• Title/Summary/Keyword: Central Africa

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A Basic Study on Marine Traffic Assessment in Mombasa Approach Channel-I

  • Otoi, Onyango Shem;Park, Young-Soo;Park, Jin-Soo
    • Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Navigation and Port Research Conference
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    • 2016.05a
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    • pp.81-84
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    • 2016
  • Mombasa is the principle port of Kenya, serving hinter countries in Eastern and central Africa. Mombasa port has undergone a massive infrastructure upgrade and dredging works with an expectation that more vessels and large post Panamax ships will be able to call at Mombasa port. Therefore, it is vital to carry out a marine traffic risk assessment so as to quantify the degree of navigation safety on Mombasa approach channel and also to evaluate navigation risk imposed on transit traffic by local ferry traffic. In this paper marine traffic risk assessment is carried out using IWRAP mk2, Environmental Stress model, and PARK model. Risk assessment results show that Likoni area has unacceptable stress/ risk ranking at 20.7% on ES model and 38.89% by PARK model. IWRAP mk2 model shows that crossing area has the highest risk of crossing collision and the area at the entrance to inner channel has a high risk of grounding. The conclusions derived from this study will provide the basis for proposing the most effective countermeasure so as to improve navigation safety in Mombasa approach channel.

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Geochemical Exploration for the Bougouni Area in Mali (말리 부구니 지역에 대한 지화학탐사)

  • Kim, In-Joon
    • Economic and Environmental Geology
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    • v.41 no.5
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    • pp.563-575
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    • 2008
  • The ore depositional and geochemical exploration on Bougouni area in Mali, central-western Africa covering $2,000\;Km^2$ was conducted for determining the detailed survey area. According to the results of this exploration, the highly potential area for the zinc-tin-gold-silver mineralization was found in Kolani and Riarako areas. The contents of zinc in heavy sand collected in the stream sediments range from 14 to 8,600 ppm, while the mean values of zinc in this area are 543 ppm with threshold($x+2{\sigma}$) of zinc anomalies being 1,000 ppm in Bougouni area. Generally zinc anomalies are associated with the tin and molybdenum anomalies and hence the anomalous area was selected for the detailed survey area for tracing the primary zinc and precious ore deposits related to these anomalies in following project.

Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum): much more than a condiment

  • Barbalho, Sandra Maria;Machado, Flavia Maria Vasques Farinazzi;Rodrigues, Jaqueline Dos Santos;Silva, Tiago Henrique Pereira Da;Goulart, Ricardo De Alvares
    • CELLMED
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    • v.2 no.1
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    • pp.3.1-3.5
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    • 2012
  • Ocimum basilicum belongs to the family Lamiaceae and can be found in tropical Asia, Africa, Central America and South America. It is widely cultivated commercially as a condiment or for the production of essential oil. In this review, this plant is accredited with important effects on health, in addition to being a condiment. In folk medicine it is used to treat vomiting, intestinal colic and diarrhea, menstrual pains and to improve kidney function. Some studies have demonstrated that it can be used for the treatment of hyperlipidemia and also that it has antioxidant, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory and vasodilator properties as well as hepatoprotective effects. In view of its broad range of effects, further studies should be conducted to ascertain the possible use of this plant in clinical trials, not only for prevention but also as an adjuvant in the treatment of different diseases.

Induction of Apoptosis with Kigelia africana fruits in HCT116 Human Colon Cancer Cells via MAPKs Signaling Pathway

  • Guon, Tae-Eun;Chung, Ha Sook
    • Natural Product Sciences
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    • v.22 no.3
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    • pp.209-215
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    • 2016
  • Kigelia africana (Lam.) Benth. (Bignoniaceae) is a flowering plants in South, Central and West Africa and commonly known as the sausage tree (Eng.); worsboom (Afr.); umVunguta, umFongothi (Zulu); Modukguhlu (North Sotho); Muvevha (Venda). The dried, powdered fruits are used as dressing for wounds and ulcers, haemorrhoids, rheumatism, purgative, skin-firming, lactation in breast-feeding mothers. The aim of this study is to investigate the cytotoxic and apoptotic potentials of 70% ethanolic extracts of Kigelia africana fruits in HCT116 human colon cancer cells. Treatment of Kigelia africana fruits with various concentrations resulted in a sequence of characteristic of apoptosis, including loss of cell viability and morphological changes. Flow cytometry analysis showed Kigelia africana fruits increased the sub-G1 phase (apoptosis) population. Apoptosis confirmed by annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate and propidium iodide double staining in HCT116 human colon cancer cell lines. Moreover, analysis of the mechanism indicated that Kigelia africana fruits showed an increased Bax and Bcl-2 expressions in a dose-dependent manner, resulting in activation of hallmarks of apoptotic events, caspase-3, caspase-9 and cleaved poly-ADP-ribose polymerase. This is the first report to demonstrate the cytotoxicity of Kigelia africana fruits on HCT116 human colon cancer cells.

