Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Aphrodisiacs'

Les frises à guirlandes, pétrification du décor festif éphémère des sanctuaires, sont nées à Pergame au début de la période héllénistique et ont développé en Asie Mineure de multiples variantes qui en font une signature de l'architecture micrasiatique. Du triumvirat à l'époque antonine, sept monuments sacrés et profanes d'Aphrodisias de Carie offrent un ensemble exceptionnel de frises ioniques figurées, présentant la plupart des types de guirlandes et de supports : têtes de victimes animales au théâtre, figures dansantes de l'agora et du temple d'Aphrodite, masques de théâtre au propylon du Sebasteion et sur la frise du "Portique de Tibère" où ils s'associent à des têtes : reproductions des chefs d'oeuvre du classicisme grec, personnages de théâtre et représentations d'Alexandre et des principaux dynastes héllénistiques. Cet ouvrage collectif manifeste la capacité des ateliers aphrodisiens à équilibrer dans leur répertoire la tradition du classicisme et leur puissance d'innovation ainsi que leur savoir-faire et leur capacité d'optimisation des chantiers. Pour le mur de scène du théâtre daté de 30-27 av. N. è. , la reconstitution séquentielle de la frise ionique permet la restitution de la façade à baldaquins et conduit à l'analyse du programme iconographique d'ensemble, associant la structure au décor architectural et statuaire de la façade. La frise du Portique de Tibère révèle aussi un programme iconographique lié à la paideia qui permet de proposer pour cette longue place à bassin central une identification avec le syxte du gymnase de Diogenès attesté épigraphiquement. Le Portique de Tibère associé aux Thermes d'Hadrien illustrerait le concept du gymnase selon Vitruve. Le rôle emblématique des frises à guirlandes dans la cité d'Aphrodite met en relief la stratégie d'alliance historique des élites locales avec Rome et la dynastie julio-claudienne.

Orientador: Mary Anne Heidi Dolder
Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia
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Resumo: A Ciclosporina A (CsA) é uma droga imunossupressora amplamente utiliza na terapia pós-transplante de órgãos e no tratamento de doenças autoimunes. Apesar de sua ampla utilização e eficiência como imunossupressora, a CsA causa diversos efeitos colaterais, dentre eles nefrotoxicidade, hepatotoxicidade e danos a órgãos do aparelho reprodutor masculino (testículo e próstata). Estes efeitos provavelmente estão relacionados à atividade pró-oxidante do medicamento, que causa um desequilíbrio entre produção de espécies reativas de oxigênio e produção de enzimas antioxidantes. Heteropterys tomentosa, planta natural do cerrado brasileiro, é utilizada popularmente utilizada como tônico, estimulante das funções cerebrais e afrodisíacas. A eficiência da infusão de H. tomentosa para atenuar os danos causados pela CsA no testículo e próstata ventral de ratos já foi comprovada cientificamente. Além disso, H. tomentosa também parece ser eficiente contra a hepatotoxicidade induzida por esta droga, analisando-se parâmetros bioquímicos plasmáticos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar os efeitos da Ciclosporina A no fígado, rim, timo, testículo, epidídimo e próstata ventral. Caso haja efeitos, determinar se a infusão de H. tomentosa altera tais efeitos. Além disso, objetivamos analisar se o tratamento com a infusão de H. tomentosa interfere na capacidade imunossupressora da Ciclosporina A. O tratamento com H. tomentosa durante 21 dias causou sutis alterações hepáticas nos animais, resultados não encontrados após a administração do tratamento com a planta durante 56 dias. O tratamento simultâneo com CsA e H. tomentosa causou alterações hepáticas diferentes daquelas dos animais tratados somente com CsA. A nefrotoxicidade induzida por CsA foi tempo dependente. O tratamento com CsA durante 21 dias causou o aparecimento de pequenos acúmulos de substâncias no lúmen dos túbulos da região medular, entretanto não foram observadas graves alterações nos túbulos proximais. Após 56 dias de tratamento foram observados acúmulo de substâncias no lúmen de túbulos da região medular do rim. Além disso, foram observados pontos de vacuolização citoplasmática nos túbulos proximais em regiões específicas. Estes efeitos foram observados no grupo tratado somente com CsA e no grupo tratado simultaneamente com CsA e H. tomentosa. O tratamento somente com a infusão de H. tomentosa não causou danos ao rim. O tratamento com CsA e/ou H. tomentosa não causou efeitos aos testículos, entretanto, após 56 dias de tratamento formam observadas alterações ao epidídimo e próstata ventral, resultado não observado no grupo CsA+Ht. A contagem de células no sangue periférico evidenciou a imunossupressão causada pela Ciclosporina A administrada por 21 ou 56 dias. Mesmo após o tratamento conjunto com a infusão e a droga (21 e 56 dias) a imunossupressão foi evidenciada. Além disso, a análise do tecido tímico revelou alterações estruturais causadas pela CsA administrada isoladamente ou em conjunto com a infusão. Estes resultados revelaram que os efeitos colaterais associados ao tratamento com CsA ao rim, epidídimo e próstata ventral são tempo-dependentes. Além disso, foi observado que o tratamento com H. tomentosa foi capaz de reduzir as alterações causadas pela CsA ao epidídimo e próstata ventral. Este estudo revela ainda, que a infusão de H. tomentosa não altera a capacidade imunossupressora da Ciclosporina A
Abstract: Cyclosporin A (CsA) is an immunosuppressive drug used after organ transplantation and against auto immune diseases. Despite CsA widely use as immunosuppressant, this drug causes diverse side effects as: nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and male reproductive organs (testis and ventral prostate) impairment. Those CsA-related side effects are probably related to the CsA pro oxidant properties that causes imbalance among reactive oxygen species generation and antioxidant enzymes production. Heteropterys tomentosa, native plant from Brazilian cerrado, a savanna-like biome, is popularly used as tonic and stimulant of brain functions and as an aphrodisiac plant. H. tomentosa¿s efficiency against CsA side effects to the testis and ventral prostate has been scientifically proved. Moreover, H. tomentosa either reduced the alterations caused by CsA to plasma biochemical parameters that are hepatotoxicity markers. The aim of the present study was evaluate the effects of CsA to the liver, kidney, testis, epididymis, ventral prostate and thymus. If there are alterations CsA-induced, evaluate if H. tomentosa infusion alter these effects. Lastly we aimed to evaluate if H. tomentosa infusion interfere on CsA immunosuppressive capacity. CsA treatment for 21 days caused minor alterations to the liver tissue; this result was not observed after the administration of the infusion for 56 days. The simultaneous treatment with CsA and H. tomentosa caused hepatic alterations different from those observed in the animals treated with only CsA. The nephrotoxicity CsA-induce was time related; the kidney of animals treated with CsA had small substances accumulation (casts) on juxtamedullary tubules lumina, alteration to the proximal tubules were not evident. After 56 days of treatment there was huge casts on juxtamedullary tubules and some proximal tubules had vacuolization. These kidney¿s alterations were present in the groups treated with CsA and CsA+H. tomentosa. H. tomentosa administration did not caused alteration to the kidney tissue. The treatment with CsA, H. tomentosa and both simultaneously did not caused effects to the testis, however, CsA administration for 56 days caused alterations to the epididymis and ventral prostate; these alteration were not observe after the treatment with CsA+H. tomentosa. CsA caused reduction on the number of lymphocytes in the peripheral blood after the administration for 21 or 56 days, simultaneously with H. tomentosa or not. Furthermore, the thymus tissue had structural alterations caused by CsA, administrated alone or simultaneously to H. tomentosa (for 21 or 56 days). These results confirm CsA immunosuppression even after the administration with H. tomentosa simultaneously. The present study shows that CsA-induced effects to the kidney, epididymis and ventral prostate are time dependents. Moreover, the treatment with H. tomentosa reduced the alteration caused by CsA to the epididymis and ventral prostate. Finally, this study proved that H. tomentosa did not alter the immunosuppressant properties of Cyclosporin A
Doutorado
Biologia Celular
Doutora em Biologia Celular e Estrutural

Today, computers enabled architects to represent their ideas in a fast and more efficient way compared to making drawings by hand. It enabled architects to visualize their ideas in a way that hand drawings cannot. This thesis is an attempt to make digital reconstructions to provide the visual experiences of the ancient city Aphrodisias in western Asia Minor and its temple dedicated to divine emperors known as the Sebasteion of Aphrodisias. Its aim is to show that by using common architectural softwares one can overcome the possible problems of graphic representations in the history of architecture. Moreover, this study focuses not only on the interpretations of the data at hand but also demonstrates how the missing information defines and shapes the digital models in order to convey the meaning of the buildings.

