lly

CBD News: World Leaders Redouble Their Commitment to Fulfil the Commitment of Heads of State and Government to Substantially Reduce the Rate of Loss of Biodiversity by 2010.




lly

CBD Press Release: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon officially launch the International Year of Biodiversity.




lly

CBD News: Message by Mr Ahmed Djoghlaf, CBD Executive Secretary, on the occasion of the Seminar "Bananas and Bamboo": Biodiversity Management of at Risk Commercially Valuable Crops through Community-Technology Integration, 29-30 November 2010, K




lly

CBD Communiqué: Translating the Aichi Biodiversity Targets into National Realities: Japan Biodiversity Fund Fully Operational.




lly

CBD News: Statement by Mr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, CBD Executive Secretary, on the occasion of the Western South Pacific Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas, Nada, Fiji, 22 November 2011




lly

CBD Press Release: Atlantic seamount becomes the first case added to international repository of ecologically or biologically significant marine areas




lly

CBD News: Statement by Mr. Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, CBD Executive Secretary, on the occasion of the Wider Caribbean and Western Mid-Atlantic Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas,




lly

CBD News: Statement by Mr. Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, CBD Executive Secretary, on the occasion of the Southern Indian Ocean Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas, Flic en Flac, Maurit




lly

CBD News: Statement by Mr. Braulio F. de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary, Convention On Biological Diversity at the opening of the North Pacific Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas Mosco




lly

CBD News: Statement by Mr. Braulio F. de Souza Dias, CBD Executive Secretary, at the Opening of South-Eastern Atlantic Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas, Swakopmund, Namibia, 8 to 12 A




lly

CBD News: Statement by Mr. Braulio F. de Souza Dias, CBD Executive Secretary, at the opening of the Arctic Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas, Helsinki, Finland, 3 - 7 March 2014




lly

CBD News: Statement by Mr. Braulio F. de Souza Dias, CBD Executive Secretary, at the opening of the North-West Atlantic Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas, Montreal, Canada, 24 - 28 Mar




lly

CBD News: Statement by Mr. Braulio F. de Souza Dias, CBD Executive Secretary, at the opening of the Mediterranean Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas, Málaga, Spain, 7 - 11 April 20




lly

CBD News: While 87% of consumers surveyed worldwide want companies to adopt sourcing policies that respect biodiversity, only 27% of the top 100 beauty and personal care companies actually mention biodiversity on their websites or in their corporate socia




lly

CBD News: Bold and innovative action is urgently required if governments are to meet the globally-agreed Strategic Plan for Biodiversity and its Aichi Targets by 2020, says a United Nations progress report on the state of global biodiversity.




lly

CBD News: Statement by Mr. Braulio F. de Souza Dias, CBD Executive Secretary, at the opening of the CBD Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs) in the North-East Indian Ocean Region,




lly

CBD News: More than two decades have passed since the nations of the world assembled in Rio de Janeiro and agreed to adopt a sustainable development agenda, promising to chart a development path that is equitable, environmentally just and economically rew




lly

CBD News: The first internationally recognized certificate of compliance was issued on 1 October 2015, following a permit made available to the Access and Benefit-sharing (ABS) Clearing-House by India.




lly

CBD News: Rural women are integrally connected to all aspects of local biodiversity - as users, custodians and agents of change.




lly

CBD News: Statement by the Executive Secretary at the opening of the CBD Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs) in the Seas of East Asia, Xiamen, China, 14 - 18 December 2015




lly

CBD News: The theme of this conference, "biodiversity for sustainable development", could not come at a better time. Finally, the world is waking up to the essential role of biodiversity and healthy ecosystems for all life on earth, including hu




lly

CBD News: While many countries have made significant advances, indigenous peoples continue to face challenges in accessing their right to education, in particular their right to access a culturally appropriate education inclusive of their histories, world




lly

CBD News: Forests and the products they provide have a key role in securing sustainable energy globally, while at the same time being essential for biodiversity, healthy ecosystems, and climate change mitigation.




