bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dysregulation of Neuronal Gαo Signaling by Graphene Oxide in Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Liu Peidang , Shao Huimin , Ding Xuecheng , Yang Ruilong , Rui Qi , Wang Dayong
Published: April 2019

Exposure to graphene oxide (GO) induced some dysregulated microRNAs (miRNAs), such as the increase in mir-247, in nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We here further identified goa-1 encoding a Gαo and pkc-1 encoding a serine/threonine protein kinase as the targets of neuronal mir-247 in the regulation of GO toxicity. GO exposure increased the expressions of both GOA-1 and PKC-1. Mutation of goa-1 or pkc-1 induced a susceptibility to GO toxicity, and suppressed the resistance of mir-247 mutant to GO toxicity. GOA-1 and PKC-1 could also act in the neurons to regulate the GO toxicity, and neuronal overexpression of mir-247 could not affect the resistance of nematodes overexpressing neuronal goa-1 or pkc-1 lacking 3′-UTR to GO toxicity. In the neurons, GOA-1 acted upstream of diacylglycerol kinase/DGK-1 and PKC-1 to regulate the GO toxicity. Moreover, DGK-1 and GOA-1 functioned synergistically in the regulation of GO toxicity. Our results highlight the crucial role of neuronal Gαo signaling in response to GO in nematodes.
Gene co-expression networks contributing to the expression of compensatory growth in metabolically active tissues in cattle
Authors: Keogh Kate , Kenny David A. , Waters Sinead M.
Published: April 2019

Compensatory growth (CG) is an accelerated growth phenomenon which occurs in animals upon re-alimentation following a period of dietary restriction. The objective of this study was to perform gene co-expression analysis on metabolic tissues of animals undergoing CG, in order to elucidate the molecular control governing this phenomenon. Thirty Holstein Friesian bulls were fed a restricted diet for 125 days, after which they received feed ad libitum. Following 55 days of ad libitum feeding all animals were slaughtered. RNAseq and gene co-expression analyses were performed on tissue samples collected at slaughter including liver, rumen papillae and jejunum epithelium tissues. A period of CG resulted in 15 networks of co-expressed genes. One network of genes, involved in proteasome core complex, signal transduction and protein synthesis was found to be similar across liver and jejunum tissue datasets (r = 0.68, P = 0.04). Results from this study also showed that a large portion of co-expressed genes had not previously been implicated in the expression of CG, thus this study identifies novel genes involved in controlling CG across tissues, with hub genes holding potential for use as biomarkers for the selection of animals with a greater propensity to display CG.
Selenium nanoparticles for targeted stroke therapy through modulation of inflammatory and metabolic signaling
Authors: Amani Hamed , Habibey Rouhollah , Shokri Fereshteh , Hajmiresmail Seyed Javad , Akhavan Omid , Mashaghi Alireza , Pazoki-Toroudi Hamidreza
Published: April 2019

Ischemic cerebral stroke is a major cause of death and morbidity. Currently, no neuroprotective agents have been shown to impact the clinical outcomes in cerebral stroke cases. Here, we report therapeutic effects of Se nanoparticles on ischemic stroke in a murine model. Anti-transferrin receptor monoclonal antibody (OX26)-PEGylated Se nanoparticles (OX26-PEG-Se NPs) were designed and synthesized and their neuroprotective effects were measured using in vitro and in vivo approaches. We demonstrate that administration of the biodegradable nanoparticles leads to resolution of brain edema, protection of axons in hippocampus region, and myelination of hippocampal area after cerebral ischemic stroke. Our nanoparticle design ensures efficient targeting and minimal side effects. Hematological and biochemical analyses revealed no undesired NP-induced changes. To gain mechanistic insights into the therapeutic effects of these particles, we characterized the changes to the relevant inflammatory and metabolic signaling pathways. We assessed metabolic regulator mTOR and related signaling pathways such as hippo, Ubiquitin-proteasome system (ERK5), Tsc1/Tsc2 complex, FoxO1, wnt/β-catenine signaling pathway. Moreover, we examined the activity of jak2/stat3 signaling pathways and Adamts1, which are critically involved in inflammation. Together, our study provides a promising treatment strategy for cerebral stroke based on Se NP induced suppression of excessive inflammation and oxidative metabolism.
Citrate synthase from Synechocystis is a distinct class of bacterial citrate synthase
Authors: Ito Shoki , Koyama Naoto , Osanai Takashi
Published: April 2019

Citrate synthase (CS, EC 2.3.3.1) catalyses the initial reaction of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Although CSs from heterotrophic bacteria have been extensively studied, cyanobacterial CSs are not well-understood. Cyanobacteria can produce various metabolites from carbon dioxide. Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (Synechocystis 6803) is a cyanobacterium used to synthesize metabolites through metabolic engineering techniques. The production of acetyl-CoA-derived metabolites in Synechocystis 6803 has been widely examined. However, the biochemical mechanisms of reactions involving acetyl-CoA in Synechocystis 6803 are poorly understood. We characterised the CS from Synechocystis 6803 (SyCS) and compared its characteristics with other bacterial CSs. SyCS catalysed only the generation of citrate, and did not catalyse the cleavage of citrate. It is suggested that SyCS is not related to the reductive TCA cycle. The substrate affinity and turnover number of SyCS were lower than those of CSs from heterotrophic bacteria. SyCS was activated by MgCl2 and CaCl2, which inhibit various bacterial CSs. SyCS was not inhibited by ATP and NADH; which are typical feedback inhibitors of other bacterial CSs. SyCS was inhibited by phosphoenolpyruvate and activated by ADP, which has not been reported for CSs from heterotrophic bacteria. Thus, SyCS showed unique characteristics, particularly its sensitivity to effectors.
Precise definition of PTEN C-terminal epitopes and its implications in clinical oncology
Authors: Mingo Janire , Luna Sandra , Gaafar Ayman , Nunes-Xavier Caroline E. , Torices Leire , Mosteiro Lorena , Ruiz Rebeca , Guerra Isabel , Llarena Roberto , Angulo Javier C. , López José I. , Pulido Rafael
Published: April 2019