Min was one of the earliest known Egyptian deities and his origins remain obscure but, because of his association with fertility and the kingship, he retained his importance from the Predynastic Period into the Roman era. Although his depiction as an ithyphallic, mummified male with a flail balanced above his raised right arm remained unaltered throughout, the overall iconography of Min did exhibit changes, notably with the introduction in the Sixth Dynasty of what is accepted as a lettuce plant resembling the modern Cos or Romaine cultivar of Lactuca sativa L. It is the association of Min with the lettuce plant that is the subject of this thesis. It is the received opinion in the literature that the plant was offered to Min, a fertility god, as an aphrodisiac. Apart from two seminal works that are over fifty years old, little research has been conducted into the association of Min with the lettuce. Much early research is in need of re-examination because of changes in social attitudes and research techniques and this the thesis seeks to redress. The aims of the research are to review the evidence for the lettuce plant in ancient Egypt and to re-examine the previously noted association of the god Min with a plant identified as lettuce. The study is primarily library and museum based and examines the history and nature of lettuce in ancient Egypt. The nature of 'aphrodisiac' is examined and the use of such substances in ancient Egypt is compared with modern usage. Min as a god of fertility is re-analysed and, finally, texts and Ptolemaic temple inscriptions are examined for evidence as to why and by whom lettuce was offered. The research results are applied to a study of Min as a god of fertility. The evidence indicates that lettuce was offered by the king to Min to ensure the fertility and regeneration of agriculture and of the king which would secure the continuation of his line and humanity. There is no evidence to suggest lettuce was offered as an aphrodisiac to increase the sexual desire of the god.

This thesis sets out to explore the influences on and meaning of early imperial female portrait sculpture and statues of Aphrodisias in Asia Minor. This group is unlike any other. There survives a rich amount of contextual evidence as well as some unique portraits with unusual features. They appeared at a time of social change for women and as the first images of imperial wives and mothers emerged from Rome. Local artists exploited this imagery in the city of Aphrodite, the ultimate mother of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. These portraits have only ever been studied as part of the corpus of statues that includes those of males; as a homogenous group with little new to say. In the home of the most significant mother of the time, I propose that the portraits disproportionately emphasise motherhood and reflect the new-found power enjoyed by some of the earliest empresses. Emerging theories surrounding gender in the ancient world and an art-historical approach have highlighted inconsistencies and inadequacies in former arguments and methodologies dealing with material of this kind. In response, this thesis applies new theories, considering the role of gender with a close examination of iconography and social and political factors to develop an unbiased and objective approach, free from preconceptions and entirely based on the evidence. The stripping away of previous assumptions has necessitated a reassessment of ancient portraits of both sexes which is tackled in Chapter One. After an assessment of the special circumstances of early imperial Aphrodisias in Chapter Two, the thesis then interprets material by grouping portraits apparently influenced by Rome in Chapter Three, and those which seemingly do not in Chapter Four. In each case, I show how each individual portrait expresses its own unique message of sometimes unexpected values.

Orientadores: Mary Anne Heidi Dolder, Sebastiâo Roberto Taboga
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia
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Resumo: A Ciclosporina A (CsA) é um imunossupressor amplamente utilizado no tratamento pós-transplante de órgãos e contra doenças auto-imunes. Entretanto, diversos efeitos colaterais estão relacionados ao tratamento com esta droga, dentre eles nefrotoxicidade, hepatoxicidade, tremor, hipertensão, hiperlipidemia, hipercalcemia, hipertricose e hiperplasia gengival. Além destes, danos à reprodução masculina como redução na produção de testosterona e disfunção testicular são extensivamente documentados. Heteropterys aphrodisiaca é uma planta arbustiva típica do Cerrado brasileiro. É conhecida como nó-de-cachorro, sendo utilizada popularmente como tônica e afrodisíaca. Estudos anteriores confirmam a eficiência da infusão de H. aphrodisiaca contra os efeitos colaterais a CsA nos testículos. Visto isso, o objetivo do presente trabalho foi determinar os possíveis efeitos colaterais da CsA na próstata ventral de ratos Wistar e verificar se a infusão de H. aphrodisiaca seria eficiente em minimizá-los. Trinta ratos Wistar adultos (90 dias) foram divididos em cinco grupos (n=6 em cada): Grupo I (controle): tratado com água; grupo II: tratado com CsA; grupo III: tratado com infusão de H. aphrodisiaca; grupo IV: tratamento simultâneo de CsA e H. aphrodisiaca; e grupo V: tratamento com CsA e H. aphrodisiaca em dias alternados. A CsA foi administrada na dose de 15 mg/kg/dia e a infusão de nó-de-cachorro no volume de 0,5 ml por animal (infusão preparada com 25 g de raiz seca e moída em 100 ml de água fervida). Todos os tratamentos foram realizados diariamente, durante 56 dias. Após este período os animais foram pesados e eutanasiados. Testículo, epidídimo, glândula vesicular, glândula de coagulação e próstata ventral foram coletados e pesados. A próstata ventral foi dividida em três porções. Uma foi fixada em Karnovsky e processada para inclusão em metacrilato; este material foi utilizado para análises morfológicas, morfométricas e estereológicas do tecido. A segunda porção, também fixada com Karnovsky, foi processada para inclusão em Epon; este material foi utilizado para realização de análises em microscopia eletrônica de transmissão. Por fim, a terceira porção foi fixada em Metacarn e incluída em parafina para realização de imunohistoquímica para detecção de receptor de andrógeno e técnica para detecção de apoptose (TUNEL). As análises morfológicas, morfométricas, estereológicas e ultraestruturais mostraram que o tratamento com a infusão de H. aphrodisiaca não causou nenhuma alteração na próstata ventral. Por outro lado, o tratamento com CsA causou severos danos a este tecido como redução nos volumes de lumen, epitélio, estroma muscular e não muscular, além de atrofia do epitélio. A análise ultraestrutural mostrou que nas células do epitélio atrofiado havia redução das organelas relacionadas à secreção de proteínas (retículo endoplasmático rugoso e complexo de Golgi), o que provavelmente leva à diminuição de sua atividade secretora. O tratamento conjunto de CsA e H. aphrodisiaca aparentemente reduziu os danos causados na próstata, o que foi evidenciado pela normalização nos parâmetros analisados que haviam sido prejudicados pela administração somente da CsA. Nenhuma alteração entre os grupos experimentais foi observada no padrão de marcação imunohistoquímica para receptores de andrógeno e no índice apoptótico. Os resultados obtidos mostram que o tratamento com CsA causa danos na estrutura prostática que provavelmente refletem em danos funcionais ao tecido. Além disso, foi confirmada a ação protetora da infusão de H. aphrodisiaca contra os efeitos colaterais da CsA na próstata ventral de ratos Wistar
Abstract: Cyclosporin A (CsA) is an immunosuppressive drug widely used in the post-operative treatment after organ transplants and against auto-immune diseases. However, various side effects have been associated with the use of this drug, including nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, tremors, hypertension, hyperlipidemy, hypercalcicity, hypertrichosia and hyperplasticity of the gums. Besides these, damage to the male reproductive system, such as diminished testosterone production and testicular dysfunction, have been extensively documented. Heteropterys aphrodisiaca is a bush, typical of the Brazilian "Cerrado" region. It is known as "nó-de-cachorro" and used in traditional medicine as a tonic and an aphrodisiac drink. Previous studies confirm the efficiency of H. aphrodisiaca against the side effects of CsA in rat testicles. As a consequence, this research was undertaken with the aim of determining the possible collateral effects of CsA in the ventral prostate of Wistar rats and to verify whether the infusion of H. aphrodisiaca would be efficient to diminish the possible collateral effects of CsA in this organ. Thirty adult Wistar rats (90 days old) were divided into five groups (n=6 in each). Group I (control) was treated with water, Group II with CsA, group III received the H. aphrodisiaca infusion, group IV was treated simultaneously with CsA and H. aphrodisiaca infusion and group V received CsA or H. aphrodisiaca infusion on alternate days. CsA was administered in the dose of 15 mg/kg/day and the infusion in a volume of 0.5 ml per animal (infusion prepared with 25 g of dry ground roots in 100 ml of boiling water). All treatments were given daily for 56 days. After this period the rats were weighed and euthanized. Testis, epididymis, vesicular gland, coagulating gland and the ventral prostate were collected and weighed. The ventral prostate was divided into three portions. One was fixed in Karnovsky fixative and processed for inclusion in methacrylate. This portion was used for morphological, morphometrical and stereological analysis of the tissue. A second portion, fixed in the same manner, was processed for inclusion in Epon and analyzed with the transmission electron microscope. The last portion was fixed in Metacarn and included in paraffin to be used for immunohistochemistry of the androgen receptor and the TUNEL technique for apoptosis. The morphological, morphometrical, stereological and ultrastructural analyses showed that the H. aphrodisiaca infusion did not cause any alteration of the prostatic tissue. On the other hand, CsA treatment resulted in severe damage to the tissue, reducing the lumen, epithelium, muscular and non-muscular stroma. Atrophied epithelium was observed after CsA administration. Ultrastructural analysis showed that the atrophied epithelium had reduced organelles involved in protein secretion (rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complex) which probably causes decreased secretory activity of the cells. The simultaneous treatment of CsA and H. aphrodisiaca apparently reduced the prostatic damage, since these were less damaged when compared to the prostate of animals that received only CsA. No alteration was found in the pattern of immunohistochemical labeling for androgen receptors and the apoptotic index, for all experimental groups. The results showed that CsA treatment caused structural damage to the prostate which probably reflected functional damage to the organ. The protective action of the H. aphrodisiaca infusion against the collateral effects of CsA was also confirmed for this organ.
Mestrado
Biologia Celular
Mestre em Biologia Celular e Estrutural

