Some reflections on the legend of the Marathon runner (hdt. 6.105, Aristoph. nub. 63–67, Plut. de glor. ath. 347c, Lucian. laps. 3 and the Roman Tradition)

A well-known tradition has it that after the victory of the Greeks over the Persian army at the battle of Marathon (490 B.C.E.) one of the Athenians ran forty kilometres from Marathon to Athens and died soon after his arrival in the city, after giving the good news. However, the story is more complicated than it seems, and several issues have claimed the attention of scholars, such as what the Marathon runner's name was, what form of greeting he used and whether the episode really happened or not. The first part of my paper offers a reconsideration of the extant sources in order to express my point of view on the abovementioned issues. The second part aims at showing a selection of parallel passages which could possibly prove useful in trying to illustrate how the legend of the Marathon runner evolved into the shape it assumed in the Lucianean account, which is still considered as the 'official' version of the story

Sul Valore Semantico Di Χρηστοσ In Aristot. Po. 1454a 16–28

In Po. 1454a 16–28, Aristotele afferma che, per essere ben riusciti, tutti gli ἤθη della tragedia devono essere χρηστά, donne e schiavi compresi. L'aggettivo χρηστός, presente solo in questo luogo della Poetica, comporta importanti problemi esegetici e traduttivi, che hanno dato luogo a molteplici interpretazioni e traduzioni del termine. Posti sotto esame i principali tentativi esegetici di χρηστός in Po. 1454a 16–28 dalla metà del Novecento agli anni Duemila, il presente contributo offre una nuova ipotesi esegetica dell'aggettivo, fondandosi sull'analisi del suo valore semantico in alcuni passi delle commedie di Aristofane e dei discorsi degli oratori attici del IV sec. a.C., sulla concezione della natura della donna e dello schiavo che emerge da Aristot. Pol. I 1253b–1260b 24 e sulla menzione aristotelica del personaggio di Menelao dell'Oreste di Euripide come παράδειγμα πονηρίας ἤθους μὴ ἀναγκαίας (Po. 1454a 28–29)

Endocannabinoid-dependent decrease of GABAergic transmission on dopaminergic neurons is associated with susceptibility to cocaine stimulant effects in pre-adolescent male MAOA hypomorphic mice exposed to early life stress.

Vulnerability to cocaine use disorder depends upon a combination of genetic and environmental risk factors. While early life adversity is a critical environmental vulnerability factor for drug misuse, allelic variants of the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene have been shown to moderate its influence on the risk of drug-related problems. However, data on the interactions between MAOA variants and early life stress (ES) with respect to predisposition to cocaine abuse are limited. Here, we show that a mouse model capturing the interaction of genetic (low-activity alleles of the Maoa gene; MAOANeo) and environmental (i.e., ES) vulnerability factors displays an increased sensitivity to repeated in vivo cocaine psychomotor stimulant actions associated with a reduction of GABAA receptor-mediated inhibition of dopamine neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Depolarization-induced suppression of inhibition (DSI), a 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2AG)-dependent form of short-term plasticity, also becomes readily expressed by dopamine neurons from male MAOANeo ES mice repeatedly treated with cocaine. The activation of either dopamine D2 or CB1 receptors contributes to cocaine-induced DSI expression, decreased GABA synaptic efficacy, and hyperlocomotion. Next, in vivo pharmacological enhancement of 2AG signaling during repeated cocaine exposure occludes its actions both in vivo and ex vivo. This data extends our knowledge of the multifaceted sequelae imposed by this gene-environment interaction in VTA dopamine neurons of male pre-adolescent mice and contributes to our understanding of neural mechanisms of vulnerability for early onset cocaine use

Introduzione

Atti del Workshop Internazionale “Contact Phenomena Between Greek and Latin and Peripheral Languages in the Mediterranean Area (1200 B.C. – 600 A.D.)” Associazione Culturale Rodopis – Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Dipartimento di Filologia Letteratura e Linguistica, 13-14 aprile 2015.Atti del Workshop Internazionale “Contact Phenomena Between Greek and Latin and Peripheral Languages in the Mediterranean Area (1200 B.C. – 600 A.D.)” Associazione Culturale Rodopis – Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Dipartimento di Filologia Letteratura e Linguistica, 13-14 aprile 2015

