L’immobilier residentiel : principal moteur de la fabrique urbaine de Ho Chi Minh Ville

À partir du cas de l’aménagement du district 2 et de la Nouvelle Zone Urbaine de Thủ Thiêm cet article explore le contexte au sein duquel prend place l’accroissement du rôle des acteurs privés de la promotion immobilière dans la production métropolitaine de Ho Chi Minh Ville et ses effets sur la fabrique des nouveaux territoires urbains. Alors que le marché immobilier résidentiel de la métropole du sud du Vietnam est l’un des plus dynamiques en Asie du Sud-Est, les pouvoirs publics s’appuient sur les acteurs de ce secteur afin de produire les infrastructures nécessaires au développement territorial et économique de la métropole. Malgré la mise en place de garde-fous, des dérives apparaissent et participent à la dilapidation d’actifs publics dont la vente est supposée financer l’urbanisation en cours.Using the case of the district 2 and Thủ Thiêm New Urban Area, this article explores the growing importance of private property developers in Ho Chi Minh City and its effects on the production of new urban territories. While the residential property market of Ho Chi Minh City is among the most dynamic in Southeast Asia, the local government relies on private developers and investors to produce the infrastructure needed by the metropolis and to ensure its economic and territorial growth. Despite existing safeguards, official rules and regulations are bypassed, contributing to the dilapidation of public assets meant to finance the ongoing urbanization

The Generalized Finite Volume SUSHI Scheme for the Discretization of Richards Equation

International audienceIn this article, we apply the generalized finite volume method SUSHI to the dis-cretization of Richards equation, an elliptic-parabolic equation modeling groundwater flow, where the diffusion term can be anisotropic and heterogeneous. This class of locally conservative methods can be applied to a wide range of unstructured possibly non-matching polyhedral meshes in arbitrary space dimension. As is needed for Richards equation, the time discretization is fully implicit. We obtain a convergence result based upon a priori estimates and the application of the Fréchet-Kolmogorov compactness theorem. We implement the scheme and present numerical tests

Adjacent Functional Group Effects on the Assembly of Columnar Liquid Crystals

Although the impact of individual functional groups on the self-assembly of columnar liquid crystal phases has been widely studied, the effect of varying multiple substituents has received much less attention. Herein, we report a series of dibenzo[a,c]phenazines containing an alcohol or ether adjacent to an electron-withdrawing ester or acid. With one exception, these difunctional mesogens form columnar phases. The phase behavior appeared to be dominated by the electron-withdrawing substituent; transition temperatures were similar to derivatives with these groups in isolation. In most instances, the addition of an electron-donating group ortho to an ester or acid suppressed the melting temperature and elevated the clearing temperature, leading to broader liquid crystal thermal ranges. This effect was more pronounced for derivatives functionalized with longer chain hexyloxy groups. These results suggest a potential strategy for controlling the phase ranges of columnar liquid crystals and achieving room temperature mesophases

The radiosensitising effect of gemcitabine and its main metabolite dFdU under low oxygen conditions is in vitro not dependent on functional HIF-1 protein.

BACKGROUND: Regions within solid tumours often experience oxygen deprivation, which is associated with resistance to chemotherapy and irradiation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the radiosensitising effect of gemcitabine and its main metabolite dFdU under normoxia versus hypoxia and to determine whether hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is involved in the radiosensitising mechanism. METHODS: Stable expression of dominant negative HIF-1α (dnHIF) in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, that ablated endogenous HIF-1 transcriptional activity, was validated by western blot and functionality was assessed by HIF-1α activity assay. Cells were exposed to varying oxygen environments and treated with gemcitabine or dFdU for 24 h, followed by irradiation. Clonogenicity was then assessed. Using radiosensitising conditions, cells were collected for cell cycle analysis. RESULTS: HIF-1 activity was significantly inhibited in cells stably expressing dnHIF. A clear radiosensitising effect under normoxia and hypoxia was observed for both gemcitabine and dFdU. No significant difference in radiobiological parameters between HIF-1 proficient and HIF-1 deficient MDA-MB-231 cells was demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, radiosensitisation by dFdU, the main metabolite of gemcitabine, was demonstrated under low oxygen conditions. No major role for functional HIF-1 protein in radiosensitisation by gemcitabine or dFdU could be shown

The radiosensitising effect of gemcitabine and its main metabolite dFdU under low oxygen conditions is in vitro not dependent on functional HIF-1 protein.

