Use of benthic foraminifera with elongated tests (endofauna) in the determination of depositional environments: case of the interval 1840-345 m of oil-well IVCO 25 off Côte d"Ivoire, West Africa

Abstrac

Caractérisation Sédimentologique Et Minéralogique Des Formations Du Tertiaire-Quaternaire De La Région D’anyama Au Sud De La Côte d’Ivoire

Anyama is located on the onshore of the sedimentary basin of Côte d’Ivoire. It is to the east of the basin and the formations, particularly those dating back to the Quaternary may have been studied. Based on samples, collected from two drill holes (An1 and An2), each 114 m deep, a sedimentology and mineralogy characterization of Plio-Quaternary formations was carried out. The sedimentological study was assessed by taking account the lithology, the grain size, the transport model and the environment deposit of the sediments, the morphoscopy and the exoscopy of the quartz grain. The mineralogy study was made on clays through X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Lithological characterization, revealed the presence of clay facies (kaolinite), sandy facies and mixed sediments, all covered with the earth bar. As for the size, it indicates coarse to medium sands with a positive asymmetry to almost positive, sands moderately classified to fairly classify. The relative mineralogy reveals the presence of silicon, aluminum and iron oxides. XRD indicates that quartz and kaolinite prevail and gypsum, rutile or anatase, illite and calcium sulfate hydrate are associated minerals

Personal hygiene in schools: retrospective survey in the northern part of Côte d'Ivoire

Introduction Students’ personal hygiene helps maintain good health and promote good academic results. When the sanitary infrastructure is insufficient, maintaining this hygiene can be difficult to achieve. We wanted to analyse the determinants of personal hygiene among pupils in schools in the northern region of Côte D'Ivoire. Methods This cross-sectional retrospective study gathers data on 2,035 schoolchildren recruited from thirty schools in the northern part  of Côte D'Ivoire. The personal hygiene index is established and analysed in comparison to the socio-demographic characteristics of students, homes and schools. They are analyzed using  R Software version 1.1.463, the χ2 test and a logistic regression model.   Results Overall, the majority of students had good personal hygiene (82.75%) with an average personal hygiene score of 4.74 ± 1.36. The predictors of good personal hygiene among schoolchildren are female (OR=1,5 ; CI95%= 4,31-16,37), father's level of education, primary school (OR=1,55 ; CI95%= 1,07-2,29), father's monthly income higher than 60000FCFA (90 Euros) and modern housing (OR= 1,45 ; CI95%=1,05-2,03). However, poor sanitation at home caused poor personal hygiene among pupils (OR=0,34 ; CI95%= 0,23-0,5). Conclusion Measures to raise the standard of living of families and the provision of sanitory facilities in homes becomes necessary in order to improve students personal hygiene. Keywords: Personal Hygiene, Primary school pupils, Northern Côte d'Ivoire. &nbsp

Effet des téguments de fèves de cacao sur la fertilité chimique d’un ferralsol et quelques paramètres de croissance du manioc, à Ahoué, Sud-Est Côte d’Ivoire

Objectif : utiliser les engrais organiques à base de téguments des fèves de cacao pour une gestion durable des ferralsols.Méthodologie et résultats : Dans un dispositif expérimental en bloc de Fisher, trois traitements des téguments de fèves de cacao T1 (10 t.ha-1), T2 (15 t.ha-1), T3 (20 t.ha-1) et un témoin T0 (0 t.ha-1) ont été mis en place avec quatre répétitions à Ahoué,  dans le Sud-Est de la Côte  d’Ivoire. L’analyse des téguments de la fève de cacao indique de fortes teneurs en phosphore total (7600 mg.kg-1), en potassium (797,95 Cmol.kg-1), en calcium (19,21 Cmol.kg-1), en magnésium (234,47 Cmol.kg-1) en carbone total (320 g.kg-1) et en azote total (18 g.kg-1) avec un rapport C/N égal à 17,78. Les principaux résultats montrent quel’apport des téguments a eu des effets positifs sur l’ensemble des  caractéristiques chimiques du sol et des paramètres de croissance du manioc. Les valeurs obtenues du pH de la parcelle Témoin T0 et des parcelles traitées avec T1, T2, T3 indiquent, respectivement, 4 ; 5,4 ; 5,5 et 5,8. Les rapports C/N de la parcelle Témoin T0 et des parcelles traitées avec T1, T2, T3  donnent, respectivement, 24,33 ; 12,83 ; 12,36 et 12,16. S’agissant des teneurs de la CEC, les valeurs obtenues indiquent : 2,32 ; 7,2 ; 11,44 et 12,5 cmol.kg-1, respectivement, pour les traitements T0, T1, T2 et T3. Le plus petit indice et les petites tailles des plants de manioc ont été observés sur les parcelles témoin, respectivement, après 71 et 78 jours de plantation et par contre, le plus grand indice de vigueur et les plus grandes tailles ont été observés sur les parcelles fertilisées avec le traitement T3.Conclusion et application : L’étude précise que l’incorporation de doses croissantes de téguments au sol influence l’ensemble des caractéristiques chimiques du sol et des paramètres de croissance du manioc. Les meilleurs résultats ont été obtenus à la dose de 20 t.ha-1 des téguments de fèves de cacao. Ce travail de recherche agronomique montre l’importance des téguments de fèves de cacao sur la fertilité chimique des ferralsols en vue d’accroître durablement les productions et préserver  l’environnement. La détermination de la dose optimale et de l’effet combiné de ces téguments avec les engrais minéraux sur les sols pourrait être envisagée pour une gestion durable des différents types de sols en Côte d’Ivoire.Mots clés : Téguments de fève de cacao, fertilité chimique, Ferralsol, Manioc, Ahoué, Côte d’Ivoir

