Ion Beams for Space Applications

This chapter uses an active space mission as well as current and ongoing research work to showcase the role of ion beams in the advancement of space science and technology. It uses the mission objectives of the ZACUBE-2 space mission developed at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Cape Town, South Africa, to predict the space environment it will encounter when in orbit. These predictions are then used to show how ion beam parameters for single event effect testing are selected, and how trade-offs are made to achieve a cost effective use of beam time. An experiment is detailed, showcasing the role of ion beams in the investigation of the shielding capabilities of coatings obtained from the pulsed laser ablation of W2B5/B4C for solar panel applications in space. The results of this experiment show that indeed this is a potential shield capable of reducing solar panel degradation due to low energy protons. By using ZACUBE-2 and coatings made from W2B5/B4C, this chapter takes a practical and current approach to demonstrate the central role played by ion beams in advancing space technology. More importantly, it eases the conversation between the satellite and the ion beam communities

La conception et l'implémentation du développement durable sous l'influence des savoirs endogènes

In response to the challenges of climate change, the concept of sustainable development was presented as the basis for a remediation mechanism. According to the Brundtland Report, which serves as a vehicle for Western thinking, Sustainable Development is this mode of economic growth that aims to satisfy both present and future needs. In Africa, the notion of development is different. African endogenous knowledge presents development as a descriptive concept of community dynamics and solidarity that takes place within a geographical framework for social well-being. It follows from these two definitions that development is a socially and culturally determined concept. Hence the existence of a conceptual referent changing according to a cultural perspective. Several authors see culture as a tool for identity and technological humanization. This function attributed to culture gave rise to the elaboration of Agenda 21 for culture; thus making culture a lever for the development of the human person. From now on, it is no longer a question of conceiving well-being and need solely in terms of an economic and production variable, but also in terms of the cultural affiliation of the populations concerned. Considering the current global village under construction in which various cultures are called upon to interact towards the realization of a common destiny, on the one hand, and on the other hand, the concern for preservation with a view to enriching the heritage of local knowledge and cultural experiences, there is a vital need for recognition and facilitation of access by local communities to decision-making platforms at all levels of society. The objective of this study is to examine the place devoted to tools for dialogue and decision-making to integrate the aspirations, black African values and motivations of all stakeholders into public policies, on the one hand, and to study black African tools that allow an analysis of environments and their functioning, on the other hand, with the objective of efficiently mitigating the effects of climate change while strengthening the resilience of local populations.Face aux défis des changements climatiques, le concept du développement durable a été présenté comme fondement d'un mécanisme de remédiation. Selon le Rapport de Brundtland, tenant lieu de véhicule de la pensée occidentale, le Développement durable est ce mode de croissance économique visant à satisfaire tant les besoins présents que ceux du futur. En Afrique, la notion du développement est différente. Les savoirs endogènes africains présentent le développement comme un concept descriptif de la dynamique communautaire et de solidarité qui s'opère dans un cadre géographique en vue d'un bien-être social. Il résulte de ces deux définitions que le développement est une notion socialement et culturellement déterminée. D'où le constat de l'existence de référent conceptuel changeant en fonction de perspective culturelle. Plusieurs auteurs voient en la culture un outil identitaire et d'humanisation technologique. Cette fonction attribuée à la culture a donné lieu à l'élaboration de l'Agenda 21 de la culture ; faisant ainsi de la culture, un levier de l'épanouissement de la personne humaine. Dorénavant, il ne s'agit plus de concevoir le bien-être et le besoin uniquement sous une variable économique et de production, mais également sous le prisme de l'appartenance culturelle des populations concernées. Considérant le villag

Effects of political institutions on the external debt-economic growth nexus in Africa

The main contribution of this study is the determination of an endogenous threshold of institutional quality, beyond which external debt would affect economic growth differently. The focus is on 14 countries of the African Franc zone over the period 1985-2015. Based on the panel Smooth Threshold Regression model, the results reveal that the relationship between external debt and economic growth is based on institutional quality. It is found that the level of indebtedness at which the effect of external debt on economic growth becomes negative is higher in countries with lower levels of corruption and high levels of democracy. This means that poor institutional quality prevents a country from taking full advantage of its credit opportunities. Thus, the more countries become democratic, the more debt helps finance economic growth. These results are robust to sensitivity analysis and Generalized Method of Moments estimation

