Unconventional feeds for small ruminants in dry areas have a minor effect on manure nitrogen flow in the soil-plant system

In dry areas, unconventional feeds are increasingly used for mitigating feed shortages and rangeland degradation. We evaluated how feeding sheep diets containing olive leaves, saltbush leaves and olive cake affects manure quality compared to a barley straw based diet. Soil incubation and plant growth experiments were carried out to measure soil nitrogen (N) mineralization and N uptake by barley plants and to calculate N flow through the feed-animal-soil-plant system. Fresh feces, composts consisting of feces, urine and straw, and ammonium sulfate fertilizer were mixed with soil at rate of 90mgNkg−1 soil dry matter. Comparisons were made with non-amended soils (control) and soils amended with fresh olive cake applied at 90 and 22.5mgNkg−1 soil dry matter, respectively. The latter treatment enabled investigation of the effect of passage of olive cake through the digestive tract of sheep on N availability and phenol transformation. Applying fresh olive cake and feces, except the saltbush leaf derived feces, resulted in a net N immobilization. All composts resulted in net N mineralization, although not significantly different from the 0N control soil. Barley growing in soils with amendment that caused N immobilization took up less N than barley growing on the 0N treatment. Reduction in N uptake was most pronounced after amendment with fresh-olive cake. Treatments with net mineralization increased barley N uptake over the 0N treatment with 2-16% of N applied being taken up. Dietary composition had a minor effect on N fertilizer value of either feces or compost, but feces N alone was not an efficient N sourc

Sexual risk-taking behavior amongst emerging adults in a tertiary institution of learning in Coastal Kenya: A qualitative study of stakeholders’ perspectives using causal loop mapping

Background It is known from previous studies that university students in sub-Saharan Africa (sSA) engage in sexual risk-taking behaviour (SRTB). However, there is paucity of data on factors contributing to SRTB among university students (emerging adults) at the Kenyan Coast thus hindering intervention planning. This study seeks to provide an in-depth qualitative understanding of the factors contributing to SRTB and their interconnectedness among university students at the Kenyan Coast combining qualitative research with a systems thinking approach. Methods Using the ecological model, and employing in-depth interviews, we explored the perceptions of twenty-six key informants (twenty-one emerging adults and five other stakeholders) on what constitutes and influences SRTB among emerging adults at a tertiary institution of learning in Coastal Kenya. Data were analysed using a thematic framework approach. A causal loop diagram (CLD) was developed to map the interconnectedness of the correlates of SRTB. Results Our findings show that unprotected sex, transactional sex, cross-generational sex, multiple sex partnerships, gender-based violence, sex under influence of alcohol/drugs, early sex debut, and sharing sex toys were common SRTBs. Based on the ecological model and CLD, most of the reported risk factors were interconnected and operated at the individual level. Conclusion Our study shows that emerging adults are frequently engaging in unprotected sex. Enhancing sexuality education programs for students in Kenyan universities and strengthening support systems including counselling for those using alcohol/drugs may help reduce SRTB among emerging adults in Kenyan universities

Path analyses of risk factors for linear growth faltering in four prospective cohorts of young children in Ghana, Malawi and Burkina Faso

Stunting prevalence is an indicator of a country’s progress towards United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 2, which is to end hunger and achieve improved nutrition. Accelerating progress towards reducing stunting requires a deeper understanding of the factors that contribute to linear growth faltering. We conducted path analyses of factors associated with 18-month length-for-age z-score (LAZ) in four prospective cohorts of children who participated in trials conducted as part of the International Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements Project in Ghana (n=1039), Malawi (n=684 and 1504) and Burkina Faso (n=2619). In two cohorts, women were enrolled during pregnancy. In two other cohorts, infants were enrolled at 6 or 9 months. We examined the association of 42 indicators of environmental, maternal, caregiving and child factors with 18-month LAZ. Using structural equation modelling, we examined direct and indirect associations through hypothesised mediators in each cohort. Out of 42 indicators, 2 were associated with 18-month LAZ in three or four cohorts: maternal height and body mass index (BMI). Six factors were associated with 18-month LAZ in two cohorts: length for gestational age z-score (LGAZ) at birth, pregnancy duration, improved household water, child dietary diversity, diarrhoea incidence and 6-month or 9-month haemoglobin concentration. Direct associations were more prevalent than indirect associations, but 30%–62% of the associations of maternal height and BMI with 18-month LAZ were mediated by LGAZ at birth. Factors that were not associated with LAZ were maternal iron status, illness and inflammation during pregnancy, maternal stress and depression, exclusive breast feeding during 6 months post partum, feeding frequency and child fever, malaria and acute respiratory infections. These findings may help in identifying interventions to accelerate progress towards reducing stunting; however, much of the variance in linear growth status remained unaccounted for by these 42 individual-level factors, suggesting that community-level changes may be needed to achieve substantial progress.</p

