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Les caractéristiques morphologiques des moutons Peulhs du Niger, à savoir le blanc ou Bali-Bali, et le bicolore ou Oudah, sont très peu connues et peu différenciées. L’objectif de cette étude a été de caractériser quantitativement ces animaux par des mesures morphobiométriques. Ces mesures ont porté sur 27 caractères quantitatifs de 681 individus dont 374 moutons Oudah (312 brebis et 62 béliers) et 307 moutons Bali-Bali (241 brebis et 66 béliers). Les résultats ont montré que les moutons Peulhs étaient de grand format. Les mensurations moyennes des individus, tous adultes, étaient respectivement chez les Bali-Bali et les Oudah de 79,4 ± 4,7 et 80,3 ± 4,6 cm pour la hauteur au garrot, 77,3 ± 5,0 et 77,9 ± 5,4 cm pour la longueur scapulo-ischiale, et 86,7 ± 5,9 et 88,3 ± 6,0 cm pour le tour de la poitrine. Le dimorphisme sexuel était marqué avec des mâles présentant des valeurs moyennes de certains caractères morphologiques significativement supérieures à celles des femelles. Cette étude est une étape dans la contribution à l’élaboration de stratégies durables de gestion, de conservation et d’amélioration des moutons Peulhs du Niger.

This paper proposes a control algorithm for controlling the position and attitude of a coaxial rotor drone without knowing the model dynamics. To overcome the major drawback of model-dependent approaches, an optimal model-free fuzzy controller (OMFFC) based on the estimation of the unknown dynamic function of the system is proposed. A time-delay estimation (TDE) technique is effectively exploited to approximate the unknown dynamic function of the system. The estimation error is then offset using a robust adaptive fuzzy logic compensator. Based on Lyapunov stability arguments, the global asymptotic stability of the coaxial rotor drone system is proven. Moreover, a flower pollination-based algorithm is also proposed to generate the optimal parameters to address the trade-off between optimal tracking performance and the design conditions related to the closed-loop stability requirements. The numerical simulations illustrate how the proposed methodology leads to the best performance, as well as less computational complexity compared to the standard proportional-integral-derivative and time-delay estimation-based controllers in the presence of external disturbances.

In this work, we used the rock phosphate Tahoua sample. It underwent several processing steps before obtaining the raw phosphate powder. However it presents a weak solubility and this weakness is due to the presence of metal oxides in the phosphate. Indeed, rock phosphate is the raw material of the fertilizer industry and it is rarely used directly as is, because of its low assimilability by plants. To solve this problem, we have transformed merchantable phosphate into phosphate fertilizers directly and easily assimilated. The objective of this work is to manufacture a simple superphosphate fertilizer (SSP) and study its solubility in perchloric acid and water. We manufactured a simple superphosphate based on crushed and ground Tahoua merchant phosphate. The studied granulometries are: (inferior to 63µm; 63µm; 100µm; 160µm). The attack was made with sulfuric acid (H2SO4) with a variation of temperatures (40°C; 60°C and 80°C) in order to determine the effects of the granulometrys and temperatures. The results obtained for granulometries (inferior to 63µm; 63µm; 100µm; 160µm) with ripening times (5th day, 12 days) and at these different temperatures are respectively 40°C (15.79%; 14.77%; 17.35%; 15.93%); 60°C (18.58% ; 8.32%; 8.32%; 12.67%); 80°C (16.40%; 19.73%; 16.54%; 21.56%) in the perchloric acid solution and 40°C (5.74%; 8.32%; 8.32%; 12.67%); 60°C (7.64%; 8.32%; 8.73%; 7.91%); 80°C (11.86%; 12.67%; 11.04%; 6.55%) in water These results allowed us to conclude that Tahoua rock phosphate is suitable for the manufacture of simple superphosphate fertilizer at 80°C (total P2O5 equals 21.54%) and at 60°C (and a soluble P2O5 equal to 12.87%) for a particle size of 160µm.

