The effect of treatment methods and storage conditions on postharvest disease and fungal quality of Irvingia gabonensis (Aubry-Lecomte ex O’Rorke) kernels

Irvingia gabonensis (Aubry-Lecomte ex O’Rorke) are especially valued for their fat and protein rich kernels but are often contaminated, while in storage, by spoilage fungi that are potentially hazardous to human and animal health. Hence in this research, the postharvest disease and fungal quality of Irvingia kernels was studied. Freshly harvested Irvingia kernels were subjected to three treatment methods (sun-dried, 0.9% NaCl and 3% KHCO3) and stored in both sealed and open bags for 28 days. Results showed that fungal population and postharvest disease incidence of Irvingia kernels in storage were dependent on treatment methods, storage conditions and storage days. Overall mean log cfu of fungi on Sun-dried Irvingia kernels (5.60) was significantly (P? 0.05) lower than those treated with 0.9% NaCl (5.95) or 3% KHCO3 (5.99). Incidence and severity of diseased Irvingia kernels stored in sealed bags were significantly (P? 0.05) lower than those stored in open bags. Disease incidence and severity of Irvingia kernels increased significantly (P? 0.05) as storage period increased. Eight species of fungi Aspergillus niger (26.60%), Rhizopus stolonifer (21.28%), Aspergillus flavus (19.15%), Penicillium species (10.64%), Mucor species (8.51%), Candida tropicalis (5.32%), Phytophthora species (4.26%) and Fusarium oxysporum (4.26%) were isolated from the kernels after 28 days of storage. Results further showed that A. flavus, Penicillium and Fusarium species, known to produce mycotoxins were not isolated from kernels treated with NaCl or sun-dried and stored in sealed bags. It is therefore advisable to store Irvingia kernels in sealed bags after drying them under direct sun or treating with 0.9% NaCl. Keywords: Irvingia gabonensis, Postharvest disease, Postharvest treatment, spoilage fungi, storage

Postharvest Spoilage of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) and Control Strategies in Nigeria

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is a globally grown vegetable fruit, rich in vitamins and minerals. It is used for culinary purposes and in the production of fruit drinks. A total of one million hectares per annum is reportedly used for its cultivation in Nigeria, alone. However, the quality and shelf life of postharvest tomato in Nigeria is hampered by biotic and social economic constraints which affect its nutritional value, and account for10-30% of losses. Amongst the biotic constraints are different species of fungi such as Alternaria, Fusarium, Penicilliun, Aspergillus, Geotrichum, Phytophthora as well as Botrytis, while those of bacteria are Xanthomonas euvesicatoria pv. Xesicatoria, and Clavibacter  michiganensis sub sp. Michiganensis. Some of the social and institutional constraints militating against the control of postharvest losses in tomato include amongst others, ineffective government agencies, lack of credit facilities that address the need of producers, lack of a clear-cut policies to encourage the utilization of human and scientific resources to prevent deterioration of the crop, inadequate institutions that would develop human resources with relevant knowledge in scientific technologies associated with preservation, processing, packaging, transporting, and distribution of food products. The application of biological, chemical and physical methods amongst others can be adopted to control postharvest diseases of tomato. Adopting strategies to reduce postharvest diseases and losses of food is more sustainable and environmentally sound than increasing production areas to compensate for these losses. Keywords: Tomato, Fungi, Bacteria, Postharvest, Disease Contro

Fungal quality and phytochemicals of Irvingia gabonensis (Aubry-Lecomte ex O’Rorke) kernels sold in Yenagoa metropolis of Bayelsa State, Nigeria

The kernels of Irvingia gabonensis (Aubry-Lecomte ex O’Rorke) are highly valued for their nutritional and health benefits but they are susceptible to storage fungi that could evoke a broad range of toxic properties. Although Irvingia kernels are widely consumed in Bayelsa State the potential hazards and benefits of Irvingia consumption in the State has not been studied. Hence the fungal quality (potential hazards) and phytochemicals (potential benefits) of Irvingia kernels sold in selected markets (Swali, Opolo and Edepie) in the State was investigated. Results showed that Irvingia kernels were sold in open plastic containers. Fungal population on the kernels on display for sale varied significantly (P? 0.05) among the selected markets. Mean Fungal population per gram of Irvingia kernels obtained from Swali, Opolo and Edepie markets were 1.17E+05, 2.40E+05 and 6.92E+05 respectively. Five genera (Rhizopus, Mucor, Aspergillus, Penicillium and Candida) of fungi were isolated across all three markets. Phytochemical analyses showed that Irvingia kernels sold in all markets under study possessed alkaloids, saponins, tannins and flavonoids, known to play significant roles in human medicine. Some of the fungi found to colonize the kernels have been implicated in the production of potentially potent toxins under suitable conditions. We recommend that Irvingia kernels on sale should be monitored regularly by relevant government agencies to ensure the safety of consumers, whilst the conditions under which postharvest fungi would produce mycotoxins in Irvingia kernels during storage are studied. Keywords: Irvingia gabonensis, Postharvest fungi, Aspergillus spp. Penicillium spp., Phytochemicals, Fungal quality

