Hagiography

Hagiography is a problematic yet widely used term with varying connotations which resists narrow definition. Outside the ‘hagiographa’ of the Hebrew Bible (i.e. the books other than the Law and the Prophets), the concept is based on a core of Christian Greek and Latin works from the second to fifth century CE which range from martyr accounts to monastic and episcopal biographies. A significant factor motivating their composition and reception is the cult of saints. Biblical heroes, especially Elijah, John the Baptist, and Jesus himself are the primary models, but non-Christian literary traditions, especially biographical and novelistic, are also important influences

The Role of Vocal Hostility on Mood: Initial Development of an Alternative Stress Paradigm

Maltreatment, such as physical or emotional abuse, can alter one’s later emotional regularity and responses to stimuli. To be able to study the effect of maltreatment on later stimuli response, appropriate laboratory paradigms need to be available, which is not currently true. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of vocal hostility stimuli on mood change as preliminary steps toward the creation of a laboratory paradigm. Participants were recruited from a regional university in southeast United States and asked to react to recorded audio with a hostile tone. Study 1 found that participants’ mood did not differ based on the level of hostility they were exposed to, although participants indicated they would expect a more negative mood had the situation been real. Additionally, participants could not always differentiate between the hostility levels, indicating adjustments to the study stimuli might be needed. Study 2 investigated whether longer exposure to hostility might impact the relationship between hostility and mood. Results of Study 2 replicated Study 1, suggesting other factors would need to be considered in the adjustment of our stimuli to create a useful paradigm

Genome-wide association study identifies a variant in HDAC9 associated with large vessel ischemic stroke

Genetic factors have been implicated in stroke risk but few replicated associations have been reported. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in ischemic stroke and its subtypes in 3,548 cases and 5,972 controls, all of European ancestry. Replication of potential signals was performed in 5,859 cases and 6,281 controls. We replicated reported associations between variants close to PITX2 and ZFHX3 with cardioembolic stroke, and a 9p21 locus with large vessel stroke. We identified a novel association for a SNP within the histone deacetylase 9(HDAC9) gene on chromosome 7p21.1 which was associated with large vessel stroke including additional replication in a further 735 cases and 28583 controls (rs11984041, combined P = 1.87×10−11, OR=1.42 (95% CI) 1.28-1.57). All four loci exhibit evidence for heterogeneity of effect across the stroke subtypes, with some, and possibly all, affecting risk for only one subtype. This suggests differing genetic architectures for different stroke subtypes

HIV patients treated with low-dose prednisolone exhibit lower immune activation than untreated patients

HIV-associated general immune activation is a strong predictor for HIV disease progression, suggesting that chronic immune activation may drive HIV pathogenesis. Consequently, immunomodulating agents may decelerate HIV disease progression. In an observational study, we determined immune activation in HIV patients receiving low-dose (5 mg/day) prednisolone with or without highly-active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) compared to patients without prednisolone treatment. Lymphocyte activation was determined by flow cytometry detecting expression of CD38 on CD8(+) T cells. The monocyte activation markers sCD14 and LPS binding protein (LBP) as well as inflammation markers soluble urokinase plasminogen activated receptor (suPAR) and sCD40L were determined from plasma by ELISA. CD38-expression on CD8+ T lymphocytes was significantly lower in prednisolone-treated patients compared to untreated patients (median 55.40% [percentile range 48.76-67.70] versus 73.34% [65.21-78.92], p = 0.0011, Mann-Whitney test). Similarly, we detected lower levels of sCD14 (3.6 μg/ml [2.78-5.12] vs. 6.11 μg/ml [4.58-7.70]; p = 0.0048), LBP (2.18 ng/ml [1.59-2.87] vs. 3.45 ng/ml [1.84-5.03]; p = 0.0386), suPAR antigen (2.17 μg/ml [1.65-2.81] vs. 2.56 μg/ml [2.24-4.26]; p = 0.0351) and a trend towards lower levels of sCD40L (2.70 pg/ml [1.90-4.00] vs. 3.60 pg/ml [2.95-5.30]; p = 0.0782). Viral load in both groups was similar (0.8 × 105 ng/ml [0.2-42.4 × 105] vs. 1.1 × 105 [0.5-12.2 × 105]; p = 0.3806). No effects attributable to prednisolone were observed when patients receiving HAART in combination with prednisolone were compared to patients who received HAART alone.\ud Patients treated with low-dose prednisolone display significantly lower general immune activation than untreated patients. Further longitudinal studies are required to assess whether treatment with low-dose prednisolone translates into differences in HIV disease progression

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

A commentary on Jerome's Vita Malchi

This Commentary on Jerome's Vita Malchi begins with an Introduction which summarises some of the main points of interest of this early hagiographical text, including its relevance to contemporary debates about asceticism and the classical and biblical influences on the language and content. Particular attention is paid to the style and rhetorical devices deployed. A discussion of the textual status of the work is followed by a preliminary edition of the text on which the notes of the commentary are based. The commentary itself deals with a large variety of issues. Stylistic and philological observations are made throughout. Topoi in the preface are identified. The internal consistency of the narrative is investigated. The geographical background to the movements of the characters is elucidated, and their status is put in the context of Roman jurisprudence. Jerome's depiction of the Saracens in chapter Four is compared with that of Ammianus. Important literary themes and influences are treated discursively where appropriate, e.g. the description and interpretation of a colony of ants in chapter Seven. An attempt is made to solve all textual problems identified. In sum, this commentary aims to give a sense of Jerome's wide range of interests, as well as demonstrating the influence of his literary background and his creative engagement with it.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

The monk and the ridiculous: comedy in Jerome’s 'Vita Malchi'

No abstract available

Jerome, Quintilian and Little Paula: asceticism, education and ideology

This chapter proposes a new reading of Jerome’s Letter 107, which is addressed to the aristocratic Christian matron Laeta and offers advice on how to bring up her daughter. It argues that the educational prescriptions of this letter are not an end in themselves but a pretext for imagining the triumph of Christian asceticism, practised at the borders of the Empire, over the pagan elites associated with the urban fabric of Rome