122 research outputs found
Market participation and marketing performance: A case study of Bolivian potato farmers
Agribusiness, Marketing,
Transient Health Shocks and Agricultural Labor Demand in Rice-producing Households in Mali
Malaria and other transient illnesses have been recognized as factors constraining economic development in tropical countries. The purpose of this paper is to determine the direct and the indirect impact of transient illness shocks, caused primarily by malaria but also including other tropical illness, on family labor use in irrigated rice production in Mali. Family labor is the most important factor of production used in rice production in Mali and transient illness shocks may negatively impact labor supply, production and hence household welfare derived from agricultural income and consumption. Two labor demand models are estimated to determine whether illness does indeed reduce labor supply: one where the dependent variable only includes family labor and a second that combines family and hired labor. These models can be used to test two sets of hypotheses on the relationship between illness and labor supply. First, we hypothesize that short-term transient illness shocks affect household labor supply implying that intrahousehold coping mechanisms are not wholly effective. Secondly, we hypothesize that hired labor markets are ineffective in mitigating illness shocks. We find that direct and indirect health shocks reduce the effective supply of labor and that neither household nor market supply of labor can mitigate these shocks.D1, I0, Q12, Crop Production/Industries, Labor and Human Capital,
Pulse consumption and demand by different population subgroups in Uganda and Tanzania
In recent years, the strategic importance of pulses in combating malnutrition and addressing health problems associated with overnutrition and obesity has been well acknowledged. However, previous research emphasized the production side and little is known about pulse consumption patterns by different groups of people. This study investigated pulse consumption patterns and demand by different socioeconomic groups in rural and urban localities of Uganda and Tanzania. Using the data compiled in the Living Standards Measurement Study-Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA) that are nationally representative of urban and rural households in Uganda and Tanzania, the study investigates the economic, temporal and spatial dimensions of pulse consumption and used econometric methods to evaluate the responsiveness of pulse demand to price and income changes. A two-stage censored food demand system was estimated to obtain consistent and unbiased unconditional expenditure and price elasticities for food and several food categories, including common bean in Uganda and pulses in Tanzania. Results indicate that consumption of pulses tend to increase with wealth and during harvesting periods as well as being higher in locations where production is also high. This emphasizes the important role that increased production of pulses could play in boosting consumption. Per capita consumption and contribution of pulses to protein in both countries is high. For example, in Uganda, bean contribute an average of 14.4 g of protein per person per day in rural areas, which is equivalent to 24% of the total daily per capita protein intake. In both countries, the poorer and wealthier households purchase a sizeable share of their consumed pulses. Pulse consumers are price sensitive and there is limited substitution for pulses, which suggests that price increase poses a risk for the nutritional security of the poor. Although projections in demand and supply growth rates indicate that supply might grow faster than demand, exports from both countries are growing faster than supply and this is likely to put pressure on domestic prices and further constrain demand among poorer households. Therefore, it is important to act now to avoid possible reduction in pulse consumption by poorer households that could lead to higher prevalence of malnutrition. Investment in agricultural research will be crucial such that farming households can adapt to a changing climate while increasing pulse productivity
LâOrient comme miroir : les altĂ©ritĂ©s orientale et autochtone dans les rĂ©cits de voyage des Canadiens français au XIX e siĂšcle
Lâimportance de lâorientalisme dans la culture europĂ©enne du XIX e siĂšcle est maintenant bien connue. Quâen est-il au QuĂ©bec ? Le prĂ©sent article traite de lâimportance et de la prĂ©gnance du discours orientaliste dans la culture quĂ©bĂ©coise de la deuxiĂšme moitiĂ© du XIX e siĂšcle Ă partir de 12 rĂ©cits de voyage en Orient composĂ©s par des Canadiens français. AprĂšs avoir examinĂ© le contexte de production de ces rĂ©cits et le sens donnĂ© au voyage en Orient par les voyageurs canadiens, nous nous intĂ©resserons aux façons dont certains auteurs manipulent les thĂšmes suivants : le genre, la race et la religion. Les rĂ©flexions de ces auteurs sur les « races » et la « civilisation » opĂšrent, Ă lâoccasion, un rapprochement entre lâaltĂ©ritĂ© de lâ« Oriental » et lâaltĂ©ritĂ© du « Sauvage » canadien. Lâarticle analysera, en dernier lieu, les liens discursifs Ă©tablis entre ces deux figures de lâAutre trĂšs importantes dans lâidĂ©e canadienne-française de la civilisation. Câest Ă ce moment que lâidĂ©e dâun orientalisme canadien-français prendra tout son sens. The important role of Orientalism in 19 th century European culture is now well known. However, what about its role in Quebec?This article discusses the importance and relevance of the Orientalist discourse in Quebec culture of the second half of the 19 th century based on 12 travel accounts written by French Canadians. After examining the background to the production of these accounts and the meaning that the Canadian travellers associate with Oriental travel, we consider how some authors address the themes of gender, race and religion. These authorsâ reflections on âracesâ and âcivilizationâ occasionally draw a parallel between the alterity of the âOrientalâ and the alterity of the âCanadian Indianâ. Finally, we analyze the discursive links established between these two figures of the âOther,â which are both very important to the French-Canadian idea of civilization. With that, the idea of French-Canadian Orientalism takes on its full significance.