Anti-PTEN monoclonal antibodies (mAb) are arising as important tools for immunohistochemistry (IHC) and protein quantification routine analysis in clinical oncology. Although an effort has been made to document the reliability of tumor tissue section immunostaining by anti-PTEN mAb, and to standardize their IHC use in research and in the clinical practice, the precise topological and biochemical definition of the epitope recognized by each mAb has been conventionally overlooked. In this study, six commercial anti-PTEN mAb have been validated and characterized for sensitivity and specificity by IHC and FISH, using a set of prostate and urothelial bladder tumor specimens, and by immunoblot, using PTEN positive and PTEN negative human cell lines. Immunoblot precise epitope mapping, performed using recombinant PTEN variants and mutations, revealed that all mAb recognized linear epitopes of 6–11 amino acid length at the PTEN C-terminus. Tumor-associated or disease-associated mutations at the PTEN C-terminus did not affect subcellular localization or PIP3 phosphatase activity of PTEN in cells, although resulted in specific loss of reactivity for some mAb. Furthermore, specific mimicking-phosphorylation mutations at the PTEN C-terminal region also abolished binding of specific mAb. Our study adds new evidence on the relevance of a precise epitope mapping in the validation of anti-PTEN mAb for their use in the clinics. This will be substantial to provide a more accurate diagnosis in clinical oncology based on PTEN protein expression in tumors and biological fluids.
Laterally confined photonic crystal surface emitting laser incorporating monolayer tungsten disulfide
Authors: Ge Xiaochen , Minkov Momchil , Fan Shanhui , Li Xiuling , Zhou Weidong
Published: April 2019

With an ultimately thin active region, monolayer transition metal dichalcogenide lasers have the potential of realizing ultralow lasing threshold and power consumption. The flexibility also enables integration possibilities on unconventional substrates. Here, we report a photonic crystal surface emitting laser using monolayer tungsten disulfide as the gain medium. The cavity design utilizes a heterostructure in the photonic crystal lattice to provide lateral confinement for a high quality factor with a compact active region. Room-temperature continuous wave lasing is realized after integrating monolayer tungsten disulfide flakes onto the silicon nitride photonic crystal on a quartz substrate. Highly directional, near surface-normal emission has also been experimentally demonstrated. The work reported here demonstrates that a large-area single-mode directional laser can be realized from a monolayer gain medium, which is critical for laser scaling for on-chip integration in data and sensing applications.
Automated detection and sorting of microencapsulation via machine learning
Authors: Chu Albert , Nguyen Du , Talathi Sachin S. , Wilson Aaron C. , Ye Congwang , Smith William L. , Kaplan Alan D. , Duoss Eric B. , Stolaroff Joshua K. , Giera Brian
Published: April 2019

We automated a traditionally labor-intensive, yet widely-used capsule production system.
Iodine capture in porous organic polymers and metal–organic frameworks materials
Authors: Xie Wei , Cui Di , Zhang Shu-Ran , Xu Yan-Hong , Jiang Dong-Lin
Published: April 2019

This review focuses on the research progress of the efficient iodine capture in porous POP and MOF materials.
In situ study of RSK2 kinase activity in a single living cell by combining single molecule spectroscopy with activity-based probes
Authors: Yu Shengrong , Du Zhixue , Dong Chaoqing , Ren Jicun
Published: April 2019

FCS with the ABP strategy is a very promising method for studying endogenous protein kinases in living cells.
Targeted co-delivery of the aldose reductase inhibitor epalrestat and chemotherapeutic doxorubicin via a redox-sensitive prodrug approach promotes synergistic tumor suppression
Authors: Banala Venkatesh Teja , Urandur Sandeep , Sharma Shweta , Sharma Madhu , Shukla Ravi P. , Marwaha Disha , Gautam Shalini , Dwivedi Monika , Mishra Prabhat Ranjan
Published: April 2019

Redox responsive epalrestat prodrug micelles facilitate synergistic concentrations of doxorubicin with an advantage of CD44 down-regulation and reduced cardiotoxicity.
Photochromism and photomagnetism in crystalline hybrid materials actuated by nonphotochromic units
Authors: Ma Yu-Juan , Hu Ji-Xiang , Han Song-De , Pan Jie , Li Jin-Hua , Wang Guo-Ming
Published: April 2019

Using the pillar-layer strategy, two isomorphic crystalline coordination compounds with obvious photochromic and photomagnetic behaviors actuated by nonphotochromic ligands were synthesized.
Atomistic characterization of collective protein–water–membrane dynamics
Authors: Päslack Christopher , Schäfer Lars V. , Heyden Matthias
Published: April 2019

