Academic submissions (CoNAS)

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    Earthquake data files
    ( 2006-09) Batte, Arthur Godfrey
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    Stochastic model for Langerhans Cells and HIV dynamics: In vivo
    (Hindawi Publishing Corporation, ) Mbogo R., Waema ; Luboobi, Livingstone S ; Odhiambo, John W.
    Many aspects of the complex interaction between HIV and the human immune system remain elusive.Our objective is to study these interactions, focusing on the specific roles of Langerhans cells (LCs) in HIV infection. In patients infected with HIV, a large amount of virus is associated with LCs in lymphoid tissue. To assess the influence of LCs on HIV viral dynamics during antiretroviral therapy, we present and analyse a stochastic model describing the dynamics of HIV, CD+4 T-cells, and LCs interactions under therapeutic intervention in vivo and show that LCs play an important role in enhancing and spreading initial HIV infection. We perform sensitivity analyses on the model to determine which parameters and/or which interaction mechanisms strongly affect infection dynamics.
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    Detection, distribution, and genetic variability of European mountain ash ringspot-associated virus.
    Kalkkinen, A.K. ; Lindberg, I.L. ; Tugume, A.K. ; Valkonen, J.P.T.
    European mountain ash ringspot-associated virus (EMARAV) was recently characterized from mountain ash (rowan) (Sorbus aucuparia) in Germany. The virus belongs tentatively to family Bunyaviridae but is not closely related to any classified virus. How commonly EMARAV occurs in ringspot disease (EMARSD) affected mountain ash trees was not reported and was investigated here. Virus-specific detection tools such as reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and dot blot hybridization using digoxigenin-labeled RNA probes were developed to test 73 mountain ash trees including 16 trees with no virus-like symptoms from 16 districts in Finland and Viipuri, Russia. All trees were infected with EMARAV. Hence, EMARAV is associated with EMARSD and can also cause latent infections in mountain ash. Symptom expression and the variable relative concentrations of viral RNA detected in leaves showed no correlation. Infectious EMARAV was detected also in dormant branches of trees in winter. Subsequently, genetic variability, geographical differentiation, and evolutionary selection pressures were investigated by analyzing RNA3 sequences from 17 isolates. The putative nucleocapsid (NP) gene sequence (944 nucleotides) showed little variability (identities 97 to 99%) and was under strong purifying selection. Amino acid substitutions were detected in two positions at the N terminus and one position at the C terminus of NP in four isolates. The 3′ untranslated region (442 nucleotides) was more variable (identities 94 to 99%). Six isolates from a single sampling site exhibited as wide a genetic variability as isolates from sites that were hundreds of kilometers apart and no spatial differentiation of populations of EMARAV was observed.
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    The effect of different mordants on strength and stability of colour produced from selected dye-yielding plants in Uganda.
    (Society of Education, ) Wanyama, P.A.G. ; Kiremire, B.T. ; Ogwok, P. ; Murumu, J.S.
    Five dye-yielding plants namely; Morinda lucida, Vitellaria paradoxa, Syzgium cordatum, Albizia coriaria and Justicia betonica were investigated in this study for the effect of mordant on strength and stability of colour. The plants were selected on the basis of their widespread use in dyeing local palm leaves and other cellulosic plant materials used for making mats and other craft items in Uganda. The different types of mordant used played an important role in the development of the perceived colours from the different plants. Colour analysis in terms of the reflectance values (R), hue angle(H),chroma(C), lightness (L) and the cartesian coordinates a and b showed that the overall principal colours on cotton fabric support were yellow, brown, yellow – orange, reddish-pink, bluish-violet and yellowish-green and were mostly unsaturated and affected by the type of mordant used. Some of the mordants exhibited high colour absorption (K/S) values due to their ability to form strong coordination complexes with the dye molecules. The findings from the study reveal that the crude extracts from the five Ugandan selected plants can be used for cotton textile colouration using different mordants.