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Etude des cas de redoublement au primaire dans la commune de Parakou durant l'année scolaire 2016-2017
(2018-06-22) Ahinon, Justin, Sègbédji
Version française: La connaissance de l’état de la population scolaire d’un milieu est indispensable dans les prises de décisions relatives à l’éducation. L’un des aspects de cet état est le redoublement en milieu scolaire. Il serait en effet intéressant de pouvoir avoir des statistiques fiables sur les redoublements en milieu scolaire dans la commune de Parakou. C’est cet aspect qui fait l’objet de thématique pour le présent rapport de stage. On pourra ainsi essayer de présenter les individus ayant redoublés en fonction de certaines caractéristiques comme le sexe, le type d’établissement. English version: The knowledge of the state of the school population in a given environment is essential in educational decision-making. One aspect of this state is reduplication in primary school. It would indeed be interesting to be able to have reliable statistics on repetition in schools in the commune of Parakou. This aspect is the subject of this internship report. This way we can try to present individuals who have repeated grades according to certain characteristics such as the gender, type of institution.
Grossesses en milieu scolaire dans l’arrondissement central de la commune de Tchaourou (Bénin) : niveau, profil des femmes concernées et conséquences en matière de scolarisation
(2018-07-04) Gbaguidi, Timar, Samson
Le développement n’est pas seulement un phénomène économique, mais un processus multidimensionnel combinantl’économique et le social. Les grossesses en milieu scolaire se présentent comme un problème d’ordre social, susceptiblede constituer une entrave au développement.Le présent article vise à évaluer la prévalence des grossesses qui surviennent en milieu scolaire,leurs conséquences en matière de scolarisation,et à établir le profil de ces adolescentes et jeunes qui sont victimes du phénomène, en vue de faciliter la mise en œuvre des politiques de lutte contre les grossesses en milieu scolaire. Nos données proviennent de l’enquête réalisée par l’ENSPD en avril-mai 2016. Les résultats issus de nos analyses montrent qu’au total, environ 155 cas de grossesse ont été en registrés au cours des trois dernières années scolaires(2013-2014, 2014-2015 et 2015-2016)et que ces grossesses sont réparties de manière croissante sur les trois années scolaires. Les grossesses surviennent en majorité entre 15 ans et 17 ans (soit 54,19%) dans les classes comprisesentre la cinquième et la seconde. Environ 70% des femmes qui tombent enceinte en milieu scolaire arrêteles cours,mais seulement 7% parmi celles qui arrêtes,reprennent les cours après l’accouchement Development is not only an economic phenomenon, but a multidimensional process that combines economic and social aspects of society. Firstly, pregnancy of schoolchildren is a social problem and can therefore constitute an obstacle to development. Secondly, in this article, we try to assess the prevalence of school-related pregnancies, their consequences, and to profile these adolescents and young people who are victims of the phenomenon, in order to facilitate the implementation of schooling policies. Our data come from the survey conducted by the National School of Statistics, Planification and Demography in april-may 2016. Results from our analyzes show that, in total, about 155 pregnancies have been recorded in the last three school years (2013-2014, 2014-2015 and 2015-2016) and that these pregnancies are increasingly distributed over the three school years. The majority of pregnancies occur between the ages of 15 and 17 (54.19%) in seconde and the 5th classes of secondary school. About 70% of women who become pregnant stop going to school, but only 7% of those who stop, return to school after childbirth.
