Long–term effect of fertilizer microdosing on soil fertility in Sahelianwest Africa

Non-Peer Reviewe

Early- and mid-career transitions to research leadership in Africa

This article examines the early-and mid-career transition to research leadership in Africa. Much of the available African literature on research leadership indicate several challenges related to poor conceptualisations of career transitions and gaps in the availability of research training. Qualitative data were collected using individual interviews (n=24) and focus groups (n=27) to identify key transition points of early career researchers (ECRs) and mid-career researchers (MCRs) in selected African countries. The qualitative data was complemented with quantitative survey questionnaires (n=250) and a triangulation approach was adopted to analyse the results. The findings were themed into different categories describing the common career paths, stages and challenges of research leaders. The latter part of the findings present a discussion on development approaches to attract and retain researchers in African universities. By focusing on the African continent, this study contributes to the current body of literature on research leadership in the Global South

Proprietes hydriques des sols dans deux zones a ecosystemes contrastes au Sahel

Les sécheresses répétées du Sahel et la pression de la population ont eu un impact négatif sur l’environnement ont conduit à la dégradation des ressources naturelles. Mais depuis ces deux dernières décennies, l’état des ressources au Sahel est mitigé. C’est ainsi que, dans certaines zones, on parle de la perte de certaines fonctions du sol. Cette étude menée dans le Sahel et dans deux zones à écosystèmes contrastés a porté sur la détermination des propriétés hydrodynamiques et la caractérisation des sols en fonction de l’occupation des terres afin de déterminer la capacité du sol à soutenir certaines fonctions. Elle analyse l’influence de l’occupation des terres sur les propriétés hydriques des sols. Elle a utilisé un échantillonnage de sol, des mesures de densité apparente, d’humidité et l’infiltrométrie à succion contrôlée à trois niveaux de tensions en fonction de l’occupation des terres. L’analyse statistique donne des différences significatives en ce qui concerne la variation de l’argile avec la profondeur, très significatives pour l’analyse texturale en fonction de l’occupation des terres. Pour les propriétés hydriques, seule la conductivité hydraulique à la tension (-5) et la taille des pores par sites donnent une différence significative. Les résultats montrent une dégradation de la texture qui induit celle de la porosité texturale et de forte valeur de conductibilité hydraulique à Koalma.Mots clés : Conductivité hydraulique ; texture du sol ; occupation des terres ; dégradation ; Sahe

Otomastoïdites aiguës dans le Service d’ORL du CHU Yalgadode Ouagadougou: à propos de 44 cas

Analyser les aspects diagnostiques et thérapeutiques des otomastoïdites dans le Service d’ORL du CHU-YO de Ouagadougou. Méthode : Il s’est agit d’une étude rétrospective de 10 ans, qui a porté sur 44 cas. Résultats: l’incidence annuelle était de 4,4 cas et l’âge moyen de 13,41 ans. Les mastoïdites étaient majoritairement fistulisées (59,09%) et les principaux germes incriminés étaient Staphylococcus aureus (35,29%), Proteus mirabilis (23,53%) et Pseudomonas aeruginosa (23,53%). Ils étaient surtout sensibles à la ciprofloxacine (82,35%) et la ceftriaxone (58,82%). Le traitement a été médico-chirurgical dans 86,36% des cas et l’évolution favorable dans 72,73%. Douze cas (27,27%) de décès par complication systémique et endocrânienne ont été enregistrés. Conclusion : Il convient de prioriser les mesures préventives et la prise en charge précoce des otites infectieuses.Mots clés: Otomastoïdite, épidémiologie, diagnostic, thérapeutique

Pathways to research leadership for early career researchers in Africa: A potential role for African and Global Funders

Early career researchers at African universities face numerous challenges and demands within a context of minimum resources; yet on the other hand, there is significant expectation for doing excellent science that is of high quality with integrity, while aligning science with societal goals. Furthermore, there is also expectation to increase outputs, make the system more inclusive, attract international partners and contribute to the University’s global rankings. The need therefore to build research capacity, expand the number of active researchers and advance the careers of African researchers has never been more critical, particularly if continental and other global priorities are to be achieved. There is consensus that research leadership is essential to building research capacity in African universities. As a result, there have been increasing investments in building research capacity and research leadership, with initiatives ranging from the creation of north-south research partnerships across disciplines and empirical subjects, to training research leaders and university administrators in top ranking universities in Europe and North America, as well as building the capacity of funders and science systems in Africa. This article will examine the competencies required to be a research leader and the programs that are currently available that support capacity building in research leadership. In addition, it will provide perspectives on the role that global and African funders should play to advance the careers of early career researchers to transition into research leaders, foster innovation, build linkages with policy makers and promote scientific leadership in Africa

Association culturale sorgho-niébé pour prévenir le ruissellement et l'érosion dans le Sahel au Burkina Faso

Dans IDL-1387

Evidencing the Impact of Climate Change on the Phytoplankton Community of the Mediterranean Sea Through a Bioregionalization Approach

International audienceWe revisited the partitioning of the Mediterranean Sea into bioregions by processing satellite Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and Chlorophyll-a concentration (Chla) from ocean color observations combined with Argo mixed-layer depth for a period ranging from 2003 up to 2020. This regionalization was performed using an innovative classification based on self-organizing maps, the so-called 2S-SOM. We clustered the Mediterranean Sea waters into seven bioregions governed by specific physical and biogeochemical characteristics. We studied the interannual variability of these bioregions over the 18 years. We showed that the temperature is increasing with a mean rate of 0.4°C per decade. The chlorophyll-a concentration is quasi constant, but we evidenced a noticeable change in satellite-derived phytoplankton communities: Diatoms concentration is decreasing while cyanobacteria concentration is increasing. The bioregion trends could be related to global warming. The whole Mediterranean Sea is shifting to an eastern Mediterranean state