Physico-chemical and microbiological characteristics of water for domestic use in Cotonou in the republic of Benin

Water is the source of life. It is essential for the survival of all living things. However, its alteration becomes harmful to humans. In Cotonou, the main city of Benin, the quality of drinking water is worrying because of many factors such as environmental pollution and poor hygiene around water sources. In fact, poorly ecological management methods of household waste pose risks of contamination of soil and water resources. This study aims to assess the quality of domestic water for households in the city of Cotonou. The methodology adopted is summed up in a physico-chemical and microbiological analysis of thirty water samples taken from households in the 13 districts of the city of Cotonou. The results obtained at the physicochemical level show that, apart from the waters of SONEB at the source, whose turbidity (5.6 NTU) complies with the standard which is 5 NTU, that of other sources is much greater than Standard. This indicates the presence of suspended solids in the water that may harbor microorganisms harmful to humans. With regard to microbiological quality, all the water sampled at household level contains E.Coli, the number of which is much higher than the Benin standard which sets at 0/1 ml of water. In addition, the water sampled from the wells contains high numbers of fecal coliforms. As for SONEB water, the presence of coliforms was determined but with lower numbers than well water (50 / ml at household level and 2 / ml at source level.

Influence of parity and Body Mass Index (BMI) on endometry thickness variation in women of Lokossa, Benin

The thickness of the endometrium is also an important parameter in the clinical management of women. It is often influenced by several parameters which are important to determine. This is why the present study looked at the factors that influence the variation in the thickness of the endometrium of women in Lokossa in the Republic of Benin. This descriptive, prospective and cross-sectional study concerns 166 women aged 15 to 40 in Lokossa. Ultrasound examination measured the thickness of the endometrium on the longitudinal section through the suprapubic route. Anthropometric parameters were taken by other equipment from each woman. Analysis of one-way proc glm ANOVA variants and Student-Newman-Keuls (SNK) tests identified factors associated with variation in endometrial thickness in women. At the end of the study, the minimum, average and maximum values ​​of the thickness of the endometrium obtained are respectively Vm = 3.50 mm, VMoy = 6.73 ± 1.38 mm, MV = 10.00 mm during the pre-ovulatory phase, Vm = 7.30 mm, MV avg = 10.75 ± 2.11 mm, MV = 16.00 mm during the post-ovulatory period. There is an association between the thickness of the endometrium and parameters such as age, weight, Body Mass Index, parity. BMI has been found to be associated with changes in endometrial thickness. And this variation in the thickness of the endometrium of the woman's uterus is related to the number of deliveries. Thus, the higher the number of childbirth, the greater the thickness of the endometrium deprived.

The Metempiricism of Margins: Professor Anthony Aṣiwaju and the Circumference of Knowledge

Professor Anthony Aṣiwaju has written his memoir, Bridging Boundaries, to commemorate his 80th birthday, thus giving us a treasure to behold, a legacy to cherish, and a history to keep. This is about his past, from humble beginnings to a remarkable career; about the educational system of Nigeria, in particular, the discipline of History; and about the crucial interconnectivity between ideas and practical policies. There is so much to be learned from this book—history, memory, wisdom—all the chemistry of ideas to navigate complicated journeys. Let me begin this journey from Paris, and not from Imeko, the starting point in this engaging frontier of scholarship. It was in the elegant living room of Professor Ọlábìyí Yai, the then Ambassador of the Republic of Benin to UNESCO. As we enjoyed a peaceful pre- àmàlà drinking moment, we launched into a conversation that invoked Professor Aṣiwaju’s name and experience. His Excellency, Ambassador Yai, made the remark that the Yoruba had always been diasporic, moving like a river, connecting multiple points, passing through valleys and plateaus, between mountains, across vegetation. This conversation came back to me as I composed this short piece. My mind also went back to the frontier towns of Imeko and Ifonyin, to the journeys I took from Igboho to Cotonou via the scenic route far away from the chaotic Lagos-Badagry road. Onwards to the Ewe, thereafter passing through the domains of the Akan, and at one time ending in Abidjan, all on roads—no bounds in space; no mental bounding lines; and seamless frontiers, one merging with the other, as the next unfolds. Professor Aṣiwaju does these diasporic 244 Profile trips as well—barefoot, bicycles, cars, and on airplanes—and, maybe, also in dreams. He sees the boundaries, then dissolves them, recreating them in a new world order, a world without boundaries. I think Professor Aṣiwaju’s life breaks the rules, creating a frame much larger than his beginnings. Contrary to the man-confining adage of “cut your coat according to your cloth/size,” the autobiography of Professor Aṣiwaju has exemplified that the Supreme God cuts and designs coat without the delimitations or regard of one’s size or cloth. If not, it would not have been possible for a child born without any medical attention and care on bare ground to rise into a nationally and internationally celebrated icon. Incontrovertibly, his destiny was predestined even before birth, what the Yoruba call àyànmọ, ́ although the Odù Ifá code was never revealed to him. Thus, God designed the coat of his excellence above the odds of a humble and subaltern beginning of a poor child, now the prosperous Baba at 80. How time flies! Generous in his account, expansive in his details and meticulous in remembrance, the scope of his life is exposed to us in its minor canvas and major perimeter. Bridging Boundaries is a chronological account of the author’s life from birth to date on the one hand, as well as the history of borderland studies in Nigeria and Africa, which is inseparable from his autobiography. The life of the author, Aṣiwaju, becomes the account of the aṣíwájú of the borderlands, the leader of the bold and courageous to discover the confines of space, like Ogún, the Yoruba god of iron, who forges new paths and abodes from the forest to the savanna for people to occupy. Strikingly, the inseparability of the man’s life from his career path appears to be synonymous with the bond between a snail and its shell: his origin and horizon live within the same shell. No doubt, his origin became the bedrock of his successful career. A scholar from cross-border parents with an upbringing in a borderland who specializes in borderland studies, which was initially focused on the Nigeria/Benin limitrophe states, then blossomed continentally and intercontinentally. Evident in his story is that a poor background neither limits nor determines the factor for the level of success one can attain; rather, it is a starting point, a background to project possibilities of whatever one can become unto, a launching pad into life’s enduring legacy.

