Recurrence and emergence of infectious diseases in Djibouti city.

PubMed Central

Rodier, G. R.; Parra, J. P.; Kamil, M.; Chakib, S. O.; Cope, S. E.

1995-01-01

Public health authorities are now increasingly concerned by changes in the epidemiology of infectious diseases which may have an adverse impact on their budget plans and control strategies. Rapid increases in population and urban migration, various ecological changes, increasing poverty, and a rise in international travel have contributed to the worldwide vulnerability of human populations to the emergence, recurrence or spread of infectious diseases. In the rapidly growing city of Djibouti in East Africa, public health priorities have been altered during the last 10 years by diseases which were unknown or under control until the early 1980s. These diseases, including malaria, AIDS, tuberculosis, dengue fever and cholera, are consuming considerable resources. This article on Djibouti illustrates the epidemiological changes in the region. Besides the specific ecological and behavioural changes, which accompany rapid population growth, poverty seems to be a major cause for the emergence and recurrence of infectious diseases. PMID:8907768

Gastrointestinal Illnesses among French Forces Deployed to Djibouti: French Military Health Surveillance, 2005–2009

PubMed Central

Ollivier, Lénaïck; Decam, Christophe; de Santi, Vincent Pommier; Darar, Houssein Y.; Dia, Aïssata; Nevin, Remington L.; Romand, Olivier; Bougère, Jacques; Deparis, Xavier; Boutin, Jean-Paul

2010-01-01

Despite an increase in foreign tourism and in the numbers of foreign military personnel deployed to Djibouti, little is known about the risk of gastrointestinal illness in this country in eastern Africa. To assess risk and to describe common features of gastrointestinal illnesses, reports of illness derived from military health surveillance data collected during 2005–2009 among French service members deployed to Djibouti were reviewed. Diarrhea was the most common problem; it had an annual incidence ranging from 260 to 349 cases per 1,000 person-years. The risk was higher among soldiers deployed short-term (four months) than among soldiers deployed long-term (two years). This five-year review of French health surveillance data documents a significant burden of diarrhea among French soldiers in Djibouti. The identification of factors associated with risk may permit efficient targeting of interventions to reduce morbidity from gastrointestinal illness. PMID:20889897

Sentinel site-enhanced near-real time surveillance documenting West Nile virus circulation in two Culex mosquito species indicating different transmission characteristics, Djibouti City, Djibouti.

PubMed

Faulde, Michael K; Spiesberger, Michael; Abbas, Babiker

2012-08-01

The Horn of Africa represents a region formerly known to be highly susceptible to mosquito-borne infectious diseases. In order to investigate whether autochthonous WNV transmission occurs in the Djibouti City area, in how far, and which of, the endemic Culex mosquito species are involved in WNV circulation activity,and whether sentinel site-enhanced near-real time surveillance (SSE-NRTS) may increase WNV detection sensitivity, mosquito vector monitoring was conducted from January 2010 to June 2012. Six monitoring locations, including two identified sentinel sites, considered most probable for potential anthroponotic and zoonotic virus circulation activity, have been continuously employed. Among the 20431 mosquitoes collected, 19069 (93.4%) were Cx. quinquefasciatus, and 1345 (6.6%) Cx. pipiens ssp. torridus. WNV lineage 2 circulation activity was detected between December 20th, 2010 and January 7th, 2011. Overall, 19 WNV RNA-positive mosquito pools were detected. Generally, urban environment-specific WNV-RNA circulation took place in Cx. pipiens ssp. torridus, whereas periurban and rural area-linked circulation was detected only in Cx. quinquefasciatus. Serological investigation data from 10 volunteers employed at the dislocated zoonotic WNV transmission sentinel site suggest that six persons (60%) had an acute, or recent, WNV infection. Results show that WNV should be considered endemic for Djibouti and sentinel site-enhanced near-real time surveillance is an elegant and highly effective epidemiological tool. In Djibouti, the endemicity level, public health impact and transmission modes of vector-borne diseases in concordance with locally optimized monitoring and control regimen deserve further investigation.

Improvements Needed in Managing Scope Changes and Oversight of Construction Projects at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-30

Improvements Needed in Managing Scope Changes and Oversight of Construction Projects at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti S E P T E M B E R 3 0 , 2 0 1 6 Report...Improvements Needed in Managing Scope Changes and Oversight of Construction Projects at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti Visit us at www.dodig.mil Objective We...Findings (cont’d) ii │ DODIG-2016-141 (Project No. D2014-D000RE-0157.000) Results in Brief Improvements Needed in Managing Scope Changes and Oversight

[Attendance at a health center by clandestine prostitutes in Djibouti].

PubMed

Philippon, M; Saada, M; Kamil, M A; Houmed, H M

1997-01-01

The extent of clandestine prostitution in Djibouti is difficult to evaluate. Due to the secrecy of the prostitutes and often their low level of education, the follow-up of these patients is also difficult. A sexually transmitted disease clinic specialized in the treatment of prostitutes and their customers has been established in Djibouti since 1963. We tried to evaluate the available data on the clandestine prostitutes attendance at the center. The population was young with a mean age of 23 years. Fifty percent had children and 60% were divorced or separated. Ninety-one percent were Ethiopian and 73% lived in the same district of the city of Djibouti. Almost half of them were HIV positive. The duration of residence in Djibouti before the first visit to the clinic varied widely with a median of 12 months. However, the total duration of prostitution before the first visit was shorter with a median of 3 months. The complaint at the first visit was most often minor. Among the prostitutes who first came to the center in 1993, half of them came only once. The overall duration of follow-up was 8 months, for an average of 3.7 visits per patient. Alternatively, 20 patients had more than 10 consultations and this represented one third of the consultations given to previous patients. This last group is the only one which tended to respect the monthly visits proposed to each patient at the first consultation. The other patients seemed to come only when they felt ill. The routine statistical activities which separately counted the new and previous patients gave an optimistic but faulty impression: these showed an increase in the total number of patients and also an increase in the percentage of previous patients visiting (from 42 to 69% between 1988 and 1994). It is difficult to evaluate the follow-up of such a mobile population. The few patients known for their fidelity contrasted with the fact that half of the patients had visited the center only once. This low frequency of

Non-fatal gunshot trauma among a sample of adolescents in Djibouti: prevalence and sociodemographic associations.

PubMed

Wilson, Michael L; Lewis, Erin R

2014-01-01

Firearm trauma is the second most common cause of serious injury among adolescents in the Republic of Djibouti. The aim of this study was to explore the sociodemographic correlates of serious injury and non-fatal gunshot trauma among adolescents in Djibouti. Using multinomial logistic regression, we compared a sample of adolescents (N = 1,711) who self-reported a non-firearm-related serious injury (n = 587) and those who reported a firearm-related injury (n = 101) with non-injured participants (n = 1,023) during a 12-month recall period. Analyses targeted demographic, behavioral, social, mental health, and family factors. After adjusting for covariates, participants reporting a non-firearm-related serious injury were more likely to report having been involved in physical fights (relative risk ratio [RRR] = 145; confidence interval [CI] = [1.04, 2.02), being bullied (RRR = 2.83; CI = [2.24, 3.56]), feeling lonely (RRR = 1.48; CI = [1.11, 1.96]), having signs of depression (RRR = 1.27; CI = [1.02, 1.58]), and be truant from school (RRR = 1.68; CI = [1.25, 2.28]). Those who reported a gunshot injury recorded being bullied (RRR = 2.83; CI = [1.77, 4.53]) and physically attacked at higher rates (RRR = 1.78; CI = [1.09, 2.89]). Serious injuries, whether firearm related or not, are important threats to adolescent health in Djibouti with potentially serious health-related correlates. More research, particularly multilevel designs, are needed to explain context-relevant factors associated with serious trauma in Djibouti.

[Heart failure patterns in Djibouti: epidemiologic transition].

PubMed

Massoure, P L; Roche, N C; Lamblin, G; Topin, F; Dehan, C; Kaiser, E; Fourcade, L

2013-05-01

The features of heart failure (HF) in Djibouti have not been well described. We sought to document the current patterns of HF here. We prospectively included Djiboutian adults hospitalized for HF in the French Military Hospital (Djibouti) from August 2008 through December 2010. Of 1688 adults hospitalized in the medical department, 45 (2.7%) had symptomatic HF: 38 (84%) men, mean age 55.8 years (range 27-75). Twenty-five (56%) patients were initially hospitalized for acute pulmonary edema. The underlying diseases included coronary artery disease (CAD) (62%), hypertensive heart disease (18%), rheumatic valvular disease (13%), and primary dilated cardiomyopathy (7%). Their cardiovascular risk factors included tobacco use (53%), hypertension (69%), diabetes (47%), and hypercholesterolemia (51%). Patients in the CAD group were older, and had diabetes more often (p<0.01). All khat chewers (53%) were males and smokers. Mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 39 ± 14%. During follow-up (14.4 ± 9 months), 8 (18%) patients died, 9 (20%) were again hospitalized for HF, and 3 (7%) had ischemic strokes. One month after discharge, the New York Heart Association (NYHA) class was II for 40%, III for 44%, and IV for 16%. Higher NYHA classes and dilated cardiomyopathy were both associated with poorer outcomes (p<0.03). In hospitalized Djiboutians, most HF patterns are similar to those in industrialized countries. CAD is more prevalent than previously reported in African patients with HF.

China’s Military Support Facility in Djibouti: The Economic and Security Dimensions of China’s First Overseas Base

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-07-01

Cleared for Public Release China’s Military Support Facility in Djibouti: The Economic and Security Dimensions of China’s...paper provides a preliminary look at the origins of China’s military support facility in Djibouti. It explores the evolution of the economic and security...military facilities abroad. It also assesses the implications of the growing economic and military ties between the two countries for the United

[Febrile algo-eruptive illness in a French foreign legionnaire returning from Djibouti: gonococcal arthritis].

PubMed

Berry, X; Oréfice, M; Jacquier, C; Saidi, R; Le Bougeant, P; Molinier, S; Morand, J J

2010-06-01

A French foreign legionnaire returning from Djibouti developed feverish polyarthritis with acral purpura. Diagnostic workup demonstrated gonococcemia contracted during unprotected fellatio. Based on this case report, diagnostic and therapeutic management is described.

Decentralisation of directly observed treatment in a large African city: evaluation of the experience of Djibouti.

PubMed

Bernatas, J J; Ali, I M; Ismaël, H A; Matan, A B; Aboubakar, I H

2003-08-01

Decentralisation of directly observed treatment (DOT) for tuberculosis patients in three public centres in Djibouti city from April 2000. To evaluate decentralisation based on the success rate by site of treatment and according to certain critical variables. Comparative evaluation of the success rate of smear-positive patients followed in all treatment centres from 1 May 2000 to 31 March 2001. The success rate was 58% for the main centre, Centre Paul Faure, and 81% for all the peripheral centres together (P < 10.6). It was 80% for the three new centres and 85% for the established centres (P > 0.05). Age under 20 years, female sex and treatment centre were factors linked to success. After stratification, sex was shown to be the confounding variable. Multivariate analysis shows that non-Djibouti nationality is related to treatment success (P = 0.02). In the groups of established and new centres, there is an inverse linear relationship between success rate and workload, with greater capacity in the established centres. Urban decentralisation of DOT increases the chances of treatment success among smear-positive patients. Another centre for supervised treatment needs to be created in one of the public health centres in Djibouti city.

Female genital mutilation in Djibouti.

PubMed

Martinelli, M; Ollé-Goig, J E

2012-12-01

The practice of female genital mutilation (we will use the latest definition adopted by WHO/UNFP: female genital mutilation/cutting or FGM/C) is still widespread in 28 African countries. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that more than two million females undergo some form of genital mutilation every year. Its negative health impact and its ethical and human rights aspects have been discussed and attempts to eliminate it have been the objectives of several meetings promoted by national and international organisations thanks to an increased awareness related to FGM/C in those countries practicing it and also, maybe due to the number of Africans migrating to industrialized countries. We review the present situation in Djibouti, a small country in the Horn of Africa, where 98 % of the female population has suffered different forms of FGM/C.

Maternal obesity and rate of cesarean delivery in Djibouti.

PubMed

Minsart, Anne-Frederique; N'guyen, Thai-Son; Dimtsu, Hirut; Ratsimanresy, Rachel; Dada, Fouad; Ali Hadji, Rachid

2014-11-01

To calculate the prevalence of maternal obesity and to determine the relation between obesity and cesarean delivery in an urban hospital in Djibouti. In an observational cohort study, all women who had a live birth or stillbirth between October 2012 and November 2013 were considered for inclusion. Body mass index (BMI, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters) was calculated throughout pregnancy, and women with a BMI of at least 30.0 were deemed to be obese. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the relation between cesarean and obesity. Overall, 100 (24.8%) of 404 women were obese before 14 weeks of pregnancy, as were 112 (25.2%) of 445 before 22 weeks, and 200 (43.2%) of 463 at delivery. Obesity before 22 weeks was associated with a 127% excess risk of cesarean delivery (adjusted odds ratio 2.27; 95% CI 1.07-4.82; P=0.032). Similar trends were found when the analyses were limited to the subgroup of women without a previous cesarean delivery or primiparae. Prevalence of maternal obesity is high in Djibouti City and is related to an excess risk of cesarean delivery, even after controlling for a range of medical and socioeconomic variables. Copyright © 2014 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A seismic gap along an accreting plate boundary : Example of the Djibouti Ridge, Afar, East Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruegg, Jean-Claude; Lépine, Jean-Claude

1983-05-01

A segment of the Gulf of Tadjoura (Djibouti, East-Africa) accreting plate boundary, shows a period of quiescence in the seismic activity since 1974. This segment corresponds to the extension area of the aftershock activity that has occured after a cluster of magnitude 5.5 earthquakes in April 1973. From this example we propose that the seismic gap concept can be extended to moderate earthquakes occuring at extensional plate boundaries. The magnitude of the largest earthquakes at the spreading axis is limited by the size of the rupture length and by the strength of the brittle lithosphere. In the case of the Djibouti ridge recurrence time of 10-20 years are found for earthquakes of about M =6.

Trends of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 infection in female prostitutes and males diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease in Djibouti, east Africa.

PubMed

Rodier, G R; Couzineau, B; Gray, G C; Omar, C S; Fox, E; Bouloumie, J; Watts, D

1993-05-01

A cross-sectional serosurvey for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) was conducted during the first quarter of 1991 among high risk groups in Djibouti, East Africa, and compared with previous surveys in 1987, 1988, and 1990. The survey demonstrated evidence of HIV-1 infection in 36.0% (n = 292) of street prostitutes, 15.3% (n = 360) of prostitutes working as bar hostesses, and 10.4% (n = 193) of males diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease. By multivariate modeling, HIV-1 seropositivity in prostitutes was associated with Ethiopian nationality, working as a street prostitute, and residing in Djibouti for two years or less. We suggest that prostitution, particularly street prostitution, is a major route of HIV-1 transmission in Djibouti.

A Sero-epidemiological Study of Arboviral Fevers in Djibouti, Horn of Africa

PubMed Central

Andayi, Fred; Charrel, Remi N.; Kieffer, Alexia; Richet, Herve; Pastorino, Boris; Leparc-Goffart, Isabelle; Ahmed, Ammar Abdo; Carrat, Fabrice; Flahault, Antoine; de Lamballerie, Xavier

2014-01-01

Arboviral infections have repeatedly been reported in the republic of Djibouti, consistent with the fact that essential vectors for arboviral diseases are endemic in the region. However, there is a limited recent information regarding arbovirus circulation, and the associated risk predictors to human exposure are largely unknown. We performed, from November 2010 to February 2011 in the Djibouti city general population, a cross-sectional ELISA and sero-neutralisation-based sero-epidemiological analysis nested in a household cohort, which investigated the arboviral infection prevalence and risk factors, stratified by their vectors of transmission. Antibodies to dengue virus (21.8%) were the most frequent. Determinants of infection identified by multivariate analysis pointed to sociological and environmental exposure to the bite of Aedes mosquitoes. The population was broadly naïve against Chikungunya (2.6%) with risk factors mostly shared with dengue. The detection of limited virus circulation was followed by a significant Chikungunya outbreak a few months after our study. Antibodies to West Nile virus were infrequent (0.6%), but the distribution of cases faithfully followed previous mapping of infected Culex mosquitoes. The seroprevalence of Rift valley fever virus was 2.2%, and non-arboviral transmission was suggested. Finally, the study indicated the circulation of Toscana-related viruses (3.7%), and a limited number of cases suggested infection by tick-borne encephalitis or Alkhumra related viruses, which deserve further investigations to identify the viruses and vectors implicated. Overall, most of the arboviral cases' predictors were statistically best described by the individuals' housing space and neighborhood environmental characteristics, which correlated with the ecological actors of their respective transmission vectors' survival in the local niche. This study has demonstrated autochthonous arboviral circulations in the republic of Djibouti, and provides

A sero-epidemiological study of arboviral fevers in Djibouti, Horn of Africa.

PubMed

Andayi, Fred; Charrel, Remi N; Kieffer, Alexia; Richet, Herve; Pastorino, Boris; Leparc-Goffart, Isabelle; Ahmed, Ammar Abdo; Carrat, Fabrice; Flahault, Antoine; de Lamballerie, Xavier

2014-12-01

Arboviral infections have repeatedly been reported in the republic of Djibouti, consistent with the fact that essential vectors for arboviral diseases are endemic in the region. However, there is a limited recent information regarding arbovirus circulation, and the associated risk predictors to human exposure are largely unknown. We performed, from November 2010 to February 2011 in the Djibouti city general population, a cross-sectional ELISA and sero-neutralisation-based sero-epidemiological analysis nested in a household cohort, which investigated the arboviral infection prevalence and risk factors, stratified by their vectors of transmission. Antibodies to dengue virus (21.8%) were the most frequent. Determinants of infection identified by multivariate analysis pointed to sociological and environmental exposure to the bite of Aedes mosquitoes. The population was broadly naïve against Chikungunya (2.6%) with risk factors mostly shared with dengue. The detection of limited virus circulation was followed by a significant Chikungunya outbreak a few months after our study. Antibodies to West Nile virus were infrequent (0.6%), but the distribution of cases faithfully followed previous mapping of infected Culex mosquitoes. The seroprevalence of Rift valley fever virus was 2.2%, and non-arboviral transmission was suggested. Finally, the study indicated the circulation of Toscana-related viruses (3.7%), and a limited number of cases suggested infection by tick-borne encephalitis or Alkhumra related viruses, which deserve further investigations to identify the viruses and vectors implicated. Overall, most of the arboviral cases' predictors were statistically best described by the individuals' housing space and neighborhood environmental characteristics, which correlated with the ecological actors of their respective transmission vectors' survival in the local niche. This study has demonstrated autochthonous arboviral circulations in the republic of Djibouti, and provides

[Discovery of a focus of intestinal bilharziasis in te Republic of Djibouti].

PubMed

Koeck, J L; Modica, C; Tual, F; Czarnecki, E; Fabre, R; Merle, C; Montfort, F; Jouvenin, N; Cavallo, J D

1999-01-01

An unprecedented pocket of intestinal schistosomiasis was discovered in the Republic of Djibouti in 1997. The first cases were diagnosed in French and Djiboutian tourists who presented initial symptoms of bilharzian infection after bathing in the fresh-water basin under Hassan Gari Bira Falls, near Randa. Seventeen cases were subsequently confirmed by detection of anti-schistosome antibodies using indirect hemagglutination (IH) and indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) and/or detection of Schistosoma mansoni eggs in the stool. Further testing was performed in 35 village inhabitants, mostly children, who had been exposed by bathing in the basin. The IH reaction was positive in 28 patients (80 p. 100) including 17 (49 p. 100) with levels greater than 1/64. In 92 p. 100 of cases, IH findings were confirmed by IIF which indicated that association with hypereosinophilia was common. Schistosoma mansoni eggs were found in stools from 7 patients (19 p. 100) who generally displayed mild hypereosinophilia. Information concerning the zone of risk was distributed and control measures were undertaken as widely as possible in Djibouti and abroad.

Thromboelastographic study of the snakebite-related coagulopathy in Djibouti.

PubMed

Larréché, Sébastien; Jean, François-Xavier; Benois, Alain; Mayet, Aurélie; Bousquet, Aurore; Vedy, Serge; Clapson, Patrick; Dehan, Céline; Rapp, Christophe; Kaiser, Eric; Mérens, Audrey; Mion, Georges; Martinaud, Christophe

2018-03-01

: Hemostasis disorders are one of the major clinical conditions of snakebites and are because of mechanisms which may disrupt vessels, platelets, clotting factors and fibrinolysis. Thromboelastography (TEG) could help to understand these effects in the clinical practice. A retrospective study reports a series of patients presenting a snakebite-related coagulopathy, treated with antivenom and monitored with conventional tests and TEG in a French military treatment facility (Republic of Djibouti, East Africa) between August 2011 and September 2013. Conventional coagulation assays (platelets, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen) and TEG measurements were taken on arrival and at various times during the first 72 h of hospitalization, at the discretion of the physician. The study included 14 patients (median age 28 years). Bleedings were present in five patients. All patients received antivenom. A coagulopathy was present in all patients and was detected by both conventional assays and TEG. None exhibited thrombocytopenia. Prothrombin time and fibrinogen remained abnormal for most of patients during the first 72 h. The TEG profiles of 11 patients (79%) showed incoagulability at admission (R-time > 60 min). TEG distinguished 10 patients with a generalized clotting factor deficiency and 4 patients with an isolated fibrinogen deficiency after an initial profile of incoagulability. Hyperfibrinolysis was evident for 12 patients (86%) after Hour 6. Snake envenomations in Djibouti involve a consumption coagulopathy in conjunction with delayed hyperfibrinolysis. TEG could improve medical management of the condition and assessment of additional therapeutics associated with the antivenom.

First identification of the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis in Djibouti: Leishmania donovani.

PubMed

Pratlong, F; Debord, T; Garnotel, E; Garrabé, E; Marty, P; Raphenon, G; Dedet, J P

2005-01-01

The first identification of the Leishmania species responsible for visceral leishmaniasis in Djibouti is described. Four strains, obtained from three autochthonous cases, were identified by starch-gel electrophoresis and iso-enzyme analysis of 15 enzymatic systems. The strains were found to belong to two newly recognized zymodemes of L. donovani: MON-268 and MON-287.

Management of female genital mutilation in Djibouti: the Peltier General hospital experience.

PubMed

Collinet, P; Stien, L; Vinatier, D; Leroy, J L

2002-11-01

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is still performed on 98% of Djiboutian women. Infibulation (FGM type 3) is the most widely used method of FGM in Djibouti. Even though this operation is mutilating, illegal and sometimes results in death, it is still practiced at approximately the same rate as in the past. Mass immigration of African women to Europe, Canada, Australia and the United States in the past decade has brought the problems of FGM to these countries. Female genital mutilation is a problem unfamiliar to most Western obstetrician-gynecologists. A tight infibulation can be a high risk for the mother and fetus if not handled by a skilled operator. It can lead to an unnecessary cesarean section as a result of the fear of handling infibulated women. Therefore, Western physicians need to be informed. The aim of this article was to share our experience of FGM. It will focus on FGM in Djibouti, its types, epidemiology and health consequences. It will present the management of obstetric and gynecologic complications and discuss medico-legal and health service measures to combat these dangerous and unnecessary practices

[Celiac disease: special features in Africa. Description of 8 cases in Djibouti (horn of Africa)].

PubMed

Coton, T; Grassin, F; Maslin, J; Gidenne, S; Sarret, D; Petitjeans, F; Benois, A; Kraemer, P; Cloatre, G

2008-04-01

Celiac disease is poorly documented in intertropical Africa. The purpose of this retrospective report was to describe 8 cases observed at the Groupement Medico-Chirurgical of Bouffard Hospital in Djibouti (Horn of Africa) between January 2003 and January 2006. There were 5 females and 3 males ranging in age from 9 months to 17 years old (mean age: 48 months). Six patients were of Somali ethnic origin and two of Yemenite ethnic origin. Six were classified as middle class and 2 as lower class. All forms were symptomatic associating constant loss of weight with digestive manifestations (diarrhoea and vomiting). Diagnosis of celiac disease was based on the presence of anti-gliadin antibodies IgA and IgG associated with anti-endomysium or anti-transglutaminase antibodies that were measured in six and two cases respectively. Gastroduodenal endoscopy performed in three cases including two with duodenal biopsy demonstrated villous atrophy associated with gross of intra-epithelial lymphocytosis. A gluten-free diet initiated in five patients led to clinical improvement in four cases with a follow-up of 8.25 months. The findings of this study in Djibouti show that celiac disease exists in intertropical Africa. Its presentation is quite similar to elsewhere but diagnosis is more difficult due to poor knowledge about the disease and limited diagnostic facilities. Favourable response to presumptive treatment by a gluten-free diet is an alternative for diagnosis especially in Djibouti where eating habits differ from those in industrialized countries and this type of diet is easier to follow.

Prevalence of Primary HPV in Djibouti: Feasibility of Screening for Early Diagnosis of Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions.

PubMed

Petrelli, Alessio; Di Napoli, Anteo; Giorgi Rossi, Paolo; Rossi, Alessandra; Luccini, Daniele; Di Marco, Ilaria; Traoré, Amadou Laico; Gillio Tos, Anna; Trevisan, Morena; Mirisola, Concetta; Costanzo, Gianfranco

2016-10-01

In many African Sub-Saharan countries, human papilloma virus (HPV) prevalence data are not available. The current study estimated the prevalence of HPV virus in the female population of Djibouti. Approximately 1000 asymptomatic women 16 to 64 years old were enrolled from 3 of the main health structures of Djibouti in 2014 and 2015; 998 cervical samples were tested for HPV-DNA of high risk types, 499 during the first year, and 499 during the second. Positive samples were typed with an HPV genotyping kit. The women were an average age of 38.8 years (SD, 10.2); 54 women tested positive for HPV (prevalence rate, 5.4% [95% confidence interval, 4.0-6.8]). The highest prevalence was observed among the women younger than 35 years. HPV66 was the most prevalent (15.4% of the infections), followed by HPV31 and HPV52 (10.8% both) and HPV16 (9.2%). All 54 women who tested HPV-positive underwent a Pap test, which was positive in 8 cases (14.8%): 2 high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) and 6 low-grade (LSIL). The HPV prevalence shows a curve by age similar to that of other African countries. The proportion of HPV16 is among the lowest ever seen in similar studies. The findings suggest to Djibouti the choice of a strategy of screening that includes forms of cytological triage, thus limiting recourse to colposcopy.

Outbreak of aseptic meningitis in Djibouti in the aftermath of El Niño.

PubMed

Koeck, Jean Louis; Modica, Claude; Chomel, Jean Jacques; Nizou, Jacques Yves; Lina, Bruno; Nicand, Elisabeth

2003-01-01

At the end of 1990s, an outbreak of enteroviral meningitis in Djibouti was associated with the cocirculation of multiple serotypes. This uncommon distribution was related to the dissemination of enterically transmitted agents in the aftermath of El Nino events disturbing the Horn of Africa. Both Djiboutians and expatriate residents were infected.

Forecasting Container Throughput at the Doraleh Port in Djibouti through Time Series Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamed Ismael, Hawa; Vandyck, George Kobina

The Doraleh Container Terminal (DCT) located in Djibouti has been noted as the most technologically advanced container terminal on the African continent. DCT's strategic location at the crossroads of the main shipping lanes connecting Asia, Africa and Europe put it in a unique position to provide important shipping services to vessels plying that route. This paper aims to forecast container throughput through the Doraleh Container Port in Djibouti by Time Series Analysis. A selection of univariate forecasting models has been used, namely Triple Exponential Smoothing Model, Grey Model and Linear Regression Model. By utilizing the above three models and their combination, the forecast of container throughput through the Doraleh port was realized. A comparison of the different forecasting results of the three models, in addition to the combination forecast is then undertaken, based on commonly used evaluation criteria Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD) and Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE). The study found that the Linear Regression forecasting Model was the best prediction method for forecasting the container throughput, since its forecast error was the least. Based on the regression model, a ten (10) year forecast for container throughput at DCT has been made.

Hepatitis C Virus Epidemiology in Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Chaabna, Karima; Kouyoumjian, Silva P; Abu-Raddad, Laith J

2016-01-01

To characterize hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemiology and assess country-specific population-level HCV prevalence in four countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region: Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Reports of HCV prevalence were systematically reviewed as per PRISMA guidelines. Pooled HCV prevalence estimates in different risk populations were conducted when the number of measures per risk category was at least five. We identified 101 prevalence estimates. Pooled HCV antibody prevalence in the general population in Somalia, Sudan and Yemen was 0.9% (95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 0.3%-1.9%), 1.0% (95%CI: 0.3%-1.9%) and 1.9% (95%CI: 1.4%-2.6%), respectively. The only general population study from Djibouti reported a prevalence of 0.3% (CI: 0.2%-0.4%) in blood donors. In high-risk populations (e.g., haemodialysis and haemophilia patients), pooled HCV prevalence was 17.3% (95%CI: 8.6%-28.2%) in Sudan. In Yemen, three studies of haemodialysis patients reported HCV prevalence between 40.0%-62.7%. In intermediate-risk populations (e.g.. healthcare workers, in patients and men who have sex with men), pooled HCV prevalence was 1.7% (95%CI: 0.0%-4.9%) in Somalia and 0.6% (95%CI: 0.4%-0.8%) in Sudan. National HCV prevalence in Yemen appears to be higher than in Djibouti, Somalia, and Sudan as well as most other MENA countries; but otherwise prevalence levels in this subregion are comparable to global levels. The high HCV prevalence in patients who have undergone clinical care appears to reflect ongoing transmission in clinical settings. HCV prevalence in people who inject drugs remains unknown.

Mycobacterial diversity causing multi- and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in Djibouti, Horn of Africa.

PubMed

Millán-Lou, M I; Ollé-Goig, J E; Tortola, M T; Martin, C; Samper, S

2016-02-01

On detecting a high prevalence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) in Djibouti, 32 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates of patients hospitalised in the TB referral centre of the capital were genotyped. A high variety of M. tuberculosis lineages, including lineage 1, Indo-Oceanic, lineage 2, East-Asian, lineage 3, East-African Indian and lineage 4, Euro-American, were detected.

Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus and Alkhurma (Alkhumra) Virus in Ticks in Djibouti.

PubMed

Horton, Katherine C; Fahmy, Nermeen T; Watany, Noha; Zayed, Alia; Mohamed, Abro; Ahmed, Ammar Abdo; Rollin, Pierre E; Dueger, Erica L

2016-10-01

Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus and Alkhumra virus, not previously reported in Djibouti, were detected among 141 (infection rate = 15.7 per 100, 95% CI: 13.4-18.1) tick pools from 81 (37%) cattle and 2 (infection rate = 0.2 per 100, 95% CI: 0.0-0.7) tick pools from 2 (1%) cattle, respectively, collected at an abattoir in 2010 and 2011.

[Management of Grave's disease in the tropics (experience at Bouffard Army Hospital Center in Djibouti].

PubMed

Coulet, O; Kraemer, P; Leyral, G; Cloatre, G

2004-01-01

Based on their experience in managing Grave's disease at the Bouffard Army Hospital Center within the local health care context in Djibouti, the authors advocate surgery as the first line treatment. Medical and economical factors supporting this preference are discussed so that readers can adapt them to his own local context.

Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum infections in the Republic of Djibouti: evaluation of their prevalence and potential determinants

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Formerly known as a hypoendemic malaria country, the Republic of Djibouti declared the goal of pre-eliminating malaria in 2006. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax and mixed infections in the Djiboutian population by using serological tools and to identify potential determinants of the disease and hotspots of malaria transmission within the country. Methods The prevalence of P. falciparum and P. vivax within the districts of the capital city and the rest of the Republic of Djibouti were assessed using 13 and 2 serological markers, respectively. The relationship between the immune humeral response to P. falciparum and P. vivax and variables such as age, gender, wealth status, urbanism, educational level, distance to rivers/lakes, living area, having fever in the last month, and staying in a malaria-endemic country more than one year was estimated and analysed by questionnaires administered to 1910 Djiboutians. Multivariate ordinal logistic regression models of the immune humeral response were obtained for P. falciparum and P. vivax. Results The P. falciparum and P. vivax seroprevalence rates were 31.5%, CI95% [29.4-33.7] and 17.5%, CI95% [15.8-19.3], respectively. Protective effects against P. falciparum and P. vivax were female gender, educational level, and never having visited a malaria-endemic area for more than one year. For P. falciparum only, a protective effect was observed for not having a fever in the last month, living more than 1.5 km away from lakes and rivers, and younger ages. Conclusions This is the first study that assessed the seroprevalence of P. vivax in the Republic of Djibouti. It is necessary to improve knowledge of this pathogen in order to create an effective elimination programme. As supported by recent observations on the subject, the Republic of Djibouti has probably demonstrated a real decrease in the transmission of P. falciparum in the past seven years, which

Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum infections in the Republic of Djibouti: evaluation of their prevalence and potential determinants.

PubMed

Khaireh, Bouh Abdi; Briolant, Sébastien; Pascual, Aurélie; Mokrane, Madjid; Machault, Vanessa; Travaillé, Christelle; Khaireh, Mohamed Abdi; Farah, Ismail Hassan; Ali, Habib Moussa; Abdi, Abdul-Ilah Ahmed; Ayeh, Souleiman Nour; Darar, Houssein Youssouf; Ollivier, Lénaïck; Waiss, Mohamed Killeh; Bogreau, Hervé; Rogier, Christophe; Pradines, Bruno

2012-11-28

Formerly known as a hypoendemic malaria country, the Republic of Djibouti declared the goal of pre-eliminating malaria in 2006. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax and mixed infections in the Djiboutian population by using serological tools and to identify potential determinants of the disease and hotspots of malaria transmission within the country. The prevalence of P. falciparum and P. vivax within the districts of the capital city and the rest of the Republic of Djibouti were assessed using 13 and 2 serological markers, respectively. The relationship between the immune humeral response to P. falciparum and P. vivax and variables such as age, gender, wealth status, urbanism, educational level, distance to rivers/lakes, living area, having fever in the last month, and staying in a malaria-endemic country more than one year was estimated and analysed by questionnaires administered to 1910 Djiboutians. Multivariate ordinal logistic regression models of the immune humeral response were obtained for P. falciparum and P. vivax. The P. falciparum and P. vivax seroprevalence rates were 31.5%, CI95% [29.4-33.7] and 17.5%, CI95% [15.8-19.3], respectively. Protective effects against P. falciparum and P. vivax were female gender, educational level, and never having visited a malaria-endemic area for more than one year. For P. falciparum only, a protective effect was observed for not having a fever in the last month, living more than 1.5 km away from lakes and rivers, and younger ages. This is the first study that assessed the seroprevalence of P. vivax in the Republic of Djibouti. It is necessary to improve knowledge of this pathogen in order to create an effective elimination programme. As supported by recent observations on the subject, the Republic of Djibouti has probably demonstrated a real decrease in the transmission of P. falciparum in the past seven years, which should encourage authorities to

Cardiovascular disease in children in Djibouti: a single-centre study.

PubMed

Massoure, Pierre-Laurent; Roche, Nicolas-Charles; Lamblin, Gatien; Dehan, Celine; Kaiser, Eric; Fourcade, Laurent

2013-01-01

Few data are available about pediatric cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the Horn of Africa. The objective of this study was to describe the spectrum of CVD in children in Djibouti. Clinical features and management of Djiboutian children between 1 month-old and 15 year-old with CVD were prospectively recorded over a two-year period in Bouffard Military Hospital in Djibouti (January 2009- December 2010). Clinical examination and echocardiography were performed on 156 patients: 32 of them (20%) had CVD. Three (10%) of them had Down's syndrome. The median age was 5 years (male 53%). Congenital heart disease was observed in 27 (84%) patients and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in 5 (16%) patients including 2 patients with rheumatic valvular disease. Ventricular septal defect was frequent (28%). Other abnormalities were atrial septal defect (13%), Tetralogy of Fallot (9%), pulmonary stenosis (6%) and 3 other patients had multiple congenital anomalies condition. Surgical management was required in 22 (69%) patients and was performed on 15 (47%) cases. During follow up (mean 11.3 ± 6.8 months), 5 (16%) patients died. Absence of surgery was associated with significant mortality (p > 0.05) but age, sex and mean follow up were not. Pediatric CVD is at least as common in this Djiboutian community as in other African cohorts. The absence of surgery was a major mortality risk factor. DCM was frequent in this study. Much work remains to be done to discover the size and nature of genetic and environmental contributions to these various forms of heart diseases in the Horn of Africa.

[Rare cause of heart failure in an elderly woman in Djibouti: left ventricular non compaction].

PubMed

Massoure, P L; Lamblin, G; Bertani, A; Eve, O; Kaiser, E

2011-10-01

The purpose of this report is to describe the first case of left ventricular non compaction diagnosed in Djibouti. The patient was a 74-year-old Djiboutian woman with symptomatic heart failure. Echocardiography is the key tool for assessment of left ventricular non compaction. This rare cardiomyopathy is probably underdiagnosed in Africa.

Clinical and therapeutic aspects of childhood kerosene poisoning in Djibouti.

PubMed

Benois, Alain; Petitjeans, Fabrice; Raynaud, Laurent; Dardare, Eric; Sergent, Hervé

2009-10-01

We report a prospective and descriptive study about childhood acute poisoning with kerosene in Djibouti. Acute poisoning is a common and stable occurrence in low socioeconomic groups in Africa, where negligence is the main cause of poisoning. The respiratory system was the main target, with 41% of patients having pneumonia, which may become life-threatening, but with low mortality rate. Asymptomatic patients (35%) can be discharged, while those with pulmonary or neurological signs must be admitted for observation and supportive treatment based on oxygen administration. Our study suggests management and provides a discussion for therapeutic options and emphasizes the importance of prevention.

Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus and Alkhurma (Alkhumra) Virus in Ticks in Djibouti

PubMed Central

Horton, Katherine C.; Fahmy, Nermeen T.; Watany, Noha; Zayed, Alia; Mohamed, Abro; Ahmed, Ammar Abdo; Rollin, Pierre E.; Dueger, Erica L.

2017-01-01

Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever virus and Alkhumra virus, not previously reported in Djibouti, were detected among 141 (infection rate =15.7 per 100, 95% CI: 13.4–18.1) tick pools from 81 (37%) cattle and 2 (infection rate = 0.2 per 100, 95% CI: 0.0–0.7) tick pools from 2 (1%) cattle, respectively, collected at an abattoir in 2010 and 2011. PMID:27508862

Hepatitis C Virus Epidemiology in Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Chaabna, Karima; Kouyoumjian, Silva P.; Abu-Raddad, Laith J.

2016-01-01

Objectives To characterize hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemiology and assess country-specific population-level HCV prevalence in four countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region: Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Methods Reports of HCV prevalence were systematically reviewed as per PRISMA guidelines. Pooled HCV prevalence estimates in different risk populations were conducted when the number of measures per risk category was at least five. Results We identified 101 prevalence estimates. Pooled HCV antibody prevalence in the general population in Somalia, Sudan and Yemen was 0.9% (95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 0.3%–1.9%), 1.0% (95%CI: 0.3%–1.9%) and 1.9% (95%CI: 1.4%–2.6%), respectively. The only general population study from Djibouti reported a prevalence of 0.3% (CI: 0.2%–0.4%) in blood donors. In high-risk populations (e.g., haemodialysis and haemophilia patients), pooled HCV prevalence was 17.3% (95%CI: 8.6%–28.2%) in Sudan. In Yemen, three studies of haemodialysis patients reported HCV prevalence between 40.0%-62.7%. In intermediate-risk populations (e.g.. healthcare workers, in patients and men who have sex with men), pooled HCV prevalence was 1.7% (95%CI: 0.0%–4.9%) in Somalia and 0.6% (95%CI: 0.4%–0.8%) in Sudan. Conclusion National HCV prevalence in Yemen appears to be higher than in Djibouti, Somalia, and Sudan as well as most other MENA countries; but otherwise prevalence levels in this subregion are comparable to global levels. The high HCV prevalence in patients who have undergone clinical care appears to reflect ongoing transmission in clinical settings. HCV prevalence in people who inject drugs remains unknown. PMID:26900839

Supporting women's empowerment in Djibouti.

PubMed

Rasul, Z

1999-01-01

This article reports on the work carried out by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in the small island of Djibouti, Africa. The republic's population has been plagued with problems of high levels of unemployment, poverty, malnutrition, an almost non-existent family reproductive health care service, 100% prevalence rate of female genital mutilation and low literacy rate, especially for women. In addition, refugees from Ethiopia and Eritrea have settled in the country increasing the risks of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), HIV/AIDS, prostitution, and other social ills. In 1983, UNFPA started funding family planning and later reproductive health projects aimed at assuring access to services for a majority of Djiboutan women. The first country population program of assistance was started in 1992. This would help the government with health care for its population and to conduct a population census. In addition, the Fund has paid for training of doctors, midwives, and traditional birth assistants in the country and for rehabilitating maternity clinics and information centers. Moreover, it has supported agencies concerned with educating people on STDs, HIV/AIDS, safe motherhood and reproductive health for men and women, and other important issues.

[Maxillary sinus infection by Bacillus licheniformis: a case report from Djibouti].

PubMed

Garcia Hejl, C; Sanmartin, N; Samson, T; Soler, C; Koeck, J-L

2015-01-01

Aerobic, spore-forming gram-positive Bacillus spp infections are rare and reported mainly in immunocompromised hosts. We report a case of acute unilateral maxillary sinusitis, caused by Bacillus licheniformis, in a 35-year-old French soldier stationed in Djibouti. It was easily identifiable due to its typical culture and resistance profile. This case is interesting for two reasons: first, it is, to our knowledge, the first case of sinusitis attributed to this microbe, and second, it has rarely been described in immunocompetent patients without altered skin or mucous membranes.

Medicinal plants and their uses by the people in the Region of Randa, Djibouti.

PubMed

Hassan-Abdallah, Alshaimaa; Merito, Ali; Hassan, Souad; Aboubaker, Djaltou; Djama, Mahdi; Asfaw, Zemede; Kelbessa, Ensermu

2013-07-09

The article presents the local knowledge on medicinal plants and their relevance in managing health problems. Important ethnobotanical leads are given with priority species and disease categories, casting insight on future phytochemical and pharmacological studies. The use of traditional medicinal plants has been an integral part of the traditional healthcare systems in Djibouti. However, scientific studies on the traditional herbal healing systems of the various cultural groups have never been undertaken. This study has, therefore, aimed at assessing plant-related ethnomedicinal knowledge of the people in Randa Region; prioritising the plants with respect to common disease categories and inferring about prospects of new pharmacological products. Interview-based ethnobotanical field study was carried out to document the plant-based ethnomedicinal knowledge handed down to the present by the oral tradition of people living in 24 villages in Tadjourah District of Randa Region (north Djibouti). Informant Consensus Factors (ICF) and Fidelity Level (FL) values of the medicinal plants were calculated to check the level of informant agreement and the healing potentials of the species. A total of 91 plant species that belong to 72 genera and 40 families were documented. Most of these species (92%) were collected from non-cultivated areas. Their local names and traditional uses in medicine were also studied. The plant family Fabaceae was represented by the highest number of taxa (17 species). Strong informant agreements hinted at good healing potentials of some species as shown by high values of consensus factors for eye diseases (0.98), mouth diseases (0.93), kidney problems (0.89) and microbial infections (0.84). Dodonea angustifolia, Solanum cordatum, Grewia erythraea, Acalypha indica, Acacia etbaica, Fagonia schweinfurthii, Solanum coagulans, Senna alexandrina and Grewia tembensis scored high FL values emerging as promising priority species for future pharmacological

Cardiovascular disease in children in Djibouti: a single-centre study

PubMed Central

Massoure, Pierre-Laurent; Roche, Nicolas-Charles; Lamblin, Gatien; Dehan, Celine; Kaiser, Eric; Fourcade, Laurent

2013-01-01

Introduction Few data are available about pediatric cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the Horn of Africa. The objective of this study was to describe the spectrum of CVD in children in Djibouti. Methods Clinical features and management of Djiboutian children between 1 month-old and 15 year-old with CVD were prospectively recorded over a two-year period in Bouffard Military Hospital in Djibouti (January 2009- December 2010). Results Clinical examination and echocardiography were performed on 156 patients: 32 of them (20%) had CVD. Three (10%) of them had Down's syndrome. The median age was 5 years (male 53%). Congenital heart disease was observed in 27 (84%) patients and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in 5 (16%) patients including 2 patients with rheumatic valvular disease. Ventricular septal defect was frequent (28%). Other abnormalities were atrial septal defect (13%), Tetralogy of Fallot (9%), pulmonary stenosis (6%) and 3 other patients had multiple congenital anomalies condition. Surgical management was required in 22 (69%) patients and was performed on 15 (47%) cases. During follow up (mean 11.3 ± 6.8 months), 5 (16%) patients died. Absence of surgery was associated with significant mortality (p > 0.05) but age, sex and mean follow up were not. Conclusion Pediatric CVD is at least as common in this Djiboutian community as in other African cohorts. The absence of surgery was a major mortality risk factor. DCM was frequent in this study. Much work remains to be done to discover the size and nature of genetic and environmental contributions to these various forms of heart diseases in the Horn of Africa. PMID:23785546

[Tuberculosis and HIV infection: experience of the national tuberculosis prevention program in Djibouti: 1990-1996].

PubMed

Renoux, E; Matan, A Barreh; Sevre, J P; Mohamed Ali, I; Chami, D; Vincent, V

2002-01-01

Based on analysis of data collected from the national tuberculosis prevention program in Djibouti between 1990 and 1996, the authors analyzed the relationship between HIV infection and tuberculosis. The study cohort comprised a total of 22,000 patients including 14,000 with documented HIV infection. Although HIV infection probably worsened the situation, it was neither the only nor the main factor involved in the resurgence of tuberculosis. Demographic growth, higher population density, and increasing poverty as well as the quality of the national tuberculosis prevention program must be taken into account. The incidence of smear-negative tuberculosis was not significantly higher in HIV-infected patients (incidence of smear positive cases, > 92%). Extrapulmonary tuberculosis especially of pleural involvement was more common (15% versus 9.4%). Treatment was effective in HIV-infected patients. If directly observed (DOT) therapy was used, there was no risk of emergence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis strains. Drug side-effects associated with the protocols used in Djibouti were not greater in HIV-infected patients. Most additional mortality observed in HIV-infected tuberculosis patients (10.5% versus 2%) was due to progression of HIV infection.

Prevalence and trends of infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Djibouti, testing an alternative method.

PubMed

Trébucq, A; Guérin, N; Ali Ismael, H; Bernatas, J J; Sèvre, J P; Rieder, H L

2005-10-01

Djibouti, 1994 and 2001. To estimate the prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) and average annual risk of TB infection (ARTI) and trends, and to test a new method for calculations. Tuberculin surveys among schoolchildren and sputum smear-positive TB patients. Prevalence of infection was calculated using cut-off points, the mirror image technique, mixture analysis, and a new method based on the operating characteristics of the tuberculin test. Test sensitivity was derived from tuberculin reactions among TB patients and test specificity from a comparison of reaction size distributions among children with and without a BCG scar. The ARTI was estimated to lie between 2.6% and 3.1%, with no significant changes between 1994 and 2001. The close match of the distributions between children tested in 1994 and patients justifies the utilisation of the latter to determine test sensitivity. This new method gave very consistent estimates of prevalence of infection for any induration for values between 15 and 20 mm. Specificity was successfully determined for 1994, but not for 2001. Mixture analysis confirmed the estimates obtained with the new method. Djibouti has a high ARTI, and no apparent change over the observation time was found. Using operating test characteristics to estimate prevalence of infection looks promising.

Epidemiology of bacterial pathogens associated with infectious diarrhea in Djibouti.

PubMed Central

Mikhail, I A; Fox, E; Haberberger, R L; Ahmed, M H; Abbatte, E A

1990-01-01

During a survey examining the causes of diarrhea in the East African country of Djibouti, 140 bacterial pathogens were recovered from 209 diarrheal and 100 control stools. The following pathogens were isolated at comparable frequencies from both diarrheal and control stools: enteroadherent Escherichia coli (EAEC) (10.6 versus 13%), enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) (11 versus 10%), enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) (7.7 versus 12%), Salmonella spp. (2.9 versus 3%), and Campylobacter jejuni-C. coli (3.3 versus 5%). Surprisingly, the EAEC strains isolated did not correspond to well-recognized EPEC serogroups. No Yersinia spp., enteroinvasive E. coli, or enterohemorrhagic E. coli were isolated during the course of this study. Only the following two genera were recovered from diarrheal stools exclusively: Shigella spp. (7.7%) and Aeromonas hydrophila group organisms (3.3%). Shigella flexneri was the most common Shigella species isolated. Patients with Shigella species were of a higher average age than were controls (27 versus 13 years), while subjects with Campylobacter or Salmonella species belonged to younger age groups (2.6 and 1.6 years, respectively). Salmonella cases were more often in females. Shigella diarrhea was associated with fecal blood or mucus and leukocytes. ETEC was not associated with nausea or vomiting. Anorexia, weight loss, and fever were associated with the isolation of Salmonella and Aeromonas species. EAEC, ETEC, EPEC, and Shigella species were resistant to most drugs used for treating diarrhea in Africa, while the antibiotic most active against all bacteria tested was norfloxacin. We conclude that in Djibouti in 1989, Shigella and Aeromonas species must be considered as potential pathogens whenever they are isolated from diarrheal stools and that norfloxacin should be considered the drug of choice in adults for treating severe shigellosis and for diarrhea prophylaxis in travelers. PMID:2351738

[Role of vitamin deficiency in pancytopenia in Djibouti. Findings in a series of 81 consectutive patients].

