African migrants in Asian and European football: hopes and realities

This paper analyses the integration of Africa in the global labour market of football through the study of players' migrations to Asia and Europe. The presence of African footballers in the latter continent is analysed via a statistical survey carried out in September and October 2008 on a sample of 456 top division clubs in 30 European countries. The article emphasizes that the aspirations placed on football by male African youth, as a means of upward social mobility, are often too high when compared to the harsh realities of a transfer market based on commercial logics, which each year push many footballers away from the professional game.

El riu Llobregat i la seva relació amb el territori en l'època romana

Sistema d'Informació Geogràfica que realitza un anàlisi de la relació del llit del Riu Llobregat amb la ubicació dels jaciments arqueològics i les vies de transport del Baix Llobregat en l'època Romana.

Representing diffusion MRI in 5D for segmentation of white matter tracts with a level set method.

We present a method for segmenting white matter tracts from high angular resolution diffusion MR. images by representing the data in a 5 dimensional space of position and orientation. Whereas crossing fiber tracts cannot be separated in 3D position space, they clearly disentangle in 5D position-orientation space. The segmentation is done using a 5D level set method applied to hyper-surfaces evolving in 5D position-orientation space. In this paper we present a methodology for constructing the position-orientation space. We then show how to implement the standard level set method in such a non-Euclidean high dimensional space. The level set theory is basically defined for N-dimensions but there are several practical implementation details to consider, such as mean curvature. Finally, we will show results from a synthetic model and a few preliminary results on real data of a human brain acquired by high angular resolution diffusion MRI.

Etude d'administration contrôlée de cannabis et profils cinétiques des cannabinoïdes dans les fluides biologiques

Le cannabis est l'une des drogues illégales les plus consommées au monde. Le delta-9- tétrahydrocannabinol (THC) est le composé psychoactif majeur du cannabis et est fréquemment détecté dans le sang de conducteurs impliqués dans un accident de la route, alors qu'il est actuellement interdit de conduire sous l'influence du THC en Suisse comme dans de nombreux pays européens. La détection de ce composé dans le sang est suivie d'une série de mesures pénales et administratives à l'encontre du conducteur impliqué. Cette thèse intitulée « Etude d'administration contrôlée de cannabis et profils cinétiques dans les fluides biologiques » s'inscrit dans une étude toxicologique menée au Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV). Le but de cette étude est d'évaluer les effets du cannabis sur le fonctionnement du cerveau lorsque le consommateur accompli une tâche fondamentale de la conduite automobile. Pour cela, l'imagerie médicale par résonnance magnétique fonctionnelle (IRMf) est combinée à un test informatisé simulant une tâche psychomotrice requise pour une conduite automobile sûre. Il s'agit d'un test de double tâche de poursuite d'une cible au moyen d'un curseur dirigé par un joystick, combiné à une tâche secondaire de détection de signaux routiers. Parallèlement, les profils cinétiques sanguins et salivaires des volontaires ont été déterminés grâce à des prélèvements effectués tout au long de la journée d'étude. Les objectifs principaux de ce travail de thèse sont les suivants : après une revue de la littérature existante sur les techniques d'analyse des cannabinoïdes dans les fluides biologiques, une méthode a été développée et validée pour ces composés dans la salive puis appliquée aux échantillons de l'étude. En parallèle, les échantillons sanguins et urinaires ont été analysés, en partie avec une méthode adaptée de celle développée pour la salive. Pour montrer la versatilité de cette méthode, celle-ci a été employée pour analyser des échantillons de bile qui a l'avantage de contenir des concentrations élevées de métabolites conjugués. Dans un deuxième temps, les dosages effectués sur le sang et la salive ont permis d'établir les profils cinétiques des cannabinoïdes, de déterminer leurs paramètres pharmacocinétiques et de les comparer. Les données obtenues ont montré que la concentration sanguine en acide 11-nor-9- carboxy-delta-9-tétrahydrocannabinol (THCCOOH) pouvait servir à distinguer les fumeurs occasionnels des fumeurs réguliers de cannabis, car elle est significativement plus élevée chez les consommateurs réguliers. De plus, d'autres cannabinoïdes présents dans la salive pourraient servir de marqueurs de consommation récente dans ce fluide biologique. Enfin, que ce soit dans le sang, la salive ou l'urine, des phytocannabinoïdes peuvent être utilisés comme marqueur de consommation de cannabis illégal car ils sont absents des médicaments à base de cannabis utilisant des préparations synthétiques ou purifiées du THC.

