L'arachide au Sénégal : un moteur en panne

L'arachide, qui a été le moteur du développement de l'économie sénégalaise jusqu'au milieu des années 1970, en fournissant la majeure partie des revenus en milieu rural et en assurant 80 % des exportations, a connu un recul important cette dernière décennie. Cette crise rappelle celle qu'ont connue les pays voisins, il y a une vingtaine d'années, et qui a conduit à la disparition de cette culture. Inquiet de cette situation, le gouvernement du Sénégal a demandé à une équipe du Cirad de déterminer les raisons de la désaffection des paysans envers l'arachide, afin de pouvoir y remédier et relancer la production. Cet ouvrage est le résultat des travaux de cette équipe. Il montre que, contrairement aux idées selon lesquelles la crise de l'arachide serait principalement une crise de l'approvisionnement des huileries, avec un repli des producteurs sur le marché informel, on assiste à une 'grève' des producteurs. Par une méthodologie originale de recensement, les auteurs démontrent que la production a été longtemps surestimée. L'enquête auprès des producteurs explique la chute des rendements par la dégradation des facteurs de production (baisse de la fertilité des sols, diminution de la qualité des semences), par la disparition des services agricoles, par une politique du prix d'achat de l'arachide qui décourage les producteurs. Relancer la production de l'arachide ne suffit plus, il faut aussi prendre en compte les potentialités agricoles du pays, chercher à mieux valoriser les autres productions et tracer une politique d'appui en milieu paysan

Turning to God in the Face of Ostracism: Effects of Social Exclusion on Religiousness

The present research proposes that individuals who are socially excluded can turn to religion to cope with the experience. Empirical studies conducted to test this hypothesis consistently found that socially excluded persons reported (a) significantly higher levels of religious affiliation (Studies 1, 2, and 4) and (b) stronger intentions to engage in religious behaviors (Study 2) than comparable, nonexcluded individuals. Direct support for the stress-buffering function of religiousness was also found, with a religious prime reducing the aggression-eliciting effects of consequent social rejection (Study 5). These effects were observed in both Christian and Muslim samples, revealing that turning to religion can be a powerful coping response when dealing with social rejection. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed

First Colonization of a Spectral Outpost in Random Matrix Theory

We describe the distribution of the first finite number of eigenvalues in a newly-forming band of the spectrum of the random Hermitean matrix model. The method is rigorously based on the Riemann-Hilbert analysis of the corresponding orthogonal polynomials. We provide an analysis with an error term of order N^(-2 h) where 1/h = 2 nu+2 is the exponent of non-regularity of the effective potential, thus improving even in the usual case the analysis of the pertinent literature. The behavior of the first finite number of zeroes (eigenvalues) appearing in the new band is analyzed and connected with the location of the zeroes of certain Freud polynomials. In general all these newborn zeroes approach the point of nonregularity at the rate N^(-h) whereas one (a stray zero) lags behind at a slower rate of approach. The kernels for the correlator functions in the scaling coordinate near the emerging band are provided together with the subleading term: in particular the transition between K and K+1 eigenvalues is analyzed in detail.Comment: 32 pages, 8 figures (typo corrected in Formula 4.13); some reference added and minor correction

Recognising Desire: A psychosocial approach to understanding education policy implementation and effect

It is argued that in order to understand the ways in which teachers experience their work - including the idiosyncratic ways in which they respond to and implement mandated education policy - it is necessary to take account both of sociological and of psychological issues. The paper draws on original research with practising and beginning teachers, and on theories of social and psychic induction, to illustrate the potential benefits of this bipartisan approach for both teachers and researchers. Recognising the significance of (but somewhat arbitrary distinction between) structure and agency in teachers’ practical and ideological positionings, it is suggested that teachers’ responses to local and central policy changes are governed by a mix of pragmatism, social determinism and often hidden desires. It is the often underacknowledged strength of desire that may tip teachers into accepting and implementing policies with which they are not ideologically comfortable

On the moment limit of quantum observables, with an application to the balanced homodyne detection

We consider the moment operators of the observable (i.e. a semispectral measure or POM) associated with the balanced homodyne detection statistics, with paying attention to the correct domains of these unbounded operators. We show that the high amplitude limit, when performed on the moment operators, actually determines uniquely the entire statistics of a rotated quadrature amplitude of the signal field, thereby verifying the usual assumption that the homodyne detection achieves a measurement of that observable. We also consider, in a general setting, the possibility of constructing a measurement of a single quantum observable from a sequence of observables by taking the limit on the level of moment operators of these observables. In this context, we show that under some natural conditions (each of which is satisfied by the homodyne detector example), the existence of the moment limits ensures that the underlying probability measures converge weakly to the probability measure of the limiting observable. The moment approach naturally requires that the observables be determined by their moment operator sequences (which does not automatically happen), and it turns out, in particular, that this is the case for the balanced homodyne detector.Comment: 22 pages, no figure

Multipartite Entanglement and Frustration

Some features of the global entanglement of a composed quantum system can be quantified in terms of the purity of a balanced bipartition, made up of half of its subsystems. For the given bipartition, purity can always be minimized by taking a suitable (pure) state. When many bipartitions are considered, the requirement that purity be minimal for all bipartitions can engender conflicts and frustration arises. This unearths an interesting link between frustration and multipartite entanglement, defined as the average purity over all (balanced) bipartitions.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figure

Semi-classical Laguerre polynomials and a third order discrete integrable equation

A semi-discrete Lax pair formed from the differential system and recurrence relation for semi-classical orthogonal polynomials, leads to a discrete integrable equation for a specific semi-classical orthogonal polynomial weight. The main example we use is a semi-classical Laguerre weight to derive a third order difference equation with a corresponding Lax pair.Comment: 11 page

Interactional positioning and narrative self-construction in the first session of psychodynamic-interpersonal psychotherapy

The purpose of this study is to identify possible session one indicators of end of treatment psychotherapy outcome using the framework of three types of interactional positioning; client’s self-positioning, client’s positioning between narrated self and different partners, and the positioning between client and therapist. Three successful cases of 8-session psychodynamic-interpersonal (PI) therapy were selected on the basis of client Beck Depression Inventory scores. One unsuccessful case was also selected against which identified patterns could be tested. The successful clients were more descriptive about their problems and demonstrated active rapport-building, while the therapist used positionings expressed by the client in order to explore the positionings developed between them during therapy. The unsuccessful case was characterized by lack of positive self-comment, minimization of agentic self-capacity, and empathy-disrupting narrative confusions. We conclude that the theory of interactional positioning has been useful in identifying patterns worth exploring as early indicators of success in PI therapy

'Throughout my life I've had people walk all over me': trauma in the lives of violent men

In this article we present original qualitative data gathered during prolonged ethnographic fieldwork with violent men in deindustrialised communities in the north of England. We use the data as an empirical platform for a theoretical exploration of the symbolism and subjectivising influences of traumatic life experiences in these men’s biographies. We conclude by making the tentative suggestion that there is a complex and mediated causal link between traumatic experience and a deep subjective commitment to aggression and violence in adulthood