Chemical and Mineralogical Characterisation of Clayey Sands from the Ivorian Sedimentary Basin in Road Construction

In Ivory Coast, particularly in the south, most paved and unpaved roads are made of clayey sand, given its availability. The early degradation of roads is related to a strong sensitivity of certain materials to the environment (climate, geology, and degrees of alteration) and a poor knowledge of the geotechnical properties could slow down their use in road construction. Within this framework, this paper focuses on determining the chemico-mineralogical nature of the clayey sands of the localities of Bingerville and Samo, in the South-East of Ivory Coast. Tests were conducted based on the chemical and mineralogical analyses. Chemical elements were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry, colorimetry, complexometry, and gravimetry. Organic matter was determined using the Rock-Eval 6 pyrolysis method, while the mineralogical composition was determined using a Bruker D8 ADVANCE diffractometer. The chemico-mineralogical analyses reveal that the clayey sands from Bingerville and Samo are more enriched in silica oxide (SiO2) but less enriched in iron oxide (Fe2O3). All the soils studied have a degree of laterization greater than 2, which suggests that they are non-lateritic soils. The low Total Organic Carbon (TOC) values lies between 0.1 and 0.15% by weight, which reflects the extremely low amount of organic matter in these soils. This indicates the possibility of treating these soils with hydraulic binders. The mineralogy of the studied soils denotes that they are composed of kaolinite and illite

Chemical and Mineralogical Characterization of the Clayey Sands of Samo and Bingerville in the North of the Lagoon Fault, South of the Ivory Coast, In Road Construction

In Côte d'Ivoire, particularly in the south, the majority of paved and unpaved roads are made of clayey sand, given its availability. However, the early degradation of roads related to a strong sensitivity of this material to the environment (climate, geology and degrees of alteration) and a poor knowledge of the geotechnical properties of this one could slow down their use in road construction. It is within this framework that the work undertaken aims at determining the chemico-mineralogical nature of the clayey sands of the localities of Bingerville and Samo, in the South-East of Côte d'Ivoire. Tests were carried out taking into account the chemical and mineralogical analyses. Chemical elements were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry, colorimetry, complexometry and gravimetry. The determination of organic matter was determined using the Rock-Eval 6 pyrolysis method. The mineralogical composition was determined using a Bruker D8 ADVANCE diffractometer. The chemico-mineralogical analyses show that the clayey sands of Bingerville and Samo are more enriched in silica oxide (SiO2) but less enriched in iron oxide (Fe2O3). All the soils studied have an S/R ratio greater than 2, indicating that these soils are non-lateritic. In addition, the low TOC values between 0.1 and 0.15% by weight, which reflect the extremely low amount of organic matter in these soils, show the possibility of treating these soils with hydraulic binders. In addition, the mineralogy of the studied soils indicates that they are mainly composed of kaolinite and illite

Chemical and Mineralogical Characterization of the Clayey Sands of Samo and Bingerville in the North of the Lagoon Fault, South of the Ivory Coast, In Road Construction

In Côte d'Ivoire, particularly in the south, the majority of paved and unpaved roads are made of clayey sand, given its availability. However, the early degradation of roads related to a strong sensitivity of this material to the environment (climate, geology and degrees of alteration) and a poor knowledge of the geotechnical properties of this one could slow down their use in road construction. It is within this framework that the work undertaken aims at determining the chemico-mineralogical nature of the clayey sands of the localities of Bingerville and Samo, in the South-East of Côte d'Ivoire. Tests were carried out taking into account the chemical and mineralogical analyses. Chemical elements were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry, colorimetry, complexometry and gravimetry. The determination of organic matter was determined using the Rock-Eval 6 pyrolysis method. The mineralogical composition was determined using a Bruker D8 ADVANCE diffractometer. The chemico-mineralogical analyses show that the clayey sands of Bingerville and Samo are more enriched in silica oxide (SiO2) but less enriched in iron oxide (Fe2O3). All the soils studied have an S/R ratio greater than 2, indicating that these soils are non-lateritic. In addition, the low TOC values between 0.1 and 0.15% by weight, which reflect the extremely low amount of organic matter in these soils, show the possibility of treating these soils with hydraulic binders. In addition, the mineralogy of the studied soils indicates that they are mainly composed of kaolinite and illite

