635 research outputs found
Study of the Effects of Vitamin D and Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation in Tertiary Prevention of Metabolic and Functional Alterations Associated with Obesity in Wistar Rats
No full textCette thèse explore l’impact de la vitamine D (VD) et des acides gras oméga-3 (ω3) en prévention tertiaire sur l’obésité induite par un régime riche en graisses et en sucres (HFHS) et ses altérations métaboliques et fonctionnelles. L’étude a révélé que le régime HFHS induit une obésité modérée, caractérisée par une augmentation du poids, des indices corporels et du volume des adipocytes, accompagnée de désordres métaboliques incluant une altération du métabolisme glucidique, une dyslipidémie, une surproduction d’adipokines pro inflammatoires, ainsi que des altérations fonctionnelles telles que la dysbiose intestinale, la dysfonction endothéliale, la stéatohépatite et une altération de la démarche. Les résultats montrent que la supplémentation en VD réduit la glycémie à jeun, limite l’adiposité, diminue la sécrétion de leptine, et atténue les dommages hépatiques et vasculaires. En parallèle, les ω3 diminuent la circonférence abdominale, réduisent l’intolérance au glucose, réduisent la dysfonction endothéliale et la stéatose hépatique, réduisent la perméabilité intestinale, normalisent la composition du microbiote, et rétablissent une démarche normale. La co-supplémentation VD/ω3 offre des bénéfices similaires, tels que le rétablissement d’une fonction vasculaire normale, une amélioration de la tolérance au glucose, et des effets additifs significatifs, notamment en limitant le gain de poids et en atténuant la dyslipidémie. En conclusion, ces travaux suggèrent que la co-supplémentation VD/ω3 pourrait être une stratégie efficace pour prévenir l’obésité et ses complications. Des recherches supplémentaires sont toutefois nécessaires pour approfondir la compréhension des mécanismes sous-jacents et optimiser ces interventions.This thesis explores the impact of vitamin D (VD) and omega-3 fatty acids (ω3) in tertiary prevention on obesity induced by a high-fat high-sugar (HFHS) diet and its associated metabolic and functional alterations. The study found that the HFHS diet induces moderate obesity, characterized by increased body weight, body indices, and adipocyte volume, along with metabolic disorders including impaired glucose metabolism, dyslipidaemia, overproduction of pro-inflammatory adipokines, and functional alterations such as gut dysbiosis, endothelial dysfunction, steatohepatitis, and gait impairment. Results show that VD supplementation reduces fasting blood glucose, limits adiposity, decreases leptin secretion, and mitigates hepatic and vascular damage. Meanwhile, ω3 fatty acids decrease abdominal circumference, reduce glucose intolerance, reverse endothelial dysfunction and hepatic steatosis, lower intestinal permeability, improve microbiota composition, and restore normal gait. VD/ω3 co-supplementation provides similar benefits, including the normalization of vascular function, improved glucose tolerance, and significant additive effects, notably in limiting weight gain and alleviating dyslipidaemia. In conclusion, these findings suggest that VD/ω3 co-supplementation could be an effective strategy for managing obesity-related complications. Further research is needed to deepen the understanding of the underlying mechanisms and optimize these interventions
Bob Dylan on human rights: individual and structural responsibility
No full textThis article focuses on human rights – a central topic in Bob Dylan’s works since the beginning of his career. Analysing a selection of texts in which this winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature refers to the situation of black Americans, the author tries to capture and define Dylan’s recurring narrative regarding the responsibility of individuals, structures and institutions, and their mutual relationships. The analysis focuses on the motif of accusation: who and what is it addressed to? In his discussion of Dylan’s narrative, the author refers to the concept of habitus proposed by Pierre Bourdieu. It is defined as a set of rules incorporated by an individual from the environment and later applied in individual attitudes and actions. Based on the analysis of Dylan’s most important works on human rights, the article shows that the American artist’s perception of the scope of individual and structural responsibility is similar to the concept described by Bourdieu, and as such belongs within a specific borderline sphere
Design and capacity analysis of an orthogonal SEFDM receiver, its generalization, and extension to MIMO