African Neuroscience on the Global Stage Nigeria as a Model
(2018-07-04) Maina, Mahmoud, Bukar; Garba, Yunusu, Mohammed; Maina, Ali, Bukar; Ahmad, Umar; Tijjani, Salihu, Abubakar; Arrashid, Ibrahim, Harun; Abdurrazak, Muhammad; Kwairanga, Hamidu, Suleiman; Yaro, Aisha, Umar; Awadelkareem, Mosab, Ali; Baden, Tom
Several challenges contribute to Africa’s trailing position in the global production of knowledge. Decades of focused work through international and local programmes have thus far been unable to lift the continent onto its scientific feet. To learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of neuroscience research carried out on the continent today, that would enable the development of robust programmes focusing on specific needs, a strategy is required to extract information about specific contributions of African laboratories. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, is among the top beneficiaries of international programmes promoting neuroscience research in Africa. Therefore, to establish and test a framework for evaluating neuroscience output from the continent, we here focussed on Nigeria’s neuroscience publications over the past two decades. Using PubMed key-word search and defined exclusion criteria, we extracted 572 neuroscience articles from Nigeria-based laboratories published between 1996 and 2017. Articles were automatically categorised into clinical and epidemiological studies (55.5%) or basic neuroscience (44.5%) using a support vector machine and decision tree algorithm. From here, we extracted each publication’s use of model species, methods, citations received and the publishing journal’s metrics. We find that over the 21 year period surveyed, only one Nigerian-led neuroscience paper was published in a “top-tier” international journal with an impact factor of >8. However, about half (55%) of PubMed indexed articles were published in reputable journals with an impact factor between 1-4. These publications primarily comprised basic (61%), rather than clinical and epidemiological studies (39%) which were instead mostly published in lower-ranking journals. Next, we find a worrying account of model species and research tools employed in Nigerian-based neuroscience. For example, no studies used genetically amenable model systems such as zebrafish, Drosophila, C.elegans, or transgenic mouse strains. Instead, popular model species were human (54%), rat (30%) and wild-type mice (11%). In line, research techniques employed were dominated by “basic” techniques such as Hematoxylin and Eosin stainings or classical behavioural analysis, with only 8% of studies using more modern techniques like PCR, Western blotting or forms of fluorescence microscopy. Perhaps as one consequence, even though medicinal plants have been used to treat diseases for decades by locals, and 41% of basic neuroscience studies investigated their potential utility in treating disease, none made it into local clinical research. Together, these findings highlight two clear access points for the support of Nigerian neuroscience in the future: Investment in the training and infrastructure in the use of more modern research techniques, and the widespread promotion of genetically amenable model species. Moreover, any such effort might consider specifically targeting existing basic over clinical or epidemiological research efforts. In time, it will be important to also assess the neuroscience output across the entire continent.
Sustaining library automation in Nigerian academic libraries: the KOHA advantage
(2018-07-22) Oladokun, Taofeek; Kolawole, Lucia, Folasade
This study examined the sustainability of Library Open Source Software (with particular reference to KOHA) in Nigerian academic and research Libraries. Descriptive survey design was adopted with a total number of thirty five (35) libraries which were selected purposefully all over the six (6) geopolitical zones of Nigeria (twenty universities, both privates and publics, ten Polytechnics, and five colleges of education). Structure Questionnaire was used to generate data and this was analyzed using simple frequency and percentage. It was revealed that koha is gaining ground in Nigeria because of its reliability and community involvement. It also revealed that lack of institutional support; inadequate information and negative attitudes of librarians were some of the challenges facing adoption and utilization of koha in Nigeria. The study however made some recommendation.
The emergence of complexity and novelty in the human fossil record
(2018-07-23) Ackermann, Rebecca, Rogers; Schroeder, Lauren
Outside of possible evidence for more complex social practices (e.g. longevity post-trauma, preserved infant remains), the fossil record of human evolution is limited in its ability to address the transition towards transcendental forms of wisdom. Indeed, it is difficult to equate our modern intellectual condition with deep past biological indicators at all. Nonetheless, arguably the best and most visible evidence for biological changes that might be precursors to these abilities are in the form of increasing complexity and/or novelty. We see these patterns in the hominin fossil record most strongly at the emergence and diversification of our genus, and in the Middle to Late Pleistocene record with the emergence of our species. Here we will first give a brief overview of the human fossil record, and will then focus on these two time periods, and the question of what produces such complexity/novelty.
