Christina Rossetti and the aesthetics of the feminine

The act of contextual recovery that motivates New Historicist readings of Christina Rossetti's poetry has its own validity, but the consequence of recovery is often to posit a fully intentional, strong, and subversive subject position. An alternative critique is offered which interprets subjectivities as endlessly oscillating between positions of presence and absence, subject and object, silence and speech, here and elsewhere, and between the text and (impossibly) outside the text. This dynamic allows for a subtle matrix of collusion with, resistance to, and evasion of the representational system. I read this matrix as the product of Rossetti's biographical and poetical subject positions conventionally encoded as the superlatively and excessively feminine, and thus as both the basis of nineteenth-century gender ideology and its blind spot. The various discursive pressures on Rossetti's poetry - specifically Pre-Raphaelitism, Tractarianism, and Aestheticism - produce an unstable poetic that both avows and rejects the aesthetic of the feminine. The Introduction traces the implications of the aesthetic of the feminine for feminist readings of nineteenth-century gender ideology. The first three chapters then explore specific interactions between Rossetti and the aesthetic: Chapter 1 analyses biographical constructions of Christina Rossetti as a trope for the feminine and for representation itself; Chapter 2 explores D.G. Rossetti's manuscript revisions of her poetry and her collisions; and Chapter 3 critiques his two earliest paintings for which she sat as a model for the Virgin Mary and also critiques her own poetic responses which expose the repressed alterity beneath her brother's gender ideology. The following chapters move on to suggest how other discourses bear the aesthetic of the feminine: in Chapter 4, Italy and the maternal; in Chapters 5 and 6, the Tractarian doctrines of analogy and reserve

The Effect of Genetic Background and Dose on Non-Targeted Effects of Radiation

Purpose: This work investigates the hypothesis that genetic background plays a significant role in the signalling mechanisms underlying induction and perpetuation of genomic instability following radiation exposure. Materials and methods: Bone marrow from two strains of mice (CBA and C57) were exposed to a range of X-ray doses (0, 0.01, 0.1, 1 and 3 Gy). Different cellular signalling endpoints: Apoptosis, cytokine levels and calcium flux, were evaluated at 2 h, 24 h and 7 d post-irradiation to assess immediate and delayed effects. Results: In CBA (radiosensitive) elevated apoptosis levels were observed at 24 h post X-irradiation, and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) levels which increased with time and dose. C57 showed a higher background level of apoptosis, and sustained apoptotic levels 7 days after radiation exposure. Levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α were increased in C57 at day 7 for higher X-ray doses. TGF-β levels were higher in CBA, whilst C57 exhibited a greater TNF-α response. Calcium flux was induced in reporter cells on exposure to conditioned media from both strains. Conclusions: These results show genetic and dose specific differences in radiation-induced signalling in the initiation and perpetuation of the instability process, which have potential implications on evaluation of non-targeted effects in radiation risk assessment

School Breakfast Club Programs in Australian Primary Schools, Not Just Addressing Food Insecurity: A Qualitative Study

Background: Many Australian primary schools have established school breakfast clubs (SBCs) to address concerns about children arriving at school hungry and the subsequent impact on learning but their effectiveness is uncertain. This study aimed to identify the perceived benefits, impacts, operational practices, and challenges of running SBCs. Method: Case studies with 10 Australian primary schools from different socioeconomic and geographic areas. Focus groups or interviews were held with 142 participants including students, parents/carers, school staff, and funding body representatives between July 2016 and October 2017. Results: There were no eligibility criteria to attend SBCs with all students able to attend, regardless of household income. Thus, participating in the SBC was often reported as a matter of choice rather than a consequence of food insecurity. Participants, including children, discussed the many social benefits of SBCs (i.e., social eating, relationship building, school connection, and engagement) as well as perceived improved classroom behavior. Challenges for program delivery included resource limitations, particularly, the reliance on volunteers and sourcing food. Discussion/Conclusion: SBCs offered a range of benefits beyond their primary goal of addressing food security. SBCs were highly valued by members of the school community for their social, welfare, well-being, and educational benefits, but program sustainability is constrained by resource limitations

The therapeutic potential of apelin in kidney disease.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality and is independently associated with cardiovascular disease. The mainstay of treatment for CKD is blockade of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), which reduces blood pressure and proteinuria and slows kidney function decline. Despite this treatment, many patients progress to kidney failure, which requires dialysis or kidney transplantation, and/or die as a result of cardiovascular disease. The apelin system is an endogenous physiological regulator that is emerging as a potential therapeutic target for many diseases. This system comprises the apelin receptor and its two families of endogenous ligands, apelin and elabela/toddler. Preclinical and clinical studies show that apelin receptor ligands are endothelium-dependent vasodilators and potent inotropes, and the apelin system has a reciprocal relationship with the RAAS. In preclinical studies, apelin regulates glomerular haemodynamics and acts on the tubule to promote aquaresis. In addition, apelin is protective in several kidney injury models. Although the apelin system has not yet been studied in patients with CKD, the available data suggest that apelin is a promising potential therapeutic target for kidney disease