No full textThough many promising methods and technologies have been introduced in 5G to satisfy the ever-increasing connectivity of modern society, key questions such as the modulation technique have yet to be resolved. Should the conventional technique of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) employed in 4G remain? Or should a more exotic form of non-orthogonal modulation be adopted, which – though more complex – can provide tangible benefits in terms of capacity and bandwidth efficiency? Recent work has proposed a new receiver architecture designed to overcome one of these key complexities: noise correlation. Though promising, it has to date focused on the special case of rectangular modulation with integer compression in the time-domain, limiting its use in practical settings. This work will extend upon this concept by presenting a general receiver architecture, providing the flexibility demanded by the changing landscape of telecommunications.This will be accomplished by gradually increasing the generality of the receiver, first establishing key concepts by adapting the above-mentioned special case to a frequency setting. The design will then be adapted to accommodate arbitrary modulation waveforms with integer compression. Once established, this receiver will be further extended to MIMO systems, with each being evaluated based on its maximum information rate, or system capacity. This thesis will culminate with the introduction of a general methodology to generate and analyze a receiver architecture for arbitrary compression factor and waveform, which will be verified by generating the initial special case.Bien que de nombreuses méthodes et technologies prometteuses aient été introduites dans la 5G pour satisfaire la connectivité croissante de la société moderne, des questions clés telles que la technique de modulation doivent encore être résolues. La technique conventionnelle de multiplexage par répartition orthogonale de la fréquence (OFDM) utilisée dans la 4G devrait-elle rester? Ou faut-il adopter une forme plus exotique de modulation non-orthogonale, qui, bien que plus complexe, peut apporter des avantages tangibles en termes de capacité et d'efficacité de la bande passante?Des travaux récents ont proposé une nouvelle architecture de récepteur conçue pour surmonter l'une de ces complexités clés: la corrélation de bruit. Bien que prometteur, il s'est concentré à ce jour sur le cas particulier de la modulation rectangulaire avec compression de nombre entier dans le domaine temporel, ce qui limite son utilisation dans des environnements pratiques. Ce travail s'étendra à ce concept en présentant une architecture de récepteur générale, apportant la flexibilité exigée par l'évolution du paysage des télécommunications.Ceci sera accompli en augmentant progressivement la généralité du récepteur, en établissant d'abord des concepts clés en adaptant le cas spécial mentionné ci-dessus à un réglage de fréquence. La conception sera alors adaptée pour prendre en charge des formes d'onde de modulation arbitraires avec une compression d'entier. Une fois établi, ce récepteur sera étendu aux systèmes MIMO, chacun étant évalué en fonction de son débit d'information maximal ou de la capacité du système. Cette thèse aboutira à l'introduction d'une méthodologie générale pour générer et analyser une architecture de récepteur pour un facteur de compression et une forme d'onde arbitraires, qui sera vérifiée en générant le cas spécial initial
Philosophy According to Tacitus: Francis Bacon and the Inquiry into the Limits of Human Self-Delusion
No full textBacon belonged to a cultural milieu that, between the sixteenth and the seventeenth centuries, proved to be especially receptive to infuences coming from such continental authors as Machiavelli, Bodin, Duplessis-Mornay, Hotman, and, through Lipsius, a particular brand of Stoicism tinged with Tacitean motifs. Within the broader question of Tacitus’ infuence on Tudor and Stuart culture, this article focuses on the issue of how Bacon’s characteristic insistence on the powers of the imagination (fingere) and of belief (credere) in shaping human history may have infuenced his view that human beings suffer from an innate tendency to self-delusion
Angelology in situ : recovering higher-order beings as emblems of transcendence, immanence and imagination
No full textThe aim of this study is twofold: to identify the theological purpose underlying the depiction of angels at certain key points in the history of their use, and to explore how far that deeper theological rationale can be re-appropriated for our own day.
This study first traces the progression of the angelic motif in the Hebrew Scriptures. By examining numerous pericopes in the Pentateuch, major prophets and Daniel, I demonstrate that the metamorphosis of higher-order beings like the angel of the Lord, cherubim and seraphim, is directly related to the writers’ desire to enhance God’s transcendence.
