Effect of Nitrogen Fertilizer Dose and Application Timing on Yield and Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Irrigated Hybrid Rice under Semi-Arid Conditions

Nitrogen fertilizer is the major input in rice production and the optimum rate and application timing management assure profitability and sustainability of the production system. This study aims to investigate hybrid rice response to different nitrogen fertilizer levels and the timing of application and quantify hybrid rice nitrogen use efficiency. Field experiments were conducted during the dry and the wet seasons 2016 at the research station of Africa Rice at Ndiaye in Senegal. Six nitrogen rates (0, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 kg N/ha) and three hybrid rice varieties (AR031H, AR032H, AR033H) and one inbred variety (Sahel108) and two nitrogen fertilizer application timings (three split and four split) were combined within a split-split plot design. The results showed significant effect of nitrogen rate and timing on rice grain yield that varied from 4.10 to 11.58 tons/ha and most the yield components. Rice grain yield exhibited curvilinear relationship with the applied nitrogen rates during the dry season under both nitrogen application timings and a linear relationship during the wet season under three splits. Nitrogen rate of 150 kg/ha was revealed optimum with best performance achieved by the Hybrid rice AR033H. Hybrid rice genotypes achieved greater nitrogen use efficiency compared to the inbred rice Sahel108. Hence, hybrid rice genotypes, and nitrogen rate of 150 kg/ha applied in four splits could be recommended to improve rice production and food security for achieving self-sufficiency in rice as targeted by Senegal and the neighboring countries

