Characterization and evaluation of accessions of Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdcourt) from Burkina Faso

Three hundred and ten (310) Bambara groundnut accessions mainly from the Northern semi arid zone of Burkina Faso were assessed for phenotypic variability of agronomic and morphological traits. Mixture of seed types in a given accession is common in Northern area of Burkina Faso. Two to twelve types of seeds compose the majority of accessions collected (82%) and only 18% of accessions are homogeneous. Characters like canopy spread, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, seed length, seed width and weight of 100 seeds are positively correlated to yield per plant. A negative correlation was revealed between days to 50% flowering and yield per plant indicating that plants which take more time on vegetative stage have less yield in semi-arid conditions of production. Accessions from Burkina assessed for agronomic and morphological characteristics in this study are less variable than 1384 accessions assessed by IITA in 1985 and 1986. This result can be explained by the restricted origin of accessions from Burkina Faso.La variabilité phénotypique des traits agronomiques et morphologiques de 310 accessions de pois Bambara collectées principalement dans la zone semi aride nord du Burkina Faso a été évaluée. Le mélange de différents types de semences dans les accessions est une pratique répandue dans le Nord du Burkina Faso. Deux à douze types de semence composent la majorité des accessions (82%) et seulement 18% des accessions sont homogènes. Les caractères tels que la largeur du feuillage, le nombre de gousses par plante, le nombre de graines par gousse, la longueur et largeur des graines et le poids de 100 graines ont une corrélation positive avec le rendement en graine par plante. Une corrélation négative a été mise en évidence entre la date de 50% floraison et le rendement par plante montrant que les plantes qui prennent plus de temps pour leur phase végétative produisent moins dans les conditions de production semi arides. Les accessions du Burkina évaluées pour leurs caractéristiques agronomiques et morphologiques sont moins variables que les 1384 accessions évaluées par l\'IITA en 1985 et 1986. Ce résultat peut s\'expliquer l\'origine restreinte des accessions originaires du Burkina. Keywords: Agronomic evaluation, Bambara groundnut, Mixture of seeds, Phenotypic variability, Vigna subterranea.Sciences & Nature Vol. 5 (2) 2008: pp. 191-19

Combustibles des ménages et modes d’utilisation à l’échelle du terroir de Vipalogo, en zone nord soudanienne du Burkina Faso

Au Burkina Faso, les besoins en combustibles énergétiques sont satisfaits surtout par le bois d’énergie. En milieu rural, le bois contribue pour 95% à la satisfaction des besoins énergétiques des ménages. Une meilleure connaissance de l’importance du bois et autres combustibles dans la satisfaction des besoins et des modes de consommation du combustible permettraient une meilleure gestion des formations végétales. Pour ce faire, à l’échelle du terroir de Vipalogo, 30 exploitations ont été retenues au hasard, et enquêtées sur les combustibles énergétiques utilisés. Des mesures de consommation de combustibles ont aussi été menées régulièrement à trois périodes de l’année, période froide et sèche, saison sèche et chaude et en saison pluvieuse. A Vipalogo, les ménages utilisent 1129,8 m3 de bois par an. La consommation maximale de bois par personne et par jour atteint 1,12 kg en période froide contre 0,90 kg en période chaude et 0,67 kg en période pluvieuse. En outre, il ressort qu’il y a des espèces préférentielles qui répondent à un certain nombre de critères en fonction de l’usage. Si pour tous les usages, l’aspect abondance est cité, pour le bois de feu, le critère qualité de combustion est le plus signalé. Les ressources ligneuses sont prélevées à 29,6% dans les champs de cases et de brousse et le reste dans les zones non cultivées,  essentiellement les savanes. Les brousses et les jachères apportent la plus grande contribution à la satisfaction des besoins des populations en ressources ligneuses. Il ressort aussi un éloignement progressif des lieux de collecte qui dénote d’une raréfaction du produit.Mots clés : combustibles énergétiques, ménage, bois, résidus de récolte, champ, jachère