BACKGROUND: Regions within solid tumours often experience oxygen deprivation, which is associated with resistance to chemotherapy and irradiation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the radiosensitising effect of gemcitabine and its main metabolite dFdU under normoxia versus hypoxia and to determine whether hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is involved in the radiosensitising mechanism. METHODS: Stable expression of dominant negative HIF-1α (dnHIF) in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, that ablated endogenous HIF-1 transcriptional activity, was validated by western blot and functionality was assessed by HIF-1α activity assay. Cells were exposed to varying oxygen environments and treated with gemcitabine or dFdU for 24 h, followed by irradiation. Clonogenicity was then assessed. Using radiosensitising conditions, cells were collected for cell cycle analysis. RESULTS: HIF-1 activity was significantly inhibited in cells stably expressing dnHIF. A clear radiosensitising effect under normoxia and hypoxia was observed for both gemcitabine and dFdU. No significant difference in radiobiological parameters between HIF-1 proficient and HIF-1 deficient MDA-MB-231 cells was demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, radiosensitisation by dFdU, the main metabolite of gemcitabine, was demonstrated under low oxygen conditions. No major role for functional HIF-1 protein in radiosensitisation by gemcitabine or dFdU could be shown

System-level factors influencing refugee women's access and utilization of sexual and reproductive health services: A qualitative study of providers’ perspectives

Refugee women have poor outcomes and low utilization of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, which may be driven by access to and quality of SRH services at their resettled destinations. While healthcare providers offer valuable insights into these topics, little research has explored United States (U.S.) providers' experiences. To fill this literature gap, we investigate U.S. providers' perspectives of healthcare system-related factors influencing refugee women's access and utilization of SRH services. Between July and December 2019, we conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 17 providers serving refugee women in metropolitan Atlanta in the state of Georgia (United States). We used convenience and snowball sampling for recruitment. We inquired about system-related resources, facilitators, and barriers influencing SRH services access and utilization. Two coders analyzed the data using a qualitative thematic approach. We found that transportation availability was crucial to refugee women's SRH services access. Providers noted a tension between refugee women's preferred usage of informal interpretation assistance (e.g., family and friends) and healthcare providers’ desire for more formal interpretation services. Providers reported a lack of funding and human resources to offer comprehensive SRH services as well as several challenges with using a referral system for women to get SRH care in other systems. Culturally and linguistically-concordant patient navigators were successful at helping refugee women navigate the healthcare system and addressing language barriers. We discussed implications for future research and practice to improve refugee women's SRH care access and utilization. In particular, our findings underscore multilevel constraints of clinics providing SRH care to refugee women and highlight the importance of transportation services and acceptable interpretation services. While understudied, the use of patient navigators holds potential for increasing refugee women's SRH care access and utilization. Patient navigation can both effectively address language-related challenges for refugee women and help them navigate the healthcare system for SRH. Future research should explore organizational and external factors that can facilitate or hinder the implementation of patient navigators for refugee women's SRH care

A community assessment to inform a multi-level intervention to reduce CVD risk and risk disparities in a rural community

In order to complete a formative evaluation to identify community-level assets and barriers to healthy lifestyle choices, we conducted qualitative interviews, community audits, and secondary data analyses. We solicited local leaders’ perspectives regarding ‘win-ability’ of obesity prevention policy options. Participants noted that many resources were available, yet a barrier was high cost. There were more parks per capita in low-income areas, but they were of lower quality. The most winnable obesity prevention policy was incentives for use of food from local farms. Results are being used to inform an intervention to reduce CVD risk in a rural eastern North Carolina

