Pauvreté et distribution de revenus au Sénégal: une approche par la modélisation en équilibre général calculable micro-simulé

La nouvelle orientation de la politique économique au Sénégal vise à accroître les revenus des pauvres et à attaquer la pauvreté là où elle est principalement localisée. La stratégie de réduction de la pauvreté va être mise en oeuvre dans un contexte de libéralisation des échanges commerciaux internationaux notamment dans le secteur agricole. Dans ce contexte, nous avons développé un modèle d'équilibre général calculable micro-simulé multi-ménages du type Decaluwé et al. (1999) permettant d'évaluer l'impact que pourront avoir ces politiques agricoles à l'échelle des ménages et de faire le lien entre ces réformes économiques, la pauvreté et la distribution de revenu. Ce modèle offre beaucoup de flexibilité en permettant notamment de modifier la distribution des groupes cibles qui n'ont pas à être revenus avant l'exercice de simulation afin d'effectuer l'analyse de pauvreté et d'inégalité ex post à l'exercice de modélisation. Dans ce travail, nous avons également comparé les effets en terme d'analyse de pauvreté et d'inégalité entre une distribution paramétrique (Dagum, 3 paramètres) et une distribution non-paramétrique et montré que ce choix engendrait des différences significatives quant aux effets sur la pauvreté. Contrairement aux applications faite par Decaluwé et al. (1999) et Cockburn (2002) au Népal, les impacts sur la pauvreté sont assez importants, ce qui montre que cette approche offre un outil riche permettant d'évaluer l'impact de politiques économiques ou chocs externes sur la pauvreté et la distribution de revenu.Modèle d'équilibre général calculable, micro-simulation, analyse de pauvreté, distribution de revenu

Pratiques de production et caracteristiques physiques et chimiques du shô basi, un ouscous de niebe (Vigna unguiculata) produit au Mali

En Afrique de l’Ouest, le niébé est transformé en plusieurs produits dont le plus largement consommé au Mali est un produit granulé cuit à la vapeur et dénommé couscous de niébé ou Shô basi en Bambara. La qualité organoleptique du Shô basi est variable, probablement du fait de la diversité des pratiques de production. La présente étude vise à déterminer les pratiques et contraintes de production et les caractéristiques physico-chimiques du Shô basi tel qu’il est vendu sur le marché malien. Pour ce faire, une enquête a été réalisée au Sud du Mali auprès de dix-huit (18) coopératives de productrices de Shô basi constituées de 8 à 32 membres chacune. Dix-huit échantillons de Shô basi collectés auprès des coopératives enquêtées ont été analysés au plan physico-chimique. L’enquête révèle que la production de Shô basi est réalisée exclusivement par des femmes majoritairement mariées, non ou peu alphabétisées et âgées de 20 à 59 ans. Les principales variétés de niébé utilisées pour la production sont sangaraka et wilibali qui appartiennent à l’espèce Vigna unguiculata. Elles sont toutes les deux caractérisées par une couleur blanche ou crème. Le Shô basi est produit à partir d’un procédé présentant deux variantes technologiques majeures dont l’une implique le décorticage humide total (VDT) et la seconde le décorticage à sec partiel (VDP) du niébé. Indépendamment des deux variantes technologiques, le Shô basi de bonne qualité devrait selon les enquêtés avoir une couleur claire, une texture molle dans la bouche, une granulométrie uniforme avec une absence d’odeur et de goût de niébé. Les deux types de Shô basi dérivés des deux variantes technologiques présentent des teneurs en protéines (25,0 g/100g), en polyphénols (24,3 mg/100g) et un degré de gonflement similaires. Cependant, le Shô basi obtenu par la variante VDP est moins claire mais plus riches en fibres, en minéraux totaux avec des granulés plus fins. Le décorticage du niébé, la granulation de la farine, la cuisson à la vapeur et le séchage constituent les principales contraintes à la production à grande échelle et à la standardisation de la qualité du Shô basi au Mali

CRISPR System Acquisition and Evolution of an Obligate Intracellular Chlamydia-Related Bacterium.

