• Title/Summary/Keyword: West Africa

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Diagnosis and Molecular Analysis on Imported Plasmodium ovale curtisi and P. ovale wallikeri Malaria Cases from West and South Africa during 2013-2016

  • Shin, Hyun-Il;Ku, Bora;Kim, Yu Jung;Kim, Tae Yun;Cho, Shin-Hyeong;Lee, Sang-Eun
    • Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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    • v.58 no.1
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    • pp.61-65
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    • 2020
  • Majority of the imported malaria cases in Korea is attributed to Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax infections, whereas P. malariae and P. ovale infections are very rare. Falciparum and ovale malaria are mostly imported from Africa, while most of the vivax malaria cases are imported from Southeast Asia. Here, we report 6 Korean imported ovale malaria cases (4 males and 2 females) who had visited in Africa during 2013-2016. These subjects were diagnosed with P. ovale based on microscopic findings, Plasmodium species-specific nested-PCR, and phylogenetic clade using 18S rRNA gene sequences. We identified 2 P. ovale subtypes, 1 P. ovale curtisi (classic type) and 5 P. ovale wallikeri (variant type). All patients were treated with chloroquine and primaquine, and no relapse or recrudescence was reported for 1 year after treatment. With increase of travelers to the countries where existing Plasmodium species, the risk of Plasmodium infection is also increasing. Molecular monitoring for imported malaria parasites should be rigorously and continuously performed to enable diagnosis and certification of Plasmodium spp.

Resistance of Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima Genotypes to RBe24 Isolate of Rice Yellow Mottle Virus in Benin and Effects of Silicon on Host Response

  • Anato, Vital Kouessi Sixte;Agnoun, Yves;Houndjo, Joel;Oludare, Aderonke;Agbangla, Clement;Akoroda, Malachy;Adetimirin, Victor O.
    • The Plant Pathology Journal
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    • v.37 no.4
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    • pp.375-388
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    • 2021
  • Rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV) is the most harmful virus that affects irrigated and lowland rice in Africa. The RBe24 isolate of the virus is the most pathogenic strain in Benin. A total of 79 genotypes including susceptible IR64 (Oryza sativa) and the resistant TOG5681 (O. glaberrima) as checks were screened for their reactions to RBe24 isolate of RYMV and the effects of silicon on the response of host plants to the virus investigated. The experiment was a three-factor factorial consisting of genotypes, inoculation level (inoculated vs. non-inoculated), and silicon dose (0, 5, and 10 g/plant) applied as CaSiO3 with two replications and carried out twice in the screen house. Significant differences were observed among the rice genotypes. Fifteen highly resistant and eight resistant genotypes were identified, and these were mainly O. glaberrima. Silicon application did not affect disease incidence and severity at 21 and 42 days after inoculation (DAI); it, however, significantly increased plant height of inoculated (3.6% for 5 g CaSiO3/plant and 6.3% for 10 g CaSiO3/plant) and non-inoculated (1.9% for 5 g CaSiO3/plant and 4.9% for 10 g CaSiO3/plant) plants at 42 DAI, with a reduction in the number of tillers (12.3% for both 5 and 10 g CaSiO3/plant) and leaves (26.8% for 5 g CaSiO3/plant and 28% for 10 g CaSiO3/plant) under both inoculation treatments. Our results confirm O. glaberrima germplasm as an important source of resistance to RYMV, and critical in developing a comprehensive strategy for the control of RYMV in West Africa.

Factors Influencing the Success of Mobile Payment in Developing Countries: A Comparative Analysis of Nigeria and Kenya Mobile Payment Users

  • Bitrus, Stephen-Aruwan;Lee, Chol-Ho;Rho, Jae-Jeung;Erdenebold, Tumennast
    • Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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    • v.12 no.3
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    • pp.1-36
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    • 2021
  • Purpose - This empirical study, aims to identify the determinants of adoption and acceptance of mobile payment as to understand why it is successful in some countries in Sub-Saharan Africa but failing in others. A comparative study of a successful mobile payment service and a purported failed one was done as to have some insights to the factors affecting acceptance of the technology. Design/methodology/approach - The strength of three notable theories: theory of diffusion of innovation (DOI), the extended unified theory of user acceptance of information technology (UTAUT2) and self-efficacy theory were use. The self-efficacy of government support inclusion as, a moderating variable in the form of infrastructure, securing transaction and price value revealed the relevance of government in the success of mobile payment service. By means of a field survey of 705 subjects in two separate regions of Africa (East and West), the data was collected and use to test the research model. Findings - The study result shows the importance of the moderating factor of government support to the success of mobile payment of any nation. The result also shows the importance of the perception of relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, social influence as already revealed by other studies. Research implications or Originality - Mobile payment success in some part of Sub-Saharan Africa is well known but also suggested to fail in some Sub-Saharan African countries. Buttressing the need for understanding of the factors affecting mobile payment acceptance. This article empirically examined the factors influencing the success of mobile payment, and we implicated that if the implementation of mobile payment is to be successful for mobile commerce in any nation, adoption, acceptance and use by its citizen is imperative.