Nos últimos 50 anos, portanto, pesquisadores de todo o mundo empenharam-se na pesquisa e desenvolvimento de compostos antivirais contra os mais diversos tipos de vírus. Inicialmente os compostos testados eram na sua grande maioria sintéticos, recentemente os compostos isolados de plantas também têm sido alvo das pesquisas. Neste trabalho foram avaliadas a citotoxicidade e a atividade antiviral da fração aquosa, de um nitrocomposto e de dois flavonóides (astilbina e neoastilbina), derivados das raízes de Heteropteris aphrodisiaca O. Mach. (Malpighiacea), uma planta medicinal brasileira popularmente conhecida como Nó-de-Cachorro. A atividade antiviral foi monitorada pelo ensaio de redução de plaques, para poliovírus tipo 1 e herpesvírus bovino tipo 1 (BHV-1). O nitrocomposto apresentou citotoxicidade nas concentrações maiores que 50 µg/ml, enquanto que a astilbina, neoastilbina e a fração aquosa apresentaram citotoxicidade apenas a 100 µg/ml. O nitrocomposto apresentou atividade antiviral, com índice de seletividade (SI) de 2,83 e 2,95 respectivamente para poliovírus e BHV-1, entretanto não foi eficiente no pré-tratamento dos vírus ou das células. A astilbina e neoastilbina não apresentaram atividade antiviral. A fração aquosa foi efetiva inibindo completamente, em todas as concentrações testadas, o aparecimento de plaques quando o vírus foi pré-tratado com os compostos.
O autor não disponibilizou o resumo em ingles.

Orientadores: Mary Anne Heidi Dolder, Fernanda Ramos Gadelha, Mary Anne Heidi Dolder
Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia
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Resumo: Heteropterys tomentosa A. Juss. é uma planta endêmica do cerrado brasileiro cuja raiz é popularmente utilizada como planta medicinal. O extrato vegetal é consumido de maneira rudimentar e sem qualquer forma de extração padronizada. No entanto, determinadas propriedades com potencial clínico são descritas na literatura para o extrato de H. tomentosa. Entre estas, expressiva atividade antioxidante in vivo, a qual poderia ser contribuir para os efeitos benéficos à saúde do composto. Portanto, propôs-se investigar neste trabalho os mecanismos antioxidantes do extrato de H. tomentosa em testículo de ratos Wistar submetidos a estresse oxidativo por cloreto de cádmio. Dois possíveis mecanismos bioquímicos foram considerados: capacidade de quelar íons de cádmio e de metais de transição, como ferro e cobre; capacidade de neutralizar espécies reativas de oxigênio. Os animais foram organizados em quatro grupos (n=5) e tradados durante 30 dias: Controle - ingestão ad libitum de água; Cd - ingestão ad libitum de solução aquosa de cloreto de cádmio [75mg/L]; Ht - uma injeção intraperitoneal diária do extrato vegetal NSE50 [50 mg/Kg Pc]; CdHt - ingestão ad libitum de solução aquosa de cloreto de cádmio [75mg/L] concomitantemente à injeção intraperitoneal diária do extrato vegetal NSE50 [50 mg/Kg Pc]. Ao término do tratamento, as amostras de testículo foram coletadas e submetidas a análises bioquímicas, estereológicas e histopatológicas. Os resultados demonstram que o extrato de H. tomentosa reduziu significativamente as taxas de peroxidação lipídica nos animais submetidos ao cádmio. As evidências sugerem que ambos os mecanismos antioxidantes inicialmente propostos estão envolvidos neste processo. Isto é, o extrato possui propriedades quelantes associadas à capacidade de neutralizar as EROs normalmente formadas após a exposição ao metal. Adicionalmente, os resultados acusam a presença de cádmio no testículo dos animais não expostos experimentalmente, provavelmente obtido através da ração comercial. Este cenário expõe um grave problema ambiental envolvendo a presença do metal na agricultura voltada para o consumo humano e, dessa forma, reforça os estudos populacionais que correlacionam exposição não ocupacional ao cádmio com diversas patologias idiopáticas
Abstract: Heteropterys tomentosa A. Juss. is an endemic Brazilian bush whose root is widely used as a medicinal plant. The plant extract is traditionally taken imbibed in alcohol and, therefore neither go through any standard extraction procedure nor has its active compounds identified. Nonetheless, the literature have reported some pharmacological properties with clinical potential for H. tomentosa root extract, such as a relevant in vivo antioxidant activity. Therefore, its health benefits could partially be attributed to the capacity of reducing the oxidative stress in the organism. For this reason, the aim of the present study is to shed light on the antioxidant mechanisms of H. tomentosa in Wistar rat testis undergoing cadmium induced lipid peroxidation. Two possible mechanisms have been investigated: the capacity of chelating cadmium and transitional metal ions, such as iron and copper; the capacity of ROS scavenging. Animal were set into four different groups (n=5) and submitted to different treatments for 30 days: Control - water ad libitum; Cd - water plus cadmium solution [75mg/L] ad libitum; Ht - daily intraperitoneal injection of NSE50 extract [50 mg/Kg Pc]; CdHt - water plus cadmium solution [75mg/L] ad libitum accompanied by a daily intraperitoneal injection of NSE50 extract [50 mg/Kg Pc]. At the end of the treatment, testis samples were collected and submitted to stereological, histopathological and biochemical analyses. The results showed a significant reduction in lipid peroxidation rates for the animals submitted to cadmium diet and simultaneously treated with the NSE50 extract. Our data indicates that two antioxidants mechanisms are employed by the plant extract: a cadmium chelating property and a ROS scavenging activity. In addition, results show the presence of cadmium in testis of control and Ht group, although they were not experimentally exposed to the metal. These animals are likely to have been contaminated through rat ration, mainly made from corn. This scenario exposes a current environmental issue involving agriculture for human consumption and, thus reinforces some epidemilogical studies correlating cadmium and several idiopathic pathologies
Doutorado
Biologia Celular
Doutor em Biologia Celular e Estrutural

