Synaptic plasticity and signaling in rett syndrome

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a disorder that is caused in the majority of cases by mutations in the gene methyl-CpG-binding protein-2 (MeCP2). Children with RTT are generally characterized by normal development up to the first year and a half of age, after which they undergo a rapid regression marked by a deceleration of head growth, the onset of stereotyped hand movements, irregular breathing, and seizures. Animal models of RTT with good construct and face validity are available. Their analysis showed that homeostatic regulation of MeCP2 gene is necessary for normal CNS functioning and that multiple complex pathways involving different neuronal and glial cell types are disrupted in RTT models. However, it is increasingly clear that RTT pathogenetic mechanisms converge at synaptic level impairing synaptic transmission and plasticity. We review novel findings showing how specific synaptic mechanisms and related signaling pathways are affected in RTT models.Rett syndrome (RTT) is a disorder that is caused in the majority of cases by mutations in the gene methyl-CpG-binding protein-2 (MeCP2). Children with RTT are generally characterized by normal development up to the first year and a half of age, after which they undergo a rapid regression marked by a deceleration of head growth, the onset of stereotyped hand movements, irregular breathing, and seizures. Animal models of RTT with good construct and face validity are available. Their analysis showed that homeostatic regulation of MeCP2 gene is necessary for normal CNS functioning and that multiple complex pathways involving different neuronal and glial cell types are disrupted in RTT models. However, it is increasingly clear that RTT pathogenetic mechanisms converge at synaptic level impairing synaptic transmission and plasticity. We review novel findings showing how specific synaptic mechanisms and related signaling pathways are affected in RTT models. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Real interest rates and productivity in small open economies

We construct factor utilization-adjusted measures of aggregate TFP for a sample of advanced (AEs) and emerging market small open economies (EMEs). We estimate the effects of real interest rate shocks on TFP and GDP using structural VARs. Results are starkly different in the two groups of countries. While TFP is pro-cyclical in both sets of countries, lower real interest rates - a proxy for capital inflows - lead to productivity booms in EMEs, whereas they lead to a contraction in productivity in AEs

Monitoring the invasion of an exotic tree (Ailanthus altissima) (Mill.) Swingle with Landsat satellite time series imagery in urban forest.

In the Mediterranean area, one the most threat tree to various ecosystems is Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle. This is an aggressive invasive species common in natural and semi-natural habitat. Monitoring and mapping of invasive species is an important information for the conservation and management of ecosystems. The study of distribution and diffusion of invasive species are useful to assess their environmental impacts, formulate effective control strategies, and forecast potential spread. The main target of this work is to examine the feasibility of mapping the expansion of A. altissima using remote sensing techniques in a highly complex urban forest setting. Remote sensing has been a useful tool to map the invasive plant. We mapped the pattern of ailanthus expansion from 1990 to 2015 in a suburban area of Palermo, the Favorita park, using time series of Landsat image. This images are nowadays available at no cost. We used that images to analyze larger areas but the 30 m resolution does not permit mapping of individual trees; the combinations of dates and medium spatial resolution with the phenology information allowed the detection of the species. Indeed, the ailanthus is a deciduous tree that we compared with the other evergreen vegetation. Time series of Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and supervised classification were used as a dataset in the classification process. These results provide a basis for more detailed investigations on invasive species and the possibility to increase the spatial resolution with the new platforms might lead to further improvements plant species identification and their distribution patterns recognition

Nicodemia madagascariensis (Lam.) R. Parker (Family Scrophulariaceae), a casual alien plant new to Italy

In this note the authors report the first case of naturalization of the Malagasy smoke bush within Italian territory. Along with a description of the abiotic and biotic characteristics of the invaded site, the current demographic and dynamic trends of the detected population by means of growth-ring analysis was also assessed. Moreover, an overview on the history of its introduction in Europe is provided, underlining the key role played by the Mediterranean cities with respect to the acclimatization and spread of alien tropical and subtropical plants. Due to its low frequency under cultivation, the Malagasy smoke bush should not behave as an invader in the future; on the other hand, its ability to cover and smother neighbouring trees in very short times, make its spread within the whole Mediterranean area worth regular monitoring

