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Abstract Background Drug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum is a major threat to malaria control efforts. Pathogen genomic surveillance could be invaluable for monitoring current and emerging parasite drug resistance. Methods Data from two decades (2000–2020) of continuous molecular surveillance of P. falciparum parasites from Senegal were retrospectively examined to assess historical changes in malaria drug resistance mutations. Several known drug resistance markers and their surrounding haplotypes were profiled using a combination of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) molecular surveillance and whole genome sequence based population genomics. Results This dataset was used to track temporal changes in drug resistance markers whose timing correspond to historically significant events such as the withdrawal of chloroquine (CQ) and the introduction of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) in 2003. Changes in the mutation frequency at Pfcrt K76T and Pfdhps A437G coinciding with the 2014 introduction of seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) in Senegal were observed. In 2014, the frequency of Pfcrt K76T increased while the frequency of Pfdhps A437G declined. Haplotype-based analyses of Pfcrt K76T showed that this rapid increase was due to a recent selective sweep that started after 2014. Discussion (Conclusion) The rapid increase in Pfcrt K76T is troubling and could be a sign of emerging amodiaquine (AQ) resistance in Senegal. Emerging AQ resistance may threaten the future clinical efficacy of artesunate-amodiaquine (ASAQ) and AQ-dependent SMC chemoprevention. These results highlight the potential of molecular surveillance for detecting rapid changes in parasite populations and stress the need to monitor the effectiveness of AQ as a partner drug for artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) and for chemoprevention.

Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES) is a radio-clinical entity associating reversible damage of the central nervous system and typical brain imaging. The clinical context is often suggestive with, in half of cases, the use of vasoactive substances (cannabis, antidepressants, nasal decongestants) and/or postpartum. The etiologies are dominated by hypertensive encephalopathy, preeclampsia, eclampsia, immunosuppressive therapies, and systemic diseases. We report a case of posterior encephalopathy syndrome occurring in a young female without hypertension. It was about a 40-year-old female without hypertension underlying condition, received at the emergency department for headaches and generalized tonic-clonic seizures. The physical examination was unremarkable, and her blood pressure was 130/70 mm Hg. CT scan revealed bilateral white matter hypodensity in the posterior occipital regions and a right frontal subarachnoid hemorrhage. There was no aneurysmal malformation of the polygon of Willis and no cerebral thrombophlebitis. Brain MRI showed T2 and FLAIR hypersignal areas in the occipital and frontal cortico-subcortical regions, with no diffusion signal abnormalities or contrast enhancement, and a right frontal subarachnoid hemorrhagic lesion with no other impairment. The diagnosis of reversible posterior encephalopathy syndrome was made up, and the outcome was favorable under treatment. Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome is an uncommon but probably underdiagnosed condition. Hypertensive encephalopathy is the most common etiology. However, there would be cases of PRES without hypertension as shown in this observation.

This study was carried out in the White Bandama watershed (WBW) in Côte d'Ivoire (West Africa). The objective is to assess the impacts of future climate change (CC) on the hydropower potential (HPP) of the WBW. The methodology is based on coupling the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) hydrological model with the Geographic Information System (GIS) QGIS to assess HPP on streams and evaluate the impacts of future CC on HPP of the watershed. Historical and climate projection data (precipitation, minimum and maximum temperature) for a set of three Regional Climate Models (RCM) from CORDEX-AFRICA (CCCma-CanRCM4, CCLM4-8-17 and REMO 2009) under RCP 4.5 were used. The biases of the ensemble mean were corrected by the Delta-change method. The relative change of streamflow discharge and HPP was assessed as the relative difference between the projection periods (2041–2070 and 2071–2100) and the reference period (1976–2005). The results showed a total of 22 future hydropower potential sites in the watershed. These sites were identified, geolocated and classified according to their potential capacity of generation in 82 % as small (1–25 MW potential capacity), 9 % as medium (25–100 MW potential capacity) and 9 % as large (more than 100 MW potential capacity) hydropower. The climate models' ensemble projected an upward trend for both the annual mean discharge of rivers and HPP of the WBW according to RCP 4.5 for the periods 2041–2070 and 2071–2100. On the annual cycle, the months of August and September will record the highest monthly mean flows between 150 and 200 m3 s−1 while the months from November to April will record low monthly mean flows in the WBW.

