Introducing the Spatial Conflict Dynamics indicator of political violence

Modern armed conflicts have a tendency to cluster together and spread geographically. However, the geography of most conflicts remains under-studied. To fill this gap, this article presents a new indicator that measures two key geographical properties of subnational political violence: the conflict intensity within a region on the one hand, and the spatial distribution of conflict within a region on the other. We demonstrate the indicator in North and West Africa between 1997 to 2019 to show that it can clarify how conflicts can spread from place to place and how the geography of conflict changes over time

Ensuring sustainability via accessible transport systems for all in Accra and Kumasi

Africa is rapidly urbanising, and transport systems often cannot keep pace, leading to disconnected cities that might entrench car dependency (and preference), along with gender and socioeconomic inequality. In Ghana, transport emissions have risen 75% between 2000 to 2016, along with congestion, pollution and traffic accidents – despite attempts to quell the problem via bans on aged vehicles or more recently, penalties. This paper builds on prior work and argues that putting accessibility at the centre of transport systems will foster sustainability in these cities, yet such data is difficult to find, especially gender-sensitive mobility data. This paper uses a novel approach, combining qualitative and quantitative methods, to study the accessibility across genders in Kumasi and Accra and identify future scenarios for sustainable and accessible systems. This working paper presents preliminary findings

West Africa: the dynamics and trends of international migration

OECD countries receive a little less than half (97 million in 2000) of the world’s total migrants, of which 3.8 million are from Northern Africa and 1.2 million are from West Africa. West African migration is on the rise, due mainly to an increase in intra-regional mobility (7.5 million). Within the OECD, North America receives the most West African migrants, followed by Europe. This article explores further some current trends in West African migration and outlines some of the issues that could affect this migration in the future, including climate change and demographic concerns in Europe. A European-North African-West African dialogue is proposed to address these future issues and help promote more structured means of cooperation.

Biologie et écophysiologie des macrophytes

National audienceAquatic environments are subjected to high physical and chemical variations (water level, turbidity, temperature, light, salinity, nutrients). Hydrophytes respond to these variations by great both morphological and physiological plasticities, which allow them to adapt to heterogeneous environments, whether spatial or temporal. Assemblages of biological traits confer strategies of regeneration and colonisation, depending on the constraints or disruptions. Thus we show 1) that vegetative reproduction is especially prevalent among macrophytes, therefore facilitating the recolonization after disturbance, 2) Plasticity of biological traits is almost a rule among macrophytes, and is demonstrated in many species in response to hydraulic and trophic constraints and to disturbances by floods. Plants respond to variations in the trophic level by phosphorus accumulation, which depends on species, season and conditions of mineralization environment. Enzymatic activities are modified in the plant : this is the case of nitrate-reductase inhibited by ammonia nitrogen.Les milieux aquatiques sont sujets à de fortes variations physico-chimiques (niveau d'eau, turbidité, température, lumière, salinité, nutriments). Les hydrophytes y répondent par une grande plasticité aussi bien morphologique que physiologique, leur permettant ainsi de s'adapter à l'hétérogénéité des milieux, qu'elle soit spatiale ou temporelle. Des assemblages de traits biologiques leur confèrent des stratégies propres à certains milieux, en fonction des contraintes ou des perturbations. Ainsi nous montrons que 1) la reproduction végétative est particulièrement répandue chez les macrophytes, facilitant ainsi la recolonisation après une perturbation ; 2) la plasticité des traits biologiques est quasiment une règle chez les macrophytes ; elle est démontrée chez de nombreuses espèces en fonction des contraintes hydrauliques et trophiques et de perturbations par les crues entre autres. Par exemple, aux variations du niveau trophique, les plantes répondent par une accumulation du phosphore qui varie avec l'espèce, la saison et les conditions de minéralisation du milieu. Des activités enzymatiques sont modifiées chez la plante avec l'augmentation du niveau trophique : c'est le cas de la nitrate-réductase inhibée par l'azote ammoniacal

Ensuring sustainability via accessible transport systems for all in Accra and Kumasi

Africa is rapidly urbanising, and transport systems often cannot keep pace, leading to disconnected cities that might entrench car dependency (and preference), along with gender and socioeconomic inequality. In Ghana, transport emissions have risen 75% between 2000 to 2016, along with congestion, pollution and traffic accidents – despite attempts to quell the problem via bans on aged vehicles or more recently, penalties. This paper builds on prior work and argues that putting accessibility at the centre of transport systems will foster sustainability in these cities, yet such data is difficult to find, especially gender-sensitive mobility data. This paper uses a novel approach, combining qualitative and quantitative methods, to study the accessibility across genders in Kumasi and Accra and identify future scenarios for sustainable and accessible systems. This working paper presents preliminary findings