lly

CBD News: In today's global celebrations of the International Day for Biological Diversity, under the theme of 'Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism', people are examining the positive but also potentially negative impacts that tourism can ha




lly

CBD News: As we all know, the business and environment communities were historically not close allies. It was long believed that economic growth could not be compatible with a healthy environment. Thankfully, that has changed. We now know that the conserv




lly

CBD News: The ecologically or biologically significant marine areas (EBSA) booklet series provide snapshot summaries of the pages upon pages of data compiled by participating experts, to provide an inspiring overview of some of the most ecologically or bi




lly

CBD Notification SCBD/SSSF/AS/SBG/JA/JG/88518 (2019-107): Expert Workshop to Identify Options for Modifying the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs) and Describing New EBSAs, 3 to 5 February 2020 - Brussels, Belgium




lly

CBD News: Due to the evolving nature of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has moved to hold many meetings virtually and has postponed others.




lly

CBD News: Two meetings of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD) permanent subsidiary bodies originally scheduled for May 2020 and then rescheduled for August/September 2020 will now take place in August 2020.




lly

How relationship app Relish tackles health and wellbeing digitally

The relationship wellness app is seeing a significant uptick in interest as couples are locked down together during the COVID-19 pandemic




lly

Axially symmetric solutions of the Allen-Cahn equation with finite Morse index

Changfeng Gui, Kelei Wang and Jucheng Wei
Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 373 (2020), 3649-3668.
Abstract, references and article information





lly

Complaints impartially probed

The Government has mechanisms to investigate complaints against civil servants impartially, Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip said today.

 

Mr Nip made the remarks in response to media queries on recent allegations levelled against senior police officers.

 

He said: “There are established mechanisms to investigate every complaint in accordance with the procedures and rules. Depending on the circumstances and the case details, some are being handled by departments and bureaus. Some may be handled by the Civil Service Bureau.

 

“There are established mechanisms in dealing with that. Of course we would handle each and every complaint in a very serious and impartial manner.”




lly

Persistence of Stratifications of Normally Expanded Laminations

Pierre Berger, Universite Paris 13 - A publication of the Societe Mathematique de France, 2013, 113 pp., Softcover, ISBN-13: 978-2-85629-767-4, List: US$45, All AMS Members: US$36, SMFMEM/134

This manuscript complements the Hirsch-Pugh-Shub (HPS) theory on persistence of normally hyperbolic laminations and implies several structural...




lly

Really Big Numbers

Richard Evan Schwartz, Brown University - AMS, 2014, 192 pp., Softcover, ISBN-13: 978-1-4704-1425-2, List: US$25, All AMS Members: US$20, MBK/84

A superb, beautifully illustrated book for kids -- and those of us still children at heart -- that takes you up (and up, and up,and up, and up, and...




lly

Development of a novel {beta}-1,6-glucan-specific detection system using functionally-modified recombinant endo-{beta}-1,6-glucanase [Methods and Resources]

β-1,3-d-Glucan is a ubiquitous glucose polymer produced by plants, bacteria, and most fungi. It has been used as a diagnostic tool in patients with invasive mycoses via a highly-sensitive reagent consisting of the blood coagulation system of horseshoe crab. However, no method is currently available for measuring β-1,6-glucan, another primary β-glucan structure of fungal polysaccharides. Herein, we describe the development of an economical and highly-sensitive and specific assay for β-1,6-glucan using a modified recombinant endo-β-1,6-glucanase having diminished glucan hydrolase activity. The purified β-1,6-glucanase derivative bound to the β-1,6-glucan pustulan with a KD of 16.4 nm. We validated the specificity of this β-1,6-glucan probe by demonstrating its ability to detect cell wall β-1,6-glucan from both yeast and hyphal forms of the opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans, without any detectable binding to glucan lacking the long β-1,6-glucan branch. We developed a sandwich ELISA-like assay with a low limit of quantification for pustulan (1.5 pg/ml), and we successfully employed this assay in the quantification of extracellular β-1,6-glucan released by >250 patient-derived strains of different Candida species (including Candida auris) in culture supernatant in vitro. We also used this assay to measure β-1,6-glucan in vivo in the serum and in several organs in a mouse model of systemic candidiasis. Our work describes a reliable method for β-1,6-glucan detection, which may prove useful for the diagnosis of invasive fungal infections.




