bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Age-related androgen deficiency and erectile dysfunction in men of the reproductive age presenting with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Mamedgasanov R M , Mekhtiev T V
Published: March 2014

Aim of the study. To detect hypogonadism and elucidate its relationship with erectile dysfunction (ED) and the main risk factors of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) among the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2). Materials and methods. This clinical epidemiological study included 261 men with DM2 at the age varying from 30 to 59 years. The following exclusion criteria were used: type 1 diabetes mellitus, primary hypogonadism, drug-induced and congenital diseases accompanied by hypogonadism, oncological and cardiovascular diseases. All the patients underwent routine clinical examination, questionnaire and instrumental studies, laboratory analysis including assays for sex hormones. Results. Hypogonadism was diagnosed based on the results of all above studies in 114 (43.7%) men presenting with type 2 diabetes mellitus whereas the AMS questionnaire revealed a 10% higher incidence of age-related hypogonadism (in 141 or 54% subjects). It means that the incidence of hypogonadism increases with age both among the patients with DM2 and in the general male population. For example, only 17.5% of the men at the age of 30-39 years suffered hypogonadism compared with thrice this frequency in the groups of 40-49 and 50-59 year-old subjects. The summarized international erectile function index (IEFI) in the patients with hypogonadism and DM2 was 14.2±0.5 compared with 19.0±0.9 in the group without hypogonadism (p<0.001). Erectile dysfunction was diagnosed in 42 (28.6%) of the 147 patients with DM2 in the absence of hypogonadism whereas all the patients with hypogonadism suffered ED. The groups of the patients presenting with DM2 and hypogonadism and with DM2 without hypogonadism were not significantly different in terms of the number of smokers and hypokinetic subjects (roughly 70%). A similar tendency was documented in the occurrence of such parameters as waist circumference and serum triglycerides levels whereas the total and LDLP cholesterol levels, arterial pressure and body mass index were significantly higher in the patients with hypogonadism. Conclusion. Almost each second man with type 2 diabetes mellitus suffers hypogonadism and the number of such patients increases with age. The presence of DM2 increases the risk of development of ED. Also, the probability of ED and its severity increase under effect of androgen deficiency. The combination of DM2 and hypogonadism promotes manifestation of the main risk factors of cardiovascular diseases.
Autoimmune diseases associated with type 1 diabetes mellitus: possible interplay
Authors: Larina A A , Troshina E A
Published: March 2014

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is not infrequently associated with other autoimmune endocrine and non-endocrine diseases included in the notion of "autoimmune polyglandular syndrome" (APS). Their incidence in the patients presenting with this syndrome is significantly higher than that of isolated autoimmune pathologies. The enhanced risk of the development of these diseases is associated with the presence of genetic markers, such as HLAII-complex haplotypes, CTLA-4, PTPN22, FOXP2, and certain other genes. Decompensation of autoimmune thyroid disorders and adrenal insufficiency, as well as the presence of celiac disease, autoimmune gastritis and pernicious anemia in the patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus may be responsible for the impairment of metabolic control. It is recommended that the patients with DM1 be regularly examined for the early diagnostics of autoimmune diseases including components of APS and the associated subclinical functional disturbances with a view to preventing deterioration of metabolic control.
Levitra ODT - a new era in the treatment of erectile dysfunction
Authors: Vertkin A L , Morgunov L Iu
Published: March 2014

Erectile dysfincion is a complicated pathology having negative influence on the man's self-esteem, the quality of sexual satisfaction, interpersonal relationships, and the quality of life at large. An innovative formulation of Levitra ODT has been developed that enables men to more effectively control their sexual activity. The new preparation ensures the maximum comfortable intake and high functional effectiveness.
The use of metformin for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents
Authors: Eremina I A , Kuraeva T L
Published: March 2014

The increasingly higher incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) in the children and adolescent populations implies the necessity of analysis of the effectiveness of currently available therapeutic modalities bearing in mind more aggressive specific complications of the disease in these groups of patients compared with the adult ones. Metformin is the sole oral hypoglycemic agent approved for the use in the children and adolescents with DM2. This paper reports the results of the application of different therapeutic modalities with the use of metformin in the children and adolescents with DM2.
Association of the CCR5 gene with type 1 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Kopylova O I , Kuraeva T L , Lavrikova E Iu , Titovich E V , Nikitin A G , Smirnova G E , Peterkova V A , Dedov I I , Nosikov V V
Published: March 2014

Aim of the study. To elucidate the association between the polymorphous marker A/del132 of the CCR5 gene with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Materials and methods. The study included 177 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) and 408 healthy subjects (ethnic Russians). CR5 alleles and genotypes were identified with the use of the real-time amplification technique. Results. It was shown that the CCR5 allele without 32 base pair deletion (allele A) predominated in both diabetic patients and diabetes-free subjects. The difference between their occurrence in the two groups was insignificant. At the same time, we documented a significant rise in the frequency of del132/del132 genotype in the diabetic patients compared with the healthy subjects (p=0.008). It is concluded that carriers of the CCR5-del32/del32 genotype in the Russian population of Moscow are at high risk of developing type 1 diabetes mellitus.
Monogenic diabetes mellitus associated with a mutation in the insulin gene (INS)
Authors: Tikhonovich Iu V , Petriaĭkina E E , Rybkina I G , Gariaeva I V , Tiul'pakov A N
Published: March 2014

