Discretization of Compact Riemannian Manifolds Applied to the Spectrum of Laplacian

For κ ⩾ 0 and r0 > 0 let ℳ(n, κ, r0) be the set of all connected, compact n-dimensional Riemannian manifolds (Mn, g) with Ricci (M, g) ⩾ −(n−1) κ g and Inj (M) ⩾ r0. We study the relation between the kth eigenvalue λk(M) of the Laplacian associated to (Mn,g), Δ = −div(grad), and the kth eigenvalue λk(X) of a combinatorial Laplacian associated to a discretization X of M. We show that there exist constants c, C > 0 (depending only on n, κ and r0) such that for all M ∈ ℳ(n, κ, r0) and X a discretization of $${M, c \leqslant \frac{\lambda_{k}(M)}{\lambda_{k}(X)} \leqslant C}$$ for all k 0. We show that there exist constants c, C > 0 depending on η, n, κ and r0 such that $${c \leqslant \frac{\lambda_{k}(M)}{\lambda_{k}(N)} \leqslant C}$$ for all $${k \in \mathbb{N}}$

Sectoral Shifts, Diversification and Regional Unemployment: Evidence from Local Labour Systems in Italy

Using Local Labour Systems (LLSs) data, this work aims at assessing the effects of sectoral shifts and industry specialization patterns on regional unemployment in Italy over the years 2004-2008, when huge worker reallocation caused by changes in the international division of labour occurred. Italy represents an interesting case study because of the high degree of spatial heterogeneity in local labour market performance and the well-known North-South divide. Furthermore, the presence of strongly specialized LLSs (Industrial Districts, IDs) allows us to test whether IDs perform better than highly diversified urban areas thanks to the effect of agglomeration economies, or vice versa. Building on a semiparametric spatial auto-regressive framework, our empirical investigation documents that sectoral shifts and the degree of specialization exert a negative role on unemployment dynamics. By contrast, highly diversified areas turn out to be characterized by better labour market performances.unemployment, sectoral shift, diversification, spatial dependence, nonparametrics

Leukocyte telomere shortening in Huntington's disease

Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease caused by an expanded CAG repeat. Though symptom onset commonly occurs at midlife and inversely correlates with the CAG repeat expansion, age at clinical onset and progression rate are variable. In the present study we investigated the relationship between leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and HD development. LTL was measured by real-time PCR in manifest HD patients (HD, n = 62), pre-manifest HD patients (pre-HD, n = 38), and age-matched controls (n = 76). Significant LTL differences were observed between the three groups (p < .0001), with LTL values in the order: HD < pre-HD < controls. The relationship between LTL and age was different in the three groups. An inverse relationship between mean LTL and CAG repeat number was found in the pre-HD (p = .03). The overall data seem to indicate that after age 30 years, LT begins to shorten markedly in pre-HD patients according to CAG number and increasing age, up to the values observed in HD. This very suggestive picture allowed us to hypothesize that in pre-manifest HD, LTL could be a measure of time to clinical HD onset. The possible use of LTL as a reliable biomarker to track HD development and progression was evaluated and discussed

L’immersion précoce en allemand au cycle 1 dans le canton de Neuchâtel :: l’enseignement des langues en Suisse dans un contexte européen

La migration des populations, tant au niveau cantonal, national, européen que mondial, influence inévitablement les politiques éducatives qui doivent s’adapter au contexte social. Chaque individu, en Suisse comme ailleurs, a son propre profil linguistique et culturel. C’est pourquoi, l’enseignement doit privilégier l’intercompréhension en développant des compétences communicatives. C’est au Canada que l’immersion linguistique est née. Il s’agit d’une situation de formation bilingue où un certain nombre de disciplines non linguistiques sont enseignées dans une autre langue que la langue de scolarisation. Cette approche novatrice de l’enseignement d’une langue étrangère a eu du succès et s’est répandue dans plusieurs pays. Actuellement, en Suisse, l’immersion précoce en allemand au cycle 1 est expérimentée dans les cantons francophones et permet d’initier l’élève à l’allemand dès l’école enfantine. Dans le canton de Neuchâtel, ce projet a débuté il y a quatre ans. Mon travail s’intéresse donc à la façon dont les enseignants conçoivent leurs séquences d’apprentissage pour permettre aux élèves d’acquérir des compétences linguistiques et disciplinaires, tout en sachant que le matériel didactique est limité et que la formation des enseignants n’est pas encore au point

Multiple Regimes in Cross-Region Growth Regressions with Spatial Dependence: A Parametric and a Semi-parametric Approach