Water mediates correlated vibrations of atoms of protein and membrane bilayer surfaces.
Mechanistic insights into a non-heme 2-oxoglutarate-dependent ethylene-forming enzyme: selectivity of ethylene-formation versusl-Arg hydroxylation
Authors: Xue Junqin , Lu Jiarui , Lai Wenzhen
Published: April 2019

QM/MM calculations for a non-heme 2-oxoglutarate-dependent ethylene-forming enzyme reveal that the selectivity of ethylene formation versus succinate formation is determined by the relative energies of transition states for the competing CO2 insertion and O–O bond cleavage of the FeII-peroxysuccinate species.
Carbon nanotube–ruthenium hybrid towards mild oxidation of sulfides to sulfones: efficient synthesis of diverse sulfonyl compounds
Authors: Almeida Renata G. , de Carvalho Renato L. , Nunes Mateus P. , Gomes Roberto S. , Pedrosa Leandro F. , de Simone Carlos A. , Gopi Elumalai , Geertsen Valérie , Gravel Edmond , Doris Eric , da Silva Júnior Eufrânio N.
Published: April 2019

Ru nanoparticles on carbon nanotubes were used in the mild oxidation of sulfides to sulfones.
[Cr(ttpy)2]3+ as a multi-electron reservoir for photoinduced charge accumulation
Authors: Farran Rajaa , Le-Quang Long , Mouesca Jean-Marie , Maurel Vincent , Jouvenot Damien , Loiseau Frédérique , Deronzier Alain , Chauvin Jérôme
Published: April 2019

Under visible light irradiation [Cr(ttpy)2]3+ can be reduced twice by a tertiary amine; the photoreduction processes are accelerated in the presence of [Ru(bpy)3]2+ acting as an antenna thanks to an efficient electron transfer reaction from [Ru(bpy)3]2+* to [Cr(ttpy)2]3+.
A novel electromagnet-triggered pillar valve and its application in immunoassay on a centrifugal platform
Authors: Chen Yiqi , Shen Minjie , Zhu Yunzeng , Xu Youchun
Published: April 2019

A novel electromagnet-triggered pillar valve is proposed and applied to realize automatic and multiplex immunoassay on a centrifugal platform.
High throughput gene expression profiling of yeast colonies with microgel-culture Drop-seq
Authors: Liu Leqian , Dalal Chiraj K. , Heineike Benjamin M. , Abate Adam R.
Published: April 2019

We describe isogenic colony sequencing (ICO-seq), a massively-parallel strategy to assess the gene expression profiles of large numbers of genetically distinct yeast colonies.
Melanin production by tyrosinase activity on a tyrosine-rich peptide fragment and pH-dependent self-assembly of its lipidated analogue
Authors: Hutchinson Jessica A. , Hamley Ian W. , Edwards-Gayle Charlotte J. C. , Castelletto Valeria , Piras Cristian , Cramer Rainer , Kowalczyk Radoslaw , Seitsonen Jani , Ruokolainen Janne , Rambo Robert P.
Published: April 2019

The self-assembly of a palmitoylated peptide C16-EELNRYY based on a fragment of the gut hormone peptide PYY3–36is investigated.
Preparation of thin solid electrolyte by hot-pressing and diamond wire slicing
Authors: Kotobuki Masashi , Lei Houhua , Chen Yu , Song Shufeng , Xu Chaohe , Hu Ning , Molenda Janina , Lu Li
Published: April 2019

The thickness of a solid electrolyte influences the performance of all-solid-state batteries due to increased impedance with a thick electrolyte.
Mesoporous carbon nanospheres deposited onto D-shaped fibers for femtosecond pulse generation
Authors: Wang Fang , Zhou Hua , Li Nan , Liu Jiaxing , Li Daguang , Kang Zhe , Jia Zhixu , Qiao Zhen-an , Qin Weiping , Qin Guanshi
Published: April 2019

We demonstrate nonlinear optical modulation by combining mesoporous carbon nanospheres (MCNs) and D-shaped fibers (DFs).
ATP responsive DNA nanogels grown on biocompatible branches for anticancer drug delivery
Authors: Zhao Meihui , Zhang Yu , Yuan Shirui , Xu Xiang , Wu Ziheng , Wu Zhenghong , Qi Xiaole
Published: April 2019

We developed biocompatible ATP responsive DNA nanogels, by grafting DNA strands on carboxymethyl chitosan polymer chains, and then hybridizing with ATP aptamers to form core–shell nanogels.
A Li2CuPS4 superionic conductor: a new sulfide-based solid-state electrolyte
Authors: Xu Zhenming , Chen Ronghan , Zhu Hong
Published: April 2019

The small electronegativity difference between the anion element and non-lithium cation elements makes fast tetrahedral Li ion diffusion in our DFT predicted Li2CuPS4 solid-state electrolyte material.
Partially fluorinated MIL-101(Cr): from a miniscule structure modification to a huge chemical environment transformation inspected by 129Xe NMR
Authors: Díaz-Ramírez Mariana L. , Sánchez-González Elí , Álvarez J. Raziel , González-Martínez Gerardo A. , Horike Satoshi , Kadota Kentaro , Sumida Kenji , González-Zamora Eduardo , Springuel-Huet Marie-Anne , Gutiérrez-Alejandre Aída , Jancik Vojtech , Furukawa Shuhei , Kitagawa Susumu , Ibarra Ilich A. , Lima Enrique
Published: April 2019

