative pathologists, many of whom have no first-hand knowledge of naturally occurring smallpox, this work provides a contemporary review of this historical disease, as well as discussion of how it compares with human monkeypox and the corresponding diseases in macaques. PMID:22884034

Improving the Care and Treatment of Monkeypox Patients in Low-Resource Settings: Applying Evidence from Contemporary Biomedical and Smallpox Biodefense Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mary G. Reynolds

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Monkeypox is a smallpox-like illness that can be accompanied by a range of significant medical complications. To date there are no standard or optimized guidelines for the clinical management of monkeypox (MPX patients, particularly in low-resource settings. Consequently, patients can experience protracted illness and poor outcomes. Improving care necessitates developing a better understanding of the range of clinical manifestations—including complications and sequelae—as well as of features of illness that may be predictive of illness severity and poor outcomes. Experimental and natural infection of non-human primates with monkeypox virus can inform the approach to improving patient care, and may suggest options for pharmaceutical intervention. These studies have traditionally been performed to address the threat of smallpox bioterrorism and were designed with the intent of using MPX as a disease surrogate for smallpox. In many cases this necessitated employing high-dose, inhalational or intravenous challenge to recapitulate the severe manifestations of illness seen with smallpox. Overall, these data—and data from biomedical research involving burns, superficial wounds, herpes, eczema vaccinatum, and so forth—suggest that MPX patients could benefit from clinical support to mitigate the consequences of compromised skin and mucosa. This should include prevention and treatment of secondary bacterial infections (and other complications, ensuring adequate hydration and nutrition, and protecting vulnerable anatomical locations such as the eyes and genitals. A standard of care that considers these factors should be developed and assessed in different settings, using clinical metrics specific for MPX alongside consideration of antiviral therapies.

The highly virulent variola and monkeypox viruses express secreted inhibitors of type I interferon

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Fernández de Marco, María del Mar; Alejo, Alí; Hudson, Paul; Damon, Inger K.; Alcami, Antonio

2010-01-01

Variola virus (VARV) caused smallpox, one of the most devastating human diseases and the first to be eradicated, but its deliberate release represents a dangerous threat. Virulent orthopoxviruses infecting humans, such as monkeypox virus (MPXV), could fill the niche left by smallpox eradication and the cessation of vaccination. However, immunomodulatory activities and virulence determinants of VARV and MPXV remain largely unexplored. We report the molecular characterization of the VARV- and MPXV-secreted type I interferon-binding proteins, which interact with the cell surface after secretion and prevent type I interferon responses. The proteins expressed in the baculovirus system have been purified, and their interferon-binding properties characterized by surface plasmon resonance. The ability of these proteins to inhibit a broad range of interferons was investigated to identify potential adaptation to the human immune system. Furthermore, we demonstrate by Western blot and activity assays the expression of the type I interferon inhibitor during VARV and MPXV infections. These findings are relevant for the design of new vaccines and therapeutics to smallpox and emergent virulent orthopoxviruses because the type I interferon-binding protein is a major virulence factor in animal models, vaccination with this protein induces protective immunity, and its neutralization prevents disease progression.—Fernández de Marco, M. M., Alejo, A., Hudson, P., Damon, I. K., Alcami, A. The highly virulent variola and monkeypox viruses express secreted inhibitors of type I interferon. PMID:20019241

Effects of logging on roadless space in intact forest landscapes of the Congo Basin.

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Kleinschroth, Fritz; Healey, John R; Gourlet-Fleury, Sylvie; Mortier, Frédéric; Stoica, Radu S

2017-04-01

Forest degradation in the tropics is often associated with roads built for selective logging. The protection of intact forest landscapes (IFL) that are not accessible by roads is high on the biodiversity conservation agenda and a challenge for logging concessions certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). A frequently advocated conservation objective is to maximize the retention of roadless space, a concept that is based on distance to the nearest road from any point. We developed a novel use of the empty-space function - a general statistical tool based on stochastic geometry and random sets theory - to calculate roadless space in a part of the Congo Basin where road networks have been expanding rapidly. We compared the temporal development of roadless space in certified and uncertified logging concessions inside and outside areas declared IFL in 2000. Inside IFLs, road-network expansion led to a decrease in roadless space by more than half from 1999 to 2007. After 2007, loss leveled out in most areas to close to 0 due to an equilibrium between newly built roads and abandoned roads that became revegetated. However, concessions in IFL certified by FSC since around 2007 continuously lost roadless space and reached a level comparable to all other concessions. Only national parks remained mostly roadless. We recommend that forest-management policies make the preservation of large connected forest areas a top priority by effectively monitoring - and limiting - the occupation of space by roads that are permanently accessible. © 2016 The Authors. Conservation Biology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Conservation Biology.

Contribution to the geology of the Niari basin: sedimentology and metallogeny of the mining region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bigotte, G.

1956-01-01

This thesis is divided in two parts: a detailed petrographical and stratigraphical study of the upper layers of calcareous schist in Congo which lead to some sedimentological considerations, and a metallogenic study of the ores of Niari basin which lead to a theoretical description of the metallogeny in Congo. In the first part, after a brief description of the methods used, a petrographical survey of the rocks of the upper layers of calcareous schist of the Boko-Congo area is given as well as sedimentological conclusions and stratigraphical data. The studies and conclusions related to this limited area are extended to a region scale. A structural study and precised descriptions of this region lead to an attempt of tectonic explanation. In the second part, an inventory and description of known mineralisation points in the Niari basin are given and in particular the detailed descriptions of four deposits: La Grande-Mine, M'Passa, Diangala and Djenguile. The interpretations and conclusions are based on the study of the general characters of the mineralisation in Niari basin and its comparison with the mineralisation in Katanga (now Shaba region) and North Rhodesia (now Zambia). (M.P.)

Attenuation of monkeypox virus by deletion of genomic regions

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Lopera, Juan G.; Falendysz, Elizabeth A.; Rocke, Tonie E.; Osorio, Jorge E.

2015-01-01

Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is an emerging pathogen from Africa that causes disease similar to smallpox. Two clades with different geographic distributions and virulence have been described. Here, we utilized bioinformatic tools to identify genomic regions in MPXV containing multiple virulence genes and explored their roles in pathogenicity; two selected regions were then deleted singularly or in combination. In vitro and in vivostudies indicated that these regions play a significant role in MPXV replication, tissue spread, and mortality in mice. Interestingly, while deletion of either region led to decreased virulence in mice, one region had no effect on in vitro replication. Deletion of both regions simultaneously also reduced cell culture replication and significantly increased the attenuation in vivo over either single deletion. Attenuated MPXV with genomic deletions present a safe and efficacious tool in the study of MPX pathogenesis and in the identification of genetic factors associated with virulence.

Hydroclimatic Change in the Congo River Basin: Past, Present and Future169

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Aloysius, N. R.

2016-12-01

Tropical regions provide habitat for the world's most diverse fauna and flora, sequester more atmospheric carbon and provide livelihood for millions of people. The hydrological cycle provides vital linkages for maintaining these ecosystem functions, yet, the understanding of its spatiotemporal variability is limited. Research on the hydrological cycle of the Congo River Basin (CRB), which encompasses the second largest rainforests, has been largely ignored. Global Climate Models (GCM) show limited skills in simulating CRB's climate and their future projections vary widely. Yet, GCMs provide the most plausible scenarios of future climate, based upon which changes in hydrologic fluxes can be predicted with the aid hydrological models. In order to address the gaps in knowledge and to highlight the research needs, we i) developed a spatially explicit hydrological model suitable for describing key hydrological processes, ii) evaluated the performance of GCMs in simulating precipitation and temperature in the region, iii) developed a set of climate change scenarios for the CRB and iv) developed a simplified modeling framework to quantify water management options for rain-fed agriculture with the objective of achieving the triple goals of sustainable development: food security, poverty alleviation and ecosystem conservation. The hydrology model, which was validated with observed stream flows at 50 locations, satisfactorily characterizes spatiotemporal variability of key fluxes. Our evaluation of 25 GCM outputs reveal that many GCMs poorly simulate regional precipitation. We implemented a statistical bias-correction method to develop precipitation and temperature projections for two future greenhouse gas emission scenarios. These climate forcings were, then, used to drive the hydrology model. Our results show that the near-term projections are not affected by emission scenarios. However, towards the mid-21st century, projections are emission scenario dependent. Available

The petroleum economy of the Congo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gualbert-Brice Massengo, Ph.D.

2005-01-01

The author aims to explain the petroleum phenomena in Congo as a contribution to the truth. The Congo petroleum experience can be seen as a lesson for the next generations and for the other african countries. The Congo Brazzaville, a little country by its population and well equipped in natural and human resources, is become meanwhile a non security area for its inhabitants because of a decreasing economy and a continuous political crisis. (A.L.B.)

Simulated hydrologic response to projected changes in precipitation and temperature in the Congo River basin

Science.gov (United States)

Aloysius, Noel; Saiers, James

2017-08-01

Despite their global significance, the impacts of climate change on water resources and associated ecosystem services in the Congo River basin (CRB) have been understudied. Of particular need for decision makers is the availability of spatial and temporal variability of runoff projections. Here, with the aid of a spatially explicit hydrological model forced with precipitation and temperature projections from 25 global climate models (GCMs) under two greenhouse gas emission scenarios, we explore the variability in modeled runoff in the near future (2016-2035) and mid-century (2046-2065). We find that total runoff from the CRB is projected to increase by 5 % [-9 %; 20 %] (mean - min and max - across model ensembles) over the next two decades and by 7 % [-12 %; 24 %] by mid-century. Projected changes in runoff from subwatersheds distributed within the CRB vary in magnitude and sign. Over the equatorial region and in parts of northern and southwestern CRB, most models project an overall increase in precipitation and, subsequently, runoff. A simulated decrease in precipitation leads to a decline in runoff from headwater regions located in the northeastern and southeastern CRB. Climate model selection plays an important role in future projections for both magnitude and direction of change. The multimodel ensemble approach reveals that precipitation and runoff changes under business-as-usual and avoided greenhouse gas emission scenarios (RCP8.5 vs. RCP4.5) are relatively similar in the near term but deviate in the midterm, which underscores the need for rapid action on climate change adaptation. Our assessment demonstrates the need to include uncertainties in climate model and emission scenario selection during decision-making processes related to climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Country Presentation Congo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mwata, P.K.; SAKI, A.; KAZADI, J.

2010-01-01

Illicit trafficking of radioactive minerals, precious metals and nuclear materials is generally expanded practice in some parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The phenomenon took place early in 1990 and amplified from 1998. The main causes of this practice are political instability that led to general poverty among population and the lack of legal framework governing the exploitation of minerals. Nuclear Illicit trafficking in Congo concerns radioactive mineral sand precious metals in eastern and southern parts of the country. The unfavorable political environment that took place in Congo in the 1990s resulted in local manpower and mine workers immigrating to neighboring countries. A great fraction of these new jobless started exploiting abandoned mines residues searching for Cu, Co and Au for survival. First cases of illicit exploitation of uranium minerals were reported very soon after rock sliding that occurred in 2004 on Shinkolobwe site in Katanga region. This uncontrolled mineral exploitation got worse when several mining companies were licensed by GECAMINES company to explore, exploit, purchase minerals from individuals and export raw materials and concentrates.

Generating daily weather data for ecosystem modelling in the Congo River Basin

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Petritsch, Richard; Pietsch, Stephan A.

2010-05-01

Daily weather data are an important constraint for diverse applications in ecosystem research. In particular, temperature and precipitation are the main drivers for forest ecosystem productivity. Mechanistic modelling theory heavily relies on daily values for minimum and maximum temperatures, precipitation, incident solar radiation and vapour pressure deficit. Although the number of climate measurement stations increased during the last centuries, there are still regions with limited climate data. For example, in the WMO database there are only 16 stations located in Gabon with daily weather measurements. Additionally, the available time series are heavily affected by measurement errors or missing values. In the WMO record for Gabon, on average every second day is missing. Monthly means are more robust and may be estimated over larger areas. Therefore, a good alternative is to interpolate monthly mean values using a sparse network of measurement stations, and based on these monthly data generate daily weather data with defined characteristics. The weather generator MarkSim was developed to produce climatological time series for crop modelling in the tropics. It provides daily values for maximum and minimum temperature, precipitation and solar radiation. The monthly means can either be derived from the internal climate surfaces or prescribed as additional inputs. We compared the generated outputs observations from three climate stations in Gabon (Lastourville, Moanda and Mouilla) and found that maximum temperature and solar radiation were heavily overestimated during the long dry season. This is due to the internal dependency of the solar radiation estimates to precipitation. With no precipitation a cloudless sky is assumed and thus high incident solar radiation and a large diurnal temperature range. However, in reality it is cloudy in the Congo River Basin during the long dry season. Therefore, we applied a correction factor to solar radiation and temperature range

Satellite altimetry over large hydrological basins

Science.gov (United States)

Calmant, Stephane

2015-04-01

The use of satellite altimetry for hydrological applications, either it is basin management or hydrological modeling really started with the 21st century. Before, during two decades, the efforts were concentrated on the data processing until a precision of a few decimeters could be achieved. Today, several web sites distribute hundreds of series spread over hundeds of rivers runing in the major basins of the world. Among these, the Amazon basin has been the most widely studied. Satellite altimetry is now routinely used in this transboundary basin to predict discharges ranging over 4 orders of magnitude. In a few years, satellite altimetry should evolve dramatically. This year, we should see the launchs of Jason-3 and that of Sentinel-3A operating in SAR mode. With SAR, the accuracy and resolution of a growing number of measurements should be improved. In 2020, SWOT will provide a full coverage that will join in a unique framework all the previous and forthcoming missions. These technical and thematical evolutions will be illustrated by examples taken in the Amazon and Congo basin.

Simulated hydrologic response to projected changes in precipitation and temperature in the Congo River basin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Aloysius

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Despite their global significance, the impacts of climate change on water resources and associated ecosystem services in the Congo River basin (CRB have been understudied. Of particular need for decision makers is the availability of spatial and temporal variability of runoff projections. Here, with the aid of a spatially explicit hydrological model forced with precipitation and temperature projections from 25 global climate models (GCMs under two greenhouse gas emission scenarios, we explore the variability in modeled runoff in the near future (2016–2035 and mid-century (2046–2065. We find that total runoff from the CRB is projected to increase by 5 % [−9 %; 20 %] (mean – min and max – across model ensembles over the next two decades and by 7 % [−12 %; 24 %] by mid-century. Projected changes in runoff from subwatersheds distributed within the CRB vary in magnitude and sign. Over the equatorial region and in parts of northern and southwestern CRB, most models project an overall increase in precipitation and, subsequently, runoff. A simulated decrease in precipitation leads to a decline in runoff from headwater regions located in the northeastern and southeastern CRB. Climate model selection plays an important role in future projections for both magnitude and direction of change. The multimodel ensemble approach reveals that precipitation and runoff changes under business-as-usual and avoided greenhouse gas emission scenarios (RCP8.5 vs. RCP4.5 are relatively similar in the near term but deviate in the midterm, which underscores the need for rapid action on climate change adaptation. Our assessment demonstrates the need to include uncertainties in climate model and emission scenario selection during decision-making processes related to climate change mitigation and adaptation.

REDD+ projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo: impacts on future emissions, income and biodiversity

Science.gov (United States)

Mosnier, Aline; Bocqueho, Geraldine; Mant, Rebecca; Obersteiner, Michael; Havlik, Petr; Kapos, Val; Fritz, Steffen; Botrill, Leo

2014-05-01

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) encompasses a large rainforest area which has been rather preserved up to now. However, pressure on the forests is increasing with high population growth, transition toward political stability and the abundance of minerals in the country. REDD+ is a developing mechanism under the UNFCCC that aims to support developing countries that want to make efforts to reduce their emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. The REDD+ strategy in DRC combines an independent national fund and independent REDD+ projects at the local level that are at the initial stage of implementation. The objective of this paper is to assess i) emissions reduction due to the implementation of the REDD+ pilot projects taking into account potential leakage and ii) potential co-benefits of REDD+ pilot projects in terms of biodiversity and rural income by 2030. We use the land use economic model CongoBIOM adapted from GLOBIOM which represents land-based activities and land use changes at a 50x50km resolution level. It includes domestic and international demand for agricultural products, fuel wood and minerals which are the main deforestation drivers in the Congo Basin region. Finally, we run a sensitivity analysis on emissions from land use change according to three different above and below ground living biomass estimates: downscaled FAO, NASA and WHRC.

Congo red and protein aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Frid, Petrea; Anisimov, Sergey V; Popovic, Natalija

2007-01-01

Congo red is a commonly used histological dye for amyloid detection. The specificity of this staining results from Congo red's affinity for binding to fibril proteins enriched in beta-sheet conformation. Unexpectedly, recent investigations indicate that the dye also possesses the capacity to interfere with processes of protein misfolding and aggregation, stabilizing native protein monomers or partially folded intermediates, while reducing concentration of more toxic protein oligomers. Inhibitory effects of Congo red upon amyloid toxicity may also range from blockade of channel formation and interference with glycosaminoglycans binding or immune functions, to the modulation of gene expression. Particularly, Congo red exhibits ameliorative effect in models of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's and prion diseases. Another interesting application of Congo red analogues is the development of imaging probes. Based on their small molecular size and penetrability through blood-brain barrier, Congo red congeners can be used for both antemortem and in vivo visualization and quantification of brain amyloids. Therefore, understanding mechanisms involved in dye-amyloidal fibril binding and inhibition of aggregation will provide instructive guides for the design of future compounds, potentially useful for monitoring and treating neurodegenerative diseases.

Looking closer at the Congo

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jansson, Johanna; Jiang, Wenran

2011-01-01

An NGO report on Chinese investment in the Democratic Republic of Congo opens a vital debate, but its methodology leaves the reader wanting a fuller version of the facts, write Johanna Jansson and Jiang Wenran.......An NGO report on Chinese investment in the Democratic Republic of Congo opens a vital debate, but its methodology leaves the reader wanting a fuller version of the facts, write Johanna Jansson and Jiang Wenran....

Mycoremediation of congo red dye by filamentous fungi.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhattacharya, Sourav; Das, Arijit; G, Mangai; K, Vignesh; J, Sangeetha

2011-10-01

Azo, anthroquinone and triphenylmethane dyes are the major classes of synthetic colourants, which are difficult to degrade and have received considerable attention. Congo red, a diazo dye, is considered as a xenobiotic compound, and is recalcitrant to biodegradative processes. Nevertheless, during the last few years it has been demonstrated that several fungi, under certain environmental conditions, are able to transfer azo dyes to non toxic products using laccases. The aim of this work was to study the factors influencing mycoremediation of Congo red. Several basidiomycetes and deuteromycetes species were tested for the decolourisation of Congo red (0.05 g/l) in a semi synthetic broth at static and shaking conditions. Poor decolourisation was observed when the dye acted as the sole source of nitrogen, whereas semi synthetic broth supplemented with fertilizer resulted in better decolourisation. Decolourisation of Congo red was checked in the presence of salts of heavy metals such as mercuric chloride, lead acetate and zinc sulphate. Decolourisation parameters such as temperature, pH, and rpm were optimized and the decolourisation obtained at optimized conditions varied between 29.25- 97.28% at static condition and 82.1- 100% at shaking condition. Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analysis revealed bands with molecular weights ranging between 66.5 to 71 kDa, a characteristic of the fungal laccases. High efficiency decolourisation of Congo red makes these fungal forms a promising choice in biological treatment of waste water containing Congo red.

Mycoremediation of Congo red dye by filamentous fungi

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sourav Bhattacharya

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Azo, anthroquinone and triphenylmethane dyes are the major classes of synthetic colourants, which are difficult to degrade and have received considerable attention. Congo red, a diazo dye, is considered as a xenobiotic compound, and is recalcitrant to biodegradative processes. Nevertheless, during the last few years it has been demonstrated that several fungi, under certain environmental conditions, are able to transfer azo dyes to non toxic products using laccases. The aim of this work was to study the factors influencing mycoremediation of Congo red. Several basidiomycetes and deuteromycetes species were tested for the decolourisation of Congo red (0.05 g/l in a semi synthetic broth at static and shaking conditions. Poor decolourisation was observed when the dye acted as the sole source of nitrogen, whereas semi synthetic broth supplemented with fertilizer resulted in better decolourisation. Decolourisation of Congo red was checked in the presence of salts of heavy metals such as mercuric chloride, lead acetate and zinc sulphate. Decolourisation parameters such as temperature, pH, and rpm were optimized and the decolourisation obtained at optimized conditions varied between 29.25- 97.28% at static condition and 82.1- 100% at shaking condition. Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analysis revealed bands with molecular weights ranging between 66.5 to 71 kDa, a characteristic of the fungal laccases. High efficiency decolourisation of Congo red makes these fungal forms a promising choice in biological treatment of waste water containing Congo red.

Comparison of lightning activity in the two most active areas of the Congo Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Kigotsi, Jean K.; Soula, Serge; Georgis, Jean-François

2018-02-01

A comparison of the lightning activity in the two most active areas (Area_max for the main maximum and Area_sec for the secondary maximum) of the Congo Basin is made with data obtained by the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) during 2012 and 2013. Both areas of same size (5° × 5°) exhibit flash counts in a ratio of about 1.32 for both years and very different distributions of the flash rate density (FRD) with maximums in a ratio of 1.94 and 2.59 for 2012 and 2013, respectively. The FRD is much more widely distributed in Area_sec, which means the whole area contributes more or less equal to the lightning activity. The diurnal cycle is much more pronounced in Area_max than in Area_sec with a ratio between the maximum and the minimum of 15.4 and 4.7, respectively. However, the minimum and maximum of the hourly flash rates are observed roughly at the same time in both areas, between 07:00 and 09:00 UTC and between 16:00 and 17:00 UTC, respectively. In Area_sec the proportion of days with low lightning rate (0-1000 flashes per day) is much larger (˜ 45 % in 2013) compared to Area_max (˜ 23 % in 2013). In Area_max the proportion of days with moderate lightning rate (1001-6000 flashes per day) is larger (˜ 68.5 % in 2013) compared to Area_sec (˜ 46 % in 2013). The very intense convective events are slightly more numerous in Area_sec. In summary, the thunderstorm activity in Area_sec is more variable at different scales of time (annually and daily), in intensity and in location. Area_max combines two favourable effects for thunderstorm development, the convergence associated with the African easterly jet of the Southern Hemisphere (AEJ-S) and a geographic effect due to the orography and the presence of a lake. The location of the strong convection in Area_sec is modulated by the distance of westward propagation/regeneration of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) in relation to the phase of Kelvin waves.

Radiation degradation of Congo Red in aqueous solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma Hongjuan; Wang Min; Yang Ruiyuan; Wang Wenfeng; Shen Zhongqun; Yao Side

2006-01-01

About one-half of the dyes used in textile industry are azo dyes, and as a consequence a lot of azo dyes are released into the environment with industrial wastewater. Because of complex structures of the dyes, biological, physical and chemical treatments of dye effluents are inefficient. In this study, radiation degradation of Congo Red in aqueous solutions was investigated in different reaction systems. Both pulsed radiolysis and laser flash photolysis experiments were carried out for better understandings of degradation mechanisms involved in the treatments. Congo Red solutions saturated by air, N 2 O, O 2 , N 2 O or N 2 and added with tert-butanol were irradiated to 0-14.8 kGy. The absorption spectra, degradation efficiency, TOC (total organic carbon) removal and pH changes of the solutions were investigated. The main radiolytic products from Congo Red samples irradiated in steady-state were determined by HPLC-MS. And probable reaction mechanisms were proposed. Effects of primary species from water radiolysis, such as e aq - , . OH and . O 2 . /HO 2 . on the degradation behavior of the dye were discussed. Below 5 kGy in γ-rays irradiation, the bleaching efficiency of Congo Red was (N 2 +tert-butanol) >O 2 >air>N 2 O>N 2 . Complete degradation of Congo Red was observed at 4.0, 5.5 and 10.2 kGy irradiation of the aqueous solutions saturated by N 2 with tert-butanol added, O 2 and N 2 O, respectively. With just oxidative or reductive species, highly conjugated part of Congo Red molecules could be destroyed. While oxidative species produced from water radiolysis could oxidize the Congo Red more effectively, making the dye to break into fatty acids and CO 2 finally. In the solution saturated with N 2 and air, the primary active species were both of oxidative and reductive and the highly conjugated part of Congo Red molecules could not be destroyed completely up to 14.8 kGy of γ-ray irradiation. It was more difficult to achieve high TOC removal in comparison with �

Contribution to the geology of the Niari basin: sedimentology and metallogeny of the mining region; Contribution a la geologie du Bassin du Niari sedimentologie et metallogenie de la region miniere

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bigotte, G. [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1956-01-15

This thesis is divided in two parts: a detailed petrographical and stratigraphical study of the upper layers of calcareous schist in Congo which lead to some sedimentological considerations, and a metallogenic study of the ores of Niari basin which lead to a theoretical description of the metallogeny in Congo. In the first part, after a brief description of the methods used, a petrographical survey of the rocks of the upper layers of calcareous schist of the Boko-Congo area is given as well as sedimentological conclusions and stratigraphical data. The studies and conclusions related to this limited area are extended to a region scale. A structural study and precised descriptions of this region lead to an attempt of tectonic explanation. In the second part, an inventory and description of known mineralisation points in the Niari basin are given and in particular the detailed descriptions of four deposits: La Grande-Mine, M'Passa, Diangala and Djenguile. The interpretations and conclusions are based on the study of the general characters of the mineralisation in Niari basin and its comparison with the mineralisation in Katanga (now Shaba region) and North Rhodesia (now Zambia). (M.P.)

Contribution to the geology of the Niari basin: sedimentology and metallogeny of the mining region; Contribution a la geologie du Bassin du Niari sedimentologie et metallogenie de la region miniere

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bigotte, G [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1956-01-15

This thesis is divided in two parts: a detailed petrographical and stratigraphical study of the upper layers of calcareous schist in Congo which lead to some sedimentological considerations, and a metallogenic study of the ores of Niari basin which lead to a theoretical description of the metallogeny in Congo. In the first part, after a brief description of the methods used, a petrographical survey of the rocks of the upper layers of calcareous schist of the Boko-Congo area is given as well as sedimentological conclusions and stratigraphical data. The studies and conclusions related to this limited area are extended to a region scale. A structural study and precised descriptions of this region lead to an attempt of tectonic explanation. In the second part, an inventory and description of known mineralisation points in the Niari basin are given and in particular the detailed descriptions of four deposits: La Grande-Mine, M'Passa, Diangala and Djenguile. The interpretations and conclusions are based on the study of the general characters of the mineralisation in Niari basin and its comparison with the mineralisation in Katanga (now Shaba region) and North Rhodesia (now Zambia). (M.P.)

In silico drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic profiles of natural products from medicinal plants in the Congo basin.

Science.gov (United States)

Ntie-Kang, Fidele; Lifongo, Lydia L; Mbah, James A; Owono Owono, Luc C; Megnassan, Eugene; Mbaze, Luc Meva'a; Judson, Philip N; Sippl, Wolfgang; Efange, Simon M N

2013-01-01

Drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) assessment has come to occupy a place of interest during the early stages of drug discovery today. The use of computer modelling to predict the DMPK and toxicity properties of a natural product library derived from medicinal plants from Central Africa (named ConMedNP). Material from some of the plant sources are currently employed in African Traditional Medicine. Computer-based methods are slowly gaining ground in this area and are often used as preliminary criteria for the elimination of compounds likely to present uninteresting pharmacokinetic profiles and unacceptable levels of toxicity from the list of potential drug candidates, hence cutting down the cost of discovery of a drug. In the present study, we present an in silico assessment of the DMPK and toxicity profile of a natural product library containing ~3,200 compounds, derived from 379 species of medicinal plants from 10 countries in the Congo Basin forests and savannas, which have been published in the literature. In this analysis, we have used 46 computed physico-chemical properties or molecular descriptors to predict the absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination and toxicity (ADMET) of the compounds. This survey demonstrated that about 45% of the compounds within the ConMedNP compound library are compliant, having properties which fall within the range of ADME properties of 95% of currently known drugs, while about 69% of the compounds have ≤ 2 violations. Moreover, about 73% of the compounds within the corresponding "drug-like" subset showed compliance. In addition to the verified levels of "drug-likeness", diversity and the wide range of measured biological activities, the compounds from medicinal plants in Central Africa show interesting DMPK profiles and hence could represent an important starting point for hit/lead discovery.

High prevalence of cannabis use among Aka foragers of the Congo Basin and its possible relationship to helminthiasis.

Science.gov (United States)

Roulette, Casey J; Kazanji, Mirdad; Breurec, Sébastien; Hagen, Edward H

2016-01-01

Little is known about cannabis use in hunter-gatherers. Therefore, we investigated cannabis use in the Aka, a population of foragers of the Congo Basin. Because cannabis contains anthelminthic compounds, and the Aka have a high prevalence of helminthiasis, we also tested the hypothesis that cannabis use might be an unconscious form of self-medication against helminths. We collected self- and peer-reports of cannabis use from all adult Aka in the Lobaye district of the Central African Republic (n = 379). Because female cannabis use was low, we restricted sample collection to men. Using an immunoassay for Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol-11-oic acid (THCA), a urinary biomarker of recent cannabis consumption, we validated cannabis use in men currently residing in camps near a logging road (n = 62). We also collected stool samples to assay worm burden. A longitudinal reinfection study was conducted among a subsample of the male participants (n = 23) who had been treated with a commercial anthelmintic 1 year ago. The prevalence of self- and peer-reported cannabis use was 70.9% among men and 6.1% among women, for a total prevalence of 38.6%. Using a 50 ng/ml threshold for THCA, 67.7% of men used cannabis. Cannabis users were significantly younger and had less material wealth than the non-cannabis users. There were significant negative associations between THCA levels and worm burden, and reinfection with helminths 1 year after treatment with a commercial anthelmintic. The prevalence of cannabis use among adult Aka men was high when compared to most global populations. THCA levels were negatively correlated with parasite infection and reinfection, supporting the self-medication hypothesis. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Arsenic, Boron, and Fluoride Concentrations in Ground Water in and Near Diabase Intrusions, Newark Basin, Southeastern Pennsylvania

Science.gov (United States)

Senior, Lisa A.; Sloto, Ronald A.

2006-01-01

During an investigation in 2000 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) of possible contaminant releases from an industrial facility on Congo Road near Gilbertsville in Berks and Montgomery Counties, southeastern Pennsylvania, concentrations of arsenic and fluoride above USEPA drinking-water standards of 10 ?g/L and 4 mg/L, respectively, and of boron above the USEPA health advisory level of 600 ?g/L were measured in ground water in an area along the northwestern edge of the Newark Basin. In 2003, the USEPA requested technical assistance from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to help identify sources of arsenic, boron, and fluoride in the ground water in the Congo Road area, which included possible anthropogenic releases and naturally occurring mineralization in the local bedrock aquifer, and to identify other areas in the Newark Basin of southeastern Pennsylvania with similarly elevated concentrations of these constituents. The USGS reviewed available data and collected additional ground-water samples in the Congo Road area and four similar hydrogeologic settings. The Newark Basin is the largest of the 13 major exposed Mesozoic rift basins that stretch from Nova Scotia to South Carolina. Rocks in the Newark Basin include Triassic through Jurassic-age sedimentary sequences of sandstones and shales that were intruded by diabase. Mineral deposits of hydrothermal origin are associated with alteration zones bordering intrusions of diabase and also occur as strata-bound replacement deposits of copper and zinc in sedimentary rocks. The USGS review of data available in 2003 showed that water from about 10 percent of wells throughout the Newark Basin of southeastern Pennsylvania had concentrations of arsenic greater than the USEPA maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 ?g/L; the highest reported arsenic concentration was at about 70 ?g/L. Few data on boron were available, and the highest reported boron concentration in well-water samples was 60 ?g/L in contrast

Trace metals and persistent organic pollutants in sediments from river-reservoir systems in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): Spatial distribution and potential ecotoxicological effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Mwanamoki, Paola M; Devarajan, Naresh; Thevenon, Florian; Birane, Niane; de Alencastro, Luiz Felippe; Grandjean, Dominique; Mpiana, Pius T; Prabakar, Kandasamy; Mubedi, Josué I; Kabele, Christophe G; Wildi, Walter; Poté, John

2014-09-01

This paper discusses the occurrence and spatial distribution of metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs: including organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments from a river-reservoir system. Surface sediments were sampled from thirteen sites of the Congo River Basin and Lake Ma Vallée, both situated in the vicinity of the capital city Kinshasa (Congo Democratic Republic). Sediment qualities were evaluated using toxicity test based on exposing Ostracods to the sediment samples. The highest metal concentrations were observed in sediments subjected to anthropogenic influences, urban runoff and domestic and industrial wastewaters, discharge into the Congo River basin. Ostracods exposed to the sediments resulted in 100% mortality rates after 6d of incubation, indicating the ultimate toxicity of these sediments as well as potential environmental risks. The POPs and PAHs levels in all sediment samples were low, with maximum concentration found in the sediments (area of pool Malebo): OCP value ranged from 0.02 to 2.50 with ∑OCPs: 3.3μgkg(-1); PCB ranged from 0.07 to 0.99 with Total PCBs (∑7×4.3): 15.31μgkg(-1); PAH value ranged from 0.12 to 9.39 with ∑PAHs: 63.89μgkg(-1). Our results indicate that the deterioration of urban river-reservoir water quality result mainly from urban stormwater runoff, untreated industrial effluents which discharge into the river-reservoirs, human activities and uncontrolled urbanization. This study represents useful tools incorporated to evaluate sediment quality in river-reservoir systems which can be applied to similar aquatic environments. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Decolorisation of Congo Red by Aeromonas hydrophila Under Microaerophilic Conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El Gizawy, S.; Refae, R.A.; Abd El Kareem, H.; Gomaa, O.M.; Hamed, H.

2009-01-01

Among 22 local bacterial isolates, Aeromonas hydrophila isolated from Bolti fish showed a remarkable ability to decolorize congo red under microaerophilic conditions (98.8% in 48 hrs) without prior adaptation. The bacterium had the ability to grow and decolorized high concentrations of congo red which varied from 50 to 1000 mg/l , the decolorisation was irrelevant to bacterial growth. The strain was capable of decolorizing congo red under a wide range of temperatures (20-40 degree C), ph (3-8), NaCl (0-200 mg/l) and also had the ability to decolorized mono, di and poly azo dyes. This bacterium is notable in its ability to decolorized the diazo congo red under extreme conditions of temperature, ph, salinity and high dye concentrations which makes it suitable for decolorisation under extreme industrial conditions

Internet Backbone in the Democratic Republic of Congo : Feasibility ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Internet Backbone in the Democratic Republic of Congo : Feasibility Study and Advocacy. During 7-10 February 2005, representatives of five francophone African countries (Cameroon, Morocco, Niger, Sénégal, and the Democratic Republic of Congo - DRC) met to consider ways and means of galvanizing the appropriation ...

Mapping Water Level Dynamics over Central Congo River Using PALSAR Images, Envisat Altimetry, and Landsat NDVI Data

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, D.; Lee, H.; Jung, H. C.; Beighley, E.; Laraque, A.; Tshimanga, R.; Alsdorf, D. E.

2016-12-01

Rivers and wetlands are very important for ecological habitats, and it plays a key role in providing a source of greenhouse gases (CO2 and CH4). The floodplains ecosystems depend on the process between the vegetation and flood characteristics. The water level is a prerequisite to an understanding of terrestrial water storage and discharge. Despite the lack of in situ data over the Congo Basin, which is the world's third largest in size ( 3.7 million km2), and second only to the Amazon River in discharge ( 40,500 m3 s-1 annual average between 1902 and 2015 in the main Brazzaville-Kinshasa gauging station), the surface water level dynamics in the wetlands have been successfully estimated using satellite altimetry, backscattering coefficients (σ0) from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images and, interferometric SAR technique. However, the water level estimation of the Congo River remains poorly quantified due to the sparse orbital spacing of radar altimeters. Hence, we essentially have limited information only over the sparsely distributed the so-called "virtual stations". The backscattering coefficients from SAR images have been successfully used to distinguish different vegetation types, to monitor flood conditions, and to access soil moistures over the wetlands. However, σ0 has not been used to measure the water level changes over the open river because of very week return signal due to specular scattering. In this study, we have discovered that changes in σ0 over the Congo River occur mainly due to the water level changes in the river with the existence of the water plants (macrophytes, emergent plants, and submersed plant), depending on the rising and falling stage inside the depression of the "Cuvette Centrale". We expand the finding into generating the multi-temporal water level maps over the Congo River using PALSAR σ0, Envisat altimetry, and Landsat Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data. We also present preliminary estimates of the river

Plantes aromatiques du Plateau des Cataractes (Bassin du Congo. Caractérisation du chémotype de l'huile essentielle de Cymbopogon nardus (L. Rendle acclimaté au Congo-Brazzaville

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silou, T.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Aromatic plants from the Plateau des Cataractes (Congo Basin. Chemotype characterization of essential oil of Cymbopogon nardus (L. Rendle acclimatized in Congo-Brazzaville. Description. The essential oils of Cymbopogon nardus (L. Rendle, Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt, Cymbopogon flexuosus (Nees ex Steud. Wats and Cymbopogon citratus L. (DC. Stapf (lemongrass consist of more than 80% of the following constituents: citronellal, geraniol, citral, citronellol, geranyl acetate, and limonene. For the purposes of business transactions, it is therefore important to know the exact chemical composition of the essential oils produced. Objectives. Chemotype evaluation of C. nardus acclimatized on the Plateau des Cataractes. Method. The essential oils of C. nardus were extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by chromatography (GC and GC/MS over a period of more than ten years. Results. Cymbopogon nardus was found to produce a Java type citronella essential oil (C. winterianus with the following profile: citronellal (40-48%, geraniol (10-22%, citronellol (10-12%, limonene (2-3%, geranyl acetate (1-2%, linalool (1%. The difference between these two types of citronella, Java and Ceylon, was based on the relative proportions of their three main constituents: citronellal, geraniol and citronellol. Cymbopogon nardus is known for its high variability, with two varieties and sept subvarieties. Conclusions. The citronella established in West and Central Africa under the name of Cymbopogon nardus (Java type could be considered a Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt, based on the chemical composition of its essential oil.

A refined model of sedimentary rock cover in the southeastern part of the Congo basin from GOCE gravity and vertical gravity gradient observations

Science.gov (United States)

Martinec, Zdeněk; Fullea, Javier

2015-03-01

We aim to interpret the vertical gravity and vertical gravity gradient of the GOCE-GRACE combined gravity model over the southeastern part of the Congo basin to refine the published model of sedimentary rock cover. We use the GOCO03S gravity model and evaluate its spherical harmonic representation at or near the Earth's surface. In this case, the gradiometry signals are enhanced as compared to the original measured GOCE gradients at satellite height and better emphasize the spatial pattern of sedimentary geology. To avoid aliasing, the omission error of the modelled gravity induced by the sedimentary rocks is adjusted to that of the GOCO03S gravity model. The mass-density Green's functions derived for the a priori structure of the sediments show a slightly greater sensitivity to the GOCO03S vertical gravity gradient than to the vertical gravity. Hence, the refinement of the sedimentary model is carried out for the vertical gravity gradient over the basin, such that a few anomalous values of the GOCO03S-derived vertical gravity gradient are adjusted by refining the model. We apply the 5-parameter Helmert's transformation, defined by 2 translations, 1 rotation and 2 scale parameters that are searched for by the steepest descent method. The refined sedimentary model is only slightly changed with respect to the original map, but it significantly improves the fit of the vertical gravity and vertical gravity gradient over the basin. However, there are still spatial features in the gravity and gradiometric data that remain unfitted by the refined model. These may be due to lateral density variation that is not contained in the model, a density contrast at the Moho discontinuity, lithospheric density stratifications or mantle convection. In a second step, the refined sedimentary model is used to find the vertical density stratification of sedimentary rocks. Although the gravity data can be interpreted by a constant sedimentary density, such a model does not correspond to

Physiological and biochemical responses of Chlorella vulgaris to Congo red.

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández-Zamora, Miriam; Perales-Vela, Hugo Virgilio; Flores-Ortíz, César Mateo; Cañizares-Villanueva, Rosa Olivia

2014-10-01

Extensive use of synthetic dyes in many industrial applications releases large volumes of wastewater. Wastewaters from dying industries are considered hazardous and require careful treatment prior to discharge into receiving water bodies. Dyes can affect photosynthetic activities of aquatic flora and decrease dissolved oxygen in water. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Congo red on growth and metabolic activity of Chlorella vulgaris after 96h exposure. Exposure of the microalga to Congo red reduced growth rate, photosynthesis and respiration. Analysis of chlorophyll a fluorescence emission showed that the donor side of photosystem II was affected at high concentrations of Congo red. The quantum yield for electron transport (φEo), the electron transport rate (ETR) and the performance index (PI) also decreased. The reduction in the ability to absorb and use the quantum energy increased non-photochemical (NPQ) mechanisms for thermal dissipation. Overall, Congo red affects growth and metabolic activity in photosynthetic organisms in aquatic environments. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Alimentación de Microthrissa congica (Osteichthyes: Clupeidae en la cuenca alta del río Congo (África

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Godefroid Mambyanga Mokoma

1999-12-01

Full Text Available Mensualmente durante un año, se estudió la alimentación de Microthrissa congica en la cuenca alta del Río Congo, mediante el análisis de contenidos estomacales de ejemplares adultos. De acuerdo con la frecuencia de aparición, las ninfas de quironómidos constituyen la base de su alimentación durante todo el año. La importancia de los insectos de origen terrestre aumenta durante la época de lluvias, momento en que aumenta la amplitud del nicho. Estos resultados demuestran que este clupeido es una especie insectívora pelágica, utilizando muy poco el bentos como fuente de alimento.The feeding habits of the fish Microthrissa congica were studied for a year in the upper Congo river basin, by monthly analysis of stomach contents of adult specimens (N= 460. The nymphs of chironomid midges represented the bulk of the diet throughout most of the year, although terrestrial insects became more abundant in the rainy season. Niche breadth also increased in the wet season. This species feeds mainly in the water column and benthos is not an important food source.

Chemical composition of the mineral waters of the Congo River

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tshiashala, M.D.; Lumu, B.M.; Lobo, K.K.; Tshisumpa, M.; Wembo, L.S.

2003-01-01

Atomic absorption spectrophotometry has been applied to river Congo waters for a global monitoring of trace element contents. 15 elements Ag, Au, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb and Zn have been determined in samples collected at 2 sites along the river Congo. Results are compared with those observed in other river waters collected in Kinshasa and elsewhere and for compliance with the international quality standards elaborated by the Who, USA and SSRU. The waters of river Congo have been found less mineralized than those of river Niger. They are of the same order of magnitude than those observed in some local rivers such as Ndjili, Lubudi, Funa, Tshangu and Tshenke.

Future Discounting in Congo Basin Hunter-Gatherers Declines with Socio-Economic Transitions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gul Deniz Salali

Full Text Available Humans have a tendency to discount the future; that is we value small, short-term rewards over larger, long-term rewards. The degree of future discounting, however, changes in response to socio-ecological factors. Here, we study Mbendjele BaYaka hunter-gatherers of northern Congo and their farmer neighbours to investigate adaptations in inter-temporal preferences in humans. We argue that in immediate-return systems, where food storage is absent and egalitarianism is enforced through levelling mechanisms, future discounting is an adaptive strategy to prevent wealth accumulation and the emergence of hierarchies. This ensures food sharing and allows for survival in unpredictable environments where there is risk of an energy shortfall. On the other hand, when food storage is made possible by the emergence of agriculture or as seen in some delayed-return hunter-gatherer populations, wealth accumulation, hierarchies and lower discount rates become the adaptive strategy. Therefore, individuals in immediate-return, egalitarian societies will discount the future more than those in non-egalitarian, delayed-return societies. Consistent with the predictions we found that market integration and socio-economic transitions decrease the future discounting in Mbendjele hunter-gatherers. Our measures of socio-economic differences marked this transition in hunter-gatherers living in a logging town. The degree of future-discounting was the same between more market-integrated hunter-gatherers and their farmer neighbours.

Adsorption of procion red and congo red dyes using microalgae Spirulina sp

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Risfidian Mohadi

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Adsorption of procion red and congo red dyes using microalgae Spirulina sp was conducted. Spirulina sp was obtained by cultivation and production in laboratory scale. Spirulina sp was used as adsorbent for adsorption of dyes. Adsorption process was studied by kinetic and thermodynamic in order to know the adsorption phenomena. The results showed that kinetically congo red is reactive than procion red on Spirulina sp. On the other hand, thermodynamically procion red was stable than congo red on Spirulina sp which was indicated by adsorption capacity, enthalpy, and entropy.

Sorption behavior of congo red on different plant leaves (abstract)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, M.I.; Mirza, M.L.; Zafar, S.; Khalid, N.

2011-01-01

Batch adsorption studies were carried out to evaluate the potential of different plant leaves (Bougainvillaea Glabra and Citrus Sinensis) for the removal of Congo red dye from aqueous solution by optimizing different parameters such as effect of shaking time, adsorbent dose, initial adsorbate concentration, temperature etc. The experimental data was subjected to different types of isotherm models such as Freundlich, Langmuir and Dubinin-Radushkevich. The maximum adsorption capacity was calculated and was comparable for both the leaves through Freundlich isotherm by using the optimized parameters of weight and time at room temperature. The sorption mean free energy from Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm was also determined and compared. Pseudo-first and Pseudo-second order kinetics models were tested for the adsorption of Congo red on plant leaves powder. The experimental data fitted well for Pseudo-second order model. The uptake of Congo red was also studied with the variation of temperature. Thermodynamic parameters have been calculated. The results indicate that the plant leaves of Bougainvilia Glabra and Citrus Sinensis are efficient adsorbents for Congo red dye from aqueous solutions and can be used for wastewater management. (author)

Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever in Kosova : a fatal case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raka Lul

2006-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF is an often fatal viral infection described in about 30 countries around the world. The authors report a fatal case of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF observed in a patient from Kosova. The diagnosis of CCHF was confirmed by reverse transcription-PCR. Late diagnosis decreased the efficacy of treatment and patient died due to severe complications of infection.

ADSORPSI CONGO RED PADA HUMIN HASIL ISOLASI DARI TANAH HUTAN DAMAR BATURRADEN PURWOKERTO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roy Andreas

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Congo red is one of dyes-stuff in textile industry wastwater. If it is thrown directly without waste management process, the dyes could pollute environtment, especially soil. Humin has OH phenolic and carboxylic functional group which can interacted with congo red. The aim of this study is recognize humin characteristic from the soil of Baturraden resin forest, determine the adsorption capacity and isotherm adsorption pattern of congo red by humin from the soil of Baturraden resin forest. Humin in this study is isolated from the soil of Baturraden resin forest. soil cleared of gravel and dirt, then it extracted by using NaOH of nitrogen atmosphere and purified to applies mixture HCl:HF. Humin that is obtained is used to be interacted with dyes with various contact time, various of pH and concentration of congo red so that the adsorption capacities and isotherm adsorption pattern can be obtained. Result of the study showed that the humin has water content 34.92 %, dust content 8.64 %, total acidity 475 cmol/Kg, carboxylic rate 272.5 cmol/Kg, and OH Phenolic rate 202.5 cmol/Kg. The optimum contact time of congo red adsorption by humin is 40 minutes, with optimum pH is 7, adsorption capacities 57.14 mg/g and isotherm adsorption pattern of congo red by humin is follow the pattern of Langmuir isotherm adsorption.

On Intensive Late Holocene Iron Mining and Production in the Northern Congo Basin and the Environmental Consequences Associated with Metallurgy in Central Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Lupo, Karen D; Schmitt, Dave N; Kiahtipes, Christopher A; Ndanga, Jean-Paul; Young, D Craig; Simiti, Bernard

2015-01-01

An ongoing question in paleoenvironmental reconstructions of the central African rainforest concerns the role that prehistoric metallurgy played in shaping forest vegetation. Here we report evidence of intensive iron-ore mining and smelting in forested regions of the northern Congo Basin dating to the late Holocene. Volumetric estimates on extracted iron-ore and associated slag mounds from prehistoric sites in the southern Central African Republic suggest large-scale iron production on par with other archaeological and historically-known iron fabrication areas. These data document the first evidence of intensive iron mining and production spanning approximately 90 years prior to colonial occupation (circa AD 1889) and during an interval of time that is poorly represented in the archaeological record. Additional site areas pre-dating these remains by 3-4 centuries reflect an earlier period of iron production on a smaller scale. Microbotanical evidence from a sediment core collected from an adjacent riparian trap shows a reduction in shade-demanding trees in concert with an increase in light-demanding species spanning the time interval associated with iron intensification. This shift occurs during the same time interval when many portions of the Central African witnessed forest transgressions associated with a return to moister and more humid conditions beginning 500-100 years ago. Although data presented here do not demonstrate that iron smelting activities caused widespread vegetation change in Central Africa, we argue that intense mining and smelting can have localized and potentially regional impacts on vegetation communities. These data further demonstrate the high value of pairing archeological and paleoenvironmental analyses to reconstruct regional-scale forest histories.

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, Sudan, 2008

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

This podcast describes the emergence of the first human cases of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever in Sudan in 2008. CDC epidemiologist Dr. Stuart Nichol discusses how the disease was found in Sudan and how it spread in a hospital there.

Congo grass grown in rotation with soybean affects phosphorus bound to soil carbon

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Alexandre Merlin

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The phosphorus supply to crops in tropical soils is deficient due to its somewhat insoluble nature in soil, and addition of P fertilizers has been necessary to achieve high yields. The objective of this study was to examine the mechanisms through which a cover crop (Congo grass - Brachiaria ruziziensis in rotation with soybean can enhance soil and fertilizer P availability using long-term field trials and laboratory chemical fractionation approaches. The experimental field had been cropped to soybean in rotation with several species under no-till for six years. An application rate of no P or 240 kg ha-1 of P2O5 had been applied as triple superphosphate or as Arad rock phosphate. In April 2009, once more 0.0 or 80.0 kg ha-1 of P2O5 was applied to the same plots when Congo grass was planted. In November 2009, after Congo grass desiccation, soil samples were taken from the 0-5 and 5-10 cm depth layer and soil P was fractionated. Soil-available P increased to the depth of 10 cm through growing Congo grass when P fertilizers were applied. The C:P ratio was also increased by the cover crop. Congo grass cultivation increased P content in the soil humic fraction to the depth of 10 cm. Congo grass increases soil P availability by preventing fertilizer from being adsorbed and by increasing soil organic P.

Will Passive Protection Save Congo Forests?

Science.gov (United States)

Galford, Gillian L.; Soares-Filho, Britaldo S.; Sonter, Laura J.; Laporte, Nadine

2015-01-01

Central Africa’s tropical forests are among the world’s largest carbon reserves. Historically, they have experienced low rates of deforestation. Pressures to clear land are increasing due to development of infrastructure and livelihoods, foreign investment in agriculture, and shifting land use management, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The DRC contains the greatest area of intact African forests. These store approximately 22 billion tons of carbon in aboveground live biomass, yet only 10% are protected. Can the status quo of passive protection — forest management that is low or nonexistent — ensure the preservation of this forest and its carbon? We have developed the SimCongo model to simulate changes in land cover and land use based on theorized policy scenarios from 2010 to 2050. Three scenarios were examined: the first (Historical Trends) assumes passive forest protection; the next (Conservation) posits active protection of forests and activation of the national REDD+ action plan, and the last (Agricultural Development) assumes increased agricultural activities in forested land with concomitant increased deforestation. SimCongo is a cellular automata model based on Bayesian statistical methods tailored for the DRC, built with the Dinamica-EGO platform. The model is parameterized and validated with deforestation observations from the past and runs the scenarios from 2010 through 2050 with a yearly time step. We estimate the Historical Trends trajectory will result in average emissions of 139 million t CO2 year-1 by the 2040s, a 15% increase over current emissions. The Conservation scenario would result in 58% less clearing than Historical Trends and would conserve carbon-dense forest and woodland savanna areas. The Agricultural Development scenario leads to emissions of 212 million t CO2 year-1 by the 2040s. These scenarios are heuristic examples of policy’s influence on forest conservation and carbon storage. Our results

Optical properties of amyloid stained by Congo red: history and mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Howie, Alexander J; Brewer, Douglas B

2009-04-01

Amyloid stained by Congo red has striking optical properties that generally have been poorly described and inadequately explained, although they can be understood from principles of physical optics. Molecules of Congo red are orientated on amyloid fibrils, and so the dye becomes dichroic and birefringent. The birefringence varies with wavelength in accordance with a fundamental property of all light-transmitting materials called anomalous dispersion of the refractive index around an absorption peak. The combination of this and absorption of light, with modification by any additional birefringence in the optical system, explains the various colours that can be seen in Congo red-stained amyloid between crossed polariser and analyser, and also when the polariser and analyser are progressively uncrossed. These are called anomalous colours.

L’optimisation juridique du paiement pour services environnementaux en faveur de la préservation des services environnementaux : le cas du Cameroun et de la République Démocratique du Congo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Blaise-Pascal Ntirumenyerwa Mihigo

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The study starts from a hypothesis on the coherence and compatibility of the legal instruments in force in Cameroon and in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC with the optimization of payment for environmental services (PES and the preservation of environmental services. This study has employed a legal approach and interviews in order to investigate whether there is coherence and compatibility or not between the two variables of this hypothesis: (1 the legal instruments in force in Cameroon and in the DRC and (2 the optimization of PES and the preservation of environmental services. This study consists of three parts. The first part deals with the theoretical framework of PES and the place of PES in the legal order. In this first part, the definition of an optimal PES, the indicators of an optimal PES and the categories of legal frameworks on PES have been revealed. These are the fundamental elements to conduct a systematic analysis in the second and third parts. Based on these fundamental elements, the study analyses the legal instru- ments from international, regional (Africa and domestic (Cameroon and the DRC levels and investigates through field research two PES projects, one in Cameroon called “PES comminatory project” and another in the DRC called “REDD CBFF-Luki” respectively in the second and the third parts. From the analysis of these legal instruments and the investigation of these two PES projects, it has become apparent that there is a lack of coherence and compatibility between the legal instruments and these two PES projects in Cameroon and in the DRC, and the optimization of PES and the preservation of environmental services in the Congo Basin in general, especially in these two States. Useful recommendations have been made to eradicate these shortcomings. Key words: payment for environmental services, environmental services, Congo Basin

Therapeutic management of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever.

Science.gov (United States)

de la Calle-Prieto, Fernando; Martín-Quirós, Alejandro; Trigo, Elena; Mora-Rillo, Marta; Arsuaga, Marta; Díaz-Menéndez, Marta; Arribas, José Ramón

2017-06-29

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever has been reported in more than 30 countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, with an increasing incidence in recent years, especially in Europe. Because no specific treatments have demonstrated efficacy, supportive treatment is essential, as well as the provision of a centre with the appropriate means to guarantee the safety of its healthcare professionals. Laboratory monitoring of thrombocytopenia, severe coagulopathy or liver failure is of critical importance. Patients with Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever should be admitted to High Level Isolation Units where appropriate biocontainment procedures can prevent nosocomial transmission through infected fluids or accidents with contaminated material. In case of high-risk exposures, early administration of ribavirin should be considered. Copyright © 2017. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.

The deforestation of rural areas in the Lower Congo Province.

Science.gov (United States)

Iloweka, Ernest Manganda

2004-12-01

The Lower Congo is one of eleven provinces in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and is located southwest of Kinshasa Town Province. It has an area of approximately 53.947 km2 with a population of 1,504,361 at an estimated 237 persons per km2. The Province comprises five districts, including Lukaya and Cataracts where rural poverty is severe and the population struggle to make a living through agriculture and woodcutting. These activities result in excessive resource exploitation. The high demand for foodstuffs and the high consumption of wood (for energy, construction and export) in Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the expanding towns of Matadi and Boma in the Lower Congo Province, are speeding the deforestation rate and unbalancing forest ecosystems. In addition there is the stress resulting from reduced josher (the rest period for agriculture ground), plus climate change and erosion. The phenomena that that we need to address in these two districts include deforestation, reduced josher, excessive agriculture, erosion, burning and climate change which taken together largely explain the current soil degradation. These areas are marked by excessive post deforestation savannah formation and extended areas of sandy soil, distributed throughout grass and shrub savannahs. This desertification, which is rampant in Lukaya and Cataracts, risks imprisoning the rural population in a vicious cycle of poverty if adequate solutions are not found.

Stunned Silence: Gene Expression Programs in Human Cells Infected with Monkeypox or Vaccinia Virus

Science.gov (United States)

Rubins, Kathleen H.; Hensley, Lisa E.; Relman, David A.; Brown, Patrick O.