Évaluation de l’abattage contrôlé et estimation des pertes de bois en grume dans l’Unité Forestière d’Aménagement Loundoungou-Toukoulaka au Nord Congo

Objectif: L’étude sur les dégâts d’abattage et l’estimation des pertes occasionnées par l’opération de prélèvement des arbres dans la forêt se passe dans la partie Nord du Congo, plus précisément dans l’Unité Forestière d’Aménagement (UFA) de Loundoungou- Toukoulaka. Une équipe d’experts du laboratoire d’Écologie Appliquée et de l’Environnement avait pour mission d’évaluer la qualité, la quantité et les pertes de l’abattage.Méthodologie et résultats: Après l’estimation du nombre des arbres prévus pour l’opération de l’abattage, la qualité de l’abattage était constatée en fonction des défauts du bois après l’opération. Quand aux pertes de bois, une évaluation était réalisée en appliquant les mesures dendrométriques sur les arbres abattus jugées utiles à l’industrie, puis sur les parties des arbres abandonnées en forêt non utilisés et jugés comme pertes. Un total de 4 essences était prélevé par l’entreprise titulaire de l’assiette annuelle de coupe (AAC 2016) de la zone forestière étudiée. Il s’agit plus respectivement de Sapelli (Entandrophragma cylindricum (Sprague) avec 47 pieds au total, de Mukulungu (Autranella congolensis (De Wild.) A.Chev.) avec 15 pieds, de Sipo (Entandrophragma utile (Dave et Sprague) Sprague) avec 7 pieds et enfin de l’Iroko (Millicia excelsa (Welw.) Berg) avec 7 pieds soit un total général de 76 pieds étaient suivis. Pour la répartition des défauts d’abattage par essence, nous avons constaté que :• pour le cas de Sappelli, 2 pieds avaient des défauts de roulures, 3 pieds avaient reçu des éclatements, 3 pieds de blessures et 2 pieds avaient reçu des arrachements, soit un total de 10 pieds avec un défaut d’abattage ;• pour l’essence Sipo, on a constaté 1 pied roulé et 1 pied blessé soit un total de 2 pieds mal abattus ;• pour le cas de Mukulungu, on a constaté 2 pieds éclatés, 1 pied roulé et 1 pied blessé, soit un total de 4 pieds abandonnés en forêt à cause des défauts d’abattage ;• pour l’essence Iroko, sur les 7 pieds prévus à l’abattage, aucun pied n’était abandonné. Dans le cas des volumes perdus de bois d’oeuvre à l’abattage, on a constaté que: - l’essence Sapelli, pour un volume de 1172 m3 de bois prévu après l’abattage, on a obtenu un volume de 1001,42m3, soit un pourcentage de récupération de 85,40%, avec 14,60% de pertes,- pour le Mukulungu, le volume prévu était de 425.97m3 et après déduction des pertes, on a constaté un pourcentage de réussite correspondant à 82,19% avec 17,81% de pertes,- pour le Sipo, le pourcentage de réussite est de 90,79% avec 9,21% des pertes,- Par contre l’essence Iroko n’a pas présenté aucun défaut, ni de pertes, donc un pourcentage de réussite de 100%.Conclusion et application des résultats: Des efforts doivent être consentis afin de réduire les défauts de l’abattage pour augmenter le rendement matière de l’entreprise.Mots clés: grume, défaut du bois, pertes de bois, essenceEnglish Title:  Evaluation of controlled logging and estimation of the logwood losses in the Forest management Unit (UFA) Loundoungou-Toukoulaka in northern CongoEnglish AbstractObjective: The study on the damages of wood cutting and the evaluation of looses caused by the operation of removal of the trees in the forest, happen in the north part of Congo more precisely in the forestry unit Planning Loundoungou-Toukoulaka. A team of experts of the laboratory of Applied Ecology and the Environment has for mission to evaluate the quantity, the quality and the looses of woodcutting.Methodology and Results: After the evaluation of the number of trees foreseen for wood cutting operation, the quality of woodcutting was noticed. Concerning the losses of woods, an evaluation was carried out in applying dendrometrical measures on the trees slaughtered estimated useful for the industry. Then, on part of trees forsaken in the forest non-used and estimated as looses. In general (4) species were deducted by the first enterprise of Assiette Annuelle de Coupe (ACC 2016) of the investigated forestry zone. It is about Sappelli (Entandrophragma cylindricum (Sprague) Sprague) with 47 feet, Mukulungou (Autranella congolensis De Wild.) A.Chev.) with 15 feet, Sipo (Entandrophragma utile (Dave et Sprague) Sprague) with 7 feet and finally Iroko (Millicia excelsa (Welw.) Berg) 7 feet, all these marked 76 feet. For the distribution of the faults of slaughter by essence, we found that:• for the case of Sappelli, 2 feet had flaws of rolling, 3feet were shattered, 3 feet injuries and 2 feetwere torn off, in fact 10 feet Sappelli had a slaughtering flaw,• for Sipo, we noticed that 1 rolled foot and 1 wounded foot which make in general 2 feet badly cut down,• the case Mukulungu, we notice 2 feet busted, 1 rolled foot and 1 wounded feet which make in general 4 feet left in the forest because of the slaughtering flaws,• for Iroko on the 7 feet involved for the slaughter ring, no foot was left thanks to the kindness of slaughters towards that species.In the case of the volume of woods lost by the phenomenon of slaughtering, we notice that:- the volume of Sappelli decreased from 1172m3 to 1001,42m3, after the slaughtering, with a growth percentage of 85,40% and the looses percentage of 14,60%,- Concerning Mukulungu, the preview volume was 425,97m3 and after the looses, we notice a growth percentage of 82,19% AND 17,81% of looses,- Contrary to the specie Iroko that did not present any default with a successfulness percentage of 100%.Conclusion and application of results: Efforts must be made to reduce the defects of slaughter to increase the material yield of the company.Keywords: log, defect of wood, wood losses, essenc

