Dynamical modeling and analysis of large cellular regulatory networks.

The dynamical analysis of large biological regulatory networks requires the development of scalable methods for mathematical modeling. Following the approach initially introduced by Thomas, we formalize the interactions between the components of a network in terms of discrete variables, functions, and parameters. Model simulations result in directed graphs, called state transition graphs. We are particularly interested in reachability properties and asymptotic behaviors, which correspond to terminal strongly connected components (or "attractors") in the state transition graph. A well-known problem is the exponential increase of the size of state transition graphs with the number of network components, in particular when using the biologically realistic asynchronous updating assumption. To address this problem, we have developed several complementary methods enabling the analysis of the behavior of large and complex logical models: (i) the definition of transition priority classes to simplify the dynamics; (ii) a model reduction method preserving essential dynamical properties, (iii) a novel algorithm to compact state transition graphs and directly generate compressed representations, emphasizing relevant transient and asymptotic dynamical properties. The power of an approach combining these different methods is demonstrated by applying them to a recent multilevel logical model for the network controlling CD4+ T helper cell response to antigen presentation and to a dozen cytokines. This model accounts for the differentiation of canonical Th1 and Th2 lymphocytes, as well as of inflammatory Th17 and regulatory T cells, along with many hybrid subtypes. All these methods have been implemented into the software GINsim, which enables the definition, the analysis, and the simulation of logical regulatory graphs.

Control of schistosomiasis transmission

Despite the success of control programmes, schistosomiasis is still a serious public health problem in the world. More than 70 countries where 200 million individuals are evaluated to be infected of a total 600 million at risk. Though there have been important local success in the control of transmission, globally the infection has increased. Economic constrains in developing countries, environmental changes associated with migration and water resources development have been blocking the progress. The main objective of schistosomiasis control is to achieve reduction of disease due to schistosomiasis. We discussed the control measures like: health education, diagnosis and chemotherapy, safe water supplies, sanitation and snail control. We emphasized the need to give priority to school-age children and the importance of integrating the measures of control into locally available systems of health care. The control of schistosomiasis is directly related to the capacity of the preventive health services of an endemic country. The strategy of control requires long-term commitment from the international to the local level.

Integración de políticas medio ambientales: Transformaciones institucionales en España

La Integración de la Políticas Ambientales (IPA) consiste en la incorporación de los objetivos ambientales en todos los estadios de elaboración e implementación de las políticas no ambientales (o sectoriales), con un reconocimiento específico de dicho objetivo como principio director de la programación y la puesta en práctica. Se complementa con la previsión de las consecuencias ambientales mediante una evaluación de conjunto de la política con objeto de minimizar las contradicciones entre las políticas ambientales y no ambientales dando prioridad a las primeras. La naturaleza transversal de la IPA no se ajusta a la forma tradicional de gobernanza jerárquica basada en la autoridad del Estado, la diferenciación sectorial, y los instrumentos típicos de dirección y control. Por ello, no es extraño que la IPA se encuentre a menudo asociada a los llamados "nuevos modos de gobernanza". Esta tesis propone analizar empíricamente el estado de la cuestión en España con respecto a la Integración de la política ambiental , tanto a nivel estatal como autonómico (Cataluña, País Vasco), yendo más allá de los compromisos políticos a favor de un mayor grado de integración de los factores ambientales en las demás políticas. En particular, los ámbitos de investigación seleccionados para esta finalidad son el de las políticas de mitigación de las causas y los efectos del cambio climático, y las políticas de desarrollo sostenible. En términos de ‘variable independiente’ La hipótesis que se quiere comprobar es que la acción llevada a cabo por la Unión Europea ha generado profundos cambios en las estructuras de las instituciones mencionadas y en los procesos de elaboración y implementación de determinadas políticas (energía y transporte) así como en las relaciones entre sectores de la administración pública y entre el sector público y el privado.

