Lévy area for Gaussian processes: A double Wiener--Itô integral approach

"Vegeu el resum a l'inici del document del fitxer adjunt."

The Peace Processes in the Basque Country and Northern Ireland (1994-2006): a Comparative Approach

The peace process in Northern Ireland demonstrates that new sovereignty formulas need to be explored in order to meet the demands of the populations and territories in conflict. The profound transformation of the classic symbolic elements of the nation-state within the context of the European Union has greatly contributed to the prospects for a resolution of this old conflict. Today’s discussions are focused on the search for instruments of shared sovereignty that are adapted to a complex and plural social reality. This new approach for finding a solution to the Irish conflict is particularly relevant to the Basque debate about formulating creative and modern solutions to similar conflicts over identity and sovereignty. The notion of shared sovereignty implemented in Northern Ireland –a formula for complex interdependent relations– is of significant relevance to the broader international community and is likely to become an increasingly potent and transcendent model for conflict resolution and peace building.

Trypanorhynch Cestodes of Commercial Fishes from Northeast Brazilian Coastal Waters

A large scale investigation on trypanorhynch cestode infestation of tropical marine fishes was carried out along the Northeast Brazilian coast in the summer of 1991 and 1993. A total of 798 fish specimens belonging to 57 species and 30 families were examined. Metacestodes of 11 different trypanorhynchs were found: Callitetrarhynchus gracilis, Dasyrhynchus giganteus, Grillotia sp., Nybelinia edwinlintoni, N. indica, N. senegalensis, Nybelinia c.f. lingualis, Otobothrium cysticum, Pseudolacistorhynchus noodti, Pseudotobothrium dipsacum and Pterobothrium kingstoni. Scanning electron microscopy was used to clarify details of the tentacular armature of some species. Rose-thorn shaped hooklets, regularly arranged like microtriches, are described from the bothridial surface of N. edwinlintoni. Of the 57 fish species, 15 harboured trypanorhynch cestodes. Of these the mullid Pseudupeneus maculatus was the most heavily infested fish species, harbouring 5 different trypanorhynch species. P. noodti in P. maculatus had the highest prevalence (87%) and intensity (maximum = 63) of infestation. C. gracilis was the parasite with the lowest host-specificity. It could be isolated from 10 fish species. The cestode fauna of the Northeast Brazilian coast appears to be similar to that of the West African coast. Five of the trypanorhynch cestodes found during this study are common to both localities. The two single cases of intra musculature infestation in Citharichthys spilopterus and Haemulon aurolineatum by trypanorhynch cestodes indicate that marketability of the investigated commercially exploited fish species is inconsequential.

Interpolation methods for stochastic processes spaces

In this paper the scales of classes of stochastic processes are introduced. New interpolation theorems and boundedness of some transforms of stochastic processes are proved. Interpolation method for generously-monotonous rocesses is entered. Conditions and statements of interpolation theorems concern he xed stochastic process, which diers from the classical results.

The Role of the European Union in the Processes to Ban Cluster Munitions

At the end of 2008 the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) that outlawed almost all types of cluster munitions was signed. It was the product of the so-called Oslo process, which had been set up two years earlier as a reaction to the failure to add a new protocol banning cluster munitions to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW). The position of the EU in these two processes was ambivalent: on the one hand it belonged to the strongest proponents for a new protocol within the CCW, but on the other hand the member states were in general not able to act jointly in the Oslo Process. According to this working paper especially the aspect of national security and the related relationship to the United States influenced the stances of many member states and complicated the formation of a common European position. There were common normative values of the EU detected, which played a role in the CCW, but they were only secondary to other interests of the member states.

