Gerard Manley Hopkins : critical perceptions of his relation to poetic tradition to 1970

The aim of this thesis has been to make an accurate assessment of the developments in Hopkins criticism up until 1970, with overriding emphasis on perceptions of his relation to poetic tradition. The chosen methodology involves a chapter by chapter discussion of Hopkins' perceived relation to individual poets or groups of poets. Generally, each chapter opens with an examination of Hopkins' published correspondence, scrutinizing his own criticism of the poet or poets in question, and proceeds in a chronological survey of the ways in which critics and reviewers have related him to the predecessor in question. Material covered in the thesis includes major published works on Hopkins; articles and reviews in scholarly periodicals, as well as more popular journals and some newspapers; and other critical works where Hopkins receives some degree of attention. The 'cutoff' point of this study is 1970, although a final chapter has been appended with a less detailed survey of the developments from 1970 to the present day. On certain occasions, I have ventured to investigate more fully some areas of Hopkins' literary genetics that seem not to have received the attention they deserve. In general, however, the focus of the thesis is upon the perceptions of the critics, and attempts are made to assess the ways in which Hopkins' fluctuating critical standing has altered these perceptions and vice versa. One of the most frequently recurring demands has been the need to try and determine why Hopkins has been related to different poets and different poetic traditions at different times. To provide a more 'three-dimensional' perspective, two chapters are devoted to exploring the ways in which Hopkins has been perceived as an influence on twentieth century poetry, in general terms, and in specific cases. In conclusion, a 'map' of the territory of Hopkins' criticism charting the perceived relations between his oeuvre and poetic tradition is proposed. And, with a necessary emphasis on the provisional (particularly with the post-1970 study taken into account), some suggestions are made for new directions in this area of study

Genetic Engineering for Global Food Security: Photosynthesis and Biofortification

Increasing demands for food and resources are challenging existing markets, driving a need to continually investigate and establish crop varieties with improved yields and health benefits. By the later part of the century, current estimates indicate that a >50% increase in the yield of most of the important food crops including wheat, rice and barley will be needed to maintain food supplies and improve nutritional quality to tackle what has become known as ‘hidden hunger’. Improving the nutritional quality of crops has become a target for providing the micronutrients required in remote communities where dietary variation is often limited. A number of methods to achieve this have been investigated over recent years, from improving photosynthesis through genetic engineering, to breeding new higher yielding varieties. Recent research has shown that growing plants under elevated [CO2] can lead to an increase in Vitamin C due to changes in gene expression, demonstrating one potential route for plant biofortification. In this review, we discuss the current research being undertaken to improve photosynthesis and biofortify key crops to secure future food supplies and the potential links between improved photosynthesis and nutritional quality. View Full-Tex

Toward a User Commitment Continuum

User commitment to a new information system is critical to its success. But what does this mean? One explanatory theory is the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), which has gained wide recognition, but has also been criticized for its inability to account for temporal and contextual differences as well as its failure to consider how user commitment grows and changes with system use. This paper suggests that “user commitment” is not a binary proposition, but rather is better described as a range of values on a continuum. We propose such a model with at least four major components

Macrophages Are Necessary for Epimorphic Regeneration in African Spiny Mice

How the immune system affects tissue regeneration is not well understood. In this study, we used an emerging mammalian model of epimorphic regeneration, the African spiny mouse, to examine cell-based inflammation and tested the hypothesis that macrophages are necessary for regeneration. By directly comparing inflammatory cell activation in a 4 mm ear injury during regeneration (Acomys cahirinus) and scarring (Mus musculus), we found that both species exhibited an acute inflammatory response, with scarring characterized by stronger myeloperoxidase activity. In contrast, ROS production was stronger and more persistent during regeneration. By depleting macrophages during injury, we demonstrate a functional requirement for these cells to stimulate regeneration. Importantly, the spatial distribution of activated macrophage subtypes was unique during regeneration with pro-inflammatory macrophages failing to infiltrate the regeneration blastema. Together, our results demonstrate an essential role for inflammatory cells to regulate a regenerative response

Cardiac Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer MR Imaging Tracking of Cell Survival or Rejection in Mouse Models of Cell Therapy