Defects in the insulin gene (INS) are one of the causes responsible for the development of permanent and sometimes transient diabetes mellitus (DM) in the children during the first year of life. Both autosomal dominant and autosomal recessive mutations in the INS gene have been described. Dominant mutations are responsible for the development of absolute insulin deficiency due to precocious apoptosis of pancreatic beta-cells and the formation of the symptomocomplex clinically identical with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Recessive mutations affect insulin biosynthesis and cause DM manifestations within a few first weeks of life of the child. The first case of DM manifestation in a 7-month old girl in Russia is described; it is attributable to a new heterozygous mutation in the insulin gene.
Measuring Competition: Inconsistent definitions, inconsistent results.
Authors: Linick Matthew Allen
Published: March 2014

There is a developing literature examining how charter schools, through the effects of competition, impact performance in public school districts and district-run public schools, also known as the second-level effects of competition. What follows is an examination of how competition is measured in this literature that offers a critique of existing approaches to that measurement. Findings in these studies are problematized by inconsistent findings in other, similar studies; inconsistencies which may be due to inconsistent definitions and metrics of competition. I suggest a more specific definition of competition and suggest that other disciplines may offer guidance in the pursuit of a more consistent measurement of competitive effects.
Radioiodine treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer despite history of ‘iodine allergy’
Authors: Puchalski Adam R , Chopra Inder J
Published: March 2014

Radioiodine (131I) is a critical component in the treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer. We recently saw a patient with thyroid cancer who was hesitant to take 131I treatment because he had previously encountered an allergic reaction to administration of iodine-containing radiocontrast agent for computed tomography (CT) scanning. We were able to administer 131I treatment after discussion that his anaphylactic reaction was not due to iodine and that radioiodine (131I) treatment is unlikely to cause a reaction in the patient.

Learning points

An allergy to iodine itself does not exist.

When patients claim that they have an ‘iodine allergy’, ask them what substances they are allergic to and what kind of reaction occurred during use of such substances.

Radioactive iodine is not a contraindication for patients who claim an ‘allergy to iodine’.
Post-operative neck ultrasound and risk stratification in differentiated thyroid cancer patients with initial lymph node involvement
Authors: Lepoutre-Lussey Charlotte , Maddah Dina , Golmard Jean-Louis , Russ Gilles , Tissier Frédérique , Trésallet Christophe , Menegaux Fabrice , Aurengo André , Leenhardt Laurence
Published: March 2014

Objective

Cervical ultrasound (US) scan is a key tool for detecting metastatic lymph nodes (N1) in patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). N1-PTC patients are stratified as intermediate-risk and high-risk (HR) patients, according to the American Thyroid Association (ATA) and European Thyroid Association (ETA) respectively. The aim of this study was to assess the value of post-operative cervical US (POCUS) in local persistent disease (PD) diagnosis and in the reassessment of risk stratification in N1-PTC patients.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Methods

Between 1997 and 2010, 638 N1-PTC consecutive patients underwent a systematic POCUS. Sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value (NPV), and positive predictive value (PPV) of POCUS for the detection of PD were evaluated and a risk reassessment using cumulative incidence functions was carried out.

Results

After a median follow-up of 41.6 months, local recurrence occurred in 138 patients (21.6%), of which 121 were considered to have PD. Sensitivity, specificity, NPV, and PPV of POCUS for the detection of the 121 PD were 82.6, 87.4 95.6, and 60.6% respectively. Cumulative incidence of recurrence at 5 years was estimated at 26% in ETA HR patients, 17% in ATA intermediate-risk patients, and 35% in ATA HR patients respectively. This risk fell to 9, 8, and 11% in the above three groups when the POCUS result was normal and to <6% when it was combined with thyroglobulin results at ablation.

Conclusion

POCUS is useful for detecting PD in N1-PTC patients and for stratifying individual recurrence risk. Its high NPV could allow clinicians to tailor follow-up recommendations to individual needs.
ETS fusion genes in prostate cancer
Authors: Gasi Tandefelt Delila , Boormans Joost , Hermans Karin , Trapman Jan
Published: March 2014

Prostate cancer is very common in elderly men in developed countries. Unravelling the molecular and biological processes that contribute to tumor development and progressive growth, including its heterogeneity, is a challenging task. The fusion of the genes ERG and TMPRSS2 is the most frequent genomic alteration in prostate cancer. ERG is an oncogene that encodes a member of the family of ETS transcription factors. At lower frequency, other members of this gene family are also rearranged and overexpressed in prostate cancer. TMPRSS2 is an androgen-regulated gene that is preferentially expressed in the prostate. Most of the less frequent ETS fusion partners are also androgen-regulated and prostate-specific. During the last few years, novel concepts of the process of gene fusion have emerged, and initial experimental results explaining the function of the ETS genes ERG and ETV1 in prostate cancer have been published. In this review, we focus on the most relevant ETS gene fusions and summarize the current knowledge of the role of ETS transcription factors in prostate cancer. Finally, we discuss the clinical relevance of TMRPSS2–ERG and other ETS gene fusions in prostate cancer.
Impact of butyl benzyl phthalate on development of the reproductive system of European pikeperch, Sander lucioperca (L.)
Authors: Jarmołowicz Sylwia , Demska-Zakęś Krystyna , Zakęś Zdzisław
Published: March 2014

