136 research outputs found
Sex and age-dependent effects of a maternal junk food diet on the mu-opioid receptor in rat offspring
No full textAbstract not availableJessica R. Gugusheff, Sung Eun Bae, Alexandra Rao, Iain J. Clarke, Lucilla Poston, Paul D. Taylor, Clive W. Coen, Beverly S. Muhlhausle
The Coen Brothers’ “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”: A Ludic Comedy of Appearances or an Author’s Confession of Faith Into the Power of Laughter?
No full textArtykuł ukazuje, w jaki sposób teksty postmodernistyczne próbują reinterpretować klasykę filmową. Jednym z takich sposobów jest wprowadzenie przez twórców (braci Coen) w obręb tekstu filmowego kategorii historyczności. Rozumiana jest ona zarówno jako forma rekonstrukcji przeszłości, jak i parawan, za którym toczy się dyskurs dotyczący problemów współczesnego świata. Autor polemizuje z obecnymi w refleksji badawczej tezami negującymi możliwość generowania przez estetykę postmodernistyczną znaczeń wychodzących poza obręb tekstu. W interpretacji filmu Bracie, gdzie jesteś? Skupień koncentruje się więc na tych aspektach doświadczania historyczności, które są świadectwem przekroczenia „powierzchniowego” czytania znaczeń w tekście postmodernistycznym. W tym celu autor wybiera takie problemy jak: kwestia fałszywej adaptacji, nawiązania gatunkowe do kina lat 30., rola muzyki jako nośnika wyobrażeń o przeszłości, a także bezpośrednie odniesienie do matrycy, na której są budowane sensy filmu braci Coen, czyli klasycznego obrazu Prestona Sturgesa Podróże Sullivana.The article shows how postmodern works try to reinterpret classic film. One such method is the introduction by the artists (the Coen brothers) into the film text a category of historicity. It is understood as a form of reconstruction of the past, as well as a screen behind which the discourse on the problems of the modern era takes place. The author disagrees with the theses present in contemporary research that negate the possibility of the postmodern aesthetic generating meaning that extends beyond the sphere of the text. In his interpretation of O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) Skupień focuses on those aspects of experiencing historicity, which extend beyond the surface reading of meanings in a postmodern text. The author examines issues such as: the question of false adaptation, references to 1930s cinema, the role of music as a vehicle for our ideas regarding the past, and a direct reference to the matrix upon which the meaning of Coen brothers’ film is built: i.e. the classic film of Preston Sturges – Sullivan's Travels
The Violence and Necrophilia at Coen Brothers’
No full textW swojej analizie filmów Ethana i Joela Coenów Syska wykorzystuje narzędzia psychoanalizy Ericha Fromma, by pokazać nekrofilską naturę bohaterów ich filmów. Przemoc, jeden z najistotniejszych elementów filmowej rzeczywistości, jest przedmiotem analizy autora. Syska wskazuje na nowe sposoby obrazowania przemocy, podkreślając fizjologiczny charakter aktów przemocy i biologiczną naturę umierania. Sakralna i metafizyczna wartość śmierci zostaje umniejszona, a na pierwszy plan wysuwają się jej fizjologiczne aspekty. Syska stara się udowodnić, że hiperbolizacja przemocy w filmach braci Coen jest nie tylko punktem wyjścia dla postmodernistycznych zabaw z doświadczonym widzem, ale także próbą wciągnięcia go w patologiczny dyskurs, którego istotą jest estetyczna i moralna akceptacja okrucieństwa. Syska udowadnia, że nekrofilia, będąca jedną z najistotniejszych właściwości składających się na ich filmową rzeczywistość, jest również cechą charakterystyczną postmodernizmu.In his analysis of Ethan and Joel Coen’s films Syska makes use of the tools of Erich Fromm’s psychoanalysis to show the necrophyliac nature of their films’ heroes. Violence, one of the most essential components of film reality, is analysed by the author. Syska points out the new ways of depicting violence by stressing the physiological nature of acts of violence and biological nature of dying. The sacred and metaphysical value of death is belittled while prominence is given to its physiological aspects. Syska tries to prove that the hiperbolisation of violence in Coen brothers’ films is the starting point not only for post-modernist plays with experienced spectators but also the attempt to involve them in a pathological discourse whose essence is aesthetic and moral acceptance of cruelty. Syska proves that necrophyliac nature, which is one of the most essential properties making up their film reality, is also a characteristic feature of post-modernism
