Urbanisation and urban expansion in Nigeria

Nigeria’s urban population has increased rapidly over the past 50 years and will continue to grow relatively fast in the coming decades, although how fast is a matter of some dispute. Nigeria’s urban population will nonetheless likely double within the next 30 years, possibly much sooner. The growth of Nigeria’s urban population in both absolute and relative terms has been accompanied by the expansion of existing built-up areas and the emergence of new and identifiably ‘urban’ settlements. This report analyses urbanisation and urban expansion in Nigeria, portraying the dynamics and drivers of urban population growth and the spatial expansion process. The report serves as a detailed ‘baseline’ report for the urban change processes theme of the Urbanisation Research Nigeria (URN) programme – and as a foundation for the later, targeted and more detailed research

Heights on curves and limits of Hodge structures

We exhibit a precise connection between Néron–Tate heights on smooth curves and biextension heights of limit mixed Hodge structures associated to smoothing deformations of singular quotient curves. Our approach suggests a new way to compute Beilinson–Bloch heights in higher dimensions

CA-GAN: Weakly Supervised Color Aware GAN for Controllable Makeup Transfer

While existing makeup style transfer models perform an image synthesis whose results cannot be explicitly controlled, the ability to modify makeup color continuously is a desirable property for virtual try-on applications. We propose a new formulation for the makeup style transfer task, with the objective to learn a color controllable makeup style synthesis. We introduce CA-GAN, a generative model that learns to modify the color of specific objects (e.g. lips or eyes) in the image to an arbitrary target color while preserving background. Since color labels are rare and costly to acquire, our method leverages weakly supervised learning for conditional GANs. This enables to learn a controllable synthesis of complex objects, and only requires a weak proxy of the image attribute that we desire to modify. Finally, we present for the first time a quantitative analysis of makeup style transfer and color control performance

Invisible et indicible dans Cría Cuervos (1975) de Carlos Saura

Dans le film Cría Cuervos (1975) de Carlos Saura, la musique qui intervient très peu d’un point de vue quantitatif tient cependant un rôle primordial au sein de la narration cinématographique. Parmi les trois morceaux de répertoire qui constituent l’unique matière musicale du film, une chanson, Porque te vas, composée par José Luis Perales et interprétée par Jeanette, imprègne l’œuvre de ses quatre occurrences. Cette mélodie remplit de multiples fonctions narratives et esthétiques dans son rapport à l’image qui permettent de mettre au jour différentes « strates » invisibles dans le récit filmique. Elle révèle l’intériorité d’Ana, la jeune protagoniste, qui est incapable de formuler ses sentiments refoulés. Par ailleurs, les citations de la chanson créent un parcours narratif particulier au sein de l’œuvre, invisible à première vue, qui permet de mettre en place un récit second constitué par les différentes séquences que « balise » la musique. Enfin, la chanson permet de révéler le point de vue dissimulé de l’énonciateur filmique qui est dévoilé par la toute dernière occurrence extradiégétique.En la película Cría Cuervos (1975) de Carlos Saura, la música que interviene muy poco desde un punto de vista cuantitativo representa sin embargo un papel central en la narración cinematográfica. Entre las tres obras de repertorio que constituyen la única música de la película, una canción, Porque te vas, compuesta por José Luis Perales e interpretada por Jeanette, impregna la obra con sus cuatro ocurrencias. Esta melodía cumple múltiples funciones narrativas y estéticas en su relación con la imagen, unas funciones que descubren distintos “estratos” invisibles en el relato fílmico. La canción revela la interioridad de Ana, la joven protagonista, que es incapaz de formular sus sentimientos reprimidos. Por otra parte, las difusiones de la canción crean un recorrido narrativo particular en la obra, invisible a primera vista y que la música desvela. Por fin, Porque te vas permite la revelación del punto de vista disimulado del enunciador fílmico, que se descubre en la última ocurrencia extradiegética