2011-01-01

Poxviruses use an arsenal of molecular weapons to evade detection and disarm host immune responses. We used DNA microarrays to investigate the gene expression responses to infection by monkeypox virus (MPV), an emerging human pathogen, and Vaccinia virus (VAC), a widely used model and vaccine organism, in primary human macrophages, primary human fibroblasts and HeLa cells. Even as the overwhelmingly infected cells approached their demise, with extensive cytopathic changes, their gene expression programs appeared almost oblivious to poxvirus infection. Although killed (gamma-irradiated) MPV potently induced a transcriptional program characteristic of the interferon response, no such response was observed during infection with either live MPV or VAC. Moreover, while the gene expression response of infected cells to stimulation with ionomycin plus phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), or poly (I-C) was largely unimpaired by infection with MPV, a cluster of pro-inflammatory genes were a notable exception. Poly(I-C) induction of genes involved in alerting the innate immune system to the infectious threat, including TNF-alpha, IL-1 alpha and beta, CCL5 and IL-6, were suppressed by infection with live MPV. Thus, MPV selectively inhibits expression of genes with critical roles in cell-signaling pathways that activate innate immune responses, as part of its strategy for stealthy infection. PMID:21267444

On Intensive Late Holocene Iron Mining and Production in the Northern Congo Basin and the Environmental Consequences Associated with Metallurgy in Central Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Lupo, Karen D.; Schmitt, Dave N.; Kiahtipes, Christopher A.; Ndanga, Jean-Paul; Young, D. Craig; Simiti, Bernard

2015-01-01

An ongoing question in paleoenvironmental reconstructions of the central African rainforest concerns the role that prehistoric metallurgy played in shaping forest vegetation. Here we report evidence of intensive iron-ore mining and smelting in forested regions of the northern Congo Basin dating to the late Holocene. Volumetric estimates on extracted iron-ore and associated slag mounds from prehistoric sites in the southern Central African Republic suggest large-scale iron production on par with other archaeological and historically-known iron fabrication areas. These data document the first evidence of intensive iron mining and production spanning approximately 90 years prior to colonial occupation (circa AD 1889) and during an interval of time that is poorly represented in the archaeological record. Additional site areas pre-dating these remains by 3-4 centuries reflect an earlier period of iron production on a smaller scale. Microbotanical evidence from a sediment core collected from an adjacent riparian trap shows a reduction in shade-demanding trees in concert with an increase in light-demanding species spanning the time interval associated with iron intensification. This shift occurs during the same time interval when many portions of the Central African witnessed forest transgressions associated with a return to moister and more humid conditions beginning 500-100 years ago. Although data presented here do not demonstrate that iron smelting activities caused widespread vegetation change in Central Africa, we argue that intense mining and smelting can have localized and potentially regional impacts on vegetation communities. These data further demonstrate the high value of pairing archeological and paleoenvironmental analyses to reconstruct regional-scale forest histories. PMID:26161540

The influence of Congo River discharges in the surface and deep layers of the Gulf of Guinea

OpenAIRE

Vangriesheim, A.; Pierre, C.; Aminot, A.; Metzl, N.; Baurand, François; Caprais, J. C.

2009-01-01

The main feature of the Congo-Angola margin in the Gulf of Guinea is the Congo (ex-Zaire) deep-sea fan composed of a submarine canyon directly connected to the Congo River, a channel and a [sediment] lobe area. During the multi-disciplinary programme called BIOZAIRE conducted by Ifremer from 2000 to 2005, two CTD-O2 sections with discrete water column samples were performed (BIOZAIRE3 cruise: 2003-2004) to study the influence of the Congo River discharges, both in the surface layer and in the...

Reaction of congo red in water after irradiation by pulsed intense relativistic electron beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kikuchi, Takashi; Kondo, Hironobu; Sasaki, Toru; Harada, Nob.; Moriwaki, Hiroshi; Nakanishi, Hiromitsu; Imada, Go

2011-01-01

The reaction of congo red, a well-known toxic azo dye, occurred after irradiation by a pulsed intense relativistic electron beam (PIREB). An aquation of congo red was irradiated by PIREB (2 MeV, 0.36 kA, 140 ns). After PIREB irradiation, the solution was measured by electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. It was found that congo red underwent a reaction (77% conversion after five shots of PIREB irradiation) and the hydroxylated compounds of the dye were observed as reaction products. (author)

Discharge and other hydraulic measurements for characterizing the hydraulics of Lower Congo River

Science.gov (United States)

Oberg, Kevin; Shelton, John M.; Gardiner, Ned; Jackson, P. Ryan

2009-01-01

The first direct measurements of discharge of the Lower Congo River below Malebo Pool and upstream from Kinganga, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were made in July 2008 using acoustic Doppler current profilers, differential GPS, and echo sounders. These measurements were made in support of research that is attempting to understand the distribution of fish species in the Lower Congo River and reasons for separation of species within this large river. Analyses of these measurements show that the maximum depth in the Lower Congo River was in excess of 200 m and maximum water velocities were greater than 4 m/s. The discharge measured near Luozi, DRC was 35,800 m3/s, and decreased slightly beginning midway through the study. Local bedrock controls seem to have a large effect on the flow in the river, even in reaches without waterfalls and rapids. Dramatic changes in bed topography are evident in transects across the river.

Search Results | Page 5 | IDRC - International Development ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2016-07-30

Jul 30, 2016 ... Altering the Climate of Poverty under Climate Change : the Forests of Congo Basin (sub-Saharan Africa). The forests of the Congo basin provide ecosystem services to over 80% of the population living in or near them. Project.

Rewriting the Landform History of One of Africa's Three Largest Basins

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkinson, Justin

2014-01-01

The Kalahari Basin in southern Africa - one of the largest basins in Africa, along with the Congo and Chad basins - has attracted attention since David Livingstone traveled through the area in the 1840s. It is a semiarid desert with a large freshwater swampland known as the Okavango Swamp (150 km radius). This prominent megafan (a fan with radii >100 km), with its fingers of dark green forests projecting into the dun colors of the dunes of the Kalahari semi-desert, has been well photographed by astronauts over the years. The study area in the northern Kalahari basin is centered on the Okavango megafan of northwest Botswana, whose swampland has become well known as an African wildlife preserve of importance to biology and tourism alike. The Okavango River is unusual because it has deposited not one but two megafans along its course: the Okavango megafan and the Cubango megafan. The Okavango megafan is one of only three well-known megafans in Africa. Megafans on Earth were once thought to be rare, but recent research has documented 68 in Africa alone. Eleven megafans, plus three more candidates, have been documented in the area immediately surrounding the Okavango feature. These 11 megafans occupy the flattest and smoothest terrains adjacent to the neighboring upland and stand out as the darkest areas in the roughness map of the area. Megafan terrains occupy at least 200,000 sq km of the study area. The roughness map shown is based on an algorithm used first on Mars to quantify topographic roughness. Research of Earth's flattest terrains is just beginning with the aid of such maps, and it appears that these terrains are analogous to the flattest regions of Mars. Implications: 1. The variability in depositional style in each subbasin may apply Africa-wide: rift megafan length is dominated by rift width, whereas Owambo subbasin megafans are probably controlled by upland basin size; Zambezi subbasin megafans appear more like foreland basin types, with the position of

Photoluminescence study of Congo red molecules under high pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Z.P.; Zhang, Z.M.; Ding, Z.J.

2007-01-01

Pressure-induced changes on fluorescence spectra of Congo red molecules were examined up to 8.7 GPa using a diamond anvil cell at room temperature. The spectra changes are demonstrated to be sensitive to the pressure and solvent conditions. At hydrostatic pressure and with a solvent used as a pressure transmitting medium the fluorescence spectra show increase of intensity with elevated pressure up to about 2.3 GPa and then drop at higher pressures. For Congo red crystal under quasi-hydrostatic condition without solvent the fluorescence intensity decreases monotonically and the lower energy band becomes dominant with the pressure increasing. The three vibronic bands show red shifts with increase of pressure

Medical Orders: Catholic and Protestant Missionary Medicine in the Belgian Congo 1880-1940

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sokhieng Au

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The history of religious missions and the provisioning of western medical care in the region that was known as the Congo Free State and later the Belgian Congo reveals the complicated dynamics between competing religious missions vis à vis the Belgian colonial state. This essay highlights divisions between identities and purposes of different religious groups in medical care provisioning, focusing on the divide between the Catholic and Protestant churches. Because most Protestant missions in the Congo were American or British, the medical care provided by the Protestant church was outside of, and sometimes at odds with, the Belgian colonial state until the 1920s. In contrast, the Catholic Church served in an auxiliary role in the colonial state’s medical infrastructure. This was not an ideal situation, leading Catholic leaders to attempt to rework the church’s role in medical provisioning. Ultimately, mission, medicine, and empire were not always comfortable bedfellows. Medische Orders: katholieke en protestantse missiegeneeskunde in de Belgische Congo 1880-1940De geschiedenis van de religieuze missies en het voorzien in westerse medische gezondheidszorg in de Congo Vrijstaat – later de Belgische Congo – onthult de ingewikkelde dynamiek tussen de concurrerende religieuze missies vis à vis de Belgische koloniale staat. Dit artikel belicht verschillende religieuze groepen die medische zorg verleenden in deze regio en hun verdeeldheid inzake identiteiten en doelen. Hierbij wordt vooral gefocust op de tweedracht tussen de katholieke en protestantse kerk. Omdat de meeste protestantse missies die in de Congo gevestigd waren uit Amerika of Engeland kwamen, werd de medische zorg die zij verstrekten vaak buiten de Belgische koloniale staat om geleverd en leefden staat en protestantse kerk tot in de jaren 1920 soms op gespannen voet met elkaar. Dit staat in sterk contrast tot de katholieke kerk die wat betreft medische infrastructuur juist een

Evaluation of monkeypox virus infection of prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) using in vivo bioluminescent imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Falendysz, Elizabeth A.; Londoño-Navas, Angela M.; Meteyer, Carol U.; Pussini, Nicola; Lopera, Juan G.; Osorio, Jorge E.; Rocke, Tonie E.

2014-01-01

Monkeypox (MPX) is a re-emerging zoonotic disease that is endemic in Central and West Africa, where it can cause a smallpox-like disease in humans. Despite many epidemiologic and field investigations of MPX, no definitive reservoir species has been identified. Using recombinant viruses expressing the firefly luciferase (luc) gene, we previously demonstrated the suitability of in vivo bioluminescent imaging (BLI) to study the pathogenesis of MPX in animal models. Here, we evaluated BLI as a novel approach for tracking MPX virus infection in black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). Prairie dogs were affected during a multistate outbreak of MPX in the US in 2003 and have since been used as an animal model of this disease. Our BLI results were compared with PCR and virus isolation from tissues collected postmortem. Virus was easily detected and quantified in skin and superficial tissues by BLI before and during clinical phases, as well as in subclinical secondary cases, but was not reliably detected in deep tissues such as the lung. Although there are limitations to viral detection in larger wild rodent species, BLI can enhance the use of prairie dogs as an animal model of MPX and can be used for the study of infection, disease progression, and transmission in potential wild rodent reservoirs.

Mapping Biomass for REDD in the Largest Forest of Central Africa: the Democratic Republic of Congo

Science.gov (United States)

Shapiro, Aurelie; Saatchi, Sassan

2014-05-01

With the support of the International Climate Initiative (ICI) of the Federal Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Nuclear Security, the implementation of the German Development Bank KfW, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Germany, the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and local DRC partners will produce a national scale biomass map for the entire forest coverage of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) along with feasibility assessments of different forest protection measures within a framework of a REDD+ model project. The « Carbon Map and Model (CO2M&M) » project will produce a national forest biomass map for the DRC, which will enable quantitative assessments of carbon stocks and emissions in the largest forest of the Congo Basin. This effort will support the national REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) program in DRC, which plays a major role in sustainable development and poverty alleviation. This map will be developed from field data, complemented by airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and aerial photos, systematically sampled throughout the forests of the DRC and up-scaled to satellite images to accurately estimate carbon content in all forested areas. The second component of the project is to develop specific approaches for model REDD projects in key landscapes. This project represents the largest LiDAR-derived mapping effort in Africa, under unprecedented logistical constraints, which will provide one of the poorest nations in the world with the richest airborne and satellites derived datasets for analyzing forest structure, biomass and biodiversity.

Stunned silence: gene expression programs in human cells infected with monkeypox or vaccinia virus.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kathleen H Rubins

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Poxviruses use an arsenal of molecular weapons to evade detection and disarm host immune responses. We used DNA microarrays to investigate the gene expression responses to infection by monkeypox virus (MPV, an emerging human pathogen, and Vaccinia virus (VAC, a widely used model and vaccine organism, in primary human macrophages, primary human fibroblasts and HeLa cells. Even as the overwhelmingly infected cells approached their demise, with extensive cytopathic changes, their gene expression programs appeared almost oblivious to poxvirus infection. Although killed (gamma-irradiated MPV potently induced a transcriptional program characteristic of the interferon response, no such response was observed during infection with either live MPV or VAC. Moreover, while the gene expression response of infected cells to stimulation with ionomycin plus phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA, or poly (I-C was largely unimpaired by infection with MPV, a cluster of pro-inflammatory genes were a notable exception. Poly(I-C induction of genes involved in alerting the innate immune system to the infectious threat, including TNF-alpha, IL-1 alpha and beta, CCL5 and IL-6, were suppressed by infection with live MPV. Thus, MPV selectively inhibits expression of genes with critical roles in cell-signaling pathways that activate innate immune responses, as part of its strategy for stealthy infection.

Democratic Republic of Congo Jobs Diagnostic

OpenAIRE

Aterido, Reyes; Gonzalez, Alvaro; Merotto, Dino; Petracco, Carly; Sanchez-Reaza, Javier

2018-01-01

The economy of the Democratic Republic of Congo is not creating sufficient jobs for its young and rapidly growing workforce. Although the Congolese economy has experienced fast growth and poverty has declined, further reducing poverty will require more dynamic job creation and continued reductions in fertility rates. The current youth bulge and potential demographic dividend will open a un...

An initial investigation into the organic matter biogeochemistry of the Congo River

Science.gov (United States)

Spencer, Robert G.M.; Hernes, Peter J.; Aufdenkampe, Anthony K.; Baker, Andy; Gulliver, Pauline; Stubbins, Aron; Aiken, George R.; Dyda, Rachael Y.; Butler, Kenna D.; Mwamba, Vincent L.; Mangangu, Arthur M.; Wabakanghanzi, Jose N.; Six, Johan

2012-01-01

The Congo River, which drains pristine tropical forest and savannah and is the second largest exporter of terrestrial carbon to the ocean, was sampled in early 2008 to investigate organic matter (OM) dynamics in this historically understudied river basin. We examined the elemental (%OC, %N, C:N), isotopic (δ13C, Δ14C, δ15N) and biochemical composition (lignin phenols) of coarse particulate (>63 μm; CPOM) and fine particulate (0.7–63 μm; FPOM) OM and DOC, δ13C, Δ14C and lignin phenol composition with respect to dissolved OM (14C = -62.2 ± -13.2‰, n = 5) compared to CPOM and DOM (mean Δ14C = 55.7 ± 30.6‰, n = 4 and 73.4 ± 16.1‰, n = 5 respectively). The modern radiocarbon ages for DOM belie a degraded lignin compositional signature (i.e. elevated acid:aldehyde ratios (Ad:Al) relative to CPOM and FPOM), and indicate that the application of OM degradation patterns derived from particulate phase studies to dissolved samples needs to be reassessed: these elevated ratios are likely attributable to fractionation processes during solubilization of plant material. The relatively low DOM carbon-normalized lignin yields (Λ8; 0.67–1.12 (mg(100 mg OC)-1)) could also reflect fractionation processes, however, they have also been interpreted as an indication of significant microbial or algal sources of DOM. CPOM appears to be well preserved higher vascular plant material as evidenced by its modern radiocarbon age, elevated C:N (17.2–27.1) and Λ8 values (4.56–7.59 (mg(100 mg OC)-1)). In relation to CPOM, the aged FPOM fraction (320–580 ybp 14C ages) was comparatively degraded, as demonstrated by its nitrogen enrichment (C:N 11.4–14.3), lower Λ8 (2.80–4.31 (mg(100 mg OC)-1)) and elevated lignin Ad:Al values similar to soil derived OM. In this study we observed little modification of the OM signature from sample sites near the cities of Brazzaville and Kinshasa to the head of the estuary (~350 km) highlighting the potential for future studies to

Evaluation of sugar-cane bagasse as bioadsorbent in the textile wastewater treatment contaminated with carcinogenic congo red dye

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aline Sartório Raymundo

2010-08-01

Full Text Available A methodology involving sugar cane bagasse bioadsorbent was developed in order to remove the carcinogenic congo red dye from aqueous medium. The results showed high efficiency with retention of 64 ± 6% in synthetic congo red solution and 94 ± 5% in effluent enriched with congo red, at 10.0 g of the bioadsorbent. The adsorption system provided a maximum adsorption capacity of 4.43 mg/g. Tests showed independence adsorption properties, when compared with the column flow rates. The treatment units could be operated with flexibility. From the results, it was possible to conclude that sugar cane bagasse could be an adequate bioadsorbent.Neste trabalho foi desenvolvida uma metodologia de remoção do corante carcinogênico congo red de sistemas aquosos. Os resultados mostraram uma elevada eficiência de remoção sendo de 64 ± 6% para soluções sintéticas de vermelho congo, e 94 ± 5% para efluente industrial enriquecido com vermelho congo utilizando 10 g de bioadsorvente. A capacidade máxima adsotiva encontrada foi de 4,43 mg/g. Os testes de percolação revelaram independência das porcentagens adsortivas em relação às vazões das colunas. Estes resultados indicam viabilidade de uso do bagaço de cana-de-açucar no tratamento de efluentes contendo o congo red.

Accounting for violence in Eastern Congo: Young people's ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In these accounts, the voices of young people have been largely absent. Although ... in eastern Congo from September to December 2009 as part of the author's doctoral ..... More rarely, young Congolese recognised the contribution made by ...

Spatial analysis from remotely sensed observations of Congo basin of East African high Land to drain water using gravity for sustainable management of low laying Chad basin of Central Africa

OpenAIRE

B. Modu; B. Herbert

2014-01-01

The Chad basin which covers an area of about 2.4 million kilometer square is one of the largest drainage basins in Africa in the centre of Lake Chad .This basin was formed as a result of rifting and drifting episode, as such it has no outlet to the oceans or seas. It contains large area of desert from the north to the west. The basin covers in part seven countries such as Chad, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Cameroun, Niger, Sudan and Algeria. It is named Chad basin because 43.9%...

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, Sudan, 2008

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2010-04-15

This podcast describes the emergence of the first human cases of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever in Sudan in 2008. CDC epidemiologist Dr. Stuart Nichol discusses how the disease was found in Sudan and how it spread in a hospital there.  Created: 4/15/2010 by National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infections (proposed).   Date Released: 4/15/2010.

Anatomie de la Corruption en République Démocratique du Congo

OpenAIRE

Kodila Tedika, Oasis

2013-01-01

This article analysis a nature of corruption in Democratic Republic of Congo. It shows, with arguments, on the one hand the deserved reputation for a highly corrupt country, that one reads regularly in different collations on corruption and says to the complexity and depth of the corruption. The basis of the systemic side of corruption in this country. Cet article a pour objectif de décortiquer la nature de la corruption en République démocratique du Congo. Il démontre, avec arguments, d’une ...

The Congo Trap: MONUSCO Islands of Stability in the Sea of Instability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alberto Barrera

2015-11-01

Full Text Available 2014 was a hopeful year for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC. The M23 movement had been defeated in military operations in which one of the last peacekeeping experiments, the UN Force Intervention Brigade, had played a decisive role. A third UN stabilization plan, the ‘islands of stability’ was proposed to continue the stabilization of a country considered in a post-conflict phase. However, the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs has almost tripled in the country since 2007. This article will argue that DRC is still immersed into an old social conflict that existed before the Congo Wars and the roots of which are not being addressed. It will argue that the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO and the ‘islands of stability’ strategy can address some of the secondary causes of the Congo conflict, such as its internationalization, the presence in DRC of foreign armed groups or the ‘blood minerals’, but cannot address its primary causes: land struggles, an old cycle of violence and the fragmentation of the Congolese society and political elite that is jeopardizing the restoration of the state authority. The huge dimensions of each of these factors make the Congo conflict ‘one of the most complex and intricate environments ever faced by a peacekeeping mission’, for which MONUSCO’s mandate, resources and stabilization strategy do not seem powerful enough. When the UN organized the 2006 elections legitimized a ‘spoiler state’, the bottleneck of all the reforms needed to stabilize the country. The UN fell thus into a trap and became part of the conflict. Lessons learned should be taken for future UN operations.

D3.2 The DR. Congo review

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mandrup, Thomas

2017-01-01

, representatives of the Congolese authorities, NGOs and other IOs. EU involvement started with the deployment of Artemis in 2003, and the study ends with the closure of EUSEC in July 2016. All EU missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been part of EU support for the transition and implementation...

Phonology and Morphology of Mambay (Niger-Congo, Adamawa)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Anonby, Erik John

2008-01-01

Mambay is an Adamawa (Niger-Congo) language spoken by 15,000 people in Chad and Cameroon. The study opens with historical and linguistic background. A phonological inventory of the language is then presented and distribution patterns are examined. Some striking phenomena include a profoundly

The Congo crisis, the United Nations, and Zimbabwean nationalism ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

United Nations moved swiftly in response to Lumumba's immediate request for assistance .... of apathy towards the white man in Africa and a strong desire to rid .... such actions would legitimatise the intervention of the Congo government in.

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emadi Koochak H

2003-10-01

Full Text Available Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF was first described in the Crimea in 1944 and then in 1956 in congo. CCHF is a viral hemorrhagic fever of the Nairovirus group that belongs to Bunyaviridae family virus. It is transmitted to human by tick bite. The most efficient and common tick that is the vectors of CCHF is a member of the Hyalomma genus which infected many mammals such as livestock, this tick is the main reservoire of virus in nature. Humans also become infected with CCHF virus by direct contact with blood or other infected tissues from livestock or human patients (nosocomial infection. Disease has been found in saharic Africa, Eastern Europe, Pakistan, India and Middle East (specially Iran and Iraq. This disease recently spread in Iran so in 1999 to 2001 at least 222 suspected case(81 definite case reported that led to the death of 15 of 81 cases. It is estimated that 30 percent of the country's cattle are contaminated with this virus."nIn humans, after a short incubation period it appears suddenly with fever, chills, myalgia and GI symptoms followed by severe bleeding and DIC that led to death .If the patient improved, has a long {2-4 weeks convalescence period. Disease diagnosed by clinical manifestations, serologic tests, viral culture and PCR and its specific treatment is oral ribavirin for 10 days, for prevention of disease personal protective measures from tick bite, spraying poison of mews to reduce of ticks crowd, isolation of patients and dis-infection of contaminated personal equipments that who suffering from CCHF is recommended.

Effect of pH, Dosage and Concentration on the Adsorption of Congo Red onto Untreated and Treated Aluminium Dross

Science.gov (United States)

Zakaria Mohamad Zulfika, Hazielim B.; Baini, Rubiyah; Zauzi, Nur Syuhada Ahmad

2017-06-01

The adsorption of congo red onto aluminium dross was studied in batch process. The objective of this study is to adsorption capacity between untreated and treated aluminium dross in the removal of congo red. Aluminium dross was leached with 250 ml of 1% of NaOH and and precipitated with 30% H2O2. The treated aluminium dross being calcined at 600°C for 3 hours. The surface area for untreated and treated aluminium dross was 10.06 m2/g and 79.80 m2/g respectively. Then the adsorption process was carried out on an orbital shaker at 200 rpm for 4 hours. In the effect of pH, it was found that untreated removes more congo red compared to the treated while in the effect of concentration solution and dosage of adsorbent, treated aluminium dross removes more congo red. In conclusion, this adsorbent was found to be effective and economically viable in the removal of congo red in waste water treatment.

Removal of congo red and methylene blue from waste water using coagulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghaffar, S.; Nosheen, S.; Ahmad, N.

2011-01-01

The textile industry has been condemned as being one of the world's worst offenders in terms of pollution Because of increasing population and industrial developments, a huge amount of wastewater is discharged to the environment above the level that the nature can eliminate. Many techniques like oxidation, reduction, physical treatment and biological method are available for removal of colored dyes from wastewater. The work presented here involved the decolorisation of wastewater containing congo red and methylene blue using various coagulants such as alum, bentonite and lime. The effect of various experimental factors such as dosage of coagulants, contact time between coagulant and dye and concentration of dyes and working environment like shaking and static was studied. Under static condition alum give almost 43% removal of congo red while with 10 minutes shaking 74 % removal of 80 dye was achieved with same coagulant. The highest removal of congo red was found to be 99.5 % by using alum after 30 minutes of shaking but in case of methylene blue it intensified the color and gave negative results. Lime gave only 33 % color removal of congo red under static conditions while 57% color was removed under shaking conditions. Maximum color removal achieved by lime was 89% at 40 minutes with shaking condition. Lime gave 60% removal of methylene blue in static condition and 90% removal in shaking condition and maximum absorbance at 80 ppm was 90%. Bentonite also used for the removal of methylene blue and gave 89% removal in shaking condition. By increasing shaking time %age removal increased to 100% at 40 min. And amount of coagulant increased the removal efficiency it attained 100% in both lime and bentonite coagulant for methylene blue Overall alum was found to be better coagulant for the removal of congo red from its aqueous solution. Lime and bentonite both proved better and economical for removal of methylene blue from aqueous solution at lab scale. (author)

Cold-seep-like macrofaunal communities in organic- and sulfide-rich sediments of the Congo deep-sea fan

Science.gov (United States)

Olu, K.; Decker, C.; Pastor, L.; Caprais, J.-C.; Khripounoff, A.; Morineaux, M.; Ain Baziz, M.; Menot, L.; Rabouille, C.

2017-08-01

Methane-rich fluids arising from organic matter diagenesis in deep sediment layers sustain chemosynthesis-based ecosystems along continental margins. This type of cold seep develops on pockmarks along the Congo margin, where fluids migrate from deep-buried paleo-channels of the Congo River, acting as reservoirs. Similar ecosystems based on shallow methane production occur in the terminal lobes of the present-day Congo deep-sea fan, which is supplied by huge quantities of primarily terrestrial material carried by turbiditic currents along the 800 km channel, and deposited at depths of up to nearly 5000 m. In this paper, we explore the effect of this carbon enrichment of deep-sea sediments on benthic macrofauna, along the prograding lobes fed by the current active channel, and on older lobes receiving less turbiditic inputs. Macrofaunal communities were sampled using either USNEL cores on the channel levees, or ROV blade cores in the chemosynthesis-based habitats patchily distributed in the active lobe complex. The exceptionally high organic content of the surface sediment in the active lobe complex was correlated with unusual densities of macrofauna for this depth, enhanced by a factor 7-8, compared with those of the older, abandoned lobe, whose sediment carbon content is still higher than in Angola Basin at same depth. Macrofaunal communities, dominated by cossurid polychaetes and tanaids were also more closely related to those colonizing low-flow cold seeps than those of typical deep-sea sediment. In reduced sediments, microbial mats and vesicomyid bivalve beds displayed macrofaunal community patterns that were similar to their cold-seep counterparts, with high densities, low diversity and dominance of sulfide-tolerant polychaetes and gastropods in the most sulfidic habitats. In addition, diversity was higher in vesicomyid bivalve beds, which appeared to bio-irrigate the upper sediment layers. High beta-diversity is underscored by the variability of geochemical

La violencia sexual en Kivu Sur, Congo

OpenAIRE

Rodríguez, Claudia

2007-01-01

Abordar la violencia sexual y por motivos de género en la República Democrática del Congo (RDC) requerirá más recursos y coordinación. Un sistema judicial débil o inexistente disuade a las sobrevivientes de denunciar a sus agresores. El número de agresiones sigue aumentando y los perpetradores quedan impunes.

Investigation on the rapid degradation of congo red catalyzed by activated carbon powder under microwave irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Zhaohong; Shan Yabo; Wang Jun; Ling Hongjie; Zang Shuliang; Gao Wei; Zhao Zhe; Zhang Huachun

2007-01-01

Azo dyestuff-congo red in aqueous solution can be degraded rapidly under microwave irradiation in the presence of activated carbon powder. The results showed that the degradation ratio could reach 87.79% for 25 mL total volume with 50 mg/L congo red and 2.0 g/L activated carbon powder under 1.5 min microwave irradiation. Furthermore, within the same irradiation time, congo red could be degraded fully by increasing addition amount (e.g. 3.6 g/L) of activated carbon powder and the degradation ratio was up to 96.49%. Otherwise, with the same addition amount, congo red also could be degraded completely by prolonging irradiation time (e.g. 2.5 min) and the degradation ratio was up to 97.88%. In addition, the influences of microwave irradiation time, initial concentration of congo red, addition amount and used times of activated carbon powder as well as solution acidity on the degradation were discussed in details adopting UV-vis spectra, FT-IR spectra, ion chromatography, high phase liquid chromatography (HPLC) and TOC analysis technologies. Here, the method using activated carbon powder as catalyst under microwave irradiation shows many advantages including high degradation ratios, short reaction time, low costs, no intermediates and no secondary pollution. Therefore, it may be fit for dealing with various azo dyestuff wastewaters on a large scale

Isotherm, Kinetic and Thermodynamic Characteristics for Adsorption of Congo Red by Activated Carbon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jong Jib [Kongju National University, Cheonan (Korea, Republic of)

2015-02-15

Batch experiment studies were carried out for adsorption of congo red using granular activated carbon with various parameters such as activated carbon dose, pH, initial dye concentration, temperature and contact time. Equilibrium experimental data are fitted to the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubin-Radushkevich isotherm equations. From Freundlich's separation factor (1/n) estimated, adsorption could be employed as effective treatment method for adsorption of congo red from aqueous solution. Base on Temkin constant (B) and Dubinin-Radushkevich constant (E), this adsorption process is physical adsorption. Adsorption kinetics has been tested using pseudo-first order and pseudo second order models. The results followed pseudo second order model with good correlation. Adsorption process of congo red on granular activated carbon was endothermic (ΔH=42.036 kJ/mol) and was accompanied by decrease in Gibbs free energy (ΔG=-2.414 to -4.596 kJ/mol) with increasing adsorption temperature.

Isotherm, Kinetic and Thermodynamic Characteristics for Adsorption of Congo Red by Activated Carbon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jong Jib

2015-01-01

Batch experiment studies were carried out for adsorption of congo red using granular activated carbon with various parameters such as activated carbon dose, pH, initial dye concentration, temperature and contact time. Equilibrium experimental data are fitted to the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubin-Radushkevich isotherm equations. From Freundlich's separation factor (1/n) estimated, adsorption could be employed as effective treatment method for adsorption of congo red from aqueous solution. Base on Temkin constant (B) and Dubinin-Radushkevich constant (E), this adsorption process is physical adsorption. Adsorption kinetics has been tested using pseudo-first order and pseudo second order models. The results followed pseudo second order model with good correlation. Adsorption process of congo red on granular activated carbon was endothermic (ΔH=42.036 kJ/mol) and was accompanied by decrease in Gibbs free energy (ΔG=-2.414 to -4.596 kJ/mol) with increasing adsorption temperature

Evaluation of Adsorption Capacity of Low Cost Adsorbent for the Removal of Congo Red Dye from Aqueous Solution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dattatraya Jirekar

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Vigna unguiculata seed husk powder has been investigated as low cost adsorbent for the removal of hazardous chemicals like Congo Red (CR dye from aqueous solution. Various parameters such as effect of contact time, initial CR dye concentration, adsorbent dose, effect of pH, zero-point pH were studied. Batch adsorption technique was employed to optimize the process parameter. The result indicated that, the percentage adsorption of Congo Red increased with increase in contact time, dose of adsorbent and initial concentration of Congo Red and decreased with addition of salt. The adsorption of Congo Red was 78% at the optimum pH of 6. Adsorption equilibrium was found to be reached in 24 h for 5 to 25 g/50 mL Congo red concentrations. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were found to provide an excellent fitting of the adsorption data.  The adsorption of CR follows Second order rate kinetics. Thermodynamic parameter (δGo showed that it was an exothermic process. This adsorbent was found to be effective and economically attractive. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17807/orbital.v8i5.834

Deforestation Effects on Soil Erosion in the Lake Kivu Basin, D.R. Congo-Rwanda

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fidele Karamage

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Deforestation and natural grassland conversion to agricultural land use constitute a major threat to soil and water conservation. This study aimed at assessing the status of land cover and land use (LCLU in the Lake Kivu basin, and its related impacts in terms of soil erosion by water using the Universal Soil Erosion Equation (USLE model. The results indicated that the Lake Kivu basin is exposed to soil erosion risk with a mean annual rate of 30 t·ha−1, and only 33% of the total non-water area is associated with a tolerable soil loss (≤10 t·ha−1·year−1. Due to both natural factors (abundant tropical precipitation and steep slopes and anthropogenic activities without prior appropriate conservation practices, all land-use types—namely settlement, cropland, forestland, and grassland—are exposed to a severe mean erosion rate of 41 t·ha−1·year−1, 31 t·ha−1·year−1, 28 t·ha−1·year−1, and 20 t·ha−1·year−1, respectively. The cropland that occupied 74% of the non-water area in 2015 was the major contributor (75% to the total annual soil loss in the Lake Kivu basin. This study showed that conservation practices in the cropland cells would result in a mean erosion rate of 7 t·ha−1·year−1, 18 t·ha−1·year−1, and 35 t·ha−1·year−1 for terracing, strip-cropping, and contouring, respectively. The adoption of terracing would be the best conservation practice, among others, that could reduce soil erosion in cropland areas up to about 23%. The erosion risk minimization in forests and grasslands implies an increase in overstorey canopy and understorey vegetation, and control of human activities such as fires, mining, soil compaction from domestic animals grazing, and so on. Soil erosion control in settled areas suggests, among other things, the revegetation of construction sites, establishment of outlet channels, rainfall water harvesting systems, and pervious paving block with grass.

Background Report on Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Warren, Tracy A [ORNL

2011-05-01

Each month, approximately 45,000 people die from violence, hunger, disease, and other effects of displacement as a result of war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The country is often said to be plagued by a 'resource curse.' During each period in history since its discovery by the West, the DRC has possessed the resources the world craves and the world has sought these without regard for the consequences to the Congolese people. The catastrophic consequences of Congo's history of natural resource exploitation are the direct and indirect death of millions of Congolese people. The current war in Congo is multi-causal in nature but explanations are often reduced to describing it as an ethic conflict based on objective grievance. Objective grievance such as inequality, ethnic tensions, land disputes, and lack of democracy do exist, but they are neither necessary nor sufficient to explain the cause of the violent conflict, and more importantly, they fall short in explaining why this conflict has continued for years. The reality is the conflict is an economic war in which the trade of conflict minerals, gold and the 3Ts (tin, tantalum, tungsten), is directly linked to the financial sustainability of the groups fighting each other in eastern DRC. Objective grievance is a by-product of the conflict, used to create a false but plausible moral justification to continue violence. This paper examines the history of conflict in the DRC and the socio-economic variables contributing to the current war fought over conflict minerals.

Evaluation of patients with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), which is associated with a high mortality rate in the Black Sea region of Turkey, has received increasing attention. Objective: In this study, the epidemiological features, clinical and laboratory findings, treatments, and outcomes of patients diagnosed with CCHF ...

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, Kazakhstan, 2009–2010

Science.gov (United States)

Knust, Barbara; Medetov, Zhumagul B.; Kyraubayev, Kakimzhan B.; Bumburidi, Yekaterina; Erickson, Bobbie Rae; MacNeil, Adam; Bayserkin, Baurzhan S.; Ospanov, Kenes S.

2012-01-01

We evaluated Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) surveillance data from southern Kazakhstan during 2009–2010 and found both spatial and temporal association between reported tick bites and CCHF cases. Public health measures should center on preventing tick bites, increasing awareness of CCHF signs and symptoms, and adopting hospital infection control practices. PMID:22469505

Risk Assessment: Democratic Republic of Congo Post-Laurent ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

political system as opposed to the view that it was merely a power struggle between Kabila on the .... Local actors and international mining companies built alliances exploiting Congo's minerals to gain a ... They are preparing a contingency plan for their activities in the post-Laurent Kabila era, for ... small arms in the DRC.33.

Biosorption of Congo Red from aqueous solution by Bacillus weihenstephanensis RI12; effect of SPB1 biosurfactant addition on biodecolorization potency.

Science.gov (United States)

Mnif, Inès; Fendri, Raouia; Ghribi, Dhouha

2015-01-01

Bacillus weihenstephanensis RI12, isolated from hydrocarbon contaminated soil, was assessed for Congo Red bio-treatment potency. Results suggested the potential of this bacterium for use in effective treatment of Congo Red contaminated wastewaters under shaking conditions at acidic and neutral pH value. The strain could tolerate higher doses of dyes as it could decolorize up to 1,000 mg/l of Congo Red. When used as microbial surfactant to enhance Congo Red biodecolorization, Bacillus subtilis SPB1-derived lipopeptide accelerated the decolorization rate and maximized the decolorization efficiency at an optimal concentration of biosurfactant of about 0.075%. Studies ensured that Congo Red removal by this strain could be due to an adsorption phenomena. Germination potencies of tomato seeds using the treated dyes under different conditions showed the efficient biotreatment of the azo dye Congo Red especially with the addition of SPB1 biosurfactant. To conclude, the addition of SPB1 bioemulsifier reduced energy costs by reducing the effective decolorization period; the biosurfactant stimulated bacterial decolorization method may provide a highly efficient, inexpensive and time-saving procedure in the treatment of textile effluents.

Recent summer precipitation trends in the Greater Horn of Africa and the emerging role of Indian Ocean sea surface temperature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Williams, A.P. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos, NM (United States); University of California, Geography Department, Santa Barbara, CA (United States); Funk, Chris [University of California, Geography Department, Santa Barbara, CA (United States); U.S. Geological Survey, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS), Sioux Falls, SD (United States); Michaelsen, Joel [University of California, Geography Department, Santa Barbara, CA (United States); Rauscher, Sara A. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Theoretical Division, Los Alamos, NM (United States); Robertson, Iain; Loader, Neil J. [Swansea University, Department of Geography, College of Science, Swansea (United Kingdom); Wils, Tommy H.G. [Rotterdam University, Department of Geography, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Koprowski, Marcin [Nicolaus Copernicus University, Laboratory of Dendrochronology, Institute of Ecology and Environment Protection, Torun (Poland); Eshetu, Zewdu [Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Forestry Research Centre, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)

2012-11-15

We utilize a variety of climate datasets to examine impacts of two mechanisms on precipitation in the Greater Horn of Africa (GHA) during northern-hemisphere summer. First, surface-pressure gradients draw moist air toward the GHA from the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Congo Basin. Variability of the strength of these gradients strongly influences GHA precipitation totals and accounts for important phenomena such as the 1960s-1980s rainfall decline and devastating 1984 drought. Following the 1980s, precipitation variability became increasingly influenced by the southern tropical Indian Ocean (STIO) region. Within this region, increases in sea-surface temperature, evaporation, and precipitation are linked with increased exports of dry mid-tropospheric air from the STIO region toward the GHA. Convergence of dry air above the GHA reduces local convection and precipitation. It also produces a clockwise circulation response near the ground that reduces moisture transports from the Congo Basin. Because precipitation originating in the Congo Basin has a unique isotopic signature, records of moisture transports from the Congo Basin may be preserved in the isotopic composition of annual tree rings in the Ethiopian Highlands. A negative trend in tree-ring oxygen-18 during the past half century suggests a decline in the proportion of precipitation originating from the Congo Basin. This trend may not be part of a natural cycle that will soon rebound because climate models characterize Indian Ocean warming as a principal signature of greenhouse-gas induced climate change. We therefore expect surface warming in the STIO region to continue to negatively impact GHA precipitation during northern-hemisphere summer. (orig.)

Complex conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Good ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... identifi ed business ethics as a way to mitigate the destructive commercial practices that ... Ethical business initiatives have peacebuilding potential; however, the ... of the Congo (DRC) and its surrounding areas by purchasing minerals that fi ...

Un guide colonial. Le Guide du Voyageur au Congo belge et au Ruanda-Urundi A colonial guidebook. Travel guide to Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Henri Nicolaï

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Le Guide, qui a connu cinq éditions pendant les dix dernières années du Congo belge, est un archétype du guide colonial. L’article rappelle d’abord la naissance du tourisme en Afrique centrale et ses caractéristiques. Fasciné longtemps par les mythes des Monts de la Lune et des sources du Nil, le tourisme congolais est, au départ, essentiellement élitiste, orienté surtout vers la grande chasse sportive. Gorilles de montagne, ascensions du Ruwenzori, danseurs Tutsi, Parc National Albert, pêcheurs wagenia deviennent les icônes d’un tourisme attiré en ordre principal par le Kivu, les Grands Lacs, Stanleyville et secondairement le Katanga. Le premier guide, édité par Vicicongo, en 1934, s’intitule d’ailleurs Congo-Nil. Tous ces mythes et ces décors se retrouvent dans quelques grands films américains d’aventure du début des années 50.L’article décrit ensuite la genèse du Guide, ses caractéristiques générales, son plan, son contenu. Beaucoup d’informations générales, pas de véritables circuits mais plutôt des itinéraires routiers. Produit par les services officiels d’information de la Colonie, le Guide a, parmi ses objectifs, de montrer la persistance et les résultats de l’action civilisatrice de la Belgique. Il affirme que le Congo n’est pas un pays d’art ni d’histoire et accorde donc une part prépondérante au milieu naturel. Il fournit une image tronquée de son histoire et exprime sur ses habitants les préjugés de l’époque.L’article se termine par quelques réflexions sur les tentatives d’un reporter d’une chaîne de télévision et d’un photographe d’utiliser le Guide de 1958 pour parcourir le pays un demi-siècle plus tard.The Travel Guide to Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi, of which five editions were released during the last ten years of Belgian Congo, is an archetypal colonial guide.The paper first highlights the emergence and the features of tourism in Central Africa

Democratic Republic of Congo A Fertile Ground for Instability in the Great Lakes Region States

Science.gov (United States)

2017-06-09

ravaged by a brutal armed conflict. In comparison to the three past presidents, Joseph Kabila has managed to restore political stability and calm to much...DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO-A FERTILE GROUND FOR INSTABILITY IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION STATES A thesis presented to the Faculty of...From - To) AUG 2016 – JUNE 2017 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Democratic Republic of Congo-A Fertile Ground for Instability in the Great Lakes Region

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Bulgaria and Turkey

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Mertens, M.; Schuster, I.; Sas, M. A.; Vatansever, Z.; Hubálek, Zdeněk; Güven, E.; Deniz, A.; Georgiev, G.; Peshev, R.; Groschup, M. H.

2016-01-01

Roč. 16, č. 9 (2016), s. 619-623 ISSN 1530-3667 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 261504 - EDENEXT Institutional support: RVO:68081766 Keywords : Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus: CCHFV * domestic animals * ELISA * epidemiology Subject RIV: GJ - Animal Vermins ; Diseases, Veterinary Medicine Impact factor: 2.045, year: 2016

CONDITIONS FOR TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER IN THE AGRICULTURE OF CONGO REPUBLIC*

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Katarzyna Andrzejczak

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The majority of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa is employed in agriculture. Nevertheless, the productivity of the sector is relatively low in comparison with other regions of the world. Based on convergence theory, technology transfer can enhance growth. However, the effective transfer of technology requires a certain absorption capacity from the recipient. Based on the qualitative research on cassava production in Congo Brazzaville, we identified key factors that influence the transfer process. These factors have been divided into four key areas: market, institutions, technology, and social capability. Cassava production value chain in Ignie region served as a case study for the evaluation of technology transfer absorptive capacity in Congo agriculture. We learned that the lack of agro-technical education, shortages in infrastructure, unavailability of business services, and market structure are among the main barriers of the intensification of technology use in agriculture.

The Ritual "Play of the Congos" of North-Central Panama: Its Sociolinguistic Implications. Sociolinguistic Working Paper Number 85.

Science.gov (United States)

Joly, Luz Graciela

An excerpt from the "Play of the Congos," given in Congo, Spanish, and English, exemplifies the sociolinguistic features of the combined play and ritual language used by the Afro-Hispanic population in the Caribbean region of the Costa Abajo in north-central Panama. The sociolinguistic norms are an important part of the "regulation…

[Population planning unit is developed in the Congo].

Science.gov (United States)

Amouali, C; Poukouta, P

1989-01-01

This article is an update on the demographic situation in the Congo and the institutionalization of a population unit in The Ministry of Plan. From 1974-84 the population increased 44.9% going from 1,319,790 to 1,912,429 at a growth rate of 3.48% and possibly doubling in 20 years (2005). However, the major transformation has been the growth of the urban areas over the rural. From 1974-84 the rural population went from 819,430 to 934,849 while the urban population went from 500,360 in 1974 to 977,580 in 1984. The growth rate of the rural areas was 1.22% while that for the urban was 6.38% Infant mortality rate stands at 73/1000; life expectancy is 46.9 for men and 50.0 for women. The average fertility rate is 6. This demographic situation with the inherent problems of the rapidly growing urbanization of the 2 principal cities, Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire, has led to problems in health services and high morbidity and mortality rates. The Government has created 3 national organizations to coordinate population activities in the country: 1) The National Council on Population, (1988) an interministerial council, presided over by the Prime Minister, that defines and formulates national population policies as integral components to the country's socioeconomic development plans; 2) The National Commission on Population (CONAPO), headed by the Minister of Plan, Finance and Economics as the administrative organ of The National Council on Population, and responsible for the technical and evaluation activities of The National Council on Population; and 3) The Population Planning Unit headed by the Director of Human Resources in the Ministry of Plan responsible for identifying, formulating and evaluating population policies in the Congo. These institutions were created as a result of the 1974 Bucharest Conference and the 1984 Arusha Conference were population and development were considered integral components, and of results of 2 censuses and population surveys highlighting

Evaluation de la contamination de la chaîne trophique par les éléments traces (Cu, Co, Zn, Pb, Cd, U, V et As dans le bassin de la Lufira supérieure (Katanga/RD Congo

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Katemo Manda, B.

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Evaluation of Contamination of the Food Chain by Trace Elements (Cu, Co, Zn, Pb, Cd, U, V and As in the Basin of the Upper Lufira (Katanga/DR Congo. Seven trace elements (Cu, Co, Zn, Cd, Pb, U, V and As were analyzed using a HR ICP-MS in samples of water, plankton, leaves of Phragmites australis, muscle and gills of three fish species (Oreochromis macrochir, Tilapia rendalli, Clarias gariepinus collected in the basin of the upper Lufira. The results indicate a high copper (70.9 ppm and cobalt (32.3 ppm content in the effluent of complex hydrometallurgical Shituru. If contamination of rivers decreases with distance from the pollution source, the values are very high in lake Tshangalele for plankton and leaves of P. australis. For fish, the results indicate that Pb, U, V, Cu, Co and Cd accumulates preferentially in the gills but Zn accumulates more in the muscles. As accumulates in the same order of magnitude in both organs. These results confirm the pollution of the basin by the effluents from Lufira complex hydrometallurgical Shituru.

Four new species of deep water agglutinated foraminifera from the Oligocene-Miocene of the Congo Fan (offshore Angola)

OpenAIRE

Kender, S.; Kaminski, M. A.; Jones, R. W.

2006-01-01

Four new species of deep-water agglutinated benthic foraminifera are described from the Oligocene and Miocene of the Congo Fan, offshore Angola. Scherochorella congoensis n.sp., Paratrochamminoides goroyskiformis n.sp., Haplophragmoides nauticus n.sp. and Portatrochammina profunda n.sp. all occur in deep-sea turbiditic shales and sands from the distal section of the Congo Fan.

Effective Removal of Congo Red by Triarrhena Biochar Loading with TiO2 Nanoparticles

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Peng Yu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available A composite of pyrolytic Triarrhena biochar loading with TiO2 nanoparticles has been synthesized by the sol-gel method. The composite shows a well-developed hollow mesoporous and macropore structure as characterized by XRD, BET, and SEM. When used as an absorbent to remove Congo red from aqueous solution, it was found that as-prepared composite performed better absorption capacity than single biochar or TiO2. The results suggest that biochar loading with TiO2 could be promisingly implemented as an environmentally friendly and inexpensive adsorbent for Congo red removal from wastewater.

Electromagnetic evidence of high angle convergence between the Congo and Kalahari cratons in southern Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Khoza, D. T.; Jones, A. G.; Muller, M. R.; Miensopust, M. P.; Webb, S. J.; Share, P.

2010-12-01

The southern African tectonic fabric is made up of a number Archean cratons flanked by Proterozoic and younger mobile belts, all with distinctly different but related geological evolutions. The cratonic margins and some intra-cratonic domain boundaries have played major roles in the tectonics of Africa by focusing ascending magmas and localising cycles of extension and rifting. Of these cratons the southern extent of the Congo craton is one of the least-constrained tectonic boundaries in the African tectonic architecture and knowledge of its geometry is crucial for understanding geological process of formation and deformation prevailing in the Archean and later. In this work, which forms a component of the hugely successful Southern African MagnetoTelluric Experiment (SAMTEX), we present the first-ever lithospheric electrical resistivity image of the southern boundary of the enigmatic Congo craton and the Neoproterozoic Damara-Ghanzi-Chobe (DGC) orogenic belt on its flanks. The DGC belt is highly complex and records the transpressive collision between the Congo to the north and Kalahari craton to the south. Magnetotelluric data were collected along a profile crossing all three of these tectonic blocks. The two-dimensional resistivity models resulting from inverting the distortion-corrected responses along the profiles all indicate significant lateral variations in the crust and upper mantle structure along and across strike from the younger DGC orogen to the older adjacent craton. The Moho depth in the DGC is mapped at 40 km by active seismic methods, and is also well constrained by S-wave receiver function models. The Damara belt lithosphere, although generally more conductive and significantly thinner (approximately 150 km) than the adjacent Congo and Kalahari cratons, exhibits upper crustal resistive features interpreted to be caused by igneous intrusions emplaced during the Gondwanan Pan-African magmatic event. The thinned lithosphere is consistent with a 50 m

Les effets du changement climatique dans le bassin du Congo : la ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

22 avr. 2016 ... Dans le bassin du fleuve Congo, plus de 80 % des habitants vivent exclusivement de l'agriculture, de la pêche, de l'élevage et de la cueillette, qui sont des activités largement tributaires du climat.

A morphological study on the African genus Micralestes (Characidae

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Pier Giorgio Bianco

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The study is based on the compared morphology of most of Micralestes nominal taxa, described from whole Africa, with particular attention to the dentition, meristics counts and, in several cases, the color pattern. Type materials and more than 1.500 additional specimens were analyzed. The genus is spread in sub-sahariana areas, and the Nile. Is absent in estern Africa and the southernmost area of South Africa. About 11 species were recognized. The most spread species are: M. humilis which is found from western Africa to the head water of River Sobat (White Nile basin, and the Congo basin, and M. elongatus which range from western Africa to the Nile Basin, but absent in central and southern Africa All others species have restricted ranges: M. occidentalis in basins of western Africa; M. woosmani, M. holargyreus, M. congicus, M. neglectus. M.ambiguous and M. schelly, are all endemic of Congo Basin. M. acutidens was found only in rivers of southern Africa and I did not found any specimens in the Congo basin which can be identified as this species. In Lake Rudolf exist a populations previously identified as M. acutidens which cannot be assigned to any known species and it should be considered as a new one.

Gestion des espaces publics au Congo-Brazzaville: le cas des ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The issue of public spaces in Congo-Brazzaville is at the heart of municipal political debates. At the level of public transport, the management of public spaces remains above all in the hands of the mayor's office and municipal councillors. The agreements between these authorities and the contractors running public ...

Synthesis of Magnesium Ferrites for the Adsorption of Congo Red from Aqueous Solution Using Batch Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Erdawati, E.; Darsef, D.

2018-04-01

A sol gel method with citric acid as an anionic surfactant was used to fabricate nano magnesium ferrites (MgFe2O4) under different calcination temperatures for 2h, respectively. The microstructure and surface morphology of magnesium ferrite powder were characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM, and BET. The results of this study are useful for adsorption Congo red. The results showed that increasing solution pH and extending contact time are favorable for improving adsorption efficiency. with initial Congo red concentration of 50 mg/L and 100 mg/L. Adsorption data fits well with the Langmuir isotherm models with a maximum adsorption capacity (qm) and a Langmuir adsorption equilibrium constant (K) of 65.1 mg/g and 0.090 L/mg, respectively. The adsorption kinetic agrees well with pseudo second order model with the pseudo second rate constants (K2) of 0.0468 and0.00189 g/mg/min for solutions with initial congo red of 50 and 100 mg/L, respectively

Mycoremediation of congo red dye by filamentous fungi

OpenAIRE

Bhattacharya, Sourav; Das, Arijit; G, Mangai.; K, Vignesh.; J, Sangeetha.

2011-01-01

Azo, anthroquinone and triphenylmethane dyes are the major classes of synthetic colourants, which are difficult to degrade and have received considerable attention. Congo red, a diazo dye, is considered as a xenobiotic compound, and is recalcitrant to biodegradative processes. Nevertheless, during the last few years it has been demonstrated that several fungi, under certain environmental conditions, are able to transfer azo dyes to non toxic products using laccases. The aim of this work was t...

Possible sexual transmission of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever

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Natalia Yurievna Pshenichnaya

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Three cases of family transmission of laboratory-confirmed Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF among spouses are reported. These spouses had sexual contact at the end of the incubation period or during the early stage of the mild form of CCHF, without any hemorrhagic symptoms in the first infected spouse. This report demonstrates that sexual contact may represent a real risk of CCHF transmission, even if the patient only experiences mild symptoms.

Leopard-men of the Congo in literature and popular imagination ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Anyoto leopard-men, a society from eastern Congo, operated between approximately 1890 and 1935. Until now the history of the leopard-men has inspired representations of Central Africa as a barbaric and disorderly place, and the idea that a secret association of men attacked innocent people and ate their limbs ...

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in Iran and neighboring countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chinikar, S; Ghiasi, Seyed Mojtaba; Hewson, R

2010-01-01

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a zoonotic viral disease that is asymptomatic in infected livestock, but a serious threat to humans. Human infections begin with nonspecific febrile symptoms, but progress to a serious hemorrhagic syndrome with a case fatality rate of 2-50%. Although the ...... in Iran and neighboring countries and provide evidence of over 5000 confirmed cases of CCHF in a single period/season....

A Q fever case mimicking crimean-congo haemorrhagic fever

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O Karabay

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Coxiella burnetii is the bacterium that causes Q fever. Human infection is mainly transmitted from cattle, goats and sheep. The disease is usually self-limited. Pneumonia and hepatitis are the most common clinical manifestations. In this study, we present a case of Q fever from the western part of Turkey mimicking Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF in terms of clinical and laboratory findings.

Going for the play: Structural interpretation in offshore Congo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Platt, N.; Philip, P. (GECO-PRAKLA Exploration Services, Woking (United Kingdom)); Walter, S. (ARK Geophysics Ltd., Milton Keynes, (United Kingdom))

1993-01-01

Looking for new hydrocarbons in frontier areas, geologists and geophysicists use very trick in the book: plate tectonics, magnetic and gravity data, plain old geological horse sense and lots of seismic data. An interpretation team is followed, as they pick their way through a seismic survey shot in offshore Congo, Africa, searching for those areas (the plays) that show the greatest promise. 17 figs., 9 refs.

Different origin and dispersal of sulfadoxine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum haplotypes between Eastern Africa and Democratic Republic of Congo

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baraka, Vito; Delgado-Ratto, Christopher; Nag, Sidsel

2017-01-01

Sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine (SP) is still used for malaria control in sub-Saharan Africa; however, widespread resistance is a major concern. This study aimed to determine the dispersal and origin of sulfadoxine resistance lineages in the Democratic Republic of the Congo compared with East African.......3 and 7.7 kb) flanking the Pfdhps gene were assayed. Evolutionary analysis revealed a shared origin of Pfdhps haplotypes in East Africa, with a distinct population clustering in DR Congo. Furthermore, in Tanzania there was an independent distinct origin of Pfdhps SGEGA resistant haplotype. In Uganda...... and Tanzania, gene flow patterns contribute to the dispersal and shared origin of parasites carrying double- and triple-mutant Pfdhps haplotypes associated with poor outcomes of intermittent preventive treatment during pregnancy using SP (IPTp-SP). However, the origins of the Pfdhps haplotypes in DR Congo...

Democratic Republic of Congo: Background and U.S. Policy

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-29

ethnic Hutu extremists who fled to Congo from Rwanda after helping to carry out the 1994 genocide there; “Mai Mai,” a term that broadly refers to a... Rwanda , Uganda, Angola, and South Africa. U.S. policymakers, including in Congress, continue to debate the relative effectiveness of various policy tools...institutions and the military progressively deteriorated, while regional civil conflicts and the genocide in neighboring Rwanda spilled over the border

Molecular Insights into Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus

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Marko Zivcec

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV is a tick-borne pathogen that causes high morbidity and mortality. Efficacy of vaccines and antivirals to treat human CCHFV infections remains limited and controversial. Research into pathology and underlying molecular mechanisms of CCHFV and other nairoviruses is limited. Significant progress has been made in our understanding of CCHFV replication and pathogenesis in the past decade. Here we review the most recent molecular advances in CCHFV-related research, and provide perspectives on future research.

