Spectacular Tropes: Representations of the Roman Arena

This paper will focus on the construction of representational tropes depicting the ancient Roman arenas and those involved with them, particularly within the spectacles of gladiatorial battles. The conceptions of representation within the arena influenced how differing Roman social groups perceived one another through social ideals and identities. I will analyze this by looking at three major methods of representation from the ancient Roman world: (1) literary sources, (2) epigraphical materials (inscriptions and graffiti), and (3) visual sources (mosaics and reliefs). These sources reflect the different characteristics of the Roman arenas and are defined by various social contexts, displaying how different ideals relating to the arena and its performers were valued within greater Roman society. I will examine these ancient ideals on representation by relating them to anthropological and sociological concepts related to the representation and public perceptions of athletes and sports. This includes representations of the body, masculine ideals, social status, and others

PET studies of the serotonin system in major depression and its treatment

The serotonin system has been implicated in major depression since the 1960s, mainly based on the serotonin enhancing properties of antidepressants. Positron emission tomography, PET, is the in vivo molecular imaging method with the best spatial resolution. There has been a gradual development of suitable radioligands for serotonergic targets since the mid-1990s, widening the scope of PET studies of the serotonin system. MADAM is an established radioligand selective for the serotonin transporter, and AZ10419369 is selective for the 5-HT1B receptor. The aim of this thesis was to study the serotonin system in major depressive disorder and the serotonergic effects of treatment with antidepressive medication or with psychotherapy. In order to understand the results with AZ10419369 better we examined the sensitivity of this radioligand to baseline serotonin levels. In studyI we examined serotonin transporter occupancy with PET and MADAM in responders to treatment with seven different antidepressants in different doses. Two tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and four selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were examined. Mirtazapine was included as a serotonin transporter “dummy”. Serotonin transporter occupancy could be confirmed in vivo for all TCAs and SSRIs. There was no significant difference in serotonin transporter occupancy between the old antidepressants, TCAs, and the new, SSRIs. Mirtazapine did not occupy the serotonin transporter. The average serotonin transporter occupancy in SSRIs and TCAs was 67 %, which was significantly lower than the 80 % serotonin transporter occupancy previously postulated important for SSRI effect. In study II we investigated the effect ofinternet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for recurrent major depressive disorder on AZ10419369 binding. Ten patients with an ongoing and untreated major depressive episode finished the study according to protocol and were examined with PET and AZ10419369 before and after CBT. All patients responded to treatment. The binding potential, BPND, was reduced by 33 % in the dorsal brain stem, which included the raphe nuclei, from which the serotonergic neurons project. Since the 5-HT1B receptor acts inhibitory, a reduction of 5-HT1B receptor density in the raphe nuclei would in theory result in a general stimulation of the serotonin system. There were no other significant changes in radioligand binding in the brain with CBT. In study III we wanted to compare AZ10419369 binding in patients with an ongoing and untreated major depressive episode within recurrent major depressive disorder with age- and sex matched controls. Ten patients and ten controls were examined with PET and AZ10419369. AZ10419369 binding was lower in the anterior cingulate cortex (25 % lower) and associated regions (20 % lower in the subgenual prefrontal cortex and 45 % lower in the hippocampus). The difference in the anterior cingulate cortex survived Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. The anterior cingulate cortex is an established part of the neurocircuitry of depression. There were no significant differences in the other examined brain regions. 3 In study IV we correlated AZ10419369 binding with concentrations of serotonin and its metabolite 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid (5-HIAA) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) at baseline in healthy subjects. Twelve healthy subjects without psychiatric history were first examined with PET and AZ10419369 and then with lumbar puncture for CSF analysis. The CSF concentrations of serotonin and 5-HIAA were determined with high performance liquid chromatography. There were no significant correlations between levels of serotonin and 5-HIAA in the CSF and AZ10419369 binding in the whole brain, in the caudate nucleus or in the occipital cortex. Since correlations between CSF and brain concentrations of serotonin and 5-HIAA have been demonstrated, AZ10419369 binding at baseline likely reflects 5-HT1B receptor density. This has bearing for the interpretation of study II and III

Rethinking the Disclosure Paradigm in a World of Complexity

In a prior article, Professor Schwarcz examined the factors that differentiate Enron\u27s questionable use of off-balance sheet special purpose entities, (SPEs) from the trillions of dollars of legitimate securitization and other structured-finance transactions that use SPEs. The presence of meaningful differences, Professor Schwarcz argued, may inform regulatory schemes by providing a basis to distinguish which such transactions should be allowed or restricted. In that connection, Professor Schwarcz encountered the dilemma that some structured transactions are so complex that disclosure to investors of the company originating the transaction is necessarily imperfect - either oversimplifying the transaction, or providing detail and sophistication beyond the level of even most institutional investors and securities analysts. In this article, Professor Schwarcz focuses on solutions to this dilemma, arguing that complexity forces a rethinking of the long-held disclosure paradigm of securities law

