Progress report on meetings, workshops, seminars convened and technical assistance rendered to member states and regional institutions (covering the period 1 January 2004 to 30 April 2005)

Includes bibliography

Preliminary report on the implementation of the ECLAC work programme subregional activities for the Caribbean. 2008-2009 biennium (Covering the period 1 Janurary 2008- 31 August 2009)

Eighteen months into the implementation of the 2008-2009 biennial strategic work programme, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean continues to focus on strengthening the delivery of activities through regular internal meetings with programme and research staff and consultations with member countries and other partner institutions. The scaling up of efforts advocating for more evidence-based development policy-making is being advanced utilizing the resources provided through the implementation of an additional seven extrabudgetary-funded projects. This effort is being undertaken in collaboration and in consultation with our major international and regional development partners – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Association of Caribbean States (ACS), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), World Bank, Department for International Development (DFID), Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC). and others. In

Report on the implementation of the ECLAC work programme subregional activities for the Caribbean 2006-2007 biennium [Covering the period 1 Janurary 2006- 31 December 2007]

The focus of the activities of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean/Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (ECLAC/CDCC) secretariat during the 2006-2007 biennium continued to be on assistance to member governments of the subregion with policy-making and development strategies, especially on issues relevant to the promotion of the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of development in the Caribbean. The Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean worked closely with member countries of the CDCC in an effort to ensure the relevance of outputs which would inform policy options. This involved the strengthening of partnerships with both regional and subregional institutions and relevant agencies of the United Nations system working in the Caribbean. A major decision was taken to refocus the operational aspects of the secretariat to ensure that they were relevant to the development goals of its members. This involved the introduction of a thematic approach to the work of the office. One of the changes resulting from this was the restructuring and renaming of the Caribbean Documentation Centre. The Caribbean Knowledge Management Centre (CKMC), as it is now known, has changed its emphasis from organizing and disseminating documents, and is now a more proactive partner in the research undertaken by staff and other users of the service. The CKMC manages the ECLAC website, the public face of the organization. Newsletters and all other documents, including Information and Communications Technology (ICT) profiles of selected countries, prepared by the secretariat, are now available online at the ECLAC/CDCC website www.eclacpos.org . The Caribbean Knowledge Management Portal was launched at a meeting of information specialists in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in 2007. In addition to reaching a wider public, this measure was introduced as a means of reducing the cost of printing or disseminating publications. In spite of the unusually high vacancy rate, at both the international and local levels, during the biennium, the subregional headquarters accomplished 98 per cent of the 119 outputs earmarked for the period. Using vacant positions to carry out the assignments was not an easy task, given the complexity in recruiting qualified and experienced persons for short periods. Nevertheless, consultancy services and short-term replacement staff greatly aided the delivery of these outputs. All the same, 35 work months remained unused during the biennium, leaving 301 work months to complete the outputs. In addition to the unoccupied positions, the work of the subprogramme was severely affected by the rising cost of regional and subregional travel which limited the ability of staff to network and interact with colleagues of member countries. This also hampered the outreach programme carried out mainly through ad hoc expert group meetings. In spite of these shortcomings, the period proved to be successful for the subprogramme as it engaged the attention of member countries in its work either through direct or indirect participation. Staff members completed 36 technical papers plus the reports of the meetings and workshops. A total of 523 persons, representing member countries, participated in the 18 intergovernmental and expert meetings convened by the secretariat in the 24-month period. In its effort to build technical capacity, the subprogramme convened 15 workshops/seminars which offered training for 446 persons.

A hybrid method for the probabilistic maximal covering location-allocation problem

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Dual function of egg-covering in the Kentish plover Charadrius alexandrinus

Many bird species take recesses during incubation, and while the nests are unattended, the eggs may both be vulnerable to predation and reach suboptimal temperatures for embryo development. Perhaps to avoid these negative possibilities, some birds cover their eggs with materials when they depart from nests. We examined experimentally, using the ground-nesting Kentish plover as model species, whether egg-covering allows egg temperatures to remain within optimal limits for embryogenesis in unattended nests, thus reducing the requirements of contact incubation, and simultaneously maintain the eggs' camouflage. There was a negative relationship between nest attendance and ambient temperature, but only during mid-morning, the period of the day when egg-covering was most frequent. Indeed, during mid-morning egg-covering not only served to better camouflage the eggs, but also to maintain egg temperatures within optimal thermal thresholds for embryogenesis while the nests remained unattended. During other periods of the day, covered eggs in unattended nests overheated (e.g., afternoon) or did not reach the optimal temperature for embryogenesis (e.g., early morning). During periods in which eggs may be uncovered to alleviate overheating, unattended nests may be easier to locate by predators, because the eggs are less well camouflaged. Therefore, camouflage and appropriate thermal environment are inseparable functions of egg-covering in the ground-nesting Kentish plover.

La corrispondenza di Galois

In questa tesi viene studiata la corrispondenza di Galois. Tale corrispondenza mette in relazione particolari sottogruppi con sottocampi intermedi di un'estensione finita.

La corrispondenza di Galois per polinomi di terzo e quarto grado

Nella tesi viene studiata tramite un certo numero di esempi la corrispondenza di Galois per polinomi di terzo e quarto grado.

Teoria di Galois e polinomi ciclotomici

Questa tesi tratta di argomenti di Teoria di Galois. In essa sono presenti alcuni richiami fondamentali della teoria di Galois, come il gruppo di Galois di una estensione di campi di Galois e la corrispondenza di Galois. Prosegue con lo studio delle radici m-esime primitive dell'unità e dei polinomi ciclotomici. Infine si studia il gruppo di Galois di un polinomio ciclotomico.