This paper studies the distribution dynamics of development across European regions over the period 1975-2000. Regional development is measured in terms of both per capita GDP (Y/P) and its components: labour productivity and employment ratio (that in turn can be decomposed in terms of activity and unemployment rate). The Core/Periphery pattern in the European Union is firstly investigated and a comparative analysis in terms of income, productivity, employment and unemployment rates of the two partitions is carried out. Moreover, for each variable as well as for each partition, a nonparametric beta convergence analysis is applied. Synthetically, the results confirm the lack of regional convergence in per capita incomes, the presence of a negative quasi-linear relationship between growth rates and initial levels of labour productivity and a U-shaped relationship between growth rates and initial levels of unemployment rates. As it is well known, however, b-convergence analysis does not allow any test of multiple equilibria, such as “emerging twin peaks”, in the growth process. Equilibrium multiplicity can be properly assessed by using nonparametric techniques of analysis of the cross-regional distribution. In particular, a way to quantify the intra-distribution dynamics is the multivariate kernel, which estimates the joint density of regional income, productivity and (un)employment distribution at time t0 and t0+t. The results of this analysis suggest that over the period considered the regional growth pattern in Europe has followed a polarisation process rather than a convergence path. This appears particularly true in the case of per capita incomes and unemployment rates. Finally, in order to “explain” polarisation, conditional multivariate kernels are estimated. In particular, the role of spatial contiguity and regional sectoral specialisation is investigated.

Proyecto para la comercialización de actividades publicitarias no tradicionales en Guayaquil como consecuencia de la decreciente efectividad de la publicidad tradicional

La publicidad a través de medios tradicionales o Above The Line, es decir radio, prensa y televisión ha venido perdiendo efectividad desde hace ya muchos años, la gran cantidad de anuncios, combinado con la facilidad que tienen los consumidores para evitarlos. ya sea cambiando de canal o estación o simplemente no prestando atención a estos, hacen que para las empresas el presupuesto invertido en publicidad sea poco eficaz, ya que el mensaje muchas veces no llega a los consumidores o estos no le prestan atención. Como solución a la eficacia decreciente de la publicidad tradicional se puede recurrir a la publicidad no tradicional o Below The Line también conocida por su acrónimo BTL, es una técnica de marketing que utiliza formas de comunicación no masivas para impulsar productos y servicios a los consumidores, de manera mucho mas precisa y efectiva que la publicidad tradicional ya que suele dirigirse a segmentos específicos de la poblaciones, generando resultados cuantificables en ventas, que es lo que el anunciantes busca

The NMDA receptor functions independently and as an LRP1 co-receptor to promote Schwann cell survival and migration

NMDA Receptors (NMDA-Rs) are ionotropic glutamate receptors, which associate with LDL Receptor-related Protein-1 (LRP1) to trigger cell-signaling in response to protein ligands in neurons. Herein, we demonstrate for the first time that the NMDA-R is expressed by rat Schwann cells (SCs) and functions independently and with LRP1 to regulate SC physiology. The NR1 and NR2b NMDA-R subunits were expressed by cultured SCs and up-regulated in sciatic nerves following crush injury. The ability of LRP1 ligands to activate ERK1/2 and promote SC migration required the NMDA-R. NR1 gene-silencing compromised SC survival. Injection of the LRP1 ligands, tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) or MMP9-PEX, into crush-injured sciatic nerves, activated ERK1/2 in SCs in vivo and the response was blocked by systemic treatment with the NMDA-R inhibitor, MK801. tPA was unique amongst the LRP1 ligands examined because tPA activated cell-signaling and promoted SC migration by interacting with the NMDA-R independently of LRP1, albeit with delayed kinetics. These results define the NMDA-R as a SC signaling receptor for protein ligands and a major regulator of SC physiology, which may be particularly important in PNS injury

Expression of LDL receptor-related proteins (LRPs) in common solid malignancies correlates with patient survival

LDL receptor-related proteins (LRPs) are transmembrane receptors involved in endocytosis, cell-signaling, and trafficking of other cellular proteins. Considerable work has focused on LRPs in the fields of vascular biology and neurobiology. How these receptors affect cancer progression in humans remains largely unknown. Herein, we mined provisional data-bases in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to compare expression of thirteen LRPs in ten common solid malignancies in patients. Our first goal was to determine the abundance of LRP mRNAs in each type of cancer. Our second goal was to determine whether expression of LRPs is associated with improved or worsened patient survival. In total, data from 4,629 patients were mined. In nine of ten cancers studied, the most abundantly expressed LRP was LRP1; however, a correlation between LRP1 mRNA expression and patient survival was observed only in bladder urothelial carcinoma. In this malignancy, high levels of LRP1 mRNA were associated with worsened patient survival. High levels of LDL receptor (LDLR) mRNA were associated with decreased patient survival in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. High levels of LRP10 mRNA were associated with decreased patient survival in hepatocellular carcinoma, lung adenocarcinoma, and pancreatic adenocarcinoma. LRP2 was the only LRP for which high levels of mRNA expression correlated with improved patient survival. This correlation was observed in renal clear cell carcinoma. Insights into LRP gene expression in human cancers and their effects on patient survival should guide future research