Defining secretion processes in astrocytes

During the last decade, evidence that release of chemical transmitters from astrocytes might modulate neuronal activity (the so-called "gliotransmission") occurs in situ has been extensively provided. Nevertheless, gliotransmission remains a highly debated topic because of the lack of direct morphological and functional evidence. Here we provided new information supporting gliotransmission, by i) deepen knowledge about specific properties of regulated secretion of glutamatergic SLMVs, and ii) investigating the involvement of astrocytes in the transmission of dopamine, a molecule whose interaction with astrocytes is likely to occur, but it's still not proven.¦VGLUT-expressing glutamatergic SLMVs have been previously identified both in situ and in vitro, but description of kinetics of release were still lacking. To elucidate this issue, we took advantage of fluorescent tools (styryl dyes and pHluorin) and adapted experimental paradigms and analysis methods previously developed to study exo-endocytosis and recycling of glutamatergic vesicles at synapses. Parallel use of EPIfluorescence and total internal reflection (TIRF) imaging allowed us to find that exo-endocytosis processes in astrocytes are extremely fast, with kinetics in the order of milliseconds, able to sustain and follow neuronal signalling at synapses. Also, exocytosis of SLMVs is under the control of fast, localized Ca2+ elevations in close proximity of SLMVs and endoplasmatic reticulum (ER) tubules, the intracellular calcium stores. Such complex organization supports the fast stimulus-secretion coupling we described; localized calcium elevations have been recently observed in astrocytes in situ, suggesting that these functional microdomains might be present in the intact tissue. In the second part of the work, we investigated whether astrocytes possess some of the benchmarks of brain dopaminergic cells. It's been known for years that astrocytes are able to metabolize monoamines by the enzymes MAO and COMT, but to date no clear information that glial cells are able to uptake and store monoamines have been provided. Here, we identified a whole apparatus for the storage, degradation and release of monoamines, at the ultrastructural level. Electron microscopy immunohistochemistry allowed us to visualize VMAT2- and dopamine-positive intracellular compartments within astrocytic processes, i.e. dense -core granules and cisterns. These organelles might be responsible for dopamine release and storage, respectively; interestingly, this intracellular distribution is reminiscent of VMAT2 expression in dendrites if neurons, where dopamine release is tonic and plays a role in the regulation of its a basal levels, suggesting that astrocytic VMAT2 is involved in the homeostasis of dopamine in healthy brains of adult mammals.¦Durant cette dernière décennie, de nombreux résultats sur le relâchement des transmetteurs par les astrocytes pouvant modulé l'activité synaptique (gliotransmission) ont été fournis. Néanmoins, la gliotransmission reste un processus encore très débattu, notamment à cause de l'absence de preuves directes, morphologique et fonctionnelle démontrant ce phénomène. Nous présentons dans nos travaux de nombreux résultats confortant l'hypothèse de la gliotransmission, dont i) une étude approfondie sur les propriétés spatiales et temporelles de la sécrétion régulée du glutamate dans les astrocytes, et ii) une étude sur la participation des astrocytes dans la transmission de la dopamine, une neuromodulateur dont l'interaction avec les astrocytes est fortement probable, mais qui n'a encore jamais été prouvée. L'expression des petites vésicules (SLMVs - Synaptic Like Micro Vesicles) glutamatergiques exprimant les transporteurs vésiculaires du glutamate (VGLUTs) dans les astrocytes a déjà été prouvé tant in situ qu'in vitro. Afin de mettre en évidence les propriétés précises de la sécrétion de ces organelles, nous avons adapté à nos études des méthodes expérimentales conçues pour observer les processus de exocytose et endocytose dans les neurones. Les résolutions spatiale et temporelle obtenues, grâce a l'utilisation en parallèle de