PubMed

Lavigne, C; Lavigne, E; Massenet, D; Binet, C; Brémond, J L; Prigent, D

2005-01-01

The purpose of this study of patients with pancytopenia in Republic of Djibouti was to identify etiologic factors and attempt to define diagnostic and therapeutic strategies adapted to local conditions. Clinical, biological and radiological assessment was performed in 81 patients hospitalized for pancytopenia. There were 56 men and 25 women. Mean hemoglobin, leukocyte and platelet rates were 56,5 +/- 22,7 g/l, 2,1 +/- 0,7.g/l and 56,2 +/- 24,7 g/l respectively. Vitamin deficiency was the most common cause of pancytopenia (49%), followed by hypersplenism (9%), HIV infection (6%) and leishmaniasis (6%). Vitamin-deficient patients had significantly more severe anemia and thrombopenia and significantly higher mean corpuscular volume than patients with pancytopenia related to other causes. Hemoglobin rate lower than 40 g/L and platelet rate lower than 35 G/L showed a positive predictive values of 90% and 100% respectively for a vitamin deficient pancytopenia. Vitamin deficiency is the most frequent etiology of pancytopenia and causes the most severe cytopenia in Djibouti. Rapid vitamin supplementation after minimal etiologic assessment including a myelogram is an effective treatment strategy for this public health problem.

Extended spectrum of antibiotic susceptibility for tuberculosis, Djibouti.

PubMed

Bouzid, Fériel; Astier, Hélène; Osman, Djaltou Aboubaker; Javelle, Emilie; Hassan, Mohamed Osman; Simon, Fabrice; Garnotel, Eric; Drancourt, Michel

2018-02-01

In the Horn of Africa, there is a high prevalence of tuberculosis that is reported to be partly driven by multidrug-resistant (MDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis strictu sensu strains. We conducted a prospective study to investigate M. tuberculosis complex species causing tuberculosis in Djibouti, and their in vitro susceptibility to standard anti-tuberculous antibiotics in addition to clofazimine, minocycline, chloramphenicol and sulfadiazine. Among the 118 mycobacteria isolates from 118 successive patients with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis, 111 strains of M. tuberculosis, five Mycobacterium canettii, one 'Mycobacterium simulans' and one Mycobacterium kansasii were identified. Drug-susceptibility tests performed on the first 78 isolates yielded nine MDR M. tuberculosis isolates. All isolates were fully susceptible to clofazimine, minocycline and chloramphenicol, and 75 of 78 isolates were susceptible to sulfadiazine. In the Horn of Africa, patients with confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis caused by an in vitro susceptible strain may benefit from anti-leprosy drugs, sulfamides and phenicol antibiotics. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. and International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.

[Serological study of leptospirosis in equids, camelids and bovids from Djibouti].

PubMed

Roqueplo, C; Davoust, B; Mulot, B; Lafrance, B; Kodjo, A

2011-10-01

Sera obtained from 31 domestic and feral animals in Djibouti were assayed for leptospiral antibodies using the microscopic agglutination test. Antibodies were detected in 26 samples (84%), corresponding to 116 positive reactions. The most common antigen serogroups were Icterohaemorrhagiae and Australis. The highest titre was recorded for serovar Munchen (1:1280) in sera from Somalian wild asses and goats. This study shows a broad dispersion and high prevalence of the different Leptospira serogroups tested. High biodiversity has been previously reported in tropical countries and is thought to be linked to the wide range of reservoir mammals. Additional study will be needed to identify the reservoirs of the different serogroups in this part of Africa.

High prevalence of multidrug resistant tuberculosis in Djibouti: a retrospective study.

PubMed

Boyer-Cazajous, Géraldine; Martinaud, Christophe; Déhan, Céline; Hassan, Mohammed Osman; Gaas, Yassin; Chenilleau-Vidal, Marie-Caroline; Soler, Charles

2014-02-13

The Republic of Djibouti is an African country that exhibits one of the highest incidence rate of tuberculosis in the world. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis among new cases. We studied retrospectively every tuberculosis case diagnosed over a 12-month period in patients hospitalized at the French Military Hospital of Bouffard. During this period, 1,274 samples from 675 patients were tested. We isolated 266 mycobacteria corresponding to 180 cases of tuberculosis. Thirty-three were fully susceptible and 57% met the tuberculosis criteria, with 46% primary resistance. No extensively-drug-resistant tuberculosis was found. Our results highlight a major concern about the situation in this part of the world.

[Morbidity and mortality after intensive care management of hemorrhagic stroke in Djibouti].

PubMed

Benois, A; Raynaud, L; Coton, T; Petitjeans, F; Hassan, A; Ilah, A; Sergent, H; Grassin, F; Leberre, J

2009-02-01

Prospective data on management and outcome of stroke in Africa is scarce. The purpose of this prospective descriptive study is to present epidemiologic, clinical and outcome data for a series of patients with hemorrhagic stroke in Djibouti. All patients admitted to the intensive care unit of the Bouffard Medical-Surgical Center in Djibouti for cerebral hemorrhage documented by CT-scan of the brain were recruited in this study. A total of 18 patients including 16 men were enrolled. The median patient age in this series was 51.5 years [range, 20-72]. The median duration of intensive care was 3 days [range, 1-38]. Mean Glasgow score at time of admission was 9 [range, 3-14]. Five patients were brought in by emergency medical airlift. The main risk factors for stroke were arterial hypertension, smoking, and regular khat use. Mechanical ventilation was performed in 10 patients with a survival rate of 40%. Six patients (33%) died in the intensive care unit. Hospital mortality within one month was 39% and mortality at 6 months was 44.4%. One-year survival for patients with a Glasgow score < or = 7 at the time of admission was 33%. Arterial hypertension, khat use, and smoking appeared to be major risk factors for male Djiboutians. Neurologic intensive care techniques provided hospital mortality rates similar to those reported in hospitals located in Western countries. Functional outcome in local survivors appeared to be good despite the absence of functional intensive care. These data argue against the passive, fatalistic approach to management of hemorrhagic stroke and for primary prevention of cardiovascular risk factors.

Progenitor “Mycobacterium canettii” clone responsible for lymph node tuberculosis epidemic, Djibouti.

PubMed

Blouin, Yann; Cazajous, Géraldine; Dehan, Céline; Soler, Charles; Vong, Rithy; Hassan, Mohamed Osman; Hauck, Yolande; Boulais, Christian; Andriamanantena, Dina; Martinaud, Christophe; Martin, Émilie; Pourcel, Christine; Vergnaud, Gilles

2014-01-01

“Mycobacterium canettii,” an opportunistic human pathogen living in an unknown environmental reservoir, is the progenitor species from which Mycobacterium tuberculosis emerged. Since its discovery in 1969, most of the ≈70 known M. canettii strains were isolated in the Republic of Djibouti, frequently from expatriate children and adults. We show here, by whole-genome sequencing, that most strains collected from February 2010 through March 2013, and associated with 2 outbreaks of lymph node tuberculosis in children, belong to a unique epidemic clone within M. canettii. Evolution of this clone, which has been recovered regularly since 1983, may mimic the birth of M. tuberculosis. Thus, recognizing this organism and identifying its reservoir are clinically important.

Progenitor “Mycobacterium canettii” Clone Responsible for Lymph Node Tuberculosis Epidemic, Djibouti

PubMed Central

Blouin, Yann; Cazajous, Géraldine; Dehan, Céline; Soler, Charles; Vong, Rithy; Hassan, Mohamed Osman; Hauck, Yolande; Boulais, Christian; Andriamanantena, Dina; Martinaud, Christophe; Martin, Émilie; Pourcel, Christine

2014-01-01

“Mycobacterium canettii,” an opportunistic human pathogen living in an unknown environmental reservoir, is the progenitor species from which Mycobacterium tuberculosis emerged. Since its discovery in 1969, most of the ≈70 known M. canettii strains were isolated in the Republic of Djibouti, frequently from expatriate children and adults. We show here, by whole-genome sequencing, that most strains collected from February 2010 through March 2013, and associated with 2 outbreaks of lymph node tuberculosis in children, belong to a unique epidemic clone within M. canettii. Evolution of this clone, which has been recovered regularly since 1983, may mimic the birth of M. tuberculosis. Thus, recognizing this organism and identifying its reservoir are clinically important. PMID:24520560

[Management of bluespotted stingray injuries in Djibouti from July 2008 to July 2009].

PubMed

Aigle, L; Lions, C; Mottier, F; Ollivier, L

2010-06-01

Although stingray injuries have always been frequent in the Republic of Djibouti, it was not until July 2008 that the Bouffard Hospital developed a standardised management protocol. The purpose of this report is to describe that protocol and evaluate its impact on the outcome of stingray injuries based on a prospective study for the period between July 2008 and July 2009. During the study period, 12 stingray stings were treated. The treatment protocol that is based on a multidisciplinary approach involving the intensivist, anaesthesiologist, and surgeon achieved wound healing within one month. This outcome contrasts with previous publications that have generally described longer healing times with frequent infectious complications.

Maternal infibulation and obstetrical outcome in Djibouti.

PubMed

Minsart, Anne-Frederique; N'guyen, Thai-Son; Ali Hadji, Rachid; Caillet, Martin

2015-01-01

The objective of the present study was to assess the relation between female genital mutilation and obstetric outcome in an East African urban clinic with a standardized care, taking into account medical and socioeconomic status. This was a cohort study conducted in Djibouti between October 1, 2012 and April 30, 2014. Overall 643 mothers were interviewed and clinically assessed for the presence of female genital mutilation. The prevalence of obstetric complications by infibulation status was included in a multivariate stepwise regression model. Overall, 29 of 643 women did not have any form of mutilation (4.5%), as opposed to 238 of 643 women with infibulation (37.0%), 369 with type 2 (57.4%), and 7 with type 1 mutilation (1.1%).Women with a severe type of mutilation were more likely to have socio-economic and medical risk factors. After adjustment, the only outcome that was significantly related with infibulation was the presence of meconium-stained amniotic fluid with an odds ratio of 1.58 (1.10-2.27), p value=0.014. Infibulation was not related with excess perinatal morbidity in this setting with a very high prevalence of female genital mutilation, but future research should concentrate on the relation between infibulation and meconium.

Epidemiology and genetic characterization of HIV-1 isolates in the general population of Djibouti (Horn of Africa).

PubMed

Maslin, Jérôme; Rogier, Christophe; Berger, Franck; Khamil, Mohamed Ali; Mattera, Didier; Grandadam, Marc; Caron, Mélanie; Nicand, Elizabeth

2005-06-01

During a national survey in 2002 in Djibouti, serum samples were collected using a valid sampling scheme from 2423 Djiboutians representing the general population of urban and rural districts. The HIV-1 seroprevalence was 2%. The HIV-1 polymerase gene from 53 untreated patients was amplified. Phylogenetic analysis of 34 isolates revealed a majority of subtype C (73%) as well as other subtypes, including CRF02_AG recombinants (18%), subtype D (6%), and subtype A (3%).

[Assessment of surgical teleconsultations in a developing country: two years of experience in Djibouti].

PubMed

Bertani, A; Menguy, P; Delmas, J M; Launay, F; Mathieu, L; Candoni, P; Dulou, R; Rongiéras, F

2012-01-01

Our objective was to assess the influence of teleconsultations on patient management and clinical outcomes in a developing country. All the surgical teleconsultations by a single surgeon (orthopedist) between November 2009 and November 2011 were recorded. Neurosurgery and pediatric orthopedics were the two most important specialities most often concerned, accounting for 67% of the 157 teleconsultations for 138 patients. The teleconsultations resolved the diagnostic uncertainties in 29 of 37 cases (78%). Advice from the expert modified management in 69% cases. Clinical outcomes were good or very good in 86% of the treated patients. This study establishes the feasibility and usefulness of surgical teleconsultations in Djibouti.

Clinical Survey of Dengue Virus Circulation in the Republic of Djibouti between 2011 and 2014 Identifies Serotype 3 Epidemic and Recommends Clinical Diagnosis Guidelines for Resource Limited Settings.

PubMed

Le Gonidec, Erwan; Maquart, Marianne; Duron, Sandrine; Savini, Hélène; Cazajous, Geraldine; Vidal, Pierre-Olivier; Chenilleau, Marie-Caroline; Roseau, Jean-Baptiste; Benois, Alain; Dehan, Céline; Kugelman, Jeffrey; Leparc-Goffart, Isabelle; Védy, Serge

2016-06-01

Dengue virus is endemic globally, throughout tropical and sub-tropical regions. While the number of epidemics due to the four DENV serotypes is pronounced in East Africa, the total number of cases reported in Africa (16 million infections) remained at low levels compared to Asia (70 million infections). The French Armed forces Health Service provides epidemiological surveillance support in the Republic of Djibouti through the Bouffard Military hospital. Between 2011 and 2014, clinical and biological data of suspected dengue syndromes were collected at the Bouffard Military hospital and analyzed to improve Dengue clinical diagnosis and evaluate its circulation in East Africa. Examining samples from patients that presented one or more Dengue-like symptoms the study evidenced 128 Dengue cases among 354 suspected cases (36.2% of the non-malarial Dengue-like syndromes). It also demonstrated the circulation of serotypes 1 and 2 and reports the first epidemic of serotype 3 infections in Djibouti which was found in all of the hospitalized patients in this study. Based on these results we have determined that screening for Malaria and the presence of the arthralgia, gastro-intestinal symptoms and lymphopenia < 1,000cell/ mm3 allows for negative predictive value and specificity of diagnosis in isolated areas superior to 80% up to day 6. This study also provides evidence for an epidemic of Dengue virus serotype 3 previously not detected in Djibouti.

Clinical Survey of Dengue Virus Circulation in the Republic of Djibouti between 2011 and 2014 Identifies Serotype 3 Epidemic and Recommends Clinical Diagnosis Guidelines for Resource Limited Settings

PubMed Central

Duron, Sandrine; Savini, Hélène; Cazajous, Geraldine; Vidal, Pierre-Olivier; Chenilleau, Marie-Caroline; Roseau, Jean-Baptiste; Benois, Alain; Dehan, Céline; Kugelman, Jeffrey; Leparc-Goffart, Isabelle; Védy, Serge

2016-01-01

Dengue virus is endemic globally, throughout tropical and sub-tropical regions. While the number of epidemics due to the four DENV serotypes is pronounced in East Africa, the total number of cases reported in Africa (16 million infections) remained at low levels compared to Asia (70 million infections). The French Armed forces Health Service provides epidemiological surveillance support in the Republic of Djibouti through the Bouffard Military hospital. Between 2011 and 2014, clinical and biological data of suspected dengue syndromes were collected at the Bouffard Military hospital and analyzed to improve Dengue clinical diagnosis and evaluate its circulation in East Africa. Examining samples from patients that presented one or more Dengue-like symptoms the study evidenced 128 Dengue cases among 354 suspected cases (36.2% of the non-malarial Dengue-like syndromes). It also demonstrated the circulation of serotypes 1 and 2 and reports the first epidemic of serotype 3 infections in Djibouti which was found in all of the hospitalized patients in this study. Based on these results we have determined that screening for Malaria and the presence of the arthralgia, gastro-intestinal symptoms and lymphopenia < 1,000cell/ mm3 allows for negative predictive value and specificity of diagnosis in isolated areas superior to 80% up to day 6. This study also provides evidence for an epidemic of Dengue virus serotype 3 previously not detected in Djibouti. PMID:27322644

[Whole-blood transfusion for hemorrhagic shock resuscitation: two cases in Djibouti].

PubMed

Cordier, P Y; Eve, O; Dehan, C; Topin, F; Menguy, P; Bertani, A; Massoure, P L; Kaiser, E

2012-01-01

Hemorrhagic shock requires early aggressive treatment, including transfusion of packed red blood cells and hemostatic resuscitation. In austere environments, when component therapy is not available, warm fresh whole-blood transfusion is a convenient treatment. It provides red blood cells, clotting factors, and functional platelets. Therefore it is commonly used in military practice to treat hemorrhagic shock in combat casualties. At Bouffard Hospital Center in Djibouti, the supply of packed red blood cells is limited, and apheresis platelets are unavailable. We used whole blood transfusion in two civilian patients with life-threatening non-traumatic hemorrhages. One had massive bleeding caused by disseminated intravascular coagulation due to septic shock; the second was a 39 year-old pregnant woman with uterine rupture. In both cases, whole blood transfusion (twelve and ten 500 mL bags respectively), combined with etiological treatment, enabled coagulopathy correction, hemorrhage control, and satisfactory recovery.

First Evidence of Epithermal Gold Occurrences in the SE Afar Rift, Republic of Djibouti

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moussa, Nima; Fouquet, Yves; Caminiti, Antoine Marie; Le Gall, Bernard; Rolet, Joel; Bohn, Marcel; Etoubleau, Joel; Delacourt, Christophe; Jalludin, Mohamed

2010-05-01

The Republic of Djibouti, located at the SE part of the Afar volcanic Triangle, is characterized by intense tectonic and bimodal volcanic activity, and is emplaced over an earlier magmatic rift system, as old as 25-30 Ma. Each magmatic event is accompanied by hydrothermal activity. Few works have been so far published on hydrothermal mineralization in the Afar area. Mineralization generally occur as veins and are mainly associated with acidic volcanic intrusions along the fractures at the edges of grabens established during the last 4 Ma. Eighty samples from hydrothermal quartz ± carbonate veins and breccias were studied on 9 different sites representative of 4 main volcanic events ranging in age from early Miocene up to Present. Gold was found in excess of 200 ppb in 30% of the samples. Mineralogical analyses based on optical reflected light microscopy, X-Ray diffractometry, X-Ray fluorescence, inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy and electron microprobe, led us to identify two types of gold mineralization (i) native gold, electrum, hessite and sulfides (chalcopyrite, pyrite, bornite, ± sphalerite, and galena) in massive quartz breccias and banded chalcedony, (ii) gold, electrum, hematite, magnetite, trace minerals (argentite) and adularia in banded chalcedony. Another group without gold is characterized by quartz, pyrite ± goethite. Secondary minerals are characterized by goethite, native silver and native copper. Arsenic is enriched in pyrite in samples with a high gold content. The bimodal volcanism, the occurrence of adularia, the native gold and electrum in banded silica veins, are classically observed in neutral epithermal systems. The discovery of this type of mineralization in a recent-active continental rift system supplies new insights about hydrothermal processes associated with volcanic activity in a spreading context. Keywords: Republic of Djibouti, Afar Triangle, Hydrothermal, Epithermal system, Gold

Establishing the extent of malaria transmission and challenges facing pre-elimination in the Republic of Djibouti.

PubMed

Noor, Abdisalan M; Mohamed, Maoulid B; Mugyenyi, Cleopatra K; Osman, Mouna A; Guessod, Hawa H; Kabaria, Caroline W; Ahmed, Ifrah A; Nyonda, Mary; Cook, Jackie; Drakeley, Christopher J; Mackinnon, Margaret J; Snow, Robert W

2011-05-11

Countries aiming for malaria elimination require a detailed understanding of the current intensity of malaria transmission within their national borders. National household sample surveys are now being used to define infection prevalence but these are less efficient in areas of exceptionally low endemicity. Here we present the results of a national malaria indicator survey in the Republic of Djibouti, the first in sub-Saharan Africa to combine parasitological and serological markers of malaria, to evaluate the extent of transmission in the country and explore the potential for elimination. A national cross-sectional household survey was undertaken from December 2008 to January 2009. A finger prick blood sample was taken from randomly selected participants of all ages to examine for parasitaemia using rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and confirmed using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Blood spots were also collected on filter paper and subsequently used to evaluate the presence of serological markers (combined AMA-1 and MSP-119) of Plasmodium falciparum exposure. Multivariate regression analysis was used to determine the risk factors for P. falciparum infection and/or exposure. The Getis-Ord G-statistic was used to assess spatial heterogeneity of combined infections and serological markers. A total of 7151 individuals were tested using RDTs of which only 42 (0.5%) were positive for P. falciparum infections and confirmed by PCR. Filter paper blood spots were collected for 5605 individuals. Of these 4769 showed concordant optical density results and were retained in subsequent analysis. Overall P. falciparum sero-prevalence was 9.9% (517/4769) for all ages; 6.9% (46/649) in children under the age of five years; and 14.2% (76/510) in the oldest age group (≥50 years). The combined infection and/or antibody prevalence was 10.5% (550/4769) and varied from 8.1% to 14.1% but overall regional differences were not statistically significant (χ2=33.98, p=0.3144). Increasing

Establishing the extent of malaria transmission and challenges facing pre-elimination in the Republic of Djibouti

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Countries aiming for malaria elimination require a detailed understanding of the current intensity of malaria transmission within their national borders. National household sample surveys are now being used to define infection prevalence but these are less efficient in areas of exceptionally low endemicity. Here we present the results of a national malaria indicator survey in the Republic of Djibouti, the first in sub-Saharan Africa to combine parasitological and serological markers of malaria, to evaluate the extent of transmission in the country and explore the potential for elimination. Methods A national cross-sectional household survey was undertaken from December 2008 to January 2009. A finger prick blood sample was taken from randomly selected participants of all ages to examine for parasitaemia using rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and confirmed using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Blood spots were also collected on filter paper and subsequently used to evaluate the presence of serological markers (combined AMA-1 and MSP-119) of Plasmodium falciparum exposure. Multivariate regression analysis was used to determine the risk factors for P. falciparum infection and/or exposure. The Getis-Ord G-statistic was used to assess spatial heterogeneity of combined infections and serological markers. Results A total of 7151 individuals were tested using RDTs of which only 42 (0.5%) were positive for P. falciparum infections and confirmed by PCR. Filter paper blood spots were collected for 5605 individuals. Of these 4769 showed concordant optical density results and were retained in subsequent analysis. Overall P. falciparum sero-prevalence was 9.9% (517/4769) for all ages; 6.9% (46/649) in children under the age of five years; and 14.2% (76/510) in the oldest age group (≥ 50 years). The combined infection and/or antibody prevalence was 10.5% (550/4769) and varied from 8.1% to 14.1% but overall regional differences were not statistically significant (χ2

Evidence of Rickettsia and Orientia Infections Among Abattoir Workers in Djibouti.

PubMed

Horton, Katherine C; Jiang, Ju; Maina, Alice; Dueger, Erica; Zayed, Alia; Ahmed, Ammar Abdo; Pimentel, Guillermo; Richards, Allen L

2016-08-03

Of 49 workers at a Djiboutian abattoir, eight (16%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 9-29) were seropositive against spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR), two (4%, 95% CI: 1-14) against typhus group rickettsiae, and three (6%, 95% CI: 2-17) against orientiae. One worker (9%, 95% CI: 2-38) seroconverted against orientiae during the study period. This is the first evidence of orientiae exposure in the Horn of Africa. SFGR were also identified by polymerase chain reaction in 32 of 189 (11%, 95% CI: 8-15) tick pools from 26 of 72 (36%) cattle. Twenty-five (8%, 95% CI: 6-12) tick pools were positive for Rickettsia africae, the causative agent of African tick-bite fever. Health-care providers in Djibouti should be aware of the possibility of rickettsiae infections among patients, although further research is needed to determine the impact of these infections in the country. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Evidence of Rickettsia and Orientia Infections among Abattoir Workers in Djibouti

PubMed Central

Horton, Katherine C.; Jiang, Ju; Maina, Alice; Dueger, Erica; Zayed, Alia; Ahmed, Ammar Abdo; Pimentel, Guillermo; Richards, Allen L.

2016-01-01

Of 49 workers at a Djiboutian abattoir, eight (16%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 9–29) were seropositive against spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR), two (4%, 95% CI: 1–14) against typhus group rickettsiae, and three (6%, 95% CI: 2–17) against orientiae. One worker (9%, 95% CI: 2–38) seroconverted against orientiae during the study period. This is the first evidence of orientiae exposure in the Horn of Africa. SFGR were also identified by polymerase chain reaction in 32 of 189 (11%, 95% CI: 8–15) tick pools from 26 of 72 (36%) cattle. Twenty-five (8%, 95% CI: 6–12) tick pools were positive for Rickettsia africae, the causative agent of African tick-bite fever. Health-care providers in Djibouti should be aware of the possibility of rickettsiae infections among patients, although further research is needed to determine the impact of these infections in the country. PMID:27273647

Population genetics analysis during the elimination process of Plasmodium falciparum in Djibouti

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Case management of imported malaria within the context of malaria pre-elimination is increasingly considered to be relevant because of the risk of resurgence. The assessment of malaria importation would provide key data i) to select countries with propitious conditions for pre-elimination phase and ii) to predict its feasibility. Recently, a sero-prevalence study in Djibouti indicated low malaria prevalence, which is propitious for the implementation of pre-elimination, but data on the extent of malaria importation remain unknown. Methods Djiboutian plasmodial populations were analysed over an eleven-year period (1998, 1999, 2002 and 2009). The risk of malaria importation was indirectly assessed by using plasmodial population parameters. Based on 5 microsatellite markers, expected heterozygosity (H.e.), multiplicity of infection, pairwise Fst index, multiple correspondence analysis and individual genetic relationship were determined. The prevalence of single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with pyrimethamine resistance was also determined. Results Data indicated a significant decline in genetic diversity (0.51, 0.59, 0.51 and 0 in 1998, 1999, 2002 and 2009, respectively) over the study period, which is inconsistent with the level of malaria importation described in a previous study. This suggested that Djiboutian malaria situation may have benefited from the decline of malaria prevalence that occurred in neighbouring countries, in particular in Ethiopia. The high Fst indices derived from plasmodial populations from one study period to another (0.12 between 1999 and 2002, and 0.43 between 2002 and 2009) suggested a random sampling of parasites, probably imported from neighbouring countries, leading to oligo-clonal expansion of few different strains during each transmission season. Nevertheless, similar genotypes observed during the study period suggested recurrent migrations and imported malaria. Conclusion In the present study, the extent of genetic

Population genetics analysis during the elimination process of Plasmodium falciparum in Djibouti.

PubMed

Khaireh, Bouh Abdi; Assefa, Ashenafi; Guessod, Hawa Hassan; Basco, Leonardo K; Khaireh, Mohamed Abdi; Pascual, Aurélie; Briolant, Sébastien; Bouh, Samatar Mohamed; Farah, Ismaïl Hassan; Ali, Habib Moussa; Abdi, Abdoul-Ilah Ahmed; Aden, Mouna Osman; Abdillahi, Zamzam; Ayeh, Souleiman Nour; Darar, Houssein Youssouf; Koeck, Jean-Louis; Rogier, Christophe; Pradines, Bruno; Bogreau, Hervé

2013-06-13

Case management of imported malaria within the context of malaria pre-elimination is increasingly considered to be relevant because of the risk of resurgence. The assessment of malaria importation would provide key data i) to select countries with propitious conditions for pre-elimination phase and ii) to predict its feasibility. Recently, a sero-prevalence study in Djibouti indicated low malaria prevalence, which is propitious for the implementation of pre-elimination, but data on the extent of malaria importation remain unknown. Djiboutian plasmodial populations were analysed over an eleven-year period (1998, 1999, 2002 and 2009). The risk of malaria importation was indirectly assessed by using plasmodial population parameters. Based on 5 microsatellite markers, expected heterozygosity (H.e.), multiplicity of infection, pairwise Fst index, multiple correspondence analysis and individual genetic relationship were determined. The prevalence of single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with pyrimethamine resistance was also determined. Data indicated a significant decline in genetic diversity (0.51, 0.59, 0.51 and 0 in 1998, 1999, 2002 and 2009, respectively) over the study period, which is inconsistent with the level of malaria importation described in a previous study. This suggested that Djiboutian malaria situation may have benefited from the decline of malaria prevalence that occurred in neighbouring countries, in particular in Ethiopia. The high Fst indices derived from plasmodial populations from one study period to another (0.12 between 1999 and 2002, and 0.43 between 2002 and 2009) suggested a random sampling of parasites, probably imported from neighbouring countries, leading to oligo-clonal expansion of few different strains during each transmission season. Nevertheless, similar genotypes observed during the study period suggested recurrent migrations and imported malaria. In the present study, the extent of genetic diversity was used to assess the risk

[Aeromedical evacuation of critically ill patients in developing countries A retrospective study on 244 patients in Djibouti].

PubMed

Bordes, J; Loheas, D; Benois, A

2015-01-01

The pratice of intensive care in Africa is marked by a wide variety of health care delivery. Only a few centers offer specialized intensive care units, as cardiac or neurological units. That may explain the need for aeromedical evacuations for patients whose condition exceeds local capacity. Our objective was to assess whether the proportion of patients admitted to intensive care and evacuated had increased between 1997 and 2013 in a developing country, Djibouti. We examined the activity register of Bouffard Hospital intensive care unit in Djibouti to determine the number and characteristics of patients evacuated by air ambulance during a 16 years period. From January 1997 to December 2013, a total of 244 patients were evacuated. The evacuation rate was 5.74ù of the patients admitted to the entire duration of the study. The rate of patients evacuated was not different between 1997 and 2013 (5,69ù versus 8,33ù respectively, p = 0,269). However, the rate of djiboutian evacuated patients was statistically different between 1997 and 2013 (0,96ù versus 4,46ù, p = 0,02). The main causes were severe trauma injuries, cardiovascular diseases and neurological diseases. The aeromedical evacuation of a critically ill patient in a developing country is a process requiring heavy logistics and depending on the medical skills available in the area, and financial resources that can be implemented for the patient. Our study shows that medical evacuations in favor of Djiboutian patients are marginal but are increasing over the past decade.

Low Prevalence of HIV Infection in Djibouti - Has the AIDS Epidemic Come to a Stop at the Horn of Africa?

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-01-01

Abbatte’ Ministre de la Sante ernmost part of the Horn of Africa. Its inhabitants publique : Dr Albert; WHO, Djibouti: Dr Wassef; H6pital belong to...Research Unit No. 3, FPO, New York, NY entreprise : Dr Said; Cabinet Medical: Dr Rodier" and Mr 09527-1600, USA. Adel; Dispensaire de Randa: Dr Qufz&k...41 at the Service Medical Inter- entreprise , at the Nation- hospital patients with a disease compatible with al Army Health Centre, at the Service

[Invasive aspergillosis of sphenoidal sinus in a patient in Djibouti, revealed by palsy of cranial nerves: a case report].

PubMed

Crambert, A; Gauthier, J; Vignal, R; Conessa, C; Lombard, B

2013-05-01

The authors report a case of invasive aspergillosis of a sphenoid sinus mucocele revealed in a patient with diabetes in Djibouti by homolateral palsy of the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th nerves. This rare condition occurs preferentially in immunodeficient subjects. Because of its clinical polymorphism, its diagnosis is difficult and is often not made until complications develop. Endonasal surgery with anatomopathological and mycological examination is both a diagnostic and therapeutic procedure. It must be performed early, to avoid functional or even life-threatening complications.

Contribution of brain CT in the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis: a case report from Djibouti.

PubMed

Garetier, M; Roche, N C; Longin, C; Clapson, P; Benois, A; Rousset, J

2017-08-01

Tuberculous meningitis, a serious disease with high mortality and morbidity, remains frequent in countries with endemic tuberculosis. Its non-specific presentation often delays the introduction of appropriate treatment. Its definitive diagnosis requires isolation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from cerebrospinal fluid, although this test may be negative without conclusively ruling out this diagnosis. A presumptive diagnosis should be reached as soon as possible through a body of clinical evidence, including the lumbar puncture findings. Brain computed tomography (CT) with and without contrast medium injection is helpful for the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis and its complications. We discuss the features of CT and their value in relation to a case of tuberculous meningitis in Djibouti, as well as the role of CT in managing this disease.

Twenty-five years of geodetic measurements along the Tadjoura-Asal rift system, Djibouti, East Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vigny, Christophe; de Chabalier, Jean-Bernard; Ruegg, Jean-Claude; Huchon, Philippe; Feigl, Kurt L.; Cattin, Rodolphe; Asfaw, Laike; Kanbari, Khaled

2007-06-01

Since most of Tadjoura-Asal rift system sits on dry land in the Afar depression near the triple junction between the Arabia, Somalia, and Nubia plates, it is an ideal natural laboratory for studying rifting processes. We analyze these processes in light of a time series of geodetic measurements from 1978 through 2003. The surveys used triangulation (1973), trilateration (1973, 1979, and 1981-1986), leveling (1973, 1979, 1984-1985, and 2000), and the Global Positioning System (GPS, in 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, and 2003). A network of about 30 GPS sites covers the Republic of Djibouti. Additional points were also measured in Yemen and Ethiopia. Stations lying in the Danakil block have almost the same velocity as Arabian plate, indicating that opening near the southern tip of the Red Sea is almost totally accommodated in the Afar depression. Inside Djibouti, the Asal-Ghoubbet rift system accommodates 16 ± 1 mm/yr of opening perpendicular to the rift axis and exhibits a pronounced asymmetry with essentially null deformation on its southwestern side and significant deformation on its northeastern side. This rate, slightly higher than the large-scale Arabia-Somalia motion (13 ± 1 mm/yr), suggests transient variations associated with relaxation processes following the Asal-Ghoubbet seismovolcanic sequence of 1978. Inside the rift, the deformation pattern exhibits a clear two-dimensional pattern. Along the rift axis, the rate decreases to the northwest, suggesting propagation in the same direction. Perpendicular to the rift axis, the focus of the opening is clearly shifted to the northeast, relative to the topographic rift axis, in the "Petit Rift," a rift-in-rift structure, containing most of the active faults and the seismicity. Vertical motions, measured by differential leveling, show the same asymmetric pattern with a bulge of the northeastern shoulder. Although the inner floor of the rift is subsiding with respect to the shoulders, all sites within the

Short communication. Antiretroviral drug resistance among drug-naive HIV-1-infected individuals in Djibouti (Horn of Africa).

PubMed

Maslin, Jérôme; Rogier, Christophe; Caron, Melanie; Grandadam, Marc; Koeck, Jean-Louis; Nicand, Elisabeth

2005-01-01

To survey the frequency of genotypic antiretroviral resistance in drug-naive HIV-1-infected Djiboutians. A national study was conducted in the general population of Djibouti in March 2002 to determine HIV-1 seroprevalence. Blood samples were collected anonymously and plasma samples scoring positive for HIV-1 antibodies were tested for viral load. Genotypic studies were performed with viral RNA from plasma using the consensus technique of the Agence Nationale de Recherche sur le SIDA (www.hivfrenchresistance.org). Mutations were identified using the International AIDS Society-USA resistance panel and resistant virus was defined according to the ANRS algorithm. A panel of 2423 individuals representing the general population of Djibouti was included. Antibodies were detected in 53 of 2423 samples tested. The HIV-1 seroprevalence in the general population was 2.2%. Genotype C was the most prevalent, and the other isolates were CRF_02 AG, or subtype A or D. Forty-seven of the 53 samples were tested for genotypic resistance, and mutations concerning all three classes of antiretrovirals were found. The most frequent were secondary mutations associated with protease inhibitors (PIs): M36I, R41K and K20I/R. A few strains displayed primary mutations (the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor [NNRTI]-associated mutations K101E, K103T, L100I and G190V; the PI-associated mutation N88D; and the NRTI-associated mutation K65R). The presence of these mutations may be due to the transmission of strains from treated patients. Substantial polymorphism and a few primary mutations are found in HIV-1 non-B subtype isolates from Djiboutian antiretroviral-drug-naive individuals. This needs to be taken into account to adapt antiretroviral regimens and prophylactic schedules locally.

Culture and Next-generation sequencing-based drug susceptibility testing unveil high levels of drug-resistant-TB in Djibouti: results from the first national survey.

PubMed

Tagliani, Elisa; Hassan, Mohamed Osman; Waberi, Yacine; De Filippo, Maria Rosaria; Falzon, Dennis; Dean, Anna; Zignol, Matteo; Supply, Philip; Abdoulkader, Mohamed Ali; Hassangue, Hawa; Cirillo, Daniela Maria

2017-12-15

Djibouti is a small country in the Horn of Africa with a high TB incidence (378/100,000 in 2015). Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and resistance to second-line agents have been previously identified in the country but the extent of the problem has yet to be quantified. A national survey was conducted to estimate the proportion of MDR-TB among a representative sample of TB patients. Sputum was tested using XpertMTB/RIF and samples positive for MTB and resistant to rifampicin underwent first line phenotypic susceptibility testing. The TB supranational reference laboratory in Milan, Italy, undertook external quality assurance, genotypic testing based on whole genome and targeted-deep sequencing and phylogenetic studies. 301 new and 66 previously treated TB cases were enrolled. MDR-TB was detected in 34 patients: 4.7% of new and 31% of previously treated cases. Resistance to pyrazinamide, aminoglycosides and capreomycin was detected in 68%, 18% and 29% of MDR-TB strains respectively, while resistance to fluoroquinolones was not detected. Cluster analysis identified transmission of MDR-TB as a critical factor fostering drug resistance in the country. Levels of MDR-TB in Djibouti are among the highest on the African continent. High prevalence of resistance to pyrazinamide and second-line injectable agents have important implications for treatment regimens.

Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus and HIV-1 seroprevalences in prostitutes in Djibouti.

PubMed

Marcelin, Anne-Geneviève; Grandadam, Marc; Flandre, Philippe; Nicand, Elisabeth; Milliancourt, Catherine; Koeck, Jean-Louis; Philippon, Michel; Teyssou, Remy; Agut, Henri; Dupin, Nicolas; Calvez, Vincent

2002-10-01

Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) is linked causally to Kaposi's sarcoma. Epidemiological studies have shown that KSHV transmission can occur during sex among homosexual men, but heterosexual transmission seems to be very rare in KSHV low prevalence countries. A seroepidemiological study was conducted to determine whether KSHV is transmitted sexually between heterosexuals in an endemic country. Sera from 282 subjects of African origin living in Djibouti were tested for antibodies to KSHV and HIV-1. Among the 282 individuals, 43 were female prostitutes working in the streets (group 1), 123 were female prostitutes working in luxury bars (group 2), 41 were non-prostitute females (group 3), and 75 were non-prostitute males (group 4). KSHV seroprevalence was 26, 20, 17, and 36% in groups 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. The seroprevalence of KSHV is not different between street or bar prostitutes and non-prostitute females (OR = 1.67; P = 0.34 and OR = 1.18; P = 0.73). These results suggest that in this endemic country commercial sex work does not seem to be a risk factor for KSHV infection and provides evidence against heterosexual transmission of KSHV in the female population studied. Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

[Characterisation of viral agents with potential to cause diarrhea in Djibouti].

PubMed

Maslin, J; Kohli, E; Leveque, N; Chomel, J J; Nicand, E; Fouet, C; Haus, R; Depina, J J; Mathecowitsch, P; Dampierre, H

2007-06-01

Due to limited laboratory facilities in the tropics, the exact role of enteric viruses in causing diarrhea among adults in the tropics is unknown. The purpose of this report is to describe a multicenter study undertaken in Djibouti to determine the prevalence of a large panel of enteric viruses using immunochromatography; antigenic detection by ELISA, RT-PCR cellular inoculation, sequence analysis; and indirect serology. Study samples were collected from 108 patients presenting acute and sporadic diarrhea. Although they are well known causes of diarrhea in children, rotavirus and adenovirus were identified in only 2 and 5% of adults respectively. In contrast human caliciviruses (HuCVs) and enterovirus were identified in 25 and 42% of adult cases respectively. Uncommon genotypes of HuCVs and recombinant forms (junction pol/l cap) as well as a significant number of sapovirus (30%) were identified. Further study is needed to clarify the role of enterovirus (echovirus) in the etiology of acute diarrhea in adults. No polivirus was identified. These new data from the Horn of Africa increase our knowledge about the epidemiology of acute infectious diarrhea that is a major public health problem and potential danger for travelers.

Assessment of Late Quaternary strain partitioning in the Afar Triple Junction: Dobe and Hanle grabens, Ethiopia and Djibouti

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polun, S. G.; Stockman, M. B.; Hickcox, K.; Horrell, D.; Tesfaye, S.; Gomez, F. G.

2015-12-01

As the only subaerial exposure of a ridge - ridge - ridge triple junction, the Afar region of Ethiopia and Djibouti offers a rare opportunity to assess strain partitioning within this type of triple junction. Here, the plate boundaries do not link discretely, but rather the East African rift meets the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden rifts in a zone of diffuse normal faulting characterized by a lack of magmatic activity, referred to as the central Afar. An initial assessment of Late Quaternary strain partitioning is based on faulted landforms in the Dobe - Hanle graben system in Ethiopia and Djibouti. These two extensional basins are connected by an imbricated accommodation zone. Several fault scarps occur within terraces formed during the last highstand of Lake Dobe, around 5 ka - they provide a means of calibrating a numerical model of fault scarp degradation. Additional timing constraints will be provided by pending exposure ages. The spreading rates of both grabens are equivalent, however in Dobe graben, extension is partitioned 2:1 between northern, south dipping faults and the southern, north dipping fault. Extension in Hanle graben is primarily focused on the north dipping Hanle fault. On the north margin of Dobe graben, the boundary fault bifurcates, where the basin-bordering fault displays a significantly higher modeled uplift rate than the more distal fault, suggesting a basinward propagation of faulting. On the southern Dobe fault, surveyed fault scarps have ages ranging from 30 - 5 ka with uplift rates of 0.71, 0.47, and 0.68 mm/yr, suggesting no secular variation in slip rates from the late Plestocene through the Holocene. These rates are converted into horizontal stretching estimates, which are compared with regional strain estimated from velocities of relatively sparse GPS data.

[Epidemiology of resistance to antituberculosis drugs in Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex strains isolated from adenopathies in Djibouti. Prospective study carried out in 1999].

PubMed

Koeck, J L; Bernatas, J J; Gerome, P; Fabre, M; Houmed, A; Herve, V; Teyssou, R

2002-01-01

Tuberculosis is a major cause of death in the Republic of Djibouti. Tuberculous lymphadenitis represents about 25% of the clinical forms of tuberculosis in this country. Between January 1999 and April 1999, 196 lymph node specimens were consecutively collected from 153 patients living in Djibouti. Testing of susceptibility to the major anti-tuberculosis drugs was performed by the proportion method. Growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex strains was obtained from specimens of 85 patients including 9 with prior treatment. Strains were identified as Mycobacterium tuberculosis in 78 cases, Mycobacterium canetti in 3, Mycobacterium africanum in 3, and Mycobacterium bovis in 1. Prevalence of HIV infection was 15%. Assessment of primary resistance demonstrated that the overall resistance rate, i.e., resistance to 1 or more drugs, was 18 (21.2%). Results showed resistance to isoniazid (H) in 6 cases (7.1%), rifampicin (R) in 3 (3.5%), ethambutol (E) in 1 (1.2%), streptomycin (S) in 13 (15.3%) and pyrazinamide (Z) in 1 (1.2%). Multidrug resistance (MDR) was found in 2 cases (2.4%). Assessment of acquired resistance demonstrated resistance to H in 4 cases (44%), R in 2 (22%), S in 2 (22%), E in 0, Z in 0 and MDR in 1 (11%). These findings were not significantly different from data obtained from sputum samples analysed between 1997 and 2000 or from those described in a study conducted in 1985.

Haematophageous vector monitoring in Djibouti city from 2008 to 2009: first records of Culex pipiens ssp. torridus (IGLISCH), and Anopheles sergentii (theobald).

PubMed

Faulde, Michael K; Ahmed, Ammar A

2010-08-01

The Horn of Africa represents a region formerly known to be highly susceptible to mosquito-borne infectious diseases. In order to monitor and analyze the current presence and threat of vector mosquitoes, continuous and standardized trapping using CDC light traps without an additional CO2-generator has been carried out at six selected monitoring sites located in Djibouti City, from August 2008 until December 2009. An overall of 620 haematophageous Diptera were trapped, 603 (97.3%) were mosquitoes, 10 (1.6%) were sand flies, and 7 (1.1%) were biting midges, respectively. Genus distribution of mosquitoes revealed that 600 (99.5%) were Culex spp., 2 (0.3%) were Anopheles sergentii, and 1 (0.2%) was Aedes aegypti. Culex species were represented by Cx. quinquefasciatus (78.5%), and Cx. pipiens ssp. torridus (21.5%). The later species was first detected focally in early December 2009 showing a strongly increasing population density resulting in a maximum trap rate of 25 mosquitoes per trap night. Sand flies were all Sergentomyia antennata, and biting midges of the genus Culicoides were represented by C. nubeculosus (71.4%) and C. vexans (28.6 %). The findings included the first records for Cx. pipiens ssp. torridus and An. sergentii in Djibouti. However, none of the captured female Culex spp, the known vector for West Nile Virus, showed positive results for viral nucleic acids using WNV RT-real time PCR system. Also, females An. sergentii were Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax circumsporozoite protein negative.

Prevalence and socio-demographic correlates for serious injury among adolescents participating in the Djibouti 2007 Global School-based Health Survey.

PubMed

Muula, Adamson S; Siziya, Seter; Rudatsikira, Emmanuel

2011-09-27

Mental health and injury are neglected public health issues especially in low-income nations. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence and socio-demographic correlates for serious injury in the last 12 months. The study used data of the 2007 Djibouti Global School-based Health Survey. Logistic regression analysis was used to establish associations. Of the 1, 777 respondents, 61.1% (63.2% males and 57.8% females) reported having sustained serious injury (SSI). Compared to participants who were not bullied, those who reported being bullied 3-9 days per month were more likely to have sustained serious injury in the last 12 months (AOR = 1.27; 95% CI [1.06, 1.52] for 3-5 days of bullying victimization per month, and AOR = 3.19; 95% CI [2.28, 4.47] for 6-9 days per month. Adolescents who were engaged in physical fighting were 47% (AOR = 1.47, 95% CI [1.40, 1.55] more likely to have sustained serious injury compared to those who were not engaged in the fighting. Meanwhile, adolescents who used substances (cigarettes, other forms of tobacco or drugs) were 30% (AOR = 1.30, 95% CI [1.19, 1.42]) more likely to have sustained serious injury compared to those who did not use substances. Serious injury is common among adolescents in Djibouti, and we suggest that health workers attending to injured adolescents explore the patients' psycho-social environment. Further, we suggest longitudinal studies where reduction of substance use and bullying may be assessed if they have an impact in reducing serious injury among adolescents.

Prevalence and socio-demographic correlates for serious injury among adolescents participating in the Djibouti 2007 Global School-based Health Survey

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Mental health and injury are neglected public health issues especially in low-income nations. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence and socio-demographic correlates for serious injury in the last 12 months. Findings The study used data of the 2007 Djibouti Global School-based Health Survey. Logistic regression analysis was used to establish associations. Of the 1, 777 respondents, 61.1% (63.2% males and 57.8% females) reported having sustained serious injury (SSI). Compared to participants who were not bullied, those who reported being bullied 3-9 days per month were more likely to have sustained serious injury in the last 12 months (AOR = 1.27; 95% CI [1.06, 1.52] for 3-5 days of bullying victimization per month, and AOR = 3.19; 95% CI [2.28, 4.47] for 6-9 days per month. Adolescents who were engaged in physical fighting were 47% (AOR = 1.47, 95% CI [1.40, 1.55] more likely to have sustained serious injury compared to those who were not engaged in the fighting. Meanwhile, adolescents who used substances (cigarettes, other forms of tobacco or drugs) were 30% (AOR = 1.30, 95% CI [1.19, 1.42]) more likely to have sustained serious injury compared to those who did not use substances. Conclusions Serious injury is common among adolescents in Djibouti, and we suggest that health workers attending to injured adolescents explore the patients' psycho-social environment. Further, we suggest longitudinal studies where reduction of substance use and bullying may be assessed if they have an impact in reducing serious injury among adolescents. PMID:21951721

Wastewater reclamation using discarded reverse osmosis membranes for reuse in irrigation in Djibouti, an arid country.

PubMed

Awaleh, Mohamed Osman; Ahmed, Moussa Mahdi; Soubaneh, Youssouf Djibril; Hoch, Farhan Bouraleh; Bouh, Samatar Mohamed; Dirieh, Elias Said

2013-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to establish the feasibility of recovering discarded reverse osmosis (RO) membranes in order to reduce the salinity of domestic treated wastewater. This study shows that the reuse of RO membranes is of particular interest for arid countries having naturally high mineralized water such as Djibouti. The pilot desalination unit reduces the electrical conductivity, the turbidity and the total dissolved salt respectively at 75-85, 96.7 and 95.4%. The water produced with this desalination unit contains an average of 254 cfu/100 mL total coliforms and 87 cfu/100 mL fecal coliforms. This effluent meets the World Health Organization standards for treated wastewater reuse for agricultural purposes. The annual cost of the desalination unit was evaluated as US $/m(3) 0.82, indicating the relatively high cost of this process. Nevertheless, such processes are required to produce an effluent, with a high reuse potential.

[Liposomal amphotericin B treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis contracted in Djibouti and resistant to meglumine antimoniate].

PubMed

Rapp, C; Imbert, P; Darie, H; Simon, F; Gros, P; Debord, T; Roué, R

2003-08-01

Pentavalent antimony (PA) compounds remain the main therapeutic agents of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). CL infection resistant to PA is difficult to cure, limited by severe side effects and requiring a long course treatment of parenteral administration of recommended second line drugs. We report a case of CL unresponsive to meglumine antimoniate contracted in Djibouti, successfully treated with a short course treatment of AmBisome. In this case the subject had a recurrent thick crusted erythematous lesion on his left elbow associated with spreading micropapula on arms and thorax. The diagnosis of CL was confirmed by direct examination and genomic amplification by PCR of skin samples, cultures were negative. A short course treatment of parenteral AmBisome (18 mg/kg) has lead to clinical cure with no side effects and no relapse. In our hospital, the high cost of medication was counterbalanced by easiest administration, reduction of hospitalization duration, absence of adverse events and a gain of comfort. For this patient, a short course treatment of AmBisome proved to be a suitable alternative to traditional drugs used in CL resistant to PA.

First record of the Asian malaria vector Anopheles stephensi and its possible role in the resurgence of malaria in Djibouti, Horn of Africa.