The effect of butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) on the sex differentiation process of fish is practically unknown. The experimental material of this study was juvenile European pikeperch [Sander lucioperca (L.)], which is gonochoristic, undergoes immediate sex differentiation, and has a fixed gonad differentiation period. The fish were fed a diet supplemented with BBP (during the sex differentiation phase: age 61–96 days post hatch) in the following quantities: 1.0; 2.0; 4.0; 8.0; 16.0 g BBP kg−1 feed. The control feed was a xenobiotic-free base feed. In the present experiment lasting 10 weeks, the survival and growth of fish, the histopathological changes of the fish gonads and the sex ratio were evaluated. After administration of the two highest doses of BBP, growth inhibition of the fish was observed. BBP also seriously disturbed the gonadal differentiation process of pikeperch. All analysed concentrations of BBP delayed testicular development and, at concentrations of 4.0, 8.0 and 16.0 g BBP kg−1, induction of the feminisation process was observed. The sex ratio was distinctly disrupted in groups receiving 8.0 and 16.0 g BBP kg−1.
Elevated Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) levels in the blood serum of dogs with malignant neoplasms of the oral cavity
Authors: Sobczyńska-Rak Aleksandra , Polkowska Izabela , Silmanowicz Piotr
Published: March 2014

Angiogenesis plays an essential role in the development of a neoplastic tumour by conditioning both its growth and the formation of metastases. The induction of blood vessel growth occurs under the influence of proangiogenic factors, among which Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) seems to be the most important. The aim of this research was to study the level of VEGF measured by ELISA in the serum of dogs with neoplasms of the oral cavity. The study material comprised samples of neoplastic tissue from 17 operated dogs and the serum of the examined animals as well as of dogs from the control group. The tissue samples were taken from dogs of different breeds, aged 6–14 years. The tumour type was determined in accordance with the applicable WHO classification. Blood samples taken from sick dogs and from animals of the control group were centrifuged, and immunoenzymatic labelling of VEGF was performed in the obtained serum using ELISA and R&D system reagents (Quantikine Canine VEGF). All stages of VEGF labelling were performed according to the recommendation of the test manufacturer. The median of VEGF in the serum of the dogs with neoplasms of the oral cavity was 40.64 pg/mL. The lowest value of 14.26 pg/mL was observed in the case of fibrosarcoma, and the highest value of 99.19 pg/mL in the case of squamous cell carcinoma. The VEGF median in the control group amounted to 11.14 pg/mL whereas the VEGF value in the groups of animals diagnosed with benign tumours ranged between 2.30 and 19.74 pg/mL. Elevated VEGF in the blood serum, in comparison with the benign tumour group and the control group, was observed in all examined neoplasms of the oral cavity. It was suggested that overexpression of VEGF can have a prognostic value and is useful in the early detection of neoplasms.
Fatores de influência na aprendizagem percebida dos alunos de cursos de administração
Authors: Bach Tatiana Marceda , Walter Silvana Anita , Frega José Roberto , Müller Joer Maria Schvarcz
Published: March 2014

Este estudo objetivou analisar as dimensões que influenciam a aprendizagem dos alunos de dois cursos de graduação em administração de uma Instituição de Ensino Superior (IES) do sul do Brasil. Empregou-se a abordagem quantitativa, de caráter descritivo e, para a coleta dos dados, realizou-se um levantamento com 880 alunos, por meio do questionário estruturado de Walter (2006), que abrange 26 dimensões do ensino superior. Os dados foram analisados por meio de métodos de estatística descritiva, análise fatorial, Alfa de Cronbach e regressão linear multivariada. Os resultados indicam que a aprendizagem percebida é influenciada, principalmente, pelas dimensões satisfação, métodos de ensino, qualidade do ensino, empregabilidade, confiança nas pessoas da IES, atitude da coordenação e grade curricular, as quais apresentaram valor de significância p<0,001. Já as dimensões autoeficácia e imagem social apresentaram uma significância p<0,05. As dimensões apontadas pelos alunos podem direcionar as ações da IES de forma a realçar os itens considerados importantes pelos alunos. Como contribuição teórica para a área de estudos, acredita-se que esta pesquisa possa auxiliar, por meio do número abrangente de dimensões, no entendimento de fatores que possam influenciar a aprendizagem de estudantes nas IES, visto que não se identificaram, na literatura, estudos desta natureza.
Pode-se identificar a propensão e reduzir a evasão de alunos?: ações estratégicas e resultados táticos para instituições de ensino superior
Authors: Tontini Gérson , Walter Silvana Anita
Published: March 2014

Este estudo desenvolve método de identificação do risco de evasão de alunos de graduação, o qual possibilita evidenciar, prever e diminuir fatores que influenciam esse risco, além de apresentar o resultado obtido por uma Instituição de Ensino Superior (IES). Por essa razão, possui caráter inovador. Nesta pesquisa, classificada como quantitativa, descritiva e do tipo levantamento, aplicou-se um questionário estruturado a 8.750 alunos de uma IES e, por meio de redes neurais artificiais e análise de cluster, identificaram-se os alunos em risco de evasão, os quais foram contatados e acompanhados pelos coordenadores de curso, o que contribuiu para uma redução de 18% no índice de evasão da IES. As dimensões que mais influenciaram a evasão foram colocação profissional e vocação do aluno, disponibilidade de tempo para estudo e fatores da vida pessoal. Como contribuição teórica, destaca-se a identificação de dimensões que influenciam a decisão de evasão ou permanência e o método desenvolvido, que pode auxiliar no desenvolvimento de novas pesquisas. No tocante às contribuições práticas, aponta-se que, a partir do método apresentado, as IES podem identificar alunos em risco de evasão e, assim, desenvolver estratégias e ações para que esses alunos permaneçam em seus estudos, caso assim o desejarem.
Resultados do ENADE/2009 dos cursos de estatísticas em discussão
Authors: Lanzillotti Regina Serrão , Lanzillotti Haydée Serrão
Published: March 2014

