Flood Hazard Assessment in Agricultural Areas: The Case of the District of Pélébina in the Municipality of Djougou, Bénin

Flood is a natural disaster and causes loss of life and property destruction. Its impacts are large on agriculture especially in West African countries where smallholder farmers account for 80% of all the farms. The objective of this study was to assess flood risks in the inland valley of Dosir located in the district of Pélébina, northern Benin. Rainfall, discharge and water level in the riverbed were monitored using rain gauge, acoustic current meter and pressure sensors, respectively. The hydrological functioning of the inland valley was simulated using the Integrated Flood Analysis System (IFAS) model. The calibration was done based on the land use map (GlobalMap) and the soil water holding capacity map (UNEP). Our study demonstrated the existence of a high flood hazard in the inland valley of Dosir which reacts very quickly to rainfall solicitations. The IFAS model has shown a good performance in simulating the runoff in the riverbed of the inland valley with a coefficient of determination of 0.65. The IFAS model can be used to design a flood management system in the district of Pelebina. Further studies are needed to assess the exposure and vulnerability of farmers to flood risk

Etat des lieux de la reproduction sexuée des ignames africaines Dioscorea cayenensis – Dioscorea rotundata cultivées au Bénin

Les ignames sont d’importantes plantes alimentaires à multiplication végétative dont l’amélioration et la création variétale dépendent, comme chez les végétaux, de la maîtrise de la biologie de la reproduction sexuée. L’état des lieux des cultivars florifères des ignames africaines Dioscorea cayenensis – D. rotundata a été  réalisé à Djidja et à Ouaké, deux communes productrices du Bénin par une approche participative, à travers des focus-groups, des enquêtes individuelles et des visites de champs. Ainsi, à Ouaké, vingt quatre (24) cultivars ont été recensés, dont dix-neuf (19), soit 79% florifères avec 74% de mâles, 21% de femelles et 5% sont monoïques. Le taux de fructification est d’environ 15 fruits par pied. A Djidja, vingt-six (26) cultivars sont recensés dont vingt-trois (23), soit 88% florifères avec 57% de femelle et 43% de mâle. Le taux de fructification à Djidja est élevé 102 fruits par pied en moyenne. Le taux de floraison femelle et le taux de  fructification sont beaucoup plus importants à Djidja qu’à Ouaké. Dans le but de l’amélioration et de la création variétale, le site de Djidja semble être plus propice à l’utilisation de la reproduction sexuée chez les ignames cultivées que celui de Ouaké.Mots clés : Igname, floraison, fructification, Djidja, Ouaké

Factors associated with balance impairments amongst stroke survivors in northern Benin: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Balance impairment is the predominant risk factor for falls in stroke survivors. A fear of falling after stroke can contribute to sedentary lifestyles, increased disability and risk of recurrence, leading to poor quality of life. OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency and factors associated with balance impairments amongst stroke survivors at the University Hospital of Parakou. METHOD: This cross-sectional study included adult stroke survivors. Stroke survivors after discharge were enrolled at the University Hospital of Parakou between 01 January 2020 and 30 September 2020. Balance impairments were measured by using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the Timed Up and Go (TUG) and the Get Up and Go (GUG) tests. RESULTS: A total of 54 stroke survivors were included, with a mean age of 58.37 ± 12.42 years and a male predominance of 68.52%. The mean BBS score was 36.87 ± 14.34 with a minimum and a maximum of 10 and 56, respectively. Thirteen (24.07%) had balance impairments (BBS score ≤ 20), 34 (62.96%) had a TUG score ≥ 14 s (abnormal), 9 (16.67%) presented a moderate risk of falling and 6 (11.11%) presented high risk of fall with the GUG test. Post-stroke duration (odds ratio [OR] = 0.04; 95% CI: 0.04-0.30; p < 0.01), severity of disability (OR = 8.33; 95% CI: 1.03-67.14; p = 0.03) and the number of physiotherapy sessions (OR = 0.18; 95% CI: 0.03-0.93; p = 0.02) were significantly associated with balance impairments. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that almost one quarter of stroke survivors after discharge at the University Hospital of Parakou had balance impairments. Post-stroke duration, severity of disability and the number of physiotherapy sessions were significantly associated with balance impairments. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: [AQ1] Balance should be regularly assessed in people post-stroke. Further studies should document the content of rehabilitation and any rehabilitative efforts to improve balance in people post-stroke in Benin

A geospatial database of drought occurrence in inland valleys in Mali, Burkina Faso and Nigeria

The data described in this article are related to drought occurrence in inland valleys and farmers adaptation strategies. The data were collected in 300 inland valleys distributed in 14 regions of West Africa. The data were collected in two phases. In the first phase, 300 inland valleys were identified in 14 regions and their locations were determined with handheld GPS devices. Questionnaires and informal interviews were administered to inland valleys users to collect data on physical and socio-economic characteristics, hydrology, farmers experience with drought affecting rice production in inland valleys and adaptation strategies. In the second phase, the locations of the inland valleys were imported in a GIS environment and were used to extract additional parameters on soil characteristics and water demand from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), Africa Soil Information Service (africasoils.net) and POWER database (http://power.larc.nasa.gov). In total, the dataset contains 41 variables divided into seven themes: farmers' experience with drought, adaptive management of rice farmers to drought, physical characteristics, hydrology, management practices, socio-economic characteristics and weather data of inland valleys

Processing of functional fine scale ceramic structures by ink-jet printing

International audienceThis review illustrates the potentiality of ink-jet printing for the fabrication of functional fine scale ceramic structures corresponding to two different kinds of micro-pillar arrays i.e. (i) PZT skeletons, etc..

