When Aggression Is Out of Control: From One-Person to Two-Person Neuropsychology

From a neuropsychological perspective, impulsive aggression and its treatment are usually conceptualized in most research as a closed executive functioning system, as though the behavior was the product of the person’s cerebral functioning only. However, recent studies in social cognitive neuroscience have emphasized the influence of social factors on cognitive processes and cerebral functioning for the development and maintenance of impulsive aggression. This chapter will review studies that highlight the relevance of initiating a shift of paradigm from a one-person-cerebral functioning model to a social interactive-cerebral functioning model of impulsive aggression. First, the influences of an aversive environment on a child’s cognitive processes and executive functioning will be discussed with the aim of explaining the development of impulsive aggressive behaviors in early childhood. Second, we will review studies that have shown how the link between social information processes and executive/inhibitory functioning serve to maintain behaviors. Finally, strengths and weaknesses of existing inhibitory control strategies will be discussed with the intention of proposing some novel ideas that incorporate a two-person neuropsychological approach

Effects of tillage and cropping systems on yield and nitrogen fixation of cowpea intercropped with maize in northern Guinea savanna zone of Ghana

Published information is scanty on the response of crops in mixed cropping systems to the various tillage systems practised by farmers in the northern savanna zone of Ghana. A field experiment assessed the yield and nitrogen (N) fixation of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) intercropped with maize (Zea mays L.) on four different tillage systems at Nyankpala in the Northern Region of Ghana. The experiment was laid in a split-plot design with four replications. The main factor was tillage systems comprising conventional (Con), bullock plough (BP), hand hoe (HH) and zero tillage (ZT). The sub-factor was cropping systems (CRPSYT) which consisted of sole maize, sole cowpea, maize/cowpea inter-row cropping system, and bare fallow in 2000. The last-named was replaced by maize/cowpea intra-row cropping system in 2001. The results showed that Con and BP, which produced over 10 cm plough depth, significantly reduced soil bulk density that favoured significant (

Performance and Acceptability of Legume-Fortified Yam Flours

Yam (Dioscoreasp.) is an annual climbing plant with edible underground tubers which is a major staple of many African and Asian countries. About 52 million tonnes of yam was produced globally in 2007, with 96% from West African (IITA, 2009). Yam has the highest calories provided per hectare when compared with other starchy tubers such as cassava and potatoes. Yam is rich in carbohydrates, dietary fibre and some minerals. Yams are usually consumed boiled, roasted, fried or pounded. The tubers are stored in-between harvests for later use which is characterized by changes in wholesomeness which may result from poor handling, wound repair, diseases, and pests infestations. Also due to its high moisture content (50- 80%), large size, and high respiration rates, it is highly perishable. Hence yam tubers are lost after 4-5 months of storage, thus causing a yearly cycle of huge post- harvest losses. In Ghana, post- harvest losses of yam have been reported to range from 10% to 50%. Although West Africa produces about 94% of the world’s yam, yams have not been processed to any significant extent commercially. However due to similarity in composition of yam to crops like potato,yams could be processed into ready to eat foods like chips, crisps flakes and fries to increase their commercial value. They can also be processed into flours for instant foods (e.g. porridge, fufu, mpotonpoton (yam porridge that is spiced with palm oil added)). Fortifying yam flours with legumes such as soyabean and cowpeas could further enhance their commercial value as the fortified products could be used for complementary feeding. This study therefore developed legume-fortified yam flours to enhance their nutritional level as well as extend the shelf-life of yam. The results showed that the blends were acceptable to trained sensory panellists at baseline and also at six months. The products were also nutritionally enhanced, and could therefore be used for complementary feeding. Keywords:Yams, Post-harvest Losses, Value-addition, Legume-fortified flour

Microbial and antibiotic contaminants in imported and locally produced honey in the tamale metropolis of the Northern Region of Ghana