Théorie et pratique de la musique vocale au cinéma : L'oeuvre de Carlos Saura

The purpose of this thesis is the study of the aesthetic and narrative function of vocal music in the non musical work of fiction of the Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura. The role of vocal music in his films is indeed of central importance and not largely studied. In the first part we have analyzed the evolution of the use of music in works done during the half of the century, which embraced the filmography of the Aragonese filmmaker. We have also been able to put very prominently, a strong authorial affirmation by means of a restricted control of musical choices and different collaborations with composers of original music. The characterization of songs text used, enabled us to identify a corpus of twenty-two vocal works, which constituted the core of our study. In the second part, we studied the specific role of vocal music through its influence on the order, the time and space of the narrative. Vocal works can, in effect, constitute a spatial transition and temporal tool functioning as an analepsis or a prolepsis or again being considered as a narrative level on its own. In the third part, we viewed vocal music from an angle of quotation and a viewpoint which enables to reveal: that of the characters first. Subsequently, considering vocal music in its transtextual dimension, we have studied the universalizing and external viewpoint that it vehicles. Finally, we have noticed that vocal songs can also reveal the intention of the filmic enunciator.L’objet de cette thèse est l’étude de la fonction narrative et esthétique de la musique vocale dans l’œuvre de fiction non musicale du cinéaste espagnol Carlos Saura. Le rôle de la musique vocale dans ses films est en effet central et peu étudié. Dans une première partie nous avons analysé l’évolution de l’utilisation de la musique dans l’œuvre au cours du demi-siècle qu’embrasse la filmographie du réalisateur aragonais. Nous avons ainsi pu mettre en évidence une forte affirmation auctoriale par le biais d’un contrôle étroit des choix musicaux et des collaborations avec les compositeurs de musique originale. La caractérisation des morceaux à texte utilisés nous a permis de dégager un corpus de vingt-deux œuvres vocales qui ont constitué le cœur de notre étude. Par la suite, nous avons étudié le rôle spécifique de la musique vocale à travers son influence sur l’ordre, le temps et l’espace du récit. L’œuvre vocale peut, en effet, constituer un outil de transition spatiale et temporelle, fonctionner comme une analepse ou une prolepse ou encore être considérée comme un niveau narratif en soi. Enfin, dans une troisième partie, nous avons envisagé la musique vocale sous l’angle de la citation et du point de vue qu’elle permet de dévoiler : celui des personnages tout d’abord. Par la suite, en considérant la musique vocale dans sa dimension transtextuelle, nous avons étudié le point de vue externe et universalisant qu’elle véhicule. Enfin, nous avons constaté que les morceaux vocaux peuvent également révéler l’intention de l’instance d’énonciation filmique

Five feet high and rising : cities and flooding in the 21st century

Urban flooding is an increasingly important issue. Disaster statistics appear to show flood events are becoming more frequent, with medium-scale events increasing fastest. The impact of flooding is driven by a combination of natural and human-induced factors. As recent flood events in Pakistan, Brazil, Sri Lanka and Australia show, floods can occur in widespread locations and can sometimes overwhelm even the best prepared countries and cities. There are known and tested measures for urban flood risk management, typically classified as structural or engineered measures, and non-structural, management techniques. A combination of measures to form an integrated management approach is most likely to be successful in reducing flood risk. In the short term and for developing countries in particular, the factors affecting exposure and vulnerability are increasing at the fastest rate as urbanization puts more people and more assets at risk. In the longer term, however, climate scenarios are likely to be one of the most important drivers of future changes in flood risk. Due to the large uncertainties in projections of climate change, adaptation to the changing risk needs to be flexible to a wide range of future scenarios and to be able to cope with potentially large changes in sea level, rainfall intensity and snowmelt. Climate uncertainty and budgetary, institutional and practical constraints are likely to lead to a combining of structural and non-structural measures for urban flood risk management, and arguably, to a move away from what is sometimes an over-reliance on hard-engineered defenses and toward more adaptable and incremental non-structural solutions.Hazard Risk Management,Wetlands,Natural Disasters,Adaptation to Climate Change,Climate Change Impacts