Hobbes y el Congo: marcos, violencia local e intervención internacional | Hobbes and the Congo: Frames,Local Violence, and International Intervention

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Séverine AUTESSERRE

2011-02-01

Full Text Available ¿Por qué los constructores internacionales de la paz no toman en consideración las causas locales de los procesos de paz que fallan? A través del presente artículo demuestro cómo las agendas locales jugaron entonces un rol decisivo en fomentar la violencia a nivel local, regional y nacional. Sin embargo, la existencia de un marco de construcción de la paz posbélica configuraba la visión internacional de la violencia y de la intervención de tal manera que la resolución del conflicto local era considerada como irrelevante e ilegitima. Este marco incluyó enseguida cuatro elementos fundamentales: los actores internacionales etiquetaron la situación en Congo de “postconflicto”; estos mismos actores creyeron que la violencia constituía un componente innato en la sociedad congolesa y, por lo tanto, aceptable incluso en tiempos de paz; conceptualizaron la intervención internacional como un asunto exclusivo de la esferas nacional e internacional; y consideraron la celebración de elecciones, en lugar de la resolución del conflicto local, como una herramienta viable, apropiada y efectiva para la construcción del estado y de la paz. Este marco, al autorizar y justificar prácticas y políticas específicas mientras impedía otras, en particular la resolución de conflictos locales, acabó condenando en última instancia los esfuerzos para la construcción de la paz. Para concluir, sostengo que el análisis de los marcos discursivos es un enfoque fructífero para intentar resolver los puzles de los fracasos internacionales en la construcción de la paz que se dan, también, más allá de las fronteras del Congo.Why do international peacebuilders fail to address the local causes of peace process failures? In this article,I demonstrate that local agendas played a decisive role in sustaining local, national, and regional violence. However, a postcon?ict peacebuilding frame shaped the international understanding of violence and intervention

Study of risk of pollution by the heavy metals of the water and fishes of the Congo river

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tuakashikila, M.; Mbuyi, K.M.; Kabwe, C.; Malumba, M.; Kapembo, L.; Lusamba, N.; Lundemba, S.; Barutti, Y.

2010-01-01

In order to conduct property this study, we have chosen to evaluate cadmium and lead concentration in Congo River water and un three species of fishes (Oreochromis niloticus nilotucus, Schilbe mystus and Campylomormyrus). These fishes have been collected from three sites in Congo River during the time from August to November 2009. Sample analysis (water and fishes) revealed that cadmium and concentration were lower then world heath organization (Who) acceptable standards. The campulomormyrus species present the highest lead concentration of all studied species and further mose this concentration has been found in Kinsuka. This could be justified by the position Kinsuka site which is the down stream section compared to Kinkole and Maluku position in Congo River. Therefor harmful effects are not expected in short time, however they are dangerous in long time because these metals are both toxic and cumulative, may damage concerned organs

Etude bactériologique et biochimique du miel vendu au marché central de Bukavu (Congo

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Kitambala, K.

1999-01-01

Full Text Available Bacteriological and Biochemical Study of Honey Sold at Bukavu (Congo Central Market. The honey sold in the central market of Bukavu (Congo is produced by traditional bee keepers. This article deals with a bacteriological and biochemical study of this product in order to determine its contamination and pollution levels. Results indicated a contamination of faecal origin (presence of enterobacteria such as Escherichia coli. The bacteriological tests showed the presence of bacteria fermenting glucose, thus altering the quality of the honey. The latter is therefore inappropriate for consumption and constitutes a danger for the health of humans.

Quaternary ostracodes and molluscs from the Rukwa Basin (Tanzania) and their evolutionary and paleobiogeographic implications

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Andrew S.; Van Bocxlaer, Bert; Todd, Jonathan A.; McGlue, Michael; Michel, Ellinor; Nkotagu, Hudson H.; Grove, A.T.; Delvaux, Damien

2013-01-01

Much of the spectacular biodiversity of the African Great Lakes is endemic to single lake basins so that the margins of these basins or their lakes coincide with biogeographic boundaries. Longstanding debate surrounds the evolution of these endemic species, the stability of bioprovinces, and the exchange of faunas between them over geologic time as the rift developed. Because these debates are currently unsettled, we are uncertain of how much existing distribution patterns are determined by modern hydrological barriers versus reflecting past history. This study reports on late Quaternary fossils from the Rukwa Basin and integrates geological and paleoecological data to explore faunal exchange between freshwater bioprovinces, in particular with Lake Tanganyika. Lake Rukwa's water level showed large fluctuations over the last 25 ky, and for most of this period the lake contained large habitat diversity, with different species assemblages and taphonomic controls along its northern and southern shores. Comparison of fossil and modern invertebrate assemblages suggests faunal persistence through the Last Glacial Maximum, but with an extirpation event that occurred in the last 5 ky. Some of the molluscs and ostracodes studied here are closely related to taxa (or part of clades) that are currently endemic to Lake Tanganyika, but others testify to wider and perhaps older faunal exchanges between the Rukwa bioprovince and those of Lake Malawi and the Upper Congo (in particular Lake Mweru). The Rukwa Basin has a long history of rifting and lacustrine conditions and, at least temporarily, its ecosystems appear to have functioned as satellites to Lake Tanganyika in which intralacustrine speciation occurred. Paleontological studies of the Rukwa faunas are particularly relevant because of the basin's important role in the late Cenozoic biogeography of tropical Africa, and because many of the molecular traces potentially revealing this history would have been erased in the late

Velocity mapping in the Lower Congo River: a first look at the unique bathymetry and hydrodynamics of Bulu Reach

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, P. Ryan; Oberg, Kevin A.; Gardiner, Ned; Shelton, John

2009-01-01

The lower Congo River is one of the deepest, most powerful, and most biologically diverse stretches of river on Earth. The river’s 270 m decent from Malebo Pool though the gorges of the Crystal Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean (498 km downstream) is riddled with rapids, cataracts, and deep pools. Much of the lower Congo is a mystery from a hydraulics perspective. However, this stretch of the river is a hotbed for biologists who are documenting evolution in action within the diverse, but isolated, fish populations. Biologists theorize that isolation of fish populations within the lower Congo is due to barriers presented by flow structure and bathymetry. To investigate this theory, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey and American Museum of Natural History teamed up with an expedition crew from National Geographic in 2008 to map flow velocity and bathymetry within target reaches in the lower Congo River using acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) and echo sounders. Simultaneous biological and water quality sampling was also completed. This paper presents some preliminary results from this expedition, specifically with regard to the velocity structure andbathymetry. Results show that the flow in the bedrock controlled Bulu reach of the lower Congo is highly energetic. Turbulent and secondary flow structures can span the full depth of flow (up to 165 m), while coherent bank-to-bank cross-channel flow structures are absent. Regions of flow separation near the banks are isolated from one another and from the opposite bank by high shear, high velocity zones with depth-averaged flow velocities that can exceed 4 m/s.

Meeting report: First International Conference on Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.

Science.gov (United States)

Papa, Anna; Weber, Friedemann; Hewson, Roger; Weidmann, Manfred; Koksal, Iftihar; Korukluoglu, Gulay; Mirazimi, Ali

2015-08-01

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is the most widespread tick-borne disease of humans, occurring from western China to the Balkans in Eurasia and south throughout the length of Africa. Its incidence has increased over the past decade, particularly in Turkey and Iran, and the disease has also emerged in India. Research has been hindered by limited laboratory capacity in many regions where the disease is prevalent, indicating the need for collaboration between investigators in endemic countries and those with greater scientific resources. In an effort to increase such collaboration, the First International Conference on Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever was held in Thessaloniki, Greece, from February 13 to 14, 2015. This meeting followed the conclusion of an EU-supported Collaborative Project under the Health Cooperation Work Programme of the 7th Framework Programme (Grant agreement No. 260427). It is expected to be the first in a series of meetings that will bring together researchers from around the world to exchange knowledge and experience on various aspects of CCHF. This report summarizes major presentations by the invited speakers at the First International Conference on CCHF. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Relative Abundance and Diversity of Bacterial Methanotrophs at the Oxic?Anoxic Interface of the Congo Deep-Sea Fan

OpenAIRE

Bessette, Sandrine; Moalic, Yann; Gautey, S?bastien; Lesongeur, Fran?oise; Godfroy, Anne; Toffin, Laurent

2017-01-01

Sitting at ∼5,000 m water depth on the Congo-Angola margin and ∼760 km offshore of the West African coast, the recent lobe complex of the Congo deep-sea fan receives large amounts of fluvial sediments (3–5% organic carbon). This organic-rich sedimentation area harbors habitats with chemosynthetic communities similar to those of cold seeps. In this study, we investigated relative abundance, diversity and distribution of aerobic methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) communities at the oxic–anoxic in...

[Synthesis and Study on Adsorption Property of Congo Red Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Nanospheres].

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Zi-qiang; Chen, Fu-bin; Zhang, Yu; Shi, Zuo-long; Yang, Chun-yan; Zhang, Zhu-jun

2015-07-01

Molecularly imprinted polymer nanospheres (MIP) were prepared with Congo red as the template, methacrylic acid (MAA) as a functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as the cross linker, azodiisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as an initiator, and acetonitrile as the porogen by precipitation polymerization. The morphology of MIP was characterized by SEM and TEM which showed that the diameter of MIP was nanometer grade (90 nm) and the shape was homogeneous. The specific surface area and pore volumes of MIP and NIP were examined through Brunauer-Emett-Teller method of nitrogen adsorption experiments. Then, the adsorption and selective recognition ability of MIPs were evaluated using the equilibrium rebinding experiments. The results indicated that the prepared MIP showed a good selectivity recognition ability to its template. It concluded that MIP could be employed as an effective material for removing Congo red from waste water.

Les écoles au Congo belge en 1924. Le rapport De Jonghe ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

enseignement au Congo, exprimé dans le projet de 1922, De Jonghe a entrepris un voyage de reconnaissance en 1924. Une nouvelle version du Projet paraissait en 1925 et la version définitive est approuvée en 1928 et publiée en 1929.

Inference of R 0 and Transmission Heterogeneity from the Size Distribution of Stuttering Chains

Science.gov (United States)

Blumberg, Seth; Lloyd-Smith, James O.

2013-01-01

For many infectious disease processes such as emerging zoonoses and vaccine-preventable diseases, and infections occur as self-limited stuttering transmission chains. A mechanistic understanding of transmission is essential for characterizing the risk of emerging diseases and monitoring spatio-temporal dynamics. Thus methods for inferring and the degree of heterogeneity in transmission from stuttering chain data have important applications in disease surveillance and management. Previous researchers have used chain size distributions to infer , but estimation of the degree of individual-level variation in infectiousness (as quantified by the dispersion parameter, ) has typically required contact tracing data. Utilizing branching process theory along with a negative binomial offspring distribution, we demonstrate how maximum likelihood estimation can be applied to chain size data to infer both and the dispersion parameter that characterizes heterogeneity. While the maximum likelihood value for is a simple function of the average chain size, the associated confidence intervals are dependent on the inferred degree of transmission heterogeneity. As demonstrated for monkeypox data from the Democratic Republic of Congo, this impacts when a statistically significant change in is detectable. In addition, by allowing for superspreading events, inference of shifts the threshold above which a transmission chain should be considered anomalously large for a given value of (thus reducing the probability of false alarms about pathogen adaptation). Our analysis of monkeypox also clarifies the various ways that imperfect observation can impact inference of transmission parameters, and highlights the need to quantitatively evaluate whether observation is likely to significantly bias results. PMID:23658504

Characteristics, kinetics and thermodynamics of Congo Red bio sorption by activated sulfidogenic sludge from an aqueous solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rasool, K.; Lee, D. S.

2015-01-01

The kinetics and thermodynamics of the bio sorption of textile dye Congo Red on anaerobic activated sulfidogenic sludge were examined. The influence of different adsorption parameters such as p H, temperature, contact time and initial dye concentrations on the bio sorption capacity was also investigated. The sulfidogenic sludge showed a maximum bio sorption density of 238.90 mg dye/g cell for Congo Red at an initial dye concentration of 1,000 mg/L, p H 3.5 and 22 C, which is higher than that of many other adsorbents reported in the literature. The bio sorption processes obeyed the Langmuir isotherm and exhibited pseudo-second-order rate kinetics. The thermodynamic parameters indicated the spontaneous and exothermic nature of Congo Red bio sorption. The Fourier transform infrared spectra revealed the dye interaction with the biomass. Scanning electron microscopy showed significant changes in the surface morphology of the sludge after dye bio sorption. These results showed that sulfidogenic sludge biomass is an attractive alternative low-cost bio sorbent for the removal of the dye from aqueous media.

Congo, de missie en de literatuur: Over David van Reybrouck, J. G. ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

However, the travel books written by Lieve Joris and Bart Castelein and the play Missie (Mission) written by David van Reybrouck (2007) sketched a positive and nostalgic image of the missionary. Keywords: Dutch (post)colonial literature, Congo, missionaries, colonialism. Tydskrif vir Letterkunde Vol. 46 (1) 2009: pp. 123- ...

The role of the heat shock protein Hsp12p in the dynamic response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to the addition of Congo red.

Science.gov (United States)

Shamrock, Vanessa J; Duval, Jérôme F L; Lindsey, George G; Gaboriaud, Fabien

2009-05-01

In this study, we investigate the electrohydrodynamic and nanomechanical characteristics of two Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strains, a wild-type (WT) strain and a strain overexpressing (OE) Hsp12p, in the presence and absence of hydrophobic Congo red compound. By combining these two advanced biophysical methods, we demonstrate that Hsp12p proteins are mostly located within a thin layer (c. 10 nm thick) positioned at the external side of the cell wall. However, this Hsp12p-enriched layer does not prevent Congo red from entering the cell wall and from interacting with the chitin therein. The entrance of Congo red within the cell wall is reflected in an increase of the turgor pressure for the OE strain and a decrease of that for the WT strain. It is shown that these opposite trends are consistent with significant modulations of the water content within the cell wall from/to the cytoplasm. These are the result of changes in the hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity balance, as governed by the intertwined local concentration variations of Congo red and Hsp12p across the cell wall. In particular, the decrease of the turgor pressure in the case of WT strain upon addition of Congo red is shown to be consistent with an upregulation of Hsp12p in the close vicinity of the plasma membrane.

A case report of crimean congo hemorrhagic Fever in ostriches in iran

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mostafavi, Ehsan; Chinikar, Sadegh; Moradi, Maryam

2013-01-01

Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a viral zoonosis, which is usually transmitted via tick bites or close contact with infected blood or tissue. This disease can cause a case fatality rate of up to 25%-30% in humans. CCHF Infection in birds is less documented. An ostrich can reproduce...

[Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever].

Science.gov (United States)

Saijo, Masayuki; Moriikawa, Shigeru; Kurane, Ichiro

2004-12-01

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is an acute infectious disease caused by CCHF virus (CCHFV), a member of the family Bunyaviridae, genus Nairovirus. The case fatality rate of CCHF ranges from 10-40%. Because CCHF is not present in Japan, many Japanese virologists and clinicians are not very familiar with this disease. However, there remains the possibility of an introduction of CCHFV or other hemorrhagic fever viruses into Japan from surrounding endemic areas. Development of diagnostic laboratory capacity for viral hemorrhagic fevers is necessary even in countries without these diseases. At the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan, laboratory-based systems such as recombinant protein-based antibody detection, antigen-capture and pathological examination have been developed. In this review article, epidemiologic and clinical data on CCHF in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, compiled through field investigations and diagnostic testing utilizing the aforementioned laboratory systems, are presented. CCHFV infections are closely associated with the environmental conditions, life styles, religion, occupation, and human economic activities. Based on these data, preventive measures for CCHFV infections are also discussed.

Widespread decline of Congo rainforest greenness in the past decade.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Liming; Tian, Yuhong; Myneni, Ranga B; Ciais, Philippe; Saatchi, Sassan; Liu, Yi Y; Piao, Shilong; Chen, Haishan; Vermote, Eric F; Song, Conghe; Hwang, Taehee

2014-05-01

Tropical forests are global epicentres of biodiversity and important modulators of climate change, and are mainly constrained by rainfall patterns. The severe short-term droughts that occurred recently in Amazonia have drawn attention to the vulnerability of tropical forests to climatic disturbances. The central African rainforests, the second-largest on Earth, have experienced a long-term drying trend whose impacts on vegetation dynamics remain mostly unknown because in situ observations are very limited. The Congolese forest, with its drier conditions and higher percentage of semi-evergreen trees, may be more tolerant to short-term rainfall reduction than are wetter tropical forests, but for a long-term drought there may be critical thresholds of water availability below which higher-biomass, closed-canopy forests transition to more open, lower-biomass forests. Here we present observational evidence for a widespread decline in forest greenness over the past decade based on analyses of satellite data (optical, thermal, microwave and gravity) from several independent sensors over the Congo basin. This decline in vegetation greenness, particularly in the northern Congolese forest, is generally consistent with decreases in rainfall, terrestrial water storage, water content in aboveground woody and leaf biomass, and the canopy backscatter anomaly caused by changes in structure and moisture in upper forest layers. It is also consistent with increases in photosynthetically active radiation and land surface temperature. These multiple lines of evidence indicate that this large-scale vegetation browning, or loss of photosynthetic capacity, may be partially attributable to the long-term drying trend. Our results suggest that a continued gradual decline of photosynthetic capacity and moisture content driven by the persistent drying trend could alter the composition and structure of the Congolese forest to favour the spread of drought-tolerant species.

The Congolobe project, a multidisciplinary study of Congo deep-sea fan lobe complex: Overview of methods, strategies, observations and sampling

Science.gov (United States)

Rabouille, C.; Olu, K.; Baudin, F.; Khripounoff, A.; Dennielou, B.; Arnaud-Haond, S.; Babonneau, N.; Bayle, C.; Beckler, J.; Bessette, S.; Bombled, B.; Bourgeois, S.; Brandily, C.; Caprais, J. C.; Cathalot, C.; Charlier, K.; Corvaisier, R.; Croguennec, C.; Cruaud, P.; Decker, C.; Droz, L.; Gayet, N.; Godfroy, A.; Hourdez, S.; Le Bruchec, J.; Saout, J.; Le Saout, M.; Lesongeur, F.; Martinez, P.; Mejanelle, L.; Michalopoulos, P.; Mouchel, O.; Noel, P.; Pastor, L.; Picot, M.; Pignet, P.; Pozzato, L.; Pruski, A. M.; Rabiller, M.; Raimonet, M.; Ragueneau, O.; Reyss, J. L.; Rodier, P.; Ruesch, B.; Ruffine, L.; Savignac, F.; Senyarich, C.; Schnyder, J.; Sen, A.; Stetten, E.; Sun, Ming Yi; Taillefert, M.; Teixeira, S.; Tisnerat-Laborde, N.; Toffin, L.; Tourolle, J.; Toussaint, F.; Vétion, G.; Jouanneau, J. M.; Bez, M.; Congolobe Group:

2017-08-01

The presently active region of the Congo deep-sea fan (around 330,000 km2), called the terminal lobes or lobe complex, covers an area of 2500 km2 at 4700-5100 m water depth and 750-800 km offshore. It is a unique sedimentary area in the world ocean fed by a submarine canyon and a channel-levee system which presently deliver large amounts of organic carbon originating from the Congo River by turbidity currents. This particularity is due to the deep incision of the shelf by the Congo canyon, up to 30 km into the estuary, which funnels the Congo River sediments into the deep-sea. The connection between the river and the canyon is unique for major world rivers. In 2011, two cruises (WACS leg 2 and Congolobe) were conducted to simultaneously investigate the geology, organic and inorganic geochemistry, and micro- and macro-biology of the terminal lobes of the Congo deep-sea fan. Using this multidisciplinary approach, the morpho-sedimentary features of the lobes were characterized along with the origin and reactivity of organic matter, the recycling and burial of biogenic compounds, the diversity and function of bacterial and archaeal communities within the sediment, and the biodiversity and functioning of the faunal assemblages on the seafloor. Six different sites were selected for this study: Four distributed along the active channel from the lobe complex entrance to the outer rim of the sediment deposition zone, and two positioned cross-axis and at increasing distance from the active channel, thus providing a gradient in turbidite particle delivery and sediment age. This paper aims to provide the general context of this multidisciplinary study. It describes the general features of the site and the overall sampling strategy and provides the initial habitat observations to guide the other in-depth investigations presented in this special issue. Detailed bathymetry of each sampling site using 0.1-1 m resolution multibeam obtained with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV

Descriptive models, grade-tonnage relations, and databases for the assessment of sediment-hosted copper deposits: with emphasis on deposits in the Central Africa Copperbelt, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia: Chapter J in Global mineral resource assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Cliff D.; Causey, J. Douglas; Denning, Paul; Hammarstrom, Jane M.; Hayes, Timothy S.; Horton, John D.; Kirschbaum, Michael J.; Parks, Heather L.; Wilson, Anna B.; Wintzer, Niki E.; Zientek, Michael L.

2013-01-01

The Central African Copperbelt (CACB) is one of the most important copper-producing regions of the world. The majority of copper produced in Africa comes from this region defined by the Neoproterozoic Katanga sedimentary basin of the southern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and northern Zambia. Copper in the CACB is mined from sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposits associated with red beds and includes the giant deposits in the Kolwezi and Tenge-Fungurume districts in the DRC and the Konkola-Musoshi and Nchanga-Chingola districts in Zambia. In recent years, sediment-hosted structurally controlled replacement and vein (SCRV) copper deposits, such as the giant Kansanshi deposit in Zambia have become important exploration targets in the CACB region.

[Approach to sexuality in an AIDS context in Congo].

Science.gov (United States)

Courtois, R; Mullet, E; Malvy, D

2001-01-01

The pandemic due to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is extensive in Sub-Saharan Africa and especially in Congo. Congo is a small country on the Atlantic coast and characterized by plentiful equatorial forests and low population density (essentially urban). In Congo, there is a high prevalence of HIV. The social and economic consequences of AIDS add to those of a recent civil war in 1997. There were fratricidal confrontations before and after this period. These confrontations have led to a massive exodus of the inhabitants of the capital, Brazzaville, to the forests and neighbouring cities, essentially towards Pointe-Noire. Pointe-Noire, chief place of the region of Kouilou, in the South of the country, is the second city of Congo and the economic Capital. It is undoubtedly for this reason that it has been globally saved. In this context, a sanitary policy of prevention of sexual risky behavior can appear as a challenge. While it supposes a better knowledge of the sexual activity of the young people, it cannot be dissociated from the analysis of the other factors. These factors can be of socio-economic political or cultural order. Thus the influence of cultural variables in the field of sexuality is certainly preponderant in African countries, where sexuality is taboo. Sexuality is a private matter (personal intimacy and the couple), but concerns also the family (in the sense of membership in an extended domestic group or in a system of relationship) in its aspects related to procreation and to the social field (power, alliances). Such individual behaviour can be lived as a questioning of the social order. In this article, the authors question the place of sexuality in Congo, particularly based on the work of anthropologists [2, 6, 7, 9]. Research in the field of sexuality at adolescence is rather recent in France and investigations that have been done in Congo these last ten years do not exist. Meetings and exchanges in 1998 with high-school pupils and

Organic matter sources, fluxes and greenhouse gas exchange in the Oubangui River (Congo River basin)

Science.gov (United States)

Bouillon, S.; Yambélé, A.; Spencer, R. G. M.; Gillikin, D. P.; Hernes, P. J.; Six, J.; Merckx, R.; Borges, A. V.

2012-06-01

The Oubangui is a major tributary of the Congo River, draining an area of ~500 000 km2 mainly consisting of wooded savannahs. Here, we report results of a one year long, 2-weekly sampling campaign in Bangui (Central African Republic) since March 2010 for a suite of physico-chemical and biogeochemical characteristics, including total suspended matter (TSM), bulk concentration and stable isotope composition of particulate organic carbon (POC and δ13CPOC), particulate nitrogen (PN and δ15NPN), dissolved organic carbon (DOC and δ13CDOC), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC and δ13CDIC), dissolved greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4 and N2O), and dissolved lignin composition. δ13C signatures of both POC and DOC showed strong seasonal variations (-30.6 to -25.8‰, and -31.8 to -27.1‰, respectively), but their different timing indicates that the origins of POC and DOC may vary strongly over the hydrograph and are largely uncoupled, differing up to 6‰ in δ13C signatures. Dissolved lignin characteristics (carbon-normalised yields, cinnamyl:vanillyl phenol ratios, and vanillic acid to vanillin ratios) showed marked differences between high and low discharge conditions, consistent with major seasonal variations in the sources of dissolved organic matter. We observed a strong seasonality in pCO2, ranging between 470 ± 203 ppm for Q production may be high enough to dominate the particulate organic carbon pool, and lower pCO2 values to near equilibrium values during low discharge conditions. The total annual flux of TSM, POC, PN, DOC and DIC are 2.33 Tg yr-1, 0.14 Tg C yr-1, 0.014 Tg N yr-1, 0.70 Tg C yr-1, and 0.49 Tg C yr-1, respectively. While our TSM and POC fluxes are similar to previous estimates for the Oubangui, DOC fluxes were ~30% higher and bicarbonate fluxes were ~35% lower than previous reports. DIC represented 58% of the total annual C flux, and under the assumptions that carbonate weathering represents 25% of the DIC flux and that CO2 from respiration drives

A new test of amyloidisis screening with 123 radioiodine congo red

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Behar, A.; Herremann, G.; Coornaert, S.; Cohen-Boulakia, F.; Bardy, A.; Bismut, F.; Baillet, J.

1984-01-01

The purpose of our study was to find a simple and reliable alternative to multiple and repetitive biopsies required for diagnosing amyloidosis which would also serve to evaluate the outcome of treatment. The old Congo red test which is based on the disappearance of the indicator from the blood was abandoned because it gave inconsistent and late results. Instead, Congo red was labeled with the iodogen method using 123-iodine. The evaluation method we would like to propose is based on 24-hour imaging over the heart, the liver and the kidneys. In 12 normal subjects and 10 patients with non-amyloid cardiomyopathies the exponential response curve recorded was found to have an identical slope. Patients with amyloidosis, by contrast, showed a biphasic kinetic pattern with e sup(-Λt) and I-e sup(-Λt) on account of the trapping of the indicator (25 subjects with bioptically verified diagnoses). False negative results were absent, but in patients without amyloidosis a positive response was at times seen in one organ, e.g. the liver in patients with steatosis or the heart in patients with severe heart failure. (Author)

A model to predict when a cholera outbreak might hit the Congo

Science.gov (United States)

Schultz, Colin

2014-09-01

In 2011, as many as 600,000 people in 58 countries contracted cholera, with thousands succumbing to the disease. In most countries, cholera is rare. In others, like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, cholera is an endemic threat, always lurking in the background waiting for the right set of conditions to spark an outbreak.

Gravity Data Interpretation in the Northern Edge of the Congo Craton, South-Cameroon

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James Derek Fairhead

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Gravity data in the southern Cameroon are interpreted to better understand the organization of underlying structuresthroughout the northern edge of the Congo craton. The Bouguer anomaly maps of the region are characterized by an elongated trending trending negative gravity anomaly which correspond to a collapsed structure associated with a granitic intrusion beneath the cente center of the region r of the region of the region and limited by fault systems. �e applied 3�D gravity modelling and inversion in order to obtain the 3D density structure of the area. Our result demonstrated that observed gravity anomalies in the region are associated to tectonic structures in the subsurface. The resulting model agrees with the hypothesis of the existence of a major continental collision zone between the Congo Craton and the Pan�African belt. The presence of deep granulites structures in the northern part of the region expresses a continental collision.

Geochemistry and geochronology of the Archean and palaeo-Proterozoic formations of southern Cameroon (Ntem group, Congo craton)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rchameni, R.

1997-01-01

The aim of this work is to understand the crustal evolution of the NW margin of the Congo craton using structural, petrography, isotopic, geochemical and geochronological studies of the Archean and palaeo-Proterozoic formations of the Ntem group of southern Cameroon. The synthesis of these studies allows to propose a diapir-type gravity model linked with the genesis of granitoids to explain the geodynamical evolution of this part of the craton during the Archean. A convergence model with the collision of the Congo and Sao-Francisco cratons and with crust thickening followed by a relaxation phase is proposed for the palaeo-Proterozoic. (J.S.)

An outbreak of West Nile fever among migrants in Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Y.A. Nur; J. Groen (Jan); H. Heuvelmans; W. Tuynman; C. Copra (Cederick); A.D.M.E. Osterhaus (Albert)

1999-01-01

textabstractIn February 1998, an outbreak of acute febrile illness was reported from the Kapalata military camp in Kisangani, the Democratic Republic of Congo. The illness was characterized by an acute onset of fever associated with severe headache, arthralgia, backache, neurologic

Comparative removal of congo red dye from water by adsorption on grewia asiatica leaves, raphanus sativus peels and activated charcoal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rehman, R.; Abbas, A.; Murtaza, S.; Mahmud, T.; Waheed-uz-Zaman; Salman, M.; Shafiq, U.

2012-01-01

Water treatment by adsorption methodology is being evolved in recent years. Various researchers are searching new adsorbents for water treatment which can replace activated charcoal. In the following study, the efficiency of removing Congo Red dye from water using two novel adsorbents, i.e. Raphanus sativus (Radish) peels and Grewia asiatica (Phalsa) leaves was evaluated and compared with activated charcoal. The adsorption process is carried out batch wise by using different concentrations of the aqueous dye solution with different adsorbent doses, agitation rate, varying contact time intervals, at a range of initial pH values and at different temperatures. Various chemicals were used for enhancing the adsorption capacity of adsorbents. The suitability of the adsorbent for using it is tested by fitting the adsorption data on Langmuir isotherm. The results showed that the Phalsa leaves powder is more effective adsorbent than Reddish peels for removing Congo Red dye from water. It can be used for removing Congo Red dye from waste water. (author)

An outbreak of West Nile fever among migrants in Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Y.A. Nur; J. Groen (Jan); H. Heuvelmans; W. Tuynman; C. Copra (Cederick); A.D.M.E. Osterhaus (Albert)

1999-01-01

textabstractIn February 1998, an outbreak of acute febrile illness was reported from the Kapalata military camp in Kisangani, the Democratic Republic of Congo. The illness was characterized by an acute onset of fever associated with severe headache, arthralgia, backache, neurologic signs, abdominal

Tree Species Diversity, Richness, and Similarity in Intact and Degraded Forest in the Tropical Rainforest of the Congo Basin: Case of the Forest of Likouala in the Republic of Congo

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Suspense Averti Ifo

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Trees species diversity, richness, and similarity were studied in fifteen plots of the tropical rainforests in the northeast of the Republic of Congo, based on trees inventories conducted on fifteen 0.25 ha plots installed along different types of forests developed on terra firma, seasonally flooded, and on flooded terra. In all of the plots installed, all trees with diameter at breast height, DBH ≥ 5 cm, were measured. The Shannon diversity index, species richness, equitability, and species dominance were computed to see the variation in tree community among plots but also between primary forest and secondary forest. A total of 1611 trees representing 114 species and 35 families were recorded from a total area of 3.75 ha. Euphorbiaceae was the dominant family in the forest with 12 species, followed by Fabaceae-Mimosoideae (10 species and Phyllanthaceae (6 species and Guttiferae (6 species. The biodiversity did not vary greatly from plot to plot on the whole of the study area (3.75 ha. The low value of Shannon index was obtained in plot 11 (H′=0.75 whereas the highest value was obtained in plot 12 (H′=4.46. The values of this index vary from 0.23 to 0.95 in plots P11 and P15, respectively. Results obtained revealed high biodiversity of trees of the forest of Impfondo-Dongou. The information on tree species structure and function can provide baseline information for conservation of the biodiversity of the tropical forest in this area.

Palynofacies reveal fresh terrestrial organic matter inputs in the terminal lobes of the Congo deep-sea fan

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Schnyder, Johann; Stetten, Elsa; Baudin, François; Pruski, Audrey M.; Martinez, Philippe

2017-08-01

The Congo deep-sea fan is directly connected to the Congo River by a unique submarine canyon. The Congo River delivers up to 2×1012gPOC/yr, a part of which is funnelled by the submarine canyon and feeds the deep-sea environments. The more distal part of the Congo deep-sea fan, the terminal lobe area, has a surface of 2500 km2 and is situated up to 800 km offshore at depths of 4750-5000 m. It is a remarkable place to study the fate and distribution of the organic matter transferred from the continent to the deep ocean via turbidity currents. Forty-two samples were analyzed from the terminal lobes, including sites from the active channel, one of its levees and an abandoned distal channel. Samples were collected using multitube cores and push-cores using a Victor 6000 ROV, which surveyed the dense chemosynthetic habitats that locally characterize the terminal lobes. Palynofacies reveal a remarkably well-preserved, dominantly terrestrial particulate organic matter assemblage, that has been transferred from the continent into the deep-sea by turbidity currents. Delicate plant structures, cuticle fragments and plant cellular material is often preserved, highlighting the efficiency of turbidity currents to transfer terrestrial organic matter to the sea-floor, where it is preserved. Moreover, the palynofacies data reveal a general sorting by density or buoyancy of the organic particles, as the turbulent currents escaped the active channel, feeding the levees and the more distal, abandoned channel area. Finally, in addition to aforementioned hydrodynamic factors controlling the organic matter accumulation, a secondary influence of chemosynthetic habitats on organic matter preservation is also apparent. Palynofacies is therefore a useful tool to record the distribution of organic matter in recent and ancient deep-sea fan environments, an important topic for both academic and petroleum studies.

Novel Molecular Beacon Probe-Based Real-Time RT-PCR Assay for Diagnosis of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Encountered in India

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Aman Kamboj

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF is an emerging zoonotic disease in India and requires immediate detection of infection both for preventing further transmission and for controlling the infection. The present study describes development, optimization, and evaluation of a novel molecular beacon-based real-time RT-PCR assay for rapid, sensitive, and specific diagnosis of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV. The developed assay was found to be a better alternative to the reported TaqMan assay for routine diagnosis of CCHF.

Micro-analysis by U-Pb method using LAM-ICPMS and its applications for the evolution of sedimentary basins: the example from Brasilia Belt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pimentel, Marcio Martins; Matteini, Massimo; Junges, Sergio Luiz; Giustina, Maria Emilia Schutesky Della; Dantas, Elton Luiz; Buhn, Bernhard

2015-01-01

The U-Pb geochronological method using LAM-MC-ICPMS represents an important tool to investigate the geological evolution of sedimentary basins, as well as its geochronology, through the determination of upper limits for the depositional ages of detrital sedimentary rocks. The method has been applied in the Geochronology Laboratory of the Universidade de Brasilia, and in this study, a brief review of the provenance data for the sediments of the Neoproterozoic Brasilia Belt is presented and their significance for the evolution of the orogen is discussed. The results indicate that the Paranoa and Canastra Groups represent passive margin sequences formed along the western margin of the Sao Francisco-Congo continent. The Vazante Group presents similar provenance patterns, although Sm-Nd isotopic results suggest that its upper portions had contributions from younger (Neoproterozoic) sources, possibly from the Neoproterozoic Goias Magmatic Arc. On the other hand, metasediments of the Araxa and Ibia groups contain an important proportion of material derived from Neoproterozoic sources, demonstrating that they represent syn-orogenic basins. The provenance pattern of the Bambui Group is marked by an important Neoproterozoic component, showing that it constitutes a sedimentary sequence which is younger than 600 Ma, representing a foreland basin to the Brasilia Belt. (author)

Phytochemical analysis and biological evaluation of selected African propolis samples from Cameroon and Congo

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Papachroni, D.; Graikou, K.; Kosalec, I.; Damianakos, H.; Ingram, V.J.; Chinou, I.

2015-01-01

The objective of this study was the chemical analysis of four selected samples of African propolis (Congo and Cameroon) and their biological evaluation. Twenty-one secondary metabolites belonging to four different chemical groups were isolated from the 70% ethanolic extracts of propolis and their

All projects related to | Page 497 | IDRC - International Development ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2008-01-07

The forests of the Congo basin provide ecosystem services to over 80% of the population living in or near them. Start Date: January 7, 2008. End Date: May 18, 2012. Topic: CLIMATE CHANGE, ADAPTATION TO CHANGE, RIVER BASINS, FOREST RESOURCES, FOREST POLICY, FOREST MANAGEMENT, FOREST ...

All projects related to | Page 496 | IDRC - International Development ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2008-01-07

The forests of the Congo basin provide ecosystem services to over 80% of the population living in or near them. Start Date: January 7, 2008. End Date: May 18, 2012. Topic: CLIMATE CHANGE, ADAPTATION TO CHANGE, RIVER BASINS, FOREST RESOURCES, FOREST POLICY, FOREST MANAGEMENT, FOREST ...

Discrepancies between descriptions and illustrations of colours in Congo red-stained amyloid, and explanation of discrepant colours.

Science.gov (United States)

Howie, Alexander J; Owen-Casey, Mared P

2010-09-01

Congo red-stained sections of amyloid may show various colours between crossed polariser and analyser. The aims were to see how papers described the colours, to compare descriptions with illustrations, and to explain the colours. In 160 papers on Congo red-stained amyloid, the commonest descriptions were 'green birefringence' and 'apple-green birefringence'. In 191 figures in 82 papers, 59 (31%) showed a pure green colour, 62 (32%) showed green and yellow or blue and yellow, 38 (20%) showed green and a colour other than yellow, mostly red, and 32 (17%) showed other colours. Discrepancies between colours reported and illustrated were noted in 127 figures (66%). Most (77) were between green alone in descriptions and green and another colour in figures, and 30 were between green in descriptions and no green at all in figures. Pure green can be seen in ideal conditions, but more often there are green and yellow, explained by strain birefringence, and green and red or other combinations, explained by uncrossing of polariser and analyser. These other anomalous colours are just as characteristic of amyloid as the pure green colour. Many papers on Congo red-stained amyloid appear to describe what is expected theoretically rather than what is actually seen.

Inference of R(0 and transmission heterogeneity from the size distribution of stuttering chains.

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Seth Blumberg

Full Text Available For many infectious disease processes such as emerging zoonoses and vaccine-preventable diseases, [Formula: see text] and infections occur as self-limited stuttering transmission chains. A mechanistic understanding of transmission is essential for characterizing the risk of emerging diseases and monitoring spatio-temporal dynamics. Thus methods for inferring [Formula: see text] and the degree of heterogeneity in transmission from stuttering chain data have important applications in disease surveillance and management. Previous researchers have used chain size distributions to infer [Formula: see text], but estimation of the degree of individual-level variation in infectiousness (as quantified by the dispersion parameter, [Formula: see text] has typically required contact tracing data. Utilizing branching process theory along with a negative binomial offspring distribution, we demonstrate how maximum likelihood estimation can be applied to chain size data to infer both [Formula: see text] and the dispersion parameter that characterizes heterogeneity. While the maximum likelihood value for [Formula: see text] is a simple function of the average chain size, the associated confidence intervals are dependent on the inferred degree of transmission heterogeneity. As demonstrated for monkeypox data from the Democratic Republic of Congo, this impacts when a statistically significant change in [Formula: see text] is detectable. In addition, by allowing for superspreading events, inference of [Formula: see text] shifts the threshold above which a transmission chain should be considered anomalously large for a given value of [Formula: see text] (thus reducing the probability of false alarms about pathogen adaptation. Our analysis of monkeypox also clarifies the various ways that imperfect observation can impact inference of transmission parameters, and highlights the need to quantitatively evaluate whether observation is likely to significantly bias results.

"New Education" for the Congo? The Indigenist Approach, New Education and Prescriptive Pedagogy

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Depaepe, Marc; Simon, Frank; Vinck, Honoré

2015-01-01

This article responds to a question put forward approximately a decade ago by the history of education research group at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven: Did the child-centred ideas of New Education, as promoted by Ovide Decroly, influence the education policy in the former Belgian colony of Congo? Naturally, ideas were circulating that could…

Skills of General Circulation and Earth System Models in reproducing streamflow to the ocean: the case of Congo river

Science.gov (United States)

Santini, M.; Caporaso, L.

2017-12-01

Although the importance of water resources in the context of climate change, it is still difficult to correctly simulate the freshwater cycle over the land via General Circulation and Earth System Models (GCMs and ESMs). Existing efforts from the Climate Model Intercomparison Project 5 (CMIP5) were mainly devoted to the validation of atmospheric variables like temperature and precipitation, with low attention to discharge.Here we investigate the present-day performances of GCMs and ESMs participating to CMIP5 in simulating the discharge of the river Congo to the sea thanks to: i) the long-term availability of discharge data for the Kinshasa hydrological station representative of more than 95% of the water flowing in the whole catchment; and ii) the River's still low influence by human intervention, which enables comparison with the (mostly) natural streamflow simulated within CMIP5.Our findings suggest how most of models appear overestimating the streamflow in terms of seasonal cycle, especially in the late winter and spring, while overestimation and variability across models are lower in late summer. Weighted ensemble means are also calculated, based on simulations' performances given by several metrics, showing some improvements of results.Although simulated inter-monthly and inter-annual percent anomalies do not appear significantly different from those in observed data, when translated into well consolidated indicators of drought attributes (frequency, magnitude, timing, duration), usually adopted for more immediate communication to stakeholders and decision makers, such anomalies can be misleading.These inconsistencies produce incorrect assessments towards water management planning and infrastructures (e.g. dams or irrigated areas), especially if models are used instead of measurements, as in case of ungauged basins or for basins with insufficient data, as well as when relying on models for future estimates without a preliminary quantification of model biases.

Removal of Congo Red from Aqueous Solution by Anion Exchange Membrane (EBTAC): Adsorption Kinetics and Themodynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Muhammad Imran; Akhtar, Shahbaz; Zafar, Shagufta; Shaheen, Aqeela; Khan, Muhammad Ali; Luque, Rafael; ur Rehman, Aziz

2015-01-01

The adsorption behavior of anionic dye congo red (CR) from aqueous solutions using an anion exchange membrane (EBTAC) has been investigated at room temperature. The effect of several factors including contact time, membrane dosage, ionic strength and temperature were studied. Kinetic models, namely pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order, liquid film diffusion and Elovich models as well as Bangham and modified freundlich Equations, were employed to evaluate the experimental results. Parameters such as adsorption capacities, rate constant and related correlation coefficients for every model were calculated and discussed. The adsorption of CR on anion exchange membranes followed pseudo-second-order Kinetics. Thermodynamic parameters, namely changes in Gibbs free energy (∆G°), enthalpy (∆H°) and entropy (∆S°) were calculated for the adsorption of congo red, indicating an exothermic process. PMID:28793430

Adsorption of Congo red dye onto antimicrobial terephthaloyl thiourea cross-linked chitosan hydrogels.

Science.gov (United States)

El-Harby, Nouf F; Ibrahim, Shaimaa M A; Mohamed, Nadia A

2017-11-01

Adsorption capacity of three antimicrobial terephthaloyl thiourea cross-linked chitosan hydrogels for Congo red dye removal from its aqueous solution has been investigated for the first time in this work. These hydrogels were prepared by reacting chitosan with various amounts of terephthaloyl diisothiocyanate cross-linker. The effect of the hydrogel structural variations and several dye adsorption processing parameters to achieve the best adsorption capacity were investigated. The hydrogels' structural variations were obtained by varying their terephthaloyl thiourea moieties content. The processing variables included initial concentration of the dye solution, temperature and time of exposure to the dye. The adsorption kinetics and isotherms showed that the sorption processes were better fitted by the pseudo-second-order equation and the Langmuir equation, respectively. On the basis of the Langmuir analysis Congo red dye gave the maximum sorption capacity of 44.248 mg/g. The results obtained confirmed that the sorption phenomena are most likely to be controlled by chemisorption process. The adsorption reaction was endothermic and spontaneous according to the calculated results of adsorption thermodynamics.

Hydroclimate variability in the Nile River Basin during the past 28,000 years

Science.gov (United States)

Castañeda, Isla S.; Schouten, Stefan; Pätzold, Jürgen; Lucassen, Friedrich; Kasemann, Simone; Kuhlmann, Holger; Schefuß, Enno

2016-03-01

It has long been known that extreme changes in North African hydroclimate occurred during the late Pleistocene yet many discrepancies exist between sites regarding the timing, duration and abruptness of events such as Heinrich Stadial (HS) 1 and the African Humid Period (AHP). The hydroclimate history of the Nile River is of particular interest due to its lengthy human occupation history yet there are presently few continuous archives from the Nile River corridor, and pre-Holocene studies are rare. Here we present new organic and inorganic geochemical records of Nile Basin hydroclimate from an eastern Mediterranean (EM) Sea sediment core spanning the past 28 ka BP. Our multi-proxy records reflect the fluctuating inputs of Blue Nile versus White Nile material to the EM Sea in response to gradual changes in local insolation and also capture abrupt hydroclimate events driven by remote climate forcings, such as HS1. We find strong evidence for extreme aridity within the Nile Basin evolving in two distinct phases during HS1, from 17.5 to 16 ka BP and from 16 to 14.5 ka BP, whereas peak wet conditions during the AHP are observed from 9 to 7 ka BP. We find that zonal movements of the Congo Air Boundary (CAB), and associated shifts in the dominant moisture source (Atlantic versus Indian Ocean moisture) to the Nile Basin, likely contributed to abrupt hydroclimate variability in northern East Africa during HS1 and the AHP as well as to non-linear behavior of hydroclimate proxies. We note that different proxies show variable gradual and abrupt responses to individual hydroclimate events, and thus might have different inherent sensitivities, which may be a factor contributing to the controversy surrounding the abruptness of past events such as the AHP. During the Late Pleistocene the Nile Basin experienced extreme hydroclimate fluctuations, which presumably impacted Paleolithic cultures residing along the Nile corridor.

Y-chromosomal variation in sub-Saharan Africa: insights into the history of Niger-Congo groups.

Science.gov (United States)

de Filippo, Cesare; Barbieri, Chiara; Whitten, Mark; Mpoloka, Sununguko Wata; Gunnarsdóttir, Ellen Drofn; Bostoen, Koen; Nyambe, Terry; Beyer, Klaus; Schreiber, Henning; de Knijff, Peter; Luiselli, Donata; Stoneking, Mark; Pakendorf, Brigitte

2011-03-01

Technological and cultural innovations as well as climate changes are thought to have influenced the diffusion of major language phyla in sub-Saharan Africa. The most widespread and the richest in diversity is the Niger-Congo phylum, thought to have originated in West Africa ∼ 10,000 years ago (ya). The expansion of Bantu languages (a family within the Niger-Congo phylum) ∼ 5,000 ya represents a major event in the past demography of the continent. Many previous studies on Y chromosomal variation in Africa associated the Bantu expansion with haplogroup E1b1a (and sometimes its sublineage E1b1a7). However, the distribution of these two lineages extends far beyond the area occupied nowadays by Bantu-speaking people, raising questions on the actual genetic structure behind this expansion. To address these issues, we directly genotyped 31 biallelic markers and 12 microsatellites on the Y chromosome in 1,195 individuals of African ancestry focusing on areas that were previously poorly characterized (Botswana, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zambia). With the inclusion of published data, we analyzed 2,736 individuals from 26 groups representing all linguistic phyla and covering a large portion of sub-Saharan Africa. Within the Niger-Congo phylum, we ascertain for the first time differences in haplogroup composition between Bantu and non-Bantu groups via two markers (U174 and U175) on the background of haplogroup E1b1a (and E1b1a7), which were directly genotyped in our samples and for which genotypes were inferred from published data using linear discriminant analysis on short tandem repeat (STR) haplotypes. No reduction in STR diversity levels was found across the Bantu groups, suggesting the absence of serial founder effects. In addition, the homogeneity of haplogroup composition and pattern of haplotype sharing between Western and Eastern Bantu groups suggests that their expansion throughout sub-Saharan Africa reflects a rapid spread followed by

Antiretroviral treatment program retention among HIV-infected children in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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John Ditekemena

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Retaining patients with HIV infection in care is still a major challenge in sub- Saharan Africa, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC where the antiretroviral treatment (ART coverage is low. Monitoring retention is an important tool for evaluating the quality of care. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A review of medical records of HIV-infected children was performed in three health facilities in the DRC: the Amo-Congo Health center, the Monkole Clinic in Kinshasa, and the HEAL Africa Clinic in Goma. Medical records of 720 children were included. Kaplan Meier curves were constructed with the probability of retention at 6 months, 1 year, 2 years and 3 years. Retention rates were: 88.2% (95% CI: 85.1%-90.8% at 6 months; 85% (95% CI: 81.5%-87.6% at one year; 79.4% (95%CI: 75.5%-82.8% at two years and 74.7% (95% CI: 70.5%-78.5% at 3 years. The retention varied across study sites: 88.2%, 66.6% and 92.5% at 6 months; 84%, 59% and 90% at 12 months and 75.7%, 56.3% and 85.8% at 24 months respectively for Amo-Congo/Kasavubu, Monkole facility and HEAL Africa. After multivariable Cox regression four variables remained independently associated with attrition: study site, CD4 cell count <350 cells/µL, children younger than 2 years and children whose caregivers were member of an independent church. CONCLUSIONS: Attrition remains a challenge for pediatric HIV positive patients in ART programs in DRC. In addition, the low coverage of pediatric treatment exacerbates the situation of pediatric HIV/AIDS.

Managing (Fiscally) Resource Windfalls : Exploring Policy Options for the Democratic Republic of Congo

OpenAIRE

Pinto-Moreira, Emmanuel

2016-01-01

How should resource-dependent countries respond (fiscally) to resource price volatility? This note studies what determines revenue allocation between a "spend today" strategy and a "save now-spend tomorrow" approach in the context of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It uses a three-sector model in which public infrastructure investment has tangible benefits for private production and inve...

Synthesis, Characterization and Adsorption Capability of CdO Microstructure for Congo Red from Aqueous Solution

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A. Tadjarodi

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Cadmium oxide rhombus-shaped nanostructure was synthesized using hydrothermal process followed by heating treatment. Clearly, X-ray diffraction pattern demonstrated the formation of CdO crystalline phase. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM showed that the obtained rhombus-like structure is composed of nanoparticles with the average size of 29 nm. In addition, we evaluated adsorption of organic dye i.e. Congo red from water using the prepared CdO rhombus like microstructure. UV-visible absorption spectroscopy was used to record the adsorption behavior. It was found that the removal process is performed via electrostatic absorption mechanism. The maximum adsorption capacity of CdO rhombus structures (0.01 g for Congo Red (CR in the concentration range (5-50 mg L-1 studied, as calculated from the Langmuir isotherm model at 25 ˚C and neutral pH, was found to be 41.20 mg g−1 .

A high throughput colorimetric assay of β-1,3-D-glucans by Congo red dye.

Science.gov (United States)

Semedo, Magda C; Karmali, Amin; Fonseca, Luís

2015-02-01

Mushroom strains contain complex nutritional biomolecules with a wide spectrum of therapeutic and prophylactic properties. Among these compounds, β-d-glucans play an important role in immuno-modulating and anti-tumor activities. The present work involves a novel colorimetric assay method for β-1,3-d-glucans with a triple helix tertiary structure by using Congo red. The specific interaction that occurs between Congo red and β-1,3-d-glucan was detected by bathochromic shift from 488 to 516 nm (>20 nm) in UV-Vis spectrophotometer. A micro- and high throughput method based on a 96-well microtiter plate was devised which presents several advantages over the published methods since it requires only 1.51 μg of polysaccharides in samples, greater sensitivity, speed, assay of many samples and very cheap. β-D-Glucans of several mushrooms (i.e., Coriolus versicolor, Ganoderma lucidum, Pleurotus ostreatus, Ganoderma carnosum, Hericium erinaceus, Lentinula edodes, Inonotus obliquus, Auricularia auricular, Polyporus umbellatus, Cordyseps sinensis, Agaricus blazei, Poria cocos) were isolated by using a sequence of several extractions with cold and boiling water, acidic and alkaline conditions and quantified by this microtiter plate method. FTIR spectroscopy was used to study the structural features of β-1,3-D-glucans in these mushroom samples as well as the specific interaction of these polysaccharides with Congo red. The effect of NaOH on triple helix conformation of β-1,3-D-glucans was investigated in several mushroom species. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Exploratory study of road safety in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire in Republic of the Congo].

Science.gov (United States)

Batala Mpondo, Georges; Bouanga, Marianne; Saya, Yvette Marie Clarisse; Maurice, Pierre; Burigusa, Guillaume

2014-01-01

Although road accidents in the Congo are reaching alarming levels (2,720 accidents in 2010 and 3,126 accidents in 2011), especially with the massive arrival of "Jakarta" mopeds, no evaluation has been conducted to identify and understand the factors responsible for this problem. This article reports the results of an exploratory study conducted in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire based on information collected from existing documents and by semidirective questionnaire of people from various sectors able to elucidate the problem of road safety. Using William Haddon's matrix, the parameters investigated were : road user behaviour ; environmental and technological factors ; characteristics of road accident victims ; quality of care ; intervention times and organization of prevention. This study demonstrated the absence of a road safety policy in Congo. It also showed that the main factors responsible for road accidents are behavioural (failure to wear safety belts, failure to comply with road signs, fatigue, use of a telephone while driving, etc.), followed by environmental and technological factors (insufficient traffic lights, absence of sidewalks, disorganized occupation of roads, general state of vehicles). This study shows that, in order to improve road safety in the Congo, it is essential to promote the development of national road safety policies and an action plan, intervention on the determinants of road accidents, and a change of road user behaviours (compulsory use of safety belts, ban on the use of a telephone and smoking while driving, etc.). Effective organization of the management of road accident victims and allocation of a budget to implement a road safety policy are also necessary.

Heath sector network governance and State-building in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bwimana, Aembe

2017-01-01

Longstanding patterns of interaction exist between state and non-state actors seeking to improve public health in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). DRC is a weak state, and, in many cases, private actors have stepped in to fill the void created by the lack of state health care provision. However,

Household determinants of bushmeat and eru (Gnetum africanum) harvesting for cash in the Democratic Republic of Congo

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bakkegaard, Riyong Kim; Nielsen, Martin Reinhardt; Thorsen, Bo Jellesmark

2017-01-01

Peri-urban pressure on the Luki Biosphere Reserve in Bas-Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, is fuelled by growing demand in urban markets coupled with easy access. With data from 175 randomly selected households, this paper examines factors that motivate households to collect two major forest....... Greater market distance being a female-headed household and greater age of household heads negatively affected selection into eru collection, reflecting characteristics of cash harvesting activities. Low education and more local knowledge characterised more successful outcome of eru collection, whereas...... of these activities in providing a pathway out of poverty and stress the needs for better integration of conservation and development policies....

Relative Abundance and Diversity of Bacterial Methanotrophs at the Oxic–Anoxic Interface of the Congo Deep-Sea Fan

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Laurent Toffin

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Sitting at ∼5,000 m water depth on the Congo-Angola margin and ∼760 km offshore of the West African coast, the recent lobe complex of the Congo deep-sea fan receives large amounts of fluvial sediments (3–5% organic carbon. This organic-rich sedimentation area harbors habitats with chemosynthetic communities similar to those of cold seeps. In this study, we investigated relative abundance, diversity and distribution of aerobic methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB communities at the oxic–anoxic interface of sedimentary habitats by using fluorescence in situ hybridization and comparative sequence analysis of particulate mono-oxygenase (pmoA genes. Our findings revealed that sedimentary habitats of the recent lobe complex hosted type I and type II MOB cells and comparisons of pmoA community compositions showed variations among the different organic-rich habitats. Furthermore, the pmoA lineages were taxonomically more diverse compared to methane seep environments and were related to those found at cold seeps. Surprisingly, MOB phylogenetic lineages typical of terrestrial environments were observed at such water depth. In contrast, MOB cells or pmoA sequences were not detected at the previous lobe complex that is disconnected from the Congo River inputs.

Enhanced adsorptive degradation of Congo red in aqueous solutions using polyaniline/Fe0 composite nanofibers

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Bhaumik, M

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In this study, a simple approach was described for the fabrication of composite nanofibers (CNFs) of polyaniline/Fe0 (PANI/Fe0) using a template-free method for the reductive degradation and removal of Congo red (CR) from aqueous solutions. The PANI...

Towards an assessment of on-farm niches for improved forages in Sud-Kivu, DR Congo

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Paul, Birthe K.; Muhimuzi, Fabrice L.; Bacigale, Samy B.; Wimba, Benjamin M.M.; Chiuri, Wanjiku L.; Amzati, Gaston S.; Maass, Brigitte L.

2016-01-01

Inadequate quantity and quality of livestock feed is a persistent constraint to productivity for mixed crop-livestock farming in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. To assess on-farm niches of improved forages, demonstration trials and participatory on-farm research were conducted in four

[Preliminary results of an herpetology investigation in sugar cane plantation in Democratic Republic of Congo].

Science.gov (United States)

Malukisa, J; Collet, M; Bokata, S; Odio, W

2005-11-01

Out of the 3,000 species of snakes described in the world, 163 are currently known from D.R. of Congo. We performed a systematic survey in sugar-cane plantations of the Sugar Company of Kwilu-Ngongo (Bas-Congo), located at 160 km South-West from Kinshasa and exploiting nearly 10,000 ha. The plantation is divided into 3 sectors in the middle of which we deposited barrels filled of formaldehyde. All the employees of the Sugar Company of Kwilu-Ngongo were requested to collect encountered snakes and put them in the nearest barrel. Between August 9th and September 21st, 2004, we collected 36 snakes in two different sites, revealing the presence of 3 families and 12 species. The most abundant species in Causus maculatus (47% in the first site--Point 8--and 29% in the second site--Point 13). The most poisonous and dangerous species were captured only in the first site--point 8, and were Dendroaspis jamesoni and Naja melanoleuca, both young.