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The traditional medicine offers large indications for scientific experimentations involving vegetal products that have been used by the population for a long time. Among the several plants, those considered aphrodisiac have an outstanding role in the popular medicine. The most emphatic indications in the State of Mato Grosso refer to the species Heteropterys aphrodisiaca (nó-de-cachorro) and Anemopaegma avense (vergateza) as the most powerful aphrodisiac in the Cerrado. In this work, the actions of the rough extracts of nó-de-cachorro roots and vergateza were evaluated on the corporal biometry, vesicular gland, seminiferous tubule cells of Leydig and other components of the intertubular tissues of adult rats Wistar in reproductive age chronically treated. 62 male rates Wistar in reproductive age were divided into 5 groups. The animals of the control group were exposed to daily gavage for 56 days, receiving 0.5 ml of salt solution. The animals of the other groups received 0.5 ml of extracts obtained from the two species in two different concentrations. The extracts of H. aphrodisiaca, in both concentrations tested increased significantly the corporal weight, the thickness of the seminiferous epithelium, the diameter of the seminiferous tubule, the volume ratio of the nucleus and cytoplasm of the cells of Leydig and the individual and total volume of the cells of Leydig. The treatment with the larger concentration of H. aphrodisiaca also caused increases in the weight of the testicular parenchyma. The animals treated with extracts from A. arvense, showed significant results on the corporal weight only when receiving higher concentrations. The extracts of A. arvense also showed expressive increases in the thickness of the seminiferous epithelium, in the diameter of the seminiferous tubule, in the volume ratio of the cytoplasm of the cells of Leydig and in the individual volume of those same cells.
A medicina tradicional oferece forte indicativo para experimentações científicas envolvendo produtos vegetais que vêm, há muito tempo, sendo utilizados pela população. Entre as diversas plantas utilizadas, aquelas consideradas afrodisíacas ocupam um lugar de destaque na medicina popular. As indicações mais enfáticas no Estado de Mato Grosso apontam para as espécies Heteropterys aphrodisiaca (nó-de-cachorro) e Anemopaegma arvense (vergateza), como os mais potentes afrodisíacos do Cerrado. Neste trabalho, foram avaliadas as ações dos extratos brutos das raízes de nó-de-cachorro e vergateza sobre a biometria corporal, glândula vesicular, túbulo seminífero, células de Leydig e demais componentes do tecido intertubular de ratos Wistar adultos, tratados cronicamente. Foram utilizados 62 ratos machos Wistar em idade reprodutiva, divididos em 5 grupos. Os animais do grupo-controle foram submetidos à gavagem diária, durante 56 dias, recebendo 0,5 mL de solução salina. Os animais dos demais quatro grupos receberam 0,5 mL de extratos obtidos das duas espécies em duas concentrações distintas. Os extratos de H. aphrodisiaca, em ambas as concentrações testadas, promoveram aumentos significativos no peso corporal, na espessura do epitélio seminífero, no diâmetro do túbulo seminífero, na proporção volumétrica do núcleo e citoplasma de célula de Leydig, nos volumes do núcleo e citoplasma das células de Leydig e no volume individual e total de células de Leydig. O tratamento com a maior concentração de H. aphrodisiaca promoveu ainda aumentos no peso do testículo e parênquima testicular. Já dos animais tratados com extrato de A. arvense, apenas os submetidos a maior concentração, mostraram resultados significativos para o aumento do peso corporal. Os extratos de A. arvense nas duas concentrações testadas também causaram aumentos significativos na espessura do epitélio seminífero no diâmetro do túbulo seminífero na proporção volumétrica do citoplasma de células de Leydig e no volume individual dessas mesmas células.

In this dissertation, I formulate and solve four philosophical puzzles on Aristotle's conception of pleasures and pains by using the Aristotelian dialectical method. The first puzzle concerns the nature of pleasure. In the Nicomachean Ethics book VII, Aristotle describes pleasure as an unimpeded activity of our natural state. In book X, however, he states that pleasure is something that supervenes on activity. I reconcile these two descriptions of pleasure by drawing on Aristotle's scientific works and his works in ethics. By offering this holistic view, I argue that pleasure is a passion or a way of being affected unimpededly. The second puzzle concerns the nature of pain. I develop a perceptual model to understand Aristotle's conception of pain. I also propose a mirroring method to understand pain by utilizing Aristotle's theory of contrariety. I argue that (1) like pleasure, pain is a passion; but (2) unlike pleasure, pain is a way of being affected impededly. Aristotle observed that there are two seemingly conflicting ways of thinking about the nature and significance of pain. On the one hand, perhaps all kinds of pain are evil and must be categorically avoided. On the other hand, perhaps some pains are intrinsically good and necessary in a virtuous life. In the third puzzle, I explore these apparently competing conceptions of pain. I argue that the solution to the puzzle is to affirm the common intuition that all pains are intrinsically bad, but at the same time to reject the claim that pain must always be avoided at all costs. Finally, I formulate a puzzle that comes from the work of Alexander of Aphrodisias, who entertains two opposing ethical intuitions concerning pain. The first intuition is that not all pains are bad, while the second intuition is that all pains are intrinsically bad. To solve the puzzle, I argue that pains are good insofar as they are a type of alienation. Furthermore, using Aristotle's theory of contrariety, I argue that even though all pains are intrinsically bad, it is not the case that all pleasures are good.

Orientador: Mary Anne Heidi Dolder
Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia
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Resumo: Este estudo investigou os efeitos da infusão de Heteropterys aphrodisiaca no músculo esquelético, tendão e osso de ratos submetidos ao treinamento de endurance. Ratos Wistar machos foram agrupados da seguinte maneira: CS-controle sedentário, HS-H. aphrodisiaca sedentário, CT-controle treinado, HT-H. aphrodisiaca treinado. O protocolo de treinamento consistiu de corrida em esteira motorizada, cinco vezes por semana, com aumento semanal de velocidade e duração. Os animais dos grupos controle receberam água, enquanto HS e HT receberam infusão de H. aphrodisiaca, diariamente, por gavagem durante 8 semanas, correspondente ao período de treinamento. O sangue foi coletado para dosagem de testosterona. O músculo extensor longo dos dedos (EDL), tendão calcanear e a tíbia foram congelados para análises histoquímicas, bioquímicas, biomecânicas e para Western Blot, ou preservados em fixador Karnovsky, sendo posteriormente processados para análises morfométricas e estereológicas utilizando microscopia de luz e eletrônica. O conteúdo de hidroxiprolina, a tensão máxima e o módulo de elasticidade aumentaram (p<0,05) nos tendões dos animais do grupo HT. A atividade da metalopeptidase-2 foi reduzida significativamente nos tendões dos animais do grupo HT. A região de compressão dos tendões dos animais do grupo HT apresentou intensa metacromasia, o que sugere aumento na concentração de glicosaminoglicanos nessa região tendão. Foi observada intensa birrefringência nas regiões de tensão e compressão dos tendões dos animais do grupo HT, o que pode indicar maior nível de organização dos feixes de colágeno. Os níveis de testosterona plasmáticos e a concentração de receptores de andrógeno no músculo esquelético aumentaram significativamente nos animais do grupo HS. A área média de secção transversa das fibras musculares dos animais do grupo HT foi semelhante à área das fibras dos animais sedentários, e aumentou significativamente quando comparados com os animais do grupo CT. A vascularização intramuscular e a densidade volumétrica de mitocôndria foram significativamente maiores nos animais do grupo HT. Nenhuma alteração foi observada nos tipos de fibras musculares para todos os grupos. Os animais do grupo HT mostraram significativo aumento de força e tensão no limite elástico durante o teste biomecânico da tíbia. O conteúdo de colágeno e os dados morfométricos da tíbia não foram alterados nos diferentes grupos. A força e tensão máxima, rigidez e módulo de elasticidade da tíbia foram semelhantes em todos os grupos experimentais. As microscopia eletrônica de varredura mostrou aumento de lacunas e canais de Havers nos ossos dos animais treinados, além disso, os ósteons estavam mais desorganizados quando comparados com os ossos dos animais sedentários. Essas alterações podem indicar que os ossos dos animais treinados estavam sendo remodelados. Portanto, com oito semanas de treinamento não foi possível verificar alterações nas medidas morfométricas, composição e nas propriedades mecânicas (rigidez e módulo de elasticidade) dos ossos dos animais treinados e/ou tratados com a infusão da planta. Por outro lado, a associação do treinamento de endurance com H. aphorodisiaca resultou em tendões mais resistentes para suportar as altas cargas geradas pelas contradições musculares repetidas, aumentou a área de secção transversa das fibras musculares, a densidade volumétrica de mitocôndrias e a vascularização do músculo, assim, sugerindo um aumento da capacidade de endurance dos animais.
Abstract: This study investigated the effects of Heteropterys aphrodisiaca infusion on the skeletal muscle, tendon and bone of rats under endurance training. Male Wistar rats were grouped as follows: CS- control sedentary, HS- H. aphrodisiaca sedentary , CT-control trained, HT- H. aphrodisiaca trained. The training protocol consisted in running on a motorized treadmill, five times a week, with weekly increase in treadmill velocity and duration. Control groups received water while the HS and HT groups received H. aphrodisiaca infusion, daily, by gavage for the 8 weeks of training. The blood was collected for testosterone dosage. Extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle, Achilles tendons and tibiae were frozen for histochemical, Western Blotting, biochemical and biomechanical analylis or preserved in Karnovsky's fixative, then processed for morphological analysis by light microscopy and electron microscopy. Biomechanical analysis showed significant increase (p<0.05) in maximum stress and modulus of elasticity of the tendons of the HT animal. The metalloproteinase-2 activity was reduced in the HT tendons. The compression region of tendons of HT animals had a stronger and more intense metachromasy, which suggests increase in glycosaminoglycan concentration in this region of the tendon. The most intense birefringence was observed in both compression and tesion regions of the tendon of HT animals, which may indicate a higher organizational level of collagen bundles. The tendon hidroxyproline content increased significantly is HS animals. The EDL mean cross-section area of HT group was similar to sedentary groups and increased significantly when compared with CT group. The intramuscular vascularization and mitochondria volume density were significantly greater in the HT group compared with other groups. No alterations were observed in the muscle fiber composition for all groups. The HT group showed significantly higher yield load and yield stress in the tibiae three-point bending test. The tibiae collagen content, morphometrical data were not significantly different for the four groups. The maximum load, stiffness, maximum stress and elastic modulus were statistically similar for all for the experimental groups. Scanning electron microscopy showed more lacunae and Havers canals in the bone of trained animals, moreover the osteons were more disorganized, when compared with sedentary groups. These alterations may indicate that the bone of trained animals was being remodeled. Possibly, the duration of training in this study was not sufficient to alter the bone morphometrical measurements, composition and mechanical properties (stiffness and modulus of elasticity) of the trained and treated animals. On the other hand, the association of endurance training with H. aphrodisiaca resulted in more resistant tendons to support high loads from repeated muscle contraction. Also, the association of H. aphrodisiacaI and the exercise protocol increased the mean area of muscle fiber, mitochondrial volume density and muscular vascularization , suggesting an increase of the endurance capacity of these animals.
Doutorado
Biologia Celular
Doutor em Biologia Celular e Estrutural