PubMed

Faulde, Michael K; Rueda, Leopoldo M; Khaireh, Bouh A

2014-11-01

Anopheles stephensi is an important vector of urban malaria in India and the Persian Gulf area. Its previously known geographical range includes southern Asia and the Arab Peninsula. For the first time, we report A. stephensi from the African continent, based on collections made in Djibouti, on the Horn of Africa, where this species' occurrence was linked to an unusual urban outbreak of Plasmodium falciparum malaria, with 1228 cases reported from February to May 2013, and a second, more severe epidemic that emerged in November 2013 and resulted in 2017 reported malaria cases between January and February 2014. Anopheles stephensi was initially identified using morphological identification keys, followed by sequencing of the Barcode cytochrome c-oxidase I (COI) gene and the rDNA second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2). Positive tests for P. falciparum circumsporozoite antigen in two of six female A. stephensi trapped in homes of malaria patients in March 2013 are evidence that autochthonous urban malaria transmission by A. stephensi has occurred. Concurrent with the second malaria outbreak, P. falciparum-positive A. stephensi females were detected in Djibouti City starting in November 2013. In sub-Saharan Africa, newly present A. stephensi may pose a significant future health threat because of this species' high susceptibility to P. falciparum infection and its tolerance of urban habitats. This may lead to increased malaria outbreaks in African cities. Rapid interruption of the urban malaria transmission cycle, based on integrated vector surveillance and control programs aimed at the complete eradication of A. stephensi from the African continent, is strongly recommended. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A LREE-depleted component in the Afar plume: Further evidence from Quaternary Djibouti basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daoud, Mohamed A.; Maury, René C.; Barrat, Jean-Alix; Taylor, Rex N.; Le Gall, Bernard; Guillou, Hervé; Cotten, Joseph; Rolet, Joël

2010-02-01

Major, trace element and isotopic (Sr, Nd, Pb) data and unspiked K-Ar ages are presented for Quaternary (0.90-0.95 Ma old) basalts from the Hayyabley volcano, Djibouti. These basalts are LREE-depleted (La n/Sm n = 0.76-0.83), with 87Sr/ 86Sr ratios ranging from 0.70369 to 0.70376, and rather homogeneous 143Nd/ 144Nd ( ɛNd = + 5.9-+ 7.3) and Pb isotopic compositions ( 206Pb/ 204Pb = 18.47-18.55, 207Pb/ 204Pb = 15.52-15.57, 208Pb/ 204Pb = 38.62-38.77). They are very different from the underlying enriched Tadjoura Gulf basalts, and from the N-MORB erupted from the nascent oceanic ridges of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Their compositions closely resemble those of (1) depleted Quaternary Manda Hararo basalts from the Afar depression in Ethiopia and (2) one Oligocene basalt from the Ethiopian Plateau trap series. Their trace element and Sr, Nd, Pb isotope systematics suggest the involvement of a discrete but minor LREE-depleted component, which is probably an intrinsic part of the Afar plume.

Fluid-controlled faulting process in the Asal Rift, Djibouti, from 8 yr of radar interferometry observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doubre, Cécile; Peltzer, Gilles

2007-01-01

The deformation in the Asal Rift (Djibouti) is characterized by magmatic inflation, diking, distributed extension, fissure opening, and normal faulting. An 8 yr time line of surface displacement maps covering the rift, constructed using radar interferometry data acquired by the Canadian satellite Radarsat between 1997 and 2005, reveals the aseismic behavior of faults and its relation with bursts of microseismicity. The observed ground movements show the asymmetric subsidence of the inner floor of the rift with respect to the bordering shoulders accommodated by slip on three of the main active faults. Fault slip occurs both as steady creep and during sudden slip events accompanied by an increase in the seismicity rate around the slipping fault and the Fieale volcanic center. Slip distribution along fault strike shows triangular sections, a pattern not explained by simple elastic dislocation theory. These observations suggest that the Asal Rift faults are in a critical failure state and respond instantly to small pressure changes in fluid-filled fractures connected to the faults, reducing the effective normal stress on their locked section at depth.

[Malaria in the Republic of Djibouti. Strategy for control using a biological antilarval campaign: indigenous larvivorous fishes (Aphanius dispar) and bacterial toxins].

PubMed

Louis, J P; Albert, J P

1988-01-01

The authors take stock of the present situation of malaria in the Republic of Djibouti which, after several decades of silence, seems to have been reintroduced at the beginning of the seventies. Actually it is hypo-endemic malaria with Plasmodium falciparum of which the only vector seems to be Anopheles arabiensis, gambiae complex. The specificity of the larvae nests allows a control strategy based on the only treatment of larvae sites by biological control: larvivorous fishes (Aphanius Dispar) and in addition the pin-point use of bacterial toxins as a complementary measure. The first results obtained in the rural zones around the capital are encouraging and permit to envisage the extensions of such a strategy to the whole of the territory of the Republic.

Optical correction and quality of vision of the French soldiers stationed in the Republic of Djibouti in 2009.

PubMed

Vignal, Rodolphe; Ollivier, Lénaïck

2011-03-01

To ensure vision readiness on the battlefield, the French military has been providing its soldiers with eyewear since World War I. A military refractive surgery program was initiated in 2008. A prospective questionnaire-based investigation on optical correction and quality of vision among active duty members with visual deficiencies stationed in Djibouti, Africa, was conducted in 2009. It revealed that 59.3% of the soldiers were wearing spectacles, 21.2% were wearing contact lenses--despite official recommendations--and 8.5% had undergone refractive surgery. Satisfaction rates were high with refractive surgery and contact lenses; 33.6% of eyeglass wearers were planning to have surgery. Eye dryness and night vision disturbances were the most reported symptoms following surgery. Military optical devices were under-prescribed before deployment. This suggests that additional and more effective studies on the use of military optical devices should be performed and policy supporting refractive surgery in military populations should be strengthened.

Detection and characterization of Human caliciviruses associated with sporadic acute diarrhea in adults in Djibouti (horn of Africa).

PubMed

Maslin, Jérôme; Nicand, Elisabeth; Ambert-Balay, Katia; Fouet, Christine; Kaplon, Jérôme; Haus, Rachel; Pothier, Pierre; Kohli, Evelyne

2008-03-01

Recent advances in molecular diagnostics have allowed us to recognize Human caliciviruses (HuCVs) as important agents of acute diarrhea in industrialized countries. Their prevalence and genetic diversity in developing countries remains unknown. We report on the characterization of HuCVs among adults presenting acute diarrheas in Djibouti; 108 stool samples collected were screened by EIA, RTPCR, or cell cultures for the group A Rotaviruses, Adenoviruses, Astroviruses, and HuCVs, which were further characterized by genotyping. Among stool samples screened for HuCVs, 25.3% were positive. The other enteric viruses were less prevalent. The 11 HuCV strains sequenced revealed a large diversity (3 sapoviruses and 8 noroviruses). GII strains noroviruses were predominant, five were newly described genotypes, and two were recombinant with a pol gene related to GGIIb strains with the particularity to associate a unique pol gene to different capsid genes. These results could help to the knowledge of HuCV infections in Tropical Africa.

Multiscale roughness characterization from multiresolution remote sensing data acquired over the Asal-Ghoubbet rift, Republic of Djibouti

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Labarre, Sébastien; Jacquemoud, Stéphane; Ferrari, Cécile; Delorme, Arthur; Rupnik, Ewelina; Derrien, Allan; Pierrot-Deseilligny, Marc; Grandin, Raphaël; Jalludin, Mohamed

2017-04-01

Surface roughness is a key parameter in soil physics which controls many surface processes at a wide range of scales: microscopic and mesoscopic scales from 10 μm to 1 cm (soil particles or regolith), macroscopic scale from 1 cm to 1 m (clods, aggregates of rock or ice, micro-fractures or lava flows), and topographic scale from 1 m to several kilometers (faults, hills, craters or mountains). While it is recognized that surface roughness is strongly scale-dependent, it is often expressed as an integrated parameter (root-mean-square height, correlation length, tortuosity index), which does not address the full range of spatial features present on the surface. In particular, the Hapke roughness parameter is defined as the mean slope angle of the facets composing the surface, integrated over all scales from the microscopic to the macroscopic scales. Yet its physical meaning is still a question at issue, as the scale at which it occurs is undefined in the model. Photogrammetry has been shown to be an inexpensive and powerful method for topography reconstruction from optical data. We took advantage of a series of 21 Pléiades-1B images (video acquisition mode) to build a global digital elevation model (DEM) over the Asal-Ghoubbet rift, Republic of Djibouti. Additionally, we acquired close range data with a quadcopter equipped with a HD camera. Topography at four scales is available: 1 m with the satellite images (694 km), 1 cm with the drone flying at medium altitude ( 100 m), 1 mm with the drone flying at low altitude ( 10 m), and <1 mm with the handheld camera ( 1.5 m). We have defined twenty-two sites, 20 × 30 m in dimension, corresponding to a wide range of volcanic and sedimentary terrains, from regolith-like structures to very rough lava flows, over which DEMs have been generated at two or more resolutions. In order to investigate the contribution of each scale to the integrated roughness and to test the ability of the Hapke model to retrieve a roughness

Emergence of Noroviruses homologous to strains reported from Djibouti (horn of Africa), Brazil, Italy, Japan and USA among children in Kolkata, India.

PubMed

Nataraju, S M; Ganesh, B; Das, S; Chowdhury, S; Nayak, M K; Ghosh, M; Chatterjee, M K; Sarkar, U; Mitra, U; Bhattacharya, M K; Arora, R; Kobayashi, N; Krishnan, T

2010-09-01

A total of 625 faecal specimens of diarrheic cases (n-313) and non diarrheic controls (n-312), were screened by RT-PCR to detect Noroviruses in children aged below 5 years in Kolkata, India. Out of the 313 fecal specimens (cases) screened using CDC primer set, 10 (3.19%) showed amplification in reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for Norovirus. These included 5 of 260 (1.92%) from hospitalized and 5 of 53 (9.43%) from out patients departament (OPD) cases. Nine (90%) of Norovirus positive cases belonged to genogroup GII and one specimen (10%) was positive for genogroup GI. Among the 312 non diarrheic controls 2 (0.63%) were positive for Norovirus GII. Partial RNA dependent RNA polymerase gene (RdRp) sequences corresponding to the six Norovirus GII positive samples showed homology to the sequences of Djibouti (horn of Africa), Brazil, Italy, Japan and US norovirus strains. This study shows the detection of newly emerging Norovirus strains among diarrheic and non diarrheic children in Kolkata.

First evidence of epithermal gold occurrences in the SE Afar Rift, Republic of Djibouti

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moussa, N.; Fouquet, Y.; Le Gall, B.; Caminiti, A. M.; Rolet, J.; Bohn, M.; Etoubleau, J.; Delacourt, C.; Jalludin, M.

2012-06-01

The geology of the Republic of Djibouti, in the SE Afar Triangle, is characterized by intense tectonic and bimodal volcanic activity that began as early as 25-30 Ma. Each magmatic event was accompanied by hydrothermal activity. Mineralization generally occurs as gold-silver bearing chalcedony veins and is associated with felsic volcanism. Eighty samples from mineralized hydrothermal chalcedony, quartz ± carbonate veins and breccias were studied from ten sites representing four major volcanic events that range in age from early Miocene to the present. The most recent veins are controlled by fractures at the edges of grabens established during the last 4 Myr. Gold in excess of 200 ppb is present in 30% of the samples, with values up to 16 ppm. Mineralogical compositions allowed us to identify different types of mineralization corresponding to different depths in the hydrothermal system: (1) surface and subsurface mineralization characterized by carbonate chimneys, gypsum, silica cap and quartz ± carbonate veins that are depleted in metals and Au; (2) shallow banded chalcedony ± adularia veins related to boiling that contain up to 16 ppm Au, occurring as native gold and electrum with pyrite, and tetradymite; (3) quartz veins with sulfides, and (4) epidote alteration in the deepest hydrothermal zones. Samples in which pyrite is enriched in As tend to have a high Au content. The association with bimodal volcanism, the occurrence of adularia and the native Au and electrum in banded chalcedony veins are typical of epithermal systems and confirm that this type of mineralization can occur in a young intracontinental rift system.

Surface Morphology of Active Normal Faults in Hard Rock: Implications for the Mechanics of the Asal Rift, Djibouti

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinzuti, P.; Mignan, A.; King, G. C.

2009-12-01

Mechanical stretching models have been previously proposed to explain the process of continental break-up through the example of the Asal Rift, Djibouti, one of the few places where the early stages of seafloor spreading can be observed. In these models, deformation is distributed starting at the base of a shallow seismogenic zone, in which sub-vertical normal faults are responsible for subsidence whereas cracks accommodate extension. Alternative models suggest that extension results from localized magma injection, with normal faults accommodating extension and subsidence above the maximum reach of the magma column. In these magmatic intrusion models, normal faults have dips of 45-55° and root into dikes. Using mechanical and kinematics concepts and vertical profiles of normal fault scarps from an Asal Rift campaign, where normal faults are sub-vertical on surface level, we discuss the creation and evolution of normal faults in massive fractured rocks (basalt). We suggest that the observed fault scarps correspond to sub-vertical en echelon structures and that at greater depth, these scarps combine and give birth to dipping normal faults. Finally, the geometry of faulting between the Fieale volcano and Lake Asal in the Asal Rift can be simply related to the depth of diking, which in turn can be related to magma supply. This new view supports the magmatic intrusion model of early stages of continental breaking.

Determinants of individuals' risks to 2009 pandemic influenza virus infection at household level amongst Djibouti city residents--a CoPanFlu cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Andayi, Fred; Crepey, Pascal; Kieffer, Alexia; Salez, Nicolas; Abdo, Ammar A; Carrat, Fabrice; Flahault, Antoine; de Lamballerie, Xavier

2014-01-27

Following the 2009 swine flu pandemic, a cohort for pandemic influenza (CoPanFlu) study was established in Djibouti, the Horn of Africa, to investigate its case prevalence and risk predictors' at household level. From the four city administrative districts, 1,045 subjects from 324 households were included during a face-to-face encounter between 11th November 2010 and 15th February 2011. Socio-demographic details were collected and blood samples were analysed in haemagglutination inhibition (HI) assays. Risk assessments were performed in a generalised estimating equation model. In this study, the indicator of positive infection status was set at an HI titre of ≥ 80, which was a relevant surrogate to the seroconversion criterion. All positive cases were considered to be either recent infections or past contact with an antigenically closely related virus in humans older than 65 years. An overall sero-prevalence of 29.1% and a geometrical mean titre (GMT) of 39.5% among the residents was observed. Youths, ≤ 25 years and the elderly, ≥65 years had the highest titres, with values of 35.9% and 29.5%, respectively. Significantly, risk was high amongst youths ≤ 25 years, (OR 1.5-2.2), residents of District 4(OR 2.9), students (OR 1.4) and individuals living near to river banks (OR 2.5). Belonging to a large household (OR 0.6), being employed (OR 0.5) and working in open space-outdoor (OR 0.4) were significantly protective. Only 1.4% of the cohort had vaccination against the pandemic virus and none were immunised against seasonal influenza. Despite the limited number of incident cases detected by the surveillance system, A(H1N1)pdm09 virus circulated broadly in Djibouti in 2010 and 2011. Age-group distribution of cases was similar to what has been reported elsewhere, with youths at the greatest risk of infection. Future respiratory infection control should therefore be tailored to reach specific and vulnerable individuals such as students and those working

Determinants of individuals’ risks to 2009 pandemic influenza virus infection at household level amongst Djibouti city residents - A CoPanFlu cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Following the 2009 swine flu pandemic, a cohort for pandemic influenza (CoPanFlu) study was established in Djibouti, the Horn of Africa, to investigate its case prevalence and risk predictors’ at household level. Methods From the four city administrative districts, 1,045 subjects from 324 households were included during a face-to-face encounter between 11th November 2010 and 15th February 2011. Socio-demographic details were collected and blood samples were analysed in haemagglutination inhibition (HI) assays. Risk assessments were performed in a generalised estimating equation model. Results In this study, the indicator of positive infection status was set at an HI titre of ≥ 80, which was a relevant surrogate to the seroconversion criterion. All positive cases were considered to be either recent infections or past contact with an antigenically closely related virus in humans older than 65 years. An overall sero-prevalence of 29.1% and a geometrical mean titre (GMT) of 39.5% among the residents was observed. Youths, ≤ 25 years and the elderly, ≥65 years had the highest titres, with values of 35.9% and 29.5%, respectively. Significantly, risk was high amongst youths ≤ 25 years, (OR 1.5-2.2), residents of District 4(OR 2.9), students (OR 1.4) and individuals living near to river banks (OR 2.5). Belonging to a large household (OR 0.6), being employed (OR 0.5) and working in open space-outdoor (OR 0.4) were significantly protective. Only 1.4% of the cohort had vaccination against the pandemic virus and none were immunised against seasonal influenza. Conclusion Despite the limited number of incident cases detected by the surveillance system, A(H1N1)pdm09 virus circulated broadly in Djibouti in 2010 and 2011. Age-group distribution of cases was similar to what has been reported elsewhere, with youths at the greatest risk of infection. Future respiratory infection control should therefore be tailored to reach specific and vulnerable

[Feasibility and relevance of an operating room safety checklist for developing countries: Study in a French hospital in Djibouti].

PubMed

Becret, A; Clapson, P; Andro, C; Chapelier, X; Gauthier, J; Kaiser, E

2013-01-01

The use of the World Health Organization surgical safety checklist, mandatory in operating rooms (OR) in France, significantly reduces morbidity and mortality. Our objective was to evaluate the use of this checklist in the OR of a French military hospital in Djibouti (Horn of Africa). The study was performed in three stages: a retrospective evaluation of the checklist use over the previous two months, to assess the utilization and completeness rates; provision of information to the OR staff; and thereafter, prospective evaluation for a one-month period of checklist use, the reasons for non-compliance, and the cases in which the checklist identified errors and thus prevented serious adverse events. The initial utilization rate was 49%, with only 24% complete. After staff training and during the study these rates reached 100% and 99%. The staff encountered language difficulties in 53% of cases, and an interpreter was available for 81% of them. The capacity of the surgical safety checklist to detect serious adverse events was highlighted. The utilization and completeness rates were initially worse than those observed in metropolitan French ORs, but a simple staff information program was rapidly effective. Language difficulties are frequent but an interpreter is often available, unlike in developed countries where language problems are uncommon and the availability of interpreters difficult. Moreover, this study illustrates the ability of the checklist to detect and therefore prevent potentially serious adverse events.

Defense Management: Improved Planning, Training, and Interagency Collaboration Could Strengthen DOD’s Efforts in Africa

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-07-01

Swift and USS Nicholas November 2009–March 2010 Comoros, Djibouti, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Reunion (French Island ), Seychelles, South Africa...exception of Egypt, as well as its island nations. The command’s mission is to work in concert with other U.S. government agencies and international...Djibouti, Kenya, Tanzania June–August 2009 USS Arleigh Burke Djibouti, Kenya, Mauritius, Reunion , Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Reunion

Transient deformation in the Asal-Ghoubbet Rift (Djibouti) since the 1978 diking event: Is deformation controlled by magma supply rates?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smittarello, D.; Grandin, R.; De Chabalier, J.-B.; Doubre, C.; Deprez, A.; Masson, F.; Socquet, A.; Saad, I. A.

2016-08-01

The Asal-Ghoubbet Rift (AG Rift) in Djibouti lies in the subaerial continuation of the Aden ridge system, thereby constituting a unique location to study rifting processes and mechanisms involved in continental breakup and oceanic spreading. Continually upgraded and expanded geodetic technology has been used to record the 1978 Asal rifting event and postdiking deformation. In light of recent results obtained for the Manda Hararo-Dabbahu rifting event (2005-2010), we propose that the horizontal and vertical geodetic data can be modeled with a double source, involving a dike-like inflation component aligned along the rift axis and a spherical pressure source located at midsegment below the Fieale caldera. By revisiting the codiking data, we propose that the reservoir below Fieale could have fed, at least partially, the 1978 injection and the contemporaneous Ardoukôba eruption and potentially induced local subsidence due to magma draining out of the central reservoir. As an alternative to previously proposed viscoelastic relaxation models, we reinterpret postdiking observations using a purely elastic rheology. We determine the relative contribution of a midsegment reservoir inflation and a dike-like opening component, together with their respective time evolutions. Our results suggest that interactions between steadily accumulating tectonic strain and temporal variations in melt supply to the shallow magma plumbing system below the AG Rift may entirely explain the geodetic observations and that viscoelastic deformation processes played a minor role in the 30 years following the 1978 rifting event.

Magmatic dyking and recharge in the Asal Rift, Republic of Djibouti

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peltzer, G.; Harrington, J.; Doubre, C.; Tomic, J.

2012-12-01

The Asal Rift, Republic of Djibouti, has been the locus of a major magmatic event in 1978 and seems to have maintained a sustained activity in the three decade following the event. We compare the dyking event of 1978 with the magmatic activity occurring in the rift during the 1997-2008 time period. We use historical air photos and satellite images to quantify the horizontal opening on the major faults activated in 1978. These observations are combined with ground based geodetic data acquired between 1973 and 1979 across the rift to constrain a kinematic model of the 1978 rifting event, including bordering faults and mid-crustal dykes under the Asal Rift and the Ghoubbet Gulf. The model indicates that extension was concentrated between the surface and a depth of 3 km in the crust, resulting in the opening of faults, dykes and fissures between the two main faults, E and gamma, and that the structure located under the Asal Rift, below 3 km, deflated. These results suggest that, during the 1978 event, magmatic fluids transferred from a mid-crustal reservoir to the shallow structures, injecting dykes and filling faults and fissures, and reaching the surface in the Ardoukoba fissural eruption. Surface deformation observed by InSAR during the 1997-2008 decade reveals a slow, yet sustained inflation and extension across the Asal Rift combined with continuous subsidence of the rift inner floor. Modeling shows that these observations cannot be explained by visco-elastic relaxation, a process, which mostly vanishes 20 to 30 years after the 1978 event. However, the InSAR observations over this decade are well explained by a kinematic model in which an inflating body is present at mid-crustal depth, approximately under the Fieale caldera, and shallow faults accommodate both horizontal opening and down-dip slip. The total geometric moment rate, or inflation rate, due to the opening of the mid-crustal structure and the deeper parts of the opening faults is 3 106 m3yr. Such a

Transient deformation in the Asal-Ghoubbet Rift (Djibouti) since the 1978 diking event: Is deformation controlled by magma supply rates?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smittarello, D.; Grandin, R.; de Chabalier, J. B.; Doubre, C.; Deprez, A.; Masson, F.; Socquet, A.; Ibrahim Ahmed, S.

2016-12-01

Within the Afar Depression, the Asal-Ghoubbet Rift (AG Rift)in Djibouti lies in the subaerial continuation of the Aden ridge system. This segment constitutes a natural laboratory to study rifting processes and mechanisms involved in continental breakup and oceanic spreading. In November 1978, an exceptional rifting event occurred in the AG Rift. Regularly upgraded and improved geodetic technology has been used to monitor this event and the postdiking deformation. In light of recent results obtained for the Manda Hararo-Dabbahu rifting event (2005-2010), we propose that the horizontal and vertical geodetic data can be modeled with a double source, involving a dike-like inflation component aligned along the rift axis and a spherical pressure source located at midsegment below the Fieale caldera. By revisiting the codiking data, we propose that the reservoir below Fieale could have fed, at least partially, the 1978 injection and the contemporaneous Ardoukoba eruption and potentially induced local subsidence due to magma draining out of the central reservoir. As an alternative to previously proposed viscoelastic relaxation models, we reinterpret postdiking observations using a purely elastic rheology. We determine the relative contribution of a midsegment reservoir inflation and a dike-like opening component, together with their respective time evolutions. Our results suggest that interactions between steadily accumulating tectonic strain and temporal variations in melt supply to the shallow magma plumbing system below the AG Rift may entirely explain the geodetic observations and that viscoelastic deformation processes played a minor role in the 30 years following the 1978 rifting event.

Surface morphology of active normal faults in hard rock: Implications for the mechanics of the Asal Rift, Djibouti

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinzuti, Paul; Mignan, Arnaud; King, Geoffrey C. P.

2010-10-01

Tectonic-stretching models have been previously proposed to explain the process of continental break-up through the example of the Asal Rift, Djibouti, one of the few places where the early stages of seafloor spreading can be observed. In these models, deformation is distributed starting at the base of a shallow seismogenic zone, in which sub-vertical normal faults are responsible for subsidence whereas cracks accommodate extension. Alternative models suggest that extension results from localised magma intrusion, with normal faults accommodating extension and subsidence only above the maximum reach of the magma column. In these magmatic rifting models, or so-called magmatic intrusion models, normal faults have dips of 45-55° and root into dikes. Vertical profiles of normal fault scarps from levelling campaign in the Asal Rift, where normal faults seem sub-vertical at surface level, have been analysed to discuss the creation and evolution of normal faults in massive fractured rocks (basalt lava flows), using mechanical and kinematics concepts. We show that the studied normal fault planes actually have an average dip ranging between 45° and 65° and are characterised by an irregular stepped form. We suggest that these normal fault scarps correspond to sub-vertical en echelon structures, and that, at greater depth, these scarps combine and give birth to dipping normal faults. The results of our analysis are compatible with the magmatic intrusion models instead of tectonic-stretching models. The geometry of faulting between the Fieale volcano and Lake Asal in the Asal Rift can be simply related to the depth of diking, which in turn can be related to magma supply. This new view supports the magmatic intrusion model of early stages of continental breaking.

Piracy Off the Horn of Africa

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-28

on the U.S.-flagged MV Liberty Sun allegedly was carried out with the intention of damaging or sinking the ship and injuring or killing its crew in...djibouti-meeting. 78 Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives , Seychelles, Somalia, the United Republic of Tanzania, and Yemen signed the

Assessment of chemical quality of groundwater in coastal volcano-sedimentary aquifer of Djibouti, Horn of Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, Abdoulkader Houssein; Rayaleh, Waiss Elmi; Zghibi, Adel; Ouddane, Baghdad

2017-07-01

This research is conducted to evaluate the current status of hydrogeochemical contaminants and their sources in groundwater in the volcano-sedimentary aquifer of Djibouti. Groundwater samples were mostly collected from the volcanic and inferoflux aquifers and then were analyzed for quality on physicochemical parameters (EC, pH, Temperature, Cl-, SO42-, HCO3-, NO3-, Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Br-, F-), minor and trace elements (Li, Ba, B, Sr, Si, Al, Cr, Fe, Mn, Mo, Pb, Co, Cu, Ni, Zn, Ti, V, As, Se). The interpretations of hydrochemical data are shown numerically and graphically through the Piper diagram such as the multivariate statistical analysis, binary diagram, the calculation of the saturation indexes, the index of base exchanges and ratio of Na+/Cl-, SO42-/Cl-, HCO3-/Cl-. The seawater ratio and ionic deviation in the groundwater were calculated using the chloride concentration. These processes can be used as indicators of seawater intrusion progress. This study reveals three groundwater quality groups and how the quality of water supply has been deteriorated through the process of seawater intrusion. The seawater intrusion extends into the Gulf basalts aquifer that covers nearly 12% of the whole area according to some observations. Some toxic elements present in drinking water (As and Se) have already exceeded the maximum permissible in almost the entire of the Gulf basalts aquifer affected by seawater intrusion. Indeed, some correlations were found between As, Se, with electrical conductivity and among other minor and trace elements such as Br, B, Sr, Co and Cr. It indicates that all these elements are mainly controlled by naturel/geogenic processes. The Principal component Analysis and the Hierarchical Cluster Analysis have led to the confirmation of the hypotheses developed in the previous hydrochemical study in which two factors explain the major hydrochemical processes in the aquifer. These factors reveal first the existence of an intensive intrusion of

Defense.gov Special Report: Travels with Carter - May 2013

Science.gov Websites

Germany Germany Flag of Djibouti Djibouti Flag of Afghanistan Afghanistan Top Stories Carter Wraps Up , Civilians Breedlove Takes Charge at European Command Carter Arrives in Germany for Eucom Change of Command Meetings Carter Attends Eucom Change of Command Ceremony in Stuttgart, Germany Travel Locations Travel

Clinical Evaluation of the Gen-Probe Amplified Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Direct Test for Rapid Diagnosis of Tuberculosis Lymphadenitis

PubMed Central

Kerleguer, A.; Fabre, M.; Bernatas, J. J.; Gerome, P.; Nicand, E.; Herve, V.; Koeck, J. L.

2004-01-01

This prospective study evaluated the performance of the Amplified Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Direct Test (MTD) for the diagnosis of lymph node tuberculosis in Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti. Of 197 specimens sampled from 153 patients, 123 were from 95 tuberculous patients. The sensitivity and specificity of MTD were 93 and 100%, respectively. The sensitivity of culture was 89%. PMID:15583341

Outbreak of H3N2 influenza at a US military base in Djibouti during the H1N1 pandemic of 2009.

PubMed

Cosby, Michael T; Pimentel, Guillermo; Nevin, Remington L; Fouad Ahmed, Salwa; Klena, John D; Amir, Ehab; Younan, Mary; Browning, Robert; Sebeny, Peter J

2013-01-01

Influenza pandemics have significant operational impact on deployed military personnel working in areas throughout the world. The US Department of Defense global influenza-like illness (ILI) surveillance network serves an important role in establishing baseline trends and can be leveraged to respond to outbreaks of respiratory illness. We identified and characterized an operationally unique outbreak of H3N2 influenza at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti occurring simultaneously with the H1N1 pandemic of 2009 [A(H1N1)pdm09]. Enhanced surveillance for ILI was conducted at Camp Lemonnier in response to local reports of a possible outbreak during the A(H1N1)pdm09 pandemic. Samples were collected from consenting patients presenting with ILI (utilizing a modified case definition) and who completed a case report form. Samples were cultured and analyzed using standard real-time reverse transcriptase PCR (rt-RT-PCR) methodology and sequenced genetic material was phylogenetically compared to other published strains. rt-RT-PCR and DNA sequencing revealed that 25 (78%) of the 32 clinical samples collected were seasonal H3N2 and only 2 (6%) were A(H1N1)pdm09 influenza. The highest incidence of H3N2 occurred during the month of May and 80% of these were active duty military personnel. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that sequenced H3N2 strains were genetically similar to 2009 strains from the United States of America, Australia, and South east Asia. This outbreak highlights challenges in the investigation of influenza among deployed military populations and corroborates the public health importance of maintaining surveillance systems for ILI that can be enhanced locally when needed.

Dengue surveillance in the French armed forces: a dengue sentinel surveillance system in countries without efficient local epidemiological surveillance.

PubMed

de Laval, Franck; Dia, Aissata; Plumet, Sébastien; Decam, Christophe; Leparc Goffart, Isabelle; Deparis, Xavier

2013-01-01

Surveillance of travel-acquired dengue could improve dengue risk estimation in countries without ability. Surveillance in the French army in 2010 to 2011 highlighted 330 dengue cases, mainly in French West Indies and Guiana: DENV-1 circulated in Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, New Caledonia, Djibouti; DENV-3 in Mayotte and Djibouti; and DENV-4 in French Guiana. © 2012 International Society of Travel Medicine.

Geometry of the Arabia-Somalia Plate Boundary into Afar: Preliminary Results from the Seismic Profile Across the Asal Rift (Djibouti)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vergne, J.; Doubre, C.; Mohamed, K.; Tiberi, C.; Leroy, S.; Maggi, A.

2010-12-01

In the Afar Depression, the Asal-Ghoubbet Rift in Djibouti is a young segment on land at the propagating tip of the Aden Ridge. This segment represents an ideal laboratory to observe the mechanisms of extension and the structural evolutions involved, from the continental break-up to the first stage of oceanic spreading. However, we lack first order information about the crustal and upper mantle structure in this region, which for example prevent detailed numerical modeling of the deformations observed at the surface from GPS or InSAR. Moreover the current permanent network is not well suited to precisely constrain the ratio of seismic/aseismic deformation and to characterize the active deformation and the rifting dynamics. Since November 2009 we have maintained a temporary network of 25 seismic stations deployed along a 150 km-long profile. Because we expect rapid variations of the lithospheric structure across the 10 km-wide central part of the rift, we gradually decreased the inter-stations spacing to less than 1 km in the middle section of the profile. In order to obtain a continuous image of the plate boundary, from the topographic surface to the upper mantle, several techniques and methods will be applied: P and S wave receiver functions, tomographies based on body waves, surface waves and seismic noise correlation, anisotropy, and finally a gravity-seismic joint inversion. We present some preliminary results deduced from the receiver functions applied to the data acquired during the first months of the experiment. We migrate several sets of receiver functions computed in various frequency bands to resolve both mantle interfaces and fine scale structures within the thin crust in the center of the rift. These first images confirm a rapid variation of the Moho depth on both sides of the rift and a very complex lithospheric structure in the central section with several low velocity zones within the top 50km that might correspond to magma lenses.

Ethiopian-Eritrean Conflict: Security Implications for the Horn of Africa

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-19

and Eritrea accepted a diplomatic team from the United States and Rwanda to discuss and prevent the war from being pushed to its logical conclusion...2001), p. 6. 16 Medhane Tadesse ,The Djibouti-Eritrea Conflict, ( Inter Africa Group, Center for Dialogue on Humanitarian, Peace and Development...Tonui, Future Stability in the Horn of Africa, Strategy Research Project (U.S. Army War College, 2000), p. 18. 36 Medhane Tadesse ,The Djibouti

Outbreak of H3N2 Influenza at a US Military Base in Djibouti during the H1N1 Pandemic of 2009

PubMed Central

Cosby, Michael T.; Pimentel, Guillermo; Nevin, Remington L.; Fouad Ahmed, Salwa; Klena, John D.; Amir, Ehab; Younan, Mary; Browning, Robert; Sebeny, Peter J.

2013-01-01

Background Influenza pandemics have significant operational impact on deployed military personnel working in areas throughout the world. The US Department of Defense global influenza-like illness (ILI) surveillance network serves an important role in establishing baseline trends and can be leveraged to respond to outbreaks of respiratory illness. Objective We identified and characterized an operationally unique outbreak of H3N2 influenza at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti occurring simultaneously with the H1N1 pandemic of 2009 [A(H1N1)pdm09]. Methods Enhanced surveillance for ILI was conducted at Camp Lemonnier in response to local reports of a possible outbreak during the A(H1N1)pdm09 pandemic. Samples were collected from consenting patients presenting with ILI (utilizing a modified case definition) and who completed a case report form. Samples were cultured and analyzed using standard real-time reverse transcriptase PCR (rt-RT-PCR) methodology and sequenced genetic material was phylogenetically compared to other published strains. Results rt-RT-PCR and DNA sequencing revealed that 25 (78%) of the 32 clinical samples collected were seasonal H3N2 and only 2 (6%) were A(H1N1)pdm09 influenza. The highest incidence of H3N2 occurred during the month of May and 80% of these were active duty military personnel. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that sequenced H3N2 strains were genetically similar to 2009 strains from the United States of America, Australia, and South east Asia. Conclusions This outbreak highlights challenges in the investigation of influenza among deployed military populations and corroborates the public health importance of maintaining surveillance systems for ILI that can be enhanced locally when needed. PMID:24339995

Seismological Constraints on the Magmato-tectonic Behavior of the Asal-Ghoubbet Rift (Afar Depression, Republic of Djibouti) Since the Last 1978-Rifting Episode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doubre, C.; Manighetti, I.; Bertil, D.; Dorbath, C.; Dorbath, L.; Jacques, E.

2004-12-01

The Asal-Ghoubbet rift was the locus of a seismic and volcanic crisis in 1978 followed by 8 years of rapid opening (60 mm/yr) before returning to its long-term opening rate of 16 mm/yr. We analyze the space-time evolution of the seismicity that occurred in the rift between 1979 and 2001. The data recorded by the Djibouti Observatory provide only hypocentral locations before 1995 and P and S-wave arrival times since 1996. Additional data acquired during a five months experiment in 2000-2001 allowed us to determine a 3D-velocity model of the rift, used to precisely relocate post 1996 events. The 2545 small-magnitude earthquakes (Md ≤ 3.2) recorded in the rift since the 1978 crisis provide a negligible contribution to the total extension across the rift, which occurs essentially aseismically. The temporal evolution of the seismicity reveals two distinct phases consistent with those observed in the geodetic data. The post-crisis period (1979-1986) is characterized by large-magnitude earthquakes exclusively located below the northern rift shoulder. These events are associated with the contraction of the side of the rift resulting from the fast opening of the central dyke system. The subsequent period (1987-2001) corresponding to normal opening rate across the rift is characterized by a micro-seismicity essentially located below the major rift caldera (Fieale). Most recorded events during this period concentrate within the rift inner floor at the top of an aseismic, low velocity zone located below the Fiale caldera, which we interpret as hot material above the magma chamber. Outside from post-crisis periods, the seismicity tends to cluster in time in response to stress changes in the brittle layer induced by episodic magmatic movements.

Naval War College Review. Volume 64, Number 1, Winter 2011

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

2010, a Chinese delegation headed by Major General Li Ning, the defense counselor for the Chinese mission to the European Union , visited the...headquarters of European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia in Djibouti.52 Djibouti would be an excellent choice as a place for the PLAN, and it should...France’s Base Aérienne 188 is home to the headquarters of EU NAVFOR Somalia/Operation ATALANTA, the European Union naval force tasked with

Assessment of hydraulic properties of sedimentary and volcanic aquifer systems under arid conditions in the Republic of Djibouti (Horn of Africa)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jalludin, Mohamed; Razack, Moumtaz

The Republic of Djibouti (23,000 km2 500,000 inhabitants), located within the Horn of Africa, undergoes an arid climate with an average annual rainfall less than 150 mm. Water resources are provided up to 98% by groundwater. Two types of aquifers are encountered: volcanic and sedimentary aquifers. This paper focuses on the assessment of their hydraulic properties, which is necessary for future tasks regarding the management of these aquifers. To this end, a data base consisting of all available pumping test data obtained since the 1960s was compiled. Pumping tests have been interpreted to determine transmissivity. Solely for volcanic aquifers, transmissivity also has been estimated through an empirical relationship using specific capacity corrected for turbulent well losses. The transmissivity of each type of aquifer can span up to four orders of magnitude, pointing out their strong heterogeneity. For the various volcanic rocks, the younger the rock, the higher the transmissivity. The transmissivity of volcanic rocks has therefore decreased in the course of geological time. At present, a much better understanding of the hydraulic properties of these complex aquifers has been obtained, which should enable optimal management of their groundwater resources through the use of numerical modeling. La République de Djibouti (23,000 km2 500,000 habitants), située dans la Corne de l'Afrique, subit un climat aride avec une pluviométrie moyenne annuelle inférieure à 150 mm. Les ressources en eau sont fournies à plus de 98% par les eaux souterraines contenues dans des aquifères sédimentaires ou volcaniques. Cet article a pour objectif l'évaluation des propriétés hydrauliques de ces aquifères, étape indispensable pour entreprendre par la suite des études en vue de la gestion de ces aquifères. Une base rassemblant les données d'essais par pompage disponibles depuis les années Soixante a d'abord été établie. Les essais par pompage ont été interprétés pour

[Comparison of annual risk for tuberculosis infection (1994-2001) in school children in Djibouti: methodological limitations and epidemiological value in a hyperendemic context].

PubMed

Bernatas, J J; Mohamed Ali, I; Ali Ismaël, H; Barreh Matan, A

2008-12-01

The purpose of this report was to describe a tuberculin survey conducted in 2001 to assess the trend in the annual risk for tuberculosis infection in Djibouti and compare resulting data with those obtained in a previous survey conducted in 1994. In 2001 cluster sampling allowed selection of 5599 school children between the ages of 6 and 10 years including 31.2% (1747/5599) without BCG vaccination scar. In this sample the annual risk of infection (ARI) estimated using cutoff points of 6 mm, 10 mm, and 14 mm corrected by a factor of 1/0.82 and a mode value (18 mm) determined according to the "mirror" method were 4.67%, 3.64%, 3.19% and 2.66% respectively. The distribution of positive tuberculin skin reaction size was significantly different from the normal law. In 1994 a total of 5257 children were selected using the same method. The distribution of positive reactions was not significantly different from the gaussian distribution and 28.6% (1505/5257) did not have a BCG scar. The ARI estimated using cutoff points of 6 mm, 10 mm, and 14 mm corrected by a factor of 1/0.82 and a mode value (17 mm) determined according to the "mirror" method were 2.68%, 2.52%, 2.75% and 3.32 respectively. Tuberculin skin reaction size among positive skin test reactors was correlated with the presence of a BCG scar, and its mean was significantly higher among children with BCG scar. The proportion of positive skin test reactors was also higher in the BCG scar group regardless of the cutoff point selected. Comparison of prevalence rates and ARI values did not allow any clear conclusion to be drawn, mainly because of a drastic difference in the positive reaction distribution profiles between the two studies. The distribution of the skin test reaction's size 1994 study could be modelized by a gaussian distribution while it could not in 2001. A partial explanation for the positive reaction distribution observed in the 2001 study might be the existence of cross-reactions with environmental

Anomalous night-time peaks in diurnal variations of NmF2 close to the geomagnetic equator: A statistical study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavlov, A. V.; Pavlova, N. M.

2007-11-01

We present a study of anomalous night-time NmF2 peaks, ANNPs, observed by the La Paz, Natal, Djibouti, Kodaikanal, Madras, Manila, Talara, and Huancayo Jicamarca ionosonde stations close to the geomagnetic equator. It is shown for the first time that the probabilities of occurrence of the first and second ANNPs depend on the geomagnetic longitude, and there is a longitude sector close to 110° geomagnetic longitude where the first and second ANNPs occur less frequently in comparison with the longitude regions located close to and below about 34° geomagnetic longitude and close to and above about 144° geomagnetic longitude. The found frequencies of occurrence of the ANNPs increase with increasing solar activity, except of the Djibouti and Kodaikanal ionosonde stations, where the probability of the first ANNP occurrence is found to decrease with increasing solar activity from low to moderate solar activity, and except of the Natal ionosonde station, where the frequencies of occurrence of the first and second ANNPs decrease with increasing solar activity from moderate to high solar activity. We found that the occurrence probabilities of ANNPs during geomagnetically disturbed conditions are greater than those during geomagnetically quiet conditions. The ANNP probabilities are largest in summer and are lowest in winter for the La-Paz, Talara, and Huancayo Jicamarca sounders. These probabilities are lowest in summer for the Djibouti, Madras, and Manila ionosonde stations, and in spring for the Kodaikanal sounder. The maximums in the probabilities are found to be in autumn for the Djibouti, Madras, and Manila ionosonde stations, and in winter for the Kodaikanal sounder.

Quantifying strain partitioning between magmatic and amagmatic portions of the Afar triple junction of Ethiopia and Djibouti through use of contemporary and late Quaternary extension rates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polun, S. G.; Hickcox, K.; Tesfaye, S.; Gomez, F. G.

2016-12-01

The central Afar rift in Ethiopia and Djibouti is a zone of accommodation between the onshore propagations of the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea oceanic spreading centers forming part of the Afar triple junction that divides the Arabia, Nubia, and Somalia plates. While extension in the onshore magmatic propagators is accommodated through magmatism and associated faulting, extension in the central Afar is accommodated solely by large and small faults. The contributions of these major faults to the overall strain budget can be well characterized, but smaller faults are more difficult to quantify. Sparse GPS data covering the region constrain the total extension budget across the diffuse triple junction zone. Late Quaternary slip rates for major faults in Hanle, Dobe, Guma, and Immino grabens were estimated using the quantitative analysis of faulted landforms. This forms a nearly complete transect from the onshore propagation of the Red Sea rift in Tendaho graben and the onshore propagation of the Gulf of Aden rift at Manda Inakir. Field surveying was accomplished using a combination of electronic distance measurer profiling and low altitude aerial surveying. Age constraints are provided from the Holocene lacustrine history or through terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide (TCN) dating of the faulted geomorphic surface. Along this transect, late Quaternary slip rates of major faults appear to accommodate 25% of the total horizontal stretching rate between the southern margin of Tendaho graben and the Red Sea coast, as determined from published GPS velocities. This constrains the proportion of total extension between Nubia and Arabia that is accommodated through major faulting in the central Afar, compared to the magmatism and associated faulting of the magmatic propagators elsewhere in the triple junction. Along the transect, individual fault slip rates decrease from the southeast to the northwest, suggesting a `Crank-Arm' model may be more applicable to explain the regional

Palaeomagnetism and K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar ages in the Ali Sabieh area (Republic of Djibouti and Ethiopia): constraints on the mechanism of Aden ridge propagation into southeastern Afar during the last 10 Myr

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Audin, L.; Quidelleur, X.; Coulié, E.; Courtillot, V.; Gilder, S.; Manighetti, I.; Gillot, P.-Y.; Tapponnier, P.; Kidane, T.

2004-07-01

A new detailed palaeomagnetic study of Tertiary volcanics, including extensive K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar dating, helps constrain the deformation mechanisms related to the opening processes of the Afar depression (Ethiopia and Djibouti). Much of the Afar depression is bounded by 30 Myr old flood basalts and floored by the ca 2 Myr old Stratoid basalts, and evidence for pre-2 Ma deformation processes is accessible only on its borders. K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar dating of several mineral phases from rhyolitic samples from the Ali Sabieh block shows indistinguishable ages around 20 Myr. These ages can be linked to separation of this block in relation to continental breakup. Different amounts of rotation are found to the north and south of the Holhol fault zone, which cuts across the northern part of the Ali Sabieh block. The southern domain did not record any rotation for the last 8 Myr, whereas the northern domain experienced approximately 12 +/- 9° of clockwise rotation. We propose to link this rotation to the counter-clockwise rotation observed in the Danakil block since 7 Ma. This provides new constraints on the early phases of rifting and opening of the southern Afar depression in connection with the propagation of the Aden ridge. A kinematic model of propagation and transfer of extension within southern Afar is proposed, with particular emphasis on the previously poorly-known period from 10 to 4 Ma.

75 FR 61239 - Request for Public Comments on Annual Review of Country Eligibility for Benefits Under the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-04

... Verde, Republic of Cameroon, Republic of Chad, Federal Islamic Republic of Comoros, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gabonese Republic, The Gambia, Republic of...

Geophysical Survey of the 1978 Seismo-volcanic Crisis in the Asal-Ghoubbet Rift (Afar Depression, Djibouti) and the Post-rifting Deformations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doubre, C.; Ruegg, J.; de Chabalier, J.; Vigny, C.; Jacques, E.

2006-12-01

In November 1978, a seismo-volcanic crisis occurred in the Asal-Ghoubbet Rift, which is located at the western termination of the oceanic Aden Ridge propagating inland into the Afar Depression and accommodates a large part of the divergent motion of the Arabia and Somalia plates. This episode offered the opportunity to study the rifting process controlling the evolution of a sub-aerial opening segment at the transition from continental break-up to oceanic spreading. This major crustal spreading episode started with two major earthquakes in the subaerial part of the rift (mb=5.3 and 5.0) and was followed by the week-long, basaltic fissure eruption of the Ardukoba at the western tip of the central volcanic chain. The geophysical survey carried out for the crisis was possible by means of the Arta Observatory in Djibouti within the framework of field surveys financed by the French agency CNRS-INSU. This allowed the measurements of the surface breaks (dry open fissures up to 100 m, normal fault throws up to 80 cm), the crustal deformation by geodetic networks and leveling (up to 2m of horizontal widening, 70 cm of inner-floor subsidence), and the evolution of the seismic activity (eastward migration along the Aden Ridge) associated with this rifting event. Elastic modeling shows that both the deformation pattern and the seismic activity can be explained by the aseismic intrusion of two dykes below the rift inner-floor. Subsequently, a continuous geodetic and seismic monitoring has been maintained and shows that the post-dyke injection evolution of the rift is dominated by two distinct periods. During the six first years (1979-1986), high rates of horizontal opening and slip of creeping normal faults accommodate the subsidence of the inner-floor surrimposed to the development of a 25 km-wide uplift. Since 1986-87, the strain rates have decreased and currently reach values consistent with long-term velocities deduced from morpho-tectonic studies. The evolution of the

Anomalous night-time peaks in diurnal variations of NmF2 close to the geomagnetic equator: a statistical study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavlov, Anatoli

We present a study of anomalous night-time NmF2 peaks, ANNPs, observed by the La Paz, Natal, Djibouti, Kodaikanal, Madras, Manila, Talara, and Huancayo-Jicamarca ionosonde stations close to the geomagnetic equator. It is shown that the probabilities of occurrence of the first and second ANNPs depend on the geomagnetic longitude, and there is a longitude sector close to 110° geomagnetic longitude where the first and second ANNPs occur less frequently in comparisons with the longitude regions located close to and below about 34° geomagnetic longitude and close to and above about 144° geomagnetic longitude. The found frequencies of occurrence of the ANNPs increase with increasing solar activity, except of the Djibouti and Kodaikanal ionosonde stations, where the probability of the first ANNP occurrence is found to decrease with increasing solar activity from low (F10.7<100) to moderate (100≤F10.7≤170) solar activity, and except of the Natal ionosonde station, where the frequencies of occurrence of the first and second ANNPs decrease with increasing solar activity from moderate to high (F10.7>170) solar activity. We found that the occurrence probabilities of ANNPs during geomagnetically disturbed conditions are greater than those during geomagnetically quiet conditions. The calculated values of these probabilities have pronounced maximums in June (La-Paz and Talara) and in July (Huancayo-Jicamarca) at the ionosonde stations located in the southern geographic hemisphere. The first ANNP is least frequently observed in January (La-Paz, Talara, and Huancayo-Jicamarca), and the second ANNP is least frequently measured in January (La-Paz and Huancayo-Jicamarca) and in December (Talara). In the northern geographic hemisphere, the studied probabilities are lowest in June (Djibouti and Madras), in July (Manila), and in April (Kodaikanal). The maximums in the probabilities of occurrence of the first and second ANNPs are found to be in September (Djibouti), in October

15 CFR 2013.1 - Designations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

.... Afr. Rep. Chad Congo Côte d'Ivoire Dem. Rep. of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea... Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines South Africa St. Kitts & Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent...

