• Title/Summary/Keyword: africa

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Diagnosis and Molecular Analysis on Imported Plasmodium ovale curtisi and P. ovale wallikeri Malaria Cases from West and South Africa during 2013-2016

  • Shin, Hyun-Il;Ku, Bora;Kim, Yu Jung;Kim, Tae Yun;Cho, Shin-Hyeong;Lee, Sang-Eun
    • Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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    • v.58 no.1
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    • pp.61-65
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    • 2020
  • Majority of the imported malaria cases in Korea is attributed to Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax infections, whereas P. malariae and P. ovale infections are very rare. Falciparum and ovale malaria are mostly imported from Africa, while most of the vivax malaria cases are imported from Southeast Asia. Here, we report 6 Korean imported ovale malaria cases (4 males and 2 females) who had visited in Africa during 2013-2016. These subjects were diagnosed with P. ovale based on microscopic findings, Plasmodium species-specific nested-PCR, and phylogenetic clade using 18S rRNA gene sequences. We identified 2 P. ovale subtypes, 1 P. ovale curtisi (classic type) and 5 P. ovale wallikeri (variant type). All patients were treated with chloroquine and primaquine, and no relapse or recrudescence was reported for 1 year after treatment. With increase of travelers to the countries where existing Plasmodium species, the risk of Plasmodium infection is also increasing. Molecular monitoring for imported malaria parasites should be rigorously and continuously performed to enable diagnosis and certification of Plasmodium spp.

Community of natural lactic acid bacteria and silage fermentation of corn stover and sugarcane tops in Africa

  • Cai, Yimin;Du, Zhumei;Yamasaki, Seishi;Nguluve, Damiao;Tinga, Benedito;Macome, Felicidade;Oya, Tetsuji
    • Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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    • v.33 no.8
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    • pp.1252-1264
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    • 2020
  • Objective: To effectively utilize crop by-product resources to address the shortage of animal feed during the dry season in Africa, the community of natural lactic acid bacteria (LAB) of corn stover and sugarcane tops and fermentation characteristics of silage were studied in Mozambique. Methods: Corn stover and sugarcane tops were obtained from agricultural field in Mozambique. Silage was prepared with LAB inoculant and cellulase enzyme and their fermentation quality and microbial population were analyzed. Results: Aerobic bacteria were the dominant population with 107 colony-forming unit/g of fresh matter in both crops prior to ensiling, while 104 to 107 LAB became the dominant bacteria during ensiling. Lactobacillus plantarum was more than 76.30% of total isolates which dominated silage fermentation in the LAB-treated sugarcane top silages or all corn stover silages. Fresh corn stover and sugarcane tops contain 65.05% to 76.10% neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and 6.52% to 6.77% crude protein (CP) on a dry matter basis, and these nutrients did not change greatly during ensiling. Corn stover exhibits higher LAB counts and water-soluble carbohydrates content than sugarcane top, which are naturally suited for ensiling. Meanwhile, sugarcane tops require LAB or cellulase additives for high quality of silage making. Conclusion: This study confirms that both crop by-products contain certain nutrients of CP and NDF that could be well-preserved in silage, and that they are potential roughage resources that could cover livestock feed shortages during the dry season in Africa.

THE POLITICS OF SOCIAL SECURITY AND RETIREMENT REFORMS AND RETIREMENT SAVINGS CULTURE IN SOUTH AFRICA

  • Nevondwe, Lufuno;Odeku, Kola;Matotoka, Mothlatlego
    • East Asian Journal of Business Economics (EAJBE)
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    • v.1 no.3
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    • pp.71-84
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    • 2013
  • Purpose: The South African government is determined in alleviating poverty while encouraging job creation and protecting the disposable incomes of poor households. This article looks at the challenges that are facing the South African Social Security system and argues that the provision of income security is amongst the most practical expressions of a nation's cohesion and values. Research Design, Data and Methodology: There are seven proposals in the Social Security and Retirement Reform and these proposals are based on the following two principal objectives of the government, that is, to ensure a basic standard of living and to prevent destitution in old age or in circumstances of unemployment or incapacity partly or wholly through redistributive measures, and to encourage savings to provide for the replacement of income on retirement, disablement or death through long-term insurance arrangements. Results: This article evaluates these seven proposals, state old age pension, wage subsidy, mandatory participation in a national social security system for all, mandatory participation in private occupational or individual retirement funds, Voluntary additional contributions to occupational or individual retirement funds, reform of the governance and regulation of the retirement funding industry and reform of the tax system. Conclusion: This article concludes that the population size of South Africa has increased significantly to 51, 8 million in 2011 and therefore the time is right for bold new steps in improving income security of the poor and strengthening the fabric of social solidarity that binds all South Africans together.