Natural resources, child mortality and governance quality in African countries

This paper contributes to the literature by investigating the effect of natural resources on under-five mortality in a sample of 50 African countries over the period 1996 to 2018. We also examine the extent to which governance shapes the relationship between natural resources and under-five mortality. Our results show that natural resources have increased under-five mortality. Resource rents also have detrimental effects on child mortality by age, gender, and the three major causes of infant mortality from infectious diseases. However, an extended analysis of different types of natural resources suggests that point resources (such as oil, natural gas and mineral rents) increase under-five mortality, in contrast to the diffuse resources (such as forest rent). We also find that governance mitigates the positive effect of natural resources on child mortality. Corresponding governance policy thresholds that should be attained in order to reverse the positive effects of natural resources on child mortality are provided. We thus suggest an increase in the funds allocated to the health sector from resource rents and encourage efforts to improve governance standards in sampled countries

Gender Inclusive Intermediary Education, Financial Stability and Female Employment in the Industry in Sub-Saharan Africa

The study examines how financial stability modulates the effect of inclusive intermediary education on female employment in the industry for the period 2008-2018 in Sub-Saharan Africa. The empirical evidence is based on Tobit, Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Quantile regressions. There are positive interactive or conditional effects between inclusive intermediary education and financial stability in the Tobit, OLS and bottom quantiles estimations. A net positive (negative) effect is apparent in the 10th quantitle (median) of female employment in the industry distribution. Implications are discussed

Banque Centrale Et Politique Budgetaire : Une Évidence Empirique Pour La Zone CEMAC

The purpose of this article is to analyze how the degree of independence of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) influences the level of budget deficit for the countries of the Economic and Monetary Community of Africa Centrale (CEMAC) over the period 1994-2016. To do this, we rely on the statutory and rotational indicators of central bank governors developed by the literature, as well as on the econometrics of panel data. The results of the estimates indicate a mixed relationship between degree of independence and level of budget deficit. This result can be interpreted as an absence of constraint on fiscal policy, or as the partial assumption of cyclical stabilization by the central bank even when it is independent. It can also be interpreted as an absence of obligation for the budgetary policy to take charge of the cyclical adjustment. These results nevertheless confirm that the average orientation of fiscal policy is determined more by the budget procedure itself than by the statutes and the government of BEAC

La crédibilité des politiques monétaires affecte-t-elle la croissance économique en Afrique subsaharienne?

This study proposes to highlight the effect of greater Monetary Policy Credibility (CPM) on economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) during the period 1980-2017. The econometric approach based on dynamic panel data is mainly used for our estimates. The main results show a limited and insignificant effect of the credibility indicator on economic activity, mainly due to the ineffectiveness of the monetary policy transmission channels. This contradiction has led us to recommend for our part the promotion of a monetary policy oriented towards improving economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa, but without however prejudicing the constraint of price stability

Is financial development shaping or shaking economic sophistication in African countries?

This paper aims to investigate the effect of financial development on economic complexity using a panel dataset of 24 African countries over the period 1983-2017. The empirical evidence is based on two different approaches. First, we adopt the Hoechle (2007) procedure which produces Driscoll-Kraay standard errors to account for heteroscedasticity and cross–sectional dependence. Second, we implement the system Generalized Method of Moments to account for endogeneity. The results show that financial development increases economic complexity in Africa. Looking at the regional difference, the results show that this effect is less beneficial for SSA countries

La crédibilité des politiques monétaires affecte-t-elle la croissance économique en Afrique subsaharienne?

This study proposes to highlight the effect of greater Monetary Policy Credibility (CPM) on economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) during the period 1980-2017. The econometric approach based on dynamic panel data is mainly used for our estimates. The main results show a limited and insignificant effect of the credibility indicator on economic activity, mainly due to the ineffectiveness of the monetary policy transmission channels. This contradiction has led us to recommend for our part the promotion of a monetary policy oriented towards improving economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa, but without however prejudicing the constraint of price stability