Difficult Development of Unused Potential
No full textRecenzja książki Kamili Żyto Film noir i kino braci Coen (2017). Jak pisze Helman, autorka poświęciła pierwszą, stosunkowo obszerną część pracy rozważaniom teoretycznym na temat pojęć noir i neo-noir, wykraczając daleko poza przedstawienie literatury przedmiotu, czyli zdanie sprawy z tego, co na interesujący ją temat napisano wcześniej. W jej ujęciu noir to przede wszystkim kwestia światopoglądu filozoficzno-ideologicznego (także estetycznego), czego dowodzi, odwołując się do takich źródeł inspiracji, jak egzystencjalizm (również w jego wersji amerykańskiej) i psychoanaliza, do których przywiązuje duże znaczenie. Jak zauważa recenzentka, książka składa się z poprzedzonych wstępem dwóch części. Pierwsza jest poświęcona teoretycznym rozważaniom wokół fenomenu noir, druga wybranym filmom braci Coen, udowadniającym wysuniętą w pierwszej części tezę. Po przeczytaniu części pierwszej czytelnik jest już doskonale zaznajomiony z warsztatem i narzędziami, które posłużą Kamili Żyto w części drugiej. Choć „kino braci Coen” to drugi człon tytułu, jest to w istocie główny przedmiot zainteresowań autorki, skądinąd wyraźnie zafascynowanej kinem noir. Przedstawiwszy konstrukcję książki i jej główne założenia, Helman dyskutuje z niektórymi tezami Żyto. Ponadto przybliża czytelnikowi analizy filmów przeprowadzone przez autorkę, a także sygnalizuje, że zakończenie książki przynosi próbę zlokalizowania kina neo-noir i twórczości braci Coen w kontekście paradygmatu modernistycznego.Book review of Kamila Żyto’s Film noir i kino braci Coen [Film noir and Coen brothers’ cinema] (2017). According to Helman, the author devoted the first, relatively large part of the work to theoretical considerations on the concepts of noir and neo-noir, going far beyond the presentation of the literature on the subject. In her view, noir is primarily a matter of philosophical-ideological (also aesthetic) world-view, which is proved by referring to such sources of inspiration as existentialism (also in its American version) and psychoanalysis, to which she attaches great importance. The book consists of two parts preceded by an introduction. The first one is devoted to theoretical considerations around the noir phenomenon, the second - to the selected films of the Coen brothers. After reading the first part, the reader is already perfectly familiar with the research methods and concepts that will be used by Kamila Żyto in the second part. Although the Coen brothers’ cinema is the second part of the title, it is in fact the main subject of interest of the author, clearly fascinated by the noir cinema. Having presented the design of the book and its main assumptions, Helman discusses some theses of Kamila Żyto. In addition, she introduces the reader to the analysis of films carried out by the author, and also signals that the ending of the book is an attempt to locate the neo-noir cinema and the creativity of the Coen brothers in the context of the modernist paradigm
Between the Coen brothers’ legacy and Noah Hawley’s new ideas: “Fargo” TV series and the question of authorship
No full textThe current television landscape is witnessing a resurgence of adaptations, including those inspired by films. Fargo is one of these series that has earned its adaptation status not through a continuation of the original plot but through its parallel narrative, characters, and, above all, atmosphere. This approach by the creators raises several questions, one of which, the issue of authorship in television adaptations, is the focus of this article. The text presents Noah Hawley, the showrunner of the series, as an author while acknowledging that the television adaptation of Fargo is the result of an ongoing creative negotiation between Hawley and the film’s creators, the Coen brothers. An analysis of individual seasons and the showrunner’s statements reveals the nuances of this dialogue. Hawley’s most significant authorial innovation proves to be the shift in the story’s focus: Hawley’s Fargo is no longer just a story about Minnesota and its inhabitants but about America in a temporal context
Reproductive inhibition in female common and highveld mole-rats: neuroanatomical and neuroendocrine perspectives