This study investigated the physical and mechanical properties of cement-stabilized compressed blocks manufactured with coal bottom ash sourced from a power plant in Niger. Three different grain sizes were used for the production of compressed blocks with a hand-operated press. Thermal, hydric, mechanical, and fire resistance properties were assessed on the samples. It was found that the use of finer bottom ash resulted in lighter blocks with a density of about 1.02 mg/m3 and thermal conductivity in the range of 0.27 – 0.41 W/m·K. The size of the bottom ash used for the production of blocks did not significantly affect the value of mechanical strength. The exposure of blocks to temperatures of 200°C and 400°C did not reduce the strength of the samples. Neat bottom ash blocks can offer better thermal properties than typical building materials and provide acceptable mechanical strength.

The study investigated the mediating role of common stock liquidity between ownership structure characteristics and a corporation's value in emerging markets. A quantitative approach was adopted for seventy non-financial listed corporations from seven markets, including Brazil, Egypt, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Turkey. The data was collected annually from 2012 to 2021. After removing the outliers using winnowing at 1% and testing the stationary data, the study discovered that ownership structure characteristics and Common Stock’s Liquidity, under the control variables, determine the corporation's value in emerging markets by 69.35% according to panel data analysis but by 69.1% according to hierarchical regression analysis. Finally, the study found that Common Stock Liquidity played a significant mediating role, resulting in an average increase of 47.7% in interpreting the change in the value of the corporation in emerging markets. Therefore, common stock liquidity has a significant impact on the value of a corporation and should not be overlooked by top management and investors when making investment decisions in the stock exchange. Thus, common stock liquidity is one of the factors that create value for shareholders in emerging markets.

En este estudio, se pretende realizar un análisis de la fraseología de la prensa futbolística a fin de diseñar una propuesta didáctica para el aula de español como lengua extranjera en el contexto escolar senegalés. Una perspectiva teórico-ecléctica apoya el fundamento de la triangulación lengua/prensa/deporte que entera de los usos lingüístico-periodísticos desde el lenguaje común hasta las creaciones discursivas más “tecnolectas”. Las mismas dan cabida a la espontaneidad y la plasticidad del evento futbolístico y traducen una expresión periodística encaminada al uso de construcciones fraseológicas que mejor ilustran la belleza artística y la expresión plástica de los hechos futbolísticos. En este sentido, el presente artículo se ciñe a un enfoque metodológico descriptivo cuyo resultado permite plasmar al aula de español como lengua extranjera la didáctica de las unidades fraseológicas de la prensa futbolística. Es un medio para colmar esa brecha temática futbolística en la enseñanza del español como lengua extranjera en el contexto escolar senegalés.

Background: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that can involve any organ system. SLE often involves the musculoskeletal system to varying degrees and it is frequently joints of the hands that are most likely to give discomfort to patients. Objectives: To assess by ultrasound the presence of joint inflammation in patients with juvenile Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (JSLE) not complaining of painful joints of the hand and wrist (asymptomatic), and to compare the findings with those in JSLE patients complaining of painful hand and wrist joints (symptomatic) and in healthy controls. Methods: This was a cross-sectional case control study on 37 JSLE patients. Thirty were asymptomatic for joint complaint. Ultrasound examination of wrists and joints of both hands, 11 joints in each hand, to assess synovial hypertrophy, effusion and pathological vascularization [using power Doppler] (PD), and were given a score of 0-3. Patients were compared with 8 healthy controls. Results: Ultrasound abnormalities (synovial hypertrophy and increased vascularity) were detected in 22/30 of the asymptomatic patients (73.3%) and in all 7 symptomatic patients (100%). In asymptomatic children, 29 joints were affected (4.4% of all joints), compared to 13 joints in the symptomatic patients (8.4% of all joints). Synovitis score was mild or moderate (1 or 2) in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients, with all showing increased vascularity. In the control group, 5 joints (2.8% of all joints) showed synovial hypertrophy but no increased vascularity. Conclusion: Increased vascularity (PD more than 0) is a more reliable indicator of inflammation than synovial hypertrophy which may be detected in healthy individuals.

