Analyse des determinants de l’acces au financement des producteurs d’anacarde dans la commune de Djidja au centre-Benin

L’objectif de cet article est d’analyser les déterminants de l’accès au financement pour les producteurs d’anacarde de la commune de Djidja au  Centre du Bénin. A cet effet, les données ont été collectées auprès de 160 producteurs répartis dans quatre arrondissements de la commune de  Djidja. Ces données ont été soumises à une analyse de contenu appuyée par des statistiques descriptives, le test de concordance de Kendall et une  régression logistique. Les résultats obtenus ont montré que les facteurs qui influencent l’obtention de crédits sont entre autres la taille de  l’exploitation, le revenu, l’âge et le niveau d’éducation. Par ailleurs, la crédibilité acquise par les exploitants agricoles de par leur adhésion à des  groupements ou associations de production constitue un atout pour l’accès au crédit. La garantie financière que représente l’épargne constitue une  preuve de la capacité de solvabilité et une base de définition du seuil du montant du prêt à accorder à ce producteur. La prise en compte de nos  résultats aidera dans la recherche des solutions innovantes permettant de faire du crédit agricole une activité rentable pour les institutions  financières et favorable au développement de l’agriculture et des chaînes de valeur agricoles dont l’anacarde.   English title: Analysis of the determinants of access to financing for cashew nut producers in the commune of Djidja in central Benin The objective of this article is to analyze the determinants of access to finance for cashew nut producers in the commune of Djidja in southern  Benin. To this end, data was collected from 160 producers in four districts of the commune of Djidja in central Benin. These data were subjected to a  content analysis supported by descriptive statistics, Kendall’s concordance test and logistic regression. The results showed that the factors that  influence the obtaining of credit are, among others, the size of the farm, income, age and level of education. In addition, the credibility acquired by  farmers through their membership in production groups or associations is an asset for accessing credit. The financial guarantee represented by  savings constitutes proof of solvency and a basis for defining the threshold for the amount of the loan to be granted to this producer. Taking our  results into account will help in the search for innovative solutions that will make agricultural credit a profitable activity for financial institutions and  favorable to the development of agriculture and agricultural value chains, including cashew nuts

Optimization of Generalized Multichannel Quantum Defect reference functions for Feshbach resonance characterization

This work stresses the importance of the choice of the set of reference functions in the Generalized Multichannel Quantum Defect Theory to analyze the location and the width of Feshbach resonance occurring in collisional cross-sections. This is illustrated on the photoassociation of cold rubidium atom pairs, which is also modeled using the Mapped Fourier Grid Hamiltonian method combined with an optical potential. The specificity of the present example lies in a high density of quasi-bound states (closed channel) interacting with a dissociation continuum (open channel). We demonstrate that the optimization of the reference functions leads to quantum defects with a weak energy dependence across the relevant energy threshold. The main result of our paper is that the agreement between the both theoretical approaches is achieved only if optimized reference functions are used.Comment: submitte to Journal of Physics

COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF CARBON STORAGE IN BIOMASS AND SOIL ORGANIC CARBON IN TEAK PLANTATION OF DIFFERENT AGES IN YEWA NORTH, OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

