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GREIG, Jonathan. The First Principle in Late Neoplatonism: A Study of the One's Causality in Proclus and Damascius. Leiden: Brill, 2020. 314 pp. Cloth and eBook, $166.00--Greek Neoplatonists posit a [...]

Gregory Claeys, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Utopian Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010. 316 pp. 18.99 [pounds sterling], ISBN: 9780521886659. As university library resources thin, and the emphasis switches [...]

There must be something unique about a class of drugs (discovered and developed in the mid-1940s) where there are more than 130 ongoing clinical trials currently listed. Tetracyclines were developed as a result of the screening of soil samples for antibiotic organisms. The first of these compounds chlortetracycline was introduced in 1948. Soon after their development tetracyclines were found to be highly effective against various pathogens including rickettsiae, Gram-positive, and Gram-negative bacteria, thus, becoming a class of broad-spectrum antibiotics. The mechanism of action of tetracyclines is thought to be related to the inhibition of protein synthesis by binding to the 30S bacterial ribosome. Tetracyclines are also an effective anti-malarial drug. Over time, many other 'protective' actions have been described for tetracyclines. Minocycline, which can readily cross cell membranes, is known to be a potent anti-apoptotic agent. Its mechanism of action appears to relate to specific effects exerted on apoptosis signaling pathways. Another tetracycline, doxycycline is known to exert antiprotease activities. Doxycycline can inhibit matrix metalloproteinases, which contribute to tissue destruction activities in diseases such as gingivitis. A large body of literature has provided additional evidence for the 'beneficial' actions of tetracyclines, including their ability to act as oxygen radical scavengers and anti-inflammatory agents. This increasing volume of published work and ongoing clinical trials supports the notion that a more systematic examination of their possible therapeutic uses is warranted. This review provides a summary of tetracycline's multiple mechanisms of action and while using the effects on the heart as an example, this review also notes their potential to benefit patients suffering from various pathologies such as cancer, Rosacea, and Parkinson's disease. protease inhibitors; doxycycline; minocycline doi: 10.1152/ajpcell.00047.2010.

Apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) is the major protein component of HDL, where it plays an important role in cholesterol transport. The deposition of apoA-I derived amyloid is associated with various hereditary systemic amyloidoses and atherosclerosis; however, very little is known about the mechanism of apoA-I amyloid formation. Methionine residues in apoA-I are oxidized via several mechanisms in vivo to form methionine sulfoxide (MetO), and significant levels of methionine oxidized apoA-I (MetO-apoA-I) are present in normal human serum. We investigated the effect of methionine oxidation on the structure, stability, and aggregation of full-length, lipid-free apoA-I. Circular dichrosim spectroscopy showed that oxidation of all three methionine residues in apoA-I caused partial unfolding of the protein and decreased its thermal stability, reducing the melting temperature ([T.sub.m]) from 58.7[degrees]C for native apoA-I to 48.2[degrees]C for MetO-apoA-I. Analytical ultracentrifugation revealed that methionine oxidation inhibited the native self association of apoA-I to form dimers and tetramers, incubation of MetO-apoA-I for extended periods resulted in aggregation of the protein, and these aggregates bound Thioflavin T and Congo Red. Inspection of the aggregates by electron microscopy revealed fibrillar structures with a ribbon-like morphology, widths of approximately 11 nm, and lengths of up to several microns. X-ray fibre diffraction studies of the fibrils revealed a diffraction pattern with orthogonal peaks at spacings of 4.64 [Angstrom] and 9.92 [Angstrom], indicating a cross--[beta] amyloid structure. This systematic study of fibril formation by full-length apoA-I represents the first demonstration that methionine oxidation can induce amyloid fibril formation. doi/10.1073/pnas.0910136107

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2009.01.001 Byline: Barbara M. Haward, Christopher H. Lewis, Michael J. Griffin Abstract: The motions of vessels may interfere with crew activities and well-being, but the relationships between motion and the experiences of crew are not well-established. Crew responses to motions of a floating production and storage offshore vessel at a fixed location in the North Sea were studied over a 5-month period to identify any changes in crew difficulties and symptoms associated with changes in vessel motion. Ship motions in all six axes (fore-aft, lateral, vertical, roll, pitch, and yaw) were recorded continuously over the 5-month period while 47 crew completed a total of 1704 daily diary entries, a participation rate of 66-78% of the crew complement. The dominant oscillations had frequencies of around 0.1Hz, producing magnitudes of translational oscillation in accommodation areas of up to about 0.7ms.sup.-2 r.m.s., depending on the weather, and magnitudes up to three times greater in some other areas. The daily diaries gave ratings of difficulties with tasks, effort level, motion sickness, health symptoms, fatigue, and sleep. Problems most strongly associated with vessel motions were difficulties with physical tasks (balancing, moving and carrying), and sleep problems. Physical and mental tiredness, cognitive aspects of task performance, and stomach awareness and dizziness were also strongly associated with motion magnitude. There was a vomiting incidence of 3.1%, compared with a predicted mean vomiting incidence of 9.3% for a mixed population of unadapted adults. It is concluded that crew difficulties increase on days when vessel motions increase, with some activities and responses particularly influenced by vessel motions. Author Affiliation: Human Factors Research Unit, Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK Article History: Received 21 October 2007; Accepted 6 January 2009