La correspondencia entre Robert Moray y Christiaan Huygens (1661-1669): encuentros y desencuentros en la promoción del conocimiento

Sir Robert Moray (1608/9-1673) fue un soldado, cortesano y "hombre de ciencia" escocés, que estuvo en el exilio durante el período de Oliver Cromwell. Poco después de su regreso a Inglaterra en 1660 y gracias en gran medida a su amistad con Carlos II, aparece vinculado al grupo que formará la Royal Society de Londres y será nombrado el primer presidente de la institución durante los primeros meses. Moray ha sido reconocido como una figura imprescindible para entender la consolidación de la Royal Society. Establece, además, una correspondencia muy importante con Christiaan Huygens, en donde aparecen tratados temas de gran relevancia en la década de 1660, tales como la determinación de la longitud en el mar mediante el uso del reloj de péndulo y la construcción y experimentación con la máquina neumática (emblema del proyecto experimental de Robert Boyle). En esta correspondencia aparecen reflejadas, así mismo, las tensiones sobre los problemas de prioridad en diferentes áreas de conocimiento. Una de estas agrias polémicas es la que enfrenta a James Gregory y a Huygens, que acabará con la relación epistolar entre Moray y el sabio holandés.

Predictive and distributed routing balancing (PR-DRB): high speed interconnection networks

Current parallel applications running on clusters require the use of an interconnection network to perform communications among all computing nodes available. Imbalance of communications can produce network congestion, reducing throughput and increasing latency, degrading the overall system performance. On the other hand, parallel applications running on these networks posses representative stages which allow their characterization, as well as repetitive behavior that can be identified on the basis of this characterization. This work presents the Predictive and Distributed Routing Balancing (PR-DRB), a new method developed to gradually control network congestion, based on paths expansion, traffic distribution and effective traffic load, in order to maintain low latency values. PR-DRB monitors messages latencies on intermediate routers, makes decisions about alternative paths and record communication pattern information encountered during congestion situation. Based on the concept of applications repetitiveness, best solution recorded are reapplied when saved communication pattern re-appears. Traffic congestion experiments were conducted in order to evaluate the performance of the method, and improvements were observed.

The God of the Book of Acts

(Résumé de l'ouvrage) Seventeen innovative studies are collected in this volume which has been produced under the aegis of the Centre for Biblical Studies, University of Manchester, and L'Institut des sciences bibliques, Université de Lausanne. The majority of the studies engage with narrative through providing insightful working examples. Building on the many contributions of recent narratological research, for the most part the studies in this collection avoid the technical language of narratology as they present fresh insights at many levels. Some essays focus more on the implied author, some on the implied reader or hearer, and some on the way particular messages are constructed; some of the studies consider how author, message and reader are all interconnected. There are several creative proposals for refining genre definition, from law and wisdom to gospel and apocryphal writings. Some studies highlight the way in which narratives can contain ethical, religious, and cultural messages. Sensitivity to narrative is also shown by some contributors to expose in intruing ways the redactional processes behind the final form of texts. Students of narrative in the ancient world will find much to consider in this book, and others engaged with literary studies more generally will discover that scholars of the worlds of the Bible and Late Antiquity have much to offer them.

Sistema integral d’anàlisi i avaluació d’un format general d’assignatura específic dels estudis de les arts

