Tennyson's Figures of Repetition

This thesis argues that Tennyson’s uses of repetition can be seen not merely as a manifestation of his sometimes alleged ‘stupidity’ but as an embodiment of his continual self-questioning and self-criticism. To do this, I focus on five figures of repetition: memory/Memory (Chapter 1), mirror-images (Chapter 2), simile (Chapter 3), antithesis (Chapter 4), fama/Fama (Chapter 5). My first chapter begins by considering the way in which Tennyson’s act of recollection is accompanied by the idealisation of the past and the denigration of the present. It then sees the reverse of a recollection within Tennyson’s representation of Memory, and in his use of memory. My second chapter examines Tennyson’s descriptions of mirror-image, showing how this shadowy existence is not simply presented as an inferior reproduction of the original, but comes to assume its own substantiality. My third chapter shows how In Memoriam’s conflicting processes of unity and division are encapsulated in the relationship between the words in the rhetorical figure of the simile. It shows how the poem’s use of simile reveals the tension between the unitive and disjunctive tendencies of language itself, presenting the poem as a critique of the Romantic, metaphorical view of language. My fourth chapter shows how in Maud the speaker’s doubts about his control over the action are communicated through the antithetical repetition of the same verb in the two grammatical voices. My fifth chapter examines how in Idylls of the King Arthur’s authority, which is connected to Tennyson’s authority, is dependent upon repetitive and diffusive speech. It argues that such a derivation of authority from the diffusion of speech is registered in the semantic duplexities of the Latin word fama/Fama. My conclusion considers Tennyson’s posthumous fame as a kind of repetition in itself, examining the way T. S. Eliot remodels Tennyson’s homes in ‘East Coker’

Feasibility of cryopreserved tracheal xenotransplants with the use of short-course immunosuppression

AbstractObjective: We evaluated the feasibility of discordant xenotransplantation of the cryopreserved trachea with intermittent immunosuppression to help solve the shortage of donor tracheas. Methods: Two experiments were performed with heterotopic transplantation models in 14 guinea pigs and 85 rats. So that the minimal dose of FK506 for viable fresh xenografts could be determined, FK506 was given in escalating doses (0, 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 mg/kg) for recipient animals after xenogeneic transplantation. With the goal of obtaining a long-term survival of the xenografts, the effect of cryopreservation on xenografts was assessed and thereafter different cycles of immunosuppression every third week were evaluated in fresh or cryopreserved xenografts in the second experiment. Results: An FK506 dosage of more than 2.5 mg/kg per day was much more effective than smaller dosages, as demonstrated by morphologic assessment. A higher dosage of FK506 potentially delayed the rejection of xenografts and can thus maintain tracheal xenograft viability for less than 4 weeks in rat recipients. In experiment 2, the cryopreserved xenografts showed less histologic viability than fresh xenografts but greater patency of the lumen. The patency of cryopreserved xenografts was favorably maintained for a longer period than that of fresh xenografts with either the same number or more cycles of immunosuppression. Conclusions: We conclude that the synergistic effect of cryopreservation and adequate intermittent immunosuppression may enable tracheal xenografts to remain viable over longer periods. (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2001;121:241-8

Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) axial transmission method reflects anisotropy in micro-arrangement of apatite crystallites in human long bones: A study with 3-MHz-frequency ultrasound

