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Background: Resistance training and protein supplementation are known to increase protein synthesis and hypertrophy, primarily through the activation of the mTORC1 signaling pathway. However, mTORC1 activation in the kidneys can potentially lead to kidney disease. This study investigates the effects of eight weeks of resistance training combined with Spirulina platensis supplementation on the RAGs/Rheb/mTOR/S6K pathway in male rat kidneys. Methods: In this study, 32 male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups: control (Co; n = 8), Spirulina platensis (SP; n = 8), resistance training (RE; n = 8), and Spirulina platensis + resistance training (SP+RE; n = 8). The resistance training group engaged in five sessions per week over eight weeks. Spirulina was administered at a dosage of 200 mg/kg/day to the supplement and SP+RE groups. Gene expression was analyzed using real-time PCR following the last training session. Results: The mTOR gene expression significantly increased in the SP group (p = 0.01), while no significant changes were observed in the RE and SP+RE groups. Rheb gene expression did not show significant changes across any groups. Significant changes were noted in the RAGs gene in the SP group (p = 0.001), RE group (p = 0.047), and SP+RE group (p = 0.025). The S6K gene showed significant changes in the SP group (p = 0.01) but not in the other groups. Conclusion: Spirulina supplementation may activate the mTORC1 signaling pathway in the kidneys, potentially contributing to kidney disease progression. However, combined resistance training and Spirulina supplementation did not show changes in mTORC1 expression, suggesting that this combination might prevent further kidney tissue damage in athletes.

Early modern paper, formed from the fibers of recycled linen rags, captured the imagination of early modern writers, translators, and readers. Drawing on paper's material properties and history, seventeenth‐century chymists — including Thomas Tymme, Michael Maier, and Otto Tachenius — repeatedly imagine papermaking as a chymical purification in order to claim paper as a chymical invention. In doing so, these chymists seek to demonstrate their art's centrality to early modern knowledge production, circulation, and preservation. At the same time, by imagining papermaking as chymistry, these writers probe the boundaries of art and nature, the mechanical and liberal arts, and the ordinary and alchemical. Further, because of readers' familiarity and proximity to linen and paper, the material book offered proof of chymistry's usefulness, grounded in the tacit knowledge of daily experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Resistance training and protein supplementation are known to increase protein synthesis and hypertrophy, primarily through the activation of the mTORC1 signaling pathway. However, mTORC1 activation in the kidneys can potentially lead to kidney disease. This study investigates the effects of eight weeks of resistance training combined with Spirulina platensis supplementation on the RAGs/Rheb/mTOR/S6K pathway in male rat kidneys. Methods: In this study, 32 male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups: control (Co; n = 8), Spirulina platensis (SP; n = 8), resistance training (RE; n = 8), and Spirulina platensis + resistance training (SP+RE; n = 8). The resistance training group engaged in five sessions per week over eight weeks. Spirulina was administered at a dosage of 200 mg/kg/day to the supplement and SP+RE groups. Gene expression was analyzed using real-time PCR following the last training session. Results: The mTOR gene expression significantly increased in the SP group (p-value = 0.01), while no significant changes were observed in the RE and SP+RE groups. Rheb gene expression did not show significant changes across any groups. Significant changes were noted in the RAGs gene in the SP group (p-value = 0.001), RE group (p-value = 0.047), and SP+RE group (p-value = 0.025). The S6K gene showed significant changes in the SP group (p = 0.01) but not in the other groups. Conclusion: Spirulina supplementation may activate the mTORC1 signaling pathway in the kidneys, potentially contributing to kidney disease progression. However, combined resistance training and Spirulina supplementation did not show changes in mTORC1 expression, suggesting that this combination might prevent further kidney tissue damage in athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the assortment and primary methods of waste collection within the Reichskommissariat Ukraine during the occupation by Nazi forces. The Ukrainian occupational press serves as the primary source for this article. It demonstrates that the extraction of various resources and the