Recently, a new Chlamydia-related organism, Protochlamydia naegleriophila KNic, was discovered within a Naegleria amoeba. To decipher the mechanisms at play in the modeling of genomes from the Protochlamydia genus, we sequenced the full genome of Pr. naegleriophila, which includes a 2,885,090 bp chromosome and a 145,285 bp megaplasmid. For the first time within the Chlamydiales order, we describe the presence of a clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) system, the immune system of bacteria, located on the chromosome. It is composed of a small CRISPR locus comprising eight repeats and associated cas-cse genes of the subtype I-E. A CRISPR locus is also present within Chlamydia sp. Diamant, another Pr. naegleriophila strain, suggesting that the CRISPR system was acquired by a common ancestor of Pr. naegleriophila, after its divergence from Pr. amoebophila. Both nucleotide bias and comparative genomics approaches identified probable horizontal gene acquisitions within two and four genomic islands in Pr. naegleriophila KNic and Diamant genomes, respectively. The plasmid encodes an F-type conjugative system highly similar to 1) that found in the Pam100G genomic island of Pr. amoebophila UWE25 chromosome, as well as on the plasmid of Rubidus massiliensis and 2) to the three genes remaining in the chromosome of Parachlamydia acanthamoebae strains. Therefore, this conjugative system was likely acquired on an ancestral plasmid before the divergence of Parachlamydiaceae Overall, this new complete Pr. naegleriophila genome sequence enables further investigation of the dynamic processes shaping the genomes of the family Parachlamydiaceae and the genus Protochlamydia

Efficiency of common washing treatments in reducing microbial levels on lettuce in Mali

Lettuce is one of the most cultivated vegetables (eaten raw) in Mali with a percentage of 69.4 amongst leafy vegetables and 30.4 of all vegetables. Vegetables consumed raw, particularly lettuce, are sources of foodborne pathogens. This study was conducted to assess bacterial contamination of unwashed lettuce and the efficiency of disinfecting it with tap water and varying concentrations of some chemical disinfectants: bleach (0.00285, 0.00570 and 0.00855 ppm), potassium permanganate (170, 340 and 510 ppm), vinegar (0.00285, 0.00570 and 0.00855 ppm) and common salt (500, 1000 and 1500 ppm) based on the three consecutive washing protocol recommended for vegetables in Mali. Lettuce samples were randomly selected from farms irrigated with untreated river water within communities five and six in Bamako. Lettuce leaves were exposed to low concentration of the chemical disinfectants at 15 min, intermediate at 10 min and high at 5 min. A bleach (0.00285 ppm)/vinegar (0.00285 ppm) combination disinfection was also tested at 15 min. Tap water, bleach, potassium permanganate, vinegar and common salt reduced faecal coliform populations by 1.3–2.9, 1.5–3.0 and 1.9–3.5 log CFU/100 g, at 5, 10 and 15 min, respectively. Disinfection treatment using bleach (0.00285 ppm) was found to be more effective than other disinfectants at all contact times. All the disinfectants reduced Escherichia coli populations by 2.0–2.8 log CFU/100 g on lettuce and completely eliminated Salmonella spp. at all treatment contact times. Disinfection treatment using bleach/vinegar combination at 15 min also reduced faecal coliform populations on lettuce by 2.8 log CFU/100 g and completely eliminated E. coli and Salmonella spp. All chemical disinfectants including tap water at 15 min reduced faecal coliform populations below the undesirable ICMSF (2011) level (1000 CFU/100 g wet weight). These could contribute to reduce the health risk associated with the consumption of lettuce in Mali

Profil Epidémiologique Des Risques Sanitaires Associés A La Fabrication Artisanale De Marmites En Aluminium A Saki Au Nigeria En 2016

L’étude a pour objectif d’analyser les risques sanitaires liés à la fabrication artisanale de marmites à partir de pièces de rechange en aluminium usagées récupérées et fondues à Saki au Nigéria. Il s’agit d’une étude transversale descriptive à visée analytique réalisée dans des ateliers de fonderie artisanale. Elle a duré 30 jours et a porté sur les fabricants. Tous ceux qui ont accepté participer librement à l’étude ont été enquêtés. Les données ont été collectées grâce à un questionnaire. Elles ont été traitées par le logiciel Épi Info 7.2. Le test x2 a été utilisé pour la comparaison de variables. Le taux de participation était 95,2%. Tous les enquêtés étaient de sexe masculin avec une moyenne d’âge 28,64 ± 13,29 ans. La tranche d’âge 8-18 ans étaient plus représentée. Les fabricants de marmites ne faisaient pas usage d’équipement de protection individuelle adapté. Ils souffraient de TMS et presque tous (96, 20%) ont été victimes d’accidents du travail. Étaient aussi évoqués la toux (57,59%), l’éternuement (54,43%), le larmoiement (55,06%), des macules cutanées (53,80%). Les fondeurs d’aluminium de Saki sont victimes de nombreuses pathologies et exposés à des risques sanitaires. The aim of the study isto analyze the health risks associated with homemade cooking pots from used aluminum spare parts recovered and melted in Saki, Nigeria. It was a descriptive, cross-sectional study for analytical purposes conducted in artisanal foundry workshops. It lasted 30 days and focused on the manufacturers. All who agreed to participate freely in the study were surveyed. The data was collected through a questionnaire. They were processed by the Epi Info 7.2 software. The x2 test was used for the comparison of variables. The participation rate was 95.2%. All were males of average age 28.64 ± 13.29 years. The age group 8-18 years were more represented. Nobody made use of suitable personal protective equipment. All had MSDs and almost all (96, 20%) were victims of work-related accidents. Cough (57.59%), sneezing (54.43%), watery eyes (55.06%) and skin macules (53.80%) were also mentioned. Many health risks are linked to the handcrafting of aluminum pots in Saki. &nbsp