Abstract Background Genetic surveillance of the Plasmodium falciparum parasite shows great promise for helping National Malaria Control Programmes (NMCPs) assess parasite transmission. Genetic metrics such as the frequency of polygenomic (multiple strain) infections, genetic clones, and the complexity of infection (COI, number of strains per infection) are correlated with transmission intensity. However, despite these correlations, it is unclear whether genetic metrics alone are sufficient to estimate clinical incidence. Methods This study examined parasites from 3147 clinical infections sampled between the years 2012–2020 through passive case detection (PCD) across 16 clinic sites spread throughout Senegal. Samples were genotyped with a 24 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) molecular barcode that detects parasite strains, distinguishes polygenomic (multiple strain) from monogenomic (single strain) infections, and identifies clonal infections. To determine whether genetic signals can predict incidence, a series of Poisson generalized linear mixed-effects models were constructed to predict the incidence level at each clinical site from a set of genetic metrics designed to measure parasite clonality, superinfection, and co-transmission rates. Results Model-predicted incidence was compared with the reported standard incidence data determined by the NMCP for each clinic and found that parasite genetic metrics generally correlated with reported incidence, with departures from expected values at very low annual incidence ( 10‰), parasite genetics can be used to accurately infer incidence and is consistent with superinfection-based hypotheses of malaria transmission. When transmission was

Introduction: Endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery is currently the gold-standard therapeutic approach for pituitary adenomas. Although being spread worldwide, the endoscopic endonasal approach for pituitary adenomas is recently implemented in Senegal.This study aimed to report our results and the complications observed in the context of an under-equipped facility. Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective study including all patients with a pituitary adenoma treated who underwent endonasal transsphenoidal resection under a single endoscopic approach from January 2014 to May 2022, in the Neurosurgery Department of Fann National Hospital Centre, Dakar. All patients were assessed according to clinical, radiological, and endocrinological criteria. They all were operated by the same team with an average follow-up of 24 months. Results: In this series of 180 patients, including 57.7 % women and 42.3% men with a mean age of 44.8 years (extremes of 18 and 76 years), the visual deficit was the most frequent onset symptom (69.4 %), followed by clinical forms of hormone hypersecretion (30.5 %). Twelve cases of pituitary apoplexy and 1 case of incidentaloma were reported. The most frequent tumors were non-functional tumors (61.6 %). Among the functional adenomas, the most frequent was prolactinoma (15.5 %). Regarding tumor size, 75 % were macroadenomas, 15.5 % were microadenomas, and 9.5 % were giants. Cavernous sinus invasion (Knosp grade ≥ 3) and suprasellar extension were noted in 14.4 % and 53.3 %, respectively. The resection was total in 80 % of cases, subtotal in 18.8 %, and partial in 1.2 %. Partial improvement of sight was observed in 91.1% and endocrine hypersecretion remission in 76.6 %. As for complications, the most frequent was transient diabetes insipidus (32.7 %). Conclusion: Despite the scanty resources, our results are similar to the best-reported series and strengthen scientific evidence on the efficacy and safety of performing this technique in an under-equipped setting context.

Abstract The worldwide decline in malaria incidence is revealing the extensive burden of non-malarial febrile illness (NMFI), which remains poorly understood and difficult to diagnose. To characterize NMFI in Senegal, we collected venous blood and clinical metadata in a cross-sectional study of febrile patients and healthy controls in a low malaria burden area. Using 16S and untargeted sequencing, we detected viral, bacterial, or eukaryotic pathogens in 23% (38/163) of NMFI cases. Bacteria were the most common, with relapsing fever Borrelia and spotted fever Rickettsia found in 15.5% and 3.8% of cases, respectively. Four viral pathogens were found in a total of 7 febrile cases (3.5%). Sequencing also detected undiagnosed Plasmodium, including one putative P. ovale infection. We developed a logistic regression model that can distinguish Borrelia from NMFIs with similar presentation based on symptoms and vital signs (F1 score: 0.823). These results highlight the challenge and importance of improved diagnostics, especially for Borrelia, to support diagnosis and surveillance.