l'épi fluorescence et de la fluorescence a onde évanescente (TIRF), nous ont permis de montrer que la sécrétion régulée dans les astrocytes est un processus extrêmement rapide (de l'ordre de la milliseconde) et qu'elle est capable de soutenir et de suivre la transmission de signaux entre neurones. Nous avons également découvert que cette sécrétion a lieu dans des compartiments subcellulaires particuliers où nous observons la présence du reticulum endoplasmique (ER) ainsi que des augmentations rapides de calcium. Cette organisation spatiale complexe pourrait être la base morphologique du couplage rapide entre le stimulus et la sécrétion. Par ailleurs, plusieurs études récentes in vivo semblent confirmer l'existence de ces compartiments. Depuis des années nous savons que les astrocytes sont capables de métaboliser les monoamines par les enzymes MAO et COMT. Nous avons donc fourni de nouvelles preuves concernant la présence d'un appareil de stockage dans les astrocytes participant à la dégradation et la libération de monoamines au niveau ultrastructurelle. Grâce à la microscopie électronique, nous avons découvert la présence de compartiments intracellulaires exprimant VMAT2 dans les processus astrocytaires, sous forme de granules et des citernes. Ces organelles pourraient donc être responsables à la fois du relâchement et du stockage de la dopamine. De manière surprenante, cette distribution intracellulaire est similaire aux dendrites des neurones exprimant VMAT2, où la dopamine est libérée de façon tonique permettant d'agir sur la régulation de ses niveaux de base. Ces résultats, suggèrent une certaine participation des VMAT2 présents dans les astrocytes dans le processus d'homéostase de la dopamine dans le cerveau.¦A de nombreuses reprises, dans des émissions scientifiques ou dans des films, il est avancé que les hommes n'utilisent que 10% du potentiel de leur cerveau. Cette légende provient probablement du fait que les premiers chercheurs ayant décrit les cellules du cerveau entre le XIXème et le XXeme siècle, ont montré que les neurones, les cellules les plus connues et étudiées de cet organe, ne représentent seulement que 10% de la totalité des cellules composant du cerveau. Parmi les 90% restantes, les astrocytes sont sans doute les plus nombreuses. Jusqu'au début des années 90, les astrocytes ont été plutôt considérés peu plus que du tissu conjonctif, ayant comme rôles principaux de maintenir certaines propriétés physiques du cerveau et de fournir un support métabolique (énergie, environnement propre) aux neurones. Grace à la découverte que les astrocytes ont la capacité de relâcher des substances neuro-actives, notamment le glutamate, le rôle des astrocytes dans le fonctionnement cérébral a été récemment reconsidérée.¦Le rôle du glutamate provenant des astrocytes et son impact sur la fonctionnalité des neurones n'a pas encore été totalement élucidé, malgré les nombreuses publications démontrant l'importance de ce phénomène en relation avec différentes fonctions cérébrales. Afin de mieux comprendre comment les astrocytes sont impliqués dans la transmission cérébrale, nous avons étudié les propriétés spatio-temporelles de cette libération grâce à l'utilisation des plusieurs marqueurs fluorescents combinée avec différentes techniques d'imagerie cellulaires. Nous avons découvert que la libération du glutamate par les astrocytes (un processus maintenant appelé "gliotransmission") était très rapide et contrôlée par des augmentations locales de calcium. Nous avons relié ces phénomènes à des domaines fonctionnels subcellulaires morphologiquement adaptés pour ce type de transmission. Plus récemment, nous avons concentré nos études sur un autre transmetteur très important dans le fonctionnement du cerveau : la dopamine. Nos résultats morphologiques semblent indiquer que les astrocytes ont la capacité d'interagir avec ce transmetteur, mais d'une manière différente comparée au glutamate, notamment en terme de rapidité de transmission. Ces résultats suggèrent que le astrocytes ont la capacité de modifier leurs caractéristiques et de s'adapter à leur environnement par rapport aux types de transmetteur avec lequel ils doivent interagir.