Predictors and pathways of language and motor development in four prospective cohorts of young children in Ghana, Malawi, and Burkina Faso

Background: Previous reviews have identified 44 risk factors for poor early child development (ECD) in low- and middle-income countries. Further understanding of their relative influence and pathways is needed to inform the design of interventions targeting ECD. Methods: We conducted path analyses of factors associated with 18-month language and motor development in four prospective cohorts of children who participated in trials conducted as part of the International Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements (iLiNS) Project in Ghana (n = 1,023), Malawi (n = 675 and 1,385), and Burkina Faso (n = 1,122). In two cohorts, women were enrolled during pregnancy. In two cohorts, infants were enrolled at 6 or 9 months. In multiple linear regression and structural equationmodels (SEM), we examined 22 out of 44 factors identified in previous reviews, plus 12 additional factors expected to be associated with ECD. Results: Out of 42 indicators of the 34 factors examined, 6 were associated with 18-month language and/or motor development in 3 or 4 cohorts: child linear and ponderal growth, variety of play materials, activities with caregivers, dietary diversity, and child hemoglobin/iron status. Factors that were not associated with child development were indicators of maternal Hb/iron status, maternal illness and inflammation during pregnancy, maternal perceived stress and depression, exclusive breastfeeding during 6 months postpartum, and child diarrhea, fever, malaria, and acute respiratory infections. Associations between socioeconomic status and language development were consistently mediated to a greater extent by caregiving practices than by maternal or child biomedical conditions, while this pattern for motor development was not consistent across cohorts. Conclusions: Key elements of interventions to ensure quality ECD are likely to be promotion of caregiver activities with children, a variety of play materials, and a diverse diet, and prevention of faltering in linear and ponderal growth and improvement in child hemoglobin/iron status

Child wasting and concurrent stunting in low- and middle-income countries

Sustainable Development Goal 2.2—to end malnutrition by 2030—includes the elimination of child wasting, defined as a weight-for-length z-score that is more than two standard deviations below the median of the World Health Organization standards for child growth 1. Prevailing methods to measure wasting rely on cross-sectional surveys that cannot measure onset, recovery and persistence—key features that inform preventive interventions and estimates of disease burden. Here we analyse 21 longitudinal cohorts and show that wasting is a highly dynamic process of onset and recovery, with incidence peaking between birth and 3 months. Many more children experience an episode of wasting at some point during their first 24 months than prevalent cases at a single point in time suggest. For example, at the age of 24 months, 5.6% of children were wasted, but by the same age (24 months), 29.2% of children had experienced at least one wasting episode and 10.0% had experienced two or more episodes. Children who were wasted before the age of 6 months had a faster recovery and shorter episodes than did children who were wasted at older ages; however, early wasting increased the risk of later growth faltering, including concurrent wasting and stunting (low length-for-age z-score), and thus increased the risk of mortality. In diverse populations with high seasonal rainfall, the population average weight-for-length z-score varied substantially (more than 0.5 z in some cohorts), with the lowest mean z-scores occurring during the rainiest months; this indicates that seasonally targeted interventions could be considered. Our results show the importance of establishing interventions to prevent wasting from birth to the age of 6 months, probably through improved maternal nutrition, to complement current programmes that focus on children aged 6–59 months

Early-childhood linear growth faltering in low- and middle-income countries

Globally, 149 million children under 5 years of age are estimated to be stunted (length more than 2 standard deviations below international growth standards) 1,2. Stunting, a form of linear growth faltering, increases the risk of illness, impaired cognitive development and mortality. Global stunting estimates rely on cross-sectional surveys, which cannot provide direct information about the timing of onset or persistence of growth faltering—a key consideration for defining critical windows to deliver preventive interventions. Here we completed a pooled analysis of longitudinal studies in low- and middle-income countries (n = 32 cohorts, 52,640 children, ages 0–24 months), allowing us to identify the typical age of onset of linear growth faltering and to investigate recurrent faltering in early life. The highest incidence of stunting onset occurred from birth to the age of 3 months, with substantially higher stunting at birth in South Asia. From 0 to 15 months, stunting reversal was rare; children who reversed their stunting status frequently relapsed, and relapse rates were substantially higher among children born stunted. Early onset and low reversal rates suggest that improving children’s linear growth will require life course interventions for women of childbearing age and a greater emphasis on interventions for children under 6 months of age

