There is a need for a conceptual and analytical model to describe and interpret the common shrinkage curves of structured soil samples. In this work, we propose a new device for direct shrinkage ...measurement of unconfined structured soil samples and discuss the relevance of parametric models of the shrinkage curve to fit the experimental data. The experimental procedure consists of simultaneous and continuous measurements of the diameter, height, and weight of an initially saturated soil sample as it dries. The shrinkage measurement can be completed for the full moisture range in a short time (2-3 d), and all shrinkage phases can be established easily and accurately identified. The points of transition between the different shrinkage zones of the shrinkage curve are considered as characteristics of the shrinkage process. They are used as parameters to model the experimental shrinkage curves by linear shrinkage zones separated by curvilinear transition ones. The efficiency of two parametric models to fit the experimental data and to provide the characteristic points of the curve are compared and discussed. A new procedure for fitting the shrinkage curves of structured soil samples and for determining the best position of the characteristic points on the curves is proposed.
More than simply a pun, the title « mots contre mots » express how the linguistic conventions of rap have become symptomatic for profound social changes in the Senegalese society. Starting from the ...assumption that language plays an important role in the transmission and establishing of culture, I conclude that socio-cultural change, economic and political problems, etc. can be the cause for linguistic change on several levels. Rap, as an art form, has established itself as a tool for identity expression and for social engagement. This paper focuses on how rappers use language creatively, by making use of lexical and stylistic means. As my analysis of lexicalization in the usage of rappers show, rap style has to be included as a factor in text and/or discourse analysis.
Dam development improves water, food, and energy security but often with negative impacts on human health. The transmission of dam-related diseases persists in many dammed catchments despite ...treatment campaigns. On the Senegal River Basin, the transmission of Schistosoma spp. parasites has been elevated since the construction of dams in the late 1980's. We use narrative analysis and qualitative content analysis of archival documents from this setting to examine health as a component of the food-energy-water (FEW) nexus and understand priorities and trade-offs between sectors across the policy-to-practice continuum. We find that health is recognized as an important component of river basin development, but that priorities articulated at the policy level are not translated into management practices. Incorporating health as a management objective is possible without imposing substantial trade-offs to FEW resources. Coordinated research and surveillance across transboundary jurisdictions will be necessary to inform decision-making on how to operate dams in ways that mitigate their negative health impacts.
•Disease transmission in dammed areas persists despite mitigation efforts.•We expand the food-energy-water nexus in the Senegal River to include health.•Our historical analysis examines cross-sector approaches to disease mitigation in dammed areas.•Health is a policy priority that is not translated into dam management practice.•Coordinated knowledge creation is key to translate health priorities into practice.
L’heure où les thérapeutiques innovantes se multiplient dans le cancer du sein, des pays moins nantis comme le Sénégal accusent encore un retard considérable dans la prise en charge globale de ce ...type de cancer. Au Sénégal, même si la prise en charge des cancers du sein avancés est actuellement bien codifiée, les résultats en terme de survie et de morbidités sont encore médiocres vu les retards diagnostiques et les traitements mutilants, parfois onéreux et mal tolérés, devenus nécessaires. Pour ces cancers avancés, les défis qui restent à relever résident dans l’érection de centres de soins palliatifs et le développement de la pluridisciplinarité pour améliorer la qualité de vie et l’accompagnement des malades. En revanche, pour les cancers infracliniques ou potentiellement guérissables, les défis restent immenses car il s’agira de les dépister, de bien les localiser et les diagnostiquer aussitôt (biopsie écho guidée ou stéréotaxique) mais également de les opérer de façon précise et entière (repérage – exérèse in sano et radiographie de pièce opératoire) tout en limitant les complications comme celles du curage classique (biopsie du ganglion sentinelle). Il s’agit là autant d’objectifs auxquels nos structures de santé ne sont pas toujours préparées. Cette mise au point est une analyse situationnelle sur les écueils contextuels qui grèvent encore la prise en charge globale des cancers du sein au Sénégal.
Arboviruses spillover into humans either as a one-step jump from a reservoir host species into humans or as a two-step jump from the reservoir to an amplification host species and thence to humans. ...Little is known about arbovirus transmission dynamics in reservoir and amplification hosts. Here we elucidate the role of monkeys in the sylvatic, enzootic cycle of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in the region around Kédougou, Senegal. Over 3 years, 737 monkeys were captured, aged using anthropometry and dentition, and tested for exposure to CHIKV by detection of neutralizing antibodies. Infant monkeys were positive for CHIKV even when the virus was not detected in a concurrent survey of mosquitoes and when population immunity was too high for monkeys alone to support continuous transmission. We conclude that monkeys in this region serve as amplification hosts of CHIKV. Additional efforts are needed to identify other hosts capable of supporting continuous circulation.
Over the twentieth century, Sahel rainfall has undergone extreme variations on a decadal timescale. This study investigated the recent precipitation changes in West African Sahel using a ...high-resolution Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station (CHIRPS) product over the period 1981–2014. We found that the recent increase in precipitation results principally from an increase in the number of wet days (+10 d compared to the normal) over the entire West African Sahel band, along with an increase in the precipitation intensity over the central part of the West African Sahel (+3 mm d⁻¹). However, this overall increase in precipitation is associated with dry spells that are becoming more frequent but on average shorter over the entire West African Sahel band (on average by 30%), and with precipitation intensity that is decreasing (around 3 mm d⁻¹ during the study period) in the western part of the West African Sahel (Senegal). Such reorganization (i.e. weaker but more frequent precipitation) is expected to be beneficial for agriculture and society, reducing the likelihood of both flooding and droughts.
