The Duration-Based Measurement of Unemployment: Estimation Issues and an Application to Male-Female Unemployment Differences in France

This paper examines how unemployment can be measured in normative fashion - taking into account the mean and inequality of spell lengths - and how the extent of unemployment can be estimated from cross section data of the type found in labour force surveys. The issue is not straightforward since in these surveys completed durations of unemployed individuals are not observed yet they constitute the basis for calculating the kind of index that has been proposed to measure the extent of unemployment in a way that goes beyond the unemployment rate. The index proposed by Shorrocks has robust normative foundations and has an equivalent representation in terms of average complete duration and the density of completed durations. Building upon earlier work applied in the United States for estimating the first of these, we present a method that enables the index to be calculated based on an estimate of the density of completed durations. The approach is illustrated in the context of comparing male-female unemployment differences in France, where historically female unemployment has been higher than that of males

SIG et distribution spatiale des infrastructures hydrauliques dans la commune de Zè au Benin

L’eau occupe une place essentielle dans un monde de plus en plus urbanisé, exposé à des risques croissants où la population augmente chaque jour. Les besoins en eau dans la vie deviennent de plus en plus importants. Ce constat prend toute son importance dans les pays du sud en général et dans la commune de Zè en particulier. Une frange importante de la population de cette commune continue de souffrir de cette ressource malgré des années d’efforts de maîtrise consacrés à la mise au point des techniques et à la réalisation des infrastructures hydrauliques. L’objectif que vise cette étude est de faire l’inventaire de ces infrastructures afin d’analyser leur distribution spatiale. La démarche méthodologique utilisée est exclusivement basée sur l’utilisation des données attributaires et spatiales. Le polygone de Thiessen a été généré pour mieux appréhender la couverture spatiale des infrastructures hydrauliques dans cette commune. Les résultats obtenus concourent à faire connaitre leur distribution spatiale. Ces résultats montrent que les infrastructures sont inégalement réparties sur le territoire de la commune de Zè. La partie Nord-Est de la commune est presque dépourvue en infrastructure hydraulique. Ces conditions méritent d’être revues afin de permettre à la population de s’approvisionner en eau potable et sans parcourir une longue distance.Mots-clés : SIG, distribution spatiale, infrastructure hydraulique, Zè, Bénin

The influence of the thickness of the Cds emitter layer on the performance of a CIGS solar cell with acceptor defects

In this work, we simulated a solar cell based on CIGS with simple default acceptor, using software (SCAPS) version 3.302 in order to study certain parameters. In particular, we have varied the thickness of the CdS emitter (0.05 mum, 0.04 mum and 0.03 mum) to study its influence on the performance of the cell. We were able to record that the energy efficiency increased from 16.50% for a thickness of 0.05 mum of the emitter to 16.87% for a thickness of 0.03 mum of the emitter. We also noted an improvement in other parameters, such as the form factor from FF = 79.81% to 80.10%, with the decrease in the thickness of the CdS. And from the Nyquist diagram, we also determined parameters like the series resistance to get an idea on the equivalent electrical circuit of the studied cell

Quelles solutions à la hausse continue de la facture publique pétrolière : maintien des appuis à la consommation ou libre fixation des prix par le marché ?

This paper focuses on the effects of oil subsidies removal on households’ welfare in Senegal. The methodology is based on the estimations of gas and electricity demand functions using data from the Poverty Follow-up Survey. The results suggest a gas subsidies removal in the whole country even though such a policy is still useful to preserve the atmosphere. Regarding the electricity, the findings suggest to revisit the billing system as it favours richer households. Leave gas and electricity market prices could be the right option as their share in households’ total expenditures is low. It is also recommended to use the saved funds in order to stimulate the economic activity

Quelles solutions à la hausse continue de la facture publique pétrolière : maintien des appuis à la consommation ou libre fixation des prix par le marché ?