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2008.06.001 Byline: Miyuki Morioka, Michael J. Griffin Abstract: Vehicle drivers receive tactile feedback from steering-wheel vibration that depends on the frequency and magnitude of the vibration. From an experiment with 12 subjects, equivalent comfort contours were determined for vertical vibration of the hands at two positions with three grip forces. The perceived intensity of the vibration was determined using the method of magnitude estimation over a range of frequencies (4-250Hz) and magnitudes (0.1-1.58ms.sup.-2 r.m.s.). Absolute thresholds for vibration perception were also determined for the two hand positions over the same frequency range. The shapes of the comfort contours were strongly dependent on vibration magnitude and also influenced by grip force, indicating that the appropriate frequency weighting depends on vibration magnitude and grip force. There was only a small effect of hand position. The findings are explained by characteristics of the Pacinian and non-Pacinian tactile channels in the glabrous skin of the hand. Author Affiliation: Human Factors Research Unit, Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom Article History: Received 19 September 2007; Accepted 10 June 2008

This study examines peritraumatic (and posttrauma) responses in a sample of female crime victims who had been sexually or physically assaulted within the previous 2 months. Women were interviewed about their emotional and behavioral responses during the trauma and assessed for posttraumatic stress disorder and depression symptomatology. Results indicate that women experience a wide range of behavioral and emotional responses during a traumatic event and that these responses have implications for posttrauma adjustment. Women who experienced behaviors typical of a freeze response are more likely to have a greater degree of symptomatology after the assault. Peritraumatic emotions, other than fear, such as sadness, humiliation, and anger, also appear to be related to posttrauma depression symptoms. These findings highlight the necessity of exploring the full range of possible reactions during a trauma. Keywords: trauma; peritraumatic responses; emotion; posttraumatic stress disorder

Throughout the oeuvre of Limerick writer Gerald Griffin (1803-1840), the supernatural vacillates between acceptability and enlightened explicability. The Collegians, Griffins novel of 1829, takes the supernatural and neutralizes it into [...]

Standish James O'Grady. Sun and Wind. Dublin: University College Dublin Press, 2004. xxiv + 149 pp. $25.00 Standish James O'Grady's bardic, two-volume History of Ireland (1878, 1880) was greatly admired [...]

The purification and identification of the TFF1 protein partner as a previously unknown secreted protein is reported. The findings indicate that TFF1 is present in the heterodimer as a monomer unit that is linked to its protein partner TFIZ1 by a disulfide bond.

MUCH UTOPIAN THOUGHT grapples with the nature and/or necessity of discipline. Utopias of both the right and the left stress the need for discipline for the sake of cohesion, while [...]

The editors of Aristophanes generally retained the paradosis at 'Birds' 516, but omegasigmapiepsilonrho thetaepsilonrhoalphapiomeganu is condemned as a meaningless comparison. Elsewhere, it is proposed to correct thetaepsilonrhoalphapiomeganu to thetaepsilonrhoalphapiomicronnutheta and make the hawk the servant in Apollo's place, but without an appropriately specific reference to support this allusion, it fails to bring 514-516 to a fitting climax.

The effect of the magnitude of vertical vibration on the dynamic response of the seated human body has been investigated. Eight male subjects were exposed to random vibration in the 0.5 to 20 Hz frequency range attire magnitudes: 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 [ms.sup.-2] r.m.s. The dynamic responses of the body were measured at eight locations: at the first, fifth, and tenth thoracic vertebrae (T1, T5, T10), at the first, third, and fifth lumbar vertebrae (L1, L3, L5) and at the pelvis (the posterior-superior iliac spine). At each location, the motions on the body surface were measured in the three orthogonal axes within the sagittal plane (i.e., the vertical, fore-and-aft, and pitch axes). The force at the seat surface was also measured. Frequency response functions (i.e., transrmissibilities and apparent mass) were used to represent the responses of the body. Non-linear characteristics were observed in the apparent mass and in the transmissibilities to most measurement locations. Resonance frequencies in the frequency response functions decreased with increases in the vibration magnitude (e.g. for the vertical transmissibility to L3, a reduction from 6.25 to 4.75 Hz when the vibration magnitude increased from 0.125 to 2.0 [ms.sup-2] r.m.s.). The transmission of vibration within the spine also showed some evidence of a non-linear characteristic. It can be concluded from this study that the dynamic responses of seated subjects are clearly non-linear with respect to vibration magnitude, whereas previous studies have reported inconsistent conclusions. More understanding of the dependence on vibration magnitude of both the dynamic responses of the soft tissues of the body and the muscle activity (voluntary and involuntary) is required to identify the causes of the non-linear characteristics observed in this study. [DOI: 10.1115/1.1499959]

