Humanitarian Architecture, from Ethics to Aesthetics

The thesis explores the field of humanitarian architecture within the context of extreme poverty through the design of a secondary school in Malawi, Africa. The role of an architect goes beyond developing the built environment of the western world. Humanitarian architecture fills the need for architects working beyond their typical unwritten borders. The introduction included here will explain the role of a humanitarian architect by expressing a common reason for designing and building in third world countries, with the values and limits of it being explored through the lens of ethics. Certain general facts about Malawi are included, regarding the realities of the existing school system and mapping and works as a definition of the current challenges that are being faced there. The site where the proposed secondary school will be located will be presented, showing the values and the unrivalled character of the place. A final, and crucial component of this thesis will focus on the design process of the school. It is a guide through the geographical background of the location and the overall concept and organization of the project. The technical issues, as a major challenge for designing in Malawi, are explored with regards to materiality, structural and construction techniques, water and sanitation, ecology, environmental and maintenance concerns. These are essential topics for development of a project located within such extreme poverty. All decisions have been made in order to reinforce the special character of the place, while considering the needs of the community and the realities of the project’s location. The final design proposal will be displayed through floor plans, sections, elevations and three-dimensional views and will defend the decisions made according to the completed analysis, with keeping in mind the rich unique aspect of the site

Analisis Pendapatan Usahatani Selada Air di Desa Popnam, Kecamatan Noemuti, Kabupaten Timor Tengah Utara

Desa Popnam adalah salah satu desa di kecamatan Noemuti, kabupaten TTU yang masyarakatnya mengembangkan usahatani selada air yang berjalan secara turun temurun karena wilayah ini memiliki kondisi alam yang mempunyai potensi sumber air dan lahan pertanian yang cocok untuk membudidayakan selada air. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui 1) gambaran umum usahatani selada air; 2) pendapatan yang diperoleh dari usahatani selada air; dan 3) keuntungan relatif yang diperoleh dari usahatani selada air di desa Popnam, kecamatan Noemuti, Kabupaten TTU. Penelitian dilaksanakan di desa Popnam, kecamatan Noemuti, Kabupaten TTU, pada bulan April sampai November 2017. Populasi berjumlah 342 KK dengan sampel berjumlah 50 petani yang ditentukan menggunakan metode purposive sampling. Untuk mengetahui gambaran umum usahatani selada maka digunakan metode analisis deskriptif kualitatif, untuk mengetahui pendapatan usahatani maka dilakukan analisis pendapatan sedangkan untuk mengetahui keuntungan relatif dari usahatani selada digunakan analisis R/C Rasio. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan Lahan usahatani yang digarap oleh petani adalah lahan milik sendiri dengan kisaran luas lahan bervariasi antara 3-15 are. Tahapan kegiatan usahatani dimulai dari persiapan lahan, persiapan bibit, penanaman, pemeliharaan (penyiangan, pemupukan dan pengendalian hama penyakit), panen dan pasca panen. Pendapatan usahatani selada air di desa Popnam adalah sebesar Rp201.724.000,00 dengan rata-rata pendapatan usahatani selada air sebesar Rp4.034.480,00. Nilai R/C Ratio sebesar 7,103. Artinya kegiatan usahatani selada air di desa Popnam menguntungkan secara ekonomis dan layak untuk dilanjutkan karena setiap biaya yang dikeluarkan sebesar Rp1,00 akan memberikan penerimaan sebesar Rp7,103,00

BcAtf1, a global regulator, controls various differentiation processes and phytotoxin production in Botrytis cinerea