Geologic characterization of Cuvette Centrale petroleum systems Congo-DRC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vicentelli, Maria Gabriela C.; Barbosa, Mauro; Rezende, Nelio G.A.M. [HRT Petroleum, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2008-07-01

The Cuvette Centrale is an almost unexplored basin, which contains some petroleum system elements that indicate the presence of hydrocarbons. In this sense; this paper presents an exploratory alternative for this intracratonic basin. The interpretation of the limited gravimetric, magnetometric, geochemical and seismic available data allowed the identification of many huge structural features and also some areas with hydrocarbon potential for stratigraphic traps. The presence of several oil and gas seeps widespread around the Busira and Lokoro sub-basins indicate that at least one active petroleum system exist in the basin. Despite only four wells have been drilled in the basin, one of them presented oil shows during drilling. Geological correlations between Brazilian Paleozoic basins and Cuvette Centrale sedimentary sequences permitted to conclude that Cambro-Ordovician and Siluro-Devonian source rocks must be present and active in the Cuvette Centrale basin. The tectono-stratigraphic evolution history of the Cuvette Centrale from Neo proterozoic to Recent times shows extensional and compressional/transpressional alternating phases along the geological time. The most confident petroleum system expected in the Cuvette Centrale is characterized by the Cambrian Mamungi shale - source rock - and the Cambro-Ordovician. Upper Arenaceous Sequence - reservoirs, as observed in the MBandaka and Gilson wells and confirmed by surface geology in outcrops. Besides, other potential petroleum systems are expected to occur in the basin. One is characterized by the Neo proterozoic Itury Group source rock and reservoirs in the mature/over mature stage, the others are the Siluro-Devonian and Cretaceous source rocks and reservoirs, expected to occur with better maturity conditions only in the deeper parts of the basin. (author)

Understory vegetation in fast-growing tree plantations on savanna soils in Congo

OpenAIRE

Loumeto, J.J.; Huttel, Charles

1997-01-01

The hypothesis that tree plantations may catalyze the regeneration of natural forest biodiversity was tested through studies of floristic diversity and structure in fast-growing tree plantations in the Congo. Study sites included experimental and industrial plantations on poor sandy coastal soils near Pointe-Noire, and experimental plantations on clay soils near Loudima. The effects of plantations species, plantation age (in 6- to 20-year-old eucalypt stands), disturbance due to herbicide use...

Second International Conference on Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever.

Science.gov (United States)

Spengler, Jessica R; Bente, Dennis A; Bray, Mike; Burt, Felicity; Hewson, Roger; Korukluoglu, Gülay; Mirazimi, Ali; Weber, Friedemann; Papa, Anna

2018-02-01

The Second International Conference on Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) was held in Thessaloniki, Greece, from September 10-13, 2017, and brought together international public health professionals, clinicians, ecologists, and basic laboratory researchers. Nearly 100 participants, representing 24 countries and the World Health Organization (WHO), were in attendance. Meeting sessions covered the epidemiology of CCHF in humans; ticks and virus-tick interactions; wild and domestic animal hosts; molecular virology; taxonomic classification; pathogenesis and animal models; clinical aspects and diagnosis; clinical management and clinical trials; and disease prevention in humans. The concluding session focused on recent WHO recommendations for public health measures and future research. This report summarizes lectures by the invited speakers and highlights advances in the field. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus and Alkhurma (Alkhumra) Virus in Ticks in Djibouti.

Science.gov (United States)

Horton, Katherine C; Fahmy, Nermeen T; Watany, Noha; Zayed, Alia; Mohamed, Abro; Ahmed, Ammar Abdo; Rollin, Pierre E; Dueger, Erica L

2016-10-01

Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus and Alkhumra virus, not previously reported in Djibouti, were detected among 141 (infection rate = 15.7 per 100, 95% CI: 13.4-18.1) tick pools from 81 (37%) cattle and 2 (infection rate = 0.2 per 100, 95% CI: 0.0-0.7) tick pools from 2 (1%) cattle, respectively, collected at an abattoir in 2010 and 2011.

Violence against sex workers by police and military in Democratic Republic of Congo.

Science.gov (United States)

Ombeni, Alphonse Mihigo; Crago, Anna Louise

2008-12-01

Sex workers in the Sud-Kivu district of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are regularly subjected to sexual and other forms of violence. In this article, based on a presentation at a concurrent session at the conference, Alphonse Mihigo Ombeni and Anna Louise Crago describe the negative impacts of this violence on the sex workers' health and working conditions. Many have become HIV-positive.

Adsorption behavior of direct red 80 and congo red onto activated carbon/surfactant: Process optimization, kinetics and equilibrium

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Zhengjun; Zhang, Lei; Guo, Xiao; Jiang, Xiaohui; Li, Tian

2015-02-01

Adsorptions of congo red and direct red 80 onto activated carbon/surfactant from aqueous solution were optimized. The Box-Behnken design (BBD) has been employed to analyze the effects of concentration of surfactant, temperature, pH, and initial concentration of the dye in the adsorption capacity. Their corresponding experimental data could be evaluated excellently by second order polynomial regression models and the two models were also examined based on the analysis of variance and t test statistics, respectively. The optimum conditions were obtained as follows: Cs = 34.10 μM, T = 50 °C, pH = 3.5, and CCR = 160 mg/L for the congo red system, and Cs = 34.10 μM, T = 50 °C, pH = 6.1, and CDR80 = 110 mg/L for the direct red 80 system. And in these conditions, the measured experimental maximum adsorption capacities for the congo red and direct red 80 removals were 769.48 mg/g and 519.90 mg/g, which were consistent with their corresponding predicted values, with small relative errors of -2.81% and -0.67%, respectively. The adsorption equilibrium and kinetics for the two dye adsorptions onto AC/DDAC were also investigated. The experimental data were fitted by four isotherm models, and Langmuir model presented the best fit. The kinetic studies indicated that the kinetic data followed the pseudo-second-order model.

The effect of the 2011 flood on agricultural chemical and sediment movement in the lower Mississippi River Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Welch, H.; Coupe, R.; Aulenbach, B.

2012-04-01

Extreme hydrologic events, such as floods, can overwhelm a surface water system's ability to process chemicals and can move large amounts of material downstream to larger surface water bodies. The Mississippi River is the 3rd largest River in the world behind the Amazon in South America and the Congo in Africa. The Mississippi-Atchafalaya River basin grows much of the country's corn, soybean, rice, cotton, pigs, and chickens. This is large-scale modern day agriculture with large inputs of nutrients to increase yields and large applied amounts of crop protection chemicals, such as pesticides. The basin drains approximately 41% of the conterminous United States and is the largest contributor of nutrients to the Gulf of Mexico each spring. The amount of water and nutrients discharged from the Mississippi River has been related to the size of the low dissolved oxygen area that forms off of the coast of Louisiana and Texas each summer. From March through April 2011, the upper Mississippi River basin received more than five times more precipitation than normal, which combined with snow melt from the Missouri River basin, created a historic flood event that lasted from April through July. The U.S. Geological Survey, as part of the National Stream Quality Accounting Network (NASQAN), collected samples from six sites located in the lower Mississippi-Atchafalaya River basin, as well as, samples from the three flow-diversion structures or floodways: the Birds Point-New Madrid in Missouri and the Morganza and Bonnet Carré in Louisiana, from April through July. Samples were analyzed for nutrients, pesticides, suspended sediments, and particle size; results were used to determine the water quality of the river during the 2011 flood. Monthly loads for nitrate, phosphorus, pesticides (atrazine, glyphosate, fluometuron, and metolachlor), and sediment were calculated to quantify the movement of agricultural chemicals and sediment into the Gulf of Mexico. Nutrient loads were

Risk Factors Associated with Ebola and Marburg Viruses Seroprevalence in Blood Donors in the Republic of Congo.

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Nanikaly Moyen

Full Text Available Ebola and Marburg viruses (family Filoviridae, genera Ebolavirus and Marburgvirus cause haemorrhagic fevers in humans, often associated with high mortality rates. The presence of antibodies to Ebola virus (EBOV and Marburg virus (MARV has been reported in some African countries in individuals without a history of haemorrhagic fever. In this study, we present a MARV and EBOV seroprevalence study conducted amongst blood donors in the Republic of Congo and the analysis of risk factors for contact with EBOV.In 2011, we conducted a MARV and EBOV seroprevalence study amongst 809 blood donors recruited in rural (75; 9.3% and urban (734; 90.7% areas of the Republic of Congo. Serum titres of IgG antibodies to MARV and EBOV were assessed by indirect double-immunofluorescence microscopy. MARV seroprevalence was 0.5% (4 in 809 without any identified risk factors. Prevalence of IgG to EBOV was 2.5%, peaking at 4% in rural areas and in Pointe Noire. Independent risk factors identified by multivariate analysis were contact with bats and exposure to birds.This MARV and EBOV serological survey performed in the Republic of Congo identifies a probable role for environmental determinants of exposure to EBOV. It highlights the requirement for extending our understanding of the ecological and epidemiological risk of bats (previously identified as a potential ecological reservoir and birds as vectors of EBOV to humans, and characterising the protection potentially afforded by EBOV-specific antibodies as detected in blood donors.

Protección contra la violencia sexual en la República Democrática del Congo

OpenAIRE

Mosely, Sarah; Cetinoglu, Talita; Glad, Marit

2010-01-01

Si bien la prestación de servicios a los supervivientes de la violencia sexual es la principal prioridad en la República Democrática del Congo, la protección para las mujeres y niñas también puede mejorarse.

Aliphatic hydrocarbons and triterpenes of the Congo deep-sea fan

Science.gov (United States)

Méjanelle, Laurence; Rivière, Béatrice; Pinturier, Laurence; Khripounoff, Alexis; Baudin, François; Dachs, Jordi

2017-08-01

Hydrocarbons were analyzed in sediments from the Congo River deep-sea fan, from the Congo River, and in sinking particles collected by sediment traps 40 m above the sediment. Studied sites encompassed three lobes of decreasing age of formation along the canyon: sites A, F and C and a another lobe system, disconnected from the active channel since 4 ka, Site E. Terrestrial long-chain odd n-alkanes were dominant in all sediments of the lobe system. Unsaturated terpenoids sourced by higher plants, such as gammacerene, lupene, ursene and oleanene, were also detected. At site C, characterized by high accumulation rates (10-20 cm yr-1), the organic matter spends less time in the oxic layer than at other sites and high phytadiene concentrations 10-17 μg gOC-1) evidenced recent terrestrial and phytoplanktonic remains reworked in anaerobic conditions. In these sediments, organic carbon-normalized concentrations of terrestrial alkanes and terpenoids were several fold higher than in the lobe sediments with lower accumulation rates (sites A and F), arguing for a more rapid degradation of terrestrial hydrocarbons than bulk organic carbon in the first steps of pre-diagenesis. Ample variations in the contributions of biomarkers from higher plants, ferns, bacteria and angiosperms, indicate an heterogeneous contribution of the soil and vegetation detritus delivered to the Congo lobe sediments. Lower concentrations in terrestrial hydrocarbons at site E, 45 km away from the active canyon, indicated that river particles are still admixed to the dominant marine organic matter. Diploptene and hop-7(21)-ene have a dual origin, from terrestrial and marine microorganisms. Scatter in their relationship to gammacerene argues for a contribution of marine microorganisms, in addition to soils-sourced microorganisms. The close distribution patterns of diploptene, hop-21-ene, hop-7(21)ene and neohop-13(18)-ene is in line with the hypothesis of sequential clay-catalyzed isomerisation of bacterial

Prevalence of Campylobacter among goats and retail goat meat in Congo.

Science.gov (United States)

a Mpalang, Rosette Kabwang; Boreux, Raphaël; Melin, Pierrette; Akir Ni Bitiang, Khang'Mate; Daube, Georges; De Mol, Patrick

2014-02-13

The prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli was determined in goat and goat meat sold at retail outlets in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). A total of 644 samples, including 177 goat meat, 86 goat stomachs, 139 ready to eat (RTE) goat skewers, and 242 goat faecal samples were examined for the presence of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli using polymerase chain reaction. Overall, Campylobacter spp. were found in 34.6% of the examined samples. C. jejuni was isolated in 10.1% and C. coli in 26.7% of samples. Only 2.2% of all samples were positive for both species. There was a significant association between the prevalence of C. coli and the type of sample (p goat meat, goat stomachs, RTE goat skewers, and goat faecal samples, respectively. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) between the prevalence observed in the rainy season (16.7%) and the dry season (20.0%). Moreover, the overall prevalence of Campylobacter in slaughter sites, open-air markets, warehouses, and semi-open-air markets was 28.2%, 34.2%, 35.4%, and 42.9%, respectively. Statistically, there was no influence of the sample collection site on the frequency of isolation of Campylobacter (p > 0.05). This study shows that, considering the relatively high prevalence of this pathogen, live goat and goat meat are major sources of human and environmental contamination by Campylobacter spp. in Lubumbashi.

Spatial patterns and morphology of termite (Macrotermes falciger) mounds in the upper Katanga, D.R. Congo

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mujinya, B.B.; Adam, M.Y.O.; Mees, F.; Bogaert, J.; Vranken, I.; Erens, H.; Baert, G.; Ngongo, M.; Ranst, van E.

2014-01-01

This study examines the spatial distribution patterns and morphological characteristics of Macrotermes falciger mounds in the peri-urban zone of Lubumbashi, D.R. Congo. Spatial patterns of mounds were assessed using high-resolution satellite images for 24 plots of variable size (3 to 27 ha). Soil

The Ogaden Basin, Ethiopia: an underexplored sedimentary basin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Teitz, H.H.

1991-01-01

A brief article examines the Ogaden Basin in Ethiopia in terms of basin origin, basin fill and the hydrocarbon exploration history and results. The natural gas find in pre-Jurassic sandstones, which appears to contain substantial reserves, justifies continuing investigations in this largely underexplored basin. (UK).

Origin and distribution of the organic matter in the distal lobe of the Congo deep-sea fan - A Rock-Eval survey

Science.gov (United States)

Baudin, François; Stetten, Elsa; Schnyder, Johann; Charlier, Karine; Martinez, Philippe; Dennielou, Bernard; Droz, Laurence

2017-08-01

The Congo River, the second largest river in the world, is a major source of organic matter for the deep Atlantic Ocean because of the connection of its estuary to the deep offshore area by a submarine canyon which feeds a vast deep-sea fan. The lobe zone of this deep-sea fan is the final receptacle of the sedimentary inputs presently channelled by the canyon and covers an area of 2500 km². The quantity and the source of organic matter preserved in recent turbiditic sediments from the distal lobe of the Congo deep-sea fan were assessed using Rock-Eval pyrolysis analyses. Six sites, located at approximately 5000 m water-depth, were investigated. The mud-rich sediments of the distal lobe contain high amounts of organic matter ( 3.5 to 4% Corg), the origin of which is a mixture of terrestrial higher-plant debris, soil organic matter and deeply oxidized phytoplanktonic material. Although the respective contribution of terrestrial and marine sources of organic matter cannot be precisely quantified using Rock-Eval analyses, the terrestrial fraction is dominant according to similar hydrogen and oxygen indices of both suspended and bedload sediments from the Congo River and that deposited in the lobe complex. The Rock-Eval signature supports the 70% to 80% of the terrestrial fraction previously estimated using C/N and δ13Corg data. In the background sediment, the organic matter distribution is homogeneous at different scales, from a single turbiditic event to the entire lobe, and changes in accumulation rates only have a limited effect on the quantity and quality of the preserved organic matter. Peculiar areas with chemosynthetic bivalves and/or bacterial mats, explored using ROV Victor 6000, show a Rock-Eval signature similar to background sediment. This high organic carbon content associated to high sedimentation rates (> 2 to 20 mm.yr-1) in the Congo distal lobe complex implies a high burial rate for organic carbon. Consequently, the Congo deep-sea fan represents an

Health systems in the Republic of Congo: challenges and opportunities for implementing tuberculosis and HIV collaborative service, research, and training activities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laure Stella Ghoma Linguissi

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The Republic of Congo is on the World Health Organization (WHO list of ‘high burden’ countries for tuberculosis (TB and HIV. TB is the leading cause of death among HIV-infected patients in the Republic of Congo. In this viewpoint, the available data on TB and HIV in the Republic of Congo are reviewed, and the gaps and bottlenecks that the National TB Control Program (NTCP faces are discussed. Furthermore, priority requirements for developing and implementing TB and HIV collaborative service activities are identified. HIV and TB control programs operate as distinct entities with separate case management plans. The implementation of collaborative TB/HIV activities to evaluate and monitor the management of TB/HIV co-infected individuals remains inefficient in most regions, and these activities are sometimes non-existent. This reveals major challenges that require definition in order to improve the delivery of healthcare. The NTCP lacks adequate resources for optimal implementation of control measures of TB and HIV compliance and outcomes. The importance of aligning and integrating TB and HIV treatment services (including follow-up and adherence support services through coordinated and collaborative efforts between individual TB and HIV programs is discussed. Aligning and integrating TB and HIV treatment services through coordinated and collaborative efforts between individual TB and HIV programs is required. However, the WHO recommendations are generic, and health services in the Republic of Congo need to tailor their TB and HIV programs according to the availability of resources and operational feasibility. This will also open opportunities for synergizing collaborative TB/HIV research and training activities, which should be prioritized by the donors supporting the TB/HIV programs.

Geochemistry of the Congo and Amazon river systems. Boron isotopic geochemistry in corals. Continental erosion and ocean pH

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaillardet, J.

1995-01-01

Two main geological processes control the CO 2 concentration in the atmosphere at a geological time scale: CO 2 outgasing from the interior of the Earth and CO 2 consumption by continental weathering. In the thesis, we initiate two different directions that can be useful to constraint the past climate evolution models. The first one is the extensive study of the largest rivers of the world using the classical geochemical analyses (major and trace elements, Sr-Nd-Pb isotopes) and modelling approaches. The study case of this thesis are the Congo and Amazon Basin. In particular, the coupling between chemical and physical erosion is examined and related to the hydrologic and tectonic parameters. Relief, thus tectonics appear to best control CO 2 consumption by rock weathering. The second part of the work is devoted to the measurement of boron isotopic ratio in corals because it may be used as a proxy for paleo-ocean pH. It could thus bring important pieces of information on the global C cycle and climate evolution. The technical part is extensively described and the method applied to the corals from the last interglacial period. Our conclusion is that corals are likely to be influence by early diagenetic changes that modify the boron isotopic composition of corals. We thus propose a test to select the samples. (author)

Effect of Diffusion on Discoloration of Congo Red by Alginate Entrapped Turnip (Brassica rapa Peroxidase

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Afaf Ahmedi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Enzymatic discoloration of the diazo dye, Congo red (CR, by immobilized plant peroxidase from turnip “Brassica rapa” is investigated. Partially purified turnip peroxidase (TP was immobilized by entrapment in spherical particles of calcium alginate and was assayed for the discoloration of aqueous CR solution. Experimental data revealed that pH, reaction time, temperature, colorant, and H2O2 concentration play a significant role in dye degradation. Maximum CR removal was found at pH 2.0, constant temperature of 40°C in the presence of 10 mM H2O2, and 180 mg/L of CR. More than 94% of CR was removed by alginate immobilized TP after 1 h of incubation in a batch process under optimal conditions. About 74% removal efficiency was retained after four recycles. Diffusional limitations in alginate beads such as effectiveness factor η, Thiele modulus Φ, and effective diffusion coefficients (De of Congo red were predicted assuming a first-order biodegradation kinetic. Results showed that intraparticle diffusion resistance has a significant effect on the CR biodegradation rate.

Illegibility as a state effect : The limits of governing teacher identification in the Democratic Republic of Congo

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brandt, C.O.

2018-01-01

State administrations rely on knowledge about its employees in order to ensure transparent payroll management. This thesis investigates the political economy and social dynamics around such knowledge by focusing on public school teachers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). After a calamitous

Scorpion envenomation in pygmies from Democratic Republic of Congo, the example of Pelenge Center, Lomela, DRC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E Biezakala Mudiandambu

2012-01-01

Full Text Available In a survey among the pygmies of central Democratic Republic of Congo, the incidence of scorpion stings seemed very high with a severity greater than expected. Species responsible were not identified. Specific studies are needed to clarify the risk emerging in the equatorial African forest.

Commitment to a Lady’s First WIN : Banking Innovation in the Democratic Republic of Congo

OpenAIRE

Vivian Awiti Owuor

2011-01-01

Doing business is challenging in the Democratic Republic of Congo and presents opportunities for innovative approaches to banking, especially for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) - and particularly for women entrepreneurs. But it is getting easier, thanks to innovating banking. This SmartLesson reviews some of the early lessons learned from the ongoing implementation of a Women...

Village Stability Operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo: A Special Operations Approach

Science.gov (United States)

2014-12-12

effects .8 In addition to these deaths, the UN reports 2.9 million 7 The eleven nations: DRC, Republic of Congo , Uganda, Rwanda , Burundi, Angola, Namibia...Lakes region of Central Africa on land that is easy to exploit but difficult to control. Since the 1994 genocide in Rwanda , which prompted massive...incumbent Hutu government in neighboring Rwanda initiated a genocide of the Tutsi population. The Tutsi Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) capitalized on the

The Texts of the Instruments connected with the Agency's Assistance to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Continuing a Research Reactor Project. A Second Supply Agreement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1971-10-04

As a sequel to the assistance which the Agency provided to the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in connection with a research reactor project, a Second Supply Agreement has been concluded between the Agency and the Governments of the Congo and the United States of America. This Agreement entered into force on 15 April 1971, and the text is reproduced herein for the information of all Members.

The Texts of the Instruments connected with the Agency's Assistance to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Continuing a Research Reactor Project. A Second Supply Agreement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1971-01-01

As a sequel to the assistance which the Agency provided to the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in connection with a research reactor project, a Second Supply Agreement has been concluded between the Agency and the Governments of the Congo and the United States of America. This Agreement entered into force on 15 April 1971, and the text is reproduced herein for the information of all Members

Power Holders and Social Dynamics of Participatory Development and Reconstruction: Cases from the Democratic Republic of Congo

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kyamusugulwa, P.M.; Hilhorst, D.

2015-01-01

One of the challenges of participatory development and reconstruction programs is how and where to engage with power holders. This paper analyses the dynamics of power relations within a community-driven reconstruction program in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It shows that, in some

Impacts of climate change on water resources and hydropower systems in central and southern Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamududu, Byman H.

2012-11-15

Climate change is altering hydrological processes with varying degrees in various regions of the world. This research work investigates the possible impacts of climate change on water resource and Hydropower production potential in central and southern Africa. The Congo, Zambezi and Kwanza, Shire, Kafue and Kabompo basins that lie in central and southern Africa are used as case studies. The review of climate change impact studies shows that there are few studies on impacts of climate change on hydropower production. Most of these studies were carried out in Europe and north America and very few in Asia, south America and Africa. The few studies indicate that southern Africa would experience reduction in precipitation and runoff, consequently reductions in hydropower production. There are no standard methods of assessing the resulting impacts. Two approaches were used to assess the impacts of climate change on water resources and hydropower. One approach is lumping changes on country or regional level and use the mean climate changes on mean annual flows as the basis for regional changes in hydropower production. This is done to get an overall picture of the changes on global and regional level. The second approach is a detailed assessment process in which downscaling, hydrological modelling and hydropower simulations are carried out. The possible future climate scenarios for the region of central and southern Africa depicted that some areas where precipitation are likely to have increases while other, precipitation will reduce. The region northern Zambia and southern Congo showed increases while the northern Congo basin showed reductions. Further south in southern African region, there is a tendency of decreases in precipitation. To the west, in Angola, inland showed increases while towards the coast highlighted some decreases in precipitation. On a global scale, hydropower is likely to experience slight changes (0.08%) due to climate change by 2050. Africa is

Health systems in the Republic of Congo: challenges and opportunities for implementing tuberculosis and HIV collaborative service, research, and training activities.

Science.gov (United States)

Linguissi, Laure Stella Ghoma; Gwom, Luc Christian; Nkenfou, Celine Nguefeu; Bates, Matthew; Petersen, Eskild; Zumla, Alimuddin; Ntoumi, Francine

2017-03-01

The Republic of Congo is on the World Health Organization (WHO) list of 'high burden' countries for tuberculosis (TB) and HIV. TB is the leading cause of death among HIV-infected patients in the Republic of Congo. In this viewpoint, the available data on TB and HIV in the Republic of Congo are reviewed, and the gaps and bottlenecks that the National TB Control Program (NTCP) faces are discussed. Furthermore, priority requirements for developing and implementing TB and HIV collaborative service activities are identified. HIV and TB control programs operate as distinct entities with separate case management plans. The implementation of collaborative TB/HIV activities to evaluate and monitor the management of TB/HIV co-infected individuals remains inefficient in most regions, and these activities are sometimes non-existent. This reveals major challenges that require definition in order to improve the delivery of healthcare. The NTCP lacks adequate resources for optimal implementation of control measures of TB and HIV compliance and outcomes. The importance of aligning and integrating TB and HIV treatment services (including follow-up) and adherence support services through coordinated and collaborative efforts between individual TB and HIV programs is discussed. Aligning and integrating TB and HIV treatment services through coordinated and collaborative efforts between individual TB and HIV programs is required. However, the WHO recommendations are generic, and health services in the Republic of Congo need to tailor their TB and HIV programs according to the availability of resources and operational feasibility. This will also open opportunities for synergizing collaborative TB/HIV research and training activities, which should be prioritized by the donors supporting the TB/HIV programs. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Monkeypox

Science.gov (United States)

... rodents being the major reservoir of the virus. Eating inadequately cooked meat of infected animals is a possible risk factor. Secondary, or human- ... endemic regions should focus on thoroughly cooking all animal products ... before eating. Gloves and other appropriate protective clothing should be ...

SOTER-based soil parameter estimates for Central Africa - DR of Congo, Burundi and Rwanda (ver. 1.0)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Batjes, N.H.

2014-01-01

This harmonized set of soil parameter estimates for Central Africa, comprising Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, was derived from the Soil and Terrain Database for Central Africa (SOTERCAF ver. 1.0) and the ISRIC-WISE soil profile database, using standardized taxonomy-based

The effect of Congo River freshwater discharge on Eastern Equatorial Atlantic climate variability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Materia, Stefano [Centro Euro-Mediterraneo per i Cambiamenti Climatici, Bologna (Italy); Gualdi, Silvio; Navarra, Antonio [Centro Euro-Mediterraneo per i Cambiamenti Climatici, Bologna (Italy); Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Bologna (Italy); Terray, Laurent [Sciences de l' Univers au CERFACS, URA1875 CERFACS/CNRS, Toulouse (France)

2012-11-15

The surface ocean explains a considerable part of the inter-annual Tropical Atlantic variability. The present work makes use of observational datasets to investigate the effect of freshwater flow on sea surface salinity (SSS) and temperature (SST) in the Gulf of Guinea. In particular, the Congo River discharges a huge amount of freshwater into the ocean, affecting SSS in the Eastern Equatorial Atlantic (EEA) and stratifying the surface layers. The hypothesis is that an excess of river runoff emphasize stratification, influencing the ocean temperature. In fact, our findings show that SSTs in the Gulf of Guinea are warmer in summers following an anomalously high Congo spring discharge. Vice versa, when the river discharges low freshwater, a cold anomaly appears in the Gulf. The response of SST is not linear: temperature anomalies are considerable and long-lasting in the event of large freshwater flow, while in dry years they are less remarkable, although still significant. An excess of freshwater seems able to form a barrier layer, which inhibits vertical mixing and the entrainment of the cold thermocline water into the surface. Other processes may contribute to SST variability, among which the net input of atmospheric freshwater falling over EEA. Likewise the case of continental runoff from Congo River, warm anomalies occur after anomalously rainy seasons and low temperatures follow dry seasons, confirming the effect of freshwater on SST. However, the two sources of freshwater anomaly are not in phase, so that it is possible to split between atypical SST following continental freshwater anomalies and rainfall anomalies. Also, variations in air-sea fluxes can produce heating and cooling of the Gulf of Guinea. Nevertheless, atypical SSTs cannot be ascribed to fluxes, since the temperature variation induced by them is not sufficient to explain the SST anomalies appearing in the Gulf after anomalous peak discharges. The interaction processes between river runoff, sea

EPIDEMIOLOGY, CLINICAL AND LABORATORY FEATURES OF CRIMEAN-CONGO HEMORRHAGIC FEVER IN GEORGIA.

Science.gov (United States)

Vashakidze, E; Mikadze, I

2015-10-01

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus transmitted to humans by Hyalomma ticks or by direct contact with the blood of infected humans or domestic animals. The most common clinical signs of CCHF are fever, nausea, headache, diarrhea, myalgia, petechial rash, and bleeding. CCHF is a severe disease in humans with a fatality rate up to 15-85%. This study was undertaken to determine the predictors of fatality among patients with CCHF based on epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory findings. 34 patients were enrolled in the study, aged 4 to 77; 17 - male and 17 female. 3 of them were fatal cases. All of them were from Shua Kartli: Khashuri, Gori and Kaspi districts, involved in farming/handling livestock and the history of tick bite was present in most of patients. Evaluation of the epidemiological characteristics of this cases showed that the female to male ratio was nearly similar. The disease is common in the rural areas of the region, mostly in the actively working age group and almost all patients were farmers. The results of our study show that the most cardinal clinical and laboratory features of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever are - acute beginning of disease, high fever, intoxication and hemorrhagic symptoms, thrombocytopenia, high level of aminotransferases and creatine. Predictors of fatality are: an altered mental status, in early stage of disease dramatic decreased thrombocytes count and significantly high level of aspartate aminotransferase, also longer the mean prothrombin time and INR.

Adsorptive removal of congo red and sunset yellow dyes from water systems by lady finger stem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abbas, A.; Murtaza, S.; Ayub, R.; Rehman, R.; Zahid, A.

2012-01-01

Summary: In this research work two anionic dyes, i.e. Congo Red and Sunset Yellow were removed successfully from aqueous media by Lady Finger stem in batch mode. Operational conditions optimization showed that agitation speed and particle size did not affect much in adsorption of these dyes; but contact time, pH, adsorbent dose and temperature of system effects the adsorption rate. Optimized conditions of adsorption for Congo Red dye were: 40 minute contact time, 8.0 pH, 0.5 g adsorbent dose, 40-60 microns mesh sized particles, 150 rpm agitation speed and 50 degree C temperature. Whereas for Sunset Yellow optimized conditions were: 30 minute contact time, 2.0 pH, 2.5 g adsorbent dose, 20-40 microns mesh sized particles, 50 rpm agitation speed and 30 degree C temperature. Suitability of equilibrium data was modulated with Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin models and found that both physisorption and chemisorption processes play important role in adsorption of these dyes by Lady Finger stem. The results demonstrated that Lady Finger stem can be efficiently employed on larger scale wastewater treatment. (author)

Integrated Hydrographical Basin Management. Study Case - Crasna River Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Visescu, Mircea; Beilicci, Erika; Beilicci, Robert

2017-10-01

Hydrographical basins are important from hydrological, economic and ecological points of view. They receive and channel the runoff from rainfall and snowmelt which, when adequate managed, can provide fresh water necessary for water supply, irrigation, food industry, animal husbandry, hydrotechnical arrangements and recreation. Hydrographical basin planning and management follows the efficient use of available water resources in order to satisfy environmental, economic and social necessities and constraints. This can be facilitated by a decision support system that links hydrological, meteorological, engineering, water quality, agriculture, environmental, and other information in an integrated framework. In the last few decades different modelling tools for resolving problems regarding water quantity and quality were developed, respectively water resources management. Watershed models have been developed to the understanding of water cycle and pollution dynamics, and used to evaluate the impacts of hydrotechnical arrangements and land use management options on water quantity, quality, mitigation measures and possible global changes. Models have been used for planning monitoring network and to develop plans for intervention in case of hydrological disasters: floods, flash floods, drought and pollution. MIKE HYDRO Basin is a multi-purpose, map-centric decision support tool for integrated hydrographical basin analysis, planning and management. MIKE HYDRO Basin is designed for analyzing water sharing issues at international, national and local hydrographical basin level. MIKE HYDRO Basin uses a simplified mathematical representation of the hydrographical basin including the configuration of river and reservoir systems, catchment hydrology and existing and potential water user schemes with their various demands including a rigorous irrigation scheme module. This paper analyzes the importance and principles of integrated hydrographical basin management and develop a case

Use of Pb and Sr isotopes as tracers of anthropogenic and natural inputs in rain waters and rivers of the Paris basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roy, St.

1996-06-01

The isotopic composition of Pb and Sr, measured in the soluble phase of rain waters and rivers are used to determine and quantify the anthropogenic inputs and the weathering rates in the Seine basin. Atmospheric lead from rain waters is exclusively anthropogenic and is derived from gasoline and industrial emissions. These rain waters transfer lead, and certain other heavy metals, into the Seine, where the anthropogenic signal perturbs the natural geochemical cycle of these metals. This transfer to the river occurs principally in the city of Paris, in contrast, in the catchment area upstream of Paris, these elements are mainly trapped in soils, rather than transferred to the river. The anthropogenic inputs comprise three-quarters of the total transport of these metals by the Seine. In the river, lead transport is due to adsorption process occurring within the suspended load. Thus, soluble lead concentrations are linked to the river flow and the intensity of mechanical erosion. After correction for atmospheric and anthropogenic inputs, it is possible to estimate the silicate weathering rate for the Seine basin. This estimate is close to that obtained for large plain rivers, such as the Congo or Amazon, indicating that chemical erosion is linked to tectonic processes rather than climatic conditions. (author)

Altering the Climate of Poverty under Climate Change : the Forests ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

This project aims to underscore the importance of the Congo basin forests in climate ... Shaping forest safety nets with markets : adaptation to climate change under changing roles ... Driving vaccine innovations to improve lives and livelihoods.

High prevalence of Rickettsia typhi and Bartonella species in rats and fleas, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Laudisoit, A.; Falay, D.; Amundala, N.; de Bellock, J.G.; van Houtte, N.; Breno, M.; Verheven, E.; Wilschut, Liesbeth; Parola, P.; Raoult, D.; C., Socolovschi

2014-01-01

The prevalence and identity of Rickettsia and Bartonella in urban rat and flea populations were evaluated in Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by molecular tools. An overall prevalence of 17% Bartonella species and 13% Rickettsia typhi, the agent of murine typhus, was found in the

Diplomatie de Léopold II face aux puissances coloniales en Afrique. Contribution à l'histoire diplomatique du Congo

OpenAIRE

Baenda Fimbo, Zacharie

2011-01-01

Cet article essaie d'analyser les stratégies diplomatiques du roi Léopold II face aux grandes puissances de l'époque lors du partage du continent africains. Ces stratégies lui ont permis de gagner la Congo au centre de l'Afrique. Peer reviewed

Efficient solar light-driven degradation of Congo red with novel Cu-loaded Fe3O4@TiO2 nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Arora, Priya; Fermah, Alisha; Rajput, Jaspreet Kaur; Singh, Harminder; Badhan, Jigyasa

2017-08-01

In this work, Cu-loaded Fe 3 O 4 @TiO 2 core shell nanoparticles were prepared in a single pot by coating of TiO 2 on Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles followed by Cu loading. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Brunauer-Emmett- Teller (BET), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and valence band X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (VB XPS) techniques were used for characterization of as prepared nanoparticles. Synergism between copper and titania was evaluated by studying the solar light-driven photodegradation of Congo red dye solution in the presence of Fe 3 O 4 @TiO 2 nanoparticles on one side and Cu-loaded Fe 3 O 4 @TiO 2 nanoparticles on the other side. The latter performed better than the former catalyst, indicating the enhanced activity of copper-loaded catalyst. Further photodegradation was studied by three means, i.e., under ultraviolet (UV), refluxing, and solar radiations. Cu-loaded Fe 3 O 4 @TiO 2 enhanced the degradation efficiency of Congo red dye. Thus, Cu act possibly by reducing the band gap of TiO 2 and widening the optical response of semiconductor, as a result of which solar light could be used to carry out photocatalysis. Graphical abstract Photodegradation of congo red over Cu-loaded Fe 3 O 4 @TiO 2 nanoparticles.

Public Knowledge and Attitude toward Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever in Tokat Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R Yilmaz

2009-12-01

Full Text Available "nBackground: The World health Organization (WHO declares Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fe­ver (CCHF endemic in Turkey. Despite the magnitude of problem, no documented evi­dence exists in Turkey, which reveals the aware­ness and practices of the country's adult popula­tion regarding CCHF, its spread, symptoms, treatment, and preven­tion. This study was conducted to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding CCHF in people visit­ing terti­ary care hospital in Tokat, Turkey."nMethods: This questionnaire based cross-sectional survey was conducted among patients' rela­tives or guardians who ad­mitted pediatric outpatient clinics during May-July 2008. The question­naire was composed of 25 questions."nResults: A total of 1034 respondents participated in the survey. Sufficient knowledge about CCHF was not found in 28.9% of the sample. Literate individuals were relatively better informed about CCHF as compared to the illiterate peo­ple. Television and radio were con­sidered as the most important and useful source of information on the disease."nConclusion: We have found insufficient knowledge on CCHF in our population. It is thought to have no chance of suc­cess against a fatal disease such as CCHF, which has serious consequences, without the contribution of commu­nity. It is clear that there are important tasks for health, agri­culture, and media sectors to improve public knowledge and awareness about CCHF. "n Keywords: Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever, Public knowledge, Survey, Turkey

jfewr ©2017 - jfewr Publications

African Journals Online (AJOL)

SkyUN.Org

2018-03-01

Mar 1, 2018 ... importance of wildlife our environment and human health. Keywords: Ebola Virus ... the risk of contracting the virus from eating any of the putative natural ..... Bush meat and livelihoods in the Congo and Amazon. Basins.

Adsorptive removal of an anionic dye Congo red by flower-like hierarchical magnesium oxide (MgO)-graphene oxide composite microspheres

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Jing; Xu, Difa; Zhu, Bicheng; Cheng, Bei; Jiang, Chuanjia

2018-03-01

Flower-like magnesium oxide (MgO) microspheres and MgO-graphene oxide (GO) composites with an average diameter of 500 nm and hierarchical structure were synthesized through an ethylene glycol-mediated self-assembly process. The adsorption of Congo red (CR) by the prepared samples was evaluated in water under ambient conditions. The equilibrium adsorption isotherms of CR on the as-prepared samples could be described by the Langmuir model. The MgO-GO microspheres prepared with 0.5 wt% GO showed higher adsorption capacity (237.0 mg/g) than the MgO microspheres (227.7 mg/g). Adsorption kinetics results of CR indicated that pseudo-second-order kinetic equation could well explain the adsorption kinetics behaviors of CR. These findings indicate that the MgO-GO composite microspheres are potential adsorbents for effective removal of Congo red from wastewater.

Clinical manifestation and pathophysiology of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever on human

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siavash Hamzehpour

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is a febrile and acute viral disease, and it is sporadic and epidemic in human societies, although it is special for animals (1. The disease was first identified in the Crimean Peninsula in the years 1945-1944 and was called the Crimean Hemorrhagic Fever. In 1956, the epidemic of the disease in the Congo also occurred, and due to the similarity of the disease agent, the combination of names of these two regions was used for naming the disease (2. The cause of this disease is a single-stranded viraemia virus from the genus Neurovirus and the Bunyaviridae family (3. One of the ways to transmit the disease is tick bites, and the hyaloma ticks are the most important constituent of the Crimean-Congo fever vein and the reservoir. In addition to transmitting the disease to vertebrates, due to a vertical and horizontal transmission, they transmit it to the next generation (4. Also, human contact with meat, blood and contaminated secretions of livestock in a livestock eradication period causes the transmission of the disease (5. Human to human transmission, which is more often seen as a hospital infection, is also a means of transmitting the disease (6. The incubation period after a tick bite is 1 to 3 days and a maximum of 9 days, and is slightly longer after contact with contaminated blood or tissue about 5-6 days, and finally 14 days (7. In the early stages of the disease, symptoms are sudden which include severe headaches, fever, chills, muscle pain, especially the back and leg muscles, neck stiffness, dizziness, reddening of the eyes, fear of light, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Then, a severe generalized muscle pain appears, mostly at the back and hamstring, and the patient complains of back pain and epigastric pain (8. In the examination of patients, facial flushing and chest thigtness, hyperemia of throat mucusand petechialsare common symptoms which draw attention. Hemorrhagic phenomena include melena

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus infection in birds: field investigations in Senegal.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeller, H G; Cornet, J P; Camicas, J L

1994-01-01

In Senegal, wild ground-feeding birds are frequently infested with immature ticks. In two areas where numerous Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus isolations were obtained from Hyalomma marginatum rufipes adult ticks collected on ungulates, 175 birds were captured and sera collected. CCHF antibodies were detected by ELISA in 6/22 red-beaked hornbills (Tockus erythrorhynchus), 2/11 glossy starlings (Lamprotornis sp.) and 1/3 guinea fowls. The virus was isolated from H. m. rufipes nymphs collected on a hornbill. The role of wild ground-feeding birds in CCHF virus ecology in West Africa is discussed.

Advocacy Narratives and Celebrity Engagement: the Case of Ben Affleck in Congo

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Budabin, Alexandra Cosima; Richey, Lisa Ann

2018-01-01

shape human rights narratives by selecting issues and interacting with dominant framings. This hypothesis is tested through a discourse analysis of professional entertainer Ben Affleck’s spoken and written texts along with organizational materials covering the establishment of the Eastern Congo...... Initiative. The study explains how the ability for celebrities to contend with narratives reflects elite practices in human rights advocacy.......Global celebrities are increasingly important in human rights--promoting causes, raising awareness, and interacting with decision-makers—as communicators to mass and elite audiences. Deepening the literature on transnational advocacy and North-South relations, this article argues that celebrities...

Mollusk communities of the central Congo River shaped by combined effects of barriers, environmental gradients, and species dispersal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oscar Wembo Ndeo

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Rapids, falls, and cascades might act as barriers for freshwater species, determining the species community up- and downstream of barriers. However, they affect community composition not only by acting as barriers but also by their influence on environmental gradients. Moreover, the directional dispersal of species along the watercourse might determine community composition. A suitable system to study these differential effects is the Congo River, the world’s second largest river by discharge. The small ‘Upper Congo Rapids’ ecoregion features several rapids known as barrier for fishes. The Wagenia Cataracts at the town of Kisangani constitute the strongest drop of the Congo River and several studies have emphasized its role as barrier for fish distribution. Alternative explanations for this pattern, however, are rarely evaluated. Though mollusks represent a vital component of the macrozoobenthos, with distribution patterns and underlying drivers often distinct from that of fishes, virtually no field surveys of the Congo River have been reported for decades. We collected and determined mollusks of 51 stations, recorded environmental conditions, and generated proxies for directional species dispersal and an indirect barrier effect. Those variables were subjected to distance-based redundancy analyses and variation partitioning in order to test whether the mollusk community compositions are better explained by an individual or combined influence of the direct and indirect effect of the cataract barrier, environmental conditions, and downstream-directed dispersal. Our survey showed an exclusive upstream/downstream distribution for just four out of the 19 species, suggesting a limited barrier effect. We revealed no direct influence of the barrier itself on community composition but of substrate type. However, we found an indirect effect of the barrier through replacing spatially structured communities upstream of the cataract with more uniform

Brucellosis in Patients with Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever

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Fazilet Duygu

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF is a fatal zoonotic viral disease caused by infection with a tick-borne virus of the genus Nairovirus. In this study, we investigated the incidence of brucellosis in patients diag­nosed with CCHF.Methods: Overall, 169 patients hospitalized with an initial diagnosis of CCHF were included in 2011 in To­kat/ Turkey. Immunoglobulin M (IgM antibodies and/or PCR results were used in the laboratory diagnosis of CCHF, while plate and standard tube agglutination (STA tests were used to diagnose brucellosis.Results: Overall, 120 patients (79% with positive PCR tests were diagnosed with CCHF. Five (4.16% were also diag­nosed with brucellosis based on the positive plate and STA test results. Four patients (2.36% had negative CCHF PCR and positive STA test results.Conclusion: Brucellosis and CCHF can mimic each other and that all patients with CCHF or brucellosis should be screened for both conditions.

Attribution of changes in precipitation patterns in African rainforests

Science.gov (United States)

Otto, Friederike E. L.; Jones, Richard G.; Halladay, Kate; Allen, Myles R.

2013-01-01

Tropical rainforests in Africa are one of the most under-researched regions in the world, but research in the Amazonian rainforest suggests potential vulnerability to climate change. Using the large ensemble of Atmosphere-only general circulation model (AGCM) simulations within the weather@home project, statistics of precipitation in the dry season of the Congo Basin rainforest are analysed. By validating the model simulation against observations, we could identify a good model performance for the June, July, August (JJA) dry season, but this result does need to be taken with caution as observed data are of poor quality. Additional validation methods have been used to investigate the applicability of probabilistic event attribution analysis from large model ensembles to a tropical region, in this case the Congo Basin. These methods corroborate the confidence in the model, leading us to believe the attribution result to be robust. That is, that there are no significant changes in the risk of low precipitation extremes during this dry season (JJA) precipitation in the Congo Basin. Results for the December, January, February dry season are less clear. The study highlights that attribution analysis has the potential to provide valuable scientific evidence of recent or anticipated climatological changes, especially in regions with sparse observational data and unclear projections of future changes. However, the strong influence of sea surface temperature teleconnection patterns on tropical precipitation provides more challenges in the set up of attribution studies than midlatitude rainfall. PMID:23878330

EVALUACIÓN DE LAS PROPIEDADES QUÍMICAS Y FUNCIONALES DEL ALMIDÓN NATIVO DE ÑAME CONGO ( Dioscorea bulbifera L. PARA PREDECIR SUS POSIBLES USOS TECNOLÓGICOS I EVALUATION OF CHEMICAL AND FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF NATIVE STARCH OF CONGO YAM ( Dioscorea bulbifera L. TO PREDICT ITS POSSIBLE TECHNOLOGICAL USES

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Ninoska Meaño Correa

2018-04-01

Full Text Available In Venezuela, the starches are mostly obtained from corn, potato, yuca and rice. Nonetheless, there are other sources for starch production and local consumption whose potential could be exploited, seeking alternatives to increase the added value to local agricultural products. Question arose about to evaluate chemical and functional properties of native starch from congo yam in order to predict its possible uses. With this purpose, bulbs of congo yam were collected in the town of Santa Ana of Anzoategui state, Venezuela, and starch was extracted from them for evaluating the yield, purity, chemical composition, amylose content, gel clarity, swelling power and solubility. The starch yield was 7.44%, and its purity was 99.29%. The chemical composition (on dry basis was of 11.29% moisture, 0.29% protein, 0.21% fat, 0.21% ash and 0.0047% phosphorus. The average content of amylose and amylopectin was 30.63 and 69.37%, respectively. As to the functional properties of starchits swelling power had a maximum of 49.05 g gel/g of starch at 95°C, clear gel formation with a transmittance rate of 91 % and a solubility that increases as the temperature rises. These results indicate that the yam congo is a source of starch with advantageous properties, a high amylose content, a clear gel with high swelling power

Kitagohaite, Pt.sub.7./sub.Cu, a new mineral from the Lubero region, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Cabral, A. R.; Skála, Roman; Vymazalová, A.; Kallistová, Anna; Lehmann, B.; Jedwab, J.; Sidorinová, T.

2014-01-01

Roč. 78, č. 3 (2014), s. 739-745 ISSN 0026-461X Institutional support: RVO:67985831 Keywords : kitagohaite * Pt 7 Cu * Lubero * North Kivu * Democratic Republic of the Congo Subject RIV: DB - Geology ; Mineralogy Impact factor: 2.026, year: 2014

Removal of toxic Congo red dye from water employing low-cost coconut residual fiber.

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Rani, K C; Naik, Aduja; Chaurasiya, Ram Saran; Raghavarao, K S M S

2017-05-01

The coconut residual fiber (CRF) is the major byproduct obtained during production of virgin coconut oil. Its application as a biosorbent for adsorption of Congo red was investigated. The CRF was subjected to different pretreatments, namely, pressure cooking, hexane treatment, acid treatment and their combinations. The pretreatment of CRF with the combination of hexane, acid, and pressure cooking resulted in the highest degree of adsorption. The equilibrium data were analyzed and found to fit best to both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Thermodynamic parameters such as standard free energy (ΔG 0 kJ mol -1 ), standard enthalpy (ΔH 0 , kJ mol -1 ) and standard entropy (ΔS 0 , kJ mol -1 K -1 ) of the systems were calculated by using the Langmuir constant. The ΔG 0 , ΔH 0 and ΔS 0 were found to be 16.51 kJ mol -1 , -19.39 kJ mol -1 and -0.12 kJ mol -1 K -1 , respectively, at 300 K. These thermodynamic parameters suggest the present adsorption process to be non-spontaneous and exothermic. The adsorption process was observed to follow pseudo-second-order kinetics. The results suggest that CRF has potential to be a biosorbent for the removal of hazardous material (Congo red dye) with a maximum adsorption capacity of 128.94 mg g -1 at 300 K.

Organic matter sources, fluxes and greenhouse gas exchange in the Oubangui River (Congo River basin

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S. Bouillon

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The Oubangui is a major tributary of the Congo River, draining an area of ~500 000 km² mainly consisting of wooded savannahs. Here, we report results of a one year long, 2-weekly sampling campaign in Bangui (Central African Republic since March 2010 for a suite of physico-chemical and biogeochemical characteristics, including total suspended matter (TSM, bulk concentration and stable isotope composition of particulate organic carbon (POC and δ¹³C_POC, particulate nitrogen (PN and δ¹⁵N_PN, dissolved organic carbon (DOC and δ¹³C_DOC, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC and δ¹³C_DIC, dissolved greenhouse gases (CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O, and dissolved lignin composition. δ¹³C signatures of both POC and DOC showed strong seasonal variations (−30.6 to −25.8‰, and −31.8 to −27.1‰, respectively, but their different timing indicates that the origins of POC and DOC may vary strongly over the hydrograph and are largely uncoupled, differing up to 6‰ in δ¹³C signatures. Dissolved lignin characteristics (carbon-normalised yields, cinnamyl:vanillyl phenol ratios, and vanillic acid to vanillin ratios showed marked differences between high and low discharge conditions, consistent with major seasonal variations in the sources of dissolved organic matter. We observed a strong seasonality in pCO₂, ranging between 470 ± 203 ppm for Q < 1000 m³ s⁻¹ (n=10 to a maximum of 3750 ppm during the first stage of the rising discharge. The low POC/PN ratios, high %POC and low and variable δ¹³C_POC signatures during low flow conditions suggest that the majority of the POC pool during this period consists of in situ produced phytoplankton, consistent with concurrent pCO₂ (partial pressure of CO₂ values only slightly

Inspiration fuels space research in Congo. Combating malnutrition with Spirulina, the green protein source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-01-01

In Congo, around 43% of all children under the age of five suffer from chronic malnutrition. The result is a high infant mortality rate./ Researchers from the Belgian Nuclear research Center SCK•CEN started working on the cultivation of spirulina, a type of algae rich in vitamins and minerals that are essential for combating chronic malnutrition in children. This Inspiration project is the first in a series and signals the ambition of SCK•CEN to contribute towards a balanced and sustainable world.

The Central European Permian Basins; Rheological and structural controls on basin history and on inter-basin connectivity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smit, Jeroen; van Wees, Jan-Diederik; Cloetingh, Sierd

2014-01-01

We analyse the relative importance of the major crustal-scale fault zones and crustal architecture in controlling basin formation, deformation and the structural connections between basins. The North and South Permian Basins of Central Europe are usually defined by the extend of Rotliegend

Producing Woodfuel for Urban Centers in the Democratic Republic of Congo: A Path Out of Poverty for Rural Households?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schure, J.M.; Levang, P.; Wiersum, K.F.

2014-01-01

Woodfuel is a renewable energy source with good potential for climate change mitigation. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the sector employs over 300,000 people for the supply of Kinshasa alone, but the benefits to the poor are often unknown. This paper analyzes the contribution of

Comparative Research on River Basin Management in the Sagami River Basin (Japan and the Muda River Basin (Malaysia

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Lay Mei Sim

2018-05-01

Full Text Available In the world, river basins often interwoven into two or more states or prefectures and because of that, disputes over water are common. Nevertheless, not all shared river basins are associated with water conflicts. Rivers in Japan and Malaysia play a significant role in regional economic development. They also play a significant role as water sources for industrial, domestic, agricultural, aquaculture, hydroelectric power generation, and the environment. The research aim is to determine the similarities and differences between the Sagami and Muda River Basins in order to have a better understanding of the governance needed for effectively implementing the lessons drawn from the Sagami River Basin for improving the management of the Muda River Basin in Malaysia. This research adopts qualitative and quantitative approaches. Semi-structured interviews were held with the key stakeholders from both basins and show that Japan has endeavored to present policy efforts to accommodate the innovative approaches in the management of their water resources, including the establishment of a river basin council. In Malaysia, there is little or no stakeholder involvement in the Muda River Basin, and the water resource management is not holistic and is not integrated as it should be. Besides that, there is little or no Integrated Resources Water Management, a pre-requisite for sustainable water resources. The results from this comparative study concluded that full support and participation from public stakeholders (meaning the non-government and non-private sector stakeholders is vital for achieving sustainable water use in the Muda River Basin. Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM approaches such as the introduction of payments for ecosystems services and the development of river basin organization in the Muda River Basin should take place in the spirit of political willingness.

[Precancerous lesions of the uterine cervix in Pointe-Noire, Congo].

Science.gov (United States)

Moukassa, D; N'Golet, A; Lingouala, L G; Eouani, M L; Samba, J B; Mambou, J V; Ompaligoli, S; Moukengue, L F; Taty-Pambou, E

2007-02-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the cytological profile and risk factors for intraepithelial precancerous lesions of the uterine cervix in an urban community of Pointe-Noire, an industrialized seaport located in the southeast region of Congo-Brazzaville. A transverse study was carried out over a period of 18 months (January 2003 to July 2004) in the Center for the Study of Human and Animal Diseases (CSHAD) at the General Adolphe Sie Hospital in Pointe-Noire. A total of 1347 files of women benefiting from cervico-vaginal smears were included in the study. Testing was undertaken either at the request of the patient (voluntary screening) or at the request of a health care provider (physician, midwife or nurse) in relation with various gynecological problems. The relative frequency of intraepithelial lesions was estimated to be 15.36% including 9.17% of low-grade intraepithelial lesions (Ig IEL) and 6.19% of high-grade intraepithelial lesions (hg IEL). The mean age of patients with hg IEL was 42.25 years (range, 12 to 17). Study of the interval between actual age at the time of sample collection and age of first sexual relations showed that women presenting IEL had an interval of at least 20 years. This interval probably corresponds to the time necessary for the interaction between human papillomavirus (HPV) and epithelial cells of the uterine cervix to induce intraepithelial lesions that lead to development of cancer of the uterine cervix. Comparative analysis of the number of sexual partners between the group of women with normal smears and the group with smears showing hg IEL indicated a clear predominance of the mean number of partners in the latter group, i.e., 2 +/- 1,2 versus 5 +/- 1,8 (p cervix in the Kouilou department of Congo-Brazzaville. These data will serve as benchmarks and guidance for forthcoming screening campaigns for early detection of uterine cervix cancer.

Infant feeding practices and determinants of poor breastfeeding behavior in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo: a descriptive study.

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Yotebieng, Marcel; Chalachala, Jean Lambert; Labbok, Miriam; Behets, Frieda

2013-10-01

Although breastfeeding is almost universally accepted in the Democratic Republic (DR) of Congo, by the age of 2 to 3 months 65% of children are receiving something other than human milk. We sought to describe the infant feeding practices and determinants of suboptimal breastfeeding behaviors in DR Congo. Survey questionnaire administered to mothers of infants aged ≤ 6 months and healthcare providers who were recruited consecutively at six selected primary health care facilities in Kinshasa, the capital. All 66 mothers interviewed were breastfeeding. Before initiating breastfeeding, 23 gave their infants something other than their milk, including: sugar water (16) or water (2). During the twenty-four hours prior to interview, 26 (39%) infants were exclusively breastfed (EBF), whereas 18 (27%), 12 (18%), and 10 (15%) received water, tea, formula, or porridge, respectively, in addition to human milk. The main reasons for water supplementation included "heat" and cultural beliefs that water is needed for proper digestion of human milk. The main reason for formula supplementation was the impression that the baby was not getting enough milk; and for porridge supplementation, the belief that the child was old enough to start complementary food. Virtually all mothers reported that breastfeeding was discussed during antenatal clinic visit and half reported receiving help regarding breastfeeding from a health provider either after birth or during well-child clinic visit. Despite a median of at least 14 years of experience in these facilities, healthcare workers surveyed had little to no formal training on how to support breastfeeding and inadequate breastfeeding-related knowledge and skills. The facilities lacked any written policy about breastfeeding. Addressing cultural beliefs, training healthcare providers adequately on breastfeeding support skills, and providing structured breastfeeding support after maternity discharge is needed to promote EBF in the DR Congo.