Orientador: Mary Anne Heidi Dolder, Sergio Luis Pinto da Matta
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia
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Resumo: TA ciclosporina A (CsA) possui potentes propriedades imunossupressivas e tem sido amplamente usada na terapia de transplantes de órgãos, aumentando as taxas de sobrevivência dos enxertos, e no tratamento de algumas doenças auto-imunes. Apesar de ser um importante medicamento, diversas reações colaterais são verificadas, entre elas a toxicidade testicular, levando à infertilidade masculina. Heteropterys aphrodisiaca é uma planta com indicações de estimulante e potente afrodisíaco, que aumenta o peso corporal e testicular e o volume das células de Leydig nos testículos de ratos adultos. Assim o efeito da associação dessas drogas foi estudado em ratos Wistar em idade reprodutiva, com avaliação da morfometria, estrutura e ultra-estrutura testicular. Foram utilizados 30 ratos divididos em 5 grupos: I- controle; II- tratamento com CsA; III- concomitante uso de CsA e H. aphrodisiaca; IV- pré-tratamento com H. aphrodisiaca por 30 dias, seguido de CsA por 26 dias; V- tratamento com H. aphrodisiaca. CsA foi administrada na dose de 15 mg/kg/dia e H. aphrodisiaca na dose de 0.5 ml de infusão preparada com 25g de raízes secas/100 ml água fervente. Os tratamentos foram administrados diariamente por gavagem, durante 56 dias. Aumento do peso corporal foi observado em todos os grupos, mas os grupos II e III tiveram menor ganho de peso. O peso dos testículos e dos órgãos sexuais acessórios, assim como a proporção e o volume dos compartimentos tubular e intersticial não alteraram nos grupos tratados. Com a administração de CsA houve aumento na proporção de tecido conjuntivo e redução na proporção de células de Leydig que, além disso, eram menores e com citoplasma mais denso que as células dos animais de outros grupos tratados. Por outro lado, a infusão de H. aphrodisiaca resultou em aumento do volume nuclear das células de Leydig. Os níveis de testosterona plasmáticos, o número de células de Leydig por testículo e por grama de testículo aumentou significativamente nos animais do grupo III. CsA causou degeneração das células germinativas, vacuolização nas células de Sertoli, espermátides arredondadas anormais e atrofia das organelas envolvidas na síntese de esteróides nas células de Leydig. H. aphrodisiaca causou vacuolização nas células de Sertoli, perda do contato e espaçamento entre as células germinativas e aumento de retículo endoplasmático liso e mitocôndrias nas células de Leydig. O tratamento concomitante e sequencial com CsA e H. aphrodisiaca foi efetivo em manter a ultra-estrutura das células de Leydig. Nesses tratamentos, as alterações observadas no epitélio seminífero foram a combinação das modificações observadas em cada tratamento separadamente. Entretanto, H. aphrodisiaca exerceu um efeito protetor no epitélio germinativo, uma vez que as modificações encontradas nesses grupos foram menos severas em relação ao grupo tratado somente com CsA
Abstract: Cyclosporine A (CsA) has potent immunosuppressive properties and it has markedly improved the ability of transplant patients to survive grafts and is also used in some autoimmune diseases. However, the drug has several side effects, including testicular toxicity, leading to male infertility (and temporary impotence?). Stimulant and aphrodisiac properties has been attributed to the plant, Heteropterys aphrodisiaca. Data from other experiments suggests that the root extract can increase body and testicular weight and the volume of Leydig cells in rat testis. Thus, the present work was undertaken to study the association of the drug and the medicinal herb in Wistar rats, evaluating testicular morphometry, structure and ultrastructure. Thirty adult rats were used, divided into five groups: I- control; II¿ CsA; III¿ simultaneous use of CsA and H. aphrodisiaca; IV- H. aphrodisiaca for 30 days and CsA sequentially for another 26 days; V- H. aphrodisiaca. CsA was administered at a dose of 15 mg/kg/day and/or H. aphrodisiaca at a dose of 0.5 ml of the infusion prepared with 25g of roots/100ml boiling water, daily by gavage, during 56 days. Increased body weight was observed for all groups, but the animals that received CsA for 56 days showed the smallest body weight gain. The testis and accessory sex organs weights were unchanged. The volume and volumetric proportion of seminiferous tubules and interstitial compartments did not alter in all treated groups. Morphometry showed increased connective tissue volumetric proportion and decreased Leydig cell volumetric proportion in CsA-treated rats. The Leydig cells of CsA-treated animals were smaller and more dense than other groups. On the other hand, the H. aphrodisiaca infusion resulted in an increase in Leydig cell nuclear volume. The plasma testosterone levels and number of Leydig cells per testis increased significantly in group III. Using transmission electron microscopy, it was possible to ascertain that CsA caused germ cell degeneration, Sertoli cell vacuolization, abnormal round spermatids and atrophy of the organelles involved in steroid synthesis in Leydig cells. H. aphrodisiaca caused Sertoli cell vacuolization, loss of germ cell attachment and expanded intercellular spaces between germ cells and Leydig cells with more mitochondria and smooth endoplasmic reticulum. The simultaneous and sequential treatment with H. aphrodisiaca and CsA was effective in maintaining the Leydig cell ultrastructure. In these treatments, the seminiferous epithelium alterations were a combination of the modifications observed for each isolated treatment. However it can be stated that H. aphrodisiaca had a protective effect on the testicular tissue, since less severe modifications were found for this group in relation to the rats that received only CsA
Mestrado
Biologia Celular
Mestre em Biologia Celular e Estrutural

