Farmers’ storage practices and nutritional quality of fodder from dual-purpose cowpea and sorghum crops

The study aim was to analyze the effect of storage practices for cultivated forages on their nutritional qualities. Post-harvest fodder storage practices for cowpea var. KVX 745-11p and sorghum var. Grinkan were observed at 44 farms. Samples of green fodder and fodder stored under different conditions after drying were analyzed in laboratory to determine chemical composition parameters using near infrared spectrometry. The results showed that the most common storage is exposure in sheds (34% of farmers). The sensory assessment of the forage showed that sheltered premises help to maintain a relatively very good (52%) to good (40%) quality of stored forage. In unsheltered premises, stored fodder is essentially of good (68%) to fair (26%) quality. The quality of fodder stored in unsheltered premises deteriorates with a significant reduction in crude protein content. This content varies significantly from 20% for green fodder to 16% in sheltered premises, then to 15% in unsheltered premises for cowpea, and for sorghum from 7.9% to 6.6% and then to 4.5%. West African livestock farmers need to adopt better storage practices for cultivated fodder and crop residues to preserve their nutritional value. Keywords: Fodder, Dual-purpose crop, Storage practices, Nutritional value, Sub-Saharan Afric

Aluminum corrosion inhibition by cefixime drug: experimental and DFT studies

Corrosion inhibition of aluminum in 1 M HCl by cefixime drug has been studied at 298-318 K using mass loss, Tafel polarization (at 298 K) and quantum chemical methods based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The results showed that inhibition efficiency increases up to 90.41 % with increase of the inhibitor concentration from 0.02 to 2 mM, but decreases with a rise of the solution temperature. Adsorption of cefixime molecules on the corroding aluminum surface obeys Langmuir adsorption isotherm and occurs spontaneously mostly through a physisorption process. The activation energy (Ea) as well as other thermodynamic parameters of the inhibition process are calculated and discussed. Potentiodynamic polarization data revealed that cefixime acts as mixed-type inhibitor and pointed out an agreement with mass loss results. Surface analysis is performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) which confirmed existence of a protective film of inhibitor molecules on the aluminum surface. In addition, global and local reactivity parameters of the studied molecule are analyzed and discussed. The computed results are found in agreement with experimental data

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Le problème de la licéité des systèmes d'armements létaux autonomes: À l'aune du droit international des conflits armés

International audienceLe droit des conflits armés (DIH), dit-on, est toujours en retard d’une guerre; peut-être ne pourra-t-on pas en dire autant des armes autonomes auxquels les juristes se sont intéressés très tôt. Ces moyens de guerre, dont on a pu dire qu’ils constituent la troisième révolution après la poudre à canon et l’arme nucléaire, se particularisent par leur totale autonomie, i-e, leur capacité à détecter une cible et à l’engager sans intervention humaine. Le déploiement de ces armes dans un conflit armé soulève à l’évidence diverses inquiétudes. Cette étude essaie d’appréhender ces armes sous l’angle du DIH avec pour objectif de démontrer d’une part que le droit des conflits armé suffit, en l’état, à les réguler sans qu’il soit nécessaire d’adopter une convention spéciale ; d’autre part que ces armes ne sont pas en mesure de se conformer aux règles et principes essentiels de ce droit, du fait de leurs caractéristiques propres mais également du fait de la manière dont elles sont appelées à être utilisées dans un conflit armé. Conscient cependant de la rapidité des évolutions technologiques, notre analyse tient compte des possibles évolutions techniques des SALA.DIH = Droit international humanitaireSALA = Système d'armes létales autonome