In this experiment carried out on Caribbean chili pepper plants(Capsicum chinensis),the bio-insecticide azadirachtin in combination with an NPK fertilizer proved to have a greater lethal impact on the larvae of Aedes ...In this experiment carried out on Caribbean chili pepper plants(Capsicum chinensis),the bio-insecticide azadirachtin in combination with an NPK fertilizer proved to have a greater lethal impact on the larvae of Aedes albopictus than each substance on its own.This synergistic effect is noticeably important when both inputs are sprayed directly on the leaves of the plant(foliar application).While the plants treated with azadirachtin or NPK alone cause a 33.6%and 36.4%mortal-ity respectively of the Ae.albopictus larvae,the combination of the two inputs induces a 74.4%mortality on the mosquito larvae.To account for this synergistic effect phenomenon inside the plant,the azadirachtin+NPK combination most likely interacts with the capsaicinoid compounds naturally produced by the plant.Not only does this study carried out on azadirachtin reveal major results but the methodology itself offers a most interesting approach on how to boost the agricultural inputs within the plants.As a matter of fact,this research axis demands developing since the control of pests harmful to men has been dramatically lacking insecticide molecules acting on new targets over the past three decades.展开更多
How ecological and evolutionary factors affect small mammal diversity in arid regions remains largely unknown.Here,we combined the largest phylogeny and occurrence dataset of Gerbillinae desert rodents to explore the ...How ecological and evolutionary factors affect small mammal diversity in arid regions remains largely unknown.Here,we combined the largest phylogeny and occurrence dataset of Gerbillinae desert rodents to explore the underlying factors shaping present-day distribution patterns.In particular,we analyzed the relative contributions of ecological and evolutionary factors on their species diversity using a variety of models.Additionally,we inferred the ancestral range and possible dispersal scenarios and estimated the diversification rate of Gerbillinae.We found that Gerbillinae likely originated in the Horn of Africa in the Middle Miocene and then dispersed and diversified across arid regions in northern and southern Africa and western and central Asia,forming their current distribution pattern.Multiple ecological and evolutionary factors jointly determine the spatial pattern of Gerbillinae diversity,but evolutionary factors(evolutionary time and speciation rate)and habitat filtering were the most important in explaining the spatial variation in species richness.Our study enhances the understanding of the diversity patterns of small mammals in arid regions and highlights the importance of including evolutionary factors when interpreting the mechanisms underlying large-scale species diversity patterns.展开更多
Introduction: In Africa, poor working conditions affect the motivation of health care providers. The objective is to study midwives’ professional satisfaction on the technical quality of emergency obstetric care in S...Introduction: In Africa, poor working conditions affect the motivation of health care providers. The objective is to study midwives’ professional satisfaction on the technical quality of emergency obstetric care in Senegal. Material and Methods: This was a prospective study of 16 hospitals in Senegal. The job satisfaction of midwives was measured during a personal interview. The instrument used was validated in Senegal and Mali. Other data collected relate to professional and institutional characteristics. A treatment observation grid was used to measure the quality of obstetric care in labour wards. Mixed-model linear regression was used to estimate the effect of satisfaction on the quality of obstetric care. Results: A total of 65 midwives were interviewed and 325 patients observed. The average quality score was 8.7 ± 1.7. The satisfaction scores ranged from 42.2 ± 17.4 (salary) to 76.7 ± 12.1 (morale satisfaction). A positive and significant correlation was found between quality of care and management (cc = 0.56), remuneration (cc = 0.40), task (cc = 0.32), workload (cc = 0.24) and training (cc = 0.29). The linear mixed model shows that salary (β = 0.40), continuing education (β = 0.17) and management style (β = 0.42) improved the quality of care. Association between moral satisfaction and quality care was negative (β = ﹣0.53). Conclusion: The satisfaction of health professionals is a major determinant of the quality of obstetric care. Its inclusion in the fight against mortality has become imperative in developing.展开更多
Toscana virus(TOSV) is an arthropod-borne virus, identified in 1971, from Phlebotomus perniciosus and Phlebotomus perfiliewi in central Italy. TOSV belongs to the Phlebovirus genus within the Bunyaviridae family. As o...Toscana virus(TOSV) is an arthropod-borne virus, identified in 1971, from Phlebotomus perniciosus and Phlebotomus perfiliewi in central Italy. TOSV belongs to the Phlebovirus genus within the Bunyaviridae family. As other bunyaviruses, the genome of TOSV consists of 3 segments(S for small, M for Medium, and L for Large) respectively encoding non structural and capsid proteins, envelope structural proteins, and the viral RNA-dependant RNA-polymerase. It is transmitted by sand flies. Therefore its distribution is dictated by that of the arthropod vectors, and virus circulation peaks during summertime when sandfly populations are active. Here, we reviewed the epidemiology of TOSV in the old world. First evidence of its pathogenicity for humans, specifically its propensity to cause central nervous system(CNS) infections such as meningitis and encephalitis, was reported in central Italy. After 2000, it was recognized that TOSV had a much larger geographic distribution than initially believed, and was present in most of the Western European countries located on the northern border of the Mediterranean Sea(Portugal, Spain, France, Greece, Croatia) as well as eastern countries such as Cyprus and Turkey. In the countries where TOSV is present, it is among the three most prevalent viruses in meningitis during the warm seasons, together with enteroviruses and herpesviruses. Up to now, epidemiological data concerning Northern Africa and other countries located south of the Mediterranean are scarce. TOSV must be considered an emerging pathogen. Despite the important role played by TOSV in CNS infections, it remains a neglected agent and is rarely considered by physicians in diagnostic algorithms of CNS infections and febrile illness during the warm season, probably because of the lack of information.展开更多