Purpose: To examine whether cardiac chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging can be serially and noninvasively used to probe cell survival or rejection after intramyocardial implantation in mice. Materials and Methods: Experiments were compliant with the National Institutes of Health Guidelines on the Use of Laboratory Animals and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. One million C2C12 cells labeled with either europium (Eu) 10-(2-hydroxypropyl)-1,4,7-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7-triacetic acid (HP-DO3A) or saline via the hypotonic swelling technique were implanted into the anterior-lateral left ventricular wall in C57BL/6J (allogeneic model, n = 17) and C3H (syngeneic model, n = 13) mice. Imaging (frequency offsets of ±15 parts per million) was performed 1, 10, and 20 days after implantation, with the asymmetrical magnetization transfer ratio (MTRasym) calculated from image pairs. Histologic examination was performed at the conclusion of imaging. Changes in MTRasym over time and between mice were assessed by using two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance. Results: MTRasym was significantly higher in C3H and C57BL/6J mice in grafts of Eu-HP-DO3A–labeled cells (40.2% ± 5.0 vs 37.8% ± 7.0, respectively) compared with surrounding tissue (−0.67% ± 1.7 vs −1.8% ± 5.3, respectively; P \u3c .001) and saline-labeled grafts (−0.4% ± 6.0 vs −1.2% ± 3.6, respectively; P \u3c .001) at day 1. In C3H mice, MTRasym remained increased (31.3% ± 9.2 on day 10, 28.7% ± 5.2 on day 20; P \u3c .001 vs septum) in areas of in Eu-HP-DO3A–labeled cell grafts. In C57BL/6J mice, corresponding MTRasym values (11.3% ± 8.1 on day 10, 5.1% ± 9.4 on day 20; P \u3c .001 vs day 1) were similar to surrounding myocardium by day 20 (P = .409). Histologic findings confirmed cell rejection in C57BL/6J mice. Estimation of graft area was similar with cardiac CEST imaging and histologic examination (R2 = 0.89). Conclusion: Cardiac CEST imaging can be used to image cell survival and rejection in preclinical models of cell therapy

Complex Tissue Regeneration in Mammals Is Associated with Reduced Inflammatory Cytokines and an Influx of T Cells

While mammals tend to repair injuries, other adult vertebrates like salamanders and fish regenerate damaged tissue. One prominent hypothesis offered to explain an inability to regenerate complex tissue in mammals is a bias during healing toward strong adaptive immunity and inflammatory responses. Here we directly test this hypothesis by characterizing part of the immune response during regeneration in spiny mice (Acomys cahirinus and Acomys percivali) vs. fibrotic repair in Mus musculus. By directly quantifying cytokines during tissue healing, we found that fibrotic repair was associated with a greater release of pro-inflammatory cytokines (i.e., IL-6, CCL2, and CXCL1) during acute inflammation in the wound microenvironment. However, reducing inflammation via COX-2 inhibition was not sufficient to reduce fibrosis or induce a regenerative response, suggesting that inflammatory strength does not control how an injury heals. Although regeneration was associated with lower concentrations of many inflammatory markers, we measured a comparatively larger influx of T cells into regenerating ear tissue and detected a local increase in the T cell associated cytokines IL-12 and IL-17 during the proliferative phase of regeneration. Taken together, our data demonstrate that a strong adaptive immune response is not antagonistic to regeneration and that other mechanisms likely explain the distribution of regenerative ability in vertebrates

The reconstructed Indonesian warm pool sea surface temperatures from tree rings and corals: Linkages to Asian monsoon drought and El Niño–Southern Oscillation

[ 1] The west Pacific warm pool is the heat engine for the globe's climate system. Its vast moisture and heat exchange profoundly impact conditions in the tropics and higher latitudes. Here, September - November sea surface temperature (SST) variability is reconstructed for the warm pool region (15 degrees S - 5 degrees N, 110 - 160 degrees E) surrounding Indonesia using annually resolved teak ring width and coral delta O-18 records. The reconstruction dates from A. D. 1782 - 1992 and accounts for 52% of the SST variance over the most replicated period. Significant correlations are found with El Nino - Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and monsoon indices at interannual to decadal frequency bands. Negative reconstructed SST anomalies coincide with major volcanic eruptions, while other noteworthy extremes are at times synchronous with Indian and Indonesian monsoon drought, particularly during major warm ENSO episodes. While the reconstruction adds to the sparse network of proxy reconstructions available for the tropical Indo-Pacific, additional proxies are needed to clarify how warm pool dynamics have interacted with global climate in past centuries to millennia.</p