Participatory Evaluation of Sorghum Processing and Sensory Attributes in Mali: Methodology for Improving Food Security Outcomes from Variety Development Efforts

A requirement for the successful development of new sorghum varieties in Mali is effective evaluation of grain qualities, since sorghum is a staple food crop on which farmers rely for food security. The diversity of grain quality and social aspects that determine varietal acceptability for processing and cooking, however, make this a challenging task. As the processors of sorghum grain in households, women’s knowledge of grain quality traits can contribute to this work. Our objective is to understand opportunities to use grain quality traits to identify experimental varieties that may contribute to food security. Culinary evaluations were conducted in nine villages across two sorghum production zones. Three teams of women, one per replicate, processed, cooked and evaluated five test varieties in each village. Sensory evaluations were conducted by 25 taste testers per village. The major varietal differences observed included the decortication losses, women’s appreciation for ease of processing, and consistency of the prepared food. The participatory evaluation of the quality testing results led to the development of the concept of ‘food yield’. Discussion of these results focuses on designing cost-efficient grain and food quality evaluations that rely on women’s expertise as processors and strengthens their role in the variety development process

Nuclear target search at the single molecule level: protein interactions define the exploration landscape

Gene regulation relies on highly mobile transcription factors (TFs) exploring the nucleoplasm in search of their targets. Our view of the nucleus has evolved from that of an isotropic and homogenous reactor to that of a highly organized yet very dynamic organelle. However important questions remain on how these regulatory factors explore the nuclear environment in search of their DNA or protein targets, and how their exploration strategy affects the kinetics of transcriptional regulation. We implemented a single-molecule tracking assay to determine the TFs dynamics using photoactivatable tags in human cells. We investigated the mobility of several nuclear proteins, including the transcription factor c-Myc and the elongation factor P-TEFb. We found that, while their diffusion speed was comparable, these proteins largely differed in terms of their exploration geometry. We discovered that c-Myc is a global explorer diffusing in the nucleus without spatial constraints. In contrast, the positive transcription elongation factor P-TEFb is a local explorer that oversamples its environment, constrained by a fractal nuclear architecture. Consequently, each c-Myc molecule is equally available for all nuclear sites while P-TEFb reaches its targets in a position-dependent manner. We also measured the mobility of a P-TEFb mutant in which the interaction with the CTD of the RNA Pol II was truncated. In this case, the single-molecule experiments suggested a global exploration of the P-TEFb mutant, consistent with free diffusion. Our observations are in line with a model in which the exploration geometry of TFs is constrained by their interactions and not by exclusion properties. Our findings have strong implications on how proteins react in the nucleus and how their function can be regulated in space and time

Large-scale delivery of seasonal malaria chemoprevention to children under 10 in Senegal: an economic analysis.

Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) is recommended for children under 5 in the Sahel and sub-Sahel. The burden in older children may justify extending the age range, as has been done effectively in Senegal. We examine costs of door-to-door SMC delivery to children up to 10 years by community health workers (CHWs). We analysed incremental financial and economic costs at district level and below from a health service perspective. We examined project accounts and prospectively collected data from 405 CHWs, 46 health posts, and 4 district headquarters by introducing questionnaires in advance and completing them after each monthly implementation round. Affordability was explored by comparing financial costs of SMC to relevant existing health expenditure levels. Costs were disaggregated by administration month and by health service level. We used linear regression models to identify factors associated with cost variation between health posts. The financial cost to administer SMC to 180 000 children over one malaria season, reaching ∼93% of children with all three intended courses of SMC was $234 549 (constant 2010 USD) or$0.50 per monthly course administered. Excluding research-participation incentives, the financial cost was $0.32 per resident (all ages) in the catchment area, which is 1.2$278 922 or $0.59 per course administered and varied widely between health posts, from$0.38 to $2.74 per course administered. Substantial economies of scale across health posts were found, with the smallest health posts incurring highest average costs per monthly course administered. SMC for children up to 10 is likely to be affordable, particularly where it averts substantial curative care costs. Estimates of likely costs and cost-effectiveness of SMC in other contexts must account for variation in average costs across delivery months and health posts