Climate change and dynamic of lands occupation at the hippopotamus pond biosphere reserve in Burkina Faso

In Africa, forest cover and timber resources experienced a sharp decline, especially in the last thirty years. Burkina Faso has experienced major droughts, especially from1965-1966to 1991-1992 and 1994 – 1995 with serious impact on agriculture, water resources and natural vegetation as well as the indirect consequences on health, economy and institutions. The forests are located in areas dominated by subsistence production agricultural and many herds of cattle. The growing needs for firewood leads to anarchic cuts causing the deterioration of forest genetic resources. The Biosphere Reserve of “Mare aux hippopotames (RBMH)” although its International statute knows these phenomena. The study aims generally to contribute to an assessment of the impacts of climate change on the lands occupation of the Biosphere reserve. The specific objectives are: i) understand the perception of the people on climate change and its effects; (ii) study the dynamics of lands occupation in the RBMH and iii) Identify the causes of decline of ecosystems. The approach consisted in a diachronic analysis to assess the dynamics of lands occupation and semi structured interviews to collect the effects and manifestations of climate change with60 men and 40 women from 10 villages of the RBMH.A list of 29 climate resiliencehas beencited by all the villages. The incidence of disease is the largest followed by the lack of drinking water and drought; floods, overload work and drought are the most severe. Our results could contribute to take actions coping with climate change and variability

Impact de la sécheresse et de la dégradation des aires protégées sur la répartition des trypanosomoses bovines et de leurs vecteurs dans le bassin versant de l'Oti au nord du Togo

Logé dans l'aire de transition entre les zones semi-aride au Nord et humide au Sud, le bassin versant de l'Oti (BVO) a subi durant les décennies 1970 - 1990 de très fortes pressions anthropiques et climatiques. La sécheresse, l'avancée du désert et les activités économiques reposant essentiellement sur l'agriculture et l'élevage ont contribué à la dégradation de ce bassin. En outre, de par sa position, le BVO accueille chaque année pendant la saison sèche du bétail transhumant venant du Burkina Faso et du Niger. Ce mouvement saisonnier des bovins transhumants a été source de maintien et de transmission de plusieurs maladies transfrontalières et des trypanosomoses animales. Des données de synthèse bibliographique et d'enquêtes de terrain effectuées en fin de saison sèche en avril et mai 2006, traitées dans un système d'information géographique (SIG), ont permis d'évaluer l'impact des facteurs anthropiques et climatiques sur l'épidémiologie des trypanosomoses animales dans le BVO. Les résultats de l'étude ont montré que le BVO était fortement dégradé ; les grands mammifères sauvages et les glossines ont quasiment disparu de la réserve de faune de la Fosse aux lions. Glossina tachinoides a été la seule espèce capturée au nord du 10e parallèle de latitude N. Trypanosoma vivax a été classé comme le principal parasite responsable des trypanosomoses bovines. Il a été conclu que l'homme par son action sur l'environnement et les changements climatiques ont provoqué un recul vers le sud de l'aire de répartition des glossines. (Résumé d'auteur

Population genetics and reproductive strategies of african trypanosomes : revisiting available published data

Trypanosomatidae are a dangerous family of Euglenobionta parasites that threaten the health and economy of millions of people around the world. More precisely describing the population biology and reproductive mode of such pests is not only a matter of pure science, but can also be useful for understanding parasite adaptation, as well as how parasitism, specialization (parasite specificity), and complex life cycles evolve over time. Studying this parasite’s reproductive strategies and population structure can also contribute key information to the understanding of the epidemiology of associated diseases; it can also provide clues for elaborating control programs and predicting the probability of success for control campaigns (such as vaccines and drug therapies), along with emergence or re-emergence risks. Population genetics tools, if appropriately used, can provide precise and useful information in these investigations. In this paper, we revisit recent data collected during population genetics surveys of different Trypanosoma species in sub-Saharan Africa. Reproductive modes and population structure depend not only on the taxon but also on the geographical location and data quality (absence or presence of DNA amplification failures). We conclude on issues regarding future directions of research, in particular vis-à-vis genotyping and sampling strategies, which are still relevant yet, too often, neglected issues

Consumo de nutrientes de cordeiros Santa Inês alimentados com níveis de feno de erva-sal (Atriplex nummularia L.) e concentrado.

Zootec 2011

In silico identification of a candidate synthetic peptide (Tsgf1(18-43)) to monitor human exposure to tsetse flies in West Africa

Background: The analysis of humoral responses directed against the saliva of blood-sucking arthropods was shown to provide epidemiological biomarkers of human exposure to vector-borne diseases. However, the use of whole saliva as antigen presents several limitations such as problems of mass production, reproducibility and specificity. The aim of this study was to design a specific biomarker of exposure to tsetse flies based on the in silico analysis of three Glossina salivary proteins (Ada, Ag5 and Tsgf1) previously shown to be specifically recognized by plasma from exposed individuals. Methodology/Principal Findings: Synthetic peptides were designed by combining several linear epitope prediction methods and Blast analysis. The most specific peptides were then tested by indirect ELISA on a bank of 160 plasma samples from tsetse infested areas and tsetse free areas. Anti-Tsgf1(18-43) specific IgG levels were low in all three control populations (from rural Africa, urban Africa and Europe) and were significantly higher (p < 0.0001) in the two populations exposed to tsetse flies (Guinean HAT foci, and South West Burkina Faso). A positive correlation was also found between Anti-Tsgf1(18-43) IgG levels and the risk of being infected by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense in the sleeping sickness foci of Guinea. Conclusion/Significance: The Tsgf1(18-43) peptide is a suitable and promising candidate to develop a standardize immunoassay allowing large scale monitoring of human exposure to tsetse flies in West Africa. This could provide a new surveillance indicator for tsetse control interventions by HAT control programs