Partial fluorine functionalisation of MIL-101(Cr) was successfully achieved.
Graphene oxide in carbon nitride: from easily processed precursors to a composite material with enhanced photoelectrochemical activity and long-term stability
Authors: Peng Guiming , Qin Jiani , Volokh Michael , Liu Chong , Shalom Menny
Published: April 2019

Herein we report a facile method to grow an ordered carbon nitride (CN) layer with improved charge separation and transfer properties under illumination.
A facile method to evaluate the influence of trap densities on perovskite solar cell performance
Authors: Chen Bingbing , Hu Hongwei , Salim Teddy , Lam Yeng Ming
Published: April 2019

This work discusses how the behaviour of the fill factor (FF) of devices calculated from current–voltage (I–V) measurements at different light intensities can be used as a basis to assess the trap density of methylammonium lead triiodide (MAPbI3) solar cells.
miR-20a regulates sensitivity of colorectal cancer cells to NK cells by targeting MICA
Authors: Tang Siwen , Fu Hongyu , Xu Qihua , Zhou Ying
Published: April 2019

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading cancer-related causes of deaths in the world. Recently, microRNAs have been reported to regulate the tumor growth, invasion and the immunosuppression. In the present study, we found that miR-20a was increased in human CRC specimens compared with the healthy normal tissues. However, miR-20a overexpression and knockdown did not impair the CRC cell growth in vitro. Our results indicated that CD107a+ NK cells are increased in CRC group. Furthermore, cytotoxicity assays demonstrated that miR-20a knockdown promoted the CRC cells sensitive to NK cells, whereas miR-20a overexpression showed the opposite results. Our results suggest that the regulation of NK cells by miR-20a depends on NKG2D. Luciferase reporter assays revealed that the NKG2D ligand Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class I-related chain genes A (MICA) is the direct target of miR-20a. Flow cytometry showed the MICA protein level is significantly reduced in miR-20a-overexpressing CRC cells and increased in miR-20a knockdown CRC cells. Taken together, our results suggest that miR-20a regulates sensitivity of CRC cells to NK cells by targeting MICA.
Long non-coding RNA GEHT1 promoted the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells via modulating the protein stability of HIF1α
Authors: Liu Dan , Li Hao
Published: April 2019

Cancer cells preferentially metabolize glucose via the aerobic glycolysis pathway, which is also named as Warburg effect. Increasing evidence has suggested that suppression of glycolysis inhibits the progression of cancers. In the present study, we found that the long non-coding RNA gastric carcinoma high expressed transcript 1 (GHET1) was overexpressed in ovarian cancer tissues and cell lines. Up-regulation of GHET1 was positively correlated with the tumor size and metastasis of the ovarian cancer patients. Overexpression of GEHT1 significantly promoted the proliferation and colony formation of ovarian cancer cells. Mechanistically, the candidate binding partners of GHET1 were explored by pull-down and mass spectrum. Of note, GHET1 was found to interact with the E3 ubiquitin ligase von Hippel-Lindau (VHL), which consequently blocked VHL-mediated degradation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF1α) and enhanced the protein level of HIF1α in ovarian cancer cells. The up-regulated HIF1α promoted the glucose uptake and lactate generation of ovarian cancer cells. Collectively, our results suggested the oncogenic function of GHET1 via up-regulating the glycolysis in ovarian cancer and can be considered as a promising anti-cancer target.
Evaluation of the real-time fluorescence loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for the detection of Streptococcus agalactiae
Authors: Guo Xu-Guang , Zhuang Ya-Ru , Wen Jin-Zhou , Xie Tian-Ao , Liu Ye-Ling , Zhu Guo-Dong , Xia Yong
Published: April 2019

Streptococcus agalactiae is a major pathogenic bacterium causing perinatal infections in humans. In the present study, a novel real-time fluorescence loop-mediated isothermal amplification technology was successfully developed and evaluated for the detection of S. agalactiae in a single reaction. Six specific primers were designed to amplify the corresponding six regions of fbs B gene of S. agalactiae, using Bst DNA polymerase with DNA strand displacement activity at a constant temperature for 60 min. The presence of S. agalactiae was indicated by the fluorescence in real-time. Amplification of the targeted gene fragment was optimized with the primer 1 in the current setup. Positive result was only obtained for Sa by Real-LAMP among 10 tested relevant bacterial strains, with the detection sensitivity of 300 pg/µl. Real-LAMP was demonstrated to be a simple and rapid detection tool for S. agalactiae with high specificity and stability, which ensures its wide application and broad prospective utilization in clinical practice for the rapid detection of S. agalactiae.
Pharmacological inhibition of TRPV4 channels protects against ischemia–reperfusion-induced renal insufficiency in neonatal pigs
Authors: Soni Hitesh , Peixoto-Neves Dieniffer , Olushoga Michael A. , Adebiyi Adebowale
Published: April 2019