Urban land, planning and governance systems in Nigeria

The narrative of rapid urbanisation in relation to inadequate planning, governance and management regimes in Nigeria is well-rehearsed. The combination of customary and colonial practices, outdated policies and plans and entrenched attitudes is typically regarded as a problem without clear or universal solutions. The aim of this report is to elucidate the urban land administration and planning debate in the country by examining the issues based on literature review and views of key urban sector stakeholders from six cities obtained through interviews.The historical development of land administration, planning and governance regimes in Nigeria is seen to contribute to the failure of the current development system because of an evolution from two distinct paradigms. This leads to confusion and a lack of engagement with formal systems thereby limiting the potential for well-conceived national and state urban development goals from being realised within cities that are not observing the planning frameworks. Colonial segregational policies have been superseded by a succession of policies that increasingly recognise, but cannot enforce, participation, equity, sustainability and climate change adaptation.Simultaneously, massively-scaled urban development continues under a variety of guises to meet the demand for space for urban accommodation, business and services from a diverse population with huge division between the wealthy and the urban poor. There is a growing need to categorise and understand this diversity of development in order to develop policies that adopt the positive aspects of informal development while pursuing national and state development goals and providing healthy and economically viable urban environments for all.It is shown that new development forms such as new towns, developer-built estates and owner built housing are large factors in the foregoing regard as they are in other sub-Saharan African urban areas. In addition, large scale infrastructural development has also led to ribbon and satellite development that takes advantage of the massive investment in national assets. These development forms are far superior to the slum conditions traditionally associated with the term “informal” and they may benefit from some of the “legal” attributes of formal planned developments such as ownership rights and even locally-prepared plans.The advantages of such developments in the vacuum created by the inadequacies of the formal planning system seem self-evident. However, it is apparent that these developments suffer from deficiencies in the provision of infrastructure and services and may also put an intolerable strain on nearby infrastructure and services designed to cope with the much smaller population anticipated by formal planning. Equally, the increasing commodification of lands especially those delivered through the informal system in the face of rapid urbanisation and rising demand are driving land and rental prices to unsustainable levels and out of the reach of essential key workers and the urban poor. This, coupled with the2tendency for the governance arrangements under the informal system to crumble in the face of urbanisation, could potentially displace people that would be considered entitled under the urban land administration and planning system in Nigeria. Furthermore, lack of formal governance and management of housing developments can place people at risk from unhealthy and overcrowded living conditions. This could also empower unscrupulous land owners and developers to prescribe their own governance and management framework, which may result in exploitation of innocent purchasers.The report also examines recent initiatives at national, state and local levels. It concludes that some initiatives have been met with a measure of success and that these are typified by a flexibility that applies global principles at a local level and that canvas the needs and observes the contexts of local populations

Probing displaced top quark signature at the LHC Run 3

In the context of prospective studies for searches of new physics at the LHC Run 3, this paper investigates the relevance of using top quarks produced from new long-lived particles, and detected in the tracker volume of the ATLAS and CMS experiments. Such a signature, referred to as displaced top quarks, leads to final states containing displaced vertices and a high multiplicity of displaced jets and tracks, thanks to the top quark decays. Therefore, it is a possible powerful tool for searching for new long-lived particles. Three simplified models based on supersymmetry are explicitly designed for the study of this signature. They differ according to the nature of the long-lived heavy particle which produces at least one top quark: electrically neutral or charged, coloured or non-coloured long-lived particle. For each model, a wide region of parameter space, consistent with a reasonable number of displaced top quarks decaying in a typical tracker volume has been probed. From this study, promising benchmarks are defined and experimental guidelines are suggested.Comment: 24 pages, 48 figure

Five feet high and rising: Cities and flooding in the 21st Century

Urban flooding is an increasingly important issue.Disaster statistics appear to show flood events arebecoming more frequent, with medium-scale eventsincreasing fastest. The impact of flooding is driven bya combination of natural and human-induced factors.As recent flood events in Pakistan, Brazil, Sri Lanka andAustralia show, floods can occur in widespread locationsand can sometimes overwhelm even the best preparedcountries and cities. There are known and tested measuresfor urban flood risk management, typically classified asstructural or engineered measures, and non-structural,management techniques. A combination of measures toform an integrated management approach is most likelyto be successful in reducing flood risk. In the short termand for developing countries in particular, the factorsaffecting exposure and vulnerability are increasing atthe fastest rate as urbanization puts more people andmore assets at risk. In the longer term, however, climatescenarios are likely to be one of the most importantdrivers of future changes in flood risk. Due to the largeuncertainties in projections of climate change, adaptationto the changing risk needs to be flexible to a wide rangeof future scenarios and to be able to cope with potentiallylarge changes in sea level, rainfall intensity and snowmelt.Climate uncertainty and budgetary, institutional andpractical constraints are likely to lead to a combining ofstructural and non-structural measures for urban floodrisk management, and arguably, to a move away fromwhat is sometimes an over-reliance on hard-engineereddefenses and toward more adaptable and incrementalnon-structural solutions