The Stanley Pool, an almost circular island about thirty kilometers in diameter, crossed by the Congo River, is subject to diversified erosion of its riverbanks. This study highlights description using geotechnical pa...The Stanley Pool, an almost circular island about thirty kilometers in diameter, crossed by the Congo River, is subject to diversified erosion of its riverbanks. This study highlights description using geotechnical particle size distribution analysis of soils of the shoreline that make up the shoreline. Three critical areas of the island were examined to characterize the origins of these erosion phenomena. The results obtained show that the soil materials are mostly sands with very fine or fine grains characteristic of very unstable soils. The morpho-sedimentological characteristics of the areas studied show that these soils are plastic (with a Plasticity Index between 15 percent and 19 percent). The presence of water, action of currents or groundwater flow easily destabilize the materials that make up the riverbank and cause the fines to creep (Collapse of sandy riverbanks, Landslide of sandy riverbanks, …).展开更多
This paper has been motivated by the following ecological question:how influential is the water stress on plants production?The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of water stress and irrigation on plants p...This paper has been motivated by the following ecological question:how influential is the water stress on plants production?The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of water stress and irrigation on plants production.We propose a mathematical model for the dynamics growth of plants that takes into account the concentration of available water in the soil,the absorption of water by plants,water stress,the plants production and the plants compensation.We present the theoretical analysis of the model.More precisely,we show that the model is well-posed.We also compute trivial equilibria and derive a threshold parameter that determines the outcome of water stress within a plantation.Further,we perform a numerical simulation in the case of banana-plantain plant to support and valid theoretical results.We found that the Hopf bifurcation occurs for a specific value of the water absorption rate of unstressed plants.The impact of the water stress on the banana-plantain production is also numerically investigated.We found that the water stress can cause about 62.57%tons of loss of banana-plantain production within a plantation with 1600 rejects initially planted.We also consider the irrigation as a control parameter of water stress.We found that the irrigation increases the stressed plant production to more than 60%for 1600 rejects initially planted.This suggests that climate change may play a detrimental role on banana-plantains production.We also investigate the role of the type of soil in banana-plantain production.Our finding suggests that the Fine Sandy Loam soil is more resilient to water stress than Silty Clay and Loamy soils.展开更多
文摘In this experiment carried out on Caribbean chili pepper plants(Capsicum chinensis),the bio-insecticide azadirachtin in combination with an NPK fertilizer proved to have a greater lethal impact on the larvae of Aedes albopictus than each substance on its own.This synergistic effect is noticeably important when both inputs are sprayed directly on the leaves of the plant(foliar application).While the plants treated with azadirachtin or NPK alone cause a 33.6%and 36.4%mortal-ity respectively of the Ae.albopictus larvae,the combination of the two inputs induces a 74.4%mortality on the mosquito larvae.To account for this synergistic effect phenomenon inside the plant,the azadirachtin+NPK combination most likely interacts with the capsaicinoid compounds naturally produced by the plant.Not only does this study carried out on azadirachtin reveal major results but the methodology itself offers a most interesting approach on how to boost the agricultural inputs within the plants.As a matter of fact,this research axis demands developing since the control of pests harmful to men has been dramatically lacking insecticide molecules acting on new targets over the past three decades.
基金supported by grants from the Third Xinjiang Scientific Expedition Program(Grant No.2022xjkk0205 to Lin Xia,No.2021xjkk0604 to Jilong Cheng)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32170416 to Qisen Yang,31900325 to Jilong Cheng)+1 种基金the Joint Fund of National Natural Science Foundation of China(U2003203 to Lin Xia)the Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Y229YX5105 to Qisen Yang).
文摘How ecological and evolutionary factors affect small mammal diversity in arid regions remains largely unknown.Here,we combined the largest phylogeny and occurrence dataset of Gerbillinae desert rodents to explore the underlying factors shaping present-day distribution patterns.In particular,we analyzed the relative contributions of ecological and evolutionary factors on their species diversity using a variety of models.Additionally,we inferred the ancestral range and possible dispersal scenarios and estimated the diversification rate of Gerbillinae.We found that Gerbillinae likely originated in the Horn of Africa in the Middle Miocene and then dispersed and diversified across arid regions in northern and southern Africa and western and central Asia,forming their current distribution pattern.Multiple ecological and evolutionary factors jointly determine the spatial pattern of Gerbillinae diversity,but evolutionary factors(evolutionary time and speciation rate)and habitat filtering were the most important in explaining the spatial variation in species richness.Our study enhances the understanding of the diversity patterns of small mammals in arid regions and highlights the importance of including evolutionary factors when interpreting the mechanisms underlying large-scale species diversity patterns.