Prediction model analysis of 2010 South Africa World Cup (2010 남아공 월드컵 축구 예측모형 분석)

  • Hong, Chong-Sun;Jung, Min-Sub;Lee, Jae-Hyoung
    • Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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    • v.21 no.6
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    • pp.1137-1146
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    • 2010
  • There are a lot of methods to predict the result of a game and many forecasting researches have been studied. Among many methods, if a statistical model including some realistic random variables is used to forecast, more accurate prediction could be expected than any others. In this work, Bradley-Terry model is considered to predict results of 2010 South Africa World Cup games via paired comparison method. This prediction model includes some random variables which affect the results of games. The worth parameters for each country in this model are convergence values obtained by using Newton-Raphson algorithm. With this model, we can forecast top 16 among 32 countries and up to who will win the victory. Final results of 2010 South Africa World Cup games are compared with this prediction and discuss further works.

Resistance of Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima Genotypes to RBe24 Isolate of Rice Yellow Mottle Virus in Benin and Effects of Silicon on Host Response

  • Anato, Vital Kouessi Sixte;Agnoun, Yves;Houndjo, Joel;Oludare, Aderonke;Agbangla, Clement;Akoroda, Malachy;Adetimirin, Victor O.
    • The Plant Pathology Journal
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    • v.37 no.4
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    • pp.375-388
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    • 2021
  • Rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV) is the most harmful virus that affects irrigated and lowland rice in Africa. The RBe24 isolate of the virus is the most pathogenic strain in Benin. A total of 79 genotypes including susceptible IR64 (Oryza sativa) and the resistant TOG5681 (O. glaberrima) as checks were screened for their reactions to RBe24 isolate of RYMV and the effects of silicon on the response of host plants to the virus investigated. The experiment was a three-factor factorial consisting of genotypes, inoculation level (inoculated vs. non-inoculated), and silicon dose (0, 5, and 10 g/plant) applied as CaSiO3 with two replications and carried out twice in the screen house. Significant differences were observed among the rice genotypes. Fifteen highly resistant and eight resistant genotypes were identified, and these were mainly O. glaberrima. Silicon application did not affect disease incidence and severity at 21 and 42 days after inoculation (DAI); it, however, significantly increased plant height of inoculated (3.6% for 5 g CaSiO3/plant and 6.3% for 10 g CaSiO3/plant) and non-inoculated (1.9% for 5 g CaSiO3/plant and 4.9% for 10 g CaSiO3/plant) plants at 42 DAI, with a reduction in the number of tillers (12.3% for both 5 and 10 g CaSiO3/plant) and leaves (26.8% for 5 g CaSiO3/plant and 28% for 10 g CaSiO3/plant) under both inoculation treatments. Our results confirm O. glaberrima germplasm as an important source of resistance to RYMV, and critical in developing a comprehensive strategy for the control of RYMV in West Africa.

