Dynamic cloudlet assignment problem: A column generation approach

Major interest in network optimization is currently given to the integration of clusters of virtualization servers, also referred to as 'cloudlets', into mobile access networks for improved performance and reliability. Mobile access points (APs) are assigned (i.e., route their packets) to one or more cloudlets, with a cost in terms of latency for the users they provide connections to. Assignment of APs to cloudlet can be changed over time, with a cloudlet synchronization cost. We tackle the problem of the optimal assignment of APs to cloudlets over time, proposing dedicated mathematical models and column generation algorithms

Refining predictions of population decline at species' rear edges

According to broad‐scale application of biogeographical theory, widespread retractions of species’ rear edges should be seen in response to ongoing climate change. This prediction rests on the assumption that rear edge populations are ‘marginal’ since they occur at the limit of the species’ ecological tolerance and are expected to decline in performance as climate warming pushes them to extirpation. However, conflicts between observations and predictions are increasingly accumulating and little progress has been made in explaining this disparity. We argue that a revision of the concept of marginality is necessary, together with explicit testing of population decline, which is increasingly possible as data availability improves. Such action should be based on taking the population perspective across a species’ rear edge, encompassing the ecological, geographical and genetic dimensions of marginality. Refining our understanding of rear edge populations is essential to advance our ability to monitor, predict and plan for the impacts of environmental change on species range dynamics

Mouse and rat ultrasonic vocalizations in neuroscience and neuropharmacology: State of the art and future applications

Mice and rats emit ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), which may express their arousal and emotional states, to communicate with each other. There is continued scientific effort to better understand the functions of USVs as a central element of the rodent behavioral repertoire. However, studying USVs is not only important because of their ethological relevance, but also because they are widely applied as a behavioral readout in various fields of biomedical research. In mice and rats, a large number of experimental models of brain disorders exist and studying the emission of USVs in these models can provide valuable information about the health status of the animals and the effectiveness of possible interventions, both environmental and pharmacological. This review (i) provides an updated overview of the contexts in which ultrasonic calling behaviour of mice and rats has particularly high translational value, and (ii) gives some examples of novel approaches and tools used for the analysis of USVs in mice and rats, combining qualitative and quantitative methods. The relevance of age and sex differences as well as the importance of longitudinal evaluations of calling and non-calling behaviour is also discussed. Finally, the importance of assessing the communicative impact of USVs in the receiver, that is, through playback studies, is highlighted

A systematic review of TMS and neurophysiological biometrics in patients with schizophrenia

Transcranial magnetic stimulation can be combined with electromyography (TMS-EMG) and electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) to evaluate the excitatory and inhibitory functions of the cerebral cortex in a standardized manner. It has been postulated that schizophrenia is a disorder of functional neural connectivity underpinned by a relative imbalance of excitation and inhibition. The aim of this review was to provide a comprehensive overview of TMS-EMG and TMS-EEG research in schizophrenia, focused on excitation or inhibition, connectivity, motor cortical plasticity and the effect of antipsychotic medications, symptom severity and illness duration on TMS-EMG and TMS-EEG indices. We searched PsycINFO, Embase and Medline, from database inception to April 2020, for studies that included TMS outcomes in patients with schizophrenia. We used the following combination of search terms: transcranial magnetic stimulation OR tms AND interneurons OR glutamic acid OR gamma aminobutyric acid OR neural inhibition OR pyramidal neurons OR excita* OR inhibit* OR GABA* OR glutam* OR E-I balance OR excitation-inhibition balance AND schizoaffective disorder* OR Schizophrenia OR schizophreni*. TMS-EMG and TMS-EEG measurements revealed deficits in excitation or inhibition, functional connectivity and motor cortical plasticity in patients with schizophrenia. Increased duration of the cortical silent period (a TMS-EMG marker of γ-aminobutyric acid B receptor activity) with clozapine was a relatively consistent finding. Most of the studies used patients with chronic schizophrenia and medicated patients, employed cross-sectional group comparisons and had small sample sizes. TMS-EMG and TMS-EEG offer an opportunity to develop a novel and improved understanding of the physiologic processes that underlie schizophrenia and to assess the therapeutic effect of antipsychotic medications. In the future, these techniques may also help predict disease progression and further our understanding of the excitatory/inhibitory balance and its implications for mechanisms that underlie treatment-resistant schizophrenia. [Abstract copyright: © 2021 CMA Joule Inc. or its licensors.