Climate change has emerged across many regions. Some observed regional climate changes, such as amplified Arctic warming and land-sea warming contrasts have been predicted by climate models. However, many other observed regional changes, such as changes in tropical sea surface temperature and monsoon rainfall are not well simulated by climate model ensembles even when taking into account natural internal variability and structural uncertainties in the response of models to anthropogenic radiative forcing. This suggests climate model predictions may not fully reflect what our future will look like. The discrepancies between models and observations are not well understood due to several real and apparent puzzles and limitations such as the “signal-to-noise paradox” and real-world record-shattering extremes falling outside of the possible range predicted by models. Addressing these discrepancies, puzzles and limitations is essential, because understanding and reliably predicting regional climate change is necessary in order to communicate effectively about the underlying drivers of change, provide reliable information to stakeholders, enable societies to adapt, and increase resilience and reduce vulnerability. The challenges of achieving this are greater in the Global South, especially because of the lack of observational data over long time periods and a lack of scientific focus on Global South climate change. To address discrepancies between observations and models, it is important to prioritize resources for understanding regional climate predictions and analyzing where and why models and observations disagree via testing hypotheses of drivers of biases using observations and models. Gaps in understanding can be discovered and filled by exploiting new tools, such as artificial intelligence/machine learning, high-resolution models, new modeling experiments in the model hierarchy, better quantification of forcing, and new observations. Conscious efforts are needed toward creating opportunities that allow regional experts, particularly those from the Global South, to take the lead in regional climate research. This includes co-learning in technical aspects of analyzing simulations and in the physics and dynamics of regional climate change. Finally, improved methods of regional climate communication are needed, which account for the underlying uncertainties, in order to provide reliable and actionable information to stakeholders and the media.

IntroductionAcute febrile illnesses (AFI) in developing tropical and sub-tropical nations are challenging to diagnose due to the numerous causes and non-specific symptoms. The proliferation of rapid diagnostic testing and successful control campaigns against malaria have revealed that non-Plasmodium pathogens still contribute significantly to AFI burden. Thus, a more complete understanding of local trends and potential causes is important for selecting the correct treatment course, which in turn will reduce morbidity and mortality. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) in a laboratory setting can be used to identify known and novel pathogens in individuals with AFI.MethodsIn this study, plasma was collected from 228 febrile patients tested negative for malaria at clinics across Senegal from 2020–2022. Total nucleic acids were extracted and converted to metagenomic NGS libraries. To identify viral pathogens, especially those present at low concentration, an aliquot of each library was processed with a viral enrichment panel and sequenced. Corresponding metagenomic libraries were also sequenced to identify non-viral pathogens.Results and DiscussionSequencing reads for pathogens with a possible link to febrile illness were identified in 51/228 specimens, including (but not limited to): Borrelia crocidurae (N = 7), West Nile virus (N = 3), Rickettsia felis (N = 2), Bartonella quintana (N = 1), human herpesvirus 8 (N = 1), and Saffold virus (N = 1). Reads corresponding to Plasmodium falciparum were detected in 19 specimens, though their presence in the cohort was likely due to user error of rapid diagnostic testing or incorrect specimen segregation at the clinics. Mosquito-borne pathogens were typically detected just after the conclusion of the rainy season, while tick-borne pathogens were mostly detected before the rainy season. The three West Nile virus strains were phylogenetically characterized and shown to be related to both European and North American clades. Surveys such as this will increase the understanding of the potential causes of non-malarial AFI, which may help inform diagnostic and treatment options for clinicians who provide care to patients in Senegal.

Extreme precipitation exhibits high temporal and spatial variability, and understanding this variability is crucial for designing hydraulic infrastructures and assessing the impacts of natural risks such as floods and droughts. The Simple Scaling (SS) model, which describes the dependence of extreme rainfall statistics on timescales, is used to estimate Intensity Duration Frequency (IDF) curves. This study aims to evaluate the validity of the Simple Scaling (SS) hypothesis for 14 rain gauges in Senegal and explore the existence of breaks in temporal scaling regimes (transition regimes). For the analysis of extreme characteristics, we considered the Annual Maximum Series (AMS) of precipitation in sub-hourly and supra-daily durations ranging from 10 min to 7 days. The empirical validation of the SS models was confirmed for the majority of the scaling intervals. We identified two scaling breaks, indicating the presence of three scaling regimes: short durations (SD), intermediate durations (ID), and long durations (LD). The spatial variation of scaling exponents reveals the existence of different scaling regimes across Senegal. The results are valuable for modeling the spatial distribution of scaling exponents, which can aid in characterizing IDF curves at ungauged locations.