Objetiva-se confrontar os resultados do ENADE-2009/Estatística entre as IES. A avaliação para a Formação Geral (FG) abordou estudos de caso, simulações, interpretação de textos, análise gráfica e tabular, enquanto a Formação Específica (FE), estudos de casos. As notas foram padronizadas pelo desvio padrão com ajuste para variar no intervalo de zero a cinco, considerando o afastamento padronizado ao módulo do menor, dividido pela soma do maior com o módulo do menor, o quociente foi multiplicado por cinco, os inferiores a -3,0 e superior a 3,0, não foram utilizados e recebem zero e cinco, respectivamente. Os padronizados foram convertidos em percentis da Curva Normal Padrão e permitiram traçar gráficos para aferir padrão de classificação tanto para concluintes quanto para ingressantes.
Avaliação de redes de pesquisa e colaboração
Authors: Leite Denise , Caregnato Célia Elizabete , Lima Elizeth Gonzaga dos Santos , Pinho Isabel , Miorando Bernardo Sfredo , Silveira Priscila Bier da
Published: March 2014

O setor acadêmico brasileiro vive um momento de estresse quantitativista. Docentes e pesquisadores são avaliados pelas métricas individuais de sua produção bibliográfica. Apesar de sua importância, a colaboração no trabalho de pesquisa em grupo, nas redes de pesquisa, ainda não constitui objeto de avaliação sistemática. Medem-se os produtos, mas os processos que os geram permanecem desconhecidos. Este estudo objetivou construir marcadores para a avaliação de processos interativos de trabalho em redes de pesquisa. Entendemos que este tipo de rede se estabelece quando um grupo colabora com a intenção de produzir conhecimento. A literatura consultada apontou que, embora tal interação possa ser representada graficamente, há ainda número reduzido de trabalhos sobre o tema da avaliação de redes de pesquisa e colaboração ou de parceria em pesquisa. A partir da teoria, desenvolvemos uma metodologia de análise de currículos de pesquisadores com uso de softwares para construção de planilhas de dados, contagem de coautorias e análise de redes sociais. Estas técnicas permitiram a elaboração de planilhas da produção bibliográfica dos pesquisadores, de grafos representando suas redes e a construção de um protocolo de avaliação de redes de colaboração e pesquisa. Os sujeitos investigados foram pesquisadores 1A do CNPq, líderes de grupo de pesquisa nas áreas de Educação, Engenharia de Produção e Física. Os resultados identificam 10 marcadores/indicadores quali-quantitativos para avaliação de processos de pesquisa em rede que foram testados e validados em contexto de aplicação.
Briefing: Design punching shear capacity of wood-based panels
Authors: Thomas Wilfred H. , Fan Mizi
Published: March 2014

Punching shear capacity is one of the mechanical properties needed in the traditional design calculation method for assessing the concentrated load capacity of wood-based panels. A method for calculating the punching shear capacity of oriented strand board from its planar shear strengths has recently been proposed. Specifically, it is for oriented strand board loaded by way of a 25-mm dia. disc. This paper presents tests of the applicability of the proposed method to medium-density fibreboard loaded using a 25-mm dia. disc and to oriented strand board loaded through a 50-mm dia. disc. Design punching shear capacity, based on the Eurocode 5 recommendation for the effect of load duration on panel load capacity, is assessed in the light of recent test results showing the effect of load duration on punching shear capacity. Calculated oriented strand board and medium-density fibreboard punching shear capacities from the proposed method fall within 12% of the respective measured capacities. A comparison of the load–duration test results and the Eurocode 5 load–duration provisions indicates that the latter is conservative for punching shear capacity assessment under long-term loading. Further testing and validation of this proposed method should lead to the realisation of its potential benefits in panel design.
Grout rheological properties for preplaced aggregate concrete production
Authors: Ganaw Abdelhamed I. , Hughes Dave C. , Ashour Ashraf F.
Published: March 2014

This paper investigates the effect of cement based grout rheology on the injection process through coarse aggregate for producing preplaced aggregate concrete. Four different sands were used in the grout production at different water-cement ratios and cement-sand ratios. Superplasticiers and pulverised fuel ash were also employed in the grout production. Coarse aggregate of known weight was compacted into 150 mm cubic forms, and then the grout was injected through a plastic pipe under self weight into the stone ‘skeleton’. It has been found that there are threshold values of the rheological parameters beyond which full injection is not possible. In particular, all grout mixes with and without additives and admixtures exhibited the same yield stress threshold value for full injection, whereas the threshold values for other rheological properties including the grout plastic viscosity, flow time and speed were different according to the materials added to the mix.
Climatic influence on geotechnical infrastructure: a review
Authors: Vardon Philip J.
Published: March 2014