Curve estimation techniques were used to identify the pattern of therapeutic change in female rape victims with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Within-session data on the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Scale were obtained, in alternate therapy sessions, on 171 women. The final sample of treatment completers included 54 prolonged exposure (PE) and 54 cognitive-processing therapy (CPT) completers. For both PE and CPT, a quadratic function provided the best fit for the total PTSD, reexperiencing, and arousal scores. However, a difference in the line of best fit was observed for the avoidance symptoms. Although a quadratic function still provided a better fit for the PE avoidance, a linear function was more parsimonious in explaining the CPT avoidance variance. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Research on automobile seat cushions indicates that registered pressure under the ischial bones reflects the two comfort components of foam hardness and bottoming feeling. Data were obtained from static-condition tests of four different automobile seat cushions with different foam compositions but the same foam hardness.

Reductions in vehicle vibration that may contribute to improvements in overall vehicle ride could individually be too small to be detected by drivers or passengers. This study investigated the 'difference threshold' (the difference in magnitude between two stimuli which is just sufficient for their difference to be detected) required for a change in vehicle ride to be perceived and whether this was consistent with Weber's Law. Ten male and 10 female subjects sat in a car seat and were exposed to four different reproductions of the vertical vibration recorded on the seat of a car. Three of the stimuli had the same waveform recorded while the car traversed a tarmac surface. This waveform was reproduced using three different magnitudes of vibration at the seat: 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 m s(super -2) r.m.s. (W(sub b) weighted). The other stimulus was recorded with the car traversing a 'pave' surface that gave a different waveform that was reproduced at a magnitude of 0.4 m s(super -2) r.m.s. (W(sub b) weighted). There were significant differences in the absolute difference thresholds measured using the same waveform at the three different magnitudes. When the difference thresholds were expressed in relative terms (the proportion by which two stimuli must differ in magnitude to be discriminated), the relative difference thresholds were approximately 13%, and independent of both the vibration magnitude and the vibration waveform. The results are therefore consistent with Weber's Law. No consistent differences were observed between the responses of male and female subjects. Keywords: Whole-body vibration; Comfort; Perception

Eighteenth-century writer Oliver Goldsmith had borrowed heavily from the English translation of Francois-Ignace Espiard de la Borde's essay 'L'Esprit des nations' for his critical essay 'The Effects Which Climates have upon Men, and other Animals.' Goldsmith had plagiarized four pieces of text from Borde to illustrate the thesis of his essay. While providing another evidence of Goldsmith's notoriety, the finding also gives a hint of Goldsmith's indebtedness to Borde for his philosophical disposition, which is spelled out in his great poem 'The Traveller.'

Results from two popular models for the complex permittivity of liquid water were compared, as applied to radiative transfer computations in the 5-250-GHz range. Substantial differences were found in situations with cloud temperatures below 0 [degrees] C. Simulations of cloud liquid water retrievals from satellite and ground-based instruments demonstrated that uncertainties in the models at low temperatures can lead to large retrieval errors. Index Terms - Attenuation, clouds, microwave propagation, remote sensing.

Display lags degrade performance when using the head to track a target presented on a helmet-mounted display. These lags originate from delays in measuring the position of the head and the time required to generate the image of the target. This paper presents two laboratory studies on the use of phase lead filters to improve head tracking performance in the presence of display lags. In the preliminary study, the benefits of lag compensation by a phase lead filter were impeded by associated changes in filter gain. The frequency responses of two phase lead filters were then optimized to have near unity gain at frequencies below 0.7 Hz where there was most head motion. The main study showed that these optimized filters significantly improved head tracking performance with a system having a total lag of 140 ms. At frequencies above about 0.7 Hz, a greater than unity filter gain caused jittery image movement. Although this jittering degraded head tracking performance it was removed by an alternative lag compensation technique involving 'image deflection'. This deflection shifted the displayed image to its correct horizontal and vertical position relative to the head. Image deflection, combined with the phase lead filters, produced a tracking performance unaffected by lag.