Addressing the immediate need for emergency providers in resource-limited settings: the model of a six-month emergency medicine curriculum in Haiti

Background: In many resource-limited settings, emergency medicine (EM) is underdeveloped and formal EM training limited. Residencies and fellowships are an ideal long-term solution but cannot meet immediate needs for emergency providers, while short-term programs are often too limited in content. We describe a third method successfully implemented in Haiti: a medium-duration certificate program to meet the immediate need for emergency specialists. Methods: In conjunction with the Haitian Ministry of Health and National Medical School, we developed and implemented a novel, 6-month EM certificate program to build human resources for health and emergency care capacity. The program consisted of didactic and supervised clinical components, covering core content in EM. Didactics included lectures, simulations, hands-on skill-sessions, and journal clubs. Supervised clinical time reinforced concepts and taught an EM approach to patient care. Results: Fourteen physicians from around Haiti successfully completed the program; all improved from their pre-test to post-test. At the end of the program and 9-month post-program evaluations, participants rated the program highly, and most felt they used their new knowledge daily. Participants found clinical supervision and simulation particularly useful. Key components to our program’s success included collaboration with the Ministry of Health and National Medical School, supervised clinical time, and the continual presence of a course director. The program could be improved by a more flexible curriculum and by grouping participants by baseline knowledge levels. Conclusion: Medium-duration certificate programs offer a viable option for addressing immediate human resource gaps in emergency care, and our program offers a model for implementation in resource-limited settings. Similar options should be considered for other emerging specialties in resource-limited settings

Outcome of giant pituitary tumors requiring surgery.