Tree act as a sink for CO2 by fixing carbon during photosynthesis and is a vital tool to alleviate climate change through CO2 absorption from the atmosphere. This study was conducted to assess carbon storage in tree biomass and soil carbon stock in Teak (Tectona grandis) plantations of different age series (5, 9 and 12 years). Data were collected on diameter at breast height (Dbh) and total height (TH) of all the trees in a sample plot of 1000 m2 in each plantation of age series. Carbon stored was evaluated based on tree growth variables, soil parameters and above ground biomass. Topsoil and subsoil (0-15 and 15-30 cm) samples collected from three sites were analyzed for organic carbon (OC) following standard methods.  Mean diameter at breast height were 67.11, 45.42, and 21.35 cm ha-1 and the mean volumes were 0.39, 0.16 and 0.02 m3ha-1 for 12, 9 and 5 years old were significant different (p<0.05). The highest value of total soil organic carbon (TSOC) was 8464.65 t.ha-1 for the 12year-old followed by 4430.25 t.ha-1 for 9 years old stand and 3004.95 t.ha-1 for 5years old were significant different (p<0.05) respectively. The total soil organic carbon per hectare were higher for the older than the younger Tectona grandis stand (8464.65 t.ha-1, 4430.25 t.ha-1 and 3004.95 t.ha-1) were significant different (p<0.05). Total carbon storage by soil and in biomass (CSB) was 15899.85 and 49.31 tons.ha-1 and total carbon accumulated by the plantation under investigation was in the order of 12 years old > 9 years old > 5 years old, respectively. The results of this study confirm that teak has good potentials to offer carbon sequestration through its soil and accumulate large amount of biomass carbon. The plantation ownership should be guided properly on the management activities such as thinning, pruning and weeding operation as well as indiscriminate removal of individual caused by anthropogenic activities should be avoided.     &nbsp

Global analysis of data on the spin-orbit coupled A1Σu+A^{1}\Sigma_{u}^{+} and b3Πub^{3}\Pi_{u} states of Cs2

We present experimentally derived potential curves and spin-orbit interaction functions for the strongly perturbed $A^{1}\Sigma_{u}^{+}$ and $b^{3}\Pi_{u}$ states of the cesium dimer. The results are based on data from several sources. Laser-induced fluorescence Fourier transform spectroscopy (LIF FTS) was used some time ago in the Laboratoire Aim\'{e} Cotton primarily to study the $X ^{1}\Sigma_{g}^{+}$ state. More recent work at Tsinghua University provides information from moderate resolution spectroscopy on the lowest levels of the $b^{3}\Pi_{0u}^{\pm}$ states as well as additional high resolution data. From Innsbruck University, we have precision data obtained with cold Cs$_{2}$ molecules. Recent data from Temple University was obtained using the optical-optical double resonance polarization spectroscopy technique, and finally, a group at the University of Latvia has added additional LIF FTS data. In the Hamiltonian matrix, we have used analytic potentials (the Expanded Morse Oscillator form) with both finite-difference (FD) coupled-channels and discrete variable representation (DVR) calculations of the term values. Fitted diagonal and off-diagonal spin-orbit functions are obtained and compared with {\it ab initio} results from Temple and Moscow State universities

Dark resonances for ground state transfer of molecular quantum gases

One possible way to produce ultracold, high-phase-space-density quantum gases of molecules in the rovibronic ground state is given by molecule association from quantum-degenerate atomic gases on a Feshbach resonance and subsequent coherent optical multi-photon transfer into the rovibronic ground state. In ultracold samples of Cs_2 molecules, we observe two-photon dark resonances that connect the intermediate rovibrational level |v=73,J=2> with the rovibrational ground state |v=0,J=0> of the singlet $X^1\Sigma_g^+$ ground state potential. For precise dark resonance spectroscopy we exploit the fact that it is possible to efficiently populate the level |v=73,J=2> by two-photon transfer from the dissociation threshold with the stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) technique. We find that at least one of the two-photon resonances is sufficiently strong to allow future implementation of coherent STIRAP transfer of a molecular quantum gas to the rovibrational ground state |v=0,J=0>.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Formation and interactions of cold and ultracold molecules: new challenges for interdisciplinary physics

Progress on researches in the field of molecules at cold and ultracold temperatures is reported in this review. It covers extensively the experimental methods to produce, detect and characterize cold and ultracold molecules including association of ultracold atoms, deceleration by external fields and kinematic cooling. Confinement of molecules in different kinds of traps is also discussed. The basic theoretical issues related to the knowledge of the molecular structure, the atom-molecule and molecule-molecule mutual interactions, and to their possible manipulation and control with external fields, are reviewed. A short discussion on the broad area of applications completes the review.Comment: to appear in Reports on Progress in Physic