Geotechnical infrastructure is extensively used for transport and flood defences. Asset values are significant, with failures causing significant disruption alongside potentially significant injury, death and financial consequences. Changing climate alters the environmental load on such infrastructure, and this paper reviews the potential impacts and the current understanding of the changes in geotechnical performance. While it is seen that well-known climate change impacts (such as sea-level rise) affect the geotechnical infrastructure, other factors are also likely to have impact (such as increasing temperature causing soil drying; increasing mean rainfall causing reduction in soil suctions; increasing drought events leading to soil desiccation; and increasing intense precipitation causing soil erosion, flooding and hydro-mechanical failure).
Drug Taking Beliefs of Australian Adolescents: A Pilot Study
Authors: Skrzypiec Grace , Owens Laurence
Published: March 2014

In this study adolescents offered their insights and perspectives of factors associated with adolescent illicit drug taking intentions. The factors explored were identified using a cross-disciplinary approach involving the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and criminological theories, and these formed the framework for data analysis. Interviews with 24 students aged 15–17 found that adolescents' beliefs to drug taking attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, moral norms, negative affect, and reputation enhancement involved a number a sub-themes that provided an in-depth understanding of the association of these components to intended drug use. The incorporation of these elements in drug education programs could be an effective approach in prevention interventions for adolescent drug use.
Navigating Local Smoke-Free Multi-Unit Housing Policy Adoption
Authors: Satterlund Travis D. , Treiber Jeanette , Cassady Diana
Published: March 2014

California state-funded local tobacco control projects have instituted smoke-free multi-unit housing (MUH) policy adoption campaigns in order to secure voluntary policy throughout the state. While landlords can legally prohibit smoking at MUH complexes in California, they often oppose such measures. The objective of this study was to analyze voluntary smoke-free policy campaigns of state-funded local projects by focusing on the challenges they faced. Specifically, we examined 40 local campaigns in California led by county health departments and community based organizations, focusing on the barriers the local projects often had to overcome to enact policy. Our results identify arguments and issues typically raised by MUH property landlords, including the notion of tenant smoker and privacy rights, potential negative effects of smoke-free policy, and issues concerning the enforcement of policy. Moreover, relationships between local project personnel and MUH management often soured, which sometimes derailed smoke-free policy campaigns altogether. Our findings provide agencies with insights from the MUH property landlord perspective that will serve to inform future campaign strategy.
An Evaluation of the 4-H Health Rocks Program: Implications for Program Improvement
Authors: Self Carlton , Morgan A. Christian , Fuhrman Nicholas E. , Navarro Maria
Published: March 2014

The National 4-H Council developed the Health Rocks substance abuse educational program to prevent youth from engaging in risky behaviors. The program was presented in 2010 to more than 8,000 middle school youth in Georgia. A post-then-pre evaluation was conducted with youth who completed 10 hours of instruction to determine if changes in youth knowledge, beliefs/attitudes, skills, and behavioral intentions occurred during the course of the program. This study sought to measure the impact of the program and critically evaluate the questionnaire used. The data revealed statistically significant increases in knowledge, beliefs/attitudes, skills, and behavioral intentions of participating youth. Suggestions for improvement of the questionnaire included utilizing questions that are more specific to the curriculum and adding questions to measure the influence of peer pressure.
Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Recruits Muscle Microvasculature and Improves Insulin’s Metabolic Action in the Presence of Insulin Resistance
Authors: Chai Weidong , Zhang Xingxing , Barrett Eugene J. , Liu Zhenqi
Published: March 2014

Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) acutely recruits muscle microvasculature, increases muscle delivery of insulin, and enhances muscle use of glucose, independent of its effect on insulin secretion. To examine whether GLP-1 modulates muscle microvascular and metabolic insulin responses in the setting of insulin resistance, we assessed muscle microvascular blood volume (MBV), flow velocity, and blood flow in control insulin-sensitive rats and rats made insulin-resistant acutely (systemic lipid infusion) or chronically (high-fat diet [HFD]) before and after a euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp (3 mU/kg/min) with or without superimposed systemic GLP-1 infusion. Insulin significantly recruited muscle microvasculature and addition of GLP-1 further expanded muscle MBV and increased insulin-mediated glucose disposal. GLP-1 infusion potently recruited muscle microvasculature in the presence of either acute or chronic insulin resistance by increasing muscle MBV. This was associated with an increased muscle delivery of insulin and muscle interstitial oxygen saturation. Muscle insulin sensitivity was completely restored in the presence of systemic lipid infusion and significantly improved in rats fed an HFD. We conclude that GLP-1 infusion potently expands muscle microvascular surface area and improves insulin’s metabolic action in the insulin-resistant states. This may contribute to improved glycemic control seen in diabetic patients receiving incretin-based therapy.
Recent advances in application of liquid-based micro-extraction: A review
Authors: He Yi
Published: March 2014

Liquid-based micro-extraction is a novel “green” sample preparation technique using micro-litre levels of organic solvent to extract target analytes from various sample matrices for subsequent instrumental analysis. This technique developed rapidly from its introduction in the mid-1990s. Micro-extraction methods can be conveniently combined with a wide selection of instruments commonly used in a chemical laboratory; they significantly reduce analysis time and costs of solvents’ use and waste disposal. This review focuses on recent advances in several liquid-based micro-extraction methods, including single-drop micro-extraction, hollow fibre-liquid phase micro-extraction, and dispersive liquid-liquid micro-extraction. Examples of application of these methods to environmental, food, and biomedical analysis are listed.
Production of fructosyltransferase in mechanically stirred and air-lift bioreactors
Authors: Šedová Marcela , Illeová Viera , Antošová Monika , Annus Július , Polakovič Milan
Published: March 2014

