O paralelismo entre antigos cinturões colisionais e sistemas de riftes mais jovens é amplamente reconhecido e especialmente observado ao longo do Oceano Atlântico. A relação entre estruturas litosféricas herdadas e a nucleação de sistemas de riftes tem sido o foco de muitos estudos. Entretanto, a relação entre estruturas herdadas e estruturas neo-formadas (i.e. durante a extensão) e a estruturação de margens passivas conjugadas ainda é pouco entendida. Na presente tese, usamos uma versão muito eficiente do código computacional Lagrangiano- Euleriano de elementos finitos FANTOM para modelar fluxos termo-mecânicos acoplados visco-plásticos de forma a entender a geodinâmica do processo de rifteamento considerando os efeitos das estruturas tectônicas herdadas e da estrutura reológica na litosfera continental. Os modelos consideram quantias variadas de extensão e contração prévios para desenvolver a herança tectônico-estrutural, a qual é ou não reativada durante o desenvolvimento da margem passiva. Nossos resultados mostram que: 1) as primeiras reativações da cunha orogênica ocorrem seguindo zona de cisalhamento principal de escala litosférica (antiga sutura); 2) zonas de cisalhamento crustais (antigos cavalgamentos) são parcial ou totalmente reativadas dependendo da quantia de contração anterior; 3) com pouca contração anterior, os cavalgamentos thick-skin são eficientemente reativados e controlam a formação da margem passiva; 4) maiores quantias de contração prévia permitem que zonas de cisalhamento afastadas da sutura não dão reativadas e preservam a estrutura orogênica; 5) a reativação de zonas de cisalhamento compressivas dominam durante os estágios iniciais do rifteamento, enquanto que em estágios finais e de afinamento crustal, dominam estruturas neo-formadas. Nossos modelos ajudaram a explicar algumas características das margens passivas conjugadas do Espírito Santo - Kwanza no Atlântico Central Sul, e da margem passiva norueguesa no Mar do Norte. Nossos modelos também mostraram que diferenças reológicas entre a crosta superior e a crosta inferior causam um desacoplamento durante subducção e posterior educção. Este último processo, associado ao necking termal da astenosfera ascendente, é responsável por deixar lascas de crosta inferior no canal de subducção-educção no manto litosférico, como é evidenciado por antigas zonas de subdução fósseis associadas à margem conjugada Newfoundland-Iberia. Dessa forma, a remoção de crosta inferior em margens passivas conjugadas pode ocorrer muito antes do processo de rifteamento. / The parallelism between older collisional belts and younger rift systems is widely known and particularly portrayed along the Atlantic Ocean. In what follows, the relationship between lithospheric inherited structures and nucleation of rift systems has been focus of many studies. Nevertheless, it is still poorly understood how inherited tectonic and new-formed structures (i.e. during extension) affect the final architecture of rifted conjugate passive margins. In this thesis we use a modified highly efficient version of the Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian finite- element code FANTOM to model thermal-mechanical coupled, plane-strain, viscous-plastic creeping flows to understand the geodynamics of the rifting process considering the effects of tectonic structural inheritance and rheology on the final architecture of rifted conjugate margins. The models consider different amounts of previous extension and contraction to produce the structural inheritance that is reactivated or not during rifting. Our results show that: 1) first reactivations occur along the lithospheric former suture zone; 2) upper crustal thick skinned basement thrusts are partially or fully reactivated depending on the amount of prior contraction and size of the orogen; 3) with a small amount of contraction, thick skinned thrusts are efficiently reactivated in extension and provide the template for rifted margin formation; 4) with larger amounts of precursor contraction, thick skinned thrusts distal to the lithospheric suture zone do not reactivate in extension; 5) reactivation of prior contractional shears dominates during the early stages of rifting, whereas during the final stage of rifted passive margin formation new-formed extensional shears dominate. Models with less precursor extension and more contraction resulted in a rifted conjugate passive margin similar to the Espírito Santo-Kwanza conjugate in the Central South Atlantic, whereas more precursor extension and less contraction, develops into margin showing similar behavior of fault reactivations in the Norwegian margin, North Atlantic. Our models also show that rheological differences between upper and lower continental crusts cause them to decouple both during subduction and subsequent eduction. The latter process, associated to thermal necking of the upwelling asthenosphere, is responsible to leave slivers of previously subducted lower continental crust within the eduction channel in the mantle lithosphere, as it is seismically evidenced under the Newfoundland-Iberia rifted conjugate margins. In what follows, lower continental crust of the former subducting plate can be removed long before depth-dependent extension during magma-poor rifted margin development.

