Chupicuaro archaeological sites: from magnetic survey to excavation (late pre-classic period, Middle Lerma Valley, Guanajuato, Mexico)

Aims of the project The area of Chupicuaro, located in the middle valley of the Lerma river, is regarded as one of the major archaeological targets of central Mexico for the late pre-classic period (600 BC-AD 300). Archaeological investigations in the area have been limited because of a large reservoir constructed in 1948 and severe plundering. Since 1999 a French-Mexican research program has concentrated on broadening knowledge of the local Chupicuaro culture and its development (Faugère & D..

Ex vivo activity of the ACT new components pyronaridine and piperaquine in comparison with conventional ACT drugs against isolates of Plasmodium falciparum

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of the present work was to assess i) <it>ex vivo </it>activity of pyronaridine (PND) and piperaquine (PPQ), as new components of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT), to define susceptibility baseline, ii) their activities compared to other partner drugs, namely monodesethylamodiaquine (MDAQ), lumefantrine (LMF), mefloquine (MQ), artesunate (AS) and dihydroartemisinin (DHA) against 181 <it>Plasmodium falciparum </it>isolates from African countries, India and Thailand, and iii) <it>in vitro </it>cross-resistance with other quinoline drugs, chloroquine (CQ) or quinine (QN).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The susceptibility of the 181 <it>P. falciparum </it>isolates to the nine anti-malarial drugs was assessed using the standard 42-hours ³H-hypoxanthine uptake inhibition method.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The IC₅₀values for PND ranged from 0.55 to 80.0 nM (geometric mean = 19.9 nM) and from 11.8 to 217.3 nM for PPQ (geometric mean = 66.8 nM). A significant positive correlation was shown between responses to PPQ and PND responses (<it>rho </it>= 0.46) and between PPQ and MDAQ (<it>rho </it>= 0.30). No significant correlation was shown between PPQ IC₅₀and responses to other anti-malarial drugs. A significant positive correlation was shown between responses to PND and MDAQ (<it>rho </it>= 0.37), PND and LMF (<it>rho </it>= 0.28), PND and QN (<it>rho </it>= 0.24), PND and AS (<it>rho </it>= 0.19), PND and DHA (<it>rho </it>= 0.18) and PND and CQ (<it>rho </it>= 0.16). All these coefficients of correlation are too low to suggest cross-resistance between PPQ or PND and the other drugs.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In this study, the excellent anti-malarial activity of PPQ and PND was confirmed. The absence of cross-resistance with quinolines and artemisinin derivatives is consistent with the efficacy of the combinations of PPQ and DHA or PND and AS in areas where parasites are resistant to conventional anti-malarial drugs.</p

Chapitre 8. Appliquer les Principes de la Pleine Conscience et de la Compassion à la Finance

Quelle serait l’efficacité sur le monde de la finance d’adopter ces deux aptitudes mentales que sont la pleine conscience et la compassion. Je définis le noble but de la Finance comme l’acheminement de ressources au sein d’activités sociales et/ou économiques qui le méritent le plus, afin de générer un bien-être communautaire et sociétal. Gagner de l’argent reste toujours un but important des services financiers, mais cela ne constitue pas le seul critère ou le critère primordial. La pleine conscience, telle que Jon Kabat-Zinn la définit, et la compassion impitoyable, telle que Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoché la définit, constituent deux outils mentaux puissants qui peuvent aider le monde de la finance à atteindre ce noble but. Dévoiler par exemple de nouveaux niveaux de conscience dote les décideurs d’un avantage concurrentiel en leur évitant de tomber dans certains pièges comportementaux. Lors d’une entrevue, Solomon Halpern, disciple de longue date de Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoché, expert en méditation bouddhiste, et président de Highlander Wealth Services, illustre comment ces outils mentaux sont appliqués à la gestion d’un modeste fonds d’investissement américain, dans un objectif ultime plus important qu’uniquement faire de l’argent.I inquire into the efficacy of adopting two mental aptitudes in the financial industry: mindfulness and compassion. I define the noble aim of Finance as channeling resources into the most deserving social and/or economic activities and raising community and societal welfare as a result. Making money is still an important by-product of financial services, but not the overriding or sole criterion. Mindfulness (as defined by Jon Kabat-Zinn) and Ruthless Compassion (as defined by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoché) are two powerful mental tools that can help the financial industry fulfill that noble goal. For example, unveiling new levels of awareness give decision-makers a competitive advantage in terms of avoiding behavioral traps. An interview of Solomon Halpern, longstanding disciple of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoché, expert in Buddhist meditation, and president of Highlander Wealth Services, illustrates how these mental tools are applied for running a small US equity fund, ultimately with a higher purpose than just making money