Education is considered a vital cog in a country’s economic engine in terms of training, research and development. Accordingly, a formal education system remains a mode of rationing opportunities, differentiation and the allocation of individuals into various positions within a society’s social stratification structure. Certainly, the obtainment of educational credentials has been linked to occupational, trajectory, income, and attendant life chances. In light of this, the achievement gap remains an important issue since an education provided in a more equal and equitable manner could be an important tool to bridge the gap between the rich and poor citizens within a country. This study aimed to ascertain the Matthew effect and its contribution to students’ academic achievement gap in the basic education schools of Rwanda. The study was guided by descriptive and correlational research design, stratified and systematic random sampling as well as purposive sampling were used to select 350 participants, including 51.4% males and 48.6% females, mostly aged 30 to 40 years. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through questionnaire and interviews. The collected data were descriptively analysed using IBM-SPSS 21. The study established that socio-economically disadvantaged students mostly enrol in under-resourced and low-performing schools i.e. public and government-aided schools. Furthermore, the study identified that private and international school students outperform their counterparts enrolled in public or government-aided schools. Moreover, a significant (p-value .011) low degree of positive correlation (r= .159) was established between the students’ academic achievement and their parents’ socio-economic category. In conclusion, the Rwandan aim of ensuring access to quality, equitable and effective education for all is facing a bleak foreseeable future due to the existing academic achievement gap influenced by the Matthew effect. Recommendations were therefore formulated with a view to eradicating the Matthew effect in the basic education schools of Rwanda.

Biopolymers obtained from renewable resources became the center of public interest by virtue of their environmental and commercial advantages. Natural polymers such as starch, almond gum, chitosan and arabic gum were investigated to get fully or partially biodegradable dielectric material. Thus, in this article we study the material properties of cashew gum. This biopolymer is an exudate collected from occidental anacardium tree. For this investigation, scanning electron microscopy of powder and thin film cashew gum showed homogenous and slightly rough surface morphology with visible wrinkles. The thermal analyses such as thermogravimetric (TGA) and differential scanning calorimeter were realized. thermogravimetric thermogram shows two distinct stages of decomposition. The first around 150°C is attributed to moisture evaporation with loss in weight of 9.7%. The second transition, between 255°C and 330°C, is related to the decomposition of cashew gum with loss in weight of 50%. UV-visible spectra of the cashew gum thin film show a low absorbance and high transmittance. For this material, we obtained a direct optical band gap around 4.56 eV. In addition, the dielectric and electrical characterizations lead to conclude that cashew gum may be interesting for transistor applications as a gate dielectric.

Background: Microbial keratitis (MK) is caused by bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. It is very important to differentiate between these three causative microorganisms very early as they differ in their treatment, and some of these microorganisms, like Pseudomonas aeurogenosa, may result in eye perforation within 72 hours .The purpose of this study was to evaluate impression cytology smear to be used as a guide for early accurate treatment of cases. This study was conducted on 80 patients suspected of having MK. A corneal smear was taken with impression cytology paper (a non-invasive technique) and transported to the microbiology laboratory for examination. Results: The IC smear examination results were as follows: 30 (37.5%) were Aspergillus fungus, 14 (17.5%) were Acanthamoeba, 15 (18.75%) were Gram-negative bacilli, 4 (5%) were Staphylococci, 1 (1.25%) was Streptococci, 14 (17.5%) were both Gram-negative bacilli and Aspergillus fungus, and 2 (2.5%) were both Staphylococci and Aspergillus fungus. There was no significant difference between the diagnosis of MK by the culture method and the IC smear method. Conclusion: The impression cytology smear can be used as guide for early treatment of MK.

This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between suspected COVID-19 symptoms and RT-PCR results in the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Burkina Faso. We analyzed SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR routine diagnostic data in Burkina Faso. Data were collected from March 9, 2020 to September 30, 2020 in the framework of the COVID-19 surveillance. Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and Kappa concordance were used to check the correlation between COVID-19 symptoms and the RT-PCR results. A total of 2217 participants were tested for COVID-19 using RT-PCR, of them 779 COVID-19 positive. The mean age of the participants was 38.7± 17.69 years. Suspected symptoms presented by participants were fever (40.4%), cough (38.6%), asthenia (27.3%), headache (23.6%), dyspnea (20.8%), and odynophagia (16.3%). The sensitivity of presence of at least a clinical sign compared to RT-PCR results was 62.13% and the specificity was 39.85%. The kappa agreement between the presence of COVID-19 suspected symptoms and RT-PCR results was 0.017. The presence of aguesia and/or anosmia in patients induced a positive predictive value of RT-PCR of 91.30%. : The correlation between the COVID-19 symptoms and RT-PCR results in the diagnosis of COVID-19 was very weak. The present study confirms that most clinical signs associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection are not specific to COVID-19, hence the need to always combine RT-PCR or other biological tests with the clinical diagnosis. However, aguesia and anosmia are of interest with a high degree of RT-PCR positivity when present in a COVID-19 suspected patient.