Towards the Structure of Black Holes in Asymptotically Safe Gravity
(2018-07-28) Adeifeoba, Ademola
Asymptotically safe quantum gravity suggests a resolution to the classical spacetime singularity of Schwarzschild-(A)dS black holes. In particular, this is realizable only for a vanishing microscopic value of the dimensionless cosmological constant at the asymptotically safe fixed point. To accommodate a nonzero infrared value of the cosmological constant, we consider the linearized Renormalization Group flow away from the fixed point, which is characterized by two critical exponents in the Einstein-Hilbert truncation. In this study, we show that the realization of a regular de-Sitter core places a bound on the universal gravitational critical exponents. Accordingly, our study hints at the possibility of singularity resolution in black holes, as explicit estimates of the critical exponents in the literature point towards a realization of our bound.
Estimating the Impact of School Education on Contraception Use among Adolescents Aged 15–19 in Burkina Faso and Nigeria: Evidence from a Heckman Two-Step Correction Model
(2018-07-30) Bago, Jean-Louis; Lompo, Miaba, Louise; Souratié, Wamadini dite Minata
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) still raise serious concerns for adolescents’ sexual health in west-African developing countries. To this extent, promoting contraception use among sexually active adolescents is a major key to addressing this problem. Yet, the rate of contraception use by adolescents remains surprisingly low in these countries. Using the Demographic Health Survey of Burkina Faso (2014) and Nigeria (2013), this paper examines the influence of school education on contraception use among sexually active male and female adolescents aged 15-19 in Burkina Faso and Nigeria. The standard estimates using Probit regressions suggest that achieving a primary school education increases the probability of a sexually active adolescent to use contraception by 8.26 percentage points (Burkina Faso) and 17.2 percentage points (Nigeria). This effect increases to 20.3 percentage points (Burkina Faso) and 34.7 percentage points (Nigeria) for adolescents with a secondary or higher school education. However, these baseline estimates are biased because adolescents’ decision to engage into sexual activity is not random. In light of this, a Heckman Correction Model (HCM) has been applied to account for this selection bias. The results show that the Probit regressions underestimate the effect of education on adolescents’ likelihood to use contraception in Burkina Faso and overestimate this effect in Nigeria. In fact, compared to adolescents with no school education, HCM estimates show that adolescents with primary and secondary (or higher) school education have respectively 10.2 and 24.4 percentage points more in the use of contraception in Burkina Faso and 15.1 and 34 percentage points in Nigeria. Together, these results suggest that the exposure to school education increases contraception use among the adolescents in both Burkina Faso and Nigeria.
Factors Affecting Adoption of Improved Crops by Rural Farmers in Niger
(2018-08-02) Bago, Jean-Louis; Koutaba, Aude; Valéa, Aristide
Improved crops are advocated to meet the dual challenge of food security and the fight against poverty in developing countries. As most poor people in developing countries live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihood, an important key to get them out of poverty is to increase agricultural productivity by using technologies such as improved crops. However, the rate of improved crops adoption remains surprisingly low in Niger, one of the world poorest countries. In this paper, we examine the factors affecting adoption of improved crops by rural farmers focusing on Niger. Using the 2014’s National Survey on Households Living Conditions and Agriculture, we investigate the effect of farmers’ socioeconomic characteristics, the farm’s quality, the geographic location, the production system, the access to improved seeds and the land tenure on the probability to use improved crops rather than local crops. Our results suggest that the ownership of a government land title is the most important driver in the adoption of improved crops by rural farmers. In addition, being a female, educated, practicing polyculture, having access to improved seed increase the probability to adopt improved crops. In contrast, household size, operating on the parcel for a long period and the parcel size reduces the probability to use improved crops. These determinants of improved crops adoption should be considered in Niger’s agricultural policy to succeed in the dissemination of improved crops among rural farmers.