lly

DHHC7-mediated palmitoylation of the accessory protein barttin critically regulates the functions of ClC-K chloride channels [Cell Biology]

Barttin is the accessory subunit of the human ClC-K chloride channels, which are expressed in both the kidney and inner ear. Barttin promotes trafficking of the complex it forms with ClC-K to the plasma membrane and is involved in activating this channel. Barttin undergoes post-translational palmitoylation that is essential for its functions, but the enzyme(s) catalyzing this post-translational modification is unknown. Here, we identified zinc finger DHHC-type containing 7 (DHHC7) protein as an important barttin palmitoyl acyltransferase, whose depletion affected barttin palmitoylation and ClC-K-barttin channel activation. We investigated the functional role of barttin palmitoylation in vivo in Zdhhc7−/− mice. Although palmitoylation of barttin in kidneys of Zdhhc7−/− animals was significantly decreased, it did not pathologically alter kidney structure and functions under physiological conditions. However, when Zdhhc7−/− mice were fed a low-salt diet, they developed hyponatremia and mild metabolic alkalosis, symptoms characteristic of human Bartter syndrome (BS) type IV. Of note, we also observed decreased palmitoylation of the disease-causing R8L barttin variant associated with human BS type IV. Our results indicate that dysregulated DHHC7-mediated barttin palmitoylation appears to play an important role in chloride channel dysfunction in certain BS variants, suggesting that targeting DHHC7 activity may offer a potential therapeutic strategy for reducing hypertension.




lly

5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxycytidine and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine are differentially incorporated in cells infected with HSV-1, HCMV, and KSHV viruses [Microbiology]

Nucleoside analogues are a valuable experimental tool. Incorporation of these molecules into newly synthesized DNA (i.e. pulse-labeling) is used to monitor cell proliferation or to isolate nascent DNA. Some of the most common nucleoside analogues used for pulse-labeling of DNA in cells are the deoxypyrimidine analogues 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxycytidine (EdC). Click chemistry enables conjugation of an azide molecule tagged with a fluorescent dye or biotin to the alkyne of the analog, which can then be used to detect incorporation of EdU and EdC into DNA. The use of EdC is often recommended because of the potential cytotoxicity associated with EdU during longer incubations. Here, by comparing the relative incorporation efficiencies of EdU and EdC during short 30-min pulses, we demonstrate significantly lower incorporation of EdC than of EdU in noninfected human fibroblast cells or in cells infected with either human cytomegalovirus or Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus. Interestingly, cells infected with herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) incorporated EdC and EdU at similar levels during short pulses. Of note, exogenous expression of HSV-1 thymidine kinase increased the incorporation efficiency of EdC. These results highlight the limitations when using substituted pyrimidine analogues in pulse-labeling and suggest that EdU is the preferable nucleoside analogue for short pulse-labeling experiments, resulting in increased recovery and sensitivity for downstream applications. This is an important discovery that may help to better characterize the biochemical properties of different nucleoside analogues with a given kinase, ultimately leading to significant differences in labeling efficiency of nascent DNA.




lly

ASU professor recognized nationally with Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award

(Arizona State University) Gary Moore, assistant professor in ASU's School of Molecular Sciences and the Biodesign Institute's Center for Applied Structural Discovery has just been named one of 14 young faculty nationwide to be honored with a 2020 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award by the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation.




lly

Heng Tai Hse partially evacuated

People living in units 13 and 14 of the top six floors of Heng Tai House in Fu Heng Estate, Tai Po need to be quarantined as a precaution.

 

Hong Kong University Chair of Infectious Disease Prof Yuen Kwok-yung made the statement at a media briefing today after an expert team conducted initial epidemiological investigations in the building to find the cause of a new COVID-19 infection.