Poor agricultural soil management practices and water use optimisation in irrigation are major challenges facing crop production in Senegal. To address these problems, a factorial experiment was conducted in 2021 and 2022 to investigate the effects of biochar on tomato growth and yield in sandy loam soil under different irrigation levels. Treatments included three biochar treatments (B2 = 30 t·ha−1, B1 = 15 t·ha−1, and B0 = 0 t·ha−1) and three irrigation levels (full irrigation, W0 = 8 L·m−2·day−1; medium deficit irrigation, W1 = 6 L·m−2·day−1, which is 75% of W0; and deficit irrigation, W2 = 4 L·m−2·day−1, 50% of W0). The results showed that using biochar at 30 t·ha−1 significantly (P

Congenital band is a rare cause of bowel obstruction, most commonly occurring in childhood. We report a case of a young adult with no medical and surgical previous history who had symptoms of bowel obstruction evolving for 2 days. Computed tomography (CT) found an adhesive band causing a small bowel obstruction. An open laparotomy was performed, and the intraoperative findings were consistent with a congenital band compressing the ileum. Through this clinical case, we illustrate an uncommon cause of bowel obstruction and the interest of the CT for the management.

Acute mesenteric ischemia is a rare life-threatening diagnostic and therapeutic emergency. Lack of clinical and biological specificity makes the diagnosis difficult. Imaging, particularly computed tomography can help confirm the diagnosis. An underlying cause is identified in about 30%-70% of cases and should always be sought. We report a case of a 51-year-old man with chronic alcoholic liver disease admitted to the emergency department for abdominal pain. Computed tomography showed mesenteric venous thrombosis with signs of small bowel ischemia and cirrhosis with portal hypertension. Through this observation, we describe the imaging aspects of mesenteric ischemia and emphasize the necessity of seeking underlying pathological condition.

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is an age-related cerebral microangiopathy characterized by the accumulation of amyloid-beta peptide in the wall of leptomeningeal arteries and cortical vessels. Diagnosis of sporadic amyloid angiopathy is most often made in elderly patient with lobar hematoma. We report a case of a 68-year-old female who had minimal head injury. Cerebral CT showed a right cerebellar hematoma. Follow-up MRI after 4 months showed signs of cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Through this observation, we describe the MRI semiology that helps make the diagnosis of cerebral amyloid angiopathy.

Abstract We here analyze data from the first year of an ongoing nationwide program of genetic surveillance of Plasmodium falciparum parasites in Senegal. The analysis is based on 1097 samples collected at health facilities during passive malaria case detection in 2019; it provides a baseline for analyzing parasite genetic metrics as they vary over time and geographic space. The study’s goal was to identify genetic metrics that were informative about transmission intensity and other aspects of transmission dynamics, focusing on measures of genetic relatedness between parasites. We found the best genetic proxy for local malaria incidence to be the proportion of polygenomic infections (those with multiple genetically distinct parasites), although this relationship broke down at low incidence. The proportion of related parasites was less correlated with incidence while local genetic diversity was uninformative. The type of relatedness could discriminate local transmission patterns: two nearby areas had similarly high fractions of relatives, but one was dominated by clones and the other by outcrossed relatives. Throughout Senegal, 58% of related parasites belonged to a single network of relatives, within which parasites were enriched for shared haplotypes at known and suspected drug resistance loci and at one novel locus, reflective of ongoing selection pressure.

Abstract Background Malaria is endemic in Senegal, with seasonal transmission, and the entire population is at risk. In recent years, high malaria incidence has been reported in urban and peri-urban areas of Senegal. An urban landscape analysis was conducted in three cities to identify the malaria transmission indicators and human behavior that may be driving the increasing malaria incidence occurring in urban environments. Specifically, mosquito vector bionomics and human sleeping behaviors including outdoor sleeping habits were assessed to guide the optimal deployment of targeted vector control interventions. Methods Longitudinal entomological monitoring using human landing catches and pyrethrum spray catches was conducted from May to December 2019 in Diourbel, Kaolack, and Touba, the most populous cities in Senegal after the capital Dakar. Additionally, a household survey was conducted in randomly selected houses and residential Koranic schools in the same cities to assess house structures, sleeping spaces, sleeping behavior, and population knowledge about malaria and vector control measures. Results Of the 8240 Anopheles mosquitoes collected from all the surveyed sites, 99.4% (8,191) were An. gambiae s.l., and predominantly An. arabiensis (99%). A higher number of An. gambiae s.l. were collected in Kaolack (77.7%, n = 6496) than in Diourbel and Touba. The overall mean human biting rate was 14.2 bites per person per night (b/p/n) and was higher outdoors (15.9 b/p/n) than indoors (12.5 b/p/n). The overall mean entomological inoculation rates ranged from 3.7 infectious bites per person per year (ib/p/y) in Diourbel to 40.2 ib/p/y in Kaolack. Low anthropophilic rates were recorded at all sites (average 35.7%). Of the 1202 households surveyed, about 24.3% of household members slept outdoors, except during the short rainy season between July and October, despite understanding how malaria is transmitted and the vector control measures used to prevent it. Conclusion Anopheles arabiensis was the primary malaria vector in the three surveyed cities. The species showed an outdoor biting tendency, which represents a risk for the large proportion of the population sleeping outdoors. As all current vector control measures implemented in the country target endophilic vectors, these data highlight potential gaps in population protection and call for complementary tools and approaches targeting outdoor biting malaria vectors. Graphical Abstract