plundering of material valuables were directed towards supporting the economic and military power of the Third Reich, with waste collection policies being one of its facets. To facilitate this activity in this realm, the Nazis utilized existing infrastructure within the territory of Ukraine, including warehouses, factories, and offices of Soyuzutyl, established on the eve of the Second World War, as well as the infrastructure of the consumer cooperative system. It is shown that the specificity of Ukraine lies in assigning waste collection duties to consumer cooperatives, which transformed into the primary suppliers of various raw materials for the needs of the Third Reich. Local administrations and individual cooperatives actively participated in this endeavor, and special associations were also established. Additionally, the occupying authorities sought to involve schoolchildren and the broader population, developing various incentive systems for this purpose, although the participation of these actors was minimal. The article examines the peculiarities of waste collection propaganda within the territory of the Reichskommissariat Ukraine, which was based on ideological motives such as gratitude for liberation from Soviet rule, as well as economic motives related to the need for waste to produce consumer goods for the local population by enterprises of the Nazi regime. It is argued that primary attention was given to collecting scrap black and colored metals, as well as bones, paper, and rags. The author suggests that the scale of economic plundering of Ukraine was much larger than commonly believed, yet acknowledges that this requires further in-depth research involving a wide range of archival sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambivalent Matter: Rags as Waste and Resource in the Eighteenth Century This article examines the dual role of rags as waste and a potential resource during the early modern period. Rags were indispensable to the early modern paper production, yet they also bore the potential to be perceived as mere refuse, which underscores the complexities involved in the commodification of waste. While much of modern research has predominantly emphasized the value of rags, the waste aspect of the paper rag trade has often been underestimated. This study seeks to offer a broader understanding, shedding light on the multifaceted nature of rags and the related economic implications. To address the ambivalent nature of rags, it is crucial to adopt a multi-perspective approach, looking beyond the paper industry alone. This means taking into account household practices regarding textile remnants and surrounding contemporary discourses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. Determination of phytocenosis productivity, nitrogen concentration and reserves in blocks of plant associations and by soil types in the North‐Western Precaspian region of Russia. Methods. Comprehensive research on the accumulation of organic matter and nitrogen in five blocks of plant matter, six plant associations and three types of soil by season using well‐known methods of accounting and analysis of soils and plants. Results. The regularities of phytomass formation, changes in nitrogen concentration and reserves in the main soil types and six plant associations for the 2011–2018 seasons were revealed. Conclusions. Ephemeroid‐wormwood‐cereal, ephemeroid‐wormwood, cereal‐wormwood, forb‐campfire and mixed‐grass‐campfire plant communities formed on light chestnut soil are the most productive, with a total productivity of 24.34 t/ha. The maximum nitrogen concentration was observed in the cereal‐wormwood, wormwood‐saltwort, forb‐saltwort and cereal‐saltwort associations – 1.9, 1.97, 2.2, and 2.57%, respectively, which is due to the predominance of Artemisia taurica Willd., Artemisia lercheana Web.ex Stechm. and Salsola iberica Sennen&Pau. In associations where there are representatives of the Poaceae, Brassicaceae and Caryophyllaceae, nitrogen decreases to 1.72–1.74%. Its value was higher on light‐chestnut soil, being 1.82% of absolutely dry mass, while on meadow‐chestnut soil it decreased to 1.75 and on saline soil is typically 1.38%. In the root mass of plant associations, its indicators were 3.2 times less than in the above ground mass. Nitrogen reserves by blocks of plant matter formed the following decreasing series: roots ≥ green mass ≥ rags ≥ felt. In the input part of the balance in plant associations, 171.6 nitrogen accumulates on light‐chestnut soil, 63.1 on meadow‐chestnut soil, 49.1 kg/ha on automorphic typical saline soil, and 171.9; 64.3 and 58.1 kg/ha in the expenditure part, respectively. the balance of nitrogen in the first type of soil is formed with a minimum deficit of 0.6 kg/ha, 1.2 and 9 kg/ha, respectively.

