HIV is highly prevalent in men who have sex with men (MSM) in West Africa. Many MSM in the region also have sex with women (MSMW). Accordingly, they are a potential bridge subpopulation for HIV ...transmission to women. We aimed to evaluate the proportions and characteristics of West African MSMW at high behavioral risk of acquiring HIV from male partners and transmitting it to female partners (HBRMF). The cohort ANRS-12324 CohMSM Study included 630 HIV-negative MSM in Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, and Togo. Among MSMW (i.e., with ≥ 1 female partner) in the cohort, HBRMF was identified using trajectory models based on seven at-risk sexual practices with male and female partners, including inconsistent condom use, multiple partnerships, and receptive same-sex anal intercourse. To assess the relevance of using trajectory models, we compared the proportions of participants who seroconverted during the cohort follow-up among those at HBRMF and those not at HBRMF. Factors associated with HBRMF were identified using a generalized estimation equation logistic regression model accounting for longitudinal data. Approximately half (47%) of the 304 MSMW (22% of all CohMSM study participants) were at HBRMF. This group accounted for 75% of the 28 HIV seroconversions observed during follow-up (
p
= 0.001). HBRMF was positively associated with being aged < 25 years (aOR 95% CI 1.67 1.23–2.27), being sexually attracted only to men (1.97 1.38–2.78), feelings of loneliness (1.92 1.38–2.65), and homonegative violence score (1.22 1.05–1.41). HBRMF was negatively associated with having had both stable and casual female partners in the previous 6 months (0.34 0.20–0.60 vs. only a stable female partner). HBRMF tended to be negatively associated with having ≥ 4 sexual intercourses with female partners in the previous four weeks (0.54 0.27–1.06 vs. no intercourse). Establishing official relationships with women might be a strategy for young and/or stigmatized MSMW to comply with social pressure to display a heterosexual lifestyle. However, this seems to increase the risk of HIV transmission to female partners. In the present study, almost half of MSMW were at HBRMF. This result stresses the need to adapt HIV research and prevention to MSMW and their female partners.
•Demonstrated renewable energy status and targets for sustainable energy solutions.•Proposed power value chain and smart energy framework for better power utilization.•Impacts and recommendations in ...African energy sector response to COVID-19 pandemic.•Proposed machine learning enabled PV forecasting for enhances the power scheduling.
Today's more focus and efforts are being put by all the energy leaders towards power generation using renewable energy resources. Fortunately, these resources are becoming affordable to facilitate a swift shift towards green and clean energy. Possible strategic assets are an add-on for all the developing nations in terms of economy. The technological advancement and power market revolution resulting in an adequate reduction of renewable energy cost and affordability. This paper mainly focusing on Covid-19 impacts in the African energy sector. Also, analyzing recent developments in African renewable energy generation that holds the immense capacity for improvisation. This paper highlighting the recommendations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic for the African renewable energy sector. This paper is a result of rigorous analysis based on major issues governing sustainable solutions for Africa. This review paper comes up with effective conclusions to address the challenges in the current pandemic situation. In Africa abundance of resources is found with huge potential for the generation of power. But still, Africa undergoing a phase of serious crises because they are not able to tap its huge capital of renewable energies. There is a subsequent need for power grid restructuring, energy storage technologies, and parallel mitigation of environmental factors with seasonal variations. Proposed review analysis bringing a better opportunity for all issues towards sustainable solutions, that will ease the renewable energy status in Africa. It is observed that there is an inevitable need to focus on having strong government policy frameworks and proper regulations. The various recommendations are required to swing towards renewable energy development. Combined efforts are required in luring foreign investments and to address feasible issues like setting-up targets. This paper demonstrated a smart energy system using a proposed machine learning-based framework for enhancing the PV forecasting and up-gradation in available technologies.
Among the 40 genera of Barychelidae, only nine genera are described from the African continent. Thorell (1899) described Ammonius Thorell, 1899 based on a male from Cameroon. In 1965 Benoit added ...more information from the holotype, with detailed illustrations of the male palp bulb and the eye group. Since then, few taxonomic revisions or new species of Barychelidae have been proposed from the African continent. Ammonius can be distinguished by the strongly pronounced retrolateral lobe of the male cymbium and the aspect of the bilobed spermathecae of the female. We redescribe the holotype male of A. pupulus Thorell, 1899 and describe the female for the first time. Additionally, a new species is described: Ammonius benoiti sp. nov., from Ivory Coast. The morphology of the tarsal setae is presented through SEM photographs. New distribution records of the genus are provided.
Grammacephalus rahmani Singh Pruthi, 1930 is recorded for the first time from the United Arab Emirates and Mali, G. raunoi Viraktamath, 1981 – from the United Arab Emirates, and G. indicus ...Viraktamath et Ananta Murthy, 1999 – from Afghanistan. Photos of these species are provided, and male genitalia of G. rahmani and female 7th sternite of G. indicus are illustrated. Distribution and composition of the genus Grammacephalus Haupt is discussed.
Hypertension is the leading preventable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. In Guinea–Bissau there are no previous population‐based hypertension surveys. Therefore, the authors aimed to estimate ...the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of high blood pressure among adults living in Bissau. A sample (n = 973) of dwellers in Bissau, aged 18–69 years, was assembled through stratified and cluster sampling. Patients underwent face‐to‐face interviews and blood pressure measurements following the World Health Organization Stepwise Approach to Chronic Disease Risk Factor Surveillance. The prevalence of hypertension was 26.9%, and 51.4% of hypertensive individuals were aware of their condition, of whom 51.8% reported having received pharmacological treatment in the previous 2 weeks. Among the latter, 49.9% had blood pressure values below 140/90 mm Hg. These findings show that hypertension has become a major public health problem in Guinea‐Bissau, emphasizing the urgent need to develop and implement national strategies for the prevention and management of hypertension.
