Monsters and Wedding Flowers

This narrative comprised of short stories, essays, and sketches serves as the culmination of my work as a fiction writer in the MFA in the Memphis creative writing program. Although the materials in this text form a single, cohesive plot, each individual portion should stand on its own merits. I have attempted to establish certain themes that resonate throughout the collection and inform the emotional tone of the story

Introduction of Multipurpose Tree Species for Improving the Productivity of Grasslands in the Tropics

To improve the productivity of the Sahelian pastures, 10 different tree species were introduced and cattle, sheep and goats were allowed to graze. After a year of establishment, survival rate of different species ranged from 6% to 68%. Acacia senegal, Acacia seyal, Acacia nilotica, Combretum aculeata and Prosopis cineraria performed well and the impact of browsing by goats was severe

Etude de la germination de cinq provenances de Tamarindusindica L. en conditions de stress hydrique au Sénégal

Ce présent travail se propose d’évaluer le comportement germinatif de cinq provenances de tamarinier (Tamarindus indica L.) dans des conditions de stress  hydrique. Six concentrations croissantes 0 ; - 1,4 ; - 2,8 ; - 4,2 ; - 5,6 ; -7 bar de polyéthylène glycol (PEG 6000) ont été testées. Les résultats ont montré une  variabilité de la germination de l’espèce en fonction de l’intensité du stress et de la provenance. Le seuil critique de germination des provenances du tamarinier est  de -7 bar. La provenance Sakkal de la zone sahélienne s’est montrée plus tolérante au stress hydrique avec un taux de germination de 2% en conditions de stress  sévère. Toutefois, ces faibles résultats sont imputables aux conditions de conservation des graines. Ces informations sur l'écologie et la physiologie de la  germination du tamarinier sont vitales, non seulement pour comprendre les variations génétiques des différentes populations de tamarinier au Sénégal, mais aussi pour développer des stratégies pour la conservation de la biodiversité et la restauration des forêts tropicales.Mots clés : Germination, provenances, Tamarindus indica L., stress hydrique, Sénégal

Full-length genome sequence of Ntaya virus

Presentation of pyrosequencing data and phylogenetic analysis for the full genome of Ntaya virus, type virus of the Ntaya virus group of the Flaviviridae isolated in Cameroon in 1966

Genetic structure and diversity in Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench landraces from marginal sorghum production lands in Senegal, based on SSR markers

Data on sorghum genetic diversity in Senegal are missing despite its importance in the food and feed in the country. In order to contribute to the sustainable in situ management of sorghum germplasm, we investigated its genetic diversity and structure in its marginal production areas. Investigations were focused on Thiès, Diourbel and Kédougou regions where sorghum landraces have been less investigated and genetic information on landraces is unknown. A total of 148 sorghum accessions representative of landraces used in production systems have been sampled and analyzed with 30 microsatellite markers. A total of 138 alleles have been recorded. The number of alleles per locus varied from 3 (7 loci) to 8 (3 loci). The observed heterozygosity varied from 0 to 0.62. The low genetic distance (0.12) was recorded between Thiès and Diourbel populations and the highest distance (0.22) between Thiès and Kédougou populations. Dendrogram obtained according to Neighbour joining classification model allowed the classification of sorghum accessions into three main groups. The Genetic structure is not function to the regions indicating that landraces are not specific to a region. The results are a first step toward the sustainable in situ management of genetic resources. Data on the whole range of existing diversity of sorghum in Senegal is an important key for its germplasm management; so, the genotyping must be extended to accessions from the whole country

Tailoring interfacial effect in multilayers with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction by helium ion irradiation

We show a method to control magnetic interfacial effects in multilayers with Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction (DMI) using helium (He+) ion irradiation. We report results from SQUID magnetometry, ferromagnetic resonance as well as Brillouin light scattering results on multilayers with DMI as a function of irradiation fluence to study the effect of irradiation on the magnetic properties of the multilayers. Our results show clear evidence of the He+irradiation effects on the magnetic properties which is consistent with interface modification due to the effects of the He+ irradiation. This external degree of freedom offers promising perspectives to further improve the control of magnetic skyrmions in multilayers, that could push them towards integration in future technologies

Coastal Observations of Weather Features in Senegal during the AMMA SOP-3 Period

During 15 August through 30 September 2006, ground and aircraft measurements were obtained from a multi-national group of students and scientists in Senegal. Key measurements were aimed at investigating and understanding precipitation processes, thermodynamic and dynamic environmental conditions, cloud, aerosol and microphysical processes and spaceborne sensors (TRMM, CloudSat/Calipso) validation. Ground and aircraft instruments include: ground based polarimetric radar, disdrometer measurements, a course and a high-density rain gauge network, surface chemical measurements, a 10 m flux tower, broadband IR, solar and microwave measurements, rawinsonde and radiosonde measurements, FA-20 dropsonde, in situ microphysics and cloud radar measurements. Highlights during SOP3 include ground and aircraft measurements of squall lines, African Easterly Waves (AEWs), Saharan Air Layer advances into Senegal, and aircraft measurements of AEWs -- including the perturbation that became Hurricane Isaac

Role of Culex and Anopheles mosquito species as potential vectors of rift valley fever virus in Sudan outbreak, 2007

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Rift Valley fever (RVF) is an acute febrile arthropod-borne viral disease of man and animals caused by a member of the <it>Phlebovirus </it>genus, one of the five genera in the family <it>Bunyaviridae</it>. RVF virus (RVFV) is transmitted between animals and human by mosquitoes, particularly those belonging to the <it>Culex, Anopheles </it>and <it>Aedes </it>genera.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Experiments were designed during RVF outbreak, 2007 in Sudan to provide an answer about many raised questions about the estimated role of vector in RVFV epidemiology. During this study, adult and immature mosquito species were collected from Khartoum and White Nile states, identified and species abundance was calculated. All samples were frozen individually for further virus detection. Total RNA was extracted from individual insects and RVF virus was detected from <it>Culex, Anopheles </it>and <it>Aedes </it>species using RT-PCR. In addition, data were collected about human cases up to November 24^th, 2007 to asses the situation of the disease in affected states. Furthermore, a historical background of the RVF outbreaks was discussed in relation to global climatic anomalies and incriminated vector species.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 978 mosquitoes, belonging to 3 genera and 7 species, were collected during Sudan outbreak, 2007. <it>Anopheles gambiae arabiensis </it>was the most frequent species (80.7%) in White Nile state. Meanwhile, <it>Cx. pipiens </it>complex was the most abundant species (91.2%) in Khartoum state. RT-PCR was used and successfully amplified 551 bp within the M segment of the tripartite negative-sense single stranded RNA genome of RVFV. The virus was detected in female, male and larval stages of <it>Culex </it>and <it>Anopheles </it>species. The most affected human age interval was 15-29 years old followed by ≥ 45 years old, 30-44 years old, and then 5-14 years old. Regarding to the profession, housewives followed by farmers, students, shepherd, workers and the free were more vulnerable to the infection. Furthermore, connection between human and entomological studies results in important human case-vulnerability relatedness findings.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Model performance, integrated with epidemiologic and environmental surveillance systems should be assessed systematically for RVF and other mosquito-borne diseases using historical epidemiologic and satellite monitoring data. Case management related interventions; health education and vector control efforts are extremely effective in preparedness for viral hemorrhagic fever and other seasonal outbreaks.</p