A Pilot Power Plant Based on Concentrating Solar and Energy Storage Technologies for Improving Electricity Dispatch

AbstractThis paper presents the main features and the expected performance of the pilot solar power plant under construction in Ottana (Sardinia-Italy). The facility is based on a 600 kWe concentrating solar power (CSP) plant with thermal energy storage, and a 400 kWe concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) plant with electrochemical storage. The CSP plant uses linear Fresnel collectors, thermal oil as heat transfer fluid, a two-tank direct storage system and an ORC module. The CPV plant consists of 37 dual-axis trackers integrated with Sodium-Nickel batteries. The facility is characterised by the integration of different concentrating solar and storage technologies. The pilot power plant has been designed in order to produce electricity with scheduled profiles according to weather forecast

Conjugated Linoleic Acid and Brain Metabolism: A Possible Anti-Neuroinflammatory Role Mediated by PPARα Activation

Fatty acids play a crucial role in the brain as specific receptor ligands and as precursors of bioactive metabolites. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a group of positional and geometric isomers of linoleic acid (LA, 18:2 n-6) present in meat and dairy products of ruminants and synthesized endogenously in non-ruminants and humans, has been shown to possess different nutritional properties associated with health benefits. Its ability to bind to peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) α, a nuclear receptor key regulator of fatty acid metabolism and inflammatory responses, partly mediates these beneficial effects. CLA is incorporated and metabolized into brain tissue where induces the biosynthesis of endogenous PPAR α ligands palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) and oleoylethanolamide (OEA), likely through a positive feedback mechanism where PPAR α activation sustains its own cellular effects through ligand biosynthesis. In addition to PPAR α, PEA and OEA may as well bind to other receptors such as TRPV1, further extending CLA own anti-neuroinflammatory actions. Future studies are needed to investigate whether dietary CLA may exert antiinflammatory activity, particularly in the setting of neurodegenerative diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders with a neuroinflammatory basis

Proteomic analysis of hydromethylthionine in the line 66 model of frontotemporal dementia demonstrates actions on tau-dependent and tau-independent networks

Funding: This research received no external funding. Acknowledgments: The authors acknowledge Boris Neumann and Karola Lehmann for the excellent support with the proteomics data.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Family Planning

The contraception (the term is the fusion between “contra”, against, and conception): includes all methods that prevent conception. According to the physiology of human reproduction, the contraceptive methods can prevent the fecundation by hindering the female and male gametes meeting. In these mechanisms we include: The abstinence by sexual intercourse around the ovulatory phase of the cycle; The use of barriers that block contact between male gametes and female genitalia; The use of methods impeding the ascent of spermatozoa through the female genital tracts (intrauterine devices). The prevention of the oocyte from being available (hormonal contraceptives or oral contraceptives, OC). In this category there is the availability of short acting reversible contraception (SARC) (pill, vaginal ring, patch), and the long acting reversible contraception (LARC) (progestin implants). The ideal contraceptive method has to respond to four fundamental principles: efficacy, safety, reversibility, tolerability. The authors will discuss all the above contraceptive methods with the evaluation of indications and contraindications to each method

Differential compartmental processing and phosphorylation of pathogenic human tau and native mouse tau in the Line 66 model of frontotemporal dementia

Funding Information: Funding and additional information—This work was supported by EMPIR programme in Research Project 15HLT02 ReMiND cofinanced by the Participating States and the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (to N. L.). Work was also supported by WisTa Laboratories Ltd. (to V. M., D. L., M. M., C. R. H., G. R., C. M. W., F. T., and K. S.). Conflict of interest—This work was sponsored by WisTa Laboratories Ltd., an affiliate of TauRx Therapeutics Ltd. C. R. H. and C. M. W. are employees and officers of TauRx Therapeutics Ltd.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

HMTM-Mediated Enhancement of Brain Bioenergetics in a Mouse Tauopathy Model Is Blocked by Chronic Administration of Rivastigmine

Funding: This study was sponsored by WisTa Laboratories Ltd., Singapore. (grant PAR1577).Peer reviewedPublisher PD