An insight of combustibility induced safety issues pertaining to ionic liquids

International audienceThis study is a consolidated overview on explosion and fire safety issues pertaining to ionic liquids. Indeed safety performance of ionic liquids relating to physico-chemical hazards is very rarely investigated as it is often perceived as a non-existing issue due to the lack of traditional flashpoint for these liquids. It focuses on the experimental evaluation of the fire hazard of imidazolium, phosphonium and pyrrolidinium-based ionic liquids by use of the Fire Propagation Apparatus. It provides experimental data that can quantify the flammability of ionic liquids in all its aspects (ease of ignition, mass burning rate, heat release rate, fire-induced toxicity data...). A case study featuring a major failure in a process unit leading to a given fire scenario is also illustrated. This case study is examined in terms of fire induced toxicity by use of CFD modeling of fire product releases dispersion and using the concept of fractional effective concentration

CARACTERISATION BIOCHIMIQUE ET FONCTIONNELLE DES GRAINES DE SEPT CULTIVARS DE VOANDZOU [VIGNA SUBTERRANEA (L.) VERDC. FABACEAE] CULTIVES EN CÔTE D'IVOIRE

Seeds of Bambara groundnut [Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.] were collected from seven cultivars in the locality of Ouangolodougou, north Côte d'Ivoire. The seeds biochemical composition was evaluated in order to determine the nutritional value of Bambara groundnut. The results showed that the moisture content varied between 7.35 to 9.02%, ash content 2.55 to 2.98 %; crude fiber 2.57 to 4.08 % and the protein content 14.61 to 20.74%. Seeds lipid composition was varying between 7.69 to 8.55 %, while the content of carbohydrate was between 54.05 to 64.50 %. Energy value was found to range from 370.02 to 388.80 Kcal per 100 g of flour. The content of phenolic compound varied from 142.43 to 205.92 mg per 100 g EG. For the functional properties, the water absorption capacity was between 199.26 to 239.75 ml per 100 g of flour, while the oil absorption capacity was between 2 to 2.12 ml / g flour. The study showed that Bambara seeds grown in that area could be a good source of nutrients. Therefore, the judicious use of Bambara seeds could be a source of additional nutrients in the diet of vulnerable population

Management of Ground Water in Africa Including Transboundary Aquifers: Implications for Food Security, Livelihood and Climate Change Adaptation

Groundwater is one of the most important sources for drinking water, livestock water, and irrigation in Africa. It is of vital importance in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target of accessing clean water, as most of rural Africa and a considerable part of urban Africa are supplied by groundwater. Groundwater also has a major role to play in improving food security through expansion of irrigation supplied by shallow and deep wells. As such, groundwater has high relevance to the development and wellbeing of Africa, if adequately assessed and sustainably exploited. However, impacts of rapid development and climate change on water resources, including groundwater, are expected to be very severe unless major actions are taken to address the limited human and institutional capacity and hydrogeological knowledge base needed to devise sustainable adaptive water management strategies. Whilst the potential for groundwater resources development and the extent of their vulnerability due to climate change in the African context continue to be reported in the literature, a quantitative understanding of these issues remains poor. Although groundwater systems respond to human and climatic changes slowly (relative to surface water systems), climate change still could affect groundwater significantly through changes in groundwater recharge as well as groundwater storage and utilization. These changes result from changes in temperature and precipitation or from change in land use/land cover, and increased demand. There is therefore a need for ensuring sustainability and proper management of groundwater resources through instituting proper aquifer management practices such as the establishment of groundwater monitoring systems, better understanding of the role of groundwater storage and groundwater discharges in sustaining aquatic ecosystems, understanding the interactions between various aquifers (including transboundary aquifers) and assessing the impact of increased pumping from various aquifer systems on the sustainability of groundwater abstraction. This paper provides an overview of the regional hydrogeological framework, the current state of knowledge of aquifer systems, their development potential and climate change impacts on groundwater, research gaps, and policy implications for meeting the MDGs of accessing clean water and livelihood goals in Africa

Hourly global horizontal irradiance over West Africa: A case study of one-year satellite- and reanalysis-derived estimates vs. in situ measurements