Honey remains a valued natural product and has been used by humans as an important food source, disease treatment, and a healthy sugar source since ancient times. However, recent reports on the adulteration of honey and honey polluted with contaminants like pesticides, heavy metals, microorganisms as well as antibiotics have gained public attention. Thus, this study aimed to assess the quality and safety of imported and locally produced honey by specifically determining microbial and antibiotic contaminants as well as the beekeeping practices of honey producers within some locations of the Tamale metropolis. A semi-structured questionnaire was designed to gather information on the sources of honey, knowledge of diseases affecting bees, knowledge of contamination of honey, and knowledge of antibiotics use in honey production from honey producers in the study area. The procedures outlined by the Codex Alimentarius Commission were followed to ascertain the microbial quality of the honey samples. Also, the Premi® test kit was used to determine the presence of antibiotics residue in the honey samples. Only eight honey producers were identified in the study area; they all had knowledge on contamination of honey. Only two (25 %) of the honey producers had knowledge on diseases affecting bees and also the use of antibiotics in beekeeping or honey production. Concerning microbial contaminants, Listeria spp., Lactobacillus spp., Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Clostridium spp., Campylobacter spp., and Staphylococcus spp. were the microorganisms enumerated upon microbiological quality assessment of 30 honey samples. Furthermore, 27 (90 %) of the honey samples tested positive for the presence of antibiotics residue of which 6 (85.7 %) were sampled from imported source, whilst the remaining 21 (91.3 %) were locally produced. Microbial and antibiotic contaminants found in the honey sampled in the study area support the hypothesis that honey may not be as pure as might be perceived and this might be a public health concern. Again, since there is no available record on the  screening or antibiotic residue in honey found on the Ghanaian market, this research is timely and necessary to provide the basis forintervention policies on the minimum limits of antibiotic residues present in honey. Key words: Antibiotic, Campylobacter, Clostridium, Contaminants, Honey, Listeria, Microorganism, Residues, Tamale Metropoli

Phytochemical Screening and Antimicrobial Activity of False Yam (Icacina oliviformis) Extracts on Microbes

This study compares the phytochemicals and antimicrobial activity of Icacina oliviformis tuber and seed extracts on Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Pseudomonas aerugino­sa, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. False yam tubers were washed and peeled and the mesocarp removed to obtain the seeds. Methanol was used to obtain tuber and seed extracts of the false yam, after they were pulverized. Phytochemical screening showed the presence of tannins, saponins, alkaloids and glycosides in both extracts but the proportion of tannins and alkaloids were relatively higher in false yam seed extract than tuber extract. Antimicrobial assay showed that both extracts had antimicrobial activity justifying its use in the treatment of diseases in Northern Ghana. False yam seed extract had a relatively higher antimicrobial activity than tuber extract. The least minimum inhibition concentration recorded was 1.56 mg/ ml for false yam seed on Gram-positive bacteria and Candida albicans. False yam seed extract exhibited a higher antimicrobial activity against the microorganisms than the tuber extract, this provides a cheaper source of antimicrobial agent to treat infectious diseases. Keywords: False yam tuber, False yam seed, Icacina oliviformis, Phytochemical screening, Minimum Inhibition Concentration (MIC), Microorganisms &nbsp

Intuitive eating is associated with weight and glucose control during pregnancy and in the early postpartum period in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM): A clinical cohort study.

High pre-pregnancy weight and body mass index (BMI) increase the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and diabetes after pregnancy. To tackle weight and metabolic health problems, there is a need to investigate novel lifestyle approaches. Outside of pregnancy, higher adherence to intuitive eating (IE) is associated with lower BMI and improved glycemic control. This study investigated the association between IE and metabolic health during pregnancy and in the early postpartum period among women with GDM. Two-hundred and fourteen consecutive women aged ≥18, diagnosed with GDM between 2015 and 2017 and completed the "Eating for Physical rather than Emotional Reasons (EPR)" and "Reliance on Hunger and Satiety cues (RHSC) subscales" of the French Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2) questionnaire at the first GDM clinic visit were included in this study. Participants' mean age was 33.32 ± 5.20 years. Their weight and BMI before pregnancy were 68.18 ± 14.83 kg and 25.30 ± 5.19 kg/m <sup>2</sup> respectively. After adjusting for confounding variables, the cross-sectional analyses showed that the two subscales of IES-2 at the first GDM visit were associated with lower weight and BMI before pregnancy, and lower weight at the first GDM visit (β = -0.181 to -0.215, all p ≤ 0.008). In addition, the EPR subscale was associated with HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose at the first GDM visit (β = -0.170 and to -0.196; all p ≤ 0.016). In the longitudinal analyses, both subscales of IES-2 at first GDM visit were associated with lower weight at the end of pregnancy, BMI and fasting plasma glucose at 6-8 weeks postpartum (β = -0.143 to -0.218, all p ≤ 0.040) after adjusting for confounders. Increase adherence to IE could represent a novel approach to weight and glucose control during and after pregnancy in women with GDM

Carbon dioxide fluxes from contrasting ecosystems in the Sudanian Savanna in West Africa

