Southern Manuscript Sermons before 1800: A Bibliography

https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_newfound-ebooks/1007/thumbnail.jp

Effects of smoking on eustachian tube and hearing

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of tobacco use on the Eustachian tube and inner ear function. Study Design: Case-control study. Subjects and settings: Thirty-one nonsmoking volunteers and 34 smoking subjects recruited in an University Hospital, submitted to an audiological evaluation including pure tone audiometry, basal tympanogram, stapedial reflexes analysis, and nine-step eustachian tube (ET) function test. Results: Pure Tone Average (PTA) threshold at all frequencies tested was 12.5 dB in smokers and 3.7 in nonsmoking subjects. Nine smokers (27%) presented some degree of hearing loss versus none in the nonsmoker group. Linear regression analysis showed a higher degree of sensorineural hearing loss with age in smokers. Among the smokers, 20 subjects (59%) presented an impaired tubal function for the nine-step inflation/deflation tympanometric test, while only 6 (19%) subjects in the group of nonsmokers showed a tubal dysfunction. Conclusion: Tobacco use may reduce the ability to hear, mainly causing a sensorineural hearing loss for higher frequencies. We also found the presence of a high number of smokers suffering from tubal dysfunction. This has an important clinical relevance, not only because smoking increases the incidence of middle ear diseases, but also because tubal dysfunction may cause nonspecific symptoms characterised by ear fullness and difficulties in middle ear equalisation

Aged gastrocnemius muscle of mice positively responds to a late onset adapted physical training

Introduction: A regular physical training is known to contribute to preserve muscle mass and strength, maintaining structure and function of neural and vascular compartments and preventing muscle insulin resistance and inflammation. However, physical activity is progressively reduced during aging causing mobility limitations and poor quality of life. Although physical exercise for rehabilitation purposes (e.g., after fractures or cardiovascular events) or simply aiming to counteract the development of sarcopenia is frequently advised by physicians, nevertheless few data are available on the targets and the global effects on the muscle organ of adapted exercise especially if started at old age.Methods: To contribute answering this question for medical translational purposes, the proteomic profile of the gastrocnemius muscle was analyzed in 24-month-old mice undergoing adapted physical training on a treadmill for 12 weeks or kept under a sedentary lifestyle condition. Proteomic data were implemented by morphological and morphometrical ultrastructural evaluations.Results and Discussion: Data demonstrate that muscles can respond to adapted physical training started at old age, positively modulating their morphology and the proteomic profile fostering protective and saving mechanisms either involving the extracellular compartment as well as muscle cell components and pathways (i.e., mitochondrial processes, cytoplasmic translation pathways, chaperone-dependent protein refolding, regulation of skeletal muscle contraction). Therefore, this study provides important insights on the targets of adapted physical training, which can be regarded as suitable benchmarks for future in vivo studies further exploring the effects of this type of physical activity by functional/metabolic approaches

Rapamycin promotes autophagy cell death of Kaposi’s sarcoma cells through P75NTR activation

The mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor (mTOR-I) Rapamycin, a drug widely used in kidney transplantation, exerts important anti-cancer effects, particularly in Kaposi's Sarcoma (KS), through several biological interactions. In this in vivo and in vitro study, we explored whether the activation of the autophagic pathway through the low-affinity receptor for nerve growth factor, p75NTR, may have a pivotal role in the anti-cancer effect exerted by Rapamycin in S. Our Kimmunohistochemistry results revealed a significant hyper-activation of the autophagic pathway in KS lesions. In vitro experiments on KS cell lines showed that Rapamycin exposure reduced cell viability by increasing the autophagic process, in the absence of apoptosis, through the transcriptional activation of p75NTR via EGR1. Interestingly, p75NTR gene silencing prevented the increase of the autophagic process and the reduction of cell viability. Moreover, p75NTR activation promoted the upregulation of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), a tumour suppressor that modulates the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. In conclusion, our in vitro data demonstrated, for the first time, that in Kaposi's sarcoma, autophagy triggered by Rapamycin through p75NTR represented a major mechanism by which mTOR inhibitors may induce tumour regression. Additionally, it suggested that p75NTR protein analysis could be proposed as a new potential biomarker to predict response to Rapamycin in kidney transplant recipients affected by Kaposi's sarcoma

