Il testo di Rm 8,19-22 appartiene all'argomento che mira alla difesa della tesi dell'Apostolo che le attuali sofferenze non contrastano con la gloria che dovra essere rivelata nei credenti (cf. Rm ...8,18). Una tale difesa va fino al versetto 30 e il nostro brano ne fa la prima parte. Dopo aver ascoltato questi versetti, cosa possono pensare gli uditori di Paolo dell' affermazione che le sofferenze del tempo presente non minacciano la loro gloria futura?Con l'esempio della creazione l'Apostolo ha sfidato con successo il principio della retribuzione e ha dimostrato che tale principio non puo essere usato in modo indiscriminato come una chiave di interpretazione per ogni tipo di sofferenza: non sempre la sofferenza e una punizione. Soffrire non significa necessariamente essere colpevoli, ed e cosi gia dall'inizio della storia del mondo. Dopo aver letto questi versetti, la sofferenza rimane misteriosa come sempre, ma almeno non e indice di colpa e dunque non e un motivo per essere senza speranza. Al contrario, essa, in quanto immeritata, da il diritto di attendere un futuro migliore e, in un certo senso, ne e una garanzia.La conclusione che gli ascoltatori/lettori di Paolo sono ora in grado di raggiungere - e sono invitati a farlo - e la seguente: se la creazione innocente continua a soffrire fino ad ora e tuttavia, nonostan te tale sofferenza, ha garantita in futuro la liberazione da Dio, non c'e motivo per credere che nel tempo della giustificazione la loro sofferenza dovra esser vista come indizio della loro colpevolezza e come punizione di Dio. Il semplice fatto che soffriamo non deve significare che la nostra giustificazione e eo ipso messa a repentaglio. Di conseguenza, non c'e neppure motivo per pensare che tale sofferenza dovrebbe spogliarci della gloria che deve essere rivelata. Al contrario, come nella creazione cosl nel nostro caso, questo tipo di sofferenza non puo che gridare verso la gloria futura. Sofferenza dei credenti, quindi, non e una minaccia ma piuttosto una garanzia della loro gloria futura, perche l'agire di Dio puo essere al di la di ogni umana comprensione, ma mai arbitrario o capriccioso. ,,Lui, che non ha risparmiato il proprio Figlio, ma lo ha dato. in sacrificio per noi tutti, com e non ci dara in dono insieme a lui tutte le cose?" (Rm 8,32).
This thesis summarises a selection of forty-two studies 1-42, published by the author during the period 2000-2012, investigating the conceptual basis of Insomnia Disorder, and its evaluation and ...treatment, principally using cognitive and behavioural interventions. The work reflects a range of research methodologies including experimental, psychometric, qualitative and population-based studies, and randomised controlled trials. Important theoretical contributions to the literature published in this period are also included and reference is made to major textbooks, position papers, and influential chapter contribution.
We propose and experimentally validate a compact and flexible structure of optical signal processing employing a polarization-dependent phase modulator (PM) based optoelectronic oscillator (OEO). The ...key point of the proposed design is to make good use of the polarization-dependent feature of the LiNbO 3 crystal of the PM to realize special phase modulation to intensity modulation conversion. The phase modulation indexes along the principal direction and orthogonal direction of the PM are different. Thus an intensity signal can be obtained after the lights in the two orthogonal directions are combined at a polarization (Pol) after the PM. A polarization controller (PC) is inserted between the PM and Pol to introduce a static phase shift. One part of the special phase modulated data signal is introduced to the OEO loop to form a stable injected oscillation. While the other part is sent to a branch to do serial-to-parallel conversion or modulation format conversion. Non return-to-zero (NRZ) to return-to-zero (RZ) format conversion with tunable duty cycle which can be adjusted by tuning the phase shift introduced by the PC continuously is achieved in the branch. The receiver sensitivity of the converted RZ signal at the bit error rate (BER) of 10 -9 has an improvement of about 2 dB compared to the original NRZ signal.
The selection for specific physical characteristics by dog breeders has resulted in the expression of undesirable phenotypes, either directly or indirectly related to the physical characteristic ...selected for. One conformation that was considered desirable is extreme brachycephalia, which is associated with secondary physical changes adversely affecting the airways, eyes and central nervous system. Using a large population of pet dogs having diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies, I demonstrated that the most commonly used historical head phenotype indices (Stockard and Evans indices) can be determined on MR images. I furthermore conformed that olfactory bulb angulation can be used as an alternate for classification of dog into brachycephalic, mesaticephalic and dolichocephalic head shapes, with similar results to the historical indices. The advantages of olfactory bulb angulation are that it only requires a single midline MR image and inclusion of the entire nose is not required. Using the historical indices and olfactory bulb angulation I then examined the effect of increasing brachycephalia on the appearance and dimensions of the nasal and cranial cavity. I established that progressive ventral rotation of the olfactory bulb (increasing brachycephalia) resulted in an alteration in the shape and a reduction in cross-sectional area of the nasopharynx. Similarly, increasing brachycephalia resulted in a reduction in the dorsal area of the ethmoturbinates and a corresponding reduction in the midline area of the olfactory bulb, providing a potential explanation for reduced olfactory acuity in brachycephalic dogs. Finally, I examined the effect of head phenotype on the structures of the middle fossa, the 3rd ventricle, quadrigeminal cistern and interthalamic adhesion. Head phenotype had a lesser effect on these structures, while brain disease (in particular ventriculomegaly) has a substantial effect, the recognition of which I described. These results confirm the potential of olfactory bulb angulation and orientation for objectively determining head phenotype using in vivo MRI, in particular determining the degree of brachycephalia. The study also quantified the effect of brachycephalia on the nasal cavity and rostral and middle cranial fossae dimensions. The objective quantification of head phenotype provides a useful tool for selection of breeding animals to normalise extreme brachycephalia. This might reduce the incidence of the adverse effects associated with extreme brachycephalia.
