/library/oar/handle/123456789/24087 2025-12-23T04:03:32Z 2025-12-23T04:03:32Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/24351 2018-01-13T15:17:49Z 2017-09-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Xjenza Online at MNS2017 Malta Abstract: The 6th conference of the Mediterranean Neuroscience Society (MNS), MNS2017, was organized by Prof. Giuseppe Di Giovanni, Co-ordinator of Malta Neuroscience Network (MNN) of the University of Malta and held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in St. Julian’s during the week of Monday 12 June to Thursday 15 June. The MNS2017 is a part of the effort of MNS to bring its contribution to the development of neuroscience in the Mediterranean region facilitating the exchanges with scientists from the rest of the world. The previous MNS Conferences were organized in June 2015 in Pula (Italy), Istanbul (Turky) 2012, Alexandria (Egypt) 2009, Marrakech (Morocco) 2006, Montpellier (France) 1997. These meetings have proved to be highly beneficial, not only for the scientific exchanges between Mediterranean neuroscientists, but also in terms of training opportunities for students and young researchers. More than 450 delegates, including neurologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, basic and clinical researchers from 41 Countries attended the MNS2017 in Malta. HE Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, President of Malta, opened the Conference (see her speech in this volume) together with Prof. Alfred J. Vella, the Rector of the University of Malta, Prof. Marc Landry, Mediterranean Neuroscience Society (MNS) President (University of Bordeaux, FR) and Prof. Giuseppe Di Giovanni. The meeting gathered scientists, not only from the broad Mediterranean area, offered a rich program, spanning from molecular and cell biology to behaviour under normal and pathological conditions. This included 9 main lectures, over 60 symposia, poster sessions and social events. The meeting has been highly beneficial, not only for the scientific exchanges, but also in terms of training opportunities for students and young researchers.

2017-09-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/24319 2017-12-07T02:36:03Z 2017-09-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Science in the Citadel Abstract: On a sunny Saturday afternoon, the 22nd of April, Science in the Citadel was held in Gozo’s iconic medieval Citadel. It provided an atmospheric venue for the first science festival on the island. The festival was sponsored by EcoGozo, and inaugurated by Minister of Gozo, Dr Anton Refalo. The aim of the festival was to engage the public with science, to inspire the next generation towards scientific endeavour and to showcase Gozo as a potential future hub for scientific discussion and development.

2017-09-01T00:00:00Z Austen, Samantha /library/oar/handle/123456789/24318 2017-12-07T02:36:04Z 2017-09-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Native language (L1) transfer in second language learning : from form to concept, the implications Authors: Austen, Samantha Abstract: The influence that a student’s first language (L1) can have on their acquisition of a second language (L2) has been frequently noted by language teachers (Swan, 1997; Jarvis, 2007) and documented in the literature for decades. However, thinking has gradually evolved in terms of the form that influence could take. Early research work focussed on transfer of syntax or form, but recently the role that L1 conceptual information plays in transfer has come to the fore. The 1960s saw a plethora of contrastive studies inspired by the work of Robert Lado (1957), where languages were analysed using the prevailing structuralist approaches to language description. These contrastive studies were conceived with the view to predicting the types of errors speakers of one language would make while learning another, and this became known as the Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis (CAH) (Lado, 1957). This view was based in the behaviourist paradigm of the time which saw language learning as habit formation. This implied that learning a new language meant the transfer of elements and features from the first language to the target language, and that old ‘habits’ may interfere with second language acquisition (Aarts, 1982). Pairs of languages were compared in terms of their similarities and differences looking at linguistic units in relation to the overarching system to which they belonged (see Vinay & Darbelnet, 1960; Agard & Di Pietro, 1965, for examples). However, the CAH was severely criticised in the late 1960s, as it did not seem to be able to predict any classroom errors that language teachers had not already noticed, and was not able to offer any solutions with regard to how to deal with these errors (Corder, 1967).

2017-09-01T00:00:00Z Gozes, Illana /library/oar/handle/123456789/24316 2017-12-07T02:36:05Z 2017-09-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Autism, Schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s Disease : a common thread from neuropeptides to brain regulating genes Authors: Gozes, Illana Abstract: Our original cloning of the gene coding for vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) (Bodner, Fridkin & Gozes, 1985), led to the identification of VIP’s involvement in synapse formation and neuroprotection, through our discoveries of activity-dependent neurotrophic factor (ADNF) (Brenneman & Gozes, 1996) and activity- dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP) (Bassan et al., 1999; Zamostiano et al., 2001). To precisely delineate VIP and ADNP activities in the whole animal, we established transgenic animals, showing that manipulating VIP content impacts cognition in the mouse (Gozes et al., 1993). As for mouse ADNP, complete knockout results in severe neuronal tube closure defects and embryonic death at the time of neural tube closure (Pinhasov et al., 2003). ADNP haploinsufficient mice survive and show cognitive and social deficiencies, with pathologies resembling autism (Malishkevich et al., 2015) and Alzheimer’s disease (Vulih-Shultzman et al., 2007). Delineating the mechanism of action of ADNP, we discovered binding to the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex and heterochromatin protein 1 alpha, and direct interaction with specific gene promoters (e.g. the major risk gene for Alzheimer’s disease, apolipoprotein E) (Mandel & Gozes, 2007; Mandel, Rechavi & Gozes, 2007). We have further discovered interactions with proteins associated with RNA splicing (Schirer et al., 2014), as well as with proteins regulating translation, like eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (Eif4e) (Malishkevich et al., 2015). In the cell cytoplasm, ADNP further interacts with the autophagy mechanism, binding to microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) (Merenlender-Wagner et al., 2015) and to microtubule end binding proteins (EBs) (Oz et al., 2014).

2017-09-01T00:00:00Z