How Does Exposure to Mass Media affect HIV Testing and HIV-Related Knowledge Among Adolescents? Evidence From Uganda
(2018-08-02) Bago, Jean-Louis; Lompo, Miaba, Louise
Sexual and reproductive health remains one of the greatest challenges in developing countries. In Uganda, adolescents are the most vulnerable group as far as HIV epidemic is concerned. Mass media awareness campaigns play a key role in promoting sexual and reproductive health among adolescents. Using Uganda’s 2016 Demographic Health Survey, we examine the causal effect of mass media exposure on the probability of adolescents getting an HIV test and their HIV-related knowledge. Our results suggest that the exposure to mass media increases both adolescents’ likelihood to get tested for HIV and their HIV-related knowledge score. In fact, we find that reading newspapers once a week increases the likelihood of an adolescent to test for HIV by 6.29 percentage points. Listening to radio once a week increases the probability to test for HIV by 4.57 percentage points. This effect increases to 6.56 percentage points when the adolescent listens to the radio more than once a week. Watching TV more than once a week increases adolescents’ probability to get tested for HIV by 8.57 percentage points. For HIV-related knowledge, we find that compared to adolescents who do not read newspapers at all, adolescents who read newspapers less than once a week and those who read newspapers at least once a week have a higher score of HIV-related knowledge of 9.12% and 9.64% respectively. Compared to adolescents who do not listen to radio at all, adolescents who listen to radio less than once a week have a higher (5.88%) score of HIV related knowledge. Moreover, listening to radio at least once a week increases the score of HIV-related knowledge by 5.52%. Hence, mass media awareness campaigns are important policies to promote HIV testing and HIV-related knowledge among adolescents in Uganda.
The FIRST Classifier: compact and extended radio galaxy classification using deep Convolutional Neural Networks
(2018-08-08) Alhassan, Wathela
Upcoming surveys with new radio observatories such as the Square Kilometer Array will generate a wealth of imaging data containing large numbers of radio galaxies. Different classes of radio galaxies can be used as tracers of the cosmic environment, including the dark matter density field, to address key cosmological questions. Classifying these galaxies based on morphology is thus an important step toward achieving the science goals of next generation radio surveys. Radio galaxies have been traditionally classified as Fanaroff-Riley (FR) I and II, although some exhibit more complex 'bent' morphologies arising from environmental factors or intrinsic properties. In this work we present the FIRST Classifier, an on-line system for automated classification of Compact and Extended radio sources. We developed the FIRST Classifier based on a trained Deep Convolutional Neural Network Model to automate the morphological classification of com- pact and extended radio sources observed in the FIRST radio survey. Our model achieved an overall accuracy of 97% and a recall of 98%, 100%, 98% and 93% for Compact, BENT, FRI and FRII galaxies respectively. The current version of the FIRST classifier is able to identify the morphological class for a single source or for a list of sources as Compact or Extended (FRI, FRII and BENT).
Colonialism and narratives of human origins in Asia and Africa
(2018-08-18) Athreya, Sheela; Ackermann, Rebecca, Rogers
In their seminal works on postcolonialism, Edward Saïd (in Orientalism) and V.Y. Mudimbe (in The Idea of Africa) proposed that Asia and Africa, respectively, were constructs created around the notion of their otherness. Both regions were viewed as infantile, primitive, and homogenous entities that fell outside the domain of civilized (i.e. Western) humanity. These constructs shaped scientific perceptions of both continents over the course of several centuries and have continued to be operative over the last 100 years following the discovery of fossil human ancestors, particularly within the narratives of recent human origins. Here we reflect on these narratives, both in the early days of the discoveries and more recently, in the context of the othered identities of the continents more broadly. We argue that a colonialist socio-political framework has shaped the science of human origins since its inception, and that this has negatively affected the quality of this endeavour. Existing phylogenies cannot be divorced from those ideologies—even today. Indeed, while the details of human origins (e.g. when, where, who) have changed radically over time, the narrative that emerged always left one group in control, and marginalised non-Western lands and their peoples, leaving the ordering of superior and inferior more or less unchanged through the history of the discipline. More informed models of human evolution cannot be constructed until the community of voices constructing them is reworked to be more inclusive of many worldviews.