Évolution de la pauvreté et des inégalités en Guinée de 2007 à 2019

Le présent article examine l’évolution de la pauvreté en Guinée entre 2007 et 2019, une période marquée par une croissance économique faible de 2007 à 2012, suivie d'une forte expansion à partir de 2016, principalement grâce à l'essor du secteur minier et à l'augmentation de la production énergétique. Le produit intérieur brut (PIB) du pays a ainsi connu une progression notable, passant de 6 280 millions de francs guinéens en 2007 à 13 514 millions de francs guinéens en 2019, soit une augmentation de plus du double en l’espace de cette période. L’étude est faite à partir des données des trois enquêtes nationales sur les conditions de vie des ménages, réalisées en Guinée en 2007, 2012 et 2019. La taille des échantillons de ces enquêtes varie de 7 552 ménages à l’ELEP 2007, 7 501 à l’ELEP 2012 et 8 240 à l’EHCVM 2019. Pour analyser l’évolution de la pauvreté, les indicateurs de Foster, Greer et Thorbecke (incidence, profondeur et sévérité) ont été utilisés en comparant les intervalles de confiance, les courbes de Lorenz et ainsi que les indices de Gini aux différentes enquêtes. Les résultats de l’analyse révèlent une stabilité de la pauvreté en milieu urbain et une aggravation en milieu rural. En effet, entre 2007 et 2019, la proportion de personnes vivant dans la pauvreté est passée de 53% à 58%, avec des tendances similaires tant en milieux urbain que rural. En milieu urbain, environ un tiers des ménages sont pauvres, tandis qu'en milieu rural, plus des deux tiers des ménages sont touchés. Toutefois, les intervalles de confiance se chevauchant, cette augmentation ne peut être considérée comme significative. La profondeur de la pauvreté, mesurée par l'écart des dépenses des pauvres par rapport au seuil de pauvreté a légèrement progressé entre 2012 et 2019, mais cette amélioration demeure insuffisante pour être jugée significative. L’indice de Gini qui évalue les inégalités de revenus, a diminué de manière marginale, passant de 0,31 en 2007 à 0,27 en 2019. Cette baisse a été plus marquée en milieu rural (de 0,29 en 2007 à 0,25 en 2019), tandis qu'en milieu urbain, l’indice de Gini est resté stable. L’analyse des inégalités de revenu révèle une inégalité globale modérée (l’indice de Gini varie entre 0,27 et 0,31). Les résultats des trois enquêtes montrent de façon constante que les inégalités internes aux milieux de résidence (urbain/rural) expliquent plus de 90% des disparités totales, tandis que les inégalités entre ces milieux restent marginales (environ 7 à 9%). La répartition par quintiles de revenu met en évidence une forte concentration de la richesse au sommet de la distribution. Suivant le quintile de revenu, il apparait qu’environ les trois quarts (73%) de l’inégalité globale proviennent des différences entre les quintiles de revenu, ce qui montre que la majeure partie des inégalités est due à la structure de la distribution des revenus. Cette étude apporte une contribution à la compréhension de l'évolution de la pauvreté en Guinée, en mettant en évidence les tendances et les disparités urbaines-rurales. Elle souligne également l'importance d'une estimation précise du niveau de pauvreté et des facteurs qui y sont associés, afin de mettre en place des politiques efficaces pour lutter contre ce fléau.   This article examines the evolution of poverty in Guinea between 2007 and 2019, a period marked by weak economic growth from 2007 to 2012, followed by strong expansion beginning in 2016, primarily driven by the boom in the mining sector and increased energy production. The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) rose significantly, from 6,280 billion Guinean francs in 2007 to 13,514 billion in 2019, more than doubling over the period. The study is based on data from three national household living conditions surveys conducted in Guinea in 2007, 2012, and 2019. The sample sizes varied from 7,552 households in the 2007 ELEP, 7,501 in the 2012 ELEP, and 8,240 in the 2019 EHCVM. To analyze poverty trends, the Foster, Greer, and Thorbecke indicators (headcount ratio, poverty gap, and severity) were used, along with comparisons of confidence intervals, Lorenz curves, and Gini indices across the different surveys. The results reveal stability in urban poverty and worsening conditions in rural areas. Between 2007 and 2019, the proportion of people living in poverty rose from 53% to 58%, with similar trends observed in both urban and rural settings. In urban areas, about one-third of households are poor, while in rural areas, more than two-thirds are affected. However, due to overlapping confidence intervals, this increase is not statistically significant. The poverty gap, which measures the shortfall in poor people's expenditures relative to the poverty line, increased slightly between 2012 and 2019, but the change is not significant. The Gini index, which measures income inequality, decreased marginally from 0.31 in 2007 to 0.27 in 2019. This decline was more pronounced in rural areas (from 0.29 in 2007 to 0.25 in 2019), while the urban Gini index remained stable. Income inequality analysis reveals a moderate overall inequality (Gini index ranging between 0.27 and 0.31). The three surveys consistently show that intra-area inequalities (within urban/rural areas) account for more than 90% of total disparities, whereas inter-area inequalities (between urban and rural areas) remain marginal (around 7–9%). Income quintile distribution highlights a strong concentration of wealth at the top of the distribution. Analysis by income quintiles shows that about 73% of overall inequality stems from differences between income groups, indicating that most inequality results from the structure of income distribution. This study makes a valuable contribution to understanding the evolution of poverty in Guinea by highlighting urban-rural trends and disparities. It also underscores the importance of accurately estimating poverty levels and associated factors to design effective policies for combating poverty

Autoantibodies against type I IFNs in patients with life-threatening COVID-19

Interindividual clinical variability in the course of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is vast. We report that at least 101 of 987 patients with life-threatening coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia had neutralizing immunoglobulin G (IgG) autoantibodies (auto-Abs) against interferon-w (IFN-w) (13 patients), against the 13 types of IFN-a (36), or against both (52) at the onset of critical disease; a few also had auto-Abs against the other three type I IFNs. The auto-Abs neutralize the ability of the corresponding type I IFNs to block SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro. These auto-Abs were not found in 663 individuals with asymptomatic or mild SARS-CoV-2 infection and were present in only 4 of 1227 healthy individuals. Patients with auto-Abs were aged 25 to 87 years and 95 of the 101 were men. A B cell autoimmune phenocopy of inborn errors of type I IFN immunity accounts for life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia in at least 2.6% of women and 12.5% of men