Cameroon : The Effect of Developmental AID on Poverty Reduction and Agro-Rural Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

  • Ntongwe, Edwin Ngome
    • Agribusiness and Information Management
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    • v.4 no.1
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    • pp.1-12
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    • 2012
  • Cameroon, with her numerous resources, still depends on foreign aid while the rate of poverty remains high. Thus, even though historical evidence gives impetus to the impasse over role of developmental aid, from the top down approach through to development as a springboard raising states from the doldrums of poverty, it is still very difficult to draw a substantial relationship between developmental aid and poverty reduction. Against this backdrop of controversy, I find it apt to put Cameroon on a balance scale. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to critically assess the implications of developmental aid on poverty reduction and agro-rural development in Cameroon, using the RUMPI Area Development Project in the South West region of Cameroon as a case study. The study will situate and contextualize the top-down and bottom-up approaches to development within the basis of a Cameroonian perspective, using the Sachs-Easterly debate. The RUMPI Project was introduced with the objective of improving agriculture and empowering the rural woman; thereby fighting poverty within the South West region of Cameroon. Despite its criticism of the barriers to development created by corruption, political pressure and limited use of local and grass-root partnerships, the study, in assessing these failures also tries to outline vital ways in which the project can be improved upon.

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Sea state description of Asabo offshore in Nigeria

  • Jasper, Agbakwuru A.;Bernard, Akaawase T.;Gudmestad, Ove T.
    • Ocean Systems Engineering
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    • v.10 no.1
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    • pp.25-47
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    • 2020
  • A study of the wave conditions for the Asabo offshore location at the Qua Iboe oil field in Eastern Nigeria has been carried out. Statistical analysis was applied to three (3) years of data comprising spectral periods, Tp and significant wave heights, Hs. The data was divided into two (2); data from October to April represents one set of data and data from May to September represents another set of data. The results were compared with similar studies at other locations offshore of West Africa. It was found that there is an absence of direct swellwaves from the Southern Ocean reaching the location under study (the Asabo site). This work suggests that the wave system is largely emanating from the North Atlantic storms. The presence of numerous islands near the Asabo location shields the site from effects of storms from south west and therefore swells from the Southern Ocean. It is noted that the local wind has little or no contribution. An Hs maximum of 2 m is noted at the Asabo offshore location. It is found that the Weibull distribution best describes the wave distribution at Asabo. Thus, the Weibull distribution is suggested to be adequate for long term prediction of extreme waves needed for offshore design and operations at this location.

Germination of West African Ebony (Diospyros mespiliformis Hochst) Seeds: Effects of Dehydration and Different Pre-sowing Treatments

  • Kanmegne, Gabriel;Mbakop, Christelle Nya;Fonkou, Theophile
    • Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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    • v.36 no.4
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    • pp.267-273
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    • 2020
  • Diospyros mespiliformis is a highly valued and threatened tree species within the Sahelo-Sudanian zone of Africa, but its seed germination requirements under cultivation are not well researched. In a first experiment which aimed at determining germination response of seeds to dehydration, fresh seeds were dried at room temperature for 26 days during which their moisture content, their germinability, and their viability were monitored at two-day intervals. In the second experiment, 14 pre-germination treatments were tested for their effect on the germination of dried seeds. Results showed that fresh seeds had 52.7% moisture and achieved 97.7% germination. As seeds were dried, percentage germination gradually decreased with decreasing moisture content and reached 0% when moisture content had dropped to 18%. Meanwhile, seed viability remained at 100% over drying duration. Seeds that were not germinated after air dry also recorded 100% viability. The most effective treatment for inducing germination of dried seeds was scarification using 98% sulfuric acid for 30 min which resulted in 96.6% germination. This study reports for the first time in D. mespiliformis seeds a desiccation-induced dormancy which can be efficiently alleviated by acid scarification. This study provides useful information that will contribute to efficient management of D. mespiliformis seed resources for propagation.