Unsteady free convection and mass transfer flow of a non-newtonian fluid with thermal diffusion effect

We study the unsteady free convection and mass transfer of a non-Newtonian fluid past an infinite vertical plate in the presence of thermal diffusion. Closed form analytical solutions are obtained for the concentration and the temperature distributions by means of the Laplace transform technique on the assumption that the thermal conductivity, k, of the fluid is small. Consequences of the thermal diffusion effect (the Dufour term Df) are then discussed quantitatively. (Botswana Journal of Technology: 2002 11(1): 52-56

Occupational Hazards and Safety Measures Amongst the Paint Factory Workers in Lagos, Nigeria

Background: The manufacture of paint involves a variety of processes that present with medical hazards. Safety initiatives are hence introduced to limit hazard exposures and promote workplace safety. This aim of this study is to assess the use of available control measures/initiatives in selected paint factories in Lagos West Senatorial District, Nigeria. Methods: A total of 400 randomly selected paint factory workers were involved in the study. A well-structured World Health Organization standard questionnaire was designed and distributed to the workers to elicit information on awareness to occupational hazards, use of personal protective devices, and commonly experienced adverse symptoms. Urine samples were obtained from 50 workers randomly selected from these 400 participants, and the concentrations of the heavy metals (lead, cadmium, arsenic, and chromium) were determined using atomic absorption spectroscopy. Results: The results show that 72.5% of the respondents are aware of the hazards associated with their jobs; 30% have had formal training on hazards and safety measures; 40% do not use personal protective devices, and 90% of the respondents reported symptoms relating to hazard exposure. There was a statistically significant (p < 0.05) increase in the mean heavy metal concentrations in the urine samples obtained from paint factory workers as compared with nonfactory workers. Conclusion: The need to develop effective frameworks that will initiate the integration and ensure implementation of safety regulations in paint factories is evident. Where these exist, there is a need to promote adherence to these practice guidelines

Exposure patterns driving Ebola transmission in West Africa: A retrospective observational study.

Background The ongoing West African Ebola epidemic began in December 2013 in Guinea, probably from a single zoonotic introduction. As a result of ineffective initial control efforts, an Ebola outbreak of unprecedented scale emerged. As of 4 May 2015, it had resulted in more than 19,000 probable and confirmed Ebola cases, mainly in Guinea (3,529), Liberia (5,343), and Sierra Leone (10,746). Here, we present analyses of data collected during the outbreak identifying drivers of transmission and highlighting areas where control could be improved. Methods and Findings Over 19,000 confirmed and probable Ebola cases were reported in West Africa by 4 May 2015. Individuals with confirmed or probable Ebola ("cases") were asked if they had exposure to other potential Ebola cases ("potential source contacts") in a funeral or non-funeral context prior to becoming ill. We performed retrospective analyses of a case line-list, collated from national databases of case investigation forms that have been reported to WHO. These analyses were initially performed to assist WHO's response during the epidemic, and have been updated for publication. We analysed data from 3,529 cases in Guinea, 5,343 in Liberia, and 10,746 in Sierra Leone; exposures were reported by 33% of cases. The proportion of cases reporting a funeral exposure decreased over time. We found a positive correlation (r = 0.35, p &lt; 0.001) between this proportion in a given district for a given month and the within-district transmission intensity, quantified by the estimated reproduction number (R). We also found a negative correlation (r = −0.37, p &lt; 0.001) between R and the district proportion of hospitalised cases admitted within ≤4 days of symptom onset. These two proportions were not correlated, suggesting that reduced funeral attendance and faster hospitalisation independently influenced local transmission intensity. We were able to identify 14% of potential source contacts as cases in the case line-list. Linking cases to the contacts who potentially infected them provided information on the transmission network. This revealed a high degree of heterogeneity in inferred transmissions, with only 20% of cases accounting for at least 73% of new infections, a phenomenon often called super-spreading. Multivariable regression models allowed us to identify predictors of being named as a potential source contact. These were similar for funeral and non-funeral contacts: severe symptoms, death, non-hospitalisation, older age, and travelling prior to symptom onset. Non-funeral exposures were strongly peaked around the death of the contact. There was evidence that hospitalisation reduced but did not eliminate onward exposures. We found that Ebola treatment units were betterthan other health care facilities at preventing exposure from hospitalised and deceased individuals. The principal limitation of our analysis is limited data quality, with cases not being entered into the database, cases not reporting exposures, or data being entered incorrectly (especially dates, and possible misclassifications). Conclusions Achieving elimination of Ebola is challenging, partly because of super-spreading. Safe funeral practices and fast hospitalisation contributed to the containment of this Ebola epidemic. Continued real-time data capture, reporting, and analysis are vital to track transmission patterns, inform resource deployment, and thus hasten and maintain elimination of the virus from the human population.</p