Causes and consequences of child growth faltering in low-resource settings

Growth faltering in children (low length for age or low weight for length) during the first 1,000 days of life (from conception to 2 years of age) influences short-term and long-term health and survival 1,2. Interventions such as nutritional supplementation during pregnancy and the postnatal period could help prevent growth faltering, but programmatic action has been insufficient to eliminate the high burden of stunting and wasting in low- and middle-income countries. Identification of age windows and population subgroups on which to focus will benefit future preventive efforts. Here we use a population intervention effects analysis of 33 longitudinal cohorts (83,671 children, 662,763 measurements) and 30 separate exposures to show that improving maternal anthropometry and child condition at birth accounted for population increases in length-for-age z-scores of up to 0.40 and weight-for-length z-scores of up to 0.15 by 24 months of age. Boys had consistently higher risk of all forms of growth faltering than girls. Early postnatal growth faltering predisposed children to subsequent and persistent growth faltering. Children with multiple growth deficits exhibited higher mortality rates from birth to 2 years of age than children without growth deficits (hazard ratios 1.9 to 8.7). The importance of prenatal causes and severe consequences for children who experienced early growth faltering support a focus on pre-conception and pregnancy as a key opportunity for new preventive interventions

Effects of local crop residues and agro-industrial by-products on milk yield and quality of Syrian Awassi ewes Effects of local crop residues and agro-industrial by-products on milk yield and quality of Syrian Awassi ewes

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To cite th is article / Pou r citer cet article Abstract. In order to test the effect of several feed replacement options available in Syria, an experiment with lactating ewes was conducted. Thus, six diets containing locally available crop residues (as experimental forages) and agro-industrial by-products (as experimental concentrate constituents) were tested in Syrian Awassi ewes for their effects on milk yield and quality. Diets had a forage: concentrate ratio of 0.3:0.7. The test feeds, constituting 30% of the diets, replaced control diet ingredients (forages: barley straw vs. olive leaves, lentil straw or Atriplex leaves; concentrates: wheat bran/cottonseed meal vs. olive cake or tomato pomace). Diets were designed to be isonitrogenous and isoenergetic using results of a previous digestibility experiment. Animals were group-fed with 2.5 kg dry matter/day and had ad libitum access to water. During 50 days, ewes were milked twice daily, and milk sampling and yield recording were done weekly. Data were subjected to ANOVA (effects: diet and time). Milk yield and composition changed with time, but did not significantly differ among treatments, except after 5 weeks with a higher milk fat content in the tomato pomace group (7.5%) followed by the olive cake group (7.4%). Even though not significant, a trend towards lower milk somatic cell counts for the olive cake group indicates a potential antioxidative activity. The results suggest that, when diets are nutritionally balanced, various alternatives can be applied successfully in ewe milk production. Keywords. Awassi sheep -Agro-industrial by-products -Crop residues -Digestibility -Syria. Effets des résidus de récolte et des sous-produits agro-industriel

Evolution des pectines et des activités polygalacturonases au cours de la maturation de la datte Deglet-nour

National audienceDuring storage, the date undergoes several changes that affect its organoleptic characters. The characterisation of the parameters which induce these evolutions was carried out for understanding the biochemical mechanisms in order to select the conditions assuring the stability of the date during its storage preserving its nutritional value and its commercial value. The extraction and the fractionation of pectic substances were achieved as a function of the ripening of the date which contained about 2% of total pectin. The observed degradation of these pectin was ascribed to the presence of PG, a pectolytic enzyme responsible for the softening of fruit; indeed the PG activity increased during the stages of development with a maximal activity at the last stage (0.53 Ul/g Fresh Matter). The date polygalacturonase will be an exopolygalacturonase which presents an optimal activity at the temperature 40 degrees C and pH 5.Au cours du stockage, la datte est sujette à plusieurs évolutions qui affectent ses caractéristiques organoleptiques. La caractérisation des paramètres inducteurs de ces évolutions doit permettre de maîtriser les mécanismes biochimiques et enzymatiques afin de pouvoir offrir les conditions adéquates pour assurer la stabilité de la datte au cours du stockage préservant sa valeur nutritive et sa valeur marchande. Ce travail a permis l'extraction et le fractionnement des substances pectiques, au cours de la maturation, de la datte qui contient environ 2 % de pectines. La dégradation enzymatique de ces pectines par les polygalacturonases, responsables avec les pectineméthylestérases du ramollissement, est illustrée par l'activité polygalacturonase qui augmente au cours de la maturation pour atteindre une activité maximale au dernier stade de maturation (0,53 UI/g Matière Fraîche). La polygalacturonase de la datte serait une exo-polygalacturonase qui présente une activité optimale à une température de 40 °C et à un pH égal à 5