Characteristics and management of scrap metal waste in Cotonou in the Republic of Benin

The development of new technology leads to the consumption of new equipment which finally becomes hazardous waste and difficult to manage. This is what was observed in the city of Cotonou in the Republic of Benin which motivated the initiative of this study, the main objective of which is to describe the mode of management of these types of waste. The data collected concerns the types of electrical and electronic equipment used by professional users and households, as well as their conditions at acquisition and their lifespans. The data were collected from households, professional users and waste pickers. After the collection, the data were entered in the Microsoft Excel 2013 spreadsheet for the analysis and then the calculations of the means, the frequencies and the production of the graphs were carried out with the SPSS 21 software. It has been revealed that among professional users, universities and administrations are major producers of scrap metal, where respectively 30% and 16% of scrap metal was recovered. According to information gathered from these players, 79% of their equipment purchases took place on the local market. At household level, radios, televisions, telephones and refrigerators are the most widely used equipment. Like other electronic and computer equipment, the households surveyed also use computers, printers, DVD players, video players, landline and portable telephones, electronic gadgets, cameras and refrigerators. At the end of its life, 66% of the households surveyed throw their equipment in the trash cans like household waste. This discarded waste is collected by the waste pickers. Among the scrap metal recovered from the latter, motorcycle and car wrecks, television sets are the most popular with respectively 16%, 15% and 14%. Next are refrigerators for 13%, batteries for 12%, followed by electronic and computer devices.

Kola as an Indispensable Article of Trade in West Africa

This study examines the origin of kola-nuts trade and the indispensability of kola-nut trade in West Africa. Desk research was carried out using past published literature. The study established the fact that kola nut production was indigenous to the West Africa Forest and pinpointed the actual origin of kola-nut especially Cola nitida to be along the western coast of Africa from Sierra Leone to the republic of Benin. On the other hand, the areas of Ijare and Idanre in Ondo State of Nigeria are currently believed to be the places where Cola acumunata originated. The dominant variety of kola-nut grown in Western and Eastern parts of Nigeria was cola acumunata and Cola verticillata. However, in terms of production, before the 19th century the production of cola nitida was limited to the forests west of the Volta River in Ghana. Both linguistic and ethnographic data were used to trace the origin of kola-nut and developed a chronology with regard to the origins and trade routes for kola-nuts. The research work however established the importance of kola-nut production and trade to the economies of West Africa countries where they are produced and traded. It was however recommended that considering the indispensability of kola-nut trade to West Africa particularly Nigeria, the government should take proactive steps to increase the scope of production and trade of this crop in order to improve the livelihoods of kola-nuts farmers and traders as well as increase it contributions to the national economy.

Effect of aqueous extract of lemon (Citrus limon) on Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (Diptera: Culicidae) larvae tolerance in malaria vector control in Dogbo district in south-western Republic of Benin, West Africa

The use of chemical insecticides causes important damages to environment and human health and there is a need to search for alternative solutions. This study aims to investigate on the effect of aqueous extract of lemon in Anopheles gambiae s.l. larvae tolerance in couffo department in south-western Republic of Benin, West Africa. Larvae of Anopheles gambiae s.l mosquitoes were collected from breeding sites using the dipping method in July 2020 during the rainy season in Dogbo district. A batch of 15 larvae of fourth instar were exposed to a mixture of aqueous extract of lemon with distilled water saturated with oxygen containing in each of five glass jars or test cups of same dimensions contained each 48 ml distilled water saturated with oxygen plus 2 ml of aqueous extract of lemon (Citrus limon) and one control jar containing no trace of aqueous extract of lemon. Larval mortality was recorded after 24hours, 48hours and 72hours exposure. The results show that the use of aqueous extract of lemon causes full-grown Anopheles larvae to die by suffocation. After the application of this mixture, the larvae of four instars cannot breathe. The use of aqueous extract of lemon is effective method for disturbing the siphonal respiration of mosquito larvae. Aqueous extract of lemon is effective method for mosquito larvae control.

