Communicative practices and contexts of interaction in the refugee status determination process in France

This chapter draws on material from an anthropological study of the asylum process in France, conducted between 2007 and 2009, to explore the following questions: What can ethnographic research contribute to knowledge and understanding of the kinds of communication that take place at successive stages of the refugee status determination process in France? What light can it throw, more specifically, on the relationship between forms of communicative practice and the different contexts or spaces in which interaction between those involved occurs? Finally, what are some of the difficulties associated with adopting an ethnographic approach to investigate asylum processes and how can researchers attempt to address these

Adaptive Radial Basis Function Methods for Pricing Options Under Jump-Diffusion Models

The aim of this paper is to show that option prices in jump-diffusion models can be computed using meshless methods based on radial basis function (RBF) interpolation instead of traditional mesh-based methods like finite differences or finite elements. The RBF technique is demonstrated by solving the partial integro-differential equation for American and European options on non-dividend-paying stocks in the Merton jump-diffusion model, using the inverse multiquadric radial basis function. The method can in principle be extended to Lévy-models. Moreover, an adaptive method is proposed to tackle the accuracy problem caused by a singularity in the initial condition so that the accuracy in option pricing in particular for small time to maturity can be improved

Cisgenesis and intragenesis as new strategies for crop improvement

Cisgenesis and intragenesis are emerging plant breeding technologies which offer great promise for future acceptance of genetically engineered crops. The techniques employ traditional genetic engineering methods but are confined to transferring of genes and genetic elements between sexually compatible species that can breed naturally. One of the main requirements is the absence of selectable marker genes (such as antibiotic resistance genes) in the genome. Hence the sensitive issues with regard to transfer of foreign genes and antibiotic resistance are overcome. It is a targeted technique involving specific locus; therefore, linkage drag that prolongs the time for crop improvement in traditional breeding does not occur. It has great potential for crop improvement using superior alleles that exist in the untapped germplasm or wild species. Cisgenic and intragenic plants may not face the same stringent regulatory assessment for field release as transgenic plants which is a clear added advantage that would save time. In this chapter, the concepts of cis/intragenesis and the prerequisites for the development of cis/intragenesis plants are elaborated. Strategies for marker gene removal after selection of transformants are discussed based on the few recent reports from various plant species

Directives anticipées : étude de faisabilité en hémodialyse

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