Atf1-homologous basic region leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factors are known to act downstream of the stress-activated mitogen-activated protein kinase (SAPK) cascade in mammals, as well as in several fungi; they regulate the transcription of genes involved in the general stress response. Functional analyses of BcAtf1 in Botrytis cinerea show that it is also connected to the SAPK BcSak1, as it shares several stress response target genes. However, Dbcatf1 mutants are not hypersensitive to osmotic or oxidative stress, as are Dbcsak1 mutants. Both BcSak1 and BcAtf1 are regulators of differentiation, but their roles in these processes are almost inverse as, in contrast with Dbcsak1, Dbcatf1 mutants are significantly impaired in conidia production and do not differentiate any sclerotia. They show extremely vigorous growth in axenic culture, with a thick layer of aerial hyphae and a marked increase in colonization efficiency on different host plants and tissues. In addition, the sensitivity to cell wall-interfering agents is increased strongly. Microarray analyses demonstrate that the loss of BcAtf1 leads to extensive transcriptional changes: apart from stress response genes, the expression of a broad set of genes, probably involved in primary metabolism, cell wall synthesis and development, is affected by BcAtf1. Unexpectedly, BcAtf1 also controls secondary metabolism: the mutant contains significantly elevated levels of phytotoxins. These data indicate that BcAtf1 controls a diversity of cellular processes and has broad regulatory functions

Land-cover and climate factors contribute to the prevalence of the ectoparasitic fungus Laboulbenia formicarum in its invasive ant host Lasius neglectus

International audienceUnderstanding the distribution of parasites is crucial for biodiversity conservation. Here, we studied the distribution of the ectoparasitic fungus Laboulbenia formicarum in native and invasive Lasius ants in a 2000 km2 area. We screened over 16,000 ant workers in 478 colonies of five different species. We found that Lab. formicarum was rare in native Lasius species but infected 58% of the colonies of the invasive species Las. neglectus. At landscape scale, Lab. formicarum presence could not be explained by geographic and genetic distances between Las. neglectus colonies but was associated with hotter and dryer climatic conditions and its prevalence in colonies increased with urbanization. Within infected colonies, fungal prevalence varied from 0 to 100 percent within meters and was negatively correlated with impervious ground cover. In a changing world, our findings emphasize the importance of land-use and climatic factors in shaping the distribution and prevalence of fungal parasites

Natural Variation in the VELVET Gene bcvel1 Affects Virulence and Light-Dependent Differentiation in Botrytis cinerea

Botrytis cinerea is an aggressive plant pathogen causing gray mold disease on various plant species. In this study, we identified the genetic origin for significantly differing phenotypes of the two sequenced B. cinerea isolates, B05.10 and T4, with regard to light-dependent differentiation, oxalic acid (OA) formation and virulence. By conducting a map-based cloning approach we identified a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in an open reading frame encoding a VELVET gene (bcvel1). The SNP in isolate T4 results in a truncated protein that is predominantly found in the cytosol in contrast to the fulllength protein of isolate B05.10 that accumulates in the nuclei. Deletion of the full-length gene in B05.10 resulted in the T4 phenotype, namely light-independent conidiation, loss of sclerotial development and oxalic acid production, and reduced virulence on several host plants. These findings indicate that the identified SNP represents a loss-of-function mutation of bcvel1. In accordance, the expression of the B05.10 copy in T4 rescued the wild-type/B05.10 phenotype. BcVEL1 is crucial for full virulence as deletion mutants are significantly hampered in killing and decomposing plant tissues. However, the production of the two best known secondary metabolites, the phytotoxins botcinic acid and botrydial, are not affected by the deletion of bcvel1 indicating that other factors are responsible for reduced virulence. Genome-wide expression analyses of B05.10- and Dbcvel1-infected plant material revealed a number of genes differentially expressed in the mutant: while several protease- encoding genes are under-expressed in Dbcvel1 compared to the wild type, the group of over-expressed genes is enriched for genes encoding sugar, amino acid and ammonium transporters and glycoside hydrolases reflecting the response of Dbcvel1 mutants to nutrient starvation conditions

Faktor-Faktor yang Mempengaruhi Produksi dan Strategi Pengembangan Usahatani Bawang Putih di Kecamatan Miomaffo Barat, Kabupaten Timor Tengah Utara

