The Use of Appropriate Communication Channels to Understand Life Threatening Diseases: A Study of Viral Hepatitis Infection among Onikolobo Residents in Abeokuta, Nigeria

This work examines the use of communication channels to sensitize the people about life threatening diseases with special emphasis on Hepatitis. It becomes very topical at this moment because most of the viral infections wreak havoc such as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and more recently, Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) assumed an epidemic proportion because the people were not adequately sensitized with precautionary measures against them. One of such measures is dissemination of useful information on how to avoid or contain such viral infections. It also concerns itself with hepatitis because of its contagious nature and the way it attacks the liver. The study reviews relevant concepts to information dissemination. It discovers that as deadly as the disease is, most people, including some health attendants in hospitals do not understand what it means and how it is contracted. In addition, it was discovered that 60% of the total respondents did not know about hepatitis. 73% of those who claimed they knew about it knew through friends and not through the media. 80% of those who claimed they sought health information from the media did not know about hepatitis. 65% of those who claimed they had high access to radio did not really seek health information from the radio. In the communities in Nigeria, we suggest that there should be increased public awareness about viral diseases, complete immunization against viral hepatitis and better sanitation facilities. Other efforts by the Government should include the provision of safe drinking water;expansion of well-equipped hospitals among other health developmental programmes will go a long way in the reduction of hepatitis in communities, among pregnant women as well as its associated maternal effects in the communities.

Utilisation of a Portable Electronic Nose, NeOse Pro, to Follow the Microbial Fermentation of a Yoghurt

Yoghurt is fermented milk which results from the exclusive action of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. However, a disruption of the bacterial growth can lead to significant industrial losses. Currents monitoring methods, based on the checking of the pH during the fermentation step are not always satisfactory. The NeOse Pro system, a portable electronic nose, is a mean to obtain immediately aromatic profiles. In this work, we applied this technology to the yoghurt ecosystem, a highly hydrated product. The profiles obtained allowed us to discriminate yoghurts before and after fermentation. In detail, the discrepancy between the two bacteria cultured alone was slight. It was also the case when we compared different initial bacterial ratios. However, two different mixes of bacteria led to clearly distinguishable profiles. A GC/MS analysis performed on products fermented 7 h allowed us to explain the detection of acetaldehyde by the stimulation of some captors of the apparatus. NeOse Pro is so convenient to study the fermentation of yogurt.

Linking changes in the soil microbial community to C and N dynamics during crop residue decomposition

Crop residues are among the main inputs that allow the organic carbon(C)and nutrients to be maintained in agricultural soil.It is an important management strategy that can improve soil fertility and enhance agricultural productivity.This work aims to evaluate the extent of the changes that may occur in the soil heterotrophic microbial communities involved in organic matter decomposition and C and nitrogen(N)mineralization after the addition of crop residues.Soil microcosm experiments were performed at 28℃ for 90 days with the addition of three crop residues with contrasting biochemical qualities:pea(Pisum sativum L.),rapeseed(Brassica napus L.),and wheat(Triticum aestivum L.).Enzyme activities,C and N mineralization,and bacterial and fungal biomasses were monitored,along with the bacterial and fungal community composition,by the highthroughput sequencing of 16 S rRNA and ITS genes.The addition of crop residues caused decreases in β-glucosidase and arylamidase activities and simultaneous enhancement of the C mineralization and net N immobilization,which were linked to changes in the soil microbial communities.The addition of crop residues decreased the bacterial and fungal biomasses 90 days after treatment and there were shifts in bacterial and fungal diversity at the phyla,order,and genera levels.Some specific orders and genera were dependent on crop residue type.For example,Chloroflexales,Inquilinus,Rubricoccus,Clitocybe,and Verticillium were identified in soils with pea residues;whereas Thermoanaerobacterales,Thermacetogenum,and Hypoxylon were enriched in soils with rapeseed residues,and Halanaerobiales,Rubrobacter,and Volutella were only present in soils with wheat residues.The findings of this study suggest that soil C and N dynamics in the presence of the crop residues were driven by the selection of specific bacterial and fungal decomposers linked to the biochemical qualities of the crop residues.If crop residue decomposition processes showed specific bacterial and fungal operational taxonomic unit(OTU)signatures,this study also suggests a strong functional redundancy that exists among soil microbial communities.

