Pesticidal Effects of Extracts from Hyptis suaveolens and Hyptis spicigera on Cowpea Weevils

This experimental research was conducted with the view of determining the effectiveness of Hyptis suaveolens and Hyptis spicigera extracts on cowpea seeds in deterring the feeding habit and life span of cowpea weevils. Masses of 400 and 500 grammes of pulverized samples of the two plants, Hyptis suaveolens and Hyptis spicigera were separately extracted by percolation with 2200 millilitres of 95% ethanol respectively. The percolates were evaporated to dryness at room temperature to give crude extracts of both plants which were each subjected to a partition process. Soluble solvent extracts of the two plants were applied on cowpea seeds and subjected to cowpea weevils by two-choice feeding deterrent method. The chloroform soluble extracts were found to be most active extracts of both plants with the least percentage consumption indices and higher percentage mortalities. This was a clear indication that these chloroform soluble extracts contained most of the toxic component(s) of the plants which can be used to protect cowpea seeds to some period of time. The study tasks the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to consider providing funding and further research into the use of the pesticides from these plant extracts to maintain the buoyancy of biodiversity as well as the environment in Ghana

Expanding the application of cassava value chain technologies through UPoCA project

Root and Tuber . IITA TechnologiesCassava has long been expected to play a key role in rural economic growth in Africa, but are we there yet? Although research partnerships have produced elite cassava varieties with 50% more yielding potential and demonstrated technologies to boost processing and marketing of cassava, the sub-sector is constrained by low productivity and marketing dificulties. In DR Congo, Ghana, Malawi and Sierra Leone, for example, cassava value chain actors are yet to respond to 2007 estimated $59 million trade opportunities through substitution of imported wheat lour with locally produced high quality cassava lour. Industrial pull for cassava would also aggravate hunger and poverty if yields do not increase from current national averages of 5 to 19t/ha to more than 25t/ha expected of released varieties under low input agriculture. In 2008, USAID and IITA initiated the project “Unleashing the Power of Cassava in Response to Food Price Crisis (UPOCA) as a multi-country and inter-institutional partnership enabling cassava sub-sectors to realize their full potential in rural economies. UPoCA project covers DR Congo, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania. UPoCA project draws on prior research results to increase on-farm cassava productivity and value adding processing for markets. By end 2009, small holder beneiciaries associated with 55 partner organizations and 11 agricultural related irms established 306 community cassava stem multiplication sites and root production farms totalling 10,097ha with 58 improved varieties. Through experiential learning at 24 hands-on short-term courses, 345 men and 142 women learnt improved techniques in cassava production, processing, product development, and packaging/labelling and 8 technologies were introduced to rural communities. Seven other papers in this symposium, based on these evolving UPoCA achievements, show that a longer-term cassava research for development partnership platform of this nature will enable cassava sub-sectors to contribute signiicantly to rural economic growth in Africa

Visum Et Repertum Sebagai Barang Bukti Pengganti Mayat

Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan tujuan untuk mengetahui bagaimana kedudukan visum et repertum sebagai barang bukti pengganti mayat dan bagaimana peranan visum et repertum dalam pembuktian perkara pidana. Dengan menggunakan metode penelitian yuridis normatif, maka dapat disimpulkan: 1. Visum et repertum selaku keterangan dalam bentuk yang formil menyangkut hal-hal yang dilihat dan ditemukan oleh doker pada benda-benda yang diperiksa sesungguhnya adalah pengganti barang bukti, bahwa pada keharusannya dalam hal pembuktian mestinya orang yang menjadi obyek penganiayaan, pembunuhan atau kejahatan lainnya dari suatu peristiwa pidana selanjutnya diajukan menjadi barang bukti seperti misalnya orang yang dianiaya dan mati terbunuh sudah barang tentu menjadi kesulitan dalam praktek; karenanya orang yang meninggal (mayat) harus dikebumikan sebab dapat membusuk untuk selanjutnya mengalami proses alamiah hancur menjadi debu tanah. 2. Kedudukan visum et repertum dalam hukum pembuktian dalam proses acara pidana adalah termasuk sebagai alat bukti surat sebagaimana maksud pasal 184 ayat 1 huruf c jo pasal 187 huruf c KUHAP dengan keterangan ahli sesuai maksud pasal 1 angka 28 KUHAP jo Stb 1937-350 pasal 184 ayat 1 huruf b KUHAP

Efficiency of Traditional Maize Storage and Control Methods in Rural Grain Granaries: a Case Study from Senegal

