ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Fourteen-years after the last Rift Valley fever (RVF) virus (RVFV) outbreak, Somalia still suffers from preventable transboundary diseases. The tradition of unheated milk consumption and handling of aborted materials poses a public health risk for zoonotic diseases. Limited data are available on RVF and Brucella spp. in Somali people and their animals. Hence, this study has evaluated the occurrence of RVFV and Brucella spp. antibodies in cattle, goats and sheep sera from Afgoye and Jowhar districts of Somalia. METHODS: Serum samples from 609 ruminants (201 cattle, 203 goats and 205 sheep), were serologically screened for RVF by a commercial cELISA, and Brucella species by modified Rose Bengal Plate Test (mRBPT) and a commercial iELISA. RESULTS: Two out of 609 (0.3 %; 95 %CI: 0.04-1.2 %) ruminants were RVF seropositive, both were female cattle from both districts. Anti-Brucella spp. antibodies were detected in 64/609 (10.5 %; 95 %CI: 8.2-13.2 %) ruminants by mRBPT, which were 39/201 (19.4 %) cattle, 16/203 (7.9 %) goats and 9/205 (4.4 %) sheep. Cattle were 5.2 and 2.8 times more likely to be Brucella-seropositive than sheep (p = 0.000003) and goats (p = 0.001), respectively. When mRBPT-positive samples were tested by iELISA, 29/64 (45.3 %; 95 %CI: 32.8-58.3 %) ruminant sera were positive for Brucella spp. Only 23/39 (58.9 %) cattle sera and 6/16 (37.5 %) goat sera were positive to Brucella spp. by iELISA. CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed the serological evidence of RVF and brucellosis in ruminants from Afgoye and Jowhar districts of Somalia. Considering the negligence of the zoonotic diseases at the human-animal interface in Somali communities, a One Health approach is needed to protect public health.
Subject(s)
Brucella/isolation & purification , Brucellosis/veterinary , Rift Valley Fever/epidemiology , Rift Valley fever virus/isolation & purification , Animals , Brucellosis/epidemiology , Cattle , Cattle Diseases/epidemiology , Cattle Diseases/microbiology , Female , Goat Diseases/epidemiology , Goat Diseases/microbiology , Goats , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Sheep , Sheep Diseases/epidemiology , Sheep Diseases/microbiology , Somalia/epidemiology , Zoonoses/epidemiologyABSTRACT
A family of four bipodal triphenylamine-based dyes, three of which incorporate two triphenylamine (TPA) units, have been studied to understand their potential in light-harvesting applications. Compared to previously reported TPA-based dyes, these exhibit improved device performance. Theoretical calculations correlate excited state dipole moments to device efficiency.
ABSTRACT
A family of seven organic triphenylamine-based dyes suitable for dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) applications is reported. The donor portion of these dyes has been systematically modified using polymerisable thienyl subunits. The physicochemical properties and device performance are discussed with device efficiencies ranging from 5.51 to 6.65%.
ABSTRACT
The syntheses and physicochemical properties for a series of 2,6-disubstituted-4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (BODIPY) dyes are reported. The use of chromophores or redox active species as π-spacers, such as BODIPY, requires the inclusion of a sufficiently conjugated donor in order to achieve appropriate charge separation upon photoexcitation. The information derived from this study offers guiding principles for incorporating strongly absorbing, non-innocent π-spacers in organic dye design.