Waste for the Soviet Economy: Recycling of Rags in Ukraine in the 1920s [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article, based on previously unexplored archival documents, examines the recycling of rags in the early Soviet Union, using the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) as a case study. Within the context of the early Soviet waste regime, the characteristics of the Ukrainian rag market, its key participants, the challenges they encountered, and the strategies they devised in a republic with limited textile waste are investigated. The article asserts that in the Ukrainian SSR during the 1920s, the paper industry emerged as the primary consumer of rags. Consequently, the secondary utilization of rags in this sector should be regarded as the authorities’ endeavor to extensively utilize substitutes in light of the limited reserves of cellulose and timber in the republic. Rags were also an important export resource, driven more by ideological reasons than purely economic ones. The article demonstrates the specificities of waste management policies during the New Economic Policy period, characterized by the authorities’ directive methods of regulating the market, attributable to the strategic significance of this type of raw material for Soviet enterprises. It contends that the transition to a centralized waste collection model in the early 1930s was a natural outcome of the implementation of the planned economy. However, intense competition for various waste materials, particularly rags, contributed to this transition.

To determine the effectiveness of the modified Frailty Index–5 (mFI-5) in predicting postoperative functional outcome after microsurgical resection of ruptured brain arteriovenous malformations (bAVMs). A retrospective review was performed of patients undergoing microsurgical resection of acutely ruptured bAVMs. Demographics, bAVM characteristics, mFI-5, Ruptured Arteriovenous Malformation Grading Scale (RAGS) score, and Spetzler-Martin (S-M) grade were recorded. Predictive ability of mFI-5 for postoperative functional outcome measured by modified Rankin Scale (mRS) was assessed with univariate and multivariate logistic and linear regression. RAGS score and S-M grade alone were compared with adding mFI-5 to either RAGS score or S-M grade using area under the curve (AUC) analysis. In total, 109 patients were included. For every 1-point increase in mFI-5, there was a lower likelihood of good functional outcome (mRS score ≤2; odds ratio [OR], 0.33; confidence interval [CI], 0.15–0.60; P = 0.011). Healthy patients (mFI-5 = 0) were more likely to have good postoperative outcomes versus frail patients (mFI-5 ≥1) (OR, 3.32; CI, 1.24–8.97; P = 0.017). In multivariate analysis controlling for RAGS score, for every 1-point mFI-5 increase, there was a decreased likelihood of postoperative good functional outcome (OR, 0.32; CI, 0.14–0.63; P = 0.0026) and mFI-5 did not significantly predict secondary outcomes. S-M grade with mFI-5 showed better discrimination for postoperative good functional outcome (AUC 0.616), compared with S-M grade alone (AUC 0.544). RAGS score with mFI-5 showed the best discrimination for postoperative good functional outcome (AUC 0.798), compared with RAGS score alone (AUC 0.721). Measuring frailty with mFI-5 additive to established bAVM grading systems may improve assessment of individual patient likelihood of postoperative good functional outcome after hemorrhagic bAVM resection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examines host pathogen response in developmental stage of Pterophyllum scalare (angelfish) infected with Aeromonas hydrophila. The study conducted had two different experiments in which the fish were subjected to formalin‐killed Aeromonas hydrophila (FKA) and immunostimulant (β‐glucan) by immersion method. The first experiment had three treatment groups viz., immunized, non‐immunized and control groups and the exposure time ranged between 12 and 32 dph (days posthatch) of larval rearing. The immunized group exhibited a higher fold expression of RAG‐1, RAG‐2 and IgM genes compared with non‐immunized group. The results demonstrated that the vaccination of 12 dph developmental stage prior to bacterial challenge of angelfish makes it more immunocompetent against the pathogens. Moreover, another experiment using β‐glucan was conducted to further examine the development of immune responses in angelfish larvae. The