scholarly journals North and East African mitochondrial genetic variation needs further characterization towards precision medicine

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anke Fähnrich ◽  
Isabel Stephan ◽  
Misa Hirose ◽  
Mosab Ali Awadelkareem ◽  
Saleh Ibrahim ◽  
...  

Mitochondria are maternally inherited cell organelles with their own genome, and perform various functions in eukaryotic cells such as energy production and cellular homeostasis. Due to their inheritance and manifold biological roles in health and disease, mitochondrial genetics serves a dual purpose of tracing the history as well as disease susceptibility of human populations across the globe. This requires a comprehensive catalogue of commonly observed genetic variations in the mitochondria for all regions throughout the world. So far, however, certain regions, such as North and East Africa have been understudied. Towards this, we have created the most comprehensive quality-controlled North and East African mitochondrial dataset to date by compiling 11 published cohorts with novel data of mitochondrial genomes from 159 Sudanese individuals. We combined these 641 mitochondrial sequences with sequences from the 1000 Genomes (n=2,504) and the Human Genome Diversity Project (n=828) and used the tool haplocheck for extensive quality control and detection of in-sample contamination. Using a subset of high-coverage mitochondrial sequences we predict 15 potentially novel haplogroups in North and East African subjects and observe likely phylogenetic deviations from the established PhyloTree reference for haplogroups L0a1 and L2a1. This demonstrates common hitherto unexplored variants in mitochondrial genomes of the North and East African region that lead to novel phylogenetic relationships, calling for further in-depth population genetic studies in that region.

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (A29A) ◽  
pp. 414-415
Author(s):  
Kelali Tekle

AbstractIn the developing world astronomy had been treated as the science of elites. As a result of this overwhelming perception, astronomy compared with other applied sciences has got less attention and its role in development has been insignificant. However, the IAU General Assembly decision in 2009 opened new opportunity for countries and professionals to deeply look into Astronomy and its role in development. Then, the subsequent establishment of regional offices in the developing world is helping countries to integrate astronomy with other earth and space based sciences so as to progressively promote its scientific and development importance. Gradually nations have come to know that space is the frontier of tomorrow and the urgency of preeminence on space frontier starts at primary school and ascends to tertiary education. For this to happen, member nations in east African region have placed STEM education at the center of their education system. For instance, Ethiopian has changed University enrollment strategy to be in favor of science and engineering subjects, i.e. every year seventy percent of new University entrants join science and engineering fields while thirty percent social science and humanities. Such bold actions truly promote astronomy to be conceived as gateway to science and technology. To promote the concept of astronomy for development the East African regional office has actually aligned it activities to be in line with the focus areas identified by the IAU strategy (2010 to 2020).


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 152
Author(s):  
Lukamba Muhiya Tshombe ◽  
Thekiso Molokwane ◽  
Alex Nduhura ◽  
Innocent Nuwagaba

The impact of the implementation of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the Sub-Saharan African region on infrastructure and services is becoming increasingly perceptible. A considerable number of African countries have embraced PPPs as a mechanism to finance large projects due to a constrained fiscus. At present, many financial institutions, such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the African Development Bank, which finance some of the projects, have established a department or unit that mainly focuses on infrastructure development in developing countries. The private sector in Africa is equally seen as a significant partner in the development of infrastructure. African governments need to tap into private capital to invest in infrastructure projects. This scientific discussion provides an analysis of PPPs in the East African region. This article selected a number of countries to illustrate PPP projects in the sub-region. The analysis of this study illustrates that the East African region represents unique and valuable public-private partnership lessons in different countries. This study also traces the origins of PPPs to more than a century ago where developed countries completed some of their projects using the same arrangement. This paper further demonstrates that the application of PPPs is always characterised by three factors, namely a country, a sector and a project. Experts in the field often refer to these elements as layers, which usually precede any successful PPP.


2009 ◽  
Vol 48 (s2) ◽  
pp. S162-S171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Amos ◽  
Annet Kisakye ◽  
Douglas Makewa ◽  
Sandra Mudhune ◽  
Hadija Mwamtemi ◽  
...  