No full textThesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2005.The social reproductive inhibition evident in female common (Cryptomys hottentotus hottentotus) and highveld (Cryptomys hottentotus pretoriae) mole-rats was investigated, focussing on intra- and inter-subspecies differences in gonadotropin¬releasing hormone (GnRH) neuroanatomy and neuroendocrinology and potential mechanisms mediating social infertility through the suppression of luteinizing hormone (LH) and/or GnRH synthesis or release. The molecular structure of the GnRH peptide present in highveld mole-rat tissue was determined. Messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) coding for GnRH was isolated from hypothalamic tissue of a female highveld mole-rat. The nucleotide sequence of the transcribed complimentary deoxyribonucleic acid (cDNA) predicts amino acid sequences that indicate a potential polymorphism in the mature peptide. These sequences differ from classic 'mammalian' GnRH by either one or two amino acid positions. One form of mole-rat GnRH is identical to the unique GnRH expressed by guinea pigs, while the second form differs from guinea pig GnRH in one amino acid position. These results indicate that classic 'mammalian' GnRH is not the chief structural form of GnRH in the mole-rat. In both the common and highveld mole-rat, GnRH structures were loosely distributed along the septo-preoptico-infundibular pathway. Highveld mole-rats consistently had more GnRH cell bodies and higher levels of the peptide than common mole-rats. The subspecies also differed with regards to the relative distribution of GnRH cell bodies in the preoptic area and the medio-basal hypothalamus. Reproductive status and season did not influence GnRH neuroanatomy (numbers and morphology of cell bodies, distribution of GnRH structures and density of GnRH staining in the median eminence) or endogenous brain GnRH content in male or female common mole-rats. Likewise reproductive and non-reproductive male highveld mole-rats did not differ with regards to the GnRH neuroanatomical and neuroendocrinological parameters investigated. Dominant and subordinate female highveld mole-rats had similar numbers of GnRH cell bodies, and did not differ with regards to the distribution of GnRH structures. Brain GnRH levels was however significantly lower in reproductive females compared to non-reproductive females. Similarly, GnRH staining in the median eminence was significantly less intense in reproductive compared to non-reproductive females, indicating reduced release in the latter. Excess peptide most likely accumulates in the nerve terminals and the cell bodies. Endogenous opioid peptides (EOPs) are tentatively considered to playa role in the socially-induced infertility in non-reproductive female highveld mole-rats. Intact reproductive females and intact and ovariectmized non-reproductive females were treated with the opioid antagonist naloxone, alone and in different combinations with exogenous GnRH, to establish the role of EOPs and gonadal hormones in the reduced GnRH release evident in subordinate female highveld mole-rats. Naloxone treatment failed to alter plasma LH levels in any of the intact groups, while ovariectomized non-reproductive females showed a significant response. The pituitary response to a GnRH challenge was not influenced by either a single naloxone administration or longer term naloxone-priming regimens. In the absence of the negative feedback effects of gonadal steroids following ovariectomy, non¬reproductive females showed GnRH-chalienged plasma LH levels similar to that seen in intact reproductive females, both being significantly higher compared to intact non-reproductive females. Steroid-dependent mechanisms altering GnRH secretion and/or pituitary sensitivity to the endogenous peptide may therefore playa role in the social reproductive regulation displayed by the highveld mole-rat. EOPs may be indirectly involved in steroid negative feedback suppression of GnRH. In conclusion, the GnRH neuroanatomy and neuroendocrinology of female common mole-rats provide no evidence for a physiological component to the behavioural reproductive restraint in subordinate females due to incest avoidance. Non¬reproductive female highveld mole-rats are, however, temporarily infertile due to pituitary insensitivity to GnRH coupled with suppressed hypothalamic GnRH release potentially mediated by steroid-dependent mechanisms.Zoology and Entomologyunrestricte
The reproductive biology of the solitary Cape mole-rat, Georychus capensis and the social Natal mole-rat, Cryptomys hottentotus natalensis (Rodentia : Bathyergidae)
