Polybius and his World Gibson, Bruce; Harrison, Thomas
2013, 2013-02-28, 2013-03-14
eBook
From his first publication, Aratos of Sicyon (1933), to his death in 2008, F. W. Walbank established himself as one of the leading ancient historians of the last century. His many publications - not ...least his three-volume commentary on the Greek historian of Roman power, Polybius - transformed the study both of Polybius and of the history of the Hellenistic world. Polybius and his World honours Walbank’s achievement by bringing together a number of leading scholars in the fields of Hellenistic historiography and history. The book re-examines a number of central themes in past scholarship: Polybius’ treatment of the relationship between Greece and Rome; his account of the Roman constitution; and the relationship of his work with (amongst others) Xenophon, Phylarchus, Aratus of Sicyon, Livy, and Josephus. It also brings new approaches to bear, examining Polybius’ text in the light of e.g. narratological perspectives, his organization of time and space, and the wealth of source material it offers for the economic historian. The book also offers new insights into aspects of Walbank’s life and work, and draws on unpublished material both from Walbank's own papers and from the archives of Oxford University Press in considering the relationship between his political commitments and his academic work; the genesis of his Polybian commentary; and the personal backdrop to his career.
The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Archaeology brings together significant work by leading scholars of the archaeology of early Christianity in the Mediterranean and surrounding regions. The ...thirty-four contributions to this volume ground the history, culture, and society of the first seven centuries of Christianity in archaeological method, theory, and research. Collectively the essays emphasize the link between fieldwork, archaeological methods, and regional and national traditions in constructing our knowledge of the early church, Christian communities, and the context of the ancient Mediterranean. An introductory essay provides historical and chronological perspectives on the archaeology of the early Christian world. This is followed by two chapters on the archaeology of the earliest Christ followers, and a series of topical treatments that focus on significant types of objects common to Christian contexts, such as ceramics, lamps, and icons,and monuments and contexts ranging from Christian churches to martyria, catacombs, and baths. Finally, the volume locates the archaeology of the early Christian world in a series of regional studies stretching from Britain to Persia. These regional studies situate the archaeology of early Christianity in historical contexts shaped by ancient geography and modern national archaeological traditions. The thorough, carefully researched, and fully referenced essays offer the most intensive, state-of-the-art treatment of recent research into the archaeology of early Christianity currently available.
Blunt thoracic aortic injury is often a lethal injury and is the second leading cause of traumatic death in the blunt trauma patient population.1 Ongoing clinical interest in the care of blunt aortic ...injuries has led to marked changes in the management of these patients to include new diagnostic modalities, delayed surgical therapy, medical therapy, and, most recently, endovascular therapy with the use of thoracic aortic stent grafts.2 Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has become the new standard for blunt aortic injury management in many Level I trauma centers.3 With the decreased risk of mortality and perioperative paraplegia associated with TEVAR compared with open thoracic aortic surgery, the challenge of access and availability of this new technology is now being faced by many smaller trauma centers. Several authors have noted the decrease in mortality, morbidity, and paraplegia rates associated with TEVAR.2, 4 Despite the lack of randomized controlled trials comparing open and endovascular repair of traumatic thoracic aortic injuries, the endovascular approach is becoming the standard of care for trauma.3 Despite the rapid adoption of this technique, many questions remain regarding the use of endovascular stent grafts for traumatic thoracic aortic injuries including the durability and long-term outcomes as well as the availability and expertise needed to perform these procedures.
Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) is a promising vector for gene therapy of photoreceptor-based diseases. Previous studies have demonstrated that rAAV serotypes 2 and 5 can transduce both rod ...and cone photoreceptors in rodents and dogs, and it can target rods, but not cones in primates. Here we report that using a human cone-specific enhancer and promoter to regulate expression of a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter gene in an rAAV-5 vector successfully targeted expression of the reporter gene to primate cones, and the time course of GFP expression was able to be monitored in a living animal using the RetCam II digital imaging system.
Tracer gas experiments were conducted in a 158 m3 room with overhead supply diffusers to study dispersion of contaminants from simulated speaking in physically distanced meeting and classroom ...configurations. The room was contained within a 237 m3 cell with open plenum return to the HVAC system. Heated manikins at desks and a researcher operating the tracer release apparatus presented 8-9 thermal plumes. Experiments were conducted under conditions of no forced air and neutral, cooled, or heated air supplied at 980-1100 cmh, and with/out 20% outdoor air. CO2 was released at the head of one manikin in each experiment to simulate small (< 5 µm diameter) respiratory aerosols. The metric of exposure relative to perfectly mixed (ERM) is introduced to quantify impacts, based on measurements at manikin heads and at three heights in the center and corners of the room. Chilled or neutral supply air provided good mixing with ERMs close to one. Thermal stratification during heating produced higher ERMs at most manikins: 25% were ≥ 2.5 and the highest were > 5× perfectly mixed conditions. Operation of two within-zone air cleaners together moving ≥400 cmh vertically in the room provided enough mixing to mitigate elevated exposure variations.