Maize storage and pest control method as practiced in traditional clay granaries in the Kédougou region in eastern Senegal were evaluated under rural conditions during two successive years. Three storage modes, i.e. maize cobs, winnowed and non-winnowed maize grains, were tested in seven granaries where the insecticidal plants Hyptis spicigera or H. suaveolens were either incorporated in the store structure or deposited as layers intermittently with maize. At the beginning of the storage period, all granaries were artificially infested with 7 pairs Tribolium castaneum and Sitophilus zeamais. No damage, losses or live insects were observed during 7 months of storage when maize cobs were placed between layers of H. spicigera. Compared with the control, incorporation of insecticidal plants within the granary bottom had no significant effect on the damage and loss level irrespective of the storage mode. Non-winnowed maize always suffered less damage and losses than the winnowed variant. In all granaries depredation, insect abundance and moisture content were highest toward the end of storage period between June and July

Re-Evaluation of Yam Mosaic Virus (YMV) Detection Methods

Accurate and timely detection is vital for mitigation of tuber yield losses resulting from yam mosaic virus (YMV) infection on yam, a major food security crop in West Africa. The observation, from our previous studies, that the triple antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (TAS-ELISA), the most commonly used detection method for YMV, detected the virus in significantly less leaf samples than immunocapture reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (IC-RT-PCR) necessitated a re-evaluation of YMV detection methods. In the present study, eighteen previously tested YMV positive leaf samples from Benin and Ghana were re-tested using TAS-ELISA, Protein A-sandwich (PAS) ELISA and IC-RT-PCR. Three sap dilutions, 1/10, 1/50 and 1/100, were tested for each sample. Both at 1/10 and 1/50 dilutions, PAS-ELISA and IC-RT-PCR detected YMV in 11 (61.1%) and 12 (66.7%) of the leaves respectively. Virus detection by PAS-ELISA reduced to 50% at 1/100 sap dilution and increased to 77.8% in IC-RT-PCR. YMV detection by TAS-ELISA varied between 38.9% and 16.7% at 1/10 and 1/100 dilutions respectively. These results indicate a deficiency in the use of TAS-ELISA as a sole YMV certification method since the detecting monoclonal antibody used in this assay may be strain specific. The use of PAS-ELISA at a 1/10 sap dilution is suggested for YMV detection where the facilities for molecular detection are unavailabl

Yam improvement for income and food security in West Africa: Effectiveness of a multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional team-work

The overall goal of the five year project “Yam Improvement for Income and Food Security in West Africa” (YIIFSWA) funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and led by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria was to: (a) increase yam productivity by 40% for 2,00,000 smallholder yam farmers in Ghana and Nigeria and (b) deliver key global good research products that will contribute to the 10-year overall vision to sustainably double incomes from yams for 3 million smallholder yam farming families and contribute to ensuring food security for producers and consumers. Implemented by scientists of twenty partner specialized organizations, comprising research institutes, Universities, governmental and non-governmental organizations, YIIFSWA has impacted yam value chain stakeholders through research and development interventions. The significant contributions made in the project during the past 18 months’ period are discussed in this paper. These include: a baseline survey conducted in key yam growing areas in Ghana and Nigeria, training of yam producers on adapted yam minisett technique and production of seed yam, undertaking in depth value chain assessments, developing the capacity of Farmers Organizations (FOs) by linking them to service providers (SPs), participatory evaluation of new yam genotypes, successful development of yam virus diseases diagnostics and development of novel techniques for high ratio yam propagation such as aeroponics and bioreactors

TCO evaluation in physical asset management : benefits and limitations for industrial adoption

Part 1: Knowledge-Based Performance ImprovementInternational audienceNowadays, the evaluation of the total cost of ownership (TCO) of an asset for supporting informed decision-making both for investments and managerial issues within the asset management framework is gaining increasing attention in industry. Nevertheless its application in practice is still limited. The aim of this paper is to analyze the benefits and limitations of the adoption of TCO evaluation in asset management. Based on a literature review, the paper defines a framework that categorizes the benefits and potential applications that a TCO model can have for different stakeholders. Together with that, industry related issues that influence its implementation are also considered. Finally, empirical evidences are analyzed through a multiple case study to understand if those benefits are recognized in practice and which are the limitations for the practical adoption of a TCO model that should allow exploiting such benefits

Rifampicin and clarithromycin (extended release) versus rifampicin and streptomycin for limited Buruli ulcer lesions: a randomised, open-label, non-inferiority phase 3 trial.