Renal vasoconstriction, an early manifestation of ischemic acute kidney injury (AKI), results in renal hypoperfusion and a rapid decline in kidney function. The pathophysiological mechanisms that underlie ischemia–reperfusion (IR)-induced renal insufficiency are poorly understood, but possibilities include alterations in ion channel-dependent renal vasoregulation. In the present study, we show that pharmacological activation of TRPV4 channels constricted preglomerular microvessels and elicited renal hypoperfusion in neonatal pigs. Bilateral renal ischemia followed by short-term reperfusion increased TRPV4 protein expression in resistance size renal vessels and TRPV4-dependent cation currents in renal vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Selective TRPV4 channel blockers attenuated IR-induced reduction in total renal blood flow (RBF), cortical perfusion, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR). TRPV4 inhibition also diminished renal IR-induced increase in AKI biomarkers. Furthermore, the level of angiotensin II (Ang II) was higher in the urine of IR- compared with sham-operated neonatal pigs. IR did not alter renal vascular expression of Ang II type 1 (AT1) receptors. However, losartan, a selective AT1 receptor antagonist, ameliorated IR-induced renal insufficiency in the pigs. Blockade of TRPV4 channels attenuated Ang II-evoked receptor-operated Ca2+ entry and constriction in preglomerular microvessels. TRPV4 inhibition also blunted Ang II-induced increase in renal vascular resistance (RVR) and hypoperfusion in the pigs. Together, our data suggest that SMC TRPV4-mediated renal vasoconstriction and the ensuing increase in RVR contribute to early hypoperfusion and renal insufficiency elicited by renal IR in neonatal pigs. We propose that multimodal signaling by renal vascular SMC TRPV4 channels controls neonatal renal microcirculation in health and disease.
Image compression of surface defects of the hot-rolled steel strip using Principal Component Analysis
Authors: Boudiaf Adel , Boubendira Khaled , Harrar Khaled , Saadoune Achour , Ghodbane Hatem , Dahane Amine , Messai Oussama
Published: April 2019

The quality control of steel products by human vision remains tedious, fatiguing, somewhat fast, rather robust, sketchy, dangerous or impossible. For these reasons, the use of the artificial vision in the world of quality control has become more than necessary. However, these images are often large in terms of quantity and size, which becomes a problem in quality control centers, where engineers are unable to store these images. For this, efficient compression techniques are necessary for archiving and transmitting the images. The reduction in file size allows more images to be stored in a disk or memory space. The present paper proposes an effective technique for redundancy extraction using the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) approach. Furthermore, it aims to study the effects of the number of eigenvectors employed in the PCA compression technique on the quality of the compressed image. The results revealed that using only 25% of the eigenvectors provide very similar compressed images compared to the original ones, in terms of quality. These images are characterized by high compression ratios and a small storage space.
Psychiatrie/Pédopsychia trie : nécessaire scission ou collaboration
Authors: Delvenne Véronique
Published: April 2019

Au cours des 50 dernières années, la psychiatrie belge a évolué parallèlement aux autres pays vers une différenciation progressive des cursus de formation de psychiatrie et de pédopsychiatrie. Bien que des stages spécifiques existent depuis plus de 30 ans, c’est en 2003 qu’un arrêté royal introduit des modalités de formation spécifiques. Des socles de compétences à la psychiatrie et à la pédopsychiatrie existent et doivent être enseignés. La spécificité de l’une et l’autre des spécialités doit être respectée afin de développer un dispositif de soins qui répond au mieux aux besoins de santé publique ainsi qu’aux nouvelles politiques en santé mentale.
Rural housing as field of modernist experiences
Authors: Cardoso Alexandra , Trevisan Alexandra , Figueiredo Rute , Maia Maria Helena
Published: April 2019

The Portuguese proposal to CIAM X (Dubrovnik 1956) wasfocused on the issue of rural planning. A new village was established among a set of existing ones, working as a structural core. The vernacular influence was clearly present through the images of Trás-os-Montes (Survey on Portuguese Regional Architecture) used as a reference source for the new house typology. In addition to the vernacular, one can also identify modern references, in both Portugaland Spain, within the scope of internal colonization in the 20th century,regarding the settlement of the Portuguese agricultural colonies (1920smid1950s) and the pueblos in Spain (1940s-1971), which had significance for the contemporary countryside image. Considering “theevolutive house” of the Portuguese proposal in CIAM X, or the modularsolutions of the colonization settlements, one can find examples lyingbetween the trendy and those in rooted architectural culture. In this paper, we analysed the rural 20th century housing idea present in theinternal Iberian colonization settlements and in the ideological and political context under the dictatorial regimes. Using a comparative method, two case studies were examined in order to identify andabstract through cross-referencing main rural directions in the differentIberian contexts, and to frame common factors or different experiences,in the application of the planning schemes in both settlement and housing attributes.
Regionalism at all costs Nallo Mazzocchi Alemanni and the Bradano Valley Land Reclamation Project, 1955.
Authors: De Dominicis Filippo
Published: April 2019

Between 1950 and 1956, one fifth of the Italian landscape was profoundly reshaped. According to the first ten-year plan issued by the Cassa per il Mezzogiorno, 51 aqueducts and around 3,000 km of roads would provide the necessary infrastructure to rehouse millions of farmers, while 139 new settlements and 46,450 isolated houses would result from the new subdivision of land. Besides the national funds, newly established local authorities were entrusted with the handling of all technical aspects concerning land reclamation and resettlement. Far from being the mere result of political agreements, such an impressive and multi-faceted reform process stood at the intersection of cultural debates, national ambitions and foreign ascendancies that sought substantial alternatives to modernization and urbanization. This paper highlights an off-radar case study, with the aim of presenting and understanding some of the aspects featuring in the Italian discourse on rural planning. It deals with the intervention of the Bradano Valley Land Reclamation Authority and its main consultant, Nallo Mazzocchi Alemanni, and frames their efforts in the larger and multifaceted postwar Lucanian experience. Inscribed in the contemporary debate on regionalism and planning, the technical stance of Mazzocchi Alemanni would provide the foundation upon which to unfold the interweaving of contradictory ideologies deployed by intellectuals and activists seeking to uplift the Italian Mezzogiorno.
The rural transition – Landwirstchaftliche Produktionsgenossenschaften and landscape before and after German Reunification (1990).
Authors: Capresi Vittoria , Bereskin Emily , Muth Christoph
Published: April 2019