15 CFR 2013.1 - Designations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

.... Afr. Rep. Chad Congo Côte d'Ivoire Dem. Rep. of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea... Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines South Africa St. Kitts & Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent...

15 CFR 2013.1 - Designations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

.... Afr. Rep. Chad Congo Côte d'Ivoire Dem. Rep. of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea... Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines South Africa St. Kitts & Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent...

Chemical-specific health consultation for chromated copper arsenate chemical mixture: port of Djibouti.

PubMed

Chou, Selene; Colman, Joan; Tylenda, Carolyn; De Rosa, Christopher

2007-05-01

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) prepared this health consultation to provide support for assessing the public health implications of hazardous chemical exposure, primarily through drinking water, related to releases of chromated copper arsenate (CCA) in the port of Djibouti. CCA from a shipment, apparently intended for treating electric poles, is leaking into the soil in the port area. CCA is a pesticide used to protect wood against decay-causing organisms. This mixture commonly contains chromium(VI) (hexavalent chromium) as chromic acid, arsenic(V) (pentavalent arsenic) as arsenic pentoxide and copper (II) (divalent copper) as cupric oxide, often in an aqueous solution or concentrate. Experimental studies of the fate of CCA in soil and monitoring studies of wood-preserving sites where CCA was spilled on the soil indicate that the chromium(VI), arsenic and copper components of CCA can leach from soil into groundwater and surface water. In addition, at CCA wood-preserving sites, substantial concentrations of chromium(VI), arsenic and copper remained in the soil and were leachable into water four years after the use of CCA was discontinued, suggesting prolonged persistence in soil, with continued potential for leaching. The degree of leaching depended on soil composition and the extent of soil contamination with CCA. In general, leaching was highest for chromium(VI), intermediate for arsenic and lowest for copper. Thus, the potential for contamination of sources of drinking water exists. Although arsenic that is leached from CCA-contaminated soil into surface water may accumulate in the tissues of fish and shellfish, most of the arsenic in these animals will be in a form (often called fish arsenic) that is less harmful. Copper, which leaches less readily than the other components, can accumulate in tissues of mussels and oysters. Chromium is not likely to accumulate in the tissues of fish and shellfish. Limited studies of air

DefenseLink Special: Joint Civilian Orientation Conference, JCOC 72,

Science.gov Websites

Search DefenseLink.mil Jun. 11, 2015 War on Terror Transformation News Products Press Resources Images during the global war on terror. Story Horn of Africa Troops Work to Stem Terror CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti

The U.S. military's Neisseria gonorrhoeae resistance surveillance initiatives in selected populations of five countries.

PubMed

Tsai, Alice Y; Dueger, Erica; Macalino, Grace E; Montano, Silvia M; Tilley, Drake H; Mbuchi, Margaret; Wurapa, Eyako K; Saylors, Karen; Duplessis, Christopher C; Puplampu, Naiki; Garges, Eric C; McClelland, R Scott; Sanchez, Jose L

2013-02-01

Multi-drug resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) threatens the successful treatment of gonorrhea. This report presents preliminary findings with regard to the prevalence of laboratory-confirmed GC and the extent of drug-resistance among sample populations in five countries. Between October 2010 and January 2013, 1,694 subjects (54% male; 45% female; 1% unknown) were enrolled and screened for the presence of laboratory-confirmed GC in the United States, Djibouti, Ghana, Kenya, and Peru. Overall, 108 (6%) of enrolled subjects tested positive for GC. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing results were available for 66 GC isolates. Resistance to at least three antibiotics was observed at each overseas site. All isolates tested in Ghana (n=6) were resistant to ciprofloxacin, penicillin, and tetracycline. In Djibouti, preliminary results suggested resistance to penicillin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, cefepime, and ceftriaxone. The small sample size and missing data prevent comparative analysis and limit the generalizability of these preliminary findings.

Direct on-strip analysis of size- and time-resolved aerosol impactor samples using laser induced fluorescence spectra excited at 263 and 351 nm.

PubMed

Wang, Chuji; Pan, Yong-Le; James, Deryck; Wetmore, Alan E; Redding, Brandon

2014-04-11

We report a novel atmospheric aerosol characterization technique, in which dual wavelength UV laser induced fluorescence (LIF) spectrometry marries an eight-stage rotating drum impactor (RDI), namely UV-LIF-RDI, to achieve size- and time-resolved analysis of aerosol particles on-strip. The UV-LIF-RDI technique measured LIF spectra via direct laser beam illumination onto the particles that were impacted on a RDI strip with a spatial resolution of 1.2mm, equivalent to an averaged time resolution in the aerosol sampling of 3.6 h. Excited by a 263 nm or 351 nm laser, more than 2000 LIF spectra within a 3-week aerosol collection time period were obtained from the eight individual RDI strips that collected particles in eight different sizes ranging from 0.09 to 10 μm in Djibouti. Based on the known fluorescence database from atmospheric aerosols in the US, the LIF spectra obtained from the Djibouti aerosol samples were found to be dominated by fluorescence clusters 2, 5, and 8 (peaked at 330, 370, and 475 nm) when excited at 263 nm and by fluorescence clusters 1, 2, 5, and 6 (peaked at 390 and 460 nm) when excited at 351 nm. Size- and time-dependent variations of the fluorescence spectra revealed some size and time evolution behavior of organic and biological aerosols from the atmosphere in Djibouti. Moreover, this analytical technique could locate the possible sources and chemical compositions contributing to these fluorescence clusters. Advantages, limitations, and future developments of this new aerosol analysis technique are also discussed. Published by Elsevier B.V.

10 CFR 110.29 - Restricted destinations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Restricted destinations. 110.29 Section 110.29 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) EXPORT AND IMPORT OF NUCLEAR EQUIPMENT AND MATERIAL Licenses § 110.29 Restricted destinations. Afghanistan Andorra Angola Burma (Myanmar) Djibouti India Israel Libya...

10 CFR 110.29 - Restricted destinations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Restricted destinations. 110.29 Section 110.29 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) EXPORT AND IMPORT OF NUCLEAR EQUIPMENT AND MATERIAL Licenses § 110.29 Restricted destinations. Afghanistan Andorra Angola Burma (Myanmar) Djibouti India Israel Libya...

10 CFR 110.29 - Restricted destinations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Restricted destinations. 110.29 Section 110.29 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) EXPORT AND IMPORT OF NUCLEAR EQUIPMENT AND MATERIAL Licenses § 110.29 Restricted destinations. Afghanistan Andorra Angola Burma (Myanmar) Djibouti India Israel Libya...

10 CFR 110.29 - Restricted destinations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Restricted destinations. 110.29 Section 110.29 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) EXPORT AND IMPORT OF NUCLEAR EQUIPMENT AND MATERIAL Licenses § 110.29 Restricted destinations. Afghanistan Andorra Angola Burma (Myanmar) Djibouti India Israel Libya...

10 CFR 110.29 - Restricted destinations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Restricted destinations. 110.29 Section 110.29 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) EXPORT AND IMPORT OF NUCLEAR EQUIPMENT AND MATERIAL Licenses § 110.29 Restricted destinations. Afghanistan Andorra Angola Burma (Myanmar) Djibouti India Israel Libya...

Potential Use of Hydrogen as a Defense Logistics Fuel - Revision 1

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-11-01

Macau Swaziland Costa Rica Macedonia Sweden Cyprus Malawi Switzerland Djibouti Maldives Togo Dominica Mali Tonga Dominican Republic Malta Turks and...Is high-pressure steam available for a turbine to power a compressor? * Can hydrogen be reliably produced on site? Geology of the area * Can it be

76 FR 69290 - Report on Countries That Are Candidates for Millennium Challenge Account Eligibility in Fiscal...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-08

... countries to achieve lasting economic growth and poverty reduction. The Act requires the Millennium... to reduce poverty and generate economic growth in the country. These steps include the submission of... Dem. Rep. of the Congo Djibouti Ethiopia Gambia, The Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Haiti Honduras India...

Africa: A Survey of Distance Education 1991. New Papers on Higher Education: Studies and Research 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

John, Magnus

Country profiles compiled through a survey of distance education in Africa form the contents of this document. International organizations and 35 countries were surveyed: Algeria; Benin; Botswana; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Chad; Congo (Brazzaville); Djibouti; Ethiopia; Gambia; Ghana; Guinea; Ivory Coast; Kenya;…

Identity in Africa's Internal Conflicts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deng, Francis M.

1996-01-01

Identifies and defines four models of internal ethnic conflict and discusses those conflicts within various African nations. The corresponding models and countries include Integration Model: Botswana and Somalia; Managed Diversity Model: Ghana, Cote d'Ivorie, Kenya, and Nigeria; Ambivalent Accommodation Model: Ethiopia and Djibouti; and Acute…

Piracy off the Horn of Africa

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-04-21

carried out with the intention of damaging or sinking the ship and injuring or killing its crew in retaliation for the deaths of three Somali pirates...of Conduct to repress acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships,” 45 Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives , Seychelles, Somalia, the

Piracy off the Horn of Africa

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-04-24

damaging or sinking the ship and injuring or killing its crew in retaliation for the deaths of three Somali pirates during U.S. military efforts to...a Code of Conduct to repress acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships,” 45 Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives , Seychelles

Do Girls' Scholarship Programs Work? Evidence from Two Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chapman, David W.; Mushlin, Sarah

2008-01-01

This study examined the extent that a scholarship program operating in Sierra Leone and Djibouti was successful in increasing girls' persistence in basic education. Results of field studies indicated that scholarships could be appropriately targeted and delivered in ways that appear to minimize misappropriation of funds. However, the scholarships…

The Role of Education and Training in Enhancing Labour Productivity in Arab Countries in Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ElObeidy, Ahmed A.

2016-01-01

Labour productivity in Arab countries is low by international standards and this problem occurs in Arab countries both inside and outside Africa. There are 10 Arab countries in Africa: Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti and Comoros. Enhancing labour productivity is a major challenge for Arab countries.…

Directory of Early Childhood Care and Education Organizations in the Arab States.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Paris (France).

The care and education of children is a primary task of all societies, and the role of parents, families, and communities is essential in this process. This directory describes the major activities of 64 non-governmental and governmental organizations, based on 12 Arab countries (Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mauritania,…

Consumption of fruits and vegetables among adolescents: a multi-national comparison of eleven countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

PubMed

Al Ani, M F; Al Subhi, L K; Bose, S

2016-03-28

Regional cross-country profile of fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption is lacking in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). This study examines the prevalence and differences of consuming F&V ≥5 times/d among adolescents in eleven EMR countries, and also describes differences in the proportions of taking F&V ≥5 times/d by sex, age and BMI. The study included 26 328 school adolescents (13-15 years) with complete data on consumption of F&V, age, sex, weight and height taken from the Global School-based Student Health Survey conducted in the EMR between 2005 and 2009. Overall, only 19·4 % of adolescents reported consuming F&V ≥5 times/d. The highest prevalence was reported in Djibouti (40·4 %) and the lowest was reported in Pakistan (10·0 %). Statistically significant differences in prevalence were observed across countries (P<0·05). With the exception of Oman, Libya and Djibouti, significantly more males than females ate F&V ≥5 times/d. Proportion of students consuming F&V ≥5 times/d also varied significantly in all counties based on BMI (P<0·0001), with students within normal BMI having the highest frequency. A negative trend was observed between age and the prevalence of taking F&V ≥5 times/d in most of the eleven EMR countries but Jordan, Djibouti and Morocco. The prevalence of adequate intake of F&V was low in the eleven EMR countries. There is a need for interventions to increase the prevalence of adolescents consuming F&V ≥5 times/d. Interventions should take into consideration psychosocial, environmental and socio-environmental factors influencing F&V intake within countries.

USSR Report, International Affairs

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-09-09

and planted in the black Djibouti soil the cutting of a jojoba —a tree capable of enduring all the adversities of the desert and symbolizing in local... jojoba , Africa will be able to breathe a sigh of relief," the Kenyan DAILY NATION wrote. "We would all like this most protracted and explosive

Geochemical study of the Sakalol-Harralol geothermal field (Republic of Djibouti): Evidences of a low enthalpy aquifer between Manda-Inakir and Asal rift settings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Awaleh, Mohamed Osman; Boschetti, Tiziano; Soubaneh, Youssouf Djibril; Baudron, Paul; Kawalieh, Ali Dirir; Dabar, Omar Assowe; Ahmed, Moussa Mahdi; Ahmed, Samaleh Idriss; Daoud, Mohamed Ahmed; Egueh, Nima Moussa; Mohamed, Jalludin

2017-02-01

Eighty-six sodium bicarbonate to sodium chloride hot springs and four water wells in the Tadjourah Region of Djibouti were investigated for major, minor (B, Br, F, Sr, Li) chemistry and isotope composition of water and dissolved components (87Sr/86Sr, 11B/10B, 13C/12C and 14C of DIC, 34S/32S and 18O/16O of sulfate). The deep saline Na-Cl reservoir at 143 °C shows affinity with the shallow geothermal water from the "active" Asal rift. Asal water is a diluted and recycled seawater component with the major cation composition obliterated by equilibration with Stratoid basalt. Locally, the deep reservoir is differentiated in term of recharge, and re-equilibration with rocks and mixing. In particular, two spring groups reveal contributions from evaporites typical of the "passive" graben setting of the Afar. A model on 34S/32S and 18O/16O demonstrates the isotope imprint of magmatic SO2 disproportionation on dissolved and solid sulfate, whose values probably persists in a sedimentary environment without trace of seawater. On the other hand a seawater signature, modified by mixing and secondary fractionation effects, is partially maintained according to the boron isotope composition (up to + 27.4‰). Temperature estimation in low-enthalpy geothermal reservoirs is notoriously difficult, especially where mixing with fluids of differing genesis and/or conduction cooling take place. From a geothermometric point of view, the multi-method approach followed in this study (up-to-date theoretical and thermodynamic equations, ad-hoc silica geothermometers inferred from local rocks, checking of the results on a 18Oαsulfate-water vs. temperature diagram) provides some insights and perspectives on how to tackle the problem. Table S2. Sampling locations, T, pH, EC, TDS and hydrochemical types of the sampled waters. Table S3. Chemical analyses of thermal and cold waters from Sakalaol-Haralol geothermal field. Table S4. Mineral saturation indices of SHGF hot springs waters calculated

Meteorological Conditions Affecting Electromagnetic Propagation on the Arabian Peninsula.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-09-01

Arabian Sea * - EMEN*~ PEOPLE S DEM. ARAB REPt~ REP OF YEMEN " Aden ID,naut,"DJIBOUTI Socotra I ~ETHIOPIA -. I Addis Ababa SOMALIA , igure 11: "Aratian... vel were do minart. Fi~ure 62 shcws the presencc of an elevated duct. A low altituide (2000 feet) radar hcle is -resent below th-e duct f row 50 tc 200

Female genital mutilations - a testimony.

PubMed

Youssouf, Samia

2013-02-01

In Djibouti, the prevalence of female genital mutilations (FGMs) amounts to 98% and the practice is still in use. When I left, in 1999, I knew I would involve myself in the fight against FGMs and I describe here the outcome of an obstacle course of more than ten years duration. This paper is written on behalf of innumerable women, who could give you a similar account.

[Pilot study of antiretroviral therapy in Djibouti].

PubMed

Ahmed, A A; Latoundji, S

2007-01-01

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 112 HIV positive patients who had received antiretroviral therapy for >3 months to assess the efficacy of treatment (viral load <400 copies/mL). The median age at enrolment was 36 years, 90% of patients were at the AIDS stage and median CD4 rate was 118/mm3. Patients received a combined treatment of 2 NRTI +1 NNRTI (51%), 3 NRTI (45%) and 2 NRTI+1 PI (4%). Virological efficacy was seen in 74% of the patients, irrespective of the prescribed protocol and the initial clinical and immunological profile. Mean improvements measured were 20% on the Karnofsky index (KI), 2.1 kg/m2 in body mass index and 82 cells/mm in CD4. The prevalence of side effects was 84%. The predictors for treatment success were quality of care and KI > 70%.

Sub-Saharan Africa Report

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-03-09

Benguela’s BPV To Be Expanded (JORNAL DE ANGOLA, 18 Nov 86) 9 DJIBOUTI Briefs France Increases Aid 11 ETHIOPIA Mengistu on Commitment to...Jan 87) 45 Coffee Farmers Disappointed With Payments (Samuel Nduati; DAILY NATION, 10 Jan 87) 47 Burglaries on Increase in City Regions...POSTNATAL, 14-17 Jan 87) 103 Columnist Deplores Government’s Increased Censorship Actions (Ameen Akhalwaya; POST NATAL, 14-17 Jan 87) 104 ECONOMIC

Humanitarian Relief Capabilities in the Horn of Africa.

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-13

surface runways (Central Intelligence Agency 2014a). Camp Lemonnier, the only U.S. military base in Africa, is located in Djibouti. The camp is in close... Intelligence Agency 2014d). Somalia has sixty-one airports, of which six have permanent surface runways (Central 10 Intelligence Agency 2014e). Ethiopia...has fifty-seven airports, of which seventeen have permanent surface runways (Central Intelligence Agency 2014c). The country with the same number

The Next Lightweight Fighter: Not Your Grandfather’s Combat Aircraft

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-08-01

devastat- ing Arabian quake in Somalia, which has almost no infrastructure and suffers from ongoing clan warfare. The United States deployed forces to...Kassim, which the quake had virtually leveled. A joint task force based in Djibouti stood up to direct the relief effort, exercising airborne com- mand...the earth prevent low-altitude or dis- tant aircraft from looking into “the next valley” directly. Consequently, many a reconnaissance mission or

Diversity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains isolated from Borassus akeassii palm wines from Burkina Faso in comparison to other African beverages.

PubMed

Tapsoba, François; Legras, Jean-Luc; Savadogo, Aly; Dequin, Sylvie; Traore, Alfred Sababenedyo

2015-10-15

In South-West of Burkina Faso, palm wine is produced by spontaneous fermentation of the sap from a specific palm tree Borassus akeassii and plays an important role in people's lives. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the main agent of this alcoholic fermentation but little is known about the diversity of the isolates from palm. In this work, 39 Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains were isolated from palm wine samples collected from 14 sites in Burkina Faso, as well as 7 isolates obtained from sorghum beer (Dolo) from 3 distant sites. Their diversity was analyzed at 12 microsatellite loci, and compared to the genotypes obtained for other African yeast populations isolated from Cocoa hulks from Ghana, sorghum beer from Ivory Coast, palm wine from Djibouti Republic, and to our database of strains from miscellaneous origins (bread, beer, wine, sake, oaks…). The ploidy of these strains has been assessed as well by flow cytometry. Our results show that B. akeassii palm wine contains a specific yeast population of diploid strains, different from Dolo produced in the same area and from other palm wine strains from Ivory Coast, Nigeria, or Djibouti Republic. In contrast, Dolo strains appeared as a group of related and mainly tetraploid strains despite being isolated from different countries. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DoD Global Emerging Infections System Annual Report, Fiscal Year 2001

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-01-01

Singapore Brunei Kenya South Korea Bolivia Laos Suriname Cambodia Malaysia Syria Canada Mexico Trinidad and Tobago Djibouti Myanmar Thailand Ecuador Nepal...34 Varicella Susceptibility And Vaccine Use In Young Adults Enlisting In The U.S. Navy." Shah KV, Daniel RW, Tennant MK, Shah N, McKee KT, Jr, Gaydos...Symposium, 17-20 April 2001, San Antonio, TX. Ryan MAK, Smith TC, Honner WK, Gray GC. " Varicella Susceptibility And Vaccine Use In Young Adults

2008 Annual Report: Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (DHAPP)

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

of the country’s food must still be imported. The GDP per capita is $9,100, with extensive unemployment and underemployment affecting more than...most food must be imported. The GDP per capita is $3,800. Djibouti hosts the only US military base in sub-Saharan Africa . HIV/AIDS Statistics...13) HIV-positive pregnant or lactating women received food and nutritional supplementation at the PMTCT sites. 40 K E N Y A Care Nine (9

Lithospheric structure beneath Eastern Africa from joint inversion of receiver functions and Rayleigh wave velocities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dugda, Mulugeta Tuji

Crust and upper mantle structure beneath eastern Africa has been investigated using receiver functions and surface wave dispersion measurements to understand the impact of the hotspot tectonism found there on the lithospheric structure of the region. In the first part of this thesis, I applied H-kappa stacking of receiver functions, and a joint inversion of receiver functions and Rayleigh wave group velocities to determine the crustal parameters under Djibouti. The two methods give consistent results. The crust beneath the GEOSCOPE station ATD has a thickness of 23+/-1.5 km and a Poisson's ratio of 0.31+/-0.02. Previous studies give crustal thickness beneath Djibouti to be between 8 and 10 km. I found it necessary to reinterprete refraction profiles for Djibouti from a previous study. The crustal structure obtained for ATD is similar to adjacent crustal structure in many other parts of central and eastern Afar. The high Poisson's ratio and Vp throughout most of the crust indicate a mafic composition, suggesting that the crust in Afar consists predominantly of new igneous rock emplaced during the late synrift stage where extension is accommodated within magmatic segments by diking. In the second part of this thesis, the seismic velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle beneath Ethiopia and Djibouti has been investigated by jointly inverting receiver functions and Rayleigh wave group velocities to obtain new constraints on the thermal structure of the lithosphere. Crustal structure from the joint inversion for Ethiopia and Djibouti is similar to previously published models. Beneath the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) and Afar, the lithospheric mantle has a maximum shear wave velocity of 4.1-4.2 km/s and extends to a depth of at most 50 km. In comparison to the lithosphere away from the East African Rift System in Tanzania, where the lid extends to depths of ˜100-125 km and has a maximum shear velocity of 4.6 km/s, the mantle lithosphere under the Ethiopian Plateau

Security of Small States, Problems of the States of the South Asian Region and Bangladesh’s Options for Security,

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-03-10

Ocean and the Pacific, such as, Sri Lanka, South Yemen, Malaysia and Egypt (not a small state but vulnerable) because of their strategic locations...400,000 Comoros 178 Djibouti 350 Ethiopia 2,960 Indonesia 20,000 Iran 20,000 Kenya 70,000 Kuwait 81,000 Madagascar 21 ,500 Malaysia 1,170,000 Maldives...step, Pakistan and India must freeze their conventional armaments at current levels. They should 79 ! F6 initiate talks to reduce conventional forces. The

Are the new IADPSG criteria for gestational diabetes useful in a country with a very high prevalence?

PubMed

Minsart, Anne-Frederique; N'guyen, Thai-Son Pierre; Dimtsu, Hirut; Ratsimandresy, Rachel; Dada, Fouad; Ali Hadji, Rachid

2014-09-01

The International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups released new recommendations on screening methods and diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes. The main objectives of the present study were to analyze characteristics of mothers who underwent the new screening test, and to assess the prevalence of gestational diabetes and related pregnancy complications such as the 5-minute Apgar score <7, in a urban maternity clinic in Djibouti. The effect of treating gestational diabetes was also evaluated. Totally, 231 mothers underwent the new screening test, and 106 were diagnosed as having gestational diabetes (45.9%). Mothers with gestational diabetes had an excess risk of low Apgar scores, even after adjustment for socio-economic and medical covariates, with an odds ratio of 6.34 (1.77-22.66), p value <0.005. Only 46.2% of mothers with gestational diabetes followed the recommendations regarding treatment. Among these patients, 18.6% of infants from untreated mothers had a 5-minute Apgar score <7, compared to 3.9% infants from treated mothers (p value = 0.017). After adjustment, untreated mothers still had a high excess risk of low Apgar scores, although non-significant, with an odds ratio of 4.67 (0.78-27.87), p value = 0.09. In conclusion, gestational diabetes is highly prevalent in Djibouti and is related to low Apgar scores.

[Spitting cobras: description of 2 cases in Djibouti].

PubMed

Rouvin, B; Kone, M; N'diaye, M; Seck, M; Diatta, B

2010-02-01

The purpose of this report is to describe two cases involving ophthalmic exposure to venom from spitting cobras. Based on these cases, readers are reminded that eye injury can be prevented by low-cost treatment consisting of prompt, prolonged saline irrigation. This treatment also reduces pain.

HIV surveillance in MENA: recent developments and results.

PubMed

Bozicevic, Ivana; Riedner, Gabriele; Calleja, Jesus Maria Garcia

2013-11-01

To provide an overview of the current level of development and results from the national HIV surveillance systems of the 23 countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and to assess the quality of HIV surveillance systems in the period 2007-2011. A questionnaire was used to collect the information about the structure, activities and the results of HIV surveillance systems from the National AIDS Programmes. Assessment of the quality was based on four indicators: timeliness of data collection, appropriateness of populations under surveillance, consistency of the surveillance sites and groups measured over time, and coverage of the surveillance system. Only in four countries did surveillance systems enable assessment of epidemic trends in the same populations and locations over time, such as in pregnant women (Morocco, Iran), injecting drug users (Iran, Pakistan), female sex workers (Djibouti, Morocco) and male sex workers (Pakistan). There is increasing evidence of HIV infection being firmly established in at least one of the populations most at risk of HIV in nine MENA countries, while lower risk populations show elevated HIV prevalence in South Sudan, Djibouti and some parts of Somalia. The performance of HIV surveillance systems in several of the MENA countries has improved in recent years. The extent of HIV epidemics in the populations most at risk of HIV is still largely unknown in 10 countries. Multiple data sources that most of the countries still lack would enable indirectly estimation not only of the patterns of HIV epidemics but also the effectiveness of HIV responses.

HIV surveillance in MENA: recent developments and results

PubMed Central

Bozicevic, Ivana; Riedner, Gabriele; Calleja, Jesus Maria Garcia

2013-01-01

Objectives To provide an overview of the current level of development and results from the national HIV surveillance systems of the 23 countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and to assess the quality of HIV surveillance systems in the period 2007–2011. Methods A questionnaire was used to collect the information about the structure, activities and the results of HIV surveillance systems from the National AIDS Programmes. Assessment of the quality was based on four indicators: timeliness of data collection, appropriateness of populations under surveillance, consistency of the surveillance sites and groups measured over time, and coverage of the surveillance system. Results Only in four countries did surveillance systems enable assessment of epidemic trends in the same populations and locations over time, such as in pregnant women (Morocco, Iran), injecting drug users (Iran, Pakistan), female sex workers (Djibouti, Morocco) and male sex workers (Pakistan). There is increasing evidence of HIV infection being firmly established in at least one of the populations most at risk of HIV in nine MENA countries, while lower risk populations show elevated HIV prevalence in South Sudan, Djibouti and some parts of Somalia. Conclusions The performance of HIV surveillance systems in several of the MENA countries has improved in recent years. The extent of HIV epidemics in the populations most at risk of HIV is still largely unknown in 10 countries. Multiple data sources that most of the countries still lack would enable indirectly estimation not only of the patterns of HIV epidemics but also the effectiveness of HIV responses. PMID:23434789

Profound reduction of CD4+ lymphocytes without HIV infection: two cases from the horn of Africa.

PubMed

Ollé-Goig, J E; Ramírez, J; Cervera, C; Miró, J M

2012-09-01

Idiopathic CD4+ lymphocytopenia is a disorder associated with low CD4+ T cell count and opportunistic infections resembling AIDS. Most cases are described in developed countries. We report two HIV-negative patients with idiopathic CD4+ lymphocytopenia and AIDS-defining events diagnosed in Djibouti. The first patient developed lesions of Kaposi's sarcoma and the second one presented with pulmonary tuberculosis. Both patients died with severe immunodepression. In poor resource-areas where HIV testing may not be available it is important to bear in mind that severe immunodepression and a clinical presentation compatible with AIDS do not necessary carry the diagnosis of AIDS.

Delivering high-quality family planning services in crisis-affected settings II: results.

PubMed

Curry, Dora Ward; Rattan, Jesse; Huang, Shuyuan; Noznesky, Elizabeth

2015-02-04

An estimated 43 million women of reproductive age experienced the effects of conflict in 2012. Already vulnerable from the insecurity of the emergency, women must also face the continuing risk of unwanted pregnancy but often are unable to obtain family planning services. The ongoing Supporting Access to Family Planning and Post-Abortion Care (SAFPAC) initiative, led by CARE, has provided contraceptives, including long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), to refugees, internally displaced persons, and conflict-affected resident populations in Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Djibouti, Mali, and Pakistan. The project works through the Ministry of Health in 4 key areas: (1) competency-based training, (2) supply chain management, (3) systematic supervision, and (4) community mobilization to raise awareness and shift norms related to family planning. This article presents data on program results from July 2011 to December 2013 from the 5 countries. Project staff summarized monthly data from client registers using hard-copy forms and recorded the data electronically in Microsoft Excel for compilation and analysis. The initiative reached 52,616 new users of modern contraceptive methods across the 5 countries, ranging from 575 in Djibouti to 21,191 in Chad. LARCs have predominated overall, representing 61% of new modern method users. The percentage of new users choosing LARCs varied by country: 78% in the DRC, 72% in Chad, and 51% in Mali, but only 29% in Pakistan. In Djibouti, those methods were not offered in the country through SAFPAC during the period discussed here. In Chad, the DRC, and Mali, implants have been the most popular LARC method, while in Pakistan the IUD has been more popular. Use of IUDs, however, has comprised a larger share of the method mix over time in all 4 of these countries. These results to date suggest that it is feasible to work with the public sector in fragile, crisis-affected states to deliver a wide range of quality

Petrological Constraints on Melt Generation Beneath the Asal Rift (Djibouti)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinzuti, P.; Humler, E.; Manighetti, I.; Gaudemer, Y.; Bézos, A.

2010-12-01

The temporal evolution of the mantle melting processes in the Asal Rift is evaluated from the chemical composition of 95 lava flows sampled along 10 km of the rift axis and 8 km off-axis (that is for the last 650 ky). The major element composition and the trace element ratios of aphyric basalts across the Asal Rift show a symmetric pattern relative to the rift axis and preserved a clear signal of mantle melting depth variations. FeO, Fe8.0, Sm/YbN and Zr/Y increase, whereas SiO2 and Lu/HfN decrease from the rift axis to the rift shoulders. These variations are qualitatively consistent with a shallower melting beneath the rift axis than off-axis and the data show that the melting regime is inconsistent with a passive upwelling model. In order to quantify the depth range and extent of melting, we invert Na8.0 and Fe8.0 contents of basalts based on a pure active upwelling model. Beneath the rift axis, melting paths are shallow, from 60 to 30 km. These melting paths are consistent with adiabatic melting in normal-temperature asthenosphere, beneath an extensively thinned mantle lithosphere. In contrast, melting on the rift shoulders occurred beneath a thick mantle lithosphere and required mantle solidus temperature 180°C hotter than normal (melting paths from 110 to 75 km). The calculated rate of lithospheric thinning is high (6.0 cm yr-1) and could explain the survival of a metastable garnet within the mantle at depth shallower than 90 km beneath the modern Asal Rift.

Severe Vertex Epidural Hematoma in a Child: A Case Report of a Management without Expert Neurosurgical Care

PubMed Central

Brévart, Christophe; Bertani, Antoine; Abdourahman Aden, Hassan; Menguy, Paul; Dulou, Renaud

2011-01-01

Vertex epidural hematomas (VEDHs) are an uncommon situation and difficulties may be encountered in their diagnosis and management. This is more complicated when the surgical management has to be performed by general surgeons, not specialized in neurosurgery, in a remote location. It was in this context that we were brought to care in charge a 2-year-old boy who required a neurosurgical emergency rescue for a severe VEDH in Djibouti. Through the description of this case, we want to emphasize the value of developing a network of teleconsultation for the benefit of remote and isolated locations and learning basic techniques of emergency neurosurgery. PMID:22606578

Major and micro seismo-volcanic crises in the Asal Rift, Djibouti

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peltzer, G.; Doubre, C.; Tomic, J.

2009-05-01

The Asal-Ghoubbet Rift is located on the eastern branch of the Afar triple junction between the Arabia, Somalia, and Nubia tectonic plates. The last major seismo-volcanic crisis on this segment occurred in November 1978, involving two earthquakes of mb=5+, a basaltic fissure eruption, the development of many open fissures across the rift and up to 80 cm of vertical slip on the bordering faults. Geodetic leveling revealed ~2 m of horizontal opening of the rift accompanied by ~70 cm of subsidence of the inner-floor, consistent with models of the elastic deformation produced by the injection of magma in a system of two dykes. InSAR data acquired at 24-day intervals during the last 12 years by the Canadian Radarsat satellite over the Asal Rift show that the two main faults activated in 1978 continue to slip with periods of steady creep at rates of 0.3-1.3 mm/yr, interrupted by sudden slip events of a few millimeters, in 2000 and 2003. Slip events are coincident with bursts of micro earthquakes distributed around and over the Fieale volcanic center in the eastern part of the Asal Rift. In both cases (the 1978 crisis and micro-slip events), the observed geodetic moment released by fault slip exceeds by a few orders of magnitude the total seismic moment released by earthquakes over the same period. Aseismic fault slip is likely to be the faults response to a changing stress field associated with a volcanic process and not due to dry friction on faults. Sustained injection of magma (1978 crisis) and/or crustal fluids (micro-slip events) in dykes and fissures is a plausible mechanism to control fluid pressure in the basal parts of faults and trigger aseismic slip. In this respect, the micro-events observed by InSAR during a 12-year period of low activity in the rift and the 1978 seismo-volcanic episode are of same nature.

A Comparative Study of Radar Stereo and Interferometry for DEM Generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gelautz, M.; Paillou, P.; Chen, C. W.; Zebker, H. A.

2004-06-01

In this experiment, we derive and compare radar stereo and interferometric elevation models (DEMs) of a study site in Djibouti, East Africa. As test data, we use a Radarsat stereo pair and ERS-2 and Radarsat interferometric data. Comparison of the reconstructed DEMs with a SPOT reference DEM shows that in regions of high coherence the DEMs produced by interferometry are of much better quality than the stereo result. However, the interferometric error histograms also show some pronounced outliers due to decorrelation and phase unwrapping problems on forested mountain slopes. The more robust stereo result is able to capture the general terrain shape, but finer surface details are lost. A fusion experiment demonstrates that merging the stereoscopic and interferometric DEMs by utilizing coherence- derived weights can significantly improve the accuracy of the computed elevation maps.

Kinematics of the asal rift (djibouti) determined from the deformation of fieale volcano.

PubMed

De Chabalier, J B; Avouac, J P

1994-09-16

Because of its subaerial exposure the Asal rift segment provides an exceptional opportunity to quantify the deformation field of an active rift and assess the contribution of tectonics and volcanism to rifting processes. The present topography of the Asal rift results from the tectonic dismemberment during the last 100,000 years of a large central volcanic edifice that formed astride the rift zone 300,000 to 100,000 years ago. Three-dimensional deformation of this volcano has been quantified from the combined analysis of the topography and geology. The analysis indicates that spreading at 17 to 29 millimeters per year in a N40 degrees +/- 5 degrees E direction accounts for most of the separation between Arabia and Somalia. The small topographic subsidence relative to extension suggests that tectonic thinning of the crust has been balanced by injection and underplating of magmatic material of near crustal density. The methodology developed in this study could also be applied to quantify deformation in relatively inaccessible areas where the main available information is topography or bathymetry.

Magma-driven antiform structures in the Afar rift: The Ali Sabieh range, Djibouti

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Gall, Bernard; Daoud, Mohamed Ahmed; Maury, René C.; Rolet, Joël; Guillou, Hervé; Sue, Christian

2010-06-01

The Ali Sabieh Range, SE Afar, is an antiform involving Mesozoic sedimentary rocks and synrift volcanics. Previous studies have postulated a tectonic origin for this structure, in either a contractional or extensional regime. New stratigraphic, mapping and structural data demonstrate that large-scale doming took place at an early stage of rifting, in response to a mafic laccolithic intrusion dated between 28 and 20 Ma from new K-Ar age determinations. Our 'laccolith' model is chiefly supported by: (i) the geometry of the intrusion roof, (ii) the recognition of roof pendants in its axial part, and (iii) the mapping relationships between the intrusion, the associated dyke-sill network, and the upper volcanic/volcaniclastic sequences. The laccolith is assumed to have inflated with time, and to have upwardly bent its sedimentary roof rocks. From the architecture of the ˜1 km-thick Mesozoic overburden sequences, ca. 2 km of roof lifting are assumed to have occurred, probably in association with reactivated transverse discontinuities. Computed paleostress tensors indicate that the minimum principal stress axis is consistently horizontal and oriented E-W, with a dominance of extensional versus strike-slip regimes. The Ali Sabieh laccolith is the first regional-scale magma-driven antiform structure reported so far in the Afro-Arabian rift system.

Petrological constraints on melt generation beneath the Asal Rift (Djibouti) using quaternary basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinzuti, Paul; Humler, Eric; Manighetti, Isabelle; Gaudemer, Yves

2013-08-01

The temporal evolution of the mantle melting processes in the Asal Rift is evaluated from the chemical composition of 56 new lava flows sampled along 10 km of the rift axis and 9 km off-axis (i.e., erupted within the last 620 kyr). Petrological and primary geochemical results show that most of the samples of the inner floor of the Asal Rift are affected by plagioclase accumulation. Trace element ratios and major element compositions corrected for mineral accumulation and crystallization show a symmetric pattern relative to the rift axis and preserved a clear signal of mantle melting depth variations. While FeO, Fe8.0, Zr/Y, and (Dy/Yb)N decrease from the rift shoulders to the rift axis, SiO2, Na/Ti, Lu/Hf increase and Na2O and Na8.0 are constant across the rift. These variations are qualitatively consistent with shallow melting beneath the rift axis and deeper melting for off-axis lava flows. Na8.0 and Fe8.0 contents show that beneath the rift axis, melting paths are shallow, from 81 ± 4 to 43 ± 5 km. These melting paths are consistent with adiabatic melting in normal-temperature fertile asthenosphere, beneath an extensively thinned mantle lithosphere. On the contrary, melting on the rift shoulders (from 107 ± 7 to 67 ± 8 km) occurred beneath thicker lithosphere, requiring a mantle solidus temperature 100 ± 40°C hotter. In this geodynamic environment, the calculated rate of lithospheric thinning appears to be 4.0 ± 2.0 cm yr-1, a value close to the mean spreading rate (2.9 ± 0.2 cm yr-1) over the last 620 kyr.

Thermal regime and host clade, rather than geography, drive Symbiodinium and bacterial assemblages in the scleractinian coral Pocillopora damicornis sensu lato.

PubMed

Brener-Raffalli, Kelly; Clerissi, Camille; Vidal-Dupiol, Jeremie; Adjeroud, Mehdi; Bonhomme, François; Pratlong, Marine; Aurelle, Didier; Mitta, Guillaume; Toulza, Eve

2018-02-20

Although the term holobiont has been popularized in corals with the advent of the hologenome theory of evolution, the underlying concepts are still a matter of debate. Indeed, the relative contribution of host and environment and especially thermal regime in shaping the microbial communities should be examined carefully to evaluate the potential role of symbionts for holobiont adaptation in the context of global changes. We used the sessile, long-lived, symbiotic and environmentally sensitive reef-building coral Pocillopora damicornis to address these issues. We sampled Pocillopora damicornis colonies corresponding to two different mitochondrial lineages in different geographic areas displaying different thermal regimes: Djibouti, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and Taiwan. The community composition of bacteria and the algal endosymbiont Symbiodinium were characterized using high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer, ITS2, respectively. Bacterial microbiota was very diverse with high prevalence of Endozoicomonas, Arcobacter, and Acinetobacter in all samples. While Symbiodinium sub-clade C1 was dominant in Taiwan and New Caledonia, D1 was dominant in Djibouti and French Polynesia. Moreover, we also identified a high background diversity (i.e., with proportions < 1%) of A1, C3, C15, and G Symbiodinum sub-clades. Using redundancy analyses, we found that the effect of geography was very low for both communities and that host genotypes and temperatures differently influenced Symbiodinium and bacterial microbiota. Indeed, while the constraint of host haplotype was higher than temperatures on bacterial composition, we showed for the first time a strong relationship between the composition of Symbiodinium communities and minimal sea surface temperatures. Because Symbiodinium assemblages are more constrained by the thermal regime than bacterial communities, we propose that their contribution to adaptive capacities of the holobiont to

Pre-, Syn- and Post Eruptive Seismicity of the 2011 Eruption of Nabro Volcano, Eritrea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goitom, Berhe; Hammond, James; Kendall, Michael; Nowacky, Andy; Keir, Derek; Oppenheimer, Clive; Ogubazghi, Ghebrebrhan; Ayele, Atalay; Ibrahim, Said; Jacques, Eric

2014-05-01

Nabro volcano, located in south-east Eritrea, East Africa, lies at the eastern margin of the Afar Rift and the Danakil Depression. Its tectonic behaviour is controlled by the divergence of the Arabian, Nubian and Somali plates. Nabro volcano was thought to be seismically quiet until it erupted in June 2011 with limited warning. The volcano erupted on June 12, 2011 around 20:32 UTC, following a series of earthquakes on that day that reached a maximum magnitude of 5.8. It is the first recorded eruption of Nabro volcano and only the second in Eritrea, following the Dubbi eruption in 1861. A lava flow emerged from the caldera and travelled about 20 km from the vent and buried settlements in the area. At the time of this eruption there was no seismic network in Eritrea, and hence the volcano was not monitored. In this study we use ten Ethiopian, one Yemeni and one Djibouti stations to investigate the seismicity of the area before, during and after the eruption. Four Eritrean seismic stations deployed in June 2011, four days after the eruption, are also included in the dataset. Travel time picks supplied by colleagues from Djibouti were also incorporated into the dataset. Our analysis covers roughly three months before and after the eruption and shows that Nabro was seismically quiet before the eruption (nine events), with the exception of one major earthquake (4.8 magnitude) that occurred on March 31, 2011. In contrast, the region shows continued seismic activity after the eruption (92 events). During the eruption seismicity levels are high (123 events), with two days particularly active, June 12 and June 17 with 85 and 28 discrete events, respectively. Maximum magnitudes of 5.8 and 5.9 were recorded on these two days. The two days of increased seismicity are consistent with satellite observations of the eruption which show two distinct phases of the eruption. The period between these two phases was dominated by volcanic tremor. The tremor signal lasted for almost one

Stress field during early magmatism in the Ali Sabieh Dome, Djibouti, SE Afar rift

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sue, Christian; Le Gall, Bernard; Daoud, Ahmed Mohamed

2014-09-01

The so-called Ali Sabieh range, SE Afar rift, exhibits an atypical antiform structure occurring in the overall extensional tectonic context of the Afar triple junction. We dynamically analyzed the brittle deformation of this specific structural high using four different methods in order to better constrain the tectonic evolution of this key-area in the Afar depression. Paleostress inversions appear highly consistent using the four methods, which a posteriori validates this approach. Computed paleostress fields document two major signals: an early E-W extensional field, and a later transcurrent field, kinematically consistent with the previous one. The Ali Sabieh range may have evolved continuously during Oligo-Miocene times from large-scale extensional to transcurrent tectonism, as the result of probable local stress permutation between σ1 and σ2 stress axes.

Young rift kinematics in the Tadjoura rift, western Gulf of Aden, Republic of Djibouti

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daoud, Mohamed A.; Le Gall, Bernard; Maury, René C.; Rolet, JoëL.; Huchon, Philippe; Guillou, Hervé

2011-02-01

The Tadjoura rift forms the westernmost edge of the westerly propagating Sheba ridge, between Arabia and Somalia, as it enters into the Afar depression. From structural and remote sensing data sets, the Tadjoura rift is interpreted as an asymmetrical south facing half-graben, about 40 km wide, dominated by a large boundary fault zone to the north. It is partially filled up by the 1-3 Myr old Gulf Basalts which onlapped the older Somali Basalts along its shallower southern flexural margin. The major and trace element analysis of 78 young onshore lavas allows us to distinguish and map four distinct basaltic types, namely the Gulf, Somali, Goumarre, and Hayyabley Basalts. These results, together with radiometric age data, lead us to propose a revised volcano-stratigraphic sketch of the two exposed Tadjoura rift margins and to discriminate and date several distinct fault networks of this oblique rift. Morphological and statistical analyses of onshore extensional fault populations show marked changes in structural styles along-strike, in a direction parallel to the rift axis. These major fault disturbances are assigned to the arrest of axial fault tip propagation against preexisting discontinuities in the NS-oriented Arta transverse zone. According to our model, the sinistral jump of rifting into the Asal-Ghoubbet rift segment results from structural inheritance, in contrast with the en échelon or transform mechanism of propagation that prevailed along the entire length of the Gulf of Aden extensional system.

A Cluster of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Associated with Human Smuggling

PubMed Central

Cannella, Anthony P.; Nguyen, Bichchau M.; Piggott, Caroline D.; Lee, Robert A.; Vinetz, Joseph M.; Mehta, Sanjay R.

2011-01-01

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is rarely seen in the United States, and the social and geographic context of the infection can be a key to its diagnosis and management. Four Somali and one Ethiopian, in U.S. Border Patrol custody, came to the United States by the same human trafficking route: Djibouti to Dubai to Moscow to Havana to Quito; and then by ground by Columbia/Panama to the United States - Mexico border where they were detained. Although traveling at different times, all five patients simultaneously presented to our institution with chronic ulcerative skin lesions at different sites and stages of evolution. Culture of biopsy specimens grew Leishmania panamensis. Soon thereafter, three individuals from East Africa traveling the identical route presented with L. panamensis CL to physicians in Tacoma, WA. We document here the association of a human trafficking route and new world CL. Clinicians and public health officials should be aware of this emerging infectious disease risk. PMID:21633017

Smooth Tubercle Bacilli: Neglected Opportunistic Tropical Pathogens.

PubMed

Aboubaker Osman, Djaltou; Bouzid, Feriel; Canaan, Stéphane; Drancourt, Michel

2015-01-01

Smooth tubercle bacilli (STB) including "Mycobacterium canettii" are members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), which cause non-contagious tuberculosis in human. This group comprises <100 isolates characterized by smooth colonies and cordless organisms. Most STB isolates have been obtained from patients exposed to the Republic of Djibouti but seven isolates, including the three seminal ones obtained by Georges Canetti between 1968 and 1970, were recovered from patients in France, Madagascar, Sub-Sahara East Africa, and French Polynesia. STB form a genetically heterogeneous group of MTBC organisms with large 4.48 ± 0.05 Mb genomes, which may link Mycobacterium kansasii to MTBC organisms. Lack of inter-human transmission suggested a yet unknown environmental reservoir. Clinical data indicate a respiratory tract route of contamination and the digestive tract as an alternative route of contamination. Further epidemiological and clinical studies are warranted to elucidate areas of uncertainty regarding these unusual mycobacteria and the tuberculosis they cause.

A cluster of cutaneous leishmaniasis associated with human smuggling.

PubMed

Cannella, Anthony P; Nguyen, Bichchau M; Piggott, Caroline D; Lee, Robert A; Vinetz, Joseph M; Mehta, Sanjay R

2011-06-01

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is rarely seen in the United States, and the social and geographic context of the infection can be a key to its diagnosis and management. Four Somali and one Ethiopian, in U.S. Border Patrol custody, came to the United States by the same human trafficking route: Djibouti to Dubai to Moscow to Havana to Quito; and then by ground by Columbia/Panama to the United States-Mexico border where they were detained. Although traveling at different times, all five patients simultaneously presented to our institution with chronic ulcerative skin lesions at different sites and stages of evolution. Culture of biopsy specimens grew Leishmania panamensis. Soon thereafter, three individuals from East Africa traveling the identical route presented with L. panamensis CL to physicians in Tacoma, WA. We document here the association of a human trafficking route and new world CL. Clinicians and public health officials should be aware of this emerging infectious disease risk.

Smooth Tubercle Bacilli: Neglected Opportunistic Tropical Pathogens

PubMed Central

Aboubaker Osman, Djaltou; Bouzid, Feriel; Canaan, Stéphane; Drancourt, Michel

2016-01-01

Smooth tubercle bacilli (STB) including “Mycobacterium canettii” are members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), which cause non-contagious tuberculosis in human. This group comprises <100 isolates characterized by smooth colonies and cordless organisms. Most STB isolates have been obtained from patients exposed to the Republic of Djibouti but seven isolates, including the three seminal ones obtained by Georges Canetti between 1968 and 1970, were recovered from patients in France, Madagascar, Sub-Sahara East Africa, and French Polynesia. STB form a genetically heterogeneous group of MTBC organisms with large 4.48 ± 0.05 Mb genomes, which may link Mycobacterium kansasii to MTBC organisms. Lack of inter-human transmission suggested a yet unknown environmental reservoir. Clinical data indicate a respiratory tract route of contamination and the digestive tract as an alternative route of contamination. Further epidemiological and clinical studies are warranted to elucidate areas of uncertainty regarding these unusual mycobacteria and the tuberculosis they cause. PMID:26793699

Spatial distribution of fifty ornamental fish species on coral reefs in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

PubMed

Khalaf, Maroof A; Abdallah, Mohamed

2014-01-01

The spatial distribution of 50 ornamental fish species from shallow water habitats on coral reefs were investigated using visual census techniques, between latitudes 11-29°N in the Red Sea, in Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen, and in the adjacent Gulf of Aden in Djibouti. One hundred eighteen transects (each 100×5 m) were examined in 29 sites (3-8 sites per country). A total of 522,523 fish individuals were counted during this survey, with mean abundance of 4428.2 ± 87.26 individual per 500 m² transect. In terms of relative abundance (RA), the most abundant species were Blue green damselfish, Chromis viridis (RA=54.4%),followed bySea goldie, Pseudanthias squamipinnis (RA= 34.7), Whitetail dascyllus, Dascyllus aruanus (RA= 2.6%), Marginate dascyllus, Dascyllus marginatus (RA= 2.0),Red Sea eightline flasher Paracheilinus octotaenia (RA=1.0),andKlunzinger's wrasse, Thalassoma rueppellii (0.7%). The highest number of species (S) per 500 m² transect was found on reefs at the latitude 20° in Saudi Arabia (S=21.8), and the lowest number of species was found at the latitude 15° in Djibouti (S=11.11). The highest mean abundance (8565.8) was found on reefs at latitude 20° in Saudi Arabia and the lowest mean abundance (230) was found on reefs at latitude 22°, also in Saudi Arabia. Whereas, the highest Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index was found in reefs at the latitude 22° (H`=2.4) and the lowest was found in reefs at the latitude 20° (H`=0.6). This study revealed marked differences in the structure of ornamental fish assemblages with latitudinal distribution. The data support the presence of two major biogeographic groups of fishes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden: the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden group and the group in the northern and central Red Sea. Strong correlations were found between live coral cover and the number of fish species, abundance and Shannon-Wiener Diversity indices, and the strength of these correlations varied among the reefs. A

Seismic Observations From the Afar Rift Dynamics Project: Preliminary Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammond, J. O.; Guidarelli, M.; Belachew, M.; Keir, D.; Ayele, A.; Ebinger, C.; Stuart, G.; Kendall, J.