GGT(enu1) mice, deficient in gamma-glutamyl transferase and unable to metabolize extracellular glutathione, develop intracellular glutathione deficiency and oxidant stress. We used intratracheal ...IL-13 to induce airway inflammation and asthma in wild-type (WT) and GGT(enu1) mice to determine the effect of altered glutathione metabolism on bronchial asthma. WT and GGT(enu1) mice developed similar degrees of lung inflammation. In contrast, IL-13 induced airway epithelial cell mucous cell hyperplasia, mucin and mucin-related gene expression, epidermal growth factor receptor mRNA, and epidermal growth factor receptor activation along with airway hyperreactivity in WT mice but not in GGT(enu1) mice. Lung lining fluid (extracellular) glutathione was 10-fold greater in GGT(enu1) than in WT lungs, providing increased buffering of inflammation-associated reactive oxygen species. Pharmacologic inhibition of GGT in WT mice produced similar effects, suggesting that the lung lining fluid glutathione protects against epithelial cell induction of asthma. Inhibiting GGT activity in lung lining fluid may represent a novel therapeutic approach for preventing and treating asthma.
This study evaluated the efficacy of Integrated Family and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (IFCBT), a multisystems treatment for adolescent drug abuse, versus a Drugs Harm Psychoeducation curriculum ...(DHPE). A randomized controlled trial assessed youth and parents at baseline and at 1, 3 and 6-month posttreatment points. Youth participants (
N=43) met diagnostic criteria for one or more psychoactive substance use disorders with most youth meeting criteria for alcohol and marijuana use disorders. IFCBT produced significant reductions in posttreatment substance use when compared against DHPE. Throughout the 6-month posttreatment period, youth receiving IFCBT used alcohol an average of 2.03 days each month, which was significantly lower than the average number of 6.06 days that DHPE youth used alcohol during the same period. Similarly, youth receiving IFCBT used marijuana an average of 5.67 days each month during the initial 6 posttreatment months which was also significantly lower than the average number of 13.83 days that DHPE youth used marijuana each month during the same period. IFCBT also reduced rates of any marijuana use and produced significant changes in targeted psychosocial risk and protective factors. IFCBT youth exhibited significantly higher levels of rational problem solving and learning strategy skills, and significantly lower levels of problem avoidance when compared with DHPE youths. IFCBT parents exhibited significantly more adaptive scores on communication, involvement, control, and values/norms indices when compared with DHPE parents. No iatrogenic effects were exhibited among youth in either IFCBT or DHPE conditions on the outcome measures examined. The present study findings suggest that IFCBT is a promising approach for the treatment of adolescents with psychoactive substance use disorders.
It is unknown whether first-generation electronic cigarettes reduce smoking urges and withdrawal symptoms following a 24 h deprivation period. This study tested whether a first-generation electronic ...cigarette reduces smoking urges and withdrawal symptoms in cigarette smokers. Following 24 h of tobacco deprivation, using a within-subjects design, eight nontreatment seeking tobacco cigarette smokers (3 females) administered 10 puffs from a conventional cigarette or a first-generation electronic cigarette containing liquid with 0, 8 or 16 mg/ml nicotine. Conventional cigarettes ameliorated smoking urges and electronic cigarettes did not, regardless of nicotine concentration. First-generation electronic cigarettes may not effectively substitute for conventional cigarettes in reducing smoking urges, regardless of nicotine concentration.
For patients with symptomatic, severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR), early results of transcatheter tricuspid valve (TV) intervention studies have shown significant improvements in functional status ...and quality of life associated with right-heart reverse remodelling. Longer-term follow-up is needed to confirm sustained improvements in these outcomes.
The prospective, single-arm, multicentre TRISCEND study enrolled 176 patients to evaluate the safety and performance of transcatheter TV replacement in patients with ≥moderate, symptomatic TR despite medical therapy. Major adverse events, reduction in TR grade and haemodynamic outcomes by echocardiography, and clinical, functional, and quality-of-life parameters are reported to one year.
Enrolled patients were 71.0% female, mean age 78.7 years, 88.0% ≥ severe TR, and 75.4% New York Heart Association classes III-IV. Tricuspid regurgitation was reduced to ≤mild in 97.6% (P < .001), with increases in stroke volume (10.5 ± 16.8 mL, P < .001) and cardiac output (0.6 ± 1.2 L/min, P < .001). New York Heart Association class I or II was achieved in 93.3% (P < .001), Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire score increased by 25.7 points (P < .001), and six-minute walk distance increased by 56.2 m (P < .001). All-cause mortality was 9.1%, and 10.2% of patients were hospitalized for heart failure.
In an elderly, highly comorbid population with ≥moderate TR, patients receiving transfemoral EVOQUE transcatheter TV replacement had sustained TR reduction, significant increases in stroke volume and cardiac output, and high survival and low hospitalization rates with improved clinical, functional, and quality-of-life outcomes to one year. Funded by Edwards Lifesciences, TRISCEND ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04221490.
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