Anisotropic arrangement of apatite crystallites, i.e., preferential orientation of the apatite c-axis, is known to be an important bone quality parameter that governs the mechanical properties. However, noninvasive evaluation of apatite orientation has not been achieved to date. The present paper reports the potential of quantitative ultrasound (QUS) for noninvasive evaluation of the degree of apatite orientation in human bone for the first time. A novel QUS instrument for implementation of the axial transmission (AT) method is developed, so as to achieve precise measurement of the speed of sound (SOS) in the cortex (cSOS) of human long bone. The advantages of our QUS instrument are the following: (i) it is equipped with a cortical bone surface-morphology detection system to correct the ultrasound transmission distance, which should be necessary for AT measurement of long bone covered by soft tissue of non-uniform thickness; and (ii) ultrasound with a relatively high frequency of 3 MHz is employed, enabling thickness-independent cSOS measurement even for the thin cortex by preventing guide wave generation. The reliability of the proposed AT measurement system is confirmed through comparison with the well-established direct transmission (DT) method. The cSOS in human long bone is found to exhibit considerable direction-dependent anisotropy; the axial cSOS (3870 ± 66 m/s) is the highest, followed by the tangential (3411 ± 94 m/s) and radial (3320 ± 85 m/s) cSOSs. The degree of apatite orientation exhibits the same order, despite the unchanged bone mineral density. Multiple regression analysis reveals that the cSOS of human long bone strongly reflects the apatite orientation. The cSOS determined by the AT method is positively correlated with that determined by the DT method and sensitively reflects the apatite orientation variation, indicating the validity of the AT instrument developed in this study. Our instrument will be beneficial for noninvasive evaluation of the material integrity of the human long-bone cortex, as determined by apatite c-axis orientation along the axial direction.Ishimoto T., Suetoshi R., Cretin D., et al. Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) axial transmission method reflects anisotropy in micro-arrangement of apatite crystallites in human long bones: A study with 3-MHz-frequency ultrasound. Bone, 127, 82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bone.2019.05.034

Oral Exposure to Polystyrene Microplastics of Mice on a Normal or High-Fat Diet and Intestinal and Metabolic Outcomes

マイクロプラスチックの経口摂取が高脂肪食条件下での代謝障害を悪化させる. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-02-24.[Background:] Microplastics (MPs) are small particles of plastic (≤ 5mm in diameter). In recent years, oral exposure to MPs in living organisms has been a cause of concern. Leaky gut syndrome (LGS), associated with a high-fat diet (HFD) in mice, can increase the entry of foreign substances into the body through the intestinal mucosa. [Objectives:] We aimed to evaluate the pathophysiology of intestinal outcomes associated with consuming a high-fat diet and simultaneous intake of MPs, focusing on endocrine and metabolic systems. [Methods:] C57BL6/J mice were fed a normal diet (ND) or HFD with or without polystyrene MP for 4 wk to investigate differences in glucose tolerance, intestinal permeability, gut microbiota, as well as metabolites in serum, feces, and liver. [Results:] In comparison with HFD mice, mice fed the HFD with MPs had higher blood glucose, serum lipid concentrations, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) activity scores. Permeability and goblet cell count of the small intestine (SI) in HFD-fed mice were higher and lower, respectively, than in ND-fed mice. There was no obvious difference in the number of inflammatory cells in the SI lamina propria between mice fed the ND and mice fed the ND with MP, but there were more inflammatory cells and fewer anti-inflammatory cells in mice fed the HFD with MPs in comparison with mice fed the HFD without MPs. The expression of genes related to inflammation, long-chain fatty acid transporter, and Na⁺/glucose cotransporter was significantly higher in mice fed the HFD with MPs than in mice fed the HFD without MPs. Furthermore, the genus Desulfovibrio was significantly more abundant in the intestines of mice fed the HFD with MPs in comparison with mice fed the HFD without MPs. Muc2 gene expression was decreased when palmitic acid and microplastics were added to the murine intestinal epithelial cell line MODE-K cells, and Muc2 gene expression was increased when IL-22 was added. [Discussion:] Our findings suggest that in this study, MP induced metabolic disturbances, such as diabetes and NAFLD, only in mice fed a high-fat diet. These findings suggest that LGS might have been triggered by HFD, causing MPs to be deposited in the intestinal mucosa, resulting in inflammation of the intestinal mucosal intrinsic layer and thereby altering nutrient absorption. These results highlight the need for reducing oral exposure to MPs through remedial environmental measures to improve metabolic disturbance under high-fat diet conditions