Next, I evaluate pseudo-Denys’ hierarchical angelology, which prominent theologians like Luther and Calvin condemned as little more than a Neoplatonic scheme for accessing God through angels. I propose that not only has pseudo-Denys’ Neoplatonism been overstated, but that his angelology is particularly noteworthy for the way it accentuates Christ’s eucharistic immanence to the Church.
Then I maintain that because assessments of Aquinas’ angelology are often based upon the Summa Theologiae, his views are wrongly portrayed as overtly philosophical, rather than biblical and exegetical. In his lesser-known biblical commentaries, however, Aquinas pushes the semantic range of the word ‘angel’ to include aspects of the physical world, which unveils an imaginative, Christocentric, and scriptural dimension of his angelology that is rarely acknowledged.
The conclusion considers how contemporary figures and movements relate to these three angelologies. Barth emphasises the transcendent God but unlike Hebrew Scripture, weakens connections between God and angels. New Ageism affirms the immanent angel but unlike pseudo-Denys, does so at the expense of Christology and ecclesiology. Contemporary ecological discourse generally lacks Aquinas’ appreciation for an imaginative, supernatural approach to the world. Finally, I ground the angels’ relationship to transcendence, immanence and imagination in an experiential, eucharistic context
Fossil fuels, global warming and democracy: a report from a scene of the collision
No full textWhat happens to democracy when the fossil fuel industry collides with global warming?
Introduction
Democracy is caught in a collision between two forces: the need to respond to global warming by cutting carbon emissions, and the demands of the fossil fuel industry to increase carbon use and production. This is a slow motion collision that will take decades to conclude, though its ending seems inevitable: coal, and then oil and natural gas, will be replaced by more sustainable energy sources, but only after great damage to the environment.
In this paper I explore the question, What happens to democracy when the fossil fuel industry collides with global warming?
This collision is already making its marks on democratic practices. The fossil fuel industry is using every tool it can to preserve its wealth and power by pressuring governments, political parties, universities, regulators, courts, and voters. It is a process of tough, aggressive, and sophisticated politics that ultimately depends on denying the evidence that global warming poses a danger that needs to be urgently confronted.
Without a theoretical framework to focus this inquiry, it could easily produce little more than a list of anecdotes about politics and influence. The value of good theory is that it reveals the patterns in the evidence, showing how the disparate pieces are connected to one another, and to larger historical, social, and economic factors. In this paper, I drew theory from (among others) Valerie Bunce, Timothy Mitchell, and most importantly Terry Lynn Karl.
I use the work of these scholars to focus on the Canadian province of Alberta. Alberta provides an example of what can happen to democracy in places where fossil fuel production predominates. From time-to-time I link the paper to Australia, which depends even more than Canada on mineral extraction, and which is on the burning edge of global warming.
This paper should be read as a warning to people everywhere who are concerned about fossil fuel dependence, global warming, and democracy. Those who value democracy must ask, Can democracy as we know it survive global warming
The effects of structural reforms on productivity and profitability enhancing reallocation: Evidence from Colombia
No full textEstimates for the U.S. suggest that at least in some sectors productivity enhancing reallocation is the dominant factor in accounting for producitivity growth. An open question, particularly relevant for developing countries, is whether reallocation is always productivity enhancing. It may be that imperfect competition or other barriers to competitive environments imply that the reallocation process is not fully e?cient in these countries. Using a unique plant-level longitudinal dataset for Colombia for the period 1982-1998, we explore these issues by examining the interaction between market allocation, and productivity and profitability. Moreover, given the important trade, labor and financial market reforms in Colombia during the early 1990's, we explore whether and how the contribution of reallocation changed over the period