Unintended pregnancy and its correlates among currently pregnant women in the Kwango District, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Science.gov (United States)

Dhakal, Sarita; Song, Jin Sung; Shin, Dong Eun; Lee, Tae Ho; So, Ae Young; Nam, Eun Woo

2016-06-16

Unintended pregnancy is an important reproductive health problem in both developed and developing countries and is most prominent in low-middle income countries. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the total fertility rate is high at 5.9 births per women, and a mother's probabily of dying at an age between 15-49 years is also high (53 %). Women with unintended pregnancies are less likely to utilize available necessary services for their own health and the health of their children. Therefore, unintended pregnancy is a crucial factor of maternal health in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This study aims to identify the prevalence of unintended pregnancy and its associated factors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Data were collected from June 20 to 29, 2014 among women aged 15-49 years who had children younger than 5 years old. The women were from a representative sample of 602 households. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the associations between the dependent variable and the explanatory variables. Unintended pregnancy was reported in 51.4 % of the respondents. Multivariate logistic regression showed an association between education status (AOR, 3.4; CI, 1.21-9.90) and age of the last child (AOR, 5.17; CI, 1.23-21.70) with an unintended pregnancy. Unintended pregnancies were low among women who owner a cell phone (AOR, 0.18; CI, 0.47-0.73) and those who were aware of family planning method (AOR 0.20; CI, 0.06-0.60). The unintended pregnancy rate high and was significantly associated with female education, previous use of family planning methods, ownership of cell phone, and age of the last child. Maternal health interventions should focus on increasing family planning service utilization, awareness of family planning, and access to communication and income.

Putative Adult Neurogenesis in Old World Parrots: The Congo African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus and Timneh Grey Parrot (Psittacus timneh

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Pedzisai Mazengenya

2018-02-01

Full Text Available In the current study, we examined for the first time, the potential for adult neurogenesis throughout the brain of the Congo African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus and Timneh grey parrot (Psittacus timneh using immunohistochemistry for the endogenous markers proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA, which labels proliferating cells, and doublecortin (DCX, which stains immature and migrating neurons. A similar distribution of PCNA and DCX immunoreactivity was found throughout the brain of the Congo African grey and Timneh grey parrots, but minor differences were also observed. In both species of parrots, PCNA and DCX immunoreactivity was observed in the olfactory bulbs, subventricular zone of the lateral wall of the lateral ventricle, telencephalic subdivisions of the pallium and subpallium, diencephalon, mesencephalon and the rhombencephalon. The olfactory bulb and telencephalic subdivisions exhibited a higher density of both PCNA and DCX immunoreactive cells than any other brain region. DCX immunoreactive staining was stronger in the telencephalon than in the subtelencephalic structures. There was evidence of proliferative hot spots in the dorsal and ventral poles of the lateral ventricle in the Congo African grey parrots at rostral levels, whereas only the dorsal accumulation of proliferating cells was observed in the Timneh grey parrot. In most pallial regions the density of PCNA and DCX stained cells increased from rostral to caudal levels with the densest staining in the nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL. The widespread distribution of PCNA and DCX in the brains of both parrot species suggest the importance of adult neurogenesis and neuronal plasticity during learning and adaptation to external environmental variations.

Putative Adult Neurogenesis in Old World Parrots: The Congo African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus) and Timneh Grey Parrot (Psittacus timneh).

Science.gov (United States)

Mazengenya, Pedzisai; Bhagwandin, Adhil; Manger, Paul R; Ihunwo, Amadi O

2018-01-01

In the current study, we examined for the first time, the potential for adult neurogenesis throughout the brain of the Congo African grey parrot ( Psittacus erithacus ) and Timneh grey parrot ( Psittacus timneh ) using immunohistochemistry for the endogenous markers proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), which labels proliferating cells, and doublecortin (DCX), which stains immature and migrating neurons. A similar distribution of PCNA and DCX immunoreactivity was found throughout the brain of the Congo African grey and Timneh grey parrots, but minor differences were also observed. In both species of parrots, PCNA and DCX immunoreactivity was observed in the olfactory bulbs, subventricular zone of the lateral wall of the lateral ventricle, telencephalic subdivisions of the pallium and subpallium, diencephalon, mesencephalon and the rhombencephalon. The olfactory bulb and telencephalic subdivisions exhibited a higher density of both PCNA and DCX immunoreactive cells than any other brain region. DCX immunoreactive staining was stronger in the telencephalon than in the subtelencephalic structures. There was evidence of proliferative hot spots in the dorsal and ventral poles of the lateral ventricle in the Congo African grey parrots at rostral levels, whereas only the dorsal accumulation of proliferating cells was observed in the Timneh grey parrot. In most pallial regions the density of PCNA and DCX stained cells increased from rostral to caudal levels with the densest staining in the nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL). The widespread distribution of PCNA and DCX in the brains of both parrot species suggest the importance of adult neurogenesis and neuronal plasticity during learning and adaptation to external environmental variations.

Health service planning contributes to policy dialogue around strengthening district health systems: an example from DR Congo 2008-2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajan, Dheepa; Kalambay, Hyppolite; Mossoko, Mathias; Kwete, Dieudonné; Bulakali, Joseph; Lokonga, Jean-Pierre; Porignon, Denis; Schmets, Gerard

2014-10-31

This case study from DR Congo demonstrates how rational operational planning based on a health systems strengthening strategy (HSSS) can contribute to policy dialogue over several years. It explores the operationalization of a national strategy at district level by elucidating a normative model district resource plan which details the resources and costs of providing an essential health services package at district level. This paper then points to concrete examples of how the results of this exercise were used for Ministry of Health (MoH) decision-making over a time period of 5 years. DR Congo's HSSS and its accompanying essential health services package were taken as a base to construct a normative model health district comprising of 10 Health Centres (HC) and 1 District Hospital (DH). The normative model health district represents a standard set by the Ministry of Health for providing essential primary health care services. The minimum operating budget necessary to run a normative model health district is $17.91 per inhabitant per year, of which $11.86 is for the district hospital and $6.05 for the health centre. The Ministry of Health has employed the results of this exercise in 4 principal ways: 1.Advocacy and negotiation instrument; 2. Instrument to align donors; 3. Field planning; 4. Costing database to extract data from when necessary. The above results have been key in the policy dialogue on affordability of the essential health services package in DR Congo. It has allowed the MoH to provide transparent information on financing needs around the HSSS; it continues to help the MoH negotiate with the Ministry of Finance and bring partner support behind the HSSS.

Photocatalytic degradation and photo-Fenton oxidation of Congo red dye pollutants in water using natural chromite—response surface optimization

Science.gov (United States)

Shaban, Mohamed; Abukhadra, Mostafa R.; Ibrahim, Suzan S.; Shahien, Mohamed. G.

2017-12-01

Refined natural Fe-chromite was characterized by XRD, FT-IR, reflected polarized microscope, XRF and UV spectrophotometer. Photocatalytic degradation and photo-Fenton oxidation of Congo red dye by Fe-chromite was investigated using 1 mL H2O2. The degradation of dye was studied as a function of illumination time, chromite mass, initial dye concentration, and pH. Fe-chromite acts as binary oxide system from chromium oxide and ferrous oxide. Thus, it exhibits photocatalytic properties under UV illumination and photo-Fenton oxidation after addition of H2O2. The degradation in the presence of H2O2 reached the equilibrium stage after 8 h (59.4%) but in the absence of H2O2 continued to 12 h (54.6%). Photocatalytic degradation results fitted well with zero, first order and second order kinetic model but it represented by second order rather than by the other models. While the photo-Fenton oxidation show medium fitting with the second order kinetic model only. The values of kinetic rate constants for the photo-Fenton oxidation were greater than those for the photocatalytic degradation. Thus, degradation of Congo red dye using chromite as catalyst is more efficient by photo-Fenton oxidation. Based on the response surface analysis, the predicted optimal conditions for maximum removal of Congo red dye by photocatalytic degradation (100%) were 12 mg/l, 0.14 g, 3, and 11 h for dye concentration, chromite mass, pH, and illumination time, respectively. Moreover, the optimum condition for photo-Fenton oxidation of dye (100%) is 13.5 mg/l, 0.10 g, 4, and 10 h, respectively.

Y-chromosomal variation in Sub-Saharan Africa: insights into the history of Niger-Congo groups

Science.gov (United States)

de Filippo, Cesare; Barbieri, Chiara; Whitten, Mark; Mpoloka, Sununguko Wata; Gunnarsdóttir, Ellen Drofn; Bostoen, Koen; Nyambe, Terry; Beyer, Klaus; Schreiber, Henning; de Knijff, Peter; Luiselli, Donata; Stoneking, Mark; Pakendorf, Brigitte

2013-01-01

Technological and cultural innovations, as well as climate changes, are thought to have influenced the diffusion of major language phyla in sub-Saharan Africa. The most widespread and the richest in diversity is the Niger-Congo phylum, thought to have originated in West Africa ~10,000 years ago. The expansion of Bantu languages (a family within the Niger-Congo phylum) ~5,000 years ago represents a major event in the past demography of the continent. Many previous studies on Y chromosomal variation in Africa associated the Bantu expansion with haplogroup E1b1a (and sometimes its sub-lineage E1b1a7). However, the distribution of these two lineages extends far beyond the area occupied nowadays by Bantu speaking people, raising questions on the actual genetic structure behind this expansion. To address these issues, we directly genotyped 31 biallelic markers and 12 microsatellites on the Y chromosome in 1195 individuals of African ancestry focusing on areas that were previously poorly characterized (Botswana, Burkina Faso, D.R.C, and Zambia). With the inclusion of published data, we analyzed 2736 individuals from 26 groups representing all linguistic phyla and covering a large portion of Sub-Saharan Africa. Within the Niger-Congo phylum, we ascertain for the first time differences in haplogroup composition between Bantu and non-Bantu groups via two markers (U174 and U175) on the background of haplogroup E1b1a (and E1b1a7), which were directly genotyped in our samples and for which genotypes were inferred from published data using Linear Discriminant Analysis on STR haplotypes. No reduction in STR diversity levels was found across the Bantu groups, suggesting the absence of serial founder effects. In addition, the homogeneity of haplogroup composition and pattern of haplotype sharing between Western and Eastern Bantu groups suggest that their expansion throughout Sub-Saharan Africa reflects a rapid spread followed by backward and forward migrations. Overall, we found

Comparing the Performance of Faith-Based and Government Schools in the Democratic Republic of Congo

OpenAIRE

Backiny-Yetna, Prospere; Wodon, Quentin

2009-01-01

This paper provides a comparative assessment of the market share, reach to the poor, and performance of faith-based and public schools in the Democratic Republic of Congo using data from the 2004-2005 "123" survey. More than two thirds of primary school students attend faith-based government-assisted schools. Both types of school cater to a similar population that is overwhelmingly poor. Faith-based schools perform slightly better at least in some dimensions than government schools, but the ...

Conservation Education and Environmental Communication in Great Ape Re-Introduction Projects: Two Cases from the Republic of Congo

Science.gov (United States)

Cartwright, Barbara J.; Wall, John E.; Kaya, J. A. Placide

2012-01-01

Among species recovery tools available, re-introduction of animals to the wild is one of the more complex. Since the mid-1990s two successful great ape re-introductions have taken place in the Republic of Congo, leading some conservationists to revisit re-introduction as a strategy. This research explored the role of conservation education and…

A Study of Waste Management within the COL Florence A. Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Science.gov (United States)

1981-08-01

besnoiti Borna disease virus Bovine infectious petechial fever virus Camel pox virus Ephemeral fever virus Fowl plague virus Goat pox virus Hog...Varicella virus Vole rickettsia Yellow fever virus, 17D vaccine strain 69 Class 3 Alastrun, smallpox, monkeypox, and whitepox, when used in vitro Arbovirus...animal inoculation experiments Vesicular stomatitis virus Yellow fever virus - wild when used in vitro Class 4 Alastrun, smallpox, monkeypox, and

Sur quelques aspects de la production du soja (Glycine max L. au Congo : essais préliminaires

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Mandimba, GR.

1991-01-01

Full Text Available About some cropping systems of soybean (Glycine max. L. in Congo : first results. Field experiments were conducted to assess the response of soybean Glycine max cv. FN3 to N fertilization and inoculation respectively. In the first experiment, the effects of different levels of N fertilizer (0 ; 20 ; 40 and 80 kg N/ha with or without liming were studied. Soybean podyield were related to N fertilization only when liming was added to the soil In the second one, the effects of four Bradyrhizobium japonicum strains F A3 ; 3-40 ; SA 1 and G3S on nodulation and yields were also studied. Inoculation has significant effect on nodulation and plant top dry weight at full bloom, and seed yield at harvest when compared to the control. However, the Bradyrhizobium japonicum strains tested had various symbiotic effectiveness on Glycine max cv. FN3. In addition, soybean plants inoculated with G3S strain and those fertilized with 100 kg N/ha produced similar seed yield. Our study illustrated that G3S strain had the better adaptability in environmental conditions of Congo soil.

Drainage basins features and hydrological behaviour river Minateda basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alonso-Sarria, F.

1991-01-01

Nine basin variables (shape, size and topology) have been analyzed in four small basins with non-permanent run off (SE of Spain). These geomorphological variables have been selected for their high correlation with the Instantaneous unit hydrograph parameters. It is shown that the variables can change from one small basin to another within a very short area; because of it, generalizations about the behaviour of the run off are not possible. In conclusion, it is stated that the variations in geomorphological aspects between different basins, caused mainly by geological constraints, are a very important factor to be controlled in a study of geoecological change derived from climatic change

Retinoblastoma in the Democratic Republic of Congo: 20-Year Review from a Tertiary Hospital in Kinshasa

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Aimé Kazadi Lukusa

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Background. To determine clinical profile and management of retinoblastoma among children at Kinshasa in Democratic Republic of Congo. Patients and methods. The medical records of patients with a diagnosis of retinoblastoma seen at the University Hospital of Kinshasa from January 1985 till December 2005 were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic profile, clinical data, modes of treatment and outcome were analysed. Results. A total of 49 children, of whom 40 had adequate data on record were identified as retinoblastoma (28 males and 12 females. Nine cases had bilateral disease. The median age at the first symptoms was 9 months (range, 1 month to 6 years for unilateral retinoblastoma and 18 months (range, 1 month to 3.5 years for bilateral retinoblastoma. The median age at the first oncology consultation was 2.4 years (range, 6 months to 6 years for unilateral retinoblastoma and 2.4years (range, 9 months to 4 years for bilateral disease. Leukokoria was present in 67.5% of subjects. Seventy-five percent abandoned the treatment. The mortality was 92.5%. Conclusion. In Democratic Republic of Congo, retinoblastoma remains a life threatening disease characterized by late referral to a specialized unit and affordability of chemotherapy; all leading to an extension of the disease and high mortality.

RESERVES IN WESTERN BASINS PART IV: WIND RIVER BASIN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robert Caldwell

1998-04-01

Vast quantities of natural gas are entrapped within various tight formations in the Rocky Mountain area. This report seeks to quantify what proportion of that resource can be considered recoverable under today's technological and economic conditions and discusses factors controlling recovery. The ultimate goal of this project is to encourage development of tight gas reserves by industry through reducing the technical and economic risks of locating, drilling and completing commercial tight gas wells. This report is the fourth in a series and focuses on the Wind River Basin located in west central Wyoming. The first three reports presented analyses of the tight gas reserves and resources in the Greater Green River Basin (Scotia, 1993), Piceance Basin (Scotia, 1995) and the Uinta Basin (Scotia, 1995). Since each report is a stand-alone document, duplication of language will exist where common aspects are discussed. This study, and the previous three, describe basin-centered gas deposits (Masters, 1979) which contain vast quantities of natural gas entrapped in low permeability (tight), overpressured sandstones occupying a central basin location. Such deposits are generally continuous and are not conventionally trapped by a structural or stratigraphic seal. Rather, the tight character of the reservoirs prevents rapid migration of the gas, and where rates of gas generation exceed rates of escape, an overpressured basin-centered gas deposit results (Spencer, 1987). Since the temperature is a primary controlling factor for the onset and rate of gas generation, these deposits exist in the deeper, central parts of a basin where temperatures generally exceed 200 F and drill depths exceed 8,000 feet. The abbreviation OPT (overpressured tight) is used when referring to sandstone reservoirs that comprise the basin-centered gas deposit. Because the gas resources trapped in this setting are so large, they represent an important source of future gas supply, prompting studies

Forest–climate nexus

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chia, Eugene Loh; Somorin, O.A.; Sonwa, D.J.; Bele, Y.M.; Tiani, M.A.

2015-01-01

In Cameroon, as in other countries of the Congo basin region, policy processes and activities related to climate change have been hitherto geared mostly towards mitigation and related questions, with limited concern about adaptation issues. However, the increasing vulnerability of Cameroon to

Mean Platelet Volume and Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Patients with Crimean–Congo Hemorrhagic Fever

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Derya Koçer

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives: Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF is a tick-borne zoonotic infection caused by Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR and mean platelet volume (MPV which are simple markers of subclinical inflammation and CCHF. We also investigated the relationship of these markers with coagulation parameters.Methods: Thirty-one suspected CCHF patients, who submitted to Training and Research Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey between 2009 and 2013, were evaluated retrospectively. Among thirty-one patients, nineteen were laboratory confirmed CCHF patients diagnosed by RT-PCR or CCHFV-specific IgM positivity. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT, aspartate aminotransferase (AST, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH, creatinin phosphokinase (CK, coagulation parameters, white blood cell counts (WBCs, and platelet counts of patient group were compared with twenty-five healthy individuals.Results: MPV, AST, ALT, LDH, CK and coagulation parameters were significantly higher in patients with CCHF than the controls, whereas WBCs, neutrophil, lymphocyte, hemoglobin, platelet counts and NLR were significantly lower (p<0.05. We found no significant correlation between MPV, NLR and coagulation parameters.Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that MPV and NLR may be beneficial markers in the diagnosis of CCHF. But these parameters should not be considered stand-alone tests for this use owing to nonspecificity with other diseases.

Hydrologic Science and Satellite Measurements of Surface Water (Invited)

Science.gov (United States)

Alsdorf, D. E.; Mognard, N. M.; Lettenmaier, D. P.

2010-12-01

While significant advances continue to be made for satellite measurements of surface waters, important science and application opportunities remain. Examples include the following: (1) Our current methods of measuring floodwater dynamics are either sparsely distributed or temporally inadequate. As an example, flood depths are measured by using high water marks, which capture only the peak of the flood wave, not its temporal variability. (2) Discharge is well measured at individual points along stream networks using in-situ gauges, but these do not capture within-reach hydraulic variability such as the water surface slope changes on the rising and falling limbs of flood waves. (3) Just a 1.0 mm/day error in ET over the Congo Basin translates to a 35,000 m3/s discharge error. Knowing the discharge of the Congo River and its many tributaries should significantly improve our understanding of the water balance throughout the basin. The Congo is exemplary of many other basins around the globe. (4) Arctic hydrology is punctuated by millions of unmeasured lakes. Globally, there might be as many as 30 million lakes larger than a hectare. Storage changes in these lakes are nearly unknown, but in the Arctic such changes are likely an indication of global warming. (5) Well over 100 rivers cross international boundaries, yet the sharing of water data is poor. Overcoming this helps to better manage the entire river basin while also providing a better assessment of potential water related disasters. The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT, http://swot.jpl.nasa.gov/) mission is designed to meet these needs by providing global measurements of surface water hydrodynamics. SWOT will allow estimates of discharge in rivers wider than 100m (50m goal) and storage changes in water bodies larger than 250m by 250m (and likely as small as one hectare).

CZO perspective in Central Africa : The Lopé watershed, Lopé National Park, Ogooué River basin, Gabon.

Science.gov (United States)

Braun, J. J.; Jeffery, K.; Koumba Pambo, A. F.; Paiz, M. C.; Richter, D., Jr.; John, P.; Jerome, G.

2015-12-01

Critical Zone Observatories (CZO) in equatorial regions are seldom (see e. g. http://www.czen.org/, USA and http://rnbv.ipgp.fr/, France). The equatorial zone of Central Africa is almost free of them with the exception of the CZO of the Upper Nyong river basin (organic-rich river on the lateritic plateau of South Cameroon; SO BVET, http://bvet.omp.obs-mip.fr/). On both sides of the Equator line, the Ogooué River Basin (215,000 km2) stretches on about 80% of the total area of Gabon and drains various geological and morpho-pedological contexts and feeds the sedimentation areas of the Central African passive margin (Guillochaux et al., 2014). The Upper Ogooué (up to Lambaréné) drains the stepped planation surface of the Congo craton while the Lower Ogooué drains Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary terrains. The climate is equatorial (Pmean = 2500 mm/yr; Tmean = 26 °; %humidity > 80%). Continuous hydro-climatic chronicles exist for the period 1953-1974 (managed by ORSTOM, now IRD). The runoff at Lambaréné (92% of the basin area) is very high (714 mm/yr). With a rural density of 1 inhabitant/km2, it is one of the last largely pristine tropical forested ecosystems on the Planet. In addition, the basin will be, in the coming decades, the theatre of important anthropogenic changes (dams, agriculture, mining, urbanisation, …). However, a conservation plan with an ambitious sustainable development policy is set up. This plan articulates the environmental issues related to the emergence of the country. Because of these characteristics, the basin offers ideal conditions for studying the changes in equatorial region of hydro-climate, weathering/erosion regimes and regolith production based on morpho-pedological contexts and associated physical, chemical and biological processes. It is thus germane to launch an integrated CZO initiative at both regional scale and local scale. At the regional scale, we plan to reactivate some of the hydro-climatic stations located on the

Seroepidemiological study of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever in Greece, 2009-2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Sidira, P; Maltezou, H C; Haidich, A-B; Papa, A

2012-02-01

To estimate endemic areas for Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in Greece, a country-wide seroepidemiological study was conducted, and 1611 human sera were prospectively collected along with data regarding possible risk factors for acquisition of infection, and tested for CCHF virus IgG antibodies by ELISA. The overall seroprevalence was 4.2%, with significant differences among prefectures, ranging from 0 to 27.5%. Multivariate analysis revealed that slaughtering and agricultural activities were significant risk factors for CCHFV seropositivity. The significantly high seroprevalence in specific prefectures, together with the extremely low number of CCHF cases, suggest that this phenomenon might be strain-related. © 2011 The Authors. Clinical Microbiology and Infection © 2011 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

Bushmeat consumption among rural and urban children from Province Orientale, Democratic Republic of Congo

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van Vliet, Nathalie; Nebesse, Casimir; Nasi, Robert

2015-01-01

of other meat (from the wild, such as fish and caterpillars, or from domestic sources, such as beef, chicken, pork, goat and mutton) among children from Province Orientale, Democratic Republic of Congo. Our results show that urban and rural households consume more meat from the wild than from domestic...... monkeys), probably because rural households tend to consume the less marketable species or the smaller animals. We show that despite the tendency towards more urbanized population profiles and increased livelihood opportunities away from forest and farms, wildlife harvest remains a critical component...

High Prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni in Six Health Areas of - Kasansa Health Zone, Democratic Republic of the Congo: Short Report.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Linsuke, S.; Nundu, S.; Mupoyi, R.; Mukele, R.; Mukunda, F.; Kabongo, M.M.; Inocencio da Luz, R.; Van Geertruyden, J.P.; Van Sprundel, M.; Boelaert, M.; Polman, K.; Lutumba, P.

2014-01-01

School-aged children suffer the most from schistosomiasis infection in sub Saharan Africa due to poverty and limited sanitary conditions. Mapping of disease burden is recommended and there is a need of updating prevalence data which is as old as 20 years in the Democratic Republic of Congo. An

Biosafety standards for working with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus.

Science.gov (United States)

Weidmann, Manfred; Avsic-Zupanc, Tatjana; Bino, Silvia; Bouloy, Michelle; Burt, Felicity; Chinikar, Sadegh; Christova, Iva; Dedushaj, Isuf; El-Sanousi, Ahmed; Elaldi, Nazif; Hewson, Roger; Hufert, Frank T; Humolli, Isme; Jansen van Vuren, Petrus; Koçak Tufan, Zeliha; Korukluoglu, Gülay; Lyssen, Pieter; Mirazimi, Ali; Neyts, Johan; Niedrig, Matthias; Ozkul, Aykut; Papa, Anna; Paweska, Janusz; Sall, Amadou A; Schmaljohn, Connie S; Swanepoel, Robert; Uyar, Yavuz; Weber, Friedemann; Zeller, Herve

2016-11-01

In countries from which Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is absent, the causative virus, CCHF virus (CCHFV), is classified as a hazard group 4 agent and handled in containment level (CL)-4. In contrast, most endemic countries out of necessity have had to perform diagnostic tests under biosafety level (BSL)-2 or -3 conditions. In particular, Turkey and several of the Balkan countries have safely processed more than 100 000 samples over many years in BSL-2 laboratories. It is therefore advocated that biosafety requirements for CCHF diagnostic procedures should be revised, to allow the tests required to be performed under enhanced BSL-2 conditions with appropriate biosafety laboratory equipment and personal protective equipment used according to standardized protocols in the countries affected. Downgrading of CCHFV research work from CL-4, BSL-4 to CL-3, BSL-3 should also be considered.

Hepatitis in Patients with Crimean –Congo Hemorrhagic Fever

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Batool Sharifi-Mood

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF is a viral disease and causing approximately 30% fatality rate. Recent studies have been reported that hepatitis in CCHF patients is with high mortality. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hepatitis in the CCHF cases and also detect the mortality rate among patients with hepatitis. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted in patients with CCHF who were hospitalized in Boo-Ali hospital in Zahedan between Oct 2009 to Feb 2012. Liver function tests including aminotransferase enzymes and prothrombin time and mortality rate were evaluated. Results: Among 53 patients with CCHF, hepatitis was seen in 19 patients (45%. Nine patients died (21%. All dead patients had a serum aminotransaminase level ≥10 times the upper normal limit. Conclusion: Our study showed that hepatitis is prevalent in CCHF patients and a serum aminotransaminase level ≥5 times the upper normal limit (UNL is a risk factor for severe disease and high mortality.

Ebola Virus Disease, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Nanclares, Carolina; Kapetshi, Jimmy; Lionetto, Fanshen; de la Rosa, Olimpia; Tamfun, Jean-Jacques Muyembe; Alia, Miriam; Kobinger, Gary; Bernasconi, Andrea

2016-09-01

During July-November 2014, the Democratic Republic of the Congo underwent its seventh Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak. The etiologic agent was Zaire Ebola virus; 66 cases were reported (overall case-fatality rate 74.2%). Through a retrospective observational study of confirmed EVD in 25 patients admitted to either of 2 Ebola treatment centers, we described clinical features and investigated correlates associated with death. Clinical features were mainly generic. At admission, 76% of patients had >1 gastrointestinal symptom and 28% >1 hemorrhagic symptom. The case-fatality rate in this group was 48% and was higher for female patients (67%). Cox regression analysis correlated death with initial low cycle threshold, indicating high viral load. Cycle threshold was a robust predictor of death, as were fever, hiccups, diarrhea, dyspnea, dehydration, disorientation, hematemesis, bloody feces during hospitalization, and anorexia in recent medical history. Differences from other outbreaks could suggest guidance for optimizing clinical management and disease control.

Contrasting basin architecture and rifting style of the Vøring Basin, offshore mid-Norway and the Faroe-Shetland Basin, offshore United Kingdom

Science.gov (United States)

Schöpfer, Kateřina; Hinsch, Ralph

2017-04-01

The Vøring and the Faroe-Shetland basins are offshore deep sedimentary basins which are situated on the outer continental margin of the northeast Atlantic Ocean. Both basins are underlain by thinned continental crust whose structure is still debated. In particular the nature of the lower continental crust and the origin of high velocity bodies located at the base of the lower crust are a subject of discussion in recent literature. Regional interpretation of 2D and 3D seismic reflection data, combined with well data, suggest that both basins share several common features: (i) Pre-Cretaceous faults that are distributed across the entire basin width. (ii) Geometries of pre-Jurassic strata reflecting at least two extensional phases. (iii) Three common rift phases, Late Jurassic, Campanian-Maastrichtian and Palaeocene. (iv) Large pre-Cretaceous fault blocks that are buried by several kilometres of Cretaceous and Cenozoic strata. (iii). (v) Latest Cretaceous/Palaeocene inversion. (vi) Occurrence of partial mantle serpentinization during Early Cretaceous times, as proposed by other studies, seems improbable. The detailed analysis of the data, however, revealed significant differences between the two basins: (i) The Faroe-Shetland Basin was a fault-controlled basin during the Late Jurassic but also the Late Cretaceous extensional phase. In contrast, the Vøring Basin is dominated by the late Jurassic rifting and subsequent thermal subsidence. It exhibits only minor Late Cretaceous faults that are localised above intra-basinal and marginal highs. In addition, the Cretaceous strata in the Vøring Basin are folded. (ii) In the Vøring Basin, the locus of Late Cretaceous rifting shifted westwards, affecting mainly the western basin margin, whereas in the Faroe-Shetland Basin Late Cretaceous rifting was localised in the same area as the Late Jurassic phase, hence masking the original Jurassic geometries. (iii) Devono-Carboniferous and Aptian/Albian to Cenomanian rift phases

The Potential Financial Costs of Climate Change on Health of Urban and Rural Citizens: A Case Study of Vibrio cholerae Infections at Bukavu Town, South Kivu Province, Eastern of Democratic Republic of Congo.

Science.gov (United States)

Munyuli, Mb Théodore; Kavuvu, J-M Mbaka; Mulinganya, Guy; Bwinja, G Mulinganya

2013-01-01

Cholera epidemics have a recorded history in eastern Congo dating to 1971. A study was conducted to find out the linkage between climate variability/change and cholera outbreak and to assess the related economic cost in the management of cholera in Congo. This study integrates historical data (20 years) on temperature and rainfall with the burden of disease from cholera in South-Kivu province, eastern Congo. Analyses of precipitation and temperatures characteristics in South-Kivu provinces showed that cholera epidemics are closely associated with climatic factors variability. Peaks in Cholera new cases were in synchrony with peaks in rainfalls. Cholera infection cases declined significantly (Pwater sources by the bacteria (Vibrio cholerae). The consumption of polluted water, promiscuity, population density and lack of hygiene are determinants favoring spread and infection of the bacteria among human beings living in over-crowded environments.

Studies of crustal structure, seismic precursors to volcanic eruptions and earthquake hazard in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Mavonga, T

2010-11-01

Full Text Available In recent decades, civil wars in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo have caused massive social disruptions, which have been exacerbated by volcanic and earthquake disasters. Seismic data were gathered and analysed as part...

Search Results | Page 6 | IDRC - International Development ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

... WATER SECURITY filter · INDIA 43 Apply INDIA filter · ADAPTATION TO CHANGE 41 Apply ADAPTATION TO ... Showing 51 - 60 of 1643 results : "water adaptation" ... Adaptation pathways for inland aquaculture in the tropics and subtropics ... Cofcca (Congo Basin Forests and Climate Change Adaptation) newsletter, no.

Livelihoods, economic contribution and sustainability of the bush mango (Irvingia gabonensis) value chain from three provinces of Gabon

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Iponga, D.M.; Yobo, C.M.; Ingram, V.J.; Bengone, N.N.; Ngoye, A.

2018-01-01

In the Congo Basin, the economic, social and environmental value of non-timber forest products (NTFPs), such as bush mango (Irvingia gabonensis) is widely acknowledged. However, knowledge of the volumes traded, extent and distribution of revenues along the value chain is limited while little is

Dorstenia luamensis (Moraceae, a new species from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miguel Leal

2014-10-01

Full Text Available A new species of Dorstenia L. (Moraceae, D. luamensis M.E.Leal, is described from the Luama Wildlife Reserve, west of Lake Tanganyika and north of the town of Kalemie in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC. This species is endemic to the region and differs from any of the other species by its fernlike lithophytic habit and lack of latex. A description and illustration of this species is presented here. Dorstenia luamensis M.E.Leal inhabits moist and shady vertical rock faces close to small waterfalls in the forest; the species is distributed in small populations within the type locality, and merits the conservation status of endangered (EN.

Ribavirin for Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever: systematic review and meta-analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G Gail

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever epidemics often occur in areas where health services are limited, and result in high case fatality rates. Besides intensive care, ribavirin is often recommended. A solid evidence base for the use of this drug will help justify assuring access to the drug in areas where epidemics are common. Methods We carried out a systematic review of observational and experimental studies of people with suspected or confirmed Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever that included comparisons between patients given ribavirin and those not. We extracted data on mortality, hospital stay, and adverse events. Risk of bias was assessed using a standard checklist, and data were presented in meta-analytical graphs, stratified by study design, and GRADE tables presented. The risk of bias was summarised using the GRADE method. Results 21 unique studies, including one randomised controlled trial of ribavirin, were included. Quality of the evidence was very low, with a Down and Black median score of 4 (maximum possible 33. Ribavirin treatment was not shown to be superior to no ribavirin treatment for mortality rate in a single RCT (RR: 1.13, 95%CI: 0.29 to 4.32, 136 participants, GRADE=low quality evidence; but ribavirin was associated with reduced mortality by 44% when compared to no ribavirin treatment in the pooled observational studies (RR: 0.56, 95%CI: 0.35 to 0.90, 955 participants; GRADE=very low quality evidence. Adverse events were more common with the ribavirin patients, but no severe adverse events were reported. No difference in length of hospital stay was reported. Conclusions No clear message of benefit is available from the current data on ribavirin as observational data are heavily confounded, and the one trial carried out has limited power. However, ribavirin could potentially have benefits in this condition and these results clearly indicate a pragmatic, randomised controlled trial in the context of good quality

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Nucleocapsid Protein Augments mRNA Translation.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeeva, Subbiah; Cheng, Erdong; Ganaie, Safder S; Mir, Mohammad A

2017-08-01

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a tick-borne Nairovirus of the Bunyaviridae family, causing severe illness with high mortality rates in humans. Here, we demonstrate that CCHFV nucleocapsid protein (CCHFV-NP) augments mRNA translation. CCHFV-NP binds to the viral mRNA 5' untranslated region (UTR) with high affinity. It facilitates the translation of reporter mRNA both in vivo and in vitro with the assistance of the viral mRNA 5' UTR. CCHFV-NP equally favors the translation of both capped and uncapped mRNAs, demonstrating the independence of this translation strategy on the 5' cap. Unlike the canonical host translation machinery, inhibition of eIF4F complex, an amalgam of three initiation factors, eIF4A, eIF4G, and eIF4E, by the chemical inhibitor 4E1RCat did not impact the CCHFV-NP-mediated translation mechanism. However, the proteolytic degradation of eIF4G alone by the human rhinovirus 2A protease abrogated this translation strategy. Our results demonstrate that eIF4F complex formation is not required but eIF4G plays a critical role in this translation mechanism. Our results suggest that CCHFV has adopted a unique translation mechanism to facilitate the translation of viral mRNAs in the host cell cytoplasm where cellular transcripts are competing for the same translation apparatus. IMPORTANCE Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, a highly contagious viral disease endemic to more than 30 countries, has limited treatment options. Our results demonstrate that NP favors the translation of a reporter mRNA harboring the viral mRNA 5' UTR. It is highly likely that CCHFV uses an NP-mediated translation strategy for the rapid synthesis of viral proteins during the course of infection. Shutdown of this translation mechanism might selectively impact viral protein synthesis, suggesting that an NP-mediated translation strategy is a target for therapeutic intervention against this viral disease. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

First reported chikungunya fever outbreak in the republic of Congo, 2011.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nanikaly Moyen

Full Text Available Chikungunya is an Aedes -borne disease characterised by febrile arthralgia and responsible for massive outbreaks. We present a prospective clinical cohort study and a retrospective serological study relating to a CHIK outbreak, in the Republic of Congo in 2011.We analysed 317 suspected cases, of which 308 (97.2% lived in the city of Brazzaville (66.6% in the South area. Amongst them, 37 (11.7% were CHIKV+ve patients (i.e., biologically confirmed by a real-time RT-PCR assay, of whom 36 (97.3% had fever, 22 (66.7% myalgia and 32 (86.5% arthralgia. All tested negative for dengue. The distribution of incident cases within Brazzaville districts was compared with CHIKV seroprevalence before the outbreak (34.4% in 517 blood donors, providing evidence for previous circulation of CHIKV. We applied a CHIK clinical score to 126 patients recruited within the two first day of illness (including 28 CHIKV+ves (22.2% with sensitivity (78.6% and specificity (72.4% values comparing with those of the referent study in Reunion Island. The negative predictive value was high (92%, but the positive predictive value (45% indicate poor potential contribution to medical practice to identify CHIKV+ve patients in low prevalence outbreaks. However, the score allowed a slightly more accurate follow-up of the evolution of the outbreak than the criterion "fever+arthralgia". The complete sequencing of a Congolase isolate (Brazza_MRS1 demonstrated belonging to the East/Central/South African lineage and was further used for producing a robust genome-scale CHIKV phylogenetic analysis.We describe the first Chikungunya outbreak declared in the Republic of Congo. The seroprevalence study conducted amongst blood donors before outbreak provided evidence for previous CHIKV circulation. We suggest that a more systematic survey of the entomological situation and of arbovirus circulation is necessary in Central Africa for better understanding the environmental, microbiological and

Changes in hydro-meteorological conditions over tropical West Africa (1980-2015) and links to global climate

Science.gov (United States)

Ndehedehe, Christopher E.; Awange, Joseph L.; Agutu, Nathan O.; Okwuashi, Onuwa

2018-03-01

The role of global sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in modulating rainfall in the African region has been widely studied and is now less debated. However, their impacts and links to terrestrial water storage (TWS) in general, have not been studied. This study presents the pioneer results of canonical correlation analysis (CCA) of TWS derived from both global reanalysis data (1980-2015) and GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) (2002-2014) with SST fields. The main issues discussed include, (i) oceanic hot spots that impact on TWS over tropical West Africa (TWA) based on CCA, (ii) long term changes in model and global reanalysis data (soil moisture, TWS, and groundwater) and the influence of climate variability on these hydrological indicators, and (iii) the hydrological characteristics of the Equatorial region of Africa (i.e., the Congo basin) based on GRACE-derived TWS, river discharge, and precipitation. Results of the CCA diagnostics show that El-Niño Southern Oscillation related equatorial Pacific SST fluctuations is a major index of climate variability identified in the main portion of the CCA procedure that indicates a significant association with long term TWS reanalysis data over TWA (r = 0.50, ρ < 0.05). Based on Mann-Kendall's statistics, the study found fairly large long term declines (ρ < 0.05) in TWS and soil moisture (1982 - 2015), mostly over the Congo basin, which coincided with warming of the land surface and the surrounding oceans. Meanwhile, some parts of the Sahel show significant wetting (rainfall, soil moisture, groundwater, and TWS) trends during the same period (1982-2015) and aligns with the ongoing narratives of rainfall recovery in the region. Results of singular spectral analysis and regression confirm that multi-annual changes in the Congo River discharge explained a considerable proportion of variability in GRACE-hydrological signal over the Congo basin (r = 0.86 and R2 = 0.70, ρ < 0.05). Finally, leading

The conditions for uranium concentration in the phosphates of Tchivoula, Congo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giresse, P.; N'Landou, J. de Dieu; Wiber, M.

1986-01-01

The processes of deposition of marine phosphates in the Maastrichtian seas of the Congo do not appear capable alone of having produced the significant concentrations of uranium found. Diagenetic phenomena resulted in a mobilisation and a secondary concentration of uranium in the interior of recrystallized apatites. This secondary uranium may have been derived from the residual organic matrix in the deposit. Towards the top of the beds, hydrolysis of the apatites and authigenesis of crandallite, barrandite and ferruginous variscite led to uranium concentrations which are characteristic of alteration in a tropical climate. In contrast, wavellite, the final product of supergene alteration does not retain uranium. In the case of the Tchivoula deposits, the overlying Paleocene beds may have been the source of the uraniferous solutions' downslope movement which favored concentration in the underlying sediments. (orig.)

Vulnerability, forest-related sectors and climate change adaptation : the case of Cameroon

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sonwa, D.J.; Somorin, O.A.; Jum, C.; Bele, M.Y.; Nkem, J.N.

2012-01-01

In Cameroon and elsewhere in the Congo Basin, the majority of rural households and a large proportion of urban households depend on plant and animal products from the forests to meet their nutritional, energy, cultural and medicinal needs. This paper explores the likely impacts of climate-induced

Isolation and whole-genome sequencing of a Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus strain, Greece.

Science.gov (United States)

Papa, Anna; Papadopoulou, Elpida; Tsioka, Katerina; Kontana, Anastasia; Pappa, Styliani; Melidou, Ageliki; Giadinis, Nektarios D

2018-03-01

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) was isolated from a pool of two adult Rhipicephalus bursa ticks removed from a goat in 2015 in Greece. The strain clusters into lineage Europe 2 representing the second available whole-genome sequenced isolate of this lineage. CCHFV IgG antibodies were detected in 8 of 19 goats of the farm. Currently CCHFV is not associated with disease in mammals other than humans. Studies in animal models are needed to investigate the pathogenicity level of lineage Europe 2 and compare it with that of other lineages. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Report of the first case of Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever in Qazvin Province (2016

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

AR. Nikoonejad

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever is a potentially fatal disease that is reported from Asia, Africa and Europe. In May, 2016 a 42 year-old female is admitted to Buali-Sina hospital with epistaxis and within a few hours got loss of consciousness and shock. The patient was put on supportive care and oral Ribavirin. From the sixth admission day, the general condition of the patient improved and on the eleventh day she was discharged without an important sequela. Consequently, it is necessary to consider this disease in the differential diagnosis of all patients presented with fever and acute bleeding diathesis.

Non-fatal case of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever imported into the United Kingdom (ex Bulgaria), June 2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Lumley, S; Atkinson, B; Dowall, Sd; Pitman, Jk; Staplehurst, S; Busuttil, J; Simpson, Aj; Aarons, Ej; Petridou, C; Nijjar, M; Glover, S; Brooks, Tj; Hewson, R

2014-07-31

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) was diagnosed in a United Kingdom traveller who returned from Bulgaria in June 2014. The patient developed a moderately severe disease including fever, headaches and petechial rash. CCHF was diagnosed following identification of CCHF virus (CCHFV) RNA in a serum sample taken five days after symptom onset. Sequence analysis of the CCHFV genome showed that the virus clusters within the Europe 1 clade, which includes viruses from eastern Europe.

Estimating tectonic history through basin simulation-enhanced seismic inversion: Geoinformatics for sedimentary basins

Science.gov (United States)

Tandon, K.; Tuncay, K.; Hubbard, K.; Comer, J.; Ortoleva, P.

2004-01-01

A data assimilation approach is demonstrated whereby seismic inversion is both automated and enhanced using a comprehensive numerical sedimentary basin simulator to study the physics and chemistry of sedimentary basin processes in response to geothermal gradient in much greater detail than previously attempted. The approach not only reduces costs by integrating the basin analysis and seismic inversion activities to understand the sedimentary basin evolution with respect to geodynamic parameters-but the technique also has the potential for serving as a geoinfomatics platform for understanding various physical and chemical processes operating at different scales within a sedimentary basin. Tectonic history has a first-order effect on the physical and chemical processes that govern the evolution of sedimentary basins. We demonstrate how such tectonic parameters may be estimated by minimizing the difference between observed seismic reflection data and synthetic ones constructed from the output of a reaction, transport, mechanical (RTM) basin model. We demonstrate the method by reconstructing the geothermal gradient. As thermal history strongly affects the rate of RTM processes operating in a sedimentary basin, variations in geothermal gradient history alter the present-day fluid pressure, effective stress, porosity, fracture statistics and hydrocarbon distribution. All these properties, in turn, affect the mechanical wave velocity and sediment density profiles for a sedimentary basin. The present-day state of the sedimentary basin is imaged by reflection seismology data to a high degree of resolution, but it does not give any indication of the processes that contributed to the evolution of the basin or causes for heterogeneities within the basin that are being imaged. Using texture and fluid properties predicted by our Basin RTM simulator, we generate synthetic seismograms. Linear correlation using power spectra as an error measure and an efficient quadratic

3-D basin modelling of the Paris Basin: diagenetic and hydrogeologic implications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Violette, S.; Goncalves, J.; Jost, A.; Marsily, G. de

2004-01-01

A 3-D basin model of the Paris basin is presented in order to simulate through geological times fluid, heat and solute fluxes. This study emphasizes: i) the contribution of basin models to the quantitative hydrodynamic understanding of behaviour of the basin over geological times; ii) the additional use of Atmospheric General Circulation model (AGCM) to provide palaeo-climatic boundaries for a coupled flow and mass transfer modelling, constrained by geochemical and isotopic tracers and; iii) the integration of different types of data (qualitative and quantitative) to better constrain the simulations. Firstly, in a genetic way, basin model is used to reproduce geological, physical and chemical processes occurring in the course of the 248 My evolution of the Paris basin that ought to explain the present-day hydraulic properties at the regional scale. As basin codes try to reproduce some of these phenomena, they should be able to give a plausible idea of the regional-scale permeability distribution of the multi-layered system, of the pre-industrial hydrodynamic conditions within the aquifers and of the diagenesis timing and type of hydrodynamic processes involved. Secondly, climate records archived in the Paris basin groundwater suggest that climate and morphological features have an impact on the hydrogeological processes, particularly during the last 5 My. An Atmospheric General Circulation model is used with a refined spatial resolution centred on the Paris basin to reproduce the climate for the present, the Last Glacial Maximum (21 ky) and the middle Pliocene (3 My). These climates will be prescribed, through forcing functions to the hydrological code with the main objective of understanding the way aquifers and aquitards react under different climate conditions, the period and the duration of these effects. Finally, the Paris basin has been studied for a number of years by different scientific communities, thus a large amount of data has been collected. By

Groundwater Quality of Southeastern Brazzaville, Congo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matini Laurent

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The groundwater in southeastern Brazzaville (Congo was analyzed for their fluoride contents and others related parameters in rainy season. The fluoride contents in water samples (wells and spring can be gather in three classes in the study area: low, optimal, high. Fluoride concentration in water samples presents a low significant correlation with Ca2+. This suggests that fluoride in the groundwater come from fluoride-bearing minerals such as CaF2 (fluorite. Maps were drawn to show the geographical distribution of EC, Ca2+, Mg2+and F-. Factor analysis and cluster analysis were applied to the dataset. Factor analysis resulted in four factors explained 76.90% of the total groundwater quality variance. Factor 1 (hardness of the groundwater includes total hardness, the concentration of K+, Ca2+ and pH. Factor 2 (low mineralization of the groundwater includes concentrations of TDS, Cl--, SO42+ and EC. Factor 3 (anthropogenic activities with the impact of agricultural fertilizers, farming activities, domestic wastewater, septic tanks includes concentrations of Na+ and NO3-. Factor 4 (weathering of calcium minerals includes concentrations of F-. For cluster analysis, Ward’s method and the Euclidean distance were used. The findings of the cluster analysis are presented in the form of dendrogram of the well water sites (cases. The discriminating parameters between clusters have been highlighted from the Student test. In majority, they are in accordance with those highlighted by factor analysis.

Congo crimean hemorrhagic fever in balochistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durrani, A.B.; Shaikh, M.; Khan, Z.

2007-01-01

To observe the pattern and mortality of Congo-Crimean Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) in Balochistan. Two hundred and twenty-six febrile patients with bleeding of sudden onset, with initial signs and symptoms including headache, high fever, back pain, joint pain, stomach pain, vomiting, red eyes, flushed face, red throat and petechiae on the palate of both sexes were screened for CCHF over a period of 10 years. Clinical criteria for initial diagnosis directed the subsequent diagnostic work-up. The ages of these patients ranged from 7 years to 74 years. Sixty-three percent of these patients were positive for CCHF. Males were 68% of the total patients. Over the years, CCHF showed a gradual increase ranging from 43% to 80%. Total mortality was 15%, all being secondary cases. Death was not observed in primary CCHF cases. In this study, suspicion of viral hemorrhagic fever was raised in 62% cases at the time of admission and the patients were immediately isolated, noninvasive procedures were instigated and barrier nursing was implemented. None of the family and hospital staff members who had close contact with the patient became ill, while those who were not suspected initially (38%) infected the health care workers and the family members. Although CCHF is rare, this study stresses the need for proper health facilities in Pakistan and to include VHF (viral hemorrhagic fevers) in the differential diagnosis of unexplained fever with hemorrhagic tendencies of sudden onset. (author)

Severe Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever presented with massive retroperitoneal haemorrhage that recovered without antiviral treatment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gharabaghi, Mehrnaz Asadi; Chinikar, Sadegh; Ghiasi, Seyyed Mojtaba

2011-01-01

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tickborne viral zoonosis with up to 50% mortality in humans caused by CCHF virus belonging to the genus Nairovirus, family Bunyaviridae. The geographical distribution of CCHF cases corresponds closely with the distribution of principle tick vectors...... that is species of Hyaloma. The disease presents with non-specific febrile symptoms, but progress to a serious haemorrhagic syndrome that, soon after, a full blown multi organ failure may develop with prominent features of liver damage and bleeding diathesis. The authors present a case of a 39-year-old man...

Crimean–Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in Ticks from Kosovo and Albania

OpenAIRE

Kurtesh Sherifi; Agim Rexhepi; Kristaq Berxholi; Blerta Mehmedi; Rreze M. Gecaj; Zamira Hoxha; Anja Joachim; Georg G. Duscher

2018-01-01

Tick-borne diseases pose a serious threat to human health in South-Eastern Europe, including Kosovo. While Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a well-known emerging infection in this area, there are no accurate data on Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). Therefore, we sampled and tested 795 ticks. Ixodes ricinus (n = 218), Dermacentor marginatus (n = 98), and Haemaphysalis spp. (n = 24) were collected from the environment by flagging (all from Kosovo), while Hyalomma mar...

Antimalarial activity of medicinal plants from the Democratic Republic of Congo: A review.

Science.gov (United States)

Memvanga, Patrick B; Tona, Gaston L; Mesia, Gauthier K; Lusakibanza, Mariano M; Cimanga, Richard K

2015-07-01

Malaria is the most prevalent parasitic disease and the foremost cause of morbidity and mortality in the Democratic Republic of Congo. For the management of this disease, a large Congolese population recourses to traditional medicinal plants. To date the efficacy and safety of many of these plants have been validated scientifically in rodent malaria models. In order to generate scientific evidence of traditional remedies used in the Democratic Republic of Congo for the management of malaria, and show the potential of Congolese plants as a major source of antimalarial drugs, this review highlights the antiplasmodial and toxicological properties of the Congolese antimalarial plants investigated during the period of 1999-2014. In doing so, a useful resource for further complementary investigations is presented. Furthermore, this review may pave the way for the research and development of several available and affordable antimalarial phytomedicines. In order to get information on the different studies, a Google Scholar and PubMed literature search was performed using keywords (malaria, Congolese, medicinal plants, antiplasmodial/antimalarial activity, and toxicity). Data from non-indexed journals, Master and Doctoral dissertations were also collected. Approximately 120 extracts and fractions obtained from Congolese medicinal plants showed pronounced or good antiplasmodial activity. A number of compounds with interesting antiplasmodial properties were also isolated and identified. Some of these compounds constituted new scaffolds for the synthesis of promising antimalarial drugs. Interestingly, most of these extracts and compounds possessed high selective activity against Plasmodium parasites compared to mammalian cells. The efficacy and safety of several plant-derived products was confirmed in mice, and a good correlation was observed between in vitro and in vivo antimalarial activity. The formulation of several plant-derived products also led to some clinical trials

Micro-analysis by U-Pb method using LAM-ICPMS and its applications for the evolution of sedimentary basins: the example from Brasilia Belt; Micro-analise pelo metodo U-Pb usando LAM-CIPMS e suas aplicacoes para a evolucao de bacias sedimentares: o exemplo da faixa Brasilia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pimentel, Marcio Martins; Matteini, Massimo; Junges, Sergio Luiz; Giustina, Maria Emilia Schutesky Della; Dantas, Elton Luiz; Buhn, Bernhard, E-mail: marcio@unb.br [Universidade de Brasilia (UnB), DF (Brazil). Instituto de Geociencias; Rodrigues, Joseneusa Brilhante [Servico Geologico do Brasil (CPRM), Brasilia, DF (Brazil)

2015-07-01

The U-Pb geochronological method using LAM-MC-ICPMS represents an important tool to investigate the geological evolution of sedimentary basins, as well as its geochronology, through the determination of upper limits for the depositional ages of detrital sedimentary rocks. The method has been applied in the Geochronology Laboratory of the Universidade de Brasilia, and in this study, a brief review of the provenance data for the sediments of the Neoproterozoic Brasilia Belt is presented and their significance for the evolution of the orogen is discussed. The results indicate that the Paranoa and Canastra Groups represent passive margin sequences formed along the western margin of the Sao Francisco-Congo continent. The Vazante Group presents similar provenance patterns, although Sm-Nd isotopic results suggest that its upper portions had contributions from younger (Neoproterozoic) sources, possibly from the Neoproterozoic Goias Magmatic Arc. On the other hand, metasediments of the Araxa and Ibia groups contain an important proportion of material derived from Neoproterozoic sources, demonstrating that they represent syn-orogenic basins. The provenance pattern of the Bambui Group is marked by an important Neoproterozoic component, showing that it constitutes a sedimentary sequence which is younger than 600 Ma, representing a foreland basin to the Brasilia Belt. (author)

Fishes of the Taquari-Antas river basin (Patos Lagoon basin, southern Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

FG. Becker

Full Text Available The aquatic habitats of the Taquari-Antas river basin (in the Patos Lagoon basin, southern Brazil are under marked environmental transformation because of river damming for hydropower production. In order to provide an information baseline on the fish fauna of the Taquari-Antas basin, we provide a comprehensive survey of fish species based on primary and secondary data. We found 5,299 valid records of fish species in the basin, representing 119 species and 519 sampling sites. There are 13 non-native species, six of which are native to other Neotropical river basins. About 24% of the total native species are still lacking a taxonomic description at the species level. Three native long-distance migratory species were recorded (Leporinus obtusidens, Prochilodus lineatus, Salminus brasiliensis, as well as two potential mid-distance migrators (Parapimelodus nigribarbis and Pimelodus pintado. Although there is only one officially endangered species in the basin (S. brasiliensis, restricted range species (21.7% of total species should be considered in conservation efforts.

K-Basins design guidelines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roe, N.R.; Mills, W.C.

1995-06-01

The purpose of the design guidelines is to enable SNF and K Basin personnel to complete fuel and sludge removal, and basin water mitigation by providing engineering guidance for equipment design for the fuel basin, facility modifications (upgrades), remote tools, and new processes. It is not intended to be a purchase order reference for vendors. The document identifies materials, methods, and components that work at K Basins; it also Provides design input and a technical review process to facilitate project interfaces with operations in K Basins. This document is intended to compliment other engineering documentation used at K Basins and throughout the Spent Nuclear Fuel Project. Significant provisions, which are incorporated, include portions of the following: General Design Criteria (DOE 1989), Standard Engineering Practices (WHC-CM-6-1), Engineering Practices Guidelines (WHC 1994b), Hanford Plant Standards (DOE-RL 1989), Safety Analysis Manual (WHC-CM-4-46), and Radiological Design Guide (WHC 1994f). Documents (requirements) essential to the engineering design projects at K Basins are referenced in the guidelines

South of Sahara | Page 144 | IDRC - International Development ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

In the Congo Basin, more than 80% of people live exclusively on agriculture, fisheries, livestock, and harvesting activities that are highly dependent on climate. Research led by the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) in three countries — Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic ...

Sources and distributions of branched and isoprenoid tetraether lipids on the Amazon shelf and fan : Implications for the use of GDGT-based proxies in marine sediments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zell, Claudia; Kim, Jung-Hyun; Hollander, David; Lorenzoni, Laura; Baker, Paul; Silva, Cleverson Guizan; Nittrouer, Charles; Sinninghe Damsté, Jaap S.

2014-01-01

Branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) in river fan sediments have been used successfully to reconstruct mean annual air temperature (MAAT) and soil pH of the Congo River drainage basin. However, in a previous study of Amazon deep-sea fan sediments the reconstructed MAATs were ca.

Ecological and economic impacts of gorilla-based tourism in Dzanga-Sangha, Central African Republic

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blom, A.

2001-01-01

This thesis investigates the potential role of tourism in the funding of protected area management in the Congo Basin. An assessment of the protected areas and gazetted forests of the Central African Republic (CAR) showed that only about one third of the protected areas is more or less

Challenges to governing sustainable forest food and landscapes: Irvingia spp. from southern Cameroon

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ingram, V.J.; Ewane, Marcos; Ndumbe, L.N.; Awono, A.

