Ivory Coast dialogue may ease political tensions

Significance Of three recent dialogue attempts, this is the first that occurs in an environment that appears conducive to reconciliation. This follows more than a decade of acrimonious relations between major parties, underscored by a fraught 2020 election in which 85 people died as President Alassane Ouattara secured a controversial third presidential term. Impacts The political dialogue will see the return of more political exiles. Ouattara will likely agree to the release of more low-profile political prisoners. Next year’s municipal and regional elections will likely be relatively peaceful.

Candidate gene family-based and case-control studies of susceptibility to high Schistosoma mansoni worm burden in African children: a protocol

Background: Approximately 25% of the risk of Schistosoma mansoni is associated with host genetic variation. We will test 24 candidate genes, mainly in the Th2 and Th17 pathways, for association with S. mansoni infection intensity in four African countries, using family based and case-control approaches. Methods: Children aged 5-15 years will be recruited in S. mansoni endemic areas of Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We will use family based (study 1) and case-control (study 2) designs. Study 1 will take place in Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Uganda and the DRC. We aim to recruit 100 high worm burden families from each country except Uganda, where a previous study recruited at least 40 families. For phenotyping, cases will be defined as the 20% of children in each community with heaviest worm burdens as measured by the circulating cathodic antigen (CCA) assay. Study 2 will take place in Uganda. We will recruit 500 children in a highly endemic community. For phenotyping, cases will be defined as the 20% of children with heaviest worm burdens as measured by the CAA assay, while controls will be the 20% of infected children with the lightest worm burdens. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) will be genotyped on the Illumina H3Africa SNP (single nucleotide polymorphisms) chip and genotypes will be converted to sets of haplotypes that span the gene region for analysis. We have selected 24 genes for genotyping that are mainly in the Th2 and Th17 pathways and that have variants that have been demonstrated to be or could be associated with Schistosoma infection intensity. Analysis: In the family-based design, we will identify SNP haplotypes disproportionately transmitted to children with high worm burden. Case-control analysis will detect overrepresentation of haplotypes in extreme phenotypes with correction for relatedness by using whole genome principal components.

The Clytini fauna of Benin and Togo, with the description of a new species from Benin (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae)

Four species are reported for the first time in Benin, Carinoclytus cf. semiruber (Quedenfeldt, 1882), Chlorophorus deterrens (Pascoe, 1862), Denticerus muehlei Mourglia & Téocchi, 1994, and Plagionotulus sylvaticus Hintz, 1911; a new species is described, Calanthemis jossomonforti n. sp. In Togo, four species are known and Denticerus muehlei Mourglia & Téocchi, 1994, is reported for the first time. Plagionotulus sylvaticus Hintz, 1911, is cited from Ivory Coast for the first time. An identification key to species of Clytini from Benin and Togo is provided.

Monitoring Spatial and Temporal Scales of Shoreline Changes in Lahou-Kpanda (Southern Ivory Coast) Using Landsat Data Series (TM, ETM+ and OLI)

Shoreline changes are crucial for assessing human-ecosystem interactions in coastal environments. They are a valuable tool for determining the environmental costs of socioeconomic growth along coasts. In this research, we present an assessment of shoreline changes along the eastern coast of Lahou-Kpanda of the Ivory Coast during the period from 1980 to 2020 by applying Digital Shoreline Analysis System method using Landsat Data Series. The measurement of the shoreline dynamics of the Lahou-Kpanda coastline is mainly described in three parts: the west straight cordon, the dynamics at the mouth and the east straight cordon. The findings show a drastic reduction in natural shorelines. The greatest transition occurred along the mouth segment of the coast, where the average erosive velocity approaches 90 meters each year and the average distance has decreased by around 2 kilometers. The Ivory Coast lost more than 40% of its biological shorelines between 1980 and 2020, according to this report, a worrying development because these are regions that were once biologically abundant and highly rich. In general, human operations on the Ivory Coast’s shorelines have never had such an impact. The effects of these changes on habitats, as well as the vulnerability of new shoreline investments to increased human activity and sea-level rise, must be measured.

Characterization of the Ichthyological Population of Hydrosystèmes in the Lagoon Area of the Azagny National Park (Ivory Coast)

The conservation of protected areas is nowadays one of the concerns of international and national institutions. This study aims to contribute to better conservation of the ichthyological fauna of the lagoon area of the Azagny National Park (PNA). This national park has been dealing with the harmful effects of human activities for years. Thus, from March 2019 to February 2020, sampling campaigns were carried out to characterize this space, for better conservation. The results obtained are based on the analysis of abiotic and biotic (fish) data collected at 6 stations. The physicochemical parameters were measured using a multiparameter and the fish population collected using 10 gillnet batteries of 10, 25, 30, 35, 40 and 50 mm mesh void. The analysis of the ichthyological population of the lagoon area reveals a diversity of 53 species belonging to 30 families and 12 orders. 11 species were newly collected while 31 species previously recorded in these hydrosystems were not captured in the present study. The Shannon (H’> 2) and Equitability (E> 0.5) indices calculated reflect a good organization and stability of the ichthyological population of the hydrosystems of the PNA lagoon zone. The Monte-Carlo test indicates that the variables rate of nitrate, width, rate of dissolved oxygen, water temperature, alkalinity, salinity, rate of dissolved solid and phosphorus are those which discriminate specific richness, abundance and the distribution of the stand.