Personality and personality disorders in urban and rural Africa: results from a field trial in Burkina Faso

When conducting research in different cultural settings, assessing measurement equivalence is of prime importance to determine if constructs and scores can be compared across groups. Structural equivalence implies that constructs have the same meaning across groups, metric equivalence implies that the metric of the scales remains stable across groups, and full scale or scalar equivalence implies that the origin of the scales is the same across groups. Several studies have observed that the structure underlying both normal personality and personality disorders (PDs) is stable across cultures. Most of this cross-cultural research was conducted in Western and Asian cultures. In Africa, the few studies were conducted with well-educated participants using French or English instruments. No research was conducted in Africa with less privileged or preliterate samples. The aim of this research was to study the structure and expression of normal and abnormal personality in an urban and a rural sample in Burkina Faso. The sample included 1,750 participants, with a sub-sample from the urban area of Ouagadougou (n = 1,249) and another sub-sample from a rural village, Soumiaga (n = 501). Most participants answered an interview consisting of a Mooré language adaptation of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory and of the International Personality Disorders Examination. Mooré is the language of the Mossi ethnic group, and the most frequently spoken local language in Burkina Faso. A sub-sample completed the same self-report instruments in French. Demographic variables only had a small impact on normal and abnormal personality traits mean levels. The structure underlying normal personality was unstable across regions and languages, illustrating that translating a complex psychological inventory into a native African language is a very difficult task. The structure underlying abnormal personality and the metric of PDs scales were stable across regions. As scalar equivalence was not reached, mean differences cannot be interpreted. Nevertheless, these differences could be due to an exaggerated expression of abnormal traits valued in the two cultural settings. Our results suggest that studies using a different methodology should be conducted to understand what is considered, in different cultures, as deviating from the expectations of the individual's culture, and as a significant impairment in self and interpersonal functioning, as defined by the DSM-5

Assessing the adoption of NERICA varieties in Western Burkina Faso

This paper aims to assess the actual and potential adoption rate of NERICA (New Rice for Africa) rice varieties and identify the determinants of their diffusion and adoption in Burkina Faso. The surveys were conducted in 2009 among 300 rice farmers in 10 villages participating in the rice varietal selection tests. The average treatment effect (ATE) method made it possible to determine a common rate of exposure to and adoption of NERICA of 17% in 2008, and a potential adoption rate of 37%. This means that there is an adoption gap of 20% due to the incomplete diffusion of NERICA, which must be addressed by carrying out more actions to disseminate these varieties. The contact with agricultural research services is a key factor determining the awareness and adoption of NERICA in Burkina Faso

External Validation of the “Walking Estimated Limitation Calculated by History” (WELCH) Questionnaire in Patients with Claudication

ObjectiveTo externally validate the recently proposed “Walking Estimated Limitation Calculated by History” (WELCH) questionnaire.MethodsA prospective study was performed on 450 new patients referred to our laboratory for treadmill testing (constant load 3.2 km/h and 10% slope for 15 minutes and then incremental increases). Results are presented as mean ± SD or median [25th–75th percentiles] or number (percentage). An ankle brachial index <0.90 defined the presence of peripheral artery disease (PAD). Typical “vascular-type claudication” is a lower-limb pain or discomfort that is absent at rest, appears at exercise, forces stopping, and disappears within 10 minutes of exercise stopping. The Spearman r coefficient of correlation between maximal walking time (MWT) on treadmill and WELCH scores was calculated for patients with (PAD+) or without (PAD−) PAD, and reporting typical vascular-type claudication (VTC+) or not (VTC−).ResultsThe WELCH score was obtained in all included patients. The number (%) of patients with a WELCH score <25 was 37 (54%), 198 (65%), 14 (44%), and 18 (38%), and the Spearman correlation coefficient between WELCH score and treadmill MWT was 0.588, 0.609, 0.581, and 0.591 in the VTC−/PAD+, VTC+/PAD+, VTC−/PAD−, and VTC+/PAD− groups respectively (all p < .001). In PAD+/VTC+ patients, the WELCH positive predictive value for the inability to walk for 5 minutes on the treadmill was 79%.ConclusionThe WELCH score correlates moderately with treadmill-walking capacity in patients with or without PAD, and with or without typical VTC. It appears to be a simple to complete and easily scored instrument to help clinicians standardise the subjective estimation of walking capacity in their patients