Background: The terrestrial land surface in West Africa is made up of several types of savanna ecosystems differing in land use changes which modulate gas exchanges between their vegetation and the overlying atmosphere. This study compares diurnal and seasonal estimates of CO2 fluxes from three contrasting ecosystems, a grassland, a mixture of fallow and cropland, and nature reserve in the Sudanian Savanna and relate them to water availability and land use characteristics. Results: Over the study period, and for the three study sites, low soil moisture availability, high vapour pressure deficit and low ecosystem respiration were prevalent during the dry season (November to March), but the contrary occurred during the rainy season (May to October). Carbon uptake predominantly took place in the rainy season, while net carbon efflux occurred in the dry season as well as the dry to wet and wet to dry transition periods (AM and ND) respectively. Carbon uptake decreased in the order of the nature reserve, a mixture of fallow and cropland, and grassland. Only the nature reserve ecosystem at the Nazinga Park served as a net sink of CO2, mostly by virtue of a several times larger carbon uptake and ecosystem water use efficiency during the rainy season than at the other sites. These differences were influenced by albedo, LAI, EWUE, PPFD and climatology during the period of study. Conclusion: These results suggest that land use characteristics affect plant physiological processes that lead to flux exchanges over the Sudanian Savanna ecosystems. It affects the diurnal, seasonal and annual changes in NEE and its composite signals, GPP and RE. GPP and NEE were generally related as NEE scaled with photosynthesis with higher CO2 assimilation leading to higher GPP. However, CO2 effluxes over the study period suggest that besides biomass regrowth, other processes, most likely from the soil might have also contributed to the enhancement of ecosystem respiration. © 2015 Quansah et al

Health and Economic Benefits of Improved Injury Prevention and Trauma Care Worldwide

Objectives: Injury is a significant source of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and often disproportionately affects younger, more productive members of society. While many have made the case for improved injury prevention and trauma care, health system development in low- and middle-income countries is often limited by resources. This study aims to determine the economic benefit of improved injury prevention and trauma care in low- and middle-income countries. Methods: This study uses existing data on injury mortality worldwide from the 2010 Global Burden of Disease Study to estimate the number of lives that could be saved if injury mortality rates in low- and middle-income countries could be reduced to rates in high-income countries. Using economic modeling – through the human capital approach and the value of a statistical life approach – the study then demonstrates the associated economic benefit of these lives saved. Results: 88 percent of injury-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. If injury mortality rates in low- and middle-income countries were reduced to rates in high-income countries, 2,117,500 lives could be saved per year. This would result in between 49 million and 52 million disability adjusted life years averted per year, with discounting and age weighting. Using the human capital approach, the associated economic benefit of reducing mortality rates ranges from $245 to$261 billion with discounting and age weighting. Using the value of a statistical life approach, the benefit is between 758 and 786 billion dollars per year. Conclusions: Reducing injury mortality in low- and middle-income countries could save over 2 million lives per year and provide significant economic benefit globally. Further investments in trauma care and injury prevention are needed

How diet, physical activity and psychosocial well-being interact in women with gestational diabetes mellitus: an integrative review.

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is associated with future cardio-metabolic risks for the mother and her child. In addition, one-third of women with recent GDM develop postpartum depression. Given these adverse impacts of GDM on the health of the mother and her offspring, it is important to intervene on modifiable factors, such as diet, physical activity, and psychosocial well-being. This integrative review therefore explored evidence on how these modifiable factors interact in women with GDM and their offspring, and how effective combined interventions are on reducing adverse impacts of GDM. A comprehensive search strategy included carefully selected terms that corresponded to the domains of interest (diet, physical activity and psychosocial well-being). The databases searched for articles published between 1980 and February 2018 were: CINAHL, PsycINFO, Embase, Pubmed and Cochrane. Studies that were included in this review were either observational or intervention studies that included at least two domains of interest. Articles had to at least report data on maternal outcomes of women with GDM. The search strategies identified 14'419 citations after excluding duplicates. After screening titles and then abstracts, 114 articles were selected for detailed evaluation of their full text, and 16 were included in this review: two observational and 14 intervention studies. Results from observational studies showed that psychosocial well-being (social support and self-efficacy) were positively associated with physical activity and dietary choice. Intervention studies always included diet and physical activity interventions, although none integrated psychosocial well-being in the intervention. These lifestyle interventions mostly led to increased physical activity, improved diet and lower stress perception. Many of these lifestyle interventions also reduced BMI and postpartum diabetes status, improved metabolic outcomes and reduced the risk of preterm deliveries and low birth weight. This integrative review showed that psychosocial well-being interacted with diet as well as with physical activity in women with GDM. We recommend that future studies consider integrating psychosocial well-being in their intervention, as observational studies demonstrated that social support and self-efficacy helped with adopting a healthy lifestyle following GDM diagnosis