Orientador: Mary Anne Heidi Dolder
Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia
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Resumo: A espécie Heteropterys aphrodisiaca é amplamente utilizada como afrodisíaca. Estudos mostram o potencial efeito estimulante sobre o tamanho das vesículas seminais e de populações de células de Leydig em ratos, ambos andrógenos dependentes. Neste trabalho foi proposto o tratamento com a infusão de H. aphrodisiaca aliado ao exercício de resistência física com o intuito de observar seus efeitos nos testículos de ratos. Foram utilizados ratos Wistar (90 dias) divididos em 4 grupos (n=10, cada): controles - água, sedentário e com treinamento físico; tratados com H. aphrodisiaca (104mg/kg/dia) sedentário e com treinamento físico. O experimento teve duração total de 56 dias. Foi realizada dosagem de testosterona plasmática e avaliados parâmetros morfométricos e estereológicos do parênquima testicular. No epitélio seminífero, foram contados os números de células germinativas e somáticas, calculando-se o rendimento da espermatogênese, índices mitótico e meiótico e eficiência e capacidade de células de Sertoli. Foi realizado Western Blotting para quantificação da concentração de receptores de andrógeno, e TUNEL para determinação de porcentagem de células apoptóticas. A concentração de testosterona circulante foi significativamente maior nos animais tratados e sedentários. Os diâmetros médios tubulares dos animais treinados foram maiores quando comparados aos dos animais sedentários. Não ocorreram variações significativas quanto ao volume do tecido intersticial, na proporção de macrófagos, espaço linfático e vasos sanguíneos. Entretanto, ocorreram diminuições significativas na proporção de tecido conjuntivo em ambos os grupos que receberam a infusão vegetal. Houve aumentos significativos do diâmetro e volume nucleares das células de Leydig dos animais treinados. Houve diminuição significativa do número de células de Leydig por grama de parênquima testicular nos animais controle/treinados quando comparados aos outros grupos experimentais. O grupo tratado/treinado apresentou o maior índice de mitoses espermatogoniais, sendo significativamente maior que a média do grupo sedentário/tratado. As curvas de rendimento e índice mitótico possuem mesmo padrão de distribuição, entretanto, para o índice meiótico, o grupo sedentário/tratado mostrou as maiores médias quando comparado aos dois grupos controle, sedentário e treinado. Não houve alteração de índices apoptóticos tampouco na concentração de receptores androgênicos entre os grupos experimentais. O protocolo de treinamento aplicado no presente experimento não acarretou em danos no parênquima testicular, como tem sido afirmado em outros experimentos envolvendo exercício aeróbico. Contudo, a infusão de nó-de-cachorro parece influenciar tanto no estímulo de células de Leydig, com aumento do volume celular, quanto no comportamento espermatogonial, induzindo mitoses e aumentando o rendimento geral do processo espermatogênico
Abstract: The species Heteropterys aphrodisiaca is traditionally used as an aphrodisiac. Some studies showed its stimulating potential of seminal vesicle and Leydig cell population growth, both androgen dependent. In this study, we proposed to observe the effects of H. aphrodisiaca infusion treatment combined with endurance exercise protocol. For this investigation, 40 adult Wistar rats (90 days) were used (4 groups, n = 10 each): two controls receiving water, sedentary and trained, and two treated with H. aphrodisiaca (104mg/kg/dia), sedentary and trained. The experiment lasted for 56 days. Plasma testosterone concentration was measured by radioimmunoassay. Morphometrical and stereological parameters were evaluated from the testicular parenchyma. The numbers of somatic and germ cells were estimated by counting the seminiferous epithelium cell population. Also, the spermatogenic yield, meiotic and mitotic index, efficiency and capacity of Sertoli cells were estimated. Western blotting was performed to quantify the concentration of androgen receptors, and TUNEL technique to determine the percentage of apoptotic cells within the seminiferous tubules. Control/trained animals showed a significant decrease in body mass gain compared to sedentary animals. The testosterone concentrations were significantly higher in treated/sedentary animals. The mean tubular diameters of trained animals were higher when compared to sedentary animals. There were no significant differences regarding the volume of interstitial tissue, the proportion and volume of macrophages, lymphatic space and blood vessels. However, the treated/sedentary group showed lower connective tissue content compared with the control/sedentary, as well as the diminished volume of Leydig cells, compared with the treated/trained group. There was a significant increase of both nuclear diameter and volume of Leydig cells in trained animals. On the other hand, there was a significant decrease of Leydig cell number per gram of testicular parenchyma in control/trained animals. Considering the spermatogenesis dynamics, both treated groups showed the highest spermatogenic yield, in relation to the control/trained group. The treated/trained group showed the highest index of spermatogonial mitosis - significantly higher than the sedentary/treated one. Spermatogenic yield and mitotic index showed the same distribution pattern when plotted on graphs; however, the meiotic index was significantly higher only in the sedentary/treated group. The apoptotic indexes, as well as the androgen receptor concentrations were not affected by the protocols employed. Treatment with the plant infusion did not lead to an increase of the parameters analyzed. However, the infusion seems to stimulate either the Leydig cell (increase of cell volume) or the spermatogonial behavior, inducing more mitosis and increasing the spermatogenic yield
Doutorado
Biologia Celular
Doutor em Biologia Celular e Estrutural

Aphrodisiac and anti-aphrodisiac pheromone production and composition in the green-veined white butterfly Pieris napi L. were investigated. Aphrodisiac pheromone biosynthesis had different time constraints in butterflies from the diapausing and directly developing generations. Effects of stable isotope incorporation in adult butterfly pheromone, in the nectar and flower volatiles of  host plants from labeled substrates were measured by solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. A method to fertilize plants with stable isotopes was developed and found to be an effective method to investigate the transfer of pheromone building blocks from flowering plants to butterflies. The anti-aphrodisiac methyl salicylate was not biosynthesized from phenylalanine in flowers of Alliaria petiolata. Both aphrodisiac and anti-aphrodisiac pheromones in P.napi are produced not only from resources acquired in the larval stage, but also from nutritional resources consumed intheadult stage. Males of P. napi produce the anti-aphrodisiac pheromone from both the essential amino acid L-phenylalanine and from common flower fragrance constituents.

QC 20140311

Investigar as relações filosóficas da lógica como instrumento segundo os antigos aristotélicos, até a época de Alexandre de Afrodísia, é o objeto principal de nosso trabalho. Ora, após avaliarmos criticamente algumas interpretações recentes, é ainda mais claro que uma lógica-instrumento não se encontra em Aristóteles. Como não pôde ter sido Aristóteles o primeiro a defender essa doutrina, nossa investigação se concentrou, então, num dos contextos mais significativos em que ela aparece, a saber, em uma polêmica com os estoicos; em contraste com os que defendiam que ela não era parte mas instrumento, estoicos argumentavam que a lógica é parte da filosofia, os quais argumentos nós analisamos aqui. É verdade, porém, que essas duas teses não são completamente contraditórias entre si, na medida em que, no período entre Aristóteles e Alexandre, há sinais de uma tese compatibilista, ou seja, de que a lógica seria considerada tanto parte quanto instrumento. Seja como for, nos debruçamos sobre as críticas dos aristotélicos contra uma lógica-parte, bem como sobre eventuais argumentos positivos dos peripatéticos, deixando claro o significado de uma determinada disciplina ser instrumento, órganon em grego. No aristotelismo antigo, disciplina-órganon implicava relações com o conceito de arquitetonicidade; segundo trechos de Aristóteles, objetos e, inclusive, técnicos de determinadas disciplinas podem ser utilizados como instrumentos por outras, mais arquitetônicas em relação às primeiras; daí peripatéticos posteriores denominarem as próprias disciplinas subordinadas de instrumentos; o conceito de disciplina instrumental, então, implica que ela contribui para a finalidade de sua superior. Com isso em mente, voltando-nos especificamente à lógica, Alexandre de Afrodísia considerava claramente que a lógica contribui para a contemplação, finalidade última do homem.
Our major aim here was to research the philosophical relations of logic as tool according to the ancient Aristotelians untill Alexander of Aphrodisias. After our critical assessments of recent interpretations, it is even clearer that Aristotle had not any idea of logic as tool. Since Aristotle could not have argued for such doctrine, our research focused on one of the most significative contexts in which it appears, namely, in a debate with the Stoics; contrary to the ones who said logic is no part, but an instrument of philosophy, the Stoics themselves sustained that logic is part of philosophy and we assessed their arguments for this. It is true that these two theses are not throughout contradictory between them, in so far as, in the period between Aristotle and Alexander, there are signals of a compatibilist thesis, i.e. that the logic had been regarded as part and tool. May as it be, the Aristotelians criticized the arguments for logic as part, which we analyzed, as well as some positive arguments of the Aristotelian school; accordingly, the meaning of some discipline as an instrument (in Greek organon) was clear. That means: a discipline-organon implied relations with the concept of architectonicity; for, according to texts of Aristotle, objects and even technicians of some disciplines could be used as tools by other more architectonic disciplines; that is why later Peripateticians named the subordinate disciplines themselves tools; the concept of instrumental discipline implies that it helps to the finality of its superior. That in mind, we could see the specific case of logic which, as at least Alexader of Aphrodisias clearly regarded, helps to the contemplation, the utmost finality of man.