Abstract Background Rhizosphere microbial communities are important components of the soil-plant continuum in paddy field ecosystems. These rhizosphere communities contribute to nutrient cycling and rice productivity. The use of fertilizers is a common agricultural practice in rice paddy fields. However, the long-term impact of the fertilizers usage on the rhizosphere microbial communities at different rice developmental stages remains poorly investigated. Here, we examined the effects of long-term (27 years) N and NPK-fertilization on bacterial and archaeal community inhabiting the rice rhizosphere at three developmental stages (tillering, panicle initiation and booting) in the Senegal River Delta. Results We found that the effect of long-term inorganic fertilization on rhizosphere microbial communities varied with the rice developmental stage, and between microbial communities in their response to N and NPK-fertilization. The microbial communities inhabiting the rice rhizosphere at panicle initiation appear to be more sensitive to long-term inorganic fertilization than those at tillering and booting stages. However, the effect of developmental stage on microbial sensitivity to long-term inorganic fertilization was more pronounced for bacterial than archaeal community. Furthermore, our data reveal dynamics of bacteria and archaea co-occurrence patterns in the rice rhizosphere, with differentiated bacterial and archaeal pivotal roles in the microbial inter-kingdom networks across developmental stages. Conclusions Our study brings new insights on rhizosphere bacteria and archaea co-occurrence and the long-term inorganic fertilization impact on these communities across developmental stages in field-grown rice. It would help in developing strategies for the successful manipulation of microbial communities to improve rice yields.

Urban malaria has become a challenge for most African countries due to urbanization, with increasing population sizes, overcrowding, and movement into cities from rural localities. The rapid expansion of cities with inappropriate water drainage systems, abundance of water storage habitats, coupled with recurrent flooding represents a concern for water-associated vector borne diseases, including malaria. This situation could threaten progress made towards malaria elimination in sub-Saharan countries, including Senegal, where urban malaria has presented as a threat to national elimination gains. To assess drivers of urban malaria in Senegal, a 5-month study was carried out from August to December 2019 in three major urban areas and hotspots for malaria incidence (Diourbel, Touba, and Kaolack) including the rainy season (August-October) and partly dry season (November-December). The aim was to characterize malaria vector larval habitats, vector dynamics across both seasons, and to identify the primary eco- environmental entomological factors contributing to observed urban malaria transmission. A total of 145 Anopheles larval habitats were found, mapped, and monitored monthly. This included 32 in Diourbel, 83 in Touba, and 30 in Kaolack. The number of larval habitats fluctuated seasonally, with a decrease during the dry season. In Diourbel, 22 of the 32 monitored larval habitats (68.75%) were dried out by December and considered temporary, while the remaining 10 (31.25%) were classified as permanent. In the city of Touba 28 (33.73%) were temporary habitats, and of those 57%, 71% and 100% dried up respectively by October, November, and December. However, 55 (66.27%) habitats were permanent water storage basins which persisted throughout the study. In Kaolack, 12 (40%) permanent and 18 (60%) temporary Anopheles larval habitats were found and monitored during the study. Three malaria vectors (An. arabiensis, An. pharoensis and An. funestus s.l.) were found across the surveyed larval habitats, and An. arabiensis was found in all three cities and was the only species found in the city of Diourbel, while An. arabiensis, An. pharoensis, and An. funestus s.l. were detected in the cities of Touba and Kaolack. The spatiotemporal observations of immature malaria vectors in Senegal provide evidence of permanent productive malaria vector larval habitats year-round in three major urban centers in Senegal, which may be driving high urban malaria incidence. This study aimed to assess the presence and type of anopheline larvae habitats in urban areas. The preliminary data will better inform subsequent detailed additional studies and seasonally appropriate, cost-effective, and sustainable larval source management (LSM) strategies by the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP).