En el període 2006-2008, l'equip investigador de l'Observatori sobre la Didàctica de les Arts (ODAS) s'ha concentrat en la innovació i la investigació en el camp de la didàctica aplicada als estudis universitaris de les arts. Des del punt de vista propi de la investigació-acció, la finalitat ha estat la de plantejar i explorar una revisió integral de l'organització del treball a peu d'aula que fos extensible a d'altres assignatures i matèries. Així, prenent com a eix l'aprenentatge dels estudiants, les accions escomeses es fonamentaren en sis premisses: integració —de sessions de treball i activitats d'aprenentatge—, diversitat —d'escenaris, recursos i materials didàctics—, equilibri —entre coneixements i habilitats específiques i transversals—, modularitat —de les parts constitutives de la innovació proposada—, aplicabilitat —a d'altres assignatures i matèries— i progressió en la seva posada en marxa. I sobre aquestes bases, hom va establir cinc línies de treball: l'organització del treball a l'aula i del treball guiat de l'estudiant en diferents tipus de sessions, l'organització del treball autònom de l'alumne des dels pressupòsits d'una avaluació continuada, la incorporació de les TIC com autèntics recursos d'ensenyament-aprenentatge, la col·laboració amb d'altres unitats de la Universitat de Barcelona que tinguessin entre els seus objectius l'impuls de l'aprenentatge, i el seguiment del procés d'implantació de la iniciativa didàctica i l'anàlisi regular dels seus resultats. Pel que fa a aquest darrer punt, en aquest primer període, hom ha prioritzat l'estudi de les dades quantitatives i quasi-quantitatives derivades del judici dels alumnes que participaren en la nova proposta didàctica. En conseqüència, la investigació va acomplir una primera funció diagnòstica de la innovació docent duta a terme, i es va enquadrar en la categoria dels estudis descriptius transversals a través d'enquestes amb mostres probabilístiques.

Eokines: synthesis, storage and release from human eosinophils

Eosinophils are prominent inflammatory cells in asthma and other allergic disorders, as well as in helminthic parasite infections. Recently, eosinophils have been reported to synthesize and store a range of regulatory proteins within their secretory granules (eokines). Eokines comprise a group of cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors which are elaborated by eosinophils. These proteins, and the messages which encode them, appear to be identical to those produced by lymphocytes and other tissues. Interestingly, immunoreactivity to many of these eokines has been found to co-localize to the eosinophil´s secretory granules. In this review, we have discussed the repertoire of 18 eokines so far identified in eosinophils, and focused on four of these, namely, interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-4, granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and RANTES. These four eokines co-localize to the crystalloid granules in eosinophils, as shown in studies using subcellular fractionation and immunogold labeling in electron microscopy. During stimulation by physiological triggers, for example, with serum-coated particles, eosinophils release these mediators into the surrounding supernatant. In addition, eokines are likely to be synthesized within eosinophils rather than taken up by endocytosis, as show in detection of mRNA for each of these proteins using in situ hybridization, RT-PCR, and in the case of RANTES, in situ RT-PCR. Eokines synthesis and release from eosinophils challenges the commonly held notion that these cells act downstream of key elements in immune system, and indicate that they may instead belong to the afferent arm of immunity.

Pseudomarkets with priorities in large random assignment economies

I study large random assignment economies with a continuum of agents and a finite number of object types. I consider the existence of weak priorities discriminating among agents with respect to their rights concerning the final assignment. The respect for priorities ex ante (ex-ante stability) usually precludes ex-ante envy-freeness. Therefore I define a new concept of fairness, called no unjustified lower chances: priorities with respect to one object type cannot justify different achievable chances regarding another object type. This concept, which applies to the assignment mechanism rather than to the assignment itself, implies ex-ante envy-freeness among agents of the same priority type. I propose a variation of Hylland and Zeckhauser' (1979) pseudomarket that meets ex-ante stability, no unjustified lower chances and ex-ante efficiency among agents of the same priority type. Assuming enough richness in preferences and priorities, the converse is also true: any random assignment with these properties could be achieved through an equilibrium in a pseudomarket with priorities. If priorities are acyclical (the ordering of agents is the same for each object type), this pseudomarket achieves ex-ante efficient random assignments.