Estimates of global horizontal irradiance (GHI) from reanalysis and satellite-based data are the most important information for the design and monitoring of PV systems in Africa, but their quality is unknown due to the lack of in situ measurements. In this study, we evaluate the performance of hourly GHI from state-of-the-art reanalysis and satellite-based products (ERA5, MERRA-2, CAMS, and SARAH-2) with 37 quality-controlled in situ measurements from novel meteorological networks established in Burkina Faso and Ghana under different weather conditions for the year 2020. The effects of clouds and aerosols are also considered in the analysis by using common performance measures for the main quality attributes and a new overall performance value for the joint assessment. The results show that satellite data performs better than reanalysis data under different atmospheric conditions. Nevertheless, both data sources exhibit significant bias of more than 150 W/m2 in terms of RMSE under cloudy skies compared to clear skies. The new measure of overall performance clearly shows that the hourly GHI derived from CAMS and SARAH-2 could serve as viable alternative data for assessing solar energy in the different climatic zones of West Africa

CARACTERISATION BIOCHIMIQUE ET FONCTIONNELLE DES GRAINES DE SEPT CULTIVARS DE VOANDZOU [VIGNA SUBTERRANEA (L.) VERDC. FABACEAE] CULTIVES EN CÔTE D'IVOIRE

Seeds of Bambara groundnut [Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.] were collected from seven cultivars in the locality of Ouangolodougou, north Côte d'Ivoire. The seeds biochemical composition was evaluated in order to determine the nutritional value of Bambara groundnut. The results showed that the moisture content varied between 7.35 to 9.02%, ash content 2.55 to 2.98 %; crude fiber 2.57 to 4.08 % and the protein content 14.61 to 20.74%. Seeds lipid composition was varying between 7.69 to 8.55 %, while the content of carbohydrate was between 54.05 to 64.50 %. Energy value was found to range from 370.02 to 388.80 Kcal per 100 g of flour. The content of phenolic compound varied from 142.43 to 205.92 mg per 100 g EG. For the functional properties, the water absorption capacity was between 199.26 to 239.75 ml per 100 g of flour, while the oil absorption capacity was between 2 to 2.12 ml / g flour. The study showed that Bambara seeds grown in that area could be a good source of nutrients. Therefore, the judicious use of Bambara seeds could be a source of additional nutrients in the diet of vulnerable population

Claudin Loss-of-Function Disrupts Tight Junctions and Impairs Amelogenesis

Claudins are a family of proteins that forms paracellular barriers and pores determining tight junctions (TJ) permeability. Claudin-16 and -19 are pore forming TJ proteins allowing calcium and magnesium reabsorption in the thick ascending limb of Henle's loop (TAL). Loss-of-function mutations in the encoding genes, initially identified to cause Familial Hypomagnesemia with Hypercalciuria and Nephrocalcinosis (FHHNC), were recently shown to be also involved in Amelogenesis Imperfecta (AI). In addition, both claudins were expressed in the murine tooth germ and Claudin-16 knockout (KO) mice displayed abnormal enamel formation. Claudin-3, an ubiquitous claudin expressed in epithelia including kidney, acts as a barrier-forming tight junction protein. We determined that, similarly to claudin-16 and claudin-19, claudin-3 was expressed in the tooth germ, more precisely in the TJ located at the apical end of secretory ameloblasts. The observation of Claudin-3 KO teeth revealed enamel defects associated to impaired TJ structure at the secretory ends of ameloblasts and accumulation of matrix proteins in the forming enamel. Thus, claudin-3 protein loss-of-function disturbs amelogenesis similarly to claudin-16 loss-of-function, highlighting the importance of claudin proteins for the TJ structure. These findings unravel that loss-of-function of either pore or barrier-forming TJ proteins leads to enamel defects. Hence, the major structural function of claudin proteins appears essential for amelogenesis

Liver Disease and Treatment Needs of Asymptomatic Persons Living With Hepatitis B in Senegal.

The prevalence of active hepatitis B among asymptomatic persons remains unclear in Africa. Of 1206 newly diagnosed persons in Senegal, 12.3% had significant fibrosis and 31.3% had hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels >2000 IU/mL. Overall, 128 (12.9%) were eligible for antiviral therapy. Generalized HBV screening allowed the identification of a large population requiring HBV care