Attempted cultivation of Jatropha curcas L. in the lower Senegal river valley: story of a failure

in Tropicultura (2012), 30(4), 204-208

With the objective of determining whether it would be possible to sustainably produce Jatropha curcas L. seeds on the marginal land situated close to the Senegal River, a 6-hectare pilot plantation was ... [more ▼]

With the objective of determining whether it would be possible to sustainably produce Jatropha curcas L. seeds on the marginal land situated close to the Senegal River, a 6-hectare pilot plantation was cultivated under drip irrigation between September 2007-November 2011, close to the village of Bokhol (Lat. 16°31’N, Long. 15°23’W). A series of tests were conducted on this plot, in order to identify the best cultivation methods for the area (date, density and method of planting, appropriate type of pruning, fertilisers to be applied, irrigation method, etc.). The average yields obtained at this site, after four years of cultivation (less than 500 kg.ha-1 of dry seed), using the best known production techniques, are significantly lower than anticipated, compared to the available figures for the irrigated cultivation of Jatropha in other parts of the world. The main causes of this failure are the plant’s limited useful vegetation period of six months per year, instead of twelve, and the scale of attacks by a soilborne vascular disease, which destroyed over 60% of the plantation within four years. [less ▲]

Le ciblage des populations les plus vulnérables à l'insécurité alimentaire. A partir de l'exemple du Niger.

Article for general public (2012)

Optimization of Production and Preliminary Characterization of New Exopolysaccharides from Gluconacetobacter hansenii LMG1524

in Advances in Microbiology (2012), 2(4), 488-496

The influence of different carbon and nitrogen sources, of ethanol concentration, the optimal pH, temperature and me-dium composition were evaluated on extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) synthesis and ... [more ▼]

The influence of different carbon and nitrogen sources, of ethanol concentration, the optimal pH, temperature and me-dium composition were evaluated on extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) synthesis and bacterial growth of Gluconace-tobacter hansenii LMG1524, and preliminary characterization of EPS was investigated. The highest EPS yields were obtained using glycerol and ammonium sulphate as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. The increase of ethanol concentration in the medium did not influence the EPS synthesis but reduced the bacterial growth. The optimum tem-perature and pH for polysaccharides production were respectively 25 °C and 5; whereas for cell growth were respec-tively 30 °C and 4. The optimal culture medium composition was determined as follows : 10 g/L sucrose, 0.892 g/L (NH4)2SO4, 0.34 g/L NaNO3, 3 mL acetic acid, 1.5 g/L KH2PO4, 1.5 g/L K2HPO4 and 0.6 g/L MgSO4. The polysaccha-rides produced were of 14 and 10 polymerization degrees (DP) and constituted mainly of glucose, galactose and man-nose, in relative percent of 36.36, 33.94 and 22.42, respectively. [less ▲]

The diagnostic utility of folate receptor autoantibodies in blood

in Clinical Chemistry & Laboratory Medicine (2012)

Développement de nouvelles benzènesulfonylurées diversement substituées en tant qu'antagonistes des récepteurs au thromboxane A2

Scientific conference (2012, December 22)

El escritor más importante de la España contemporánea

Conference given outside the academic context (2012)

Dystopies de fin du monde. Une poétique littéraire du désastre

in Culture, le Magazine Culturel de l'Université de Liège (2012)

Le récit d’anticipation négatif développe une réflexion sur la cohésion d’une société à travers l’histoire d’une communauté humaine dont l’organisation collective et les bases sociales sont fragilisées ... [more ▼]

Le récit d’anticipation négatif développe une réflexion sur la cohésion d’une société à travers l’histoire d’une communauté humaine dont l’organisation collective et les bases sociales sont fragilisées, voire détruites. Ce genre littéraire ne s’apparente pas seulement au roman cataclysmique ou aux multiples scénarios de la guerre future. Il se rapproche aussi des ambitions de la politique-fiction et des procédés de l’anticipation scientifique. Entre 1830, date des premières anti-utopies constituées en récit, et 1950, moment de convergence de ces récits avec la science-fiction naissante, la production dystopique francophone s’avère riche, complexe et encore peu étudiée. D’Albert Robida à René Barjavel, nombreux sont pourtant les récits à (re-)considérer sous cet angle. [less ▲]

Etude chémo-écologique et comportementale du parasitoïde, Nasonia vitripennis Walker (Hym., Pteromalidae), en vue de son utilisation comme biodétecteur en entomologie forensique

Doctoral thesis (2012)

Most reports published in the field of forensic entomology are focused on Diptera, mostly on Calliphoridae. However, Hymenoptera are part of the entomofaunal colonisation of a dead body. Despite their ... [more ▼]

Most reports published in the field of forensic entomology are focused on Diptera, mostly on Calliphoridae. However, Hymenoptera are part of the entomofaunal colonisation of a dead body. Despite their significant presence in crime scenes, parasitoids are largely ignored due to their small size and the paucity of biological and behavioral information available in the ecosystem of corpse. The use of Hymenoptera parasitoids in forensic entomology can be relevant to many applications such as development of a biodectector. The objectives of this thesis were (1) to identify the Hymenoptera community parasitizing necrophagous Diptera, (2) to identify volatile organic compounds emitted by decaying process and by hosts which facilitate host-habitat and host location by female Nasonia vitripennis Walker (3) to evaluate the species N. vitripennis as biodectector of corpses. The faunistic study has identified five species of Hymenoptera in cadaver ecosystem. Alysia manducator was the most abundant Braconidae species. However, N. vitripennis was chosen as insect model; because over the last 50 years, this wasp has been intensely investigated in the subject of genetic, ecological and evolutionary research. A chemo-ecological approach, combining EAG and behavioral studies, was used on N. vitripennis with selected compounds from the decay process and their hosts. Firstly, we have demonstrated that host- habitat location and host location were dependent on the concentration of volatile organic compounds tested. In addition, dimethyldisulfide, a key component of decomposition and also released by Calliphora vicina Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera, Calliphoridae) pupae, has a biological activity. Secondly, we have showed that rate of parasitism was based on the age of pupa, depth and substrate in which larvae burrow. This rate is the most important when pupae were six day-old, on the surface of soil and in a soil with a granulometry greater than 1mm. Moreover, N. vitripennis expanded our potential resource in biosensor used in forensic science. Females demonstrated a capacity for learning and memory. [less ▲]

Les enjeux du développement durable au Sud : Premier bilan d'un projet de conservation dans un village du sud du Sri Lanka

Conference (2012, December 20)

Clinical recognition and aspects of the cerebral folate deficiency syndromes

in Clinical Chemistry & Laboratory Medicine (2012)