No full textThesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008.The seasonality of wild caught Cape mole-rats was investigated, focusing on endocrine, neuroendocrine and neuroanatomical parameters. The Cape mole-rat reproduces only during the winter rainfall period of the western Cape Province. Interestingly, the gonadal steroid hormones do not show any significant seasonal patterns in either males or females. In addition, the pituitary does not exhibit a reduced sensitivity to GnRH stimulation during the non-breeding season in either sex. Moreover, in the brain the distribution, number and size of GnRH perikarya do not differ with respect to season. Therefore, although only producing young during a specific period of the year, the Cape mole-rat does not appear to be physiologically repressed from reproducing throughout the year. The results of this study imply that the Cape mole-rat is an opportunistic breeder that is reproductively quiescent during the dry season as a consequence of ecological factors such as lack of favourable burrowing conditions and that when opportunities avail themselves following aseasonal rainfall, reproduction may occur. The seasonality and socially induced infertility of the Natal mole-rat was examined via endocrine, neuroendocrine and neuroanatomical investigations. In contrast with the phylogenetically closely related common mole-rat and highveld mole-rat, the Natal mole-rat does not appear to breed seasonally. Post-mortem examination of animals collected revealed pregnant reproductive females throughout the year. A similar scenario is reflected in gonadal steroid concentrations, with no major seasonal differences observed in either males or females. Likewise, pituitary sensitivity to GnRH does not change over season in males or females, and all neuroanatomical parameters investigated remained stable over season in both males and females. Natal mole-rats captured for this study occur in an area with a high annual rainfall, (almost double that of the common mole-rat habitat and one and a half times that of the highveld mole-rat) and the relatively higher rainfall and hence soil moisture content may provide the Natal mole-rat with increased foraging time a result of increased periods over which the soil is optimal for burrowing. Socially induced infertility in the Natal mole-rat appears to be enforced behaviourally as a result of active incest avoidance. The circulating testosterone concentrations were not significantly different in reproductive and non-reproductive males, and likewise oestrogen concentrations did not differ between reproductive and non-reproductive females. Progesterone concentrations were very low in subordinate females, but markedly higher in reproductive females. This is not surprising since the Natal mole-rat is an induced ovulator, thus coitus is required to induce the LH surge that stimulates ovulation. The sensitivity of the pituitary to a GnRH challenge did not differ between reproductive and non-reproductive animals from either sex. No neuroanatomical differences were observed between reproductive and non-reproductive animals of either sex, however, non-reproductive males and females had significantly higher amounts of GnRH in the median eminence, implying that GnRH is synthesized and transported to the median eminence but not released in the portal system to the anterior pituitary. These findings suggest that non-reproductive animals of both sexes are not sterile, but merely sexually quiescent. CopyrightZoology and Entomologyunrestricte
60 Years of Neuroendocrinology::Celebrating the brain's other output-input system and the monograph that defined neuroendocrinology
No full textThe brain's unimaginably complex operations are expressed in just two types of output: muscle activity and hormone release. These are the means by which the brain acts beyond its bony casing. Muscle-mediated actions (such as speaking, writing, pupillary reflexes) send signals to the outside world that may convey thoughts, emotions or evidence of neurological disorder. The outputs of the brain as a hormone secreting gland are usually less evident. Their discovery required several paradigm shifts in our understanding of anatomy. The first occurred in 1655. Exactly 300 years later, Geoffrey Harris' monograph Neural control of the pituitary gland launched the scientific discipline that is now known as neuroendocrinology. His hypotheses have stood the test of time to a remarkable degree. A key part of his vision concerned the two-way 'interplay between the central nervous system and endocrine glands'. Over the past 60 years, the importance of this reciprocity and the degree to which cerebral functions are influenced by the endocrine environment have become increasingly clear.</p
Hypothalamic Biogenic Amines and the Regulation of Luteinizing Hormone Release in the Rat
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