Alejandro de la Sota’s modern villages: vernacular abstraction and surrealist modernity

Asked to implement General Franco’s ambitious “hydro-social dream” of modernization of the countryside, Falangist planners, engineers, and architects of the Instituto Nacional de Colonización (I.N.C.) developed a national strategy of “interior colonization” that, along with the reclamation of extensive regions, included the construction of302 modern pueblos between 1944 and 1970. Alejandro de la Sota (1913–1996) was one of the first five architects of the I.N.C. He designed Gimenells (1943), which set up the standards for the 1940s, and thenfour innovative villages: Esquivel (1952), Entrerríos (1954), Valuengoand La Bazana (1956). Based on research within the archives of the Fundación Alejandro de la Sota and the Ministry of Agriculture, this paper summarizes the modernity of his pueblos: the separation of traffic, the propagandistic concept of the open plaza, the volumetric abstraction ofthe vernacular house, and his ironic use (as understood by Ortega yGasset) of the Spanish classical. The research emphasizes how de la Sota transcended the functionalist elements of modernity in order to mobilize memories of the real and produce a “surreal” reality. In so doing,he reversed the fundamental reference to the countryside thatcharacterized Spanish surrealism to bring surrealism within the processof Franquist rural modernization

Monitoring selective logging intensities in central Africa with sentinel-1: A canopy disturbance experiment

peer reviewedForest degradation is a major threat to tropical forests, and effective monitoring using remotely sensed data is subject to significant challenges. In particular, consistent methods for detecting subtle changes in the forest canopy structure caused by selective logging are lacking. Here, using a unique dataset collected in southeastern Cameroon, covering over 22,000 ha of monthly harvesting areas, >6000 locations of harvested trees, and an independent canopy gap dataset developed from an uninhabited aerial vehicle flight (UAV; RGB camera) of approximately 1500 ha, a new method was designed to monitor canopy disturbance and logging intensity in Central Africa. Using Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data, the method was conceptualised using a twostep, two-scale approach, which better matched logging practices. First, (non-)harvesting activity areas were identified using textural indices at a spatial resolution of 300 m (step 1), and within these harvesting activity areas, canopy gaps were detected at a resolution of 10 m (step 2). Both steps were based on monthly differences in the Sentinel-1 SAR time series computed using the average of the 12 months preceding and the average of the three months following the month of interest. This method identified harvesting activity areas (step 1 at 300 m resolution) of over 12,004 km2 with high accuracy (omission and commission errors for both classes ≤0.05) and, within them, detected canopy gaps (step 2 at 10 m resolution) with a global accuracy of 0.89. Although some canopy gaps were subject to omission and commission errors (0.39 and 0.05, respectively), this method yielded better results than other available approaches. Compared to the UAV canopy gaps, this method detected most of the small gaps (≤ 500 m2), which represent 80% of all disturbed areas, whereas other available approaches missed at least 70% of these and consequently missed most of the disturbance events occurring in a selectively logged forest. Furthermore, the predictions were correlated with logging intensity, i.e., the number of trees and volume cut per hectare, which are two important criteria for assessing the sustainability of logging activities. This two-step two-scale method for short-term, monthly monitoring of logging disturbances and intensity has strong practical implications for forest administration and certification bodies in Central Africa.15. Life on land13. Climate action9. Industry, innovation and infrastructur

Gender Specificities in Sleep Disturbances following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Preliminary Study

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Identification of Genes Differentially Expressed in Response to Cold in Pisum sativum Using RNA Sequencing Analyses

International audienceLow temperature stress affects growth and development in pea (Pisum sativum L.) and decreases yield. In this study, RNA sequencing time series analyses performed on lines, Champagne frost-tolerant and Térèse frost-sensitive, during a low temperature treatment versus a control condition, led us to identify 4981 differentially expressed genes. Thanks to our experimental design and statistical analyses, we were able to classify these genes into three sets. The first one was composed of 2487 genes that could be related to the constitutive differences between the two lines and were not regulated during cold treatment. The second gathered 1403 genes that could be related to the chilling response. The third set contained 1091 genes, including genes that could be related to freezing tolerance. The identification of differentially expressed genes related to cold, oxidative stress, and dehydration responses, including some transcription factors and kinases, confirmed the soundness of our analyses. In addition, we identified about one hundred genes, whose expression has not yet been linked to cold stress. Overall, our findings showed that both lines have different characteristics for their cold response (chilling response and/or freezing tolerance), as more than 90% of differentially expressed genes were specific to each of them

Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on physical activity of individuals with a spinal cord injury in Belgium: observational study.