A Rapid Electrophoresis Method on Agarose Gel to Characterise Dairy Protein Aggregates

Heat treatment of milk may cause whey proteins and caseins to form aggregates. These soluble and micellar aggregates and their other properties (size, composition, shape, etc.) can affect the techno-functionalities to the milk, conferring interesting or negative features depending on the application in dairy industries. In this study, we propose a new approach to characterise those protein aggregates. SDS-agarose electrophoresis is followed by the calculation of a retention factor (Rf) for each protein spot. Rf allows milk aggregates to be compared qualitatively under the same conditions. This method could be transposed to the dairy industry for a better knowledge of the milk subsequent to heat treatment.

The Digital Agricultural Knowledge and Information System(DAKIS):Employing digitalisation to encourage diversified and multifunctional agricultural systems

Multifunctional and diversified agriculture can address diverging pressures and demands by simultaneously enhancing productivity,biodiversity,and the provision of ecosystem services.The use of digital technologies can support this by designing and managing resource-efficient and context-specific agricultural systems.We present the Digital Agricultural Knowledge and Information System(DAKIS)to demonstrate an approach that employs digital technologies to enable decision-making towards diversified and sustainable agriculture.To develop the DAKIS,we specified,together with stakeholders,requirements for a knowledge-based decision-support tool and reviewed the literature to identify limitations in the current generation of tools.The results of the review point towards recurring challenges regarding the consideration of ecosystem services and biodiversity,the capacity to foster communication and cooperation between farmers and other actors,and the ability to link multiple spatiotemporal scales and sustainability levels.To overcome these challenges,the DAKIS provides a digital platform to support farmers'decision-making on land use and management via an integrative spatiotemporally explicit approach that analyses a wide range of data from various sources.The approach integrates remote and in situ sensors,artificial intelligence,modelling,stakeholder-stated demand for biodiversity and ecosystem services,and participatory sustainability impact assessment to address the diverse drivers affecting agricultural land use and management design,including natural and agronomic factors,economic and policy considerations,and socio-cultural preferences and settings.Ultimately,the DAKIS embeds the consideration of ecosystem services,biodiversity,and sustainability into farmers'decision-making and enables learning and progress towards site-adapted small-scale multifunctional and diversified agriculture while simultaneously supporting farmers'objectives and societal demands.

Agronomic assessment of two populations of intermediate wheatgrass—Kernza^(®)(Thinopyrum intermedium)in temperate South America

Background Kernza®intermediate wheatgrass is a perennial grain and forage crop that can provide several ecosystem services.Major research efforts focused on Kernza have taken place in high latitudes.The goal of this study was to evaluate,for the first time,the agronomic performance of Kernza in a low-latitude region with mild winters.Methods A KS-cycle 4 Kernza population(A)was planted in spring in Wisconsin,USA,and selected in one cycle for lower vernalization requirements,obtaining a new population(B).These two populations,at three nitrogen(N)fertilization rates,were evaluated in a full factorial,completely randomized field experiment in Uruguay over 2 years.Results The populations were similar in grain yields and flowering time in the 1st year,but population B had 63%lower grain yield in the 2nd year and 20%lower forage yield throughout the experiment.Increasing the N rate to 160 kg ha−1 led to a 63%increase in grain yield and 28%increase in forage yield across populations.Forage yields and nutritive values were similar to those reported in the northern hemisphere.However,grain yields for both the 1st(316 kg ha−1)and 2nd year(41 kg ha−1)were lower due to reduced flowering and weed competition.Conclusions Expansion of Kernza to lower-latitude regions will require further breeding to improve reproductive performance.