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk 1) mendeskripsikan keragaan usahatani bawang putih; 2) menganalisis kandungan unsur metabolid sekunder; 3) menganalisis faktor-faktor yang berpengaruh terhadap produksi usahatani bawang putih; 4) menganalisis pendapatan yang dipeoleh petani dari usahatani bawang putih, dan; 5) mengetahui startegi pengembangan usahatani bawang putih. Metode yang dugunakan adalah survei dan eksperimen laboratorium. Analisa data menggunakan analisis FTIR dan GC-MS, Analisis Cobb Douglass, analisis pendapatan dan Analisis SWOT. Hasilnya keragaan usahatani meliputi pengolahan lahan, persiapan bibit, penanaman, pemeliharaan, panen, pasca panen dan pemasaran. Unsur metabolid sekunder yang terdapat dalam bawang putih adalah adsiri, faktor-faktor yang berpengaruh terhadap produksi antara lain lahan, benih, tenaga kerja, pengalaman, dan pendidikan. Pendapatan yang diperoleh sebesar 534.429.503/musim tanam. Strategi pengembangannya adalah 1) strategi SO : kekuatan yang dimiliki adalah letak lahan yang strategis, kerjasama dalam kelompok, iklim yang mendukung dan pengalaman dan peluangnya dukungan dari PEMDA, permintaan pasar yang selalu ada, eban merupakan sentral/pusat produksi bawang putih di wilayah TTU; 2) strategi WO : meningkatkan modal berusahatani bawang putih, kurang promosi, sistim pemasaran dan penguasaan teknik budidaya yang masih rendah; 3) Strategi ST : kekuatan yang ada adalah letak lahan memiliki sendiri, kerja sama dalam kelompok, iklim yang mendukung dan pengalaman yang telah dimiliki; 4) Strategi WT : meningkatkan modal yang di miliki petani untuk dapat bersaing deengan usahatani bawang putih sejenis lainnya dari luar daerah Eban dan meningkatkan promosi untuk jangkauan pemasaran yang lebih luas lagi

Influenza and SARS-coronavirus activating proteases TMPRSS2 and HAT are expressed at multiple sites in human respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts.

The type II transmembrane serine proteases TMPRSS2 and HAT activate influenza viruses and the SARS-coronavirus (TMPRSS2) in cell culture and may play an important role in viral spread and pathogenesis in the infected host. However, it is at present largely unclear to what extent these proteases are expressed in viral target cells in human tissues. Here, we show that both HAT and TMPRSS2 are coexpressed with 2,6-linked sialic acids, the major receptor determinant of human influenza viruses, throughout the human respiratory tract. Similarly, coexpression of ACE2, the SARS-coronavirus receptor, and TMPRSS2 was frequently found in the upper and lower aerodigestive tract, with the exception of the vocal folds, epiglottis and trachea. Finally, activation of influenza virus was conserved between human, avian and porcine TMPRSS2, suggesting that this protease might activate influenza virus in reservoir-, intermediate- and human hosts. In sum, our results show that TMPRSS2 and HAT are expressed by important influenza and SARS-coronavirus target cells and could thus support viral spread in the human host

The botrydial biosynthetic gene cluster of Botrytis cinerea displays a bipartite genomic structure and is positively regulated by the putative Zn(II)2Cys6 transcription factor BcBot6

Botrydial (BOT) is a non-host specific phytotoxin produced by the polyphagous phytopathogenic fungus Botrytis cinerea. The genomic region of the BOT biosynthetic gene cluster was investigated and revealed two additional genes named Bcbot6 and Bcbot7. Analysis revealed that the G + C/A + T-equilibrated regions that contain the Bcbot genes alternate with A + T-rich regions made of relics of transposable elements that have undergone repeat-induced point mutations (RIP). Furthermore, BcBot6, a Zn(II)2Cys6 putative transcription factor was identified as a nuclear protein and the major positive regulator of BOT biosynthesis. In addition, the phenotype of the DBcbot6 mutant indicated that BcBot6 and therefore BOT are dispensable for the development, pathogenicity and response to abiotic stresses in the B. cinerea strain B05.10. Finally, our data revealed that B. pseudocinerea, that is also polyphagous and lives in sympatry with B. cinerea, lacks the ability to produce BOT. Identification of BcBot6 as the major regulator of BOT synthesis is the first step towards a comprehensive understanding of the complete regulation network of BOT synthesis and of its ecological role in the B. cinerea life cycle