Local and global consistency properties for student placement

In the context of resource allocation on the basis of priorities, Ergin (2002) identifies a necessary and sufficient condition on the priority structure such that the student-optimal stable mechanism satisfies a consistency principle. Ergin (2002) formulates consistency as a local property based on a fixed population of agents and fixed resources -- we refer to this condition as local consistency and to his condition on the priority structure as local acyclicity. We identify a related but stronger necessary and sufficient condition (unit acyclicity) on the priority structure such that the student-optimal stable mechanism satisfies a more standard global consistency property. Next, we provide necessary and sufficient conditions for the student-optimal stable mechanism to satisfy converse consistency principles. We identify a necessary and sufficient condition (local shift-freeness) on the priority structure such that the student-optimal stable mechanism satisfies local converse consistency. Interestingly, local acyclicity implies local shift-freeness and hence the student-optimal stable mechanism more frequently satisfies local converse consistency than local consistency. Finally, in order for the student-optimal stable mechanism to be globally conversely consistent, one again has to impose unit acyclicity on the priority structure. Hence, unit acyclicity is a necessary and sufficient condition on the priority structure for the student-optimal stable mechanism to satisfy global consistency or global converse consistency.

Evaluation des campagnes de prévention contre le SIDA en Suisse : Les éducateurs et assistants sociaux : rôle de conseillers dans la prévention et l'accompagnement : rapport final 1988

Dans le cadre de l'évaluation de la campagne STOP-SIDA, les auteurs avaient pour but d'examiner: 1) l'influence et l'intégration des messages préventifs dans la pratique professionnelle des travailleurs sociaux chargés de missions diverses avec les adolescents; 2) le poids de l'épidémie de SIDA dans les pratiques de ceux qui affrontent déjà le problème; 3) l'émergence de demandes particulières, formatives ou matérielles, pour aider à l'accompagnement de jeunes séropositifs ou de malades; 4) les difficultés et les blocages de l'action préventive dus à des conflits de rôles, à des contradictions entre discours professionnels et pratiques personnelles. ANNEXE: Questionnaire envoyé aux institutions. Guide d'entretien.

Entrevistant infants pre-escolars víctimes d’abús sexual i/o maltractament familiar : Eficàcia dels models d’entrevista forense

Entrevistant infants pre-escolars víctimes d’abús sexual i/o maltractament familiar: eficàcia dels models d’entrevista forense Entrevistar infants en edat preescolar que han viscut una situació traumàtica és una tasca complexa que dins l’avaluació psicològica forense necessita d’un protocol perfectament delimitat, clar i temporalitzat. Per això, s’han seleccionat 3 protocols d’entrevista: el Protocol de Menors (PM) de Bull i Birch, el model del National Institute for Children Development (NICHD) de Michel Lamb, a partir del qual es va desenvolupar l’EASI (Evaluación del Abuso Sexual Infantojuvenil) i l’Entrevista Cognitiva (EC) de Fisher i Geiselman. La hipòtesi de partida vol comprovar si els anteriors models permeten obtenir volums informatius diferents en infants preescolars. Conseqüentment, els objectius han estat determinar quin dels models d’entrevista permet obtenir un volum informatiu amb més precisions i menys errors, dissenyar un model d’entrevista propi i consensuar aquest model. En el treball s’afegeixen esquemes pràctics que facilitin l’obertura, desenvolupament i tancament de l’entrevista forense. La metodologia ha reproduït el binomi infant - esdeveniment traumàtic, mitjançant la visualització i l’explicació d’un fet emocionalment significatiu amb facilitat per identificar-se: l’accident en bicicleta d’un infant que cau, es fa mal, sagna i el seu pare el cura. A partir d’aquí, hem entrevistat 135 infants de P3, P4 i P5, mitjançant els 3 models d’entrevista referits, enfrontant-los a una demanda específica: recordar i narrar aquest esdeveniment. S’ha conclòs que el nivell de record correcte, quan s’utilitza un model d’entrevista adequat amb els infants en edat preescolar, oscil•la entre el 70-90%, fet que permet defensar la confiança en els records dels infants. Es constata que el percentatge d’emissions incorrectes dels infants en edat preescolar és mínim, al voltant d’un 5-6%. L’estudi remarca la necessitat d’establir perfectament les regles de l’entrevista i, per últim, en destaca la ineficàcia de les tècniques de memòria de l’entrevista cognitiva en els infants de P3 i P4. En els de P5 es comencen a veure beneficis gràcies a la tècnica de la reinstauració contextual (RC), estant les altres tècniques fora de la comprensió i utilització dels infants d’aquestes edats. Interviewing preschoolers victims of sexual abuse and/or domestic abuse: Effectiveness of forensic interviews models 135 preschool children were interviewed with 3 different interview models in order to remember a significant emotional event. Authors conclude that the correct recall of children ranging from 70-90% and the percentage of error messages is 5-6%. It is necessary to fully establish the rules of the interview. The present research highlights the effectiveness of the cognitive interview techniques in children from P3 and P4. Entrevistando niños preescolares víctimas de abuso sexual y/o maltrato familiar: eficacia de los modelos de entrevista forense Se han entrevistado 135 niños preescolares con 3 modelos de entrevista diferentes para recordar un hecho emocionalmente significativo. Se concluye que el recuerdo correcto de los niños oscila entre el 70-90% y el porcentaje de errores de mensajes es del 5-6%. El estudio remarca la necesidad de establecer perfectamente las reglas de la entrevista y se destaca la ineficacia de las técnicas de la entrevista cognitiva en los niños de P3 y P4.