The Korea's Future ODA Policy Direction through Efficiency Analysis : Focusing on the Beneficiary Countries of ODA Projects Provided by Korea (공적개발원조 사업의 효율성 분석을 통한 미래 정책 방향성 : 우리나라 ODA 사업 수혜국을 중심으로)

  • Nam, Hyun-dong;Kim, Dae-cheol
    • Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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    • v.41 no.3
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    • pp.1-10
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    • 2018
  • The purpose of this study is to improve effectiveness of Korea's Official Development Assistance (ODA) provided to developing countries. To do this, we analyze the efficiency of ODA provided to 38 recipient countries by Korea through data envelope analysis method. The effects of four factors including population, GDP, economic decline and poverty, and external intervention on efficiency are also investigated by utilizing tobit regression analysis. As a result of the DEA efficiency analysis, it is found that the average efficiency score of the total is about 59%. By region, the average efficiency score of Asia, Africa, Central and South America, and the East and CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) are about 42%, 68%, 70%, and 74%, respectively. It indicates that the Asian countries are inefficient compared to countries of the other regions. It is also found that factors of population, GDP, economic decline and poverty, and external intervention have statistically significant effects on efficiency at 0.01 significance level. In the case of the population, the higher the population of the recipient country, the more negative (-) effect is on the efficiency. The other factors such as GDP, economic decline and poverty, and external intervention have positive effects on the efficiency.

Gnaphalium tranzschelii Kirp. (Asteraceae): An unrecorded species from Korea

  • Lee, Dong Hyuk;Byeon, Jun Gi;Heo, Tae Im;Park, Byeong Joo;Lee, Jun Woo;Kim, Ji Dong;Choi, Byoung Hee
    • Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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    • 2019.04a
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    • pp.78-78
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    • 2019
  • Gnaphalium L. is a small herbaceous genus comprising up to 80 species in worldwide (Asia, North to South America, Africa, and Oceania). This genus is highly polymorphic which embrace uncommon broad morphological boundary, and thus further studies were needed to proper taxonomic delimitations for the genus and its relatives. Gnaphalium uliginosum L. was usually found in moist sites such as margins of lake, pond, reservoir, stream banks and paddy field. This squat plant is solely known species in Korean Gnaphalium. During the revisionary study of the tribe Gnaphalieae (Asteraceae) in Korea, however, we found several materials in domestic herbaria (e.g., SNU, KWNU) that identified as G. uliginosum or Gamochaeta pensylvanica (Willd.) Cabrera collected from central to northern Korea, but clearly differ to the morphology of G. uliginosum. The external morphology of the materials is seemingly the only feature at odds with G. uliginosum. However, its morphological characters such as tall erected stems (ca. 30cm), hairs on seeds and whitish tomentose hairs on the whole plants are easily distinguished from G. uliginosum, and rather it looks like G. tranzschelii Kirp. Although the name G. tranzschelii have been treated as synonym of G. uliginosum by several authors, its distinct morphology might be sufficient to separate to two independent taxa. Generally, the morphological polymorphisms and hybridization of G. uliginosum complicate the taxonomy of the species, and thus further investigation for their habitat, distribution and morphology were needed to their taxonomic entity.

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NON-VALUE ADDING ACTIVITIES IN SOUTH AFRICAN CONSTRUCTION: A RESEARCH AGENDA

  • Fidelis Emuze;John Smallwood
    • International conference on construction engineering and project management
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    • 2011.02a
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    • pp.453-458
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    • 2011
  • The construction industry's importance to nation building, economic empowerment, and contributions to global commerce cannot be over emphasised. However, poor productivity, accidents, rework, time and cost overruns, and client dissatisfaction have characterised the industry performance in a multi-dimensional way. The central issue in this particular research is the seemingly inadequate achievement of optimum performance in the construction process, either with respect to value for money for the client and the entire construction supply chain or value in terms of the utility derived from built assets in spite of efforts by government and governmental bodies such as the Construction Industry Development Board (cidb) to increase industry performance. Therefore, based upon an extensive review of related literature, the paper reports on effects and causes of non-value adding activities in the construction industry in general, and South African construction in particular. The research findings indicate that activities that can be referred to as non-value activities are not only prevalent, but they can also be held responsible for performance related issues in terms of cost, time, quality and health and safety (H&S) in construction; and the exploration of pluralism in the research methodology may result in a robust model based upon the system dynamics approach. Therefore, the study suggests that there is major scope for value optimisation in the construction process especially in terms of availability and implementation of interventions, which have not only proven successful in other industries, but are also adaptable in the construction industry context.

