The (Poly)Pharmacology of Cannabidiol in Neurological and Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Molecular Mechanisms and Targets

Cannabidiol (CBD), the major nonpsychoactive Cannabis constituent, has been proposed for the treatment of a wide panel of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, including anxiety, schizophrenia, epilepsy and drug addiction due to the ability of its versatile scaffold to interact with diverse molecular targets that are not restricted to the endocannabinoid system. Albeit the molecular mechanisms responsible for the therapeutic effects of CBD have yet to be fully elucidated, many efforts have been devoted in the last decades to shed light on its complex pharmacological profile. In particular, an ever-increasing number of molecular targets linked to those disorders have been identified for this phytocannabinoid, along with the modulatory effects of CBD on their cascade signaling. In this view, here we will try to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the molecular basis underlying the therapeutic effects of CBD involved in the treatment of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.     

Age of acquisition: Its neural and computational mechanisms.

The acquisition of new skills over a life span is a remarkable human ability. This ability, however, is constrained by age of acquisition (AoA); that is, the age at which learning occurs significantly affects the outcome. This is most clearly reflected in domains such as language, music, and athletics. This article provides a perspective on the neural and computational mechanisms underlying AoA in language acquisition. The authors show how AoA modulates both monolingual lexical processing and bilingual language acquisition. They consider the conditions under which syntactic processing and semantic processing may be differentially sensitive to AoA effects in second-language acquisition. The authors conclude that AoA effects are pervasive and that the neural and computational mechanisms underlying learning and sensorimotor integration provide a general account of these effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The topographic normalization of hyperspectral data: implications for the selection of spectral end members and lithologic mapping

Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager (CASI) hyperspectral data is used to investigate the effects of topography on the selection of spectral end members, and to assess whether the topographic correction improves the discrimination of rock units for lithologic mapping. A publicly available Digital Elevation Model (DEM), at a scale of 1:50,000, is used to model the radiance variation of the scene as a function of topography, assuming a Lambertian surface. Skylight is estimated and removed from the airborne data using a dark object correction. The CASI data is corrected on a pixel-by-pixel basis to normalize the scene to a uniform solar illumination and viewing geometry. The results show that topography has the effect of expanding end member clusters at times resulting in the overlap of clusters and that the correction process can effectively reduce the variation in detected radiance due to changes in local illumination. When topographic effects are embedded in the hyperspectral data, methods typically used for the selection of end members, such as the convex hull method, can miss end members or result in the selection of nonrepresentative pixels as end members. Thus, end members selected by some conventional methods are very likely “incomplete” or “nonrepresentative” if the topographic effect is embedded in the data. As shown in this study, the topographic correction can reveal hidden end members and achieve a better representation of end members via the statistical center of isolated clusters.     

TIC: A timed calculus

TIC is a timed algebraic calculus which combines ideas from asynchronous and synchronous calculi. Time is introduced by assigning explicit time restrictions to the events of an asynchronous calculus. The semantics is defined in an operational way. Interleaving of behaviours is defined in such a way that a proper merge of events in time is achieved. Weak timed bisimulation is also defined. Examples are presented to show the applicability of the calculus to the study of timed behaviours.This work was partially supported by CICYT under the TIC program (MEDAS project)     

Time-scaling and crystallization kinetics of three Fe-B-based metallic glasses

Time-scaling properties of the isothermal transformation kinetics have been tested for three Fe-B-based metallic glasses exhibiting two crystallization stages. The time scale was defined as the time at which crystallization has reached half completion and is derived from calorimetric (DSC) data. The temperature dependence of the time-scaling parameter shows a lowtemperature freezing behaviour and can be described by empirical functions based on free-volume considerations.     

Characterization of CuInS2 thin films for solar cells prepared by spray pyrolysis

We have made a study of the chemical composition, the electrical, the optical and the structural properties of polycrystalline CuInS₂ thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis to be used for thin film solar cells. These films were deposited starting from aqueous solutions with different chemical compositions ([Cu]/[In] and [S]/[Cu] ratios) and at different substrate temperatures. In all cases, the material is p-type with grains preferentially oriented in the (112) direction of the sphalerite structure. The electro-optical properties show a very strong dependence on the [Cu]/[In] ratio in the solution. Films with copper excess have smaller resistivity and better crystallinity than those which are stoichiometric or have indium excess. The results obtained in this work show the possibility of having CuInS₂ thin films with a wide range of resistivity, a fact that could be important for making solar cells based on this material.     

Integrating supercomputing clusters into education: a case study in biotechnology

The Journal of Supercomputing - The integration of a Supercomputer in the educational process improves student’s technological skills. The aim of the paper is to study the interaction between...     

The Peer’s Dilemma: A general framework to examine cooperation in pure peer-to-peer systems

The exploration of social dilemmas is being considered a major foundation for encountering the enforced necessities of cooperation in self-organizing environments. Such environments are characterized by self-interested parties and the absence of trusted third parties. Recent approaches apply evolutionary socio-inspired games to formally prove the existence and further prolongation of cooperation patterns within communities. For instance, the Prisoner’s Dilemma game has thus provided a rich opportunity to examine self-interested behaviors in pure peer-to-peer networks. However, assuming a total absence of coalitions, incentives and punishment mechanisms, several works argue against a durable maintenance of cooperation neither at single-shot nor repeated-scenarios. In this article, we formally and experimentally demonstrate a counterexample for the latter by applying evolutionary game theory and a particular instance of the Rock–Scissors–Paper game. Our framework proves that the cyclic dominance of certain type of nodes within a P2P system has an impact and introduces a strategic aspect to the evolution of the overall community.     

Influence of Mn and Cu addition on the hyperfine parameters of amorphous and nanocrystalline FeCoNbB alloys

The effects of Cu and Mn addition on the hyperfine field of FeCoNbB HITPERM alloys are discussed from Mössbauer spectrometry. Amorphous and nanocrystalline samples at different stages of the nanocrystallization were studied. The effect of Cu addition correlates with the observed refinement of the microstructure. Mn mainly partitions to the matrix, decreasing the average hyperfine field of the amorphous matrix, although some Mn remains in the nanocrystalline grains, presumably, in a concentration below the maximum solubility of Mn in -Fe.