Caracterisation Sedimentologique Et Mineralogique Des Formations Tertiares Du Bassin Onshore De La Region D’abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire

Analyzes carried out on 262 cuttings samples from two boreholes located in the coastal sedimentary basin of Abidjan (south-west of the lagoon fault) were aimed at the paleoenvironmental determination of tertiary-age deposits. Indeed, these sedimentological analyses allowed the characterization of the lithological nature of the formations encountered by AB and BM drilling. They also helped to determine the origin of the sedimented material as well as the hydrodynamic conditions that governed the placement of the various deposits. Moreover, the deposits medium of the studied formations was revealed. The formations consist of an alternation of sands and sandy clays in the AB drilling and essentially glauconous clays for BM drilling. In the clay intervals, there is a weak presence of calcium carbonates on the whole of the two boreholes. The sands analyzed are of different granulometric grades (very coarse, coarse, medium and fine) according to the intervals. This, therefore, shows the different variations in the energy of the current that transported the sediment. From a facies point of view, the granulometric facies is dominant in the study area, indicating the variation in watercourse competence during sedimentation. Mostly sub-angular to sub-rounded quartz grains suggest a relatively distal proving source while their shiny blunted appearance evokes an aquatic environment. The sediments of these wells are therefore sands of fluviatile origin, deposited in a shallow marine environment

Measuring social norms related to handwashing : development and psychometric testing of measurement scales in a low-income urban setting in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire

OBJECTIVES: To design and test the psychometric properties of four context-specific norm-related scales around handwashing with soap after toilet use: (1) perceived handwashing descriptive norms (HWDN); (2) perceived handwashing injunctive norms (HWIN); (3) perceived handwashing behaviour publicness (HWP); and (4) perceived handwashing outcome expectations (HWOE). DESIGN: Scale items were developed based on previous work and pilot tested in an iterative process. Content experts and members of the study team assessed the face validity of the items. The psychometric properties of the scales were assessed in a cross-sectional study. SETTING: The study was conducted in communal housing compounds in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 201 adult residents (≥16 years old) from 60 housing compounds completed the final questionnaire. OUTCOME MEASURE: Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the goodness of fit of the global model. We assessed the internal consistency of each scale using Cronbach's alpha (α) and the Spearman-Brown coefficient (ρ). RESULTS: The results of the psychometric tests supported the construct validity of three of the four scales, with no factor identified for the HWOE (α=0.15). The HWDN and HWP scales were internally consistent with correlations of ρ=0.74 and ρ=0.63, respectively. The HWIN scale appeared reliable (α=0.83). CONCLUSION: We were able to design three reliable context-specific handwashing norm-related scales, specific to economically disadvantaged community settings in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, but failed to construct a reliable scale to measure outcome expectations around handwashing. The social desirability of handwashing and the narrow content area of social norms constructs relating to handwashing present significant challenges when designing items to measure such constructs. Future studies attempting to measure handwashing norm-related constructs will need to take this into account when developing such scales, and take care to adapt their scales to their study context