Ce travail s’est fixé comme objectif de contribuer à la connaissance d’une nouvelle plante adventice du genre Croton, de la famille des Euphorbiaceae pour la flore du Sénégal. La méthodologie de travail s’est basée sur la récolte d’une douzaine d’échantillons du nouveau taxon de Croton, mis sous presse et ramenés à l’Herbier Dakar. La comparaison des traits de caractères macro et micro-morphologiques de cette espèce du genre Croton avec ceux des spécimens du même genre de la flore du Sénégal, a montré qu’il s’agit d’une nouvelle espèce. L’identification de ce nouveau taxon a été facilitée par les flores disponibles dans l’herbier Dakar. Les résultats ont montré qu’il s’agit de Croton hirtus L'Hér. qui est une adventice originaire d’Amérique latine et qui s’est introduite en Afrique et en Asie tropicales. Mots clés: Croton hirtus, nouvelle adventice, Sénégal

In Ziguinchor (southern Senegal), agriculture practiced in urban farming areas is threatened by the effects of environmental change and demographic dynamics. However, this agriculture, as a strategic component of food resilience and socio-ecological transition, is attracting growing interest. This article uses observations and quantitative and qualitative surveys to study food resilience and the socio-ecological transition in order to highlight the political issues at stake in the face of environmental crises (pollution, salinity, acidification) in the city of Ziguinchor. The results reveal a weakening, or even degradation, of agricultural and natural spaces, reflecting a vulnerability linked in part to their appropriation by the city, and to the impoverishment of ecological systems. Secondly, specific nourishing, resilient and liveable spaces are endowed with a cultural or worship value that encourages their preservation. Finally, we can speak of an ecologisation of agricultural practices which induce a "rebound" or rather rebounds not really taken in charge by local authorities for the moment.

Abstract This study assessed the sensitivity of the West African climate to varying vegetation fractions. The assessment of a such relationship is critical in understanding the interactions between land surface and atmosphere. Two sets of convection‐permitting simulations from the UK Met Office Unified Model at 12 km horizontal resolution covering the monsoon period May–September (MJJAS) were used, one with fixed vegetation fraction (MF‐V) and the other with time‐varying vegetation fraction (MV‐V). Vegetation fractions are based on MODIS retrievals between May and September. We focused on three climatic zones over West Africa: Guinea Coast, Sudanian Sahel, and the Sahel while investigating heat fluxes, temperature, and evapotranspiration. Results reveal that latent heat fluxes are the most strongly affected by vegetation fraction over the Sahelian and Sudanian regions while sensible heat fluxes are more impacted over the Guinea Coast and Sudanian Sahel. Also, in MV‐V simulation there is an increase in evapotranspiration mainly over the Sahel and some specific areas in Guinea Coast from June to September. Moreover, it is noticed that high near‐surface temperature is associated with a weak vegetation fraction, especially during May and June. Finally, varying vegetation seems to improve the simulation of surface energy fluxes and in turn impact on climate parameters. This suggests that climate modelers should prioritize the use of varying vegetation options to improve the representation of the West African climate system.

