Restricted genetic and antigenic diversity of Plasmodium falciparum under mesoendemic transmission in the Venezuelan Amazon.

The study of genetic diversity in malaria populations is expected to provide new insights for the deployment of control measures. Plasmodium falciparum diversity in Africa and Asia is thought to reflect endemicity. In comprehensive epidemiological surveys reported here the genetic and antigenic structure of P. falciparum in the Venezuelan Amazon were studied over a 2-year period. DNA polymorphisms in glutamate-rich protein (GLURP), merozoite-surface protein 1 (MSP1) and MSP2 genes, in a multicopy element (PfRRM), all showed low diversity, 1 predominant genotype, and virtually no multi-clonal infections. Moreover, linkage disequilibrium was seen between GLURP, MSP1 and MSP2. Specific antibody responses against MSP1 and MSP2 recombinant antigens reflected the low genetic diversity observed in the parasite population. This is unexpected in a mesoendemic area, and suggests that the low diversity here may not only relate to endemicity but to other influences such as a bottleneck effect. Linkage disequilibrium and a predominant genotype may imply that P. falciparum frequently propagates with an epidemic or clonal population structure in the Venezuelan Amazon

Sustainability Assessment of Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing Companies

Sustainable manufacturing is becoming increasingly important with substantial social, environmental and economic benefits, thus companies show more tendency to adopt this concept. Recognizing the benefits of sustainability, manufacturing companies need to measure how sustainable they perform. However, sustainability can be thought as an abstract issue which is difficult to measure and also assess. Measuring sustainability is a continuously evolving research area which generates various sustainability indicators to assess companies' production activities. Practically, while evaluating the sustainability performance of a manufacturing system, various indicators should be considered simultaneously. This study focuses on the usage of sustainability indicators to assess the sustainability of a production company from a multi-criteria decision making point of view. As a case study, the sustainability performances of an international beverage company which produces non-alcoholic drinks were evaluated. TOPSIS method was adopted as an assessment method with the use of several conflicting indicators simultaneously