study consisted four treatments containing graded levels of β‐glucan dosages such as 100, 200 and 300 mg/L including a control (0 mg/L) for 20 days from 12 to 32 dph. The higher fold change in mRNA expression of RAG‐1, RAG‐2 and IgM genes was observed in β‐glucan (200 mg/L) treated group as compared to non‐treated and control group. The highest survivability was observed in the immunized group and immunostimulant treated group in the survival analysis. Hence, the present study suggested that either immunization with FKA or β‐glucan (200 mg/L) could be used as a strategy to mitigate the mortality rate and combat infection during the early larval rearing of P. scalare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating lesion to the spinal cord, which determines the interruption of ascending/descending axonal tracts, the loss of supraspinal control of sensory-motor functions below the injured site, and severe autonomic dysfunctions, dramatically impacting the quality of life of the patients. After the acute inflammatory phase, the progressive formation of the astrocytic glial scar characterizes the acute-chronic phase: such scar represents one of the main obstacles to the axonal regeneration that, as known, is very limited in the central nervous system (CNS). Unfortunately, a cure for SCI is still lacking: the current clinical approaches are mainly based on early vertebral column stabilization, anti-inflammatory drug administration, and rehabilitation programs. However, new experimental therapeutic strategies are under investigation, one of which is to stimulate axonal regrowth and bypass the glial scar. One major issue in axonal regrowth consists of the different genetic programs, which characterize axonal development and maturation. Here, we will review the main hurdles that in adulthood limit axonal regeneration after SCI, describing the key genes, transcription factors, and miRNAs involved in these processes (seen their reciprocal influencing action), with particular attention to corticospinal motor neurons located in the sensory-motor cortex and subjected to axotomy in case of SCI. We will highlight the functional complexity of the neural regeneration programs. We will also discuss if specific axon growth programs, that undergo a physiological downregulation during CNS development, could be reactivated after a spinal cord trauma to sustain regrowth, representing a new potential therapeutic approach.

Copyright of Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Textile recycling is an important contemporary issue and a field of research for which the aim is a circular economy in order to hinder the negative impact of increasing textile consumption on environment and climate. However, when it comes to textiles, the linear economy has a short history. This article is about textile recycling and the trade of rags during a long nineteenth century. The amount of textiles increased in Swedish households, leading to an increase also in the supply of rags. A number of changes led to a growing demand for rags during the first half of the nineteenth century as a resource for the production of paper, followed in the latter half of the century by a growing demand for wool rags within the textile industry. While the importance of rags for the paper industry is well known, this article sheds new light on the importance of rags for textile production. Sources show that as much as 40 percent of the wool used within Swedish wool manufactures at the end of the nineteenth century came from wool rags. The trade with rags was performed at different levels: from individual rag collectors and small rag-and-bone dealers to a large-scale international trade. The circular economy of textiles meant that textile waste became a necessary part of a growing textile production, which in turn created possibilities for an8' increased consumption and thus more textile waste. Thus, this article supports previous research pointing out that waste not only was the necessary, unfortunate bi-product of industrialization, but also a prerequisite for increased production [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides an overview of sacred trees in Ireland. It mentions about Rag Tree at Clonfert Cathedral, Co. Galway, which was probably a native species such as ash or oak initially, a horse chestnut is used as a rag tree today for curing sick children. It also informs on Money Tree at Clonenagh, Mountrath, Co. Laois.