Redescription of Rhamnocercus stichospinus Seamster and Monaco, 1956 (Monogenea: Diplectanidae), parasitic on Menticirrhus americanus (Osteichthyes: Sciaenidae) from the Coastal Zone of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rhamnocercus stichospinus Seamster and Monaco, 1956 (Diplectanidae) parasitic on the sciaenid fish Menticirrhus americanus from the coastal zone of the State of Rio de Janeiro, is redescribed and recorded for the first time in the South American Atlantic Ocean. The generic diagnosis of Rhamnocercus is emended to accommodate the presence of confluent intestinal ceca in R. stichospinus.

Report on Induction Processes for Medical Staff in the HPSS

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Report on the Induction Processes for Medical Staff in the HPSS

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Community ecology of the metazoan parasites of white croaker, Micropogonias furnieri (Osteichthyes: Sciaenidae), from the coastal zone of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

One hundred specimens of white croakers, Micropogonias furnieri (Desmarest 1823) (Osteichthyes: Sciaenidae) collected from Pedra de Guaratiba (23°01'S, 43°38'W), State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from September 1997 to August 1999, were necropsied to study their parasites. The majority of the fish (95%) were parasitized by metazoan. Twenty-eight species of parasites were collected. The nematodes were the 40.5% of the total number of parasites specimens collected. Dichelyne elongatus was the most dominant species. Lobatostoma ringens, Pterinotrematoides mexicanum, Corynosoma australe, D. elongatus, and Caligus haemulonis showed a positive correlation between the host's total length and parasite prevalence and abundance. The monogenean P. mexicanum had differences in the prevalence and abundance in relation to sex of the host. The mean diversity in the infracommunities of M. furnieri was H=0.499±0.411, with correlation with the host's total length and without differences in relation to sex of the host. One pair of ectoparasites showed positive covariation, and two pairs of endoparasites showed positive association and covariation between their prevalences and abundances, respectively. Negative association or covariations were not found. The dominance of endoparasites in the croakers parasite infracommunities reinforced the differences found in sciaenids from the South American Pacific Ocean, in which the ectoparasites are dominant.

Discrete time Non-homogeneous Semi-Markov Processes applied to Models for Disability Insurance

In this paper, we present a stochastic model for disability insurance contracts. The model is based on a discrete time non-homogeneous semi-Markov process (DTNHSMP) to which the backward recurrence time process is introduced. This permits a more exhaustive study of disability evolution and a more efficient approach to the duration problem. The use of semi-Markov reward processes facilitates the possibility of deriving equations of the prospective and retrospective mathematical reserves. The model is applied to a sample of contracts drawn at random from a mutual insurance company.

Review of the Freeing Order Processes in Northern Ireland (pdf 369 kb)

Review of the Freeing Order Processes in Northern Ireland

Community ecology of the metazoan parasites of pink cusk-eel, Genypterus brasiliensis (Osteichthyes: Ophidiidae), from the coastal zone of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Fifty-five specimens of pink cusk-eel, Genypterus brasiliensis Regan, 1903 (Osteichthyes: Ophidiidae) collected from the coastal zone of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (approx. 21-23°S, 41-45°W), from September 2000 to January 2001, were necropsied to study their parasites. All fish were parasitized by one or more metazoan. Fourteen species of parasites were collected. G. brasiliensis is a new host record for nine parasite species. The larval stages of cestodes and the nematodes were the majority of the parasite specimens collected, with 38.4% and 36.5%, respectively. Cucullanus genypteri was the dominant species with highest prevalence and/or abundance. The parasites of G. brasiliensis showed the typical overdispersed pattern of distribution. Six parasite species showed correlation between the host's total body length and prevalence and abundance. Host sex did not influence prevalence and parasite abundance of any parasite species. The mean diversity in the infracommunities of G. brasiliensis was H= 0.364 ± 0.103, with correlation with the host's total length and without differences in relation to sex of the host. One pair of adult endoparasites (C. genypteri and A. brasiliensis) showed positive covariations between their abundances. Negative association or covariation was not found. Differences between the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the parasite community of G. brasiliensis from Rio de Janeiro and Argentina suggest the existence of two population stocks of pink cusk-eel in the South America Atlantic Ocean.