68 research outputs found
"That perilous stuff": crime in Shakespeare's tragedies
Shakespeare's works have been considerable sources of inspiration for crime and mystery writers. However, to consider Shakespeare's tragedies themselves to be examples of crime writing is uncommon. This paper explores the nature and scope of crime as used in Shakespeare. The period focused on is between Shakespeare's first tragedy, Titus Andronicus (c. 1590), and his last, Coriolanus (c. 1608).
What is considered a crime in Shakespearean tragedy? What types of crimes are a part of the action, and what place do these crimes have in the tragic structure? There is not necessarily agreement as to what constitutes an instance of negligence or deviance that is deemed injurious to individuals or the state. However, the discussion includes references to overt criminal acts as well as to examples of criminal conduct not regarded as such by the individuals involved. A distinction could be made between offenses that are mala in se, i.e. "wrong in themselves" and mala prohibita, i.e. crimes that are differently judged from society to society or from time to time.
A further classification of crimes can be made depending on their seriousness and form of punishment. The types of crimes of primary interest in the tragic mode are grave offenses, i.e. felonies, rather than misdemeanours. The article will also consider to what extent there is a development in the way crime is presented from the early to the later tragedie
Genome-Wide Analysis of Gene Expression in Primate Taste Buds Reveals Links to Diverse Processes
Efforts to unravel the mechanisms underlying taste sensation (gustation) have largely focused on rodents. Here we present the first comprehensive characterization of gene expression in primate taste buds. Our findings reveal unique new insights into the biology of taste buds. We generated a taste bud gene expression database using laser capture microdissection (LCM) procured fungiform (FG) and circumvallate (CV) taste buds from primates. We also used LCM to collect the top and bottom portions of CV taste buds. Affymetrix genome wide arrays were used to analyze gene expression in all samples. Known taste receptors are preferentially expressed in the top portion of taste buds. Genes associated with the cell cycle and stem cells are preferentially expressed in the bottom portion of taste buds, suggesting that precursor cells are located there. Several chemokines including CXCL14 and CXCL8 are among the highest expressed genes in taste buds, indicating that immune system related processes are active in taste buds. Several genes expressed specifically in endocrine glands including growth hormone releasing hormone and its receptor are also strongly expressed in taste buds, suggesting a link between metabolism and taste. Cell type-specific expression of transcription factors and signaling molecules involved in cell fate, including KIT, reveals the taste bud as an active site of cell regeneration, differentiation, and development. IKBKAP, a gene mutated in familial dysautonomia, a disease that results in loss of taste buds, is expressed in taste cells that communicate with afferent nerve fibers via synaptic transmission. This database highlights the power of LCM coupled with transcriptional profiling to dissect the molecular composition of normal tissues, represents the most comprehensive molecular analysis of primate taste buds to date, and provides a foundation for further studies in diverse aspects of taste biology
An Overview of Three Promising Mechanical, Optical, and Biochemical Engineering Approaches to Improve Selective Photothermolysis of Refractory Port Wine Stains
During the last three decades, several laser systems, ancillary technologies, and treatment modalities have been developed for the treatment of port wine stains (PWSs). However, approximately half of the PWS patient population responds suboptimally to laser treatment. Consequently, novel treatment modalities and therapeutic techniques/strategies are required to improve PWS treatment efficacy. This overview therefore focuses on three distinct experimental approaches for the optimization of PWS laser treatment. The approaches are addressed from the perspective of mechanical engineering (the use of local hypobaric pressure to induce vasodilation in the laser-irradiated dermal microcirculation), optical engineering (laser-speckle imaging of post-treatment flow in laser-treated PWS skin), and biochemical engineering (light- and heat-activatable liposomal drug delivery systems to enhance the extent of post-irradiation vascular occlusion)
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