2017-01-01

Across the Congo Basin, bush mango (Irvingia spp.) nuts have been harvested from forest landscapes for consumption, sold as a foodstuff and for medicine for centuries. Data on this trade however are sparse. A value chain approach was used to gather information on stakeholders in the chain from the

Detection and variability of the Congo River plume from satellite derived sea surface temperature, salinity, ocean colour and sea level

Science.gov (United States)

Hopkins, Jo; Lucas, Marc; Dufau, Claire; Sutton, Marion; Lauret, Olivier

2013-04-01

The Congo River in Africa has the world's second highest annual mean daily freshwater discharge and is the second largest exporter of terrestrial organic carbon into the oceans. It annually discharges an average of 1,250 × 109 m3 of freshwater into the southeast Atlantic producing a vast fresh water plume, whose signature can be traced hundreds of kilometres from the river mouth. Large river plumes such as this play important roles in the ocean carbon cycle, often functioning as carbon sinks. An understanding of their extent and seasonality is therefore essential if they are to be realistically accounted for in global assessments of the carbon cycle. Despite its size, the variability and dynamics of the Congo plume are minimally documented. In this paper we analyse satellite derived sea surface temperature, salinity, ocean colour and sea level anomaly to describe and quantify the extent, strength and variability of the far-field plume and to explain its behaviour in relation to winds, ocean currents and fresh water discharge. Empirical Orthogonal Function analysis reveals strong seasonal and coastal upwelling signals, potential bimodal seasonality of the Angola Current and responses to fresh water discharge peaks in all data sets. The strongest plume-like signatures however were found in the salinity and ocean colour where the dominant sources of variability come from the Congo River itself, rather than from the wider atmosphere and ocean. These two data sets are then analysed using a statistically based water mass detection technique to isolate the behaviour of the plume. The Congo's close proximity to the equator means that the influence of the earth's rotation on the fresh water inflow is relatively small and the plume tends not to form a distinct coastal current. Instead, its behaviour is determined by wind and surface circulation patterns. The main axis of the plume between November and February, following peak river discharge, is oriented northwest, driven

Intra- and inter-basin mercury comparisons: Importance of basin scale and time-weighted methylmercury estimates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bradley, Paul M.; Journey, Celeste A.; Brigham, Mark E.; Burns, Douglas A.; Button, Daniel T.; Riva-Murray, Karen

2013-01-01

To assess inter-comparability of fluvial mercury (Hg) observations at substantially different scales, Hg concentrations, yields, and bivariate-relations were evaluated at nested-basin locations in the Edisto River, South Carolina and Hudson River, New York. Differences between scales were observed for filtered methylmercury (FMeHg) in the Edisto (attributed to wetland coverage differences) but not in the Hudson. Total mercury (THg) concentrations and bivariate-relationships did not vary substantially with scale in either basin. Combining results of this and a previously published multi-basin study, fish Hg correlated strongly with sampled water FMeHg concentration (ρ = 0.78; p = 0.003) and annual FMeHg basin yield (ρ = 0.66; p = 0.026). Improved correlation (ρ = 0.88; p < 0.0001) was achieved with time-weighted mean annual FMeHg concentrations estimated from basin-specific LOADEST models and daily streamflow. Results suggest reasonable scalability and inter-comparability for different basin sizes if wetland area or related MeHg-source-area metrics are considered. - Highlights: ► National scale mercury assessments integrate small scale study results. ► Basin scale differences and representativeness of fluvial mercury samples are concerns. ► Wetland area, not basin size, predicts inter-basin methylmercury variability. ► Time-weighted methylmercury estimates improve the prediction of mercury in basin fish. - Fluvial methylmercury concentration correlates with wetland area not basin scale and time-weighted estimates better predict basin top predator mercury than discrete sample estimates.

A Holistic, Person-Centred Care Model for Victims of Sexual Violence in Democratic Republic of Congo: The Panzi Hospital One-Stop Centre Model of Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Mukwege, Denis; Berg, Marie

2016-10-01

Denis Mukwege and Marie Berg describe the One Stop Centre at Panzi Hospital in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo that provides care for girls and women who have been raped in combination with extreme bodily harm.

[Hypertensive emergencies at the University Hospital Center in Brazzaville, Congo].

Science.gov (United States)

Ellenga, Mbolla B F; Gombet, T R; Mahoungou, Guimbi K C; Otiobanda, G F; Ossou, Nguiet P M; Ikama, M S; Kimbally-Kaky, G; Etitiele, F

2011-02-01

The purpose of this retrospective study conducted in the emergency department of the University Hospital Center in Brazzaville, Congo was to determine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of hypertensive emergencies. With a total of 76 patients admitted during the study period, the prevalence of hypertensive emergency was 4%. The sex ratio was 1 and mean patient age was 57.3 years (range, 30 to 80 years). Risk factors included obesity in 62 cases (81.6%), history of hypertension in 65 (85.5%) and low socioeconomic level in 58 (76.3%). Mean delay for consultation was 50 hours (range, 1 to 240 hours). The disease underlying the hypertensive emergency was stroke with 38 cases (50%), heart failure in 20 (26.3%), hypertensive encephalopathy in 11 (14.4%), malignant hypertension in 9 (11.8%), and renal failure in 10 (13.1%). The mean length of emergency treatment was 14.7 hours (range, 5 to 48 hours). Eight deaths (10.5%) occurred during hospitalization in the emergency department.

Facile additive-free synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles for efficient adsorptive removal of Congo red and Cr(VI)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hao, Tao; Yang, Chao; Rao, Xuehui; Wang, Jide [Ministry Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Fine Chemicals, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046 (China); Niu, Chunge, E-mail: ncg@petrochina.com.cn [Petrochemical Research Institute, Karamay Petrochemical Company, Karamay 834000 (China); Su, Xintai, E-mail: suxintai827@163.com [Ministry Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Fine Chemicals, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046 (China)

2014-02-15

The iron oxide nanoparticles had been successfully synthesized via an additive-free hydrolysis process at 75 °C for 12 h. The product was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and N{sub 2} adsorption–desorption. The results of XRD and N{sub 2} adsorption–desorption demonstrated that the as-prepared product was mainly α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} with a large surface area of 164.1 m{sup 2} g{sup −1}. The TEM images illustrated that the as-prepared product was found to consist of a mixture of irregular spherical nanoparticles (a diameter of ∼50 nm) and nanowhiskers (a diameter of ∼50 nm and uneven length). The as-prepared product was used to investigate its promising applications in water treatment. Due to its small size and large surface area, the maximum adsorption capacities of Congo red and Cr(VI) have been determined using the Langmuir equation and found to reach up to 253.8 and 17.0 mg g{sup −1}, respectively. The facile synthesis method and the superior adsorption performance derived from the iron oxide nanoparticles display the potential applications for the removal of Congo red and Cr(VI) from aqueous solution.

Sustainable prevention of resource conflicts. Case study and scenarios on copper and cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Report 3.2); Rohstoffkonflikte nachhaltig vermeiden. Fallstudie und Szenarien zu Kupfer und Kobalt in der Demokratischen Republik Kongo (Teilbericht 3.2)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Taenzler, Dennis; Westerkamp, Meike [Adelphi Research, Berlin (Germany); Supersberger, Nikolaus; Ritthoff, Michael; Bleischwitz, Raimund [Wuppertal Institut (Germany)

2011-04-15

The Democratic Republic of Congo has enormous economic potential thanks to its raw material wealth. However, since 1996 (if not before) DR Congo has been seen as a classic example of the linkage between the exploitation of raw materials and the financing of war. The UN Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources in DR Congo points out that the history of Congo since colonial times has been marked by systematic abuse of natural and human resources (UN Panel 2002). The UN Panel of Experts and the work of NGOs have helped to reveal rebels, senior military figures and private companies as profiteers from the exploitation of raw materials and to identify channels of financing the violent conflict in Congo since 1996 (see reports from the UN Panel, Pole Institute, Global Witness, HRW). Foreign companies mining, trading in or processing raw materials in DR Congo have also been regularly criticised as sharing responsibility for the ongoing violence, principally in the eastern Congo (UN Panel 2002, Cuvelier/Raeymaekers 2002, RAID 2004). Practically every major escalation in conflict in recent years between the various players in Congo has been connected to the management of, or the (legal or illegal) revenues from, natural resources, particularly from mining. This observation was also backed by data from the HIIK's CONIS information system. In 2008, eight of nine conflicts in Congo related at least in part to resources - five being violent and three non-violent (HIIK 2008). Following the coltan boom of 2000/2001, it now primarily profits from the mining and sale of the tin oxide ore cassiterite which continue to serve as the key means of financing violence (see Garrett 2008).1 In DRK it is not only the mining and sale of coltan and cassiterite which represents a nexus of conflict and resources however. Alongside timber, diamonds, oil and gold, it is above all the mining and sale of copper and cobalt from the so-called copper belt in the south

Uranium concentrations in the phosphates of Congo related to marin and continental mineral authigenesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giresse, P.; N'Landou, J. de Dieu; Wiber, M.

1984-01-01

In the Maastrichtian phosphates of Tchivoula (Congo), uanium, for the most part fixed and tetravalent in marine apatites in there after mobilized and occasionally concentrates during the course of successive stages of dissolution, recrystallization (secondary apatite) or authigenesis (ferro-aluminous phosphates, autunite and torbernite). Very high levels near the top of the deposit appear to be related to the percolation of uraniferous solutions from Ypresian phosphatic beds which are no longer present. In the marine Tertiary phosphates of Djeno, diagenesis is less advanced; radial changes in uranium concentration on the scale of individual coprolites of selacians can be observed and are related to the loss of P 2 O 5 [fr

Green synthesis, characterization and catalytic degradation studies of gold nanoparticles against congo red and methyl orange.

Science.gov (United States)

Umamaheswari, C; Lakshmanan, A; Nagarajan, N S

2018-01-01

The present study reports, novel and greener method for synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using 5,7-dihydroxy-6-metoxy-3 ' ,4 ' methylenedioxyisoflavone (Dalspinin), isolated from the roots of Dalbergia coromandeliana was carried out for the first time. The synthesized gold nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The observed surface plasmon resonance (SPR) at 532nm in the UV-Vis absorption spectrum indicates the formation of gold nanoparticles. The powder XRD and SAED pattern for synthesized gold nanoparticles confirms crystalline nature. The HR-TEM images showed that the AuNPs formed were small in size, highly monodispersed and spherical in shape. The average particle sizes of the AuNPs are found to be ~10.5nm. The prepared AuNPs were found to be stable for more than 5months without any aggregation. The catalytic degradation studies of the synthesized AuNPs towards degradation of congo red and methyl orange, showed good catalytic in the complete degradation of both the dyes. The reduction catalyzed by gold nanoparticles followed the pseudo-first order kinetics, with a rate constant of 4.5×10 -3 s -1 (R 2 =0.9959) and 1.7×10 -3 s -1 (R 2 =0.9918) for congo red (CR) and methyl orange (MO), respectively. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Rhabdochona spp. (Nematoda: Rhabdochonidae) from fishes in the Central African Republic, including three new species

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Moravec, František; Jirků, Miloslav

2014-01-01

Roč. 61, č. 2 (2014), s. 157-172 ISSN 0015-5683 R&D Projects: GA ČR GBP505/12/G112 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : parasitic nematode * Globochona * freshwater fish * Barbus * Epiplatys * Marcusenius * Phenacogrammus * Raiamas * Congo River basin Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 1.147, year: 2014

Graphene oxide/ferroferric oxide/polyethylenimine nanocomposites for Congo red adsorption from water.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lina; Mao, Changming; Sui, Ning; Liu, Manhong; Yu, William W

2017-04-01

Graphene oxide/ferroferric oxide/polyethylenimine (GO/Fe 3 O 4 /PEI) nanocomposites were synthesized by an in situ growth of Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles on GO sheets, and then modified by PEI. The GO/Fe 3 O 4 /PEI nanocomposites showed extremely high removal efficiency for anionic dye Congo Red (CR) due to the positively charged PEI molecules (methylene blue was also tested but with low adsorption capacity due to its cationic property). The CR removal capacity was 574.7 mg g -1 , higher than most of reported results. The adsorption kinetics could be well described by a pseudo-second-order model. Furthermore, GO/Fe 3 O 4 /PEI nanocomposites could be easily recycled by magnetic separation. The removal efficiency remained above 70% after five cycles.

A framework model for water-sharing among co-basin states of a river basin

Science.gov (United States)

Garg, N. K.; Azad, Shambhu

2018-05-01

A new framework model is presented in this study for sharing of water in a river basin using certain governing variables, in an effort to enhance the objectivity for a reasonable and equitable allocation of water among co-basin states. The governing variables were normalised to reduce the governing variables of different co-basin states of a river basin on same scale. In the absence of objective methods for evaluating the weights to be assigned to co-basin states for water allocation, a framework was conceptualised and formulated to determine the normalised weighting factors of different co-basin states as a function of the governing variables. The water allocation to any co-basin state had been assumed to be proportional to its struggle for equity, which in turn was assumed to be a function of the normalised discontent, satisfaction, and weighting factors of each co-basin state. System dynamics was used effectively to represent and solve the proposed model formulation. The proposed model was successfully applied to the Vamsadhara river basin located in the South-Eastern part of India, and a sensitivity analysis of the proposed model parameters was carried out to prove its robustness in terms of the proposed model convergence and validity over the broad spectrum values of the proposed model parameters. The solution converged quickly to a final allocation of 1444 million cubic metre (MCM) in the case of the Odisha co-basin state, and to 1067 MCM for the Andhra Pradesh co-basin state. The sensitivity analysis showed that the proposed model's allocation varied from 1584 MCM to 1336 MCM for Odisha state and from 927 to 1175 MCM for Andhra, depending upon the importance weights given to the governing variables for the calculation of the weighting factors. Thus, the proposed model was found to be very flexible to explore various policy options to arrive at a decision in a water sharing problem. It can therefore be effectively applied to any trans-boundary problem where

A Holistic, Person-Centred Care Model for Victims of Sexual Violence in Democratic Republic of Congo: The Panzi Hospital One-Stop Centre Model of Care.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Denis Mukwege

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Denis Mukwege and Marie Berg describe the One Stop Centre at Panzi Hospital in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo that provides care for girls and women who have been raped in combination with extreme bodily harm.

Feasibility Analysis of an Evidence-Based Positive Prevention Intervention for Youth Living with HIV/AIDS in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, L.; Maman, S.; Pettifor, A.; Chalachala, J. L.; Edmonds, A.; Golin, C. E.; Moracco, K.; Behets, F.

2013-01-01

We evaluated the feasibility of a Positive Prevention intervention adapted for youth living with HIV/AIDS (YLWH) ages 15-24 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. We conducted in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with intervention facilitators and YLWH participants on the following four areas of a feasibility framework:…

Basins in ARC-continental collisions

Science.gov (United States)

Draut, Amy E.; Clift, Peter D.; Busby, Cathy; Azor, Antonio

2012-01-01

Arc-continent collisions occur commonly in the plate-tectonic cycle and result in rapidly formed and rapidly collapsing orogens, often spanning just 5-15 My. Growth of continental masses through arc-continent collision is widely thought to be a major process governing the structural and geochemical evolution of the continental crust over geologic time. Collisions of intra-oceanic arcs with passive continental margins (a situation in which the arc, on the upper plate, faces the continent) involve a substantially different geometry than collisions of intra-oceanic arcs with active continental margins (a situation requiring more than one convergence zone and in which the arc, on the lower plate, backs into the continent), with variable preservation potential for basins in each case. Substantial differences also occur between trench and forearc evolution in tectonically erosive versus tectonically accreting margins, both before and after collision. We examine the evolution of trenches, trench-slope basins, forearc basins, intra-arc basins, and backarc basins during arc-continent collision. The preservation potential of trench-slope basins is low; in collision they are rapidly uplifted and eroded, and at erosive margins they are progressively destroyed by subduction erosion. Post-collisional preservation of trench sediment and trench-slope basins is biased toward margins that were tectonically accreting for a substantial length of time before collision. Forearc basins in erosive margins are usually floored by strong lithosphere and may survive collision with a passive margin, sometimes continuing sedimentation throughout collision and orogeny. The low flexural rigidity of intra-arc basins makes them deep and, if preserved, potentially long records of arc and collisional tectonism. Backarc basins, in contrast, are typically subducted and their sediment either lost or preserved only as fragments in melange sequences. A substantial proportion of the sediment derived from

Physiotherapy for poliomyelitis: a descriptive study in the Republic of Congo.

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Mancini, Silvia; Coldiron, Matthew E; Nicholas, Sarala; Llosa, Augusto E; Mouniaman-Nara, Isabelle; Ngala, Joseph; Grais, Rebecca F; Porten, Klaudia

2014-10-23

A large poliomyelitis outbreak occurred in 2010 in the Republic of Congo. This paper describes the demographic and clinical characteristics of poliomyelitis cases and their outcomes following physiotherapy. Demographic and clinical data were collected on 126 individuals between November 23, 2010 and March 23, 2011. The male/female ratio was 2.5 and the median age was 19 years (IQR: 13.5-23). The most severe forms of the disease were more common in older patients, 81 of the 126 patients (64.3%) had multiple evaluations of muscle strength. Among patients with multiple evaluations, 38.1% had improved strength at final evaluation, 48.3% were stable and 13.6% had decreased strength. Most acute poliomyelitis patients receiving physiotherapy had improved or stable muscle strength at their final evaluation. These descriptive results highlight the need for further research into the potential benefits of physiotherapy in polio affected patients.

Remotely Sensed Predictions and In Situ Observations of Lower Congo River Dynamics in Support of Fish Evolutionary Biology

Science.gov (United States)

Gardiner, N.; Bjerklie, D. M.

2011-12-01

Ongoing research into the evolution of fishes in the lower Congo River suggests a close tie between diversity and hydraulic complexity of flow in the channel. For example, fish populations on each side of the rapids at the head of the lower Congo are within 1.5 km of one another, a distance normally allowing for interbreeding in river systems of comparable size, yet these fish populations show about 5% divergence in their mitochondrial DNA signatures. The proximal reason for this divergence is hydraulic complexity: the speed and turbulence of water moving through the thalweg is a barrier to dispersal for these fishes. Further examination of fish diversity suggests additional correlations of evolutionary divergence of fish clades in association with geomorphic and hydraulic features such as deep pools, extensive systems of rapids, alternating sections of fast and slow current, and recurring whirlpools. Due to prohibitive travel costs, limited field time, and the large geographic domain (approximately 400 river km) of the study area, we undertook a nested set of remote sensing analyses to extract habitat features, geomorphic descriptors, and hydraulic parameters including channel forming velocity, depth, channel roughness, slope, and shear stress. Each of these estimated parameters is mapped for each 1 km segment of the river from the rapids described above to below Inga Falls, a massive cataract where several endemic fish species have been identified. To validate remote sensing estimates, we collected depth and velocity data within the river using gps-enabled sonar measurements from a kayak and Doppler profiling from a motor-driven dugout canoe. Observations corroborate remote sensing estimates of geomorphic parameters. Remote sensing-based estimates of channel-forming velocity and depth were less than the observed maximum channel depth but correlated well with channel properties within 1 km reach segments. This correspondence is notable. The empirical models used

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever: Tick-Host-Virus Interactions

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Anna Papa

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV is transmitted to humans by bite of infected ticks or by direct contact with blood or tissues of viremic patients or animals. It causes to humans a severe disease with fatality up to 30%. The current knowledge about the vector-host-CCHFV interactions is very limited due to the high-level containment required for CCHFV studies. Among ticks, Hyalomma spp. are considered the most competent virus vectors. CCHFV evades the tick immune response, and following its replication in the lining of the tick's midgut, it is disseminated by the hemolymph in the salivary glands and reproductive organs. The introduction of salivary gland secretions into the host cells is the major route via which CCHFV enters the host. Following an initial amplification at the site of inoculation, the virus is spread to the target organs. Apoptosis is induced via both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. Genetic factors and immune status of the host may affect the release of cytokines which play a major role in disease progression and outcome. It is expected that the use of new technology of metabolomics, transcriptomics and proteomics will lead to improved understanding of CCHFV-host interactions and identify potential targets for blocking the CCHFV transmission.

Superposition of tectonic structures leading elongated intramontane basin: the Alhabia basin (Internal Zones, Betic Cordillera)

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-Martos, Manuel; Galindo-Zaldivar, Jesús; Martínez-Moreno, Francisco José; Calvo-Rayo, Raquel; Sanz de Galdeano, Carlos

2017-10-01

The relief of the Betic Cordillera was formed since the late Serravallian inducing the development of intramontane basins. The Alhabia basin, situated in the central part of the Internal Zones, is located at the intersection of the Alpujarran Corridor, the Tabernas basin, both trending E-W, and the NW-SE oriented Gádor-Almería basin. The geometry of the basin has been constrained by new gravity data. The basin is limited to the North by the Sierra de Filabres and Sierra Nevada antiforms that started to develop in Serravallian times under N-S shortening and to the south by Sierra Alhamilla and Sierra de Gádor antiforms. Plate convergence in the region rotated counter-clockwise in Tortonian times favouring the formation of E-W dextral faults. In this setting, NE-SW extension, orthogonal to the shortening direction, was accommodated by normal faults on the SW edge of Sierra Alhamilla. The Alhabia basin shows a cross-shaped depocentre in the zone of synform and fault intersection. This field example serves to constrain recent counter-clockwise stress rotation during the latest stages of Neogene-Quaternary basin evolution in the Betic Cordillera Internal Zones and underlines the importance of studying the basins' deep structure and its relation with the tectonic structures interactions.

Carbon cycle, chemical erosion of continents and transfers to the oceans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amiotte Suchet, P.

1995-01-01

This study tries to define the processes that control the CO 2 consumption due to the chemical erosion of continents, to appreciate the spatial-temporal fluxes of consumed CO 2 , and to estimate the transfers of dissolved mineral carbon from the continents to the oceans. Complementary approaches using different scales of time and space are necessary to study all these processes. Chemical alteration of minerals from continental rocks is due to the carbonic acid indirectly produced by atmospheric CO 2 via the photosynthesis and the degradation of organic matter in soils. The transfer of dissolved CO 2 towards the oceans is done by the drainage waters of the river basins. Continental erosion develops at the interfaces of the biosphere, atmosphere and ocean reservoirs and is controlled by numerous geological, hydro-climatical, biological and anthropic factors. Seasonal variations of CO 2 consumption has been studied for the Garonne (France), Congo and Ubangui basins to determine the mechanisms that control this consumption. A predictive model has been developed to simulate the consumed CO 2 fluxes on continental surfaces for which the spatial distribution of lithology and drainage is known. This model has been validated using available data from the Garonne (France), Congo and Amazone basins. (J.S.). 272 refs., 78 figs., 41 tabs., 1 annexe

Promouvoir la recherche-action participative sur l'adaptation aux ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

8, mars 2010 : conservation de la biodiversité et adaptation au changement climatique en Afrique Centrale; la nécessaire synergie. Download PDF. Papers. Cofcca (Congo Basin Forests ... New website will help record vital life events to improve access to services for all. A new website and resource library will help improve ...

Promouvoir la recherche-action participative sur l'adaptation aux ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

8, mars 2010 : conservation de la biodiversité et adaptation au changement climatique en Afrique Centrale; la nécessaire synergie. Téléchargez le PDF. Documents. Cofcca (Congo Basin Forests and Climate Change Adaptation) newsletter, no. 8, March 2010 : synergy is required to preserve biodiversity and to adapt to ...

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African Journals Online (AJOL)

Check, NA. Vol 38, No 2 (2008): - Articles France-Africa Policy and the Formation of the Union for the Mediterranean: Implications for a United Africa Abstract · Vol ... Abstract · Vol 41, No 2 (2011) - Articles Global Climate Change Politics and its Implications for Sustainable Forest Management in the Congo Basin Rainforest

Seroepidemiological Studies of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Domestic and Wild Animals.

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Jessica R Spengler

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF is a widely distributed, tick-borne viral disease. Humans are the only species known to develop illness after CCHF virus (CCHFV infection, characterized by a nonspecific febrile illness that can progress to severe, often fatal, hemorrhagic disease. A variety of animals may serve as asymptomatic reservoirs of CCHFV in an endemic cycle of transmission. Seroepidemiological studies have been instrumental in elucidating CCHFV reservoirs and in determining endemic foci of viral transmission. Herein, we review over 50 years of CCHFV seroepidemiological studies in domestic and wild animals. This review highlights the role of livestock in the maintenance and transmission of CCHFV, and provides a detailed summary of seroepidemiological studies of wild animal species, reflecting their relative roles in CCHFV ecology.

Genetic isolation and morphological divergence mediated by high-energy rapids in two cichlid genera from the lower Congo rapids

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Stiassny Melanie LJ

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background It is hypothesized that one of the mechanisms promoting diversification in cichlid fishes in the African Great Lakes has been the well-documented pattern of philopatry along shoreline habitats leading to high levels of genetic isolation among populations. However lake habitats are not the only centers of cichlid biodiversity - certain African rivers also contain large numbers of narrowly endemic species. Patterns of isolation and divergence in these systems have tended to be overlooked and are not well understood. Results We examined genetic and morphological divergence among populations of two narrowly endemic cichlid species, Teleogramma depressum and Lamprologus tigripictilis, from a 100 km stretch of the lower Congo River using both nDNA microsatellites and mtDNA markers along with coordinate-based morphological techniques. In L. tigripictilis, the strongest genetic break was concordant with measurable phenotypic divergence but no morphological disjunction was detected for T. depressum despite significant differentiation at mtDNA and nDNA microsatellite markers. Conclusions The genetic markers revealed patterns of philopatry and estimates of genetic isolation that are among the highest reported for any African cichlid species over a comparable geographic scale. We hypothesize that the high levels of philopatry observed are generated and maintained by the extreme hydrology of the lower Congo River.

Migration of Chadic speaking pastoralists within Africa based on population structure of Chad Basin and phylogeography of mitochondrial L3f haplogroup.

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Cerný, Viktor; Fernandes, Verónica; Costa, Marta D; Hájek, Martin; Mulligan, Connie J; Pereira, Luísa

2009-03-23

Chad Basin, lying within the bidirectional corridor of African Sahel, is one of the most populated places in Sub-Saharan Africa today. The origin of its settlement appears connected with Holocene climatic ameliorations (aquatic resources) that started ~10,000 years before present (YBP). Although both Nilo-Saharan and Niger-Congo language families are encountered here, the most diversified group is the Chadic branch belonging to the Afro-Asiatic language phylum. In this article, we investigate the proposed ancient migration of Chadic pastoralists from Eastern Africa based on linguistic data and test for genetic traces of this migration in extant Chadic speaking populations. We performed whole mitochondrial genome sequencing of 16 L3f haplotypes, focused on clade L3f3 that occurs almost exclusively in Chadic speaking people living in the Chad Basin. These data supported the reconstruction of a L3f phylogenetic tree and calculation of times to the most recent common ancestor for all internal clades. A date ~8,000 YBP was estimated for the L3f3 sub-haplogroup, which is in good agreement with the supposed migration of Chadic speaking pastoralists and their linguistic differentiation from other Afro-Asiatic groups of East Africa. As a whole, the Afro-Asiatic language family presents low population structure, as 92.4% of mtDNA variation is found within populations and only 3.4% of variation can be attributed to diversity among language branches. The Chadic speaking populations form a relatively homogenous cluster, exhibiting lower diversification than the other Afro-Asiatic branches (Berber, Semitic and Cushitic). The results of our study support an East African origin of mitochondrial L3f3 clade that is present almost exclusively within Chadic speaking people living in Chad Basin. Whole genome sequence-based dates show that the ancestral haplogroup L3f must have emerged soon after the Out-of-Africa migration (around 57,100 +/- 9,400 YBP), but the "Chadic" L3f3 clade has

Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever among the one-humped camel (Camelus dromedaries) in Central Sudan.

Science.gov (United States)

Suliman, Hajer M; Adam, Ibrahim A; Saeed, Shamseldin I; Abdelaziz, Sanaa A; Haroun, Eltahir M; Aradaib, Imadeldin E

2017-08-03

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne viral zoonotic disease caused by Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV), a member of the genus Nairovirus in the family Bunyaviridae. CCHF is typically asymptomatic in animals but can be highly fatal in humans approaching case fatality rate of approximately 30%. In the present investigation, a cross sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of CCHF and to identify the potential risk factors associated with CCHFV seropositivity among the one-humped camel (Camelus dromedaries) in Central Sudan. A total of 361 camels selected randomly from six localities were employed in the study. Sera sampled were tested for the presence of CCHFV-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). CCHFV seropositivity was recorded in 77 out of 361 animals accounting for a prevalence rate of 21.3%. Age (OR = 3.6, CI = 1.72-7.79, p-value = 0.026); locality (OR = 5.85, CI = 1.81-18.83, p- value = 0.003), tick number (OR = 4.6, CI = 1.37-9.81, P-value 0.04); tick control (OR = 2.2, CI, 1.11-4.35, P-value = 0.023) and breed (OR = 6.60, CI = 2.38-18.36, P-value = 0.001) were recorded as potential risk factors for contracting CCHF. The prevalence of CCHF is significantly high among camels in Khartoum State, Sudan. Age, breed, locality and tick control are considered as potential risk factors for contracting CCHF. This study would be expected to reduce the impact on the livelihood of pastoral communities and ultimately avoid disease spread in human.

First international external quality assessment of molecular detection of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus.

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Camille Escadafal

Full Text Available Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF is a zoonosis caused by a Nairovirus of the family Bunyaviridae. Infection is transmitted to humans mostly by Hyalomma ticks and also by direct contact with the blood or tissues of infected humans or viremic livestock. Clinical features usually include a rapid progression characterized by hemorrhage, myalgia and fever, with a lethality rate up to 30%. CCHF is one of the most widely distributed viral hemorrhagic fevers and has been reported in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, as well as parts of Europe. There is no approved vaccine or specific treatment against CCHF virus (CCHFV infections. In this context, an accurate diagnosis as well as a reliable surveillance of CCHFV infections is essential. Diagnostic techniques include virus culture, serology and molecular methods, which are now increasingly used. The European Network for the Diagnostics of "Imported" Viral Diseases organized the first international external quality assessment of CCHVF molecular diagnostics in 2011 to assess the efficiency and accurateness of CCHFV molecular methods applied by expert laboratories. A proficiency test panel of 15 samples was distributed to the participants including 10 different CCHFV preparations generated from infected cell cultures, a preparation of plasmid cloned with the nucleoprotein of CCHFV, two CCHFV RNA preparations and two negative controls. Forty-four laboratories worldwide participated in the EQA study and 53 data sets were received. Twenty data sets (38% met all criteria with optimal performance, 10 (19% with acceptable performance, while 23 (43% reported results showing a need for improvement. Differences in performance depended on the method used, the type of strain tested, the concentration of the sample tested and the laboratory performing the test. These results indicate that there is still a need for improving testing conditions and standardizing protocols for the molecular detection of Crimean-Congo

Molecular (ticks) and serological (humans) study of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus in the Iberian Peninsula, 2013-2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Palomar, Ana M; Portillo, Aránzazu; Santibáñez, Sonia; García-Álvarez, Lara; Muñoz-Sanz, Agustín; Márquez, Francisco J; Romero, Lourdes; Eiros, José M; Oteo, José A

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a viral disease, mainly transmitted through tick bite, of great importance in Public Health. In Spain, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) was detected for the first time in 2010 in Hyalomma lusitanicum ticks collected from deer in Cáceres. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of CCHFV in ticks from Cáceres, and from other Spanish areas, and to evaluate the presence of antibodies against the virus in individuals exposed to tick bites. A total of 2053 ticks (1333 Hyalomma marginatum, 680 H. lusitanicum and 40 Rhipicephalus bursa) were analyzed using molecular biology techniques (PCR) for CCHFV detection. The determination of specific IgG antibodies against CCHFV in 228 serum samples from humans with regular contact with ticks (at risk of acquiring the infection) was performed by indirect immunofluorescence assay. The CCHFV was not amplified in ticks, nor were antibodies against the virus found in the serum samples analyzed. The absence of the CCHFV in the ticks studied and the lack of antibodies against the virus in individuals exposed to tick bites would seem to suggest a low risk of acquisition of human infection by CCHFV in Spain. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica. All rights reserved.

Palenque de San Basilio in Colombia: genetic data support an oral history of a paternal ancestry in Congo.

Science.gov (United States)

Ansari-Pour, Naser; Moñino, Yves; Duque, Constanza; Gallego, Natalia; Bedoya, Gabriel; Thomas, Mark G; Bradman, Neil

2016-03-30

The Palenque, a black community in rural Colombia, have an oral history of fugitive African slaves founding a free village near Cartagena in the seventeenth century. Recently, linguists have identified some 200 words in regular use that originate in a Kikongo language, with Yombe, mainly spoken in the Congo region, being the most likely source. The non-recombining portion of the Y chromosome (NRY) and mitochondrial DNA were analysed to establish whether there was greater similarity between present-day members of the Palenque and Yombe than between the Palenque and 42 other African groups (for all individuals,n= 2799) from which forced slaves might have been taken. NRY data are consistent with the linguistic evidence that Yombe is the most likely group from which the original male settlers of Palenque came. Mitochondrial DNA data suggested substantial maternal sub-Saharan African ancestry and a strong founder effect but did not associate Palenque with any particular African group. In addition, based on cultural data including inhabitants' claims of linguistic differences, it has been hypothesized that the two districts of the village (Abajo and Arriba) have different origins, with Arriba founded by men originating in Congo and Abajo by those born in Colombia. Although significant genetic structuring distinguished the two from each other, no supporting evidence for this hypothesis was found. © 2016 The Author(s).

SimBasin: serious gaming for integrated decision-making in the Magdalena-Cauca basin

Science.gov (United States)

Craven, Joanne; Angarita, Hector; Corzo, Gerald

2016-04-01

The Magdalena-Cauca macrobasin covers 24% of the land area of Colombia, and provides more than half of the country's economic potential. The basin is also home a large proportion of Colombia's biodiversity. These conflicting demands have led to problems in the basin, including a dramatic fall in fish populations, additional flooding (such as the severe nationwide floods caused by the La Niña phenomenon in 2011), and habitat loss. It is generally believed that the solution to these conflicts is to manage the basin in a more integrated way, and bridge the gaps between decision-makers in different sectors and scientists. To this end, inter-ministerial agreements are being formulated and a decision support system is being developed by The Nature Conservancy Colombia. To engage stakeholders in this process SimBasin, a "serious game", has been developed. It is intended to act as a catalyst for bringing stakeholders together, an illustration of the uncertainties, relationships and feedbacks in the basin, and an accessible introduction to modelling and decision support for non-experts. During the game, groups of participants are led through a 30 year future development of the basin, during which they take decisions about the development of the basin and see the impacts on four different sectors: agriculture, hydropower, flood risk, and environment. These impacts are displayed through seven indicators, which players should try to maintain above critical thresholds. To communicate the effects of uncertainty and climate variability, players see the actual value of the indicator and also a band of possible values, so they can see if their decisions have actually reduced risk or if they just "got lucky". The game works as a layer on top of a WEAP water resources model of the basin, adapted from a basin-wide model already created, so the fictional game basin is conceptually similar to the Magdalena-Cauca basin. The game is freely available online, and new applications are being

Genomic Characterization of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Hyalomma Tick from Spain, 2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Cajimat, Maria N B; Rodriguez, Sergio E; Schuster, Isolde U E; Swetnam, Daniele M; Ksiazek, Thomas G; Habela, Miguel A; Negredo, Ana Isabel; Estrada-Peña, Agustín; Barrett, Alan D T; Bente, Dennis A

2017-10-01

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a severe tick-borne disease caused by CCHF virus (CCHFV). Ticks in the genus Hyalomma are the main vectors and reservoirs of CCHFV. In Spain, CCHFV was first detected in Hyalomma ticks from Cáceres in 2010. Subsequently, two autochthonous CCHF cases were reported in August 2016. In this study, we describe the characterization of the CCHFV genome directly from Hyalomma lusitanicum collected in Cáceres in 2014. Phylogenetic analyses reveal a close relationship with clade III strains from West Africa, with an estimated divergence time of 50 years. The results of this work suggest that CCHFV has been circulating in Spain for some time, and most likely originated from West Africa.

Progrès de la connaissance du Congo, du Rwanda et du Burundi de 1993 à 2008

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Henri Nicolaï

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Cette chronique, la vingt et unième d’une série qui a commencé avec l’année 1949, couvre la période 1993-2008 et a pour objectif de faire le point sur les progrès réalisés sur la connaissance du Congo (République démocratique du Congo, du Rwanda et du Burundi, dans le domaine de la géographie mais aussi dans les domaines des sciences naturelles et des sciences humaines qui peuvent fournir des données utiles ou indispensables aux géographes. Chaque référence bibliographique, livre ou article, est accompagnée d’un bref commentaire qui en retient les éléments principaux et surtout les faits ou les idées qui intéressent particulièrement les géographes. L’article comporte onze chapitres dont les plus importants concernent le milieu naturel, la géographie de la santé, la démographie, l’histoire (y compris l’histoire récente, la vie sociale et économique des campagnes traditionnelles et modernes, le secteur informel, les aspects de la vie urbaine. Les événements dramatiques qui se sont produits dans ces territoires africains au cours des quinze dernières années ont rendu la recherche sur le terrain particulièrement difficile tant pour les chercheurs nationaux que pour les chercheurs étrangers, ce qui se traduit notamment par une part de plus en plus importante des recherches menées en milieu urbain.This paper, the 21st issue of an edition of books and paper reviews on the knowledge of three countries of former Belgian Africa (DR Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi, covers the period 1993-2008. A short text for each reference points out the facts or ideas that are useful for geographers. The paper is composed of eleven sections. The most important are coping with the natural environment, health geography, population geography, history (including recent events, social and economic life in traditional and modern rural areas, informal economy, and urban geography. During the last sixteen years, conditions for field

Ocular pentastomiasis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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Mihály Sulyok

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Ocular pentastomiasis is a rare infection caused by the larval stage of pentastomids, an unusual group of crustacean-related parasites. Zoonotic pentastomids have a distinct geographical distribution and utilize reptiles or canids as final hosts. Recently, an increasing number of human abdominal infections have been reported in Africa, where pentastomiasis is an emerging, though severely neglected, tropical disease. Here we describe four ocular infections caused by pentastomids from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Two cases underwent surgery and an Armillifer grandis infection was detected by morphological and molecular approaches. Thus far, 15 other cases of ocular pentastomiasis have been reported worldwide. Twelve cases were caused by Armillifer sp., recorded almost exclusively in Africa, where such infections occur as a consequence of hunting and consuming snakes, their final hosts. Seven further cases were caused by Linguatula serrata, a cosmopolitan pentastomid whose final hosts are usually canids. Intraocular infections caused permanent visual damage in 69% and a total loss of vision in 31% of reported cases. In contrast, ocular adnexal cases had a benign clinical course. Further research is required to estimate the burden, therapeutic options and pathogenesis of this neglected disease.

Relating petroleum system and play development to basin evolution: West African South Atlantic basins

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beglinger, S.E.; Doust, H.; Cloetingh, S.A.P.L.

2012-01-01

Sedimentary basins can be classified according to their structural genesis and evolutionary history and the latter can be linked to petroleumsystem and playdevelopment. We propose an approach in which we use the established concepts in a new way: breaking basins down into their natural basin cycle

Seroepidemiology and risk factors of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever among butchers and slaughterhouse workers in southeastern Iran

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Ehsan Mostafavi

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Objective: Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF is a viral zoonotic disease. Butchers and slaughterhouse workers are considered to be high risk occupational groups for the disease. Sistan and Baluchistan province is an area in southeastern Iran which is endemic for CCHF, and the most confirmed cases of the disease are reported from this province. The aim of this study was to investigate the seroprevalence of CCHF and risk factors for seropositivity among them in Sistan and Baluchistan province in 2011. Methods: Questionnaire data and blood sample collection were carried out for each participant and the sera samples were sent to the national reference laboratory for ELISA IgG testing. Results: In this study, the seroprevalence of CCHF among 190 butchers and slaughterhouse workers from 11 counties was 16.49%. 79% of participants were aware that they were at risk of zoonosis and 39.7% did not use any personal protective equipment during their work. Of 31 CCHF IgG positive individuals in this study, eleven individuals had a previous record of CCHF infection in 57 months prior to the study. Conclusions: High seroprevalence of CCHF among butchers and slaughterhouse workers and minimal use of personal protective equipment’s during daily work indicates the need for training courses, for these groups to increase their knowledge, attitude and practice with respect to zoonosis. Keywords: Seroepidemiology, Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever, Butchers, Slaughterhouse Workers, Iran

Surveillance and laboratory detection system of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever in Iran

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chinikar, S; Goya, M M; Shirzadi, M R

2008-01-01

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a viral zoonotic disease with a high mortality rate in humans. The CCHF virus (CCHFV) is transmitted to humans through the bite of Ixodid ticks or by contact with blood or tissues of infected livestock. In addition to zoonotic transmission, CCHFV can be ....... After two decades and observations of CCHF in some provinces of Iran, a CCHF surveillance and detection system was established in 1999, leading to a dramatically decreased mortality rate from 20% (year 2000) to 2% (year 2007)....... symptoms, the diagnosis of CCHF is based on the use of serological tests for the detection of immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G antibodies and on the use of molecular tools such as RT-PCR. From 1970 to 1978, serological and epidemiological studies were performed in humans and in livestock of Iran...

Petroleum and gas economy in Arab Countries, in Angola, Congo and Nigeria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-01-01

This paper gives informations on petroleum and natural gas industry, petroleum market and prices, trade and contracts, exploration and production. In OPEC countries, petroleum production has increased of 1% at a level of 24.77 millions barrels per day. Petroleum exploration or oil field development are going on at Ras al Khaima and Oum al Qaiwain (Arab Union Emirates), Gachsaran and Parsi (Iran) and Masilia (Yemen). In Tunisia, Union Texas Petroleum (Houston) has obtained a license for the exploration of Ramla oil field. In 1993, for the first, world wide petroleum demand will be reduce of 150000 barrels per day since 1983. In Congo, Sofresid Petrole Gaz has obtained a contract for the building of the bridge of two offshore platforms on N'Kossa oil field. In Nigeria, Offshore Pipelines Inc. (Houston) will build offshore structures for North Apoi and Okubie oil fields

Environmental goods & services and rural livelihoods in the Congo and Brazilian Amazon

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bakkegaard, Riyong Kim

alternatives exist. Evidence has also been provided on their ability to pull people out of poverty. However an array of conservation interventions have in the past attempted to bridge the gap in achieving poverty alleviation and conservation – two of the millenium’s top priorities. Conservation and development...... on livelihoods, poverty alleviation as well as in achieving conservation goals. In a collection of five papers spanning five years of research, the dissertation presents evidence on the livelihood effects of conservation and provides insights on various points of onsideration in the equitable and efficient...... design of future conservation interventions. The first three papers deal with the livelihood aspects of conservation interventions. Paper 1 presents a new method of characterising poverty groups in the Congo, using combined measures of assets and income, and importantly how they rely on the environmental...

Forest Conversion, Agricultural Transitions and the Influence of Multi-scale Market Factors in Southwest Cameroon

Science.gov (United States)

Ordway, E.; Lambin, E.; Asner, G. P.

2015-12-01

The changing structure of demand for commodities associated with food security and energy has had a startling impact on land use change in tropical forests in recent decades. Yet, the composition of conversion in the Congo basin remains a major uncertainty, particularly with regards to the scale of drivers of change. Owing to rapid expansion of production globally and longstanding historical production locally in the Congo basin, oil palm offers a lens through which to evaluate local land use decisions across a spectrum of small- to large-scales of production as well as interactions with regional and global supply chains. We examined the effect of global commodity crop expansion on land use change in Southwest Cameroon using a mixed-methods approach to integrate remote sensing, field surveys and socioeconomic data. Southwest Cameroon (2.5 Mha) has a long history of large- and small-scale agriculture, ranging from mixed crop subsistence agriculture to large monocrop plantations of oil palm, cocoa, and rubber. Trends and spatial patterns of forest conversion and agricultural transitions were analyzed from 2000-2015 using satellite imagery. We used economic, demographic and field survey datasets to assess how regional and global market factors and local commodity crop decisions affect land use patterns. Our results show that oil palm is a major commodity crop expanding in this region, and that conversion is occurring primarily through expansion by medium-scale producers and local elites. Results also indicate that global and regional supply chain dynamics influence local land use decision making. This research contributes new information on land use patterns and dynamics in the Congo basin, an understudied region. More specifically, results from this research contribute information on recent trends of oil palm expansion in Cameroon that will be used in national land use planning strategies.

Strategic Mine Planning: A SWOT Analysis Applied to KOV Open Pit Mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo

OpenAIRE

Patrick May Mukonki

2017-01-01

KOV pit (Kamoto Oliveira Virgule) is located 10 km from Kolwezi town, one of the mineral rich town in the Lualaba province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The KOV pit is currently operating under the Katanga Mining Limited (KML), a Glencore-Gecamines (a State Owned Company) join venture. Recently, the mine optimization process provided a life of mine of approximately 10 years withnice pushbacks using the Datamine NPV Scheduler software. In previous KOV pit studies, we recently outlined t...

Mechanical grading of structural timber and species conservation in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The aim of the present work is to propose a non-destructive experimental approach, organizing the species of the Congo Basin in four; according to the likeness of their main mechanical properties, and is also to promote the subsistence of over-consumed species in our biodiversity. The assignment of a given specie to one ...

Some nematodes from freshwater fishes in central Africa

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Moravec, František; Jirků, Miloslav

2017-01-01

Roč. 64, OCT 20 (2017), č. článku 033. ISSN 1803-6465 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GBP505/12/G112 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : helminth parasites * taxonomy * new taxa * Osteichthyes * Congo River basin Subject RIV: EG - Zoology OBOR OECD: Zoology Impact factor: 1.082, year: 2016

Caractéristiques socio-démographiques dans la filière pâte rouie de manioc au Congo-Brazzaville

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Louembe, D.

2001-01-01

Full Text Available Socio-Demographic Characteristics in Die Cassava Paste steeped in Congo-Brazzaville. Cassava roots constitute a basic food in Congo. Its consumption in the form of foufou or chikwangue requires the transformation of the roots to steeped paste. Social dynamics related to the activity of production and marketing of the steeped paste, after investigation into 119 producers showed two markets in Brazzaville draining more than 40 % of the producers and retailers, one market in Pointe - Noire with 60 % of the producers and retailers, and the railroad importance for supplying these markets. Important activities are localised in rural zone more particularly in Mindouli and in Bouenza localities. Formerly forsaken with the women, the die of the steeped paste is more and more occupied by the men especially in Pointe - Noire, particularly in the marketing part considered to be less painful and more profitable. Production and marketing activities are carried out by the young people. Illiterates producers proportion is weak in Brazzaville, but stronger in Pointe - Noire. This study does not establish any bond associating the sex, the age, the instruction and the matrimonial statute in this activity.

Sexual violence-related fistulas in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Science.gov (United States)

Onsrud, Mathias; Sjøveian, Solbjørg; Luhiriri, Roger; Mukwege, Dennis

2008-12-01

To determine the magnitude of traumatic gynecologic fistulas caused by sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A retrospective analysis of hospital records from 604 consecutive patients who received treatment for gynecologic fistulas at Panzi Hospital between November 2005 and November 2007. Of the 604 patients, 24 (4%) reported that their fistulas had been caused by sexual violence; of these, 5 (0.8%) had developed fistulas as a direct result of forced penetration with foreign objects and/or gang rapes. Of the remaining patients, 6 had a fistula before they were raped, 9 developed iatrogenic fistulas following inappropriate instrumentation to manage rape-induced spontaneous abortion or stillbirth, or after abdominal hysterectomy, and 4 developed fistulas after prolonged and obstructed labor. Traumatic fistulas are rare compared to obstetric fistulas. Fistulas indirectly related to sexual violence are likely to be more common than those directly related. All fistulas resulting from sexual violence, whether direct or indirect, should be considered traumatic and special care should be given to these women.

Microbiologic and Clinical Features of Salmonella Species Isolated From Bacteremic Children in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vandenberg, Olivier; Nyarukweba, Deo Z.; Ndeba, Prudence M.

2010-01-01

Background: The morbidity of Salmonella bloodstream infections is unacceptably high in Africa. In 2000, the WHO Global Salmonella-Surveillance (GSS) program was founded to reduce the health burden of foodborne diseases. The incorporation, in 2002, of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC......) in this program allowed the improvement of laboratory capacities. In this retrospective study, we describe the first signs of impact the GSS program has had in DRC in the management of bacteremia. Methods: Between 2002 and 2006, we evaluated, in one pediatric hospital, the microbiologic and clinical features...

Molecular epidemiology of Crimean- Congo hemorrhagic fever virus genome isolated from ticks of Hamadan province of Iran

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tahmasebi, F; Ghiasi, Seyed Mojtaba; Mostafavi, E

2010-01-01

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus is a tick-borne member of the genus Nairovirus, family Bunyaviridae. CCHFV has been isolated from at least 31 different tick species. The virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected tick, or by direct contact with CCHFV...... to each other. Even though they clustered in the same group with the strain circulating in Iran, they had a closer relationship to the Matin strain. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: Vector control programs should be applied for reducing population density of potential tick vectors in this province. Further...

K Basin safety analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Porten, D.R.; Crowe, R.D.

1994-01-01

The purpose of this accident safety analysis is to document in detail, analyses whose results were reported in summary form in the K Basins Safety Analysis Report WHC-SD-SNF-SAR-001. The safety analysis addressed the potential for release of radioactive and non-radioactive hazardous material located in the K Basins and their supporting facilities. The safety analysis covers the hazards associated with normal K Basin fuel storage and handling operations, fuel encapsulation, sludge encapsulation, and canister clean-up and disposal. After a review of the Criticality Safety Evaluation of the K Basin activities, the following postulated events were evaluated: Crane failure and casks dropped into loadout pit; Design basis earthquake; Hypothetical loss of basin water accident analysis; Combustion of uranium fuel following dryout; Crane failure and cask dropped onto floor of transfer area; Spent ion exchange shipment for burial; Hydrogen deflagration in ion exchange modules and filters; Release of Chlorine; Power availability and reliability; and Ashfall

Melo carboniferous basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flossdarf, A.

1988-01-01

This report is about of the Melo carboniferous basin which limits are: in the South the large and high Tupambae hill, in the west the Paraiso hill and the river mountains, in the North Yaguaron river basin to Candidata in Rio Grande del Sur in Brazil.

Weak Learner Method for Estimating River Discharges using Remotely Sensed Data: Central Congo River as a Testbed

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, D.; Lee, H.; Yu, H.; Beighley, E.; Durand, M. T.; Alsdorf, D. E.; Hwang, E.

2017-12-01

River discharge is a prerequisite for an understanding of flood hazard and water resource management, yet we have poor knowledge of it, especially over remote basins. Previous studies have successfully used a classic hydraulic geometry, at-many-stations hydraulic geometry (AMHG), and Manning's equation to estimate the river discharge. Theoretical bases of these empirical methods were introduced by Leopold and Maddock (1953) and Manning (1889), and those have been long used in the field of hydrology, water resources, and geomorphology. However, the methods to estimate the river discharge from remotely sensed data essentially require bathymetric information of the river or are not applicable to braided rivers. Furthermore, the methods used in the previous studies adopted assumptions of river conditions to be steady and uniform. Consequently, those methods have limitations in estimating the river discharge in complex and unsteady flow in nature. In this study, we developed a novel approach to estimating river discharges by applying the weak learner method (here termed WLQ), which is one of the ensemble methods using multiple classifiers, to the remotely sensed measurements of water levels from Envisat altimetry, effective river widths from PALSAR images, and multi-temporal surface water slopes over a part of the mainstem Congo. Compared with the methods used in the previous studies, the root mean square error (RMSE) decreased from 5,089 m3s-1 to 3,701 m3s-1, and the relative RMSE (RRMSE) improved from 12% to 8%. It is expected that our method can provide improved estimates of river discharges in complex and unsteady flow conditions based on the data-driven prediction model by machine learning (i.e. WLQ), even when the bathymetric data is not available or in case of the braided rivers. Moreover, it is also expected that the WLQ can be applied to the measurements of river levels, slopes and widths from the future Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission to be

Evolution du système national d’information sanitaire de la république démocratique du Congo entre 2009 et 2015

Science.gov (United States)

Muhemedi, Saleh; Kabangu, Yakim; Mpeli, Faustin; Salumu, Salomon; Kabeya, Philippe; Okitolonda, Emile

2017-01-01

Introduction Lancé en 1987, le Système national d'information sanitaire (SNIS) de la République Démocratique du Congo (DR Congo) a été évalué en 2009 et 2015 moyennant l'outil HMN (Health metrics network). L'objectif de cette étude était d'estimer les progrès réalisés entre ces deux évaluations. Méthodes Il s'agissait d'une analyse des données secondaires des évaluations du SNIS, qui a consisté à comparer le degré de satisfaction par rapport aux six composantes de cet outil entre 2009 et 2015, à savoir; les ressources, les indicateurs, les sources de données, la gestion des données, les produits de l'information, la diffusion et l'utilisation des données. Résultats Entre 2009 et 2015, le degré de satisfaction des répondants a évolués de la manière suivante: 49% contre 61% pour les ressources; 73% vs 88% pour les indicateurs; 52% vs 61% pour les sources de données; 41% vs 45% pour la gestion des données; 74% contre 77% pour les produits de l'information et enfin 51% vs 51% pour la diffusion et l'utilisation des données. Dans l'ensemble, le score moyen est passé de 59% à 64% avec une mention « satisfaisante ». Conclusion Notre étude a montré que le SNIS de la RD Congo n'a pas significativement évolué entre 2009 et 2015, et n'était pas en mesure de fournir en temps réel l'information sanitaire fiable pour la prise de décision et la planification des programmes de santé. PMID:29629011

Basin Hopping Graph

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kucharik, Marcel; Hofacker, Ivo; Stadler, Peter

2014-01-01

of the folding free energy landscape, however, can provide the relevant information. Results We introduce the basin hopping graph (BHG) as a novel coarse-grained model of folding landscapes. Each vertex of the BHG is a local minimum, which represents the corresponding basin in the landscape. Its edges connect...

Active intra-basin faulting in the Northern Basin of Lake Malawi from seismic reflection data

Science.gov (United States)

Shillington, D. J.; Chindandali, P. R. N.; Scholz, C. A.; Ebinger, C. J.; Onyango, E. A.; Peterson, K.; Gaherty, J. B.; Nyblade, A.; Accardo, N. J.; McCartney, T.; Oliva, S. J.; Kamihanda, G.; Ferdinand, R.; Salima, J.; Mruma, A. H.

2016-12-01

Many questions remain about the development and evolution of fault systems in weakly extended rifts, including the relative roles of border faults and intra-basin faults, and segmentation at various scales. The northern Lake Malawi (Nyasa) rift in the East African Rift System is an early stage rift exhibiting pronounced tectonic segmentation, which is defined by 100-km-long border faults. The basins also contain a series of intrabasinal faults and associated synrift sediments. The occurrence of the 2009 Karonga Earthquake Sequence on one of these intrabasinal faults indicates that some of them are active. Here we present new multichannel seismic reflection data from the Northern Basin of the Malawi Rift collected in 2015 as a part of the SEGMeNT (Study of Extension and maGmatism in Malawi aNd Tanzania) project. This rift basin is bound on its east side by the west-dipping Livingstone border fault. Over 650 km of seismic reflection profiles were acquired in the Northern Basin using a 500 to 1540 cu in air gun array and a 1200- to 1500-m seismic streamer. Dip lines image a series of north-south oriented west-dipping intra-basin faults and basement reflections up to 5 s twtt near the border fault. Cumulative offsets on intra-basin faults decrease to the west. The largest intra-basin fault has a vertical displacement of >2 s two-way travel time, indicating that it has accommodated significant total extension. Some of these intra-basin faults offset the lake bottom and the youngest sediments by up to 50 s twtt ( 37 m), demonstrating they are still active. The two largest intra-basin faults exhibit the largest offsets of young sediments and also correspond to the area of highest seismicity based on analysis of seismic data from the 89-station SEGMeNT onshore/offshore network (see Peterson et al, this session). Fault patterns in MCS profiles vary along the basin, suggesting a smaller scale of segmentation of faults within the basin; these variations in fault patterns

Consommation de la viande de brousse dans la zone du Parc National de Conkouati-Douli, Congo (Brazzaville: nature du gibier et modalités de consommation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Makosso Vheiye, G.

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Consumption of Bushmeat in the Conkouati-Douli National Park, Congo (Brazzaville: Nature of Game and Characteristics of Consumption. In order to identify the species hunted in the Conkouati- Douli National Park (CDNP, Brazzaville (Congo and to appreciate the methods of consumption of the bushmeat by the bordering populations, 52 hunters from 16 to 62 years old were a surveying over a period of one month and half. The results indicate that hunt to involve rodents, bovidae, various carnivores, suidae, reptiles and birds. However, the african brush-tailed porcupines (Atherurus africanus and blue duikers (Cephalophus monticola were the most appreciated animals. The modes of consumption of the bushmeat were diversified. The smoked meat was used most frequently (48.1% followed by fresh meat consumption (40.2%. All political and legislative measurements are to be necessary to preserve the resources of this protected area.