The Chupicuaro exploitation of hydrothermal resources, Mexico (600 B.C.- 300 A.D.): geochimical and mineralogical identification and archaeological inferences

International audienc

Head and Shoulders above the Rest? The Performance of Institutional Portfolio Managers who Use Technical Analysis Head and Shoulders above the Rest? The Performance of Institutional Portfolio Managers who Use Technical Analysis

Abstract This study takes a novel approach to testing the efficacy of technical analysis. Rather than testing specific trading rules as is typically done in the literature, we rely on institutional portfolio managers&apos; statements about whether and how intensely they use technical analysis, irrespective of the form in which they implement it. In our sample of more than 10,000 portfolios, about one-third of actively managed equity and balanced funds use technical analysis. We compare the investment performance of funds that use technical analysis versus those that do not using five metrics. Mean and median (3 and 4-factor) alpha values are generally slightly higher for a cross section of funds using technical analysis, but performance volatility is also higher. Benchmark-adjusted returns are also higher, particularly when market prices are declining. The most remarkable finding is that portfolios with greater reliance on technical analysis have elevated skewness and kurtosis levels relative to portfolios that do not use technical analysis. Funds using technical analysis appear to have provided a meaningful advantage to their investors, albeit in an unexpected way. Keywords: Technical analysis, portfolio management, institutional investment For decades the academic profession has derided and essentially relegated technical analysis to the same status as alchemy (Malkiel, 2003). Yet technical analysis remains a staple among many retail and institutional investors. Park and Irwin (2007) report that 30-40% of surveyed foreign exchange traders believe that technical analysis is an important tool for determining price movement at shorter time horizons up to 6 months. Past studies have tended to show that technical analysis does not outperform simple buy-and-hold strategies after transaction costs are accounted for White&apos;s Reality Check (White, 2000) is a popular methodology developed to remedy this issue, but it is not a panacea, especially given that it is based on a universe of &quot;tested&quot; rules that by construction does not include all actual rules. For example, Sullivan, Timmermann, and White (1999) test 7,846 trading rules, drawn from five commonly used classes of rules in financial markets. Although 7,846 is a large number, this collection may not be comprehensive enough. Several well-known classes of trading rules, such as momentum strategies, are not included in the study. Of course, later studies have augmented the size of the trading rules universe Essentially, academic studies have not been able to peer into and reproduce the content of the black box of tools used by professional chartists. In this article, we tackl

Chupicuaro archaeological sites: from magnetic survey to excavation (Late pre-classic period, Middle Lerma Valley, Guanajuato, Mexico).

International audienc

Tiempos de crisis y cambios socioculturales en Chupicuaro al final del Preclásico: evidencias paleoambientales e indicadores arqueológicos en el valle de Acámbaro, Guanajuato, México

International audience"Los trabajos realizados en el valle de Acámbaro evidenciaron para finales del Preclásico (hacia 100 a.C.), una serie de cambios que denota un tiempo de crisis y de transición. El estudio revela una reducción drástica del número de sitios del Preclásico Terminal (fase Mixtlán: 1-250 d.C.), así como una nueva configuración espacial. Las excavaciones avalan las observaciones de superficie y comprueban que, a partir de 100 a.C., los asentamientos sufren una desocupación: en dos sitios excavados observamos estratos de abandono y luego de reocupación, y en los demás constatamos un abandono definitivo. Esta evolución parece coincidir con una baja demográfica. Los acontecimientos posteriores corresponden a una ocupación más discreta del territorio, con producciones materiales distintas, aun cuando se inscriben en la continuidad de la cultura Chupicuaro. Por su lado, los estudios paleoambientales evidencian acontecimientos geológicos interesantes: una subida de aguas, que en su nivel más alto habría rebasado de 10 m el nivel promedio de la presa moderna que inunda el valle. Este evento, aun mal fechado, correspondería a un lago formado a raíz de problemas de escurrimiento del río Lerma, debidos a la formación de un tapón geológico cadena abajo. Esta ponencia cruza las evidencias arqueológicas (estratigrafía y producciones materiales) con los datos paleoambientales, y discute la validez de todos los indicadores para precisar la cronología y rapidez de los acontecimientos. Si bien el desequilibrio ecológico parece haber provocado un estado de crisis, desembocando en reorganizaciones territoriales, sociales, y económicas, habrá sido lo suficiente fuerte como para impactar los fundamentos de la sociedad chupicuarense?" (source éditeur