Salinity is among the most widespread environmental threats to global plant production, especially in arid and semi-arid climates. Thus, the selection of salt tolerant species is necessary for ...sustainable plant productivity. The purpose of this study was to measure and understand the salt tolerance of three multipurpose trees used in reforestation programs in many Sahelian countries (Senegalia senegal, Syn. Acacia senegal; Vachellia seyal, Syn. A. seyal, and Prosopis juliflora). The effect of salinity was evaluated at seed germination stage on Petri dishes containing water agar (0.9%, w/v) with seven concentrations of NaCl (0, 86, 171, 257, 342, 428, and 514 mM). Our results showed that all the species had a germination rate higher than 85% at 257 mM. However, it decreased at 342 mM with a reduction of 70 and 20%, respectively for S. senegal and V. seyal. For plants growth and physiological responses, seedlings were individually cultivated in plastic bags (2512 cm) containing non-sterile soil and watered with four salt solutions (0, 86, 171 and 257 mM NaCl). Four months after the plants' cultivation, the results showed that for all species, the salinity reduced significantly the height, the collar diameter, the shoot and root dry biomass as well as the total chlorophyll, K super(+ )and K super(+)/Na super(+ )ratio. In the meantime, proline content, Cl super(-) and Na super(+ )accumulation in leaves were increased. It was also found that S. senegal and V. seyal tolerated high concentrations of NaCl (257 mM) and developed physiological and molecular mechanisms, such as salt tolerance genes (NHX1), which allow them to be considered as moderated salt tolerant species and seemed to be potential species for the restoration of salt-affected land as P. juliflora.
A total of 1623 clinical isolates of Salmonella belonging to 229 serotypes were received by the Senegalese Reference Center for Enterobacteria from January 1999 to December 2009. The most common ...serotypes were Enteritidis (19% of the isolates), Typhi (8%), Typhimurium (7%) and Kentucky (4%). A significant increase in the prevalence of resistance to amoxicillin (0.9% in 1999 to 11.1% in 2009) and nalidixic acid (0.9% in 1999 to 26.7% in 2009) was observed in non-typhoidal Salmonella serotypes. For critically important antibiotics, notably ciprofloxacin and extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESCs), the rates of resistance were low: 0.3% and 0.5%, respectively. Seven ESC-resistant Salmonella strains and three additional ESC-resistant strains from Senegal (1990) and Mali (2007) were studied to identify the genetic basis of their antibiotic resistance. All ESC-resistant strains produced an extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL). These were CTX-M-15 (n = 6; 2000–2008), SHV-12 (n = 3; 2000–2001) and SHV-2 (n = 1; 1990). A large IncHI2 ST1 pK29-like plasmid was found in six strains (three producing SHV-12 and three CTX-M-15), whereas IncN and IncF plasmids were found in three strains and one strain, respectively. The association of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes qnrB1 and aac(6′)-Ib-cr was found in four ESBL-producing strains, leading to decreased susceptibility and even full resistance to ciprofloxacin (MIC range 0.75–2 mg/L) despite the absence of mutations in the quinolone resistance-determining region (QRDR) of gyrA, gyrB, parC and parE. This association of ESBL and multiple PMQR mechanisms within the same strains is therefore a serious concern as it hampers the use of both ESCs and fluoroquinolones for severe Salmonella infections.
The objective of the paper is to present an analysis of the existing tensions between the national and external markets for fishery products and the relevance of public policies to support artisanal ...fisheries in Senegal. The method consisted of analyzing national data on production, local supply, foreign trade and the evolution of retail fish prices on the local market. Overall, the analysis shows the increasing difficulty of obtaining higher quality fish at a price that corresponds to the purchasing power of the Senegalese: the export market absorbs most of the fish with high commercial value and impeccable quality, while the domestic market has to make do with species that are not highly prized abroad and with downgraded fish that are not suitable for export. Thus, Senegalese artisanal fishing supplies the foreign market more than it supplies the local market. This situation renders illusory the contribution of fishing to the food security of the Senegalese people, which is so highly praised in the strategic documents of public fisheries policies. In addition, this situation creates tensions around the resources and markets. These tensions will be even more important in the decades to come with the situation of overexploitation of fisheries resources and climate change, but also the significant population growth of developing countries. The expected demographic growth will mechanically increase the national demand for fishery products. The implementation of a production domestication policy, the revision of policies to support artisanal fishing, as well as regulation of the selling price per kilogram according to the species, are necessary to reach at least the world consumption average of 20 kg/pers/year and to make fishing a determining sector for the nutritional security of Senegalese.
•The evolution of retail prices of the most consumed fish species in Senegal is analysed for the period 1980–2016.•The fall in per capita consumption is studied in a context of significant growth in exports over the same period.•Public policies to support artisanal fisheries for nutritional security are reviewed and questioned.•Policy proposals are presented for the accessibility of quality fish to the Senegalese population.
For decades, migrants from the Senegal River Valley (mainly the regions of Saint-Louis and Matam) have been attracted by major investments in social development. Development support whose spinoffs ...from these individual or associative actors (with or without external financial support) make a significant and sometimes decisive contribution to the local economy. This contribution places them among the main actors of development in terms of public service supplies. In the villages and communes, faced with the absence of intervention of the State with regard to the establishment of collective social and economic services, these ‘small donors, as we can call them locally, have replaced the public power in areas as diverse as health, education or village hydraulics, etc. So, do migrants deserve to be called ‘developers’ or ‘developers’? It is to this essential question that this article attempts to provide some answers.
PDF