2008-12-01

Following the 2005 Dabbahu rifting event in Afar, 9 broadband seismometers were installed around the active rift segment to study the microseismicity associated with this and subsequent dyking events. These recorded more than one year of continuous data. In March 2007, 41 stations were deployed throughout Afar and the adjacent rift flanks as part of a large multi-national, collaboration involving universities and organisations from the UK, US and Ethiopia. This abstract describes the crustal and upper mantle structure results of the first 19 months of data. Bulk crustal structure has been determined using the H-k stacking of receiver functions and thickness varies from ~45 km on the rift margins to ~16 km beneath the northeastern Afar stations. Estimates of Vp/Vs show normal continental crust values (1.7-1.8) on the rift margins, and very high values (2.0-2.2) in Afar. A study of seismic noise interferometry is in early stages, but inversions using 20 s Green's function estimates, with some control from regional surface waves, show evidence for thin crustal regions around the recently rifted Dabbahu segment. To improve our understanding of the physical and compositional properties of the crust and locate regions of high attenuation (an indicator of melt), we determine attenuation (Q) using t* values measured from spectra of P wave arrivals. We present whole path attenuation from source to receiver, which will provide a starting point for a future tomographic inversion. SKS-wave splitting results show sharp changes over small lateral distances (40° over <30 km), with fast directions overlying the Dabbahu segment aligning parallel with the recent diking. This supports ideas of melt dominated anisotropy beneath the Ethiopian rift. Seismic tomography inversions show that in the top 150 km low velocities mimic the trend of the seismicity in Afar. The low velocity anomalies extend from the main Ethiopian rift NE, towards Djibouti, and from Djibouti NW towards the

Spatial distribution of fifty ornamental fish species on coral reefs in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden

PubMed Central

Khalaf, Maroof A.; Abdallah, Mohamed

2014-01-01

Abstract The spatial distribution of 50 ornamental fish species from shallow water habitats on coral reefs were investigated using visual census techniques, between latitudes 11−29°N in the Red Sea, in Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen, and in the adjacent Gulf of Aden in Djibouti. One hundred eighteen transects (each 100×5 m) were examined in 29 sites (3−8 sites per country). A total of 522,523 fish individuals were counted during this survey, with mean abundance of 4428.2 ± 87.26 individual per 500 m² transect. In terms of relative abundance (RA), the most abundant species were Blue green damselfish, Chromis viridis (RA=54.4%),followed bySea goldie, Pseudanthias squamipinnis (RA= 34.7), Whitetail dascyllus, Dascyllus aruanus (RA= 2.6%), Marginate dascyllus, Dascyllus marginatus (RA= 2.0),Red Sea eightline flasher Paracheilinus octotaenia (RA=1.0),andKlunzinger’s wrasse, Thalassoma rueppellii (0.7%). The highest number of species (S) per 500 m² transect was found on reefs at the latitude 20° in Saudi Arabia (S=21.8), and the lowest number of species was found at the latitude 15° in Djibouti (S=11.11). The highest mean abundance (8565.8) was found on reefs at latitude 20° in Saudi Arabia and the lowest mean abundance (230) was found on reefs at latitude 22°, also in Saudi Arabia. Whereas, the highest Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index was found in reefs at the latitude 22° (H`=2.4) and the lowest was found in reefs at the latitude 20° (H`=0.6). This study revealed marked differences in the structure of ornamental fish assemblages with latitudinal distribution. The data support the presence of two major biogeographic groups of fishes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden: the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden group and the group in the northern and central Red Sea. Strong correlations were found between live coral cover and the number of fish species, abundance and Shannon-Wiener Diversity indices, and the strength of these correlations varied among the

Two-dimensional, average velocity field across the Asal Rift, Djibouti from 1997-2008 RADARSAT data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomic, J.; Doubre, C.; Peltzer, G.

2009-12-01

Located at the western end of the Aden ridge, the Asal Rift is the first emerged section of the ridge propagating into Afar, a region of intense volcanic and tectonic activity. We construct a two-dimensional surface velocity map of the 200x400 km2 region covering the rift using the 1997-2008 archive of InSAR data acquired from ascending and descending passes of the RADARSAT satellite. The large phase signal due to turbulent troposphere conditions over the Afar region is mostly removed from the 11-year average line of sight (LOS) velocity maps, revealing a clear deformation signal across the rift. We combine the ascending and descending pass LOS velocity fields with the Arabia-Somalia pole of rotation adjusted to regional GPS velocities (Vigny et al., 2007) to compute the fields of the vertical and horizontal, GPS-parallel components of the velocity over the rift. The vertical velocity field shows a ~40 km wide zone of doming centered over the Fieale caldera associated with shoulder uplift and subsidence of the rift inner floor. Differential movement between shoulders and floor is accommodated by creep at 6 mm/yr on Fault γ and 2.7 mm/yr on Fault E. The horizontal field shows that the two shoulders open at a rate of ~15 mm/yr, while the horizontal velocity decreases away from the rift to the plate motion rate of ~11 mm/yr. Part of the opening is concentrated on faults γ (5 mm/yr) and E (4 mm/yr) and about 4 mm/yr is distributed between Fault E and Fault H in the southern part of the rift. The observed velocity field along a 60 km-long profile across the eastern part of the rift can be explained with a 2D mechanical model involving a 5-9 km-deep, vertical dyke expanding horizontally at a rate of 5 cm/yr, a 2 km-wide, 7 km-deep sill expanding vertically at 1cm/yr, and down-dip and opening of faults γ and E. Results from 3D rift models describing along-strike velocity decrease away from the Goubbet Gulf and the effects of a pressurized magma chamber will be presented.

[Ulceration of the heel in a woman from Djibouti: squamous cell carcinoma with carcinomatous lymphangitis].

PubMed

Bertani, A; Massoure, P L; Menguy, P; Lamblin, G; Eve, O; Morand, J J

2011-02-01

The purpose of this report is to describe a case in which a heel ulcer with atypical features, i.e., large size and rapid progression, led to diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma. Patient management was based on specialist advice obtained by "tele-dermatology" based on pictures and comments transmitted over the Internet. However, due to the risk of spreading and impossibility of providing other medical treatment (radiotherapy-chemotherapy), the lower limb was amputated at the top of the thigh.

[Evaluation of compliance with antiretroviral treatment in a cohort of 200 patients in Djibouti, 2005].

PubMed

Ahmed, A A; Katlama, C; Ghosn, J; Guiguet, M; Costagliola, D

2007-01-01

We determined the rate of compliance with antiretroviral therapy and investigated the factors that influence it among 86 HIV patients. Compliance ratio (number of tablets taken/number prescribed) was assessed by tablet count. The mean ratio of compliance was 92%. By tablet count, 77% of the patients were compliant (compliance ratio > or =90%). Non-compliance was significantly associated with side-effects, degree of confidentiality of the care centre and travelling. Compliance correlated significantly with viral load. In multivariate analysis, community support and level of education protected against non-compliance. Patients having already missed a dose and those dissatisfied with confidentiality had a 4 times greater risk of non-compliance.

Assessment of human-natural system characteristics influencing global freshwater supply vulnerability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Padowski, Julie C.; Gorelick, Steven M.; Thompson, Barton H.; Rozelle, Scott; Fendorf, Scott

2015-10-01

Global freshwater vulnerability is a product of environmental and human dimensions, however, it is rarely assessed as such. Our approach identifies freshwater vulnerability using four broad categories: endowment, demand, infrastructure, and institutions, to capture impacts on natural and managed water systems within the coupled human-hydrologic environment. These categories are represented by 19 different endogenous and exogenous characteristics affecting water supply vulnerability. By evaluating 119 lower per capita income countries (<10 725), we find that every nation experiences some form of vulnerability. Institutional vulnerability is experienced most commonly, occurring in 44 nations, and 23 countries suffer deficiencies in all four categories. Of these highly vulnerable countries, Jordan is the most vulnerable, reporting the greatest number of characteristics (5 of 19) at critical vulnerability levels, with Yemen and Djibouti nearly as vulnerable. Surprising similarities in vulnerability were also found among geographically disparate nations such as Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Guatemala. Determining shared patterns of freshwater vulnerability provides insights into why water supply vulnerabilities are manifested in human-water systems at the national scale.

Somalia.

PubMed

1986-04-01

This discussion of Somalia focuses on: the people; geography; history; government; political conditions; the economy; foreign relations; defense; and relations between the US and Somalia. In 1985 the population was estimated to be 5,400,000 with an annual growth rate of 3%. The infant mortality rate is 145/1000; life expectancy is 47 years. Somalis have a homogeneous culture and identity. About 60% of all Somalis are nomadic or seminomadic pastoralists who raise cattle, camels, sheep, and goats. Sizable ethnic groups in Somalia include some 35,000 Arabs, about 2000 Italians, and 1000 Indians and Pakistanis. Somalia is located on the east coast of Africa north of the Equator and, with Ethiopia and Djibouti, is often referred to as the Horn of Africa. Somalia, which lacks natural resources and faces many major development challenges, has a principally pastoral and agricultural economy. Since independence, from Italy and Great Britain, Somalia has followed a foreign policy of nonalignment. After the Soviets were expelled, the US reintroduced the Agency for International Development program in 1978 and has provided extensive relief to Somali refugees.

Renewable Energy Zones for the Africa Clean Energy Corridor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, Grace C.; Deshmukh, Ranjit; Ndhlukula, Kudakwashe

Multi-criteria Analysis for Planning Renewable Energy (MapRE) is a study approach developed by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory with the support of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). The approach combines geospatial, statistical, energy engineering, and economic methods to comprehensively identify and value high-quality wind, solar PV, and solar CSP resources for grid integration based on techno-economic criteria, generation profiles (for wind), and socio-environmental impacts. The Renewable Energy Zones for the Africa Clean Energy Corridor study sought to identify and comprehensively value high-quality wind, solar photovoltaic (PV), and concentrating solar power (CSP) resources in 21 countries in the East andmore » Southern Africa Power Pools to support the prioritization of areas for development through a multi-criteria planning process. These countries include Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The study includes the methodology and the key results including renewable energy potential for each region.« less

The life cycle of continental rifting as a focus for U.S.-African scientific collaboration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdelsalam, Mohamed G.; Atekwana, Estella A.; Keller, G. Randy; Klemperer, Simon L.

2004-11-01

The East African Rift System (EARS) provides the unique opportunity found nowhere else on Earth, to investigate extensional processes from incipient rifting in the Okavango Delta, Botswana, to continental breakup and creation of proto-oceanic basins 3000 km to the north in the Afar Depression in Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti.The study of continental rifts is of great interest because they represent the initial stages of continental breakup and passive margin development, they are sites for large-scale sediment accumulation, and their geomorphology may have controlled human evolution in the past and localizes geologic hazards in the present. But there is little research that provides insights into the linkage between broad geodynamic processes and the life cycle of continental rifts: We do not know why some rifts evolve into mid-ocean ridges whereas others abort their evolution to become aulacogens. Numerous studies of the EARS and other continental rifts have significantly increased our understanding of rifting processes, but we particularly lack studies of the embryonic stages of rift creation and the last stages of extension when continental breakup occurs.

Analytical study of body waves in orthorhombic media and comparison with SKS-phase observations from selected stations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Löberich, Eric; Bokelmann, Götz

2016-04-01

Anisotropic effects of wave propagation, observed in the Earth, provide interesting applications in basic research and practice, e.g., in reservoir geophysics and other fields. Teleseismic waves often evidence upper mantle anisotropy, as created by aligned olivine grains. While each grain is associated with orthorhombic symmetry, the preferred alignment may lead to a transversely isotropic characteristic. Considering body waves passing through an anisotropic medium, a splitting of shear waves can usually be observed, since their transverse polarization leads to a separation of the two quasi-shear waves. The associated splitting-delay is generated if the related fast and slow seismic velocities differ. Most of the previous shear-wave splitting investigations were based on the common assumption of near-vertical incidence. However, the influence of increasing incidence angles, which may lead to angular dependent splitting-delay and fast polarization orientation, has been pointed out by Davis (2003). Our study investigates the occurrence of these postulated dependences on azimuth and incidence angle (distance), examining splitting observations in SKS-recordings at selected broadband stations (e.g., Djibouti and Red Lake, Ontario).

Laas Geel (somaliland): 5000 Year-Old Paintings Captured in 3D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grenier, L.; Antoniotti, P.; Hamon, G.; Happe, D.

2013-07-01

Discovered in 2002 by a French archaeology team conducted by Prof. X. Gutherz, Laas Geel (Somaliland), is probably one of the most remarkable archaeological site in the horn of Africa. Located in an isolated arid region, it is made of natural rocky shelters on which hundreds of colored paintings still remain in a particularly good state of conservation. The first studies achieved in the last decade let suppose that they are 5000 years old. After several studying and exploring expeditions, a 3Ddigitizing campaign has been carried out by Art Graphique et Patrimoine, under the direction of X. Gutherz, with the support of the cultural service of the French Embassy in Djibouti. The project was focused on three main goals: production of a high accuracy 3D-documentation for scientific needs, archiving the 3D digital print recorded on site for the conservation and the saving of this heritage, and finally diffusing the results throughout various kinds of media to reveal the site to the public, insisting on its vulnerability.

Comparative phylogeography of reef fishes from the Gulf of Aden to the Arabian Sea reveals two cryptic lineages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DiBattista, Joseph D.; Gaither, Michelle R.; Hobbs, Jean-Paul A.; Saenz-Agudelo, Pablo; Piatek, Marek J.; Bowen, Brian W.; Rocha, Luiz A.; Howard Choat, J.; McIlwain, Jennifer H.; Priest, Mark A.; Sinclair-Taylor, Tane H.; Berumen, Michael L.

2017-06-01

The Arabian Sea is a heterogeneous region with high coral cover and warm stable conditions at the western end (Djibouti), in contrast to sparse coral cover, cooler temperatures, and upwelling at the eastern end (southern Oman). We tested for barriers to dispersal across this region (including the Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Oman), using mitochondrial DNA surveys of 11 reef fishes. Study species included seven taxa from six families with broad distributions across the Indo-Pacific and four species restricted to the Arabian Sea (and adjacent areas). Nine species showed no significant genetic partitions, indicating connectivity among contrasting environments spread across 2000 km. One butterflyfish ( Chaetodon melannotus) and a snapper ( Lutjanus kasmira) showed phylogenetic divergences of d = 0.008 and 0.048, respectively, possibly indicating cryptic species within these broadly distributed taxa. These genetic partitions at the western periphery of the Indo-Pacific reflect similar partitions recently discovered at the eastern periphery of the Indo-Pacific (the Hawaiian and the Marquesan Archipelagos), indicating that these disjunctive habitats at the ends of the range may serve as evolutionary incubators for coral reef organisms.

Research on psychosocial aspects of epilepsy in Arab countries: a review of literature.

PubMed

Al-Khateeb, Jamal M; Al-Khateeb, Anas J

2014-02-01

This study reviewed research conducted on the psychological aspects of epilepsy in Arab countries. Several databases (Medline, PubMed, Science Direct, Springer Link, and PsycInfo) were searched using the following two sets of search words: (1) Arab, Jordan, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, Algiers, Palestine, Mauritania, Djibouti, Sudan, Comoros, and Somalia; and (2) epilepsy, seizure disorders, and convulsive disorders. Fifty-one studies were conducted in 12 Arab states. Social/emotional, employment, and other problems; knowledge and attitudes; and quality of life (QOL) were the most commonly measured parameters of psychosocial aspects of epilepsy in Arab countries. Results revealed elevated levels of depression and anxiety, a decline in cognitive function, various behavioral problems, sexual dysfunction, and underemployment among persons with epilepsy (PWE). Misconceptions about epilepsy were found to be prevalent. While many studies reported limited knowledge of epilepsy, some studies found an average knowledge. Negative attitudes toward epilepsy were reported in most studies, and moderately positive attitudes were reported in some studies. Finally, PWE showed low overall QOL scores in the majority of studies. © 2013.

Act No. 73/AN/89 2e L of 19 June 1989 concerning codification of a system of family allowances.

PubMed

1989-01-01

This Djibouti Act codifies a system of family allowances for workers referred to in Article 1 of the Act instituting the Labour Code. The system consists of 3 benefits: 1) a marriage allowance, 2) family allowances, and 3) benefits for salaried pregnant women. The marriage allowance is to be paid monthly from the beginning of the marriage and is payable for the 1st marriage only. The family allowance is to be paid monthly for each of the 1st 6 children under the care of the worker until they reach the age of 15. It is to be paid to the person under whose actual and permanent care the child remains and may be paid to salaried women workers if they are widowed, divorced, or single. Pregnancy benefits in the amount of half the worker's salary are to be paid to salaried women workers for 14 weeks (8 weeks before delivery and 6 weeks after) and for an additional 3 weeks in the case of certified illness resulting from pregnancy or delivery. The amounts of the marriage and family allowances are to be set by an Order of the Council of Ministers.

Climatic droplet keratopathy, exfoliation syndrome, and cataract.

PubMed Central

Resnikoff, S; Filliard, G; Dell'Aquila, B

1991-01-01

During a countrywide survey we assessed the prevalence of climatic droplet keratopathy (CDK) in a randomised sample of 2446 subjects representative of the population of the Republic of Djibouti. The investigation of the relationship between CDK and two diseases considered to be related to exposure to ultra-violet light--namely, exfoliation syndrome and cataract--was planned as a case control study. In the rural area prevalence of CDK was five times higher than in the urban one (2.8% vs 0.5%) and varied according to districts. The highest rates were observed where the inhabitants' activities were related to the sea. The case control study revealed that the opacification of the lens was about three times commoner in patients with CDK than in patients without CDK (p = 0.03) and that the exfoliation syndrome was about six times commoner in patients with CDK than in controls of similar age, sex, climatic conditions, and lens status (p = 0.02). Moreover, we noticed that the sequelae of corneal perforations were about 30 times commoner in patients with CDK than in controls of similar age (p less than 0.00001). PMID:1768663

PubMed Central

Wassef, H. H.; Fox, E.; Abbatte, E. A.; Tolédo, J. F.; Rodier, G.

1989-01-01

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are an increasing public health problem in Djibouti. The authors have attempted to obtain basic information on the level of knowledge concerning STDs and on the sexual behaviour of highly sexually promiscuous individuals for use in the organization of future STD control programmes; the information was obtained from a population of 213 bar hostesses, 66 unlicensed prostitutes, and 115 male sufferers from STDs. The level of knowledge of these diseases was very high among the prostitutes and the bar hostesses, except that little was known about syphilis by the bar hostesses; the male sufferers were relatively ignorant concerning both syphilis and AIDS. Medical and paramedical personnel do not figure among the sources given for knowledge of STDs. On the other hand, friends play an important role in this knowledge, especially among unlicensed prostitutes. The second most frequently instanced source was radio and TV. The bar hostesses and the unlicensed prostitutes often exhibited distinct social characteristics. Neither education nor marriage appeared to prevent men from contracting STDs. The use of condoms is extremely rare among STD patients and not very common among unlicensed prostitutes. Half the bar hostesses report their frequent use. PMID:2611976

Fluid inclusion and stable isotopes studies of epithermal gold-bearing veins in the SE Afar Rift (Djibouti)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moussa, N.; Boiron, M. C.; Grassineau, N.; Fouquet, Y.; Le Gall, B.; Mohamed, J.

2015-12-01

The Afar rift results from the interaction of a number of actively-propagating tectono-magmatic axes. Recent field investigations in the SE Afar rift have emphasized the importance of hydrothermal system in rift-related volcanic complexes. Mineralization occur as gold-silver bearing veins and are associated with felsic volcanism. Late carbonate veins barren of sulfides and gold are common. The morphologies and textures of quartz show crustiform colloform banding, massive and breccias. Microthermometric measurements were made on quartz-hosted two phases (liquid + vapor) inclusions; mean homogenization temperature range from 150°C to 340°C and ice-melting temperatures range from -0.2° to 1.6°C indicating that inclusion solutions are dilute and contain 0.35 to 2.7 equivalent wt. % NaCl. Furthermore, δ18O and δ13C values from calcite range from 3.7 to 26.6 ‰ and -7.5 to 0.3‰, respectively. The presence of platy calcite and adularia indicate that boiling condition existed. This study shows that precious-metal deposition mainly occurred from hydrothermal fluids at 200°C at around 300 and 450 m below the present-day surface in a typical low-sulphidation epithermal environment.

Plate break-up geometry in SE-Afar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geoffroy, Laurent; Le Gall, Bernard; Daoud, Mohamed

2014-05-01

New structural data acquired in Djibouti strongly support the view of a magma-rich to magma-poor pair of conjugate margins developed in SE Afar since at least 9 Ma. Our model is illustrated by a crustal-scale transect that emphasizes the role of a two-stage extensional detachment fault system, with opposing senses of motion through time. The geometry and kinematics of this detachment fault pattern are mainly documented from lavas and fault dip data extracted from remote sensing imagery (Landsat ETM+, and corresponding DEM), further calibrated by field observations. Although expressed by opposite fault geometries, the two successive extensional events evidenced here are part of a two-stage continental extensional tear-system associated with the ongoing propagation of the Aden-Tadjoura oceanic axis to the NW. A flip-flop evolution of detachment faults accommodating lithosphere divergence has recently been proposed for the development of the Indian Ocean and continental margins (Sauter et al., 2013). However, the SE Afar evolution further suggests a radical and sudden change in lithosphere behavior during extension, from a long-term and widespread magmatic stage to a syn-sedimentary break-up stage where mantle melting concentrates along the future oceanic axis. Of special interest is the fact that a late and rapid stage of non-magmatic extension led to break-up, whose geometry triggered the location of the break-up axis and earliest oceanic accretion. New structural data acquired in Djibouti strongly support the view of a magma-rich to magma-poor pair of conjugate margins developed in SE Afar since at least 9 Ma. Our model is illustrated by a crustal-scale transect that emphasizes the role of a two-stage extensional detachment fault system, with opposing senses of motion through time. The geometry and kinematics of this detachment fault pattern are mainly documented from lavas and fault dip data extracted from remote sensing imagery (Landsat ETM+, and corresponding

Dissimilar Deficiency of Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) among the AFARS and the Somalis of Djibouti

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-01-01

DEFICIENCY OF GLUCOSE - 6 - PHOSPHATE DEHYDROGENASE (G- 6 ...the prevalence of deficient activity of the enzyme glucose - 6 - phosphate dehydrogenase (G- 6 -PD) among - Ces difficiences enzymatiques sant plus particu...Screening for glucose - 6 - 3 - CaosBy W.H. - Hematologic diseases. In : I lunter’s Tropical phosphate dehydrogenase (G- 6 -PD) deficiency by a simple

Numerical modelling of quaternary deformation and post-rifting displacement in the Asal-Ghoubbet rift (Djibouti, Africa) [rapid communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cattin, Rodolphe; Doubre, Cécile; de Chabalier, Jean-Bernard; King, Geoffrey; Vigny, Christophe; Avouac, Jean-Philippe; Ruegg, Jean-Claude

2005-11-01

Over the last three decades a host of information on rifting process relating to the geological and thermal structure, long-time scale deformation (Quaternary and Holocene) and rifting cycle displacement across the Asal-Ghoubbet rift has been made available. These data are interpreted with a two-dimensional thermo-mechanical model that incorporates rheological layering of the lithosphere, dyke inflation and faulting. Active fault locations and geometry are mainly controlled by both thermal structure and magma intrusion into the crust. The distributed slip throughout the inner rift is related to the closeness of magma chamber, leading to additional stress into the upper thinned crust. Assuming a constant Arabia-Somalia motion of 11 mm/year, the variation of subsidence rate between the last 100 and 9 ka is associated with a decrease of the average injection rate from 10 to 5 mm/year. These values, about equal to the regional opening rate, suggest that both volcanism and tectonic play an equivalent role in the rifting process. Our modelled sequence of events gives one possible explanation for both vertical and horizontal displacements observed since the 1978 seismovolcanic crisis. Although part of the post-rifting deformation could be due to viscous relaxation, the high opening rate in the first years after the event and the abrupt velocity change in 1984-1986 argue for a large dyke inflation of 12 cm/year ending in 1985. The asymmetric and constant pattern of the GPS velocity since 1991 suggests that present post-rifting deformation is mainly controlled by fault creep and regional stretching. This study demonstrates the internal consistency of the data set, highlights the role of magmatism in the mechanics of crustal stretching and reveals a complex post-rifting process including magma injection, fault creep and regional stretching.

Local-regional anesthesia in the management of stingray stings: Experience of the Bouffard medical-surgical hospital in Djibouti.

PubMed

Vanoye, C; Lacroix, G; Le Gonidec, E; Couret, A; Benois, A; Peigne, V

2017-02-01

Stingray injuries are very painful. Systemic analgesics are ineffective, and the use of local-regional anesthesia has been reported. This retrospective descriptive study reviewed all cases of stingray injuries seen at the emergency department of the Bouffard Hospital (Djbouti, Africa) between 2011 and 2014. The study included 35 patients. Most of the injuries (n= 31, 89%) concerned the lower limbs. Median pain intensity was 6 [5-8] on a visual analog scale of 0 (no pain) to 10. The following systemic medications were administered: acetaminophen to 13 (27%) patients, morphine to 8 (23%), and tramadol to 6 (17%). In all, 25 (71%) patients received local-regional anesthesia, 15 (60%) by injections at the ankle. All procedures were successful, and no adverse event was reported. This study reports clinical data about stingray injuries in the Red Sea area and highlights the interest of local-regional anesthesia in their management. Most of the procedures were distal and could be performed by trained emergency physicians.

Fault propagation and climatic control of sedimentation on the Ghoubbet Rift Floor: insights from the Tadjouraden cruise in the western Gulf of Aden

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Audin, L.; Manighetti, I.; Tapponnier, P.; Métivier, F.; Jacques, E.; Huchon, P.

2001-02-01

A detailed geophysical survey of the Ghoubbet Al Kharab (Djibouti) clarifies the small-scale morphology of the last submerged rift segment of the propagating Aden ridge before it enters the Afar depression. The bathymetry reveals a system of antithetic normal faults striking N130°E, roughly aligned with those active along the Asal rift. The 3.5kHz sub-bottom profiler shows how the faults cut distinct layers within the recent, up to 60m thick, sediment cover on the floor of the basin. A large volcanic structure, in the centre of the basin, the `Ghoubbet' volcano, separates two sedimentary flats. The organization of volcanism and the planform of faulting, with en echelon subrifts along the entire Asal-Ghoubbet rift, appear to confirm the westward propagation of this segment of the plate boundary. Faults throughout the rift have been active continuously for the last 8400yr, but certain sediment layers show different offsets. The varying offsets of these layers, dated from cores previously retrieved in the southern basin, imply Holocene vertical slip rates of 0.3-1.4mmyr-1 and indicate a major decrease in sedimentation rate after about 6000yr BP, and a redistribution of sediments in the deepest troughs during the period that preceded that change.

5-O-caffeoylshikimic acid from Solanum somalense leaves: advantage of centrifugal partition chromatography over conventional column chromatography.

PubMed

Chideh, Saïda; Pilard, Serge; Attoumbré, Jacques; Saguez, Robert; Hassan-Abdallah, Alshaimaa; Cailleu, Dominique; Wadouachi, Anne; Baltora-Rosset, Sylvie

2014-09-01

Solanum somalense leaves, used in Djibouti for their medicinal properties, were extracted by MeOH. Because of the high polyphenol and flavonoid contents of the extract, respectively, determined at 80.80 ± 2.13 mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry weight and 24.4 ± 1.01 mg quercetin equivalent/g dry weight, the isolation and purification of the main polyphenols were carried out by silica gel column chromatography and centrifugal partition chromatography. Column chromatography led to 11 enriched fractions requiring further purification, while centrifugal partition chromatography allowed the easy recovery of the main compound of the extract. In a solvent system composed of CHCl3/MeOH/H2O (9.5:10:5), 21.8 mg of this compound at 97% purity was obtained leading to a yield of 2.63%. Its structure was established as 5-O-caffeoylshikimic acid by mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. This work shows that S. somalense leaves contain very high level of 5-O-caffeoylshikimic acid (0.74% dry weight), making it a potential source of production of this secondary metabolite that is not commonly found in nature but could be partly responsible of the medicinal properties of S. somalense leaves. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Variability of foF2 in the African equatorial ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akala, A. O.; Oyeyemi, E. O.; Somoye, E. O.; Adeloye, A. B.; Adewale, A. O.

2010-06-01

This paper presents the impact of diurnal, seasonal and solar activity effects on the variability of ionospheric foF2 in the African equatorial latitude. Three African ionospheric stations; Dakar (14.8°N, 17.4°W, dip: 11.4°N), Ouagadougou (12.4°N, 1.5°W, dip: 2.8°N) and Djibouti (11.5°N, 42.8°E, dip: 7.2°N) were considered for the investigation. The overall aim is to provide African inputs that will be of assistance at improving existing forecasting models. The diurnal analysis revealed that the ionospheric critical frequency (foF2) is more susceptible to variability during the night-time than the day-time, with two peaks in the range; 18-38% during post-sunset hours and 35-55% during post-midnight hours. The seasonal and solar activity analyses showed a post-sunset September Equinox maximum and June Solstice maximum of foF2 variability in all the stations for all seasons. At all the stations, foF2 variability was high for low solar activity year. Overall, we concluded that equatorial foF2 variability increases with decreasing solar activity during night-time.

High Genetic Diversity Revealed by Variable-Number Tandem Repeat Genotyping and Analysis of hsp65 Gene Polymorphism in a Large Collection of “Mycobacterium canettii” Strains Indicates that the M. tuberculosis Complex Is a Recently Emerged Clone of “M. canettii”

PubMed Central

Fabre, Michel; Koeck, Jean-Louis; Le Flèche, Philippe; Simon, Fabrice; Hervé, Vincent; Vergnaud, Gilles; Pourcel, Christine

2004-01-01

We have analyzed, using complementary molecular methods, the diversity of 43 strains of “Mycobacterium canettii” originating from the Republic of Djibouti, on the Horn of Africa, from 1998 to 2003. Genotyping by multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis shows that all the strains belong to a single but very distant group when compared to strains of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC). Thirty-one strains cluster into one large group with little variability and five strains form another group, whereas the other seven are more diverged. In total, 14 genotypes are observed. The DR locus analysis reveals additional variability, some strains being devoid of a direct repeat locus and others having unique spacers. The hsp65 gene polymorphism was investigated by restriction enzyme analysis and sequencing of PCR amplicons. Four new single nucleotide polymorphisms were discovered. One strain was characterized by three nucleotide changes in 441 bp, creating new restriction enzyme polymorphisms. As no sequence variability was found for hsp65 in the whole MTBC, and as a single point mutation separates M. tuberculosis from the closest “M. canettii” strains, this diversity within “M. canettii” subspecies strongly suggests that it is the most probable source species of the MTBC rather than just another branch of the MTBC. PMID:15243089

Seismic Imaging of the crust and upper mantle beneath Afar, Ethiopia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammond, J. O.; Kendall, J. M.; Stuart, G. W.; Ebinger, C. J.

2009-12-01

In March 2007 41 seismic stations were deployed in north east Ethiopia. These stations recorded until October 2009, whereupon the array was condensed to 13 stations. Here we show estimates of crustal structure derived from receiver functions and upper mantle velocity structure, derived from tomography and shear-wave splitting using the first 2.5 years of data. Bulk crustal structure has been determined by H-k stacking receiver functions. Crustal Thickness varies from ~45km on the rift margins to ~16km beneath the northeastern Afar stations. Estimates of Vp/Vs show normal continental crust values (1.7-1.8) on the rift margins, and very high values (2.0-2.2) in Afar, similar to results for the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER). This supports ideas of high levels of melt in the crust beneath the Ethiopian Rift. Additionally, we use a common conversion point migration technique to obtain high resolution images of crustal structure beneath the region. Both techniques show a linear region of thin crust (~16km) trending north-south, the same trend as the Red Sea rift. SKS-wave splitting results show a general north east-south west fast direction in the MER, systematically rotating to a more north-south fast direction towards the Red Sea. Additionally, stations close to the recent Dabbahu diking episode show sharp lateral changes over small lateral distances (40° over <30km), with fast directions overlying the Dabbahu segment aligning parallel with the recent diking. This supports ideas of melt dominated anisotropy beneath the Ethiopian rift. The magnitude of splitting in this region is smaller than that seen at the MER, suggesting a thinner region of melt, or less focused melt is causing the anisotropy. Seismic tomography inversions show that in the top 150km low velocities highlight plate boundaries. The low velocity anomalies extend from the main Ethiopian rift NE, towards Djibouti, and from Djibouti NW towards the Dabbahu segment The lowest velocities exist on the rift

Eight Years of Surface Deformation in the Asal-Ghoubbet Rift (Afar Depression) Observed With SAR Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doubre, C.; Peltzer, G.; Manighetti, I.; Jacques, E.

2005-12-01

The volcano-tectonic Asal-Ghoubbet rift (Djibouti) is the youngest spreading segment of the Aden oceanic ridge propagating inland into the Afar Depression. The deformation in the rift is characterized by magmatic inflation and dilatation (dyking), distributed extension, fissure opening, and normal faulting, contributing to a far field opening velocity of ~1.5 cm/yr. We use radar interferometry data acquired by the Canadian satellite Radarsat on 24-day repeat, descending passes to measure the surface deformation in a 100 km wide region centered on the rift. The data set defines 87 epochs of acquisitions distributed between 1997 and 2005. We combined the SAR data into 354 full-resolution interferograms and solved for incremental displacements between epochs using a least-square approach [Berardino et al., 2002]. The resulting line of sight displacement map time series shows the following features: - A 40 km-wide zone centered on the rift is uplifted as a dome at a steady rate. - The central rift is subsiding with respect to the north and south shoulders. The velocity field shows a marked asymmetry with faster rates occurring along the northern edge of the rift. The mean velocity of the relative movement of the subsiding inner floor with respect to the northern up-lifting shoulder reaches 7 mm/yr. - Subsidence is faster in the north half of the inner floor of the rift and is associated with episodic creep events on normal faults. These includes a slip of 16 mm on the north-dipping δ fault in 2003 and an episode of accelerated creep of 10 mm occurring in 2000 on the γ fault, which is creeping at a steady rate of 3.5 mm/yr. A northern-dipping normal fault is slipping with a mean rate of 1.4 mm/yr and accommodates also the subsidence of the northern part of the inner floor. Unlike other active faults, this one does not coincide with a topographic scarp but shows evidence of surface creep in the velocity field. - The southeastern part of F fault system is the only fault

The Feasibility of Djibouti as an Intermediate Staging Base for U.S. Land Force Operations in the Middle East

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-01-01

Turkey, Kuwait, and Qatar as possible staging bases.3 The complexity of religious and cultural allegiances may alter the political position of these...government will, through its regulatory role, ensure a sustainable use of the aquifers utilized by the urban water utility by requiring that its

First results on zooplankton community composition and contamination by some persistent organic pollutants in the Gulf of Tadjoura (Djibouti).

PubMed

Boldrocchi, G; Moussa Omar, Y; Rowat, D; Bettinetti, R

2018-06-15

The Gulf of Tadjoura is located in the Horn of Africa and is widely recognized as an important site where the zooplanktivorous whale sharks seasonally aggregate from October to February. The surface zooplankton community (0-3m) was weekly sampled from November 2016 to February 2017 in two sites during the whale shark aggregation period. A total of 12 phyla were identified. Copepoda represented the most abundant and diverse group with 29 different genera, and contributed with an average of 82% of the mean zooplankton density of approximately 6600indm -3 . During the sampling period, copepods were dominated numerically by Calanoida (3600indm -3 ), followed by Poicilostomatatoida (1300indm -3 ). Within the copepods, Paracalanidae, Calanidae, Oncaeidae and Miraciidae were the most common families. The temporal trend in zooplankton biomass at both stations revealed the highest peak in December (41.3±36.4mgm -3 ), and the lowest in February (6.6±3.3mgm -3 ). As no information is available on the occurrence of legacy contaminants use and release in this area, analysis revealed the consistent presence of both DDT and PCB residues in zooplankton samples in the Gulf of Tadjoura. Total PCB ranged from approximately 110 to 637ngg -1 d.w., while total DDT from 21 to 80ngg -1 d.w. The proportion of primary DDT in the total residue was higher than DDE and DDD, which strongly suggests that the area might actually be subjected to DDT inputs of the parent compound. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterizing mineral dusts and other aerosols from the Middle East--Part 1: ambient sampling.

PubMed

Engelbrecht, Johann P; McDonald, Eric V; Gillies, John A; Jayanty, R K M; Casuccio, Gary; Gertler, Alan W

2009-02-01

The purpose of the Enhanced Particulate Matter Surveillance Program was to provide scientifically founded information on the chemical and physical properties of dust collected over a period of approximately 1 year in Djibouti, Afghanistan (Bagram, Khowst), Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Iraq (Balad, Baghdad, Tallil, Tikrit, Taji, Al Asad), and Kuwait (northern, central, coastal, and southern regions). Three collocated low-volume particulate samplers, one each for the total suspended particulate matter, < 10 micro m in aerodynamic diameter (PM(10)) particulate matter, and < 2.5 micro m in aerodynamic diameter (PM(2.5)) particulate matter, were deployed at each of the 15 sites, operating on a '1 in 6' day sampling schedule. Trace-element analysis was performed to measure levels of potentially harmful metals, while major-element and ion-chemistry analyses provided an estimate of mineral components. Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy was used to analyze the chemical composition of small individual particles. Secondary electron images provided information on particle size and shape. This study shows the three main air pollutant types to be geological dust, smoke from burn pits, and heavy metal condensates (possibly from metals smelting and battery manufacturing facilities). Non-dust storm events resulted in elevated trace metal concentrations in Baghdad, Balad, and Taji in Iraq. Scanning-electron-microscopy secondary electron images of individual particles revealed no evidence of freshly fractured quartz grains. In all instances, quartz grains had rounded edges and mineral grains were generally coated by clay minerals and iron oxides.

Hygiene and mental health among middle school students in India and 11 other countries.

PubMed

Ranasinghe, Shamika; Ramesh, Swathi; Jacobsen, Kathryn H

2016-01-01

The Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) collects data from early adolescents who are approximately 13-15 years old and enrolled in middle schools (also known as junior secondary schools). We used logistic regression models to examine the associations between self-reported hygiene practices and mental health status as assessed by the 2007 India GSHS. Then, we used meta-analysis to compare the results from India with those from 11 other GSHS-participating countries in Asia and Africa (Djibouti, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Myanmar, the Philippines, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, and the United Arab Emirates). Among 7904 middle school students in India, 25.5% reported symptoms of depression, 8.6% reported loneliness, and 7.8% reported anxiety-related insomnia. Both males and females who reported symptoms of depression had an increased likelihood of poor hand and oral hygiene, including washing their hands rarely or never and brushing their teeth less than daily. The meta-analysis for this association yielded statistically significant pooled odds ratios for both boys and girls. In girls, loneliness was also associated with poor hand and oral hygiene. Reduced mental health status in adolescents may lead to worse hygiene behaviors and an increased risk of infections. Teachers, parents, healthcare workers, and other adults who observe suboptimal hygiene status in an adolescent should consider whether this indicates a mental health issue that requires clinical services. Copyright © 2015 King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tropical Africa: Land Use, Biomass, and Carbon Estimates for 1980 (and updated for the year 2000) (NDP-055)

DOE Data Explorer

Brown, Sandra [University of Illinois, Urbana, IL (USA); Winrock International, Arlington, Virginia (USA); Gaston, Greg [University of Illinois, Urbana, IL (USA); Oregon State University; Beaty, T. W. [Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (USA); Olsen, L. M. [Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (USA)

2001-01-01

This document describes the contents of a digital database containing maximum potential aboveground biomass, land use, and estimated biomass and carbon data for 1980. The biomass data and carbon estimates are associated with woody vegetation in Tropical Africa. These data were collected to reduce the uncertainty associated with estimating historical releases of carbon from land use change. Tropical Africa is defined here as encompassing 22.7 x 10E6 km² of the earth's land surface and is comprised of countries that are located in tropical Africa (Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Benin, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, Zimbabwe (Rhodesia), Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo,Uganda, Burkina Faso (Upper Volta), Zaire, and Zambia). The database was developed using the GRID module in the ARC/INFO (TM geographic information system. Source data were obtained from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the U.S. National Geophysical Data Center, and a limited number of biomass-carbon density case studies. These data were used to derive the maximum potential and actual (ca. 1980) aboveground biomass values at regional and country levels. The land-use data provided were derived from a vegetation map originally produced for the FAO by the International Institute of Vegetation Mapping, Toulouse, France.

[Imbalance of distribution of physicians in the Arab world].

PubMed

el Matri, A

1990-01-01

The Arab world, as a whole, now has 8.5 medical doctors per 10,000 population. This average covers a great diversity of national situations; for example 0.6 doctors per 10,000 population in Somalia, and 17.5 doctors per 10,000 population in Qatar. From the viewpoint of medical staffing, the Arab countries can be grouped into four categories: (i) Countries with low medical density: their national staff is scarce, they do not have a long academic tradition, and they have to rely on foreign physicians (Yemen, Djibouti, Somalia, Mauritania). (ii) Countries with acceptable medical density: they have strengthened their medical training system during the last decades, their production of medical graduates is now fairly high, and there is seemingly a threat of oversupply (Algeria, Tunisia, Syria, Iraq). (iii) Countries with relatively high medical density: their medical staffing is below that of developed countries, but their economic possibilities are reduced, which leads to an oversupply; these countries are exporters of medical manpower (Egypt, Jordan). (iv) Countries that import medical manpower although their own medical density is quite high: their medical training is recent or non-existent and their health system relies to a great extent on foreign doctors (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Libya, Kuwait). They are all oil producers. In brief, a shortage and an oversupply of medical doctors coexist in the Arab world, and concerted action is required.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brown, S.

This document describes the contents of a digital database containing maximum potential aboveground biomass, land use, and estimated biomass and carbon data for 1980. The biomass data and carbon estimates are associated with woody vegetation in Tropical Africa. These data were collected to reduce the uncertainty associated with estimating historical releases of carbon from land use change. Tropical Africa is defined here as encompassing 22.7 x 10{sup 6} km{sup 2} of the earth's land surface and is comprised of countries that are located in tropical Africa (Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Benin, Equatorial Guinea,more » Ethiopia, Djibouti, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, Zimbabwe (Rhodesia), Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Burkina Faso (Upper Volta), Zaire, and Zambia). The database was developed using the GRID module in the ARC/INFO{trademark} geographic information system. Source data were obtained from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the U.S. National Geophysical Data Center, and a limited number of biomass-carbon density case studies. These data were used to derive the maximum potential and actual (ca. 1980) aboveground biomass values at regional and country levels. The land-use data provided were derived from a vegetation map originally produced for the FAO by the International Institute of Vegetation Mapping, Toulouse, France.« less

Prehospital Endotracheal Intubation in Warm Climates: Caution is Required.

PubMed

Daniel, Yann; Habas, Sébastien; Cruc, Maximilien

2016-09-01

Out-of-hospital endotracheal intubation is a frequent procedure for trauma care. Nevertheless, in warm climates, sunlight and heat can interfere with the flow of the usual procedure. They can affect the equipment and hinder the operator. There are few data on this issue. The presentation of this case highlights three common complications that may occur when intubating under a hot and bright sun. A 23-year-old man had a car accident in Djibouti, at 11:00 a.m., in broad sunlight. The heat was scorching. Due to a severe head trauma, with a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 8, it was decided to perform an endotracheal intubation. The operator faced three problems: the difficulty of seeing inside the mouth in the bright sunlight, the softening of the tube under the influence of the heat, and the inefficiency of colorimetric CO2 detectors in the warm atmosphere in confirming the proper endotracheal tube placement. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Solutions are simple, but must be known and planned ahead, prior to beginning the procedure: Putting a jacket over his head while doing the laryngoscopy would solve the problem of dazzle; adjuncts like a stylet or gum elastic bougie have to be used at the outset to fix the softening problem; alternative methods to exhaled CO2 detection, such as the syringe aspiration technique, to confirm the proper tube placement, should be available. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Countries population determination to test rice crisis indicator at national level using k-means cluster analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hidayat, Y.; Purwandari, T.; Sukono; Ariska, Y. D.

2017-01-01

This study aimed to obtain information on the population of the countries which is have similarities with Indonesia based on three characteristics, that is the democratic atmosphere, rice consumption and purchasing power of rice. It is useful as a reference material for research which tested the strength and predictability of the rice crisis indicators Unprecedented Restlessness (UR). The similarities countries with Indonesia were conducted using multivariate analysis that is non-hierarchical cluster analysis k-Means with 38 countries as the data population. This analysis is done repeatedly until the obtainment number of clusters which is capable to show the differentiator power of the three characteristics and describe the high similarity within clusters. Based on the results, it turns out with 6 clusters can describe the differentiator power of characteristics of formed clusters. However, to answer the purpose of the study, only one cluster which will be taken accordance with the criteria of success for the population of countries that have similarities with Indonesia that cluster contain Indonesia therein, there are countries which is sustain crisis and non-crisis of rice in 2008, and cluster which is have the largest member among them. This criterion is met by cluster 2, which consists of 22 countries, namely Indonesia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Fiji, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Japan, Korea South, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Suriname.

An overview of the transboundary aquifers in East Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abiye, Tamiru Alemayehu

2010-11-01

A transboundary aquifer is a body of groundwater intersected by two or more countries with the potential threat of dispute over a shared groundwater resource. A large portion of the population in East Africa relies on surface water resources for day-to-day activities; in turn, this is dependent on episodic rainfall. Surface water in the region is vulnerable to pollution and potential climate change. Consequently, frequent conflict over the water use is a regular event in the region. This paper examines the transboundary aquifers and their significance for water supply in the six adjacent Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) countries (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti). Analysis of available literature and short field visits to accessible areas were undertaken in order to examine the geology, hydrogeological dynamics, and water use. The geology of the transboundary aquifers is mainly represented by Precambrian basement, Mesozoic sedimentary rocks, Cenozoic volcanics and recent alluvial deposits. Taking into consideration the topographic setting and water circulation, the Ethiopian highlands are the major sources of recharge to the transboundary aquifers of the adjacent countries. The surface runoff drains through 11 major rivers into the neighbouring countries. The groundwater contained in the transboundary aquifers is yet to receive attention by the various countries, but the future trend is towards exploiting the resources to alleviate water shortages in the region. It is hoped that the systematic development of these groundwater resources would strengthen cooperation in this conflict-dominated region.

Lithospheric Structure in Eastern Africa and the Arabian Plate from Joint Inversion of Surface Wave Dispersion Data and Receiver Functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dugda, M. T.; Nyblade, A. A.; Rodgers, A.; Al-Amri, A.; Julia, J.

2006-12-01

Lithospheric structure beneath Eastern Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, and Djibouti) and the Arabian Shield and Platform has been investigated using a joint inversion of receiver functions and surface wave dispersion measurements from 10 to 175 s. Our models help to constrain the extent of modification made to the lithosphere in the region by hotspot tectonism. Most of the data for this study come from three major sources: the Ethiopia and Kenya Broadband Seismic Experiments which were carried out between 2000-2002 and 2001-2002, respectively, and data from the Saudi Arabia National Digital Seismic Network (KACST). We find that there is little or no seismic lid under the Main Ethiopian Rift and Afar. The results for the Ethiopian Plateau show that there has been thinning of the lithosphere by about ~30 40 km from typical Mozambique Belt lithosphere under Tanzania, which was reported to be up to 120 km thick, and that there has been a reduction in maximum shear wave velocity of the lid by about 7%. Replacement of the bottom of the former Mozambique Belt lithosphere by warm plume material with a partial erosion of the lithosphere can explain both the thinning of the lithosphere and the reduction of maximum velocity. Preliminary results suggest similar lithospheric structure beneath the Arabian Shield. The results from Kenya are similar to that of the results for the Mozambique Belt Lithosphere in Tanzania, showing 100-120 km thick lithosphere.

Health in times of uncertainty in the eastern Mediterranean region, 1990-2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013.