The habit of honouring outstanding individuals with statues was common throughout the Roman Empire. Yet after the end of the Severan reign at the beginning of the third century AD, a decrease in honorific statues is generally assumed to have taken place. This thesis aims to evaluate this hypothesis, focusing specifically on the years AD 222-285. The thesis is assessing the contemporaneous imperial remains for the Roman Empire as a whole and the evidence from four exemplary cities that are particularly conspicuous in their statuary production and display, both before and after the time frame under investigation (Leptis Magna, Athens, Ephesus, Aphrodisias). The purpose is to explore the standards, conventions, and limitations of statuary practice in Roman society in a synthetic and comparative analysis and thereby to evaluate its political and social role during a state of internal and external instability, labelled 'the third century crisis'. By providing concrete figures, the practice of the third century can be juxtaposed with both the antecedent and subsequent centuries and this will facilitate a more coherent insight into the overall development and changes in Roman honorific statuary practice. The results suggest that the assumed decline in the number of statuary installations might have to be re-evaluated. It has become apparent that in order to obtain comparable numbers, the inclusion of imperial family members in any statistical evaluation is indispensable, a factor which has previously been disregarded. A gradual decrease cannot be supported and neither can a decrease in the appreciation of honours.

O volume de literatura secundária sobre o conceito aristotélico de noûs produtivo é proporcional à brevidade e à obscuridade com que ele é apresentado no quinto capítulo do terceiro livro do \"De Anima\". Esta dissertação visa investigar as razões que fazem deste texto terreno fértil para as mais diversas interpretações. Para tanto, este estudo parte do comentário analítico de DA III 4-5, destacando as possibilidades interpretativas de cada passagem e as variantes textuais mais significativas. Procurou-se explorar outras passagens do corpus aristotélico que podem ser utilizadas para elucidar o conteúdo desses capítulos, considerando as opções adotadas pelos principais comentadores antigos. Após mostrar que o texto comporta igualmente as leituras mais díspares, buscou-se evidenciar como elementos extratextuais, tais como a filosofia e o método exegético predominante no tempo de cada interprete podem ser identificados nas opções adotadas. Para tanto, adotou-se a obra de Alexandre de Afrodísia como objeto de exposição e análise, uma vez que sua identificação do nous produtivo à Causa Primeira de Met. XII 7-9 é a mais influente e polêmica das exegeses deste conceito. Para tanto, foram apresentadas suas principais teses e contrastadas com a base textual aristotélica, de modo pôr em relevo as características do método do Exegeta.
The amount of secondary literature on the Aristotelian concept of productive nous is proportional to the briefness and obscurity of its presentation in the fifth chapter of the Book Three of the De Anima. This thesis aims to investigate the reasons why this text offers a fertile ground for the most varied interpretations. Therefore, this text begins with an analytical commentary on DA III 4-5, highlighting the interpretative possibilities and the most significant textual variants of each passage. We searched for other passages of the Aristotelian corpus that could help us elucidate the content of these chapters, considering the options adopted by the main ancient commentators. After showing how the text equally accepts the most disparate readings, we tried to evidence how extra-textual elements, such as the philosophy and exegetical method predominant in the time of each interpreter can are present in the adopted options. For this, the work of Alexander of Aphrodisias was adopted as object of exposition and analysis, since its identification of the productive nous to the First Cause of Met. XII 7-9 is the most influential and polemical exegesis of this concept. His main arguments were presented and contrasted with the Aristotelian textual background, to highlight the characteristics of the Exegete\'s methods.

Cette étude s’attache à l’observation et l’analyse du fait religieux dans les romans grecs. Les romans de Chariton, Xénophon d’Éphèse, Longus, Achille Tatius et Héliodore forment un corpus étonnamment cohérent, au vu de la distance temporelle qui les sépare. Ils se refusent pourtant à toute tentative de généralisation en matière religieuse. Prenant le contre-pied des études symbolistes, ce travail présente un relevé exhaustif de la religion observable dans les romans. Sont ainsi étudiés les lieux de culte et leur personnel, ansi que les actes rituels effectués par les personnages. La mise en rapport des cultes romanesques avec l'archéologie et les conceptions religieuses des époques classique et impériale se révèle un moyen de prendre la mesure d’une reconstruction romanesque de la réalité, passée ou contemporaine. Le rapport de valeur établi dans les romans entre sacrifice et prière ainsi qu’entre cultes collectif et personnel permet d'apercevoir certains aspects de la religion propres à l'époque impériale. Mis en relation avec l'usage rhétorique et romanesque du fait religieux, il permet également de définir le projet de chacun des romanciers, en matière religieuse et politique, mais aussi esthétique
This thesis concentrates on the observation and analysis of places, people and acts of religion in Greek fiction. Charito, Xenophon Ephesius, Longus, Achilles Tatius and Heliodorus have produced suprisingly similar novels given that they were written at quite different times, although they still resist every attempt at religious generalisation. Traditionnal studies on the subject are symbolistic, on the contrary, here we will analyse the concrete aspects of religion, as they actually appear in these novels. So we will study the sacred places, the priests, and the rituals performed out by the novel's characters. The comparison of these fictionnal cults with archeological findings and religious conceptions from Imperial and Classical times will allow us to mesure the novelist's reconstruction of a reality, pertaining to their present or their past. The respective value given in these novels to sacrifice and prayer, to collective and individual cults shows some modern aspects of Greek religion in the Imperial era. If put in relation with the rhetorical and dramatic use of religion, this will also provide elements to define each novelist's religious, political but also esthetic project

In the city centers of Roman Asia Minor, honorific monuments, which consisted of a portrait sculpture and biographical inscription, filled the agoras, aedicular facades, and colonnaded avenues. While some monuments were for Roman emperors and magistrates, the majority celebrated and memorialized the most important members of the local community, male and female, individuals who held public offices, sponsored festivals, and funded large scale construction projects. Honorific monuments were collaborative productions that involved civic institutions, the honored benefactor, and the family or friends of the honorand. Because of the multiplicity of actors involved in the honorific process, an examination of honorific inscriptions allows for a discussion of identity construction at different scales from the individual honorand and his or her family to an entire civic community. In a city in Asia Minor during the empire, the identities conveyed included Roman imperial allegiances, Greek cultural values, and ties to the local community, often combined in compositions that justified claims of status or fulfilled political ambitions. This dissertation investigates the honorific inscriptions from one city in Asia Minor, Aphrodisias, from the mid-1st century BCE to the mid-3rd century CE, which consists of 206 instances of honor for 183 local Aphrodisians. The analysis examines developments in elite self-fashioning and the evolution of the reciprocal relationship between a community and its benefactors, with particular focus on references to ancestry and familial connections in the language of the inscriptions. The evidence indicates that the Aphrodisian elite deployed epigraphic formulations that mention family background and Roman connections in order to construct composite cultural identities and to affirm their place among the city’s aristocratic factions. The contextualization of these texts in an historical and archaeological framework demonstrates that the observed epigraphic changes responded both to internal factors, such as demographic shifts, and external ones, such as the spread of Roman citizenship. This analysis highlights the internally-stratified and competitive aristocratic order that functioned in Imperial Aphrodisias and articulates how the elite employed references to ancestral background, local ties, and Roman familial connections strategically in ways that had tangible impacts on the landscape of the city.
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Avec la romanisation à grande échelle pendant le Haut-Empire, les Romains ont propagé leur culture dans tout le bassin méditerranéen. Les jeux de gladiateurs ont été en Asie Mineure un apport important à la société romaine instaurée en milieu grec. Les théâtres hellénistiques ont été modifiés pour accueillir ces nouveaux divertissements, typiquement romains. Il est question de tout ce qui entoure ces endroits et les gladiateurs grecs qui les ont massivement fréquentés pendant les trois premiers siècles de notre ère, également de ces combattants grecs à travers les spectacles, les festivals et le culte impérial. Quatre cités sont étudiées dans cette optique : Éphèse, Aphrodisias, Attaleia, Side. Nous pouvons ainsi analyser les développements de ce phénomène autant dans les grands que les petites villes.
With full scale Romanization during the early days of the Empire, the Romans propagated their culture all across the Mediterranean region. Gladiatorial games were in Asia Minor a significant feature of the Roman culture implanted amid the Greek population. The Hellenistic theaters were modified to accommodate this new Roman entertainment. This contribution is about all that surrounds these places and the Greek gladiators who fought in them during the first three centuries of our era ; it explores those Greek warriors in spectacle, festival and imperial cult. Four cities are studied : Ephesos, Aphrodisias, Attaleia and Side. The choice of these examples, it is hoped, will allow a better understanding of the development of this phenomenon in big urban centers as well as in smaller cities.
Entièrement réalisé grâce au programme LaTeX (http://www.latex-project.org/)