For centuries, Jewish entrepreneurs have worked in the second-hand goods economy. Closely allied with pawnbroking, dealing in second-hand goods made it possible for Jews, often forbidden from owning land or joining craft guilds and unions, to earn a living in much of Europe. As Jews left eastern and central Europe for England, the British Commonwealth, and the United States, they took their knowledge of second-hand goods with them and built on established peddlers' networks to create businesses that dealt in scrap materials like metals, paper, rags, and hides. From that foundation, Jewish scrap dealers came to deal in military surplus, used and new furniture, and auto parts. Although underappreciated and obscured in the present day, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the figures of Jews who dealt in second-hand goods loomed large enough to appear in popular culture in literature, on stage, and on screen, both films and television. Even comic books - a literary genre shaped by Jewish entrepreneurs and artists - got into the scrap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studii de Ştiintă şi Cultură is the property of Studii de Stiinta si Cultura and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The search for novel anticancer small molecules and strategies remains a challenge. Our previous studies have identified TXA1 (1-{[2-(diethylamino)ethyl]amino}-4-propoxy-9H- thioxanthen-9-one) as a hit compound, with in vitro antitumor potential by modulating autophagy and apoptosis in human tumor cell lines. In the present study, the mechanism of action and antitumor potential of the soluble salt of this molecule (TXA1.HCl) was further investigated using in vitro and mouse xenograft tumor models of NSCLC. Our results showed that TXA1.HCl affected steroid biosynthesis, increased RagD expression, and caused abnormal cellular cholesterol localization. In addition, TXA1.HCl treatment presented no toxicity to nude mice and significantly reduced the growth of human NSCLC cells xenografts in mice. Overall, this work provides new insights into the mechanism of action of TXA1, which may be relevant for the development of anticancer therapeutic strategies, which target cholesterol transport.

The Rags represent a unique family of evolutionarily conserved, heterodimeric, lysosome-localized small GTPases that play an indispensible role in regulating cellular metabolism in response to various amino acid signaling mechanisms. Rapid progress in the field has begun to unveil a picture in which Rags act as central players in translating information regarding cellular amino acid levels by modulating their nucleotide binding status through an ensemble of support proteins localized in and around the lysosomes. By cooperating with other signaling pathways that converge on the lysosomes, Rags promote anabolic processes through positively affecting mTORC1 signaling in the presence of abundant amino acids. Conversely, Rag inactivation plays an indispensible role in switching cellular metabolism into a catabolic paradigm by promoting the activity of the master lysosomal/autophagic transcription factors TFEB and TFE3. Precise control of Rag signaling is necessary for cells to adapt to constantly changing cellular demands and emerging evidence has highlighted their importance in a wide variety of developmental and pathological conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented on the evolution of Cinderella cover illustrations. It offers the visual transformation of cinderella who used to be in downtrodden state, dressed in rags, but in the most modern day-picture book covers, Cinderella is shown as neatly dressed with good hairdo resembling a princess with colors like pinks and purples. The author explains that the meaning of 'Cinderella' has shifted from a model of humility for young women to emulate to a dazzling display for little girls.

Integrity in entirety is the preferred state of any organism. The temporal and spatial integrity of the genome ensures continued survival of a cell. DNA breakage is the first step towards creation of chromosomal translocations. In this review, we highlight the factors contributing towards the breakage of chromosomal DNA. It has been well-established that the structure and sequence of DNA play a critical role in selective fragility of the genome. Several non-B- DNA structures such as Z- DNA, cruciform DNA, G-quadruplexes, R loops and triplexes have been implicated in generation of genomic fragility leading to translocations. Similarly, specific sequences targeted by proteins such as Recombination Activating Genes and Activation Induced Cytidine Deaminase are involved in translocations. Processes that ensure the integrity of the genome through repair may lead to persistence of breakage and eventually translocations if their actions are anomalous. An insufficient supply of nucleotides and chromatin architecture may also play a critical role. This review focuses on a range of events with the potential to threaten the genomic integrity of a cell, leading to cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Victorian Britain rags were not only associated with the inadequate clothing of the poor, they were also viewed as a valuable commodity, widely collected