Caractérisation du rÎle de MCAM dans la sclérose en plaques
Objectifs: Chez les patients atteints de sclĂ©rose en plaques (SEP), des lymphocytes pro-inflammatoires utilisent des molĂ©cules dâadhĂ©rence afin de parvenir Ă traverser la barriĂšre hĂ©mo-encĂ©phalique (BHE) et former des lĂ©sions multifocales dans le systĂšme nerveux central (SNC). Dans le contexte de la SEP, les lymphocytes CD4 auto-agressifs polarisĂ©s en TH17 (sĂ©crĂ©tant de lâIL-17) sont reconnus comme contribuant Ă la formation des lĂ©sions. Le rĂŽle des lymphocytes CD8 TC17 est quant Ă lui encore mal dĂ©fini. Lâidentification de marqueurs de surface spĂ©cifiquement exprimĂ©s par les lymphocytes TH17 et TC17 faciliterait la caractĂ©risation de ces sous-populations pathogĂ©niques et fournirait de nouvelles cibles thĂ©rapeutiques pour traiter la SEP.
MĂ©thodologie: Nous avons identifiĂ© MCAM lors dâanalyses protĂ©omiques de cellules endothĂ©liales de la BHE humaine et de lymphocytes T humains. Nous avons caractĂ©risĂ© le phĂ©notype et la fonction de ces cellules exprimant MCAM ex vivo, in vitro, in situ et in vivo, Ă partir de matĂ©riel obtenu de tĂ©moins (contrĂŽles), de patients atteints de SEP et dâanimaux atteints dâencĂ©phalomyĂ©lite auto-immune expĂ©rimentale (EAE).
RĂ©sultats: MCAM est exprimĂ© Ă la fois par les cellules endothĂ©liales de la BHE humaine et par une sous-population de lymphocytes T effecteurs mĂ©moire CD161+ et CCR6+. Les lymphocytes CD4 et CD8 MCAM+ expriment plus dâIL-17, IL-22, GM-CSF et granzyme B (Gz B) que les lymphocytes MCAMneg. De plus, lâexpression de MCAM est fortement augmentĂ©e Ă la surface des lymphocytes T CD4+ et CD8+ lors des poussĂ©es de SEP, alors que les traitements immunomodulateurs en diminuent lâexpression. In situ, lâexpression de MCAM par les cellules endothĂ©liales de la BHE est plus marquĂ©e au site des lĂ©sions de SEP et dâEAE, et on retrouve des lymphocytes CD4 et CD8 MCAM+ au sein de ces infiltrats pĂ©rivasculaires du SNC. In vitro, les lymphocytes CD8 MCAM+ causent plus de mort oligodendrocytaire et bloquer MCAM diminue la transmigration des CD8 TC17 et des CD4 TH17 Ă travers les cellules endothĂ©liales de la BHE humaine. In vivo, dĂ©plĂ©ter les lymphocytes CD4 ou CD8 MCAM+ amĂ©liore les signes cliniques de lâEAE par transfert. Par ailleurs, lâexpression de MCAM est rĂ©gulĂ©e Ă la hausse Ă la surface des lymphocytes CD4 et CD8 de la souris transgĂ©nique TCR1640, un modĂšle animal dâEAE spontanĂ©e. Finalement, bloquer MCAM attĂ©nue les dĂ©ficits neurologiques chroniques aussi bien du modĂšle dâEAE induite avec le MOG35-55 que du modĂšle dâEAE spontanĂ©e.