 

The new case announced this afternoon involves a 59-year-old man who lives on the 34th floor of the building.

 

Prof Yuen said: “There is a possibility that when the patients on the 32nd floor are defecating - we know now that the fecal material actually contains the virus - while they’re defecating the fecal material goes into the sewer system.

 

“There is a vent of air that comes through the venting pipe, which goes to the top floor and maybe aerosolised in the air and then the droplets try to settle but, while at the same time, when there’s a light wind blowing, in which the air current going over the rooftop carries the particles back into the top floors.

 

“And of course, the 34th floor is the top floor. That is the most dangerous, followed by the 33rd and 32nd floors.”

 

Prof Yuen added he is uncertain if the venting pipe will continue to produce more infected aerosolised particles.

 

“So it is just a precautionary measure that we must remove the residents from the top six floors in units 13 and 14 for a period of time.”

 

For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Government's dedicated webpage.




lly

An Astronaut & a Rock Star Walk into VentureCrush: Commander Mark Kelly & Laura Marling Discuss Leadership, Creativity & Science

Thursday, July 11, 2019 - 20:00




lly

Working women, and especially single moms, are hit hard by coronavirus downturn

Now Swain, 40, spends her evenings having dinner with her girls, age 5 and 8, and studying for her real-estate license, which she hopes will provide more long-term stability for her family after the coronavirus crisis upended her livelihood. "I can't be put in a position like this again," said Swain, a bartender for 20 years. American women are taking an outsized hit from the early wave of unemployment caused by the pandemic, due to the nature of the jobs that were lost in the business shutdowns to control the spread of the coronavirus.





lly

Pharmacotherapy for Hyperglycemia in Noncritically Ill Hospitalized Patients

Carlos E. Mendez
Aug 1, 2014; 27:180-188
From Research to Practice




lly

Improving Identification of In-organello Protein-Protein Interactions Using an Affinity-enrichable, Isotopically Coded, and Mass Spectrometry-cleavable Chemical Crosslinker

Karl A. T. Makepeace
Apr 1, 2020; 19:624-639
Research




lly

PSMA PET/CT and standard plus PET/CT-Ultrasound fusion targeted prostate biopsy can diagnose clinically significant prostate cancer in men with previous negative biopsies

The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility and diagnostic efficacy of 68Ga-PSMA positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) combined with PET-ultrasound image-guided biopsy in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Methods: A total of 31 patients with previously negative prostate biopsy, but persistent elevated serum prostate specific antigen (PSA), were imaged with a 68Ga-labeled prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET/CT ligand prior to undergoing repeat prostate biopsy. Based on the proposed PROMISE criteria, PSMA PET/CT results were interpreted as negative (miPSMA-ES 0-1) or positive (miPSMA-ES 2-3). All patients underwent standard template systematic biopsy with up to four additional PSMA PET-ultrasound fusion image-guided biopsy cores. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy of PSMA PET/CT were determined. In addition, the correlation between miPSMA-ES and detection rate of prostate cancer was also analyzed. Univariate logistic regression models were established using PSMA PET/CT semi-quantitative analysis parameters to predict the outcome of repeat prostate biopsy. Results: The median age of patients was 65 years (range 53-81), and the median PSA level was 18.0 ng/ml (range 5.48-49.77 ng/ml). Prostate cancer was detected in 15/31 patients (48.4%) and 12/31 patients (38.7%) had clinically significant disease. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT in the diagnosis of clinically significant prostate cancer were 100.0%, 68.4%, 66.7%, 100.0% and 80.6%, respectively. The detection rate of prostate cancer increased with the increase of miPSMA-ES score. The detection rate of clinically significant prostate cancer in miPSMA-ES 0-1, 2 and 3 groups were 0%, 54.5% and 85.7% respectively. Semi-quantitative analysis of 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT images showed that predictive models based on maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), tumor-to-background normal prostate SUV (SUVT/BGp) and tumor-to-background normal liver SUV (SUVratio) could effectively predict clinically significant prostate cancer; area under the curves were 0.930, 0.877, and 0.956, respectively. Conclusion: This study preliminarily confirmed that 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT imaging combined with PET-ultrasound fusion image-guided prostate biopsy can effectively detect clinically significant prostate cancer. Prebiopsy 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT has predictive value for clinically significant cancer in the studied patient population.