Towards the optimization of a parallel streaming engine for telco applications

Parallel and distributed computing is becoming essential to process in real time the increasingly massive volume of data collected by telecommunications companies. Existing computational paradigms such as MapReduce (and its popular open-source implementation Hadoop) provide a scalable, fault tolerant mechanism for large scale batch computations. However, many applications in the telco ecosystem require a real time, incremental streaming approach to process data in real time and enable proactive care. Storm is a scalable, fault tolerant framework for the analysis of real time streaming data. In this paper we provide a motivation for the use of real time streaming analytics in the telco ecosystem. We perform an experimental investigation into the performance of Storm, focusing in particular on the impact of parameter configuration. This investigation reveals that optimal parameter choice is highly non-trivial and we use this as motivation to create a parameter configuration engine. As first steps towards the creation of this engine we provide a deep analysis of the inner workings of Storm and provide a set of models describing data flow cost, central processing unit (CPU) cost, and system management cost. ©2014 Alcatel-Lucent

Possibile origine e consistenza di un popolamento di Quercus trojana Webb subsp. trojana (Fagaceae) nel Bosco della Ficuzza (Palermo, Sicilia

Possible origin and demographic asset of a population of Quercus trojana Webb subsp. trojana (Fagaceae) in the wood of Ficuzza (Palermo, Sicily). The first record of Macedonian oak in Sicily is reported. The finding consists of 73 adult and 4 young individuals. A morphometric analysis of all of them, along with an assessment of their phytosanitary status was carried out. They all grow between 700 and 850 m a.s.l. on a 2,30 ha area, characterized by a land mosaic of shrubland and forest patches. Notwithstanding two years of researches, no ultimate proof has been found on their alien status. On this purpose, several alternative hypothesis are formulated and their strengths and weaknesses are discussed. Considering that the environmental conditions of Ficuzza fit very well the ecological requirements of Quercus trojana, even the native status of local population cannot be totally rejected. On the other hand, many data support its recent introduction. In fact, according to interviews to old forest workers, archive documents and aerial photos, most part of the trees of this area have been planted just few years after the end of the Second World War, and dendrochronological analyses have pointed out that the biggest Macedonian oaks of Sicily are no more than 50-60 years old. Whatever the origin of local Macedonian oak population is, the presence of natural renovation testifies, at least, its full naturalisation within the Sicilian territory

Communication: Saturated CO 2

International audienc

Evaluation of a smartphone electrocardiograph in healthy foals and comparison to standard base-apex electrocardiography

Smartphone-based technology for ECG recording has recently spread as a complementary tool for electrocardiographic screening and monitoring in adult horses and in other animal species. The present study aimed to assess the feasibility and accuracy of a smartphone-based ECG in healthy foals. This was a prospective observational study (authorization n. 45,865/2016) including 22 foals aged less than 21 days. A reference standard base-apex ECG (rECG) was acquired, and a smartphone ECG (sECG) was recorded immediately after by using a smartphone-based single lead electrocardiograph. All ECG tracings were evaluated in a blind fashion by a single board-certified cardiologist, who judged whether the tracings were acceptable for interpretation and performed ECG measurements and diagnosis. The Spearman correlation coefficient, the Cohen's k test and the Bland-Altman test were used to assess the agreement between sECG and rECG. All sECG tracings were acceptable for interpretation. All foals showed sinus rhythm on both rRCG and sECG tracings, with perfect agreement in heart rate classification (κ = 0.87; p < 0.001). No clinically relevant differences were found in the assessment of waves and intervals duration. Concerning P wave and QRS complex polarity, the percentage of agreement between rECG and sECG was 78% and 83%, respectively. About ECG tracing quality, rECG and sECG showed a substantial agreement (κ = 0.624; p < 0.001). In conclusion, the smartphone-based ECG device tested in the present study recorded good quality single-lead ECG tracings in foals, reliable for heart rate and ECG measurements, but different polarity of P waves and QRS complexes was found in some foals in comparison to rECG