文摘Introduction: In Africa, poor working conditions affect the motivation of health care providers. The objective is to study midwives’ professional satisfaction on the technical quality of emergency obstetric care in Senegal. Material and Methods: This was a prospective study of 16 hospitals in Senegal. The job satisfaction of midwives was measured during a personal interview. The instrument used was validated in Senegal and Mali. Other data collected relate to professional and institutional characteristics. A treatment observation grid was used to measure the quality of obstetric care in labour wards. Mixed-model linear regression was used to estimate the effect of satisfaction on the quality of obstetric care. Results: A total of 65 midwives were interviewed and 325 patients observed. The average quality score was 8.7 ± 1.7. The satisfaction scores ranged from 42.2 ± 17.4 (salary) to 76.7 ± 12.1 (morale satisfaction). A positive and significant correlation was found between quality of care and management (cc = 0.56), remuneration (cc = 0.40), task (cc = 0.32), workload (cc = 0.24) and training (cc = 0.29). The linear mixed model shows that salary (β = 0.40), continuing education (β = 0.17) and management style (β = 0.42) improved the quality of care. Association between moral satisfaction and quality care was negative (β = ﹣0.53). Conclusion: The satisfaction of health professionals is a major determinant of the quality of obstetric care. Its inclusion in the fight against mortality has become imperative in developing.
文摘Toscana virus(TOSV) is an arthropod-borne virus, identified in 1971, from Phlebotomus perniciosus and Phlebotomus perfiliewi in central Italy. TOSV belongs to the Phlebovirus genus within the Bunyaviridae family. As other bunyaviruses, the genome of TOSV consists of 3 segments(S for small, M for Medium, and L for Large) respectively encoding non structural and capsid proteins, envelope structural proteins, and the viral RNA-dependant RNA-polymerase. It is transmitted by sand flies. Therefore its distribution is dictated by that of the arthropod vectors, and virus circulation peaks during summertime when sandfly populations are active. Here, we reviewed the epidemiology of TOSV in the old world. First evidence of its pathogenicity for humans, specifically its propensity to cause central nervous system(CNS) infections such as meningitis and encephalitis, was reported in central Italy. After 2000, it was recognized that TOSV had a much larger geographic distribution than initially believed, and was present in most of the Western European countries located on the northern border of the Mediterranean Sea(Portugal, Spain, France, Greece, Croatia) as well as eastern countries such as Cyprus and Turkey. In the countries where TOSV is present, it is among the three most prevalent viruses in meningitis during the warm seasons, together with enteroviruses and herpesviruses. Up to now, epidemiological data concerning Northern Africa and other countries located south of the Mediterranean are scarce. TOSV must be considered an emerging pathogen. Despite the important role played by TOSV in CNS infections, it remains a neglected agent and is rarely considered by physicians in diagnostic algorithms of CNS infections and febrile illness during the warm season, probably because of the lack of information.
文摘The Stanley Pool, an almost circular island about thirty kilometers in diameter, crossed by the Congo River, is subject to diversified erosion of its riverbanks. This study highlights description using geotechnical particle size distribution analysis of soils of the shoreline that make up the shoreline. Three critical areas of the island were examined to characterize the origins of these erosion phenomena. The results obtained show that the soil materials are mostly sands with very fine or fine grains characteristic of very unstable soils. The morpho-sedimentological characteristics of the areas studied show that these soils are plastic (with a Plasticity Index between 15 percent and 19 percent). The presence of water, action of currents or groundwater flow easily destabilize the materials that make up the riverbank and cause the fines to creep (Collapse of sandy riverbanks, Landslide of sandy riverbanks, …).
文摘This paper has been motivated by the following ecological question:how influential is the water stress on plants production?The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of water stress and irrigation on plants production.We propose a mathematical model for the dynamics growth of plants that takes into account the concentration of available water in the soil,the absorption of water by plants,water stress,the plants production and the plants compensation.We present the theoretical analysis of the model.More precisely,we show that the model is well-posed.We also compute trivial equilibria and derive a threshold parameter that determines the outcome of water stress within a plantation.Further,we perform a numerical simulation in the case of banana-plantain plant to support and valid theoretical results.We found that the Hopf bifurcation occurs for a specific value of the water absorption rate of unstressed plants.The impact of the water stress on the banana-plantain production is also numerically investigated.We found that the water stress can cause about 62.57%tons of loss of banana-plantain production within a plantation with 1600 rejects initially planted.We also consider the irrigation as a control parameter of water stress.We found that the irrigation increases the stressed plant production to more than 60%for 1600 rejects initially planted.This suggests that climate change may play a detrimental role on banana-plantains production.We also investigate the role of the type of soil in banana-plantain production.Our finding suggests that the Fine Sandy Loam soil is more resilient to water stress than Silty Clay and Loamy soils.