El Consejo de Gobierno aprueba el proyecto de Ley de Salud Pública

Boletín semanal para profesionales sanitarios de la Secretaría General de Salud Pública y Participación Social de la Consejería de Salud

Assessment of particulate exposure and surface characteristics in association with urinary levels of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, considered as marker of oxidative stress

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that exposure to fine particles is associated to adverse health effects, including cancer, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. However, mechanisms by which particles induce health effects remain unclear. According to one of the most investigated hypotheses, particles cause adverse effects through the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are very hazardous compounds able to attack directly biological structures, including the DNA strand or the lipid bilayer of the cells. If the defense mechanisms, constituted of antioxidants, are not able to counter ROS, then these compounds will cause in the body a range of oxidation reactions called "oxidative stress". The aim of the present research project was to better understand mechanisms by which exposure to fine particles induces oxidative stress. The first point of this project was to check whether exposure to high levels of fine particles is directly linked to oxidative stress, and whether this oxidative stress is accompanied by the activation of the defense mechanisms (antioxidants). The second point was to study the role played by the particle surface characteristics in the oxidative stress process. For that purpose, a study was conducted in bus depots with the participation of 40 mechanics. First, occupational exposure to particles (PM4) and to other pollutants (NOx, O3) was measured over a two-day period. Then, urine samples of mechanics were collected in order to measure levels of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8OHdG) and antioxidants. 8OHdG is a molecule formed by the oxidation of DNA and allowing to assess the oxidative stress status of the mechanics. Finally, particles were collected on filters, and functional groups located on the particle surface were analyzed in the laboratory using a Knudsen flow reactor. This technique allows not only to quantify functional groups on the particle surface, but also to measure the reaction kinetics. Results obtained during the field campaign in bus depots showed that mechanics were exposed to rather low levels of PM4 (20-85 μg/m3) and of pollutants (NOx: 100-1000 ppb; O3: <15 ppb). However, despite this low exposure, urinary levels of the oxidative stress biomarker (8OHdG) increased significantly for non-smoking workers over a two-day period of shift. This oxidative stress was accompanied by an increase of antioxidants, indicating the activation of defense mechanisms. On the other hand, the analysis of functional groups on the particle surface showed important differences, depending on the workplace, the date and the activities of workers. The particle surface contained simultaneously antagonistic functional groups which did not undergo internal reactions (such as acids and bases), and was usually characterized by a high density of carbonyl functions and a low density of acidic sites. Reaction kinetics measured using the Knudsen flow reactor pointed out fast reactions of oxidizable groups and slow reactions of acidic sites. Several exposure parameters were significantly correlated with the increase of the oxidative stress status: the presence of acidic sites, carbonyl functions and oxidizable groups on the particle surface; reaction kinetics of functional groups on the particle surface; particulate iron and copper concentrations; and NOx concentration.

Late Labradorian metamorphism and anorthosite-granitoid intrusion, Cape-Caribou River allochthon, Grenville Province, Labrador - Evidence from U-Pb geochronology

In the Cape Caribou River allochthon (CCRA), metaigneous and gneissic units occur as a shallowly plunging synform in the hanging wall of the Grand Lake thrust system (GLTS), a Grenvillian structure that forms the boundary between the Mealy Mountains and Groswater Bay terranes. The layered rocks of the CCRA are cut by a stockwork of monzonite dykes related to the Dome Mountain suite and by metadiabase-amphibolite dykes that probably form part of the ca. 1380 Ma Mealy swarm. The mafic dykes appear to postdate much of the development of subhorizontal metamorphic layering within the lower parts of the CCRA. The uppermost (least metamorphosed) units of the CCRA, the North West River anorthosite-metagabbro and the Dome Mountain monzonite suite, have been dated at 1625 +/- 6 and 1626 +/- 2 Ma, respectively. An amphibolite unit that concordantly underlies the anorthosite-metagabbro and is intruded discordantly by monzonite dykes has given metamorphic ages of 1660 +/- 3 and 1631 +/- 2 Ma. Granitoid gneisses that form the lowest level of the CCRA have given a migmatization age of 1622 +/- 6 Ma. The effects of Grenvillian metamorphism become apparent in the lower levels of the allochthon where gneisses, amphibolite, and mafic dykes have given new generation zircon ages of 1008 +/- 2, 1012 +/- 3, and 1011 +/- 3 Ma, respectively. A posttectonic pegmatite has also given zircon and monazite ages of 1016(-3)(+7) and 1013 +/- 3 Ma, respectively. Although these results indicate new growth of Grenvillian zircon, this process was generally not accompanied by penetrative deformation or melting. Thus, the formation of gneissic fabrics and the overall layered nature of the lower CCRA are a result primarily of Labradorian (1660-1620 Ma) tectonism and intrusion, and probably reflect early movement on an ancestral GLTS. Grenvillian heating and metamorphism (up to granulite facies) was strongly concentrated towards the base of the CCRA and probably occurred during northwestward thrusting of the allochthon over the Groswater Bay terrane.