Unveiling fungal community structure along different levels of anthropic disturbance in a South American subtropical lagoon

Studies of fungal communities through amplicon metagenomics in aquatic environments, particularly in freshwater ecosystems, are still relatively recent. Unfortunately, many of these water bodies are facing growing threats from human expansion, such as effluent discharge from various human activities. As a result, these effluents have the potential to significantly alter the characteristics of water bodies and, subsequently, impact the diversity of their resident microorganisms. In this context, our objective was to investigate whether the fungal community structure varies according to the presence of different anthropic disturbances. We expect (i) the diversity of fungi will be greater and (ii) more specific unique operational taxonomic units (OTUs) related to each ecotonal system will be found compared to other sites of a lagoon. The study was conducted in the Tramandaí Lagoon (subtropical southern Brazil) at four distinct sampling points (estuary, middle of the lagoon, crop field area, and near a residential area where the Tramandaí River flows into the lagoon). As expected, the estuary and residential zones, which are ecotones, exhibited greater fungal diversity and more specific OTUs compared to the middle of the lagoon and crop field area. Moreover, a substantial proportion of fungal taxa could not be identified at the genus level, with many only classified at the phylum level, indicating potential new lineages. These findings underscore our limited understanding of the subtropical freshwater mycobiota

Role of Matrix Metalloproteinase 13 in Both Endochondral and Intramembranous Ossification during Skeletal Regeneration

Extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling is important during bone development and repair. Because matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP13, collagenase-3) plays a role in long bone development, we have examined its role during adult skeletal repair. In this study we find that MMP13 is expressed by hypertrophic chondrocytes and osteoblasts in the fracture callus. We demonstrate that MMP13 is required for proper resorption of hypertrophic cartilage and for normal bone remodeling during non-stabilized fracture healing, which occurs via endochondral ossification. However, no difference in callus strength was detected in the absence of MMP13. Transplant of wild-type bone marrow, which reconstitutes cells only of the hematopoietic lineage, did not rescue the endochondral repair defect, indicating that impaired healing in Mmp13−/− mice is intrinsic to cartilage and bone. Mmp13−/− mice also exhibited altered bone remodeling during healing of stabilized fractures and cortical defects via intramembranous ossification. This indicates that the bone phenotype occurs independently from the cartilage phenotype. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that MMP13 is involved in normal remodeling of bone and cartilage during adult skeletal repair, and that MMP13 may act directly in the initial stages of ECM degradation in these tissues prior to invasion of blood vessels and osteoclasts

Expert range maps of global mammal distributions harmonised to three taxonomic authorities

AimComprehensive, global information on species' occurrences is an essential biodiversity variable and central to a range of applications in ecology, evolution, biogeography and conservation. Expert range maps often represent a species' only available distributional information and play an increasing role in conservation assessments and macroecology. We provide global range maps for the native ranges of all extant mammal species harmonised to the taxonomy of the Mammal Diversity Database (MDD) mobilised from two sources, the Handbook of the Mammals of the World (HMW) and the Illustrated Checklist of the Mammals of the World (CMW).LocationGlobal.TaxonAll extant mammal species.MethodsRange maps were digitally interpreted, georeferenced, error-checked and subsequently taxonomically aligned between the HMW (6253 species), the CMW (6431 species) and the MDD taxonomies (6362 species).ResultsRange maps can be evaluated and visualised in an online map browser at Map of Life (mol.org) and accessed for individual or batch download for non-commercial use.Main conclusionExpert maps of species' global distributions are limited in their spatial detail and temporal specificity, but form a useful basis for broad-scale characterizations and model-based integration with other data. We provide georeferenced range maps for the native ranges of all extant mammal species as shapefiles, with species-level metadata and source information packaged together in geodatabase format. Across the three taxonomic sources our maps entail, there are 1784 taxonomic name differences compared to the maps currently available on the IUCN Red List website. The expert maps provided here are harmonised to the MDD taxonomic authority and linked to a community of online tools that will enable transparent future updates and version control