Malaria, Production and Income of the Producers of Coffee and Cocoa: an Analysis from Survey Data in Côte d’Ivoire. Malaria, coffee and cocoa production and income

The sectors of coffee and cocoa represented in Côte d'Ivoire, before the political crisis, approximately 15% of the GDP and 40% of exports. The zones of production of these two cultures are in the forest area which is infected with malaria. The culture of these products is less constraining than that of the food crops such as rice or yam (one does not need to replant each year for example). However, the maintenance of the ground and of the trees and pest management contribute to obtain high yields. In addition, these products allow the producers to obtain monetary income. However, output is not the sole determinant of the level of income: precocity and speed of gathering, by permitting early sale, contribute to get higher income. In addition, food crops such as rice growing, are produced in the area. The objective of this paper is twofold, first, to evaluate the role of malaria on coffee and cocoa productions, second, to assess if the behaviour of rural households facing a liberalisation of the coffee and cocoa chains has an impact on their income. Three functions are thus estimated: production of coffee, production of cocoa and income. Data are taken from a survey carried out on 800 households (21 villages) in 1999 in the forest area of Danané. The main results are the absence of malaria impact on productions and the dominance of individual over collective sale strategies.cocoa, coffee, lowland rice, malaria, sharecropping, Côte d’Ivoire

Electronic structure and carrier dynamics in InAs/InP double-cap quantum dots

International audienceThe carrier dynamics in InAs double-cap quantum dots DC-QDs grown on InP113B are investigated. The shape of these QDs can be controlled during the growth, yielding an emission wavelength of the system of about 1.55 m at room temperature. The DC-QD dynamics is studied by time-resolved photoluminescence experiments at low temperature for various excitation densities. A simplified dynamic model is developed, yielding results consistent with experimental data. This analysis yields the determination of the Auger coefficients and the intradot relaxation time in this system

Carrier relaxation dynamics in InAs/InP quantum dots

International audienceThe electronic properties of InAs/InP(113)B double-cap quantum dots (QDs) emitting around 1.55 μm are investigated. The carrier dynamics in QDs is studied by non-resonant timeresolved photoluminescence (tr-PL) experiments. This analysis reveals the QD electronic structure and the transient filling of the confined QD levels. Under low excitation densities, the spontaneous exciton lifetime is estimated and compared to previous time-resolved resonant and non-resonant experiments. Under high excitation density, a direct Auger recombination effect is identified. The temperature analysis enables us to distinguish Auger and phonon-assisted relaxation processes

Working Toward Beloved Community: Contemplative Practice and Social Justice In One Public University

This paper offers a descriptive case study of the ways a group of faculty, staff, and students introduced contemplative practices into a medium-sized state university community, with the long-term goal of fostering justice and inclusion for all members of that community. Using documents and oral and written narratives from key participants, we detail the ways community has been fostered through shared contemplative practices; faculty learning communities (FLCs) focused on contemplative pedagogy, compassion, and social justice; and the use of contemplative practices to underpin and guide decision-making. Evaluations from students and faculty members involved in these initiatives suggest that the use of contemplative practices not only serves to create connection and belonging but also is laying the foundation for spaces where the hard work of creating inclusion and justice can happen. Though our work is still very much in progress, we document and share our experiences in the hope that they can be helpful to others interested in working towards more just and inclusive academic institutions

The Inaugural Women in Sport & Exercise Conference: Consensus Statement

The inaugural women in sport and exercise conference was held at Staffordshire University on 13th-14th June, and brought together a number of academics, clinicians, practitioners, sport leaders, policymakers and administrators, charities, current and retired athletes, and the general public for a showcase of current research on female-specific health and medical issues and opportunities arising from women's participation in sport and exercise. Aside from these common themes, the conference sought to kickstart a redressing of the gender disparity of participants in sport and exercise science research. Courtesy of Costello, Bieuzen, and Bleakley (2014), we know that females are significantly under-represented in research across all of the sports science and sports medicine disciplines. Ultimately, the result of this is the extrapolation of the findings, provided by male participants, to female athletes and exercisers (Costello et al., 2014). Contributors from a diverse range of disciplines such as physiology, biomechanics, psychology, nutrition, endocrinology, sociology, and sport policy sought to present their work from an academic, a professional practice, and a policy perspective. The commonality amongst all contributions was the consideration of females as a unique population both in research and in practice. Although the contributions were many and varied, there were a number of common themes that became apparent during the course of the two days. These were: encouraging more females into sport and exercise, physical training and nutrition, menstruation, psychology, pregnancy, injury, ageing and the lack of a level “playing field”

Failure after fertility treatment: Regulation strategies when facing a blocked parenthood goal

Biological parenthood is a central life-goal for many couples that can become blocked when they experience infertility. Many couples who undergo fertility treatment will face failure and consequently have to decide whether to continue with treatment. The present study used the qualitative methodology of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to examine self-regulatory approaches that underlie decision-making about continuing treatment. One-time, one-on-one, semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 16 individuals (eight heterosexual couples) after they had experienced at least one treatment failure and were considering whether to undergo another treatment. After treatment failure, individuals used several approaches to remain engaged with biological parenthood, including reframing treatment failure as a learning tool and emphasizing the importance of persistence in achieving success. The apparent decision to continue with treatment was considered non-negotiable and largely made by women in the partnership. Once the decision was made to pursue treatment, it was not discussed further. Given individuals’ willingness to engage in treatment, patients should be offered additional support to consider wide psychosocial implications of continuing treatment

Acoustic wave propagation in effective graded fully anisotropic fluid layers

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