Le double défi de la nanomédecine

Scientific conference (2012, November 29)

New developments in SAFIR 2013 - New concrete models

Scientific conference (2012, November 29)

Dynamique et perspectives de la filière cotonnière du Burundi

Doctoral thesis (2012)

Cotton cultivation was introduced in Burundi in 1919 under the Belgian mandate with the objective to monetize the rural economy and open the country to international trade. After independence (1962), the ... [more ▼]

Cotton cultivation was introduced in Burundi in 1919 under the Belgian mandate with the objective to monetize the rural economy and open the country to international trade. After independence (1962), the cotton crop continued to flourish as a vertically integrated chain from upstream to downstream in pursuing the objectives of job creation, import substitution and maximizing the added value generated by various cotton products. Since 1993, the cotton is in perpetual decline due to various factors both endogenous and exogenous to reach in 2009 the lowest level in its history. Its competitiveness is challenged by instability of the global market of cotton fiber, policies (subsidies) of large producers (China, India, USA, Pakistan, ...), competition from synthetic textile industry, the prices of agricultural inputs (fertilizers and phytosanitary products) and raw materials for industries, competition for food crops production factors which are already scarce and especially less remunerative producer prices. Survey work on a sample of 120 farms during three seasons (2007/2008, 2008/2009, 2009/2010) as well as interviews with various agents involved in the cotton sector have been conducted to understand the reasons of the decline of the cotton sector and see the adaptation mechanisms implemented in the segment "producers - COGERCO." It appears from these investigations that the cotton is not competitive with food crops. The price paid to growers is not motivating, production costs are expensive and factors of production become increasingly restrictive. COGERCO however, continues to subsidize cotton without benefit. In this context the majority of cotton producers combine beans or cowpeas with cotton to take advantage of subsidies (inputs, management, ...) and other benefits (loans, fields ...) that the company offers to producers without benefit to the company. The latter is in chronic deficit due to poor sector governance which is under pressure of privatization already imposed on other agro-industrial crops of the country (coffee, tea). [less ▲]

Latin Literary Papyri

Scientific conference (2012, November 29)

Microsoft Corp. contre Commission T-167/08, 27 juin 2012

Scientific conference (2012, November 29)

Genetic parameters for individual weights at birth, weaning and 60 days of stress negative Piétrain pigs in the tropics: the case of Vietnam

Poster (2012, November 28)

Data recorded between 2008 and 2012 from Dong Hiep pig farm, Vietnam, was used to stimate genetic parameters for weights at birth (WB), weaning (WW) and 60 days (W60) of stress negative Piétrain pigs ... [more ▼]

Data recorded between 2008 and 2012 from Dong Hiep pig farm, Vietnam, was used to stimate genetic parameters for weights at birth (WB), weaning (WW) and 60 days (W60) of stress negative Piétrain pigs using restricted maximum likelihood methodology. WB, WW and W60 were recorded from 1146, 839 and 610 animals respectively. The data were analyzed according to a mixed model including 4 fixed effects, parity, season, sex, and interaction between halothane genotype and country of origin (Belgium and Vietnam) of sows. Additionally, 3 random effects (maternal common environment for litter, direct and maternal additive genetic) for WB and 2 random effects (maternal common environment for litter and direct additive genetic) for WW and W60 were included in the model. Estimates of direct heritability and proportion of the maternal common environmental variance for WB, WW and W60 were 0.20, 0.13; 0.22, 0.21 and 0.19, 0.30 respectively. In addition, the estimate of maternal heritability for WB was 0.14. These genetic parameters suggest that WB, WW and W60 could be improved by selection using both direct and maternal effects. [less ▲]

Création d'un outil d'évaluation de la durabilité des productions de qualité différenciée en Wallonie

in 12ème Journée d'étude des productions porcines et avicoles (2012, November 28)

L’objectif de cette étude est de comparer simultanément l’impact environnemental, social et économique liés à l’application de différents critères de qualités différenciées. L’outil développé s’articule ... [more ▼]

L’objectif de cette étude est de comparer simultanément l’impact environnemental, social et économique liés à l’application de différents critères de qualités différenciées. L’outil développé s’articule autour de la modélisation des impacts environnementaux d’après la méthodologie ACV et s’appuie sur des matrices techniques (MT) pour l’évaluation sociale et économique. D’un point de vue opérationnel, il s’agit de développer un outil de simulation qui répond aux cahiers des charges minimaux de la qualité différenciée à travers le paramétrage réalisé par l’utilisateur final de l'application. Le modèle est implémenté dans l’environnement de programmation MATLAB R2011a (MathWorks, Natick, MA, USA). [less ▲]

Sensations corporelles et contenus représentationnels

Conference (2012, November 28)

Cet exposé porte sur un problème qui a été très débattu ces dix dernières années dans la philosophie de l’esprit. La question litigieuse est de savoir s’il est possible de rendre compte de façon ... [more ▼]

Cet exposé porte sur un problème qui a été très débattu ces dix dernières années dans la philosophie de l’esprit. La question litigieuse est de savoir s’il est possible de rendre compte de façon intégralement intentionnelle d’un certain groupe de sensations corporelles, dont l’exemple paradigmatique est la douleur. J’aborde cette question sous un angle descriptif au sens de Brentano, donc en mettant de côté tout ce qui relève des prises de positions explicatives et métaphysiques (physicalisme, naturalisme, etc.). De ce point de vue, l'enjeu est de savoir dans quelle classe d’états mentaux l’expérience de la douleur peut être rangée. Je dresse d'abord un état de la question dans la littérature actuelle, puis j'examine les arguments de Carl Stumpf d'après lequel les états comme le plaisir et la douleur sont des "sensations affectives" (Gefühlsempfindungen) et, à ce titre, forment une espèce du genre des représentations sensorielles - donc doivent être rangées dans la première classe de phénomènes psychiques distinguée par Brentano: celle des représentations (et non dans la troisième, celle des "affects" ou des "émotions"). [less ▲]

Capsular Gene Typing of Streptococcus agalactiae Compared to Serotyping by Latex Agglutination

in Journal of Clinical Microbiology (2012), 51(2), 503-507

We evaluated three different PCR-based capsular gene typing methods applied to 312 human and bovine Streptococcus agalac- tiae (group B Streptococcus [GBS]) isolates and compared the results to serotyping ... [more ▼]

We evaluated three different PCR-based capsular gene typing methods applied to 312 human and bovine Streptococcus agalac- tiae (group B Streptococcus [GBS]) isolates and compared the results to serotyping results obtained by latex agglutination. Among 281 human isolates 27% could not be typed by latex agglutination. All 312 isolates except 5 could be typed by the three PCR methods combined. Two of these methods were multiplex assays. Among the isolates that were typeable by both latex ag- glutination and capsular gene typing, 94% showed agreement between the two methods. However, each of the PCR methods showed limitations. One of the methods did not include all 10 recognized serotypes, one misidentified eight isolates of serotypes Ib and IV as serotype Ia, and one did not distinguish between serotypes VII and IX. For five isolates that showed aberrant pat- terns in the capsular gene typing, long-range PCR targeting the cps operon disclosed large insertions or deletions affecting the cps gene cluster. A sensitive flow cytometric assay based on serotype-specific antibodies applied to 76 selected isolates that were nontypeable by latex agglutination revealed that approximately one-half of these did express capsular polysaccharide. A proce- dure for convenient and reliable capsular gene typing to be included in epidemiological and surveillance studies of S. agalactiae is proposed. [less ▲]

Dynamics of the main/rotation aurora

Conference (2012, November 27)