This research studies the capability of the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with the Chemistry/Aerosol module (WRF-Chem) with and without parametrization to reproduce a dust storm, which was held on 27th June 2018 over Sahara region. The authors use satellite observations and ground-based measurements to evaluate the WRF-Chem simulations. The sensitivities of WRF-Chem Model are tested on the replication of haboob features with a tuned GOCART aerosol module. Comparisons of simulations with satellite and ground-based observations show that WRF-Chem is able to reproduce the Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) distribution and associated changes of haboob in the meteorological fields with temperature drops of about 9 °C and wind gust 20 m·s–1. The WRF-Chem Convection-permitting model (CPM) shows strong 10-meter winds induced a large dust emission along the leading edge of a convective cold pool (LECCP). The CPM indicates heavy dust transported over the West African coast (16°W-10°W; 6°N-21°N) which has a potential for long-distance travel on 27th June between 1100 UTC and 1500 UTC. The daily precipitation is improved in the CPM with a spatial distribution similar to the GPM-IMERG precipitation and maximum rainfall located at the right place. As well as raising a large amount of dust, the haboob caused considerable damage along its route.

The study complements previous research on a case study of chemistry lesson plans design and teaching. It has been found that chemistry education in The Gambia has been challenged by ineffective lesson plans design and teaching, and laboratory resources. The consequences have been unsatisfactory learning outcomes. However, what could lead to unsatisfactory learning outcomes in chemistry if basic stoichiometry is considered challenging? This has led the present study to develop a survey research method to assess students' misconceptions on basic stoichiometry. Through a systematic random sampling technique, 285-grade eleventh students were selected. The topics covered in the study included interpreting the pH of common substances, balancing basic stoichiometric equations, and inferences of experimental results. Students’ responses to misconception survey questions were reviewed and analysed. The results indicated that students could be taught some basic principles of stoichiometry. Students who were challenged to correct inferences from experimental results need to develop their knowledge better. Accordingly, the study concluded that chemistry education can indicate the success of introducing basic stoichiometry, including referencing to the lower grades, rather than secondary grades. Nevertheless, what this study could recommend was to examine the possible source and cause of such misconceptions concerning basic stoichiometry reactions and balancing. Keywords: basic stoichiometry, chemical reactions, pH values interpretation, students’ misconceptions

Agriculture is one of the most vulnerable sectors to the effects of climate change. The objective of this study is to analyze the impacts of rainfall variability on agricultural activities in the Guidimouni basin. The methodology used is based on the processing and analysis of daily rainfall data (Mirriah and Gouré stations from 1961 to 2019). It is complemented by a survey on perceptions of agroclimatic risks, impacts and strategies among a sample of 150 farmers in four villages. The results show that farmers have a good understanding of climate risks (80%) and are developing resilience strategies. These range from the intensification of irrigated crops (40%) to the use of natron (58%). In addition to these responses, the processing of products, particularly cassava (86%), and seasonal migration to Nigeria (28%) were also considered.

Nowadays, 3D eddy current nondestructive characterization of crack and corrosion defects while using ECA remains an industrial challenge because the obtained image permits to determine only the 2D defect shape. Consequently, this article is devoted to determine directly the crack length and width by eddy current images through sensor array. Afterwards, we extract the maximal impedance amplitude to estimate the crack depth while using the deterministic algorithm that we have recently developed. In fact, the obtained results have demonstrated the effectiveness and the reliability of the proposed method.