Nutrition, Utilization and Productivity of Pearl Millet Hybrids Developed in Korea (진주조의 영양과 이용 및 생산성)

  • Keun-Yong Park;Rae-Kyung Park;Byeong-Han Choi
    • KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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    • v.39 no.1
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    • pp.103-114
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    • 1994
  • Pearl millet is a $C_4$ plant and summer crop originated from west Africa, and the sixth most important cereal in the world and the most widely cultivated millet in the semi-arid tropics as a major staple food crop. Its grain of higher quality protein is used to make unleavened bread chapatis and prepared as gruel, dumplings, couscous and beer. It is also used as animal feed and forage in both temperate and tropical regions because it has a capability to grow well not only in the fertile soil, but also in the poor and dry soil. Most of the current breeding procedures used in pearl millet are aimed at maximum exploitation of hybrid vigor for both grain and forage yields in Korea. Pearl millet is ideally suited for exploitation of heterosis using cytoplasmic male sterile lines as seed parent, and fertile inbred lines and open-pollinated cultivars as pollen parent. Pearl millet hybrids developed in Korea produced 3 to 7 tons of grain and 100 to 150 tons of green fodder per hectare.

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Traditional oil palm (Elaeis guineensis jacq.) and its medicinal uses: A review

  • Owoyele, Bamidele Victor;Owolabi, Gbenga Opeyemi
    • CELLMED
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    • v.4 no.3
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    • pp.16.1-16.8
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    • 2014
  • The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) has been reported to originate along the gulf of the guinea in West Africa. The various parts of the tree have been used locally and traditionally for various medicinal purposes. Some of these uses have been proved by scientific experiments. Palm oil is extracted from the mesocarp of the fruit and is used traditionally for the treatment of headaches, pains, rheumatism, cardiovascular diseases, arterial thrombosis and an atherosclerosis due to its rich phytonutrients. The leaves are also used for the treatment of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases and wound healing. The sap also has been found to be rich in phytonutrients that can be used to treat various diseases. This review therefore seeks to explore many of the uses of the oil palm using the various parts of the oil palm.

A Case of Cerebral Paragonimiasis Combined with a Meningioma - A Case Report - (뇌수막종과 동반된 뇌폐흡충증 - 증례보고 -)

  • Kim, Tae Wan;Lim, Chang Soo;Park, Sang Moo;Chi, Moon Pyo;Kim, Jae O;Kim, Jung Chul
    • Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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    • v.29 no.6
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    • pp.800-804
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    • 2000
  • Cerebral paragonimiasis is an important parasitic infestation found in Eastern Asia, West Africa, and Central/South America. It is frequently associated with abscess, granuloma or cystic lesions in chronic stage. Chronic symptoms include seizure, visual disturbance, movement and perception disorders, usually resulting from the spaceoccupying lesions. The authors report a case of chronic cerebral paragonimiasis combined with meningioma. A 69-year-old man presented with generalized seizure and impaired consciousness. CT scan and MR image of the brain revealed two intracranial lesions ; one was cerebral paragonimiasis in the left temporo-occipital lobe, and the other a huge falx meningioma. Two lesions were successfully removed in staged operations and the generalized seizure was controlled after removal of the cerebral paragonimiasis.

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UPWELLING FILAMENTS AND THEIR ROLE IN CROSSFRONTAL WATER EXCHANGE

  • Kostianoy, A.G.;Soloviev, D.M.
    • Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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    • v.2
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    • pp.954-957
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    • 2006
  • Satellite data (thermal and color imagery) show that offshore flowing filaments off the west coasts of North America, North and South Africa can influence significantly the cross-frontal mixing in the coastal upwelling zones. To evaluate this role, we investigated structure, dynamics and behavior of surface filaments in the Canary and Benguela upwelling regions on the base of daily satellite IR and VIS imagery (AVHRR NOAA, MODIS-Aqua). It was found that seasonal variability of the filaments location depends on intra-annual shift of general upwelling intensity along the coast. The main statistical characteristics of filaments - length, width, temperature anomaly and estimates of velocity were obtained. Estimates of cross-frontal water exchange due to filamentation based on the statistical data show that these coherent structures play a major role in the water and particle exchange between coastal zone and the open ocean in both upwelling regions.

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