Global, regional, national, and selected subnational levels of stillbirths, neonatal, infant, and under-5 mortality, 1980�2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

Background Established in 2000, Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG4) catalysed extraordinary political, financial, and social commitments to reduce under-5 mortality by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015. At the country level, the pace of progress in improving child survival has varied markedly, highlighting a crucial need to further examine potential drivers of accelerated or slowed decreases in child mortality. The Global Burden of Disease 2015 Study (GBD 2015) provides an analytical framework to comprehensively assess these trends for under-5 mortality, age-specific and cause-specific mortality among children under 5 years, and stillbirths by geography over time. Methods Drawing from analytical approaches developed and refined in previous iterations of the GBD study, we generated updated estimates of child mortality by age group (neonatal, post-neonatal, ages 1�4 years, and under 5) for 195 countries and territories and selected subnational geographies, from 1980�2015. We also estimated numbers and rates of stillbirths for these geographies and years. Gaussian process regression with data source adjustments for sampling and non-sampling bias was applied to synthesise input data for under-5 mortality for each geography. Age-specific mortality estimates were generated through a two-stage age�sex splitting process, and stillbirth estimates were produced with a mixed-effects model, which accounted for variable stillbirth definitions and data source-specific biases. For GBD 2015, we did a series of novel analyses to systematically quantify the drivers of trends in child mortality across geographies. First, we assessed observed and expected levels and annualised rates of decrease for under-5 mortality and stillbirths as they related to the Soci-demographic Index (SDI). Second, we examined the ratio of recorded and expected levels of child mortality, on the basis of SDI, across geographies, as well as differences in recorded and expected annualised rates of change for under-5 mortality. Third, we analysed levels and cause compositions of under-5 mortality, across time and geographies, as they related to rising SDI. Finally, we decomposed the changes in under-5 mortality to changes in SDI at the global level, as well as changes in leading causes of under-5 deaths for countries and territories. We documented each step of the GBD 2015 child mortality estimation process, as well as data sources, in accordance with the Guidelines for Accurate and Transparent Health Estimates Reporting (GATHER). Findings Globally, 5·8 million (95 uncertainty interval UI 5·7�6·0) children younger than 5 years died in 2015, representing a 52·0% (95% UI 50·7�53·3) decrease in the number of under-5 deaths since 1990. Neonatal deaths and stillbirths fell at a slower pace since 1990, decreasing by 42·4% (41·3�43·6) to 2·6 million (2·6�2·7) neonatal deaths and 47·0% (35·1�57·0) to 2·1 million (1·8-2·5) stillbirths in 2015. Between 1990 and 2015, global under-5 mortality decreased at an annualised rate of decrease of 3·0% (2·6�3·3), falling short of the 4·4% annualised rate of decrease required to achieve MDG4. During this time, 58 countries met or exceeded the pace of progress required to meet MDG4. Between 2000, the year MDG4 was formally enacted, and 2015, 28 additional countries that did not achieve the 4·4% rate of decrease from 1990 met the MDG4 pace of decrease. However, absolute levels of under-5 mortality remained high in many countries, with 11 countries still recording rates exceeding 100 per 1000 livebirths in 2015. Marked decreases in under-5 deaths due to a number of communicable diseases, including lower respiratory infections, diarrhoeal diseases, measles, and malaria, accounted for much of the progress in lowering overall under-5 mortality in low-income countries. Compared with gains achieved for infectious diseases and nutritional deficiencies, the persisting toll of neonatal conditions and congenital anomalies on child survival became evident, especially in low-income and low-middle-income countries. We found sizeable heterogeneities in comparing observed and expected rates of under-5 mortality, as well as differences in observed and expected rates of change for under-5 mortality. At the global level, we recorded a divergence in observed and expected levels of under-5 mortality starting in 2000, with the observed trend falling much faster than what was expected based on SDI through 2015. Between 2000 and 2015, the world recorded 10·3 million fewer under-5 deaths than expected on the basis of improving SDI alone. Interpretation Gains in child survival have been large, widespread, and in many places in the world, faster than what was anticipated based on improving levels of development. Yet some countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, still had high rates of under-5 mortality in 2015. Unless these countries are able to accelerate reductions in child deaths at an extraordinary pace, their achievement of proposed SDG targets is unlikely. Improving the evidence base on drivers that might hasten the pace of progress for child survival, ranging from cost-effective intervention packages to innovative financing mechanisms, is vital to charting the pathways for ultimately ending preventable child deaths by 2030. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY license