The main objective of this study was to assess the level of metal contamination of the soils used in the cultivation of onions in the city of Abéché. Thus, 04 plots were carried out and monitored for a period of five years (05 years). Two traditional plots were chosen in the Arkou site; and two control plots were carried out in the Bagarine site. Soil samples were taken annually (2016 to 2020) after harvesting on a thickness of 0 and 20 cm. In each plot, thirteen (13) samples were taken. After quartering, one (01) representative sample from each plot was retained. The samples were analyzed by optical emission spectrometry at the Food Quality Control Center Laboratory (FQCCL) in Ndjamena. The determination of heavy metal concentrations revealed relatively low levels for Ni, Zn, Cu, Cr and Fe. These levels are generally lower than the reference values ​​for all the plots. Geoaccumulation indices (Igeo) and Contamination factor (Cf) revealed pollution indices. Pb and Cd show contaminations in traditional plots. The correlations (P < 0.05) observed in our study area are positive and significant. This study shows that the use of chemical inputs are sources of soil contamination by heavy metals. Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 11(1): 42-53.

Large-scale urban renewal initiatives are undertaken by governments in cities under pressure to improve residents' quality of life (QoL) and mitigate economic and environmental issues. In 2019, as a part of the Egypt 2030 vision, the government initiated a road network reformation project to solve mobility issues in the districts linking the east and west of Cairo, including Nasr City District. To investigate if the built environment of Nasr City District still meets residents’ satisfaction, this research is being undertaken to examine residents' satisfaction with the reformation project, which had an impact on their QoL. Keywords: Urban Quality of Life, Reformation Project, Dimensions to Perceive Urban Spaces. eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2023. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v8i23.4454

Objective: Malaria is a major public health problem in Niger. It accounts for 28% of all illnesses in the country and 50% of all death records. The objective of our study was to analyze the role played by private pharmacies in the management of uncomplicated malaria. Material and methods: This are a descriptive analytical cross-sectional study, conducted in the form of a survey during the period from May 17 to September 15, 2021 in private pharmacies in Niamey. The study population was composed of incumbent pharmacists, assistant pharmacists, sales agents and customers of private pharmacies. Results: A total of 10 pharmacists, 49 sales assistants and 1000 customers were interviewed. More than 62% of patients did not see a prescriber before coming to the pharmacy. Free access to anti-malarial and knowledge of the disease were the main reasons with 52.09% and 34.56% respectively. Of the sales agents, 76% had attended a training institute. Only 10% of pharmacies have a rapid diagnostic test for malaria and 7 pharmacists or 10% are aware of the existence of national control program. Summary ad conclusion: The pharmacy team had good knowledge of the causative agent of the disease, the signs suggestive of simple malaria. However, the national guidelines for the management of malaria were unknown to pharmacists in private pharmacies.

A Mathematical Function Recognition (MFR) is an important research direction for efficient downstream math tasks such as information retrieval, knowledge extraction, and question answering. The aim of this task is to identify and classify mathematical function into a predefined set of function. However, the lack of annotated data is the bottleneck in the development of an MFR automated model. We begin this paper by describing our approach to creating a labelled dataset for MFR. Then, to identify five categories of mathematical functions, we fine-tuned a set of common pre-trained models: BERT base-cased, BERT baseuncased, DistilBERT-cased, and DistilBERT-uncased. As a result, our contributions in this paper include: (1) an annotated MFR dataset that future researchers can use; and (2) SOTA results obtained by finetuning pre-trained models for the MFR task. Our experiments demonstrate that the proposed approach achieved a high-quality recognition, with an F1 score of 96.80% on a held-out test set provided by DistilBERT-cased model.