Prevalence of Mycotoxins and Their Consequences on Human Health

  • Omotayo, Oluwadara Pelumi;Omotayo, Abiodun Olusola;Mwanza, Mulunda;Babalola, Olubukola Oluranti
    • Toxicological Research
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    • v.35 no.1
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    • pp.1-7
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    • 2019
  • Mycotoxin contamination is a global phenomenon and causes a wide array of negative effects and other complications. This study focused on commonly found mycotoxins in Africa and the possible means of prevention or reduction of their contaminating effects. Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites of mold and fungi; they are generally toxic to living organisms. Hundreds of mycotoxins have been identified thus far, with some, such as aflatoxins, ochratoxins, trichothecenes, zearalenone, fumonisins, and patulin, considered agro-economically important. Several factors contribute to the presence of mycotoxins in food, such as climatic conditions, pest infestation, and poor harvest and storage practices. Exposure to mycotoxins, which occurs mostly by ingestion, leads to various diseases, such as mycotoxicoses and mycoses that may eventually result in death. In light of this, this review of relevant literature focuses on mycotoxin contamination, as well as various methods for the prevention and control of their prevalence, to avert its debilitating consequences on human health. Clear evidence of mycotoxin contamination is present in Africa, and it was therefore recommended that adequate prevention and control of these toxic substances in our food system should be encouraged and that appropriate measures must be taken to ensure food safety as well as the enhanced or long-lifespan of the African populace. Governments, research institutions, and non-governmental organizations should tailor the limited resources available to tackle mycotoxin prevalence, as these will offer the best prospects for successful development of a sustainable food system in Africa.

A Study on the Value of Kanga as an Ethos of the Swahili Culture (스와힐리 문화의 기풍으로써 캉가의 가치)

  • Lee, Hyojin
    • Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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    • v.24 no.1
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    • pp.42-52
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    • 2022
  • The goal of this study is to analyze the value of Kanga as an ethos of the Swahili culture. The theoretical background of the research method was the analysis of the domestic and foreign literature, journals, and research data from various internet sites related to the subject, and the conclusion was drawn based on these studies. With the spread Pan-Africanism, the interest in African ethos has become a source of inspiration for contemporary fashion. Moreover, as a symbol of Swahili culture in East Africa, Kanga has been developed by embracing its own diverse cultures, The unique feature of Kanga is that it can easily be transformed created ceaselessly and creatively. Consequently, the following results were obtained based on the theoretical content. Firstly, as a representative of Women's Voice, Kanga serves as an outlet for the voices of women coming from a poor social status under the political background in East Africa. Secondly, as a Reliable Advocate, Kanga performs the positive functions as a medium of communication through its traditional usage and distinctive arrangement of clothes. Thirdly, as a Versatile Messenger, the uniqueness of Kanga with the external elements in most interestingly and active mannerly, and it has become the value of communication channel which clearly inspired the fashion designers. I believe that it will be interesting and meaningful to study the strategies on the social role of Kanga in the future which has started receiving more attention in the 21st century. And it can be said that Kanga's unique identity lies in the attraction and value which influences contemporary fashion.

Factors Influencing the Success of Mobile Payment in Developing Countries: A Comparative Analysis of Nigeria and Kenya Mobile Payment Users

  • Bitrus, Stephen-Aruwan;Lee, Chol-Ho;Rho, Jae-Jeung;Erdenebold, Tumennast
    • Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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    • v.12 no.3
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    • pp.1-36
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    • 2021
  • Purpose - This empirical study, aims to identify the determinants of adoption and acceptance of mobile payment as to understand why it is successful in some countries in Sub-Saharan Africa but failing in others. A comparative study of a successful mobile payment service and a purported failed one was done as to have some insights to the factors affecting acceptance of the technology. Design/methodology/approach - The strength of three notable theories: theory of diffusion of innovation (DOI), the extended unified theory of user acceptance of information technology (UTAUT2) and self-efficacy theory were use. The self-efficacy of government support inclusion as, a moderating variable in the form of infrastructure, securing transaction and price value revealed the relevance of government in the success of mobile payment service. By means of a field survey of 705 subjects in two separate regions of Africa (East and West), the data was collected and use to test the research model. Findings - The study result shows the importance of the moderating factor of government support to the success of mobile payment of any nation. The result also shows the importance of the perception of relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, social influence as already revealed by other studies. Research implications or Originality - Mobile payment success in some part of Sub-Saharan Africa is well known but also suggested to fail in some Sub-Saharan African countries. Buttressing the need for understanding of the factors affecting mobile payment acceptance. This article empirically examined the factors influencing the success of mobile payment, and we implicated that if the implementation of mobile payment is to be successful for mobile commerce in any nation, adoption, acceptance and use by its citizen is imperative.