A Trial of Early Antiretrovirals and Isoniazid Preventive Therapy in Africa

BACKGROUND: In sub-Saharan Africa, the burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated tuberculosis is high. We conducted a trial with a 2-by-2 factorial design to assess the benefits of early antiretroviral therapy (ART), 6-month isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT), or both among HIV-infected adults with high CD4+ cell counts in Ivory Coast. METHODS: We included participants who had HIV type 1 infection and a CD4+ count of less than 800 cells per cubic millimeter and who met no criteria for starting ART according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups: deferred ART (ART initiation according to WHO criteria), deferred ART plus IPT, early ART (immediate ART initiation), or early ART plus IPT. The primary end point was a composite of diseases included in the case definition of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), non-AIDS-defining cancer, non-AIDS-defining invasive bacterial disease, or death from any cause at 30 months. We used Cox proportional models to compare outcomes between the deferred-ART and early-ART strategies and between the IPT and no-IPT strategies. RESULTS: A total of 2056 patients (41% with a baseline CD4+ count of ≥500 cells per cubic millimeter) were followed for 4757 patient-years. A total of 204 primary end-point events were observed (3.8 events per 100 person-years; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.3 to 4.4), including 68 in patients with a baseline CD4+ count of at least 500 cells per cubic millimeter (3.2 events per 100 person-years; 95% CI, 2.4 to 4.0). Tuberculosis and invasive bacterial diseases accounted for 42% and 27% of primary end-point events, respectively. The risk of death or severe HIV-related illness was lower with early ART than with deferred ART (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.41 to 0.76; adjusted hazard ratio among patients with a baseline CD4+ count of ≥500 cells per cubic millimeter, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.33 to 0.94) and lower with IPT than with no IPT (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.48 to 0.88; adjusted hazard ratio among patients with a baseline CD4+ count of ≥500 cells per cubic millimeter, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.36 to 1.01). The 30-month probability of grade 3 or 4 adverse events did not differ significantly among the strategies. CONCLUSIONS: In this African country, immediate ART and 6 months of IPT independently led to lower rates of severe illness than did deferred ART and no IPT, both overall and among patients with CD4+ counts of at least 500 cells per cubic millimeter. (Funded by the French National Agency for Research on AIDS and Viral Hepatitis; TEMPRANO ANRS 12136 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00495651.)

Effect of isoniazid preventive therapy on risk of death in west African, HIV-infected adults with high CD4 cell counts: long-term follow-up of the Temprano ANRS 12136 trial.

BACKGROUND: Temprano ANRS 12136 was a factorial 2 × 2 trial that assessed the benefits of early antiretroviral therapy (ART; ie, in patients who had not reached the CD4 cell count threshold used to recommend starting ART, as per the WHO guidelines that were the standard during the study period) and 6-month isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) in HIV-infected adults in Côte d'Ivoire. Early ART and IPT were shown to independently reduce the risk of severe morbidity at 30 months. Here, we present the efficacy of IPT in reducing mortality from the long-term follow-up of Temprano. METHODS: For Temprano, participants were randomly assigned to four groups (deferred ART, deferred ART plus IPT, early ART, or early ART plus IPT). Participants who completed the trial follow-up were invited to participate in a post-trial phase. The primary post-trial phase endpoint was death, as analysed by the intention-to-treat principle. We used Cox proportional models to compare all-cause mortality between the IPT and no IPT strategies from inclusion in Temprano to the end of the follow-up period. FINDINGS: Between March 18, 2008, and Jan 5, 2015, 2056 patients (mean baseline CD4 count 477 cells per μL) were followed up for 9404 patient-years (Temprano 4757; post-trial phase 4647). The median follow-up time was 4·9 years (IQR 3·3-5·8). 86 deaths were recorded (Temprano 47 deaths; post-trial phase 39 deaths), of which 34 were in patients randomly assigned IPT (6-year probability 4·1%, 95% CI 2·9-5·7) and 52 were in those randomly assigned no IPT (6·9%, 5·1-9·2). The hazard ratio of death in patients who had IPT compared with those who did not have IPT was 0·63 (95% CI, 0·41 to 0·97) after adjusting for the ART strategy (early vs deferred), and 0·61 (0·39-0·94) after adjustment for the ART strategy, baseline CD4 cell count, and other key characteristics. There was no evidence for statistical interaction between IPT and ART (pinteraction=0·77) or between IPT and time (pinteraction=0·94) on mortality. INTERPRETATION: In Côte d'Ivoire, where the incidence of tuberculosis was last reported as 159 per 100 000 people, 6 months of IPT has a durable protective effect in reducing mortality in HIV-infected people, even in people with high CD4 cell counts and who have started ART. FUNDING: National Research Agency on AIDS and Viral Hepatitis (ANRS)