Modelling and validation of Lactobacillus plantarum fermentations in cereal-based media with different sugar concentrations and buffering capacities

An unstructured mathematical model is proposed to describe the fermentation kinetics of growth, lactic acid production, pH and sugar consumption by Lactobacillus plantarum as a function of the buffering capacity and initial glucose concentration of the culture media. Initially the experimental data of L plantarum fermentations in synthetic media with different buffering capacity and glucose were fitted to a set of primary models. Later the parameters obtained from these models were used to establish mathematical relationships with the independent variables tested. The models were validated with 6 fermentations of L. plantarum in different cereal-based media. In most cases the proposed models adequately describe the biochemical changes taking place during fermentation and are a promising approach for the formulation of cereal-based probiotic foods. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The longitudinal development of emotion regulation capacities in children at risk for externalizing disorders

The development of emotional regulation capacities in children at high versus low risk for externalizing disorder was examined in a longitudinal study investigating: a) whether disturbances in emotion regulation precede and predict the emergence of externalizing symptoms; and b) whether sensitive maternal behavior is a significant influence on the development of child emotion regulation. Families experiencing high (n=58) and low (n=63) levels of psychosocial adversity were recruited to the study during pregnancy. Direct observational assessments of child emotion regulation capacities and maternal sensitivity were completed in early infancy, at 12 and 18-months, and at 5-years. Key findings were as follows. First, high risk children showed poorer emotion regulation capacities than their low risk counterparts at every stage of assessment. Second, from 12-months onwards, emotion regulation capacities showed a degree of stability, and were associated with behavioral problems, both concurrently and prospectively. Third, maternal sensitivity was related to child emotion regulation capacities throughout development, with poorer emotion regulation in the high risk group being associated with lower maternal sensitivity. The results are consistent with a causal role for problems in the regulation of negative emotions in the etiology of externalizing psychopathology, and highlight insensitive parenting as a potentially key developmental influence.

Quasi-sure existence of Gaussian rough paths and large deviation principles for capacities

We construct a quasi-sure version (in the sense of Malliavin) of geometric rough paths associated with a Gaussian process with long-time memory. As an application we establish a large deviation principle (LDP) for capacities for such Gaussian rough paths. Together with Lyons' universal limit theorem, our results yield immediately the corresponding results for pathwise solutions to stochastic differential equations driven by such Gaussian process in the sense of rough paths. Moreover, our LDP result implies the result of Yoshida on the LDP for capacities over the abstract Wiener space associated with such Gaussian process.

Integral representation with convex capacities that are squeeze of (additive) probability measures

In this paper I will investigate the conditions under which a convex capacity (or a non-additive probability which exhibts uncertainty aversion) can be represented as a squeeze of a(n) (additive) probability measure associate to an uncertainty aversion function. Then I will present two alternatives forrnulations of the Choquet integral (and I will extend these forrnulations to the Choquet expected utility) in a parametric approach that will enable me to do comparative static exercises over the uncertainty aversion function in an easy way.

The United Nations Regional Commissions: Enhancing Capacities To Eradicate Violence Against Women

This study captures the significant regional and national knowledge that has been accumulated on measuring violence against women through the interregional project "Enhancing capacities to eradicate violence against women through networking of local knowledge communities". Supported by the United Nations Development Account, this two-year project was coordinated by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), through its Division for Gender Affairs, and implemented by the five regional commissions of the United Nations, in cooperation with the United Nations Statistical Division and UN-Women. Through the project, more than 30 countries worldwide have been engaged in the development, dissemination and testing of core indicators endorsed by the United Nations Statistical Commission. This process has made a decisive contribution to designing and building consensus around a common methodology to measure and document violence against women. Furthermore, the inclusion of all five regions in piloting the newly-developed tools to measure violence has also ensured that these tools capture a more comprehensive and complex vision of violence as experienced by women across cultures and regions. This report presents an overview of the activities that have taken place in the five regions, and outlines the key outcomes and lessons learned. Through its activities, the interregional project has made the cumulative body of existing knowledge in terms of policies, findings, innovative practices, processes and statistical data available to policymakers, activists and women's organizations. New knowledge was also produced through national studies that examined underexplored sources of data on violence against women. National capacities to collect information on violence against women through official statistics were strengthened through targeted training activities as well as through participation in expert meetings which provided the space for an effective exchange of best practices.

International migration from a regional and interregional perspective: Main conclusions, messages and recommendations from the United Nations Development Account project (6th Tranche), "Strengthening national capacities to deal with international migration: maximizing development benefits and minimizing negative impact"

Incluye bibliografía

Population and development planning: some notes on the policy- making capacities of the state in Latin America; preliminary draft

Includes bibliography