Metagenomic tracking of microbial consortia of cassava flakes (garri)

The affirmation of several cross-sectional studies on the vulnerability of cassava flakes commonly called 'garri' to microbial attack has long been documented. However, longitudinal data on metagenomic tracking of microbial consortia of this important staple food are scarce. Hence, this study was aimed at tracking the microbial consortia of garri. A total of eight samples (four each from both Nigeria and Republic of Benin markets) were randomly collected aseptically using pre-sterilized aluminum pans and processed through a metagenomic approach, while both the chemical and proximate components of garri were assessed following standard techniques. The analysis of the taxonomic consortia of garri reveals the predomination of bacteria (99.82 and 99.81% for samples from Nigeria and Republic of Benin, respectively) while the remaining sequences matched with the Archae (0.07%), fungi (0.09%) and protozoa (0.09%). A large proportion of the sequences were unclassified at the phylum level (approximately 84.10 and 86.2% for Nigerian and Beninese samples, respectively). The reads of cassava flakes metagenome of both Nigeria and Republic of Benin exhibited analogous level of average GC content with sequence count of between 187773-213444 for samples from Nigeria and 157784-198763 for samples from Republic of Benin. The functional characteristics of the inhabiting metagenomes were found containing the genes encoding for adhesins, bacteriocins, resistance to antibiotics, toxic chemicals as well as toxins and superantigens. Both the chemical and the proximate compositions of the examined garri samples, though exhibited significant disparity, but without any apparent variation in the patterns of metagenomic data. Our findings however revealed bacteria as the major contaminants of these cassava food products. Keywords; Metagenomics, Microorganisms, Cassava flakes (garri), Proximate composition

Resource potential of Beninese soils for maize cultivation

Due to the growth of the population, the need of the Republic of Benin to increase food production is growing significantly. Maize is the main cultivated crop in the country, being also the main item of nutrition. The scientific rationale for expanding the area of maize cultivation is an important economic task. GIS database was created, which includes all the necessary information on soil, relief, and climate conditions in the country for assessment the resource potential of lands for maize cultivation. Geoinformation modeling of soil and land suitability for maize cultivation was performed. The most suitable lands were identified. Possibility to expand areas for maize cultivation in the country was assessed. It was found that the largest resources (in parts of the land fund) for the expansion of maize cultivation are in the following communities of Benin: Tory-Bossito (96%), Toviklin (92.41%), Materi (90.31%), Kobli (89.25%), Wayogbe (87.99), Parakou (86.57%), Jaco-Tomey (85.66%), Avrankou (85.46%), Allada (84.13%), Bohicon (82.24%), Sakete (81.85%), Za Kpota (78.08%), Akpo Misserete (77.96%), Bopa (77.15%), Kpomasse (75.82%) and Ifania (75.03%). The findings led us to conclude that, theoretically, the gross maize production in Benin could be increased fivefold (from 1,514,913 tons to 5,513,947 tons) only by expanding the cultivation area.

Characterization of rice farming systems, production constraints and determinants of adoption of improved varieties by smallholder farmers of the Republic of Benin

The Republic of Benin has the potential to reduce its heavy dependence on rice imports to meet the needs of its population. For that, the identification of technological and policy interventions allowing to improve the performance of Beninese rice systems is necessary. This study therefore characterized the Beninese rice farming systems and identified the production constraints in the country's different rice-growing areas, and determinants of the adoption of improved varieties by farmers. Four hundred eighteen rice farm households were surveyed across 39 villages using participatory research tools and methods. An hierarchical cluster analysis were used to classify the surveyed farm households into rice farming systems based on household socio-demographic characteristics, farm resources, farming practices and access to agricultural extension services. The cluster analysis revealed four typologies of rice farming systems differentiated by 8 variables. These are, the semi-intensive rice farming system (cluster 1), subsistence rice farming (cluster 2), integrated rice–livestock farming system (cluster 3), and intensive rice farming system (cluster 4). The integrated rice–livestock farming system was the dominant type practiced in the northern Benin, while, it is the intensive rice farming system in the south. Fifteen production constraints across rice-growing areas were recorded, with the lack of agricultural machinery and credits as the most important. The land ownership, risk aversion, production of off-season rice, and contact of farmers with non-governmental organizations positively influenced the adoption of improved rice varieties. Our results suggest that initiatives to boost rice production in Republic of Benin should prioritize the establishment of formal agricultural credit and mechanization option policies. We recommend training of rice farmers on modern production techniques. To increase adoption of improved rice varieties, agricultural extension services should target landowners’ farmers practising off-season rice production, and having in addition to agricultural income, other income from various activities.