La liberté de gérer son patrimoine résulte de l’exercice du droit de propriété, des libertés économiques et de la liberté contractuelle. Cette liberté n’est pas reconnue en droit positif. Pourtant, en pratique, elle fait l’objet d’un exercice implicite par chaque propriétaire au point que la question de sa consécration peut légitimement être posée. La liberté de gérer son patrimoine comporte deux composantes distinctes : la « gestion-valorisation » et la « gestion-transmission ». La première est constituée par l’ensemble des actes visant à valoriser son patrimoine par l’augmentation de l’actif net. La seconde regroupe l’ensemble des actes visant à valoriser le patrimoine d’autrui par la transmission de ses biens de son vivant ou à cause de mort.Notre environnement juridique offre à la « gestion-valorisation » un très fort épanouissement qui s’exprime par une multitude d’actes de gestion patrimoniale. Le recours aux patrimoines d’affectation, aux propriétés collectives ou encore aux personnes morales en est la plus parfaite illustration. Pour autant, l’approche de la « gestion-transmission » est bien différente. S’il est clair que son organisation est le fruit d’une grande liberté octroyée au propriétaire, tel n’est pas le cas du choix de ses bénéficiaires. En effet, la réserve héréditaire, contestable dans ses principes, apparaît comme un frein à la libre « gestion-transmission », de sorte qu’elle devrait sans doute être assouplie, voire supprimée.C’est donc en s’inscrivant dans un libéralisme modéré que la liberté de gérer son patrimoine pourrait servir de nouveau fondement à certaines réformes s’imposant à notre droit. / The freedom to administer one's inheritance derives from the practice of the laws of ownership, and of economic and contractual liberties. This freedom is not recognized as a positive right. However, in practice, it is the object of an implicit practice by each property owner to the extent that the matter of its administration can be legitimately formulated.The freedom to administer one's inheritance is composed of two distinct components : either an « enhanced value management » or a « transmission management ». The first consists of the totality of the deeds aiming to enhance the value of the inheritance by the increase of the disposable assets. The second reconstitutes the totality of the deeds aiming to enhance the inheritance of others, either alive or dead, by the transmission of their possessions. Our judicial environment offers a large expansion of the « enhanced value management », which is expressed in a multitude of inheritance management deeds. The most perfect illustration of this lies in one's having recourse to inheritance allocation, to collective properties or, still, to ethical individuals. Moreover, the « transmission management » approach is very different. If it is clear that its administration results from the broad freedom granted to the property owner, such is not the case in the choice of his beneficiaries. In fact, that part of the legacy which cannot be withheld from the rightful heirs, be it disputable in its principles, acts as a brake to the implementation of the « transmission management », so that it should be amended, or even suppressed. It is therefore by subscribing to a more moderate liberalism that the freedom to administer one's own inheritance could serve as a new foundation to certain reforms which are vital to our rights.

Les notions selon lesquelles l’exposition environnementale peut être mémorisée et puisse dans des conditions défavorables favoriser l’apparition d’épimutations soulèvent la question d’une possible transmission transgénérationnelle chez l’Homme lorsque les gamètes sont atteints.Afin de répondre à la question du risque de transmission de dérégulation épigénétique (épimutation) chez l’Homme, nous l’avons abordé selon deux axes. Le premier nous a permis d’évaluer le risque de transmission intergénérationnelle chez un patient présentant un syndrome de Silver-Russell (SRS) et nous avons pu démontrer pour la première fois l’efficience de la reprogrammation épigénétique chez l’Homme pour des régions soumises à empreinte : disparition du défaut de méthylation du locus H19/IGF2 causal dans les gamètes du patient ainsi qu’une absence de transmission à sa descendance. Le second nous a conduit à dépister la présence d’épimutations spermatiques à partir de deux modèles : 1/ de pères d’enfants atteints de pathologies liées à l’empreinte parentale et 2/ de patients atteints de cancer testiculaire. Dans les 2 cas, l’analyse par pyroséquençage de leurs spermatozoïdes n’a pas mis en évidence de défaut d’empreinte. Néanmoins, nous avons retrouvé une association entre oligozoospermie et défaut d’empreinte spermatique.Le principal défi des études à venir est d’identifier les mécanismes intervenant dans l’apparition de ces épimutations. Les principales pistes convergent vers les petits ARNs non codants ou certaines régions de l’ADN dont les marques épigénétiques pourraient (au moins partiellement) échapper aux contrôles mis en place lors des phases successives de reprogrammation épigénétique. / The notion that environmental exposure can be memorized and promote epimutation (defined as defects on DNA methylation) raises the question of possible epigenetic transgenerational transmission in humans. To address whether an epimutation could be transmitted in humans, we pursued two axes. First, the evaluation of intergenerational transmission in the family of a Silver-Russell patient has shown, for the first time, the efficiency of epigenetic reprogramming in humans, specifically on imprinted regions. Indeed, no imprinted defect on causal H19/IGF2 locus was detected in the patient’s spermatozoa or in the DNA of his daughter. The second axis was to assess the presence of sperm epimutations 1/ from fathers of children diagnosed with imprinted syndromes and 2/ from men presenting testicular seminoma. Pyrosequencing analyses on imprinted genes did not reveal any alteration of sperm DNA methylation, though we confirmed an association between oligozoospermia and sperm imprinting defects.The next step will be to identify the mechanisms involved in the origin of the sperm epimutation. The main hypotheses converge to small non-coding RNAs or certain DNA regions which escape to controls setting up (at least partially) at the time of epigenetic reprogramming.