Leafy amaranthus consumption patterns in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

There is a new attention to vegetables as vital components of daily diet. A concerted effort to raise their standing has begun to change mentalities and to fuel a rapid growth of traditional leafy vegetables marketing and consumption in African cities. However, little is known about the production and consumption patterns of these plant foods. This study examined, through a field survey the socio-economic, food consumption and conservation aspects of leafy vegetables in the region of Ouagadougou. It was found that leafy vegetables are cultivated under both rain-fed and irrigated conditions in the villages and also in the city’s gardens. The study has demonstrated that there is considerable indigenous knowledge on the leafy vegetables of the region. Amaranth species are the most cultivated and marketed and have potential for commercialization. They are used for many dishes in the local kitchen. Leafy Amaranths are consumed during all seasons even though they are more available (and cheap) during rainy season (June to end October). Ninety-four per cent of the interviewed people use vegetable Amaranth in sauce. There is a growing trend to use cultivated (introduced) species of Amaranth, which were brought to Africa by colonial powers and gained popularity because they were associated with high status. The introduced species are spreading quickly in a spontaneous manner. This can be a threat to biodiversity. There is need for a conservation initiative for the native species. In the commercialization of leafy vegetable and in particular for Amaranth, women play an important role. That could be optimized for marketing purpose to improve leafy vegetable adding-value. Because transportation is a cost increase factor, and given that cities should be targets for increased consumption, it is necessary to promote peri-urban agriculture of leafy vegetables, by policy guidelines. There is a need of documentation and dissemination of indigenous knowledge on indigenous leafy vegetables.Key words: vegetables, African greens, Amaranthus, micronutrients, biodiversity, horticulture, Ouagadougou, Burkina Fas

Effects of a four-year health systems intervention on the use of maternal and infant health services: results from a programme evaluation in two districts of rural Chad

BACKGROUND: Attendance of maternal and infant care services in rural Chad are consistently low. Our study aimed to assess the use of antenatal (ANC) and postnatal care (PNC) services, health facility delivery and infant health services after 4 years of a health systems intervention for improving the infrastructure, supplies, training and sensitization for maternal and infant health in two districts of rural Chad. METHODS: Data from a repeated cross-sectional household survey conducted in Yao and Danamadji in 2015 and in 2018 were analyzed. A stratified two-stage cluster sampling methodology was applied to achieve a representative sample of the rural settled and mobile population groups in the study area. A generalized linear model was applied to determine the health care utilization rates. Multivariate regression models were used to assess the association between the programme intervention and utilization outcomes of selected maternal and infant health services. RESULTS: Complete datasets were available for 1284 households at baseline. The endline analysis included 1175 households with complete survey data. The use of at least one ANC amongst pregnant women increased in both settled communities (from 80% in 2015 to 90% in 2018) and amongst mobile pastoralist communities (from 48% in 2015 to 56% in 2018). The rate of home delivery among settled communities and mobile pastoralists changed little between baseline and endline and remained high for both population groups. Individuals that were covered by the health systems intervention were however significantly more likely to attend ANC and less likely to give birth at home. PNC services only showed improvements amongst the settled communities (of 30%). Infants' reported health outcomes and vaccination coverage considerably improved; the latter especially among mobile pastoralist (from 15% in 2015 to 84% in 2018). CONCLUSION: A combination of health systems strengthening interventions was associated with an increased use of certain maternal and infant health services. However, to facilitate equitable access to and use of health care services in particular in times of increased vulnerability and by certain population groups in hard-to-reach areas, reinforced health education and culturally adapted communication strategies, including gender-specific messaging will be needed over a sustained period