Evidence of potassium fixation through mono and divalent ion exchange

Mono and divalent cation exchange in some algerian major soil types was studied following empirical ap· proach. The reaction 2 Na-Soil + Ca2+ = Ca-Soil + 2 Na+ did not show complete reversibility possibly due to high Ca selectivity of soils. The soils exhibited divalent over monovalent ion affinity but for monovalent ion exchange the affinity in few cases remained almost the same. Gapon's equation did not seem to describe Ca-K exchange very satisfactorily because exchangeable potassium ratio (EKR) and potassium adsorption ratio (KAR) are not related linearly. The latter seems to be due to potassium fixing ten· dency of soils investigated

Describing the adsorption of potential determining ions on variable charge mineral surfaces

A computer program was developed to elaborate the titration curves of amphoteric surfaces according to the double layer theory. The zpc, identified from the intersection point of the titration curves carried out at different ionic strengths, fell at pH 3.15, 9.45 and 7.65 for Si, AI and Fe hydroxides, respectively. The Stern model described quite satisfactorily the relation between σ0 and ψ0. Some problem was presented by Si surfaces which were then treated by a different calculation procedure. The δ values, the Stern layer thickness, were very high for the SI surfaces and increased with decreasing ionic strength. A different behaviour was showed by AI and Fe hydroxides; in these cases δ values were very low and increased with increasing electrolyte concentration. These results were discussed in terms of surface structures and activity of the supporting electrolyte

Long-term behavioral effects of prenatal stress in the Fmr1-knock-out mouse model for fragile X syndrome

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a major neurodevelopmental disorder and the most common monogenic cause of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). FXS is caused by a mutation in the X-linked FMR1 gene leading to the absence of the FMRP protein, inducing several behavioral deficits, including motor, emotional, cognitive, and social abnormalities. Beside its clear genetic origins, FXS can be modulated by environmental factors, e.g., stress exposure: indeed the behavioral phenotype of FXS, as well as of ASD patients can be exacerbated by the repeated experience of stressful events, especially early in life. Here we investigated the long-term effects of prenatal exposure to unpredictable chronic stress on the behavioral phenotype of the Fmr1-knock-out (KO) mouse model for FXS and ASD. Mice were tested for FXS- and ASD-relevant behaviors first at adulthood (3 months) and then at aging (18 months), in order to assess the persistence and the potential time-related progression of the stress effects. Stress induced the selective emergence of behavioral deficits in Fmr1-KO mice that were evident in spatial memory only at aging. Stress also exerted several age-specific behavioral effects in mice of both genotypes: at adulthood it enhanced anxiety levels and reduced social interaction, while at aging it enhanced locomotor activity and reduced the complexity of ultrasonic calls. Our findings underline the relevance of gene-environment interactions in mouse models of neurodevelopmental syndromes and highlight the long-term behavioral impact of prenatal stress in laboratory mice

Mobile Edge Cloud Network Design Optimization

Major interest is currently given to the integration of clusters of virtualization servers, also referred to as 'cloudlets' or 'edge clouds', into the access network to allow higher performance and reliability in the access to mobile edge computing services. We tackle the edge cloud network design problem for mobile access networks. The model is such that the virtual machines (VMs) are associated with mobile users and are allocated to cloudlets. Designing an edge cloud network implies first determining where to install cloudlet facilities among the available sites, then assigning sets of access points, such as base stations to cloudlets, while supporting VM orchestration and considering partial user mobility information, as well as the satisfaction of service-level agreements. We present link-path formulations supported by heuristics to compute solutions in reasonable time. We qualify the advantage in considering mobility for both users and VMs as up to 20% less users not satisfied in their SLA with a little increase of opened facilities. We compare two VM mobility modes, bulk and live migration, as a function of mobile cloud service requirements, determining that a high preference should be given to live migration, while bulk migrations seem to be a feasible alternative on delay-stringent tiny-disk services, such as augmented reality support, and only with further relaxation on network constraints

Educatori e ricerca. Come lavorare tra teoria e prassi

Il ripensamento della formazione dei professionisti al centro del dibattito internazionale coinvolge anche il mondo dell’educazione. Appare sempre più importante costruire dispositivi capaci di formare professionisti riflessivi, che sappiano porsi nella propria azione educativa come ricercatori, dedicando pensiero a ciò che fanno, sperimentando quotidianamente e, così facendo, apprendendo a sviluppare nuove competenze