Report of Recommendations to the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy, June 30, 2002

State Agency Audit Report

Interaction of antigenic peptides with MHC class I molecules on living cells studied by photoaffinity labeling.

Using a direct binding assay based on photoaffinity labeling, we have studied the interaction of antigenic peptides with murine MHC class I molecules on living cells. Photoreactive derivatives were prepared by N-terminal amidation with iodo, 4-azido salicylic acid of the Kd restricted Plasmodium berghei circumsporozoite (P.b. CS) peptide 253-260 (YIPSAEKI) and the Db-restricted Adenovirus 5 early region 1A (Ad5 E1A) peptide 234-243 (SGPSNTPPEI). As assessed in functional competition experiments, both peptide derivatives retained the specific binding activity of the parental peptides for Kd or Dd, respectively. The P.b. CS photoprobe specifically labeled Kd molecules on P815 (H-2d) cells, but failed to label RMA (H-2b) cells. Conversely, the Ad5 E1A photoprobe specifically labeled Db molecules on RMA cells, but failed to label P815 cells. When the two photoprobes were tested on a panel of Con A-activated spleen cells expressing 10 different H-2 haplotypes, significant photoaffinity labeling was observed only on H-2d cells with the P.b. CS photoprobe and on H-2b cells with the Ad5 E1A photoprobe. Labeling of cell-associated Kd or Db molecules with the photoprobes was specifically inhibited by antigenic peptides known to be presented by the same class I molecule. Photoaffinity labeling of Kd with the P.b. CS photoprobe was used to study the dynamics of peptide binding on living P815 cells. Binding increased steadily with the incubation period (up to 8 h) at 37 degrees C and at ambient temperature, but was greatly reduced (greater than 95%) at 0 to 4 degrees C or in the presence of ATP synthesis inhibitors. The magnitude of the labeling was twofold higher at room temperature than at 37 degrees C. In contrast, binding to isolated Kd molecules in solution rapidly reached maximal binding, particularly at 37 degrees C. Dissociation of the photoprobe from either cell-associated or soluble Kd molecules was similar, with a half time of approximately 1 h at 37 degrees C, whereas the complexes were long-lived at 4 degrees C in both instances.

Molecular phylogeny and evolution of Sorex shrews (Soricidae: insectivora) inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequence data.

Shrews of the genus Sorex are characterized by a Holarctic distribution, and relationships among extant taxa have never been fully resolved. Phylogenies have been proposed based on morphological, karyological, and biochemical comparisons, but these analyses often produced controversial and contradictory results. Phylogenetic analyses of partial mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequences (1011 bp) were used to examine the relationships among 27 Sorex species. The molecular data suggest that Sorex comprises two major monophyletic lineages, one restricted mostly to the New World and one with a primarily Palearctic distribution. Furthermore, several sister-species relationships are revealed by the analysis. Based on the split between the Soricinae and Crocidurinae subfamilies, we used a 95% confidence interval for both the calibration of a molecular clock and the subsequent calculation of major diversification events within the genus Sorex. Our analysis does not support an unambiguous acceleration of the molecular clock in shrews, the estimated rate being similar to other estimates of mammalian mitochondrial clocks. In addition, the data presented here indicate that estimates from the fossil record greatly underestimate divergence dates among Sorex taxa.

Phylogenetic structures of the Holarctic Sorex araneus group and its relationships with S-samniticus, as inferred from mtDNA sequences

The shrews of the Sorex araneus group, characterized by the sexual chromosome complex XY1, Y2 have been intensively studied by morphological, karyotypical, and biochemical analyses. Nevertheless, the phylogenetic relationships among the species belonging to the araneus complex are still under debate, as different approaches gave often contradictory results. In this paper, partial nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b gene (1011 bp) were determined for 6 species of the araneus group from Eurasia and North America. We also included in the data set the sequences of Sorex samniticus, whose relationships with the araneus group remain controversial. Three other species representing two major karyological groups were also examined. Both parsimony and distance trees strongly support the monophyly of the araneus group. Sorex sumniticus is significantly more closely related to the araneus complex than to the other species included in the analysis. Based on the branching pattern within the araneus group, an attempt has been made to reconstruct the colonization history of the Holarctic region.