Modeling Brain Resonance Phenomena Using a Neural Mass Model

Stimulation with rhythmic light flicker (photic driving) plays an important role in the diagnosis of schizophrenia, mood disorder, migraine, and epilepsy. In particular, the adjustment of spontaneous brain rhythms to the stimulus frequency (entrainment) is used to assess the functional flexibility of the brain. We aim to gain deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying this technique and to predict the effects of stimulus frequency and intensity. For this purpose, a modified Jansen and Rit neural mass model (NMM) of a cortical circuit is used. This mean field model has been designed to strike a balance between mathematical simplicity and biological plausibility. We reproduced the entrainment phenomenon observed in EEG during a photic driving experiment. More generally, we demonstrate that such a single area model can already yield very complex dynamics, including chaos, for biologically plausible parameter ranges. We chart the entire parameter space by means of characteristic Lyapunov spectra and Kaplan-Yorke dimension as well as time series and power spectra. Rhythmic and chaotic brain states were found virtually next to each other, such that small parameter changes can give rise to switching from one to another. Strikingly, this characteristic pattern of unpredictability generated by the model was matched to the experimental data with reasonable accuracy. These findings confirm that the NMM is a useful model of brain dynamics during photic driving. In this context, it can be used to study the mechanisms of, for example, perception and epileptic seizure generation. In particular, it enabled us to make predictions regarding the stimulus amplitude in further experiments for improving the entrainment effect

Period-adding bifurcations and chaos in a periodically stimulated excitable neural relaxation oscillator

This is a pre-print. The definitive version: COOMBES, S. and OSBALDESTIN, A.H., 2000. Period-adding bifurcations and chaos in a periodically stimulated excitable neural relaxation oscillator. Physical Review E, 62(3), pp.4057-4066 Part B.The response of an excitable neuron to trains of electrical spikes is relevant to the understanding of the neural code. In this paper we study a neurobiologically motivated relaxation oscillator, with appropriately identified fast and slow coordinates, that admits an explicit mathematical analysis. An application of geometric singular perturbation theory shows the existence of an attracting invariant manifold which is used to construct the Fenichel normal form for the system. This facilitates the calculation of the response of the system to pulsatile stimulation and allows the construction of a so-called extended isochronal map. The isochronal map is shown to have a single discontinuity and be of a type that can admit three types of response: mode-locked, quasi-periodic and chaotic. The bifurcation structure of the system is seen to be extremely rich and supports period-adding bifurcations separated by windows of both chaos and periodicity. A bifurcation analysis of the isochronal map is presented in conjunction with a description of the various routes to chaos in this system