Demonstrating the performance of a real-time optical colorimetric sensing device for monitoring the marine environment

The research objective is to develop a cost-effective event detection sensing system to inform targeted sampling by traditional means and act as a decision support tool. The Optical Colorimetric Sensor (OCS) uses an array of LEDs to detect change in water coloration and alert to events. A prototype comprises the following features: an LED array light source, photodiode detectors, robust deployable design, GSM communication and antifouling measures. The system has been evaluated using laboratory and field measurements. The system is robust and deployable in the aquatic environment. The OCS shows potential to detect events in the environment due to a pollution

Recombinant anticoccidial vaccines - a cup half full?

Eimeria species parasites can cause the disease coccidiosis, most notably in chickens. The occurrence of coccidiosis is currently controlled through a combination of good husbandry, chemoprophylaxis and/or live parasite vaccination; however, scalable, cost-effective subunit or recombinant vaccines are required. Many antigens have been proposed for use in novel anticoccidial vaccines, supported by the capacity to reduce disease severity or parasite replication, increase body weight gain in the face of challenge or improve feed conversion under experimental conditions, but none has reached commercial development. Nonetheless, the protection against challenge induced by some antigens has been within the lower range described for the ionophores against susceptible isolates or current live vaccines prior to oocyst recycling. With such levels of efficacy it may be that combinations of anticoccidial antigens already described are sufficient for development as novel multi-valent vaccines, pending identification of optimal delivery systems. Selection of the best antigens to be included in such vaccines can be informed by knowledge defining the natural occurrence of specific antigenic diversity, with relevance to the risk of immediate vaccine breakthrough, and the rate at which parasite genomes can evolve new diversity. For Eimeria, such data are now becoming available for antigens such as apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA1) and immune mapped protein 1 (IMP1) and more are anticipated as high-capacity, high-throughput sequencing technologies become increasingly accessible

Development of a real-time, continuous, optical turbidity and colorimetric sensing device for the marine environment

Our aquatic heritage is a vital resource. Anthropogenic activities and industrialisation, however, have led to increased pressures on our natural waters, and consequently, careful management is required to ensure their sustainability and health for future generations. It is important to acknowledge that one can only manage what one can measure, and therefore, environmental sensing of riverine, estuarine and marine waters is becoming increasingly important to ensure that European directives such as the Water Framework Directive [1], the Bathing Water Directive [2] and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive [3] can be met. Traditional approaches have typically involved the intermittent collection of samples at the relevant monitoring location (grab sampling), the transportation of the samples to the laboratory, the analysis of samples using various lab-based analytical techniques and the evaluation of results. In relation to aquatic environmental monitoring, this approach is not always ideal due a number of factors, for example, (1) the possibility of missing events due to insufficient sampling frequencies, (2) the potential for sample contamination from the point of collection to the laboratory, and (3) the inherent lead time from sample collection to analytical results can be problematic with regards to delayed reaction protocols and cause traceability. This research seeks to resolve some of these outstanding issues through the development of a prototype, real-time, continuous turbidity and colorimetric sensing device for the marine environment. The new device seeks to improve upon our existing Multi-Channel Optical Device (MOD) [4], see Figure 1, in terms of robustness and data transmittance capabilities. Potential applications are the detection of harmful algal bloom (HABs), for example cyanobacteria, which are toxic to both humans and animal species. The sensing device uses an array of coloured LEDs to not only detect and quantify changes in turbidity but also to signal changes in colour intensity. Significant challenges exist to ensure the robustness of sensing systems in the aforementioned aquatic environments, and these issues vary in significance depending on the classification and remoteness of the monitoring location. Of these challenges, biofouling is one of the key limiting factors. One important aspect of this research is that it also incorporates the testing and assessment of recently developed biofouling mitigation techniques. This device is based on a generic platform, which will potentially result in a plug and play approach for various other sensor elements. Figure 1: Multi-Channel Optical device (MOD). Acknowledgements: This research is funded by a Beaufort Marine Research Award, which is carried out under the Sea Change Strategy and the Strategy for Science Technology and Innovation (2006-2013), with the support of the Marine Institute, funded under the Marine Research Sub-Programme of the National Development Plan 2007–2013. [1] EU website, Water Framework Directive, [on-line], http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2000:327:0001:0072:EN:PDF, Accessed 2012(November). [2] EU Website, Bathing Water Directive, [on-line], http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2006:064:0037:0051:EN:PDF, Accessed 2012(November). [3] EU Website, Marine Strategy Framework Directive, [on-line], http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2008:164:0019:0040:EN:PDF, Accessed 2012(November). [4] Lau, K. T., Kim, J., O’Sullivan, T. et al, "Sensing technologies for monitoring the marine environment", MARTECH Conference, Cadiz, Spain, (2011)