Satisfaction with psychiatric in-patient care as rated by patients at discharge from hospitals in 11 countries

Purpose: There is disregard in the scientific literature for the evaluation of psychiatric in-patient care as rated directly by patients. In this context, we aimed to explore satisfaction of people treated in mental health in-patient facilities. The project was a part of the Young Psychiatrist Program by the Association for the Improvement of Mental Health Programmes. Methods: This is an international multicentre cross-sectional study conducted in 25 hospitals across 11 countries. The research team at each study site approached a consecutive target sample of 30 discharged patients to measure their satisfaction using the five-item study-specific questionnaire. Individual and institution level correlates of ‘low satisfaction’ were examined by comparisons of binary and multivariate associations in multilevel regression models. Results: A final study sample consisted of 673 participants. Total satisfaction scores were highly skewed towards the upper end of the scale, with a median total score of 44 (interquartile range 38–48) out of 50. After taking clustering into account, the only independent correlates of low satisfaction were schizophrenia diagnosis and low psychiatrist to patient ratio. Conclusion: Further studies on patients’ satisfaction should additionally pay attention to treatment expectations formed by the previous experience of treatment, service-related knowledge, stigma and patients’ disempowerment, and power imbalance.</p

The Associations of Dyadic Coping and Relationship Satisfaction Vary between and within Nations: A 35-Nation Study

Stress that spills over into one's intimate relationship (Repetti, 1989) can increase negative behavior between partners (Repetti, 1989; Schulz et al., 2004), which in turn can negatively affect relationship outcomes, such as satisfaction (Karney and Bradbury, 1995; Randall and Bodenmann, 2016). This negative stress spillover process may, however, be mitigated if couples help each other cope with the experienced stress (i.e., dyadic coping). Although theoretical assumptions, such as the systematic-transactional model of stress and dyadic coping (Bodenmann, 2005), suggest that the association between coping behavior and relationship satisfaction is determined by cultural influences (e.g., gender roles), findings from a recent meta-analysis shows that this association is stable across nations and gender (Falconier et al., 2015). Despite the significant findings, the samples used in the meta-analysis nearly exclusively relied on couples living in Western culture (Falconier et al., 2015), which leaves an unanswered question about how culture may affect the association between dyadic coping and relationship satisfaction. The goal of the current paper was to examine the cultural influence in dyadic coping processes based on 7973 married individuals across 35 nations

The Associations of Dyadic Coping and Relationship Satisfaction Vary between and within Nations: A 35-Nation Study

Objective: Theories about how couples help each other to cope with stress, such as the systemic transactional model of dyadic coping, suggest that the cultural context in which couples live influences how their coping behavior affects their relationship satisfaction. In contrast to the theoretical assumptions, a recent meta-analysis provides evidence that neither culture, nor gender, influences the association between dyadic coping and relationship satisfaction, at least based on their samples of couples living in North America and West Europe. Thus, it is an open questions whether the theoretical assumptions of cultural influences are false or whether cultural influences on couple behavior just occur in cultures outside of the Western world. Method: In order to examine the cultural influence, using a sample of married individuals N = 7973) from 35 nations, we used multilevel modeling to test whether the positive association between dyadic coping and relationship satisfaction varies across nations and whether gender might moderate the association. Results: Results reveal that the association between dyadic coping and relationship satisfaction varies between nations. In addition, results show that in some nations the association is higher for men and in other nations it is higher for women. Conclusions: Cultural and gender differences across the globe influence how couples' coping behavior affects relationship outcomes. This crucial finding indicates that couple relationship education programs and interventions need to be culturally adapted, as skill trainings such as dyadic coping lead to differential effects on relationship satisfaction based on the culture in which couples live