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Background Digitaria exilis , white fonio, is a minor but vital crop of West Africa that is valued for its resilience in hot, dry, and low-fertility environments and for the exceptional quality of its grain for human nutrition. Its success is hindered, however, by a low degree of plant breeding and improvement. Findings We sequenced the fonio genome with long-read SMRT-cell technology, yielding a ∼761 Mb assembly in 3,329 contigs (N50, 1.73 Mb; L50, 126). The assembly approaches a high level of completion, with a BUSCO score of >99%. The fonio genome was found to be a tetraploid, with most of the genome retained as homoeologous duplications that differ overall by ∼4.3%, neglecting indels. The 2 genomes within fonio were found to have begun their independent divergence ∼3.1 million years ago. The repeat content (>49%) is fairly standard for a grass genome of this size, but the ratio of Gypsy to Copia long terminal repeat retrotransposons (∼6.7) was found to be exceptionally high. Several genes related to future improvement of the crop were identified including shattering, plant height, and grain size. Analysis of fonio population genetics, primarily in Mali, indicated that the crop has extensive genetic diversity that is largely partitioned across a north-south gradient coinciding with the Sahel and Sudan grassland domains. Conclusions We provide a high-quality assembly, annotation, and diversity analysis for a vital African crop. The availability of this information should empower future research into further domestication and improvement of fonio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Community health centers are an important component of the health system in Mali. Despite the adhesion of the populations and the commitment of the authorities, many things must be done to improve the quality of care provided in those structures. Objectives: The study aimed to know the patients' utilization and perception of the curative care in the community health centers of Bamako and the physicians' satisfaction of their work condition and perspective in the community health sector. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in nine community health centers of Bamako in 2008. A total of 270 patients were interviewed through a face-to-face interview. Thirteen physicians took a self-administrated questionnaire relating to their material and financial conditions and their plan for the future. Results: The sample was characterized by the low literacy (32.6%) and socio-economic level (15.9% of steady income).139 patients claimed the nearness as the reason of the choice of the health center whereas only 51 claimed the health staff skill. The women felt more satisfied than men (P=0.005) and illiterates felt more satisfied than bachelors and beyond (P=0.034). The patients claimed the reduction of waiting time, the improvement of information and the creation of news services. 30.80% of physicians were satisfied from their material and financial conditions, 38.46% were motivated and 76.92% planned to leave their health center. Conclusion: Although a high level of satisfaction regarding the provided service was observed, user reported some shortage in the quality of care and claimed a widening of CSCom capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]