peer reviewed[en] OBJECTIVE: The management of giant pituitary tumors is complex, with few publications and recommendations. Consequently, patient's care mainly relies on clinical experience. We report here a first large series of patients with giant pituitary tumors managed by a multidisciplinary expert team, focusing on treatments and outcome. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Giant pituitary tumors were defined by a main diameter > 40mm. Macroprolactinomas sensitive to dopamine agonists were excluded. All patients were operated by a single neurosurgical team. After surgery, multimodal management was proposed, including hormone replacement, radiotherapy and anti-tumor medical therapies. Outcome was modeled using Kaplan-Meyer representation. A logistic regression model was built to identify the risk factors associated with surgical complications. RESULTS: 63 consecutive patients presented a giant adenoma, most often with visual defects. Patients were operated once, twice or three times in 59%, 40% and 1% of cases respectively, mainly through endoscopic endonasal approach. Giant adenomas included gonadotroph, corticotroph, somatotroph, lactotroph and mixed GH-PRL subtypes in 67%, 14%, 11%, 6% and 2% of patients respectively. Vision improved in 89% of patients with prior visual defects. Severe surgical complications occurred in 11% of patients, mainly for tumors > 50 mm requiring microscopic transcranial approach. Additional radiotherapy was needed for 29% of patients, 3 to 56 months after first surgery. For 6% of patients, Temozolomide treatment was required, 19 to 66 months after first surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Giant pituitary tumors require multimodal management, with a central role of surgery. Most often, tumor control can be achieved by expert multidisciplinary teams

Male breast cancer: diagnosis stages, treatment and survival in a country with limited resources (Burkina Faso)

Abstract Background Male breast cancer is a rare and less known disease. Therapeutic modalities affect survival. In Burkina Faso, male breast cancers are diagnosed in everyday practice, but the prognosis at short-, middle-, and long-term remains unknown. The objective of this study is to study the diagnosis stages, therapeutic modalities, and 5-year survival in male breast cancer at the General Surgery Unit of Yalgado Ouedraogo University Hospital from 1990 to 2009. Methods A cohort longitudinal study concerning cases of breast cancer diagnosed in man. Survival was assessed using the Kaplan–Meier method and survival curves were compared through the LogRank test. Results Fifty-one cases of male breast cancer were followed-up, i.e., 2.6% of all breast cancers. Stages III and IV represented 88% of cases. Eleven patients (21.6%) were at metastatic stage. Patients were operated in 60.8% of cases. The surgery included axillary dissection in 25 (80.6%) out of 31 cases. Lumpectomy was performed on 6.5% of patients (2 cases). Fifteen (29.4%) and 11 (21.6%) patients underwent chemotherapy and hormonal therapy, respectively. The FAC protocol was mostly used. Radiation therapy was possible in two cases. The median deadline for follow-up was 14.8 months. A local recurrence was noticed in 3.2% of cases. The overall 5-year survival rate was 49.9%. The median survival was over 5 years for stages I and II. It was 54 down to 36 months for stages III and IV. Conclusion Diagnosis is late. The lack of immunohistochemistry makes it difficult to define the proportion of their hormonal dependence. Surgery is the basic treatment. Five-year survival is slow and the median survival depends on the diagnosis stage. It can be improved through awareness-raising campaigns and the conduct of individual screening

High-throughput single-cell activity-based screening and sequencing of antibodies using droplet microfluidics

International audienceMining the antibody repertoire of plasma cells and plasmablasts could enable the discovery of useful antibodies for therapeutic or research purposes1. We present a method for high-throughput, single-cell screening of IgG-secreting primary cells to characterize antibody binding to soluble and membrane-bound antigens. CelliGO is a droplet microfluidics system that combines high-throughput screening for IgG activity, using fluorescence-based in-droplet single-cell bioassays2, with sequencing of paired antibody V genes, using in-droplet single-cell barcoded reverse transcription. We analyzed IgG repertoire diversity, clonal expansion and somatic hypermutation in cells from mice immunized with a vaccine target, a multifunctional enzyme or a membrane-bound cancer target. Immunization with these antigens yielded 100–1,000 IgG sequences per mouse. We generated 77 recombinant antibodies from the identified sequences and found that 93% recognized the soluble antigen and 14% the membrane antigen. The platform also allowed recovery of ~450–900 IgG sequences from ~2,200 IgG-secreting activated human memory B cells, activated ex vivo, demonstrating its versatility