A comparison of the visual imagery in TV spots in the 1992 political campaigns in Israel and the US reflects a varying dependence on religious, ethnic, national, or subcultural imagery between the two countries, and among the candidates. The elaborate cultural images lend greater support to unifying mythic themes, compared to issue-specific rhetoric. In the US, Republican ads effectively use modern visual media to promote lasting mythic themes. Further research on cultural imagery in political campaigns is needed.

Magazine advertising in India promotes gender stereotypes of women which originate with American marketers, as shown by statistical research. Random samples of Indian and US magazines were analyzed for symbolic categories such as subordination, fashion model poses and domesticity. The Indian advertisements provide examples of international cross-cultural transfer of gender roles aimed at the elite social classes.

Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Kuwait, Eritrea, Somalia and other war-ravaged countries are facing the effects of military encounters which have led to an increase in the number of military mines. Abandoning of weapons pose a threat to the environment. It is essential to develop a technology that can effectively scan abandoned weapon mines.

Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Bulgaria and Romania have reached an agreement to implement the US $9.3 million program, financed by the World Bank and the UN Development Program (UNDP) from Global Environmental Facility (GEF) funds, to control further degradation of the Black Sea ecology. Many feel that now it is too late to revive the fisheries, especially that of anchovy. Rivers, such as Danube, introduce pollutants such as phosphates and inorganic nitrogen, which results in the extinction of many marine species. Overfishing has also disturbed the marine ecology. The agreement signed by the six countries plans for greater cooperation between the scientists to find a way to restore the ecological balance.

The European Community's (EC) granting of subsidies has affected its trade relations with other countries. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of 1992 introduced rules that were acceptable to other countries, but was opposed by European Farmers. Ray MacSharry, EC Agriculture Commissioner, proposed a 29% cut in subsidies given to grain farmers and a 14% cut in those given to beef farmers. Compensation for the cuts will be provided if farmers set aside 15% of their cultivable land. Farmers are finding ways to circumvent this restrictive rule by growing rapemethyl-ester (RME), a biofuel that can be grown in the arable, set aside land.

THE DAUGHTER OF a New Light Presbyterian Minister in Aghadowey near Coleraine, Olivia Elder (1735-80) began writing poems, so far as the evidence remaining to us indicates, in her early [...]

Background Barrett's esophagus (BE) is a commonly undiagnosed condition that predisposes to esophageal adenocarcinoma. Routine endoscopic screening for BE is not recommended because of the burden this would impose on the health care system. The objective of this study was to determine whether a novel approach using a minimally invasive cell sampling device, the Cytosponge, coupled with immunohistochemical staining for the biomarker Trefoil Factor 3 (TFF3), could be used to identify patients who warrant endoscopy to diagnose BE. Methods and Findings A case-control study was performed across 11 UK hospitals between July 2011 and December 2013. In total, 1,110 individuals comprising 463 controls with dyspepsia and reflux symptoms and 647 BE cases swallowed a Cytosponge prior to endoscopy. The primary outcome measures were to evaluate the safety, acceptability, and accuracy of the Cytosponge-TFF3 test compared with endoscopy and biopsy. In all, 1,042 (93.9%) patients successfully swallowed the Cytosponge, and no serious adverse events were attributed to the device. The Cytosponge was rated favorably, using a visual analogue scale, compared with endoscopy (p < 0.001), and patients who were not sedated for endoscopy were more likely to rate the Cytosponge higher than endoscopy (Mann-Whitney test, p < 0.001). The overall sensitivity of the test was 79.9% (95% CI 76.4%-83.0%), increasing to 87.2% (95% CI 83.0%-90.6%) for patients with >3 cm of circumferential BE, known to confer a higher cancer risk. The sensitivity increased to 89.7% (95% CI 82.3%-94.8%) in 107 patients who swallowed the device twice during the study course. There was no loss of sensitivity in patients with dysplasia. The specificity for diagnosing BE was 92.4% (95% CI 89.5%-94.7%). The case-control design of the study means that the results are not generalizable to a primary care population. Another limitation is that the acceptability data were limited to a single measure. Conclusions The Cytosponge-TFF3 test is safe and acceptable, and has accuracy comparable to other screening tests. This test may be a simple and inexpensive approach to identify patients with reflux symptoms who warrant endoscopy to diagnose BE., Introduction It is estimated that 5% to 15% of adults in the Western world suffer from reflux symptoms [1], and this is the commonest physician diagnosis for gastrointestinal consultations, accounting [...]

A lag compensation technique combining both head position prediction and image deflection is investigated. Results show that there are significant decreases in head tracking performance when lags of 40 ms or more are added to a system with 40 ms lag. Moreover, image deflections significantly improved tracking performance, and head position prediction enhances the benefits of lag compensation by image deflection.