Entrevistando a niños preescolares víctimas de abuso sexual y/o maltrato familiar : Eficacia de los modelos de entrevista forense

Entrevistando niños preescolares víctimas de abuso sexual y/o maltrato familiar: eficacia de los modelos de entrevista forense Se han entrevistado 135 niños preescolares con 3 modelos de entrevista diferentes para recordar un hecho emocionalmente significativo. Se concluye que el recuerdo correcto de los niños oscila entre el 70-90% y el porcentaje de errores de mensajes es del 5-6%. El estudio remarca la necesidad de establecer perfectamente las reglas de la entrevista y se destaca la ineficacia de las técnicas de la entrevista cognitiva en los niños de P3 y P4. Entrevistant infants pre-escolars víctimes d’abús sexual i/o maltractament familiar: eficàcia dels models d’entrevista forense Entrevistar infants en edat preescolar que han viscut una situació traumàtica és una tasca complexa que dins l’avaluació psicològica forense necessita d’un protocol perfectament delimitat, clar i temporalitzat. Per això, s’han seleccionat 3 protocols d’entrevista: el Protocol de Menors (PM) de Bull i Birch, el model del National Institute for Children Development (NICHD) de Michel Lamb, a partir del qual es va desenvolupar l’EASI (Evaluación del Abuso Sexual Infantojuvenil) i l’Entrevista Cognitiva (EC) de Fisher i Geiselman. La hipòtesi de partida vol comprovar si els anteriors models permeten obtenir volums informatius diferents en infants preescolars. Conseqüentment, els objectius han estat determinar quin dels models d’entrevista permet obtenir un volum informatiu amb més precisions i menys errors, dissenyar un model d’entrevista propi i consensuar aquest model. En el treball s’afegeixen esquemes pràctics que facilitin l’obertura, desenvolupament i tancament de l’entrevista forense. La metodologia ha reproduït el binomi infant - esdeveniment traumàtic, mitjançant la visualització i l’explicació d’un fet emocionalment significatiu amb facilitat per identificar-se: l’accident en bicicleta d’un infant que cau, es fa mal, sagna i el seu pare el cura. A partir d’aquí, hem entrevistat 135 infants de P3, P4 i P5, mitjançant els 3 models d’entrevista referits, enfrontant-los a una demanda específica: recordar i narrar aquest esdeveniment. S’ha conclòs que el nivell de record correcte, quan s’utilitza un model d’entrevista adequat amb els infants en edat preescolar, oscil•la entre el 70-90%, fet que permet defensar la confiança en els records dels infants. Es constata que el percentatge d’emissions incorrectes dels infants en edat preescolar és mínim, al voltant d’un 5-6%. L’estudi remarca la necessitat d’establir perfectament les regles de l’entrevista i, per últim, en destaca la ineficàcia de les tècniques de memòria de l’entrevista cognitiva en els infants de P3 i P4. En els de P5 es comencen a veure beneficis gràcies a la tècnica de la reinstauració contextual (RC), estant les altres tècniques fora de la comprensió i utilització dels infants d’aquestes edats. Interviewing preschoolers victims of sexual abuse and/or domestic abuse: Effectiveness of forensic interviews models 135 preschool children were interviewed with 3 different interview models in order to remember a significant emotional event. Authors conclude that the correct recall of children ranging from 70-90% and the percentage of error messages is 5-6%. It is necessary to fully establish the rules of the interview. The present research highlights the effectiveness of the cognitive interview techniques in children from P3 and P4.