Understanding barriers to access and utilization of cervical cancer screening services among women living with HIV in Kyenjojo District, Western Uganda protocol
(2018-08-24) Wycliff, Katwesige; Daniel, Ebenezer
Introduction Cervical Cancer is preventable and ranks as the second common cancer among women globally. Since 1981, the incidence of cervical cancer has been on the rise among women living with HIV/AIDS. Cervical cancer in Uganda is usually diagnosed late and the prognosis is very poor. There are gaps in general knowledge on cervical cancer (CC) screening and availability of screening services in the country. This study is intended to explore such barriers to access and utilization of cervical cancer screening services among WHIV in Kyenjojo District Methodology We will search publications and written articles on cervical cancer prevention especially screening among HIV women, from PubMed, Cochrane libraries, as well as the ministry of health unpublished reports. We will employ a qualitative study design using key informant (KI) purposively selected from Kyenjojo Hospital Reproductive Health and ART Clinics. This will permit us to achieve a detailed investigation using health belief model on individual perceptions while providing deeper insights into the factors that hinder access and utilization of cervical cancer screening services among HIV/AIDS women in Kyenjojo District. Conclusion This study is intended to explore such barriers to access and utilization of cervical cancer screening services among WHIV in Kyenjojo. The study will thus significantly contribute to improved programming, advocacy, and efforts to scale up CC services among rural populations in Uganda while contributing to overall maternal survival in line with 2030 Sustainable Development Goals country initiatives
Participants’ accrual and delivery of HIV prevention interventions among men who have sex with men in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review
(2018-08-24) Nyato, Daniel
Background: Across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), HIV disproportionately affects men who have sex with men (MSM) compared with other men of the same age group in the general population. Access to HIV services remains low among this group although several effective interventions have been documented. It is therefore important to identify what has worked well to increase the reach of HIV services among MSM. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, POPLINE and the Web of Science databases to collect published articles reporting HIV interventions among MSM across sub-Saharan Africa. Covidence was used to review the articles. The review protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) - CRD42017060808. Results: The search identified 2627 citations, and following removal of duplicates and inclusion and exclusion criteria, only 15 papers were eligible for inclusion in the review. The articles reported various accrual strategies, namely: respondent-driven sampling, known peers identified through hotspot or baseline surveys, engagement with existing community-based organizations, and through peer educators contacting MSM in virtual sites. Some programs, however, combined some of these accrual strategies. Peer-led outreach services were indicated to reach and deliver services to more MSM. A combination of peer outreach and mobile clinics increased uptake of health information and services. Health facilities, especially MSM-friendly facilities attract access and use of services by MSM and retention into care. Conclusions: There are various strategies for accrual and delivering services to MSM across SSA. However, each of these strategies have specific strengths and weaknesses necessitating combinations of interventions and integration of the specific context to inform implementation. If the best of intervention content and implementation are used to inform these services, sufficient coverage and impact of HIV prevention and treatment programs for MSM across SSA can be optimized.
Hybridization in human evolution: insights from other organisms
(2018-08-28) Ackermann, Rebecca, Rogers; Arnold, Michael; Baiz, Marcella; Cahill, James; Cortés-Ortiz, Liliana; Evans, Ben; Grant, Rosemary; Grant, Peter; Hallgrimsson, Benedikt; Humphreys, Robyn; Jolly, Clifford; Malukiewicz, Joanna; Percival, Christopher; Ritzman, Terry; Roos, Christian; Roseman, Charles; Schroeder, Lauren; Smith, Fred; Warren, Kerryn; Wayne, Robert; Zinner, Dietmar
During the late Pleistocene, isolated lineages of hominins exchanged genes thus influencing genomic variation in humans in both the past and present. However, the dynamics of this genetic exchange and associated phenotypic consequences through time remain poorly understood. Gene exchange across divergent lineages can result in myriad outcomes arising from these dynamics and the environmental conditions under which it occurs. Here we draw from our collective research across various organisms, illustrating some of the ways in which gene exchange can structure genomic/phenotypic diversity within/among species. We present a range of examples relevant to questions about the evolution of hominins. These examples are not meant to be exhaustive, but rather illustrative of the diverse evolutionary causes/consequences of hybridization, highlighting potential drivers of human evolution in the context of hybridization including: influences on adaptive evolution, climate change, developmental systems, sex-differences in behavior, Haldane’s rule and the large X-effect, and transgressive phenotypic variation.