Varia

Le langage, l’espace public, la méthode, thèmes prégnants de ce numéro varia. La comparaison des classiques confucéens et des cosmogonies périphériques, telle celle des Hani dans la province du Yunnan, soulève d’abord la question des influences réciproques entre différentes constructions mythologiques que l’Empire du Milieu a mises en contact. L’analyse rhétorique vient ensuite éclairer les enjeux de la concurrence au salut des âmes que se livrent les voix catholiques, protestantes et musulmanes dans la Haute-Volta coloniale (aujourd’hui Burkina Faso). Les mots mêmes sont des êtres qui font agir au-delà du sens qu’ils véhiculent comme le rappelle l’examen d’un débat scolastique dans la chrétienté médiévale. Enfin, l’attention portée aux gestes, comme c’est le cas pour l’étude de certaines salutations cérémonielles au Brésil, met à jour leur force de lien. Dans une perspective de science politique, sont ensuite décrits le rôle joué par la philanthropie bouddhiste dans l’action sociale de la Chine contemporaine ainsi qu’en Italie l’émergence d’un islam national s’ancrant dans les collectivités locales. Deux réflexions de nature méthodologique et épistémologique ferment la marche : l’une sur la mesure quantitative des pratiques religieuses en Suisse; l’autre sur les limites de l’analogie religieuse dans l’approche de la célébrité publique. Un petit dossier thématique s’adjoint à cette livraison par un retour sur Thérèse de Lisieux comme figure littéraire (Theresiana). La jeune sainte carmélite fut-elle en effet une écrivaine, progressivement enfouie par le procès de sa sanctification ? Cette forte hypothèse, développée par Claude Langlois dans de nombreux ouvrages, est ici présentée, discutée et accompagnée par d’autres approches d’une expérience d’écriture féminine conventuelle à l’époque du Modernisme catholique

Timescale of radium and alkaline earth cations ascent in the trees: Use of isotopic (228Ra/226Ra) ratio

International audienceDue to its short-lived progeny, including gaseous radon isotopes that can be inhaled and its significant transfer into vegetation, radium poses a substantial concern in radiation risk assessment. Although the transfer of Ra from soil to plants has been previously documented, the distribution and speciation of radium within the plant tissues, particularly within trees, remain unclear. The temporal dimension of Ra transfer is also poorly known. Therefore, the transfer of radium and others alkaline earth cations in beech trees was investigated through the analysis of fine (<2 mm) roots and leaves corresponding to tree organs with a life cycle limited to one season. This study was conducted at the experimental Montiers (INRAE-Andra site, France) and Strengbach watershed (OHGE site, France) beech-forested site. The activity of 226Ra and the isotopic ratio (228Ra/226Ra) were measured in roots and leaves using gamma spectrometry. Additionally, the concentration of alkaline earth cations (Mg, Ca, Sr, and Ba) was measured, to better constraint the mechanism of alkaline earth cation transfer through the xylem. The retention of these cations within the trees increases with the mass of the element, following the order Mg < Ca < Sr ≈ Ba < Ra, i.e.: light alkaline earth cations are more efficiently transferred from roots to leaves than heavy one. Our results suggest that these cations maintain their hydration shell during their ascent in stems and a low pH ion-exchange process rather than a complexation process with carboxylic group occurs.The decay of the (228Ra/226Ra) isotopic ratio over time during transfer within the trees allows us to quantify the slow Ra translocation from roots to the leaves, ranging from 1 to more than 16 years. This duration increases with the age of the trees. Hence, radioactive decay of Ra provides particularly valuable timescale information that is usually difficult to assess for Ca or other alkaline earth cations

Les Visitandines à Rome au XIXe siècle

Il saggio vuol ricostruire le vicende del monastero della Visitazione di Roma nel difficile periodo delle soppressioni, della fine dello Stato pontificio e dell’applicazione delle leggi liberali anche a Roma. Oltre ai numerosi spostamenti di sede e alle ripetute soppressioni, si mette in luce l’evoluzione della fisionomia sociale e provenienza geografica delle monache, la loro rete di rapporti, la devozione al pontefice e la diffusione del culto del Sacro Cuore