PubMed

Mokdad, Ali H; Forouzanfar, Mohammad Hossein; Daoud, Farah; El Bcheraoui, Charbel; Moradi-Lakeh, Maziar; Khalil, Ibrahim; Afshin, Ashkan; Tuffaha, Marwa; Charara, Raghid; Barber, Ryan M; Wagner, Joseph; Cercy, Kelly; Kravitz, Hannah; Coates, Matthew M; Robinson, Margaret; Estep, Kara; Steiner, Caitlyn; Jaber, Sara; Mokdad, Ali A; O'Rourke, Kevin F; Chew, Adrienne; Kim, Pauline; El Razek, Mohamed Magdy Abd; Abdalla, Safa; Abd-Allah, Foad; Abraham, Jerry P; Abu-Raddad, Laith J; Abu-Rmeileh, Niveen M E; Al-Nehmi, Abdulwahab A; Akanda, Ali S; Al Ahmadi, Hanan; Al Khabouri, Mazin J; Al Lami, Faris H; Al Rayess, Zulfa A; Alasfoor, Deena; AlBuhairan, Fadia S; Aldhahri, Saleh F; Alghnam, Suliman; Alhabib, Samia; Al-Hamad, Nawal; Ali, Raghib; Ali, Syed Danish; Alkhateeb, Mohammad; AlMazroa, Mohammad A; Alomari, Mahmoud A; Al-Raddadi, Rajaa; Alsharif, Ubai; Al-Sheyab, Nihaya; Alsowaidi, Shirina; Al-Thani, Mohamed; Altirkawi, Khalid A; Amare, Azmeraw T; Amini, Heresh; Ammar, Walid; Anwari, Palwasha; Asayesh, Hamid; Asghar, Rana; Assabri, Ali M; Assadi, Reza; Bacha, Umar; Badawi, Alaa; Bakfalouni, Talal; Basulaiman, Mohammed O; Bazargan-Hejazi, Shahrzad; Bedi, Neeraj; Bhakta, Amit R; Bhutta, Zulfiqar A; Bin Abdulhak, Aref A; Boufous, Soufiane; Bourne, Rupert R A; Danawi, Hadi; Das, Jai; Deribew, Amare; Ding, Eric L; Durrani, Adnan M; Elshrek, Yousef; Ibrahim, Mohamed E; Eshrati, Babak; Esteghamati, Alireza; Faghmous, Imad A D; Farzadfar, Farshad; Feigl, Andrea B; Fereshtehnejad, Seyed-Mohammad; Filip, Irina; Fischer, Florian; Gankpé, Fortuné G; Ginawi, Ibrahim; Gishu, Melkamu Dedefo; Gupta, Rahul; Habash, Rami M; Hafezi-Nejad, Nima; Hamadeh, Randah R; Hamdouni, Hayet; Hamidi, Samer; Harb, Hilda L; Hassanvand, Mohammad Sadegh; Hedayati, Mohammad T; Heydarpour, Pouria; Hsairi, Mohamed; Husseini, Abdullatif; Jahanmehr, Nader; Jha, Vivekanand; Jonas, Jost B; Karam, Nadim E; Kasaeian, Amir; Kassa, Nega Assefa; Kaul, Anil; Khader, Yousef; Khalifa, Shams Eldin A; Khan, Ejaz A; Khan, Gulfaraz; Khoja, Tawfik; Khosravi, Ardeshir; Kinfu, Yohannes; Defo, Barthelemy Kuate; Balaji, Arjun Lakshmana; Lunevicius, Raimundas; Obermeyer, Carla Makhlouf; Malekzadeh, Reza; Mansourian, Morteza; Marcenes, Wagner; Farid, Habibolah Masoudi; Mehari, Alem; Mehio-Sibai, Abla; Memish, Ziad A; Mensah, George A; Mohammad, Karzan A; Nahas, Ziad; Nasher, Jamal T; Nawaz, Haseeb; Nejjari, Chakib; Nisar, Muhammad Imran; Omer, Saad B; Parsaeian, Mahboubeh; Peprah, Emmanuel K; Pervaiz, Aslam; Pourmalek, Farshad; Qato, Dima M; Qorbani, Mostafa; Radfar, Amir; Rafay, Anwar; Rahimi, Kazem; Rahimi-Movaghar, Vafa; Rahman, Sajjad Ur; Rai, Rajesh K; Rana, Saleem M; Rao, Sowmya R; Refaat, Amany H; Resnikoff, Serge; Roshandel, Gholamreza; Saade, Georges; Saeedi, Mohammad Y; Sahraian, Mohammad Ali; Saleh, Shadi; Sanchez-Riera, Lidia; Satpathy, Maheswar; Sepanlou, Sadaf G; Setegn, Tesfaye; Shaheen, Amira; Shahraz, Saeid; Sheikhbahaei, Sara; Shishani, Kawkab; Sliwa, Karen; Tavakkoli, Mohammad; Terkawi, Abdullah S; Uthman, Olalekan A; Westerman, Ronny; Younis, Mustafa Z; El Sayed Zaki, Maysaa; Zannad, Faiez; Roth, Gregory A; Wang, Haidong; Naghavi, Mohsen; Vos, Theo; Al Rabeeah, Abdullah A; Lopez, Alan D; Murray, Christopher J L

2016-10-01

The eastern Mediterranean region is comprised of 22 countries: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Since our Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 (GBD 2010), the region has faced unrest as a result of revolutions, wars, and the so-called Arab uprisings. The objective of this study was to present the burden of diseases, injuries, and risk factors in the eastern Mediterranean region as of 2013. GBD 2013 includes an annual assessment covering 188 countries from 1990 to 2013. The study covers 306 diseases and injuries, 1233 sequelae, and 79 risk factors. Our GBD 2013 analyses included the addition of new data through updated systematic reviews and through the contribution of unpublished data sources from collaborators, an updated version of modelling software, and several improvements in our methods. In this systematic analysis, we use data from GBD 2013 to analyse the burden of disease and injuries in the eastern Mediterranean region specifically. The leading cause of death in the region in 2013 was ischaemic heart disease (90·3 deaths per 100 000 people), which increased by 17·2% since 1990. However, diarrhoeal diseases were the leading cause of death in Somalia (186·7 deaths per 100 000 people) in 2013, which decreased by 26·9% since 1990. The leading cause of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) was ischaemic heart disease for males and lower respiratory infection for females. High blood pressure was the leading risk factor for DALYs in 2013, with an increase of 83·3% since 1990. Risk factors for DALYs varied by country. In low-income countries, childhood wasting was the leading cause of DALYs in Afghanistan, Somalia, and Yemen, whereas unsafe sex was the leading cause in Djibouti. Non-communicable risk factors were the leading cause of DALYs in high-income and middle-income countries

Forensic data and microvariant sequence characterization of 27 Y-STR loci analyzed in four Eastern African countries.

PubMed

Iacovacci, Giuseppe; D'Atanasio, Eugenia; Marini, Ornella; Coppa, Alfredo; Sellitto, Daniele; Trombetta, Beniamino; Berti, Andrea; Cruciani, Fulvio

2017-03-01

By using the recently introduced 6-dye Yfiler ® Plus multiplex, we analyzed 462 males belonging to 20 ethnic groups from four eastern African countries (Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya). Through a Y-STR sequence analysis, combined with 62 SNP-based haplogroup information, we were able to classify observed microvariant alleles at four Y-STR loci as either monophyletic (DYF387S1 and DYS458) or recurrent (DYS449 and DYS627). We found evidence of non-allelic gene conversion among paralogous STRs of the two-copy locus DYF387S1. Twenty-two diallelic and triallelic patterns observed at 13 different loci were found to be significantly over-represented (p<10 -6 ) among profiles obtained from cell lines compared to those from blood and saliva. Most of the diallelic/triallelic patterns from cell lines involved recurrent mutations at rapidly mutating loci (RM Y-STRs) included in the multiplex (p<10 -2 ). At haplotype level, intra-population diversity indices were found to be among the lowest so far reported for the Yfiler ® Plus, while statistically significant differences among countries and ethnic groups were detected when considering haplotype frequencies alone (F ST ) or by using molecular distances among haplotypes (Φ ST ). The strong population subdivision observed is probably the consequence of the patrilineal social organization of most eastern African ethnic groups, and suggests caution in the use of country-based haplotype frequency distributions for forensic inferences in this region. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterizing mineral dusts and other aerosols from the Middle East--Part 2: grab samples and re-suspensions.

PubMed

Engelbrecht, Johann P; McDonald, Eric V; Gillies, John A; Jayanty, R K M Jay; Casuccio, Gary; Gertler, Alan W

2009-02-01

The purpose of the Enhanced Particulate Matter Surveillance Program was to provide scientifically founded information on the chemical and physical properties of dust collected during a period of approximately 1 year in Djibouti, Afghanistan (Bagram, Khowst), Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Iraq (Balad, Baghdad, Tallil, Tikrit, Taji, Al Asad), and Kuwait (northern, central, coastal, and southern regions). To fully understand mineral dusts, their chemical and physical properties, as well as mineralogical inter-relationships, were accurately established. In addition to the ambient samples, bulk soil samples were collected at each of the 15 sites. In each case, approximately 1 kg of soil from the top 10 mm at a previously undisturbed area near the aerosol sampling site was collected. The samples were air-dried and sample splits taken for soil analysis. Further sample splits were sieved to separate the < 38 micro m particle fractions for mineralogical analysis. Examples of major-element and trace-element chemistry, mineralogy, and other physical properties of the 15 grab samples are presented. The purpose of the trace-element analysis was to measure levels of potentially harmful metals while the major-element and ion-chemistry analyses provided an estimate of mineral components. X-ray diffractometry provided a measure of the mineral content of the dust. Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy was used to analyze chemical composition of small individual particles. From similarities in the chemistry and mineralogy of re-suspended and ambient sample sets, it is evident that portions of the ambient dust are from local soils.

Research on psychosocial aspects of asthma in the Arab world: a literature review.

PubMed

Al-Khateeb, Anas J; Al Khateeb, Jamal M

2015-01-01

The importance of psychosocial factors in the management of bronchial asthma has long been recognized. This paper offers a review of research published in the English language related to psychosocial aspects of bronchial asthma in Arab countries. Several databases (PubMed, Science Direct, Springer Link, ERIC, and PsychInfo) were searched using the following keywords: bronchial asthma, Arab countries, Algiers, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine (West Bank, Gaza), Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Sudan, Somalia; United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Thirty-two studies were conducted in 9 Arab countries. Almost all studies found were published in the last fourteen years with an apparent increasing rate in the last five years. In descending order, these studies addressed: knowledge of and attitudes toward asthma, quality of life, behavioral and emotional problems and factors related to academic achievement. The main results of the studies reviewed were: (a) physicians', school staff's, and parents' knowledge of and attitudes toward asthma were generally unsatisfactory, (b) in-service asthma education programs significantly impacted parent and staff knowledge and attitudes, and asthma management practices, (c) quality of life in children and adolescents was significantly adversely affected by asthma, (d) asthma was a common cause of school absenteeism, and had a significant negative impact on academic achievement of students, and (e) students with asthma had significantly higher rates of behavioral and emotional difficulties compared to students without asthma. The paper concludes with a discussion about the implications of these results and a call for further research in this area.

Qualitative interviews with non-national tuberculosis patients in Cairo, Egypt: understanding the financial and social cost of treatment adherence.

PubMed

Lohiniva, Anna L; Mokhtar, Alaa; Azer, Ashraf; Elmoghazy, Esaam; Kamal, Eman; Benkirane, Manal; Dueger, Erica

2016-11-01

Limited data are available about the challenges of non-national TB patients undergoing long-term treatment courses in an urban setting. This study aimed to understand the financial and social cost of adherence of non-national TB patients in Cairo, Egypt as a means to inform the development of context-specific interventions to support treatment adherence. In 2011, 22 in-depth interviews were conducted with TB patients from Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Djibouti to obtain qualitative data. Analysis was based on thematic analysis that aimed to identify recurrent themes and codes from the narratives. The study identified a number of factors that influence TB treatment adherence. Uncertain financial status due to limited or no employment was frequently discussed in interviews, which resulted in fear of not being able to support family, loss of pride, dependence on family and friends, fear of losing housing, food insecurity and limited food options. Respondents also feared infecting other household members and longed for opportunities to discuss their illness and treatment experiences with other individuals but their social networks were often limited. TB-related stigma was driven by shame and blame of infection. Respondents also believed stigma was based on their foreign origin. Stigma manifested in distancing and exclusion in various ways, resulting in isolation, psychological distress and reluctance to disclose TB status to others. Poverty-related factors and social context with a special focus on stigma should be considered when developing strategies for supporting long-term treatment courses for non-national patients in Cairo and other similar urban settings. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Volcano geodesy: The search for magma reservoirs and the formation of eruptive vents

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dvorak, J.J.; Dzurisin, D.

1997-01-01

Routine geodetic measurements are made at only a few dozen of the world's 600 or so active volcanoes, even though these measurements have proven to be a reliable precursor of eruptions. The pattern and rate of surface displacement reveal the depth and rate of pressure increase within shallow magma reservoirs. This process has been demonstrated clearly at Kilauea and Mauna Loa, Hawaii; Long Valley caldera, California; Campi Flegrei caldera, Italy; Rabaul caldera, Papua New Guinea; and Aira caldera and nearby Sakurajima, Japan. Slower and lesser amounts of surface displacement at Yellowstone caldera, Wyoming, are attributed to changes in a hydrothermal system that overlies a crustal magma body. The vertical and horizontal dimensions of eruptive fissures, as well as the amount of widening, have been determined at Kilauea, Hawaii; Etna, Italy; Tolbachik, Kamchatka; Krafla, Iceland; and Asal-Ghoubbet, Djibouti, the last a segment of the East Africa Rift Zone. Continuously recording instruments, such as tiltmeters, extensometers, and dilatometers, have recorded horizontal and upward growth of eruptive fissures, which grew at rates of hundreds of meters per hour, at Kilauea; Izu-Oshima, Japan; Teishi Knoll seamount, Japan; and Piton de la Fournaise, Re??union Island. In addition, such instruments have recorded the hour or less of slight ground movement that preceded small explosive eruptions at Sakurajima and presumed sudden gas emissions at Galeras, Colombia. The use of satellite geodesy, in particular the Global Positioning System, offers the possibility of revealing changes in surface strain both local to a volcano and over a broad region that includes the volcano.

Use of Visual Range Measurements to Predict PM2.5 Exposures in Southwest Asia and Afghanistan

PubMed Central

Masri, Shahir; Garshick, Eric; Hart, Jaime; Bouhamra, Walid; Koutrakis, Petros

2016-01-01

Military personnel deployed to Southwest Asia and Afghanistan were exposed to high levels of ambient particulate matter (PM) indicating the potential for exposure-related health effects. However, historical quantitative ambient PM exposure data for conducting epidemiological health studies are unavailable due to a lack of monitoring stations. Since visual range is proportional to particle light extinction (scattering and absorption), visibility can serve as a surrogate for PM2.5 concentrations where ground measurements are not available. We used data on visibility, relative humidity (RH), and PM2.5 ground measurements collected in Kuwait from years 2004 to 2005 to establish the relationship between PM2.5 and visibility. Model validation obtained by regressing trimester average PM2.5 predictions against PM2.5 measurements in Kuwait produced an r2 value of 0.84. Cross validation of urban and rural sites in Kuwait also revealed good model fit. We applied this relationship to location-specific visibility data at 104 regional sites between years 2000 and 2012 to estimate monthly average PM2.5 concentrations. Monthly averages at sites in Iraq, Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Djibouti, and Qatar ranged from 10 to 365 µg/m3 during this period, while site averages ranged from 22 to 80 µg/m3, indicating considerable spatial and temporal heterogeneity in ambient PM2.5 across these regions. These data support the use of historical visibility data to estimate location-specific PM2.5 concentrations for use in future epidemiological studies in the region. PMID:27700621

Differentiating flow, melt, or fossil seismic anisotropy beneath Ethiopia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammond, J. O. S.; Kendall, J.-M.; Wookey, J.; Stuart, G. W.; Keir, D.; Ayele, A.

2014-05-01

Ethiopia is a region where continental rifting gives way to oceanic spreading. Yet the role that pre-existing lithospheric structure, melt, mantle flow, or active upwellings may play in this process is debated. Measurements of seismic anisotropy are often used to attempt to understand the contribution that these mechanisms may play. In this study, we use new data in Afar, Ethiopia along with legacy data across Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Yemen to obtain estimates of mantle anisotropy using SKS-wave splitting. We show that two layers of anisotropy exist, and we directly invert for these. We show that fossil anisotropy with fast directions oriented northeast-southwest may be preserved in the lithosphere away from the rift. Beneath the Main Ethiopian Rift and parts of Afar, anisotropy due to shear segregated melt along sharp changes in lithospheric thickness dominates the shear-wave splitting signal in the mantle. Beneath Afar, away from regions with significant lithospheric topography, melt pockets associated with the crustal and uppermost mantle magma storage dominate the signal in localized regions. In general, little anisotropy is seen in the uppermost mantle beneath Afar suggesting melt retains no preferential alignment. These results show the important role melt plays in weakening the lithosphere and imply that as rifting evolves passive upwelling sustains extension. A dominant northeast-southwest anisotropic fast direction is observed in a deeper layer across all of Ethiopia. This suggests that a conduit like plume is lacking beneath Afar today, rather a broad flow from the southwest dominates flow in the upper mantle.

Failure of dihydroartemisinin plus piperaquine treatment of falciparum malaria by under-dosing in an overweight patient.

PubMed

Roseau, Jean Baptiste; Pradines, Bruno; Paleiron, Nicolas; Vedy, Serge; Madamet, Marylin; Simon, Fabrice; Javelle, Emilie

2016-09-20

Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) introduced in the mid-1990s has been recommended since 2005 by the World Health Organization as first-line treatment against Plasmodium falciparum in all endemic countries. In 2010, the combination dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) was recommended for the treatment of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria. DP is one of the first-line treatments used by the French army since 2013. A case of P. falciparum clinical failure with DP at day 20 was described in a 104 kg French soldier deployed in Djibouti. He was admitted to hospital for supervision of oral treatment with DP [40 mg dihydroartemisinin (DHA) plus 320 mg piperaquine tetraphosphate (PPQ)]. This corresponded to a cumulative dose of 4.6 mg/kg DHA and 37 mg/kg PPQ in the present patient, which is far below the WHO recommended ranges. No mutation was found in the propeller domain of the Kelch 13 (k13) gene, which is associated with artemisinin resistance in Southeast Asia. Pfmdr1 N86, 184F, S1034 and N1042 polymorphisms and haplotype 72-76 CVIET for the pfcrt gene were found in the present case. There was no evidence of resistance to DP. This case confirms the risk of therapeutic failure with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine by under-dosing in patients weighing more than 100 kg. This therapeutic failure with DP by under-dosing highlighted the importance of appropriate dosing guidelines and the need of research data (efficacy, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics) in over-weight patient group.

Flow, melt and fossil seismic anisotropy beneath Ethiopia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammond, James; Kendall, J.-Michael; Wookey, James; Stuart, Graham; Keir, Derek; Ayele, Atalay

2014-05-01

Ethiopia is a region where continental rifting gives way to oceanic spreading. Yet the role that pre-existing lithospheric structure, melt, mantle flow or active upwellings may play in this process is debated. Measurements of seismic anisotropy are often used to attempt to understand the contribution that these mechanisms may play. In this study we use new data in Afar, Ethiopia along with legacy data across Ethiopia, Djibouti and Yemen to obtain estimates of mantle anisotropy using SKS-wave splitting. We show that two layers of anisotropy exist, and use shear-wave splitting tomography to invert for these. We show that fossil anisotropy with fast directions oriented northeast-southwest may be preserved in the lithosphere away from the rift. Beneath the Main Ethiopian Rift and parts of Afar, anisotropy due aligned melt due to sharp changes in lithospheric thickness dominate the shear-wave splitting signal in the mantle. Beneath Afar, away from lithospheric topography, melt pockets associated with the crustal magma storage dominate the signal and little anisotropy is seen in the uppermost mantle suggesting melt retains no preferential alignment, possibly due to a lack of mantle lithosphere. These results show the important role melt plays in weakening the lithosphere and imply that as rifting evolves passive upwelling sustains extension. A dominant northeast-southwest anisotropic fast direction is observed in a deeper layer across all of Ethiopia. This suggests that a conduit like plume is absent beneath Afar today, rather a broad flow from the southwest dominates in the upper mantle.

Mantle transition zone structure and upper mantle S velocity variations beneath Ethiopia: Evidence for a broad, deep-seated thermal anomaly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benoit, Margaret H.; Nyblade, Andrew A.; Owens, Thomas J.; Stuart, Graham

2006-11-01

Ethiopia has been subjected to widespread Cenozoic volcanism, rifting, and uplift associated with the Afar hot spot. The hot spot tectonism has been attributed to one or more thermal upwellings in the mantle, for example, starting thermal plumes and superplumes. We investigate the origin of the hot spot by imaging the S wave velocity structure of the upper mantle beneath Ethiopia using travel time tomography and by examining relief on transition zone discontinuities using receiver function stacks. The tomographic images reveal an elongated low-velocity region that is wide (>500 km) and extends deep into the upper mantle (>400 km). The anomaly is aligned with the Afar Depression and Main Ethiopian Rift in the uppermost mantle, but its center shifts westward with depth. The 410 km discontinuity is not well imaged, but the 660 km discontinuity is shallower than normal by ˜20-30 km beneath most of Ethiopia, but it is at a normal depth beneath Djibouti and the northwestern edge of the Ethiopian Plateau. The tomographic results combined with a shallow 660 km discontinuity indicate that upper mantle temperatures are elevated by ˜300 K and that the thermal anomaly is broad (>500 km wide) and extends to depths ≥660 km. The dimensions of the thermal anomaly are not consistent with a starting thermal plume but are consistent with a flux of excess heat coming from the lower mantle. Such a broad thermal upwelling could be part of the African Superplume found in the lower mantle beneath southern Africa.

Health information sharing on Facebook: An exploratory study on diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

AlQarni, Zainab A; Yunus, Faisel; Househ, Mowafa S

Increasingly, people are using Facebook (FB) to share health information. However, little is known about the type of information sharing and its potential health consequences in the Arabic speaking world. This study attempts to fill this knowledge gap for diabetes mellitus (DM). We conducted a retrospective qualitative FB content analysis using predefined eligibility criteria. The analysis was restricted to diabetes related groups in the Arabic speaking world. The data were collected between June 2010 and December 2015. A total of 55 groups were screened of which seven met the eligibility criteria. We found 6107 posts in Arabic related to DM of which 1551 posts were included for further analysis. There were 458 (30%) FB posts from Egypt with no posts from Somalia, Yemen, Comoros, and Djibouti. The majority of the posts, 863 (56%), were from females. The focus of the posts was on sharing personal experiences (n=423, 27%), raising awareness (n=210, 3.5%), providing spiritual support (n=162, 10.4%), sharing latest research (n=147, 9.5%), and providing education (n=110, 7.1%) on DM. A large number of the posts by people in 40-60 year age group were around finding out diagnosis related information due to limited access to care in their home countries. Patients with DM are increasingly sharing their health information with other FB users. This study will help inform future research with regard to health information sharing and designing appropriate interventions to harness the power of social media in improving public health. Copyright © 2016 King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Confirmation of Arabia plate slow motion by new GPS data in Yemen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vigny, Christophe; Huchon, Philippe; Ruegg, Jean-Claude; Khanbari, Khaled; Asfaw, Laike M.

2006-02-01

During the last 10 years, a network of about 30 GPS sites was measured in Djibouti, East Africa. Additional points were also measured in Yemen, Oman, Ethiopia, Iran, and on La Réunion island. Merged with data from the available International GPS Service permanent stations scattered on the different plates in the area (Eurasia, Anatolia, Africa, Arabia, Somalia), this unique data set provides new insight on the current deformation in the Africa-Somalia-Arabia triple junction area and on the Arabian plate motion. Here we show that coherent motions of points in Yemen, Bahrain, Oman, and Iran allow us to estimate a geodetically constrained angular velocity for the Arabian plate (52.59°N, 15.74°W, 0.461°/Myr in ITRF2000). This result differs significantly from earlier determinations and is based upon our vectors in Yemen. They provide new additional data and better geometry for angular velocity determination. Combined with the African and Somalian motions, this new angular velocity results in predicted spreading rates in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden which are 15-20% lower than those measured from oceanic magnetic anomalies and thus averaged over the last 3 Myr. With respect to Eurasia, the geodetic motion of Arabia is also about 30% slower than predicted by NUVEL-1A. On the basis of the kinematic results presented here and on other evidence for a similar slower geodetic rate of the Indian plate, we suggest that the whole collision zone between Africa, Arabia, India on one hand and Eurasia on the other hand has slowed down in the last 3 Myr.

Trial Evaluating Ambulatory Therapy of Travelers' Diarrhea (TrEAT TD) Study: A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing 3 Single-Dose Antibiotic Regimens With Loperamide.

PubMed

Riddle, Mark S; Connor, Patrick; Fraser, Jamie; Porter, Chad K; Swierczewski, Brett; Hutley, Emma J; Danboise, Brook; Simons, Mark P; Hulseberg, Christine; Lalani, Tahaniyat; Gutierrez, Ramiro L; Tribble, David R

2017-11-29

Recommended treatment for travelers' diarrhea includes the combination of an antibiotic, usually a fluoroquinolone or azithromycin, and loperamide for rapid resolution of symptoms. However, adverse events, postdose nausea with high-dose azithromycin, effectiveness of single-dose rifaximin, and emerging resistance to front-line agents are evidence gaps underlying current recommendations. A randomized, double-blind trial was conducted in 4 countries (Afghanistan, Djibouti, Kenya, and Honduras) between September 2012 and July 2015. US and UK service members with acute watery diarrhea were randomized and received single-dose azithromycin (500 mg; 106 persons), levofloxacin (500 mg; 111 persons), or rifaximin (1650 mg; 107 persons), in combination with loperamide (labeled dosing). The efficacy outcomes included clinical cure at 24 hours and time to last unformed stool. Clinical cure at 24 hours occurred in 81.4%, 78.3%, and 74.8% of the levofloxacin, azithromycin, and rifaximin arms, respectively. Compared with levofloxacin, azithromycin was not inferior (P = .01). Noninferiority could not be shown with rifaximin (P = .07). At 48 and 72 hours, efficacy among regimens was equivalent (approximately 91% at 48 and 96% at 72 hours). The median time to last unformed stool did not differ between treatment arms (azithromycin, 3.8 hours; levofloxacin, 6.4 hours; rifaximin, 5.6 hours). Treatment failures were uncommon (3.8%, 4.4%, and 1.9% in azithromycin, levofloxacin, and rifaximin arms, respectively) (P = .55). There were no differences between treatment arms with postdose nausea, vomiting, or other adverse events. Single-dose azithromycin, levofloxacin, and rifaximin with loperamide were comparable for treatment of acute watery diarrhea. NCT01618591. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2017. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

Measuring Efficiency of Health Systems of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region Using Stochastic Frontier Analysis.

PubMed

Hamidi, Samer; Akinci, Fevzi

2016-06-01

The main purpose of this study is to measure the technical efficiency of twenty health systems in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to inform evidence-based health policy decisions. In addition, the effects of alternative stochastic frontier model specification on the empirical results are examined. We conducted a stochastic frontier analysis to estimate the country-level technical efficiencies using secondary panel data for 20 MENA countries for the period of 1995-2012 from the World Bank database. We also tested the effect of alternative frontier model specification using three random-effects approaches: a time-invariant model where efficiency effects are assumed to be static with regard to time, and a time-varying efficiency model where efficiency effects have temporal variation, and one model to account for heterogeneity. The average estimated technical inefficiency of health systems in the MENA region was 6.9 % with a range of 5.7-7.9 % across the three models. Among the top performers, Lebanon, Qatar, and Morocco are ranked consistently high according to the three different inefficiency model specifications. On the opposite side, Sudan, Yemen and Djibouti ranked among the worst performers. On average, the two most technically efficient countries were Qatar and Lebanon. We found that the estimated technical efficiency scores vary substantially across alternative parametric models. Based on the findings reported in this study, most MENA countries appear to be operating, on average, with a reasonably high degree of technical efficiency compared with other countries in the region. However, there is evidence to suggest that there are considerable efficiency gains yet to be made by some MENA countries. Additional empirical research is needed to inform future health policies aimed at improving both the efficiency and sustainability of the health systems in the MENA region.

A comparative review of governments' views on objectives and policy instruments in the field of population and development.

PubMed

1982-01-01

It is possible to assess population policies through statements and decisions taken by governments as they reflect the views and commitments of political authorities in the field of population and development. Cases in the following African countries are reviewed with focus on objectives and policy instruments: Algeria; Angola; Benin; Botswana; Cape Verde; Central African Republic; Congo; Djibouti; Egypt; Ethiopia; Guinea; Gabon; Gambia; Ghana; Equatorial Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Ivory Coast; Kenya; Lesotho; Liberia; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Madagascar; Malawi; Mali; Mauritania; Mauritius; Morocco; Mozambique; Niger; Nigeria; Rwanda; Sao Tome and Principe; Senegal; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; Somalia; Sudan; Swaziland; Togo; Tunisia; Uganda; United Republic of Cameroon; Tanzania; Upper Volta; Zaire; Zambia; and Zimbabwe. The information presented was drawn from the following publications: UN Population Division, "Population Policy Briefs: Current Situation in Developing Countries and Selected Territories," and UNFPA, "Population Programs and Projects," Volume 2, 1980-1981. On the basis of this review the following conclusions are drawn, which could indicate areas in which technical assistance to the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) member States would be required: among the 50 country members of ECA, 34 countries (68%) have as a development objective the reduction of mortality, and in particular, maternal and child mortality; the 2nd important objective is stabilizing or improving spatial distribution of population, and 44% of the 50 countries have adopted this objective which involves the distribution of population from 1 place to another within a country; the 3rd important objective consists of restricting the migratory flow from rural areas to urban areas; the countries of Botswana, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritius, Morocco, Rwanda, Seychelles, Swaziland, and Tunisia adopted the objective of reducing the rate of population growth; 34% of African countries

Complete genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of dengue type 1 virus isolated from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Azhar, Esam I; Hashem, Anwar M; El-Kafrawy, Sherif A; Abol-Ela, Said; Abd-Alla, Adly M M; Sohrab, Sayed Sartaj; Farraj, Suha A; Othman, Norah A; Ben-Helaby, Huda G; Ashshi, Ahmed; Madani, Tariq A; Jamjoom, Ghazi

2015-01-16

Dengue viruses (DENVs) are mosquito-borne viruses which can cause disease ranging from mild fever to severe dengue infection. These viruses are endemic in several tropical and subtropical regions. Multiple outbreaks of DENV serotypes 1, 2 and 3 (DENV-1, DENV-2 and DENV-3) have been reported from the western region in Saudi Arabia since 1994. Strains from at least two genotypes of DENV-1 (Asia and America/Africa genotypes) have been circulating in western Saudi Arabia until 2006. However, all previous studies reported from Saudi Arabia were based on partial sequencing data of the envelope (E) gene without any reports of full genome sequences for any DENV serotypes circulating in Saudi Arabia. Here, we report the isolation and the first complete genome sequence of a DENV-1 strain (DENV-1-Jeddah-1-2011) isolated from a patient from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 2011. Whole genome sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis showed high similarity between DENV-1-Jeddah-1-2011 strain and D1/H/IMTSSA/98/606 isolate (Asian genotype) reported from Djibouti in 1998. Further analysis of the full envelope gene revealed a close relationship between DENV-1-Jeddah-1-2011 strain and isolates reported between 2004-2006 from Jeddah as well as recent isolates from Somalia, suggesting the widespread of the Asian genotype in this region. These data suggest that strains belonging to the Asian genotype might have been introduced into Saudi Arabia long before 2004 most probably by African pilgrims and continued to circulate in western Saudi Arabia at least until 2011. Most importantly, these results indicate that pilgrims from dengue endemic regions can play an important role in the spread of new DENVs in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the world. Therefore, availability of complete genome sequences would serve as a reference for future epidemiological studies of DENV-1 viruses.

Estimating probabilistic rainfall and food security outcomes for eastern and southern Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verdin, J.; Funk, C.; Dettinger, M.; Brown, M.

2009-05-01

Since 1980, the number of undernourished people in eastern and southern Africa has more than doubled. Rural development stalled and rural poverty expanded during the 1990s. Population growth remains high, and declining per-capita agricultural capacity retards development. In September of 2008, Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti, and Somalia faced high or extreme conditions of food insecurity caused by repeated droughts and rapid food price inflation. In this talk we present research, performed for the US Agency for International Development on probabilistic projections of rainfall and food security trends for eastern and southern Africa. Analyses of station data and satellite-based estimates of precipitation have identified another problematic trend: main growing- season rainfall has diminished by ~15% in food-insecure countries clustered along the western rim of the Indian Ocean. Occurring during the main growing seasons in poor countries dependent on rain-fed agriculture, these declines constitute a long term danger to subsistence agricultural and pastoral livelihoods. Tracing moisture deficits upstream to an anthropogenically-induced warming Indian Ocean leads us to conclude that further rainfall declines are likely. We present analyses suggesting that warming in the central Indian Ocean disrupts onshore moisture transports, reducing continental rainfall. Thus, late 20th century Indian Ocean warming has probably already produced societally dangerous climate change by creating drought and social disruption in some of the world's most fragile food economies. We quantify the potential impacts of the observed precipitation and agricultural capacity trends by modeling millions of undernourished people as a function of rainfall, population, cultivated area, and seed and fertilizer use. Persistence of current trends may result in a 50% increase in undernourished people. On the other hand, modest increases in per-capita agricultural productivity could more than offset the

Significance of the Identification in the Horn of Africa of an Exceptionally Deep Branching Mycobacterium tuberculosis Clade

PubMed Central

Blouin, Yann; Hauck, Yolande; Soler, Charles; Fabre, Michel; Vong, Rithy; Dehan, Céline; Cazajous, Géraldine; Massoure, Pierre-Laurent; Kraemer, Philippe; Jenkins, Akinbowale; Garnotel, Eric; Pourcel, Christine; Vergnaud, Gilles

2012-01-01

Molecular and phylogeographic studies have led to the definition within the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) of a number of geotypes and ecotypes showing a preferential geographic location or host preference. The MTBC is thought to have emerged in Africa, most likely the Horn of Africa, and to have spread worldwide with human migrations. Under this assumption, there is a possibility that unknown deep branching lineages are present in this region. We genotyped by spoligotyping and multiple locus variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) analysis (MLVA) 435 MTBC isolates recovered from patients. Four hundred and eleven isolates were collected in the Republic of Djibouti over a 12 year period, with the other 24 isolates originating from neighbouring countries. All major M. tuberculosis lineages were identified, with only two M. africanum and one M. bovis isolates. Upon comparison with typing data of worldwide origin we observed that several isolates showed clustering characteristics compatible with new deep branching. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of seven isolates and comparison with available WGS data from 38 genomes distributed in the different lineages confirms the identification of ancestral nodes for several clades and most importantly of one new lineage, here referred to as lineage 7. Investigation of specific deletions confirms the novelty of this lineage, and analysis of its precise phylogenetic position indicates that the other three superlineages constituting the MTBC emerged independently but within a relatively short timeframe from the Horn of Africa. The availability of such strains compared to the predominant lineages and sharing very ancient ancestry will open new avenues for identifying some of the genetic factors responsible for the success of the modern lineages. Additional deep branching lineages may be readily and efficiently identified by large-scale MLVA screening of isolates from sub-Saharan African countries followed by WGS analysis of

Volcanic unrest in Kenya: geological history from a satellite perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robertson, E.; Biggs, J.; Edmonds, M.; Vye-Brown, C.

2013-12-01

The East African Rift (EAR) system is a 5,000 km long series of fault bounded depressions that run from Djibouti to Mozambique. In the Kenyan Rift, fourteen Quaternary volcanoes lie along the central rift axis. These volcanoes are principally composed of trachyte pyroclastics and trachyte and basaltic lavas forming low-angle multi-vent edifices. Between 1997 and 2008, geodetic activity has been observed at five Kenyan volcanoes, all of which have undergone periods of caldera collapse and explosive activity. We present a remote-sensing study to investigate the temporal and spatial development of volcanic activity at Longonot volcano. High-resolution mapping using ArcGIS and an immersive 3D visualisation suite (GeovisionaryTM) has been used with imagery derived from ASTER, SPOT5 and GDEM data to identify boundaries of eruptive units and establish relative age in order to add further detail to Longonot's recent eruptive history. Mapping of the deposits at Longonot is key to understand the recent geological history and forms the basis for future volcanic hazard research to inform risk assessments and mitigation programs in Kenya. Calderas at Kenyan volcanoes are elliptical in plan view and we use high-resolution imagery to investigate the regional stresses and structural control leading to the formation of these elliptical calderas. We find that volcanoes in the central and northern segments of the Kenyan rift are elongated nearly parallel to the direction of least horizontal compressive stress, likely as a reflection of the direction of the plate motion vector at the time of caldera collapse. The southern volcanoes however are elongated at an acute angle to the plate motion vector, most likely as a result of oblique opening of the Kenyan rift in this region.

Genetic structure of the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) in the Old World reveals a strong differentiation between eastern and western populations

PubMed Central

Zehdi-Azouzi, Salwa; Cherif, Emira; Moussouni, Souhila; Gros-Balthazard, Muriel; Abbas Naqvi, Summar; Ludeña, Bertha; Castillo, Karina; Chabrillange, Nathalie; Bouguedoura, Nadia; Bennaceur, Malika; Si-Dehbi, Farida; Abdoulkader, Sabira; Daher, Abdourahman; Terral, Jean-Frederic; Santoni, Sylvain; Ballardini, Marco; Mercuri, Antonio; Ben Salah, Mohamed; Kadri, Karim; Othmani, Ahmed; Littardi, Claudio; Salhi-Hannachi, Amel; Pintaud, Jean-Christophe; Aberlenc-Bertossi, Frédérique

2015-01-01

Background and Aims Date palms (Phoenix dactylifera, Arecaceae) are of great economic and ecological value to the oasis agriculture of arid and semi-arid areas. However, despite the availability of a large date palm germplasm spreading from the Atlantic shores to Southern Asia, improvement of the species is being hampered by a lack of information on global genetic diversity and population structure. In order to contribute to the varietal improvement of date palms and to provide new insights on the influence of geographic origins and human activity on the genetic structure of the date palm, this study analysed the diversity of the species. Methods Genetic diversity levels and population genetic structure were investigated through the genotyping of a collection of 295 date palm accessions ranging from Mauritania to Pakistan using a set of 18 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and a plastid minisatellite. Key Results Using a Bayesian clustering approach, the date palm genotypes can be structured into two different gene pools: the first, termed the Eastern pool, consists of accessions from Asia and Djibouti, whilst the second, termed the Western pool, consists of accessions from Africa. These results confirm the existence of two ancient gene pools that have contributed to the current date palm diversity. The presence of admixed genotypes is also noted, which points at gene flows between eastern and western origins, mostly from east to west, following a human-mediated diffusion of the species. Conclusions This study assesses the distribution and level of genetic diversity of accessible date palm resources, provides new insights on the geographic origins and genetic history of the cultivated component of this species, and confirms the existence of at least two domestication origins. Furthermore, the strong genetic structure clearly established here is a prerequisite for any breeding programme exploiting the effective polymorphism related to each gene pool. PMID

Thin Lithosphere Beneath the Ethiopian Plateau Revealed by a Joint Inversion of Rayleigh Wave Group Velocities and Receiver Functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dugda, Mulugeta T.; Nyblade, Andrew A.; Julia, Jordi

2007-08-01

The seismic velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle beneath Ethiopia and Djibouti has been investigated by jointly inverting receiver functions and Rayleigh wave group velocities to obtain new constraints on the thermal structure of the lithosphere. Most of the data for this study come from the Ethiopia broadband seismic experiment, conducted between 2000 and 2002. Shear velocity models obtained from the joint inversion show crustal structure that is similar to previously published models, with crustal thicknesses of 35 to 44 km beneath the Ethiopian Plateau, and 25 to 35 km beneath the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) and the Afar. The lithospheric mantle beneath the Ethiopian Plateau has a maximum shear wave velocity of about 4.3 km/s and extends to a depth of ˜70-80 km. Beneath the MER and Afar, the lithospheric mantle has a maximum shear wave velocity of 4.1-4.2 km/s and extends to a depth of at most 50 km. In comparison to the lithosphere away from the East African Rift System in Tanzania, where the lid extends to depths of ˜100-125 km and has a maximum shear velocity of 4.6 km/s, the mantle lithosphere under the Ethiopian Plateau appears to have been thinned by ˜30-50 km and the maximum shear wave velocity reduced by ˜0.3 km/s. Results from a 1D conductive thermal model suggest that the shear velocity structure of the Ethiopian Plateau lithosphere can be explained by a plume model, if a plume rapidly thinned the lithosphere by ˜30-50 km at the time of the flood basalt volcanism (c. 30 Ma), and if warm plume material has remained beneath the lithosphere since then. About 45-65% of the 1-1.5 km of plateau uplift in Ethiopia can be attributed to the thermally perturbed lithospheric structure.

Complete coding regions of the prototypes enterovirus B93 and C95: phylogenetic analyses of the P1 and P3 regions of EV-B and EV-C strains.

PubMed

Junttila, N; Lévêque, N; Magnius, L O; Kabue, J P; Muyembe-Tamfum, J J; Maslin, J; Lina, B; Norder, H

2015-03-01

Complete coding regions were sequenced for two new enterovirus genomes: EV-B93 previously identified by VP1 sequencing, derived from a child with acute flaccid paralysis in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and EV-C95 from a French soldier with acute gastroenteritis in Djibouti. The EV-B93 P1 had more than 30% nucleotide divergence from other EV-B types, with highest similarity to E-15 and EV-B80. The P1 nucleotide sequence of EV-C95 was most similar, 71%, to CV-A21. Complete coding regions for the new enteroviruses were compared with those of 135 EV-B and 176 EV-C strains representing all types available in GenBank. When strains from the same outbreak or strains isolated during the same year in the same geographical region were excluded, 27 of the 58 EV-B, and 16 of the 23 EV-C types were represented by more than one sequence. However, for EV-B the P3 sequences formed three clades mainly according to origin or time of isolation, irrespective of type, while for EV-C the P3 sequences segregated mainly according to disease manifestation, with most strains causing paralysis, including polioviruses, forming one clade, and strains causing respiratory illness forming another. There was no intermixing of types between these two clades, apart from two EV-C96 strains. The EV-B P3 sequences had lower inter-clade and higher intra-clade variability as compared to the EV-C sequences, which may explain why inter-clade recombinations are more frequent in EV-B. Further analysis of more isolates may shed light on the role of recombinations in the evolution of EV-B in geographical context. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

GEOSCOPE network : continuous recording over 29 years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pardo, C.; Bonaime, S.; Stutzmann, E.; Maggi, A.; Team, G.; Geoscope Team

2011-12-01

The GEOSCOPE observatory was created in 1982 and has now provided the scientific community with nearly 30 years of continuous broadband recordings . The 33 GEOSCOPE stations are installed in 19 countries, across all continents and on islands throughout the oceans. They are equipped with three component very broadband seismometers (STS1 or STS2) and 24 or 26 bit digitizers. Progressively stations are being equipped with warpless base plates which decrease long period noise on horizontal components by up to 15dB. In most stations, a pressure gauge and a thermometer are also installed. In 2011, 3 stations have been upgraded: COYC and PEL in Chile and ATD in Djibouti. Two new stations have been installed in Ivituut (station IVI, Greenland, GLISN project) and in Vanuatu islands (station SANVU). Currently, 27 stations transmit data in real or near real time to the GEOSCOPE Data Center and to tsunami warning centers. Continuous data from all stations are collected by the GEOSCOPE Data Center in Paris where they are validated, archived and made available to the international scientific community. Data are freely available to users via different interfaces according to data type (http://geoscope.ipgp.fr). We provide continuous data in real time through the seedlink protocol, validated continuous waveforms through the NetDC system and Data Handler Interface, a selection of large earthquake seismograms through the geoscope web portal. GEOSCOPE/IPGP is one of the four primary nodes of EIDA (European Integrated Data Archive) and our data are accessible through (http://www.seismicportal.eu). Noise levels for the last 20 years of continuous data are also accessible via the geoscope web site. Stations in both hemispheres show stronger noise amplitude during local winter except for the station DRV which is surrounded by sea ice in winter.

Mineralogical, chemical, and optical interrelationships of mineral dusts from desert source regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engelbrecht, J. P.; Moosmüller, H.; Pincock, S.; Jayanty, J.; Casuccio, G.

2013-12-01

The goal of the project was to provide information on the mineralogical, chemical and physical interrelationships of re-suspended mineral dust samples collected from global dust sources. Surface soil samples were previously collected from more than 64 desert sites, including the southwestern USA (12), Mali (3), Chad (3), Morocco (1), Canary Islands (8), Cape Verde (1), Djibouti (1), Afghanistan (3), Iraq (6), Kuwait (5), Qatar (1), UAE (1), Serbia (3), China (5), Namibia (3), Botswana (4), Australia (3), and Chile (1). The < 38 μm sieved fraction of each sample was re-suspended in an entrainment facility, from which the airborne mineral dust could be sampled and analyzed. Instruments integrated into the entrainment facility included two PM10 and two PM2.5 filter samplers, a beta attenuation gauge for the continuous measurement of PM10 and PM2.5 particulate mass fractions, an aerodynamic particle size (APS) analyzer, and a three wavelength (405, 532, 781nm) photoacoustic instrument with integrating reciprocal nephelometer for monitoring aerosol absorption and scattering coefficients during the re-suspension process. Filter sample media included Teflon membrane and quartz fiber filters for chemical analysis (71 species), and Nuclepore filters for individual particle analysis by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The < 38 μm sieved fractions were also analyzed by X-ray diffraction for their mineral content while the > 38 μm, < 125 μm fractions were further mineralogically characterized by optical microscopy. We will be presenting results on the optical measurements, showing the relationship between single scattering albedo (SSA) at three different wavelengths, and chemical as well as mineralogical content and interrelationships, of the entrained dust samples. Information from this data base will be available for research in global climate, remote sensing, visibility, and health (medical geology).

Genetic structure of the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) in the Old World reveals a strong differentiation between eastern and western populations.

PubMed

Zehdi-Azouzi, Salwa; Cherif, Emira; Moussouni, Souhila; Gros-Balthazard, Muriel; Abbas Naqvi, Summar; Ludeña, Bertha; Castillo, Karina; Chabrillange, Nathalie; Bouguedoura, Nadia; Bennaceur, Malika; Si-Dehbi, Farida; Abdoulkader, Sabira; Daher, Abdourahman; Terral, Jean-Frederic; Santoni, Sylvain; Ballardini, Marco; Mercuri, Antonio; Ben Salah, Mohamed; Kadri, Karim; Othmani, Ahmed; Littardi, Claudio; Salhi-Hannachi, Amel; Pintaud, Jean-Christophe; Aberlenc-Bertossi, Frédérique

2015-07-01

Date palms (Phoenix dactylifera, Arecaceae) are of great economic and ecological value to the oasis agriculture of arid and semi-arid areas. However, despite the availability of a large date palm germplasm spreading from the Atlantic shores to Southern Asia, improvement of the species is being hampered by a lack of information on global genetic diversity and population structure. In order to contribute to the varietal improvement of date palms and to provide new insights on the influence of geographic origins and human activity on the genetic structure of the date palm, this study analysed the diversity of the species. Genetic diversity levels and population genetic structure were investigated through the genotyping of a collection of 295 date palm accessions ranging from Mauritania to Pakistan using a set of 18 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and a plastid minisatellite. Using a Bayesian clustering approach, the date palm genotypes can be structured into two different gene pools: the first, termed the Eastern pool, consists of accessions from Asia and Djibouti, whilst the second, termed the Western pool, consists of accessions from Africa. These results confirm the existence of two ancient gene pools that have contributed to the current date palm diversity. The presence of admixed genotypes is also noted, which points at gene flows between eastern and western origins, mostly from east to west, following a human-mediated diffusion of the species. This study assesses the distribution and level of genetic diversity of accessible date palm resources, provides new insights on the geographic origins and genetic history of the cultivated component of this species, and confirms the existence of at least two domestication origins. Furthermore, the strong genetic structure clearly established here is a prerequisite for any breeding programme exploiting the effective polymorphism related to each gene pool. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on

Scientific publications from Arab world in leading journals of Integrative and Complementary Medicine: a bibliometric analysis.

PubMed

Zyoud, Sa'ed H; Al-Jabi, Samah W; Sweileh, Waleed M

2015-09-04

Bibliometric analysis is increasingly employed as a useful tool to assess the quantity and quality of research performance. The specific goal of the current study was to evaluate the performance of research output originating from Arab world and published in international Integrative and Complementary Medicine (ICM) journals. Original scientific publications and reviews from the 22 Arab countries that were published in 22 international peer-reviewed ICM journals during all previous years up to December 31(st) 2013, were screened using the Web of Science databases. Five hundred and ninety-one documents were retrieved from 19 ICM journals. The h-index of the set of papers under study was 47. The highest h-index was 27 for Morocco, 21 for Jordan, followed by 19 for each Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), and Egypt, and the lowest h-index was 1 for each of Comoros, Qatar, and Syrian Arab Republic. No data related to ICM were published from Djibouti, and Mauritania. After adjusting for economy and population power, Somalia (89), Morocco (32.5), Egypt (31.1), Yemen (21.4), and Palestine (21.2) had the highest research productivity. The total number of citations was 9,466, with an average citation of 16 per document. The study identified 262 (44.3 %) documents with 39 countries in Arab-foreign country collaborations. Arab authors collaborated most with countries in Europe (24.2 %), followed by countries in the Asia-Pacific region (9.8 %). Scientific research output in the ICM field in the Arab world region is increasing. Most of publications from Arab world in ICM filed were driven by societal use of medicinal plants and herbs. Search for new therapies from available low cost medicinal plants in Arab world has motivated many researchers in academia and pharmaceutical industry. Further investigation is required to support these findings in a wider journal as well as to improve research output in the field of ICM from Arab world region by investing in more national and

Assessment of the effectiveness of a small quantity lipid-based nutrient supplement on reducing anaemia and stunting in refugee populations in the Horn of Africa: Secondary data analysis.