Aureobasidium pullulans cells were cultivated in a 3 dm3 stirred bioreactor to optimize the production of fructosyltransferase (FTase). Batch experiments were focused on the influence of the initial sucrose concentration (150–350 g dm−3), sodium nitrate concentration (10–25 g dm−3), and stirring rate (180–540 min−1) on the process. It was found that the FTase specific activity per cell mass was positively influenced by the conditions that impeded the cell growth such as higher sucrose concentrations or lower oxygen transfer rates. Higher content of inorganic nitrogen substrate slightly increased the overall FTase production. The presence of fructose moiety-containing saccharides in the cultivation medium was observed to be indispensable for FTase production. An addition of a concentrated sucrose solution in the 40th cultivation hour therefore essentially resumed the FTase production. Finally, scale-up experiments were performed in 12 dm3 and 100 dm3 mechanically stirred bioreactors and in 20 dm3 and 60 dm3 air-lift bioreactors.
Toward Teacher Education Research That Informs Policy
Authors: Sleeter Christine
Published: March 2014

This article investigates the extent to which researchers are currently engaged in a shared research program that offers systematic evidence of the classroom impact of organized venues (preservice as well as inservice) for teacher professional learning. The article stems from concern about policies rooted in suspicion that teacher education is either ineffective or tangential to improving outcomes for students, as well as earlier findings that far too little teacher education research has been designed to address that suspicion with data (Cochran-Smith & Zeichner, 2005; Yoon, Duncan, Lee, Scarloss, and Shapely, 2007). An analysis of 196 articles published in 2012 in four leading teacher education journals internationally found only 1% to report large-scale mixed-methods studies, only 6% to examine the impact of teacher education on teaching practice and/or student learning, and most of the rest to be conducted within rather than across silos. Three recommendations for strengthening teacher education research are offered.
Compassionate Readership: Anger and Suffering in Sapphire’sPush
Authors: Hillsburg Heather
Published: March 2014

This article departs from polarizing academic discussions of compassion by exploring the relationship between anger and compassion in Sapphire’s novel Push. Martha Nussbaum explains that compassion can function as an ethical bridge that links one person to the next. Conversely, affect theorists, such as Lauren Berlant or Candace Vogler, argue that compassion reaffirms unequal relations of power, as individuals give or withhold their compassion when they see fit, leaving the circumstances that lead to suffering unaddressed. These discussions are complicated by the ongoing stereotypes that blame black women for their plight, leading people to withhold their compassion. Rather than expose these stereotypes as false constructs, this article focuses on the narrative pattern where Precious experiences egregious abuse, expresses intense anger at her suffering, and then longs for markers of privilege, such as white skin and affluence. It contends that Precious’s anger disrupts passive compassion, reminding readers of vectors of identity such as race, class, and body size that simultaneously give rise to and erase Precious’s suffering.
Richardson’s Hands
Authors: Wood James Robert
Published: March 2014

Samuel Richardson explores the physical actions of genteel hands in The History of Sir Charles Grandison in order to rethink the conventional link between gentle status and freedom from labour. By showing the role that hands play in the creation and maintenance of social bonds, the novel identifies its genteel and aristocratic characters as figures engaged in a specific form of manual work. Their social labours reflect an emerging professionalism, in which the imperative to labour is not imposed from the outside but inscribed in the individual’s own sense of identity. The work of hands in Sir Charles Grandison reveals how Richardson does not so much avoid the subject of labour as expand the category to include the social interactions of high life.
Friendship, Fainéantise, and Fraternal Correction in Graffigny’s Letters to Devaux 1752–53
Authors: Bostic Heidi
Published: March 2014

This article studies the friendship between Françoise de Graffigny and François-Antoine Devaux through the lens of fraternal correction. During a fascinating two-year span of their long acquaintance, August 1752 through December 1753, the principal cause of Graffigny’s complaint against Devaux was his enactment and defence of fainéantise, or idleness. Graffigny criticized him and his actions in an effort to make her friend a better person; it is in this sense that she engaged in fraternal correction, a practice that follows from the broader eighteenth-century belief in human perfectibility. Approaching the friendship from the angle of fraternal correction helps to explain the survival of the relation-ship despite two years of harsh criticism. Graffigny’s correspondence illuminates the intricacies of eighteenth-century friendship, particularly between the sexes, and presages a literary tradition of women as moral guides to men.
Empire, Race, and the Debate over the Indian Marriage Market in Elizabeth Hamilton’s Memoirs of Modern Philosophers (1800)
Authors: Leffel John C.
Published: March 2014

In the late eighteenth century, East India Company stations were characterized as marriage “bazaars” in which English-women were traded like any other merchandise. Women at the centre of such trafficking were depicted as complicit in their own commodification. In the face of such pervasive negative stereotyping, women returning to Britain after time spent on the subcontinent often found themselves ridiculed and shunned. In this article, I explore how author Elizabeth Hamilton (1758–1816) responded to this potent imperial stigma. She absorbed and perpetuated popular negative stereotypes regarding these matrimonial “speculators” in her own writing, but in her second novel, Memoirs of Modern Philosophers (1800), she subtly recalibrated her stance, in ways that illuminate the changing tenor of Anglo-Indian social, political, and sexual relations. By the turn of the nineteenth century, burgeoning discourses of racial difference and the perceived threat of sexual “miscegenation” in the empire became thoroughly entwined with debates regarding the “Indian marriage market” and female emigration.
The Seeker-Consumer: Scientology and the Rhetoric of Consumerism
Authors: Spohrer Erika
Published: March 2014