Duplication of the proteolipid protein (PLP1) gene, which encodes the most abundant protein of central nervous system (CNS) myelin, is the most common cause of Pelizaeus Merzbacher disease (PMD). ...Various animal models have been generated to study the effect of Plp1 gene overexpression on oligodendrocyte and myelin sheath integrity. The #72 line harbours 3 additional copies of the murine Plp1 gene per haploidic chromosomal set. Homozygous #72 mice appear phenotypically normal until three months of age, after which they develop seizures leading to premature death at around 4 months of age. An earlier study examining the optic nerve showed a progressive demyelination accompanied by marked microglial and astrocytic responses. Using electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry, I demonstrated that initial myelination of the #72 corpus callosum was followed by a progressive demyelination, probably mediated by a distal “dying back” phenomenon of the myelin sheath. No evidence of effective remyelination was observed despite the presence and proliferation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs). A marked increase in density and reactivity of microglia/macrophages and astrocytes, and the occurrence of axonal swellings, accompanied the demyelination. In situ and in vitro evaluation of adult #72 OPCs provided evidence of impaired OPC differentiation. Transplantation of neurospheres (NS) into adult #72 mouse corpus callosum confirmed that axons were capable of undergoing remyelination. Furthermore, NS transplanted into neonatal CNS integrated into the parenchyma and survived up to 120 days, demonstrating the potential of early cell replacement therapy. Taking advantage of the spatially distinct pathologies between the retinal and chiasmal region of the #72 optic nerve, I evaluated the capability of diffusion weighted MRI to identify lesion type. I found significant differences between #72 and wild type optic nerves, as well as between the two distinct pathological regions within the #72 optic nerve. These results confirm the potential of the #72 mouse to serve as a model to study chronic demyelination. The study also demonstrates the utility of the #72 mouse to evaluate cell transplant strategies for the treatment of chronic CNS white matter lesions and PMD. Additionally, DW MRI has potential as a modality capable of diagnosing myelin-related white matter changes, and may be applicable to the clinical setting.
Introduction: Protected learning time (PLT) has been adopted by a number of NHS primary health care organizations throughout the United Kingdom as a resource for learning. Primary health care teams ...are protected from service delivery by Out-of-hours services for a small number of afternoons per year. Learning events are generally of two types: practice-based PLT events organised by the primary health care team and usually held in practice premises; and large centrally organised meetings held in large conference venues, and arranged by a PLT committee. PLT schemes were started by NHS Ayrshire and Arran in 2002 after a pilot study in 2001 was considered successful. A quantitative evaluation of the PLT scheme in two Community Health Partnerships within NHS Ayrshire and Arran in 2004 showed a significant difference in the views of Administrative and Clerical staff (A & C staff) and practice managers compared with clinicians in the team. Only 41% of A & C staff and 51% of practice managers wanted PLT to continue in one of the areas surveyed. An additional questionnaire study answered by practice managers in 2005 in NHS Ayrshire and Arran suggested that attendance of community nurses (health visiting and district nursing teams) at practice-based PLT events had fallen sharply, and that only a few were attending regularly. The questionnaires were unable to give the reasons for the low attendance, nor could they explain why some wanted the scheme to end. Two research questions were developed to improve the understanding of what was happening during PLT: 1. What are the perceptions and experiences of A & C staff, and of practice managers with regards to PLT? 2. What are the perceptions and experiences of the community nursing team (community nurses and nursing managers) with regards to PLT? Method: A Charmazian grounded theory approach was adopted, both as a method of data analysis, and as a research strategy. The data collection consisted of two phases: A & C staff, and practice managers (2005); and the community nursing team (2007). Focus groups were recruited, and the interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Transcriptions were coded, and themes and categories of themes were constructed from the codes. Mind mapping software was used to show the connections between the participants’ quotes and the themes and categories. A grounded theory was then constructed from the three categories. Findings: 12 focus group interviews were held with a total of 88 staff members participating. Details of the categories constructed are as follows: Structures in primary health care Physical structures were important. There were perceptions of the organizational schism between individual practices and the community nursing team. Community nurses valued co-location with their general practice as this improved close working. Different working patterns of district nurses meant that they could not always be protected during PLT, and they felt their managers did not provide sufficient cover. The introduction of the 2004 GMS Contract emphasized the separation of community nurses from general practices. Some nurses felt that practice-based PLT was irrelevant as it was centred on the learning needs of the practice. Some practices were strongly hierarchical resulting in separate learning events for individual staff groups during PLT. Relationships in primary health care: Relationships between community nurses and practices varied greatly. Some health visitors felt very isolated from the general practice. Community nurses wanted to work closely with practices and