Editorial: Innovative behavior in entrepreneurship: Analyzing new perspectives and challenges

In recent years, the relationship between behavior and innovation has come to be globally accepted as a prerequisite of business success (Li et al., 2022). Innovative behavior is seen as an introduction to the application and development of new ideas, processes, initiatives, or actions by qualified professionals (RoŽman and Štrukelj, 2021). Developed either individually or collectively, innovative behavior drives creativity and is directly linked to a multitude of behaviors that lead to the generation of new ideas, initiatives, and value for new companies’ products and services (Barbosa et al., 2022).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effects of Drought on Mortality in Macro Urban Areas of Brazil Between 2000 and 2019.

A significant fraction of Brazil's population has been exposed to drought in recent years, a situation that is expected to worsen in frequency and intensity due to climate change. This constitutes a current key environmental health concern, especially in densely urban areas such as several big cities and suburbs. For the first time, a comprehensive assessment of the short-term drought effects on weekly non-external, circulatory, and respiratory mortality was conducted in 13 major Brazilian macro-urban areas across 2000-2019. We applied quasi-Poisson regression models adjusted by temperature to explore the association between drought (defined by the Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index) and the different mortality causes by location, sex, and age groups. We next conducted multivariate meta-analytical models separated by cause and population groups to pool individual estimates. Impact measures were expressed as the attributable fractions among the exposed population, from the relative risks (RRs). Overall, a positive association between drought exposure and mortality was evidenced in the total population, with RRs varying from 1.003 [95% CI: 0.999-1.007] to 1.010 [0.996-1.025] for non-external mortality related to moderate and extreme drought conditions, from 1.002 [0.997-1.007] to 1.008 [0.991-1.026] for circulatory mortality, and from 1.004 [0.995-1.013] to 1.013 [0.983-1.044] for respiratory mortality. Females, children, and the elderly population were the most affected groups, for whom a robust positive association was found. The study also revealed high heterogeneity between locations. We suggest that policies and action plans should pay special attention to vulnerable populations to promote efficient measures to reduce vulnerability and risks associated with droughts

Impact of Jatropha plantation on soil chemical and biological properties in the South Sudanian region in Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso, about 100,000 ha of Jatropha were planted during the past 10 years. Despite this enthusiasm, few results exist on the impact of the plant on soil properties. This study contributes to better knowledge of Jatropha farming and was carried out in 2013 with Jatropha farmers in Torokoro and Tin villages in the south Sudanian zone of Burkina Faso (rainfall 900-1200 mm). Data collection plots of 400 m2 repeated 3 times were installed in 3 farmers’ fields in each village. Soil samples were collected at 3 distances (D0= under the crown, D1= 1m and D2= 2m) from the Jatropha trees lines and in a fallow as a control sample for each field. The results showed significant differences between distances for soil pH. Soil nutrients increase with distance from the crown (from 9.33% to 12.20%) for available phosphorus in Torokoro-6 years and decrease from 22.45% to 23.71% in Torokoro-2 years). Soil respiration and microbial biomass decreases also with distance. The density of spores of mycorrhizal fungi is higher for the control soils (14.64%) and it decreases from crown to 2m (from 2.22% to 9.53% in Tin-2 years). The study showed the contribution of Jatropha trees on soil fertility improvement.© 2015 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved.Keywords: Jatropha, soil biology, microbial biomass, carbon, nitrogen, Burkina Fas

Proposta de política pública para fortalecimento dos Núcleos de Inovação Tecnológica no Amapá.

No cenário brasileiro, a Lei de Inovação, promulgada em 2004 e reiterada pelo Marco Legal de Inovação em 2016, estabeleceu que as Instituições de Ciência e Tecnologia (ICTs) dispusessem de Núcleos de Inovação Tecnológica (NITs) para gerir suas respectivas políticas de inovação. No estado do Amapá, atualmente, existem apenas dois NITs, criados há pouco tempo e que enfrentam dificuldades para poder cumprir seu papel institucional. Por isso a necessidade de realizar políticas públicas voltadas ao fortalecimento dos NITs no Estado. Portanto, o objetivo deste artigo é apresentar uma proposta de política pública que impulsione o fortalecimento da profissionalização dos NITs do Amapá. Os dados foram extraídos de uma entrevista semiestruturada e dos sites dos NITs. Como resultado, espera-se o melhor desempenho dos NITs, com maior agilidade e segurança quanto à proteção da propriedade intelectual e melhor capacidade de análise e avaliação pelos NITs das invenções desenvolvidas no Estado