This paper presents the case study of the MODSCAPES Technische Universität Berlin team: the Landwirtschaftliche Produktionsgenossenschaften – LPGs (agricultural production collectives) of the former German Democratic Republic in the southern Oderbruch (Brandenburg). The paper is divided into two parts: The first discusses the planning and socio-economic theory of the LPGs developed by the East German state, and the ensuing spatial manifestations of these production—and eventually, settlement—schemes. Here, the major differences between the planned vision and the lived reality of these rural networks are highlighted. The second section analyses the post-Reunification development (after 1990), focusing on the former model LPG based in Golzow: we examine the legal procedures guiding the economic transition from socialism to capitalism, as part of the German Reunification (and inclusion in the European Community). We argue that in this period agricultural production has grown even larger in scale through new waves of modernization processes; and most significantly, that this subsequent wave of technological modernization capitalizes on the spatial legacy of the LPG.
Issues and Strategies for the Conservation of the Artificial Water System in Hongcun, China
Authors: Li Tingshen
Published: April 2019

Since 2012, the Chinese Government has proposed the preservation concept of the “Traditional Village” in order to conserve the heritage of historic centres at the village-scale throughout China, which are being profoundly influenced by modernization. However, subject to the limitations of awareness levels, the conservation of the “Traditional Village” only focuses on the historic buildings within the Historic Centre and, there is a lack of focus on equally valuable cultural landscapes, open spaces and environments. Hongcun Traditional Village has been chosen as the case study of this paper and focuses on the conservation of its remarkable artificial water systems. The paper discusses the impacts and issues caused by the local conservation policies and practical interventions on Hongcun’s artificial water system over the last 20 years. The paper concludes by proposing a provisional methodological approach and treatment solutions for the conservation of Hongcun’s artificial water system, which is largely based on learning from European experiences.
The rural super city - Central Lancashire New Town.
Authors: Jolley Victoria
Published: April 2019

From 1950 rural Lancashire, in England, became the focus of a major renewal scheme to accommodate population overspill from nearby cities of Liverpool and Manchester. Over a period of 15 years the initial proposal for a series of self-contained new towns progressed into an ambitious scheme for a single polycentric “supercity” for 500,000 people. Known as Central Lancashire New Town and designed by RMJM, this part-realised development was the last and largest New Town designated under the 1965 Act. Its theoretical urban pattern, which followed new and proposed infrastructure, was unique. Based on a ladder system this straddled rich agricultural land and declining post-industrial townscapes to unify and expand existing settlements with the aim of generating prosperity on a sub-regional scale. CLNT was not completed but its planning phases can be traced across Lancashire’s urban and rural landscapes by built communications networks and city-scale public and civic buildings. Referencing three different new town typologies this paper will outline the project’s evolution and identify the impact that designing for the motorcar and future change had on the provision of green space. This research has been undertaken using previously “closed” archival resources and architectural journal and local press articles.
Land reclamation, farm mechanisation, rural repopulation: the shifting landscape of the Gharb Valley in Morocco, 1912–1956
Authors: Tenzon Michele
Published: April 2019

This article investigates rural resettlement schemes implemented by the French colonial administration in the light of the relationship between major economic, social and demographic dynamics in the Protectorate of Morocco. It explores the ways in which the French colonisers transformed the rural landscape of the Gharb valley in Morocco’s Rabat region. I depict the spatial configuration of the several stages by which rural colonisation and agricultural modernisation took place in the region, in relation to the patterns of human settlement they produced. The initial spatial configuration of the Gharb, determined by French colonial policies through the official colonisation programme and its orientation toward extensive agriculture, was subverted by the massive introduction of water drainage and irrigation infrastructure. The construction of reservoir dams and the establishment of drainage and irrigation perimeters across the valley induced a concentration of private and public investments that led to rural modernisation in certain, delimited areas. To compensate for a rural exodus that was overcrowding the outskirts of major Moroccan urban centres and for the lack of a local workforce available for employment on colonists’ farms, the French architect and urban planner Michel Écochard and his collaborators at the Service de l’Urbanisme conceived an ambitious programme of rural resettlements in the Gharb valley.
Soviet era landscape change and the post-Soviet legacy in Latvia
Authors: Bell Simon , Nikodemus Olgerts , Peneze Zanda , Kruze Imants
Published: April 2019

