Sound Bisimulations for Higher-Order Distributed Process Calculus

While distributed systems with transfer of processes have become pervasive, methods for reasoning about their behaviour are underdeveloped. In this paper we propose a bisimulation technique for proving behavioural equivalence of such systems modelled in the \emph{higher-order $\pi$-calculus with passivation} (and restriction). Previous research for this calculus is limited to context bisimulations and normal bisimulations which are either impractical or unsound. In contrast, we provide a sound and useful definition of \emph{environmental bisimulations}, with several non-trivial examples. Technically, a central point in our bisimulations is the clause for parallel composition, which must account for passivation of the spawned processes in the middle of their execution.Comment: 15 pages, uses mathpartir and tikz, appendix at [http://www.kb.ecei.tohoku.ac.jp/~adrien/pubs/SoundAppendix.pdf], the final publication is available at [http://www.springerlink.com/content/071k46u248061x72/

The life expectancy gains from pharmaceutical drugs: a critical appraisal of the literature

Several studies suggest that, on the basis of life expectancy (LE) regressions, new pharmaceutical drugs are responsible for some of the marked gains in LE observed over the last 50 years. We critically appraise these studies. We point out several modeling issues, including disentangling the contribution of new drugs from advances in disease management, changes in the distribution of health care and other confounding factors. We suggest that the studies estimates of pharmaceutical productivity are implausibly high. Some of the models have very large forecast errors. Finally, the models that we replicated were found to be sensitive to seemingly innocuous changes in specification. We conclude that it is difficult to estimate the bio-medical determinants of LE using aggregate data. Analyses using individual level data or perhaps disease specific data will likely produce more compelling results.pharmaceuticals, life expectancy, health production, treatment effects

Politique des relations extérieures et identité politique : la stratégie des entités fédérées de Belgique

Cet article examine la « politique des relations extérieures » des composantes de l'État belge, qui se caractérise par un mélange de paradiplomatie et de diplomatie. Pour l'aborder, trois paramètres ont été sélectionnés : la politique étrangère, le pouvoir (capacité) régional et l'identité politique. Ce choix est justifié par l'affirmation, sur la scène internationale, d'une double identité politique (régionale et étatique) par les entités fédérées de Belgique. Cette étude, pour des raisons évidentes et propres au cas belge, met l'accent sur le prolongement international des facteurs internes. Elle montre combien la variable « identité politique » induit des stratégies internationales différenciées entre Régions et Communautés belges.This article examines the « external relations policy » of the components of the Belgian state, which is characterized by a mixture of para-diplomacy and diplomacy. To address this subject, three parameters have been selected: foreign policy, regional power (capacity), and political identity. This choice is justified by the assertion, on the international stage, of a double political identity (regional and state) by Belgium's federated entities. This study, for obvious reasons specific to Belgium's case, stresses the international extension of internal factors. It shows the extent to which the « political identity » variable induces international strategies that have become differentiated between Belgium's Regions and Communities

Nail surface topography and onychochronobiology.

Peer reviewe

Genital and lingual warts in small cetaceans from coastal Peru

We report on genital warts in dusky dolphins Lagenorhynchus obscurus, long-snouted common dolphins Delphinus capensis, bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus and Burmeister's porpoises Phocoena spinipinnis caught in fisheries off central Peru. Lesions were observed inside the genital slit, on the skin adjacent to it, on the penis and on the vagina. Macro- and microscopical features of the lesions resemble those of benign genital warts associated with papillomavirus infection in humans. Genital warts from L. obscurus and P. spinipinnis contained nuclei which stained positive for genus-specific papillomavirus structural antigens, though weakly in the latter species. These data suggest that papillomavirus(es) may be the etiological agent(s) of the disease. The prevalence of the lesions in 130 small cetaceans was high: 66.7% (confidence interval, CI, 57.0 to 74.0%) in L. obscurus (n = 78), 50% in D. capensis (n = 10), 33% in T. truncatus (n = 9) and 48.5% (CI 33.0 to 64.0%) in P. spinipinnis (n = 33). This suggests a venereal transmission of the disease, as in humans. Sexual variation in wart prevalence was found in L. obscurus and P. spinipinnis with males being 2 and 3 times more infected than females, respectively. No correlation was observed between body length (as a measure of age) and wart prevalence, suggesting that no strong and long-lasting immunity was induced in affected animals or that they may have been infected by different types of papillomaviruses. Lingual tumours were seen in 1 D. capensis