of study. Our data permit measurement of plant-level quantities and prices. Taking advantage of the rich structure of our price data, we propose a sequential mehodology to estimate productivity and demand shocks at the plant level. First, we estimate total factor productivity (TFP) with plant-level physical output data, where we use downstream demand to instrument inputs. We then turn to estimating demand shocks and mark-ups with plant-level price data, using TFP to instrument for output in the inversedemand equation. We examine the evolution of the distributions of TFP and demand shocks in response to the market reforms in the 1990's. We find that market reforms are associated with rising overall productivity that is largely driven by reallocation away from low- and towards highproductivity businesses. In addition, we find that the allocation of activity across businesses is less driven by demand factors after reforms. We find that the increase in aggregate productivity post-reform is entirely accounted for by the improved allocation of activity.TFP measurement, productivity and demand decompositions, structural reforms
Kazimierz Wierzyński (1894–1969) Revisted
No full textKazimierz Wierzyński (1894–1969) Revisited is a comprehensive review of the work of one of the most versatile of modern Polish poets, whose literary presence continues to fascinate Polish readers despite long-standing efforts in the past (particularly on the part of communist State censors) to eradicate him from the nation’s collective memory. A concise reappraisal is made of each of Wierzyński’s collections of poems, beginning with Wiosna i wino (1919) and ending with Sen mara (1969). Noting the breadth of the poetry’s lyrical range and the richness of human experience it expresses, the author draws attention to the common ground that exists between the poetry and prose that Wierzyński wrote before the Second World War and the works he published after the war as yet another Polish émigré writer. The author stresses the civic, historical and political dimensions of Wierzyński’s poetry – the fact that it cherishes life, freedom and European tradition – and also its mythical and nostalgic dimensions based on the myth of earth as the source of life and Carpathian countryside of the poet’s youth. Attention is drawn to Wierzyński’s lifelong and ever-deeper preoccupation with existential questions, as well as to the continual transformations undergone by his artistic forms and his poetic idiom. The author also highlights the links that existed between Wierzyński and his literary predecessors (Leopold Staff, Bolesław Leśmian, Joseph Conrad, Stefan Żeromski and Stanisław Wyspiański), his contemporaries (Julian Tuwim, Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska, Jan Lechoń and Władysław Broniewski) and those of younger generations (Czesław Miłosz, Zbigniew Herbert, Tadeusz Różewicz and Miron Białoszewski). Attention is also drawn to affinities with British and American poets such as Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Ezra Pound, William B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot, E. E. Cummings and Dylan Thomas, all of whom are invoked in Wierzyński’s poems, essays and memoirs.Artykuł pt. Kazimierz Wierzyński (1894–1969) po latach jest syntetycznym spojrzeniem na twórczość jednego z najbardziej wszechstronnych przedstawicieli współczesnej liryki polskiej, którego dzieło przetrwało w świadomości czytelników pomimo usilnych prób wymazania go ze zbiorowej pamięci. Autorka dokonuje syntetycznego przeglądu utworów poety, od debiutanckiego tomu Wiosna i wino (1919) aż po ostatni zbiór wierszy pt. Sen mara (1969). Zwraca uwagę na związki przedwojennej poezji i prozy Wierzyńskiego z jego utworami emigracyjnymi. Ukazuje rozpiętość skali lirycznej i bogactwo utrwalonych przez poetę osobistych doświadczeń. Akcentuje ich wymiar wspólnotowy, historyczny, polityczny, mitotwórczy i nostalgiczny, umiłowanie życia, europejskiej tradycji i wolności oraz życiodajny mit ziemi i karpackiej przyrody ojczystej. Śledzi – charakterystyczny dla twórczości Wierzyńskiego – proces pogłębiania i poszerzania problematyki egzystencjalnej oraz ciągłe przemiany języka i form artystycznych. Zwraca uwagę na związki z poprzednikami (Leopold Staff, Bolesław Leśmian, Joseph Conrad, Stefan Żeromski, Stanisław Wyspiański), rówieśnikami (Julian Tuwim, Maria Pawlikowska- -Jasnorzewska, Jan Lechoń, Władysław Broniewski), następcami (Czesław Miłosz, Zbigniew Herbert, Tadeusz Różewicz, Miron Białoszewski). Wskazuje na współbrzmienia z poetami angielskimi i amerykańskimi, takimi jak: William Szekspir, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Ezra Pound, William B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot, E. E. Cummings, Dylan Thomas, których Wierzyński przywoływał w swoich wierszach, esejach i wspomnieniach