The collectivisation of agriculture and the development and application of land improvement “melioration” programmes and technologies, as well as the construction of kolkhoz centres during the Soviet era in Latvia was extensive and has a legacy on the post-Soviet landscape and agricultural economy. A study of a number of rural municipalities in different landscape types, through the comparison of maps from the early 20th century with those from around 2000, and one example with maps from the 1960s and 1990s, together with field work, revealed the degree of change that had taken place. In particular, there was a significant increase in forest – despite the kolkhoz system being targeted at increasing agricultural outputs, a reduction in the number of farmsteads – in some places this was a result of land battles in the Second World war – and a concentration of residences in villages and widespread drainage of marshes, wetlands and wetter forest. Village centres with concentrations of blocks of flats, storage sheds and industrial units were developed. After 1991 and the restitution of land to the original owners or their descendants, large numbers of kolkhoz agricultural buildings, old estate buildings and some residential blocks became redundant and abandoned. Some of the farmland was also abandoned. The sampled areas show different amounts of landscape change and all showed large numbers of ruined buildings scattered around the area. The question of what to do with these, many of which are robbed of anything useful, vandalised and possibly causing pollution remains open, even after 25 or more years.
A landscape of lies: Soviet maps in Estonia
Authors: Veldi Martti , Bell Simon
Published: April 2019

Maps have long been used as ways of understanding the land as a means of defining borders, land ownership, resources, estimating tax-gathering potential and for defensive purposes. Many of the national mapping agencies originated as arms of the military. When a new regime takes over a country it may decide to prepare its own set of maps – not least for defensive purposes – and to restrict who has access to these maps. When the Soviet Union occupied the Baltic States in 1945 – and these became front-line areas during the Cold War, with large areas devoted to military installations and border zones – a whole new set of maps were created. We took a sample of maps of Estonia from the inter-war years and from the period of political and military occupation from 1945-1991. The Soviet army maps became freely available in the post-Soviet period and studying them and comparing them with the older maps reveals the way the land was perceived. Military maps were produced using different projections and scales, especially regarding the topography and other features relevant for military operations. The maps included deliberate mistakes and if publicly available they contained many blank spaces to hide sensitive areas and to pretend they did not exist. We also found that maps played a key role in planning future landscapes –kolkhozmaps showed how Estonia was foreseen as a complete planned system covering the whole country outside urban areas.
The new towns in the Agro Pontino: a literature review and critical bibliography
Authors: Margione Emanuela
Published: April 2019

This literature review intends to focus on how the settlements system of the Agro Pontino, newly designed in a geographic area contiguous to the capital city and directly connected to the integral reclamation project elaborated by the agricultural economist Arrigo Serpieri starting from 1923, is narrated. The reclamation of the Agro Pontino is one of the most important territorial transformations carried out by Fascism under direct public control. Also, this case study is particularly significant due to the relationship between the capital city, Rome, as large urban centre, the new medium size cities, villages and the morphological structure of agricultural holdings, into a historical context where the concept of agricultural property is defined. Today we have an enormous number of books, paper and documents written in different historical period that can help us to understand the evolution of the Italian new towns but at the same time the large number of these materials can also make it difficult for understanding the project and its meaning through time. The aim of this paper is, therefore, to explain how to prepare a critical bibliography able to show the evolution of the reclamation project and the construction of new towns and the changing of its meaning over time. Also, thanks to this bibliography it’s possible to extract the main issues related to the Italian case study: the relationship between the existing landscape and the network of roads; the relationship between the plans for villages, towns and the architectural features of the new settlements, and finally, the role of public buildings as a system of public facilities promoting new behaviour patterns, and their bold modernist architecture symbolized the conquest of the land.
The social appropriation of the Portuguese inner colonisation in Boalhosa
Authors: Prista Marta
Published: April 2019

Like other European regimes, the Portuguese Estado Novo (1933-1974) implemented an agricultural colonisation policy that, influenced by the ideals of modernism and neo-Physiocracy, aimed at economic development, social pacification and the fostering of national identities, resulting in the settlement and populating of modern rural landscapes. However, the Portuguese regime coped with an enduring financial crisis, and relied on an official nationalism built upon a conservative-traditional society under the union of God, fatherland, work and family. Unsurprisingly, Portuguese inner colonisation was comparatively small-scale, aimed at converting farmhands into rural homeowners, and its modernising experiments had limited impact on the landscape. However, landscape and place are not passive concepts. They concurrently build and are built by political and economic agencies, social negotiations, embodied experiences, plural meanings and affections. Looking into primary sources and the outcomes of a micro-ethnography in Boalhosa, this paper intersects official-written history and emotional-sensory memory to illustrate consistencies and dissonances between political and social actors’ representations of the Portuguese inner colonisation. Based on exploratory observations in Boalhosa, it argues that while the lack of political assertiveness may have curtailed the Portuguese project, it also favoured its social appropriation by local communities and economies within a contextualised historical spatial continuum.
Five-year plan in four: kolkhoz propaganda in film and documentaries in Estonia
Authors: Veldi Martti , Bell Simon , Kuhlmann Friedrich
Published: April 2019