Diaspora and terrorism: An exploration of the relationship between diaspora support and violent terrorist activities in Arab and Africa (디아스포라와 테러활동: 아프리카와 중동지역의 디아스포라의 지원이 폭력적 테러활동에 미치는 영향에 관한 분석연구)

  • Kim, Eun-Young
    • Korean Security Journal
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    • no.39
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    • pp.131-160
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    • 2014
  • The radicalization of diaspora is a new phenomena that have been begun to emerge in the complex picture of terrorism. The existence of diaspora and its supports for violent terrorist activities have made the whole dynamic of terrorism more complicated and unpredictable. Therefore, this study attempts to understand the relationship between diaspora support and violent terrorist activities in the constellation of other significant correlates of violent terrorist activities discussed in the prior studies. In analyses, the author utilized a step wise regrssion analyses with a set of variable drawn from an emphatical data collected in Arab and Africa region. The data used in this study is called as "MAROB"(the Minorities at Risk Organizational Behavior), which is developed by START and Minority at Risk project and contains information terrorist groups in Middle-East and Africa region. Considering the significance of this new emergence of the link between diaspora and violent terrorist activities, and the challenging nature of conducting empirical studies on this topic, this study have great contributions on the development in the field of criminal justice as well as terrorism. Other contributions of this study, policy implications, and suggestions for future studies are further discussed in the discussion.

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Diversity and origin of bottle gourd, Lagenaria

  • Yuasa, Hiroshi
    • Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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    • 2002.11a
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    • pp.96-97
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    • 2002
  • Bottle gourd, Lagenaria siceraria, is one of the oldest cultivated plants. To bigin with, its fruit was used as a complete liquid bottle or container. It was a very widespread cultivated plant in prehistoric times, for example (there) is a report from Peru as early as between 13,000 B.C and 11,000 B.C. The dug-out finds in Japan proved to be about 95,000 years old according to the /sup 14/C analysis. The bottle grourd was the most important plant before the invention of pottery in many areas of Asia, New Guinea, Polynesia, America, and Africa. I would like to suggest that there should be "The Bottle Gourd Age" prior to the Pottery Age. Bottle gourds are also used for various purposes such as food, masks, pipes, musical instruments, medicine, symbols, artistic products and also as penis-sheaths of men's attire. Their purposes number more than 220 including 70 varienties of containers or bottles. I consider that its utilization should be called a culture, as it were, "The gourd culture." The shape and the size of the fruit of bottle gourd have a larger variety than those of any other plant. As for the size, it is reported that they range from those that are shorter than 3cm to those that are ovoid and longer than 60cm in diameter. With regard to the shape of its fruit, the bottle gourd can be classified into 7 groups and even more than 30 races, considering the difference of the size. The seeds are so variable without two horn-like projections, with smooth surface or longitudinalines, white or brown, with smooth corky margin. Generally, it seems that there is no correlation between seem shape and fruit shape. My study shows that the seeds of gourd. My study shows that the seeds of gourd in Asia are so simple in shape and in color except for the size. But the seeds of those in Africa are various and seem to be beyond the confines. Explaining the great diversity of the seeds of those in Africa therefore, they appear to have no correlation among the types of fruit of the bottle gourd with African origin. It might be supposed that another 4 wild Lagenaria spp. distribute only in Africa. The intraspecies hybrid is confirmed between the bottle gourd, Lagenaria siceraria, and wild L. spehaerica. And Fl hybrid is sterile: it has no fertility. However, even though the shapes of the fruit and the seeds are different, they can cross with each other. Moreover, their hybrids grow up to be extremely vigorous and have normal fertility. Fruit shapes of Fl plants are similar to those of their parents, if they have the same character. Whereas, the fruit shape often became different from each other when the cross occurs between those with different fruit shapes. It is shown that dumbbell shapes, HYOTAN in Japanese, is recessive while its bitterness is dominant. Thus the character of F2 hybrids Is segregative. I'll give further particulars of the heredity of the groud in my lecture.

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