The Realism of George Eliot

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston UniversityThis thesis has attempted to establish a tentative definition of literary realism in its relations to the primary sources of George Eliot's thoughts and art: philosophy, romanticism, and humanism. Causes for realistic trends in her thinking have been traced in the background of her age, in her immediate environment, in the psychology of her personality, and in the forces of circumstance which brought association with other minds. Manifestations of realistic theories in her fundamental philosophy, in her humanistic religion, and in her use of the novel form, have been specified and critically evaluated. An appreciation of her distinctive contributions to the history of realism has been presented

Skeletal Muscle PGC-1β Signaling is Sufficient to Drive an Endurance Exercise Phenotype and to Counteract Components of Detraining in Mice

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator (PGC)-1α and -1β serve as master transcriptional regulators of muscle mitochondrial functional capacity and are capable of enhancing muscle endurance when overexpressed in mice. We sought to determine whether muscle-specific transgenic overexpression of PGC-1β affects the detraining response following endurance training. First, we established and validated a mouse exercise-training-detraining protocol. Second, using multiple physiological and gene expression end points, we found that PGC-1β overexpression in skeletal muscle of sedentary mice fully recapitulated the training response. Lastly, PGC-1β overexpression during the detraining period resulted in partial prevention of the detraining response. Specifically, an increase in the plateau at which O2 uptake (V̇o2) did not change from baseline with increasing treadmill speed [peak V̇o2 (ΔV̇o2max)] was maintained in trained mice with PGC-1β overexpression in muscle 6 wk after cessation of training. However, other detraining responses, including changes in running performance and in situ half relaxation time (a measure of contractility), were not affected by PGC-1β overexpression. We conclude that while activation of muscle PGC-1β is sufficient to drive the complete endurance phenotype in sedentary mice, it only partially prevents the detraining response following exercise training, suggesting that the process of endurance detraining involves mechanisms beyond the reversal of muscle autonomous mechanisms involved in endurance fitness. In addition, the protocol described here should be useful for assessing early-stage proof-of-concept interventions in preclinical models of muscle disuse atrophy

Salivary levels of putative cariogenic organisms in patients with eating disorders

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74671/1/j.1399-302X.1989.tb00258.x.pd

Veillonella rogosae sp. nov., an anaerobic, Gram-negative coccus isolated from dental plaque

Strains of a novel anaerobic, Gram-negative coccus were isolated from the supra-gingival plaque of children. Independent strains from each of six subjects were shown, at a phenotypic level and based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing, to be members of the genus Veillonella. Analysis revealed that the six strains shared 99.7 % similarity in their 16S rRNA gene sequences and 99.0 % similarity in their rpoB gene sequences. The six novel strains formed a distinct group and could be clearly separated from recognized species of the genus Veillonella of human or animal origin. The novel strains exhibited 98 and 91 % similarity to partial 16S rRNA and rpoB gene sequences of Veillonella parvula ATCC 10790T, the most closely related member of the genus. The six novel strains could be differentiated from recognized species of the genus Veillonella based on partial 16S rRNA and rpoB gene sequencing. The six novel strains are thus considered to represent a single novel species of the genus Veillonella, for which the name Veillonella rogosae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CF100T (=CCUG 54233T=DSM 18960T)

Transcriptomic analysis of three Veillonella spp. present in carious dentine and in the saliva of caries-free individuals.

Veillonella spp. are predominant bacteria found in all oral biofilms. In this study, a metatranscriptomic approach was used to investigate the gene expression levels of three oral Veillonella spp. (V. parvula, V. dispar and V. atypica) in whole stimulated saliva from caries-free volunteers and in carious lesions (n=11 for each group). In the lesions the greatest proportion of reads were assigned to V. parvula and genes with the highest level of expression in carious samples were those coding for membrane transport systems. All three Veillonella spp. increased expression of genes involved in the catabolism of lactate and succinate, notably the alpha- and beta-subunits of L(+)-tartrate dehydratase (EC 4.2.1.32). There was also significantly increased expression of histidine biosynthesis pathway in V. parvula, suggesting higher intra-cellular levels of histidine that could provide intra-cellular buffering capacity and, therefore, assist survival in the acidic environment. Various other systems such as potassium uptake systems were also up regulated that may aid in the survival and proliferation of V. parvula in carious lesions