Background. Mitochondrial respiratory chain (RC) disorders are a growing group of disorders with a large variety of clinical presentations ranging from well-defined clinical syndromes to nonspecific manifestations, such as failure to thrive, exercise intolerance and seizures.Objective. To describe the clinical, biochemical, and histochemical spectrum of 38 Egyptian patients clinically suspected of havingmitochondrial RC disorders.Methods. A total of 38 patients (female, n=18 (47.4%); male, n=20 (52.6%)) clinically suspected of having mitochondrial diseases had been referred to the Inherited Metabolic Diseases Laboratory at Cairo University Children’s Hospital. Laboratory investigations and analyses included histochemical staining of cytochrome c oxidase and succinate dehydrogenase in muscle biopsies, as well as spectrophotometric assays of RC complexes in muscle homogenates.Results. Twenty-three patients (60.5%) were diagnosed with different RC enzyme deficiencies. Fifteen patients (65%) had complex Ideficiency and all of them also had lactic acidosis (mean (standard deviation)) plasma lactate concentration of 4 (1.65) mmol/L). Twopatients (9%) with marked complex IV deficiency both showed COX-negative ragged red fibers (RRFs) on histochemical staining.Combined complex I and complex II deficiency with scattered COX-stain deficiency and RRFs was diagnosed in 2 patients (5.25%), whilea further 2 patients (5.26%) had combined (complex I, II+III, complex IV) deficiencies. Isolated complex II deficiency was diagnosed in2 patients (5.26%) and 15 (39.5%) patients had normal RC enzyme activities.Conclusion. Biochemical assay of RC complexes is considered the cornerstone for diagnosis of RC complex mitochondrial disorders.These disorders are common among Egyptian paediatric patients.

One of the solution approaches to tomato viral diseases is undoubtedly the cultivation of tolerant cultivars. However, the environment in which these tomatoes are grown must allow them to favorably express their resistance to viruses. The soil nutrients brought or not are part of this environment. The objective of this study is to find ways and means from fertilization to create favorable conditions for the resistance of tomato cultivars to viruses. To do this, two experiments were conducted at the agronomic experiment station of the University of Lomé during the long rainy seasons of 2019 and 2020 under five tomato cultivars (Caraïbo, Mongal-F1, Petomech, Tropimech and Adakamenou) under the conditions of five fertilization formulas, T0 (0 fertilizer), T1 (200 kg NPK 15 15 15 and 100 kg urea 46% ha-1), T2 (10 t cattle manure ha-1), T3 [ (T1+T2)/2] and T4 (300 kg NPK 15 15 15, 67 kg urea 46% ha-1 and 5 t ha-1 of cattle manure). The split-plot design was used where the fertilizers were in main plots and the cultivars in sub-plots. The linear regression of virus severities observed during the experiment according to a rating scale from 1 to 5 made it possible to describe the behavior of the cultivars. The regression's lines slopes varied from 10.55% to 43.72% under the unfertilized plants; from 2.92% to 12.4% under fertilized Caraïbo plants; from 6.70% to 9.80% under fertilized Mongal-F1 plants; from 26.77% to 49.46% under fertilized Petomech plants; from 48.77% to 63.55% under fertilized Tropimech plants and from 5.22% to 16.76% under fertilized Adakamenou plants. It follows that the behavior of a tomato cultivar with respect to viruses differs according to the fertilization formula that has been given to it and that taking fertilization into account would be essential in the management plans for tomato viruses.

L’élevage au Sénégal est une activité qui se mène tant en milieu rural qu’urbain. L’étude réalisée sous forme d’enquêtes auprès de 120 éleveurs de mouton dans la commune de Bambey, a eu pour but d’améliorer sensiblement les connaissances sur l’élevage en milieu urbain sénégalais. Ainsi, l’élevage occupe plus d’hommes (80%) que de femmes (20%). Les éleveurs sont plus de l’ethnie sérère (48%) et wolof (46%) et sont majoritairement instruits (90,83%). La quasi-totalité des éleveurs (88,33%) n’ont jamais reçu de formation en élevage. Ils ont entre 3 à 62 ans d’expérience dans l’activité d’élevage. Les élevages sont plus de type naisseur-engraisseur (49%) qui utilisent plus des ovins de race peul-peul (34%). La taille moyenne des troupeaux est de 7,25 ovins. Les troupeaux sont dominés par les brebis (72,41%). La stabulation permanente est le mode de conduite dominante (80,99%). L’âge moyen de la mise en reproduction des brebis est de 9,19 ±3,11 mois et 12,35 ±3,10 mois chez les mâles. Les saillies sont libres dans 89% des élevages avec une (46%) ou deux mises bas (54%) par an. Les pathologies digestives (76,5% des élevages) et respiratoires (70,5% des élevages) sont les plus rencontrées. L’élevage peut être une source de diversification des revenus. Englsih title: Diagnosis of urban sheep breeding in the groundnut basin: the case of the commune of Bambey in Senegal Livestock farming in Senegal is an activity that takes place in both rural and urban areas. The study, which took the form of a survey of 120 sheep breeders in the commune of Bambey, aimed at significantly improving knowledge of livestock breeding in urban Senegal. Thus, more men (80%) than women (20%) are involved in animal husbandry. The breeders are more Serer (48%) and Wolof (46%) ethnic groups and are mostly educated (90.83%). Almost all of the herders (88.33%) have never received any training in animal husbandry. They have between 3 and 62 years of experience in breeding. The farms are more of the breeder-fattener type (49%) and use more Fulani sheep (34%). The average flock size is 7.25 sheep. The flocks are dominated by ewes (72.41%). Permanent housing is the dominant type of management (80.99%). The average age at which the ewes are bred is 9.19 ± 3.11 months and 12.35 ± 3.10 months for the males. Mating was free in 89% of farms with one (46%) or two (54%) births per year. Digestive (76.5% of farms) and respiratory (70.5% of farms) diseases are the most common. Breeding can be a source of income diversification.&nbsp