wanted their work to be visible and valued. Relationships between A & C staff and GPs varied considerably. Those practices with a high degree of hierarchy found collective learning difficult to do. Other practices had good relationships between different staff groups, and made good use of PLT. Learning processes: In general, participants did not feel their learning needs were identified or acted upon. As a result, learning offered to them was usually considered irrelevant, and based on the needs of others. A & C staff found some events to be dull and uninteresting, when passive learning methods were employed. Some practice managers perceived a lack of resources for learning events, and pharmaceutical representatives were keen to provide learning for clinicians. In some teams, practice-based PLT could be uncomfortable for community nurses, and some felt unwelcome by GPs. Practice managers were considered to be the natural leaders of practice-based PLT. Grounded theory: A theory with three elements was constructed from the findings. Proximity was an important factor in the ability of teams to learn from each other. Those teams who were not co-located, or did not work together in the provision of patient care, found PLT to be difficult. Perceptions of power affected the experiences of PLT. GPs usually had learning based on needs, and they could influence who attended PLT with them, and what was learnt. Some staff groups had little power, namely A & C staff and community nurses, and at times, the quality of learning for these groups was low. Authenticity was important. Participants wanted PLT to be for the whole team and to involve everyone in learning together. Many were disappointed when this was not achieved, and considered it to be contrary to the original aims and objectives of the scheme. Comparisons with other theories: The grounded theory was compared to Bourdieu’s theory of practice. This helped with the understanding of issues relating to the element of power. The element of proximity had similarities to Wenger’s theory of Communities of Practice. Those primary health care teams who displayed high levels of proximity were working as a Community of Practice. Conclusions: A deeper understanding of participants’ perceptions and experiences was gained and explored by the thesis. A number of recommendations were made to improve PLT in the future. These included improved learning needs assessment and aiding practice managers with the delivery of practice-based events. Individuals within primary health care teams need to improve team-working and need learning to help them with this endeavour. Health authorities need to value teamwork more, and require to locate teams together to facilitate the delivery of primary health care.
WSNs are getting popular day by day. But due to the constrained of resources and limited battery supply of sensor nodes, this becomes the major areas of research. Earlier the LEACH protocol proposed ...contributes a lot in terms of reducing energy consumption among sensor nodes. Later on concept of rendezvous nodes (RZ) and mobile sink was combined with LEACH to reduce energy consumption. In order to contribute more toward this direction Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) has been added to find the optimized route. The proposed work uses the concept of Neural Network (i.e. in the selection process of cluster heads) and Hybrid ACO/PSO technique (finds the shortest route) in optimizing the network lifetime and to improve energy efficiency. While comparing the performance of RZ LEACH, ACO RZ LEACH with the proposed system, result shows that proposed technique helps to increase the energy efficiency, thus prolongs network lifetime.
The Liver X receptors, LXRα and LXRβ, belong to the superfamily of nuclear receptor ligand activated transcription factors. LXRs have been well characterised in the context of metabolism through ...their ability to induce reverse cholesterol transport leading to the excretion of cholesterol from the body. More recently, LXRs have been shown to play a role in inflammation in which they are often ascribed an anti-inflammatory effect. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic auto-immune condition manifest as inflammation of the diarthrodial joints predominantly in the hands and feet. It is now well recognised that RA is not just a local but rather a systemic disease that is associated with several co-morbidities including atherosclerosis. A major focus in the field of rheumatology is now to understand how cardiovascular disease might contribute to the pathogenesis of RA and vice versa and thereby connect metabolism with inflammation. Hypothesis: Since LXRs are central to the maintenance of a cholesterol homeostasis and have been shown to regulate inflammation we hypothesised that LXR agonists would be beneficial for the treatment of RA. Methods & Results: Treatment of male DBA1 mice with GW3965 or T1317 in the murine model of collagen-induced arthritis dramatically increased the onset and severity of disease. Exacerbation of disease severity was characterised by increased concentrations of multiple serum pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, increased numbers of lymph node derived Th1 and Th17 cells and elevated titres of anti-collagen auto-antibodies. The effect of LXR agonist administration was mediated specifically by LXRs as the severity of disease was not altered in LXR null mice treated with GW3965. Furthermore, activation of LXRs in primary human monocytes potentiated the secretion of multiple proinflammatory cytokines in response to stimulation with LPS. Similarly, the concentration of multiple pro-inflammatory cytokines was also increased in an in vitro model of synovitis. Conclusion: These studies demonstrate a novel pro-inflammatory role of LXR activation in the context of arthritis. Furthermore, these results suggest that the development of LXR agonists as a therapy for metabolic disorders should be done so with caution.
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