Predictive genetic testing experience for myocilin primary open-angle glaucoma using the Australian and New Zealand Registry of Advanced Glaucoma

Author version made available in accordance with publisher copyright policy.Purpose: Predictive genetic testing of relatives of known myocilin (MYOC) gene mutation carriers is an appropriate strategy to identify individuals at risk for glaucoma. It is likely to prevent irreversible blindness in this high-risk group because this treatable condition might otherwise be diagnosed late. The Australian and New Zealand Registry of Advanced Glaucoma has established genetic testing protocols for known glaucoma genes, including MYOC. Methods: Through the Australian and New Zealand Registry of Advanced Glaucoma, we investigated the experience of 40 unaffected individuals who had undergone predictive genetic testing for MYOC mutations through questionnaires. Results: The main motivations for being tested were (i) to make appropriate interventions and (ii) to reduce uncertainty. All our respondents perceived strong benefits, either medical or emotional, in being tested. However, different concerns were raised by the respondents that need to be addressed during counseling. Greater family awareness was reported by the majority of the respondents, and the ability to provide information to children was a strong motivation for being tested. Conclusion: This study provides valuable information on the personal and familial impacts of having predictive genetic testing for glaucoma, which will help health professionals to better address the issues faced by patients and provide them adequate support

Systems Level Analysis of the Yeast Osmo-Stat

Adaptation is an important property of living organisms enabling them to cope with environmental stress and maintaining homeostasis. Adaptation is mediated by signaling pathways responding to different stimuli. Those signaling pathways might communicate in order to orchestrate the cellular response to multiple simultaneous stimuli, a phenomenon called crosstalk. Here, we investigate possible mechanisms of crosstalk between the High Osmolarity Glycerol (HOG) and the Cell Wall Integrity (CWI) pathways in yeast, which mediate adaptation to hyper- and hypo-osmotic challenges, respectively. We combine ensemble modeling with experimental investigations to test in quantitative terms different hypotheses about the crosstalk of the HOG and the CWI pathways. Our analyses indicate that for the conditions studied i) the CWI pathway activation employs an adaptive mechanism with a variable volume-dependent threshold, in contrast to the HOG pathway, whose activation relies on a fixed volume-dependent threshold, ii) there is no or little direct crosstalk between the HOG and CWI pathways, and iii) its mainly the HOG alone mediating adaptation of cellular osmotic pressure for both hyper- as well as hypo-osmotic stress. Thus, by iteratively combining mathematical modeling with experimentation we achieved a better understanding of regulatory mechanisms of yeast osmo-homeostasis and formulated new hypotheses about osmo-sensing

Innovator resilience potential: A process perspective of individual resilience as influenced by innovation project termination

Innovation projects fail at an astonishing rate. Yet, the negative effects of innovation project failures on the team members of these projects have been largely neglected in research streams that deal with innovation project failures. After such setbacks, it is vital to maintain or even strengthen project members’ innovative capabilities for subsequent innovation projects. For this, the concept of resilience, i.e. project members’ potential to positively adjust (or even grow) after a setback such as an innovation project failure, is fundamental. We develop the second-order construct of innovator resilience potential, which consists of six components – self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, optimism, hope, self-esteem, and risk propensity – that are important for project members’ potential of innovative functioning in innovation projects subsequent to a failure. We illustrate our theoretical findings by means of a qualitative study of a terminated large-scale innovation project, and derive implications for research and management

Justifying the Regulation of Corporate Behaviour: A Functional Approach

The traditional justification of the regulation of corporate behaviour (and its extent) was conceptually dependent on the establishment of a theory of the corporation. Although the Law and Economics movement’s championing of shareholder primacy represented the dominant view of corporate law, the increasing influence of the natural entity theory in promoting stakeholder interests and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives makes it difficult to isolate a current prevailing theory. As a result, a better way for justifying the regulation of corporate behaviour lies in a functional examination of the corporation – if corporate behaviour affects stakeholders’ rights and interests in a sufficiently intimate way, some level of regulation is warranted. Regulations exist along a continuum, with self-regulation within an industry at one end (soft law) and explicit government regulation enforceable by the courts at the other (hard law). Due to the abstractness associated with the notion of corporate responsibility, especially in relation to the threshold of sufficient intimacy, soft law initiatives are therefore the most appropriate manner of regulating corporate behaviour in Australia