lly

FDG-PET/CT identifies predictors of survival in patients with locally advanced cervical carcinoma and para-aortic lymph node involvement to increase treatment

Introduction: To use positron emission tomography coupled with computed tomography (18FDG-PET/CT) to identify a high-risk subgroup requiring therapeutic intensification among patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) and para-aortic lymph node (PALN) involvement. Methods: In this retrospective multicentric study, patients with LACC and PALN involvement concurrently treated with chemoradiotherapy and extended-field radiotherapy (EFR) between 2006 and 2016 were included. A senior nuclear medicine specialist in PET for gynaecologic oncology reviewed all 18FDG-PET/CT scans. Metabolic parameters including maximum standardised uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumour volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) were determined for the primary tumour, pelvic lymph nodes and PALN. Associations between these parameters and overall survival (OS) were assessed with Cox's proportional hazards model. Results: Sixty-eight patients were enrolled in the study. Three-year OS was 55.5% (95% CI (40.8-68.0)). When adjusted for age, stage and histology, pelvic lymph node TLG, PALN TLG and PALN SUVmax were significantly associated with OS (p<0.005). Conclusion: FDG-PET/CT was able to identify predictors of survival in the homogeneous subgroup of patients with LACC and PALN involvement, thus allowing therapeutic intensification to be proposed.




lly

Semi-automatically quantified tumor volume using Ga-68-PSMA-11-PET as biomarker for survival in patients with advanced prostate cancer

Prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) targeting Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging is becoming the reference standard for prostate cancer (PC) staging, especially in advanced disease. Yet, the implications of PSMA-PET derived whole-body tumor volume for overall survival are poorly elucidated to date. This might be due to the fact that (semi-) automated quantification of whole-body tumor volume as PSMA-PET biomarker is an unmet clinical challenge. Therefore, a novel semi-automated software is proposed and evaluated by the present study, which enables the semi-automated quantification of PSMA-PET biomarkers such as whole-body tumor volume. Methods: The proposed quantification is implemented as a research prototype (MI Whole Body Analysis Suite, v1.0, Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc., Knoxville, TN). PSMA accumulating foci were automatically segmented by a percental threshold (50% of local SUVmax). Neural networks were trained to segment organs in PET-CT acquisitions (training CTs: 8,632, validation CTs: 53). Thereby, PSMA foci within organs of physiologic PSMA uptake were semi-automatically excluded from the analysis. Pretherapeutic PSMA-PET-CTs of 40 consecutive patients treated with 177Lu-PSMA-617 therapy were evaluated in this analysis. The volumetric whole-body tumor volume (PSMATV50), SUVmax, SUVmean and other whole-body imaging biomarkers were calculated for each patient. Semi-automatically derived results were compared with manual readings in a sub-cohort (by one nuclear medicine physician using syngo.MM Oncology software, Siemens Healthineers, Knoxville, TN). Additionally, an inter-observer evaluation of the semi-automated approach was performed in a sub-cohort (by two nuclear medicine physicians). Results: Manually and semi automatically derived PSMA metrics were highly correlated (PSMATV50: R2=1.000; p<0.001; SUVmax: R2=0.988; p<0.001). The inter-observer agreement of the semi-automated workflow was also high (PSMATV50: R2=1.000; p<0.001; ICC=1.000; SUVmax: R2=0.988; p<0.001; ICC=0.997). PSMATV50 [ml] was a significant predictor of overall survival (HR: 1.004; 95%CI: 1.001-1.006, P = 0.002) and remained so in a multivariate regression including other biomarkers (HR: 1.004; 95%CI: 1.001-1.006 P = 0.004). Conclusion: PSMATV50 is a promising PSMA-PET biomarker that is reproducible and easily quantified by the proposed semi-automated software. Moreover, PSMATV50 is a significant predictor of overall survival in patients with advanced prostate cancer that receive 177Lu-PSMA-617 therapy.