In 1951 the first colour film in was produced Soviet Estonia–Valgus Koordis (“Light in Koordi village”). This never-before-seen medium applied effective ideological symbols to visualise the power of collective effort with the scope of difficulties building up the new life in a freshly established collective farm (kolkhoz). It was straightforward propaganda to demonstrate that in spite of difficulties, collective farming was the only correct way to achieve prosperity in the countryside. The theme of the film was to show the goodness of Stalinist improvements in a poor post-war rural community at the end of the 1940s. In a very simple manner, topics such as nationalism, the class struggle, socialist ideology, kulaks, collective ownership, mechanisation of agriculture and large-scale land improvements were presented. To capture the wider audience and to increase social impact, the film also starred the rising opera star Georg Ots, still considered as one of the greatest Estonian opera singers ever. In addition to ideologically charged films, a type of propagandist short documentary, the ringvaade (newsreel) was produced in Soviet Estonia. These concentrated on various aspects ofSoviet lifestyle, aiming to demonstrate the achievements of collectiveideology, and the high morale of the Soviet working class. We studied these and other examples in order to examine the range of themes andmotifs presented in them, focusing on the ideological impact on the rural landscape caused by mechanisation, forest management and land melioration. What is revealed is an attempt to persuade the new kolkhozniki (collective farmers) of the benefits of the new system – which, ironically, had dispossessed many of them of their own farms which they had built up in the inter-war years (and which were restored to them after the collapse of the Soviet system in the 1990s).
The Jewish farmer, the village and the world fair: politics, propaganda, and the “Israel in Palestine” pavilion at the Paris International Exhibition of 1937
Authors: Fainholtz Tzafrir
Published: April 2019

At the Paris International Exhibition of 1937, a few steps from the Nazi Germany and USSR pavilions theYishuv(Palestine's Jewish Zionist community) had its own presence, the “Israel in Palestine” pavilion. Initiated by the Zionist leadership, the pavilion was a hybrid construct of modernist and traditional architecture; its front was made from concrete and glass, its rear modelled on Palestine's rural vernacular architecture, with arches and terraces. Inside the pavilion, the exhibition depicted the achievements of the Zionist Jewish resettlement project, presenting it as a solution for the so-called “Jewish question”. Conceived as part of an orchestrated effort by the Zionist movement to use the World Fair, the professional architectural media, writers, and architects to gain support for the movement's activities, the pavilion sought to present Palestine's settler society as both modern and well rooted, and to display the renaissance of nationhood through the representation of the Jewish farmer on the international stage.
Keep out! No entry! Exploring the Soviet military landscape of the coast of Estonia
Authors: Miller Ann-Leena
Published: April 2019

During the Soviet occupation of 1945-1991, Estonia became a Soviet Republic and was cut off from open contact with the Western world. The Estonian coastline was now the outer border of the Soviet Union and part of the Iron Curtain. On the coast of the Baltic Sea this was less visible than in some places (e.g. the Berlin wall), but the military control was no less restrictive. The coastal areas were under military control and accessible only with special permits – so often the inhabitants had to leave and their homes were taken over by the Soviet military or abandoned. Military installations also marked the Soviet security zone. There was a massive construction programme of artillery defensive positions along the coastline. As the last Soviet troops left Estonia in 1994, the Soviet military installations were left to the Estonian Republic. Most were stripped of anything useful and abandoned. Many of these objects or complexes are still visible in the landscape but most are forgotten and ruined. They are not yet seen as a part of Estonian heritage and are fast disappearing. A study of a section of the NE coast of Estonia has identified a military landscape along with the former closed city of Sillamäe (where uranium was refined). Mapping of the defence structures, assessment of their condition and their visible presence reveals a distinctive military landscape alongside collectivised agriculture, where residential quarters, roads and communications formed a unique complex. Interviews with local residents reveal how the zone and the restrictions were ever present in their lives and generally they are not interested in them or their preservation; younger interviewees with no memory view the remains as curiosities; there is the beginning of interest in them as part of a “dissonant heritage”.
“Nature caprices are finally defeated!”: reclamation politics and practices in Latvia during the era of modernism
Authors: Zariņa Anita , Vinogradovs Ivo
Published: April 2019

Soviet agro-polders, as ideological and highly technological assemblies, were among the first ones to signify the productivism era in the rural landscape of the Baltic republics and the modernisation of Soviet agriculture there. At the time of autocratic reigning of productivist ideas, polders were a testimony to productivity – the means to disband with the unproductive past and demonstrate the Soviet Union’s scientific and technological supremacy over the traditional ways of managing the wetlands. The establishment of polders took place during two different periods of Soviet agricultural developments. The first phase occurred as part of Khrushchev’s reforms, whereas the second was implemented under Brezhnev’s reclamation programme. Whereas the former was linked to recovery from stagnant Stalinist schemes by improving the conditions of marginal areas and poor collective farms, the latter, in the context of Latvia and the other Baltic Republics, entailed extensive works on what was called the “northern strategy of drainage, liming and so on”. The paper, building on case studies, wider political contexts and local situations, explores the drainage movement and traces the formation of agro-polders, unfolding the practices of the Soviet agricultural ideology in action.
Virushepatitis – wann daran denken?
Authors: Luxenburger Hendrik , Thimme Robert , Neumann-Haefelin Christoph
Published: April 2019

Chronic viral hepatitis can remain unrecognized but may nevertheless lead to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Thus, patients with elevated liver enzymes as well as risk groups need to be screened and treated for viral hepatitis. These groups include, in particular, migrants from countries with high HBV or HCV prevalence, persons with previous or current intravenous drug use, and homosexual men. For HBV- or HCV-associated diseases, such as panarteriitis nodosa, cryoglobulinemic vasculitis or B-cell lymphoma, antiviral therapy may lead to remission. Prior to high-dose immunosuppressive therapy, especially with regimes containing rituximab, chronic or resolved HBV infection must be ruled out or antiviral prophylaxis may be required to avoid a potentially fatal HBV reactivation.