Species occurrence of cetaceans in Guinea, including humpback whales with southern hemisphere seasonality

An initial inventory of the dolphins and whales occurring in Guinea's coastal waters is documented primarily from specimens and photographic evidence obtained from strandings and by-catches. Seven species are fully validated, four odontocetes, Tursiops truncatus, Sousa teuszii, Stenella frontalis, Kogia breviceps and three balaenopterid whales: Balaenoptera brydei, Balaenoptera acutorostrata and Megaptera novaeangliae. Another three reported species (Globicephala macrorhynchus, Steno bredanensis and Delphinus delphis) are insufficiently supported but thought to be valid. Small cetaceans landed as by-catch and a stranded whale were used for human consumption, but no evidence of substantial takes, directed or by-catch, was found. However, concern is raised about even minimal takes of the vulnerable Atlantic humpback dolphin. The seasonal presence of three confirmed humpback whales, two strandings (July and September) and a sighting (October), is synchronous with the species' southern hemisphere wintering/breeding season in low latitudes. We hypothesize that these whales may comprise the north-westernmost range of the population that breeds/overwinters in coastal waters of the Bight of Benin, northern Gulf of Guinea

Efficacy of Three-Week Oxytetracycline or Rifampin Monotherapy Compared with a Combination Regimen against the Filarial Nematode Onchocerca ochengi

Onchocerciasis (river blindness), caused by the filarial nematode Onchocerca volvulus, is a major cause of visual impairment and dermatitis in sub-Saharan Africa. As O. volvulus contains an obligatory bacterial symbiont (Wolbachia), it is susceptible to antibiotic chemotherapy, although current regimens are considered too prolonged for community-level control programs. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacies of oxytetracycline and rifampin, administered separately or in combination, against a close relative of O. volvulus (Onchocerca ochengi) in cattle. Six animals per group were treated with continuous or intermittent oxytetracycline regimens, and effects on adult worm viability, dermal microfilarial loads, and Wolbachia density in worm tissues were assessed. Subsequently, the efficacies of 3-week regimens of oxytetracycline and rifampin alone and a combination regimen were compared, and rifampin levels in plasma and skin were quantified. A 6-month regimen of oxytetracycline with monthly dosing was strongly adulticidal, while 3-week and 6-week regimens exhibited weaker adulticidal effects. However, all three regimens achieved >2-log reductions in microfilarial load. In contrast, rifampin monotherapy and oxytetracycline-rifampin duotherapy failed to induce substantive reductions in either adult worm burden or microfilarial load, although a borderline effect on Wolbachia density was observed following duotherapy. Dermal rifampin levels were maintained above the MIC for >24 h after a single intravenous dose. We conclude that oxytetracycline-rifampin duotherapy is less efficacious against O. ochengi than oxytetracycline alone. Further studies will be required to determine whether rifampin reduces oxytetracycline bioavailability in this system, as suggested by human studies using other tetracycline-rifampin combinations

The cetaceans of Guinea, a first check-list of documented species. Scientific Committee document SC/58/O15, International Whaling Commission, May-June 2006, St. Kitts

A CMS workshop on West African Cetacea (Conakry, May 2000), called for i.a. ‘carrying out .. inventory of cetacean species; collection, treatment and compilation of data for each state.’ The present paper is a preliminary faunal checklist of cetaceans occurring in Guinea’s EEZ. Information was gleaned from strandings, bycatches, scientific and opportunistic sightings and a literature review. Ten species are included for which supporting voucher material and data were available for examination. These are, three baleen whales: Balaenoptera brydei, Balaenoptera acutorostrata and Megaptera novaeangliae; and seven species of odontocetes: Kogia breviceps, Tursiops truncatus, Sousa teuszii, Stenella frontalis, Delphinus delphis, Steno bredanensis and Globicephala macrorhynchus. Another two species, Physeter macrocephalus and Stenella attenuate were sighted off Guinea but no photographic evidence was obtained. The current account is thought to reflect an incomplete picture of Guinea’s cetacean biodiversity. Future surveys are expected to update and investigate spatial and temporal distribution patterns for each species along Guinea’s coast. A few bycatches landed by artisanal fishers were utilised locally, but there are no signs of any substantial captures. Nonetheless, monitoring should be continued. The set-up of a national reference collection and database is recommended. The population identities of the encountered Atlantic humpback dolphin, minke whale and humpback whale are of particular interest

Beyond LLM in M-theory

The Lin, Lunin, Maldacena (LLM) ansatz in D = 11 supports two independent Killing directions when a general Killing spinor ansatz is considered. Here we show that these directions always commute, identify when the Killing spinors are charged, and show that both their inner product and resulting geometry are governed by two fundamental constants. In particular, setting one constant to zero leads to AdS7 x S4, setting the other to zero gives AdS4 x S7, while flat spacetime is recovered when both these constants are zero. Furthermore, when the constants are equal, the spacetime is either LLM, or it corresponds to the Kowalski-Glikman solution where the constants are simply the mass parameter.Comment: 1+30 pages, footnote adde

Fetal death in utero: epidemiological aspects, management and maternal prognosis in the obstetrics and gynecology department of the community medical centre of Ratoma