Abstract:

This article contributes to the growing body of work on the Church of Scientology, arguing that the Church’s Web site from 2005 to 2010 engages a rhetoric of consumerism. The Church’s site does not merely exemplify consumer capitalism through a haphazard collection of marketing techniques; rather, consumer capitalism is the site’s very language: at the level of vocabulary, syntax, visual design, and site architecture, consumer capitalism is the site’s mode of discursive engagement. In turn, the site’s rhetoric of consumerism crafts the process of spiritual seeking into an act of capitalist consuming.
“The Grandest, Most Compelling Story of All Time: Dominant Themes of Christian Media Marketing”
Authors: Trammell Jim Y.
Published: March 2014

Abstract:

This article analyzes the marketing campaigns of best-selling Christian books and albums to identify their dominant themes. Through a literary/critical analysis, this article addresses how Christian media marketing frames the consumer as having spiritual problems, lauds the artists as Christian role models, and projects themes of inspiration and empowerment onto the media. Ultimately, the marketing campaigns perpetuate a definition of “Christianity” that privileges making the consumer feel inspired and empowered, and tend to ignore other Christian beliefs or themes.
Archéologie 1957, 1
Authors: De Laet Sigfried Jan , Faider-Feytmans Germaine , L. W. , Roosens Héli , Mertens Joseph , Léva Ch. , Devliegher L. , Borremans R. , Moisin P. , Hombert Pierre , Claes P. , De Becker H. , Will Édouard , Van de Walle A. L. J.
Published: March 2014

Revue critique des publications, fouilles et trouvailles archéologiques intéressant le territoire actuel de la Belgique et les régions limitrophes. Io Généralités ; 2° Activité du Service des Fouilles de l'État en 1956 ; 3° Époque préhistorique et protohistorique ; 4° Époque gallo-romaine ; 5° Époque mérovingienne et moyen âge.
Thucydide et la puissance maritime de Massalia
Authors: De Wever Josette
Published: March 2014

Josette de Wever, Thucydide et la puissance maritime de Massalia. — Une analyse approfondie du contexte historique et des sources parallèles permet d'affirmer que la phrase tant controversée de Thucydide sur le passé de Massalia (I, 13, 6) ne concerne nullement la fondation de cette colonie comme on l'a généralement admis jusqu'à présent, mais fournit une indication précieuse concernant l'hégémonie maritime des Massaliotes à la fin du VIe et au Ve s. avant notre ère. Ce renseignement doit donc être rapproché de ceux que nous ont transmis Strabon et Pausanias.
Terres cuites hellénistiques de Smyrne influencées par la statuaire. Étude de quelques têtes féminines des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire de Bruxelles
Authors: Cahen-Delhaye Anne
Published: March 2014

La technique des coroplastes smyrniotes qui s'applique aux huit têtes étudiées révèle une nette volonté d'imiter les oeuvres de marbre tant dans le soin apporté à leur fabrication que dans le style des retouches qui imite les procédés sculpturaux, et dans le choix des couleurs qui recouvraient ces figurines. Ces terres cuites reflètent les divers courants artistiques qui dominèrent successivement la plastique hellénistique.
Les Intailles antiques de Liberchies
Authors: De Ruyt Franz , Brulet Raymond
Published: March 2014

Catalogue détaillé d'une vingtaine de pierres gravées, trouvées en surface dans le vicus gallo-romain des « Bons Villers » à Liberchies, près de Luttre et Gosselies (prov. de Hainaut, Belgique) et conservées aux Musées de Namur, de Charleroi et dans des collections privées. Le rappel des vestiges romains de ce site, attestant son activité commerciale autant que militaire aux IIe et IIIe siècles jusqu'à sa destruction en 285, est confirmé par l'étude stylistique de ces intailles romaines, dont certaines semblent provenir d'Italie, tandis que d'autres sont de facture provinciale. Elles reproduisent, sous l'Empire, des thèmes grecs classiques ou hellénistiques et des sujets romains, qu'on trouve aussi sur les monnaies ; on y trouve cependant deux motifs iconographiques jusqu'ici inconnus dans la glyptique. Leur remploi tardif sur des bagues en fer prouve le long usage de ces parures.
Études de linguistique homérique
Authors: Wathelet Paul
Published: March 2014

Plusieurs langues indo-européennes attestent des verbes à suffixe -sk-, propre au thème du présent. Le sens primitif du suffixe est difficile à déterminer, mais sa valeur itérative paraît essentielle. Il a connu parfois un développement particulier : il sert à former des itératifs en hittite, un causatif en tokharien occidental, un aoriste en arménien, un inchoatif en iranien et en latin. Les verbes en -sk- ne sont pas rares en grec, mais seuls la langue épique et l'ionien d'Hérodote utilisent des formes en -sk- (ou -esk-), toujours à un temps secondaire et avec valeur itérative. Une analyse formulaire des emplois de ces formes dans l'épopée révèle qu'ils ont été introduits dans la langue épique par les aèdes ioniens. Ainsi l'ionien, dernier dialecte à avoir marqué la langue épique, a maintenu un trait archaïque dont on trouve des traces dans d'autres langues indo-européennes.
Note sur la « prorrhesis » en droit attique
Authors: Piérart Marcel
Published: March 2014