<p>This thesis focuses on the identification of genetic factors underlying two inherited human phenotypes: hearing loss and monoamine oxidase activity. </p><p>Non-syndromic hearing loss segregating in a Swedish family was tested for linkage to 13 previously reported candidate loci for hearing disabilities. Linkage was found to two loci: DFNA12 (llq22-q24) and DFNA2 (lp32). A detailed analysis of the phenotypes and haplotypes shared by the affected individuals supported the hypothesis of digenic inheritance of hearing disability in the Swedish family. Mutation screening of α-tectorin, a gene residing within the DFNA12 region revealed a mutation of a conserved amino acid (Cys to Ser), that segregated with the disease. The identification of the mutation added support to the involvement of α-tectorin in hearing disabilities. In contrast, no mutations were identified in two candidate genes at the DFNA2 locus, that were reported to cause hearing loss in other families. It is possible that the DFNA2 locus contains a third, not yet identified, hearing loss gene. </p><p>Monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) and B (MAOB) catalyze the degradation of certain neurotransmitters in the central nervous system and are associated with specific behavioral and neuropsychiatric human traits. Activity levels of both monoamine oxidases (MAO) are highly variable among humans and are determined by unknown genetic factors. This study investigated the relationship of different MAO alleles with MAO mRNA levels and enzyme activity in human brain. Several novel DNA polymorphisms were identified in a group of Swedish individuals. Haplotypes containing several closely located MAOA polymorphisms were assessed in Asian, African, and Caucasian populations. The haplotype distribution and diversity pattern found among the three populations supported the occurrence of a bottleneck during the dispersion of modem humans from Africa. </p><p>Allelic association studies conducted on postmortem human brain samples, revealed the association between a SNP in the MAOB intron 13, and different levels of both MAO enzyme activities. This suggested that this SNP is in linkage disequilibrium with at least one novel functional DNA polymorphism that controls MAO enzyme activities in human brain. The identification of functional polymorphisms regulating the activity of these enzymes will help to elucidate the involvement of MAO in human behavior and neuropsychiatric conditions. </p>

The first goal of this dissertation is to investigate the status of the fetus in Swedish law. The second goal is to contribute to the debate concerning attitudes toward mankind, attitudes toward the fetus, and the value of human life as these are expressed in our everyday concepts of law. The tbird goal is to contribute to greater uniformity in the future in the laws which touch upon human beings in the early phases of life (the fertilized egg, the blastula and the fetus). The study is based on an analysis of printed official government documents and records, instructions, motions, bills, minutes of the Riksdag, replies to official queries from experts and affected parties, and laws and government studies made prior to the drafting of legislation, such as SOU and Ds. The areas of the law which are analyzed include (i) the Abortion Act, (ii) the Transplant Act, (iii) the Act concerning Measures for Purposes of Research or Treatment Involving Fertilized Human Ova (LBÄ), (iv) the Act on the Treatment of Alcoholics and Drug Abusers (LVM) in certain cases, (v) the Inheritance Code, (vi) the National Registration Act, and (vii) the Burial Legislation. There are divergent views of the fetus in the various laws and statutes. This is partly due to the dissimilar purposes of the different laws, and partly due to the fact that the fetus is seldom or never the actual subject of these laws. The laws have also come into being at different points in time. The result is that the fetus is not regarded in the same way legally and morally in the divergent laws and statutes. In the conclusion the acceptability of these discrepancies is discussed. Special attention is paid to the debate concerning the underlying values. the divergence among them, and the extent to which such differences are acceptable. Finally, a discussion follows about what might be done, which leads into an appeal for an unbiased study of the need for uniform legal protection for the fetus in Swedish law.