Reflections on the history and legacy of scientific racism in South African palaeoanthropology and beyond
(2018-09-10) Ackermann, Rebecca, Rogers
The history of scientific discovery is overwhelmingly told as a narrative of the lives and discoveries of a series of remarkable white men. Christa Kuljian’s real triumph in this book is that she reframes the narrative of palaeoanthropological discovery in South Africa as a tale of flawed men who succeed – through some combination of luck, skill, personality and perseverance – literally and figuratively on the backs of black bodies. That she tells this story with limited cynicism and anger is a testament to the author. This book takes a rich, personal, archivally-intensive and interview-based look at the history of palaeoanthropology that is uncommon in our field, focussing on a region of the world where the global context of racism and the eugenics movement in the 20th century was further compounded by state-sanctioned apartheid. It is a timely tale of racism and misogyny and how they shape scientists, the scientific enterprise, and narratives of human origins and evolution. Although a large portion of this book is historical, it brings the reader right up to the present, and contains themes that remain relevant today, in the age of #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, and other pertinent movements, and affect our field more generally. In this review, I will first provide a very brief summary of the book. I will then highlight what I believe are the book’s most salient themes that are relevant to biological anthropology today: racism in science, intersectionality, and the invalid (but still prevalent) idea that scientists and their work can be separated. Finally, I will consider current practice in palaeoanthropology, as well as various reviews of the book, in order to reflect on these issues.
Development of a Module to Teach Basic Concepts of Interfacing and Connectivity in Internet of Things
(2018-09-10) Ayodele, Obasegun, Tekena
This paper presents a basic laboratory training module aimed at helping undergraduate students understand the interfacing and connectivity issues involved in the Internet of things (IoT). The training module uses a sequential teaching approach to draft quasi-experiments for teaching basic IoT concepts. Interfacing includes identification, embedded sensing and embedded actuating while connectivity includes wireless connectivity and web/ mobile services. An IoT function (control and/or measurement) is first selected by users based on the physical variable of interest and the action to be carried out. The user will also select a connectivity option based on network types and transmission technologies available for communication between a sensor and/or an actuator and a gateway. The available connectivity options in this work are Bluetooth and RF. An interface is then setup based on the choices made using Arduino Pro Mini as microcontroller. Arduino Yun and a smartphone are the available gateway options depending on the connectivity option of the interface. When Bluetooth is the connectivity type on the interface, the smartphone is used as gateway while Arduino Yun serves as the gateway when RF is the connectivity option on the interface. The training module is accompanied with an instruction manual which contains instructions on the set ups and short notes on signals and systems, Analog to Digital Converters (ADC), Digital to Analog Converters (DAC), Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN), etc. The training module was tested with 100 randomly selected students. A few students had problems setting up the interface correctly. Coding the Arduino boards was a challenge for some of the students while a few others had challenges with creating sensor nodes. Choosing the correct connectivity type to match a gateway was the most challenging for the students.
Development of a Competitive and Collaborative Platform for Block Diagram and Resistive Circuit Reduction in a Basic Electrical Engineering Course
(2018-09-10) Ayodele, Obasegun, Tekena
Competition and collaboration are two universal ingredients in all human cultures. Competition has been observed over time as a phenomenon that has helped people achieve the very best of their potentials in their various fields. Competition has also helped individuals achieve feats they would not have ordinarily achieved as they are pushed beyond their limits. The same can also be said of cooperation and collaboration, which can be used to achieve specific goals or objectives. Hence, both competition and collaboration can be vital in creating a healthy learning process among students. This paper discusses a competitive and collaborative platform on the learning process for two selected online courses in Electrical Engineering. Using a platform developed in LabVIEW programming language, a community of students were encouraged to compete online as they try to reduce block diagrams of subsystems in Control Engineering as well as reduce given Series-Parallel Resistor Circuits in the shortest time and amount of steps possible. At the end of each trial, students can view the finish time of other students and can share, online, their individual solutions with the community as well as discuss ideas such as reduction techniques they find most expedient via a public online notepad. This creates a means of learning from the community. The platform helps to passively induce a competitive and collaborative perspective in the learning pathway of students, thereby improving the interest and experience of students in the selected subject areas. The platform uses an online server to maintain communications from all the students in their various locations. Students can view the timed performance of their counterparts on a leadership board thereby engendering induced competition in the learning community. The instructor or administrator can also monitor activities in the community from a server portal.