During 2014-2015, an outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) swept across parts of West Africa. The China Mobile Laboratory Testing Team was dispatched to support response efforts; during September ...28-November 11, 2014, they conducted PCR testing on samples from 1,635 suspected EVD patients. Of those patients, 50.4% were positive, of whom 84.6% lived within a 3-km zone along main roads connecting rural towns and densely populated cities. The median time from symptom onset to testing was 5 days. At testing, 75.7% of the confirmed patients had fever, and 94.1% reported at least 1 gastrointestinal symptom; all symptoms, except rash and hemorrhage, were more frequent in confirmed than nonconfirmed patients. Virus loads were significantly higher in EVD patients with fever, diarrhea, fatigue, or headache. The case-fatality rate was lower among patients 15-44 years of age and with virus loads of <100,000 RNA copies/mL. These findings are key for optimizing EVD control and treatment measures.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
•Many logistics policies are being implemented in Western Africa, but political changes often disrupt logistics growth.•This study provides a time-series analysis of container flows in Western Africa ...by the intermodal network simulation model.•Scenarios of political upheavals in Western Africa are examined for the effect on the cargo flow to/from landlocked countries.•Stagnant logistics growth reduces access to landlocked countries due to the prevention of border facilitation.•Stagnant logistics growth also reduces the competitiveness of gateway seaports for handling cargo of landlocked countries.
Despite Africa’s high economic growth rate, its logistics costs remain high, and many infrastructure projects and logistics policies are being implemented. Moreover, in Western Africa, where several economic communities have been established, logistics growth is still unstable due to civil conflicts and political changes. These factors are rapidly changing the logistics situation in Western Africa, and there is a need to identify changes in the competitiveness of countries and seaports that handle cargo to/from landlocked countries. The objective of this study is to quantitatively analyse the time-series changes in the logistics situation in West Africa applying the global logistics intermodal network simulation model to the African continent with different parameters by time points. Scenarios regarding political upheavals in Western Africa are examined to clarify the effect on the cargo flow of landlocked countries. The simulation results indicate that Côte d’Ivoire gets greater access to Burkina Faso if border facilities in neighbouring countries stagnate. Moreover, the absence of civil conflicts may raise the presence of Abidjan Port as a regional transhipment hub more prominent and increase its container throughputs. The findings of this study contribute to quantitatively visualising the impact of the events on the logistics situation in Western Africa, which can help formulate future logistics policies and development strategies.
To improve the indicator value of marginal marine Foraminifera and Ostracoda of Ghana, we analysed 22 surface sediment samples for microfauna. They were obtained from the Keta Lagoon and Densu ...Estuary covering a salinity range from marine waters to 17.5 and one sample within the hyperhaline range (70). Except one, all samples contain Ostracoda and Foraminifera. There are 34 ostracod species belonging to 24 genera. Dominating is Cyprideis remanei Klie, 1940, other abundant species are Pseudoconcha sp., Pseudoconcha hartmanni Omatsola, 1970, Loxoconcha lacunensis Omatsola, 1970 and Chrysocythere foveostriata Brady, 1870. We found 28 Foraminifera species belonging to 22 genera with the dominant taxa Ammonia sp. and Quinqueloculina spp. There are five associations, which are mainly driven by the hydrological regime and organic pollution. In contrast to a usual diversity trend reflecting high levels of pollution by lower diversity, our results show higher diversity associated with sites of higher pollution levels. The most tolerant (salinity and pollution) ostracod taxon is Cyprideis remanei, which is occurring over the whole salinity range documented as well as in contaminated areas with very high LOI and heavy metal concentrations. In the investigated samples we found many deformed Foraminifera with anomalies like multiple tests, changes in coiling and aberrant shapes of the chambers.
Ongoing investigations in estuaries of Ghana are expanding our data set and will provide a better understanding of species-specific reactions of Ostracoda and Foraminifera to anthropogenic pressure.
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•The first study of recent brackish water Foraminifera and Ostracoda in surface sediment from Ghana.•First microfossil-based brackish water ecology study in West Africa.•Data base for palaeoenvironmental analyses in Quaternary brackish waters of West Africa.
This study describes the first potential multi-species shark nursery area in Atlantic Africa (Sal Rei Bay – SRB, Boa Vista Island, Cabo Verde). From August 2016 to September 2019, 6162 neonates and ...juveniles of 5 different shark species were observed in SRB using beach gillnet-based bycatch surveys, namely milk (
Rhizoprionodon acutus
; n= 4908), scalloped hammerhead (
Sphyrna lewini
; n= 1035), blacktip (
Carcharhinus limbatus
; n=115), Atlantic weasel (
Paragaleus pectoralis
; n= 93) and nurse (
Ginglymostoma cirratum
; n= 12) sharks. Except for nurse sharks, significant seasonal variations in shark relative abundance were observed, with higher levels being recorded during summer and autumn. These findings, together with local knowledge (interviews to fishermen), denote the consistent use of SRB by juvenile sharks and its preference relative to other areas in the region. Ensuring the protection and conservation of SRB nursery area is especially relevant as, according to IUCN, all identified shark species are threatened with extinction over the near-future – in particular, scalloped hammerheads (critically endangered) and Atlantic weasel sharks (endangered). The effective protection of SRB will not only support the conservation of shark populations, but also of other charismatic fauna (e.g., loggerhead turtles) and broader benthic and pelagic ecosystems.
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