PubMed

Style, Sarah; Tondeur, Melody; Grijalva-Eternod, Carlos; Pringle, Josephine; Kassim, Ismail; Wilkinson, Caroline; Oman, Allison; Dolan, Carmel; Spiegel, Paul; Seal, Andrew

2017-01-01

Stunting and micronutrient malnutrition are persistent public health problems in refugee populations. UNHCR and its partner organisations implement blanket supplementary feeding programmes using a range of special nutritional products as one approach to address these issues. The evidence base for the efficacy and effectiveness of a small quantity lipid-based nutrient supplement, Nutributter®, in reducing stunting and anaemia is limited. Secondary data analysis was used to assess the effectiveness of Nutributter® distribution on anaemia and stunting in children aged 6-23 months (programme target group) and 6-59 months (the standard age group sampled in routine nutrition surveys). Analysis was conducted using routine pre and post-intervention cross-sectional nutrition survey data collected between 2008-2011 in five refugee camps in Kenya and Djibouti. Changes in total anaemia (Haemoglobin<110g/L), anaemia categories (mild, moderate and severe), and stunting (height-for-age z-score <-2) were explored using available data on the Nutributter® programme and contextual factors. A significant reduction in the prevalence of anaemia in children aged 6-23 months and 6-59 months was seen in four of five, and in all five camps, respectively (p<0.05). Reductions ranged from 12.4 to 23.0, and 18.3 to 29.3 percentage points in each age group. Improvements were largely due to reductions in moderate and severe anaemia and occurred where the prevalence of acute malnutrition was stable or increasing. No change in stunting was observed in four of five camps. The replicability of findings across five sites strongly suggests that Nutributter® distribution was associated with a reduction in anaemia, but not stunting, among refugee children in the Horn of Africa. Benefits were not restricted to the 6-23 month target group targeted by the nutrition programme. However, even following this intervention anaemia remained a serious public health problem and additional work to define and

Use of visual range measurements to predict fine particulate matter exposures in Southwest Asia and Afghanistan.

PubMed

Masri, Shahir; Garshick, Eric; Hart, Jaime; Bouhamra, Walid; Koutrakis, Petros

2017-01-01

Military personnel deployed to Southwest Asia and Afghanistan were exposed to high levels of ambient particulate matter (PM). However, quantitative ambient exposure data for conducting health studies are limited due to a lack of PM monitoring stations. Since visual range (VR) is proportional to particle light extinction, VR can serve as a surrogate for PM 2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 µm) concentrations. We used data on VR, relative humidity (RH), and PM 2.5 ground measurements collected in Kuwait from years 2004-2005 to establish the relationship between PM 2.5 and VR. Model validation obtained by regressing trimester average PM 2.5 predictions against PM 2.5 measurements in Kuwait produced an r 2 value of 0.84. Cross validation of urban and rural sites in Kuwait also revealed good model fit. We applied this relationship to location-specific visibility data at 104 regional sites between years 2000-2012 to estimate monthly average PM 2.5 concentrations. Monthly averages at sites in Iraq, Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Djibouti, and Qatar ranged from 10 to 365 µg/m3 during this period, while site averages ranged from 22 to 80 µg/m3, indicating considerable spatial and temporal heterogeneity in ambient PM 2.5 across these regions. These data support the use of historical visibility data to estimate location-specific PM 2.5 concentrations for application in epidemiological studies. This study demonstrates the ability to use airport visibility to estimate PM 2.5 concentrations in Southwest Asian and Afghanistan. This supports the use of historical and ongoing visibility data to estimate PM 2.5 exposure in this region of the world, where PM exposure information is otherwise scarce. This is of high utility to epidemiologists investigating the relationship between chronic exposure to PM 2.5 and respiratory diseases among deployed military personnel stationed at various military bases throughout the region. Such information will

A System of Systems (SoS) Approach to Sustainable Energy Planning in MENA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahlooji, Maral; Ristic, Bora; Price, Katherine; Madani, Kaveh

2016-04-01

The global issue of climate change has put pressure on governments to de-carbonise their energy portfolios by transitioning from the dominant use of fossil fuels energy to extensive use of renewable energies. The lack of renewable energy laws and credible targets and valid roadmaps for energy policies within the MENA region has let to ambitious and unrealistic renewable targets, where countries such as Djibouti and Morocco are aiming for 100% and 42% renewables respectively, by 2020, while Kuwait and Qatar are only aiming for 5% and 6% respectively. Nevertheless, this demonstrates the commitment and desirability of the members of the MENA region on increasing their share of renewables in their energy mix to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of the region and minimise the unintended impacts of energy technologies on major natural resources through use of cost efficient technologies. The Relative Aggregate Footprint (RAF) of energy sources among the member states of the MENA region is assessed by applying the "System of Systems (SoS) Approach to Energy Sustainability Assessment" (Hadian and Madani, 2015). RAF demonstrates the efficiency of the overall resource-use of energy resources through creating a trade-off between carbon footprint, land footprint, water footprint, and economic cost. Using the resource availability of each member states, weights are assigned to the four criteria. This allows the evaluation of the desirability of energy sources with respect to regional resource availability and therefore, the efficiency of the overall resource-use of the energy portfolio of the MENA region is determined. This study has recognised the need for reform and radical changes within the MENA region's energy profile to make a significant contribution to the reduction of carbon emissions in order to use the resources in a sustainable way and increase the regional energy security of the member states across MENA. Reference: Hadian S, Madani K (2015) A System of Systems

Assessment of the effectiveness of a small quantity lipid-based nutrient supplement on reducing anaemia and stunting in refugee populations in the Horn of Africa: Secondary data analysis

PubMed Central

Style, Sarah; Tondeur, Melody; Grijalva-Eternod, Carlos; Pringle, Josephine; Kassim, Ismail; Wilkinson, Caroline; Oman, Allison; Dolan, Carmel; Spiegel, Paul

2017-01-01

Stunting and micronutrient malnutrition are persistent public health problems in refugee populations. UNHCR and its partner organisations implement blanket supplementary feeding programmes using a range of special nutritional products as one approach to address these issues. The evidence base for the efficacy and effectiveness of a small quantity lipid-based nutrient supplement, Nutributter®, in reducing stunting and anaemia is limited. Secondary data analysis was used to assess the effectiveness of Nutributter® distribution on anaemia and stunting in children aged 6–23 months (programme target group) and 6–59 months (the standard age group sampled in routine nutrition surveys). Analysis was conducted using routine pre and post-intervention cross-sectional nutrition survey data collected between 2008–2011 in five refugee camps in Kenya and Djibouti. Changes in total anaemia (Haemoglobin<110g/L), anaemia categories (mild, moderate and severe), and stunting (height-for-age z-score <-2) were explored using available data on the Nutributter® programme and contextual factors. A significant reduction in the prevalence of anaemia in children aged 6–23 months and 6–59 months was seen in four of five, and in all five camps, respectively (p<0.05). Reductions ranged from 12.4 to 23.0, and 18.3 to 29.3 percentage points in each age group. Improvements were largely due to reductions in moderate and severe anaemia and occurred where the prevalence of acute malnutrition was stable or increasing. No change in stunting was observed in four of five camps. The replicability of findings across five sites strongly suggests that Nutributter® distribution was associated with a reduction in anaemia, but not stunting, among refugee children in the Horn of Africa. Benefits were not restricted to the 6–23 month target group targeted by the nutrition programme. However, even following this intervention anaemia remained a serious public health problem and additional work to

Crustal and uppermost mantle structure in the Middle East: assessing constraints provided by jointly modelling Ps and Sp receiver functions and Rayleigh wave group velocity dispersion curves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agrawal, Mohit; Pulliam, Jay; Sen, Mrinal K.; Dutta, Utpal; Pasyanos, Michael E.; Mellors, Robert

2015-05-01

Seismic velocity models are found, along with uncertainty estimates, for 11 sites in the Middle East by jointly modelling Ps and Sp receiver functions and surface (Rayleigh) wave group velocity dispersion. The approach performs a search for models that satisfy goodness-of-fit criteria guided by a variant of simulated annealing and uses statistical tools to assess these products of searches. These tools, a parameter correlation matrix and marginal posterior probability density (PPD) function, allow us to evaluate quantitatively the constraints that each data type imposes on model parameters and to identify portions of each model that are well-constrained relative to other portions. This joint modelling technique, which we call `multi-objective optimization for seismology', does not require a good starting solution, although such a model can be incorporated easily, if available, and can reduce the computation time significantly. Applying the process described above to broadband seismic data reveals that crustal thickness varies from 15 km beneath Djibouti (station ATD) to 45 km beneath Saudi Arabia (station RAYN). A pronounced low velocity zone for both Vp and Vs is present at a depth of ˜12 km beneath station KIV located in northern part of greater Caucasus, which may be due to the presence of a relatively young volcano. Similarly, we also noticed a 6-km-thick low velocity zone for Vp beginning at 20 km depth beneath seismic station AGIN, on the Anatolian plateau, while positive velocity gradients prevail elsewhere in eastern Turkey. Beneath station CSS, located in Cyprus, an anomalously slow layer is found in the uppermost mantle, which may indicate the presence of altered lithospheric material. Crustal P- and S-wave velocities beneath station D2, located in the northeastern portion of central Zagros, range between 5.2-6.2 and 3.2-3.8 km s-1, respectively. In Oman, we find a Moho depth of 34.0 ± 1.0 km and 25.0 ± 1.0 to 30.0 ± 1.0 km beneath stations S02 and S

Surface Deformation Associated With a Historical Diking Event in Afar From Correlation of Space and Air-Borne Optical Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrington, J.; Peltzer, G.; Leprince, S.; Ayoub, F.; Kasser, M.

2011-12-01

We present new measurements of the surface deformation associated with the rifting event of 1978 in the Asal-Ghoubbet rift, Republic of Djibouti. The Asal-Ghoubbet rift forms a component of the Afar Depression, a broad extensional region at the junction between the Nubia, Arabia, and Somalia plates, which apart from Iceland, is the only spreading center located above sea-level. The 1978 rifting event was marked by a 2-month sequence of small to moderate earthquakes (Mb ~3-5) and a fissural eruption of the Ardukoba Volcano. Deformation in the Asal rift associated with the event included the reactivation of the main bordering faults and the development of numerous open fissures on the rift floor. The movement of the rift shoulders, measured using ground-based geodesy, showed up to 2.5 m of opening in the N40E direction. Our data include historical aerial photographs from 1962 and 1984 (less than 0.8 m/pixel) along the northern border fault, three KH-9 Hexagon(~8 m/pixel) satellite images from 1973, and recently acquired ASTER (15 m/pixel) and SPOT5 (2.5 m/pixel) data. The measurements are made by correlating pre- and post-event images using the COSI-Corr (Co-registration of Optically Sensed Images and Correlation) software developed at Caltech. The ortho-rectification of the images is done with a mosaic of a 10 m resolution digital elevation model, made by French Institut Geographique National (IGN), and the SRTM and GDEM datasets. Correlation results from the satellite images indicate 2-3 meters of opening across the rift. Preliminary results obtained using the 1962 and 1984 aerial photographs indicate that a large fraction of the opening occurred on or near Fault γ, which borders the rift to the North. These preliminary results are largely consistent with the ground based measurements made after the event. A complete analysis of the aerial photograph coverage will provide a better characterization of the spatial distribution of the deformation throughout the rift.

Determinants of compliance with anti-vectorial protective measures among non-immune travellers during missions to tropical Africa.

PubMed

Sagui, Emmanuel; Resseguier, Noémie; Machault, Vanessa; Ollivier, Lénaïck; Orlandi-Pradines, Eve; Texier, Gaetan; Pages, Frédéric; Michel, Remy; Pradines, Bruno; Briolant, Sébastien; Buguet, Alain; Tourette-Turgis, Catherine; Rogier, Christophe

2011-08-10

The effectiveness of anti-vectorial malaria protective measures in travellers and expatriates is hampered by incorrect compliance. The objective of the present study was to identify the determinants of compliance with anti-vectorial protective measures (AVPMs) in this population that is particularly at risk because of their lack of immunity. Compliance with wearing long clothing, sleeping under insecticide-impregnated bed nets (IIBNs) and using insect repellent was estimated and analysed by questionnaires administered to 2,205 French military travellers from 20 groups before and after short-term missions (approximately four months) in six tropical African countries (Senegal, Ivory Coast, Chad, Central African Republic, Gabon and Djibouti). For each AVPM, the association of "correct compliance" with individual and collective variables was investigated using random-effect mixed logistic regression models to take into account the clustered design of the study. The correct compliance rates were 48.6%, 50.6% and 18.5% for wearing long clothing, sleeping under bed nets and using repellents, respectively. Depending on the AVPM, correct compliance was significantly associated with the following factors: country, older than 24 years of age, management responsibilities, the perception of a personal malaria risk greater than that of other travellers, the occurrence of life events, early bedtime (i.e., before midnight), the type of stay (field operation compared to training), the absence of medical history of malaria, the absence of previous travel in malaria-endemic areas and the absence of tobacco consumption.There was no competition between compliance with the different AVPMs or between compliance with any AVPM and malaria chemoprophylaxis. Interventions aimed at improving compliance with AVPMs should target young people without management responsibilities who are scheduled for non-operational activities in countries with high risk of clinical malaria. Weak associations

HIV-1 drug resistance genotyping from antiretroviral therapy (ART) naïve and first-line treatment failures in Djiboutian patients.

PubMed

Elmi Abar, Aden; Jlizi, Asma; Darar, Houssein Youssouf; Kacem, Mohamed Ali Ben Hadj; Slim, Amine

2012-10-08

In this study we report the prevalence of antiretroviral drug resistant HIV-1 genotypes of virus isolated from Djiboutian patients who failed first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) and from ART naïve patients. A total of 35 blood samples from 16 patients who showed first-line ART failure (>1000 viral genome copies/ml) and 19 ART-naïve patients were collected in Djibouti from October 2009 to December 2009. Both the protease (PR) and reverse transcriptase (RT) genes were amplified and sequenced using National Agency for AIDS Research (ANRS) protocols. The Stanford HIV database algorithm was used for interpretation of resistance data and genotyping. Among the 16 patients with first-line ART failure, nine (56.2%) showed reverse transcriptase inhibitor-resistant HIV-1 strains: two (12.5%) were resistant to nucleoside (NRTI), one (6.25%) to non-nucleoside (NNRTI) reverse transcriptase inhibitors, and six (37.5%) to both. Analysis of the DNA sequencing data indicated that the most common mutations conferring drug resistance were M184V (38%) for NRTI and K103N (25%) for NNRTI. Only NRTI primary mutations K101Q, K103N and the PI minor mutation L10V were found in ART naïve individuals. No protease inhibitor resistant strains were detected. In our study, we found no detectable resistance in ∼ 44% of all patients who experienced therapeutic failure which was explained by low compliance, co-infection with tuberculosis and malnutrition. Genotyping revealed that 65.7% of samples were infected with subtype C, 20% with CRF02_AG, 8.5% with B, 2.9% with CRF02_AG/C and 2.9% with K/C. The results of this first study about drug resistance mutations in first-line ART failures show the importance of performing drug resistance mutation test which guides the choice of a second-line regimen. This will improve the management of HIV-infected Djiboutian patients. The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/2051206212753973.

Mineralogical, Chemical, and Optical Interrelationships of Airborne Mineral Dusts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engelbrecht, J. P.; Moosmuller, H.; Pincock, S. L.; Jayanty, R. K. M.; Casuccio, G.

2014-12-01

The purpose of the project was to provide information on the mineralogical, chemical and physical interrelationships of re-suspended mineral dust samples collected as grab samples from global dust sources. Surface soil samples were collected from about 65 desert sites, including the southwestern USA (12), Mali (3), Chad (3), Morocco (1), Canary Islands (8), Cape Verde (1), Djibouti (1), Afghanistan (3), Iraq (6), Kuwait (5), Qatar (1), UAE (1), Serbia (3), China (5), Namibia (3), Botswana (4), Australia (3), and Chile (1). The < 38 μm sieved fraction of each sample was re-suspended in an entrainment chamber, from which the airborne mineral dust could be monitored, sampled and analyzed. Instruments integrated into the entrainment facility included two PM10 and two PM2.5 filter samplers, a beta attenuation gauge for the continuous measurement of PM10 and PM2.5 particulate mass fractions, an aerodynamic particle size (APS) analyzer, and a three wavelength (405, 532, 781nm) photoacoustic resonator with integrating reciprocal nephelometer for monitoring absorption and scattering coefficients during the dust re-suspension process. Filter sample media included Teflon® membrane and quartz fiber filters for chemical analysis (71 species), and Nuclepore® filters for individual particle analysis by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The < 38 μm sieved fractions were also analyzed by X-ray diffraction for their mineral content while the > 38 μm, < 125 μm soil fractions were mineralogically characterized by optical microscopy. We will be presenting results on the optical measurements, also showing the relationship between single scattering albedo (SSA) at three different wavelengths, and chemical as well as mineralogical content and interdependencies of the entrained dust samples. Examples showing the relationships between the single scattering albedos of airborne dusts, and iron (Fe) in hematite, goethite, and clay minerals (montmorillonite, illite, palygorskite), will

Afar-wide Crustal Strain Field from Multiple InSAR Tracks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pagli, C.; Wright, T. J.; Wang, H.; Calais, E.; Bennati Rassion, L. S.; Ebinger, C. J.; Lewi, E.

2010-12-01

Onset of a rifting episode in the Dabbahu volcanic segment, Afar (Ethiopia), in 2005 renewed interest in crustal deformation studies in the area. As a consequence, an extensive geodetic data set, including InSAR and GPS measurements have been acquired over Afar and hold great potential towards improving our understanding of the extensional processes that operate during the final stages of continental rupture. The current geodetic observational and modelling strategy has focused on detailed, localised studies of dyke intrusions and eruptions mainly in the Dabbahu segment. However, an eruption in the Erta ‘Ale volcanic segment in 2008, and cluster of earthquakes observed in the Tat Ale segment, are testament to activity elsewhere in Afar. Here we make use of the vast geodetic dataset available to obtain strain information over the whole Afar depression. A systematic analysis of all the volcanic segments, including Dabbahu, Manda-Hararo, Alayta, Tat ‘Ale Erta Ale and the Djibouti deformation zone, is undertaken. We use InSAR data from multiple tracks together with available GPS measurements to obtain a velocity field model for Afar. We use over 300 radar images acquired by the Envisat satellite in both descending and ascending orbits, from 12 distinct tracks in image and wide swath modes, spanning the time period from October 2005 to present time. We obtain the line-of-sight deformation rates from each InSAR track using a network approach and then combine the InSAR velocities with the GPS observations, as suggested by Wright and Wang (2010) following the method of England and Molnar (1997). A mesh is constructed over the Afar area and then we solve for the horizontal and vertical velocities on each node. The resultant full 3D Afar-wide velocity field shows where current strains are being accumulated within the various volcanic segments of Afar, the width of the plate boundary deformation zone and possible connections between distinct volcanic segments on a

The prevalence of underweight, overweight, obesity and associated risk factors among school-going adolescents in seven African countries.

PubMed

Manyanga, Taru; El-Sayed, Hesham; Doku, David Teye; Randall, Jason R

2014-08-28

The burden caused by the coexistence of obesity and underweight in Low and Middle Income Countries is a challenge to public health. While prevalence of underweight among youth has been well documented in these countries, overweight, obesity and their associated risk factors are not well understood unlike in high income countries. Cross-sectional data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) conducted in seven African countries were used for this study. The survey used a clustered design to obtain a representative sample (n = 23496) from randomly selected schools. 53.6% of the sample was male, and participants ranged in age from 11-17 years old. Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated using age and sex adjusted self-reported heights and weights. Classification of weight status was based on the 2007 World Health Organization growth charts (BMI-for-age and sex). Multivariable Logistic Regression reporting Odds Ratios was used to assess potential risk factors on BMI, adjusting for age, sex, and country. Statistical analyses were performed with Stata with an alpha of 0.05 and reporting 95% confidence intervals. Unadjusted rates of being underweight varied from 12.6% (Egypt) to 31.9% (Djibouti), while being overweight ranged from 8.7% (Ghana) to 31.4% (Egypt). Obesity rates ranged from 0.6% (Benin) to 9.3% (Egypt). Females had a higher overweight prevalence for every age group in five of the countries, exceptions being Egypt and Malawi. Overall, being overweight was more prevalent among younger (≤12) adolescents and decreased with age. Males had a higher prevalence of being underweight than females for every country. There was a tendency for the prevalence of being underweight to increase starting in the early teens and decrease between ages 15 and 16. Most of the potential risk factors captured by the GSHS were not significantly associated with weight status. The prevalence of both overweight and underweight was relatively high, demonstrating the

Coal in sub-Saharan-African countries undergoing desertification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weaver, J. N.; Brownfield, M. E.; Bergin, M. J.

Coal has been reported in 11 of the 16 sub-Saharan countries discussed in this appraisal: Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Niger, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia. No coal occurrences have been reported in Gambia, Togo, Burkina, Chad, and Djibouti but coal may be present within these countries because neighboring countries do contain coal-bearing rocks. Most of these countries are undergoing desertification or will in the near future. Wood, directly or in the form of charcoal, constitutes two-thirds of the fuel used in Africa. Destruction of forest and shrub lands for fuel is occurring at an increasing rate because of desertification and increasing energy demands. The decline in biological productivity, coupled with concentration of population in areas where water is available and crops may be grown, leads to increasing shortages of wood for fuel. Part of the present and future energy needs of the sub-Saharan region could be met by use of indigenous coal and peat. Nine sedimentary basins, completely or partially within the sub-Saharan region, have the potential of either coal and/or peat deposits of economic value: 1- Senegal Basin, 2- Taoudeni Basin and Gao Trough, 3- Niger Basin, 4- Chad Basin, 5- Chari Basin, 6- Benue Trough (Depression), 7- Sudan Trough, 8- Plateau and Rift Belt, and 9- Somali Basin. Niger and Nigeria are the only countries in sub-Saharan Africa in which coal is presently being mined as a fuel source for powerplants and domestic use. Peat occurs in the deltas, lower river, and interdunal basin areas of Senegal, Mauritania, and Sudan. Peat can be used as an alternate fuel source and is currently being tested as a soil amendment in the agricultural sector. Coal and peat exploration and development studies are urgently required and should be initiated so the coal and peat utilization potential of each country can be determined. The overall objective of these studies is to establish, within the sub

[Point-of-care tests for the rapid diagnosis of shigellosis].

PubMed

Haddar, C; Begaud, E; Maslin, J; Germani, Y

2017-02-01

Worldwide, it is estimated that 140 million people suffer from shigellosis annually. The traditional identification of Shigella spp. by culture lacks sensitivity. Rapid diagnosis of shigellosis is important because it allows to engage appropriate antimicrobial treatment that shortens the duration and severity of the illness and reduces microbial carriage, thus the spread of infection in the community. Onestep immunochromatographic dipstick tests have been successfully developed at Institut Pasteur for Shigella spp., Shigella flexneri 2a, Shigella sonnei, and Shigella dysenteriae 1. The present work describes the evaluation of these four rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) that addressed the issue of rapid diagnosis of Shigella diarrhea and dysentery testing from bacterial cultures, stools, and rectal swabs which is usually how the specimen is often collected or received from the field or from remote settings. The evaluations have been performed in Chile, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Djibouti, Vietnam, India, and France, in dispensaries, in emergency room, on the field, in public health laboratories, and by the French Army. The dipstick method used requires minimal technical skill, and the test can be read between 5 and 15 minutes. Stool cultures and the immunochromatographic test showed concordant results in the comparative studies when RDT for S. sonnei was tested in Chile, Vietnam, India, and France; specificity (Sp) was 96% and sensitivity (Se) was 100%. When RDT for S. flexneri 2a was tested in Vietnam, Se was 91.5% and Sp was 99.2%. In Chile, Se was 83.3% and Sp was 100%. When RDT for S. dysenteriae 1 was tested in India, Vietnam, Senegal, and France by laboratory technicians and in Democratic Republic of Congo by a field technician, the Sp was 98.7% and the Se was 91.7%. In Chile, the initial finding for a simple RDT to diagnose Shigella spp. demonstrates its promising potential to become a powerful tool for case management and epidemiological surveys

Technical note: Mineralogical, chemical, morphological, and optical interrelationships of mineral dust re-suspensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engelbrecht, Johann P.; Moosmüller, Hans; Pincock, Samuel; Jayanty, R. K. M.; Lersch, Traci; Casuccio, Gary

2016-08-01

This paper promotes an understanding of the mineralogical, chemical, and physical interrelationships of re-suspended mineral dusts collected as grab samples from global dust sources. Surface soils were collected from arid regions, including the southwestern USA, Mali, Chad, Morocco, Canary Islands, Cabo Verde, Djibouti, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Serbia, China, Namibia, Botswana, Australia, and Chile. The < 38 µm sieved fraction of each sample was re-suspended in a chamber, from which the airborne mineral dust could be extracted, sampled, and analyzed. Instruments integrated into the entrainment facility included two PM10 and two PM2.5 filter samplers, a beta attenuation gauge for the continuous measurement of PM10 and PM2.5 particulate mass fractions, an aerodynamic particle size analyzer, and a three-wavelength (405, 532, 781 nm) photoacoustic instrument with integrating reciprocal nephelometer for monitoring absorption and scattering coefficients during the dust re-suspension process. Filter sampling media included Teflon® membrane and quartz fiber filters for chemical analysis and Nuclepore® filters for individual particle analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The < 38 µm sieved fractions were also analyzed by X-ray diffraction for their mineral content while the > 75, < 125 µm soil fractions were mineralogically assessed by optical microscopy. Presented here are results of the optical measurements, showing the interdependency of single-scattering albedos (SSA) at three different wavelengths and mineralogical content of the entrained dust samples. To explain the elevated concentrations of iron (Fe) and Fe / Al ratios in the soil re-suspensions, we propose that dust particles are to a large extent composed of nano-sized particles of micas, clays, metal oxides, and ions of potassium (K+), calcium (Ca2+), and sodium

GPS Velocity Field at the Western Tip of the Aden Ridge ; Implications for Rifting and the Arabia-Somalia-Nubia Triple Junction Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doubre, C.; Socquet, A.; Masson, F.; Cressot, C.; Mohamed, K.; Vigny, C.; Ruegg, J.

2010-12-01

Due to the presence of magma and a complex thermal structure, the dynamics of divergent plate boundaries are complicated, with microseismicity (ML<4) contributing very little to the total moment release. For the last 35 years several geodetic campaigns have been conducted at the western tip of the Aden Ridge propagating on land into Afar (Republic of Djibouti). The first segment above water, the Asal Rift, experienced a seismo-volcanic event in 1978, which was the first rifting episode, along with the 1978-1985 Icelandic Krafla event, to be monitored by terrestrial geodetic measurements. These measurements revealed the opening of two 1-2 m-wide dykes in the rift inner floor. Since then, terrestrial and spatial geodetic monitoring shows that the rift kept opening, during the post-rifting period, at a rate largely exceeding the plates’ motions. This significant opening rate is decreasing with time to tend, three decades after the rifting event, to the far-field opening rate. We present here the results of the GPS measurements of a 45 site network covering the Tadjoura-Asal Rift System, previously made every two years from 1995 to 2003, and repeated in 2010. The calculated 1999-2010 horizontal velocity field is very homogeneous with a quasi-constant N045° direction with respect to Somalia and a regular increase from the southern to the northern margin of the Asal Rift clearly controlled by a few normal faults, and reaching a maximum of 12.5 mm/yr. A non-negligible part of the Arabia-Somalia divergent movement (1 to 2 mm/yr) is observed south of this rift, which sheds light on the role of the active normal faults bounding the asymmetrical Gaggadé Basin and therefore brings important constraints on the location of the Red Sea Ridge-Aden Ridge-East African Rift triple junction. Since the last 2003 campaign, the lack of micro-seismicity within the Asal Rift seems to be associated with a ˜2 mm/yr decrease of the opening rate deduced from the GPS time series analysis

Seafloor morphology related to recent tectonics in the Alboran Sea Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vázquez, Juan-Tomás; Estrada, Ferran; Vegas, Ramon; Ercilla, Gemma; Medialdea, Teresa; d'Acremont, Elia; Alonso, Belen; Fernández-Salas, Luis-Miguel; Gómez-Ballesteros, María; Somoza, Luis; Bárcenas, Patricia; Palomino, Desirée; Gorini, Christian

2014-05-01

A detailed geomorphological study of the northern part of the Alboran Sea Basin has been realized based on the combined analysis of multibeam swath bathymetric data and medium to very high resolution seismic profiles (singled Sparker, Airgun, TOPAS and Atlas PARASOUND P35). This has enabled us to define several tectonic-related seafloor features and their role in the recent tectonics. The observed morpho-tectonic features correspond to: i) lineal scarps with a wide range of dimensions and following several trends ,WNW-ESE, NE-SW, NNE-SSW and N-S; ii) NE-SW to NNE-SSW-oriented compressive ridges; iii) ENE-WSW to NE-SW-striking antiforms; iv) NNE-SSW-oriented lineal depressions; v) rhomb-shaped depressions; vi) lineal valleys, canyons and gullies with WNW-ESE, and N-S orientations; and vii) N-S directed dissected valleys, canyons and gullies. Three families of faults and related folds, with NE-SW, WNW-ESE and NNE-SSW to N-S have been interpreted within this geomorphological scheme. The NE-SW family corresponds to: a) major scarps in both flanks of the Alboran Ridge and b) the offshore prolongation of La Serrata Fault, and both have been considered as a set of sinistral strike-slip faults. To this family, some compressive ridges, antiforms and occasionally reverse faults have been correlated. The WNW-ESE family corresponds to a set of faulted valleys (occasionally with rhomb-shaped depressions), fault scarps and linear inflection points occurring in the northern Alboran margin and the Yusuf-Habibas corridor. This family has been interpreted as transtensive dextral strike-slip faults. The NNE-SSW to N-S family corresponds to a penetrative system of linear fault scarps and tectonic depressions that cross-cut the Alboran Ridge and the Djibouti-Motril marginal plateau. This family can be considered as more recent since it offsets the other two families and shows a minor importance with regard to the main reliefs. This communication is a contribution to the Spanish R + D

HIV-1 drug resistance genotyping from antiretroviral therapy (ART) naïve and first-line treatment failures in Djiboutian patients

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Abstract In this study we report the prevalence of antiretroviral drug resistant HIV-1 genotypes of virus isolated from Djiboutian patients who failed first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) and from ART naïve patients. Patients and methods A total of 35 blood samples from 16 patients who showed first-line ART failure (>1000 viral genome copies/ml) and 19 ART-naïve patients were collected in Djibouti from October 2009 to December 2009. Both the protease (PR) and reverse transcriptase (RT) genes were amplified and sequenced using National Agency for AIDS Research (ANRS) protocols. The Stanford HIV database algorithm was used for interpretation of resistance data and genotyping. Results Among the 16 patients with first-line ART failure, nine (56.2%) showed reverse transcriptase inhibitor-resistant HIV-1 strains: two (12.5%) were resistant to nucleoside (NRTI), one (6.25%) to non-nucleoside (NNRTI) reverse transcriptase inhibitors, and six (37.5%) to both. Analysis of the DNA sequencing data indicated that the most common mutations conferring drug resistance were M184V (38%) for NRTI and K103N (25%) for NNRTI. Only NRTI primary mutations K101Q, K103N and the PI minor mutation L10V were found in ART naïve individuals. No protease inhibitor resistant strains were detected. In our study, we found no detectable resistance in ∼ 44% of all patients who experienced therapeutic failure which was explained by low compliance, co-infection with tuberculosis and malnutrition. Genotyping revealed that 65.7% of samples were infected with subtype C, 20% with CRF02_AG, 8.5% with B, 2.9% with CRF02_AG/C and 2.9% with K/C. Conclusion The results of this first study about drug resistance mutations in first-line ART failures show the importance of performing drug resistance mutation test which guides the choice of a second-line regimen. This will improve the management of HIV-infected Djiboutian patients. Virtual slides The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here

Uppermost mantle velocity from Pn tomography in the Gulf of Aden

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corbeau, Jordane; Rolandone, Frédérique; Leroy, Sylvie; Al-Lazki, Ali; Keir, Derek; Stuart, Graham; Stork, Anna

2013-04-01

We present an analysis of Pn traveltimes to determine lateral variations of velocity in the uppermost mantle and crustal thickness beneath the Gulf of Aden and its margins. No detailed tomographic image of the entire Gulf of Aden was available. Previous tomographic studies covered the eastern Gulf of Aden and were thus incomplete or at a large scale with a too low resolution to see the lithospheric structures. From 1990 to 2010, 49206 Pn arrivals were selected from the International Seismological Center catalogue. We also used temporary networks : YOCMAL (Young Conjugate Margins Laboratory) networks with broadband stations located in Oman, Yemen and Socotra from 2003 to 2011, and Djibouti network from 2009 to 2011. From these networks we picked Pn arrivals and selected 4110 rays. Using a least-squares tomographic code (Hearn, 1996), these data were analyzed to solve for velocity variations in the mantle lithosphere. We perform different inversions for shorter and longer ray path data sets in order to separate the shallow and deep structure within the mantle lid. In the upper lid, zones of low velocity (7.7 km/s) around Sanaa, Aden, Afar, and along the Gulf of Aden are related to active volcanism. Off-axis volcanism and a regional melting anomaly in the Gulf of Aden area may be connected to the Afar plume, and explained by the model of channeling material away from the Afar plume along ridge-axis. Our study validates the channeling model and shows that the influence of the Afar hotspot may extend much farther eastwards along the Aden and Sheba ridges into the Gulf of Aden than previously believed. Still in the upper lid, high Pn velocities (>8,2 km/s) are observed in Yemen and may be related to the presence of a magmatic underplating under the volcanic margin of Aden and under the Red Sea margins. In the lower lid, zones of low velocities are spatially located differently than in the upper lid. On the Oman margin, a low velocity zone (7.6 km/s) suggests deep partial

Relating Optical Properties of Dusts to their Mineralogical and Physical Interrelationships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engelbrecht, J. P.; Moosmuller, H.; Jayanty, R. K. M.; Casuccio, G.; Pincock, S. L.

2015-12-01

The purpose of the project was to provide information on the mineralogical, chemical and physical interrelationships of re-suspended mineral dust samples collected as grab samples from global dust sources. Surface soil samples were collected from about 65 desert sites, including the southwestern USA (12), Mali (3), Chad (3), Morocco (1), Canary Islands (8), Cape Verde (1), Djibouti (1), Afghanistan (3), Iraq (6), Kuwait (5), Qatar (1), UAE (1), Serbia (3), China (5), Namibia (3), Botswana (4), Australia (3), and Chile (1). The < 38 μm sieved fraction of each sample was re-suspended in an entrainment chamber, from which the airborne mineral dust could be monitored, sampled and analyzed. Instruments integrated into the entrainment facility included two PM10 and two PM2.5 filter samplers, a beta attenuation gauge for the continuous measurement of PM10 and PM2.5particulate mass fractions, an aerodynamic particle size (APS) analyzer, and a three wavelength (405, 532, 781nm) photoacoustic resonator with integrating reciprocal nephelometer for monitoring absorption and scattering coefficients during the dust re-suspension process. Filter sample media included Teflon® membrane and quartz fiber filters for chemical analysis (71 species), and Nuclepore® filters for individual particle analysis by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The < 38 μm sieved fractions were also analyzed by X-ray diffraction for their mineral content while the > 38 μm, < 125 μm soil fractions were mineralogically characterized by optical microscopy. We will be presenting results on the optical measurements, also showing the relationship between single scattering albedo (SSA) at three different wavelengths, and chemical as well as mineralogical content and interdependencies of the entrained dust samples. Examples showing the relationships between the single scattering albedos of airborne dusts, and iron (Fe) in hematite, goethite, and clay minerals (montmorillonite, illite, palygorskite), will

Miocene shale tectonics in the Moroccan margin (Alboran Sea)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Do Couto, D.; El Abbassi, M.; Ammar, A.; Gorini, C.; Estrada, F.; Letouzey, J.; Smit, J.; Jolivet, L.; Jabour, H.

2011-12-01

The Betic (Southern Spain) and Rif (Morocco) mountains form an arcuate belt that represents the westernmost termination of the peri-mediterranean Alpine mountain chain. The Miocene Alboran Basin and its subbasins is located in the hinterland of the Betic-Rif belt. It is considered to be a back-arc basin that developed during the coeval westward motion of the Alboran domain and the extensional collapse of previously thickened crust of the Betic-Rif belt. The Western Alboran Basin (WAB) is the major sedimentary depocenter with a sediment thickness in excess of 10 km, it is bordered by the Gibraltar arc, the volcanic Djibouti mounts and the Alboran ridge. Part of the WAB is affected by shale tectonics and associated mud volcanism. High-quality 2D seismic profiles acquired on the Moroccan margin of the Alboran Basin during the last decade reveal the multiple history of the basin. This study deals with the analysis of a number of these seismic profiles that are located along and orthogonal to the Moroccan margin. Seismic stratigraphy is calibrated from industrial wells. We focus on the interactions between the gravity-driven tectonic processes and the sedimentation in the basin. Our seismic interpretation confirms that the formation of the WAB began in the Early Miocene (Aquitanian - Burdigalian). The fast subsidence of the basin floor coeval to massive sedimentation induced the undercompaction of early miocene shales during their deposition. Downslope migration of these fine-grained sediments initiated during the deposition of the Langhian siliciclastics. This gravity-driven system was accompanied by continuous basement subsidence and induced disharmonic deformation in Mid Miocene units (i.e. not related to basement deformation). The development of shale-cored anticlines and thrusts in the deep basin is the result of compressive deformation at the front of the gravity-driven system and lasted for ca. 15 Ma. The compressive front has been re-activated by strong

New geodetic measurements in central Afar constraining the Arabia-Somalia-Nubia triple junction kinematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doubre, C.; Deprez, A.; Masson, F.; Socquet, A.; Lewi, E.; Grandin, R.; Calais, E.; Wright, T. J.; Bendick, R. O.; Pagli, C.; Peltzer, G.; de Chabalier, J. B.; Ibrahim Ahmed, S.

2014-12-01

The Afar Depression is an extraordinary submerged laboratory where the crustal mechanisms involved in the active rifting process can be studied. But the crustal movements at the regional scale are complicated by being the locus of the meeting of three divergent plate boundaries: the oceanic spreading ridges of the Red Sea and the Aden Ridge and the intra-continental East-African Rift (EAR). We present here the first GPS measurements conducted in a new network in Central Afar, complementing existing networks in Eritrea, around the Manda-Harraro 2005-2010 active segment, in the Northern part of the EAR and in Djibouti. Even if InSAR data were appropriate for mapping the deformation field, the results are difficult to interpret for analyzing the regional kinematics because of the atmospheric conditions, the lack of complete data catalogue, the acquisition configuration and the small velocity variations. Therefore, our measurements in the new sites are crucial to obtain an accurate velocity field over the whole depression, and focus specifically on the spatial organization of the deformation to characterize the tripe junction. These first results show that a small part of the motion of the Somalia plate with respect to the Nubia plate or the Arabia plate (2-3 mm/yr) occurs south of the Tadjura Gulf and East of the Adda-do segment in Southern Afar. The complex kinematic pattern involves a clockwise rotation of this Southeastern part of the Afar rift and can be related to the significant seismic activity regularly recorded in the region of Jigjiga (northern Somalia-Ethiopia border). The western continuation of the Aden Ridge into Afar extends West of the Asal rift segment and does not reach the young active segment of Manda-Inakir (MI). A slow gradient of velocity is observed across the Dobi Graben and across the large systems of faults between Lake Abhe and the MI rift segment. A striking change of the velocity direction occurs in the region of Assaïta, west of Lake

Multiple mantle upwellings through the transition zone beneath the Afar Depression?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammond, J. O.; Kendall, J. M.; Stuart, G. W.; Thompson, D. A.; Ebinger, C. J.; Keir, D.; Ayele, A.; Goitom, B.; Ogubazghi, G.

2012-12-01

Previous seismic studies using regional deployments of sensors in East-Africa show that low seismic velocities underlie Africa, but their resolution is limited to the top 200-300km of the Earth. Thus, the connection between the low velocities in the uppermost mantle and those imaged in global studies in the lower mantle is unclear. We have combined new data from Afar, Ethiopia with 7 other regional experiments and global network stations across Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Yemen, to produce high-resolution models of upper mantle P- and S-wave velocities to the base of the transition zone. Relative travel time tomographic inversions show that within the transition zone two focussed sharp-sided low velocity regions exist: one beneath the Western Ethiopian plateau outside the rift valley, and the other beneath the Afar depression. Estimates of transition zone thickness suggest that this is unlikely to be an artefact of mantle discontinuity topography as a transition zone of normal thickness underlies the majority of Afar and surrounding regions. However, a low velocity layer is evident directly above the 410 discontinuity, co-incident with some of the lowest seismic velocities suggesting that smearing of a strong low velocity layer of limited depth extent may contribute to the tomographic models in north-east Afar. The combination of seismic constraints suggests that small low temperature (<50K) upwellings may rise from a broader low velocity plume-like feature in the lower mantle. This interpretation is supported by numerical and analogue experiments that suggest the 660km phase change and viscosity jump may impede flow from the lower to upper mantle creating a thermal boundary layer at the base of the transition zone. This allows smaller, secondary upwellings to initiate and rise to the surface. These, combined with possible evidence of melt above the 410 discontinuity can explain the seismic velocity models. Our images of secondary upwellings suggest that

Evolution of a Miocene sag basin in the Alboran Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Do Couto, D.; Gorini, C.; Jolivet, L.; Letouzey, J.; Smit, J.; d'Acremont, E.; Auxietre, J. L.; Le Pourhiet, L.; Estrada, F.; Elabassi, M.; Ammar, A.; Jabour, H.; Vendeville, B.

2012-04-01

The Alboran domain represents the westernmost termination of the peri-Mediterranean Alpine orogen. Its arcuate shape, delimited to the North by the Betic range and to the South by the Rif range, is the result of subduction, collision and slab migration processes. During the Neogene, several sedimentary basins formed on the Betics metamorphic basement, mainly due to the extensional collapse of the previously thickened crust of the Betic-Rif belt. The major sedimentary depocentre, the Western Alboran Basin (WAB), is surrounded by the Gibraltar arc, the volcanic Djibouti mounts and the Alboran ridge, and is partly affected by shale tectonics and associated mud volcanism. High-quality 2-D seismic profiles acquired along the Moroccan margin during the last decade reveal a complete history of the basin. Our study deals with the analysis of seismic profiles oriented parallel and orthogonal to the Mediterranean Moroccan margin. The stratigraphy was calibrated using well data from offshore Spain and Morocco. Our study focuses particularly on the tectono-stratigraphic reconstruction of the basin. The formation of the WAB began in the Early Miocene (Aquitanian - Burdigalian). A massive unit of Early Miocene to Lower Langhian shales and olistostromes forms a thick mobile décollement layer that controls and accommodates deformation of the basin fill. From the Upper Langhian to the Upper Tortonian, the basin is filled by a thick sequence of siliciclastic deposits. Stratigraphic geometries identified on seismic data clearly indicate that deformation of the basin fill started during deposition of Upper Langhian to the Upper Tortonian clastics. Shale tectonic deformation was re-activated recently, during the Messinian desiccation of the Mediterranean Sea (and the following catastrophic Pliocene reflooding) or during the Quaternary contourite deposition The sedimentary layers gently dip towards the basin centre and "onlaps" onto the basin margin, especially onto the basement high

Estimating tropospheric phase delay in SAR interferograms using Global Atmospheric Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doin, M.; Lasserre, C.; Peltzer, G.; Cavalie, O.; Doubre, C.

2008-12-01

The main limiting factor on the accuracy of Interferometric SAR (InSAR) measurements comes from phase propagation delays through the Earth's troposphere. The delay can be divided into a stratified component, which correlates with the topography and often dominates the tropospheric signal in InSAR data, and a turbulent component. The stratified delay can be expressed as a function of atmospheric pressure P, temperature T, and water vapor partial pressure e vertical profiles. We compare the stratified delay computed using results from global atmospheric models with the topography-dependent signal observed in interferograms covering three test areas in different geographic and climatic environments: Lake Mead, Nevada, USA, the Haiyuan fault area, Gansu, China, and Afar, Republic of Djibouti. For each site we compute a multi-year series of interferograms. The phase-elevation ratio is estimated for each interferogram and the series is inverted to form a timeline of delay-elevation ratios characterizing each epoch of data acquisition. InSAR derived ratios are in good agreement with the ratios computed from global atmospheric models. This agreement shows that both estimations of the delay-elevation ratio can be used to perform a first order correction of the InSAR phase. Seasonal variations of the atmosphere significantly affect the phase delay throughout the year, aliasing the results of time series inversions using temporal smoothing or data stacking when the acquisitions are not evenly distributed in time. This is particularly critical when the spatial shape of the signal of interest correlates with topography. In the Lake Mead area, the irregular temporal sampling of our SAR data results in an interannual bias of amplitude ~2~cm on range change estimates. In the Haiyuan Fault area, the coarse and uneven data sampling results in a bias of up to ~0.5~cm/yr on the line of sight velocity across the fault. In the Afar area, the seasonal signal exceeds the deformation

Coal in sub-Saharan-African countries undergoing desertification

USGS Publications Warehouse

Weaver, J.N.; Brownfield, M.E.; Bergin, M.J.

1990-01-01

Coal has been reported in 11 of the 16 sub-Saharan countries discussed in this appraisal: Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Niger, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia. No coal occurrences have been reported in Gambia, Togo, Burkina, Chad, and Djibouti but coal may be present within these countries because neighboring countries do contain coal-bearing rocks. Most of these countries are undergoing desertification or will in the near future. Wood, directly or in the form of charcoal, constitutes two-thirds of the fuel used in Africa. Destruction of forest and shrub lands for fuel is occurring at an increasing rate because of desertification and increasing energy demands. The decline in biological productivity, coupled with concentration of population in areas where water is available and crops may be grown, leads to increasing shortages of wood for fuel. Part of the present and future energy needs of the sub-Saharan region could be met by use of indigenous coal and peat. Nine sedimentary basins, completely or partially within the sub-Saharan region, have the potential of either coal and/or peat deposits of economic value: 1- Senegal Basin, 2- Taoudeni Basin and Gao Trough, 3- Niger Basin, 4- Chad Basin, 5- Chari Basin, 6- Benue Trough (Depression), 7- Sudan Trough, 8- Plateau and Rift Belt, and 9- Somali Basin. Niger and Nigeria are the only countries in sub-Saharan Africa in which coal is presently being mined as a fuel source for powerplants and domestic use. Peat occurs in the deltas, lower river, and interdunal basin areas of Senegal, Mauritania, and Sudan. Peat can be used as an alternate fuel source and is currently being tested as a soil amendment in the agricultural sector. Coal and peat exploration and development studies are urgently required and should be initiated so the coal and peat utilization potential of each country can be determined. The overall objective of these studies is to establish, within the sub

Status of HIV and hepatitis C virus infections among prisoners in the Middle East and North Africa: review and synthesis

PubMed Central

Heijnen, Marieke; Mumtaz, Ghina R; Abu-Raddad, Laith J

2016-01-01

Introduction The status of HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections among incarcerated populations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and the links between prisons and the HIV epidemic are poorly understood. This review synthesized available HIV and HCV data in prisons in MENA and highlighted opportunities for action. Methods The review was based on data generated through the systematic searches of the MENA HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Synthesis Project (2003 to December 15, 2015) and the MENA HCV Epidemiology Synthesis Project (2011 to December 15, 2015). Sources of data included peer-reviewed publications and country-level reports and databases. Results and discussion We estimated a population of 496,000 prisoners in MENA, with drug-related offences being a major cause for incarceration. Twenty countries had data on HIV among incarcerated populations with a median prevalence of 0.6% in Afghanistan, 6.1% in Djibouti, 0.01% in Egypt, 2.5% in Iran, 0% in Iraq, 0.1% in Jordan, 0.05% in Kuwait, 0.7% in Lebanon, 18.0% in Libya, 0.7% in Morocco, 0.3% in Oman, 1.1% in Pakistan, 0% in Palestine, 1.2% in Saudi Arabia, 0% in Somalia, 5.3% in Sudan and South Sudan, 0.04% in Syria, 0.05% in Tunisia, and 3.5% in Yemen. Seven countries had data on HCV, with a median prevalence of 1.7% in Afghanistan, 23.6% in Egypt, 28.1% in Lebanon, 15.6% in Pakistan, and 37.8% in Iran. Syria and Libya had only one HCV prevalence measure each at 1.5% and 23.7%, respectively. There was strong evidence for injecting drug use and the use of non-sterile injecting-equipment in prisons. Incarceration and injecting drugs, use of non-sterile injecting-equipment, and tattooing in prisons were found to be independent risk factors for HIV or HCV infections. High levels of sexual risk behaviour, tattooing and use of non-sterile razors among prisoners were documented. Conclusions Prisons play an important role in HIV and HCV dynamics in MENA and have facilitated the emergence of large HIV epidemics in

Status of blood transfusion in World Health Organization-Eastern Mediterranean Region (WHO-EMR): Successes and challenges.

