Introducing stateful conditional branching in Ciaramella

Conditional branching in Synchronous Data Flow (SDF) networks is a long-standing issue as it clashes with the underlying synchronicity model. For this reason, conditional update of state variables is rarely implemented in data flow programming environments, unlike simpler selection operators that do not execute code conditionally. We propose an extension to SDF theory to represent stateful conditional branching. We prove the effectiveness of such approach by adding conditional constructs to the Ciaramella programming language without compromising its modular declarative paradigm and maintaining domain-specific optimizations intact. This addition enables easy implementation of common DSP algorithms and helps in writing efficient complex programs

Giovanni Morelli e l’estetica positivistica

Bernard Berenson used to refer to Giovanni Morelli as «the founder of the Method». With these words, he meant that Morelli was the scholar who, first, transformed connoisseurship in a science, giving to the discipline a stringent method. Does Morelli’s theory of painting really deserve this praise? To answer this question, this paper examines in the first part the philosophical and scientific background of Morelli’s doctrine, showing how its original debt payed to romantic philosophy went replaced by a neat positivist orientation. In the second part, the Method itself is discussed, asking in which measure it was anticipated by the intuitions of art experts such as Giulio Mancini or Luigi Crespi and discussing the nature and epistemological relevance of the so-called “morellian details”, that is the forms of the nails, of the ears, of the hair’s curls in paintings. Are these details really sufficient for the attribution of a painting to an artist? Which role play the documents in connoisseurship? And, more generally, how important is aesthetic value in the morellian “Method”

Ciaramella: A Synchronous Data Flow Programming Language For Audio DSP

Various programming languages have been developed specifically for audio DSP in the last decades, yet only a handful of industrial and commercial applications are known to actually use them. We assume that this is due to some common deficiencies of such languages, namely the tight coupling between syntax and computational model, which limits modularity, and the adoption of programming paradigms that are conceptually distant from conventional DSP formalism. We propose a new audio DSP programming language, called Ciaramella, based on the synchronous data flow (SDF) computational model and featuring a fully declarative syntax to address these issues. A source-to-source compiler which translates Ciaramella code to C++ and MATLAB programs has been developed. We have checked that our solution allows to naturally represent and correctly schedule highly-interdependent DSP systems such as Wave Digital Filters (WDFs) which would be hard to handle in current audio DSP languages

BDNF, Brain, and Regeneration: Insights from Zebrafish.

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a teleost fish widely accepted as a model organism for neuroscientific studies. The adults show common basic vertebrate brain structures, together with similar key neuroanatomical and neurochemical pathways of relevance to human diseases. However, the brain of adult zebrafish possesses, differently from mammals, intense neurogenic activity, which can be correlated with high regenerative properties. Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a member of the neurotrophin family, has multiple roles in the brain, due also to the existence of several biologically active isoforms, that interact with different types of receptors. BDNF is well conserved in the vertebrate evolution, with the primary amino acid sequences of zebrafish and human BDNF being 91% identical. Here, we review the available literature regarding BDNF in the vertebrate brain and the potential involvement of BDNF in telencephalic regeneration after injury, with particular emphasis to the zebrafish. Finally, we highlight the potential of the zebrafish brain as a valuable model to add new insights on future BDNF studies

Immunolocalization of Nesfatin-1 in the Gastrointestinal Tract of the Common Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus

First identified as an anorexigenic peptide, in the last decades, several studies have suggested that Nesfatin-1 (Nesf-1) is a pleiotropic hormone implicated in numerous regulatory processes in peripheral organs and tissues. In vertebrates, Nesf-1 is indeed expressed in the central nervous system and peripheral organs. In this study, we characterized the pattern of Nesf-1 distribution within the digestive tract of the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), composed of three gastric chambers and and intestine without a clear subdivision in the small and large intestine, also lacking a caecum. Our results indicated that Nesf-1 is widely distributed in cells of the mucosal epithelium of the gastric chambers. Most of the immunoreactivity was observed in the second chamber, compared to the first and third chambers. Immunopositivity was also found in nerve fibers and neurons, scattered or/and clustered in ganglion structures along all the esaminaned gastrointestinal tracts. These observations add new data on the highly conserved role of Nesf-1 in the mammalian digestive system

Effectiveness of cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil in a child with refractory evans syndrome

Evans Syndrome is a rare autoimmune disease consisting of hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia and/or neutropenia. It may be associated with other autoimmune or lymphoproliferative diseases. Its course can be extremely serious and, rarely, even life-threatening; thus it represents a excellent treatment challenge for the pediatric hematologist. First line treatment consists of steroids and/or immunoglobulin; further therapy with rituximab, vincristine, cyclophosphamide and other immunosuppressive drugs can be considered in unresponsive patients. We describe a baby with refractory Evans Syndrome that was cured by prolonged administration of mycophenolate mofetil and remained disease-free for 4 years after the discontinuation of treatment

Overlapping distribution of orexin and endocannabinoid receptors and their functional interaction in the brain of adult zebrafish

Hypocretins/Orexins neuropeptides are known to regulate numerous physiological functions, such as energy homeostasis, food intake, sleep/wake cycle, arousal and wakefulness, in vertebrates. Previous studies on mice have revealed an intriguing orexins/endocannabinoids (ECs) signaling interaction at both structural and functional levels, with OX-A behaving as a strong enhancer of 2-arachydonoyl-glycerol (2-AG) biosynthesis. In this study, we describe, for the first time in the brain of zebrafish, the anatomical distribution and co-expression of orexin (OX-2R) and endocannabinoid (CB1R) receptors, suggesting a functional interaction. The immunohistochemical colocalization of these receptors by confocal imaging in the dorsal and ventral telencephalon, suprachiasmatic nucleus (SC), thalamus, hypothalamus, preoptic area (PO) and cerebellum, is reported. Moreover, biochemical quantification of 2-AG levels by LC-MS supports the occurrence of OX-A-induced 2-AG biosynthesis in the zebrafish brain after 3 h of OX-A intraperitoneal (i.p.; 3 pmol/g) or intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.; 0.3 pmol/g) injection. This effect is likely mediated by OX-2R as it is counteracted by i.p./i.c.v administration of OX-2R antagonist (SB334867, 10 pmol/g). This study provides compelling morphological and functional evidence of an OX-2R/CB1R signaling interaction in the brain of adult zebrafish, suggesting the use of this well-established vertebrate animal model for the study of complex and phylogenetically conserved physiological functions