lly

The Impact of Radiobiologically-Informed Dose Prescription on the Clinical Benefit of Yttrium-90 SIRT in Colorectal Cancer Patients

The purpose of this study was to establish the dose-response relationship of selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), when informed by radiobiological sensitivity parameters derived from mCRC cell lines exposed to yttrium-90 (90Y). Methods: 23 mCRC patients with liver metastases refractory to chemotherapy were included. 90Y bremsstrahlung SPECT images were transformed into dose maps assuming the local dose deposition method. Baseline and follow-up CT scans were segmented to derive liver and tumor volumes. Mean, median, and D70 (minimum dose to 70% of tumor volume) values determined from dose maps were correlated with change in tumor volume and vRECIST response using linear and logistic regression, respectively. Radiosensitivity parameters determined by clonogenic assays of mCRC cell lines HT-29 and DLD-1 after exposure to 90Y or external beam radiotherapy (EBRT; 6MV photons) were used in biological effective dose (BED) calculations. Results: Mean administered radioactivity was 1469±428 MBq (847-2185 MBq), achieving a mean radiation absorbed tumor dose of 35.5±9.4 Gy and mean normal liver dose of 26.4±6.8 Gy. A 1.0 Gy increase in mean, median, and D70 absorbed dose was associated with reduction in tumor volume of 1.8%, 1.8%, and 1.5%, respectively, and increased probability of vRECIST response (odds ratio: 1.09, 1.09, and 1.10 respectively). Threshold mean, median and D70 doses for response were 48.3, 48.8, and 41.8 Gy respectively. EBRT-equivalent BEDs for 90Y are up to 50% smaller than those calculated by applying protraction-corrected radiobiological parameters derived from EBRT alone. Conclusion: Dosimetric studies have assumed equivalence between 90Y SIRT and EBRT, leading to inflation of BED for SIRT and possible under-treatment. Radiobiological parameters for 90Y were applied to a BED model, providing a calculation method that has the potential to improve assessment of tumor control.




lly

Can Liberation Movements Really Rid Southern Africa of Corruption?

17 December 2019

Christopher Vandome

Research Fellow, Africa Programme
Southern Africa’s national liberation movements have survived ‘end of decade’ elections across the region. Combating corruption has been at the heart of many of the campaigns, but the question is can they succeed?

2019-12-16-Namibia-Election.jpg

Supporters of the Namibian incumbent president and ruling party South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) presidential candidate Hage Geingob cheer and dance. Photo by GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP via Getty Images.

Swapo’s victory in Namibia two weeks ago was the last in a series of recent ‘end of decade’ elections that have returned dominant parties to power across Southern Africa. However, the “enduring appeal of liberation” is wearing thin.

Experiences across the region show that if governments are to deliver on their electoral promises, they must empower institutions, actively promote a culture of accountability and transparency within their party ranks and pursue economic reforms that untangle the web of party-state-business alliances. Such actions are critical for the survival of national liberation movements as the dominant force in the politics of Southern Africa – but will be difficult to implement.

Avoid political factionalism

South Africa, Botswana, Angola and Zimbabwe all saw new presidents take over just before elections. All used the rhetoric of anti-corruption to distance themselves from the tainted image of their predecessors. But acting on this requires a shift in mind-set in parties that have always preferred to deal with their problems behind closed doors. High profile adversaries from past regimes make tempting targets but could also drive party divisions.

In Angola, the transition of power was safeguarded by an agreement that former president José Eduardo dos Santos would be immune from prosecution. But this week his son faced corruption charges before the country’s supreme court, a high-profile example of a wave of anti-corruption cases across Southern Africa, driven by dominant parties wary of their future.

