DISC1 genetics, biology and psychiatric illness

Psychiatric disorders are highly heritable, and in many individuals likely arise from the combined effects of genes and the environment. A substantial body of evidence points towards DISC1 being one of the genes that influence risk of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, and functional studies of DISC1 consequently have the potential to reveal much about the pathways that lead to major mental illness. Here, we review the evidence that DISC1 influences disease risk through effects upon multiple critical pathways in the developing and adult brain

Characterization of chaotic dynamics in the vocalization of Cervus elaphus corsicanus (L)

4nononeChaos, oscillations, instabilities, and intermittency represent only some nonlinear examples apparent in the natural world. These phenomena appear in any field of study, and advances in complex and nonlinear dynamic techniques bring about opportunities to better understand animal signals. In this work an analysis method is suggested based on the characterization of the vocal-fold dynamics by means of the nonlinear time-series analysis, and by the computations of the parameters typical of chaotic oscillations: Attractor reconstruction, spectrum of Lyapunov exponents, and maximum Lyapunov exponent were used to reconstruct the dynamic of the vocal folds. Identifying a sort of vocal fingerprint can be useful in biodiversity monitoring and understanding the health status of a given animal. This method was applied to the vocalization of the Cervus elaphus corsicanus, the Sardinian red deer. (C) 2003 Acoustical Society of America.noneFACCHINI, A. ; BASTIANONI, S.; MARCHETTINI, N.; RUSTICI, M.Facchini, A.; Bastianoni, S.; Marchettini, N.; Rustici, M

IgSF11 homophilic adhesion proteins promote layer-specific synaptic assembly of the cortical interneuron subtype

The most prominent structural hallmark of the mammalian neocortical circuitry is the layer-based organization of specific cell types and synaptic inputs. Accordingly, cortical inhibitory interneurons (INs), which shape local network activity, exhibit subtype-specific laminar specificity of synaptic outputs. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that Immunoglobulin Superfamily member 11 (IgSF11) homophilic adhesion proteins are preferentially expressed in one of the most distinctive IN subtypes, namely, chandelier cells (ChCs) that specifically innervate axon initial segments of pyramidal neurons (PNs), and their synaptic laminar target. Loss-of-function experiments in either ChCs or postsynaptic cells revealed that IgSF11 is required for ChC synaptic development in the target layer. While overexpression of IgSF11 in ChCs enlarges ChC presynaptic boutons, expressing IgSF11 in nontarget layers induces ectopic ChC synapses. These findings provide evidence that synapse-promoting adhesion proteins, highly localized to synaptic partners, determine the layer-specific synaptic connectivity of the cortical IN subtype.11Nsciescopu

Markenmanagement im Stadtmarketing

Das Markenmanagement spielt für das Stadtmarketing eine immer wichtigere Rolle. Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird dabei zunächst auf die Bedeutung und die Besonderheiten des Markenmanagements für Städte eingegangen. Im Mittelpunkt des Beitrages steht ein kompakter Überblick über die zentralen Aspekte des Markenmanagements für Städte. Schließlich wird in einem Exkurs die Bedeutung von Global Cities im Zusammenhang mit dem Markenmanagement vorgestellt