River basin administration

Science.gov (United States)

Management of international rivers and their basins is the focus of the Centre for Comparative Studies on (International) River Basin Administration, recently established at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Water pollution, sludge, and conflicting interests in the use of water in upstream and downstream parts of a river basin will be addressed by studying groundwater and consumption of water in the whole catchment area of a river.Important aspects of river management are administrative and policy aspects. The Centre will focus on policy, law, planning, and organization, including transboundary cooperation, posing standards, integrated environmental planning on regional scale and environmental impact assessments.

Sediment-hosted micro-disseminated gold mineralization constrained by basin paleo-topographic highs in the Youjiang basin, South China

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jianming; Ye, Jie; Ying, Hanlong; Liu, Jiajun; Zheng, Minghua; Gu, Xuexiang

2002-06-01

The Youjiang basin is a Devonian-Triassic rift basin on the southern margin of the Yangtze Craton in South China. Strong syndepositional faulting defined the basin-and-range style paleo-topography that further developed into isolated carbonate platforms surrounded by siliciclastic filled depressions. Finally, thick Triassic siliciclastic deposits covered the platforms completely. In the Youjiang basin, numerous sediment-hosted, micro-disseminated gold (SMG) deposits occur mainly in Permian-Triassic chert and siliciclastic rocks. SMG ores are often auriferous sedimentary rocks with relatively low sulfide contents and moderate to weak alteration. Similar to Carlin-type gold ores in North America, SMG ores in the Youjiang basin are characterized by low-temperature mineral assemblages of pyrite, arsenopyrite, realgar, stibnite, cinnabar, marcasite, chalcedony and carbonate. Most of the SMG deposits are remarkably distributed around the carbonate platforms. Accordingly, there are platform-proximal and platform-distal SMG deposits. Platform-proximal SMG deposits often occur in the facies transition zone between the underlying platform carbonate rocks and the overlying siliciclastic rocks with an unconformity (often a paleo-karst surface) in between. In the ores and hostrocks there are abundant synsedimentary-syndiagenetic fabrics such as lamination, convolute bedding, slump texture, soft-sediment deformation etc. indicating submarine hydrothermal deposition and syndepositional faulting. Numerous fluid-escape and liquefaction fabrics imply strong fluid migration during sediment basin evolution. Such large-scale geological and fabric evidence implies that SMG ores were formed during basin evolution, probably in connection with basinal fluids. It is well known that basinal fluids (especially sediment-sourced fluids) will migrate generally (1) upwards, (2) towards basin margins or basin topographic highs, (3) and from thicker towards thinner deposits during basin evolution

Mapping Monthly Water Scarcity in Global Transboundary Basins at Country-Basin Mesh Based Spatial Resolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Degefu, Dagmawi Mulugeta; Weijun, He; Zaiyi, Liao; Liang, Yuan; Zhengwei, Huang; Min, An

2018-02-01

Currently fresh water scarcity is an issue with huge socio-economic and environmental impacts. Transboundary river and lake basins are among the sources of fresh water facing this challenge. Previous studies measured blue water scarcity at different spatial and temporal resolutions. But there is no global water availability and footprint assessment done at country-basin mesh based spatial and monthly temporal resolutions. In this study we assessed water scarcity at these spatial and temporal resolutions. Our results showed that around 1.6 billion people living within the 328 country-basin units out of the 560 we assessed in this study endures severe water scarcity at least for a month within the year. In addition, 175 country-basin units goes through severe water scarcity for 3-12 months in the year. These sub-basins include nearly a billion people. Generally, the results of this study provide insights regarding the number of people and country-basin units experiencing low, moderate, significant and severe water scarcity at a monthly temporal resolution. These insights might help these basins' sharing countries to design and implement sustainable water management and sharing schemes.

Impacts of climate change on water resources and hydropower systems in central and southern Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamududu, Byman H

2012-11-15

Climate change is altering hydrological processes with varying degrees in various regions of the world. This research work investigates the possible impacts of climate change on water resource and Hydropower production potential in central and southern Africa. The Congo, Zambezi and Kwanza, Shire, Kafue and Kabompo basins that lie in central and southern Africa are used as case studies. The review of climate change impact studies shows that there are few studies on impacts of climate change on hydropower production. Most of these studies were carried out in Europe and north America and very few in Asia, south America and Africa. The few studies indicate that southern Africa would experience reduction in precipitation and runoff, consequently reductions in hydropower production. There are no standard methods of assessing the resulting impacts. Two approaches were used to assess the impacts of climate change on water resources and hydropower. One approach is lumping changes on country or regional level and use the mean climate changes on mean annual flows as the basis for regional changes in hydropower production. This is done to get an overall picture of the changes on global and regional level. The second approach is a detailed assessment process in which downscaling, hydrological modelling and hydropower simulations are carried out. The possible future climate scenarios for the region of central and southern Africa depicted that some areas where precipitation are likely to have increases while other, precipitation will reduce. The region northern Zambia and southern Congo showed increases while the northern Congo basin showed reductions. Further south in southern African region, there is a tendency of decreases in precipitation. To the west, in Angola, inland showed increases while towards the coast highlighted some decreases in precipitation. On a global scale, hydropower is likely to experience slight changes (0.08%) due to climate change by 2050. Africa is

New aerogeophysical study of the Eurasia Basin and Lomonosov Ridge: Implications for basin development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brozena, J.M.; Childers, V.A.; Lawver, L.A.

2003-01-01

In 1998 and 1999, new aerogeophysical surveys of the Arctic Ocean's Eurasia Basin produced the first collocated gravity and magnetic measurements over the western half of the basin. These data increase the density and extend the coverage of the U.S. Navy acromagnetic data from the 1970s. The new...... data reveal prominent bends in the isochrons that provide solid geometrical constraints for plate reconstructions. Tentative identification of anomaly 25 in the Eurasia Basin links early basin opening to spreading in the Labrador Sea before the locus of spreading in the North Atlantic shifted...... to the Norwegian-Greenland Sea. With the opening of the Labrador Sea, Greenland began similar to200 km of northward movement relative to North America and eventually collided with Svalbard, Ellesmere Island, and the nascent Eurasia ocean basin. Both gravity and magnetic data sets reconstructed to times prior...

Great Basin Experimental Range: Annotated bibliography

Science.gov (United States)

E. Durant McArthur; Bryce A. Richardson; Stanley G. Kitchen

2013-01-01

This annotated bibliography documents the research that has been conducted on the Great Basin Experimental Range (GBER, also known as the Utah Experiment Station, Great Basin Station, the Great Basin Branch Experiment Station, Great Basin Experimental Center, and other similar name variants) over the 102 years of its existence. Entries were drawn from the original...

Group Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy with Former Child Soldiers and Other War-Affected Boys in the DR Congo: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Science.gov (United States)

McMullen, John; O'Callaghan, Paul; Shannon, Ciaran; Black, Alastair; Eakin, John

2013-01-01

Background: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been home to the world's deadliest conflict since World War II and is reported to have the largest number of child soldiers in the world. Despite evidence of the debilitating impact of war, no group-based mental health or psychosocial intervention has been evaluated in a randomised controlled…

Frequency and sources of basin floor turbidites in alfonso basin, Gulf of California, Mexico: Products of slope failures

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalez-Yajimovich, Oscar E.; Gorsline, Donn S.; Douglas, Robert G.

2007-07-01

Alfonso Basin is a small margin basin formed by extensional tectonics in the actively rifting, seismically active Gulf of California. The basin is centered at 24°40' N and 110° 38' W, and is a closed depression (maximum depth 420 m) with an effective sill depth of about 320 m (deepest sill), a width of 20 km and length of 25 km. Basin floor area below a depth of 350 m is about 260 km 2. The climate is arid to semiarid but was wetter during the early (ca. 10,000-7000 Calendar years Before Present [BP]) and middle Holocene (ca. 7000-4000 Cal. Years BP). Basin-wide turbidity currents reach the floor of Alfonso Basin at centennial to millennial intervals. The peninsular drainages tributary to the basin are small and have maximum flood discharges of the order of 10 4m 3. The basin-floor turbidites thicker than 1 cm have volumes of the order of 10 6m 3 to 10 8m 3 and require a much larger source. The largest turbidite seen in our cores is ca. 1 m thick in the central basin floor and was deposited 4900 Calendar Years Before Present (BP). Two smaller major events occurred about 1500 and 2800 Cal. Years BP. Seismicity over the past century of record shows a clustering of larger epicenters along faults forming the eastern Gulf side of Alfonso Basin. In that period there have been four earthquakes with magnitudes above 7.0 but all are distant from the basin. Frequency of such earthquakes in the basin vicinity is probably millennial. It is concluded that the basin-wide turbidites thicker than 1 cm must be generated by slope failures on the eastern side of the basin at roughly millennial intervals. The thin flood turbidites have a peninsular source at centennial frequencies.

Classification of very high resolution satellite remote sensing data in a pilot phase of the forest cover classification of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Forêts d'Afrique Central Evaluées par Télédetection (FACET) product

Science.gov (United States)

Singa Monga Lowengo, C.

2012-12-01

The Observatoire Satellital des Forêts d'Afrique Centrale (OSFAC) based in Kinshasa, serves as the focal point of the GOFC-GOLD network for Central Africa. OSFAC's long term objective is building regional capacity to use remotely sensed data to map forest cover and forest cover change across Central Africa. OSFAC archives and disseminates satellite data, offers training in geospatial data applications in coordination with the University of Kinshasa, and provides technical support to CARPE partners. Forêts d'Afrique Centrale Évaluées par Télédétection (FACET) is an OSFAC initiative that implements the UMD/SDSU methodology at the national level and quantitatively evaluates the spatiotemporal dynamics of forest cover in Central Africa. The multi-temporal series of FACET data is a useful contribution to many projects, such as biodiversity monitoring, climate modeling, conservation, natural resource management, land use planning, agriculture and REDD+. I am working as Remote Sensing and GIS Officer in various projects of OSFAC. My activities include forest cover and lands dynamics monitoring in Congo Basin. I am familiar with the use of digital mapping software, GIS and RS (Arc GIS, ENVI and PCI Geomatica etc.), classification and spatial Analysis of satellite images, 3D modeling, etc. I started as an intern at OSFAC, Assistant Trainer (Professional Training) and Consultant than permanent employee since October 2009. To assist in the OSFAC activities regarding the monitoring of forest cover and the CARPE program in the context of natural resources management, I participated in the development of the FACET Atlas (Republic of Congo). I received data from Matt Hansen (map.img), WRI and Brazzaville (shapefiles). With all these data I draw maps of the ROC Atlas and statistics of forest cover and forest loss. We organize field work on land to collect data to validate the FACET product. Therefore, to assess forest cover in the region of Kwamouth and Kahuzi-Maiko Biega

Removal of congo red from water using quercetin modified α-Fe_2O_3 nanoparticles as effective nanoadsorbent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Satheesh, R.; Vignesh, K.; Rajarajan, M.; Suganthi, A.; Sreekantan, Srimala; Kang, Misook; Kwak, Byeong Sub

2016-01-01

In the present investigation, Quercetin modified α-Fe_2O_3 nanoadsorbent (Qur-Fe_2O_3) is synthesized by a simple chemical impregnation method, followed by characterization and evaluated for the removal of congo red dye (CR) from the aqueous solution. The adsorption of CR onto the novel Qur-Fe_2O_3 is investigated with variable parameters such as contact time, initial concentration of CR, adsorbent dosage and pH of solution using batch adsorption technique. It is found that the adsorption of CR on Qur-Fe_2O_3 is rapid during the initial stages and reached a steady-state condition with an uptake of approximately 95.4% after 140 min. Langmuir and the Freundlich adsorption isotherms are used to observe and quantify the interaction of CR and Qur-Fe_2O_3. Dye adsorption equilibrium data are well-fit with Langmuir isotherm rather than Freundlich isotherm. The maximum monolayer dye adsorption capacity at the optimum pH 5.4 by applying the Langmuir equation is 427.35 mg g"−"1 at 25 °C for Qur-Fe_2O_3_. Thermodynamic examination demonstrated that CR adsorption on the Qur-Fe_2O_3 nanoadsorbent was reasonably spontaneous and endothermic. A comparison of kinetic models showed that the overall adsorption process is described in well manner by pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The intraparticle diffusion model described that the rate-limiting step is not the diffusion of intraparticle alone. Moreover, the adsorption capacity is about 81.64% of the initial saturation adsorption capacity after being used four times. Thus, Qur-Fe_2O_3 nanoparticles are good candidate for efficient CR removal process from wastewater and for the deep-purification of polluted water. - Graphical abstract: The photographs for colour changes in Congo red (35 mg L"−"1) dye in the presence of Qur – Fe_2O_3 adsorbent at different time intervals. - Highlights: • Quercetin modified α-Fe_2O_3 (Qur-Fe_2O_3) was used as adsorbent. • Adsorption studies were performed for the removal of congo

Comparative evaluation of eosinophils in normal mucosa, dysplastic mucosa and oral squamous cell carcinoma with hematoxylin-eosin, Congo red, and EMR1 immunohistochemical staining techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Kargahi, Neda; Razavi, Sayyed Mohammad; Deyhimi, Parviz; Homayouni, Solmaz

2015-01-01

Oral squamous cell carcinoma is the most common malignant lesion of the oral cavity, and it involves various molecular mechanisms. The development of oral squamous cell carcinoma is influenced by the host immune cells, such as eosinophils. The present study was conducted to compare the presence of eosinophils in normal mucosa, dysplastic mucosa, and oral squamous cell carcinoma by -hematoxylin- eosin staining, Congo red staining, and epidermal growth factor-like (EGF-like) module containing a mucin-like hormone receptor1 (EMR1) immunohistochemical marker. In this cross-sectional study, 60 paraffinized samples were selected, consisting of 20 normal mucosae, 20 dysplastic mucosae, and 20 squamous cell carcinoma samples. After confirmation of the diagnosis, the mean number of eosinophils was evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin, Congo red, and immunohystochemical staining techniques. The data were analyzed by SPSS-10 software using the Kruskal-Wallis and Friedman tests. The results showed that the number of eosinophils in dysplastic mucosa was significantly higher than the number in normal mucosa, and the number of eosinophils in squamous cell carcinoma was significantly higher than the number in dysplastic mucosa in all staining techniques (p<0.001). Moreover, the comparison of staining techniques showed a significantly higher number of eosinophils in EMR1immunohistochemicalmarker than were observed when Congo red and hematoxylin - eosin (H&E) staining techniques were used (p<0.001). It can be argued that eosinophil contributes to the identification of lesions that have a higher potential of malignant transformation. Moreover, eosinophil can be suggested as an indicator in the differentiation of oral lesions in cases with borderline diagnosis and in targeted molecular therapy.

[Emerging diseases. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever].

Science.gov (United States)

Kuljić-Kapulica, Nada

2004-01-01

Recognized for many years in central Asia and Eastern Europe, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a severe zoonotic disease which affects people coming into contact with livestock or ticks. The range of the CCHF virus is now known to extend form central Asia to India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and to most of Saharan and sub-Saharan Africa. CCHF virus is a member of the Bunyavirus family, and is classified as a Nairovirus. After an incubation period of approximately 3 to 6 days the abrupt onset of acute febrile illness occurs. The first symptoms are similar to severe influenza and include fever, headache, severe back and abdominal pain. The hemorrhagic fever manifestations occur after several days of illnesses and include petechial rash, ecchymoses, hematemmesis, and melenna. Cases typically present with some form of hepatitis. The mortality rate is 10-50% in different outbreaks with deaths typically occurring during the second week of illness. The genus Hyalomma of ixodid ticks is the most important vector of the CCHF virus. Vertebrates including birds and small animals provide excellent amplifier hosts of both the virus and the tick. The virus can be transmitted to humans by direct contact with infected animals and from person to person. Early diagnosis is possible in special laboratories using antigen detection by imunofluorescence or ELISA tests or molecular methods as PCR and antibody detection. Tick control measures need to be emphasized and utilized to prevent CCHF. This includes spraying camp sites, clothing and danger areas with acaricides or repellent. Strict isolation of patients with CCHF and a focus on barrier nursing would help to prevent nosocomial spread. Presently the vaccine is a dangerous mouse brain-derived version. Future development of a vaccine would help to prevent human infection.

Constraining Basin Depth and Fault Displacement in the Malombe Basin Using Potential Field Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Beresh, S. C. M.; Elifritz, E. A.; Méndez, K.; Johnson, S.; Mynatt, W. G.; Mayle, M.; Atekwana, E. A.; Laó-Dávila, D. A.; Chindandali, P. R. N.; Chisenga, C.; Gondwe, S.; Mkumbwa, M.; Kalaguluka, D.; Kalindekafe, L.; Salima, J.

2017-12-01

The Malombe Basin is part of the Malawi Rift which forms the southern part of the Western Branch of the East African Rift System. At its southern end, the Malawi Rift bifurcates into the Bilila-Mtakataka and Chirobwe-Ntcheu fault systems and the Lake Malombe Rift Basin around the Shire Horst, a competent block under the Nankumba Peninsula. The Malombe Basin is approximately 70km from north to south and 35km at its widest point from east to west, bounded by reversing-polarity border faults. We aim to constrain the depth of the basin to better understand displacement of each border fault. Our work utilizes two east-west gravity profiles across the basin coupled with Source Parameter Imaging (SPI) derived from a high-resolution aeromagnetic survey. The first gravity profile was done across the northern portion of the basin and the second across the southern portion. Gravity and magnetic data will be used to constrain basement depths and the thickness of the sedimentary cover. Additionally, Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data is used to understand the topographic expression of the fault scarps. Estimates for minimum displacement of the border faults on either side of the basin were made by adding the elevation of the scarps to the deepest SPI basement estimates at the basin borders. Our preliminary results using SPI and SRTM data show a minimum displacement of approximately 1.3km for the western border fault; the minimum displacement for the eastern border fault is 740m. However, SPI merely shows the depth to the first significantly magnetic layer in the subsurface, which may or may not be the actual basement layer. Gravimetric readings are based on subsurface density and thus circumvent issues arising from magnetic layers located above the basement; therefore expected results for our work will be to constrain more accurate basin depth by integrating the gravity profiles. Through more accurate basement depth estimates we also gain more accurate displacement

Three-dimensional modeling of pull-apart basins: implications for the tectonics of the Dead Sea Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Katzman, Rafael; ten Brink, Uri S.; Lin, Jian

1995-01-01

We model the three-dimensional (3-D) crustal deformation in a deep pull-apart basin as a result of relative plate motion along a transform system and compare the results to the tectonics of the Dead Sea Basin. The brittle upper crust is modeled by a boundary element technique as an elastic block, broken by two en echelon semi-infinite vertical faults. The deformation is caused by a horizontal displacement that is imposed everywhere at the bottom of the block except in a stress-free “shear zone” in the vicinity of the fault zone. The bottom displacement represents the regional relative plate motion. Results show that the basin deformation depends critically on the width of the shear zone and on the amount of overlap between basin-bounding faults. As the width of the shear zone increases, the depth of the basin decreases, the rotation around a vertical axis near the fault tips decreases, and the basin shape (the distribution of subsidence normalized by the maximum subsidence) becomes broader. In contrast, two-dimensional plane stress modeling predicts a basin shape that is independent of the width of the shear zone. Our models also predict full-graben profiles within the overlapped region between bounding faults and half-graben shapes elsewhere. Increasing overlap also decreases uplift near the fault tips and rotation of blocks within the basin. We suggest that the observed structure of the Dead Sea Basin can be described by a 3-D model having a large overlap (more than 30 km) that probably increased as the basin evolved as a result of a stable shear motion that was distributed laterally over 20 to 40 km.

Synthesis, characterization and adsorption capability for Congo red of CoFe2O4 ferrite nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ding, Zui; Wang, Wei; Zhang, Yajun; Li, Feng; Liu, J. Ping

2015-01-01

Highlights: • CoFe 2 O 4 ferrite nanoparticles are synthesized by an ethanol-assisted hydrothermal method. • Suitable amount of ethanol can reduce the particle size and increase BET surface area. • The introduction of ethanol leads to the cation redistribution. • Using ethanol/water mixed solution greatly enhances their adsorption capacity for CR dyes. - Abstract: CoFe 2 O 4 ferrite nanoparticles are synthesized by an ethanol-assisted hydrothermal method, where the ethanol is mixed with water as the solution. In this synthesis, a rapid mixing of reducible metal cations with reducing agent and a simultaneous reduction process take place in a colloid mill. Synthesized ferrite samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and Raman spectroscopy. XRD patterns reveal the formation of CoFe 2 O 4 ferrites with single spinel phase. SEM and TEM images show that the as-synthesized samples are with narrow size distribution. Raman spectroscopy studies clearly indicate the cation distribution in nanosized particles. Here, it is worthy to note that, with increasing ethanol content in ethanol–water mixed solution, an obvious superparamagnetic behavior of as-synthesized nanoparticles at room temperature is observed. The adsorption capability of the as-synthesized ferrite nanoparticles for Congo Red (CR) is examined. Enhancement of adsorption capability for CR with adding ethanol as the mixing solution is shown. The adsorption mechanism is discussed. This investigation reveals that the composition of ethanol/water mixed solution has great effects on the microstructure and magnetic properties as well as adsorption capacity of Congo Red (CR) dye of the as-synthesized CoFe 2 O 4 ferrite samples

Quantification and Postglacial evolution of an inner alpine sedimentary basin (Gradenmoos Basin, Hohe Tauern)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Götz, J.

2012-01-01

The overall objective of this thesis is the quantification of sediment storage and the reconstruction of postglacial landscape evolution within the glacially overdeepened Gradenmoos Basin (subcatchment size: 4.1 km 2 ; basin floor elevation: 1920 m) in the central Gradenbach catchment (Schober Range, Hohe Tauern, Austrian Alps). Following the approach of denudation-accumulation-systems, most reliable results are obtained (1) if sediment output of a system can be neglected for an established period of time, (2) if sediment storage can be assessed with a high level of accuracy, (3) if the onset of sedimentation and amounts of initially stored sediments are known, and (4) if sediment contributing areas can be clearly delimited. Due to spatial scale and topographic characteristics, all mentioned aspects are fulfilled to a high degree within the studied basin. Applied methods include surface, subsurface and temporal investigations. Digital elevation data is derived from terrestrial laserscanning and geomorphologic mapping. The quantification of sediment storage is based on core drillings, geophysical methods (DC resistivity, refraction seismic, and ground penetrating radar), as well as GIS and 3D modelling. Radiocarbon dating and palynological analyses are additionally used to reconstruct the postglacial infilling progress of the basin. The study reveals that a continuous postglacial stratigraphic record is archived in the basin. As proposed by Lieb (1987) timing of basin deglaciation could be verified to late-Egesen times by means of radiocarbon ages (oldest sample just above basal till: 10.4 ka cal. BP) and first palynologic results. Lateglacial oscillations seem to have effectively scoured the basin, leaving only a shallow layer of basal till. The analysis of postglacial sedimentation in the basin is further improved by the existence of a former lake in the basin lasting for up to 7500 years until approx. 3.7 ka cal. BP. Both, the stratigraphic (fine, partly

Stratigraphy of the Caloris Basin, Mercury: Implications for Volcanic History and Basin Impact Melt

Science.gov (United States)

Ernst, Carolyn M.; Denevi, Brett W.; Barnouin, Olivier S.; Klimczak, Christian; Chabot, Nancy L.; Head, James W.; Murchie, Scott L.; Neumann, Gregory A.; Prockter, Louis M.; Robinson, Mark S.;

Tectonic setting of Cretaceous basins on the NE Tibetan Plateau: Insights from the Jungong basin

Science.gov (United States)

Craddock, W.H.; Kirby, E.; Dewen, Z.; Jianhui, L.

2012-01-01

Quantifying the Cenozoic growth of high topography in the Indo-Asian collision zone remains challenging, due in part to significant shortening that occurred within Eurasia before collision. A growing body of evidence suggests that regions far removed from the suture zone experienced deformation before and during the early phases of Himalayan orogenesis. In the present-day north-eastern Tibetan Plateau, widespread deposits of Cretaceous sediment attest to significant basin formation; however, the tectonic setting of these basins remains enigmatic. We present a study of a regionally extensive network of sedimentary basins that are spatially associated with a system of SE-vergent thrust faults and are now exposed in the high ranges of the north-eastern corner of the Tibetan Plateau. We focus on a particularly well-exposed basin, located ~20km north of the Kunlun fault in the Anyemaqen Shan. The basin is filled by ~900m of alluvial sediments that become finer-grained away from the basin-bounding fault. Additionally, beds in the proximal footwall of the basin-bounding fault exhibit progressive, up-section shallowing and several intraformational unconformities which can be traced into correlative conformities in the distal part of the basin. The observations show sediment accumulated in the basin during fault motion. Regional constraints on the timing of sediment deposition are provided by both fossil assemblages from the Early Cretaceous, and by K-Ar dating of volcanic rocks that floor and cross-cut sedimentary fill. We argue that during the Cretaceous, the interior NE Tibetan Plateau experienced NW-SE contractional deformation similar to that documented throughout the Qinling-Dabie orogen to the east. The Songpan-Ganzi terrane apparently marked the southern limit of this deformation, such that it may have been a relatively rigid block in the Tibetan lithosphere, separating regions experiencing deformation north of the convergent Tethyan margin from regions deforming

A new genus of soft coral (Cnidaria, Octocorallia from the Republic of Congo (Pointe-Noire Region

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Leen P. van Ofwegen

2014-12-01

Full Text Available A new genus of soft coral from the Republic of Congo is described, Complexum gen. n. Nine West African octocoral species previously described in the genus Alcyonium by Tixier-Durivault (1955 are referred to this new genus, and a new species is described and figured, C. pusillum sp. n. The new species is characterized by having encrusting growth form and abundant spiny clubs in the surface of the polyparium. It colonizes shallow calcareous rocky banks (5 to 20 m depth existing in coastal water of the region of Pointe-Noire. Based on molecular phylogeny this new genus is well separated from Alcyonium species.

Messies, fétiches et lutte de pouvoirs entre les "grands hommes" du Congo démocratique

OpenAIRE

Gruénais, Marc-Eric; Mouanda Mbambi, F.; Tonda, J.

1995-01-01

La Conférence nationale qui se déroule au Congo en 1991 engage résolument le pays dans la voie de la "démocratie". Elle conforte l'émergence des trois principaux leaders politiques congolais d'aujourd'hui : P. Lissouba, l'actuel président de la République, B. Kolélas et D. Sassou Nguesso. Tout le déroulement de la Conférence nationale, ainsi que les termes dans lesquels luttes et alliances entre ces trois hommes sont exprimés, invitent à une surinterprétation religieuse de la vie politique ré...

[Socio-entomologic survey in human trypanosomiasis focus of Yamba (Peoples Republic of Congo)].

Science.gov (United States)

Gouteux, J P; Malonga, J R

1985-01-01

A study carried out at villagers level in a focus infected by human trypanosomiasis (Yamba, Bouenza region, Congo, Mikengue ethnic group) revealed that modern medicin is recognized by them as the sole possibility to treat the sleeping sickness. The witch doctor, if he cannot transmit the sickness, is perfectly able to aggravate it. He is considered as the responsible for any fatal issue. Tsetse flies are charged of transmitting the sickness as well as other biting insects (black flies, ceratopogonidae). The elders give an historical role to pigs in spreading the sickness. Villagers seem very determined to assume themselves fighting against the tsetse fly by trapping, but impregnation of traps by an insecticide got some problems (technical know-how, equipment) which have been solved by a new model of trap designed by the ORSTOM Center in Brazzaville.

Search for the Ebola virus reservoir in Kikwit, Democratic Republic of the Congo

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leirs, Herwig; Mills, James N.; Krebs, John W.

1999-01-01

A 3-month ecologic investigation was done to identify the reservoir of Ebola virus following the 1995 outbreak in Kikwit, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Efforts focused on the fields where the putative primary case had worked but included other habitats near Kikwit, Samples were collected from...... 3066 vertebrates and tested for the presence of antibodies to Ebola (subtype Zaire) virus: All tests were negative, and attempts to isolate Ebola virus were unsuccessful. The investigation was hampered by a lack of information beyond the daily activities of the primary case, a lack of information...... on Ebola virus ecology, which precluded the detailed study of select groups of animals, and sample-size limitations for rare species, The epidemiology of Ebola hemorrhagic fever suggests that humans have only intermittent contact with the virus, which complicates selection of target species. Further study...

Friction degradation and set-up effects in hard clays offshore Congo and Angola

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Colliat, J.L.; Vergobbi, P.; Puech, A.

1993-01-01

Piles driven into stiff to hard clays encountered offshore Congo and Angola clearly show both clay-type effects which are (1) friction degradation, with very low driving resistances during continuous driving, and (2) set-up after driving interruptions. Both phenomena were studied by back-analysis of driving records, including results of pile driving monitoring. It allowed one to deduce the friction distribution along the piles during driving; show how the shaft friction at any depth reduces as the pile is driven further into the ground; and show that the shaft friction after driving delays can be close to the estimated static friction capacity of the piles. The SRD calculation method proposed by the authors takes the friction degradation effect into account, leading to improved pile drivability predictions. Four case histories are presented to illustrate the results obtained

Predictors of Persistent Anaemia in the First Year of Antiretroviral Therapy: A Retrospective Cohort Study from Goma, the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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Pierre Zalagile Akilimali

Full Text Available Anaemia is associated with adverse outcomes including early death in the first year of antiretroviral therapy (ART. This study reports on the factors associated with persistent anaemia among HIV-infected patients initiating ART in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo.We conducted a retrospective cohort study and analyzed data from patients receiving HIV care between January 2004 and December 2012 at two major hospitals in Goma, DR Congo. Haemoglobin concentrations of all patients on ART regimen were obtained prior to and within one year of ART initiation. A logistic regression model was used to identify the predictors of persistent anaemia after 12 months of ART.Of 756 patients, 69% of patients were anaemic (IC95%: 65.7-72.3 at baseline. After 12 months of follow up, there was a 1.2 g/dl average increase of haemoglobin concentration (P < 0.001 with differences depending on the therapeutic regimen. Patients who received zidovudine (AZT gained less than those who did not receive AZT (0.99 g/dl vs 1.33 g/dl; p< 0.001. Among 445 patient who had anaemia at the beginning, 33% (147/445 had the condition resolved. Among patients with anaemia at ART initiation, those who did not receive cotrimoxazole prophylaxis before starting ART(AOR 3.89; 95% CI 2.09-7.25; P < 0.001 and a AZT initial regimen (AOR 2.19; 95% CI 1.36-3.52; P < 0.001 were significantly at risk of persistent anaemia.More than two thirds of patients had anaemia at baseline. The AZT-containing regimen and absence of cotrimoxazole prophylaxis before starting ART were associated with persistent anaemia 12 months, after initiation of treatment. Considering the large proportion of patients with persistence of anaemia at 12 months, we suggest that it is necessary to conduct a large study to assess anaemia among HIV-infected patients in Goma.

Sedimentary architecture of a Plio-Pleistocene proto-back-arc basin: Wanganui Basin, New Zealand

Science.gov (United States)

Proust, Jean-Noël; Lamarche, Geoffroy; Nodder, Scott; Kamp, Peter J. J.

2005-11-01

The sedimentary architecture of active margin basins, including back-arc basins, is known only from a few end-members that barely illustrate the natural diversity of such basins. Documenting more of these basins types is the key to refining our understanding of the tectonic evolution of continental margins. This paper documents the sedimentary architecture of an incipient back-arc basin 200 km behind the active Hikurangi subduction margin, North Island, New Zealand. The Wanganui Basin (WB) is a rapidly subsiding, Plio-Pleistocene sedimentary basin located at the southern termination of the extensional back-arc basin of the active Central Volcanic Region (TVZ). The WB is asymmetric with a steep, thrust-faulted, outer (arc-ward) margin and a gentle inner (craton-ward) margin. It contains a 4-km-thick succession of Plio-Pleistocene sediments, mostly lying offshore, composed of shelf platform sediments. It lacks the late molasse-like deposits derived from erosion of a subaerial volcanic arc and basement observed in classical back-arc basins. Detailed seismic stratigraphic interpretations from an extensive offshore seismic reflection data grid show that the sediment fill comprises two basin-scale mega-sequences: (1) a Pliocene (3.8 to 1.35 Ma), sub-parallel, regressive "pre-growth" sequence that overtops the uplifted craton-ward margin above the reverse Taranaki Fault, and (2) a Pleistocene (1.35 Ma to present), divergent, transgressive, "syn-growth" sequence that onlaps: (i) the craton-ward high to the west, and (ii) uplifted basement blocks associated with the high-angle reverse faults of the arc-ward margin to the east. Along strike, the sediments offlap first progressively southward (mega-sequence 1) and then southeastward (mega-sequence 2), with sediment transport funnelled between the craton- and arc-ward highs, towards the Hikurangi Trough through the Cook Strait. The change in offlap direction corresponds to the onset of arc-ward thrust faulting and the rise of

Antiviral activity of the EB peptide against zoonotic poxviruses

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Altmann Sharon E

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The EB peptide is a 20-mer that was previously shown to have broad spectrum in vitro activity against several unrelated viruses, including highly pathogenic avian influenza, herpes simplex virus type I, and vaccinia, the prototypic orthopoxvirus. To expand on this work, we evaluated EB for in vitro activity against the zoonotic orthopoxviruses cowpox and monkeypox and for in vivo activity in mice against vaccinia and cowpox. Findings In yield reduction assays, EB had an EC50 of 26.7 μM against cowpox and 4.4 μM against monkeypox. The EC50 for plaque reduction was 26.3 μM against cowpox and 48.6 μM against monkeypox. A scrambled peptide had no inhibitory activity against either virus. EB inhibited cowpox in vitro by disrupting virus entry, as evidenced by a reduction of the release of virus cores into the cytoplasm. Monkeypox was also inhibited in vitro by EB, but at the attachment stage of infection. EB showed protective activity in mice infected intranasally with vaccinia when co-administered with the virus, but had no effect when administered prophylactically one day prior to infection or therapeutically one day post-infection. EB had no in vivo activity against cowpox in mice. Conclusions While EB did demonstrate some in vivo efficacy against vaccinia in mice, the limited conditions under which it was effective against vaccinia and lack of activity against cowpox suggest EB may be more useful for studying orthopoxvirus entry and attachment in vitro than as a therapeutic against orthopoxviruses in vivo.

Misrepresenting the Jordan River Basin

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Clemens Messerschmid

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This article advances a critique of the UN Economic and Social Commission for West Asia’s (ESCWA’s representation of the Jordan River Basin, as contained in its recently published Inventory of Shared Water Resources in Western Asia. We argue that ESCWA’s representation of the Jordan Basin is marked by serious technical errors and a systematic bias in favour of one riparian, Israel, and against the Jordan River’s four Arab riparians. We demonstrate this in relation to ESCWA’s account of the political geography of the Jordan River Basin, which foregrounds Israel and its perspectives and narratives; in relation to hydrology, where Israel’s contribution to the basin is overstated, whilst that of Arab riparians is understated; and in relation to development and abstraction, where Israel’s transformation and use of the basin are underplayed, while Arab impacts are exaggerated. Taken together, this bundle of misrepresentations conveys the impression that it is Israel which is the main contributor to the Jordan River Basin, Arab riparians its chief exploiters. This impression is, we argue, not just false but also surprising, given that the Inventory is in the name of an organisation of Arab states. The evidence discussed here provides a striking illustration of how hegemonic hydro-political narratives are reproduced, including by actors other than basin hegemons themselves.

Tuning the band gap of TiO2 by tungsten doping for efficient UV and visible photodegradation of Congo red dye.

Science.gov (United States)

Ullah, Irfan; Haider, Ali; Khalid, Nasir; Ali, Saqib; Ahmed, Sajjad; Khan, Yaqoob; Ahmed, Nisar; Zubair, Muhammad

2018-06-13

Tungsten-doped TiO 2 (W@TiO 2 ) nanoparticles, with different percentages of atomic tungsten dopant levels (range of 0 to 6 mol%) have been synthesized by the sol-gel method and characterized by UV-Visible spectroscopy, XRD, SEM, EDX, ICP-OES and XPS analysis. By means of UV-Vis spectroscopy, it has been observed that with 6 mol% tungsten doping the wavelength range of excitation of TiO 2 has extended to the visible portion of spectrum. Therefore, we evaluated the photocatalytic activity of W@TiO 2 catalysts for the degradation of Congo red dye under varying experimental parameters such as dopant concentration, catalyst dosage, dye concentrations and pH. Moreover, 6 mol% W@TiO 2 catalyst was deposited on a glass substrate to form thin film using spin coating technique in order to make the photocatalyst effortlessly reusable with approximately same efficiency. The results compared with standard titania, Degussa P25 both in UV- and visible light, suggest that 6 mol% W@TiO 2 can be a cost-effective choice for visible light induced photocatalytic degradation of Congo red dye. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spatial Preference Heterogeneity for Integrated River Basin Management: The Case of the Shiyang River Basin, China

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Fanus Asefaw Aregay

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Integrated river basin management (IRBM programs have been launched in most parts of China to ease escalating environmental degradation. Meanwhile, little is known about the benefits from and the support for these programs. This paper presents a case study of the preference heterogeneity for IRBM in the Shiyang River Basin, China, as measured by the Willingness to Pay (WTP, for a set of major restoration attributes. A discrete choice analysis of relevant restoration attributes was conducted. The results based on a sample of 1012 households in the whole basin show that, on average, there is significant support for integrated ecological restoration as indicated by significant WTP for all ecological attributes. However, residential location induced preference heterogeneities are prevalent. Generally, compared to upper-basin residents, middle sub-basin residents have lower mean WTP while lower sub-basin residents express higher mean WTP. The disparity in utility is partially explained by the difference in ecological and socio-economic status of the residents. In conclusion, estimating welfare benefit of IRBM projects based on sample responses from a specific sub-section of the basin only may either understate or overstate the welfare estimate.

Area environmental characterization report of the Dalhart and Palo Duro basins in the Texas Panhandle. Volume I. Dalhart Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-09-01

This area report describes the environmental characteristics of the Dalhart and Palo Duro basins of the Texas Panhandle portion of the Permian basin. Both basins are rather sparsely populated, and the overall population is decreasing. The economic base is centered on agribusiness and manufacturing. Most of the potentially conflicting land uses in both basins (i.e., parks, historic sites) occupy small land areas, with the exception of a national grassland in the Dalhart and military air training routes in both basins. Ground transportation in the Dalhart basin is adequate, and it is well developed in the Palo Duro basin. In both basins irrigation constitutes the principal water use, and groundwater is the principal source. However, the dominant aquifer, the Ogallala, is being depleted. Both basins consist primarily of grasslands, rangelands, and agricultural areas. No critical terrestrial or aquatic habitats have been identified in the basins, though several endangered, threatened, or rare terrestrial species occur in or near the basins. Aquatic resources in both basins are limited because of the intermittent availability of water and the high salt content of some water bodies. Playa lakes are common, though usually seasonal or rain dependent. The climate of the area is semiarid, with low humidity, relatively high wind speeds, and highly variable prcipitation. Restrictive dispersion conditions are infrequent. National ambient secondary air quality standards for particulates are being exceeded in the area, largely because of fugitive dust, although there are some particulate point sources

Basin Analysis and Petroleum System Characterisation of Western Bredasdorp Basin, Southern Offshore of South Africa: Insights from a 3d Crust-Scale Basin Model - (Phase 1)

Science.gov (United States)

Sonibare, W. A.; Scheck-Wenderoth, M.; Sippel, J.; Mikeš, D.

2012-04-01

In recent years, construction of 3D geological models and their subsequent upscaling for reservoir simulation has become an important tool within the oil industry for managing hydrocarbon reservoirs and increasing recovery rate. Incorporating petroleum system elements (i.e. source, reservoir and trap) into these models is a relatively new concept that seems very promising to play/prospect risk assessment and reservoir characterisation alike. However, yet to be fully integrated into this multi-disciplinary modelling approach are the qualitative and quantitative impacts of crust-scale basin dynamics on the observed basin-fill architecture and geometries. The focus of this study i.e. Western Bredasdorp Basin constitutes the extreme western section of the larger Bredasdorp sub-basin, which is the westernmost depocentre of the four southern Africa offshore sub-basins (others being Pletmos, Gamtoos and Algoa). These basins, which appear to be initiated by volcanically influenced continental rifting and break-up related to passive margin evolution (during the Mid-Late Jurassic to latest Valanginian), remain previously unstudied for crust-scale basin margin evolution, and particularly in terms of relating deep crustal processes to depo-system reconstruction and petroleum system evolution. Seismic interpretation of 42 2D seismic-reflection profiles forms the basis for maps of 6 stratigraphic horizons which record the syn-rift to post-rift (i.e. early drift and late drift to present-day seafloor) successions. In addition to this established seismic markers, high quality seismic profiles have shown evidence for a pre-rift sequence (i.e. older than Late Jurassic >130 Ma). The first goal of this study is the construction of a 3D gravity-constrained, crust-scale basin model from integration of seismics, well data and cores. This basin model is constructed using GMS (in-house GFZ Geo-Modelling Software) while testing its consistency with the gravity field is performed using IGMAS

The evolution and performance of river basin management in the Murray-Darling Basin

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Andrew Ross

2016-09-01

Full Text Available We explore bioregional management in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB in Australia through the institutional design characteristics of the MDB River Basin Organization (RBO, the actors and organizations who supported and resisted the establishment of the RBO, and the effectiveness of the RBO. During the last 25 years, there has been a major structural reform in the MDB RBO, which has changed from an interstate coordinating body to an Australian government agency. Responsibility for basin management has been centralized under the leadership of the Australian government, and a comprehensive integrated Basin plan has been adopted. The driving forces for this centralization include national policy to restore river basins to sustainable levels of extraction, state government difficulties in reversing overallocation of water entitlements, the millennium drought and its effects, political expediency on the part of the Australian government and state governments, and a major injection of Australian government funding. The increasing hierarchy and centralization of the MDB RBO does not follow a general trend toward multilevel participative governance of RBOs, but decentralization should not be overstated because of the special circumstances at the time of the centralization and the continuing existence of some decentralized elements, such as catchment water plans, land use planning, and water quality. Further swings in the centralization-decentralization pendulum could occur. The MDB reform has succeeded in rebalancing Basin water allocations, including an allocation for the environment and reduced diversion limits. There are some longer term risks to the implementation of reform, including lack of cooperation by state governments, vertical coordination difficulties, and perceived reductions in the accountability and legitimacy of reform at the local level. If implementation of the Basin plan is diverted or delayed, a new institution, the Commonwealth

Sustaining Exploration in Mature Basins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bayo, A.

2002-01-01

Exploration is a business like any other business driven by opportunity, resources and expectation of profit. Therefore, exploration will thrive anywhere the opportunities are significant, the resources are available and the outlook for profit (or value creation) is good. To sustain exploration activities anywhere, irrespective of the environment, there must be good understanding of the drivers of these key investment criteria. This paper will examine these investment criteria as they relate to exploration business and address the peculiarity of exploration in mature basin. Mature basins are unique environment that lends themselves a mix of fears, paradigms and realities, particularly with respect to the perception of value. To sustain exploration activities in a mature basin, we need to understand these perceptions relative to the true drivers of profitability. Exploration in the mature basins can be as profitable as exploration in emerging basins if the dynamics of value definition-strategic and fiscal values are understood by operators, regulators and co ventures alike. Some suggestions are made in this presentation on what needs to be done in addressing these dynamic investment parameters and sustaining exploration activities in mature basins

Etiology and Outcome of Acute Renal Failure in Children in Congo-Brazzaville

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Assounga Alain

2000-01-01

Full Text Available Acute renal failure (ARF is a common problem in the Congo. This is a six-year retrospective study aiming at analyzing the etiology and the outcome of ARF at the Brazzaville′s University Hospital from 1989 through 1994. One hundred and five cases of ARF (0.99%, including 54 boys (51.4% and 51 girls (48.6%, out of 10,512 children admitted in the department of Pediatrics have been recorded. ARF represented 13.09% of the causes in 802 patients with renal disorder. The main etiologies of ARF included acute gastroenteritis with dehydration (25.7%, nephrotic syndrome (14.7%, sepsis (15.23%, malaria (12.38%, and acute glomerulonephritis (9.5%. Most cases were managed conservatively, while peritoneal dialysis (PD was used in eight cases (7.62%. The outcome of ARF was recovery in 50.5 %, death in 37 % and chronic renal failure in 12.5% of cases. Preventive measures may help in reducing the high mortality rate and the need for dialysis.

Plasma oxidative stress and total thiol levels in Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.

Science.gov (United States)

Karadag-Oncel, Eda; Erel, Ozcan; Ozsurekci, Yasemin; Caglayik, Dilek Yagci; Kaya, Ali; Gozel, Mustafa Gokhan; Icagasioglu, Fusun Dilara; Engin, Aynur; Korukluoglu, Gulay; Uyar, Yavuz; Elaldi, Nazif; Ceyhan, Mehmet

2014-01-01

In this study, we investigated the pro- and antioxidant status of patients with a pathogenesis of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in terms of their role in its pathogenesis. During the study period, 34 children and 41 adults were diagnosed with CCHF. The control group consisted of healthy age- and gender-matched children and adults. Serum levels of the total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total oxidant status (TOS), oxidative stress index (OSI), and plasma total thiol (TTL) were evaluated and compared between groups. The difference in mean TAC values between CCHF patients and healthy controls was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Mean TOS, OSI, and TTL values were significantly lower in CCHF patients than in healthy controls (P 0.05). Our results suggest that TTL may play a more important role in CCHF pathogenesis than the other parameters investigated. The mean TOS and OSI values were higher in the control group than in CCHF patients.

Two cases of Hantavirus infection in Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever endemic region

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Mustafa Sünbül

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF and Leptospirosis are endemic in our region. Hantavirus infections may beconfused with similar clinical picture zoonotic infections. Two patients with fever, malaise, cough, phlegm, nausea, vomiting,thrombocytopenia, renal failure, elevated transaminases, and a history of mouse contact were hospitalized in ourclinic with a presumptive diagnosis of leptospirosis, pneumonia, CCHF and Hantavirus infections. Empirical antibiotictreatment was initiated and CCHF and leptospirosis was ruled out with laboratory tests. Hantavirus immunoglobulin(Ig-G and Ig-M antibodies were detected positive by immunofluorescent antibody (IFA method in both cases but,Dobrova virus was detected in only one patient with immunoblotting methods. Both patients were discharged aftertreatment. Hantavirus infections may be misdiagnosed as zoonotic infections since they have similar clinical picture. Itshould be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with a history of contact with mouse. J Microbiol Infect Dis2012; 2(3: 117-120Key words: Hantavirus, hemorrhagic fever, renal syndrome, pulmonary syndrome

L-Reactor 186-basin cleaning alternatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turcotte, M.D.S.

1983-01-01

Operation of L Reactor will necessitate annual cleaning of the L Area 186 basins. Alternatives are presented for sediment discharge due to 186-basin cleaning activities as a basis for choosing the optimal cleaning method. Current cleaning activities (i.e. removal of accumulated sediments) for the P, C and K-Area 186 basins result in suspended solids concentrations in the effluent waters above the NPDES limits, requiring an exemption from the NPDES permit for these short-term releases. The objective of mitigating the 186-basin cleaning activities is to decrease the suspended solids concentrations to within permit limits while continuing satisfactory operation of the basins

Crustal characteristic variation in the central Yamato Basin, Japan Sea back-arc basin, deduced from seismic survey results

Science.gov (United States)

Sato, Takeshi; No, Tetsuo; Miura, Seiichi; Kodaira, Shuichi

2018-02-01

The crustal structure of the Yamato Bank, the central Yamato Basin, and the continental shelf in the southern Japan Sea back-arc basin is obtained based on a seismic survey using ocean bottom seismographs and seismic shot to elucidate the back-arc basin formation processes. The central Yamato Basin can be divided into three domains based on the crustal structure: the deep basin, the seamount, and the transition domains. In the deep basin domain, the crust without the sedimentary layer is about 12-13 km thick. Very few units have P-wave velocity of 5.4-6.0 km/s, which corresponds to the continental upper crust. In the seamount and transition domains, the crust without the sedimentary layer is about 12-16 km thick. The P-wave velocities of the upper and lower crusts differs among the deep basin, the seamount, and the transition domains. These results indicate that the central Yamato Basin displays crustal variability in different domains. The crust of the deep basin domain is oceanic in nature and suggests advanced back-arc basin development. The seamount domain might have been affected by volcanic activity after basin opening. In the transition domain, the crust comprises mixed characters of continental and oceanic crust. This crustal variation might represent the influence of different processes in the central Yamato Basin, suggesting that crustal development was influenced not only by back-arc opening processes but also by later volcanic activity. In the Yamato Bank and continental shelf, the upper crust has thickness of about 17-18 km and P-wave velocities of 3.3-4.1 to 6.6 km/s. The Yamato Bank and the continental shelf suggest a continental crustal character.

The UN’s moral responsibility in the ‘spill-over’ of genocide from Rwanda to the Democratic Republic of the Congo

OpenAIRE

Kovras, I.

2011-01-01

In recent years there has been growing interest in how societies and states should address past wrongdoing. Despite attention to issues of responsibility and moral reparation, however, institutional (moral) responsibility remains relatively unstudied. To this end, the article critically evaluates the UN’s moral responsibility in the world’s deadliest conflict since World War II, namely the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It argues that the UN Security Council should be hel...

The Banyamulenge of the Democratic Republic of Congo: A cultural community in the making

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S.L. Rukundwa

2004-10-01

Full Text Available In recent years the name Banyamulenge has become associated with a warrior group in Eastern Congo because of the role some of its community members played in the war against the Mobutu regime. Researchers have been intrigued by the political motivations which unfortunately do not cover the cultural aspects of this community. This article attempts to document the cultural heritage of the Banyamulenge community. Many of the practices and traditions have become obsolete. The article explains the Banyamulenge cultural way of living, and how the divine was traditionally revealed to them in the form of human deities. Burnt sacrifice was part of community worship. The article documents what has been learnt from elders about the oral tradition, the cultural and religious realities of the community.

Neoproterozoic rift basins and their control on the development of hydrocarbon source rocks in the Tarim Basin, NW China

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Guang-You; Ren, Rong; Chen, Fei-Ran; Li, Ting-Ting; Chen, Yong-Quan

2017-12-01

The Proterozoic is demonstrated to be an important period for global petroleum systems. Few exploration breakthroughs, however, have been obtained on the system in the Tarim Basin, NW China. Outcrop, drilling, and seismic data are integrated in this paper to focus on the Neoproterozoic rift basins and related hydrocarbon source rocks in the Tarim Basin. The basin consists of Cryogenian to Ediacaran rifts showing a distribution of N-S differentiation. Compared to the Cryogenian basins, those of the Ediacaran are characterized by deposits in small thickness and wide distribution. Thus, the rifts have a typical dual structure, namely the Cryogenian rifting and Ediacaran depression phases that reveal distinct structural and sedimentary characteristics. The Cryogenian rifting basins are dominated by a series of grabens or half grabens, which have a wedge-shaped rapid filling structure. The basins evolved into Ediacaran depression when the rifting and magmatic activities diminished, and extensive overlapping sedimentation occurred. The distributions of the source rocks are controlled by the Neoproterozoic rifts as follows. The present outcrops lie mostly at the margins of the Cryogenian rifting basins where the rapid deposition dominates and the argillaceous rocks have low total organic carbon (TOC) contents; however, the source rocks with high TOC contents should develop in the center of the basins. The Ediacaran source rocks formed in deep water environment of the stable depressions evolving from the previous rifting basins, and are thus more widespread in the Tarim Basin. The confirmation of the Cryogenian to Ediacaran source rocks would open up a new field for the deep hydrocarbon exploration in the Tarim Basin.

Climate Change Adaptation Options for the Congo Basin Countries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Garderen, van L.; Ludwig, F.

2012-01-01

During the last decades, the importance and seriousness of climate change and it’s impacts have become more and more understood. The climate is already changing and therefor adaptation to these changes need to be made. Central Africa needs to adapt to climate change just as much as the rest of the

Managing for timber and biodiversity in the Congo Basin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nasi, Robert; Billand, Alain; van Vliet, Nathalie

2012-01-01

concessions) and analyze the existing issues and options for managing actively both timber and biodiversity with a special emphasis on wildlife and the role of certification. A few promising but yet ‘unfinished’ examples do exist in the region and we review these cases to draw lessons and recommendations. We...... contend however that true multiple-use could only be realized by expanding beyond boundaries of formal management units through new innovative land-use units, allowing a spatial cohabitation of the interests of local people, of conservation proponents and of extractive industries in the same management...

Spent LWR fuel storage costs: reracking, AR basins, and AFR basins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

Whenever possible, fuel storage requirements will be met by reracking existing reactor basins and/or transfer of fuel to available space in other reactor basins. These alternatives represent not only the lowest cost storage options but also the most timely. They are recognized to face environmental and regulatory obstacles. However, such obstacles should be less severe than those that would be encountered with AR or AFR basin storage. When storage requirements cannot be met by the first two options, the least costly alternative for most utilities will be use of a Federal AFR. Storage costs of $100,000 to $150,000 MTU at a AFR are less costly than charges of up to $320,000/MTU that could be incurred by the use of AR basins. AFR storage costs do not include transportation from the reactor to the AFR. This cost would be paid by the utility separately. Only when a utility requires annual storage capacity for 100 MTU of spent fuel can self-storage begin to compete with AFR costs. The large reactor complexes discharging these fuel quantities are not currently those that require relief from fuel storage problems

Geologic Basin Boundaries (Basins_GHGRP) GIS Layer

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — This is a coverage shapefile of geologic basin boundaries which are used by EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. For onshore production, the "facility" includes...

Hydroclimatology of the Missouri River basin

Science.gov (United States)

Wise, Erika K.; Woodhouse, Connie A.; McCabe, Gregory; Pederson, Gregory T.; St. Jacques, Jeannine-Marie

2018-01-01

Despite the importance of the Missouri River for navigation, recreation, habitat, hydroelectric power, and agriculture, relatively little is known about the basic hydroclimatology of the Missouri River basin (MRB). This is of particular concern given the droughts and floods that have occurred over the past several decades and the potential future exacerbation of these extremes by climate change. Here, observed and modeled hydroclimatic data and estimated natural flow records in the MRB are used to 1) assess the major source regions of MRB flow, 2) describe the climatic controls on streamflow in the upper and lower basins , and 3) investigate trends over the instrumental period. Analyses indicate that 72% of MRB runoff is generated by the headwaters in the upper basin and by the lowest portion of the basin near the mouth. Spring precipitation and temperature and winter precipitation impacted by changes in zonal versus meridional flow from the Pacific Ocean play key roles in surface water supply variability in the upper basin. Lower basin flow is significantly correlated with precipitation in late spring and early summer, indicative of Atlantic-influenced circulation variability affecting the flow of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. Although increases in precipitation in the lower basin are currently overriding the effects of warming temperatures on total MRB flow, the upper basin’s long-term trend toward decreasing flows, reduction in snow versus rain fraction, and warming spring temperatures suggest that the upper basin may less often provide important flow supplements to the lower basin in the future.

Wind energy in Mediterranean Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaudiosi, G.

