Archives-June 2025

Studies on species diversity of Ophidians are less advanced in the Central Congo forest ecoregion than in other ecoregions of the central Congolese basin. In other words, the diversity of Ophidians in this region remains poorly known. Preliminary research indicates that the central Congolese basin harbours remarkable diversity of Squamates (Lokasola & al. 2017), but this remains to be confirmed by updated studies on snakes, a group that has been little studied in the sector. The most extensive study of the herpetofauna of this area dates from the colonial period, conducted by Schmidt (1919). It is now obsolete (Lokasola & al. 2017, Lokasola, 2022). Therefore, the present article examines the diversity of Ophidian species in the Lokutu square degree, with the objective of producing a species list and reporting their ecological preferences, conservation status, and the harmfulness of their bites. The main aim is to test the hypothesis that the species list of snakes presented by previous studies on the sector is incomplete. To achieve this objective, a team composed of four people (Felix Kihambu, our dissertation supervisor, and two local guides) conducted surveys across a range of habitats within the Lokutu square degree. The habitats studied included forests, wetlands, rivers, and agricultural lands. The studies were conducted both during the day and at night, to maximise the chances of encountering both diurnal and nocturnal species. Collections were carried out randomly on reconnaissance trails and were time-limited to obtain semi-quantitative binary presence/absence data. A total of 31 snake species were reported, thus adding ten species to the twenty or so already known to exist in this sector. Although still short of the forty species expected based on predictions rooted in the continuity of the Congolese equatorial forest and the absence of biogeographical barriers for snakes, our results are highly significant as this is the first time the threshold of 24 species has been surpassed in this sector. We recommend further systematic studies using genetic markers and more extensive sampling of certain taxa to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the subject.

The effects of aqueous leaf root and stem leachates of different concentrations(2.5%, 5% and 7.5%) of plant parts of Limonia acidesima L( Rutaceae) from ‘ Garbhagiri hills of pathardi Tahsil ( longitude19o 09’N, laditude 750 10’E) were tested on germination and seedling growth of Raphanus sativus L( Var Japani) Family Brassicaceae. Leachates of 7.50% concentration of Limonia acidissima L. inhibited seedling growth parameters of. ‘Japani’ variety of Raphanus sativus L. in an order of: Stem >Leaf >Root

A rare feature in civil registries, vascular limb trauma is a serious injury that requires rapid and effective interaction between diagnosis and management. We report on the epidemiological, clinical and management aspects of these injuries in a context of working with limited resources. This was a retrospective, monocentric, descriptive and analytical study of 45 patients victims of vascular trauma of the limbs, between January 1, 2017 and June 30, 2022 at the CUTO-CR of the CNHU-HKM of Cotonou. Men were the majority in our series with a sex ratio of 6.5. The average age of the population was 33.71 years. Road traffic accidents were the most common occurrence with a 33.3% frequency. Vascular injuries from broken glass were the most common (40%). Upper limb vascular injuries were the most represented (65.46%) principally arterial lesions (67.27%). As major complications, five secondary amputations had to be performed for limb ischemia and we recorded one death. Vascular trauma of the limbs is a relatively rare entity in civil practice in Cotonou. Despite the time taken for the management far beyond the standards and limited resources, results were generally satisfactory.

Innovative dehydration methods are being developed by the food technology sector to increase shelf life, cut waste, and promote sustainability. Marketing of dehydrated processed products play a crucial role in effective integral marketing and profitability in market functionaries. The following research outlook was studied to find the market performance and profitability parameters. The objectives analysed were, to study the marketing parameters and marketing channels for different dehydrated products and to study the marketing profitability ratios and efficiency goals for dehydrated processed products. The conclusions of the study said that the marketing cost in total was Rs.222378.38 for Ginger granules, Rs. 60497 for Mango cheeks and Rs. 58170 Tomato flakes. The study had given a clear picture that adopted channel is beneficial and effective for marketing of dehydrated processed products.

In this study, the evaluation of moisture and mass transport parameters of hot air drying of tomato slices was investigated at air temperatures of 60°C, 80°C, 100°C and 120°C for samples of 3 to 11 mm thickness using a convective air dryer. Using the experimental data, the objective of this study is to determine the transport parameters (lag factor, drying constants, moisture diffusivities and convective mass transfer coefficient) for tomato slices subjected to convection drying. The analysed drying data were obtained in the period of decreasing drying rate. Regarding the results of moisture and mass transport parameters, the drying coefficient of tomato varied from 3.83×10-5 s-1 to 3.067×10-4 s-1 under our air-drying conditions. The lag factor of tomato slices ranged from 1.0791 to 1.1070. The mass Biot number values for tomato slices were in the range of 0.5586 to 0.9379. The effective moisture diffusivity for tomato slices ranged from 3.90×10-10 to 1.06×10-8 m2/s, for our drying conditions. The convective mass transfer coefficient values for tomato slices were in the range of 2.98×10-7 to 1.04×10-6 m/s. The activation energy for moisture diffusion was 28.203 kJ/mol, 27.488 kJ/mol, 29.433 kJ/mol, 31.844 kJ/mol and 32.668 kJ/mol, respectively for tomato thicknesses of 3 mm, 5 mm, 7 mm, 9 mm and 11 mm. For the same tomato thicknesses of 3 mm, 5 mm, 7 mm, 9 mm and 11 mm, the activation energy for convective mass transfer was 36.717 kJ/mol, 35.977 kJ/mol, 38.047 kJ/mol, 40.550 kJ/mol and 41.206 kJ/mol, respectively.

The diversity of birds in the Kokolopori Nature Reserve has not yet been the subject of scientific publications. However, a comprehensive knowledge regarding this fauna is necessary to formulate effective conservation strategies. In order to fill the aforementioned knowledge gap, a preliminary avian inventory was conducted within the Kokolopori Nature Reserve (KBNR). The sampling was random and stratified, and the method was mist netting, supplemented by observation at transect points. 69 bird species were recorded, spanning 29 families and 14 orders. Highlights included rare forest specialists like the Congo peacock and African grey parrot - species that rely on intact, primary forest ecosystems. These findings underscore the ecological value of Kokolopori and highlight the need for targeted conservation efforts to protect the Congo Basin’s avian diversity and the integrity of its remaining primary forests. They are of the utmost importance since produced for the first time in an unstudied area targeted for conservation.