This paper focuses on the effects of oil subsidies removal on households’ welfare in Senegal. The methodology is based on the estimations of gas and electricity demand functions using data from the Poverty Follow-up Survey. The results suggest a gas subsidies removal in the whole country even though such a policy is still useful to preserve the atmosphere. Regarding the electricity, the findings suggest to revisit the billing system as it favours richer households. Leave gas and electricity market prices could be the right option as their share in households’ total expenditures is low. It is also recommended to use the saved funds in order to stimulate the economic activity

Plant growth drives soil nitrogen cycling and N-related microbial activity through changing root traits

Relationships between plants and nitrogen-related microbes may vary with plant growth. We investigated these dynamic relationships over three months by analyzing plant functional traits (PFT), arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) colonization, potential N mineralization (PNM), potential nitrification (PNA) and denitrification activities (PDA) in Dactylis glomerata cultures. D. glomerata recruited AMF during early growth, and thereafter maintained a constant root colonization intensity. This may have permitted high enough plant nutrient acquisition over the three months as to offset reduced soil inorganic N. PFT changed with plant age and declining soil fertility, resulting in higher allocation to root biomass and higher root C:N ratio. Additional to root AMF presence, PR' changes may have favored denitrification over mineralization through changes in soil properties, particularly increasing the quality of the labile carbon soil fraction. Other PFT changes, such as N uptake, modified the plants' ability to compete with bacterial groups involved in N cycling. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd and British Mycological Society. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Hepatocellular carcinoma associated with pregnancy about 2 cases at the gynecological and obstetrical clinic of the Aristide Le Dantec hospital, Dakar, Senegal

The objective of our study was to report 2 cases of hepatocellular carcinomas associated with pregnancy followed in our structure and to review the literature. Our patients were 30 and 37-year-old multi-gesture females with chronic unattended viral hepatitis B in whom the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma was made in the third trimester of pregnancy at 31 weeks of amenorrhea and 4 days and at 32 weeks of amenorrhea after the incidental finding of tumor hepatomegaly on abdominal-pelvic ultrasound. The main clinical signs were jaundice and hepatomegaly and paraclinical signs were dominated by hepatic cytolysis and anemia in addition to ultrasound images. Follow-up of pregnancies revealed no particularities. A caesarean section was scheduled at 32 weeks of amenorrhea and 32 weeks of amenorrhea and 3 days allowing the birth of two preterm newborns weighing 1210 and 1500 gm with Apgar scores of 8-10/10 and 7-9/10 respectively at the fifth minute. The immediate post-operative follow-up was simple. However, the maternal-fetal prognosis was poor with the death of both patients in a multi-visceral failure table occurring respectively at 6 weeks and 3 weeks after caesarean section. The newborns had died 8 days after birth. Although rare, these two cases challenge any obstetrician to think about liver cancer in pregnant women, especially those with chronic hepatitis B. Ultrasound examination of the liver, or even better, the MRI, which is more efficient, in order to suspect early on a possible liver cancer. Indeed, early diagnosis and a thorough medical approach are essential for the treatment of HCC in pregnant patients

Nowcasting convective activity for the Sahel: a simple probabilistic approach using real‐time and historical satellite data on cloud‐top temperature

Flash flooding from intense rainfall frequently results in major damage and loss of life across Africa. In the Sahel, automatic prediction and warning systems for these events, driven by Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCSs), are limited, and Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) forecasts continue to have little skill. The ground observation network is also sparse, and very few operational meteorological radars exist to facilitate conventional nowcasting approaches. Focusing on the western Sahel, we present a novel approach for producing probabilistic nowcasts of convective activity out to six hours ahead, using the current location of observed convection. Convective parts of the MCS, associated with extreme and heavy precipitation, are identified from 16 years of Meteosat Second Generation thermal–infrared cloud-top temperature data, and an offline database of location-conditioned probabilities calculated. From this database, real-time nowcasts can be quickly produced with minimal calculation. The nowcasts give the probability of convection occurring within a square neighbourhood surrounding each grid point, accounting for the inherent unpredictability of convection at small scales. Compared to a climatological reference, formal verification approaches show the nowcasts to be skilful at predicting convective activity over the study region, for all times of day and out to the six-hour lead time considered. The nowcasts are also skilful at capturing extreme 24-hour rain gauge accumulations over Dakar, Senegal. The nowcast skill peaks in the afternoon, with a minimum in the evening. We find that the optimum neighbourhood size varies with lead time, from 10 km at the nowcast origin to around 100 km at a six-hour lead time. This simple and skilful nowcasting method could be highly valuable for operational warnings across West Africa and other regions with long-lived thunderstorms, and help to reduce the impacts from heavy rainfall and flooding