1967 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 279-279
Author(s):  
I. M. Lewis

This seminar was held at the Institute of Ethiopian Studies, under the general chairmanship of Dr I. M. Lewis of University College, London. It was organised by Dr Richard Pankhurst and ProfessorJ. Comhaire, with financial assistance from the British Ministry of Overseas Development. The seminar was attended by anthropologists currently engaged in field-work and by members of the Haile Selassie I University's Faculties of Arts, Law, Medicine, Business Administration, and the Institute of Ethiopian Studies, as well as staff of the Ministry of Community Development and Public Health. A number of visiting scholars, including Professor V. L. Grottanelli, participated in the meeting. Reports were received on field-work in Somalia and the Sudan as well as in Ethiopia: and the following papers were given: Dr D. Hecht on ‘Sacred Kingship in Africa’Fekadu Gedamu on ‘The Social Organisation of the Kistane Gurage’; J. Stauder on ‘The Social Organisation of the Mahangir’Dr. M. Lewis on ‘Possession Cults in Northern Somalia’A. Orent on ‘The Doce Cult in Kaffa’Virginia Luling on ‘Spirit-possession Cults in Mogadiscio’Terefe Walde Tsadik on ‘The Muyat Cult in Shoa’R. Hallpike on ‘Status of Craftsmen among the Konso’M. Cittadini on ‘Kunama Marriage’and J. Lisowski on ‘Biometrics of N.E. African Migrations’. Development papers were given by P. Sand on ‘Law as a Factor of Social Change’G. Savard on ‘Social Factors in Development’M. de Young on ‘Markets in Ethiopia’S. Messing on ‘Medical Attitudes and Practices in Ethiopia’and R. Bahar on ‘Rural Housing in Ethiopia’.


LOGOS ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 23-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiarie Kamau

The main aim of this paper is to examine the state of publishing in East Africa. It also attempts to review the situation in Malawi and Zambia, where the author has had practical experience in publishing and marketing. The paper focuses on the growth of the publishing industry in the East African region and how this growth has impacted on access to textbooks and trade publications. It demonstrates that there has been significant growth in the industry, especially in Kenya and Uganda. However, this growth has largely been in the area of publishing of textbooks. Funding for the rollout of curricula in the East African countries has been a blessing to publishers because the funding includes allocations for textbook purchases for both primary and secondary schools. However, this kind of publishing has sounded something of a death knell for the publication of general books such as novels and biographies. The paper also demonstrates that indigenous book-publishing firms have gained a stronger foothold in East Africa in the last ten years and edged out the multinationals. It concludes by indicating that unless the publishing model changes, general publishing will continue to be relegated to the back-burner. At the same time, publishers are challenged to embrace digital publishing, since that is where the future of publishing lies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 1064-1083
Author(s):  
Amon Kimeli ◽  
Oliver Ocholla ◽  
Judith Okello ◽  
Nico Koedam ◽  
Hildegard Westphal ◽  
...  

Abstract The Umba River basin is one of the smaller-scale hydrological basins in the East African region. It traverses two countries, with its catchment in the Usambara mountains in Tanzania, while it drains its waters to the Indian Ocean in Vanga, Kenya. The chemical and mineralogical compositions of the riverbank and bottom sediments of the Umba River were analyzed and evaluated to describe their source characteristics and provenance. The dominant minerals include quartz, K-feldspars, plagioclase, hornblende, pyroxenes, muscovite, biotite, and likely presence of clays such as kaolinite. The chemical index of alteration of the sediments indicate a moderate to high degree of alteration. They reflect a dominant mafic to intermediate igneous provenance consistent with the geology of the Umba River catchment that is characterized by the outcrops of the granitic Precambrian basement and the quartz-dominated Paleozoic Karoo Supergroup, overlain by Mesozoic and Cenozoic sediments dominated by both mafic and felsic minerals. The similarity of the chemical and mineralogical compositions of the Umba River sediments from source to mouth further indicates a uniform source in the upper course of the river and only subordinate contributions from the lower course where it passes the Karoo and the younger sediments.


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