Impact of urban agriculture on malaria vectors in Accra, Ghana

To investigate the impact of urban agriculture on malaria transmission risk in urban Accra larval and adult stage mosquito surveys, were performed. Local transmission was implicated as Anopheles spp. were found breeding and infected Anopheles mosquitoes were found resting in houses in the study sites. The predominant Anopheles species was Anopheles gambiae s.s.. The relative proportion of molecular forms within a subset of specimens was 86% S-form and 14% M-form. Anopheles spp. and Culex quinquefasciatus outdoor biting rates were respectively three and four times higher in areas around agricultural sites (UA) than in areas far from agriculture (U). The annual Entomological Inoculation Rate (EIR), the number of infectious bites received per individual per year, was 19.2 and 6.6 in UA and U sites, respectively. Breeding sites were highly transitory in nature, which poses a challenge for larval control in this setting. The data also suggest that the epidemiological importance of urban agricultural areas may be the provision of resting sites for adults rather than an increased number of larval habitats. Host-seeking activity peaked between 2–3 am, indicating that insecticide-treated bednets should be an effective control method

Seroprevalence of malaria in inhabitants of the urban zone of Antananarivo, Madagascar

BACKGROUND: Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, is located at an altitude of over 1,200 m. The environment at this altitude is not particularly favourable to malaria transmission, but malaria nonetheless remains a major public health problem. The aim of this study was to evaluate exposure to malaria in the urban population of Antananarivo, by measuring the specific seroprevalence of Plasmodium falciparum. METHODS: Serological studies specific for P. falciparum were carried out with an indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). In a representative population of Antananarivo, 1,059 healthy volunteers were interviewed and serum samples were taken. RESULTS: The seroprevalence of IgG+IgA+IgM was 56.1% and that of IgM was 5.9%. The major risk factor associated with a positive IgG+IgA+IgM IFAT was travel outside Antananarivo, whether in the central highlands or on the coast. The abundance of rice fields in certain urban districts was not associated with a higher seroprevalence. CONCLUSION: Malaria transmission levels are low in Antananarivo, but seroprevalence is high. Humans come into contact with the parasite primarily when travelling outside the city. Further studies are required to identify indigenous risk factors and intra-city variations more clearly

Evaluating the impact of screening plus eave tubes on malaria transmission compared to current best practice in central Côte d'Ivoire : A two armed cluster randomized controlled trial

Background: Access to long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) has increased and malaria has decreased globally, but malaria transmission remains high in parts of sub-Saharan Africa and insecticide resistance threatens current progress. Eave tubes are a new tool for the targeted delivery of insecticides against mosquitoes attempting to enter houses. The primary objective of this trial is to test whether screening plus eave tubes (SET) provides protection against malaria, on top of universal coverage with LLINs in an area of intense pyrethroid resistance. The trial will also assess acceptability and cost-effectiveness of the intervention. Methods/design: A two-armed, cluster randomized controlled trial will be conducted to evaluate the effect of SET on clinical malaria incidence in children living in central Côte d'Ivoire. Forty villages will be selected based on population size and the proportion of houses suitable for modification with SET. Using restricted randomization, half the villages will be assigned to the treatment arm (SET + LLINs) and the remainder will be assigned to the control arm (LLINs only). In both arms, LLINs will be distributed and in the treatment arm, householders will be offered SET. Fifty children aged six months to eight years old will be enrolled from randomly selected households in each of the 40 villages. Cohorts will be cleared of malaria parasites at the start of the study and one year after recruitment, and will be monitored for clinical malaria case incidence by active case detection over two years. Mosquito densities will be assessed using CDC light traps and human landing catches and a subset of Anopheles mosquitoes will be examined for parity status and tested for sporozoite infection. Acceptability of SET will be monitored using surveys and focus groups. Cost-effectiveness analysis will measure the incremental cost per case averted and per disability-adjusted life year (DALY) averted of adding SET to LLINs. Economic and financial costs will be estimated from societal and provider perspective using standard economic evaluation methods. Discussion: This study will be the first evaluation of the epidemiological impact of SET. Trial findings will show whether SET is a viable, cost-effective technology for malaria control in Côte d'Ivoire and possibly elsewhere. Trial registration: ISRCTN18145556, registered on 01 February 2017 - retrospectively registered