The black cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel) is one of the most devastating agricultural pests that attack different crops worldwide. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) have been utilized in classical, conservation, and augmentative biological control programs. Consequently, this study was designed to estimate the efficacy of an unirradiated and gamma-irradiated entomopathogenic nematode, Steinernema carpocapsae (all), against A. ipsilon larvae as a safe control tool to reduce chemical environmental hazards. The virulence of different concentrations (10, 20, 30 and 40 IJs/ml) of unirradiated and gamma-irradiated (with 2 Gy) of S. carpocapsae was evaluated. Changes in peroxidase (Px) and polyphenyl oxidase (PPO) zymographic patterns were also investigated after larvae were treated with LC50 values for S. carpocapsae. The results revealed that larval mortality increased with increasing S. carpocapsae concentration and time after treatment. The 2 Gy gamma-irradiated S. carocapsae caused a greater pathogenic effect than the unirradiated S. carocapsae, where the LC50 values of 2 Gy gamma-irradiated S. carocapsae were 31.19 and 17.78 IJs/ml after 1 and 2 days, respectively, compared to 113.23 and 65.83 IJs/ml for unirradiated S. carocapsae. For the toxicity index, gamma irradiation at a dose of 2 Gy was selected and given an arbitrary 100 units and considered a standard treatment. Analysis of gel electrophoresis revealed 3 bands of Px and PPO in control larvae; treatment with unirradiated and irradiated S. carpocapsae caused the disappearance of the first band of both enzymes and lowered the intensity of the other 2 bands. The laboratory studies revealed that 2 Gy gamma-irradiated S. carpocapsae could be used as an eco-safe management tool against A. ipsilon larvae under field conditions.

This study aimed to estimate herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) seroprevalence and its association with HIV, HBV, HCV, HTLV-12 and syphilis among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, West Africa.We screened MSM sera for HSV-2 antibodies. A total of 329 sera were collected from an HIV and syphilis behavioral and biological cross-sectional survey conducted among MSM in Ouagadougou from January to April 2013. Serum samples were tested using Enzyme Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay (ELISA) for the detection of IgG antibodies to HSV-2. Also, antibodies to HTLV-12, HBsAg and anti-HCV antibodies were screened by ELISA. Laboratory assays were performed according to manufacturers' instructions at the Biomedical Research Laboratory at the "Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Sante" (IRSS) in Burkina Faso.The seroprevalence of HSV-2 infection among MSM was 14.3%(95% CI: 10.6-18.1), with disparities according to age and occupation. HSV-2 seroprevalence was high among MSM who were seropositive for HIV (40% versus 13.9%), for syphilis (42.9% versus 13.3%), for HCV (32.5% versus 11.7%) and for HTLV-12 (38.5% versus 12.9%) compared to people seronegative for these pathogens. Multivariate analysis showed that HIV-positive (ORa ​= ​5.34, p ​= ​0.027), anti-HCV-positive (ORa ​= ​4.44, p ​= ​0.001), and HTLV-12 positive (aOR ​= ​4.11, p ​= ​0.046) were associated with HSV-2 infection among MSM. However, no significant statistical association between HSV-2 and syphilis was found.HSV-2 seroprevalence among MSM in Burkina Faso is relatively high. Positive associations between sexual transmitted infections including HIV with HSV-2 suggest that HSV-2 infection's prevention should be strengthened through HIV transmission control programs.