1991-01-01

In its examination of wind energy potential in the Mediterranean Basin, this paper provides brief notes on the Basin's geography; indicates power production and demand; describes the area's wind characteristics and wind monitoring activities; illustrates wind velocity distributions; estimates local wind power production potential; reviews the Basin's wind energy marketing situation and each bordering country's wind energy programs; surveys installed wind energy farms; and assesses national research and commercialization efforts

Migration of Chadic speaking pastoralists within Africa based on population structure of Chad Basin and phylogeography of mitochondrial L3f haplogroup

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Mulligan Connie J

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Chad Basin, lying within the bidirectional corridor of African Sahel, is one of the most populated places in Sub-Saharan Africa today. The origin of its settlement appears connected with Holocene climatic ameliorations (aquatic resources that started ~10,000 years before present (YBP. Although both Nilo-Saharan and Niger-Congo language families are encountered here, the most diversified group is the Chadic branch belonging to the Afro-Asiatic language phylum. In this article, we investigate the proposed ancient migration of Chadic pastoralists from Eastern Africa based on linguistic data and test for genetic traces of this migration in extant Chadic speaking populations. Results We performed whole mitochondrial genome sequencing of 16 L3f haplotypes, focused on clade L3f3 that occurs almost exclusively in Chadic speaking people living in the Chad Basin. These data supported the reconstruction of a L3f phylogenetic tree and calculation of times to the most recent common ancestor for all internal clades. A date ~8,000 YBP was estimated for the L3f3 sub-haplogroup, which is in good agreement with the supposed migration of Chadic speaking pastoralists and their linguistic differentiation from other Afro-Asiatic groups of East Africa. As a whole, the Afro-Asiatic language family presents low population structure, as 92.4% of mtDNA variation is found within populations and only 3.4% of variation can be attributed to diversity among language branches. The Chadic speaking populations form a relatively homogenous cluster, exhibiting lower diversification than the other Afro-Asiatic branches (Berber, Semitic and Cushitic. Conclusion The results of our study support an East African origin of mitochondrial L3f3 clade that is present almost exclusively within Chadic speaking people living in Chad Basin. Whole genome sequence-based dates show that the ancestral haplogroup L3f must have emerged soon after the Out-of-Africa migration (around

Migration of Chadic speaking pastoralists within Africa based on population structure of Chad Basin and phylogeography of mitochondrial L3f haplogroup

Science.gov (United States)

Černý, Viktor; Fernandes, Verónica; Costa, Marta D; Hájek, Martin; Mulligan, Connie J; Pereira, Luísa

2009-01-01

Background Chad Basin, lying within the bidirectional corridor of African Sahel, is one of the most populated places in Sub-Saharan Africa today. The origin of its settlement appears connected with Holocene climatic ameliorations (aquatic resources) that started ~10,000 years before present (YBP). Although both Nilo-Saharan and Niger-Congo language families are encountered here, the most diversified group is the Chadic branch belonging to the Afro-Asiatic language phylum. In this article, we investigate the proposed ancient migration of Chadic pastoralists from Eastern Africa based on linguistic data and test for genetic traces of this migration in extant Chadic speaking populations. Results We performed whole mitochondrial genome sequencing of 16 L3f haplotypes, focused on clade L3f3 that occurs almost exclusively in Chadic speaking people living in the Chad Basin. These data supported the reconstruction of a L3f phylogenetic tree and calculation of times to the most recent common ancestor for all internal clades. A date ~8,000 YBP was estimated for the L3f3 sub-haplogroup, which is in good agreement with the supposed migration of Chadic speaking pastoralists and their linguistic differentiation from other Afro-Asiatic groups of East Africa. As a whole, the Afro-Asiatic language family presents low population structure, as 92.4% of mtDNA variation is found within populations and only 3.4% of variation can be attributed to diversity among language branches. The Chadic speaking populations form a relatively homogenous cluster, exhibiting lower diversification than the other Afro-Asiatic branches (Berber, Semitic and Cushitic). Conclusion The results of our study support an East African origin of mitochondrial L3f3 clade that is present almost exclusively within Chadic speaking people living in Chad Basin. Whole genome sequence-based dates show that the ancestral haplogroup L3f must have emerged soon after the Out-of-Africa migration (around 57,100 ± 9,400 YBP), but

Synthesis of 3D hierarchical porous iron oxides for adsorption of Congo red from dye wastewater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jia, Zhigang; Liu, Jianhong; Wang, Qiuze; Li, Shengbiao; Qi, Qin; Zhu, Rongsun

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Bowknot-like precursor is obtained via poval-mediated precipitation reaction. • The growth mechanism of the hierarchical superstructure has been discussed. • Mesoporous iron oxide superstructures have been successfully synthesized. • The magnetic superstructures can adsorb CR from aqueous solution effectively. • The adsorption kinetics and isotherm processes are discussed. - Abstract: In this study, 3D hierarchical porous iron oxides were prepared by a precursor thermal conversion method and their adsorption properties for Congo red were reported. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron microscopy (EM) and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms. Results demonstrated that the 3D magnetic bowknot-like iron oxides were constructed by three-dimensional self-assembly of nanorods with porous nanostructures. The effect of experimental parameters including polymer concentration, reaction temperature, reaction time and heat treatment atmosphere were studied. Bowknot-like α-Fe 2 O 3 , Fe 3 O 4 and γ-Fe 2 O 3 superstructures were obtained by the thermal transformation of the oxalate precursor under the various atmosphere. These porous iron oxide superstructures exhibited ferromagnetic property at room temperature. Adsorption of Congo red (CR) onto the as-prepared samples from aqueous solutions was investigated and discussed. The results indicated that pseudo-second-order kinetic equation model can better describe the adsorption kinetics of CR onto α-Fe 2 O 3 and γ-Fe 2 O 3 , and Lagergren-first-order kinetic model is better fitted for the adsorption of CR onto Fe 3 O 4 . The hierarchically α-Fe 2 O 3 bowknots showed better adsorption ability for CR than Fe 3 O 4 and γ-Fe 2 O 3 superstructure

Synthesis of 3D hierarchical porous iron oxides for adsorption of Congo red from dye wastewater

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jia, Zhigang, E-mail: zjchemyue@126.com; Liu, Jianhong; Wang, Qiuze; Li, Shengbiao; Qi, Qin; Zhu, Rongsun

2015-02-15

Highlights: • Bowknot-like precursor is obtained via poval-mediated precipitation reaction. • The growth mechanism of the hierarchical superstructure has been discussed. • Mesoporous iron oxide superstructures have been successfully synthesized. • The magnetic superstructures can adsorb CR from aqueous solution effectively. • The adsorption kinetics and isotherm processes are discussed. - Abstract: In this study, 3D hierarchical porous iron oxides were prepared by a precursor thermal conversion method and their adsorption properties for Congo red were reported. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron microscopy (EM) and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms. Results demonstrated that the 3D magnetic bowknot-like iron oxides were constructed by three-dimensional self-assembly of nanorods with porous nanostructures. The effect of experimental parameters including polymer concentration, reaction temperature, reaction time and heat treatment atmosphere were studied. Bowknot-like α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} and γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} superstructures were obtained by the thermal transformation of the oxalate precursor under the various atmosphere. These porous iron oxide superstructures exhibited ferromagnetic property at room temperature. Adsorption of Congo red (CR) onto the as-prepared samples from aqueous solutions was investigated and discussed. The results indicated that pseudo-second-order kinetic equation model can better describe the adsorption kinetics of CR onto α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} and γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}, and Lagergren-first-order kinetic model is better fitted for the adsorption of CR onto Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}. The hierarchically α-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} bowknots showed better adsorption ability for CR than Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} and γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} superstructure.

Reproductive and population dynamics parameters of Mbanza-Ngungu's local goat in Democratic Republic of Congo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Gasigwa Sabimana

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Prospects for the development of goat breeding in the Democratic Republic of Congo seem favorable. Knowledge of the characteristics of local goat farming by breeders is a very important factor to control and promote goat production. The objective of this study was to improve the productivity of Mbanza-Ngungu’s local goat by increasing the knowledge of its reproductive performance. To achieve this objective, data were collected by direct observation of the goats. These data were used to simulate reproductive and population dynamics parameters over a five-year period. The study showed the relevance of the model to simulate the reproduction traits of Mbanza-Ngungu’s goats and that it is useless to keep them beyond five years.

The mediating role of stigmatization in the mental health of adolescent victims of sexual violence in Eastern Congo.

Science.gov (United States)

Verelst, A; De Schryver, M; De Haene, L; Broekaert, E; Derluyn, I

2014-07-01

This study aims to explore the factors that explain the mental sequelae of war-related sexual violence and focuses in particular on the role of stigmatization. Drawing on a large-scale quantitative survey undertaken in the war-affected region of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, we analyze how stigmatization mediates the mental health impact of sexual violence on adolescent girls who were victims of rape. Twenty-two secondary schools were randomly selected out of a stratified sample in Bunia, Eastern Congo. In a cross-sectional, population-based survey, 1,305 school-going adolescent girls aged 11-23 completed self-report measures assessing war-related traumatic events, experiences of sexual violence, stigmatization, and mental health symptoms. Of the 1,305 participants, 38.2% (n=499) reported experiences of sexual violence. Victims of sexual violence reported more war-related traumatic events and more stigmatization experiences. Several hierarchical regression analyses examined the mediating impact of stigmatization on the relationship between sexual violence and mental health outcomes, thereby controlling for sociodemographics (age, parental availability, and socioeconomic status) and war-related traumatic exposure. Our findings show that this stigmatization largely explains the mental health impact of sexual violence, in particular, on adolescent girls' reported symptoms of depression (full mediation) and posttraumatic stress (avoidance and total PTSD: full mediation; hyperarousal: partial (40%) mediation). No evidence of mediation by stigmatization was found for symptoms of anxiety and intrusion. Stigmatization plays thus an important role in shaping the mental sequelae of sexual violence, a finding with major consequences for clinical practice. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The association between posttraumatic stress symptoms and functional impairment during ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Science.gov (United States)

Veling, Wim; Hall, Brian J; Joosse, Petra

2013-03-01

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has suffered from a bloody conflict for more than a decade. More than 5,400,000 people died from war-related causes since 1998 and exposure to violence was wide-spread. This study investigated the impact of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms on perceived health and physical and social functioning, filling an important gap in the current literature. Data were collected from a sample of 93 adults living in Bunia, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Structured in-person interviews included the PTSD section of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Scale. Additional questions were included to assess social resources. Study recruitment was balanced to achieve equal representation of both sexes and each quarter of town. Forty percent met symptom criteria for probable PTSD. Individuals with PTSD reported poor perceived general health and had high disability scores compared to those without PTSD. Of the three PTSD symptom clusters, hyperarousal was most strongly associated with disability. Individuals with PTSD were significantly more emotionally affected by their health problems than those without PTSD (85% versus 41%), had more difficulties in activities involving social contact (54% versus 16%) and in doing their daily work (54% versus 20%). The impact of war-related violence on mental health is severe in the DRC. Psychosocial interventions developed in conflict areas might be best targeted primarily to supporting social functioning and reducing hyperarousal. Implications for clinical treatment and future directions are discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigating the remuneration of health workers in the DR Congo: implications for the health workforce and the health system in a fragile setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Bertone, Maria Paola; Lurton, Grégoire; Mutombo, Paulin Beya

2016-11-01

The financial remuneration of health workers (HWs) is a key concern to address human resources for health challenges. In low-income settings, the exploration of the sources of income available to HWs, their determinants and the livelihoods strategies that those remunerations entail are essential to gain a better understanding of the motivation of the workers and the effects on their performance and on service provision. This is even more relevant in a setting such as the DR Congo, characterized by the inability of the state to provide public services via a well-supported and financed public workforce. Based on a quantitative survey of 1771 HWs in four provinces of the DR Congo, this article looks at the level and the relative importance of each revenue. It finds that Congolese HWs earn their living from a variety of sources and enact different strategies for their financial survival. The main income is represented by the share of user fees for those employed in facilities, and per diems and top-ups from external agencies for those in Health Zone Management Teams (in both cases, with the exception of doctors), while governmental allowances are less relevant. The determinants at individual and facility level of the total income are also modelled, revealing that the distribution of most revenues systematically favours those working in already favourable conditions (urban facilities, administrative positions and positions of authority within facilities). This may impact negatively on the motivation and performance of HWs and on their distribution patters. Finally, our analysis highlights that, as health financing and health workforce reforms modify the livelihood opportunities of HWs, their design and implementation go beyond technical aspects and are unavoidably political. A better consideration of these issues is necessary to propose contextually grounded and politically savvy approaches to reform in the DR Congo. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University

STRATIGRAPHIC EVOLUTION, PALEOENVIRONMENTS AND HYDROCARBON POTENTIALS OF THE BENUE/DAHOMEY BASINS, NIGERIAN AND POTIGUAR/CEARA BASINS, NE BRAZIL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akande, S.O; Adekeye, O.A.; Oj, O.J; Erdtmann, B.D.; Koutsokous, E.I.

2004-01-01

The stratigraphy, facies relationship and paleoenvironment of selected West African and the Brazillian rift basins permit the recognition of at least two major petroleum systems apart from the prolific Niger Delta petroleum system. The Lower Cretaceous fluivio-lacustrine petroleum system and Upper Cretaceous to Lower Tertiary, marine dominated petroleum system. Our combined studies of the stratigraphic, structural framework, paleoenvironment and time-space relationships of the petroleum systems in the Benue/Dahomey and the Potiguar/Ceara basins indicated that rifting and subsequent drifting during the opening of the South Atlantic controlled subsidence, sediment deposition and facies associations in individual basins. Whereas in the Potiguar/Ceara basins, the best developed source rocks are within the Neomacin-Aptian fluvio- lacustrine sequence of the Pendencia and Alagamar Formations which generated reserved hydrocarbon in the Acu Formation, empirical evidence for this petroleum system in the contiguous Benue/Dahomey basins are only based on the geochemical characteristics of the lower parts of the Bima Formation and the Abeokuta Group. In contrast, the Upper Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary marine petroleum system, which is constrained by poor development of reservoirs in the Potiguar/Ceara basin is productive in the Benue/Dahomey basins where source rocks, reservoir and sealing facies occur at this interval. Considering the recent hydrocarbon discoveries of the East Niger basin, the Doba (southern Chad), the Muglad basin (southern Sudan) sourced from the fluvio-lacustrine rift sequences, we suggest that this petroleum system needs more detailed exploration and has some potentials in the Benue/Dahomey frontier basins

Area environmental characterization report of the Dalhart and Palo Duro basins in the Texas Panhandle. Volume II. Palo Duro basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-09-01

This area report describes the environmental characteristics of the Dalhart and Palo Duro basins of the Texas Panhandle portion of the Permian basin. Both basins are rather sparsely populated, and the overall population is decreasing. The economic base is centered on agribusiness and manufacturing. Most of the potentially conflicting land uses in both basins (i.e., parks, historic sites) occupy small land areas, with the exception of a national grassland in the Dalhart and military air training routes in both basins. Ground transportation in the Dalhart basin is adequate, and it is well developed in the Palo Duro basin. In both basins irrigation constitutes the principal water use, and groundwater is the principal source. However, the dominant aquifer, the Ogallala, is being depleted. Both basins consist primarily of grasslands, rangelands, and agricultural areas. No critical terrestrial or aquatic habitats have been identified in the basins, though several endangered, threatened, or rare terrestrial species occur in or near the basins. Aquatic resources in both basins are limited because of the intermittent availability of water and the high salt content of some water bodies. Playa lakes are common, though usually seasonal or rain dependent. The climate of the area is semiarid, with low humidity, relatively high wind speeds, and high variable precipitation. Restrictive dispersion conditions are infrequent. National ambient secondary air quality standards for particulates are being exceeded in the area, largely because of fugitive dust, although there are some particulate point sources

Adsorptive removal of congo red dye from aqueous solution using bael shell carbon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmad, Rais; Kumar, Rajeev

2010-01-01

This study investigates the potential use of bael shell carbon (BSC) as an adsorbent for the removal of congo red (CR) dye from aqueous solution. The effect of various operational parameters such as contact time, temperature, pH, and dye concentration were studied. The adsorption kinetics was modeled by first-order reversible kinetics, pseudo-first-order kinetics, and pseudo-second-order kinetics. The dye uptake process obeyed the pseudo-second-order kinetic expression at pH 5.7, 7 and 8 whereas the pseudo-first-order kinetic model was fitted well at pH 9. Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin adsorption models were applied to fit adsorption equilibrium data. The best-fitted data was obtained with the Freundlich model. Thermodynamic study showed that adsorption of CR onto BSC was endothermic in nature and favorable with the positive ΔH o value of 13.613 kJ/mol.

Reported 5 cases of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in Fars province in 2011

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fatemeh Rezaei

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF is a viral hemorrhagic disease and a zoonosis disease that has been developed in people who deal with animals such as cattle and butchers. The diagnosis of CCHF is performed by detection of human antibodies (IgG and IgM against CCHF virus. Five Patients with CCHF occurred in Fath Abad’s village (in Fars province in the summer of 2011. All patients were men and aged 25-46 years old. Three patients were farmer and two other ones were butchers. The samples were sent to the National Reference Laboratory for Arboviruses and Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers (Pasteur Institute of Iran in Tehran. The result of laboratory test for all patients was positive. None of the patients had died. Since the CCHF is rare, present study was aimed to assess the causes of the disease’s epidemic and clinical and laboratory symptoms stones.

Determinants of participation in cavy marketing: Evidence from the Democratic Republic of Congo

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Franklin Simtowe

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Smallholder supply chain participation remains low despite the potential welfare gains that would result from choosing a market-oriented production. Yet, studies on determinants of market participation for commodities with underdeveloped value chains are scanty. Employing a double-hurdle model, this paper examines factors determining households’ participation in cavy marketing among cavy farmers from Sud-Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We find that wealthier households participated less in cavy marketing while those producing more cavies were more likely to participate in their marketing. Moreover, smaller households tended to sell more cavies, while households with other livestock sold fewer cavies. The findings underscore the significance of increasing the participation in the cavy supply chains by farmers through the promotion of appropriate husbandry practices that enhance cavy productivity and production and that enable farmers to participate in markets as sellers.

Enhanced adsorption of methyl violet and congo red by using semi and full IPN of polymethacrylic acid and chitosan.

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Maity, Jayabrata; Ray, Samit Kumar

2014-04-15

Semi and full interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) type hydrogels were prepared by free radical in situ polymerization of methacrylic acid in presence of chitosan using N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide (MBA) and glutaraldehyde (for full IPN) as crosslinker. Several semi and full IPN type hydrogels were prepared by varying initiator and crosslinker concentration and also monomer to chitosan mass ratio. These hydrogels were characterized and used for removal of methyl violet and congo red dye from water. Isotherms and kinetics of dye adsorption were also evaluated. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Minorca Basin: a buffer zone between the Valencia and Liguro-Provençal Basins (NW Mediterranean Sea)

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Pellen, Romain; Aslanian, Daniel; Rabineau, Marina; Leroux, Estelle; Gorini, Christian; Silenziario, Carmine; Blanpied, Christian; Rubino, Jean-Loup

2017-04-01

The present-day compartmented Mediterranean physiography is inherited from the last 250 Ma kinematic plate evolution (Eurasian, Africa, Iberic and Nubia plates) which implied the formation of orogenic chains, polyphased basins, and morphological - geodynamic thresholds. The interactions between these entities are strongly debated in the North-Western Mediterranean area. Several Neogene reconstructions have been proposed for the Valencia basin depending of the basin segmentation where each model imply a different subsidence, sedimentary, and palaeo-environmental evolution. Our study propose a new kinematic model for the Valencia Basin (VB) that encompasses the sedimentary infill, vertical movement and basin segmentation. Detailed analyses of seismic profiles and boreholes in the VB reveal a differentiated basin, the Minorca Basin (MB), lying between the old Mesozoic Valencia Basin sensu strico (VBss) and the young Oligocene Liguro-Provencal Basin (LPB) (Pellen et al., 2016). The relationship between these basins is shown through the correlation of four Miocene-to-present-day megasequences. The Central and North Balearic Fracture Zones (CFZ and NBFZ) that border the MB represent two morphological and geodynamical thresholds that created an accommodation in steps between the three domains. Little to no horizontal Neogene movements have been found for the Ibiza and Majorca Islands and imply a vertical "sag" subsidence. In contrast, the counterclockwise movement of the Corso-Sardinian blocks induced a counterclockwise movement of the Minorca block towards the SE along the CFZ and NBFZ, during the exhumation of lower continental crust in the LPB. The South-Eastward Minorca block translation stops when the first atypical oceanic crust occurs. The influence of the Neogene Betic compressional phase is thus limited to the VBss on the basis of a different MB origin. This new understanding places the AlKaPeCa blocks northeastward of the present-day Alboran Area. Both NW-SE and

Chemical and Physical Methods to Analyze a Multicomponent Traditional Chinese Herbal Prescription Using LC-MS/MS, Electron Microscope, and Congo Red Staining

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Chia-Ming Lu

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This study develops several chemical and physical methods to evaluate the quality of a traditional Chinese formulation, Jia-Wei-Xiao-Yao-San. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS coupled with electrospray ionization was used to measure the herbal biomarkers of saikosaponin A, saikosaponin D, ferulic acid, and paeoniflorin from this herbal formula. A scanning electron microscope (SEM and light microscopy photographs with Congo red staining were used to identify the cellulose fibers if raw herbal powder had been added to the herbal pharmaceutical product. Moreover, water solubility and crude fiber content examination were used to inspect for potential herbal additives to the herbal pharmaceutical products. The results demonstrate that the contents of the herbal ingredients of saikosaponin A, saikosaponin D, ferulic acid, and paeoniflorin were around 0.351 ± 0.017, 0.136 ± 0.010, 0.140 ± 0.005, and 2.281 ± 0.406 mg/g, respectively, for this herbal pharmaceutical product. The physical examination data demonstrate that the raw herbal powder had rough, irregular, lumpy, filamentous, and elongated shapes, as well as strong Congo red staining. In addition, water solubility and crude fiber content were not consistent in the herbal pharmaceutical products.

[Obesity, high blood pressure, hypercholesterolaemia, and untreated diabetes in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected Adults in Mbuji-Mayi (Democratic republic of congo)].

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Mukeba-Tshialala, D; Nachega, J B; Mutombo-Tshingwali, M; Arendt, V; Gilson, G; Moutschen, M

2017-12-01

Little is known about the major cardiovascular risk factors in HIV-infected as compared to the HIV-uninfected patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). We determined the prevalence of hypertension, obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2 ), total cholesterol > 200 mg/dl, HDLcholesterol &≤ 40 mg/dl, and glycemia > 126 mg/dl. We also calculated the average and/or median of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and glycemia among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected patients.We conducted a cross-sectional study that enrolled 592 HIV-uninfected and 445 HIV-infected patients of whom 425 (95.5%) were on first-line antiretroviral therapy based on stavudine-lamivudine-nevirapine. Clinical and laboratory data of the patients were collected. The results were analyzed by chi-square, t-student, and Wilcoxon rank sum tests. 11.5% of HIV-infected patients had an average blood pressure suggesting hypertension versus 10.6% of HIV-uninfected (P = 0.751). But in absolute value, HIVinfected patients had a median of diastolic blood pressure of 90 mmHg versus 85 mmHg of HIV-uninfected (P 200 mg/dl and HDL-cholesterol ≤ 40 mg/dl. Proactive screening and prompt management of dyslipidemia and hypertension in this population should be a priority.

Hydrologic Sub-basins of Greenland

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National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Hydrologic Sub-basins of Greenland data set contains Geographic Information System (GIS) polygon shapefiles that include 293 hydrologic sub-basins of the...

Petroleum geology of the Palo Duro Basin, Texas Panhandle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rose, P.R.

1986-03-01

The Palo Duro Basin, Permian Basin, Texas is an asymmetric, relatively shallow, intracratonic basin in the southern Texas Panhandle filled mostly by Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, and Permian sedimentary rocks. Although deeper and prolific prolific petroleum-producing basins adjoin it on the north (Anadarko Basin), south (Midland Basin), and east (Hardeman Basin), the Palo Duro Basin has produced remarkably small amounts of oil and gas to date. This is all the more noteworthy because the sedimentary sequence and rock types of the basin are similar to those of the adjacent basins. Analyses of the stratigraphic succession and structural configuration of the Palo Duro Basin suggest that adequate reservoir rocks, top-seals, and geologic structures are present. Most of the structures formed early enough to have trapped hydrocarbons if they were migrating in the rock column. Although additional work is under way to properly address the question of the petroleum source rocks, generation, and migration, the general absence of production in the basin may relate to an overall deficiency in hydrocarbon generation within the basin. Geologic information in this report will form part of the basis for further analysis and conclusions on hydrocarbon potential in the Palo Duro Basin

The national determinants of deforestation in sub-Saharan Africa.

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Rudel, Thomas K

2013-01-01

For decades, the dynamics of tropical deforestation in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have defied easy explanation. The rates of deforestation have been lower than elsewhere in the tropics, and the driving forces evident in other places, government new land settlement schemes and industrialized agriculture, have largely been absent in SSA. The context and causes for African deforestation become clearer through an analysis of new, national-level data on forest cover change for SSA countries for the 2000-2005 period. The recent dynamic in SSA varies from dry to wet biomes. Deforestation occurred at faster rates in nations with predominantly dry forests. The wetter Congo basin countries had lower rates of deforestation, in part because tax receipts from oil and mineral industries in this region spurred rural to urban migration, declines in agriculture and increased imports of cereals from abroad. In this respect, the Congo basin countries may be experiencing an oil and mineral fuelled forest transition. Small farmers play a more important role in African deforestation than they do in southeast Asia and Latin America, in part because small-scale agriculture remains one of the few livelihoods open to rural peoples.

Evolution of the Rembrandt impact basin on Mercury.

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Watters, Thomas R; Head, James W; Solomon, Sean C; Robinson, Mark S; Chapman, Clark R; Denevi, Brett W; Fassett, Caleb I; Murchie, Scott L; Strom, Robert G

2009-05-01

MESSENGER's second Mercury flyby revealed a ~715-kilometer-diameter impact basin, the second-largest well-preserved basin-scale impact structure known on the planet. The Rembrandt basin is comparable in age to the Caloris basin, is partially flooded by volcanic plains, and displays a unique wheel-and-spoke-like pattern of basin-radial and basin-concentric wrinkle ridges and graben. Stratigraphic relations indicate a multistaged infilling and deformational history involving successive or overlapping phases of contractional and extensional deformation. The youngest deformation of the basin involved the formation of a approximately 1000-kilometer-long lobate scarp, a product of the global cooling and contraction of Mercury.

Miocene block uplift and basin formation in the Patagonian foreland: The Gastre Basin, Argentina

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Bilmes, A.; D'Elia, L.; Franzese, J. R.; Veiga, G. D.; Hernández, M.

2013-08-01

The intraplate fault-block mountains and intermontane deposits of the Gastre Basin, which are recorded more than 550 km east of the Andean trench in central Patagonia, Argentina, are analyzed. The Gastre Basin is one of the largest Patagonian intermontane basins, limited by uplifted blocks strongly oblique to the Andean chain. It was originated by reverse faulting and inversion of pre-existing normal faults associated with a Mesozoic rift basin and defined by older crustal heterogeneities. The deformational event occurred during the middle Miocene, related to a short contractional episode (16.1-14.86 Ma), probably in response to an eastward migration of the Andean fold and thrust belt. During Pliocene to Quaternary times, neither younger fault-block uplifts nor reconfigurations of the basin occurred. Similarities between the study area and other parts of the Patagonian foreland - such as the presence of Miocene reverse or inversion tectonics, as well as the accommodation of the Miocene sedimentary successions - suggest that the Gastre Basin is part of a major late early to middle Miocene broken foreland system (i.e. the Patagonian broken foreland) that exhumed discrete fault-block mountains and generated contemporary basins along more than 950 km parallel to the Andean trench (i.e. between 40°00' and 48°00' south latitude). Based on recent studies on the southern Andean Margin, this continental-scale contractional episode may be the result of a flat-slab subduction segment. Nevertheless, such a hypothesis is very difficult to support when analyzing such a large flat subduction segment along the entire Patagonian trench. This suggests the need to consider alternative flat-slab trigger mechanisms or other factors in the generation of broken foreland systems.

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus in Kazakhstan (1948-2013).

Science.gov (United States)

Nurmakhanov, Talgat; Sansyzbaev, Yerlan; Atshabar, Bakhyt; Deryabin, Pavel; Kazakov, Stanislav; Zholshorinov, Aitmagambet; Matzhanova, Almagul; Sadvakassova, Alya; Saylaubekuly, Ratbek; Kyraubaev, Kakimzhan; Hay, John; Atkinson, Barry; Hewson, Roger

2015-09-01

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a pathogenic and often fatal arboviral disease with a distribution spanning large areas of Africa, Europe and Asia. The causative agent is a negative-sense single-stranded RNA virus classified within the Nairovirus genus of the Bunyaviridae family. Cases of CCHF have been officially recorded in Kazakhstan since the disease was first officially reported in modern medicine. Serological surveillance of human and animal populations provide evidence that the virus was perpetually circulating in a local enzoonotic cycle involving mammals, ticks and humans in the southern regions of the country. Most cases of human disease were associated with agricultural professions such as farming, shepherding and fruit-picking; the typical route of infection was via tick-bite although several cases of contact transmission associated with caring for sick patients have been documented. In total, 704 confirmed human cases of CCHF have been registered in Kazakhstan from 1948-2013 with an overall case fatality rate of 14.8% for cases with a documented outcome. The southern regions of Kazakhstan should be considered endemic for CCHF with cases reported from these territories on an annual basis. Modern diagnostic technologies allow for rapid clinical diagnosis and for surveillance studies to monitor for potential expansion in known risk areas. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

5. Basin assessment and watershed analysis

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Leslie M. Reid; Robert R. Ziemer

1994-01-01

Abstract - Basin assessment is an important component of the President's Forest Plan, yet it has received little attention. Basin assessments are intended both to guide watershed analyses by specifying types of issues and interactions that need to be understood, and, eventually, to integrate the results of watershed analyses occurring within a river basin....

A Basin Approach to a Hydrological Service Delivery System in the Amur River Basin

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Sergei Borsch

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the basin approach to the design, development, and operation of a hydrological forecasting and early warning system in a large transboundary river basin of high flood potential, where accurate, reliable, and timely available daily water-level and reservoir-inflow forecasts are essential for water-related economic and social activities (the Amur River basin case study. Key aspects of basin-scale system planning and implementation are considered, from choosing efficient forecast models and techniques, to developing and operating data-management procedures, to disseminating operational forecasts using web-GIS. The latter, making the relevant forecast data available in real time (via Internet, visual, and well interpretable, serves as a good tool for raising awareness of possible floods in a large region with transport and industrial hubs located alongside the Amur River (Khabarovsk, Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

Analysis of efficiency of pollution reduction measures in rural basin using MIKE Basin model. Case study: Olšava River Basin

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Kaiglová Jana

2014-03-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the results of testing the applicability of the MIKE Basin model for simulating the efficiency of scenarios for reducing water pollution. The model has been tested on the Olšava River Basin (520 km2 which is a typical rural region with a heterogeneous mix of pollution sources with variable topography and land use. The study proved that the model can be calibrated successfully using even the limited amount of data typically available in rural basins. The scenarios of pollution reduction were based on implementation and intensification of municipal wastewater treatment and conversion of arable land on fields under the risk of soil erosion to permanent grassland. The application of simulation results of these scenarios with proposed measures proved decreasing concentrations in downstream monitoring stations. Due to the practical applicability of proposed measures, these could lead to fulfilment of the water pollution limits required by the Czech and EU legislation. However, there are factors of uncertainty that are discussed that may delay or limit the effect of adopted measures in small rural basins.

Les pratiques de terrain en situation de tensions sociales et de guerre civile au Congo-Brazzaville

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Abel Kouvouama

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Évoquer mes pratiques de terrain en situation de tensions sociales et de guerre civile au Congo-Brazzaville suppose un véritable travail critique sur le présent d’une société qui est à la fois ce monde social renfermant une pluralité des microcosmes sociaux et le champ de mes expériences de vie, d’action et de réflexion. J’ai été tenté – comme si cela allait de soi – de recourir à la méthode d’observation participante par immersion dans l’univers social où l’on est à la fois sujet et objet. J’avais conscience de cette double contrainte épistémologique et sociale dans la démarche réflexive et critique de socio-anthropologue selon laquelle le terrain d’objectivation participante est également celui de l’expérimentation sociale. Dans un premier temps, les recherches et enquêtes de terrain ont été menées, de 1990 à 1994, sur les « mouvements associatifs religieux et laïcs d'entraide sociale dans la société urbaine brazzavilloise (Congo ». Dans un second temps, de 1995 à 1998, les recherches ont été effectuées sur le mouvement matsouaniste dans le contexte paradoxal, du processus de démocratisation et de guerres civiles, en partenariat au sein d’une équipe de l’ORSTOM et du CNRS, sur le thème « Citadins et religions à Brazzaville». Cette construction scientifique du rapport au temps historique et la recherche sous tension en terrain « miné » m’ont permis d’une part, de comprendrece que travailler veut dire sur le présent et le quotidien dans des temporalités guerrières ; d’autre part, de voir également comment se sont construites les identités individuelles et collectives à travers différents processus de décomposition et de recomposition des situations urbaines.Field practices in a situation of social tension and civil war in Congo-BrazzavilleReferring to my own field practices in a situation of social tension and civil war in Congo-Brazzaville entails a

California Basin Studies (CaBS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorsline, D.S.

1991-01-01

The California Continental Borderland's present configuration dates from about 4 to 5 X 10 6 years Before Present (B.P.) and is the most recent of several configurations of the southern California margin that have evolved after the North America Plate over-rode the East Pacific Rise about 30 X 10 6 years ago. The present morphology is a series of two to three northwest-southeast trending rows of depressions separated by banks and insular ridges. Two inner basins, Santa Monica and San Pedro, have been the site for the Department of Energy-funded California Basin Study (CaBS) Santa Monica and San Pedro Basins contain post-Miocene sediment thicknesses of about 2.5 and 1.5 km respectively. During the Holocene (past 10,000 years) about 10-12 m have accumulated. The sediment entered the basin by one or a combination of processes including particle infall (mainly as bioaggregates) from surface waters, from nepheloid plumes (surface, mid-depths and near-bottom), from turbidity currents, mass movements, and to a very minor degree direct precipitation. In Santa Monica Basin, during the last century, particle infall and nepheloid plume transport have been the most common processes. The former dominates in the central basin floor in water depths from 900 to 945 m. where a characteristic silt-clay with a typical mean diameter of about 0.006 mm, phi standard deviation

Basalt stratigraphy - Pasco Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waters, A.C.; Myers, C.W.; Brown, D.J.; Ledgerwood, R.K.

1979-10-01

The geologic history of the Pasco Basin is sketched. Study of the stratigraphy of the area involved a number of techniques including major-element chemistry, paleomagnetic investigations, borehole logging, and other geophysical survey methods. Grande Ronde basalt accumulation in the Pasco Basin is described. An illustrative log response is shown. 1 figure

Removal of Congo red dye from aqueous solutions using a halloysite-magnetite-based composite.

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Ferrarini, F; Bonetto, L R; Crespo, Janaina S; Giovanela, M

2016-01-01

Adsorption has been considered as one of the most effective methods to remove dyes from aqueous solutions due to its ease of operation, high efficiency and wide adaptability. In view of all these aspects, this study aimed to evaluate the adsorption capacity of a halloysite-magnetite-based composite in the removal of Congo red dye from aqueous solutions. The effects of stirring rate, pH, initial dye concentration and contact time were investigated. The results revealed that the adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second-order model, and equilibrium was well represented by the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. The thermodynamic data showed that dye adsorption onto the composite was spontaneous and endothermic and occurred by physisorption. Finally, the composite could also be regenerated at least four times by calcination and was shown to be a promising adsorbent for the removal of this dye.

Ecologic Features of Plague Outbreak Areas, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2004–2014

Science.gov (United States)

Shako, Jean-Christophe; Gaudart, Jean; Sudre, Bertrand; Ilunga, Benoit Kebela; Shamamba, Stomy Karhemere Bi; Diatta, Georges; Davoust, Bernard; Tamfum, Jean-Jacques Muyembe; Piarroux, Renaud; Piarroux, Martine

2018-01-01

During 2004–2014, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) declared 54% of plague cases worldwide. Using national data, we characterized the epidemiology of human plague in DRC for this period. All 4,630 suspected human plague cases and 349 deaths recorded in DRC came from Orientale Province. Pneumonic plague cases (8.8% of total) occurred during 2 major outbreaks in mining camps in the equatorial forest, and some limited outbreaks occurred in the Ituri highlands. Epidemics originated in 5 health zones clustered in Ituri, where sporadic bubonic cases were recorded throughout every year. Classification and regression tree characterized this cluster by the dominance of ecosystem 40 (mountain tropical climate). In conclusion, a small, stable, endemic focus of plague in the highlands of the Ituri tropical region persisted, acting as a source of outbreaks in DRC. PMID:29350136

La pénurie alimentaire dans la région de la Sangha (Congo

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Samba, M.

1995-01-01

Full Text Available Food Deficiency in the Sangha Region - Congo. The problem of food shortage in Sangha region is accompanied by alarming paradoxes. The region offers extremely favorable conditions for the development of agriculture : equatorial climate with abundance of rains and sun, a lot of uncultivated areas, a lot rivers, etc. Despite these advantages, food crops production is insignificant in the light of the very high infant mortality in the area 17.5 % (6, a death rate which is often bound with malnutrition. Contrary to what is commonly admitted, this food shortage is caused neither by natural obstacles nor by a certain passivity or immobility among peasants but by bad agricultural politic in the region. This article investigates these paradoxes and suggests in the same way a frame of analyses and orientations which could help overcome the regions savers food shortage.

Bottom water circulation in Cascadia Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Hautala, Susan L.; Paul Johnson, H.; Hammond, Douglas E.

2009-10-01

A combination of beta spiral and minimum length inverse methods, along with a compilation of historical and recent high-resolution CTD data, are used to produce a quantitative estimate of the subthermocline circulation in Cascadia Basin. Flow in the North Pacific Deep Water, from 900-1900 m, is characterized by a basin-scale anticyclonic gyre. Below 2000 m, two water masses are present within the basin interior, distinguished by different potential temperature-salinity lines. These water masses, referred to as Cascadia Basin Bottom Water (CBBW) and Cascadia Basin Deep Water (CBDW), are separated by a transition zone at about 2400 m depth. Below the depth where it freely communicates with the broader North Pacific, Cascadia Basin is renewed by northward flow through deep gaps in the Blanco Fracture Zone that feeds the lower limb of a vertical circulation cell within the CBBW. Lower CBBW gradually warms and returns to the south at lighter density. Isopycnal layer renewal times, based on combined lateral and diapycnal advective fluxes, increase upwards from the bottom. The densest layer, existing in the southeast quadrant of the basin below ˜2850 m, has an advective flushing time of 0.6 years. The total volume flushing time for the entire CBBW is 2.4 years, corresponding to an average water parcel residence time of 4.7 years. Geothermal heating at the Cascadia Basin seafloor produces a characteristic bottom-intensified temperature anomaly and plays an important role in the conversion of cold bottom water to lighter density within the CBBW. Although covering only about 0.05% of the global seafloor, the combined effects of bottom heat flux and diapycnal mixing within Cascadia Basin provide about 2-3% of the total required global input to the upward branch of the global thermohaline circulation.

Lithospheric-scale centrifuge models of pull-apart basins

Science.gov (United States)

Corti, Giacomo; Dooley, Tim P.

2015-11-01

We present here the results of the first lithospheric-scale centrifuge models of pull-apart basins. The experiments simulate relative displacement of two lithospheric blocks along two offset master faults, with the presence of a weak zone in the offset area localising deformation during strike-slip displacement. Reproducing the entire lithosphere-asthenosphere system provides boundary conditions that are more realistic than the horizontal detachment in traditional 1 g experiments and thus provide a better approximation of the dynamic evolution of natural pull-apart basins. Model results show that local extension in the pull-apart basins is accommodated through development of oblique-slip faulting at the basin margins and cross-basin faults obliquely cutting the rift depression. As observed in previous modelling studies, our centrifuge experiments suggest that the angle of offset between the master fault segments is one of the most important parameters controlling the architecture of pull-apart basins: the basins are lozenge shaped in the case of underlapping master faults, lazy-Z shaped in case of neutral offset and rhomboidal shaped for overlapping master faults. Model cross sections show significant along-strike variations in basin morphology, with transition from narrow V- and U-shaped grabens to a more symmetric, boxlike geometry passing from the basin terminations to the basin centre; a flip in the dominance of the sidewall faults from one end of the basin to the other is observed in all models. These geometries are also typical of 1 g models and characterise several pull-apart basins worldwide. Our models show that the complex faulting in the upper brittle layer corresponds at depth to strong thinning of the ductile layer in the weak zone; a rise of the base of the lithosphere occurs beneath the basin, and maximum lithospheric thinning roughly corresponds to the areas of maximum surface subsidence (i.e., the basin depocentre).

The role of Mesozoic sedimentary basin tapers on the formation of Cenozoic crustal shortening structures and foredeep in the western Sichuan Basin, China

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, M.

2017-12-01

The foreland basin records important clues of tectonic and sedimentary process of mountain-building, thus to explore its dynamic mechanism on the formation is an important issue of the mountain-basin interaction. The Longmen Shan fold-and-thrust belt and its adjacent Sichuan basin located in the eastern margin of Tibetan Plateau, are one of the most-concerned regions of studying modern mountain-building and seismic process, and are also a natural laboratory of studying the dynamics of the formation and development of foreland basin. However, it still need further explore on the mechanics of the development of the Cenozoic foreland basin and thrust-belts in the western Sichuan Basin. The Longmen Shan thrust belt has experienced multi-stages of tectonics evolution, foreland basin formation and topography growth since Late Triassic, and whether the early formed basin architecture and large Mesozoic sedimentary basin taper can influence the formation and development of the Cenozoic foreland basin and thrust belts? To solve these issues, this project aim to focus on the Cenozoic foreland basin and internal crustal shortening structures in the western Sichuan basin, on the basis of growth critical wedge taper theory. We will reconstruct the shape of multi-phases of sedimentary basin tapers, the temporal-spatial distribution of crustal shortening and thrusting sequences, and analyze the control mechanism of Mesozoic sedimentary basin taper on the formation of Cenozoic foreland basins, and final explore the interaction between the tectonics geomorphology, stress field and dynamic propagation of foreland basin.

On the significance of ELF basins

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Unknown

to complement to chemical intuition (see, e.g., refs. 2, 3). In a mathematically more rigorous way, such regions, ELF basins,4 were defined following the spirit of Bader's Atoms in Molecules (AIM). All points in space which lead to the a given maximum of ELF, by following the gradient of ELF, belong to the same basin. Basins ...

Investigation of an isolated case of human Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever in Central Uganda, 2015

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Stephen Balinandi

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF is the most geographically widespread tick-borne viral infection. Outbreaks of CCHF in sub-Saharan Africa are largely undetected and thus under-reported. On November 9, 2015, the National Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Laboratory at the Uganda Virus Research Institute received an alert for a suspect VHF case in a 33-year-old male who presented with VHF compatible signs and symptoms at Mengo Hospital in Kampala. Methods: A blood sample from the suspect patient was tested by RT-PCR for CCHF and found positive. Serological testing on sequential blood specimens collected from this patient showed increasing anti-CCHFV IgM antibody titers, confirming recent infection. Repeat sampling of the confirmed case post recovery showed high titers for anti-CCHFV-specific IgG. An epidemiological outbreak investigation was initiated following the initial RT-PCR positive detection to identify any additional suspect cases. Results: Only a single acute case of CCHF was detected from this outbreak. No additional acute CCHF cases were identified following field investigations. Environmental investigations collected 53 tick samples, with only 1, a Boophilus decoloratus, having detectable CCHFV RNA by RT-PCR. Full-length genomic sequencing on a viral isolate from the index human case showed the virus to be related to the DRC (Africa 2 lineage. Conclusions: This is the fourth confirmed CCHF outbreak in Uganda within 2 years after more than 50 years of no reported human CCHF cases in this country. Our investigations reaffirm the endemicity of CCHFV in Uganda, and show that exposure to ticks poses a significant risk for human infection. These findings also reflect the importance of having an established national VHF surveillance system and diagnostic capacity in a developing country like Uganda, in order to identify the first cases of VHF outbreaks and rapidly respond to reduce secondary cases. Additional efforts should focus on

Transient electromagnetic study of basin fill sediments in the Upper San Pedro Basin, Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Bultman, M.W.; Gray, F.

2011-01-01

The Upper San Pedro River Basin in Mexico and the United States is an important riparian corridor that is coming under increasing pressure from growing populations and the associated increase in groundwater withdrawal. Several studies have produced three-dimensional maps of the basin fill sediments in the US portion of the basin but little work has been done in the Mexican portion of the basin. Here, the results of a ground-based transient electromagnetic (TEM) survey in the Upper San Pedro Basin, Mexico are presented. These basin fill sediments are characterized by a 10-40 m deep unsaturated surficial zone which is composed primarily of sands and gravels. In the central portion of the basin this unsaturated zone is usually underlain by a shallow clay layer 20-50 m thick. Beneath this may be more clay, as is usually the case near the San Pedro River, or interbedded sand, silt, and clay to a depth of 200-250 m. As you move away from the river, the upper clay layer disappears and the amount of sand in the sediments increases. At 1-2 km away from the river, sands can occupy up to 50% of the upper 200-250 m of the sediment fill. Below this, clays are always present except where bedrock highs are observed. This lower clay layer begins at a depth of about 200 m in the central portion of the basin (250 m or more at distances greater than 1-2 km from the river) and extends to the bottom of most profiles to depths of 400 m. While the depth of the top of this lower clay layer is probably accurate, its thickness observed in the models may be overestimated due to the relatively low magnetic moment of the TEM system used in this study. The inversion routine used for interpretation is based on a one-dimensional geologic model. This is a layer based model that is isotropic in both the x and y directions. Several survey soundings did not meet this requirement which invalidates the inversion process and the resulting interpretation at these locations. The results from these

BasinVis 1.0: A MATLAB®-based program for sedimentary basin subsidence analysis and visualization

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Eun Young; Novotny, Johannes; Wagreich, Michael

2016-06-01

Stratigraphic and structural mapping is important to understand the internal structure of sedimentary basins. Subsidence analysis provides significant insights for basin evolution. We designed a new software package to process and visualize stratigraphic setting and subsidence evolution of sedimentary basins from well data. BasinVis 1.0 is implemented in MATLAB®, a multi-paradigm numerical computing environment, and employs two numerical methods: interpolation and subsidence analysis. Five different interpolation methods (linear, natural, cubic spline, Kriging, and thin-plate spline) are provided in this program for surface modeling. The subsidence analysis consists of decompaction and backstripping techniques. BasinVis 1.0 incorporates five main processing steps; (1) setup (study area and stratigraphic units), (2) loading well data, (3) stratigraphic setting visualization, (4) subsidence parameter input, and (5) subsidence analysis and visualization. For in-depth analysis, our software provides cross-section and dip-slip fault backstripping tools. The graphical user interface guides users through the workflow and provides tools to analyze and export the results. Interpolation and subsidence results are cached to minimize redundant computations and improve the interactivity of the program. All 2D and 3D visualizations are created by using MATLAB plotting functions, which enables users to fine-tune the results using the full range of available plot options in MATLAB. We demonstrate all functions in a case study of Miocene sediment in the central Vienna Basin.

BASIN ANALYSIS AND PETROLEUM SYSTEM CHARACTERIZATION AND MODELING, INTERIOR SALT BASINS, CENTRAL AND EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ernest A. Mancini; Donald A. Goddard; Ronald K. Zimmerman

2005-05-10

The principal research effort for Year 2 of the project has been data compilation and the determination of the burial and thermal maturation histories of the North Louisiana Salt Basin and basin modeling and petroleum system identification. In the first nine (9) months of Year 2, the research focus was on the determination of the burial and thermal maturation histories, and during the remainder of the year the emphasis has basin modeling and petroleum system identification. Existing information on the North Louisiana Salt Basin has been evaluated, an electronic database has been developed, regional cross sections have been prepared, structure and isopach maps have been constructed, and burial history, thermal maturation history and hydrocarbon expulsion profiles have been prepared. Seismic data, cross sections, subsurface maps and related profiles have been used in evaluating the tectonic, depositional, burial and thermal maturation histories of the basin. Oil and gas reservoirs have been found to be associated with salt-supported anticlinal and domal features (salt pillows, turtle structures and piercement domes); with normal faulting associated with the northern basin margin and listric down-to-the-basin faults (state-line fault complex) and faulted salt features; and with combination structural and stratigraphic features (Sabine and Monroe Uplifts) and monoclinal features with lithologic variations. Petroleum reservoirs are mainly Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous fluvial-deltaic sandstone facies and Lower Cretaceous and Upper Cretaceous shoreline, marine bar and shallow shelf sandstone facies. Cretaceous unconformities significantly contribute to the hydrocarbon trapping mechanism capacity in the North Louisiana Salt Basin. The chief petroleum source rock in this basin is Upper Jurassic Smackover lime mudstone beds. The generation of hydrocarbons from Smackover lime mudstone was initiated during the Early Cretaceous and continued into the Tertiary

Rainfall Variability, Wetland Persistence, and Water–Carbon Cycle Coupling in the Upper Zambezi River Basin in Southern Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lauren E. L. Lowman

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The Upper Zambezi River Basin (UZRB delineates a complex region of topographic, soil and rainfall gradients between the Congo rainforest and the Kalahari Desert. Satellite imagery shows permanent wetlands in low-lying convergence zones where surface–groundwater interactions are vigorous. A dynamic wetland classification based on MODIS Nadir BRDF-Adjusted Reflectance is developed to capture the inter-annual and seasonal changes in areal extent due to groundwater redistribution and rainfall variability. Simulations of the coupled water–carbon cycles of seasonal wetlands show nearly double rates of carbon uptake as compared to dry areas, at increasingly lower water-use efficiencies as the dry season progresses. Thus, wetland extent and persistence into the dry season is key to the UZRB’s carbon sink and water budget. Whereas groundwater recharge governs the expansion of wetlands in the rainy season under large-scale forcing, wetland persistence in April–June (wet–dry transition months is tied to daily morning fog and clouds, and by afternoon land–atmosphere interactions (isolated convection. Rainfall suppression in July–September results from colder temperatures, weaker regional circulations, and reduced instability in the lower troposphere, shutting off moisture recycling in the dry season despite high evapotranspiration rates. The co-organization of precipitation and wetlands reflects land–atmosphere interactions that determine wetland seasonal persistence, and the coupled water and carbon cycles.

Serological evaluation of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in humans with high-risk professions living in enzootic regions of Isfahan province of Iran and genetic analysis of circulating strains

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chinikar, Sadegh; Ghiasi, Seyed Mojtaba; Naddaf, Saeed

2012-01-01

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a zoonotic viral disease that is asymptomatic in infected livestock, but causes a serious threat to humans with a mortality rate up to 50%. Although the CCHF virus (CCHFV) is often transmitted by ticks, livestock-to-human and human-to-human transmission a...

Western Gas Sands Project. Quarterly Basin Activities Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Atkinson, C H

1979-01-31

This report is a summation of 3 months' drilling and testing activities in the four primary WGSP study areas: Greater Green River Basin, Northern Great Plains Province, Piceance Basin, and Uinta Basin. The monitoring of basin activities is part of resource assessment. (DLC)

Rapid degradation of Congo red by molecularly imprinted polypyrrole-coated magnetic TiO2 nanoparticles in dark at ambient conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei, Shoutai; Hu, Xiaolei; Liu, Hualong; Wang, Qiang; He, Chiyang

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Molecularly imprinted polypyrrole-coated magnetic TiO 2 catalyst was prepared. • The catalyst degraded Congo red rapidly in dark at ambient conditions. • Degradation mechanism was proposed according to LC–MS analysis. • The catalyst can be easily recycled by a magnet. - Abstract: A novel molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-coated magnetic TiO 2 nanocomposite was prepared, using methyl orange (MO) as the dummy template and pyrrole as functional monomer, for degradation of Congo red (CR). The nanocomposite was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermo-gravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometer. The imprinting efficiency of the imprinted nanoparticles was investigated by static binding test, and their degradation ability toward CR was also studied. Moreover, the effects of pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen and oscillation rate on degradation rate of CR were investigated. Results showed that the imprinted nanocomposite had higher adsorption ability for MO compared with the non-imprinted one. Moreover, it could degrade CR rapidly in dark at room temperature and atmospheric pressure and could be recycled easily by a magnet with a good reusability. A degradation mechanism was proposed according to LC–MS analysis of degradation products of CR. The new imprinted nanoparticles showed high catalytic activity at ambient conditions without light illumination and additional chemicals, and therefore, it can be potentially applied to the rapid, “green” and low-cost degradation of CR in industrial printing and dyeing wastewater

El cómic como fuente histórica : el falso testimonio de Tintín en el Congo Belga

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Óscar Gual Boronat

2011-01-01

Full Text Available A través del estudio de la obra Tintin au Congo del dibujante belga Hergé, tratamos de probar la capacidad del cómic para ser utilizado como fuente histórica. La actual definición de fuente puede englobarlo perfectamente pero es necesaria una demostración práctica. Tras contextualizar dicha historieta pasamos a realizar una lectura atenta de la misma, así como de sus aspectos más polémicos, para a continuación describir el proceso de trabajo del propio Hergé y las influencias de su entorno. Por último, entraremos a debatir cuál es el origen de la historieta como medio y cuál es el método de análisis a la hora de interrogarla históricamente.Through the study of the Belgian cartoonist Hergé's work Tintin au Congo we try to test the ability of comics to be used as a historical source. The current source definition can cover it very well but requires a practical demonstration. After we contextualize this story we make a careful reading of it and of its most controversial features, then we describe the process of Hergé's own work and the influences of their environment. Finally we enter into a discussion about which is the origin of comics as a medium and which is the method of analysis when questioning historically.

The Texts of the Instruments connected with the Agency's Assistance to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Continuing a Research Reactor Project Project. Extension Agreement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1966-11-18

The text of the Project Extension Agreement between the Agency and the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in connection with the Agency's additional assistance to that Government in continuing a research reactor project is reproduced in this document for the information of all Members. This Agreement entered into force on 27 September 1966.

Parameterisation of Biome BGC to assess forest ecosystems in Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Gautam, Sishir; Pietsch, Stephan A.

2010-05-01

African forest ecosystems are an important environmental and economic resource. Several studies show that tropical forests are critical to society as economic, environmental and societal resources. Tropical forests are carbon dense and thus play a key role in climate change mitigation. Unfortunately, the response of tropical forests to environmental change is largely unknown owing to insufficient spatially extensive observations. Developing regions like Africa where records of forest management for long periods are unavailable the process-based ecosystem simulation model - BIOME BGC could be a suitable tool to explain forest ecosystem dynamics. This ecosystem simulation model uses descriptive input parameters to establish the physiology, biochemistry, structure, and allocation patterns within vegetation functional types, or biomes. Undocumented parameters for larger-resolution simulations are currently the major limitations to regional modelling in African forest ecosystems. This study was conducted to document input parameters for BIOME-BGC for major natural tropical forests in the Congo basin. Based on available literature and field measurements updated values for turnover and mortality, allometry, carbon to nitrogen ratios, allocation of plant material to labile, cellulose, and lignin pools, tree morphology and other relevant factors were assigned. Daily climate input data for the model applications were generated using the statistical weather generator MarkSim. The forest was inventoried at various sites and soil samples of corresponding stands across Gabon were collected. Carbon and nitrogen in the collected soil samples were determined from soil analysis. The observed tree volume, soil carbon and soil nitrogen were then compared with the simulated model outputs to evaluate the model performance. Furthermore, the simulation using Congo Basin specific parameters and generalised BIOME BGC parameters for tropical evergreen broadleaved tree species were also

User Satisfaction with Family Planning Services in Government Health Centres in the Congo.

Science.gov (United States)

Ndziessi, Gilbert; Bintsene-Mpika, Gickelle; Bileckot, Richard

2017-09-01

Patient satisfaction is considered an indicator of quality of care. This study aimed to assess the degree of clients' satisfaction with family planning (FP) services in government health centers in Congo. A cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 635 clients nested in 27 health facilities were included in the analysis. Satisfaction was defined as "having a good perception of provider technical skills, being satisfied with the service organization and having a general positive appreciation of FP services. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS v15. Among 635 clients, 57% perceived lack of technical competence in providers, 88% perceived good organization in FP services and 77% declared having general positive appreciation of FP services. Global level of client satisfaction was 42%. In conclusion client satisfaction with FP service was low and strengthening health workers technical competence is crucial. But, as the quality is multidimensional, other aspects especially significant funding investment and quality-assurance interventions must be taken into account.

New TNX Seepage Basin: Environmental information document

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunaway, J.K.W.; Johnson, W.F.; Kingley, L.E.; Simmons, R.V.; Bledsoe, H.W.

1986-12-01

The New TNX Seepage Basin has been in operation at the Savannah River Plant (SRP) since 1980 and is located in the southeastern section of the TNX facility. The basin receives waste from pilot scale tests conducted at TNX in support of the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) and the plant Separations area. The basin is scheduled for closure after the TNX Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) begins operation. The basin will be closed pursuant to all applicable state and federal regulations. A statistical analysis of monitoring data indicates elevated levels of sodium and zinc in the groundwater at this site. Closure options considered for the New TNX Seepage Basin include waste removal and closure, no waste removal and closure, and no action. The two predominant pathways for human exposure to chemical contaminants are through surface, subsurface, and atmospheric transport. Modeling calculations were made to determine the risks to human population via these general pathways for the three postulated closure options for the New TNX Seepage Basin. Cost estimates for each closure option at the basin have also been prepared. An evaluation of the environmental impacts from the New TNX Seepage Basin indicate that the relative risks to human health and ecosystems for the postulated closure options are low. The transport of six chemical and one radionuclide constituents through the environmental pathways from the basin were modeled. The maximum chemical carcinogenic risk and the noncarcinogenic risk for the groundwater pathways were from exposure to trichloromethane and nitrate

Supplementary information on K-Basin sludges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MAKENAS, B.J.

1999-01-01

Three previous documents in this series have been published covering the analysis of: K East Basin Floor and Pit Sludge, K East Basin Canister Sludge, and K West Basin Canister Sludge. Since their publication, additional data have been acquired and analyses performed. It is the purpose of this volume to summarize the additional insights gained in the interim time period

Strike-slip tectonics and Quaternary basin formation along the Vienna Basin fault system inferred from Bouguer gravity derivatives

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Salcher, B. C.; Meurers, B.; Smit, J.; Decker, K.; HöLzel, M.; Wagreich, M.

2012-01-01

The Vienna Basin at the transition between the Alpine and Carpathian belt hosts a number of large Pleistocene sub-basins forming along an active continental scale strike-slip fault (Vienna Basin strike-slip fault). We utilize first-order derivatives from industrial Bouguer gravity data to unravel