Background: Fetal death in utero (FDIU) often represents a tragedy badly lived, sometimes incomprehensible. It is considered as a failure of pregnancy's progress and monitoring. It is a frequent problem in obstetrical practice. Objective of study was to contribute to the study of FDIU in the maternity ward of the Ratoma municipal medical center.Methods: This was a prospective study of analytical type conducted over a period of 6 months from 1 January to 30 June 2017.Results: During this study period, we recorded 54 cases of FDIU out of a total of 1256 deliveries, or a frequency of 4.3%. The average age of our patients was 28.5 years with extremes of 16 to 39 years, the most represented age group was 25 to 34 years, with a frequency of 44.4%. The absence of active fetal movement was the main reason for consultation, with a frequency of 51.9%, and housewives were the most affected, with a frequency of 61.1%. The 70.4% of our patients gave birth by vaginal delivery and oxytocin was the most commonly used drug for induction of labor, i.e., 77.8%. The immediate maternal prognosis was 100% favorable and no case of maternal death was recordedConclusions: In-utero fetal death is a frequent obstetrical pathology, the awareness of women for the realization of ANC as well as the early management of risk factors detected during ANC constitutes an element of great importance. Therefore, a regular follow-up of all pregnant women even in the absence of risk factors proves necessary

Dipole Coupling Effect of Holographic Fermion in the Background of Charged Gauss-Bonnet AdS Black Hole

We investigate the holographic fermions in the charged Gauss-Bonnet $AdS_{d}$ black hole background with the dipole coupling between fermion and gauge field in the bulk. We show that in addition to the strength of the dipole coupling, the spacetime dimension and the higher curvature correction in the gravity background also influence the onset of the Fermi gap and the gap distance. We find that the higher curvature effect modifies the fermion spectral density and influences the value of the Fermi momentum for the appearance of the Fermi surface. There are richer physics in the boundary fermion system due to the modification in the bulk gravity.Comment: 16 pages, accepted for publication in JHE

Effects on the QT Interval of a Gatifloxacin-Containing Regimen versus Standard Treatment of Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

The effects on ventricular repolarization-recorded on the electrocardiogram (ECG) as lengthening of the QT interval-of acute tuberculosis and those of standard and alternative antituberculosis regimens are underdocumented. A correction factor (QTc) is introduced to make the QT independent of the heart rate, translating into the slope of the regression line between QT and heart rate being close to zero. ECGs were performed predosing and 1 to 5 h postdosing (month 1, month 2, and end of treatment) around drugs' peak concentration time in tuberculosis patients treated with either the standard 6-month treatment (rifampin and isoniazid for 6 months and pyrazinamide and ethambutol for 2 months; "control") or a test regimen with gatifloxacin, rifampin, and isoniazid given for 4 months (pyrazinamide for the first 2 months) as part of the OFLOTUB study, a randomized controlled trial conducted in five African countries. Drug levels were measured at steady state (month 1) in a subset of patients. We compared treatment effects on the QTc and modeled the effect of individual drugs' maximum concentrations of drug in serum (Cmax) on the Fridericia-corrected QT interval. A total of 1,686 patients were eligible for the correction factor analysis of QT at baseline (mean age, 30.7 years; 27% female). Median heart rate decreased from 96/min at baseline to 71/min at end of treatment, and body temperature decreased from 37.2 to 36.5°C. Pretreatment, the nonlinear model estimated the best correction factor at 0.4081 in between Bazett's (0.5) and Fridericia's (0.33) corrections. On treatment, Fridericia (QTcF) was the best correction factor. A total of 1,602 patients contributed to the analysis of QTcF by treatment arm. The peak QTcF value during follow-up was >480 ms for 21 patients (7 and 14 in the test and control arms, respectively) and >500 ms for 9 patients (5 and 4, respectively), corresponding to a risk difference of -0.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], -2.0% to 2.3%; P = 0.12) and 0.1% (95% CI, -0.6% to 0.9%; P = 0.75), respectively, between the test and control arms. One hundred six (6.6%) patients had a peak measurement change from baseline of >60 ms (adjusted between-arm difference, 0.8%; 95% CI, -1.4% to 3.1%; P = 0.47). No evidence was found of an association between Cmax of the antituberculosis drugs 1 month into treatment and the length of QTcF. Neither a standard 6-month nor a 4-month gatifloxacin-based regimen appears to carry a sizable risk of QT prolongation in patients with newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis. This is to date the largest data set studying the effects of antituberculosis regimens on the QT, both for the standard regimen and for a fluoroquinolone-containing regimen. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under identifier NCT00216385.)

On N = 2 Truncations of IIB on T^{1,1}

We study the N=4 gauged supergravity theory which arises from the consistent truncation of IIB supergravity on the coset T^{1,1}. We analyze three N=2 subsectors and in particular we clarify the relationship between true superpotentials for gauged supergravity and certain fake superpotentials which have been widely used in the literature. We derive a superpotential for the general reduction of type I supergravity on T^{1,1} and this together with a certain solution generating symmetry is tantamount to a superpotential for the baryonic branch of the Klebanov-Strassler solution.Comment: 32 pages, v2:references adde