This study provides an in depth analysis of three temples dedicated to emperors in Roman Asia (western Asia Minor): the Temple of Divine Rulers at Aphrodisias, the Temple of Divine Rulers at Ephesus and the Temple of Zeus Philios and Trajan at Pergamon. Focusing on each case study in a separate chapter, the project provides a brief introduction to each city's history and a detailed discussion of each temple's name, dating, patronage structure, architectural form, sculptural program, and the application techniques of sculptural and architectural details. The study proposes an understanding of these temples as key monuments of constantly changing dynamic urban landscapes rather than simple symbolic gestures towards the Roman emperors. Utilizing Kevin Lynch's terminology, the project suggests close links between each monument and the already existing urban elements of each individual city, further strengthening its overall urban image. These structures were essential to their urban contexts, and their meanings and functions were directly linked to the culture and history of each city. Finally, the project demonstrates that through their architectural designs and sculptural programs, each temple emphasized the perspectives of the local elite. The methodology of the project involves a careful study of the city plans, an analysis of context-specific local features and finally a consideration of multiple-viewer perceptions. This dissertation aims to provide an alternative model for later studies in Roman provincial art and architecture.
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博士
國立臺灣大學
動物科學技術學研究所
94
Sustainable management of reproduction is an area of major concern in humans and animals. Ironic as it is for the moment in the human plan for future they envision reduction in human numbers but want the domestic and wild animals to increase. Rapid urbanization, depleting natural buffering system, unhealthy lifestyle in humans are all contributing to poor prospect of enjoying reproductive bliss to its most. While, for the part of our cousins in the animal world, intensification in raising or habitat loss is ruining their prolific potentiality. Equipped with technological and scientific knowledge humans are pursuing for solutions. Debatable but lets hope unintended misuse and misguided information about synthetic approaches like in hormones and other drugs do leaves room for concerns. Suitable and softer approaches as envisioned in the proposed Sustainable Medicine (SM) looks promising and worthy of gradual incorporation. Herbs and acupuncture do provide one such option and has been in use and promoted as Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). Herbs with phytoestrogenic and steroidogenic capability are now subjects of detail investigation as preliminary findings reports encouraging results. To seek evidences in scientific platform, scores of medicinal herbs were screened for their potential effect on steroidogenesis in established in vitro cell culture system. Bovine luteal, porcine adrenal and small lab animals’ interstitial and Leydig cells obtained from the testis was used to conduct the experiment. Several medicinal herbs extracts showed various effects (stimulatory, inhibitory or no effect) on three main steroids investigated namely progesterone, cortisol and testosterone. In further detail study to understand the mechanism involved, signal transduction was trace at intracellular level employing several chemical agonists and antagonists. Among the list of several medicinal herbs, Tribulus terrestris L was chosen for in depth analysis in its testosterone synthesizing ability from isolated mice interstitial cells. In vivo experiment was carried out with protodioscin fortified Tribulus terrestris L feeding in young and middle-aged rats to observe their sexual behavior and their level of testosterone in serum and feces. HPLC-EC was use to measure the level of nordarenaline, adrenaline, dopamine from the medial preoptic area (MPOA), bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BSTMA) and mediam amygdal (MEA) pinced out section of the male rat brain parts from the different treatment in the young and middle-aged rats. We found that TT extract can increase testosterone production and by employing signal transduction tracing studies, we found the effect to be mild gonadotropin-like in action. On our investigation with different sources of TT, the material from Himalayas and commercial extract obtained from Bulgaria had stronger potentiality, while the material obtained from Taiwan did not show any significant effect. Furthermore, in our experiment TT extract countered the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and heating induced stress in the interstitial cells in maintaining the testosterone production ability. The study do establish that TT can in-fact contribute to the synthesis of testosterone by the Leydig cells in the interstitial tissue of the testes and one possible mechanism is by countering the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), which are detrimental to steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein. Furthermore, Bulgarian origin TT (TT-B) at higher doses cross-reacted with the enzyme immunoassay system, which demands further examination for possible presence of exogenous steroids or structural similarity of TT saponins to testosterone. TT-B was subjected to further in vivo experiment to understand if its administration had any impact on the sexual behavior of young (10 weeks) and middle-aged (48 weeks) male rats. Male Long–Evans rats used as experimental subjects and they were place in individual 10-gallon glass aquariums with a sexually receptive female for a test of sexual behavior. Ovariectomized females implanted with 5 mm long estradiol-filled sialistic capsules were brought into behavioral estrous by an injection of 500 μg progesterone 4 h prior to testing. The mount latency (ML), intromission latency (IL), intromission frequency (IF), ejaculation latency (EL), ejaculation frequency (EF) and post-ejaculatory interval (PEI) were observed and recorded in young and middle-aged rats pre and post treatment with five and ten mg/Kg body weight TT-B for four weeks. The finding showed that there was a clear difference in the sexual behavior of the young and middle-aged rats, with performances and T level in serum and feces being remarkably higher in the former. The sexual behavior observation of the old rats showed time and treatment effects for EF, IF PEI, IL in young and middle-aged rats at varying degree of significant differences. In the TT treatment groups, 5 mg showed better performance compared to the higher dose of 10 mg for all but IL parameters. In the middle-aged group of rats EF and IF was significantly improved in the TT treated group over the control at level of p<0.05 and even p<0.01. The finding also revels that there was no significant differences among the different groups in their live weight during the experiment period and wet organ weight in both young and middle-aged rats. Fecal and serum level of testosterone showed some resemblance in reflection of relative level, with treatment group in old rats showing significantly increased level over the control. However, in young rats, there was no difference in the serum testosterone level in either group, while fecal testosterone level was not significantly different in both young and old rats. The testis culture from different animals showed no difference in the basal level, but oLH stimulated cells showed significant (*p<0.05) increase in TT treated groups both in young and old rats. This study hence adds positive evidence to the aphrodisiac effect of TT; it also reports the possibility of employing fecal steroids assay in routine behavioral study with non-invasive approach. In the process of making EIA diagnostic procedure more integrated, I have assisted fellow students in establishing standard protocol for saliva steroids assay and developing biochips for faster and efficient assay. However, there are still some shortcomings to overcome, and hope EIA system’s integration with biotechnological advancement, linked with advancing techniques of biosensors will enable scientific pursuits like mine more viable. Resources are keys, financing for such projects that aims to understand the concept of scientific incorporation for evidence seeking in traditional knowledge and practices needs encouragements and initiations. Key is to achieve sustainable solutions to human progress in harmony with its surrounding by learning to respect it. Through this work, my intention is to highlight that herbs with steroidogenic and aphrodisiac activities can serve as potential candidates for improving reproduction in sustainable way both for use in humans and animals. However, more and deeper research and clear understanding on the pharmacological and toxicological interactions is necessary before coming to a final strong conclusion.