From farm, landscape and territory analysis to scenario exercise: an educational programme on participatory integrated analysis

Tools and methodologies have been developed to enable integrated analysis (IA) of complex issues like agro‐ecosystems and natural resources management. They are based on interdisciplinary and often on participatory approaches combining, interpreting and communicating knowledge from diverse scientific disciplines and from stakeholders. In this paper we present the original educational programme built to enable students in agronomy to implement participatory IA methods in order to deal with sustainability issues in rural territory. In this educational programme students take a professional project management situation on a given case study. One of the originality of the course programme lies in its twofold objectives: building student capacities for carrying out integrated multi‐scale analysis of complex systems and providing researchers with an operational research device which facilitates the integrated analysis of new study territories. The educational programme articulates trips in the case study region and formation modules on project management, farming systems sustainability assessment, landscape multifunctionality analysis, stakeholder analysis and interviews, territorial diagnosis and narrative scenario construction. The main objectives and methods used in these modules are presented and discussed in the light of the outcomes of the implementation of this educational programme. Discussion is focused on the main educational and research issues of this programme

The major characteristics of environmental policies and agro-ecological technologies to be studied in Test case 2

Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, Land Economics/Use,

Genome-wide association analyses identify new Brugada syndrome risk loci and highlight a new mechanism of sodium channel regulation in disease susceptibility.

Brugada syndrome (BrS) is a cardiac arrhythmia disorder associated with sudden death in young adults. With the exception of SCN5A, encoding the cardiac sodium channel Na1.5, susceptibility genes remain largely unknown. Here we performed a genome-wide association meta-analysis comprising 2,820 unrelated cases with BrS and 10,001 controls, and identified 21 association signals at 12 loci (10 new). Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-heritability estimates indicate a strong polygenic influence. Polygenic risk score analyses based on the 21 susceptibility variants demonstrate varying cumulative contribution of common risk alleles among different patient subgroups, as well as genetic associations with cardiac electrical traits and disorders in the general population. The predominance of cardiac transcription factor loci indicates that transcriptional regulation is a key feature of BrS pathogenesis. Furthermore, functional studies conducted on MAPRE2, encoding the microtubule plus-end binding protein EB2, point to microtubule-related trafficking effects on Na1.5 expression as a new underlying molecular mechanism. Taken together, these findings broaden our understanding of the genetic architecture of BrS and provide new insights into its molecular underpinnings

Resolution in Continuous Seismic Profiling

The operation we shall refer to as continuous seismic profiling consists of emitting a short impulse underwater, receiving the echoes reflected by the bottom and the elastic discontinuity of the subsoil, and amplifying, filtering and recording these echoes on paper band in the same way as for echo-sounding, and then of repeating these operations several times per second, or per minute. The resulting time section resembles a geological section, for the elastic discontinuity of the subsoil corresponds roughly to the interfaces between the different sedimentary layers. It differs, however, from a geological section because the vertical scale is time graduated. Also, since the scale ratio is above one there is often much distortion. There are also a certain number of acoustical phenomena which give unwanted images

Side Scanning Sonar - A Theoretical Study

The principle of operation in side scanning sonars is here studied. After briefly describing the various existing equipments, the influence of different design factors on the range is first examined, and then the resolution in both the horizontal and the vertical plane. Next distortions are analysed. Firstly there are those inherent in the principle adopted for tïîèuistruinent : these distortions are due either to the obliquity of the acoustic waves, or to the ratio between recording scales, or again to the slope of the sea bottom. Secondly, accidental distortions are discussed : these result from the pitch, roll or yawing of the fish carrying the transducer, from the crabwise motions of the vessel due to cross winds or currents, and from variations in the velocity of sound in water. Finally acoustic interferences are discussed : those attributable to the recording paper, to several instruments being operated simultaneously, or to shoals o f fish, the Deep Scattering Layer, or to airbubbles in the water. Some indications as to how to achieve satisfactory results with a side scanning sonar for specified purposes are given in a brief conclusion. For illustrated examples the reader is referred to various earlier issues of the International Hydrographic Review

Developments in Mud Probing

The author first examines the physical conditions for mud probing measurements and then goes on to describe the instrumental possibilities. A transducer is characterized by its frequency, its mechanical Q, its directivity and its emission level. Among possible materials piezo-electric ceramics give the best results. The components of an instrument are briefly described, and then a short historical account of the method is given, showing how a decrease in working frequency and a reduction of the pulse length lead to better penetration and resolution. Several types of bottom are examined from the point of view of their interest in mud probing operations. Finally the conditions for operating these instruments both from the surface and from the bottom are studied, and possible future developments of the method are suggested, taking into account the users’ requirements as well as the most recent technical possibilities

Water futures: Reviewing water-scenario analyses through an original interpretative framework

International audienceWater is a vital need for humans and a critical resource for the maintenance of social–ecological systems. Against the backdrop of global environmental and societal changes, water scarcity looms large in many parts of the world. This uncertainty regarding the future notwithstanding, not until recently has scenario analysis, a technique to envision possible and consistent paths of the evolution of a system, importantly permeated research on water issues. Through review of theoretical and case-study papers, we built an analytical framework to characterize the use of water-scenario analysis and to evaluate the current situation and future possibilities. By means of qualitative and statistical analyses we propose guidelines to consider before initiating a water-scenario analysis. These recommendations pretend to capture better the complexity of nature–society relationships in scenario analysis and concern i) the representation of drivers guiding water use and in an integrated and transparent manner, ii) the use of participatory approaches and iii) the use of modeling. Despite departing from a water perspective, the framework and recommendations may interest those working with environmental scenarios from local to global scales