The allegations against José Filemino De Sousa Dos Santos, nickname ‘Zenu’, include a $500-million fraud involving the country’s central bank. Pressure is also mounting on Zenu’s sister Isabel — once prominent in Angola, she is now absent from public life.

Other leaders have had to tread more carefully. Immunity was a luxury Cyril Ramaphosa was neither willing nor politically able to grant Jacob Zuma in South Africa. Reliant on a few close allies at the top of the party, Ramaphosa lacks foot soldiers at the grassroots level, and his campaign against corruption within the ANC has faced persistent opposition.

Rebuilding institutions and empowering authorities takes time, and with few high-profile cases to point to, people are getting restless. This is also the case in Zimbabwe, where a worsening economic situation has left policy reformers politically isolated.

Party, state, and business

Long term incumbency has blurred the distinction between the party and the state. Liberation movements have created vast party-linked business empires. Political allegiance grants access to economic resources through appointments to lucrative positions in state-owned enterprises, preferential bids for tenders and licenses, and direct access to decision makers.

In Angola, this was fuelled by oil revenues. In South Africa, state capture flourished in an environment where the ANC and its constituent elements had significant power on the panels that chose leaders for state-owned enterprises (SOEs). In Namibia, an Icelandic fishing company paid backhanders to officials for fishing rights in what has become known as the ‘Fishrot’ scandal. Zanu-PF officials’ access to preferential foreign exchange rates present them with lucrative opportunities in Zimbabwe.

Ending this bureaucratic rent seeking goes beyond appointing ‘clean’ officials, which has been central to the anti-corruption campaigns in Angola and South Africa. Governments must also allow scrutiny of the state and empower those institutions designed for that role, such as the National Prosecuting Authority and the Public Protector in South Africa. Zimbabwe’s auditor general has published an in-depth report of the state of corruption in the country’s SOEs.

Companies must also be held to account for their role in aiding, and at worst directly benefitting, from state graft. International businesses have actively sought to benefit from corruption. They are now starting to face the consequences. A former Credit Suisse banker has pleaded guilty in the US over handling alleged kickbacks in Mozambique’s $2-billion “tuna bond” scandal. Global banks and consultancies continue to feel the squeeze for their complicity in state capture in South Africa.

Competition and pluralism

National liberation movements may only have a limited window within which to act. Across the region civil society campaigns and investigative journalists have shed light on some of the worst abuses of power. Anti-corruption campaigns are starting to bite. The state will continue to play a central role in Southern African economies, an important arbiter of economic transformation able to balance the region’s highly unequal and resource-dependent economies.

But opposition, civil society and the media are also critical for the progression towards democratic competition and pluralism in Southern Africa. Parliaments remain vital for holding rulers to account. Long used to unchallenged dominance, liberation movements have significant adjustments to make to rise to the challenge of a new era.

This article was originally published in the Mail and Guardian.




lly

Improving Identification of In-organello Protein-Protein Interactions Using an Affinity-enrichable, Isotopically Coded, and Mass Spectrometry-cleavable Chemical Crosslinker [Research]

An experimental and computational approach for identification of protein-protein interactions by ex vivo chemical crosslinking and mass spectrometry (CLMS) has been developed that takes advantage of the specific characteristics of cyanurbiotindipropionylsuccinimide (CBDPS), an affinity-tagged isotopically coded mass spectrometry (MS)-cleavable crosslinking reagent. Utilizing this reagent in combination with a crosslinker-specific data-dependent acquisition strategy based on MS2 scans, and a software pipeline designed for integrating crosslinker-specific mass spectral information led to demonstrated improvements in the application of the CLMS technique, in terms of the detection, acquisition, and identification of crosslinker-modified peptides. This approach was evaluated on intact yeast mitochondria, and the results showed that hundreds of unique protein-protein interactions could be identified on an organelle proteome-wide scale. Both known and previously unknown protein-protein interactions were identified. These interactions were assessed based on their known sub-compartmental localizations. Additionally, the identified crosslinking distance constraints are in good agreement with existing structural models of protein complexes involved in the mitochondrial electron transport chain.