This study evaluates the performance of two planetary boundary parameterizations in simulating the mean climate of West Africa using the Regional Climate Model version 5 (RegCM5). These planetary boundary parameterizations are the Holtslag scheme and the University of Washington scheme. Two sets of three one-year simulations were carried out at 25 km horizontal resolution with three different initial conditions. The first set of simulations used the Holtslag scheme (hereafter referred to as Hol), while the second used the University of Washington (UW) scheme (hereafter referred to as UW). The results displayed in this study are an average of the three simulations. During the JJAS rainy season, with respect to GPCP, both models overestimated total rainfall in the orographic regions. The UW experiment represented total rainfall fairly well compared to its counterpart, Hol. Both models reproduced convective rainfall well, with a relatively weak dry bias over the Guinean coast subregion. Globally, UW performed better than Hol in simulating precipitation. The pattern of near-surface temperature in both models was well reproduced with a higher bias with Hol than with UW. Indeed, the UW scheme led to a cooling effect owing to the reduction in eddy heat diffusivity in the lower troposphere contributing to reduce the bias. As a consequence, the height of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) was best simulated using the UW scheme but was underestimated compared to ERA5, while using the Hol scheme failed to capture the height of the PBL. This is coherent with the distribution of total cloud cover, which was better simulated with the UW scheme compared to the Hol scheme. This study shows that use of both planetary boundary parameterizations leads to a good simulation of most of the climatological characteristics of the West African region. Nevertheless, use of the UW scheme contributes to a better performance than use of the Hol scheme, and the differentiation between the two schemes is significant along the Guinea Coast and in orographic regions. In these topographically complex regions, UW appears to be more appropriate than Hol. This study emphasizes the importance of planetary boundary parameterizations for accurately simulating climate variables and for improving climate forecasts and projections in West Africa.

In Senegal, studies on the family Mugilidae are rare and little data is available on their reproductive biology. This study, carried out in the MPA of Niamone–Kalounayes (Casamance River estuary, Senegal) aims to enhance our knowledge of the reproductive biology of the largescale mullet, Parachelon grandisquamis (Valenciennes, 1836), a species highly prized by the local population as a food source. To better understand its reproductive biology, a series of monthly samplings over twelve (12) months from July 2021 to June 2022 was carried out. Experimental fisheries were carried out at six (6) stations located in secondary channels lined with mangroves, using a seine net (250 m long and 25 mm mesh side). A total of 361 individuals were sampled, including 321 female specimens and 40 male specimens. The calculated sex ratio was in favor of females (1:8), with a significant difference between the calculated sex ratio and the theoretical 1:1 sex ratio (χ2 = 218.73; P-value < 0.05). In the MPA of Niamone–Kalounayes, the breeding period of P. grandisquamis extends from March to July, from the end of the dry season up to the beginning of the wet season. The sizes at first sexual maturity were 17 cm in males and 18 cm in females, showing that in the MPA of Niamone–Kalounayes, males and females of P. grandisquamis reach sexual maturity at very close sizes (χ2 = 0.02; P > 0.05). As this species is subject to the intense fishery by many actors in the area, these findings may be proven useful in the process of developing a management plan for this particular species.

Globally, agriculture remains an important source of food and economic development. Due to various plant diseases, farmers continue to suffer huge yield losses in both quality and quantity. In this study, we explored the potential of using Artificial Neural Networks, K-Nearest Neighbors, Random Forest, and Support Vector Machine to classify tomato fungal leaf diseases: Alternaria, Curvularia, Helminthosporium, and Lasiodiplodi based on Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix texture features. Small differences between symptoms of these diseases make it difficult to use the naked eye to obtain better results in detecting and distinguishing these diseases. The Artificial Neural Network outperformed other classifiers with an overall accuracy of 94% and average scores of 93.6% for Precision, 93.8% for Recall, and 93.8% for F1-score. Generally, the models confused samples originally belonging to Helminthosporium with Curvularia. The extracted texture features show great potential to classify the different tomato leaf fungal diseases. The results of this study show that texture characteristics of the Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix play a critical role in the establishment of tomato leaf disease classification systems and can facilitate the implementation of preventive measures by farmers, resulting in enhanced yield quality and quantity.

Obesity is a global health problem that is increasing in prevalence and poses significant risks to the health of individuals. In recent years, bariatric surgery, especially sleeve gastrectomy, has become a widely adopted approach in the treatment of obesity. However, the role of post-operative physical activity, especially in women, has not been adequately studied. The aim of this study is to compare the body composition and blood lipid levels of adult obese women who do physical activity and those who do not for a year after bariatric surgery. Twenty-one women (PA group / non-PA group) participants with a sedentary lifestyle and a body mass index above 35 were included in the study. The PA group performed regular aerobic exercises, while the non-PA group maintained a sedentary lifestyle. Measurements were made in both groups preoperatively, at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. The results showed that physical activity has a significant effect on body composition. Regarding blood lipid levels, physical activity contributed to significantly improvements in cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein and triglyceride levels over the 12-month period. However, no significant relationship was found between physical activity and high-density lipoprotein levels. In summary, this study highlights the beneficial effects of physical activity on body composition and some blood lipid parameters in women after sleeve gastrectomy.