L'humain difforme vu autrement
(2018-09-11) Sahbatou, Redouane
Les cheminements de l’art de soigner à traversles temps, montrent combien la science actuelle est le fruitde «tâtonnements» face aux multiples équations en santé et à tout ce qui n’est pas communément admispar l’homme. Jadis, soucieux des phénomènes de santé touchant ses semblables, le guérisseurn’arrivait souvent pas à déterminer l’origine des maux ou à en fournir d’explications convaincantespour le commun des mortels. Ce dernier, c’est-à-dire «nous-mêmes»aujourd’hui, semble faire face aux mêmes craintes, à la même hantisequi défiaient ces ancêtres. Cette hantise se résume en la sempiternelle question de la survie face aux maladies, taraudantau quotidien l’esprit des générations successives quêtant des réponses et en apportant si peu. Pourtant ,d’innombrables énigmes relatives à la santé humaineont été démystifiées grâce aux avancées prodigieuses de la médecine et de la biologie du développement. Dans ce dynamique champ des progrès de la médecine, les affections malformatives dont la traçabilité remonte à la nuit des temps, constituent encore un phénomène de santé humaine générant de multiples interrogations. Quoi qu’actuellement structurées au mieux, notamment dans la compréhension de certains aspects génésiques, les mécanismes de la tératogenèse des anomalies du développement humain demeurent méconnusdans une proportion non négligeable. En ce XXIème siècle, l’homme «guérisseur» commence seulement à entrevoir et aborder autrement la prise en charge des complexités liées aux difformités touchant ses semblables.
Brane Solutions in Supergravity and the Near-Horizon Geometries
(2018-09-13) Adeifeoba, Ademola
This note represents a summary of a talk given at the 2018 Summer Mathematical Physics seminar, with focus on the physical and the mathematical concepts of the holography principle and large-N dualities. Here, we present an elementary overview of the p-brane solutions in supergravity, setting up a stage for a fairly broad topics on the AdS/CFT correspondence.
Il était une fois les "humains-monstres":Grains d'histoire d'un phénomène venu du fond des âges.
(2018-09-15) Sahbatou, Redouane
D’un point de vue historiographique, la traçabilité de l’étude des malformations congénitales est complexe. Les reconstitutions chronologiques sont difficiles car les données sont fragmentaires, éparses, se perdant dans les méandres même de l’histoire des civilisations et de l’art de soigner en ses débuts. L’empreinte de la mythologie dans tous ses contours et sa diversité a profondément marqué cette branche de la pathologie humaine qu’est la tératologie. En effet, les anomalies physiques humaines ont été pendant de longs siècles un sujet dont l’abord était teinté de multiples incompréhensions, d’appréhensions ou autres approches imaginatives et fabulistes. Le développement puis l’amalgame de cultures d’horizons divers ont contribués à complexifier la perception du phénomène. A travers les développements suivants, nous dessinerons la dynamique de diverses perceptions des difformités humaines à travers l’histoire. Nous citerons également les principales figures scientifiques du XVIIIème ou XIXème siècle qui, grâce à leurs travaux, ont été à l’origine des longs processus de transition conduisant à la naissance de la tératologie humaine. Le recueil et l’analyse de plusieurs sources documentaires d’histoire et publications sur le sujet ont été à la base de ce travail. Mots-Clés : Monstres-Difformités-Mythologie-Tératologie.

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