Narrow genetic base in forest restoration with holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) in Sicily

In order to empirically assess the effect of actual seed sampling strategy on genetic diversity of holm oak (Quercus ilex) forestations in Sicily, we have analysed the genetic composition of two seedling lots (nursery stock and plantation) and their known natural seed origin stand by means of six nuclear microsatellite loci. Significant reduction in genetic diversity and significant difference in genetic composition of the seedling lots compared to the seed origin stand were detected. The female and the total effective number of parents were quantified by means of maternity assignment of seedlings and temporal changes in allele frequencies. Extremely low effective maternity numbers were estimated (Nfe $\approx$ 2-4) and estimates accounting for both seed and pollen donors gave also low values (Ne $\approx$ 35-50). These values can be explained by an inappropriate forestry seed harvest strategy limited to a small number of spatially close trees

Precuneus amyloid burden is associated with reduced cholinergic activity in Alzheimer disease

Objective: This study examined the relationship between postmortem precuneus cholinergic enzyme activity, Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) binding, and soluble amyloid-β concentration in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer disease (AD). Methods: Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity, [3H]PiB binding, and soluble amyloid-β1-42 (Aβ42) concentration were quantified in precuneus tissue samples harvested postmortem from subjects with no cognitive impairment (NCI), MCI, and mild AD and correlated with their last antemortem Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score and postmortem pathologic evaluation according to the National Institute on Aging-Reagan criteria, recommendations of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer\u27s Disease, and Braak stage. Results: Precuneus ChAT activity was lower in AD than in NCI and was comparable between MCI and NCI. Precuneus [3H]PiB binding and soluble Aβ42 levels were elevated in MCI and significantly higher in AD than in NCI. Across all case subjects, reduced ChAT activity was associated with increased [3H]PiB binding, increased soluble Aβ42, lower MMSE score, presence of the APOE®4 allele, and more advanced AD pathology. Conclusions: Despite accumulating amyloid burden, cholinergic enzyme activity is stable in the precuneus during prodromal AD. A decline in precuneus ChAT activity occurs only in clinical AD, when PiB binding and soluble Aβ42 levels are substantially elevated compared with those in MCI. Anti-amyloid interventions in MCI case subjects with a positive PiB PET scan may aid in reducing cholinergic deficits and cognitive decline later in the disease process. Copyright © 2011 by AAN Enterprises, Inc

Enhancing Change Capacity. Client-Consultant Collaboration and Emergent Change

Companies, in every industry are increasingly challenged to build a capacity for change, both in response to and in anticipation of continuously changing competitive market and technological pressures. Client-consultant collaboration can be prompted to broaden change management repertoire, creating a culture in which organizational members understand and support different approaches to change, ask and respond to questions that stimulate change and, in general, develop a culture of change. Consultants, working and collaborating with the client, can prompt a broader appreciation of the range of appropriate change approaches and when turning a system ‘loose’ may be the most effective way to proceed. The goal is to work with clients to create organizations that are ‘built to change’

Criteria for Selecting and Adjusting Ground-Motion Models for Specific Target Regions: Application to Central Europe and Rock Sites

International audienceA vital component of any seismic hazard analysis is a model for predicting the expected distribution of ground motions at a site due to possible earthquake scenarios. The limited nature of the datasets from which such models are derived gives rise to epistemic uncertainty in both the median estimates and the associated aleatory variability of these predictive equations. In order to capture this epistemic uncertainty in a seismic hazard analysis, more than one ground-motion prediction equation must be used, and the tool that is currently employed to combine multiple models is the logic tree. Candidate ground-motion models for a logic tree should be selected in order to obtain the smallest possible suite of equations that can capture the expected range of possible ground motions in the target region. This is achieved by starting from a comprehensive list of available equations and then applying criteria for rejecting those considered inappropriate in terms of quality, derivation or applicability. Once the final list of candidate models is established, adjustments must be applied to achieve parameter compatibility. Additional adjustments can also be applied to remove the effect of systematic differences between host and target regions. These procedures are applied to select and adjust ground-motion models for the analysis of seismic hazard at rock sites in West Central Europe. This region is chosen for illustrative purposes particularly because it highlights the issue of using ground-motion models derived from small magnitude earthquakes in the analysis of hazard due to much larger events. Some of the pitfalls of extrapolating ground-motion models from small to large magnitude earthquakes in low seismicity regions are discussed for the selected target region