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Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever Outbreaks: Diagnosis for Effective Epidemic Disease Management and Control (에볼라 출혈열 발병 : 효과적인 전염병 관리 및 통제를 위한 진단)

  • Kang, Boram;Kim, Hyojin;Macoy, Donah Mary;Kim, Min Gab
    • Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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    • v.45 no.2
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    • pp.87-92
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    • 2017
  • The first Ebola hemorrhagic fever outbreak occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan in 1976 and then emerged in West Africa in 2014 with a total of 27,741 cases and 11,284 deaths. The fever is caused by the Ebola virus, which belongs to the Filoviridae family and contains a ssRNA genome. The known subtypes of the virus are Bundibugyo ebolavirus, Reston ebolavirus, Sudan ebolavirus, $Ta\ddot{i}$ Forest ebolavirus, and Zaire ebolavirus. The Ebola outbreak was historically originated majorly from the East and Central African tropical belt. The current outbreaks in West Africa caused numerous deaths and spread fear in global society. In the absence of effective treatment strategies and any vaccine, accurate diagnosis is the most important contributing factor in the management and control of the epidemic disease. WHO (World Health Organization) has announced emergency guidance for the selection and use of Ebola in in vitro diagnostic assays. Numerous companies and research institutions have studied the various diagnosis methods and identified four WHO procurement approved as diagnosis kits: RealStar Ebolavirus Screen RT-PCR kit 1.0 (Altona), Liferiver-Ebola Virus (EBOV) Real time RT-PCR kit, Xpert Ebola Assay, and ReEBOV Antigen Rapid Test Kit. The efficiency of novel diagnostic kits such as Rapid Diagnosis Test (RDT) is currently being evaluated.

Molecular Identification of Taenia hydatigena from Sheep in Khartoum, Sudan

  • Muku, Rosline James;Yan, Hong-Bin;Ohiolei, John Asekhaen;Saaid, Abubakar Ahmed;Ahmed, Sara;Jia, Wan-Zhong;Fu, Bao-Quan
    • Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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    • v.58 no.1
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    • pp.93-97
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    • 2020
  • The cestode Taenia hydatigena uses canids, primarily dogs, as definitive hosts, while the metacestode larval stage cysticercus infects a range of intermediate hosts, including domestic animals such as goats, sheep, and pigs. Cysticercosis due to T. hydatigena has large veterinary and economic drawbacks. Like other taeniids, e.g., Echinococcus, intraspecific variation is found among the members of the genus Taenia. In Africa, few studies are available on the epidemiology and distribution of T. hydatigena, and even fewer studies are available on its genetic variation. In this study, we molecularly identified 11 cysticerci from sheep in Sudan and demonstrated the genetic variation based on the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (nad1) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) mitochondrial genes. The isolates were correctly identified as T. hydatigena with more than 99% similarity to those in the GenBank database. Low diversity indices and insignificant neutrality indices were observed, with 3 and 2 haplotypes for the nad1 and cox1 genes, respectively. The results suggest the presence of unique T. hydatigena haplotypes in Sudan, as haplotypes with 100% similarity were not found in the GenBank database. With few available studies on the genetic variation of T. hydatigena in Africa, this report represents the first insights into the genetic variation of T. hydatigena in Sudan and constitutes useful data.

China and global leadership (Китай и глобальное лидерство)

  • Mikheev, Vasily;Lukonin, Sergey;Ignatev, Sergei
    • Analyses & Alternatives
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    • v.1 no.2
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    • pp.31-43
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    • 2017
  • The article is devoted to the theoretical and practical analysis of Chinese global leadership. The concept of leadership is applied as a methodology, which involves identifying the main factors, such as strategic power, the attractiveness of political institutions, the ability to provide acceptable ideas and the presence of allies that contribute to a comprehensive analysis of the country's leadership potential. The authors also describe the relevance of Chinese global leadership and analyze its domestic, economic and international causes. Moreover, the ''Belt and Road'' initiative is defined as the main mechanism for providing the influence of China on the global level which is now being changed its quantitative component, namely the increasing attention to the security aspects of this initiative. In addition to that, it is important to note that China maintains its economic and political positions in Africa, Central Asia and South-East Asia. Africa has a special role in the Chinese ''Belt and Road'' initiative as a recipient of Chinese investments and a site for the deployment of China's naval facilities to protect the trade routes. On the regional level, China will strive to become a leader of the trade and economic processes in the Asia-Pacific region, the South China Sea and the North Korea nuclear program issues. The American factor in modern international relations, namely so-called "Trump factor", which means the U.S. withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Paris Agreement, will cause demand for Chinese leadership in the Asia-Pacific region and in the world as well. However, in this case a number of questions arise: is China prepared for this? Is Beijing able to bear greater responsibility? Does China have the potential for this? The article concludes that China will not become global leaders in the next 20-30 years, because of internal (political reforms) and foreign policy reasons (doctrinal formulation of foreign policy initiatives, military-political and economic power, international posture and relations with other states). The authors believe that the implementation of Chinese leadership is possible not on the condition of confrontation between China and the United States, but on the establishing of constructive relations between these countries. The last meeting between Trump and Xi Jinping showed a trend for creating channels for dialogue between Beijing and Washington, which can become the basis for interaction. An important place in the work is given to the analysis of development and forecasting the evolution of Russian-Chinese and U.S.-China relations. As for Russia, Moscow should conduct a policy that will not allow it to become a ''junior partner'' of China.

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