The letter reports an observational study, which our group has undertaken, to evaluate the effect of the Covid-19 lockdown among individuals with a spinal cord injury in Belgium. The primary focus of the study was the impact of the lockdown on physical activity levels, as the literature shows that individuals with a physical disability, such as spinal cord injury, particularly benefit from physical activity. The report was written in accordance to the STROBE guidelines

How Tightly Linked Are Pericopsis elata (Fabaceae) Patches to Anthropogenic Disturbances in Southeastern Cameroon?

peer reviewedWhile most past studies have emphasized the relationships between specific forest stands and edaphic factors, recent observations in Central African moist forests suggested that an increase of slash-and-burn agriculture since 3000–2000 BP (Before Present) could be the main driver of the persistence of light-demanding tree species. In order to examine anthropogenic factors in the persistence of such populations, our study focused on Pericopsis elata, an endangered clustered timber species. We used a multidisciplinary approach comprised of botanical, anthracological and archaeobotanical investigations to compare P. elata patches with surrounding stands of mixed forest vegetation (“out-zones”). Charcoal samples were found in both zones, but were significantly more abundant in the soils of patches. Eleven groups of taxa were identified from the charcoals, most of them also present in the current vegetation. Potsherds were detected only inside P. elata patches and at different soil depths, suggesting a long human presence from at least 2150 to 195 BP, as revealed by our charcoal radiocarbon dating. We conclude that current P. elata patches most likely result from shifting cultivation that occurred ca. two centuries ago. The implications of our findings for the dynamics and management of light-demanding tree species are discussed

Large-scale functional RNAi screen in C. elegans identifies genes that regulate the dysfunction of mutant polyglutamine neurons

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A central goal in Huntington's disease (HD) research is to identify and prioritize candidate targets for neuroprotective intervention, which requires genome-scale information on the modifiers of early-stage neuron injury in HD.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here, we performed a large-scale RNA interference screen in <it>C. elegans </it>strains that express N-terminal huntingtin (htt) in touch receptor neurons. These neurons control the response to light touch. Their function is strongly impaired by expanded polyglutamines (128Q) as shown by the nearly complete loss of touch response in adult animals, providing an <it>in vivo </it>model in which to manipulate the early phases of expanded-polyQ neurotoxicity. In total, 6034 genes were examined, revealing 662 gene inactivations that either reduce or aggravate defective touch response in 128Q animals. Several genes were previously implicated in HD or neurodegenerative disease, suggesting that this screen has effectively identified candidate targets for HD. Network-based analysis emphasized a subset of high-confidence modifier genes in pathways of interest in HD including metabolic, neurodevelopmental and pro-survival pathways. Finally, 49 modifiers of 128Q-neuron dysfunction that are dysregulated in the striatum of either R/2 or CHL2 HD mice, or both, were identified.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Collectively, these results highlight the relevance to HD pathogenesis, providing novel information on the potential therapeutic targets for neuroprotection in HD.</p

Processing of functional fine scale ceramic structures by ink-jet printing

International audienceThis review illustrates the potentiality of ink-jet printing for the fabrication of functional fine scale ceramic structures corresponding to two different kinds of micro-pillar arrays i.e. (i) PZT skeletons, etc..

Neuilly-sur-Marne – La Haute Île

Le lieu-dit « la Haute Île », à Neuilly-sur-Marne, occupe, sur 70 ha, l’une des dernières grandes boucles de la Marne avant sa confluence avec la Seine. Il s’agit d’une très basse terrasse de la rivière constituée de sédiments sabla-graveleux et culminant à 38 m NGF (3,5 m au-dessus du niveau moyen de la Marne). Ces terrains servaient de domaine agricole à la ferme thérapeutique dépendant de l’hôpital psychiatrique de Ville-Evrard. Le département de Seine-Saint-Denis les a acquis il y a une q..