PubMed

Darbandi, Arezoo; Mashati, Pargol; Yami, Amir; Gharehbaghian, Arshia; Namini, Mehdi Tabrizi; Gharehbaghian, Ahmad

2017-06-01

Blood products are used for patient treatment and survival in the cases of major surgery, hematological disorders or cancer therapy. Presently the main blood components are not yet replaceable by artificial products and all activities related to blood transfusion is highly dependent on the healthcare development of each country. The World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean Region (WHO-EMR) comprises of 21 member states with variable socio-economic status effective on blood transfusion activities. The fundamental motivation behind this research was to accumulate some data of blood practices in this region and to have an appropriate image of the WHO-EMR region. The data were collected through the published papers or data, blood transfusion services websites, and the other health official websites like WHO. Among WHO-EMR countries there are some with a nationally organized blood transfusion establishment such as Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, and Syria. In a few, blood transfusion administrations are hospital-based like Saudi Arabia. The others are run by Red Crescent such as Bahrain, Tunisia and UEA or by Red Cross like Lebanon. Only Iran and UAE succeed to have 100% voluntary non-remunerated blood donors; however, most of them are still under the weight of family/replacement blood donation such as Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Sudan or even paid donors like Pakistan and Yemen. The haemovigilance and training programs have been implemented in some countries including Bahrain, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and UAE. Unfortunately, there are rare and inaccessible information about some EMR states like Djibouti, Palestine and Somalia so that little data can be independently discovered. In these countries different measures ought to be additionally designated to ensure blood products adequacy and safety such as the development of well-coordinated national blood transfusion centers with

Tectonic events, continental intraplate volcanism, and mantle plume activity in northern Arabia: Constraints from geochemistry and Ar-Ar dating of Syrian lavas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krienitz, M.-S.; Haase, K. M.; Mezger, K.; van den Bogaard, P.; Thiemann, V.; Shaikh-Mashail, M. A.

2009-04-01

a northward progression of the commencing volcanism since the arrival of the Afar mantle plume beneath Ethiopia/Djibouti some 30 Ma ago. The distribution of crustally uncontaminated high 206Pb/204Pb lavas in Arabia indicates a spatial influence of the Afar plume of ˜2600 km in northward direction with an estimated flow velocity of plume material on the order of 22 cm/a.

Understanding the nature of mantle upwelling beneath East-Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Civiero, Chiara; Hammond, James; Goes, Saskia; Ahmed, Abdulhakim; Ayele, Atalay; Doubre, Cecile; Goitom, Berhe; Keir, Derek; Kendall, Mike; Leroy, Sylvie; Ogubazghi, Ghebrebrhan; Rumpker, Georg; Stuart, Graham

2014-05-01

The concept of hot upwelling material - otherwise known as mantle plumes - has long been accepted as a possible mechanism to explain hotspots occurring at Earth's surface and it is recognized as a way of removing heat from the deep Earth. Nevertheless, this theory remains controversial since no one has definitively imaged a plume and over the last decades several other potential mechanisms that do not require a deep mantle source have been invoked to explain this phenomenon, for example small-scale convection at rifted margins, meteorite impacts or lithospheric delamination. One of the best locations to study the potential connection between hotspot volcanism at the surface and deep mantle plumes on land is the East African Rift (EAR). We image seismic velocity structure of the mantle below EAR with higher resolution than has been available to date by including seismic data recorded by stations from many regional networks ranging from Saudi Arabia to Tanzania. We use relative travel-time tomography to produce P- velocity models from the surface down into the lower mantle incorporating 9250 ray-paths in our model from 495 events and 402 stations. We add smaller earthquakes (4.5 < mb < 5.5) from poorly sampled regions in order to have a more uniform data coverage. The tomographic results allow us to image structures of ~ 100-km length scales to ~ 1000 km depth beneath the northern East-Africa rift (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Yemen) with good resolution also in the transition zone and uppermost lower mantle. Our observations provide evidence that the shallow mantle slow seismic velocities continue trough the transition zone and into the lower mantle. In particular, the relatively slow velocity anomaly beneath the Afar Depression extends up to depths of at least 1000 km depth while another low-velocity anomaly beneath the Main Ethiopian Rift seems to be present in the upper mantle only. These features in the lower mantle are isolated with a diameter of about 400 km

A space-borne, multi-parameter, Virtual Volcano Observatory for the real-time, anywhere-anytime support to decision-making during eruptive crises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrucci, F.; Tampellini, M.; Loughlin, S. C.; Tait, S.; Theys, N.; Valks, P.; Hirn, B.

2013-12-01

The EVOSS consortium of academic, industrial and institutional partners in Europe and Africa, has created a satellite-based volcano observatory, designed to support crisis management within the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) framework of the European Commission. Data from 8 different payloads orbiting on 14 satellite platforms (SEVIRI on-board MSG-1, -2 and -3, MODIS on-board Terra and Aqua, GOME-2 and IASI onboard MetOp-A, OMI on-board Aura, Cosmo-SkyMED/1, /2, /3 and /4, JAMI on-board MTSAT-1 and -2, and, until April 8th2012, SCHIAMACHY on-board ENVISAT) acquired at 5 different down-link stations, are disseminated to and automatically processed at 6 locations in 4 countries. The results are sent, in four separate geographic data streams (high-temperature thermal anomalies, volcanic Sulfur dioxide daily fluxes, volcanic ash and ground deformation), to a central facility called VVO, the 'Virtual Volcano Observatory'. This system operates 24H/24-7D/7 since September 2011 on all volcanoes in Europe, Africa, the Lesser Antilles, and the oceans around them, and during this interval has detected, measured and monitored all subaerial eruptions occurred in this region (44 over 45 certified, with overall detection and processing efficiency of ~97%). EVOSS borne realtime information is delivered to a group of 14 qualified end users, bearing the direct or indirect responsibility of monitoring and managing volcano emergencies, and of advising governments in Comoros, DR Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Montserrat, Uganda, Tanzania, France and Iceland. We present the full set of eruptions detected and monitored - from 2004 to present - by multispectral payloads SEVIRI onboard the geostationary platforms of the MSG constellation, for developing and fine tuning-up the EVOSS system along with its real-time, pre- and post-processing automated algorithms. The set includes 91% of subaerial eruptions occurred at 15 volcanoes (Piton de la Fournaise, Karthala, Jebel al

Seismically imaging the Afar plume

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammond, J. O.; Kendall, J. M.; Bastow, I. D.; Stuart, G. W.; Keir, D.; Ayele, A.; Ogubazghi, G.; Ebinger, C. J.; Belachew, M.

2011-12-01

Plume related flood basalt volcanism in Ethiopia has long been cited to have instigated continental breakup in northeast Africa. However, to date seismic images of the mantle beneath the region have not produced conclusive evidence of a plume-like structure. As a result the nature and even existence of a plume in the region and its role in rift initiation and continental rupture are debated. Previous seismic studies using regional deployments of sensors in East-Africa show that low seismic velocities underlie northeast Africa, but their resolution is limited to the top 200-300km of the Earth. Thus, the connection between the low velocities in the uppermost mantle and those imaged in global studies in the lower mantle is unclear. We have combined new data from Afar, Ethiopia with 6 other regional experiments and global network stations across Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Yemen, to produce high-resolution models of upper mantle P- and S- wave velocities to the base of the transition zone. Relative travel time tomographic inversions show that the top 100km is dominated by focussed low velocity zones, likely associated with melt in the lithosphere/uppermost asthenosphere. Below these depths a broad SW-NE oriented sheet like upwelling extends down to the top of the transition zone. Within the transition zone two focussed sharp-sided low velocity regions exist: one beneath the Western Ethiopian plateau outside the rift valley, and the other beneath the Afar depression. The nature of the transition zone anomalies suggests that small upwellings may rise from a broader low velocity plume-like feature in the lower mantle. This interpretation is supported by numerical and analogue experiments that suggest the 660km phase change and viscosity jump may impede flow from the lower to upper mantle creating a thermal boundary layer at the base of the transition zone. This allows smaller, secondary upwellings to initiate and rise to the surface. Our images of secondary upwellings

Corrections of stratified tropospheric delays in SAR interferometry: Validation with global atmospheric models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doin, Marie-Pierre; Lasserre, Cécile; Peltzer, Gilles; Cavalié, Olivier; Doubre, Cécile

2010-05-01

The main limiting factor on the accuracy of Interferometric SAR measurements (InSAR) comes from phase propagation delays through the troposphere. The delay can be divided into a stratified component, which correlates with the topography and often dominates the tropospheric signal, and a turbulent component. We use Global Atmospheric Models (GAM) to estimate the stratified phase delay and delay-elevation ratio at epochs of SAR acquisitions, and compare them to observed phase delay derived from SAR interferograms. Three test areas are selected with different geographic and climatic environments and with large SAR archive available. The Lake Mead, Nevada, USA is covered by 79 ERS1/2 and ENVISAT acquisitions, the Haiyuan Fault area, Gansu, China, by 24 ERS1/2 acquisitions, and the Afar region, Republic of Djibouti, by 91 Radarsat acquisitions. The hydrostatic and wet stratified delays are computed from GAM as a function of atmospheric pressure P, temperature T, and water vapor partial pressure e vertical profiles. The hydrostatic delay, which depends on ratio P/T, varies significantly at low elevation and cannot be neglected. The wet component of the delay depends mostly on the near surface specific humidity. GAM predicted delay-elevation ratios are in good agreement with the ratios derived from InSAR data away from deforming zones. Both estimations of the delay-elevation ratio can thus be used to perform a first order correction of the observed interferometric phase to retrieve a ground motion signal of low amplitude. We also demonstrate that aliasing of daily and seasonal variations in the stratified delay due to uneven sampling of SAR data significantly bias InSAR data stacks or time series produced after temporal smoothing. In all three test cases, the InSAR data stacks or smoothed time series present a residual stratified delay of the order of the expected deformation signal. In all cases, correcting interferograms from the stratified delay removes all these

Corrections of stratified tropospheric delays in SAR interferometry: Validation with global atmospheric models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doin, M.-P.; Lasserre, C.; Peltzer, G.; Cavalié, O.; Doubre, C.

2009-09-01

The main limiting factor on the accuracy of Interferometric SAR measurements (InSAR) comes from phase propagation delays through the troposphere. The delay can be divided into a stratified component, which correlates with the topography and often dominates the tropospheric signal, and a turbulent component. We use Global Atmospheric Models (GAM) to estimate the stratified phase delay and delay-elevation ratio at epochs of SAR acquisitions, and compare them to observed phase delay derived from SAR interferograms. Three test areas are selected with different geographic and climatic environments and with large SAR archive available. The Lake Mead, Nevada, USA is covered by 79 ERS1/2 and ENVISAT acquisitions, the Haiyuan Fault area, Gansu, China, by 24 ERS1/2 acquisitions, and the Afar region, Republic of Djibouti, by 91 Radarsat acquisitions. The hydrostatic and wet stratified delays are computed from GAM as a function of atmospheric pressure P, temperature T, and water vapor partial pressure e vertical profiles. The hydrostatic delay, which depends on ratio P/ T, varies significantly at low elevation and cannot be neglected. The wet component of the delay depends mostly on the near surface specific humidity. GAM predicted delay-elevation ratios are in good agreement with the ratios derived from InSAR data away from deforming zones. Both estimations of the delay-elevation ratio can thus be used to perform a first order correction of the observed interferometric phase to retrieve a ground motion signal of low amplitude. We also demonstrate that aliasing of daily and seasonal variations in the stratified delay due to uneven sampling of SAR data significantly bias InSAR data stacks or time series produced after temporal smoothing. In all three test cases, the InSAR data stacks or smoothed time series present a residual stratified delay of the order of the expected deformation signal. In all cases, correcting interferograms from the stratified delay removes all these

The ZH ratio Analysis of Global Seismic Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yano, T.; Shikato, S.; Rivera, L.; Tanimoto, T.

2007-12-01

The ZH ratio, the ratio of vertical to horizontal component of the fundamental Rayleigh wave as a function of frequency, is an alternative approach to phase/group velocity analysis for constructing the S-wave velocity structure. In this study, teleseismic Rayleigh wave data for the frequency range between 0.004Hz to 0.04Hz is used to investigate the interior structure. We have analyzed most of the GEOSCOPE network data and some IRIS GSN stations using a technique developed by Tanimoto and Rivera (2007). Stable estimates of the ZH ratios were obtained for the frequency range for most stations. We have performed the inversion of the measured ZH ratios for the structure in the crust and mantle by using nonlinear iterative scheme. The depth sensitivity kernels for inversion are numerically calculated. Depth sensitivity of the lowest frequency extends to depths beyond 500 km but the sensitivity of the overall data for the frequency band extends down to about 300km. We found that an appropriate selection of an initial model, particularly the depth of Mohorovicic discontinuity, is important for this inversion. The inversion result depends on the initial model and turned out to be non-unique. We have constructed the initial model from the CRUST 2.0. Inversion with equal weighting to each data point tends to reduce variance of certain frequency range only. Therefore, we have developed a scheme to increase weighting to data points that do not fit well after the fifth iteration. This occurs more often for low frequency range, 0.004-0.007Hz. After fitting the lower frequency region, the low velocity zone around a depth of 100km is observed under some stations such as KIP (Kipapa, Hawaii) and ATD (Arta Cave, Djibouti). We have also carried out an analysis on the resolving power of data by examining the eigenvalues-eigenvectors of the least-squares problem. Unfortunately, the normal matrix usually has 1-2 very large eigenvalues, followed by much smaller eigenvalues. The third

Infrasound and SO2 Observations of the 2011 Explosive Eruption of Nabro Volcano, Eritrea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fee, D.; Carn, S. A.; Prata, F.

2011-12-01

Nabro volcano, Eritrea erupted explosively on 12 June 2011 and produced near continuous emissions and infrasound until mid-July. The eruption disrupted air traffic and severely affected communities in the region. Although the eruption was relatively ash-poor, it produced significant SO2 emissions, including: 1) the highest SO2 column ever retrieved from space (3700 DU), 2) >1.3 Tg SO2 mass on 13 June, and 3) >2 Tg of SO2 for the entire eruption, one of the largest eruptive SO2 masses produced since the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. Peak emissions reached well into the stratosphere (~19 km). Although the 12 June eruption was preceded by significant seismicity and clearly detected by satellite sensors, Nabro volcano is an understudied volcano that lies in a remote region with little ground-based monitoring. The Nabro eruption also produced significant infrasound signals that were recorded by two infrasound arrays: I19DJ (Djibouti, 264 km) and I32KE (Kenya, 1708 km). The I19DJ infrasound array detected the eruption with high signal-noise and provides the most detailed eruption chronology available, including eruption onset, duration, changes in intensity, etc. As seen in numerous other studies, sustained low frequency infrasound from Nabro is coincident with high-altitude emissions. Unexpectedly, the eruption also produced hundreds of short-duration, impulsive explosion signals, in addition to the sustained infrasonic jetting signals more typical of subplinian-plinian eruptions. These explosions are variable in amplitude, duration, and often cluster in groups. Here we present: 1) additional analyses, classification, and source estimation of the explosions, 2) infrasound propagation modeling to determine acoustic travel times and propagation paths, 3) detection and characterization of the SO2 emissions using the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Spin Enhanced Visible and Infra-Red Instrument (SEVIRI), and 4) a comparison between the relative infrasound energy and

Magma differentiation rates from ( 226Ra / 230Th) and the size and power output of magma chambers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blake, Stephen; Rogers, Nick

2005-08-01

We present a mathematical model for the evolution of the ( 226Ra / 230Th) activity ratio during simultaneous fractional crystallization and ageing of magma. The model is applied to published data for four volcanic suites that are independently known to have evolved by fractional crystallization. These are tholeiitic basalt from Ardoukoba, Djibouti, MORB from the East Pacific Rise, alkali basalt to mugearite from Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland, and basaltic andesites from Miyakejima, Izu-Bonin arc. In all cases ( 226Ra / 230Th) correlates with indices of fractional crystallization, such as Th, and the data fall close to model curves of constant fractional crystallization rate. The best fit rates vary from 2 to 6 × 10 - 4 yr - 1 . Consequently, the time required to generate moderately evolved magmas ( F ≤ 0.7) is of the order of 500 to 1500 yrs and closed magma chambers will have lifetimes of 1700 to 5000 yrs. These rates and timescales are argued to depend principally on the specific power output (i.e., power output per unit volume) of the magma chambers that are the sites of fractional crystallization. Equating the heat flux at the EPR to the heat flux from the sub-axial magma chamber that evolves at a rate of ca. 3 × 10 - 4 yr - 1 implies that the magma body is a sill of ca. 100 m thickness, a value which coincides with independent estimates from seismology. The similarity of the four inferred differentiation rates suggests that the specific power output of shallow magma chambers in a range of tectonic settings covers a similarly narrow range of ca. 10 to 50 MW km - 3 . Their differentiation rates are some two orders of magnitude slower than that of the basaltic Makaopuhi lava lake, Hawaii, that cooled to the atmosphere. This is consistent with the two orders of magnitude difference in heat flux between Makaopuhi and the East Pacific Rise. ( 226Ra / 230Th) data for magma suites related by fractional crystallization allow the magma differentiation rate to be estimated

Dynamics of Rifting in two Active Rift Segments in Afar - Geodetic and Structural Studies - DoRA Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doubre, C.; Socquet, A.; Masson, F.; Jacques, E.; Grandin, R.; Nercessian, A.; Kassim, M.; Vergne, J.; Diament, M.; Hinderer, J.; Ayele, A.; Lewi, E.; Calais, E.; Peltzer, G.; Toussaint, R.; de Chaballier, J.; Ballu, V. S.; Luck, B.; King, G. C.; Vigny, C.; Cattin, R.; Tiberi, C.; Kidane, T.; Jalludin, M.; Maggi, A.; Dorbath, C.; Manatschal, G.; Schmittbuhl, J.; Le Moigne, N.; Deroussi, S.

2009-12-01

The DoRA project aims to conduct complementary studies in two volcano-tectonic rifts in the Afar Depression. In Northern Afar, the Wal’is Dabbahu Rift (WD, Ethiopia) is currently undergoing a major rifting episode. This event started in September 2005 with a significant seismic activity. InSAR data revealed the injection of a 65 km-long mega-dyke that opened by up to 8 m, the slip of numerous normal faults and opening of fissures, and a rhyolitic eruption. Similarly, the Asal-Ghoubbet Rift (AG, Djibouti) was affected in 1978 by a smaller episode of rifting associated with the intrusion of a 2 m wide dyke into the crust. Since then, a large catalog of geodetic data that includes recent InSAR time series reveals the importance of non-steady deformation controlling the rift dynamics. Our goal is to gain an understanding of such volcano-tectonic segments on several time scales, including the dyking period itself and the post-event period. The study of the behavior of the AG Rift during its whole post-rifting period offers an image at t+30 years of the WD segment, while keeping in mind important structural and scale differences. First, we propose to build a complete and accurate set of geodetic data (InSAR, cGPS, GPS), covering the period under study. With a narrow temporal sample window, we will precisely describe the aseismic slip affecting the normal faults of these rifts, the periods of sudden slip and/or slip acceleration but also measure the deformation associated with probable future dyke intrusion. Second, we aim to constrain the origin of these displacements and their relation with mass transfers within the crust. Series of gravity measurements will be pursue or initiated in both rifts. Third, the recording of seismic activity is essential to constrain the relative importance of seismic and aseismic deformation. This will also help to evaluate the thickness of the seismogenic layer. Together with structural data collected during a seismic survey in the AG

Seismic constraints on a large dyking event and initiation of a transform fault zone in Western Gulf of Aden

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, AbdulHakim; Doubre, Cecile; Leroy, Sylvie; Perrot, Julie; Audin, Laurence; Rolandone, Frederique; Keir, Derek; Al-Ganad, Ismael; Sholan, Jamal; Khanbari, Khaled; Mohamed, Kassim; Vergne, Jerome; Jacques, Eric; Nercessian, Alex

2013-04-01

In November 2010, a large number of events were recorded by the world seismic networks showing important activity occurring along the western part of the Aden Ridge. West of the Shulka El Sheik fracture zone, events in this large seismic swarm (magnitudes above 5) occurred in a complex area, where the change of both the ridge direction and the bathymetry suggest the propagation of the ridge into a continental lithosphere and the influence of the Afar plume. We combine several sets of data from permanent networks and temporary 3C broad stations installed after the beginning of the event along the southern and eastern coasts of Yemen and Djibouti respectively, we located more than 600 earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 2.5 to 5.6 that occurred during the first months following the first event. The spatial distribution of the main seismicity reveals a very clear N115° -trending alignment, parallel to the mean direction of the en-echelon spreading segments that form the ridge at this longitude. Half of the events, which represent half of the total seismic energy released during the first months, are located in the central third section of the segment. Here several volcanic cones and recent lava flows observed from bathymetric and acoustic reflectivity data during the Tadjouraden cruise (Audin, 1999, Dauteuil et al., 2001) constitute the sea floor. In addition to this main activity, two small groups of events suggest the activiation of landslides into a large fan and the activity in a volcanic area 50 km due east from the main active zone. The time evolution of the seismicity shows several bursts of activity. Some of them are clearly related to sudden activities within the volcanic areas, when others exhibit horizontal migration of the events, with velocity around ˜ 1 km/h. The time-space evolution of the seismicity clearly reveals the intrusion of dykes associated with magma propagation from the crustal magmatic centres into the rift zone. Taking into account

Projected Zika Virus Importation and Subsequent Ongoing Transmission after Travel to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games - Country-Specific Assessment, July 2016.

PubMed

Grills, Ardath; Morrison, Stephanie; Nelson, Bradley; Miniota, Jennifer; Watts, Alexander; Cetron, Martin S

2016-07-22

Zika virus belongs to the genus Flavivirus of the family Flaviviridae; it is transmitted to humans primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito (e.g., Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus) (1). Zika virus has been identified as a cause of congenital microcephaly and other serious brain defects (2). As of June 30, 2016, CDC had issued travel notices for 49 countries and U.S. territories across much of the Western hemisphere (3), including Brazil, where the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games (Games of the XXXI Olympiad, also known as Rio 2016; Games) will be hosted in Rio de Janeiro in August and September 2016. During the Games, mosquito-borne Zika virus transmission is expected to be low because August and September are winter months in Brazil, when cooler and drier weather typically reduces mosquito populations (4). CDC conducted a risk assessment to predict those countries susceptible to ongoing Zika virus transmission resulting from introduction by a single traveler to the Games. Whereas all countries are at risk for travel-associated importation of Zika virus, CDC estimated that 19 countries currently not reporting Zika outbreaks have the environmental conditions and population susceptibility to sustain mosquito-borne transmission of Zika virus if a case were imported from infection at the Games. For 15 of these 19 countries, travel to Rio de Janeiro during the Games is not estimated to increase substantially the level of risk above that incurred by the usual aviation travel baseline for these countries. The remaining four countries, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Yemen, are unique in that they do not have a substantial number of travelers to any country with local Zika virus transmission, except for anticipated travel to the Games. These four countries will be represented by a projected, combined total of 19 athletes (plus a projected delegation of about 60 persons), a tiny fraction of the 350,000-500,000 visitors expected at the Games.* Overall

Religious and cultural traits in HIV/AIDS epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa.

PubMed

Velayati, Ali-Akbar; Bakayev, Valerii; Bahadori, Moslem; Tabatabaei, Seyed-Javad; Alaei, Arash; Farahbood, Amir; Masjedi, Mohammad-Reza

2007-10-01

The pandemic of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa and the rise of epidemics in Asia to the previously unforeseen level are likely to have global social, economic, and political impacts. In this emergency, it is vital to reappraise the weight of powerful religious and cultural factors in spreading the disease. The role of Islam in shaping values, norms, and public policies in North African states is to be appreciated for the lowest HIV prevalence in their populations. Yet, the place of religion in prevention of the disease diffusion is not fully understood nor worldwide acknowledged by the primary decision makers. Another topic, which has received little attention to date, despite the abundance of literature concerning the unfortunate Africa's anti-AIDS campaign, is an issue of colonial past. To better comprehend the share of both traits in diverse spread of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, we studied the correlation between Muslim and Christian proportions in the state's population and HIV rate. By this method, Muslim percentage came out as a potential predictor of HIV prevalence in a given state. In another approach, most subcontinental countries were clustered by colocalization and similarity in their leading religion, colonial past, and HIV seroprevalence starting from barely noticeable (0.6 - 1.2%, for Mauritania, Senegal, Somalia, and Niger) and low levels (1.9 - 4.8%, for Mali, Eritrea, Djibouti, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Burkina-Faso, and Chad) for Muslim populated past possessions of France and Italy, in the northern part of the subcontinent. Former territories of France, Belgium, Portugal, and the UK formed two other groups of the countries nearing the equator with Catholic prevailing (Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Gabon, and Burundi) or mixed populations comprising Christian, Muslim, and indigenous believers (Benin, Ghana, Uganda, Togo, Angola, Nigeria, Liberia, Kenya, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, and Sierra-Leone), which covered the HIV

Exploring Subsurface Geology Using Radar Techniques: Experiments in Sahara and Consequences for Mars Exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paillou, P.; Grandjean, G.; Heggy, E.; Farr, T.

2004-05-01

For several years, we have conducted a quantitative study of radar penetration performances in various desert arid environments. This study combines both SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) imaging from orbital and airborne platforms and in situ GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) measurements. Laboratory characterization of various minerals and rocks are used as input to electromagnetic models such as IEM (Integral Equation Model) and FDTD (Finite Difference Time Domain) that describe the subsurface scattering process for inversion purposes. Several test sites were explored, mainly the Sahara. Our first experiment was realized in Republic of Djibouti, an arid volcanic area which is a good analog to Mars. We observed a very little radar penetration there because of the presence of iron oxides and salts in the subsurface that make the soil conductive [Paillou et al., GRL, 2001]. A more favorable site for radar penetration was then explored in southern Egypt: the Bir Safsaf area where buried river channels were discovered using orbital SAR images. We showed how to combine SAR and GPR in order to obtain a complete description of subsurface geology down to several meters [Paillou et al., IEEE TGRS, 2003]. Such field experiments were the basis for more systematic laboratory measurements of the electromagnetic properties of various rocks and minerals which were used in numerical models in order to simulate the performances of future Martian radars, e.g. MARSIS and NETLANDER low frequency radars [Heggy et al., Icarus, 2001; Berthelier et al., JGR, 2003; Heggy et al., JGR, 2003]. More recently, new explorations were conducted in Mauritania in order to demonstrate radar capacities for geologic mapping [Grandjean et al., Coll. Afr. Geol., 2004] and in Libya where radar discovered a double impact crater in the southern desert [Paillou et al., C.R. Geoscience, 2003]. More local radar experiments were also conducted on a test site located in France, the Pyla sand dune, where we observed

Seismic constraints on a large dyking event in Western Gulf of Aden

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, A.; Doubre, C.; Leroy, S.; Perrot, J.; Audin, L.; Rolandone, F.; Keir, D.; Al-Ganad, I.; Khanbari, K.; Mohamed, K.; Vergne, J.; Jacques, E.; Nercessian, A.

2012-04-01

In November 2010, a large number of events were recorded by the world seismic networks showing important activity occurring along the western part of the Aden Ridge. West of the Shulka El Sheik transform zone, events in this large seismic swarm (magnitudes above 5) occurred in a complex area, where the change of both the ridge direction and the bathymetry suggest the propagation of the ridge into a continental lithosphere and the influence of the thermal anomaly of the Afar Hot Spot. We combine several sets of data from permanent networks and temporary 3C broad stations installed after the beginning of the event along the southern and eastern coasts of Yemen and Djibouti respectively, we located more than 600 earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 2.5 to 5.6 that occurred during the first months following the first event. The spatial distribution of the main seismicity reveals a very clear N115°-trending alignment, parallel to the mean direction of the en-echelon spreading segments that form the ridge at this longitude. Half of the events, which represent half of the total seismic energy released during the first months, are located in the central third section of the segment. Here several volcanic cones and recent lava flows observed from bathymetric and acoustic reflectivity data during the Tadjouraden cruise (Audin, 1999, Dauteuil et al., 2001) constitute the sea floor. In addition to this main activity, two small groups of events suggest the activiation of landslides into a large fan and the activity in a volcanic area 50 km due east from the main active zone. The time evolution of the seismicity shows several bursts of activity. Some of them are clearly related to sudden activities within the volcanic areas, when others exhibit horizontal migration of the events, with velocity around ~ 1 km/h. The time-space evolution of the seismicity clearly reveals the intrusion of dykes associated with magma propagation from the crustal magmatic centres into the rift

Variability of the recent climate of eastern Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schreck, Carl J., III; Semazzi, Fredrick H. M.

2004-05-01

The primary objective of this study is to investigate the recent variability of the eastern African climate. The region of interest is also known as the Greater Horn of Africa (GHA), and comprises the countries of Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania.The analysis was based primarily on the construction of empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) of gauge rainfall data and on CPC Merged Analysis of Precipitation (CMAP) data, derived from a combination of rain-gauge observations and satellite estimates. The investigation is based on the period 1961-2001 for the short rains season of eastern Africa of October through to December. The EOF analysis was supplemented by projection of National Centers for Environmental Prediction wind data onto the rainfall eigenmodes to understand the rainfall-circulation relationships. Furthermore, correlation and composite analyses have been performed with the Climatic Research Unit globally averaged surface-temperature time series to explore the potential relationship between the climate of eastern Africa and global warming.The most dominant mode of variability (EOF1) based on CMAP data over eastern Africa corresponds to El Niño-southern oscillation (ENSO) climate variability. It is associated with above-normal rainfall amounts during the short rains throughout the entire region, except for Sudan. The corresponding anomalous low-level circulation is dominated by easterly inflow from the Indian Ocean, and to a lesser extent the Congo tropical rain forest, into the positive rainfall anomaly region that extends across most of eastern Africa. The easterly inflow into eastern Africa is part of diffluent outflow from the maritime continent during the warm ENSO events. The second eastern African EOF (trend mode) is associated with decadal variability. In distinct contrast from the ENSO mode pattern, the trend mode is characterized by positive rainfall anomalies over the northern sector of

Study of the deformation in Central Afar using InSAR NSBAS chain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deprez, A.; Doubre, C.; Grandin, R.; Saad, I.; Masson, F.; Socquet, A.

2013-12-01

SAR and GPS data allow us to (1) point out the role of volcano activity on the localization of the extensive deformation within these rifts, (2) describe the temporal evolution of the mostly aseismic fault slips, and eventually (3) characterize the behavior of the crust after the dyking events in relation to visco-elastic relaxation. Moreover, we analyze several interesting small patches of localized deformation revealing transient displacements by combining time series results and seismic data collected by the Arta Geophysical Observatory in Djibouti. In particular, a specific clear deformation pattern on the northern margin of the Tadjoura Bay could be associated with a seismic swarm, probably resulting from the occurrence of an offshore dyking event sequence along the immerged Tadjoura rift segment.

The GEOSCOPE Program: state of the art in 2003 and perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roult, G.; Lepine, J.; Stutzmann, E.; Montagner, J.; Geoscope Group,.

2003-12-01

The GEOSCOPE program was launched in 1982 by the National Institute of Sciences of Universe (INSU), a department of the French National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS), at the instigation of the Institute of Physics of the Earth of Paris (IPGP). The purpose of the GEOSCOPE program was the installation of about 25 stations well distributed worldwide, in particular in the southern hemisphere, in the standard configuration defined by the FDSN (very broad-band 24 bit, continuous recording at 20sps). The GEOSCOPE program is operating 28 digital very-broadband stations. Data from large events are teletransmitted for some stations (by phone line or through internet) and made available within one day. A satellite transmission system is now working, in cooperation with the french military agency CEA/DASE, in cooperation with CTBTO (Dzumac in New Caledonia ). An agreement between GEOSCOPE and CTBTO allows us to get data continuously and with a low gain. The next CTBTO stations to be installed are ATD (Djibouti) and MBO (Senegal) in 2004. In terms of siting locations, the aim of the GEOSCOPE program is almost fulfilled; we plan to install a new station in MARQ (Marquesas Islands), one in Russia at high latitude at VOR (Vorkouta), one in Patagonia (COY in Chile), a joint station with IRIS at TRIS (Tristan Da Cunha) in order to fill some geographical gaps in the southern hemisphere. DCC in Antarctica is a joint EOST-Strasbourg/Concordia-Italy station. Our goal is now to replace our old digitizers by Quanterra ones, and to transmit all data in near real-time. An inversion method for the fundamental mode Rayleigh wave spectra has made possible the rapid determination of the mechanism and the seismic moments.This determination is done routinely for all events with Ms>6.8 from the teletransmitted stations data. The estimate Power Spectral Density plots have been computed for each station and are available on the Web site. Some small to medium earthquakes are not detected and

Istopically Defined Source Reservoirs of Primitive Magmas in the East African Rift.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rooney, T. O.; Furman, T.; Hanan, B.

2005-12-01

Extension within the East African Rift is a function of the interaction between plume-driven uplift and far-field stresses associated with plate tectonic processes. Geochemical and isotopic investigation of primitive basalts from the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) reveals systematic spatial variations in the contributions from distinct and identifiable source reservoirs that, in turn help identify the mechanisms by which along-axis rifting has progressed. The Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic characteristics of MER basalts can be described by a three-component mixing model involving the long-lived Afar plume, a depleted mantle component similar to the source region for Gulf of Aden MORB from east of 48° E and a reservoir that is likely lithospheric (sub-continental mantle lithosphere, magmatic underplate or lower crust). Quaternary basalts in the central MER exhibit a systematic decrease in plume influence southward from 9.5° N to 8° N, i.e., away from the modern surface expression of the Afar plume in Djibouti and Erta 'Ale. The composition of the Afar plume component is comparable to the "C" mantle reservoir. This southward decrease in plume influence is coupled with an increase in the influence of the lithospheric and depleted mantle components. Linear arrays observed within Pb-Pb isotopic space at each eruptive center require distinctive ratio of lithospheric + depleted mantle components mixing with variable amounts of the "C"-like plume component. This isotopic evidence suggests the depleted mantle and lithosphere mixed prior to the generation of the recent magmas. To the south, the Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions of Turkana (Kenya) rift basalts record a mix of a similar "C"-like plume component and a fourth HIMU-like source component. Low 3He/4He values observed in the HIMU-dominated lavas from Turkana contrast with the higher ratios found in basalts associated with the "C"-like Afar plume. Further analysis of "C"-HIMU lavas at Turkana is required to fully constrain the He

SrNdPb isotopic and trace element evidence for crustal contamination of plume-derived flood basalts: Oligocene flood volcanism in western Yemen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, J. A.; Thirlwall, M. F.; Menzies, M. A.

1996-07-01

Oligocene flood basalts from western Yemen have a relatively limited range in initial isotopic composition compared with other continental flood basalts: 87Sr/86Sr = 0.70365-0.70555 ; 143Nd/144Nd = 0.5129-0.51248 ( ɛNd = +6.0 to -2.4) ; 206pb/204Pb = 17.9-19.3 . Most compositions lie outside the isotopic ranges of temporally and spatially appropriate mantle source compositions observed in this area, i.e., Red Sea/Gulf of Aden MORB mantle, the Afar plume, and Pan-African lithospheric mantle Correlations between indices of fractionation, silica, and isotope ratios suggest that crustal contamination has substantially modified the primary isotopic and incompatible trace element characteristics of the flood basalts. However, significant scatter in these correlations was produced by: (a) the heterogeneous isotopic composition of Pan-African crust; (b) the difference in susceptibility of magmas to contamination as a result of variable incompatible trace element contents in primary melts produced by differing degrees of partial melting; (c) the presence or absence of plagioclase as a fractionating phase generating complex contamination trajectories for Sr; (d) sampling over a wide area not representing a single coherent magmatic system; and (e) variation in contamination mechanisms from assimilation associated with fractionation (AFC) to assimilation by hot mafic magmas with little concomitant fractionation. The presence of plagioclase as a fractionating phase in some suites that were undergoing AFC requires assimilation to have taken place within the crust and, coupled with the limited LREE-enrichment accompanying isotopic variations, excludes the possibility that an AFC-type process took place during magma transfer through the lithospheric mantle. Isotopic compositions of some of the inferred crustal assimilants are similar to those postulated by other workers for an enriched lithospheric mantle source of many flood basalts in southwestern Yemen, Ethiopia, and Djibouti

The state of health in the Arab world, 1990-2010: an analysis of the burden of diseases, injuries, and risk factors.

PubMed

Mokdad, Ali H; Jaber, Sara; Aziz, Muna I Abdel; AlBuhairan, Fadia; AlGhaithi, Abduljabbar; AlHamad, Nawal M; Al-Hooti, Suad N; Al-Jasari, Adel; AlMazroa, Mohammad A; AlQasmi, Ahmed Mohamed; Alsowaidi, Shirina; Asad, Majed; Atkinson, Charles; Badawi, Alaa; Bakfalouni, Talal; Barkia, AbdelAziz; Biryukov, Stan; El Bcheraoui, Charbel; Daoud, Farah; Forouzanfar, Mohammad Hossein; Gonzalez-Medina, Diego; Hamadeh, Randah R; Hsairi, Mohamed; Hussein, Seifeddin Saleh; Karam, Nadim; Khalifa, Shams Eldin Ali Hassan; Khoja, Tawfik A M; Lami, Faris; Leach-Kemon, Katherine; Memish, Ziad A; Mokdad, Ali A; Naghavi, Mohsen; Nasher, Jamal; Qasem, M Bassam Hijawi; Shuaib, Mohammad; Al Thani, Al Anoud M; Al Thani, Mohamed H; Zamakhshary, Mohammed; Lopez, Alan D; Murray, Christopher J L

2014-01-25

The Arab world has a set of historical, geopolitical, social, cultural, and economic characteristics and has been involved in several wars that have affected the burden of disease. Moreover, financial and human resources vary widely across the region. We aimed to examine the burden of diseases and injuries in the Arab world for 1990, 2005, and 2010 using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2010 (GBD 2010). We divided the 22 countries of the Arab League into three categories according to their gross national income: low-income countries (LICs; Comoros, Djibouti, Mauritania, Yemen, and Somalia), middle-income countries (MICs; Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, occupied Palestinian territory, Sudan, Syria, and Tunisia), and high-income countries (HICs; Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates). For the whole Arab world, each income group, and each individual country, we estimated causes of death, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), DALY-attributable risk factors, years of life lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost due to premature mortality (YLLs), and life expectancy by age and sex for 1990, 2005, and 2010. Ischaemic heart disease was the top cause of death in the Arab world in 2010 (contributing to 14·3% of deaths), replacing lower respiratory infections, which were the leading cause of death in 1990 (11·0%). Lower respiratory infections contributed to the highest proportion of DALYs overall (6·0%), and in female indivduals (6·1%), but ischaemic heart disease was the leading cause of DALYs in male individuals (6·0%). DALYs from non-communicable diseases--especially ischaemic heart disease, mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, musculoskeletal disorders including low back pain and neck pain, diabetes, and cirrhosis--increased since 1990. Major depressive disorder was ranked first as a cause of YLDs in 1990, 2005, and 2010, and lower respiratory

The GEOSCOPE program: state of the art in 2006

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roult, G.; Geoscope Group, A

2006-12-01

-TAOE Marquesas Islands, a joint DASE/GEOSCOPE station 8-ATD Arta, Djibouti, a joint CTBTO/CERD/G station The next challenge is to link the maximum number of stations to our Data Center for getting data in real time. To reach this objective in a few years, we plan to upgrade 3 or 4 stations every year, giving priority to the ones easy to link permanently to Paris (TAM/Algeria, SPB/Brasil and CAN/Australia before the end of 2006). For the last ten years we have been progressively installing microbarometers and thermometers, transforming all our stations in multiparameter observatories. We also are participating to the national efforts for the creation of a Tsunami Warning Center at La Reunion Island in the frame of the CNATOI project (Centre National d'Alerte aux Tsunamis dans l'Ocean Indien).

Understanding mineral dusts from the Middle East

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engelbrecht, J. P.; McDonald, E.; Gillies, J. A.; Jayanty, J.; Casuccio, G.; Gertler, A.

2012-12-01

The purpose of the program was to provide scientifically founded information on the chemical and physical properties of airborne mineral dust collected during a period of approximately one year, largely in 2006, at Djibouti, Afghanistan (Bagram, Khowst), Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Iraq (Balad, Baghdad, Tallil, Tikrit, Taji, Al Asad), and Kuwait (Northern, Central, Coastal, and Southern regions). To fully understand mineral dusts, their chemical and physical properties as well as mineralogical interrelationships were accurately established. Three collocated low volume particulate samplers, one each for the total suspended (TSP), less than 10 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM10), and less than 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) particulate matter were deployed at each of the 15 sites, operating on a "1 in 6 day" sampling schedule. A total of 3,136 filter samples were collected on a 1-in-6 day schedule, along with one-time bulk soil samples, at each of the 15 sites. Sample media included Teflon® membrane and quartz fiber filters for chemical analysis (71 species), and Nuclepore® filters for individual particle analysis by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The provisional study of the data revealed three broad air pollution sources: geological dust, smoke from burn pits, and until now unidentified lead-zinc smelters and battery-processing facilities. SEM results and secondary electron imagery show that quartz and other silicate minerals and, to a lesser extent, dolomite and calcite particles are coated by a thin Si-Al-Mg layer, probably the clay minerals palygorskite and/or montmorillonite/illite. Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) was performed on aerosol samples collected at six military sites in Iraq (Balad, Baghdad, Tallil, Tikrit, Taji, and Al Asad). PMF results reflect chemical differences amongst sources impacting at individual sites, further complicated by the regional geomorphology and meteorology. Sampling sites are seldom impacted by one source at

Agricultural Early Warning Informing Humanitarian Response in East Africa for 2012

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Husak, G. J.; Funk, C. C.

2012-12-01

Long rains during the March-April-May (MAM) 2011 growing season were a failure for much of the Greater Horn of Africa. These conditions resulted in severe food shortages, with the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) estimating that 12.4 million people were in need of food assistance in Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti. Heading into the 2012 season, La Niña conditions, an exceptionally strong western-to-central Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) gradient, and warm SSTs in the eastern Indian Ocean foretold further dryness, compounding the difficulties faced by the already vulnerable populations of this region. In an effort to assess the potential for greater food insecurity in the region, FEWS NET scientists attempted to quantify the likelihood of a dry event. This work used satellite rainfall estimates with a 13-year rainfall history. Weights were assigned to previous years based on the similarity of existing SST conditions to those of previous years in the rainfall record. Scenarios were created by randomly combining dekadal rainfall from the historical record, in accordance with the weights. This bootstrapping resulted in a suite of simulations which could be used to identify the likelihood of specific rainfall outcomes. Areal averages of each simulation were used in the analysis. Analysis of the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) rainfall record, a gridded rainfall product based on available station data, showed that the mean rainfall value for the time period of the satellite data for this region was only about 80% of the 30-year mean. The bootstrapped scenarios were corrected for this bias during the period of the satellite record. Results were expressed as percent of average rather than in absolute rainfall amounts, to account for biases in the satellite products as well as variability in spatial amounts. The results showed that during a normal year the interquartile range is typically 80-120% of normal. However, using the

Seafloor spreading event in western Gulf of Aden during the November 2010-March 2011 period captured by regional seismic networks: evidence for diking events and interactions with a nascent transform zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, Abdulhakim; Doubre, Cécile; Leroy, Sylvie; Kassim, Mohamed; Keir, Derek; Abayazid, Ahmadine; Julie, Perrot; Laurence, Audin; Vergne, Jérome; Alexandre, Nercessian; Jacques, Eric; Khanbari, Khaled; Sholan, Jamal; Rolandone, Frédérique; Al-Ganad, Ismael

2016-05-01

In November 2010, intense seismic activity including 29 events with a magnitude above 5.0, started in the western part of the Gulf of Aden, where the structure of the oceanic spreading ridge is characterized by a series of N115°-trending slow-spreading segments set within an EW-trending rift. Using signals recorded by permanent and temporary networks in Djibouti and Yemen, we located 1122 earthquakes, with a magnitude ranging from 2.1 to 5.6 from 2010 November 1 to 2011 March 31. By looking in detail at the space-time distribution of the overall seismicity, and both the frequency and the moment tensor of large earthquakes, we re-examine the chronology of this episode. In addition, we also interpret the origin of the activity using high-resolution bathymetric data, as well as from observations of seafloor cable damage caused by high temperatures and lava flows. The analysis allows us to identify distinct active areas. First, we interpret that this episode is mainly related to a diking event along a specific ridge segment, located at E044°. In light of previous diking episodes in nearby subaerial rift segments, for which field constraints and both seismic and geodetic data exist, we interpret the space-time evolution of the seismicity of the first few days. Migration of earthquakes suggests initial magma ascent below the segment centre. This is followed by a southeastward dike propagation below the rift immediately followed by a northwestward dike propagation below the rift ending below the northern ridge wall. The cumulative seismic moment associated with this sequence reaches 9.1 × 1017 Nm, and taking into account a very low seismic versus geodetic moment, we estimate a horizontal opening of ˜0.58-2.9 m. The seismic activity that followed occurred through several bursts of earthquakes aligned along the segment axis, which are interpreted as short dike intrusions implying fast replenishment of the crustal magma reservoir feeding the dikes. Over the whole period

The GEOSCOPE Program: state of the art in 2007

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roult, G.; Stutzmann, E.; Maggi, A.

2007-05-01

The GEOSCOPE program was launched in 1982 by the National Institute of Sciences of Universe (INSU), a department of the French National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS), following the initiative of the Institute of Physics of the Earth of Paris (IPGP). The purpose was the installation of about 25 stations well distributed worldwide (in particular in the southern hemisphere), in the standard configuration defined by the FDSN (very broad-band 24 bit, continuous recording at 20sps). At present, the GEOSCOPE program is operating 28 digital 3-component very- broadband stations. In terms of site locations, the aim of the GEOSCOPE program is almost fulfilled. Our purpose is to maintain the stations at original sites (Indian Ocean, Africa) and to fill some geographical gaps at high latitudes in the southern and northern hemisphere. In particular, at high latitudes in Russia, we plan to install a new station VOR (Vorkuta) and to move the station SEY (Seimchan) to a new location in northern Kamchatka. We are also working on improving data quality and transmission. Historically, GEOSCOPE did not operate real- time data. Continuous data from most of stations arrive with significant delays and records from large events are teletransmitted from some stations (by phone RTC line or through internet) and are made available within one day. To improve this situation, we are replacing the old Streckeisen digitizers with new Quanterra data loggers, essentially Q330-HR ones. Presently data from 13 stations are made available at the IPGP Geoscope Data Center in near real-time, with a delay depending on the station: 1- ATD (Arta, Djibouti), a joint CTBTO/CERD/G station 2- CAN (Canberra, Australia), a joint ANU/G station 3- DZM (Dzumac, New Caledonia, a joint DASE/CTBTO/G station 4- ECH (Echery, France) 5- FDF (Fort de France, French West Indies) 6- KIP (Kipapa, Hawai), a joint IRIS/USGS/G station 7- PAF (Port aux Français, Kerguelen Island) 8- RER (Riviere de l'Est , La Reunion) 9

The GEOSCOPE Program : state of the art in 2004

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roult, G.; Lepine, J.; Rivera, L.; Stutzmann, E.; Group, G.

2004-12-01

The GEOSCOPE program was launched in 1982 by the National Institute of Sciences of Universe (INSU), a department of the French National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS), at the instigation of the Institute of Physics of the Earth of Paris (IPGP). The purpose of the GEOSCOPE program was the installation of about 25 stations well distributed worldwide (in particular in the southern hemisphere), in the standard configuration defined by the FDSN (very broad-band 24 bit, continuous recording at 20sps). The GEOSCOPE program is operating 28 digital very-broadband stations. Data from large events are teletransmitted for some stations (by phone line or through internet) and made available within one day. A satellite transmission system is now working, in cooperation with the french military agency CEA/DASE, in cooperation with CTBTO (Dzumac in New Caledonia). An agreement between GEOSCOPE and CTBTO allows us to get data continuously and with a low gain. The next CTBTO stations to be installed are ATD (Djibouti) and MBO (Senegal) in 2005. In terms of siting locations, the aim of the GEOSCOPE program is almost fulfilled; we plan to install a new station in MARQ (Marquesas Islands), one in Russia at high latitude at VOR (Vorkouta), one in Patagonia (COY in Chile), in order to fill some geographical gaps in the southern hemisphere. We installed in 2004 a joint station with IRIS and the CTBTO at TRIS (Tristan Da Cunha), in the southern Atlantic ocean. DCC in Antarctica is a joint EOST-Strasbourg/Concordia-Italy station. Our goal is now to replace our old digitizers by Quanterra ones, and to transmit all data in near real-time. At present 4 stations are sending their data in quasi-real time (DZM, ECH, SSB, FDF and RER). An inversion method for the fundamental mode Rayleigh wave spectra has made possible the rapid determination of the mechanism and the seismic moments. This determination is done routinely for all events with Ms > 6.5 from the teletransmitted stations data. The

Africa in SRTM 3-D, Anaglyph of Shaded Relief

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

Mauritania, a 'bull's eye' geologic structure, (2) the Velingara Ring in Senegal, a possible meteorite impact crater, (3) the delta of the Niger River in Nigeria, (4) the Cameroon Line of volcanoes, crossing Cameroon and extending offshore, (5) long linear mountain ridges crossing the southern end of Africa, (6) Mount Kilimanjaro and neighboring volcanoes in Kenya and Tanzania, (7) the Afar Triangle in Ethiopia, Djibouti, and vicinity, where Earth's crust is being pulled in three directions by tectonic forces, (8) the Dead Sea fault line, between Israel and Jordan, (9) ancient shorelines, inland from the coast of Libya, and (10) vast seas of sand dunes, particularly across the Sahara Desert and much of the Arabian Peninsula.

This anaglyph was created by deriving a shaded relief image from the SRTM data, draping it back over the SRTM elevation model, and then generating two differing perspectives, one for each eye. Illumination is from the north (top). When viewed through special glasses, the anaglyph is a vertically exaggerated view of the Earth's surface in its full three dimensions. Anaglyph glasses cover the left eye with a red filter and cover the right eye with a blue filter.

Elevation data used in this image were acquired by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, launched on February 11, 2000. SRTM used the same radar instrument that comprised the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) that flew twice on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994. SRTM was designed to collect three-dimensional measurements of the Earth's surface. To collect the 3-D data, engineers added a 60-meter-long (200-foot) mast, installed additional C-band and X-band antennas, and improved tracking and navigation devices. The mission is a cooperative project between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and the