Conclusion: Nos donnĂ©es dĂ©montrent que les lymphocytes encĂ©phalitogĂ©niques produisant de lâIL-17 et prĂ©sentant une capacitĂ© effectrice et migratoire marquĂ©e expriment MCAM. MCAM pourrait servir de biomarqueur en SEP et constituer une cible thĂ©rapeutique valable pour traiter les conditions neuroinflammatoires.Objective: In multiple sclerosis (MS), pro-inflammatory lymphocytes use adhesion molecules to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and accumulate in central nervous system (CNS) lesions. CD4 T lymphocytes polarized into auto-aggressive encephalitogenic TH17 (IL-17 secreting) are known to partake in MS lesion formation. Much less is known about the role of CD8 TC17. Identification of specific surface markers and adhesion molecules expressed by TH17 and TC17 lymphocytes would allow further characterization of these pathogenic subsets and would provide new therapeutic targets in MS.
Methodology: We identified MCAM in a proteomic screen of human BBB endothelial cells (ECs) and on a subset of T lymphocytes. We characterized the phenotype and function of MCAM-expressing cells ex vivo, in vitro and in situ using human and mouse material obtained from controls, MS subjects and Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE) animals.
Results: MCAM is expressed by human BBB-ECs and by human effector memory CD161+ and CCR6+ T lymphocytes. Both CD4 and CD8 MCAM+ lymphocytes express more IL-17, IL-22, GM-CSF and Gz B than MCAMneg lymphocytes. Moreover, MCAM is strikingly up-regulated in human on CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes during MS relapses, while treatment decreases MCAM expression. In situ, MCAM+ CD8 and CD4 T lymphocytes are present in perivascular infiltrates of MS and EAE CNS specimens, while MCAM expression is up-regulated on BBB-ECs within lesions. In vitro, MCAM+ CD8 T lymphocytes display higher killing capacity of oligodendrocytes, and MCAM blockade reduces CD8 TC17 and CD4 TH17 transmigration across human BBB-ECs. In vivo, depletion of MCAM+ cells from reactivated CD4 T lymphocytes and from CD8 T lymphocytes decreases clinical symptoms in adoptive transfer EAE. Furthermore, expression of MCAM is up-regulated on CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes in the TCR1640 transgenic mice, a model of spontaneous EAE. Finally, blocking MCAM in both MOG35-55-induced and spontaneous primary progressive EAE attenuates chronic neurological deficits.
Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that encephalitogenic IL-17-producing lymphocytes with high effector and migratory capacity express MCAM, and that MCAM could serve as a biomarker for MS and a valuable target for the treatment neuroinflammatory conditions
Les représentations de l'Orient méditerranéen dans les manuels de lecture québécois (1875-1945)
Depuis des siÚcles, l'Occident représente et étudie l'Orient. La fascination pour cette forme d'altérité était majeure aux XIXe et XXe siÚcles. Or, quelles fonctions cette représentation collective de l'Orient a-t-elle eues dans la construction de l'identité de l'Occident? à ce sujet, le rapport entre le Québec et l'Orient méditerranéen constitue un domaine d'étude encore jeune. Jusqu'à maintenant, les recherches n'ont pas utilisé l'approche historique pour étudier ce rapport altéritaire. Le présent projet de mémoire se veut une incursion inédite dans le regard québécois sur l'Orient. Nous proposons d'interroger les manuels de lecture approuvés par le Conseil de l'instruction publique du Québec entre 1875 et 1945 pour saisir cette représentation québécoise de l'Orient méditerranéen transmise dÚs leur plus jeune ùge aux petits Canadiens français. La démarche à la base de ce mémoire de maßtrise vise à découvrir quelles représentations de l'Orient étaient véhiculées par les manuels scolaires. Pour atteindre ces objectifs, nous étudierons d'abord la présence et la représentation de différentes figures d'altérité dans le corpus de manuels. Cette premiÚre analyse tentera de faire ressortir la particularité de l'altérité orientale dans le portrait du monde présenté aux écoliers. Puis, nous nous intéresserons à trois premiÚres formes d'évocation de l'Orient: l'Orient géographique, l'Orient ancien et l'Orient chrétien. Finalement, nous étudierons l'utilisation de la littérature, historique et romantique, dans les manuels. La présence de l'orientalisme littéraire développé par les écrivains européens du XIXe siÚcle sera alors discutée. En somme, cette analyse, ainsi que l'étude des thÚmes récurrents, permettront de saisir quel imaginaire oriental on a tenté de cultiver chez les jeunes Canadiens français. Notre recherche visera, au final, à comprendre que la fonction qu'a eue la représentation de l'Orient dans la construction de l'identité canadienne-française est d'avoir mis en exergue le caractÚre définitivement occidental de cette identité.\ud
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MOTS-CLĂS DE LâAUTEUR : IdentitĂ©/AltĂ©ritĂ©, QuĂ©bec, XIXe-XXe siĂšcle, Orientalisme, Manuel de lecture, Imaginaire collectif
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