BACKGROUND: Buruli ulcer is a neglected tropical disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans infection that damages the skin and subcutis. It is most prevalent in western and central Africa and Australia. Standard antimicrobial treatment with oral rifampicin 10 mg/kg plus intramuscular streptomycin 15 mg/kg once daily for 8 weeks (RS8) is highly effective, but streptomycin injections are painful and potentially harmful. We aimed to compare the efficacy and tolerability of fully oral rifampicin 10 mg/kg plus clarithromycin 15 mg/kg extended release once daily for 8 weeks (RC8) with that of RS8 for treatment of early Buruli ulcer lesions. METHODS: We did an open-label, non-inferiority, randomised (1:1 with blocks of six), multicentre, phase 3 clinical trial comparing fully oral RC8 with RS8 in patients with early, limited Buruli ulcer lesions. There were four trial sites in hospitals in Ghana (Agogo, Tepa, Nkawie, Dunkwa) and one in Benin (Pobè). Participants were included if they were aged 5 years or older and had typical Buruli ulcer with no more than one lesion (caterories I and II) no larger than 10 cm in diameter. The trial was open label, and neither the investigators who took measurements of the lesions nor the attending doctors were masked to treatment assignment. The primary clinical endpoint was lesion healing (ie, full epithelialisation or stable scar) without recurrence at 52 weeks after start of antimicrobial therapy. The primary endpoint and safety were assessed in the intention-to-treat population. A sample size of 332 participants was calculated to detect inferiority of RC8 by a margin of 12%. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01659437. FINDINGS: Between Jan 1, 2013, and Dec 31, 2017, participants were recruited to the trial. We stopped recruitment after 310 participants. Median age of participants was 14 years (IQR 10-29) and 153 (52%) were female. 297 patients had PCR-confirmed Buruli ulcer; 151 (51%) were assigned to RS8 treatment, and 146 (49%) received oral RC8 treatment. In the RS8 group, lesions healed in 144 (95%, 95% CI 91 to 98) of 151 patients, whereas lesions healed in 140 (96%, 91 to 99) of 146 patients in the RC8 group. The difference in proportion, -0·5% (-5·2 to 4·2), was not significantly greater than zero (p=0·59), showing that RC8 treatment is non-inferior to RS8 treatment for lesion healing at 52 weeks. Treatment-related adverse events were recorded in 20 (13%) patients receiving RS8 and in nine (7%) patients receiving RC8. Most adverse events were grade 1-2, but one (1%) patient receiving RS8 developed serious ototoxicity and ended treatment after 6 weeks. No patients needed surgical resection. Four patients (two in each study group) had skin grafts. INTERPRETATION: Fully oral RC8 regimen was non-inferior to RS8 for treatment of early, limited Buruli ulcer and was associated with fewer adverse events. Therefore, we propose that fully oral RC8 should be the preferred therapy for early, limited lesions of Buruli ulcer. FUNDING: WHO with additional support from MAP International, American Leprosy Missions, Fondation Raoul Follereau France, Buruli ulcer Groningen Foundation, Sanofi-Pasteur, and BuruliVac

Modeling and Simulation of Temperature Profiles in a Reactive Distillation System for Esterification of Acetic Anhydride with Methanol

This paper pertains to an experimental and theoretical study of simulation of temperature profiles in a one- stage adiabatic batch distillation/reactor for the production of methyl acetate and acetic acid from the esterification of acetic anhydride with methanol. Basically it deals with the development of a mathematical model for temperature predictions in the reactor. The reaction kinetics of the process was modeled using information obtained from experimental temperature –time data during the esterification processes. The simulation results were then compared with the experimental data. The maximum deviation of the model –predicted temperature form the corresponding experimentally measured temperature was less than 4% which is quite within the acceptable deviation range of experimental results.. Keywords: Modeling, Simulation, Reactive distillation, Temperature, Esterification, Acetic anhydride, Methano

Rapid and sensitive detection of mycobacterium ulcerans by use of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification test

This work reports the design and evaluation of a rapid loop-mediated isothermal amplification test for detecting Mycobacterium ulcerans DNA based on the multicopy insertion sequence IS2404. The test is robust and specific with a detection limit equivalent to 20 copies of the target sequence (0.01 to 0.1 genome). The test has potential for the diagnosis of Buruli ulcer under field conditions