Genetic population structure of Hemigrammocypris rasborella (Cyprinidae) inferred from mtDNA sequences

The genetic population structure of the small cyprinid Hemigrammocypris rasborella, distributed widely in lowlands of western Japan, was examined using partial sequence data of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed that the populations of the western Kyushu region were markedly differentiated from all eastern populations, such that the groups would be comparable to different species; their divergence was inferred to have occurred in the Late Miocene–Pliocene. Also, a largely divergent mtDNA group (with divergence in the early Pleistocene) was found in the Sanyo and northeastern Shikoku regions, forming a secondary contact zone in the western Kinki with the eastern mtDNA group. To date, these aspects of the population structure of H. rasborella appear to be unique among lowland fishes in western Japan. Deeper understanding of the formation processes of freshwater faunas in western Japan will require further comparisons of the phylogeographic patterns and ecological traits of constituent species

Fabp7 Maps to a Quantitative Trait Locus for a Schizophrenia Endophenotype

Deficits in prepulse inhibition (PPI) are a biological marker for schizophrenia. To unravel the mechanisms that control PPI, we performed quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis on 1,010 F2 mice derived by crossing C57BL/6 (B6) animals that show high PPI with C3H/He (C3) animals that show low PPI. We detected six major loci for PPI, six for the acoustic startle response, and four for latency to response peak, some of which were sex-dependent. A promising candidate on the Chromosome 10-QTL was Fabp7 (fatty acid binding protein 7, brain), a gene with functional links to the N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor and expression in astrocytes. Fabp7-deficient mice showed decreased PPI and a shortened startle response latency, typical of the QTL's proposed effects. A quantitative complementation test supported Fabp7 as a potential PPI-QTL gene, particularly in male mice. Disruption of Fabp7 attenuated neurogenesis in vivo. Human FABP7 showed altered expression in schizophrenic brains and genetic association with schizophrenia, which were both evident in males when samples were divided by sex. These results suggest that FABP7 plays a novel and crucial role, linking the NMDA, neurodevelopmental, and glial theories of schizophrenia pathology and the PPI endophenotype, with larger or overt effects in males. We also discuss the results from the perspective of fetal programming

食品のカリウム含量(第1報)

We analyzed summer vegetables and their pickles for potassium content. The results are as Table 1～3

三重県における地域別食生活実態の公衆栄養学的考察(第5報) : ポテトチップの食塩含量(食塩濃度計による測定法のテスト)

試料に適量の水を加えてホモジネートをつくり,ホモジネートの食塩濃度をナトリウム電極による食塩濃度計を用いて測定し,これをもとに食塩含量を算出する方法(この方法を簡易法と略称する。),この簡易法をポテトチップに適用し,はたして正値が得られるか調べた。結果は次のとおりである。1)簡易法によるポテトチップの食塩含量は,試料を灰化して,食塩濃度計を適用したものに比べ,約10%低値であった。2)簡易法によるポテトチップの食塩含量は,塩素イオンの滴定によるものに比べ,約10%低値であった。3)しかしながら,簡易法によるポテトチップの食塩含量の値は再現性を有し,他の方法による値とほぼ平行した。This paper is experiment whether salt content in fried potato chips is determined with accuracy or not by the simple method using salt consulting meter which has the sodium ion electrode (The simple method is as follows. Add a certain amount of water to sample and mix, then make homogeneity. Measure salt concentration in this homogeneity by the salt consulting meter. Then calculate salt content in the semple.) The result is shown next : 1) According to the simple method, the salt content in fried potato chips has been about 10% lower, as compared with the method that sample is ashed previous and the salt content is determined through the salt consulting meter. 2) According to the simple method, the salt content in fried potato chips has been about 10% lower, too, as compared with the method consisting of chlorine ion titration. 3) However, the simple method has good reappearancy value of salt content in fried potato chips and there is a close correlation on the volues between the simple method and other methods