This thesis investigates inheritance among landowning families in the parish of Estuna in east-central Sweden between 1810 and 1930. The patterns of action examined in the study are analyzed as strategies in terms of objectives and principles on the one hand, and means towards these objectives and principles on the other. Before 1885, strategies were based on family interest. The individual’s dependency on inheritance was strong: a fact manifesting itself e.g. in the strong connections between inheritance and matrimonial patterns. The principal goal of the family strategies was to accomplish a transfer of the estate under sustainable conditions to one of the heirs, preferably – but not necessarily – a son. After 1845, as a response to institutional and social change, forms of conveyance changed. For example, after the introduction of equal rights of inheritance between sons and daughters in 1846, the number of quasi-commercial sales of land directly to sons increased, as a way of circumventing judicial demands. Yet this change of action in no way counter-acted the comprehensive goals and principles of inheritance. On the contrary, it was a means to overcome new difficulties in accomplishing these goals. After 1885, inheritance strategies reflected individual, rather than collective, aims. Estates were parcelled and the lots sold by the heirs at a profit. Furthermore, matrimony no longer showed connection with the spouses’ respective inheritance. This development was a result of institutional developments as well as of economic change, both diminishing paternal power. Industrialization had created openings outside domestic agriculture, and so individuals became less dependent on family and family resources. During this period, the older generation tended to keep their estates as long as possible, and this was read as a defensive strategy aimed at continued maintenance of estates within the family.

<p>On the assumption that the Bill of Rights in the Malawi Constitution has brought change in the enjoyment of rights by women married under customary family laws, this research study examines its impact on African customary family laws that are discriminatory against women in Malawi. The main focus is on customary family laws governing marriage, divorce, children after divorce, and inheritance in both patrilineal and matrilineal systems of marriages. The extent to which this has been reflected in practice is assessed in the light of women&rsquo / s rights law reforms and courts&rsquo / adjudication of customary family law issues.</p>

This thesis focuses on the identification of genetic factors underlying two inherited human phenotypes: hearing loss and monoamine oxidase activity. Non-syndromic hearing loss segregating in a Swedish family was tested for linkage to 13 previously reported candidate loci for hearing disabilities. Linkage was found to two loci: DFNA12 (llq22-q24) and DFNA2 (lp32). A detailed analysis of the phenotypes and haplotypes shared by the affected individuals supported the hypothesis of digenic inheritance of hearing disability in the Swedish family. Mutation screening of α-tectorin, a gene residing within the DFNA12 region revealed a mutation of a conserved amino acid (Cys to Ser), that segregated with the disease. The identification of the mutation added support to the involvement of α-tectorin in hearing disabilities. In contrast, no mutations were identified in two candidate genes at the DFNA2 locus, that were reported to cause hearing loss in other families. It is possible that the DFNA2 locus contains a third, not yet identified, hearing loss gene. Monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) and B (MAOB) catalyze the degradation of certain neurotransmitters in the central nervous system and are associated with specific behavioral and neuropsychiatric human traits. Activity levels of both monoamine oxidases (MAO) are highly variable among humans and are determined by unknown genetic factors. This study investigated the relationship of different MAO alleles with MAO mRNA levels and enzyme activity in human brain. Several novel DNA polymorphisms were identified in a group of Swedish individuals. Haplotypes containing several closely located MAOA polymorphisms were assessed in Asian, African, and Caucasian populations. The haplotype distribution and diversity pattern found among the three populations supported the occurrence of a bottleneck during the dispersion of modem humans from Africa. Allelic association studies conducted on postmortem human brain samples, revealed the association between a SNP in the MAOB intron 13, and different levels of both MAO enzyme activities. This suggested that this SNP is in linkage disequilibrium with at least one novel functional DNA polymorphism that controls MAO enzyme activities in human brain. The identification of functional polymorphisms regulating the activity of these enzymes will help to elucidate the involvement of MAO in human behavior and neuropsychiatric conditions.

As software systems become larger and more complex, developers require the ability to model abstract concepts while ensuring consistency across the entire project. The internet has changed the nature of software by increasing the desire for software deployment across multiple distributed platforms. Finally, increased dependence on technology requires assurance that designed software will perform its intended function. This thesis introduces the Formal Object Interaction Language (FOIL). FOIL is a new object-oriented modeling language specifically designed to address the cumulative shortcomings of existing modeling techniques. FOIL graphically displays software structure, sequential and concurrent behavior, process, and interaction in a simple unified notation, and has an algebraic representation based on a derivative of the π-calculus. The thesis documents the technique in which FOIL software models can be mathematically verified to anticipate deadlocks, ensure consistency, and determine object state reachability. Scalability is offered through the concept of behavioral inheritance; and, FOIL’s inherent support for modeling concurrent behavior and all known workflow patterns is demonstrated. The concepts of process achievability, process complete achievability, and process determinism are introduced with an algorithm for simulating the execution of a FOIL object model using a FOIL process model. Finally, a technique for using a FOIL process model as a constraint on FOIL object system execution is offered as a method to ensure that object-oriented systems modeled in FOIL will complete their processes based activities. FOIL’s capabilities are compared and contrasted with an extensive array of current software modeling techniques. FOIL is ideally suited for data-aware, behavior based systems such as interactive or process management software.

Univ., Diss.--Fribourg, 2006. / Literaturverz. S. XXX - LVI.