A comparative analysis of the cultural representation of disability in school textbooks in Iran and England

The paper details the findings of a study which focused on the analysis of the cultural representation of disability in school textbooks in Iran and England. The paper argues that whilst inclusive education could facilitate the incorporating of disabled pupils into mainstream schools, there needs to be deeper examination as to how this transition should take place for children aged 3-13. The paper suggests that in such examinations school textbooks might be of significance in familiarizing non-disabled pupils, teachers and authorities with the issues related to disability and disabled pupils

Clinicopathological and molecular characteristics of Ku 70/80 expression in Nigerian breast cancer and its potential therapeutic implications

Ku 70/80 is a regulator of the Non-Homologous End Joining (NHEJ) roles in clinicopathological features, and has prognostic significance in breast cancer (BC) in Caucasian populations. However, its significance in the Nigerian BC population, which is characterized by a higher rate of the triple-negative and basal phenotype, p53 mutation rate and BRCA1 deficiency, still needs to be investigated. We hypothesize that Ku70/80 expression shows adverse expression in Nigerian BC and, furthermore, that it is likely to have a therapeutic implication for Black BC management.This study investigated the biological, clinicopathological and prognostic significance of Ku 70/80 expression in a BC cohort from a Nigerian population. Ku 70/80 expression was determined in 188 well-characterized formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) BC samples using tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry. Ku 70/80 expression was correlated with clinicopathological, molecular and prognostic characteristics of patients.Ku 70/80 was expressed in 113 (60.1%) tumors, and was positively associated with metastatic disease, triple-negative and basal phenotype, BRCA1 down regulators (MTA-1 and ID4), p-cadherin, PI3KCA and p53 expression. It inversely correlated with BRCA1, BRCA2, BARD1 and p27. Ku 70/80 was predictive of breast cancer-specific survival in multivariate analysis, but not of disease-free interval.This study demonstrated that Ku 70/80 expression is associated with triple negativity and down-regulation of the homologous recombination pathway of DNA repair. Therefore, the development of novel drugs to target KU70/80 may improve the patients’ outcome in the treatment of Black BC

Pollination and biological control research: are we neglecting two billion smallholders

Food insecurity is a major world problem, with ca. 870 million people in the world being chronically undernourished. Most of these people live in tropical, developing regions and rely on smallholder farming for food security. Solving the problem of food insecurity is thought to depend, in part, on managing ecosystem services, such as the pollination of crops and the biological control of crop pests, to enhance or maintain food production. Our knowledge regarding regulating ecosystem services in smallholder-farmed (or dualistic) landscapes is limited and whilst pollination has been the focus of considerable research, the provision of natural enemy services, important for every crop worldwide, has been relatively neglected. In order to assess whether ecosystem-service research adequately represents smallholder-farmed landscapes, whilst also considering climatic region and national economic status, we examined the constituent studies of recent quantitative reviews relevant to biological control and pollination. No regulating ecosystem service meta-analysis, to our knowledge, has focussed on smallholder agriculture despite its importance to billions of peoples’ local food security. We found that whilst smallholdings contributed 16% of global farmland area and 83% of the global agricultural population (estimated using FAO’s World Census of Agriculture 2000) only 22 of 190 studies (12%), overall, came from smallholder-farmed landscapes. These smallholder studies mostly concerned coffee production (16 studies). Individual reviews of biological control were significantly and strongly biased towards data from large-scale farming in temperate regions. In contrast pollination reviews included more smallholder studies and were more balanced for climate regions. The high diversity of smallholder-farmed landscapes implies that more research will be needed to understand them compared to large-scale landscapes but we found far more research from the latter. We highlight that these skews in research effort have implications for sustainable intensification and the food security of billions in the developing world. In particular we urge for balance in future ecosystem-services research and synthesis by greater consideration of a diverse range of smallholder-farmed landscapes in Africa and continental Asia