Kazimierz Wierzyński (1894-1969) revisted
No full textArtykuł pt. Kazimierz Wierzyński (1894-1969) po latach jest syntetycznym spojrzeniem na twórczość jednego z najbardziej wszechstronnych przedstawicieli współczesnej liryki polskiej, którego dzieło przetrwało w świadomości czytelników pomimo usilnych prób wymazania go ze zbiorowej pamięci. Autorka dokonuje syntetycznego przeglądu utworów poety, od debiutanckiego tomu Wiosna i wino (1919) aż po ostatni zbiór wierszy pt. Sen mara (1969). Zwraca uwagę na związki przedwojennej poezji i prozy Wierzyńskiego z jego utworami emigracyjnymi. Ukazuje rozpiętość skali lirycznej i bogactwo utrwalonych przez poetę osobistych doświadczeń. Akcentuje ich wymiar wspólnotowy, historyczny, polityczny, mitotwórczy i nostalgiczny, umiłowanie życia, europejskiej tradycji i wolności oraz życiodajny mit ziemi i karpackiej przyrody ojczystej. Śledzi - charakterystyczny dla twórczości Wierzyńskiego - proces pogłębiania i poszerzania problematyki egzystencjalnej oraz ciągłe przemiany języka i form artystycznych. Zwraca uwagę na związki z poprzednikami (Leopold Staff, Bolesław Leśmian, Joseph Conrad, Stefan Żeromski, Stanisław Wyspiański), rówieśnikami (Julian Tuwim, Maria Pawlikowska- -Jasnorzewska, Jan Lechoń, Władysław Broniewski), następcami (Czesław Miłosz, Zbigniew Herbert, Tadeusz Różewicz, Miron Białoszewski). Wskazuje na współbrzmienia z poetami angielskimi i amerykańskimi, takimi jak: William Szekspir, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Ezra Pound, William B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot, E. E. Cummings, Dylan Thomas, których Wierzyński przywoływał w swoich wierszach, esejach i wspomnieniach.Kazimierz Wierzyński (1894-1969) Revisited is a comprehensive review of the work of one of the most versatile of modern Polish poets, whose literary presence continues to fascinate Polish readers despite long-standing efforts in the past (particularly on the part of communist State censors) to eradicate him from the nation’s collective memory. A concise reappraisal is made of each of Wierzyński’s collections of poems, beginning with Wiosna i wino (1919) and ending with Sen mara (1969). Noting the breadth of the poetry’s lyrical range and the richness of human experience it expresses, the author draws attention to the common ground that exists between the poetry and prose that Wierzyński wrote before the Second World War and the works he published after the war as yet another Polish émigré writer. The author stresses the civic, historical and political dimensions of Wierzyński’s poetry - the fact that it cherishes life, freedom and European tradition - and also its mythical and nostalgic dimensions based on the myth of earth as the source of life and Carpathian countryside of the poet’s youth. Attention is drawn to Wierzyński’s lifelong and ever-deeper preoccupation with existential questions, as well as to the continual transformations undergone by his artistic forms and his poetic idiom. The author also highlights the links that existed between Wierzyński and his literary predecessors (Leopold Staff, Bolesław Leśmian, Joseph Conrad, Stefan Żeromski and Stanisław Wyspiański), his contemporaries (Julian Tuwim, Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska, Jan Lechoń and Władysław Broniewski) and those of younger generations (Czesław Miłosz, Zbigniew Herbert, Tadeusz Różewicz and Miron Białoszewski). Attention is also drawn to affinities with British and American poets such as Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Ezra Pound, William B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot, E. E. Cummings and Dylan Thomas, all of whom are invoked in Wierzyński’s poems, essays and memoirs
Therapeutic effects of vitamin D and omega-3 supplementation on HFHS diet-induced endothelial dysfunction in Wistar rats
No full textInternational audienceObesity impairs cardiovascular health through endothelial dysfunction, which is exacerbated by high-fat high-sugar (HFHS) diets through mechanisms involving chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and insulin resistance. Nutritional interventions, specifically vitamin D (VD) and omega-3 fatty acids (ω3), have emerged as potential therapies to improve endothelial function and mitigate cardiovascular risks associated with obesity
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