Ethnic Disparities in Diabetes Management and Pay-for-Performance in the UK: The Wandsworth Prospective Diabetes Study

Based on a population-based longitudinal survey, Christopher Millett and colleagues concluded that pay-for-performance incentives for UK general practitioners had not addressed disparities in the management and control of diabetes between ethnic groups

Causal associations between depression symptoms and cognition in a community-based cohort of older adults.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the temporal association between depression symptoms and cognitive function in older adults over a 4-year period. METHODS: Using a longitudinal, cross-lagged, population-based design, we studied depression symptoms and cognitive domains (including processing speed, verbal fluency, face and word recognition, episodic memory, and simple and choice reaction time) in 896 community-dwelling adults aged 70-97 years. RESULTS: Cross-lagged structural equation models suggested that initial depression symptoms affected subsequent processing speed and simple and choice reaction time but that cognition did not predict depression symptoms over time. The associations between depression and cognitive variables were attenuated when the models were adjusted for sensory impairment, physical health, and locus of control. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that, causally, depression precedes cognitive impairment in this age group and that the association is related to physical health and perceptions of a lack of control

EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA); Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to the substantiation of health claims related to various microorganisms and changes in bowel function, and digestion and absorption of nutrients (ID 960, 961, 967, 969, 971, 975, 983, 985, 994, 996, 998, 1006, 1014), decreasing potentially pathogenic gastro-intestinal microorganisms (ID 960, 967, 969, 971, 975, 983, 985, 994, 996, 998, 1006, 1014), and stimulation of immunological responses (ID 962, 968, 970, 972, 976, 984, 986, 995, 997, 999, 1007, 1015) (further assessment) pursuant to Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006

<p>Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) was asked to provide a scientific opinion on health claims pursuant to Article 13 of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 in the framework of further assessment related to various microorganisms and changes in bowel function, and digestion and absorption of nutrients, decreasing potentially pathogenic gastro-intestinal microorganisms, and stimulation of immunological responses. The food constituents, <em>Bifidobacterium animalis </em>subsp.<em> lactis</em> THT 010801, <em>Bifidobacterium longum </em>subsp. <em>infantis</em> THT 010201, <em>Bifidobacterium longum </em>subsp.<em> longum</em> THT 010301, <em>Bifidobacterium pseudolongum </em>subsp.<em> pseudolongum</em> THT 010501, <em>Lactobacillus casei</em> THT 030401, <em>Lactobacillus gasseri</em> THT 031301, <em>Lactobacillus helveticus</em> THT 031102, <em>Lactobacillus plantarum</em> THT 030701, <em>Lactobacillus plantarum</em> THT 030707, <em>Lactobacillus reuteri</em> THT 030802, <em>Lactobacillus salivarius</em> THT 031001 and <em>Streptococcus thermophilus</em> THT 070102, are sufficiently characterised. The evidence provided did not establish that the proposed claimed effect, stimulation of immunological responses, is a beneficial physiological effect. The references provided for the health claims related to changes in bowel function and decreasing potentially pathogenic gastro-intestinal microorganisms included studies which assessed the effects of food constituents other than the food constituents which are the subject of the claims and/or investigated health outcomes unrelated to the claimed effects. No human studies which investigated the effects of the food constituents on appropriate measures of the claimed effects were provided. On the basis of the data presented, the Panel concludes that a cause and effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of the food constituents and the claimed effects evaluated in this opinion.</p&gt

Moderation in management research: What, why, when and how.

Many theories in management, psychology, and other disciplines rely on moderating variables: those which affect the strength or nature of the relationship between two other variables. Despite the near-ubiquitous nature of such effects, the methods for testing and interpreting them are not always well understood. This article introduces the concept of moderation and describes how moderator effects are tested and interpreted for a series of model types, beginning with straightforward two-way interactions with Normal outcomes, moving to three-way and curvilinear interactions, and then to models with non-Normal outcomes including binary logistic regression and Poisson regression. In particular, methods of interpreting and probing these latter model types, such as simple slope analysis and slope difference tests, are described. It then gives answers to twelve frequently asked questions about testing and interpreting moderator effects