for recycling into paper. This essay examines rags as simultaneously despised and precious objects, tracing the connections between Victorian accounts of poverty, the industrial recycling of rags into paper, and the redemption narratives created by Charles Dickens about rescued children. A supporter of Ragged Schools and champion of rags recycling, Dickens drew on the idea of the transformation of dirty rags into clean paper in his representations of ragged children. To him, the recycling of rags indicated the civilizing forces of modernity, and reading Dickens's representations of ragged children in this context reveals how cloth recycling became a paradigm for society's duties towards destitute children. This essay explains Dickens's juxtaposition of ragged children with references to rag-dealing in his novels; by this means he suggested that street children, like their ragged clothing, were capable of being purified and transformed into social usefulness. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is a master regulator of cell growth and metabolism. It controls many cell functions by integrating nutrient availability and growth factor signals. Amino acids, and in particular leucine, are among the main positive regulators of mTORC1 signaling. The current model for the regulation of mTORC1 by amino acids involves the movement of mTOR to the lysosome mediated by the Rag-GTPases. Here, we have examined the control of mTORC1 signaling and mTOR localization by amino acids and leucine in serum-fed cells, because both serum growth factors (or, e.g., insulin) and amino acids are required for full activation of mTORC1 signaling. We demonstrate that mTORC1 activity does not closely correlate with the lysosomal localization of mTOR. In particular, leucine controls mTORC1 activity without any detectable modification of the lysosomal localization of mTOR, indicating that the signal(s) exerted by leucine is likely distinct from those exerted by other amino acids. In addition, knock-down of the Rag-GTPases attenuated the inhibitory effect of amino acid- or leucine-starvation on the phosphorylation of mTORC1 targets. Furthermore, data from cells where Rag expression has been knocked down revealed that leucine can promote mTORC1 signaling independently of the lysosomal localization of mTOR. Our data complement existing models for the regulation of mTORC1 by amino acids and provide new insights into this important topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pump blockages and rags are a significant barrier to realizing energy and operational efficiencies in wastewater pumping throughout the world. In this case study, Graeme Moore of Scottish Water details the blockage problems at the company''s Levenhall Sewage Pumping Station and discusses the approach taken to their solution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses the rag men of the Bordeaux region in France, and the social aspects of their work and place in society. Topics include rag men as a socially stigmatized group, social and legal comparisons and differences between rag men and beggars, and public attitudes toward rag men as agents of urban squalor.

During the settling stages in some oil sands froth treatments, a rag layer (an undesirable mixture of dispersed oil, water, and solids) can form at the water−oil interface. To investigate rag layer formation, oil sand froths were diluted with mixtures of toluene and heptane and the diluted froths were centrifuged in steps of increasing rpm. The volumes of oil phase, rag layer, free water, and sediment were measured after each step. The data obtained from the experiments were used for material balances to determine the composition of the rag layers. The size and properties of the rag layer solids were also measured. Two mechanisms were found to influence rag layer formation: slow coalescence of emulsified water between 1500 and 3000 rpm (200−1000 times gravity); trapping of fine intermediate to oil wet solids at higher rpm and residence times. The main process factors affecting rag formation appear to be the type of diluent and asphaltene precipitation. As well, higher quality oil sand produced much smaller rag layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interweaving of flesh and fabric are the focus of this article, which will explore the relationships between body, film and fashion in Jean-Paul Gaultier's costume design for Luc Besson's action/fantasy film Le Cinquime lment (1997). Gaultier's designs structure the text as a catwalk show, following fashion's hierarchy of the showpiece, haute couture and prt--porter. This article will consider Gaultier's showpieces, modelled by the characters Zorg (Gary Oldman) and Ruby Rhod (Chris Tucker), who function as techno-erotic and queer bodies respectively. Applying theoretical debates on abjection and drag initiated by Kristeva and Butler, an analysis of the interplay between body and clothing (particularly fabric and sexuality) will materialize. The impact of costume as an independent producer of meaning and its ensuing effects on how we sense the star bodies of Oldman and Tucker are then be [ad]dressed to illustrate how Gaultier unpicks the fabric of hegemony. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]