Il n'y avait que deux προρρήσεις à Athènes, à l'époque classique. La première, de caractère religieux, était faite sur la tombe de la victime. La seconde, qui avait pour effet de priver l'inculpé de ses droits civils et politiques, était faite par la voix du héraut. Incombant d'abord aux proches parents de la victime, elle fut confiée, entre 412 et 325 environ, à l'archonte-roi.
Le premier cours occidental sur la royauté achéménide
Authors: Bodéüs Richard
Published: March 2014

Les nombreuses indications éparses dans la Politique d'Aristote relativement à la royauté achéménide sont examinées en détail. Elles supposent une connaissance précise et de cette institution et de ses vicissitudes historiques. Une enquête, soit au niveau des Constitutions, soit au niveau des Nomima Barbárica, permit au Stagirite de juger des qualités et des défauts de la royauté chez les Perses, pour elle-même et relativement aux modes de gouvernement prônés chez les Grecs. La conformité naturelle de l'institution à l'âme barbare et asiatique en détermine, pour Aristote, le bien-fondé.
The Last of the Aemilii Lepidi
Authors: Hayne Léonie
Published: March 2014

L'étude porte sur les vicissitudes qui ont, durant le Haut-Empire, affecté la carrière politique des divers membres de la famille des Aemilii Lepidi. Si, dans la branche aînée, L. Paullus, dont le petit- fils a épousé Julia minor, a obtenu quelques succès, les représentants de la branche cadette, - les descendants du triumvir, - liés à la politique de la dynastie julio-claudienne, n'ont connu qu'une situation de plus en plus dégradée. Leur nom même a disparu, après que Caligula eut condamné M. Lepidus à mort. Toutefois, la famille a survécu dans les Iunii Silani, jusqu'à ce que ceux-ci connaissent un sort analogue à celui de leur ancêtre.
Individual and Group in Euripides' Bacchae
Authors: Fodlecki A. J.
Published: March 2014

An analysis of Euripides' Bacchae in terms of its significant themes and images shows that it can be read as a poetic statement of the tensions between individuals and groups. Dionysus and Pentheus confront one another as cousins, but also as group-leaders, Dionysus of his sacred thiasos, Pentheus as political head of Thèbes. The conflict ends disastrously for all parties : Pentheus loses his and his life ; Dionysus loses his votaries' respect for and even credence in his godhead ; Cadmus and Agave suffer total political and social alienation, and must go into exile as part of a roving band of marauders.
Socrate contrepoison de l'oraison funèbre. Enjeu et signification du Ménexène
Authors: Loraux Nicole
Published: March 2014

De l'oraison funèbre, logos politikos d'Athènes, à la parole socratique, le rapport serait de rivalité si toutefois le faux pouvait rivaliser avec le vrai. Parole envoûtante, l'oraison funèbre s'empare de son auditoire comme Socrate de ses interlocuteurs, mais, au contraire de l'ironie socratique, elle détourne les Athéniens de la recherche de leur vérité. Aussi Socrate emprunte-t-il au discours athénien ses propres armes pour l'exorciser en un pastiche. Mais le pastiche, jeu sérieux entre le vrai et le faux, se meut dans l'ambiguïté et, bien avant la critique moderne, maint Athénien, prenant au sérieux l'épitaphios du Ménexène, a succombé à ce piège ambigu.
Les Nymphes du Nil
Authors: Hani Jean
Published: March 2014

Deux épitaphes grecques métriques, trouvées en Egypte, qui célèbrent une jeune fille enlevée par les Nymphes du Nil et héroïsée permettent d'envisager la croyance à la noyade immortalisante simultanément dans le contexte grec et dans le contexte égyptien. Elles permettent aussi de tenter, sur un point précis, une explication du syncrétisme gréco-égyptien par l'analyse psychologique.
Le roi Hiempsal II de Numidie et Rhodes
Authors: Kontorinis Vassa N.
Published: March 2014

L'auteur publie une inscription inédite de Rhodes par laquelle le peuple honore le roi de Numidie Hiempsal II (c. 88-60 avant J.-C). Elle étudie la généalogie de cette famille royale et reprend une inscription de Syracuse (Notizie degli Scavi, 1956, p. 96), qui, malgré ses mutilations, permet de mieux fixer la succession chronologique des différents rois.
Papyrus homériques du du Caire
Authors: Bouquiaux-Simon Odette , Mertens Paul
Published: March 2014

Des quatre fragments de papyrus édités ici, un seul avait bénéficié antérieurement d'une description et d'une collation (JE 49655 = Pack² 1110). Les trois auteurs sont donc des nouveaux venus dans le concert des textes homériques. Ils conservent les passages suivants de l'Iliade : II, 242-250 (JE 45613 ; IIe s. ?), V, 182-201 (JE 45615 ; IIe s.) et de l'Odyssée : XIII, 341-361 et 374-386 (JE 49655 et 49656 ; IIIe s.). Les deux derniers fragments au même volumen. Certaines variantes et omissions sont intéressantes à noter. Comme C. C. Edgar l'avait signalé en 1926, ces papyrus proviennent tous d'Oxyrhynchus.