Background: The introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) to standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens has been shown to significantly improve outcomes in patients with triple negative breast cancer and is being investigated for high-risk hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/human epidermal growth factor-2 negative (HER2-) breast cancer. Preclinical evidence suggests radiation therapy (RT) can stimulate intra-tumoral T cell infiltration and enhance the expression and immune detection of tumor-specific neoantigens. This phase II pilot randomized study (NCT04443348) aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of two different doses of preoperative primary tumor RT boost when combined with neoadjuvant pembrolizumab, then followed by standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Dual co-primary endpoints include determining the pathologic complete response (pCR) rate in the non-irradiated and pathologically confirmed metastatic axillary lymph node(s) in each treatment arm and quantifying tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes in on-treatment (C1D14) tumor biopsies. We hypothesize that high-dose RT will increase the proportion of tumors with high T cell infiltration (i.e., top quartile) from 25% to 55%. Secondary endpoints include measuring residual cancer burden, evaluating tolerability of the regimen, and assessing quality of life. Exploratory endpoints include evaluation of treatment-associated changes in the tumor immune microenvironment, circulating immune cell analyses, and circulating tumor DNA kinetics. Methods: The study plans to enroll 128 participants with either triple negative (n=80) or high-risk HR=/HER2- (n=48) breast cancer who will be randomized to receive no, low (9 Gy), or high (24 Gy) dose of preoperative RT boost, after which 24 participants of either breast cancer subtype will be enrolled to an exploratory high dose proton therapy boost cohort. The eligibility criteria include patients who have biopsy-proven, axillary lymph node-positive breast cancer that is either triple negative (defined as ER< 10%, PR< 10%, and HER2-negative) or high-risk HR+/HER2- (grade III or having a high-risk genomic assay score). Study treatment is given in 6-week cycles, with 400 mg Pembrolizumab given on day 1 of each cycle. For those participants randomized to receive a preoperative RT boost, treatment is delivered in 3 fractions (3 × 3 Gy or 3 × 8 Gy) over consecutive business days, where one of the fractions is given on the same day as C1D1 Pembrolizumab. Standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy begins on C1D15 with paclitaxel (plus carboplatin for triple negative) administered weekly for 12 weeks, and then starting on C3D15, dose-dense doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide is administered every 2 weeks for 8 weeks. Following neoadjuvant treatment, participants will receive standard breast surgery (including removal of the pathologically confirmed metastatic lymph node) followed by adjuvant pembrolizumab, radiation therapy, and standard-of-care systemic therapy as clinically indicated. Tissue samples from the primary tumor and biopsy-proven lymph node are taken at baseline, C1D14, and at the time of surgery. There are eleven blood collection timepoints throughout the neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings. Participants will be followed for 2 years after surgery to assess safety and durability of responses. Results: This study has accrued 12 participants to date, including 10 with triple negative breast cancer and 2 with high-risk HR+/HER2- breast cancer. Formal results for this study are forthcoming, as the trial is actively accruing at 6 institutions, with plans to open at 3 more within the year. For persons with a specific interest in this trial, please contact Joseph Connolly, Multi-Center Coordinator, at jconnolly28@mgh.harvard.edu. Citation Format: Joseph J. Connolly, Laura M. Spring, Alphonse G. Taghian, Michele Gadd, Laura Warren, Ana C. Garrido-Castro, Tari King, Elizabeth A. Mittendorf, Jose P. Leone, Dana L. Casey, Lisa Carey, Tiffany A. Traina, Yara Abdou, Atif Khan, George Plitas, Jean Wright, Cesar Augusto Santa-Maria, Lisa Jacobs, Rachel Blitzblau, E Shelley Hwang, Carey Anders, Ian Krop, Antonio C. Wolff, Alastair M. Thompson, Elyssa Denault, Gaorav Gupta, Alice Ho. TBCRC-053: P-RAD: A Randomized Study of Preoperative Chemotherapy, Pembrolizumab and No, Low or High Dose RADiation in Node-Positive, HER2-Negative Breast Cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr OT3-15-01.