La varicocèle de l’adulte: aspects anatomo-cliniques et resultats therapeutiques au service d’urologie-andrologie du CHU de Conakry, Guinee

RésuméObjectifDécrire les aspects anatomo-cliniques et évaluer les résultats thérapeutiques de la varicocèle au service d’urologie-andrologie du CHU de Conakry.Patients et MéthodeIl s’agit d’une étude prospective de type descriptif portant sur un échantillonnage exhaustif de 119 cas colligés dans le service d’Urologie-Andrologie du CHU de Conakry durant une période d’un an. Sur le plan clinique les varicocèles ont été classées en 4 grades selon Dubin et Amelar. Tous les patients avaient bénéficié d’au moins un spermogramme en pré et post opératoire.RésultatsL’âge moyen des patients était de 38ans avec des extrêmes de 22 et 53ans. La varicocèle était découverte dans 80,7% (n=96) des cas au cours d’une consultation pour infertilité conjugale. La varicocèle était gauche dans 84,9% (n=101) des cas et bilatérale dans 15,1% (n= 18) des cas. Le spermogramme préopératoire était normal dans 5% des cas et l’oligo-asthéno-tératozoospermie avec 46,2% (n=55) des cas était l’anomalie la plus retrouvée. Tous les patients ont bénéficié d’une cure chirurgicale selon la technique d’Ivanissevitch. Après un suivi moyen de 17 mois pour 113 patients, une amélioration notable de la qualité du sperme a été notée chez 67 patients avec une normalization du spermogramme chez 33 d’entre eux. Par contre aucune amélioration n’a été notée chez 6 des 8 patients azoospermes. Quarante-deux grossesses spontanées soit 35.3% ont été enregistrées chez les conjointes des patients durant le suivi.ConclusionLa varicocèle est une pathologie fréquente dans notre pratique quotidienne; l’infertilité du couple en est la forme de découverte la plus fréquente. Le profil spermatique est celui d’une oligoasthénotératozoospermie. La cure chirurgicale améliore de façon significative la fertilité des patients hypofertiles.AbstractObjectiveTo describe the clinical aspects of varicocele and to evaluate the outcome of its treatment at the Department of Urology and Andrology of Conakry University Hospital, Republic of Guinea.Patients and MethodsThis prospective study included 119 patients with varicocele operated on at the Department of Urology and Andrology of Conakry University Hospital over a one-year period. Clinically, the varicoceles were classified into four grades according to the classification of Dubin and Amelar. All patients received at least one semen analysis pre- and postoperatively.ResultsThe mean age of the patients was 38 (range 22–53) years. In 80.7% (n=96) of the cases the varicocele was detected in the course of an infertility consultation. The varicocele was located on the left side in 84.9% (n=101) of the cases, while it was bilateral in 15.1% (n=18). Preoperative semen analysis was normal in 5% of the cases. Oligo-astheno-teratozoospermia seen in 46.2% (n=55) of the patients was the most frequently found anomaly. All patients underwent surgical treatment using the Ivanissevich procedure. After a mean follow up of 17 months conducted on 113 patients, significant improvement in sperm quality was observed in 67 patients with normalization of the sperm count in 33 of them. However, no improvement was noted in 6 out of 8 patients who had presented with azoospermia. Forty-two (35.3%) spontaneous pregnancies were recorded during the follow-up period.ConclusionVaricocele is a common condition in our daily practice. It is most commonly detected in the course of consultation for infertility. The spermatic profile is that of oligo-astheno-teratozoospermia. Surgical treatment significantly improves the hypofertile patient's fertility