Daniel Boone: An American Life

The embodiment of the American hero, the man of action, the pathfinder, Daniel Boone represents the great adventure of his age—the westward movement of the American people. Daniel Boone: An American Life brings together over thirty years of research in an extraordinary biography of the quintessential pioneer. Based on primary sources, the book depicts Boone through the eyes of those who knew him and within the historical contexts of his eighty-six years. The story of Daniel Boone offers new insights into the turbulent birth and growth of the nation and demonstrates why the frontier forms such a significant part of the American experience. Michael A. Lofaro is Lindsay Young Professor of American and Cultural Studies and American literature at the University of Tennessee. A recognized authority on the early frontier and importance of frontier heroes such as Boone and Crockett in American life, he is the author or editor of twelve books, an online database, and over seventy-five articles. Lofaro’s work solidifies Daniel Boone both as man and American icon. --Choice Lofaro’s compact biography of Daniel Boone gives us that American icon all bone and sinew and without a trace of myth. It’s a worthy addition to the literature of Manifest Destiny. --Washington Times Well researched and well written. . . . Does much to bring this legendary figure to life. --Avery Journal-Times This is the best recent biography of Boone. Carefully documented with attractive illustrations, a detailed bibliography and even a partial genealogy of the Boone family, it is recommended to all who have an interest in the history of our state. --Bowling Green Daily News A book any serious early Americanist should buy for a personal collection or order for the library. It\u27s readable, entertaining, full of useful and fascinating information, and short. --East-Central Intelligencer Lofaro uses 30 years of research to realistically portray the master woodsman, a natural leader who was respected even by Native Americans, as he helped guide settlers and \u27blazed trails\u27 through the thick and wild undergrowth of Virginia, Kentucky, and other lands. --Kentucky Monthly Distills the essence of the man, showing the historical pattern that serves as the basis for Boone’s ambivalence toward civilization and, in so doing, illustrating the impact of the American Revolution on the Kentucky frontier. . . . A solid first book on Boone for both students and general readers. --Library Journal Lofaro has written the most readable, succinct, and useable biography about Daniel Boone. . . . A pleasure to read. --Missouri Historical Review Lofaro carefully sifts through the facts and stories to draw a detailed picture of the Kentucky pioneer. . . . A great read. --New York Sun Lofaro has skillfully and authoritatively mapped the roots and routes of this wilderness wanderer who could not control his ‘itching foot.’ . . . Striding through battles and bloodshed, Boone breathes and lives in this work, lightened with humorous anecdotes and descriptions of frontier customs and traditions. Lofaro’s exhaustive research is evident on every page. --Publishers Weekly Lofaro\u27s accessible and quintessentially decent survivor, a Boone who lived among violently discordant worldviews yet charted a humane, middle way between them, deserves serious consideration. --Register of the Kentucky Historical Society An excellent factual narrative that is well-written, every bit as interesting and exciting as the tall tales, and with just enough references to the alternative legendary accounts to keep the reader grounded in facts. --Richmond Times-Dispatch Discredits some present-day assumptions about the life of the famous ‘Long Hunter,’ leaving in their place a more nuanced impression of Boone that surpasses the one-dimensional myths and lending complexity to the image of a frontier hero and the dynamic era in which he lived. --Union County Advocate Shot through with impressive scholarship that takes Boone, as much as possible, from myth and tall tales (and television-inspired error) and puts him into realistic historical perspective. --Times of Acadiana Concise and readable, Lofaro’s book seeks to escort Boone out of the realm of folklore and legend and seat him in the American pantheon next to his contemporary, George Washington. --Virginia Quarterly Review Boone was one of the early nation’s most influential figures. Lofaro’s highly readable and lively biography does this frontier hero justice and does not shirk on providing historical context. --Ellen Eslinger, DePaul University Boone the trailblazer, patriot, land speculator, politician, and Indian fighter, are fairly represented in the important American portrait. --Journal of the West Full of artfully woven vignettes, stories, and anecdotes. --Ohio Valley History A personable, touching literary portrait of the famed yet enigmatic explorer. --Profile This brief and balanced book effectively distills what we know about Boone\u27s life story into a crisply paced narrative. --Journal of Southern History A good read. . . . The story of Daniel Boone, full also of soldiering, hunting and exploring, has been told before; and maybe each time it gets a little better, and even a little more accurate. --Edmonson News Piecing together the truth from second- and third-person reports is not an easy task, and no original Boone autobiography and few firsthand interviews are in existence. -- Andrea Watkins, H-Net Reviewhttps://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_united_states_history/1156/thumbnail.jp

Small bowtie systems: an enumeration

There exist 3 near bowtie systems of order 7, 12 bowtie systems of order 9, and 1,411,422 balanced bowtie systems of order 13