AIDS prevention: consensus and dissension regarding the meaning

Aim: In Western Europe, HIV/AIDS prevention has been based on the provision of information intended to lead the public to voluntarily adapt their behaviour so as to avoid the risk of virus transmission. Whether conveyed in a written or oral form, the messages of prevention are essentially verbal. Sociolinguistic research confirms that, even within a given culture, the meaning attributed to lexical items varies. It was hypothesised that understandings of the terms used in HIV/AIDS prevention in French-speaking Switzerland would vary, and research was undertaken to identify the level and nature of this variation both between and among those who transmit (prevention providers) and those who receive (the public) the messages. Method/issue: All HIV/AIDS prevention material available in French-speaking Switzerland in 2004 was assembled and a corpus of 50 key documents identified. Two series of lexical items were generated from this corpus: one composed of technical terms potentially difficult to understand, and the other, of terms used in everyday language with implicit, and therefore potentially variable, meaning. The two lists of terms were investigated in qualitative interviews in stratified purposive samples of the general public (n=60) and prevention providers (n=30), using standard socio-linguistic methodology. A further quantitative study (CATI) in the general population (17 - 49 yrs.; n=500) investigated understandings of 15 key prevention terms found in the qualitative research to have been associated with high levels of dissension. Results/comments: Selected aspects of the results will be presented. In illustration: meanings attributed to the different terms in both the public and the providers varied. For example, when a relationship is described as "stable", this may be understood as implying exclusive sexual relations or long duration, with an interaction between the two traits; the term "sexual intercourse" may or may not be used to refer to oral sex; "making love" may or may not necessarily include an act of penetration; the pre-ejaculate is qualified by some as sperm, and by others not... Understanding of frequently used "technical" terms in prevention was far from universal; for example, around only a half of respondents understood the meaning of "safer sex". Degree of understanding of these terms was linked to education, whereas variability in meaning in everyday language was not linked to socio-economic variables. Discussion: Findings indicate the need for more awareness regarding the heterogeneity of meaning around the terms regularly used in prevention. Greater attention should be paid to the formulation of prevention messages, and providers should take precautions to ensure that the meanings they wish to convey are those perceived by the receivers of their messages. Wherever possible, terms used should be defined and meanings rendered explicit.

Annual Update on Fuel Poverty and Health (2008)

This paper provides an update on the All-Ireland Policy Paper on Fuel Poverty and Health published by the Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH) in December 2007.Economic downturn and fluctuating fuel prices mean that for many people the challenge of fuel poverty is becoming even more immediate. Alleviating financial strain and protecting the health and social well-being of fuel-poor householders must remain a priority across government. A substantial body of research links fuel poverty to physical and mental ill-health. Older people in particular are at an increased risk of suffering from heart disease, stroke and respiratory conditions in the winter months. Research published in Northern Ireland this year has also highlighted the impact of fuel poverty on children’s health and well-being.